that we go to heaven the way he hath appointed, that is by PART III. offices and ministeries ecclesiastical.
When our blessed Lord had so confirmed the faith of the Church, and appointed an ecclesiastical ministry, he had but one work more to do upon earth, and that was the institution of the holy sacrament of baptism, which he ordained as a solemn initiation and mysterious profession of the faith, upon which the Church is built; making it a solemn publication of our profession, the rite of stipulation or entering covenant with our Lord, the solemnity of the paction evangelical; in which we undertake to be disciples to the holy Jesus, that is, to believe his doctrine, to fear his threatenings, to rely upon his promises, and to obey his commandments all the days of our life; and he for his part actually performs much, and promises more; he takes off all the guilt of our preceding days, purging our souls and making them clean as in the day of innocence; promising with all, that if we perform our undertaking and remain in the state in which he now puts us, he will continually assist us with his *Spirit, prevent and attend us with his grace, he will deliver us from the power of the devil, he will keep our souls in merciful, joyful, and safe | custody till the great day of the Lord, he will then raise our bodies from the grave, he will make them to be spiritual and immortal, he will reunite them to our souls, and beatify both bodies and souls in his own kingdom, admitting them into eternal and unspeakable glories: all which that he might verify and prepare respectively, in the presence of his disciples he ascended into the bosom of God, and the eternal comprehensions of celestial glory.
HOLY and eternal JESUS, who hast overcome death, and triumphed over all the powers of hell, darkness, sin, and the grave, manifesting the truth of thy promises, the power of thy divinity, the majesty of thy person, the rewards of thy glory, and the mercies and excellent designs of thy evangelical kingdom by thy glorious and powerful resurrection; preserve my soul from eternal death, and make me to rise from the death of sin, and to live in the life of grace, loving thy perfections, adoring thy mercy, pursuing the interest of thy kingdom, being united to the church under thee our head, conform
Mark xvi. 16.
Acts ii. 38; and xxii. 16.
Rom. vi. 3, 4. Cor. xii. 13.
Col. ii. 12.
Gal. iii. 17. 1 Pet. iii. 21.
*Matt.xxviii.
PART III.ing to thy holy laws, established in faith, entertained and confirmed with a modest, humble, and a certain hope, and sanctified by charity, that I engraving thee in my heart, and submitting to thee in my spirit, and imitating thee in thy glorious example may be partaker of thy resurrection, which is my hope and my desire, the support of my faith, the object of my joy, and the strength of my confidence. In thee, holy JESUS, do I trust: I confess thy faith. I believe all that thou hast taught; I desire to perform all thy injunctions and my own undertaking: my soul is in thy hand, do thou support and guide it, and pity my infirmities; and when thou shalt reveal thy great day, show to me thy mercies and effects of thy advocation, and intercession and redemption; Thou shalt answer for me, O Lord my God, for in thee have I trusted, let me never be confounded. Thou art just, thou art merciful, thou art gracious and compassionate, thou hast done miracles and prodigies of favour to me, and all the world. Let not those great actions and sufferings be ineffective, but make me capable and receptive of thy mercies, and then I am certain to receive them. I am thine, O save me, thou art mine, O holy JESUS, O dwell with me for ever, and let me dwell with thee, adoring and praising the eternal glories of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
ABSOLUTION, of dying persons, Amorous young man cured of his
of what benefit, 774; whether to be given to all that desire it? 775.
Acceptable year of the Lord, what it
Accusation, of criminals, not to be aggravated odiously, 748; it ought to be only for purposes of charity, 749; of innocent persons, ought to be borne patiently by the innocent, 750; of Jesus, 678.
Actions of Jesus confuted his ac- cusers, 743, 804.
Acts of virtue to be done by sick and dying persons, 772.
Adam buried in Golgotha, 682. Adoption of sons, 612.
Adrian the Emperor built a temple to Venus and Adonis in the place of Christ's birth, 74. Adultery, made more criminal under the Gospel than under the Law, 497; of the eyes, 497. Advent of our Lord must be enter- tained with joy, 68. Agesilaus was more commended for his modesty and obedience than for his prosperous good conduct, 139. Agony of Jesus in the garden, 675. Albs, or white garments, worn by the church, and why? 750. Alms, intended for a defensative against covetousness, ordinarily to be according to our ability; some- times beyond: in what cases? 514 -517; necessities of all indigent people is the object of our alms, 516; manner of, an office of Chris. tian prudence, 517.
Altars, the two, in Solomon's Tem-
ple, what they did represent, 200. Ambitious seeking ecclesiastical dig- nities very criminal, 224. Ambition is an affliction to him that hath it, 175.
vanity by a stratagem, 541. Angel, comforted Jesus, in what manner, 734; rolled the stone from the grave of Jesus, 789. Angels, ministered at the birth of Jesus, 73; invited shepherds to see the new-born Prince, 93; multi. plied into a quire to sing Gloria Patri at the birth of Christ, 94; taught the church the Christian hymn, 94; rejoiced greatly when mankind was redeemed, 98; fallen, not admitted to repentance, and why? 403; appointed to observe them that fast piously, 542; guar- dians of the sepulchre, 801.
Anger, forbidden in the sixth com- mandment, 490; in what cases allowable, 491; how long to abide, 491; of the heart forbidden, 492; remedies against, 494.
Annas, chief of the Sanhedrim, 677; sent Jesus to Caiaphas, 677. Anna, the prophetess, received Christ as a reward for her long fasting and prayers, 112, 147. Anniversaries of Christ's nativity,
resurrection, and ascension, to be religiously observed, 489; anuiver- saries of saints, 489.
Antony, Marc, to stir the people's affections, presented the body of Cæsar, 153. Antichrist's pretence not furthered but hindered by his miracles,
Apocryphal miracles feigned of Christ's younger years, 327, 328. Apostasy from Christianity unpar
donable; in what sense true, 410. Apostles chosen by Christ, 563; sent to preach by two and two, 563; re- joice at their power over devils, 569; that saw the transfiguration, saw also the agony, 731.
Arms not to be taken up against our priuce for religion, 740. Arsenius sad and troubled upon his
Ascension of Jesus into heaven, 793. Attention to our prayers. See Pray-
cles, 92; its place turned to a church, 74; peace universal at. 93; signified to Jews and Gentiles in the persons of the shepherds and wise men, 103-109. Binding Jesus with cords, with cir- cumstances of cruelty, 739.
Augustine, St., entered into the tomb Blasphemy falsely charged
Augustus Cæsar refused to be called Lord about the time of Christ's na- tivity, 92.
Authority of ecclesiastical censures, 807, 808.
Blessings of the Gospel, 809. Bloody sweat of Christ, what it did then effect, and what it did pre- figure, 735.
Bramble of Judea, an emblem of
Babes of Bethlehem had the reward Breasts that are dry, a curse, 91.
Balaam's prophecy of Christ's star, 95; prayer explicated, 585. Baptism, sanctifies the worthy sus- cipient, 226; tradition of the Jews respecting, 267; an evangelical institution, 269; we are admitted to the kingdom of Christ in, 270; a new birth, 271; all our sins are pardoned in, 272; Tertullian's views of, 272; Bede's opinion of, 273; reason that it should not be administered more than once, 275; St. Austin's opinion of, 275; the suppletory of original righteous- ness, 279; consigns us to a holy resurrection, 281; miraculous cures performed by, 282; of infants, dis- course on, 286-321; all our sins are forgiven in, 405; faith and re- pentance are necessary prepara- tories to, 406; necessary before reception of the eucharist, 719; ordained by Christ, 809; what it operates and signifies, 809. Baptist's character of himself, 325; his death and the occasion, 354; his death revenged, 354. Barbara, St., stripped naked to exe- cution; miraculously veiled, 751. Basil, St., recalled from exile for his reverent and grave saying his of- fices, 372; prayed for headach, 205. Beginners in religion to be ruled by an experienced guide, 251; they have a conditional certainty of sal- vation, 613.
Beginnings of evil to be resisted, 254. Birth of Christ illustrated with mira-
Buffeting of Jesus foretold by a Sibyl, 743.
Caiaphas prophesied and determined the death of Jesus, 666; rent his clothes against the law, 678. Cambyses sent the Ethiopian king a box of nard, 565. Care for our families, how far to regard the future, 515. Casual and contingent causes cut off the life of a sinner, 593. Ceadwalla's vow, 536. Centurion of the iron legion comes to Christ, 564.
Certainty of salvation, 613–615. Chad, St., prayed for others in times of storm, 657.
Charity, makes us partake of the joys and sufferings of all Chris- tians, 99; is the measure of our own peace, 100; of Christian con- verted Pachomius, 192; consists with repeating our own, 511; is part of the definition of Christian faith, 339; of Christians greater than civil relations, 335; is the last of graces, 358; to Christ's ser- vants accepted as done to Christ, 388; must increase with our wealth,
Chastity, wittily represented by Li- bauius, 255; easier to die for chas- tity than to live with it, 462; of the mind, of the eyes, of all the members, enjoined, 496; abstains from all undecencies, 498. Cheap offering, not accepted when a better may be given, 370.
Christ's prayer for his enemies was effectual, 786.
Christ's side streamed forth two sa- craments, 797.
Children of God exposed to tempta- | Christ's miracles were greater than tions, 227. any man did before him, 547. Christ, chose to do all the ministeries Christ's passion cured our miseries, of religion, 223; paid more for our obedience than our pardon, 44; our pattern, 45; how far imitable by us, 50; honoured virginity and marriage in the choice of his mother, 61; manifested his power in the instances of mercy, 49, 548; to be followed in the like propor- tions as he followed his Father, 50; is God and man, 76; first re- vealed to poor men, 100; by his humility, his poverty and uneasi- ness fought against the lust of the flesh, of the eyes, and the pride of life, 102; put himself to pain to be reckoned among sinners, 114; was redeemed at first, and sold at last for an ignoble price, 144; is best relished by them who least relish worldly things, 146; a physician and a lawgiver,733,734; did no miracles before thirty years of age, 327; en- tertains five disciples, 333; to be sought for in his ordinances, 330; ejected merchants out of the Tem- ple, 355; mingled no injury with his zeal, 358; baptized Peter only, 375; ends the Samaritan question about the place of worship, 377; made a covenant of faith and re- pentance, this is consigned in bap- tism, 408; raised the widow's son to life, 564; is our advocate for actions relative to him, 693; showed the power of a God with the infirmities of a man, 738; crowned with thorns, 751; was viator, not comprehensor in his passion, 780; first ascended into Heaven, 789.
Christ's commission to Peter, 791. Christian, righteousness to exceed the Pharisaical, 466-469; prudence, 332; simplicity, 332; liberty not to be betrayed, 640. Christians, ought to be exemplary in their lives, 465; for the most part choose not their religion, 337; to be like children, 624. Christianity, an easy yoke, 570; more pleasant than sin, and more na- tural, 570, and Preface; not so troublesome, 574, 575; is the way of peace, 578; of content, 580; of riches, 581; of long life, 584; of health, 584; of wisdom, 597. Church, deserves great revenues, but needs them not, 177; endow- ments, of advantage to the people, 177; ought to be more apt to remit of temporal rights than others, 177; tribunal, to be of great mercy, 807; compared with God's tribunal, 807; built upon the confession of Peter, 620; impregnable against hell gates, 620; in paradise, 367; the residence of angels, 367. Churches, built upon Mount Tabor, 622; are holy places, in what sense and to what purposes, 360; how to be used, 369; best ornament is the holiness of worshippers, 372; dese- crated by vice, 373. Circumcision, an earnest of the pas- sion, 112; not declared to be remis- sive of original sin, 114; of Christ, served many purposes, 113; was an act of obedience, 113; a binding to perform the law of ceremonies, 310.
Clergy's duty under the parable of the steward, 630.
Confession to a minister of religion, 443.
Communion of saints profitable and pleasant, 185.
« ПредыдущаяПродолжить » |