our hartes after his death And therefore gaue vs in commaundement that we should celebrate the same perpetually receaue those elemētes for an euerlastyng memoriall of that Sacrifice and not to be sacrificed for the expiation of Sinnes Take sayth he Eate ye all of this In which wordes he doth call vpon not the Priests onely but inuiteth all the faythfull ingenerall without exceptiō as it were to a generall banquett alluryng all men to follow his example herein Which thyng we do diligently and carefully obserue at this present accordyng to his prescript commaundement and our dutyfull obedience not in corners mumblyng vpp priuate Masses but in our publique Congregatiōs assemblyes We do eate we do not Sacrifice we do drinke we do not purge by Sacrifice Moreouer we do not eate with our teéth onely but much more effectually with our harts not the body but with the body that so we be nourished both wayes With our bodies we do receaue the outwarde elementes in deéde in a thankefull memoriall of the Lordes body offred But with our fayth harts we do receaue and embrace not the visible signes and elements onely but the truth of the body and bloud of Christ the whole vertue and efficacy of the same Sacrament And this is the order of our Communions Osorius In the which we do neither eate the Sacramētall bread without Christ nor Christ wtout the Sacramentall bread For we do not rende these in peéces after your guise but we do ioyne both together the one with the other though we receaue them not both after one maner That which the soule doth feéde vpon is not bread but Christ That which is receaued into the mouth and passeth downe into the bowels is not the naturall reall body of Christ but bread And yet in respect of the signifieng mysterie it is not bread nor do we eate it for bread but for the body of Christ And therefore this mystery doth reteigne in deéde the name of the body but in substaunce the nature of bread and not of the body For what man hath bene euer of so Sauadge a nature as could not perceaue that mans flesh is no conuenient foode for mans body what Nation hath bene euer so cruell barbarous as to be serued at his table with mans bloud were it neuer so delicately roasted and spiced And what shall we say that Scripture it selfe doth not permitt this by any meanes that men shall feede vpon mens flesh and bloud Gene. 9. And in an other place you shall not feede vpon the flesh of all beastes as well foule as foure footed cattell Leuit. 7. And agayne No soule emōgest you nor of the Straūgers that doe soiourne emongest you shall eate bloud If the will of God were such that it might not be lawfull for his people to feéde vpon the bloud of beastes how much rather do ye suppose that we are restrayned by the same cōmaundement frō eating of mās flesh Moreouer whereas Christ him selfe doth confesse that he was sent downe into the earth for that end that he should dissolue no ioate of all that the law commaunded but should accomplish euery title thereof to the vttermost by what reason could he geue an oblation of his body and bloud at his Supper for a Sacrifice to be eaten and dronken without breache of the commaūdement of that law which is expressed in the 6. Chap. of Leuit. in these wordes The oblation that is geuen for sinne sayth he the bloud whereof is brought into the Tabernacle of wittnesse to make satisfaction in the Sanctuarye shall not be eaten but be burnt and consumed with fryer c. But here I suppose myne opposed aduersary will seeke after a knott in a Bullrush as the Prouerbe is Whereas Christ was able to doe all thinges by the assent and word of his omnipotency And whereas the same Christ also did affirme the same to be his body and bloud then must one of these two be graūnted of very necessitye that either we must discreditt Christ his wordes and abase the omnipotency of God or els we must needes establishe a true oblation of the body and bloud of Christ in the Supper If all the sayings of Christ howsoeuer vttered and spoken by the Lord must be done and performed in the selfe same order and effectualnesse that he spake them and if all thinges must be drawen to the killing letter you haue then woonn the Spurres But then what shall become of that spirite and lyfe of the Letter where vnto the commaundement of the Gospel doth require vs to apply Iohn 6 whereunto shall Augustines rule serue which willing vs to leaue the Letter doth force vs to a deeper consideration as often as an absurditie can not auoyded without a necessary Allegory if you be of this mynde that we ought to be driuen from such lyke Allegoricall and figuratiue speéches of lyke significatiōs But what is this els then to noozell vpp a Grammarian not a Deuine And by this meanes withall into how many senslesse absurdityes shall you force vs horrible and abhominable to be spoken with toungue We doe in a certein place heare the Lord speakyng playnely and sensibly enough I haue sayd you are Gods and are all the Sonnes of the highest If you regard the wordes onely what can be spoken more playnely I haue sayd sayth he If the outward sence of the Letter doe force such an inuiolable creditt what remaineth but that we say the men must forthw t degēder frō naturall mē into Gods Agayne where we heare Peter in an other place called by the name of Sathan Math. 16. which wordes of Christ if we will interpret after this maner we must neédes conclude hereupon that the Pope of Rome is not the Successor of Peter but of Sathan Wherby I suppose your Diuinitye is well enough certified how much it skilleth to attend and geue eare vnto not onely what is read in the bare letter of the holy scriptures but also to marke diligently the sence and meaning of the Scripture In Gene. We heare the Lord speaking as is before mencioned Let vs make light and light was made If after the same maner Christ had spoken ouer the bread the matter had bene out of all question Now whoso affirmeth that some one thing is an other thing doth not forthwith commaund the same thing to be made that other thing which he noteth It is one thing to make and an other thing to speake and pronounce Whereof th one is a chaunge of substaunces thother is a chaunge of names onely But Christ now taking here the bread the cupp in his handes doth not commaund that they shonld be made his body bloud but doth dignify the bread and cupp which he tooke in his hāds by the name of his body onely not chaunging the nature as Theodoret reporteth nor casting away the substaunce of bread and wine as Gelasius affirmeth
but honoring the visible signes by the name and caling it his body and bloud whereby he might more liuely expresse to our sences the vertue and efficacy of his death and passion ensuing For it commeth to passe I know not how that as often as we are minded to expresse the excellency of any notable matter we doe not accustome our selues altogether to the naturall proprieties of speéches but apply sometimes vnproper and borowed speéches to make the matter seéme more Emphaticall which thing is vsually frequented not in sacred Scriptures onely but very often and much also in the continuall practizes of humaine actions ciuill societye Such as haue vsually called Money the very Synowes of warres such as haue named Scipio the sword of the Romaines he that sayd that Quintus Maximus was the shield of the Romaines It is not to be doughted but by these figuratiue speéches they did meane to expresse more then the wordes did emport The Parents of Tobias when they named their Sonne the staffe of their age did they forthwith chaunge their sonne into a staffe of wood or did they vnderstand him rather to be their comfort of their lyfe vnder the lykenes of a staffe to leane vnto Paul commaundeth vs to take the sword of the spirite which he doth call the word of God In lyke maner when Christ commaundeth vs to receaue into out mouthes that which he named to be his body why doe we not as truely and in deéde transubstantiate the sword of God into a materiall sword as the Eucharist into the naturall fleshe of Christ If we shall speake after the proper phrase of speéch it appeareth playnely that the same death of our Lord which he dyed for our sakes did purchase for our soules euerlasting sauetye fulnes of lyfe And it is not to be doughted by that the Lord himselfe at his maundy before he suffered foreseéing what was comming vpō him did long before certyfy his disciples thereof by some significant token But to thend his wordes should be more deépely engrauen into their hartes he vouchsafed to enstruct them with some similitude of sensible thinges rather then with wordes by demonstration rather then by speculation setting before their eyes not onely a denomination of bread and wine alone but also a visible example of a material eating to enstruct thereby not our mindes onely vut to endure our senses to perseueraunce much more effectually And hereof both the cause and the originall of the Sacrament begann to spring at the first Doe ye this sayth he in remembraunce of me Go to then let vs aduisedly consider what our Lord did in that Supper and what the Apostles lykewise and what we also ought to doe Christ tooke bread in his handes he brake the same bread which bread being broken he offred not to his Father but to his disciples not for a Sacrifice but for a Remembraunce not to satisfy for Sinnes which could not be accomplished without shedding of bloud but in Remembraunce onely of that bloud which was to be shedd Doe ye this sayth he in Remembraunce of me And this was the whole order of Christ his action at that Supper what did the Apostles they receaued the Sacrament of the body deliuered vnto them when they had taken it they did eate it eating it in a thankfull remembraunce of their Redeémer they gaue thankes Now if we following their example herein doe not doe the lyke accuse vs if we doe the same accordingly tell vs Diogines what is it whereat you snarle Now agayne for your partes what you Catholickes doe in corners either vouchsafe to declare your selfe Osorius or harken a litle whiles I doe expresse it First the Priest doth take the bread sett downe vpon a stony Altar taking it doth consecrate it the bread being consecrated he doth himselfe worshipp first afterwardes he lifteth it vpp aboue his head as high as he can betwixt his handes as it were betwixt two theéues to the gaze to be worshipped of others and withall offring the same bread to God the Father in steade of a Mediator maketh intercession betwixt the Sonne and the Father beseéching the Father that he would vouchsafe benignely to accept these oblations of the body and bloud of his owne sonne And this doth the Priest forsooth aswell for the quick as for the poore prisoners in Purgatory Hauyng offred the Sonne on this wise the Priest doth reteigne him thus offred vnto him selfe doth deliuer him to no body but breaketh him to him selfe into threé small peéces if I be not deceiued two partes whereof he placeth vnder his handes one ouer an other after the maner of a crosse the third he drowneth downe in the Challice O wondrous and vnspeakeable mystery of the Pope These thinges being on this wise ordered this Christemaker taking vpp at the last this hoste deuided so into threé peéces two partes he deuoureth vpp and the third he suppeth out of the Challice in such wise neuertheles as that not so much as a croome of this supper or apish Enterlude rather cann come to the peoples share who must be contented to haue their eyes only fedd as it were in playes and Enterludes whiles this whipstart alone haue played all the partes of the Pageaunt and at the last throwing out a blessing from out the bottome of this Chalice commaundeth his gazers euery one to departe whither they will For as much as those things are dayly and euery where practized by you with bigge lookes supported to the hard hedg may I be so bold to learne of you by what right by what title of antitiquitie by what grounde of Scripture or by what example at the last ye be able to defende this your deuouryng of fleshe and breadworshypp by any example of Christ or his Apostles but where did Christ euer institute in the Supper a Sacrifice of his body where did he consecrate bread into his body or where did he transforme bread into his flesh where did he lift vpp any hoste vnto his Father with outstretched armes towardes heauen to pacifie his Father or where did he make a shewe thereof to the people to be gazed vpon what did the Apostles where did they euer worshypp the bread that they did eate in the Supper or in their Communiōs where did they euer inuyte others to any Adoration of this Sacrament and not rather to the eatyng thereof onely where did they Sacrifice it for the quicke and the deadd where did they euer carry abroad the Eucharist in Procession and open assemblies or where did they reserue it for stoare where did they euer defraude the lay people of one part of the Sacrament Briefly how all the proceédinges of this your iugglyng Enterlude doth varry from the first Institution of the Apostles how it hath not any partakyng or acquaintaunce with the Communion of Christ nor any resemblaunce or affinitie with his holy Supper Let whole Christendome be Iudge
word of God Ergo They are worthy to be accursed whosoeuer will spurne agaynst this Catholicke doctrine And because they may seéme to speake this not without some good ground they haue scraped together a few shreddes out of Auncient Fathers namely Cyprian Hesychius Ierome Ambrose Irene Oecumenicus wherewith they may bolster vpp not their credytt but their false packyng shuffled in among to delude the simple people withall Out of Cyprian is vouched first this sentence in an Epistle of hys For why rather sayth he the priest of the high God then our Lord Iesus Christ who did offer a sacrifice vnto God the Father and did offer the selfe same that Melchizedech did namely bread and wine to witt his body and bloud c. And immediately after As therefore it is sayd in Genesis that the representatiō of the sacrifice did goe before by Melchizedech consisting of bread and wine which thing the Lord performing and accomplishing did offer the bread and the cupp mingled with wine and he that it fulnesse it selfe hath fulfilled the verity of the prefigured representation Whereupon groweth this Argument We are commaunded to do the same that Christ did Christ did at his supper offer the Sacrifyce of his bodye and bloud Ergo We also ought to do the same if we beleeue Cyprian I do acknowledge the wordes of Cyprian I doe allow the authority neyther doe I sist out ouer narrowly how he doth agreé herein with the trueth of the hebrue letter because he sayth that Melchizedech did offer bread and wine and that vpon this offring hys Pryesthood was grounded because he did offer bread and wine As though Melchizedech were not a Pryest before he offered bread and wine Neyther doe I presume to take vpon me to aunswere herein as Augustine did aūswere Crescentius I am not bound to the authority of this Epistle because I doe not accompt the Epistles of Cyprian as canonicall but I do measure thē by the Canonicall scriptures And whatsoeuer I finde in him agreable with the authority of Gods word I doe allow of it and cōmend him therefore but whatsoeuer is contrary to Gods word I do by his patience refuse it c. And therefore lett those sayinges of Cyprian be true and autentick for me Goe to then and what aduantage hereof may be gathered for the ratyfiyng of the popish sacrifice wherein they do say that they do offer the sonne of God really for a propitiatory sacrifice which is auayleable not to the Receauer onely but to the quicke and dead also We are commaunded sayth he to do the same that Christ did at his last supper But he did not offer sacrifice for himselfe at his last supper as I suppose And how then doth the Pryest do the same thing that Chryst did yet neuerthelesse he did offer at his supper his owne body and bloud Did he offer it for sinnes yea or nay If you say yea The Apostle will deny it who did acknowledge none other sacrifice of Christ but onely one and doth likewise affirme that Christ was offered once onely to purge and wype away the sinnes of many If you say nay how then doe the Priestes the selfe same who do sacrifyce for sinnes as they say But I returne agayne to Cyprian Christ sayth he accomplishing in effect and trueth that which went before in a shadow dyd offer his owne body and bloud This is true in deéd But where did he offer it at his supper surely so say the Papistes But Cypriā doth not say so For whereas he speaketh of bread and wyne mixt together what he meaneth thereby he doth imediately declare in the same Epistle very playnely and doth interpret himselfe openly that it may appeare that this was not done at the tyme of hys supper but doth confesse that the same was performed at the passion and death of our Lord which was foreshewed and prefigured before And agayn a whiles after he shall wash sayth he his garment in wyne and his vesture in the blood of the grape Now when it is named the blood of the grape what els is declared then the wine of the cupp of the blood of the Lord And thus much Cyprian not meaning the supper surely but the crosse of Christ which doth appeare euidently by this that he annexeth forthwith in the same place denying that we are able to drinke the blood of Christ vnlesse Christ had bene troden and prest in the wine presse first and had dronken of the Cupp before of which Cupp he should haue tasted first to the beleeuers Which speéch of Cyprian forasmuch as can not be aptly applied to any other thyng then to the sacrifyce of the Crosse it may easily appeare hereby what aunswere ought to be framed to the Argument The same which Christ did must be imitated of vs. Christ did offer at his supper hys bodye and his bloud according to the Testimony of Cyprian But this is false For Cyprian throughout all that whole Epistle did neuer affirme that Christ dyd offer his bodye and bloud at hys supper but vpon the Crosse. If an Argument must neédes be framed from out the wordes of Cyprian we shall argue much more probably on thys wyse The same that Christ did offer we must offer also Christ did offer the same that Melchizedech did Ergo We must offer the same that Melchizedech did But Melchizedech did offer bread wine according as Cyprian doth witnesse Ergo We also must offer bread and wine Is there any sillable here that may helpe the Papistes cause or vtterly ouerthrow it rather Here is an other boane to pycke vpon raked out of Ierome where he sayth Melchizedech in the Type of Chryst dyd offer bread and wyne and dyd dedycate a Christian Mystery in the bloud and body of our sauiour c. This knott also is cleane cutt away with the very same two-edged Axe for I am not ignoraunt that the Ecclesiasticall writers doe make comparison now and then betwixt the presentes of Melchizedech which he gaue to Abraham and the sacrifice of Christ vpon the Crosse to witte that one figuratiuely this other truely and in veryty Be it now as they say Yet is thys no good proofe notwithstandyng to iustify that the Priest doth forth with offer the Sonne of GOD in the mysticall Supper really to God the Father in full remyssion of sinnes And yet here also do not all the holy Doctours agreé amongest themselues in all poyntes whereas some do compare the oblation of Melchyzedech with the Sacrifice of the Crosse Agayne other do compare it with the Celebrating of the holy communion yea and do make it equiualent therewyth Some do neyther agreé with thēselues applying the Allegory now this way now that way and many times both waies Finally though they should be vniforme in theyr Allegory yet how true that Argument is that is deriued from an Allegory accordyng to that saying which is commōly frequēted in
schooles which doth affirme that an Allegoricall Argument concludeth no trueth I referr me to the Logicians Of no greater valydyty is that Argument lykewyse which they rake out of Augustines wordes For on thys wyse is Augustine cited Melchizedech sayth he did deliuer to Abraham first as to thè Father of the faythfull the Eucharist of the body bloud of Christ. c. To graunt this vnto them as for confessed which neuerthelesse resteth yet vnproued That Melchizedech did represent the Euchariste in a type and vnder a veyle of likenesse yet whereas he offered nothing but bread and wyne this is not a good argument to proue that the Pryest which doth celebrate the Masse shall by and by offer vpon the Altar vnto God the Father the very same substaunce of his sonne for sinnes whiche suffered on the Crosse. Neyther is thys forme of argument allowable in Schooles Melchizedech did represent the Eucharist in a figure Ergo The flesh of the sonne of God is really offered for the quick and the dead in the Masse or Communion But lett vs proceéde to the remnaunt of our Aduersaryes Fragmentes There is also thrust in place a saying of Hesychius who writing vpon Leuiticus but as going before sayth he he did offer vpp himselfe in the Apostles supper Which they do know who be partakers of the efficacy of the misteries c. Nothing withstandeth but that Christ may be sayd after a certeine sorte to offer himselfe to the Father in his last supper euē by the same figuratiue speéch wherein the Lambe is sayd to be slayne from the beginning of the world Or as it is sayd in the old Testament that oblation is offered by Sacrifices in which phrase of speéch the same Hesychius in an other place in the same Chap. doth call Christ an Altar Christ being incarnate in the Uirgines wombe to be a soddē Sacrifice not in actuall veritye in naturall trueth of the thing in deéde but in power and vertue of a Mystery Whereupon lett vs heare what aunswere August doth make not vnaptly to these figuratiue speéches of Hesychius was not Christ once offred in himselfe sayth he And yet he is offred to the people not onely at euery solemne feast of Easter but euery day also Neither doth he lye that being demaunded shall aunswere that he was Sacrificed For if Sacraments hadd not a certain lykenesse of the thinges whereof they be Sacramentes they should not be Sacramentes at all Thus much Augustine whose authoritye if be not of sufficient creditt Lett vs annexe thereunto the Sentence of Lombard For thus speaketh he After this sayth he question is demaunded whether the action of the Priest may be called a Sacrifice properly or an oblation And whether Christ be dayly offred or whether he be offred once onely whereunto may be aunswered briefely That the thing that is offred and consecrated by the Priest is called a Sacrifice an oblatiō because it is a memoriall and a representatiō of the true sacrifice an oblatiō offred vpon the Altar of the Crosse. For Christ did suffer death vpon the Crosse once and was there offred in himselfe But he is dayly offred in the sacrament because in the same sacrament a memoriall is made of the same thing that was once offred c. And because we may not seéme to want witnesses lett vs couple hereunto the common Glosse differing nothing at all from the Maister of the sentēces which enterlacing a commentary vpon the place of Augustine where Christ is sayd to be Sacrificed De consecrat Distinct. 2. he doth expound the wordes of the distinction on this wise Christ is sacrificed That is to say the sacrifice of Christ sayth he is represented and a memoriall is made of his passion c. Now Syr how doe these hang together with the decreés of the Tridentine ghostly Fathers who are not satisfied to call the Masse by the name of Sacramentall Sacrifice wherein a memoriall and a representation may be made of the Lordes Sacrifice vnlesse it be accompted also a Satisfactory and Propitiatory sacrifice beyond all consideration and trueth of Scripture and besides all custome of the auncient Fathers But I retourne agayne to Hesychius who sayth that Christ did Sacrifice himselfe at his supper which saying I do admitt But Augustine doth playnely disclose what maner of Sacrifice that was De consecratione distinct 2. The very Sacrifice sayth he which is made with the Priestes handes is called the Passion of Christ his death his crucifying not in the trueth of the thing in deed but in a signifyeng mistery c. And agayne When the hoast is broken and the blood powred into the mouthes of the faythfull what is signified thereby els then the offering of the body of Christ vpon the crosse c. Therefore such as be of sound iudgementes will say that to deduct true and vnreproueable propositions frō the wordes that are spoken figuratyuely and after a certein sort is a shyft of subtle sophisters and not a poynt of sober Diuynes After this ensueth a place out of Irene very much and many times canuassed by our Aduersaries And he tooke sayth he that which is of the substaunce of bread and gaue thankes saying This is my body And the cuppe likewise which is of the creature of wine that is vsuall with vs he did confesse to be his bloud and did teach a new oblation of a new Testament which the Churche receiuing from the Apostles doth offer vnto God through the whole world of the which amongest the twelue prophets Malachy did prophecy on this wise I haue no pleasure in you sayth the Lord God of hostes and I will not accept an offering of your handes c. The place of Irene whereupon they beate their braynes so busily is chopt in here at this present according as the olde prouerbe sayth as good neuer a whitt as neuer the better as iust as Germaines lipps For whereas proofe ought to haue bene made that the same boyd of Christ which was once hāged on the Crosse thrust through the side vpon the Crosse is offered dayly in the Masse really and substantially in an vnbloudy Sacrifice for the redemption of sinnes for hereunto tendeth their inuincible Maxime they slipp away frō thēce now are come to shew that we are bound to offer vnto God the first fruites of all his creatures by the commaūdemēt of God least we may seéme vnthākefull vngratefull For besides this the wordes of Irene emporte nothing Now to graunt them all this that Christ tooke bread and the cupp of the Creature of wine that is vsuall with vs and did call the same his bloud what will all this preuaile to defend them in this lurking hoale for the question here is not whether we onght to make an oblation to God of the first fruites of all his creatures nor whether Christ gaue his commaundement to his Apostles which they did
conuey ouer by tradicion to the Posteritye afterwardes neither is any question made here whether Christ after he had taken bread and the cupp did say that it was his body and his bloud but whether the bread which the Priest doth offer in his Masse be really and substantially and in trueth of nature the body of Christ which himselfe hath appoynted and ordeyned to be offred in his Church by thapostles and their successors as Priestes of the new Testament for a dayly expiation of sinnes This foule absurdity whereas we and the whole consent of the Scripture doe vtterly deny you ought to haue deliuered cleare from inconuenience which as yet you haue not done out of Irene Although he doe make mention of a new oblation of a new Testament yet this doth not argue notwithstanding that either Christ should be supposed to offer him selfe at his last supper or that the Priest should be imagined to make a dayly Sacrifice in his Masse for sinnes w̄t the selfe same body wherein he suffered his Passion once vpon the Crosse for the sinnes of the world In deéde Irene doth tearme it by the name of an oblation And it is true so is it also many tymes called of many of the auncient Fathers Neither doe we mislyke the word nor yet doe abbridge the ecclesiasticall writers from libertye to frequent their Metaphors and hyperbolicall speéches as lyketh them best Howbeit the Scripture doth not acknowledge any such wordes Neuerthelesse sith it pleaseth them to accustome themselues with such speéches lett them vse this name of oblation a gods name and call this an oblation which we doe call the Eucharist we contend not about words it is the matter it selfe that we stand vpon The auncient Fathers because they seé a Communion instituted in rembraunce of the Lordes Sacrifice doe call it by the name of a Sacrifice by the same reason wherby they doe vsually ascribe vnto signes the names and effectes of the thinges signified These Catholickes on the contrary side doe cry out and exclame that he is an Heretique that will dare to say that the Sacrifice of the Masse is a bare memoriall of the Sacrifice of Christ accomplished vpon the Crosse. Neither thinke this to be sufficient that it be reputed as a memoriall but besides this bare memoriall they proceéde yet to his outrage that they endowe it also with the very power and effectuallnesse of the Lords Sacrifice so that whereas the passion of Christ is the onely meritorious cause of our redemption yet will they shamefully attribute the whole efficacye and operatiō of that inestimable benefitt to the Masse and in that respect they dare presumptuously commaund it to be called a sacrifice not a Sacramentall or a memoriall sacrifice but an Expiatory Propietatory sacrifice that I may be so bold to speake their owne tearmes And allthough they doe not deny that all our whole perfection doth proceéde frō the onely oblatiō of Christ Yet because this perfection is not made so absolutely perfect by the vertue and grace of Baptisme but that after our regeneration by grace we slippe and fail many tymes into many offensiue bypathes in this transitorye lyfe they doe affirme that this Sacrifice of the Church was prouided for a medicine to solue all those soares amperinges out of the fleshe as a restoratiue not onely to them that receaue it but very medictable for the quick for the dead also as though forsooth the merites of Christes bloud could not heale our woūdes without this minglemangle of these Satisfactory druggs How trymly this iugglyng doctrine doth agreé with the naturall proportioned squarier of the Scriptures let others Iudge as they liste I for my part that do now then exercise my tyme in the conference readyng of Scriptures auncient writers do verily iudge that these notorious Maximes can not by any meanes be of any importaunce except we plucke vppe our fayth by the rootes and banish cleane away the very sinowes and marrow of the sacred Scriptures For whereas the whole doctrine of Christes Gospell hath established all the treasure and riches of Gods promises yea Christ him selfe wholy withall his deseruyngs in fayth onely what shall remayne thē for this Sacrifice but that it represent vnto vs a memory remembraunce of the Lordes death onely and for this cause taketh the denomination of an oblation by the testimony of Irene and others The holy and sacred monumentes of aunciēt Doctours be full of Testimonies which do playnly declare that the Euchariste is not an oblation properly but is called an Oblation in respect that it is a memoriall of Christes oblation performed once vpon the Crosse. Furthermore as concernyng the application that it is ministred not by any other outward Instrument them by the preachyng of the Gospell of Christ and the dispensation of his Sacramentes and that the benefitt thereof is receaued by none other meane then by force of fayth onely Now therefore let vs first heare Irene as it were expoūdyng him selfe We doe offer vnto God sayth he the first fruites of his creatures with thankesgeuing He declareth that out of those first fruites of Gods creatures the substaūce therof was taken which was cōsecrated into the body bloud of Christ. And in this respect he doth call the whole action of the Minister an oblation And agayne emongest other thynges treatyng of the oblation of the new Testament he willeth vs also to offer a gift at the Altar cōtinually and dayly Therfore sayth he there is an Altar in heauen and thither must our prayers and oblations be directed c. First if the Church doe offer vnto God a gift of his owne creature I suppose now that ye Catholicke children will not affirme that the Chruch doth offer the Sonne of God then Moreouer if our Altar be in heauē as Irene did truly say to what purpose shall these Altares stand in the Church whenas we are taught to direct the Sacrifices of our supplicatiōs to the Altar not these stony Altares in the Churches but to that heauenly Altar that is in heauen Moreouer what shall we say to Ambrose who treatyng of Uirginitie was not afrayed to call the Uirgines hartes by the name of Altares in the which Christ was dayly offred And hereunto accordeth the Iudgemēt of Chrisostome The gift of the Gospell sayth he doth ascend on high without bloud without smoake without an Altar and without other the like c. So also Ierome Euery faythfull person hath an Altar within him selfe which is fayth Augustine likewise The Sacrifice of the new Testament is when we do offer cleane and pure Altares of our hartes in the presence of Gods maiestie And the second Councell of Nyce We Christians do scarsely know what is an Altar and what is an oblation Agreable to the Testimonies before recited is the notable and playne Testimonie of Eusebius We do sacrifice sayth he and do
heaueÌ„ly substaunce as you do imagine for Bread can not remaine materiall Bread without the substaunce of Bread no nor be surmised by thought to be Bread Paule doth sondry tymes call the Sacrament Bread But naturall Bread is not the body of Christ. Ergo. The Sacrament can not be the naturall body of Christ. I do speake here euen of the consecrated Bread as you call it or as Paule calleth it the Bread whiâ—h is blessed Whereof Paule hath an infallible sentence in his Epistle to the Corinthians The bread which we breake is it not the partaking of the body of Christ This Sacramentall Bread therfore after blessing when it is taken to be eaten is euen then Bread and brokeÌ„ as naturall Bread Ergo it loseth not his naturall substaunce nor is traÌ„substanciated into the naturall body of Christ as you vse to speake monstruously in a monstruous matter How then say you doth Paule call Bread the participation of the body of Christ For sooth in the same maner in the which a litle before he doth call Christ a spirituall Rocke They did all drinke sayth Paule of one spirituall Rocke which folowed them and the same Rocke was Christ and by and by after is set downe in the same Chapiter We many are one bread and one body In both which we do acknowledge the most wholesome and familiar speache of the holy Ghost but can not acknowledge your monstruous and newfangled TraÌ„substantiation To this purpose are the wordes of our Sauiour Christ to bee applyed This is my body whiche is deliuered for you doe ye this in remembraunce of me For the latter part doth explane the first part of the sencence most expressely For if the transubstantiated bread should conteine in it selfe the very naturall body of Christ hanged vpon the Crosse and thrust into the side for vs as you doe dreame what neéded then so often a rehearsall to be made vnto vs of the RemembrauÌ„ce of his body especially the body it selfe beyng presente and subiect to our senses and dayly handled in our handes But for as much as our Lord Iesus in the sight of the Apostles and the Angell declaryng the same did ascende vp into the heauens and sitteth there now at the right hand of his father of his infinite mercy hee hath left behynde him this most fruitefull and most healthfull Sacrament vnto our vse by the receauyng wherof we might be exceédyngly comforted and should emprinte deépely in our memory and reserue inuiolably the liuely and effectuall remembraunce of his most bitter death and Passion apperteinyng to the sauetie of our soules Now if any man doubt whether this bee so or no let him heare our Lord Iesus in the Gospell of S. Iohn so playne and perfect an interpretour of him selfe that nothyng can be added to make it appeare more manifest My fleshe sayth our Lord Iesus is meate is deede and my bloud is drinke in deede He that eateth my sleshe and drinketh my bloud the same dwelleth in me and I iâ— him Many therefore of his Disciples hearyng this sayd This is an hard saying who can abide it But Iesus knowing with in him selfe that his Disciples did murmure at this saying said vnto them Doth this offende you TheÌ„ what if you shall see the sonne of 〈◊〉 ascendyng where he was before it is the Spirite that geueth life the flesh profiteth nothing at all my wordes are spirite and life Your speach is a hard speach Osori it is a hard speach of traÌ„substantiating the bread into the naturall body of Christ. Touchyng the carnall and fleshly eatyng of Christes body your saying is hard yea as hard as yron who can heare or abide it Let vs here take our Lord Iesus to be the Expositour of his own wordes who doth so atteÌ„per mollifie this his speach beyng in outward apparaunce most hard of all other with a most sweéte interpretation as that nothyng caÌ„ be thought more mylde more apte for our coÌ„solation Be not offended at my wordes sayth our louyng Lord and most sweéte Sauiour Iesus for I must asceÌ„de vp vnto my father from whence I dyd deâ—ceÌ„d vnto you at the first And my body I must neédes take vp with me which you may not froÌ„ thenceforth haÌ„dle here on the earth Therfore in this case to witte to conceaue this mysticall eatyng of my flesh whiche I haue commended vnto you behoueth of very necessitie that you bee endued with a spirituall vnderstandyng For it is the Spirite that doth quicken the flesh proâ—iteth nothing at all That is to say the spirituall feédyng vpon my body which is geuen for you shall nourishe you to life euerlastyng But that fleshly eatyng which doth trouble you so much profiteth nothyng at all At the last our Lord Iesus coÌ„cludeth this place wholy vnto them in this wise The wordes that I do speake vnto you are spirite and life The wordes which Christ spake of the eatyng of his flesh are spirituall The flesh profiteth nothyng at all if we may beleue our Lord Iesus speaking of him selfe Let vs therefore take hold of that quickenyng spirite whiche may make vs partakers of euerlastyng lyfe beyng authorized hereunto by Christ him selfe and sithence you can not disgest this sweét and comfortable foode of the heauenly Table by fayth spirite we will leaue that other carnall and grosse banquet of the transubstantiated bread to you and to your Capernaites You seé now whereunto your testimonies that you trusted so much are come at the last whose authoritie I do not refuse but reuerence them and suppose that your transubstantiation is ouerthroweÌ„ and vtterly brought to naught by conferryng those two sentences with the other processe of the text Neither am I alone of this iudgement in the interpretatioÌ„ of these places For S. August writyng vpon Iohn alledgeth the same sentence in expresse maner of speach Tertul. also pronouÌ„ceth the same most euidently in his treatize vpon the distribution of the Sacramentall bread which two haue bene alwayes accoumpted learned and auncient Authours You presse me with a whole forest full of slauÌ„ders affirming that this SacrameÌ„t is fowly deformed by me the body and bloud of Christ is troden vnder feete the power and force of this wonderfull SacrameÌ„t is dusked and vtterly extinct by me I demaunde of you agayne what my wordes be where these botches doe lurcke in my bookes what I haue written what I haue done where and by what meanes I am ready either to repulse your errour or to coÌ„fesse mine own if I haue coÌ„mitted any such fault I craue no pardoÌ„ But if there be no such matter if it be rather all coÌ„trary if mine innoceÌ„cie be blameles herein I call to witnesse God men heauen and earth agaynst that most wicked toung whiche hath practized falsely to condemne the credite of your brother with so greéuous an accusation and so horrible a crime Fie fie Osorius what vnbridled licentiousnesse of Scorpionlike stinge
and are you not ashamed to obtrude vnto them this grosse errour whiche is ech where most euidently conuinced in the whole discourse of the Gospell treatise of holy Scriptures Cākred malice hath not onely blinded you Osorius but so bewitched your senses that as ye can not seé the truth your selfe so yet of a most arrogaunt waywardnesse you will frowardly kicke agaynst the Preachers of the truth And yet this notwithstāding is most true That sinne doth alwayes dwell within vs and that there is alwayes a law lurking in our mēbers rebellyng agaynst the law of the mynde which draweth vs as bondeslaues to sinnyng But the Lord doth deliuer vs from this body of death through the bloud of Iesu Christ not by rootyng out sinne from vs altogether but for Christes sake pardonyng the sinnes of them that repent And hereof arise those comfortable reioysinges of the faythfull He that spared not his onely begotten Sonne but deliuered him to be slayne for vs all how can it bee possible but that he should geue vs all thynges together with him Agayne who shall accuse the elect of God Thirdly it is the Lord that doth Iustifie who shall condemne vs These are not spoken to the end to set out our innocencie perfection whereunto we can not aspire whiles we are pilgrimes in this miserable flesh but doe expresse vnto vs that God doth geue vs freé remission through Iesu Christ so that we will set our whole affiaunce and hope vpon him which pronounceth of him selfe that hee was sent not to the righteous but to the Sinners bycause they should repent and amende their lyues But you can not well disgest these sayinges my Lord for what can you beyng an old Byshop allow in the Scriptures that haue bounde your selfe apprentice to such bussardly Schooledregges And yet this confidence in the death and bloud of Christ will rayse vs vp into heauen at that dreadfull day when you and your couled generation with all your peltyng trinkettes of superstitious workes shal be throwen headlong into hell vnlesse ye repent in tyme. For we doe assuredly knowe that if we confesse with our mouthes our Lord Iesus and beleue stedfastly in our hart that God hath raysed him from death to lyfe we shal be saued For with the hart we beleue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth we confesse to Saluation And yet this confession of fayth doth neuerthelesse want no testimonie of good workes as where withall she is alwayes accompanied for we are not so indebted to the fleshe that we should walke accordyng to the flesh for if we liue accordyng to the fleshe we shall dye But if in the spirite we mortifie the sinnes of our bodies we shall liue For all those that are guided by the spirite of God the same are the sonnes of God Wherfore renoūce once at the length such lothsome communicatiō where withall lyke a most filthy hogge mooselyng in the durtie swynesty of Epicure you vse most wickedly to scorne and deride the faythfull seruauntes of Christ. For ye write that it is the maner of their thought We are in good case enough for we are most acceptable vnto GOD through fayth Wherfore we are as righteous as Peter and as Paule yea as the most holy mother of God Ye goe amasked altogether Osorius the faythfull Ministers of Christ doe not acquainte them selues with this vnsauory and hautie spirite of pride but rather doe earnestly call to their remembraunce the sayinges of Paule The night is passed the day is come nye let vs therefore cast awaye the workes of darkenesse and let vs put on the armour of light Let vs walke honestly as it were in the day light not in eating and drinking nother in chambring and wantonnesse c. But let vs put on Iesu Christ and not make prouision for the fleshe fulfill the lustes thereof c. Hitherto Walter Haddon The residue aunswered by I. F. begynnyng where Maister Haddon left agaynst Osorius APelles the most famous Painter of the worlde endeuouryng in most curious exquisite maner to expresse the feature of Venus at Coe in Greéce called in Greéke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was preuented by death as Plinie reporteth whē as yet he had drawen but the halfe of the portrait and thereby cōpelled to relinquishe the residue so vnperformed that no man of the Arte were he neuer so expert durst at any tyme after presume with pencill to pursue the President The like lot albeit in vnlike endeuour that ouertooke Apelles amiddes his blazing the beautie of Venus seémeth to haue encountred our noble Gentleman Walter Haddon in displaying the veritie of the Gospell For after hee had vndertaken the commendable and prayse worthy defence of the truth agaynst Ierome Osorius albeit he neither obteined to beautifie the part which he had begon nor to accomplish his purpose in the rest and yeldyng ouer to nature was amyddes his race constrained to surcease his exploite yet hath hee so poolished that part whiche hee left vnfinished with Apelles Pencill that is to say hath framed so singular a Paterne in excellencie of Arte that with the sight therof the whole posteritie may be afrayde to set hand to the attempt For determinyng with him selfe to aunswere the slaunderous Inuectiues of Ierome Osorius compiled into threé bookes although it was not graunted him to performe the whole yet hath he so singularely endited one booke and the halfe of an other agaynst the same confuted the reasons which were none at all discouered his lyes whiche were most shamelesse daunted his hauty pride and vtterly discomfited his vaine glorious Peacocklike Rhetoricke with such grauitie wisedome and so well disposed stile that if there were no supply made by any other the truth of the Gospell beyng of it selfe otherwise vnuanquishable might seéme to haue no neéde of any other patronage Wherefore so long as we enioyed the lyfe of this excellent learned man and him selfe endured amongest vs as the Churche of Christ had a very worthy and valiaunt Captaine So had Osorius also a couragious and puissaunt an enconterer and meéte conquerour for such a monster But now sithence he is taken from vs albeit the veritie it selfe haue no iust cause to dispayre yet can not we chose but be vnderfully dismayed if not for M. Haddons sake yet for our losse chiefly For as concernyng M. Haddon hee can not but be in most happy estate whom Gods good prouidence hath mercyfully trāslated out of this furious wretched world into more blessed quyet calme euen then especially when as beyng conuersaunt in the race of perfect godlynes he employed his vertuous endeuour in so sacred a cause where now neither Ierome Osorius nor any other braulyng barker can from henceforth disquyet or molest him There is greater cause rather to moue vs all the learned to much sorrow and grief of mynde who haue lost so great and learned a ryngleader of learning the losse of
bycause she loued much And agayne where excludyng all other by helpes he willed the Maister of the Synagoge to beleeue onely and sayd vnto an other all things are possible to him that doth beleeue And to the sicke of the palsey all sinnes are forgeuen thee without openyng mouth to any confession at all what shall we say that Sinnes are not therfore forgeuen bycause this word of confession was neuer heard of before or shall we say that God hath not heard their confession bycause there wanted priestes at that tyme If it suffice not to open the secretes of the hart vnto GOD what do these wordes of Chrisostome emporte where writyng vpō the 51. Psalme Homel 2. If thou be ashamed sayth he to confesse thy Sinnes to any mā confesse them dayly in thy hart I bidd thee not to confesse them to thy fellow seruaunt which may reproche thee cōfesse thee to him that may heale thee And agayne in an other place I bidd thee not to come before the people nor that thou accuse thy selfe to others But I will haue thee follow the wordes of the Prophet saying Open thy sinnes vnto the Lord. Confesse thy faultes therfore vnto God open thyne offences vnto the true Iudge with harty prayer not with thy toūg but with a remorse of consciēce c. And yet I speake not this as though that priuate confession of sinnes ought not be receaued in the church as vnprofitable whereas the counsell of a godly Minister is desired or consolation required by troubled consciences where the exercize of priuate absolution which is the word of the Gospell is by authoritie of the Gospell vttered by the Ministers And yet I doe so allow of it as that this name priuate Confession wherewith you haue wickedly entangled Godly consciences may neither participate with any nature of a Sacrament nor be deliuered to any as cōmaūded by Gods law Moreouer neither so necessary at all tymes as though without it sinnes were not forgeuen to the contrite and sorowfull in hart groūdyng them selues vpon the infallible fortresse of Fayth Wherfore if you be so farre in loue with this sacred eare cōfessiō Osori you may a Gods name go to your Priest as oftē as much as ye liste If we content our selues to be washed in the bloud of Iesu Christ if we repose all our hope affiaunce whatsoeuer in him alone trouble vs not nor hinder vs I beseéch you For thus are we directed by the authoritie of the Scriptures to beleéue that to be dypped ouer head cares in this most comfortable and sacred fonte is sufficient for the clensing and purgyng of our sinnes and agayne that neither this most blessed bloud of Iesu Christ is any other wayes effectuall vnto vs nor appliable to our comfort any other wayes then through Fayth onely which is to beleéue in his name Whatsoeuer Resemblaunce of truth your decreés do expresse vnto vs doughtlesse the Scriptures cannot lye wherein we are taught that our hartes are washed cleane by Fayth and that remission of sinnes is receaued through Fayth which is in Christ Iesu. Addyng moreouer the testimony of all the Prophetes that it must come to passe that as many as beleeue in Iesu Christ shall obteine forgeuenesse of their sinnes So that neédelesse Stole of your Catholicke confessours is altogether fruteles towardes the cleansing of our consciences In the meane space if the soule be afflicted with some more greéuous scrupule wherein brotherly consolation may seéme to be requisite we gaynsay no man that will goe to some godly learned Minister nay rather we do hartely allow therof we our selues also do the same many tymes yet such is our repaire togethers as tendeth rather to seéke counsell and comfort then for any necessitie to craue pardon for our sinnes Neither do we compell any man to do so nor do we make to speake Chrisostomes owne wordes a necessitie of Freédome neither make we a Sacrament therof Nor yet require we a Beadroll of all their Sinnes neither doe we enforce any person to state tymes of the yeare Finally we do not burdeine them with any clogge of satisfactory penaunce which of all other is most horrible Wherein it is a wonder to seé what is be fallen vpon you and the rest of your Catholickes Osorius I thinke veryly that Dame folly her selfe if could speake with toung would neuer vtter nor do any so wittles a foolery as hauing first pardoned acquited the offendour cleare from crime to enioyne him afterwardes to penaūce whereby he should be compelled after pardon receaued to make satisfaction notwithstandyng and so to send him after into Purgatory where he must satisfie to the vttermost far thyng I beseéch you Right Reuerēd Father for the honor of your great wisedome if all the filthynes of your consciences be thoroughly clensed first by Confession to what purpose serue any satisfactory and penall lawes where the offence beyng pardon remaineth nought now to be satisfied If they be not throughly clensed whereunto then auayleth that Priestly Stole Priestly crossing what becommeth of that absolution which you promise who will euer say that his offence is forgeuen which must be forced to make satisfaction by some maner of composition Moreouer if Christ haue made full satisfaction for our Sinnes and if his satisfaction be a generall release of punishmēt and crime what other neéde is there of any humaine satisfaction Agayne if Christes satisfaction be not a full satisfaction but that there must be enioyned a Temporall punishment then do I demaunde further what is it that the Priestes Stole and Crossing or the Popes pardons cā geue more to the releasing of punishment and crime thē the bloud of Iesu Christ the sonne of God was able to geue But to proceéde Now that this Catholicke people haue with this spunge of penaunce cleane purged all the spottes and blottes of conscience so happely what do they stay here No I suppose but steppyng foreward from vertue to vertue The myndes beyng furnished after this maner they doe forthwith addresse thē selues to that most holy mystery of all other most miraculous the Euchariste not rushyng rashely thereunto nor with vnwasht handes as the Prouerbe is but with feare and tremblyng doe humbly kneéle vpon their kneés with great reuerence open their mouthes to the priest ready to receaue that heauenly banquet in that which they tast not any bread at all no wine at all no nor any other terrestriall matter nor yet that substaunce which they do seé with their eyes and handle with their fingers but all substaunce of bread and wine beyng vtterly driuē away they do at one morsell receaue swallow down the very same body of Christ which was borne of the virgine Mary and the naturall bloud shed out of his side though vnder the forme colour and kynde of wine and not of bloud contrary to all sense and feélyng of
Asscention day and Whitsonday and the Feast of all Saintes be passed ouer with no lesse brauery if besides this outward shew vayne glorious pompe nothing be ministred els to rayse vppe Fayth to the contemplation of matters of farre greater importaunce For what may we thinke when Christ was first Circumcized when he was first named A Sauiour wheÌ„ in floud Iordan he was Baptized of Iohn and manifested agayne to be the Sonne of God by a most excellent voyce from heauen when as he was tempted of the Deuill after sixe weékes fasting whenas hauyng finished that triumphe of his Resurrection asscended into heauen he powred vpon his Apostles clouen fiery tounges may we thinke I say that all these were done to none other end but that we should in remembrauÌ„ce of them keépe idle holy dayes in pastyme play And yet we do not much finde fault with the memorials of those thyngs in godly affected myndes wheÌ„as they be rightly taught vnto them as certeine helpes and aydes of godly exercizes eueÌ„ so also we do not vtterly reiect those holy dayes approued of auÌ„cient tyme by vse and custome yea rather we do in many places reteigne and keépe the same Holy dayes as they doe albeit not with like ceremony as farre as we may without reproche of superstition For euen we also do assemble our selues together and come to the Church celebratyng the memory of the byrth of Christ his Resurrection and Ascention and the Feast of Peâ—therost also but not as a memoriall alone whereof we ought to be myndefull euery day and euery houre but seékyng an occasion of the day to heare somewhat that may conduce to sounde and pure Religion and the edifieng of our fayth vnto saluation And therfore we doe not simply deny and reiect these holy dayes but the maner of solemnizyng the same the stinking abuses superstitious worshyppyng the multitude of holy dayes your soâ—ges and sonnettes for the most part idolatrous your prayers and inuocations most manifestly repugnaunt and iniurious to the glory of Christ those we do vtterly abolish and not without cause The Iewes had their solemne holy dayes in tymes past though in nomber not so many yet prescribed by God him selfe They had also their bloud offringes and Sacrifices Fastynges Easter Solemnities and the brasen Serpent wherof as loÌ„g as they folowed the lawfull vse as beyng certeine signes and meane instruments shadowes leadyng to the endes whereunto they were instituted they were acceptable enough vnto God But after that by turnyng catte in the panne they placed the chief worshyppyng of God and principall marke of true Religion in those thynges which of their owne nature were the last and of least valew how horrible and execrable they became in the sight of God no man can tell you better then Esay yâ— Prophet What haue I to do with the multitude of your sacrifices ' I am full of them the Burnt offring of your Rammes and fatte of your fattlinges the bloud of your Calues of your Lambes and of your Goates I would not haue when you come before my presence who sought for these thinges at your handes to walke so in my Courtes offer no more any Sacrifice in vayne your Incense is abhominable in my fight your new Moones and Sabbathes and other holy dayes I will not away with your assemblies are wicked my soule hateth you Kalendes and solemne Feastes I am greeued with these things and ouerladen with them And when you stretche forth your hands vnto me I will turne away my face from you and when you multiplie your prayers I will not heare you c. And yet God him selfe ordeined all these thynges in his owne law What then Doth God condemne the thynges which he commaunded No truly but bycause they wrested forced those thynges to an other end then they were instituted for bycause they were fastened wholy to those and had settled the chief foundation of ReligioÌ„ in these Rites neglecting in the meane tyme the greater and high matters of the Law this now was it that the Lord could not away withall Go to Le ts vs also now take a through view of your notable Feastes and solemne worshyppynges and let vs compare your ordinaunces who liue now vnder the Spirituall law with that people that liued vnder the carnall Law For they neither worshypped their Sacrifices nor burnt offringes at any tyme they neuer painted the resemblaunce or counterfaite of Gods couÌ„tenauÌ„ce in table or picture they neuer bedecke their TeÌ„ples with Images they did neuer set downe any visible signes or portraictes of Patriarches or Saints to be gazed vpoÌ„ neither did they euer gadde on Pilgrimage to visite theÌ„ to their Psalmes Prayers they had nothyng patched els nothyng intermixt froÌ„ els where they made no intercessioÌ„ to Saintes Sainctesses they neuer made inuocation to the dead In their Lessons was neuer any thyng heard but Gods scripture onely nor any thyng pronounced out of the Scriptures that was not in their mother toung intelligible enough of all sortes young and old indifferently Briefly there was nothyng exercized but by the expresse prescript and commaundement of Gods law so that the state and condition of the Iewish Feastes may seéme to be farre more â—afie and tollerable then yours if we haue respect to the onely outward forme superstition of myndes And yet as I sayd before I do not stand so much in this point but that ChristiaÌ„s may haue their holy dayes and solemne Feastes wherein they may refresh them selues be raysed to the remembraunce of Gods benefites and manifold mercyes bestowed vpon vs so that the same be obserued wtout preiudice of fayth in simplicitie of vnfayned piety Neither am I so curious to haue that comely traditions of our elders to be abolished so the true ReligioÌ„ remaine meane whiles vndeffled the vse wherof coÌ„sisteth not in outwards ceremonies nor in corporall exercises nor in places and times but in spirit truth so that false preposterous hipocriticall deuotion be abandoned wherewith God waxed wroth and was highly displeased For how many christiaÌ„s may a man seé which do measure the chiefe worshyppyng of God by any other endes almost then by their dayly frequenting churches often hearyng of Masses keéping the euens and holydayes orderly fasting the Ember dayes carefully reiterating their Paternosters and Aues often and solemnely powring out their Synnes into theyr priestes bosomes in Lent treatably croochyng and kneélyng to the Crucifixe barefooted and barelegged humbly Receiuyng the very body and bloud of Christ vnder the formes of bread wyne once a yeare yea euen in their death beddes deuoutly and that besides there remayneth nought to be superadded to attain perfect saluation beleuing stedfastly nor that they be ought indepted to Christ vdoubtedly but suppose vnfaynedly that they ought forthwith for these causes receiue heauen for theyr meéd of very duety I besech you If Esay the Prophet liued now
scripture especially when mētion is made of Christ hymselfe or when Chryst hymself would vouchsafe to expresse hys great and inestimable benefittes towardes vs and the euerlasting efficacy of hys death and passion I know not how it had rather vnder certayne shadowes and mystycall resemblaunces as vnder Allegoricall cloudes to speake as Ierome doth signyfye the same more modestly rather then to proclayme it openly in wordes By meanes whereof we ought many tymes to consider That in the Propheticall Scriptures Christ our Lord Sauiour is called by sondry and seuerall names accordyng to the diuers seuerall operation and effectuall power and workyng of his Diuine Maiestie and pleasure towardes vs. For in that he doth enlighten the Darckenes of our mindes he is called the light of the worlde In respect of his wonderfull might and power surmounting all power whatsoeuer he is called the Lyon of the Tribe of Iuda In respect that he guideth vs he is called the way In respect that he leadeth in he is called the dore In respect that we are none otherwise engraffed then in him he is called the Vine and we the Braunches And so according to the nature of his Innocency and our deliueraunce he is called the Lambe of God in respect that he loueth his Church with more thē an husbandly loue doth cherish it endow it cloath it beutyfy it he is called an husband he is called also the Rock sometime a grayne of Corne dead in the earth many times a Serpent set vppe vpon a Crosse sometymes a wellspring gushing out into life euerlasting And so in diuers and seuerall respectes he is called by diuers seuerall names In like maner bycause he feédeth and defendeth vs he is called A good Shepherd and bycause he feédeth vs with none other thyng thē with the death of his owne body shedding of his bloud He is also called our meate our bread and our drinke Moreouer bycause this bread and this drinke is of the Lordes owne mouth cōmaunded to be receaued to renew the remēbraunce of him for this cause those elementes do put on the nature of a Sacramēt and so vnder this very couer and mystery of a Sacrament are called his owne body and bloud Whiche least I shall seéme to iustifie of myne owne proper knowledge Let vs heare the testimony and agreable consent of Augustine Who reasonyng of Sacramentes and of the likenesse of thyngs wherof they be Sacramentes doth vtterly deny the Sacramentes can be in any respect Sacramentes at all vnlesse they haue a likenesse of some things and for that cause in respect of the likenesse of the thyngs them selues he affirmeth that they are many tymes called by the name of the thynges them selues So an Argumēt may be framed out of August on this wise The Sacrament of the last Supper hath a likenesse of the body of the Lord. No likenesse is the thing it selfe wherof it is the likenesse Ergo The Sacramēt of the Eucharist is not the body of Christ. But if Osorius be of opinion that Christes wordes ought to be taken simply accordyng to the bare letter of the flesh let him harken agayne to the same Augustine This is a Mystery sayth he that I tell you which if it be vnderstoode spiritually will quicken and geue life And the same Augustine in an other place opening playnly the figure of the same wordes doth witnesse directly on this wise The lord doughted not to say This is my body when he gaue the signe of his body I could vouche many other graue and auncient Testimonies witnessing the same namely Tertullian Origene Ierome Chrisostome Theodorete Gelasius and others But of this matter I do not meane to make any curious discourse as now There shal be hereafter more fitte place for the same more at large by Gods grace In the meane space for my learnyng I would fayne learne one Questiō of Osorius who albeit hath not bene ouer much studied in Augustine yet hath at the least bene busied amongest the Rhetoriciās Let vs therefore consider the matter by the circumstaunces of Rhetoricke And to graunt this much first that Christ is omnipotent which accordyng to the power of his Diuine omnipotency can and is able to do all thyngs in heauē and in earth what matter should moue him now both to take away his owne body from hence which was but one onely body from vs yet withall should leaue the selfe same body behynde him with vs which though could not be done accordyng to the nature of humanitie yet to graunt that it might be done miraculously what profit then or what necessitie was there to worke a miracle herein You will say bycause the spouse the Churche could not lacke the presence of her owne husband Christ. And wherfore I pray you For this is the thyng wherein I desire to be taught of you chiefly Osorius sithence it is not credible that miracles which are wrought agaynst nature should be wrought rashly without some singuler or especiall consideration I am now therfore desirous to know what cause you will alledge To feede vs with his body you will say What to feéde our bellyes or our soules Surely our soules he hath fed already sufficiently enough long sithence in that very day wherein he washt away the Sinnes of the whole world and pacified all thynges both in heauen and in earth once for all What to feéde our bellyes then But he doth aboundauntly feéde vs with other foode dayly Moreouer neither cā Augustine nor yet the Scripture it selfe disgest this that man shal be fed with mans flesh and drinke mans bloud Do not prepare your teeth sayth he but your hart And agayne in an other place as many tymes els also inuityng vs to a spirituall eating of Christ Why doest thou make ready thy teeth and thy belly sayth he beleeue and thou hast eaten Agayne to beleeue in him sayth he is to eate that liuely bread Moreouer annexe hereunto That whenas Christ hath accomplished all the partes and duties of his holy office which neéded the vse of his flesh to performe the worke of our redemption In the which flesh he satisfied all the partes of the law pacified the wrath of his Father ouercame Sinne and death and the Deuill him selfe beyng the authour of death hath troden vnder foote for euer euer In which flesh he rose agayne and ascended into heauen like a most triumphaunt Conquerour Frō whence he doth euen now also miraculously nourish preserue and comfort his Church here on earth through the vnspeakeable power of his excellent omnipotency so that now to the full accomplishment of our Saluation seémeth no one thyng at all to remaine vnperformed but that onely last day of Iudgement These matters therfore beyng vndoughted true what thyng may that be now Osorius wherein his fleshly presence may seéme in any respect necessary from hence forth and not rather his absence in the flesh
vouchsafe to enlighten that ouerdarckened blindenes of your drowsy sences and new fashion the same into a more found knowldge and vnderstanding of the trueth of his Gospell Now doe you perceaue the desire and loue that we haue of your safety Osorius albeit you be not come to Purgatory as yet It is reason therfore that we lykewise vnderstād the Carity of your Charitie We doe pray vnto God say you with earnest intercessions and prayers most purely powred forth for the quick and the dead and for the sauety of our Brethren I doe behold a very godly and comfortable imagination of yours conceaued in the behalfe of the dead and do prayse the same But when doe ye this good Syr In your dayly supplications and meétings I thinke not so But at that tyme especially say you that is chosen out to be most meere to worke the most holy worke of all to witt at that tyme which we do choose to pacifie the wrath of God not with the bloud offringes of footed Beastes but with the body and bloud of Christ. what a bald deuise is this of the man how variable is the inconstancye of his doctrine For if as you sayd a litle earst Christ onely doe not performe the full price of our redēption but that Paule and many others doe dayly offer most holy Sacrifices for the dead that is to say for the saluation of the dead with what confidence dare you now presume to pacifye the wrath of God with the onely body and bloud of Christ excludyng the Sacrifices and offringes of all other or how often must the body of Christ be offred to pacifie the wrath of God If our first Father Adā was able by one onely offence to destroy and cast away the whole ofspring of posterity Is not Christ in all respectes as able by one onely oblation of his body and bloud to make amendes of the same which Adam foredidd and brought to nought And with what reason will you perswade vs that you take vpon you to reconcile the fauor of God by the bloud of Christ who professe that your Sacrifice is not a bloudly Sacrifice Moreouer whereas the Sonne of God did satisfye for all thinges with his precious bloud shedd vpon the Crosse as well the thinges in heauen as the thinges vpō the earth what one thing then hath he left to be satisfied by you Or if there remayne any thing as yet of Gods Iudgement vnreconciled and not throughly clensed euen to the vttermost and most absolute fullnes how hath he then by one onely oblation made perfect for euer all them that be sanctified how did it seéme good vnto the Father that all fullnesse should dwell in the Sonne how were all thinges sayd to be at an end and finished whiles Christ did hang vpon the Crosse with what face dare Paule teach vs that all Enimity was blotted out by Christes death on the Crosse and all hatred wipte awaye by his fleshe if Gods Maiestye must be as yet reconciled by your offringes and Sacrifices He that brake downe the wall that was betwixt vs and God was not the same able to ouerthrow rotten Walles of your paynted Purgatory he that did vtterly remoue the wrath of his Father could not the same he extinguish and quite put out the flames of Purgatory without Sainctes merites and Popish Pardons Nay rather what neéde any Pardons at all procured or imagined out of the treasure of the Church if you Catholick shauelinges doe take vpon you to reconcyle the Maiestye of God by your dayly offring of Christes body and bloud I will recyte here not a fable but a true history of Germany out of Wolgangus Musculus which happened at Haganoy in the yeare of our Lord 1517. to witt the same yeare wherein M. Luther beganne to Inueigh agaynst the Popes Bulles There was a wyfe of a certein Shoomaker who a litle before sheé dyed for a certayn number of Crownes purchased a Bull from the Pope whereby she did assure her selfe of freé deliueraunce out of Purgatory Within a whiles after this woman being dead the Husband hauing intelligence of the Bull perfourmed the obsequies and funeralls of his wyfe orderly and decently as beseémed an honest Husband to doe not regarding in the meane space Masses Dyrges Trentalls and other trincketts of the lyke Mockeries vsually exercised in the Church after the old solēne maner for the redeéming of soules departed out of this lyfe The parish Priest being not a litle greued with the matter beganne to maruell and to take in ill part the contempt of Religion and to complayne of the vnkinde behauior and impiety of the Husband towardes his wife and at the last framing a libell of the matter accuseth the Shoomaker for an heretique To be briefe The Shoomaker was arested by a Serieant the matter was pleaded before the Maior of the Cittie The Shoomaker for his defence pleaded that the cause why he did not purchase Supplications and Masses according to the olde accustomed fashion for the health of his wyues soule proceéded not of any contempt that he hadd agaynst any of the solemne ceremonyes of the Church but because he was assured that his wyues soule was already saued in heauen he thought good to abate such extraordynary and vnnecessary charges and withall taking the Popes Bull out of his bosome desireth the Maior that it might be openly readd The Maior doth deliuer the Bull to the parish Priest to read The Priest seéing the Popes Bull stood still amazed at the first and a good whiles refused to reade it at the last being constrayned by the Maior he didd reade it ouer assoone as the Bull was read ouer both the Maior and the parish Priest being throughly ashamed held their peace The Shoomaker was earnest to proceé to Iudgement vpon the aucthoritye of the Apostolick Release to make it appeare what they iudged now of the soule of his wyfe whether sheé were now in heauen or in Purgatory If sheé be in Purgatorye then the Bull doth lye but if sheé be flowen vpp into heauen according as the Pope commaunded her then was there no cause why he should hyre any hireling shaueling to say Masses or Dyrges for his wyues soule The Maior and the Priest hauing nothing to say to the contrary nor daring to condemne the Popes Pardone acquited the shoomaker of the action by a Nonesuite Masses and Sacrifices BUt I returne to Osorius agayne who if hadd bene Commissary in this case I know not what aunswere he would haue made to this shoomaker But this is out of all question that this Purgatory whereabout these Catholickes keepe such a sturre can by no meanes be of any force and power but that either the Popes Pardons or these your Sacrifices of Satisfactory Masses Shall be by that meanes doughted of and come into great perill to be vtterly discredited For if yonr Stationes of Rome the Pardons of
and so left not that we should seéke for forgeuenes of Sinnes out of the same but that these outward signes deliuered vnto vs to Eate might putt vs in remembraunce of that euerlasting remission of sinnes which Christ should purchase for vs by the shedding of his precious bloud And for this cause he doth call it the upp in his bloud which shall be shedd for many sayth he into the remission of sinnes not transitory remission I suppose Osorius but into euerlasting forgeuenes of sinnes For other wise if it be a forgeuenes Temporall how will that saying of Ieremy be true And I will make with them an euerlasting couenaunt that I may not remember their sinnes any more If it be an euerlasting Release what neéde we then any further Sacrifices or what shall be sayd of that your holynes of Religion which doth make that thing transitory to vs that God hath vouchsafed for vs to be vnremoueable and to continue beyond all ages To be briefe that we may now knitt vp the matter by that that hath bene spoken before Behold here in few wordes the trueth and substaunce of this Sacrament Iustified with most true and approued Argumēts Whereunto if you will aunswere in your next letters to the Queénes Maiestie at your conuenient leasure you shall do vs a great pleasure 1. The Lord departing from hence did carry away with him out of the earth the substaunce of his body Ergo. He did not leaue the same substaunce behinde him 2. Christ did deliuer vnto vs a Mistery of his body onely Ergo. He did not deliuer his very naturall body 3. Christ did institute a Mistery of his body to be eaten onely Ergo. Not to be sacrificed In the remembraunce of forgeuenes of sinnes onely Ergo. Not a Sacrifice of cleansing and forgeuing of Sinnes 4 Saluation and remission of Sinnes is promised to them onely that beleue in Christ. Ergo not to them that doe sacrifice Christ. 5 Remission of Sinnes is not geuen without shedding of bloud Heb. 9 In the vnbloudy Sacrifice of the Masse there is no effusion of bloud Ergo. In the Sacrifice of the Masse is no Remission of sinnes 6. Saluation and free Remission of Sinnes doth consist of the promise through fayth The Sacrifice of the Masse is not free but meritorious nor cōsisteth of fayth but of merite Meritorious Ergo. The Sacrifice of the Masse is vneffectuall to Saluation and to the Reconciling of God 7. There is no Materiall cause of forgeuenes of Sinnes but the onely shedding of Christes bloud and no formall cause but fayth The vnbloudy Sacrifice of the Masse is neither fayth neither hath in it any effusion of bloud Ergo in the Sacrifice of the Masse there is neither Materiall nor Formall cause of Remission of Sinnes 8. The Sacrifices that doe not cease to be offred for Sinnes doe not satisfie for Sinnes Heb. 10. The oblatiōs of the Lawe can neuer make the receauers thereof perfect for if they could they would neuer haue ceased to be offred c. The Sacrifices of the Altar doe not cease to be offred doth name it a Sacramentall ministration In Clement it is called a representation of the kingly body of Christ. Others doe call it a signe of a true Sacrifice sometymes it is called the Sacrifice of prayer and thankesgeuyng by a certein mysticall figure of speakyng As in a certein place Ambrose doth call our Soules Altares Where writyng of virgines I dare boldly affirme sayth he that your Soules are Altares In the which Christ is dayly offred for the redemption of the body Not bycause our Soules be Altares or that the flesh of Christ is naturally or materially offered of vs but these sayinges are to be taken in the same sence as many other like sayings of the old writers are to be vnderstanded As where Ierome writeth on this wise That which was borne of the Virgine is dayly borne vnto vs Christ is Crucified vnto vs dayly c. After the same maner also doth Augustine speake Then is Christ dayly slayne to euery of vs whē we beleeue in him that he was slayne And the same Augustine in an other place vpon the wordes of the Lord. Christ doth ryse agayne dayly vnto thee And in his 10. booke De Ciuit ate Dei Cap. 5. God is not delighted in the Sacrifices of slayne beastes but of a slayne hart Euen as Chrisostome speaketh likewise In the holy mysteries the death of Christ is executed Besides this also as Gregory de Consecrat Dist. 2. Christ doth dye agayne in this mystery c. And yet is there no man so senselesse to say that Christ is borne euery day or is Crucified ryseth agayne oftentymes or that his death is executed in the mysteries accordyng to the very substaunce thereof But these be figuratiue and vnproper kyndes of speaches wherein is celebrated a certein mysticall execution of those thynges for a Remembraunce so that the thyngs them selues be not present properly which were long sithence finished but are representations by certein applyable resemblaūces of thinges signified onely whereby our fayth may as it were from hād to hand be admonished by the application of these outward signes what was accomplished before spiritually for vs in that most excellent Sacrifice of Christ. Euē as the Natiō of the Hebrues were sometyme fedd with the visible Manna as our bodyes are at this present strenghthened with dayly food of nourishyng sustenaunce which would otherwise perish through want Semblably bycause there can be no saluation for our forlorne nature besides the bloud of Christ Christ is therfore worthely called the bread of our lyfe and the foode of the world whereby the bodies are not fed for a few yeares but the soules are nourished to euerlastyng lyfe And for this cause Christ takyng an occasion of their communication which were cōferryng together of Manna and the eatyng of his flesh not vnaptly alluding to that heauenly banquett in Moyses which dyd refresh the hunger of the body for a tyme did call him selfe bread in deéde and spake the same also truly And why truly bycause he is truly and in deéde the bread and foode of lyfe not onely of this trāsitory and temporall lyfe but of euerlastyng lyfe not this lyfe onely which we doe now enioy in this world but which we shall lyue much more truly in the world to come And for this cause purposing euen then to suffer death for vs he did note vnto vs his body and bloud vnder the names of bread wyne This is my body sayth he This is the cuppe of my bloud Not bycause that bread and that cuppe were chaunged into his body and his bloud naturally substauncially and in deéde but bycause he could not before his death represent vnto vs the force and efficacy of that euerlastyng and spirituall Sacrifice by any more apt similitude or application of any other likenes which might continually preserue the remembraunce of him in
for asmuch as we also be made so freé from any guilte of Sinne and bondage of death by the one onely Sacrifice of the Lordes passion as that there is no neéde now of any Sacrifice from henceforth for the full redemption of Sinnes to vs now is this most blessed Supper Eucharist instituted for a perpetuall memoriall of that inestimable benefitt which albeit haue no power nor effectuallnesse of the oblation which it doth represent yet is it dignified with the name of that Sacrifice in respect of the honorable representation of the thing represented And thus much hitherto touching Malachy Now let vs seé what moates these Sophisters doe knitt together touching Melchizedech It behoued that the figure of Melchizedech should be fulfilled in the true Priesthood of Christ. Melchizedech did offer bread and wine vnto God which was a figure of the body and bloud of Christ vnder the formes of bread and wine Ergo Christ did offer at his last supper his body and bloud vnto God the Father vnder the formes of bread and wine As touching the necessary agreéablenesse of the things and the Types mentioned in the Maior we doe agreé together For it is vndoughted true that Augustine teacheth in his 10. booke De Ciuitate Dei the 5. Chap. That the thinges of the olde Testament be representations of the things of the new Testament But all that which is assumed in the Minor concerning the Sacrifice is of all partes false both in respect of Christ and in respect of Melchizedech For as much as neither of thē did euer institute any Sacrifice for sinnes in bread what then will you say did not Melchizedech represent the Type of Christ our Sauior there is nothing more true But we must cōsider wherin and by what meanes this agreéablenes may be correspondēt In the Priesthood I suppose and not in the Sacrifice For comparison is made of a Priest with a Priest not of a Sacrifice with a Sacrifice Thou art an euerlasting Priest sayth he after the order of Melchizedech which in mine opinion is in threé respectes First in the participation of kingly name For they were both called kinges of Iustice and peace 2. by reason of the Priestly kindred whereas both were Priests without knowing any Parentage of whom they came .3 according to the perpetuity of priesthood because the priesthood in thē both was wtout beginning without ending vnto whom in the Priesthood was neuer assigned Successor or predecessor The playne explanation whereof doth appeare in no place more euidently then in the very Epistle of Paul to the Hebrues Which making a collection of many braunches in comparing the Priesthood of Melchisedech together with the Priesthood of Christ yet in all the same maketh no mention at all of any Sacrifice of bread and wine But they take exception and say forasmuch as Melchisedech was a Priest by what reasō could he be a Priest without a Sacrifice And who doth exclude Melchisedech being a Priest from his Sacrifice But there is none other Sacrifice of his extant say they in the holy scriptures but in the bread and the wine which were offred as ornamentes of his Priesthood A deép reason as though he that so many thousād yeares agoe was a Priest without all beginning of tyme did not at any tyme during this whole entercourse of tyme offerr any Sacrifice vnto God besides this one Sacrifice onely Which being an vnreasonable absurditie yet not to contend long vpon this poynt I would fayne be resolued of these Catholickes in one question When Melchisedech did offer bread and wine whether he did Sacrifice for Sinnes yea or no I doe maruell what aunswere they will make hereunto If they say nay how then did he prefigure the Type of Christ if they say yea I aske agayne whether the Sacrifices that are ordayned for the clensing of sinnes must be done vnto God or vnto men If he did Sacrifice to Abraham a good fellowship tell vs what had Abraham to doe with our sinnes Moreouer I would learne this also for as much as there cann no expiation of sinnes consist in Sacrifices without shedding of bloud and whereas in all this preparation of Melchisedech was no bloudshed at all what force and efficacy of expiation could there be in that Sacrifice or how could it be accompted a Sacrifice at all Forsooth say you because these thinges offred did prefigure a certein resemblaunce of this to come But what resemblaunce might be there where no lykenesse could be appliable If in the Sacrifice of Melchizedech was nothing seéne but bread and wine onely what is this to the purpose to establish the Satisfactory Sacrifice of the Masse wherein is left no croome of bread nor droppe of wine But Melchizedech is called the Type of our Sauiour That is true in deéde But the Type is past and the veritye supplyeth the place Lett vs make a comparison betwixt the sampler and the trueth Melchizedech did bring bread and wine into the Armye which he did offerr to Abraham and not vnto God neither did he bring bread and wine to be gazed vpon nor to be worshipped not to release offences but he deliuered it to Abraham to refresh him and his Souldiors after their long and paynefull Iourney The same which Melchizedech did in the Army Christ hath perfourmed in his supper who taking the bread and the cupp in his handes did not offer there his body vnto his Father but did distribute the bread wine peécemeale in the name of his body and he commaunded them to eate where is there yet any Institution or any signification of a Sacryfice I doe behold in Melchizedech a figure but I acknowledge the veritye in Christ I doe conceaue also a participation made of bread and wine by them both yet all this while I seé no Sacrifice Both of them offred bread and wine to nourish namely Melchizedech vnto the Patriarche and to his souldiours and not vnto God Christ to his disciples not to the Father but vnto men after the vsuall maner of men that vse mutually to present eche other with giftes Besides this also the Patriarche with his people Christ with his disciples were altogethers pertakers of that which was geuen Goe to now and in what sense may all this be applied to the holy sacrifice of the Masse Surely if you deriue the reason of your sacrifice from Melchizedech he brought forth nothing but bare bread and wine but you retayne neither bread nor wine and in all the rest make no man partaker of your action But one man alone deuoureth vpp all the Supper yet not the supper for he maketh a sacrifice of the Supper rather the bread heé chaungeth into the body being chaūged he vaunceth it on high to be tooted vpon being gazed vpon throughly he doth sacrifice it for the quicke and the dead Truely I beleéue neither Melchizedech in his actiō nor Christ in his supper did
estimation of his speaches without yeloyng any reason or demonstration of the thynges which he vttereth in good sooth then haue you spoken enough Osorius and crackt the creditt of all the poore Lutherans vtterly as you say But if in decidyng of controuersies trueth must be tryed not with bare speéches but with substantiall matter certes either you must gett a better visor for your glorious persuation or els in my iudgement you were better hold your peace altogether You doe oppresse vs in a glorious braggery of speéch with the speéches of the Apostles and with the tradicioÌ„s of the Apostles disciples And yet out of all the Apostles writings can not any man hitherto force from you no not by violence one title so much which will auaile any ioate to the creditt of those your Assertions but will rather deface them discouer your packing Upon the neck of them you do force vpon vs also the authoritye of auncient Fathers and the generall consent of the vniuersall Church cleare from all maner of variablenes and disagreéing What a iest is this As though there were any one of those auncient Fathers euer borne as yet that euer vttered one sillable so much of purging the sinnes of the faythfull after they were once departed this lyfe or of the Popes Pardons of the Propiciatory Sacrifice of the Masse of Transubstantiation of Merite Meritorious of Merite of CoÌ„gruum and Condignum or that euer durst presume to make the Sacrifice of the Altar comparable with the Sacrifice of the Crosse or durst affirme that Christ himselfe was really in the consecrated hoast with all the dimentions and liniaments of the same body which suffred death vpon the Crosse or would euer ascribe to a pelting Priest full power to Merite and offerr Sacrifice for the quick and the dead Now if euer you haue chaunced vpon any such Doctrine in the writings of the auncient Fathers gentle Syr Byshopp why doe yoe not vouch the same boldly wherby you may seéme to haue confuted vs not with babling but with trueth and substaunce of matter But if you haue not so done as yet nor seéme euer able to doe it where is then that generall consent and agreément of the whole Church Where be these Records and Monuments of auncient Antiquitye and of all foreages Where be those inuincible Arguments Where be those irreproueable Testimonyes and vndeceiueable examples wherevpon you crake so lustely perhappes you will empart them vnto vs in your next bookes at your better leysure For hitherto as yet you haue hadd no leysure to muster that your braue guarison that you beare your selfe so stought vpon and to leade them into the fielde being otherwise surcharged with farr more weightie affaires And now to deteigne theé no longer geÌ„tle Reader thou hast heard heretofore howe this Portiugall hath powred forth his prattling Rhetorick for the vpholding of his Purgatory his Uowes his Supplications and Prayers for the safety of the dead and also of that most holy oblation of all other the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ offred for the reconcilemeÌ„t of Gods wrath and displeasure There remayneth behinde the knitting vp of all this geare Wherein purposing to make an end of his whole discourse he rusheth vpon Haddon with all the bent of his Eloquence Dare you be so bold sayth he to call this holynes of Religion this ardent endeuour of Loue this comfortable oblation offred not for vs alone but for our bretheren also wherewith we are knitt together in an euerlasting amitye to be defacinges disgracements of Religion A very haynous offeÌ„ce verily to call a Boate by the name of a Boate and a Mattock by the name of a Mattock But here was one sharde left open which must neédes be slopt vp with some brambles and Bryars Is not this foolishnes Is not this vnshamefastnes Is not this Madnes For if Osorius Eloquence were not furnished with these flashing flames surely it would be very colde But how more commendable yea how much more seémely and sittingly for his personage in my conceipt should he haue done if surceasing these outragious exclamations which preuaile not to the creditt of his cause the value of a pinne he hadd discreetly and with sober reasons debated the matter first and examined thoroughly whether Haddon hadd spoken trueth or falshood If he haue vttered the trueth then is Osorius frendly dealt withall If he haue spoken any untruethes there be scriptures there be arguments meéte and couenable Reasons wherwith Osorius might easily both defend the truth of his ReligioÌ„ and preserue it from to be impeached by others Spightfull reproching Skornefull taunting Cotqueanelyke rayling Rascallyke raging and Barbarous exclaming further not the defence of his cause If Osorius be so fully settled and so throughly wedded to his Church that no persuasion will seduce him to thinke that his Churche may straye by any meanes from the right course and that in all his Religion is no wrinkle or spott that may be amended surely he is herein very much deceaued Conferr who so list the whole face shape of the Popes ReligioÌ„ to witt his adoratioÌ„ his SacrameÌ„ts his Masses his breadworshipp his Imageworshipp his Sacrifices his ApplicatioÌ„ his TransubstantiatioÌ„ his Releasing of sinnes his Merits his Ceremonyes his Pardons sixe hundreth lyke papisticall truÌ„peries with the pure cleare founteines of the sacred Scriptures with the Institution Euangelicall and the expresse rule of the doctrine Apostolique and he shall easily perceaue that Haddon did vse an ouer myld maner of speéch wheÌ„ he called theÌ„ disgracements Some other man perhappes would haue blazed abroad these dreggs with some grosser tearmes Truely if the Apostle Paul hadd heard these profound opinions and these deépe deuises of the Romish Religion and hadd seéne their decrees their Cannons their Clogges of Ceremonies snares of consciences I he liued now and beheld these obseruations of dayes Monethes times these vowes and restraintes of meÌ„ forbidding Marriage denying the lawfull vse of meates which are now dayly frequented in the Church would any man dought whether he would call these disgracements of Religion or the Doctrines of Deuils rather But because we haue spoken hereof sufficiently before It shall be lesse neédefull to take this dounghill abroad any more But Osorius goeth forward and because HaddoÌ„ shall not escape sâ—â—tfreé for naming his pontificall pilfe to be disgracements of Religion Osorius acquiteth him with the like beadroll of the Lutherans corruptions in a long raggemarow of wordes that so comparing both partes one with an other to witt Luthers nakednes and beggery with the maiestie glory of the Catholickes he may make them to grow into the greater obloquy and hatred It remaineth therefore that we geue eare a whiles vnto the gallaunt brauery and loftines of Osorius Eloquence To abaÌ„don dutifull obedieÌ„ce to the Magistrate to disturbe the auncient ordinaunces of the Church to defyle the virginitie of sacred Nunnes
Sacrament of bread and wine is called the body and bloud of Christ. August to Boniface 13. Episto August vppon the psalme 89. August agaynst Adimant 13. The circumstaunces about the Supper of the Lord are to be considered August vpon the wordes of the Lord in Lake Ser. 33. August in Ioh. tractar 25.26 The abseÌ„ce of the body of Christ more profitable for vstheÌ„ his presence An Argument in respect of the profit therof Antichrist An argument from Impossibilitye Contradictiories cann not be together not so much as by miracle A great diuersitie betwixt the auncient Church of Rome and this vpstart Church The lynes and couersatioÌ„ of the auncieÌ„t Fathers of the primitiue Church The first age of the Church Deut. 12. Gala. 1. Math. 7. In processe of time the maners and ordinaunce of ChristiaÌ„s were chauÌ„ged The middle age of the Church How sure forth humayne authoritye doth binde Ecclesiasticall function consisteth in two thinges chiefly How farre ecclesiasticall power doth extend it selfe In matters appertayning vnto God dew obedience ought to be geuen to the Pastors and Ministers How farre forth obedieÌ„ce ought to be geuen or not geueÌ„ to Pastours of the churche in matters of mens constitutioÌ„ What ministers ought to consider in makyng new ordinaunces Of iudiciall power of Churches The difference betwixt Ecclesiasticall temporall IudgemeÌ„ts Ecclesiasticall discipline in the primitiue Church The first institution of the primitiue church compared with the tymes of the latter Church The foundation of the christiaÌ„ Church The foundation of the Romyshe Church The Popes doctrine coÌ„uinced by foure principall pointes The popes Church more like an earthly kyngdome then the kyngdome of Christ. A smale discription of the Romishe Ierarchye A comparison betwixt the kingdome of the Pope and the kingdome of this world Iohn 20. A comparison betwixt the popes kyngdome and Christs kyngdome Luke 20. Mar. 10. Luce. 12. 2. Cor. 10. 1. Cor. 4. 2. Cor. 1. 1. Pet. 5. Rom. 12. The shape of the Romish Ierarchy The counteâ—faite authoritie of popes The church wickedly defined by the papistes How the Romishe stagers doe counterfayt olde Antiquitye A manifest declaration of the Romish church as it is now to be nothing at all Gregor 4. booke 30. Epistle The order of Cardinalles The electioÌ„ of the pope of Rome Cyprian 4. booke Epistle 2. The auncient authoritie of Emperours in sommoning Councelles and in chusing popes A Decree of Charles the great Otto Distinct 6 3. The olde Canons do abhorre priuate Masses Canon 8. The power of both swords coÌ„trary to the old CanoÌ„s The thyrd CouÌ„cell of Carthage Cap. 47. In the new Constitutions 123. 146. Cap. 3. Antiquitie agaynst Images in Churches Origene vpon Leuit. Cap. 16. Chrisost. vpon Math. 1. Homel 2. Vpon Iohn Homel 31. August de opera Monach Malburiensis de pontificibus Lib. 1. An auncieÌ„t law of EnglaÌ„d against pluralities All thynges altered by the pope Out of the Tridentine Councell Generall Councels accordyng to the old constitutioÌ„s aboue the pope The Church of Rome as it is now is conuinced of Nouelty The Councell of Laterane A new doctrine first instituted in the same vnder Pope Innocent 3. Cap. 1. Of the sacrifice of the Masse Of priuate confession The Laterane councell vnder Innocent 3. Cap. 21. Chrisost. in his fourth Sermon of Lazarus Chrisost. vp on the psal 50. hom 2. Chriso vpon the Epistle to the Hebrues homi 31. Tripart histo lib. 9 Cap. 35. Erasmus iu his Apolo The Sacraments of the Romish Church Out of Huntington the 7. booke Out of the Chronicles of Monumetensis Councell of Gangren Cap. 4. Out of the 2. councel of Arelaten 2. cap. Pope Lucius decree distinâ— 81. Ministri The greatest part of the Romish doctrine newly fouÌ„d out and brought in within thâ—s 500. yeares Apoc. 21. Trueth suffereth violence A figure called Hypotiposis Whereby the state of the RomaÌ„s Church and the Reformed Churche is expressed In the question of the Churche many things are conteined People buildyng doctrine forme of gouernement Where the Churche of Lutheranes was fourtie yeares ago A Similitude betwixt the restitutioÌ„ of Religion the finest of the tounges Reason reÌ„dered why Religion is more pure at this tyme in the Churches then it was in many yeares before The Arte of Emprintyng The reason and obiection of the Catholicks in the defeÌ„ce of their Church Probable with Deuines Rome built vpon seuen hilles Apocal. 13. The reason of the papistes touchyng the consent and proofe of their vniuersalitie The captious conclusion of the Catholicks The aunswere to the Argument Distinct. 40. Non loca Distinct. 4. Non est A fallax in the Equiuocum which is of diuers significations The Rom. Church doth combate against the true Church of Christ vnder a coulour of christian name Origen vpon Mathew cap. 17. Irene 3. book cap. 4. The trueth is the life of the church Lactant. 5. institu cap. 30. ArgumeÌ„tes made from consent and multitude of authors are weake Math. 10. Eccle. 1. Ieremy 8. Osorious accusation which was properly bent against Doctrine is transposed to maners To what end tendeth the force of Osorius Accusation Osorius doth deny that Luthers doctrine hath any affinitye with the Apostolique Scriptures Pag. 181. Osor. pag. 182. Osorius lying Rhetorick The Argument of Osorius The Aunswere to the Argument Osorius quarell of lyfe and maners Tit. 1. Ill may the Snight the Woodcock twight for his long bill The lyfe of the Lutheranes compared with the Catholickes The vices of maners are not to be imputed to his doctrine The fruites of Luthres doctrine Osor pag. 182. The confutation of hisl aunder Artic. 21. The scoffe of Luthers doctrine Luther offeÌ„ded with the life of his countrey men Osor. pag. 187. Deut. 18. The argument of Osorius 1. Kinges Act. 1â— A true difference betwixt the false and the true Prophett Luther vpon the 130. Psalme Mens iudgemeÌ„ts in findyng faulte may be free so that they be vpright Out of Valer Ansel. Iohn Stella Out of BeÌ„uo a Cardinall Of couenauntes and promises not alwayes holden true emoÌ„gest the papistes Iere. cap. 23. Osorius argument out of Ieremy Aunswere to the argument The fallax of the consequent The aunswere to the Maior The reason to discerne betwixt false and true Prophetes accordyng to Osorius The aunswere of the Minor Osori pag. 190. The place of Ieremy expounded Iohn Husse The prophecy of Iohn Husse touchyng the doctrine of the Gospell to be restored by Luther A small coÌ„trouersy betwixt Luther and Zuinglius Osor. pag. 191. Of diuisioÌ„s of the churche Dissentions in the Papane church Dissentions amoÌ„gst the most godly A full consent of doctrine in reformatioÌ„ of Churches The Articles of the chief grouÌ„des of Religion wherin the Ministers of the Church do well agree together How great a concord is ctetwixt many Churches in the matter of the Sacrament Papistes murtherers of Martyrs Osori pag. 192. Osori doth beleue fame Authour of all his vntruthes A prouerbe
like equitie and patience of minde to admitte our confutation thereof into your presence whereby eche partie beyng discouered according to truth your highnes may more certeinly determine of the cause There is a notable Law and an othe established in the Iudgementes of the auncient Athenians To heare with both eares that indifferent eares should be open to eche partie But what maner of custome is vsed now a dayes in this perplexitie and coÌ„bate of opinions where Byshops armed with the aucthoritie of Princes doe stand raunged in mayne battell agaynst the manifest veritie and doe so bende the whole coÌ„sent of their fayth to the one partie that all libertie once to mutter is vtterly cutte of from the other partie But here may some contrary doubtfullnes paradueÌ„ture trouble your Royall thought not so much proceedyng from your gracious nature as whyspered into your godly eares by the subtill and slaunderous practizes of glaueryng glosers who vnder the counterfaict vysour of this glorious couÌ„terfaict Church haue wonderfully bewitched the eyes and eares of many noble personadges vnder preteÌ„ce of succeeding course of many yeares do make glorious bragges that this new-fangled Church wherein the Romish Byshopp in enthronized is the onely Catholicke Church and the supremacy thereof to be onely obeyed alleadgyng the same Church to be the Empresse and gouernesse of all other Churches and which of right ought to be esteemed aboue all Kinges Emperours as ouer the which Christ hath substituted the Byshopp of Rome his sole Vicar and Vicegerent earth and therfore that all degrees ought and may safely submitt themselues to the aucthoritie and determination of that Churche as which beyng continually vpholden by the power and blessing of the holy Ghost was neuer seene hitherto to haue erred ne yet could by any meanes swarue one title from the right lyne and knowen trade of the true fayth taught in holy Scriptures And that all other persons whatsoeuer sequestering theÌ„selues froÌ„ the prescript Rules and Cannons of that Churche cann not chuse but runne headlong into wandryng errours amazed blindenes and extreme maddnes Wherefore those Lutheranes and Hugonoughtes are worthely to be expelled from the vnitie of that Church and deseruedly adiudged to fier and fagottes as most dampnable heretiques not worthy of any fauorable protection no not their writinges so much as to be touched with any maÌ„s handes bycause they dare presmouÌ„te once to quacke agaynst the supremacy of that Angelicke Ierarchy As touchyng which slaunderous surmises albeit nothyng cann be more falsely and shamefully imagined then those Sorcerous enchauÌ„tementes it is wonder how much this poysoned Dolldreanche hath betyppledd the sences of many great personadges and hath so long preuailed in great admiration with sundry estates through the onely ignoraunce of learnyng and ouermuch credulitie of godly Princes vntill of late by the incomprehensible prouidence of Almightie God the worthy Arte of Emprintyng was erected by meanes whereof good Letters and Bookes came to the Marte and Printers shoppes discouered the foggy and darkened cloudes of this olde mothe eaten barbarousnes Hereby it came to passe that the tedious deepe doungeons of lothesome ignoraunce beyng surprised with a certein new and cleare dawnyng day of purer doctrine as also of all other liberall Sciences beganne to shyne abroade nor will leaue I trust to ouerspread his brighte glisteryng beames dayly more and more vntill with the inaccessible brightenes thereof it do either thoroughly vanquishe the whole kyngdome of darkenes or at the least chauÌ„ge the same into some better countenaunce And to the ende we may conceaue assured hope of good successe herein two thynges do minister vnto vs especiall comfort Wherof the one consisteth in the mearcy of the Lord the other remayneth in your handes that be Kynges and Princes next vnder the God being the Lordes watchmen For the first we haue an infallible Argument which cann neuer deceaue the assured testimony of Iesus Christ who hath prophecied in his holy Scriptures that the same shal be brought to passe the greater part whereof we haue allready experimented to be accomplished in these our dayes That the Lord with the breath of his mouth shall confounde the pride of the Beast so arrogantly vaunting him selfe in his holy Temple For the next That other is of no small force I meane your vigilant wisedomes and singuler godlynes which causeth vs to coÌ„ceaue well of you that are Princes whom the Lord of his infinite mearcy hath ordeyned to exercize chief rule and gouernemeÌ„t next vnder him vpon the face of the earth especially whenas him selfe hath pronounced out of his owne mouth in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn That he will lende his helpyng handes hereunto saying And the tenne hornes sayth he which thou didst see vpon the Beast are those â—enne Kinges which shall abhorre the Babylonicall Strampett and shall make her desolate and naked and shall deuoure her fleshe and burne her Carkasse in flames of fire for the Lord hath inspired into their hartes to bring this to passe euen as it hath pleased him Apocal. 17. Wherfore awake you noble Princes and Christian Captaines march on in Gods name Atchieue an exployte worthy your noble Race and be no longer trayned with the trayterous sleightes of subtill sycophaÌ„tes but pursue with the power the godly guidyng of the Lord of hostes Emongest whom I most humbly call vpon your highnes most singuler Paterne of Princely Royaltie not to the ende to teaze you to exercize cruelty agaynst that viperous generation Onely my petition is that for the loue you beare to Iesus Christ and your owne soules health ye vouchsafe to deliuer simple innocentes from the bloudy iawes of those rauenyng Wolues and horrible blouddsuckers That enterchaunge of thynges beyng made the true and pure word of God may be heard what it teacheth And that ye lett lowse the reynes of their licentious insolency no longer so that they do not hereafter abuse you as the Iewes did handle our Lord Iesu Christ whose faceÌ„ when they had blindefolded they beate his body with whippes There hath bene to many broyles allreády emongest vs Christians to much Christian bloud hath bene spilte to much crueltie and horror hath bene exequuted whiles you in the meane space in whose power rested the staye of this outrage either wincked at their bootchery or at the least left poore innocentes succourlesse in their slaughter houses How long shall this Romishe Nymrod vaunt in his throne how long shall he make a scorne of your patience most excellent Princes when will your Royall hartes and noble courage daunte his pride when will you resume into your handes the whole sword of Iustice the better part whereof the Romishe Russian hath bereft you when will you surcease to be bondeslaues vnto them whom the mighty God hath made vassalles to your lawfull RegimeÌ„t how long will ye suffer your mouthes to be mooseled and your eyes muffeled with such blynde errours contrary to the manifest light of the Gospell If
to God we despise and set them at naught And enen so we doe allow of Luther Bucer and of the rest so long as they explane the mysteries of the sacred Scriptures vnto vs wherein those famous men haue oftentymes trauailed very coÌ„mendably though you iangle neuer so much agaynst them As for those beggerly fragmentes of mans inuention beyng without all couer of Scriptures yea rather contrary to the same though they and you also doe warraunt them vnto vs we will not receaue them Now you are taught sufficiently enough I thinke how we haue forsaken those peltyng phantasies of men likewise how we conceaue of those notable learned fathers whose workes wil be thaÌ„kefully embraced whiles the world doth endure though you slauÌ„derously barcke at them neuer so much And yet I deny not but they were subiect to sinne and errours which happened also to the auncient fathers Augustine Tertullian Origine Cyprian Who sometymes wandred out of the way were estranged from the truth Yet do I not now compare nor at any time heretofore did compare our â—ate writers with those auncient fathers as you cauill agaynst me but I iudge of them as beseémeth me and I professe that they were the seruauntes of God Whereas you vpbrayde vs with our maner of lyfe by the reportes of our cursed enemyes such as you are you follow herein your owne gyddy brayne For true innocencie will neuer desire better witnesses then such filthy and slaunderous backbyters wherin your request to be pardoned is so much the more vnreasonable by how much you do boldly defend without all regarde of the grauitie of a Byshop or the naturall duetie of an honest man such scattered rumours rashly conceaued of headles report in steéde of well knowen and approued offences This also you seéme to mislike in me as a matter intollerable that I commende the prosperous raigne of our Queénes Maiestie and herein your couÌ„sell is to for seé the tyme to come the troublesome estate of other Princes The Queénes highnes belike without the aduise of Osorius can not coÌ„ceaue those matters wherof no man can be ignoraunt that is but meanely practized in the dayly actions of maÌ„s life Haue an eye to your owne charge of Siluan and be ye carefull for them Her Maiestie surmountyng in knowledge and wisedome regardeth not your peéuishe and dotyng counsell especially beyng conceaued rather of malice to true Religion then of any loue to her safetie Ye keépe a great sturre about the Tumultes in Fraunce and complayne much of treason conspired agaynst the kyng and safetie of his person and with all that his aduersaries required not his bloud onely but that the whole bloud Royall should be rooted out of Fraunce O licencious venemous touÌ„g worthy to be pluckt out by the rootes from out that execrable mouth except it recant in tyme. Dare you presume so impudently to make guiltie of so cruell and horrible treason so many worthy personages of the florishyng Realme Namely when as the kyng him selfe by his open Proclamation acknowledged some of them agaynst whom you rayle so pestiferously to be his deare kinsmen the other his beloued subiectes and that their beyng in armes concerned the generall safetie of FrauÌ„ce Many variable vnciuill and malicious rumours haue bene blowen abroad in many places touchyng those ciuill warres but neuer was any man heard to haue spoken so blockishly so barbarously so voyde of reason and so monstruously as this Gentleman speaketh beyng a Byshop an old man And therfore we shall the lesse wonder at your rashnesse and impudencie in controuersie of ReligioÌ„ hereafter seyng your sauadge boldnesse in this detestable bloudy accusation of the greater part of Fraunce without cause without reason and without proofe When matter and reason doe openly fayle you then you wrangle about wordes Bycause I named Luthers doctrine yours agaynst the which you stand stoutely and doe most deadly hate it What shall I say to so captious and bussardly a Sophister I terme it not yours as though you defend it but bycause you depraue it bycause you peruert and iumble it with lyeng that it can not be discerned as you haue mishapen it whereas otherwise of it selfe it is a most comfortable treasure of the Gospell somewhat infected with poysoned contagioÌ„ of childish errours but in these latter dayes through the inestimable benefite of God discouered and clensed by the commendable industrie of those singular learned Diuines Luther Bucer Caluin Melanchton and others whom though you despise at your pleasure yet wheÌ„ Osorius shal be dead and rotten and the name of this reuerend Prelate of Portingall out of all remembraunce their names wil be commended to eternitie to their immortall prayse For what man will esteéme of you who besides your foolish and vnskilfull handlyng the matter wherof you entreate are altogether ignoraunt in the proprietie of wordes wherein you may seéme to make a pretie shewe You thinke this spokeÌ„ vnproperly by me videl that your sluggishnes should be awakened and your dulnes pricked forward what say you drousie Prelate Truly you sleape so souÌ„dly that you snorte agayne that caÌ„ deny this kynde of speach A maÌ„ may be awakened out of sleape and be pricked forward beyng dull Learne out of the Gospell The blynd do see the lame doe walke leapers are cleansed the deafe do heare the dead do ryse agayne Which wordes of our Sauiour doe not argue that the blynd do see or that the lame doe walke but that those whiche were blynde and lame were restored to sight and walkyng Learne againe of Cicero who speaketh on this wise Let youÌ„g men obserue the boundes of their owne chastitie lest they defile the chastitie of others lest they consume their patrimonie be deuoured with debt Let them not offer force to virgines nor dishonestie to the chast nor infamie to the vertuous c. what Can virgines be defloured no surely not so long as they are virgines but by allurements they may be carried froÌ„ their shamefastnes CaÌ„ the chast be defiled no truely but yet this chastitie may be seduced in processe of tyme to loosenesse Learne at the last what the old Prouerbe emplyeth whereby is forbidden to pricke foreward the willyng which Prouerbe if we do admit this also is spoken properly enough The dull are to bee pricked foreward and the sluggish to be awakened Neither would you haue euer gaynsayd the same vnlesse the malice you owe vnto me had drowned your sences In good sooth I am ashamed of you Osorius and so haue bene loÌ„g agoe neither would I contend any further with so bluntish blockish a person if I were not determined to open euideÌ„tly what a senselesse aduersary of this holy father England hath and how vnmeasurable a bragger he is in whom besides a vayne sounde of friuolous wordes no mettall can be founde at all Hereafter therfore I will spende as litle labour as I may nor will willyng touche ought of all
painted vnto vs there may the eyes of the soule behold him in them doth hee breath in them doth hee lyue in them doth hee reigne and triumphe My Dylemma or double Argument doth not content you wherein I did conclude agaynst Images to witte that hauing life there was no want of them wantyng breath there was no vse nor profite in them How you say theÌ„ hereunto may not 〈◊〉 parcell be iustified by the Scriptures Why doest thou cry vnto me sayth God the father vnto Moyses And yet Moyses in his prayer opened not his mouth Therfore the spirite beyng present doth present the prayers vnto God though all the sences els be silent On the other side If the hart be otherwise occupyed God will not accept the prayers though neuer so many and neuer so laboursome For after this maner the Lord Iesus doth recite out of Esay the Prophet This people doth honour me with their lippes but their hart is farre awaye from me but they worshyp me in vayne c. Behold here worshyppyng is to no purpose the spirite beyng absent Why doe ye therefore spurne agaynst matters so manifest â—ay but you presume to contend agaysnt the holy Ghost in these wordes saying The spirit being present Images do no hurt and being absent they do very much auayle Amiddes our prayers thynges may not be enterlaced that do not hurt good Syr but matter wherewith our prayers may haue accesse vnto God But whereas you would haue Images to bée auaylable being without spirite This is very straunge monstruous in a Deuine to affirme that our prayers can be commended vnto God by Images or by any other way els without the spirit God is a spirite sayth our Lord Iesus Christ and it behoueth his worshippers to worship in spirite and truth The Lord Iesus doth pronouÌ„ce that the true worshippers ought to worshyp in spirit Our Prelate doth contend that pictures may auayle to prayer without spirite Away Osorius Away For euen on this wise and in the same cause the Lord Iesus did put SathaÌ„ to flight We assuryng our selues vpon the authoritie of God the father and of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ wil together with the Prophetes and Apostles honour the Lord God the father and him onely will we worshyp the Lord Iesus Christ and the holy Ghost makyng intercession vnto him for vs. As for you if you be so altogether persuaded raunge on in this your crooked procession together with these gorgeous titles of Councels Fathers and with that filthy raggemaâ—oll of your schoolemen There will come a day when this matter will be more déepely sifted before the IudgemeÌ„t seate of our Sauiour Iesu Christ. Then shall we know whether part haue more safely and more duetyfully profited in the worshyppyng of Gods Maiestie And so now at the last your first goodly Inuectiue is come to an end from out the whiche if a man will plucke awaye your outrage in cauillyng your venemous scoldyng your superfluous sentences surely very litle will remayne wherein the learned Reader may be desirous to spend any tyme. The second Booke I Am ashamed you say to vse so many wordes in the confutatioÌ„ of your Booke It is modestly done of you to confesse your fault But your vnmeasurable braulyng hath altogether weryed me of the same opinion are all others also that haue séene your writyng who with one coÌ„sent do woÌ„derfully condeÌ„ne this your idle superfluitie of toung in an old man Yet can we sée no amendement in you for the further ye procéede so many the more Fables you do vtter wherby all men may perceaue that you are not induced to writyng of any iudgement or discretion but enflamed with excessiue malice violeÌ„t outrage with neither of that which your person and grayheaded yeares ought in any wise bee acquainted But whereas you reporte that I seeme to haue taken wonderfull pleasure in that my litle booke Herein you follow the example of wayward men whiche estéemyng other mens affections by their owne be of opinion that scarse any maÌ„els can be well disposed bycause they bee vndiscréete them selues You begyn to quarell at the ouerthrowe of the Sacramentes wherewith you say also that I do séeme somwhat displeasaunt and therfore you commend me with a scoffe no lesse vnpleasaunt then vnsauory But mocke on spare not You do trauayle with your contumelious wordes to bryng this noble Iland my deare beloued couÌ„trey into obloquie with all men with an abhominable lye doe exclame that our Deuiâ—es haue vtterly subuerted all Sanctuaries Ceremonies and Sacramentes This your infamous shamelesse and reprochfull Hiperbolycall speach I haue scattered abroad crusht in péeces and brought to nought haue so déepely emprinted your flesh with an S. for a slaunderour to your perpetuall shame that neither you nor any of all your feet shal be euer able to wipe it out agayne You do accuse Luther Carolostadius OecolaÌ„padius Zuinglius and my Peter Martyr as men that do vnreuerently rende asunder the Lordes Supper First of all I haue sundry tymes heretofore protested that your controuersse concerned vs and not them For your quarell was agaynst our English Deuines whom I vndertooke to defend you slaundered our England I stoode to the defence of the same And therfore I might well haue referred all this contention touchyng their doctrine to them selues so I do yet I will presume to say this much by the way that you deale very vngently herein to scold so importunately agaynst the good name of them which can not now plead their owne cause I do adde hereunto that the rest except Carolostadius onely of whom I can say nothyng bycause I doe not know him all the rest I meane were men of such excelleÌ„cie not onely in the knowledge of toungues and other liberall sciences but also such singular Deuines as that Ierome Osorius might haue bene scholer to the meanest of them I say this withall that you vtter your vnskilfulnesse herein to couple Luther and Zuinglius together in matter of the Sacrament whose opinioÌ„s were somwhat discrepaÌ„t in the same Lastly touchyng the matter it selfe I aunswere briefly That those famous and worthy patrones of the Gospell and true Religion whose names you rehearse in reproch did reuerently and religiously treate of the SacrameÌ„t of the body and bloud of our Lord if they may be tryed by the true touchstone of the scriptures in whoÌ„ likewise you can finde no iust cause of repreheÌ„sion coÌ„cernyng the other Sacraments vnlesse you suppose that with your naked clamorous affirmatiues ye may expell them out of the Church as meÌ„ are wont to driue common players from the Stage with hissing and clappyng of handes But they can not be so quayled Osorius They haue obteined better footyng and déeper roote in the harts of meÌ„ by their learnyng vertue theÌ„ you can be able to remoue with your penne though it bee neuer so cruell whom the bootcherly crueltie
is this to make guiltie of the body and bloud of Christ your naturall brother that hath not offended you as though he had written that which he neuer wrate as though he had done that which heé neuer did as though you haue affirmed that which you do not proue nor can euer iustifie nay rather which you haue not endeuoured to proue for what haue you alledged of myne what wordes what sentences haue you noted out of my writyngs lastly what one thing haue you explaned whereby you may not bee adiudged of all men a most shamelesse slaunderour and notorious rayler Your processe that ensueth is stuffed full with demaundes wherein albeit I dyd pittie your singular amazednesse very much yet could I scarse hold my laughter in them they were so cold so friuolous so variable and to speake my mynde at a word so altogether like Osorius him selfe Your first question is That though myne eyes are so dazeled in matters of Diuinitie that I can not cōceaue that wonderfull chaunge of earthly bread into the nature of heauenly bread yet why I would notwithstādyng with quarelling peruert so wonderfull a benefite of God Truely I doe confesse right reuerend Prelate that myne eye sight hath bene alwayes so dymme that I could neuer discerne this your counterfait Trāsubstantiation But I ought to haue beén pardoned herein bycause it hath beén a generall disease and blindnes of all tymes of all ages and of all Nations The Apostles neuer saw so foolishe a thyng The auncient Fathers could neuer discerne so cloudy a forgerie at the last Sathan opened the eyes of your Schoolemen made them so sharpe sighted that in Distinctions eccyties and quiddities they could many time easely seé that thing which was no where at all This kinde of people enlumined by the Prince of darkenes furnished with the authoritie of the Laterane Coūcell and Innocentius Pope of Rome not much aboue 300. yeares past did rayse out of hell this newfangled monster of Trāsubstantiation Euen then when that Councell had sitte abrood Transubstantiation began first to peépe out of the shell beyng neuer heard of before any where nor knowē so much as by any name Why then do ye vpbrayde me with blindnes so sharpely sith your selfe I say your selfe do know that all the world was as blind as I before that Laterane Coūcell But do you as ye list I for my part will continue blind still with Christ with the Apostles with the aūcient Fathers with all the commendable company of godly Deuines in this Laberinthe of Transubstātiation rather then I will acquaynte my selfe with so monstruous a frameshapen new start vp puppet with your Schooleianglers confessours and lousie Friers But you begyn here to waxe very whote and teastie and spurre questions at me on all sides What is it you say that you do vnderstand what do you conceaue in your mynde and reasons Lastly what is it that your vnderstandyng doth feele and know I will tell you my good father and without any cholor I promise you if you will heare me patiently First I do seé that you doe childishly wander in this bitter talke that demaunde one and the selfe same thyng in threé seuerall distinct questions Then I do also playnly seé that you are so doltishe and blockishe a patrone of Transubstātiation that ye can not with any honesty open your packe amongest your owne pedlers But you neuer cease demaundyng You aske of me what doth trouble me in the mysterie of the Sacrament Truly nothyng at all graue Prelate troubleth me there but your vnmeasurable vnskilfulnes in so great a mysterie which is no small reproch to your profession and dignitie yea to your gray heares also But ye will know more yet Whether I doe mistrust the power or the clemencie of God Neither of both finewitted Gentleman no more doe I trust your selfe nor yet your Transubstantiation bycause ye goe about to throw it vpon vs contrary to the meanyng of the holy Scriptures in the which God the Father hath most fully declared vnto vs his power and will by his Sonne our Lord and Sauiour Iesu Christ. Lastly ye demaūde What the cause should be why I should thinke wherefore you should beleue that the body and bloud of Christ is cōteined in the Sacrament in a wonderfull meane and that I my selfe can not beleue the same whereunto you annexe this that in witte and learnyng ye doe farre surmonte me It is a very hard matter holy father to descry any peculiar cause whiche moueth you to beleue and defende Transubstantiation but I will gesse somewhat nearer the chiefest Forsooth you are addicted wholy to your Schooletriflers and Confessours but very litle to the Scriptures by meanes wherof it is come to passe that ye skyppe ouer the open Oracles of truth and are entangled in the weuett of errour peraduenture also ye are become an apprētice to the Romish Seé and ye meane to procure with the prety Marchaūdize of your pedlers pilfe some Cardinals Hatte It may likewise be that for countenaunce sake ye will face out your false packe with a carde often bycause ye thinke it will empaire the credite of your gray heares to be ouersene in any thyng Besides all these custome perhappes of many yeares had made your iudgement rotten before it was ripe as men vse to say of common lyers which redouble a lye so often that by their often rehearsall beleue it to be true at the length euen so may you thinke to establishe the countenaunce of your imagined Transubstantiation by alledgyng in defence therof a continuall allowaunce of long tyme. If none of all these haue moued you I thinke surely ouermuch pride hath blinded you wherewith ye swell in such sort that you dare boldly without blushyng make vaunt of your selfe more like vnto a bragging Thraso or if any thing cā be more vayne thē Thraso then like a Deuine For you doe not exceede me in witte say you nor excell me in learnyng Truely I will not compare my selfe with you nor with any other person Neither do I professe my selfe to know any thyng at all but Iesus Christ and him also Crucified As for you if one droppe of Christian humilitie or ciuill modestie were in you so hautie a bragge of your braue witte and learnyng would neuer haue escaped you Consider with your selfe in good earnest my holy father this your foolish communication and learne somewhat of Christian humilitie lest almightie God besides this your most vnsauory errour of Transubstantiation adde a more heauie plague vpon you for your vnmeasurable arrogancie You accuse me that I doe trust to much to my naturall senses but that you doe direct all the course of your life to the fayth of the Churche and that I doe shake of from my shoulders the yoke of Christ but you take it vpon you and that I doe forsake the benefites of God but that you doe leane stedfastly to fayth All which are cleane contrary
For you apply your senses to the vnderstādyng of Transubstātiatiō wherby you will haue Christ to be felt to be tasted to be swallowed downe into the stomacke But I accordyng to the doctrine approued vse of the true Catholicke Apostolicke Churche doe vtterly renounce senses accidētes substaunces transformatiōs do aduisedly behold and comprehend in my mynde the Sacrament the mysterie and the Spirite You cast away the yoke of Christ and embrace the licentious outrage of the Romishe Bulles I am a poore miserable exile of Christ and his afflicted seruaunt You doe choppe and chaunge the benefites of Christ with the peéuishe trinckettes of your Schoolemen I do search for the true doctrine of Christian fayth in the most approued preachyngs of Christ his Apostles Ye do snarle at my conuersation of lyfe as if it were most wicked Wherin though you doe me a great iniurie yet ye geue your selfe a deéper wounde which in so open and manifest a lye doe put all your credite in hassarde of losse For albeit I am a miserable sinner in the sight of God yet I hope I haue so led my whole lyfe through his onely great mercy that I neéde not to feare Ierome Osorius to be myne accuser I could call to witnesse for my innocencie here in Italy Germanie and England in euery of which Regiōs I haue so behaued my selfe that hauyng testimony of all good commendable personages I may easely despise your slaunderous shameles rayling Wherfore a way with this your friuolous and insolent custome of scolding once at the last for it empaireth not the estimatiō of honest persons whiche though be vnknowen vnto you yet haue commendable report els where abroad but it rather hurteth your profession diminisheth your credite and loseth your estimation You doe prayse the Sacramēt plentifully and with many good wordes beautifie the benefites therof Wherein you doe very well for what thing vnder the heauens can be founde more prayse worthy more comfortable more honorable more precious more heauenly then this sacred Supper of the Lord whiche we not onely call by the names of Synaxim Euchariste as you doe but also bread come downe frō heauen and Angels foode Neither can you deuise to speake so fully and aboundauntly in the displaying of the excellent worthynes of this most singular sacrament but I will gladly consent with you therein You say that Cyprian was accustomed to geue this heauenly foode to Martyrs and that he would lykewise remoue from this heauenly Banquet men that were notorious for any great crime We doe acknowledge this godly vsage of Cyprian and the same do I for myne owne part Imitate as much as I may and I know not whether I haue employed any so great endeuour in any one thyng so much as that the pure and naturall honour of this Sacrament might be established and the same dayly frequented in all Churches Let my bookes bee perused let enquirie bee made of my familiars and such as I haue bene conuersaunt withall let the continuall course of my maners and lyuyng bee examined and I shal be founde of all men to haue bene a most humble and dayly folower and guest of this heauenly Supper Wherfore thē do you so immorderatly exclame agaynst me That I doe mainteyne combate agaynst the ordinaunce of Christ agaynst the doctrine of Paule agaynst the excellencie of so delicate fruites agaynst the knowen experience of that wonderfull commoditie and pleasauntnesse and agaynst the vndefiled fayth of the vniuersall Church Wherfore do you adde hereunto That I haue reprochfully abused the body and bloud of Christ and outragiously peruerted the benefite of Gods mercy Why do you knitte vp your knot at the length and say That I doe sport my selfe in these mischiefes and doe infect many persons with the poyson of this pestilēt errour God cōfounde that vnshamefast and blasphemous mouth with some horrible plague most cursed Semei whose cancred toung can finde no end nor measure in rayling I haue alwayes most reuerētly esteémed of the Euchariste as of a most precious most fruitefull sacramēt of Christes death as a most assured pledge and Seale of our redemption as a most precious treasure and mysterie of our fayth and hereunto haue I bene enduced by the ordinaunce of Christ our Sauiour by the doctrine of Paule by the iudgement of aūcient Fathers and by the discipline and receaued custome of the vniuersall Catholicke and Apostolicke Church Touchyng the doctrine therof I haue oftē tymes spoken before now therfore touchyng the Custome The same is perceaued by the dayly Custome of the Disciples which after Christ was takē vp into heauē did continually perseuere together in the doctrine of the Apostles and in participation and breakyng of bread and prayers as appeareth by these wordes Vpon a day of the Sabbaoth when the Disciples came together to breake bread c. Awake Ierome Awake you do heare the holy Ghost call it Bread and bicause you should not doubt therof you heare it agayne and ägayne yea and brokē also and this much more ye finde that the Disciples of Christ continually remayned in this holy custome And yet it was not bare Bread as you do wickedly diffame my sayinges therein but it was mysticall Bread sacred Bread finally it was the participation of the body of Christ in the same maner as the body of Christ may bee deliuered in a Sacrament by fayth and Spirite Therfore for as much as our Lord Iesus hath so instituted this Sacramēt to the euerlastyng Remēbraunce of his death passiō sithence Paule doth make mention of the sayd institution after the same maner sithence the auncient Fathers haue applied their doctrine to the same sense sithēce the primitiue Apostolicke Churche hath confirmed the same with perpetuall Custome Awake Ierome at the lēgth for shame awake if you can and rid your stomacke of that dronken Schoolesurfet of Trāsubstantiation which neither Christ did ordeine nor Paul acknowledged nor the Fathers euer thought of ne yet the Apostolique Church did euer medle withall It is a new deuised mockerie foūded first by Innocētius proclaymed by Schooleianglers scattered abroad by Sathā to the rootyng out of the true remembraunce of Christ from out our soules to the vtter ouerthrow of the power of that euerlastyng sacrifice of the crosse Lastly to the erecting of a damnable Idoll in our myndes supplying the place of Christ him selfe to be worshipped of vs. For what els meaneth this your Transubstantiated bread so much adorned with all ceremony of Religion so reuerently carried abroad so superstitiously reserued and kept in boxe lastly so blasphemously holden vp to the gaze worshypped did Christ our Sauiour do or teach euer at any tyme any of all these did Paule did the first and primitiue Church did the auncient Fathers Christ gaue Bread to his disciples Paule pronoūceth it by the name of Bread once twise thrise The Apostolicke church brake Bread
forgeuen but through the merites of Iesu Christ. What then doth not Paul affirme truly that Iewes and Gētiles are all cōcluded vnder sinne Doth not the Propheticall kyng Dauid likewise lōg before him pronoūce truly There is not one righteous person no not one there is not one that will vnderstand not one that will seeke after god All are gone out of the way they are all together become vnprofitable there is not one that doth good no not one If there be not one righteous mā no not so much as one what shal be come of the worthynes of your workes then yea euen amōgest the most perfect and godly If there bee no man that will vnderstand then also the best workes of the godly are of no value If no mā seéke after God what can be duly performed of any person If all haue declined out of the way where be they that haue walked perfectly in the right way Lastly if there be no person that doth good whether then are all your excellent workemaisters vanished a Gods name if all I say all as well Iewes as Gētiles that is to say if all generally are concluded vnder sinne where can those pretie holy men bee founde of whom ye will neédes haue some but Paule vtterly none at all Through the sinne of one man sinne is poured vpon all fleshe to condemnation These be the expresse wordes of Paule which will not admitte any startyng hole yet your Mastershyp notwithstandyng will vrge a certeine perfection of our workes contrary to the manifest authoritie of sacred Scriptures But this Prelate doth make more accompt of the wordes of Christ our Sauiour saying Not he that sayth Lord Lord but he that doth the will of my Father shal enter into the kingdome of heauen And then hee demaundeth If the yoke of sinne bee so alwayes fastened vnto our shoulders that it can by no meanes be remoued how we may then obteine the state of righteousnesse through the grace and goodnesse of Christ Your selfe haue told it wise man truely euen through the very same grace and goodnes of Christ which you haue named And therfore Dauid being full of the holy Ghost lifting his hādes vp vnto God cryeth out in this maner Wash me throughly from my wickednes and clense me frō my sinne for I knowledge my faultes and my sinne is euer before me Why should we desire to bee washed if we did not welter in the filthy puddle of sinnes and why should we require to bee clensed and throughly purified if we were not corrupted wholy defiled with the stinckyng dregges of sinne As by the fall of one mā sayth Paule sinne is deriued by way of propaganaciō vpon all men vnto condēnation euen so by the righteousnesse of one good is extended vnto all men to iustification of life Agayne The same Paule God hath shut vp all men vnder vnbelief that he might haue mercy vpon all Frō our selues therfore proceédeth euill vnto damnatiō And from God commeth Iustification vnto lyfe Of our selues riseth vnbelief but mercy issueth from God But let vs heare our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ him selfe most sweétely cōfortyng vs with these wordes Come vnto me all ye that doe trauaile and be heauy laden and I will refresh you And therfore all anguish and grief of sinne all burden of trespasses wherewith we are ouerladen and haled down not onely to the groūde but euen to hell gates spryng out from our owne selues euen so the asswagyng of all sorrowes and ease of all our importable burdens come from Iesu Christ onely If you bee ignorant of these sentences good Syr wherewith the holy scriptures doe euery where swarme so plentyfully what is it I pray you that you vnderstand in the Gospell if you doe know them why doe ye so maliciously inueighe agaynst those learned men and singular seruauntes of God without cause especially being as now departed this life agaynst whom if they could speake for them selues ye durst not mutter one worde For what are you beyng compared with them But to let them passe whom I did not vndertake to defend what extreme amazednesse is this in you to rehearse my wordes and cull them out of purpose to carpe at them and from them to glaūce away to Luther and Caluin if your quarell be to me why do you not let them alone if ye liste to striue with them then also cauill not with me Doth not reason require this and is not my request allowable Surely it is extreme maddenesse to challenge me vnto the Barriers and then to sckyppe ouer away to others and to pursue them with your venymous toung You say further that it seemeth by my maisters doctrine for so it pleaseth you to tearme thē that the force of sinne is not as yet extinguished in vs through the bloud of Christ. Truely you and I both may acknowledge those men whose names you did recite before to be our maisters not in Diuinitie onely but in practize of pietie also But whereas ye would haue them to teache that the force of sinne is not as yet extinguised through the bloud of Christ I doe expresse here your owne wordes This is onely your horrible and most shamelesse slaūder agaynst them For vnto this marke alwayes they bent their whole endeuour to expresse vnto you Iesu Christ liuely before your eyes the same also crucified to emprint throughly in the very bowels of your soules the most precious bloud of Iesu Christ shed for vs vpon the Crosse to preach vnto vs remission of sinnes through his bitter death and passion to beate into the blind and deafe eares of the world this glad tydyngs of the Gospell beyng ouerwhelmed oppressed by your couled generatiō massemongers confessours and mens traditions altogether choaked buried vnder grounde through the silence of holy Scriptures and to disclose agayne abroad into the open light and put miserable captiues in remembraunce of the sayd doctrine beyng vtterly subuerted by the tyrannous trechery of your gallauntes And therfore in all their sermons lessons and writynges they vsed these and such like speaches The bloud of Iesu Christ doth clense vs frō all sinne You do know that you were redemed from your vayne conuersation which you receaued by the traditiō of your forefathers not with transitorie thyngs as gold and siluer but with most precious bloud as of an vndefiled lambe c. neither whoremōgers nor worshippers of images nor adulterers c. shall inherite the kingdome of God And such ye were but you are clensed but you are sanctified but you are iustified through the name of Iesu Christ and through the spirite of our God You heare men clensed from all sinne redeémed from their vayne conuersation washed sanctified and iustified through the bloud of Iesu Christ Ye know likewise that these men did take vpon them alwayes infinite labours and trauaile about the establishyng and enlargyng of the Gospell of Christ
in this corruptible body but which consisteth rather in remission of sinnes and which after this lyfe will supporte the neédy and naked weakenesse of our workes be they neuer so feéble agaynst the importable burden of the rigour of the law Of which mercy Augustine maketh mention in this wise Stand not in Iudgemēt with me O Lord exactyng all thyngs which thou hast cōmaunded me For if thou enter into Iudgement with me thou shalt finde me guiltie Therefore I haue more neéde of thy mercy then thy manifest Iudgement Agayne in an other place treatyng of the last Iudgemēt He shall crown theé sayth he in mercy compassiōs This shall come to passe at that dreadfull day whenas the righteous kyng shall sit vpon his throne to render to euery mā according to his workes who then can glory that hee hath a pure and vndefiled hart or dare boast that he is without sinne And therfore it was necessary to make mention there of the compassions and mercy of the Lord. c. And agayne somewhat more playnly where hee describeth what maner of mercy shal be in the day of Iudgement he doth set it forth in this wise This is called mercy sayth he bycause God doth not regarde our deseruynges but his owne goodnesse that thereby forgeuyng vs all our sinnes he might promise vs euerlasting life Hereunto also may be annexed the testimonie of Basile no lesse worthy to bee noted touchyng the mercyfull Iudgement of God towardes his chosen people you shal heare his owne wordes as they are For if the Iudgement of GOD were so rigorous and precise in it selfe to render vnto vs after our worthynesse accordyng to the workes that we haue done what hope were then or what man should bee saued But now he loueth both mercy and Iudgement that is matchyng mercy equall with him selfe to beare chief rule in the regall seate of Iudgement and so bryngeth forth euery man to Iudgement That is to say if Gods Iudgement should proceéde of it selfe precisely and exactly requityng euery of vs accordyng to the deseruynges of our deédes that we haue done what hope should remayne for vs or what one person of mankynde should be saued But now God loueth mercy and Iudgement And reseruyng mercy for him selfe he hath placed her before the Royall Throne of Iustice as chief gouernesse and so citeth euery man vnto Iudgement You seé here mention made of mercy and the grace of God not that grace onely that doth engender in vs good workes but the same rather whiche doth forgeue sinnes and Sinners through the bloud of his sonne in which forgeuenesse consisteth our whole redemption accordyng to the testimonie of Paule the Apostle In whom sayth hee we obteine redemption through his bloud and remission of sinnes through the riches of his grace c. If I neéded in this matter to vse a multitude of witnesses rather thē substaūce of authority it were no hard matter for me to cite for defence of the Cause infinite testimonies out of Ambrose Ierome Gregory Bernarde others But what neéde I protract the time of the Reader in vouching a nūber whenas it is euident enough already I suppose by those sayinges spoken before that our saluation can by no meanes obteine place in Iudgement without the mercy of God and his freé Imputation The first wherof our Sinnes neéde to be couered withall the next euen our best workes shall want of necessitie Whereupon that saying of Bernarde wherof we made mention before as diuers other Sentences of his to the same effect bee very pitthye Not to sinne sayth he is the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse of man is the freé pardon of God Of which pardon Augustine very litle differring from Bernarde maketh rehearsall in these wordes Thou hast done no good thyng sayth hee yet thy sinnes are forgeuen theé hitherto thou hearest the worke of mercy Marke now for Imputation Thy workes are examined and they are founde all faultie and forthwith concluding addeth If God should require these workes after their deseruynges he should surely condemne theé But God doth not geue theé due punishement but graunteth vndeserued mercy Thus much Augustine Euen as though hee would say Our best deédes seéme in none other respect good then as farreforth as they be vpholden by his pardon and freé Imputation who if otherwise should searche all our workes euen to the quicke after the most precise rule of his seuere Iustice hee should surely finde nothing sounde in our best deédes many things lothsome and wicked in our workes all thyngs in vs altogether corrupt and defiled Wherein we do not so aduaunce the mercy of God in his Iudgement as though we would haue all the partes of his Iustice excluded from thence But we doe mitigate rather the frettyng wounde of his Iustice which you do so stiffely mainteyne with your speache applyeng thereunto the sweéte and wholesome playster of his mercyfull Imputatiō For who cā be ignoraūt hereof that God shall Iudge the quicke and the dead with Iustice and equitie And who on the other part is so blind that can not discerne this to bee most false that Osorius mainteineth who rakyng all thynges to amplifie the estimation of pure righteousnes doth so stoutly defende this pointe That all our wordes workes are of such force and value in this Iudgement that of their owne nature they are auaylable towardes the purchase of the euerlastyng inheritaunce or els do procure vs a ready downefall to euerlastyng destruction In deede he speaketh truly in respect of the condemnation of the vnfaithful and vnbeleuyng persons and of them which beyng estraunged from fayth haue not acknowledged Christ in this world and of such as abusing their fayth haue despised Christ and of them also which seékyng to establish their own righteousnesse would not submit thē selues to the righteousnesse of Christ. Neither is it any maruell if God doe execute his Iustice somewhat more sharpely agaynst those persōs whenas their deédes beyng foūde guilty haue no ayde to pleade for them that may stand them in steéde besides Christ. For Christ is nothyng elles but a seuere Iudge to them that are not within the fortresse of Fayth as in effect the Gospell doth denounce vnto vs. Who so hath not beleued the Sonne the wrath of God dwelleth vpon him Iohn 3. But the matter goeth farre otherwise with them that are engraffed in Christ by faith of whom we read in Iohn the same Chap. He that beleueth the sonne hath euerlasting life Wherfore as Christ appeareth not a Redeémer but rather a Iudge to them which without the Castle of Fayth seéke to be rescued by the law so on the contrary part Those that shrowde them selues wholy vnder the assured Target of fayth and protection of the Sonne of God shall not finde Christ a rigorous Iudge but a mercyfull Redeémer The whiche sentence he doth verifie him selfe by his own testimony and
such vniforme order as that they might not vary from amongst themselues in some poynt or other by the space of so many hundred yeares For looke how many conuenticles of orders be amongest them so many factions are they The Dominickanes do not agreé with the Mynorites nor the Benedictines with the Barnardines Yea euery particuler faction is many tymes dyuided in it selfe The Obseruauntes do hate the Coletes The Couent Fryers a third kynde vnlike to the other two doth enuy them both hereunto if you list to adde the Iangling opiniones of the Schoolemen how great warres are commonly betwixt the Scotistes and the Thomistes about Congresum and Condignum touching originall Sinne in the blessed Uirgine about solemne vowes and simple vowes betwixt the Camonistes And the Scholemen touching auriculer cōfession which th one part affirmeth was established by man the other part doth say that it was ordayned by God The olde brabble about Nominales and Reales is knowne of euery body common and stale now In fine what man is able to rehearse the maners of diuisiones whereof as euery particuler sect hath hys Patrone So euery Patrone hath his seuerall assertiones whiche are quite contrary to others So doth Thomas de Aquino dissent from Peter Lombard Occam cannot agreé with Scotus Haliensis opugneth Occam Albert Pighius Impugneth Cardinal Caietaue And to speake nothing of other things in the one onely matter of the Lordes Supper how variable are the controuersies and opiniones of their owne fraternities whiles some teache that Christ is present flesh bloud and bone others vtterly deny that othersome ascribe vnto him a body of dimensiones others otherwise some say that the body is torne with the teéthe of the communicants at the tyme of the communion others are to squeimish at that they cānot abyde it There be some agayne that say that the body of Christ is consecrated by the deuine operation And that by this Pronowne hoc the bread is noted others had rather to call it indiuiduum Vagum Some thinke that Myse may gnawe the body of Christ truely and in deede which others Iudge to be to grossely spoken Some are of opinion that the accidentes of bread and wyne may nourish many do deny that say that the Substance of the bread remayneth But these thinges may seeme but very trifles I will come now to the very secrette closett and of this Seé and will treat now not of the externall schismes and deuisions of Friers Moncks and opinions but of the very Seé of the Bishop of Rome it selfe For the first creation whereof how soeuer Osorius paynt it out in wordes as that it was erected not by any pollicy of man but by the power of the holy ghost yet hath he vouched for proofe thereof not so much as a sillable out of the holy Scriptures yea though he did yet should he gett no more thereby then if he cast his capp against the wynde for although in the first booke some reasons wrongfully wrested seeme to haue bene gathered by him to this effect out of the holy scriptures yet those haue bene both learnedly and playnely confuted by our Haddon already Yet because there is now nothing touched els then that whiche doth magnifie that holy Tabernacle onely it may be lawfull for me with as good leaue to set downe myne opinion also touching the same See Which Seé in that case wherein it standeth now a daies I may boldly tearme to be not an holy sacred Seé but a deadly Secte rather not the mother church but the Metrapolitane of all vnsaciable couetousnes not instituted by Christ but purchased by ambitiō raysed by fraud armed with power and force of mighty Monarches defended with bloud and boochery which carrieth a resemblaunce not of true Peace but an horrible vysor of discention which doth not aswage cōtenciouse and troublous sectes but which is rather an vncessaūt whirlewinde and troublesome Tempest of the whole world Finally is nothing els how great soeuer it is but a very naturall Secte for if thys word Secte do take his name as deriued from the word Sectari in what one place throughout the whole scriptures are there any names Seés or Tytles of any person set down for a patterne for vs to imitate and followe but the onely example of Christ the sonne of God Although Paule did rebuke the Corint as backsliders from Christ and that worthely which called thē selues some after the name of Peter some of Paule and some of Apollo considering that they were all members of one Christ what cōmunication would the same Paule vse now to the Romanistes who glory so much vpon the chayre of Peter and the succession thereof Peter sate at Rome say they and what matter is it where Peter sate or where he stoode so that Christ sitte in our hartes And what if I deny Osorius that Peter euer sate at Rome by what argument will you iustifie that he sate there or if one or too small stories perhappes fauour your cause I will proue for one tenne to the contrary which perhappes you shall not so easily confute But to admitte that he sate at Rome what is it to the purpose where Peter sate more then where he walked vnlesse in your conceipte Peter seeme more holy sitting then walking or whā he sate at Rome then whē he walked at Cesaria But he sate in such wise at Rome say you as bearing Souereigntie in Rome O wonderfull and inuincible defence But I pray you graunt vnto vs that Rome is now in the same estate that it was when Peter sate there Such Tirannous Emperors and such Martyrs And I will surely wonder if the Pope of Rome would euer craue for such a souereigntie yea though it might be geuen him But let vs returne agayn to Sectes and tumultes because the question doth properly cōcerne those matters And therefore forasmuch as your tongue vaunteth so gloriously of your deépe knowledge in tryall experience and knowledge of the chaunges and chaunces of this world and of Auncient Antiquitie wherein you bragge not a little that you are not vnskilfull surely you could haue alleadged nothing more directly against your selfe then this same and more properly to serue to the truth of our cause for that no one thing hath terrified vs from pertaking with the fraternitie of that Chayre of pestilence more then the very same that wee haue long sithence found true confirmed herein by our owne knowledge and dayly experience Namely that Brambles and Briars of tumultes Scismes do not fructifie and take so deépe root in any prouince or Nation in the world as within the Iurisdiction of this your Romish Ierarchie And as I haue spoken somewhat already of other their trinckettes so will I now touch a little of the very Toppe Gallaunte of their Pontificall Shippe Let any man of sound Iudgemēt take a full and perfect view of all the vsage of the church of Rome as it is now and
eyes and hādes yea the very body in deéde naturally corporally and substauncially present the very same Christ I say full and whole in qualitie and quātitie with all his dimensions euen as he sitteth now at the right hand of the Father so that Christ may seéme now to dwell no lōger in heauen but to haue translated him selfe into much more precious and purer tabernacles And hereupon this cōmeth to passe That Priestes Monckes and Bishops as the very familiar guestes of Christ Nourished with this heauenly foode and dayly more and more strēgthened thereby doe attaine those heauenly and euerlastyng treasures so happely doe withstād the rage of lust so stoughtly and keepe their vowed chastitie most purely And no maruell for whosoeuer be so nourished with the most sacred body of Christ and carry him about dayly not in their myndes onely but in their bodies also how can it be chosen but that of very necessitie All drousinesse of sinnes must be shakē from them and an heauenly dawnyng of cleare light must shyne in them and must needes be replenished with heauēly treasures and out of the same yeld most glorious fruites of righteousnesse All which to be true the presidentes of their Angelicke holynes and chastitie scattered abroad euery where of the which the commō people tell so many and so commendable tales doe manifestly declare Let not this be forgotten among that whereas in the sacred holy Masse is such a miraculous operation also which as it were a certeine soueraigne Panax and a casket full of Pādoraes treasory may serue to cure the greéfes of all malladies is medicinable for the pestilence for all noysome cōtagions preseruatiue agaynst thūder agaynst Infidels agaynst misfortunes agaynst Agues a present remedy to obteine seasonable weather liquour of life for the sicke a cleare acquitall to the dead from all paynes of Purgatory a medicinable drenche for sicke Horses and Swine what maruell is it if these dayly worshippers of so heauenly a treasure beyng garded with the garrison of so inestimable a Iewell do become such creatures as in whose maners nothyng can be espyed but altogether chast and maydenly yea poolished beautified with all blossomes of vertue But amongest these this one thyng chiefly happeneth very straunge and incredible to be spoken especially in those Byshoppes and Massemongers who beyng enuironed about with so many comfortable Sacrifices dayly whenas they be otherwise rauished with so ardent and zealous affection towardes all other partes of Relligion towardes Masses toward pypyng and singyng toward Confessions and such like holy exercizes that to heare any Godly Sermons to Preach the Gospell of peace wherein the glory of Christ and the sauetie of the people consisteth chiefly they are so hard frosen and so thoroughly benommed as that they seéme scarse warme yea and altogether without sense and feélyng of their duety towardes Christ or of any carefull regard at all of their flocke or of any remorse of conscience to performe their function I speake not here of Oso nor of a few others like vnto him against whō this complaint happely may not so truly be enforced namely sithēce this Bishop is carefull and diligent in curyng his owne charge as him selfe telleth vs But of other Massemongers and shauelynges what will Osorius him selfe say vnto me who to the great fraude and detriment of the Church do so carelesly negligently attend their charge yea and neuer come at it at all They doe performe their duties by the ministery of others say you And such as of them selues are lesse able and vnfitte to preach do yet procure good wise and Relligious mē not of Bucers or Martyrs Relligion but such as are nouseled vp in the readyng of holy Scriptures Doctours and holy Fathers of the Churche who haue skill to teache the people pure chaste and Relligious doctrine Be it as you say Osorius but in the meane space where is that power and efficacy of that wonderfull Sacrament wherewith men are so inflamed and so raysed vppe as you say to all earnest and studious endeuour of godlynesse and to the desire of attainyng all heauenly Treasory At the least where is that charitie which beyng alwayes ready and inclined to doe good to all men by all meanes possible ought not deteigne and foreclose other men from the knowledge of holy Scripture And what shall we say then to those pastours and shepheardes who hauyng charge of Christs sheépe either of them selues can not or will not feéde their flock do not onely not opē their mouthes them selues vnto them but also do forbidd them the vse of the Scriptures in that lāguage wherewith they be acquainted whereby they might more easily attayne to the vnderstandyng of the same by their own industry This contumelious iniury beyng not in any respect collerable in the Church of Christ nor defensible by any coulourable excuse yet this delicate Rhetorician to helpe the ignoraūce of the vnlettered seémeth to haue foūde out of his perspectiues a certeine old wormeaten quircke or shift framing his Similitude from the pearcyng light of the Sunne Which beyng either vnpearceable for the clearenes therof doth blind the sight if the eyes be ouer much bente thereunto or if it shyne not at all profiteth not to thē that are enclosed in a darke doūgeon or do turne their eyes frō it In like maner they which turne away their dazeled eyes from the bright light and knowledge of holy scripture or do force the eye sight of the mynde thereunto more earnestly then is needefull do waxe blynd altogether Wherfore sithence it is so he concludeth herupon that it is a very great poynt of wysedome in them to foresee that the Rude people be not altogether defrauded of all light of Gods word nor yet that they may be oppressed with the ouermuch clearnes thereof For Aunswere For as much as the word of God is as your selfe do confesse the light of the worlde I beseech you Osorius what can be more appropried or peculiar to light then that it spread it selfe abroad ouer all places and persones or what can be more contrary vnto light then to be pent vppe vnder a Bushell And what els doth your discreéte foresight and prouident prouision but shut the word of God close vnder a Bushell when as you procure so pretely that the sacred Testament of Christ may not be deliuered in any other Language but such as the vnletteredd cannot vnderstand And what is this els I pray you but that the rude multitude shall see no light at all but be ouerwhelmed with a perpetuall dazellnes of sight whiles heé that readeth may not vnderstand what heé doth reade and whiles also in your Churches Masses Ceremonyes Supplications and Sacramentes they seé nothing but vtter darckenesse and heare nothing but in an vnknowne Language but in holy Sermones say you we do enstruct and teach them as much as shall seeme Necessary to the endeuour of godlynes
agayne amoÌ„gst ChristiaÌ„s or S. Paule the Apostle and should behold these our serions and toylesome triflinges in our temples these cunnyng counterfaytes Images Alters bread worshippinges and the whole face of Christian Religion so transformed into Apishe ceremonies should seé how prety holy you will shew your selues in trinckets and toyes and how retchles and vnmindefull of the principall poyntes of doctrine how niggardly skraping from relieuing the poore how vnmeasurably prodigall in buildyng of Temples in decking of Monasteries in enriching of churches in costly coapes in Iewels and plate in dawbing of walles in glyding of postes how excessiuely sumptuous In corporall exercises which are of small value how foreward and couragious but in the exercise of true pietye whiche is profitable for all things how litle or no care at all employed as that it may seéme we haue either forlorne all mercy and compassion or that pitty and mercye haue forsaken their owne intralles and vowelles Moreouer in iudging our brethren how frowardly headstrong in burning and killing how â—ooâ—cherly cruell and Sauadge If Esay the Prophet and the Apostle Paule I say did behold these thinges and withall did seé before their eyes such and so much christian blood sucked out spilt by your meanes so many thowsandes of martires murthered and sent vnder the Altar would not he most rightfully or woulde not God by the mouth of his Prophet in much more fiercenes and vehemeÌ„cy of stomack redubble the saying agaynst you more iustly then he did sometimes agaynst the Iewes I will not accept your holidayes your sabbaothes soleÌ„ne feastinges your asseÌ„blies are wicked my soule hateth your kaleÌ„ds soleÌ„nities I am greued with theÌ„ am ouerladeÌ„ with theÌ„ Why haue we fasted and thou hast not beholden vs Behold in the day of your fasting your mindes are enclined to wickednes You fast to contention and strife and oppresse your brethren cruelly wrongfully and without cause Be your washed be ye clensed remoue away the euill imaginations of your hartes out of my sight What would Paule haue added moreouer who endued you at the first with a farre other manner of doctrine if he should now behold your doctrines your rites inuocations decreés masses multitude of holidayes your ceremonies worshippinges croochings and kneélinges and the disorderous abuses of all your religion if heé should note that the coÌ„fideÌ„ce affyaunce wh he taught to be placed in Christ onely were by you transposed translated into an infinite heap of aduocates proctors rent euen in sunder by you Would he acknowledge you for ChristiaÌ„s I pray you or at least standing in great feare of you would he not exclaim agayn vpon you You obserue dayes and monethes I am afrayd of you c. But it is well Osorius doth now at length beginne to speak somewhat to the matter I do confesse in deed saith he that al those things wherof I haue made meÌ„cioÌ„ all others of the same sort which I haue omitted for I think it not needfull to rehearse al by name are not of any such great perfectioÌ„ for they be certayne principles certayne â—ecessary helpes for vs where with as yet our weake and mortall estate hath some familiarity and acquayntaunce and of this we haue good proof by dayly experience c. The loÌ„g processe therfore that you made of state feasts and other gadding holydayes in the yeare belike are of the quality then as you haue said Osor. of that wh though you seéme to haue rehearsed very many yet haue you not remembred all In deéde in this you speake the trueth For you haue ouerskipt almost an innumerable multitude besides these to witte the feastes of the Sayncts and she Saynts And first of Saynct Iohn Baptist the feastes of the Apostles Martyrs moreouer of Confessours Uirgyns Byshoppes and Abbots of the inuention and exaltation of the holy crosse of hallowing of Ashes of Gangeweéke and procession of Saincte Michael of Sainct Peters chayre Sainct George Sainct Nicholas Sainct Katherine Sainct Thomas of the assumption coÌ„ception natiuity and Annnuciation and visitation of our blessed Uirgine Mary of the patrone of the church dedication day and Relicksonday And who is able wich toung to expresse all which in such clusters are crepte into the Kalender that it might iustly haue bene feared least if the popes holines had coÌ„tinued a while longer in good credite all working dayes should haue bene turned into holydayes or euerlasting Iubilees But forasmuch as Osorius is contented to pare away these skrappes as not altogether so necessary for his commentaries we will be contented also to make as litle account of them and to returne agayne to Osor. description wherein the same also which he doth very fittely deny is not altogether true namely that the things which he rehearsed are not valuable as perfect but are certayne principles and necessarye helpes prouided for such as groaning yet vnder the burden of flesh and blood are not throughly huÌ„bled in spirite But I beseéch you good honest man what maner of speache is this what kynde of helpes be these wherof you treat is it euen so Syr to carry candles burning at hygh noone in the eyes and gaze of all men call you this a helpe for weake memoryes or rather a playne president of ridiculous superstition to worshippe the crucifixe barefooted and barelegged to fall groueling before Images to sette vp tapers and caÌ„dles burning before them to part stakes of the honour due vnto God with he Sayntes and sheé Sayntes to make vowes vnto them to craue their helpe in mishappes and misfortunes to 〈◊〉 as much to theyr merites as to Chryst himselfe to nourish thâ—â—â—norauÌ„ce of the vnlettered in an vnknowne touÌ„g to remoue the vnlearned multitude from the reading of scriptures to carry them with dumme and colde ceremonies where ye list to feéde the eares with musicke and song whose soules you ought to haue fed with the word of God and enstructed vnto fayth finally to make a greater brable and sturre for the breach of these holy dayes and neglecting those ceremonies yea to hate your brethren more deadly rack them to more tortures for these peéuish Bables more spightfully then for not performing the lawe of the Lord Will you perswade vs to account these to be principles of piety or shall we boldly call them rather mysteries of iniquity and playne blockes and lettes of true Religion What shall we thinke of this that not contented yet to haue so largely debated of the celebrating of holy daies and the manifold Fruit of the same he proceédeth further beateth the naile to this issue that he maketh now of the very same principles a very necessitie which earst he vouchsafed no place towardes the attayning of perfection So that now these shadowes and signes of holy thinges though of themselues vnperfect doe yet yeélde great helpes to perfect pietye not onely in these that are weak but seéme also very necessary
haue taught They acknowledge him to be heauenly you make him earthly Theyr doctrine doth rayse vs from the earth vppe on high where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Your doctrine what doth it whereunto tendeth it whether doth it call the mindes of Christians but from aboue downeward out of heauen into the earth withdrawing the senses from the Spirite to the flesh So that we must seéke for Christ there not where he is but where you imagine him to be present The Apostle Paule when he preacheth vnto vs the liuely feature of this Christ who taking vpon him the shape of a Seruaunt suffered death in the same shape once for our sinnes vnder Pontius Pilate and afterwardes accomplishing the mistery of our redemption rose agayne for our iustification doth teach vs playnly that he ascended into heauen not leauing his body wherein he suffered behinde him here on earth but taking vpp the same body into heauen was with the same receiued into glory whom also he affirmeth he knew no more now according to his fleshlye presence that is to say according to the capacity of his carnall senses And that besides this Christ onely he knew none other Christ nor this Christ otherwise then according to the new creature onely namely visible in spirite with the eyes of fayth and not with fleshlye eies Let vs make now a comparison betwixt this Christ of our Gospell with that your Christ of the Pope in the same manner as you do fashion him and make a gaze of him to the eies and eares of the people after the order of your Gospel which seémeth to me to be after this manner not as hauing taken vpon him the shape of a seruaunt but the forme of bread is in the same forme of bread and vnder the accidents of bread made of wheat set out to the gaze of the people to be tooted vpon and is of Christians worshipped and offered to God the Father and this not once but dayly not vnder Pontius Pilate but vnder the Pope of Rome not a Sacrifice onely for the quicke but for the soules in Purgatory also to the washing away of theyr synnes Which Sacrifice being ended he is buried in deéd but buryed or rather drowned in the paunch of a priest from whence he neither riseth agayne nor ascendeth afterwardes but descendeth rather nor is euer looked for to come agayne from thence And this is that same Christ not the Euangelicall Christ but the Papisticall and poeticall Christ whom thought the Apostles or Euangelistes neuer knew yet must we be enforced will we nyll we to honor and worshippe neuerthelesse as the very Sauiour of the world forsooth Whom may not suffice to lift vppe hartes and mindes on high to him onely which dwelleth in heauen vnlesse we also lift vppe our fleshly eyes to this visible Christ and kneéle and crootche vnto him with great reuerence yea although the eyes themselues do behold nothing but bread and wine yet the eyes must lye and all the sences must be deceiued neither may in any wise be reputed other then verye herityques but in despyght of eyes and senses all we must of infallible persuasion of fayth firmely beleue that it is now no more bread and wine that is seéne But the bread and wine being thrust cleane on t of dores Chryst onely yea whole Christ doth possesse euery part of that place who though be not present in his owne naturall shape nor in the same proportion of body which he tooke of the Uirgine Mary yet in the selfe same nature trueth substaunce Identity notwithstanding vnder other formes forsooth and yet not figuratiuely but truely most absolutely perfectly and fully must in the same whole body and the same naturall blood be contayned felt seene and without all contradition worshipped These be the misteries of your diuinity as I suppose by the which you haue begotten vnto the world a new Christ I knowe not whom altogether an other Christ neuer borne of the Uirgine Mary doubtles whom the Gospell neuer knew nor the Apostles euer taught nor the Euangelystes euer saw I adde also whom neuer any of you hath seéne hetherto yet nor shall euer seé hereafter And yet these so wittelesse so dotish and monstruous deuises of drowsy dreames then which nothing can be spoken or imagyned more false and more monstruous you shame not at all to vaunt to be most auntient and most true as the Gabyonites of olde time did theyr shooes And for the same your Popish Christ made of bread you stick not to aduēture limm life more earnestly then for the true Glory of that Christ whom we do most certaynely know to be in heauen where also we do worshippe him And euen this doth your horrible butchery of an infinite number of our Martyres declare to be true by most plain and euident demonstration With the blood of whom because your holy mother the church seémeth so beastly dronken long sithence this one thing would I fayne learne of you what special cause was it that enforced you to vtter such outrage in the shedding of so much blood of your naturall brethren was it because they defrauded Christ the Sonne of God which was borne for our sakes crucified rose agayne ascended vp into heauē sitting now a Lord in heauē of one dramm so much of his due honor nothing lesse Was it because they abused or defiled the Gospel I thinke not so Was it because they brake the auntient ordinaūces and approued doctrine of the holy Apostles and Prophettes in any one thing or because they went beyond the bondes prescribed by the auntient fathers none of all these But the cause was for that they refused to allow of that newfangled and vpstart Idoll of the Popish Masse and that lately sprōg vppe Breadworshippe contrary to the doctrine of the Apostles yea contrary to Christ himselfe and because they would not in this behalfe be as furiously franticke as the Papistes themselues In the meane time we speake not this as though we were of opiniō that Sacramentes should be defrauded of theyr dewe honor For it is one thing to reuerence the Sacramentes accordyngly and an other thyng to conuert the Sacramente of Christ into Christ him selfe and to worshippe earthly Sygnes for the heauenly Christ in the one whereof is a kynde of Religion in the other manifest Idolatry To the whiche wanteth nothyng now but that they chaunt lustely together with Ieroboam These be thy Gods O Israell But we shall be vrged perhappes with the wordes of Christ in the Gospell This is my body c. As though in the wordes of Christ which be Spirite and life it be so rare vnaccustomed phrase of speaking to vse Tropes and figures now and then seing there is no kinde of doctrine that more vsually delighteth in figures Tropes parables Similitudes metaphors allegoryes mysteryes thē the mystycall speéch of the sacred
Sommoned as it seémeth by Iohn Damascen who was the first founder of this doing deuise and afterwardes agayne vnder Lanfranck yet was this heresie neuer stablished nor were they taken for heretiques who did celebrate the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord vnder naturall bread and naturall wine before that Councell of Laterane before mentioned vnder Pope Innocent in the yeare of our Lord 1215. or vnder Nicholas in the yeare 1062. Neither shall Osorius be euer able to finde it out when he hath throughly perused all the Libraries of his Antiquitye that he can Not long after came the worshipping of the bread lyfted vpp hoisted vpp aloft to the gaze of all the people by that meanes of Honorius 3. next Successor of Innocent aforesayd Which matter was of all other most neédefull For whereas the nature of bread had once banished it selfe cleane away and nothing now remayned vnder the outward formes of bread wyne els but the true naturall substaunce of fleshe which should exhibite it selfe to the mindes and sences of the worshippers corporally It could not possible be but a worshipping must neédes ensue hereupon These erroneous foundations beyng thus layd as one errour doth commonly engender an other there vpstart an other Whelpe of the same litter as notorious a mistery of iniquitie as the other To witte of this Sacrament first TransubstaÌ„tiated then worshipped at the last sprang vppe a Sacrifice of this Sacrament offred And no maruell at all in neéde For after that the simple people were once throughly persuaded to beleue that Christ him selfe was wholy present with all his whole true body and the true Passion of his body they could not now stay here with onely lookyng vpon and worshippyng their Sauiour so lifted vppe and blazed abroad to their viewe but would also craue helpe of him not for them selues onely but for their parentes and frendes also that were dead And hereupon grew this Sacrifice of the Masse so named of the people plausible for the people in deéde and as profitable for the Priestes purses Which subtile deuise of blynd errour though was the most pestilent botche that euer could haue infected the Church and most deuilishly repugnaunt to Gods sacred Testament yet these crafty counterfaites could coyne couÌ„cell coloâ—able enough notwithstandyng to make this peltyug puppet gaynefull for their purses For where no shift could be imagined to frame the Apostles and Euangelistes to be Proctours in this cause they ranne by and by to Doctours and wheresoeuer they could pyke out any mention made of a Sacrifice either of the Altar or of the Priest the same by crooked conueyaunce they would wrest and wryng to be good Testimony for their doctrine Wherein how honestly they behaued them selues shal be seéne hereafter by Gods grace Next coosin germaine to this began to challenge a right in the Church Eare CoÌ„fession Which beyng an egge as it were of the same broode was hatcht vp and fully plumed at the very same Laterane Councell as appeareth sufficiently by the very wordes of the same Councell the true report whereof ensueth Let euery faythfull person of what estate degree or sexe soeuer he be after he commeth once to yeares of discretion confesse all his Sinnes alone faythfully to his owne Curate once in the heare at the least Behold here the very first Institution of priuate and Eare Confession which is in vre at this day or els if it had bene instituted before or decreéd vpon from aboue to what end neéded so carefull a Prouiso to be made by men whereby the people should be forced to a generall necessitie of reckonyng all their Sinnes to the Priest Now therfore if this were an ordinaunce and tradition of the Romish Church where is that bragge of Antiquity whereby the Papistes would proue that this priuate Confession came from the Apostles where is their glorius boastyng of the continuaunce and deliuery therof from thence euen to this present age Surely Chrisostome others do tell vs an other tale for this writeth Chrisostome I constraine thee not to come to the middes of a Stage and to call many witnesses Tell thy sinnes to me alone c. And agayne the same Chrisostome If thou be ashamed sayth he to tell to any man thy Sinnes that thou hast done tell them dayly in thy soule I do not say Confesse them to thy fellow SeruauÌ„t who may reproche thee tell them to God that taketh care for them c. Moreouer the same Chrisostome in an other place I do not say vnto thee come forth into a Stage nor disclose thy Sinnes to others but I will haue thee to obey the Prophet saying Disclose thy Sinnes vnto the Lord In the sight of GOD therfore confesse thy Sinnes before the true Iudge vtter thy sinnes with prayer not with toung but with the testimonie of thine owne conscience and so trust to obteine mercy at the length c. Certes if Nectarius Byshop of Constantinople had euer suspected that this Eare Confession had bene authorized by any expresse word of the Scriptures he would neuer haue abrogated the same for the defilyng of a certaine matrone by a certeine Deacon in the Churche vnder colour of Confession what shall we say to that where Erasmus but of late yeares writyng of Confession durst not ascribe the institution therof to Christ as vnto the authour therof but yeldyng him selfe willyng to learne if any man could make proofe by sufficient Arguments that CoÌ„fession had his begynnyng at the Scripture how happened that amongest such a multitude of Monckes and Deuines not one would steppe forth to withstand this challenge of Eare Confession as then To passe ouer in the meane space that which the same Erasmus in an other place expressing his meanyng playnly It appeareth sayth he that in the tyme of Ierome priuate Confession of Sinnes was not as yet receaued in the Church which afterwardes was profitably instituted by the Church so that the Priestes and lay people vse the same accordingly But herein some scarse skilfull Deuines are not alitle deceaued bycause where the auncient Fathers wrate touching publique and generall Confession all that doe they straine to this secret whispering a quite contrary kinde of Confession c. To passe ouer also many other thynges for breuities sake whereof if there should be generall collection made there is no dought but this vysour of Antiquitie would be easily pluckt of The same be sayd also of the Sacramentes of Orders Annoylynges and Matrimony The vse of which thynges albeit grew by litle and litle euen with the first age of the Church are also reteigned vntill this day amoÌ„gest vs yet do we vtterly deny that they were Registred amongest the noumber of Sacramentes afore a very few yeares sithence And Osorius shall neuer be able to prooue the contrary There hath bene a solemne custome of long tyme in the Church of Rome that such as
publique offences only Euē so and in such wise Releases Pardōs were esteémed not to be in any respect valuable to clense the sinnes of guiltye consciences in the sight of God simply but should be as pledges and witnesses of a full releasing their penaunce enioyned vnto thē by the Church or of mitigating the same with some gentle quallification As appeareth by a Transcript drawen out of the Penitentiall of Rome vp Burchard treating much of those exchaunges of satisfactions namely that in stead of this penaunce where a man was enioyned to fast one whole day with bread and water heé should be released thereof and say fifty psalmes or Lxx. psalmes kneéling relieue some one begger with food If he were a rich man and vnlettered he should redeéme one dayes penaunce by paying iij. pence if he were poore and vnlettered he should paye one peny or feéd threé poore folke The penaūce of a whole weékes fast was redeémed with CCC Psalmes a whole mouethes fast by saying xij hundred Psalmes for one yeares fast he shoulde geue in almes to the poore xxij shillinges c. Many other like exchaunges of penaunces are mentioned in Burchard all which respected none other end but that they might quallify the rigor of the olde Canons touching publique penaunce ministred to this end not as necessary instrumentes to obtayne remission of sinnes and to pacify the wrath of God but instituted for exāples sake that they might be speciall prickes and prouokementes to sturre vpp such as were fallen and allurementes to earnest amendement of life On the contrary part the custome of our time and of our Popes hath so farre degendred from the auncient ordinaunces of the Elders in dispensing with Pardons and Satisfactions that it may seéme to haue ouerwhelmed not onely all discipline of the auncient Church but also almost ouerthrowen the whole force and efficacy of Christian fayth For whereas the Summe and Substaunce of all our Religion consisteth in the cleansing and purging of Sinnes and the same comprehended also in the onely obedience and passion of Christ these new vpstart Popes haue translated all this Release and satisfaction for our sinnes from the merite of Christ to I know not what newfangled absolutions and Pardons And whereas the olde penitentiall Canons were onely mens constitutions wherein men might dyspence with men according to the necessity of the tyme hereupon our Popes taking hart of grasse are become so shamelesse impudent that with theyr Pardons they dare presume to dispense with mens sinnes yea and theyr consciences also and to make their satisfactory merites by merite meritorious as it were worthye and able to encounter the wrath and iudgement of God And now behold how many pumples and fretts lurke vnder this one skabbe of the popish doctrine First they do so ouerlade mens consciences with a commaundement of confession without all authority of scripture and contrary to all the presidents of the primitiue Church they force all persons to render an account of theyr sinnes whether they be contrite or not contrite and this also vpon payne of eternall damnation As for Absolution they leaue cleane naked of all effectualnesse denying it to be auayleable without workes precedent ouer and besides thys also they do clogge them that are confessed with an vnauoydable necessity of doing penaūce they do thrust in Pardō of sinnes graunted by mans authority which they call Satisfaction for sinnes to deserue freé release from that punishment payne which the iustice of God may duely exact Out of which Syncke proceéd many vntimely and vyperous birthes full of lyes sacrilege and blasphemy agaynst God Namely Mounckes vowes The Sacrifice of the Masse for the quick and the dead Pilgrimages to stockes and stoanes Iubiles Pardons and Purgatory and out of that Purgatory sprang forth that momish maxime of Scotus Scottish and crabbed enough to this effect That Sinners after absolution ar either turned ouer to pardones or to Purgatory I do not here complayne or expostulate for those portesales and crafty conueyaunces of Pardōs Let Pardōs be as francke and freé as they would seéme to be for me But this is the thyng that I do demaund by what title by what scripture by what example finally by what I do not say authority but by what honest colour the Pope of Rome may presume so much vpon hys authority as to challenge to himselfe an interest and as it were an inheritable possessiō of those things wh Gods owne mouth and the promises of the whole scripture doe geue franckely and freély vnto all them that repent and beleue euen by theyr fayth in Christ Iesu and how he dare also affirme that such men are not otherwise to be dispēsed withall then by his Bulles of Pardons and his deputary Cōmissaryes Saynt Peter cryeth out with a loud voyce and confirmeth his saying with the authority of all the Prophets that shall receiue forgeuenesse of Synnes as many as do beleue in Christ. So doth also the Apostle Paule proclayme boldly that all thinges are pacified by the bloud of Christ both in heauen and in earth and addeth moreouer And in him sayth he you are made perfect And because no man shall be of opinion here after that there wanteth any thing to the full accomplishment of our saluation read in Iohn The bloud of Christ doth clense vs from all Sinne. And immediatly after He is the propitiation for our sinnes not our sinnes onely but for the sinnes of the whole world And Iohn Baptist poynting to Christ with his finger doth affirme Christ to be the Lambe appoynted by God to take away the sinnes of the world And Paule to the Hebrues By one onely oblation Christ made perfect for euer them that were sanctified And in an other place we are taught that our hartes are purified by fayth To conclude The whole meaning and intent of the scripture being nothing els but a certayn neuer interrupted course of recomfortable refreshyng in Christ it doth so allure vs all vnto hym that it leaueth none other medicine or restoratiue for our ouerladen and encombred consciences but the onely bloud of the Sonne of God And therefore if the onely death of Christ once offred for all be a full Raūsome for our Sinnes and the full price of our Redemption If Christes onely death and Passion be imputed to the faythfull beleuer for righteousnesse What neéde then any other Pardōs If Christ pacified all thinges in heauē in earth why could he not aswell pacifie all thynges in Purgatory When full power was geuen vnto him ouer all thinges in heauen and in earth what shall Christ haue nothyng to doe in Purgatory but that the Pope must be onely Prince of that Region The bloud of Christ say they did Raunsome vs from guilt and euerlasting punishment But there remaineth yet a Temporall punishment to be endured partely in this lyfe partly in Purgatory out of the which
the vse for the which the foresayd collection was pretended Many such pageantes haue bene played by the Byshops of Rome But Mystres money made vpp alwayes the peryode of the play Let vs call to remembraunce the ages of our auncestors which were but a whiles sithence and note well the Actes and Recordes of the same within these fewe yeares for what is he so blockish who but meanely acquaynted with the late Chronographers canne not easily perceiue those practizes whenas he shall read of so many bloudy battels so many preparatiōs for the recouery of the holy Land shall heare of so many redd Crosses beautifully blazed and embrodered with the Popes trypie Crowne with a skarlett Boxe whenas he shall perceiue the perpetuall prating of Proctours Frier beggers which had skill to claw the poore clownes for their croomes voasting much promising infinite performing nothing Wherunto were added sweéte names titles of Renowme Now must there be a leauy raysed agaynst the Turke by and by the Pope is in great hassard by force of the enemy then comes there a Iubilee euery hundred yeare first not long after an other Iubilee euery fifteth yeare the last euery xxv yeare that so the retourne being more speédy might also be more neédy call for more reliefe Within a whiles after the Church of Saynt Peter must be built vpon the hill called Vaticanus mons in Rome Then began Saint James of Compostella in Spayne to waxe hūgry sometime the holy Ghost in Rome was driuen to extreame beggery So also the world went hard a boord with the poore Mounckes of Mount Sinay Then was compositiō offered for a Restitutiō to be made of loane money or a Iustification of goods euill gottē And so to cease here what were all these but open Marketts deny this to be true Osorius if you canne If you cann not denye it with what face shame you to make warrant that no portesales haue bene made of holy Reliques at any time in your holy mother Churche But the matter goeth well peraduenture these fellowes are to much ashamed of theyr powlyng pranckes and because they can render no reasonable excuse for their bribery and pilladge they beleéue that they shall be able to stoppe mens mouthes with dissimulations and lyes And I doubt not but it will shortly come to passe that they wil as stiffely deny hereafter that they did euer worshippe those holy misteries and signes of the body and blood of Christ in the holy Sacrament in steéde of the very naturall bodye and bloud of our Sauiour Iesu Chryst. And so let this suffice for Pardons OF Images what shall I say sithence hereof hath bene spoken sufficiently enough already and sith he also alledgeth no new matter but olde and bare names onely of Nazianzene Basile Ierome and Ambrose neither vouching any places of the Authors in the meane space nor citing any example at all out of any theyr writinges Goe to and what is it that these Nazianzene Basile and other Doctours do say at the lenght For sooth euen this they do say They doe extoll and magnifye with all the ornamentes of Eloquence such holye Sainctes and godly Martyres to whom was geuen this high honour and glory to persist stoughtely in the face of the Enemie for the testimony of Christ and to washe their garmētes in the bloud of the Lambe their vnuāquishable constancy and heauenly fortitude of courage theyr names actes and Monumentes they do aduaunce very studiously and religiously they pray all night before their Tombes and exhort other godly congregations to read ouer their Actes and Monumentes and to celebrate theyr memorialles Where is all this Osorius and from whence fetch ye this ware Seéke for it good Readers and let it not be tedious vnto you to peruse the volumes of the Doctours ouer and ouer And here by the way especially let Haddon be ashamed which hath so whollye addicted himselfe to the perusing of Accursianes writinges that he coulde spare himselfe no vacant tyme to read the Bookes of these Doctours But to passe ouer these trifles let vs consider the Argumēt of Osorius The auncient Fathers doe honorably sett forth extoll and magnifye the holye Martyres that suffered death for Christes cause I do know this I do know I say that the bookes of the holy Fathers are full of such commendations and prayses of godly men So doth Basile describe famouslye the vertues of Saynt Iulitta Gordius Barlaa Mamantes and forty Martyrs more Nazianzene doth highly commend Marcus Arethusius and Cyprian Chrisostome prayseth his Babyla Ambrose also is full of the like commendations so doe many others extoll and magnify aboue the skies such as they accoūpt prayseworthy But what is all this to the purpose who euer practised to defraude any godly Martyr one title so much of his worthy cōmendation Neither doth our discourse now concerne Saynctes or Martyrs but Pictures and Images Let the holy Martyres haue theyr cōdigne prayses Let the Fathers be aboundantly and plentifully eloquent in theyr commēdatory Declamations Yet did all that garnyshing magnifiyng of Saynctes and Martyrs vertues constancy tend to none other end then to expresse vnto vs a certayne liuely president thereby to imitate theyr patience and to practize their integrity of life and not with crootching and kneéling to worshipp them Neither was that auncient learned age euer so superstitious and bussardly blinde as to adore and make intercession to men in stead of the Lord theyr God But woulde glorify their God rather in his Sainctes And for this cause do I thinke were auncient Monumentes erected Temples buylded wherein the Christian people might heare the Actes and vertues of those holy Martyres to be taught to imitate their example not because the Martyres that were deade shoulde be worshipped Afterwardes some Portraictes were added perhapps wherin the conflictes and intollerable tormentes of these valiaunt Martyrs were curiously paynted as may appeare in Gregorye Nicenus in his commendatory treatise of Theodorus the Martir which labour peraduenture was not altogether fruitlesse according to the capacity of that age that so by the beholding of the History and noting the maner of their agonies and passions others might be the more encouraged to endure the like as occasion should be ministred But that any Pictures and Images of dead bodyes were seéne erected in the Churches of Christians to be worshipped in those dayes vnto the which the Christian people might be so affyed as to celebrate the dead portraict of dead bodies with more then prophane Religiousnesse to witte with prayers with owches and brooches with sacrifices with vowes with supplications with Pilgrimages with temples with Altars with Capers with hollidayes with fasting dayes with excommunications and cursinges with intercession with inuocation with affyaunce and hope of assistaunce in the stead of their Christ or should worshippe Christ in those Images or by those Images Certes no man can make this iustifiable by Basile Gregory or
dead how is the safetie of all men and the state of the Churche preserued thereby To make this matter good Iustifiable S. Paule him selfe is forced maugre his beard to become wittnesse agaynst him self beyng charged with his one wordes spoken once or twise in his Epistle written to the Corinthes as when he sayth I do dye dayly through the reioysing that I haue of you in Christ Iesu our Lord. c. And agayne writyng to the Collo Now I do Reioyse sayth he ouer my afflictions for you and I do fill vpp that which wanteth in the afflictions of Christ in my fleshe for his body which is the Church c. Out of these wordes of Paule well spoken not well vnderstanded and wickedly wrested it is a wonder to seé what horrible doctrine and monstruous blasphemies these false Apostles doe inferr and thrust in place For whereas the Apostles meanyng doth note onely the confirmation of doctrine and the afflictiōs and agonyes that he endured for the enlargyng of the Fayth of Christ onely the same doe these praters most horribly mistourne force to the satisfaction for Sinnes yea to the very price of our Redemption not without manifest Sacriledge agaynst the bloud of Christ As though the Death and Passion of the onely Sonne of God Iesu Christ could not otherwise suffice to the absolute accomplishment of the whole action of our Redemption vnlesse meritorious afflictions of Sainctes were annexed besides which beyng mingled together with the bloud of Christ should counterpeise in equall ballaunce the iust and true proportion of the Iudgement of God and with full measure as it were fill vpp that euer flowyng founteyne which doth purge and washe cleane away the Sinnes and filthe of the quicke and the deadd Which mingle mangle they call by the name of the Treasure of the Churche which of all the rest is most vayne foolishe And this Treasure of the Church they dare not committe to the custody of Christ onely nor to euery of the Ministers nor yet to laye men nor to Priestes not to poore Prelates not to Abbottes or Priours not to Prouostes and Wardens of Colledges nor to simple Preachers as they call thē but to Byshoppes onely and amongest them also chiefly to the high and superexcellent Byshoppe the Pope which is of all the rest most absurd And yet least you shall thinke that these be not their own proper Assertions we will heare what holy Saynct Bonauenture and such like doctours of the same Schoole doe speake of theyr owne mouth For on this wise doe those profounde Deuynes frame theyr Argumentes out of the wordes of holye Scripture Because according to the Law say they he that doth marry his Brothers wise to rayse vpp seede to his brother that is dead ought to enioy the possession of his brothers goods that appertayne to the education of the Children Ruth 4. Therefore the dispensation of this treasure of the Church belongeth to the Byshoppes onelye which be the husbandes of the Church haue power to beget sonnes daughters that is to say perfect vnperfect and amōgest all these principally the high Byshopp which is husband gouernour of the whole Church vniuersall Ha Ha gentle Reader haue you not heard a mynyon mariage worthy for a Popes puppett grounded vpō the very vnpenetrable Rocke of the profundity of all Scriptures by which ye may first perceiue that Christ was once the husband of this spowse Now because he departed this lyfe dyed without issue of his body lawfully begottē his next brethrē the Byshops do succeéd him who marrying their Brothers wife may rayse vpp issue to their Brother vpon her and may begett Children perfect and vnperfect And because all this shall not wāt creditt they do proue it by the authority of the scripture to witt in the 4. Chapiter of Ruth and other testimonies of the Law But by the way whereas we find that by the same law it was lawfull for one husband to haue many wiues or concubines I do not yet remember any such liberty geuen by the law that one wife should be married to manye husbandes Wherein truely they doe describe a very hard and miserable estate and condition of the Church if one wife shal be constrayned to be buxonne and bonaire to so many husbandes as there be Byshoppes in Christendome But let vs harken yet what followeth more For he proceédeth on this manner And therefore all Byshoppes sayth be that haue issue may graūt pardones but especially aboue all other our most holy Father the Byshopp of Rome as to whom belongeth the dispensation of the whole spirituall treasory because he hath the charge of all the whole Church and of all her Children whereupon all be his Children and he is the Father of all c. Thus much doth preach vnto vs our holy Saynt Bonauenture Behold here gentle Reader the summe of this most excellent mysticall interpretation of the Schole doctrine where in bethinke aduisedly with your selfe how many fowle horrible errors blasphemies are scatrered abroad by this pestilent dogg and recken them vpon your fingers if you will whiles I sett thē downe in order vnto you First an vtter disability and a worne out Emptymes in the bloud of Christ his most comfortable death is here set downe wherein is manifest blasphemy Then followeth an Eclipse of Christes passion That is to say whatsoeuer wanteth in his passion to the full satisfaction of our Redemption must be supplied and recompenced with the afflictions of Martirs and Sainctes Next vpon this minglemangle of the merytes of Christ and his Martirs they gather together a certayne treasury of most precious and aboundant Satisfactiō which they call the Treasure of the Church Now whereas out of this treasury all Remission and pardō of Sinnes is dawen forth then yet must not all be Stewards and distributers of this great riches nor any other then the Bishoppes and the chiefe Byshopp of all other the Pope of Rome which is of all other a most pestiferous error Moreouer as is most meét out of this Romish Budgett and dispensation of Romish treasure are begotten Bulles and Pardons which is a most horrible fraud and liegerdemayne Lastly out of these Pardons is framed at the lēgth the skalding house of Purgatory by this argument forsooth Because otherwise these pardons and prayers of the Church and merites of Sayntes should not be worth a Rush vnlesse the soules of the faythfull did frye and broyle in this skalding house of Purgatorye for ease of whom these qualificatiōs are proued by the Church I haue reckened vpp orderly and briefly the chiefe of all their errours monstruous horrible enough I thinke which being directly agaynst manifestly repugnaunt and contrary to the true meaning and naturall sense of the scripture will not require any long aunswere in the confutation of them First where as they do affirme that
all and euery of the which vpon a iust accompt made do Surmount to the number of tenn hundred thousand yeares againe if the Pilgrimes that come to Rome to seé the onely heades of Peter and Paule do obtayne pardon of their sinnes for xij thousaund yeares or if the fulnesse of the Romish Seé be of such estimation in the sight of God as you boast vpon it that it is able to trāslate whatsoeuer soules it listeth sodenly without touch of breath out of Purgatory into heauen yea and that without any helpe of Purgatory at all to what purpose then doth this Sacrifice of yours serue wherewith you doe vndertake as you say to pacifye the maiestye of God for the sinnes of the dead If there be no meanes els to reconcile his fauor but by this dayly Sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ of what vertue then shall your popish Pardons be wherefore either must your Bulles of very necessity breake their neckes if your satisfactory Masses stand still at the stake or if your bulles be fatt and lusty you must neédes confesse that the iolly bragges bigg lookes of your satisfactory Masses will be down dagger Furthermore how will that your infallible Assertion agreé either with the rule of the holy scripture or with the determinations of your owne Schoolemen For whereas your great Doctours do call this oblation an vnblooddy sacrifice which you name the oblatiō of the body and bloud of Christ either they must lye or els Osorius must neédes saye vntruely If the Schoolemen say true that it is an vnblooddy sacrifice I doe demaund them by what reason it is ministred for the washing away and cleansing of the sinnes of the quicke and the dead when as it appeareth by the most manifest testimony of the scripture that there can be no remission of sinnes without effusion of blood Moreouer yf this vnblooddy sacrifice be such an effectuall and soueraigne Balsamum for the curing of the festered woūds of the quick for what soares then auayleth your Sacramentall playster of penaunce For if sinnes be washt away cleane before you go to Masse to what vse shall this necessity of Sacrifice and confession be employed Doe ye not yet conceiue playnely fine man into how many monstruous and frameshapen filthy deformities this your friuolous and apish reason would entangle vs which neither accord scarcely betwixt themselues and withall do much lesse resemble any countenaunce or shew of countenaūce with the holy Scripture You affirme that you do take vpon you to reconcile the fauour of God by the body and bloud of Christ But why do you so loase our labor For all this matter that you now take in hand is quite dispatcht and accomplished long sithence All the coast is cleare here already the reconcilement is concluded vpon the olde rotten wall is broken downe the obligations be all cancelled so that you neéde not to beat your braynes any more about making any Releases Gods memory is not so obliuiōs that it can so soone forgett this couenaunt that he made with the late sacrifice of his Sonne except you rubb vp his remēbraūce with your dayly sacrifice Neither is this attonement purchased of so slender force that we neéd to be afrayd of any such breach of couenaunt as can not be continued without your delicate daylye dayntyes What shall I say of the nature of the sacrifice it selfe which though you would the contrary neuer so fayne neither ought nor can be handled with any mans handes besides him onely who being cleare from all spott of sinne did deserue to be heard for his obedience sake and who alone as Augustine writeth is the onely priest and the sacrifice the offerer and the offering it selfe And what fayth is there so great in you or what obedience to godwardes or rather what shamelesse impudency in the sight of men wherewith you dare presume to handle this so honorable a sacrifice for sinnes being of all partes so polluted stynking and filthy sinners your selues But I meddle no more with your vnshamefastnesse I demaunde touching the matter it selfe what reason or argument you can make for any your necessary vndertaking this Sacrifice and I desire to be aunswered of you herein Forsooth say you because God is wrathfull agaynste sinners and because sinnes do dayly boyle vpp and buddle from without vs therefore a dayly Sacrifice is very requisite for the obtayning of dayly pardon But this pardon is obtayned by our owne fayth in Christ yea without all your Sacrifices or els the verity of Gods word it selfe doth lye surely and Christ also doth deceiue vs as appeareth by the promise made vnto Paule that they should receiue forgeuenesse of theyr sinnes through fayth that is in Christ Iesu. c. How saye you to this shall we now abandon our fayth that we may establishe your vnbloody sacrifice for otherwise how can you ioyne the perseueraunce of the one with the maintenaunce of them both If fayth do obtayne remission of sinnes what neéde we then your Sacrifice on the other side if sinnes cānot otherwise be washt away but by the sprinckling of this Sacrifice then is fayth altogether vnprofitable But you will say the very same Christ in whom we do beleeue is resiaunt in that holy Altar Doth he lye their groueling or looking vppward what say you Osorius But go to what is this to the Sacrifice for if fayth fastned in Christe wheresoeuer he be do obtayne all our suites at his handes what further neéde we of him to be sacrificed againe or of your priesthood Because when as by our ministery say you the sonne is offered vpp vnto the father he can not choose but be fauourable vnto vs and with his mercy forthwith embrace vs And therefore this Sacrifice is vndertaken of vs not in vayne whereby we do pacifie the maiesty of God whose iustice without this Sacrifice could not otherwise but be very greuously angry and heauily affected agaynst our sinnes But we are otherwise taught by the scripture of God which doth playnly affirme that we being iustified by fayth haue peace with God Rom. 5. To what purpose then neéde we any reconciliation where assured peace is proclaymed already But God is angry with our sinnes This is true But this anger is alayed by fayth and repentaunce without all your oblations But if you thinke that an aduocate must be procured hereunto we are taught by Iohn that this Aduocate is now already in heauen and not in the earth And he is sayth Iohn the propitiation for our sinnes 1. Iohn 2. But whē he is offred in the earth the wrath of God cānot choose but be recōciled with so acceptable a Sacrifice Nay rather be ye well aduised hereof least whiles you take vpon you to pacifie the wrath of God by Sacrifice you defile your selues by the same meanes with most horrible Idolatry so prouoke the wrath of the Lord much more sharpelie against you to your
vtter destruction which how much is to be feared on your behalfes I neéde not to certifie your wisedome with many wordes Certes what you haue hetherto done the matter doth euidently declare it selfe For sithence the first erecting and frequenting of this sacrifice amongest you if nothing els teach vs how you haue pacified the wrath of God with this sacrifice we may learne well enough by the continuall outrage of the Turke which beginning very neare about that blessed time not much after the Popedome of Innocent the 3. it exceédeth all creditt to be spoken with how wonderfull successe it hath preuailed all this time euer sithence And withall how many monstruous heapes of miseries and calamities haue burst out together with that sacrifice yea dayly raunge also vnreclaimeable all good and godly men do right well perceiue and be hartely sory for the same Sathā roareth greédy of the pray Impietie surroundeth euery where the world doth delight and sport it selfe at our manifold miseries and mischieues and the olde profane paganisme doth ware dayly I know not how mighty incorrigible almost nothing is sound through all Christendome all thinges be rent and torne in pieces skarse is any Peace vpon the whole face of the earth or any peaceable state of life The Christians lye snorting in security The Iewes waxe euery day more stiffnecked being molested and agreézed at no one disorder so great as at your Sacrifices Breadworshipp Idolatryes Pictures and Images which they doe plainly perceiue to be manifestly repugnaunt agaynst the Law of God And whiles you shrine your selues like Gods on the earth in purple and Golde the poore beggerly Churche of Christ which did once florish and triumph throughout all nations and tounges is now pent vpp and thrust together into so narrow a straight that it is ready to pyne away with anguish and grief which your Lordshippes receiuing from the old auncient Fathers in very good liking lustye and strong is by your meanes now become carrayne leane full of sicknesse and like an olde kebbe full of wrinckles In so much that if these outragies proceéd as they beginne you will be found shortly to leaue vs neuer a Church at all vnlesse the maiesty of God be otherwise reconciled to be mercifull to our despeired estates then by your Idolatrous Sacrifice First whatsouer the Gospell of Christ hadd sometyme obteyned in Asia and in Africa you haue vtterly loft altogether Ouer besides this also you haue lost Thracia all Greece of late yeares Hungarye and both the Regions of Pannonye what shall we say to this that the Venetians were not able to preserue Cipres for all their Masses and Sacrifices So puissaunt and so many voyages haue bene addressed so many armies leuyed against the Turkish power by Emperours Kyngs Christian Princes and Captaynes and most of all by the procurements and practizes of the Romish Popes Yet I suppose that all the meane whiles wanted no Masses and vnbloudy Sacrifices through all their Pauylions and Tentes if at least these Sacrifices could haue preuailed any thing to the appeasing of goods indignation And that I reckon not vpp in the meane time Ciuill broyles dayly raunging amiddes the very bowells of the Church Slaughters Warres Pestilences Outragies Vproares Schismes Murthers Persequutions Malice hartburningnes What kinde of mischiefe hath euer pestered any Common wealth wherewith the tranquillitie of Christian Peace is not shaken at this present yea spoyled and mangled more with cruell Combatts and tumultes at home then with any Forrayne inuasions or attemptes All which calamities seéming none other but speciall tokēs of gods greuous wrath waxen whotte agaynst vs how happeneth that they are not quallified by reconciling Gods fauor with that vnbloudy Sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ which is dayly exequuted by so many handes of Sacrificing shauelinges for an attonement to be made of Gods displeasure agaynst sinne But you will impute the fault of all these Calamities to the disolute lyues and lycentiousnes of the lay people Be it as you say yet the matter rebowndeth back agayne from whence it came For if God being offended with the wickednes of the people could not be pacified by you in so great continuaunce of tyme hitherto to what vse then auayleth the power and vertue of that reconciliatory Sacrifice betwixt God and vs But I am of a farre contrary iudgement to you herein Osorius whereas the Turke preuayleth whereas such an infinite heape of mischieues doe ouerwhelme vs at home and from abroad on euery side Whereas we haue so long endured the vnappeasable wrath of Gods vengeaunce I doe beleue verely that it commeth to passe for none other cause more then for the very same Sacrifice wherewith you doe to stiffly perswade your selues that you doe tourne away his heauy displeasure For the dead say you and for such as be departed out of this lyfe Finally for the health and safetye of all Christian Realmes you doe make a Sacrifice most holy and most honorable of all other Sacrifices the vertue whereof of you can neither expresse with tongue nor comprehend within imagination or thought and doe stoughtly maintayne that the same ought to be accompted for the most holy and principall groundworke of all Religion I doe perceaue you and I doe cōmend your Catholicke industry but your Religion surely I can prayse by no meanes For what neéded Christ to haue susfredd death if the vnbloudy Sacrifice of his bloud may satisfy for the safety of all Christendome without shedding of any bloud if it can not with what Religion is this Sacrifice perfourmed of you nay rather how much monstruous Idolatry doe you vphold and bolster out with this one Sacrifice of yours Not so say you but we make intercessions to Christ which suffred his passion for vs to pacify the wrath of God in the behalfe of all Christian Nations Threé notable lyes in one sentence 1 First that which you doe assume of the body and bloud of Christ is false For Christ departing from hence did not leaue behinde him his body and bloud but deliuered vnto vs a mistery of his body and bloud onely 2 Moreouer the same whereof you treate so much touching your Sacrificing is as foolish and vayne For neither was that Mistery deliuered vnto vs to that end that it should be Sacryficed by thandes of the Priestes but that all the faythfull in generall without exception should be partakers thereof and feéde vpon the same Eate you all sayth Christ of this He doth not say Sacrifice this ye Priestes And I thinke to eate and to drinke is not all one to say as to Sacrifice 3 Finally this also is as vayne and ridiculous which you doe more then drowsily dreame vpon that this Eating should be instituted for the health of all Christian Realmes and for the reliefe of the quick and the dead For it was left emongest vs for a Remembraunce of the Lordes passion onely
c. Damascene is yet behinde whose authoritie albeit doth geue no great credit to the cause as being to say nothyng els a writer of no great antiquitie yet euen in this same place where by this vnbloudy Sacrifice he noteth that body bloud of Christ he spake playnly of the Supper of the Lord but maketh no meÌ„tion at all of the Masse nor of the Sacrifice of the Masse Now I will aunswere to the Argument Wherein to admitt the Maior yet is the Minor surely most false which they do deuide into braunches on this wise First say they this dayly sacrifice that Malachy doth prophecy of can haue no agreablenes with the Leuiticall sacrifices which are worne out of vse long sithence neither do I deny this what then Neither could the Prophet here prophecy of the sacrifice of Melchizedech which was prefigured loÌ„g before You say very well No more can it be vnderstaÌ„ded of those spirituall sacrifices of the faythfull which are offered in mynde and in spirite Goe forth now So neither can they be ascribed to the righteousnes of workes which the Prophet Esay doth reiect beyng defiled as it were a menstruous cloth I doe heare you Lastly whereas the sacrifice of the Crosse was accomplished in one place onely at Ierusalem The vnmeasurablenesse of this sacrifice which is enclosed within no boundes of place can not be referred vnto that sacrifice Well conclude now at the length It remayneth therefore that the wordes of the Prophecy be construed to haue relatioÌ„ to the sacrifice of the popish masse in the which christ him selfe being a most pure and most cleane sacrifice of it selfe is offered vnto God emongst the Gentiles in all places yea euen now in the tyme of the new Testament without end I do aunswere where the Prophet doth name it a pure Sacrifice therein he seémeth to wil nothyng els but that abolishing all the Legall Sacrifices which were offered by smoake by smellyng sauour and bloud he did signifie certein other new reasonable Sacrifices and vnbloudy as Eusebius calleth them namely spirituall and mysticall Lyturgies of the Church and inward Sacrifices of the faythfull which albeit do seéme of theÌ„ selues vncleane and menstruous yet beyng purged and made cleane by the bloud of Christ are accompted reasonable and acceptable in the sight of GOD to witt by that reason as all thynges are sayd to be cleane to them that be cleane And that which God hath made cleane ought no man to accompt vncleane In the which sence the faithfull are commauÌ„ded to lift vppe pure handes in prayer in S. Paule Whereupon Eusebius doth say that we do kindle the Insence of prayer and doth call the same a pure sacrifice which we do execute not with bloud and goare but with pure actions Moreouer where the Prophet doth adde In euery place as these wordes preuayle nothyng for the credit of the Masse so doth it extenuate our Religion of the Sacrifice of the Crosse nothyng at all For albeit Christ the most sweéte Sauiour did suffer his Passion no more but once and in one place only at Ierusalem this withstandeth nothyng at all but that the efficacy dignity and memoriall of this Sacrifice receaued by fayth may ouer spread and be frequented in all places and tymes Whereupon we do heare Chrisostome discoursing very playnly Neither did it therefore repent God of the Priesthood sayth he because the sacrifice which he did offer vpon the Crosse doth so remaine acceptable in the good pleasure of God and permanent in endlesse power that the same oblation should be lesse effectuall now in the sight of his Father then it was the very same day wherein water and bloud gushed from out his wounded hart and the wouÌ„des remainyng discernable alwayes in the body should exact the price of mans redemption c. Which if were truely spoken by Chrisostome what neéde any more â—tteration of Sacrifices vpon altars for the saluation of soules especially sitheÌ„ce according to the generall publique consent of the Doctours there is none other Sacrifice for sinnes but this one onely oblation vpon the Crosse neither is any other Sacrifice acknowledged of the Church but the onely which coÌ„sisteth of the memoriall and thankfull remembraunce of that Sacrifice vpon the crosse Innumerable testimonyes might be vouched out of the Doctors agreéing altogether in this sence and meaning But I doe seé that thauthorityes to Iustify this cause doe amount to an infinite number This is an old and a true saying of Eusebius That he gaue to vs a remembraunce to offer to God continually in steéd of Sacrifice What shall we say of Lombard who doth affirme that this priestly Sacrifice is nothing els then a memorial and Representation of that true oblatioÌ„ offered vpon the Crosse. FroÌ„ which sweéte agreable consonancye of Authors Nazianzen doth nothing differ calling the exemplar of great Misteryes the Sacrifice of prayse What say you to Iustine Martyr Esay doth not promise sayth he a restoring agayne of bloudy Sacrifices but true and spirituall oblations of prayses and thankesgeuing c. And Augustine Christ did deliuer a similitude of that Sacrifice to be celebrated in Remembraunce of his passion And the same Augustine in an other Place Christ did geaue a representation of that Sacrifice to be celebrated in the Church for a memoriall of his passion And agayne The flesh and bloud of this sacrifice after the ascention of Christ is celebrated by a sacrament Memoriall To be short if the controuersy shall be decyded by the Testimony of Doctors the generall consent of all the learned Antiquitye doth agreé and concurre in this question namely that neuer any one of them would establish any other Sacrifice for sinnes besides that one onely Sacrifice which Christ alone at one tyme onely once and in one place did enseale and Ratify with his owne precious body and bloud vpon the Altar of the Crosse. Of which Sacrifice albeit the thing it selfe being once already performed be past and the tyme thereof determined yet doth the power effectuallnesse thereof remaine vnmoueable sure and vndeterminable beyond all ages And the dayly celebration thereof is reteigned in all places of Christendome for an euerlasting remembraunce and for that cause it is oftentimes called by the name of that Sacrifice whereof it doth represent a memoriall not because our sinnes doe neéde any other Sacrifice from henceforth but that our fayth being dayly exercized in these outward helpes may be continually enured to know what benefites it hath receaued of her Sauiour and how much lykewise it is indebted vnto him Not much vnlyke to the people of Israel who by the bloud of the Passeouer were deliuered from the Tyranny of Pharaoe In deéde they were deliuered once yet neuerthelesse the Pascall Lambe was slayne euery yeare for a remembraunce of their deliueraunce wherein was neither any passage of Angell seéne nor deliueraunce of the people In lyke maner
receiue a remēbraūce of that sacrifice celebratyng the mysteries accordyng to the ordinaūce deliuered by him selfe and rendring thankes vnto God for our safety And agayne We doe erect vnto him an Altar of vnbloudy reasonable sacrifices accordyng to new mysteries Furthermore he doth forthwith expresse what kynde of new Mysteries they be Christ did offer sayth he a wonderfull sacrifice for the safety of vs all That is to say he gaue vs a memoriall to offer to God commaundyng vs to offer a memoriall for a sacrifice c. What shall I say of Cyrill Who doth call the prayers and melodious singing of fayth full soules praysing God cōtinually vnbloudy sacrifices And the same Cyrill writyng agaynst Iulian We sayth he forsaking the grosse sacrifice of the Iewes haue a commaūdement that we shall make a simple spirituall and a pearcyng sacrifice And therfore we do offer vnto God for a sweete smelling sauour all kindes of godlynes fayth hope and charitie c. If this controuersie may be decided with the greatest part of voyces who would require more wittnesses if with authoritie who will demaunde more auncient and more learned if by expresse euidence of wordes what is he so voyde of Reason that cā not playnly conceaue by the premisses that there is no one thyng more vntrue then that which these braynesicke men haue by a most false and vnsauory inuention Imagined concernyng the application and propiciation of this Sacrifice for the vtter ouerthrow of which doctrine what will more fittly serue the oportunitie now offered what cā be applyed more aptly for this present and more agreable to Reason then to kill them with their own swordes and to catch them in their owne pittfall for whereas the chiefest substaūce of a Sacrifice especially such a Sacrifice as is offred for Sinnes consisteth in slayeng of a body and sheadyng of bloud I would therfore learne of them by what reason the denomination of a Sacrifice may be properly applyable to their Popish Masse whereas neither any slaughter of a body or any sheadyng of bloud is discernable But there is represented say they a memoriall of sheadyng of bloud I do graunt it The holy Euchariste therefore doth not expresse any actuall killyng of the body or actuall sheddyng of bloud in truth and in deéde but representeth it by a memoriall onely Which bycause can not be denyed we say that hereof it commeth to passe wheras Remission of Sinnes is not otherwise obteined then by killyng of some body and sheadyng of bloud that for this cause therefore the Euchariste which executeth no actuall sheadyng of bloud but representeth onely a memoriall thereof can not of it selfe geue forgeuenesse of Sinnes but onely represent vnto vs a memoriall of the true Remission of Sinnes by way of Representation onely And what accoumpt shall mē make now I pray you of that dreadfull Decreé of the Tridentine Fathers who haue hundred out such flashes of horrible lightenyng whereby they doe scorche cleane into powder with their cursed Bull all them whosoeuer dare vtter halfe a word so much to say that the Sacrifice of the Masse is onely a bare commemoration of that Sacrifice finished vpō the Crosse and not a propiciatory Sacrifice rather I draw now somewhat neare to the very Canō of the Masse whereunto as these godly Catholickes do sticke most earnestly and do settle in the same the chief prore and pewpe as the Prouerbe is and shooteanker of their whole Idolatrous Sacrifice So doe they also in the same shyppe bulge them selues most of all and with their owne cable ouerhale them selues into an vnrecouerable gulfe The Tenor of which Canon is this Commaunde these giftes to be carried by the handes of thy holy Angelles vnto thyne hyghe Altar c. What Can not Christ sitte on the right hād of his Father vnlesse he be posted ouer by the Priest to be transported by Angelles vnto the highe Altar whenas he hath bene in actuall possession of the highest heauens long sithence not holpen thereunto by any person and sitteth on the right hād of his Father farre surmoūtyng in power euen the most excellent ministery of Priestes and Aungelles It followeth in the same Canō Through whom thou doest alwayes create sanctifie and blesse all these good gifts What is this that I doe heare must Christ be created blessed and sanctified agayne I haue passed my boundes somewhat further perhappes in prosecutyng this controuersie then the proportion of this our Apology would well admitt But hereunto was I forced partly by the peruersnes of Osorius partly by allurement of necessary persuasion for as much as I perceaued that there is no one thyng throughout all the doctrine of this phātasticall Religion wherein our Catholickes doe sweate and turmoyle them selues more greédely and raunge at riotte more perillously And therfore I thought it not amysse to rippe abroad the whole matter euen frō the very rootes of the foundation and so to encounter the franticke attemptes and engynes of our aduersaries Wherein if I haue not satisfied all mens expectation yet I trust that I haue reasonably brought to passe by this simple discourse that the Reader may easily conceaue how peéuish a plattforme this glorious Peacocke hath forged for his peltyng Purgatory and mumblyng maskyng Sacrifice vauntyng them to be matters of such importaunce as which the Apostles did deliuer ouer by mouth and which their Disciples dyd deliuer ouer to the posteritie and which the greatest consent of auncient Antiquitie with most Religious obseruaūce hath reteyned and approued so many hundred yeares with the generall Fayth and allowaūce of the vniuersall Church without any disagreement But on the contrary part as touchyng the Lutheranes they are cōfuted with the authorities of the aūcient Fathers and confounded with the generall consent of the whole Church whō Osorius with his copemates haue vtterly discoūtenaunced and discomfited with vnuanquishable Arguments vncomptrollable testimonies vnreproueable examples and conuinced them of horrible impiety and wickednes c. In good sooth these be lofty glorious magnificall speaches but besides the bare soūde of wordes no matter at all which wordes if must of necessitie fleé into the Castle of creditt bycause they be naked wordes onely without feathers surely you are well furnished with a very ready pollicie of persuasion Osorius and with a speciall practize for the speedy conquest of the cause But by this very same deuise of yours what a singular plattforme haue you layed forth for others to finde out the way to persuade as matter of truth whatsoeuer they liste to blast out in bare wordes For what is more easie then to pretend in word in speach those two wordes onely Church and Antiquitie if men wil be contented to haue their mouthes choaked with such boanes If the world be come to this passe that whosoeuer cā with finest floorish of wordes lauish abroad in the Church whatsoeuer him listeth the same shall obteine greatest creditt and
not to be marueâ—led that Monckeries were so soone ouerthrowen as that they stode so long Of the holynesse of ceremonies with Osorius Luke Iohn Collos. 2. Galat. 4. Mens traditioÌ„s ceremonies are not altogether sequestred from a Christian mans lyfe How great a perill is in ceremonies Christian RelligioÌ„ almost wholy turned into ceremonies Images Crosses Altars throweÌ„ downe Ezechiah Iosiah Iozaphat Gedeon Epiphanius in an Epistle to Iohn Byshopp of Ierusalem Phillippicus Leo Isaurick CoÌ„stantine Leo 4. Greeke Emperours agaynst Images Images banished by the couÌ„cels of ConstaÌ„tinople Elibertine and francksord Out of the councell of ConstaÌ„tinople Ex Elibertino coâ—cil can 36. Lactant. instit book 2. cap. 19. ChrisostoÌ„e Amphilochius Theodore Byshopp of Ancira Portraictes Eusebius Bysh. of Pamphil. The reasoÌ„s of Bysh. alleadged in the counsell of Constantinople Deut. 20. 2. Cor. 6. A figure called contraposition betwixt the decrees of God and the Popes Math. 10. 1. Iohn 5. Out of the Decrees of the Trydentine counsel 9. Sesio Iere. 10. Abacuâ— 3. The wicked and preposterous iudgements of the Papists in worshipping of Images Osor. pag. 178. Osorius slaunder agaynst Luther touching contrition and good workes condeÌ„ned is confuted Articul 31. How this sentence that the Righteous man doth offend in euery good worke is to be taken Gregory vpon Ioh. 9. August in his 3. booke of confess cap. 7. August to Boniface 3. book ca. 7. The words of Constantine to Acesius Aug. in his 1. booke de perfectione iustitiae Aug. in his booke of the perfection of righteousnes Of the auntient ordinaunces of the Church The ordinaunces of the primitiue church taken away now by our Catholicks The complaynt of abolishing the auntieÌ„t ordinaunces of the Church appliable to none so much as to the Papists By what meanes the Romanistes haue altered al thinges in the Church Osorius pag. 178. Osor. pag. 180. An aunswere in the behalfe of the Lutheranes liues agaynst slauÌ„deryng It is one thyng to iudge of maners an other thing to iudge of doctrine Dogges in the pallace of Rome Osori pag. 180.181 The popes blynd Decrees caÌ„ not away with the light of the Gospell The cauill of Osorius agaynst the lyues of Lutherans Osori rayseth all his slaunders of hearesay The fruites of the Gospell beyng restoared Doctrine ought not to be iudged after the qualities of mens manners Osorius malice agaynst the Lutherans Many are vntruely termed Lutherans that be no Lutherans Mauy counterfets lurke in the Church vnder presence of the Gospell The approued integritye of the-ProtestaÌ„ts The lyfe of Cranmer Archb. of Cant. The marriage of CraÌ„mer defended The name of a Concubine more holy with the Papistes then the name of a wife Nichol. Ridley Byshop of London Ferrar Bish. of Saynt Dauids Iohn Hooper Bish. of Worcest Glocester Famous men martyrred vnder Queene Mary Tho. Bilney Ioh. Bradford The liues of those which were burnt in Queene Maries raigne Erasmus testimony coÌ„cerning Luther See Osorius in his 1. booke 69. Roffensis of the doctrine of Luther Luthers doctrine not other then all other true Christians The Fallax of the consequent An Argument rightly deduced froÌ„ Signes Doctrine not to be applyed to maners but maners to doctrine Osorius pag. 181. 182. Of prescription of Antiquitye Osorius doth accuse the reformed Churches of Noueltye The reformed Churches now a dayes doe not vary froÌ„ the Apostles institution in doctrine Maner of lyfe thought neuer so disorderous maketh not an heretique The cause that enflameth Osor. agaynst the Lutheranes is not the life but the state of their doctrine The foundation of the questioÌ„ is not of maners but of the principles and grouÌ„des of Religion The condition agreed vpoÌ„ concerneth the triall of antiquitie The papists exception agaynst the obscurenes of the scriptures Of an vnpier in Ecclesiasticall causes A Request to the excellent king of Portingall The Antiquity of the Romish Religion couÌ„terfaite The false accusation of Noueltie agaynst the Lutherans The law of PrescriptioÌ„ Distinct. 8. August Gregory Custome Antiquitye PrescriptioÌ„ Cyprian distinc 8. No custome may prescribe agaynst the king much lesse anye Custome may prescribe agaynst god A defence agaynst the accusation of Nouelty falsly charged vpon the reformed Churches by Osorius Of the merites of Christ. Of true coÌ„fidence Tertulian touching prescription agaynst Heretiques Exod. 20. Of inuocation worshipping c. Of Sacraments Out of Iustine Of the freedome of Mariage Heb. 13. 1. Timo. 4. The mother tongue in Churches The Communion vnder both kindes Of Images Of rightâ— and Ceremonies Of the power of free-will Of iustifiyng fayth Rom. 3. Galat. Galat. How fayth onely doth iustifie and whom Luther Caluine MelancthoÌ„ Musculus Bullinger P. Martyr Hul. Zuinglius Occolampadius Iohn Iuell Gualter Rodolfe Theodore Beza The Lutherans acquited from all reprehention of Noueltye An olde quarrell of the Catholicks touching Noueltye Of the supremacy titles of the Pope The titles of the Romaine pope Math. 23. The outragious dignitie of the pope Chrisost. ad Romanos homil 23. Gregory The supremacy was first graunted by Phocas to Boniface The fulnes of power beganne in the tyme of Hildebrand Pope Cardinalls The election of the Pope translated from the Emperour and the people of Rome vnto the Cardinalls Of the Masse and her appurtenaunces The vse of Corpes in the Church Priuate Masses The Communion of the laye people abbridged froÌ„ thrice to once in a yeare by Clement 3 Vnleauened bread One part of the CoÌ„munion taken away from the lay people Corpus Christi day Of Image Of transubstantion of Eleuation of carying abroad of the Sacrament Of marriage of priestes and choyse of meates Of the Popes decrees and decretals Extrauaga de Maiorit obed cap. vnam De maior it obedientia cap. Solitae Of MouÌ„cks Fryers Three vows of MouÌ„kerye Sixe wings of Seraphin Aemilius in his 5. booke Carthusianes Castersianes Templars Premonstratenses Gilbertines Dominicanes Franciscans Eremites Augustines Carmelites Nuns of S. Clares order Out of the Councell of Lateran Innocent 3. Cap. 13. Minorites Augustine anes Crossebeabeares Whippers Iesuites In the Romish Churche are many things new altogether nothing auncient sauoring of thapostolique Antiquitye The carnall presence of Christ no where but in heauen The carnall presence of Christ one of the Popish doctrine How the Papistes dp doe differ from the Apostles in the ministring of the communioÌ„ Priuate Masse Hebr. 9. 8 10. 1. Tim. â— The true doctrine of traÌ„substantion iuuented by the paâ—istes TransubstaÌ„tiation was neuer knowen to the Apostles Many thou sandes of Martyrs lost theyr liues for this TransubstaÌ„tiatioÌ„ The Churche of the Pope a Murtherer The papist caÌ„ reÌ„der no iust cause of spâ—llyng so much Christian bloud It is one thing to reuerence the SacrameÌ„ts an other thyng to turne Christ into a Sacrament The words of Christ. This is my body Christs wordes bespirit and lyfe Christ is called by sondry names in the Scriptures Christ is called bread in the Gospell By what similitude the
and vâ—â—ncet for a Christian Purgatory is a witnesse of Gods clemency and Iustice also An Aunswere to Osorius of the Iustice and Clemencye of God The reason of Osorius Luke 16. Gods Iustice must needes be satisfied iu Purgatory The chief reason of the Catholickes wherupon they grounde their Purgory An Aunswere to the Argument of Osorius touchyng the Salte The Purgatory of Osorius coÌ„suted Osor. pag. 200. Dauids punishment after pardoÌ„ for his fault An Aunswere Osor. pag. 201. 1. Cor. 1. Rom. 4. A place of Peter cited by Osorius 1. Pet. 4. Math. 11. 2. Tim. 3. Osorius Argument The Aunswere 1. Pet. 3. 1. Pet. 4. 1. Pet. Cap. 4. Osor. pag. 221. 1. Pet. 3. 1. Thes. 4. 2. Thes. 4. Osor. cutted Sophisme The Soules in Prison A new proofe of Purgatory neuer hard of before 1. Pet. 3. The errour of Osorius turned back into his bosome by coÌ„traposition The place of Peter skanned The ordinary Glosse 1. Pet. 3. Nicholas Lyra vpon the 1. Peter 3. Out of an other patch of some other Gloser patcht vpp to the Glose of Lyra. The Gloser vpon 1. Peter 3. Luke 17. Out of the same Gloaser Mounteyne men Low CouÌ„trey men Out of FraÌ„cisce Marcion and others Foure mansioÌ„s in hell Osori pag. 201. 1. Cor. 15. Osorius obiection out of the wordes of S. Paule Osorius doth erre in the meaning of S. Paule The place of Paule expounded 2 Paraly 9. Chrisost. vpon the 1. of the Corin. Cap. 15. What it is to be Baptized for the dead Cyprian to Fortunatus in his exhortation to Martirdome Aug. in his booke of Confession In the lyfe of Nazianzene The Argument of S. Paul deryued from the Reason that leadeth to an Absurditye Chrisost. in the same place Purgatory Baptisme two conttary elemeÌ„ts Iacob 2. Such as are Baptised in Christ Iesu neede not feare any purgatorye Baptisme profitable 3. maner of wayes Chrisost. vpon the Actes of the Apostles homel 1. Thom vpon the Corin. 1.15 cap. lect 4. It is not lawfull to be baptized twise To be Baptized for the dead according to the Deuines Chrisost. vpon the 1. Cor. cap. 15 Iero. vpon the Corin. Cap. 15. Out of the ordinary Glose Thomas Aquinas vpon the Cor. 1. cap. 15 cap. 4. Paludens dist 21. que 1. Bonauenture Osor. pag. 202. Osor. pag. 202. Osorius opinion very absurd Three kindes of Baptisme AEquiuoce diuersly signifiyng in one word or terme Purgatory is coÌ„firmed by the Supplications Sacrifices of the Church Osori pag. 202. Oso Argument for the creditt of Purgatory Petitio principij a Demaund back againe of the first propositioÌ„ Iohn 5. Luke 23. Rom. 6. Basile and Chrisosto in their Lyturgies Cyria lib. 3. Epist. 6. Aug. Sermo de verbis Apost Magist. seÌ„tent Lib. 4. Distinct. 45 Osori pag. 204. 205. 1 Coâ— 1. â— 1. Cor. 15. Colos. 1. The place of Paule to to the Colloss misunderstoode of the papistes The onely merites of Christ suffice not with the papistes The treasure of the Church Ruth 4. Out of S. Bonauentu Lib. 4. Dist. 10. Quest. 3 S. BonaueÌ„ture in the foresayd Distinct. Blasphemy Prophane Sacrilege Heresy Error Fraude A stale iest The Refutation Col. cap. 2. Heb. 10. Psal. 115. The merites of Sainctes are nothyng worth but the merites of Christ. August vpon the Gospell of Ihon the 84. Treatise Aug. in the same place Osor. pag. 203. The dearth of Osorius Church Osor. pag. 203. Osor. pag. 202. The onely oblation of Christ doth not satisfie the papistes The wrath of God is pacified with the bloud of Christ. The Sacrifices of Papistes are with-out bloud and do waÌ„t the bloud of Christ. Ergo the Sacrifices of the papistes do not pacifie the wrath of God Collos. 1. Hebr. 10. Luke 23. Ephes. 2. An Hystory of Germany out of Wolfgang Musculus his commoÌ„ places The Masse and Popes pardons are contrary ech to others The summe of the Romish stations doth surmount the number of 1000000. yeares Heb. 9. Aug. contra aduers. leg Prophet lib. 1. Cap. 18. Agayne vpoÌ„ the 64. Psalm Actes 86. Rom. 5. 1. Iohn 2. What time the Turkish power beganne to preuaile agaynst the Christians The fruites of Masses and the popishe Sacrifice The popish Religion an offence and stumblyng blocke to the lewes The Venetians loste Cypres for all their Masses The tyranny of the Turke is not to be imputed to any thyng more then to the Popishe Masses Osori pag. 203. Christ departing hence did not leaue behinde him his body bloud but a Mistery thereof only and that also to eate and not to Sacrifice ArgumeÌ„ts agaynst the Sacrifice of the Altar ArgumeÌ„ts agaynst the sacrifice of the Altar Dionis Clemens constitu apost lib. 6. cap. 30. Ambros. de virg lib. 2. Ierome vpon the psal 86.97 Aug. quest noâ—i veter testa lib. 2. Aug. vpon the wordes of Christ after S. Luke Christ. vpon the Actes 2. hom Gregory de consecra dist 2. quid sit By what reasoÌ„ Christ is called the bread of lyfe A dooble feeding in the Sacrament How the body of Christ is receaued in the Supper and how the bread is receaued How bread and the body are both receaued in the CoÌ„munion Gene. 9. Leuit. 7. Leuit. 17. Leuit. 6. Christ could not geue his body for an oblation in his Supper without the breache of the Law Iohn 6. August de doctrin Christi Psal. 81. Iohn 10. Math. 16. Theodoret Dialo 2.2 Col. de Sacramen lib. 4. Cap. 4. Tobi 5.10 Ephe. 6. A description of the Popish maner of Sacrificing Ite Missa est The popish breadworshyp How much the popishe Masse doth differ from the Supper of Christ the vsage of the Apostles The profanyng and Idolatrous transforming of the Lordes Supper emoÌ„gest the papistes The solutioÌ„ of Hosius Obiection The Solution of the obiection Osor in his 3. booke Pag. 183. An ArgumeÌ„t against transubstaÌ„tiation A Fallax a secundum quid ad simplicitur How the body of Christ is present and not present in the supper How the Papistes do remoue Christ from the mistical Supper Obiection Aunswere The cutted Sophisme of the Papistes Rom. 15.13 Philipp 4. Heb. 13. An other Arugment of the aduersaries Aunswere One Priest many Ministers The onely priest of the new Testament The merites of christ are applied by fayth not by sacrifice An Argument out of Malachy Cap. 1. The Sacrifice of the new Testament the two proper ties therof Aunswere Malach. 1. The place of Malachy expounded Rom. 15. Psal. 18. Psal. 127. Esay 11. Rom. 15. Epipha lib. 3. Serm. 79. Tertulli against Marcion 4. book Tertul. contra Iâ—daeos fol. 4. Tertulli to Scapula Irene in his 4. booke Cap. 32. The same Irene ca. 33. Aug. contra aduers. leg Prophet lib. 1. cap. 20 Eusebius de monstr in his first booke Ierome vpoÌ„ the Prophet Malach Cap. 1 Ioh. Damascen de orthodoxa fide Lib. 4. Cap. 14. Esay 64. Act. 10. 1. Tim. 2. Euseb. demoÌ„st