Sermon Preached 14 February 1607, Part 12
The twelfth wound.
FIrst,23The 13. wound; The popish Church baptizeth Belles. Baptisme is profanely applied, not to reasonable creatures onelie, men and women, according to the InstitutioneMat. 28. 19.; but euen to an vnreasonable & dead creature. For example: they vse to baptize bels, in most points so as Christians do children, & in som points with much more ceremony and solemnity.
Bellarmin is ashamed of it, & would willingly hide and couer it, tho he cannot cure it: but if hee were not a Cardinal & a Iesuite, he would be ashamed to cloak it with so loud a lie, as he doth: for (saith he)fBellar. de Rom. Pōt. Tō. 1. lib. 4. cap. 12. it is a false slander of the Heretiks; we do not baptize bels, neither in respect of the name, nor the matter of baptism: look saith he the book of the Pontificale; there is no such matter: only (saith he) we blesse them as we do Chuches, Altars, Crosses, and other things, &c.
Is it true? then let vsus follow Bellarmines aduise, and look into thegVide librum inscriptū Pontificale Romanū, autoritate pontificia impressum Venetiis 1520. lib 2. cap. de Benedictione …igni vel campanae. Pontificale: & omitting the name or word, let vsus stand vponupon the matter of Baptism. Compare therefore their baptisme of a child and a Bell together, and see then whether it may not be truly said they baptize Bells.
1.
The Childe must first bee baptized, before it can be accounted one of the Church.
The Bel must first be blessed, afore it may be hung in the steeple.
2.
The Childe must bee baptized by a Minister, or a Priest.
The Bell must, by a bishop, or his deputie.
3.
For a Childes baptisme must bee vsed holy-water, cream, salt, oyle, spettle, and manie such.
The Bells baptism or blessing must also bee in holy-water, oyl, salt, cream, tapers for light, &c.
4.
They giuegive the Childe a name.
So doe they to the Bell.
5.
The Child must hauehave Godfathers, &c.
So must the Bel; and they be persons of greate note.
6.
The Childe must bee washt in water.
So must the Bel; and that by none but the Bishoppe and Priests.
7.
The Child must be crossed.
So must the Bell.
8.
The Child must be anointed.
So must the Bell.
9.
The Childe must bee baptized, in the name of the Trinity.
So the Bell is washt and anointed in the name of the Trinity.
10.
They praie for the Childe.
So do they for the Bell.
11.
At the Childes baptisme the Scripture is read:
So at the washing of the Bell, more psalmes are reade, then at a Childes baptism; also a Gospell:
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And publick praiers made… and more prayers are made, and (excepting saluation) greater things are prayed for, and more blessings on the bell, then bee for a childe.
For better euidence heerof, and because the book is not easie to come by, take heere a part of the prayers they vse to that purpose. Lorde, graunt that wheresoeuer this holy Bell thus (baptized, or) washed and blessed shall sound, all deceits of Sathan, al phantasies, al dāger of whirlwindes, thunders, lightnings, and tempests, maie bee driuen away, and that deuotion may increase in Christian men when they hear it: O Lord sāctifie it by the holy Spirit; that when it sounds in thy peoples eares, their faith and deuotion may increase, the diuell may be affraied, and tremble and flie awaie at the sound of it. O Lord poure vponupon it thy heauenly blessing, that the fiery darts of the Diuell, may be made to flie backward at the sound thereof, & that it may deliuer from danger of wind, thunder, &c. And graunt Lorde that all that come to the Church at the sound of it, may be free from all temptations of the Diuel. O Lord infuse into it the heauenly dewe of the holy Ghost, that the diuel may alwaies flie away before the sounde of it, &c.
Thus at Bellarmines request we hauehave lookt into the Popes Pontificale; and let the Reader iudge what wee hauehave foūd: he rebukes vsus for laying it to their charge that they baptize bells, & for proof that they do not, sends vsus to the Pontificale. But surely he thought that we could not hauehave seene the book, els he would neuer hauehave referred vsus thereūto: for vponupon sight therof, it is apparant to be a more solemn baptism then that of the child is; for the solemnitie is longer, the Ceremonies more, the praiers to greater purpose, the minister of greater place, then be required to a Childes baptism… & eueryevery thing doth so concur in it that is in baptisme, that Bellarmin himselfe confesseth tho the pope doth not, yet others generally do call it the baptizing of belles, because they see them sprinkled with water, and hauehave names giuen themiBellar. tom. 1. de Rom. pont lib. 4. cap. 12. Nomen Baptism…non a Pontificibus sed a vulgo campanarum benedictioni accō modatur &c. quia vidēt eas aqua aspergiet e…s nomina imponi, &c..
But it is not the name we stand vpō, but the matter: cōcerning which, whereas they pray that the sound of that bel, so washed & sanctified as afore, may driue away the diuel and all his fiery darts, I would ask Bellarmine, or anie of his Chaplains, whether this bee spoken in iest or in earnest, in formality as words of course, or in faith as a holy prayer. If they knowe the prayer to bee impossible, not to hauehave any warrant, but meerlie to be a State Ceremonie, and done to amaze the poore people &c. then it appeares they be Cozeners & Atheists, that make religion a pretence to all their purposes: But if it be in earnest, and they know it to bee a prayer of faith, and hauehave warrant from Gods word for it, then it is possible inough to driue away the diuell & all his temptations out of a kingdom: for so many Belles might be hallowed and washed, as might hang, one within the reach of anothers sound; and so if the words of this prayer be true, a Diuell might not stay in the realme: and that Realm were very worthy to hauehave the Diuels companie, that would not willingly bee at the cost to hauehave so manie bels though they were of siluer, & to hauehave them baptized though it were in costly water.
To conclude, Bellarmine pleaseth to sport him selfe a little with vsus and sayth; The Heretickes obiect to vsus that we baptize belles: but its maruell (sayth hee) that they doe not also say, wee catechize and instruct them, that so they may sound out the Articles of Fayth: But it is very likelie, the Iesuite had not seene or not well perused the Pontificale: for if hee had, hee might hauehave found that they pray to GOD to giuegive the HOLIE GHOST to the Bell, to blesse it, to sanctifie it, to purifie it, to poure heauenlie blessings vppon it, and the dewe of Gods grace. Certainelie if this bee a lawfull an apt and fit prayer for the bell, they may also catechise it: for it is doubtlesse as capable of instruction from man, as of anie spirituall and heauenly blessing from God.
Thus it is proued, I hope, that the Romish Church (in some sort for the name, but especially for the matter) doth baptize Bells.
It remaines but to see24The twelfth wound not healed; for the Romish Church still baptizeth Belles. if this wound be healed, or no.
But I answere, this was not the superstition of the olde and ignorant times onelyonly, but is euen the present impiety of that Church: for of late, Clement the eight, pretending to hauehave the Pontificall reuiewed & reformed, caused it to be printed at Rome before his facelVide Pontificale Roma…um Clementis 8. Pont. Max. ius…u restitutum atque ed tum Romae 1895. et legatur eiusdem Clementis Constitutio ibid. praefixa, pro eiusdem libri authoritate & approbatione. by his authority, in a faire letter, & with most goodly pictures: and indeed many things are left that might make against the Pope, and many added that may make for him.
But as for this blasphemie and abuse of Gods holy Sacrament, it stands vntouched, vnaltered, and allowed for a good and Catholicke practice in euerie particular as I hauehave afore set it downe, and in manie more: Oh BABYLON, BABYLON, when wilt thou be healed?
The other sore of this wounde is touching the Lords Supper 25The other sore of the 12. wound; That though Christ ordained the contrary; yet it is not necessary for Christiās of the Laitie to hauehave the sacrament in both kinds, but onelyonly the bread & not the Cup..) which they maime and mangle, sacrilegiously taking the Cuppe from the whole Laitie. This wound is not very deepe, for it is not olde: but it is wide, for it is generall: and it is a foule one; for it maimeth the Sacrament, and crosseth Christs owne Institution. They were a hatching it somtime before: but at last the monster was brought foorth in the Councell of Constance; when they decreed thus,mConcil. Cō stant. sess. 13. That notwithstanding Christ ordained the Sacramēt in both kinds, and tho the eldest Church did so receiue it, yet for all that, this custom is lawfully & laudably brought into the Church, that the laitie shal receiue but in one kinde onelyonly, & that whosoeuer shal hold the contrary, shal be proceeded against as heretikes: & all Priests are commanded vnderunder paine of excommunication, that they giuegive not the Cuppe to the laitie: and they that do, and recant not, shall be punished as heretikes.
This wound hath Bellarmine, and other of the craftier sort of them, sought to couer but not to cure: & it would satisfie a man in this point tho he wauered before, to see how slily and superficially he deales in this questiō nBellar. de sacrā. Euchar. lib. 4. cap. 26. tom. 3.. This abuse is so horrible, the iniurie to the Sacrament, & the wrong to the laitie so notorious, the absurditie and impiety of the practise so without all colour of defence, that if they were not without grace and past hope of recouery, & such as hauehave resolued to amend nothing, they wold hauehave reformed this long agoe.
But heerby it is apparant they are plain States-men & Politicians, who hauehave nothing els in their head, but to maintain the height of their hierarchie, & Maiesty of their Monarchy. Euen this one particular is sufficient to make demonstration hereof; seeing they wil not amend that which they see & know to be cō trary to Christs Institution; and whereof many of the better sort of themselues are vtterly ashamed.
But it is so farre from being healed at all, that it is rather worse & worse26The latter sore of the 12 wound not yet healed, hut spreades further.. Looke in their newe edition of the Councells this last yeere, and there is no reformation of this euiloVide postremam edit. Cō cil. per Bininū. Colon. 1…06. Concil. Constant sess. 13. in 2. parte tomi ter…ii. p. 1589., no plaister laid vponupon this sore, not so much as a marginall note to qualifie the Non-obstante to Christs Institution; but rather all is made worse then it was afore in the former and elder impressions.
Nay, it is so farre from being healed, that contrariwise it is made dayly a wider & deeper wound: For now it is made in that Church a sinne against the first Commandement of the morall law, for a man to receiue the Sacrament in both kindespVide librū inscriptū Excercitiū pietatis in gratiam studiosorum, aut…ritate Cardinalis Radzivilii, scriptum & editum. Colon. 92. in cap. de methodo rectè confitendi.. So then seeing we know Christ appointed it in both kindes, and now the Romish Church prohibites it vnderunder paine of mortall sin; alas what hope is there that this Church will euer bee reformed, that condemnes the obedience to Christs institution and commandement, as a deadly sinne?
Let vsus now proceed to such wounds, as may bee more properly referred to the second Table of the morall lawe.