celebration of Masse is done in commemoration of the Passion of Christ for so hee gaue commaundement vnto his Apostles when he deliuered vnto them his body and blood saying doe this in commemoration which is in memory of my passion as though hee had said recall vnto memory that I suffered for your saluation This Masse S. Peter the Apostle is said first to haue celebrated at Antioche Albinus alij Alcuinus l. diuin offic cap. de celebrat Missae 3. Egbertus writinge how the court of the Kinge Regalis aula at Antioch was in the time of S. Peters beeinge there made a Christian church amonge other holy functions S. Peter exercised in it hee saith hee ordinarily said Masse in qua communiter populum docuit Missas celebrauit Egbert Abb. serm de incremento manifestat Cathol fide And againe serm 10. Sacerdotalem ordinem nos accepimus à Romana Ecclesia Romana autem Ecclesia ab Apostolo Petro Petrus à Christo Christus à Deo Patre qui vnxit eum oleo laetitiae hoc est Spiritu Sancto prae participibus suii iurauit dicens ad cum tu es Sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedeih Verus Sacerdos erat Dominus noster Iesus Christus Ipse inuisibiliter dedit corpus sanguinem suum quando coram discipulis panem vinum in cana benedixit benedictione calesti fecit sua admirabili potestate vt sub specie eiusdem panis vini sumerent de manibus ipsius corpus sanguinem eius Ipse quoque sicut pollicitus est cum Ecclesia sua est vsque ad consummationem saeculi quotidie inuisibiliter offers per manus Ecclesiae Deo Patri pro salute mundi corpus sanguinem suum sub specie panis vini Propterea dictus est Sacerdos secundum ordinem Melchisedech qui erat Rex Salem Sacerdos Dei summi oblationem fecit Deo ex pane vino Dominus Iesus Christus discipulos suos fecit veros Sacerdotes Dedit eis potestatem conficiendi corpus sanguinem suum sub specie panis vini quando dixit ad eos Luc. 22. hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis tradetur Hoc facite in meam commemorationem Omnem denique potestatem quae ad Sacerdotij officium ad episcopalem dignitatem spectat ab illo acceperunt Eandem autem potestatem singuli successoribus relinquerunt in illis terris in illis Ecclesijs quas eis Dominus conuertendas gubernandas delegauit Et vt nunc de reliquis taceam Beatus Petrus princeps Apostolorum in Romana vrbe presbyteros Episcopos ordinauit omnem potestatem quae ad officia eorum pertinebat eis dedit sicut ipse à Domino Iesu Christo acceperat 4. We haue receued preistly order from the church of Rome and the church of Rome receaued it from the Apostle Peter Peter receaued it from Christ Christ receaued it from God his Father who anointed him with oyle of gladnes that is with the holy ghost aboue his partakers and swore saying vnto him psal 10. thou art a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech Our Lord Iesus Christ was a true preist Hee did inuisibly giue his body and blood when before his disciples at his supper hee blessed breade and wine and made by his admirable power that vnder the species of the same bread wine they should receaue from his hands his body and blood Hee also as hee hath promised is with his church vnto the ende of the world and doth daily inuisibly offer by the hands of the church to Goâ—…â—…he Father for the saluation of the worlde his body and blood vnder the forme of bread and wine Therfore hee is called a preist after the order of Melchisedech who was Kinge of Salem and preist of the high God and made offeringe vnto God of breade and wine Our Lord Iesus Christ made his disciples preistes Hee gaue them power to make his bodie and blood vnder the forme of breade and wine when hee said vnto them Luc. 22. this is my body which shall bee giuen for you doe this in my commemoration Finally they receaued from him all power which beloÌ„geth to the office of preisthood and episcopall dignitie And euery one of them left the same power to their successors in those contries and in those churches which our Lord commended to them to conuert and gouerne And at this time to bee silent of the rest S. Peter cheife of the Apostles in the city of Rome ordeyned preists and deacons and gaue them all power which apperteined to their offices as hee himselfe had receaued from our Lord Iesus Christ 5. And thus from S. Peter deduceth a continuall succession of sacrificinge massinge preists and Bishops in all this West part of the world And amonge others teacheth how particularly this our kingdome of England had our massinge preists and Bishops by that deduction from S. Peter and his successors in the Apostolicke see of Rome Stephanus Eduerists l. de Sacramento Altaris a learned Bishop many hundred yeares since saith sicut Magister docuerat Apostoli se alios communicando consecrationem corporis sanguinis Domini facere caeperunt fieri per vniuersas Ecclesias praedicando instituerunt As Christ theire maister had taught so the Apostles communicatinge themselues and others began to make the consecration of the body and blood of Christ and by preachinge instituted it to bee done through all churches and sheweth how the canon of the Masse was vsed by S. Peter the rest from the beginninge Primo ficbat canonis mysterium Before any thinge was added by the Popes of Rome And Paschasius Rathertus plainely saith it was the common opinion in his time that S. Peter was the Author of the canon of Masse respice in Sacramentorum celebratione instituente beato Petro vt credimus quid orat Sacerdos in canone And then hee addeth particularly that by S. Peters institution the preist praieth vâ—… fiat corpus sanguis dilectissimi filij tui Domini nostri Iesu Christi That it may bee made the body and blood of thy moste beloued sonne our Lord Iesus Christ Paschasius Ratbert l. de corpore sanguine Christi 6. I reade in an auncient Anonymus Manuscript history of this kingdome M. S. hist. incipit in principio creauit Deus cap nomina summorum Pontificum post Passionem Christi anno sequenti beatus Petrus Apostolus tenuit cathedram sacerdotalem in partibus orientis annis quatuor vbi primam Missam celebrauit Deinde venit Antiochiam vbi cathedram adeptus sedit annis septem inde venit Roneam The next yeare after the Passion of Christ S. Peter the Apostle held his preistly chaire in the parts of the east foure yeares where hee first celebrated Masse From thence hee came to Antioch where obteyning the chaire hee sat seuen yeares from thence hee came to Rome The auncient
deceaue vs it so signifieth foure times in that chapter Accordinge to that saying of Christ by English Protestants My flesh is meate in deed and my blood is drinke in deede Ioh. cap. 6. v. 55. And their frēd Frosterus with other Hebritians acknowledgeth that it is taken for flesh euen in sacrifices and citeth Gen. 3. Exod. 18.1 Samuel 14.2 Samuel 9. psal 136. Prouerb 30. and concludeth with Malachias c. 1. v. 6. In which places the word is Lehem the same which in this place of Leuiticus And the cited protestants correctors of Gallatinus bringe Rabbi Dauid Kimhi in Serassim apud protest sup alleaging for this reading of Lehem not onlie this place of Leuiticus but cap. 8. Deuter Numer 28. Ioh. cap. 6. Where they proue this to bee sense of that place and of the Hebrue word signifying there the most holie sacrifice of Catholick Christians 2. They further proue it by the auncient Rabbins R. Simeon others Francisc Stanc sup l. 10. c. 7. in Gallatin That when this sacrifice should bee offered all others were to cease and this to be celebrated in bread and wine and by the great power of words from the mouth of the preist this sacrifice on euery altare shall bee chaunged into the body of the Messias Virtute ingenti verborum Sanctorum quae ab ore Sacerdotum manabit illud omne sacrificium quoad in vnaquaque ara celebrabitur in corpus Messiae conuertetur And this is no more then our English Protestants doe by publicke allowance publish and print both of the doctrine of the primatiue church of Christ and themselues also in this some of them assure vs the holy Fathers taught that breade is made the body of Christ. It is chaunged not in shape but nature Christes body is made of breade and his blood of wine The preist by secret power doth chaunge the visible creatures into the substance of Christs body and blood The bread doth passe into the nature of our Lords body The primatiue church thought the sanctified and consecrated elements to bee the body of Christ. Mason pag. 243. Parkins pag. 153.154 Morton appeale l. 2. c. 6. Sutcliff Subuers pag. 32. Feild pag. 150. 3. And to shew that diuers of the best learned of them for themselues are wholly of this opinion besides diuers cited in other places one of their most iudicious writers writeth with publick priuilege Couel def of Hooker pag. 116.117.276 The omnipotency of God maketh it his bodie And againe To these persons preists God imparteth power ouer his mistical bodie which is the societie of soules and ouer that naturall which is himselfe a worke which antiquitie calleth the making of Christs bodie And confesseth it for a reasonable satisfaction to say it is done by transubstantiation And in an other worke speakinge of this preistlye power hee addeth Couel examin pag. 105 By blessing visible elements it maketh them inuisible grace it hath to dispose of that flesh which was giuen for the life of the world and that blood which was powred out to redeeme soules And yet if wee neither had the auncient Rabbins nor Fathers thus allowed vnto vs by protestants neither the consent of forreine and domesticall protestants in this matter but stand onely vpon the text of holy scripture it selfe in that one chapter of Leuiticus and let it bee graunted that the word Lehem may signifie in that place Breade as probably as flesh or more probably if any man would so desire yet seing wee finde it so often as foure times in one chapter Leuit. cap. 21. per totum The bread of God with an excellency aboue other bread and offered in sacrifice to God by preists that are appointed and commaunded to bee so extraordinarily holy by annointing with oile blessings and sanctifications and to bee so chaste continent and holy as is there commanded knowing it was there but a figuratiue sacrifice a figure of a more excellent to come and preisthood also when we see no such thing either for preistly dignitie or holy sacrifice in the Sacramentary Religion but all reallie and truely verified in the Catholicke Romane Church wee must needes interpret it of the holy preisthood and sacrifice thereof 4. Wee reade in the same booke of Leuiticus often mention of the sacrifice Thodah in one the seuenth chapter v. 11.12.13.14 Leuitic cap. 22. v. 28. there is diuers times sett downe this Sebac Thodah sacrifice Thodah And it is described to bee Caloth Matzoth Our protestants translate it Sacrifice of thāks giuing vnleuened cakes and Caloth Beluloth vnleuened wafers by our protestants translation Who there can it also v. 13.15 Sacrifice of thanksgiuing of peace offerings And againe Sacrifice of peace offerings for thanksgiuing Such was the dignitie of this sacrifice at least in that which it prefigured for of it self but meane as we see that as many learned protestants Theodor Bibliāder Franciscus Stancarus the English Protestant Bishop D. Morton and others assure vs erat apud veteres Hebraeos dogma receptissimum It was a moste commonly receaued opinion amonge the olde Hebrues that at the cominge of the blessed Messias all other legall sacrifices should cease and onely the sacrifice Thodah of thanksgiuing praise confession should bee celebrated and that to bee celebrated with bread wine Theod. Bibliād 2. de Trinit pag. 89. Francis Stancar in emēd lib. Petr. Gallatin l. 10. Morton appeale Hieronym à Sancta fide l. 1. contr Iud. cap. 9. Talmuld apud eund 16. Froster Lexic v. Thoda 5. And to make all sure from exception the Prophet Dauid testifieth as much psal 50. v. 7.8.9.10.11.12.13 For making relatiō in the 49. by the Hebrues 50. psalme how God would reiect the sacrifice of the Iewes and haue a new more pleasinge sacrifice offered vnto him when hee had reiected the former hee addeth for the new that was to continue Sebac Leholim Thodah Sacrifice to God Thodah Where both by the sacrificing Verb Sebac and Thodah to bee offered in sacrifice vnto him he addeth of them that shall offer it and thou shalt glorifie mee as our protestants translate it And wheras in Leuiticus is onely mention made of cakes or wafers in this sacrifice the same Prophet Dauid in the 116. psalme as the Rabbines before maketh also mention of the cup or challice in this sacrifice For saying there psal 116. v. 17. I will sacrifice the sacrifice Thodah Sebac Thodah hee saith also as our Protestants translate v. 12.13 What shall I render vnto the Lord for all his benefites towardes mee I will take the cup of saluation and call vppon the name of the Lord. Where the Hebrue readeth I will lift vp or offer Ese the cup of saluation for that which in the Greeke Latine and Protestant English is I will take the cup or chalice calicem salutaris accipiam of saluation So that if wee will iustifie both readings it is euident that an holy chalice was both to bee offered and receiued in
time ordeyned a new sacrifice and sacrificinge preisthood and reiected those of the lawe of Moyses The gentiles soone after conuerted did confesse it in all places and in this kingdome of Britanie as I shall inuincibly demonstrate herafter The Mahumetans in their Alcaron and other authors giue testimony to this So doe the moste holy and best learned Fathers of the primatiue church Greeke and Latine S. Denis the Areopagite conuerted by S. Paul S. Irenaeus S. Basil S. Iohn Chrisostome Theodoret S. Martial scholler to S. Peter the Apostle S. Ambrose S. Augustine Primasius and longe before these S. Clement Ignatius Anacletus with Pope Alexander liuing in the first hundred yeares others after without number plainlie some of them sayinge that Christ then taught the new sacrifice of the new testament which the church receauing from the Apostles doth offer to God in the whole world And that it is so certaine and vndoubted a truth that Christ did then make his Apostles sacrificing preists that in their iudgement no man had called it into question Quod Dominus potestatem celebrandi conficiendi noui testamenti mysteria Apostolis per haec verba contulerit hoc nemo opinor in dubiū vocat Gregent Archiep. Tephren disput cum Herban Iudeo Iulian. Pomer l. 1. 2. contr Iudaeos Rabbi Samuel Marrochian l. de Aduent Messiae cap. 19.20.21.22.23.24.25.26.27 Hieronym à S. fide l. 1. 2. contr Iud. Paul Burg. cont Iud. Petr. Gallat Francisc Stancar l. 10.11 Thalm. Abraham Mahum Rabb Sam. supr cap. 27. Dionis Areopag Eccles Hierar part 3. c. 3. Irenaeus l. 4. c. 32. cont haer Victor Antiochen in c. 14. Marci Basil de sacrificijs ritu Mis celebr forma Chrisost de sacrificijs Homil. 8. ad cap. 26. Matth. alibi saepe Theodoret. in c. 8. ep ad Hebr. Martial epist ad Burdegal cap. 3. Ambros l. praep ad miss ad cap. 11. epist 1. ad Cor. alibi August l. 17. ciuitat c. 20. quaest 43. l. 1. quaest in Euang. Primas in epist. 1. Corinth c. 11. can 3. Apost Alexand. 1. epist. ad Orthodox 6. And this sacrifice was and is his sacred body and blood vnder the formes of breade and wine so miraculously effected both then and stil by the ministery of consecrated preists by his omnipotent power annexed by promise to this sacred and consecrating words this is my body this is my blood that his holy Apostles were then made such sacrificinge preists and supernaturally enabled to that highest and holiest function Neither can any protestant of England bee of other opinion for except contrary to the iudgement and testimony of all people Iewes Mahumetans Pagans and Christians which acknowledge Iesus Christ to haue beene and ordeined a new sacrifice and preisthood they will cast off all nature and name of Christianitie and goe further then any infidell yet hath done most foolishlie and blasphemously to say there was neuer any such as is called Iesus Christ they must confesse with the rest that hee ordeined these thinges they must say either with Turks and Pagans his institution was not holy herin or with the Iewes that this sacrifice is panis polutus poluted bread and not his body Hieronym à S. fiae l. contr Iud. 2. Iud. in Thalm. alibi his holy preists be tonsi shauelings as some of them prophanely do or acknowledg with true Catholick Christians in all ages times and places that the sacrifice and preisthood he then ordeyned are the most perfect absolute and permanent for euer For so all testimonies and euidences vpon which Christian Religion buildeth the word of God deliuered in holie scriptures or tradition with the warrant and practise of all the holy Apostles and church of Christ haue already or will in this ensuing treatise assure vs. 7. Therefore many of our best learned protestants and with publicke warrant and priuiledge haue graunted before pref cap. 1. that Christ did not onely institute and offer this most holy sacrifice but did giue power vnto his Apostles commaundement also to doe the same That it succeeded to the sacrifices of Moises lawe that is was from the beginning the sacrifice of the altare and vnbloody sacrifice sacrifice offered for the liuing and the deade Morton appeale l. 3. c. 13. Franc. Mason l. 5. pag 233 243. Middlet Papistom pag. 92 113.49.137.138.47.45 And among others to make al sure his maiestie is auouched to be of the same minde Isaac Casaub resp ad Card. Peron pag. 51. that from that time of Christs institution there is in his Church and hath euer beene an externall sacrifice wherin is conteined the body and blood of Christ And a protestant Bishop amonge them speakinge in all their names Morton appeale l. 3. cap. 13. saith The protestants acknowledge in the Eucharist a sacrifice Eucharisticall Which and more they are all bound to doe by an expresse statute of parlament receaued confirmed by three protestant Princes Kinge Edward the sixt Queene Elizabeth and our present soueraigne Kinge Iames wherin is expressely thus enacted Statut. an 1. Edu 6. cap. 1. an 1 Elizabeth cap. 2. an 1. Iacobi cap. 25. The most comfortable Sacrament of the body and blood of our Sauiour Iesus Christ commonly called of the altare instituted of no lesse author then our Sauiour both God and man The institution of which Sacrament being ordeyned by Christ as is aforesaid and the words this is my body which is broken for you This is my blood of the new testament which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sinnes spoken of it beeing of eternall infallible and vndoubted truth the most blessed Sacrament c. These bee the wordes of the statute established by his present maiestie in parlament with publicke assent of all English Protestants ministers or others in which statute penalties bee decreed against al gainesayers of this holy sacrifice and prouide an especiall writ against such transgressors statut supr 8. And to make all matters vnquestionable in this point this statute was enacted when there were none but sacrificing preistes in England diuers yeares before the booke of making ministers was inuented Which the wordes of the abridgement of our statuts approued by his maiesty to reiterate them thus doe testifie Abridgm of stat an Dom. 1611. Titul seruice and Sacraments cap. 1 the first makinge of this statute was before the Masse was taken away when the opinion of the reall presence was not remoued from vs. Therefore this statute wholly and without any other exception limitation or restriction beeing publickly made approued reuiued and confirmed by three seuerall publicke parlaments of three Protestant Princes cannot be contradicted by any English Protestant and except contradictions can both bee true which is vnpossible it is not possible but the contents of this statute of Christs institutinge the holy sacrificinge preisthood and sacrifice of Masse at his last supper must needes bee an article of faith and
4. pag. 118. de Sacrosancta Eucharistia Ipsius necessitatem toties inculcauit nisi manducaueritis carnem filij hominis biberetis eius sanguinem non habebitis vitam in vobis â—…anis quem ego dabo caro mea est pro mundi vita Ioh. 6. Luc. 22. postea in vltima caena accepto pane gratias egit fregit dedit eis dicens hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis datur hoc facite in meam commemorationem Panis consecrationem in corpus Christi vini in sanguinem ipse coram Apostolis fecit eandem ipsi quoque vt facerent frangerent darent expressè mandauit Concerninge the holy Eucharist Christ did very often inculcate the necessitie of it except you shall eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood you shall not haue life in you The food which I will giue is my flesh for the life of the world After in his laste supper when he had taken bread he gaue thankes brake and gaue to them saying this is my body which is giuen for you doe this in my commemoration Hee made the consecration of breade into the body of Christ of wine into his blood before the Apostles and expressely commaunded that they also should do the same consecration of bread wine into Christs body and blood 10. And in an other place he teacheth with S. Chrisostome whom he followeth therein and other holy auncient Fathers Marc. Anto. l. 1. cap. 1. pag. 9. Chrisostom hom 17. in epist ad Hebr. That the sacrifice which the Apostles were here commaunded to offer by Christs wordes doe this and which by that power they did offer and which all truely consecrated preists did after offer was the same body blood of Christ which hee himselfe offered the same and no other sacrifice Hoc facite in meam commemorationem Quid ergo nos ait Chrisostomus nonne per singulos dies offerrimus offerrimus quidem Et vna est hostia non multae Quomodo vna est non multae quia semel oblata est in Sancto Sanctorum hoc autem sacrificium exemplar est illius idipsum semper offerrimus Pontifex noster ille qui hostiam mundantem nos obtulit ipsam offerrimus nunc quae tunc oblata quidem consumi non potest And much more to as great effect or greater and yet at his pleasure hee doth maine and make lame the sentences of that holy Author And to auoide the friuolous cauill of some about the wordes in my remembrance or commemoration of mee whereby they would haue it gathered that this is onely a commemoratiue sacrifice or commemoration of that sacrifice this man with all other Protestants Marc. Ant. l. 1. cap. 12. pag· 146 147. Mumer 26.27 and the expresse scriptures are witnes that the preists and sacrifice of the lawe of nature and Moises of Adam Seth Enoch Noe Sem Abraham Isaac Iacob and his twelue sonnes Iob Melchisedech Aaron and all in the lawe were true preists and sacrificers yet they were in all Christian learninge but figures of the truth in the time of the Messias 11. Therefore if this were onely a commemoration it should at leaste by as great reason and authoritie bee also a sacrifice and the parson that celebrateth it a sacrificinge preist both beeing farr more excellent then those preists and sacrifices And the words in remembrance or commemoration are so far from hindering the truth of these preists and sacrifice that they rather giue a second power vertue vnto them euen by these protestants themselues for they haue told vs before that by these wordes doe this Christ gaue power to consecrate the bread and wine into his body and blood and doe what hee did in that sacrifice then addinge after the wordes in remembrance or commemoration he gaue them a second power and commaundement different from the other yet both of them preistly and sacrificall otherwise Christ himselfe should bee said which cannot be that hee did consecrate and offer this remembrance of himselfe and his owne action Therefore the words must needs conteine a double virtuall power and commaund to the Apostles the one part and principall beeing to doe that Christ did expressed plainely in the powerfull wordes doe this the other in remembrance or commemoration conteyned in the same terms Which was by a then publick protestant preachinge minister both preached publickly and with publicke allowance after printed in this maner Edw. Maie serm of the communion of Saints printed by Iohn Dauson an 1621. pag. 6. 12. God hath giuen to preists a power ouer his owne naturall bodie which is himselfe for to them onely was it said doe this in remembrance of mee by which words they haue commission to dispose of that very body which was giuen for the life of the world and of that inualuable blood which was shed to redeeme sinfull soules for which cause the Bishops and presbyters haue as antiquitie can tell beene honored with an honor which no Kinge no Angel had euer giuen him They are the makers of Christs body they doe a worke which none but the holy Ghost besides them euer did And in the margine hee thus citeth Isodor Pelusota l. 2. epist 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such a power the Kings of the earth haue not An other speakinge of the consecratory preistly power by those words of Christ spoken in his parson This is my body This is my blood concludeth Couel def of Hooker pag. 116.117.276 The omnipotency of God maketh it his body And of preists To these parsons God imparteth power ouer that naturall body which is himselfe a worke which antiquitie calleth the making of Christs body And of preistly power By blessing visible elements it maketh them inuisible grace it hath to dispose of that flesh which was giuen for the life of the world and that blood which was powred out to redeeme soules Others say The sacrifice of the altare and vnbloody sacrifice were vsed in the primatiue church The primatiue church did offer sacrifice at the altare for the deade sacrifice for the deade was a tradition of the Apostles and auncient Fathers Aerius was iustly condemned of heresie by the primatiue church for denying sacrifice for the dead Middlet Papistom pag. 51.91.113.49.137.139.47.48 Fâ—…ild l. 3. cap. 29. pag. 138. 13. And to put vs out of doubt that this is or should bee the common doctrine and Religion of all English Protestants their chosen champion with greatest allowance amonge them as hee affirmeth writeth plainely Haec est fides Regis haec est fides Ecclesiae Anglicanae this is the faith of the Kinge this is the faith of the church of England Io. Casaub resp ad Card. Peron pag. 51.52 And their publicke statute of al the Protestant Princes of England saith so and so decreeth to be obserued of all authentically prouinge in protestants Religion that this most holy sacrifice of the altar was instituted by Christ that it is
so reuerent opinion of this most holy sacrifice that hee thought himselfe vnworthie to offer it and therfore as S. Hierome writeth cut off his Thombe but it was miraculously restored and hee vsually offered that holy sacrifice as wee haue testimonies euen of this our owne nation farr beyond exception to omit others S. Bede S. Marianus and Florentius Wigorniensis al which affirme in these same words Marcus discipulus interpres Apostoli Petri mittente Petro porrexit in Aegiptum primus Alexandriae Christum annuntians constituit Ecclesiam postquam constitutis confirmatis Ecclesijs per Lybiam Marmoricam Ammonicam Pentapolim Alexandriam atque Aegiptum vniuersam ad vltimum tentus est à Paganis qui remanserant Alexandriae qui videntes eum die sancto Paschae Missas facientem miserunt funem in collo eius Marke the disciple and Interpreter of Peter beeing sent by Peter went into Egipt and was the first that preached Christ at Alexandria and founded that church and after founding and confirming the churches through Lybia Marmorica Ammonica Pentapolis Alexandria and all Egipt at the last was apprehended by the Pagans which remayned at Alexandria who seeinge him saying Masse on the holy feast of Easter cast a rope about his necke and so put him to death Beda in Martyrolog 7. cal Maij. Marian. Scot. l. 2. aetat 6. pag. 233. in Nerone Florent Wigorn. 19. Thus these three auncient learned English writers with others And this forme of Masse which he vsed deliuered to these churches seemeth by Antonius Sabellicus to haue beene written by him at Aquileia in Italy whether he was first sent by S. Peter before hee went to Alexandria for hee tellinge with the common opinion how hee wrote his ghospell at Rome by the warrant and approbation of S. Peter and his coming to Aquileia saith he wrote there also somethinges hic quoque aliqua scripsisse creditur and most likely his Masse because wee finde no mention of any other his works but his ghospel writtē at Rome and that 20. And to make all sure by our English Protestant antiquaries and other writers who ascribe the greatest credit in these matters to the brittish Authors their Religion and practise before the vniting themselues with the successors of S. Augustine and the Romane church there is yet extant a very old manuscript written by a Brittish Christian before that vnion allmost a thousand yeares since which our protestants intitle prima institutio ecclesiastici seruitij the first institution of the ecclesiasticall seruice M. S. Britan. antiq pr. Stores in exordio prima institutio ecclesiastici seruitij in which manifestly mētion is made that S. Marke the Euangelist did write a forme therof and that very forme of Masse vsed and penned by S. Marke was practised here in Britanie when it was first conuerted in or nere the Apostles time of this I shall speake more at large when I come to S. Peter And this will suffice for S. Marke 21. S. Luke the next of this holy company is moste plaine of them all for holye sacrifice for first hee doth plainelie distinguish the consecrated cup from the other which he calleth by protestants translation the fruite of the vine Luc. cap. 22. ver 18. an exception with vnlearned protestants And then by their owne translation he thus writeth of Christs action herin ver 19. And hee tooke breade and gaue thankes and brake it and gaue vnto them saying this is my body which is giuen for you doe this in remembrance of mee ver 20. likevvise also the cup after supper saying this is the nevv testament in my blood vvhich is shed for you Where as I haue proued before both by protestants and all witnesses our holy sacrifice of Masse is plainely instituted which our protestants proue by one of the most auncient antiquities of our Christian Britans a sermon as Master Foxe saith Act. and monum pag. 1142. sermon translat by Aelfricus so auncient and of so great authoritie in this kingdome that it was vsually reade in the church here in the yeare of Christ 366. aboue two hundred yeares before S. Augustines cominge hither and translated into the Saxon language out of Latine by Kinge Aelfricus in the yeare 996. Which speaketh of Christ in these words Hee blessed breade before his suffering and diuided it to his disciples thus saying eate of this it is my body and doe this in my remembrance Also hee blessed wine in one cup and said drinke yee all of this this is my blood that is shed for manie in forgiuenes of sinnes The Apostles did as Christ commaunded that is they they blessed bread and wine to howsell againe afterward in his remembrance euen so also their successors and all preistes by Christs commaundement doe blesse bread and wine to howsell in his name with the Apostolicke blessinge 22. And againe In the old lawe faithfull men offered to God diuers sacrifices that had foresignification of Christs body which for our sinnes he himselfe to his heauenly Father hath since offered to sacrifice certainly this howsell which wee doe now hallow at Gods altar is a remembrance of Christs body which hee offered for vs and of his blood which hee shed for vs So hee himselfe commaunded doe this in my remembraunce And shewinge how Christ is wholly and truely present in euerie parcell of this blessed sacrifice of Masse it addeth That innocent Lambe which the old Israelites did then kill had signification after ghostlye vnderstandinge of Christs sufferinge who vnguiltie shed his holy blood for our redemption Herof singe Gods seruants at euery Masse Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi miserere nobis That is in our speach Thou Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy vpon vs. 25. Where is plainely proued by these protestants antiquitie that Christ did in those wordes of S. Luke both institute the moste holy sacrifice of Masse for that Euangelist and all preists to offer and that the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world onely Christ Iesus is present there and was publickly prayed vnto as present in our first Britane primatiue church in this kingdome Therefore no Christiā of Britanie can make it a question but S. Luke an holy Euangelist did in this holy mistery as Christ had instituted by his owne ghospell and the other Euangelists and Apostles did preach and practise Which is farther confirmed out of the history of his life wherin we finde that hee erected altars and consecrated sacrificing and massing preists no others known to Christians in that time This will more appeare when I come to S. Paul whos 's both companion and scribe and secretary in some sort hee was and so could not bee of an other opinion or practise in this point then that great Apostle Metaphrast in vit S. Luc. Gul. Eisengren cent 1. part 5. dist 7. Hieron l. de vir illustris in S. Luca. 24. The holy Apostle and
THE SECOND PART OF THE PROTESTANTS PLEA AND PETITION FOR PREISTS AND Papists Beeing an historie of the holy preisthood and sacrifice of the true Church of Christ Inuincibly prouing them to be the present sacrificing preisthood prouing also the sacrifice of the Masse vsed in the Catholike Roman church and that these were promised and foretold by the Prophets instituted by Christ and exercised by all his Apostles Moreouer that they haue euer from the first plantinge of Christianitie in this our Britanye in the dayes of the Apostles in euery age and hundred of yeares beene continued and preserued here All for the most part warranted by the writinges and testimonies of the best learned Protestant Doctors and antiquaries of England and others The preisthood beeing chaunged there is made of necessitie a chaunge also of the lawe Hebr. cap. 7. ver 12. WITH LICENCE Anno 1625. AN ADMONITION OF THE Author to all Readers of this his historie comprehending the Argument and contents thereof KNowinge well by longe and daiely purchased experience the great and greeuous persecutions which formerly haue beene raysed and persecuted in England against consecrated Preists of the Romane Church and professors of that Religion and for nothing more then holy priesthood and the sacred sunctions thereof And yet often hearinge all sorts of people euen persecutors themselues contestinge and cryinge out they would willingly stand to the Iudgement of and bee arbitrated by diuine Authoritie and reuerend antiquitie I an vnworthie member of that holy order a longe student in diuinitie to which these are either parts or haue a subordination for my discharge of dutie to God and his holy Church comfort and strengtheninge those that bee in truth and satisfying or confounding such as bee in error haue taken in hand to write a briefe history of this subiect beginning at the first originall of Christianitie especially in this Kingdome of great Britaine to which onely after my more generall Introduction and preface ended to preuent 〈…〉 both in writer and Readers I will confine my selfe And to winne the loue and likinge of all and auoide the dislike of any I meane to follow that most frendly and to all protestants fauourable maner and methode in writinge insinuated in the Title of this worke alwaies or moste commonly to carry with mee the allowance and warrant of the best learned Doctors and Antiquaries of their Religion And yet for Catholicks I trust none of them shall finde the least occasion of feare that though I shal walke vpon so vnlâ—…uell ground I will betray their moste iust and holy cause but rather adde a greater luster and splendor of glory then bringe any the least diminution of honor vnto it And make this matter so palpably manifest by all Authorities diuine and humane the scriptures both of the old and new testament and all kinde of expositors of them friends or ennemies that they which shall not acknowledge the vndoubted and onely truth of the doctrine of the holy Catholike Church in these misteries must needes bee said wilfully with malice to close their eyes against it And though the lawe of Moises wherein the Prophets liued and God spake by them was but a figure of thinges to come and gaue but a darke shadowe or glimeringe of the gratious brightnes and shininge which our blessed Sauiour the true light of the world reuealed vnto it in the lawe of the ghospell yet I shall in the very beginning as a preface to this holy historie so inuincibly proue by the scripture 〈◊〉 old testament by all original texts hebrue or greeke all Authors the Rabines before Christ the best learned Doctors of the primatiue Church of Christ and protestants themselues that the Messias promised and foretold by the Prophets was to ordeine a new sacrificing priesthood and that blessed sacrifice of his bodie and blood which wee coÌ„monly name the sacrifice of the Masse and this was one of the most apparant distinctiue signes to know him by so that whosoeuer denieth this consequently denieth Christ to bee the true Messias And the more plainely to demonstrate this when I come to the first plantinge of the faith of Christ in this kingdome in the Apostles time I will make manifest by all testimonies and antiquities that Christ our blessed Sauiour and Messias accordingly to the prophesies of him did institute this sacrificing priesthood and both celebrated and ordeined the sacrifice of Masse for his Church for euer That all his Apostles were sacrificing massing preists and offered that blessed sacrifice And that in this kingdome of Britanie in particular as in the whole Christian world besides in euery age and hundred of yeares from the first preachinge and receiuing of Christian Religion here in the Apostles time in the first second third fourthe fift and six hundred yeares of Christ and so longe as the best learned protestants affirme that holy primatiue Church remained vnspotted in the first receiued truthe and integritie thereof The same holy sacrificing priesthood a continual succession of sacrificinge massinge preists and Bishops and sacrifice of Masse euer continued here in the same maner as they are now vsed and obserued in the present Romane Church without any the least essentiall change or difference By reason whereof many cheife Articles in Religion now questioned as the supernaturall change or transubstantiation of bread and wine into the blessed body and blood of Christ there offered a propitiatorie sacrifice for sinne prayer to the blessed Virgin S. Mary other Saints and Angels prayer for the faithfull departed merit of sacrifice and good workes with insufficiencie of sole faith and other principall things which protestants commonly disallow in Catholicke Religion will bee thus proued and deduced in euerie age in this our Britanie euen with the allowance of our best learned protestants and such antiquities as they approue and cannot disallow One most materiall point of the Popes power and spirituall prerogatiue in this nation from the first embracinge of Christian Religion in all ages which I promised in my first parte I vnderstand to bee effectually performed already Therefore I shall sparinglie make mention thereof in this history except in some things and places where it shall bee needfull for the more perfect handlinge of the present subiect of this worke And hereby it will sufficiently appeare vnto all protestants and persecutors of the holy Catholike Romane Church that seeing the controuersie is whether the Catholike or protestant church is the true church of Christ that by no possibilitie the protestant congregation can bee this true and holie church For by their owne Articles of their Religion to which all protestant Bishops and ministers haue sworne and subscribed Articl of Engl. protest Relig articul 19. The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithfull men in which the pure worde of God is preached and the Sacraments bee duly ministred according to Christs ordinance in all those things that are requisite to the same Which bee the
verie wordes of their owne subscribed and sworne Article of Religion Therefore when they require three things to the true Church true and lawfullie consecrated preists and preachers the pure word of God preached and Sacraments duely ministred and all these shall be found in the Roman Church in all ages from the first preaching of Christ and not any one of them in the protestant parlamentary Church of England or any such other but a manifest opposition and persecution of those sacred preachers of the word and ministers of the Sacraments as of the word and Sacraments themselues so preached and ministred none of these can possibly bee the true Church of Christ but a company of professed aduersaries and enemies vnto it and that the onely true Church which they haue so vnchristianly persecuted the Catholike Romā church is that true and most holy church of Christ THE PREFACE PROVING THE CONTENTS OVT OF THE Prophets Wherin sacrificing and Massinge Preisthood Preists and the sacrifice of Masse are proued by learned Protestants and other testimonies from the history of Melchisedech Gen. 14. THE I. CHAPTER SO vndoubted a veritie and necessary a thinge it was for our blessed Sauiour cominge into the worlde to perfect the Lawe of Moyses and euacuate the externall vnperfect preisthood sacrifices and ceremonials thereof and to institute and ordeine a sacrifice and preisthood more perfect and independant to continue for euer as his lawe and Religion is to doe and to geue a most sure and timely warning and notice of this to the world that when God had made the first promise of the Messias vnto Abraham in the 12. and 13. chapter of Genesis in the very next the 14. chapter following hee reuealed by the preisthood and sacrifice of Melchisedech longe before either the lawe preisthood or the sacrifices thereof were deliuered to Moises what the euerduringe preisthood and sacrifice of the Messias and his lawe should bee For so both the Prophet Dauid S. Paule to the Hebrues S. Peter in the canon of the holy Masse being Author therof as shall bee proued hereafter the auncient Rabines before Christ as protestants them selues acknowledge so likewise by their warrant the most auncient and holy Fathers of the Church of Christ doe proue their preisthood and sacrifice of Christ and his sacrificinge preists in the lawe of the Ghospell from the wordes of Moises these be our english protestants trāslation 2. Melchisedech Kinge of Salem brought forth bread and wine and hee was the preist of the most high God The greeke readinge is For hee was the preist of the most high God signifying thereby that hee did the preistly sacrificall office with that breade and wine and although in the hebrue the verbe Hotzi which our protestants translate brought forth ordinarily where it is not otherwise limited and restricted hath that signification yet beeing confined as here it is to the office of a sacrificing preist such as Melchisedech was it must bee appropriated to his office of sacrificinge otherwise the reasō which the scripture maketh because hee was a preist is superfluous And the rather in this case because in the hebrue text this bringinge forth of breade and wine by this extraordinary preist hath relation vnto God and so must needes bee a sacrificall action for the bringinge forth of bread and wine or matter of any sacrifice to God by a preist that is a sacrificer must needes bee a sacrifice The hebrue is thus Melchisedech Kinge of Salem brought forth breade and wine hee beeing a preist to God the most highe The name God here in Hebrue Leeb beeing the datiue case and answeringe the production of the breade and wine and not the word preist for otherwise it would not bee true constructiō in that language the particle le there seruinge to the datiue and not genitiue case And therfore as Franciscus Stancarus that great protestant professor of hebrue and others tell vs Rabbi Samuel vppon this place of Genesis doth thus expound it actus Sacerdotij tradidit erat enim ipse sacrificans panem vinum Deo sancto benedicto Hee deliuered the acts of preisthood for hee was sacrificing bread and wine to God holie and blessed Where hee plainely expoundeth it as I did before referring the bringing forth of the bread and wine by Melchisedech the preist to God holy and blessed Which is more plaine by the words immediatlie following in the hebrue veicbarechehu and hee blessed him That is to say hee blessed or praysed God of whome the immediate laste speach was Rabb Samul in cap. 14. Geness Francisc Stancar in l. 10. de art fid Petr. Galat. ibid. c. 6. alij 3. So that a preist that vsed to sacrifice beeing proued by the original text of scripture to haue offered or brought forth bread and wine to God the most high and blessed and praised him must needes bee said as the Rabbine expoundeth it to haue sacrificed bread and wine vnto him So doe the holy fathers panem vinum obtulit Melchisedech offered bread and wine saith S. Cyprian the old Roman Masse and S. Ambrose Quod tibi obtulit summus Sacerdos Melchisedech The high preist Melchisedech offered sacrifice to God S. Hierome saith In Typo Christi panem vinum obtulit mysterium Christianum in Saluatoris corpore sanguine dedicauit In figure of Christ hee offered bread and wine and dedicated the Christian mystery in the body and blood of our Sauiour So S. Augustine S. Leo Arnobius Eucherius Primasius Eusebius Caesariensis Theodoretus and others of the primatiue church both greeke and latine Cyprian epist 63. Miss Rom in can Ambros l. 4. de Sacram. c. 6. l. 5. c. 1. ad cap. 5. ad Hebr. Hierom. epistol 17. ad Marcell c. 2. in quaest in Gen. in psal 75 109. ad cap 26. Math. August in psal 33. de cia◅tat Dei l. 6. c. 22. epist 95. Arnob. Rom. in psal 109 Leo serm 2. anni vers Assumpt Eucherius Lugd. homil 5. de Pasch Primas in c. 5. ad Hebr. Theodoret. quaest 63. in Genes ad psalm 109. Protest Articl of Relig. articul 7. scriptures 4. And except wee will say there was a tradition of so great a mistery and necessarie to saluation which the Religion of our english protestāts denieth or that the Prophet Dauid had some new particular reuelation of this thing which though it should bee gratis spoken by protestants doth inuinciblie confirme what hath bene said of this matter wee must needes graunt that this holy prophet did expound and vnderstand that action of Melchisedech as so many authorities remembred did for hee maketh it a thinge so certaine that hee bringeth in God him selfe testifyinge by oath that it was so Thus by protestantes translation hee speaketh of Christs preisthood and consequently sacrifice from this place The Lord hath sworne and will not repent thou art a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech psal 109. or 110. vers 4. For wee doe
not reade in any other passage of scripture before Dauids time but in that place of Genesis what the order preisthood or sacrifice of Melchisedech was The same is testified by S. Paule the Apostle to the Hebrues Hebr. 5.6 7.17 And all learned texts Hebrue Chaldy Greeke and Latine agree onely the Hebrue maketh it plaine that God had made such a promise to Melchisedech that Christ should bee a preist after his order for euer 5. For where our English protestantes takinge vppon them to translate and followe the Hebrue and as before translate Thou art a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech The Hebrue is Our Lord hath sworne and will according to my word or as I promised to Melchisedech Hal dibrati Malchisedech Where wee cannot without corrupting the Hebrue dibrati takinge the last letter away reade otherwise Therefore seing S. Paul plainely saith that Christ was a preist after the order or maner of Melchisedech 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repeating it in diuers places And the Prophet Dauid saith that God swore it and so promised to Melchisedech wee must needes beleeue that Christs preisthood and sacrifice after this order to continue for euer is vndeniably testified and expressed in that place of Genesis and act of Melchisedech Which to leaue S. Paul vntill I come to the new testament is proued by the greatest protestants that euer were 6. Luther vppon that place alleaged by Dauid in psalm 110. Tom. 8. saith Melchisedech Rex erat Sacerdos obtulit panem vinum pro Patriarcha Abraham eius familia Quid est vero oblatio panis vini pro Abrahamo Hoc exprimit Sacerdotium Christi ab hoc tempore vsque ad finem mundi quo mysterium altaris Sacramentum pretiosi corporis sanguinis sui offert Ecclesia Melchisedech was a Kinge and Preist hee offered bread and wine for Abraham and his family What doth the offeringe of bread and wine for AbrahaÌ„ meane This doth expresse the preisthood of Christ from this time to the end of the world in which the church doth offer the mistical Sacrament of his pretious body and blood Philip Melancthon in concil Theolog. part 2. pag. 373. saith Excipit Melchisedech redeuntem ex praelio Abraham eum ad sacrificium admittit eique benedicit Melchisedech receaueth Abraham returninge from battaile and admitteth him to sacrifice and blesseth him Caluine diuers times confesseth in c. 7. ad Hebr. vers 9. pag. 924. That this was the opinion of the old Fathers and hee plainely saith Veteres Ecclesiae Doctores in hac opinione fuerent vt in oblationem panis vini insisterunt sic autem loquuntur Christus Sacerdos est secundum ordinem Melchisedech atqui panem vinum Melchisedech obtulit ergo panis vini sacrificium Sacerdotio Christi conuenit The auncient Fathers were in this opinion that they insisted in the oblation of bread and wine for so they speake Christ is a preist after the order of Melchisedech but Melchisedech did offer breade and wine therefore the sacrifice of bread and wine agreeth to the preisthood of Christ. 7. The godly and learned man as Master Doctor Sutcliffe calleth Andreas Crastouius the Caluinist l. 5. de Miss papist c. 26. Andr. Crasteuius l. de opific. miss 1. sect 66. saith wee may not reiect the consent and harmony of the auncient Fathers both for their nearenes to the Apostles age and the singular agreemeÌ„t of them al together yet he addeth hic omnium veluti conspiratione oblatio Melchisedechi sacra proponitur vt non tantum Abrahae militibusque sed etiaÌ„ Deo incruentum sacrificium simboliâ—…è oblatum videatur Here as it were with consent of all the holy oblation of Melchisedech is proposed that it was not onely to Abraham and his souldiers but that it seemeth to haue beene an vnbloody sacrifice simbolically offered also to God Theodor BibliaÌ„der a learned protestant l. 2. de Trinit pag. 89. writeth erat apud veteres Hebraeos dogma receptissimum in aduentu Missiae benedicti cessatura esse omnia legalia sacrificia tantumque celebrandum sacrificium Thoda gratiarum actionis laudis confessionis illud peragendum pane vino sicut Melchisedech Rex Salem Sacerdos Dei altissimi temporibus Abrahami panem vinum protulit It was among the old Hebrues a most receaued Maxime that at the coming of the blessed Messias all legall sacrifices should cease and onely the sacrifice Thoda of thankes geuing praise and confession should bee celebrated and that to bee done with bread and wine as Melchisedech King of Salem and preist of God most high in the time of Abraham brought forth breade and wine Thus this learned protestant 8. But where hee saith onely that the Rabbines wrote thus Melchisedech did bringe forth bread and wine that is his glosse for FraÌ„ciscus Stancarus Apud Petr. Gallat l. 10. de arcan The best learned protestant of his time in the Hebrue antiquities doth assure vs from the most auntient Rabbines of which I haue cited Rabbi Samuel before the like or more plaine for the sacrificing of Melchisedechs bread and wine and that onely neuer to cease but to continue in the time of the Messias So haue R. Moses Hadarsan R. Pinhas and R. Ioai as the same protestant with others testifieth So that wee plainely see by all authoritie the holy scriptures the auncient Rabbines and the generall consent of the holy primatiue Fathers of Christs church as they are warranted by the best learned protestants of forrein natioÌ„s whether Lutherans or Caluinists that both Melchisedech the plaine figure of Christ in this did offer sacrifice in bread wine and this kinde of sacrifice though after a more excellent maner as the lawe of the Messias so requireth was to bee offered by him and his holy preists in that lawe Now let vs come to our English protestants to make all sure from any contradiction and learne of them that the best learned of theÌ„ doe so write and all of them ought soe to acknowledge by their owne Religion 9. For euidence whereof it is a common maxime and ground of Religion among them that the scriptures especially as they translate them and logically deduced conclusions from them are the word of God Feild pag. 226. wotton def of Parkins pag. 467. To speake in their wordes all matters concluded logically out of the scriptures ar the word of God aswel as if they were expressely set downe in it word by word And so of necessitie must they all say if they will maintaine any externall shew of Religion for reiecting traditions and the authoritie of the church as they doe and claiminge onely by scriptures in all matters of faith they must needes allowe soe ample authoritie to deductions from scriptures for euident it is and they willingly confesse that all things which they hold euen as matters of faith are not expressely sett downe in scriptures And this is an expresse article of faith
their parlamentary Religion in the time of Queene Elizabeth or sooner For wee are taught by these protestants that in the first parlamēt of that Queene when Catholick Religion was suppressed yet both shee her nobles new Bishops and the rest continued in this opinion that there was an externall sacrifice in the church and the Masse was this externall sacrifice for appointing a kinde of disputation in questions they most disliked in Catholike Religion or wherin they thought themselues to haue most aduantage they set downe but three conclusions The first of a straunge tongue in common prayer the second concerninge ceremonies And the third and laste is thus It cannot bee proued by the worde of God that there is in the Masse offered vp a sacrifice propitiatory for the quicke and the dead ◅h Stow and Howes histor an 1. Elizab. Theater of Brit. an 1. Eliz. Where they do not deny an externall sacrifice in the churche of Christ ◅hether that the Maste is this externall sacrifice but so farre agree with Catholicks but they only deny that by scripture which they onely vnderstand by the worde of God the sacrifice of Masse can bee proued a sacrifice propitiatory for the quick and dead Neuer denying it to bee a commemoratiue and Eucharistical sacrifice or of Religion as his maiesty before calleth it by the mouth of Casaubon Neither doe they absolutly deny it to bee a propitiatory sacrifice for the quicke and dead but that it cannot bee so proued by scripture neuer denying but by traditiō it may so bee proued as some protestants haue confessed before and shal manifestly be proued hereafter by all testimonies 14. And to make euident demonstration by these protestants of England that they all doe or should both allowe an external sacrifice and sacrificing preists and preisthood which they haue so longe and greeuously persecuted there was yet neuer any protestant Prince Kinge or Queene in England but by publick authoritie and lawe of Parlament allowed and receaued the holy sacrifice of Masse consequentlie sacrificinge and massinge preists and preisthood beeing as al learning teacheth indiuisible and vnseparable correlatiues maturally and mutually dependinge one of the other It is euident that Kinge Henry 8. Stat. Hen. 8. testament vlt. Both by Parlament and his laste wil allowed Masse both for the quick and dead King Edward the sixt Theat of great Brit. in Henr. 8. Statut. an 1. Edward 6. cap. 1. Enacted a a particular statute thereof confirming the doctrine of reall presence and it was in force al his life was repealed by Queene Mary in respect it did allow to communicants to receaue in both kindes Stat. an 1. Mar. parlam 1. sess 2. cap. 2. Queene Elizabeth in her first parlament reuiued this statute againe and it continued in force all her life Parlam an 1. Elizab. And his maiestie that now is in his first parlament receaued and confirmed this very statute of the holy sacrifice of Masse the reall presence and is still in force neuer by him repealed Parlament an 1. Iacobi cap. 5. The statute it selfe is so cleare in this point as it cannot bee contradicted And besides this the iniunctions of Kinge Edward the sixt the best interpretors of his lawe doe so assure vs where in the 3.21.22 Iniunction of his time wee finde then by his Regall Authoritie Masse high Masse altare high altare lights vppon the altare before the Sacrament Christs reall presence therein and transubstantiation vsed commonly in England after this statute was enacted Iniunct of Kinge Edw. 6. iniunct 1.21.22 And both for the time of Queene Elizabeth as also his maiestie that now is receauinge that statute 15. The publicke collection of our statutes Collectiō of Engl statutes an D. 1611. Titul seruice and Sacraments cap. 1. Printed cum priuilegio by his maiesties allowance and commonly vsed by our protestant lawyers others hath this note and these words vppon this statute Anno 1. Eduardi sexti cap. 1. This act was repealed by 1. Mar. parl 1. sess 2. cap. 2. and is reuiued by 1. Iacobi cap. 25. But note the time of the first making of this statute which was before that the Masse was taken away when the opinion of the reall presence was not remoued from vs. Whereby it is manifest that both Queene Elizabeth and Kinge Iames reuiuing and giuing full life and validitie to this statute of the doctrine of Masse and reall presence must needes giue the same allowance to those holy doctrines confirmed by that statute and soe ought all English Protestants cōforming themselues in matters of Religion to the lawes and parlaments of Protestant Princes the cheifest rules and squares by them in such proceedings And so neither any Catholicke or Protestant of England except they will bee singular against the lawe of their owne Religion can or may take exception against that is said before or professe himself an aduersary or persecutor of holy consecrated sacrificinge Catholicke preists or sacrifice of holy Masse but rather reuerence embrace them And thus much from the booke of Genesis that the true Messias was to bee a sacrificinge preist according vnto the order of Melchisedech to institute a new sacrificinge preisthood and the externall holy sacrifice of Masse to bee cōtinued in his church for euer The same proued with like allowance and approbation of Protestants out of the booke of Exodus THE II. CHAPTER NOw let vs come to Exodus the next booke of Moyses Where the protestants shall informe vs that both the auncient Rabbines before Christ the Fathers of the primatiue church and the scripture it selfe expounded by the grounds of protestant Religion doe warrant vs not onely that there was an externall sacrifice to bee continued in the time and Religion of Christ but that this sacrifice in particular was the blessed body and blood of Christ vnder the formes of bread and wine as it is offered in the holy Masse by massinge and sacrificinge Catholicke preists wee are told assuredly not onely from Catholicks some of them liuing and writing before these controuersies began and which had beene eye witnesses of theire relation but from protestants also and those Sacramentary Caluinists the greatest enemies to the holy sacrifice of Masse and transsubstantiation that vppon these wordes of Exodus in the 25. chapter where the vulgare latine readeth Et pones super mensam panes propositionis in conspectu m◅o s◅mper and our English Protestants translate and thou shalt set vppon the table shew bread before mee alwaies Petr. Gallatin de Arcan Cathol veritat l. 10. cap. 6 Ioh. Vitus epist Wintonicus l. dure osiomart rion Franciscus Sta◅car in correct Petri Gallatini l. 10. c. 6. Praefat Protestant ad lectorem ante Petr. Gallatin edit Francofurti an 1612. 2. That the auncient Rabbines longe before Christ expounded this place of the holy sacrifice of Christians inferinge also from thence as the text will giue warrant vnto as I shall proue hereafter by protestant Religion that
lex aliud Sacerdotium ergo alia hostia aliud Templum The Prophet doth here clearely signifie as S. Cyrill hath noted that there should bee a translation or chaunge of the lawe and preisthood for pastors preists were not to be any more of the tribe of Leui But if there should bee an other lawe and preisthood therefore also an other sacrifice and Temple must needes bee So other holy and learned Fathers all of them vnitinge to euery true lawe Religion a sacrificinge preisthood and sacrifice amonge whome Theodoret vpon those words of S. Paul by protestants translation saith For the preisthood being changed there is made of necessitie a change also of the lawe lex coniuncta est Sacerdotio necesse est enim vt cessante Sacerdotio idipsum legi quoque accidat The lawe is ioyned to preisthood for of necessitie it is that the preisthood ceasing the same must also chaunce to the law Hebr. cap. 7. v. 12. Theodor in hunc locum This our protestants haue yeelded vnto before Therfore if now contrary to themselues so great reason and authoritie they would take a sacrificinge preisthood and sacrifice from the lawe of Christ they must also take away the lawe of Christ and Christ himselfe except they will leaue him without a lawe 3. Againe in his 66. and laste chapter the same Prophet speakinge of the gentiles to bee conuerted to Christ and his church of them as our protestants expound him by publicke warrant Protest title of the 66. chapter of Isay speaketh thus in the parson of God I will also take of them the gentiles for preists and for Leuites saith the Lord. The learned tongues Hebrue Greeke and Latine reade Lachonim eis Iiereis in Sacerdotes for preists sacrificing preists as they name the preistes of the lawe of Moyses Therefore except wee should deny which wee may not doe there was no sacrificing preisthood or sacrifice in that lawe wee must allow the like though in a more excellent maner to the lawe of Christ This may suffice for this holy Prophet 4. S. Augustine proueth the sacrificinge preisthood of Christians and theire most holy sacrifice out of the books of the Kings of reiecting the sonnes of Hely and the old preisthood and to institute the new Augustin l. 17. ciuitat cap. 5.1 Reg. 2. Quod addit manducare panem that which hee addeth to eate breade doth elegantly expresse that kinde of sacrifice of which our preist himselfe Christ saith Ioh. 6. the bread which I shal giue is my flesh for the life of the world that is the sacrifice not after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchisedech Anastasius proueth the like out of Aggeus the Prophet of the externall glory of the churches of sacrificinge Christians there foretold Others proue the same from other places of the lawe and Prophets Anastas l. cont Iud. Agg. 2. S. Augustine expounding the 33. psalme and there speakinge much of the holy sacrifice which Christ instituted of his blessed body and blood vnder the formes of bread wine and Gods reiecting the sacrifices of the law of Moses writeth how this was figured by Kinge Dauid dissemblinge and concealing himselfe before Kinge Achis in the first booke of the Kinges cap. 21. a figure how Christ did shadow his diuinitie therby the better to alter and change the lawe preisthood and sacrifices of Moises and institute the new 5. This was there forewarned saith this holy Father especially by two thinges in that history First that the scripture saith of Kinge Dauid hee chaunged his countenance before them immutauit os suum coram eis S. Augustine readeth vultum suum The second is as S. Augustine readeth ferebatur manibus suis Hee was borne in his owne hands And so the Greek in al copies plainlie is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 10. as in the former 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 9. Hee chaunged his face or parson Vppon the first hee saith Mutauit vultum suum quia erat ibi sacrificium secundum ordinem Aaron et postea ipse de corpore sanguine suo instituit sacrificium secundum ordinem Melchisedech Mutauit ergo vultum suum in Sacerdotio dimisit gentem Iudaeorum venit ad gentes Hee chaunged his countenance because there was sacrifice accordinge to the order of Aaron And after hee instituted a sacrifice of his body and blood after the order of Melchisedech Therfore he chaunged his countenance in the preisthood forsooke the people of the Iewes and came to the gentiles 6. And againe speakinge how the deniers of this holy sacrifice and Christs reall presēce there as he promised in the 6 chapter of S. Iohn were like to King Achis condemning this for folly in Christ as Achis censured Kinge Dauid for his gestures in concealinge himselfe He addeth conc 1. Erat in illis regnum ignorantiae quasi Rex Achis Id est regnum erroris eis dominabatur Ille autem dicebat nisi quis manducauerit carnem meam biberit sanguinem meum quia mutauerat vultum suum quasi furor iste insania videbatur dare carnem suam manducandam hominibus bibendum sanguinem Ideo quasi insanus putatus est Dauid quando dixit ipse Achis arreptitium hunc mihi adduxistis Nonne videtur insania manducate carnem meam bibite sanguinem meum quicunque non manducauerit carnem meam biberit sanguinem meum non habebit in se vitam quasi insanire videbatur sed Regi Achis insanire videbatur id est stultis ignorantibus There was in them the kingdom of ignorance as Kinge Achis that is the kingdome of error ruled in them For hee said except a man eate my flesh and drinke my blood because he had chaunged his countenance as fury and madnes it was thought to giue his flesh to bee eaten and his blood to bee drunken of men Therefore Dauid was reputed as a madd man when Achis himselfe did say you haue brought this madd man vnto me is it not thought madnes to say eate my flesh and drinke my blood and whosoeuer doth not eate my flesh and drinke my blood shall not haue life in him hee did seeme to bee as madd but hee did seeme to be madd to Kinge Achis that is to say vnto fooles and ignorant men 7. The second which this holy learned Father expoundeth to bee propheticall of this mistery in that place is that which I noted hee was borne in his owne handes of this saith S. Augustine ferebatur in manibus suis Hoc vero fratres quomodo posset fieri in homine quis intelligat Quis enim portatur in manibus suis in manibus aliorum potest portari quis manibus suis nemo portatur Quomodo intelligatur in Dauid secundum litteram non inuenimus in Christo autem inuenimus Ferebatur enim Christus in manibus suis quando commendans ipsum corpus suum ait Hoc est corpus meum
both by Catholicke and Protestant authoritie that both Christ our Sauiour instituted this holy sacrifice and sacrificinge preisthood and his Apostles receauinge them from him did all in generall both exercise and deliuer the same vnto the churches there can bee no Christian desirous to retaine that name that may oppose against the same yet for a further manifestation of these truthes vnto all that will not desperatly dwell in error I will now proue in particular how euery one of the Apostles and Euangelists both beleeued practised and taught these misteries And first to begin with the foure Euangelists and S. Paule who haue committed these Christian holy secrets to holie writinge I will shew how both in these their sacred scriptures they teach and allowe the sacrifice of Masse and a sacrificinge or massinge preisthood by order and sacred office to offer that sacrifice And to put vs out of all doubt or question that this is and was theire meaninge in those holy scriptures I will proue that euery one of them was a true massinge preist and actually did offer and celebrate the most honorable sacrifice of Masse in essential thinges as the holy Catholicke massing preists of the church of Rome now doe and haue euer most religiously done in all ages The same I will likewise proue of all the other Apostles in their order onely I will craue leaue of S. Peter the first and cheifest to remember him laste in this matter for as I haue proued at large in other places as amonge the Apostles hee was the first and allmoste onely Apostle which planted the faith of Christ in these parts of the world So wee in Britanie did first receaue from him our holy massinge and sacrificinge preists and preisthood neuer hitherto altogether discontinued or interrupted but by him and his successors in the Apostolicke sea of Rome first founded and euer after successiuely in all ages preserued in this kingdome as will appeare hereafter 2. Therefore to begin with the Euangelists and S. Paule which speake of these misteries in scripture S. Mathew the Apostle and first in order amonge the Euangelists writeth of Christs deliuery of this sacrifice in these wordes as our English Protestants by his maiesties priuiledge translate them Matth. cap. 26. v. 26.27.28 Iesus tooke breade and blessed it and brake it and gaue it to his disciples and said take eate this is my body And hee tooke the cup and gaue thankes and gaue it to them savinge drinke ye al of it for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sinnes The Greeke text which these men say must bee here preferred is word by word as they translate speakinge of Christs body that it was at that present giuen there and his blood in the present tence shed for remission of sinnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore if Christs oblation and giuing his body and blood vppon the Crosse was a sacrifice as all agree seeing it was so in respect it was there giuen and offered for remission of sinnes here beeing the very same body and blood and giuen for remission of sinnes it must needes bee also a sacrifice and not onely eucharisticall or of thanks giuing but satisfactory for whatsoeuer talâ—…eth away sinnes by its owne vertue as the Euangelist here speaketh of this must needes be such and Christs body and blood beeing of infinite value in themselues and of their own nature can not but be satisfactorie for sinnes whensoeuer howsoeuer by whomsoeuer they are offered or giuen for remission of sinnes though the limited power of preists may bringe some limitation to their satisfaction the ordinance and institution of Christ so disposing in this sacrifice as it is now daily offered by consecrated preists as the common opinion is otherwise a thing of illimited worth should bee of like deseruinge and satisfaction 3. And this is so euident that not onely all learned Fathers and antiquitie do from hence teach that Christ in this place instituted the sacrifice of the new testament as I haue cited diuers before but our greatest enemies and persecutors as namly the present Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury the director of Master Mason and hee also with others Mason praefat lib. 5. cap. 6. pag. 235. Abb. ibidem Magdeburgent in S. Iren. acknowledge particularly naminge S. Irenaeus S. Chrisostome and S. Gregorie from them concluding in these words That Christ did then teach the oblation of the new testament which the church throughout all the world doth when shee saith this is my body And they plainly say Mason and D. Georg. Abbots supr pag. 233. that these wordes of Christ recited before by S. Matthew this is my body which is giuen for you and this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for you doe argue a sacrifice to God And if this was not a sacrifice then by protestant Religion admittinge nothing but scriptures in matters of faith Christ Iesus was not the preist after the order of Melchisedech which was promised for exceptinge this the whole new testament is silent of any preistly act of that order which hee performed in all his life and so that being a distinctiue signe of the true Messias they would depriue all mankinde of Redemption and our moste blessed Sauiour of the title and honour of redeeminge vs. Therfore thus they graunt Abbots and Mason supr pag. 243. Christ hauing offered himself for a soueraigne sacrifice vnto his Father ordeyned that wee should offer a remembraunce thereof vnto God in steade of a sacrifice Which they must needes vnderstand of Christs oblation in this place before his passion for they make this before his commaundement and power giuen to his Apostles of celebrating this mistery by these words as these men translate Luc. cap. 22. ver 19. doe this in remembrance of mee So that Christ ordeyninge that we should do what hee did as the words bee manifest and Christ as they confesse there offered himselfe for a soueraigne sacrifice vnto his Father we must offer Christ in the same maner for a soueraigne sacrifice vnto God 4. And for a cleare demonstration that together with the coÌ„maundement a preistlie sacrificinge power was giuen by those wordes to his holy Apostles and they by them made massing and sacrificing preists to sacrifice as Christ by these protestants and the scripture before did at that time his blessed body and body it is not lawfull or validate in either Religion of Catholicks or Protestants for any Christian man or woman to intermeddle to offer or minister in these things whatsoeuer we shall name them or iudge them to bee but a Catholickly consecrated preist by the one or protestant minister by the other therfore those sacred words do this Matth. cap. 26. v. 20. Marc. cap. 14. v. 17. Luc. c. 22. v. 14. gaue preistly and sacrificing power to his Apostles only present by the Euangelists for if they had beene generally spoken vnto all Christians
all Christians should both haue power were bouÌ„d vnder daÌ„nation to take vpon them to minister in such things for the wordes doe this to whomsoeuer they were spoken conteyne an expresse commaundement to bee performed 5. And to make this matter more euident it is manifest by the protestant parlament statute of Kinge Edward the sixt Queene Elizabeth and King Iames. Statut 1. Edw. 6.1 Eliz. 1. Iacob supr That the Protestants of England neither doe nor by their Religion may make it a matter of commaundement and necessitie for lay parsons to communicate vnder both kindes but doe freely acknowledge that in the first fiue hundred yeares of Christ the Sacrament was ministred vnto and receaued of the laitie sometimes in one somtimes in both kindes and yet the practise of the church was holy in those dayes therfore there neuer was a generall commaundement to al Christians to receaue in both kindes yet S. Paul settinge downe Christs ordinance and institution of this holy sacrifice he said both concerninge his body and blood he gaue this expresse commaundement doe this in remembrance of mee 1. Corinth cap. 11. ver 24.25 And therefore Tatianus Alexandrinus disciple to S. Iustine the martyr in his harmony of the ghospels doth set downe those wordes of Christ to his Apostles Doe this in commemoration of me both after the deliuery of his body and blood vnto them Tatianus Alexand. Harmon Euang. cap. 155. Therfore all they being preists and onely present then must needs bee made preists and sacrificinge preists by those consecratory words of Christ then onely spoken vnto them 6. Which is made moste euident in the case of S. Thomas the Apostle who by opinions Catholicke and Protestant was a preist and as hereafter a sacrificinge massinge preist yet hee was not present when Christ said to the other Apostles in the 20. chapter of S. Iohns ghospell receue yee the holy Ghost whose soeuer sinnes yee remit they are remitted vnto them and whose soeuer sinnes yee retayne they are retayned And as protestants affirme made them preists and they themselues in their booke of pretended consecration only vse these in making ministers for the scripture saith plainly and immediatly in the next words But Thomas one of the twelue called Didimus was not with them when Iesus came ver 24. neither when hee said these words vnto them but when the rest of the Apostles told him they had seene Christ it followeth in the same place by English Protestants reading The other disciples therefore said vnto him wee haue seene the Lord. ver 25. But hee said vnto them except I shall see in his hands the print of the nailes and put my finger into the print of the nailes and thrust my hand into his side I will not beleeue v. 26. These be the very next words of the Euangelist vnto the former and then immediatly followeth how eight dayes after Christ appeared againe S. Thomas beeing present and cured his incredulitie 7. So that it is most plaine and euident that S. Thomas receaued the cheife preistlie power in the last supper of Christ and by those his powerfull wordes when hauing celebrated the high preistly function of sacrificinge after the order of Melchisedech in consecrating and offeringe for our sacrifice his most blessed body and blood vnder the formes of breade and wine and beeinge to leaue this preistly sacrificinge power in his church hee did first communicate and giue it to his Apostles sayinge vnto them as our protestants translate This doe in remembrance of mee Luc. cap. 22. ver 19.1 Cor. 11. ver 24.25 where wee may boldly reade sacrifice this in remembrance of me or in commemoration of me For so both the Hebrue and Greeke and Latine also wil giue allowance as I haue proued before Yet if wee should take them onely for the common action of doinge seâ—…ing in the very common sence of doing it conteyneth both a power commaundement to doe that which Christ there did which by all testimonies before and allowance of protestants themselues was his moste holy offeringe and sacrificinge his sacred body and for sinnes It must needes giue both power and precept to his Apostles to doe the same doe this or this doe otherwise neither the Apostles nor preists truely consecrated after them had done that which Christ did and which he gaue power and commaund vnto them to do but some other thing not commaunded and which they had no authoritie or warrant to doe which is the transgressing vncoÌ„maunded and vnwarranted lamentable condition of all those that deny this holy sacrifice and presume to practise any other thing in place thereof 8. Therefore seeinge no man doth or can pretend but there was onely one true consecrator time place maner and order of consecratinge both S. Thomas and the other Apostles for holy preists it euidentlie followeth they were all consecrated by Christ in the action time place and order as is before remembred and that they were so consecrated sacrificinge massinge preists Which our learned Protestants of England plainely teach vs to bee so The great Archbishop champion for the English Protestants when he so professed him selfe writing with their greatest applause and priuiledge speakinge of the time place and maner when where and how the Apostles were made preists and of theire two spirituall powers iurisdiction and order hee saith of this Marcus Ante. Reipub. Ecclesiast l. 2. cap. 1. num 3. Ordinis ego potestatem intelligo nunc ad conficiendam Eucharistiam sacrificij in cruce per Iesum Christum peracti memoriam celebrandam ad quod Sacerdotium quoddam est necessarium Ad hoc Sacerdotium promoti sunt Apostoli à Christo Domino in vltima caena quando eis dixit hoc facite in meam commemorationem Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. By power of order I now vnderstand power to consecrate the Eucharist and celebrate the memory of the sacrifice which Christ perfected vpon the Crosse to which a certaine preisthood is necessary to this preisthood the Apostles were promoted in the last supper wheÌ„ hee said vnto them do this in my commemoration 9. And againe Marcus Anto. supr l. 2. cap. 4. pag. 19. Quando Eucharistiae conficiendae ipsis dabat potestatem dixit eis hec facite in meam commemorationem nimirum id quod me videtis nunc facere vos facite hoc est sumite panem benedicite frangite porrigite similiter vinum Et conseqnenter Apostoli ex ipso facto Christi instructi certè diuina Christi institutione dabant Eucharistiam When Christ gaue vnto his Apostles power to consecrate the Eucharist he said vnto them doe this in my commemoration That is what you see mee now to do doe you the same that is take bread blesse it breake reach likewise also wine And consequently the Apostles armed by that fact of Christ certainely by the diuine institution of Christ did giue the Eucharist And in an other place Marc. Anton. l. 2. cap.
his body and blood broken and shed for remission of sinnes by the omnipotent words of Christ This is my body this is my blood being of eternall infallible and vndoubted truth so consecrated by truely and duely ordeyned preists vnto the end of the worlde Therefore most euident it is by all kinde of Arguments and testimonies that the holy Apostle and Euangelist S. Matthew as the rest also did and of dutie was bound to offer the most holy sacrifice of Masse And that hee thus did as the rest of the Apostles also did it is manifest by diuers antiquities which wee haue of this holy Apostle 14. First it is commonly agreed vppon both by Catholicke and Protestant writers that hee preached and suffered Martyrdome in Ethiopia hauing first conuerted the Kinge and many others and that of all nations the Christians of Ethiopia were euer most deuout to the holy sacrifice of Masse the protestants themselues ar witnesses and as they haue had that holy sacrifice from their first receauinge the faith of Christ which in all things as transsubstantiation of bread and wine into the bodie and bloody of Christ according to the doctrine of S Matthew before and offeringe of the said blessed body and blood with inuocation of Saints and prayer for the deade so their tradition ascribeth it to S. Matthew the Apostle as ordinarily it is referred vnto him And not onely S. Abdias which liued in that time by his workes vsually receaued Iulius Africanus and others be witnesses that he said Masse and was martyred at the holy altare by Kinge Hirtacus but that vndoubted historie of his life and death which the vniuersall church of Christ followeth approueth and proposeth vnto vs so testifieth Origen in Genes Euseb histor lib. 3. cap. 1. Socrat. lib. 1. c. 15. Doroth. in Synops Magdeburg cent 1. l. 2. col 777.776 Edw. Grimston in Presbyter Iohn Pag. 1088.1089 Missa Aethiopum siue S. Matthaei Apostoli Biblioth SS Patr. Tom. 6. Iudoc Cocc Tom. 2. Sebastian Munster Cosmograph l. 6. cap 57. Abdias Iul Afr. c. l. de vita Apost in S. Math. Metaphrast in S. Matth. Anton. part 1. Petr. anot l. 8. cap. 100. 15. Rege mortuo Hirtacus eius successor Ephigeniam Regiam filiam vellet sibi dari in matrimonium Matthaeum cuius opera illa virginitatem Deo vouerat in Sancto proposito perseuerabat ad altare mysterium celebrantem iussit occidi vndecimo calendas Octobris Vita S. Matth. Apostoli in Breuiario die 21. Septembr Kinge Aeglippus whome S. Matthew had conuerted to the faith being deade Hirtacus his successor desiringe to Mary his daughter Ephigenia sheâ—… by the helpe of S. Matthew hauinge vowed virginitie to God and perseueringe in her holie purpose hee commaunded S. Matthew to bee killed as hee was celebrating Masse at the altare on the eleuenth of the calends of October Which history and relation must needs bee approued by the Protestant church of England keeping his festiuitie with the former histories the church of Rome the auncient Martyrolodges of Rome S. Bede Vsuardus and others vpon the same day Engl. Protest Comm Booke in fest S. Matth. Apostol calend 21. Septembr 11. cal Octobr. Martyr Rom. Bed Vsuard eod die Ado Treuer 16. To which the auncient Manuscript of an author Anonimus published in print all most an hundred yeares since by Fredericus Nausea Bishop of Vienna writtin as hee saith characteribus plusquam vetustis in exceedinge old characters in a most auncient library giueth this ample testimony hauinge before related the history of S. Matthewes preachinge there Cumque omnes respondissent Amen mysteria Domini celebrata fuissent Missam suscepisset omnis Ecclesia retinuit se Sanctus Matthaeus iuxta altare vbi corpus ab eo fuerat Christi confectum vt illic Martyrium expectauit nam expansis manibus orantem spiculator missus ab Hyrtaco à tergo puncti ictu feriens Apostolum Dei Christi Martyrem fecit And when all had answered Amen and the mysteries of our Lord were celebrated and all the Christian assembly had heard Masse S. Matthew kept himselfe still by the altare where the body of Christ was consecrated by him and expected Martyrdome For as hee was praying with his hands stretched forth the executioner beeing sent from Kinge Hyrtacus cominge behinde him thrust the Apostle of God throughe and made him a Martyr of Christ Anonymm antiq l. in vitas miracula passionis Apostolorum in pas S. Matth. Apost cap. 6. 16. And this may fully satisfie for S. Matthew the Apostle that he was a sacrificinge and massinge preist and did both say Masse and ordeyne other holy massing and sacrificinge preists and deliuered a forme of that holy sacrifice to the Christians of Ethiopia I haue bene more large in him because hee was the first amonge the Apostles which in his ghospell wrote of these sacred mysteries and beeinge an Apostle and confirmed in grace neither did nor could in this or any article of Christian Religion beleeue or practise otherwise then Christ commaunded and instituted and the rest of the Apostles and Euangelists did also beleeue teache and exercise as I haue taught in generall of them all Now in particular of euery of them with so much breuitie as I may the difficultie beeinge already cleared vntill I come to S. Peter in whom beeinge besides his primacy amonge the Apostles and in the whole church of Christ our protoparent Pastor and Father in Christ I must spend some longer time in that respect to deduce our holy sacrificinge and massing preisthood from him 17. The next of the Euangelistes and scripture writers which entreateth of this blessed mistery is S. Marke whose words in his ghospell as our protestants translate them concerninge Christs institution of this sacrifice are these Iesus tooke breade and blessed and brake it and gaue to them and said take eate This is my body and hee tooke the cup and when he had giuen thanks hee gaue it to them and they all dranke of it and hee said vnto them this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many Marc. cap. 14 ver 22.23 Where wee see as in S. Matthew before so heare S. Marke doth assure vs that the misteries there celebrated were Christs body and blood shedd for many and so accordinge to that which is already proued in this matter must needes bee an holy sacrifice in the iudgement of this Euangelist and that by his owne continual vse and practise of saying Masse and deliueringe a perfect forme and order thereof vnto the churches where hee preached and liued we haue many testimonies 18. First the very Masse it selfe which hee deliuered to the church of Alexandria and others which hee founded is yet vsed in those parts and knowne to all antiquaries Missa S. Marci seu Ecclesiae Alexandrinae in Biblioth patrum and it doth agree in all matters of substance with the Masse of the Latine church And he himselfe had
Euangelist S. Iohn bringeth Christ speakinge in these wordes as our protestants translate them Ioh. cap. 6 v. 51. I am the liuinge breade which came downe from heauen If any man eate of this breade hee shall liue for euer and the breade that I will giue is my flesh vvhich I vvill giue for the life of the vvorlde The Ievves therefore stroue amonge themselues saying hovv can this man giue vs his flesh to eate Then Iesus said vnto them verelye I say vnto you except yee eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his blood yee haue no life in you Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life and I vvill raise him vp at the last day For my flesh is meate in deede and my blood is drinke in deede Hee that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dvvelleth in mee and I in him As the liuinge Father hath sent mee and I liue by the Father so hee that eateth me euen hee shall liue by mee This is the bread vvhich came dovvne from heauen not as your Fathers did eate Manna and are deade hee that eateth of this breade shall liue for euer 25. These words bee so euident for the reall presence of Christ in the sacrifice of Masse by all testimonies of antiquitie that as I haue shewed before none but incredulous people and like Kinge Achis will denie it And for Britanie the lately cited antiquitie that was publickly reade in our churches here so longe before S. Augustines cominge hither doth with the whole cōsent of our church in or before the yeare of Christ 366. so approue it citing all these words of S. Iohn which I haue related to that purpose the old Britt serm supr apud Foxe pag· 1142. alios and no man can better expound S. Iohn then S. Iohn himselfe who as wee are assured both by Catholicke and Protestant antiquaries and authorities did both say Masse and consecrated sacrificinge and massinge preists to doe the same So wee are taught by Eusebius Emissenus or Faustus Reginensis S. Bede Haymo the author of the scholasticall history Smaragdus Durantes Honorius Vincentius Nicolaus Methonensis and others Euseb Emis seu Faust Regin hom in fest S. Ioan. Bed homil in id dixit Iesus Petro sequere me Haymo Homil. 2. in festo S. Ioan Homil 1. histor scholastic cap. 106. Smarag Abb. in collect in Euangel in fest S. Ioan. Duran l. 7. c. 42. de diu offic Honor. serm in fest S. Ioan. Vincent l. 11. c. 44. Nichol. Methon l. de corp Christi And we haue both Catholick Protestant testimony for this of our own nation a preist of Eaton in his holy trauailes aboue 200. yeares since and a protestant minister thus approuinge and relatinge from them Ad occidentalem partem Ecclesiae quae est in monte Sion est lapis rubens prae altari qui quidem lapis portatus erat de monte Sinay per manus Angelorum ad preces S. Thomae reuertentis ab India super quem celebrabat sanctus Ioannes Euangelista coram beatissima virgine Maria Missam per multos annos post Ascensionem Domini At the West ende of the church which is in mount Sion there is a redd stone standing in steade of an altare the which stone was transported thither from the mount Sinay by the hands of Angels at the prayers of S. Thomas when he returned from India vpon this stone S. Iohn the Euangelist did celebrate and say Masse before the blessed virgin Mary many yeares after the Ascension of our Lord. Gulielm Way Etonensis presbyter l. Itinerar· cap. loca sancta montis Sinay an D. 1420. Hackluyts booke of trauailes in Gul. Way cap. mount Sinay And he was so daily deuoted to this holy sacrifice that as the auncient Anonymus writer of his and the other Apostles liues doth witnes hee celebrated it the very day he died and was buried by the altare Anonimus antiq in vit miracula pass Apostolorum in Ioanne cap. 10. 26. S. Paule the laste of our holy writers of these mysteries saith plainely by our protestants translation 1. Corinth cap. 11.23.24.25 I haue receaued of the Lord that which also I deliuered vnto you that the Lord Iesus the same night in which he was betraied tooke bread and when hee had giuen thankes hee brake it and said Take eate this is my body which is broken for you This doe in remembrance of mee and after the same maner also hee take the cup when he had supped sayinge This cup is the new testament in my blood this doe yee as often as yee drinke it in remembrance of mee Where wee see a double power commaundement also of Christ vnto his Apostles both to consecrate and cōmunicate both his body and blood And yet there is no commaundement in any Religion Catholick or Protestant for any but preists to doe all these thinges and to them onely when they offer the holy sacrifice of Christs body and blood in Masse for if at any other time in sicknes or otherwise they communicate they doe it only as other Catholick lay parsons doe And many cases there bee in the Religion of Protestants in which communicants are not bounde to receaue in both kinds and it is approued and enacted by the publicke statute of all our Protestant Princes that euer were in England Kinge Edward the sixt Queene Elisabeth and our present soueraigne King Iames that euen in the first primatiue and vnspotted times of Christianitie the Christians did very often communicate in one onely kinde Statut. parlament 1. an 1. Eduard 6.1 Elisabeth an 1. Iacob· which could not bee tolerable if the commaundement of Christ had beene generall vnto all to communicate in both as it was to his Apostles and all massinge or sacrificinge preists in them 27. And to make it most euident in all proceedings that the powers commaundements were communicated and giuen to preists onely no parsons whatsoeuer Kinge or Caesar but preists onely and with protestants their ministers which in their Religion cypher the places of preists doe or may intermeddle with any of those powers or commaunds of Christ doe this either in respect of his blessed body or blood or howsoeuer wee will terme those mysteries and yet to them to whome they were committed they are plaine commaundements imparatiue in all lāguages Greeke Latine English 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 facite doe this in the imparatiue and commaundinge moode and maner of speach and so all men of whatsoeuer Religion doe vnderstand them and cannot possibly truely vse them in any other meaninge And after prouinge how the misteries there deliuered are the very body and blood of Christ 1. Corinth cap. 11. ver 27.28.29.30.31 although he had said before that hee had deliuered vnto them that which hee receaued of Christ and entreateth of the same diuers verses before and in 11. or 12. after euen to the end of that chapter yet not hauinge therein set downe the forme
and order fully how this sacrifice was to bee celebrated he concludeth thus in that chapter The rest I vvill set in order vvhen I come 1. Corinth c. 11. v. vlt 34. reseruing it to tradition beeing to longe a worke to bee comprised in an epistle 28. Whereuppon S. Augustine expoundinge those very words caetera cum venero ordinabo The other thinges I will order when I come as hee readeth writeth in these words Augustin epistol 118. ad I anuarium cap. 6. Tom. 2. operum eius vnde intelligi datur quia multum erat vt in epistola totum illum agendi ordinem insinuaret quem vniuersa per orbem seruat Ecclesia ab ipso ordinatum esse quod nulla morum diuersitate variatur Whence wee are giuen to vnderstand that it was to much for him to insinuate in an epistle all that whole order of celebration which the vniuersall church obserueth in all the worlde to bee there ordered of him which is not varied with any diuersitie Where wee see plainlie that by the testimony of S. Paul himselfe warranted with this great authoritie hee deliuered a forme of Masse vnto the church and the church in S. Augustines time still continued it without any diuersitie or difference to bee excepted against 29. And where S. Paul writeth to S. Timothy according to our protestants translation I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giuinge of thankes bee made for all men for Kings and all that bee in authoritie 1. Timoth cap. 2. v. 1.2 it is the common interpretation of the holy Fathers and expositors of scriptures that hee there alludeth to the order vsed in the holy sacrifice of Masse where these things were obserued as appeareth in the moste auncient Masses wee haue extant So S. Remigius S. Augustine S. Bede S. Bruno S. Anselme Haymo Petrus Lombardus and diuers others writinge vppon that place expound them of the holy Masse S. Remigius saith Apostolus dirigens haec verba Timotheo in illo tradidit omnibus Episcopis presbyteris omnique Ecclesiae quando deberent Missarum solemnia celebrare pro omnibus orare The Apostle directinge these wordes to Timothie and in him deliuered to all Bishops and preists and to the whole church when they shoulde celebrate the solemnities of Masse and pray for all Remigius in 1. Timoth cap. 2. Augustin epistol 59. quaest 5. Beda in 1. Timoth. cap. 2. Bruno Haimo Petr. Lombard alij in eund loc 30. And a little after Quam formam vel exemplum omnes Ecclesiae modo retinent nam obsecrationes sunt quicquid praecedit in Missarum solemnijs vbi incipit Sacerdos consecrare mysteria corporis sanguinis Domini Which forme or example all churches doe still retaine for obsecrations are all whatsoeuer it said in the solemnities of the Masse vntill that place where the preist beginneth to cōsecrate the misteries of the body and blood of Christ sayinge Te igitur clementissime Pater Which bee the first words of the canon Orations or prayers are those which the preist vttereth in the consecratiō of the Eucharist euen to the fractiō of the body of our Lord that is when the preist putteth one part of the host into the chalice Postulations are the blessiings which the Bishop saith ouer the people inuocating vpon them the name of God The giuing of thanks are prayers which the preist after the people haue receaued doth render vnto God the Father who hath offered vnto them the mistery of the body and blood of his sonne for theire saluation Which all moste word by worde and in the same sence is deliuered by S. Augustine in his 59. epistle quaestione 5. Tom. 5. where he setteth downe the whole order and maner of the sacrifice of Masse as wee now vse it and expoundeth S. Paules wordes to that purpose as the other holy and learned recited Father likewise doth 31. And to make all sure by our protestants themselues they assure vs that S. Trophimus mentioned by S. Paul was his disciple and left by him at Arles in Fraunce when hee passed from Rome to Spaine althoughe Eisengrenius proueth from the french Annals and diuers antiquities that he was disciple both of S. Peter and S. Paul B. Petri Pauli discipulus Guliel Eiseng centen 1. part 1. dist 3. fol. 53. And was of such fame and renowne as Pope Zosimus 1200. yeares since the Romane Martyrologe Zosimus To. 1. concil Martyrol Roman in S. Trophimo die 29. Decembris the Magdeburgian Protestants with others testifie ex eius praedicationis fonte tota Gallia fidei Rinulos accepit out of the fountaine of his preaching all Fraunce receauing the channels of faith Magd. centur 1. l. 1. in Trophimo yet the auncient Brittish antiquitie suppressed by our protestants of which before and more herafter is a sufficient warrant and witnesse that hee deliuered and obserued in Fraunce a certaine forme and order of the holy sacrifice of Masse and the same was vsed and practised also both at Rome and here in Britanie likewise at that time M. S. Britan. antiq pr. Stores in exordium 32. And the same is as euidently proued from his renowned scholler S. Denis the Areopagite Who in his booke of the ecclesiasticall Hierarchie cap. 5.7 epist ad Demophil setteth downe the whole order of the sacrifice of Masse and how the preist behaued himselfe at the holy altare both before and after consecration how the catechumens energumens and publick penitents were not permitted to bee present but onely to the prayers which were before the oblation of the sacrifice He setteth down how bread and wine was proposed on the altare how blessed consecrated into the body blood of Christ and offered in sacrifice How greate reuerence and prayer was also vsed vnto Christ vnder the externall species O tu diuinum sacratissimumque Sacramentum obducta tibi per signa obscuritatum quasi vela integumenta patefacta perspicuè nobis ostende mentisque nostrae oculos singulari quae obtegi non potest luce comple Hee sheweth how a memory of Saints is there made mystica Sanctorum recitatio fit He teacheth how the preist or Bishop prayed for the dead for remission of their sinnes and to come to glory Precatur oratio illa diuinam clementiam vt cuncta dimittat per infirmitatem humanam admissa peccata defuncto eumque inluce statuat regione viuorū Which is as much as the Romā church now vseth in that holy sacrifice of Masse And hee remembreth how in the ende the preist acknowledgeth the dignitie of that holy sacrifice to bee so great that he was vnworthy to offer it but that Christ did both giue power and commaund to doe it when hee said to his Apostles doe this in commemoration of mee Religiosè simul vt Pontificem decet post sacras diuinorum operum laudes de sacrificio quod ipsius dignitatem superat se purgat dum primò ad cum clamat
it would be more then impietie to thinke hee either neglected the power or brake the commaundement of his Master whome he so much loued and loued him againe for so he should not haue beene so principall a frend and louer of Christ but his professed enemy in continually violatinge his lawe and commaundement And being both brother to S. Iohn and consecrated and ordeyned preist at the same time in the same maner and order as hee was how could S. Iohn be a massinge and sacrificinge preist so vndeniably as is proued of him except S. Iames were also in the same degree 4. Further it is proued that S. Iames liued sometime before his death was martired in Hierusalem where the publick sacrifice of the Christian church at that time was the holy Masse for as Hieremias Patriarke of Constantinople proueth against the Protestants in his censure and others The holy Masse is a sacrifice instituted of Christ. Hierem. in censura Concil 6. Constantinop in memory and commendation of all his mercy and humilitie sustained for our soules Saint Iames the Apostle called our Lords brother first reduced into order that liturgie and sacrifice beeinge so instructed of Christ to doe it in all parts of that holy sacrifice nothing els is handled but an vniuersall order of thinges which our Sauiour vndertooke for our redemption Then this S. Iames also a cheife Apostle of the same Christ consecrated with the same solemnitie the other was and liuinge and dyinge in the same place a great Saint and Martyr as the oother was could not possibly differ from him in this point nor from the rest of the Apostles all of them by all consent before agreeinge in these misteries And it is an historicall approued veritie by all antiquities that these few disciples which this S. Iames conuerted in Spaine and brought with him to Hierusalem were directed and sent thither againe by S. Peter the Apostle that great massinge preist as hereafter and they were such as he that sent them in that respect 5. S. Thomas followeth next in Apostolick order how hee was a sacrificinge and massinge preist I haue shewed before in S. Iohn And this holy Apostle preachinge in India altares and diuers other pregnant arguments of his saying Masse in those parts are found amonge them there Christiani qui Indias frequentarunt quas olim diui Thomae praedicatio peragrauit altaria Christiana cum reliquijs quibusdam Imaginis Virginis in speluncis inuenerunt Florimund Raem de origine Haer. l. 8. cap. 12. And Franciscus Aluares de reb Ind. that liued longe in those parts writeth that their Annals testifie they had a church built in their contry within ten yeares of Christs Ascension which church there still remayneth and beareth the name as euer it did the church of our Lady of Mount Sion and the reason why it is so called is because the stone where of the altar was builded was brought thither from Mount Sion The same is proued by others and protestants themselues further declaringe the maner of their saying Masse still continued with great reuerence and deuotion teachinge how they neuer say Masse without incense and three cleargie men a preist deacon and subdeacon and they deriue their Religion from S. Thomas the Apostle An other an English Protestant minister from experienced trauailers and antiquitie writeth est Capella Indorum there is a Chappell of these Indians conuerted by S. Thomas in Mount Caluary at Hierusalem where onely the pilgrims of India by theire preists singe Masse after their order consecrating and makinge conficientes the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ of bread and wine They behaue themselues with greatest attention reuerence humilitie and deuotion Therfore wee cannot doubt but S. Thomas taught and practised these misteries both there and wheresoeuer hee liued and preached Edw. Grim. booke of estates pag. 1088.1089.201.203 Sebast. Munster l. 6. cap. 57. vide multos apud Gul. Eisengr centen 1. fol. 168. Rich. Hackluits booke of trauailes in mount Sinay Sir Iohn Mandeuil pag. 36. cap. 14. 6. Concerning S. Iames commonly called S. Iames the lesse and brother of our Lord whose place is ordinarily numbred next I haue spoken before how and by Christs appointment as the greeke writers say hee composed a forme of Masse and deliuered it to the churches where hee liued and so must needs bee a professor and practiser of that which he taught to others and consequently consecrated massing and sacrificinge preists to performe the same His Masse approued of in the sixt generall councell held at Constantinople as our protestants allow is stil extant and known to all learned men in all things of substance agreeing with the vsuall present missale of the Roman churche Censura Oriental Hieremias Patriarch Constantinapol ib. cap. 10. Proclus S. Nichol. Methon Bessarion apud Gul. Eisengr cent 1. fol. 186. Concil general 6. can 52. can Apost 3. Missa 5. Iacobi in Biblioth Patr. al. Morton apol part 2. pag. 8. 7. Now followeth S. Philip which followed the same opinion and practise of the holy sacrifice of Masse for wee doe not onlie often reade in generall that hee founded churches and consecrated Bishops preists deacons and other inferior cleargie men which none but they which hold a sacrificinge preisthood and sacrifice of Christs body and blood in holy Masse allowe But S. Simeon Metaphrastes liuinge where S. Philip preached with others testifieth in particular Sacerdotes altaria vbique in illis locis statuit construxit pro sacrificijs illis quae fiebant in daemonum altaribus sacrosancti fecit in eis peragi sacram misterij celebrationem Hee appointed preistes and builded altars euery where in those places and for those sacrifices which were vsed to bee offered vppon the altars of deuils hee caused the holy celebration of the sacred mistery to bee perfected Anonimus supr l. in Pass Apostol in S. Philippo Gul. Eisengr centur 1. fol. 157.158 alibi Simeon Metaph. in S. Philippo Apostolo Sur. die 1. Maij. And the protestant Sebastian Munster with others teacheth how the Abissines testifie from their Apostolick antiquities and constitutions of the Apostles themselues preserued by continuall tradition with them that amonge other misteries of Christian Religion deliuered by them this of the holy sacrifice of Masse and Christs sacred body and blood offered therin was one and that S. Philip the Apostle was principally theire Apostle and preached these things to them Asserunt imprimis Philippum Apostolum apud eos praedicasse Euangelium Sebastian Munst. Cosmograph l. 6. cap. 56. 8. Touchinge S. Bartholomew we read that hee preached in India where that knowne massinge Apostle taught and left that holy sacrifice so that two Apostles if they had not beene confirmed in grace free from error as all agree they were no Christian will thinke they could preache and practise contrary doctrines in so great misteries to and in one people place and time and wee further reade that S. Bartholomew
because according to theire knowne heresie against Christs true humanitie they did reiect the sacrifice of his body and blood in the sacrifice of Masse Theodoret. Dial. 3. Beza Dial. Cyclops Peter Mart. loc 12. Missae Scutlet part 1. Medull patr l. 1. Whitaker contra Camp al. They doe not receaue saith S. Ignatius Eucharist and sacrifice because they doe not confesse the Eucharist to bee the body of our Sauiour Iesus Christ which suffered for our sinnes which his Father by his bountie raised againe apud Theoderet supr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 12. The protestants of Magdeburg cent 2. col 113. cap. 6. acknowledge which no man can deny in epistolis Ignatij vt hodie extant vtrimque legitur sacrificium immolare Missas facere Wee reade both to offer sacrifice and say Masses in the epistles of Ignatius as they are extant at this day And our English Protestants confesse in these termes Sutclisse subu pag. 32. Wee reade in Ignatius this phrase offerre and sacrificium 〈◊〉 to offer and immolate sacrifice And not to insist vpon the words of S. Ignatius Ignatius epistol ad Smirnens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the olde translation turneth â—…ssam facere to say Masse the other Greeke wordes of this holy Saint which the Magdeburgian protestants doe allowe for his Magdeburg supr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do in all lexicons and Greeke Authors properly signifie sacrificinge or offering sacrifice and yet as that holy Father witnesseth this was in his time the act and office of Christian preists And saith this preisthood is the toppe or cheife of all good things amonge men and hee that rageth against it doth not reproach maÌ„ but God and Christ his onely begotten Sonne who by nature is the highest preist of God his Father and hee teacheth how an externall sacrifice offered vppon an externall materiall altar is a proper act of this holy preisthood Ignat. epistol ad Hieron epistol ad Ephes And that this sacrifice in particular is a medicine of immortality a preseruatiue against death and procuringe life in God The bread of God heauenly food which is the flesh of Christ and blood of Christ Ignat. epist ad Trallian ad Ephes ad Roman 13. And if wee attend S. Peter in his iorney from the east to these western parts as Rome from thence to this kingdome of Britanie wee shall still finde antiquities and monuments though so many ar loste that hee still continued his holy function in sayinge Masse and neither there nor here did or could consecrate any but sacrificinge massinge preists This holy Apostle cominge in his iorney to Rome to Pisa a famous citie of Hetruria in Italy vppon the Sea coaste with his disciples we finde auncient euidence that he there said Masse in honor memory of him a church was there builded and after his death dedicated vnto him yearely frequented with great resorte of pilgrims Martin Peres l. de diuinis Apost traditionib part 3. fol. 70. and part of the very altar whereon hee said Masse is there still kept in the sacrarie of that church with an antiquitie in authenticall old characters testifying the truth herof Certa parte altaris vbi celebrauit in sacrario templi maioris venerabiliter recondita vna cum testimonio literis valde authenticis vetustis hinc rei fidem minimè suspectam facientibus Also there is at Naples as both Catholicks and protestants witnes an old church where S. Peter said Masse and the church thereuppon called Ad diui Petri aram At the altar of S. Peter Benedict Fulco l. de locis antiq Neopolitan Lindan Apolog. Iacob Gualter tabula chronographic secult 1. pag. 44. at the entrance of the dore whereof this inscription still remayneth to keepe it in remembrance Siste fidelis Et priusquam templum ingrediaris Petrum sacrificantem venerare O faithfull man stay and before thou enter into the church worship Peter sacrificinge 14. For Rome wee haue still the portable and remoueable altare whereon S. Peter and many of his successors there in persecution said Masse Antiquitat Eccl. Lateran Romae Breuiar Rom. die 9. Nouembr in dedica Basilic Saluatoris wee haue all his successors holy Saints and Martyrs allmost 300. yeares by protestants confession all of them sacrificinge and massing preistes as shall bee manifest in their times and places and the foure first of them S. Linus Cletus Clement and Anacletus consecrated and ordered massing and sacrificing preists by their holy Master and predecessor S. Peter himselfe as both they themselues and other auncient authors testifie We are warranted by our protestants with others before that the forme and order of the sacrifice of Masse which S. Peter composed vsed and deliuered to the church was without any chaunge or alteration continued in that church of Rome these western nations aboue 200. yeares from whence it appeareth consequently plainlie by these protestante writers that this kingdome of Britanie receauing the faith from Rome in the Apostles times and generally in the times of Pope Eleuthenus Victor who both were before S. Zepherine in whose dayes they suppose some addition to haue beene vsed in that Masse inuincibly prouâ—…th that this kingdome with others did not onely admit Masse and massinge preists in the first conuersion thereof but the very vnchaunged and vnaltered Masse of S. Peter himselfe We haue the Catalogues and histories of the successions of Bishops in all renowned churches in this part of the world which receaued theire first Apostles and Bishops from S. Peter that are preserued testifyinge that these their first Apostles Preists and Bishops sent vnto them from S Peter were massinge and sacrificinge preists and Bishops If I could exemply but in halfe the number of them which were so ordered and sent by S. Peter into Italy Spaine Germanie and Fraunce I should make to longe a digression from the question of Britanie which I cheifly handle write a forreine historie and entertaine my reader ouer much in such affaires therefore I will only insist in some few of the cheifest those that came nearest vnto vs and with whom our Britans in al probable iudgement had most intercourse commerce or acquaintance 15. I begin with S. Maximinus and S. Lazarus whom Christ raised to life seeing to the first one of the 72. disciples of Christ S. Peter commended S. Mary Magdalen because some protestants thinke S. Ioseph of Aramathia that buried Christ and liued died and was buried with vs in Britanie came into Fraunce with them Guliel Eisengren centenar 1. part 5. dist 3. fol. 148. Theater of great Britanie l. 6. That the first said Masse we are taught because we read that hee did minister the holy Eucharist to S. Mary MagdaleÌ„ after Masse was ended Quod morienti S. Magdalenae post Missarum solemnia Sacrosanctam Eucharistiam administrasse legimus Anton. Democh. l. 2. de Mass contra Caluin Petrus de
satisfactory for sinnes as S. Alexander by these protestants teacheth they haue often told vs before that it was soe esteemed from the first institution thereof by Christ That which hee saith how it ought to bee solemnized with vnleuened breade was also as the protestants besides the generall practise of the Latine church assure vs the ordinance of Christ himselfe and the lawe it selfe as a Protestant Archbishop with others thus expoūdeth this confirmatory decree of this holy Pope Ioh. Whitguife answ to the admonit sect 1.2 pag. 98. and def of the answ pag 594. Alexander was a good and godly Bishop it is reported in some writers that hee appointed vnleuened breade to bee vsed in the Eucharist because that Christ himselfe vsed the same accordinge to the lawe written Exod. 12. Deuteron 16. The wordes pridie quà m pateretur the day before Christ suffered vnto the words hoc est corpus meum this is my body were not newly added by Pope Alexander but declared by him to bee the institution of Christ himselfe and so of necessitie to bee vsed For these hee testifieth thereof Alexand. 1. epist. 1. ad omnes Orthodox Tom. 2. concil de conse dist 2. nihil in Sac. Ipsa veritas nos instruxit c. Christ Iesus truth it selfe hath instructed vs to offer the chalice and breade in the Sacrament when hee saith Iesus tooke breade and blessed it and gaue to his disciples sayinge Take and eate for this is my body which shall bee giuen for you likewise after hee had supped hee tooke the chalice and gaue to his disciples sayinge Take and drinke you all of it for this is the chalice of my blood which shall bee shed for you for remission of sinnes For offences and sinnes are blotted out with these sacrifices offered vnto our Lord. And therfore his passion is to bee remembred in these by the which wee are redeemed and often to bee recited and these to bee offered vnto our Lord. With such sacrifices our Lord will bee delighted and pacified and forgiue great sinnes For in sacrifices nothinge can bee greater then the body and blood of Christ. Nor any oblation better then this but this excelleth all Which is to be offered to our Lord with a pure conscience and to bee receaued with a pure minde and to bee reuerenced of all men And as it is better then all others so it ought more to bee worshipped and reuerenced Quae pura conscientia Domino offerenda est Pura mente sumenda atque ab omnibus veneranda Et sicut potior est cateris ita potius excoli venerari debet 8. This was the opinion of this holy Pope and all good Christians vnder his charge in that prime age of Christianitie and hereby wee perfectly knowe that S. Alexander did not add any new thinge to the holy sacrifice of Masse but only proposed the ordinance and institution of Christ himselfe to bee followed and obserued as is euident in that I haue cited from him wherby it appeareth that what he wrote in that matter ipsa veritas nos instruxit that Christ the infallible truth did teache and so instruct and institute as euidently is proued by comparinge those wordes which these protestants say S. Alexander added in the Masse to the institution of Christ as it is deliuered in holy scriptures by the Euangelists and S. Paule The words supposed to bee added bee these Qui pridie quà m pateretur who Christ the day before his passion tooke breade into his holy and venerable hands and lifting vp his eyes towards heauen to thee God his Father omnipotent giuinge thanks vnto thee blessed it brake and gaue to his disciples saying take and eate you all of this For this is my body All vnto the last wordes for this is my body They say were S. Alexanders addition But S. Paul as hee is translated by our protestants hath the same from Christs institution in this maner 1. Corinth cap. 11. vers 23.24.25.26 I haue receaued of the Lord that which also I deliuered vnto you that the Lord Iesus the same night in which he was betraied tooke bread and when hee had giuen thankes hee brake it and saide take eate this is my body which is broken for you doe this in remembrance of mee After the same maner also hee tooke the cup when hee had supped sayinge this cup is the new testament in my blood this doe yee as oft as yee drinke it in remembrance of mee For as often as yee eate this bread and drinke this cup yee doe shew the Lords death till hee come Wherfore vvhosoeuer shall eate this bread and drinke this cup of the Lord vnvvorthily shall be guilty of the bodie and blood of the Lord. The like haue the Euangelists S. Matthew Marke and Luke from the wordes and institution of Christ himselfe Matth. cap. 26. Marc. cap. 14. Luc. cap. 22. 9. And it plainely appeareth by that is said that without these wordes or their equiualent it is vnpossible to obserue the institution and commaundement of Christ in this behalfe And therfore our most learned holy and auncient contriman S. Albinus or Alcuinus Remigius Antisiodorensis and others after them confidently and truely say Albin Flac. Alcuin l. de diuin officijs cap. de celebratione Missa Remigius Antissiodor in exposit Missae Hoc quod sequitur qui pridie quam pateretur vsque in memoriam facietis Apostoli c. This which followeth who the day before hee suffered vnto those wordes you shall doe it in my commemoration the Apostles had in vse after the ascension of our Lord. Therefore that the church might celebrate a continuall memory of her redeemer our Lord deliuered it to his Apostles and the Apostles generally to the whole church in these words without which no tonge no Region no citie that is no part of the church can consecrate this Sacrament Which the Apostle doth make manifest sayinge for I haue receaued of our Lord which I haue also deliuered vnto you that our Lord Iesus the night when he was betrayed tooke breade and the rest Therfore by the power and wordes of Christ this breade and this chalice was consecrated from the beginninge is euer consecrated and shall be consecrated For he speakinge his words by his preists doth by his heauenly blessing make his holy body and blood 10. S. Ambrose relateth this in the same maner in these wordes Ambros l. 4. de Sacramentis cap. 5. vis scire quia verbis caelestibus consecratur c. Wilt thou knowe that consecration is done by heauenly wordes receaue what the wordes bee The preist doth say make vnto vs saith he this oblation ratified reasonable acceptable which is the figure of the body and blood of our Lord Iesus Christ Who the day before hee suffered did take breade in his holy hands and looked to heauen to thee ô holy Father omnipotent euerlastinge God giuing thanks blessed it brake it and beeinge broken gaue to his disciples sayinge take and
the Eucharist then vpon the Crosse the reasons ar many and manifest His oblation vpon the Crosse did not fall vppon the fourteenth day neither at eueninge as the commaundement of this was Exod. 12. Num. 9. but vpon the fifteenth day at none time and not the eueninge Neither was Christ crucified in memory of any passouer or deliuery neither crucified so to bee eaten neither did or might any eate or drinke his body or blood so sacrificed Neither was hee so sacrificed in any house as the commaundement was or in Hierusalem but without the towne in the open feild And not onely the baptized and cleane but all others ought to eate and receaue by faith Christ sacrificed vppon the Crosse which was forbidden in the Paschall Lambe and that which was figured in it as an euerlasting memoriall Exod. 12. v. 14. Leuit. 23. Num. 28. Exod. c. 12. v. 45.46.47.48 Num. c. 9.22 7. And this sacrifice of the Lambe was instituted before Aarons preisthood as that of Melchisedech was and so as Philo writeth l. 1. de vita Moisis The old custome therein continued that the cheife of families should exercise the preistly function and so that sacrifice of the Lambe as wel as that of Melchisedech figures of our most holy sacrifice and Sacrament were eaten and receaued by all whereas the sacrifices of Moises Law offered by the preistes of Aarons order were onely receaued by the preists those of the tribe of Leui. 1. Corinth 9.13 Deuter. 18.1 Num. 10.9 18.20 And of all men our protestantes that would haue the Eucharist celebrated only with a communion for others besides the preist to receaue and communicate should bee of this opinion if they would speake consequently as learned and truely religious men must doe and except they can proue a bit of Bakers breade to bee a more excellent and honorable signe and more perfectly to figure and represent the oblation and death of Christ then an Innocent Lambe so ceremoniously and religiously sacrificed and receiued as that was and say with the blasphemous Iewes that the lawe of Christ is not more perfect then the lawe of Moises and still offer vp a Paschall Lambe they must needes acknowledge that wee Christians haue a farre more excellent sacrifice figured by that Lambe then Caluins communion is And this is plainely proued by our blessed Sauiour himselfe who so soone as hee had celebrated the sacrifice of the Paschall Lambe and imposed an end vnto those sacrifices of the law there presently at the same time and in the same sacrificing wordes wherewith bee ended that which was to cease hee founded and instituted the most holy sacrifice of the law of the ghospell to continue for euer and neuer to bee altered or taken away Matth. c. 26. v. 18. Luc. c. 22. v. 19. And the Hebrue worde Gasha in which language Christ spake at that time is an vsuall sacrificinge word in holy scriptures and must needes bee the same wherwith hee spake in S. Luke and S. Paul thus repeateth Doe this in my commemoration 1. Corinth cap. 11. v. 25. For although wee haue not any Hebrue text of those places yet that sacrificinge Hebrue word beeing the Hebrue to that Greeke and Latine which wee haue seing Christ spake in Hebrue wee must needes affirme they were both alike and is a sacrificinge word so vsed seuen or eight times in one the 29. chapter of Exodus and so many other scriptures as I haue here quoted as likewise the greeke which wee haue and protestants should as they protest to doe follow in the new testament Leuit. c. 16. v. 9. Exod. c. 10. v. 25. Numer c. 6. v. 10.11 Leuit. c. 9. v. 7. c. 16.22 Leuit. 14. v. 18.19.29.30.31 cap. 15. v. 14.15.29.30 c. 16. v. 9.24 c. 17.9 c. 22. v. 23.24 c. 23. v. 11.12.18.19 Numer c. 6. v. 10.11.16.17 c. 8. v. 12. cap. 9. v. 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.10.11.12.13.14 cap. 15. v. 3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.13.14.15.24 cap. 15. v. 29.30 Fr. Mas l. 5. cap. 6. pag. 235.243 9. And our protestants of England freelie acknowledge that both the primatiue Fathers and councels doe so testifie The present protestant Archbishop of Canterbury director to Master Mason together with his directed scribe confesse This is the iudgement of the Fathers Irenaeus saith that Christ did then teach the oblation of the new testament which the church throughout all the world doth vse Chrisostom saith the wordes of the Lord giue strength to the sacrifice vntill the end of the world So they and others write of S. Cyprian S. Ambrose S. Augustine S. Cyrill S. Leo Fulgentius and others Park problom pag. 153.154 Morton appeall 2. cap. 6. Mason l. 5. pag. 243. And for councels say The Nicen first councell in that Canon which Caluine and all others receaue saith plainely that the Lambe of God offered vnbloodely is laide vppon the holy table And for their owne opinion are forced to confesse that Christ did in that place offer his body and blood in sacrifice for beeinge vrged with this Argument Christ said This is my body which is giuē for you or as it is in S. Paul which is broken for you and againe This is my blood of the new testament which is shedd for you is shedd is broken is giuen not to you but to God for you doe not these wordes argue a reall actuall and proper sacrifice They aunswere and graunt in these words They argue a sacrifice to God Prot. Archb. Abb. and Franc. Mason supr l. 5. pag. 233. Therefore of necessitie must also graunt that it is the most holy sacrifice of Christs body and blood figured in that Paschall Lambe as so many authorities haue told vs and except the sacrifice of Christs body and blood be not a propitiatory sacrifice for sinnes which they may not say they must needes confesse that in holy Masse preists doe offer not onely a commemoratiue but a propitiatorie sacrifice The same proued with allowance and consent of Protestants out of the booke of Leuiticus THE III. CHAPTER THe Protestant correctors of Petrus Gallatinus doe assure vs. Franciscus Stancar in l. 10. c. 7. Petr. Gallatin de Arcan Leuit. cap. 21. v. 8. That where our English Protestants trāslate in the 21 chapter of Leuiticus Thou shalt sanctify him therfore for he offereth the breade of thy God They should reade sanctificabis cum quia carnem Dei tui ipse est vel erit sacrificans Thou shalt sanctifie him the preist because hee is or shall bee sacrificinge the flesh of thy God There teaching that the preists of the new law are vnderstood as also their holy sacrifice of Masse wherein they offer the blessed body and blood of Christ our God and therefore great sanctification and sanctitie is required to their callinge And they proue by the Iewes themselues Leuit. c 21. v. 6.8.17.21 That the worde Lehem which our English Protestantes translate bread doth in that place signifie flesh and not bread as it often doth and except those protestants