did Simon Magus beginne first to teach that God is the authour of sinne not that he was the immediate causer of it but in that he had giuen vs such a nature as that we sinned of necessity and could not but sinne Which commeth to be the same as to deny freewill Cerdon and Cerinthus followed him in this blasphemy that God is the authour of sinne Yet it had soe ill a sound in their eares to impute sinne vnto God who is infinitly good that they would imagine another God whom they called the euill God and to him they imputed the euill of sinne The like doctrine hath bene auouched by latter haeretiks who amongst other old hâ—â—â—ys haue renewed this as may be seene in Catholike authours who haue confuted them but we will ground ourselues vpon this firme and easy principle established by the Church that God is good and infinitly hating the way of iniquity and infinitly iust that he could not punish vs for sinne if he himselfe were the cause of it therefor God is not the cause and authour of sinne The inordinate affection of creatures is the cause of sinne and men are the authors of the sinnes which they committe God hath ordained all creatures to a good end and to reasonable creatures he hath giuen reason and offereth grace to order their actions according to it they abusing the gift of God and breaking his ordinance committe sinne God permitteth his Law to be broken but is soe farre from breaking it himselfe or being the cause of breaking it that he allwais vseth sufficient meanes to hinder the breaking of it he calleth vs backe from sinne before we committe it inspiring and exciting vs to the contrary and giueth grace to resist temptations and to absteine from sinne if we will And when we haue sinned he rewardeth it not but punisheth it and rewardeth the contrary and therefor by noe meanes can be said to be the cause of sinne He vseth sinne to a good end manifesting his goodnes in rewarding the good and punishing the wicked who of their owne wills committe it being noe way moued by him to it S. Aug. l. de Gen. ad lit to 31. Augustine expresseth this by a very fitt similitude As â—ests in musicke saith he which are noe musicke and as discords of notes which are contrary to musicke are soe placed by skillfull musicians and composed with concords that they make a more sweet and gratefull harmony and as darke colours are intermingled with lightsome to giue more beauty and grace to pictures sic vitiorum nostrorum non est author Deus sed tamen ordinat ea perpeti cogit quae maerentur Soe God is not the authour of our vices but he ordaineth and forceth that which they deserue And as the notes of discorde are not discorde but concorde in effect as the musician ordereth them making of their discorde a perfect harmony soc sinnes are not euill as God permitteth them or as he createth creatures that committe them of as they are ordained to a good end by him but they are in themselues acts of discorde from the Diuine Law and are put into order and concord by him And as we cannot say that the musician causeth discorde or is the authour of discorde for vsing of discorde to perfect his harmony because he maketh concorde with it soe we cannot say that God is the cause or authour of sinne because it hath noe euill but good as he ordereth and vseth it And therefor good Diuines say that God is the cause of the materiall of the act of sinne but not of the malice or euill of sinne as the musician putteth together notes of discorde but maketh noe sounde of discorde by them Those that impute their sinnes to God saith S. Hierome haue that sheild of hart which the Prophet speaketh of saying Thren 3. thou shalt giue them a sheild of hart thy labour They stande as it were face to face against God and retort their sinnes vpon him as though he were to blame in permitting them to sinne and not they in sinning Hence it followeth that we haue freewill to sinne or to abstaine from it Freewill For otherwise sinne proceeding naturally and necessarily from vs the euill and malice of it could not be imputed to vs but to God the authour of our nature Neither is that destinction which some would make to any purpose saying that we haue free will to doe euill but not to doe good For to be free is to haue power to the act or to the contrary and if the act be euill the contrary is good It is true we haue noe power to doe good of ourselues without Gods grace but we can concurre or not concurre with it It is a thinge soe manifest saith S. Aug. ep 11. l. de duab animabus Augustine that man hath freewill and that he is not to be punished for that which is not in his power that shepheards sing it on the mountaines poets on stages the vnlearned in circles the learned in librarys masters in schooles bishops in sacred places and mankind thâ—ough out the world Yet this which is soe manifest was denyed by the Manichaeans the disciples of Manes who sometimes feigning himselfe to be the Holy Ghost and sometimes to be Christ chose twelue disciples to follow him and went vp and downe Affrica preaching against freewill and deceiuing many with such absurditys as are almost incredible to haue bene beleeued After a thousand yeares and more the same doctrine was reuiued againe by Luther and is still mainteined by his followers and by other sects that haue sprung out of him Pelagius an auncient and very learned authour but a prowde and obstinate haeretike was soe farre contrary to this doctrine that where as they deny free power to man to doe good works with Gods grace he affirmed that we haue not onely free power to doe good with Gods grace but also of ourselues without it But S. Augustine hath breifly confuted them both in these words If there be noe free will Aug. ep 46. how doth God iudge the world and if there be not diuine grace how doth he saue the world how can God iudge men to rewards or punishments if they haue not freewill and how doth he saue vs but by his grace strengthening and eleuating vs to good works Soe that we haue free will to doe good contrary to Luther but not to doe good of our owne freewill onely but by the diuine grace which is contrary to Pelagius The Manichaeans Lutherans and those that deny freewill make voide the seauenth article of the Creede that Christ is our iudge and the Pelagions make him noe Sauiour The Catholike Church hath allwais taught that man hath freewill to doe well by cooperating with Gods grace or to doe ill by reiecting it And soe our good works are cheefely attributed to God as proceeding cheefly from his grace and secondarily and instrumentally to our selues because we
brought before the councell of the Iewes and accused by false witnesses ceased not still to do good for euill but made a discourse to them to shew that Christ was expected by the holy Patriarkes to come to redeeme them and therefore exhorted them to beleeue in him And when they were euen cut in their harts and gnashed with their teeth against him and were stoning him to death he fell downe vpon his knees and prayed for them crying with a lowd voyce Act. 7. Lord lay not this sinne vnto them It was a fine example that which S. Gregory relateth of Libertinus a Monke Gregor dial c. 1. who hauing receiued a great blow on the face by his Superiour suddenly striking with a boord at him he went away quietly into his cell without shewing the least signe of impatience and comming the next day to the Abbot that had strucken him to aske leaue to goe abroade the Abbot suspected that he would forsake the Monastery but perceiving his occasions to be reall and iust and obseruing his bruised face which with a meruelous tranquillity of minde hee endured he fell downe vpon his knees and asked pardon And the other againe fell prostrate to his Superiour confessing his autority ouer him We haue in good authors the examples euen of wild beasts who haue rendered themselues seruiceable to the Saints of God and followed them for their mildnes How generous and Christianlike is this spirit of patience in bearing and pardoning of iniurys when the minde setleth it selfe for the loue of God and inwardly contented with that satisfaction one pittyeth to see his enemy in passion euen as one that were in a calme and safe harbour would pitty to see another on the raging sea in shippwrack and either by some discreet word laboureth to pacify him or giueth him leaue to pacify himselfe Ps 86. The mild shall inherit the land and shall be delighted in the multitude of peace But to see some of an implaceable minde bearing grudges in their harts and neuer making and en of their malice what spirit shall we call this vnworthy of the name of a Christian and it is a dissembling spirit with which many are deceiued who thinke themselues free from it Presently vpon euery occasion they are thinking how to be reuenged of their neighbour and when they can neither spare him with a good word nor a good looke they will tell you that they are in charity with him and meane him noe hurt A peruersed and childish saying If others should behaue themselues in like manner to them they would easily see the shame of it but in themselues they see it not nor consider not the hurt which they occasion by their ill exāple and behauiour Which if all should imitate there would be noe freindship nor true charity in the world If neither the loue of God nor any godnes of nature will moue these to amēde Let them feare some exēplar punishment by the words of the holy Ghost Eccle. 28. who saith He that will be reuenged shall finde reuenge of our Lord and hauing spent all that chapter in speaking against that sinne he draweth to an end in these words Blessed is he that is couered from a wicked tongue that hath not passed into the anger therof For the yoke of it is a yoke of iron and the band of it is a band of brasse The death of it is a most wicked death and hell is more profitable then it To aske with more earnestnes the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and to receiue our petition it is necessary to stirre our selues vp to a great compunction of hart and vehement detestation of sinne as the greatest of all euills that can befall vs. First it is the cause and origen of all euills as it depisueth vs of God an infinite good Secondly by sinne we are made slaues to the deuill the hardest master and most cruell tyrant of the world and of the spouses and temples of God his horrid and vgly mates accursed of God and giuen to the sorrows of an eternall destruction know you not that you are the temple of God Cor. 1.3 saith the Apostle but if any violate the temple of God God will destroy him Thirdly by sinne we are at continuall warre and vnquietnes with in ourselues For as long as we haue any sense of reason although we be out of the state of grace we must be sensible of sinne which is contrary to reason And therefor Abigail wisely disswaded Dauid from taking reuenge of Nabal saying this shall not be an occasion of sobbing to thee Reg. 1.25 and a scruple of hart And Dauid complaining of the sinnes of his former life saith that as arrowes they stacke fast in him Ps 37. and that his bones had noe peace at the face of his sinnes There is noe paine nor torment in the world to compare with a guilty conscience the vengeance of God purseing vs as our shaddows and affrighting vs with feare of punishment when we haue sinned And therefor the Holy Ghost in the scriptures compareth sinners to sicke lame sore and diseased persons Tribulation and anguish vpon euery soule that worketh euill Rom. 2. but glory and honour and peace to euery one that worketh good Saith the Apostle This is sinne and these are breisly and in general the euills of it Which if we will consider as we ought we shall desire aboue all things in the world and with as much earnestnes cry vnto God to be freed from any mortal sinne as we would to be freed from some grecuous torment Know thou and see saith Hieremy that is an euill and a bitter thinge for thee to haue left the Lord thy God Hier. 2. And those that will not see this nor vnderstande the euill of sinne to seeke the forgiunes of it are said in the scriptures to haue a hart of stone and of Adamant And such is the goodnes and mercy of God vnto sinners that he neuer denyeth the forgiuenes of sinnes to those that truely seeke for it King Dauid washed his couch with teares S. Peter went out and wept bitterly after his sinne S. Mary Magdalene shed many teares vpon the feete of Christ Let vs imitate them THE SIXT PETITION AND lead vs not into temptation Hauing in the former petition prayed for the forgiuenes of our sinnes we pray now not to be led into temptation For when our sinnes are forgiuen vs then we are in more danger of temptation because we are then the freinds of God and the professed enemys of the deuill and therefor he striueth more against vs. Tobias a holy man was tempted euen to the feare of death by the vehemency of paine which in his eyes he suffered And the Angell when he cured him told him Tob. 12. because thou wast acceptable to God it was necessary that temptation should prooue thee Iob a iust and perfect man was strucken in his goods in his children and
they are as due to them as wages are to workemen And we may speake by experience to them that know not the truth that our labour is without comparison greater then the labour of day tale workmen I haue no more to say of the Praecepts of the Church You haue seene first the authority of the Church to be diuine and her Praecepts to oblige vnder amortall sin Secondly you haue in particular the declaration of them Let vs keep them with deuotion and zeale of the honour of the Church that coÌ„mandeth them She is the immaculate spouse and glorious Bride of God She is our mother and neuer was there any mother so disirous of her childreÌ„s good nor so efficaciously procuring their true prefermeÌ„t as the Catholik Church doth ours The mother of the Zebedoes was sollicitous for her sonnes with Christ asking to haue them neere him in his Kingdome but she knew not what she asked The Catholike Church asketh nothing for her children but that which God will haue her to aske and which he inspireth her how to procure and which they if they will obey her are sure to obtaine and that is the highest honour and greatest felicity of all honours and felicitys to be made indeede the courtiers and fauorits of Christ in his euerlasting Kingdome Let vs then obey her Eccli 3. As he that gathereth treasure soe he that honoreth his mother And then a little after he is cursed of God that doth exasperate his mother How much then ought we to honour the whole Catholike Church and with what reuerence to receiue her Precepts THE TVVELFTH DISCOVRSE OF SINNE I Haue now a most hidous and fearefull monster to set before your eyes I meane to describe vnto you the euill of sinne which is indeede the most hideous monster of the world so deformed that neither men nor Angels can comprehende the deformity of it none but God can rightly vnderstande it and he vnderstanding it is moued with infinite detestation and auersion from it as from that which is most opposite of all things to his goodnesse and most hurtfull to his creatures I would stire vp in your hearts a vehement abhorring and vtter renouncing of sinne This is all the fruite saith the Prophet that sinne be taken away Esa 27. and this is all the fruit which I desire and labour for in you and which you ought to labour for in your selues to haue your sinnes taken away fot this we preach catechise and exhort that we may detest all sinne and fly it as the most dreadfull monster in the world We may conceiue somethinge of the power and malice of sinne by the vision which Saint Iohn had in the twelfth of the Apocalipse Apoc. 12. First he saw a very glorious woman soe glorious that she was clothed with the Sunne and had the Moone vnder her feete and vpon her head a crowne of twelue starres Then there appeared another signe in the Heauens a great dragon with seauen heads and tenne hornes and seauen diademes on his head And this dragon was soe strong and powerfull that he drew downe from Heauen the third part of the starres and cast them to the earth and assalting the glorious woman for all her glory he put her to flight and although she had giuen her the wings of an Eagle to fly into the desert yet the dragon sending forth of his mouth a flood of waters ouertooke her with them and had swallowed her vp if she had not gotten helpe By this dragon we may vnderstande something of the power and malice of sinne Sinne is the enemy of all glory it ascended into the Heauens and threw downe from thence the celestiall Angels and made them who were as the starres of Heauen in naturall beauty to wander now vpon the earth and vnder it full of shame and paine The Church farre more glorious in the sanctity of soules then the Sunne is in corporall brightnesse and which may well be signifyed by the glorious woman iâ— sometimes so persecuted by the sinnes of Infidels and euill Catholiks that although the true worship of God be neuer quite banished out of the world yet in some places it is so obscured that the Church in those places is driuen into corners as it were into the desert Sinne is that monster which brought the flood of all humane miserys and a reall flood of waters vpon the Church in the deluge and had quite swallowed her vp if God had not miraculously saued her Sinne hath brought plagues vpon houses citys and Kingdomes and taged in the end so violently destroying of soules that the Sonne of God was incarnated to destroy it It made the Sunne to be eclipsed with a horrible darkenesse the roofe of the Temple of Hierusalem and the rocks there abouts to be rent in peeces the ground to tremble graues to open and dead bodys to rise againe at the destruction of it It made our Saviour to weepe vpon Hierusalem and it made HierusaleÌ„ within a while to be as a stinking graue that swelled vp to an incredible hight with the multitude of dead carcases which were in it It made thousands of that people to languish away with famine and hundreds of thousands to come into their enemys hands and to become subiect to their slauery and torments Sinne hath brought haeresys into the Church of Christ and by them cruell blood â—hed amongst ChristiaÌ„s It is the cause of all dissentions and all the euills that euer were were caused by sinne It maketh the prowde to be contemned the enuious to be enuyed the contentious to be killed the couetous to be full of perplexity the luxurious to dispaire and all sinners to detest that in the end which once they loved and to be full of horrour when they come to dy Wise and holy men haue liued hard and austere liues to keepe themselues cleare from sinne and haue chosen to submitte themselues rather to the cruellest deaths that sinners could devise to inflict then to be sinners with them These are the effects of sinne what monster could euer doe the like if those tall and strong men that terrifyed the Israelites were called monsters for their extraordinary strength and tallnesse why may not we call sinne a monster which hath such power Num. 13. and if excesse or defects or disorders of members make monsters How monstruous is sinne that is the originall cause of all the excesses defects and disorders that euer were it peruerteth the order of all our actions it corrupteth our nature and euen as poyson put into wine intoxicateth it quite and changeth it all into poyson so sinne corrupteth all that is good in our soules and all our good workes being poysoned with one mortall sinne goe downe with it into hell What reason then haue we to abhorre and to fly from sinne If we looked behinde vs and saw a Lyon Beere or terrible Serpent pursueing vs at our heeles our harts would faint presently our whole bodys would
to intice him but all was in vaine he told him that his mother had vsed to exhort him to martyrdome and that he would be with her The king asked him what it was to be à martyr The child answered marke this answere that to be à martyr was to suffer death for Iesus Christ and to liue for euer after The king asked him who Christ was He told him that he might see Christ in the Church meaning as à child the pictures and Crucifixes of Christ which were then to be seene in Catholike Churches and looking downe and getting à sight of his mother as she was tyed to the stake he cryed out let mee goe let mee goe to my mother and when the king hindered him he told him he thought he was à Iew and bate him by the thigh to gette away from him at which the king in a fury pushed him away commanding one of his senators to take him to bring vp in the Iewish sect But as he was carried away he gotte from him and running into the fireto his mother he had his desire which was to dy à martyr This child if he were not capable of much of the christian doctrine at that age yet his good mother had à care to ingraft in him at least such à zeale and soe much knowledge of the faith of Christ that it was admirable to heare à child of siue yeares old to giue such an answer to the question of martyrdome in which he publikely professed the faith of Iesus Christ and the assurance of eternall life by suffering death for it Our children are as this was then an innocent by baptisme But our parents are not as the mother of this child soe careful to instruct their children and therefor are there soe many weake and feeble Catholikes amongst vs because we want instruction in our youth and we want it soe much that many who are past children know not the cheife principles of the christian faith nor thinke that they haue any obligation to learne them which is the ground and cause of all their ignorance The first thing therefor and most necessary for euery christian to know is the obligation which he hath to learne the christian doctrine Tell mee then Question What obligation haue christians to learne the christian doctrine Answer Euery christian is bound vnder a mortal sinne to know the cheife points of the christian faith This is an obligation vnder à mortal sinne that is to say à deadly sinne à sinne by which our soules incurre death as great an obligation as can be The reason is because all that are come to the vse of reason are bounde not onely to an habitual faith such as children haue but also to an actual faith that is to produce acts of faith and actual faith supposeth some knowledge of what is to be beleeued and therefor euery one must haue some knowledge of those thinges which he is to beleeue Children before they come to the vse of reason haue onely the habit of faith which is giuen them in baptisme and this is sufficient to saue them that can haue noe more but when they come to the vse of reason then they come to the vse of their faith and are bounde to conuert themselues to à supernatural end by producing acts of faith and of the loue of God which they can not doe except they know something of him and therefor S. Ep. 119. Augustin sayth that knowledge is the engine by which the building of charity is raised vp to endure for euer Euery tradesman must know the trade which he professeth or els he cannot expect to haue by right the wages due to his trade The trade which we professe is the true worship of God in the christian faith we are therefor boūd to know what belōgeth to that profession otherwise we cānot expact the reward of good christians We deserue not indeede the honour of that name if we know not what is professed by it Eccl. 5. Be stedfast in the way of our Lord and in the truth of thy vnderstanding and in knowledge Saith holy Ecclesiasticus Cor. 1.14 and the Apostle saith that if any man know not he shall not be knowne Now to say in particular how much of the christian doctrine euery one is bounde to know and which are these cheife points of obligation to be learned can not be done in general termes to all alike for this obligation is to be measured according to the difference of capacitys and other circumstances which are to be considered in seueral callings of persons ◠Tho see ◠q. 1. art 5. S. Thomas and the common opinion of authors holdeth it absolutely necessary to saluation in euery one to haue an explicite faith that is expresly to beleeue the mysterys of the blessed Trinity and of the Incarnation and the twelue articles of the Creede and that it is à mortal sinne to be ignorant in the substance of those mysterys I should thinke it a very grosse ignorance in any Catholike not to know all these points to wit the mystery of the blessed Trinity in one God and three persons the mystery of the Incarnation in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God incarnated true God and true man that redeemed vs shall iudge vs and giue glory to the good What the Catholike Church is that the Sacraments of the Catholike Church giue grace to sanctify vs what it is that he receiueth in the Eucharist what he cometh to confession for what the Masse is whatmortal sinne is and that the Praecepts of the Church oblige vnder à mortal sinne This is as litle as can well be expected of all christians And this is conteined in the Summe of the christian doctrine which I haue deliuered to be gotten without booke the vnderstanding of which is sufficient to discharge the obligation which euery one hath to learne the christian doctrine I doe not say that it is absolutely necessary for euery one to vnderstande it all much lesse to gette it all without booke But I say that it is absolutly necessary for saluation to vnderstande the cheife points of it and that to be sure it were good to vnderstande it all and to gette it all without booke But it shall suffice for the present for all to know that they are bounde vnder à mortal sinne to know the head points and principal parts of the christian doctrine Let all then remember this obligatiō and those that haue bene negligent in performing it let them confesse their negligence and learne better hereafter For if any man know not he shall not be knowne Cor. 1.14 THE SECOND DISCOVRSE OF FAITH I INTENDE now to say something of faith in general à subiect necessary to be spoken of but it is hard to speake well and cleerely that which is necessary and sufficient to be spoken of it Prou. 25. Thou hast found honey eate that which sufficeth thee least perhaps being filled thou vomit it vp
there can be noe alteration without a cause Neither are the alterations which we call chances soe called because they are without a cause but because they are vncertaine in their causes as might be manifested by examples which were too long for this place But this answere is not to the purpose for reason is now required and reason requires reason and is not satisfyed with chance for that is to giue noe reason at all To say that the productions of creatures procede from infinite causes is a greater absurdity and indeede in termes an infinite ansurdity as making an infinite collection of men and soe of other creatures succeeding one another without beginning yet euety man of this infinite collection to haue had a beginning and time to be conceiued and disposed in But because I would keepe within the capacitys of all I will omitte much which might here be said and say noe more but this that if we should set vp such a succession of infinite effects from infinite causes for euer producing one another we should neuer come to the knowledge of any thinge nor assigne the cause of any thinge but still runne into infinites And by this very reason did Aristotle although a Pagan acknowledge one supreme omnipotent and eternall cause of all thinges and all to haue proceeded from him to auoide the absurdity and repugnance of infinite causes which otherwise he saw would follow Neither can there be any satisfaction to reason for this admirable order and harmony which creatures make but to come to one supreme power and highest reason which gaue vnto creatures their power and perfections in those limits and order which we see them to haue that Astronomers can fore tell to an instant the courses of the sunne moone and other planets and their certaine ecclypses many dayes before they come to passe and that priests and exorcists haue power ouer the deuils to commande them in possessed persons to those strange effects which we see None of which passages would prophane men beleeue if they were not seene Therefor we seeing such an order in natural thinges and also supernatural effects aboue nature we must of necessity grant a supreme cause of nature and supernaturall power that dispenseth with it when and as it pleaseth him and that this power being that it limited all is limited by none but is without limits one eternal and omnipotent God in whom and of whom all thinges are And soe the question is answered and reason is satisfyed hauing all that it desireth which is the rest of that motion and cause of that alteration which we see in creatures Thus by the light of reason God sheweth himselfe to vs and calleth vs to serue him and if any man shall for harden his hart by sinne and the loue of liberty as not to be moued with the general consent of all nations with that feare and feeling which he hath of God and with these plane and easy reasons he were rather to be looked vpon as a monster swâ—ruing from the nature of all men then to be esteemed as of the same nature and reason with them and if he haue any sense of man lefâ— is rather to be diswaded from vice by the reason and natural auersion which he hath from it then to be delt with by arguments And therefor I say noe more to such a man but this onely word let him fly vice and follow a vertuous and orderly life as reason dictateth that he should and then noe doubt but within a while he shall both see the power of God in all creatures and also shall obserue his diuine prouidence and goodnes by many occasions in particular to himselfe For there is nothing that dulleth reason and confoundeth it soe much in vs as the much following of our owne wills and long continuance in sinne without repentance nor is there any thinge which openeth our vnderstandings soe much to reason as the following of reason in order and goodnes of life You shall see now in a word or two how the master of Philosophers hath discoursed of God by naturall reason onely He seeing that some cause by reason should be assigned of creatures and not to leaue them to chance and perceiuing the absurdity and contradiction of running into infinite causes came to setle himselfe in one eternal and omnipotent God as the first and supreme cause of all thinges and spoke very honorably and with great reuerence of him giuing him such titles as might declare his soueraigne power and eminent perfections aboue all as hauing all thinges depending of him Sometimes he calleth him ens entium the Being of beings some times Primum Principium rerum omnium Lib. demundo ad Alex. The First Principle or Beginning of all thinges Metaph. l. 12. And speaking of the Intelligences that moue and guide the heauens he assirmeth one to be the head and Prince of all whom he calleth Deum God The Supreme Gouernour of the world and of all thinges And in his books of physicks rebuking the dullnes of some in this point he hath these admirable words L. 2. Phys c. 4. Some there aâ—e who haue referred the cause of all thinges to chance which is to be admired at in them because affirming of sensible thinges and plants that they are not by fortune but that they câ—me of some nature or reason or such like cause for that we haue not any thinge of euery seede but of such an one an oliue and of such a man and yet the heauens and those which amongst sensible thinges are more diuine they will haue to be by chance and to haue noe cause Thus did he discourse of God acknowledging him to be the cause of all and the source and fountaine of all perfections from whence all goodnes sprang He gaue vnto him the nature of a spirit as more perfect and free from the imperfections of corporal substances and confessed him to be infinite and incomprehensible Neither doth his doctrine of the worlds eternity disprooue his autority for this For as light is caused by the sunne and heate by fire and yet are allwais coexistent with their causes soe might he acknowledge God the authour and cause of the world and for want of faith imagine that it was eternally coexistent with him But if Aristotle discouered thus much of God and spoke soe honorably of him not hauing the light of faith but onely of natural reason How much ought we to loue and serue him in the Catholike faith Hier. 32. O most strong great and mighty the Lord of hosts is his name saith the Prophet great in councell and incomprehensible in cogitation whose eyes are open vpon all the wayes of the children of Adam to render vnto euery one according to his wayes and according to the fruite of his inuentions Let vs then that beleeue these words by faith prayse that blessed and powerfull name that we may haue in the end that rewarde which his
33. l. 3. c. 43.44 l 2. cont Gauden c. 3 l. de vntco bap â—â—s c 15. ep 48. L. 2. cont Petâ—lâ— c. 19. as may be seene in The Authour of the Protestant Religion l. 2. c. 11. They must therefor shew some iust cause why they went forth and separated themselues For as S. Augustine alluding to the holy Prouerbe c. 30. often obiecteth against the Donatists The euill child calleth himselfe iust but he can not excuse his going forth And in another place You must come and giue an account of your separation But none of them haue a iuster cause nor can giue a better account of their separation then those whom they confesse to be false Churches therefor they are all false Churches I haue now sufficiently performed one thinge which I promised in the title of this booke The verity of the Roma â—e Cathelike faith is demonstrated by industion from aâ—l other religions to wit to demonstrate by induction from all the religions that are in the world the verity of the Romane Catholike faith As for the atheist he ought indeede to be excluded from all speech of religion for that he hath none yet his prophanesse is disprooued in the first article of the Creede in which the Apostles laid the foundation of religion saying I beleeue in God The Pagans religion is disprooued in the same article in that he beleeueth not in one God the maker of heauen and eaâ—th The Iewish and Turkish sects are disprooued in the second article for that they beleeue not in Iesus Christ the onely Sonne of God All sects of Christians that are out of the Romane Church are disprooued in that they haue broken this ninth article of the Creede I beleeue the Cathâ—like Church disobeying its authority in the lawfull head and pastors of it Let them harken to the words of the Holy Ghost Deut 17. If thou perceiue that the iudgment with thee be hard and doubtfull c. Thou shalt come to the Priests of the Leuitical stocke and to the iudge that shall be at that time and thou shalt doe whatsoeuer they that are presidents of the place which our Lord shall choose shall say and teach thee according to his law and thou shalt follow their sentence neither shalt thou decline to the right hand nor to the left hand But he that shall be prowde refusing to obey the commandement of the priest which at that time ministreth to our Lord thy God and the decree of the iudge that man shall dy Here now I cry to all those christians that are out of the Romane Church Graecians Arians c. and to all the seueral Churches of Protestants and especially to you my very deere Countreymen for whose soules I haue long hazarded my corporall life You haue contemned this great authority or rather a greater then it was You haue refused to obey the commandement of the priest and priests not of the Leuitical stocke but of the institution of Christ to wit the Successour of S. Peter and his pastors that is to say the Bishop of Rome and his pastors who gouerned the primitiue Church of Christ and were then actually gouerning it when your Churches beganne These you know you haue disobeyed and stande still disobedient vnto General Councels haue declared against you all and especially against the seueral sects of Protestants the Councell of Trent consisting of two hundred and fifty fiue fathers besides the most eminent doctors of the Catholike Church All Romane Catholiks obey this Councell in all points of faith and you disobey it Disobedience to the Leuitical priest and priests by the law of Moyses was punished with death and your disobedience I am sorry with all my hart but I haue noe scruple to speake it shall without doubt if you repent not be punished with eternal death Therefor I coniure you by the sweet merites of Iesus Christ in whom you beleeue and whom you expect to be your iudge to reflect ypon your soules and vpon true religion Call to minde how your Churches beganne and how schismes and heresys beginne and if you finde as you shall easily finde that you haue begunne after the very same manner as they in disobedience to the head and pastors of the Church and to all but your owne wills your beginners were as Core Nu. 16. Dathan and Abiron that beganne diuisions in the Church of God their followers that liued with them were as the followers of the former whom God destroyed also with them and you rising vp to mainteine their disobedience when they are dead and gone are like to those who after their deaths rose vp to iustify their cause and were therefor by the iudgment of God consumed with fire Forsake their company desert that vnlawfull cause and returne againe into the sheepfold of Christ if you desire to be saued THE TENTH ARTICLE FOrgiuenesse of sinnes None can rightly consider these words as made by the Apostles to be an article of the Creede but he must needs conceiue some greater mystery to be conteined in them them onely to professe that God can or doth forgiue sinnes Neither can he in reason vnderstande any other thinge then that there is power of forgiuing sinnes in that Church which they had newly professed This was indeede a gift and priueledge worthy to be mentioned in the publike Creede Christ after his resurrection before he ascended into heauen appeared to his Apostles and breathing vpon them said Io. 20. Receiue ye the Holy Ghost whose sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen and whose you shall retaine they are retained This was a mystery which the Church of God had great reason to remember and often to inculcate vnto her people and therefor the Apostles hauing professed their beleefe in the Catholike Church in the next place would commemorate this gift and power which the Catholike Church hath of the forgiuenesse of sinnes that with gratitude we might remember it and make good vse of it It is a greater worke saith S. Aug. tract 52. Augustine to make an euill man good then to make the world of nothing Yet it is giuen vnto man to doe this great worke It is giuen I say vnto man for it is not of his owne power but of the gift of God God onely of his owne natural power can forgiue sinnes Esa 43. I am he that taketh cleane away thine iniquitys but he can if he will giue that power vnto men The Apostles had that power by the gift of God as they had of him to worke many miracles which were as hard and vnpossible to nature as to forgiue sinnes Iudges of themselues haue not power to iudge but when the king maketh them iudges and giueth them power then they haue power and may exercize it and the exercize of it is good and valid because the king who gaue them that power setteth them in his owne place giueth them to represent his owne person and ratifyeth the
supperlesse to bedd through their couetousnesse Goe too now you rich men saith S. Iohn weepe howling in your miserys which shall come to you Ia. 5. Your riches are corrupt and your garments are eaten of moths Your gold and syluar is rusted And their rust shall be for a testimony to you And shall eate your flesh as sire You haue stored to your selues wrath in the last dayes And presently he giueth the cause saying behold the hyre of the workemen that haue reaped your feilds which is defrauded by you cryeth and their cry hath entred into the eares of the Lord of Sahaoth You haue made merry vpon the earth and in riotousnes you haue nourished your harts in the day of slaughter You haue presented and slaine the iust one And he resisted you not Those that pay not their tithes breake this Commandement Vserers also who by vniust exactions oppresse others spinning by litle and litle their very bowels from them by taking moneys or other profits onely for loane contrary to the commande of Christ Luc. 6. doe good and lend hoping for nothing there by Iudges also who for bribes sell to the rich the causes of poore men Those also that pay not their debts but by prolonging defraude their creditors Of these the holy king The sinner shall borrow and not pay Psal 36. And those who seaze presently vpon their pledges if they be not redeemed iust at the appointed time Those also that gette the saile of corne or other commoditys into their owne hands to raize the rates of them which is called Monopoly He that hideth corne shall be cursed among the peoples Prou. 11. but blessing vpon the head of those that sell All these are a kind of robbers and breake this Commandement And because robbers as well as thecues are bounde to restitution it is necessary to declare who they are that haue this obligation of restitution These are in the first place those that robbe or steale and those that commande them to doe soe for they are the causes and authors of their sinne and the worst of all kindes of theeues Secondly those who hauing not the power to commande perswade others to it Thirdly those that consent Fourthly those that participate of the profit if that may be called a profit which is vniustly gotten Fiftly those that might and ought to haue hindered and did not Sixtly those who conceale dissembling themselues not to know of it when they ought to speake Lastly those that assist harbour or any way protect theeues All these are inuolued in their sinne and are bound to restitution as the theeues themselues That which is obserued of this base and contemptible sinne of theeuery is that it taketh away the truth and fidelity of those that are addicted to it theeues being for the most part full of lyes and deceit For by much deceiuing they get a custome to deceiue and are the most perfidious of all men betraying euen their best freinds if it serue to their purpose Soe Iudas was first a theefe stealing from Christ and the Apostles And then became a traitour to his master The rootes of this sinne are couetousuesse and idlenes Some steale of couetousnes onely when they haue noe neede others of idlenes because they will not worke And these for all their stealing are still needy and in misery and yet will hazard their liues and good names to liue in want when they might follow many other honest courses in which they might liue out of hazard and in more plenty S. Dial. l. 3. c 26. Gregory relateth how that Menas a poore hermite hauing nothing but some bee hiues to liues on there came a robber into those parts who being admonished not to medle with the hermits bees neuerthelesse he spared them not Esa 33. But God who by his Prophet hath threatened woe be to thee that dost robbe shalt not thou also be robbed permitted the deuill to take possession of his body and greeuously to vexe him for it The remedys against this sinne are to doe almes deeds that giuing somethinge of their owne for Gods sake they may keepe their hart open to their neighbour and free from the desire of his goods Let them remember the words of the Apostle Tim 1.6 They that will be made rich fall into the snare of the deuill And let them neuer forgette that general rule of Christ Mat. 7. all things whatsoeuer you will that men doe to you doe you also to them For this is the law and the Prophets THE EIGHT COMMANDEMENT THOV shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour In the former Commandements of this table the sinnes that are committed by worke are forbidden in this we are forbidden to sinne by word But that which is cheifly forbidden here is to giue false testimony in iudgment against our neighbour as being most iniurious and hurtfull to him in that it is auouched by an oth in which God standeth as witnesse and against which the iudge can not except but by euident proofs or by the insufficiency of witnesses But not onely false testimony in iudgment but also out of iudgment is here forbidden for in the booke of Leuiticus where the Commandements are repeated ouer againe the words are more generall You shall not ly neither shall any man deceiue his neighbour Leu. 19. By which it appeareth that all kind of lyes detractions deceitfull and iniurious words are here forbidden That which was said in the former Commandement against theeues may be applyed here to detractors and lyars who are theeues in their kind in that they take away the good name of their neighbour and soe much worse then theeues by how much his good name is more pretious then his riches and are therefor bounde to restitution more then theeues The deuill when he lyeth speaketh of his owne saith Christ because he is a lyer and the father thereof who stood not in verity Io. 8. but falling himselfe into lyes draweth all he can after him to learne to ly What can there be more filthy and base then as S. Iames saith with the same tongue to blisse and to curse God we say our prayers and blesse God and within a while we make some ly and soe curse him Lyars are by S. Paul expresly excluded from the kingdome of heauen Cor. 1.6 And the psalmist asking of God Lord who shall dwell in thy tabernacle Ps 14. answereth presently he that speaketh the truth in his hart that hath not done guile in his tongue Yet these are the commune diseases and plagues of the world Lyers and detractors are as the frogs of Aegypt spred all ouer euery house and chamber is full of them bedds and tables are hanted by them and all conuersation is pestered with this base sinne of noting the imperfections and blemishing the good names of others by which quarrels are bred and false accusations ensue amongst steinds and neighbors Behold saith S.
in his owne body And when the faith of Christ beganne first to be planted the deuill roared like a Lyon and with open mouth went against the Apostles euen to sift them with his teeth and made some attempts vpon Christ himselfe He is a prowde and daring enemy and spareth none but he rageth more vehemently against the iust knowing that his victory is greatest ouer them and that the sinnes which they committee are greater by reason of their ingratitude Pet. 2.2 and greater contempt of God It was better for them not to know the way of iustice then after the knowledge to turne backe And therefor we haue great reason to feare temptation and to pray against it when we are in the state of grace especially seeing that holy men are often ouercome by it as Dauid Salomon the Apostles and euen Peter himselfe who hauing made a promise to his master Mat. 26. saying Though I should dy with thee I will not deny thee yet at the words of a silly girle he denyed him By all which we may see how weake wee are and easily ouercome if God assist vs not and how necessary it is that we should haue recourse to him and pray for helpe That which ought to be a comfort to vs in temptations is the meanes which we haue in the Catholike Church to ouercome them For although man had allwayes freewill to resist yet now in the Faith of Christ wee are much more strengthened and our enemy is so weakned by his sacred passion working â—n the Sacraments that he is compared in the Scriptures to a dragon bound in chaines Apoc. 20. I saw saith S. Iohn an Angell descending from Heauen hauing the kea of the bottomles depth and a great chaine in his hands and he apprehended the dragon and bound him for a thousand yeares The Angell signifyed Christ the dragon was the deuill the chaine with which he was bounde are the Sacraments of the Catholike Church the thousand yeares denote the time from Christ vnto Antichrist all which time we haue such helps and meanes to resist temptations that the infernall dragon is as it were bounde vp in chaines Ia. 4. Resist the deuill and he will flee from you But how is God said to lead vs into temptation The Pelagian heretiks interpreted this place of being led into humane miserys and not into sinne for they conceited that man of his owne power without the grace of God could resist and ouercome all temptations And therefore Catholiks vrged this place against them where we pray for grace to ouercome temptations because we cannot ouercome them without it as S. Hierome in his third booke against the Pelagians and saint Augustine prooueth in diuerses places But moderne haeretiks haue a ready answere to this question they make God the cause and authour of oursinne and take away freewill from vs that we are led by force into sinne l. 4. instit c. 26.9 Caluin that God not onely foreseeth mans sinnes but also hath created him of purpose for that end Thus did this obstinate man blaspheme But the Catholike Church hath neuer consented to any such doctrine but hath allways taught that the good which we doe is of God and that the euill which we doe is of ourselues as shall be declared more opportunly in the twelfth discourse of sinne I will now onely shew in what sense wee pray not to bee led into temptation There are two sorts of temptations that is to say tryals for to tempt is the same as to try First when of ignorance one will take a tryall because he knoweth not vntill be try and thus God neuer needeth to tempt or try any because hee knoweth before hand both what we can doe and what we will doe The second kind of temptation or tryall is by exercising and teaching as when souldiers are tryed that is trained and exercised to batle or as theeues that try and traine vp others to theeuery and this kind of practicall temptation is good or euill as it hath relation and is intended for a good or euill action A Captaine teacheth his souldier how to defende himselfe and to offende his enemy in a iust warre a theefe or robber teacheth his partner how to defende himselfe and offende another in an vnjust action A Master of fence teacheth his scholar the postures and guards of his owne defence and sometimes he hitteth him a blow to make him remember and learne the better an enemy cometh with his weapon against him not to teach him but to take his life God allways tempteth vnto goodnes as a good Captaine as a louing master to teach and enable vs. Thus he tempted the Israelites that by their victorys others might learne to ouercome Deut. 13. Your God tempteth you that it may appeare whether you loue him or not So he tempted Abraham to immolate his sonne First intending his good then giuing him efficacious grace to obey and lastly rewarding him This is a most blessed kind of temptation he sendeth vs against our enemy but hee putteth the victory into our hands giuing vs grace to ouercome if we will and then crowneth vs for ouercomming As a master hee striketh vs sometimes by afflictions and euen by those blows he teacheth vs and strengtheneth vs to ouercome and then rewardeth vs. This is not to tempt vs to sinne but to traine vs vp to victorys and crowns Well might S. Ia. 5. Iames say Let noe man when he is tempted say that hee is tempted of God For God is not a tempter of euills Those whom God tempteth he tempteth for their greater glory hee tryeth them and as gold in the furnace he proueth them The deuill tempteth allwais as a theefe intending euill and as an enemy to hurt and to kill our soules God permitteth him to tempt but hee giueth allways sufficient grace for vs to ouercome if we will vse it and if we will not vse it it is not his falt nor can our sinne be imputed to him who giueth grace to hinder it but onely it may be said to be permitted of God And so Exod 7. God is said to have hardened Pharao his hart that is permitted him to harden his owne hart as is declared in the eight chapter and other places where not God but Pharao himselfe is said to haue hardened his hart And to thinke as Caluin doth that God created any of purpose that they might sinne is a thought vnworthy of a Christian or of any man that beleeueth God to be the supreme good That therefore which we aske in this petition is that God will not permitte vs to be tempted so as to yeeld to temptation but that he will giue vs efficacious grace to resist and ouercome all temptations We aske not that we may neuer be tempted for so we should neuer be crowned the crown of victory not being obtained but by batle We pray for victory and this by the helpe of God is easily obtained
tremble with feare and our leggs would scarce be able to beare vs and if we had any strength left we should imploy it all in crying out and in making haist to get away from it So let vs feare and fly from sinne Sonne hast thou sinned Eccli 21. doe see noe more as from the face of a serpent flee from sinnes The teeth of a lyon the teeth thereof killing the soules of men But let vs keepe order First we will speake of the nature and malice of sinne Secondly of the authour and cause of sinne Thirdly of the seuerall kindes of sinne But first of all we will salute the blessed Mother of God and pray for her intercession Haile Mary c. OF THE NATVRE AND MALICE OF SINNE Quest What is sinne Ans Sinne is that by which we depart from the diuine Law and are separated from God THE Law of God is the line and rule by which all our actions are to be ruled sinne is the forsaking of that rule and we forsaking it are presently separated from God soe that we are then cast out of his fauour and in the number of the gracelesse and wicked soules that are to be damned S. Augustine defineth sinne to be a thought Aug. l. â—2 cont Faust c. 17. word or worke contrary to the diuine Law and Diuines commonly call it the deformity of a reasonable creature displeasing to God All which is in substance the same to wiâ— that sinne is a deformity of thought word or worke by which we depart from the diuine Law and are diuided and put away from the grace and glory of God Hence it followeth first that sinne is voluntary Free will and that if we had not free will we could not sinne For God is not displeased without reason and he had noe reason to be displeased at our sinnes if they were of necessity and naturally in vs and not of malice The malice therefor of sinne is the malice of the will as it proceedeth from the malicious will of him that will not absteine from that which he knoweth oâ— ought to know to be a sinne But of this we shall speake afterwards Secondly it followeth that those things which are done ignorantly are noe sinnes except it be a culpable ignorance of that which we should and might haue knowne but did not for otherwise there is noe malice in such actions Sinnes against conscience Thirdly it followeth that those things which are done against conscience are allwais sinnes For our conscience is the iudgment which we make of euery particular action which we doe which iudgment being giuen vs of God as a guide to direct vs in his diuine Law we are bounde to follow it and to be directed by it And if we erre in our actions when we follow our conscience we erre not in that we follow them for that we ought to doe but we erre and offende in that we blindly resolue vpon such actions before that we haue informed our selues sufficiently of the lawfullnesse of them and in that we depose not and lay aside not first the errour of conscience which we haue Counsaile It is good therefor not to be too wise in our owne eyes and conceited of our owne knowledge but to aske of those that are to direct vs and if we chance to be taken on a suddaine thaâ— we haue not time and opportunity to informe our selues let vs commende it breâ—fly to God and then act resolutly according to our conscience all wais iudging that to be lawfull which we intende to doe least thinking or doubting it to be vnlawfull we be condemned by our owne conscience and at the tribunall of God for nor following the guide which he gaue vs. Sinne therefor is a voluntary act of the will by which we depart from the diuine Law and are separated from God Hence we may gather the first euill of sinne The first euill of sinne and that it is an incompreheÌ„sible and infinite euill in that it is contrary to God and separating from him an incomprehensible and infinite good For what is God but an infinite power an infinite wisdome an infinite goodnes beauty and glory nor can we say any thinge of God but by infinites Then what is sinne as it is contrary to God but an infinite of all euills contrary to that infinite good he that could lay what God were and could declare the goodnes of God might say what sinne were and declare the euill of it but this none at all can doe and therefor the euills of sinne are vnspeakeable and as the goodnes of God soe are they incomprehensible in that they separate vs from him Thinke with your selues sometimes of that supreme goodnes contemplate God and blesse him whom you can neither speake not thinke Hiero. l. 2. inc 2. abac â—as ho. 13. ex varijs qua est de side Aug. l. de Spiritu anima tract 4. Moyses saith S. Hierome called himselfe alogos irrationalis without speech and without reason when he was to speake of God and of diuine thinges and Dauid saith he called himselfe iumentum a dumbe â—reature in that respect S. Basil It is naturall for all to loue God but to speake rightly of him is aboue the nature of men Say saith S. Augustine say my soule to God who art thou O. Lord and whom shall I conceiue thee to be truely thou onely are what then art and who thou art That is to say that then which there is nothing to be thought that is greater or better or more delightsome the cheife good Ser. 1. de verb. Apost to 1. And in another place If thou desirest greatnes he is greater if beauty he is more beautifull if sweetnes he is sweeter if brightnes he is brighter if iustice he is iuster if strength he is stronger if piety he is more clement for it is written he that made strong things himselfe is stronger Sap. 13. and he that made the beautifull is more beautifull himselfe What would S. Augustine say by this for God to be the greatest the sweetest the most beautifull of all things we easily vnderstande it but to be greater then greatnes sweeter then sweetnes c. We vnderstande it not That which S. Augustine said in this was that God is a greatnes a sweetnes a glory a goodnes which can not be vnderstoode I tasted and became hungry Aug. l. 10. Confess c. 27. and thirsty thou touchedst mee and I burned with the loue of thy peace Saith he God is a ioy which none can vnderstande but which all doe loue and hungar and thirst after by nature A ioy which is aboue all ioyes and which conteineth all ioyes and is still desired by those that enioy him All that can be said of God is in breife but this that he is the supreme goodnes and that infinite How euill then is sinne that separateth from him A sort of robbers enter into Michas his house
which we loose by them is without comparison more to be valued then his was and therefore are we much more to be blamed Besides that which he did was partly constrained perhaps to saue his life but we haue noe need of the sinnes which we committe the pleasure which wee take doth vs noe good but much hurt it saueth not our liues but depriueth vs of a farre sweeter life then this is Iob. 20. The praise of the impious is short and the ioy of the hypocrite as it were for a moment It is also a base and contemptible delight bringing shame and reproch euen in this world and therefore wee see sinners to deuise sleights and shifts to conceale their sinnes and to hide them from others Euery one that doth euill hateth the light Ioan. 3. saith Christ King Dauid hauing filthily adulterated with Vtias his wife as soone as he perceiued her to be with child in the absence of her husband he sends presently for him to come home that he might father it and he comming out of the campe to him he wished him to goe to his house and to rest himselfe but the goodman although he suspected nothing of his wifes disloyalty refused to goe home but as a souldier would ly before the Kings gates Then the King made him drunke that he might desire more the company of his wife and when he saw that by noe meanes he could gett him to goe to her he dispatched him away with letters to the generall in which he commanded him to be put into some place of danger that the husband being killed he might marry the adulteresse to legitimate the child All these shifts did King Dauid vse to hide his sinne◠which then shamed and troubled him and when he could not hide it to lessen it in the sight of the world Adam clothed with innocency although naked was ashamed of nothing for then he had no cause of shame but falling into sinne he fell into shame and had reason to be ashamed and to hide his nakednesse he couered himselfe with the leaves of a tree By which we may see how base and vngratfull we are to God that as deceitfull short and sordid as the pleasure of sinne is we preferre it notwithstanding before his diuine goodnesse and forsake him to choose it This the holy Ghost complained of in sinners when he said They violated mee to my people for a handfull of barley Ezec. 13 that is to say for a thing of noe worth The sixt euill of sinne is that it bringeth remorse and terrors of conscience and must cause at the best the sorrow of repentance before that it can be forgiuen and this remorse and terrour of conscience cannot be auoided by sinners for as long as men are reasonable creatures they must hate that which is contrary to reason and haue a naturall feeling and feare of God and when they haue offended him presently without disputing of it they condemne themselues as guilty of punishment and not knowing how nor when their punishment shall be they are allways in feare that the Scripture saith Leu. 26. The sound of a flying leafe shall terrify them So when Cain had slaine his brother he ranne away out of the company of men and went hanging downe his head like a desperate vagabond thinking that euery man whom he mette with would murder him and cryed out to God 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 vagabond and fugitiue on the earth Euery one therefore that findeth mee shall kill mee A secure minde saith the holy Prouerbe is as it were a continuall feast Prou. 15. And we may say on the contrary that a guilty conscience is a continuall worme and thorne at the heart or as a poysoned arrow that sticketh in the flesh vexing with paine and feare of death Psal 37. Thy arrowes are fast sticked in mee there is no health in my flesh at the face of thy wrath My bones haue no peace at the face of my sinnes because mine iniquitys haue gone ouer my head and as a heauy burden are become heauy vpon mee saith King Dauid And so great was the sorrow which he conceiued for his sinnes that he saith his iawes were made hoarse with crying As a man that were fallen from some high precipice lyeth wounded and cryeth our with all his force for some to come to him so Dauid fallen into sinne doubled and redoubled his cryes to God for pardon and the words of the Prophet were true in him Prou. 5. The lipps of an harlot as a honny combe distilling but her later ends are bitter as worme wood and sharpe as a two edged sword and so are all the pleasures of sinne sweet for a moment but in the end bitter and sharpe that we finde it by experience to be true in all sinnes Laughter shall be mingled with sorrow Prou. 14. and mourning occupeth the latter ends of ioy And that man that shall purpose with himselfe to put away this remorse of conscience and thought of repentance The ◠euill of sinne is in the most desperate condition of all men as being least sensible of the danger which he is in And this is the last euill which I will mention of sinne that euery sinne conteining so many and great euills as it doth one sin is the cause of another and draweth on to another worse then it selfe in punishmēt of it and the last and greatest punishmēt of sin in this world is when a sinner by much sinning hath his hart so hardened against God and against his owne salvation that he contemneth all and resolueth to liue like a beast without regard of cōscience or future life Sinne saith Saint Gregory by its owne weight draweth into another sinne Super Ezech. if it be not presently blotted out with repentance This is the depth and contour of all euills and the extreme euill of sinne that as heauy weights draw downewards and the lower they goe the more force they haue and draw more so sinne draweth on from sinne to sinne and the deeper that we descende into sinne with more inclination and violence we are drawne into it vntill we come in the end to an absolute contempt of all goodnesse And therefore the Prophet Zachary calleth sinne talentum plumbi Zac. 5. a talent that is a huge weight of lead Thus the Heathen Philosophers according to Saint Paul were replenished with all iniquity because they willfully blinded themselues and would not seeke after true knowledge which is the case of many amongst vs as they liked not saith he to haue God in knowledge God delivered them to a reprobate sense Rom. 1. to doe those things that are not conuenient replenished with all iniquity And therefore saith S. Chrysostome some are said to haue had their harts hardened in this world because
subiecteth vs as lyable to some punishment soe euery good worke which we doe in the state of grace aduanceth vs in the diuine grace and taketh away some of our due punishment But allthough Veniall sinnes depriue vs noâ— of the diuine grace nor make vs as the enemys of God guilty of eternall damnation yet we ought to beware of them and to be carefull especially that we gett noe euill habite nor affection to any Veniall sinne for that is very dangerous and if we gett not also a habit of repenting presently for it it will without doubt draw vs in the end into some Mortall sinne And in this sense we may say of Veniall sinnes that they depriue vs of Gods grace and euen kill our soules dispositiuely that is they dispose vs to Mortall sinnes bâ— which our soules are immediatly killed euen as a litle hole or leck in a shippe neglected causeth a greater breach by which she is suddenly ouer charged and sinketh downe to the bottome soe litle falts neglected bring great sinnes and are sometimes bewailed with euerlasting teares in hell And therfor to preuent great sinnes we must haue an eye ouer our lesser falts to mende them by times Besides a good and louing seruant will feare to offende in any thinge least by committing that by which his masters affection should bellessened towards him he might come in the end quite to loose his fauour This is that saith S. Hiero to 7. instrueÌ„s amicum quemdam Hierome which the Apocalypse reprooueth in the bishop of Ephesus who is called an Angell for that he had in his conscience the merits of many good works much labour and sufferings for Christs sake But because the edge of his former piety was somethinge dulled and the heate of his loue beganne to abate he is called and stirred vp to repentance Apoc. 2. I know thy works and labour and patience that thou canst not beare euill men and hast tryed them that say themselues to be Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars And thou hast borne for my name and hast not sainted But I haue against thee a few things because thou hast left thy first charity Be mindfull therefor from whence thou art fallen and doe pennance And what pennance may we read that the Saints of God haue done euen for litle Veniaâ—â— sinnes because they knew that by all such sinnes the grace of God was endangered and that the least degree of his grace was better to them and in it selfe more pretious then all this world S. Theresa conceiued soe greatly against the least oâ— her sinnes that she spoke of them as heinous offences and if it happened that in singing in the quire she missed in any thinge presently in the sighâ— of all she prostrated her selfe to the ground with such true shame and sorrow that the rest of thâ— Nunnes were interrupted from singing and could not goe on for teares Grant vs O Lord by the merits of thy Passion and by the prayers of thy blessed Mother and of the whole court of heauen that we may neuer loose thy grace by mortall sinne and may allwais feare to offende by veniall I haue done now my deere Reader that which I intended in this booke I haue giuen thee for thy instruction a breife Summe of the whole Christian Doctrine in a few short answeres to be gotten without booke and the declaration of them at large in their propper places I haue sett before thee in the Apostles Creede one supreme eternall and omnipotent Power God the beginner and conseruer of all creatures to be worshipped by thee And for thy comfort and Confirmation in the Catholike faith I haue shewed that there is noe true worship of God but in the Catholike Church of Christ The Catholike Church reacheth that an eternall retribution ofteward or punishment remaineth according to our works good or euill Good works by Gods grace are in our owne hands if we will What now remaineth but to excite our wills This also I haue done according to my ability exhorting thee to vertue and holinesse of life And now at last I intreate and coniure thee by the omnipotent power and infinite goodnesse of God that made thee by his iustice and mercy which one day thou must try by the torments of the damned and ioyes of the blessed soules by all which thou canst imagine to be feared or desired that thou feare 〈…〉 loue him Looke downe to hell and feare him in that horrible eternity Looke vp to heauen and loue him seeke him and enioy him in that happy state Resolue from this very instant vpon a vertuous life Beginne now a new and perseuer to the gaining of that euerlasting life which is the end of the Creede and of all Instruction Live sweet Iesu King of eternall glory Liue Liue and reigne in our soules here and in heauen for euer and euer Amen Laus Deo Dei genitrici Virgini Maria. A TABLE A ACTVALL sinne 715 Altare 603. Altares towards the east 603. Almes deeds 473 Amen 505 Angell Gabriel 510. 532. The time and place of the Angell Gabriel his apparition to the blessed Virgin 533. c. Anger 415. Remedys against anger 420 The Apostles preaching 137 The Ascension of our Sauiour 164 Atheisme and Atheists 78. 79. 80. c. Attributes of the diuine Persons in the Blessed Trinity 142 B BAptisme The necessity of Baptisme 283. Baptisme a Sacrament 284 The effect of Baptisme 285. The Baptisme of S. Iohn 286. The caeremonys of Baptisme 287 Beades 555. blessings of Beades 572 Aue Mary Bell. 564 Bloody sinnes horrible to nature 416 C CArnall sinnes 412. seuerely punished of God 422. the causes and rootes of Carnality 428. Remedys against Carnall sinnes 428 The Catholike Church prooued by induction from all other religions that are in the world 250. Catholikes according to their grounds can not with reason seeke vnto any other Church not doubt of their faith but all other Churches euen according to their owne grounds ought to doubt allwais and can neuer be satisfyed till they come to the Catholike Church 35. Character Vide Sacraments 275 Charity towards God and our neighbour 409.491 amongst the primitiue Christians 418 Ceremonys 287.598 Two kinds of Ceremonys 290. Childrens education 1 Christ 109. The faith of Christ euer from the beginning of the world 113. Christ the Messias was to be true God 120. Iesus Christ our Sauiour was the true Messias foretold by the Prophets 122. Christianity demonstrated by holy Scriptures and miracles 113. vnto 140. Christ was more sensible of paine then others 151. Christ prophecyed of his Passion 153. Christs Passion was voluntary 154. Christ the annointed as he was Prophet Priest and King 112. Christmas day 148 Church The Church must try the priuate spirits of all men 24.184.641 Noe order in religion but by the authority of the Church ibid. The Church can not erre 35. The authority of the Church 184.641 The Church is holy 177. It
vnto vs by ourselues 155.156 c. 593 Messias 111 Christ the Messias true God 116.121 c. Iesus Christ the true Messias 122. c. Miracles prooue obedience to that Church in which they are wrought 28. The faith of Christ confirmed by miracles 130 Moderate affection of parents towards their children 411 Mortall sinne 717 N NAme The Name of God 398. Phantasticall Names reprooued in baptisme 295 Neighbour Who is our Neighbour 409. Charity towards our Neighbour v. Charity O OYle vsed in the consecration of holy things 291.603 Order 30.79.644.609 Orders a Sacrament 663 Seuerall degrees of orders in the Church 364 Originall sinne 715 Oths require three conditions to be lawfull 398 Oths imposed vpon Catholikes by Haereticks or any Infidels are allwais to be suspected 399 P PAganisme refuted 117. The Pagan Philosophers confounded themselues 15. They were replenished with sinne 697 Parents to be honored and obeyed 409. Parents must loue their children and prouide for them yet with discretion and moderation 411. c. Superiors are Parents 410. The good example of parents to their children 414. Parents haue a double obligation to instruct their children 2 Pastour The Pastours of the Church gathered together haue the authority of the whole Church and all false Churches beginne by disobedience to them 205.215 Patience the proper vertue of Christians 418 Pennance a Sacrament 322. The essentiall parts of Pennance 328. The effect of Pennance 328 Pleasure in sinne is false base and short 690 Poore The Poore to be releeued 473 Prayer The fruit and force of prayer 450. Preparation to prayer 455. What we are to pray for 457. Prayer to Saints 459. c. Prayer to particular Saints for particular benefits 470. Hinderances of obtaining our prayers 471. Attention in prayer 473. Prayer and good life must goe together 479. Sentences of holy Scriptures vertually Prayers 567. Perseuerance in Prayer 569 Praecepts of the Church 640. They oblige vnder a mortall sinne 641 Praesumption of Gods mercy 699 Pretences All Pretences of haeretiks obstructed 247. c. Priests must be called of God 210.367 Seuerall degrees of Priests 366. Chastity annexed to Priesthood 367. Priests Iudges 254. And they doe not onely declare sinnes to be forgiuen but doe truely forgiue sinnes 324. Priests must be able to giue satisfaction to the people in things necessary for them to know 54. The office of Priests to instruct and to see that the Commandements of God be kept 378 Purgatory 349. c. R REcreation Lawfull and modest Recreations are to be allowed of in seasonable times 406. Reliques and holy things to be worshipped 396 Remission of sinnes in confession 253.323 c. Remorse of conscience 495.695 Restitution 430.432 Resurrection of Christ 131. c. 162. The Resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soule were aunciently vnderstoode as the same 257 Reuerence to the Sacraments 277. to holy thinges vide Images Rogation dayes 654 Romane The Romane Church prooued by induction from all other religions in the world 250 Rosary vid. Beades S SAbaoth vide Holydayes Sacrament What a Sacrament is 266. The difference betwixt our Sacraments in the Law of grace and all former Sacraments 267. The necessity of Sacraments 271. The authour of the Sacraments 272. The Matter and forme of the Sacraments 272. The minister of the Sacraments 274. The Character of the Sacraments 275. Reuerence to the Sacraments 277 The number of the Sacraments 280 Sacrifice v. Masse Saints to be prayed vnto 459. c. Saints are present in spirit at our prayers 467.568 Satisfaction 346 Scandall 658 Sinne. The euills of sinne 495.675 c. None free from sinne 490. Sinne a monster 669. Sinnes by ignorance and sinnes against conscience 674. The miserable condition of sinners as slaues 679. Sinne the cause of temporall afflictions 684. Sinne punished in the freinds and allyance of sinners 688. The authour and cause of sinne 704. Diuerse kindes of sinne 715. Sinne by thought 441 Scruples in faith proceede from the weakenes of our reason 20 Soule two powers Superiour and Inferiour 152 Spirit The Spirit of God inspiring to the true faith is allwais with obedience to the Church 24.25 c. Not euery spirit is to be beleeued 25.26.27 c. Not euery one that prayeth hath the true spirit 31. How the good spirit is to be prayed for 34.35 c. 40 Superstition Noe Superstition to obserue a certaine number of prayers in relation to some pious mystery 571 Sweare vid. Oth. T TEmporall prosperity proceedeth from God and is lost by sinne 414.684 Temptations commune to all 497. How God is said to Tempt 498 Theft Diuerse kindes of Theft 430 Thought Sinne by Thought 441 Traditions 73.74 c. Transubstantiation 305 Trinity The blessed Trinity 53.142.174 The B. Trinity hath appeared in corporall shapes 144. V VEniall sinne 721 Vertue yeeldeth satiety of true pleasures and of temporall felicitys 480 Some prayers aske nothing expresly but they aske Vertually and in effect 567 Vigils 654 Vyande or Voyage bread the Eucharist 664 W WAges 4â—1 Will. Our owne Wills are our greatest enemys 483. Conformity to the Will of God 484 Witnesse False Witnesse 434 Worldly care in excesse 444.