will conclude this passage with refuting the chiefe Argument of our Aduersaries touching praying to Saincts which is taken in that the Saincts in their iudgment do not heare vs. Now the weakenes of this Reason is discouered in that damned Spirits and Deuils being far absent from their Witches and Coniurers do neuerthelesse heart their Jnuocations and Coniurations as is warranted by all experience Shall any man thinke then that the B. Saincts of Heauen are depriued of hearing the Prayers made vnto them Since otherwise it would follow that spirituall Substances by loosing of Heauen I meane the Deuills by their fall did obtayne greater prerogatiues and excellencyes then the Soules of the Saincts do by gayning and ascending vp to Heauen An absurdity incompatible with the Goodnes wisdome and Charity of God Animaduersion LXXXII WHen a Catholike signeth himself with the signe of the Crosse he but only implicitly desireth that by this signe which explicitly and by mediation of words he desireth by prayer For seeing the signe of the Crosse doth figure out to the eye our Sauiours Passion and seeing the secret desires of the hart are manifested made knowne as well by signes of the body as dumbe men and such as cannot speake are accustomed to make as by Prayers and words of the tongue Therefore if it be lawfull for me with the tongue to pray that God will forgiue my Sinnes through the merits of Christ his Death and Passion it must needes then be consequently lawfull forme to pray to him to the same end without words by making the signe of the Crosse seeing the making of this signe with an intention of inward Prayer the Crosse being the badg and remembrance of our Sauiours death and Passion is all one as to pray in words by vertue and force of the same death and Passion Since the hand in this case by making the signe of the Crosse doth supply the place and office of the tongue That many Miracles haue beene wrought by the signe of the Crosse forbearing the testimonies of the ancient (g) Vide Tertul. in init Scorpiaci Epiph. Haeres 30. Nazianz orat in Iulian. Nyssen in vita Gregorij Thauma turg Athan in vita Antonij Ierome in vita Pauli primi Heremitae Austin in l. 22. de Ciuit Dei Fathers I will here content my self with the acknowledgment of D. Couell thus writing No (*) D. Couell in his answere to M. Burg. maâ— can deny but that God after the Death of hiâ— Sonne manifested his power to the amazement of the World in this contemptible signe as being the instrument of many miracles Animaduersion LXXXIII ALl men know that praying vpon beaâ—â—â— is but the repetition of the same prayeâ—â— seuerall tymes the beades seruing only bâ—â— to number or count the tymes This câ—stome is warranted by the Example of our Sauiour who being in the Garden did â—â—peate one and the same prayer to wit I◠〈◊〉 be (h) Math. c. 2â— possible let this Cup passe from me three seuerall times Againe if it be lawfull to say the Lords prayer seauen times a weeke as I presume many Protestants will confeâ—se that they do why not then is it lawfull to repeate it seauen tymes or more euery day Lastly once granting the Prayer to be good the goodnes of it doth warrant the often repetition of it The precise number of repeating one and the same prayer among Catholikes hath a Mysticall reference either to the number of Dauids Psalmes or to the number of the yeares that our B. Lady liued here vpon earth or to the number of our Sauiours wounds or to the number of the persons of the most Blessed Trinity or to some other such Mystery The antiquity of praying vpon Beades is confessed by the Centurists (i) Cent. 4. col â—329 and Osiander (k) Epit. Cent. 4. p. 454. to haue beene twelue hundred yeares since In further antiquity of praying vpon beads Zozomene thus relateth of Paul the Monke Jn dies (l) Hist. l. 6. c. 20. singulos trecentas orationes Deo velut tributum quoddam reddidit c. Paul euery day did say three huÌ„dred prayers to God as a certaine tribute and lest through forgetfullnes he might erre in number he kept three hundred litle stones in his bosome and at ending of euery Prayer he cast away a stone when he had cast away all his stones then it was euident to him that he had performed his said number of three hundred Prayers Animaduersion LXXXIV THe benediction of Creatures to spirituall ends and particularly of Holy water is most ancient according here to we find that (m) L. 8. Apost Constit. c. 35. Clemens (n) De Ecâ—â—es Hierarc cap. de â—aptis Dionysius both which liued in the Apostles dayes as also Cyrill (o) Cate. ch 3. Cyprian (p) L. 1. Ep. 12. Ambrose (q) Lib. 4. de Sacram c. 5. Austin (r) L. 6. in Iulianum c. do make frequent mention of holy water Cyprians words in the place cited are these Oportet mundari sanctificari priùs aquas à Sacerdote The lawfulnes of Blessing of Creatures is warranted by the Example of Christ who intending to multiply the Bread did looke vp towards Heauen and (s) Luc. 9. Blessed the loaues Now that the Church hath authority to blesse Creatures to spirituall ends and this for the furthering of deuotion is proued from her greater authority practised in changing the Sabaoth day and now being changed is inalterable One chiefe end of blessing of Creatures is to signify spirituall Effects Thus sprinkling of Ashes signifieth Pennance Palmes signify Victory c. Animaduersion LXXXV THere is a great disparity betweene vrging Protestants against themselues and against the fayth by them then maintayned which in this small Treatise is in seuerall places shewed and by vrging such as were reputed sometimes Catholikes speaking and writing against any point of the Catholike Religion seeing it is euident that all such testimonies of this second kind are not the impartiall conuincing CoÌ„fession of the learned Aduersary against himself but the vnequall Assertions of the partyes themselues in behalfe of their later conceaued Innouations for the tyme by them held though in diuers of them after retracted by their finall submitting of themselues and their writings to the Catholike Church This Animaduersion I giue with reference to the writings of these men following LaureÌ„tius Valla Erasmus Cassander Cornelius Agrippa Polidore Virgill Nilus Aeneas Siluius and some others of which diuers of them finally retracted their former receaued Nouelismes and reincorporated themselues before their death into the Catholike Church This Animaduersion though aboue intimated I thought good to set downe in that it is obserued that Doctour Morton in his Apologia Catholica doth chiefly and maynely rely vpon vrging the impertinent and defectiue testimonies of the foresaid men and some others such like for breuity here omitted for the impugning of our Catholike fayth
be concluded that her Body is not to be found in Earth but only in Heauen this is S. Bernards demonstration in this point Animaduersion CLXXXIV BEza as aboue is shewed thus writeth of the Doctrine of reprobation God (a) Beza in his Display c. pag. 17. 31 76. c. decreeth to destruction createth to perdition and predestinateth to his hatred and Destruction with whom accordeth Caluin as elswhere is shewed in these words (b) Calu Instit l. 3. cap. 23. paragr 6. God by his Councell and appointment doth so ordaine that amongst men some be borne destined to certainâ— death from their Mothers Wombe who by their perdition may glorify his Name Now heere I wish the diligent Reader to obserue the dangerous resulâ—ancyes and Absurdity 〈◊〉 necessary following from this their doctrine of Reprobation First it is a mayne hinderance to Vertue and encouragement to Vice as aboue I haue declared Since iâ— teacheth that that man who is reprobated cannot preuent his reprobation by any piouâ— lyfe how vertuous soeuer why then should that man abstaine from exercise of wickednes seeing his wickednes doth not in any sort further his damnation it being by the Protestants Dâ—ctrine decreed from a Eternity without respect of any worke good or bad Secondly this Doctrine maketh God a Lyar and dissembler For to omit infiniâ—â— other texts of Scripture we find his Prophets thus to speake of God God (c) Ezech 33. willinâ— the death of the wicked And again He (d) 2. Peter 3. wâ— not haue any to perish And yet more God (e) 1. Timoth 2. would haue all men saued and come to the knowledg of the truth Now I say if God createth some men absolutely from their Mothers wombe without respect of his Sinnes to eternall damnation are not these his fayre speeches to be interpreted but Dissimulation and vntruths and followeth it not then consequently that this their blasphemous doctrine labours to transforme God into the Deuill by making him to vtter lyes and speake false for of the Deuill we thus read It is (f) 1. Ioan. 3. he who speakes Lyes of himself is a lyer the Father of Lyes Animaduersion CLXXXV YF we take into our consideration that other Doctrine of our Aduersaries which teacheth that God is the Authour of sinne which Doctrine we haue aboue shewed to be mantayned by the Protestants the inferences vnauoydably proceeding from that Doctrine are no lesse blasphemous then the former For first it maketh God to be the only sinner and that the Deuill and Man are innocent and no sinners at all For if the thiefe for example be compelled by God to steale who compells the Deuill to set on the thiefe as Swinglius (g) Swingl Serm. de prouident affirmes then is not God in this case the only Sinner This is proued since the goodnes badnes of the worke in euery Action is chiefly to be attributed to the Principall Authour willer and worker of it and not to the Instrument And this the rather since Austin sayth Sinne is so voluntary that except it be voluntary it is no sinne But sinne is only voluntary in God according to the doctrine of our Aduersaries and not in Man in whom it is necessary Therefore hence I conclude that according to this their blasphemy Sinne is only in God and not in Man Secondly this Doctrine of God being the Authour of Sinne ascribeth the proprieties of the Deuill to God For it is the office of the Deuill to tempt man and therefore in the Holy (h) Mat. 4. writ the Deuill is called a Tempter But this is more peculiar to God according to the foresaid Doctrine then to the Deuill Since God in the iudgment of the Protestants so forcibly tempteth man to sinne as that it is not in his power to resist or withstand the temptation which is more then the Deuill can performe Thirdly it is the property of the Deuill to sow Tares or ill weedes of sinne in the Fyeld of our Harts according to those words The Enemy (i) Mat. 13. comes and sowes tares But God doth this according to the former Doctrine more then the Deuill For God as Caluin affirmes doth excecate (k) Caluin 1. Instit 18. 24. 4. Instit 14. and obdurate the minds of men doth strike them with a spirit of errour giddines and madnes and this not by permission but by operation Thus Caluin Animaduersion CLXXXVI THe Protestants Doctrine of the infallibility of only fayth iustifying a Man and of some other of their positions takes away the force of all Prayer making it either needles or fruitlesse Needles as of things certaine which need not to be asked Fruitles as of things impossible which cannot be obtained The first point is thus proued That Prayer is needles which prayes for that which cannot fayle vs as either already past or assuredly possest or to come Therefore according to the Protestants grounds they ought not to pray for Remission of Sinnes for the fauour of God for perseuerance in fayth or for the glory of Heauen since euery Protestant by his speciall fayth belieueth in his iudgment most certainly that his Sinnes are forgiuen him and that he shall perseuer in fayth and come to Heauen The second point to wit of the Fruitlesnes of Prayer is in like wise thus euicted To pray for the keeping of the Ten Commandements is fruitles since our Aduersaries teach as I haue aboue shewed that the keeping of them is impossible In like manner it is Fruitles to pray for the Preuenting of any Euill whether it be Malum culpae as sinne or Malum paenae as punishment or whether it be any temporall affliction whatsoeuer And the reason is because as our Aduersaries do teach All Euill as well as Good shall infallibly fall out as Goâ— hath according to his owne irrespectiue immutable and ineuitable will pleasurâ— decreed and appointed it For sorting here to to omit the like authorities of many others in this point Luther thus writeth 〈◊〉 a Fatall Necessity of things Nullius (l) Luther in Assert damnat per Leonem Art 36. est 〈◊〉 manu c. Jt is in no mans power to thinke God or Euill but all things proceed from absoluâ— Necessity Thus we see that it ineuitably 〈◊〉 most consequently may be gathered froâ— the Protestants Theorems and principles thaâ— all Prayer is either Needles or Fruitles inauayleable Animaduersion CLXXXVII MAny of the learned Protestants weâ—ghing the emptines of their owne Religion as consisting only of Tenets whicâ— are but an Annihilation of all positiue and true fayth haue therefore vpon mature deliberation in diuers weighty points whoâ—y reiected the Negatiue Religion of our Aduersaries and in place therof haue fully imbraced the contrary Affirmatiue Catholike Articles of fayth euer and at this day maintayned by the Church of Rome So trâ—â— is that saying of S. Austin Truth (m) Contra Donat post coll c. 24. is
Paralitick members in the Church who by study and labour will not endeauour to be able to performe the operations and facultyes belonging to their profession And as touching such of you as shall arriue to that perfection as to wryte Bookes in defence of your owne Religion what consolation may it be to your Soules and increase of accidentall glory when your Bodyes being corrupted and turned intâ— ashes you neuerlesse shall dayly speake by meanes or your wrytings to posterity instructing them in the way of Saluation The liuing acknowledge themselues much behoulden to those though long since departed this world who haue recorded in wryting the temporall and humane Lawes of their owne Country and haue cleared them with the true meaning of the fiâ—st Lawgiuers what obligation then is due by the liuing to such dead men who haue faythfully by their pens deliuered and explicated the Law not of man but of Goâ— I meane the Gospell and vndoubted fayth of Christ by the fruition of which Law and fayth the soule arriueth to its eternall felicity as through the want of it precipitately falleth into euerlasting damnation And can any kynd of study more then this be prized But some of you who are of lesse spirituall courage may perhaps say The Lawes of the Realme prohibit vnder great penalty all persuading to a Religion contrary to the present state and profession of the Realme It is so indeed But withall the same Lawes do prohibit your entring into the Realme after your taking of the Holy Order of Priesthood will you be so ready then to expose your Bodyes to death for the one and yet will forbeare for feare of death the other Againe that Statute was made by a Woman Prince and the Laity the incompetent Iudges in matters meerely spirituall But there is an other Statute so to terme it enacted by a Potentate infinitly supreme I meane by God himself who thus commandeth vs by his Apostle Obedire (9) Act. 5. oportet Deo magis quam hominibus a Statute indeed which ought far to preponderate all human Statutes or decrees And admit you should endure death for such your spirituall Labours of which there is small feare or rather small hope in regard of his Maiestyes most clement and mercifull disposition were it not a happines for you to redeeme your Sinnes by so glorious a death Furthermore how can that be accounted death which is suffered for him who is Lyfe Since by so doing by ceasing to breath you instantly begin to breath the Ioyes of Heauen and thus by sheeding of bloud you make your owne Bloud to become a Key for the opening of the Gates of Heauen Sanguis (10) Cyprian Martyrum Clauis Paradisi Therefore deare Brethren take courage and by your studyes and paynes labour to furnish your selfe with all Scholerlike preparation for the ouerthrowing of Heresyes in the soule of men and in place thereof for the planting of true fayth and remember that it is said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A false fayth is euen worse then Infidelity Let those words of the Apostle often come into your myndes and heate your owne â—epedity therewith Praedica (11) 2. Timoth. 4. verbum â—usta oportunè importunè argue obsecra inâ—repa c. I speake not this as if you should proâ—eed either by Pen or Dispute in any tuâ—ultuous or vndutifull manner O noe Let things in their owne nature Religious â—e caried withall religious manner beare â—ll reuerence to the State and Loyalty to â—is Maiesty praying dayly to the Allmighty â—o preserue our King Charles who is full of â—ommiseration pitty and fraught with â—ll good morall endowments and his most â—ertuous Queene an honour to her Sex that â—hey both may Enioy two Ierusalems I meane true temporall felicity heere vpon Earth and eternall in Heauen and do you often call to mynd those words of S. Paule We 12 â—3 Ro. 1â— are to be subâ—ect to higher powers seeing there is no power but of God But to returne back Take to your Consideration the great vse you shall haue of your skill and knowledg in English Controuersies For first there are maâ—y morall ProtestaÌ„ts both Gentilmen of worth others who scorne all base cariage towards you with whom by the interueniency of friends you may haue as daily experience sheweth oportunity to discourse touching matters of Religion Many of which as before little hearing and lesse belieuing what the Catholiks can speake in defence of their Religion against theirs will afford a greedy and listening Eare to your speach How large a fyeld then haue you here wherein to plant and disseminate your owne fayth Diuers Ministers do spit their Venome out of their pulpits in their weekely Sermons and Inuectiues against the Church oâ— Rome as also many Bookes written by Protestants do yearely come out impoysoning their Readers with their imposture and fraud against the Catholike Religionâ— And is it not then a thing worthy of all labour to be able to detect and lay open thâ— said calumnies with your pens Further more Admit any of you should be apprehended and sent to prison what gooâ— if your knowledg in Controuersies be suâ—ficient may you do in that place to those of a different Religion who either out of curiosity will repayre to you to see what can be said by you in defence of your Religion or out of a Puritanicall vaunting Malice of Ministers shall seeke by dispute hoping you are little experienced in those studyes to disgrace and dishonour your Religion In proofe of which point I can affirme out of my owne knowledge that a certaine (*) M. W. B. Priest a Vertuous man and much practized in Controuersies once taken and sent to the Common prison was in the beginning much assaulted by diuers Ministers openly in the presence of the Iudges of the Affises as also after in the Priests priuate Chamber but he so bare himselfe in his answeres and disputes with them did so gaule them like a strong beare casting of at his pleasure the weake and cowardly dogs which seeke to take hold of him as that the Iudges rested much abashed thereat commanding that no further open Disputation should after be had with him He also was assaulted by some Puritans in prison but he gaue them such entertaynment as that they grew quickly weary of him so as staying a good whyle after in durance he could not haue a sight of any of them This Accident gaue in that Shyre where it happened great credit to the Catholike Cause and wrought much spirituall Good Now thinke you not that this Priests labour was most happily and fruitfully spent in the study of Controuersyes And why may not then any of you vpon returne into your owne Country and imprisonment haue the like oportunity presented vnto you At what tyme if your talent in dispute be great and preuailing you get ground vpon Heresy if but small and elementary you become a disgrace