Sixti Quinti Pont. Max. de Henri­ci Tertii morte, Sermo, Romae in Consistorio Pa­trum habitus, 11. Septem. 1589.

ANIMO meo saepe acserio revolvens, mentis (que) aciem inten­dens in ea, quae nuper Dei voluntate accide­runt, vidior mihi vere posse illud Prophetae Aba­cuch usurpare: Qui o­pus factum est in die­bus vestris, quod nemo credet, cum narrabitur, (Abbak. 1. v. 5.) Mor­tuus est Rex Francorum per manus Monachi.

[Page 4] Nam ad istud potest recte applicari: licet de alia re, nempe de incar­natione Domini, quae omnia mira, ac mirabilia superat, Propheta pro­prie locutus sit, sicut & Apostolus Paulus eadem verba, ( Actorum 13. v. 4 [...].) ad Christi resurre­ctionem verissime refert. Quando Propheta nomi­nat Opus, non vult innu­ere aliquid vulgare, vel ordinarium, sed rarum, insigne, ac memorabile facinus: quomodo de creatione Mundi, Opera mamium tuarum sunt coeli. Item, Requievit die septimo ab omni opere quod patrarat. Cum ve­ro factum ait, eo verbo tale aliquid in Scriptu­ris exprimi, quod non te­mere, casu, fortuna aut per accidens evenire di­citur; sed quod expres­sa [Page 5] Dei voluntate, providen­tia, dispositione, ac ordinatio­no obvenit. Ʋt cum dicit Salvator, Opera quae ego fa­cio vos facietis, & majora horum facietis: & similia­in sacris litteris plurima. Quod autem loquatur in prae­terito factum esse, id more a­liorum Prophetarum facit, qui propter certitudinem e­ventus solent saepe de futuris, ac si jam facta essent praedice­re. Dicunt enim Philoso­phi, res praeteritas esse de ne­cessitate, praesentes de inesse, futuras de possibili tantum: it a illi loquuntur.

Propter quam certitudi­nem Isaias Propheta longe ante vaticinatus de morte Christi, sic dixit, sicut in Act. Apostolorum cap. 8. etiam re­citatur, Tanquam ovis ad oc­cisionem ductus est & sicut ag­nus coram tondente se non a­peruit os suum, &c.

Atque hoc, de quo minc verba facimus, & quod hic diebus nostris evenit, vere in­signe, memorabile, & pene incredibile opus est, nec sine [Page 6] Dei opt. Max. particulari providentia, & dispositi­one perpetratum. Occidit Monachus Regem, non pictum aut fictum in charta, aut pariete; Sed Regem Francorum in medio exercitus sui, mi­lite & custodia undique septum: quod re vera tale est, & eo modo effectum, ut nemo nunc credat, cum narrabitur, & for­tasse apud posteritatem pro fabula reputabitur.

Quod Rex sit mortu­us, vel etiam peremptus, facile creditur, sed eum sic sublatum, vix est cre­dibile: sicut Christum natum ex f [...]minia sta­tim assentimur; sed si ad­das porro ex f [...]mina Vir­gine ortum esse, tunc se­cundum hominem non as­sentior: ita etiam quod mortuus sit Christus facile credimus, sed [Page 7] quod mortuusjam resur­rexerit ad vitam, quia ex privatione ad habi­tum non fit regressio, red­ditur secundum intelle­ctum humanum impossi­bile, propterea in credi­bile: quod homo ex somno, ex morbo, etiam ex synco­pe, vel extasi resuscitatur, quia id saepe secundum naturam fit, humanitus credimus; sed resurrex­isse a mortuis, ita secun­dum carnem videbatur incredibile, Ʋt Paulo a­pud Philosophos Atheni­enses de hac resurrectio­ne disserenti, improper a­rent, quod esset novorum daemoniorum annuncia­tor: & allii, sicut D. Lucas narrat, irride­bant; alii dicebant, Audi­emus te de hoc iterum. De talibus igitur, quae secundum naturae leges, [Page 8] & ordinarium cursum fieri non solent, dicit Pro­pheta, quod nemo credet, cum narrabitur; sed hujusmodi tantum fi­dem adhibemus ex consi­deratione omnipotentiae divinae, & per subjectio­nem intellectus nostri in obedientiam fidei, & ob­sequium Christi. Nam hoc modo quod erat incredi­bile naturaliter, fit credibile. Igitur qui secundum homi­nem non credo Christum de virgine natum, tamen quan­do additur hoc factum esse supra naturae terminos per operationem Spiritus sancti, tunc vere assentior, & credo.

Ita quando dicitur Chri­stum ex mortuis resurrexisse, humanitus non credo; sed cum id factum esse per divinam (quae in ipso erat) naturam af­firmatur, tunc omnino credo.

Eodem modo licet tantum Re­gem in medio exercitus, tot stipa­tum militibus, ab uno simplici, & imbelli Religioso occisum esse, secundum prudentiam carnis, & intellectum humanum sit in­credibile, [Page 9] vel omnino impro­babile; tamen considerando ex altera parte gravissima Regis peccata, & specialem Dei omnipotentis in hac re providentiam, & quam in­usitato, & mira ili modo ju­stissimam voluntatem suam erga ipsum impleverit, om­nino, & firmiter credo. Rem etenim istam tam grandem & inusitatam alio referre, quam ad particularem Dei providentiam (sicut quos­dam ad alias causas ordina­rias, vel etiam ad fortu­nam & casum, aut similes accidentarios eventus per­peram referre intelligimus,) prorsus non licet; sicut ij, qui totius facti seriem pressius observant, facile videre possunt, ubi pluri­ma intervenerunt, quae ab homine nisi Dei speciali concurrente auxilio, expe­diri non quiverant. Et sane Regum ac Regnorum rationes, caetera (que) tam rara tanti (que) momenti negotia a Deo temere administrari non est existimandum. Sunt in sacra Historia nonnulla hujus generis, nec eorum [Page 10] quidquum potest alio, quam ad Deum Authorem referri: tamen nihil est, ubi magis claret superna operatio, quam in isto, de quo nunc agimus.

Libr. Macchab. 1. chap. 6. Legimus, Eleazarum, ut Regem populi Dei perse­cutorem, ac hostem tolleret, seipsum certae morti obtu­lisse. Nam in conflictu conspiciens Elephantem cae­teris eminentiorem, in quovi­debatur Rex esse, concito cursu in mediam hostium turmam se coniiciens; hinc inde viam vi sternens, ad belluam ve­nit, atque sub eam intra­vit, subjectoque gladio pe­remit, quae cadens oppressit Eleazarum & extinxit. Hic quoad zelum, & animi [Page 11] robur, reique tentatae exi­tum, aliquid hujus nostri simile cernimus, tamen in reliquis nihil est compara­bile. Eleazarus erat miles, armis & pugna exercitatus, in ipso praelio constitutus, a­doreque animi, & furore (ut fit) accensus: iste Mo­nachus praeliis ac pugnis non erat assuefactus, & a san­guine vitae suae instituto ita abhorrens, ut nec ex venae incisione fusum cruo­rem forsan ferre potuerit.

Ille noverat genus mor­tis, simulque locum sepultu­rae suae, nempe quod ruina belliiae inclusus magis, quam oppressus, suo sepeliretur tri­umpho: iste mortem, ac tor­menta crudeliora, & incog­nita expectabat, sepu chro­que se cariturum non dubi­tabat. [Page 12] Sed & alia multa dissimilia sunt. Nota quo (que) est insignis illa historia san­ctae mulieris Judith, quae & ipsa, ut obsessam civita­tem suam, ac populum Dei liberaret, cepit consilium, Deo sine controversia sug­gestore, de interimendo Ho­lopherne hostilis exercitus principe; quod & perfecit. In quo opere licet plurima, & apertissima supernae dire­ctionis indicia appareant, ta­men longe majora divinae providentiae argumenta, in istius Regis occisione, ac ci­vitatis Parisiensis libera­tione conspicere licebit, sicut certe quoad hominem, hoc fuit illo magis difficile, vel impossibile.

Nam illa sancta foemina intentionem suam aliquibus [Page 13] urbis presbyteris aperuit, portamque civitatis, & cu­stodiam pertransiit illis prae­sentibus, ac approbantibus, ut proinde scrutationi, vel explorationi, quae obsidionis tempore solet esse tam exa­cta, ut ne musca fere sine examine egredi queat, non, potuerit esse subjecta.

Apud hostes vero, per quorum cassra, & varias excubias transeundum erat, saepius explorata, & exami­nata cum foemina esset, net quid quam haberet vel lite­rarum, vel armorum, unde suspicio oriri potuit, de que adventu in castra, & a suis, fugae probabiles reddens ra­tiones, facile dimittebatur.

Sicut tam propter easdem causas, quam propter sex, um & formae excellentiam ad Principem impudicum in­troduci, & in temulentum, facile, quod designavit, per­ficere valuit. Ita illa.

[Page 14] Hic vero Religiosus ag­gressus est, & confecit rem longe majorem, pluribusque impedimentis, ac tantis dif­ficultatibus, periculisque obsitam, ut nulla prudentia, aut astatia humana, nec a­bio modo, nisi aperta Dei or­dinatione, ac succursu confici potuerit. Debebant obtine­ri litterae commendatitiae ab iis, qui erant contrariae fa­ctionis; transeundum erat per eam urbis portam qua itur ad castra hostium; quae ita sine dubio in illis obsidi­onis angustiis custodiebatur, ut cuncta haberentur sus­pect, nec cuiquam sine cu­riosissima exploratione de lit­teris, nunciis, negotiis, ar­mis, pateret exitus.

Sed isse (res mira) vigi­les pretransiit sineexamine, etiam cum litteris creden­tiae ad hostem, quae si fuis­sent interceptae a civibus, sine mora, ac sine ulteriori [Page 15] judicio de vita fuisset a­ctum, atque apertum hoc di­vinae providentiae argumen­tum: sed majus miraculum est illud, quod idem mox sine omni exploratine transie­rit quo (que) castra hostium, va­rias militum excubias, ip­sam (que) corporis Regis custo­diam, ac totum deni (que) ex­ercitum, qui fere erat con­flatus ex haereticis, ipse Re­ligiosus existens, & in ha­bitu Ordinis sui, qui ita e­rat exosus talibus homini­bus, ut in illis locis, quae paulo ante prope Parisios vi ceperant, Monachos quos (que) vel occiderint, vel pessime tractaverint.

Judith erat foemina, mi­nime (que) odiosa; tamen examinata saepe, illa nihil secum tulit, unde sibi ori­retur periculum: iste Mo­nachus, & propterea odio­sus, ac suspectissimus, eti­am cum cultello ad hoc pro­positum [Page 16] praeparato, non in vagina condito (unde pote­rat esse probabilis excusatio) sed nudo, ac in manica abscondito, quem si invenis­sent, mox fuisset in crucem actus.

Ista omnia clariora sunt particularis providentiae di­vino argumenta, quam ut negare queat: nec aliter fieri potuit, quam ut a Deo occaecarentur▪ oculi inimico­rum ne agnofcerent illum.

Nam; ut antea diximus, licet quidam ista absurde tribuant fortunae, aut ca­sui, tamen nos hoc totum non alio referendum cense­mus, quam in divinam vo­luntatem.

Nec profecto aliter fa­ctum credercm, nisi captiva­rem intellectum in obse qui­um Christi, qui hoc modo admirabili, & liberare ci­vitatem Parisiensem (quam variis viis intelleximus fu­isse in summo discrimine, [Page 17] maximisque angustiis consti­tutam) & istius Regis gra­vissima peccata punire, cum­que tam infausta, & infami morte e medio tollere sta­tuit. Atque nos, dolentes sane, aliquoties praedixi­mus fore, ut quemadmodum erat familiae suae ultimus, ita aliquem insuetum, & de­decorosum vitae exitum esset habiturus. Quod me dix­isse non solum Cardinales Io­iosa, Lenocortius, & Parisi­ensis, sed etiam, qui tunc apud nos residebat Orator, testes esse possunt.

Neque enim hic mortuos, sed viventes in testimoni­um hujusmodi verborum nostrorum adhibemus, quo­rum isti omnes probe memi­nisse possnnt. Quidquid ta­men in hunc infoelicem Re­gem hoc tempore dicere co­gimur, nullo modo volumus, ut pertineat ad nobilissimum illud Galliae Regnum, quod [Page 18] nos imposterum, sicut hacte­nus semper omni paterno a­more, ac honorc prosequemur. De persona ergo Regis tan­tum ista cum dolore diximus, cujus infaustus finis eximit quoque ipsum ab iis officiis, quae solet haec sancta sedes (quae est pia Mater omnium fidelium, & maxime Christi­anorum principium) Impe­ratoribus & Regibus post mortem exhibere: quae pro isto libenter quoque fecisse­mus, nisi id fieri in hoc casu sacrae Scripturae vetarent.

Est, inquit S. Joannes, peccatum ad mortem, non pro illo dico ut roget quis: quod vel intelligi potest de peccato ipso, ac si diceret, pro illo peccato. vel pro remis­sione illius peccati nolo ut quisquam roget, quoniam non est remissibile: vel, quod in eundem sensum re­dit, pro illo homine, qui pec­cat [Page 19] peccatum ad mortem, non dico ut roget quis. De quo genere etiam Salvator apud Mat. quod illi, qui pec­cat in Spiritum sanctum, non remittetur, neque in hoc saeculo, neque in futuro. Ubi facit tria genera pec­catorum, nimirum in Pa­trem, in Filium, & in Spiri­tum sanctum; atque prio­ra duo esse minus gravia, & remissibilia, tertium vero irremissibile, quae tota dif­ferentia, sicut ex Scriptu­ris scholae tradunt, oritur ex distinctione attributorum, quae singula singulis Perso­nis sanctissimae Trinitatis appropriantur.

Licet enim, sicut eadem est essentia, sic eadem quo­que est potentia, sapientia, & bonitas omnium persona­rum (sicut ex Symbolo S. Athanasii didicimus, cum [Page 20] 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 cujus (que) personae, ut in aliam referri non queant; ex quorum Attributorum con­trariis, & distinctionem, & gravitatem peccatorum dig­noscimus.

Contrarium Potentiae, quae attribuitur Patri, est Infirmitas; ut pro­inde id quod ex infirmitate, seu naturae nostrae imbecilli­tate committimus, dicatur committi in Patrem.

Oppositum Sapientiae est Ignorantia, ex qua cum quis peccat, dicitur peccare in filium; ita ut ea, quae vel ex humana infirmitate, vel ignoratione peccamus, faci­lius nobis condonari soleant.

Tertium autem Attribu­tum, [Page 21] quod est Spiritus San­cti, nempe Amor, habet pro contrario Ingratitudinem, 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 reddatur, at (que) impoenitens at (que) his modis 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 quo­dammodo; cum tamen sola impoenitentia sit omnino & simpliciter irremissibilis: quicquid enim in vita com­mittitur, licet contra Spiri­tum sanctum, potest per pae­nitentiam deleri ante mor­tem. Sed qui perseverat [Page 22] us (que) ad mortem, nullum lo­cum relinquit gratiae ac mi­sericordiae: at (que) pro tali pec­cato, seu pro homine sic pec­cante, noluit Apostolus ut post mortem oraremus.

Jam ergo quia magno no­stro dolore intelligimus, prae­dictum Regem ex hac vita sine poenitentia, seu impoe­nitentem excessisse, ni­mirum in consortio haereti­corum; ex talibus enim ho­minibus confecerat exerci­tum suum: & quod com­mendaver at moriens reg­num in successione Navar­rae declarato haeretico, & ex­communicato; necnon in extremis, ac in ultimo fere vitae spiritu ab eodem, & simi­libus circumstantibus peti­erit, ut vindictam sume­rent de iis, quos ipse judica­bat fuisse causas mortis suae. Propter haec, & similia ma­nifesta impoenitentiae indi­cia, decrevimus pro ipso non esse celebrandas exe qui­as, non quod praesumamus quidquam ex hoc de occultis erga ipsum Dei judiciis, aut misericordiis, qui poterat se­cundum [Page 23] beneplacitum suum in ipso exitu animae suae con­vertere cor ejus, & miseri­corditer cum illo agere; sed ista locuti sumus secundum ēa, quae nobis exterius pa­tent. Faxit benignissimus Salvator noster, ut reliqui hoc horrendo justitiae super­nae exemplo admoniti, in vi­am salutis redeant, & quod misericorditer hoc modo coe­pit, benigne prosequatur, ac perficiat, sicut eum facturum speramus: ut de erepta Ecclesia de tantis malis, & periculis, perennes illi gra­tias agamus.

In quam sententiam cum dixisset Pontifex, dimisit Consistorium cum benedi­ctione.

An Oration of Pope Sixtus the Fifth, upon the death of King Hen. the Third, in Rome in the full Assembly of the Cardi­nals.

COnsidering oftentimes and seriously with my self, and applying the utmost of my understand­ing unto these things which now of late, by the Will of God, are come to pass; I think I may fitly use the words of the Prophet Ab­bakuk, saying, I have wrought a Work in your days, which no Man will be­lieve when it shall be told him, Abbak. 1. v. 5. The French King is slain by the hands of a Fryar.

[Page 4] For unto this it may truly be compar'd, though the Prophet spake of ano­ther thing, namely, of the Incarnation of our Lord, which exceedeth all other Wonders and Miracles: As also the Apostle S. Paul referreth the same words unto the Resurrection of Christ, ( Acts 13. v. 41.) When the Prophet says, a work, he means not by it some common or ordina­ry thing, but a rare and notable matter, and wor­thy to be remembred, as that of the Creation of the World; The Heavens are the works of thy hands: and again, He rested the seventh day from all the works which he had made. When he saith, I have wrought, with these words the Scripture is wont to express things not to come to pass casually, by For­tune, or Accident; but things falling out by the determined Counsel, Will, Providence and Ordinance of God: As our Saviour says, The works that I do, [Page 5] shall ye do also, and great­er works than these, ( Joh. 14. v. 12.) and many more in holy Writ to the like purpose. Now that he says, that it is done in times past, herein he fol­lows the use and manner of the other Prophets, who for the certainty of the e­vent are wont to predict things to come, as if they were past already; for, as the Philosophers say, Things past, are of necessity, things present of being, and things to come, only of possibility▪ So do they speak. For which cer­tainty the Prophet Esay long before, prophecying of the death of Christ, hath thus spoken; He was led as a Sheep to the slaughter, and like a Lamb dumb be­fore his Shearer, so opened he not his mouth, &c. as it is likewise repeated, Act. chap. 8.

And this, of which we are now speaking, and which has hapned in these our days, is a very famous, memorable, and well-nigh [Page 6] incredible thing; not done, or accomplished, without the particular providence, and disposition of the Al­mighty. A Fryar has kill'd a King, not a painted one in Paper, nor pictur'd out upon a Wall; But the French King, in the mid­dle of his Armies, encom­pass'd▪ round about with his Guard, and Souldi­ers; which truly is such an Act, and done in such a manner, that none will be­lieve, when it shall be told them; and perhaps our Posterity after us will ac­count, and esteem it, but a Fable.

That the King is dead, or else slain, it is easily to be believed; but that he is kill'd, and taken away in such sort; is hardly credi­ble: even as we presently assent, that Christ is born of a Woman; but if we further add, of a Virgin-woman, then, according to human reason, we can­not assent unto it; and so we can readily believe that Christ died, but that he [Page 7] rose from the dead to life again, this, to Man's natu­ral understanding, is im­posible, and therefore in­credible, because there is no return from a privation to an habit: That one is a­wakened again out of a sleep, extasie, or a swound, because it is not against Na­ture, we naturally believe it; but to be risen again from the dead, it seemed so incredible a thing to Na­ture, that St. Paul dispu­ting with the Athenian Philosophers about this ve­ry Point, was disgusted for it, and accused to be a set­ter forth of new, or strange Gods: and some, as S. Luke reports, mocked him, others said, We will hear thee a­gain of this matteer. Of such things therefore which befall not accord­ing to the Laws of Nature, and the ordinary Course thereof, speaketh the Pro­phet, viz. that none shall believe it, when it shall be told them. But we give credit unto it, whilst we consider the omnipotency [Page 8] of God, and by submitting our own understandings to the obedience of Faith, and the Commands of our Sa­viour Christ; and by these means, what was incredi­ble before by Nature, be­cometh credible by Faith: We therefore, that as meer Men cannot believe Christ to be born of a Virgin, when this is further added, that it was wrought super­naturally, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, then we truly assent to it, and faithfully believe it. So likewise when it is said that Christ is risen again from the dead, naturally we be­lieve it not, but when it is affirmed that this was done by the Power of the Divine Nature (which was in him) then we rea­dily, and without any kind of doubting, believe it.

In the same manner, though to natural Reason and human Capacity it may seem a thing incredi­ble, or altogether improba­ble, that such a mighty King should be murder'd in [Page 9] the midst of his Army, en­viron'd round with his Guards, and Souldiers, by a poor, simple, weak Religi­onist, or Fryar: Yet con­sidering, on the other side, the great and grievous sins of this King, and the spe­cial Providence of the Al­mighty herein, and by what a strange and won­derful way he hath accom­plished his most just Will and Judgment against him, then we fully and most firmly believe it; and there­fore this great and miracu­lous work, we are to a­scribe to a particular Pro­vidence of God only: not as those that erroneously referr all things unto some ordinary Causes, or unto Fortune, or such-like ac­cidentary Events; but as those who (more nearly observing, and looking in­to the Course of the whole matter) do easily see that there were many things intervening in it, which could not have been brought to pass, and di­spatched, without the spe­cial [Page 10] help of God. And truly the state of Kings and Kingdoms, and all other such rare and weighty Af­fairs should not be thought to be Governed of God rashly, and unadvisedly; there are some Instances in holy Writ of this nature, and none of them can be re­ferred unto any other cause, but God only: but yet there is none wherein the coelestial operation more appeareth, than in this, whereof we are now a­speaking.

We read in the first Book of Macchabees, ch. 6. how Eleazar run himself upon a certain Death, to kill the King that was an Enemy and a Persecutor of the People and Chil­dren of God: For, in the Battel, espying an Elephant higher and more stately than the rest, whereon It was like the King rode, with a swift pace casting himself into the midst of his Enemies Troops, here and there making his way by force, he came to the [Page 11] Beast at last, and went un­der her and thrust his Sword into her Belly, and slew her, who falling, with the great weight of her Body press'd him to death, and kill'd him out of hand. Here in this Instance we may see some­thing not unlike to ours, viz. as to zeal, valiantness of mind, and the issue of the Enterprise; but in the rest there is no Com­parison to be made. Elea­zar was a Souldier exerci­sed in Weapons, and train­ed up in Wars, set in Battel, emboldned with courage, and inflamed withrage and anger: This a Fryar, not inured to fighting, and so abhorring blood by the Or­der of his Profession, that perhaps he could not abide the cutting of a Vein.

He knew the kind of his Death, as also the place of his Burial; namely, that he should be Entombed un­der the fall of the Beast, and so buried in the midst of his triumph and victo­ry. This Man lookt for a certain death, and expect­ed [Page 12] nothing but unknown and most cruel torments, and did not doubt before but that he should want a Grave to rest within. But there be many other things wherein these two Instan­ces can suffer no compari­son. The famous History of the holy Woman Ju­dith, is sufficiently known, who determined with her self, (God no doubt imme­diately moving her to it) that she might deliver the City and the People of God, to murder Holopher­nes, the General and chief Commander of the Ene­mies Forces, which she most effectually accomplished. Wherein although appear many and most manifest signs of Heavenly directi­on, yet far greater Argu­ments of Gods Providence are to be seen in killing of this King, and the deliver­ing of the City of Paris, far more difficult, and har­der to be brought to pass, than was the Enterprise of Judith. For this holy Wo­man discovered her inten­tion [Page 13] to some of the Gover­nours of the City, and passed thorow in sight and presence of the Elders and Princes of that place▪ and by that means was not sub­ject unto their examination and searching (which is always us'd so strictly in time of Siege and War, that a Fly can hardly with­out examination escape them) She being come to the Enemy, through whose Company and Watches she was to go, and often­times searched and examin­ed, being a Woman; and carrying no Letters nor Weapons about her, from whence any suspicion might arise, and with all yielding reasons of her coming thi­ther, and abandoning her Relatives, was easily dis­charged: and not only up­on the forementioned cau­ses, but also for her Sex and exquisite beauty, being brought before this lewd and unchast Prince, she might perform that which she had determined before. This is Judith scase.

[Page 14] But this religious man undertook and perform'd a matter of greater weight; encompassed with so many Impediments, Difficulties and Dangers, that no sub­tilty of Man, no Humane Policy, nor any Worldly Wisdom, but only the clear and visible Provi­dence of God, and his spe­cial Aid could bring it to pass. First Letters commen­datory were to be procur'd of the contrary party, then was he constrained to go thorow that Gate of the Ci­ty that led to the Enemies Camp; the which with­out doubt was so narrowly kept and watched in the extremity of that Siege, that every triflle bred sus­picion, and none were suf­fered to go forth without narrow searching before, touching their Letters, Messages, Business, and Af­fairs they had. But he (a wonderful thing) passed through the Watch unex­amined, yea with Letters credential unto the Enemy; which if they had been in­tercepted [Page 15] by the Citizens, without any delay and fur­ther tryal he should have been executed presently. And therefore this is a ma­nifest Argument of Gods Providence. But this is a far greater Miracle, that he without searching went also through the Enemies Camp, by divers Watches and sentinels; and, which is more, through the Kings Guard du Corps; and fi­nally, through the whole Army, which was made up mostly of Hereticks; he being a Religious Man, and clade in the Habit of his order, which was so o­dious a Garb to those men, that they either killed, or severely treated all those Fryars, whom they found in those places, which not long before they had taken about Paris. Judith was a Woman, and nothing o­dious, yet examined often; she carried nothing that might have turned to her Danger and Destruction. This man, a Fryar, and therefore hated, and most [Page 16] suspected, having also a Knife prepared for that purpose, not in a Scabbard, (which might have made his excuse probable) but naked, and concealed in his Sleeve; which if it had been found about him; he would (questionless) have been put to death im­mediately. All these are such clear Arguments of the particular Providence of God, that they cannot be denyed; neither could it otherwise be, but that God blinded the Eyes of the Enemy, that they could not see nor know him. For (as we have said before) although some do absurdly ascribe this unto Fortune, or Chance, yet none can refer the whole matter to no other cause, but the will and holy purpose of God. And indeed I could not believe this to have been done otherwise, un­less I should captive or sub­mit my understanding to the obedience of Christ, who determined by these miraculous means, to deli­ver [Page 17] and set at liberty the City of Paris, which as we have heard was in great danger and extremity) and to punish the notorious sins of that King, and to de­prive him of this life by such an unhappy and infa­mous kind of death; and we truly (not without great inward grief) have oft-times foretold, that as he was the last of his name and family, so was he like to have, and make some strange and shameful end of his life. And that I have several times said this thing, not only the Cardi­nals Joiosa, Lenocortius and Parisiensis, but also the O­rator, at that time here re­sident, can sufficiently te­stifie. For we mean not to call the dead to attest our words, but the living; some whereof at this very present do yet well remem­ber them. But whatsoe­ver we have been forc't to speak against this unfortu­nate King, we would by no means have it thought to be intended against the [Page 18] noble Realm of France; which we shall embrace and foster hereafter, as we have hitherto always done, with all Fatherly love, ho­nour and affection. This therefore which we with grief have spoken, concerns the Kings person only, whose unhappy and un­lucky end deprives him al­so of those honourable Of­fices and Respects, which this holy Seat (the tender Mother of all Faithful, but especially of Christian Princes) is wont to pay to Emperours and Kings; which we most willingly would likewise have be­stowed on him, if the holy Scriptures in this case had not altogether forbidden it.

There is, saith St. John, a Sin unto Death; I say not that any should pray for it; which may be understood either of the Sin it self, as if he should say, for that Sin, or for the remission of that Sin, I will that none should pray, be­cause it is not pardonable: Or else which comes to the [Page 19] same sence, 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 seve­rally 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 S. A­thanasius [Page 20] his 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 therefore that which we do amiss through infir­mity, or weakness of Na­ture, is said to be commit­ted against the Father: the opposite unto Wisdom is Ignorance, through which when any 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.

[Page 21] 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 were 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 wipt out, or done a­way before we dye; but [Page 22] they that persevere therein till death, are excluded from all grace and mercy hereafter. And therefore for such Sins or 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 of such men;) and that by his last Will he commend­ed and made over his Crown and Kingdom to the Succession of Navar, 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 [Page 23] of his impenitency, we have decreed not to solem­nize his death with Fune­rals; not that we presume any thing by these, con­cerning Gods secret Judg­ment 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 hath delivered his Church from such great and im­minent dangers.

When his Holiness had thus ended his Speech, he brake up the Consistory, and dismist them with his Benediction.