Christ our Lord the same has bin always us'd in the Catholic Church We might here forbear the Testimonies of the Holy Fathers By Fathers and Councils which to reckon up would be endless and the Decree of the Council of Florence which is open and ready for all to see especially since by those words of our Savior Do this in commemoration of me we plainly see the same thing In Decret de Sacram. Item Trid. Sess 13. cap. 1. For what the Lord commanded to be done Note ought to be referr'd not only to what he did but also to what he said And we must know that indeed it chiefly belongs to the Words which were utter'd no less for the sake of Effecting than for the sake of Signifying As to the Fathers see Amb. lib. 4. de Sacram. c. 4. 5. Chrys hom de Prodit Judae Aug lib. 3. de Trinit c. 4. Iren. lib. 4. cont Haer. c. 34. Orig. lib. 8. cont Celsum Hesich lib. 6. in Levit. c. 22. Cyril Alex. Epist. ad Calosorum Episcop Tertul. lib. 4. contr Marc. in Hier. Epist. 1. But this may easily be perswaded by Reason By Reason For the Form is that whereby is signifi'd that thing which is wrought in this Sacrament Now when these words signifie and declare that thing which is done i. e. the conversion of the Bread into the true Body of our Lord it follows that the Form is to be put in those very Words in which meaning we may take that which is written by the Evangelist He Blessed Mat. 26. For he seems to mean as if he had said Taking Bread he Blessed it saying This is my Body For tho the Evangelist plac'd these words Take and Eat before Note yet it is plain that thereby is signifi'd not the Consecration of the Matter but the Vse only Wherefore they ought indeed by all means to be pronounc'd by the Priest but to the making the Sacrament they are not necessary As also that Conjunction For is pronounc'd in the Consecration of the Body and Blood Note for otherwise it would come to pass that if this Sacrament were to be administer'd to no body it ought not or cannot be done Whereas there can be no doubt but the Priest pronouncing the words of our Lord after the manner and appointment of Holy Church doth truly consecrate the proper matter of Bread altho it may then chance that the Holy Eucharist be not administer'd to any body at all And now as to the Consecration of the Wine XXI The Form of the Eucharist as to the Winâ— defin'd and prov'd Decretal lib. 3. de celeb Miss c. 6. which is the other Matter of this Sacrament for the same reason before mention'd there is need that the Priest rightly know and understand the Form That therefore we must certainly believe is comprehended in these words This is the Chalice of my Blood of the New and Eternal Testament the Mystery of Faith which shall be shed for you and for many for the remission of sins â— Of which words there are many gather'd from Sacred Scripture By Scripture Luc. 22.20 1 Cor. 11.25 Mat. 26.28 But some have bin preserv'd in the Church by Apostolical Tradition For that which is said This is the Chalice is written by S. Luke and by the Apostle But that which follows Of my Blood or my Blood of the New Testament which shall be shed for you and for many for the Remission of sins was partly said by S. Luke and partly by S. Matthew But those words Of the Eternal and Mystery of Faith Holy Tradition By Tradition the interpreter and keeper of Catholic Unity has taught us But of this Form no one can doubt And Reason if he mind in this place also what was said before of the Form of Consecration which is us'd over the Element of Bread For it is manifest that by these words which signifie the substance of the Wine to be converted into the Blood of our Lord the Form of this Element is chang'd Wherefore since those words plainly declare this thing it is plain that there is no other Form to be made But they express besides XXII Three Effects of Christ's Blood certain admirable Fruits of Christ's blood shed in his Passion which specially belong to this Sacrament One is an Entrance to the Eternal Inheritance which comes to us by right of the New and Eternal Testament Another is an Entrance to Righteousness by the Mystery of Faith For God has offer'd Jesus through Faith in his Blood to be our Reconciler that he might be just and the justifier of him who is of the Faith of Jesus Christ The Third is the Forgiveness of Sins But because these very words of Consecration are full of Mysteries XXIII The words of the Consecration of the Wine explain'd Decretal lib. 3. de celeb Miss c. 6. and are very suitable to the matter we must consider them more carefully Now that it is said This is the Chalice of my Blood it must be thus understood This is my Blood which is contain'd in the Chalice Rightly therefore and very fitly here whilst the Blood as it is the Drink of the Faithful is consecrated there is mention to be made of the Chalice or Cup For neither would Blood seem to signifie sufficiently this kind of drink unless it were in some Vessels It then follows Of the New Testament which for this reason is added that we may understand that the Blood of Christ our Lord is not now given to Men in a Figure as it was done in the Old Testament for we read in the Epistle to the Hebrews Without Blood a Testament is not dedicated Heb. 9.16 but really and truly which properly belongs to the New Testament Wherefore the Apostle says Therefore Christ is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of Death those who are call'd might receive the promise of eternal inheritance But the Word Eternal is to be referr'd to the eternal inheritance which of right comes to us by the death of Christ our Lord the eternal Testator That whit follows The Mystery of Faith excludes not the Truth of the thing but that which lies close hid and farthest off from the sight signifies that it is to be believ'd with a steady Faith But these words in this place have another meaning than they have when they are attributed to Baptism sor it is call'd the mystery of Faith because by Faith we perceive Christ's Blood hid under the Species of Wine But we properly call Baptism the Sacrament of Faith as the Greeks call it the Mystery of Faith because it contains the whole profession of Christian Faith Altho for another reason also we call the Blood of our Lord the Mysterie of Faith to wit because therein especially human reason finds much difficulty and labor when Faith offers to us to believe that the Son of God both God and Man suffer'd Death for us which
Death is indeed signifi'd in the Sacrament of the Blood Wherefore fitly in this place rather than in the Consecration of the Body is the Passion of the Lord commemorated in these words Which shall be shed for the remission of Sins For the Blood being separately consecrated by it self with relation to the Passion of the Lord has greater force and power to lay before the eyes of all Mat. 26.28 Luc. 22.20 both the Death and kind of suffering But those words which are added For you and for many are taken severally from S. Matthew and S. Luke which notwithstanding Holy Church taught by the Spirit of God has join'd together but they belong to the fruit of the Passion and shew the profitableness thereof For if we look at the vertue of it it must be confess'd that our Savior shed his Blood for the salvation of all men But if we look at the fruit which men gather from thence we may easily understand that it comes not to all to advantage but only to some When therefore he said For you he signifi'd either them that were then present or those whom he had chosen out of the Jewish people such as were his Disciples except Judas with whom he spake But when he added For many he would have the rest that were elected either Jews or Gentiles to be understood Rightly therefore was it done that it was not said for all seeing that in this place the design of the discourse extends only to the fruits of the Passion which brought the Fruit of Salvation only to the Elect. And hither do belong those words of the Apostle Christ was once offer'd to take away the sins of many Heb. 9. and that which our Lord himself said in S. John I pray for them I pray not for the World Joh. 17.8 but for those whom thou hast given me because they are thine There are many other Mysteries wrapp'd up in these words of the Consecration which the Pastors by the daily meditation and study of Divine Matters and God assisting them may easily discover But now to return to the explication of those things which the Faithful must by no means be ignorant of And because the Apostle admonishes XXIV We must judge of the Eucharist by Faith not by Sense 1 Cor. 11.29 that they are guilty of a most heinous sin who difference not the Lords Body let the Pastors chiefly teach that the Mind and Reason is here to be call'd off from sense For if the Faithful perswade themselves that those things only are contain'd in this Sacrament which are perceiv'd by the senses they must needs be led into the greatest impiety when with their Eyes their Feeling their Smell their Taste perceiving nothing at all but the Species of Bread and Wine they will judge that there is only Bread and Wine in the Sacrament There must be care tak'n therefore that as much as may be the minds of the Faithful may be abstracted or withdrawn from the judgment of sense and stirr'd up to contemplate the immense Power and Vertue of God Now there are three wonderful and stupendious things XXV Three things done in the Eucharist by Consecration which in this Sacrament Holy Church without all doubt believes and confesses to be wrought by the words of Consecration The First is The First That the true Body of Christ that very same which was born of the Virgin and now sits in Heaven at the Right-hand of the Father is contain'd in this Sacrament See Dionys de Eccl. Hierarch c. 3. Ignat. Epist ad Smyr Just Apol. 2. Iren. lib. 4. c. 34. l. 5. c. 2. Trid. Sess 13. c. 1. de Euch. The Second is that no substance of the Elements remains in it The Second Altho nothing seems more strange and distant to the senses Cyp. de coena Domini Euseb Emiss hom 5. de Pasch Cyr. Hier. Catech. 1 3 4. Ambr. l. 4. de Sacra c. 4. Chrysost hom 83. in Matt. 60. ad Pop. Antioch The Third The Third which is easily gather'd from both the former tho the words of Consecration fully express it is that what is beheld by the Eyes or perceiv'd by the other Senses is in a wonderful and unspeakable manner without any subject matter And one may see indeed all the Accidents of Bread and Wine which yet are inherent in no substance but they consist of themselves because the Substance of the Bread and Wine is so chang'd into the Body and Blood of the Lord that the substance of the Bread and Wine altogether ceases But that the first may be first handl'd XXVI The true Body of Christ prov'd to be in the Eucharist Mat. 26.26 Mar. 14.20 Luc. 22.19 Let the Pastors endeavor to shew how plain and clear the Words of our Savior are which shew the Truth of Christ's Body in the Sacrament for when he says This is my Body This is my Blood There is no one in his right mind can be ignorant what we are to understand Especially seeing the design of the discourse is concerning the human Nature which the Catholic Faith suffers none to doubt that Christ truly had As that very holy and learn'd Man Hilarius has written concerning the Truth of Christ's Flesh and Blood S. Hilar. l. 8. de Trinit super illa verba velut unum 1 Cor. 11.28 when according to the very profession of our Lord and our Faith his Flesh is truly our Food that there is no room left us to doubt thereof But there is another point to be open'd by the Pastors whence it may plainly be known that the true Body and Blood of the Lord is contain'd in the Eucharist For after that the Apostle had remember'd That the Bread and Wine was consecrated by our Lord and the Sacred Mysteries administer'd to his Apostles he subjoyns But let a Man prove himself and so let him eat of that Bread and Drink of that Chalice for he that eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgment to himself not differencing the Lords Body But if as Heretics say that nothing else were to be venerated in the Sacrament besides the memory and sign of Christ's Passion what need was there that the Faithful should be exhorted with such weighty words to prove themselves For by that weighty word Judgment the Apostle has declar'd that some horrid wickedness is committed by him who impurely taking the Lords Body which lies hid in the Eucharist does not difference it from other kinds of Meat Which also before in the same Epistle he more fully explain'd in these words 1 Cor. 11.26 The Chalice of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communication of the Blood of Christ and the Bread which we break is it not the participation of the Lords Body Which words verily shew the true substance of the Body and Blood of Christ our Lord. These places of Scripture therefore shall be explain'd by the Pastors
in S. John says Which I will give is my Flesh for the Life of the World to wit calling the Bread his Flesh And a little after he subjoyns Vnless you shall eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood ye will not have Life in you And again My Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink indeed When therefore in so plain and clear words he call'd his Flesh Bread and true Meat and his Blood true Drink It might well seem sufficient do have declar'd That there remains no Substance of Bread and Wine in the Sacrament And that all the Holy Fathers Fourthly by the Authority and consent of Fathers Lib. 4. de Sacr. c. 4. c. 5. always agreed in this Doctrin He that is so minded may easily understand For thus writes S. Ambrose Thou saist perhaps my Bread is us'd But that Bread is Bread before the words of the Sacraments But when the Consecration is added of Bread it is made the Flesh of Christ Which that he might the better make appear he thereupon brings divers examples and Similitudes And elsewhere De Cons dist 2. c. omnia interpreting those words All things whatsoever the Lord pleas'd he has done in Heaven and in Earth For tho says he the Figure of Bread and Wine be seen yet after consecration nothing is to be believ'd to be there but the Flesh and Blood of Christ The same sense St. Hilary has taught and almost in the same words Altho outwardly Bread and Wine appear yet there is truly the Body and Blood of the Lord. Hil. de Trin. l. 8. de Consec dist 2. c. 28. But let the Pastors admonish XXXVIII Why after the Consecration of of the Eucharist it is call'd Bread That in this place it is not to be wonder'd at if even after Consecration it be call'd Bread For the Eucharist is us'd to be call'd by this name both because it has the species or Resemblance of Bread and also because it still retains the natural vertue of feeding and nourishing the Body which is proper to Bread Now that it is the usual manner of the Holy Scripture to call things as they appear to be that plainly shews which is written in Genesis Gen. 18.2 Act. 1.10 That three Men appear'd to Abraham which yet were truly three Angels And those Two that appear'd to the Apostles at the Ascension of Christ our Lord into Heaven tho they were Angels yet are they call'd Men. See D. Thom. 3. p. q. 75. art 3 4. The explication of this Article is altogether extream difficult XXXIX How cautiously the Conversion which is in the Eucharist is to be explain'd to the people but yet the Pastors shall endeavor to instruct those who are more skill'd in the the Contemplation of Divine Matters for it may be fear'd that those who are yet more weak may be oppress'd with the Greatness of the thing they shall endeavor I say to teach the Manner of this admirable Conversion which is so done that the whole Substance of the Bread and Wine by the divine power is chang'd into the whole Substance of Christ's Body and the whole Substance of the Wine into the whole Substance of Christ's Blood and this without any change of our Lord. For Christ is neither begotten anew nor chang'd nor increases but remains whole in his own Substance Which Mystery when St. Ambrose had declar'd D. Amb. lib. 4. de Sacr. c. 4. Thou seest says he how operative Christ's Word is If therefore there be so great a power in the Word of the Lord Jesus that those things began to be which were not to wit the World how much more operative is it to make those things to be which were before and to change them into another thing According to which sense other very grave and antient Father have written Citatur de Consec dist 2 c. Nos Autem Lib. 4. de Orthod fid c. 14. St. Austin thus We faithfully confess that before Consecration it is Bread and Wine which Nature has form'd but after Consecration it is the Body and Blood of Christ which the Blessing has consecrated Damascen The Body according to Truth is join'd to the Divinity that Body which came of the Holy Virgin Not that that Body which he took comes down from Heaven but that this Bread and Wine are chang'd into the Body and Blood of Christ This admirable Change therefore is conveniently and properly call'd by the Catholic Church Transubstantiation XL. This Conversion call'd Transubstantiation as the sacred Council of Trent has taught For as the Natural Generation when the Form is chang'd in it may rightly and properly be call'd a Transformation so also because in the Sacrament of the Eucharist the whole Substance of One thing passes into the whole substance of another thing the word Transubstantiation was rightly and wisely invented by our Forefathers See Trid. sess 13. c. 4. de can de Consec dist 2. cap. Panis But the Faithful are to be admonish'd LXI We are not too narrowly to enquire into Transubstantiation that tho' this be very often repeated by the Holy Fathers yet that they enquire not too curiously by what means this Change is wrought for neither can it be perceiv'd by us neither have we any example of this matter in natural Changes or in the very Creation of things But whatsoever is here done it is to be known by Faith but how it is done must not too curiously be search'd into The Pastors ought also to give them no less a Caution in explaining that Mystery how the Body of Chritt our Lord is contain'd whole in the least particle of Bread XLII The whole Body of Christ contain'd in the smallest particle for scarce ever are there any disputations of this kind to be allow'd but yet when Christian Charity requires it let them first of all remember to fore-arm the minds of Faithful with this word Luke 1.37 There is no word impossible with God Vide D. Thom. 3. p. q. 76. Trid. sess 13. c. 5. can 3. Florentin Decret Eugenii And then let them teach XLIII After what manner Christ is in the Eucharist it is not in the Sacrament as in a Place for Place belongs to those things that have Magnitude But we say not that Christ is in the Sacrament after that manner as he is Great or Little because that belongs to Quantity but as he is a Substance For the Substance of Bread is chang'd into the Substance of Christ not into Magnitude or Quantity But no one doubts that a Substance is equally contain'd in a Little as in a Great space For it must needs be that the Substance of the Air and its whole Nature is the same in a little as in a great part of the Air so also the whole Nature of Water is no less in a little Pitcher than in a River When the Lords Body succeeds
was instituted of Christ our Lord for Two causes The One is that it might be the heavenly Food of our Souls wherewith we might preserve and sustain our spiritual Life The Other that the Church might have a perpetual Sacrifice whereby our sins might be expiated and our heavenly Father who has often times bin grievously offended by our wickedness might be turn'd from his Anger to his Mercy and from the severity of his just Revenge to Pity We may observe the Figure and Resemblance of this thing in the Paschal Lamb which was us'd to be offer'd as a Sacrifice and eaten as a Sacrament by the Children of Israel Vide Trid. de Sacrif Missae c. 1.3 Dionys l. 17. de Eccl. c. 3. Ignat. Epist ad Smyrn Tert. lib. de Orat. Iren. l. 4. c. 32. Aug. lib. 10. de Civit. Dei c. 10. Et lib. 17. c. 20. lib. 18. c. 35. lib. 19. c. 23. lib. 22. c. 8. alibi passim Nor indeed when our Savior was about to offer himself to God the Father upon the Altar of the Cross LXXVII How great the Benefit of the Eucharist is could he give any more illustrious signification of his immense Love towards us than when he left us a visible Sacrifice whereby might be restor'd that which was a little after to be sacrific'd once in Blood on the Cross and the memory thereof might every Day be honor'd by the Church spread abroad over all the World to her exceeding advantage even to the end of the World Now these Two ways are very different in themselves LXXVIII The Difference between a Sacrifice and a Sacrament for a Sacrament is perform'd or perfected in the Consecration but the force or vertue of a Sacrifice consists in this that it be Offer'd Wherefore the Sacred Eucharist while it is kept in the Pyx or carry'd to the Sick has not the Nature of a Sacrifice but of a Sacrament and besides as it is a Sacrament it gives them that receive the Divine Hoste or Sacrifice cause of Merit and all those other advantages which were before remembred but as it is a Sacrifice it has not only the Efficacy of Meriting but of Performing also For as Christ our Lord in his Passion merited and satisfi'd for us so they that offer this Sacrifice wherein they communicate with us do satisfie and merit the fruits of our Lord's Passion Now concerntng the Institution of this Sacrifice LXXIX By Whom and when the Sacrifice of Mass was instituted the Holy Synod of Trent has left no more room to doubt for she has declar'd that it was instituted by Christ our Lord at his last Supper and has condemn'd those with an Anathema that assert that a true and proper Sacrifice is not offer'd to God or that to Offer is nothing else than that Christ is given to be eaten Sess 22. de Sacrificio Missae c. 1. can 1. 2. Nor did she omit LXXX Sacrifice to be offer'd to God only and not to the Saints but diligently explain'd that Sacrifice is done to God only for altho' sometimes the Church uses to celebrate Masses in Memory and Honor of the Saints yet she never taught to offer Sacrifice to them but to One God only who has crown'd them with immortal Glory Wherefore neither is the Priest wont at any time to say I offer Sacrifice to Thee Peter or Paul but while the sacrifices to God only she gives thanks to him for the signal Victory of the blessed Martyrs and so implores their Patronage that they would vouchsafe to intercede for us in Heaven whose Memory we celebrate on Earth Now these things which have bin deliver'd by the Catholic Church concerning the Truth of this Sacrifice she receiv'd from our Lords own Words when in that last night commending to his Apostles these Sacred Mysteries 1 Cor. 10.24 Do this says he in Commemoration of me He then Note as has bin defin'd by the Holy Synod made them Priests and appointed that both they and those who were to succeed them in the Priests Office should Sacrifice and Offer his Body And this the Words of the Apostle written to the Corinthians evidently shew when he says 1. Cor. 10â— Ye cannot drink the Chalice of the Lord and the Chalice of Devils ye cannot be partakers of the Table of the Lord and of the Table of Devils For as by the Table of Devils is to be understood the Altar whereon Sacrifice was done to them so also that what the Apostle proposes may by probable Argument be concluded the Table of the Lord can signifie nothing else but the Altar on which Sacrifice was done to the Lord. Now if from the Old Testament we would have some Figures and Oracles of this Sacrifice LXXXI Figures and Prophecies of the Sacrifice of the Eucharist first then Malachias has most plainly prophecy'd of it in these words From the rising up of the sun to the going down thereof my name is great among the Gentiles and in every place a clean oblation is offered to my name because my name is great among the Gentiles says the Lord of Hosts Besides this Hoste or Sacrifice was foreshew'd as well before as after the Law was given in divers kinds of Sacrifices for this one Sacrifice as the Perfection and Fulfilling of all the rest contains in it all those good things which were but signifi'd by those other Sacrifices But yet we cannot see the Figure of This better express'd in any thing thah in Melchizedechs Sacrifice for our Savior himself declaring himself to be a Priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedech at his last Supper offer'd his own Body and Blood to God the Father under the species of Bread and Wine We therefore acknowledge it to be LXXXII The Sacrifice of the Mass and of the Cross is one and the same Sacrifice and it ought to be accounted but One and the same Sacrifice which is done in the Mass and which was offer'd on the Cross even as it is One and the same Hoste to wit Christ our Lord who once only offer'd himself in his Blood upon the Cross For the Bloody and Vnbloody Hoste is not Two Hosts but one Hoste only Luc. 22.19 1 Cor. 11.24 the Sacrifice whereof is renew'd daily in the Church after that our Lord had commanded thus Do this in Commemoration of me And there is One and the same Priest Christ the Lord LXXXIII Christ and the Priests are but One Priest For the Ministers that make this Sacrifice undergo not their own but the Person of Christ when they consecrate his Body and Blood as is evident from the words of the very Consecration for the Priest says not This is Christ's Body but This is my Body to wit bearing the Person of Christ our Lord he changes the substance of the Bread and Wine into the true Substance of his Body and Blood Chrys hom 2. in 2. ad Tim.
the Substance of the Bread we must confess that it is in the Sacrament just after the same manner as the Substance of Bread before Consecration But to confess whether it be under a Great or under a Little Quantity is nothing at all to the purpose Now follows the Third thing which in this Sacrament seems very great and wonderful XLIV The Accidents remain in the Eucharist without the Subject which after the other two being explain'd must be suppos'd may be handl'd by the Pastors with more Ease to wit that the species of Bread and Wine in this Sacrament remain without any subject Matter For seeing it was shew'd before that the Lords Body and Blood are truly in the Sacrament so that there subsists no more any Substance at all of Bread and Wine because those Accidents cannot be inherent to the Body and Blood of Christ it remains that beyond all the order and course of Nature they uphold themselves without any other thing to suport them This has bin the perpetual and constant Doctrin of the Church which will be easie to confirm by the Authority of those testimonies by which it was before made evident that there remains no Substance of Bread or Wine in the Eucharist Vide de Consecr dist 2. c. Nos autem Decretal lib. 1. tit de celeb Miss c. Cum Matt. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 75 a. 3. q. 77. a. 1. But nothing is more suitable to the Devotion of the Faithful XLV The Duty of the Faithful towards the Eucharist than passing by all more nice and subtil questions that they adore and reverence the Majesty of this admirable Sacrament And then that therein they embrace the supream Providence of God that he has instituted these Holy Mysteries to be administred under the species of Bread and Wine For since it is the most horrid thing in the world to the Nature of Man to be fed with Man's Flesh XLVI Why under the species of Bread and Wine the Eucharist was instituted or to drink his Blood he most wisely order'd it that his most Holy Body and Blood should be administer'd to us under the species of those things of Bread and Wine I say by whose common and daily use and nourishment we are mostly delighted And there are adjoin'd these two Conveniencies whereof the first is that we are freed from the reproach of Infidels which we could not easily have avoided if we should be seen to eat our Lord under his own species The other is that while we thus take the Body and Blood of the Lord in such a manner as notwithstanding what is truly done cannot be perceiv'd by the senses this avails very much to increase Faith in our Souls which verily as Gregories known sentence is Faith has no Merit where Human Reason gives the Experiment Hom. 26. super Evangelia Vide Cyril lib. 4. in Joan. c. 22. Cypr. de Coena Domini Ambr. de Sacram. lib. 4. c. 4. Aug. Tract 27. in Joan. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 74. a. 1. q. 75. a. 1. But these things which have hitherto been expounded are not to be explain'd without great caution us'd according to the Capacity of the Hearers and the Necessity of Times But those things which may be said concerning the Influence and Fruits of this admirable Sacrament XLVII The Vertue and innumerable advantages of the Eucharist we must know that there is no sort of the Faithful to whom the Knowledge of these things belongs not and to whom it ought not to seem very necessary Now that the Faithful may understand the Vtility of the Eucharist for this cause chiefly those things which are with so many words discours'd concerning this Sacrament are to be known But because the immense Advantages and Fruits thereof can never by Words be express'd there may One or Two Points be handl'd by the Pastors to shew what a plenty and abundance of all good things are included in these Mysteries Vide Trid. Sess 13. c. 3. can 5. Iren. lib. 4. c. 14. Cyril lib. 4. in Joan. c. 11. 14. Chrys hom 45. in Joan. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 79. And this in part they will thus perform XLVIII The Eucharist the Fountain of all the Sacraments if the vertue and nature of all the Sacraments being laid open they compare the Eucharist to the Fountain and the other Sacraments to the smaller streams for we must needs call it and that truly the Fountain of all Graces because after an admirable manner it contains in it the very Fountain of Heavenly Gifts and Endowments and the Author of all the Sacraments Christ our Lord from which as from the Fountain is deriv'd or drawn to the other Sacraments whatsoever Goodness or Perfection they have From hence therefore the most ample endowments of Divine Grace which are bestow'd on us in this Sacrament may easily be collected It may seem profitable also to consider well the Nature of Bread and Wine XLIX What Food is to the Body that the Eucharist is to the Spirit which are the Symbols of this Sacrament For see of what Vse Bread and Wine is to the Body of the same but in a far better and more perfect manner is the Sacrament of the Eucharist to the Health and Delight of the Soul For neither is This Sacrament chang'd into our substance as the Bread and Wine is but after a certain sort it changes us into its own Nature So that rightly may that of St. Austin be transferr'd hither Lib. 7. Consess c. 10. I am the Meat of Great ones grow great and thou shalt eat me nor shalt thou change me into thee as thou dost thy Bodily meat but thou shalt be chang'd into me Vide Ambr. lib. 5. de Sacram. c. 4. Chrys hom 45. in Joan. Now if Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ L. Grace flows into the Soul thro the Eucharist Joh. 6.56 57. it must need flow into thy Soul when thou tak'st him purely and holily who said of himself He that eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood dwells in me and I in him for those who being affected with the study of Piety and Religion take this Sacrament no one ought to doubt but that they so take into themselves the Son of God as that they are grafted into his Body as living Members for it is written He that eats me even he shall live by reason of me And Lib. 4. in Joan. c. 12.14 Epist ad Nester 10. The Bread which I will give is my Flesh for the life of the World Which place Cyril interpreting says The Word of God uniting himself to his own Flesh made it quickning It therefore became him after a wonderful manner to be united to our Bodies thro his sacred Flesh and precious Blood which we have receiv'd in the Bread and Wine by his quickning or enlivening Benediction But forasmuch as it is said I.I. When the Eucharist does
I say that we devote and consecrate our selv's forever to our Lord and Redeemer no otherwise than as his meanest Servants And indeed when we were receiv'd into Baptism XX. In Baptism we are devoted to Christ we did before the Church Doors solemnly promise that we wou'd do so For we declar'd that we renounc'd the Devil and the World and gave up our selv's wholly to Christ Jesus But if to be enroll'd in the Christian Camp we devoted our selves with so Holy and Religious a Prosession what punishment shall we deserv if after our entrance into the Church and have known the Will and Law of God if after we have receiv'd the Grace of his Sacraments we shall lead our Lives after the Rules and Commandments of the World and the Devil as if when we were wash'd in Baptism we had giv'n up our Names to the World and the Devil and not to Christ our Lord and Redeemer But what Heart is there which so great a Propensity so great kindness and good Will of so great a Lord toward us cannot enflame with ardent Love to him who tho he has us in his power and dominion as Servants bought with his own Blood yet embraces us with such Love that he calls us not his Servants Joh. 15.14 14. but his Friends yea his Brethren This verily is a most just cause and I know not whether it be not the greatest why we ought always to own and reverence and worship him as our Lord. ARTICLE III. WHo was Conceiv'd by the Holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary That God bestow'd a fingular Blefling upon Mankind I. How great Gods Bounty towards us when he restor'd us to liberty from the slavery of the most cruel Tyrant the Faithful may perceiv by those things which have been already spoken in the former Article but then if we lay before our Eyes the counsel and way by which chiefly he wou'd accomplish this Verily there is nothing can possibly shine more glorious and magnificent than the Bounty and goodness of God towards us The greatness of this Mystery therefore II. The sense of this Article which the Holy Scripture proposes to us to consider as the chief point of our Salvation the Curat may begin to shew in the explaining this Third Article the meaning whereof he may teach to be this That we believ and confess that this very Jesus Christ our ohly Lord Matt. 1.23 Joh. 1.36 the Son of God when for our sakes he took upon himself Humane Flesh in the Womb of the Virgin was not as other Men conceiv'd of the Seed of Man but beyond all order of Nature was conceiv'd by the power of the Holy Ghost so that the same person remaining God which he was from all Eternity became Man which before he was not That these Words are so to be understood does plainly appear by confession of the Holy Council of Constantinople for thus it says Who for us Men and for our Salvation came down from Heav'n and was Incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made man And this S. John the Evangelist has also explain'd as being he who drew the Knowledg of this most profound Mystery out of the Bosome of our very Lord and Saviour himself For when he had declar'd the Nature of the Divine Word in these Words In the beginning was the Word Joh. 1.1 and the Word was with God and the Word was God At last he concludes and the Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us For the Word which was a Person of the Divine Nature did so take upon him the Humane Nature that the Hypostasis or Person both of the Divine and Human Nature was but one and the same whereby it came to pass that so admirable a Conjunction preserv'd the Actions and Properties of both Natures and as that great and holy Pope Leo has it Serm. 1. de Nat. That neither did the Glory of the Superior or Divine destroy the Inferior or Humane nor the assuming the Inferior diminish or lessen the Superior But because the Explication of Words ought not to be omitted It is requisite that the Curat teach IV. What works of God are attributed to the whole Trinity That when we say That the Son of God was conceiv'd by the Power of the Holy Ghost this one Person of the Divine Trinity did not make the Mystery of the Incarnation For tho the Son only took the Humane Nature upon him yet all the Persons of the Holy Trinity the Father Son and Holy Ghost were Authors of this Mystery for we must hold this Rule in our Christian Faith That all those things which God does extrà se without himself in the Creatures are common to all the Three Persons nor does one act more than another or one without another But that one One person proceeds from another V. And what to the several Persons this cannot be common to all for the Son is begotten of the Father alone the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son But whatsoever extra illas without them comes from or is done by them the whole three Persons without any difference do it and of this kind we are to believ the Incarnation of the Son of God to be Now tho these things are thus VI. Why Christ is said to be conceiv'd by the Holy Ghost yet the Holy Scripture is us'd to attribute to any one of the Three Persons those things which are common to all the Three Persons for example It ascribes the Power of all things to the Father Wisdom to the Son Love to the Holy Ghost And because the Mystery of the Incarnation of God does manifest the special and infinite Good Will of God toward us for this Reason therefore is this work attributed to the Holy Ghost In this Mystery we are to observ VII The Mystery of Christs Conception declar'd That there are many things done beyond the Order of Nature and some again by the Power of Nature For in that we believ the Body of Christ to be made of the most pure Blood of his Virgin-Mother we therein acknowledg his Human Nature it being common to the Bodies of all Men to be form'd of the Blood of the Mother But that which surpasses both the Order of Nature and the reach of Human Understanding is this That as soon as the Blessed Virgin consenting to the Words of the Angel Luc. 1.38 had said Behold the Hand-maid of the Lord be it unto me according to thy Word immediately the most holy Body of Chrift was form'd and a Reasonable or Human Soul joyn'd with it and so in that very moment of time he became perfect God and perfect Man Now that this was the strange and wonderful work of the Holy Ghost there is no one can doubt since by the Order of Nature no Body can be inform'd by or receiv a Humane Soul but at the limited term of time
he said I am he Joh. 18.5 and of his own accord freely he underwent all those punishments which unjustly and unmercifully they threw upon him Than which X. A strong motive to the love of Christ sure there is nothing in the World more powerful to move our compassion when we well consider in our minds all his sufferings and torments For if for our sakes any one should suffer all those sorrows not which he voluntarily underwent but which he cou'd not avoid this indeed we shou'd hardly account as a benefit of any great regard but if on our score only he freely endure death which he cou'd have refus'd verily this is such a kind of benefit that it bereaves even the most grateful person in the World not only of the power of paying due thankfulness but even of having it and hence the transcendant and superlative love of Christ Jesus and his divine and infinite deseits towards us may be perceiv'd But then when we confess that he was Bury'd XI Why we are to believ that Christ was bury'd this is not set down as a part of the Article which thing seems to have some new difficulty in it besides what has bin already spok'n of his death For if we believ that Christ was dead it is easie enough to perswade us That he was bury'd But this was added first that we may doubt the less of the Truth of his death it being the strongest proof that a person is dead if we can prove that his Body was bury'd And then that the Miracle of his Resurrection might be the more apparent and illustrious Nor do we believ this only Mat. 27.60 That Christs Body was bury'd but this especially is propos'd to our Belief in these Words That God was bury'd Mar. 15 46. as by the Rule of Catholic Faith we most truly say Luc. 23.53 That God was dead was born of a Virgin for since his Divinity was never divided from his Body no not even when it was laid in the Sepulchre rightly we confess That God was bury'd Joh. 19.38.42 And that will be sufficient for the Curat concerning the manner and place of Christ's burial which is spoken by the Holy Evangelists But first of all XII Two things to be noted Ps 15 10. Act. 2.31 two things are to be observ'd the one is That Christs Body was in no part corrupt'd in the Sepulchre concerning which the Prophet thus prophecies Thou shalt not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption The other which belongs to all the parts of this Article is That the Burial Passion and Death of Jesus Christ have reference to him as Man not as God for to suffer and to dye are incident to the human Nature only Tho all these things are also attribut'd to God because as it is manifest they may rightly he said of that person who at once was perfect God and perfect Man These things being known the Curat may explain those things concerning Christs Passion and Death whereby the Faithful may at least contemplate if not comprehend the immensity of so great a Mystery And First XIII What we are to meditate of the Passion of Christ First Joh. 1.1 Heb. 1.2 3. It should be consider'd Who it is that suffers all these things And here we are not able by Words to relate or even in our Hearts to conceiv his Dignity S. John says he is the Word which was with God The Apostle with stately Expressions describes him in this manner That this is He whom God has appoint'd to be the Heir of all things by whom also he made the Worlds who is the brightness of his Glory and the Figure of his Substance and the Image of his Person who supports all things by the Word of his Power He therefore having wash'd away our sins sits at the Right-hand of the Majesty on High And to say all in a Word He who suffers is Jesus Christ God and Man Rom. 11.36 The Creator suffers for those whom he created The Lord for his Servants be by whom the Angels Men Heav'ns and Elements were made He I say in whom by whom and of whom are all things It is no wonder therefore if when he was wounded with so many Torments and Sufferings the whole Fabric of the World trembl'd for as the Scripture says Maâ—t 27.51 The Earth quak'd and the Rocks were rent Luc. 23 44. and there was Darkness over all the Earth 1 Pet. 2.5 and the Sun was dark'n'd Now if ev'n the dumb and insensible Creatures bewail'd the Sufferings of their Maker let the Faithful consider with how great and bitter Lamentation they as living Stones of this Building ought to evidence their Grief And now we come to shew the Causes of his Passion XIV What Secondly that thereby the Strength and Greatness of the Divine Love towards us may the better appear If therefore any one ask What shou'd be the Cause why the Son of God wou'd undergo such an extream bitter passion he will find it to be this chiefly besides the hereditary Contagion of our first Parents namely The Vices and Sins which Men have committed from the beginning of the World to this day and which they will hereafter commit to the end of the World For this was it That the Son of God our Savior intended in his Death and Passion to redeem and to blot out the sins of all Ages and richly and abundantly to make satisfaction to his Father for them Let this also be added to inhance the dignity of the thing XV. What Thirdly that Christ did not only suffer for sinners but also that those very sinners for whom he suffer'd were both the Authors and Inflicters of those Punishments he endur'd Of which the Apostle thus admonishes us writing to the Hebrews thus Heb. 12.13 Consider him who endur'd such contradiction of Sinners against himself lest ye be weary and faint in your Souls Of this Fault rightly may those be judg'd guilty Note who easily and often fall into sin For since our sins drove Christ our Lord to undergo the punishment of the Cross verily they who run into Sin and Wickedness do as much as in them lies crucisie to themselves the Son of God afresh Heb. 6.6 and put him to an open shame And this wickedness is by so much more insolent and heinous in us Note than it was in the Jews because they as the same Apostle bears them Witness 1 Cor. 2.8 if they had known they wou'd never have crucifi'd the Lord of Glory But we profess we have known him and yet in our Deeds denying him we seem in a manner to lay violent Hands upon him Now the Holy Scripture teftifies XVI What Fourthly Isay 53.8 That Christ Our Lord was deliver'd to Death both by the Father and by himself For in Isaiahs Prophecy he says For the ' wickedness of my people have I smitten him And the same
Apostle us'd Eph. 5.2 when he said Christ lov'd us and gave himself a Sacrifice and oblation for us to God for a sweet-smelling Savor Furthermore this is the Oblation whereof we read in the Prince of Apostles 1 Pet. 1.18.19 Ye were not redeem'd with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vain conversation of the Tradition of your Fathers but with the precious Blood of Crist as of a Lamb without spot or blemish And the Apostle teaches us Gal. 3.13 That Christ was made a Curse for us that he might redeem us from the curse of the Law But besides these immense Benefits XXVI In Christs Passion are examples of all Vertues we have this very great one over and above that in this only Passion we have the most Glorious Patterns of all Vertues For he shew'd forth his Patience Humility the most profound Love Charity Meekness and Obedience and most unshaken Constancy and Resolution of Mind not only in suffering Injuries for Righteousness or Justice sake but also even in Death it self and that in such a manner as we can truly say That our Savior in the very height of his Sufferings did most lively express in himself all those Rules and Precepts of Life which throw all the time of his Preaching he taught by Words And this shall suffice to have bin spoken briefly of the most saving Death and Passion of Christ our Lord. And wou'd God these Mysteries were seriously impress'd upon our Souls and Hearts and that we wou'd learn to suffer to dye and to be bury'd together with our Lord that then every spot of Sin being wip'd away and rising with him to newness of Life by his Mercy we may be found worthy to be made partakers of his Kingdom of Heav'n and Glory ARTICLE V. HE descended into Hell the third Day He rose again from the Dead It is of very great use to know the glory of the Burial of our Lord Jesus Christ I. 〈◊〉 very useful o undeâ—â—tâ—â—â— this Article of which we have spoken last But it more concerns the Faithful to know the glorious Triumphs he bore away by conquering the Devil and spoiling the Powers of Hell Of which and also of the Resurection we are now to speak Which Point altho it may well be handl'd distinctly and by it self yet we following the Authority of the Holy Fathers have thought fit to joyn it with that of his descent into Hell In the first part therefore this is propos'd to our Belief II. What is propes'd in the first Part. That Christ being now dead his Soul went down to Hell and there continu'd so long as his Body was in the Sepulchre But in these words we also confess That the very same person of Christ at the same time was both with the Spirits below and also lay in the Sepulchre Which when we say no one ought to wonder because as we have often said before That though his Soul departed from his Body yet his Divinity was never separated either from his Soul or his Body But because it may bring much light to the Explication of this Article III. The various signification of Hell if the Curat teach what in this place is to be understood by the Word Hell It is necessary to admonish That in this place by Hell is not meant the Sepulchre as some no less impiously than unskilfully have thought for by the former Article we are taught That Christ our Lord was bury'd neither was there any Reason why in the Creed the same thing shou'd by the Holy Apostles be repeated in another and a more obscure form of Speech But the Word Hell signifies those hidd'n Receptacles wherein the Souls are kept IV. The First The Receptacle of the damn'd Phil. 2.10 which have not attain'd to the Blessedness of Heav'n For so the Holy Scriptures use this Word in many places For thus we read in the Apostle At the name of Jesus every Knee shall bow of those in Heav'n of those in Earth and those under the Earth And in the Acts of the Apostles S. Peter testifies Act 2.24 That Christ the Lord was risen again having loos'd the Pains of Hell Nor are all those Receptacles of one and the same kind For there is that worst and most dismal place of all where the Souls of the damn'd together with the unclean Spirits shall be tormented for ever and that with unquenchable Fire which is call'd the Bottomles-Pit and by its own proper signification Hell There is besides V. The Fire of Purgatory The Fire of Purgatory wherein the Souls of the Pious for a certain determin'd time are cleans'd by Sufferings that so the entrance to the Heav'nly Country may be laid open into which no polluted thing can be admitted And of the truth of this Doctrin Apoc. 21 27. Con. Trent Sess 25. which the Holy Councils declare to be confirm'd both by Testimonies of Scripture and by Apostolic Tradition the Curat shall discourse and argue by so much the more industriously and frequently because we are fall'n upon those times wherein Men will not endure Sound Doctrin Lastly VI. Limbus where the Souls of the Father were The third kind of Receptacle is that wherein the Souls of the Saints were receiv'd before the coming of Christ our Lord and there being refresh'd with the bless'd hope of Redemption and free from all sense of Pain enjoy'd a peaceable Habitation The Souls therefore of these Pious Persons who in the bosome of Abraham expected the Savior Christ our Lord descending to Hell deliver'd Nor are we to think that he so descended to Hell VII Christ's Soul truly went down to Hell as that only his Influence and Vertue and not also his Soul went thither But we are verily to believ That his very Soul indeed and in presence descended to Hell Ps 15.10 of which there is this most certain Testimony of David Thou shall not leave my Soul is Hell But tho Christ went down to Hell yet this was no damage to his Supreme Power nor was the Splendor of his Holiness stain'd in the least seeing that by thus doing it rather was most evidently prov'd that all those things are most true which are celebrated concerning his Holiness and that he is the very Son of God as he had before made appear by so many prodigious Miracles And this we may easily perceiv VIII Two differences betwixt Christ's and the damned's going to Hell if we but consider the Causes why Christ and other Men came into those places For all others went thither as Captives but he as free among the Dead and Conquerer to Master the Devils by whom they were there kept shut up and imprison'd by reason of sin Furthermore All others who descended thither partly were tormented with most bitter pains and partly tho they wanted all other sense of sorrow yet being depriv'd of the sight of God and with-held in the Hope only of
Bliss and Glory which they waited for they were in a kind of Torment But Christ our Lord descended not to suffer any more but to free the Saints and Righteous Men from the Misery and Trouble of that Imprisonment and to bestow upon them the Fruits of his Passion That therefore he went down to Hell was no lessening of his supream Dignity and Power These things being explain'd IX Why Christ went down to Hell it must be taught that Christ our Lord went down to Hell that after he had spoil'd the Devils he might lead those Holy Fathers and other pious persons being now freed from Prison with him to Heav'n which wonderfully and gloriously he has accomplish'd For immediatly the sight of him gave transcendant Light to the Captiv's and fill'd their souls with immense joy and gladness on whom he also bestow'd that most desir'd Bliss which consists in the Vision of God which done it is manifest what it was he promis'd the Thief in these words Luc. 23.43 This day thou shalt be with me in Paradice But of this deliverance of the Godly the Prophet Osee so long before propheci'd in this manner O death I will be thy death O Hell I will be thy destruction The Prophet Zachary signifi'd the same thing when he said Thou also by the blood of thy Testament hast sent them that are bound out of the lake wherein there is no water Lastly the same thing the Apostle expresses in these words Col. 2.15 in taking the spoils of principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in himself But that we may understand the force of this mystery the better X. Who are sav'd by the benefit of Christs Passion we ought often to call to remembrance that devout men not only who were born after the coming of our Lord but those who after Adam were before him or who hereafter shall be to the end of the World have and shall attain Salvation by the benefit of his Passion Wherefore before he dy'd and rose again the Gates of Heav'n were never open to any but the Souls of the Godly when they departed this life were either carry'd into Abraham's Bosome or as now it fares with them who have somewhat to be purg'd or satisfi'd were cleans'd by the fire of Purgatory There is besides XI Another Reason of Christ's going down to Hell Phil. 2.10 another Reason why Christ our Lord went down to Hell namely that he might there shew his Might and Power as he had done in Heav'n and Earth and that as every knee both of things in Heav'n and things in Earth bow'd at the name of him so also of things below and under the Earth At consideration whereof who is there who admires not and even stands not amaz'd at the immense bounty of God towards mankind who was willing not only to undergo the most bitter Death for us but also to go down to the very lowest parts of the Earth that he might carry with him the Souls so very dear to him which he thence victoriously bore away to bliss and happiness Now follows the other part of the Article XII The other Part of the Article concerning the Resurrection 2 Tim. 2.8 in explaining whereof how painful the Curat ought to be appears by those words of the Apostle Remember that the Lord Jesus Christ arose again from the dead For what he commanded Timothy it is not to be doubted but that it is also commanded to all others that have the Cure of Souls And this is the meaning of the Article After that Christ our Lord had giv'n up the Ghost on the Cross upon Friday at the ninth hour of the day and the same day at Even he was bury'd by his Disciples who by leav of Pilate the President laid the body of our Lord when they had tak'n it down from the Cross into a new Tomb in a Garden near at hand the third day after his death which was the Lords day early in the morning his soul was again join'd to his body and so he who was dead those three days arose again and return'd to life out of which he departed by death but by the word Resurrection we are not to understand only that Christ was rais'd from the dead which was a thing common to many others but that he rose again by his own power and vertue which was a singular thing and proper to Him alone For it is contrary to Nature XIV No man can naturally rise again from the dead 2 Cor. 13.4 nor was it even granted to any man to be able by his own power to rais'e himself from death to life but this belongs to the supream power of God only as we learn from those words of the Apostle Altho he was crucifi'd throw weakness yet he liv's by the power of God which seeing it was never separated from Christ's Body in the Sepulchre nor from his Soul when it went down into Hell his Divine Power was both in his Body so that it cou'd be joyn'd again to his Soul and in his Soul so that it cou'd again be brought back to his Body so that by his own power he might revive and rise again from the dead And this thing XV. The Resurrection soretold Psa 97.2 David being full of the Spirit of God foretold in these words His right hand and his Holy arm hath gott'n himself the victory And the Lord himself by the divine testimony of his own mouth has confirm'd it I lay down my life and I will take it up again Joh. 10.17 and I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again And also to the Jews for confirmation of his doctrin he said Joh. 2.19 Dissolve this temple and in three days I will raise it up again Which tho they indeed understood of that Temple magnificently built of Stones yet he as is declar'd in the same place by the words of Scripture Act. 1.24 spake of the Temple of his Body Now although we sometimes read in Scripture that Christ our Lord was raised by the Father this is to be understood of Christ as Man ev'n as those things again relate to himself as God whereby is signifi'd that he rose again by his own Power And this also belongs specially to Christ XVI Christ first rose from the dead Apoc. 1.5 1 Cor. 15.20 that He was the First who enjoy'd this divine benefit of the Resurrection For in Scripture he is called the First begotten among the dead and the First begotten of the dead And as the Apostle has it Christ arose again from the dead being the First-fruits of them that sleep for verily by Man came death and by Man came the Resurrection of the dead and as in Adam all dye so in Christ shall all be made alive but every one in his own order Christ the First fruits and afterwards those that are Christ's Which
Glory was chang'd so our Bodies also which before were weak and mortal shall be restor'd and adorn'd with Glory and Immortality For as the Apostle teaches Phil. 3.20 21. We wait for the Savior our Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile Body that it shall be like to his glorious Body And this may be said concerning the Soul The Third dead in Sins to which on what score the Resurrection of Christ is offer'd as an Example or Pattern to us the same Apostle shews in these Words Rom. 6.4 As Christ rose again from the Dead by the Glory of the Father so shou'd we also walk in Newness of Life For if we have bin planted together with him in the likeness of his Death we shall be also in the likeness of his Resurrection And a little after he says knowing that Christ being ris'n from the Dead now dyes no more Death shall no more domineer over him For in that he dy'd to Sin be dy'd once but in that he lives he lives to God So reck'n ye your selves to be dead indeed to sin but alive to God in Jesus Christ Two Examples therefore we ought to seek from Christ's Resurrection The one is XXIV Two Examples from Christ's Resurrection That after we have wip'd away the stains of sin we lead a new kind of Life in which way clearly shine forth Uprightness Innocence Holiness Modesty Justice Beneficence and Humility The other is That we so persevere in that kind of life that by Gods help we fall not off from the way of Righteousness whereinto we have once enter'd Nor do the Apostles Words shew only XXV The Fourth Advantage of Christs Resurrection Rom. 6.6 That the Resurrection of Christ is propos'd to us as an Example of our Resurrection but they declare That it gives us Power to rise again and bestows Strength and Courage whereby we may continue in Holiness and Righteousness For as by his Death we not only take Example of dying to sin but draw Vertue also whereby we may dye to sin So his Resurrection brings us Strength to obtain Righteousness that thenceforth worshipping God piously and holily we may walk in Newness of 〈◊〉 to which we are ris'n For this especially did our Lord bring to pas's by his Resurrection that we who before were dead with him to sin and to the world might also with him rise again to a new way and course of life The Signs of this Resurrection XXVI The signs of Resurrection from sin Coloss 3.1 which are chiefly to be observ'd the Apostle teaches us For when he says If ye be ris'n with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sits at the right hand of God he plainly shews That those who desire to have Life Honours Rest and Riches there Phil. 4.8 where Christ specially is are truly ris'n with Christ But when he adds Relish those things which are above not those which are on the Earth he has giv'n this as a kind of Note whereby we may perceive whether we be ris'n with Christ For as the Taste or Relish is wont to discover the Temperature and Health of the Body so if Whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are comly whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are holy do relish with a person and if he can perceive with the inward sense of his Soul the sweetness of heav'nly things this is a good Argument That he that is thus affected is ris'n with Jesus Christ to a new and spiritual Life ARTICLE VI. HE ascended into Heav'n sitteth at the right-Hand of God the Father Almighty When the Prophet David full of Gods Spirit contemplated the bless'd and glorious Ascension of our Lord I. What kind of Solemnity and Faith of Christ's Ascension there ought to be Ps 46.1.6 he exhorts all to celebrate that Triumph with the greatest joy and gladness in these Words saying Clap Hands for joy O all ye Nations sing to God with the Voice of Rejoycing God is gone up with a merry noise Whence the Curat may understand That this Mystery is to be explain'd with the greatest study and that he ought to take diligent care That the Faithful embrace it not only with Faith and with the Mind but as far as may be and with Gods help they endeavor in their Life and Actions also to express the same As to the Explication of this Sixth Article therefore II. The former part of this Article wherein chiefly is treated concerning this Divine Mystery we must begin at the former part thereof and shew what is the effect and meaning thereof For concerning Christ Jesus III. What we are here to believe the Faithful must believe this also without any wavering That the Mystery of our Redemption being now perfected he as Man with his Soul and Body went up into Heaven For as he was God he never was absent thence because he fills all things with his Divinity And let the Curat teach that he went up by his own Power First Secondly 4 Reg. 2.11.35 n 14. Thirdly Act. 8.39 and not by the Power of another as Elias did who was carry'd into Heaven in a fiery Chariot or Abaccuc the Prophet or Philip the Deacon who by the Divine Power being carry'd through the Air past through the remote parts of the Earth Nor did he ascend to Heaven only by the mighty Power of his Divinity but also as he is Man For tho this could not be by any Natural Power Fourthly yet that Power wherewith the bless'd Soul of Christ was endu'd could move his Body as he liâ—â—ed And his Body which was now glorify'd Fifthly did readily obey the Government of his Soul moving it And in this manner Sixthly We believe that Christ as he was God and as he was Man went up into Heaven by his own Power Now follows the other part of the Article He sitteth at the right-Hand of the Father In which place we may observe a Trope IV. The use and necessi y of Trope that is the change of a Word frequent in Holy Scripture when we attribute to God Human Affections and Members suitable to our Understanding sor he being a Spirit we cannot think any thing corporeal in him But because in Human Affairs we esteem a great honour done to him who is plac'd at the Right-hand transferring the same thing to heavenly matters to the explaining of the Glory of Christ which as he is Man he has merited above all others we confess him to be at the Right-hand of the Father But to sit V. What is here meant by Sâ—â—ing in this place does not signifie the Gesture and Figure of Body but it shews the firm and sure Possession of supream Power and Glory which he has receiv'd of the Father Of which the Apostle says Arian Ser. 1 cont Arian Basil lib de Spirit sâ—nâ—t c. 6. Heb. 1.13 Raising him up from the Dead and placing him at
this Answer that he was a Rock for though he might be a Rock yet he was not a Rock as Christ was for Christ was a Rock truly immoveable but Peter only by virtue of that Rock for God bestows his own dignities upon others Mark this He is a Priest and he makes Priests He is a Rock and he makes a Rock and what things are his he bestows on his Servants Lastly St. Ambrose St. Ambrose says If any one object that the Church is content with One Head and Husband Jesus Christ and needs no other the answer is ready For as we account Christ our Lord not only the Author but the Bestower also of all the Sacraments for He it is that Baptizes and absolves and yet he makes Men the outward Ministers of the Sacraments So he has plac'd over his Church which he governs inwardly with his Spirit a Man to be the Vicar and Minister of his Power For seeing the Visible Church wanted a Visible Head our Saviour accordingly appointed Peter the Head and Pastor of all the Faithful when in most ample expressions he commended to him the feeding of his Sheep that he would have him who succeeded to have plainly the same power of ruling and governing the whole Church Besides XVI The way to preserve Unity for time to come 1 Cor. 12.11 12. Eph. 4.34 there is One and the same Spirit says the Apostle to the Corinthians who bestows Grace on the Faithful even as the Soul does Life on the Members of the Body To preserve which Vnity when he exhorts the Ephesians he says Be earnest to preserve the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace For as the Body of Man is made up of many Members and all are nourish'd by one Soul which gives Seeing to the Eyes Hearing to the Ears and divers Faculties to the other Senses So the Mystical Body of Christ which is the Church is made up of many Faithful People There is also One Hope Eph. 4.4 as the Apostle testifies in the same place to which we are call'd for we all hope for the same thing to wit Eternal Life and Happiness Lastly There is One Faith which all must hold and profess 1 Cor. 1.10 Let there be no Schisms among you says the Apostle And there is One Baptism which is a Sacrament of the Christian Faith Another property of the Church is XVII The Second That she be Holy 1 Pet. 2.9 First that she is Holy which thing we have learn'd from that place of the Prince of Apostles But ye are a chosen generation a Holy Nation But she is call'd Holy because she is consecrated and dedicated to God for so other things of this kind though they are corporeal are us'd to be call'd Holy when they are given and dedicated to divine worship Of which kind in the Old Law were the Vessels Vestments and Altars In which sense the First-born also who were dedicated to the Most High God were call'd Holy Nor should any one wonder Note that the Church is call'd Holy altho within her are contain'd many Sinners For the Faithful are call'd Holy because they are made the People of God and by receiving Baptism and Faith have consecrated themselves to Christ altho in many things they offend and perform not the things they have promis'd even as they who profess any Trade or Art tho they observe not the rules thereof are yet call'd Tradesmen Wherefore S. Paul calls the Corinthians Sanctifi'd and Holy 1 Cor. 1.2 amongst whom it is manifest there were some whom he sharply reproves as Carnal and charges with many other Crimes She is also to be call'd Holy Secondly because as the Body she is joyn'd with her Holy Head Christ the Lord who is the Fountain of all Holiness from whom are pour'd forth the anointings and riches of Divine Goodness Excellently does St. Austin interpret those words of the Prophet S. Aug. in Ps 85.8 Keep thou my soul because I am Holy He dares says he and the Body of Christ dares and that one Man crying out from the ends of the Earth with his Head and under his Head dares say I am Holy For she receiv'd the Grace of Holiness the Grace of Baptism and of Remission of sins And a little after If all Christians and all the Faithful being baptiz'd in Christ have put him on as the Apostle says Gal. 3.27 As many of you as have been baptiz'd have put on Christ if they are made Members of his Body and yet say that they are not Holy they do wrong to the very Head whose Members they are made Add to this Thirdly That the Church alone has the legitimate worship of Sacrifice and the saving use of the Sacraments by which as by the efficacious instruments of Divine Grace God works true Holiness in us So that whosoever are truly Holy cannot be out of this Church It is plain therefore that the Church is Holy and Holy indeed because she is the Body of Christ by whom she is sanctifi'd and wash'd in his Blood Concerning the Holiness of the Church see Justin Martyr in both his Apologies Tertul. in his Apologie August against Fulgen. c. 17. Greg. Moral b. 37. c. 7. The Third Property of the Church is The Third That she be Catholic S. Aug. Ser. 131. 181. de Tempore that she be stil'd Catholic to wit Vniversal which appellation is truly given her because as S. Austin testifies From the East to the West the Brightness of one Faith is spread abroad For the Church is not as in the Public Affairs of Men or in the Conventicles of Heretics bound to the limits of One Kingdom only or to One sort of Men But she embraces in the Bosom of her Charity all Men whether they be Barbarians or Scythians Servants or Free-men Male or Female Wherefore it is written Apoc. 5.6 10. Thou by thy blood hast redeem'd us O God out of every tribe and language and people and nation and hast made us a kingdom to our God And of the Church says David Ps 2. Ask of me and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession And I will remember Ps 86. Rahab and Babylon who shall know me and A man was born in her Besides all the Faithful which have ever been from Adam to this day or who shall be while the World endures and profess the true Faith belong to this very Church Eph. 2.20 which was built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets all which were constituted and founded upon that One Corner-stone Christ who made Both to be One who has proclaim'd Peace to them that are near and to them that are afar off And she is call'd Vniversal for this reason Because all that desire everlasting Salvation are bound to lay fast hold of and to embrace her no otherwise than they who went into
our Wickedness by the Blood of his only begotten Son so that he freely endur'd the Punishment which for our sins we had deserv'd and the Just was condemn'd for the Unjust the Innocent was put to a most bitter death for the Guilty Wherefore when we seriously consider with our selves 1 Pet. 1.18 19. That we were not redeem'd with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without spot or blemish we shall easily conclude that nothing could possibly come to us more advantagious than this power of forgiving sins which shews the unutterable of Providence of God and his exceeding Love towards us And from this consideration it must needs be X. Mortal Sin how great an Evil. that a mighty advantage redound to us For he that offends God by any mortal Sin whatsoever Merits he before had by the Death of Christ and his Cross he straightway loses all and the Gate of Paradice which before being shut our Savior by his Passion has open'd to all he has shut again against himself Which when we remember we cannot chuse but that the consideration of Mans Misery will extreamly grieve us But if we bend our mind to this admirable Power which God has given to his Church and being confirm'd in the Faith of this Article believe that this Power is offer'd to every one so that being assisted by Gods help he may be restor'd to his former state of dignity then are we forc'd with the highest joy and gladness to exult and give immortal Thanks to God And truly if those Medicines are us'd to seem welcome and pleasant which the skilful and careful Physitian prepares for us when we are sick how much more pleasant ought those remedies to be which the Wisdom of God has appointed for the cure of our Souls and consequently for the recovery of Life and especially when they carry with them not a weak doubtful Hope of Health as those Medicines do which are apply'd to the Body but when they bring most certain Health to those who desire to be heal'd The Faithful therefore are to be admonish'd XI The Benefit of Remission of Sin diligently to be us'd after they have known the dignity of so ample and so excellent a Gift that they study religiously to convert it to their own advantage For it can hardly be that he who makes no use of a thing that is profitable and necessary can be suppos'd not to despise it and specially seeing the Lord has deliver'd to his Church this Power of forgiving sins to this end that all might use this wholsome remedy For as no one without Baptism can be expiated or cleans'd so whosoever is minded to recover the Grace of Baptism which he lost by mortal sin must necessarily betake himself to that other kind of expiation to wit the Sacrament of Penance But here the Faithful are to be warn'd XII The Easiness of obtaining Pardon not to be abus'd Aug. in Joan. Tract 33. lib. 50. Hom. 41. Amb. lib. 2. de poenit c. 1.2 11. that hearing of so large a Power of Pardon and that it is not to be limited to any term of Time not to take encouragement either to sin the more readily or to repent the more slowly For since by the one they are manifestly discover'd to be injurious to and to affront this Divine Power they are unworthy that God should bestow any Mercy upon them and by the other it is much to be fear'd lest being overtaken by Death in vain they confess the Forgiveness of Sins which by their sloth and putting off they have deservedly lost ARTICLE XI THe Resurrection of the Body That this Article has a great influence to establish the truth of our Faith I. How necessary the Belief of this Article This does abundantly evidence that it is propos'd to the Belief of the Faithful not only by the Holy Scriptures but is confirm'd by many reasons also Which since we see it not done in the other Articles of the Creed we may perceive that the Hope of our Salvation is grounded herein as on a most foundation as the Apostle argues 1 Cor. 15.14 If there be no Resurrection of the dead then is not Christ risen again but if Chrst be not risen again then is Our Preaching vain and your Faith is vain In explaining hereof therfore the Curat shall take no less pains and care than the wickedness of many has labour'd to overthrow it For that great and excellent advantages redound to the use of the Faithful by the knowledge hereof will by and by be shew'd But first of all this is to be noted II. Why the Resurrection of Men call'd the Resurrection of the Flesh That in this Article the Resurrection of Men is call'd the Resurrection of the Flesh. And this is not done without good reason For the Apostles would teach what is necessarily to be suppos'd That the Soul is immortal Wherefore lest any one might think that the Soul dy's together with the Body and that Both were to be restor'd to life again seeing that by many places of Holy Scripture it is plainly manifest that the Soul is immortal for this reason in this Article there is mention made of the Resurrection of the Flesh only And tho frequently in Holy Scripture the word Flesh signifies the whole man as in Esaias Isay 40.8 All Flesh is grass and in S. John The word was made Flesh Yet in this place the word Flesh signifies the Body that we may understand that of the Two Parts Soul and Body of which Man is made the One only to wit the Body is corrupted and returns into the Dust of the Earth out of which it was made that the Sout remains uncorrupt But then whereas none can be restor'd to Life III. The Soul not said to rise again 2 Tim. 2.14 unless he had been first dead the Soul is not properly said to rise again And there is mention made of the Flesh to confute that Heresie which during the Apostles life was Hymenaeus and Philetus's who taught that when in Holy Scripture mention was made of the Resurrection it was not to be understood of a Resurrection of the Body but of the soul whereby we rise from the death of sin to an innocent life From these words therefore it is plain that this error is taken away and the true Resurrection of the Body is confirm'd But it is the Curates Part to illustrate and clear this Truth by Examples taken out of the Old and New Testaments IV. How the Resurrection of the Flesh is to be prov'd and out of all other Church Histories For some were restor'd to life by Elilijah and Elisha in the Old Testament others besides those which Christ our Lord rais'd from death by the Holy Apostles and many others 3 Reg. 17.19 4 Reg. 4.34 which Resurrection of many confirms the Doctrine of this Article
For as we believe that many were rais'd from death so must we believe that all shall be call'd again to life But that singular fruit which we ought to gather from Miracles of this kind Mat. 9.24 is this that we give the most certain belief to this Article There are many testimonies which even those Curates which are but indifferently skill'd in the Holy Scriptures may easily meet with but those places which are more clear in the Old Testament Job 19.25 are those we read in Job when he says that in his Flesh he shall see God and in Daniel concerning those who sleep in the dust of the earth Dan. 12.2 That some of them should awake to life everlasting and others to everlasting disgrace And in the New Testament Mar. 22.31 what S. Mathew relates of the dispute our Saviour had with the Sadducees besides what the Evangelists tell us of the last Judgment And hither is to be referr'd what the Apostle has exactly discours'd in his Epistle to the Corinthians and Thessalonians But tho to Faith this thing be most certain V. Similitudes where by the Resurrection is clear'd yet it will be very profitable both by Examples and Reasons to shew that That which Faith offers to be believ'd is not strange to Nature or Humane Understanding and therefore the Apostle to him that asks how the dead should rise again answers 1 Cor. 13.36 Thou Fool that which thou sowest is not quickn'd except it dye first and that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body which shall be but bare grain perhaps of wheat or some other grain but God gives it a body as it has pleas'd him And a little after he says it is sown in corruption it shall rise in incorruption There may be many other similitudes of the like kind added S. Greg. lib. 14. moral c. 21 29 30. as S. Gregory shews For the Light says he is daily as it were by Dying withdrawn from our Eyes and as by Rising again it is recall'd again and that Trees lose their greenness and again as by a kind of Resurrection they are repair'd and the Seed by putrifying dies and again by springing it rises again Besides VI. The Resurrection prov'd by Reason The First Those reasons which are brought by Ecclesiastical Writers seem to be sufficiently accommodated or suited to this matter And first since the Souls are immortal and as a part of Man have a natural propensity or inclination to the humane Bodies it may be thought praeternatural that they should for ever remain separate from their Bodies But because that which is against Nature The Second as being Violent cannot last long it seems agreeable that at last they should be joyn'd with their Bodies Whence it also follows that there will be a Resurrection of the Bodies Which kind of argument our Savior seems to have us'd Mat. 22.32 when disputing against the Sadducees he concluded that there would be a Resurrection of the Body from the Immortality of the Soul And seeing that there are Punishments propos'd by the most just God to the Wicked The Third Damasc l 4. de fide Orthod c. 28. Amb. lib. de fide Resur S. Chrisost hom 49. 50. and Rewards to the Good and that of the one sort very many depart out of this world before they have suffer'd their due punishments and of the other sort in a great measure without the rewards of their vertues it must needs be that the Soul be again joyn'd with the Body that so either for the wickedness committed or for the good they have done the Body which man uses as a Companion in sin may together with the Soul be either punish'd or rewarded Which Point has been excellently handled by S. Chrysostom in his Homilie to the People of Antioch Wherefore the Apostle discoursing of the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15.19 If says he in this life only we had hope in Christ we were of all men most miserable Which words none has thought applicable to the Soul which being immortal tho the Body should not rise again might nevertheless enjoy Happiness in the life to come but they are meant of the whole Man For unless the Body were to be rewarded for her labour it must needs follow that those who as the Apostles did have endur'd so many afflictions and calamities in this life would be of all men most miserable The same thing he much more plainly teaches in these words to the Thessalonians 2 Thess 1.4 We glory in the Churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations which ye endure for an example of the just judgment of God that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which ye suffer if yet it be just with God to recompense tribulation to them which trouble you and to us who are troubl'd rest with you at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven with the Angels of his power in a flame of fire taking vingeance on them who have not known God and who obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Add also The Fourth that men cannot so long as the Soul is separated from the Body enjoy compleat Happiness and full fraught with all good things For as every part being separated from the whole is imperfect so also is the Soul which is disjoyn'd from the Body Whence it follows that the Resurrection of the Body is necessary to make the Souls Happiness compleat It will be further necessary diligently to teach from the Apostles Doctrine VII The different condition of those that rise again 1 Cor. 15 22. Joh. 5.20 who they are that shall be rais'd to life For writing to the Corinthians he says As in Adam all dye so in Christ shall all be made alive All difference and distinction therefore of Good and Bad being laid aside All shall shall rise again from the dead tho the Condition of All will not be alike those that have done Good shall rise to the Resurrection of Life and they that have done Evil to the Resurrection of Judgment But when we say All VIII We shall all rise again S. Hier. Ep. 152. Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 20. c. 20. 1 Thes 4.16 in 1 Epist ad Thes c. 4. we mean as well those who shall be dead before the coming of the judgment as those who shall then dye For that the Church does acquiesce in this Sentence or Opinion which affirms that All shall dye none excepted and that this sense is most agreable to Truth S. Hierom has written and S. Austin conceives the same Nor are the Apostles words which he wrote to the Thessalonians against this sense The dead which are in Christ shall rise first and then we that are left alive shall be caught up with them in the Clouds to meet Christ in the air For. S. Ambrose explaining this place says thus In that
Death should fly from them This Immortality then is common to the Good and to the Bad. Furthermore XIV Four Gifts of the Glory of our Bodys the reviv'd Bodies of the Saints will have some signal and excellent Oraments whereby they shall be render'd much more Noble than ever they were before and specially these Four which are call'd Dowers or Gifts and have been observ'd by the Fathers from the very Doctrin of the Apostles Of these see S. Austin Serm 99. de Temp. Ambr. in Com. in 1. ad Cor. c. 15. The First of these is Impassibility Impassibility to wit a Dower or Gift which makes them that they cannot suffer any trouble nor be affected with any grief or inconvenience For the force of Cold the heat of Fire or the violence of Water cannot hurt them It is sown says the Apostle in Corruption but it shall rise in Incorruption But the Schoolmen call this Impassbility rather than Incorruption for this reason to shew that it belongs properly to the Glorious Body For Impassibility is not common to them with the Damn'd whose Bodies tho they be incorruptible yet they can burn and freez and be afflicted with divers Torments After this follows Brightness Brightness Matt. 13.33 Matt. 17.2 Phil. 3.21 1 Co. 13.4 wherewith the Bodies of the Saints shall shine as the Sun for so testifies our Savior in S. Matthew The Just says he shall shine as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father And lest any one may doubt thereof he has declar'd the same by the example of his own Transfiguration This the Apostle sometimes calls Glory Exod. 34.9 and sometimes Brightness Exod. 34.9 He will reform says he the Body of our Humility that it be made like to the Body of his Brightness It is sown in Dishonor it rises in Glory Of this Glory the people of Israel in the Wilderness saw a kind of resemblance when Moses's Face 2 Cor. 3.7 by talking with God and being in his presence did so shine that the Children of Israel could not stedfastly look upon it Now this Brightness is a kind of shining Glory redounding to the Body from the most transcendent Happiness of the Soul so that it is a kind of Communication of that Bliss which the Soul enjoys after which manner also the Soul herself is made happy because on her part of the divine Happiness is deriv'd But with This Gift we are not to believe That all are alike adorn'd as they are with the former For all the Bodies of the Saints shall be indeed equally impassible but the same Splendor they shall not have For as the Apostle Testifies 1 Cor. 15.41 There is one Brightness of the Sun and another Brightness of the Moon and another Brightness of the Stars for Star differs from Star in Brightness so also is the Resurrection of the Dead With this Gift is joyn'd that which they call Agility or Swiftness Agility whereby the Body shall be freed from that weight wherewith it is now press'd And may with the greatest ease be so mov'd into what part soever the Soul would have it that there can nothing be swifter than that motion Aug. de Civit Dei l. 13. c. 18. 20. l. 22. c. 11. Hier. in Enc. c. 40. Subtilty even as S. Austin in his book De Civitate Dei and Hierom in Esaiam have taught Wherefore the Apostle says It is sown in Weakness it is rais'd in Power And to these is added that which is call'd Subtilty by vertue whereof the Body is wholly made subject to the government of the Soul serves her and is ready at her commands And this is shew'd by the Words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.44 It is sown an Animal Body it is rais'd a Spiritual Body These are in a manner the chief heads which are to be taught in the explaining of this Article But that the Faithful may know what Fruit they may gather from the knowledg of so many XV. How many and what Fruits may be had from this Article The First and so great Mysteries First we must declare That we must give the greatest Thanks to God who has hid these things from the Wife and reveal'd them to little ones For how many Men have there been exceedingly commendable for Prudence or furnish'd with singular Learning who yet as to this most certain Truth have been stark blind That therefore he has made known these things to us who could not aspire to that understanding there is reason enough that with perpetual praises we celebrate his good-will and Mercy And then this great Fruit will follow from the Meditation of this Article The Second to wit That in the Death of them who are joyn'd to us either by kindred or friendship we can easily comfort both our selves and others which kind of comfort it 's manifest the Apostle us'd when he wrote to the Thessalonians concerning those that slept And also in all other afflictions and calamities 1 Thess 4 13. The Third the thought of the Resurrection to come brings us the greatest ease of our grief Job 19.24 as we have learn'd by Jobs example who by this only Hope bore up his afflicted and troubled mind that there would be a Time when at the Resurrection he should behold the Lord his God Besides this will very much prevail with the Faithful The Fourth to take great care to lead an upright and a just life and wholly clean from all pollution of sin For if they but consider those exceeding great riches which at the Resurrection shall be given and now are offer'd them they will easily be drawn to the study of vertue and piety And on the contrary The Fifth Joh. 5 29. There is nothing will have a greater force to bridle the Lusts of the mind and restrain Men from wickedness than to be often put in mind with what mischiefs and torments the wicked shall be punish'd who at that last day shall come to the Resurrection of Judgment ARTICLE XII THe Life everlasting The Holy Apostles our Leaders would conclude and shut up the Creed I. Why this is the last Article of the Creed wherein the sum of our Faith is contained with the Article of Life Everlasting both because after the Resurrection of the Flesh the Faithful are to expect nothing else but the reward of Everlasting Life and also that that perfect Happiness and which is full of all good things should be always before our Eyes and to teach us to fix our whole mind and all our thoughts thereupon Wherefore in teaching the Faithful the Curats shall never intermit to inflame their minds with the propos'd rewards of Eternal Life and shall teach them that all things yea even the most difficult are to be endur'd for the Christian names sake are to be esteem'd as easie and pleasant and that they should be render'd more ready and chearful to obey God But because
without all doubt we believe that the Fruit of his Passion is truly communicated to us only if on our part each of us will piously and religiously apply that Cure to himself And now follows a Fourth reason why the Institution of the Sacraments may seem necessary The Fouâ— h. to wit That they may be Notes and Characters whereby the Faithful might be kmown to each other Especially since D. Aug. l. â— 9 â—â—tra Faust c. 11. de â—era Reâ—â—g c. 17 Basil in Exhort ad Bapt. as S. Austin observes There can be no Society or Company of Men whether of the true or of a false Religion which can be as it were consolidated into one Body unless they be mutually joyn'd together by some hand of visible signs Both these do the Sacraments of the New Law perform which both distinguish Christians from Infidels and by that very Holy Bond knit the Faithful to one another It may further be shew'd The Fifth That there was an other very just cause of Instituting the Sacraments from these Words of the Apostle Rom. 10.10 With the Heart we believe to Righteousness but with the Mouth confession is made to Salvation For in the Sacraments we seem openly to profess and make declaration of our Faith before Men. Wherefore in coming to Baptism we openly testifie that we believe That by vertue of that Water wherewith we are wash'd in that Sacrament our Souls are Spiritually cleans'd And then the Sacraments have a great power not only to kindle and exercise Faith in our Souls but also to inflame us to that degree of Charity wherewith we ought to love one another when we remember that by communion of those Holy Mysteries we are ty'd together with the strictest Bond and made Members of one Body Lastly The Sixth and which in the exercise of Christian Piety ought to be esteem'd very much the Sacraments do tame and restrain the Pride of Man's Heart and make us become Humble while we are forc'd to submit our selves to sensible Elements that we may become obedient to God from whom we fell wickedly before now to serve the Elements of this World There are the things which seem chiefly necessary to be taught the Faithful concerning the Name Nature and Institution of a Sacrament Which after that the Pastors shall diligently have explain'd it will then be necessary to teach of what things the several Sacraments consist and what are the Parts thereof and lastly what Rites and Ceremonies are to be us'd in them First therefore it must be taught XIV Every Sacrament consists of Matter and Form That the sensible Thing which as was said before in the Definition belongs to a Sacrament is not only One tho we must believe the Sign to be One. For there are Two things of which every Sacrament is made of which the One has the reason of Matter and is cali'd the Element and the other has the vertue of Form and is commonly call'd The Word For thus we are taught by the Fathers Concerning which matter that testimony of S. Austin is sufficiently known and receiv'd of all S. Aug. in Joan. Tract 80. The Word is joyn'd to the Element and so the Sacrament is made By the name Sensible Thing therefore they understand both the Matter or Element as the Water in the Sacrament of Baptism the Chrism in that of Confirmation and the Oyl in that of Extream Vnction all which things fall under the Sense of Seeing and also the Words which are as the Form and belong to the Sense of Hearing Both these the Apostle plainly shews Eph. 5.26 Aug. de duct Chrst l. 2. â—3 when he says Christ lov'd the Church and gave himself for her that he might sanctifie her washing her with the laver of Water in the Word of Life In which place are express'd both the Matter and Form of that Sacrament But the Words were to be added to the Matter that the signification of the thing done might be made more plain and clear For it is plain that of all Signs Words have the greatest vertue and if They are wanting it must needs be very hard to know What is signifi'd and shew'd by the Matter of the Sacraments For as may be seen in Baptism since Water has no less the vertue of Refreshing than of Cleansing and may well be a Sign of both unless the words be added any one may easily conjecture either of these to be signifi'd in Baptism but no body will dare certainly to affirm any thing of it But then when the Words are added we straitway understand that it has the vertue and signification of Cleansing But herein it appears XV. The Sacraments of the New Law excel those of the Old That our Sacraments far excel the Sacraments of the Old Law that in administring those of the Law there was no Form observ'd that we know of whence it came to pass that they were uncertain and obscure But ours have such a certain prescribed Form of Words that if by chance it be not closely observ'd the vertue of the Sacrament is lost and for this reason they are most clear and leave no room to doubt These then are the Parts which belong to the Nature and Substance of a Sacrament and of which every Sacrament necessarily consists To the Sacraments are added certain Ceremonies XVI Every Sacrament is to be administred with certain Ceremonies and why which tho they may not be omitted without sin unless extream necessity force it yet if at any time they should be omitted since they reach not to the Nature of the thing we must believe that the true reason of the Sacrament is not at all lessen'd thereby And it has always very well bin observ'd even from the very infancy of the Church that the Sacraments were administred with certain solemn Ceremonies For First First it was very fit to give that Reverence and Worship to the Holy Mysteries of Religion that we might seem to handle Holy Things in a Holy manner Besides Secondly those Ceremonies do more clearly shew forth and put before our Eyes Thirdly as it were and make a deeper impression in our Hearts of the Holiness of those things which are done in the Sacrament And then they raise up the Minds of them who look upon and diligently observe them to the thought of the more sublime and lofty things and excite their Faith and Love towards them For which reason there should the more care and pains be taken that the Faithful may be made rightly to know and understand the Meaning of the Ceremonies which are us'd in each of the Sacraments Now it follows XVII Why the Number of Sacraments is to be explain'd That we teach the Number of the Sacraments the knowledg whereof brings this profit that the people may with so much the greater devotion bend all the powers of their Soul to praise and magnifie the singular goodness of God
call to mind how he has by solemn promise oblig'd himself to God when he was initiated in Baptism and will also consider with himself whether in his Life and Conversation he has behav'd himself in such a manner as the very Profession of Christianity obliges and undertakes That therefore what is to be taught III. What the Name Batism signifies Eight kinds of Baptism See Damass lib. 4. de fide Orthod 10 might be made the more intelligible it must be declar'd what the Nature and Substance of Baptism is after that the signification of the word Baptism shall have bin explain'd There is none who know not that Baptism is a Greek word which tho in Holy Scripture it signifies not only that Washing or Cleansing which is joyn'd with this Sacrament but even all other kinds of Washing yea and sometimes is extended to signifie Suffering also Yet among Church-Writers it signifies not every kind of Washing of the Body but that which is annext to the Sacrament and is not ministred without the prescrib'd Form of Words which signification the Apostles by the Institution of Christ frequently made use of Now the Holy Fathers made use of other names also to signifie the same thing For S. Austin testifies that it was call'd the Sacrament of Faith IV. By what other names the Sacrament of Baptism is call'd D. Aug. Epist 25. in sin Heb. 10.15 because they who receiv'd it made profession of the Faith or Belief of the whole Christian Religion Others call'd this Sacrament Illumination because the heart is illuminated by the Faith we profess in Baptism For thus says the Apostle Remember the former days wherein being illuminated ye underwent a great fight of sufferings to wit signifying when they were Baptiz'd Besides S. Chry. 10.5 Chrysostom in his Oration to those who were baptiz'd calls it both a Purgation whereby through Baptism we purge away the Old Leven that we may be a New Lump and a Burying and a Planting and Christ's Cross The reason of all which Names may be gather'd from the Epistle to the Romans And why S. Denys call'd it the Beginning of the most Holy Commandments S. Dionys de Eccl. Hier. c. 2. is evident seeing that this Sacrament is the Gate as it were through which we enter into the fellowship of Christian Life and from thenceforth begin to obey Gods commands and this will suffice briefly to be taught concerning the Name of Baptism Of the various Names of Baptism See Greg. Naz. Orat. in Sancta Lumina Clem. Alex. lib. 1. Paedag. c. 6. But as to the Definition of the Thing Tho there may many others be gather'd out of Sacred Writers V. The Definition of Baptism yet That seems more fit and suitable which we may learn from our Lords own words in S. John's Gospel and from the Apostle in his Epistle to the Ephesians Joh. 3.5 Except a man be born again of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And the Apostle when he spake of the Church Ephes 5.26 Cleansing her in the Laver of Water in the Word For through Adam by nature we are born the Children of Wrath but by Baptism we are born again in Christ the Children of Grace For he gave power to men to become the Sons of God Joh. 1.13 even to them that believe in his Name who are not born of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the wiâ—l of man but of God But in what words soever the nature of Baptism chances to be explain'd VI. How the Sacrament of Baptism is made the people are to be taught That this Sacrament is made by Washing with which according to the institution of our Lord and Saviour must needs be us'd certain and solemn words as the Holy Fathers have always taught as is shew'd by the plain testimony of S. Austin The Word is added to the Element and so the Sacrament is made But the Faithful must be carefully taught An Error to be mark'd not to fall into that Error not to think as it is vulgarly us'd to be said that That Water which is kept in the Holy Font to make the Sacrament is the Sacrament For then only is it to be call'd the Sacrament of Baptism when in truth we use Water to wash any one adding those words which were instituted by our Lord. Of this see Chrysost hom 24. in Joan. Aug. l. 6. contra Donatist c. 25. Conc. Florent Trid. item August Tract 80. in Joan. Now because in the Beginning when we spake of Sacraments in general VII The Matter of Bap â—â—m is natural Water we said that every Sacrament consists of Matter and Form therefore what each of these is in the Sacrament of Baptism must be declar'd by the Pastors The Matter therefore or the Element of this Sacrament is any kind of natural Water whether of the Sea or the River or a Pond or a Well or a Fountain that is us'd to be call'd Water without any adjunct Joh 3.5 For our Savior has taught Except a man be born again of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God â— h. 2.26 and the Apostle says That the Church was cleans'd by the Laver of Water And we read in the Epistle of S. John 1 Joh. 5.8 There are Three which bear record in Earth The Spirit the Water and the Bloodâ— this may be prov'd also from other testimonies of Holy Scipture But that which S. John the Baptist said Maâ— 3. that the Lord was coming that would baptize with the Holy Ghost and with Fire this can by no means be understood of the Matter of Baptism but ought to be apply'd either to the inward working of the Holy Ghost or at least to the Miracle which appear'd on the day of Pentecost Act. 2.3 when the Holy Ghost came down from Heaven upon the Apostles in the likeness of Fire whereof in another place Christ our Lord foretold Act. 1.5 John indeed baptiz'd with Water but ye shall be baptiz'd with the Holy Ghost not many days hence But this we may observe from the Holy Scriptures to have bin signifi'd before-hand by the Lord VIII The Matter of Baptism figur'd in the Old Testament Gen. 6.5 2 Pet. 3.10 both in Figures and in the Oracles of the Prophets For the Flood whereby the World was cleans'd because the wickedness of man was great in the Earth and all the thoughts of his heart wholly set upon evil carri'd the Figure and Resemblance of This Water as the Prince of Apostles in his former Epistle shews And the Passage through the Red-Sea signifi'd this Water 1 Cor. 10.1 as S. Paul writing to the Corinthians expounds it 4 Reg 5.24 to omit the cleansing of Naaman the Syrian and the admirable virtue of the Pool of Bethsaiday Job 5.2 and many others of the like kind Wherein it plainly appears
we look more closely into the matter we may easily perceive that there was wanting in that Form none of those things which our Savior commanded to be observ'd For he that but names Jesus Christ signifies at the same time the Person of the Father also by whose appointment he was anointed and the Holy Ghost who anointed him And yet it may seem doubtful Whether or no the Apostles did at all baptize any in this kind of Form XVI Not certain that the Apostles baptiz'd Christ's name Ambr. l. 1. â—â— Sâ—â—â—â—â— Sâ—â—â—ct c. â— Pasiâ— l. 1. de â—pâ—â— Sâ—â—ct c. 12. Gâ—l 3.27 if we will follow the Opinion of those Holy and Grave Fathers Ambrose and Basil who interpret Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ so as they say by those words is signifi'd Baptism not that which was given of John but of our Lord Christ altho the Apostles departed not from that common and usual Form wherein are express ' d the distinct names of the Three Persons Now this kind of speech S. Paul seems to use in his Epistle to the Galatians when he says As many of you as have bin Baptiz'd in Christ have put on Christ To signifie that they were baptiz'd in the Faith of Christ but yet that they us'd no other Form than that which the same our Lord and Savior cammanded to be observ'd Thus much therefore XVII Three manners of Washing it will be sufficient to teach the Faithful concerning the Matter and Form which chiefly belong to the Substance of Baptism Now because in celebrating this Sacrament we ought to observe the right way of Washing therefore the Pastors must teach how that Part also ought to be done and briefly let them understand that the Church has bin us'd to celebrate Baptism after any one of these three manners For those that are baptiz'd Plunging Pouring Sprinkling Eph 5.26 are either plung'd into the Water or Water is pour'd upon them or they are sprinkl'd with Water Now whichsoever of these three ways is observ'd we ought to believe Baptism to be valid For Water is us'd in Baptism to signifie the Washing of the Soul which it performs And therefore the Apostle calls Baptism a Laver. But he cannot be more properly said to be wash'd who is plung'd into Water which fashion was long observ'd in the Primitive times of the Church Act. 2.41 Greg. l. 1. Regist Ep. 41. than He who has water pour'd on him which is the manner now adays or than He who is sprinkl'd with Water as it may be suppos'd S. Peter did when in one day he convert'd and baptiz'd Three Thousand Men. But whether Baptism be perform'd with One single Washing or with a threefold pouring of Water on the Baptiz'd is not to be thought of any moment For that by any of these three ways Baptism was formerly rightly perform'd in the Church and may be so again does plainly enough appear from the Epistle of S. Gregory the Great written to Leander Yet the Faithful are to retain that Custom or Rite which they observe to be us'd in their own Church But it is fit to give them this warning especially XVIII Three things chiefly to be noted that in Baptism not any part of the Body but the Head where all both internal and external Senses have their strength is to be wash'd and that he that baptizes ought at the very same time of the Washing with Water and not either before or after it to pronounce the words which are the Form of the Sacrament These things being explain'd XIX When Baptism was instituted and commanded it will be convenient to teach the Faithful and to put them in mind that Baptism as all the other Sacraments were was instituted by Christ our Lord. This therefore the Pastors shall frequently teach and explain That there are Two different Times of Baptism to be noted The One when our Savior instituted it The other when the receiving of it became a settl'd Law and Obligation As for the First It is plain that this Sacrament was then Instituted of our Lord when himself being baptiz'd of John gave Power of Sanctifying to the Water For S. Gregory Nazianzen and S. Austin testifie That at that time Greg. Orat. in Nat. Salv. ci ca sinem Aug. Serm. 29 36 37. de Temp. Matt. 3.26 Marc. 1.10 Luc 3.21 the vertue of begetting in us the Spiritual Life was bestow'd on Water And in another place he writes From the time that Christ was plung'd in Water Water washes away all sins And in another place The Lord is baptiz'd not as wanting to be cleans'd but by the Touch of his pure Body cleansing the Waters that they may have power of cleansing And to this purpose This may well serve for an argument that the most Holy Trinity in whose name Baptism is perform'd have manifested their divine presence at it For then was heard the Voice of the Father then was present the person of the Son and then descended the Holy Ghost in likeness of a Dove besides all This the Heavens were open'd whither by Baptism we also may now ascend But if any one desire to know XX. The Waters sanctifi'd by the touch of Christs Body by what means so great and so divine a vertue was bestow'd on the Waters by our Lord. This indeed exceeds Mans understanding yet this we understand well enough that when our Lord receiv'd Baptism the Water was consecrated to the saving use of Baptism by the Touch of his most Holy and Pure Body yet so as that tho this Sacrament were instituted before the Passion yet it must be believ'd that of the Passion which was as the End of all Christ's Actions it took its vertue and Efficacy See Hieron in com in 3. cap. Mat. Aug. Serm 36. de Temp. And now of the Other XXI When Baptism began to be of Obligation Mar. 16 10. Matt. 28.19 to wit at what time the Law of Baptism began to be obligatory there can be no doubt For the Holy Fathers agree That after the Resurrection of our Lord when he commanded his Apostles saying Go ye and teach all Nations baptizing them it the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost from that time forward all Men that were to attain everlasting Salvation began to be oblig'd by the Law of Baptism And this is gather'd from the authority of the Prince of Apostles when he says 1 Pet. 1 3â— He has begotten us again to a lively Hope through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead As also we may learn from that place of S. Paul Eph. 5 2â— He gave himself for her that he might sanctifie her he speaks of the Church cleansing her with the laver of Water in the Word Both which places seem to refer the Obligation of Baptism to the time immediately following our Lords Death So that it can by no means be doubted that those words of our
XXVII The same confirm'd by consent of Fathers and first it must be taught that there is nothing doubtful or uncertain in them Especially since the authority of Gods Church has thus interpreted them To the knowledg of which sense we may come by a twofold way and means The first is by consulting the Fathers who flourish'd both in the beginning and so down through every Age of the Church and were the best Witnesses of the Doctrin of the Church But all these by an exact consent and agreement have most plainly taught the truth of this Opinion Of which to bring the several Testimonies because it would be a most tedious labor it shall be sufficient to mark or rather to shew a few things whereby a judgment may easily be made of the rest S. Ambrose therefore first produces his Faith who in his Book of those that are initiated in the Mysteries testifies Lib. 4. de Sacra de tis qui Myster init c. 9. vide de consec dist 2. plutib in locis Chrys ad Popul Antioch homil 60 61. That the true Body of Christ is taken in this Sacrament as his true Body was taken of the Virgin and this is to be held with most certain Faith And in another place he teaches That there is Bread before the Consecration but after the consecration the Body of Christ Another witness hereof is S. Chrysostom one of no less Fidelity and Gravity who professes and teaches this Truth both in many other places and especially in his 60th Homily of those who unworthily receive the Sacred Mysteries as also in his 41 and 45. Homilies upon S. John For he says Let us obey and not contradict God tho that which is spoken seem to be contrary to our Reason and our very Eyes for his Word is infallible our Senses are easily deceiv'd To these exactly agrees what S. Austin the vigorous defender of Catholic Faith always taught And first expounding the Title of the 33. Psalm he writes To carry himself in his own hands is to Man an impossible thing and is proper to Christ alone For He was carri'd in his own hands when giving that Body of his he said This is my Body And besides Cyril Justin and Irenaeus in his fourth Book upon S. John so plainly affirm the true Flesh of Christ to be in this Sacrament that his words cannot be rendred obscure by any sallacies or captious interpretations But if the Pastors want any other Testimonies of the Fathers it is easie to add more as S. Dennys Hilary Hierom Damascen and innumerable others The grave Sentences of whom concerning this matter we may read collected and gather'd together by the Labor and Industry of learn'd and pious Men. Divus Augustinus in Ps 33. Conc. 1. a medio ad finera usque Cyril l. 4. in Joan. c. 33. 14. l. c. 13. Just Apolog. 2. sub finem ad Antonium l'ium lren l. 5. cont haeret c. l. 5. in Joan. c. 34. Dionys Eccles Hier. c. 3. Hilar. l. 8. de Trinit Hierom Epist ad Damasum Damasc l. 4. de Orthod fid c. 14. There remains another way whereby we may find out the judgment of Holy Church in those things which belong to Faith to wit the contrary Doctrin and Opinion being condemn'd And it is manifest that the Truth of the Body of Christ in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist was so scatter'd and spread abroad through the whole Church XXVIII The same further confirm'd by Decrees of Councils and willingly embrac'd by all the Faithful that when Berengarius five hundred years ago presum'd to deny it and asserted That there was only a Sign he was forthwith condemn'd by the Sentence of all in the Council of Verceils which by Authority of Leo IX was conven'd and himself retracted his Opinion and condemn'd it with an Anathema Who afterwards returning to the same impiety was condemn'd in three other Councils one at Tours and two at Rome whereof the one was call'd together by Pope Nicholas II. and the other by Pope Gregory VII And afterwards the Faith of the same Truth was more fully declar'd and settl'd in the Councils of Florence and Trent If therefore the Pastors shall diligently have explain'd these things not to say any thing of those XXIX And by Reason who being blinded and harden'd in their Errors hate nothing more than the Light of Truth they will be able to confirm the weak and to affect the Souls of the devout with the greatest joy and delight Especially since the Faithful may not doubt but that the Belief of this Perswasion is to be reckon'd among the other Articles of Faith For when they believe and confess God's Power to be supream over all things The First they must needs believe that he wants not Power to effect this great Work which we admire and worship in the Sacrament of the Eucharist And then The Second when they believe the Catholic Church it must needs follow that they believe also that this is the truth of this Sacrament as we have explain'd it And indeed there can be no greater sweetness and profit to the Faithful XXX How great the Churches Dignity by reason of the Sacrament of the Eucharist than to contemplate the dignity of this most profound Sacrament For first they perceive how great the Perfection of the Law of the Gospel is which has the priviledge to have that thing in Truth and Reality which in the time of the Mosaical Law was only shadow'd by Signs and Figures Wherefore it was divinely said of S. Dennys De Eccl. Hier. c. 3 p. 1. That our Church is in the middle between the Synagogue and the upper Jerusalem and participates of both And indeed the Faithful can never sufficiently admire the perfection of Holy Church and the height of her Glory seeing there seems to be but one step or degree only betwixt her and the Bliss of Heaven For This we have common with those in Heaven that both of us have Christ God and Man present with us But we are below them this one step They being present there enjoy the blessed Vision But We with a firm and constant Faith worship him being present with us but hiding himself far from the sense of our Eyes under the admirable cloathing of the Sacred Mysteries Besides in this Sacrament the Faithful experience the most perfect Love of our Savior Christ For it highly became his goodness never to withdraw from us that Nature which he took of us but as much as may be to be and to be conversant among us That at all times that might seem to be truly and properly said Prov. 8. My delight is to be with the Children of Men. And now in this place the Pastors must explain XXXI Whole Christ as God and Man contain'd in the Eucharist not only that the true Body of Christ and whatsoever belongs to the true Nature of a Body as
Bones and Sinews but also that whole Christ is contain'd in this Sacrament For they ought to teach That Christ is the name of God-Man to wit of one Person wherein the Divine and Human Nature are joyn'd together how it conteins both Substances and whatsoever are the consequences of each Substance the Divinity and the whole Human Nature which consists of all the parts of a Body and of Blood also all which we must believe to be in the Sacrament For since in Heaven the whole Humanity is joyn'd to the Divinity in one person and Hypostasis it would be wicked but to imagine that the Body which is in the Sacrament is disjoyn'd from the same Divinity Vide de Consecr dist 2. multis in locis Item Ambr. de iis qui myst init c. 9. D. Thom. 3. p. q. 76. a. 1. Where it will be necessary notwithstanding XXXII Whatsoever things are Christ's are not all contain'd in the Eucharist after the same manner that the Pastors observe that all things are not contein'd in this Sacrament after the same way or with the same vertue For there are some things which we say are in the Sacrament by the vertue and Efficacy of Consecration For seeing those Words effect what they signifie Sacred Writers have bin us'd to say That that Thing is in the Sacrament by vertue of the Sacrament which is express'd in the Form of Words So if it should happen that any thing should be wholly disjoyn'd from the other things That only is in the Sacrament which the Form signifies but the rest they have taught not to be so But there are some things contain'd in the Sacrament because they are joyn'd with the things which are express'd in the Form For seeing that the Form which is us'd at consecrating the Bread signifies the Lords Body when it is said This is my Body the very Body of Christ our Lord is in the Eucharist by vertue of the Sacrament But because his Body Blood Soul and Divinity are joyn'd together XXXIII What things are in the Eucharist by concomitancy all these will be also in the Sacrament not indeed by vertue of the Consecration but as those things which are joyn'd with his Body And these things are said to be in the Sacrament by concomitancy For which reason it is plain that whole Christ is in the Sacrament For if any two things are indeed knit together where the One is the other must needs be there also It follows therefore that whole Christ is so far contein'd as well in the species of the Bread as of the Wine that as not only the Body but also the Blood and whole Christ is truly in the species of the Bread So on the contrary not only the Blood but the Body also and whole Christ is truly in the species of Wine Now tho all the Faithful ought to be fully and assuredly perswaded of these things XXXIV Why the Bread and Wine separately consecrated Yet it was very fitly order'd That two Consecrations should be severally made First That the Passion of our Lord in which the Blood was divided from his Body might more lively be represented for which cause in the Consecration we make a memorial that Christs Blood was pour'd out And then it was most fit that because we are to use the Sacrament for the Nourishment of our Souls it should be appointed as Meat and Drink of which two it is evident that the perfect nourishment of the Body does consist Nor ought this to be pass'd over XXXV Whole Christ in every particle that whole Christ is contain'd not only in either species but in every particle of each species For thus S. Austin writes All severally receive Christ our Lord and he is whole in the several parts nor is he made the less by being distributed severally to many But he gives himself whole to all But this may easily be gather'd from the Evangelists also Citatur Aug. de Consecr dist 2. c. singulis For we are not to believe XXXVI Many particles of Bread not consecrated separately that the several Loaves of Bread were consecrated by our Lord with the proper Form of words but that all the Bread then us'd at the Sacred Mysteries and enough to be distributed among the Apostles was consecrated together with the same Form ' The same thing which appears to have bin done by the Chalice For he said Luc. 22.17 Take and divide it among you What has hitherto bin explain'd is intended that the Pastors may shew that the true Body and Blood of Christ is contain'd in the Sacrament of the Eucharist Now as to the Second thing propos'd XXXVII After the Consecration that the substance of the Bread and Wine remain not prov'd First by Reason they shall teach also that the Substance of Bread and Wine remains not in the Sacrament after Consecration Now tho this deservedly requires a very great admiration yet it is necessarily joyn'd with that which before was shew'd For if after Consecration there be the true Body of Christ under the species of Bread and Wine it is altogether necessary that seeing it was not there before this be done either by change of place by Creation or by Conversion of another thing into it But it is manifest that it cannot be that the Body of Christ in the Sacrament be that which came out of one place into another For so it would come to pass that he must be absent from Heaven because nothing is mov'd unless it leave the place from which it mov'd But it is less credible that the Body of Christ is created and this we cannot so much as conceive It remains therefore that in the Sacrament there is the Body of our Lord and that the Bread is chang'd into it Wherefore it must needs be that no substance of Bread remains Being led by this Reason Secondly by the decrees of Councils our Ancestors and Forefathers in the great Council of Lateran and that of Florence by evident Decrees confirm'd the truth of this Article But in the Council of Trent it was more fully defin'd thus If any one shall say that in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist there remains the Substance of Bread and Wine together with the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Lat. Con. c. 1. Flor. in Ep. Eugenii IV. data ad Arm. Ã Concilio approbata Trid. Sess 13. Can. 4. And it was easie to gather these things from testimonies of Scripture Thirdly by the Authority of Scripture First that in the Institution of this Sacrament the Lord himself said This is my Body For this is the force of the word This to shew all the Substance of the thing present but if the Substance of the Bread remain'd it would seem by no means to be truly said Matt. 26.26 Mar. 14.2 Luc. 22.28 1 Cor. 11.24 Joh. 6.61 This is my Body And then Christ our Lord
hom de Prod. Judae Amb. lib. 4. de Sacram. c. 4. Which things LXXXIV Mass is a Sacrifice both of Praise and of Propitiation since they are thus without all doubt it may be taught what the Holy Synod has explain'd that the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not a Sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving only or a bare Commemoration of that Sacrifice which was done on the Cross but it is also truly a Propitiatory Sacrifice wherewith God is appeas'd and render'd propitious to us Trid. Sess 22. de Sacr. Missae c. 2. can 3. Wherefore if with a clean heart LXXXV Who offers Mass as he ought obtains Mercy and ardent Faith and truly affected with inward grief for our wickedness we sacrifice and offer this most Holy Hoste It is not to be doubted but we shall obtain of the Lord Mercy and Grace to help us in due time For with the sweet savor of this Sacrifice the Lord is so delighted Heb. 4 19. that bestowing upon us the gift of Grace and Penance he pardons us our sins Wherefore This also is the solemn Prayer of the Church As often as the Commemoration of this Hoste is celebrated so often the work of our Salvation is exercis'd to wit those most plentiful Fruits of that bloody Hoste flow upon us throw this Vnbloody Sacrifice And then the Curats shall teach that the Vertue of this Sacrifice is such LXXXVI Mass profitable both in the Living and the Dead that it profits not the Offerer and the Receiver only but all the Faithful also whether they remain alive with us on the earth or being already dead in the Lord are not as yet fully expiated For according to the most certain Tradition of the Apostles Trid. Sym. it is no less profitable to offer for These than it is for the Sins Punishments Satisfactions or any other Calamities and Necessities of the Living Whence it is very evident LXXXVII Mass never to be cal'ld Private that All Masses are to be accounted Common as pertaining to the common profit and Salvation of all the Faithful Now this Sacrifice has many Rites or Ceremonies LXXXVIII Why so many Ceremonies in Mass and those very remarkable and solemn whereof none may be thought to be superfluous or vain but all tend to this End that the Majesty of so great a Sacrifice may shine the more gloriously and that the Faithful in beholding those saving Mysteries may be excited to the contemplation of those divine things which are hidden in that Sacrifice But of these there is no need that we speak moreâ— Both because this Argument seems to require a larger explication than is suitable to our intended purpose And also because the Priests will have in readiness almost innumerable Books and Commentaries which have bin written concerning this Matter by the most Pious and Learned Men. Thus far therefore shall suffice with Gods assistance to have explain'd the more weighty Heads of those things which belong to the Eucharist both as it is a Sacrament and also as it is a Sacrifice Of the SACRAMENT of PENANCE AS the Frailty and Weakness of Human Nature is known to all Men and every one easily feels it by experience in himself I. The necessity of the Sacrament of Penance so how necessary the Sacrament of Penance is no one can be ignorant But if we ought to weigh the diligence which is to be us'd by the Pastors in every point by the Greatness and Weight of the Thing they handle we must by all means confess that they will never be diligent enough in the Explication of this Point But yet by so much the more diligently must they treat of this Sacrament than of Baptism because Baptism is only once administer'd and may not be iterated but there is room for Penance and there is a necessity of repeating it so oft as we happen to sin after Baptism for thus it is said by the Council of Trent Sess 6. de Just. c. 14. Sess 4. de Poenit. c. 3. in c. 3. Isai ad haec verba Ruit Hierusalem Ep. 8. That the Sacrament of Penance is necessary to Salvation to those who Slip or Fall into sin after Baptism no otherwise than Baptism is to those who are not yet Regenerated And that known sentence of St. Hierom is greatly approv'd by all who from his time downwards have treated of Divine Matters That Penance is a second Table or Plank For as in a Ship-wreck there is one refuge for saving of life left if haply one may lay hold of a broken Plank of the Ship-wreck So after the loss of the Innocence of Baptism unless a man make hast to lay hold of the Plank of Penance without doubt there can be no Hope of his Salvation but these things are spoken not to the Pastors only but to all the rest of the Faithful also to stir them up lest haply they may be reprehended justly for their carelesness of a Matter of all the most necessary For first being mindful of their common Frailty they ought with their utmost endeavors to wish that being assisted with Divine help they may proceed forward in the way of the Lord without any Fall or Slip. but if at any time they should offend then having regard to the infinite kindness of God who as the good Shep-herd is us'd to bind up the wounds of his Sheep and to heal them they shall consider that this most wholsom Medicin of Penance is never to be put off to another time Of Penance have wrote among the antient Fathers Tertul. one Book S. Cyprian many Epistles and one Book de Lapsis Pacianus one Book and two Epistles to Sympronianus And of Penance and Confession see paraen ad Poenit. S. Ambrose two Books of Penance S. Chrysostom ten Homilies and a Sermon of Penance Ephrem a Book and a Sermon of Penance S. Fulgentius two Books to Euthymius of the Remission of sins Gregory Nyssen a discourse of Penance Basil one Homily postrema variarum S. Austin one Book of true and false Penance and one remarkable Book of the Medicin of Penance Add to these Mark the Hermit who has one Book extant of Penance but cautiously to be read De eo vide Bellarmin de Script Eccles He that has not the Fathers above cited may see in the Decree of Gratian concerning Penance seven Distinctions Now that we may come to the Matter II. The manifold acceptation of the name of Penance The various Force and Notion of the Word is first to be explain'd lest any body should be led into Error by the Ambiguity of the Word For some take Penance for satisfaction Others very far distant from the Doctrin of Catholic Faith supposing that Penance has no relation to the time past define it to be nothing else but a New Life It must be taught therefore that the signification of this Name is manifold For first The First Penance is
the other Powers of the Soul It is also call'd by the Holy Fathers Compunction of Heart Chrysost de Compunct coâ—dis Isidor de summo bono l. 2.12 who were pleas'd to entitle the Books they wrote of Contrition to be of Compunction of the Heart rather For as swelling Ulcers are cut with a Knife that the poisonous Corruption may be let forth So our Hearts are cut as it were with the Pen-knife of Contrition that the deadly Poyson of Sin might run out And therefore it is call'd by the Prophet Joel Joel 2.21 A cutting of the Heart Be ye converted to me says he with all your Heart in Fasting and in Weeping and in Mourning and cut your Hearts But that the greatest and deepest Grief is to be taken for sin committed XXXV Contrition ought to be the greatest Grief so that no greater can be imagin'd will be easie to evidence by these Reasons For whereas perfect Contrition is an Act of Love The First Reason 1 Joh. 3. which proceeds from a filial Fear it is plain that there ought to be the same measure both of Love and Contrition hence it comes That Contrition has joyn'd with it the most vehement Grief of Mind for as God is to be lov'd above all things so those things which estrange us from God are to be hated above all things Wherein this is also observable Note that after the same manner of speaking is signifi'd in Sacred Scripture the Greatness of Love and of Contrition Of Charity it is said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart And again as to Contrition the Lord cries out by the Prophet Be ye converted with your whole Heart Besides The Second Reason if as God is the supreme Good among all the things that are to be lov'd and so Sin the greatest evil among all the things that Men ought to hate This follows that for what cause we confess that God is above all things to be lov'd for the same cause again we must needs hate Sin above all things But that the Love of God is to be put before all other things so that we may not sin tho it were to save out very Lives those words of our Lord plainly teach us Matt. 10.27 Mar. 16.25 Mar. 8.35 He that loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me And He that will save his Life shall lose it But This also must be observ'd The Third Reason that as there is no End or Measure prescrib'd to Charity as S. Bernard testifies Lib. de diâ—â—gendo Deo circa inod For says he The measure of loving God is to love him without Measure so there is no measure defin'd to the Detestation of Sin Besides XXXVI Contrition ought to be most vehement Deut. 4.27 Hierem. 2â— 13 it ought to be not only the Greatest but also the most Vehement and therefore Perfect and excludes all slothfulness and laziness For in Deuteronomy it is written When thou shalt seek the Lord thy God thou shalt find him if notwithstanding thou shalt seek him with thy whole Heart and in the tribulation of thy Soul And in Jeremy Ye shall seek me and shall find me when ye shall seek me with your whole Heart and I wil be found of you says the Lord. Now altho we cannot get to make it perfect XXXVII Contrition tho imperfect yet it may be true yet our contrition may be true and efficacious for it often comes to pass that those things which are subject to sense more affect us than spiritual things Wherefore sometimes some Men are more sorrowful for the Death of their Children than for the Filthiness of their sins The same judgment is to be made XXXVIII Tears tho to be desir'd yet not necessary Serm. 41. de Sanctis if Tears follow not the Bitterness of Grief which yet in Penance are much to be wish'd and commended For S. Austins sentence in this case is very excellent The Bowels of Christian Charity says he are not in thee if thou lamentest the Body from which the Soul is departed but dost not lament the Soul from which God is departed And hither tend those words of our Savior before recited Mat. 11.21 Wo to thee Chorazin wo to thee Bethsaida for if the mighty works which have bin done in you had bin done in Tyre and Sydon they had done Penance long ago in Sack-cloth and Ashes Yet for the proof of this those most famous examples of the Ninivits of David of the Harlot of the Prince of Apostles will be sufficient All which sought pardon of their sins imploring the Mercy of God with very many Tears But the Faithful are specially to be exhorted and admonish'd XXXIX All Mortal sins to be detested with Contrition that they study to apply the proper Grief of Contrition to their several Mortal Sins For so Ezechias describes Contrition when he says I will recount to thee all my years in the bitterness of my soul For to recount all his years is severally to examine his sins to be sorry in mind for them And we read in Ezekiel Ezek. 28.21 If the wicked man do Penance for all his sins he shall live And agreeable hereto S Austin says Let the sinner consider the Quality of his sin at that Time in what Place against what Light and against whom Lib. de vera falsa Religione cap. 14. Let not the Faithful notwithstanding in this Case despair of the infinite Goodness and Mercy of God Note For since he is most desirous of our Salvation he will not delay to pardon us but will embrace the sinner with a Fatherly Love as soon as ever he shall have recollected himself and detested all his sins which thencesorth at any time according to his ability he can bring to remembrance and resolves in his mind to hate and converts himself to the Lord Ezek. 33.12 for so by the Prophet he commands us to ho e when he says The wickedness of the wicked shall not hurt him at what day soever he will be converted from his wickedness From hence therefore may be gather'd what ' things are most necessary to true Contrition XL. How many things necessary to True Contrition concerning which the Faithful must be accurately taught that every one may know by what means he may get it and may have a certain Rule whereby he may judge how far he is from the Perfection of this Vertue For first The first it is necessary to hate and to gri ve for all the sins we have done Lest if we blot out some only the Penance we do may seem dissembl'd and counterfeit and not saving For as S. James says He that shall have kept the whole Law but Offends in One thing he is guilty of all The second is The second that This Contrition has a Will to Confess and to Satisfie for Sin join'd with it of which shall
Parts thereof shall be so taught that the Faithful may not only understand them perfectly but also by Gods help they may resolve indeed to perform them devoutly and religiously Of the SACRAMENT of EXTREAM VNCTION SInce the Holy Oracles of Scripture teach us thus I. Why this Sacrament is often to be treated of In all thy works remember thy last end and thou shalt not sin forever The Curats are tacitly admonish'd that no time is to be pretermitted of exhorting the Faithful Eccl. 7.40 to be daily conversant in the Meditation of Death But how can the Sacrament of Extream Unction choose but have the Memory of that Last day join'd with it Hence we may easily understand that this Sacrament must often be treated of not only for this Reason because it is very convenient to open and unfold the Mysteries of those things which belong to Salvation But also because the Faithful will restrain their evil Lusts when they consider in their minds that there lies upon all a Necessity of Dying wherefore also it will so come to pass that they will feel themselves less troubl'd at the Expectation of Death But let them give immortal thanks to God II. Thanks to be given to God for the Institution of this Sacrament who as in the Sacrament of Baptism he has laid open to us an entrance to the true Life so also when we depart out of this mortal life that we might have a more ready way to Heaven he has instituted the Sacrament of Extream Unction That therefore those things which are more necessary to explain it III. Why this Sacrament call'd Extream Unction may be open'd almost in the same Order which has bin observ'd in the other Sacraments It shall first be taught that This Sacrament is therefore call'd Extream Unction because this of all the Sacred Unctions which our Lord and Savior commended to his Church is last to be administer'd Wherefore this very Unction was also call'd by our Ancestors IV. Other Names of this Sacrament the Sacrament of the Vnction or Anointing of the Sick and the Sacrament of them that go out of the world By which Names the Faithful may easily be brought to the remembrance of their last End Vide Hugon de Sacr. part 15. c. 2. Pet. Dam. Serm. de Dedicat. Eccles But this will be made evident V. Extream Unction prov'd to be a Sacrament if we attend to the words wherewith St. James the Apostle has declar'd the Law of this Sacrament Is any one sick among you says he Let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray over him anointing him with Oyl in the Name of the Lord First and the Prayer of Faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall ease him Isai 5.14 and if he be in sins they shall be forgiven him For Secondly because the Apostle affirms that sins are forgiven therein he declares the Force and Nature of a Sacrament Now that This was the perpetual Doctrin of the Catholic Church concerning Extream Unction Thirdly both many other Councils testifie and by the Council of Trent it has bin declar'd in such a manner Sess 43. de Extrema Vnct. c. 1. can 3. that she has decreed the Pain of an Anathema against all those who presume to teach or think otherwise And Innocent the First also very much commends this Sacrament to the Faithful Innocent Epist 1. ad Decent cap. 8. citatur dist 95. c. illud superfluum Item Conc. Cabilon cap. 48. Wormaciense c. 72. Constan. Florent It is therefore constantly to be taught of the Pastors VI. Extream Unction is a Sacrament that it is a true Sacrament and not many but One altho it be administer'd with many Unctions or Anointings to every one whereof are us'd proper Prayers and a peculiar Form It is One VII How Extream Unction is One Sacrament not in continuation of the Parts which may not be divided but in perfection of which sort are all other things which consist of many parts For as a House which is compos'd of many and divers things yet is but One only in perfect Form So the Sacrament altho it be made up of many Things and Words yet it is but One sign and has the Efficiency of One thing only which it signifies Moreover VIII This Sacrament has Matter and Form Isai 5.14 the Curats shall teach what the Parts of this Sacrament are The Element I say and The Word For these things are not pass'd over by S. James in every one whereof we may observe their own Mysteries The Element or Matter whereof IX What the matter is In the place before cited as the Councils and especially that of Trent has decreed is Oyl consecrated by a Bishop to wit the Liquor not press'd out of any fat and thick Nature but out of the Buries of the Olives only Now this Matter very fitly signifies that thing which by Vertue of this Sacrament X. How fit this matter is is inwardly wrought in the Soul for as Oyl is very profitable to mitigate the Pains of the Body So the Vertue of the Sacrament lessens the sorrow and grief of the Soul Besides Oyl restores sweetness makes chearful and feeds our Lights and also it is very suitable to refresh and strengthen a weary Body All which things declare what by the Divine Power is wrought upon a sick man thro the Administration of this Sacrament And This concerning the Matter is sufficient XI What the Form of this Sacrament is But the Form of this Sacrament is the Word and that solemn Prayer which the Priest uses at every Anointing when he says God indulge or pardon thee by this Holy Vnction whatsoever offence thou hast done thro the fault of thy Eyes or Nostrils or Touch. Now that This is the true and proper Form of this Sacrament XII This prov'd to be the proper Form the Apostle S. James signifies when he says Let them pray over him and the Prayer of Faith shall save the sick Whence we know that the Form is to be us'd in manner of a Prayer altho with what Words chiefly it is to be conceiv'd the Apostle has not express'd But This we have from the Tradition of the Fathers XIII This Form us'd every where So that all Churches retain this manner of Form which the Roman Church the Mother and Mistress of all Churches uses For tho' some change some few Words as when for God indulge thee They put Remit or Spare and sometimes also Heal whatsoever thou hast committed But yet because there is no alteration of the sense it is evident that the same Form is religiously observ'd of all Nor let any one wonder why it is so XIV Why this Form is in the manner of a Prayer that the Form of other Sacraments either absolutely signifies what it effects as when we say I Baptize thee or I Sign
Extream-Unction is to be receiv'd that nothing may hinder the Grace of this Sacrament and yet that nothing is more contrary to it than the Conscience of any mortal sin the perpetual Practice of the Church Catholic is to be observ'd That before Extream-Unction the Sacraments of Penance and of the Eucharist are to be administer'd And then let the Curats endeavor to perswade the Sick Person to yield the same Faith to the Priests anointing him as those of old times were us'd to give when they were to be heal'd by the Apostles But first of all XXIV The intention of him that desires Extream-Unction the Health or Salvation of the Soul is to be pray'd for and then the Recovery of the Body with this Adjunct if it may be for his Eternal Glory Nor ought the Faithful to doubt XXV This Sacrament to be receiv'd with very great Trust but that those Holy and Solemn Prayers are heard of God which the Priest not bearing his own but the Person of the Church and of our Lord Jesus Christ uses Who in one thing especially are to be exhorted That they will take care Holily and Religiously to administer this Sacrament of the Oyl of Health and Salvation when a sharper Fight seems to begin and the strength both of Soul and Body seems to decay And now who the Minister of Extream-Unction is XXVI A Priest the Minister of this Sacrament we have learn'd of the same Apostle who has publish'd the Law of our Lord For he says Let him call for the Elders By which name he means not those who are elder in Age as by the Synod of Trent has wisely bin expounded or those who have chief place among the People but the Priests who are rightly ordain'd by the Bishops by the Imposition of Hands Ja. 5.14 Sess 14. c. 3. To the Priest therefore the Administration of this Sacrament is committed Nor yet XXVII Of whom this Sacrament to be receiv'd according to the Decree of Holy Church is this power giv'n to every Priest but to the proper Pastor who has Jurisdiction or to some other to whom he has given the Power to discharge his Office But this is specially to be observ'd Note that the Priest in this Administration as it is in the other Sacraments also carries the Person of Christ and of the Holy Church his Spouse The Advantages also of this Sacrament are diligently to be explain'd XXVIII The Fruit of this Sacrament That if nothing els would draw the people to the use thereof they may be led by the very advantage of it seeing it is so order'd as that we may turn almost all things to our own profit The Pastors therefore shall teach The First that in this Sacrament Grace is given which forgives sins and specially the Lesser and as they are commonly call'd Venial For Deadly Sins are taken away by the Sacrament of Penance For neither was this primarily instituted for the Remission of Greater Sins but Baptism only and Penance effect This. There is another Advantage of Sacred Unction The Second that it frees the Soul from Sickness and Infirmity which it has contracted by Sin and from all the other Relics of Sin But that time is to be thought most seasonable for this Cure when we are afflicted with any grievous Sickness and our Life is in danger For it is natural to Man to fear nothing in the World so much as Death Now the Remembrance of former sins very much increases this Fear especially when the Conscience most sharply accuses For as it is written Sap. 4.21 The Fearful shall come into the Consideration of their Sins and their Iniquities shall stand up against them And then the Care and Thought grievously presses them that shortly after they must stand before the Tribunal of God from whom we must receive a most just Sentence according as we have deserv'd But it often happens that the Faithful being strick'n with this Fear feel themselves wonderfully puzzl'd But there is nothing conduces more to the Tranquility of Death The Third than to cast away sorrow and cheerfully to wait for the Lords coming and to be ready willingly to restore what he has intrusted us with whensoever he pleases to call for it from us That therefore the Minds of the Faithful be freed from this Trouble and that the Soul be fill'd with a pious and Holy Joy The Sacrament of Extream-Unction brings to pass Besides The Fourth from hence we get another which may well seem the greatest of all For tho the Enemy of Mankind never ceases as long as we live to endeavor our Ruin and Destruction yet that he might destroy us and if he could possibly bring it about that he might take from us all Hope of God's Mercy he never uses his utmost might and main more violently than when he perceives we draw towards our End Wherefore there is Strength and Weapons minister'd to the Faithful in this Sacrament wherewith they may break the Force and Violence of the Adversary and stoutly fight against him For the Soul of the Sick is eas'd and encourag'd with the Hope of Gods Goodness and being confirm'd therewith she lightly endures all Inconveniencies and more easily escapes the Wiles and Subtilties of the Devil endeavouring treacherously to insnare her Lastly The Fifth follows Health of Body also if it be good for him But if at such Time XXIX Why this Sacrament not so effectual as ir might be the Sick Recover not their Health this comes not by the Fault of the Sacrament but it must be believ'd to come to pass for this Reason because in a great part The Faith either of those who are anointed with Sacred Oyl or of those by whom it is administer'd is weak For the Evangelist testifies Mat. 13.38 That the Lord did not do many mighty works among his own Countrymen because of their Vnbelief Altho it may truly be said That Christian Religion by how much the deeper it has taken Root in the Souls of Men does stand in less need of the proof of such Miracles as these than formerly in the Infancy of the Church it seem'd to do But yet our Faith is here to be excited For XXX The Faith and Hope of the Sick to be incourag'd Howsoever by the Will and Counsel of God it shall happen to the Health of the Body yet the Faithful ought to be strengthen'd with an assur'd Hope that by vertue of the Sacred Oyl they shall get Spiritual Health and that it shall be that if it chance that they go out of this Life they shall have the benefit of that excellent Word Apoc. 14.13 Blessed are the Dead which dye in the Lord. Thus much has bin spoken briefly concerning the Sacrament of Extream Unction But if these Heads of Matters be more largely explain'd by the Pastors and with the diligence as becomes them it is not to be doubted but the
Whereby it seemed to be declar'd that they ought to be obedient and subject to their Husbands Of these Names See Aug. lib. 19. cont Faust c. 26. Ambr. l. 1. de Abraham c. 9. in fine item vide 30. q. 5. c. feminae 33. q. 5. c. Mulier Isidor lib. 2. de Eccles Officiis c. 19. And thus it is defin'd according to the common sense of Divines V. The Definition of Matrimony given to be explain'd Matrimony is a Conjugal Conjunction of a Man and a Woman between two lawful persons holding an individual nearness of life The parts of which Definition that they may the better be understood it must be taught that altho all these things are in perfect Matrimony to wit Inward Consent Outward Agreement or Pact express'd by Words Obligation and Bond which is made by vertue of the Pact and the Copulation of Husband and Wife whereby the Matrimony is consummate yet nothing of these has properly the Nature and Vertue of Matrimony unless that Obligation and Knot which is signifi'd by the word Conjunction The word Conjugal is added because other kinds of Compacts whereby Men and Women are oblig'd mutually to help each other Conjugal either for Mony or for any other respect are far from the Nature of Matrimony Then follows Between lawful persons Between lawful persons because they who by the Laws are wholly excluded from the Conjunction of Marriage cannot enter into Matrimony Nor if they should marry is their Marriage valid for Example those who are join'd in kindred within the fourth degree and a Youth before the fourteenth year of his Age or a Girl before her twelfth which is the Age establish'd by Law such persons are not fit to enter into the just Covenants of Matrimony But that which is put in the last place Keeping an individual nearness of life declares the Nature of an indissoluble Bond Indissoluble wherewith the Husband and Wife are ty'd together From these things therefore it is plain VI. Wherein especially the vertue of Matrimony is plac'd that the Nature and Reason of Matrimony consists in that Bond. For that which other Definitions of the most learn'd Men seem herein to attribute to the Consent As when they say That Wedlock is a Consent of a Man and of a Woman In Epist Eugen 4 â—d Armâ—n This is so to be understood that that Consent is the working cause of Matrimony which thing the Fathers in the Council of Florence have taught for Obligation and Tye cannot be without Consent and Compact But it is very necessary VII The Consent of the p esent time to be express'd by words that the Consent be express'd in words which signifie the present Time For neither is Matrimony a simple Donation but a mutual Compact And therefore it is that the Consent of One only is not to join Matrimony but there must be a mutual Consent of Two betwixt themselves And for the declaring of this mutual Consent of mind it is evident that there is need of Words For if Matrimony could consist in the inward Consent only without any outward signification VIII The Inward Consent not enough for Matrimony then this also would seem to follow that when Two who were sever'd far asunder and in different places would consent to marry before the One had declar'd his Will to the other either by Letters or Messengers they would be join'd together in a true and lasting Matrimony which notwithstanding is very far both from Reason and from the Practice and Decrees of Holy Church It is rightly said therefore IX Consent of present in words of future time no sufficienâ— that the Consent must be express'd in words which have the signification of the present time for those words which shew a future time do not conjoin Matrimony but promise only and then it is evident that those things which are future are not yet but those things which are not must be thought to have little or nothing of firmness or stability in them Wherefore as yet no one has a Right of the Marriage Bed with that Woman which he promises that he will marry nor is it presently fulfill'd what he promises he will do altho he ought to perform his promise which if he perform not he is convicted as guilty of breach of Faith But he that is join'd to another in the Covenant of Matrimony altho afterwards he repent yet what is done he cannot alter or make void or ineffectual Since therefore the Obligation of Wedlock is not a bare Promise but such a kind of abalâ—enation or transferring over a Right whereby a man delivers indeed the power of his Body to the Woman and the Woman the power of her's to the Man therefore it is necessary that Matrimony be contracted with words which signifie the present time The Vertue and Force of which words remain even after they are pronounc'd and hold the Man and the Woman bound together with an indissoluble Bond. But yet instead of Words a Nod with the Head X. A Nod or other signs may suffice instead of Words or other signs which plainly shew the inward Consent may be sufficient for Matrimony yea even silence it self when a Maid by reason of Modesty answers not but her Parents speak for her From these things therefore the Curats shall teach the Faithful that the Nature and Force of Matrimony lies in the Bond and Obligation And besides the Consent express'd in that manner as has now bin said that Matrimony might be true the Bed is not necessary Gen 2. For it is plainly manifest that our first Parents before they had sinn'd all which time there had bin no carnal copulation betwixt them as the Fathers testifie were join'd together in true Matrimony Wherefore the Holy Fathers say that Matrimony stands not in the Marriage-Bed but in the Consent which we find repeated also by S. Ambrose in his Book concerning Virgins De Inst Virgin c. 6. Now these things being explain'd XI Matrimony Two â—â—d Natural and Sacramental it must be taught That Matrimony has a double respect for Conjunction is to be consider'd either as it is Natural for Wedlock was not invented by Man but by Nature or as it is a Sacrament the Force whereof excels the Condition of Natural Things and because Grace perfects Nature 1 Cor. 15.46 for neither that which is spiritual is first but that which is Animal and afterwards that which is Spiritual so that the Order of the Matter requires that we first treat of Matrimony as it is Natural and afterwards explain those things which agree to it as a Sacrament First XII Natural Matrimony instituted of God therefore the Faithful are to be taught that Matrimony was instituted of God For it is written in Genesis God created them Male and Female and bless d them and said Increase and multiply Gen. 2. And It is not good that Man be alone let us make
remain unmarry'd or that she be reconcil'd to her Husband Note For neither does Holy Church allow a Husband and a Wife to depart each from other without very weighty cause And that the Law of Matrimony may not seem rigorous XXIX How it comes that Indissolubility is more tollerable because it can never for any reason be dissolv'd it must be taught what the Advantages join'd with it are For first First Men should know that in joining Matrimony Vertue and Likeness of Manners are to be regarded rather than Riches and Beauty In which thing no one can doubt that the common Society is very much concern'd Besides Secondly if Matrimony could be dissolv'd by Divorce Men would scarce ever want causes of strife to be daily laid in their way by the old Enemy of Peace and Modesty But now when the Faithful consider with themselves Thirdly tho they want the bed and board of VVedlock yet that they are held bound with the Bond of Matrimony and that all hope of marrying another Wife is cut off for this cause it is that they are slower to anger and discord But if sometimes they proceed to make Divorce Fourthly and yet cannot long endure the want of a Mate they are easily reconcil'd by Friends and return to each other But here the wholsome Admonition of S. Austin is not to be pass'd over by the Pastors Fifthly Lib. de Adulter Conjug c. 6. 9. For he to shew the Faithful that they should not look upon it as a burdensome thing to receive again into favor their Wives which they had put away for the cause of Adultery if they repented of their sin Why says he should not the Faithful Husband receive his Wife again whom the Church receives Or why should not the Wife pardon her adulterous Husband whom even Christ has pardon'd Prov. 18.12 For that the Scripture calls him a Fool who keeps an Adultress it means of her which when she has offended repents not and refuses to leave off the filthiness she has begun From these things therefore it is plain that the Marriages of the Faithful far excel the Marriages both of the Gentiles and of the Jews in perfection and Nobility The Faithful are further to be taught XXX Three Benefits of Matrimony that there are three Benefits of Matrimony Children Faith Sacrament By recompense of which those inconveniencies are lessen'd which the Apostle shews in these words 1 Cor. 7.28 They that are married shall have Tribulation of the Flesh And thereby it comes to pass that the Conjunction of Bodies which without Matrimony are worthily condemn'd is render'd honest Vide Aug. lib. 5. cont Julian c. 5. The First Good therefore is Children The First which are begotten of a just and lawful Wife for this the Apostle reckons so much of 1 Tim. 2.25 that he said The Woman shall be sav'd by the begetting of Children Nor is this to be understood only of the Begetting of Children but also of the Education and discipline of them whereby Children are instructed in Piety So the Apostle presently adds If they remain in Faith The Scripture also admonishes Eccle. 7.25 Hast thou Children teach them and bend them from their Childhood The same thing the Apostle teaches And of this kind of Teaching Tobias Job and other Holy Fathers in Sacred Scripture afford us very fair Examples But what the Duties of Parents and Children are Note will be explain'd more at large in the Fourth Command Now follows Faith The Second which is another Benefit of Matrimony not that Habit of Vertue wherewith we are tinctur'd when we receive Baptism but a kind of Fidelity wherewith the Husband binds himself to his Wife and the Wife mutually binds her self to her Husband and that in such a manner that each of them deliver the power of their Bodies to each other and promises never to violate the Holy Covenant of Marriage This is easily gather'd from those words utter'd by our first Father Gen. 2.24 when he receiv'd Eve his Wife and which Christ our Lord afterwards approv'd in the Gospel Wherefore a Man shall leave his Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife and they Two shall be One Flesh Also from that place of the Apostle 1 Cor. 9.4 The Woman has not power of her own Body but the Man and in like manner the Man has not power of his own Body but the Woman Wherefore those more grievous Punishments were most justly appointed by the Lord in the Old Law against Adulterers Levit. 20. â—0 because they broke this Material Faith The Faith of Matrimony requires further Note that the Husband and Wife be joyn'd together in a kind of singular holy and pure love nor may they love as Adulterers do among themselves but as Christ lov'd the Church For this Rule the Apostle prescrib'd Ephes 3.25 when he said Men love your Wives as Christ also lov'd the Church which certainly he embrac'd with that immense Charity not for his own profits sake but proposing to himself the advantage only of his Bride The Third Good of Matrimony is call'd the Sacrament The Third to wit the Bond of Marriage from which they can never be dissolv'd 1 Cor. 7.19 For as the Apostle has it The Lord has commanded that the Wife depart not from her own Husband But if she depart that she remain unmarri'd or be reconcil'd to her Husband and that the Husband put not away his Wife For if Matrimony as it is a Sacrament signifie the Conjunction of Christ with his Church it must needs be that as Christ never separates himself from his Church so a Wife as to the Bond of Matrimony can never be separated from her Husband But that this holy Society may be the better preserv'd without Quarrel the Duties of the Husband and of the Wife as they are describ'd by S. Paul and S. Peter the Prince of Apostles are to be taught Vide Aug. lib. 1. de Adulterin conjug c. 21. 22. de bono Conjug c. 7. de Nupt. concupisc lib. 1. c. 10. It is the Part of the Husband therefore liberally and honorably to treat his Wife XXXI The Duty of the Husband towards the Wife First for which purpose it ought to be remembred that Eve was call'd the Companion of Adam when he said The Woman thou gavest me for a Companion For which cause it was as some of the Fathers have taught that she was not formed out of the Feet but out of the Side of the Man Ev'n as also she was not made of the Head that she might understand that she is not the Mistress of her Husband but rather subject to him Besides Secondly it is the Office of the Husband to be always imploy'd in the Study of some honest thing both to provide those things which are necessary for the Sustenance of his Family and also that he grow
they are for they offer our Prayers and Tears to God Wherefore in the Gospel our Lord has taught that little ones are not to be offended Mat. 18.10 because their Angels in Heaven always behold the Face of their Father which is in Heaven Therefore they are to be invocated both because they always behold God XIX Angels to be invocated and most willingly undertake the Patronage of our Salvation committed to them The Holy Scriptures are Testimonies of this Invocation For Jacob beg'd of the Angel with whom he wrestl'd yea and compel'd him to bless him Gen. 32.27 for he professes he would not let him go before he bless'd him Nor did he beg a Blessing to be given him of him only whom he saw but of him also whom he saw not when he said Gen. 48.16 The Angel who deliver'd me out of all evil bless the Children Whence it may also he gathered XX. The Honor given to the Saints lessens not the Glory of God That the Glory of God is so far from being lessen'd by the Honor and Invocation of the Saints who sleep in the Lord and by reverencing their Reliques and Ashes that thereby it is very much increased and Men's Hope the more stirr'd up confirm'd and exhorted to the Imitation of the Saints Which Duty is prov'd from the Second Council of Nice the Council of Gangre and the Council of Trent and from the Authority of the Holy Fathers Nicen. Conc. 2. Act. 6. Gangr can 20. citatur dist 30. c. Siquis per Superbiam Trid. sess 25. item Conc. Chalced. sub finem in 6. Synod general c. 7. Conc. Geron. c. 3. Aurel. 1. c. 29. Damasc de Ortho. Fid. lib. 4. c. 6. But that the Curat may be better prepar'd to refute those that are Adversaries to this Truth XXI The same confirmed by the Fathers let him chiefly read S. Hierom let him chiefly read S. Hierom against Vigilantius and Damascen Libro 4. de Orth. Fid. c. 16. According to whose Account XXII The same prov'd from Apostolical Tradition which is a principal thing is added the Practice receiv'd from the Apostles and always kept and preserv'd in the Church of God Dionys c. 7. Hier. Eccles Iren. lib. 5. contra haeres c. 19. Athan. Serm. in Evang. de sancta Deip. Euseb lib. 13. Praepar Evang. c. 7. Cornel. Pap. Ep. 1. Hil. in Psal 126. Ambr. in lib. de Viduis Of which thing who can desire a more strong or clear Argument than the Testimony of Holy Scripture XXIII The same testified by Scripture which wonderfully celebrates the Praises of the Saints for there are divine Commendations of some Saints whose Praises seeing they are celebrated in Sacred Scripture what reason is there that Men should not have a singular honor for them Altho for this cause also they are the rather to be Honor'd and Invocated XXIV The Saints help us with their merits because they earnestly Pray for the Salvation of Men and for their Sake and Merit God bestows many Benefits upon us For if there be joy in Heaven over one Sinner doing Penance XXV Prov'd Luc. 15.15 will not the Cittizens of Heaven also help the Penitent being requested will they not beg Pardon of Sin for us and Reconcile the Grace of God to us But if it be said as said it is by some XXVI The Patronage of the Saints not superfluous that the Patronage of the Saints is needless because God without an Interpreter hears our Prayers those Words of S. Austin easily convince these Sayings of Impious Men There are many things which God grants not unless by a Mediator and Intercessor Aug. quaest 149. super Exod. Serm. 2. 4. de S. Steph. And this is confirmed by the clear Examples of Abimelech and Job's Friends XXVII Confirmed by Examples whose sins God forgave not but by the Prayers of Abraham and Job Gen. 20. Job 42. But if it be said XXVIII Objections answered Mat. 8.10 Luc. 7.3 That this is done thro the want and weakness of Faith that we use the Saints as Intercessors and Patrons how will answer to the Example of the Centurion who tho he had that singular Commendation for his Faith which our Lord God bestow'd upon him yet he sent the Elders of the Jews to our Savior to beg Health for his sick Servant Wherefore XXIX The Invocation of the Saints hurts not the Unity of the Mediator Heb. 9.12 if we must acknowledge that there is only One Mediator propos'd us Christ our Lord to wit He who only has reconcil'd us thro his Blood to our Heavenly Father and who having finish'd our Redemption and once entred into the Holies ceases not to intercead for us yet it can by no means follow from hence that we may not have Recourse to the Favour of the Saints For if it be therefore unlawful to use the Assistance of the Saints because we have one Patron Jesus Christ the Apostle would never have done it nor would he ever have committed himself so earnestly to the Prayers and Assistance of the Brethren yet alive For surely the Prayers of the Living do not less diminish the Glory and Dignity of Christ the Mediator Note than the Intercession of those Saints that are in Heaven But who is there XXX The Invocation of Saints prov'd lawful by many Miracles whom the wonderful things that have bin done at the Graves as the Blind the Lame the Maim'd and otherwise diseased Persons restor'd to Health and Soundness the Dead recover'd to Life the Devils cast out of Mens Bodies do not convince of the Honor which is due to the Saints and of our Protection which they undertake which things S. Ambrose and S. Austin in their Writings have largly testified not that they heard of them as many others have done or that they have read of such things as very many very grave Men have done but that they themselves saw them Amb. Epist 85. Serm. 95. Aug. de civit Dei lib. 22. c. 8. Epist. 137. What need is there of many Proofs for this If the Clothes XXXI The Vertue of Reliques confirms the same if the Handkercheifs if the very of Shadow of the Saints before they departed out of this Life drove away Diseases and restor'd the Sick to Health who can be so bold as to deny that God by the Sacred Ashes the Bones and other Reliques of the Saints does wonderfully work the same things This is shew'd by that dead Body 4 Reg. 13.21 which being haply let down into Elisha's Grave upon the touching of his Body immediatly reviv'd But that which follows XXXII These words contain not a distinct Commandment Thou shalt not make to thy self a graven thing nor every likeness which is in Heaven and which is in the Earth beneath nor of those things which are in the Waters under Earth Thou shalt not adore them nor worship them Some thinking this
Matth. 25.19 Out of the Heart proceed Adulteries and Fornications which pollute a Man And S. Paul the Apostle detests this Vice with many and weighty Expressions 1 Thes 4.19 This says he is the will of God even your Sanctification 1 Cor. 5.9 that ye abstain from Fornication And Avoid Fornication And 1 Cor. 6.18 Be not Companions of Fornicators But Fornication Eph. 5.3 says he and all Vncleanness and Covetousness 1 Cor. 6.9 let it not be nam'd among you And Neither Fornicators nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor Abusers of themselves with Mankind shall possess the Kingdom of Heaven But Especially for this cause is Adultery so plainly forbidd'n because besides the Foulness of it VII Why Adultery especially forbidd'n which is common to that with other kinds of Intemperance it has joyn'd with it the Sin of Injustice also not only against our Neighbor but also against civil Society But this is certain that he that abstains not from the Intemperance of other Lusts will easily fall into that Incontinence of Adultery Wherefore VIII Even the inward Lust of the Mind is here forbidd'n by this forbidding of Adultery we may easily perceive That every kind of uncleanness and immodesty whereby our Body is polluted is forbidd'n Yea and that even every inward Lust of the Mind is forbidd'n by this Commandment both the very Force of the Law it self shews which as it is manifest is Spiritual and also Christ our Lord has taught in these Words Matth. 18. Ye have heard that it has been said by them of old Time Thou shalt not commit Adultery But I say to you that every one that sees a Woman to lust after her has already committed Adultery with her in his Heart These are the things which we have thought fit should be taught publickly IX Things to be observ'd by the Curats but if these things be added which have bin decreed by the holy Synod of Trent against Adulterers and those that keep Bawds and Harlots and passing over many and divers kinds of Immodesty and Lust Ses 24. c. 24. de reform whereof every one shall be admonish'd by the Curat privately as the State of the Time and Persons shall require It now follows to explain those things X. Chastity to be kept by every one in his condition which have the Force of Commanding The Faithful therefore are to be taught and earnestly exhorted to keep Modesty and Continence with all their Study and to cleans themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God And First they are to be admonish'd That tho the Vertue of Chastity shines more bright in that sort of Men that holily and religiously hold that most commendable and truly divine purpose of Virginity yet it is suitable to them also that lead a Married Life or being married keep themselves clear from forbidd'n Lust But because by the Holy Fathers many things have bin deliver'd XI Remedies to be propos'd against â— Lust whereby we are taught to conquer our Lusts and bridle our Pleasures The Curat shall study to expound them accuratly to the People and let him be very industrious on this Account Vide. D. Thom. 2.2 q. 151. Trid. 24. de matrim c. 3. ses 25 de regular And they are such as consist partly in Thought XII Remedies against unclean Thoughts The First and partly in Action The Remedy which concerns Thought consists in this That we understand How great the Foulness and Hurtfulness of this Sin is Which being known the way of detesting it will be much more easie But that it is a hurtful Wickedness may be understood from hence because by reason of this Sin Men are taken and thrust out of the Kingdom of God and this is the worst of all Evils And that Calamity is indeed common to all Sins The Second But this thing is proper to this Sin That they that commit Fornication are said to sin against their own Bodies according to S. Paul who writes thus 1 Cor. 5.18 Avoid Fornication for every Sin that a Man do's is without his Body but he that commits Fornication sins against his own Body Which is therefore said because he wrongs his Body when he violates the Sanctity of it 1 Thess 4.5 of which matter he writes thus to the Thessalonians This says he is the Will of God even your Sanctification that ye abstain from Fornication that every one of you may know how to possess his Vessel in Sanctification and Honor not in the Passion of Concupiscence as the Gentiles do which know not God And then The Third which is yet more wicked a Christian by the foul Act of giving himself to a Whore â— Cor. 6.17 makes Christ's Members the Members of an Harlot for so St. Paul says Know ye not that your Bodies are the Members of Christ Shall I therefore take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot God forbid Know ye not that he that is join'd to an Harlot is made one Body Besides The Foâ—rth 1 Cor. 6.17 as S. Paul testifies A Christian is the Temple of the Holy Ghost to violate which is nothing else but to cast the Holy Ghost out of it But in the Sin of Adultery there is great Injustice XIII The great Injustice of A ulâ—ery â— Cor. 7. For if as the Apostle has it they that are join'd in Matrimony are under the power of each other so that neither of them has the power or dispose of their own Body but are so bound with a kind of mutual Bond of Service as it were each to other that the Husband ought to comply to the Will of his Wife and again the Wife ought to accommodate her self to the Will and Dispose of her Husband certainly if either of them separate their Body which is the others Right from that Person to whom it is bound he or she is very unjust and wicked And because the fear of Disgrace vehemently stirs Men up to those things that are just XIV The notable Filthiness of Adultery and deters Men greatly from things forbidden the Curat shall teach That Adultery brands Men with a notable Mark of Baseness For in Sacred Scripture it is thus written Prov. 6.32 33. He that is an Adulterer thro lack of Vnderstanding will lose his Soul he gathers to himself Disgrace and Ignominy and his Reproach shall not be blotted out Now the greatness of this Sin may be easily perceiv'd from the Severity of its Punishment XV. The punishment of Adultery For Adulterers by God's Law in the Old Testament were ston'd to death yea and even for one Man's Lust not only he that committed the Sin but sometimes a whole City has been overthrown Levit. 20.10 Joh. 8.5 Gen. 34.25 There are in Sacred Scripture many Examples of God's Vengeance XVI Examples of the Punishment of Adultery which
the Curat may gather to terrifie Men from their evil Lust as the Destructiom of Sodom and the other neighboring Cities the Punishment of the Israelites who committed Fornication with the Daughters of Moab in the Wilderness and the Destruction of the Benjamites Gen. 29.24 Num. 25.4 Jud. 20. But those that escape Death yet they escape not intollerable Pains and Tortures of Punishment XVII Adulterers blinded and become foolish in all things which frequently lays hold on them for their Mind is blinded which is the greatest Punishment of all so that they have no regard of God nor of their Fame nor of their Honor nor of their Children nor even of their own Life and by this means they grow to be so wicked and unprofitable that nothing of moment ought to be trusted with them and they are hardly fit for the discharge of any Office Hereof we may find Examples in David and Solomon Examples whereof the one after his Adultery became very unlike himself of Merciful he became Cruel 3 Reg. 11. so that he deliver'd Vriah to Death who had deserv'd very well of him The other when he had given himself wholly over to the Lust of Women so turn'd himself from God's true Religion that he follow'd other Gods This Sin therefore Hos 11. as Hoseas says takes away the Heart of Man and oftentimes blinds him And now let us come to the Remedies XVIII Antidotes against Lust The First which consist in Action Whereof the first is this Strongly to resist Ideness in which when the Men of Sodom blunted themselves as it is in Ezekiel they fell headlong into the most foul Sin of wicked Lust Next The Second Hier. 5.7 Gluttony is to be avoided I fed them says the Prophet and they committed Adultery because a full and satisfied Belly begets Lust This very thing our Lord signified in these words Luc. 21.34 Take heed to your selves lest haply your Hearts be overcharged with Gluttony and Drunkenness Eph. 5.18 And so says the Apostle Be not drunk with Wine wherein is Excess But especially by the Eye is the Mind us'd to be inflam'd with Lust The Third whither belongs that Sentence of Christ our Lord Mat. 5.32 If thy Eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee There are besides many Sayings of the Prophets to this purpose Job 31.1 as that of Job I have made a Covenant with my Eyes that I would not so much as think of a Virgin Lastly There are many and almost innumerable Examples of the Evils which had their beginning from the Sight of the Eyes So David and so the King of Sichem sinn'd and by this means those Old Men the false Accusers of Susanna sinn'd 2 Reg. 11. Gen. 34.2 Dan. 13.8 Also more curious Apparel or Ornaments The Fourth wherewith the Sense of the Eyes is much taken oftentimes affords no small Occasion to Lust Ecclus 9.8 And therefore Ecclesiasticus admonishes Turn away thy Face from a Woman curiously attir'd Whereas therefore Women are overmuch employ'd in adorning themselves Let the Curat observe thiâ— it will not be far from the Matter if the Curat use some Diligence herein sometimes to admonish and sometimes to chide them in those words which S. Peter us'd the most weighty in this kind 1 Pet. 3.3 Let not the adorning of Women be outward as the glittering of Gold or the exquisit Ornament of Apparel 1 Tim. 2.1 And S. Paul Not in curl'd Hair says he or Gold or Precious Stones or costly Clothes for many Women adorn'd with Gold and Precious Stones have lost their Ornaments both of Mind and Body But after this Provocation of Lust The Fifth which consists in the exquisit Ornament of Clothes there follows another which is filthy and obscene Talk for by obscene Words as by a kind of Fire-brand the Minds of Young Persons are inflam'd For as the Apostle says 1 Cor. 15.53 Evil Communication corrpts good Manners And since the more delicate and effeminate Singing and Dancing works the same thing they must diligently take heed of them also Of which kind are to be accounted obscene and amorous Books The Sixth Seventh which are to be shunn'd as Images which carry in them a Representation of Filthiness seeing they have in them a mighty force to inflame the Minds of young Persons to corrupt Abuses But let the Curat chiefly take care that those things be very religiously observ'd which have been piously and religiously decreed by the Holy Council of Trent concerning those things Sess 25. Decret de Invocat Venerat Sacris Imagin Now The Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh and Twelfth if all those things before-mention'd be avoided with great care and labor then all the Matter or Fuel of Lust in a manner will be taken away But the frequent use of Confession and of the Eucharist will be very prevalent to destroy the power of it as also daily and devout Prayers to God join'd with Alms and Fasting For Chastity is the Gift of God XIX God gives Chastity to them that â— ask it which he denies not to them that ask it aright nor suffers us to be tempted above what we are able Vide Tertul de Monag in fine Nazianz. Orat. 3. Basil de Virg. ultra medium Chrysost Hieron in cap. 16. Matth. August lib. 6. Confess c. 11. But the Body is to be exercis'd XX. Other Antidotes and the Desires of the Senses to be repress'd not only with Fastings and with those things especially which Holy Church has appointed but with VVatchings and devout Pilgrimages and other sorts of Afflictions For in those and such like things is very much observ'd the Vertue of Temperance according to which sense S. Paul writes thus to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 9.15 He that contends in a Combat keeps himself from all things and These that they may receive a corruptible Crown but We an incorruptible one And a little after I chasten my Body says he and bring it it into servitude lest haply when I have preached to others I my self be made a Reprobate And in another Place Rom. 13.14 Fulfil not the Desire of the Flesh in the Lusts thereof The Seventh COMMANDMENT of the DECALOGVE Thou shalt not steal THat this was the ancient manner of the Church to inculcate the Force and Vertue of this Commandment upon the Hearers I. The ancient of the Church's inculcating this Commandment Rom. 2.21 the Apostles Reproof of those who would scare others from those Vices whereof they themselves were found guilty plainly shews For says he thou that teachest another teachest not thou thy self Thou that preachest A Man should not steal dost thou steal By which excellent way of teaching II. The profitableness of this manner they not only corrected the common Sin of those Times but also appeas'd Disturbances and Quarrels and the other Causes which were us'd to
move the Ancients to Theft Now since this our Age also is miserably prone to the like Sins III. The Curat 's Duty in this Case and the Inconveniences and Calamities of them after the Example of the Holy Fathers the Masters of Christian Discipline the Curats shall urge this Point and shall carefully and diligently explain the Force and Meaning of this Commandment And first IV. Herein Gods Love towards us is manifested they shall exercise their Office and Diligence to shew the infinite Love of God towards Mankind who not only in those two former Commandments Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit Adultery as it were by Fences defends our Life our Body and our Fame and Esteem but also in this Commandment Thou shalt not steal secures and defends our outward Goods and Estates by a kind of Protection For what can be the meaning of these VVords but that which we have already said when we spake of the other Commandments To wit That God do's forbid these our Goods which are under his Protection to be hurt or taken away by any one Vide D. Thom. 1.2 q. 100. a. 3. 2.2 q. 122. art 6. Now by how much the greater this Benefit of the Law of God is by so much the more thankful ought we to be to God V. How willingly we are to obey this Commandment the Author of that Benefit And because the best way both of being thankful and paying our Thanks is not only willingly to hearken to his Commandments but also to manifest them in Deed the Faithful are to be excited and inflam'd to the performance of the Duty of this Commandment Now this Commandment VI. This Commandment divided into two Parts as the former is divided into two Parts whereof the former which forbids Theft is plainly declared but the force and meaning of the other wherein we are commanded to be kind and liberal to our Neighbor lies hid and wrapp'd up in the former We will first speak of the First Thou shalt not steal VVhere it is to be observ'd VII What is here understood by Theft That by the Name of Theft is to be understood not only the taking away of any thing from the right Owner privily and without his knowledge but also when a Man possesses that which is another Man's against the VVill and Knowledge of the true Owner thereof unless we would think that he that forbids Theft do's not disallow that violent taking away of other Mens Goods by Force and VVrong 1 Cor. 6.10 since the Apostle has declar'd that Extortioners shall not possess the kingdom of God All the practice and ways whereof are to be avoided as the same Apostle teaches Vide Aug. q. 7.1 in Exod. citatur 32. q. 4. c. Mâ—retrices But tho forcible taking away of any thing from another VIII Robbery or Rapine worse than Theft be a greater Sin than Theft because besides the thing taken away from any one they moreover use force and give greater affront Vide D. Thom. 2.2 q. 66. art 4 9. item 14. q. 4. c. Poenale Yet it is not to be wondred at IX Why that name of Theft is here used that the Precept of this Divine Law uses the lighter Term of Theft and not of Robbery for it is so done on a very weighty Account because Theft is of a larger signification and extends to more things than Robbery which they only can commit who have Power and Strength Altho there is no one that sees not that the greater Enormities are also forbidd'n Note when the lesser Sins of the same kind are prohibited For the unjust Possession and use of anothers things is known by divers names X. The various kinds of Theft according to the diversity of those things that are taken away without the Will an Knowledge of the Owners For if any private thing be taken from a private Person Theft it is call'd Theft If from a public Person Pecculatus it is call'd in Latin Pecculatus If a Free-man or anothers Servant be carried into Slavery Man-stealing it is call'd Man-stealing But if a Sacred thing be taken away Sacriledg it is call'd Sacriledg which Wickedness the most horrid and lewd of all is so common that the Goods which were piously and wisely given to the necessary use of Divine Worship and to the Ministers of the Church and to the Benefit of the Poor are converted to private Covetousness and pernicious Lusts But besides the Theft it self XI The will of Stealing forbidd'n that is the outward Act the very Will and Desire of Theft is forbidd'n by Gods Law For the Law is Spiritual which regards the Soul the Fountain of our Thoughts and Designs for out of the Heart as our Lord says in S. Matth Matth. 15.19 proceed evil Thoughts Murders Adulteries Fornications Thefts False Witness Now how grievous a Sin Theft is XII Theft a grievous Sin even the very natural Light and Reason sufficiently shew For it is contrary to Justice which renders to every one his own For the Distributions and Assignments of Goods even from the very first beginning have bin determin'd by the Law of Nations and confirmed by Divine and Human Laws and ought to be ratifi'd That every one unless we will take away all human Society may enjoy those things which he has rightly gott'n for as the Apostle says 1 Cor. 6.10 Neither Thieves nor Covetous Persons nor Drunkards nor Revilers nor Extortioners shall possess the kingdom of God Now there are very many evils XIII The mischiefs following Theft which follow Theft which shew the Savageness and Enormity of this Sin For hereby many rash and unadvis'd Judgments are made of many Persons Hatred breaks forth Differences are begun Sometimes innocent Men are most cruelly condemned And what shall we say concerning that necessity XIV The necessity of Restitution which by God himself is laid on all of satisfying him that is wrong'd For as S. Austin says The Sin is not forgiven unless Restitution be made Epist 54. Of making which Restitution XV. How difficult Restitution is when a Man has accustomed himself to enrich himself with other Mens Goods how great must the Difficulty needs be besides that which every one may judge both from the Discourse of others and from his own Sense we may understand it from the Testimony of the Prophet Abacuc Abac. 26. for he says Wo to him that increases that which is not his how long and to him that gathers together against himself a thick clay He calls the Possesion of other mens Goods a thick Clay Note from whence it is very hard for Men to rid and get themselves out But there are so many kinds of Theft XVI Many kinds of Theft that it is very hard to number them wherefore it is suffcient to have spoken of these Two Theft and Robbery to which all the rest we shall speak
of are referr'd as to their proper Heads The Curat therefore shall use all Care and Diligence to bring the Faithful to the Hatred of them and to deter them from so horrid a Wickedness But to go on with these Parts Therefore they also are Thieves Who are Thieves First that buy stolen Goods or keep things that were found lent or taken away For S. Austin says If thou hast found a thing and restorest it not thou hast robb'd Lib. 50. Hom. hom 9. de verbis Apost Serm. 19. But if the true Owner can by no means be found Note those Goods that are found are to be given to the use of the Poor But if the Finder cannot be brought to restore them Note he thereby plainly shews that he would take away all things from every Body if he could They entangle themselves in the same guilt Secondly who in Buying and Selling use Deceit and vanity of Words the Lord will revenge their Cheats But they are more wicked and unjust in this kind of Theft Note that sell deceitful and corrupt Wares instead of true and good Commodities or that deceive the Buyer in Weight Measure Tale or Order Deut. 25.17 For in Deuteronomy it is written Thou shalt not have divers weights in the Bag. And in Leviticus Levit. 19.35 Do nothing unjust in judgment in mete-yard in weight or in measure let the Balances be just let the Weights be just let the Bushel and the Quart be just Prov. 20.32 for divers Weights are an abomination to the Lord and a deceitful Balance is not good It is plain Theft also in those Laborers and Artificers Thirdly who require a full and whole reward of them for whom they have not done their just and due labor Neither are unfaithful Servants and Stewards of their Lords or Masters other than Thieves Fourthly but rather by so much worse than the other kind of Thieves who are not trusted with the Keys because from such a thievish Servant nothing in the House can well be lock'd or shut up Moreover Fifthly they seem to steal who with feigned and hypocritical words or by deceitful lies extort Mony from others whose sin is by so much the greater because they add Theft to a Lye They also are to be reckoned in the number of Thieves Sixthly who being put into some private or publick Office using none or but little care therein neglect their Duty and enjoy the Reward and Wages only It would be very tedious and difficult Seventhly as we said before to go thro the other multitude of Thefts found out by restless Covetousness which has known all the ways of getting Mony and therefore it seems fit we should speak of Rapine or Extortion which is the other head of these Wickednesses If the Curat shall first have admonish'd the People to remember that Sentence of the Apostle Note They that will become rich 1 Tim. 6.9 fall into temptation and the snare of the Devil Nor does this Precept suffer any one in any case to exceed it Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you Matt. 7.22 do ye also to them And let them always think on that Tob. 4.16 Luc. 6.31 What you would not should be done to you see that you do it not to another Extortion therefore is very large XVIII The First kind of Extortion or Robbery For they who pay not Laborers their due Reward are Extortioners or Robbers And these men S. James calls to Penance in these words Goe to now ye rich men lament houling in your miseries which will come upon you Of which Penance he subjoyns a Reason For behold the hire of the â—â—borers that reap'd your fields which you have defrauded them of cryes and the cry thereof has entred into the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth And this kind of Robbery is higly condemn'd in Leviticus Deuteronomy Malachi and Tobit Levit. 19.13 Deut. 24.14 Malach. 3.9 Tob. 4.4 15. In this crime of Robbery are included The Second those that do not pay or do turn to other uses or take to themseves the Customs Tributes Tithes and other things of like kind which are due to the Governors of the Church and to the Magistrates Hitherto do belong Usurers The Third the most rigid and cruel Extortioners who pill poor People and rack them with Usury Now XIX What Usury is That is Usury whatsoever is receiv'd above the Principal which was lent whether Mony or any thing else that may be bought or valued with Mony Ezec. 18.8 For thus it is written in Ezec. Vsury and increase thou shalt not receive And our Lord in S. Luke says Luc. 6.31 Lend ye hoping for nothing from thence Now this was always accounted a most grievous wickedness XX. Usury a hateful Crime and even very hateful among the Gentiles Hence came that Saying What is Usury what is it does it say to kill a Man For they that take Usury sell the same thing twice or sell that which is not De Vsura vide 14. q. 3 q. 4. passim Vide item titulum de Vsuris Decretalibus D. Thom. 2.2 q. 78. item Amb. lib. de Sab. c. 14. Also Judges that receive Bribes are Robbers The Fourth kind of Robbery who Sell Judgment and being greas'd in the Hand with Bribes and Rewards overthrow the rignteous Causes of the Poor and Needy Also Cheaters and Defrauders of their Creditors The Fifth and those who take up Goods on their own or other Mens Credit and do not discharge their Trust are guilty of the same Crime of Robbery whose sin is the greater because by occasion of their Unfaithfulness and Deceit to the great Damage of the Countrey are fain to sell all things the dearer to whom that Sentence of David seems properly to belong Tho wicked Man borrows and will not pay again And what shall we say of those Rich Men Psal 36.12 who of them that are not able to pay them The Sixth require that they trusted them with with rigidness and also contrary to God's Command take those things of them for Pawns which are necessary to cover their Bodies Exod. 22.26 27. For God says If thou receive of thy Neighbor a Garment for a Pledg thou shalt restore it him before the Sun set for it is the only thing wherewith his Skin is cover'd and he has no other to sleep in If he shall cry to me I will hear him for I am merciful We will appeal against the Cruelty of the Exaction and consequently the Robberies of these Men. Titulum habes de pignoribus in Decretal lib. 3. tit 21. Vide Amb. lib. 5. de Offic. c. 6. Of the number of those that are by the Holy Fathers call'd Robbers The Seventh are those who in time of Dearth or Scarcity keep their Corn from the Market and by their Fault cause Provisions to be dearer
ask'd thus of God Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle The Holy Spirit answers He that speaks the Truth from his Heart and has us'd no Deceit in his Tongue There is in a Lye this further very great Disadvantage Eighthly That this Disease of the Mind is almost incurable For when a Sin is committed by falsly laying a Crime to any ones Charge XXXI How a Lye is incurable or by slandering his Fame or Reputation it cannot be pardon'd unless the Slanderer satisfie the Person whom he slander'd for the wrong he did him But this is very hard to be done as we learn'd before by Men deterr'd with vain shame and a certain Opinion of their Dignity So that there is no doubt that he is destin'd to the eternal Punishments of the Damned who remains in this Sin Nor may any one hope to obtain Pardon for his Calumnies or Slanders Let Slanderers observe this unless he first satisfie him whose Worth and Credit he has wrong'd either publicly in Judgment or in private and familiar Conversation Besides this Damage spreads it self very wide XXXII How great hurt comes of Lying and falls upon others whereby thro Vanity and Lyes Faith and Truth which are the straitest Bands of human Society are taken away and these being once gone Life's greatest Confusion follows so that Men seem to differ nothing at all from Devils The Curat shall further teach XXXIII Pratling discommended That Pratling is to be avoided by shunning whereof both other Sins will be escaped and also great Security against Lying from which Vice Pratlers cannot easily restrain themselves Lastly XXXIV The first Excuse of a Lye to be rejected the Curat shall take away that Error from them that excuse themselves for vain Babling and defend their Lyes by the Example of Wise-men whose part it is say they to lye in season He shall tell them what is most true That the Wisdom of the flesh is Death He shall exhort his Hearers in their Difficulties and Streights to trust in God Note and not to fly to the Artifice of Lying For those that use a cover plainly declare That they put more Confidence in their own Prudence than in God's Providence Those that charge others with the cause of their Lyes The second Excuse null by whom they were deceiv'd by Lyes are to be taught That it is not lawful for Men to revenge themselves and that Evil is not to be recompens'd with Evil Rom. 12.17 but rather That Evil is to be overcome with Good But if it were meet to make such a Return yet this could not be profitable to any one to be reveng'd to his own loss but this would be the greatest Damage which we do by telling a Lye To those that bring in the Frailty and Weakness of human Nature The third Excuse vain this Precept of Duty shall be taught to wit To implore Gods help and not to yield to human Infirmity Those that alledge Custom The fourth Excuse foolish are to be admonish'd if they have bin us'd to Lye that they endeavour to take the contrary custom of speaking Truth and especially seeing that they that Sin by Use and Custom sin more grievously than others And because there are some that cover themselves with the excuse of other Men The fifth Excuse ridiculous whom they say do commonly lye and forswear themselves they are to be drawn from this Opinion by this means that ill Men are not to be imitated but to be reprov'd and corrected but when we our selves lye our Admonition will have less Authority in reproving and correcting of another As for others thus defending themselves The Sixth Excuse evil that by speaking Truth Men oftentimes have brought Inconvenience on themselves or others the Priests shall deal thus with them That this is an Excuse not a Defence Since it is the Duty of a Christian to suffer any Loss rather than to Lye There remains two sorts of those that excuse themselves in Lyes The one is of those that say Two other Excuses to be remov'd they tell Lyes for Mirth's sake the other is of those that do it for Advantage sake because they can neither buy nor sell without the Use of Lyes Both these sorts the Curat ought to turn from their Error And the former of them he shall draw from this Vice both by teaching how much the Use of Lying increases the Practice in that kind of Sin and by often inculcating Matth. 12.26 that Of every idle word an account is to be given But the last sort he shall chide more sharply in whose very Excuse there is their greater Accusation that make their boast that they give no Credit or Authority to those Words of God Seek first the kingdom of God and the justice thereof and all these things shall be added to you The Ninth and Tenth COMMANDMENTS of the DECALOGVE Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbors House Nor shalt thou desire thy Neighbors Wife nor his Servant nor his Maid nor his Ox nor his Ass nor any thing that is his IN these two Commandments I. The force and extent of these Commandments which are delivered in the last place we are to know first of all that the same Order in a manner is followed as was observed in the other Commandments For that which is here appointed in these words tends hither That if any one be careful to keep the former Commandments of the Law let him chiefly do this let him not covet because he that does not covet being content with that that is his own seeks not what is anothers rejoyces at other Mens welfare he will give Glory to the immortal God and will offer him the greatest Thanks will honor the Sabbath i. e. he will enjoy a perpetual rest and he will reverence his Betters Lastly he will hurt no body either in Deed or in Word or any other way For the root and seed of all Evils is evil Concupiscence wherewith those that are inflam'd are carried headlong into every kind of Wickedness and Mischief Vide Aug. lib. 1. Retract c. 15. Epist 200. lib. 9. de Civit. Dei c. 4 5. These things being observ'd Note the Curat will be more diligent in teaching that which follows and the Faithful will be more attentive to hear it But tho we have therefore joyn'd these two Commandments together II. Why these two Commandments here deliver'd together because since the Argument of them is not unlike they have the same way of teaching yet the Curat in exhorting and admonishing may handle them either together or apart as he shall think more convenient But if he undertake the Office of Interpreting the Decalogue or Ten Commandments he shall shew what the Dissimilitude of these Two Commandments is and how the one Concupiscence or Covetousness differs from the other which difference S. Austin declares in his Book of Questions upon Exodus Quaest 77.
his Tillage of those fruitful Gardens nor had his Labor or his Hope at all ever deceiv'd him But his Posterity is not only depriv'd of the Fruit of the Tree of Life VIII How great the Misery of Adams Posterity is but also is condemn'd with that dreadful Sentence Cursed is the Farth by thy act in labor shalt thou eat thereof all the Days of thy Life Briers and Thorns shall it bring thee forth and thou shalt eat the grass of the Earth in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy Bread till thou return to the Earth out of which thou wast taken for Dust thou art and into Dust shalt thou return To us therefore all things are fallen out contrary to what they had done to him and his Posterity IX Among these Miseries which is the greatest if Adam had bin obedient to Gods Command All things therefore are alter'd and chang'd for the worst Among which this is very lamentable that for our exceeding great Charges utmost Labor and Sweat we very often receive no Fruits when the Seed we sow turns to bad standing Corn or is choak'd with Weeds or is stricken with Storms Winds Hail Blasts Cankers and so perishes and is destroy'd so that all the whole Labor of the Year in a short Time by some Calamity of the Air or Earth comes to nothing And this happens for our Wickedness at which God being angry does not bless our Labors But that dreadful Sentence remains which at first he pronounc'd against us Gen. 3. The Pastors therefore in handling of this Point X. Mens Labor but vain unless God bless it shall labor that the Faithful may know that Men fell into these Streights and Miseries by their own Fault that they may understand that they must labor and sweat in getting those things that are necessary for Life but yet except God bless their Labor that all their Hope will deceive them and all their striving be in vain For neither is he that plants any thing nor he that waters but God that gives the Increase And Except the Lord build the House they labor but in vain that build it 1 Cor. 3.7 Psal 126.1 The Curats therefore shall teach XI Whence the Necessity of Prayer proved that there are almost innumerable things which if we want we either lose Life or render it very uncomfortable For this want of things and this Weakness of Nature being known Christians will be compell'd to go to their Heavenly Father and humbly to beg of him both Earthly and Heavenly good things They will imitate that Prodigal Son An Example Luc. 15. who when in a far Country he began to want nor was there any one that would give him so much as Peas-husks to eat when he was hungry returning afterwards to himself he understood that there was no Remedy to be expected any where for those Evils wherewith he was press'd but from his Father And here also the Faithful will come with more Confidence to pray XII How Faith given to them that pray if in their Minds they consider the Divine Goodness that his Fatherly Ears are always open to the Voice of his Children for while he exhorts us to seek our Bread he promises that he will bestow it abundantly upon them that rightly ask it of him for by teaching us how to ask it he exhorts us to ask it by exhorting he inforces us to ask it by inforcing us to ask he promises to give it by promising to give it us he leads us into a certain Hope of obtaining it The Minds of the Faithful therefore being stirr'd up and inflam'd XIII What we pray for in this Petition it now follows that we shew what is pray'd for in this Petition and First what Bread that is which here we ask We must know therefore that in Sacred Scripture by this Word Bread are signified many things XIV What is meant by the Word Bread but especially these two First whatsoever we use for Food and other Provisions for the Body for Preservation of Life and then whatsoever is given us of God's Blessing for the Life and Salvation of our Spirit and Soul Now here we ask Relief for that Life which we lead here in the Earth XV. What we here pray for First and this by the Authority of the Holy Fathers that thought so Wherefore they are not to be heard XVI Earthly good things may lawfully be pray'd for that say that Christians may not ask of God the Earthly good things of this Life For there are against this Error besides the concurring Sense of the Fathers very many Examples both of the Old and New Testament For Jacob vowing pray'd thus An Example Gen. 28.20 If the Lord will be with me and keep me in my way by which I walk and give me Bread to eat and Clothes to put on and that I return in safety to the House of my Father the Lord shall be my God and this Stone which I have put up for a Monument shall be call'd the house of God and of all that thou shalt give me I will offer to thee the Tithes And Solomon also pray'd for certain Relief of this Life Another Prov. 30.8 when he pray'd thus Give me neither Beggery nor Riches but give me only Necessaries for Food And what shall we say Others out of the New-Testament Matth. 24.20 when the Saviour of Mankind commands us to pray for those things which no one dares deny do belong to the use of the Body Pray ye says he that your flight be not in Winter or on the Sabbath And what say we of S. James Jac. 5.13 whose Words are these Is any of you sad let him pray Is any one cheerful let him sing And what of the Apostle who says thus to the Romans Rom. 15.30 I beseech you Brethren thro our Lord Jesus Christ and thro the Love of the Holy Ghost that ye help me in your Prayers to God for me that I may be delivered from the Infidels that are in Judea Wherefore XVII Earthly good things are here pr y'd for when God gives leave to the Faithful to ask the Comforts of human things and this perfect Form of Prayer was deliverd by Christ our Lord there is no doubt left that this is one of the seven Petitions Besides XVIII What we pray for Secondly we beg our daily Bread i. e. Necessaries for Food and under the name of Bread whatsoever is sufficient both for ◠lothes to cover us and for Food to sustain us whether it be Bread or Flesh or Fish or whatsoever else we can think on For we see that Eliseus us'd this manner of speaking An 〈…〉 ple. 4 Reg 6.22 when he admonish'd the King to give Bread to the Assyrian Soldiers to whom a great abundance of Meat was given And we know that it was written concerning Christ our Lord Another He entred into the House
he commands us to beg our Meat of him every Day Which Sentence has this necessary Reason XXXII The Lords Prayer to be said daily because we all want daily Bread therefore we must all daily use the Lords Prayer And thus much of the Bread which being receiv'd into our Mouth nourishes and sustains our Body which God of his admirable Bounty bestows upon all in common as well on the Faithful as Infidels as well on the Pious as Impious Matth. 5.46 Who causes his Sun to rise upon the Good and upon the Evil and rains upon the Just and on the Vnjust The other Bread XXXIII Fourthly we here pray for Spiritual Bread and which we also pray for in this place is Spiritual whereby all things are signified whatsoever are requir'd for the Safety and Salvation of the Spirit and Soul For as the meat wherewith the Body is nourished and sustaind is of many sorts so the Meat which preserves the Life of the Soul and Sprit is not of one kind only For the Word of God is the Food of the Soul First For Wisdom says Prov. 9.5 Come ye eat of my Bread and drink of my Wine which I have mingled for you Now when God takes away from Men the Use of this Word XXXIV When the Food of God's Word is taken away Amoâ— 8.11 which he uses to do when he is much provok'd by our Sins he is said to send a Famine upon Men For thus it is in Amos I will send a Famin upon the Earth not a Famin of Bread or a Thirst of Water but of hearing the Word of the Lord. Now as it is a certain Sign of Death approaching XXXV A singular Comparison when Men cannot take Food or having taken it cannot keep it so it is a very great Argument that their Salvation is in danger who either desire not God's Word or if they have it will not endure it and pour out that impious Cry against God Job 21.14 Depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy Ways In this Madness of Soul XXXVI The Despisers of Gods Word in this Blindness of Mind they are taken who disregarding those Catholic both Bishops and Priests that are put over them and cutting themselves off from the Holy Roman Church have given themselves over to be govern'd by Heretics that corrupt the Word of God But then XXXVII Christ the Bread of the Soul Joh. 6.15 Christ our Lord is the Bread of the Soul For he says of himself I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven It is past belief with how great Pleasure and Joy this Bread then fills devout Souls they are most afflicted with Earthly Troubles and Inconveniences That holy Quire of Apostles may serve us for an Example of whom it is thus recorded Act. 5.41 They went out from the presence of Council rejoycing The Books of the Lives of Holy Men are fill'd with Examples of this kind And of those inward Joys of Good Men God speaks thus Apoc. 2.17 To him that overcomes I will give the hidden Manna But especially this Bread is Christ our Lord XXXVIII Christ in the Eucharist is the Bread of the Soul which is substantially contain'd in the Sacrament of the Eucharist This unspeakable Pledge of his Love he gave us when he was about to return to his Father of which he said He that eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood dwells in me and I in him Take ye and eat This is my Body Job 6.65 Mat. 26.6 1 Cor. 11.64 And the Curat shall fetch those things which belong to the profit of the Faithful from that place where the Force and Vertue of this Sacrament is particularly explain'd Pag. 181. And here it is said XXXIX How Christ in the Eucharist is the Bread of the Soul Our Bread because it belongs to the Faithful i. e. to those who joyning Charity with Faith by the Sacrament of Penance wipe away the Spots of Sin who remembring themselves to be the Children of God take and worship this Divine Sacrament with the greatest Holiness and Veneration they are able Vide Tertul. lib. de Orat. Cypr. item de Orat. August alios locis citatis supra pag. 473. But why is it call'd Daily There is a twofold Reason XL. Why Christ is call'd our daily Bread Psal 54.25 The one is That in the Sacred Mysteries of the Christian Church it is offered to God daily and given to those that devoutly and holily desire it The other is That we ought daily to receive it or at least so to lead our Life as to be fit daily to take it and eat it Let those that think otherwise Note unless by reason of a long Interval they ought not to he fed with this saving Banquet of the Soul hear what S. Ambrose says If it be thy Daily Bread why dost thou take it but once a Year Lib. 5. Sap. c. 4. Vide etiam de Consec dist 2. But in this Petition the Faithful are specially to be exhorted XLI The Issue of this Petition to be left to God That when they have honestly and well advis'd and been industrious in getting the Necessaries of Life they leave the Success to God and refer their Desires to his Pleasure Psal 45.23 who will not always leave the Just in a tottering condition For either God will grant the things desired Note and so they shall have their Wish or else he will not grant them and that is a most certain Argument that what is desired is neither for their Salvation nor Advantage since God denies it to the Pious who takes greater care of their Welfare than themselves do Upon this Point the Curats may enlarge themselves in explaining those Reasons which are excellently collected by S. Austin in his Epistle to Proba The last thing in discoursing upon this Petition is this XLII Why God gives good things to Rich Men. That Rich Men well consider their Wealth and Plenty and that they receiv'd them from God and let them think with themselves that those good things are therefore heap'd upon them to distribute them to the Needy To which sense agree those things that are disputed by the Apostle in his first Epistile to Timothy 1 Tim. 6.17 whence the Curats may fetch Divine Precepts enow for the clearing this Point both profitably and savingly The FIFTH PETITION And forgive us our Debts as we alsso forgive our Debtors SInce there are so many things that signifie God's Infinit Power to be join'd with the like Infinit Wisdom and Goodness I. Christ's Passion a singular Token of his Love to us that whithersoever we turn our Eyes and thoughts we meet with the Tokens of his Immense Power and Goodness verily there is nothing that more evidently shews his most profound Love and admirable Charity towards us than that unspeakable Mystery of the Passion of Jesus Christ from whence sprang that
a horrible Sentence Pa. 510 Adam and Christ compar'd 42 Adultery what it is 405 In Adultery what Sins are forbidden 406 The Detestableness of Adultery ibid. In the forbidding of Adultery every kind of Uncleanness and Immodesty whereby the Body is polluted is forbidden ibid. In Adultery is forbidden the inward Lust of the Mind 407 Adultery brands a Person with a notable Mark of Reproach 409 The Inconvenience and Punishment of Adultery ibid. The Necessity of Alms-deeds 421 An Exhortation to Alms-deeds ibid. We are to labor with our Hands to relieve the Needy 422 Alms to be added to Prayer 472 Alms is a Medicin prepar'd to cure the Wounds of the Soul 531 Affestions of the Flesh not in the power of a Man tho regenerate to subdue them so as never to rise again Pag. 505 Affinity of Godfathers with whom contracted 159 Amen what it signifies for the End of the Lord's Prayer 553 The Interpretation of Amen ibid. Why in the Sacrifice of the Mass Amen is reserv'd to be pronounc'd only by the Priest ibid. Angels their Creation 26 Angels from their very first Original endu'd with Grace ibid. Angels were adorn'd with Wisdom and Power ibid. To the Angelical Salutation the Church has added Prayer and Imploring of the Blessed Virgin 463 An Angel taught Tobias many things 474 475 How the Angels are ador'd 344 Why the Angels are pictur'd in the shape of Men. 350 In the Angelical Salutation God is honor'd 463 The Angels Care of Men. 474 Their Obedience to God 505 Anger when it is sinful when not 398 We ought not to be angry when God hears not our Prayers 452 The Appetite of its own proper Good implanted in all things 498 What is got by ill Arts is not ours 514 The Articles of the Creed The First 14 The Second 29 The Third 38 The Fourth 45 The Fifth 56 The Sixth 66 The Seventh 72 The Eighth 79 The Ninth 86 The Tenth 101 The Eleventh 107 The Twelfth 117 The Article of Christ's Ascension declares his Majesty and Glory 68 The Causes of Christ's Ascension into Heaven ibid. Christ as Man ascended up into Heaven with his Soul and Body 67 B OF the Sacrament of Baptism 145 The Knowledg of Baptism very necessary ibid. At what time Baptism to be treated of by the Curats 146 What the word Baptism signifies ibid. The Sacrament of Baptism to what Men signified ibid. The Definition of Baptism as a Sacrament 147 The Sacrament of Baptism of what Matter it is made 148 The Water put into the Sacred Font for the Use of Baptism is not the Sacrament Pag. 149 The Matter of Baptism is the Element of Water ibid. The Figures of Baptism ibid. In Baptism what kind of Chrism is added 150 The Form of Baptism 151 The Form of Baptism disterent among the Greeks ibid. Why the Apostles baptiz'd in the Name of Jesus 152 Baptism may be perform'd three ways 153 In Baptism it is not material whether there be only one or three Ablutions ibid. In Baptism the Words are to be utter'd in the Ablution ibid. In Baptism the Head is to be wash'd ibid. Baptism was instituted by Christ our Lord and when 154 When the Power of Sanctifying was given to the Water ibid. When Men began to be oblig'd by the Law of Baptiâ—m 155 The Ministers of Baptism 156 Why Priests may baptize in presence of the Bishop ibid. Order to be observ'd among the Ministers of Baptism 157 Who may not be Godfathers at Baptism 160 Baptism necessary to Salvation 161 The Sacrament of Baptism to be given to Infants Pag. 161 Infants are baptiz'd in the Faith of their Parents and of the Church 162 Infants to be baptiz'd as soon as may be ibid. In baptizing of the Adult a different way is to be observ'd from that of Infants 163 When Baptism is immediately to be given to the Adult 164 How they that are to be baptiz'd ought to be affected ibid. They that are to be baptiz'd are demanded of their willingness ibid. When Mad-men and they that sleep are to be baptiz'd 165 For the obtaining of the Grace of Baptism Faith is necessary ibid. He that is to be baptiz'd ought to repent of his Sins ibid. In the Sacrament of Baptism every Sin is forgiven 166 In Baptism Sin is wholly taken away and pluck'd up by the Roots 167 Concupiscence remains in them that are baptiz'd but it has not the true nature of Sin ibid. The proper Effect of Baptism is the Forgiveness of all Sins 168 By Baptism both the Sin and Punishment of Sin are forgiven 168 169 By Baptism are not forgiven the Punishments due from civil Magistrates Pag. 169 Why after Baptism we are not restor'd to the State of Uncorrupt Nature 170 The Fruits of Baptism 171 c. Baptism imprints a Character 173 It is Sacriledge to iterate Baptism ibid. Baptism throws open an Entrance to Heaven 175 The Fountain of Baptism consecrated by adding the Oyl of Mystic Unction 176 Certain Days appointed for consecrating the VVater of Baptism ibid. What Names to be given to them that are Baptiz'd 180 The Cermonies of Baptism explain'd 176 c. The Evangelical Acceptation and Possession of this word I believe in a matter of Faith 14. Who it is that believes 15. What we are first to believe 13 He that believes is freed from the Curiosity of searching 15 We must believe in God 14 He that believes ought to produce the inward Acts of Faith in the open Profession of his Faith 15 Gods Benignity many ways delivers us from evil 340 341 A Bishops Office what 308 A Bishop only confers Orders Pag. 310 Blasphemy against the Name of God and of the Saints a detestable Wickedness 368 Gods Blessings take place of our Endeavours 413 Of Bliss See the whole Twelfth Article of the Creed 117 and the Eleventh 107 Essential Bliss wherein plac'd 117 By the Light of Glory we are rais'd up to the Vision of the Divine Essence 122 The Images and Resemblances of Bliss 122 Accidental Bliss wherein it consists 123 By the name Bread many things signified in holy Scripture 512 513 In asking Bread what we pray for of God 513 By asking daily Bread we ask necessaries for Food ibid. Bread is to be pray'd for for necessity not Wantoness ibid. We must get our Bread lawfully not by Fraud or Wrong 514 Why it is call'd daily Bread ibid. Why we are diligently to beg our Bread of God 515 How rich Men ought to beg their daily Bread ibid. We are to beg our Spiritual Bread 516 What Spiritual Bread signifies 517 That Bread which is Christ pours incredible Joy into the Souls of the Pious 517 Christ is our substantial Bread contain'd in the Sacrament of the Eucharist ibid. All the Faithful are Brethren 480 C THE necessity of Catechising 4 The teaching of Catechism fitted to every Capacity 6 7 Caution to be us'd in avoiding the Occasions of Sin 410 The Ceremonies and Prayers made in Baptism reduc'd