A sermon preached at Worcester on the 18th of April, 1686 being the second Sunday after Easter / by H.H., S.J. H. H. (Henry Humberston) 1686 Approx. 30 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 15 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2009-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A44950 Wing H3365 ESTC R14501 12206470 ocm 12206470 56194 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A44950) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 56194) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 764:16) A sermon preached at Worcester on the 18th of April, 1686 being the second Sunday after Easter / by H.H., S.J. H. H. (Henry Humberston) [6], 22 p. Printed for Matthew Turner ..., London : 1686. Reproduction of original in Huntington Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Catholic Church -- Sermons. 2007-12 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-12 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2008-02 John Latta Sampled and proofread 2008-02 John Latta Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A SERMON Preached At VVorcester , On the 18 th . of April , 1686. being the SECOND Sunday after Easter . By H. H. S. J. LONDON , Printed for Matthew Turner , near Turn-Style in Holbourn , 1686. THE PREFACE . WHosoever reads the following Discourse , will see , by the beginning of it , that it was not made for the Press ; but it having had the same hard fortune , that many have now adayes , to be generally condemn'd without being known , it was judg'd convenient it should shew it self in Print ; to the end , that those who think and speak Ill of it , may see what it is they Blame . For my part , as I do not know its Crime , so I cannot undertake to Defend it ; therefore I deliver it up to the judgement of the Reader , without any thing , but it s own Innocency , to protect it against a Censure ; only one favour I beg at his hands , which is , that he would not presently upon sight of the Text ( as many have done at the Hearing it ) cry out , without proceeding any further , Here must needs be a Bloody Sermon ; for this is tacitely , either to condemn the Word of GOD , as being the principle of ill Doctrine ; or to say , that the Preacher has Quoted it to a Malicious purpose . The former of which , would be a Blasphemy ; the latter , a rash Judgement . Therefore let him read it over first , and then let him freely Condemn whatsoever he finds Amiss . Now , in confidence that no Immorality will be found in it , I intreat those that find themselves deceiv'd in the Opinion they have had of it , to reflect , that perchance the same Popular Report , that has Misinform'd them in This , does also Abuse them in a matter of greater Importance ; and make them condemn a Religion , which would be their Salvation , if they Vnderstood it . To avoid this Inconvenience , they would do well to follow the advice of the Apostle , 1 Cor. 4. 5. Do not judge before the time ; i. e. Before your self have examin'd and seen what you condemn : If this counsel were follow'd , I confide , that , by God's Grace , we should soon be Vnited here in Faith and Charity , and in Eternal Happiness in the next Life . Which is the Hearty wish of , &c. Transite per Civitatem — & percutite ; non parcat oculus vester , neque miseriamini . Senem , adolescentulum & virginem , parvulum & mulieres , interficite usque ad internecionem : omnem autem super quem videritis Thau , ne occidatis . Ezec. 9. v. 5 , 6. Pass through the City — and strike ; let not your Eye spare , nor have ye mercy : The Old , the Young man , and the Virgin , the little One , and the Women , kill to utter destruction ; But every one upon whom you shall see Thau , kill you not . Ezech. 9. v. 5 , 6. IN my former Catechismes I explicated to you , as well as I could , the two principal Misteries of our Faith , viz. the Unity and Trinity of Almighty God ; and the Incarnation and Passion of our Saviour Jesus Christ . I call these the principal Misteries of our Faith ; and that you may understand why , I must desire you to reflect , that there be two things in this life which it mainly concerns a man to know , viz. the last end whether he is going , where all his desires are to be accomplished , where he is to rest for ever : And the way or means to attain to it . Our end is God , in him we are to find our eternal repose ; and out of him , there is no true repose : Our hearts were made for him , and they can never be at quiet , saith St ▪ Augustin , till they rest in him . The means to attain to this end , is our Saviour Christ , as he saith himself , John 14. v. 6. I am the Way , the Truth , and the Life : i. e. the Way by my Example , the Truth by my Doctrine , and the Life by my Grace . No body comes to the Father ( i. e. to the beatifical vision of God in Heaven ) but by me : i. e. by imitating my Life and Conversation , by observing my Doctrine and Commandements , and by the assistance of that Grace which I purchased at the price of my Blood. This is the reason why these are called the principal misteries of our Faith , viz. because in these two consisteth our whole Happiness ; the one being Happiness it self , the other the Way to it ; he that knows these two Misteries , as he ought , knows enough , tho' he knows nothing else ; because he knows all that is requisite to make him Happy : and he that knows not these , knows nothing ; tho' he knoweth all things besides ; tho' he knows all Philosophy , tho' he knows how to heap together Mountains of Riches , tho' he knows how to Conquer Kingdoms : because he doth not know , that which only concerns him to know , i. e. wherein consists his Eternal Wellfare . A Christian should have alwayes two things in his mind , viz. God and Jesus Christ : God in whom , and Jesus Christ by whom he is to be Happy ; God who is his end , and Christ who is his way . The knowledg and due consideration of these two Points , is the source of life everlasting , as our Saviour tells us , John 17. v. 3. This is life everlasting , that they know thee the only true God , and whom thou hast sent , Jesus Christ . On the contrary , the want of this knowledg ; or , which is the same , the want of a true reflexion upon it , is the cause of perdition to all those that perish . Travellers must needs lose themselves , that neither know their end , nor their way . These two Misteries do contain , the greatest part of the Creed , whether we regard the importance of the matter , or the number of Articles ; for of the Twelve , as I told you before , these are Eight . Therefore at present we will put an end to the declaration of the Creed , and pass to another part of the Christian Doctrine : but first , I have one thing to do , and that shall fill up the time we have left for this days entertainment ; It is to tell you , how we may keep a perpetual memory of these two great Misteries , which it so much imports us never to forget : It is by making the Sign of the Cross ; a thing so much practised by Catholicks , and with so much reason , as , by Gods help , I will make appear presently : For the sign of the Cross , is a short abridgment of all that we are taught in the Symbole of the Apostles concerning the Unity and Trinity , with the Incarnation & Death of God the Son. Observe a little , and you shall see how , When I make the sign of the Cross , I put my hand first to my head , and say , In the name of the Father ; then under the breast , saying , And of the Son ; then to the right and left shoulder , saying , And of the Holy Ghost . First I say singularly , In the name ; that is to say , power and authority : Then I say plurally , Father , Son , and Holy Ghost ; by which I signify that all Three have but one Name ; that is , Power and Authority , and consequently one Essence and Divine Nature ; here is Unity and Trinity . Now , the figure of the Cross does represent the Death of our Saviour , who died upon it ; but because it was impossible for God to dye but in mortal flesh , therefore this Sign , by a necessary consequence , doth represent his Manhood or Incarnation , together with his Death . And by this you may see , that the Sign of the Cross , which does so scandalize the world , is nothing but a profession of our belief in a Trinity , and a Crucified Redeemer . 'T is a sign by which we discern our selves from Jews and Turks , who pretend to believe in one God as well as we ; but neither believe a Trinity of Persons , nor the Incarnation of the Second . Give me leave to detain you a little longer upon this Subject ; First , to tell you the Reasons why we make so much use of the Sign of the Cross : In the second place , I will say what disposition of mind is required , to the end it may be beneficiall to those that make it . But to begin with due order , let us begg the assistance of him that died on the Cross , by her intercession of whom he took that Flesh in which he suffered for us , Ave Maria. Fides a nobis exigit duplex officium , cordis , & linguae : i. e. faith , saith St. Augustin , lays two obligations upon us , viz. one of the Heart , and another of the Tongue : the duty of the Heart , is to Believe ; that of the Tongue , is to Profess : this latter is as necessary as the former , Nequae enim salui esse possumus , nisi fidem ore profiteamur , quam corde gerimus : i. e. we cannot be saved , saith the same holy Doctor , unless we profess with our mouth , what we believe in our hearts . This doctrine of St. Augustin is taken out of St. Paul , Rom. 10. c. Corde creditur ad justitiam , ore autem confessio fit ad salutem : i. e. to obtain true justice , we must first believe in our hearts , for faith , as we are taught by the Council of Trent , is the begining of happiness , the root and foundation of all virtue and good life ; without which , as the Apostle tells us in Heb. c. 11. it is impossible to do any thing pleasing to God , or to be admitted into the society of his Elect Children . But this is not enough : to attain Eternal Salvation , faith must flow from the heart to the mouth , Ore confessio fit ad salutem , i. e. whoever will be saved , must be ready to make an open Profession of his Faith before men , whensoever a just cause requires it . There be two things in this matter most certain ; first , that it is never lawfull to betray the true Faith , either by a direct denial , or by professing any thing contrary to it . He that denies me before men , saith our Lord , Mat. 10. v. 23. I will deny him before my Father who is in Heaven . St. Luke hath it thus , He that is ashamed of me and my words , the Son of man will be ashamed of him , when he comes in his Majesty , and of his Father , and the Majesty of the Angels , c. 9. v. 26. The other thing is , that sometimes , under pain of being disowned by Christ at the latter day , we are obliged to manifest our Faith to the world : I said sometimes , viz. when Charity exacts it , and Prudence tells us it ought to be done : at other times 't is lawfull to conceal our Faith by silence ; but never with a denial . Now this profession of Faith , may be made two ways , viz. either by Words , or by Signs ; 't is not the Tongue alone we speak with ; we speak by the cloaths we wear , by the company we keep , by the Places we haunt ; we speak sometimes by silence it self . I know what Religion you are of by the Assemblies you frequent , as well as if you made a profession of it with your Mouth : I know what Master you belong to by the Livery you wear , tho' you speak not a word : Now to come to our purpose , the Sign of the Cross is the Livery of Jesus Christ ; I know by this Sign , that a man believes in one God and Three Persons ; the second of which , was Nailed to a Cross , as well as by the plainest words that can be spoken with a Tongue : when I see a man Sign himself with the Cross , I know he is neither Jew , nor Turk , nor Heathen ; I know he is a Christian , tho he sayes nothing to me : for he would not make that Sign , unless he believed what no Infidel will believe , viz. One God , who is Three Persons ; the second of which , was made Man , and Crucified for us . I say it over again , that for a man to make the Sign of the Cross , and to say I am a Christian , is the same thing . And now you have one Reason of this Catholick practice , viz. of making the Sign of the Cross , It is as I said before , a profession of our Faith. 't is the Livery by which we shew our selves to be the servants of Jesus Christ ; it is a distinguishing mark by which we discriminate our selves from all sorts of unbelievers . Now I will give you another Reason . Blessed is the man , saith the Prophet David , Psal . 39. v. 5. Whose hope is in the Name of the Lord , i. e. who puts all his confidence in God , who expects no happiness but from him ; neither in this world , nor in the next ; who hopes for no success in his affairs , but from his assisting hand : and this hope he grounds in the Merits of Christ , by whom , as the Apostle tells us , Ephes . 2. v. 18. We have access to the Father ; and without whom , there is no access to him , nor any possibility of obtaining any favour of him : for a token of this confidence grounded in Christ , we make the Sign of the Cross before every thing we do : we make it when we lye down to sleep ; hoping , that for the merits of him that died upon it , God will protect us that night from the Prince of darkness , and from all nocturnal fears , Psal . 90. we make it when we rise again , begging by the same means to be preserv'd that day from all evil , and that all may prosper that we undertake for the honour of God ; we make it before Prayer , to testify that we expect not to be heard but by him that was Crucified for us ; we make use of it in the most holy Sacrifice of the Mass ; in all our Sacraments , in the Benedictions of Water , of Candles , of Bread , &c. because we believe , that all Blessings and Consecrations receive their force and efficacy from the Death and Passion of our Lord and Saviour . In fine , we make no Oblation to the eternal Father , but what we sign with the Cross ; knowing that he accepts no Offering , and receives no Request , unless it be stamped with the Seal of his only beloved Son. This was the Custom of the primitive Christians , who , as Tertullian , an Author that lived not long after our Saviours Ascention into Heaven , doth testify , did ; to speak in his Phrase , wear out their Foreheads , by making the sign of the Cross at their going out , at their coming in again ; at putting on their Cloaths , at the washing of their Hands , and the lighting of Candles ; at their going to Bed ; in a word , at whatsoever action they imployed themselves in , Quaecunque nos conversatio exercet . This is the second Reason of our respect to the sign of the Cross ; it is a tacit invocation of the most blessed Trinity , by the Merits of our Crucified Redeemer : It is to testify , that we believe that no favour can be obtained of God , but by him , and for him . Before I give you a Third Reason , I must put you in mind , that Almighty God , as he is a most liberal Giver , so is also a severe exacter of Thanks : we may see this by his proceedings with the Children of Israel in the Old Testament : He never did them any notable Favour , but he commanded a Monument to be Erected to preserve the memory of it , and to transmit to Posterity the Obligation of giving Thanks for it ; for Example , he freed them out of Captivity , by Killing every First-born of the Egyptians in one night ; for a memorial of this benefit , he commanded them to keep a solemn Feast called the Passeover , and to mark the Posts of their Doors with the Blood of the Lamb ; to the end , their Children might learn , That the destroying Angel , when he killed every first-born in the houses of the Egyptians , passed over the houses of the Hebrews without doing Them any harm , Exod. 12. v. 27. He fed them in the Desert with a Bread from Heaven , called Manna ; for a remembrance of this , he would have a Gomer , i. e. a certain measure to be filled with it , and to be kept in the Ark of the Covenant , that future Ages might know the Bread with which he had nourished them in the Wilderness , Exod. 16. v. 32. He made them a Passage thro' the River of Jordan , as he had done before thro' the Red-Sea ; That this might not be forgotten in subsequent times , he bid them take twelve Stones out of the bottom of the dry Channel , and place them upon the Bank ; that after wards , Fathers might tell their Children why these Stones were laid there ; and so make them know their obligation , of thanking Almighty God for the favour done them , Josh . 4. v. 22 , 23. In fine , all their Festival-days , all their Ceremonies and Sacrifices , were so many Remembrances of their delivery out of Aegypt , and bringing them into the Land of Promise . Read Deut. 6. v. 20 , &c. The same duty of thanksgiving , he exacts of Christians , with so much more reason , as 't is a greater favour , to be delivered out of Hell fire , than out of Aegypt ; and to be brought to the Kingdom of Heaven , than to Palestine : and therefore we have our Monuments , to put us in mind of our Redemption as well as they ; our Christmas , our Goodfriday , our Easter , our Ascension-day , our Whitsontide ; all the Feasts of the Year are to put us in mind of some benefit received from God ; the most dreadful Sacrifice it self , what is it , but a Memorial of his Death and Passion ? Do this in remembrance of me , Luk. 22. v. 19. Now amongst other industries we make use of to keep up the memory of our Redemption , One , and that a very proper one , is the Sign of the Cross ; the Cross is a Monument of Christs Victory over the Devil ; a testimony of his Love towards Mankind , and a Sign of our delivery from the thraldom of Sin : by the Cross , saith St. Chrysostome , he broke down the gates of Hell , and loos'd the Souls of the Just that were imprison'd there ; he unlockt Heaven , and made us a free passage in thither ; by the Cross , he reconciled God to Man , and restored Man to the fellowship of the Angels : by the Cross , saith the same holy Doctor , death was turned into a sleep ; and that which was the destruction of life , is made an entry into life Eternal ; that which was the Punishment of sin , is become the Crown of Martyrs . When we look upon the Heavens , we remember the greatness of him that made them : and when we make the Sign of the Cross , we call to mind the Goodness of him that dyed upon it . God Almighty in the Old Testament , Deut. 6. commanded the Jews to have his Laws and Ceremonies before their eyes continually ; to meditate upon them day and night , in their houses , and in the high-ways ; at their lying down to sleep , and at their rising again : because , as 't is there said , they were memorials of their delivery from Bondage : the Cross is a memorial of our delivery out of a worse Bondage than that of Aegypt ; and from a heavier Yoak than that of Pharoah ; therefore with greater reason , we ought to think of it day and night ; at home and abroad , at our lying down , and at our rising up again . To this end the antient Christians , as St John Chrysostome witnesseth , did erect Crosses in all places , viz. in the Churches , in the Markets , in the Towns , in the Fields , in the High-wayes , and upon the tops of Mountains ; that wheresoever they went , wheresoever they turned themselves , they might have before them , the sign of Gods Love , and their own Redemption . And here is the Third Reason for the Sign of the Cross ; it is to put us in mind of the Victory Christ gain'd over the Devil , and of our own delivery out of Hell-fire . One Argument more , and I have done : St. Paul , in his Epistle to the Colossians , c. 2. v. 14 , 15. saith , That our Saviour Crucified , did carry the Devil in triumph , and made him a spectacle to God and his Angels . 'T is a remark of Origen upon this place , that as Christ was Crucified visibly , so the Devil was Crucified invisibly : Our Lord , by suffering himself to be Crucified , you know , did deprive himself of the use of his Arms for a time ; so the Devil , by the Cross , lost the use of his Arms , i. e. of his power over mankind for ever , and therefore was Crucified invisibly more than Christ was visibly . For this cause he is afraid of the Cross , as a Malefactor is afraid of the Gallows ; or as a Dog is afraid of a Stick with which he hath been beaten : Metuunt illud signum , in quo Salvator , aëris expolians potestates , eas fecit ostentui ; the infernal Spirits , saith St. Anthony , in his life written by St. Athanasius , fear that Sign , by which our Saviour triumphed over them , and made them the scorn of Heaven and Earth . Those two great terrours of the Devils , Anthony & Hillarion , as we read in their Authentique Histories written by St. Athanasius abovesaid ; and St. Hierome , did alwayes make use of the Sign of the Cross as the most efficacious Weapon against them . Nay , which is wonderful , it hath not this force only upon the Foreheads of Saints , but sometimes also , ( if so pleasing God for the clearer demonstration of the efficacy of it ) when it is made use of even by wicked men . We read in the Church-History written by Eusebius Caesariensis , that Julian the Apostate , so called , because he revolted from the Faith he had been brought up in , and attempted by a sacrilegious vanity to wash out of his Soul the indelible Character of Baptisme , by washing his body in the blood of Heathen Sacrifices : we read ( I say ) that this ▪ wicked man , by making the Sign of the Cross , tho' inconsideratly , and by force of a custom he had been inured to in the time of his Christanity , did put to flight those wicked spirits which had caused to be raised by Art-Magick , to learn of them the success of his future affairs . In virtue of this Sign appearing in the Air , Constantine the Great , our Countryman and first Christian-Emperour , was made Victorious over all his Enemies , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , i. e. In this thou shalt Overcome . And now you have the Fourth and last Argument for the Use of the Cross ; 'T is the Terrour of the Devils , 't is our Protection against them ; by this all their attempts are made ineffectual ; at the sight of this they run away . On the contrary , those that will not make use of it , those that bear no respect to it , not even for his sake that Redeemed us by it , how they disarm themselves , and lay themselves open to be wounded by their ghostly enemies , may be gathered out of those words of Ezekiel , which I have taken for my Text. This Prophet saw in a Vision , six men enter into the Temple , each of them with an instrument of Death in his Hand ; to those Command was given , to go through the City , and to Kill without Mercy , and without distinction of Age , Condition or Sex ; all they met with , excepting only those , whom another Man , sent before to that purpose , had marked with the Tau upon their Foreheads . Such another Vision was Revealed to St. John Apocalyps 7. in which he saw four Angels , with power to execute the Divine Justice upon all that had not the Sign of the Living GOD. What is meant by Ezekiels Tau , and what by the Sign of the Living God in the Apocalyps , I have not authority to define : But certain it is , First , that both the one and the other shall be a Mark of Distinction between the Elect and the Reprobate at the great discerning Day . Secondly , 't is no less certain , that the Holy Fathers do take them both for the Sign of the Cross ; and Reason perswades into this belief ; otherwise I think no reason can be given , why this Sign should have the name of Tau ; a letter which at that time the Prophet writ , did represent the Cross , as our Capital T doth at present : And what Sign peculiar to the Living GOD besides the sign of the Cross , and why it should be upon the Foreheads of those that are to be Saved by it , unless it be a Cross , I think no body can determine . Hence I conclude , That all that are found Markt with the Cross at the great Day , shall be under the protection of Almighty GOD. But those that are found without it , Shall they be abandoned to the fury of the Sword ? Shall they be left a prey to the Devils ? God forbid , that Souls Redeemed by Christ , should be left a prey to them ! But now I must desire you not to mistake me : I do not say , that the bare Sign of the Cross , separated from Faith , and other Pious dispositions of the mind , shall be a protection to any body in the day of Revenge : And therefore , to perform what I promised in the Second place ; I must tell you what disposition of mind is requisite , to the end the Sign of the Cross may prove Beneficial to those that make Use of it . St. Paul , Rom. 2. blaming the Jews for putting too much confidence in the outward Circumcision of their flesh , as if it were sufficient to save them without the observation of the Commandements : tells them , 't is not the external Circumcision of the body that makes them children of Abraham , but the inward Circumcision of the mind , i. e. cutting away all vitious affections from their Souls . The same I say in our case ; the outward sign of the Cross upon our foreheads , does not make us Christians , i. e. Children of God , and Heirs of Heaven ; but the inward sign of the Cross in our Souls . No body , as a learned Father antiently said , obtains any favour of God , by making the sign of the Cross upon his forehead with his hand , unless at the same time he make it inwardly in his heart , by Faith. Circumcision says the Apostle , ibid. is a profitable thing if you observe the Commandements ; otherwise Circumcision is no better than Gentility . So the Cross upon the forehead is good , if it be joyned with a Cross in the heart ; if not , we are but Heathens under the mark of Christanity . But what is it you will say , to make the sign of the Cross in our hearts ? It is to have in our hearts the virtues which Christ exercised upon the Cross ; of which the outward Cross is a sign , and without which that outward sign can benefit nothing at all . For example sake : The sign of the Cross is a sign of Humility ; a sign of humility in Christ that dyed upon it , and a sign of humility in those that make it ; now , as I said , it will benefit us nothing to carry the sign of humility without , if we have a proud heart within . 'T is a sign of Patience ; it will do us no good to have the sign of Patience upon our foreheads , whilst our minds are full of Anger and Revenge . It is a sign of Charity ; What will it avail us under the mark of Mercy and Love , to have a heart replenished with Hatred towards our Neighbour , and void of pitty and compassion towards the Poor ? 'T is a sign of Suffering ; To what purpose should we make profession of Suffering , whilst we welter in Pleasures ? 'T is a sign of Victory ; we should be ashamed to wear the Lawrel , having never yet fought against sin , and being yet fettered with the Chains of the Devil . In fine , all making the sign of the Cross , all coming to Mass , all saying of Prayers , and hearing of Sermons , all outward signs of Christianity , are but lyes , and do but make us Hypocrites , unless we have inwardly the Virtues we profess outwardly by these signes . But to weary your patience no longer , I will collect into a short sum , all I have said , that every one may carry something away . I have given Four Reasons why we make the sign of the Cross ; First , because it is a profession of our belief in one God , who is Three Persons , and in our Redeemer who dyed for us upon a Cross : 'T is the Badg of a Christian , and the Livery of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ : Therefore we must not despise it now , for fear he despise us another day . It is a tacit invocation of the most blessed Trinity by the Merits of Christ . 'T is the Seal of God the Son : We must mark all our actions with it , lest for want of it they be rejected by the Eternal Father . It is a memorial of Christs conquest , and our redemption : let us carry it about us , that we do not fall into oblivion of so great a benefit , and by oblivion incurr the crime of ingratitude . Fourthly , 't is an Armor of defence that will shield us against all the strokes of our Ghostly enemies ; if we cast it away , we expose our selves to their mortal wounds . Finally , whilst we carry the mark of Christian upon our foreheads , let us endeavour to have Christian Virtues in our hearts . Amen . FINIS .