vpon you cleane water and you shall be clensed from all your contaminations Ezech c. 36. The Baptisme of S. Iohn had not this effect but was a Sacrament that is to say a holy mystery betwixt the law of Moyses and Christ not remitting of sinnes but ordained of God as an honorable preparation for christian Baptisme and for this reason Christ himselfe would be baptized by it not to be purifyed saith S. Augustine by the waters but to purify them by touching his most pure flesh And as it were to prepare them for that more honorable Baptisme which he was to commande The Apostles haue declared the effect of our Baptisme by some typical figures of the old Testament S. Peter applyeth the miraculous Saluation of mankind by water Pet. 1.3 in the dayes of Noë as a figure of our saluation by the water of Baptisme S. Paul deliuereth the passage of the Israëlits through the sea to the land of promise as a figure of our passing the waters of Baptisme to our desired rest in glory Thus would God honour our Baptisme with these honorable figures and inspire the Apostles to take notice of them We ought therfor with great reuerence humility and deuotion to be present at the administring of this great and powerfull mystery OF THE CAEREMONYS OF Baptisme THE dignity of the Sacraments of Christ requireth that they be deliuered with deuout and reuerent caeremonys such as may both expresse the nature of them and moue vs to deuotion in those holy mysterys Haeretiks when we speake of caeremonys presently beginne to laugh and as those that are possessed with euill spirits deride holy things soe doe they the caeremonys of the Catholike Church But this is the spirit of haeretical pride which is in them proceeding from their owne willfull ignorance because they will not consider and vnderstande truely the nature of caeremonys The original cause and grounde of caeremonys which is to be a corporal worship of God according to our nature and an humble acknowledgment of our weake and corporal nature who are indeede spiritual creatures in our soules but tyed vnto and clogged with a body which is earthly and therfor we must honour God both with our soules and bodys with our inward affections as the operations of the soule and with corporal caeremonys as the duety of our bodys euery creature being to honour him after that manner which is natural to it Angels honour God onely by affections which are spiritual because they are onely spirits but man that consisteth both of soule and of body must worship him both with spiritual affections of the soule and with corporal reuerence It is true God respects most the inward of our harts and without that nothing is acceptable to him but he will accept of corporal works together with our harts he will haue vs to pray in spirit inwardly yet he refuseth not our vocal prayers which are corporal expressions of our inward reuerence to him Nay he is soe farre from refusing them that Christ would both practise them himselfe and commende them to his Disciples giuing them a forme of vocal prayer And as God who respects most the inward of our harts would neuerthelesse allow of and commende vocal prayer that we might vse it as an expression natural to vs to humble our selues in the consideration of our weake nature soe will he haue vs to expresse our inward submission of hart by corporal caeremonys and humble ourselues by them vnto him This is the original cause of vocal prayer and of caeremonys as kneeling holding vp our hands and the like at our prayers and for this cause God would haue caeremonys to be vsed in his seruice both in the law of nature and of Moyses and Christ would initiate the law of grace with many caeremonys which himselfe vsed Read the fifteenth of Genesis Gen. 15. and you shall finde that God commanded to take for sacrifices such and such creatures of such an age to be diuided after such a manner and to be laid in such a posture all which an haeretike may laugh at if he will Afterwards in the law of Moyses he that should reade with the spirit of an haeretike all those very many and strange caeremonys which were then vsed Exod. 29. and should see in the ordaining of Aaron the blood of a ramme put vpon the tippe of his right eare right thumbe and right great toe would perhaps laugh them to scorne although they were ordained of God as this whole law was which was soe full of caeremonys that it may well be diuided into the Caeremonial law He that in the spirit of an haeretike should reade the seauenth of S. Marke Mark 7. and should see Christ take the deafe and dumbe man out of the multitude might aske to what purpose did he soe could he not as well haue cured him amongst the people he putt his singars into his eares to what purpose would this haeretike say could he not haue cured him as well without that caeremony he spitted touched his tongue looked vp to heauen groaned said Epheta To what purpose might he say was all this could not he haue done the miracle as well without it Yes Luc. 18. Christ could haue cured him without these caeremonys with a word onely as he did the blind man with onely Respice or without any word at all but onely the word of his will as he did the Centurions boy neither speaking nor touching nor soe much as seeing him but with his eyes of pitty being then in body absent from him But although then he would vse noe caeremonys yet at other times as you haue seene he did and for the most part he cured by imposition of hand and that to very good purpose and if the haeretike will know to what purpose it was it was to teach him and all men to worship God according to their nature and to humble themselues in the consideration of their corporal nature Holy Dauid seeing the arke of our Lord coming forth of Obededoms house moued with the zeale of diuine worship deuested himselfe of his princely maiesty and being a king he thought it noe disparishment to gird himselfe with a linnen Ephod and to leape and dance before the arke of our Lord Michol his foolish wife looking through a window and seeing it despised him in her hart for that caeremony of deuotion and when the king came to his house she mette him and vpbraided him with it as a scornefull caeremony But what was his answere to her Reg. 2.6 Before our Lord will I play and will become more vile then J haue bene and I will be humble in mine eyes This is the effect of the caeremonys of the Church to humble vs to God whilst we reuerence him both in body and soule Dauid was an humble man and the type of a good Catholike Michol was a prowde woman and may signify haeretiks for as she derided Dauids deuotion
to haue committed in this a hainous contempt against him yes certainely because the dishonour which was done would haue bene conceiued as done to his person the sword being honored onely in relation to him soe the iniurys which are done and honour which is giuen to the Cros redounde vnto Christ for whose onely sake we honour it S. Ignatius who liued in the Apostles times The power of the signe of the Cros. Ig. Ep. ad Phil. and died à martyr doth testify the esteeme and worship of the Cros in those dayes calling it hâ—erophy of christians against the deuils power wh sayth he abhorreth the very sight of it Tert l. de â—or mil. c. 3. Tertullian liued not long after those times and he sheweth thâ—t the same deuotion continued still in the Church by these words wheâ— wâ— first set forward Cyrill Cateâ—â— si 13. and S. Hierome Ep. 2â— haâ—e the like words whâ—â— we goe forth or come in whâ—â— we put on our cloths or shoes wh n we wâ—â—h our hands or lâ—â—h acondle in all exercises wâ— weare one foreheades with th signe of the Cros. Soe much was the signe of the Cros vpon all occasions then frequented by christians that this authour would make soe remarkeable an expression of it as though they had euen worne it into their foreheades by often making it Not long after Tertullian came Constantine the Emperour who in his deuotion to the Cros may well be called Great for where as other Emperors commonly aspire to greatnes by enlarging their dominions and by raising of great monuments to continue their memory in the world it seemeth that he had noe greater ambition then to raise and aduance the glory of the Cros. He vndertooke for this purpose a hard taske in those times and that was by his imperiall autority to honour the Cros soe much as to make those ensigues of the Romane Eagles with which they had conquered the world to be come inferiour to the Cros and to raise it more glorious then they in his cheife banner This he wndertooke and notwithstanding all the opposition which he might expect from the senate and people of Rome who were then Pagans with gods assistance he encompassed it Of this banner much mention is made in Authors Eusebius who had seene it hath giuen this description of it Euseb l. 1. de vita Constâ—n A high speare was â—â—acted set about wâ—th gold which had a corner made a thwart after the manner of a Cros. On the toppe of it a crowne was placed wrought with gold and pretious stone Vnder it there was a symbole of the soueraigne name The name of Christ was represented in the first letters of two verses the lettâ—r P standing vacant in the mi st which the Emperour in later times vsed to weare in his helmet Vpon the thwart corner which was fied on the speare a veile hung downe of royall purple which with variety of pretious stones matching one anotheri with the splendour of there shining and with the abundance of gold that couered them gaue an vnspeakeable lustre to the beholder Thus did this good Emperour honour the Cros. And the same authour saith that this banner was soe good a safeguard to Constantins army and to him that carried it Euseb hiâ— l. 9. c. 9. that which way soeuer it was carried in that place they allwais gotte victory and that the bearer of it was neuer hurt as long as he kept with it but that one time for feare forsaking it he was slaine And he saith also that after that Constantine had gotten that memorable victory ouer Maxentius L 1. dâ— vita Constan in which the Cros miraculously appeared in the ayre to him he set vp a Cros with these words This is a souueraigne signe And that in the hand of his owne image he caused a Cros to be put with these words La. de vita Constan. with this signe of true fortitude I haue freed your city And that he vsed often to signe his face with the signe of the Cros. And that in his picture ouer the gates of his imperiall pallace the signe of the Cros was painted ouer his head and a vanquiâ—hed dragon vnder his feete All this deuotion did this great Emperour vse to the signe of the Cros and neuer was condemned for it by any but such as were themselues condemned for haeretiks Afterwards the Emperour Theodosius of reuerence to the Cros prohibited it to be made on the ground Were it not an imposture worthy of an haeretike to leaue out on the ground and to say onely that Theodosius prohibited it to be made as though he had intended to take it away yet D Kellison hath obserued out of Alanus Copus that some haeretiks haue done soe Kâ—lliâ—in tertiom part Orat. 1. 〈◊〉 Iul. S. Gregory Nazianzen who flourished a litle after those times relateth how that the wicked Emperour Iulian hauing once apostatized from the faith of Christ and become an idolatrous Infidel amongst the many vices to which he prostituted his soule he gaue himselfe to the study of necromancy and being affrighted at the first sight which he had of the deuils he made on a suddaine the signe of the Cros as he had done when he was a christian and that the euill spirits fled then presently away from him And that to satisfy him his master magitian told him that the spirits did not feare but hated the Cros and that if he would be their Disciple he must leaue it of And in the same place he relateth how that Iulian being on a certaine time with his Southsayers looking into the entrailes of beasts they found a Cros in them and inquiring the presage of it they told him that by this it was portended that Iulian with all his power should neuer be able to roote out the faith of Christ but that it should last for euer S. Hiero. ad Eust Hierome was somethinge later then S. Gregory Nazianzen he writing to the Lady Eustochium his deuout penitent exhorteth her to frequent the signe of the Cros. Aug to 5. l. 22. c. 8. deciu. Dei S. Augustine came a litle after him and relateth this miracle wrought by it There was saith he in Carthage a woman by name Innocentia vexed with a Canker in her breast who hauing vsed all the remedys which the physitians could praescribe and at last meeting with one who told her planely that there was noe remedy for it but that she must haue patience with it and lett it alone for that according to Hypocrates such cankers are worse for being tampered with She being then out of hopes by any naturall meanes betooke herselfe to the authour of nature who can cure without them And it pleased God to send her a vision in which she was admonished to goe to the Church when baptisme was administred and to procure the first that she mette with of the newly baptized christians to make the
against the deuils power Sixtly the corporal life of man as he is ordained to the society of other men requireth a superiour authority to be in some for the gouerning of others and soe an orderly gouernment is necessary for vs in the Church of God and for this we haue the Sacrament of orders in which power is giuen to some in spiritual things Seauenthly for the continuance and conseruation of humane nature a continuall succession and propagation of mankind is necessary in the world and for this the spiritual life of man requireth that it be done by a Sacrament for the orderly propagation of men and the increase of soules to the worship of God This is by the Sacrament of Matrimony which as it is a duety of nature is onely for corporal generation but as it is a Sacrament it giueth grace for the increase of soules in the diuine worship The number of the Sacraments shall appeare furthermore out of the scriptures in that which I haue to say of euery Sacrament in particular The same is declared by diuerse Councels And although the fathers haue had noe occasion in their writings to name them alltogether yet they haue made mention of them all as occasion serued Neither is it necessary that we should assigne the time when euery Sacrament in particular was instituted of Christ We know the times of the institution of some of them and we know that for forcy dayes betwixt his resurrection and his Ascension he frequently appeared vnto his Apostles and taught them many things which they were to obserue in the Church which are not mentioned in the scriptures and we know that the Sacraments of the Church must be of Christs teaching and ordaining We haue for the number of the Sacraments the same authority that we haue for any of the scriptures to wit the authority of the Church which although it declare not the time when the scriptures were written yet it assureth vs of all their verity and soe it doth of the number of the Sacraments ad Casulan S. Augustine giueth vs this rule that for those thinges which are generally receiued by the Church if their beginnings be not knowne they are to be taken for Apostolical traditions but such is the number of seauen Sacraments therefor they are of Apostolical tradition Thus much of the Sacraments in general let vs now come to their particular declarations OF BAPTISME OF THE NECESSITY OF baptisme BAptisme is commonly called the doore of the Sacraments because it is the entrance to the rest necessary to be had before them For vntill we be christened we are not christians and vntill we be made christians we can not receiue the Sacraments of the people of Christ Baptisme is our first spiritual generation and before generation we haue noe operation because we are not soe before baptisme we haue noe spiritual being in grace and therefor it is to be supposed before the rest of the Sacraments be receiued the words of S. Iohn being then verifyed he gaue them power to be made the sonnes of God Io. 1. For as we are borne the children of Adam and of wrath in our corporal births soe in baptisme we are borne the sonnes of God by grace through the merits of Iesus Christ As necessary then as generation is to the corporal being of all men soe necessary is baptisme to the being of all soules in the diuine grace and fauour and as necessary as birth is to the perfection of man in this world soe necessary is baptisme to come to the perfect state of glory Vnles a man be borne againe of water and the spirit he can not enter into the kingdome of God Iâ— 3. By which words it appeareth that Baptisme is a Sacrament that is to say an outward rite or signe that causeth grace in vs. Baptisme a Sacrament We haue a rite and outward signe in the water and we haue the effect of grace in that the kingdome of heauen is obtained by it Heretiks that would confounde all things in the Church of God haue gone about to take away our christendome from vs affirming quite contrary to the words of Christ that a man not borne of water may enter into the kindome of heauen pretending that children are sanctifyed by their parents faith and therefor will not baptize them But this as I haue said is directly contrary to the words alleadged and in it selfe most absurde in that it maketh the kingdome of heauen to come to children not by grace but by inheritance from faithfull parents and supernaturall glory to be obtained by natural and corporal meanes Children are not absolutly holy in that they come of holy parents good parents are indeede a meanes to thee sanctification of their children by procuring for them that which God hath ordained for their sanctification but the goodnes of the parent can not merit grace for the child nor sanctify him This must be done by applying the merits of Christs passion to children in some Sacrament And soe the children of the Iewes in the law of Moyses were saued by the faith of their parents in this sense that they hauing the true faith applyed vnto their children those meanes of sanctification which God then ordained for them but neither in the law of Moyses nor of nature were children euer sanctifyed by onely being borne of good parents but somethinge was allwais done to them as Circumcision or some other outward signe for their sanctification which although it were farre inferiour to our baptisme yet it was necessarily required there being noe proportion betwixt kinred in blood and the diuine grace and glory S. Augustin Doe not beleeue Aug. l. 3. de anima eâ—â—s origineâ— 9. doe not say that children before baptisme can haue their original sinne forgiuen them if thou wilt be a Catholike OF THE EFFECT OF BAPTISME THE propper and particular effect of Baptisme is to make him that receiueth it to become a member of the body of Christ as being admitted into his Church by it and to dispose and prepare him for the rest of the Sacraments after it The general effect of Baptisme which it hath commune with all the Sacraments is to giue grace to the sanctification of soules and this it doth after soe full and plentifull a manner that it remitteth all sinne whatsoeuer original and actual great and litle and forgiueth all punishment due to it in the next world Rom. 6. We are buried saith the Apostle together with him by Baptisme vnto death That is to the death and destruction of sinne and of all punishment after it We haue a figure of this in Naaman the leptose Prince of Syria who washing himselfe in the waters of Iordan Reg. 4 5. as the Prophet had praescribed to him he came forth soe cleane and perfectly cured that the Holy Ghost saith his flesh was restored as the flesh of a litle child Ezechiel prophecyed of this saying I will powre out
our prayers are hidden from them now in heauen and that God will let vs want their intercession for want of reuealing our prayers to them Noe we shall loose nothing by any ignotance of theirs They see God in glory and in that glorious sight they see all that is good for them to see therefor if they might pray and be desired by others to pray for them whilst they liued in this world there is nothing to hinder them for being prayed vnto in the next Hence it appeareth how absurde that question of Caluin was â—olu l. 4. insti nu â—4 when he asked how it came to passe that the Angels and Saints could heare soe farre as betwixt heauen and earth I giue you not his words because they are blasphemous and to irreuerent to be repeated but if Caluin will know how it com's to passe I tell him that it is by the light of glory which the Saints haue and if he say that they haue noe such glory he shall neuer haue it himselfe nor can in reason expect to haue it If they obiect the words of Ecclesiastes to shew that Saints might be prayed vnto in this life and not in the next Bâ—â—l 9. where it is said better is a dogg liuing then a Lyon dead It is true in respect of the operations of life which then the Lyon hath not and soe the Saints according to their bodys were better aliue then dead because their bodys liuing had the operations of life which dead they haue not but according to their soules which are spirits they are not onely as perfect but much perfecter and without comparison more actiue lightsome and vnderstanding being then not onely lightened of the burden of their bodys but also enlightened with the light of glory Saint Hierome answered this very obiection to Vigilantius the haeretike about twelue hundred yeares since in these words Lib. cont â—â—g If Apostles and marryrs liuing in their bodys could pray for others when they might be sollicitous for themselues how much more after their crownes victorys and triumphs Moyses but one man getteth pardon of God for six hundred thousand armed men Steuan the first martyr after the example of our Lord prayed for his persecutors and now when they are with Christ shall they haue lesse power Paul saith of himselfe that two hundred and seauenty soules were granted him in the shipp at his prayers and now that he is resolued and with Christ shall he haue his mouth shutte vp and shall he not open it for those who all ouer the world haue beleeued at his ghospell and shall Vigilantius a liuing dogge be better then Paula dead Lyon This of the Ecclesiastes were indeede to some purpose if J did beleeue that Paul were dead in spirit Thus did S. Hierome discourse as a Catholike on this point shewing that the Saints with much more reason shall be prayed vnto in heauen then on earth and that there is noe comparison in those words of Ecclesiastes betwixt the soule of man whilst he is liuing and whilst he is dead but onely betwixt a liuing and a dead body and he calleth Vigilantius a dogge for barking against the Saints in denying their intercession We pray therefor to God as to the supreme power to grant vs that which we want We pray to our blessed Lady the Angels and Saints not to grant vs our wants but to grant vs their intercession to obtaine them of God for vs. And in this the Catholike Church vseth an orderly destinction euen in words when we pray destinguishing betwixt the diuine maiesty as supreme and the Saints as his seruants We say not to God Lord pray for vs but Kyrie eleyson Lord haue mercy vpon vs. Nor to Christ as he is the sonne of God doe we say Christ pray for vs but Christe eleyson Christ haue mercy vpon vs. We doe not say to our B. Lady or to the Angels or Saints haue mercy vpon vs but holy Mary pray for vs all ye holy Saints of God make intërcession for vs. Soe giuing vnto God that which is his due to wit the supreme and all honour both in himselfe and in his seruants and we giue vnto the Saints inferiour honour as the beloued seruants of God and follow the Councell of the holy psalmist who beginning his last psalme was inspired to say prayse God in his Saints Ps 150. This I haue said in honour of God and of his blessed Saints and euery word that I haue said I giue it freely to their honour desiring their prayers We pray particularly to some Saints for some particular benefits because we see those benefits more frequently granted by hauing recourse vnto those Saints â—nd if any aske why God granteth those benefits rather at the intercession of those then of other Saints I answere with the Apostle who hath knowne the name of our Lord Rom. 11. or who hath bene his Counsellour And this is a sufficient answere to such questions of curiosity for so it might be asked why God would determine particular offices to such and such Angels Yet the reason may be giuen to honour the merits of those Saints in some circumstances of their liues or deaths which those benefits haue relation vnto Soe women that haue sore breasts obtaine helpe by the intercession of S. Agatha whose breasts were cut of for the faith of Christ S. Apollonia is called vpon for the tooth ake because her teeth were strucken out for the same cause S. Roch is inuoked against the pestilence because himselfe was infected with it S. Blase against paines of the throte because he cured a child that was like to dy of a bone in the throte And our blessed Lady with good reason is called vpon by women in trauaile because she is the ioy glory and comfort of all women who in her child bearing was exempted from those paines and it pleaseth God that those miracles he remembred by vs. If any aske why in some places more then others we pray for such and such benefits I answere that there may be many reasons why God would oblige especially the inhabitans of that place and honour it with miracles and if this be not sufficient satisfaction I aske of him why at the Probatica pond in Hierusalem miraculous cures were obtained rather then in others places and why onely one was cured at a time and no more and why the leprous Prince of Syria was sent to be washed in lordan rather then in other waters and to be washed seauen times rather then any other number If he giue mee a good reason for these the same will I giue him to his question if he referre mee to the diuine will and pleasure so will I referre him Hauing declared whom wee are to pray to we will speake OF SOME IMPEDIMENTS that hinder vs in the obtaining of our prayers THE first and greatest impediment that hindereth the obtaining of our prayers is the greatest of all euils
And whence is this that the Mother of my Lord doth come to mee And then the blessed Virgn in the spirit of prophecy reciprocally beganne to sing My soule doth magnify our Lord and my spirit hath reioyced in God my sauiour c. all generations shall call mee blessed Because he that is mighty hath done great things to mee c. How great may we thinke the ioy of Saint Ioseph and Zachary to haue bene and of all that house to see this blessed meeting and heauenly exultation All that was here done and said was in honour of him who was the fruit of our blessed Ladys wombe This fruit was blessed in many respects First for that it was diuine and had all the diuine perfections and yet was the fruit of her wombe Secondly for that Christ is the fountaine and otigen of all our blesse by his merits Thirdly for that according to the same humane nature he was in himselfe more eminently blessed then any Fourthly for that this fruite came of a better stocke then any to wit of the holy Ghost and of the blessed Virgin Fiftly for that this fruit was the onely antidote against the forbidden fruit In all these respects it was most blessed And if you would know what fruit is here vnderstoode it is IESVS Blessed then is the fruite of thy wombe IESVS Which word is here added by the Church to specify the fruite and to honour the blessed name of him who was as properly the fruit of our B. Ladys wombe as other children are the fruit of their Mothers wombes nay more properly and particularly then others for where as all others come of both father and Mother he came of her onely without a father HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD. THESE words and all that follow are added of deuotion by the Church and are thought to haue bene first vsed by occasion of Nestorius his heresy who as he conceited two persons in Iesus Christ the one diuine the other humane soe he would not haue his mother to be called the Mother of God But this title was presently allowed of by the Councell of Ephesus as due to her and Nestorius was condemned as an haeretike But now after a thousand yeares and more Caluin starts vp wiser then the whole world saying that we honour her onely for a corporal respect of propinquity in blood with Christ But Caluin saith not truely Calu. in Io. 7. We honour her indeede for her propinquity in blood with Christ but not onely for that propinquity for we honour her beside for her eminency in grace and for the vertues and gifts with which her blessed soule was endowed and therefor it was not well nor truely said of Caluin that we honour her onely for a corporal respect of consanguinity with Christ But if Caluin thinke that propinquity of blood to be noe honour vnto her and that she is not to be honored at all in that respect and will stande obstinatly to defende that conceipt against the whole Church I tell him that then we must take him for an haeretike and of charity to satisfy him we will shew that the scriptures and that Christ himselfe and the whole auncient Church haue honored her in that corporal respect and not for her vertues onely but also as she was the mother of such a sonne The glory of children their fathers Prou. 17. Saith the holy Prouerbe Why then shall not we honour the B. Virgin as she was the Mother of such a sonne and giue vnto the sonne the glory of a most holy Mother The holy Scripture declareth that Christ honored her and was subiect vnto her Luc. 2. Which could not be for any other reason but for the propinquity of nature which she had with him as she was his mother to giue example to all children to be subiect to their parents And why shall not we honour that which Christ honoured in her S. Elizabeth blessed her in that respect to wit for the fruit of her wombe and thought it a high and vndeserued honour for her to be visited by the mother of our Lord. She well knew her great vertues and eminent sanctity yet she was not inspired to blesse her for them onely but also and that particularly for the fruit of her wombe and in that she was the Mother of our Lord as though in that she had said all supposing her eminent sanctity by consequence of it The woman of the ghospell seeing the spirit of Christ and hearing his wisdome spoke alowde out of the multitude saying Luc. 2. blessed is that wombe that bare thee and the papps that thou didst sucke Of which S. Bede sayth Great was the faith in Luc. c. 49. and deuotion of this woman who euen when the Scribes and Pharisys blasphemed our Lord she with soe much syncerity confessed him that she hath confounded the calumnys of present and perfidiousnesse of future haeretiks She hath indeede confounded all such haeretiks as shall dishonour the B. Virgin or refuse to honour her for her propinquity with Christ And although Christ to exhort vnto holines of life and to shew that it is the inward sanctity of our soules which rendereth vs blessed in the sight of God answered that they are blessed who keepe the word of God and therefor S. Augustine saith that the Virgin Mary was more blessed in that she conceiued Christ in her minde then in that she conceiued him in her wombe and in that she carried him in her hart spiritually then in her flesh corporally because she merited in that and not in this which we all say but neither Christ nor S. Augustine deny but that she is to be honored also for her corporal conceiuing of him and Christ as you haue seene did honour her in that respect She also honored herselfe in it and tooke it as a great blessing of God to be chosen to that high maternity and meant without doubt that all generations should call her blessed in this respect for it is not likely that her intention was to extoll her owne vertues as blessed onely for them but for the great things which the mighty one had done to her to wit for the dignity with which God had honored her in choosing her before all others to be incarnated of her nature and to be borne of her hauing disposed and praepared her with fitt dispositions for that dignity and for this all generations of Catholiks will call her blessed although Caluin will be none of that generation The fathers of the auncient Church gaue her as you haue seene that honorable title of the Mother of God and the whole Church in the Councell of Ephesus decreed to giue it her therefor it is lawfull to honour her with it I say yet more that we may not onely honour her in this corporal respect but we may also with reason thinke that there was noe grace nor degree of sanctity euer giuen to any pure creature but it was most decent
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.