remissione illius peccati nolo ut quisquam roget, quoniam non est remissibile: vel, quod in eundem sensum redit, pro illo homine, qui peccat peccatum ad mortem, non dico ut roget quis. De quo genere etiam Salvator apud Matthæum, quod ille, Qui peccat in Spiritum Sanctum, non remittetur, neque in hoc sæculo, neque in futuro.' Ubi facit tria genera peceatorum, nimirum in Patrem, in Filium, & in Spiritum Sanctum; atque priora duo esse minus gravia, & remissibilia, tertium vero irremissibile; quæ tota differentia, sicut ex scripturis scholæ tradunt, oritur ex distinctione attributorum, quæ singula singulis personis sanctissimæ Trinitatis approprian tur. 'Licet enim, sicut eadem est essentia, sic eadem quoque est potentia, sapientia, & bonitas omnium personarum (sicut ex symbolo S. Athanasii didicimus, cum ait, 'Omnipotens Pater, Omnipotens Filius, Omnipotens Spiritus Sanctus) tamen, per attributionem, Patri applicatur potentia, Filio sapientia, Spiritui Sancto amor; quorum. singula eo modo, quo attributa dicuntur, ita sunt propria cujusque personæ, ut in aliam referri non queant; ex quorum attributorum contrariis, & distinctionem, & gravitatem peccatorum dignoscimus. 'Contrarium potentiæ, quæ attribuitur Patri, est infirmitas; ut proinde id quod ex infirmitate, seu naturæ nostræ imbecillitate, com mittimus, dicatur committi in Patrem. Oppositum sapientiæ est ignorantia, ex qua cum quis peccat, or for the remission of that sin, I will that none should pray, because it is not pardonable: Or else, which comes to the same sense, for that man who committeth such a sin unto death, I say not that any should pray for; of which sin, our Saviour himself has spoken in St. Matthew, saying, "That he, that sinneth against the Holy Ghost, shall not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor in the world to come;' where he setteth down three sorts, or kinds, of sins, to wit, against the Father, against the Son, and against the Holy Ghost; and that the two first are less heinous and pardonable, but that the third is altogether unpardonable. All which difference proceedeth from the distinction of the attributes, as the schools teach us out of the Holy Scriptures; which se verally are appropriated to every several person of the Holy Trinity. For although, as the essence of all the three persons is but one, so also is their power, wisdom, and goodness (as we have learned out of St. Athanasius's creed, when he says, The Father Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty) yet, by attribution, power is ascribed unto the Father, wisdom unto the Son, and love unto the Holy Ghost; whereof every several, as they are termed attributes, are so proper unto every several person, that they cannot be attributed and referred unto any other. By the contraries of which attributes, we come to discern the distinction and greatness of sin. The contrary to power, which is attributed to the Father, is weakness or infirmity; and, there fore, that which we do amiss through infirmity, or weakness of nature, is said to be committed against the Father: the opposite dicitur peccare in filium; ita ut ea, quæ vel ex humana infirmitate, vel ignoratione peccamus, facilius nobis condonari soleant. 'Tertium autem attributum, quod est Spiritus Sancti, nempe amor, habet pro contrario ingrati tudinem, vitium maxime odibile: unde venit, ut homo non agnoscat Dei erga ipsum dilectionem, aut beneficia; sed obliviscatur, contemnat, ac odio etiam habeat. Ex quo tandem fit, ut obstinatus red datur atque impœnitens, atque his modus multo gravius & periculosius peccatur in Deum, quam ex ignorantia, aut imbecillitate; proinde hujusmodi vocantur peccata in Spiritum Sanctum. Et, quia rarius, ac difficilius, & non nisi abundantiori gratia condonantur, dicuntur irremissibilia quodam modo; cum tamen sola impœnitentia sit omnino & simpliciter ir remissibilis: quicquid enim in vitia committitur, licet contra Spiritum Sanctum, potest per poenitentiam deleri ante mortem. Sed qui perse verat usquead mortem, nullum locum relinquit gratiæ ac misericordiæ atque pro tali peccato, seu pro homine sic peccante, noluit apostolus ut post mortem oraremus. 'Jam ergo quia magno nostro dolore intelligimus, prædictum regem ex hac vita sine pœnitentia, seu impœnitentem excessisse, uimirum in consortio hæreticorum; ex talibus enim hominibus confecerat exercitum suum: & quod commendaverat moriens regnum in successione Navarræ declarato Hæretico, & excommunicato; necnon in extremis, ac in ultimo fere . unto wisdom is ignorance, through. which, when a man sinneth, he is said to sin against the Son; and, therefore, what we commit through natural infirmity, or ignorance, is more easily forgiven us. The third attribute, which is the Holy Ghost's, is love, and hath, for its contrary, ingratitude, a vice most detestable and odious, which causeth men not to acknowledge the love of God, and his benefits bestowed upon them; but to forget, despise, yea, and to hate them; and from hence, at last, it comes to pass, that they prove obstinate and impenitent. And thus. to sin against God is far more dangerous and dreadful, than if it was done either through ignorance, or natural infirmity, and therefore it is termed a sin against the Holy Ghost; and, because such sins are seldom and hardly, and not without great abundance of grace pardoned, in some sort, they are said to be unpardonable: whereas final impenitence only is really and simply unpardonable. For whatsoever is done amiss in this life, although it be against the Holy Ghost, yet, by repentance, it may be wiped out, or done away, before we die; but they that persevere therein till death, are excluded from all grace and mercy hereafter. And, therefore, for such sins and sinners, the apostle hath forbidden to pray after their decease. Now, therefore, because we understand, not without great grief, that the aforesaid king departed this life without repentance, or impenitent, to wit, in the communion and fellowship of hereticks (for all his army was made up almost of none other but such men) and that, by his last will, he commended and made over his crown and king. dom to the succession of Navarre, long since declared an heretick, and excommunicated; as also, in his extremity, and now ready to yield up the ghost, desired of him, and such as he was, then standing by, that they would revenge his death upon those whom he judged to be the cause thereof. For these, and such like manifest tokens of his impenitency, we have decreed not to solemnise his death with funerals; not that we presume any thing by these, concerning God's secret judgments against him, or his mercies towards him, who could, according to his good pleasure, convert and turn his heart, even when his soul was leaving the body, and deal mercifully with him but this we have spoken, being thereunto moved by these external signs and tokens. : God grant that all, being admonished and warned by this fearful example of heavenly justice, may repent and amend; and that it may further please him to continue and accomplish that which he hath thus mercifully begun for us, as we firmly hope he will, to the end we may give everlasting thanks to him, that he hath delivered his church from such great and imminent dangers. When his holiness had thus ended his speech, he broke up the consistory, and dismissed them with his benediction. THE WHOLE AND TRUE DISCOURSE OF THE ENTERPRISES AND SECRETE CONSPIRACIES, THAT HAVE BENE MADE AGAINST THE PERSON OF HENRY DE VALOIS, MOST CHRISTIAN KING OF FRAÙNCE AND POLAND: Wherupon followed his death, by the hand of a young Iacobin Frier, the first day of August, 1589; whereby the Enemies of the Crown thought to haue reduced and brought all Fraunce to their will and Deuotion. Together with the Assembly, that the King, before his Death, made of the Princes of the Blood, Lordes, and Gentlemen, that were in his Armie, with the heads of the straungers, to whom he declared his last will. Englished out of the French copie, printed at Caen in Normandie. Impriuted by Thomas Purfoote, and are to be seoulde at his shoppe, without New gate, ouer against S. Sepulchers Church. 1589. In black Letter. Octavo, containing twelve pages. YF the holy scripture, yea, God himselfe expresly forbid vs, and that with threatnings to fal into the indignation and iudgment of the higher power, that we should not in any wise touch or hurt the anoynted of the Lord, it is a matter worthy to bee wondred at, that hee, who calleth himselfe the preacher of the gospel, should so far forget himselfe, as that hee neither knewe, nor vnderstoode the will of God, who so greatly esteemeth, and ordaineth to bee honoured and respected, the partie to whom hee committeth the gouernment of a common weale, although hee vse rigoure and seueritie. And who, I pray you, from time out of mans memorie, can giue vs testimonie of so wretched an act, and so worthie of euerlasting blame, to haue hapened, and to haue bene committed and perpetrated in all Christiandome, as that, which is yet all bloodie in our Fraunce, committed against our so gracious and mercifull King, Henrie de Valois, King of Fraunce and Polande? An act, verily, vtterlie vnworthy a Christian, and that would not be belieued to haue bin exercised amongest the most barbarous nations of the world. We find, yea in the holy scriptures themselues, that there haue bine reuoultings, discontentments, contradictions, and murmurings; and that, in the ende, many people haue raysed wars against their kings and princes, by reason of the great subsidies, impostes, and heauie burthens, OF THE ENTERPRISES AND CONSPIRACIES, &c. 143 and other charges, that were layde vpon their shoulders, very hard and vneasie to be borne; but it is not found, that there hath an assault and murder ben done, nor conspired, against the soueraigne authoritie. Wee read of Salomon, who had imposed and layd vpon the backes of the people, that were committed vnto him by the authoritie of God, importable burdens, wherewith the subiects felt themselves ouerturned and wholy opressed. Ieroboam, his welbeloued seruaunt, albeit hee had received news by Abias, the auncient prophet of God, that hee shold raigne ouer tenne tribes of Israell, and that there should but one of the tribes remaine in the house of Dauid; yet the saide Ieroboam, being at difference and diuision with his mayster, had rather to flie from the face of his mayster Salomon, and to go into Egipt, then to quarrell with him; notwithstanding, when Salomon was dead, and his eldest sonne, Roboam, succeeded in the kingdome, Ieroboam, by the aduertisement of the people, was enformed howe all matters went; who, when hee was returned, togither with the people, exbibited a supplication to the King to ease them of those heauie burdens, that his father had layde vppon them. Whereto King Roboam woulde not yeilde, and they went there waies, very greatly discontented. And the saide Ieroboam raigned ouer tenne of the tribes of Israell, who crowned him Kinge and ruler ouer them: but they long continued not in that estate, but the vengeance of God fel vppon them after the death of the saide Roboam. And amongest all that is written of this goodly historie, in the book of Paralipomenon, the thirteenthe and fourteenthe chapters, and in the firste booke of Kinges, the firste, seconde, thirde, fourthe, and other chapters following, there is no mention made (though there wanted no meanes) of the practising amongest them of any other meanes, nor of any other kinde of assaulting the King, though hee were constrained to flee vnto Ierusalem) nor of Abias his sonne, that raigned after him. Wee finde also, that, in the warres, many kinges haue bene smitten and slaine; others also, by the iust iudgment of God, haue bene killed and wounded by diuerse straunge mortall woundes. The reuerence due to the king, aswell in the warres, as otherwise, hath bene, and yet is in so great accompt, that there is an obseruation in the warres, when the King is there in person, to crie aloude, Saue the Kinge, saue the Kinge.' They will aledge, it was done vppon wrath and indignation, for that which was executed vppon Mounsire de Guyse by hys Maiesties commaundement. I aunsweare them: It is not the part of a seruaunt, nor of any other whomsoeuer, to make himselfe equall and euenlyke, nor to compare himselfe with the aucthority, power, or highnes of an emperor, kinge, or magistrate, who executethi and disposeth of his affaires, as pleaseth himselfe, and according to his good counsell: after whose example, and in imitation of hym, if perticuler persons shoulde take vppon them to make ordinaunces, and to entermeddle in the rule and gouernment of the ciuil estate and the affaires of the kingdome, what order, what gouernment, what iustice shoulde wee haue therein? To whom might it bee saide, that the obedience were due, which wee protest to yeild, in the name of God, to our superiours, whome hee hath ordeined and established ouer his people. |