them is so great as that they exceed all kindes of creatures in the world both men beastes birds fisshes plants and all other speciesses of thinges which we see vpon the earth And they are distinguished into three rankes which are called Hierarchies and euery Hierarchie consisteth of three orders whereof the highest are called Seraphins and the lowest Angells and amongst the highest Lucifer is held by many to haue been the chiefe of all who fell through pride and so although he was the perfectest creature that euer God made he is now become through his owne fault the most miserable and damned creature of all others The next to him as some conceaue was S Michaël who is in nature the perfectest creature of all that enioy God all though both in grace glorie the Blessed Virgin doth farre surpasse both him and all the rest 11. How many men were created at the beginning Only one that is Adam and out of him Eue the woman was made from whom afterwards all mankinde did proceed LESSON IV. Of Man 1. WHat is man Man is a reasonable creature made of body and soule 2. Of what was his body made Of the slime of the earth 3. Of what was his soule made It was made of nothing 4. What is a soule It is a spirituall substance ordained to informe a body immediatly created by God endued with vnderstanding and freewill whereby man is truly made to gods owne image and by which also he resembleth the Angells and differeth from all other mortall creatures 5. For what end did he create man That he might know God and knowing loue him and louing praise him for these are the thinges in which man ought to employ his whole life And his last end is to enioy him in heauen 6. Why hath God made mans body who is so noble a creature of so base a substance as is earth and dust Thereby to abate his pride and so keepe him humble by the consideration of his extraction 7. Wherefore did he make his soule so noble a substance To the end that he might be capable of enioying God himselfe and also that knowing his owne worth and dignity to be so farre exceeding all other mortall creatures his actions should likewise be answerable and surpasse the actions of all other inferiour creatures 8. What goods hath God bestowed vpon men Two sorts of goods some internall and belonging to the constitution of himselfe as the three powers of his soule whereby he is endued with reason and the fiue senses of his body with all the partes belonging to it others externall as the heauens and earth and all the thinges contained in them which were made for the entertainement and seruice of man 9. Which preuaileth most in man sense or reason For the first seuen yeares sense hath the whole gouerment of man but after seuen yeares reason by little and little beginneth to get strength and groweth on to the age of thirty the Philosophers not admitting a time of wisedome and cōstant iudgemēt vntill we come to the standing part of mans life which is when we leaue growing Yet she can neuer quite conquer sense by reason that it is deepely rooted and accustomed to sway vs by hauing had at first a long possession ouer reason 10. Which ought to sway most with vs sense or reason Certainely reason for if man be a reasonable creature as we haue defined him to be then reason must be the nature of man and so to do against reason were to do against nature and consequently to sinne Againe sense only considereth the present and so it is apt to precipitate vs into future inconueniences whereas reasō which forecasteth what is to come keepeth vs out of such dangers Moreouer reason hath one conduct and gouerment through all and settleth vs in a stable way tending to one incommutable good whereas sense setteth our hearts vpon vncertaine goods and such as may be taken from vs and so it putteth vs in casuality to be euer grieued for who looseth what he is in loue with must needes be grieued according to the measure of his loue 11. What becomes of mans body and soule after his death The body returnes againe to earth of which it was made as the graues do well testify the soule retaines its being for all eternity ether in hell or heauen 12. Doth euery soule presently after that it is separated from the body go immediatly ether to heauen or to hell No for some go first to purgatory before they go to heauen but those who go to hell go all immediately thither as soone as they are separated from their bodies 13. Which be those that go immediately to heauen The soules of those that dye in the state of grace and haue in this life payed all debt due for their sinnes for these soules whilst they were in their bodies did loue God aboue all thinges as being good in himselfe and therefore they could not choose but also desire to know and see him whom they loued so much And this same desire because it is of an immutable good remaineth also after death yea it is then much increased because the soule hauing no more any distraction by its senses it is wholy set vpon that obiect and therefore it would be miserable if it did not obtaine it But God who is all goodnesse can not be so cruell as to let one be miserable for louing him and therefore he doth immediately let himselfe be seen vnto him which is to be in heauen or perfectly blessed And so you see how those who dye in that happy state go immediately to heauen 14. Which be those that go first to purgatory before they go to heauen The soules of them who dye in the state of grace and haue not fully satisfied for their sinnes in this life for those soules at their death are in such a state that though they firmely loue God as their greatest and finall good and so are content to forgoe all thinges rather then offend him mortally yet their loue is not pure because they loue worldly thinges withall by an inordinate affection being loath to leaue them though thereby they know they should see God the sooner Now soules departing with such affections are not fit to see God vntill they be purified from all such drosse and so they remaine in paine not being able to attaine that blisse which they chiefly desire vntill by suffering they paie what is due to God his iustice or vntill by the churches helpe God of his mercy rectifieth them 15. And which be those vnhappy soules that go to hell The soules of them who dye without repentāce in ther woefull state of mortall sinne whereby whilst they liued they did fasten their soules vpon some other object more then vpon God from which after their death they cannot turne themselues to God for want of gods grace and so they can not see or enioy God for how should they enioy that which they doe not
other sonne after him whom he hath also established as he is man that which he was from all eternity as God Lord and king of all creatures and particularly of true Christians 9. Why is he called Iesus Because this name was giuen him by his Fathers appointment who commanded Ioseph to call him so And it signifyeth as much as Sauiour which holy name was giuen him with great reason because he caue to saue ād redeeme the world from the death of sinne and thraldome of the Diuell and it cost him his owne blood and his owne proper life to do it And so it is impossible to explicate the force and vertue of this name which is so efficacious as that it chaseth away diuell cureth diseases and worketh all sortes of miracles being pronounced with a liuely faith and it is honoured in heaven reuerenced on earth and feared in hell aboue all names 10. Why is he called Christ He is called Christ which signifieth annointed because Priests Kings and Prophets vsed to be annointed with oile which representeth grace to signify that their functions did represent the function of God whose Lieutenents they are in these charges for it belongeth properly to God to gouerne spiritually to gouerne temporally and to foretell thinges to come Now Christ Iesus is not only a Priest a King and a Prophet but the soueraine Priest of Priests King of Kings and Prophet of Prophets not annointed by men with a terrestiall ointment but by God with the plentitude of his graces So that the difference betwixt these two names is that Christ is a title belonging to his dignity Iesus is a title belonging to his merit which he purchased with the price of his blood and his life 11. Why is he called our Lord First because he is God and secondly also as man because he is our Redeemer for he who redeemeth a slaue as all we were is most properly master and Lord of him whom he redeemeth and the redeemed is most truly his seruant ARTICLE III. 12. DEclare the Third Article Who was conceaued of the holy Ghost borne of the virgin Marie I beleeue that Iesus Christ tooke vpon him for the redemption of the world our nature from the immaculate body of the blessed Virgin Marie not by any operation or power of man but by the diuine vertue of the holy Ghost who framed his body of the most pure blood of a virgin vniting a soule to it created expressely by God at the same instant in which instant also the second person of the blessed Trinity did vnite this body and this soule to himselfe and so he was borne on earth most pure and most holy And his Virgin Mother conceaued him and was deliuered of him remaining still a virgin yea she was more pure then before for both her body and soule receaued a greater purity and sanctity by the operation of the holy Ghost and by her coniunction to the sacred flesh of Iesus Christ 13. Why is the Conception of our Sauiour attributed to the holy Ghost To make vs understand that the great benefit and dignity bestowed vpon mankinde by the Incarnation of the sonne of God was a free gift proceeding purely from the loue of God and not from any merit of man and so although this operation was common to all the three persons of the blessed Trinity as all outward actions are yet it is peculiarly attributed to the holy Ghost because he proceedeth by loue and is called a gift 14. Why is not the holy Ghost called the Father of Iesus Christ since that he formed his body Because he did not forme it to the likenesse of his owne nature nor made it of his owne substāce which is required to make one a Father as a stone caruer who maketh a statue is not the father of the statue though he be the maker and former of it but he made it only of the pure blood of the Virgin And so Christ had in this second generation only a Mother and no Father 15. Wherein do consist the wonders of this mysterie First that his body was formed by the speciall operation of the holy Ghost Secondly that in the first instāt that it was formed it receaued a reasonable soule replenished with perfect knowledge of all thinges and with all graces as also with the full beatificall vision and fruition of allmighty God Thirdly that this body and this soule was in the same instant vnited to the second person of the bless◅ Trinity so that the childe conceaued in the wombe of the Virgin was both perfect God and perfect man Fourthly that his mother was both a virgin and a mother And lastly that she was mother both of God and of man which is the miracle of miracles that the same person should be God and man begotten from all eternity and borne in time omnipotent and infirme And yet it is most true for the nature of God and the nature of man were both in the second person of the Trinity without confusion or mingling one with another and also without making a diuersity of persons which may be some way exemplifyed in two grafts sett in the same stocke which keepe still their different natures since that they produce different fruits and yet make not diuers trees since that they are both in the same stocke 16. God then becoming man was not turned into man nor man into God nor both into a third thing No for God cannot be changed and so none of these three mutations could be made but man as we haue declared was ioyned to God and so God became man For seeing that what hath not the nature of man is not man and much lesse what hath not the nature of God is God we must acknowledge in Christ two distinct natures the one of God the other of man or else he should not be both God and man 17. Was man ioyned equally to God so that the thing made was equally God and man If we consider the two natures in themselues he had both of them truly and in all perfection but if we compare the natures together which are vnited in the same person certainly the maine thing must needs be God and man but a small portion of it As we see if a little other metall be cast into a great deale of gold the coine is principally gold and is commonly called so so since that God is infinitely greater then man the result of both remaineth principally God 18. How was he borne He was borne nine monthes after his conception as other children vse to be to shew that he was truly man He was borne without griefe to his Mother to shew that the blessed Virgin was opposite to Eue to whom it was said In dolore paries thou shalst bring forth with griefe He was borne in a stable and in as great pouerty as the poorest childe in the world thereby to hūble himselfe the more by how much the greater he was in himselfe He was swaddled
doth receiue profit by the sacrifice preaching doth instruct whosoeuer will heare euery man in the church may assist his companion by prayer the liuing do assist the dead in purgatorie by almes and good deeds and the blessed in heauen do assist the liuing vpon earth by their continuall intercession for them to allmighty God ARTICLE X. 45. DEclare the tenth Article Forgiuenesse of sinnes I belieue that to the holy Catholike church only and to no other society there is giuen by God power for true forgiuenesse of sinnes by meanes of the holy sacraments whereby men from being children of the diuell and guilty of eternall damnation do become the children of God and heires of Paradise 46. How doth the Church forgiue sinnes By the meanes of Priests who as God his Ministers haue power to forgiue sinne by vertue of the sacraments and particularly of Baptisme and of Pennance by Baptisme only once but by Pennance as often as man sinneth and truly repenteth for it And this benefit is so much the greater because it is particular to the law of grace for no man either in the law of nature or in the law of Moyses euer had power to remit sinne ARTICLE XI 47. DEclare the eleuenth Article Resurrection of the flesh I belieue that in the end of the world all men shall rise taking againe the selfe same bodies which they had when they were liuing and this by the power of God to whom nothing is impossible but the elect shall haue their bodies glorious and beautifull and shall be lifted vp with their bodies into the aire to meete Christ at the day of iudgement whereas the cursed shall remaine on earth hideous and woefull to behold 48. Why did not the Apostles say the resurrection of man but the resurrection of the flesh To shew to vs that whereas man doth consist of two parts soule and body the body is only that which perisheth by death the soule being immortall and consequently vncapable of resurrectiō for nothing is reuiued but that which is first dead 49. Shall we rise in the same bodies that we had whilst we liued Yes to the end that the same body which contributed in this world to our good or euill life may likewise receiue an eternall recompense or punishment And in effect if we did not receiue the same body which dyed it would not be a resurrection but a new production for since that to be resuscitated signifyeth to take life againe that which is resuscitated must be the same which dyed before 50. How shall this be done We are sure that it shall be done and S. Paul is so certaine of it that he telleth vs that if the dead shall not rise Christ hath not risen We are sure also that it shall not be done by our owne forces for Philosophers teach vs that that which is once corrupted cannot be naturally reproduced but it shall be done by the hand of allmighty God who can make againe when he pleaseth that same thing which he hath once made 51. Shall all bodies rise with the same defects they had whilst they lived as being dwarfes giants lame monsters and the like No for these defects and deformities proceed only from the excesse or defect of nature whose worke they properly were But the worke of their resurrection being properly the worke only of God it must needs be perfect and without all defeat and therefore it is generally belieued that all the blessed shall rise in that perfect stature which nature should haue giuen them at the three and thirtith yeare of their age at which age our blessed Sauiour did rise himselfe ARTICLE XII 52. DEclare the twelfth Article Life euerlasting I belieue that there is reserued for good Christians life euerlasting by enioying the sight of God full of felicity and free frō all kinde of euill as contrarywise for infidelles and bad Christians there is a life full of eternall punishment ouerwhelmed with misery and voide of all good 53. In what doth the happinesse of this eternall life consist In knowing and louing God for knowledge and loue are the pleasures of the soule or minde which must needs be greater then the pleasures of the body since that the body hath pleasure by the mīde for take away the mīde or reflexion vpon the obiect and it hath none Now the content of loue encreaseth to the proportion of knowledge and amongst knowledges the most vniuersall giueth the greatest pleasure What pleasure then must it be to see God in himselfe who is beyond all causes and in whom all thinges are conteined We shall discerne in him the essences and reasons of euery particular thing from the creation of the heauens and millions of Angells to the parting of two dusts in the high way so that no variety can be sought which is not found in him Neither can we desire any change for no body desireth a change or variety vntill he hath a satiety of what he enioyeth that is vntill he hath perfectly knowne it and found it lesse then his desires for till then he hath rest content and quiet in the obiect he enioyeth Now God is farre beyond the capacity of our desires so that for all eternity we shall finde in him more then we can desire and consequently for all eternity haue vnspeakable content and rest in him Besides euery ones memory shall contribute to this contentment by remembring the dangers they haue escaped of loosing so great a good and by calling to minde their owne good actions wrought by them through God his grace in this world especially those great ones martyrdome teaching and virginity which speciall contents caused by the memorie of those vertuous heroike actions are called by some Diuines Aureolae 54. In what shall the paine of the damned consist It will consist likewise chiefely in the soule for as pleasure cometh to the body from the soule so doth griefe and therefore as the pleasure of the soule is greater then the pleasure of the body so must the griefe of the soule by being depriued of this pleasure needes be a paine surpassing without comparison all corporall paines 55. Must this next life needs be eternall Yes for those who see God cānot choose but loue him aboue all thinges God as we sayd before doth neuer faile to blisse them that loue him wherefore since that nether the blessed can leaue to loue nor God will leaue to blisse those that loue him their happinesse can haue no end And as for the damned they can neuer begin to loue because they want God his grace without which we cannot loue God aboue all thinges and therefore they must needs remaine for all eternity in the same miserable state into which they haue cast them selues through their owne fault 56. Shall the glorie of the Saints be equall in heauen No some shall haue greater glorie then others according as they haue serued God more or lesse in this world Yet all shall be equally content in
in cloures layed vpon straw began to feele hunger and cold such like extremities as we see it fareth with all children ARTICLE IV. 19. DEclare the fourth Article Suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried I belieue that Iesus Christ to redeeme the world with his pretious blood after that he had ended the time which his Father ordained for his dwelling vpon earth suffered vnder Pontius Pilate Gouernour of Iury being scourged crowned with thornes and nailed vpon the Crosse on the which after three houres he dyed and his body which remained allwayes vnited to his diuinity as was his soule being taken downe from the crosse was buried in a new sepulcher 20. Why did the Apostles presently after that they had declared our Sauiours birth passe to his death without making mention of his life For two reasons first to let vs know that the end of his coming into this world was to dye for vs. Secōdly because he who knoweth the miraculous birth of our Sauiour and the charity wherewith he suffered death for vs that is the beginning and ending of his life cannot choose but know that his whole life was full of miracles and goodnesse And therefore S. Paul professeth to know nothing but Iesus Christ crucified for by knowing this he knoweth all the rest and must needs be replenished both with hope in his merits and with loue to wards his person 21. Hew did Christ suffer He did not suffer in his Diuinity for his two natures diuine humane did each of them allwayes retaine that which is proper to each nature wherefore seeing that his Diuinity cannot be subiect to griefe it was impossible that he should suffer any thing as God but only as man and as man he suffered both in his body and in his soule 22. What did he suffer in his body He suffered the greatest torments that euer man endured in all his fiue senses and in euery part of his body from the very bottome of his feete to the toppe of his head 23. What did he suffer in his soule He suffered the greatest griefe that could be being not only tormented by his enimies but also abandoned by his friends and betrayed by one of his Apostles and he suffered chiefely by the sinnes of man which was the most cruell griefe to his goodnesse that could be Besides whereas all those who suffer for God receiue a celestiall comfort which doth strengthen them in their paines our blessed Sauiour that he might suffer the more did depriue him selfe of comfort and abandon his nature wholy to griefe and paine 24. How could he suffer seeing he was blessed from the first instant of his conception His beatitude did not hinder him from suffering because he restrained his whole blisse to the superiour part of his soule without letting it passe to the inferiour part or to his bodie 25. Where did he suffer At Hierusalem the place appointed by God for sacrifices for it was expedient that the true sacrifice should be accomplished at the same place where all the figuratiue sacrifices of the old law had been performed 26. Why did he suffer the death of the Crosse Because it was the most vnworthy death of all others and most ignominious inflicted only vpon rogues and notorious malefactors 27. How did he die By the separation of his soule from his body but neither part was separated from his Diuinity as when a bow is broken the two partes of the bow are separated from one another but the bowstring remaineth still fastened to both ARTICLE V. 28. DEclare the fifth Article Descended into hell the third day rose againe from the dead I belieue that Iesus Christ as soone as he was dead went with his soule into hell that is into Limbo to triumph ouer the diuell and to deliuer the soules of all the faithfull who dyed in the state of grace since the beginning of the world who were kept in Limbo as in a prison from whence they could not come forth vntill Christ had paied the price of their redemption and came himselfe to deliuer them I belieue also that the third day which was the Sunday Iesus Christ rose againe from death most triumphant and glorious 29. What is vnderstood by this word Hell Hell hah principally foure significations first it is vsed for the place where the damned are to be eternally secondly for the place where the children are that dye with originall sinne thirdly for the place of Purgatorie and fourthly for the place where the soules of holy men were kept before the coming of Christ And the word Hell in the Creed is principally to be vnderstood in this sense which place by his presence was made a Paradise to verifie what he had promised the good thiefe this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise 30. Why is Christ his resurrection called by S. Augustine the faith of Christians rather then his death Because it is no hard matter to belieue that Iesus Christ dyed for death is naturally due to euery man but it is very hard to belieue that he did rise againe from death because no man can raise himselfe from death to life And therefore his Resurrection is a cleare argument of his Diuinity In so much that the Iewes damanding of Iesus Christ some miracle for proofe of his doctrine he gaue them no other marke of it but only that he would rise againe from death so that his Resurrection is the miracle of miracles and the proper miracle of Christianisme ARTICLE VI. 31. DEclare the sixth Article Ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of God the Father allmighty I belieue that Iesus Christ after that he had remained forty dayes with the holy Apostles to instruct them and to proue with many apparitions his true Resurrection mounted vp in their sight to heauen and there sitteth at the right hand of his Father as Lord and gouernour of all creatures his body and soule being replenished with the glory of his Diuinity 32. How did Christ ascend into heauen He ascended into heauen not as God but as man for a God he was neuer absent from heauen yet he ascended by the force of his Diuinity which of its owne nature gaue him that power He did also ascend by the force of the glorie wherewith his soule and his body were replenished and which was due to him naturally by reason of his hypostaticall vnion And therefore although he was compassed round with all the Angells yet he had not the assistance of any to ascend but did ascend through his owne proper force And for this reason we say not commonly that he was carried but that he ascended into heauen whereas the Church speaking of our Lady sayeth that she was carried because she did not ascend by any force of her owne naturally due to her but by the force which she receiued from allmighty God 33. Why is Christ sayd to sit in heauen We must not imagine that Christ doth sit in heauen
as men vse ordinarily to do for this kinde of position is a token of wearinesse but in heauen there is no wearinesse and therefore no bodie sitteth there but all shall stand vp right as it is generally conceaued which is the naturall position of man yet our Sauiour is sayd to sit because by this manner of speach is expressed the perfect repose which he enioyeth and shall enioy for all eternity in heauen 34. Why is he sayd to sit at the right hand of his Father He is not sayd to sit so as that we should imagine the Father to be at the left hand of his Sonne or in the middle betwixt the Sonne the Holy Ghost for seeing that these three persons are one only Diuine essence which is essentially in all places it is impossible that one person should be in one place and another in another place but euery one is euery where Wherefore he is sayd to sit at the right hand of his Father thereby to signifie that as man he excells all creatures whatsoeuer in glory maiesty and power and also to signifie that he is equall to his Father in Maiesty and glory which equality though it be principally to be vnderstood as he is God for as man he is without comparison inferiour to his Father yet the same honour from vs is to be giuen to Christ man which is due to him as God by reason of the vnion his humanity hath with his diuine person for seeing that adoration is directed to the person who is adored if one should adore him as man with one kinde of worship and as God with another he would diuide Christ and suppose him to be two persons ARTICLE VII 35. DEclare the seuenth Article From thence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead I belieue that this our blessed Redeemer Iesus Christ in the end of the world after the raigne of Antichrist shall come from heauen with most great power and glory to iudge all men both liuing and dead giuing to euery one the reward or punishment which he hath deserued saying to the iust come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world and to the wicked Depart from me yee cursed into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the Diuell and his Angells 36. Shall Christ iudge vs as man or as God He shall iugde vs both as man and as God for it is reasonable that he should iudge as man to reward those who deserued it through the merits of his owne humanity and likewise to giue sentence against those who haue neglected to make vse of his sacred death for their owne saluation He shall iudge vs also as God and not only he but also all the blessed Trinity although it be particularly attributed to the second person because it is an act of wisedome the acts whereof are attributed to the sonne because they depend of the vnderstanding 37. When shall he iudge those that are dead There are two iudgements the one particular which is when euery man dyeth the other generall which will be when all men shall take their bodies againe for then the body and the soule being vnited they shall receiue ioyntly the iudgement which they did ioyntly deserue and they shall receiue it with shame or glory before the whole world and all together to the end that as soone as the sentence is giuen the earth opening it selse may swallow vp all the wicked at once and the heauens receiue all the blessed ARTICLE VIII 38. DEclare the eight Article I belieue in the holy Ghost I belieue in the holy Ghost who is the third person of the blessed Trinity and proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne and is in all and euery thing equall to the Father and to the Sonne that is he is God eternall infinite omnipotēt creatour and lord of all thinges as much as the Father and the Sonne 39. Why is the holy Ghost represented ordinaryly in the forme of a doue and sometimes also in the forme of fiery tongues and of a cloude The reason of it is because he hath appeared vnder these formes to make vs by these visible thinges apprehēd the effects which he worketh in vs as by a doue innocency by fire charity by a cloude a plenitude of glory wherewith we shall be enuironed in heauen 40. Were these creatures vnited to the holy Ghost as the nature of man is vnited to the sonne of God No for they were meere figures made by the hands of Angells or by God to represent vnto vs the effects of the holy Ghost which being represented these signes remained no more but did vanish presently away ARTICLE IX 41. DEclare the ninth Article The holy Catholike Church Communion of Saints I belieue also that there is a Church that is to say a societie of reasonable creatures vnited to God by supernaturall gifts Which church hath two principall members whereof one is called the church triumphant which conteineth all the blessed in heauen the other is called the church militant which consisteth of mortall men who fight perpetually with the flesh the world and the diuell which church is a visible congregation of all faithfull Christians that are baptized and vnited here vpon earth into one common body I belieue also that each member of this congregation doth partake of the assistance of all the rest and likewise of the assistance of the church triumphant 42. Why is this Church called holy and catholike It is holy because it hath the head which is Christ holy and also for that it hath many holy members besides the faith law and Sacraments are all holy and lastly because the holy Ghost doth neuer forsake it but doth allwayes informe it with sanctitie and glorify it with miracles And it is called Catholike that is vniuersall both for time and place It is also called such because all the faithfull in what part soeuer of the world they be must be vnited to it to be saued 43. Why did the Apostles sett downe in the Creed these two conditions of holinesse and vniuersality Because they are two infallible markes of the true Church to which vnity is also added as a third marke seeing that the Apostles call it the Church in the singular number and not Churches 44. What signifyeth the Communion of Saints It signifyeth that all the holy members of the church are so vnited to one another by the same faith and by brotherly vnion that as in a mans body all the members are partakers of the good or euill of each member thereof so do they partake of the goods and sufferings of one another according to the charity which euery one hath himselfe and according as it shall please the holy Ghost to distribute them who doth deuide the spirituall goods of the church as well as his graces as he pleaseth himselfe Besides all the goods of the church are common the sacraments are instituted for all euery one
immediatelie accomplished in her that our Lord the word of God the second person of the Blessed Trinitie was to descend into her to rake flesh of her body and to remaine in her not only by charitie and grace but also personally 4. Declare the second sentence of this praier Blessed art thou amongst all women The Angel doth by these words denounce from heauen a benediction to the blessed Virgin seeing that she was to be the instrument to banish out of the world that generall malediction which an other woman had brought vpon the world Blessed because it is a benediction not to be sterile and a benediction proper only to her to bring forth him who is the Father of all the world Blessed aboue all because none but she hath the benediction of marriage and the perfection of virginitie none but she euer was or shall be both a Virgin and a Mother Blessed in fine because she is chosen out of the whole Progenie of Adam to be the Mother of God who is author of all benedictions 5. Declare the third sentence Blessed is the fruit of thy wombe Saint Elizabeth by these wordes inspired by the holy Ghost with zeale towards our Sauiour after that she and the Angel had praised the blessed Virgin doth turne to her sonne to shew that the merits of the Mother did proceed from the sonne who is the fountaine of all blessings The Virgin in blessed aboue all women through the benediction conferred vpon her by the fruit of her wombe and the fruit of her wombe is blessed aboue all thinges by his owne proper benediction which he conferreth and which is spread ouer the whole world by creation and Redemption and so he is not sayd blessed amongst men as our Lady is sayd blessed amongst women because he is absolutely and essentially blessed without relation or comparison The word Iesus which signifieth Sauiour is added by the Church to shew that our redemption is the fruit of his benediction 6. Declare the last sentence The last sentence is our praier to our Lady whereby we desire her to assist vs by her powerfull intercession Now that is euery moment and with great reason seeing that we haue continually need of her assistance being continually a assaulted by three powerfull enemies the world the flesh end the Diuell and she hath both will and power to assist vs will because she is full of charitie power because she is the Mother of him by whose grace we are to ouercome our enemies We desire her also to assist vs at the houre of our death because seeing we are to be judged according to the state we dye in we haue then most need of her assistance to obtaine by her intercession the grace of God to strengthen vs and to keepe vs in that last moment in such a state as that we may come to a happie eternitie victorious ouer all our enemies 7. Wherefore doth our Mother the Church vsually appoint her children after the Pater noster to adjoyne the Aue Maria It is with great reason that after we haue humbly proposed out suite vnto the Father of our blessed Redeemer we should next addresse our selues vnto his Mother whose power vndoubtedly doth exceed the power of all other creatures in heauen and in earth to desire her to pray to her sonne that he would be our Mediatour towards his Father and to make vs obtaine what we desire 8. Is it a good and laudable deuotion to make so many repetitions of the selfe same words as some vse to do of the Aue Maria Truly if some Saints did with so great comfort and deuotion spend frequently whole nights in repetition of these only six words vt nouerim te vt nouerim me And Saint Francis the like in these Quis es tu quis sum ego And if the Seraphins in praise of their creatour repeate without count or tearme of time that Holie Holie Holie c. why may not we in like manner finde profitable imployment for one halfe houre at least in repetition of that Angelicall salutation whereby we make so often a gratefull commemoration of the most blessed Incarnation of the sonne of God the only meanes designed by God for our eternall redemption 9. But are we to place any hope of merit in those determinate numbers of Aue Maries to be sayd on our Beades No for these determinate numbers serue only to awake in vs some pious thought as thirtie three in remembrance of the thirtie three yeares wherein our blessed Sauiour wrought our Redemption vpon earth crauing thereby the application of his blessed merits vnto our soules and sixtie three in remembrance of the yeares which our blessed Ladie did liue crauing her intercession for grace to imitate the vertues she practised in that time and so by all the rest which are accommodated vnto some holy mysteries both for our instruction and to helpe for deuotion especially for the vnlearned and simple people who are not fit for contemplation and cannot reade or vnderstand the Psalmes for by the repetition of those two praiers which are plaine to euery ordinary vnderstanding those people are prouided of a meanes whereby to spend their time in praier with no lesse profit then those who say the holy Psalmes or giue themselues to contemplation 10. What is the best way to vse in saying of the Beades As for the vse of the Beades it is hard giue a generall rule that may be sutable to all wherefore I would aduise euery one to take the counsel of his spirituall Director and to read the treatises that haue beene written of this subject where euery one may marke what is most conformable to his priuate deuotion Only this in generall 1 should aduertise them that in saying the Aue Marie at those words Marie and Iesus to remēber some passage or benefit of our Redeemer towards mankinde for which we blesse not only him but also his holy Mother for seeing she brought forth him who bestowed such benefits vpon vs it is reason she should pertake of the blessings which we heape vpon her sonne for them And likewise in the latter pare where we desire her to pray for vs we may determine some good we haue need of which additions are to be spoken only with our heart for by doeing so euery Aue Marie will be made a iaculatory commemoration of some mystery and our heart will be lifted vp and go together with our mouth which is the true vse of vocall praier Which will be done more easily if we allot a certaine number of Aue Maries and not many to euery pointe or mystery of our Sauiours life for so we shall be lesse subject to distractions 11. Is there no manner of praying vocally but by the Pater noster and the Aue Marie Yes there are many other wayes set downe in the Primer or Manuall and particularly all those that are practised in the office of the Church and the Sacrifice of the