be decided by their owne reasons but who shall be the iudge betwixt them it must not be the determination of any particular man for that is as subiect to errour as they are and besides this question being concerning the spirit of God it cannot be decided by any authority lesse then diuine least otherwise the true spirit were reiected for false as possibly it might be by any inferiour authority Shall it be decided by force of armes That is soe absurde that it needeth noe refuting although perhaps Ioannes de Zischa was of that opinion for what absurdity will not an haeretike mainteine How then shall they be tryed bring them to the Church and see whether they will heare it But they will not be soe tryed How then there is now noe other way left to try them by They must then goe without any tryal at all to say what they list and soe they shall both prooue false spirits as being contrary to S. Iohn that sendeth vs to try our spirits and as being contrary to the scriptures which commande vs to heare the Church Maâ—t 8. Therefor the spirit of God is allwais with obedience to the Church and the final resolution of faith is reduced to the word of God speaking to our harts and interpreted by the Church For there is noe way to try spirits and to declare certainely who are rightly inspired but by the authority of God speaking by it and by submitting our selues to the obedience of it Luâ— 10. as to the voice of God He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth mee Saith Christ to the Pastors of the Church who haue the authority of the whole Church Mat. 18. And in another place If he will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican Aug. tract 109. in Io S. Augustine the word of faith and the word of the Apostles to beleeue God and to beleeue the Church is the very same thinge Secondly the true faith hath bene often prooued and false doctrines confuted by miracles and these miracles haue planely conuinced for the obedience to that Church whose faith was soe confirmed Elias prooued by miracles the true faith of the Israëlits and confounded the Idolatrous Gentils Soe did Christ and his Apostles by many miracles prooue the christian faith against both Iewes and Gentils And these miracles obliged all whom inuincible ignorance excused not vnto the obedience of the Church of Christ and shewed planely that the spirit of God was to the obedience of that Church but noe miracle was euer wrought to shew that men should obey noe Church but that they might liue after their owne liking and beleeue what they would without obedience to any authority vpon earth Neither can there be any miracles wrought for any such manner of liuing for miracles being done in confirmation of the true faith oblige others to imbrace that faith which is soe confirmed by miracles and soe men come to an vnity of faith and make a Church that is to say a people vnited together in faith and religion But if men might for all those miracles which they see still follow their owne priuate spirits and not vnite themselues in obedience to that company whose faith is soe confirmed by miracles but might disobey it in matters of faith then they might disobey the authority of God and miracles were to noe purpose Therefor the very being of true miracles in confirmation of faith prooueth the being of a Church to which our spirits must allwais obey Moreouer if euery man were to be guided by his owne priuate spirit without obeying any Church there should be noe neede at all of miracles for the spirit is an inward and miracles are an outward testimony of the truth of any thinge to draw others vnto it but if all were to follow the inward testimony of their owne spirit without submitting vnto any external power then were they not to regard the outward testimony nor to be drawne by it And indeede to say that euery one is to follow his owne priuate spirit without being bounde to the obedience of any external power is as much as to say that euery one hath the true spirit of God and then what neede were there of miracles All which is contrary to the words of Christ and of the Apostles and contrary to the examples of the scriptures and to reason and experience by which we see soe many spirits of errors and of sinne in prowde and euill men Miracles may be and haue bene wrought to prooue the true faith but such miracles prooue that the spirit of God is to the obedience of the Church therefor the spirit of God is to the obedience of the Church Thirdly God hath ordained an orderly gouernment in his diuine worship and all order includeth subordination of inferiours to superiour powers and leaueth vs not to ourselues alone subiect to noe authority in points of religion and the same natural reason that bringeth vs to rely vpon the diuine autority in matters of faith telleth vs also that it is a more reasonable way for God to inspire vs to the obedience of the Church and to guide it with his sure and infallible assistance then to guide euery man by himselfe and his owne priuate spirit without being subiect to any autority or acknowledging of any superiour for this were to take away all order and to bring such a confusion into the world by making euery man his owne iudge as would by consequence destroy the world which without order can not subsist For if there were not allwais vpon earth some power authorized of God to prooue and approoue of the spirits of men what errors would be broched and what villanys committed and mainteined by wicked men vnder pretence of diuine inspiration God inspireth men to an orderly gouernment in his diuine worship therefor the diuine light and inspiration of faith in allwais to the obedience of the Church Soe that we may well say that faith is a supernatural light and gift of God by which we beleeue and firmely adhaere to the doctrine of the Church God giueth vs supernatural light to enlighten our vnderstandings and by his holy inspiration moueth our wills to submitte ourselues and to beleeue in all thinges according to the doctrine of the Church we cooperating with that light and inspiration of God submitte ourselues to the obedience of the true Church and then we haue actually true faith And whosoeuer he be that pretendeth himselfe to haue the spirit of God yet will not submitte himselfe to any Church but beginneth a new religion contrary to all the Churches then in the world or will mainteine a religion which soe beganne certainely that man hath not the true faith nor is the spirit of God in him But he sayth that he hath prayed to God for his spirit and Christ hath said that our father will giue the good spirit to those that
thinke will the deuill doe to see the sword with which Christ disarmed him and cut of his head be not thou then ashamed of soe great a good least Christ be ashamed of thee when he commeth in his maiesty Thou shalt see then this signe borne before Christ as bright as the sunne The Cros shall goe before him and shall speake with a lowde voice for him to shew that there was nothing wanting on his part This signe both now and of old doth open the doores that are shutt is hath extinguished poyson it hath tamed wild beasts it hath cured the mortall stings of serpents The Cros hath conuerted the world it hath put away feare and brought the truth it hath turned earth into heauen men into Angells death into sleepe it hath brought all our enemys downe to the ground If a gentill shall say to thee adore not him that was Crucifyed be not affraid with a cleere voyce and countenance to say I adore him and will adore him for euer And if he shall lauhg at thee weepe thou with many teares to see his madnes Giue thankes vnto our Lord by whom we haue these things which none without the diuine grace can say We wiâ—h a lowde and cleere voyce and with speciall confidence will cry out The Cros is our glory our freedome our crowne the head and fountaine of our happines I would I could say with S. Paul the world is Crucifyed to mee and I to the world But my Passions hinder mee that I can not say soe Whâ—efore I admonish you and much more my selfe that we be Crucifyed to the world that we haue nothing to doe with he earth but that our wh le mindes be inslaâ—â—â— with the desire of heauenly glory Thus S Iohn Chrysostome and there remaineth nothing for mee to adde to his words words worthy of his holy zeale and eloquence I would I had an Angells voice to sing them as they deserue I would repeato that saying ouer and ouer againe Th Cros is our glory our freedome our crâ—wne the head and fountaine of our happinesse Make it not onely with the fingars on the body but with confidence on the soule and make it as a profession of this faith as an incitement vnto all vertues as an armour against all temptations as a defence against all dangers as a comfort in all afflictions It is the beginning of our awaking of our sleeping of our prayers of our studies of our preaching of our Catechizing of our eating of our drinking of our walking of our riding of our working and of our leauing of from worke all our actions shall beginne and end with this blessed signe and words In the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Amen THE FOVRTH DISCOVRSE OF THE CREEDE OF THE AVTHORITY AND VSE of the Creede I INTENDE now to declare the Creede vnto you in which not onely the cheife mysterys of the christian faith but all whatsoeuer the christian doctrine teacheth in some sort is conteined But first we will haue recourse vnto God and craue his assistance by our blessed Ladys intercession Haile Mary c. Before we declare the articles of the Creede in particular we will say somethinge of the authority and vse of the whole Creede to shew how authentical and pious it is Although the Creede be not deliuered in any part of the scriptures yet it is of equall authority with them to vs neither they nor it being receiued by vs but for the testimony of the Church which both of them haue and which in all thinges we are bounde to beleeue the same autority of the Catholike Church which hath deliuered the scriptures to vs deliuering also the Creede to be beleeued in the same manner by diuine faith the one by writing the other by word of mouth from time to time both of which traditions being in themselues by humane meanes onely a like fallible and by the power of God a like infallible S Pauls writings are receiued by vs as the word of God and he himselfe hath said of his preaching although not written that it was to be receiued not as the word of man but as the word of God Thes 1.2 And againe he planely commandeth them to receiue the like traditions which are deliuered by word of mouth as well as those that are written saying Breth en stande and hold the traditions which you haue learned whether it be by word or by our Epistle Thes 2.2 These are as plane words as S. Paul could speake or write to let vs vnderstande that the words of the Church are to be receiued as the writings which it deliuereth and the holy fathers by these words vnderstande the same autority to be for all the mysterys of faith and for the lawfullnes of all the ceremonys generally practised and allowed of by the Church although not mentioned expresly in the scriptures as is for the scriptures themselues L. 3. c. 3. S. Irenaeus biddeth vs in all questions of controuersy to haue recourse vnto the Apostolicall traditions and to try them by the Apostolicall succession of bishops and in particular by the chayre of Rome and saith that there are many nations of barbarous people simple for their learning but most wise in the constancy of their faith who neuer had the scriptures S. Clement the disciple of S. Peter and the adiutor of S. Paul speaking of the Creede saith that the Apostles before that they separated themselues into seueral countreys to preach the ghospell conferred together and by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost made the Creede as a rule to direct them and others in the faith which they were to preach and therfor saith he it is called the Symbole which is a Greeke word signifying a collection or a conference for that it was made by the general assembly and conference of the Apostles S. Ambrose hath these words Ep. 81. The Apostles like a company of skillfull workmen conserring together made the Symbole as a kea to locke vp the Diabolical darknes and to let in the light of Christ and we must deliuer this kea to ourbrethren that the Disciples of Peter may vse it to locke the gates of hell and open the gates of heauen to themselues S. Augustine speaketh thus of it Serm 80. de temp The Apostles haue deliuered a sure rule of faith comprehended according to the Apostolicall number in twelue sentences They called it a Symbole by which Catholike vnion might be conserued and haeretical pranity conuinced It is a Symbole breife in words but large in mysterys for whatsoeuer is praefigured in the Patriarks whatsoeuer is declared in the scriptures anâ— whatsoeuer is foretold by the Prophets either of God the Father of God the Sonne or of the Holy Ghost or of the receiuing of the Sacraments or of the death and resurrection of our Lord is conteined and breifly confessed in it Let therefor euery one learne that Apostolical faith when
scriptures and that in innumerable places which for breuity I omitte and will mention onely the words of our Sauiour which he spoke to his disciples at his last farewell from them Christ in his Ascension being to leaue his Apostles with a hard taske and difficult worke which they were to performe in founding of the Catholike Church amongst soe many enemys he told them for their comfort Mat. 2â— Behold I am with you aâ—l dayes euen to the consummation of the world He spoke then to the Apostles and would not onely comfort them but all others who were to haue the gouernment of the Church for euer after promising to be with them as long as the world should endure As long then as Christ was to be with them their doctrine was for euer to be true and their authority diuine and he being to be with them vnto the consummation of the world their doctrine was to be true and their authority diuine vnto the consummation of the world as the doctrine and authority of Christ who promised allwais to assist them in their worke and soe their worke was his worke and their doctrine and authority were his Christ therfor is allwais with the Pastors of the Church when they represent and haue the authority of the whole Church not with euery one of them particularly but with all of them together and therefor although any one particular bishop as he is onely a particular member of the Church may erre yet all bishops cannot possibly erre at any time because Christ hath promised to be with them all dayes It is not needfull to produce the sentences of fathers for the diuine authority of the Church both because these words of the Creede made by the Apostles and at all times consented vnto by the fathers I beleeue the Catholike Church may stande for their sentences and also because their sentences to this purpose will frequently occurre in that which I haue to say of the Church Scriptures and fathers are easily misconstrued by haeretiks who make them to speake as they will vnderstande them or if they be too plane against them they discarde the sentence or the whole booke For those that are soe bold as to contradict the whole Church haue lost their shame and neede regard noe authority at all But because they pretende reason as building all their doctrines vpon their owne witts and because this point is soe necessary for the deciding of all controuersys and to the true and lawfull condemnation of all haeresys we will make it euident by plane and easy reasons which all may vnderstande To thinke to haue religion without the diuine authority of an infallible Church is to thinke to build without a foundation or as we commonly say to build castles in the ayre the foundation of all true religion being the authority of the Church which professeth it Grant once that a Church may erre as it may if it be not supported by the diuine authority and we can not be certaine of any doctrine which it teacheth and being vncertaine of the truth of its doctrine we are not bound to beleeue vncertaintys and it can not be the true religion if it be professed by a Church which we are not bounde to beleeue And therefor the first thinge which is to be established as the foundation of true religion is the infallible and consequently diuine authority of the Church that professeth it Take once away the authority of the Church and absolue men from the obedience of it and you make euery man his owne master and leauing him to himselfe to beleeue what he listeth all is brought into vncertainty and confusion for there is noe point of faith soe certaine nor any thinge soe cleere but by prowde and contentious men it might be brought into question This is declared by particular instances If the Church of Christ were not of diuine authority and infallible certainty in all which it teacheth we could not be certaine either of the Creede or of the scriptures or of the sense of either of them or of any article of faith whatsoeuer nay the very foundation of all religion would be destroyed the diuine existence becomming also vncertaine to vs and insteede of gouernment vnion and order in the worship of God we should haue noe diuine worship nor God at all but a horrible confusion and more then hellish disorder would dwell vpon earth First the Creede is not receiued but for the authority of the Church We beleeue that euery article of the Creede was made by diuine inspiration and authority and as such we will defende them with our liues yet this we know not but by the Church for of our selues we could not certainely know it nor should we beleeue it of the Creede more then of other writings which we receiue not as of faith but that the Church commandeth vs soe to beleeue of it and not of them Againe we doe not know the sense of any article of the Creede but by the authority of the Church take away this and we had the sense of them to seeke we knew not where euery one might follow his owne sense and we should be certaine of nothing but of vncertainty and confusion Take away the diuine and infallible authority of the Church in the Apostles times and you bring all into vncertainty whatsoeuer they taught and ruine the foundation of the whole christian faith and it had bene noe matter what they had deliuered in the Creede or whether they had made any Creede at all Take away that authority from the Church of Christ that is at all times and it is noe matter what Creede it deliuer or what sense of the Creede seeing it may erre in that which it sayeth and those thinges may be false which it deliuereth for true The same appeareth in the scriptures We beleeue that such and such scriptures were written by some that had the spirit of God to write nothing but truth in them that all those bookes which we receiue were written with that spirit and that all those bookes passing through soe many hands and handwritings as must necessarily haue bene before printing was inuented haue remained vncorrupted vntill our times How doe we know all this to be soe but by the authority of the Church deny this as all haeretiks doe to follow their owne phansys and you may admitte of what Scriptures you will or if you will you may deny all scriptures And this we see by experience to be true that haeretiks reiecting the authority of the Church and disobeying it reiect also the scriptures and receiue but what they will The Carpocratites Seuerians and Manichees reiected all the old Testament and all the foure ghospels of the new except that of S. Luke Cerdon and Cerinthus reiected S. Luke The Seuerians reiected the acts of the Apostles and all the Epistles of S. Paul Luther and some Protestants reiect the Epistle of S. Iames. The Alogians and some Protestants reiect
the Apocalypse And Suencfeldius seeing such a strife about the scriptures cleered himselfe readily in a word reiecting all Soe that if we might contradict the Church and follow either our owne or the conceits of any priuate men we might reiect the true scriptures as these haue done and receiue false scriptures as the Apocryphi did or deny all scriptures as Suencfeldius Quintinus the Libertines and other haeretiks haue done The authority of the Church bindeth vs to receiue scriptures and appointeth what scriptures we should receiue and for that authority we receiue the ghospell which S. Marke wrote who was noe Apostle and not that of S. Thomas who was an Apostle and we reiect the ghospell of Nicodemus who had seene Christ and receiue the ghospell of S. Luke who neuer saw him Therfor we must ground our selues vpon the authority of the Church and obey it or els we should not know what scriptures to receiue S. Augustine hath said this in plane termes Epis fund c. 5. when he said that he would not beleeue the ghospell but for the authority of the Church And addeth that for the same authority he would not beleeue Manichaeus the haereticke Further more the word of the scriptures is not profitable to vs but in its true sense and that true sense can not be knowne but by a true interpretour which euery priuate man as we see is not for although there be a great disparity in the abilitys of men excelling one another yet noe man of himselfe is free from errour and can but by his owne reason probably affirme that which another may probably deny and therfor all priuate opinions must be referred vnto some certaine authority which must decide all controuersys in the sense of the scriptures Besides the scriptures in themselues are soe hard to be vnderstoode and full of difficultys that it were against reason to leaue euery man to his owne sense and construction of them They haue beside the litteral sense many kindes of allegorys in which if we should follow the letter it would kill vs. The deuill alleadged the letter and word of holy scriptures but in a false sense to tempt Christ and Christ refuted him by the words of scripture in their true sense but if we had not at all times the like authority of Christ in the Church the deuill would easily peruert the scriptures to vs and we should be subiect to continuall errors S. Peter saith that in the Epistles of S. Paul there are certaine thinges hard to be vnderstoode which the vnlearned and vnstable depraue as also the rest of the scriptures to their owne perdition and S. Augustine Pet. 2.3 Epis 119. who was one of the learnedest sort of men confesseth that there were more places of the scriptures which he vnderstoode not then that he vnde stoode The sense of the scriptures is soe depraued by haeretiks that Luther called the scriptures the booke of haeretiks euery haeretike alleâ—dging scriptures and all of them deprauing them to their owne perdition and in this they are knowne to depraue them that they follow their owne interpretations and priuate conceipts against the whole Church Simon Magus would giue soe much honour to the Angels that he would haue them our mediators aboue Christ and he alleadged scriptures and reason for this doctrine Protestants honour them soe litle that they will not grant them any mediation at all neither vâ—der Christ and they also alleadge scriptures and reasons for their doctrine The Manichees forbadde some meates as in themselues vnlawfull to be eaten and alleadged scriptures and reason for this doctrine Protestants allow of all meates to be eaten at all times although it be against the praecepâ— of the Church and alleadge also scriptures and reason for their doctrine The Marcionists Encratites and other haeretiks forbadde marriage as vnlawfull and alleadged scriptures and reasons for this doctrine Protestants esteeme soe highly of marriage that they make it lawfull for virgins and religious persons that haue dedicated and vowed their chastity to God and alleadge also scriptures and reasons for it Pelagius attributeth our good works to our owne natural forces and to freewill more then to grace and hath more shew of scriptures then most haeretiks haue for their doctrines Protestants on the contrary grant noe freewill at all and will not want scriptures nor reasons for themselues Thus you haue two contrary doctrines both of them alleadging scriptures and both of them in a false sense the truth being betwixt them both saith a learned authour as Christ was betwixt two theeues Mald in Io. 6. But how doe we know that neither of them hath the true sense of the scriptures We know it by the authority of the whole Church which at first declared against those doctrines and therefor whosoeuer shall obstinatly mainteine them are haeretiks because they deny the ninth article of the Creede not beleeuing the Catholike Church but standing obstinate against all authority that was then in the world Which if at any time it were lawfull to doe then were there none to interprete the scriptures and to destinguish betwixt sense and sense and reason and reason and we might as well haue noe scriptures at all as haue noe meanes to know the true sense of them Lastly if there were not at all times some authority amongst men infallibly assisted of God to gouerne and direct in his worship and to determine the verity of all propositions that were to be beleeued with diuine faith then might euery man beleeue and say what he liked and all order and gouernment were taken away and vtmost disorder would reigne amongst vs euen to the denying of God For although natural reason doth declare the diuine existence and a demonstration may be made by a good Philosopher to prooue it yet liberty would induce to that which is against reason and would draw into atheisme as it doth to other vices which by the reason and nature of all men are abhorred Besides not one man among a thousand can make that demonstration and what then should become of those that can not if they were to forsake the authority of the Church and follow onely their owne reasons should he onely be saued that can make it noe nor he neither by that which were but a natural knowledge and humane faith in him Out of all which it followeth that the Catholike Church hath diuine authority to determine all veritys and to decide all controuersys of faith and to direct vs infallibly in that which we are to beleeue and to doe in relation to the honour of God or els the Creede had bene in vaine as also the scriptures all proofe of reason had bene vncertaine all vnion and orderly gouernment and the very foundation of all religion were vtterly destroyed and therfor one may as well say I will haue noe Creede nor religion at all as to say I will haue or beleeue noe Church and those onely remaine sure and
none mainteined in schisme their owne Churches which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ except they were as all false Churches are of a succession inuisible The Waldenses beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Waldo an ignorant lay man in the city of Lyons aboue eleauen hundred yeares after that the faith of Christ had flourished in the world who disobeying the authority of Alexander 3. Pope and of the fathers of a General Councell held at Rome beganne a new Church against all saying we must obey God rather then men And Iohn Hus was proceeded against as an haeretike for mainteining with obstinacy his doctrine The Church of the Lutherans beganne in the disobedience of Martin Luther a Fryar of the holy order of S. Augustine about fifteene hundred yeares after the first establishing of the Church of Christ who disobeying the authority of the head and pastors of the Church that then were to wit of Pope Leo and the pastors of his Communion broke his vowes of pouerty chastity and obedience and hauing gotten some to follow him he beganne with them a new Church which had noe succession of head and pastors from Christ nor from any Church except it were a succession inuisible The Zinglians beganne in the disobedience of Vlricus Zuinglius a Canon of Constance who seeing the people of Germany soe greedily to swallow downe the liberty of Luthers doctrine and noueltys disobeying the authority of Pope Clement and of the pastors of his Communion would beginne also a new Church contrary both to the Church of Rome and of Luther denying the reall presence of the body of our Lord in the holy Eucharist The Church of the Caluinists beganne in the disobedience of Iohn Caluin Priest of Noyon who following the example of Luther and Zuinglius brokeforth after them out of the sheepefold of Christ and disobeying the authority of Paulus 3. then Bishop of Rome and of the pastors of his Communion beganne a new Church according to his owne words separating themselues from the whole world Resp ad versip The Church of England which is the newest of them all beganne in the disobedience of king Henry the eight who hauing first obtained of Pope Leo the glorious title of Defendour of the faith for his good seruice done to the Church of God especially in oppugning of Luthers heresy became afterwards soe blinded with carnality that desiring of Pope Clement a diuorcement from his lawfull wife and not obtaining it he denyed his authority forbadde in his dominions all commerce with the court of Rome and caused himselfe to be proclaimed The supreme head of the English Church vpon earth putting to death Bishop Fisher Sr Thomas Moore and others for denying his supremacy By all which it appeareth that the words of S. Iohn may well be applyed to all these sects when to discouer the false Churches of schismatiks and heretiks which he speaketh of by the name of Antichrist he giueth them this marke They went out from vs. Io. 1.2 Soe may we say of all the sects of schismes and haeretiks that are in the world they beganne at some time in disobedience to the Romane Church the beginners of them were once Romane Catholiks but they were the chaffe of the Catholike Church which being puffed vp with pride and obstinacy went out from vs and beganne new Churches which were not then at all in the world You haue seene now the supreme authority of the Bishop of Rome to haue bene first acknowledged and obeyed by the primitiue Church and consequently all other Churches of christians whatsoeuer without naming of any haue at some time goneforth of that Church and begunne in disobedience to that Bishop and to the pastors of his Communion and you haue seene also in particular the cheife and most notable and one may say all other Churches for that the rest of the petty sects haue begunne indisobedience to some of these and goneforth of them you haue seene I say in particular the rest of the Churches that now are to haue begunne in disobedience to that authority which was first obeyed by the primitiue Church of Christ and was then obeyed in the world and euen by themselues vntill they tooke vpon them to disobey it Wherefor I conclude with this that the true Church is that which continueth allwais obedient to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion and they are all false Churches that haue begunne in disobedience to the true head of the Church and pastors of his Communion but there is none but the bishop of Rome that can with any reason pretende to be the true head of the Church nor any pastors that can pretende to be in Communion with the true head of the Church but those that are in Communion with him therefore that is the true Church which hath continued all wais in obedience to the Bishop of Rome and his pastors and they are all false Churches that haue begunne at any time and continue still in disobedience to him and them There remaineth now onely to see what they can say for themselues and to shew the vanity of their pretences First if they deny that the Romane Bishop had supreme authority in the primitiue Church it is to confound as I haue said the knowledge of all thinges past I haue shewed that the holy fathers of those times haue interpreted the scriptures for the Bishop of Rome his supremacy and I haue shewed by their plane sentences and expresse words that the Romane Church hath obtained from our Lord and Sauiour himselfe the principality and eminency of power ouer all Churches that holy seate being the hinge and head of all Churches that in all controuersys we ought to haue recourse vnto it that the Bishop of Rome is the highest Priest and Bishop of bishops that all schismes and heresys haue sprung from the disobedience to that chaire that they are Schismatiks and Praeuaricators that set vp another chaire contrary to it that they belong to Antichrist that are not of that Communion I haue shewed also that the Bishop of Rome his supremacy was acknowledged by Generall Councels that his legates praesided in them that he protected the good and corrected the â—ad both of the Clergy and of the Laity of other Dioceses euen the cheife persons of the world as vnder his charge and that there is noe other bishop that by any title can iustly pretende to haue had that authority in the primitiue times And therfor it is most senselesse to deny his supremacy which the world hath soe long confessed And if they shall still oppose it Sap. 5. the round world shall fight with him against the senslesse who are soe bold as to hazard their soules against the whole world and against soe many worlds as I haue shewed gathered together in General Councels who haue submitted to the Bishop of Rome as to their supreme pastour They will grant then perhaps that the Bishop of
alleadge against them the authority of the Church of Christ and will tell them Not the Iewes but the Church holdeth the books of Machabees to be canonical And his owne reason will tell him that to deny the authority of the Church is to deny all Scriptures and to confounde the order of the whole world Tertul. Tert. l. de coron militi◠c. 3. Amb. orat pro Theod. Aug. l. 8. de Genes con Manichaeos Oblationes pro defunctis facimus We make offerings for the dead S. Ambrose in his speech of the Emperour Theodosius prayeth for him Thou o Lord giue rest vnto thy seruant Theodosius S. August speaking of him that dyeth in sinne saith after this life he shall haue either the fire of Purgatory or eternal fire And in Psal 87. In this life purge mee and make mee soe that I may not neede the purging fire The doctrine of Purgatory is soe planely deliuered by the auncient fathers of the Church that Caluin could not deny or conceale it but l. 3. Instit c. 5. § 10. calleth it a most auncient obseruation of the Church and saith that the fathers as humane were deceiued But who can endure this saying in him were the auncient fathers of the Church and both the Church which was aunciently and which was when Caluin came into the world deceided and Caluin not deceiued shall Caluin take vpon him to correct the auncient fathers and present obseruations of the Church And shall any hazard his soule with Caluin against them He asketh what authority of Scriptures they had Must the whole Church be examined by him in the Scriptures And shall not he be thought an haeretike for this and to abuse the Scriptures in condemning of the Church S. Augustine shall answere him Aug. l. de cura pro mortuis Jn the books of the Machabees we read that sacrifice was offered for the dead but although in the auncient Scriptures it were not at all to be read the authority of the vniuersal Church is noe small matter which is cleere for this custome where in the prayers of the priest which to our Lord God are powered forth at his altare the commendation of the dead hath its place S. Augustins argument was good in which he prooued Purgatory both hy the Scriptures and the Church But if this be not enough for Caluin to whom nothing will serue but his owne will and word We will also produce his owne words against him l. 4. Instit c. 2. num 3. he saith that without controuersy nothing from the beginning untill that age was changed in doctrine To wit vntill the times of Tertullian Origen and Augustine of whom he was speaking If therfor this were the doctrine of the Church in those times it was the doctrine of Christ and of the Apostles euer from the beginning And soe Caluin is condemned by Scriptures fathers Church and by his owne words and Purgatory is prooued to be the true Catholike Apostolike doctrine There for pennances are rightly enioyned prayers may be said almes deeds giuen indulgences granted and many voluntary afflictions haue bene vndergone by the Saints and faithfull of the Catholike Church to escape the paines of Purgatory which although they be but temporal yet they are most greeuous and vehement more then can be spoken And because the Catholike doctrine of Indulgences by many is not vnderstoode I wil say somethinge of them in this which is also their propper place An Indulgence is as much as to say a fauourable remission or pardoning of some due punishment Such are the indulgences of the Church either absolute remissions without exchange or imposing of any other taske or exchanges of a greater into a lesser penalty The power of granting indulgences or absoluing from punishment which is all one was granted by Christ vnto his Apostles and especially to S. Peter to whom he promised the keyes of the kingdome of heauen Mat. 16. and told him whatsoeuer thou shalt loose vpon earth shall be loosed in heauen What can be vnderstoode by the keyes of heauen and the words following but power soe to open heauen gates as to take away all that hindereth for entring in at them to wit sinne and punishment He gave also the like authority to the rest of the Apostles saying whatsoeuer you shall loose vpon earth shal be loosed in heauen Mat. 18. If whatsoeuer they loose be loosed then punishment loosed by them on earth is loosed also in the sight of God in heauen Neither is there any good connexion in those words if they be not vnderstoode of absoluing as well from punishment as from sinne Now if any aske how it can be that sinnes of which the diuine iustice requireth soe much satisfaction should be satisfyed for with soe litle as some indulgences require and some indulgences require nothing at all to be done for the gaining of them he may vnderstande that indulgence or pardon of punishment is neuer granted but full satisfaction is made to God for the sinne For there is in the Church a treasury of Satisfactions soe great that it can neuer be exhausted by satisfying for sinnes There are in this treasury the satisfactions of Christ infinitly more then all the sinnes in the world can require There are also the good works of our B. Lady that had nothing of her owne to satisfy for There are the good works of S. Iohn Baptist of the Apostles and of many others whose works were much more satisfactory then their owne sinnes needed and may be applyed by the pastors of the Church to those that stande neede of them For the Church is a body and all the members of it haue a Communication and participation of good works with one another as we professe in the Creede saying I beleeue the Communion of Saints And the psalmist sayeth Ps 118. Col. 1. I am partaker of all that feare thee And S. Paul I now reioyce in suffering for you and doe accomplish those thinges that want of the passions of Christ in my flesh for his body which is the Church He did not fullfill the passions of Christ for any defect or want which was in them but that by his sufferings the passion of Christ was applyed actually to the Colossians as it is by the suffrages and good works which are done in the Church for others and by them their punishments are fully satisfyed for If any aske why the Pope onely and bishops giue indulgences I answere that the words of Christ before alleadged were spoken onely to S. Peter who was to be the Pope and to the Apostles who were at first the onely bishops of the Church And the practise of the vniuersal Church which ought to be our rule in all things hath bene allwais for the Pope and bishops and not for priests to grant Indulgences S. Augustine speaking of the obseruations of the Church saith If the Church through out the World frequent any of these things to dispute of
the lawes of God Lastly we pray for all people euen our enemys the conuersion of Infidels Iewes Turks and haeretiks to the Catholike faith And we pray not onely for the liuing but also for the dead of which I haue spoken in the Sacrament of Pennance as a deuotion both charitable to them and profitable to ourselues It is a deed of charity to pray for them because they can not pray for themselues and it is profitable to vs because beside the reward of our owne good worke we shall be sure to haue their intercession both now in purgatory and afterwards when they come to heauen For they are not like the cupbearer of Pharao who prosperous things succeeding to him forgotte his friend of whom in prison he had receiued comfort Now let vs see TO WHOM WE ARE TO PRAY WE pray to God as to the supreme power and first authour of all benefits acknowledging all goodnes to proceede from him And therefor prayer in the Apocalypse is assimilated vnto incense and is called a sacrifice because it respecteth God as the source and first authour of goodnes We pray also to our blessed Lady and to the Angels and Saints as the freinds of God for their prayers and intercession to him But an haeretike will presently obiect that if prayer be a kind of sacrifice how doe we pray to the Saints all sacrifice being to be offered to God Our prayers indeede may be called and are a kind of sacrifice because we either expresly confesse the supreme power of God or implicitly acknowledge it by all prayers The prayers which we make immediatly to God are a kind of Sacrifice because by them immediatly and directly we acknowledge his supreme and diuine power The prayers which we make by the mediation of the Saints are also sacrifices in their kind because mediatly and indirectly they acknowledge the same in that finally they tende vnto God by the Saints praying to him as we desire The prayers which we make to Saints are a kind of sacrifice as they tende vnto God as they tēde vnto the Saints they are not sacrifices because they acknowledge not the supreme and diuine power to be in them It was an auncient heresy in the primitiue Church to deny the inuocation of Saints mainteined by vigilantius and other haeretiks Hier. cont vigil and of purpose refuted by S. Hierome and others of the holy fathers but time which is the abolisher of all heresys had abolished this and the Catholike Church which suruiued all times had suruiued this heresy and buried it in the obliuion of men vntill some vnruly spirits of these later yeares who would be ruled by noe Church in the world raked vp this heresy out of the dirt and set it on foote againe But you shall see the inuocation of Saints breifly made good by scriptures Councels the authority of the auncient Church and by reason Turne to the 48. Chapter of Genesis and you shall finde there the Patriarke Iacob blessing the children of Ioseph and inuoking the Angels and Saints vpon them in these words Gen. 48. The Angell that deliuereth mee from all euills blesse these childrën and be my name called vpon them the names also of my fathers Abraham and Isaac Here this holy Patriarke after that he had twice called vpon God then inuoked his Angell and the Saints Abraham and Isaac who as yet were not in perfect glory And if they onely departing as holy men in the fauour of God might be prayed vnto before that they had the perfect glory of heauen with much more reason the Saints of God may now be prayed vnto when they are in that perfect state And he that shall vnderstande the Angell whom he there called on to be any other then his owne Angell guardian shall contradict the common interpretation of the fathers who prooue by this place that we haue euery one an Angell Guardian deputed to defende vs and shall shew but litle reuerence to the holy scriptures which he dareth to delude with such vaine glosses of his owne head But to be breife I will say noe more but that S. Paul prayed to the liuing for their prayers therefor with more reason we may pray to the Saints for their prayers when they are in glory But of this afterwards The second Councell of Nyce which is receiued by our enemys declareth expresly for the inuocation of Saints The fathers of the Councell of Chalcedon cryed out to blessed Flauianus martyr act 11. Flauianus that is dead is yet liuing a martyr let him pray for vs. The practise of the primitiue Church ought to be sufficient for this The auncient lyturgys of the Church seruice the Romane which S. Peter made that of Hierusalem which S. Iames made that of the Aethiopians which S. Mathew made that of Milan which S. Barnaby and S. Ambrose made and that which S. Iohn Chrysostome made all of them making a deuout commemoration of our blessed Lady and imploring her intercession As for the sentences of these and other holy fathers they are as plane as my words now are for the inuocation of Saints and they haue as earnestly defended it as we now doe S. Athanasius ser de Deipara Speaking of our B. Lady saieth all the quires of Angels are incessantly singing that glorious hymne Aue gratia plena Dominus tecum c. And we the terrestrial hierarchy of men salute thee saying Haile full of grace pray for vs O Lady O Mistres O Queene O Mother of God What more could any Catholike haue said or desired of S. Athanasius then to heare him praise our blessed Lady and pray to her in the very same termes which himselfe now vseth in the Catholike Church Ser. 1. de S. Steph. S. Augustine if Steuan were heard when he prayed for those that stoned him how much more shall he be heard when he prayeth for those that pray deuoutly to him If S. Athanasius and S. Augustine should appeare now to the world to decide this controuersy and should say noe more but these words ouer againe who would not thinke that the controuersy were ended and sentence giuen for the inuocation of Saints but their testimonys will not satisfy our obstinate enemys who confesse that the auncient fathers teach inuocation of Saints but accuse them of errour for it O haeretical pride shall one single man disobey all the Churches that are then in the world and stand also at defyance with the holy and auncient fathers and shall any man shew that contempt of his owne soule as to follow Luther who came but in the last age or Caluin who came after him rather then the whole world that then was when they came and also rather then those learned Saints whom the christian world hath held in reuerence for these many hundreds of yeares Finally this is also manifest by natural reason which dictateth that the intercession of the freinds and fauorits of Princes may with prudence be desired for
moderne enemys of the Catholike Church reiect the holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist at Masse soe that granting that which was offered on the Crosse they deny for euer after all Sacrifice to the Law of Christ They grant in this that which is true indeede that the Law of Christ was founded vpon the sacrifice of the Cros as offered for our redemption but denying any sacrifice to continue afterwards in that Law they deny the continuance of the supreme worship of God in it which nations haue euer vnderstoode by Sacrifice They doe in this as though some people should choose a king and should promise vnto him a glorious reigne amongst them and then should honour him with Royal and Soueraigne worship but for one day or one hower only soe they professe themselues Christians and promise a glorious Kingdome of God among them and then they giue him the supreme homage of Sacrifice but once onely to wit for that day and hower on which Christ suffered death It had bene the part of good Christians that being a Sacrifice was to be some corporall thing offered to God as his cheife and highest homage to haue bene thinking which of all corporall things in the world was most perfect and to haue thought it most worthy to be the continuall Sacrifice of the Law of Christ rather then to haue denyed a continuall Sacrifice at all to it This was the Sonne of God from all eternity thinking and contriuing to effect and he effected it when hee instituted his owne sacred Body to be conteined in the Eucharist and soe to continue vnto the consummation of the world with vs that we might allwais haue a most mysterious miraculous and glorious Sacrifice the most perfect of all corporall things worthy of his diuine Law to be daily offered in it And so he prouided a Sacrifice for his people more perfect then euer any people had before the most perfect which any can haue and which in some sense may be said to be infinitly perfect This had bene a thought worthy of a Christian and not to deny à Sacrifice in which the supreme worship of God consisteth to continue allwaies in the Faith of Christ and to ioyne with the Turks onely who haue a Law without a continuall Sacrifice But wee will shew by the Scriptures Church and Fathers that the Eucharisticall Sacrifice of Masse is a true Sacrifice The holy King and Prophet misteriously describeth it in these words Our Lord sware and it shall not repent him Ps 109. thou art a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech Who hath sworne our Lord God It must be true then that which is sworne What hath he sworne that Christ is a Priest For how long for euer offering by the hands of Priests What kind of Priest was Christ and his Priests to be they were to be of the order of Melchisedech What order was that what kind of Sacrifice did Melchisedech offer Read the 14. of Genesis and you shall finde that Melchisedechs Sacrifice was in bread and wine Soe that the Sacrifice of Christian Priests was to be according to it Let now the enemys of the Catholike Church shew any action of the life of Christ or any mystery in his Church if they can that accordeth with Melchisedechs Sacrifice except it were at his last supper that he then offered the Eucharist as a Sacrisice and left it as a Sacrifice to be offered afterwards at all times by his Priests in the Catholike Church Take away that Sacrifice and we haue none at all left according to Melchisedechs nor noe Priests according to his order The Eucharist therefore is the sacrifice which the Prophet was inspired to describe after this mysterious manner as to be according to the order of Melchisedech in the Priests that offered it a lib. 4. strom Clem. Alex. b ep 63. ad Cecil lib. 5. Saint Cyprian c demostr Euseb Caesat d CoÌ„ment in Ps 109 Basil e de Abra ham Patriarc l. 3. Saint Ambrose f in ps 109 Saint Chrysostome g ep ad Euagr. lib. 16. de Cin. Dei S. Herome h S. Augustine H. and others commonly cited by authours haue thus vnderstoode this place The Prophet Malachy speaking of the reiection of the Iewish Sacrifices and of the acceptable Sacrifice which the Gentils should offer in the Law of Christ hath thâ—se words I haue no will in you saith the Lord of hosts and gift I will not receiue of your hand Mal. 1. For from the rising of the Sunne to the going downe great is my Name amongst the Gentils and in euery place there is sacrifyzing and there is offered to my Name a cleane oblation It is not possible by this to conceiue but that the Law of Christ for the conservation of the diuine worship was to haue a Sacrifice to be offered all ouer and at all times in it He speaketh not there of any vnproper Sacrifice as of good workes c. but of a true and proper Sacrifice as those of the Iewes were to which he there compareth and perferreth it Neither doth he speake of the Sacrifice of the Cros for that was not offered in euery place but only on Mont Caluary The auncient holy Fathers haue commonly vrged the Iewes and other enemies of the Catholike Church with this place vnderstanding by it a daily Sacrifice to be offered all ouer in the Church of Christ So saint Iustinus a Dial. cum Triphon Martyr b lib. 4. cont haer 32.33.34 saint Irenaeus c l. 3. cont Marcion Tertullian saint d l. 1. c. 18. Cyprian e Aduers Iud. in Ps 95. saint Chrysostome f l. 8. c. 35. de ciu dei saint Augustine saint g 4. de orthoxa side c. 14. Iohn Damascene and others It appeareth also euen by the manner of instituting the Eucharist that it was to be offered as a Sacrifice for where as Cor. 1.11 we read This is my Body which shall be deliuered for you and Luc 22. This is the Chalice c. which shall be shed for you Saint Luke hath in the Latine text and all the Euangelists and saint Paul in the Greeke text haue which is giuen and which is shed in the present and to be giuen and shed can haue no other sense there but to be offered as a Sacrifice So that it was not onely for the future to be offered but euen then was offered as a Sacrifice and it was afterwards to be offered as then But that which is to be obserued as most manifestly conuincing against our Protestants of England is that we being commanded to doe it for a commemoration of him that is to say of his being offered on the Crosse at his death and he being then also according to our enemys offered as a Sacrifice what commemoration of that offering doe they make in the Eucharist who make it no Sacrifice nor offering at all Catholiks say that as the true
the vse of this as he did vnto them the vse of the former and so they are both of God see disc 4. art 9. disc 11. of the authority of the Church The Church vseth such like obseruations and rites not as Sacraments to restore vs to the diuine grace when we haue lost it but as holy actions to advance vs further in the diuine grace which wee haue and consequently to remitte lesser sinnes which are compatible with grace sanctifying vs more in the sight of God Holy bread or disposing vs to more sanctity Soe the Catechumens in the primitiue Church that receiued not the blessed Sacrament receiued the holy bread of which Saint Augustine That which the Catechumens receiue although it be not the body of Christ yet it is a holy thing and holier then other meates which we eate Theodorit who liued about 1300. yeares since Theod. cap. 21. relateth a passage admirable to this purpose Marcellus Bishop of Apamaea hauing in that citty a temple of Iupiter much offensiue to the honour of God vsed all meanes possible to demolish it but the structure of it was soâ— strong and firmely compacted with stone and iron that two Captaines who passed that way with their souldiers about two thousand in number could not all dissolue it At last a simple and ignorant man promiseth to effect what he desired if that he will but allow him the assistance of two onely which being granted they vndermined the pillars and applying timber and fewell to the foundation of them sett fire on it But there appeared a blacke and terrible fiend that put out the fire as fast as they enkindled it Then Marcellus hallowing water with the signe of the Crosse and throwing it into the fire it made it to burne and flame as though oyle had bene throwne into it One would thinke it strange that water should increase the flame of fire but it is not strange that holy water should suppresse the deuills power Thus much by the way of holy water Now let vs see WHY THE MASSE IS SAID in Latine THE Masse is said in Latine for diuerse reasons First for that the Church is Catholike that is to say vniuersall not of one nation but of all and therefore it is most conuenient that she should prayse God and haue her seruice in a language which is most generall and vniuersally vnderstoode and esteemed of by all nations and this is the Latine tongue An English Catholike may go into Italy France Spaine or into any place of the Catholike world euen into the furthest Indys and as he is vnited in the same faith and doctrine and obeyeth the same authority of the Church with them Gen. 11. so he shall see the very selfe same seruice of God and heare the very same words which he heareth in his owne countrey and vnderstande them if he vnderstandeth the Latine tongue This is the comfort of Catholiks that they are the people of one tongue and one speech not onely in faith and doctrine but also in manner of vtterance as neere as can be Neither was it euer the practise of the Church to haue her seruice in the vulgar languages of euery nation In the easterne parts of the world Masse was aunciently said in Greeke because the Greeke tongue was most vniuersally vnderstoode and esteemed of in those parts although the common sort of people in all those places generally vnderstoode it not In the Westerne parts of the world it was said in Latine as Saint Augustine sayeth that the Scriptures were vsed in Affrica in Latine Bed 1. hist Ang. cap. 1. and Saint Bede saith that there being in England in S. Augustines time fower seuerall languages by his preaching and saying seruice in the Latine tongue it came commune to them all For this reason the Masse is said all ouer in Latine except perhaps in some places of Greece or where the Latine tongue is but litle studied Secondly a higher and more esteemed language giueth more maiesty and reuerence to the misterys of God then a vulgar tongue and therfore the holy Ghost speaking by the Scriptures would vse a most high and maiesticall manner of speech for the most part aboue vulgar capacitys and the Catholike Church speaking in the person of the holy Ghost it is meete that she should vse his manner of speech Thirdly if the Church seruice were to be said in euery vulgar tongue it would be subiect to continuall misconstructions abused by the prowd and contentious who being for the most part of the ignorant sort as regarding more the shew of knowledge then the substance and good vse of it would pretende to vnderstande all things and contend without end As now we see in England where euery old wife to use S. Hieromes words presumeth to teach that which she neuer learned and thinketh that she hath braines enough to looke downe into that great depth of the Scriptures which the Doctours of the Church haue so much admired and which S. Augustine was so affraid to looke into Confess l. 12. c. 14. that he cryed out O wonderfull profoundnesse of thy words wondefull profâ—undnesse my God wonderfull profoundnesse it maketh a man quake to looke into it Handy craft men and silly women amongst the Protestants of Eagland haue none of this feare they can vnderstande and interprete the holy Scriptures they can correct their common prayer and controling their Ministers when they list they will steppe vp into the pulpit before them The Protestants Miuisters may now see and I know where some of them haue confessed the originall cause of this confusion amongst them to haue bene the vnlimitated reading of the Scriptures and the hauing of their common seruice in the vulgar tongue and that it was an errour in their predecessors to put such kniues into childrens hands that could not vse them The Catholike Church as a carefull mother her selfe carueth for her children instructing them in that which is necessary for them not trusting them to their owne caruings and misconstructions S. Dion eccl hier cap. 1. Basil de Spirit S. cap. 27. Denis and S. Basil therefore declare that the sacred mysterys in their times were kept of purpose from the vulgar Fourthly if the Church Lyturgy were to be said in euery vulgar tongue few Priests could exercise their functions out of their countreys An Italian Priest could not say Masse in Spaine nor a Spaniard in Italy And this is the reason why so few Protestant Ministers euer trauaile out of their countreys Although it be thither where their owne Religion as they prerende is professed for their seruice being in a different language which that people vnderstandeth not they must either be silent abroade or stay at home If they will say seruice Where as Catholike Priests may serue God after the same manner in all places and all people may serue God by them Fiftly if the publike seruice of the Church were said in euery vulgar tongue
man to thinke by reason that the Romane Church hath the true faith which God will haue him to belseue and is the true Church which he will haue him to obey Yet if we had not the supernatural light and inspiration of God mouing vs to that faith but that we were to goeby our owne thoughts onely then were it not a supernatural faith of absolute and infallible certainty as not proceeding from the authority of God nor had it proportion to supernatural glory But when reason dictateth somethinge to be true and God confirmeth it by the declaration of the Church which is as his voyce and hath his authority I being illuminated and inspired of him to beleeue the Church then whatsoeuer I soe beleeue I beleeue it for the diuine autority and although vnto reason it haue some obscurity and be not absolutely certaine as it is in reason onely yet as it is beleeued by faith it is absolutly and infinitly certaine because then it hath the testimony and authority of God And soe wisdome reacheth from end to end mihtily and disposeth all thinges sweetly Mightily Sap. 8. in that God assureth vs with his owne diuine word of the truth of our faith Sweetly in that he draweth vs euen by our owne reason soe to beleeue in him By reason we are brought to beleeue the true Church God illuminateth and inspireth vs to beleeue him speaking by that Church and by that supernatural light and gift of inspiration we produce acts of faith Now we will shew THAT THE SVPERNATVRAL light and gift of faith is all wais to the obedience of the Church BY that which hath bene said it doth appeare that faith is not a natural but a supernatural light and gift of God now we will shew that by it we are allwais to adhaere and firmely to beleeue the doctrine of the Church which is the second part of that which you haue answered to the question of faith The ennemy of mankind enuying at our felicity that we should haue and cooperate with that light of faith which he reiected and should by it attaine to that blessed state of glory which he must neuer obtaine cometh in the night time to sow in our harts many darke fallaces against faith and by false illusions and conterfeit inspirations often deceiueth vs and therefor we must haue some anes to try this deceiuing spirit and to discouer his false inspirations from the true and some power to allow or to disallow of particular mens spirits and by this we may see how necessary it is that there should allwais be in the world a continual Church infallibly assisted of God for the trying of spirits and discerning of them and that the diuine inspiration should allwais be with obedience to that Church I referre the reader to the ninth article of the Creede and to the eleauenth discourse of the Praecepts of the Church where I declare more fully the necessity and authority of such a continual Church where he may see how that we could neither know which were the true scriptures nor which were the true sense of them nor certainely destinguish betwixt true and false reason nor beleeue any thinge as certaine by faith but that all order and gouernment in religion were quite destroyed if we had not a continual visible Church with assurance from God of his diuine assistance with it and we were bounde to obey it in the deciding of all controuersys in religion which by proude and contentius men might be raised of any point though neuer soe cleere Here now I speake onely of the diuine light and inspiration vpon which we depende in all points of faith and I shew that being that this necessary light and inspiration may be counterfeited by our enemy we must of necessity acknowledge some external vniuersal power vpon earth authorized of God to try and to destinguish the seueral spirits of all men And this external power must either be assured by the diuine assistance of the verity of that which it declareth or els it were also deceiuing as the false spirit is and we should haue noe meanes to discerne the true spirit of God from the false but euery man might teach what he list vnder pretence of diuine inspiration Inspiration to faith must betryed by the Church There was neuer yet any man that labored to set abrode any errors in religion but as he pretended his doctrine to be of God soe he pretended the spirit of God to be after some sort with him but he will come to noe tryal of his spirit but would haue all to beleeue him vpon his owne bare word that he hath the spirit of God Soe the Archhaeretike that beginneth new doctrines in disobedience to the whole Church would haue men to take his word against all the world that then is that he hath the spirit of God and to prooue it he alleageth many reasons of his owne but he will not be tryed by any authority and soe his spirit being brought to be subiect to his priuate reason and all things being as you see finally resolued by it the controuersy coms in the end to that which in the former title is refuted and by which he is conuinced to wit that we are not to be resolued in matters of faith by our owne vnderstandings and priuate reasons onely but by the testimony of God inwardly in ourharts and externally as now I shew by the authority of the Church Tim 1.4 S. Paul saith that certaine shall depart from the faith attending to the spirits of error and doctrines of deuils Io. 1.4 By which we see that men may haue false spirits And S. Iohn sayeth beleeue not euery spirit but prooue the spirits if they be of God By which we see the same and also that we must haue some meanes for the tryal of false spirits Now what way can be thought more reasonable for the tryall of spirits then by the sentence of the whole Church which is giuen without partiality or respect of persons in generall to all alike Suppose two men going forth of the Church obstinatly manteining some new and contrary opinions to the doctrine of the whole Church and to each other Both of them pretende that they haue the spirit of God and yet they mainteine contrary doctrines to the whole world and to one another First it is certaine that both of them haue not the spirit of God for the spirit of God is the spirit of truth which can not be thus diuided Which then of them hath the true spirit how shall they be tryed The one of them alloweth of such and such scriptures and of such a sense of scriptures and the other denyeth all that he sayeth and yet pretendeth that he hath the spirit of God First this can not be decided by their spirits for as long as they hold contrary doctrines their spirits can neuer agree for the one of them to be tryed by the other Shall it
aske him Luc. 11. Many there are that satisfy themselues with this answere and because they say their prayers and doe morall good works they will stande in disobedience to the true Church and mainteine a religion which beganne at sometime in disobedience to all the Churches in the world therefor I will say somethinge to shew the weakenesse of it I say therefor that this man willfully deceiueth himselfe in that he either prayeth not as he ought to obtaine the diuine inspiration according to that of S. Ia. 4. Iames you aske and receiue not because you aske amisse or if he obtained it by his prayer he followed it not For although it be true that he who prayeth as he ought with a desire of following of the truth although he be then in a false religion and out of the state of grace obtaineth not withstanding of congruity the diuine inspiration to the true faith and shall come to haue the true faith if he will follow that spirit but if he beginne a religion in disobedience to the whole Church of Christ or follow a religion which soe beganne in obedience to no knowne Church then extant in all the world I say that either there is some defect in his prayer as there was in the Pharisys prayer who prayed not rightly or if he prayed rightly soe as that he was then inspired of God to the obedience of that which is the true Church that then he followed not the diuine inspiration but as that yong man of the ghospel who asking of Christ what he should doe to receiue euerlasting life when Christ told him Goe sell Whatsoeuer thou hast and giue to the poore and come follow mee Marc. 10. He followed not the diuine calling but was strucken sad and went away sorrowfull Soe doth he and soe doe many when God sufficiently inspireth them to the Catholike Church for although God speake to their harts and haue illuminated their vnderstandings to thinke at sometime that the Catholike faith is the true faith yet they sleight that good thought they are strucken sad to thinke of the persecution which they hazard in themselues children or freinds endangering their wordly preferment or riches on which they haue sett their harts and can not soe wel enioy in it and being dishartened with these thinges they follow not the calling of God And although for the present their conscience accuse them yet going on in their old way within a while they forgette that euer they were called and will tell you that they say their prayers and that the spirit directeth them in the way in which they are Where as indeede when they rightly considered of it the spirit of God directed them a quite contrary way and would againe direct them to the same way if they would seeke as they ought to be inspired of God and obey his inspiration when he speaketh to their harts In the next place therefor I will shew how the diuine inspiration to the true Church is to be prayed for I onely desire thus much of all those who are out of the Catholike Church that being as I haue shewed that the true faith which is by a supernatural light and gift of God is allwais with obedience to the Church they will resolue with themselues to seeke vnto God to be inspired to that Church And that if he speake to their harts soe as that they come once to thinke that the Catholike Romane Church is the true Church they take that word of God as a lanterne to their feete and follow it or els they are all ready condemned in their owne consciences and shall finde one day those words to be true which the Holy Ghost hath threatened Esa 65. Because I called and you haue not answered I spoke and you haue not heard c. you shall cry for sorrow of hart and for contrition of spirit you shall howle But let vs see AFTER VVHAT MANNER THE diuine inspiration to the true Church is to be sought for by those who are out of the Catholike Church HAuing shewed that natural reason without supernatural light and diuine inspiration is not sufficient to direct vs in matters of faith and that this supernatural light and inspiration to faith is allwais with obedience to the true Church The next thinge most necessary to be shewed is how to obtaine the diuine light and inspiration to that Church Diuerse haue setforth seueral marks to know the true Church by and in the ninth article of the Creede I destinguish the true from all false Churches by their continuall obedience to the head and Pastors of the Church But here I intreate of a more prime subiect necessary to be knowne before that to wit that being noe marks are sufficient to discerne the true Church by soe as to become à member of it without diuine light and inspiration by which they are brought to obey it I now shew how that efficacious light and inspiration is to be obtained But first I aduertise the Catholike reader that this point hath not cheifly relation to him but to those that are out of the Catholike Church Yet thus farre the Catholike is concerned in it as that he shall planely see by that which immediatly I am going to say that according to his owne grounds and according to reason he can not seeke vnto any other Church where as all other Churches according to reason ought allwais to be seeking vntill they come to it For this is the comfort of Catholikes and of none but Catholikes The Church can not erre that vnderstanding and firmely beleeuing that the Church shall neuer faile out of the world by teaching errors in faith but that it is the pillar and ground of truth Tim. 1.3 and that the spirit of God is With it vntill the worlds end to teach it all truth that it is builded vpon a rocke and that the gates of hell shall neuer preuaile against it Io. 14. Mat. 16. And that Christ hath prayed for it that the faith of the cheife gouernour their of faile not in the gouerning of it and that the other gouernours of it might be sanctifyed in verity and that it is the body Luc. 22. the spouse the kingdome and the house of Christ Io. 17. Catholiks grounding themselues vpon all these places of holy scripture and vpon the ninth article of the Creede I beleeue the Catholike Church hold it a most horrible blasphemy against them to say that the Church can erre and a damnable heresy obstinatly to contradict it and hauing by reason of all these places continued allwais in obedience to it and soe kept constant to their auncient religion which was then extant in the world when all others beganne their new professions which then were not extant in any place of the world Catholiks according to these grounds must still continue as hitherto they haue all wais done in obedience to the same Church and can not seeke vnto
they adhaere vnto the diuine autority and are grounded vpon a sure and immoueable rocke I haue said now all that I haue to say of faith I haue shewed in the first title that it is a supernatural light and gift of God and therfor it is most vaine and dangerous to seeke by natural reason into the mysterys of faith euen as though one should thinke to fly and should steppe downe from some high precipice or from the toppe of a house Secondly I haue shewed that the inspiracion of God to the true faith is allwais to the obedience of the Church And lastly I haue shewed how this diuine inspiration is to be sought for and obtained by those that haue it not In the following discourses I shall declace the particular mysterys of faith and points of the christian doctrine I wil adde onely a word or two to apply all to the greater honour of God and your profit that Christ hauing giuen sentence saying Marc. 16. Heb. 11. He that beleeueth not shall be condemned and the Apostle hauing declared that without faith it is impossible to please God those that feare the damnation of their soules and desire to please God wil aboue all things in the world esteeme of the true Catholike faith as a pretious iewell and rich treasure vpon which the loue of God and their saluation dependeth and will not permitte themselues for any hopes or ioyes of this passing life to be depriued of it It is a supernaturall light and gift of God intrusted to thee that art a Catholike by thy obedience at all times to the continuall Church of Christ and they haue miserably lost that treasure that through pride and peruersednes haue inuented singularitys of their owne or mainteined the singularitys of others against that authority O wicked pride O diabolicall peruersednes Lucifer was an archhaeretike amongst the Angells by not standing in verity but resisting the power of God And archhaeretiks are Lucifers amongst men by defending new doctrines against the authority of the Church which is the supreme power of God vpon earth Lucifer beganne the disorder of the damned and confusion of hell where noe order but eternall horrour dwells they beginne a disorder in the Church by drawing others into contempt of their superiours to mainteine their obstinacy against all authority How highly doe these wretches displease God without faith How deepely are these misbeleeuers condemned charged with the losse of soe many soules as follow them This is all that can be said for their comfort that the disorder wich they make and confusion amongst men is but a hell vpon earth out of which they may be freed if they will forsake those singularitys which without authority they defended and defende that authority which at first they forsooke And this is the comfort which now I would giue them that they seeke againe for the treasure which they haue lost Consider then the state that you are in the greeuousnesse of your sinne and the losse which you susteine soe much to be deplored It is God which you haue lost not a God of syluar as that which Michas ranne weeping and wailing for Iudg 18. but it is the foundation of all true Godlinesse the Catholike faith which Iesus Christ preached and established in his Church and that Church neuer to be interrupted at any time nor to stande in neede of reformation from errors That Church you must seeke for there you shall finde the faith which you desire if you desire indeede the true Catholike faith and with syncere harts pray to God for it But you preferre perhaps the temporall goods of this world before the blesse of heauen you feare the losse of riches of pleasures of dignitys and perhaps of life and you feare nor to offende him in whose onely power these things are and besides all that can destroy both soule and body into hell How many are there in the Catholike Church rich enough Matt. 10. honorable enough and healthfull enough allthough they hazard all this to defende the faith of Christ This aduātage we haue of thee that our sufferings for Christs sake shall be rewarded in heauen and for that which thou sufferest thou shalt haue noe reward Were it not better allthough with hazard of persecution to saue thy soule then to loose thy soule and to be in danger of miserys here also Christ gaue his life for the loue of thee when he needed not and dost thou repine to giue thy life for thy owne soule God can giue comfort in the midst of persecution that noe threats of our enemys shall affright vs but that we shall be contented with them and reioyce in his grace and diuine assistance which then he wil giue and which we must rely vpon before hand and then we shall not feare We deceiue ourselues in that naturall feare For nature hath noe power in that conflict but supernaturall grace which God will then giue to those that desire it But you ô Catholike souldiers that defende this treasure how honorable is the cause which you defende in it how powerfull and ready is your captaine to defende you and how rich and liberall to rewarde you in the end you defende that faith which Christ deposited with his Apostles which they deliuered to their successors and which descended from them by Pastors to Pastors and from people to people through all ages and times into your hands Keepe faithfully the depositum thus giuen to you and auoide all those noueltys which men take vp of themselues and are not giuen by authority to them Trust in Iesus Christ and he will comfort you soe that neither shame nor paine shall trouble your mindes in time of persecution Tim. 1.6 Fight the good fight of faith apprehende eternall life where in you are called by patience to possesse your soules There are noe greater riches noe more ample possessions Serm. de verbis Dom. cap. 4. nor honours more excellent saith S. Augustine then the Catholike faith in defence of which three hundred thousand martyrs by computation of authors haue suffered onely at Rome twenty seauen of them hauing bene without interruption the bishops of that place Blessed be God that enabled them to it Cor. 1.10 and who will make with temptation issue in vs with constancy to follow their glorious example Matt 10. He that shall perseuer vnto the end shall be saued Grant vs ô Lord perseueran◠in faith and good life to the saluation of our soules Amen THE THIRD DISCOVRSE OF THE SIGNE OF THE CROS I INTENDE now to declare vnto you the signe of the Cros. Which as it is a deuotion vpon all occasions soe much frequented in the Catholike Church it is very fitting that all Catholiks should vnderstande it and know the mysterys that are conteined in it But first we will salute the blessed virgin and require her intercession Haile Mary c. HOVV THE SIGNE OF THE Cros is to be made Quest Let
to haue committed in this a hainous contempt against him yes certainely because the dishonour which was done would haue bene conceiued as done to his person the sword being honored onely in relation to him soe the iniurys which are done and honour which is giuen to the Cros redounde vnto Christ for whose onely sake we honour it S. Ignatius who liued in the Apostles times The power of the signe of the Cros. Ig. Ep. ad Phil. and died à martyr doth testify the esteeme and worship of the Cros in those dayes calling it hâ—erophy of christians against the deuils power wh sayth he abhorreth the very sight of it Tert l. de â—or mil. c. 3. Tertullian liued not long after those times and he sheweth thâ—t the same deuotion continued still in the Church by these words wheâ— wâ— first set forward Cyrill Cateâ—â— si 13. and S. Hierome Ep. 2â— haâ—e the like words whâ—â— we goe forth or come in whâ—â— we put on our cloths or shoes wh n we wâ—â—h our hands or lâ—â—h acondle in all exercises wâ— weare one foreheades with th signe of the Cros. Soe much was the signe of the Cros vpon all occasions then frequented by christians that this authour would make soe remarkeable an expression of it as though they had euen worne it into their foreheades by often making it Not long after Tertullian came Constantine the Emperour who in his deuotion to the Cros may well be called Great for where as other Emperors commonly aspire to greatnes by enlarging their dominions and by raising of great monuments to continue their memory in the world it seemeth that he had noe greater ambition then to raise and aduance the glory of the Cros. He vndertooke for this purpose a hard taske in those times and that was by his imperiall autority to honour the Cros soe much as to make those ensigues of the Romane Eagles with which they had conquered the world to be come inferiour to the Cros and to raise it more glorious then they in his cheife banner This he wndertooke and notwithstanding all the opposition which he might expect from the senate and people of Rome who were then Pagans with gods assistance he encompassed it Of this banner much mention is made in Authors Eusebius who had seene it hath giuen this description of it Euseb l. 1. de vita Constâ—n A high speare was â—â—acted set about wâ—th gold which had a corner made a thwart after the manner of a Cros. On the toppe of it a crowne was placed wrought with gold and pretious stone Vnder it there was a symbole of the soueraigne name The name of Christ was represented in the first letters of two verses the lettâ—r P standing vacant in the mi st which the Emperour in later times vsed to weare in his helmet Vpon the thwart corner which was fied on the speare a veile hung downe of royall purple which with variety of pretious stones matching one anotheri with the splendour of there shining and with the abundance of gold that couered them gaue an vnspeakeable lustre to the beholder Thus did this good Emperour honour the Cros. And the same authour saith that this banner was soe good a safeguard to Constantins army and to him that carried it Euseb hiâ— l. 9. c. 9. that which way soeuer it was carried in that place they allwais gotte victory and that the bearer of it was neuer hurt as long as he kept with it but that one time for feare forsaking it he was slaine And he saith also that after that Constantine had gotten that memorable victory ouer Maxentius L 1. dâ— vita Constan in which the Cros miraculously appeared in the ayre to him he set vp a Cros with these words This is a souueraigne signe And that in the hand of his owne image he caused a Cros to be put with these words La. de vita Constan. with this signe of true fortitude I haue freed your city And that he vsed often to signe his face with the signe of the Cros. And that in his picture ouer the gates of his imperiall pallace the signe of the Cros was painted ouer his head and a vanquiâ—hed dragon vnder his feete All this deuotion did this great Emperour vse to the signe of the Cros and neuer was condemned for it by any but such as were themselues condemned for haeretiks Afterwards the Emperour Theodosius of reuerence to the Cros prohibited it to be made on the ground Were it not an imposture worthy of an haeretike to leaue out on the ground and to say onely that Theodosius prohibited it to be made as though he had intended to take it away yet D Kellison hath obserued out of Alanus Copus that some haeretiks haue done soe Kâ—lliâ—in tertiom part Orat. 1. 〈◊〉 Iul. S. Gregory Nazianzen who flourished a litle after those times relateth how that the wicked Emperour Iulian hauing once apostatized from the faith of Christ and become an idolatrous Infidel amongst the many vices to which he prostituted his soule he gaue himselfe to the study of necromancy and being affrighted at the first sight which he had of the deuils he made on a suddaine the signe of the Cros as he had done when he was a christian and that the euill spirits fled then presently away from him And that to satisfy him his master magitian told him that the spirits did not feare but hated the Cros and that if he would be their Disciple he must leaue it of And in the same place he relateth how that Iulian being on a certaine time with his Southsayers looking into the entrailes of beasts they found a Cros in them and inquiring the presage of it they told him that by this it was portended that Iulian with all his power should neuer be able to roote out the faith of Christ but that it should last for euer S. Hiero. ad Eust Hierome was somethinge later then S. Gregory Nazianzen he writing to the Lady Eustochium his deuout penitent exhorteth her to frequent the signe of the Cros. Aug to 5. l. 22. c. 8. deciu. Dei S. Augustine came a litle after him and relateth this miracle wrought by it There was saith he in Carthage a woman by name Innocentia vexed with a Canker in her breast who hauing vsed all the remedys which the physitians could praescribe and at last meeting with one who told her planely that there was noe remedy for it but that she must haue patience with it and lett it alone for that according to Hypocrates such cankers are worse for being tampered with She being then out of hopes by any naturall meanes betooke herselfe to the authour of nature who can cure without them And it pleased God to send her a vision in which she was admonished to goe to the Church when baptisme was administred and to procure the first that she mette with of the newly baptized christians to make the
he comes to yeares of vnderstanding which he professed in baptisme by the months of those that then carried him And in another place he saith that christians should vse it as à looking glasse morning and night to examine themselues in their faith by it L 1 dosymb 1. By all which it doth appeare first that the Creede is of diuine autority as made by the Apostles and deliuered by word of mouth from them to posterity as the written word of the new Testament was from hand to hand to be beleeued with diuine faith Secondly out of S Ambrose and S. Augustine that it being a kea and a looking glasse which the Apostles made for vs we ought with great reuerence to keepe it and to vse it as such often frequenting it to locke vp the infernal darknes from vs and to open the diuine light vnto our soules and to examine ourselues in faith by it as by a looking glasse that soe we may allwais keepe constant to the Catholike Church Quest Say the Creede Answ I beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord. Who was conceiued by the Holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary Suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was Crucifyed dead and buried He descended into hell the third day he arose againe from death He ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty From thence he shall come to iudge vs all both the quicke and the dead I beleeue in the Holy Ghost The holy Catholike Church the Communion of Saints The forgiuenesse of sinnes The Resurrection of the flesh Life euerlasting Amen THE FIRST ARTICLE I Beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth In this article the Apostles professe their beleefe in the first person of the blessed Trinity in the following articles they professe the second person and the third But we are not here to vnderstande that God the Father without the Sonne and the Holy Ghost made the world for euery external worke which God doth is done by all the Persons of the blessed Trinity the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost hauing all the same vndiuided power all equally concurring to the making of the world and of euery thinge that is conteined in it The Father is named first and the creation of the world is here particularly attributed to him because he is the first Person from whom the Sonne and the Holy Ghost eternally proceede God is rightly termed a father to signify his power loue and care ouer vs. God a father For as fathers beginne the generation that commeth of them and gouerne their children and prouide for them soe is God the beginner of this world he gouerneth it with his power and by his prouidence conserueth it Deut. 32. Is not he thy father that hath possessed thee and made and created thee By heauen and earth are vnderstoode all creatures heauenly and earthly that is both spirituall and corporal creatures And in this the power of God is expressed by his external works soe as is sufficient to destinguish him as the supreme power and to putt vs in minde of our duety to him and dependance of him as giuing vs our being and still conseruing vs in the being which we haue and which all creatures should presently and in an instant loose if he should withdraw his diuine helpe from them and there would be noe creatures at all but as there was once nothing but God God is the most perfect of all thinges and therefor a spirit all ouer by his power and his power is himselfe He is not conteined in any place now noe more then he was before the creation of the world He was all wais the same power the same goodnes and those infinite He euer had a decree to create the world and that eternall decree he performed in time making the Angels onely spirits men both spiritual in their soules and corporall in their bodys and other creatures as we see onely corporall He made heauen a place of glory for the good and hell a place of punishment for the wicked He desireth the saluation of all and giueth sufficient meanes of saluation to all that being the end for which he made vs. In this article we doe not say I beleeue in Gods makers c. but I beleeue in God the maker c. In which we haue two thinges professed Atheâ—sts First the essence and existence of God against prophane and wicked atheists and secondly against Pagans the being of one onely God This is here but breisly professed for the Apostles made the Creede but onely as an abbreuiated profession and rule of faith to ground and guide vs in the articles which we were to beleeue they prooued them in their preaching as neede required yet that there is a God as in the Creede they suppose it soe also they might doe in their preaching and needed not to prooue it to Iewes or Gentils who were then onely in the world and were neuer likely to deny it But now in these times of soe many heresys I doe not see that any point of faith whatsoeuer is more necessary to be prooued For heresy as it is a corruption of the true faith soe it corrupteth and destroyeth by litle and litle the very hart and roote of all faith and as it annulleth the authority of the Church it taketh away the foundation of all certainty and openeth a gappe to euery mans errors to say what he listeth and for shamelesse atheisme to enter in by it For make it once lawfull to disobey the Church which is the onely authority of God externally vpon earth as all archhaeretiks doe who beginne their new doctrines with obedience to noe Church then extant in all the world and then it followeth that euery man without controle may beleeue and teach what he will himselfe for there is noe authority vpon earth to controle him and soe he may as well teach atheisme as heresy Secondly those that are of God are ordained saith the Apostle that is to say they are with order Rom. 13. and he requireth there that we be subiect to higher powers not onely of necessity but for conscience sake now order importeth subiection and subordination of inferiors to superiour powers if then you take away this subiection and subordination of inferiors to superiours as haeretiks doe by disobeying the Church you take away all order in religion and by consequence you take away God and bring in atheisme and a worse disorder then is in hell How hateful then is heresy to God which is opposite to all religion and how dangerous is atheisme In Collar Patrum and necessary to be preuented in haeretical times Cassianus relateth an example of this in which he sheweth by experience that heresy leadeth into atheisme He sayth that there was a certaine religious man who beginning first of indiscretion to make comparisons betwixt the Saints and
being reprehended by his superiour for it he tooke in such euill part his reprehension that he fell to say that the Saints were noe better then other men and when he was reprooued for his temeratious speech he fled to the scriptures demanding the contrary to be shewed by them and when the scriptures were produced against him he interpreted them after his owne sense and liking and when the interpretations of holy fathers were alleadged against him he scorned all saying that they were men and might erre Lastly the authority of the Church guided of God for the orderly gouernment of the world is obiected against him and when he saw that he must either sticke to the autority of God gouerning vs by the Church and deny his owne singularity or sticke to his owne singularity and deny allorder and gouernment of God he stucke like an haeretike to his owne singularity and rather then he would submitte vnto the Church he denyed God and fell to atheisme The end of this obtinate brute was at last to become madde and to dy roaring like a beast Now his last proposition was but consequence to the former for he that in matter of faith will beginne a nouelty by which he separateth himselfe from all religions and will obstinatly mainteine it against all Churches why may he not as well deny that there is a God seeing that he hath but his owne opinion for both The same experience we haue now a dayes of too many who by long continuance in heresy and disobedience to the true Church seeme to haue lost the very beleefe of God and all feare and feeling of him out of their harts and in this haeretical kingdome it is long since come to that that euery man in religion might in a manner hold what opinious he liked soe that he were not a Romane Catholike and as an enemy of the Catholike Church would but goe to their Churches A neighbour yet liuing not farre from this place mainteined publikly against the mystery of the blessed Trinity and the diuinity of our Sauiour and being many yeares since apprehended for it when he was brought to his tryall he was cleered and by publique authority set at liberty to teach his blasphemys as now he doth to all that will heare and learne them the Foreman of the sury who was a knight of the best ranke in this countrey of what religion I know not declaring as I haue heard that he would rather take the lines of twenty Papists then to haue the blood of one such man vpon him Tell one of our libertines that he is an atheist which a Romane Catholike presently would abhorre to heare most English Protestants make but a iest of it and many there are who seeme as though they would gladly be soe indeede that they might let goe the bridle to all liberty and follow their sensuality without restraint They seeing the wicked sometimes to prosper in their liues and in the end to dy life other men doe what they can to perswade themselues that there is neither heauen nor hell and to say in their harts that there is noe God This is now the plane case of many amongst vs and I could rehearse the prophane sayings of some of our great ones which I haue heard of to this purpose many yeares since but they are not worth the repeating He that will reade The Authour of the Protestant Religion l. 1. c. 4. may see more particularly how the doctrine of Protestants tendeth to atheisme and the vnworthy and atheisticall speeches of their authors and in The Suruey of the new Religion l. 8. almost all ouer but especially c. 3. he may see the same This is easy to be seene in all heresys that they beginning allwais in the contempt of the Church assume to themselues liberty of doctrine and that liberty of doctrine bringeth liberty of life now who doth not see the next and last consequence which liberty of life and doctrine runneth into It is therefor very necessary in these times to say somethinge for haeretiks in proofe of this first article of the Creede to preserue it as the hart roote and foundation of faith from their corruption and to let those libertines see their extreme folly that labour to beate out of their harts the feare of God But Catholiks who beleeue it as a point of the Catholike and Apostolike faith neede noe proofe of it because they haue it as they haue all other points of faith by the testimony of God manifesting himselfe to them who can not deceiue vs as we may doe our selues by our owne reason God is true Rom. 3. and euery man a lyer faith the Apostle and therefor we may mistrust ourselues but we can not mistrust God nor contradict the Church by which he speaketh to vs and gouerneth vs. If it be an irreuerence to stande in contradiction with a graue and reuerent person how much more must it be to contradict God were he not a madman that should oppose his physitian and denying that to be poyson which he affirmeth to be soe should take it and kill himselfe or if a man seeing a caldron full of melted led prepared by some workeman and were warned by him to take heed of it yet would not regard his words but because he saw not the fire vnder it nor any smoke in it should deny it to be hot and throw himselfe into it would not you thinke that he were worse then madde we ought to beleeue God the workman of the world and not like atheists who because they see not the fire of hell will not beleeue it but throw themselues into it and damne themselues And we must not onely beleeue in God and receiue for his authority all points of faith but we must also with our mouths Confesse our beleefe and defende it with our liues when neede requires Rom. 10. With the hart we beleeue vnto iustice but with the mouth Confession is made to saluation Saith the Apostle And the holy king saith I beleeued for which cause I spake And as S. Peter Psal 115. and S. Iohn answered to the high Priests and Princes of the Iewes we can not but speake the thinges which we haue seene and heard soe ought we in the like occasion to speake resolutly the thinges which we see Act. 4. and heare in the Catholike faith and say with S. Paul I am not ashamed of the ghospell And in all temptations both publike and priuate stande to our Creede Rom. 1.8 and professe I beleeue in God and the Catholike Church This I wish that all the world could truely say and I will bring all that I can to say soe and to beginne with the atheists of these times who in words say I beleeue in God but not in hart he shall see first that all the Angels and all nations of men giue testimony against him Secondly he shall see God and feele him by experience in himselfe Thirdly he
the faithfull dispersed ouer the world Which is in substance the same that is here answered for euery one that hath the true faith and is in vnion with the head and Pastors of the Church by obeying them is a member of the true Châ—â—ch and all these put together make the whole Church But because Schismatiks although they beleeue in all points yet are out of the Church as diuiding themselues from it by disobedience to the head and Pastors theirof therefor to be a member of the Church we require vnion with the rest of the members vnder one head to wit the Pope who is for the time the successor of S. Peter the Vicar of Christ and the Head of the Church Now for the explication of this article In the first place the Church is said to be holy Holy It is holy in diuerse respects First in respect of the eminent holines of Iesus Christ the cheife head of it Secondly for the holy gouernment which Christ instituted and allwais conserueth in it Thirdly it is holy in respect of the holy sacrifice which it hath of his most sacred body and in respect of the holy Sacraments and obseruances that are in it Fourthly in respect of the Vicarhead Pastors and people whose holinesse it includeth Christ ascending into heauen made S. Peter the head of all the Apostles and of the whole Church to remaine as Vicar to himselfe vpon earth commending particularly to him the charge of his sheepe that is of all faithfull christians that are in the Church as in his sheepfold This charge was performed by him whilst he liued and after his death by men of great holines who succeeded him ioyning their blood vnto his as it were in a continuall streame of martyrdome for almost three hundred yeares after the Ascension of Christ After them those who haue succeeded in that chaire and office haue bene for the most part men of great holinesse as they haue great meanes to be and as it is fitting they should be in that holy office The Church is also holy in many other inferiour Pastors and people of all sorts and callings of Martyrs Confessors and Virgins who haue illustrated it with their holy liues and haue rendred it a deere and amiable spouse to Christ Lastly the Church is holy as being by its authority the ground of all holines there being none at all but in it For there can be noe holinesse in this world if not grounded vpon true faith Heb. 11. without which it is impossible to please God And being there can be noe faith that can please God but in the Catholike Church all holinesse that is amongst men is in the holy Catholike Church The Church is called by the Apostles Catholike Catholike which is as much as to say vniuersal to destinguish the true Church of Christ from all false Churches of christians which they saw might rize vp in following times and did euen then beginne to rize in their times None of which can be said to be Catholike or vniuersal but priuate and particular Churches which beginne by opposing of the Catholike and vniuersal Church then extant when those new sects beginne First the Church is vniuersal in doctrine for that it teacheth all ouer the same doctrine and yeeldeth obedience to the same gouernment vnder one head and soe the Church of Rome is Catholike and the Church of Protestants is not Catholike for that protestants agree in name onely and nor in doctrine and also because some of them acknowledging a head vpon earth as the English Protestants did and some of them acknowledging noe head vpon earth they haue not all obedience to the same authority which obedience must necessarily be had to be the same Church and to be the true Catholike Church For the Apostles made this article to keepe vs allwais in the odedience of the true Church and that those might be knowne to haue the true faith of Christ who retaining the doctrine which is professed by the whole Church which then is and obeying the authority of it submitte in all controuersys to that which it teacheth and say with the Apostles I beleeue the Catholike Church and therefor two Churches that obey two different authoritys can not both of them be vniuersal and Catholike Secondly the true Church is vniuersall in times for that it must be at all times and neuer soe vanished out of the world that there should neede any to restore it againe for God doth not soe vnequally destribute his graces as to leaue the the world at any time without meanes of saluation which cannot be without a true and lawfull Church Besides the Apostles Creede is to be said at all times and soe we are allwais to say I beleeue the Catholike Church which we could not allwais say if at some time there were noe true Catholike Church in the world Thirdly the Church is vniuersal in place for if S. Paul could with truth apply those words of the psalme their sounde hath gone forth vnto all the earth Ps 18. and vnto the ends of the â—ound world the words of them to the Church of Christ in the Apostles times when it was nothing soe much dilated as now God be thanked it is we may now with good reason call it Catholike in respect of all places when the sounde of the Apostles doctrine is soe much enlarged that there is hardly any place of the world whither the Catholike Church doth not send her subiects to preach Out of this vniuersality of the Church it followeth One that there is but one true Church in which saluation may be had for vniuersality importeth vnity and if there be vnity in the Church and that this vnity be necessarily required and included in the word Catholike or vniuersal which signifye hâ— many agreeing in the same thinge then two Churches which are not vnited in the same Communion and obedience to the same authority can not both of them haue meanes of saluation for if they could both haue meanes of saluatioÌ„ and yet might lawfully disobey each others authority then we should not be bounde to obey it nor could it lawfully require obedience to it which is contrary to the words of Christ binding vs to the obedience of the Church and contrary to this article and to all reason and gouernment S. Augustine There is nothing which a christian ought soe much to feare as to be separated from the body of Christ Aug. tract 27. which is for certaine the one Catholike Church For if he be separated from the body of Christ he is not a member of him If he be not a member of him he is not nourished with his spirit By which it is plane in the doctrine of this saint that it can not be a true Church which is separated from the true Church and by consequence two Churches which separate from each other can not both be true Therefor let those take head that hearken
to that bold persuasion of some who perswade themselues that saluation may be had in any religion or in either of some two religions or in any faith soe that they beleeue in Christ for they shall finde one day that disobedience to the true Church is a sinne which deserueth damnation S. Augustine againe in another place Epist. 104. Being out of the Church and diuided from the heape of vnity and the bond of charity thou shouldst be punished with eternal fire although thou shouldst be burned aliue for the name of Christ The Church is honored in the scriptures with many noble and glorious titles The titles of Church It is called the kingdome of God the house of God his spouse his faire one his onely one and the very body of Christ He gouerneth it as his kingdome he prouideth for it as his household and loueth it as his deere spouse and as his owne body pleasing and delighting himselfe in the soules of good Catholikes that serue him It is compared to the holy city of Hierusalem in which the true worship of God flourished and in which diuine sacrifice was duely offered It is compared to the arke of Noë out of which there was noe saluation but a general death and destruction Infidels that haue not the faith of Christ are out of the Church Haeretiks Schismatiks and excommunicated persons although they beleeue in Christ yet because they heare not the Church that is obey it not they are also our of it as heathens that participate not the benefits of it The Catholike Church hath two parts The triumphans and militant Church the one Triumphant the other Militant The Triumphant Church is the company of blessed soules in heauen who hauing gotten victory ouer their spirituall enemys in this life are now triumphing in euerlasting glory The Militant Church is the company of the faithfull vpon earth liuing as it were in a warrfare where we are allwais fighting with the enemys of our soules and by perseuering vnto the end in the seruice of God we shall be crowned like good and faithfull souldiers The Militant Church conteineth both good and euill liuers Mat. 3. and therefor it is compared to a field that beareth both good corne and cockle to a nette that gathereth together both good and euill fish The good are kept Mat. 13. but the bad are throwne away It is compared to tenne virgins fiue of which were wise and had prepared the light of good works against the comming of Christ to reward them Mat. 25. and therefor they were admitted into his heauenly nuptials but the other fiue came like fooles and although they had the faith of Christ and were christians yet wanting the oile of the loue of God and the light of good works they were excluded from his blessed ioyes By these and the like places we are giuen to vnderstande that it is not enough to haue the true faith and to be Catholikes if our liues be dissonant from our profession that we liue not like good Catholikes for there are many euill liuers in the Catholike Church who as bundles of cockle shall be throwne into the fire The Communion of Saints Communion of Saints S. Iohn Euangelist writing to the faithfull giueth them as the cause of his writing that you also may haue society with vs Io. 1.1 and our society may be with the father and with his sonne Iesus Christ That is that you may keepe in the society and Communion of the Church and be partakers of those good works and meanes of saluation which are to be had in it For there in is the Catholike Church such a participation of good works that all Catholikes that are in the state of grace participate with one another in them and receiue benefit by the good works of others The reason is because the Catholike Church is as it were one body and all the members of it liue by the same spirit of the Holy Ghost and of Iesus Christ who keepe them in that holy vnion and Communion together And as all the members of the body concurre and helpe to the good of each other soe euery member of the Catholike Church helpeth to the good of the rest and receiueth good by the rest participating of their good works Ps 118. â—am partaker of all that seare thee Saith he holy psalme And in the Pâ—ter nester our Sauiour hath taught vs soe to pray that euery one should aske in the name of all saying giue vs forgiue vs c. Those who are guilty of mortall sinne as they haue noe reward of grace for any worke of their owne which is done in that state soe they loose the benefit which they should receiue by the good works of others For although they be members of the Catholike Church yet wanting the life of grace they are as dead and rotten members into which the rest haue noe spirituall influence The benefit which is reaped by the good works of others is participated by euery one in measure and proportion to the disposition which he hath for it and according to the intention of him that performeth the worke for as we are more or lesse in his intention soe doe we participate more or lesse benefit by the worke which he doth For this it is enough to say that our good works are offerings which we make to God and are therfor receiued and applyed by him according to the offerers intention By all which we may see what a happinesse it is to be in the Catholike Church Ps 83. and in the state of grace Blessed are they who dwell in thy house ô Lord. Now let vs speake OF THE AVTHORITY of the Church BY these words of the Creede it appeareth that the Catholike Church is of diuine authority for euery article of the Creede being of diuine authority and we being by this article bound to beleeue the Church it followeth that the Church hath diuine authority and that we are bounde to beleeue and to obey it as hauing the authority of God And therefor this article was most profitably and necessarily made by the Apostles as the ground and foundation of diuine faith and worship For although in the scriptures it be plane and by reason must needes be true that we are allwais to be gouerned by the authority of the Church yet this article being soe commonly and often professed it is agreat curbe to the rizing of new sects and haeresys all which beginne in the disobedience of some priuate men to the authority of the whole Church and it can not but be a horrour to their mindes and a greeuous wounde to their owne consciences to see how they contradict the common Creede of the Apostles And therefor S. Paul might well say that a man that is an haeretike is subuerted and sinneth Tit. 3. being condemned by his owne iudgment The authority of the Church is diuine in that it is declared also by the
secute from errour that at all times in all controuersys follow the sentence of the Church and adhaere to it And therfor the Apostles by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost made this important article that we might neuer forgett our obedience to the Church but that in all doubts and difficultys we might haue recourse to it and say I beleeue the Catholike Church And that those who will stande against it may be knowne to be infringers of the law and Creede of the Apostles From hence is the beginning of all heresys that some priuate men will contradict the authority of the whole Church and obiecting against some particular point or points of faith they make themselues the iudges and determine as they will themselues They contende allwais about some particular point or points of faith and wrangle about them but if you aske them vpon what authority they contradict the Catholike Church and all the Churches in the world separating from them they are then out of their witts and know not what to say knowing that if they pretende the word of God the same question confoundeth them againe demanding vpon what authority they dare interprete the word of God against the Catholike Church and against all the Churches in the world besides that the word of God is against them commanding both in the Creede and scriptures to beleeue the Church If we will giue them satisfaction in those particular points and difficultys it is but of curtesy for we confesse that there are many points of faith which by our owne reason we cannot comprehende the most reasonable and best satisfaction is because the Catholike Church soe teacheth otherwise as I haue shewed we should neither haue Creede nor scriptures nor God Contende not then with haeretiks about particular points but aske them vpon what authority they dare question them what Church will they follow If they will fall from the Catholike Church to some company of haeretiks that beganne at some time against all Churches or if themselues will beginne such a company they are here condemned in this article The authority of the Church is the rule the guide the sure anker to which we must all wais hold It is a rocke which dasheth in peeces all temptations of faith and obiections of haeretiks and keepeth vs free from doubts and feares as in a quiet and safe harbour Let vs now speake OF THE GOVERNMENT of the Church THe Church in holy scriptures is compared to a well ordered citty such an one as Hierusalem was when the seruice of God slourished in it But the gouernment of the Church of Christ doth farre excell that For it is a gouernment which God hath taken a neerer charge of as hauing in his owne person instituted it first and engaged himselfe by promise allwais to protect and defende it and therfor he must at all times prouide such gouernors for it as shall carefully mainteine his diuine seruice in it Esa 62. Vpon thy walls Hierusalem I haue appointed watchmen all the night for euer they shall not hold their peace It is compared to the army of a campe set in array Cant. 6. glorious in it selfe and terrible to its enemys for the order which it hath The order and good gouernment of the Church consisteth in the dew subordination of subiects to their superiors As in our bodys seueral offices are giuen to seueral parts and all of them constituted vnder one head And as in a common wealth some beare offices and others without offices obey them and all are finally reduced vnto some head and supreme power and that supreme power subordinate lastly to God that impowred it soe in the gouernment of the Church some haue authority ouer others and one head is placed ouer all These are the pastors whom God hath appointed and disposed into that order Rom. 13. Those thinges that are of God are ordained Saith the Apostle that is to say they are with order and to be with order is to be not all alike but with subordination of inferiors to superiour powers and soe the order of the Church consisteth in people subordinate to their pastors and of pastors subordinate vnto one supreme head vpon earth And the head and pastors of the Church exercizing their power most fully in a General Councell it will be sufficient for the gouernment of the Church to speake of the head and of General Councels Christ chose out of all the world some to be his disciples Of the head of the Church out of his disciples he tooke some to be Apostles and out of his Apostles he chose one to be the head and to haue authority ouer his whole Church These vnderstanding by the disciples all those that were vnder the Apostles were then the whole Church of Christ S. Peter was chosen by him as the head and supreme pastour ouer all both pastors and people Him and his successors we call the vicars of Christ that is to say he that beareth vpon earth the person and place of Christ who is in heauen the cheife head of the Church Neither can it in reason offende any that we call S. Peter and his successors in that office the Vicars of Christ For if S. Paul might authorize what he did in punishing and pardoning of the Corinthian with the authority of Christ and could lawfully say that he did it in the name vertue Cor. 1.5 Cor. 2.2 and person of Christ he being but a subiect of the head pastour of the Church with much more reason the cheife pastour and head of the Church may be called the Vicat of Christ he performing and executing that office after a more eminent manner in the name vertue and person of Christ Christ first promised this authority when asking his disciples whom they thought him to be Peter answered Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Then â—esus answering said to him Mat. 16. Blessed art thou Simon 〈…〉 I say to thee thou art Peter that is to say a rocke and vpon this rocke I will build my Church and the gaâ—es of hell shall not preuaile against it And I will giue to thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen And whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth shall be bounde also in the heauens and what soeuer thou shalt loose in earth it shall be loosed also in the heauens By which it is most euident that some greater dignity and preeminonce was intended to Peter then to the rest of the Apostles First it was a most singular high mystery that which Christ asked and Peter then professed and which before then perhaps was neuer reuealed to any of the Apostles and which flesh and blood could not reueale that is by humane meanes could not be vnderstoode Moreouer Christ then blessed him and spoke vnto him after a most particular and energious manner of speech calling him a rocke which was not his name nor had ary relation to him more then to the rest of his
Church And speaking of the validity of baptisme done by haeretiks which validity S. Cyprian and some others of that time denyed he hath these words Neither durst we affirme any such thinge to wit as that the baptisme of haeretiks is valid were we not well grounded vpon the most vniforme authority of the whole Church vnto which vndoubtedly S. Cyprian would haue yeelded if in his time the truth of this question had bene cleered and by a General Councell established Greg in registro l. 1. c. 24. S. Gregory that he esteemed of the foure Generall Councells of Nyce Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon as of the foure ghospels of Mathew Marke Luke and Iohn Blessed Theodosius before S. Gregorys time went vp into the pulpit as Metaphrastes declareth in his life and pronounced publikly Let him be accursed that esteemeth not the foure holy Councels equal with the foure ghospells An edict was setforth by the Emperour Valentinian and Martian his collegue in which the decrees of the Councel of Chalcedon are commanded to be obserued in these words Let now all prophane strife be laid aside for verily he is impious and sacrilegious that after the sentences of soe many Priests shall thinke that there remaineth any thinge by his opinion to be handled Another decree is extant of the Emperour Martian to the people of Constantinople in which he sayth We haue forbidden all to dispute of religion for one or two can not finde out those secrets especially when soe many venerable Priests with extreme labour and much prayer could not discouer the truth but by the diuine authority It is indeede a most vaine thinge to dispute of the truth of those thinges which a Generall Councell hath declared to be true because all such thinges haue bene already sufficiently disputed by the best authority of the world That therefor which by a General Councell is established as of faith remaineth allwais firme and certaine in its truth for God is not changed nor can his words euer be but true and the words of a General Councell are the words of God Christ and the Holy Ghost teaching them all truth Mat. 28. Io. 14 16. That which by some former Councell hath bene but obuiously and sleightly handled as being then out of question may be more illustrated by a following Councell and such orders and constitutions as are agreeable to some times may be repealed as not conuenient for other times and soe S. Augustine saith that the former are sometimes amended by the following but noe General Councell signed vnto by the head and Pastors of the Church can euer be declared for false nor any thinge which is declared by such a Councell Some conuenticles of haeretiks as that of the Arians at Ariminum and of Nestorians at Ephesus haue bene declared for false because they were not general of the whole world nor called and ratifyed by the bishop of Rome as all General Councels vsed and ought to be But those which were true Councels and were truely authorized by him were neuer questioned afterwards nor any thinge in them But although a General Councell includeth the authority of the whole Church yet it is not necessary that euery member of the Church be present at it it is sufficient that the voice and assent of euery member of the Church be with the Pastors of the Church for as it is not required that euery member of a kingdome be personally present at the Councell table of the king but onely the king and Peeres of the realme who haue authority ouer all and as the superiors onely and magistrates of the Commune Wealth which are present in consultation make lawes for the good of all and all are bounde to obey them as the lawes of that nation and commune wealth which they defende with their liues and are guilty of death if they breake them because they proceede from the general and lawfull authority soe the head of the Church and pastors that are in Communion with him being placed by Christ and the Holy Ghost to gouerne the Church haue lawfull authority to determine for all and all are bounde to obey their decrees for that they are the decrees of all and that assembly is the whole Church in authority Thus an assembly of the cheife of the â—raëlits is called in holy scripture all Israël Reg. 3. â— and as I haue shewed the holy fathers haue called General Councels assemblys of the whole Church and of the whole world Neither is it necessary that all the bishops of the Church be personally present at them For that is morally impossible and very inconuenient some being necessary to remaine for the performing of Episcopal functions All the Apostles were not present with S. Peter at the Councell of Hierusalem but onely those which could be spared from their places which all at once can not be General Councels consist onely of bishops Neither can Councels enely of bishops or euer did any other but bishops take place by their owne authority in them And therfor S. Leo in his Epistles and S. Augustin commonly call them Councels of bishops In the acts of the Councell of Chalcedon these words are some times repeated Synodus Episcoporum est non Clericorum Superfluos mitte foras The Councell is of bishops not of Clerks Those that are supersluous let them be put forth The Abbot Auxentius being inuited to the Councell answered It is not for Monks to teach others but to be taught This is due onely to the dignity of bishops As for temporal Princes as such they neuer had any spiritual iurisdiction in the Church of Christ for that was giuen to Peter and the Apostles The Emperour Theodosius writing to the Councell of Ephesus sayeth It is not lawfull for mee that am noe bishop to intermedle in Ecclesiastical affaires The Emperour Valentinian being sollicited by some bishops to cause a Councell to be called for the deciding of certaine questions then in controuersy answered It is not for mee that am but in the ranke of the people to medle with those thinges Let the Priests to whom they belong agree among themselues to meete where they like These Emperours spoke like wise men and good Christians Cor. 1.7 Euery one in the vocation that he was called in it â—et him abide saith the Apostle Bishops are called to gouerne in spiritual temporal Princes in temporal thinges and they must not goe forth of their propper callings Bishops made not themselues bishops God gaue that authority to them and whosoeuer haue it must haue it of God I will giue Pastors saith God by his Prophet and they shall feede you with knowledge and doctrine Hier. 3. And S. Heb 5. Par. 2.26 Paul speaking of priesthood sayth neither doth any man take the honour to himselfe but he that is called of God as Aaron Ozias king of Iuda resisting the Priests and comming boldly to the altare to vsurpe without calling their authority and office
was strucken of God with a suddaine leprosy which then in the sight of all broke forth of his forhead soe that for his prowde aspiring to the dignity and office of Priests he was then for his leprosy to be excluded euen from the people And Saul for offering of holocaust being a king onely and noe Priest although compelled as he thought by necessity vnto it lost notwithstanding his kingdome from himselfe and from his posterity for euer Some times Emperours and Prince are present at General Councells to grace and protect them from turbulent men but they giue not their voices in any thinge Soe Constantine the first christian Emperour was present in the first General Councell of Nyce but how he came in the last of all and hauing a litle low seate sette for him he satte not downe vntill the bishops made him a signe to sitt downe And as for the decrees of the Councell we reade that three hundred and eightteene bishops subscribed to them but not that Constantine euer subscribed Soe also men of more sanctity of life and eminent in abilitys although not bishops are sometimes called to assist in General Councels but not to giue sentence or to subscribe to the decrees by their owne authority The gouernment therefor which Christ ordained in his Church was by S. Peter and the Apostles that is to say by one head or cheife bishop and by inferiour bishops vnder him And their authority is most full and obliging when it speaketh by a General Councell Then the head of the Church exercizeth more fully his supreme authority calling together the pastors of the world and assigning to them the place of their meeting The bishops and others who for sanctity wisdome and learning are in reason to be thought the best deseruing of the whole world are present at them Being come together solemne dayes of prayer are instituted for the inuocation of the Holy Ghost Euery one of this absolute company hath then liberty to speake his minde freely and by the grounds of his owne religion is bounde not to dissemble but to speake the truth according to his conscience they being for the most part meere strangers to one another All things being well examined they subscribe in order first the head bishop and then the rest after him according to their dignity This is the harmony which Christ hath composed in his Church of people concording with their pastors and of pastors with their supreme head Now what more satisfaction can our soules desire then from such an assembly of soe many holy and learned men who haue the voyce of the whole Catholike Church and the assistance of Christ and of the Holy Ghost Let any christian speake truely and he must needes confesse that it would be a horrour to his conscience and that his owne thoughts would condemne him of errour if he were condemned by such an authority And therfor S. Paul might well say that the haretical man is condemned by his owne iudgment Tit. 3. Because he seeing his doctrine to be publikely condemned by the general sentence of the whole Catholike Church that then is in the world can not but see his owne peruersed obstinacy in still mainteining it and that he breaketh the concord of people with their pastors confoundeth all order of gouernment in the Church destroyeth the certaine ground of all diuine veritys and maketh the Creede scriptures and all principles of faith to become subiect to the censure of euery priuate man Wherefor the Apostle biddeth vs to take heed of such men and our blessed Sauiour himselfe hath commanded vs to regard them noe otherwise then as Heathens and Publicans Victor an auncient and graue authour Vis l. 2. de pâ—rses Vandal who liued in the age of S. Augustine about twelue hundred yeares since relateth a passage worthy to be remembred to shew the comfort and confidence which Catholikes haue in General Councells and how that haeretiks are affrayed and dare not stande to them Hunnericus king of the Vandals persecuting the Church summoned the Catholiks of his dominions to come to Carthage to a publike disputation with his Arian bishops Bishop Eugenius in the name of the Catholikes answered in this manner Let the kingknow that trusting in God we are ready and very glad to haue a publike triall of our cause but we desire that all the world may be present at it for we will not take vpon vs to decide the generall cause by our particular votes Let therfor all those beyond the seas know that the vniuersall cause is here to be treated and not onely the cause of the Affrican Prouinces for we will be tryed by the vniuersal authority and consent of all And when the king returned answere by his Prefident that he would grant him his desire if he would bring all the world vnder his power Eugenius replyed againe Thou shouldest not desire that request of mee which is not in my power to performe That which I say to the king is that if his maiesty desire indeede to be sdtisfyed in our religion which onely hath the true faith let him sende vnto his friends and I will sende vnto my fellow bishops and especially to the Romane Church which is the head of all Churches The bishop suspecting the intention of the king denyed to come to his city and wisely appealed to the generall authority and especially to the bishop of Rome but noe haeretike will euery yeeld to that appeale where the question is to be tryed by the vniuersal authority of the whole Church but as owles and battes fly from the sunshine soe doe they from such a glorious tryall and as they beganne in the disobedience of a few obstinate persons or of some one silly man soe they are affrayed to be tryed by the vniuersal Church which is at all times and was then when their disobedience beganne Disp Lyps Luther was contented to haue a tryall of his doctrine by single disputation and when that worthy man Dâ— Eckius the glory of Swedland publikely confuted and shamed him he broke forth into blasphemous words vnworthy to be repeated But he durst not come to the Councell of Trent which he needed not to hâ—ue feared if he would haue submitted to the authority of the vniuersall Church as all good Christians ought to doe Now let vs see WHICH IS THE CATHOLIKE Church Quest Giue mee a difference betwixt the true and all salse Churches Ans The true Charch continueth allwais in vnion and obedience to its head pastors all false Churches beginne in dissentions and disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church Thus S. Cyprian S. Hierome and others alleadged S. Peter being constituted of Christ as the head and supreme pastour of the Church as I haue shewed and is confirmed by all that which I haue to say of his successour the Bishop of Rome and that authority being necessary to remaine allwais after him we must see at all times and in all
controneâ—sys what the successour of S. Peter and the pastors that ioyne with him determine and we must adhaere to them as to the true and lawfull authority of the Church This as I shall â—hew is the bishop of Rome and the pastors of his Communion and therefor those that obey him and them obey the lawfull authority and are the true Church and they are all false Churches that disobey them Because the authority of the whole Church residing in the head and Pastors of it disobedience to them is disobedience to the whole Church and all false Churches of christians being either of Schismatiks or haeretiks and they beginning allwais in disobedience to the Church it followeth that those who continue allwais obedient to him that is then the head of the Church and to the pastors of his Communion are the true Church and the company of them altogether is the whole Catholike Church and those that refuse to obey their authority are false Churches of Scismatiks or haeretiks And this disobedience is not onely the original cause of all false Churches and a destinctiue signe to discerne them by but it is the very essential forme which constituteth them in the nature of false Churches and maketh them to be such For noe man can be a member of a false Church for false doctrine onely except it be ioyned with obstinacy and disobedience to the Church A good Catholike may hold or reach false doctrine of ignorance or mindelesnesse but he is not a Catholike if he mainteine any thinge obstinatly against the authority of the Church In points which are disputed by Philosophers and Catholike diuines affirmed by some and denyed by others a falsehood is taught on one side but noe errour in faith is committed nor the sinne of schisme or haeresy is incurred because the head and pastors of the Church hauing declared nothing in those points there is noe disobedience to the Church by them S. Cyprian and the bishops of Affrica erred in doctrine and opinion when they thought that the baptisme of haeretiks was not valid but they erred not in faith because the Church had then declared nothing of it and therefor it was noe formal errour or heresy because there was noe disobedience to the Church I may erre say the fathers commonly alleadged but I will neuer be an haeretike Errour is of the minde and vnderstanding but heresy is the defect of the will to be allwais free from errour we can not but from schisme and heresy we may if we will It is then willfull disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church that constituteth all false Churches and it is obedience to the head and pastors of the Church that conserueth vs in the true Church The true Church is a congregation of people vnited together with his lâ—wfull head and pastors all false Churches are congregations of people diuided from and disobedient to the head and pastors of the Church S. Paul warneth the Romanes to remember this marke saying Rom. 16. I desire you brethren to marke them that make dissentions and scandals contrary to the doctrine which you haue learned and anoide them If all christians had remembred these words and at all times had obserued them there had neuer bene any false Church of christians And if all would here after obserue them in the beginning of heresys the arch haeretike might despaire of his worke and would not gett soe much as one follower after him he would discouer himselfe by the propper marke of an haeretike which is not onely to hold false doctrines but also to make dissension in the Church by teaching new doctrines and by standing obstinate in them If therefor you see any one to beginne some singularity of doctrine contrary to that which is taught in the Church suspect presently such a man as tainted at least with a dangerous humour of pride if not with inward heresy but iudge him not an haeretike vntill his errour be made manifest by the authority of the Church and he stande obâ—â—inate against that authority Which if he doe then he maketh dissention and scandall and we may then and must iudge him to be an haeretike and auoide him We should pitty such a man with all our harts and pray for him as for our brother but we ought to auoide his conuersation as the breath of one infected with the plague But if you see that he gette followers to ioyne with him and to mainteine his disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church you haue then in them a false Church and those that mainteine their disobedience though neuer soe long after are all members of the same false Church and those that keepe in vnion and obedience to their head and pastors are the true Catholike Church Now christians you haue for ener a preuention against all schismes and heresys that may hereafter arize you shall presently destinguish the true Church from the false by this noble cognizant to wit obedience to the head and pastors of the Church and the false you shall discerne it by the infamous brand of pride and disobedience to them Keepe your selues in vnion and obedience to that authority which is and allwais must be in the Church of God and you are grounded vpon a sure rocke I would that these words were written in the doores of euery Church and engrauen in the walls in stones of flint THE TRVE CHVRCH CONTINVETH ALLWAIS IN VNION AND OBEDIENCE TO ITS HEAD AND PASTORS ALL FALSE CHVRCHES BEGINNE BY DISOBâ— DIENCE TO THE HEAD AND PASTORS OF THE CHVRCH that all by often beholding them might remember their due obedience to the Catholike Church And this marke is not onely sufficient to discouer for the future and to preuent the rizing of false Churches here after but also to shew which of all christian Churches that are now extant in the world is the true Catholike Church for Christ hauing instituted the gouernment of his Church to be by one head and supreme pastour and by other bishops as inferiour pastors in Communion with him and the gouernment which Christ instituted being allwais to be obserued and obeyed by vs there needeth noe more to shew which is the true Church but to shew who is the true head of the Church by succession from S. Peter and by the lawfull possession of his chaire and power For he and the pastors of his Communion are to be obeyed as deriuing their authority from Christ himselfe and as hauing from him the authority of the whole Church This argument is often vsed by S. Cyprian who biddeth vs in the beginning of all heresys and for the deciding of all controuersys allwais to looke vp to the head of the Church and to seeke to him and tractatu de simplicitate praelatorum siue de vnit Eccles he maketh this the cause of all heresys as you haue heard Because saith he we haue not recourse vnto the ormen nor seeke vnto the head and then he
beginneth to deriue that authority from Christ vnto S. Peter that by one head and supreme pastour vnity might be preserued in the Church And sayth againe that Heresys haue sprung and Schismes haue bene bred by noe other cause Cyp. l. 1. ep 13. 55. but for that the Priest of God is not obeyed nor one iudge considered to be for the time in the Church of God Soe that to shew who is the true head of the Church will sufficiently destinguish the true Church for the pastors that communicate with him are the true pastors and the people of that Communion are the true people of God and that whole congregation of pastors and people being taken alltogether is the whole Catholike Church Now to shew who is the true head of the Church we must secke into antiquity and see what bishop did aunciently in the first Church of the Apostles and in the primitiue times after them beare that authority and was then acknowledged for the head and supreme pastour of the Church For as truth which was eternally in God was before falsehood which came afterwards by creatures and as true and lawfull power was first in the true Church of Christ and false vsurped power was afterwards begunne by disobeving it soe he that was first acknowledged in the primitiue times of the Church as the head and supreme pastour he and his successors are all wais to be acknowledged after him and they are false Churches that haue begunne at any time in disobedience to him and to the pastors of his Communion Now let vs see what bishop was acknowledged in the primitiue times and was first obeyed as the head and supreme pastour and which of all Churches that how are retaine still their obedience to him These are either all or the cheife christian Churches that are now in the world The Romane Church which is truely Catholike and Vniuersal ouer the whole world the Greeke Churches which are not Catholike nor vniuersall in the world although some of them be much spred The Church of the Georgians of the Armenians of the Aethiopians of the Arians of the Nestorians of the Waldenses of the Lutherans of the Zuinglians if any of them be yet extant destinct from the Caluinists the Church of the Caluinists and the Church of England which is the latest and newest of them all If there be any more besides these as we see petty sects daily to arize out of the later and to beginne in disobedience to them as all of them once did to the Romane Church both they and all the rest beside the Romane Church shall appeare to be false Churches and it onely to be the true Catholike Church for that it onely is in vnion and holdeth obedience to the true and lawfull head of the vniuersall Church and to the pastors of his Communion all the rest disobeying that authority But first it is to be obserued that the word Church being a word of Communion siguifying a company of people communicating together in the same faith and vnder the same authority it can not be the same Church and a lawfull Church if it haue not the same and that a lawfull authority Secondly some of these acknowledge a head and supreme pastour of the Church vpon earth and others of them will acknowledge none The Romane Church all ouer the world acknowledgeth the bishop of Rome to be vpon earth the head and supreme pastour of the Church The Graecians Armenians Georgians Aethiopians and Churches of the east haue some of them the Parriarke of Constanâ—inople others the Patriarke of Alexandria or a parricular and propper pastour to themselues whom they acknowledge for the supreme head of their Church and the Church of England vntill within these tenne or dozen yeares acknowledged their temporal prince man woman or child that was for the time to be the head of that Church Others there are who are headlesse acknowledging noe supreme head vpon earth in any spirituall power as the Lutherans Caluinists c. these are but few and inconsiderable in comparison of those that submitte vnto a head and supreme authority And I shall shew that both they and all others beside the Romane Church are false Churches for that they stande disobedient to him and to the pastors of his Communion who is indeede the true head of the Church I haue shewed before that the gouernment which Christ instituted in his Church was by S. Peter as the head and cheife pastour of it Now I shew that that supreme authority of S. Peter was acknowledged by the primitiue Church to descende vpon the bishop of Rome as successour to him and that there is none but he that can with reason pretende to haue had that authority This is prooued first by the manifest testimonys of those auncient writers that then liued Secondly by the practise of those times for that the bishop of Rome exercized in fact that supreme authority and the faithfull of those times obeyed it Thirdly for that there is none els that can pretende to haue bene at any time aboue all other bishops as the cheife pastour and gouernour of the Church First then I produce soe many The Bishop of Rome is acknowledged by the primitiue fathers to be the head of the Church and such testimonys of auncient writers as shall be sufficient to satisfy him that regardeth the safety of his soule And to beginne euen from the Apostles times the scriptures which they wrote declare soe farre for the supremacy of the bishops of Rome that they are alleadged to that purpose by holy and auncient authors as will appeare by their following citations who seeing the supreme pastorship to haue bene promised by Christ vnto S. Peter Mat. 16. and to haue bene giuen him Io. 21. when he commended soe particularly the feeding of his sheepe to him and considering him to haue died at Rome bishop of that place and a successour in his authority to be allwais necessary for the gouernment of the Church without any more argument they grounded themselues vpon these scriptures and commonly alleadged them for the supremacy not onely of S. Peter but also of the bishop of Rome The same they inferre out of S. Paul to the Romanes where he sayth your faith is renowmed in the whole world Rom. 1. gathering by these words the supremacy of the Romane chaire S. Epis 55. Cyprian speaking against some of those times sayeth They are soe bold as to carry letters from prophane schismatiks to the Chaire of Peter Nu. 6. and the principall Church whence priestly vnity arose not considering the Romanes to be them whose faith the Apostle being the commender was praised to whom misbelcefe can not haue accesse And S. Hierome know ye that the faith of the Romanes will receiue noe such deceits Adner Ruffin l. 3. c. 4. to 2. nor can possibly be changed though an Angell taught otherwise being fensed by S. Cyp. ep 52. and Anronian Amb
33. l. 3. c. 43.44 l 2. cont Gauden c. 3 l. de vntco bap â—â—s c 15. ep 48. L. 2. cont Petâ—lâ— c. 19. as may be seene in The Authour of the Protestant Religion l. 2. c. 11. They must therefor shew some iust cause why they went forth and separated themselues For as S. Augustine alluding to the holy Prouerbe c. 30. often obiecteth against the Donatists The euill child calleth himselfe iust but he can not excuse his going forth And in another place You must come and giue an account of your separation But none of them haue a iuster cause nor can giue a better account of their separation then those whom they confesse to be false Churches therefor they are all false Churches I haue now sufficiently performed one thinge which I promised in the title of this booke The verity of the Roma â—e Cathelike faith is demonstrated by industion from aâ—l other religions to wit to demonstrate by induction from all the religions that are in the world the verity of the Romane Catholike faith As for the atheist he ought indeede to be excluded from all speech of religion for that he hath none yet his prophanesse is disprooued in the first article of the Creede in which the Apostles laid the foundation of religion saying I beleeue in God The Pagans religion is disprooued in the same article in that he beleeueth not in one God the maker of heauen and eaâ—th The Iewish and Turkish sects are disprooued in the second article for that they beleeue not in Iesus Christ the onely Sonne of God All sects of Christians that are out of the Romane Church are disprooued in that they haue broken this ninth article of the Creede I beleeue the Cathâ—like Church disobeying its authority in the lawfull head and pastors of it Let them harken to the words of the Holy Ghost Deut 17. If thou perceiue that the iudgment with thee be hard and doubtfull c. Thou shalt come to the Priests of the Leuitical stocke and to the iudge that shall be at that time and thou shalt doe whatsoeuer they that are presidents of the place which our Lord shall choose shall say and teach thee according to his law and thou shalt follow their sentence neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand But he that shall be prowde refusing to obey the commandement of the priest which at that time ministreth to our Lord thy God and the decree of the iudge that man shall dy Here now I cry to all those christians that are out of the Romane Church Graecians Arians c. and to all the seueral Churches of Protestants and especially to you my very deere Countreymen for whose soules I haue long hazarded my corporall life You haue contemned this great authority or rather a greater then it was You haue refused to obey the commandement of the priest and priests not of the Leuitical stocke but of the institution of Christ to wit the Successour of S. Peter and his pastors that is to say the Bishop of Rome and his pastors who gouerned the primitiue Church of Christ and were then actually gouerning it when your Churches beganne These you know you haue disobeyed and stande still disobedient vnto General Councels haue declared against you all and especially against the seueral sects of Protestants the Councell of Trent consisting of two hundred and fifty fiue fathers besides the most eminent doctors of the Catholike Church All Romane Catholiks obey this Councell in all points of faith and you disobey it Disobedience to the Leuitical priest and priests by the law of Moyses was punished with death and your disobedience I am sorry with all my hart but I haue noe scruple to speake it shall without doubt if you repent not be punished with eternal death Therefor I coniure you by the sweet merites of Iesus Christ in whom you beleeue and whom you expect to be your iudge to reflect ypon your soules and vpon true religion Call to minde how your Churches beganne and how schismes and heresys beginne and if you finde as you shall easily finde that you haue begunne after the very same manner as they in disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church and to all but your owne wills your beginners were as Core Nu. 16. Dathan and Abiron that beganne diuisions in the Church of God their followers that liued with them were as the followers of the former whom God destroyed also with them and you rising vp to mainteine their disobedience when they are dead and gone are like to those who after their deaths rose vp to iustify their cause and were therefor by the iudgment of God consumed with fire Forsake their company desert that vnlawfull cause and returne againe into the sheepfold of Christ if you desire to be saued THE TENTH ARTICLE FOrgiuenesse of sinnes None can rightly consider these words as made by the Apostles to be an article of the Creede but he must needs conceiue some greater mystery to be conteined in them them onely to professe that God can or doth forgiue sinnes Neither can he in reason vnderstande any other thinge then that there is power of forgiuing sinnes in that Church which they had newly professed This was indeede a gift and priueledge worthy to be mentioned in the publike Creede Christ after his resurrection before he ascended into heauen appeared to his Apostles and breathing vpon them said Io. 20. Receiue ye the Holy Ghost whose sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen and whose you shall retaine they are retained This was a mystery which the Church of God had great reason to remember and often to inculcate vnto her people and therefor the Apostles hauing professed their beleefe in the Catholike Church in the next place would commemorate this gift and power which the Catholike Church hath of the forgiuenesse of sinnes that with gratitude we might remember it and make good vse of it It is a greater worke saith S. Aug. tract 52. Augustine to make an euill man good then to make the world of nothing Yet it is giuen vnto man to doe this great worke It is giuen I say vnto man for it is not of his owne power but of the gift of God God onely of his owne natural power can forgiue sinnes Esa 43. I am he that taketh cleane away thine iniquitys but he can if he will giue that power vnto men The Apostles had that power by the gift of God as they had of him to worke many miracles which were as hard and vnpossible to nature as to forgiue sinnes Iudges of themselues haue not power to iudge but when the king maketh them iudges and giueth them power then they haue power and may exercize it and the exercize of it is good and valid because the king who gaue them that power setteth them in his owne place giueth them to represent his owne person and ratifyeth the
Plumtree a plumme soe the Sacraments of Christ produce grace as their propper fruit in the soules of the worthy receiuers of them God vsing them as instruments to our sanctification This is the difference betwixt the Sacraments which were before Christ both in the law of nature and of Moyses and the Sacraments which now we haue in the law of grace that the Sacraments which were before the comming af Christ could not giue grace to saluation but onely fignifyed the grace which was to be giuen by our Sacraments because they signifyed him onely who as then was to come and had not purchased grace by his passion as yet suffered and soe they onely signifyed that grace which he was to purchase and which was to be giuen by the Sacraments of Christ by the merits of whose passion God then gaue grace to those that receiued the former Sacraments but the Sacraments themselues as they were of those lawes and times had not that power and therfor the Apostle calleth them weake and poore elements that is in comparison of the vertue and efficacy of our Sacraments Gal. 4. which as they are the Sacraments of the law of Christ haue this preeminence aboue them that they can cause grace in vs. Quest What is grace Answ Grace is a supernatural gift which maketh vs gratfull and acceptable to God Grace is a certaine supernatural quality which God infuseth into our soules by which they are sanctifyed and soe adorned and beautifyed in his sight that he cannot but loue those that haue it and can loue none that haue it not It is as though a king should bestow some gift vpon euery one of his freinds in token of friendship which gift should soe endeere them vnto him that they were sure of his fauour as long as they kept it and to loose his fauour if they lost it soe that this token should both destinguish them from his enemys and also cause them to be his friends Such a gift is the grace of the Sacraments it formally causeth vs to be the freinds of God and destinguisheth vs from his enemys All the gifts of God may be called graces in a large sense as they are gifts which of meere grace and beneuolence he bestoweth on his creatures and soe the gift of tongues of prophecy of miraculous cures and the like are commonly called graces but they are not the grace of the Sacraments which maketh vs gratfull to God For although those gifts or graces for the most part be giuen to the good yet sometimes they are giuen to euill men as the gift of prophecy was giuen to Balaam an idolatour and to Caiphas euen then to prophecy when he was sitting in iudgment against Christ but none but the iust haue Sacramental grace because it sanctifyeth all those that haue it Secondly the good motions and holy inspirations by which God moueth vs to good works are called grace but they are not the grace of the Sacraments which sanctifyeth vs they being often and for the most part God knows reiected by many that answere not to them Thirdly the general concourse of God by which he preserueth all creatures in their being and concurreth with them in their works is called grace as when we say by the grace of God I will doe this or that that is to say with the diuine helpe and concurrence And in fine all the good which we haue may be called grace as it proceedeth of the gracious goodnes of God towards vs. But the grace which is caused by the Sacraments sanctifyeth our soules and maketh them gratfull to God which the others doe not This effect which the Sacraments haue of causing grace in vs although it be supernatural to them as they are onely corporal signes yet vnto God that giueth them that power it is natural and as easy is it to him to giue to his creatures power of sanctifying and of giuing grace as it is to giue them power to any other miraculous effects all which although they be in some sort supernaturall yet by the will of God they are made subiect to natural and secondary causes And God to shew this power and dignity of out Sacraments would haue all that solemnity in the baptisme of Christ that the heauens should open and the whole B. Trinity should sensibly appeare The Father in the voice saying this is my belooued sonne in whom I am well pleased The Sonne in humane nature submitting himselfe to be baptized Mar. 3. and the Holy Ghost in the likenes of a doue It was also for the greater reuerence of our Sacraments that great solemnity with which the Confirmation of the Apostles was celebrated on Whitsunday when the Holy Ghost came with astonishing glory and great signes to confirme them God honouring the rest of the Sacraments by these two first to shew the power which they all haue OF THE NECESSITY OF Sacraments GOD hauing ordained man for a glorious future life by duely worshipping him in this and directing him in his worship not by leauing euery man to himselfe independant of all authority and subiect to none but by subiecting him to the obedience of a continual Church and of spiritual pastors in spirituall thinges it was necessary that he should ordaine some external and corporal meanes of sanctification in the Church that all might vnite and combine together in the true worship of God by them which by onely internal and spiritual acts could not be because we vnderstande not but by outward words and signes S. L. 19. cont Faust c. 11. Augustine Men can not agree in the profession of any religion either true or false except they be vnited by some visibles signes or Sacraments Because as long as we liue in this life our soules in their operations depending of our bodys can conceiue nothing but by outward species receiued in our senses Rom. 1. The inuisible things of God are vnderstoode by those thinges that are made And therfor the manner of our sanctification and of receiuing grace which is spirituall and inuisible must be by corporal and visible Sacraments that the Church may combine together in the worship of God by them To be admitted then into the Church some visible signe was necessary and for this is Baptisme for by it we are made members of the Church of Christ After that the other Sacraments are necessary for the ordering and gouerning vs in the progresse of our spiritual life which is then begunne In breife corporal Sacraments were necessary to admitte vs into the Church and then for the Church to gouerne vs by them VVho instituted the Sacraments And being that they giue grace for our sanctification it followeth that they must be of diuine institution none but God being able to giue them that power because none but he had that power to giue them and to determine and appoint them as the meanes of our sanctification and therefor the Sacraments could not be instituted by the Apostles
against the deuils power Sixtly the corporal life of man as he is ordained to the society of other men requireth a superiour authority to be in some for the gouerning of others and soe an orderly gouernment is necessary for vs in the Church of God and for this we haue the Sacrament of orders in which power is giuen to some in spiritual things Seauenthly for the continuance and conseruation of humane nature a continuall succession and propagation of mankind is necessary in the world and for this the spiritual life of man requireth that it be done by a Sacrament for the orderly propagation of men and the increase of soules to the worship of God This is by the Sacrament of Matrimony which as it is a duety of nature is onely for corporal generation but as it is a Sacrament it giueth grace for the increase of soules in the diuine worship The number of the Sacraments shall appeare furthermore out of the scriptures in that which I haue to say of euery Sacrament in particular The same is declared by diuerse Councels And although the fathers haue had noe occasion in their writings to name them alltogether yet they haue made mention of them all as occasion serued Neither is it necessary that we should assigne the time when euery Sacrament in particular was instituted of Christ We know the times of the institution of some of them and we know that for forcy dayes betwixt his resurrection and his Ascension he frequently appeared vnto his Apostles and taught them many things which they were to obserue in the Church which are not mentioned in the scriptures and we know that the Sacraments of the Church must be of Christs teaching and ordaining We haue for the number of the Sacraments the same authority that we haue for any of the scriptures to wit the authority of the Church which although it declare not the time when the scriptures were written yet it assureth vs of all their verity and soe it doth of the number of the Sacraments ad Casulan S. Augustine giueth vs this rule that for those thinges which are generally receiued by the Church if their beginnings be not knowne they are to be taken for Apostolical traditions but such is the number of seauen Sacraments therefor they are of Apostolical tradition Thus much of the Sacraments in general let vs now come to their particular declarations OF BAPTISME OF THE NECESSITY OF baptisme BAptisme is commonly called the doore of the Sacraments because it is the entrance to the rest necessary to be had before them For vntill we be christened we are not christians and vntill we be made christians we can not receiue the Sacraments of the people of Christ Baptisme is our first spiritual generation and before generation we haue noe operation because we are not soe before baptisme we haue noe spiritual being in grace and therefor it is to be supposed before the rest of the Sacraments be receiued the words of S. Iohn being then verifyed he gaue them power to be made the sonnes of God Io. 1. For as we are borne the children of Adam and of wrath in our corporal births soe in baptisme we are borne the sonnes of God by grace through the merits of Iesus Christ As necessary then as generation is to the corporal being of all men soe necessary is baptisme to the being of all soules in the diuine grace and fauour and as necessary as birth is to the perfection of man in this world soe necessary is baptisme to come to the perfect state of glory Vnles a man be borne againe of water and the spirit he can not enter into the kingdome of God Iâ— 3. By which words it appeareth that Baptisme is a Sacrament that is to say an outward rite or signe that causeth grace in vs. Baptisme a Sacrament We haue a rite and outward signe in the water and we haue the effect of grace in that the kingdome of heauen is obtained by it Heretiks that would confounde all things in the Church of God haue gone about to take away our christendome from vs affirming quite contrary to the words of Christ that a man not borne of water may enter into the kindome of heauen pretending that children are sanctifyed by their parents faith and therefor will not baptize them But this as I haue said is directly contrary to the words alleadged and in it selfe most absurde in that it maketh the kingdome of heauen to come to children not by grace but by inheritance from faithfull parents and supernaturall glory to be obtained by natural and corporal meanes Children are not absolutly holy in that they come of holy parents good parents are indeede a meanes to thee sanctification of their children by procuring for them that which God hath ordained for their sanctification but the goodnes of the parent can not merit grace for the child nor sanctify him This must be done by applying the merits of Christs passion to children in some Sacrament And soe the children of the Iewes in the law of Moyses were saued by the faith of their parents in this sense that they hauing the true faith applyed vnto their children those meanes of sanctification which God then ordained for them but neither in the law of Moyses nor of nature were children euer sanctifyed by onely being borne of good parents but somethinge was allwais done to them as Circumcision or some other outward signe for their sanctification which although it were farre inferiour to our baptisme yet it was necessarily required there being noe proportion betwixt kinred in blood and the diuine grace and glory S. Augustin Doe not beleeue Aug. l. 3. de anima eâ—â—s origineâ— 9. doe not say that children before baptisme can haue their original sinne forgiuen them if thou wilt be a Catholike OF THE EFFECT OF BAPTISME THE propper and particular effect of Baptisme is to make him that receiueth it to become a member of the body of Christ as being admitted into his Church by it and to dispose and prepare him for the rest of the Sacraments after it The general effect of Baptisme which it hath commune with all the Sacraments is to giue grace to the sanctification of soules and this it doth after soe full and plentifull a manner that it remitteth all sinne whatsoeuer original and actual great and litle and forgiueth all punishment due to it in the next world Rom. 6. We are buried saith the Apostle together with him by Baptisme vnto death That is to the death and destruction of sinne and of all punishment after it We haue a figure of this in Naaman the leptose Prince of Syria who washing himselfe in the waters of Iordan Reg. 4 5. as the Prophet had praescribed to him he came forth soe cleane and perfectly cured that the Holy Ghost saith his flesh was restored as the flesh of a litle child Ezechiel prophecyed of this saying I will powre out
soe doe haeretiks deride the caeremonys of the Church but we haue an answere for them in Dauids words I will humble my selfe both in soule and body to God and will serue him with all my might spiritually and corporally This is a sufficient answere to all obiections against caeremonys There are two kinds of caeremonys Two kindes of caeremonys the one hath a direct and immediate relation to God without representing any particular mystery as kneeling at our prayers or to the B. Sacrament holding vp our hands adorning of Churches and the like The other is of caeremonys which represent some particular mystery as the signe of the Cros in relation to the Passion of Christ and the caeremonys of the masse and of the Sacraments which for the most part signify somethinge of his life or death By the first we humble our selues to God in the condition of our nature the same we doe also by the second and furthermore by them we remember and honour the mysterys which they represent All the caeremonys of the Church are in the same nature as corporal sacrifices Sacraments and vocal prayers outward expressions of our inward affection Neither can there be any thinge obiected against the nature of caeremonys but it hath the same force against them This is sufficient for caeremonys in general Now for the particular caeremonys of baptisme we neede but to shew that they haue holy significations The font consecrated First then the font is consecrated with holy oyle to signify the inward vnction of the Holy Ghost by the grace of baptisme Oyle is a liquor which spreadeth it selfe mollifyeth that which is hard and cureth wounds And therefor may well signify grace which diffused in our harts dilateth it selfe by good works softeneth and tendereth them to the loue of God and cureth vs from deadly sinne and therfor oile is often vsed in the Sacraments and caeremonys of the Church and was vsed in the law of Moyses Exod. 29. Exod 40. by the expresse commande of God in the consecration of Priests and of things that belonged to the Church The tabernacle and vessell theirof the altare of holocaust and the vessell theirof the lauer with the fâ—ote their of all shalt thou consecrate with the oile of vnction that it may be most holy The font being consecrated the child is brought to the doore and stayeth there to signify that we must first lay downe our burden of sinne and ease ourselues of it if we will enter into the house of our Lord. He is instructed in the christian doctrine by the Pater Noster and Creede c. Those that are baptized at yeares of discretion answere for themselues those that can not answere for themselues haue their God fathers to see them instructed in the duetys of a christian God fathers It was the Apostles care as they were pastors ouer all to prouide spirituall foode of instruction both for great and litle and therefor they instituted Godfathers in Baptisme who as nurses might feede yong christians and strengthen them in the doctrine of the Catholike Church That great Philosopher of Athens who liued in Christs time and was conuerted by the preaching of S. Paul was chosen of God for the recorder of the Church in those times and he as an eye witnesse hath declared the vse of Godfathers in these words Dionys part 3. c. 3. Ecclefiashier It hath seemed good to our captaines to receiue infants after that manner that the natural parents of the child should deliuer him to some man learned in diuine things whom as vnder a master or diuine father he leadeth the rest of his life Him whom S. Denis calleth there Diuine father we keeping the very same terme call him Godfather and this office was as you see by institution of the Apostles who were our captaines or els of Christ himselfe He further declareth in what words the Godfather vsed to vndertake his charge saying Ipromise to bring this child to the knowledge of holy thinges that by my serious admonitions he renounce the contrary and performe what he hath promised S. Augustine in a Sermon of Baptisme which he made after easter when it vsed to be more solemnely administred declareth in what things they ought to instruct their Godchildren Teach them saith he to obserue chastity to loue iustice to conserue charity and aboue all teach them the Pater Noster Crede and ten Commandements and the first rudiments of the christian religion This institution of Godfathers was very much to the aduancement of christian piety in all those that were to be baptized who although they were at yeares of discretion yet as yong christians were to be instructed in religion and deuotion Prou. 22. A yong man according to his way when he is old will not departe from it I haue somethinge of this disc 1. treating of instruction The Councell of Trent to auoide confusion in the office of Godfathers hath commanded that there shall be but one either a Godfather or a Godmother or at most both a Godfather and a Godmother Exorcismes are vsed to expell the deuils if they haue gotten any power ouer or about the party and that they may not hinder the due administring of the Sacrament In these exorcismes that power is exercized which Christ promised and gaue to his Apostles ouer vncleane spirits that they should cast them out Mat. 10. The signe of the Cros is often made in remembrance of Christs Passion and to signify that this as all other Sacraments hath its power and vertue from it Imposition of hands is vsed to signify the spiritual cure which is then done Christ declaring to his Apostles that they should cure by imposition of hands Spitle Spitle is put vpon the eares nose and mouth and the word Epheta is said in imitation of the same caeremonys of our Sauiour when he restored the impotent man of the ghospelâ— and to shew the custody Salt which we ought to haue of our senses against temptations Salt is put into the mouth to commende vnto vs wisdome in speech and actions salt signifying wisdome for as it is the seasoning of meates Col. 4. soe is wisdome and discretion the seasoning of our words and deeds Your talke allwais with grace let it be seasoned with salt saith the Apostle And because it is hard to speake much with discretion and without sinne therefor silence is often seasonable and much talke vnseasonable The Creede is said to professe the faith of Christ and the Pater Noster to signify our hopes in his merits which are then applyed The annointing signifyeth our spiritual warrfarre that as wrestlers aunciantly annointed themselues to become more actiue against their enemys soe we against the spirituals of wickednesse Godfathers in behalfe of their children renounce the deuils power and aske baptisme in their name that they may come as volunteers and not forced souldiers into the wartfare of Christ Baptisme is then giuen
is the body and blood of Christ according to the words of our Lord. and although thy sense doth suggest this faith doth confirme thee Iudge not by tast but beleeue by faith for most certaine without doubt Hil. l. 8. de Trin. that the body and blood is then giuen to thee S. Hilarius Of the verity of flesh and blood there is noe place of doubt left By the profession of our Lord himselfe and by our faith it is flesh and blood indeede Amb. l. 4. c. 4. Is nothis the truth let it be vntrue to them who deny Iesus Christ to be true God S. Ambrose This is bread before the sacramental words but the consecration being done of bread it is made the flesh of Christ S. Chrysostome Chrysos ho. 24. in cor 1. l. 3. de Sacerd ho. 2. ad pop Antioch We adore him on the altare as the sages did in the manger and againe O miracle he that sitteth with the father in heauen at the very same time is handled of men beneath Christ ascending to heauen both hath his flesh with him and left it beneath Elias left his cloke to his disciple Aug. inps 33. but the sonne of man ascending left his owne flesh S. Augustine vpon the 33. Psalme admiring how Dauid could carry himselfe in his owne hands concludeth that it is to be vnderstoode of Christ when at the last supper he tooke himselfe literally into his owne hands Thus did the fathers of the primitiue Church beleeue of the Eucharist acknowledging allwais the omnipotent power of God to be miraculous in it This beleefe continued in the world for a thousand yeares or there abouts before any haeretike opposed it and when it beganne to be opposed the Church in seueral general Councels declared the truth of it and condemned the contrary as heresy Conc. Lateran sub Innocen 5. Conc. Rom. ex Cocleo l. 1. hist Hussit Conc. Constantien sess 8. Conc. Trid. sess 13. cap. 1. can 1. Berengarius was the first that publikly denyed the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist who reiecting the commune and receiued doctrine of the Church denyed that to be the body of Christ which Christ affirmed to be his body interpreting his words as he liked himselfe contrary to all authority in an illiteral and vnpropper sense That which he gott for his paines was to haue his doctrine condemned in seueral Councels But at last being touched inwardly with remorse of conscience he recanted And although he fell into heresys againe yet he had soe much feeling of the auctority of the Church and of a General Councel as that he recanted againe and which is very rare in such men he remained repentant vnto his death and being then affrighted at the thought of his former errors he is recorded to haue confessed the horrour of his conscience saying for my repentance I hope for glory but because I haue seduced others I feare torments Zuinglius and Caluin haue lately renewed his doctrine againe but we haue for the Catholike faith the words of Christ in the Scriptures the scriptures interpreted by the holy fathers and their interpretations approued of by the authority of the whole Church in general Councels Now that the Eucharist is a Sacrament I doe not perceiue that any haeretike doth deny it who alloweth of Sacraments Io. 6. for those that hold but two or three Sacramēts haue the Eucharist for one of them And it appeareth to be an outward signe which causeth grace in vs in that Christ promised if anyman eate of this bread he shall liue for euer OF TRANSVBSTANTIATION Quaest Is there any bread or wine in the Eucharist ANS Noe it seemeth but soe The bread and wine are conuerted by the words of consecration in to the true body and blood of our Lord. AFTER that Berengarius had recanted his first errour in which he denyed the true and real presence of Christ in the Eucharist he fell into a second in which he affirmed that the substance of bread and wine still remaine after consecration soe that there was noe transubstantiation that is to say conuersion or change of one substance into another but this was also condemned as an heresy and he in the end abiured it We beleeue then that in the consecration the substance of bread and wine are destroyed and changed by the power of God into another substance The holy fathers haue allwais acknowledged this conuersion of substance to be in the Eucharist and haue applyed diuerse figures out of the old testament and other similitudes to declare the Catholike doctrine in this The rodd of Moyses was transubstantiated that is conuerted into the substance of a Serpent The waters of Aegypt were turned into blood Water at the feast of Cana was changed by our sauiour into very good wine Soe by the omnipotency of God the substance of bread and wine is conuerted into the body of our Lord. And these very similitudes are vsed by the fathers to this purpose Iren. l 3. cont haereses c. 2. Amb. l. 4. de Sacram. c. 4. lib. de his qui initiantur myst S. Irenaeus declareth it by the water turned into wine S. Ambrose by the rod of Moyses and the waters of Aegypt Moyses his rod saith he was turned into a serpent and from a serpent into a rod againe The riuers of Aegypt were running with water and their fountaines on a suddaine brokeforth with blood and at the prayers of the Prophet the blood is turned into water againe If humane blessing haue such power what shall we say of the diuine consecration where the words of our Lord and Sauiour doe operate If at the words of Elias fire descended from heauen shall not the words of Christ haue power to change the kinds of elements Thou hast read of the creation of the world he said and it was done And could the word of Christ create of nothing that which before was not and could he not change that which was into another thinge which was also What more could we haue desired S. Ambrose to say All things are possible and easy to God and nothing more easy then another to him Yet to our vnderstandings it is easier to conuert somethinge that is all ready into some other thinge that is also then to create some thinge of iust nothing What difficulty is there then that God who with a word of his power created heauen and earth and made all things of nothing should change the substances of bread and wine into the substance of his sacred body which he would leaue with vs It is a miracle which God would worke and the fathers of the Catholike Church haue allwaies acknowledged it soe and that there is here a change of natures but if there were onely a change in the signification as the Zuinglians and Caluinists say or onely in the real presence as the Lutherans say then there were noe miraculous change of that which were
in the Church and the auncient and true doctrine was better vnderstoode that it was not of obligation for all to receiue vnder both kindes For as the Councell of Trent hath obserued when Christ said vnles you eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood you shall not haue life in you Io. 6. He added also he that eateth this bread shall liue for euer By which he declared that the benefit of the Eucharist is receiued as much in the host onely as in both the host and the chalice euerlasting life being promised to those that eate that sacred bread OF THE EFFECTS OF THE Eucharist THE effect of the Eucharist is to giue grace by which we become the adopted children of God nourished and fedd as it were at his owne table our soules hauing satiety in him and obtaining by it the fullnes of his glory That where as according to S. Tract 26. in Io. Augustine by other meate and drinke we seeke to be satiated there is noe true satiety but in this by which we gaine heauen And it is especially gained by this Sacrament both by reason of the more special vnion which we baue with Christ in it and also for that the gift of perseuerance is especially here obtained as by a strong and nourishing bread It remitteth sinne and preserueth from future sinne according to the disposition of the receiuer according to which also it blotteth out the punishment due to it It hath for its propper effect to feede and to strengthen the soule to keepe it in spiritual health and vigour And because for the most part it is receiued with more feruour and sweetnes of deuotion and outwardly in the similitude of bread therfor it is compared to the Manna of the Israëlits which is thought by some to haue had the sweetnes of all tasts S. L. 8. ep 62. Ambrose We haue the Manna euery day rayning downe vpon vs that body which came from the virgin and S. Iohn Chrysostome therefor calleth it the fountaine of paradise from whence sensible riuers flow Ho. 45 to 1. The Saints of God haue bene soe transported with spiritual consolations in the receiuing of the Eucharist that good and authentical writers haue recorded of some who haue liued for diuerse months and of others who for some yeares together haue bene susteined without any other foode S. Katherine of Siena was singularly deuoted to the blessed Sacrament She receiued it euery day except her Confessour commanded the contrary whom she obeyed in all things and noe doubt but that for a long time she was susteined onely by it In her life it is said that as children earne vnto their mothers brests soe did she to the blessed Sacrament and that it often happening that she being in an extasy all the time of masse vntill Communion and then comming to her selfe would say O my Lord although I were dead I should reuiue againe to enioy thee THE SACRAMENT OF Pennance Quest What is the Sacrament of Pennance Answ Pennance is a Sacrament by which we haue the forgiunesse of sinnes in Confession FIRST we will shew that this is a Sacrament in the forgiuenesse of sinnes and then we will declare the parts of it and benefits which are receiued by it Although Luther for the most part denyeth this to be a Sacrament and laboureth with other Protestants to robb the world of the benefit of it yet l. de capt bab he saith that it is a Sacrament There he saith truely for it is soe indeede and hath all that is included euen in the Protestants definition of a Sacrament Apol. Confess art 13. which is to be an outward signe instituted of Christ by which grace is promised And this it shall appeare to be Amongst the many apparitions which Christ made betwixt his Resurrection and Ascension to his disciples S. Iohn hath recorded that once he came and stood in the midst of them and said Peace be to you Io. 20. And when he had said this he shewed them his hands and side and said againe Peace be to you As my father hath sent mee I also doe send you And he breathed vpon them and said Receiue ye the Holy Ghost whose sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen them and whose you shall retaine they are retained This is all which the Euangelist mentioneth to haue passed in that solemne apparition which must therfor include some great mystery Hence it appeareth that this is a Sacrament for where forgiunes of sinnes is promised there grace is promised And this forgiuing and retaining of sinnes being giuen to the Apostles and their successors to be practised by them who vnderstande not the inward of mens minds and consciences the poenitent must declare his sinnes to them that they may know what and how to forgiue or to retaine them And soe there is all that is included in the nature of a Sacrament to wit an outward signe both in the poenitent confessing and in the Priest absoluing and that outward signe instituted of Christ to giue grace vnto sanctification By which the Catholike doctrine is made manifest that power is giuen to the Church to forgiue sinnes For is it likely that Christ would appeare in all those circumstances and mysterious caeremonys giuing them the Holy Ghost for nothing but onely to let them know that God can and doth forgiue sinnes The Apostles esteemed soe highly of this grace that they made the forgiuenesse of sinnes an article of the Creede to wit by the power of the Catholike Church which they had professed in the article before Is it likely that they meant to make it an article of the Creede that God can and doth forgiue sinnes After that they vnderstoode that themselues had power to forgiue sinnes they being sent as Christ was sent and the Holy Ghost being giuen soe particularly then to them and therfor they feared not to practise the forgiuing of sinnes Priests of themselues haue not power to forgiue sinnes for noe man of himselfe hath that power They haue it of God as the vicars and substitutes of him who gaue it them God giu's power to priests as kings doe to iudges Iudges represent the person of the king and Priests represent the diuine maiesty Iudges must be informed and soe must priests iudges giue sentence and their sentences are ratifyed by the king God giueth authority to priests and their sentēces are ratifyed by him he that contemneth the authority of the iudge contemneth the authority of the king and he that contemneth the priests authority contemneth the diuine maiesty Christ hauing made them his iudges and set them in his owne place with power to binde and to loose promising that what they did vpon earth should be ratifyed in heauen That Christ did truely giue this power to the Church his words are as plane as words vse to be and that plane words might not be misconstrued he deliuered them in such circumstances as might binde them as
it were to that sense First he told them that he sent them as his father had sent him who forgaue sinnes Then he breathed vpon them and badd them receiue the Holy Ghost what for it must needs be for some great worke and eminent power Then he told them what it was for to wit to forgiue sinnes Is not this as plane as can be Besides we destroy all connexion and sense in the words of Christ if we will haue him to say whose sinnes you shall forgiue when they could forgiue none at all He that shall call this power of forgiuing sinnes power onely to declare that God then forgiueth the poenitent his sinnes and shall say that priests doe not forgiue but onely declare that God then forgiueth shall say nothing to the purpose For although it be true that priests doe not forgiue sinnes by their owne natural power but doe declare that God then forgiueth with them yet they doe properly forgiue and as properly as iudges doe who hauing commission from the king to punish or to pardon are properly said to pardon that crime which the king pardoneth by them Soe priests pardon and forgiue sinnes by commission and power from God And he that calleth it power to forgiue calleth it as Christ did and he that will call it onely power to declare miscalleth it and sheweth in himselfe a contentious and contradicting minde in reiecting of those termes which Christ and his Church doth vse To say that God can not giue that power to men for that it were to deuest himselfe of his owne power is disprooued in fact for that Christ euen according to his humanity had and exercized that power and when the Iewes murmured at him for it as haeretiks doe against priests he prooued it by a miracle as is declared in the tenth article of the Creede Besides what is there that God can not doe or what impossibility is there in the giuing of that power to men It is a supernatural power noe harder to be giuen then supernatural power is for the working of miracles as for casting out of deuils who by nature are farre superiour to vs yet that power was giuen to the Apostles and they practized it as their successors also doe to good effect And for God to giue the power of forgiuing sinnes to men is not to deuest himselfe of it but it is rather to vest himselfe with mercy and iustice as becommeth him mercy in accepting of soe small a worke iustice in requiring that worke of vs. We will see what the fathers of the primitiue Church haue said of this power and that in their times Confession was practised for the remission of sinnes Dion ep 8. ad Deâ—ophi S Denis the disciple of S. Paul declareth that it was then the order of discipline for sinners to come prostrate to priests for the forgiuenes of sinnes Tert l. do â—anit Tertullian hath much of prostrating to the priest in Confession saying that when they come to his feete they touch Christ and beseech Christ And that it is a happy and profitable shame and to animate all to good and cleere Confessions he saith if thou dost repugne from Confession thinke that thou hast hell in thy hart and thou driuest it out by Confession Imagine the greatnes of that punishment and feare not that which doth remedy it S. Cyprian de laps Brethren I intreate euery one to Confesse his sinnes in this world whilst his Confession and remission which is by priests is acceptable Paulinus in vita Ambrosij that S. Ambrose by shedding teares in the Confession of his poenitents drew teares from them also S. Augustine Ho. 49. ex 50. homilijs Let noe man say I doe pennance priuatly with God who knoweth my sinnes for then in vaine as it said whose sinnes you forgiue c. were then the keyes giuen in vaine to the Church of God we frustrate the ghospell and the words of Christ and promise to our selues that which he denyeth L. 2. de vifie infir c. 4. And in another place There are some that thinke it sufficient to Confesse tâ—eir sinnes to God For they will not or are ashamed to shew themselues to the priests whom God hath appointed to discerne of leprosy â—eu 13. 14. deceiue not thy selfe be not ashamed to Confesse to the Vicar of Christ For his iudgment also thou must vndergoe And he biddeth vs a litle after to consider ourselues then as hauing the Angell of God before vs and with confidence and reuerence to lay open to him the state of our conscience and all our secret sinnes with the circumstances that aggrauate them and declaring in particular some circumstances necessary to be confessed he saith it is better to be ashamed here before one iudge then at the day of iudgment to be repulsed in the sight of all the world Thus much for the institution of this Sacrament and the practise of the primitiue Church The essential parts of it consist in somethinge which is done by the poenitent and somethinge by the priest That which is required of the poenitent is Contrition Confession and Satisfaction which are the matter of the SacrameÌ„t as the acts of him that seeketh to be reconeiled to God For as recoÌ„ciliation vnto human freindship requireth those three things in the offender to wit sorrow for his falt acknowledgment of it and satisfaction for it soe doth also our reconcilement with God That which is required on the priests part is to giue absolution as the forme of the Sacrament God vsing humane meanes when he pardoneth by men This Sacrament doth not allwais take away all punishment due to the sinnes which were forgiuen For our soules hauing bene purged before and made the temples of God in baptisme and we hauing polluted them againe with new sinnes we can not in reason expect to haue all due punishment to be taken away by this as we had by baptisme God was espoused to vs in the holy font and when after it we fell into sinne we basely adulterated and broke our fidelity with him it is well that he will receiue vs to his fauour againe we must not thinke to haue as much in this Sacrament as we had at first in baptisme according to the deuotion and disposition which we haue soe is our punishment more or lesse forgiuen He that loueth much shall haue much for giuen him Now let vs see how to dispose ourselues for it Three things as I haue said are required on the poenitents part Contrition Confession and Satisfaction First OF CONTRITION BY Contrition we may vnderstande all that which the poenitent is to doe before Confession as a preparation to it He is to examine his conscience to be sorty for his sinnes and to purpose to amende them and if any of these three things be wanting the Sacrament is not onely without fruit but a mortal sinne is committed As for examen of conscience those that haue abstained
thee downe instantly into hell and what it is to want the mediation of Christ of our B. Lady thy good Angell thy patrone and of all the Saints and the suffrages of the Church thou wouldst not remaine one moment in that state It is a humane thinge saith S. Gregory to erre but diabolical to perseuer in it If we fall into sinne we doe but like men if we rize againe we doe as the Saints haue done but if we perseuer in sinne we are like the deuil who must remaine in sinne for euer OF EXTREME-VNCTION THIS Sacrament hath for its propper effect to giue grace and strength against temptations at our death For the hopes of our enemy being then at the last he striueth all he can against vs. Apoc. 12. The deuill is descended to you hauing great wrath knowing that he hath but a litle time Said the heauenly voice which S. Iohn heard Some he tempteth to presumption others to dispaire some by too much loue to their freinds and family some thinke of nothing but the riches which they leaue some by too much desire of life that they will not apprehende nor prepare themselues for death and generally as we draw neerer to our ends we grow more subiect to extremitys of passions all which the deuill knoweth how to make vse of to our hurt But his commune temptation is to terrify sinners with greeuous feare and affrightments at their sinnes past Sap. 4. They shall come fearefull in cogitation of their sinnes and their iniquitys on the contrary shall conuince them Saith holy wisdome Neither shall their naturall courage and strength then auaile them any thinge though neuer soe bold and bragging in time of health Great Saints haue shewed much feare at their death S. Hilarion whose perfection S. vita Hilar. Hierome describing saith that great concourse of bishops priests Clergymen and monks sought to him the temptation of christian matrons followed him multitudes of the common people potentates and iudges came to receiue holy bread and oile of him and yet his minde continued fixed on solitude yet for all this when he came to dy he was oppressed with such a feare and horrour of death that to encourage his soule he said Goe forth what dost thou feare goe forth my soule what dost thou doubt of thou hast serued Christ now almost seuenty yeares and dost thou feare death If Saints at their death haue bene thus terrifyed what may they expect who haue committed many sinnes and perhaps but lately repented for them and perhaps but sleightly and haue but few good works then for their comfort Therefor our Sauiour hath prouided this Sacrament as an armour for vs against that time S. Iames Iam. 5. is any man sicke among you let him bring in the priests of the Church and let them pray ouer him anoiling him with oile in the name of our Lord. And the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke and our Lord shall lift him vp and if he be in sinnes they shall be remitted him By which words we haue the practise of the Catholike Church well prooued and Etreme Vnction declared to be a Sacrament that is an outward signe that sanctifyeth vs. There is an outward signe in the external rite of anoiling and in the forme of words signifyed by prayer And that this outward signe causeth grace vnto sanctification the words following doe declare in that sinnes are remitted which can not be but by grace being receiued And it followeth hence that Christ instituted it For the Apostles had not the power of instituting such signes neither could S. Iames haue promised remission of sinnes by it if Christ had not instituted it Luth. Praef. ad nou Test and giuen it that power It is true Luther reiects this Epistle of S. Iames denying it to be canonical and calling it an Epistle of straw but the authority of the whole Church hath declared it for canonical And if the whole Church be not sufficient for Luther we will put Caluin into the ballance against him an authour at least of equall grauity with him Caluin l. 3. Instit. c. 17. and Caluin holdeth it for canonical S. Bernard in vita Malach. relateth of S. Malachy that he assisting with a sicke woman and not thinking her to be in such danger as to require the Sacrament of Extreme-Vnction departed from her without ministring it but she dying in his absence he returned againe full of sorrow and pittying that she should want the benefit of it he fell to his prayers restored her to life againe And then saith S. Bern he anoiled her knowing that by this Sacrament sinnes are remitted and that the prayer of faith saueth the sicke The holy oile is then applyed as a spiritual salue to the senses because by occasion of our senses we committe sinne But beside the spiritual remedy which our soules gaine by it it hath also a corporal effect of giuing health to the body as the Apostle declareth the sicke being saued and alleuiated by it By reason of which effect this Sacrament is not giuen in danger of death by warre or otherwise but onely by sicknes OF THE SACRAMENT of Orders THE Sacrament of Orders is that which Priests Deacons Subdeacons and others receiue when they are ordained by which they receiue spiritual power for the gouernment of the Church Tim. 1.4 That it is a Sacrament it appeareth by the words of S. Paul to Timothy Neglect not the grace which is giuen thee by prophecy with imposition of the hands of the priesthood By this it hath all which is conteined in the nature of a Sacrament the imposition of hands and the words that are said which are there signifyed by Prophecy being an external signe Amb. in Tim. by which grace in giuen Vpon which words S. Ambrose saith that Timothy by the imposition of the hands of priesthood was designed to the worke ard receiued authority that he durst offer sacrifice to God in our Lords steede The same power is expressed by the words of the bishop when heordaineth priests saying Receiue thou authority to offer for the liuing and the dead in the name of our Lord. To offer there is to offer sacrifice as S. Ambrose also expresseth it and to offer sacrifice is the most propper office of priests priest and sacrifice going allwais together soe that there can be noe priest but he must haue power to offer sacrifice The propper and peculiar effect of this Sacrament is to giue grace to exercize worthily Ecclesiastical functions Which power and grace as it is in the Church of Christ is most high and eminent aboue all dignitys For what can be compared to the dignity of christian priests Both in respect of their power of Orders by which they consecrate the most blesed host and also in respect of their power of iurisdiction by which they remitte sinnes Neither of which is within the Angels power And therefor priesthood is not obtained in
deceiue soe much as one learned priest but onely some carnal and simple women As priests are aboue Angels in dignity soe it is fitting that they should imitate their purity and Angels neither marry nor are married Nay it is fitting that they should be as the Catholike Church hath ordained them to be aboue Angels in this that Angels are chast by nature onely but priests are chast by the grace of this Sacrament and by vow which is better It was the auncient custome of the Church as now it is for the Clergy to weare their crownes shauen S. Denis who liued in the Apostles times maketh mention of it Eccl. Hierar c. 6. S. Beda deriueth the first vse of it from S. Peter it representeth the crowne of thornes of our sauiour It denoteth the dignity of priests as kings Of whom the words of S. Peter 1.1 L. 5. hist Aug. c 2â— may cheesly be vnderstoode saying you are an elect generation a kingly priesthood It signifyeth also that priests are to reiect all vaine superfluitys of this world and to betake themselues to the spiritual lot and part which they haue chosen OF MATRIMONY MATRIMONY is declared by the Councel of Florence to be a true and propper Sacrament Sess vitim one of the number of the seauen Sacraments of the law of Christ instituted by him to giue grace And therefore amongst christians it is absolutly indissoluble which as a contract of nature onely it is not It hath for its propper effect to remedy the vnlawfull concupiscences of the flesh and to giue grace to man and woman to liue together in mutual loue and coniugal chastity and to bring vp their children in the seruice of God It is called by S. Eph. 15. Paul a great Sacrament to wit in the mystery which it representeth of the marriage of Christ with his Church to which for euer he hath espoused himselfe and as a good husband allwais loueth it teacheth it defendeth it prouideth for it and remaineth for euer the head of it By this similitude we haue the duety of marriage wel deciphered and man and wife by it are taught how to behaue themselues to each other Christ loueth his Church with an infinite loue the Church also loueth him with a continuall and neuer interrupted loue Christ suffered for his Church giuing euen his life to gaine her an immaculate Spouse The Church also suffereth for him in the blood of her children that in her victorys of martyrdome she may well say to him as Sephora did to Moyses Exod 4. a bloody spouse thou art to mee when she saw the blood of her children circumcised by him Christ as a good husband beareth with many imperfections and sinnes that are committed in the Church and vpbraideth her not but pittyeth her and furthereth the amendment of them by faire meanes and good words calling her his freind his beloued his faire one and the Church as a good wife confesseth her falts and asketh pardon for them submitting herselfe more humble then Sara calling him her Lord her master her sauiour Finally Christ sitteth at the right hand of his father allwais ready to mediate for his Church in heauen and hath prouided to remaine also with her in the B. Sacrament allwais vpon earth and the Church reciprocally laboreth for him giuing Sacraments offering sacrifice exhorting commanding reprehending and punishing of her people to make them honour him Thus ought man and wife to liue together in continuall loue and to beare patiently and contentedly together the tribulations of marriage not vpbraiding one another with their falts but with wise and milde termes to procure the amendment of them and to concurre together in all things both to their spiritual and temporal good Of this vnion loue and goodnes of married folkes dependeth very much the good of all mankind and therfor it is often and earnestly commended in the Scriptures In the first marriage of man and woman in Paradise God to to shew the loue which he would haue betwixt man and wife would frame the wife of a true and reall part of her husbands body and not of his hands fingars or toes not soe intimate to him but of a ribbe of his side neere to his â—art And when Adam awakened out of his sleepe and first saw her he was presently enamoured with a holy loue of her as his lawfull wife and euen then presently he beganne to giue documents to married folkes saying Gen. 2. For this man shall leaue his father and mother and shall cleaue to his Wife anâ— they shall be two in one fles This Adam spoke to his posterity whom in the spirit of prophecy he foresaw and would forwarne of mutual loue that as man and wife are but one in flesh Soe they might be in minde and will according together to take a part in all things And therefor Adam called her his fellow companion as participating with him in a happy and good company all dissension and diuision betwixt them being contrary to the Sacrament and in it selfe most greeuous eueÌ„ as the diuiding of liuing flesh which bleedeth and smarteth on both sides or as the cutting of the whole body into two which can not be but with excessiue torment and certaine death Soe the diuision and dissention betwixt man and wife is allwais painefull on both sides and if it be in a matter of moment or with scandall it is death and damnation to their soules The best therefor is to reflect well vpon the inconueniences of marriage before hand and to preuent them Yong folke many times deceiue themselues who setting their mindes too earnestly vpon marriage imagin great happines and nothing but content in it But this content lasteth but a while with them For as soone as they feele the tribulations of that state they beginne to loath it and by litle and litle to thinke them vntollerable and to wish themselues vnmarried againe And this is soe commune that as the saying is one priest hat could vnmarry would haue worke enough for many priests These resemble litle children that cry after their mothers they will not be quiet till they haue their desire and within a while they beginne to be weary and cry to be backe againe Marriages that are made without due consideration and especially with out being well commended to God haue many times the like issue and these are often obserued to be of those who marry very yong who indeede seldome apprehende rightly that which they vndertake But what remedy When they are once married there is then none but in true vertue and a good coÌ„science they must setle themselues and be contented with the sower and the sweet taking one with the other as it shall please God to sende them and when any Cros happeneth with a constant and heroical minde to beare it for Gods sake and to accustome themselues to some good words in those occasions as Gods will be done or the like expecting patiently
neighbour But some louers of diuision will needs diuide the first Commandement into two and breake the connexion which the doctors of the Church haue commonly acknowledged in them They will haue the first to conteine all vnto the end of those words Thou shalt not haue strange Gods before mee and the second Commandement to beginne at the words following and to conteine the forbidding of images and pictures because they thinke by this meanes to giue it more force against the auncient and Catholike doctrine which alloweth them to be worshipped as holy thinges where it hath indeede noe force at all against it as I shall presently shew Onely obserue here that it maketh noe more against images in two Commandements then in one soe that we keepe the same words and their propper translations which not withstanding those very men haue made bold to alter I remember that a Protestant freind of mine once obiected to mee that Catholiks had taken away one of the ten Commandements meaning that we had put two into one to mainteine our doctrine of the worship of images But those that had soe possessed this ignorant man had manifestly deceiued him for the Catholike Church hath declared nothing in this but leaueth it indifferent to be vnderstoode as one or as two Commandements That which the Catholike Church teacheth is that which the Holy Ghost saith Exod. 34. Deut. 4. and that is that the Commandements are ten in number but to any particular manner of diuiding them the Church obligeth not Those that will diuide the first into two must take heed that they make not eleauen Commandements and if to remedy this they shall ioyne the two last into one then they fall into another inconuenience which is to make fower Commandements in the first table and six onely in the second which is contrary to the commune and auncient manner of diuiding them into three of the first table belonging to God and seauen of the second table belonging to our neighbour which S. Augustine approoueth of Aug. quest 71 in Exod. and which hath in it selfe most cōnexion For that there is more cōnexion betwixt forbidding strange Gods and forbidding of grauen thinges to be adored and serued then there is betwixt the desire of adultery and the desire of theft as is manifest they being in two destinct kindes of sinne and therfor with more reason shall be diuided into two Commandements then the first Thus much for the diuision of the Commandements Thou shalt not haue strange Gods before mee VVorship of images Two things are here commanded The one positiue to wit to worship the true God the other negatiue prohibiting the worship of false Gods And although the second be included in the first because the worship of the true God excludeth the worship of false Gods yet because the Israelits were a people prone to idolatry and to liue in the midst of Idolatrous nations that they might not fall into that sinne as in the end they did when Ieroboam Achab and other wicked kings pretended to worship the God of Israel when they worshipped idols also therefor they were not onely commanded to worship God but also expresly forbidden to worship strange Gods And by this we may vnderstande the sense of the words following thou shalt not make to thee a grauen thinge nor any similitude c. to be that they should not make them to be adored and serued as Gods Sap. 13. which the Gentil idolatours did who haue called the works of mens hands Gods and whom holy wisdome in the same place reprooueth for that either the fire or the winde or the swift ayre or a circle of starres or exceeding much water or the Sunne and the moone they thought to be Gods rulers of the world This was perfect idolatry and this was that which God would here preuent in the Israelits and by this the worship of images with inferiour onely and not diuine worship but as holy things is not forbidden But suppose that the Israelits were commanded here not onely not to worship images and pictures with diuine worship in themselues but also not to haue them amongst them it would make nothing against vs. Many things were forbidden them which are lawfull to vs the circumstances of that imperfect law of that peoples weaknesse of those times and places requiring it They were forbidden to eate blood because they were of themselues a bloody people and in the Apostles times it was necessary to obserue it as a praecept Act. 15. but now it is not Certaine corporal clensings were commanded them and certaine creatures were forbidden to be eaten as vncleane and these were neither obserued in the Apostles times nor are now Images and pictures in those idolatrous times might be forbidden them to haue for their pronenesse to idolatry but the Apostles had them and we haue them and worship them as holy thinges in the law of Christ which was to be and hath bene as we see the dostruction of idolatry That which the Commandements oblige vnto by obligation of nature that we and all people are bounde to obserue but that which they commande as propper to the Israelits onely obligeth not vs. He therefor that would make a good argument against our worship of images must prooue that it is forbidden either by some particular praecept propper to vs or by a natural praecept commune to all but this none can euer prooue As for any particular praecept propper to vs there is none can or doth offer to produce any praecept by which images are forbidden to be worshipped particularly by christians And for any general praecept forbidding by nature the worship of images as holy thinges it is contrary to reason to the scriptures to General Councels and to the practise of the primitiue and present Church Natural reason and order requireth that euery thinge be honored according to its natural goodnesse God is to be worshipped as God with supreme and diuine worship primely in himselfe and creatures with inferiour worship according to their nature as they haue more or lesse relation to God We giue ciuill honour to one another and especially to our superiors as hauing a neerer relation to him that is supreme and we giue religious worship to holy things as they haue more or lesse relation to him Images then hauing a particular relation to God by the holy things which they represent are to be worshipped with a holy and religious worship natural reason teaching that when we worship any thinge we should worship that also which hath relation vnto it because in respect of it and for its sake it deserueth also some worship and therefor we loue all that haue relation to our freinds and worship our superiors for Gods sake whom they represent We are not then forbidden by any praecept of nature to worship images with a secondary and relatiue worship but we are taught by natural reason that as they haue relation to the holy things
haue noe correspondence from beyond the seas promising that if they would take this oth they should haue their Churches deliuered to them The first thinge which the Catholike Bishops did was to make a resolute and vnanimous profession of their faith They sent therefor to the king in these words We haue allwais said and now say and will allwais say we are bishops we are christians we all hold one true and Apostolical faith But as for the oth some of them were of minde to take it hauing a scruple of their Churches being otherwise detained from them others fearing some deceit in the busines excused themselues with the words of Christ I say to you not to sweare at all But in fine they were all to be banished those that would take the oth as men of noe conscience that would sweare to any thinge and those that would not because they loued not the king Such is the performance of haeretiks promises It is not onely vnlawfull to take the name of God in vaine but also to sweare by his creatures For as the power and goodnes of God is resplendent in them he that abuseth them abuseth God It is then an euil custome that which some haue of swearing by this light by this fire and the like oths Mat. 5. by which this Commandement is broken and therefor Christ I say to you not to sweare at all neither by heauen because it is the throne of God neither by the earth because it is the footstoole of his feet This Commandement is broken by vaine oths vaine promises by breaking of vowes by prophaning of Scriptures applying them to idle and iâ—reuerent purposes by blaspheming and cursing c. It is an vnworthy thinge to see the irreuerence of some to this Commandement and to the most sacred name of God which vpon euery occasion they abuse powring forth oths vpon oths as water vpon the face of the earth Base minded men who because they see the patience of God with sinners that presently he striketh them not they contemne him and where as they flatter men and giue faire words to their enemys for feare they rize vp against God with oths curses and blasphemys as though they would fight and be reuenged of him Those that haue this euill custome may be thought to haue committed a mortal sinne when they first gott it and although they can not on a suddaine quite leaue it of yet they are bounde vnder a mortal sinne to endeauour against it That which is propper to this sinne is to harden the hart more then other sinnes doe and to dispose those that vse it to all other sinnes for as it hath a vaine and seeming brauery in the opinion of foolish men soe they take more complacence and continuelonger in it euen to the hardening of their harts soe that they haue almost noe feeling of the offence of God And therefor the Holy Ghost hath said Aman that sweareth much shall he filled with iniquity Eccl. 23. L. 4. Dial. â— 18. And then presently he addeth and plague shall not depart from his house For it is obserued of swearing that beside the punishment of the next world it is often exemplarly punished in this S. Gregory relateth of a child that was visibly taken away from his father by the deuils for cursing and swearing Which was such an example as perhaps the like is hardly read of in punishment of any other sinne For that child was but fiue yeares old and I know not whether he were capable of sinne or noe But whether he sinned or were earried away to preuent his sinne it was a manifest plague of God vpon that house for swearing and by this and the words alleadged we may well thinke that many houses are plagued for it The remedy is to consider the infinite maiesty of God Romedyâ— against swearing The courtiers of heauen are allwais in his presence praising him and shall I stande before his face cursing and swearing by his blessed name what hurt hath the Creatour of the world done to mee that I should soe dishonour him to his creatures It is also a good practical remedy to gette a custome when any thinge troubleth vs to say some good words as God be blessed Blessed be the name of God or the like and often to vse them as readiest with vs. The words of S. Paul are very literal for this saying Rom. 12. blesse and curse not Iob soe holy a man and soe great in the world disdained not this easy but efficacious remedy who when all those calamitys came soe thicke vpon him he broke not out into oths and curses but had ready to say blesseâ— be the name of God and soe gotte victory and a duble reward euen in this world Let vs gette a custome of such words It is a custome easy to gette THE THIRD COMMANDEMENT REMEMBER thou sanctify the Sabaoth day The word Sabaoth signifyeth Rest and soe the Sabaoth day is as much as to say a day of rest in which we are to rest from labour Here then we are commanded to sanctify to God a day of rest that absteining from corporal works we attende vnto acts of religion and diuine worship This is an obligation which all haue by nature that as all times were created and ordained for the seruice of God soe some dayes should be particularly obserued in honour of him But we are not by nature bounde to obserue any one day more then another for that was to be determined by the Church which is directed by the Holy Ghost to order all according to conuenient circumstances And soe the Church of the Israelits was commanded to obserue the seauenth day on which God rested from the creation of the world and the Church of Christ is directed to keepe the next day after it in remembrance of the resurrection of our sauiour and of the comming of the Holy Ghost both which mysterys happened on the next day after the Iewish Sabaoth and on that day which we call Sunday and which the Scriptures call the Dominical day that is to say Our Lords day Thus the Sabaoth day was transferred vnto the next day by the same authority that first commanded it and was kept by the Apostles on the same day on which we keepe it as appeareth by S. Cor. 1.16 Paul commanding the gatherings to be made In the first of the Sabaoth That was on the first day after their Sabaoth in which the people of Christ mette together to celebrate our Lords day And S. Iohn sayth Apoc. 7. J was in spirit on the Dominical day that was on our Lords day to destinguish it fom the Iewish Sabaoth By the Sabaoth all holy dayes are here vnderstoode In the law of Moyses diuerse other solemnitys beside the Sabaoth were commanded and obserued some with more and some with lesse solemnity according to the more or lesse remarkable mysterys which they represented The feast of Azyme or Pasch was
passion worke but litle to their amendment Parents must also prouide for their children with a moderate care and not as some doe who vnder pretence of proulding for them neuer thinke themselues rich enough These ought to consider that their children are the children of God and he will prouide for them if they serue him and the best foundation of riches and of a long and prosperous race is to bring vp their children in the knowledge and feare of him for if God build with them their houses will stande Many poore children who haue bene left without parents haue prospered better with the blessing of God then others haue done with large reuenewes left them Finally parents must be most of all carefull that they giue noe ill example to their children this being that vpon which the good or euill of the whole world very much dependeth euen as the goodnes of the branches dependeth of the roote and bole of the tree Otherwise occasion is giuen for children to learne their parents vices and to teach them to their children againe and soe vice goeth from generation to generation by the ill example of parents and as the links of a chaine are drawne by one another and fall one after another soe fathers draw their children downe into sinne after them that for many generations they come in the end to meete all in hell I et parents and children often reade the booke of Toby they haue there an example of a good father and of a good sonne and God blessing them both THE FIFT COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not kill By which we see that this as all other places of scripture hath its propper sense For as S. Aug. de ciu c. 20. sayth we are not forbidden here to kill meate for our sustenance nor to kill men in our owne defence as in a iust warre or for execution of iustice vpon malefactors Because nature allowing and requiring these things God doth not disallow of them Some also by particular inspiration of God haue lawfully killed as Moyses who although he were the mildest man in the world yet when he saw an infidel heathen beating one of the people of God moued with a holy zeale he killed him and buried him in the sand This was lawfull as being by diuine inspiration in signe of future mysterys Exod. 32. Soe when he saw the people committing of idolatry he ioyned vnto him those that were of our Lord the Leuites and sent them to kill the idolatrous people and they returning with the slaughter of about three thousand men he commended them saying you haue consecrated your hands this day to our Lord that blessing may begiuen to you Phinees also moued with the like zeale Nu. 5. killed the two fornicators in their wicked act and auerted the wrath of God by it God the authour of the Commandements dispensed then in the keeping of them and soe they were not formally broken That which is forbidden here is to kill vpon priuate authority and not onely to kill Anger but also all actions of anger by which the peaceable conuersation of men is disturbed Mat. 5. You haue heard saith Christ how it was said of old thou shalt not kill and who soe killeth shall be in danger of iudgement but I say to you that whosoeuer is angry with his brother shall be in danger of iudgment and whosoeuer shall say to his brother Raca shall be in danger of Councell And whosoeuer shall say thou foole shall be guilty of the hell of fire By which we are taught the right vnderstanding of this Commandement to be not onely to prohibite killing but also to be inwardly angry or to make outward shewes or to giue words of anger Of all the sinnes which are committed by men none are soe horrible to nature as the sinnes of blood Is 8. and to shew how great a sinne it is to kill Christ would call the deuill a mankiller from the beginning because the malice and euill of murder could not be better expressed then by putting it and the deuill together and making him the authour of it Cain was the first mankiller amongst men who inticeing his brother into the fields roze vp against him and killed him And presently he was strucke with such a horrour at his crime that he despaired of mercy and like a desperate reprobate went hanging downe his head thinking that euery one that saw him would kill him and cried Gen. 4. Loe now thou dost cast mee out this day from the face of the earth and from thy face I shall be hid and I shall be a vagabonde and fugitiue vpon earth euery one therefor that findeth mee shall kill mee And God to increase this horrour of murder in vs both in the law of nature and of Moyses prohibited the eating of blood Lou. 17. Nay they were not soe much as to let blood to ly open vpon the ground but to couer it And euen dumbe beasts that could not sinne were to loose their liues if they killed any man All this was that men should abhorre the sinne of murder and not be ouer bloody then when the true worship of God was mainteined rather by force and by shedding of their enemys blood then propagated by patience as now it is in the faith of Christ Here enter those ignominious single combats of which the Councell of Trent hath these words That the detestable vse of Duells contriued by the deuill to a bloody death of the body and destruction of the soule may be quite banished out of the Christian world In which yong men who vnderstande not what belongeth to wisdome and true glory meete in the field to wound teare and kill one another like madd doggs And after their miserable deaths they become infamous to posterity purt out of the Communion of Saints both of the militant and triumphant Church of God and depriued of christian buriall to ly like doggs in the fields That the words of the Apocal. 22. are fully verifyed in them Without are doggs sorcerers and murderers There is a booke here newly published called LA DESTRVCTION DE DVEL in which is shewed how contrary to reason and true christian honour Dâ—â—els are and in which is declared how that the Marshals of France and diuerse Gentlemen of quality haue protested against them and promised that they will neuer regard any challenge nor fight a duell vpon any occasion of iniury whatsoeuer An heroicall and christian like minde guided by vertue and discretion will make iniurys honorable through patience which is the most propper vertue and honour of christians Christ was borne patient liued a patient life and at his death his patience was most eminently great more then we can vnderstande He founded his Church first in his owne sufferings and then in those of his Apostles after him and after them he enlarged it by the patience of many martyrs and soe he still continueth and preserueth it And therefor christians
the obtaining of benefits of them but the mother of God the Angels and Saints are the freinds and fauorits of God therefor their intercession may with prudence be desired for the obtaining of benefits of him If they obiect that to pray to the Saints is iniurious to God for that he is the giuer of all benefies of himselfe infinitly liberal and that it deregareth from his power and goodnes to aske of any but of him and that it is to make the Saints Gods to pray to them to interceede for vs and that the liberality of God is such that he needeth noe intercessors all this is to noe purpose It is not iniurious to God to honour his seruants for his sake and to desire his fauorits to stande our freinds with him but it is rather iniurious to God to thinke that he will not allow of his fauorits intercession We pray not vnto Saints as to the supreme power and authour of gifts and therefor we make them noâ— Gods but we pray to them to obtaine gifts of God for vs and by this we vertually acknowledge and confesse the supreme power and liberality to be in God and that all power is subordinate to him and all gifts proceede from him And allthough the liberality of God be such that he needs noe intercessors noe more then he needeth any honour or praise from vs yet our vnworthinesse is such that our prayers stande neede of intercessors and the diuine liberality is such as to heare the prayers of his best freinds and not to hinder them for praying to him Neither is there any thinge of this obiection but it hath the same force against the aduocatship of Christ and of the faithfull that are liuing which not withstanding our enemys allow of as nothing iniurious to God or derogating from his liberality They obiect the words of the Apostle there is one God Tim. 1.2 one also mediatour of God and men man Christ Iesus And S. Iohn sayth if any man shall sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust Io. 1.2 and he is the propitiation of our sinnes Christ therefor being our mediatour and our aduocate we are not say they to vse the mediation and aduocatship of any other First this argument is turned backe vpon themselues If Christ be our mediatour and aduocate it is not then iniurious to God nor derogating from his liberality to make vse of a mediatour and aduocate as they said before that it was The words therefor alleadged make nothing against the Catholike doctrine nor are here applyed to good purpose nor in their true sense for the Apostles speake there of the mediation of Christ by way of redemption and soe Christ is our onely mediatour and aduocate because he onely in the propitiation of his passion redeemed vs and the Angels and Saints redeemed vs not By him the Angels are good Angels and by him the Saints are Saints and by his powerfull redemption he obtained that the Angels and Saints might pray and be heard praying for vs. This is the honour which Catholiks giue to the mediation of Christ and which Protestants deny to him Againe not onely by way of redemption but also by way of intercession Christ is our prime mediatour and intercessour by whom Angels and Saints interceede for vs. He interceedeth in his owne name and vertue they interceede in his name and vertue he the cheife they inferiour intercessors vnder him And this is well expressed by S. Bernard of our blessed Lady ser qui incipit signum magnum apparuit post ser 5. de assump Opus est mediatore ad mediatorem Christum nec alter nobis vtilior quam Maria. We stande neede of a mediatour to Christ our mediatour and none more profitable then Mary to vs. And the same is also orderly expressed by the Catholike Church in the end of our prayers asking through the merits of Christ out Lord. S. Tract 1. in Io. Augustine hath these words in declaration of the place of S. Iohn aboue mentioned answering this very obiection of theirs But some will say doe not the Saints then pray for vs doe not bishops prelates and pastors pray for the people Yes marke the scriptures and you shall finde that the Apostles prayed for the people and againe desired the people to pray for them and sâ—e the head prayeth for all and the members for one another This is the doctrine of the Catholike Church Christ is our onely aduocate by way of intercession our B. Lady the Angels and Saints are inferiour aduocates vnder him the faithfull that are liuing are inferiour aduocates vnder them praying for one another and desiring the prayers of one another and soe the Church is a body well vnited the head helping the inferiour members and they all concurring to helpe one another by their prayers Hence the Catholike doctrine is further confirmed It can not be denyed but that we may lawfully begge the prayers of one another therefor with more reason we may begge the intercession of the Saints For the first S. Paul often desired the prayers of the faithfull to the Romans that you helpe mee in your prayers Rom. 15. And in the same place he prayeth for them and he desireth the Thessalonians brethren pray for vs. Thes 1.5 2.3 And againe in the second brethren pray for vs. and to the Hebrews pray for vs. And S. Iames pray for one another that you may be saued Ia. 5. The second followeth planely for there is nothing which they haue obiected or can obiect against the inuocation of Saints but it hath the same force against desiring the prayers of the liuing for if it be iniurious to God or to the mediation of Christ to desite the mediation of the Saints in heauen much more must it be to desire the intercession of sinners vpon earth But they say that the Saints in heauen heare vs not nor know when we desire their prayers but this is not truely said of them Christ saith that the Angels reioyce at the conue Luc 15. sion of a sinner but how can they reioyce at it if they know it not Saints whilst they liued on earth vnderstoode the secrets of mens harts and haue knowne things that haue passed at farre distance from them and haue foreseene many thinges euen before they came to passe and shall they be lesse knowing when they are in glory Samuel told Saul what was in his hart Reg. 1. â— and promised to tell him all things that were in his hart and it was noe meruaile for God had reuealed them vnto him Elizeus saw in absence that which passed betwixt his seruant and the Prince of Syria and at his returne he rebuked him for the gifts which he had receiued and thought to haue concealed from him If liuing in this world they knew these things by the reuelation of God when it was necessary that they should know them shall we thinke that
our prayers are hidden from them now in heauen and that God will let vs want their intercession for want of reuealing our prayers to them Noe we shall loose nothing by any ignotance of theirs They see God in glory and in that glorious sight they see all that is good for them to see therefor if they might pray and be desired by others to pray for them whilst they liued in this world there is nothing to hinder them for being prayed vnto in the next Hence it appeareth how absurde that question of Caluin was â—olu l. 4. insti nu â—4 when he asked how it came to passe that the Angels and Saints could heare soe farre as betwixt heauen and earth I giue you not his words because they are blasphemous and to irreuerent to be repeated but if Caluin will know how it com's to passe I tell him that it is by the light of glory which the Saints haue and if he say that they haue noe such glory he shall neuer haue it himselfe nor can in reason expect to haue it If they obiect the words of Ecclesiastes to shew that Saints might be prayed vnto in this life and not in the next Bâ—â—l 9. where it is said better is a dogg liuing then a Lyon dead It is true in respect of the operations of life which then the Lyon hath not and soe the Saints according to their bodys were better aliue then dead because their bodys liuing had the operations of life which dead they haue not but according to their soules which are spirits they are not onely as perfect but much perfecter and without comparison more actiue lightsome and vnderstanding being then not onely lightened of the burden of their bodys but also enlightened with the light of glory Saint Hierome answered this very obiection to Vigilantius the haeretike about twelue hundred yeares since in these words Lib. cont â—â—g If Apostles and marryrs liuing in their bodys could pray for others when they might be sollicitous for themselues how much more after their crownes victorys and triumphs Moyses but one man getteth pardon of God for six hundred thousand armed men Steuan the first martyr after the example of our Lord prayed for his persecutors and now when they are with Christ shall they haue lesse power Paul saith of himselfe that two hundred and seauenty soules were granted him in the shipp at his prayers and now that he is resolued and with Christ shall he haue his mouth shutte vp and shall he not open it for those who all ouer the world haue beleeued at his ghospell and shall Vigilantius a liuing dogge be better then Paula dead Lyon This of the Ecclesiastes were indeede to some purpose if J did beleeue that Paul were dead in spirit Thus did S. Hierome discourse as a Catholike on this point shewing that the Saints with much more reason shall be prayed vnto in heauen then on earth and that there is noe comparison in those words of Ecclesiastes betwixt the soule of man whilst he is liuing and whilst he is dead but onely betwixt a liuing and a dead body and he calleth Vigilantius a dogge for barking against the Saints in denying their intercession We pray therefor to God as to the supreme power to grant vs that which we want We pray to our blessed Lady the Angels and Saints not to grant vs our wants but to grant vs their intercession to obtaine them of God for vs. And in this the Catholike Church vseth an orderly destinction euen in words when we pray destinguishing betwixt the diuine maiesty as supreme and the Saints as his seruants We say not to God Lord pray for vs but Kyrie eleyson Lord haue mercy vpon vs. Nor to Christ as he is the sonne of God doe we say Christ pray for vs but Christe eleyson Christ haue mercy vpon vs. We doe not say to our B. Lady or to the Angels or Saints haue mercy vpon vs but holy Mary pray for vs all ye holy Saints of God make intërcession for vs. Soe giuing vnto God that which is his due to wit the supreme and all honour both in himselfe and in his seruants and we giue vnto the Saints inferiour honour as the beloued seruants of God and follow the Councell of the holy psalmist who beginning his last psalme was inspired to say prayse God in his Saints Ps 150. This I haue said in honour of God and of his blessed Saints and euery word that I haue said I giue it freely to their honour desiring their prayers We pray particularly to some Saints for some particular benefits because we see those benefits more frequently granted by hauing recourse vnto those Saints â—nd if any aske why God granteth those benefits rather at the intercession of those then of other Saints I answere with the Apostle who hath knowne the name of our Lord Rom. 11. or who hath bene his Counsellour And this is a sufficient answere to such questions of curiosity for so it might be asked why God would determine particular offices to such and such Angels Yet the reason may be giuen to honour the merits of those Saints in some circumstances of their liues or deaths which those benefits haue relation vnto Soe women that haue sore breasts obtaine helpe by the intercession of S. Agatha whose breasts were cut of for the faith of Christ S. Apollonia is called vpon for the tooth ake because her teeth were strucken out for the same cause S. Roch is inuoked against the pestilence because himselfe was infected with it S. Blase against paines of the throte because he cured a child that was like to dy of a bone in the throte And our blessed Lady with good reason is called vpon by women in trauaile because she is the ioy glory and comfort of all women who in her child bearing was exempted from those paines and it pleaseth God that those miracles he remembred by vs. If any aske why in some places more then others we pray for such and such benefits I answere that there may be many reasons why God would oblige especially the inhabitans of that place and honour it with miracles and if this be not sufficient satisfaction I aske of him why at the Probatica pond in Hierusalem miraculous cures were obtained rather then in others places and why onely one was cured at a time and no more and why the leprous Prince of Syria was sent to be washed in lordan rather then in other waters and to be washed seauen times rather then any other number If he giue mee a good reason for these the same will I giue him to his question if he referre mee to the diuine will and pleasure so will I referre him Hauing declared whom wee are to pray to we will speake OF SOME IMPEDIMENTS that hinder vs in the obtaining of our prayers THE first and greatest impediment that hindereth the obtaining of our prayers is the greatest of all euils
our consciences from sinne and then to prepare ourselues with humility reuerence confidence and with charity towards our neighbour and with much feruour and attention to the presence of God and to the thinge which we aske of him all the time of prayer This feruerous attention to the presence of God and to the thinge which we pray for is that which I would gladly commende to you that you place your selues before God at your prayers as in presence of the most soueraigne maiesty with great reuerence to him and to desire earnestly all the time of prayer that which then you are praying for not too earnestly desiring the thinge it selfe but for the loue of God to please him in it Let euery one saith S. Basil know for certaine that he is then in the presence of God In reg breu q. 201. and if he would thinke it an vnciuill and vnworthy thinge to be yawning and as it were halfe a sleepe when he speaketh to a Prince and a heinous wickednesse to be treating in the meane time with some about betraying him how much more shall we beware of these things in prayer to cast of all drowsinesse to take heed of irreuerence and to put away euill thoughts if we beleeue that we speake to God who is present at our prayers Remember then that you are speaking to God and desire earnestly that which you aske of him and if you perceiue yourselues to fall into distractions call backe your mindes to God againe and stirre vp in your harts a new and feruerous desire of that which you pray for and if distractions trouble you still be not vexed nor dismayed with them but detesting them againe in your hart make an act of resignation to the will of God that you are contented to haue distractions as long as it shall please him For by this manner of sleighting them the best resistance is made and how soeuer you shall be sure to merit by your prayer the perfection of which consisteth not in not hauing but in not yeelding to distractions Powre forth your prayer with deuotion in the sight of God and with a desire to honour him in that which you aske and he will honour himselfe in it and rewarde you THE EIGHT DISCOVRSE OF THE AVE MARIA SAint Bernard Woe is mee for I am a man of polluted lipes Hom. 3. super missus est I would I had from the Altare aboue not a cole but a whole globe of fire to burne the inueterated rust away from my mouth that I might worthily declare the gracious speeches of the Angell to the Virgin Thus did this great seruant ōf our Blessed Lady prepare himselfe to speake of the Haile Mary the subiect of which I am now to speake As he hath said so may I say and as he often exhorteth so will I doe that is to haue recourse to her for helpe Glorious Mother of God High Queene of Heauen and Empresse of the world behold my soule lyeth prostrate at thy feet crauing thy helpe before I beginne to prayse thee I desire in this to honour and serue thee and to bring others to be thy seruants but I know for certaine that of my felfe I cannot performe this desire and therefore I come to thee to haue thy intercession for diuine grace See thou that I want not light to setforth thy prayses and that those that heare mee may conceiue with profit that which I speake and something more of thee then can be spoken They shall heare thee saluted by an Angell and by such a salutation as was neuer knowne to proceede from Angels mouth they shall see how thou art full of grace they shall see thee become the Mother of God and the Sonne of God as thy natural sonne become subiect to thee they shall heare thee in they life time praised by Prophets and by the Euangelist after thy death and after the Euangelist they shall heare the Fathers of the primitiue Church one by one descanting vpon thy prayses and the whole Catholike Church as it were in a full quire crying to thee for thy prayers they shall see how beneficiall thy prayers are to thy seruants and they shall see by some examples the seuere punishments of God vpon thine enemys Procure thou that they may be moued to honour thee and that the deuotion of vs all may increase towards thee For this we salute thee saying Haile Mary c. Quest Say the Haile Mary Answ Haile Mary full of grace our Lord is with thee Blessed art thou among women Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe IESVS Holy Mary Mother of God pray for vs sinners now and in the hower of our death Amen THE whole Aue Maria consisteth of words spoken by the Angell and by S. Elizabeth and of words added by the Church The words of the Angell are Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee blessed art thou among women Saint Elizabeth said blessed is the fruit of thy wombe and the Church addeth that which followeth Of all which we will speake in order HAILE FVLL OF GRACE THE infinite wisdome and goodnes of God hauing from all eternity decreed the redemption of mankind by the death of his Sonne that hee should assume humane nature and be borne of a Virgin to dy for vs and the blessed Virgin Mary being chosen amongst thousands and amongst thousands of thousands and infinit of infinites which God could haue created to be the woman of which he would bee borne and she being now growne vp to womans state and perfected with such graces as were necessary for that dignity the plenitude of time was then come in which this mystery was to bee accomplished And as all the works of God are with order and holines so that this worke might be more orderly and holy a messenger was prepared from Heauen vnto her to require her consent that this mystery so much for the honour of God and good of mankind might be brought to passe in her and words were inspired him how to speake her How He entring to her presence saluteth her first with these words Haile full of grace A blessed salutation and such an one as amongst the seuerall manners of saluting which Angels haue sometimes vsed to holy men the like to this was neuer heard It was a salutation which God had reserued for this mystery and for her onely that was to be his mother Soe Origen Saint Ambrose and S. Bede At first she was amazed at it for not being vsed to heare her owne prayses nor desiring to heare them she was astonished at the Angells words fearing and admiring at them Blessed Virgin what dost thou feare Saint Bede She feared because she admired at this new forme of blessing which before is read of in no◠place nor any where founde This salutation was reserued for Mary for by her onely this grace was deserued which by none but her was euer obtained S. Act. 2. Peter indeede and those
Word it may be said to be infinite in grace The fullnes of his grace was also eminent aboue all in that grace was giuen to him as to the head source and fountaine which was to serue vs all with grace of his fullnes saith S. Iohn all we haue receiued noe grace being euer giuen to any but as flowing from the merits of his passion Next vnto Christ the B. Virgin had the greatest fullnes of grace For grace is giuen vnto creatures with proportion and in order to the offices and dignitys to which God designeth them and soe the B. Virgin had a greater proportion of grace then any Angell or Saint had for that she was designed to a higher office and dignity then any Angell or Saint was Her grace was to be such as might render her worthy to be the woman whom God would choose aboue all women to take flesh of to nourish him in her wombe to bring him forth to the world to haue the charge of his infancy and education and to haue him subiect vnto her as the Euangelist declareth him to haue bene For all which a great measure and proportion of grace was necessary that as her charge and dignity was eminent aboue all soe might her grace be suetable vnto it In the third place is the fullnes of grace which the Angels and Saints had to the fullfilling of those works to which God had ordained them And soe S. Steuan had fullnes of grace in order to the well performing of a Deacons office to confounde the Iewes and to be the first martyr and encourager of others to suffer martyrdome for Christ by his example and soe to enter into glory Soe that Christ according to his humanity was most eminent in grace goodly of beauty aboue the sonnes of men Ps 44. in that his humane nature was vnited to the diuine word and was the fountaine of grace to vs. Our Blessed Lady was next to him in that she had the highest office and greatest charge in relation to the mystery of the Incarnation The Angells and Saints were in a lower degree then she yet they also had fullnes of grace in their measures and in proportion to their offices They all haue fullnes of grace but in seuerall kindes and in a different nature The Angels and Saints in the lowest place our B. Lady aboue them and Christ in a higher nature transcending both them and her And our B. Lady had not onely a higher nature of grace then the Angels and Saints had but she had also a greater capacity in her soule which God created as a more ample and capable vessell conteining a greater measure of grace then they could conteine although full also in their measure and capacity and therefore she is compared to that huge vessell called the Sea Reg. 3.7 which Salomon caused to be made for the Temple which conteined ten thousand gallous according to Authors and vnto the maine Ocean Chrysol ser 146. Albert. sup missus Bonau in spec virg cap. 2. But it is to be obserued that our blessed Sauiour being not onely creature according to his humanity but also the Creatour of the world according to his diuine nature hee is not to be numbered in the number of creatures and therfore the Saints and holy Fathers commonly say that our B. Lady in grace and glory surpasseth all creatures not numbring Christ and so wee say properly that she is aboue all pure creatures that is to say onely creatures But that wee may not seeme to exaggerate towards her prayses more then due and to say any thing without good grounds you shall see as much and more then we haue said to be grounded vpon the solidity of many bundreds of yeares standing euer from the times of the primitiue Church of Christ for the first six hundred yeares when the very enemys of the Catholike Church that now are confesse the Christian Faith to haue bene most pure from errour and the Church most flourishing the holy and learned men of those times haue setforth her prayses after the same manner and in the very same termes which wee now vse and haue prayed vnto her calling her Mistres Lady Queen Mother of God and the like titles to honour her and to increase the denotion of people vnto her First in the first age Saint Iames the Apostle in in his Lyturgy which he made for the Church service would not omitt to make a commemoration of her But beginning the words of the Haile Mary as the Angell did he repeateth them and calleth her most holy vndefiled blessed aboue all our Queene Lady Mother of God Saint Ignatius liued in the same age was disciple to Saint Iohn Euangelist and died a glorious Martyr in the next age after hedeclareth how greatly she was honored euen then when she liued that multitudes of people came to visit her when they were cōuerted to Christianity Great is the concourse of people saith he that goeth to see the Queene of Heauen Ign. ep 1. and to heare her and againe hee calleth her the Mistres of the Christian Faith Saint Denis first Philosopher of Athens and then the disciple of S. Paul in his booke de diuinis nominibus cap 33. relateth how that himselfe after his conuersion went to see her for that she was left to be the comfort and ioy of Christians after the Ascension of Christ and in his Epistle to Timothe hee describeth the manner of her departure out of this life how that all the Apostles except S Thomas being brought together miraculously from the severall parts of the world to be present at her death with deuout Canticles they celebrated her funerals for three dayes the Angels ioyning their heauenly melody with them and that Saint Thomas comming the third day and desiring to see her sacred corps her tombe was opened that he might see her at least after her death but he saw her not for that she was not there to be seene A great sweetnes issued out of the Sepulcher and the linnens in which she was wrapped were left in it but her sacred body was not there Thus Saint Denis and he concludeth this narration saying That it could not bee thought but that as God would preserue her Virginal body free from corruption in the Conception of her Sonne soe he would preserue it from corruption after her death and Assume it to the glory of Heauen before the generall glorification of other bodys at the day of iudgment Saint Iohn Damascen relateth this history out of S. Denis De dorm deip whom he citeth as an eye witnesse of it and sayeth that her tombe and linnens that were left in it were transferred in the time of the Emperour Marcion with great solemnity from Hierusalem to Constantinople Saint Augustine doth not onely approoue of the corporall Assumption of our blessed Lady into Heaven but also prooueth it as most congruous to the dignity of the Mother of God Aug. de Assump
to 8. That saith he the sacred body of which Christ tooke flesh and vnited together the diuine and humane nature should be giuen to the wormes to eate I dare not say it nor can I thinke it Thus much out of saint Iames saint Denis and saint Ignatius for the first age In the second age liued S. Irenaeus and Tertullian both of them haue set forth her ample prayses comparing her by contrarys to Eue Iren. l. 5. Tertl l. de Incarnat Christi who was our mother that caused our fall hurt and losse of Heauen but the B. Virgin is our Mother by whom wee are raised cured and restored to heauen againe And in respect of the power which her prayers haue with God S. Irenaeus calleth her the Virgin Aduocate of Eue the Virgin In the third age liued Origen a man of such parts to 3. ho. 1. and so well deseruing in his former yeares that he had a chaire of publike lecture of diuinity in the Schooles of Alexandria when he was but eighteene yeares of age he speaking of Christ and his Mother hath these words His Mother mother immaculate mother incorrupted mother vntouched His mother whose mother the mother of the onely begotten Sonne of God O great Sacrament the same a virgin and the mother of our Lord and a little after of this onely begotten Sonne of God this is the mother the Virgin Mary The worthy of the worthy one the vndesiled of the holy one the freind of the only one Tertullian liued in this age although he seemeth to haue flourished most in the former Saint Athanasius also liued in this age but flourished most in the next where I goe to cite him In the fourth age S. Athanasius flourished who opposing himselfe against the Arian haeretiks for forty six yeares in which he was Bishop was the prime pillar of the Catholik Church in the easterne parts of the world In these words he soundeth the blessed Virgins prayses and prayeth to her It becometh vs to call thee the regenerating mother Mistres and Lady for that our King Lord and God sprang forth of thee Athan in euang deip The Archangell gathered the first fruits of thy prayses when he spoke that glorious hymne Haile full of grace c. So doth the first front of Thrones Cherubims and Seraphims salute thee and so doth the second Hierarchy of Dominations Vertues and Powers and so doth the third of Angels and we the terrestriall hierarchy admonished by them extoll thee with a lowd and cleere voyce saying Haile full of grace our Lord is with thee Pray for vs ô Lady ô Mistres ô Queene ô Mother of God In the same age liued S. Ephrem who calleth her Holier then the Seraphims with out comparison more glorious then the supernall hosts The hope of the Fathers the glory of the Prophets the prayse of the Apostles Virgin before her child bearing and after it In this age also liue Saint Hierome S Chrysostome Saint Ambrose and Saint Augustine whom God raised as glorious lights to illustrate his Church in those blind and obstinate times of the Arian herely being at the hight And they haue said so much in deuotion to our blessed Lady that I know not where to beginne their Sentences You may read in S. Hier. ep de Nat. Mar. ad Crom. Heliod to 9. Hierome the miraculous manner of her Conception of S. Anne an aged and barren woman and how the name of MARY which in Hebrew is to say MISTRES or LADY was brought for her by an Angell from Heauen Who also foretold to Ioakim her father that she should bee blessedamong women and how she was consecrated to the seruice of God at three yeares old in the Temple and attended their being gouerned by priests Esa 11. and how that the Prophecy of Esay was litterally denoted in S. Ioseps rod which miraculously flouriâ—hed to assigne him as a worthy husband for her And in another place hee calleth her the life Epist ad Paul Enstoc rule and discipline of all and saith that as there is none Holy to compare with God so there is none perfect in comparison of her Saint Chrysostome Truely this Virgin is the miracle of the world Chry. in hypa dom She alone surpasseth in greatnes both Heauen and Earth For what is there holier then her not the Prophets not the Apostles not Martyrs not Patriarks not the Angels not the Thrones not the Dominations not the Cherubims not the Seraphims nor any other thing is there to bee founde greater or more excellent then her either amongst visible or inuisible creatures You may see in the second book which S. Ambrose wrote of Virgins and in S. Augustins sermons of her Natiuity and Assumption the deuotion which they bore to her In the next age beganne Nestorius his heresy the professed enemy of Christ and of our blessed Lady so farre as to deny vnto him one onely person of God and by consequence to robbe her of her prime title and honour of the Mother of God Many holy men beganne then to bestirre themselues for the honour of Christ Cyr. cont Nestor and his Mother but Saint Cyrill of Alexandria was his prime Antagonist and next vnder God the prime defendour of the Catholike cause who thus expresseth his deuotion to her Praise be to thee ô Holy Trinity to thee also be praise Holy Mother of God Thou art the pretious pearle of the world Thou art the candlestike of vnquenchable light Orat. de dorm deip the Crowne of virginity the Scepter of the Catholike Faith In the sixt age liued Andreas Hierosolymitanus Bishop of Crete who calleth our blessed Lady a saint holier then the Saints the most holy treasure of all sanctity Eusebius Emissenus liued in the same age who speaking of our B Lady was strucken with astonishmeÌ„t that he knew not what to thinke of the greatnes of her graces For saith he if she were full of grace before she conceiued what shall we thinke her to haue bene after it But what what then shall we thinke her to haue bene after so many yeares of continuall and such intimate conuersation with Christ she being his mother and he her master Thus you haue the deuotion of the auncient Fathers to our blessed Lady for the fist six hundred years of the Faith of Christ declaring a farre different spirit in them from those who wickedly blaspheme her or derogate from her praises or but any way sleight them as the moderne enemys of the Catholike Church commonly doe I might produce the Sentences of holy men in following ages vnto our dayes to shew the contiruance of that first and auncient denotion to her to haue bene at all times in the Catholik Church I might alleadge the words of S. Anselme Auth. Protest relig l. 1. c. 6. § 3. Saint Bernard Saint Bonauenture Saint Thomas of Aquine the denotion of S. Dominike S. Francis and of many other Saints some of whom
are acknowledged for holy men and Saints euen by Protestant authors These great seruants of God were most singularly deuoted to his blessed Mother many wayes Some of them instituted particular deuotions to her and inuiting all to those deuotions haue spared noe labour to increase her honour and the number of her seruants But this needes not for that I haue shewed it to haue bene the deuotion of the Catholike Church in those times in which her enemys confesse and must needes confesse the true faith of Christ to haue flourished if euer it flourished That which the Catholike Church still laboureth for is to preserue in her people the same deuotion which was then giuen to her And therefor she consecrateth Churches erecteth altares instituteth holy dayes and omitteth nothing to setforth her worthy prayses and the power of her intercession which afterwards I shall shew The English Protestant Church is not yet soe auncient but that I haue knowne diuerse who haue remembred the like deuotion to haue bene in this kingdome to her when the Catholike religion flourished in it English men were then blessedly and singularly aboue other nations deuoted to her reioycing in her patronage and ioyfull solemnitys But now that ioy is turned into hatred and contempt and her cheife solemnitys are blotted out and prophaned by them and yet absurdly and without consequence they will seeme to honour the Saints commaÌ„ding their holydayes to be kept Is it not an absurde and malicious proceeding in them to her to commande the holydayes of the Saints and Angels as lawfull and fitting and to take away the cheife holy dayes of our B. Lady yet this the English protestant Church hath done as may be seene in their commune prayer booke where the Feasts of the Apostles and of other Saints and of the Angels are commanded by their Church and not the Natiuity and Assumption of our B. Lady which were allwais held her cheife solemnitys As for her Annunciation and Purification they may obserue them in honour of the Conception and Presentation of Christ and cunningly seeme as though they would honour her but this cunning is worth nothing to those that vnderstande her Natiuity and Assumption to be her cheife and most propper feasts and soe auncient that S. Hierome and S. Augustine haue left sermons which they made of them and which they taking away keepe noe day at all as propper to her It is the nature of malice to hate all that which is worthy of loue and of enuious persons to hate that which their enemys loue though neuer soe good This is the very true cause why the beginners of this English religion would take away her two cheife holydayes They see the Catholike Church to aduance her honour and to be 〈◊〉 â—ularly deuoted to her and therefor of malice and enuy to the Church they labour what they can to pull downe her honour and to disgrace her What iniury had the most blessed of women and their particular patronesse done to them in what had she deserued this at their hands but that they would oppose the Catholike Church S. Hierome speaking of the feast of the Assumption saith If we be commanded to honour God in his Saints how much more in this solemnity Ep. ad Paul Eustoch to 9. I would all Englishmen had knowne these words and remembred them when the beginners of their new religion tooke away that festiuall day they would not perhaps haue permitted this disgrace to haue bene put vpon their patronesse in whom their nation had soe long bene honored as to let them take away her Assumption which according to S. Hierome and to reason is much more to be honored then the Assumptions of other Saints which they keepe But let vs goe on in honoring of her We will now gather together out of the sentences of the holy fathers alleadged a posy as it were of our B. Ladys prayses taking onely the summe of them in breife First for her sanctity they affirme her to haue excelled all creatures there being nothing in heauen and earth to compare with her all but God inferiour to her As for sinne it is certaine that she neuer committed the least Venial sinne in soe much that S. Augustine will haue noe mention of sinne to be made in her Aug. l. de nat gra c. 8. Sess 6. c. 23. and the Councell of Trent doth sufficiently declare it She had the grace of all vertues faith hope charit 〈◊〉 humility patience chastity meeknes fortitude c. in an eminent degree aboue all She was a perpetual Virgin Con. Ephes Chalced. Syn. 6. c. 2. Mariae Virginitas ante partum in partu post partum intemerabilis Marys Virginity before her child bearing in her child bearing and after her child bearing vnuiolated She did not onely obserue perpetual Virginity but she obserued it by vow According to S. Augustin l. 4. de Sancta Virginitate and S. Gregory Naz. orat in Sanctam Natiuitatem and it is inferred out of her answere to the Angell when she said how shall this be done because I know not man Luc. 2. That is to say I can not lawfully know man as the hebrew children said to Nabuchodonosor we worship not thy Gods that is we must not and cannot lawfully worship them Dan. 3. But the B. Virgin might lawfully haue knowne man if she had not made a vow to the contrary Neither is there otherwise any congruity in her answere Dr Kellison is of opinion that she was the first that euer vowed perpetual Virginity In 3. part for saith he although Chastity were held in great esteeme both amongst the Iewes and Gentils before the comming of Christ yet they vowed it not for euer but onely for a certaine time S. Ambrose confirmeth it when he calleth her the standart bearer of virginity Amb. to 2. de inst Virg. c. 5. Bed in Luc. 1. as going before all in the perpetuall vow of it But S. Bede saith more planely that she was the first that emancipated herselfe to that vertue which must be vnderstoode by perpetual vow for there were diuerse before her that vowed it for a time Soe that we may number this amongst our B. Ladys prayses that she was the first foundres of the perpetual vow of Virginity and soe she is the particular patronesse of Priests and religious persons that follow her in that vow She had more ouer a gift of God to make those to be Virgins that conuersed with her and soe saith S. Hierome that she made S. Ioseph to be a Virgin and S. Ambros that she made S. Iohn Baptist to be a virgin by her virginal conuersation that as it is written of the Cedar tree and of the flowers of vines Amb. de Instit virg c. 7. that they driue away all venemous beasts from about them so the blessed Virgin had the vertue to expell all vnchast desires and carnall inclinations from those that came about
that in this respect as she was the Mother of God she should be endowed with it This is expresly auouched by S. Anselme It was decent saith he that she should shine with such purity L. de Conceptu virg li. c. 15. that vnder heauen a greater could not be deuised Other Saints say in substance the same when in glory and sanctity they preferre her before all creatures because they thought that such sanctity was most suetable and congruous to her dignity as she was such a Mother and that the more that they honored her the more they honored God incarnated in her and of her There is noe doubt saith Saint Hierome but whatsoeuer is worthily attributed to the Mother of God Hier. ep ad Paul Eusto to 9. Bern. ser 4. super missus est that appertaineth to the prayses of her sonne And S. Bernard Whatsoeuer is spoken of the Mothers praises that belongeth to her sonne Therefor in attributing of Sanctity to her and in honoring her we honour him and the more sanctity that we attribute to her and the more that we honour her the more we honour him It were a saying dishonorable to Christ to impute any heinous sinne vnto his Mother with whom S. Augustine will haue noe mention of sinne to be made and as it were a dishonour to him to make her that bore him and had the education of him to be a sinner soe is it most for his honour to haue her a Saint and aboue all Saints We haue then out of the scriptures that Christ honored her that she tooke it as an honour to herselfe and that S. Elizabeth and the woman of the ghospell honored her as she was the Mother of such a sonne and we haue also that it was most decent and becomming her dignity that her blessed soule should be adorned with the highest grace and sanctity that euer any pure creature had I conclude this point with a lesser yet good authority it is of Sibylla Tiburtina praising the B. Virgin for her maternity O nimium foelix caeli dignissima Mater Quae tantam sacro lactabat ab vbere prolem O very happy and most worthy Mother of heauen Whose sacred brests gaue sucke to such a sonne Where you see her honored and pronounced happy for her corporal propinquity with Christ Let now all christians that loue Christ loue her whom he loued and honour her whom he honored If he be a good sonne he would make his Mother to be worthy of honour and if we be good seruants we will honour the Mother of our master And soe we honour her as his Mother not that it was the Physical or Moral cause of her sanctity for that was the diuine grace and her owne merits by cooperating with it but that her being the Mother of such a sonne was in it selfe honorable When we say the Mother of God we meane that she was the true Mother of him who was true God which all good christians beleeue and none but such as Nestorian haeretiks will deny for as we say truely that S. Elizabeth was the Mother of a Prophet but not as he was a Prophet but according to the nature which he receiued of her soe we say truely that our B. Lady was the Mother of God though not as he was God but according to his humane nature which proceeded from her PRAY FOR VS SINNERS AS for the power and acceptance of our B. Ladys prayers it is farre greater then we can expresse What if I should say that it pleaseth God better that we goe to her to pray for vs then that we come immediatly to himselfe Certainly we may say that it pleaseth him better that we bring his prime fauorite to wit his Mother to pray for vs then that we come by ourselues onely without her to him and that he delighteth more and granteth rather at her prayers then at ours which is but a small prayse to her I will say more and that is that I thinke without doubt there is noe deuotion whatsoeuer that God hath approoued of by soe many miracles as the deuotion to our B. Lady and that those that are truely deuoted to her neede not much feare to fall from the Catholike Church nor continuing in that deuotion to haue an euill death But my words onely are of litle value you shall heare what the Saints and learned writers of the Church haue said of her intercession Benau in speculo Mariae c. 8. First S. Bonauenture prooueth out of S. Augustine that she is more carefull and sollicitous for her clients then any of the Saints and whether her power be equall with her care you shall heare what others say Germanus Constantinopolitanus a very auncient authour speaketh this sentence to her There is none saved but by thee O most holy Virgin Germ. in zona there is none deliuered from euils but by thee O most pure there is noe gift granted but by thee O most chast there is none that hath the fauour to be pittyed but by thee O most honourable Marke I pray you how generall these words are that noe good is obtained nor euill preuented but by her meanes S. Anselme in the booke which he wrote of her prayses praying to her sayeth that God hath soe exalted her that he hath made all things possible to her and that she can aske nothing but it is granted But S. Peter Damian goeth further to say the same by a very high expression of eloquence Ser. de Nat. Mar. She goeth vp saith he to the golden altare of reconciliation not to aske but to commande not as a handmaid but as a mistres Here an haeretike would catch at his words and thinke that he had somethinge to take hold of but he should be deceiued for this is onely a kind of Rhetorike which the Saints would vse to setforth the liberality of God at the prayers of his seruants which is such as though his benignity nignity bounde him to obey their desires And it is a kind of Rhetorike which the Holy Ghost hath taught them and hath warranted by his owne example himselfe vsing it Iosue the captaine of the people of God hauing put his enemys to flight and wanting day to pursue them made his prayer and commanded the sunne and moone to stand still vntill he had taken reuenge of them Where vpon holy scripture saith the sunne and moone stoode still our Lord obeying the voice of a man Ios 10. As though holy Iosue by prayer had had God at obedience S. Bernard was allwais mellifluous yet neuer soe much as when he had occasion to speake of our B. Lady Ber. ser in vigilia Nat. Dom. Ber. ser de Assump He shall close vp the quire of the fathers with these few words in which he saith that God will grant nothing but it must passe through Marys hands And in another place he commendeth her soe affectionatly for mercy towards her clients that for
thoughts and bringforth good works by them Such obiects are all the ceremonys of the Church the saying of the Rosary the signe of the Cros often repeated the Auâ— Mary bell and the like And those that would take away those holy obiects from before vs would take away a great meanes of the good liues of christians But because we haue made mention of the Aut Mary bell Of the Aue Mary bell we will make a litle digression to declare in a word or two the meaning of it The Aue Mary bell ringeth thrice euery day to put vs in minde of three holy mysterys In the morning in honour of Christs Resurrection which was in the morning time at noone in honour of his crucifying and death which was about noone time at night in honour of the Incarnation which is thought to haue bene fullfilled about midnight At the ringing of this bell all Catholikes where soeuer they be in their houses in the streets or fieldes say the Angelical Salutation as they know and the prayer after it in honour of those mysterys In which the Catholike Church sheweth the care which she hath ouer her people instituting this short but most profitable deuotion to call them thrice on the day to the seruice of God and to keepe their harts from time to time in a continuall tendernes towards him Thus much for the Aue Mary bell There are dinerse other wayes of saying the Rosary beside that which I haue declared Sometimes we say sixty tenns and three haile Marys that is sixty three haile Marys in honour of the sixty three yeares of our B. Ladys life S. L. 2. virg Ambrose faith that her life is a patterne of all vertues which if it be it is good to kepe it before our eyes at our prayers This deuotion is called a Rosary or the Beades It is called a Rosary because those prayers ascende as a sweet odour of roses to God as when S. Apoc. 8. Iohn saw the prayers of the faithfull to ascende as the odour of incense We call it the Beades meaning the instrument which we vse when we say those prayers and improperly we terme it the saying of our beades for the saying of our prayers on them or by them to remember them the better But if the number of those prayers be in it selfe lawfull the instrument which we vse but for memorys sake can not with reason be disallowed of Sozomen relateth of S. Paul the Ermite that he vsed euery day to say three hundred prayers and at the end of euery one to set downe a litle stone for his memory sake Soe we vse beades which signify in English any litle peeces of stone bone wood or other substance to remember our prayers by them And here it may be obserued that it is not likely that S. Paul said euery day three hundred seueral prayers but that he said some one prayer soe many times ouer for if they had bene different prayers they would haue destinguished themselues and he should not haue needed stones to destinguish them Nay if we consider it rightly we shall finde that the letting downe of a beade or stone at euery seuerall prayer would rather haue hindered and confounded his memory for soe he must both remember to set downe a stone to signify the number and must haue allwais the same prayer corresponding to that number and remember which prayer that was and therefor he would not haue vsed stones but to remember how often he had said the same prayer Hier. ep ad Fur. S. Hierome aduiseth his freind to select a certaine number of verses out of the scriptures and to say them as a daily taske offered vp to God Now if S. Hierome had aduised his freind to say those verses often ouer and to vse peeces of stone bone wood or the like as a memorial to remember them by what hurt had he done he had done that which the Catholike Church doth that is he had aduised to a pious exercise and to a good meanes to helpe their memory But the enemys of the Catholike Church haue some thing to obiect against the Rosary by which the solidity of it will appeare more First they say that the words of the Angell Haile full of grace c. And the words of S. Elizabeth are not prayers for they aske nothing therefor they are not to be vsed as prayers Here we haue that the words of the Rosary are Angelicall taken our of the holy Scriptures and we inferre therefor they are good to be vsed in our prayers The lepar said to Christ If thou wilt thou canst make mcâ— cleane Mat. 8. In which words he formally and expresly asked nothing Yet they were well vsed of him to procure health of Christ For although formally and expresly such words aske not yet vertually and effectually they are prayers that is they haue the vertue and effect of prayers with God who granteth our desires for the reuerence and humility which we shew by such words and soe the leprous man vertually and effectually asked by those words and obtained his desire Soe when Lazarus was sicke his sistars Martha and Mary sent vnto Christ saying onely Lord behold he whom thou louest is sicke Io. 11. in which words they did not formally and expresly desire Christ to come to heale him but vertually they did and by them they implyed as much as to say we beseech thee to heale him S. Augustine They did not say come and cure him Tract 49 in lo. it was enough to say he whom thou louest is sicke for of those whom thou louest thou deseâ—test none They well knew that Christ was not a desertour of his freinds and therefor they expresly asked not but onely told him the condition of his freind and this had the effect of prayer with him Soe the words of the haile Mary as they are termes of reuerence and humility to our B. Lady haue the effect of prayer although expresly they aske nothing Secondly they obiect the words of the Haile Mary are the words of the Angell as by office therefor he that vseth them taketh vpon him the Angells office It was indeede the Angells office in the sonne of God his Incarnation to say the words of the Rosary and to say Glory in the highest to God in his natiuity and in both sentences we reuerence those mysterys and giue glory to God by rehearsing them S. Athanasius reioyceth that all the quires of the coelestial Hierarchys are iucessantly singing that glorious and ample hymne to wit Haile full of grace and that we the terrestrial hierarchy of men repeate it although the Angel Gabriel was first appointed to say it S. Athanasius made a good argument but it was quite contrary to this This was his argument The words of the Haile Mary are holy and mysterious words spoken by an Angell to honour the B. Virgin therefor it is sitting that all Angels and men should incessantly
Body of our Lord was truely offered as a Sacrifice on the Crosse So in the Eucharist it is truely offered as a Sacrifice at Masse Protestants say that his true Body is neither truely offered as a Sacrifice at Masse nor is the Eucharist any Sacrifice at all nor yet is he soe much as present in it What commeration doe they make according to this doctrine of his death on the Cros where he was both truely present and a true Sacrifice The truth is that they laboring to pull downe the Masse as the cheife and highest worship of God which the Catholike Church had regarded not to take away all commemoration of Christs Passion and to leaue the world for euer after without any Sacrifice at all We haue in the acts of the Apostles Act. 13. where they are said to haue bene ministring to our Lord. Which planely denoteth that they were offering of Sacrifice for if they had bene preaching or administring the Sacraments onely then they had ministred to the people but to minister to God can haue noe other propper signification but to offer somethinge to God In the Greeke text it is expresly they being offering of Sacrifice and Erasmus himselfe Translateth it soe expounding the word lyturgy which the Greekes tooke from thence to signify the Church seruice Missa the Masse Soe that the Apostles had Sacrifice and Masse The Church hath declared this verity in seueral General Councells The first Councell of Nyce Can. 13. and more planely in another Canon which Doctour Kellison mentioneth out of Surius and out of the Reuerend Lord Cuthbert Tunstall the last Cathol ke Bishop of Durham of whose consanguinity I very much glory as a glorious Confessour of the Catholike Church The same after many General Councells is lastly declared by the Councell of Trent in which it is defined that a true and propper Sacrifice is offered to God at Masse Sess 22. c. 1. 2. Holy and auncient fathers haue spoken planely of a Sacrifice in the Church and haue called it by the word Missa the Masse Can. 3. Soe the Apostles in their canons requiring that those who are present at the Church seruice when they haue heard the Scriptures of the Apostles and the ghospell they remaine vntill Masse be done Clem. ep 3. S. Clement who liued in the Apostles times admonisheth the Clergy that they doe nothing without the licence of the Bishop and in particular that noe Priest say Masse with out it Eccl. hier c. 3. Amb. in Luc. 1. Aug. l. 10. de ciu Dei c. 19. 20. Ser. 13. de verb. Apost L. 3. de bap c. 19. Bed l. 4. c. 12. S. Denis the Disciple of S. Paul calleth the Sacrifice of the Church the quickening holy Sacrifice the vnbloody host and victime S. Ambrose sayth that there is noe doubt but that the Angels doe assist when Christ is immolated S. Augustine elegantly describeth the destinction of our inward and outward Sacrifice declaring how that Christ according to his humanity is the Sacrifice and according to his diuinity receiueth it and calleth it the Sacrifice of our mediatour the Sacrifice of our price the Sacrifice of the New Testament the Sacrifice of the Church And in another place he stileth it the onely inconsumptible victime without which there were noe religion S. Bede who liued after them although about a thousand yeares since relateth a notable histoty to setforth the power of the Masse The summe of which is that a Gentleman who serued the King of Northumberland in his warres being sore wounded in batle was taken by the enemy and recouering of his wounds was sold vnto a merchant of London His brother who was a Priest thinking him to haue bene killed said euery day Masse for him and to shew the power and essicacy of the Masse in loosing of the soule from punishments in the next world it pleased God that allwais at that time of day in which his brother said Masse for him the fetters with which he was bounde of their owne accord were loosed from him in soe much that is patrone obseruing it and acknowledging some mystery in it gaue leaue to his bondsman to goe amongst his freinds to procure his ransome It is a story worthy to be read at large in S. Bede who endeth the narration of it in these words this because I know it to be true I would insert it into my Ecclesiasticall History And if it be true as S. Bede saith he knew it to be it must manifestly conclude for the dignity power and efficacy of the Masse according as it is vsed in the Catholike Church and that it is a Sacrificè as we beleeue it to be Finally the Masse is soe auncient and soe planely testifyed by the primitiue fathers of the Church of Christ that a Protestant authour Confesseth that noe beginning there of after the Apostles times can be shewen Ascham apol pro Coena Do. Calu. in Heb. 9. Which when Caluin saw to be true he could not conteine himselfe but broke forth into these irreuerent words that the destinction of a bloody and vnbloody Sacrifice is a Scholastical and friuolous innention adding another farre worse terme which I will not repeate and concludeth nil moror quod veteres scriptores sic loquantur I care not for auncient writers saying soe Noe Caluin cared not for auncient writers sayings but good Catholikes care for them It shall allwais be a comfort to vs to haue our doctrine confirmed by the sanctity learning and antiquity of such writers as I haue produced in testimony of the Masse and by such miracles as S. Bede hath related which I needed not to haue mentioned ouer againe but for Caluins rash words We shew by such writers that it was the doctrine of the auncient Catholiks and we beleeue it to be true because the whole Catholike Church doth soe beleeue And this whole Church was contradicted by Caluin when he beganne his doctrine in opposition and disobedience to all the Churches of the world And for this I will adde further the words of the Apostle we haue an altare Heb. 13. where of they haue not power to cate that serue the tabernacle He speaketh there to some who being conuerted from Iudaisme to the faith of Christ were still inclining to the Iewish Sacrifices and to disswade them from this he compareth together their altare and ours and preferreth ours By which it is manifest that we had a Sacrifice in the Apostles times for what are altares for but to offer Sacrifice on and the Apostle comparing these two altares together must suppose and vnderstande their Sacrifices by them for the altares are not eaten but the Sacrifices which are offered on them and therefor as the Iewish altare had a Sacrifice which was eaten soe had the altare of the Apostles or els there is noe comparison betwixt the two altares nor connexion in the Apostles speech To the former authoritys I adde this reason The
which the cheife and essentiall parts of Masse are conteined Oslertory The Offertory is a praise giuing to God after the preaching of the Ghospell thatas faith commeth by hearing and is receiued in the hart so prayse also may be giuen by the mouth It is a deuout and auncient custome to offer gifts at the Offortory by which the people concurring then with the Priest and consenting to that which he doth say as it were I beleeut and professe that which is here professed and I consent vnto and combine with the Priest to offer that which he offereth to God These offerings are iustifyed by our Sauiour himselfe Mat. 5. saying If thou offer thy gift at the Altare c. goe first and be reconciled to thy brother and then comming thou shalt offer thy gift And God expresly commanded in the law of Moyses Deut. 16. that when they came to the solemnitys of the Temple There shall not appeare before our Lord any empty but euery one shall offer according to that he hath according to the blessing of our Lord his God which he shall giue him Then the Host and the Chalice are prepared and offered The bread is then called an immaculate host not for that it is then an host but in respect of the future for that it is to be a most immaculate Host and perfect Sacrifice as the tree of Paradise was called the tree of the knowledge of good and cuill in respect of the future for that we were to haue the knowledge of euill by it This offering before consecration signifyeth the voluntary oblation by which Christ offered himselfe in minde before the oblation of the Crosse A little water is mixt to the wine Chrysost in Missa according to the custome of the auncient Church to signify the issuing out of blood and water from the side of Christ when one of the soldiers blindly but mysteriously opened it with a lance The Host and the Chalice being deuoutly prepared the Priest turneth about to the people and sayeth Orate fratres to desire their prayers Orare fratres that the host may be pleasing to God and profitable to them and to the whole Church and they pray accordingly Then the Priest prayeth in secret Secr. tâ— praycrs to represent the time of Christs retirement For the Priests of the Iewes and Pharisys seeing the force of his doctrine and miracles and that by no meanes they could preuaile against them procured an edict to be setforth to apprehende him and laid in wait to haue killed him But what are the councells of man to contest with God sometimes he disappeared out of their sight and past vnseene through the midst of them Ioan. 7. some time she rerired himselfe and kept out of their hands because his time was not yet come But the Feast of the Pasch drawing neere he returned from beyond the seas of Galily into Iury againe Prasaâ—ion for he chose for his Passion the Paschall time when greatest refort of all nations might he at Hierusalem as spectators and witnesses of his sufferings Then he preached publikly amongst them and with that applause of the people that for all the power and malice of his enemys they slocked neuerthelesse by multitudes vnto him and with great honour and acclamations of ioy conducted him solemnely into Hierusalem as the Church celebrateth in the office of Palme Sunday and is now celebrated at the Praefation and therefore the Priest spreadeth his hands intoken of ioy and inuiteth all the Angelicall quires to prayse God with him repeating the words which the people then cryed saying Mat. 21. Blessed is he that commeth in the name of our Lord. Hosanna in the Highest and the words of the Seraphims who cryed Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus Holy Holy Holy in the presence of God Esa 6. and he maketh the signe of the Crosse before him to shew how litle Christ regarsted the glory of this world that in all that prompe he had nothing before his eyes but the good of soules weeping then for the sinnes and desolation of that people This part of the Masse is called the Praefation or Praeface as an introduction to the Passion of Christ which is represented at the consecration His birth was celebrated at the Gloria in excelsis his life vntill he beganne to preach is signifyed in that which followeth vnto the ghospell his preaching in the ghospell and Creede the beginning of his persecution in the secret prayers his glorious entrance into Hieâ—tsalem in the Praeface his last supper and death is commemorated in the consecration After the Praeface followeth the Canon Canon that is to say the rule and order Which Christ the Apostles and their successors haue instituted for the deuout and worthy offering of this Sacrifice The Priest prayeth for his superiors spiritual and temporall and for his benefactors and freinds that are liuing and for whom or whatsoeuer he intendeth to pray professing all our hopes and confidence to be in this blessed Sacrifice he prayeth in secret to signify the dolorous time of Christs Passion he maketh then a commemoration of our B. Lady and of the Saints mentioning none but martyrs as witnesses of Christs Passion in their blood For although our B. Lady did not actually suffer death for Christ yet she was a Martyr in that she actually suffered the paines of death that is to say paines sufficient to haue depriued her of life according to the Prophecy of Simeon that a sword should pierce her soule The time of consecration drawing neere the Church prostrateth herselfe with all humility in prayer to God Consecration beseeching him that as there neuer was nor euer can be any thinge soe deere and pleasing to him as Iesus Christ his onely sonne and as the works which he did and ordinances which he ordained and as of all the ordinances which he left to the Church this is the cheife and summe of all in which he would bequeath his owne body to remaine for our continuall Sacrifice amongst vs soe he will vouchsafe to accept of that Sacrifice and the loue of him to be soe grounded in vs that in all temptations and aduersitys of this world we may cleaue to him and in the end be admitted into his blessed company in heauen He taketh then the host into his hands and blesseth it with the signe of the Cros. S. Augustine Ser. 181. de temp with the signe of the Cros we consecratethe body of our Lord and whatsoeuer is consecrated in the name of Christ is consecrated with this signe The host is then consecrated that manner of consecration being exactly obserued which Christ commanded at the last supper After consecration he kneeleth downe to the blessed Sacrament Eleuation and neuer toucheth it or vncouereth the Chalice without kneeling downe of reuerence to it for if the Apostle requireth that euery knee bow of the calestials terrestrials and insernals at the name of Iesus
it must of necessity be subiect to all those alterations and corruptions which all vulgar tongues are subiect vnto and which the Latine tongue was subiect vnto as long as it was vulgarly spoken vntill in the end it banished it selfe quite out of the world and was left as the common speech of noe place and then was kept in its integrity and auncient purity by being kept from the vulgar and cheifly as we may well thinke by hauing the Masse soe continually said in Laaine Where as our aduersarys obiect the authority of S. Paul Cor. 1.14 who seemeth as they pretende to require that the Church seruice be in euery commune tongue that all the people vnderstanding it may answere Amen the Apostle neuer soe much as mentioneth the Church seruice in that place nor medleth with the language of it but speaketh there of quite another thinge to wit the gift of strange tongues and of the interpreting of them which interpretation was a different gift and which the speaker himselfe sometimes had not These and other like graces being giuen to some in those times the people mette together to heare them exercised But by litle and litle they beganne to be abused and fell into disorders in soe much that some would speake that which could be interpreted by none soe that it had noe sense that could require Amen to be answered to but was as not spoken at all none being inspired to interprete it Now what connexion hath this with the publike seruice of the Church which is without any disorder at all and in noe such strange tongue but in a knowne and the most honored of all tongues which is intelligible in it selfe and most vniuersally vnderstood and interpreted by thousands and which hath not onely the authority of the Church allowing of it but also commanding it and therfor with all reason shall be answered with Amen Which the other being fallen into disorders could not in reason be answered with it being to the edification of none as being vnderstoode by none when the miracle should haue consisted in vnderstanding and interpreting of it I haue heard of some who haue bene soe bold as to say that the Priest praying in a tongue which the people vnderstande not may curse them for any thinge they know as well as blesse them But this is a bold and irreuerent speech For if it were an irreuerence to the Law and to lawyers to talke of their cursing of their ignorant clients when they pleade for them in termes which they vnderstande not much more is it an irreuerence to the Law of God and to Priests that haue the keeping of it to talke of their cursing of the people when they pray for them in the language of the Church Besides it is a very weake speech and vnworthy of a wise man for it is impossible to accommodate euery word to the vnderstanding of all men And what should they say when they vnderstoode not and what should deafe men say that heard nor it were to banish all order quite out of the world and the being of a Church to make it subiect to euery particular mans censure The Priest if he change nothing but sayeth what the Church commandeth can enrse none and we cannot in reason and charity suspect him of changing any thinge except he be such an one as Luther or Caluin that durst take vpon them to change what they listed in the Church and to beginne new Churches Besiâ—â—â—s it is not such a rare thinge in Catholike countreys as it is here for lay people to vnderstande Latine I remember that I haue mette with a plowman holding his plow who directed mee in my way describing it in very elegant Latine and with poore beggars who haue bene very ready in the Latine tongue Mechanike men in some places vnderstande it soe frequently that Masse can hardly be said amongst an indifferent number of people but some that are present will vnderstande Latine Finally experience will answere all obiections in that the Masse being as it is in a high and honorable language and with those deuout caeremonys is full of edification and much more mouing to deuotion then any thinge which our enemys haue This those that are conuerted to the Catholike faith doe presently finde in themselues and those that are peruerted from it commonly shew in the loosnesse of their liues that there is noe comparison betwixt the deuotion and edification of the Masse and the prayers of Protestants but onely such as is betwixt true and painted fire the one of which warmeth indeede the other warmeth not at all but rather cooleth as one should grow colder by holding his hands to a painted fire Now it is fitting that we speake a word or two OF THE FRVITS AND BENEFITS which are gained by the denout hearing of Masse THERE is not any meanes in the world soe efficacious for the obtaining of benefits at the hands of God as the Masse is both as it is a Sacrifice the highest act of worship that can be giuen to God and also as it is a Sacrifice soe eminent and excelling all other Sacrifices that the dignity efficacy and value of it can not be expressed all benefits being infinitly more worthy to be granted for it then for any thinge that we can doe But to speake more in particular first our faith is confirmed and our mindes are eleuated to a feruerous zeale of that which all Christians professe when we commemorate the Passion of Christ in that deuout and mysterious manner as by the principall and most expresse commemoration which the Church hath of it And we are excited to a firme and constant beleefe of that sacred verity which the Catholike Church hath allwais beleeued of the true reall and substantiall presence of the sacred body and blood of our Lord and of his whole humane nature vnited to the diuine word in the B. Sacrament of Eucharist Which as it is a mystery aboue the vnderstanding of man and not effected by any power of nature but by the omnipotency of God soe by it we yeeld our vnderstandings captius as we ought vnto the diuine power to the word of God and to the doctrine of the Church And by hearing of Masse we are not onely confirmed in this mystery but in all other points of the Christian faith For what is the whole Masse but a daily exercizing and training vp of christians in the mysterys of Christ and in all those things which he did and suffered for vs there is nothing there to be seene or heard but the cheife mysterys of our faith represented the diuine praises celebrated his benefits acknowledged and his goodnes and mercy deuoutly implored all with relation to some passage of his life or death Secondly at Masse we are comforted and encouraged to hope confiding in God that hauing left vnto the world soe deere a pledge as his onely Sonne he will grant vs the remission of our sinnes and will giue vs in
wee will minde their behauiour and learne of them how to behaue our selues at Masse And it were good to gette a custome allways when we heare Masse to make a purpose of amending some particular falt or imperfection which we know in ourselues and to remember that purpose at the beginning and at the end of euery Masse which we heare THE ELEAVENTH DISCOVRSE OF THE PRAECEPTS OF THE CHVRCH I Intende now to declare the Praecepts of the Church but first we will craue our blessed Ladys intercession Haile Mary c. Quest Say the fiue cheife Praecepts of the Church Answer To fast fasting dayes To keepe holy dayes To confesse our sinnes to our ordinary Pastour or to another with his leaue ot least once a yeare To receiue the Eucharist at Easter time To pay tithes There are diuerse other Praecepts of the Church as the prohibiting to celebrate marriage from the beginning of Aduent vntil after Twelfth day and from the beginning of Lent vntill after Low Sunday Also many things in seuerall generall councells commanded some in respect of the Clergy and some of the laiâ—y â—or of particular states and conditions of men which wee omitte as not of this place and declare onely the fiue aboue mentioned which Authors commonly deliuer as the cheife and most necessary for the people to be instructed in But before wce come to their particular declaration we will say somethinge OF THE AVTHORITY OF THE Church and of the obligation of her Praecepts Quest How doe the Praeceps of the Church oblige Ans The Praecepts of the Church oblige vnder a mortall sinne The authority of the Church is declared in many places of holy Scriptures Apoc. 1. Saint Iohn saw in a vision the Church descending downe from Heauen like to a glorious bride setforth with all her ornaments to meete her bridegroome God is the Bridegroome the Church is the bride the Praecepts of the Church are her ornaments for by the keeping of them the soules of the faithfull are adorned graciously in the sight of God and in the end become glorious in Heauen and those that breake the Praecepts of the Church breake teare and abuse the ornaments of the coelestiall bride and therefore commit a mortall sinne Christ hath compared the disobedient to the Church to Heathens Mat. 18 and Publicans saying If he will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican but the eternall word of God and his infinite wisedome neither would nor could haue soe compared them as to put them in the ranke of the most odious and infamous of all men if they had not bene guilty of mortall sinne Nay the authority of God in many places of the Scriptures is in plaine words attributed to the Church A question arising concerning the necessity of Circumcision Saint Peter with some others mette at Hierusalem about it and hauing decided the controuersy they imposed some praecepts to be obserued by the Church and that in the name and authority of the Holy Ghost saying Act. 15. it hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to vs to lay noe further burthen vpon you then these necessary things c. And S. Paul who had bene an earnest aemulatour of the law of Moyses went vp to Hierusalem to them and without any murmuring at all was contented with that which was there decreed and which S. Peter then declared submitting willingly all those rites which he had bene brought vp in and which he had aemulated before to the censure Lawes and Praecepts of the Church of Christ and not onely himselfe obeyed them but also as in the same chapter is declared He walked through Syria and Cilicia confirming the Churches and commanding them to keepe the Praecepts of the Apostles and Auncients Ananias sold a piece of land and defrauded of the price of it bringing only part of it to the feet of the Apostles Saint Peter who by reuelation vnderstood his deceit rebuked him saying Act. 5. Ananias why hath sathan tempted thy hart that thou shouldest ly to the holy Ghost c. Thou hast not lyed to men but to God And it cost him his life forth with falling downe dead in the place And his wife Saphira who was priuy to his fraude comming in about three houres after and mainteining her husbands ly Behold said Saint Peter their seete that haue buried thy husband at the doore and they shall beare thee forth And she fell downe presently and dying was carried out of doores and buried with her husband See here the diuine authority attributed to the Church Saint Peter declaring that Ananias then lyed to the holy Ghost and not to men but to God in that he lyed to those who as the Praelats of the Church had the authority of God and a terrible example of the diuine Iustice ensuing to teach vs reuerence and obedience to that authority Our blessed Sauiour speaking to his Apostles said Luc. 10. He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth mee and Saint Paul writing to the Thessalonians concerning the Praecepts which he had deliuered to them Thess 14. saith He that despiseth these things despiseth not man but God who also hath giuen his holy Spirit in vs. By all which places we see that the Church hath diuine authority that to heare it is to heare God and to be vnheare to it is to be vnheare to him to dissemble with the Prelates of the Church is to dissemble with God and to dispise them is to despise him The reason of this is Order because the Superiours of the Church being ordained of God to gouerne the world in his diuine seruice their authority is to be obeyed as the ordinance of God and as the supreme authority vpon earth aboue all temporall power in that immediatly and directly it tendeth not the temporall but to spirituall peace and order and therefore those that deny obedience to it and resist it resist the diuine ordinance and the supreme authority that is amongst men If a father should set a Schoole Master ouer his children and commande them to obey him they denying obedience to him and refusing to be taught by him disobey their father as well as their master God setteth the Pastors of the Church as Masters ouer vs to instruct and commande vs in the diuine worship Mal. 2. The lips of the Priest shall preserue knowledge and the law thou shalt require from his mouth and the Apostle saith Heb. 13. Obey your Prelates and be subiect to them for they watch as being to render account for your soules The greatest Duke King or Emperour if he hath a soule to be saued he hath a Priest and a Prelate to obey as well as the meanest of his subiects he is his master in spirituall things and if he disobey him in the doctrine and Praecepts of the Church hee disobeyeth God who ordained him in that authority he doth contrary to the
diuine word breaketh his lawes and taketh away all order and gouernment quite out of the world for all order includeth subordination that is to say subiection of inferiors to superiour powers but take once away the authority of the Church and absolue men in conscience from the obedience of it to beginne new doctrines beleeuing teaching and doeing what they list themselues and you take away all subordination of inferiors to superiors in the diuine worship therfore take away obedience to the Church and you take away all order and gouernment in Religion quite out of the world by making men subiect to no authority and consequently you destroy the world which without order in Religion can not consist The ground therefore foundation and first principle of all order is the divine authority of the continuall Church to beleeue as the Church teacheth and to obey it The Apostles haue commanded obedience to temporall superiors who then were infidels and could haue no authority in spirituall affaires Petr. 1.2 Let euery soule be subiect to higher powers for there is noe power but of God Rom. 13. Therefore he that resisteth the poâ—er resisteth the ordinance of God If infidell masters Magistrates and Powers be to be obeyed in temporall things as ordained of God how much more are we to obey the higher powers of the Catholike Church God hath ordeined the Superiors of the Church to gouerne the world in his diuine seruice therefore they haue the authority of God Aug. coÌ„t adu leg lib. 1. c. 17. and their Praecepts oblige vnder a mortall sinne There is no chaine of iron or adamant saith S. Augustine that can binde so hard as the Praecepts of the Church The like may be said of Ecclesiasticall customes which by long continuance haue obtained the force of lawes Ecclesiastical customes Therfor S. Paul commendeth the Corinthians for keeping the Praecepts which he had giuen them and alleadging the custome of the Church he thought it sufficient to stoppe the mouths of the contentious to say we have noe such custome nor the Church of God Cor. 1.11 And if those customs of the Church could gaine that authority soe soone within twenty or thirty yeares that Christ founded it certainely they shall haue as much now when it hath the addition of about sixteene hundreds of yeares S. Augustine hath these words for customes In those things of which the scriptures determine nothing for certaine Aug. ad Caâ—ulan the custome of the people is the custome of God and the institutions of our auncestors are to be kept as lawes and as praeuaricators against diuine lawes soe the infringers of Ecclesiasticall customes are to be restrained because the Church seeing those customes and not forbidding them by silence consenteth and alloweth of them and God declareth by the practise of the Church that in those times and places such customes oblige as necessary then to be kept Now let vs declare the Praecepts of the Church in particular THE FIRST PRAECEPT TO fast fasting dayes Soe great is the benefit of fasting that the Catholike Church would haue none of her people to be depriued of it and therefor would oblige all to diuerse fasts which I shall presently declare but first we will say somethinge of fasting in generall Fasting is commended first in the old Testament sometimes by examples of the Prophets and holy men and sometimes by the admirable effects of it Fasting was the first Praecept that was commanded to man and all our miserys beganne first by the vnhappy breaking of that Praecept God might haue chosen any other Commandement to haue exercized our obedience in but he would commende fasting to vs. After that in the Law of nature it was commanded againe some meates being then prohibited to be eaten as vncleane Nu. 6. Iud. 13. Hiere 35. In the Law of Moyses he himselfe fasted at the receiuing of it The Nazareits and Rechabeits who were particularly dedicated to the seruice of God were strict and austere in fasting Holy Iudith armed with fasting went forth against all the Assyrian forces accompanyed onely with one maide seruant and full of zeale and heauenly fortitude with her owne hands slew their Prince and put them all to slight The sentence of death was giuen against all the Israelits and a day appointed for their generall massacre Esther the Queene must venture her life for them by going to the King to aske their pardon She fasted and the people fasted for her good successe and she became soe beautifull and gracious that the hart of the King being enamoured with her the liues of thousands were granted at her request The Niniuers for their sinnes had deserued destruction and God sent his Prophet to declare against them and to cry as yet forty dayes and Niniue shall be subverted Ion. 3. The King hearing of it commanded a solemne fast and the city obseruing it God was pacifyed the sentence was suspended and Niniue stoode firme repaired by the force of fasting The three children armed with this vertue entred into the furnace of Babylon and walked in the raging fire as in a pleasant fresh ayre Daniel by fasting was too strong for Lyons and greedy hungar vrging them to deuoure God stopped their mouths that they did him noe hurt Graue Eleazarus contemned death to defende that fast which God had then commanded in the Church And the seauen brethren in the Machabees with their Mother aboue measure maruelous passed through cruell torments in defence of the same fast In the New Testament we haue fasting much more commended vnto vs by the example of Christ himselfe who blessedly beganne the Law of grace with his owne fast of forty dayes We haue also that Anne the Prophetisse fasted that S. Iohn Baptist fasted that the Apostles fasted and that Christ did not onely commende fasting by his example but in plane words and by miracle He would haue a possessed person to be brought to the Apostles that they labouring in vaine to despossesse him he might performe it himselfe and then declare for fasting saying this kind can goe out by nothing but by prayer and fasting Marc. 9. Is it not now a shame for the enemys of the Catholike Church to pretende Scriptures and yet to stande against the whole current both of tho old and new Testament for some aequivocall sentence which they picke out to obiect against fasting Christ to reprooue the hypocrysy of the Pharisys who vsed often to fast and to wash themselues that they might seeme holy before men said Mat. 15. not that which entreth into the mouth defileth a man meaning that the end intention and circumstances of eating and not the corporall meate was either good or hurtfull to the soule of man and they obiect this saying against fasting in generall or against the fasts of the Church Gal. 4. and call them the obseruations of men and not of God What more could an haeretike say to deny the doctrine of
the whole world and what more could theeues robbers and all wicked malefactors desire to exempt themselues from all humane lawes and obligation of conscience then to deny all obseruations as of the autority of man and to referre all to the tribunal of God which they know that they can not escape but must stande to whether they will or noe You may see what reuerence is here to the word of God and how easily that sacred word is abused by those that will stande against the whole Church First therefor I tell them that they cannot but see those words to haue the same force against fasting in generall which commonly they allow of as against the fasts of the Church which now they reiect but that is indeede noe force at all the circumstances being altered in which Christ spoke them to reprooue the fasts of vaine and hypocryticall men who fasted without order and humility for shew onely Secondly I tell them that the authority of the Church is the authority of God as I haue sufficiently prooued and therefor the Praecepts of the Church are not onely the obseruations of men but the Commandements of God Thirdly I tell them that God by his Church commanded fasting in the Law of Moyses and in the Law of grace euen in the Apostles times the Councell of Hierusalem prohibiting some meates Act. 15. as is specifyed in the fifteenth of the acts Fourthly I tell them that fasting as it is a Praecept of the Church is vsed as a corporall affliction to subdue the euill inclinations of our flesh and corporall afflictions vsed with order as the Church praescribeth them are pleasing to God therefor fasting as it is a Praecept of the Church is pleasing to God Cor. 1.9 S. Paul saith I chastize my body and bring it into seruitude least perhaps when I haue preached to others my selfe become reprobate Fiftly I tell them that Aërius was condemned as an haeretike many hundreds of yeares since Haer. 53. and S. Augustine hath taken the paines to put him into his catalogue of haeretiks for this very doctrine for that allowing of fasting in generall he disallowed of it as a Praecept of the Church and would haue none to fast but as they liked themselues He that should reade the second booke of S. Hierome against Iouinian the haeretike that denied fasting should finde there much more then I haue said or can say in commendation of it And it is admirable to reade the sentences of Scriptures and the erudition which this holy Doctour hath drawne there together for this purpose shewing by seuerall authors how much this vertue was esteemed of euen by heathens in the best ages of the world who saw by reason and founde by experience the force of fasting in the tempering of our bodys in refreshing and quickening of our vnderstandings and by consequence in disposing vs vnto Morall vertues And writing to the Virgin Demetrias he hath this high expression that fasting is not onely in it selfe a perfect vertue but the foundation sanctification purity and Prudence of the rest without which none shall see God Now for the particular fasts or abstinences which the holy Church commandeth There are the forty dayes fast of Lent the fast of Ember dayes of Rogation dayes of Vigils of Frydayes of S. Marke Lent and of Saturdayes We haue for the forty dayes fast of Lent the examples of Moyses of Elias and of Christ himselfe Moyses fasted forty dayes and receiued the Law enioying in that time the familiar conuersation of God Elias fasted forty dayes and then wrought miracles reuiuing the dead Christ fasted forty dayes in the beginning of his miraculous preaching soe preparing himselfe to deliuer his ghospell and to redeeme the world And although we can not fast soe strictly and perfectly as our blessed Sauiour did eating nothing all that time yet it is fitting that we should doe our endeauour in honour and imitation of him And it is not vnlikely that Christ commended the fast of Lent as well by word and expresse commande as by example to his Apostles in those forty dayes space betwixt his Resurrection and Ascension in which he often appeared to them and taught them concerning the Church and therefor the auncient and holy fathers commonly call it the institution of the Apostles by the Commandement of Christ S. Ambrose that it was not inuented by any earthly cogitation but commanded by the heauenly maiesty Amb. de quadrag ser 36. Igna. ep 5. Aug. ser 69. de temp S. Ignatius who was the Disciple of S. Iohn Euangelist saith contemne not Lent for it conteineth the imitation of our Lords conuersation and S. Augustine saith that by the due obseruation their of the wicked are separated from the good Infidels from Christians haeretiks from faithfull Catholikes He then that honoreth the name of a Catholike and Christian will honour Lent and obserue it It is instituted to be kept against the Passion of Christ that we who professe ourselues his seruants and souldiers may in some sort suffer with our master and captaine It were a preposterous mirth and absurde in a seruant to laugh and make merry when he saw his master full of paine or for a souldier to take his ease in bedd when his captaine were enduring hardnesse in the field Good Vrias comming out of the campe to the court the King badd him to goe home and rest himselfe but he refused to doe soe Reg. 2.11 saying the arke of God c. And my Lord Ioah abide vpon the face of the earth and shall I enter into my house to eate and drinke I will not doe this thinge Neither did he it but went out and slept before the gates of the Kings house with the other seruants of his Lord because he would not pamper himselfe and ly within doores when the arke and his Lord laid without Our blessed Lord the King of heauen and earth the Sauiour of the world is suffering many blowes he is bleeding vpon the Crosse his meate and drinke is vinagre and gall and is it then a time for vs to make merry and to feast our selues is this like a seruant and souldier of Christ or is it not rather most vnseasonable preposterous and spirefull vnworthy of the name and profession of a Christian how preposterous then is the malice of those who choose the time of Lent of all the times of the yeare and Good Friday of all the dayes in lent to make their feasts on is this a good preparation to receiue the benefit of Christs Passion and Resurrection if they were Iewes or professed enemyes of Christ they might doe soe indeed in despite of him but being Christians they should be ashamed of it Saint Augustine commendeth the fast of Lent as a preparation for Easter and saith as you haue heard that the breaking of it is wicked and proper to Infidels and Haeretiks This they may glosse with some pretence and finde some thing to say
the Church hath not forbidden to drinke but it hath forbidden to eate all kind of meate and therefore apleâ— and fruit are not to be eaten out of mailes Fasting dayes beginne at twelue a clocke in the morning and end at twelue a clocke at night conteining fower and twenty houres Aunciently they fasted from supper time on the day before till supper time againe on the next day without eating of any thing but mens complexions growing weaker and weaker and perhaps their deuotions also they beganne to take their suppers sooner on fasting dayes vntill by litle and litle they brought supper to noone time and custome hath now preuailed to take a litle collation at night as is obserued in the Church So that the maile which we haue on fasting dayes is not properly a dinner but a supper and therfore it may lawfully be differred as late as we will but it may not be taken before the time allowed of by custome Which is at soonest about noone time Finally Scandall for the manner of fasting the customes of places are to be obscrued and we must be very carefull that we giue noe scandall to others especially to the enemys of the Catholike Church who make allways the worst of our actions and therefore many things which are lawfull are not allways expedient to be done It was in it selfe lawfull for saint Paul to eate flesh and of that flesh which was immolated to Idols for the flesh was no worse yet he would rather neuer eate flesh at all Cor. 1. â— then scandalize any by â—ating of it If meale saith he scandalize my brother It ill neuer eate flesh least I scandalize my brother THE SECOND PRAECEPT TO keepe Holy dayes In the Law of Moyses diuerse holy dayes were commanded to be kept Ioan. 10. and were then obserued by praecept of the Church Apoc. 1. and our blessed Sauiour hath allowed of them honoâ—ing their solemnitys by his owne presence at them as he did the feast of the Dedication of the Temple instituted by the Church in the time of Iudas Machabaeus The Scriptures make mention of the Domâ—nicall day that is to say our Lords day or our Sunday to haue bene kept in the Apostles times The Church then tooke away the Saturday Sabaoth which God first commanded in remembrance of the creation of the world and instituted Sundays Sabaoth or rather transferred Saturdays Sabâ—oth vnto Sundayes Sabaoth in honour of the Redemption of the world as à greater mystery and I doe not heare of any Heretiks now in the world that refuse to keepe Sunday for Sabaoth with what consequence then can they refuse to keepe the other holy dayes or any other praecept of the Church they all hauing the same authority that Sundayihath and the same obligation Yet Protestants allow the obligation of Sundayes solemnity and durst neuer attempt to alter it or to deny the obligation of it hauing no other warrant for it but the authority of the Church which then gouerned the Christian world and hauing the same for other holy dayes they reiect them The truth is that they haue forsaken the Church that was allayes in the world to beginne a Church which then was not at all in the world and therefore the holy Ghost hath forsaken them and left them to such inconsequences of their owne wits Clem. l. 8. Apost constit Saint Clement who liued in the Apostles times and was disciple vnto Saint Peter and Coadiutor to Saint Paul and who wrote as an eyewitnesse of those things which were then obserued in the Catholike Church deliuereth that the Apostles gaue order for the obseruing of the Feasts of their fellow Apostles and in particular of Saint Steuen as also of some other Martyrs Epiph. haer 75. Saint Epiphanius denounceth Aërius for an Haeretike in that he reiected the holy dayes of the Church By all which it appeareth how weake that obiection of Protestants is which Aërius also obiected out of the Apostles words Gal. 4. Yoü obserue dayes months times and yeares Where the Apostle speaketh against the superstitious obseruations of Heathens from which yong Christians at their first conuersions were hardly weaned in those times and therefore he rebuketh them but I haue said enough for this and all other Praecepts of the Church when I shewed that they are the Precepts of God and haue divine authority This Praecept includeth two things to wit to absteine from seruil works and to heate Masse for it is not sufficient not to worke corporall works on holy dayes but we must also sanctify them with some speciall good works as dayes particularly dedicated to the seruice and honour of God and Masse being the cheife highest and most eminent worship which can be giuen to him as his onely true Sacrifice therefore the Church hath commanded that euery one be present to offer vp at least one Masse euery holy day And this is as great an obligation as to obserue Lent or any other Praecept of the Church obliging vnder a mortall sinne S. 2. Par. Chron. tit 9. c. 10 §. 2. Anthony Archbishop of Florence relateth of two men who going out to fowle vpon a holy day they heard a voice that cryed strike him strike him and the one of them that had not heard Masse was presently strucke dead with a thunder bolt and his astonished companion hearing the voyce to continue still was comforted with another which answered I can not strike him for that he hath heard Verbum caro factum est intimating that he had heard an intire Masse to the end Amongst Holydayes those are obserued as most solemne in the Church that haue more immediate relation to God himselfe We keepe also the feasts of our blessed Lady and of the Angels and Saints to honour God by them that as they help vs and reioyce at our good soe we may praise their vertues and reioyce in their glory Besides by celebrating their feasts we are incited to the imitation of their liues and to aspire to that state of blesse which they enioy THE THIRD PRAECEPT TO Confesse our sinnes to our ordinary Pastour or to another with his leaue at least once a yeare By Praecept of the Church we are boundnoe oftener to confession then once in the yeare but many circumstances may occurre in which by diuine Praecept we are bounde to confesse oftener First in all dangers of life as when we are dangerously siâ—ke and as those that are condemned to dy Souldiers also tradesmen and trauelers when they are to goe vpon any dangerous attempt or iourneys finally in all perils of life we are bounde to prepare our selues for death and if â—e be conscious of any mortal sinne in such dangers we are bounde to goe to confession as the ordinary meanes which God hath instituted for the remissioÌ„ of sinnes We are bound also to goe to coÌ„fession allwais before we receiue any of theseauen SacrameÌ„ts if we be guilty of mortal sinne because
worship of Sacrifice hath allwais bene vnderstoode as the cheife and highest worship of God but the true Church of Christ must haue at all times the cheife and highest worship of God therefor the true Church of Christ must haue at all times the worship of Sacrifice Neither can there any good answere be made to this argument For if they say that Christ as he was once offered on the Cros is the Christian Sacrifice sufficient for vs and therefor we neede none after it it is not a good answere nor satisfyeth any more then if one should say Christ worshipped God for vs therefor we neede not to worship God after him or Christ fasted prayed and suffered for vs therefor we neede not to fast or to pray or to doe any good works but onely to beleeue in him and we shall be saued and soe we should banish the worship of God and all good works out of the world and set vp a sole and onely iustifying faith as they doe grounding themselues vpon such vaine and friuolous inferences of their owne braine which they will mainteine against all the authority of the whole world Christ saued vs by the Sacrifice of the Cros that is by the merits of that Sacrifice he procured meanes for our saluation and these meanes are faith and good works and the best of all works and most honorable to God is the offering of a Sacrifice And as Christs worship and good works doe not hinder and cuacuate ours noe more did his Sacrifice hinder and cuacuate all Sacrifice for euer after but he would institute a sacrifice for his people that by it they might apply the merits of his sacrifice to themselues and that it might be the most worthy of all sacrifices he ordained it to be in his owne sacred body mysteriously yet really offered in the Eucharist Which as it was the most perfect of all corporall things was indeed the most conuenient sacrifice for the Law of Christ yet if we did not offer that body as then truely and really present with vs but offered it in our harts onely as it was present on the Crosse and as it is now in Heauen it were not the offering of some present corporall thing as all people haue euer vnderstoode a sacrifice to be Hence it appeareth how vainly they obiect the wordsof the Apostle calling Christour High Priest Heb. 7.9.10 who by one oblation hath consummated for euer those that are sanctifyed Therefore say they all other oblation is needlesse and derogateth from that of Christ as though it were not sufficient To which it is answered that the words of the Apostle are most holy and true Christ is our high Priest and our onely high Priest for the highest of all others Priests is but the Vicar of Christ our Highest Priest He consummated by way of redemption the sanctification of all those that are sanctifyed and by one onely oblation he saued all that are saued in that by it onely he redeemed vs. What then Therefore there needdeth no more sacrifice for our redemption It is true Therefore all other sacrifice for our redemption derogateth from that It is also true And this is all that the Apostle sayeth Where is now their argument Therefor there needeth noe continuall sacrifice to conserue the worship of God and to giue supreme and due homage to him It is false and no better consequence then as I said before Christ worshipped God for vs therefor we neede not to worship him The cheife worship of God is by sacrifice and this worship was giuen him by Christ for vs is it now good consequence Therefor we neede not to giue that cheife worship to God Christ offered sacrifice for our redemption but to receiue the benefit of it we must doe our parts and that is as I haue said to receiue the Sacraments offer sacrifice and doe other works which he hath ordained to be done by vs in the Catholike Church for the honour of God and the sanctifying of our soules and therefor saint Iohn attributeth our sanctification to our selues Io. 1.3 Euery one that hath this hope saith he sanctifyeth himselfe that is by cooperating with God Cor. 1.3 and the Passion of Christ and therefore saint Paul saith we are Gods coadiutors for that we concurre with him to the good works which we doe and so by offering of sacrifice we concurre with Christs sacrifice and oblation consummating ours by being once offered for our redemption by which he giueth vertue to all our good works And this is all that the Apostle would say as is manifest both by the circumstances of his speech and also by his words for he spoke then to those of the Circumcision that they should not looke backe to the sacrifices of their former law for that they being but shaddowes of that of our redemption and figures to praefigure it as then future and which is now fullfilled to continue them after the Passion of Christ was as much as to say that our redemption was not fullfilled and that Christ by one oblation had not perfectly redeemed vs but that he were to suffer againe or els they were false figures in signifying that as future which were past and therefor in the Epistle he saith that if Christ had not offered one host for sinnes he ought to haue suffered often Hebr. 9. The Apostle therefore speaketh of the iewish sacrifices that they were not to be continued for that the sacrifice of our redemption which they signifyed as future was but one and that allready offered And those that alleadge his words against a continuall sacrifice abuse their heares and the word of God But they say that the Eucharist is but a commemoration of the sacrifice of the Crosse representing it therefore noe true sacrifice and much lesse the same that was then offered It is necessary therefore to declare how THE MASSE IS A COMMEMOratiue or representatiue sacrifice yet a true Sacrifice of the same Body that was offered on the Crosse CHRIST at the last supper tooke bread into his hands and gaue to his disciples saying Cor. 1.11 This is my body which shall be deliuered for you This doe ye for the commemoration of mes In like manner also the Chalice saying This Chalice is the now Testament in my Blood This doe ye as often as you shall drinke for the commemoration of mee And saint Luke hath Luc. â— 2 This is my Bâ—dy which is giuen for you doe this for a commemoration of mee And this is the Chalice the neâ— Testament in my Blood which shall be shed for you By which we beleeue that Christ then offered his true body in sacrifice vnder the formes of bread and wine and commanded his Apostles to doe the same They did so and the Catholike Church hath done so euer since in commemoration of his Passion which he then commemorated both in the consecration of the bread and of the wine expresly mentioning it in
words and signifying it also in action consecrating vnder two destinct formes to represent the separation of his Body and Blood in his Passion This although it be a commemoratiue and representatiue sacrifice representing and cōmemorating hisbeing offered on the Cros yet that bindereth not but it is a true Sacrifice as that was and of the very same thing after a different manner offered For if the figuratiue sacrifices of the law of Moyses were true sacrifices which represented this not as yet come but when it was to come after many hundreds of yeares how much more may that of the last supper be a true sacrifice which represented it as immediatly to bee offered and how much more may ours be a true sacrifice which representeth it as all ready offered Those were representations of a true sacrifice yet themselues also true sacrifices therefore it is not contrary to the nature of a sacrifice to be the representation of a sacrifice But they say that the sacrifices before Christ were true and reall creatures representing a future sacrifice different from them but we say that we offer vp the same thing that is represented in it how can it be the same and yet a representation of it Yes we offer vp the same Body that was offered on the Crosse and represent the same body offered in a different manner The same thing in a different state and condition may represent it selfe as it was before or shall be bereafter in another manner and state If a champion that had ouercome his enemy should represent afterwards the manner of his encounter then he should represent himselfe in a different state and that which represented should be the same as the thing which it did represent If Dauid for his greater glory had in his owne person exhibited to the people his victory ouer the Philisthaean Gyant then he had bene both a representation of Dauid and true Dauid representing the victory which himselfe had gotten so the Body of our Lord as it is offered at Masse representeth it selfe as it was offered on the Crosse and is the same in a different manner and state on the Crosse it was after a cruell and bloody manner as fighting on the Altare it is after an vnbloody manner as in peace after the victory Thus also the same sacred Body of our Lord in his glorious Transfiguration represented it selfe as it was to be in the state of glory afterwards Soe that the same thing may represent it selfe and the Masse may be a representatiue and commemoratiue sacrifice of that of the Cros and yet offer the same thing that was then offered Nay by how much more vnion that which representeth hath to that which it doth represent the more liuely and naturall is the representation of it as it were a more liuely and naturall representation of Dauids victory represented by himselfe then by another because it had more connexion and relation to the former action The being therefore a commemoratiue and representatiue sacrifice doth not hinder the Masse for being a true sacrifice of the same thing which is represented in it It representeth the oblation of the Crosse and in all places wheresoeuer Masse is said there the death of our Redeemer is commemorated and the same thing is offered all ouer and the very same that was offered on the Crosse The words of S. Chrysostome shall declare this point of the Christian doctrine What doe we saith he doe not we offer euery day we doe offer indeede Hom. in 7. ad hob and that in commemoration of his death And this is but one host and not many because he was but once offered and this Sacrifice is an example of that We offer still the same thing not to day one Lambe and to morrow another but allways the very same Because it is offered in many places are there therefore many Christs No! but the same Christ Here he is intirely and there intirely the same body This is enough in confirmation of the Catholike verity and we will dispute no more of it but blesse God for it Attende then ô Christian and consider the diuine loue to thee and how much thou art honoured in this mistery Thou by thy sinnes hadst lost the fauour of God and wert condemned for euer to be banished from him he to redeeme thee out of that state sent his onely sonne to suffer doath for thee who hauing giuen his life to restore thee to the state of grace would not leaue thee so but would remaine allwais with thee and be offered euery day for thee to keepe thee in that happy state With what loue and reuerence then ought we to be present at Masse Hauing said thus much of the Masse as it is a Sacrifice Let vs now come to THE PARTS AND CHREMONYS OF MASSE BEFORE that I speake of the parts and ceremonys of the Masse in particular I will say something of the nature of ceremonys in generall The vse of ceremonys in the seruice of God is grounded vpon the condition of our nature for man being a corporall creature must honour God according to his nature after a corporall manner Angels onely by intellectuall and and spirituall acts honour God because they are onely Spirits but men being both spirituall and corporall both spiritually and corporally according to there nature must honour him spiritually with inward acts of minde and corporally with outward actions of the body and therefore we pray not onely by spirituall and mentall prayer as the Angels doe but also with vocall words and vse ceremonys to signify outwardly our inward reuerence to the mysterys which are signifyed by them So that ceremonys are in vertue and effect words being altogether as proper signes and indeede more naturall to expresse our affections then words are The Sonne of God hauing assumed the nature of man by humane actions glorifyed his Father not onely spiritually with his minde but also corporally with his body by words and ceremonys when he prayed sometimes lifting vp his hands sometimes his eyes sometimes kneeling and prostrating himselfe and he iustifyed the like ceremonys in his disciples as when in that glorious solemnity in which they and the Hebrew children conducted him solemnly into Hierusalem they vsed both words and ceremonys to expresse their affection and ioy in him They cryed out Luc. 19. Mat. 21. Blessed is he that commeth King in the Name of our Lord Peace in Heauen and glory on the High And they carried boughs and spred their garments for him to treade vpon and when the Pharisys desired him to rebuke them they were rebuked themselues for desiring it The Magdalene comming to be cleansed at the fountaine of life spoke not with words but by many ceremonys her earnest repentance weeping washing and wipeing our Saviours feete kissing his sacred Body and annointing his head and when the Pharisy murmured at it Christ iustifyed those actions in her and gaue him to vnderstande that if he also had done