Scriptures but also by the nature of God that he who is iust good could not command things impossible 3. That the Commandements of God are heavy to those who want the love of God but they are light to those who haue it Yea the same holy Doctour shewes by the testimony of S. Paul that Christ came into the world and lay'd down his life for this end that he might obtaine grace vnto vs whereby we might be enabled to keep the Commandements of God which were before so hard difficult Rom 8.3.4 Thus speaks S. Paul For that which was impossible to the law in that it was weakened by the flesh God sending his Son in the similitude of the flesh of sin for sin coÌ„demned sin in the flesh That the iustice of the law might be fulfilled in vs who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Aug. lib. de Spi. lit cap. 19. Vpon which words S. Augustin saith The law was given that grace might be sought after and grace was given that the law might be fulfilled for not by any fault of the law the law was not fulfilled but by the wisdom of the flesh which fault was to be shewed by the law but to be cured by grace For that which was impossible for the law c. S. Hierom brings the same place of â— Paul against the Pelagians to prove that man is not able by his own strenth or free will Hieren ad Ctesiphont but only by the grace of Christ to keep the law of God Behold there the Catholique doctrin affirmed by the holy Fathers not of their own heads but proved by the Scriptures And that this was the general beliefe of the holy Fathers of the ancient Church it was made appeare vnto me by the second Arausican Councel celebrated about S. Augustins time Araus Concil 2. c. 25. which makes this profession We believe according to the Catholique faith that by grace received in baptisme all such as are baptized Christ helping cooperating may and ought to fulfill if they will labour faithfully these things that belong to Salvation So it is evident that the holy Fathers ancient Church believed this doctrin to be contain'd in the Scriptures which is sufficient for my purpose This same truth is confirmed by S. Augustin not only by the Scriptures but also by reason Some one may say saith he I can by no means love my enemies To which he answer's thus God saith to thee in all the Scriptures Aug. serm 61. de temp that thou canst Consider now whether thou or God ought to be believed and therefore since truth cannot lie let humane weaknesse forbeare it's vaine excuses For he who is iust could not command any thing that 's impossible and he who is good will never condemne man for that which he could not avoid So that according to S. Augustin the Presbyterians beliefe is not only against all the Scriptures although they pretend to believe nothing beside Scriptures but also against sound reason that is against both the iustice goodnesse of God Hieron epist ad Celant S. Hierome also affirmeth that these who say that God hath commanded any thing impossible pronounce God to be vniust Moreover the same two most renowned holy Fathers do not only teach the Catholique doctrin but also they censure the contrary that is the Presbyterians opinion as blasphemy in the Heretiques of their time We accurse saith S. Augustin Aug. serm 191. de temp execramur eorum blasphemiam c. Hier. in Symbol ep 17. their blasphemy that affirm God commanded any thing impossible to man and that Gods Commandements cannot be kept of any man in particular but of all men taken together The same is repeated by S. Hierome So that these holy Fathers do iudge this errour not only to be an heresy but also a blasphemy And yet these new Reformers which is a thing most admirable deplorable make such blasphemies the principall articles of their faith and they haue also most tyrannically enforced others vnder pretext of giving them only pure Scripture to swear believe such horrible errours and blasphemies for divine truths But I found that some more prudent and conscientious Protestants haue abandoned this wicked Calvinisticall opinion yea and condemned it as the holy Fathers had done for blasphemy Mr Shelford a Minister in England hath written a Treatise expresly on this matter Shelford p. 147. to prove the possibility of the law with the assistance of Gods grace where he censures the contrary opinion by the Scriptures Fathers by the authority of King Iames. For this he speaks King Iames vpon the Lords prayer affirmeth it to be blasphemy to say that any of Christs precepts are impossible because this is to give him the lie who out of his own mouth told vs that his yoke is easy his burden light And his inward disciple S. â—n saith his Commandements are not grievous â—rom whence S. Basil the great averreth Impious it is to say the precepts of Gods Spirit are impossible Thus he Behold Bas hom 3. what the Presbyterians do esteeme a principal article of their faith how a learned Protestant whose booke came forth in the yeare 1635. with great applause in Cambridge and King Iames who was head of the Church of England do condemne as blasphemy impiety a giving the lie to God I heare also that some of the new Independent Congregations in England do no lesse sharply condemn the same Presbyterian opinion But besides all these pressing authorities I found also some convincing reasons against the Presbyterians which I will briefly collect 1. It cannot stand with the goodnesse and justice of a lawgiver such as God is to impose vpon people lawes which are impossible to be kept then to punish them with losse of goods and life for not observing these impossible lawes The greatest Tyrant on earth did never arrive to that hight of impiety cruelty Therefore it is impossible that God who is good iust should commit such cruelty iniustice To this accordeth S. Augustin in his words above cited when he saith Aug. ser 61. de temp God could not command any thing impossible because he is iust neither will he damne a man for that which he could not avoid because he is mercyfull Yea these absurdities of iniustice and cruelty would follow against the goodnesse of God in a high degree in how much the punishment he inflicts is greater then can be inflicted by man although thâ— greatest Tyrant on earth For what is the loâ—â— of temporall goods and life in comparison of the losse of heaven and of the death both of Soule body in the eternal paines of Hell Therefore it 's no wonder that the holy Fathers some Protestants do detest the Presbyterian doctrin as extream blasphemy 2. It doth not only incroach vpon the goodnesse iustice of God but also
by a true conversion to God when the baptism of water is not contemned but rather desired and yet through some necessity men die without it as S. Ambrose testifieth of Valentinian the yonger· I haue lost him Ambr. orat de obitâ—â— Val. ent iunioris Mark 1.4 Luke 3.3 saith he whom I was to regenerate but he hath not lost the grace which he hoped for This true conversion penance is also called baptism in the Scriptures for it is said that S. Iohn preached baptism of penance vnto remission of sins And according to this doctrin the ancients did handsomly distinguish three kinds of baptism which they called Sanguinis flaminis fluminis that is the baptism of blood of the Spirit of water Lastly he said that although baptism were not a necessarie mean ordained by God for Salvation of Infants yet it hath the necessitie of a command to Pastors Mat. 28.19 as is evident by our Saviours words to the Apostles Goe and teach all nations baptizeing them c. Therefore although it were supposed that no hurt come to the children dying without baptism yet they who by their office are obliged to baptize commit a great sin when they wilfully neglect to obey Christs command which the Presbyterian Pastors manifestly do suffering so many children notwithstanding the many teares and cries of their parents to die without baptism And according to this observation King Iames answered well a Minister in Scotland who enquired of him if he thought baptism so necessarie that if it were omitted the child would be damned No said the King but I verily believe if yow being called to baptise a child in danger of death would refuse to do it that you would be damned This answer may be seen in the first dayes conference at Hampton-Court Where it is also shewed that such a neglect of baptisme is not only a damnable sin in the Minister but likwise that it is very daÌ„gerous for the child For who saith the Bishop of London hath any carâ— of religion and would not by all meanes be carefull that his child receive baptism Who would not rather assure his action vpon the promises of Iesus Christ then the omission of it vpon the secret iudgment of God Then whereas the Ministers do alleadge that Christs command extends only to publique and not to private baptism this is a meer fancy without any ground in Scripture where no such distinctioÌ„ is made yea it is against Scripture For do we not read that S. Paul was baptized privatly by Ananias and the Eunuch by S. Philip. Acts. 9.18 Acts. 8.38 But they who teach that Gods commandments are impossible to be kept and make dayly profession to break them may let this passe with the rest These and diverse other inconsequentiall errours of the Presbyterians concerning baptim he did manifest vnto me which for brevities sake I omitt Therefore to conclude this point I cannot believe the Presbyterian doctrin against the necessity ob baptism because iâ— is against our Saviours expresse words against the holy Fathers whole ancient Church because it is an ancient heresy condemned in the Pelagians because it is against the common instinct of Christians and is condemned by diverse famous Protestants so that King Iames the head of a famous Protestant Church iudged it damnable in the Ministers and his Prelats esteem'd it most dangerous to the infants For which dangerous doctrin and the cruel practise flowing from it I can find no other ground but Ministerial tradition from Geneva and that against the Scriptures and all the former authorities Florimond above cited sheweth Flor. Reym de orta haeres lib. 8. c. 11. c. how this tradition descended from Calvin and that Musculus Superintendent of Berne deposed a Minister named Samuel Hueber for having baptized a child in the night when it was in danger of death and Beza did assist to that censure Moreover he sheweth how in a Protestant Synod at Figear it was ordain'd that the Ministers should comfort the parents of children dying without baptism But all in vaine so that the Ministers of Poictou in an aslembly at Chastelrauld in the yeare 1599. were enforced to give way to Ministers to baptize in private houses that they might avoid the cryes of tender hearted mothers I have heard of some pittiful accidents that have fallen forth in our Countrey vpon this same occasion so that some mothers have almost gone out of their witts when the Ministers suffered their children to die without baptism And I knew a Protestant father who for this same reason took great indignation at all Presbyterian Ministers Such a strong impression hath God made of this truth in the hearts of the simple people who in many other things have suffered themselves to be too simply misled to abandon the truth By all which it may be fâ—en how the Presbyterians make void and destroy the Sacrament of baptism CHAP. XXI Of the reall presence of Christs body in the holy Sacrament which is denyed by the Presbyterians AS the Presbyterians by denying both the effect and necâ—ssity of bapism do in effect quite take away that so holy and necessary a Sacrament so I conceived if it be true that Christs body be really present in the Eucharist as the Catholiques beleeve that the Presbyterians who deny the reall presence and do give vs nothing but signes and tokens of Christs body do also destroy this other most excellent Sacrament The Catholiques belief in this point Concil Triden sessio 13 c. 1. is clearly set down by the Councel of Trent where it is said The holy Synod doth openly and simply professe that in the holâ— Sacrament of the Eucharist after the consecration of bread wine our Lord Iesus Christ true od true man is truly really suhstantially contain'd c. Our first Scott sh Confession speaks not so clearly For after some ambiguity of words by which it would seem to graunt the reall presence it acknowledged that hrists body is only in the heavens For it saith that the holy Ghost by true faith 1. Scottish confes art 21. carrieth vs above all things that are visible c and maketh vs to feed vpon the body blood of Christ Iesus which is in the heavens And yet notwithstanding the far distance of place which is betwixt his body now grorifyed in the heavens and vs now mortall in this earth yet we assuredly beleeve c. The late Gonfession of Westminster albeit it vseth also some ambiguous expressions yet it affirmeth that Christs body is not corporally or carnally in with or vnder the bread wine Confess Vvest chap. 29. n. 7. And it s knowen also that the Presbyterians do zealously maintaine that Christs body is only in the heavens and that it is impossible even to the omnipotency of God to make a body to be present in two places at once And therefore according to them Christs body cannot be
When S. Gregorie was giving the Sacrament to the people he came to a woman who smiled when he said to her the body of our Lord Iesus Christ preserue thy soule wherevpon the Pope did withdraw his hand lay'd the SacrameÌ„t on the altar After the holy solemnities were ended he enquired at the woman why she had laughed in so dreadfull an action She in end confessed that she could not acknowledge that bread which she had made with her own hands to be the body of Christ Then S. Gregorie prayed God earnestly for her and obtain'd that the bread even in external forme should be turned into flesh by which miracle he both reduced the woman vnto the faith and confirmed the people in it The faith of S. Lowis King of France Bosius li 14 de signis Eccles p. 145. ex Villanaeo an 1258. concerning this Sacrament is much celebrated For when he being advertised that a most beavtifull child had appeard in the holy Sacrament was desired to come and see this miracle he refused to goe saying that these miracles were done for these who doubted but for himself he was most certaine that Christ Iesus was truly present in the Eucharist An other such apparition was seen at Doway in the yeare 1254. continueda good time Spond suppl anno 1254. n. 16. so that great numbers of people came from diverse parts to see it and the memory of it is every yeare celebrated in that town with great solemnity By all which considerations I was sufficiently satisfyed of the Catholique belief concerning the reall presence which I found to be containd in the holy Scriptures beleeved by the holy Fathers and by general Councels and to be confirmed by miracles And therefore I could not any longer believe the Presbyterian doctrin which against all these authorities makes the body of Christ to be as far distant from the Sacrament as the heavens are from the earth 1. I perceived that they scarcely pretend to have Scripture for them but are enforced to runne from the clear words of it to their tropes figures Aug. lib. 3. de doct Christ c. 10. which S. Augustin observed long ago to be the custom of erroneous persons So soone saith he as the opinion of any errour hath once prepossessed their minds they esteeme all to be figures which the Scripture saith to the contrarie And therefore albeit the Scripture saith not once but foure times that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Iesus Christ without ever saying in any one place that it is not his body but only a figure of it they beleeve the one which it saith not and not the other which it affirmes Against them S. Iohn Damascen saith efficaciously Damas lib. 4. Orthodo fidei The bread wine is not a figure of the body blood of Christ God forbid it were that but it is the divine body of our Lord he himself saying this is my body 2. They passe from the Scriptures Fathers and found their negative faith vpon their senses and some carnal reasons Chrys homil 60. ad popul Antioch Against which vaine pretences S. Chrysostom saith well Let vs beleeve God every where let vs not oppose him although that which he saith seem absurd to our sense vnderstanding Let his speech overcome our sense and reason which in all things we ought to do cheefly in the mysteries not only looking to that which lieth before vs but also holding fast his words For we cannot be deceived by his words our sense may be easily deceived these cannot be false this is often deceived Because therefore he hath said this is my body let vs not be holden by any doubt but let vs beleeve and comprehend it wiâ—h the ey 's of of our vnderstanding Cyrill Alex. lib. 4. in Ioan c. 13. S. Cyrill speaks no lesse efficaciously against those who pretend this mystery to be against reason and impossible compareing them to incredulous Iewes A malignant minde saith he doth presently reiect as frivolous false what it doth not vnderstand yeelding to none nor thinking any thing to be aboue it self as we shall find the Iewes to have been For when it became them who had seen the divine vertue the miracles of our Saviour to receive his speech willingly and if any thing seemed difficult to have asked the resolution of him they did the quit contrarie and cryed out together against God not without great impietie How can this man give vs his flesh neither did it come into their minde that there is nothing impossible with God for since they were sensual as S. Paul speaks they could not vnderstand spiritual things and so great a mystery seemed to them to be follie But let vs make great profit by other mens sins Let us have a firme faith in these mysteries Let vs neuer speak nor think that word How That 's meerly Iudaical and the cause of great punishment Thus S. Cyrill 3. The Presbyterians do wrest our Saviours words by a figurative interpretation against all reason as hath been shewed Then I found this Presbyterian doctrin Apud Bellar. lib. 1. de Euch. cap. 1. Gualt Chronolog saecul 1. cap. 1. Elien resp ad Apolog. Bellar. c. 1. Casaub ans to Card. Peron 1. instance fol. 32. English to have been an ancient heresie of Simon Magus and Menander and thereafter of Berengarius who at his death did recant of the Albigenses and of diverse others Yea Gualterus brings some testimonies of the holy Fathers to shew that Iudas the traitor denyed the reall presence and did not believe our Saviours words in the 6. chapter of S. Iohn Lastly diverse famous Protestants have abandoned that doctrin of Calvin As Bishop Andrews who writes thus against Bellarmin We agree faith he with yow of the matter all the contention is about the manner a presence I say we believe not lesse reall then yow Casaubon made the like profession in name of King Iames of the whole Church of England And whereas I heard so much cryed out against Transubstantiation as a thing impossible and a noveltie lately introduced into the Church I found both these allegations to be false For the holy Fathers do shew both the possibility and the verity of it out of the Scriptures Cyrill Hieros Catech. 4. Mystag Ambros l. 4. de Sacram c. 4. lib. de mysterijs initiand cap. 9. S. Cyrill saith Christ changed once water into wine which is near vnto blood and is he not worthy to be believed of vs that he hath changed wine into blood S. Ambrose having shewed the power of Christs speech how by it he gave a being to the world which had no being before saith How much more then operative is it that these things which were might have a being and be converted into another Again the same holy Father calls this change a conversion of nature substance bringing examples out of the old