and answered to the prayers in it was neither the sacrament of the bread nor wine adored But in the Masses of our aduersaries are all things contrarie wherein the people do not but once in the yeare communicate this once that they do communicate they take from them halfe by the middle they take frō them the sacrament of the bloud of Christ which Christ cōmanded that all should drink their Masses they say in a strange tongue which the people vnderstand not and oftentimes he himselfe that saith it neither knoweth nor vnderstādeth that which he saith The people are silēt as though they shuld heare an Enterlude The people adore the bread wine as though it were Christ and not the sacrament of the body bloud of Christ That which Iesus Christ instituted was his holy supper he commanded his Apostles who represented the vniuersal or catholike Church that they shuld afterwards do the same which they had seene him do Do this saith he in remembrance of me And S. Paul speaking to the Corinthians among whō Satan had already bestirred himself bringing some abuses into the Church concerning the supper of the Lord saith For I receiued of the Lord that which also I deliuered vnto you That the Lord the night c. And what agreemēt hath the masse with this which the Apostle saith Nothing at all Let our aduersaries then cease to cōfoūd things togither Let them cease to change their names Let thē not call the supper of the Lord the Masse nor the Masse the supper of the Lord Because it is not so This supper of the Lord a very smal time cōtinued in it being perfection For euen thē whiles the Apostles yet liued arose vp dissentions scismes heresies about the same The which S. Paul willing to reforme reduced the supper to it first institution as the Lord had instituted celebrated it cōmanded that the faithful shuld celebrate the same After these times came others the busines went frō il to worse Men not cōtented with the simplicity wherwith the Lord had celebrated his supper sought to be famous shewing thēselues more wise more prudent and aduised thē Christ himself And so they began to ad diminish in the supper of the Lord. But notwithstāding al this for a 1000. yeares space the substāce of the supper was not touched Albeit as touching outward shew they vsed many ceremonies which Christ Iesus neuer vsed attired themselues with other then cōmon ornaments the which Christ nor his Apostles neuer did The 1000. years passed mē dared to touch the to quick the substance of the holy supper They begā to say that the bread was not bread and that the wine was not wine but that they were cōuerted trāsformed transsubstantiated into the body and bloud of Christ And this gainsaying the holy Scripture and the Fathers as well of the Greeke as Latine Church which wee will afterwards very sufficiently proue The matter thus going in the Councell of Vercele Leo the ninth being Pope Transubstantiation was concluded This Pope condemned the doctrine of Berengarius as speaking of the fourth domage we will afterwards declare Berengarius beleeued what the holy scripture had taught him and in the Fathers hee had read to wit that the Sacrament of the Lords supper in two things consisted in matter as they cal it and in forme the matter is that which is seene touched tasted which is the bread and wine The forme is that which is not seene but beleeued the body and bloud of Christ You see here the great herefie of Berengarius which the Pope and the Councell gouerned by the Pope condemned Afterwards speaking against transubstantiation by manifest authorities of the Scripture and by the sayings of ancient Doctors will we proue true bread and true wine visible and tangible to be in the Sacrament and the true body and bloud of Christ to be iuuisible and beleeued by faith And albeit the Pope commanded that Transubstantiation should be beleeued and the Councell decreed it yet were there in those times manie learned and godly men who giuing credit to that which the holy Scripture and ancient Doctors said nought esteemed that which the Pope and his Councell commanded And yet as constantly passed they further they wrote against such doctrine as impugning the word of God and the Fathers Afterwards in the yeare of our Lord 1200. Pope Innocent 3. confirmed this decree and Vrban 4. in honor of this sacrament at the request of a recluse with whom in times past he had bin ouermuch familiar inuented the solemne feast which they call Corpus Christs Read the life which we haue written of this Vrban 4. And the diuel not contented to haue so euilly intreated the most holy Sacrament of the body bloud of Christ nor to haue giuen it so mortal a wound passed yet further He cut off the sacrament half in halfe he took away say I the sacramentall wine which represented sealed and ioyntly gaue receiuing it by faith the bloud of Christ And so was it decreed in the Councell of Constance where were three Popes deposed that the Sacrament not sub vtraque specie in both kinds but in one only should be giuen True it is they yeeld their excuses why they departe from the institution of Christ that which in the Church was vsed but their excuses be very friuolous to be laughed at As more hereafter we shall see intreating of the sixt domage which the masse causeth And a faire thing it is that they condemne those for heretiques which in both kinds receiue the Sacrament according to the Institution of Christ himselfe If they seeke antiquitie This manner of communicating sub vtraque specie vnder both kinds continued in the Church for the space almost 400. yeares Their communion in one kinde is newe and hath not bene but 180 yeares for so long is it since was held the Councell of Constance One thing had I forgotten that it is many yeares sithence they began to say their Masse without cōmunicating of the People for the priest alone eateth and drincketh it vp all without giuing any parte thereof to any How can this be said to be the supper of the Lord a communion a common banquet set forth and prepared for all the faithfull These maner of Masses call they priuie Masses and with fauor speaking very priuie True it is that many Canons and decrees haue bene made against these priuie Masses but behold how they are kept The priuies haue so evilly smelled that each one thought good to stoppe their noses and passe by them Priuate be these Masses called not for that they be priuately or secretly said which publiquely are in the Churches and hearing of all men that will But so they are called Because not the people but the Priest alone doth communicate And yet haue they gone further The Pope giueth license to say these priuie Masses in the corners of
denote that this Incense and offering is not to be carnal but spirituall What agreement hath this with the Masse Which is a diuelish inuentioÌ„ prophaneth the holy supper Other places of the scripture alleage they for confirmation of their Masse But with as great faithfulnesse and as much to the purpose As these two of Mechilzedeck and Malachy which by that is said may easily be answered The 8 reason wherewith our aduersaries do magnifie their masse is for the great good profit that therof they receiue And of al these reasons others such like which they alleadge they coÌ„clude vs to be heretiques dogs worse theÌ„ Iewes Turkes Because we so shamelesly speake against the Masse which Iesus Christ instituted his Apostles said all the Church Catholike vnto this day hath celebrated c. They say then that besides the oblatioÌ„ and sacrifice which Iesus Christ hath made vppon the Crosse of his body and of his blood for remission of our sinnes to reconcile vs with God and to obtayne for vs life eternall hee hath ordayned the Priestes which be successors of the Apostles to consecrate in the Masse the bread and wine to transubstantiate it in the body and bloud of Christ to sacrifice and offer vnto God the father that body and that blood for the remission of our sinnes and to obtaine all that is necessarie for vs both in body soule And what greater good then this say they can be This sacrifice say they also doth much profit the dead to allay the paines which they haue to suffer and doe suffer in purgatory As we cited before of the dead maÌ„s scul of Macharius reported by Damascen Who so lusteth to knowe the profits of the Masse Let him read the Spanish houers he shall find very many Amongst others there mentioned be these which follow as much worth is the masse as is the passion of Iesus Christ Also that he which heareth it waxeth not old whilst he heareth it Also that hee shall not loose that day the light of his eyes Also that he shal not die an euil death also that he which shal haue seen the body of the Lord if that day he shal die sodenly that it is taken for comunicating he may not feare to be condemned And al this say they that S. Iohn Chrisostom S. Augustine S. Ierom say for they knew how to raise false testimonies These Articles of faith haue the inquisitors of our countrey of Spaine many yeares ago yeelded to goe among the houers which coÌ„monly are praied And if now they haue caused theÌ„ to be taken away and not suffered them to be printed in this yet doe they shew their ignorance that for so many yeares they haue suffered and commanded that with their license they should print them The cause that they now fall in account is that so grosse and abhominable lies more serue at this day to make wary the people then to deceaue them And therefore permit they such things more to be printed We say then that the Masse procureth vs no good at all but great mischiefe rather As after we shall see Now that we haue answered to the reasons wherewith our aduersaries thinke to mainetaine their Masse for more confutation thereof we will now likewise set downe some notable domages which it causeth and great aduersaries which necessarily follow the popish Doctrine of the masse And I will not be much curious in seting down here al the domages absurdities which follow of the masse for that should be neuer to end Only wil I set down such as most fitly come to mind for the preseÌ„t I say then that the Masse causeth many domages First it prophaneth the holy supper of the Lord suppressing and despising his death passion 2. In it they inuocate the dead saints 3. In it dead saints are placed for intercessors 4. The priests that saith it holde hee intention to consecrate or not and the people that heare it commit idolatrie Fiftly The Masse mainetaineth many other abuses besides the Idolatrie of transubstantiation As the worshipping of Images and the inuention of Purgatorie which is a common cutpurse Sixt. In the masse defraud they the people of the halfe of the Sacrament and this halfe doe they giue seldome and wickedly Seuenthly And put case the Masse were good yet is it said in a straunge Language which the people vnderstand not and with such gesture mouing childish toyes apish fopperies that rather prouoke laughter then deuotion These seuen domages wee proue by the same order as we propounded them And that the masse derogateth from the passion of Christ is clerely sene For the Masse which for this cause was ordayned that a hundred thousand sacrifices should euery one day be offered what doth it pretend but that the passioÌ„ of Iesus Christ wherin he offered himseâ—â—e and this once by one only sacrifice remaineth buried and cast in a corner Who will thinke to be redeemed by the death of Christ when he shall see a new redemption in the Masse Who will beleeue his sins to be pardoned by the death passion of Christ when he shal see a new remission of sins in the Masse Inuocation is a high worship seruice which is only due to God For in him only we beleeue how saith S. Paule shall we call vpon him in whom we haue not beleeued So that inuocation presupposeth faith such a faith as is founded vpon the word of God the Nicen creed they sing in their Masse which beginneth Credo in vnum Deum I beleeue in one only God If in one only God we ought to beleeue one only God ought we to inuocate The which inuocation being done in faith God promiseth that he will heare it Whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord saith Ioel shall escape c As S. Paule Rom. 10. 13. and Saint Peter Acts 2. 21. doe interpret it shal bee saued Also that only God ought to be inuocated is by this reason proued Sacrifice is only due to the true God this our aduersaries will not deny inuocation is a sacrifice As saith the Psal 50. 14. Sacrifice vnto me praise or as saith the common edition The sacrifice of praise The sacrifice of praise commendeth the Apostle Hebr. 13. 15. and Hosea 14. 3 that we shal offer to God Therefore Inuocation sith it is a sacrifice to God onely ought it to bee offered But our aduersaries forsaking the fountaine of liuing waters haue digged them broken cesternes which can holde no water They leaue to call vppon God and inuocate the Saints And Saints sometime also that it is not knowne who they bee and some of them it may bee that are burning in hell An example haue we hereof in the prayer of S. Roccus which togither with the Crowne of our Lady in the 1581 yeare was printed in the house of Iohn Gutierres in Siuell The praier saith thus God which
carnall body nor carnally taken They should fall into such an absurditie Also least wee should fall into this absurditie and others which wee will afterwards set downe in his supper may we not beleeue Iesus Christ to be in the first manner carnally but in the second spiritually This second manner of eating can no way be done without faith Because as wee haue said it is not carnall but spirituall And it is to be noted that this spirituall eating is done in two manners The first by the preaching of the Gospell As Saint Paule saith Faithfull saith hee is God By whom yee are called to the Communion of his sonne Iesus Christ By the preaching of the Gospell are wee made flesh of the fleshly of Christ and bones of bones By the preaching of the Gospell hee is to vs the bread of life which came downe from heauen to feede our soules By the preaching of the Gospell are we made one thing with him Euen as he is one with the father The second manner of spirituall eating is done by the sacraments and in the holy supper chiefly These two kindes of spirituall eating the body of Christ and of drinkeing his blood by the preaching of the Gospell and by the sacraments doe the ancient Doctours confesse Origen Hom. 16. vppon Nombers saith wee are said to drinke the blood of Christ not with the rite of the sacraments onely but also when wee receaue his wordes The same vppon Ecclesiastes chap 3. saith Saint Ierome The faithfull in the holy supper receauing with the mouth of the outwarde bodie and carnally the bread and wine which be the most holy sacramentes of the body and blood of Christ receaueth with the mouth of the soule which is faith inwarde and spiritually the true body and blood of Christ without that carnall body of Christ discendeth here belowe or ceasseth to sit at the right hand of his father As wee will afterwardes more largely declare So that wee confesse the faithfull truly and really to receiue in the holie supper the bodie and blood of Christ As Christ himselfe witnesseth This is my bodie this is my blood yet not carnally but spiritually doe wee vnderstand these wordes as Christ himselfe doth declare them For hee as before we haue said speaking of the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blood which is done in the supper saith that this ought to be spiritually vnderstood and not carnally As did the Capernaits and some of the disciples also vnderstand it My wordes saith hee are Spirit and Life And therefore that which hee saith of the eating of the bodie and drinkeing of the blood ought spiritually to bee vnderstood For the Spirit it is that quickeneth and the flesh profitteth nothing Vnderstanding then As wee haue sayd Christ to bee thus present in the Sacrament it shall not bee needefull to adnihilate the substaunce of the bread nor of the wine nor to transubstantiate it into the substaunce of the bodie and blood of Christ Wee confesse then that in this most holie sacrament besides the hauing of the true bodie and blood of Christ in sort as before wee haue sayd and the Lord himselfe declareth Wee confesse I say there is also true bread and wine in their proper substaunce as beeing the bread and wine say I haue lost nothing as touching their substaunce but as touching their qualities they haue much gayned For by the vertues and efficacie of Christes institution and of his wordes they ceasse to bee common bread and wine and bee dedicated to signifie figure represent and giue the true body and blood of Christ and doe so signifie figure represent seale and giue the same that whosoeuer taketh this bread and eateth it taketh this wine and drinketh it worthily according to the institution of Christ who saith Take and eate Take and drinke yee all of this taketh and receaueth truely and really the bodie and blood of Christ According to that which the Lord there saith This is my bodie This is my blood Yet not carnally but spiritually by faith And if the bread and wine should not abide in their substaunce and being this sacrament should not bee a sacrament for euery sacrament As our aduersaries themselues cannot deny in two thinges consisteth In a visible and earthly thing which they call Materia and an inuisible and celestiall thing which they call Forma That the inuisible and celestiall is the bodie and blood of Christ doe wee all agree As touching the visible and earthly betweene them and vs is there very great difference For wee say That the substaunce of the bread and wine togither with their accidents remayneth They say that of the bread and wine no substaunce remaineth But onely the accidents of the bread and of the wine the whitenesse the roundnesse the smell the sauour and the coullor As though the accidents of the bread doe nourish As though the accidents of the wine doe make cherefull and comforte They bee not accidents of bread that doe nourish but the substaunce of the bread They bee not the accidents of the wine which glad the hart but the substaunce of the wine The bread and wine conuerting themselues into the substaunce of man which eateth and drinketh the same To receaue spiritually in the supper the true body and blood of Christ needful it is to receiue carnally materially true bread true wine For otherwise should therbe no Analogie or agreement betweene the figure which is bread the wine the thing figured which is the body and blood of Christ This that we say teach the ancient Doctours that in two thinges consisteth this sacrament in earthly and heauenly So saith Ireneus speaking against the Valentinians Also Gelasius a Bishoppe of Rome who disputed of the coniunction of the bread with the body of Christ both natures of the bread of Christ remayning in their being And by this communication he proueth in Christ the vnion of the humane nature diuine both the one and the other remayning in their whole being and substaunce Were there not in the sacrament true bread and true wine the argument of Gelasius should bee nothing worth But his argument is good and proueth that which he pretendeth Therfore is there true bread true wine in the sacrament of the supper As there is also true water in the sacrament of baptisme This selfesame argumēt vseth Theodorit As a little after we will declare Origin saith these words So that that which is materiall in the bread of the Lord goeth into the belly is cast out into the draught But which that is by praier the word of the Lord according to the proportion of faith profitteth the soule They will not say vnto me that Origin had some errors that one of thē is this for had this bin an error the ancient Doctors As S. Ierom Epiphanius which collected his errors would haue noted this for an error had
the death of Christ A new inuention it is humane diuelish founded vpon the wicked foundation of transubstatiation Some things there be in the Masse which manifestly declare that there is no transubstantiation as when they say in the Cannon Offerimus praeclarae maiestati tuae de tuis donis ac datis c. that is to say We offer to thy excellent Maiestie of thy gifts and of that which thou hast giuen c. a pure Ho ✚ st an holy Ho ✚ st an Ho ✚ st without spot holy ✚ bread of life eternall and a cup ✚ of euerlasting saluation One of the two either by these gifts which they offer to God doe they vnderstand the bread and the wine without any transubstantiation or els so transubstantiated into the body and bloud of Christ that now there remaynneth neither bread nor wine It apeareth by the prayer that there which there they make that by the gifts they ought to vnderstand the bread and wine without any transubstantiation which gifts the Priest prayeth God to accept as he accepted the gifts which Abel Abraham and Melchisedech offered so say they super quae propitio ac sereno vultu respicere digneris c. that is to say Vpon which gifts vouchsafe to behold with thy merciful bright countenance and to accept theÌ„ as thou pleasedst to accept the gifts of thy iust seruant Abel the sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham that holy sacrifice spotlesse â—ost which that thy high Priest Melchisedech offered to thee Beseeching humbly we pray thee to command these gifts to be caried by the hands of thine holy Angel to the high Alter before the presence of thy diuine Maiesty c. And if by gifts the bread wine vntransubstatiated be vnderstood what necessitie haue we of such a sacrifice to obtaine pardon of our sins holding that most perfect sufficieÌ„t sacrifice which one only time ought not to bee reiterated our redeemer Christ Iesus offered vpon the crosse wherewith he sanctifieth vs for euer But they will say vnto me that they vnderstand by giftes not the bread and wine vntransubstantiated but transubstantiated into the body and bloud of Christ If so they vnderstand it worse is it then it was for then the prayer which the Priest maketh is a most blasphemous blasphemie against Iesus Christ the only begotten sonne of God true God and man What pride what haughtinesse and presumption is it that a miserable sinner conceiued and borue in sinne and corruption and that doth nothing in all his life time but adde sinnes vnto sinnes dare to present himself before the maiestie of God the Father and pray him to receiue and accept his Sonne Iesus Christ And how saith he that he should accept him Euen as he accepted the giftes of Abel Abraham and Melchisedech Is Christ no other thing then Abel Abraham and Melchisedech Is the sacrifice of Christ his precious bodie and bloud which he offered no other thing then the sacrifice of Abel Abraham and Melcbisedech and then the sacrifice of all how many soeuer iust persons that haue bene and shall be Let them then be ashamed so to speake of Iesus Christ and of his sacrifice On the one side they confesse Iesus Christ to be equall with the Father as he is in essence and power and on the other side and stinking Priest put they for intercessor and mediator that the Father should accept and receiue him with a mercifull and chearefull countenance O miserable sinner pray thou vnto God that he pardon thy sinnes thy superstitions and idolatries and pray not nor intreat thou for Christ who is the Lambe without spot which taketh away the sinnes of the world he is he that committed no sinne neither was anie guile found in his mouth He needeth not thee that thou shouldest pray to the Father for him but thou hast need that he pray for thee The father himselfe speaking of his sonne faith This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him Ye see here a terrible blasphemy vttred by the priest in saying of the Masse Of that which is sayd doe wee conclude that all those which heare Masse seeing they beleeue this transubstantiation bee Idolaters and that the priest which faith it hold he intention of consecration or not is a double Idolater For he not only committeth idolatrie but causeth also all that heare his Masse to commit Idolatry Infinite thankes I giue to my God that although he permitted that I with the rest committed Idolatrie for a time in hearing the Masse yet hee neuer suffered me to commit idolatrie by saying it to others The third reason wherewith they confirme their new article of Transubstantiation is the authoritie of Doctors which they alleage and determinations of Councels They cite Ireneus who in his fifth booke saith When the cup mingled and the bread broken receiue the word of God the Eucharist of the body and bloud of Christ is made Tertullian lib. 4. faith Christ made the bread which he tooke his bodie and distributo his disciples Origen vpon Matth. chap. 25. saith This bread which God the Word doth witnesse to be his bodie c. Saint Cyprian Sermone de coena Domini saith This common bread changed into flesh and bloud procureth life Also in the same sermon he saith This bread which the Lord gaue to his disciples not in forme or appearance but chaunged in nature is made flesh of the omnipotent Word Saint Ambrose lib. 4. de Sacramentis saith Before the words of the sacrament it is bread when consecration is applied to it of bread it is made the flesh of Christ Saint Chrysostome hom de Eucharistia tom 6. sayth This Sacrament is like waxe applyed to the fire in which no substance remayneth but becommeth like to the fire So saith Chrysostome the bread and wine is consumed of the substance of the bodie of Christ Also in the 61. Homily hee saith That Christ not onely gaue himselfe that we should see him but that wee should also touch and handle him and in whose flesh also we should fasten our teeth Also Hom. 38. vppon Matthew he saith Manie say that they will and desire to see the forme and figure of Christ and also his rayment and shooes but he giueth himselfe to thee that thou maist not only see him but also touch him Saint Augustine Prolog in Psal 23. saith Christ did beare himselfe with his handes when in the Supper hee instituted the Sacrament And vpon the 98. Psalme declaring those words Fall downe before his footestoole he affirmeth that the flesh of Christ ought to be in the Sacrament adored which should not fitly be if the bread remayned Hillarie in his eight booke of the Trinitie saith Christ is in vs by the truth of nature and not by conformity of will onely and saith that in the meat of the Lord we truly receiue
at the right hand of the father Three causes can we shew why the fathers so loftily and so hiperbolically haue spoken of the signes The first is which before we haue touched taking license of the scripture which doth also the same The 2. the more to moue the harts of men and to lift them vp to contemplate heauenly things vnspeakable mercies which in this most holy sacrament we receiue Seeing that our soules are spiritually fed and nourished with the precious bodie and blood of Christ The 3. to shew this representation which we say to be made in the sacrament not to be theatricall not belonging to commedians but that the Lord giueth really that which for his part he promiseth his bodie and his blood for the spirituall nourishment of our soules And that we for our part receiue it by faith Christ being our foode were by good reason to be conuerted into vs as are other meates conuerted into the substaunce of him that eateth them but in Christ is it not so For we eating him doe conuerte our selues into him and are by a secret and vnspeakable vnion made one thing with him Oh admirable misterie Oh high Sacrament Oh sweete and diuine banquet wherein our bodie receauing carnally with the teeth bread and wine our soule receaueth spiritually by faith Iesus Christ with all his treasure and riches which dying and rising againe he gained for vs. For here is hee wholly giuen vnto vs. that which is sayd mee seemeth sufficient to answere that which our aduersaries out of the fathers haue alleaged against vs. But setting a part this generall answeres Let vs answere to each one in particular As touching Ireneus which saith inuocation receaued the earthly bread is nowe no more common bread haue we already answered to bee truth when on our part we alleaged him As touching Tertullian wee say what he himselfe declareth saying The Lord not onely made the bread which hee tooke his bodie saying This is my bodie to wit the figure of my bodie Concerning that which Origen saith that the Lord affirmed the bread to bee this bodie wee deny it not but the controuersie is how it so is carnally or spiritually and in the places which of him for vs we haue alleaged is it declared how Origen himselfe vnderstood it As touching that which Saint Cyprian saith the bread to bee chaunged into flesh and blood The same also say we But we meane not a naturall change that one substaunce is conuerted into another The chaunge which wee vnderstand and which vnderstandeth Saint Cyprian is sacramentall and so hee there saith we are vnited or made one selfe same thing with Christ not so much by a naturall chaunge as by a spirituall For he hath made himselfe both bread flesh and bloud He himselfe is meate substaunce life for his Church which giuing her participation c. he calleth his body Of these words will we conclude the sacramentall bread and wine to be the body and blood of Christ neither more nor lesse then the Church is the body of Christ not corporally but spiritually That which he saith that the bread is changed not in forme but in nature seemeth to make much against vs. But by that which Saint Cyprian himselfe wrote to Cecilius that in the wine is shewed the bloud of God it appeareth to be otherwise Also speaking against the Aquarians he saith If the wine leaue his being in the cuppe the bloud of the Lord cannot appeare to be in the cuppe Also all that moreouer which of him wee haue on our part alleaged Besides this Saint Cyprian being a Latine Authour hee tooke it may be the Latine word Natura not in signification of substance but in signification of vertue force and proprietie as the Latine Authours do many times take it and in the same signification in our Spanish tongue is it taken And so say wee the nature of this herbe or stone c. is this c. The nature of the loade-stone is to draw the yron As much as to say as the vertue or propertie c. Taking it then in this signification it wil very well agree with that which Saint Cyprian saith That which saith Saint Ambrose of bread is made the flesh of Christ ought to bee sacramentally vnderstood as before we haue sayd And that this was his meaning by that which he himselfe saith in the places of him for vs before alleaged appeareth What thought Chrysostome of the figure and the thing figured in this Sacrament in alleaging him for vs we haue already declared Now it resteth to answer that which he saith of the waxe which applyed to the fire is consumed and applying this similitude he saith So the bread and the wine are consumed of the substance of Christ To this obiection we answer that the word thought vsed by Chrisostome declareth vnto vs that which he sayd ought not to be vnderstood but in respect of our faith and knowledge wherewith communicating the bread and wine wee receiue them not as bread nor as wine but lifting vp the spirit on high we receiue them as the bodie and bloud of Christ or whose efficacie they are a figure To the other two places of Chrysostome that Christ giueth himselfe to vs that wee should see him touch him and handle him and in whose flesh also wee might fasten our teeth What Chrisostome thought of the sacramentall bread and wine whether it bee true bread and wine or no we haue very clearely shewed by the same words of Chrisostome himselfe And it is not to be beleeued that so graue an Authour would contradict himself Let vs now answer how this ought to be vnderstood which our aduersaries alleage of him against vs. I say then that simply and properly speaking Neither the body nor the blood of Christ in the sacrament are either seene handled or touched The bread and the wine are seene handled and touched The same Chrisostome in the same homily sayth He maketh vs to say the same also one Masse with him And this not onely by faith but he maketh vs really his body The same saieth he in the 60. and 62. homily to the people of Antioch saying We I say are not onely by faith and loue but also really indeed made and mingled with the body of Christ And notwithstanding this vnion there is none will say that wee are transubstantiated into the body of Christ So say wee also that notwithstanding this sacramentall vnion which remaineth betweene the bread and wine and the body and blood of Christ the bread is not transubstantiated into the body of Christ nor the wine into his blood The same Chrisostome saith Thinke not that thou takest the body of Christ of the handes of a man but of a Seraphin c. Should wee simply â—nderstand this the minister is not now a man but transubstantiated into a Seraphin Also hee saieth we must not think the hand of the
disobedient to their fathers and mothers and to their superious all seditious persons factious traytors contentious persons adulterours fornicators thieues dauncers manslayers euill speakers deceiuers couetous persons he she witches vsurers raysers of false witnes robbers drunkards gluttons all those that liue scandalously denouncing vnto them that they abstaine from this holy table that they foule not nor defile the holie meat which our Lord Iesus Christ giueth to his houshold and faithfull only An exhortation wherein is declared what is the vse and fruit of the supper Therefore after S. Paules admonition let euery man proue and examine his conscience to knowe if hee haue true repentaunce of his sinnes and if hee abhorre them grieuing to haue coÌ„mitted them against the diuine goodnes desireth thenceforth to liue holily according to the wil of God And aboue all if he haue his trust in the diuine mercie seeke wholy his saluation in Iesus Christ And if all Enmitie and rancour layd aside hee haue a good purpose to liue with his neighbours in concord and brotherly loue If we haue this testimony in our hart before God we nothing doubt but that he accepteth and acknowledgeth vs for his sonnes And that the Lord Iesus Christ directeth his word to vs to admit vs vnto his Table and communicate this sacrament vnto vs which hee commnnicated to his disciples And albeit wee feele in our selues great weakenesse and misery As not yet to haue perfection of faith But to bee inclined to vnbeliefe and distrust and as not to bee so fully addicted to serue God and with such a zeale as wee ought But to fight continually with the Iustes of the flesh Notwithstanding this hath the Lord shewed vs this mercy to haue imprinted in our harts his Gospel to resist all incredulity and hath giuen vs a desire and affection to renounce our owne inclinations and corrupt desires to follow his righteousnesse and obey his holie commandements Sure we are that the vices and imperfections remaine in vs cannot let but that he receiue vs make vs worthy to be partakers of his good things in this spirituall banquet For wee come not to him to protest that in our selues wee are perfect or iust But contrarywise in seeking with great desire our life in Christ wee confesse that we abide in death This sacrameÌ„t vnderstand we to be a medecine for those which are needy in spirtuall infirmities that all the dignitie which Christ our redeemer requireth at our hands is to know vs to haue sorrow and hartie griefe for our offences and to settle all our delight ioy contentment only in him First doe we beleeue these promises which Iesus Christ who is the infallible and eternall truth pronounced with his mouth To wit that he will truly make vs partakers of his body bloud To the end we may wholy possesse him that he may liue in vs we in him And although we see not the thing giuen but only bread wine yet are we sure he wil spiritually fulfil in our harts all that which he out wardly sheweth by these visible signes He is I would say the heauenly bread to feede vs nourish vs vnto life eternal Let vs not then be vngrateful to the infinit goodnes of Iesus Christ our sauiour who setteth before vs vpon this holy table all his riches to distribute the same vnto vs. For in giuing himself vnto vs he doth witnes that all his good things are wholy ours Let vs therfore receiue this sacrameÌ„t as a most certaine pledge wherby the vertue of his death passioÌ„ is imputed vnto vs for righteousnes As if we our selues in our own persons had suffered Let vs not be so peruerse of vnderstanding nature to refuse to reioyce enioy this diuine banquet wherunto Iesus Christ by his word doth so gently inuite vs. But with great esteeme of the dignitie of this most precious guift wherewith he graceth vs to present we our selues vnto him with a burning zeale and faithful hart that he make vs capable to receiue him For this end lift we vp our minds harts vnto him there where Iesus Christ is in the glorie of his father from wheÌ„ce we expect him for our redemptioÌ„ And let vs not be occupied nor dwel vppoÌ„ these earthly corruptible elements which we see with the eyes touch with the hands to seeke him in theÌ„ as though hee were inclosed in the bread wine For theÌ„ shall our soules being so lifted vp aboue all earthly things be disposed to be fed quickened with his substauÌ„ce to come vnto heaueÌ„ enter into the kingdoÌ„e of God where he remayneth Content we then our selues to hold the bread wine for signes testimonies seking spiritually the truth where the word of God doth promise This done the ministers distribute vnto the people the bread and the cup hauing first admonished all that they come with all reuerence by order to receiue it In the meane time they sung some psalmes in the congregatioÌ„ or read with a loud voyce some thing of the holy scripture agreiug to that which by the sacrameÌ„t is signified wheÌ„ all haue coÌ„municated they kneele on their knees giue thanks A thankesgiuing after the communion We giue thee euerlasting thanks praise eternall and heauenly father for the clemencie which thou hast vsed towards vs in communicating vnto vs so great a benefit being as we are miserable sinners and in hauing made vs partakers of the communion of thy son Iesus Christ our Lord. Whom thou deliueredst ouer to death for vs and now giuest him vnto vs for foode and nourishment of euerlasting life Haue mercie also vppon vs and neuer suffer vs to forget these thinges so worthie of thee But hauing them imprinted in our harts we may alwayes growe be strengthened in faith effectuall to all good works And that this doing we may order proceede all our life time holily to the aduauncement of thy glory and edification of our neighbours through Iesus Christ thy son who in the vnity of the holy spirit liueth raigneth with thee the true God euerlasting This done the minister with this blessing dispatcheth the people wherewith the Lord commaundeth that they should blesse the people Numb 9 24. The Lord blesse you and saue you the Lord make his face shine vpon you be merciful vnto you The Lord turne his fauourable câ—uÌ„tenance towards you giue you his peace Amen In the vulgar tongue is all this sayd that all small and great learned and vnlearned may vnderstand Whosoeuer without passion with a desire to be assured of the way of his saluation shall read this which we haue sayd hee shall easily vnderstand the supper which now we celebrate in the reformed Churches to be the same which Iesus Christ our king prophet and priest instituted which his Apostles the catholike church for many hundred yeares did celebrate And contrary wise
without any competency of Antichrist may reigne So be it Amen I haue long dwelled vpon this fourth answere for the matter so required considering that many simple people which not otherwise haue heard nor are able to vnderstand how God who loueth his Church would permit her so long time to be deceiued at the least with such a deceit of idolatrie are in this deceiued And so they and the rest shall see that not to be the truth which our aduersaries hold for for an oracle that the visible Church cannot erre God open their eyes that seeing they may see and hearing they may heare and so conuert and be saued Amen Only God is he which cannot erre but doth euer right But only his sonne Christ Iesus is he which sinned not which erred not neither was there any guile found in his mouth Onely the word of God abideth for euer And as often as the Church be she neuer so populous apparant shall depart from this word of God and shall not hold it for her squire rule and patterne she shall erre And the more she turneth away the more shall she erre But alwayes when she will be gouerned thereby she shall be established and shall neuer erre For the word of God saith Dauid is a lantern vnto our feet and a light vnto our paths The 5. reason wherewith they confirme their Masse is the great miracles which the Masse their consecrate hostes haue done Here will I recken some for to seeke to recken all should bee neuer to end Damascen among other great strange matters which he citeth in the sermon of the dead afterwards will wee speake of these wonders telleth for a great miracle a true fable and old womans tale One Macarius saith he desirous to know the state of the dead spake with the drie scull of one that was dead c. And that the same scull answered him that the soules of the dead are not so greatly tormented whilest the sacrifice of the Masse continueth Herehence our aduersaries conclude the Masse to be holy and good S. Cyprian an Author more ancient and autentike and a martyr of Iesus Christ reporteth a strange miracle which in his presence happened Thus then saith he I my self being present an eye witnes therof It chaÌ„ced that the pareÌ„ts of a yong girle flying making through great feare no reckening of their daughter they left her with the Nurse that brought her vp The Nurse hauing the abandoned childe caried her to the Magistrate gaue vnto this young girle before the idoll whereunto the people flocked a foppe wet in the wine that was left of the sacrifice of them which perished This sop gaue they vnto her for that by reason of her tendeâ— age she could not yet eate flesh the mother after this recouered her child but so much could the infant tell or declare the horrible fact it had committed as it could not before either vnderstand or auoyd it It happened that the mother brought her through ignorance when we were sacrificing as much to say as celebrating the supper of the Lord which in memorie of the sacrifice by the Lord once offered was celebrated but the infant mingled with the Saints vnable to abide our supplication and prayer nowe with shrikes tormented her selfe now with feruour of heart like a waue of the â—ea she cast her selfe to and fro as though a hangman had tormented her And with the tokens and shewes that the ignorant soule of her age and simplicitie might shee confessed the conscience of the deede But when the solemnities ended the Deacon began to present the cuppe to them that were present note the communion in both kindes and the others hauing taken it the turne came to her in the time of Saint Cyprian they also gaue the cup to young children the girle by very instinct of the diuine Maiestie turned away her face shut her mouth and forcing together her lippes refused the cuppe But all this notwithstanding albeit she refused the sacrament of the cuppe yet insisted the deacon and cast it into her mouth Then began she to sigh and vomite The Eucharist could not stay in a body and mouth which were filthy The drinke sanctified in the bloud of the Lord note that he calleth the wine in the supper drinke sanctified in the bloud of the Lord with furie departed from the polluted intralles so great is the power of the Lord so hreat is his maiestie c. Hitherto Saint Cyprian Of this miracle Saint Augustine also in the 23. Epistle maketh mention reciting it there so certaine authours and more Saint Cyprian saith that hee was an eye-witnesse I assuredly beleeue that so it happened But the same will I not say of that recounted by Damâ—scen noâ— of that which now I will declare Albeit reported by Pius the second In the description of Europe cap. 21. Pius the second speaking of Estiria a prouince of Almaine saith these words It is said and is a thing common among theÌ„ of Estiria that there was a certain Gentleman who manie times purposed to hang himselfe which much displeasing hm he went to a certaine learned person to demaund remedie against this temptation The counsell that hee gaue him was this that he should carie his owne priest euery day to say Masse in a solitary rocke where he dwelled The Gentleman obeyed and so continued for a yeere and neuer after came into his memorie this wicked thought Afterwards the Priest craueth of him licence to goe and ayde another Priest his neighbour which dwelled in another mountaintaine neare adioyning to celebrate the feast of the dedicatioÌ„ of the Church The Gentleman was contented that the Priest shuld go purposing in himself to follow speedily heare Masse The Caualleâ—o busied now with one thing then with another stayed long after In the end almost at the middle of the day he departed and in the way encountred a certaine villaine which said vnto him The Masse in the other mountaine is already ended and the people departed The Gentleman sorrowing at this newes and calling himselfe vnluckie for not seeing that day the body of Christ the villaine began to cheare him and said vnto him that he would sell him the merite which he had gotten by hearing of Masse if the other would buy it and demaunded for a price of the Gentleman his coat for know this that among the Papists one selleth his merits to another as if there were some that had done more thereof then hee ought wherewith he might do what he pleased The sale made and passed the knight notwithstanding went vp into the mountaine and made his prayers in the Church And as he returned he found the villaine hanged vpon a tree and neuer afterwards was troubled with wicked temptations Hitherto Pope Pius the second If this were truth who ought not to worship the Masse But either it was a lie or if it so happened it was one of
Sathans miracles the more to blind the people with the idolatrie of the Masse Of such miracles the Lord and his Apostles do aduise vs to beware that we bee not deceiued by them Manie other miracles they recount but in answering to these aforesaid we shall haue answered to all that they can recken And the better to answere this fift obiection knowe we that there are two sortes of miracles the one true and the other false Those that are true are done by the power of God for confirmation of the truth and the confusion of falshood Such were the miracles which God wrought by the hand of Moses and of the other Prophetes Such bee those which Christ and his Apostles did Comming then to our purpose I say that the miracles which God hath done in the most holy sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ to make vs vnderstand that he instituted this sacrament and that it was not humane inuention he did them And this did the Lord for one of these two endes The first is to expell the wicked impious and vnworthy persons from this so high a Sacrament for this end serued the miracle which Saint Cyprian saw and we haue declared and others also which the same author reporteth For what actuall sinne had a sucking infant witout anie discretion committed in eating a soppe moystened in the wine sacrificed vnto idols But did the Lord to make vs vnderstand howe much those men which vnworthily and without any consideration receiue the holy Supper doe displease him and that to them is it all one to sitte at the table of the Lord and to receiue the Sacrament of his bodie and of his bloud or to sit at the table of the Diuell and receiue the Diuell himselfe If God chastised by his iust Iudgement a sucking Babe as Saint Cyprian reporteth for hauing participated of the table of the Diuell and of that of the Lord how thinke wee will hee punish those that of ripe age and deliberate purpose do participate of both tables This young childe could not drinke the cuppe of the Lord hauing first drunke that of the Diuels it could not bee partaker of the table of the Lorde and of the table of diuels For the cuppe of the Lord is the communion of the bloud of Christ and the bread which wee breake in the Supper is the Communion of the bodie of Christ And what agreement hath Christ with the Diuell This is not mine owne inuention they are the words of Saint Paul speaking for this purpose to the Corinthians 1. Cor. chap. 10. 15. So that we confesse that God hath miraculously many times chastened those which vnworthily receiue the most holy sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ And the Apostle in the eleuenth chapter doth witnesse the same when he saith For which cause as much to say as for hauing vnworthily eaten many amongst you are sicke and weake and many are asleepe that is to say are dead The second end that God pretendeth in the miracles which he doth in the Supper is touching good men In the celebration of this sacrament hath God willed sometimes to do miracles to illustrate the same and to shew forth the excellencie and dignitie thereof and the more therewith to confirme the faith of the godly that the Lord hauing blowne away their sinnes doe worthily receiue it And not onely for confirmation of the faithfull hath the Lord in the Sacrament wrought miracles but also hath he done them in the celebration of Baptisme And so S. Iohn Baptist when Christ was baptized sawe the heauens open and the holy Ghost visibly descending in the shape of a Doue And this was that the Baptist as an eye witnesse might testifie of Christ and say Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde Such miracles then admit wee that for confirmation of our faith are done hy the power of God The second sorte of miracles are done by the arte of the Diuell to deciue men and to cause them not to beleeue the true but the false doctrine such miracles call wee false for one of these two causes The first is in regard of the Authour the Diuell who is a lyar and the father of lyes The second because such miracles deceiue them that beleeue them By the arte of the Diuell did the Sorcerers of Pharaoh worke wonders as Moses did Of such miracles the Lord forewarneth vs There shall arise vp saith he false Christes and false prophetes and shall shewe great signes and wonders so that the verie elect if it were possible should be deceiued Behold saith the Lord I haue tolde you before And Saint Paule speaking of Antichrist saith That his comming shall bee by the working of Sathan in all power signes and lying wonders c. Such may we thinke were the miracles of the Sorcerers of Pharaoh Such bee the miracles which Damascen reporteth of the dead mans scull and of the soule of Traian and of the soule of Falconilla that being condemned and in hell were saued Of these miracles of Damascen we will speake afterwards Such may we thinke was the miracle of the Masse by vs recited of Pius the second In conclusion all miracles which bee to confirme a thing that is contrarie to the word of God be false and done by the arte of the diuell Against the word of God is it that the soules by the iust iudgement of God condemned and buried in hell should go out thence and be saued Against the word of God is it to beleeue there is any other Purgatorie then the bloud of Christ Ireneus a most ancient Doctor telleth that a certain man called Marke a great deceiuer and heretike with the Sacrament of the Eucharist did strangely deceiue the simple For he so changed the colour of the wine that nothing but bloud appeared and by his inchantments so greatly increased a little of the wine that it filled the cuppe and also ranne ouer And another cuppe greater and more capable being brought the selfe same without adding more liquor did fill it vp to the top Shall we beleeue his heresie because he confirmed it with miracles Surely no. A commandement haue we that if an Angell from heauen shall teach vs another Gospell another doctrine another faith then that which Iesus Christ and his Apostles haue taught vs wbich they haue left vs written in the olde and new testament that although hee confirme it with many miracles as did this Marke and the sorcerers of Pharaoh we should not beleeue him Of this Marke maketh Saint Ierome mention and citeth Ireneus for his author This Marke saith he went into France and thence passed into Spaine and with his enchantments deceiued many the Gentle women chiefly whom he allured to carnall loue Reade the epistle to Theodora the wife of Lucinus Beticus or Audaluz tom 1. If we reade the histories of the Gentiles we shall find that they shew
they taken it for an error But none of them say that Origin thought amisse of the Eucharist Therfore that which Origin saith is no error neither among the anciēt Doctors was it holden for an error But leaue we the pudles let vs drinke of the cleare water of the fountaine Leaue we apart the fathers and let vs see what the holy scriptur saith Many times doth S. Paul call it bread yea after it be consecrated after it be dedicated made the sacrament of the body of the Lord. First the bread saith he which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ 2. For one bread is that we many are one body 3. For we be al partakers of one bread 4. So that whosoeuer shall eat of this bread c. 5. Let euery man therefore proue himselfe 50. Let him eate of that bread c. The Apostle in all these places calleth the bread bread Not because it was so But because it is so concerning the wine the Lord himselfe aftrr he had made the sacrament of his blood calleth it The fruit of the vine And I say vnto you saith he That henceforth will I not drinke more of this fruit of the vine c. what thing is the fruit of the vine or of the grape but wine S. Paule saith The cupp of Blessing which wee blesse is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ Also Or shall drinke of this cupp of the Lord vnworthily Also And drinketh of that cup. In these there places S. Paul by the cup doth vnderstand that which in the cuppe is conteyned which is that which his maister calleth the fruit of the vine or wine Here yee see that the Lord his Apostle and the auncient Doctours call that bread wine which in the sacrament is visible earthly and by the same reason admit no transubstantiation As there is none in deede This simple and sound Doctrine taketh away many absurditie inconueniences which followe transubstantiatiō it taketh away many scruples afflictions of conscience And so if the sacrament I speak as they speak for it is not a sacrament but when it is taken eaten Take saith Christ and eate and afterwards saith This is my body Then in the sacrament is not Christes body except it be taken and eaten be mouldy corrupt eaten with wormes or mice when it falleth on the ground or powered out c. For to all these things the bread and wine and not the body of Christ are subiect the bread say we is mouldy is corrupt c. The wine is spilled The which bread and wine had not rat◠but men eaten and dronken had bin the sacrament of the body blood of Christ Would our aduersaries vnderstand this they should not neede the booke which they cal De coutelas de la Missa which intreateth what ought in such former like cases to be done This booke is a continuall affliction torment and slaughter house of the consciences which haue zeale but as saith S. Paul not according to knowledge The reason is because this conscience are not founded vpon the firme foundatiō vpon the word of God but vpon the sand the traditions of men Such as will not vnderstand the words of the Lord This is my body c. Spiritually but carnally doe fall into great heresie horrible Idolatrie The Christian religion as witnesseth Athasius in his Symbol beleeueth that in Iesus Christ are 2 natures diuine and humane It beleeueth that these two natures are so vnited and conioyned in Christ that they are not confounded nor mingled one with another The diuine hath his properties and the humane his As the reasonable soule and fleshly bee one man So the diuinitie and humanitie bee one Christ It is the propertie of the diuinitie onely and of no other thing besides to bee in euery place for it is vnmeasurable infinit and no other thing there is that is vnmeasurable and infinite It is the propertie of the humanity to be in some one place and not in euery place So witnesseth the Angell speaking of the humanitie of Christ He is risen sayth he he is not here Beholde here the place where they put him And S. Peter Whom sayth he the Heauens must contayne vntill the time of the restauration of all things And so do wee hold it for an article of faith that he ascended into Heauen and is set at the right hand of God the father from thence shall he come to iudge the quicke and the dead Iesus Christ himselfe sayth The poore shall you haue alwayes with you but me shall you not haue alwayes All these places doe proue Iesus Christ according to his humanity and in as much as he is man not to bee here below but in heauen This Article of faith do our aduersaries impugne when they beleeue the body of Christ to be in euery Masse And so many as dayly through all the world are celebrated and in all their Sagrarios or pixes where they keepe it inclosed really corporally carnally so great and so big as it was vpon the crosse If this be not heresie what shall bee heresie Good Transubstantiators are our aduersaries when they haue transubstātiated the bread and the wine into the body and bloud of Christ so that now is it no bread now it is no wine but as they say the body and bloud of Christ So now they transubstatiate the humanitie of Christ his flesh and his bloud into the diuinitie seeing they attribute vbiquitie to the bodie and bloud of Christ the which is only proper to the diuinitie Iesus Christ is true God and true man But his Godhead is not his manhood and his manhood is not his Godhead The one is the Creator whose beginning is from euerlasting the other is a creature whose being had beginning Notwithstanding all this which our aduersaries of the learned I speake may heare and reade they continue obstinate and hardened and God hath left them to a reprobate mind that they may beleeue the bread to be no bread but the bodie of Christ the wine to be no wine but the bloud of Christ And so they worship that which a parish Clearke maketh betweene two yrons and the Priest giueth it a forme making it his God In the pixe do they keepe it to the sicke they carie it Vpon some feastes of the yeare and chiefly the day which they call Corpus Christi with great pompe triumph and maiestie take they it forth to walke and wo to that person that will not kneele before it I would aske them who commanded them to doe this If they know that Iesus Christ hath so done orcommaunded his Apostles so to doe Neither example nor commandement will they giue Christ neither did nor commanded any such thing nor his Apostles nor the Catholike Church did so by the space of one thousand yeares after
the word flesh Leo Bishop of Rome in the tenth epistle which he wrote to the Clergie and people of Constanstinople saith Walke we on receiuing the vertue of the heauely meat in his flesh which is made our flesh Damascen whom they cite libr. 4. cap. 14. Orthodoxae fidei is clearely for them They alleage Theophilact who manifestly maketh mention of Transubstantiation Other new Authours as Anselme Hugo and Richardus de sancto Victore they alleage which vndoubtedly affirme Transubstantiatiation Councels also do they cite as that of Ephesus which was holden against Nestorius in which was president Cirillus where these wordes are vsed Wee being made partakers of the holy bodie and of the precious bloud of Christ receiue not common flesh and not as of a man sanctified but truly sanctifying and made proper of the word it selfe They cite the Councell of Verceill in the time of Leo the ninth in which Berengarius was condemned They cite the Councell of Laterane in the time of Nicholas the second which caused Berengarius to recant of whose recantation mention is made in the decrees de consecrat dist 2. in the fourth sentence They alleage also another Councell of Lateran in the time of Innocent 3. whereof mention is made in the Decretals de summa Trinitate cap. Firmiter de celebratione Missarum cap. Cum Martha They alleage also the Councell of Constance wherein was Iohn Wickliffe that denied Transubstantiation condemned and Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prage were burned for the same They cite the last Trident Councell They alleage the common consent as they say of all the whole Catholique Church with which consent Scotus so greatly was moued in foure that seeing hee could firmely shew Transubstantiation neither by the holy Scriptures nor by reason yet he approued it he sayd for not being contrary to the common consent of the Church Our aduersaries then seeing as they suppose so many Fathers so manie Councels on their side they thinke all cocke sure and crie out Victorie Victorie against these heretikes dogges Now is there no bread now is there no wine in the Sacrament They be conuerted and transubstantiated into the bodie and bloud of Christ And whosoeuer beleeueth not this they call him an heretike excommunicate accursed and condemned But turne they ouer the leafe and behold and well consider that which followeth Were our strife and contention about Transubstantiation to be decided concluded and proued by men we want not other as manie or rather more Fathers as ancient learned and godly as those whom our aduersaries as they thinke haue armed against vs to arme in our defence against them And many of those also wil we alleage which they haue alleaged against vs. This done to all that will we answere which they haue alleaged against vs. The first Father which they alleage is Ireneus The same also do we alleage and for his antiquitie and authoritie in the vauntgard will we place him Thus sayth Ireneus speaking against the Valentinian heretikes The earthly bread the calling of the word of God receiued is now no more common bread but is made the Eucharist The which consisteth in two thinges to wit in earthly and heauenly As touching the first Ireneus denyeth not the Eucharist to be bread but that which hee saith is that it is now not common bread And then saith hee This Eucharist consisteth in two things the one whereof is earthly and is the bread and the other heauenly and is the bodie of Christ For how necessarie it is that the bodie of Christ bee truly in the Sacrament so necessarie is it also that the bread bee truely in the Sacrament For otherwise the bread which is the figure should haue no annalogie nor likenesse with the thing figured which is the body of Christ Tertullian in his first booke against Marcion saith God hath not cast away the bread his creature sith that with it he hath represented his body Also in his fourth booke against the same Marcion he saith The bread which hee had taken and distributed to his disciples hee made it his body saying This is my body that is to say as himselfe declareth the figure of my body Origen vppon the 26. chap. of Matthew sayth This bread which God the Word doth witnesse to bee his body is the nourishing word of soules Also Homil. 7. vppon Leuiticus He saith For not onely in the old Testament but also in the Gospell is the letter which killeth For if thou follow the letter that which is sayd Except ye eate the flesh c. Also hom 9. vpon the same Leuiticus he saith Cleaue not to the bloud of the flesh but apprehend rather the bloud of the Word and heare what he saith vnto thee For this is my bloud which is shed for you Also vpon the fifteenth chapter of Matthew hee saith The sanctified bread as touching the matter goeth into the belly and is cast out below In the same place also hee saith Not the matter of the bread but the word spoken ouer it is that which profiteth him which worthily eateth it In the eight booke also against Celsus hee sayth After thankes giuen for the benefites which wee haue receiued eate wee of the consecrate bread Cyprian lib. 1. Epist 6. ad Magnum sayth The Lord calleth the bread made of the gathering togither of manie graines his body and the wine pressed out of many clusters and graines of grapes calleth hee his bloud Also interpreting the Lords prayer he calleth the bread the body of the Lord. Also in the sermon of the Supper of the Lord he sayth wee whet not the tooth to bite but with sincere and true faith onely doe wee breake the bread and eate it Also in the sermon de Chrismate hee openly saith The sacramentes haue their names of those things which they signifie Saint Augustine vseth these selfe same two maner of speeches that Saint Cyprian vseth Whereby it appeareth that hee tooke them from him The second hee vseth in the Epistle to Boniface and first when he saith Why preparest thou the tooth and the belly Beleeue and thou hast eaten Tract 25. vpon Saint Iohn And turning to Saint Cyprian in his second booke and third epistle ad Cecilium he saith In the wine is shewed the bloud of the Lord. Also against the Aquarians he sayth That the bloud of the Lord could not appeare to bee in the cuppe if the wine ceased to be therein And after our Transubstantiators no wine is there in the cup therefore it followeth there is no bloud For this is the argument of S. Cyprian In the sermon also of the supper of the Lord he saith The symbols o be changed into the bodie of Christ but so that they take a certiane likenesse of Christ himselfe in whom the humane nature was seene and the diuine remained hidden by
which likenes it appeareth that he wold say that as in Christ remain two natures diuine and humane So in the same maner are the two natures preserued in the Sacrament That of the bread which is seene and that of the body of Christ which is not seene In the second booke and third epistle he also sayeth So that the body of Christ cannot be floure onely Nor water only But both doe meete and couple together and with the meeting togither and vnion of one bread become firme with which and the same sacrament our People is shewed to be coupled Athanasius expounding these words If any man shall speake a word against the Sonne of man it shall be forgiuen him but he which speaketh against the holy spirit c. saith And how great is the body that all the world is to eate of And concludeth that this is spiritually to be vnderstood and hereby that in this place the Lord speaketh of his ascention against the Capernaits Basil in his Liturgie calleth the bread of the sacrament Antitypon of the body of Christ to wit an example or patterne of the like forme And after the consecration he calleth it so also Dionysius de Ecclesiastica Hierarchia cap. 3. saith The Bishop vncouereth the couered and vndiuided bread and parting it in peeces c. Saint Ambrose vpon the first epistle to the Corinthians saith When it is said that this is done in memorie of Christ and of his death we by eating and drinking do signifie the flesh and bloud of Christ which haue bene offered In the same place also he saith We receiue the mysticall cup in type or figure of the bloud of Christ Also in the fourth booke De Sacramentis and fourth chap. where he setteth downe the change of the symbols he handleth also our change into Christ but for all this those that receiue the Sacrament are not transubstantiated into Christ Also in the same chapter he saith So that we affirme How can that which is bread be the body of Christ by consecration And then If the word of the Lord haue so much power that the things which were not begin to be how much more powerfull shall it be to cause that these things remaine which haue their being and be changed into another thing Saint Ierome vpon Saint Matthew saith clearely that in the bread and the wine is represented the body and bloud of Christ Chrysostome vppon the second to the Corinthians sayth Not onely that which is set before vs vppon the table but the poore also is the body of Christ to whom wee are bound to doe good for he that sayd this is my body with his mouth sayd also that he it was which receiued the benefite and that hee in the poore was in necessitie Also in the eleuenth Homily vppon Matth. In opere imperfecto he saith In the holy vessels is neither the bodie of Christ nor his bloud but the mystery of the bodie and bloud of Christ Also vpon the twelfth chapter of the second epistle to the Corinthians Hom. 27. he saih So that Christ in the bread and wine sayd Doe this in remembrance of me In declaring also these wordes vppon the twentie third Psalme Thou hast prepared a table before me saith So that the bread and the wine in the Sacrament is shewed vnto vs in the similitude of the bodie and bloud of Christ c. Also writing to Cesarius against Apollinarius and others which confounded the diuinitie and humanitie of Christ this Epistle is found in the Librarie of Florence he saith For euen so the bread before it bee sanctified wee call bread but the diuine grace signifying this the bread by meanes of the Priest is freed from the name of bread and is found worthy to be called the bodie of the Lord albeit the nature of bread remaine stil in it In verie manie places is Saint Augustine wholly for vs and roundly confirmeth our doctrine Vppon the fourescore and second Psalme hee saith Thou art not to eate that which thou seest nor art thou to drinke this bloud which they haue to poure out That which I say is a mysterie which will quicken being spiritually vnderstood Also in the Treatise De Fide ad Petrum chap. 19. hee calleth it the Sacrament of bread and wine Also against Faustus the twentith booke and twentie first chapter he sayth In the old Testament vnder the similitude of the sacrifices to wit of the beastes sacrificed the flesh and bloud of Christ was promised vnto vs vpon the crosse was it really giuen but in the Sacrament for a memoriall it is celebrated Let vs well consider these three times noted by Saint Augustine and the great difference there is After one sort gaue Christ himselfe in the olde Testament after another vpon the crosse and after another in the Sacrament of the Supper Also De Ciuitate Dei the 21. booke and the twentie fift chapter he clearelie affirmeth that the wicked eate not the matter of the Sacrament to wit the bodie of Christ And so saith he It is not to be thought that hee which is not in the bodie of Christ and in whom Christ is not nor he in Christ eateth the body of Christ Also in the twentith Treatise vppon Saint Iohn hee saith the same Against Adimantus also a Manachie chap. 12. he saith The Lord doubted not to say This is my body when he gaue notwithstanding the signe of his body In this sheweth Saint Augustine the words of Christ This is my body ought not to bee fully vnderstood according as they sound but by trope or figure and so saith hee that this manner of speech is like to that alleaged out of the twelfth chapter of Deuteronomie verse 23. The bloud is the life Also De doctrina Christiana lib. 3. cap. 16. Hee sheweth that which Christ in the sixt chapter of Iohn vseth Except ye eat the flesh of the Sonne of man c. to bee a figuratiue maner of speech the reason which hee giueth is because it seemeth to commaund a great wickednesse For to eate the flesh of a man is a greater crueltie then to kill him and to drinke his bloud then to shed it And therefore saith Saint Augustine that it is a figure which commaundeth vs sweetely and profitably to remember that the flesh of Christ was crucified and wounded for vs. Also in the Epistle to Boniface sayth The Sacramentes take their names of those thinges whereof they are Sacraments These wordes as wee haue noted tooke Saint Augustine from Saint Cyprian and excellently nameth the Sacrament of the bodie of Christ in a certaine manner to bee the bodie of Christ and then sayth The Sacrament of the bloud of Christ is the bloud of Christ Vpon the eight Psalme he also saith Christ receiued Iudas vnto his banquet when hee commended the figure of his bodie Let that which wee haue already sayd of this glorious Doctor suffice Leo
the first in an Epistle to the Clergy and people of Constantinople affirmeth this distribution to be mysticall to be spirituall meate and that therein wee receiue a celestiall power to passe or bee conuerted into the flesh of Christ who for vs tooke vpon him our flesh Ciril lib. 4. cap. 14. vpon Saint Iohn saith So to the faithfull disciples gaue he peeces of bread saying Take c. Also in an Epistle to Calosyrius he sayth It was meete that by meanes of his holy flesh and precious bloud he shoud in a certaine maner vnite or couple himselfe with our bodies which by the liuely blessing in the bread and wine we receiue Hesychius lib. 20. vpon Leuit cap. 8. saith By this he commandeth to eat the flesh with the bread that we might vnderstand hee called it a mysterie which is bread and flesh ioyntly togither Gelasius doth witnesse against Eutiches that in the Eucharist the substance and nature of the bread and wine in no wise ceaseth to hold their being And that moreouer which before we haue said Gregorie the first in his Register saith When we receiue as wel the bread without leauen as the leauened wee are made the body of the Lord our Sauiour Bertram in the booke which hee made of the bodie and bloud of the Lord speaking of the nature of the Symbols sayth that according to the substance of creatures the symbols which be the bread and wine bee the same after consecration that before they were But why alleage I one place of Bertrams booke sith the whole booke doth purposely handle this argument and concludeth the same that we now affirme with the holy Scripture and many sayings of the Fathers Ambrose Ierome Augustine Fulgentius c. confirmeth Bertram his doctrine and confirming his doctrine which is the same with ours it weakeneth and ouerthroweth that of our aduersaries which sayth the bread and wine in the sacrament to bee the very same body and bloud of Christ in flesh bones and sinewes which was borne dyed and rose againe c. But the bodie of Christ saith Bertram is in two maners one in flesh and in bones c. which was borne and dyed c. and the other spirituall which is that which is giuen in the sacrament and also he saith that the spirituall body of Christ and his spirituall bloud vnder the couerture of the corporall bread and of the corporal wine remaine At the request of Charles the Great wrote Bertram this booke as he himself in the end of his book speaking of Charles the great to whom he dedicated the same saith The occasion he had so to didicate it was for that As Bertram saith in the beginning of the booke Charles the Great had demanded of him whether the body and blood of Christ which in the Church is receiued with the mouth of the faithful be in mistery or really in truth receiued So that it is now aboue 760. yeeres past sithens this booke was written Iohannes Trithemius giueth this Testimony of Bertram Bertram was saith Trithemius much conuersant in the holy scripture very learned in humane science eloquent he was and no lesse excellent in life then in Doctrine S. Bernard is the sermon of the supper of the Lord by the similitude which he putteth of a ring sheweth that he is wholy for vs. Now to close vp this band of the fathers which against transubstantiation of diuerse times diuerse regions we haue alleaged we will set downe one most learned godly This is Theodoret bishop of Cyr that wrote the ecclesiastical historie He flourished about the yeare of our Lord 451. For he was present in that famous Councell of Chalecdon in the company of 630. bishops which condemned Diâ—scorus These bishops with great curtesie honorable titles did honor Theodoret being present in the Councel calling him catholique true pastor Doctor of the Church The same witnesseth Leo 1. Bishop of Rome in an epistle which he wrote to the foresaid Theodoret. And it is to be beleeued that had not Theodoret rightly thought of so high a mystery As is the sacrament of the body bloud of Christ that a Councel and one of the most famous that hath bin wherin were 630. bishops wold not haue called Theodoret catholike true pastor of the church c. In the 2. Councel of Ephesus was this Theodoret vniustly depriued from his bishopirck because he would not take parte with the heretike Eutiches But in the Councell of Chalcedon with great honor praise was his bishopricke restored If that which Theodoret then thought taught touching the Doctrine of the sacrament were catholike the same also shall it now be for the same which then was truth is now truth Very truely spake this Theodoret against transubstantiation in a booke God would should be printed in Rome for the greater confusion of the Romists which cannot deny that Theodoret is wholly for vs. But they excuse him with saying that this question of transubstantiation the Church had not yet determined Thus may the Pope for he is all in all cause that the Doctrine which in old time was catholike true be now hereticall wicked and that which then was hereticall and wicked be now catholike and good But if an Angel from heauen saith S. Paul shall preach another Gospel other Doctrine then that which he had taught such a one should be cursed Theodoret in his Dialogues bringeth in 2 persons which dispute of good things of thinges touching Christian religion The one called Orthodoxo and the other Eranistes Then saith Orthodoxo dost thou know that God hath called the bread his proper bodie Eran. I knowe it Ortho. knowest thou also that in an other place his flesh he calleth wheate Eran. This doe I also knowe c. And a little lower Ortho. In the same distribution of the misteries The bread he calleth bodie the cuppe mingled blood Erannist So doth he suerly call them Ortho. But also hath power to be called a bodie according to it nature his bodie surely and his blood Erannist It is clere Ortho. But the same our sauiour chaungeth the names and giueth vnto his bodie the name of symboll and contrariwise to the Simboll giueth hee the name of bodie After the same manner also when he had said of himselfe that he was a vine the same blood called he a Symboll Eranist This hast thou well spoken But I would learne also the cause why the names are chaunged Ortho. This is the marke whereat those ayme which professe religion For I would not that they which be partakers of the diuine misteries should settle their minds vpon the nature of those things which are seene but that by the change of the names they may beleeue that transmutation which is wrought by grace For hee which called his natureall body wheate and bread and called also himselfe a vine he himself honoreth the
visible signes with the name of his bodie of his blood Not changing verely the same nature but adding grace to the nature Eranist Surely the mysticall thinges are mystically spoken and the thinges not Notorious to all are clearely manifest Ortho. Seeing he saith that the robe and the vesture are called of the patriarke the bodie of the Lord and that wee are entred into discourse of diuine misteries Tell mee truely whose signes and whose figure supposest thou that most holy meate to be Of the diuininitie it selfe of the Lord Christ or of his body and blood Eran. Of those things doubtlesse whose names they haue receaued Ortho. Of the body saie thou and of the bloud Eran. So I say Ortho. Verie well hast thou spoken For the Lord hauing taken the signe said not this is my diuinitie but this is my bodie Also this is my bloud and in another place The bread which I will giue for the life of the world Eran. All this is most true for they be the wordes of God c. And in the 2. Dialogue Ortho. Tell me then whose Symbols be these mysticall symbols which be offered to God of the ministers of holy thinges Eran. Of the bodie and of the blood of the Lord. Ortho. Of the true or not the true bodie Eran. Of the true c. Ortho. For those mystical symbols no not after sanctificatiō leaue not their proper being nature For they remaine in their former substaunce figure forme are seen handled neither more nor lesse thē before But the things which are made are vnderstood belieued adored as thiugs being which are beleeued Cōpare thē the Image with the Archtipe to wit the thing whose Image it is thou shalt see the likenes For the figure of necessity must agree with the truth For that same body holdeth no doubt his first figure forme circumscriptiō to speake simply the same substaūce also of the body c. That which Theodoret cheifly pretendeth to proue in these dialogues is that as there be a things really in the sacramēt the figure the thing figured bread The bodie of Christ these 2 things be not confused but each one holdeth his proper being So neither more nor lesse are there 2 natures really in Christ diuine humane not confounded nor the one conuerted into the other Were there not 2 things really in the sacrament The argumēt of Theodoret should not proue his intent but shold be rather for the heretikes against whom he disputed which said that the body of Christ ascending into the heauens is wholly conuerted into the diuine nature As now say our aduersaries that the bread and wine are conuerted into the bodie and blood of Christ So that there remaineth no more bread nor no more wine The selfe same argument of Theodoret vseth Gelasius bishop of Rome against Eutiche◠as before we haue alleaged Here sest thou the victorie which our aduersaries haue gotten by aleaging the fathers to cōfirme their transubstantiation If many they haue alleaged for their transubstantiation many more haue we alleaged against transubstantiation as ancient as learned as godly as those whom they haue cited and the selfe same also haue we alleaged oftentimes that they haue alleaged Our aduersaries with ful mouth still crie out saying Fathers fathers as though the fathers were for them not for vs But by this disputation which we haue in hand shal be seene whether the fathers be before vs whether they approue and confirme our Doctrine and condemne that of our aduersaries or no. But for as much as say the Logitians to giue an instance is not to assoyle the argumēt It shal be good to answere that which our aduersaries haue alleaged against our Doctrine This will we doe with all possible breuitie because we purpose not here to make long discourse of this mater To shew then that that of the fathers which they haue alleaged maketh nothing against vs. Needful shall it be to consider that the holy Scripture it selfe doth wontedly giue the names of Symbols signes or figures to the thinges which they betoken figure and represent and contrarywise the names of the things signified and figured they giue to the signes and figures as the fathers doe obserue it Thus is Christ the pascall lambe the pascal lambe is Christ Christ is bread the bread is Christ c. For this cause the fathers imitating the phrase of the scripture speaking of the things signified they call them by the names of those things which they signifie contrariwise speaking of the figures they giue vnto them the names of the things which they figure Which thing S. Ciprian by vs before alleaged S. Augustine in an epistle which he wrote to Boniface before by vs also alleaged Therdoret in the Dialog a little be fore cited do witnesse Moreouer if we diligently consider that which a litle before or a litle after in other places they haue said we shall see that they haue vnderstood witnessed this meat to be spirituall not carnall for the mouth teeth nor the belly Wherefore saith S. Augustine as before of him we haue sayd preparest thou the tooth and the belly Beleeue and thou hast eaten In which manner of speaking S. Augustine doth imitate S. Cyprian As before we haue said It is also to be noted that the fathers speake one way of the bread of the wine before consecration and after consecration otherwise Before consecratiō say they that the bread and wine are common and vulgar as the rest But of consecration they deny it to be common bread they deny it to be common wine there is a chaunging say they in them which thing is most true For the bread wine by consecration cease to be common bread and wine and be dedicated to a sacred vse and so the bread and the wine are made holie or sanctified ceasing to bee common and prophane Such a chaunge as this vnderstood the fathers to be made in the bread and wine but not as touching the substaunce and being But as touching the qualities The which chaunge wee doe willingly allow By such a chaunge we confesse that the bread and wine are made Sacraments which effectually by the vertue of the holie spirit doe signifie present seale and giue vnto vs as touching the soule by the meane of faith The body blood of the Lord. Who so will marke this shal vnderstand that when the fathers say there is now no more bread nor wine in the Sacrament this ought not to bee simply vnderstood As touching the substaunce but in a certaine manner in respect of him which receaueth the sacrament who ought not to settle his eyes vppon the bread nor vppon the wine which bee visible earthly and corruptible things but ought to lift vp his hart soule and spirit to receiue that which by the bread the wine is signified vnto vs To wit Iesus Christ set
him he saw him free and safe without hurt of the fire These foure so straunge wonders besides others which we passe ouer shall you finde in his sermon of the dead You see heere the Textes of holie Scripture wherewith hee confirmeth his Purgatorie Also to proue the resurrection he citeth the place of Genesis the ninth chapter and the fourth verse where God commaunded Noah The flesh with the bloud shalt thou not eate Also another straunge thing in the chapter of Virginitie he saith that had not Adam sinned men for generation should not carnally haue coupled with their wiues And because hee saw the Text of Scripture to bee against him God might sayth hee by other meanes multiply men without the coniunction of man and woman Also seeing that Saint Basil calleth the bread and the wine of the Sacrament examples of the bodie and bloud of Christ which was opposite to him This saying of S. Basil said he ought to bee vnderstood of the bread and of the wine before sanctification which is not so for the bread and wine before consecration as already wee haue proued by the Fathers are common bread and wine as the rest and be no symbols nor figures of the body and bloud of Christ vntill and not before these words Take and eate this is my body bee sayd Sith such a one then is Damascen leaue we him and let vs followe that which the hole Scripture doth teach vs that which the Fathers whom against Transubstantiation we haue alleaged doe tell vs and that also which experience it selfe of that which we see touch and tast in the sacrament doth shew vs. To Theophilact Anselme Hugo Richardo c. whom they cite against vs and liued in the time that the holy Supper of the Lord was now falling the Popes then tyrannizing the consciences of men who neuer stayed vntill the holy supper destroyed they had made of some reliques patches and remnants of their Masse such as now it is full of abuses superstitions and idolatries do we answer the same He of these late writers which least erred in this matter of Transubstantiation is Scotus who saith as before we haue said that neither by Scripture nor reason it can be proued but would yet be deceiued because the Church so commaundeth How could his Church which is the Pope and his Cardinals make new articles of faith besides those which Iesus Christ our king our Prophet and priest ordained and taught us which be contained in the Creed of the Apostles Let vs now answer to the Councels which our aduersaries alleage against vs. As touching that which they obiect against vs of the Councell of Ephesus wherein Cirillus gouerned and Theodoret who is so appaparantly against Transubstantiation was present therein they doe vs great wrong For the same do wee confesse that the Councell confesseth We say that receiuing this Sacrament we receiue not common flesh but flesh sanctifying which by an inseparable vnion is conioyned with the diuine word But how do we receiue it Spiritually by faith not carnally as say our aduersaries that they receiue eat and digest it For vntil it be digested they affirm it to be the flesh of Christ They obiect the councel of Vercell in the time of Leo the ninth where Berengarius was condemned They obiect the Councel of Lateran in the tyme of Nicholas 2. which caused Berengarius to recant The Lateran Councel also in the time of Innocent 3. Also the Councell of Constance Anno. 1516. The Trident also of our time in the time whereof so many Popes as Paule 3. Iulius 3. Marcellus 2. Paulus 4. Pius 4. and none of these for the causes that speaking of the Popes wee haue shewed were present in it poped But examine wee the recantation which Pope Nicholas the second that poped about the yeare 1060. commaunded Berengarius to make in the Councell of Lateran as it is written in the Decrees de consecrat dist 2. cap. Ego Berengarius Wherein hee was constrained to confesse that the body of Christ is handled or sensnally felt with the hands of Priests that it is broken that it is chewed with the teeth I demand of them how can the body of Christ which now is glorified and therefore impossible and no way subiect to these humane miseries suffer these things Which the Pope and his Councell do say The Glosser of the Decrees himselfe although not verie wise could not but see so great an absurditie as this and therefore sayd that this verie warily and aduisedly ought to be vnderstood for if thou doest not so saith he thou shalt fall into an error farre greater then that of Berengrius The Glossor then vnderstood it much better then Pope Nicholas or his Councell whose holy spirit the Pope was that the body of Christ in the Sacrament could no wayes bee touched with the handes nor broken nor chawed with the teeth For this cause the Maister of Sentences in the fourth willing to amend or conceale this so notable a fault saith That this which was commāded Berengarius to say ought not to be vnderstood of the body of Christ but of the Symbols which say they be the accidents And so in that manner of speaking admitteth a trope or figure according whereunto is attributed to the thing that which is of the symbols But should we vse this figure they would eat out our eyes Now shalt thou vnderstand the account which is to be made of such a Councel and of the other Councels that followed this in which the Pope or his Legates haue gouerned and nothing aught worthy was in them determined albeit the Fathers had broken their heads about it if the Pope approued it not So that the Pope only is hee which maketh and vnmaketh decrees and articles of faith and not the Councel Whē a Councell is celebrated the which from many to many yeares is done as though there were no euill life of the Prelates to be amended nor abuses superstitions heresies nor idolatries in the Church to bee corrected the Legates of the Pope which commonly are three for such is his cause that hee trusteth not one with it haue great regard to write to the Pope this or that is determined in the Councel how liketh it your Holinesse Then doth the Pope either approue it or blotting it out disalow it If he blot it out there is then no more treaty of that matter how true soeuer it be how profitable soeuer for the Church That which he approueth he writeth to his Legats This letter which the Pope sendeth is the holy spirit which now gouerneth the Councels This holy Spirit descendeth not from heauē but commeth inclosed in a budget or wallet Thus is the Councell not free but a seruant and of whom of the Pope Who as before by many most sufficient reasons we haue proued to be Antichrist So necessarie an article to saluation is
Transubstantiation among our aduersaries that they hold him not a Christian but an heretike anathematized accursed and excommunicated that doth not beleeue it Wherein to the Councell of Florence held in the time of Eugenius the fourth in the yeare of our Lord 1439. do they great iniurie In this Councell were present the Emperour of Grecia the Patriarke of Constantinople and many Easterne Bishops The Greekes and Latines agreed in this Councell in the difference which they held touching the holy Spirit and in some other things they also agreed but as touching Transubstantiation albeit the Pope did labour them to allow of it yet could they neuer effect it with them And great heed tooke the Greekes that in the letter of vnitie no mention were made of Transubstantiation the which was done to the good liking of the Greeks as in the Bull of Eugenius which beginneth Exultent coeli laetetur terra appeareth wherin he giueth for good to all Christendome that the Greeke and Latine Church had once againe accorded And I surely know had their Transubstantiation bene an article of faith without which there is no saluation the Romane Church did wickedly to admit the Greeks for brothers seeing they openly denyed Transubstantiatiō That which our aduersaries say of the mutual cōsent of the Church touching the article of Transubstātiation here appeareth to be false For neither the Greek nor Eastern church euer beleeued it nor now at this day beleeueth it nor yet did the Latine Church for a thousand yeares space beleeue it Of all this which we haue spoken touching Transubstantiation we conclude that which we say to be truth that he which heareth the Masse is a great Idolater and he which sayth it is a greater The fift Domage which the Masse causeth is that besides the sayd foure domages it maintaineth many abuses as is Purgatorie Concerning Purgatorie say we there is no other purgatorie but the bloud of Christ which purgeth our sinnes By which purgation wee are reconciled with the euerlasting Father The other purgatorie say we which our aduersaries haue forged without the word of God is the head of a wolfe as Doctor Constantine did call it who for the cause of religion of infirmitie age and hard imprisonment among those cruell Canibals and eaters of mans flesh the defilers of the faith in the castle of Traiana died Purgatorie is a common cutpurse that without shame or correction stealeth robbeth and catcheth all what it can to fill the paunches of these idle bellies priests and friers all the ecclesiasticall order For whence haue they so enriched themselues whence is it that they haue builded so many sumptuous Monasteries which seeme rather Castles and pallaces of most rich kings and Princes then houses of begging Friers and poore Monkes who in times past gained their liuing with the labour of their hands Whence haue they founded so many Chappels so manie Trentals so many Masses prayed and sung which they called de requiem but of the foolish perswasion of Purgatorie As the Masse entertayneth Purgatorie so also doth Purgatorie entertaine the Masse The Masse and Purgatorie are euen as two Mules the one rubbing the other The false prophets made an old simple woman beleeue that the soule of her father mother husband daughter or other person whō she deerely loued was suffering most grieuous torments and paines in Purgatory and demanded some reliefe by the Masse or Masses which should be said for it Then the poore old woman taking it from their mouth ioyned peece to peece 68 Blancas which is a ryall went to a Priest and giuing him the tyall for Masses are sold for money besought him to say a Masse with great deuotion for the soule of her father or some other person whom she loued And were the old woman so much more superstitions then went she to a monasterie holding it for certaine that the Fryers liued a more religious and holy life then the Priestes and being come to the monasterie besought the Sextan or potter to cause a Masse with all speede to be sayd The Sextan or porter sayd it should presently bee done Then went out a Father to say the Masse and tooke money of her to whom better had it beene to haue giuen then taken it from her for God knoweth the pouertie that remayned in the house of this old woman and the riches and superfluity that was in the monasterie And a faire thing it was that they sayd it not for her for oftentimes it happeneth that more Masses are receiued for in one day then all the Priestes of the monastery can say in a moneth And this is the cause why they cannot say all the Masses they receiue for But thou wilt say vnto mee Why do these reuerend men take of them more money for Masses then they well can say Me seemeth they rob in doing this which thou sayest Hereunto I answer that they reckon not of this nor make they any conscience thus to rob and deceiue And that which is worse this their theft and robberie do they sanctifie saying that is very well done and that necessity so requireth that the deuotion of the people be not despised Ad the Pope for the cause aforesayd a proueth and maketh good this theft and commandeth them to say two Masses at euery moneths end one for the quicke another for the dead which two Masses saith he are as auayleable as all those how many soeuer they haue omitted to say Did the Magistrates their dutie they would seeke and in the chests of their Monasteries should find such Bulles such mockeries and such licenses to steale Purgatorie haue they made a new article of faith so that he which beleeueth it not is therefore an heretike If it be heresie not to beleeue that which neither in the doctrine of the old or new Testament is confirmed Nor is in any of the three Creedes of the Apostles the Nicen nor of Athanasius being a Summarie token out of the scripture which a Christian ought to beleeue conteyned The 6. domage is that suppose the sacrifice of the Masse or sacrament of the altar As they call it had bene such As they paint it out Yet should it not be wel administred sith the Christian people are defrauded and depriued of the one halfe of the sacrament because they giue them not the sacramentall wine which is the sacrament of the bloud of Christ shed for vs vpon the Crosse when the other halfe is receiued they giue it seldome once in the yeare wickedly with so many superstitions and Idolatries As we haue already proued In bread and wine did Iesus Christ institute this sacrament for the high signification and allusion which the bread and wine holde with his bodie and with his bloud and commaunded his Apostles in the selfe same maner As they had seene him celebrate the supper in memoriall of his death to celebrate it When he gaue thē the bread he said Take
eate this is my bodie And when he gaue the wine he said Drinke ye all of this This is my blood In giuing the wine he addeth that not without great mistery this word all for with this word All doth the Lord preuent arme vs against the heretikes which were afterwardes to arise saying Drinke not all of the wine Our aduersaries cannot deny the Lord to haue said Drinke yee all of this They cannot deny that all those which haue receaued the bread haue not drunke of the wine And so saith S. Marke And they all dranke thereof As litle also can they deny that they themselues coÌ„mand contrary to the coÌ„mandement of God that all do not drinke thereof What shall we hereupon conclude That they be heretikes Albeit they deny it because they falsify and clip the most holy sacrament which Christ did institute If the lawes commaund that he which falsifieth or clippeth the coyne bearing the figure of the king or the Lord of the land shal die What punishment shal he deserue that falsifieth clippeth the sacrament which hath not only the figure of Christ but his proper body bloud As in bread wine Iesus Christ did celebrate his supper Euen so did his Apostles celebrate it afterwards Read the 11. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthes where S. Paule intreateth of the celebration of the holie supper But the space of one thousand yeares was the selfe same order touching the substaÌ„ce of the supper obserued in the Church vntil false prophets arose that brake this good order which Christ did institute and his Apostles the Church did long time after obserue These would shew theÌ„se lues to be more wise theÌ„ Christ so coÌ„maÌ„ded they that no Christian were he not a priest shuld receiue wheÌ„ they coÌ„municated the coÌ„secrated wine And their reasons they yeeld but very friuolous ridiculous why they so commaund The first is because there is no difference betwene the priest and the people Great pride arrogancy is this euer haue they pretended to keepe Christian people in subiection So are they called the Clergie for being as they say The Lot of the Lord. As though the people for whom Christ died were the lot of the diuell The second cause is the danger of shedding the bloud by the beardes if the people should drink it If this bee the cause why giue they it not to womeÌ„ seeing they haue no beards why giue they it not to many which either by nature or shauing or cutting haue no beards Why command they not that all Christians should be beard shauen Why permit they the Pope and many Cardinals Bishops in Italie to nourish their beards and so no danger should be The third say they that receiuing the forme of the bread they receiue the body of Christ and by consequence as they call it receaue they the bloud And thus say they that vnder one forme they receaue both thinges the bodie and bloud of Christ Oh learned men Oh great wits The Lord commandeth that all shuld drink They countermaÌ„d saying That all shal not drinke that to receaue one kind is sufficient And a faire thing is this that they coÌ„demne those for heretikes which receiue the supper in both kinds As Christ did celebrate as the Apostles all the Church for more then a thousand so many yeares celebrated the same They see not that in condemning vs they condemne Christ his Apostles all the Church for so many yeares Let theÌ„ shew me one Church that comunicated in one kind for the space of 1000. yeres after the death of Christ Tehâ—s reasons all whatsoeuer they can imagine and in their fantasie forge wil not suffice to diminish nor defeat the order which Christ ordayned in his Church In bread aud wine did Christ institute this sacrament so distributed it to his Apostles and commanded them so to doe the same S. Paul as a good disciple obedient to his maister did so celebrate the holy supper distributing the bread which is the sacrament of the body and the wine which is the sacrament of the bloud Ye saith he cannot drinke the cup of the Lord the cup of diuels c. And a little before by the cup he had made mention of the coÌ„munion of the bloud of the participation of his bodie by the bread Also as often as ye shal eate this bread drinke this cup c. So that whosoeuer shall eate this bread and drink this cup of the Lord vnworthyly c. Let euery one therefore proue himselfe so eate of that bread and drinke of that cup. Also for he that eateth and drinketh vnworthyly c. Of all those that did communicate spake S. Paul and not of the priests alone This selfe same order of communicating in both kindes was for many yeares obserued in the Church As in the ecclesiastical histories writings of the fathers some of whom I wil here alleage appeareth Our flesh saith Tertullian is fed with the flesh bloud of Iesus Christ that the soule may be nourished of God Oftentimes doth S. Cyprian make mention of this coÌ„munion in both kinds in bread wine Read his sermon intituled Delapsis In which not once but 5 or 6 times he maketh mention thereof Also he saith that those which did coÌ„municate receiued the sacrament with the hand giueth a reason why we ought to coÌ„municate in both kinds the which is of other touch then those which our aduersaries giue why we should not in both kindes coÌ„municate How shal we exhort saith S. Cyprian the people to shed their bloud for the confesion of Christ if when they enter the combate we deny them the bloud of Christ Or how shall we make theÌ„ capable to drink the cup of martirdome If we admit theÌ„ not first to drink the cup of the Lord Also that which we said of the same S. Cyprian coÌ„cerning the young Infant wheÌ„ we spake of the miracles that in both kinds receiued the sacrament Chrisostome saith We are not as in the olde lawe where the priest toke his portion and the people had the rest but one selfe same body is here giuen to all and one selfe same cup and all whatsoeuer is in the Eucharist is common both to priest and people Chrisostome in this sacrament putteth not the difference that our aduersaries doe betweene the priest the people That the priest in both kindes communicate and the people only in one But we will shew for greater confusion of our aduersaries all those foure Doctors As they call them of the Church to bee for vs. As great credit giue they to the Doctrine which these foure Doctours with one common consent doe teach As they giue to the Gospell it selfe Saint Ambrose As Theodoret lib. 5. cap. 17. reporteth speaking with the Emperour Theodosius 1. a naturall Spaniarde of Italica which we now call olde Siuill one
league distant from Siuill They said vnto him How darest thou I pray thee stretch out thy handes stayned with vniust slaughter and bloud to receaue with the same the holy bodie of the Lord Or thou that moued with the fury of wrath so much bloud so wickedly hast spilled how wilt thou apply to thy mouth his venerable bloud depart then c. Sozomenus lib. 7. cap. 24. maketh also mention of this Historie The same S. Ambrose in the funerall oration which he made at the death of Theodosius maketh mention of Theodosius his repentaunce Were there many Ambroses There would bee many Theodosies The cause will I here briefly tell why Saint Ambrose depriued him of the holy supper They of Thessalonica murdred a Tribune in a popular tumult the Emperour Theodosius hearing it was so highly offended that hee caused seuen thousand men to bee slayne Pero Mexia writing the life of this Theodosius applyeth this to his Masse which is so much against it Hee saith that Theodosius the day following would go to the Temple to pray and heare Masse as he was saith he accustomed c. And note the affected malice of Pero Mexia That he alleaged not the author of this his saying That Theodosius went to heare Masse which he would haue done had any said it Maliciously he concealeth the name of Theodoret because it made against his Masse which he so much adored Two things may we note in this saying of S. Ambrose First that he which did communicate toke the sacrament with his handes and not with his mouth a childe when they giue it pappe This sacrament is not for Infants which cannot eate strong meates but it is for people that haue discretion can eat a peece of bread and drinke a boule of wine And so saith Christ vnto them Take eate Take drinke He saith not Open thy mouth receaue therewith the bread The second thinge which we are to note in this saying of Saint Ambrose is that the sacrament to the faithful was giuen in both kinds in bread wine For to eate without drinking what doth it profit the body Both the one the other haue we noted in the place of S. Cyprian before aleaged Also lib. 4. De sacramentis cap. 5 these words saith the same S. Ambrose In the distribution of the bodie bloud of Christ the priest said Take the body of the Lord Take the bloud of Christ Whereunto the commucant answered Amen The second Doctour is Saint Ierome Where speaking vppon the second chapter of Malachy saith The priest which consecrateth the bread of the supper and distributeth the blood of the Lord to the people Saint Augustine is full of notable sayings confirming our Doctrine of the communion in both kindes Of which I will alleage one or two to auoyd tediousnesse How saith Saint Augustine lib. 5. Hypognost Tom. 7. dost thou promise the life of the kingdome of heauen to Babes not regenerate of water and the holie Ghost nor nourished with the flesh nor watered with the blood of Christ c. Also in the first Epistle to Ianuarius Some saith he doe euery day communicate the body and the bloud of Christ others c. This is most certaine that in the time of S. Cyprian and of S. Augustine and long time also after the Eucharist was giuen in both kindes and that to Infants As Erasmus noteth it The fourth Doctor which is S. Gregory now remayneth whom we may iustly intitle the last bishop of Rome and his successor Boniface 3. may we call the first Pope because he would be wholy Pope calling himselfe by the ayd of that murderer Phocas vniuersall Bishop Saint Gregorie then saith you haue learned what the bloud of the Lambe is and this not by hearing but by drinking his bloud to wit as often we haue said the sacramēt of his bloud is shed into the mouths of the faithful Here you see al the foure Doctors of the Church confirme our Doctrine Why then doe our aduersaries deny it And what say I of foure doctors reade they all the ancient Doctors as wel Greeks as Latins all are found to be for vs. And many years also after Saint Gregorie when all things as it were went to ruine this custom continued not as a custome but as a law inuiolable was it holdē for the reuerence of the diuine institution was yet on foot in it being to separate those things which God hath ioyned they doubted not to be sacrilege So said Gelasius Bish of Rome as de Consecratione dist 2. cap. Comperimus it is alleaged we haue vnderstood saith he that some hauing only taken the body of the Lord doe absent themselues from the cuppe who for as much as they sinne of superstition must bee compelled to receiue entirely the whole Sacrament or to abstaine from the whole For the diuision of this misterie cannot be without great sacrilege Our aduersaries then in diuiding this mysterie by the saying of Gelasius be superstitious Church-robbers In the 3. Councell of Toledo 2. Cannon And in the conclusion of the sayd Councell the symbol of our faith is commaunded to be said before the communion of the body and bloud of Christ according to the custome of the East the reason which the Councell giueth is that the people should confesse that which they beleeue and so hauing hearts purified by faith are said to receiue the body and bloud of Christ In this Councell was present the Catholike king Ricaredo as by the prayers which hee made in the Councell appeareth The 7. Domage that the Masse causeth is that suppose the Masse were good celebrated as it ought to be celebrated yet in a strange tongue is it sayd that the people vnderstand it not sometimes also be himself that faith it vnderstandeth not that which he saith which is against the commandement of S. Paul who commandeth that all be done with comelinesse order And what comelines or order is there where the people heare a language which they vnderstand not and so know not whether the Priest doth blesse or curse them The same Apostle saith that the vse of tongues not vnderstood albeit to the praise of God is vnprofitable in the Church And therefore without interpretation of that which is said ought not to be vsed Read 1. Cor. 14. 8. where he saith If the trumpet shall giue an vncertaine sound who shall prepare himselfe to the battell So likewise you by the tongue except ye vtter words that haue signification how shall it be vnder flood that which is spoken For ye shall speake in the aire c. And therefore in the 19. verse he sayth I would rather speake fine words in the Church with vnderstanding that is to say that may be vnderstood thereby also to instruct others then tenne thousand wordes in a tongue to wit that the people vnderstand not The same Apostle in the 27. verse commandeth that if
anie shall speake in a straunge tongue there be also an Interpreter And if there shall be no Interpreter hee commandeth that hee speake not in the Church And that if he speake hee speake to himselfe and to God and not to the people for the people receiue no edification by a tongue that is not vnderstood And therefore in the 26. verse he commandeth that all be done to edification For this cause when God spake with the Patriarks with the Prophets and with his people of Israel or they with him they speake vnto him in their mother tongue that all did vnderstād The same did Iesus Christ speaking with the Scribes and Pharisies he spake vnto them in the vulgar tongue the same that was then vsed in Iudea The Apostles when the Lord sent them through the world to preach had first receiued the gifts of tongues to preach the Gospell and celebrate the sacraments to euerie nation in their proper language Why then do not our aduersaries in this imitate the Apostles they taught and celebrated their Sacraments in the vulgar tongue that al might vnderstand that the people might be edified God might be glorified The mysteries of Christian religion be not as the misteries of the Gentiles which were those that they called Mysterios Eleusimos those of the good goddesse wo vnto him that reuealed the same Herehence it commeth that the Priest pronounceth the words of consecration not onely in a strange tongue but also in a verie low voice that none can heare thē so say they Pope Vigilius cōmanded as reporteth D. Illescas vpon the life of Vigilius The Lord wil that his Christian people vnderstād the mysteries vnderstood do meditate vpon them as God in old time loued not the beast that chewed not the cud suffred not his people to eate thereof so now loueth he not that christiā that chaweth not the cud meditates on the saw of the Lord his misteries and his sacraments Dauid speaking of the exercise of a godly man saieth That he meditateth night and daye vpon the lawe of the Lord. The Lord speaking with Iosua who was no Priest but a moste warlike Captaine that wan so many battailes saith these wordes vnto him The booke of this law shall neuer depart from thy mouth but day and night shalt thou meditate therein that thou maiest keepe and doe c. To each nation in their vulgar tongue let them then say their Masse that they may vnderstand and knowe whether that which is therein saied be good or euill and not saie it to all nations in Latine whereof the people receiueth no edificacion but destruction nought learning but superstition and Idolatry As before we haue proued Some notable domages which the Masse causeth haue we shewed Now will we show some absurdities great inconueniences which thereof followe Against the worde of God are some of them against the doctrine of the fathers others be against experience it selfe against naturall reason and common sence And but three or foure will I set downe to auoyd tediousnesse We sayd being so taught by the word of God that in the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ the faithfull onely receiue spiritually and by faith the true body bloud of Christ Our aduersaries not herewith contented say that not only the good godly and faithfull but also the euill wicked and vnfaithfull the Turkes Iewes and Pagans do receiue the true bodie and bloud of Christ yet passe they further they say that beasts mice and other vermine do eat it that the moisture doth moisten it the mouldinesse doth make it mouldy c. Their blacke Transubstantiation hath made them fall into so great an absurditie strange wonder they beleeue that there is no bread nor wine but the body bloud of Christ it the Sacrament They vnderstād that not the faithful only but also the infidel Turke Pagan and Iew the Mouse c. eateth that which was in the Sacrament Hereupon conclude they that they eate and drinke the body bloud of Christ He that will deny them Transubstantiation will also deny this their conclusion to be good But this set apart the wicked c. will we shew by the month of Christ himselfe not to eat nor drinke the body and bloud of Christ S. Iohn sheweth that the Lord saith Except ye eate the flesh of the son of man and drinke his bloud ye haue no life in you Hereupon is concluded that except wee eate his flesh and drinke his bloud we shall not be saued We eat and drinke his flesh his bloud when we not only reciue this Sacrament but also at all times and as often as we beleeue in him Beleeue saith S. Augustine and thou hast eaten And therefore the same Lord recounteth the fruites which this eating of his body and drinking of his bloud do necessarily bring forth He that eateth saith he my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I wil raise him vp c. Also He that eateth my flesh drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him And he that eateth me shall liue also by me Presuppose this as most true and apparant it is that wicked men Iewes mice c. haue not eternall life nor shall bee raised vp in the companie of the faithfull It is seene they that dwel not in Christ nor Christ in them it is also apparant that they shall not liue by Christ Hereupon we conclude that they eat not the flesh of Christ nor drinke his bloud For had they eaten it and had they drunke it heauen and earth should rather faile then the word of Christ should faile the wicked Iewes Turks mice c. should haue life eternall and should dwell in Christ and Christ in them c. and to say this is a most great absurdity Therefore it followeth that such eate not the flesh nor drink his bloud Saint Augustine considering this he sayd The other Disciples did eat Panem Dominum the Lord which was bread but Iudas did eat Panem Domini the bread of the Lord as if he had sayd Iudas wanting faith and receiuing the Sacrament vnworthily did not eat the body nor drinke the bloud of Christ which the other Apostles did because they had faith and did eate it worthily but Iudas did only eat drinke the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ Also in the 21. booke de Cinitate Dei cap. 25. he sayth It is not to bee thought that he eateth the body of Christ which is not in the body of Christ nor in whom Christ is not nor hee in Christ Origen vppon those wordes That which entreth in at the mouth defileth not the man c. manifestly sayth that the wicked doe not eate the body of Christ and giueth the reason because the bodie of Christ sayth he is quickening and he which eateth it dwelleth in
possesse them incorporateth them into himselfe and he incorporateth himselfe into them These be they alone which receiue not only the bread wine but also the sacramēt of the body bloud of Christ by the bread by the wine signified receauing the sacramēt of the bodie bloud of Christ they receiue truly really the glorious body bloud of christ yet not carnally but spiritually by faith As before we haue said would our aduersaries admit this so true and cleare doctrine that bringeth with it no absurdities but rather taketh away manie which the word of God doth teach vs and the ancient Doctors doe witnesse they would not beleeue that the mouse the chicken the poore Chough c. doe eate the bodie of Christ but a peece of bread and that but of small substance and so would they not burne nor being burned preserue their ashes I cannot omit here to tell that which on the same day of Corpus Christi did an Inquisitor in Bercelona The tale is this It is 34. or 35. yeares little more or lesse since that being to go in solemne procession which with so great pompe and triumph is vpon this day of Corpus Christi accustomed to be done through out all Spaine and the Priest hauing now sung the high Masse which wontedly is the last vpon that day for all the Priests will that day go in procession it then hapned that the consecrated Host which was to be put in the boxe was so great that it could not be placed in the same This seen the preparation staied and there was none in that famous companie that could tel in such a case what ought to be done But in the end the wisest of the cōpany were of opinion that another Masse should be sayd and an Host consecrated of the like bignes with the boxe but grieuous it was vnto them to waite so long it might be also that no Priest was found which had not already said his Masse and broken his fast the better to be able to go in procession which as that day is very solemne and is farre in going and comming In this famous companie was there an Inquisitor much spoken of called Molon This man impatient to suffer so much delay waite so long a time presuming vpon his Inquisitory authority demanded a paire of sheeres wherewith he clipped the consecrate Host so that he made it fit for the boxe and so the procession went forward It is to bee thought that some did abhorre the rashnesse of the Inquisitor and sighed to see their God and Creator as they call the sacrament so handled by the wicked hands of the Inquisitor Others would say otherwise This is most certain that had any other but the Inquisitor committed such an offence and chiefly had he bene of any race of a new Christian he should not I suppose haue escaped with life one by one al that he had he should haue lost The chastisement wherewith Signor Molon was punished for so enormious a fault was that they depriued him of his inquisitors Office in Barcelona but because so notable an Inquisitor should not be idle they prouided for him the office of the inquisitor at Seuill where hee better might vse his handes in the time of the great persecution which a few yeares before was raised as in the life of Pius the 4. and the 1557. yeare we haue declared This was the great punishment which they gaue to better him withall We will then conclude this Treatise with a notable history reported by Don Rodrigo Archbishop of Toledo who ended his history as himselfe at the end thereof witnesseth in the yeare of the Lord 1243. and in the 26. yeare of king Don Fernando and in the time of the great vacation of Gregorie 9. So that it is now three hundred fifty fiue yeares since he wrote it The said Archbishop in his sixt booke and twentie fiue chapter That the Office which they call Toledano by Isidorus and Leander ordayned was throughout all Spaine celebrated vntill king Don Alonso the sixt which wanne Toledo at the instance of his wife Queene Constance Frenchwoman sent to Rome to Pope Gregory 7. requesting him that the Toledan Office being taken away the Roman Office throughout all Spaine might be vsed c. And in the 26. chap. he saith that Pope Gregory 7. at the petition of king Don Alonso sent one Ricardus Abbot of Saint Victor to set in good order the Churches of Spaine This Legate sent by the Pope as the same Archbishop reporteth did wickedly gouerne so that he was depriued from his office Before he was depriued he much disturbed the state Ecclesiasticall and common wealth of Spaine For the Legate and the King caused them to take the French Office and to leaue the Toledan wherein they and their Ancestors had beene brought vp by the space almost of fiue hundred yeares which was from Saint Gregorie the first in whose time liued Saint Leander and his brother Saint Isidor Archbishops of Seuil vntill this Gregorie the seuenth in whose time reigned Don Alonso the sixt and so vppon a certaine day for his pleasure was this matter very truly debated in the presence of the king the Primate the Legate and the people The Ecclesiasticall state Nobilitie which the Archbishop calleth Militia and people did purposely much withstand it endeuouring what they could that their seruice should not be changed But the king perswaded by his wife a French-woman insisted with threates vnlesse it were chaunged The conclusion was thus Two knights were named to fight the one for the king which should defend the French Office the other for the Nobilitie and Communaltie of Spaine which should maintaine the office of Toledo Hee that tooke part with the king was vanquished the people seeing the knight of the Toledan Office was victor reioyced But so greatly was the king pricked forward by the Queene that hee would not chaunge his purpose ' saying That the single fight or combat of two was not law The knight which sought for the Toledan Office was of the linage of the Matienças whose race as yet liueth And when for this cause arose great tumult for the Nobilitie and people did greatly mutine it was determined that the booke of the Toledan Office and the booke of the French Office should bee cast into a great fire all being first commanded to assemble and pray together Then after they had deuoutly ioyned together and prayed both the one booke and the other were cast into the fire And the booke of the Toledan Office arose vp safe and sound without dammage aboue all the flames of the great fire All which saw those that were present gaue thanks vnto God But the king being of an high stomacke and bold executor of his will neither feared by the miracle nor moued by request perseuered rather in his purpose threatening the losse of goods and life to those that should resist him
to his Apostles The Supper of the reformed Churches In celebrating of the Supper the Minister first breaketh the bread then giueth it to the communicants therefore is our supper the supper of the Lord. The prophane Masse of the Pope The Popish Priest in his Masse obserueth not this order for he first speaketh certaine words ouer the bread and then at his pleasure breaketh it or as they say the accidents of bread by they is transubstātiated into the body of Christ But Iesus Christ first brake the bread and then spake the words therefore the Masse is not the Supper of the Lord. The holy Supper of the Lord. Christ after he had broken the bread said Hoc est corpus meum This is my body The Supper of the reformed Churches The same saith and doth the Minister without ought adding or diminishing therfore is our Supper the Supper of the Lord. The Prophane Masse of the Pope The Popish Priest speaketh the words without breaking of the bread and not content with Christs wordes addeth thereto this word enim saying Hoc est enim corpus meum therefore the Masse is not the Supper of the Lord. The holy Supper of the Lord. Christ sitting at the Table with his Apostles sayd Take and eate The Supper of the reformed Churches The same saith the minister and neuer celebrateth the Supper but the Church doth the like and all ioyntly with him doe communicate and not one swallow vp all therefore is our Supper the Supper of the Lord. The prophane Masse of the Pope The Popish Priest all being on their knees onely sheweth them the bread and wine to be worshipped and giueth nought to the people but like a glutton keepeth all for himselfe and eateth it alone which is not onely contrary to Christes institution but the custome also of ancient Fathers as by the Cannons of Anacletus and Calixtus plainely appeareth Where vnder the paine of excommunication it is ordayned that after the consecration all should communicate The same is ordayned in the Cannons sayd to be the Apostles And in the Councell of Tholouse Whereuppon it plainely followeth that the Masse as now it is said was neuer by Iesus Christ instituted nor by his holy Apostles celebrated which being so all those that now heare it all those I say are by the same Cannons excommunicate Seeing that hearing the Masse they communicate not but the Priest onely taketh it for himselfe and eateth it alone contrarie to rhat which Christ and the ancient Fathers ordayned Therefore the Masse is not the Supper of the Lord. The holy Supper of the Lord. Christ gaue not the bread onely but also the wine saying Drinke ye all of this Matth. chap. 26. 27. And as saith Saint Marke chap. 14. verse 23. And they dranke all thereof The Supper of the reformed Churches The Minister giueth not the bread only but also the wine saying Drinke yee all of this And all drinke thereof as Christ hath commaunded therefore is our supper the supper of the Lord. The prophane Masse of the Pope The Popish Priest onely giueth the consecrated bread and not the wine to the people which is wholly contrarie not to the institution of Christ onely but the custome also of the the ancient Doctors since the Apostles who communicated in both kinds of bread and wine and condemned all such as communicated in one kind only as in the Consecra Dist 2. Cap. Comperimus appeareth where it is sayd that such as receiue not the sacrament in both kinds refuse the one part or the other be sacrilegious infidels Therefore the Masse is not the Supper of the Lord. The holy Supper of the Lord. Christ gaue the bread by it selfe and the wine by it selfe The Supper of the reformed Church The Minister giueth the bread by it selfe and the wine by it selfe beleeuing the bread to be the Sacrament of the body of Christ and the wine to be the sacramēt of his bloud therefore is our Supper the Supper of the Lord. The prophane Masse of the Pope The Popish Priest doth first consecrate as he thinketh the bread and wine and then a good while after breaking it in 3 parts one part whereof he letteth fall into the wine and so mingleth thē together all which he himselfe deuoureth Sauing that once a yeare whē the people communicate then he giueth them the consecrate bread but of the consecrate wine he neuer giueth to the communicants Who thinketh this to agree with the Lords supper Therefore the Masse is not the supper of the Lord. The hoy Supper of the Lord. Christ ordained his holy supper in memoriall of his death passion and that he had once offered vp his body and bloud vpon the crosse for vs. The Supper of the reformed Churches The Supper which we celebrate is in memorial of the death and passion of Christ and that he hath once offered his bodie and bloud for vs vpon the crosse therefore is our supper the supper of the Lord. The prophane Masse of the Pope The popish Priest saith his Masse in memoriall of the Saints both he and she And those oftentimes do they hold for Saints whose soules are burning in heil Hee sayth his Masse also to find things which be lost and that for money The Priest vseth the Masse for a plaister or drugge against all infirmities And which is more hee sacrificeth saith he Iesus Christ in his Masse and presenteth him to God his father for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead Which Christ did once vpon the crosse and none but he onely could euer doe the same Because as Saith the Apostle Heb. 7. chap. vers 26. it behoued that the Priest which purged sinnes should be holy innocent pure separate from sinners and made higher then the heauens which needed not euery day to offer sacrifice first for his owne sinnes and then for the sinnes of the people This Christ once perfourmed offering vp himselfe for the sinnes of all men Examine the liues of the popish priests and how farre off they are from that puritie which it behoueth the Priest to haue that offered the expiatorie sacrifice will appeare Therefore the Masse is not the Supper of the Lord. Many other things there be wherein the holy Supper the Masse do differ are contrary as in so many mouings iestures childish fopperies maskings apish toyes done in the Masse which Chhrist neuer did nor once thought of The Lord in celebrating his supper neuer commanded men to make Saints their intercessors nor to call vpon them nor to kisse nor worship images nor to pray for the soules of the dead in purgatory nor not taking nor eating the sacrament beleeuing it to bee God to worship it nor to keepe it in the boxe nor carry it in procession to walke in the streets couered with boughes the walles hanged with fine Tapisterie of silke gold and cloth of gold with castles and much iollitie c. Who commanded thē to do these things Not Christ
Antichrist so proued by his abominable life and doctrine by the testimonie of Gods sacred word and vnrefutable arguments drawne from the same If thou wouldest know and be assured likewise that the Masse is a diuelish prophanation of the holy Supper of the Lord a most blasphemous idolatrous and false sacrifice derogating from the most precious bloud death passion of Iesus Christ If thou wouldest know by the same Spirit be assured that the same Iesus Christ true God true man is the only Lord Sauiour and redeemer of the world the onlie aduocate Intercessor Mediator betweene God and man the only alone king Prophet and true high Priest which entred into the holy place once for all and found eternall redemption If thou wouldest know that his body and bloud once offred vpō the altar of the crosse is the only alone true sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauor in the nosethrils of God his Father for the remission of sins whereby onlie Gods wrath is appeased we obtaine pardon peace reconciliation with God grace fauor and euerlasting life If thou wouldest know and be likewise assured that this most holy sacrifice of Christ one only time offered is all sufficient for the sins of all men that no place remaineth for any other reiteration of the same sacrifice If thou wouldest know the true meaning vse practise of the holy Supper of the Lord Iesus the benfit thereof to the Faithfull If thou wouldest certainlie know and be fully assured by the same Spirit of Grace which is the ancient doctrin of God leading to all blisse and true blessednesse confirmed with his sacred word contained in the bookes of the old new Testament and penned by the finger of the holy Ghost and which is the new doctrine of men pointing the pathway to hell death destruction confirmed with vaine apparitions dreames false miracles and illusions of the diuell Come and see except the god of this world hath blinded thy mind that the light of Christes glorious Gospell should not shine vnto thee except thou list to grope at noone day and wilfully say I will not see except thou hast shaken hands with death and made a couenant with hell except God for thy wilfull obstinacie hath giuen thee ouer vnto a reprobate sence to oppose thy selfe against him his knowne truth In reading this booke without partiall preiudication thou canst not but see exactly perceiue and tast to thine vnspeakeable comfort how sweet are the mercies of the Lord in reuealing to thee dust and ashes the mysterie both of the one and the other which the wise of this world neither haue vnderstood nor can comprehend but is reuealed vnto babes his Saints to whom he would make knowne the riches of his glorie to confound and make foolishnes the vvisdom of the wise Which if thou shalt find as if in singlenesse of heart thou seeke thou canst not but find Then praise Iehouah the author of all goodnesse be thankefull to this Author the meanes of thy good and take in worth my simple trauell an inferiour furtherance thereunto who hartily wish thee no lesse comfort and ioy in reading then my miserable selfe receiued in translating of this booke And because it seemeth a thing difficult to translate the Prouerbs wherein not the letter but the sence is to be followed that course haue I obserued set downe withall the proper phrase of the Spanish and Portugal tongues both in them and some other hard doubtfull words that thou gentle Reader indued with better gifts maist iudge and curteously amend by thy knowledge what my vnskilfulnesse hath missed hoping that my desire herein to do well may excuse in thy Chistian conceit whatsoeuer is if any thing misdone And so I leaue thee to him that is able to keepe thee Thine in the Lord I. G. THE EPISTLE TO THE CHRIstian Reader HAd it not bene for the great necessity which our country of Spaine hath to know the liues of the Popes that knowing them it may beware them and nought esteeme their authority which against all right diuine and humane they haue vsurped ouer the consciences which Iesus Christ our redeemer with his death passion hath freed I should neuer Christian Reader haue entred a labyrinth so confused and rugged as is to write the liues of Popes For thou must know that the Romists themselues concord not nor agree in the number of the Popes Some set downe more and others lesse And hence it commeth that so little they agree touching the time that they poped Let it be lawfull for me as of a king he is sayd to raigne to say of a Pope to Pope Some of these selfe same also that all confesse to haue bene Popes of some of them say great Laudes and praises extolling them to the heauens Of these selfe same say others filthie things casting them downe to hell An example of the first S. Gregory As saith Friar Iohn de Pineda 3. part cap. 8. ¶ 1. of his Ecclesiasticall Monarchie was the 66. Pope c. And not the 63. As saith Mathew Palmer Nor the 64. As saith Panuinus Nor the 65. As saith Marianus nor lesse 62. As saith S. Antoninus This farre Pineda Gelasius 1. after Platina is the 51. Pope After Panuinus the 50. And after George Cassander and Carança the 49. Also Paule the second after Platina is the 220. Carança counteth him for the 219. Pero Mexia for 218. and Panuinus For 215. fiue lesse then Platina According to this account Sistus 5. which in the yeare 1588. tyrannizeth in the Church should be after Platina the 236. Pope after Carança 235. After Per◠Mexia 234. and after Panuinus 231. Most Popish authors be all these Some Spaniards and others Italians And had we alleaged more authors more disagreement and contrariety should we haue found Of this diuersitie springeth the disorder which is in the time that some Popes Poped For they which reckon least Popes put the yeares which they take from 4 or 5 Popes whom they reckon not to other Popes Carança in his Summa conciliorum speaking of Boniface 3. this was the first Pope as in his life shal be shewed saith these words There is diuersitie among writers how long time Boniface 3. was Pope For of Platina is it gathered that he was nine monthes Others say 8 monethes and a halfe others a yeare and 25 dayes Others a yeare 5 monthes 28 daies Others say that he died hauing bene Pope 8 moneths and 22 dayes This farre Carança The same might we say of many other Popes For example of the second will we put Liberius and Formosus besides many others that we might set downe Liberius and Formosus some of the papists themselues do cannonize and others doe curse them Platina saith that Liberius was an Arian Panuinus saith that he was holy Read his life which of diuerse authors we haue gathered As touching Formosus Stephen 6 or 7. condemned him So
wit If the head of an horse be put to a humane body A distinction truly very rediculous Conclude we this matter with that which was ordeyned in the Councell of Eliberis in Spaine holden about the yeare of the Lord. 335. whose 36. Cannō was as Carranza noteth in his Summa Conciliariorum Placuit picturas in Ecclesia esse non debere ne quod colitur aut odoratur in parietibus depingatur It pleaseth vs that pictures ought not to be in the Church lest that be worshipped or adored which is painted on the walles Eliberis where was celebrated this ancient Councell was a Cittie neare vnto that place where is now Granada Eliberis was destroyed and of the ruines thereof was Granada builded or augmented And there is one gate in Granada euen to this day called the gate Deluira corrupting the worde in steed of Elibera The gate is so called because men goe that way to Elibera Had this Cannon made in our countrie of Spaine 1263. yeares past bene obserued in Spaine there had not bene such Idolatrie in Spaine as now there is Vp Lord regard thine owne honour Conuert or confound not being of thine elect all such as worship Pesel grauen or carued Images or Temuna picttures or patternes All that whatsoeuer we haue sayd against Images is meant of those that are made for religion seruice worship and to honour serue and adore them Such Images are forbidden by the law of God And so the Arte of caruing grauing painting and patterne making not done to this end is not forbidden but lawfull The superstition and Idolatrie taken away the Arte is good If there be any people or nation that haue and doe commit inward and outwarde Idolatrie it is the Popish Church For what else see we in their Temples houses streetes and crosse-streetes but Idolles and Images made and worshipped against the expresse commaundement of God Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image No nation hath bene so barbarous to thinke that which they outwardly beheld with their eyes to be God They supposed as before we haue said their Iupiter Iuno Mars Venus to be in Heauen whom they worshipped in the Images that did represent them Many of the Moores Turkes and Iewes would conuert vnto Christ were it not for the offence and scandall of Images in the Churches Therefore said Paulus Pricius a most learned Hebrew which became in a Christian Paue that it was very meet Images should be taken out of the Temple for they were the cause that many Iewes became not Christians The Popish Church doth not onely commit the Idolatrie of the Gentiles but farre exceed them also One Idolatrie it committeth which neuer Pagan nor Gentile euer committed It beleeueth the bread and wine in the Masse called a sacrifice celebrated by her Pope or a Priest made by the authoritie of the Pope to be no representation nor commemoration of the Lordes death but his very body and bloud the same Iesus Christ as bigge and great as he was vpon the crosse And so as very God doth worship it We will then in this first Treatise proue by the Lords assistance whose cause we now maintaine the Pope to be a false Priest and very Antichrist that such Idolatrie and other much more he hath inuented in the Church In the second Treatise we will also proue by the same assistance the Masse to be a false Sacrifice and great Idolatrie And because our chiefe purpose is not so much to beat downe falshood as to aduance the truth after we haue shewed the Pope to be a false Priest And the Masse a false Sacrifice we will shew also which is the argument of the Apostle in the Epistle written to the Hebrewes Iesus Christ to be the true and onely Priest and his most holy body and bloud which he offered vnto his father vpon the Crosse to be the true and only sacrifice where with the eternall father is well pleased and receiueth vs into his fauour and friendship iustifying vs by faith and giuing vs his holy spirit of Adoption whereby we crie Abba father and liue in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life And so be glorified of him to reigne ' with him for euer Many will wonder that we with so great constancie or as they call it sawsinesse reiect condemne and abhore the Pope and his Masse And therefore doe slaunder and defame vs not among the common people onely but amongest the Nobles also and great Lordes Kinges and Monarches that we are fantasticke heady arrogant sedicious rebellious partiall and many other false reportes they raise against vs wherewith they fill and breake the eares of the ignorant and of all those that take pleasure to heare them To shew them then that it is no foolish opinion nor fantasie which doth lead vs neither any ambition vaine glory nor other passion that doth alter moue or transport our minds but a good zeale rather of the glory of God and feruent desire of the health of our owne soules A reason will we giue in this first Treatise vnto all that desire to heare vnderstand it of that which we beleeue hold concerning the Pope and his authoritie And chiefely if we be asked because as saith Saint Peter we ought to be ready with meekenesse and reuerence to make answere to euery one that demaundeth a reason of the hope which we hold The reason then which we giue for reiecting condemning and abhorring the Pope and flying from him as from the pestilence is his euill life and wicked doctrine Note also what the Doctors and ancient Councels the holy Scriptures in three wonderfull places chiefly for that purpose say concerning him In the second Treatise we will declare what wee thinke of the Masse and the holinesse thereof The Pope and Masse two pillers of the Popish church be very ancient For it is now a thousād yeares past since they first began to be buylded Their beginnings were very small but they dayly increased adorning and decking themselues vntill they attayned to the estate wherein we now see them For aswell the Pope as the Masse is holden and called God Without are they made very beautifull couered ouer with silke gold siluer cloth of gold rich stones but within is superstition hypocrisie and Idolatrie I haue often pondred with my selfe whether of these two pillers the Pope or the Masse were strongest and more esteemed The vertues excellencie holinesse and diuinitie which they say is in the Masse who can declare How profitable it is for al things liuing and not liuing quick dead By cōsideratiō hereof the Masse I supposed was chiefest and therefore ought to begin with it But the Pope vpon better aduisement mee seemed notwithstanding to be the chiefest piller The reasons mouing me so to beleeue are these that the cause in dignitie is before the effect the creator before the creature the maister before the seruant the Priest before the
rents and not giuing to the Pope but only fiue shillings a day Thus did Hildebrand enrich himselfe greatly Alexander by Hildebrand so tyranically handled in the 1074. yeare dyed and of poyson as it is presumed which Hildebrande gaue him Don Sancho 2. reigned in Castile Alexander being dead Hildebrand fearing that if he foreslowed it another would be chosen ayded by his souldiers without consent either of the Clergie or people enthronized himselfe To his election none of the Cardinals subscribed And as the Abbot of Cassina was comming to this election already made Hildebrand said vnto him Thou hast much slacked brother To whom the Abbot answered and thou Hildebrand hast too much hastened which before the Pope thy Lord was buried hast cōtrary to the commons vsurped the seat Apostolicke Hildebrand thus enthronized how he liued how he cast from him the Cardinals which ought to haue bene witnesses of his life and doctrine how miserably he tormented the world with how many heresies he corrupted it how many were his periuries what great treasons he practised hardly could many describe The blood of Christians which hath miserably beneshed whereof he was the author and procurer cryeth vnto the Lord. This tyrannicall history reciteth Cardinall Bennon Hildebrand being Pope called himselfe Gregory 7. In briefe he was a notable villaine and terrible inchanter which art he learned of Lawrence who was disciple of Siluester 2. Betweene the Cardinals Lawrence Theophilact Iohn Gracian Hildebrand was a most staight league of familiaritie Of this Pope Cardinall Bennon reciteth a notable historie The Emperour saith Bennon did vsually repayre to S. Maries church which is in mount Auentino to pray and as Hildebrand by his espials diligently enquired of all that Henry the Emperour did he caused the place where the Emperour prayed to be marked and perswaded a certaine man with great promise of reward to place secretly certaine great stones ouer the beames of the Temple so that they might fall from an high vpon the head of the Emperour praying and bruse him to peeces which thing as this minister of so notable a villanie hastened to effect would haue placed ouer the beames a stone of great poise the stone with it waight fel backward vpon him and breaking a table that was amongst the beames the stone and the miserable man by Gods iust iudgement fell from an high to the floore of the Church so was he crushed in peeces Thus farre Cardinall Bennon This Hildebrand demanding answere of the Sacrament against the Emperor and it not answering he cast the sacrament into the fire albeit the Cardinals present did gainesay him He left not for all this to persecute the Emperour he excommunicated him depriued him and named another Emperour to whom he wrote this verse Petra dedit Petro Petrus diadema Rodulpho The Rocke gaue to Peter Peter giueth the crowne to Rodulph This Rodulph was Duke of Sueuia Henrie here with disquieted left his Imperiall ornaments and with his wife and little sonne in the middle of winter came to Canusium where the pope remained The Emperour clothed in linnen and bare-footed made a spectacle as saieth Cardinall Bennon to Angels and men came to the gates of Canusium There continued he fasting from morning to night humbly crauing mercie The beast must be cut off his horne hath very much increased Somewhat long is the historie but we will make it short Thus abode there the Emperour for three dayes space and when he instantly craued license to enter The Bishop he was answered as yet was busied and could not speake with him In the ende the fourth day at request of the Countesse Mathilda who sayth the historie much loued the Pope and others the Pope commanded he should enter Forasmuch as this Maud is one of the chiefe benefactors of the Popes I will heere declare that which saieth Pineda lib. 16. cap. 26. ¶ 4. There was sayth he in Italie one Beatriee sister of the Emperour Henry the second and wife of Boniface Lord of Luna of whom was borne the famous Maude wife of the Counte Gofredo which inherited her fathers possessions and Gofredo gouerned the landes of Luca Parma Regio Mantua and others of Italy which came by the Testament of Maud to the power of the Popes and called them S. Peters patrimonie When the Emperour was entered he demaunded pardon and gaue him his crowne but the Pope would not pardon nor absolue him of the excommunication vntill he promised to purge himselfe in the Councell with other vnlawful cōditions as the Pope should command All which the Emperor promised yet for al this was he not restored to his Empire After saith the history that Henry vanquished Rodulph and that Rodulph was dead the Pope made Emperor Herman County of Lucēburg whō a womā slew with a stone And yet for all this this cruell Pope did not cease but a third Emperour named against this good Henry who being newly named by the hand also of the Emperials as miserably ended By how much the more adulterous and filthy was this pope by so much the more pure mariage hee forbade to his Clergie Fryar Iohn de Pineda part 3. lib. 16. cap. 29. ¶ 5. of him saith He depriued married Priestes from the diuine office and forbade lay men to heare Masses of such and publique wenchers and they mortally sinne that of such heare Masses although they remaine without Masse hearing vppon Easter day except the Councell of Constance doe free them c. And a little lower This euill happened that lay men contemned the most holy Sacrament of the bodie of our Redeemer consecrated by Priests openly married or concubine keepers and turned the blood of Christ as if it were no Sacrament but let this be holden for an vndoubted trueth that the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Eucharist loose nothing of their vertues by the wickednesse of the Ministers which that crue beleeued they did Thus farre Pineda All Germanie as saieth Carion lib. 5. withstoode this wicked forbidding of matrimonie the which when Maguntino propounded it those that were present were so greatly prouoked that they almost killed Maguntino To this purpose reade aboue the liues of Siricius and Gregorie 1. Pope Liberius an Arrian he canonized and commanded as sayth Cardinall Bennon that his feast should be celebrated Behold if the Pope erred one heretique did canonize another Pope Damasus which liued in the 366. yere for an Arrian condemned this Liberius And S. Ierome who at the same time liued held him for an Arian but Gregorie 7. did sanctifie and canonize him Pope Vrban 2. who in the 1088. yere liued confirmed all that which Gregorie the seuenth had done this Gregory condemned the doctrine of Beringarius touching the Sacrament This Pope was the first as is said that put in practise Transubstantiation Gregorie in the end wickedly ended for the Emperour celebrated the Councell of Brixa wherein Pope
king of kings and vnder the name of Pastor he sheweth himselfe a rauening Wolfe and vnder pretence to be S. Peters successor he declareth himselfe the follower of Iudas For as Iudas with a kisse fayned friendship betrayed his Lord so with fayned holinesse and outward ceremonies doth the Pope draw the common people into the chaines and snares of ignorance and superstitions The said title therefore which Christ gaue vnto Iudas Ioh. 17. 12. the Apostle giueth to Antichrist 2. Thess 2. 4. A contemner of mariage when he esteemes it a carnall estate and therefore with such seuerity forbiddeth it to his Clergie that although fornicators and adulterers can easily purchase absolution of their sinnes no pardon remaineth for the Clergie that mary according to the ordinance of God but the same is reputed and punished by the Pope for an vnpardonable sinne Albeit the holy scripture teacheth 1. Cor. 7. 9. That it is better to marry then to burne And Hebr. 13. 4. Marriage is honorable among all men Also 1. Timoth. 3. 2. Euery Bishop must be the husband of one wife Insatiable is the couetousnesse of the Pope and extendeth into all parts For money he pardoneth sinnes selleth ecclesiasticall functions maketh marchandize of his Bulles indulgences Iubilies Reliques Masses praiers and sacraments and compelleth the miserable people to buy his marchandize not on such dayes onely as other marchants vse to traffique but also and principally on the feast dayes the Lords dayes and Sabboths when other men rest And raketh together euery day in the yeare and of all sortes of people euen of the Iewes and Curtesans of Rome A tyrant he is and persecutor of Saints being the cause of the sheding of so much Christiā blood inciting kings princes to persecute such as contradict him and abandon his Idolatries and superstitions to serue God according to his will and word whom the Pope condemneth for heretiques to be burned and least they should speake putteth a gagge in their mouthes And to fill vp the measure of his crueltie he spareth not Emperours nor kings being the Lords Annointed when they refuse to execute his tyrannies as histories plainely witnesse A deceauer he is sundry waies because he deceaueth the common people with false doctrine and vaine promises with high titles and fayned holinesse with bulles Pardons false miracles and illusions of the diuell c. He is full of impietie because he pleaseth and delighteth himselfe not only in sinne but causeth others also to sinne because he hath depraued the worship of God with idolatrie the authoritie of kings with tyrany The common faith with deceit and the life of his Clergie with shame and filthinesse occasioned by constrayned single life To conclud in the kingdome of the Pope is the fountaine and spring af all abhominations and slaunder according to the old prouerbe The neerer to Rome the worse Christian So the neerer to Antichrist the further from Christ By these demonstrations it appeareth plainely that the Pope is Antichrist whom the Holy scripture hath foretold and by whom the Church of Christ hath so much suffered The second Treatise of the Masse and the holinesse thereof WE haue passed by the Lords assistance the Laborinthe not of Creete but of Rome of the Pope and his Roman Court another much worse and for more intricate troublesōe The Pope haue we proued to be a false Preist and very Antichrist to be the man of sin sonne of perdition to be that whereof whom speaketh S. Iohn in his Reuelation This haue we proued by his euil life wicked Doctrine by the sayings of Doctors and ancient Councels and by three notable passages of holy scripture Now will we shew the Masse which is the second pillar that supporteth and vpholdeth the Roman Church to be a false sacrifice an inuention of the diuell and a profanation of the holy supper which Iesus Christ our redeemer instituted And if such bee the Masse as we will proue it to bee it followeth that wee ought to flie and detest it and so doe we flie and abhorre it as a thing condemned and abhominable before the face of God This done wee will shewe by the Lordes assistance without which we can doe no thing that good is Iesus Christ to be the true and onely priest and chiefe bishop And his propper body blood which he offered vpon the crosse to his father to be the true only sacrifice the memory wherof we shew forth so oftē as we celebrate his holy supper A table wil we place at the end of this Treatise wherein we will shew the conformity vnion and likenesse which the holy supper instituted by Iesus Christ holdeth with the holy supper in the reformed Churches celebrated And thē also wil we shew the differēce disconformity contrariety that the Masse which our aduersaries celebrate holdeth with the holy supper of Christ which is the same we now celebrate As the name of Pope is not found in the holy scripture as little also is there found the name of Masse And doubtlesse had it bene so necessarie for a Christian to beleeue the authoritie of the Pope and holinesse of the Masse without which faith say they it is vnpossible for a man to bee saued It is I say to bee beleeued that Iesus Christ or his Apostles would haue made some mention thereof For all whatsoeuer is necessary for our saluation doth Christ and his Apostles teach vs. Saint Paule speaking to the Ephesians saith Ye knowe that I keepe backe nothing that was profitable but haue shewed you and haue taught you openly and throughout euery house Witnessing both to the Iewes and Grecians the repentance and faith in our Lord Iesus Christ But this holy Apostle so diligent in teaching that which we ought to beleeue maketh no mention of the Pope nor of the Masse Hereuppon it followeth that to beleeue the authoritie of the Pope or holinesse of the Masse is no Article of faith But true it is will they saie vnto me that this word Masse is not found in the scripture but its equiualent is found the supper of the Lord And if we ought to admit the Lords supper thē must we admit this name Missa Whereunto we aunswere that most great Iniurie and wrong doe they to the holie supper which the Lord instituted in saying it to be the same that is their Masse which they haue imagined and forged For how great difference there is betweene Truth and Falshood Light and darkenesse God and Belial So great is the difference betweene the holy supper and the profane Masse Had the question bene concerning the name whether the holy supper were to be called Missa or no. It should not be of great importance Agree wee in the substance of the things and call it as ye list Albeit it bee il done when the holy spirit calleth a thing by such or such name that man dare call it by another name The Apostle calles it
the supper of the Lord and not the Masse Call wee it then the supper of the Lord and not the Masse And chiefly the difference betweene the supper and the Masse beeing so great as wee shal see Concerning the name of Masse yet is it not concluded among the Romists themselues whence it is deriued Some say that it is deryued of this hebrew word Mas which signifieth trybute or taxe others sayd that it is Latine and that Missa is the same that Missio is as Remissa which word some of the ancients and chiefly Saint Ciprian vsed is the same that Remission is and others sayd other thinges The Masse as our aduersaries define it is a sacrifice whereby pardon is obtained for the sinnes of the quick and dead The Romists doe magnifie their Masse and that as they say for diuers reasons Eight of the chieffest whereof I will here set downe The first for that it is a sacryfice expiatorie The second in regard of him who instituted the same which as they say was Iesus Christ The third in regard of them that say it which were as they say Saint Peter Saint Iohn who was chaplaine say they of the virgine Mary Saint Iames and the other Apostles The fourth for the antiquitie of the Masse seeing all the Church from the death of Christ vntill now hath celebrated it with great reuerence God would neuer permit say they that his Church should so long time be deceiued The fift with many myracles which the Masse and their consecrate host haue done they confirme it which shew the holinesse and diuinitie that remayneth in the Masse The sixt they maintaine it saying that in the Masse are many good thinges taken out of holie scripture as the Epistle the Gospell the Hoc est corpus meum the Pater noster c. The seauenth that this sacrifice of the Masse say they was figured in Melchisedech who being a priest of the most high God offered bread and wine vnto him Malachie they say spake of the Masse when he said For from the rising of ths sunne vnto the going downe of the same my name is great among the Gentiles and in euery place Incense shal be offered vnto my name and a pure offring 8. For the great profit which thereby we receaue doe they esteeme it Of all this they conclude that the masse is holy good blessed and diuine And that we for so shamelesly speaking against a thing so excellent which Iesus Christ ordayned his Apostles celebrated and all the Church Catholique worshippeth and honoreth are heretiques dogges c. In conclusion their Masse is their Helen for whom they trouble the whole world These be the principall reasons wherewith our aduersaries doe maintaine their Masse Whereunto inuocating the name of the Lord whose cause we deale in and here mainetaine in like order as we haue proposed them will we answere I beseech thee Christian reader for the zeale thou holdest of the glory of God the desire thou hast of the saluatiō of thine own soule attentiuely to read with ripe Iudgment to waigh the foresaid reasons and the answers which we will giue and that moreouer which wee shall say to this purpose See which of these two Doctrines doe agree and are more conformable with the squier and rule of holy scripture and that beleeue Bee not a beast vnderstanding and his law hath God giuen thee Consider well if thou be an idolater or no that nought therein befall thee but the saluation of thy soule Concerning the first where the Masse they say is a sacrifice to obtaine remision of sinnes c. I say by their leaue that the Masse is no sacrifice For were it a sacrifice it should not speaking properly be a sacrament And they affirme the Masse to be both a sacrifice and a Sacrament which cannot be For so great is the difference betweene a sacrifice and a sacrament as there is difference betweene giuing and taking The sacrifice is offered and presented vnto God The sacrament is taken and receiued of the hand of the Lord by the ministerie of the minister of his word The holie supper speaking properly is no expiatorie sacrifice for of this doe wee now speake but a sacrament of the precious bodie and blood of Iesus Christ our redeemer But improperly speaking it may bee called a sacrifice because a memoriall it is of that euerlasting and onely sacrifice which Iesus christ offered to his father vppon the alter of the Crosse And so vnderstand it the fathers when they call it a sacrifice Not that the supper is a sacrifice but a memorial of the sacrifice doe they vnderstand according to that which Christ speaketh of his supper saying Doe this in remembrance of me And Saint Paul to the same purpose saith Ye shall shew the Lords death till his comming againe And if the supper be no sacrifice much lesse shall the Masse be which they celebrate in the place of the supper Besides this were the Masse a sacrifice It should be either propitiatory which we also call expiatory or Eucharisticall to wit either offered for remission of sinnes or in thanksgiuing They will say vnto me as in the definition thereof they said that it is a sacrifice expiatory I say vnto them it cannot so be for no other expiatory sacrifice is there but only the death and passion of Iesus Christ An expiatorie sacrifice is that which is made to appease the wrath of God and to satisfie his iustice and in so doing doth purge and clense sinnes that the sinner beeing clensed from his filthinesse and sinnes and restored to the purity of righteounesse may be reduced into the fauour of God All this wholy and perfectly did the Lord by his death vppon the Crosse and hee onely and no other did sacrifice such kind of sacrifice For the vertue and efficacy hereof which Christ alone one only time offered is eternall And so said he in offering this sacrifice all is finished all is fullfilled asmuch to say That whatsoeuer was necessarie to reconcile vs with the father to obtaine remission of sinnes righteousnesse and saluation all this was ended and fulfilled with that onely sacrifice which Iesus Christ offered And so faulted hee nothing that no place might afterwardes remaine for any other sacrifice Hereuppon will we then conclude that it is an intollerable disgrace and monstrous blasphemy against Iesus Christ and against his sacrifice if any offer any other sacrifice besides that already offered or shall reitterate that which Christ before offered supposing by such sacrifice to obtayne forgiuenesse of sinnes reconciliation with God and righteousnesse And what other thing is done in the Masse but that wee by the merit of a new sacrifice may bee made partakers of the death and passion of Christ Who so will well vnderstand this which wee saie concerning the onely expiatory sacrifice one onely time offered and neuer more iterated Let him read the
for otherwise one may and ought to pray to God for another And so S. Paul recommendeth himselfe to the prayers of those to whom hee wrote that they should pray to God for him And the same Apostle besought God for them Should the Priest say that in saying his Masse he so prayed to God as the Apostle prayed for them to whom he wrote such a prayer were it done in faith should be good But to presume to be an intercessour and to sell his sacrifice for as much vertue and efficacie as the death and passion of Christ it selfe This is intollerable ouermuch pride Let them begin to hūble thēselues to giue glory to God who only pardoneth sins this doth he by the only intercession of Christ by the vertue of that only sacrifice which he once no more offred to his father The fourth domage which we say the Masse worketh and this passeth and ought no way to be supportted That is the Priest which sayeth it and the People that heare it commit Idolatry How great a sinne is Idolatry and how much more God abhorreth it then any other we haue already declared in our first Treatise The Priest ordayned for the Masse say our Aduersaries hath authoritie and power from Christ and his vicar the Pope that in saying the words of consecration as they call them Hoc est enim corpus meum so that hee say them super debitam materiam ouer a competent matter and with intention to consecrate he changeth conuerteth transformeth and transubstantiateth this last word is it that best pleaseth them the bread into the body of Christ and the wine into his bloud In such sort that be the Priest what ye will liue hee a letcher in mortall sinne as the most part of them do be he the greatest and most infamous villaine of the world yet for al this say they that this authoritie he hath to bring Christ from heauen in finishing the words Hoc est corpus meum and to put him into the place where the bread and wine were so that no more bread nor no more wine remaine for the substance of the bread and of the wine is vanished and gone to nought but the body and bloud of Christ the which is there trulie really corporally and carnally these be their proper termes as bigge and as great as corpulent and as large as hee was vpon the crosse when hee dyed for vs sinners This is their doctrine And because we beleeue not these straunge things which be contrarie to the word of God and contrarie to that which the ancient Doctors haue taught as we will prooue it they condemne vs for heretikes they persecute vs most cruelly with fire and bloud worse then were wee Iewes or Turkes But another more strong then they to their griefe hath defended doth defend and will defend vs from them Who listeth to know more of the roote of this doctrine let him reade their new Councels wherein the Popes by their Legats tyrannically haue gouerned Let him reade their Decrees Decretals Sextos Clementines and Extrauagants there shall hee find it at fall Let him not reade the Scripture for in it shall hee finde nothing at all to confirme such wonders Scotus one of the chiefe and principall pillers of their Church sayth That albeyt the priest were not attyred to celebrate nor in the state of grace nor ouer any Altar but should saye the fiue wordes or the foure leauing out Enim ouer all the bread that is in the market or in the Pantry and ouer all the wyne that is in the Sellar how much bread so euer should be in the pantrie or in the market so that he had intention to consecrate should be in that very moment conuerted transubstantiated into the body of Iesus Christ and all the wine of the sellar by the vertue of the wordes spoken and pronounced by the Priest should be conuerted into the bloud of Christ Herehence it commeth that no bread but the body of Christ remayning in the sacrament in their Sagrarios or pixes do they keepe it that when anie shall be sicke they may with torch-light carie it in procession that the diseased may adore and receiue it for the saluation of his soule Iesus Christ say they is in sort as we haue said not onely in one Masse but in an hundred thousand more also if so many could bee said in one moment And whole Christ is not in all the Host only but also in euery small parcell how little soeuer it be so that Christ is in the host as the soule is in the body all in all and all in euery part thereof This their doctrine of Transubstantiation they confirme first with the omnipotencie of God that seeing God of nothing could create something the heauen and the earth and whatsoeuer is therein contained how much more can he cause one thing to be conuerted and transubstantiated into another 2. They say that seeing Iesus Christ is the infallible truth it is meete that that which he saith must be in sort as hee spake it and sith he saith Hoc est corpus meum This is my body they now inferre that the bread is no bread but the body of Christ 3. For confirmation of their opinion they also alleage the sayings of Doctors In answering to these three reasons wherewith they confirme their Transubstantiation me seemeth wee shall haue answered to all whatsoeuer in this matter they can obiect vnto vs. That which they say of the omnipotency of God God forbid that we should once denie we confesse it and it may be and also without may be much better then they With all our heart we do also confesse that which the Creed saith I beleeue in God the Father almightie all sufficient that which we say is that from the power to the deede is no good maner of argument God in that he is omnipotent may eftsoones drowne the world as he did drowne it in the time of Noah and the malice of our times is no lesse but much more then that of that time Notwithstanding his omnipotencie and notwithstanding our extreme malice we know that he will not drown it because so promised he to Noah when he sayd My couenant will I establish witb you that from henceforth all flesh shal not be rooted out by the waters of the floud c. And to seale and confirme this promise God gaue him the Bow in the cloudes for a signe of this couenant c. Reade the historie To this same purpose is it sayd in the Psalm 140. 9. that God set a bound for the waters ouer which they shal not passe nor turne againe to couer the earth And God speaking to Iob concerning the sea chap. 38. 10. saith I established my commaundement vpon it and set barres and doores and said Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and there shall it stay thy proud waues Here you see that
albeit God of his absolute power can drowne the whole world againe yet will hee not drowne it So then say we now that Christ could doe that which they say annihilate the substance of the bread and be transubstantiated into it But we say that he will not do it because he will remaine sitting at the right hand of his father in heauen and according to his humanitie according to his flesh which he tooke of the Virgin Mary according to the flesh wherein he dyed wiil he neuer descend hither vntill he come to iudge the quick and the dead And so to this end sayd he to his disciples The poore ye shall haue alwayes with you but me shall ye not haue alwayes For fortie dayes passed after his resurrection hee ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hand of the Father c. Very well did his Apostle S. Peter vnderstand this when in a sermon which he preached at Ierusalem hee sayd Whom meaning Christ the heauens must containe vntill the time that all things bee restored And this is an Article of our faith which in the Creed we confesse That Iesus Christ is ascended into heauen and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father from whence shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead Then will he not come to transubstantiate the bread into his body So our aduersaries be heretikes denying in deed this article of faith which with their mouth they confesse in the Creed Hereuppon let vs nowe conclude that Christ can but hee will not transubstantiate himselfe into the bread but will sit at the right hand of the Father vntill he come to iudge c. As the holy Scripture doth witnesse it and in the Creed wee confesse it The second reason wherewith they confirme their Transubstantiation is That Iesus Christ is infallible truth and therefore of necessitie that which hee sayth must bee as hee saith it He saith This is my body Then it followeth that that is his bodie and if it be the body of Christ it is not Bread With Esayas chap. 53. verse 9. and Saint Peter chap. 2. vers 22. confesse we that Iesus Christ neuer sinned we also confesse that vntruth nor deceit was euer found in his mouth For he is that which of himselfe he saith Ioh. chap. 14. verse 6. The way the trueth and the life Wee also confesse that with his owne mouth he hath sayd This is my body and so beleeue we that it is For should wee denie that which our King Prophet and Priest affirmeth we should not be Christians Thus farre agree we with our aduersaries The difference that is betweene them and vs is as touching the maner How or in what manner that which Iesus Christ by the meane of his minister in the holy Supper doth giue vs is truely and really the body and bloud of Iesus Christ For the better vnderstanding hereof it shall bee needfull to vse the distinction which the Lord vseth in the sixth chapter of the Gospell of Saint Iohn That there bee two maners of eating the bodie of Christ the one carnall the other spirituall Commonly when the Scripture opposeth the flesh to the Spirit by the flesh it vnderstandeth the parte of man that is not regenerate nor subiect to the lawe of God So call wee men without the knowledge of God carnall naturall and sensuall men But it is not heere so to bee taken By the flesh is vnderstood the same flesh of Christ it selfe ioyntly with his blood bones and sinewes and which Iesus Christ took when he was borne and liued in this world when he dyed and rose againe c. The second maner of eating which is called spirituall is when the faithfull Christian his bodie being here below is lifted vp so high in spirit that with the wings of faith it flyeth and with one flight doth pierce all the heauens and stayeth not vntill it come before the throne of the maiestie of God the father at whose right hand he findeth sitting his redeemer and satisfier Christ And finding him with great ioy doth feede vpon him eateth his glorious bodie and drinketh his most precious bloud And if the faithfull Christian doth freely eate him much more freely doth the Lord giue himselfe to sustaine the soules which he with the death of his body with the shedding of his bloud redeemed He that with his body and bloud did redeeme them with his body and with his bloud wil he maintain them yet not carnally but spiritually by faith as before we haue sayd Our aduersaries beleeue the body of Christ in the first manner to be in their Masse They beleeue that the mouth taketh the teeth chawe the throate swalloweth and the stomacke receiueth the same carnall bodie which was borne which dyed which rose againe c. They wil vnderstand the words of Christ literally be it as it will be but Christ himselfe speaking of the necessity that wee haue to eate his flesh and drinke his bloud saith The words which I speake vnto you are spirit and life to wit that which I haue sayd vnto you touching the eating of my flesh and drinking of my bloud vnderstand you not after the letters as they carnally sound lift vp the mind and vnderstand it spiritually The Capernaits and many of the disciples also as saith S. Iohn carnally vnderstood the words of Christ And also they sayd that it was a hard saying and murmured at it To whom Christ vnfolding their errour told them they should vnderstand his words spiritually You see here that our aduersaries are worse then the Capernaits for the Capernaits would not carnally eate the flesh of Christ nor drinke his bloud but they make no bones at it without any scruple and without any loathing will they eate the flesh of Christ carnally but it will nought auaile them For the Spirit it is that quickeneth and the flesh as Christ himselfe saith speaking to our purpose profitteth nothing c. That the Lord in his supper gaue carnally his body may wee not vnderstand For should wee so vnderstand it A most great absurditie world followe that Iesus Christ when hee celebrated his supper had two carnall bodies One by one The Bodie that celebrated the supper that brake the bread in his handes blessed it brake it and gaue it to his disciples c. was the true carnall body of Christ which was borne and dyed c. If that which this carnall bodie tooke in his handes and gaue to his disciples was also the carnall body of Christ it followeth that Iesus Christ when he had celebrated his supper had two carnall bodies one which sate and remained in his place and the other which sitting body gaue to his disciples The which is a great absurditie But did they vnderstand this second manner of body which the Carnall body of Christ gaue to his disciples and they tooke it and did eat it not to bee his
Priest to giue vs the Sacrament but we must vnderstand the stretched out hand of Christ to doe this By all this varietie of speach what think we sought Chrisostome to doe but to drawe the mindes of the Communicants from the consideration of the outward signes and figures visible and subiect to perish and to make them consider the heauenly and diuine things which by them be figured This glorious Father then would that in communicating we should so celebrate the memorie of the death and passion of Christ as if then at the same instant that we communicate his body were crucified his bloud were shed for vs. Would God that all Christians when they communicate would haue this consideration meditation other fruit should they then receiue of the cōmunion The faithfull beleeuing the Euangelicall doctrine and celebrating the holy Supper are present as it were at the condemnation and death of the Lord this is the memorie commanded them to doe and so saith Saint Paul to the Galathians That before their eyes was Christ condemned among them crucified As touching that of Saint Augustin which they obiect vnto vs that Christ bare himselfe in his hands We denie it not For what inconuenience is it that Iesus Christ with his hands hath borne his owne body if by the body we vnderstand the Sacrament of his body And that this was his meaing hee himselfe a little lower declareth when hee saith Quodam modo in a certaine maner not simply To the other which they say of Saint Augustin that the flesh of Christ ought to be adored in the Sacrament We denie not the flesh of Christ in so much as it is conioyned with the Diuinitie from the which it neuer departeth ought to be worshipped For whosoeuer otherwise shall simply worship the flesh of Christ not respecting the hypostaticall vnion which is betweene the flesh and the Diuinitie in Christ shall commit idolatrie for only God onely his Diuinitie ought to be worshipped Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue Deut. chap. 6. vers 13. Who so listeth to see how much Saint Augustine is for vs and how much against the Transubstantiation of our aduersaries and this not in one place by chance but in manie let him reade that which we haue alreadie alleaged S. Hillarie in the place cited against vs groundeth his argument vpon the truth of the Sacraments the which doe really and truly seale giue and present that which they represent vnto vs. We receiue then in the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ the true body and bloud of Christ and make our selues one selfe same thing with him and this spiritually by faith as so often we haue sayd which vnion is not onely made in the Eucharist but also in Baptisme And so the same Hillarie a little before he had sayd those wordes of the Eucharist had sayd the same of Baptisme saying that by it we are conioyned with Christ and amongst our selues And this not by vnion of consent and will only but also of nature let them also put Transubstantiation in the water of Baptisme As touching that which they say of Leo the first wee confesse the same which he saith that Christ is made our flesh and that we doe passe into his flesh As touching Damascen there is no doubt but that he is wholly for them As appeareth in the place against vs alleaged This Damascen by nation and profession was a Iew vntill hee came to Constantinople and was conuerted and being conuerted became a Monke He liued in the time of the Emperour Leo Isauricus About the 720. yeare when the Moores a fewe yeares before hauing passed the Straights of Gibraltar had by the chastisement of God subdued almost all our country of Spaine Some things he wrote wherein are found many wonders superstitions and erours I will here set downe some that the credite may be seene that to such an authour is due A great defender hee was of Images They are not only to be made saith he but also to be honored and reuerenced The which is contrary to the second comaundement Thou shalt not make to they self any grauen Image Thou shalt not worship nor honour them The reliques of Saints he much esteemed and doubted not to call them fountaines of the giftes of God He dared to say that wee ought with faith to honor dead saints the which is blasphemy For in one only God ought we to beleeue As we confesse in the beginning of the Nicene Creed Speaking of Purgatory to confirme it he reporteth great wonders hee telleth how Traian the Emperour who was a pagan an Idolaten a great persecuter of the Christians by the praiers of S. Gregory went out of the paines of hell c. Also that the soule of a woman called Falconilla a Pagan went out of hell whither for her idolatrie she was condemned and this by the prayers of one which he calleth Primera a martyr Frier Iohn de Pineda libr. 18. cap. 24. ◠1. telleth another such like tale and this it is Zenoras whom he calleth a noble Historian saith that the Empresse besought the Patriarch bishops and religious persons to pray for the soule of the Emperour Theophilus her hushand and that they obtayned pardon for his offences but I saith Pineda hold it very doubtfull seeing that he dyed an obstinate heretike And then I will leaue mine opinion founded vpon the rootes of faith One of which saith that where the tree falleth there shall it euer remaine and another that in hell there is no redemption and another that grace deuideth betweene the sonnes of the kingdome and of hell c. For the selfe same causes say we that which Damascen sayth of the soules of Traian and Falconilla to be lies Pero Mexia vpon the life of Traian sayth that that which is sayd of the soule of Traian is a meere fable and iest Doctour Illescas vpon the life of Gregorie the first holdeth it for certaine truth and condemneth Pero Mexia Also saith Damascen that one Macarius consulting with a drie scull knew many thinges of the state of the dead and what is to be a Nigromancer if this be not This Macarius sayth hee wontedly prayed for the dead and desired to know if such prayers did ought auaile them and if they receiued any comfort by them He sayth that God a louer of soules willing by manie and firme arguments to declare this to his seruaunt inspired into the drie skull the word of truth For these words the skull pronounced When thou prayest for the dead some small consolation wee feele c. Also hee reporteth that one sawe a a Disciple of his which had liued a life somewhat dissolute burning in the fire whose body was in the flame euen to the throate Afterwardes by the prayers of the Maister The same Maister himselfe sawe him in the fire vp to the middle and afterwardes praying eftsoones for
Christ Saint Ierome vppon the 66. chap. of Esayas saith Not being holie in bodie nor spirit they eate not the flesh of Iesus nor drinke they his bloud Manie other places bee there in the Fathers that proue our doctrine the wicked c. not to eate nor drinke the bodie bloud of Christ But those which wee haue alleaged are now sufficient Another absurditie there is and this it is that the banquet being to be common and generall to all by which it is called Communion one onely at his pleasure eateth it and swalloweth all without giuing part to others Who taught them thus to doe Not Christ nor his Apostles nor the primitiue Church In old time all those that were present when the Supper of the Lord was celebrated did communicate and that in both kindes And except they did communicate they depriued them of the Supper which our Aduersaries cannot denie So confesseth George Cassander in the Preface of the booke intituled Ordo Romanus de officio Missae for confirmation hereof hee alleadgeth the tenth Cannon of the Apostles where it is commaunded that all the faithfull which were found present at the holy solemnities of the Church and continued not till the Masse were ended nor receiued the holie Communion should bee cast from the Communion He citeth the Councell of Antioch the second chapter wherein it is ordayned that all they which enter into the Church of God and receiue not the holy Communion should bee cast out of the Church Hee alleaged also the Cannon of Calixtus or as say others Anacletus which commandeth that the consecration ended all should communicate Hee alleageth also Iohn Coclaeus in the booke which hee intituled De Sacrificio Missae contra Musculum In old time saith Cochleus Aswell the Priestes as the Laitie so manie as were found present at the sacrifice of the Masse the offering being ended did ioyntly with the Priest communicate c. And the same Cannon which they say in their Masse maketh this to bee clearely vnderstood because it maketh mention of the people standing about offering and communicating For which cause some expounders of the Cannons say that the Cannon ought not to be sayd in the Masse but onely when the people communicate Many more Councels and Fathers might be alleaged to confirme that which Cassander sayth but the thing being so manifest many witnesses shal be needlesse The Grecians vntill this day obserue the ancient custome there is no priuate Masse among them Vpon the Lords dayes and festiuall dayes the Supper of the Lord is onely celebrated and the people in both kindes communicate Our aduersaries may see what hath beene the cause of leauing this ancient and laudable custome and that as many also as heare the Masse and communicate not incurre thereby Excommunication The Communion in our time is but once a yeare celebrated and this with damage and great idolatrie and all the dayes in the yeare is no other thing done but saying of Masses in euery corner of the Churches and in those also of particular houses without any Communion except it be that some for deuotion will communicate and oftentimes it happeneth that none is found present at these Masses but the Nouice onely that answereth Et cum Spiritu tuo and with thy spirit when the Priest hath said vnto him Dominus vobiscum The Lord bee with you And note that the Nouice is wont to be commonly a little villaine according to the prouerbe Hize à mi hijo Monazillo y torno seme diabillo Make my sonne a Nouice and turne him a little diuell What agreement then hath this their priuate Masse with the holy Supper of the Lord which is a common banquet proposed to the whole Church Reade the tenth and eleuenth chapters of the first epistle to the Corinthians which before we haue alleaged What wickednes do they then that conuert the Masse into the supper of the Lord which they neuer celebrate except the whole Church or the greatest part of it do communicate acording to the institution of Christ according to that which his Apostles did and the Church many yeares after The 3. absurdity is that which before we haue said that were there Trāsubstantiation Christ shuld haue 2 carnal bodies one which sate the other which this sitting body did eate giue to his Disciples The fourth Absurditie is that they put the body of Iesus Christ in diuerse places at one instant in all the Masses which are sayd through the world Against the order of nature doe they in this according whereunto nothing created that is finite can be at one selfe same time in diuerse places The body of Iesus Christ considered it selfe is finite and in time created therefore can it not bee in diuerse places at one instaut In this do they also against the article of our faith which in the Creed we confesse that Iesus Christ sitteth at the right hand of God the Father From whence shall he come saith the article of our faith to iudge the quicke and the dead Also they do against common experience for seeing bread and wine with the eyes tasting them with the mouth and smelling them with the nose yet for all this say they that no bread nor wine remaineth I demaund now when they burne this their Sacrament for the causes that they themselues in the booke de Cautelis do command it to be burned I demaund of them what is that which is burned and conuerted into ashes Not the bodie of Christ which now being glorified is impassible nor the accidents of the bread nor of the wine for the substance of the ashes engendred of that which was burned could not bee engendered but of another substance according to that which commonly is said The generation of one thing is the corruption of another It followeth then Albeit it grieue them that they deny it that the bread is burned I demaund of them also when the Priest deuideth the Host into three partes what is that which he deuideth Some say they bee accidents without subiect To others this answere not seeming to be good because not the accidents but the substance which hath quantitie is parted Therefore say they that nothing is parted This people thinke vs to be blocks and fooles They will make vs as they say del cielo cebolla to beleeue things impossible Free should they be from all these absurdities would they with Iesus Christ with his Apostle Saint Paul and with the Catholike Church confesse true bread and true wine to be in this sacrament of which bread and of which wine being corrupted are engendred those things before spoken So that the wormes and ashes are engendred and made not of the body of Christ which is glorious and set at the right hand of the Father not of the accidentes which haue not other being but doe remaine in some subiect and by a miracle say they the accidentes in the Sacrament bee
hanged in Siuill These men had secretly by night murdred their prouinciall and the day following to auoyd all note of suspition all foure of them said Masse But as they themselues afterwardes confessed they had no intention to consecrate and so did they not consecrate Yet in the rest they vsed all the Ceremonies and acts accustomably done by them that say the Masse For confirmation of that which I haue said that the popish priests haue oft times no intention to consecrate and that not hauing intention to consecrate they cause all those that heare their masse to commit idolatrie I will here rehearse one notable history which a graue author reporteth in our dayes happened There was in this land saith this author a certaine priest c. Whē this man for his filthy life incredible rudenes and ignorance of holy things was deposed and another more sufficient which could well and profitably feede the sheepe of the Lord put in his place He that was deposed about certaine busines which he had came to my house After some discourse I demanded of him that seeing he had bene aboue 30 yeares a leacher that he had by his concubine some sonnes now of big stature I demanded of him I say if purposely truly withall his hart had at any time repēted him of his whoredome He answered me that he had sometimes repented As at the time whē he celebrated the birth of our Lord at the feast of the resurrection at Easter At that time said he he alwaies separated his bed for some nights slept not with his concubine I cōmanded of him if finally at any time he had truly repēted him of this his abhominable life I demād of him if with praiers teares sighes and grones that with delebrat purpose to liue thence forth chastly to chaūge his life into a better he had craued pardon at Gods hand for his offence And if hauing reputed he put from him his concubine with intent neuer more to receiue her He neuer had sayd he any such purpose I sayd vnto him How then saydest thou euerie day Masse How maidest thou no scruple to eate the bread of the Lord and to drinke of his holie cuppe thy conscience accusing thee of so enormious a sinne Didest thou not feare that the earth would open and swallowe thee vp quick I still insisting and constrayning him at last he confessed that not pronouncing the sacramentall wordes wherewith is consecrated the sacrament that hee should not vnworthilie receiue the bodie and bloud of the Lord he had not consecrated What sayest thou Sayd I I tell you that which passed answered hee and the same is truth Alas Alas sayd I darest thou committe so horrible and neuer once heard of wickednesse Is it possible that thou gauest so great an occasion of so horrible Idolatry The people at your eleuation kneeled on their knees cast thēselues to the earth lifted vp the handes towards the altar stroke their breasts and worshipped the vnconsecrate bread and cuppe What thing is this I tremble to speake it But God sayd I if thou repent not will doubtlesse sometimes giue thee the punishment that for such abhomination and boldnesse thou deseruest But what neede many words When I with wordes had earnestly reprooued him my gallant who not with wordes but with prison and irons deserued to bee punished began to excuse his fault saying that it was not so great and that he was not alone but many more did the same which thought it not so abhominable an offence as I made it c. This far the said author All they that heard the masse of those men adored the sacrament which they lifted vp by their owne Cannons and decrees cōmitted idolatry For this is their Maxim that he consecrateth not which hath no intention to consecrate and as little doth he consecrate that pronounceth not the words of consecration miserable is the religion of those that depend vpon the intention of another And who knoweth the intent of man but God alone which searcheth the harts In the meane time shall man doubt whether that be God which he worshippeth or no. Therefore a certaine Inquisitor most great enemy to the cōuerts fearing when he heard masse whither the priest had intētion to consecrate or no said O Lord if thou be there I adore thee By this subteltie thought this Inquisitor to escape committing of Idolatrie In the time of the Councel of Constance there were 3 Popes all three did the Councel for their wickednes abhominations depose and elected Martin 5. These 3 Popes not being true Popes could not ordaine priests nor giue them authority to consecrate So that after their owne cannons All they that heard their Masses committed Idolatry As little did all they that were ordayned in the time of Constantine 1. and of Pope Ione consecrate For Constantine being a laye man and without receiuing any orders was by force which Desiderius his brother king of Lombardie vsed to the Romaines made Pope who not being a priest could not ordaine nor giue authoritie to ordaine priests which not being priests consecrated not Concerning Pope Ione there is none doubted but that neither shee nor they by her ordayned nor they which by her authoritie were ordayned did consecrate And so as many as in the time of this man Pope and in the time of this woman Pope adored the sacrament by their owne Cannons committed Idolatrie For although they had intention to consecrate yet had they not the Caracter which they call Indelibele Of the priestly order and he which is not ordained priest doth not consecrate and not consecrating all that heare his Masses commit Idolatry And to make their sacrament the more to be loathed I will recite here an historie which in the 1526. yeare in a Monastery of Dominican Fryars of the towne of Auserra in Fraunce and vppon the solemne feast day of Corpus Christi happened There was a Friar in the sayd couēt who by reason of his age and chiefly for being eaten with the Bubos had not sayd Masse now of many dayes before This increasing in him deuotion he tooke courage to say Masse vppon so solemne a day So that hee sayd Masse and finished it His Masse ended and hee going through the cloister of the Monasterie his stomack turned and beeing not able to digest retaine God which hee had in bodie and bloud receiued did vomit him vp before the chapter gate Which thing once knowne a great rumour was presently raysed througout all the Couent Some sayd this thing others that thing should bee done But in fine hauing some time disputed vppon this matter they concluded that the Tabernacle or tombe which they vse to put on the graues when they celebrate the Office of the dead should be placed ouer that holy vomit And so was it done And this that none should tread vppon nor any dogges should eate that holie
sacramentall vomit And the more to honour it foure light tapers they placed vpon the foure quarters of the tombe This done the Nouices were commaunded to sing all that day the verse of the hymnes which is sung vppon that day of Corpus Christi and beginneth Tantum ergo Sacramentum veneremur cerni c. That is to say worshippe wee thâ—n with bowed knees this so great a sacrament Better should they haue sayd This vomit of a pocky father They sang also the Anthem of the same day O Sacrum conuiuium O holy banquet But how holie soeuer they sayd it was there was none albeit some thereto exhorted the rest that would tast it nor put it into his bodie For after the booke of de cautelis as they call them the best remedy is this that in such case can bee taken sith among them all there was none of them that dared to eate it needefull it was another shift should bee vsed And thus it was In the best wise they could gathered they vp that holie vomit and very curiously daubed the ground where it had fallen The Subprior then for that he Prior was from home arraied himselfe in holy ornaments and with light tapers carried the vomite to the Church in procession Some sang that which before we haue said others and these were the most holy frantiques and greatest hypocrites sighed and groned for the moestful spectacle that they saw which much marred the feast the vomit thus carried to the Church a new deliberation was needful what therewith should to be done The opinion of the most ancient and most learned was that this vomit should be cast into the fire and burned to ashes such ashes should be kept in el Sagrario the Sanctuary all which was done as in their booke de Cautelis c. in such case it is commanded So that the papists conclude themselues their God to be burned their god I cal it for this is their doctrin that all the time that any forme or shew of bread or of wine shall be seen al the time that it shal not be digested as was not that wheÌ„ the Pocky father vomited it vp with the rest the bread is not bread but the bodie of Christ and the wine is not wine but the bloud of Christ We haue recited the sorrowfull spectacle that happened to the Friars Dominickes with their Sacrament vomited and burned Now will we declare another which one which was present and an eye-witnesse tolde me that happened to the Franciscan Friers but not so lothsome as the other In the Couent De Alta vila which was in the prouince of the principalitie of the kingdome of Naples was an ancient Friar called Frier Antonio de Contron who for his recreation had nourished vp a Chough and had taught her to fly vp vppon his shoulders and to eate bread in his hand and other such like thinges When the Friar one Sabboth of the Aduent in the thousand fiue hundred threescore seuenteene yeare was saying the high Masse in the sayd Couent and lift vp the Hoste that they as they are woont should worship the same The Chough which then hopped to and fro sawe the Hoste and supposed that her maister shewed her something to giue her The Frier in the meane time pulled downe his Hoste and the Chough remained there watching if her maister should mocke her with anie thing againe Whiles the Chough thus awayted behold when the Friar the second time shewed the Hoste ouer his shoulders the Chough seeing it immediately leaped vppon the shoulder of her maister and caught hold of the Sacrament and by flight pearched vppon a beame in the roofe of the Church When the Friars and the rest that heard the Masse sawe this they beganne to call vnto her but shee would neither answere nor come downe for shee was busied with her breakefast which as shee thought her maister had giuen her When good wordes nought auayled they beganne to throwe stones and cudgels at her vntill they brought her to the ground And now had shee eaten all the Hoste a fewe crommes excepted which had fallen downe from her and note that according to the opinion of our aduersaries euerie small cromme is God they tooke the poore Chough and taken did sentence her to bee burned till shee were conuerted into ashes which was perfourmed and her ashes were kept in the Sanctuarie as were the other of the vomite of the pockie Father Into so manie strange thinges causeth Transubstantiation our aduersaries to fall They beleeue that the bread is no bread but the body of Christ Hence it commeth that they beleeue the mouse the worme the chicken the Chough c. to eate the body of Christ But to manifest the deceit vnto them if they leaue to be deceiued let them well note what here we will say and this it is Two kinds of creatures may eate the Sacrament The one which haue the vse of reason and the other that haue not those which haue it not are beastes These creatures without vse of reason eate only bread and drinke wine the sacrament of Christs body eate they not neither doe they drinke the sacrament of his bloud much lesse doe they eate the body of Christ or drinke his bloud and so to eate the bread or not to eat they neither reioice nor be sad Men which haue the vse of reason are two folde Some doe worthily receaue the sacrament and others vnworthily They that vnworthily receaue the sacrament are those which doe not examine their consciences Nor proue themselues before they receaue the sacrament to them it is all one to sit at the table of the Lord and to sit at the table of the deuill to receaue the most blessed sacrament which Iesus Christ in his holy suppeâ— presenteth vnto them or to receaue the Idoll which the Pope in his Masse putteth in his mouth Such as these receaue not only the bread and wine if it be giuen them But receaue also the sacrament of the bodie and bloud of Christ And this for their condemnation and not for their saluation And so Sathan entreth in and possesseth them As after the taking of the soppe hee entred into and possesseth Iudas Such as these doe no way receaue Christ for the cause which wee haue shewed When wee proued the wicked not to receaue Christ not to receaue the Lords bread but the bread of the Lord. As saith Saint Augustine speaking of Iudas They that worthily receaue the sacrament bee they which examine their consciences how they stand towards their God and towards their neighbour The which S. Paul 1. Cor. 11. calleth prouing of himselfe And finding themselues faulty imperfect doe humble themselues before God repent withall their hart craue pardon mercy This done not trusting in their owne worthines but in the worthines of Christ they are bold to receiue the sacrament not to their condemnation but their saluation For Christ doth
priest and his sacrifice his proper body his flesh and his bloud which he himselfe offered to the father for vs all this Epistle is full thereof Of which I will here make a short Summarie concerning that which toucheth his Priesthood and sacrifice This then is that which we now promised to shewe So necessary for a Christian is this Doctrine of the Priesthood and sacrifice of Christ That without it it is impossible to be saued For as saith Saint Peter there is no saluation in any other and no other name there is giuen to men vnder heauen wherein we may be saued Come we then to the Summary in the first chapter of the Epistle the Apostle sheweth the excellencie of Christ aboue the Angels The which he confirmeth with passages of the scripture In the 3. verse He maketh mention of the sacrifice of Christ hauing made saith he the purgation of our sinnes in himselfe chap. 2. The Apostle hauing proued in the first chapter the dignity of Christ concludeth in the beginning of the 2. chapter the obedience due to his doctrin the great punishmēt prepared for vs if we despise the same which menaces he afterwards vseth chiefly in the 6 and 10 chap In the third chapter he compareth Christ with Moses proueth Christ to be his superior wherefore he exhorteth the Hebrewes to obey him And that they should not be obstinate against Christ As their fathers in the time of Moses were obstinate against God In the 1. vers he saith Consider the Apostle Bishop of our profession Iesus Christ In the 4. chap. He exhorteth thē to cōtinue in the receiued grace of the Gospel openeth the gate to the Treatise of the priesthood of Christ so saith he verse 14. Therefore hauing one so great a high priest which pearced the heauens Iesus c. And in the 15. verse we haue not an high priest which cēnot haue cōpassion of our infirmities In the 5. chap. The Apostle sheweth what the office of the high priest is speaketh of the dignitie of Christ of his offering of the vertue efficacy thereof The dignity The eternall son of God The offering his flesh and his bloud himselfe The efficacie of his sacrifice to be heard of the father made the cause of euerlasting saluation to those that obey him as he saith verse 9. In the 6. verse saith he Christ is a priest for euer after the order of Melchizedech Which maner of speaking the Apostle taketh of Dauid Psal 110. 4. oft times vseth it in this Epistle chap. 5. vers 6 10. chap. 6. 20. cap. 7. verse 17. 21. And in the 15 verse he sath that he is likened to Melchizedech What the order of Melchizedech is we haue before said speaking of Transubtantiation In the 6. chap. he calleth Christ our forerunner high priest c. In the 7 chap. the Apostle taking occasion of the last words of the chapter going before Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchizedech beginneth very fitly to intreate who Melchizedech was and wherein he was like to Christ without father saith vers 3. without mother c. This done the Apostle sheweth the priesthood of Christ which is after the order of Melchizedech to be much more excellent then the leuitical priesthood The causes which he sheweth are that the priesthood of Christ being come it adnulled abolished the leuiticall priesthood that also of Christ was instituted with another The Lord sweare saith he will not repent c. Psal 110. But the Leuitical priesthood was instituted without an oath the priesthood also of Christ is eternal euer holdeth his being vertue the Leuiticallnot Also Christ who exerciseth this euerlasting priesthood is much more excellēt thē Aaron which exerciseth the Leuitical priesthood Of so great vertue is the sacrifice of Christ That hauing one only time offered he left no place for any other expiatory sacrifice For he eternally saueth those that come vnto God by him euer liuing to make intercession for them They need not then any other sacrifice but the only death passion of Christ And as little haue they need of any other Intercessor or mediator but only Christ Who so will not be contented with this only sacrifice nor with this only intercessor let him seeke for others better To such a one it wil happē that leauing the foūtain of liuing water he shal dig cesterns which will hold no water Also of so vnmeasurable vertue is this sacrifice which Christ one only time offered that it neither ought nor can be reiterated For reiteratiō is a most sure argument of imperfectiō And this is the cause why the Leuitical facrifices were so so often reiterated because the bloud of calues and of Goates could not perfectly sanctifie either those that offered them or those for whom they were offered He that will attentiuely read meditate vpon this 7. chap. shall not desire any other sacrifice but that only which Iesus Christ one onely time offered Which was himselfe As verse 27 is declared The memory whereof the Lord commandeth vs to renewe so often as we celebrate his holie supper And this word once which the Apostle chap. 9. verse 12. 25. 26. 28. and chap. 10. 10. 12. 14. vseth is very much to be noted For vpon the word once groundeth the Apostle his argument to proue the priesthood of Christ to be much more excellent then the Leuitical priesthood For the Leuitical priests reiterated their sacrifice which they offered First for their owne sinnes and then for the sinnes of the people But Christ offered not sacrifices but one only sacifice to wit himself and not for himselfe for he had no sinne neither was there any guile found in his mouth but for others And this sacrifice did he not oftentimes offer nor commanded it should be oftentimes offered one only time did he offer it In the 8. chap. the Apostle repeates that which he had said in the chap going before concerning the heauenly euerlasting priesthood of Christ In the 9. chap. he three or foure times repeateth the word once In the 10. chap. vers 10. he repeateth the word once In the 5. and 12. One sacrifice and vers 14. One only offering Hitherto treateth the Apostle of the Priesthood sacrifice of Christ and as in the word after the order of Melchisedech there remaineth great mystery for by it the Apostle proueth the Priesthood of Christ to be eternal repeating the same as wee haue seen for a word of so great importāce So also in the word Once which the Apostle so often repeateth is there great mysterie for therby two things are proued The first is that there is no other sacrifice to obtaine remission of sinnes but onely that which Iesus Christ offered The second is that this sacrifice is euer shall be of so great vertue and efficacie as it was
forgiuen thee The Scripture in many other places maketh mention of this humiliation and deiection of Christ and then of his glorious triumph against his enemies But this which we haue sayd sufficeth This benefit of the death and passion of Christ proposed ingenerall to all men doeth Saint Paule by faith applye to him selfe saying I am crucified with Christ and liue not I now but Christ liueth in me and in that I now liue in the flesh I liue by faith in the sonne of God who hath loued me and giuen himselfe for mee Who so will enioy this benefite proposed in generall to all let him learne of Saint Paule to apply it by faith in particular to himself For whosoeuer shall not so doo Let him holde it for spoken he shall not enioy it They only be safe which beleue Christ to be giuen for their proper sinnes and risen againe for their iustification Hee which of himselfe shall not particularly beleeue this shall be condemned the death of Christ shall nothing auayle him But he which shall beleeue it shall be saued and being saued is assured that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor strength nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall bee able to separate him from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. His Maiestie increase this faith his gift it is A Christian then armed with such weapons of faith shall patiently and I say more ioyfully suffer for Christ tribulation sorrow persecution famine nakednesse danger sword fire and dishonour for to all these things the very day that wee truely beleeue in Christ are wee subiect For the disciple is not more to bee exempted from them then his maister was Hee increase faith in vs and make vs constant in aduersities for without him can we do nothing and with him can we do all things This verie well perceiued Saint Paule when he sayd I am able to do all things through the helpe of Christ which strengtheneth me God then with his exceeding loue so louing vs that he spared not his proper and only begotten Sonne but gaue him vp for vs and being bought not with gold nor siluer but with an inestimable treasure with the most precious bloud of Christ the Lambe without spot let vs not abase nor subiect our selues to sinne and wickednesse but seeing we are the friends sonnes and heires of God and brothers and coheires with Iesus Christ let vs highly esteeme our selues and apply our selues to vertue that God bee not angrie but ioyfull to haue such sonnes nor Christ ashamed but rather honored to call vs brethren friendes and companions In the sacred Scriptures are there very many places wherein the holy Spirit doth exhort vs to liue godly and holily but of all haue I chosē one which maketh much to the purpose because in it are mentioned both kindes of sacrifices to wit the propitiatory which only Christ one only time offered and the Eucharistcall which euery moment we offer or to speake better ought to offer the Spirit of God by the mouth of S. Paul doth thus exhort vs Be ye therefore followers of God as deare children walke in loue euen as Christ hath loued vs and hath giuen himselfe for vs to be an offring and sacrifice of a sweet smelling sauor to God But fornication and all vncleannesse let it not once be named among you as it be commeth Saints neither filthines neither foolish talking nor iestings which are things not comely but rather giuing of thanks c. For all the che chapter is an exhortation to well liuing Let not man thinke for being called a Christian for being baptised for saying that he beleeueth in God for being trayned vp in the Church where he frequenteth sermons and celebrateth with the rest the holy supper Let him not thinke for all this say I that hee shall be saued if hee keepe not together with this the commaundements of God If thou wilt saith Christ enter into life keepe the commandements thou shalt not kil thou shalt not cōmit adultery c. That hypocrits may doe and doe the same but not this For without a true and liuely faith which hypocrites and wicked Christians haue not this cannot be done The outward shew the dead faith imaginary and idle is not the faith which iustifieth but the liuely true and diligent faith which bringeth forth in time fruits of charitie For as true fire cannot be without heate and the greater that the fire is the greater heat it giueth So true faith cannot be without good works and the more the faith is so much the more it worketh And contrariwise as the painted fire warmeth not as little also the dead faith worketh for being dead how shall it worke Such a perfection doth the holy Spirit require in vs that we do not onely good and commit no euill but willeth also that we be not familiar nor conuersant with the wicked Whereas such calling themselues brothers bee hypocrites vniust and impious So commaundeth the Apostle 1. Cor. chap. 5. 1. If any man saith hee calling himselfe a brother shall be a fornicator a couetous person an idolater an euill speaker a drunkard a theefe with such a one eate not The cause why we ought not to bee familiar with such in the second epistle to the Thessal chap. 3. 14. he sheweth And conuerse not with him saith he that hee may bee ashamed And Rom. 16. 17. he commandeth vs to depart from them which make dissentions And 2. Ioh. vers 10. it is commanded we should not salute them To receiue then and enioy the benefit of Christs sacrifice such ought as we haue mentioned to be the life of a Christian Hee that shall not be so perfect for who shall hee bee seeing there is no man but finneth and sith the iust man falleth seuen times I would say many times a day if he fall seuen times a day what will hee doe all his life long fall and rise againe He that shall not then be so perfect let him desire so to be let him sigh and bewayle his imperfection before the Lord let him beseech him of grace to become perfect Let him beleeue the Lord to be so good that he will accept this good desire proceeding from so contrite and humble heart and so will he supply the faults of our imperfections and not impute them vnto vs. And thus shall we enioy the benefite of the sacrifice which Christ our high and onely Priest once offered to his Father We haue proued Christ onely to be our Priest and onelie his body bloud which he once offered vpon the crosse to be the only and vnreiterable sacrifice expiatorie whereby our sinnes are pardoned and we for euer sanctified Let vs now as we promised treat of the institution of the holy supper and so wil we conclude this Treatise The Lord knowing our carelesnesse
negligence forgetfulnes of the things which concern our saluation that we shuld not forget the benefit of his death passion did institute the most holy sacrament of his precious body which he gaue vpon the crosse of his precious bloud which he shed in his passion which sacramēt he wold shuld be vnto vs a memoriall of al that which he suffred for vs of the benefit we receiue by his death passion As often as ye shal do this to wit as ye shall celebrate the holy Supper ye shal do it saith Christ in remembrance of me One only time was Christ offered and by this only offering he obtained for vs a generall pardon of all our sinnes But hee would we should alwayes remember this benefit And to help our memorie did he institute this sacrament and willeth wee not once but many times in our life receiue it The institution of this Sacrament the Euangelists Matthew Marke and Luke do declare but most largely Saint Paul in 1. Cor. chap. 11. and in the tenth chap. he beginneth also to intreate thereof He are wee then Saint Peul declare how Christ celebrated his holy supper wherein hee instituted the Sacrament of his body and of his bloud I receiued of the Lord saith Saint Paul that which I also deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus the same night that he was betrayed tooke bread and when he had giuen thanks he brake it and said Take eate This is my body which is broken for you Do this in remembrance of mee Likewise also after supper he tooke the cup saying This is the new testament in my bloud Do this as often as you shall drinke it in remembrance of me For as often as you shall eate this bread and drinke of this cup ye shall shew forth the Lords death vntill his comming Whosoeuer therefore shall eate this bread and drinke of this cup vnworthily shall be guiltie of the body and bloud of the Lord. Let then a man proue himselfe and so eate of that bread and drinke of that cup. For who so eateth and drinketh the same vnworthily eateth and drinketh his owne damnation not considering the Lords body We haue heard how the Lord did celebrate his holy supper and instituted therein the most holy sacrament of his body and bloud The same order that Iesus Christ vsed in celebrating of it held his Apostles as often as they celebrated the same This selfe same order as we haue before shewed was for a thousand yeares space obserued in the Church Albeit true it is that before the thousand yeares were accomplished Sathan enuying the great benefite and comfort which we receiue with this sacrament began to alter it adding thereto many thinges touching rites and ceremonies But the thousand yeares passed the whole sacrament with furie hee cast to the earth and in place thereof aduaunced an idoll made of dough made betweene two irons which they adore and sacrifice vnto neither more nor lesse then if it were God himselfe that created heauen and earth But in all this time of so great ignoraunce and Idolatrie The Lord as we haue said did neuer vtterly forsake his Church For euer he raised vp some true prophet some holy man or men that with zeale of the Lordes house and nor accompting of the daunger whereunto they thrust their liues reproued the world Because through the Church of God was sold this so horrible idolatry But particularly in these our times hath the Lord shewed mercy raysing vp very many learned godly men Which being simple poore men haue with great zeale opposed them selues to the tyranny of Antichrist and to all the power of the world which was inchanted bewitched with the false Doctrine of Antichrist And so hath God blessed the labour of these men As he blessed in times past the labour of the Apostles meane simple people that they haue cast to the earth the Missa or Masse the breaden God which our aduersaries haue raysed vp and haue eftsoones restored the holy supper which the Lord Iesus the night before he should suffer celebrated with his disciples They that haue eyes to see Let them see and they that haue eares to heare Let them heare That seeing and hearing All the world may iudge if that be true which we say I will here set downe the order holden in our Churches which God by the meanes of these holy men hath in our time reformed when the holy supper is celebrated Hearken then O Spaine what in thine owne Language I speake that small and great learned and vnlearned may vnderstand me The forme which is holden in the reformed Churches of celebration of the holie supper of the Lord. It is to be noted That the Lords day before the supper is celebratae The minister doth warne the people that each one dispose and prepare himselfe to receiue it worthily and with such reuerence as is meete The second thing which is done is that youthes which haue now attayned to yeares of discretion doe not present themselues to receiue it before they he well instructed and taught in the Christian Doctrine and have made profession of their faith in the Church Thirdly if therebe any straungers or newe commers which be as yet rude and ignorant in religion that they come present themselues to be taught particularly in that which is meete for them to know the day on which they celebrate the same the minister at the end of the sermon toucheth somewhat concerning the misteries Or if neede require his whole sermon treateth of the Doctrine of the supper to declare to the people what the Lord by this mistery will say giue to vnderstand And how we ought to receiue it After that the minister hath publiquely prayed he saith the generall confession after the confession of faith made to witnes in the name of the people that they all wil liue die in the doctrin Christian religion The table being prepared the bread wine vpō it he thus aloud speaketh The institution of the holy supper of the Lord Let vs heare how Iesus Christ did institute vnto vs his holy supper according to that which S. Paule in the 11. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians declareth I receiued of the Lord c. As we haue before recited The forme of excomunication and excluding from the holy supper of the Lord these which be not worthy to receiue it We haue heard brethren how the Lord celebrated the supper with his disciples and in that which he did he sheweth vnto vs that straungers to wit those which be not of the fellowship of his faithfull ought not to be admitted vnto it Following therefore this rule in the name by the authoritie of our Lord Iesus Christ I excommunicate all Idolaters blasphemers contempners of God heretiques all Schismatiques which make sects a part to break the vnity of the Church all periured persons all that be
better proofes For dreames and false miracles are now nothing worth The time through the mercie of God is not now as wontedly it was when the Clergie easilie deceiued the people and made them to beleeue all whatsoeuer they listed Blessed bee the Lord for the light which in our times he hath giueÌ„ vs. His Maiestie giue vs grace to draw neere vnto it For the seruant that knoweth his maisters will doth it not shall be more punished then he that knoweth it not Besides this there is nothing in these his ten instructions which hath not already in the two precedent Treatises of the Pope and of the Masse bene sufficiently confuted To them I referre my selfe Our redeemer Iesus Christ when hee beganne to preach his Gospell confirmed the same with true miracles and departing from this world as Saint Marke in the last chapter of his Gospell declareth for the same effect to confirme the Euangelicall doctrine he left to his Church the gift of working miracles This gift in the Church I would say in some of the faithfull for all had it not as witnesseth Saint Paul 1. Cor. 12. where reckoning vp the giftes of the holy Spirit and how he distrributeth them amongst other hee saith And to another are giuen the gifts of holinesse by the same Spirit To another working of miracles c. for some time continued vntill the doctrine was confirmed and then afterwards ceassed Albeit God vsing his omnipotency leaueth not sometimes to do miracles But this is extraordinary and not common as then it was The Antichristians willing to be sold for Christians pretend and doe confirme their new and false doctrine with new and false miracles of which their bookes bee full For this is the chiefe proofe wherewith they confirme their doctrine Concerning that of the fiue wounds there is no word in all the new Testament nor in any of the ancient Doctours which for the space of one thousand and two hundred yeares liued in the Church of God that any of the Apostles no not Saint Iohn the dearely beloued Disciple nor yet the holy mother of our redeemer her selfe hath had them nor euer was it said anâ—e hee or shee Saint in all this time to haue had them for so much as I remember to haue read the first that they say had them was Saint Francis and this a few yeares before his death who died in the 1226. yeare The booke of Conformities fol â— demaundeth In which of the saints haue the miraculous wounds of Christ bene imprinted The same answereth In none but in the blessed our Father Saint Frauncis As witnesseth the Romane Church and commandeth the faithfull to beleeue it Afterwardes say same that in the 1340. yeare Saint Gertrude had them And holy Ludiuina say they but know not in what yeare also had them Also they say that S. Katherine of Sena who died in the 1380. yeare And in our dayes in the 1588. yeare was a publike voice and fame that the holy Nunne of Lisbon had them For so great a truth hold they that of Saint Francis that if anie beleeue it not or doubt it for an heretike is he â—olden and as an heretike ought he to be punished So that it is now one of their new articles of faith And so Pope Gregorie did commaund it to be beleeued The same commanded Pope Alexander the fourth and saith that with his owne eyes he saw theÌ„ as in his Bull he doth witnesse Another such like Bull gaue out Pope Nicholas 3 and Pope Bendict 12. who graunted besides this to the Franciscan Friars that they should celebrate the feast of the wounds of Saint Francis All this saith the booke intituled Of the Conformities of Saint Francis with Iesus Christ A booke full of blasphemies seeing it maketh him equall with Iesus Christ proueth S. Francis with many reasonles reasons to haue bin much more excellent then S. Iohn Baptist Amongst which he setteth these downe that he conuerted many more than Iohn that he preached repentance 18 yeares instituted the order of Penance S. Iohn but 2 yeares and some what more preached Iohn receiued of the Lord the word of repentaÌ„â—e Francis receiued it of the Lord of the Pope And which is more terrible blasphemie to adde ought to the infinit power of the Lord S. Iohn was a friend of the Bridegrome The like to the Lord Iesus Christ was the blessed S. Francis In holinesse to the world was Iohn most singular In conformitie of his wouâ—ds with Christ was Francis then all men more excellent S. Iohn is aduanced into the order of the Seraphins In the same Seraphical order seat of Lucifer is placed the blessed S. Francis c. If this be not to make a mockery of Christian Religion of the maiestie of the Son of God and of the holinesse of Saint Iohn Baptist what shall bee Friar Iohn de Pineda a Friar Franciscan part 3. lib. 22. cap. 23. ¶ 3. speaking of his holy Saint Francis saith thus A few yeares before his death fasting and praying vppon the Eue of Saint Michael the Archangell he receiued in his virginall bodie the wounds of Iesus Christ by the impression of the same Iesus Christ as say Vbertino and the Maister Pisano S Francis himselfe to haue reuealed the same hauing suffered most terrible paines when they were imprinted c. He confirmeth his saying with the sayings of Vbertino and the Maister Pisano who is the Author of that blasphemous booke of Conformities They say the same Of no great credit be these two Authors as easily as they speake it with the same facility will we condemne it It is sayd of Saint Francis that he couered the wounds of S. Katherine of Sene saith Antonius that she besought God they should not be shewed vpon her body Of S. Lyduuina saith Iohn Brugmano that to auoyd the applause of the world shee besought the same at God his hands Of S. Gertrude saith Surius that for manie dayes ran bloud from them 7. times euery day But of our holy Nunne of Lisbon say the Prouinciall and Friar Lewes de Granada and it was the publike voyce and fame that she had them and shewed them that they yeelded alwayes fresh bloud wherewith shee painted the small clothes which they gaue her The Prouinciall saith that the wound of the side on certaine dayes namely the fridayes opened that certaine drops of bloud issued from the same c. Surely this was much more shamelesse than all the others Saint Francis and the rest sayd to haue the wounds liued in the times of great ignorance aswell of good letters as of true and pure Christian religion when the Roman Antichrist was absolute Lord of all swayed both swords spirituall and temporall Then was there none that durst whisper against him nor that was so bold to say vnto him thou dost wickedly but it should cost him his life or litle lesse An easie thing was it then with such
the Masse Gen. 14. 18. Malachy 1. 11. Our aduersaries first reason and our answere The Masse is no sacrifice The difference betwene a sacrifice and a sacrament Christ alone the expiatory sacrifice The sacrifice Eucharisticall Mal. 1. 11. Rom. 12. 1. Hebr. 13. 6. Hosea 14. 3 Hebr. 13. 15. Phillip 4. 18. Luke 17. 10. The second third reasons of our aduersaries and our answer Christ did not institute the Masse neither did the Apostles say it The Romistes raise vp false witnesses against Christ S. Peter S. Iames c. 1. Chr. 11. 23. Goncilium Vercelense Priuate Masses forbidden A reason prouing that neither Christ nor his Apostles said Masse Confiteor Hymnes Collect Respons gradu prefac verè dignum Gloria in excelsis Commemoratio defunctoruÌ„ Antif introit Kerie-elison Alleluia c. Agnus Dei Quorum Soleâ—â—itas Sequeâ—ces Sanctus pax Orate pro me Deo gratias Sanctum Sacrificium Hanc igitur Offertorie Vnleauened bread Water put into wine Qui pridie quaÌ„ pateretur Teigitur Commnâ—icaÌ„tâ— Nobis quoque peccatoribus The Masse patched like a beggers cloak The 4. Reason of our aduersaries and our answere Deut. 32. Exod. 23. 3. 4. Esaie 6. 9. Ieremy 25. 1. kings 19. 10. The Church Councel chiefe Bishop may haue erred in the faith Matth. 23. 37. How the church being the piâ—lar of truth may erre 1. kings 19. 18. Esay 53. 9. 1. Pet. 2. 22. Esa 40. 8. Psal 119. 105. The 5. reason our answer Sermone de lapsis The Communion in both kinds in the time of Saint Cyprian Drinke sanctified in the bloud of the Lord. Two sorts of miracles Mat. 3. 16. Ioh. 1. 29. False miracles Mat. 24. 24. â— Thes 2. Sermone de defunctis The sixt reason and the answer All whatsoeuer is in the Masse is poysoned The 7. reason the answer Gen. 14. 18. Heb. 7. 1. c. Epist ad Euagrium tom 3. Heb. 7. Melchisedech in three things was the figure of Christ Heb 7. Psal 110. 4. pssalm 110. 4. Rom. 10. 19. Deâ—â— 32. 21. Esaias 65. Malach. 1. 10. Mar. 16. 15. The calling of the Gentiles Iohn 4. 24. The 8 reason of our aduersaries our answere The propfits of the Masse 7. domages the Masse causeth The 1. domage The 2. domage Rom 10. 4. Ioel 2. 23. Ieremy 2. 13. prayer psal 120. Ioel. 2. 23. Act. 2. 21. Rom. 10. 13. Heb. 12. 17. The third Domage Tim. 2. 5. Heb. 8. 6. 9. 15 12. 24. Rom. 14. 23. Heb. 11. 6. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. Saint Iohn saith not we haue aduocates but an aduocate psal 51. The legend of S. Christopher after the pope himselfe is fabulous Ier. 2. 28. 11. The priest which saith the Masse and the people which heare it commit idolatrie The authority of the popish Priest Scotus super 4. sent Three reasons wherewith they confirm Transubstantiation The answere to the first reason wherwith they confirme transubstantiation Act. 3. 21. The heresie of the Papists The second confirmation of transubstantiation Two maners of eating Christ The one carnall the other spirituall Read the recaÌ„tation which Nich. 2. commanded Berengarius to make which we wil place a litle beneath in answering to the Councels Ioh. 6. 63. Ioh. 6. 60. Ioh. 6. 63. An obsnrditie of transubstantiation The spirituall eating in two sorts 1. Cor. 1. 9. Ephes 5. 30. Iohn 6. 36. Iohn 17. 21. Origin Ierome The sacrament Consisteth in 2. thinges the one earthly the other heauenly Origin snpper Matth. cap. 15. 1 1. Cor 10. 16. 23. 1. Cor. 10. 17. 4 1. Cor 11. 27. 5 1. Cor. 11. 28. Math. 26. 29. Mar. 14. c. Luke 22. 18. 1. Cor. 10. 16. 1. Cor. 11. 27. 1. Cor. 11. 28. It is no sacrament but when it is taken and eaten Rom. 10. 2. Athanasius Mark 16. 6. Act. 3. 21. The hetesie of the papists The hetesie of the papists These crosses with the papists haue their mysterie Blasphemi of the Priest The third confirmation Ireneus Tertullian Origen Ciprian Ambrose Chrystome Augustine Hillary Leo. Damascen Theophilact Auselme Hugo Ricardus de sancto Victore The Councell of Ephesus The Conncell of Veceill The Couucell of Lateran Another councell of Lateran The Councell of Constance Trident Councell Transubstantiation cannot be proued either by Seripture or reason Common consent of the Fathers against Transubstantiation Ireneus Tertullian Origen Ciprian Ciprian Athanasius Basil Dionysius Ambrose Ierome Crisostome Augustine The wicked eat not the body of Christ Leo. 1. Ciril Hesychius Gelasius Gregorie 1. Bertram Two maners of the body of Christ Bernard Theodoret. 363 Bishops in the Councell of Chalcedon Dialogue Iohn 15. 1. Iohn 6. 51. Ciprian What Consecration is Three causes why the fathers haue giuen the name of things figured to the figures Ireneus Tertullian Origen Cyprian Ambrose Chrisostome Augustin Hillarie Damaseen and how much his authority is to be estemed Sermone de de functis purgatory confirmed with wonders Gen. 9. 4. Lib. 4. cap 25. Orthod fideâ— Leo. 1. Transubstantiation can neither be proued by Scripture nor by reason The Councell of Ephesus The Councell of Latâ—ran The Councell of Lateran The Councell of Constance The Councell of Trident. Great wonde In the end of the Treatise shal ye see how the Councel of Trent was celebrated The manner of celebrating the Popish Councels There was neuer mutual coÌ„sent of the Church touching Transubstantiation The 5. domage of the Masse purgatory Masses sold for money according to the prouerbe No peny no Pater noster Thus doing they do contrary to that which the Apostle saith Euill is not to be done that good may come of it Rom. 3. â— The. 3. Credes containe the some of that whicha ChristaÌ„ is to beleeue The. 6. Domage Mar. 14. 23. The heresie of the Papists 1 Cor. 10. 20. Tertullian lib. de resurrect Cyprian Serm De lapsis Chrisostom vppon 2. Cor. â— Ambrose The sacrament taken with handes and in both kynds Ieorme Augustine Gregorie Gelasius The papists be Superstitious Sacrilegious The 7. Domage 1 Gor. 14. 40. 1 Cor. 14. Leuit 11. 3. Deut. 14. 4. Psal 〈◊〉 Iosua 18. Absurdities which the Masse causeth The faithful only receaue the body and bloud of Christ The first absurditie Transubstantiation is the cause that the papists beleeue the mouse c. to eate the body of Christ 10. 6. 53. Tractat. 59. in Iohannem Origen super Math. 15. 11 Saint Ierome vppon Esay Chap. 66. The 2 absurdity The papistes which heare the Masse Communicate not are ex communicate by their owne Cannons The Nouices commonly are little villaines The 3. Absurditie The 4. Absurditie The estimation wherein the pope holdeth his God the Sacrament The pope cast the Hoste into the fire the cause The pope erreth in faith Victor 3. poisoned in the Chalice Thh Archbishop of Yorke poisoned in the Chalice The Emperor poisoned in the Sacrament Impietie The legat by the Popes commandement gaue the eleuation
of the host for a signe of the murder A mockerie of of the Diuell in the Masse Another mockery of the Diuell with the Sacrament Magdelen de la Cruz. The false miracles of magdalen de la Cruz. 2. Cor. 12. 2. â— Iohn 〈◊〉 Rom 3. 28. Esaus 64. 6. Math. 4. 10. 2. Thes 2 Apo 17. 4 Fryars hanged in Siuill â—o Riuins lib. 1. De Religione He consecrateth not that hath no intention to consecrate An Inquisitor to auoide Idolatrie saide I adore the Lord if thou be there Alameâ—â—able History of burning the Sacrament The papists burne the Sacrament which they beleeued to be God A Chough burned and the cause Vnreasonable creatures eat not Christ nor his Sacrament but only the bread Iohn 14. 21. The wicked receaiue the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ but not the body bloud of Christ Tract 54 in Iohannem They wil not say that the Inquisitor clipped the body of Christ seeing it is now glorified it followeth theÌ„ that he clipped the bread or wheaten substance The Romane office was cast into the fire burned but not the Gotiâ—sh From whence commeth this saying As the King wil so go the Lawes The first Latine Masse said in Spaine With greife and teares was the Romaine Rite admitted in Sqnine Of the true priesthood and Sacrifice That which we beleeue touching the person and office of Christ Gal. 4. 4. Io. 114. The office of Christ is to be our King prophet and prest 1. Sam. 10. 1. 1. Sam. 16. 13. 2. Sam. 1. 34 1. Kings 14. 16. Actes 3. â—3 Act 7. 38. Esay 61. 1. Hebr. 1. 9. The office of the king philip 2. 9. 10. The office of the prophet Math 17. 5. Gal 1. 8. The office of the priest Acts. 4. 12. A Summary of the Epistle to the Hebrewes Heb. 7. 2â— Christ is our continuell Intercessor Heb 17. 25. Ier. 2. 13. This worde once is much to be noted Esay 53. 9. 1 peter 2. 12 After the order of Melchisedeck Once Hebr. 9. 26. Apoâ—â—â— 3. All one faith haue Wee aud the faithfull of the olde Testament 1. Cor. 10. 1. 2. 3. 4. Two kinds of preists The Masse priests be not after the order of Aron nor after the order of Melchisedec but of Baal The Sacrifice Eucharisticall Exod 19. 6. peter 2. 6. Rom. 5. 12. Ioh. 3. 16. Rom. 5. 8. The vnion of Religon is greater then that of the nation Deut 21 23. Gal. 3. 13. Philip. 2. 8. Luke 22. 42. Math. 27. 46. Christ in saying my God my God why hast thou forsaken me felt truly the paine which the damned suffer in hell Act 2. 24. Esay 53. 4. The 53. chapter of Esaias painteth oâ—t Christ far otherwise then the Iewes doe expect Gal. 2. 20. For me Christ died Rom. 4. 25. Rom 8. 38. philip 4. 13. 1. Cor. 9. 20 1 peter 1. 18. Ephe. 5. 1. The institution of the Supper 1. Cor 11. 23 Chapt. 17. 11. Custome with out truth is as old error and therfore more dangerous 3. Esdt 3. 38. That which the papists beleeue of their pope their Masse The best remedy for reforming is to reduce things to Christs first institution All whatsouer we ought to beleeue and doe the holy scripture teacheth vs Gal. 1. 8. We demand a generall Councell lawfully called free which may heare both parts The counsell of Trent was not free The councell of Trent was not generall In the councell of Trent were found 4 Cardinlls 4 Archbishoppes 33. Bishoppes 47. Deuines all which allmost weare Spaniards and Italions The Italians would not continue ther councell in Trent and so they went to Bologua hut the Spaniardes â—emanined 〈◊〉 Trent In many scessions of the councell of Trent was nothing done for want of apperance Our aduersaries will not abide this ' for they know the scripture the fathers the Councels to be against them The French king holdeth not for general nor lawfull the Councel of Trent God chastened and yet doeth chasten many that vnworthily receaue the Sacrament with death and other punnishments 1. Cor. 11. Lib. 22. cap. 29. ¶ 3. Blasphemie which saith S. Francis to be much more excellent then S. Iohn Baptist