H

ANE PROLOGE TO THE SEVIN

SACRAMENTIS.

The first Cheptour.

[Fol. cxxii. (cxx.) a.]

AURIETIS aquas in gaudio, de fontibus salvatoris. The Esaie xii, haly prophet Esaias in the wordis afore rehersit speikis plaine prophecy of the haly sacramentis of the new testament, sayand thus to all faithfull men and wemen: Ye sall draw watter with joy fra the wellis of our salviour. Be thir wordis we may weil understand the special grace of God, quhilk purgis and clengis our saulis fra the spottis of syn, and slokkins the vehement hait of carnal concupiscence that is rutit in our corruppit nature, sa that it can have na powar to hurt us, sa lang as we consent nocht to it with ane deliverit mynd and fre will. Breifly this watter of grace adournis and decoris our saulis with all kind of vertew to us necessarie. This precious watter of grace we suld draw fra the wellis of our salviour Christ Jesus, be the quhilk we understand the sevin Sacramentis of haly kirk. For as the watteris of the wellis springis fra syndry vaynis of the erde and cummis to the wellis, quhairto thai that nedis watter may cum and draw, sa the special grace of God springis to all faithfull men and wemen fra the vaynis of the erde, that is to say, fra the blissit Incarnatioun, haly conversatioun and painful passioun of our salviour Christ Jesu. For trewly quhatsaevir he did, spak, or tholit, fra the first tyme of his Incarnatioun to the last moment of his passioun, it was meritabil of grace to be gevin [Fol. cxxii. to us, and specially quhen he was crucifyit apon the crosse (exx.) b.] and dede for our redemptioun. Than verraily he offerand him self apon the altar of the crosse, as ane sacrifice of sweit savoir, maist acceptabil to God his eternal father for our reconciliatioun, he conquest, he wanne, and justly deservit aboundance of grace, quhairof all faithful men and wemen mycht be participant to obtane thair justificatioun and eternal

N

Joan i.

The hail

the sacra

mentis.

salvatioun according as sanct Johne the evangelist sais: De plenitudine ejus nos omnes accepimus. Of his fulnes all we have ressavit. That is to say, of that aboundance of grace, quhilk was gevin to our salviour without measour and of his meritorious passioun, all we that beleiffis in him with a levand faith, ressavis ane certane measure of grace, according to his pleasure. Thairfor that the vertew and meritis of Christis passioun, or the grace quhilk he deservit for us be his passioun, may be applyit, drawin and brocht to us be sum wayis to us maist convenient, thair is institute and ordanit be the auctoritie of God sevin halye Sacramentis, quhilk ar Baptyme, number of Confirmatioun, the Eucharist or the sacrament of the Altar, Penance, Extreme unctioun, Ordour, and Matrimonie. Thir (I say) was ordanit be almychty God to be to us instrumentis of our salvatioun, and as spiritual cundittis and wellis of grace, in the quhilk, and be the quhilk, we may ressave the wattir of Goddis grace deservit to us be the vertew and meritis of Christis passion, quhilk saiffis nane, bot thame allanerly to quhom it is applyit be trew faith, dew ministratioun and worthi ressaving of the sacramentis. Quhairfor O christin pepil I exhort yow to draw this precious wattir of grace fra the wellis of our salviour. For and ye with diligence will leir the vertew of the sevin sacramentis, and seik for the grace of God offerit and promissit to yow in the same sacramentis, persevere in the same grace of God, ye sall have heir in this lyfe gret spiritual joy and blythnes in God, and in the lyfe to cum ye sall be sickir of the eternal joy and blysse.

[Fol. cxxi. a.]

As wattir be natural propertie weschis and makis clein the thing that is foule, and slokins the thing that is het, sa the grace of God ressavit in the sacrament of Baptyme weschis the saule of him that dewly ressavis it, fra the spottis of original syn, and also actual afore committit, and with that it slokins and diminissis the vehement het of carnal lust and concupiscence quhilk bydis in our fragil nature eftir Baptyme, sa in uthir sacramentis, the sensibil signe proponit outwartly to our sensis, betakins sum certane operatioun of the grace of God wrocht in our saulis inwartly. Quhy is it said in the foresaid diffinitioun, that ane sacrament is the cause of grace? seing that na creature hes powar to geve grace, bot God allanerly? according as the prophet sais in the Psalme:

Gratiam et gloriam dabit dominus. It is the Lord our God Psal. that sall geve grace and glore. We grant that God allanerly lxxxiii. is the gevar of grace, nochttheles, he hais gevin vertew and powar to the Sacramentis to be instrumentis of his grace, [Fol. quhilk thai cause in our saulis, nocht be thair awin natural cxxi. b.] powar and vertew, bot allanerly be the mycht of God assistant and being present in and with his sacrament in his haly word. And as the corporal fyre of hell be powar of God gevin to it, is ane instrument of Goddis justice, in perpetual tormenting of the spreitis and saulis in hell, sa in this present kirk militant, the sacramentis ar instrumentis of Goddis mercy and grace in our justificatioun, sa sanct Paule callis the sacra- Tit. iii. ment of Baptyme the lawar of our spiritual regeneratioun and renovatioun in our saulis. Thus ye may easely understand quhow ane sacrament is ane sensibil signe, takin and marke of grace, quhilk it contenis and signifeis, and also as ane instrument is the cause of the same grace to be gevin to our saulis, quhen it is dewly ministerit and worthely ressavit.

Q

The ii. Cheptour.

UHAIRFOR or to quhat effect was the sacramentis of

Faustum

de doctrina

cap. 9.

Sensibill

the new testament institute be our salviour? Trewly for Aug.contra syndry causis verrai expedient and profitabil to the christin lib. xix. pepil. First to be sensibil takins and markis of that gret con- cap. 2. et gregatioun callit the kirk of our salviour Christ, for as sanct christiana Augustine sais: In nullum nomen religionis, sive verum sive lib. iii. falsum coagulari homines possunt, nisi aliquo signaculorum vel sacramentorum visibilium consortio colligentur. Thair is na [Fol. name of religioun or godly maner of leving other trew or fals, cxxii. a.] quhairby men may conveine and byde togidder, except that takins of thai be fessinit and bund togidder in a company with certane Christis signes or sacramentis, quhilk may be sein of thame all. Men of a countrai or natioun gangand to battail usis to have a signe or takin apon thame, quhairby thai may be knawin amangis thame self and also fra utheris quhilk ar of strange natiouns. Part beiris the signe or takin of ane quhyte crosse, part of ane red crosse, part a thing, part uther thing. Sa our Lord Jesus Christ willing to have his awin pepil to abide togidder in the

religioun.

[Fol.

Luc. X.

unitie of a faith, and to knaw ane ane uthir amang thame self to be of ane faith, and to be knawin also fra all utheris quhilk ar nocht of that faith, he hais ordanit certane sensibil signes, takins or markis callit sacramentis, quhilk ar few in thair nowmer, easy to be kepit, and excellent in thair significatioun.

The secund cause of the institutioun of the sacramentis was, nocht allanerly to signifie and betakin grace and halynes to be gevin to us, bot also thai war ordanit to sanctifie and to geve to our saulis the special grace of God (as we declarit to yow afore) as the instrumentis of our sanctificatioun. As for exempil, quhen ane cunning and expert Cirurginar heilis the woundis of ane hurt man, he him self under God is the principal heilar of the woundis be the meanis of the playsteris laid to the woundis, nocht theles the towellis, bandis or rowlis cxxii. b.] quhilk haldis fast the plaisteris to the woundis, ar instrumentis of the heiling and curing of the same woundis. Sa our salviour Jesus Christ is our hevinly Cirurginar comparit to the Samaritane that helpit the woundit man quhilk lay half dede half quick betwein Jerusalem and Hierico, for with the vertew of his passioun as with ane medicyne or plaister and with his sacramentis as with spiritual rowlis or bandis quhilk applyis, haldis and kepis the playster of his passioun to the woundis of our saulis, he heilis perfitly our hurt and woundit saulis, and be this ye may easely knaw quhat difference is betwein the sacramentis of the auld law and the sacramentis of the new law. For thai war allanerly schadowis, cap. 11. 13. takins and figuris, that signifyit thingis to cum, quhilk quhen our salviour Jesus Christ in his comming had fulfillit, thai war takin away, and thairfor takin away because thai war fulfillit. And thir sacramentis of the new law was institute, quhilk ar of greter vertew, to us mair profitabil, easiar to be kepit and observit, fewar in nowmer, nocht only ordanit to signifie and betakin grace, bot also to clenge and sanctifie our saulis. Thir twa causis afore rehersit ar maist principal quhy the sacramentis of the new testament was institute and ordanit be our salviour Jesus Christ. Nochttheles thair is syndry uthir convenient and reasonabil causis of thair institution, quhilk suld nocht be left unschawin to yow.

Aug. contra. Faustum lib. xix.

16.

[Fol.

cxxiii, a.]

First as thai war institute to be signis and takins of the grace

grace

contra

lib. xix,

сар. 9.

of God to be gevin presently, sa ar thai takins and memoriallis of the passioun of our salviour Christ, and also signis prognosticat and foreschawand of the glore to cum. And swa thai geve to us consolatioun and comfort. Thai raise and Aug. steris up in us the trew faith in Christ. Thai geve warning Faustum to lufe ane ane uthir, because thai ar instrumentis of commoun and equal to all faithful men and wemen. Attour thai say nocht by the trewth quhilk techis the sacramentis to be institut and ordanit for thre uthir causis convenient. First for our humiliatioun, that man meikly at Gods command submit himself to be curit fra synne be the rycht use and ministratioun of certane sensibil thingis, quhilk turnit him self fra God proudly be inordinat lufe and abusing of sensibil thingis. It is rycht and reasone that quhair syn rysis and begynnis, thair also it may dee and have ane end.

lib. xix.

Thai war ordanit also for our eruditioun and trew in- Contra structioun, for thai geve us to understand that the will of Faustum God is to geve us presently his mercy and grace, sa that cap. 16. quhen we see ony thing done to us in the sacramentis outwartly in our bodie, we suld beleve that sum special effect of grace is wrocht inwartly in our saulis. As quhen the wattir of Baptyme weschis the body outwartly, we suld beleif that the grace of God purgis and weschis the saule inwartly fra original syn, and sa lykwise of all the laif of the sacramentis. Thridly thai war also institute for the spiritual exercitioun of [Fol. cxxiii. b.] all faithfull men and wemen in the sevin principal vertewis. In the sacrament of Baptyme we professe and pronuncis our faith, and ofttymis heris uthir, quhilk ar baptizit, rehers, pronunce and professe thair faith, and thairfor was callit in auld tymes the sacrament of faith. In Extreme Unctioun we grow in hoip of the mercy and glore of God, be the meritis of Christis passioun, and prayaris of the kirk. In the sacrament of the Altar we ressave gret increse and exercitioun of trew lufe and cheritie towart God, because that our salviour Christ in the same blissit sacrament hes gevin really and presently his awin precious body and blud, in quick remembrance of his passioun, and also to be the spiritual fude of our saulis. And thairfor the doctor Hylarius callis it the sacrament of lufe. In the sacrament of Confir. Lib. viii. matioun we ressave the vertew of Fortitude and spiritual tate.

de trini