called priests Angels saying The lipps of the priest shall keepe knowledge and from his mouth thou shalt require the law Mal. 2. because he is the angell of our Lord of hosts The angels are the treasurers of the diuine mysterys who open them in their messages to mankind as God will haue them to be imparted vnto vs soe priests haue the keeping of the diuine mysterys and must deliuer them to the people as they neede them and therefor the people must aske of them and adhaere to the doctrine of the Church when it is deliuered by them Yet the mystery of the blessed Trinity is a mystery which is kept euen from the knowledge of priests although angels witnes S. Augustine who was a priest and one of the cheife of the Angelical Hierarchy of Priests B. Trin. for he was a bishop yet he relateth of himselfe how that being on a time walking on the sea shore studying vpon the mystery of the blessed Trinity he saw a child who hauing made a litle pitte in the sand was lauing with a spoone the water of the sea into Aug. ad volus that litle pitte S. Augustine earnestly obseruing him asked him what he meant did he thinke to empty the maine ocean into that litle pitte yes replyed the child as soone will I bring the ocean into this compasse as thou with thy vnderstanding shalt comprehende the mystery of the blessed Trinity By which he vnderstoode that it was a messenger of God sent vnto him to humble him and to let him know that the mystery of the blessed Trinity is aboue humane vnderstanding We see by reason that God the Creatour of all thinges must needs be aboue all thinges incomprehensible infinite in power wisdome and goodnes and therefor for men to thinke to comprehende God is to contradict the first principle of reason and aboue Lucifers pride to thinke to be equall with him It is enough for vs to thinke that God is God that is to say the supreme and infinite perfection which putts bounds and limits to the perfections of all other thinges who as he hath sette a terme of time to our liues soe hath he also limited our vnderstandings and we can noe more by our owne power exceede those limits then we can by our owne power escape death Great is our Lord great is his strength Psa 146. and of his Wisdome there is noe number If we will build vpon a sure ground let vs cleaue to that rocke which Christ hath left and say as our Creede teacheth vs I beleeue the holy Catholik Church In the law of Moyses the mystery of the blessed Trinity was beleeued as authors commonly shew by diuerse places in the old Testament although the Prophets haue deliuered it for the most part in obscure termes to the Israëlits least they who liued amongst idolatrous nations and were of themselues prone to idolaâ—ry should take occasion by the Trinity of Persons to beleeue in many Gods But idolatry being to be soe much subuerted by the faith of Christ and buâ— litle or noe danger of it amongst christians the mystery of the blessed Trinity is deliuered to vâ— planely and more expresly in the new Testament our Lord and Sauiour at his last departure from his Disciples commanding the expresse profession of it to be made in baptisme when we are made christians Mat. 28. Going therefor teach ye all nationâ— baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost Io. 1.5 and againe There be three that giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost And these three be one Genebrard sheweth by diuerse places out of the auncient â—hilosophers that the Gentils by their familiarity and commerce with the Iewes came to heare and to write of the B Trinity But the moderne Iewes which now are earnestly oppose it being fallen in this point as they are also in the mystery of the Incarnation from the true faith which their forefathers professed That which we beleeue of this mystery is to acknowledge an vnity of Godhead essence and nature in the Trinity of Perfons God the Father is the same God as God the Sonne God the Sonne is the same God as God the Holy Ghost and they are not three Gods but one onely God The Person of the Father is not the person of the Sonne nor is the Person of the Sonne the Person of the Holy Ghost but they are three really destinct and different Persons This we intende to professe when we say in the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost We also paofesse in the signe of the Cros the mystery of the Incarnation in that we make a Cros to remember and acknowledge the loue of God with which he soe loued the world that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne to become man Ioan. 3. and to redeeme vs on the Cros. God had created man in a happy state in Paradise as it were in the way to heauen enuironed on all sides with vnspeakeable pleasures and in that pleasant way was conducting him to the heauenly glory But man sinning lost the fauour of God was debarred of that blessed state which he should haue obtained and being then out of the state of grace he could sinne still more and more buâ— he could doe noe good worke sufficient to satisfy for his sinnes and to be restored againe to the diuine grace by it God of his iustice requireth satisfaction but noe man not creature being able and of sufficient worth to make it and the diuine nature not being subiect to make sarisfaction in in it selfe it was the goodnes of God to vnite our weakenes to his power and our nature to his diuine nature in the incarnation of his sonne that the nature of man being vnited to his diuine person might by that person be soe dignifyed that it could make worthy satisfaction for the sinnes of all men that should apply vnto themselues the merits of his passion This is the mystery which was reuealed vnto Abraham and the holy Patriarks which many kings and Prophets desired to see and which filled the hart of Abraham soe full of comfort that he laughed for ioy to heare and thinke of it By this the seed of the Patriarks was multiplyed like the starres of heauen and like the dust of the earth which is not to be numbred and all kindreds were blessed in it to wit as Christ came of their seede by the merits of whose passion heauen is replenished with saints more glorious than the starres and the Catholike Church of all faithfull christians haue sprung from him dilâ—â—ed to the west and to the East and to the North and to the south not to be numbred all whosoeuer are saued being saued by Christ our Sauiour We can neuer sufficiently acknowledge the loue of God in this mystery by it man was soe exalted as to become the diuine Spouse by
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
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
Act. 5. and she was cured In the acts of the Apostles we haue that people put their sick and lame folkes in the streets and high wayes with in the compasse euen of S. Act. 19. Conc. Nyc Peters shaddow that it might touch them as he passed by and cure them of their infirmitys Act. 3. 4. and that the napkins or hand kercheifs of S. Paul being laid vpon the sicke cured them The second Councel of Nyce alloweth of the worship of holy reliques The tombes of Saints were aunciently worshipped in the Catholike Church S. Aug. l 22. de Câ—â— D. â— c. â— Augustine relateth the miracles which were done at S. Steuans tombe S. Hierome cont Vigilant we honour the reliques of Martyrs that we may worship him whose Martyrs they are We honour the seruants that the honour of the seruants may redounde vnto the master who saith the that receiueth you receiueth mee And this is soe plane in the holy fathers that the Magdeburgians confesse their authority but condemne them for it which is sufficient to condemne themselues in the opinion of all wise men that they starting vp against their Superiors and against theauthority of the whole Church that was then when they beganne would resist the whole world then present and also stande at defyance with the auncient fathers By that which hath bene said of holy images and reliques the worship of Saints is also prooued lawfull for that we worship them not as God but as his seruants in relation to him who is their master That which is commanded in the first commandement is the true worhip of God to wit as it is in the Catholike Church and therefore atheisme and all false worship of infidelity and heresy is forbidden in it Necromancy and all kind of witchcraft superstitious obseruations and actions such as yong women doe to see him that must be their husband or to finde somethinge that is lost These if they be not excused by ignorance committe a mortal sinne against the first Commandement in that they implicitly acknowledge supernatural power to be in some other thinge beside God and soe they worship stranges gods THE SECOND COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not take the name of God in vaine By this Commandement we are not forbidden absolutly to sweare but to take the name of God in vaine To sweare may be lawfull nay sometimes worthy of praise but to take the name of God in vaine is allwais vaine and vnlawfull It is an act of diuine honour and worship to sweare in due circumstances for by such an oth we acknowledge the supreme goodnes Deut. 6. and first verity to be in God Thou shalt feare thy God and him onely shalt thou serue and by his name thou shalt sweare Ps 61. And king Dauid all shall be praysed that sweare by him Cor. 2.1 The Apostles sometimes confirmed their sayings by oth Apoc. 10. The Angels are also â—ead in the Scriptures to haue sworne as the Angell that appeared to S. Iohn sware by him that liueth for euer and euer Nay God himselfe Gen. 22. the Lord of Angels is read to haue sworne in diuerse places of the old testament our Lord called Abraham saying by my owne selfe I haue sworne Psal 109. And in the Psalmes our Lord sware and it wil not repent him Soe that there is noe doubt but it is lawfull to sweare if the conditions of a lawful oth be obserued As for the conditions of a lawfull oth authors commonly vnderstande them to be conteined in the words of Hieremy Hier. 4. Thou shalt sweare our Lord liueth in truth and in iudgment and in iustice The first condition is verity that it be true that which we call God to be the witnesse of The second is that it must be also with iudgement and not rashly and inconsideratly as some doe vpon euery friuolous occasion abusing the holy name and maiesty of God This is a very great irreuerence For if it be an irreuerence to a king or great personage to be called as witnesse of triuial and friuolous things of noe moment as of killing of flyes or picking of strawes much more is it against the diuine maiesty to be called rashly and indiscretly as a witnesse without necessity The third condition is iustice that it be iust and lawfull that which we promise and sweare to This condition was wanting in Herods oth who hauing sworne to the daughter of Herodias to grant her whatsoeuer she should aske and she asking the head of S. Iohn Baptist he was then either to breake his oth or to doe that which was worse to deliuer the life of a iust and innoceÌ„t man into the hands of a malicious and spitefull woman It was also wanting in those wicked Iewes who meeting together swore that they would neither eate nor drinke till they had killed S. Paul Act. 23. Such oths neuer binde for noe oth can make an vnlawfull thinge to be lawfull but the oth being past the worke is still as vnlawfull as before and if he performe it he committeth two mortal sinnes one in swearing and an other in performing an vnlawfull thinge Catholiks that liue in the dominions of infidels or haeretiks must be very wary of any oths which are tendered to them and consider well before they take them If the oth intrench any way vpon Religion as praeiudicial to the Catholike faith Act. 5. they must not take it for the whole world nor hearken to it but must answere resolutly as S. Peter did saying God must be obeyed rather then men If it seeme not much to concerne religion the best is to take aduize of the lawfull nesse of it and if an answere be required presently before that we can haue aduize we may commende it breifly to God and hauing first resolued with ourselues firmely that we will not offende our conscience we may consider of the grounds for the lawfullnesse of it an we must by all meanes iudge it lawfull before we take it If we thinke that it hath sufficient probability and that our doubt be but a timorous feare we may iudge it lawfull and then take it but if we finde not sufficient probability that we can iudge it lawfull but that we hang in suspense and doubt of the lawfullnes of it it is by noe meanes to be taken for he that doubteth of the lawfullnes of the oth and yet taketh it sinneth and is condemned by his owne conscience as doeing of that which he could not iudge to be lawfull but at least doubted to be vnlawfull That which is obserued in such oths is that there is but litle thanks afterwards to those that take them An. 464. Baronius recordeth of Hunnericus king of the Vandals that being himselfe an haeretike he sent an oth vnto his Catholike subiects in which they were to sweare that after his death they would admitte of his sonne Hildericus to be their king and that they should
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
CATECHISTICAL DISCOVRSES IN VVHICH FIRST An easy and efficacious way is proposed for instruction of the ignorant by a breife Summe of the Christan Doctrine here deliuered and declared SECONDLY The verity of the Romane Catholike Faith is demonstrated by induction from all other religions that are in the world THIRDLY The methode of the Romane Catechisme which the Councell of Trent caused to be made is commended to practise of instructing in doctrine confirming in Faith and inciting to good life by Catechisticall Sermons By A. E. Attende to thy selfe and to doctrine be earnest in them For this doing thou shalt saue both thy selfe and those that heare thee Tim. 1.4 To the wise and vnwise I am debter Rom. 1. At PARIS By P. TARGA ordinary Printer to the Archbishoprick of Paris Sworne by the Vniuersity In the streete of S. Victor at the Golden Sunne 1654. With Approbation of Paris and of England I desire the Reader to reade vvith attention the Praeface to him A DEDICATORY PRAYER TO IESVS-CHRIST DREAD Soueraigne LORD King of all Kings and of all creatures both in Heauen and Earth My Maker my Redeemer my Conseruer my Eternall and Omnipotent God Whom my soule by nature doth feare and reuerence and in whom is all my hope and confidence Behold mee thy sinnefull creature trembling for feare before thee astonished with the power of my Creatour But O my sweet Redeemer thou dost recreate mee with thy sacred bloodshed and giuest mee a new being full of ioy and loue towards thee This feare and loue hath brought mee to thy feete to offer my selfe and my worke first to thee I present and dedicate it to thy infinite Majesty an vnworthy present if thou make it not worthy Giue life I beseech thee and vigour for the fruit of it Thou hast the harts of all in thy hands the good spirit is giuen to none but by thee Open then my God the harts of those that shall reade this booke and expell the spirit of stupidity infidelity and all kind of sinne out of them that thy holy inspiration taking place they may receiue due instruction in thy doctrine reiect all illusions of faith and may bring that increase in holinesse of life which I pray and labour for in them Grant sweet Iesus that this booke though neuer soe bitter in it selfe may become like hony in those that shall vse it to produce in them true charity towards thee and their neighbour and towards mee in particular to pray that in all afflictions and temptations that shall befall mee I may willingly pleasantly and constantly obey and honour thee comforted by thy merits and by thy sweet and comfortable name called vpon Liue sweet Iesus King of eternall glory Liue liue and reigne in our soules here and in Heauen for euer and euer Amen A DEDICATORY EPISTLE TO THE HIGH and MOST GRACIOVâ— PRINCESSE HENRIETTA MARIA DAVGHTER OF ENGLAND HAVING offered my labours first to Iesus-Christ and sollicited the fauour of his Sacred Maâ—esty in the next place I bring them to you for yours and I-beseech your Highnesse with all the earnestnesse and humility I can that you will be pleased to accept as fauourably as I hope he hath done of them It is the Doctrine of Iesus Christ that desireth your protection A subiect too sublime to be handled by my insufficiency or to neede to be protected by any but that the present state of England required this labour of mee and it to be more acceptable stoode neede of your protection This I ingegenuously confesse to be the true and onely motiue why next vnto God I dedicate my worke to your Highnesse Because setting forth this methode of doctrine which the Councell of Trent hath soe earnestly commended and which is practised with soe much profit in some places and not yet deliuered in the English tongue I haue done il soe as I thought was sittest for England yet not soe but that I know a powerfull Protectour to be both seasonable and necessary to make it more acceptable And therefore as I was carefull that it should haue a more then ordinary approbation before it entred the presse soe now comming forth in publicke I desire it should goe vnder your name because I thinke none soe powerfull to commende it to the vse and profit of others as your Highnesse You are the Highest of all English Catholickes You are sette in our Crowne as a gemme of singular lustre and our eyes and harts are filled with the expectation of you the wisdome of your Father which the world in due time shall admire and the piety of your Mother whom the most turbulent of times could neuer taxe meeting both together first in you For you are the first of the Royall stocke of England that now for many yeares and for some descents hath professed the Catholike Faith brought vp by speciall prouidence in the bosome of the Catholike Church that we may say of you as of Iacob Gen. 48. God hath fed you from your youth vntill this present day as though designed to some eminent happinesse To whom then shall the Catholike Doctrine in English addresse it selfe but vnto you Where shall it finde a Patrone if you should reiect it A prudent hart shall possesse knowledge Prou. 18. and the eare of the wise doth seeke doctrine This is the doctrine which your eare hath harkened vnto which you possesse in your hart and your Diuine Spouse doth require that you outwardly professe what your hart possesseth and putte him as a seale both vpon your hart and vpon your arme The afflicted Catholikes of England will reuiue with ioy to see this Doctrine publikly in your hands and will take it as a pledge of greater felicity which from your neerest Progenitour they may well expect I will speake here the truth which I haue spoken vnto many that when I read in S. Bede the conuersion of the English and saw S. Augustine graciously receiued by King Ethelbert well disposed to his doctrine by hauing married à Catholike who was daughter of France it made then such impression in mee and gaue such liuely hopes of the like benefit againe that a small knowledge in history represented presently some other such marriages to mee by which I beganne to conceiue it as a blessing vpon France that the Flower de Luces should send forth the odour of Christ vnto other nations the Catholike Doctrine comming from thence for their conuersion The first-fruits of these hopes we haue allready in you and by this they will grow and increase in vs. Besides this booke beeing soe directed to Catholikes as by the way to giue satisfaction to all other Religions that shall meete with it I was to seeke for such a Patrone as without offense to any might ingratiate it to all and for this there was none soe proper as your selfe who as yet in the candour of your Chrysome are gratefull to all Christians and by your vnspotted innocency to all the world Grant
obligation which they haue to learne the christian doctrine And that I may speake to the honour of God and that all may receiue that benefit which I wish them we will say the Haile Mary for our blessed Ladyes intercession Haile Mary c. The Holy Ghost hauing to describe the life of Iob à man fearing God and departing from euill Education of children and to propose him as it were vpon a stage as à true example for all laymen and married folkes to behold and to learne at the many vertues with which he was endowed he would beginne his commendations with the care which he had of his children and therefor he first bringeth him forth rising vp early in the morning to sanctify them and to offer holocausts for euery one of them speaking these words Iob 1. least perhaps my sonnes haue sinned and blessed God in there harts This was the first thing which the holy ghost would commende in Iob and which may well be the first commendation of a married man that hath children For as marriage was first instituted for the orderly propagation of mankind and this propagation finally ordained to the multiplying of soules in the seruice of God soe the first and cheife end which married folkes ought to haue in marriage is to haue children to serue God and there prime commendation is to see that their children be brought vp in the feare of him and know how to worship and serue him as they ought This obligation of the education and instruction of children is not onely natural in christian parents but it is also accessory vnto them by the Sacrament of Baptisme for the Apostles as the general Pastors of the world being bounde to prouide sufficiently for the instruction of all and being themselues more necessarily imployed in planting of the ghospell of Christ and conuerting of soules placed others as their substitutes who should vndertake that charge and performe it for them and therefor they instituted this order in the Church that Godfathers should be chozen at the baptizing of all christians to supply the place of Pastors who as spiritual parents were to see them instructed in those thinges which were necessary for them to know that none might want sufficient instruction S. Dion Eccl. Hierar c. 7. par 11. Denis who liued in the Apostles times speaking of the institution of Godfathers saith that as masters they were to instruct in diuine thinges Now these Godfathers hauing many times noe conuenience themselues to performe in this their obligation ouer children and being sometimes farre distant in place and perhaps dead when the child groweth capable of instruction they commende and as it were remitte their charge to the parents of the children as hauing better meanes to performe it and then there rests à double obligation vpon them both as they are natural and also spiritual parents in the Godfathers place It is then à great shame and as it were à double sinne in them to be negligent in their childrens education and instruction S. Iohn Chrysostome lib. 3. Aduersus vituperatores vitae monasticae hath much to this purpose where reproouing the negligence of parents in it he calleth it the spring and fountaine of all euills amongst men that children are not well taught and brought vp and on the contrary commending of holy Abraham for his care of his children he maketh it the cause and meanes of soe many and great blessings as he obtained Gen. 18. For I know saith holy scripture that he will commande his children and house after him that they keepe the way of the Lord. And hauing produced some other examples of this a litle after he relateth as large à passage which I will breifly rehearse There was saith he in the city à youth richly appointed to study the Greeke and Latine tongues and had à tutour who as I perceiued had followed a monastical institute I meeting one day by chance with him asked him the cause why he would change the pleasure and quietnesse of that course of life for the vnquietnesse and trouble of à tutors place He beganne then to tell mee how that the father of that youth being à man addicted to the glory of the world had intended his sonne for à souldiers life but his mother à pious woman disliking of that course sent said he for mee to conferre with her and when I came she taking her sonne by the right hand offered him to mee I knowing nothing of her minde meruailed at first what she meant to doe My onely care said she is for this child and I feare much the euill company which he is like to fall into if you assist mee not but if you will be pleased to take the charge of him and carry him away with you I shall be out of feare of him and would perswade my husband that nothing should be wanting for his allowance and good education I desire you therefor to take him to your charge and I referre him wholly to be directed by you But if you deny mee this request then I call God to witnesse that I haue done my part and I cleere my selfe from the blood of my child which shal be required at your hands And this she said with soe many teares that I could not deny to vndertake the charge ouer him Which was saith S. Iohn Chrysostome to good effect in the youth his life afterwards proouing answerable to his education This would the holy Doctour insert into his works to propose this carefull mother as an example to parents O that her example were followed now à dayes when there neuer was soe much neede of it what would this mother haue done if she had liued in these times of ours in this kingdome in these varietys of manners and of religion what would she not haue done for his good instruction and to haue secured his education in the Catholike faith When Dunaam à Iew reigned in Arabia about eleauen hundred yeares since Sur. to 5.14 Octob. it was then à time of persecution of the Catholike Church there as it is now here and we haue in Surius an example of those times which may serue for our Catholiks of England to teach them to beginne by times to instruct their children and especially in places of persecution to grounde and confirme them well in the Catholike faith A christian woman was then apprehended and commanded to be burnt for hauing sprinkled herselfe and her child with the blood of martyrs When she was tyed to the stake her child which was but fiue yeares old ranne vp and downe asking for his mother and came pittifully lamenting to the place where the king sate to behold her execution The king tooke him to him and told him that he would be better then his mother to him and that he should stay with him but the child still cryed for his mother and desired to be with her The king perswaded him by faire meanes offering him giftes
indeede Iesus but also because it was his propper name imposed not by chance but by the will and expresse commandde of his father the Angell forespeaking it to the blessed Virgin when he said Behold thou shalt conceiue in thy wombe and sâ—alt beare a sonne Luc. 1. and thou shalt call his name Iesus He is called Christ to signify his dignity and speciall functions according to his humanity Christ. for Christ is as much as to say The Messias or Annointed and he was annoinsed in diuerse respects Priests and kings are annointed because they haue authority from God to represent his maiesty Prophets aunciently were annointed because they were the interpreters of God and dispensers of diuine mysterys as Priests and kings are also in their kind Christ had all these offices and according to his humane nature he was Prophet Priest and king after an eminent manner and therefor he was eminently and singularly annointed not by the hands of Prophets or Priests but spiritually by God himselfe Ps 44. Thou hast loued iustice and hast hated iniquity therefor God thy God hath annointed thee with the oile of gladnesse aboue thy fellowes God annointed Christ and Prophets Priests and kings are annointed as lesser Christs that haue power vnder him Christ shewed himselfe a Prophet actually prophecying many thinges and in particular the most remarkeable passages of his owne death and resurrection As priest he offered the most holy Sacrifice of his body at the last supper and afterwards againe he offered the same sacrifice of his body vpon the Cros. He also shewed himselfe to be a king and to haue regall power that could bring kings to adore him and that he could haue brought other kings and all the kings of the world as well as them to his feete if it had pleased him Besides the Catholike Church is his kingdome he is the head and king of it allwais with it vnto the consummation of the world His onely Sonne our Lord. The Apostles in the former article hauing professed the Father who is the first Person of the Blessed Trinity now they professe the second Person in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God S. Iohn testifying that which is here professed saith Io. 1.4 We haue scene and doe testify that the Father hath sent the Sonne the Sauiour of the world And then presently he addeth whosoeuer shall confesse that Iesus Christ is the Sonne of God God abideth in him and he in God This all good christians doe testify and confesse and for that end the Apostles made this article that we might allwais professe it We will see here CHRISTIANITY DEMONSTRATED THat which we beleeue and professe in this article was allwais beleeued by all true beleeuers euer from the beginning of the world All the quires of Angels in their first creation foresaw that the Sonne of God was to be incarnated in lesus Christour Lord and the good Angels willingly submitting to him and beleeuing in him were saued by his pretious blood But Lucifer and the wicked Angels could not endure to see the nature of man exalted to that high dignity aboue Angels that our nature should be assumed of God and not theirs which he could but would not assume noe where doth he take Angels saith S. Heb. 2. Paul but the seede of Abraham he taketh This was the sinne of Lucifer that ennuying and repining at the glory of humane nature in Iesus Christ he drew others into the same sinne with him and for aspiring to be aboue him in glory he was cast downe into the depth of the lake and lost that glory which he might and should haue had and which the good Angels haue by submitting to the diuine ordination in it This was beleeued by our first parents in paradise and euer since as I shall presently shew Christ was promised to them and after them to the following patriarks and after the Patriarks to Prophets they deliuered that faith to posterity vntill his comming he when he came deliuered it to the Apostles they to the Church the Church by a continuall succession of Pastors hath deliuered it vntill our times as it doth now to vs saying I beleeue in God the Father almighty maker of heauen and earth and in Iesus Christ his onâ—ly Sonne our Lord. In this faith all miracles haue bene wrought that euer were wrought in testimony of faith This was confessed by heauen earth seas by liuing trees and sensible beasts and not onely by holy men but euen by the powers of hell all the creatures of God obeying Christ at his comming This the Apostles saw and were commanded by him to speake it and when they were forbidden by his enemys Act. 4. they answered we can not but speake the thinges which we haue seene and heard and would loose their liues rather then they would cease from publikely professing it S. Paul who saw not the miraculous life of Christ with his Disciples nor heard his preaching but was afterwards called and enlightened by him became notwithstanding soe assured of this verity and by true charity soe vnited vnto him that he thought it was vnpossible for any torments to separate him from him Rom. 8. â—ho then shall separate vs from the charity of Christ tribulation or distresse or famine or nakednesse or danger or persecution or the sword as it is written for we are killed for thy sake all the day we are esteemed as sheepe of slaughter But in all these thinges we onercome because of him that hath loued vs. For I am sure that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalitys nor powers neither thinges present nor thinges to come neither might nor hight nor depth nor other creature shall be able to separate vs from the charity of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. S. Paul was rauished and enamoured with the beauty of Christs diuinity and was transformed as it were by loue into him confessing him to be the image of the visible Goâ— Colos 1. Heb. 1. The first borne of all creature by whom he made the worlds being the brightnes of his glory and the sigure of his substance Whom the Angels adore soe much more excellent then themselues as he hath inherited a more excellent name aboue them For to which of the Angels saith this holy Apostle did he say at any time Thou art my Sonne to day haue I begotten thee Colos 2. in whâ—m dwelleth all the fullnesse of the Godhead corporally All this did S. Paul say and professe of Christ It was then noe meruaile that with Gods grace he would defende him till death Thus did the Apostles professe of him and this profession they made good by many miracles which the enemys of christianity haue written of and confessed This the posterity of the Apostles haue allwais professed in former ages and haue stretched forth their hands and feete vpon racks and with cheerfull mindes haue yeelded their bodys into the hands of torturers
to vse their owne wills and to fullfill their desires vpon them by what torments they would rather then to forsake the faith of Iesus Christ and thousands of thousands of faithfull christians gathered together in the Catholike Church are now ready with them in the same manner to professe it But we will honour Christ and comfort good christians by declaring the testimonys which God hath giuen of him We haue of Christ two kindes of diuine testimonys First by diuine scriptures and secondly by his miraculous works We will heare first what the scriptures testify of him When the mystery of the Incarnation was fullfilled and Christ came into the world there were then in all the world but two onely religions or diuine worships professed to wit the religion of the Iewes who worshipped one eternall and omnipotent God and the religion of the Gentils or Pagans adoring many Gods And the worship of one God being in the first article setled for true and the worship of many Gods reiected by the Apostles for false it followeth that the people of the Iewes were then the people of God whom he had chosen to be truely honored amongst Secondly it followeth that the Iewes hauing then the true faith and diuine worship whatsoeuer they then beleeued was true and that they then beleeuing in Christ as to come he was then indeede to come and whatsoeuer they beleeued of him then as future the same we are to beleeue of him as past and whatsoeuer the scriptures receiued by them which are the old Testament haue declared of him that is allwais to be beleeued as of diuine authority and as spoken by the word of God who dictated those scriptures for the gouernment of the world in the true worship of him Now the holy scriptures of the old testament deliuer soe planely the comming of a Messias or which is all one a Christ to redeeme the world that all whosoeuer receiue those scriptures doe still confesse it For it is the maine butte and prime scope of the old Testament to shew that Christ was promised from the beginning to the Patriarks and reuealed from time to time to the Prophets that the world might expect him then to come as it is the butte and scope of the new Testament to declare him to the world to be allready come And as the new Testament describeth all ouer the ioy of the faithfull in enioying him soe did the old testament comfort the faithfull then with the expectation and hopes of him First his comming was signifyed euen at first in paradise in terrour to the serpent who had caused our sinne when our Lord threatening him with an enemy that should come against him said I will put enmitys betâ—ixt thee and the woman Gen. 3. and thy seede and the seede of her she shall bruize thy head in peeces and thou shalt ly in waite of her heele Christ was by this mysteriously denoted God then declaring that the enmity of mankind with the serpent was to be especially betwixt him and the seede of a woman by which it is signifyed that Christ the Redeemer of the world and the serpents greatest enemy should be particularly the seede of a woman and is not there said to be of the seede of a man because he was to be conceiued and borne of a Virgin mother without the helpe of man And this was the prerogatiue of the Sauiour of the world that the sinne of mankind being first occasioned by a woman he that was to be the death and destruction of sinne should be by the power of God of womans seede onely without man The same was deliuered by reuelation to the Patriarks and Prophets afterwards and they did not onely declare it to posterity but also described the manner of the accomplishment of it Esa 9. A litle child is borne to vs and a sonne is giuen to vs and principality is made vpon his shoulder and his name shall be called Meruelous Counseller God Strong Father of the world to come The Prince of peace And in another place the same Prophet describeth the circumstances of his comming among the Iewes Arize be illuminated Hierusalem Esa 60. because thy light is come c. vpon thee shall our Lord arize and his glory shall be seene vpon thee And the Gentils shall walke in thy light and kings in the brightnesse of thy rizing Lift vp thine eyes round about and see all these are gathered together to thee Thy sonnes shall come from a farre and thy daughters shall rize from the side Then shalt thou see and abounde and thy hart shall meruaile and shall be enlarged when the multitude of the sea shall be conuerted to thee the strength of Gentils shall come to thee Here it is foretold that the Messias should come amongst the Iewes vnder the dominion and commande of Hierusalem the comming of kings to acknowledge his power and the conuersion of the Gentiles who by multitudes farre and neere should receiue the light of his doctrine and obey him our Lord. But I neede not stande to alledge scriptures for the comming of the Messias for it is inferred by that which I haue said allready that the Iewes who had then the true worship of God beleued it and it shall appeare by many places of the scriptures which I shall afterwards alledge Neither is there any difference betwixt that which the people of God beleeued of him by those scriptures before his comming and that which the faithfull now beleeue of him since his comming but onely in the diuersity of times they being before and we after him they beleeuing in him as to come and expecting of him we hauing receiued the ioy of his comming They were not then called Christians although they beleeued in Christ because they were but one nation and people of the Israëlits consisting of diuerse tribes and tooke their denomination of Ieâ—â—es from the â—ribe of Iuda which was the cheife tribe and of which it was foretold that the Messias should come But after his comming when the true faith and diuine worship was not confined to one onely nation but was enlarged vnto other nations and made common to all then all truâ— beleeuers beganne to be called by the Apostles Christians Act. 11. as by a name which abstracted from all nations to those who beleeued in Iesus Christ the true Messias and Redeemer of the wâ—rld Soe thâ—â— all true beleeuers haue allwâ—is beleeued in Christ as the Israëlits or People of the Iewes did immediatly before his comming and as now we doe But when Iesus Christ our Sauiour came into the world and preached his heauenly doctrine amongst the sewes a People wholy drowned in sinne and giuen to pride and desires of this world he abstaining from their euill wayes rebuking their vices and exhorting them to vertue and contempt of the world without giuing any hopes of temporall riches and glory but onely of spirituall blessings and such felicitys as were to be
resurrection of Christ but his resurrection excelleth theirs in many respects First for that he raised himselfe as I haue said by his owne power and all others were raised by his power Secondly he was the first that euer aroze glorious Thirdly others aroze to death as well as to life Fourthly his resurrection was the cause and meanes of all our glorious resurrections In these respects S. Paul calleth him the first fruits of those that rize to life Cor. 15. Christ saith he is rizen from the dead the first fruits of them that sleepe In Christ all shall be made aliue But euery one in his owne order the first fruits Christ then those that are of Christ The resurrection of Christ ought to be a great comfort and encouragement to the good For his rizing to glory hath giuen vs hopes of a glorious resurrection Blessed be God saith S. Pet. 1.1 Peter and the father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath regenerated vs vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead vnto an inheritance incorruptible We are encouraged to beare with patience all afflictions and all kind of persecutions in this world in hopes to rize glorious with him Christ is our head and we are the members of his body and he hauing made way through persecutions for vs we ought couragiously to follow him THE SIXT ARTICLE HE ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God Christ hauing consummated the worke of our redemption by his death on the Cros and after his death performed his resurrection and hauing after his resurrection remained forty dayes on earth to teach his disciples speaking of the kingdome of God that is to say instructing them concerning the gouernment of the Catholike Church which is the kingdome of God vpon earth he had done now all for which his father sent him and was to ascende into heauen and to carry mankind vnto that blessed place of glory which he had purchased for them He tooke therefor his disciples vnto mount Oliuet to be the witnesses of his ascension and lifting vp his eyes and blessing them he was gloriously elâ—uated in their sight and they being â—auished with ioy and spirituall consolation at it behold two Angels whom the Euangelist calleth men stoode beside them in white garments and said to them Act. 1. Ye men of Galily why stande you looking into heauen This Iesus which is assumpted from you into heauen shall soo come as you haue seene him going into heauen Thus would our Sauiour ascende that he might giue vnto the world a tast and scantling of the future glory and a memorial of his second comming This was the most glorious day that euer was to mankind For this is the day of our first entring into heauen The holy Prophet king Danid inuiteth all the world to the ioy of this day saying All ye nations clappe hands Ps 46. make iubilation to God in the voyce of exultation God is ascended in iubilation To day mans nature triumphed in the heauens and that soe glorious that it was exalted aboue all the coelestiall powers of Angels to the very right hand of God Ser. 3. de Ascen See ô man sayth S. Iohn Chrysostome how high thy nature is exalted Consider the distance of heauen and earth and of the lower to the higher heauens and from those higher heauens to the Angels and from them to the higher powers and from those to the seate where our Lord sitteth Humane nature is exalted thus high aboue all that nature which was of it selfe soe low that it could be noe lower became now soe high that it could be raised noe higher And the Holy Ghost to shew how high that glory was which mankind then receiued would inspire the Apostles to make such a remarkeable expression of it as to say that it was set at the right hand of God That as great Princes and eminent personages when they will shew a more then ordinary respect to some other Prince their freind they set him on their right hand soe the nature of man in Iesus Christ who was the Prince of mankind ascending into heauen the king of heauen and of the whole world would be said to set him on his right hand A greater expression of his loue could not be made then this yet thus would he haue his Apostles to expresse it Christ ascended both in body and soule for they being once vnited together in his resurrection were neuer more to be separated againe He ascended by his owne power and not as Elias Abacuc S. Phillip or others who were eleuated into the ayre carried by Angels for their soules and bodys being then vnglorifyed could not by their owne power ascende But Christ besides that he ascended by the power of his diuinity being in the state of glory his body was perfectly subiected to his soule and was therefor eleuated by it and stoode noe neede of the externall helpe of Angels In that he is said to sitt at the right hand of God we are to vnderstande a siguratiue manner of speech which God would haue to be vsed to accommodate himselfe to our weake vnderstandings which can haue nothing represented to them but by the species of corporal thinges and soe Christ is said to sitt at the right hand of God to shew how highly our nature was exalted in him although God haue noe hands nor corporal parts as being a spiritual substance that needeth not them Neither ought we to thinke by this that there is any precedency of place or degrees of dignity in the Persons of the B. Trinity but that the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost are all of equall and infinite dignity Christ according to his humanity is said to sitte at the right hand of God in respect of creatures in that he is superiour to them in dignity and glory And according to his diuine nature he may be said to sitt at the right hand of God in this sense and to this end that we might not vnderstande as Arius did that the Sonne of God was inferiour to the Father For which reason the holy Psalmist also placeth the Sonne at the right hand of the Father Ps 109. and then presently in the same psalme the Father on the right hand of the Sonne to signify equallity betwixt them Let vs now apply this mystery to the profit of our soules that they may haue the benefit of it and receiue the giftes which were then giuen Ps 67. for it is written ascending on high he ledd captiuity captiue he gaue gifts to men Iph. 4. These gifts are too great to be spoken for vnto some he gaue then the gift of heauenly blesse Towit to the soules of those in limbus whom he freed out of captiuity and carried with him And to those whom he left behinde him on earth he gaue the promise of the Holy Ghost and performed that promise within a while sending him to comfort and
encourage them If we will haue these gifts and will ascende with Christ we must forsake sinne that hindereth vs of him Ser. 2. de Ascen Our sinnes saith S. Augustine as netts intangle us and as chaines ty vs downe to the earth that we cannot ascende and therfor as the psalmist hath said let vs breake their fetters Let vs leaue of our pride our couetousnesse our carnal sinnes that being cured from them we may ascende with our physitian Thus S. Augustine and I will adde thus much to him that as euery one is inclined to some particular sinnes or sinne by which as by a greater chaine and maine roote he sticketh fast in the earth and is hindred from ascending to Christ soe ought we to labour more earnestly to roote out that sinne out of our harts which is more particular and propper to vs and which we are most guilty of that we may sing with ioy vnto God thou hast broken my bondes I will sacrifice to thee the hast of praise Ps 115. Let vs keepe in our mindes the Ascension of Christ and haue considence in him who sitteth at the right hand of God allwais ready to pray for vs. Io. 1.2 We haue saith S. Iohn anaduocate with the Father Iesus Christ If Christ after his resurrection had assumed to himselfe the glory of this world and liued as a Prince vpon earth hauing the whole world for his dominion as subiect to him he would haue had followers enough we should all haue flocked vnto his court but that would haue bene of curiosity in many and of an vnperfect loue such as the Apostles sometimes bore to him when he was visibly with them but how much more ought we to desire to be with him in heauen and to aspire vnto that blessed court he would ascende thither that we might follow him thither for this is all that he desireth Faâ—hâ—r whom thou hast giuen mee Io. 17. I will that where I am they also be with mee Christ is indeede our beloued spouse and the onely treasure of a christians soule we ought to loue him aboue all and to seeke in all thinges to please him and to remaine with him and therefor he would ascende into heauen to draw vs after him and that our harts might be where our treasure is and our conuersation in heauen Let then euery one now resolue to leaue of all sinne and beginne to set forward in his Ascension with Christ and let vs thinke that being now in our iourney to heauen wards euery day and euery hower we are drawing neerer and neerer to him THE SEAVENTH ARTICLE FRom thence he shall come to iudge vs all both the quicke and the dead Christ hath many honorable and worthy titles He is our Sauiour or Redeemer he is our Aduocates and he is our Iudge In the former articles the Apostles haue deliuered his two first titles now they propose him as our Iudge Cor. 2.5 We must all be manifested before the iudgement seate of Christ saith S. Paul that euery one may receiue the propper thinges of the body according as he hath done either good or euill There are two iudgements in which Christ sitteth as iudge ouer vs. First there is the priuate and particular iudgment of euery one at his death Secondly there is a general day of iudgment for all Our soules departing in death from our bodys are presently set before the iudgment seate of Christ who as iudge shall call them to an account of all whatsoeuer they haue thought said or done and weighing all with an exact and iust ballance he shall giue sentence iustly according to our works Besides this God would for many reasons ordaine one solemne day for the general iudgement of all First for the greater honour of Christ our iudge that as he was publikely in the sight of the world condemned by the wicked soe he might publikly and in the sight of the world shew his power and innocency and condemne them Secondly for the greater honour of the iust Thirdly for the greater confusion of the deuils and of the damned soules God then making a publike manifestation of his loue of goodnes and of the hatred which he beareth to sinne with infinite liberality rewarding the one and with extreme and vtmost seuerity punishing the other Fourthly being that we see posterity for the most part to imitate their praedecessors and to follow the wayes which they haue trodden out to them and this imitation of good or euill praedecessors to last sometimes for many yeares and ages and may last we know not how long it is conuenient that there should be in the end one general day of iudgment in which it might appeare how much euery one hath contributed to the good or euill of others after them euen to the end of the world Lastly that the body and soule which haue accompanied together in this life and both of them concurred iointly in their works may meete and be vnited againe and remaine together in pleasure or in paine for euer Christ shall performe this office of iudge euen as he is man For as kings delegate their authority to those whom they make iudges to iudge and to giue sentence in person of the king soe would God honour the humanity of Christ giuing him authority as iudge in his place according to S. Iohn Io. 5. He hath giuen him power to doe iudgment also because he is the sonne of man S. Peter preaching in Cornelius his house the mysterys of the life and death of Christ after that he had spoken of his Passion and resurrection he draweth to an end in these words Act. 10. He commanded vs to preach to the people and to testify that it is he that of God was appointed iudge of the liuing and of the dead It is then Iesus Christ that shall call vpon the blessed and from his glorious iudgment feate shall say to them Come ye blessed of my father possesse the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the woâ—ld And it is he who from a terrible tribunal shall pronounce to the wicked Mat. 25. Get ye away from mee you cursed into fire euerlasting which was prepared for the denill and his Angels In this sentence of the damned there is a double punishment included The one is the great losse which they incurre and for euer must susteine of the sight of God and fruition of him in glory the other is of an vnspeakeable ragious paine which besides their losse they must for euer endure The first is intimated by gett ye away from mee The second by that which followeth of euerlasting fire Which two punishments of losse and paine ioyned with eternity cause in the damned an vtter desperation and rage and those also eternall Euen as slaues when they are condemned to the gallyes or to grind in mills or the like slauerys all their life time are setled and established in that state of misery as
Apostle As in Adam all dy soe in Christ all shall be made aliue Neither doe his words to the Thessalonians make against this Thes 1.4 where he saith The dead that are in Christ shall rize againe first Then we that liue that are left with all shall be taken vp with them in the clouds to meete Christ For those that be liuing on the earth when Christ shall come to iudgment shall dy and rize againe to receiue their sentence And of this there can be noe doubt if we consider the cause of the resurrection which is generall to all Cor. 2.5 that euery one may receiue the propper things of the body according as he hath done either good or euill All men being constituted of body and either seruing or not seruing God by it must rize againe that they may receiue in their bodys according to the works which they did in them S. De ciu Dâ—â— l. 22. c. 19. Augustin hath declared with what beauty and ornaments the bodys of the iust shall rize againe free from the deformitys and imperfections which before they had They shall haue noe defects of litlenes weaknes crookednes c. There shall be noe excesse in bignesse the fatt and corpulent shall deminish of their bulke and those that want of their natural pitch shall come to their perfect syze and stature There shall be then noe tendernesse of infants noe feeblenes of old age noe sicknes lamenesse or infirmity in any part They shall rize all full of ioy and content neither as yong nor as old but in a midle perfect age The haire and other ornaments of the body neither too much nor too litle all indecency being changed into comlines and decency that the body and soule may both together praise their creatour as well in corporall as in spirituall glory THE TWELFTH ARTICLE LIfe euerlasting Because life is the most pretious of all things to vs all the happinesse which we enioy in this world being enioyed by life and lost by death therfor the euerlasting felicity of heauen is called euerlasting life and the losse of it may very well be termed an euerlasting death the eternall separation of our soules from God being infinitly more miserable to them then their separation from their miserable bodys and therfor as dying creatures carne and anhele for life soe ought we to earne and anhele after that blessed life Some times that happy state is called the kingdome of God the house of God paradise the holy city thus in the scriptures and all to enamour vs with it The cheife felicity of the blessed which is called their Essentiall blesse consisteth in the cleere vision that is to say the perfect knowledge which they haue of God that they know him with full content as one doth his freind when he is present with him Cor 1.13 Io. 17. and beholdeth him face to face We see now by a glasse in a darke sort But then face to face saith the Apostle and Christ saith This is life euerlasting that they know thee the onely true God The glory of the Saints is giuen to them according to the measure of their grace for as they dy in a higher state of grace soe shall they receiue a higher reward of glory the scriptures frequently declaring that the reward is to be giuen according to our works Cor 1.3 Euery one saith the Apostle shall receiue his reward according to his labour Luth in Natiuit Maria Virgni By which we may see how false that inference of Luther was Christs iustice is imputed vnto euery one alike therefor euery one is as holy as our blessed lady For Christs iustice is imputed vnto euery one in that degree in which euery one applyeth it to himselfe and vnto all the saints alike soe farre as to obtaine glory S. Aug tract 67. in Io. but not in the same degree S. Augustine shall answere him The penny indeede is giuen vnto euery one alike but the many mansions signify the diuerse dignitys of merits in that one eternall life And presently after he citeth the Apostle Cor. 1.15 where speaking of the resurrection of the body he saith one glory of the sunne another glory of the moone and another of the starres for starre differeth from starre in glory Soe saith he is the resurrection of the dead the Saints as starres haue different mansions Greg. mor. l. 1. c. vltime and different claritys in the kingdome of heauen S. Gregory confirmeth S. Augustins words as it were repeating the very same ouer againe Because the elect of God haue different works in this life in the next without doubt there shall be a difference of dignitys and therefor in my fathers house there be many mansions Now to speake of the greatnes of this glory I know not how to beginne for it is neither in the tongue of man to speake nor in his hart to thinke the liberality of God in rewarding of his friends The Saints are then vnited in perfect friendshipp with him and are receiued into his innermost tabernacles where they shall neuer feare to loose his grace nor their place of glory And by that neere and intimate vnion with God the diuine power wisdome and goodnes appeareth soe resplendently in them that euen as iron when it is redd hott seemeth to be all fire by the fire which it conteineth soe the saints by that bright glory and sublime light by which God dwelleth in them and ioyneth himselfe to them seeme to haue put on the very nature of God It ought to be a great comfort in the way of vertue and an encouragement to vndergoe labors for Gods sake to thinke of the reward which we shall haue in the end Dauid a yong man comming into king Sauls campe to visit his brethren that were souldiers in it saw the huge army of their enemys ouer against them and a mighty gyant standing in the midst of both formidably armed challenging all Israël to a single duell with him and although he saw all the Israëlits to fly from his face forvery feare yet hearing by chance of a great reward which was promised to any that should kill him to wit that he should haue the Kings daughter to wife and other things He hearkened after it and when he had informed himselfe well and vnderstoode that such was indeede the kings promise his spirits were raised with the hopes of reward and his hart was on fire to be in hand with the gyant and allthough he knew neither how to weare armour nor manage armes but without either sword or speare or any defence for himselfe was to venture his life with an old tryed souldier he feared nothing but went downe vnto him as though it had bene to beate a dogge and seeing his enemy to approch he ranne towards him threw a stone onely in his face and closing presently with him with his owne sword he cut of his head Soe in our spirituall combats
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
he first beganne to conceale although he had Confessed them he must Confesse them all ouer againe with those which he concealed for although they were Confessed they were not forgiuen The deuill noe doubt but laboureth all he can to hinder the fruit of this Sacrament by which he looseth soe many soules and because he preuaileth sometimes with such as I haue mentioned I will speake a word or two for their good that they may abhorre this sinne First I tell them that this Sacrament is the onely remedy which God hath ordained for actual sinne Our soules were first lost by original sinne and by Baptisme they were saued from that shipwrack but falling after Baptisme into actual sinne there is noe hopes to be saued but by duely receiuing the Sacrament of pennance Hiero. ep 8. ad Domerriad Amb. ad virg laps c. 8. and therfor Saints and spiritual men commonly call it the second planke of saluation in the shipwracke of our soules Tell mee then O faintharted Catholike that art affraide to Confesse thy sinnes if that thou wert floating on the waues of the sea vpon a good and sure planke wouldst thou be ouercome with feare to forsake it why then art thou ouercome with feare to conceale thy sinnes in that pittifull state of damnation seeing that by concealing them thou dost let goe the planke in which is all thy hope and without which thou sinkest downe and art sure to perish Thou hast suffered shipwracke by mortal sinne wilt thou let goe thy sauing planke and perish in the waues Thou art wounded mortally and art sicke vnto death if thou discouer not thy wounds thou dyest with out remedy wilt thou languish vnto death and willfully refuse all helpe Thou hast a physitian that can cure thee and that as priuatly as thou canst desire and with as litle shame to thee but thou must either tell thy disease and shew thy wounds or dy Thus doe the holy fathers declare the necessity of intire Confessions Further if thou dissemblest with the priest thou dissemblest with God and adding sinne vnto sinne thou woundest thy soule with a new and deeper wound and with a sinne which is most opposite to grace and to the forgiuenesse of any sinne and that very sinne which now thou wilt not Confesse priuatly thou shalt be forced to Confesse it one day in the sight and hearing of all the world when the deuill shall accuse thee publikely saying I gotte him to committe such a sinne and to conceale it in Confession I accuse him of the sinne and of a sacrilegious Confession And Christ will then be ashamed of thee before his Angels that wert ashamed of him before thy ghostly father and thou shalt be condemned as guilty of both sinnes and shalt goe amongst the damned This is all that thou shalt gett by thy shame for in this world thou didst gett nothing at all Other sinnes when they are committed bring either some profit or pleasure with them but this hath neither profit nor pleasure in it but euen then when thou committest it thou hast an inward horurour and paine to thinke of the losse which theÌ„ tho susteinest and of the comfort of a good ConfessioÌ„ and how greeuously thou woundest thy soule with a new and more greeuous wounde If thou didst see thy vtter enemy laid pittifully wounded in danger of death and the surgeon dressing him and binding vp his wounds couldest thou finde in thy hart to come to him and tearing of his plaster to wounde him againe with a new and worse wounde Such an enemy thou art vnto thy selfe when being at Confession vnder the hands of the priest thou hidest any mortal sinne Thou abusest the onely remedy of thy soule and being wouÌ„ded and then in cure thou tearest of the plaster and woundest thy selfe againe with a new and more greeuous mortal sinne and such an one as in it selfe is contrary to all remedy It was very remarkable to this purpose that which happened not long since in a citty of Spaine A notorious malefactour being sentenced to dy was put into the place of retirement which they haue in the prison for condemned persons to prepare themselues in for their death And comming to Confession he beganne to be troubled and could not goe on but made strange gestures and shewes of affrightment when he would haue Confessed some sinnes The Priest who was my very charitable good freind and who told mee himselfe all that I am now relating perceiuing it and asking the cause of it with much difficulty at last he answered and told him planely that the deuill was there and threatened him that he durst not Confesse At which the priest roze vp and with the signe the Cros vanquished him But the deuill who vseth not to yeeld at the first repulse returned againe and at the Confessing of some sinnes troubled him as before and the priest againe vanquished him And thus returning seueral times he putte the poore man into such an amaze and feare that he durst not Confesse but made an end concealing some of his sinnes The priest gaue sentence of absolution but it was in vaine and of noe value as a iudge misinformed the party remaining guilty of all his former sinnes and of one more and that perhaps greater then any which he had to Confesse That night the deuill appeared vnto him all in flames threatening him â—ot to Confesse such and such sinnes which he had concealed and with all he commanded him to throw away that which he had about his necke which was a litle Cros and image of our blessed lady which the priest sent to a brother of his owne liuing then aboue a thousand miles from him who wore them and after some yeares shewed them to mee In what a terrour may we imagine that man then to haue bene and fearfull perplexity to obey or to disobey the deuils commande he thought them then to be his onely armes and saw that if he threw them away he disarmed himselfe and on the otherside he feared his threatning if he obeyed not But he chose for better to disobey him and it was a happy disobedience for his prowde enemy confounded with it vanished away presently with out hurting him The man expected vntill morning longing to see the priests returne whom as soone as he saw he ranne presently to him and glasping him in his armes he besought him to heare his Confession againe and then he made a better Confession declaring intirely the sinnes which he had concealed and the sacrilege which he had committed in concealing them And relating all that had passed with him he desired at his death the priest to tell it vnto others that they might learne by him to make good Confessions Who related it accordingly in his sermon to all that were present at the malefactors execution This happened in a place of Spaine which I know very well and there can be noe question of the truth of it Those who in Confession conceale
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 Catholike Church but after diuerse yeares preparation the lower Orders being first receiued and after them Subdeaconship after that Deaconship after Deaconship priesthood euery one of the higher Orders in seueral yeares that the dignity of priesthood may be ascended vnto by degrees and with sufficient time of probation The lower orders are fower Porter Lector Exercist Acolyt They are called lower or lesser orders because they haue a more remote relation to the blessed Sacrament then the higher orders haue in which relation the dignity of all the orders doth cheifly consist of priests in consecrating it of Deacons and Subdeacons in assisting about the altare at the consecration of it and of the lower orders concurring in their nature though more temotely to the decent ministring of it The office of the Porter is to open and shutt the doores of the Church to admitte of the faithfull and to exclude the faithlesse out of it and to ring the bells The office of the Lector is to reade the lessons of the old and new testament which aunciently the bishop vsed to expound The office of the Exorcist is to expell the deuill and to hinder his power ouer those who are to be or are allready baptised and to prepare water in the font of which reade the second article of the Creede towards the end This power was giuen by Christ Matt. 10. who hauing called saith the Euangelist his twelue disciples together he gaue them power ouer vncleane spirits that they should cast them out And againe in the same place Cure the sicke raise the dead clense the lepers cast out deuils The office of the Acolyt is to carry the canstlesticks and cruits and to light the candles The office of the Subdeacon is to serue at the altare vnder the Deacon to prepare the altare cloths to wash the palls and corporals c. and to read the epistle The office of the Deacon is to attende vpon the bishop at all times but especially to guard him and the priest at masse and at Sermon and to be as it were the eye of the Bishop to obserue the liues of the people to see that they come to diuine seruice and to informe him of their behauiour within and without the Church The office of priests is to gouerne the Church to offer sacrifice and to remitte sinnes Rom. 1. These are the orders of the Catholike Church Those things that are of God are ordained Saith the Apostle that is they are with order And the more order that euery thinge hath the more it appeareth to be of God And therfor he hath ordeined these orders in his Church that our religion might appeare to be of him and that the B. Sacrament might be worshipped with decency amongst vs. As there are seueral degrees of orders soe there are seueral degrees of priests First there are ordinary priests and then Bishops and betwixt priests and bishops there is noe degree of orders Those who were aunciently called Choriepiscopi that is to say Vicars of Bishops being sometimes onely priests although they had priueleges aboue ordinary priests as to giue lower orders as also Rural Deanes might haue sometimes being inferiour bishops and had licence to ordaine with higher orders but they were not of any order betwixt priests and bishops but either onely priests or true bishops Aboue Bishops are Archbishops then Patriarks then Cardinals and aboue all the Pope Which is an honorable title decreed aboue a thousand yeares since to be given to none but to the bishop of Rome as to the most eminent father of all whom therfor S. Cyril in the Councell of Ephesus called The Patriarke and father of the whole world As the inward acts of our minde which we offer to God are spirituals hosts or sacrifices soe all men may be said to be spiritually priests by their holy and feruerous affections which God setteth on fire in their harts And therfor S. Peter admonisheth all saying Be ye a holy priest hood to offer vp spiritual hosts Pet. 1.2 But although all be priests in the spiritual hosts of their minde yet all may not take vpon them to performe the Ecclesiastical functions of priesthood For this they must be called of God and haue authority from him Hier. 3. I will giue Pastors saith God who shall feede you with knowledge and doctrine And S. Paul speaking of priesthood saith neither doth any man take the honour to himselfe Heb. 5. but he that is called of God as Aaron It is a dignity which must not be taken if not giuen All were not priests in the law of Moyses but onely the sonnes of Aaron to offer sacrifice to God And we reade in the Scriptures of the great punishments of God vpon prowde and praesumptuous men who haue assumed that dignity without order to themselues Soe great is the dignity of priesthood that S. Francis vsed to say that if he should meete with a saint from heauen and with a priest together he would not doe reuerence to the saint vntill he had kissed the priests hands Signifying how much he was bounde to reuerence those hands from which he receiued the body of Christ and for himselfe he could neuer be gotten all his life time to ascende higher then Deaconshipp Bonauen in eius vita For the greater honour of priestshood and that priests may attende better to the performing of that high function the Catholike Church hath all wais annexed chastity to it neuer permitting her priests to marry And therefor those that will be priests must be willing to vndergoe the obligation of a fingle and continent life He that rightly considereth the dignity of priesthood and the preeminence which virginity hath before marriage wil easily condescende to this institution of the Church S. Paul generally councelleth virginity Cor. 1.7 and foretelleth to those that marry the tribulations which they shal haue requiring of those that haue wiues that they be as those that haue not wiues which is very hard for them to be and saith that he that is without wife is careful of those thinges which pertaine to our Lord how to please God but the married man is diuided betwixt the loue of his wife and how he shall both serue God and attende to his family By all which it is manifest that the true and syncere meaning of the Apostle was to commende virginity and to preferre chastity before a married life And as manifest it is according to his words that the inconueniences and distractions of marriage are least suetable to the office of priests who of all men ought to be most vnited and conuersant with God and to follow the example of Christ their master who was a priest and a virgin borne of a virgin S Aug. retract l. 2. c. 2. haer 82. Augustine calleth Iouinian the haeretike a monster for making marriage equal with virginity and saith that this haeresy was soe sottish and fleshly that it could neuer
in vs is persited He that loueth God loueth all those whom God loueth and soe he loueth his neighbour because God loueth him and will haue him to loue him Euery man is by nature our neighbour and because our father and mother haue most propinquity of nature with vs therefor the Commandements of the second table that concerne our neighbour beginne with the loue of our father and mother that all others might be vnderstoode by them who are our neerest neighbors In the first place our superiours spiritual and temporal are vnderstoode by parents Heb. 13. Of the first the Apostle saith Obey your Prelates and be subiect to them For they watch as being to render account of your soules Of the second S. Peter Be subiect to euery humane creature for God Pet. 1.2 whâ—ther it be to the king as excelling or to rulers as sent by him c. for soe is the will of God Here we are to speake both of the duety of children and of parents For as children owe a duety to their parents soe parents owe their duety to God as his children Children are to loue honour and obey their parents and to releeue them in their needes and parents are to instruct and correct their children and to prouide for their mainteinance Children must loue and reuerence their parents in their harts and must speake well of them and loue to heare them well spoken of and performe submissiuely all those filiall respects which children vse to their parents They must obserue them and learne at their good example They must obey them willingly and haue their consent in those thinges that concerne their course of life knowing that it is a mortal sinne in things lawfull and of moment to disobey them But if they should commande somethinge which were vnlawfull then we must hate our father and mother that we may be worthy of Christ and answere with S. Act. 5. Peter God must be obeyed rather then men Dutifull children shall haue a duble reward a long life in this world and an euerlasting life in the next Piety is profitable saith the Apostle to all things hauing promise of the life that now is and of that to come Tim. 1.4 And this reward consisteth not onely in the longnesse but in the happinesse of their present life that they shall liue prosperously and in felicity For in Deuteronomy where the Commandements are repeated more at large Deut. 5. it is honour thy father and mother c. that thou wast liue a long time c. and it may be well with thee They are to releeue their parents in all but most of all in their spirituall necessitys to see that they want noe necessary helpe for their soules As for the duety of parents to God they are to loue their children not for themselues but for Gods sake they are to instruct them or to see that they be instructed in their prayers christian doctrine and good life in which there is a great negligence in some parents The loue of parents to their children ought I say to be for Gods sake and not as some who are soe immoderate and vnwise in the loue of them that indeede they make fooles of them for want of instruction and dew correcting of their falts These haue not the right spirit of parents and their father which is in heauen will not omitt to punish this falt in them Will you see a pittifull example of this Reg. 1.4 Heli was a very good man but that he is noted of too much indulgence to his children and therefor both he and they were examplarly punished of God with suddaine death Israel being worsted in batle by the Philistaeans sent for the arke of our Lord into the campe amongst them and receiued it with such showtes and acclamations of ioy that the earth rang with the sounde of their cry and their enemys were terrifyed to heare it Great then were the hopes of Israel and their expectation of another day The day of batle was come and Heli not being able to be present himselfe at the fight for that he was almost a hundred yeares old caused a stoole to be sett ouer against the way and satt him downe on it to expect the newse of their good successe A messenger com's fast enough with ill newse and letteth him know that Israel was put to flight a great ruine was made of the people his two sonnes were slaine and that which was worst of all the arke of God was taken by the enemy With all which the old mans hart was soe surcharged that his strength beganne to faile his spirits to faint and by litle and litle quite forsaking him he fell backwards ouer and broke his necke A pittifull spectacle to behold the most venerable personage of all Israel the high Priest and Prince of that people to ly in that posture dead with sorrow And this imputed byauthors to noe other sinne in him but to too much indulgence towards his children This is a loue which beside the hurt which childreÌ„ receiue by it hindereth much the loue of God in parents diuerting their mindes from him and as it were turning him out of possession who ought to possesse the centre of our harts It is as hame for christians to haue noe better loue then that of nature which is commune to dumbe beasts The loue which parents ought to haue of their children ought to be gracious and orderly for the loue and honour of God and of such loue they may haue as much as they can but to preferre the loue of kindred before God is disorderly and vnworthy of a christian The man of the ghospell Luc. 9. whom Christ called to follow him excused himselfe for that he had his father to bury but this was not a good excuse natural loue being to yeeld and to obey God Christ knew what he had to doe and if he had not called him he had done a good worke in burying of his father but Christ calling him he ought to haue forsaken all and to haue followed him and therefor he said let the dead bury their dead but goe thou setforth the kingdome of God Those that preferre the loue of any thinge before God are spiritually dead as S. Tim. 1.5 Paul saith the that is in deliciousnesse liuing is dead But thou if thou regardest the life of thy soule follow mee and loue mee aboue thy kindred and all things Yet parents must take heed on the other side that they be not soe seuere in correcting of their children falts as to dull and disharten them Fathers saith S. Col 3. Paul prouoke not your children to indignation that they become not discouraged Let parents obserue this rule that they neuer seeme to correct their childre in anger but allwais for the desire of their good and let their children allwais see this desire in them For such reprehensions and corrections as they perceiue to proceede onely out of
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
foretelling the mistery of his Passion Peter could not endure to heare of it but disswaded him from it desiring that which was hurtfull both to himselfe and to all mankind in the hinderance of Christs suffering and therefor his master rebuked him saying Goe after mee Satan thou art a scandall to mee God sheweth his loue as much in denying our prayers when they are hurtfull as in granting them when they are profitable to vs and therefore we ought to be as well contented with the one as with the other and neuer to repine at the not obtaining of our prayers For if we haue not our desire we haue that which is better for vs. If we were hindered by a freind for taking of countrefeit gold insteed of true or from drinking of poyson insteed of good drinke had we not good reason to thanke him for it He that reflecteth vpon the passages which haue happened to him and obserueth diligently how he hath obtained or not obtained his prayers shall see without doubt and in his hart confesse the manifest prouidence of God in denying himsome things which he hath prayed for This I thanke God I haue often seene in my selfe and found by experience that sometimes I haue prayed to be freed from some dangers when if I had had my desire I had manifestly incurred farre greater which none but God could foresee and preuent And once in my youth by my earnest prayers especially by the intercession of S Ignatius of Loyola whose assistance I particularly then implored I was strangely freed from a very great affliction which troubled mee But after a while it returned againe vnto mee and that to my great good as since I haue perceiued and haue often acknowledged the goodnesse of God both in taking it away to shew the power of his Saint and in restoring it againe it being necessary for mee The liberality of God is infinite and and his care neuer faileth towards vs but he will grant our petitions as they are conuenient and will not make vse of our ignorance to hurt vs nor always grant that which we thinke but that which he knoweth to be good for vs. These therefore in breife are the cheife hinderances from obtaining of our prayers The sinnes which we are guilty of hardnes of hart against our enemys and against the poore want of deuotion and attention at our prayers and the inconuenience of that which we pray for Hauing said thus much of prayer in general let vs now declare the petitions of the Pater Noster THE FIRST PETITION OVR Father which art in Heauen Hallowed be thy Name The first words Our Father which art in Heauen are an exordium of humility reuerence and confidence which we vse to God He is our father in many respects First as we haue our being from our fathers so we haue it more principally from him who gaue being both to vs and our fathers Secondly God is our father in his care and prouidence ouer vs. He sendeth vs as Pilgrims to trauail in this world but he committeth vs as his children to the Angels of his Court to be as our Tutors to guard and protect vs. Holy Tobias was a good father to his sonne when sending him a dagerous iourney he thought of some carefull man to be his guide but God was a better father to him who sent an Angell to guide him and to deliuer him out of those daÌ„gers out of which no man could haue deliuered him This father of ours had but one onely naturall sonne and desiring to adopte vs for his children he sent that onely sonne to redeeme vs and to giue his life as the price of our ransome Io. 1. and so he made vs his children giuing vs power as saint Iohn saith to become the sonnes of God and to be borne of him He neuer forgetteth vs not ceaseth to prouide for vs in our needs although we forgette our duty to him Ps 88. and behaue not our selues as his good children He correcteth vs as a father with pitty Iob 5. He visiteth in a rod our iniquitys and our sinnes in stripes yet he taketh not away his mercy from vs. He wounds and cures saith holy Iob he striketh and his hands shall heale againe He woundeth vs for our good For by those wounds he cureth vs. Finally he is in all things a louing and blessed Father and maketh his children glorious by obeying him God is the Father of all as he created and prouideth for all but he is especially the father of Christians whom he hath begotten into the Faith of Christ by Baptisme â—al 5. You are all the children of God by Faith in Christ Iesus saith the Apostle As long as we continue in his fauour we haue the benefits of his children and a portion of glory is due to vs but when we loose his fauour by mortall sinne we become then of his children his ennemys and loose all the right which we had vnto glory and can not say as Christians ought to say our Father Which art in Heauen God is in all places essentially for his power being in all places conseruing all things and all places and his power being the very same as himselfe it followeth that himselfe is by essence in all places But he is said to be in Heauen because he is there after the most eminent manner communicating himself in glory to his creatures Hallowed be thy Name Authours haue commonly diuided the Pater Noster into seauen petitions and the first is to desire that then a me of God be hallowed For this is the first and cheife good and the principall thing which wee are to desire and pray for that God may haue that honour which is due to him We aske in this petition that the externall honour of God may increase amoÌ„gst his creatures for his intrinsecall honour and perfections are infinite and increase not and that his true worship may be knowne and giuen him by the enemys of the Catholike Faith and that Catholiks may liue according to the holines of their profession But how farre are we from the performance of this prayer Those that in words say hallowed be thy Name Rom. 2 and hallow it not in works blaspheme it By you the Name of God is blasphemed amongst the Gentils They are like the souldiers of Pilate who kneeled downe to Christ Mat. 27 saying Haile King of the Iewes and then spitted in his face and strucke him about the head with a reede So they kneele down to their prayers and seeme to honour God in words but rising vp from them they dishonour him in worke This is not like good children Mat. 5. nor according to the command of Christ when he said So let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heauen THE SECOND PETITION THY Kingdome come Here we aske the blessed state of Heauen which is therefore called the Kingdom of
her and and to make them virgins and therefore those words of the Scriptures are well applyed vnto her by the Church I am exalted as a Cedar in Libanus Eccli 24. I as a vine haue fructifyed sweetnesse of odour Christ would bee botne of a Virgin for the honour of virginity and to condemne Iovinian and other licentious haeretiks that were to condemne it And therefore hee would obserue it himselfe and haue his mother to obserue it by vow Neither was her marriage opposite to this vow for as it was reuealed vnto her that without detriment of her virginity she should conceiue so without doubt her integrity in marriage which was lesse was also by diuine reuelation made knowne to her Christ would also be borne of a married woman for the honour of marriage and to refute the Encratites and such like phantasticall haeretiks that were to condemne it and also to cōserue her honour that she might not be suspected tohaue conceiued vnlawfully and as such to be subiect to the penalty of the law S. Ignat. Martyr and S. Iohn Damascen adde also a third reason to wit to conceale the manner of her conception from the deuill that he might not striue to hinder in any thing the more perfect working of that mystery which was fullfilled in her and therefore they seeme to thinke that God would binde and limit his vnderstanding so that seeing her to be married he should not attende to the manner of her conceiuing but that she conceiued as a married woman In briefe the summe of her prayses out of the Sentences of the Fathers alleadged is That she excelleth in dignity sanctity and glory all men and Angells euen the highest Seraphims that she is the miracle of the world that she is our Lady our Mistres our Queen the Mother of God the Treasure of Sanctity that she was vndefiled and vntouched with sinne that her life is the rule and discipline of ours that she was a perpetuall Virgin and the crowne of virginity that she is the Mistres and Scepter of the Catholike Faith and that she is our Aduocate These are the praises which you haue seene giuen aunciently by the holy Fathers to her and which all Catholickes will euer giue her Well might the Angell salute her full of grace whom God had filled with such graces With what reuerence may we thinke he comported himselfe to her he named her not at first hy her proper name as we doe when we say Haile Mary full of grace with more hopes and confidence to require her intercession which the Angell required not but afterwards seeing her troubled at his speech to comfort her he presently called her by her name saying Feare not Mary it being then nececessary to condescende to a more familiar manner of speaking then at first he would vse of due submission vnto her Out of all which we may gather what obligation we haue to be deuoted to our blessed Lady and how pleasing that deuotion is to God OVR LORD IS WITH THEE SVCH words are often read in the Scriptures to haue bene vsed by way of saluation So did the Angell salute Gedeon Iud. 6. saying Dominus tecum our Lord be with thee So said Booz to his reapers of corne Ruth 2. Our Lord be with you But in these places it is rather vnderstoode optatiuely wishing and praying that God might bee with them then as the Angell spoke to our blessed Lady indicatiuely declaring that God was then actually with her saying Our Lord is with thee and in the Greeke the article is here added to shew that God was after a singular manner with her to wit disposing and preparing her by a more eminent degree of grace presently to bee incarnated in her BLESSED ART THOV AMONG WOMEN THESE words were first spoken by the Angell and afterwards by S. Elizabeth who when the Mother of God came to visit her was inspired to repeate them ouer againe and to cry them out with a lowd voice as it were to proclaime her blessed in that house of Prophets where Christ our B. Lady S. Iohn Baptist saint Elizabeth and Zachary then were altogether reioicing in Christ and in her blessednesse all of them either Prophets or more then Prophets She is called blessed by contrarys to Eue who by her sinne prouoked our curse and our blessed Lady by her sanctity was the meanes of our blesse and therefore as it was threatned to the serpent Gen. 3. when he seduced Eue accursed art thou among all catle so an Angell was sent to the B. Virgin to say Blessed art thou among women and saint Elizabeth was inspired torepeate it ouer againe Shee was indeed that blessed Mother who by her Sonne bruised the serpents head and tooke away the curse of our first mother from vs. Apply here the words of the holy Ghost Eccl. 33. Against euill is good and against death is life so also against a iust man a sinner And so looke vpon all the workes of the highest two against two and one against one Against the euill of Eue is the good of Mary against death by Eue life by Mary against Eue a sinner wee haue Mary a iust woman without sinne Christ and Mary against the serpent and Eue Christ against the serpent and Mary against Eue and so two against two and one against one Eue brought sinne by yeelding to the serpent the blessed Virgin brought Christ to sight against him and to free vs. Euer blessedmay he be and blessed that woman by whom wee are all blessed Let now noe haeretike dare to blaspheme against her whom the Angell first saluted full of grace and then stiled blessed among women and whom S. Elizabeth also declared and proclaimed blessed Who dare calumniate her whom God hath soe honored We detest the rotten breasts and stinking mouths of those who shall dare to detract from any of the Saints of God and much more from the blessed among women The Angell hauing deliuered his embassage to her expected her answere the which she gaue in these humble words Behold the handmaid of our Lord be it done to mee according to thy word Where she consenteth to the will of God giuing her virginal body for his Sonne to be incarnated in Presently at these words a marriage was contracted betwixt the diuine and humane nature and they being instantly vnited together in the wombe of the B. Virgin THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH Let euery Christians knee bend at these words and doe homage in his hart to the Word Incarnated and let him honour the Virgin chosen of God to be the meanes of fullfilling that high mystery For the greater honour of which wee will declare sometihing of the circumstances of it Angell Gabriel First for the Angels name that brought the message he is called by the Euangelist Gabriel not that the Angels haue any proper names but that they are assumed or attributed to them in respect of some mystery to which those Angels