5. Sanctified.] Al creatures be of Gods creation, none of the Diuel, or of any other cause and beginning, as the Manichees blasphemed: and therfore none are il, abominable, or vncleane by creation, nature, and condition, but al good and made for mans vse, though al be not alike holy nor equally sanctified. God made seuen daies, but he sanctified onely one of them, he made al pla∣ces, but he sanctified none but the Temple and such like deputed to his seruice, as the Arke, the altar, and the rest vvhich vvere by sacred vse both holy them selues, and gaue also holines and san∣ctification to things that touched them or vvere applied vnto them. So our Sauiour saith, that the Temple sanctified the gold, and the altar the gift, and generally al creatures secured from common and profane vse, to religion and vvorship of God, are made sacred thereby. So the places and daies of Gods apparition or vvorking some special vvonders or benefites tovvard the people, vvere holy, as Bethel, Sinai, and others. And much more those times and places of Christes Natiuitie, Passion, burial, Resurrection, Ascension: vvhich is so plaine a case, that the h••l vvhere he vvas transfigured onely, is called therfore by S. Peter, the holy mount.
These therfore be holy memories and monuments of al sortes sanctified, besides that creatu∣res (as vve see here) be sanctified also by the vvord of God and praier, that is to say, by benedi∣ction & inuocation of our Lordes holy name vpon them, specially by the signe of the Crosse, as S. Chrysostom noteth on this place, ho. 12 in 2 ad Tim. by the vvhich the aduersarie povver of Satan vsurping vniustly vpon Gods creatures through mans sinne, and seeking deceitfully in or by the same to annoy mans body or soule, is expelled, and the meates purged from him and made holesom. S. Gregorie (li. 1 Dialog. c. 4.) recordeth that the Diuel entered into a certaine religious vvoman by eating the herbe letti••e vnblessed. And S. Augustine li. 18. de ciu. Dei ••. 18. shevveth at large, vvhat vvaies he hath by meates and drinkes and other vsual creatures of God, to annoy men: though is povver be much lesse then it vvas before Christ but still much desire he hath on al sides to molest the faithful by abusing the things most neere and necessarie vnto them, to their hurt both bodily and Ghostly▪ for remedie vvhereof, this sanctification vvhich the Apostle spea∣keth of, is very soueraine, pertaining not onely to this common and more vulgar benediction of our meates and drinkes, but much more (as the proprietie of the Greeke vvord vsed by the Apostle for sanctification, doth import) to other more exact sanctifying and higher applying of some creatures, and blessing them to Christes honour in the Church of God, and to mans spiritual and corporal benefites.
For as S. Augustine vvriteth li. 2 de pe••. merit. c. 26. besides this vsual blessing of our daily foode, the Cathecumens (that is, such as vvere taught tovvard Baptisme) are sanctified by the signe of the Crosse, and the bread (saith he) vvhich they receiue, thought it be not the body of Christ, yet is holy, and more holy then the vsual bread of the table. He meaneth a kinde of bread then halovved, specially for such as vvere not yet admitted to the B. Sacrament: either the same, or the like to our holy bread, vsed in the Church of England and France on Sundaies. And it vvas a common vse in the primitiue Church to blesse loaues, and send them for sacred tokens from one Christian man to an other▪ and that not among the simple and superstitious (as the Aduersaries may imagine) but among the holiest, learnedst, and vvisest. Such halovved breads did S. Paulinus send to S. Augustine and Alipius, and they to him againe, calling them blessings. Read S. Hierom in the life of Hila••ion (post medium:) hovv Princes and learned Bishops & other of al sortes came to that holy man for holy bread, panem benedictum. In the primitiue Church the people commonly brought bread to the Priests to be halovved. Author op. imp. ho. 14 in Mt. The 3 Coūcel of Carthage cap. 24. maketh mention of the blessing of milke, honie, grapes, and corne. See the 4 Canon of the Apostles. And not onely diuers other creatures vsed at certaine times in holy Churches seruice, as vvaxe, fire, palmes, ashes, but also the holy oile, Chrisme, and the vvater of Baptisme, that also vvhich is the cheefe of al Priestly blessing of creatures, the bread and vvine in the high Sacrifice, be sanctified, for vvithout sanctification, yea (as S. Augustine affirmeth tract. 118. in Ioan.) vvithout the signe of the Crosse, none of these things can rightly be done.
Can any man novv maruel that the Church of God by this vvarrāt of S. Paules vvord expoū∣ded by so long practise and tradition of the first fathers of our religion, doth vse diuers elements and blesse them for mans vse and the seruice of God, expelling by the inuocatiō of Christes name, the aduersarie povver from them, according to the authoritie giuen by Christ, Super omnia d••monia, ouer al Diuels: and by praier, vvhich importeth as the Apostle here speaketh, desire of help, as it vvere by the vertue of Christ to combat vvith the Diuel, and so to expel him out of Gods creatures, vvhich is done by holy exorcisme, and euer beginneth, Adiutorium nostrum in nomine Domini, as vve see in the blessing of holy vvater and the like sanctification of elements. Vvhich exorcismes, namely of children before they come to Baptisme, see in S. Augustine li. 6 cont. Iulian, c. 5. & de E••. dogmat. 6. 31. Denupt. & concupis. li. 1 6. 20. and of holy vvater, that hath been vsed these 1400 yeres in the Church by the institution of Alexander the first, in al Christian countries, and of the force thereof against Diuels, see a famous historie in Eusebius li. 5▪ c. 21. and in Epiphanius her. 30 Ebionitarum. See S. Gregorie to S. Augustine our Apostle, of the vse thereof in halovving the Idolatrous temples to be made the Churches of Christ. apud Bedam li, 1 c. 30 hist. Angl. Remember hovv the Prophet Eliseus applied salt to the healing and purifying of vvaters, 4 Reg. 2: hovv the