misticall Table which is the vnbloudie sacrifice Well the reader shall sée the wordes that folow immediately in the same place Thymiama verò purum appellat sacras preces quae post hostiam offeruntur Hic enim suffitus Deum refocillat Non is qui à terrenis radicibus sumitur sed qui a puro corde exhalatur And he calleth the holy prayers that are offered after the sacrifice pure incense For this swéete perfume is a refreshing to God Not that which is taken from the rootes that grow in the earth but that which is breathed out of a pure hart In mine aunswere to the ninth diuision of your former sermon I haue noted out of this same Chrysostome in his .17 Chrysost in Epist ad Heb. ho. 17. Homily vpon the Epistle to the Hebrues that the fathers vsed to cal the sacrament of the bodie of Christ a sacrifice and yet they vnderstood it to be but a remembraunce of that sacrifice that Christ offered on the Crosse once for all Of which sacrifice that same Chrysostome wryteth in this same Homily that you cite vpon the .95 Psalme saying Omnino magnus erat modo carens numerus sacrificiorum in lege quae omnia noua gratia superueniens vno complectitur sacrificio vnam ac veram statuens hostiam The number of sacrifices in the lawe was verie great and without measure which the grace that is come vpon vs doth comprehend all in one sacrifice appoynting but one true sacrifice That this is spoken of that one sacrifice that Christ did offer on the Crosse once for all is plaine by that which doth immediately folowe For he sayth Habemus autem nos in nobis ipsis varias immolationes c. And we also haue in our selues sundrie offerings which do not procéede according to the lawe but are such as be séemeth for the Euangelicall grace Wilt thou knowe these sacrifices which the Church hath when the Euangelicall sacrifice doth without bloud without smoke without Altare and other ceremonies ascende vp vnto God and what the pure and vndefiled sacrifice is Hearken to the holy scripture which doth plainly expounde vnto thée this difference and varietie The first sacrifice therefore is that which I haue spoken of before that spirituall and misticall sacrifice whereof Paule sayth thus Be yée folowers of God as dearely beloued children and walke in loue euen as Christ hath loued vs. c. What sacrifices the church offereth to God And after this he maketh a short rehersall of all those sacrifices that the Church of Christ hath to offer to God and he sayth thus Habes igitur primum sacrificium illud salutare donum secundum Martyrium tertium deprecationis quartum iubilationis quintum iusticiae sextum elemosinae septimum laudis octauum compunctionis nonum humilitatis decimum praedicationis Thou hast therefore the first sacrifice which is that healthfull sacrifice the second martyrdome the thirde of prayer the fourth of reioysing after victorie the fift of righteousnesse the sixt of almose the seuenth of prayse the eight of inward sorrow for sinne the ninth of humilitie the tenth of preaching By this it is manifest that when Chrysostome speaketh of one sacrifice that comprehendeth all the sacrifices of the olde lawe he meaneth that one sacrifice that Christ did offer in his owne person once for all And when he speaketh of those sacrifices that the Church hath to offer to God he meaneth of such as be offered without bloud without smoke without Altare and without other ceremonies He meaneth therefore nothing lesse then to maintaine your massing sacrifice August cont Iudeos The wordes that you cite out of Austen contra Iudaos make nothing for you For he speaketh there of that sacrifice that I haue here declared Chrysostome to speake of As doth right wel appéere by that which foloweth in the same booke For he sayth Accedite ad eum qui ante oculos vestros glorificatur ambulando non laborabitis ibi enim acceditis vbi creditis Come vnto him that is glorified in your presence it shall not be painefull for you to walke for you do come vnto him euen there where ye doe beleue And againe he sayth Come let vs walke in the light of the Lorde because his name is great among the Gentiles And in the place that you say you omit least ye should be tedious c. S. Austen sayth thus Incensum enim quod grece thymiama August con◠aduers legis lib. 11. cap. 20. sicut exposuit Iohannes in Apocalipsi orationes sunt sanctorum c. For the incense which in Gréeke is called Thymiama as saint Iohn doth expound it in his Reuelations are the prayers of the Saintes Least I therefore should be tedious and to curious in so plaine a matter I omitte much that might be brought against your assertion both out of Austen in the places that you haue here cited and other of his workes and also out of the rest of the fathers Ye haue heard the thing proued by the Gospell by the Prophet WATSON Diuision 25. nowe heare the proofe of the figure taken out of the lawe The Psalme sayth Tues sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech Psal 109. Thou art meaning Christ a priest after the order of Melchisedech Melchesedech was a priest of the most highest God as appeareth both by his wordes and factes in that he blessed Abraham and also receyued tythes of him whose oblation was breade and wine which he offered to God meeting with Abraham comming from the spoyle of the kings Gene. 14. As for such fond cauillations as some make for that the booke sayth non obtulit sed protulit I let passe as thinges nothing furthering their purpose nor yet hindring ours This is plaine by saint Paule that euery Bishop and Priest is ordeyned to offer sacrifice Hebr. 8. If Christ our sauiour be a Priest and that after the order of Melchisedech as the Psalme and saint Paule do witnesse Psal 109. then it must nedes folow that Christ had some thing to offer which is nothing but himselfe and to no creature but to God which he was himselfe seing euery sacrifice is that honour that is due only to God And that he offered himselfe after the order of Melchisedech which must be vnder the formes of breade and wine For that was the order and maner of Melchesedech Which kinde of offering he neuer made except it were in his last supper and for that cause and reason we may conclude that Christ in his supper did offer himselfe to his father for vs not by shedding of his bloud by death which was the order and maner of Aarons offering but without shedding of his bloud vnder the fourmes of bread and wine which was the order of Melchisedech And that this is not my priuate collection but the minde of all the auncient fathers I shall with your pacience recite their sentences Cyprian li. 2.
diuision of this sermon And for aunswere to that which you alledge out of saint Austens Confessions Libro Con. 9. Capit. 12. I referre you to that which I haue written for aunswere to the .9 diuision of your former sermon also De Cura pro mortuis cap. 1. In Iob. Tract 84. Euchirid Cap. 109. To the other thrée places that you alledge out of Austen I must aunswere thus It appeareth by these thrée and certaine other places of saint Austens workes that he supposed that praiers made and almose déedes done for such as departed this lyfe in the fayth of Christ and felowship of the members of his body might be propitiatorie for them in such sort as you haue sayde that your Masse is when it is taken for the worke of the priest And that the reason that perswaded him so to thinke was the custome of the Church in his dayes which was to make mention of the dead in their prayers when according to Christes institution they did celebrate the holye Communion of the bodie and bloud of Christ But shall this be a sufficient warrant for vs to thinke and to teache that the Masse which as it is vsed in the Popes church is but an heape of dumble ceremonies is a sacrifice propiciatorie for the sinnes both of the quicke and the dead The same Austen willeth vs not to stand vpon his warrandice but to be sure that we haue the scripture for our discharge For he knewe himselfe to be a man and that as a man he might erre In his thirde booke De trinitate In Prooemio li. 3. de Trinit he sayth thus Noli meis litteris quasi scripturis canonicis enseruire sed in illis quod non credebas cum inueneris incunctanter crede in istis autem quod certum non habebas nisi certum intellexeris noli firmiter retenere Be not bound to my wrytings as to the Canonicall scriptures but when thou shalt finde in them that which thou diddest not beleue before beleue it without any staying or staggering but when thou shalt finde that in my wrytings that thou didst not surely know before do not firmely holde it vnlesse thou mayst vnderstand it Againe in one of those bookes that you alledge he sayth Euchiridio Capit. 4. Quae autem nec corporeo sensu experti sumus nec mente assequi valuimus aut valemus eis sine vlla dubitatione credenda sunt testibus à quibus ea quae diuina vocari iam meruit scriptura confecta est But those thinges which we neither haue proued by bodily sense nor haue béene or are able to attaine vnto by reason must without any doubting be beleued for those witnesses of whom that scripture that is nowe worthily called diuine was perfectly made And in another place he sayth De Peccatorum merit li. 1. Capit. 22. Cedamus igitur consentiamus authoritati scripturae sanctae quae nescit falli nec fallere Let vs therefore giue place and consent to the authoritie of the holy scripture which neyther can be disceyued nor disceyue Ambrose also hath sayd Nos noua omnia quae Christus non docuit iure damnamus quia fidelibus via Christus est Ambros de Virginibus Si igitur Christus non docuit quod docemus etiam nos id detestabile iudicamus We doe worthily condemne al new things which christ hath not taught for to the faythfull Christ is the way If Christ therefore haue not taught that which we teach euen we our selues doe iudge it detestable These sentences and such like whereof there be many in the auncient fathers wrytings do cause me not to consent to that which Austen wryteth in those places that you alledge and certaine other of his workes Although the same be nothing to proue that which you would proue by his authoritie He maketh the oblation whereof he speaketh there of no greater worthinesse then the almose that is giuen to the poore and the prayers made for the dead wherefore he can not meane there of such a sacrifice as you make your Masse when you say it is Christ himselfe There is great oddes betwéene Christ himselfe offering himselfe to his father and a loafe of bread giuen to an hungrie man It is manifest therefore that he vnderstandeth that oblation that he speaketh of to be but a meane to mooue God to applie the merites of his sonne to such as whiles they liued here did by repentaunce and fayth make themselues méete to be partakers of mercie For so he teacheth in plaine wordes in the same place that you cite saying Sed eis haec prosunt que cum viuerent vt haec sibi postea prodessè possent meruerunt But these things are profitable to such persons as whilst they liued here deserued that these things might afterward be profitable to them Yea if all be Austens that goeth in his name there is no propiciation to be had for capitall sinnes after this life His wordes be these Sermone 41. de sanct Non capitalia sed minuta paccata purgantur Not the capitall or damnable sinnes are purged but the small sinnes Such as the Italians call Peccadulians little pretie sinnes Yea and those little sinnes sayth he if the fardell of them be great will weigh you downe and drowne you And to giue men occasion to thinke that he had no great deuotion to this doctrine of helping the soules departed he writeth thus Lucae 16. August in Psalm 48. by the occasion of the historie or parable of the rich man and Lazarus Ventri suo seruiunt homines non spiritibus suorum Ad spiritus mortuorum suorum non peruenit nisi quod secum viui fecerunt Men sayth he meaning such as offer sacrifice for the deade doe not serue the spirites of their friends but their owne bellies To the spirites of their friends departed there commeth nothing more then that which they did whilst they liued here with them Here you may sée how little help you haue by saint Austens words when they be better weighed then you would weigh them whē you did vse them And when his wordes in other partes of his workes be weighed also Yea you may sée by this place of Austen that your purgatory priests which are hyred to sing for soules doe not serue the soules that they sing for but their owne bellies And therefore the cost that is bestowed that way is but cast away The scripture that neyther is deceyued nor doth deceyue hath told vs that we shall all stand before the iudgement seate of Christ 2. Cor. 5. Eccles 14. and receyue according to those works that we haue done in our owne bodies whether the same be good or badde And the scripture hath willed vs to worke righteousnesse before we depart hence for in the graue there can no foode be founde I conclude therefore that though you could spend .22 houres in rehearsing of the places that you could bring in
enimies or the Deuils limmes the persecutours of Christes church let vs not leaue them naked and vnarmed but let vs harnesse and defend them with the protection of Christes bodye and bloud And a little after he sayth Cùm ad hoc fiat Eucharistia vt possit accipientibus esse tutela quos tutos esse contra aduersarium volumus munimento dominicae saturitatis armemus Seing this sacrament is ordeyned for this purpose that it should bee a defence to the receyuers let vs arme them with the shield and harnesse of our Lordes meat whome we would should be safe against their aduersarie This is that foode that maketh a man meete Cyprian li. 4. Epist 6. Cyprian li. 2. Epist 3. and prepareth him to martirdome This bloud of Christ is dronken daylie of vs that we might in his quarel shed our bloud agayne and as he wryteth in an other place howe can we shed oure bloud for Christ that bee ashamed to drinke Christes bloud This bloud being receyued of vs as Chrysostome saith driueth the Deuils away Chrysost in Ioan hom 45. and doth allure the Aungels and the Lorde of Aungels vnto vs for after the meat of oure Lorde receyued he forsaketh vs Chrysost ad Neophytos and flyeth awaye swifter then any winde and dare not approch neare bicause all entraunce for his temptations is shut vp As saint Ambrose wryteth Ambrose in Psalm 118. Ser. 8. Cùm hospitium tuum aduersarius viderit occupatum coelestis fulgore praesentiae intelligis locum tentamentis suis interclusum esse per Christum fugiet ac recedet c. When thy aduersary shall see thy house and lodging of body and soule occupied with the brightnesse of Christs heauenly presence perceyuing euery place to be shut vp from his temptations he will flye and runne away Nazian in Iulianum orat 2. Wherefore as Gregorie Nazianzene wryteth Mensa hac praeparatur contra tribulantes me qua omnem passionum rebellionem scà ◠This table is prepared of God against them that vexe and trouble me by the which I quench and pacifie all rebellion of my naughtie affections Cyrillus li. 4. cap. 17. And as Cyrill sayth Non mortem solum sed etiam morbos omnes depellit sed at saeuientem membrorum legem pietatem coroboat perturbationes animi extinguit nec in quibus sumus peccatis considerat aegrotos curat collisos redintegrat at omninos casu erigit It dryueth away not onely death but also all sicknesse it stilleth and pacifieth the raging lawe of our members it strengthneth deuotion it quencheth the froward affections of the minde and those small sinnes we be in it regardeth not it healeth the sicke it restoreth the brused and from all falling it lyfteth vs vp O what wonderfull effectes be these which by this blessed Sacrament be wrought in the worthy receyuer against the Deuill and his temptations against the fleshe and hir illusions against the vicious affections of oure corrupt minde What conscience had these men our late teachers and pastors destroyers of Christes flocke to rob vs of this treasure which is the cause of so great benefits and in the place of that to plant amongs vs a bare ceremony of bread and wine to put vs in remembraunce of Christ in heauen as they sayde which neyther by their owne nature nor yet by any institution eyther of God or man be able to bring to passe in vs these effectes I haue spoken of What ment they that tooke awaye this armour of Christes fleshe and bloud from vs but to leaue vs naked and vnarmed against the Deuill that he should preuayle against vs in all temptations and that the kingdome of sinne should be erected and the kingdome of grace destroyed and to teach that this blessed Sacrament is nothing else but bread and wine what is it else but to take awaye this armour and harnesse of Christes fleshe and bloud from vs. For bread be it neuer so much appointed to signifie things absent is not able to defend vs from the Deuill After you haue bustled about the effectes of your sacrament CROWLEY gathered out of the newe testament you make no small adoe about one other effect mentioned in the Psalme .22 Parasti in conspectu meo c. Thou hast prepared in my sight c. This effect you say is that this armour and defence c. And when this assertion of yours shall be well weighed you shall be founde to holde that this sacrament is the efficient cause and the effect both And so must it be both before and after it selfe For euery efficient cause must néedes be before the effect that procéedeth from it and euery effect must néedes folow the efficient cause that is the worker of it But let vs sée howe handsomely you applie this péece of this Psalme Saint Hierome sayth that the Prophet meaneth by the table that he speaketh of here the scripture wherein is found meate méete for such as are past their infansie in Christ and néede not any longer to be fed with milke His wordes be these Parasti in conspectu meo mensam c. Vt iam non lacte quasi paruulus alar sed solido cibo id est vt spirituali dente ruminans scripturas sanctas possim peruersis resistere Thou hast prepared a table c. Hieronymus in Psalm 22. That I should not nowe be nourished with milke like a little childe but with sounde meate that is that cudding the holy scriptures with a spirituall tooth I might be able to resist the froward And agayne he sayth Parasti in conspectu meo mensam aduersus eos qui tribulant me Mensa id est scriptura diuina Sicut post laborem in mensa inuenitur consolatio refectio sic sancti per mensam id est per scripturam diuinam habent consolationem refectionem id est spem fidem charitatem Aduersus eos qui tribulant me Persecutores Ecclesiae qui sunt Demones Iudaei haeretici Contra istos omnes in scripturis sacris inuenimus consolationem Thou hast prepared a table in my presence against those that trouble me A table that is the holy scripture Euen as after labour there is found on the table comfort and refection so also the holy men haue by the meanes of the table that is the holy scripture consolation and refection that is to say hope fayth and charitie against those that trouble me The persecutors of the Church which are Deuils Iewes and Heretickes We doe in the holy scriptures finde consolation and comfort against al these Saint Austen sayth thus Parasti in conspectu meo mensam vt iam non lacte alar paruulus August in Psalm 22. sed maiorem cibum sumam firmatus aduersus eos qui tribulant me Thou hast in my presence prepared a table that I should not nowe be nourished with milke as a little childe but that being made strong against them that trouble
Christ is no charmer Not to charme out the substaunce of bread and to charme in the substaunce of Christ vnder the accidents of bread as you teache but that as by naturall order the generation of mankinde is continued according to the first voyce so the inuisible graces that were promised by the death and bloud shedding of our sauiour Christ are by the sacramentall vse of those creatures according to his commaundement continually preached to our senses and by fayth receyued into our soules And where as you say that some of vs haue sayde that euery man and woman may consecrate you must name them that haue so said or cite the words that such haue written else wil men say that you doe belye vs that you might well haue spared the wordes of Arnobius which you do cite affirming that we did neuer read them But whether we haue read the wordes of Arnobius or not it may séeme that you did neuer vnderstand them For if you had you would not haue translated so and then for so and as nor consecrate for conficere But you would haue sayde What is so excellent as to go thorowe with the ministration of Gods sacraments And what is so pernicious as if the same be done by that man that hath taken no degrée of priesthood The purpose of Arnobius in this place is to proue that the presumption to doe contrarie to Gods commaundement The fruites of presumption is it that maketh the actions of men which otherwise are good to be excéeding euill For what sayth he is so holy a thing as to receiue the communion of Christ And what is so wicked as if one that is not baptised receiue the same And what can be more pernicious then that a man that is not called to the office of ministration should take vpon him to minister the sacraments of Christ I thinke you be not able to proue that any of vs hath eyther spoken or written to the contrarie of that which Arnobius teacheth in this place You can not therefore iustly say that we doe erre eyther in the time or person For we holde that when the congregation of Christ assembled togither doe by the mouth of their leafully called minister giue thankes to God for the death and passion of his sonne Christ and according to Christs holye institution take bread and wine to deuide it amongst them in remembraunce of his death and passion then is that consecration that Chrysostome speaketh of wrought by Christ himselfe that first did institute this holy mysterie and willed his Church to vse the same in his remembraunce till his comming againe As touching the holynesse of creatures De Peccatorum merit remis libro 2. Capit. 26. we say as Austen doth in the place that you doe cite Non vnius modi est sāctificatio c. Sanctification is after moe sortes then one For I suppose that such as be yet but learners of christen religion are after a certain peculiar maner sanctified by the signe of Christ the prayer of the laying on of handes And that thing which they doe receyue although it be not the body of Christ yet it is holy more holy then is the meat that we are fed withall bicause it is a sacrament The same Apostle also hath sayde that the verie meates wherewith we are fed for the necessitie of the sustayning of thys lyfe are sanctified by the worde of God and prayer which we vse when we are about to refreshe our bodies Here let the indifferent reader iudge howe faythfully you haue handled this place of Austen First you leaue out the first part of the sentence that might giue light to the vnderstanding of Austens meaning And where Austen sheweth that the thing that the learners of christian religion doe receyue is holy bicause it is a sacrament you passe ouer that A homely shift with other wordes that might sounde somewhat against your purpose and knit vp the matter with these wordes which also is sanctified by the worde and prayer And make your hearers thinke that your maner of dealing holy bread was vsed in saint Austens time you translate this worde Quod. Holy bread Saint Austens meaning is to declare that as there is holynesse in creatures by such meanes as God hath appointed for the sanctifying of his creatures so is not their holynesse alyke but one is more holy then another The learners of Christen religion were holy Degrees of holynesses yet not so holy as were those that being fully instructed were baptised So the bread which they receyued in token of the loue that those which were alreadie baptised did beare towardes them was holy for as saint Austen sayth it was a sacrament that is an holy signe yet was it not so holy as that sacramentall bread which christians did according to Christes institution deuide amongst them And yet it was more holy then the common bread that is made holy when we praye before we take it for the sustinaunce of our bodies The other holynesses also that you speake of we denie not Neyther doe we denie that the sacraments of God be holy Watson ouerthroweth that before he did builde bicause they be instruments c. But here I must note that you doe in this place ouerthrow that which you haue so greatly laboured to builde For you doe here make the sacraments but as instrumentall causes of holynesse where as you haue before stoutly affirmed that they be in déede the efficient causes of wonderfull holy effectes But as one that had ouerslipt himselfe you correct your selfe somewhat subtilly affirming that aboue all the sacrament of the aultar is holy c. Where fearing least you should not commend it ynough August ad Dardanum you fall into that inconuenience that S. Austen did warne Dardanus to shunne Cauendum est enim c. We must take héede that we doe not so affirme the Deuinitie of the manhoode that we take away the truth of the body You saye that the sacrament of the aultar must néedes be holynesse it selfe bicause the Godhead is by vnitie of person annexed to it For say you whatsoeuer thing is in God is God also So that by this doctrine the manhoode of Christ is so confounded with the Godhead that it is cleane consumed and become God contrarie to that which the true Catholike Church doth confesse with Athanasius 1. Timoth. 2. And we haue no man Christ to be our Mediator as saint Paule writeth and so consequently no saluation by Christ This consequent must néedes folow vpon that which you teach in your sermon and can not be auoyded by any figuratiue spéeche or such like cauillations WATSON Diuision 31. The same Chrysostome in his Epistle to Innocentius Byshop of Rome wryteth of the maner of the persecution in his time not vnlyke to this of ours Chrysost Epist ad Innocentium Nam sanctuarium ingressi sunt milites quorum aliquos
represse our naughtie will and affections to mortifie our earthlye members and conuersation And so to banish sinne that it reigne not in our mortall bodies the largenesse of which matter is so great and doth extende it selfe in so many partes causes and circumstances that although the whole matter doe pertayne and haue respect to one ende yet the intreating of it being long must needes be various and for that reason can not be tedious to him that loueth to learne to liue well and please almightie God CROWLEY Satan transforming himselfe into the likenesse of an Angell of light is neuer the later an enimie still according to the true Etymologie of his name Watson counterfeteth S. Paule Euen so you M. Watson can not by counterfeiting S. Paule cause vs to beléeue that you beare lyke good will to vs as he did to the Philippians It is verie true that no matter can be more profitable to be intreated off in these euill days than that which doth teach vs to offer vp our selues to God a liuing holy and acceptable sacrifice to him But if you entreated it no better in your other two Sermons that you speake off than you doe in these you might haue bene much better occupied in entreating of other matter although the same had not béene so various as this and therfore more tedious to the hearers The ende of this my matter is WATSON Diuision 3. to destroye the kingdome of sinne for which purpose Gods sonne was incarnate to bring which thing to passe in vs was all the life the exaÌ„ple the passion the Resurrection of Christ and all the doctrine and sacramentes of Christ Like as contrarie to erect and establish this kingdome of sinne is al the trauaile and temptation of the deuill now fawning lyke a serpent transforming himselfe into an aungell of light to entrappe and seduce the simple and vnware nowe raging like a Lion to ouerthrow the feble and fearefull And not only is it his trauaile but also it is the whole labour and practise of all his children by imitation As Infidels Iewes Heretiks Scismatikes false brethren and counterfet christians both in lyuing and learning labouring night and daye with all witte and will to destroye the fayth of Christ the sacraments of Christ and the sacrifice of Christ as much as in them lieth Which three be speciall meanes to destroye the kingdome of sinne which they with all their power set vp and maintaine It is verie true as you say that the ende of our mortification CROWLEY the incarnation life suffering resurrection doctrine and sacraments of Christ is to destroy the kingdome of sinne Watsons words true in himselfe such other And on the contrary it is all true that you haue written vnderstanding your selfe and other of your sort to be the Heretikes Scismatikes false brethren and counterfet Christians that you speake off The practise of the deuill and his Ministers in thys poynt WATSON Diuision 4. I haue partlye touched and by Gods grace and your pacience shall now procede further I haue opened the decay of fayth good workes and penance which be remedies against sinne One other remedie there is that lieth in much decay which will lye still except good men according to their bounden dueties put to their helping handes I meane the sacrifice of the church the sacrifice of the newe testament the sacrifice of our reconciliation in the bodie and bloude of our Lorde Iesus Christ which he hath instituted in hys last supper and so as Ireneus sayth Noui testamenti nouam docuit oblationem Ireneus li. 4. cap. 32. quam Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens in vniuerso mundo offert deo Christ confessing the cup to be his bloud hath taught the newe sacrifice of the newe testament which sacrifice the Church receyuing of the Apostles doth offer to God throughout the whole worlde CROWLEY You say you haue opened the decaye of faith good workes and penance I haue neyther hearde nor séene in writing what you haue sayd of these decayes But me thinke I maye gesse that you doe account it a decaye of faith when men can not beléeue that whatsoeuer the Pope and his Clearkes shall teach is true of good workes when men waxe werie of giuing their landes and goods to the maintenaunce of Idolatrie Maister Watsons decay of faith good works and penance and false worshipping of God and of penance when men can not be perswaded that their owne works can be any part of satisfaction for their owne sinnes If this be your opening of these decayes then haue you done as well therein as you doe here in the decaye of the fourth remedie which you call the sacrifice of the Church c. For neither may the supper of the Lorde bée properlye called the sacrifice of the Church the sacrifice of the new Testament nor the sacrifice of our reconciliation more than to beléeue all that the Pope shall teach may be called the faith in Christ or to giue lands or goodes to the maintenance of Idolatrie may be called a good worke or the séeking to satisfie for sinnes by our owne workes may be called penance And as for your wordes cited out of Ireneus they are not so many as they should be and therfore I will cite them as Ireneus wrote them although it be something long that the simple Reader be no longer deceyued by your subtile handling of the Fathers writings And first I must tell you that your Printer hath quoted your booke wrong For it is in the .32 Watsons booke wrong quoted Chapter of Ireneus his fourth booke and not in the .35 as your printed copie hath it Thus sayth Ireneus lib. 4. cap. 32. Hij sunt inquit Zacha. cap 8. sermones quos facietis Loquimini veritateÌ„ vnusquisque ad proximum suum iudicium pacificum iudicate in portis vestros vnusquisque malitiam fratris sui non recogitet in corde suo iurationem falsam ne dixeritis Quoniam haec omnia odi dicit Dominus omnipotens Et Dauid autem similiter Quis est Psalm 34. inquit homo qui vult vitam amat dies videre bonos Cohibe linguam tuam à malo labia tua ne loquantur dolum Declina à malo fac bonum inquire pacem sequere eam Ex quibus omnibus manifestum est quia non sacrificia holocaustomata quaerebat ab eis Deus sed fidem obedientiam iusticiam propter illorum salutem Oseae 6. Sicut in Osea Prophetae docens eos Deus suam voluntatem dicebat Misericordiam volo quam sacrificium agnitionem Dei super holocaustomata Math. 9. Sed Dominus noster eadem monebat eos dicens Si enim cognouissetis quid est misericordiam volo quam sacrificium nunquam câ—ndemnaretis immerentes testimonium quidem reddens Prophetis quoniam veritatem predicabant illos autem arguens sua
you selfe M. Watson Coloss 1. He is not ashamed to saye thus grounding his wordes vpon Saint Paule to the Colossians Vbi est secundum Apostolum ministerium quod absconditum fuit a saeculis c. Where is according to the saying of the Apostle the ministerie that hath bene hid since the beginning of generations and is nowe opened to his saintes vnto whome God would make knowne the ryches of the glorie of this sacrament among the Gentiles which sacrament is Christ the hope of glorie Where saint Paule hath sayde Mysterium the misterie or hid secret Cluniacensis sayth Ministerium the ministerie And where Paule sayth Qui est Christus Cluniacensis sayth Quod est Christus which sacrament is Christ For immediatly before he had sayde Sacramentum in place of Mysterium The sacrament in place of the mistery And all this is to make men beléeue that saint Paule wryting to the Colossians had taught them that the sacrament of Christes body is Christ himselfe Much such matter is manifest in your Cluniacensis I estéeme his aucthoritie therefore euen as I estéeme youres And so I doe estéeme those notable wryters which at this daye doe terme our Religion by the name of Mahumets sect For whatsoeuer they or you say or wryte we are well able to proue that we hold the true and catholike fayth which was taught by the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the foundation thereof With the Prophets we beleue the promise of God concerning the sending of his sonne in the similitude of sinfull fleshe that in the fleshe he might satisfie for the sinnes of all his elected and chosen children And with the Apostles we beleue that he is come and hath by one sacrifice once offered satisfied for al their sinnes that be of that number And that there remayneth no more sacrifice for sinne Hebr. 10. And that the Church of Christ is bound continually to offer vnto God a sacrifice of thanks for this so great and frée redemption by the sacrifice of his owne onely begotten sonne And that this sacrifice of thankes is our obedience in walking in those good workes that God hath prepared for vs to walke in This is not to prepare a way for the Turkes to ouerunne all as you say it is But this is to be at defiaunce both with Turke and Pope But for the auoyding of these absurdities WATSON Diuision 11. and for suche causes as I shal God wylling declare hereafter I presuppose this foundation of christes body to be really present in the blessed sacrament to be stedfastly beleeued of vs all vpon the which I builde all that remayneth now to be sayde Which foundation although it hath beene vndermined of many men and many wayes therfore requireth a full and perfite treatise to be made of it alone yet as I intende not to occupie all this time in that so I maye not well so slenderly leaue it that hath bene so much and often assaulted but shall declare the summe of that moueth me to continue still in that truth I was borne in to keepe still that fayth I was baptised in and put on Christ which fayth seing it is vniuersall if I should leaue it I should forsake Christ and be an heretike not folowing that forme of doctrine I receyued of my fathers and they of theirs from the beginning but chosing my selfe a newe waye and newe maysters that please me being so condemned by mine owne conscience and iudgement which is the very propertie and definition of an heretike CROWLEY The obsurdities ye speake of we haue something touched alreadie The other causes that moue you we minde by Gods help to saye somewhat to when you shall declare them But in the meane while let vs sée the summe of that which moueth you to continue still in that fayth you were baptised in c. WATSON Diuision 12. There be three things that holde mee in this faith the manifest and plaine scripture the vniforme aucthorities of holy men and the consent of the vniuersall Church These three be the argumentes that a christen man may stick vnto and neuer be deceaued specially if they be knit and ioyned togither concerning one matter but if they be seperate then some of them be but weake staffes to leane vnto As for example the scripture without the consent of the church is a weapon as meete for an heretike as for a catholike for Arius Nestorius and such other Heretikes did alledge the scripture for their opinions as the catholikes did but their alledging was but the abusing of the letter which is indifferent to good and euill and deprauing of the true sense which is onely knowne by the tradition and consent of the catholike church so that the one without the other is not a direction but a seduction to a simple man bicause the very scripture in deede is not the bare letter as it lyeth to be taken of euery man but the true sense as it is delyuered by the vniuersall consent of christes church Lykewise the writings and sayings of the fathers if they be but the minde of one man without the consent of other were he neuer so well learned and vertuous otherwise yet his wrytings I say in that point be not a confirmation for an ignoraunt man to holde him in the truth but a temptation to seduce him and pull him from the truth The consent of the Church is alwayes a sure staffe the verie piller of truth whether it bee in things expressed in the letter of the scripture or in things deliuered vnto vs by tradition of the Apostles He that holdeth him by this staffe can not fall in faith but stande in truth The thrée staues that you saye you leane vnto CROWLEY are very good stayes such as a man may be bold to trust vnto especially as you haue wel said when they be knit and ioyned togither concerning one matter But if they be seuered then some of them be but weake staues to leane vnto Hitherto you haue said very wel But when amōgst these thrée staues you make the consent of the Church onely to be the sure staffe and the scriptures and sayings of learned and godly fathers without the consent of the Church to be but a seduction or tentation to seduce the simple and ignoraunt man me thinketh you shewe your selfe to beastly blinde Where was this sure staffe of yours when all the Apostles were so farre from the hope of the resurrection of their maister that they could not beleue the report of them that had séene him after he was risen againe Marc. 16. Had this consent of theirs in vnbeliefe bene a sure staye for men to leane vnto And was the prophecie of Dauid at that time a seduction or tentation Psalm 16. Act. 2. to seduce a simple ignoraunt man bicause it was not ioyned with the consent of the Church Did Christ go about to seduce the Iewes when hée bad them search
the scriptures Iohn 5. When all the Apostles had consented that none should go in vnto the heathen to preache the Gospell vnto them Act. 11. and Christ had sayde go and teache all Nations where was then the sure staffe to leane to What staffe was it that the worshipfull of Berrhaea leaned vnto when they had heard Paule preach there Act. 17. Was it the consent of the Church No saint Luke sayth Scrutabantur scripturas They searched the scriptures That was then the sure staffe to leane to Saint Austen woulde haue no credite further then hys wordes might be confirmed De Trinitat libr. 3. by Scripture and sounde reason His wordes are these Noli meis literis quasi scripturis canonicis inseruire sed in illis quod non credebas eum inueneris incunctanter crede in istis autem quod certum non habebas nisi certum intellexeris noli firmiter credere Be thou not bound to my wrytings as to the canonicall scriptures but in the scriptures beléeue without feare whatsoeuer thou shalt finde therein which thou didst not beleue before But in my wrytings doe not firmely beléeue that which thou wast not sure of before vnlesse thou mayst certainly vnderstand it Doe not correct my wrytings by thine owne opinion or contention but by that thou readest in holye Scripture or vnshaken reason c. Contr. Petiliani Epist Cap. 12. Agayne the same Austen sayth Nemo mihi dicat O quid dixit Donatus Aut quid dixit Parmenianus aut Pontius aut quilibet illorum Quia ne Catholicis Episcopis consentiendum est sicubi sorte falluntur vt contra canonicas scripturas aliquid sentiant Let no man say vnto me Oh what hath Donatus saide Or what hath Parmenian sayde Or Pontius Or any of those men For we maye not consent to the Catholike Byshops if they be at any time deceyued so that they holde anye thing contrarie to the canonicall Scriptures Here it is manifest that saint Austen supposed the scriptures to be the sure staffe that we should stay vpon And the consent of the Byshops or other learned men to be but a weake stay and such as no man maye trust to when it is seuered from the other contrarie to the opinion that you holde M. Watson And yet more playnely the same saint Augustine sayth in an other place Cedamus igitur consentiamus autoritati scripturae sanctae Libr. De Peccat merit Remissi Cap. 22. quae nescit falli nec fallere Let vs therfore consent to the aucthority of the holy scripture which can neither be deceiued nor deceiue Gerson also sayth thus Dicto autoris autoritate canonica munito plus quam declarationi Papae credendum est We must giue more credite to the saying of an Author Gerson against maister Watson that is confirmed with the aucthoritie of the canonicall scripture then to the declaration of the Pope himselfe And agayne he sayth In sacris litteris excellenter erudito atque autoritatem catholicam proferenti plus est credendum quam generali concilio More credite is to be giuen to a man that is excellenly learned in the holy scriptures and bringeth forth a catholike aucthoritie then to the generall counsell All this considered I thinke it better to leane to the staffe of the scripture with Austen Gerson and other auncient fathers then with you and such as you are to trust to that broken staffe that maye and often times hath deceyued such as haue stayed themselues thereon I doe reuerence the wrytings and sayings of Fathers Chrysost in Galat. 1. so doe I the consent of the Church but the worde of God aboue both and neither of both without it For as Chrysostome saith Paulus verò etiam Angelis è coelo descendentibus praeponit scripturas idque valde congruenter Siquidem Angeli quamlibit magni tamen serui sunt ac ministri Caeterū omnes scripturae non à seruis sed ab vniuersorum Domino Deo venerūt ad nos Paule doth preferre the scriptures before the Aungels that come downe from heauen and that verie orderly For although the Aungels be great yet are they seruaunts and ministers But all the scriptures are commen vnto vs from him that is Lorde and God of all creatures I allowe therefore all your thrée staues and I lyke them all well so long as they be fast tyed togither But if you doe once pluck them in sunder then I am well pleased that you take to your selfe the two latter and leaue me the first to stay vpon Now concerning this matter of the presence WATSON Diuision 13. I am able by Gods helpe to shewe all these three thinges ioyned and knit togither so that we can not be deceyued in this point except we will deceaue our selues as many wilfully doe The scripture by playne and manifest words against the which hell gates shall neuer preuayle doth testifie and confirme our fayth in many places but specially in the wordes of our sauiour Christ himselfe in his last supper saying to his Disciples Math. 26. Take eate this is my bodye which is giuen for you This is my bloud of the newe Testament which is shed for many and for you in remission of sinnes which most plaine scriptures many haue gone about to delude to reduce them to a base vnderstanding by figuratiue speeches contending these words This is my body This is my bloud to be spoken figuratiuely and not as the words purport bicause other like sayinges in the scripture be taken figuratiuely as these I am the waye I am the dore The stone is Christ and such other wherein they haue declared their deuilishe and detestable sophistrie to their owne damnation and the subuersion of a great many other They professe themselues to be learned men but who heard euer tell of any such kinde of learning as to prooue one singuler by an other as if one should reason thus Thomas is an honest man ergo Iohn is an honest man The Swan is whyte ergo the Crow is white Which arguments be like this I am the waye is a figuratiue speeche ergo likewise This is my body is a figuratiue speech With such fond folies sophismes is the truth assaulted against all good learning and the rules of all true reasoning God open their eyes to see and followe his heauenly wisedome CROWLEY For the matter of the presence of Christ in the sacrament you haue manifest Scripture as you saye thys is my body this is my bloud c. Which Scriptures some haue gone about to delude with fonde follies and sophismes such as it pleaseth your selfe to frame I am sure you did neuer reade in any of their writings that you speake of any argument so framed as you haue set forth in your Sermon We doe know that one méere particuler cannot be proued by another And therfore we vse not to conclude as you would make your Auditorie beléeue that we doe
alledged the wordes of the Ephesian Councell contrarie to the true meaning of the Fathers that were gathered togither in that Counsell And that it helpeth you nothing at all that that Counsell was holden so long agoe This doctrine also was determined in the generall counsell holden at Constantinople in the time of Iustinian the Emperour the yeare of oure Lorde .552 WATSON Diuision 8. Concilium Constanti in Trul. cap. 102. where be written these wordes Omni sensibili creaturae supereminet is qui salutari passione coelestem nactus dignitatem edens bibens Christum ad vitam aeternam perpetuo coniungitur anima corpore diuinae participatione gratia sanctificatur and so forth He farre excelleth euerye sensible creature that by the passion of our sauiour obteyning heauenly dignitie eating and drinking Christ is continually ioyned to eternall lyfe and is sanctified both in soule and body by participacion of the heauenly grace This place is notable declaring the dignitie of him that eateth Christ and the effect of that eating to be euerlasting lyfe and sanctification both of bodie and soule You haue a great grace in setting the visoure of antiquitie CROWLEY vpon matter nothing auncient Watsons grace in the bragge of antiquitie This matter must nedes be bolstred oute with the bigge title of the counsell of Constantinople holden in the time of Iustinian the Emperour c. And yet in that whole counsel as the same hath bene of any antiquitie set forth in writing there is not any one worde that may be wrested to such meaning as you alledge this place for But in the mergine you note that you find it in the counsell holdē in Trullo Capi. 102. I suppose that is as much as if you had sayde that Ecchius Pighius Hosius or some of the auncient Catholiks that liued about the yeare of our Lorde .1550 Wordes cited not found in the place noted haue reported that this doctrine was agréed vpon in the fift general Counsel for the sentence that you cite is not to be found either there or in the counsell holden in Trullo But graunt that the fathers of the counsel had concluded in such words as you cite what should it help your cause you haue taken vpon you to proue that Christ is really and substancially present in the sacrament And to proue this you say that the fathers of the Counsell haue determined that who so hath by the suffering of Christ obtayned the heauenly dignitie and doth eate and drinke Christ the same being more excellent then all sensible creatures is continually ioyned to eternall lyfe and is sanctified both in soule and bodie Watson cyteth wordes that proue the contrarie of his assertion by the participation of the grace of God Doe these wordes prooue your purpose Or doe they not rather proue that no wicked man doeth eate and drinke Christ for none can truely be sayde to excell all sensible creatures and to be continually ioyned to life eternall and to be made holy both in soule and body but such onely as be by Christ aduaunced to the heauenly dignitie that is to say be made members of Christ children of God and inheritours of the kingdome of heauen But no wicked reprobate is such one wherefore none such doth eate or drinke Christ in the sacrament So well do your friendes in the councell holden in Trullo helpe you to proue your purpose WATSON Diuision 9. Concilium Lateranense Lykewise the generall counsell called Lateranense holden at Rome the yeare of our Lord. 1215. determined this matter in the same termes that we expresse it now Vna est fidelium vniuersalis Ecclesia extra quam nullus omnino saluatur in qua idem ipse sacerdos sacrificium Iesus Christus cuius corpus sanguis in Sacramento altaris sub speciebus panis vini veraciter continentur transubstantiatis pane in corpus vino in sanguinem potestate diuina There is one vniuersall church of all faithfull people without the which no man is saued at anye time in the which Iesus Christ him selfe is both the priest and the sacrifice whose bodye and bloude be truely conteyned in the sacrament of the aultar vnder the fourme of bread and wine the breade being transubstanciate into his body and the wine into his bloude by the power of God This forme of doctrine after this sort in these termes hath bene taught professed and beleued throughout the whole catholike churche euer since that time howsoeuer some Heretiks forsaking their faith proceding from Gods omnipotent worde and the vnitie of his Church and leaning to their sensuallitie and blinde reason against fayth haue repined and barked against the same But I put no doubtes but by gods grace if the time would suffer me to make this matter of transubstantiation as plaine as the other of the reall presence It semeth to me a straunge thing CROWLEY that you which bragge of vniforme consent of the Church fiftene hundred yeres before this daye doe now produce witnesse that is not yet .400 yeres olde Decrees made by Pope Innocent doe not proue things done 1200. yeres before his daies and woulde haue the world to think that bicause Pope Innocent the third hath decreed the transubstantiation of bread and wine and the reall presence of Christes bodie and bloud in the sacrament therefore it must néedes be beleued to be so nowe and to haue bene so euer since the first institution of the sacrament But in the aunsweres that I haue made to the matter of greater antiquitie produced by you in your first sermon and in the former part of this your second sermon it doth sufficiently appeare to the indifferent reader that you neyther haue made playne the matter of the reall presence nor are like to make plaine the matter of transubstantiation though you take as much time therto as you haue now to liue I wil not stick to graunt you that this counsell of Lateranense did determine this matter according as you haue saide but what is that to the purpose you haue in hande for in the dayes of the thirde Innocent the Church of Rome was as farre from the sinceritie of christen religion as it is now And what doth that determination that they made of this matter proue against vs that stande in the defence of the sinceritie that was in the primatiue Church I put no doubts therfore but I shall be able to aunswere all that you shall be able to saye for your transubstantiation As I haue bene able to aunswere all that you haue produced for the matter of the reall presence The general counsel also of Constance holdē of later daies WATSON Diuision 10. the yeare of our Lorde 1451. doth agree and testifie the same Concilium constantiense in that they condemned Iohn Wyclefe the heretike and all his errours against this blessed sacrament Thus haue I shewed you the consent of the Church by the determinations
and haue assured me That is to saye that the bread and wine which are set on the aultar are not onely a sacrament after the consecration but also the very body and bloud of our Lorde Iesus Christ that not onely the sacrament but the body of Christ in déede is sensibly handled and broken by the priestes handes and grounds with the téeth of the faythfull The homely glose vpon the same place doth so mislike with this recantation of Berrengarius or rather the decrée of the Synode A pretie recantation that he sayth thus Nisi sane intelligas verba Berrengarij in maiorem incides haeresim quam ille habuit Except a man doe warsly vnderstande the wordes of Berrengarius he shall fall into a greater heresie then euer Berrengarius helde any The Pope and the whole Synode doe decree an heresie By this it is manifest euen by the writer of this glose that Pope Nicholas and the whole Synode at Rome did decrée and teach to be holden and enforce Berrengarius to confesse a greater heresie then euer he helde before And howe doth this proue the consent of your Popishe Church in condemning of heresies For the condemnation of Wyckliefe in the counsell of Constance I referre the reader as before And your owne Lirinensis will not take your part in this matter For he was deade many hundred yeres before Berrengarius was borne But I am glad that you haue now found that there may be great treasure of good learning in sixe penie bookes Sixe penie bookes I trust you will not now denie but there may be some good learning in books of halfe the price WATSON Diuision 16 Against the blessed Masse which is the sacrifice of the Church many wordes of many men haue bene sayde but sufficient reprofe of it hath not yet bene heard Here the prayer was made Scriptures neuer one was yet alledged against it sauing one out of the Epistle to the Hebrues where saint Paule wryteth Hebr. 9. that Christ entred into heauen by his owne bloud once and afterward he sayth Christ was once offered vp to take awaye the sinnes of many and all the argument consisteth in this worde once which I shall God wylling discusse hereafter But in very deede that same scripture that they bring against the Masse to no purpose is the verye foundation of the Masse wherevpon the Masse is builded and established after what sort I shall declare as time will serue Howe sufficient proofes haue bene brought against the Masse CROWLEY shall easily appéere to as many as will reade that which Byshop Iewell hath written for an aunswere to your friende Maister Harding And some sufficient proofes may be séene in this that I haue aunswered to your two notable sermons One scripture onely you say hath bene hitherto alledged against your Masse Bylike you haue not séene Iohn Caluines Institutions Where in the fourth booke and .xviij. Chapter he alledgeth more then foure places of scripture against it Thrée out of the first Epistle to the Corinths Manye proofes against the Masse one out of Saint Iohns Gospell the .19 Chapter and the same text that you take for the theme of your two Sermons But what should we make reconing of a multitude of places sith one alledged in the true meaning is sufficient But you haue promised to proue that one place which is alledged against your Masse to be the foundation of the same Which when you shall go about to doe I wyll God wylling proue that no such building can stand vpon such foundation Lyke as there is one God the father WATSON Diuision 17 Ephes 1. Hebr. 7.9 and 10. one Christ our redeemer one body and Church which is redeemed so there is but one onely sacrifice whereby we be redeemed which was once and neuer but once made vpon the aultar of the Crosse for the sinnes of all men 1. Iohn 8. This sacrifice is propitiatorie and a sufficient price and raunsome of the whole world as saint Iohn sayth he is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for our sinnes onely but for the sinnes of the whole worlde Iohn 1. and in his Gospell he wryteth Beholde the Lambe of God that taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde The vertue of this sacrifice beganne when God promised that the seede of Adam should bruse and breake the Serpents head Genes 3. without the merit of this sacrifice there is no saluation 2. Cor. 5. for God was in Christ reconcyling the world to himselfe This sacrifice is common to both the Testaments wherof both take their effect whose vertue is extended from the beginning of the worlde to the last ende Apoc. 13. for the Lambe was slaine from the beginning of the world as saint Iohn sayth It is also a bloudy and a passible sacrifice extending to the death of him that offered himselfe Galath 3. and it was promised to the fathers and performed in the fulnesse of time the merites whereof receaue no augmentation because it is perfite nor yet diminution because it is eternall And although this sacrifice be sufficient to saue all men yet it is not effectuall to the saluation of all men it is able to saue all but yet all be not saued for what doth it profite the Turkes Saracenes vnfaithfull Gentils and counterfeyt christians The fault is not in God being mercifull to all his workes who created vs without vs but the fault is in our selues CROWLEY Watson can speake truth If all the rest of your two Sermons had bene according to this péece I would not haue misliked with you For I confesse all this to be most true WATSON Diuision 18. Therefore that this sacrifice of Christ as it is sufficient for all so it may be effectuall and profitable for all God hath ordeyned certaine meanes whereby wee may be made able to receaue the merite of it and whereby the vertue of it is brought and applyed vnto vs in the new testament after his passion as it was to the fathers in the olde testament before his passion Of these meanes some be inwarde some be outward the inward be common to both the testaments of which the first and principall is fayth for without faith it is not possible to please God and as saint Iohn sayth he that beleeueth not Hebr. 11. Iohn 3. is nowe alreadye iudged to hym therefore that is an Infidell Chryst hath dyed in vayne Charitie also is a meane 1. Iohn 3. 1. Iohn 2. 1. Cor. 13. for he that loueth not remayneth in death he that hateth his brother is in darkenesse and walketh in darkenesse and can not tell whether he goeth and if I haue all fayth and haue no charitie I am nothing He is not therfore partaker of Christs merites in the remission of sinne that lacketh charitie And so may we say of hope without the which no man receaueth mercye at Christs hande It is true that you say
sacrifices were proper to the olde lawe so there must of necessitie be one sacrifice proper to the newe testament seing there is but one God c. I haue sufficiently aunswered in mine aunswere to the tenth deuision of your former Sermon where you haue touched it as you say here And when you say that to the vnperfect lawe there succéedeth a perfect lawe c. it séemeth that you haue forgotten that which you sayde before in the .xx. Watson forgetteth hys last sayings deuision of this Sermon where you affirme that the sacraments of the olde lawe did conferre grace Ex opere operando by the worke that was then to be wrought and nowe you say that they were but figuratiue and not effectuall working sacraments and therfore such must succéede them When you shall proue that Moses his lawe and the sacraments thereof be an vnperfect lawe and vnperfect sacraments then will I allowe your similitude But so long as you shall not be able to proue any imperfection in eyther of them I wil reiect your similitude as foolishe and vayne Galath 3. I knowe that the lawe could bring nothing to perfection because it was not ordeyned to that ende to bring things to perfection Rom. 10. Christ is the perfection of the lawe but as saint Paule wryteth to leade vnto Christ And Christ is the perfection and end of the law That is to say Christ maketh those perfect whome the lawe with the sacraments and ceremonies thereof doe bring vnto him And so that sacrifice that Christ offered once for all is the ende and perfection of all the sacrifices of the olde lawe which is no more all one in substaunce with the sacrifices of the olde lawe that you speake of then the shadowe of any bodye is one in substaunce with the body it selfe Law sacrifice priesthood c. be relatiues and as saint Paule sayth when the priesthood is translated the lawe must also be translated But what maketh this to your purpose to proue that there must néedes be in the new lawe such a sacrifice priesthood and altar as you imagine Is it not sufficient that we haue such a sacrifice Rom. 12. 1. Peter 2. Apoc. 6. priesthood and altar as Paule Peter and Iohn speak of Must we néedes haue such a priesthood sacrifice and altar as the Popes Antichristian Church hath deuised and maintaineth You must proue it more substantially before any that is eyther learned in the scriptures or godly wise will beleue you A perfect and contynuall lawe requireth a perfect and continuall sacrifice as you say and shall not that reasonable seruing of God that saint Paule speaketh of in the place that you haue taken for your theme be as perfect and contynuing a sacrifice Rom. 12. Rom. 3. as the lawe of fayth is a perfect and contynuall lawe I thinke there is none that vnderstandeth what christian religion is but the same will consent to that which I haue saide hereof For this cause say you our sauiour Christ did in his last supper institute c. you tell vs here of two seuerall vses of the sacrament of Christs body and bloud One is that it should be receyued of vs. c. This you confirme with a note in the mergine 1. Cor. 11. It is true that Paule teacheth that doctrine there Paules doctrine not so grosse as Watsons euen as he himselfe had learned of the Lorde but not in such grosse maner as you doe teach in these two fine Sermons He teacheth there that our sauiour christ did ordain that this holy sacrament should be receiued of christians in the remembrance of his death passion that being so receiued of vs it is a foode that doth nourish vs in spiritual life Otherwise it is a cōdēnation to the receiuers As for the other vse which you say is to be offered in remembraunce of Christes passion you go about to proue by doe this in my remembrance And then very well you say that you haue but simply declared it without euident proofe It had bene good that you had delt simply not so subtilly as to cite the words of Christ in such sort that it might séeme Watson dealeth not simplie that he had giuen commaundement that the sacrament of his body should be offered in sacrifice where as it is manifest by the circumstaunce of the place that he commaunded the sacrament to be receiued in the remembraunce of his death and passion But your onely assertion without proofe is sufficient to perswade an obedient Catholike c. Watsons obedient Catholikes You accompt for obedient Catholikes such onely as will captiuate all their senses and beléeue all that you say and doe to be good and godly and folow you whether soeuer you leade them though they sée plainely that you go before them into the bottomlesse pit of hell Wel let vs sée nowe how you can conuince by arguments those that will not obediently say white is black light darkenesse and good euill for such you call heretikes that denie the Church and impugne the doctrine and determination of the same WATSON Diuision 22 But to our purpose that the oblation of Christes body and bloud in the Masse is the sacrifice of the Church and proper to the new testament I shall proue it you by the best arguments that we haue in our schole of diuinity that is to say first by the institution of our sauiour Christ then by the prophecy of Malachy the prophet thirdly by the figure of Melchisedech in the olde law and this shall I doe not expounding the scriptures after mine owne head but as they haue bene taken from the beginning of the most auncient and Catholike fathers in all ages 1. Cor. 11. This sacrifice was instituted by the commaundement of Christ saying to his Apostles do this in my remembrance Our new men laugh at vs where we say that this commaundement of Christ doth proue the oblation of the sacrament But we pittie them that set so light by that they are bounden to beleue and can not disprooue seeming euidently not to regarde and way the fact of Christ and their obedience to his commaundement When Christ sayde doe this by this worde this must needes be vnderstanded all that he did concerning the institution of this sacrament Let vs now see what Christ did First he did cōsecrate his precious body bloud by blessing the bread saying this is my body this is my bloud for if this consecration be not comprehended vnder this worde Hoc this then haue we no commaundement nor authoritie to consecrate this sacrament so should we be vsurpers to doe that thing we haue no warrant to shewe for vs in holy scripture But without doubt this is so plaine that we nede say no more of it except we should vtterly denie this sacrament and the whole ministration of it which I think no man doth Secondarily Christ did offer that he did consecrate which appeareth
is ment that Christ voluntarily did offer himselfe to the death suffring the Iewes to kill him whome he might haue withstanded but to our purpose It is plaine that beside the bloudy oblation vpon the crosse and also beside the figuratiue oblation of himselfe in the paschall lambe he also did offer himselfe mistically in the celebration of the sacrament which is the very point that we go about to prooue and is manifestly proued by this auncient author Damascen sayeth In noctè in qua seipsum obtulit Damascenus li. 4. Cap. 14. testamentum nouum disposuit In that night when he offered hymselfe he did ordeyne and institute the newe Testament Marke that he sayth he offered himselfe in the night the oblation vpon the crosse was in the midde day which is a distinct offering from that in the night And Theophilactus sayeth Tunc immolauit se ipsum ex quo tradidit discipulis corpus suum Theophilactus in Math. Cap 28. It is manifest that then he offered himselfe when he deliuered to his disciples his body teaching vs that Christ in his misticall supper offered himselfe to his father To this saint Augustine beareth witnesse wryting thus Vnde ipse dominus etiam quos mundauit à lepra ad eadem sacramenta misit August de baptismo li. 3. cap. 19. vt offerrent pro se sacrificium Sacerdotibus quia nondum eis successerat sacrificium quod ipse post in ecclesia voluit celebrari pro omnibus illis For which cause our Lorde himselfe sent them whome he had made cleane from their lepre to the same sacraments of the olde Testament that they should offer to the priestes a sacrifice for themselues bicause as yet that sacrifice did not succeede to them which Christ would haue celebrate in his Church in stede of all them Way these wordes well and ye shall perceaue that they can not be vnderstand of the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse which was but once offered and can not be continually celebrate and vsed of the Church nor yet of the sacrifice of thankesgyuing which succedeth not the other but was before and with the other and therfore they proue playnely that thys one sacrifice of the new Testament that succedeth the multitude of the olde sacrifices is onely the sacrifice of Christs body and bloud in the blessed Masse which he hath ordeyned to be daylie frequented in his Church to the worldes ende Dionisius Ariopagita Specul cap. 3. What should I alledge moe authors Will ye yet heare one of the eldest I meane Dionisius Areopagita S. Paules scholer and Byshop of Athens he wryteth thus Quocirca reuerenter simul expontificali officio post sacras diuinorum operum laudes quòd hostiam salutarem quae supra ipsum est litet se excusat ad ipsum primo decenter exclamans tu dixisti hoc facite in meam commemorationem Wherefore the Byshop reuerently and according to his pastorall office after the praise and commendation of Gods workes and benefites he doth excuse himselfe that he doth take vpon him to offer that sacrifice of our sauiour which is farre aboue his degree and dignitie crying first vnto him decently Lord thou diddest commaunde saying Doe this in my remembraunce If there were no more but this one authoritie it were sufficient to proue that the priest doth offer the body of Christ which is the sacrifice of our sauiour in the Masse and that hee offereth it by the expresse commaundement of Christ saying Doe this in my remembraunce and that he offereth that thing which is farre exceeding his degree which can be nothing else but the body of Christ Therefore leauing for shortnesse of time all other authorities which with little labour I could bring in for this purpose me thinke I may well conclude that the oblation of Christes body and bloud in the Masse is the very sacrifice of the Church both by the institution of Christ declared by his expresse commaundement which we are all bounden to obey and also by his owne example in offering himselfe vnder the formes of bread and wine which wee priests are bounden to folow as the scripture which I haue alledged doth euidently proue the true sense whereof is as is recyted not priuate proceeding from mine owne braine but catholike confirmed by the consent of the Church able to proue conuince any one man that hath nothing to say to the contrary but his bare nay To proue that Christ offered himselfe in his last supper CROWLEY Ireneus lib. 4. Capit. 32. ye alledge matter out of the auncient fathers And first out of Ireneus For aunswere wherevnto I referre the reader to that aunswere that I haue made to the same text cyted in the fourth diuision of your former Sermon And for aunswere to that which you cite out of Cyprian I referre the reader to that which I haue aunswered to matter that you haue in the ninth diuision of that Sermon Cyprian lib. 2 Epist 3. cyted out of the same Epistle Isychius by the report of Iohn Tritemius Isychius lib. 2 Capit. 8. flourished in the dayes of the princes Arcadius and Honorius somewhat after the dayes of the Emperour Gratian in whose time you say he flourished But your care is to cause him to séeme as auncient as may be But if you had read him thorow and weighed him well you would neuer haue cited him for your purpose For he doth in many places make manifestly against you In the place that you doe nowe cite Papisticall libertie vsed by Watson you doe vse your olde slight That is you leaue out that which goeth before and that which foloweth and should shewe the meaning of the wryter And bicause Secundò séemeth not to giue you that auauntage that you desire to haue you are bolde to thrust Deinde in place thereof saying thus Et deinde sicut ouem c. Where the Author hath Et secundo c. But that the reader may be able to iudge of the Authors meaning I will let him sée those wordes that you haue so slylie slipped ouer His wordes be these Nihil autem ad perfectum duxit lex subintroductio autem maioris spei quae data est in hac nos spe constituit Veruntamen sacrificium hoc eam quae dicta est maior Spes per quam semper propinquamus ad seruiendum Deo innuit Cur autem Aries secundus hic nunc Aries nominatur Quia videlicet prius figuratam ouem cum Apostolis caenans Dominus postea suum obtulit sacrificium secundo sicut ouem ipse semetipsum occidit quod demonstrant sequentia Posueruntque Aaron filij eius manus suas super caput eius Quem cum immolasset Moses Necessariè simul cum Aaron filij eius super Caput Arietis manus imponunt quia communem caenam festiuitatis paschalis cum suis Christus discipulis celebrauit c. The lawe hath brought nothing to perfection but the
matter that you go about to proue is not resolued at all either by the institution of Christ or by the figure of Melchisedech You must therefore alledge other Scriptures and authorities before your matter can be sufficiently proued Other Scriptures there be though not so plaine WATSON Diuision 2◠yet they conteyne an argument to proue the same as this of Saint Paule Non potestis participes esse mensae domini mensae demoniorum 1. Cor. 10. Ye can not bee partakers of our Lordes table and the table of deuils The worde table here is taken for the meate of the table For men be not partakers of the materiall borde but of the meate that is ministred vpon the bord Now the table of deuils is taken for that meat that is offered to Idols in which diuels did reigne and therefore that meat was called in Greeke Idolothyton meat offered to Idols Now this is certain by al good learning that in euery cōparison there must nedes be a proportion similitude wherin the things compared must agree then whereas these two tables be compared in offering and eating it must needes folow that if the table of deuils be a verie sacrifice made to deuils in dede the table of our Lorde likewise must bee a sacrifice offered to our Lorde in deede And if our Lordes table be a very sacrifice made to him by vs then haue wee our purpose proued and confessed The like argument may be made of the worde aultare in saint Paule Habemus altare de quo edere non habent potestatem Hebr. 13. qui tabernaculo de seruiunt We haue an aultare of which they may not eate that serue the tabernacle If aultare and sacrifice be so annexed togither that the one cannot bee without the other then when saint Paule sayeth wee haue an aultare speaking also of the eating of that aultare he must nedes meane the sacrifice made vpon the aultare so that our sacrament before we eate it is also a sacrifice For so doth Theophilactus take this place Theophilact ad Heb. Capit. 13. Et nos inquit obseruationem habemus haudtamen in esculentes hisce sed in ara siue in hostia illa incruenta corpore vitam clargiente And we also haue an obseruation yet not in these common meates but in our aultare or vnbloudye sacrifice whiche giueth life to our bodyes Here we may see that he meaneth by the aultare the vnbloudie sacrifice of Christes bodie which being eaten of vs corporally in the sacrament giueth life to our bodyes Moreouer if tyme would serue me I could make an argument of Daniels prophecie of the cōming of Antichrist bicause he sayth Dani. 12. that in that tyme the continuall sacrifice shall be by Antichrist taken away per tempus tempora dimidium temporis by the space of three yeres and an halfe as many take it Whether this shall bee done all Christendome ouer at one time or in euery particular region at diuers tymes it is not certainely knowen to vs and therfore I will not certeynly determine it But this is certaine that Antichrist can not take away the sacrifice of Christ vpon the crosse which was but once made and shall neuer be iterate nor frustrate Nor he can not take away the inward spirituall sacrifice of mans heart which then shal florish most of al in the elect For why should they then flie to the mountaines as the booke saith but that for the vehemencie of the persecution they might more feruently doe spirituall sacrifice to almightie God Therefore it foloweth that the sacrifice of Christen men is such an one as may be taken away by Antichrist which in my iudgement can be nothing else but the sacrifice of the Masse or else let them tell what other sacrifice it is beside the Masse Ye se nowe what Scriptures I haue brought to proue the oblation of Christes bodie in the Masse to be the sacrifice of the Church and newe Testament which hath beene assaulted many wayes of many men But to the oppugnation of it they neuer yet to this houre alledged any one direct scripture nor doctor nor good reason They haue gone about it and by tyranny in some places they haue preuailed for a tyme but alwayes truth the daughter of tyme hath ouercommed For lack of plaine scriptures CROWLEY you alledge such as you say doe containe argumentes to prooue the popishe Masse to be a sacrifice c. And first you begin with saint Paule where he sayth Non potestis c. The Argument that you finde in this scripture 1. Cor. 10. is thus If the table of deuils be a sacrifice made to deuils in dede then must the table of the Lord be a sacrifice offered to the Lorde in déede But the table of the deuils is so Ergo the Lordes table must néedes be so And so is your purpose proued and confessed If you were in the diuinitie schoole and should in disputation be put to proue the maior proposition of this Argument Watsons maior is not currant in the scholes it woulde not slip away so smoothly as it did when you spake it in your sermon For it would be made plaine to you that you build this reason vpon a false supposition For where you suppose the table of Deuils and the table of the Lorde to be compared in offering and eating it would be proued to you by the sayings of auncient wryters that the comparison is in the societie of the eaters with them at whose tables they eate Theophilactus whose iudgement you should trust in this place for you make him you onely stay Theophi in 1. Cor. 10. in that which you cite out of saint Paule to the Hebrues vpon these wordes of Paule Nolo autem vos participes fieri Demoniorum I woulde not that you should be made partakers of the deuils sayth thus Si enim mysticam mēsam participantes Christo communicant eique vniuntur Daemonum mensam participantes Daemonibus haud dubiè communicant If they that be partakers of the mysticall table do communicate with Christ and be ioyned into one with him without doubt such as be partakers of the table of Deuils do communicate with deuils And vpon the words that you cite he sayth Ex solis nominibus probat non esse comedenda Idolis immolata He doth by the names alone proue that we should not eate those things that be offered to Idolles Here it is manifest Wherein the tables be compared that Theophilactus vnderstandeth saint Paule to make comparison betwéene the table of Deuils and the Lordes table in the societie of the partakers with them at whose tables they be partakers As they which be partakers at the Lordes table do shewe themselues thereby to be ioyned to the Lorde in societie and vnitie so they that be partakers at the Idols table doe shew themselues to be in societie and vnitie with the Idols Chrysostome wryting
away Per ipsum igitur offerrimus sacrificium laudis semper Deo hoc est fructum labiorum confitentium nomen eius Through him therefore we doe alwayes offer vnto God a sacrifice of praise that is the fruit of those lips that doe confesse his name This sacrifice hath Antichrist of Rome taken away from the vniuersall Church of Christ in taking vpon himselfe the title of vniuersall head of the same Church which tytle is due to Christ onely and in taking vpon him the authoritie and power to remitte and pardon sinnes which power belongeth to God onely The fruite of those lips that confesse his name is taken away when none may without perill of death confesse that Christ onely is the vniuersall head of his Church and that God onely in his sonne Christ and for his sake doth fréely forgiue and pardon sinnes Thus you haue my iudgement of a sacrifice contynuall that may be taken away by Antichrist and yet is not your Popishe Masse The thrée yeres and halfe also may well be applyed to the times wherin the power of Rome hath taken away this sacrifice by cruell persecution so that very few or none in all the knowne worlde durst offer this sacrifice to God Now let the indifferent reader be iudge betwéene your iudgement mine in this matter of a continuall sacrifice that may be taken away by Antichrist But that Daniell ment there to prophecy that Antichrist shal take away the continuall sacrifice the text will not suffer me to thinke For he sayth thus A tempore oblationis iugis sacrificij The meaning of Daniels prophecie positae abominationis desolationis dies mille ducenti non aginta From the time of the taking away of the contynuall sacrifice and setting vp of the abhomination of desolation are a thousand two hundereth foure score and ten dayes Which is the time two times and halfe a time that he spake of before The continuall sacrifice of the temple was fully ended and taken away by Christes one oblation of hymselfe 2. Thess 2. and the abhomination of desolation is set vp in the Church of Christ the man of sinne boasting himselfe to be God as doth the Antichrist of Rome which setteth vp himselfe aboue all that is called God that is aboue all Princes and earthly Potentates The space therefore betwéene the ending of the ceremoniall sacrifices and Christes comming to iudgement may be a time two times and halfe a time That is a long time twise so long a time to the feruent desire that Gods elect haue to sée the ende and but halfe a tyme that is to say a verie short time in comparison of that euerlasting time wherein they shall raigne with Christ in glorie incomparable Words that remayne sealed This my iudgement I submit to the iudgement of the godly learned til that time be ended during which as the Angell tolde Daniell those wordes of his must remaine sealed Thus much haue I written to let the reader sée what scriptures you haue brought to prooue the oblation of Christes body in the Masse to be the sacrifice of the Church and newe testament Which as you say many haue assaulted and oppugned with such direct scriptures Doctours and good reasons that it is by them expugned and can not be by you propugned Not by tyrannicall power but by simple and plaine preaching of the Gospell these men haue preuayled in many places for a time And Truth the daughter of Time hath neuer suffered hir selfe to be altogither ouercome by Popishe tyranny WATSON Diuision 27 Heb. 9. 10. Some scriptures they abuse what they be ye shal heare They alledge saint Paule to the Hebrues Semel oblatus est ad multorum exhaurienda peccata Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many Vnica oblatione cōsumauit inaeternum sanctificatos With one oblation he hath perfited for euermore al that be sanctified These be the scriptures they alledge against the Masse and they say Christes oblation is perfite no man can offer Christ but himselfe which hee did but once and neuer but once as though we should say that Christ was crucified twise or often times To this obiection of theirs wee aunswere that Christ was neuer offred to the death for our redemption but once and yet otherwise was he offered many times both of himselfe and of his creatures Daniell 7. We reade in the prophet Daniell that Aungels offered him in the sight of his father Luc. 3. Bernard Ser. 3. de purificatione And also the blessed Virgin his mother offered him at hir purification of which offering saint Bernard sayth Ista oblatio fratres satis delicata videtur vbi tantum sistitur domino redimitur auibus illico reportatur Thys oblation brethren is very delicate where he is onely presented to our Lorde redeemed with birdes and by and by brought home againe And therefore we aunswere them that their argument is of no strength to confute one truth by another when both may be true as to reason Christ was but once offered vpon the crosse Ergo he was not offered in the sacrament And we tell them that they doe not consider how Christ is offred three wayes of himselfe and also three wayes of man First he offred himselfe vpon the crosse really and corporally as I say as sayth Oblatus est quia voluit Isay 50. This is manifest ynough And here their exclamations of ones ones hath very good place Secondly he offered himselfe figuratiuely in the paschall lambe For the scripture sayth the lambe was slaine from the beginning of the worlde Apo 13. and the fathers in the olde lawe in all their sacrifices did offer Christ not in substaunce but in figure and so Christ offering the paschall lambe at his supper offered him selfe in figure Thirdly Christ offreth himselfe in heauen really and so contynually as the same Chapiter which they bring against the Masse doth testifie Non in manifacta sancta Iesus introiuit exemplaria verorum Heb. 9. sed in ipsum coelum vt appareat nunc vultui Dei pro nobis Iesus entred not into a temple made with mans hand a figure of the truth but into heauen that he might appeare nowe to the countenaunce of God for vs. What is this appearing in the sight of God for vs but an offering of himselfe for vs to pacifie the anger of God with vs to represent his woundes and all that he suffered for vs that we might be reconciled to God by him This is the true and perpetuall oblation of Christ in comparison of this in heauen the bloudy oblation vpon the crosse is but an Image as S. Ambrose sayth Hic vmbra hic imago Ambrose offi lib. 1. Capit. 48. illic veritas vmbra in lege imago in Euangelio veritas in coelestibus antè agnus offerebatur vitulus nunc Christus offertur sed offertur quasi homo quasi recipiens passionem offert se ipse
disprooue it by better authoritie then the iudgement of the Baker Saint Austen sayth Nam nos hodiè accepimus visibilem cibum sed aliud est sacramentum aliud est virtus sacramenti For euen this day we haue receyued visible foode but the sacrament is one thing and the vertue of the sacrament is another thing Againe the same Austen sayth Omnis doctrina vel rerum est vel signorum sed res per signa discuntur De doctrina Christ li. 1. Capit. 1. All doctrine is either of things or of the signes of things but things are learned by signes By this it appeareth that Austens iudgement was not that a signe coulde be the same thing whereof it is a signe But what néede I to trouble the reader with so many wordes about this matter so many as do know what the Art of reasoning meaneth euen the children at the vniuersitie can tell that Relatiues are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is referred to somewhat because they be alwayes referred to another thing then they are themselues As a father is a father in respect of that sonne whom he hath begotten and can not be that sonne whose father he is Euen so a signe is called a signe in respect of that thing whereof it is a signe and can not be that selfe thing that is signified by it The Baker therefore that taught you to say The Baker was not prētise in the Vniuersitie that the lofe vpon the stall is the same bread that is to be solde whereof it is a signe hath not bene brought vp in any Bakers house in the vniuersitie for if he had he would neuer haue deceyued you so But that both Bakers and Bruers and all other that haue the vse of reason may iudge of the foolishnesse of our reason I will let the Reader sée it in wryting It is thus Whatsoeuer thinges be such as they are called by hauing relation to other things then they be themselues can not be those things wherevnto they haue relation But euery thing that is called a signe is so by the relation that it hath to the thing that it signifieth Ergo no signes can be the same things that they do signifie Wherof our conclusion foloweth which is that the sacrament of Christes bodie and bloud being a signe therof can not be the thing it selfe Now aske your Baker what he can say to this reason The place that you alledge out of Austen is aunswered in the .29 August lib. Sent. Prosp Contr. Faust li. 20 cap. 18. diuision of this sermon and in the .28 diuision of the same sermon is aunswered the other place that you alledge out of the same Austen also To Gregorie and the reast you shall looke for aunswere when you cite their wordes that we may weigh them They say that neyther the Apostles nor none in their time did offer Christs body in sacrifice WATSON Diuision 33. And yet I haue shewed you before that Dionisius Areopagita saint Paules Disciple of whome mention is made in the .17 chapiter of the Actes of the Apostles did offer the sacrifice of Christes body alledging Christes commaundement for his warrant Ireneus that lyued within fiftie yere of saint Iohn the Euangelist and Policarpus Scholer doth make mention of this offering saying Ireneus li. 4. cap. 34. Ecclesiae oblatio quam Dominus docuit offerri in vniuerso mundo purum sacrificium reputatum est apud Deum acceptum est ei The oblation of the church which our Lorde taught to be offered in the whole worlde is reputed of God a pure sacrifice and acceptable to him And in the same chapter confuting them that denied the immortalitie of the fleshe by this reason that our fleshe was nourished with Christes fleshe to eternall lyfe concludeth thus Aut sententiam mutent aut abstineant offerendo quae praedicta sunt eyther let them chaunge their opinion or else absteine from offering the same body and bloud of Christ we spake of Also the generall counsell of Constantinople sayth that saint Iames did write the forme of a Masse Concil Const in trul cap. 32 I omit the Latine the wordes in Englishe be thus faithfully translate Saint Iames brother to Christ our God according to the fleshe to whome the church of Hierusalem was first committed and Basilius which was Byshop of Caesarea whose fame is knowne throughout the worlde which deliuered in wryting the mysticall celebration of the sacrifices haue declared that the cup in our holy ministery ought to be of water and wine mingled And the holy fathers that were assembled at Carthage haue thus left in wryting that in the sacrifices nothing else be offered but the body and bloud of our Lorde as oure Lord himself hath ordeyned and so foorth I neuer read saint Iames his booke my selfe nor I thinke it be not nowe to be had but I tell you so much as I knowe that saint Iames did write the forme of a Masse as saint Basill did which we haue in Greeke nowe If this great and learned generall counsell doth truely report as I beleeue doth Let no man therefore beleue them that say the Apostles did not sacrifice themselues nor none in their time except they can proue the negatiue which they shall neuer doe To that which you haue alledged out of Dionisius CROWLEY I haue answered in the last diuision of your former sermon and in the .23 diuision of this sermon And the matter that you doe here alledge out of Ireneus is sufficiently aunswered in the fourth the fourtenth and twentie foure diuisions of your former sermon Wherfore I néede not here to make any further aunswere Where you finde the Latine that you doe so faythfullye translate into Englishe I can not tell De Consecra Dist 1. But I suppose it wyll be hard for you to finde it in the counsell holden in Trullo as you note in the Margine In Gratian I finde it thus cyted out of the sixt Synode Iacobus frater Domini secundum carnem cui primum credita est Hierosolimitana Ecclesia Basilius Caesariensis Episcopus cuius charitas per totum orbem refulsit in scripturis addiderunt nobis missae celebrationem Which is in Englishe as you haue translated sauing that for whose loue you say whose fame and adde mysticall where as in the Latine there is no word that may so signifie Chaunge is no robbery And turning the Verbe haue giuen in wryting into the Participle of the same Verbe you adde to the end haue declared that the cup. c. Of this forme of Masse as you terme it and of the other that you name I haue noted somewhat in mine aunswere to the ninth diuision of your former sermon And where as you say that you had not as then read it nor did thinke that it was to be had I haue read it and haue it to shewe And amongst other things I note that he maketh prayer for
instituted and commaunded to be offered in remembrance of thy charitie that is to say of thy death and passion for our health and saluation for the dayly reparation of our fraile weakenesse Doth he not here shewe the ende of the oblation to saue vs and to repayre our frayltie Saint Hierome writeth Si laicis imperatur vt propter orationem abstineant ab vxoribus Hierony in Cap. 1. ad Titum quid de episcopo sentiendū est qui quotidie pro suis populique peccatis illibatas deo oblaturus est victimas If it be commaunded to the lay men that for prayers cause they should absteyne from their wyues what should we thinke of a Byshop that must offer daylie pure sacrifices for his owne sinnes and the peoples Of this place though I might prooue you the chast lyfe of a Byshop yet I bring it in now onely to showe that the office of a Byshop is to offer daylie pure sacrifice for hys owne sinnes and the peoples sinnes as saint Basill sayth in the booke of his Masse Da domine vt pro nostris peccatis populi ignorantij acceptum sit sacrificium nostrum Graunt O Lorde that for our sinne Basilius in Missa and the ignoraunce of the people our sacrifice may be accepted of thee Thus ye perceaue that I haue shewed you and proued that the oblation of the priest in the Masse is a sacrifice propitiatorie for the sinnes of them that be aliue that is to say moouing and prouoking God to pardon the sinnes of the priest and of the people A little is to be sayde concerning them that be departed and then an ende of that matter Tertull. eorum millit Tertullian sayth Oblationes pro defunctis pro natalitijs annua die facimus We make euery yere oblations for the dead and for the birth dayes of Martyrs which be the dayes they suffered their martyrdome Athanasius sayth Intelligimus animas peccatorum participare aliqua beneficentia abexangui immolatione Athanasius ad antiochiū quest 34. We vnderstande that the soules of sinners doe receyue some benefite of the vnbloudy oblation and of almose done for them as he onely hath ordeyned and commaunded that hath power both of quick and dead Our God Ambros de obitis Valen. And saint Ambrose exhorteth the people to pray for the soule of Valentinian the Emperour for whome he did offer the sacrifice of Christes body Chrysostome sayth Non frustra sancitum est ab apostolis vt in celebratione venerandorum mysteriorum memoria fiat eorum Chrysost ho. 3. ad philippenses qui hinc discesserunt noucrunt illis multum hinc emolumenti fieri c. It was not in vaine ordeyned of the Apostles that in the celebration of the honorable misteries there should memory be made of them that were departed hence For they knewe much profite much commoditie to come to them thereby Chrysost hom 41. in 1. Cor. 15. And in an other Homily he sayth in this maner in Englishe A sinner is departed surely it becommeth vs to bee glad that his sinnes be stopped and not increased and to labour as much as we can to release him not with weping but with prayer In Act. ho. 21. supplications almose and sacrifices For that was not ordeyned in vaine nor we doe not in vayne in our holy misteries celebrate the memory of the dead and make intercession for them to the Lambe that lyeth there which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde but that some comfort may thereby come to them Is not this very playne and that it is not a thing newe inuented but a doctrine taught and vsed in the Church euer since Christ and ordeyned so to be done by the Apostles themselues August con li. 4. cap. 12. Saint Augustine sayth in his booke of confessions that the sacrifice of our price which is Christes owne naturall body was offered for his mothers soule after she was dead And he sayth also De cura pro mortuis ca. 1. In Machabeorum libris legimus oblatum pro mortuis sacraficium Sed si nunquà m in scripturis veteribus omnino legeretur non parua hac consuetudine claret authoritas vbi in praecibus Sacerdotis quae Domino Deo ad eius altare funduntur locum suum habet etiam commendatio mortuorum In the Bookes of the Machabes we read that there was sacrifice offred for the dead But although in the olde scriptures there were no such thing read yet there appereth no small authoritie in this custome that amongs the prayers of the priest which are made to our Lorde God at his aultar the commendation and prayer for the dead hath also his place Marke well that he sayth it was an olde custome in the Church for priests in their Masse to pray for the dead in his time which is aboue .1130 yere ago And that the custome of the Church in this point is of sufficient authoritie to proue this matter though there were no scripture for it at al and yet he himselfe alledgeth the booke of Machabes for it the place is knowne well ynough He teacheth vs the same thing wryting vppon saint Iohn August in Ioan. Tract 84. Ideo ad ipsam mensam non sic cos commemoramus quemadmodum alios qui in pace requiescunt vt etiam pro eis oremus sed magis vt orent ipsi pro nobis vt eorum vestigijs inhereamus c. talia enim suis fratribus exhibuerunt qualia de Domini mensa acceperunt Therefore at the very table of the aultare we doe not so remember the martyrs as we doe other other that rest in peace that we pray for them But rather that they should pray for vs that we might folow their footesteps For they haue giuē such things for their brethren as they haue receiued from our Lords table Here is both prayer to saints and for the dead in the Masse Thus ye see how Christes body is offered for the dead after what maner it auayleth them Saint Augustine also teacheth saying thus When the sacrifices eyther of the aultare or of any almose be offered for the deade that were baptised for the verye good men August Euchirid Cap. 109. they bee gyuing of thankes for not verye euill men they bee propitiations for verye euill men although they be no reliefe of the dead yet they be certaine comforts of them that be aliue And to them they profite they profite to this ende eyther that they should haue full remission or at least that they should haue more tolerable damnation In this authoritie is expressed the plaine worde of propitiatory how that the sacrifice of the aultar is a propitiation for such soules as be not very euill or very good towarde that teyning of full remission or of more tolerable damnation If I should recite as much as I coulde bring in for this point at large it is not one or two houres that would
Yet say they Christ did not receyue it alone but did communicate with his twelue Apostles whose example we ought to folow To this I say that we be not bounden to folow this example for the number but for the substance That it should bee receaued of vs is Christes example necessarie but of howe many of twelue onely of moe of fewer or of one is not by Christes example fixed and determyned Christ ministring the mistical supper of necessitie that neuer but once for this ende by his deede to institute the thing and to teach his disciples what they should do continually afterward in cōmemoration of his death must needs haue ministred it to mo then himself because in that doing he gaue them authoritie to doe the same and so made them priestes But we ministring it not for that intent to institute the sacrament and to make priestes but to receyue the spirituall fruite that commeth to vs thereby are not bounden to obserue that number but shall doe well if we receaue it eyther with other or alone You haue falsely charged vs with taking awaye the due matter c. CROWLEY And as for the leauing out of the principall verbe Est Let him be charged withall that did it Narow secking for matters to charge vs with It is like that you haue little to charge vs with when you seeke out the printers faultes and lay them to our charge and yet confesse in plaine wordes that the fault is corrected If I would haue delt to with you I might haue done it many tymes in these your sermons as may well appeare to the learned that will reade them as you set them out in print Our ministers be ordered and admitted with imposition or laying on of handes and prayer and as many ceremonies beside as may tende to edification And that which we do in the ministration of the worde and sacraments shall neuer bée iustly disproued by any of your sort to be other then the institution of Christ Our intent in doing that we doe is to imitate the Church of Christ and not the Church of Antichrist which is the Church of Rome Wee offer that oblation which both by the scriptures and fathers is accepted for the sacrifice of the newe testament And our Communion which it pleaseth you to terme bare shall on the mariage day be interteyned of the Bridegromes father The Masse hath not the marige garment when your Masse shall be turned out for lacke of a mariage garment We haue no cause therfore to be abashed still to crie vpon Christes institution which you haue and doe still in so many poynts violate and breake as appereth by that which I haue answered to that which you haue shewed proouing that which we haue to be the institution of Christ And where as you go about to render a reason and make a proufe that the Communion that we haue is not the institution of Christ saying that the vse of the sacrament is that it shoulde be receyued c. I marueil if you did not blushe when you spake it For if that be the vse of the sacrament as it is in déede howe dare you reserue it and hange it ouer your altar sometime till it be so vinewed and mowled that you must nedes burne it how dare you carie it about your stréetes in procession And how dare you fetch it out in tempests to scare the deuill withall Yea how dare you put it in a purse and hange it about your necke to preserue you from perilles And I pray you what mooued you to vse this reason against vs Nothing more against Watson then this is seing that you know that we do neuer minister it but when we haue occasion presently to distribute it so that we neuer reserue it for any maner of purpose There is nothing that maketh more against your doynges then that which in this place you alledge against vs. Take eate drinke c. And where you say that the ceremonies and rites that be vsed about the ministration of the sacrament doe not appertaine to the institution of Christ we say so to and that therefore the Church ought not to make a matter of necessitie of them but leaue them to the discretion of euery particuler congregation to vse or leaue them as they shall sée that they doe tend to theyr edification or not Watsons purpose in speaking of circūstances Much a doe you make about circumstaunces of the eating and the number of them that shall eate the tyme place c but all is to make some shewe of a libertie left to the Church to ordaine that one alone may in the presence of a multitude celebrate that sacrament and receyue it alone as commonly your Massing priestes do But it will not be For not onely the example of Christ in his last supper is to the contrary but his words in the institution also which wordes we must hearken vnto and not those circumstaunces which are not within the compasse of doe this in remembraunce of me He tooke breade gaue thankes brake it that is he deuided it amongst them and sayd take eate this is my bodie and in like maner the cup saying drinke ye all of this do this in remembraunce of me If any of them had béene so dull of vnderstanding as you shewe your selfe to be and woulde haue mooued this néedelesse question what shall we doe in remembraunce of thée Woulde he not haue sayd take breade giue thankes deuide it amongest you and eate it for it is my bodie And in like maner take a cup of wine giue thankes and drinke all of it for it is my bloud And what libertie is here left to the Church to ordaine that the priest alone may do this to himselfe in the presence of a multitude that should be partakers with him as the Apostles were wyth Christ The place that you cite out of Austen is wrested too farre out of tune For in that place he speaketh onely of the time of ministration and receyuing Whether before meats or after as appeareth by the wordes that folow immediatly after Nam si hoc ille c. For if he had tolde his disciples this that this sacrament should alwayes be receyued after meates I beleue that no man would haue altered that custome So farre of is saint Austen from confirming the priuate receyuing of your priest Wherfore you gather more of his wordes then he ment But this vauntage you haue giuen vs by the wordes of your collection that we may be bolde to saye that in your Masse there is nothing of Christes institution more then the receyuing of the sacrament The rest is ordered by the Church But you woulde faine restraine your saying to the number of receyuers and therefore you say and other rites of the receyuing You imagine We depende vpon christes commaundement that we depende altogither vpon the example of Christ in communicating with the twelue but
some part of the sacrament was reserued to be giuen them in such case Shall thys prooue that your Massing priestes doe communicate when they delyuer no part of the sacrament to any other but consume the whole themselues I thinke no wise man will thinke it This hystorie might well haue bene left amongst that great number of other that you say make for this purpose for it doth make more against the highest matter of all then for that which you alledge it for What opinion thinke you had that priest of the sacrament when he would delyuer it to Serapion his boy bid him dip it and giue it to the olde man Did he thinke that it was the very reall body and bloud of Christ and that there remayned in it neyther bread nor wine The Cautiles of your Masse doe not allowe such handling of your sacrifice The stuffe that you bring to builde vp one part of your buylding withall To builde vp a cottage you pull downe a palace doth cast downe the greatest bewtie of the hole Reseruation in some case is by this hystorie proued and adoration vtterly denied And priestly prerogatiue is shrewdly shaken also For Serapion hys boy was neyther priest nor Deacon and yet he is put in trust to carie and minister the sacrament WATSON Diuision 41 Well some will say here be doctors vpon doctor of sentences of authors ynough But what scripture haue you that the priest did or may take it alone shewe mee that and then will I yeelde vnto you I shall bee content to alledge Scripture as it seemeth to me let euery man wey it as he thinketh good to me it is plaine inough for this purpose and although there were no scripture yet in this matter which is but a ceremonie concerning the number of the receyuers the custome and vse of Christs Church is a sufficient rule for a christen man to stay himselfe by The scripture is written in the .27 Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles where saint Paule comforting all the companie Actes 27. that were with him in the ship who then were in extreeme daunger of drowning promising them all their lyues and exhorting them to take meate that had fasted fourtene dayes before receyued the sacrament before them all alone as I take it The wordes be these Et cùm haec dixisset sumens panem gratias egit dâ—o in conspectu omnium cum fregisset coepit manducare Anime quiâ—res autem facti omnes ipsi sumpserunt cibum And when he had said thus taking bread he gaue thankes to God in the sight of them al and when he had broken it he began to eate and they all being much comforted tooke meate also Chrysostome expoundeth this place of the sacrament Chrysost in Math. hom 17. where he hath this saying that it is not onely a thing sanctified but sanctification it selfe Here is no mention that he gaue it to any other and if it had beene a thing necessarie of the institution of christ belike he would haue expressed it Well though it be not expressed in wordes say they yet it is not a necessary argument to conclude that no man receyued it with him I graunt it is not a good argument but yet this is the common maner of their reasoning it is not expressed in scripture ergo it is not to bee beleued But I can say more for this place for the scripture calleth that saint Paule eate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche is a woorde whereby the Sacrament is commonly expressed and that all the other did eate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth common meates and the scripture sayeth omnes all the other tooke their meat amonges whome there were manye infidels and it saith afterward saciati cibo that they were saciate and full with meat But the blessed Sacrament non est cibus satietatis Concilium Nicenum sed sanctimoniae as Concilium Nicenum sayth is not meat of sacietie but of sanctimonie Therefore where it sayth that saint Paule did eate the bread which is the sacrament and that all the other did fill them with their common meate I may conclude that saint Paule did receyue alone whereby is proued our purpose of the priuate Masse as they terme it O Lorde howe would they haue glorified if they had such a like place agaynst vs You perswade your selfe CROWLEY Doctors dregs vpon Doctors dirt that all men maruell at the multitude of Doctors and sentences of Authors that you haue alledged for your purpose and therefore you ymagine that some men will say here be doctors vpon doctors c. What other men will say I know not but this I do say Here are the dregges of the doctors vpon the dirt of the doctors shamelesse sayings ynough but not one scripture or sentence of any sound Authour to proue that the priest may celebrate the Lords supper which you cal the Masse and minister to himselfe alone Yea I do not onely say it but I haue also proued it in this aunswere alreadie and will also proue it by Gods helpe in aunswering that which remayneth One scripture you say you haue which séemeth to you plain enough and yet you thinke it not néedefull to alledge any scripture because the custome of the Church is a sufficient rule for such a matter But I haue proued before that the common participation is of the institution of Christ and therefore can not be ruled by the custome of the Church But let vs sée your scripture Act. 27. Saint Luke wryteth that after a long and daungerous storme on the sea and fourtéene dayes continuall fasting by the meanes thereof Saint Paule exhorted them that were in the Ship with him to take meate And in the presence of them all he tooke breade and gaue thankes to God and when he had broken it he began to eate c. Of this you gather that saint Paule did there and then say Masse and receyue the sacrament alone And least it should séeme that this is but your owne ymagination you say that Chrysostome doth expound this place of the sacrament euen in that place where he sayth that the sacrament is not onely a thing sanctified but sanctification it selfe Of what authoritie those Homilies be whereof this that you alledge here is the seuententh I haue sufficiently noted in mine aunswere to the .13 diuision of your former sermon So that the Chrysostome that wrote them may be as well credited as your selfe But let vs sée how faythfully and friendly you handle him He hath sayd thus Et Paulus nauigans non solum benedixit panem sed de manu sua porrexit Lucae Chrysost in Math. ho. 17. opere imperfecto caeteris discipulis suis And Paule when he sayled did not onely blesse the bread but he did reach it from his hande to Luke and to his other Disciples You say that all the rest did eate common meate and were satisfied and Paule