him for so great a good as is this pure Sacrament of his Body and Blood I shall now begin to forsake the Shadows and let the Sun-shine of our happiness appear in clearly proving by the Holy Word of God that we now injoy in reality what they did but prefigure to us And first from the words of Christ himself by Saint Matthews Gospel Mat. 26. v. 26.27 28. where he saith in private to his twelve Disciples onely Take eat this is my Body and drink ye all of it for this is my Blood he names here no Figures but in plain tearms This is my Body and had not our Blessed Saviour meant what he here said he would have expounded his words both for the benefit of his Apostles and all us besides who have no better assurance in any thing for our salvation then his word which is truth it self The second Text is from Saint Marks Gospel where he saith Christ took bread and blest it and said Take eat Mark 14. v. 22. 23 24. this is my body which shall be given for you and so of the Cup he said to them This is my Blood of the New Testament which shall be shed for you now I leave it to all reasonable Christians that are not partial to their own Souls to consider whether Christ did onely in Figure give his Body to dye for us and his Blood in Figure to be shed or his real Body and Blood if he gave them really for us to death he saith here that this is that Body and that same Blood in this Sacrament so that to deny this is to give our Blessed Saviour the flat lye and in refusing of Christs words here may as well shake hands and bid adieu to all points oâ— Christian Faith for that Saint James his Apostle saith That he which breakâ— one Commandment is guilty of all meaning in the not believing of one he may as well not believe any Our Saviour to confirm to us what he told us by the two precedent Apostles hath inspired Saint Luke to publish this great mystery Luke 22. v. 19 20. where in the Text you may finde the same words recited as was before by Saint Mark but above all you shall finde the beloved Disciple more ample in declaring the words of his Master John 6. v. 50 51 52 c. where he saith That the bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world now the Jews wanting faith as too many now adayes do said as Hereticks now do How can this man give us his flesh to eat not understanding what manner Christ meant to bestow it on us Our Saviour who came into the world to lead us into all truth would have opened undoubtedly his meaning to them if he had had any other but he was so far from shewing any other meaning of his words that he reiterates them over and over again saying Except you eat the Flesh of the Son of man and drink his Blood ye have no life in you and so proceeds in the confirmation of what he said before and which is very remarkable his Disciples which followed him and had frequently heard his Doctrine could not comprehend how this great mystery should be brought to pass so distrusting his Godhead Ver. 60 61. wherein his power lay to accomplish it They went away saith the Text and walked no more with him By which every Christian may easily understand that if our Saviour had not meant what he said concerning this Sacrament he would not have suffered his Disciples which he loved so well to have gone away and left him but would have then as he did at other times when he spake parables expounded the meaning but you see he had no other meaning for he sweetly complains to the others and will ye also go away Ver. 67. but St. Peter answers for them that stayed To whom shall we go Ver. 68. thou hast the words of eternal life so that we may understand that they believing in his words stayed behinde with him and would not leave our Saviour as the rest did therefore it concerns every Christian as they tender their salvation to consider what hath been said by our Blessed Saviour concerning this grand Mystery of Christian Religion and not any more to question Christs meaning for since we know he hath often said it is his Body and Blood and we likewise know that it was in his power to make the Bread and Wine so by his Divine Benediction there remains nothing for us to doubt but to humble our Spirits in submitting to our Blessed Saviours Doctrine and to say as Saint Peter did Lord thou hast the words of eternal life And that you may in this great point of Faith receive further satisfaction I shall reduce to your memory the opinion of Saint Paul who you shall see verifies what hath been said before for faith he The Cup of blessing which we bless 1 Cor. 10. v. 16. is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ and the Bread of blessing which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ he names no Figures here nor fancies of we know not what but of Communion of Christs sacred Body and Blood who came into the world to abolish all Figures and out of his immense goodness to leave us his divine self for the consolation of our souls And for our further assurance Saint Paul in his next Chapter treateth more amply and telleth the manner of the institution 1 Cor. 11. v. 24 25 26 27. as you may read in the places cited in his Epistle where likewise he saith That by frequent partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ we shew forth the Lords death Perhaps some will answer it is meant for a remembrance of his Death and of them I would demand what better memorial can there be of any person then to have the said person present for example when our Saviour appeared to Saint Thomas and shewed him his sacred wounds then he remembred him and cryed Thou art my Lord John 20. v. 27 28. and my God and so it is frequently amongst friends that hath been long absent that are forgot one by another till frequent conversation reduces to their memory the knowledge of each other and do commonly say in such cases O! now I remember you So by frequent Communion with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament we have the best memorial his goodness could leave unto us Again he saith That whosoever eateth and drinketh these mysteries unworthily eateth and drinketh his own damnation not discerning the Lords Body so that by these words it is plain there is a Body to be discerned by the eyes of our Faith and as plain that damnation would not follow by eating bare bread and Wine From these so evident places of holy Scripture I hope every good Christian will be induced to the belief of this
To the Reader AMongst all the Miseries that attend our Humane Frailty there is none to be so much bewailed as the stupidity of our mindes which renders us worse then beasts and deprives us of that felicity for which we were Created which was to fill up the glorious places of the Lapsed Angels and so have been happy to all eternity the verity of this will plainly appear when we consider the madness of this our present Age where People suck in Errour as Children do Milk from their Mothers Breasts and unadvisedly repel Truth as one would do a Serpent that attempts their ruine they hiss at those that invites them to Happiness and hug the Preachers of their Misery that imbrace all kindes of Novelties and kick against ancient verities that cry out the Bible the Bible and yet believe nothing in it more then their own Fancies dictate to them Now that these people of which there is too many may a little see and know their own Errours I shall in this following Discourse prove that their own Bibles which they pretend to confide in both is and shall be their assured Judge to condemn their erroneous opinions as also their guide being rightly understood to the knowledge of the Truth as also make it appear that all the chief points of Religion which Protestants deny and Roman Catholicks practice is found and commanded in their own Bibles by which will appear with what partial eyes they have looked upon Scripture that read it over so often and cannot see those places which pointeth Gods Church and the Faith thereof so plainly to them for it is indeed with these kinde of people as it is with the Jews to this day who though they read in the Old Testament the Prophecies which plainly foretold Christs coming his Life and dolorous Death yet are so blinded with unbelief that they cannot understand the same so all that are now out of Gods Church read and tumble over the Old and New Testament and yet cannot see the plain places which all Christians are bound to believe under the peril of damnation and all this is because men have presumptuous mindes in trusting to their own understandings and will not relye on Gods Church which plainly shews them to her Members when none else can because she onely is guided in all truth by the Holy Ghost to the end of the world All therefore that I shall desire of every Protestant Reader is onely this that he minde and look closely to every Text of Scripture here quoted and what is said with an impartial eye and observe well how Scripture and reason concur in the truth of what is treated of concerning our Faith which is so much slandered by their teachers and others for though it be lightly made on by some yet they shall one day finde that the diligent search after truth was one of the main things for which we were sent into the world which truth being practised in Gods Church is here plainly proved which though not delicately dressed with crafty Sentences but in poor and simple style may I hope produce the desired effects for which it was intended that is that all deceived people may finde the way to Gods Church that all Ignorance and Errours may be banished and Truth take place that true Religion may flourish as a green Bay-Tree and Heresies and Factions wither as Plants without rain that living all our lives in communion with Gods Church we may at last enjoy that blessed end for which we were created THE Catholick Mirrour Chap. 1. This is to prove the Verity of the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour and that it is really so contrary to Protestants Opinion THe Misbelief of these times is such that it may give a just astonishment to all true Christians especially when they consider how little Faith many have in this most Blessed Sacrament and that there is no one thing our Blessed Saviour did so much inculcate to us in his whole life concerning any point of Faith as this he very well knowing the greatness of the Mystery and the smallness of our Faith it is in Holy Scripture often mentioned to be really his Body and Blood because we may plead no excuse by any mistake of one place alone and first you shall see how this Blessed Sacrament was prefigured to us in the Old Testament by the holy men of God and his Prophets as in Exodus 16.15 concerning the Manna which came down from Heaven to the Israelites to feed their Bodies so that foretold of this Spiritual Manna which feeds our Souls for should not this Blessed Sacrament be of greater value then Protestants make of it who say it is barely Bread and a Figure onely of Christ his Body then this Manna which was indeed a Figure would be of greater validity then that which it prefigured which is very absurd to think A second Figure we finde in Scripture is that Holy Bread of Proposition Exod. 25 Lev. 24. v. 5.6 7. or Shew-Bread which because it was a Figure of this most Holy Sacrament was to be made and eaten with such purity that none but sanctified persons was to eat of it to shew with what purity and reverence we ought to approach these Holy Mysteries The third Figure in Holy Writ is the Paschal Lamb Exod. 12. v. 3.4 5 6 c. an eminent Figure of this Sacrament wherein you may observe what Ceremonies God exacted from the Jews in the eating of it although but a Type of this from whence we may gather that this which Christ hath Instituted is to be had in a far higher esteem amongst Christians as requiring greater Faith in the believing of it and reverence in the receiving The fourth Figure was the Ark Exod. 25.10.11 12. whereof the Holy Doctor Saint Thomas saith 1.2 q. 102. ar That even as the Ark was made of the Wood of Sethim that is of pure and shining Cedar even so the Body of our Lord consisteth of most pure Members Again the Ark was gilded both within and without the which gilding signifieth the Wisdom and Charity of Christ our Lord. In the Ark were three things 1. There was a golden Pot wherein was kept Manna and was a figure of the Soul of Christ which containeth all plenitude of Sanctity and Divinity 2. There was the Rod of Aaron which signified the Priestly Power of Christ and as the Ark stood in the Tabernacle covered with a Vail even so Christ lyeth hidden in this Divine Sacrament under the Forms and Accidents of Bread and Wine which we must discover with the eyes of Divine Faith according to Saint Paul That Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen 3. There was in the Arke the two tables of Stone to signifie that Christ should be a Law-giver and this being one of his greatest Laws to believe in him let us take him at his word and thank
third place wherein the Fathers of the New Testament were which could not obtain Heaven till Christ had shed his Blood for them according to that of Saint Paul speaking of the Faith of those holy men yet he saith Heb. 11. v. 39.40 All these having obtained a good report by faith received not the promise which was Heaven God having provided some better thing for us that they without us should not be made perfect But the common objection and deceit against this which takes so much is that Christ hath satisfied Gods Justice for our sins what need we do any thing at all and this is the usuall juggle of those that teach against this point of satisfaction but we are to consider how far Christs satisfaction extends to us that is he dyed for the pardon of our original sins and not for our actual transgressions though they be the easier pardoned by the merits of his Death too for if all our actual sins were pardoned and satisfied for by the Death of Christ why then all Heathens and Turks and Whoremongers and Murderers and Blasphemers should be saved which Saint Paul saith Shall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven so that this is but a trick of our Adversaries making the people believe that they attribute all to Christ when indeed if justly considered they load his shoulders with their actual sins that hath suffered enough already for our original ones and so they would fain free themselves from all kinde of sufferings here and hereafter when our Saviour saith We cannot enter into life eternal without much tribulation but as I said God is merciful to save so he is just to punish and it is not good for us to presume too much upon hhis mercy lest we fall into a provocation of his Justice and so perish everlastingly And since it is so plain both by holy Scripture and Reason that there is a purging place or temporal punishments in the life to come proportionable to every ones sins let every man consider what obligation he hath first to believe it to be so secondly to live so holily in this life that God may be pleased to spare us by extenuating our sufferings in those purifying flames agreeable to that of B. St. Bernard Serm. 6. tribulat in fine Oh would to God some man would now before-hand provide for my head abundance of water and to mine eyes a fountain of tears for so haply the burning fire should take no hold where running tears had cleansed before Chap. 4. Proving that none of the Holy Fathers of the Old Law enjoyed Heaven till Christ came and that there was a distinct place where they waited for their Redemption by his coming REason doth tell us and experience will justifie the same that all the glorious and splendid things of this world are obtained with much difficulty and travel so that scarce the tythepart of men have the fruition of them and is it not to be lamented that we have so poor and beggerly apprehensions of heavenly glory as to think it requires no difficulty no patience nor no suffering to obtain that Kingdom the contrary will plainly appear when I shall prove by Scripture that no soul from Adam till Christ dyed enjoyed heavenly Glory but suffered with long patience and expectation till they were redeemed by the precious Blood of our Saviour and so freed from their long captivity conformable to Saint Paul who writing of our Saviour Christ Ephes 4. v. 8.9 saith When he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men And again Now that he ascended what is it but that he descended first into the lower parts of the earth Now I would from these words have every Protestant consider these two things First to what place Christ descended after his Death and secondly who they were that he led with him captive at his ascension from that place It is clear to all Christians that Christ did not descend to the Hell of the damned to release them from any captivity for as I said before there is no redemption for them what other thing can be concluded but that he went to release them which could not be saved till then for is it not madness to think that any people went to Heaven before Christ had redeemed them with his precious blood next you shall see what St. Peter saith concerning this point 1 Pet. 3. Ver. 18. Ver. 19. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God being put to death in the Flesh but quickned by the Spirit by which also he went and preacht unto the spirits in prison Now what can be desired more plain then this showing so plainly that when Christs flesh lay dead his spirit preacht to those that were long in expecting of him in a prison to them that sighed so long for his coming the same did the Prophet Zachariah foretel where speaking to Sion Behold Zach. 9. ver 9. saith he thy King cometh he is just and having salvation lowly and riding upon an Ass and upon a Colt the foal of an Ass here he speaks of Christs coming and in the other verse Ver. 11. As for thee also by the blood of thy Covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein was no water Now what pit can this be imagined to be but this place where these holy men were in which he prophesies that Christ at his coming to Sion would deliver them out and if we consider this point as we ought to do we shall finde it to be an Article of our Creed Article 4. of our Creed which saith He descended into Hell the third day he rose again Now some object by this Hell is meant the grave but how absurdly let every one judge that considers how ridiculous it is to think Christs soul should remain in the Grave his Body we grant did so but his glorious Spirit went to perform what before had been said of him according to his own most blessed words when he said That as Jonas was three dayes and three nights in the belly of the whale so shall the Son of man be three dayes and three nights in the heart of the earth so his body as I said was in the Grave and his Soul in the other place which is commonly called Hell because it is believed to be under the earth as the Hell of the damned is Now this place may suffice to any reasonable Christian yet I shall propose one or two things more to your considerations as first concerning Lazarus John 11. v. 42 43. who was dead and buried four dayes and was raised to life by our Saviour I hope none will say he was in Hell with the damned and had he been in Heaven you may be sure his Sisters had a better sense of that Glory then to wish him upon earth again and if he had been
which is in some measure an anticipation of the fruition of heaven But yet to make it more manifest to the intent that either you must deny Scripture or confess this truth see what Saint Luke saith in his Gospel that the rich man being in hell prayed to Abraham which I hope you will say is a Saint And he cryed Luke 16. v. 24. and said Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame from which we may gather that if this damned man prayed and hoped for mercy to be obtained for him by Abraham to whom he chiefly applyed himself is it not unreasonable to think that Christians which are in hopes of heaven and in the state of Grace may not do the same to Abraham or any the other Saints Ver. 25. with more hopes then he could have and better success and you may read here that Abraham heard him where ere he was and told him it could not be done because he had enjoyed his pleasures in this world and the other pains so by this we may see that the practice of this Article of Faith is not grounded upon weak foundations but on the Infallible Word of God which cannot deceive us unless we deceive our selves by the misapplying of it Besides let every Christian consider what a great folly they are guilty of when they say the Angels do not know this nor the Saints do not know that and so must not be prayed to when we do not know the nature of our own sinful souls that is within us and yet will be so vain as pretend to know the power and nature of those glorious Spirits who in knowing God do know all things and by our having Communion with them we have fellowship with the Blessed Trinity by our praying to them God is so much the more honoured as they are in Dignity and Desert above us and as we know by experience that a King granteth sooner the desires of a mean Subject by the Mediation of his grand Favourite so in reason we may believe that the King of Heaven will do the same to us by the Mediation of his Saints in Heaven The common objection by Protestants and others is that our Saviour faith Come unto me all ye that are laden and I will refresh you This was Christs goodness to invite us to come to him and how poor a shift this is for them to prove that we must not pray to Angels and Saints shall appear plainly for if because Christ invites us to come to him we must not apply our selves to any others then we must not pray one for another as Saint James commands us Jam. 5. v. 16. then why do we desire Priests or Ministers to pray for us when we are sick and upon many other occasions wherein we have need enough onely because we think their prayers to God is more acceptable then our own now all this is done without derogation to Christ nay you know it is to his honour and glory to pray one for another we all account it a great charity and if it be so then there is no doubt but that we may desire the blessed Saints to pray for us to God through the merits of Christ and it will redound more to his glory then our praying one for another can possibly do Rev. 5. v. 18. One Text more I shall shew you and not of small concern as to this point in Saint Johns Revelations where he saith the four and twenty Elders fell down before the Lamb or Christ having their harps and golden vials full of Odours which are the Prayers of Saints by which it is plain that they offered up their Prayers to Christ Ver. 3.4 for so Saint John expounds it himself that these vials full of Odours were the prayers of Saints and in the eighth Chapter he saith And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given to him much Incense that he should offer it with the Prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne and the smoke of the Incense which came with the Prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand so by this it is apparent that we may pray to them and that they do offer up our prayers to God and pray for us Now it will be necessary to clear that mistake in Protestants who think we make no difference between our praying to Christ and our Intercession to Saints It would be a great Heresie for any one to hold 1 John 2. v. 1. that the Power and Mediation of Christ should not be far above all that of Angels or Arch-Angels and Saints in heaven Rhem. Test on this place therefore we are to understand what kinde of Mediatour Christ is and how he is our Advocate to the Father The Calling and Office of an Advocate is in many things proper to Christ and to him onely it appertains to procure us Mercy from his heavenly Father by the general ransome price and payment of his Blood for our delivery as is in the Sentence following He is the propitiation for our sins and not for our sins onely but for the sins of the whole world in which sort he is our onely Advocate because he is our onely Redeemer and hereupon he alone immediately by his own Merits without the aid or assistance of any man or Angel in his own Name and right confidently dealeth in our Causes before God our Judge and so procureth our pardon and this is the highest degree of Advocation that can be by all which you may see that we Catholicks attribute to Christ in a more excellent sort his power in his Mediatorship then Protestants do or imagine who make poor ignorants believe that none must mediate for us but Christ thinking meerly by a bare show of zeal to Christ to null all other mediations when by that means they dishonour him by comparing or valuing his Mediation at no higher a price then we do Angels Saints and Mens Now when we pray to an Angel or Saint we desire them to pray for us to God the Father or the Blessed Trinity that they would obtain for us of God this or that favour through our Lord Jesus Christ so that all is desired through the Merits of our Saviour And when we pray to Christ for any thing we ought to pray to him as he is God and not to say O Christ pray for me as we do to an Angel or Saint for that were a dishonour to him in making him of less power then the two other Divine persons of the blessed Trinity who is equal to both and who in three persons makes but one true and ever-living God blessed to all eternity Should I produce the Authority and Practice of Gods Church and the ancient Fathers I might