"Heaven and earth shall pass, but one jot, or one tittle of the law shall in no wise pass, till all be fulfilled;" as well the law of faith, as the law of works.

In confirmation of this, I appeal to the faith,

true charity and love of him; for who can have faith to believe an infinite goodness in which he hopes, but he must love that infinite goodness in whom he hopes, which bestows on him such gifts? Therefore all ought to honour God, and shew their love to him by a due pro-and works, and sufferings of all the saints from fession, and a due practice of this faith, this hope and this charity, otherwise they cannot be saved, because, as St. Paul saith, "With the heart it is believed to righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made to salvation," Rom. x. 10.

For those that will not shew their faith, which is a light not to be hid under a bushel, but to be set in a candlestick, to give light to all, such can never have neither true hope for themselves, nor true charity towards God, or their neighbour, nor God to them, because our Saviour saith, Luke xii. "He that confesseth me before men, him will the Son of Man confess before the angels of God; but he that denieth me before men" (as those do that act or swear against their conscience)" him will the Son of Man deny before the angels of God."

And as all are bound to confess him, and his faith; so likewise all are obliged to own and profess that this faith can be but one only faith, as we are taught, Ephes. iv. where St. Paul declares," There is one Lord, oue faith, one baptism, one God, even as you are called," saith he," in one hope of your calling." This being most true, let every rational Christian, in his most retired thoughts, consider how this unity of faith, and this hope of our calling can stand with such multiplicity of sects and opinions, also divers one against the other, with which the nation now so abounds: For according to the text, a man may as well say, there are diversities of Gods, or diversities of Christs, as that there are diversities of faiths, because faith is nothing but the truth of one God, which truth or faith he hath revealed, which none can alter.

the beginning, who to keep their faith whole and entire, have made such profession and practice of it, and confirmed it by such works as are recorded in St. Paul, Heb. xi. where first he registers the faith and deeds of the believers in particular, and then in general, of what they did and suffered by virtue of their faith, as there you read; "By faith they stopped the mouths of lions; extinguished the force of the fire, repelled the edge of the sword; they were racked, they were tried by mockings and stripes; they were in chains and prisons, they were stoned, they were hewed, they were tempted, they died in the slaughter of the sword, they were so persecuted and impoverished, that they were fain to go about in sheep-skins, and goat skins, needy, in distress, afflicted, wandering in desarts, in mountains, in dens, and caves of the earth."

Dear catholics now in your present persecution, think of this, and be willing to follow these examples, that you, as in the same place it followeth, being appointed, as they were by the testimony of your faith, may receive, ere long, those better things which God, as it is there writ, provides for you: Happy those that have this faith, but thrice more happy those that suffer these persecutions for faith's sake, because by this faith, as St. Paul saith, Gal. iij. 11. "The just man lives, and those that have not this faith, are dead to God,” because, as it is written, Heb. xi. 6. "Without faith it is im possible to please God;" and yet though we have this faith, except we join, when God requires, our works of sufferings to this faith, both we and our faith are dead to God, because, as St. James saith, chap. ii. ver. 17. "Faith is to be shewed by works, because faith without works is dead." And he further shews us in his first chap. v. 25. "It is the works make a man happy, although there can be no good work without a firin faith in nothing doubting," as he saith, ver. 6.

We are all therefore bound to believe alike, in one faith, and in one Holy Catholic Church, as our Creed teacheth us; we are all obliged to believe in one catholic faith, as the Creed of St. Athanasius in the Protestant Common Prayer Book declares, saying, "Whosoever will be saved, it is necessary before all things, Christian faith is a firm, established, and an that he believe in the catholic faith, which faith infallible faith, because it is grounded upon a unless every one keep whole and undefiled, he rock, against which the gates of hell shall not shall without doubt perish everlastingly:" All prevail, Matth. xvi. v. 18. This faith is as firmly and every one are to keep this faith whole, be- established by such authority of God and his cause as it is writ, St. Jam. ii. v. 10. "Whoso-church, that he that will not own the authority, ever keeps the whole law, and yet offends in one point is guilty of all."

All are to keep the whole faith, because our Saviour saith, Matt. xvi. 15. "Go ye into the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature:" All are to believe alike the whole faith of the Gospel, else they shall perish everlastingly; because our Saviour saith in the same place, v. 16. "He that believes shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." We all must keep the unity of the faith whole and undefiled, because our Saviour also saith, St, Matt, vi. 16.

is as a heathen and a publican; God hath declared him so; and what the church binds on earth, God binds in Heaven, This church aud faith is firmly established, because our Saviour hath promised, that the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth should, teach the believers all truth, remain with them for ever, shew them things to come to be believed, and should cause the be lievers to remember all things which Christ had already taught, which you read in John, xiv. and xvi. chap.

This faith is firmly established, because it was

is a vice to this virtue, a

What better remedy than to secure ourselves against all worldly fears, and these ensuing dangers, but by relying on the hope of future blessings, which God, if we fight and suffer for his sake, hath promised. God is the God of Hosts, and we fight uuder him, and if we trust in him we are happy, as David saith, Psal.

believed and published from the beginning, throughout the whole world, as St. Paul pro worldly fear that brings all things to confusion claims, Romans the first, where he speaks thus it makes worldlings swear, and forswear, and to all that be in Rome; "Beloved of God, called perjure; for which perjuries and false oaths, to be saints; first I thank my God through Jesus as the prophet saith, " Judgment springs up as Christ for you all, that your faith is published hemlock in the furrows of the fields." And throughout the whole world." Finally, this faith therefore Dr. Thorndick in his book of Just is established and infallibly confirmed, that it Weights and Measures, saith, "That cocan never decay till the world's end, be-action of oaths is the crying sin of this nation, cause our Saviour hath promised to be with to call down the wrath of God upon the kingthe believers unto the world's end; Matth. dom." xxviii. 19, 20. "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and behold I am with you always even to the end of the world." Thus much briefly concerning my Christian faith in which truly believe in all points in-lxxxiv. 5. "O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the fallible, and in confirmation of which one only man that trusts in thee, in whom to hope is to faith and Catholic Church, I will and do lay be secured;" and therefore David also saith, down my life; and whosoever will as he ought Psal. xci. "He shall cover thee with his feaconsider the text that proves this faith and thers, and under his wing shalt thou hope, eschurch of the living God, to be the pillar and pecially if we fight for our faith ;" and thereground of truth, as it is evident it is, 1 Tim. iii.fore he adds in the same verse," His truth shall 15, I question not but who I say considers this, be thy shield and buckler," if we will hope in will believe the same, our faith being assisted him and his reward; for if we hope for our by our second divine virtue, which is our Chris-great wages, we shall easily undergo our little tian hope. work: As for example, if we hope to drink of This hope is that virtue which assures us, the torrent of pleasure, as God hath promised that for the reward of our faith, and the pro-we shall in his kingdom, who will fear to taste fession and due practice of it, as we ought,now of the chalice of some small persecution? there are those heavenly gifts laid up for the If we hope hereafter to be numbered amongst Christian believers, which neither eye hath seen, the sons of God, as he hath promised we shall, nor ear hath beard, nor the heart of man can and have our lot among the saints: why should conceive or comprehend, as St. Paul declares; we now fear to be reviled of men, or be reputed this hope gives such confidence, that death can- ignominious, as our Saviour and his Apostles not overcome it, because, as the prophet saith, were? If they have, so will they do you also ; "Although he hall kill me, yet I will hope in the scholar is not above the master, nor the him." Why then shall any fear to die for his servant above his lord. If they called the faith, having this hope? It is for want of master of the family Beelzebub, so will they do making due réflection and use of this hope that his servants; therefore we must with the Aposcauses so many to be fearful to suffer, and tles rejoice, as you read in the Acts they did, makes them fly the field of persecution, and" because they were accounted worthy to suffer forsake the banners of their Christian faith, that all ought to fight under, and would still fight under, would they make use of the divine hope of God's promises, which are such, that as David salth, Psal. cxxv. That he that hopes or trusts in our Lord, shall be as mount Sion, which cannot be removed, but remain for ever." As the mountains, saith God by the mouth of David, are about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people; that is, such as will place their hope in him, as the prophet did, and exhorts us to do the same, saying, Psal. cxxx. 5, 6. "My soul hath hoped in our Lord; from the morning watch, even until night, let Israel hope in our Lord;" that is, from the beginning of the day of our life, till the night of death; as well in the morning of prosperity, as in the evening of adversity: because it is also writ, God is my hope for ever; and whosoever can truly say with David, Psal. xxxi. 1. "In thee, O Lord, have placed my hope." shall be assured of what there follows, not to be confounded for ever, because, as St. Paul saith, "Hope confoundeth not.”

VOL. VII.

I

contumely and reproaches." If contumely and reproach seem so hard for us to undergo now for a good cause, as is our conscience before a few enemies, what contumely must those undergo who for now acting against their conscience, shall undergo at the great judgment before God, angels, saints, devils, and all the damned in hell? If for our reproach now we hope that after a short sorrow, God will honour us so, as to wipe away with his own hand every tear from our eyes, as he promiseth in the Revelations he will; and that henceforth" there shall be neither grief, nor labour, nor pain," or the like; why should any now grieve either to see himself or others suffer? It will not last, this tempest will soon be over, and if now in this storm the small vessel of my body suffer shipwreck, or some others, the like vessels, if our souls can but carry off our goods of Faith, Hope, and Charity, all is very well; for as soon as the vessels of our bodies sink, our souls will come to shore at the Land of Promise, and we shall be secured in the rock which is Christ, and ever 3 C

remain safe in the eternal hills, where neither | is there in those who will make their neighbour winds nor waves of persecution can ever reach to assault us: then welcome shipwreck, that sinks the vessel of the body, to bring the passengers and their goods so happily to the haven, the Heaven of bliss.

Let us therefore weigh these things in a prudential balance, and see which scale is the heaviest, of present fears, or future hopes; of present sufferings, or future glories. Let us remember our Saviour's words to his Apostles,' You are those that remained with me in my tempta'tions or trials;' for which, said he, their reward was, he disposed the kingdom of heaven to them; partners in suffering, partners in glories: which if well considered, we shall say with St. Paul, The sufferings of this present time are not condign, or of equality to the future glory which shall be revealed in us;' and we shall with his joyful spirit say, 2 Cor. iv. 17. Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh in us a far more excceding and eternal weight of glory.' It is a happy weight that lifts both sufferings and sufferers up as high as Heaven, to eternal crowns of which we are all assured of as a reward for our faith, if we will make good use of our christian hope; which that we may the better do, let us endeavour to help ourselves by the third and greatest virtue that follows our faith and hope, which is charity.

suffer all things of persecution, because they believe and hope according to their conscience, and profess their faith and hope as they are hound before God upon their salvation so to

do?

It is certain, that though men may pretend persecution of others for God's sake, to reduce others to him, yet it is evident that for any kingdom to persecute any, merely for conscience-sake, is against the law of God; and therefore whilst they would seem so zealously to keep the first command, of loving God above all, and force others to conform to their opi nions, they break the second command, because they do not love their neighbour as themselves, because they persecute them, and so they dash one commandment against the other, and so crack both commandinents together: For wheresoever the second command is broke, by not loving our neighbour as ourselves, the first is broke with it, because did they love God above all, they would do better by their neighbour.

But I do not come here to beat down others pretence to charity, but endeavour to advance charity in myself and others; and the way to do this, is not to reckon what others have not done according to charity, but to call to mind what others have done to raise charity towards God and their neighbours.

own name should rather be blotted out of the book of life, than that the people's name should not be put in, by obtaining forgiveness; and therefore he saith to God, Either spare the people, or blot me out of the book which thou hast writ.'

This is that greatest virtue of which all sorts We read in holy writ, that Moses love was so of Christians speak much, understand little, and to God and his neighbour, that to repurchase practise less; though without the practice of a peace and charity betwixt God and the peoit, it is in vain for any to pretend to have a sav-ple after they had offended, he desired that his ing faith, or hope; For as St. Paul saith, 1 Cor. xii. Though he speak with the tongues of men and angels, and bave not charity, he is but as sounding brass;' and although he should know all mysteries, and have faith to remove mountains; and though he should have such hope, understand for reward, that he should give all to the poor, and deliver his body to burn, and yet not have charity, it profiteth nothing. Charity, as he saith, ver. 7, suf'fereth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, beareth all things.'

How superlative a motive is this, to move Christians to a perfect charity towards their neighbours; well may a Christian be willing to lay down his temporal life for good example sake, rather than offend God, and scandalize others by deserting his faith; since others could be willing to hazard their eternal lives, to reduce their neighbours to God by charity.

Do all that pretend to charity do thus? If to speak with the tongues of angels without charity be nothing but vanity, what charity is there The like examples of love to God and his in those that speak with the tongues of de- neighbours, we have in St. Paul, in his manifold traction, scandal, slander, false-witness and expressions both towards God and men; first perjuries against their neighbours? If those to God, as Rom. viii. where he makes this prothat give all to the poor may want charity, clamation, Who shall' saith he, 'separate us so that all which they give profits them nothing, from the charity of Christ? Shall tribulation, what charity is there in those that take all from or distress, or persecution, or famine, or their neighbours, to force them to forsake their nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, faith? If alms profit nothing without charity, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we can such injuries profit prosecutors, that take are accounted as sheep to the slaughter.' He all away against charity? If a man may give adds, I am certain that neither death nor life, his own body to burn, and yet be cold in cha-nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor rity, what charity is there to kill others bodies, take away their lives with ignominy and violence, because they will not kill their own souls, by acting against God and their conscience? If charity consist only in those that suffer all things, believe all things, hope all things, what charity

things present nor things to come, nor heigth, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.'

And for this charity in order to his neigh bour, let what he suffered to serve them testify,

And as for my Christian hope I profess to have, the confirmation of it, or the practical part is to be fulfilled thus, being that we must, as St. Peter saith, 1 Pet. iii. 15. Be always ready to give an account to every one concerning the hope which is in us.' I have already by words expressed it, and by deed I express it thus; That whereas I do believe that God, as the scripture saith, kills, and brings to life again; carrieth down to the depth, and bringeth back again; so now I do by this my present execution, which I am now to undergo, willingly give my body to be mortified in death for my faith, hoping in God's infinite mercy he will restore my body and soul to eternal life; and I do willingly resign myself to be carried down to my grave, hoping by my Saviour's cross and passion, death and burial, he will raise me up again to a glorious resurrection.

as he relates, 2 Cor. xi. by being in labours | iii. 8. To esteem all worldly things as dirt, in and stripes, in prison, in death, in scourgings, respect of this eminent knowledge of Christ in shipwrecks, being day and night in the bot- and his faith;' and therefore for my own part, tom of the sea, in perils, in weariness, in pain- I now being ready to leave all in the world, and fulness, in hunger, in thirst, in fasting, in cold, my life in testimony of my Catholic faith, and weariness, besides what he suffered through which I profess I desire and hope to manifest his care of all churches, ver. 28, 29, where he to all, I value my knowledge of Christ's faith, saith, Who is weak, and I ain not weak?' more than I value the universal world. understand by compassion, as fellow-sufferer; • Who is scandalized, and I burn not?' understand by zeal. Let those now consider this who never more rejoice than now, when they see their passive neighbours scandalized, and were never better content in their own apprehensions than now, when they behold us suffering though before God we are innocent. Were St. Paul on earth again, he would rather give himself for others, to ease them of their sufferings, according to his wonted charity exprest, 2 Cor. xii. 15. saying, 'I will very gladly spend and be spent for you: and he would rejoice to suffer in charity for his neighbour, as he abundantly declares, Colos. ii. 4. saying, I rejoice in my sufferings for you,' and fill up that which is wanting of the passions or afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church, and this example is given for us to do the like, and therefore he saith, I Cor. iv. 9. We are made a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men; and therefore God forbid but some of us, if we be Christian men, should endeavour to imitate some of his examples, though we cannot all; For he ascended to so superlative a degree of charity towards his neighbour, that he declares to the world, that he could be a cast-away himself to save others; for thus he saith, Rom. ix. 3. I could wish myself were accursed from Christ ' for my brethren.'

And as for the confirmation of my charity, to shew by deeds, the love I awe to God and my neighbour, it hath pleased my Saviour by his own words to declare which is the best proof or practice of charity, where he saith, No man hath a greater charity, than he that lays 'down his life for his friend.' I therefore do willingly undergo this death I am to suffer now, to testify I love my friend, my neighbour as myself; whilst I undergo this death for myself and them, that seeing it is for the profession of my faith I die, they, whilst they live, may the more happily serve God in the same belief; and I testify, I love God above all, because I forsake the world and myself in death, rather than offend him by doing any thing against my conscience.

Christians do not then henceforth so easily ruin your neighours, neither in their lives, nor estates, or credits, by persecutions and scandals, the scripture holds forth no such doctrine, nor gives any such examples, but, as you see, the contrary; but if our persecutors will not And forasmuch as for these many years I imitate these examples, let us that are perse- have had occasion by discoursing and reading cuted and suffer endeavour to imitate them, by the holy scriptures with others who desired to choosing rather to lose all we can call our own find out the true faith, I have by words declarin this world, and life also, rather than to breaked what faith I did believe, and what faith they charity to God and our neighbour, either by deuying or dissembling our faith, and scandalizing the church, or bearing false witness against ourselves, or our neighbours, to save our lives or fortunes, or enrich ourselves by false witness.

And if we will put in practice the virtues of faith, hope and charity I have spoke of, we ought to do it thus; what we profess by words, we must confirm by deeds and actions. Our profession of Catholic faith is this, I believe all divine revelations delivered to the prophets and apostles, proposed by the Catholic church in her general councils, or by her universal practice to be believed as an article of Catholic faith, knowing this to be our faith, the confirmation of this knowledge, or the practice of this by our deeds, is, as St. Paul teacheth, Ephes.

ought to believe; I now declare that for every
point of faith that ever I believed myself, or
read to others, or told them that they might
believe as a point of faith; for all and every
such points of faith, in confirmation of them, as
well to myself as others, I bere lay down my
life; and omitting all other particular points,
I believe obedience to our king to be a divine
law, and that we are bound to obey his commands
in temporal laws; and I believe it too a sin of
damnation, for any subject of his to rebel
against him, or his kingdom; and I believe it
as certain a sin to damnation, for any subject
to endeavour, either by thoughts, words, or
deeds, to take away his life, or act any thing of
that nature, either by himself, or any others
or other against his sacred majesty, as I be
it was a sin in Judas to damnation to