condemned them as appeareth by these vvords of his reâ—ocation set dovvne in M. Fox I desyre my lord god of pardon and forgeuenes And now againe â—s before also I do reuoke and make retractation most humbly submitting my self vnder the correction of our holy mother the church c. the yere 1377. After vvhich time he made yet againe an other reuocation the yere 138â— as in the same author appeareth Albeit al this notvvithstanding M. Fox reciteth as a verie great argument of the gospel that VViclefs sect increased priuily and daily grew to greater force truly so great that they made traiterous conspiracies against the king him self as is recorded in the Acts of Parlament and common stories and in part â—auntingly noted by M. Fox vvho vvriteth that king Henry â— decreed most cruel punishement against such as should hereafter solow VViclefâ— doctrine against whom he held a Parlament at Leâ—ester the which peraduenture saith theâ— had noâ— bene so wel holden at London because of the fauourers of the Lord Cobham and other VViclefs solovvers But to returne to my purpose of VViclef and to end his storie although most Protestant vvriters as I haue said recken him for one of their chief most reuerend Apostles namely M. Fox vvho placâ—th him in redd letters first in his Calender Ihon wiclef preacher martyr though he dyed in his bed searce an honest man yet some other ProtestaÌ„t vvriters there are of a more sincere vpright iudgement vvho for the reasons aboâ—e noted recken him as he deserued in the number of ranke heretikes Amongest vvhom Ioachimus Vadianus of Zurich a right Zuinglian vvriteth of him that albeit he saw somwhat in matter of the gospel yet in nounullâ—s foe le lapâ—us est in sundry points of religion he vvas fowly ouerseen much more geuen to scoâ—fing prating then became a sober Diuiâ—e And Pantaleon a sacramentarie likevvise in his Chronologie accounteth him for an heretike as he doth also his scholer Ihon Husse though canonized by M Fox for a martir as likevvise he is in the Scottish Calender of vvhom he saith further that by vvarrant of that great Apostle Martin Luther that quibusdam bonis multa pestifera admiscuit amongest a few good things he mingled a number of wicked pestiferous And these are the principal vvhich since Berengarius time haue bene publishers of the Zuinglian faith touching Christ not present in the sacrament ¶ Out of al vvhich before I conclude this chapiter one general infallible rule I vvil sett dovvne coÌ„monly geuen by al Diuines to proue any sect or opinion heretical and the rule is that VVhensoeuer there ariseth any preaching or doctrine in the church to the Christian people nevv and straunge and vvhich the Pastors and Bishops of the church reproue and disallovv as false such preaching doctrine certainly is heretical This proposition is iustified by the vniuersal tenor and drift of the vvhole testament old nevv in al places vvhere it entreateth of the Catholike church of the nevv Testament for so much as of that church it vvas of old prophecied by Christ performed that it should be put in possession of al truth and by the meanes of Bishops Prelates and Pastors held in the same truth by vertue of the holy ghost and continued vvithout error vntil the end of the vvorld The knovvledge of truth in this Church shal be abundant as the waters of the sea God shal be therein a perpetual teacher God shal make vvith that church such an eternal couenant that the truth once deliuered to it shal be continued from one to an other from seed to seed from generation to generation for euer so long as the vvorld endureth god shal set vpon the vvals of this church right true vigilant pastors and vvatchmen which neuer at any time day nor night shal cease from preaching the truth Thus the prophetes foretold For performance of vvhich Christ promised to be vvith them for euer al daies vntil the end of the world He promised them the holy ghost the spirit of truth to abide with them and their successors for euer to teach them and leade them in to al truth vvhich spirite he sent at the time appointed in the day of Pentecost finally for this purpose before his departure out of this vvorld he placed in his church Apostles prophetes pastors doctors to rule gouerne maynteine preserue in truth that his church so dearly purchased vvith his blud vntil his second comming to iudgement Thus much for the profe of this first proposition Ioyne thereto for a second But the doctrine of BereÌ„garius vvas nevv and strange to Christian people and condemned generally by al Bishops and Pastors then liuing in vnitie of Christs church ouer the vvhole face of Christendome The proofe of this is gathered out of al historiographers liuing about those tymes and out of the practise of the church For as before is noted a number of Councels some general many particular vvere essembled against it and condemned it at Rome at Vercellis at Tours in Italie in France in Germanie and other parts of Christendome as the Histories record Berengario illiuâ— temporis Theologi bellum omnes indixere The Diuines of that time euery one bad warre and defiance to Berengarius so soone as be durst publish his new opinion of the Eucharist Here of the conclusion folovveth plaine and most assured that Berengarius opinion vvas heretical therefore the contrary that is the Catholike opinion vvhich holdeth against Berengarius is the true doctrine of Christ and his Apostles deliuered by theÌ„ to the church in the church conserued and continued in al ages in al times in al Catholike countries and realmes vntil our age VVherefore to end the argument of this chapiter vvithal to stoppe the vvrangling of certain English Diuines vvho more like Grammarians and sophisters then vvise or learned men very childishly thinke to auoid vvhat so euer is alleaged for Christs presence in the Sacrament by conâ—erring together certaine vvords and phrases by vvhich kind of Diuinitie they may and some of their brethern do inferre Christs presence on the crosse to be tropical and figuratiue no lesse then in the sacrament to proue I say that the church and al auncient fathers according to the scriptures vvrote and meant as I haue before declared I vvil shut vp this matter vvith Erasmus vvords vvherein also I vvil comprise the summe in a maner of al that hitherto hath bene declared vvhose authoritie I vse the rather for that the Protestants somtimes much extolle him as a great profound Diuine deepely seene in the Fathers and no enemy to their side to vvhom among others the chief proctor of the English church M. Ievvel yeldeth such high praise as that he calleth him a man of famous memorie whose name for learning and
our Sauiour who so diligently obserued euery lesser resemblance should neglect omitte that which was most notable important VVherefore as the ProtestaÌ„ts them selues confesse one part videlicet the sacrament of Christs body to haue bene foresignified in the paâ—chal lamb and that to haue bene fulfilled in our sacrament this our sacrameÌ„t to haue succeded in place their of so we must dravv them one foote farther and adde vpon like ground vvarrant that that sacrifice of the lamb foresignified also our Eucharistical sacrifice that it vvas fulfilled accomplished in this and that this Christian sacrifice hath succeded in place of that Iudaical VVhich conclusion the same comparison of the scriptures inferreth the office of Christs priesthod and fulfilling of the lavv enforceth the Apostle acknovvledgeth and the church of Christ from the beginning hath euermore beleeued as vve learne by Tertullian lib 4. contra Marcionem S. Cyprian de Caena Domini S. Ambrose in Luc. 2. S. Nazianzen oratio 2. de pascha S. Hierom in Matth 26. S. Chrysostom homil de proditione Iudae homil 23. in Matth. S. August contra literas Petiliani lib. 2. cap. 37. S. Leo Serm. 7. de passione Domini Hesich lib. 2. in â—euit cap. 8. lib. 6. ca. 23. S. Beda in Luc. 22. The summe of al vvhose vvords is briefly thus vttered by S. Chrysostom in the place before noted At one table both Paschal lambâ— were celebrated or offered first the figure then the truth And S. Leo The old obseruation is taken away by the new sacrament one sacrifice passeth into an other one blud excludeth endeth the other the legal ceremonie while it is changed is fulfilled Hesichius more shortly Christ at his last supper hauing first eaten the figuratiue lambe with his Apostles afterwards offered his owne sacrifice And albeit as saith S. Gaudentius in that shadow of the legal pasch many lambs were offered not one onely but in euery seueral howse one yet now thorow al churches idem in mysterio panis vini reficit immolatus viâ—ificat creditus consecraÌ„tes sanctificaâ— consecratus Haec agni caro hic sanguis est One the selfe same lambe in the mysterie of bread wine being sacrificed doth refresh vs al being beleeued reviueth vs al being consecrated sanctifieth al the consecraters This is the flesh of the lambe Christ this is his blud Thus these two parcels being true manifest and for such graunted by our aduersaties the one that Christ in his last supper made the new testament the other that then he fulfilled the auncient ceremonie of the paschal lambe and altered that in to this our sacrament these two being examined conferred according to the sense of euideÌ„t scripture and consent of the primitiue church manifestly establish a true sacrifice and real presence of Christs body blud in this sacrament of the new law testament ¶ And yet the figure of Melchisedech is more plaine cleare and irreâ—utable then ether of these Nether vvas there euer any learned christian man bishop Father Doctor or hovv so euer he be called that vvrote since the beginning of the church but he graunted as occasion of mentioning the same vvas offered committed also to vvriting that the sacrifice of Melchisedech foreshevved Christs sacrifice in his last supper and that there Christ exactly and most properly offered sacrifice according to the order and â—ite of Melchisedech as vvas foreprophecied of him This I say is the vniforme and vniuersal consent of al auncient fathers that euer vvrote coÌ„mentaries vpon scripture since the Apostles tyme and some few sacramentarie-protestans there are and more LutheraÌ„s which vnwares and indirectly to an other purpose confeâ—â—e so much Of vvhich number Andreas Fricâ—is sometime secretarie to the king of Pole and for a noble man as learned as any that hath vvriten for the sacramentarie gospel Christ saith â—â— as a feasâ—maker distributed to his gheasts bread wine â—e fulfilled the office of Melchisedech the priest of the most high god him selfe a most true priest For as he offered to Abraham bread wine so Christ gaue bread and wine to his Apostles And in an other place somewhat more to the purpose Christ after the example of Melchisedech offering bread wine gaue both to his disciples Therefore priests that sacrifice after the example of Melchisedech Christ should geue to Christs disciples both bread wine In which application this man much abuseth him self in that he maketh Melchisedech a priest in offering bread wine to Abraham his inferior whereas sacrifice is an office or dutie appointed to testifie the obedience of an inferior to the superior properly of man to god which was no part of a priestly sacrifice but onely of a regal or princely liberalitie benevolence as the Protestants coÌ„monly therein truly declare the matter And much more theologically S. Cyprian expresseth this figure wheÌ„ he writeth that Christ in his last supper as the priest of the hiest god offered sacrifice not to Abraham but to god his father offered the same that Melchisedech did id est panem vinum suum scilicet corpus sanguinem that is to say bread wine I meane his owne body blud And thus he being the fulnes plenitude of all accomplished performed the veritie of that figuratiue sacrifice which was foreshewed in the bread and wine offered by Melchisedech VVhich sacrifice in the same epistle S. Cyprian also deduceth to priests of the new testament that for so much as Christ being the priest of God his father first of al so offered sacrifice to god commaunded the same to be done in coÌ„memoration of him therefore priests ought in that same maner to offer true persite sacrifice to god almightie in the Catholike church as they see Christ to haue done before them This is the right application of that sacrifice offered to god by Melchisedech that this should so be practised in the new testament Theodorus Bibliander a famous man among the Sacramentaries testifieth to haue bene the general beleefe of al the auncient Hebrewes His words are Est apud Hebraeos veteres dogma receptissimum c. It is among the auncient Hebrewes a doctrine most generally receyued that at the comming of the Messias al legal sacrifices shal haue an end there shal be frequeÌ„ted only the Eucharisti cal sacrifice of praise coÌ„fession that shal be done in bread wine as Melchisedech king of Salem priest of the hiest god in the time of Abraham brought forth bread wine in sacrifice VVhereof the Christian learned reader desirous of the truth may see a verie good treatise out of sundrie the old most famous Rabbins before Christ gathered together by Petrus Galatinus in his tenth booke De arcanis Catholicae veritatis where he verie wel declareth the three special points here mentioned
so taught the new sacrifice of the new testament which the church receiuing from the Apostles doth offer to god through the whole world Of which sacrifice the prophete Malachie foreprophecied thus I haue no liking in yow saith our lord almightie nether wil I take sacrifice of your hand o ye Iewes because from the rising of the Sunne to the going doune of the same my name is glorified among the Gentils incense is offered to my name in euerie place and a pure sacrifice The same argument and dedustion I haue noted before out of S. Cyprianâ— First that Christ our lord and god him selfe was high priest of god the father and he first of al offered him selfe a sacrifice to his father â—â—â—â—s last supper and commaunded the same to be done in commemoration of him Next that such priests occupie the place of Chist truly who do that which Christ did and then in the church offer they to god the father true ful sacrifice if they so offer as they see Christ him selfe to haue offered About some 100. yeres after S. Cyprian vvas gathered the first general Councel of Nice and about a hundreth yeres after that of Nice vvas the first general Councel of Ephesus in vvhich the bishops there assembled thus vtter their faith that is the faith of the vniuersal catholike church in this matter The vvoids of that most auncient Apostolical Councel of Nice are On the diuine table let vs not basely regard the bread and cup set there but lifting vp our myndeâ— let vs by faith vnderstand that on that holy table is placed the lamb of god which taketh away the sinnes of the world who there is without effusion of blud sacrificed by the priests and that we truly receiue his preticus body and blud beleeuing these to be the pledges of our resurrection The vvords of the other general Councel of Ephesus are to the same effect thus VVe confessing the death of Christ according to his flesh his resurrection and ascension into heauen confesse withal and celebrate in the church the holy liâ—eâ—â—uing and vnbluddy sacrifice beleeuing that which is set before vs not to be the body of a common man like to vs as nether is that pretious blud but rather we receiue that as the proper body blud of the word which geueth life For common flesh can not geue life as him selfe witnesseth saying flesh profiteth nothing it is the spirite that geueth life For because it is made the proper flesh of the word for this reason it is lifegeuing according to that our Sauiour him selfe â—aith As my liuing father hath sent me I liue by the father he that eateth me he shal liue by me This faith I say of Sacrament sacrifice in al sinceritie simplicitie thus passed on so vniuersally knovven beleeued that as vvriteth S. Leo in Italie S. Augustin in Africa very children vvere taught to acknovvledge the true flesh and blud of Christ to be offered in the sacrifice of the masse Tovvards 800. yeres after Christ one Bertram a litle before him one Scot â—s vvrote darkly of the truth of this sacrament Of the vvritings of the one of these nothing I thinke remayneth of the other a litle doth but the same vttered so doubtfully that as the Zuinglians vse his authoritie against the Catholikes so the Lutherans vse him to the contrarie yea they in maner reproue him as fauoring to much the faith of the Catholikes For of him Illyricus vvith his bretherne say that he hath in that his litle booke semina transubstantiationis the seedes original ground of transubstantiation But vvhat soeuer his priuate opinion vvere his publike speaches and vvriting â—ounded soâ—il in the eares of the Catholiks of that age that Paschasius an Abbat in France made a verie learned booke in refutation of him And al vvriters vvho about that age vvrote of this mysterie vsed more expresly to denâ—e the sacrament to be a signe trope figure image symbole c. in such sort as vvhereby the veritie of the real presence might be excluded as appeareth in the seuenth general Councel in Alcuinus scholemaister to Charles the great in Rabaâ—â—â— archbishop of Ments lib. de diuinis officijs Theophilact in Matth. 26. Marc. 14. Ioan. 6. Aâ—alarius Arch-bishop of â—reuirs lib. de mysterijs missae cap. 24. 25. Haymo bishop of Halberstat in 1. ad Corinth ca. 10. Remigâ—ê° bishop of Antissiodorum in Canonem missae Fulbertus bisshop of Chartres in epistola ad Adelman episcopum in lib. Paschasij Stephanus bishop in high Buâ—gundie Tom. 4. bibliothâ—cae Sanctorum patrâ—m and briefely al other that vvrote betvvene the time of Bertram Berengarius ¶ For after Bertram the next that appeared in fauour of this heresie vvas Berengarius vvho put forth him self a little after the yere of our lord 1000. vvhen as S. Ihon vvriteth in his Apocalyps the deuil was let lose to trouble the church This man as vvitnesseth our martyr-maker M. Fox like to those first heretiks in the Apostles tymes toke away the veritie of the body blud of Christ from the sacrament For vvhich cause he coÌ„mendeth him as a singular instrument whom the holy ghost raised vp in the church to ouerthrow great errors VVhat instrument he vvas vvhom he serued shal best appeare by his ovvne behauiour confession In the meane season this old heresie he published vvith greater industrie shevv of learning then his predecessors countenanced it with more credit assistance of many vnstable sowles and sinful persons as is noted by the godly and learned writerâ— of that tyme vvhich only kind of men ioyned them selues to him and that because his doctrine seemed to yeld them some quietnes securitie in their sinne from vvhich they vvere much withdravven by a reuerend feare and dread vvhich they had of Christs presence in the sacrament to the receauing vvhereof they vvere by order of the church at certaine times induced But as the heresie of this man spread farther then any of that kind in any age before so the church vsed more diligence in repressing the same by sundry publike disputations had vvith the same Berengarius by a number of most excellent vvriters against him among vvhom Lanfâ—ancus archbishop of Canterbury in England Guitmundus bisshop of Auersa in the kingdom of Naples Algerus a monke in Fraunce in that verie time excelled the supreme pastors of the church assembled sundry great synodes meetings of byshops and other doctors to discusse that opinion instruct those that erred after him first at Tours in Fraunce next at Vercellis in Italie then againe at Tours vvhere Berengariê° him selfe being manifestly conuicted 〈…〉 a solemne oth neuer to maintaine his former heresie VVhich oth vvhen as yet he performed not but returned to his former filth an other Councel vvas gathered in Rome of 113.
against any sacrament of the church of Christ mentioned in the gospel and practised among Christians but only against the inventions of that pernitious Apostata vvhich hovv soeuer he terme by the honorable name of the church sacraments as likevvise he every other heretike calleth his proper devised heresie by the name of Christs gospel yet I esteeme them no othervvise then the devises of the poorest carter in Scotland then the devises of Robin Hood and litle Iohn auncient rank riders in the borders of Scotland and England yea much vvorse for that their deuises ended only in robbing mens purses and at the farthest in killing temporally their bodies vvhereas these SacrameÌ„tarie devises tende to robbe men of their Christian faith and to kil eternally vvith their bodies their soules also And therefore vvhereas I esteeme them such as such also vvil I speake of them and vvith gods assistance by the gospel of Christ and doctrine of Christs Catholike church refel them And for distinction sake and to separate their toyes from the true sacraments I vvil so far as commodiously I can cal them by the names vvhich M. B. and the Sacramentaries better allovv that is signes and seales not sacraments vvhich is the churches word and not so meete to be applied to the signes and seales of their congregations albeit oftentimes especially in this first Sermon I shal be constreyned to cal them sacraments as they do His definition of sacraments taken from Caluin is this The sacrament is a holy signe and seale that is annexed to the preached word of god to seale and confirme the truth contayned in the same word This definition thus he more at large declareth I cal not only the seale separated from the word a sacrament For as there can not be a seale but that which is the seale of an evidence and if the seale be separated from the evidence it is not a seale but what it is by nature no more so there can not be a sacrameÌ„t except it be hung to the evidence of the word But looke what the sacrament was by nature it is no more VVas it a common peece of bread it remaines a common peece of bread except it be hung to the evidence of the word Therefore the word only caÌ„ not be a sacrameÌ„t nor the elemeÌ„t only can not be a sacrament but the word the element coniunctly That to the making of a sacrament is required the word is out of controversie among al Catholikes But vvhat meane yovv by the word not that vvord of god vvhich the Catholikes do For that is in these mens Theologie magical but they meane by the word the vvord of a minister a sermon preached by him For so it solovveth By the word I meane the word preached For the word preached distinctly and al the parts of it opened vp must go before the hanging to of the sacrament and the sacrament as a seale must folow and be appended there after Then I cal a sacrament the word and seale coniunctly the one hung to the other But here some vvil perhaps obiect vvhat need such hanging of seales to the vvord vvhereas the vvord of god is by it self of sufficient autoritie and needeth no such seales for confirmation thereof To this M. B. answereth with Calvin that the seales be annexed to the word for our cause For there is no necessitie on gods part but the necessitie cometh of vs. There is sicke a great weakenes in vs and inhabilitie to beleeue that to helpe this wonderful weakenes whereby we are ready to mistrust god in every word he hath hung to his sacraments Thus much for the general nature of sacraments as they are vsed in the Scottish congregation vvherein there is scarce any one vvord vvhich carieth not vvith it very sovvle absurditie even against the first principles of Christian faith For to examine a litle the definition vvhereon dependeth al I demaund hovvamong Christians can bread or wine or vvater vvhich be the signes of baptisme and the Supper confirme the faith of the preached vvord Is it in respect of the vvord it self or of Christians to vvhom the vvord is sent Not of the vvord it self For that vvere iniurie to god vvhose vvord it is therefore of sufficient credit vvithout such confirmation as Caluin first next M. B. here graunteth Then it remayneth to be in respect of Christians and here againe I must demaund in respect of vvhat sort of Christians strong or vveake perfit or vnperfit â—â—r so vve find them in scripture and in the church generally divided Truly of nether sort if they be right Christians and setled in their Christian faith For is there any true Christian a Christian I say rightly brought vp in the faith of Christ that beleeveth in one god almighty maker of heauen and earth a god vvhom every peece and parcel of his faith teacheth to be most iust most potent most true yea truth it self vvho possibly can not vtter any salsitie is there any Christian thus beleeving and thus he beleeveth or els he is no Christian for vvhom only the sacraments are appointed vvho beleeveth the vvord of god any thing the more for that he seeth bread and vvine and vvater in the ministers hands The Apostles first disciples Martyrs of the Primitiue church replenished vvith the holy ghost vvho being most assured of every vvord and sillable that Christ had taught them vpon confidence and warrant of such invincible and vnmoveable faith ventered them selues in a thousand dangers and perils of death perils on the land perils on the sea perils among Iewes perils among Gentiles c. vvho 300. yeres space together suffered al kind of prisons of miseries of banishments of torments of rackings of fier of being torne in peeces cast to beasts devoured of Lyons c. of vvhom it is vvritten that some thus vvished and prayed Come fier come gallowes come wild and savage beasts breaking of my bones renting in sunder of my quarters come on me al the torments of the devil so that at length I may enioy Christ they who being condemned to be devoured of beasts vvhen they heard the Lyons and Tigres roring for greedines of their pray exclamed VVe are gods wheate let vs willingly be grinded with the teeth of these beasts that we may be made cleane flower these men vvho as S. Paule speaketh died every day for Christs gospel and the truth thereof vvhen they resorted to the sacrament resorted they for this end that vvhereas othervvise they mistrusted god by receiuing these seales of bread and vvine they might confirme their faith towards him vvhich vvas alredy a thousand tymes better confirmed then it could be by any such vveake seales Doubtles as Calvin saith of them that they are signes memorials to helpe weake memories if a maÌ„ were otherwise myndful inough of Christs death this helpe of the supper
by his father Iohn Calvin or his great grandfather Iohn VViclef For in S. Ireneus Tertullian S. Cyprian vvhich vvere 200. yeres before S. Ambrose S. Austin and S. Leo vve find in a number of places mentioned no lesse the sacrifice then the sacrament of the Eucharist as properly a sacrifice as a sacrament a sacrifice not metaphorical or general for al Christians to offer in faith and spirite but peculiarly and specially to be offered in the church by a certayne order of priests And vvhere M. B. found the sacrament called a banquet of loue or a publike action if ever he found it he might haue found it a hundred times more commonly called a sacrifice if his eyes or vvil had bene as indifferent to haue seene and marked the one as the other S. Ignatius scholer to the Apostles calleth our Eucharist or Sacrament a true sacrifice even the flesh of our Saviour S. Ireneus the new oblation or sacrifice of the new testament S. Cyprian a true perfite and ful sacrifice which Christ commaunded to be offered Dionysius Areopagita the healthful sacrifice offered by a priest according to Christs ordinance Tertullian the sacrifice which only men offer no wemen as also after Tertulli an Epiphaniê° teacheth more at large S. Hippolitê° martyr who lived in Tertullians time the pretious body blud of Christ which sacrifice bishops purely offered to God vvhich sacrifice should be taken away and suppressed by Antichrist S. Laurence that most glorious martyr the sacrifice which the blessed pope Sixtus was wont to offer S. Laurence serving him as his deacon Finally the most auncient Apostolical Councel of Nice the sacrifice host which taketh away the sinnes of the world offered to god by priests who only and not deacons haue power to offer the same Now if from these vvho al lived before S. Ambrose S. Austin vve shold shew the like of the doctors writers of that age it were easie to fil a booke vvith most cleer testimonies proving this vndoubted veritie For euery vvhere in every famous Catholike vvriter this sacrifice is in vvord and deed with such evident pregnant circumstances described as no sophistrie and cavillation of out aduersaries no not of M. Ievv him self the veriest vvrangler of al can serue but they must needs acknovvledge that such vvas the faith of that pure primitiue church The general councel of Ephesus calleth it the holy lyfe-geving and vnbluddy sacrifice The great general councel of Chalcedon of 630. bisshops the vnbluddy host offered in the church the vnbluddy and dreadful sacrifice The first councel of Toledo the daylie sacrifice S. Hierom the daily sacrifice of Christs body which Priests haue power to offer Hieron Tom. 2. lib. 3. contra Pelagia pa. 305. lib. contra Luciferianoâ— pa. 136. Eusebius Caesariensis the ful most holy dreadful sacrifice the pure host sacrificed after a new fashion according to the order of the new testament Euseb lib. 1. demonstratio Evangel ca. 10. S. Chrysostom the cleansing sacrifice the same which Christ our high bisshop first offered Chrysostom ad Hebraeos ca. 10. Homil. 17. Theodoretus the immaculate lamb not such a one as the Iewes offered void of reason but that helthful lamb which taketh away the sinnes of the world Theod. questio 24. in Exod. in psal 97. S. Austin in a number of places The true only singular sacrifice of the new testament lib. 3. de baptismo contra Denatist cap vltimo De spiritu litera ca. 11. Contra Cresconium lib. 1. ca. 25. The sacrifice which Christ ordeyned of his owne body and blud according to the order of Melchisedech Tom. 8. in psal 33. pa. 157. A true sacrifice and cleane offered according to Melchisedechs order from the east to the west psal 39. pa. 238. psal 106. pa. 863. As true and real a sacrifice as any was in the old testameÌ„t Tom. 2. epist 49. quastiâ— 3. and vvhich hath succeded and vvas appointed by Christ in steed of those auncient legal and Iudaical sacrifices De Civitate dei lib. 6. cap. 20. lib. 16. ca. 22. Contra adversar legiâ— prophetarum ca. 20. S. Ambrose VVe priests offer sacrifice for the people VVe offer albeit weake in respect of our private life yet honorable in respect of our sacrifice because our sacrifice is the body of Christ him self Ambros psal 38. pa. 527. Of vvhich sacrifice S. Ambrose had so reverend a regard that he durst not offer it if Theodoâ—ius the Emperour being excommunicate vvere present lib. 5. epist 28. And so forth in every Doctor vvriter of that age VVith more rehearsal of vvhose sentences I vvil not trouble the reader the thing being knowen and manifest and confessed by our more learned and lesse impudent adversaries For thus much Calvin him self graunteth and vnto al these and such like authorities of the most auncient pure and primitiue church he maketh this rude blunt ansvvere VVhereas the Papists obiect that the anncient fathers according to the scriptures professe that in the church there is an vnbluddy sacrifice in the one part they erre in the other they lye For scriptures they haue none As for the authoritie of the fathers it skilleth not nether is it reason that we depart from gods eternal truth for their sake And therefore that vnbluddy sacrifice which men haue devised let them hardly reserue and take to them selues And in his Institutions he confesseth that the very maner of ministring the supper as it vvas vsed by the auncient fathers had nescio quam faciem renovatae immolationis I knowe not what forme and fashion of a sacrifice reiterated And els vvhere he saith he can not excuse the custome of the auncient primitive church for that in their very behaviour and church maner they expressed a certaine forme of sacrifice vsing almost the very same ceremonies which were vsed in the old testament VVherein al be it he go somvvhat to far yet this maketh a plaine demonstration that the auncient fathers never doubted of a true real sacrifice vvhich they vttered in most plaine significant termes vvhen they vvrote or preached and expressed by the very forme rite and maner of sacrificing when in the church they ministred it And thus much being true and for true confessed vve see the vanitie of M. B. his deduction that the sacrament vvas perverted to a sacrifice vvhen it began to be called masse vvhereas it vvas called vsed as a sacrifice both among the Greekes vvho vntil this day never called it masse and also among the Latins so long before the name of Masse came in vse in deed ever since Christ and his Apostles time as hath bene declared And therefore whereas M. B. maketh it idolatrie to vse the sacrameÌ„t as a sacrifice he thereby very heretically condemneth as idolatrous the first the most auncient and Apostolike
because the veritie thereof hangeth not vpon mens eâ—ting or not eating the sacrameÌ„t not vpon any mans action or table service as M. B. thinketh but vpon the povver of Christ and his vvord it self vvhich is eternal omnipotent and insallible And therefore vvhat hast so ever the minister maketh home to see his vvise or to his ovvne dinner and table service and for such cause maketh perhaps quicke dispatch of the table service in the church the sacrament of Christ leeseth not his holynes sooner or later vpon any such occasion This is a question betvvene the Catholikes Caluinists as also betvvene the Caluinists Lutherans Caluin and the Caluinists and such as are of that side supposing as here M. B. teacheth vs therevpon barre al sending of the sacrament out of the church to sick persoâ—â— and improue al private communions in church oâ— hovvse the Lutherans being of contrarie opinion allovving both the one the other The resolutioÌ„ vvhereof dependeth principally vpon a former question of the real presence vvhereof I vvil enter no nevv dispute here Only for contentation of the Christian reader I vvil say thus much that the most auncient primitiue church of Christ thought as the Catholiks do touching coÌ„tinuance of holines in the sacrament against M. B. therefore belike had such opinion of the real presence thereof as the Catholikes haue That the primitiue church thought as vve do and condemned M. B. for the first it is knovven and proved by a number of plain testimonies taken out of the most auncient vvriters S I 〈…〉 the martyr Apologia 2. prope finem S. Ireneus apud Eâ—â—â— Histor lib. 5. ca. 24. Dionys Alexandrinus ibid. lib. 6. â—â— 36. Tertul. lib. 2. ad vxorem and S Cyprian sermo 5. de lâ—â—sis c. By al vvhich it is evident that after the solemne sacrifice and participation of the sacrament in the church the same vvas privately sent to those that vvere absent or reserved communicated by several persons in private hovvses in the first and most pure age of Christs church and the grace or holines of the sacrament not vvithstanding vvas beleeved to continue stil and the sacrament stil to remaine a ful perfit sacrament VVhich custom aftervvards was in like maner reteyned vvith â—â—probation of the most learned fathers as appeareth by the practise of the church many vvayes in the first general Councel of Nice cap. 14. in S. Basil epistola ad Casaram Patritâ—am in S. Ambrose oratio de obitu Satyri fratâ—â— cap 7. in S. Gregorie Nazianzene oratio de Gorgonia sor 〈…〉 and others vvith vvhose authorities though cleer a 〈…〉 manifest for this purpose I vvil not charge this place because I vvil not stand long on that vvhich is but b 〈…〉 ly resolved by M. B. Yet for example assurance to hiâ— that such vvas the faith and practise of that most aunâ—enâ— and Apostolike church I vvil vvrite dovvne the â—â—â—fession of a learned Calvinist our first false Apostle 〈…〉 Oxford touching this matter Bishop Gardiner obiâ—â—â—â—th to Peter Martyr that S. Cyril bishop of Alexandria acknovvledged first the true presence of Christ in the sacrament thereon inferred that the sacrament being reserved after the communion in the church vvas ended remained stil a sacrament indued vvith Christs presence as in the time of the sacrifice or coÌ„munioÌ„ S. Cyrils words as I find them rehearsed by Martir are these Cast no doubt whether that which I affirme of Christs real presence in the sacrameÌ„t be true whereas Christ him self speaketh very plainly This is my body but rather receiue thow and embrace our Saviours words with faith For he being truth it self lyeth not Hereof thus he inferreth Insaniunt ergo qui dicunt mysticam benedictionem a sanctificatione cessare c. Therefore they are mad men out of their wits who say as M. B. doth that the mystical blessing that is the sacrament leeseth his sanctification or is vnavailable to sanctifie if any portion of it remayne vntil the day after For Christs holy body is nothing chaunged thereby but the vertue of benediction and lyfegeving grace vivificatiua gratia continueth stil in it For better vnderstanding of vvhich place that may be noted by the vvay vvhich I find in OEcolampadius concerning the cause vvhy S. Cyril vvrote thus The cause vvas as OEcolamp telleth it for that even then some began to cast doubt vvhether the sacrament or any portion of it if it vvere reserved vntil the next day after remayned as true a sacrament had like vertue of sanctification as vvhen it vvas first consecrated For certaine grosse heretikes named Anthropomorphitae thought the contrarie and were iust of M. B. the Calvinists opinion whom S. Cyril reproveth And here vpon in his epistle to Calosirius bishop of Arsinoe in Aegipt writeth as before is cited Vnto vvhom P. Martyr frameth this ansvvere VVhereas Cyril saith that a portion of the Eucharist reserved vntil a day after leeseth not his sanctification he as I suppose speaketh therein according to a certaine custom received amoÌ„g the auncieÌ„t fathers For as we may easely gather out of S. Cyprian Tertullian and Ambrose men were then wont when in the church the Lords supper was ended to cary home with them some portion of the Symboles and receiue it the next day before their meates thinking thereby to get some sanctification eâ—her to them selues or the sicke persons to whom they gaue it This custom all â—iâ— it was somwhat superstitious yet Cyril and other fathers approved it For even streightwayes from the Apostles time men began to degenerate from the old simplicitie of worshipping god Here is a plain confession that in the most auncient church for Tertullian and S. Cyprian are of the most auncient it was received and approved as a veritie that the holynes of the sacrament continued somwhat lâ—nger then the time of the table serviceâ— and therefore that M. B. is much deceived vvhen he resolveth the contratie ¶ â—ut against this â—aith of the Primitiue church and namely against sending or ministring the sacrament to private persons M. B. hath certaine obiections which â—e seemeth to account of as very strong therefore I may not omit them The first is If the sacrament be ministred to one privately it is not a sacrament And why Because the Apostle cals the sacrament a communion of Christs body therefore if ye minister it to one ye tyne the communion if ye minister it privately ye tyne the sacrament The second is for they are al of one qualitie and forme therefore they shal iun al together This sacrament meâ— be publikely ministred why Because Christ IESVS who is the thing signified in the sacrament perteynes not to any man alone but is a common thing apperteyning to every faithful man and woman Thirdly which is the last this sacrameÌ„t is counted a thanke gering to God Now it
meane wit or sense of Christianitie ever wrote or affirmed that Gods vvord could not be heard fruitfully but of such men as vvere first indued with the love of god and then vvith the love of their neighbour in and for god and had such other vertuous dispositions as here yow require in your communicants Doth not the vvhole course and scope of the new testament shew infinit dissimilitude betwene the vvord of God and this sacrament of God in this respect vvithal resel this your to grosse folie VVhereas the sacrament in the verie place by yow read to your auditors if ye read truly is peculiarly appointed for the good and holy those that have tried and examined vvel them selves contrariwise is not the vvord of God by Gods like ordinance indifferent as vvel to the vnholy as holy to the bad as to the good as vvel to correct the one as to preserve the other to illuminate the faithles as to continue the light kindled in the faithful Do not the vvritings and preachings of Christ and his Apostles confirme this â— Preached they not alike to Iew Gentil to Idolaters to Pagans to sacrilegious persons of al sorts blind for their faith and abominable for their life vvhereof many knew not God much lesse loved him and so could not love their neighbour for him And yet this preaching doubtles vvas vvithout al sinne ether in the Apostles vvho thus preached indifferently to al or in the disciples vvere they Iewes or Gentils vvho heard them In the first primitiue church vvhich vvas immediatly planted by the Apostles preaching of the vvord vvas stil publike vniversal to Heathen no lesse them Christiâ— after for the space of 400. yeres the same maner of preaching the vvord continued vvith expresse order taken by the church by hundreds of bisâ—hops in very general Synodes that nether Pagan nor Iew nor heretike should be excluded from the presence and communication thereof from hearing the word of god vvhen as by precise order both of the Apostles and their successors pastors and rulers of the church al not only heathen Iewes heretikes but also novices in the Christian faith so long as they vvere vnbaptized vvere diligently excluded from being present at or seing the administration of the holy sacrament So that most salse it is like preparation to be required for receiuing the vvord and the sacrament and so to say cleane dasheth and destroyeth both these last sermons induceth the plain opposite of that this maÌ„ vvould seeme to persuade For if no other preparation be necessarie for the sacrameÌ„t then for the simple vvorde it being most cleare and certain that Christ his Apostles al auncient Bisshops vvithout any sinne or offence of any part ether of the preacher or of the heater preached the vvord to Ievves Gentils idolaters vsurers adulterers publicans men and vvomen living in al sinne of body and sowle hereof the deduction is manifest that by like reason the sacrament vvithout sinne of ether part may be delivered and received of Iewes of Gentils of Idolaters of adulterers of vsurers of slannderers of men never so sinful and vvicked VVith vvhich qualities albeit perhaps the elect bretherne of Calvins institution be commonly indued vvho vsually as M. B. vvitnesseth fal in to such grosse sinnes not only seven times but even seventie times seven times that is almost five hundred times every day yet thus to instruct and teach them and namely at such tyme and place was a very vnfit vvay of preparation to vvorthy receiving of the sacrament for vvhich by this doctrine any preparation suffiseth to vvhich they can never come vnworthely nor receive it to their condemnation no more then Marie Magdalen the sinful vvoman or other publicans vsurers and sinners received the vvord of Christ or his Apostles to their condemnation And this may stand for an evideÌ„t exaÌ„ple of a more general repugnaÌ„ce vvherein pretending honour to the sacrament he most dishonoreth it and vvhile at large he persuadeth great care of preparation he shortly but pithily dissuadeth the same causeth his auditors to neglect castavvay al such care Now to end this matter let vs consider one other like general example vvherein he vniversally both gainsaieth him self marreth al his deuout preaching and setteth his auditors in the high vvay to al audacitie licence libertie and fleshly securitie Towards the end of his secoÌ„d sermoÌ„ thus he armeth them against al tentatioÌ„s and teacheth them how they shal find repose in their conscience be their sinnes never so great their contempt of God and despising of his commaundements never so notorious and horrible and their owne conscience never so vehemently accusing them thereof VVhen saith he the devil thy owne life and conscience accuseth thee and beareth witnes against thee go backe ouer again to thy bygane experience cast over thy memorie and remember if god at any time in any sort hath loved thee if ever thow felt the love and favour of god in thy hart c. Remember on this and repose thy assurance on this that as he loved thee ains he wil love the ay and wil assuredly restore thee to that love or thow dye The hart that felt ains the loue of god shal feele it again And looke what gift or grace or what taist of the power of the world to come that euer the lord gave to his creatures in this life to that same degree of mercy he shal restore his creature or ever it depart this life This lesson he vvilleth his audience to locke vp in their harts remember on it faithfully as a most vvorthy comfort and me â—icament for their conscience I vvil not spend time in reâ—uting this strauâ—ge doctrine nether how it contrarieth the scripture of the Apostles and Euangelists in a number of places And yet I may no let passe briefly to vvarne the â—eader that not only in the thing and substance of the matter but also in the very forme of vvords and maner of phrase most vvickedly yea like a flat Apostata enemy of the Apostles al Apostolical doctrine he directly opposeth him self to the Apostle For vvhereas S. Paule saith that such Christians as have once bene made partakers of gods graces and gifts and have taisted the word of god and power of the world â—â— come vvhen such men become Apostataes and fal from God it is impossible for them to recover their former estate and grace M. B. running ful but against the Apostle saith in the same vvords phrase that such as have once receiued the grace gift of the holy ghost or taisted the power of the world to come fal they never so desperatly in to vvhat dissolution of body and sowle soeuer most certain and sure it is that before their death they shal recover be restored to the same grace degree of mercy againe Yea vvhich is far more vvonderful and far
and played his part though not condemning Carolostadius yet bringing a new kynd of faith in that behalf forthwith al or the greatest number as Zuinglius him self vvriteth euen of those qui vehementer â—rant Carolostadiani who of late were marvelous eager Carolostadians forsooke Carolostadius and ioyned them selves to Zuinglius After how Zuinglius vvas put out of countenance by Calvin and at this present how Clauin is in Germanie disgraced by the Anabaptists in England by the Puritanes and Martinistes and bretherne of love other fresh â—ects vvhich bud vp every day control Caluin and draw multitudes after them for that they bring a gâ—eeneâ— and newer and more fined gospel this is so puâ—â—â—â—â—â—ly knowen that I need not to make â—lâ— herein and vvhat is the reason hereof but because this Gospel be â— of Carolosiadius or Zuinglius or Caluin or Puritans or Anabaptisis or Familie of love is a Gospel of meÌ„ a Gospel devised by light braynes vvhich go about to pervert the true and Apostolike Gospel It is not that Gospel of Christ vvhich Christ by him self first and after by his Apostles preached to continue in al ages It is not that word of God which remayneth one the same for ever but it is the vvord of a few light lecherous infamous Apostataes inuented by them selves vvith assistance of the devil to serve their owne vvanton lustes and appetites for this reason hauing his ground and foundatioÌ„ vpon the fansie of such men can not have other constaÌ„cie then haue the first founders coyners of it But the Gospel of Christ the Catholike vniversal faith vvhich he planted as it came from heauen so hath it that eternitie that heauen and earth shal passe and perish before any peece or parcel thereof As the author of it vvas god and the preachers thereof being principally twelve though diuided and scattered throughout the vvhole vvorld vvere always guided by the same God vvhich is one and indivisible so the Gospel vvhich these many preachers sowed vvas one and the same in al quarters corners of the vvorld in Iurie in Asia in Grece in Macedonia in Italie in Africa in Spaine in France vvhere ever they set their foote planted churches and left successors and so hath it bene preserued by the grace direction and internal guiding of the same God far othervvise then vve see in this new Lutherish Gospel vvhereof the author being but one as many vvil have it that is Luther or at the most two Luther and Zuinglius as our English in their Apologie like better although some loyne a third yet vvithin a short time in some one prouince hath multiplied in to not only twelve different contrary gospels but more then twelue tymes twelve as by faithful calculation of learned men is â—ccorded and by plain reason and historical demonstration may be proved Christ in that his Church ordeyned a peculiar vvorship of God his father consisting in sacrifice according as god had taught al nations ether by the very law of nature vvritten in their harts as in the old Patriarkes in the Greekes and Romanes c. or by the vvritten law deliuered to Moyses as in the politie of the Iewes In this there is no vvorshipping or acknowleging of one God by sacrifice but a prophane contempt of al such vvorship vvherein this new congregation is far more irreligious and godles then ever vvas any knowen estate of Gentils and Pagans In that Christ left divine sacraments as fountaynes conduits of his heavenly grace of vvhich the rest being altogether reiected by these reformed bretherne 2. are only in name reteyned but in effect made no iote better then the old Iewish vvasihings rites and ceremonies that is are not reteyned and â—oâ—deÌ„ at al for sacraments of the new law In that Christ appointed ordinarie meanes vvhereby his people falling might procure remission of their sinne vvhich in this new congregation is counted a matter straunge and vnpossible as though they had never heard of Christ the sonne of man in earth â—orgeuing sinnes to men and imparting the same puissance to his Apostles and disciples vvhom he made gouernors of his church Briefly to that the Apostles committed left a short epitome of Christian saith to be particularly beleeved in euery parcel and sillable of al Christians as most sure and infallible and so hath the faith thereof bene preserued from the Apostles preaching to this age and shal be for ever vvhereas in this new kiâ—k gospelling congregation scarce any one of them is beleeved a right very many are expressely denyed as in this treatise hath bene particularly declared I omit a number of fowle cankered heresies coÌ„demned vvith the authors by that primitive Church of Christ vvhich now are embraced and extolled as Gospellike by these new Euangelical bretherne I omit the gratious discipline regiment and order set downe in that church by Christ and his Apostles contrarie to which in this Synagogue is nothing but a Babylonical misâ—â—der and confusion vvhere ether the sheep coÌ„maund rule their pastors as in England some territories of Suizzerland and Germanie or an equalitie of Ministers vvithout superioritie of bisshops and prelates destroyeth the verie face of al orderly regiment obedience and discipline as in Scotland and Geneva these vvith a number of such dissimilitudes betwene that church of Christ and this of Iohn Knox or Calvin I voluntarily let passe because they are vvithout the compasse of this discourse and vvhereof there hath not bene much mention made heretofore These few may suffise to iustifie both the nobilitie the vvhole youth and every other man vvoman and child of any degree or calling vvho soever forsaketh this new Gospel and ioyneth him self to the old vvhich fault is no greater how so ever M. B. be grieued at it then it is for one that is blind to desue sight for a man that lieth in extreme danger of death to vse the meanes of procuring life one that is tossed amiddest the vvaues rocks of the raging seas to desire a quiet port and harbour in plaine termes then it is for a Christian to forsake heresie and embrace truth to forsake schismatical conuenticles to leave fantastical vayne and discordant opinions of men betake him self to the one only Apostolike Catholike Church and faith of Christ Iesu vvho is God blessed for ever Laus Deo A TABLE OF THE SPECIAL POINTS HERE ENTREATED concerning the Catholike faith and Sacramentarie heresie A A Gapâ— feasts of charitie in the primitive Church what they vvere pa. 245. 246. 251. Altar and Table vsed for one in scripture pag. 249. both are referred to sacrifice pa. 248. 249. Altars in the primitive church pag. 249. Anabaptist Martyrs pag. 305. called Martyrs of the devil by Calvin Ibi. The like iudgeth Luther of the Caluinian Martyrs 305. â— Austin vily corrupted by the
tranquillitie of his realme as in the storie hereof set forth by them selues at large appeareth Which iudgemeÌ„t of that king their notorious sauage and barbarous behauiour in many countries of Europe hath since that time continually more and more verified and the writings of the ministers for defense of their opinions which daily they invent hath much more abundantly iustified whereof this smale booke geveth also some proofe demoÌ„stration In publishing whereof vnder your Maiesties name if any man shal reproove me as bold presumptuous for my excuse laying aside the examples of most auncient fathers whose footesteps herein I haue folowed if former reasons satisfie not I appeale to your clemencie for pardon protesting before God that the cause which hath moued me hereunto next vnto his honour defence of the truth is my faithful dutyful and seruiceable hart to your Maiestie to whom I wish as large dominion and ample monarchie as ever had any king of that Iland for whom I pray that with them and aboue them yow may be victorious in warre fortunate in peace amiable to your subiects dreadful to your enemies that it may please our Lord to heape vpon yow your posteritie al blessings spiritual and temporal that finally hauing gouerned your subiects in such quietnes pretie godlines and rule of faith in which your worthy predecessors haue lead yow the way yow may at length with them to your eternal ioy felicitie render vnto God a comfortable accompt for the great charge which he hath committed to your hands Which that your Maiestie may happily persourme with al honour prosperous successe according to my bounden dutie I shal not cease continually to pray Your Maiesties Most bounden Orator and humble seruant VVilliam Reinolde A table of the chapiters Chap. I. The Catholike and Apostolike faith concerning the Sacrament pag. 1. Chap. II. Of Berengarius heresie renewed in this age pag. 36. Chap. III. Of Calvin and the Calvinists opinion concerning the Sacrament pag. 67. Chap. IIII. Of the vvord SACRAMENT and the Calvinists definition thereof pag. 117. Chap. V. The Scottish Supper compared vvith Christs Institution pag. 145. Chap. VI. Of Christs body truly ioyned and deliuered vvith the Sacrament pag. 163. Chap. VII Of Christs body no vvayes ioyned nor deliuered vvith the Sacrament pag. 172. Chap. VIII A further declaration of that vvhich vvas handled in the last chapiter pag. 191. Chap. IX Comparison of the Sacramental signe vvith the word pag. â—07 Chap. X. Of the VVORD necessarily required to make a sacrament pag. 215. Chap. XI M. B. contradictions The Scottish Supper is no Sacrament of Christ pag. 233. Chap. XII Of names attributed to the Sacrament pag. 243. Chap. XIII Of the ends for which the sacrameÌ„t vvas ordeyned pag. 259. Chap. XIIII Of vertue remayning in the sacrament reserved of private Communions pag. 276. Chap. XV. That evil men receive Christs body pag. 287. Chap. XVI Of tuitching Christ corporally and spiritually pag. 309. Chap. XVII Manifest falsities vntruthes against the Catholike faith pag. 333. Chap. XVIII ArgumeÌ„ts against the real presence answered pa. 342. Chap. XIX Other arguments against the real presence answered pag. 357. Chap. XX. Answere to places of scripture alleaged for proofe that Christs vvords spoken at his last supper must be vnderstood tropically pag. 366. Chap. XXI Of contradictions and the Zuinglians impietie in limiting Gods omnipotencie pag. 379. Chap. XXII A brief confutation of the last two Sermons concerning preparation to receive the Sacrament pag. 398. The Conclusion The conclusion conteyning certain general reasons vvhy the Calvinian Gospel now preached in Scotland can not be accounted the Gospel of Christ pag. 429. This is the summe and effect of the chapiters in general Ech one of vvhich in his place is divided in to several parts and braunches by considering vvhereof the reader may forthvvith perceive the particular discourse and matter of the vvhole chapiter ensuing A NOTE FOR THE READER WHEREAS M. Bruces SermoÌ„s are printed without any figures distinguishing ether page or leafe which no booke lightly omitteth I haue good reader for plain dealing the more easy notifying to others that which I cite out of him added figures to ech page beginning the first next after the Epistle dedicatorie so coÌ„tinuing on by pages 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. vntil the end of his booke which is page 296. Thus much I thought good to warne thee of that if thow please to see his words in his owne booke thow maist with so much the more facilitie find them THE CATHOLIKE AND APOSTOLIKE FAITH CONCERNING THE SACRAMENT The Argument Christ at his last supper instituted both a Sacrament also a sacrifice consisting in the true real presence of his pretious body blud This is proued partly by graunt of the aduersaries who confesse Christ in that supper to haue made his new testament partly by particular examining the nature of a testament and conferring the new testament with the old The same is proued by the Paschal lamb which was a figure as the aduersaries also graunt of Christs Sacrament finished in the same therefore this must needs be a sacrifice as that was according to the plaine scriptures al auncient fathers The same is most clearly proued by the sacrifice of Melchisedech which albeit most Protestants reiect withall reiect the whole primitiue Church of Christians as also the auncient synagogue of the lewes both which church sâ—nagogue confessed the same yet some acknowledge it thereof is the holy sacrifice real presence briefly inferred The same faith was reterned practised by the first primitiue church in the time of the Apostles The same faith was continued in all Christendom from tâ—e Apostles tyme without any great trouble or contradiction the first thousand yeres as appeareth by consent of the fathers general Councels stories of the church Berengarius the first notorious father of the sacrameÌ„tarie heresie conuinced by learning condemned in sundrie Councels gathered out of al Christendom abiured his owne wicked invention died penitent therefore from whose time to this age the Catholike faith hath bene clearly acknowledged and mainteyned by al Christians both in the Latin Church also in the Greeke Berengarius when he was a sacramentarie he was also a damnable heretike euen by the Protestants iudgement for sundry other heresies besides this So were all they which since Berengarius haue taught this heresie as Peter de Bruis the Albigenses Almaricus and Ihon VViâ—lef a pernicious heretike flatterer who yet recanâ—ed his heresies twise or thrise is condemned for an heretike by the Protestants Out of the premisse is gathered a generall sure rule the same confirmed by manifest scriptures to know an heresie to proue that Berengarius his opinion al that folow him is heretical And the summe of this chapiter touching the principal contents thereof is concluded with the authoritie of Erasmus a
man much extolled by the aduersaries THE FIRST CHAPITER BEFORE I come to examine the particular points of error false doctrine contayned in these sermons I thinke it convenient first in a chapter or two to declare the true Catholike faith concerning this sacrament as it hath alwaies bene receaued and acknowledged in the church of Christ and withal historically to note when an in what sort the Zuinglian heresie that I 〈…〉 which at this present beaâ—eth greatest sway among the Protestants of England Scotland for the Protestant coÌ„gregations preachers of Germanie from the beginning of this schisme in Martin Luthers time vntil this present day condemne it for heresie no lesse then do the Catholiks at some tymes endeuored to put forth it self but hath evermore bene repressed by the pastors of Christs church vntil this present age wherein faith decayng Christian beleefe being in many men for many points measured by carnal reason vpon such ground ether of prophane infidelitie or great decrease of faith the true beleef of this sacrament hath amongst many other necessarie articles fayled in the harts of a number ¶ Our sauiour Christ therefore when at the tyme of his passion he was to finish consummate the worke for which he was incarnate that is to redeeme mankynd abrogate the old law begin the new into this to transfer the sacrifices and priesthod of that former as the Apostle Paule teacheth vs in his last supper for a perpetual memorie of that high and infinite sacrifice offered on the crosse which was the persite absolute redemptioÌ„ and consummation of al the ful price and raunsom for al sinnes done or to be done from the first creation of the world vntil the last ending of the same to continue I say a perpetual memorie of that bluddy sacrifice to ordeine the true vvorship of god in the nevv lavv or testament which worship in euerie law consisteth principally of sacrifice to leaue his people a peculier meane whereby that infinite vertue grace procured by the sacrifice on the crosse might be in particular diuided applied to them in his last supper instituted this sacrifice sacrament of the altar as comonly among Catholique Christians it is called the sacrifice sacrament of his owne most pretious body blud a sacrifice for that it is offered to the honor of god for the benefite of christian people in coÌ„memoration of Christ his sacrifice once done and now past as al the old sacrifices of the law of nature Moses were offered for the benefite of that people in prefiguration of the same sacrifice of Christ then to come a sacrament for that it was also ordeyned to be receiued of Christians in particular to feed our bodies to resurrection immortalitie to geue grace vertue sanctification to oursewles This to be the true sense meaning of our Sauiour in this institution and that principally especially concerning the sacrifice for the sacrament is more euident confessed by the more learned of our aduersaries it shal be proued plainly hereafter is sufficiently expressed in the wordes of our Sauiour vvhich according to the recital of al the Evangelists S. Paul yeld plainly this sense For when Christ nameth his body broken or geuen for vs which is al one as if he termed it sacrificed for vs his blud of the new testament shed there in the supper mystically for vs for remission of synnes these words as truly import a sacrifice as any words which the holie scripture vseth to expresse the sacrifice of Christ on the crosse especially those words of S. Paul Corpus quod frangitur the body which is broken most properly directly are to be referred to the body of Christ as in the sacrament vnder the forme of bread in which it novv is then was truly brokeÌ„ so it was not on the crosse as S. IhoÌ„ specially recordeth VVhe â—of S. Chrysostom writeth very liuinelâ— expounding this same word Hoc in Eucharistia vi lere liceâ— in cruce autem minime c. This we see done in the sacrament but not on the crosse For there ye shal not breake anâ— bone of him saith the Euangelist Iohn â—â— But that which on the crosse he suffered not that he suffereth in the sacrifice for thy sake o man is content to be broken And so this word being by S. Paâ—le incuitably verified of Christs body in the sacrameÌ„t draweth by like necessitie al the rest both touching the body and blud therevnto although al the rest are also most truly spokeÌ„ of the same body of Christ as geuen for vs on the crosse which no ways impayreth but rather much streÌ„gtheneth the veritie real presence of the same body in the sacrament VVhich sense is yet more clearly necessarely confirmed if we coÌ„ferre these words of Christ vsed in delyuering the chalice of the new law with the vvords of Moses vsed in sprinkling the blud of gotes calues which was appointed by gods ordinance to ratifie establish the covenant betwene god and his people the synagoge of the Iewes in the old lavv For as then Moses gathering that blud in to some standing peece or cup sprinkled the people therevvith saying This is the blud of this old testament which god hath made with you euen to our Saâ—iour ordayning this new testament most euidently making relation to those former vvords of Moses and transferring them to his new ordinance vvhen he deliuered the chalice to his Apostles in them to the vniuersal Catholike church said This is the blud of the new testament as that vvas of the old this here conteyned in the chalice is the selfe same which is to be shed for yow as that was sprinkled vpon the Iewes VVhere S. Luke referring these later vvords shed for yow to that vvhich vvas conteyned in the chalice meâ—utably convinceth that vvhich was in the chalice to haue bene the very real blud of Christ as truly as that vvas his real blud which the next day vvas shed on the crosse as truly as that was real blud with vvhich the people vvere sprinkled in the old testameÌ„t in steed of vvhich blud this is succeded the truth in place of the figure as witnesseth S. Leo S. Austin S. Chrysostom other most auncient fathers All vvhich proue not only the real presence of Christs most pretious body blud but also that it is present by way of a sacrifice as in order to be sacrificed ¶ My intent is not to make any long discourses of this matter vvhich hath bene so learnedly treated dy diuers excellent men of our Iland within our memorie that I gladly confesse my selfe vnable to adde any thing to their labours Yet because this point of Christs testament is the ground of al and for denying the real presence of Christs blud in the sacrameÌ„t the Lutheran Protestants theÌ„ selues charge the
by S. Cyprian and Bibliander 1. that in place of al the auncient legal sacrifices should succede in the new testameÌ„t an eucharistical sacrifice in bread wine 2. that that bread wine should be the true flesh blud of the Messias 3. that in such sacrifice should consist the priesthod according to the order of Melchisedech Al which might easelie plainely inough be deduced out of the scriptures for if Melchisedech so offered in prefiguration of Christ Christ must needes likewise so offer to fulfil that figure which being neuer by Christ accoÌ„plished but at his last supper most sure certain it is that there he offered after the order of Melchisedech were it not that the Protestants especially the Sacramentaries herein cheifly in the first original ground of all the rest that is in the sacrifice of Melchisedech meÌ„tioned in Genesis shew them selues incredible wranglers Sophisters in cauilling vpon the Hebrew letter without al reason ground heretikes beyond measure in trusting to them selues alone condemning al others who since the time of Melchisedech both Hebrewes Christians haue acknowledged in this place a sacrifice Amongst which heretikes the chief both Caluin Zuingli very saucely impudeÌ„tly shame not to say that in this matter al the auncient fathers writers wrote spake without iudgement more vainlâ— then vanitie it self not content with Christs institution the wisdom of god inuented the oblatioÌ„ of their owne heads They al erred in so belâ—â—â—ing writing deuised to them selues a sacrifice whereof Moses the holy Gost neuer thought They followed there owne inuentions saw lesse in the scriptures then the rude ignorant people And Illyâ—icus that they in so expounding the scriptures violently naughtely hunted after allegories as was always their fashion Although our English doctor doctor Iewel whose Theologie consisted vpon words phrases haue a farther shift peculier to him selfe beyond al other vz. that the Hebrew word vsed by Moyses is doubtful signifieth as wel a prince as a priest therefore nether priesthod nor sacrifice could necessarily be inferred thereof VVhich is a right way to checke reproue both the prophet Dauid Apostle Paule who long sithence determined the Hebrew word to one certain signification which I suppose they knew somwhat better then M. Iewel did The declaration of which matter to make it plaine to common capacities because it would require some longer time then I thinke needeful to spend for that it is somwhat obscure subtile dependeth vpon gramatical cauils of the Hebrew toÌ„ge I wil here omit especially for that otherwise sufficient seemeth to haue bene said of the words of Christs supper which are also so very manifest euident of them selues that the more learned gospellers from the first original of this new gospel haue stood in defence of the real presence do at this present against the tropical construction of the Caluinists VVherefore ceasing to speake any more hereof I wil procede on as I intended to shew the continuance of this beleefe if yet first I shal note in a word or two that Christs speach vttered in the institution of this sacrament cary such weight to induce establish a sactifice that so much in part is confessed graunted by Ihon Caluin him selfe who in his coÌ„mentarie vpon the words of the Apostle S. Paule Corpus quod pro vobis frangitur The body which is broken for yow writeth thus This is not lightly to be passed ouer For Christ geueth vs not his body sleightly or without any condition adioyned but he geueth it as sacrificed for vs. VVhere ore the first part of this sentence declareth that the body of Christ is deliuered or exhibited to vs the second part expresseth what fruit cometh to vs thereby to wit that thereby we are made partakers of the redemption wrought by Christ the benefit of his sacrificess applied to vs. VVhich words how soeuer he vnderstand them signifie wel truly that Christ in that his last supper deliuered his blessed body to his disciples in them to al Christians not as borne of the virgin not as conversant in this world not as risen from death ascending to heauen or sitting there on gods right hand but as offered to god sacrificed for vs to the end that by that coÌ„memoratiue sacrifice the fruite of Christs redemption procured vniuersally to al mankind by his death on the crosse might be really effectually applied to al faithfull Christians members of Christs catholike church who haue coÌ„munication in that sacrifice ¶ And thus with this opinion was this sacrament practised by the Apostles in the first Apostolical church immediatly after Christ as we learne by S. Luke the Apostle S. Paule by S. Luke when he noteth in the Actes of the Apostles that the holy Ghost chose out certaine of them as they were doing publike service ministerie to our lord ministrantibê° illis domino VVhere the word vsed by the Evangelist signifieth a publike ministerie service of the church such as properly the sacrifice is And therefore Erasmus translateth it according to the proper signification of the Greeke word sacrificantibus illis domino while they were doing sacrifice to our lord VVhich Beza also could be content to admit were it not it draweth to nigh to the church sacrifice But howsoeuer in that respect he refuseth it sure it is al the old fathers Apostolike men from thence in that sense called the christian sacrifice or masse the Liturgie as the Liturgie or masse of S. Iames the Liturgie or masse of S. Basil the Liturgie or masse of S. Chrysost as also Erasmus doth interprete it in this sense of a publike sacrifice doth S. Luke otherwhere vse the word S. Paule by this word properly expresseth our Sauiours priesthod and his most publike general sacrifice VVhich Apostle also mentioneth this the Church sacrifice when as writing to the christians of Corinth he dehorteth them from coÌ„municating with the Gentiles in their idolatrous sacrifices by an argument taken from the nature of al sacrifices the excellencie of this Christian sacrifice For the nature of al sacrifices is to ioyne the coÌ„municants with him vnto whom the sacrifice is offered whether it be god or the deuil As among the Iewes saith the Apostle they which did eate of the thing sacrificed were thereby made partakers of the sacrifice by such sacrifice did concrre to the honor of the true god in like sort they which take part of things ofsered to Idols thereby are made partakers of the Idolatrous sacrifice so together with idolaters honor the deuil Then how straunge a thing is it that yow who partake of the table sacrifice of Christ who there coÌ„municate receiue his pretious body and blud for the chalice there blessed is the coÌ„munication
of his blud the bread there broken is the participation of his body should also be partakers of the table sacrifice of deuils In which argument albeit the Apostle being brief and writing to Christians whom he accounteth skilful wei instructed in this thing by mentioning litle signifieth more setting downe one part willeth them to vnderstand the whole as Calvin also truly noteth and therefore vseth not in everie part of his comparison the terme of altar and sacrifice yet as otherwhere he acknowledgeth the Christians to haue a true altar to sacrifice on and consequently a sacrifice from which the Iewes were debatredâ— so here the very drift of his reason exact correspondence of ech part to other require that as the Iewes had an altar a sacrifice so had the Gentils so had the Christians As the Iewes offered to their god so did the Gentils to their false god so did the Christians As the Iewes by that seruice were partakers of the worship of the true god so were the Gentils by the like seruice concluded conuinced to worship a false god that is the deuil therefore could not haue any part or coÌ„munion in the worship of the true god which was performed by the dreadful sacritice of Christs body blud among Christians VVhich triple sacrifice that of the Gentils to the deuil these two of the Iewes Christians to the true god S. Chrysostom veâ—v we observeth writing vpon the same place His words are In the old testament Pagans idolaters offered the blud of beasts to their idols This blud god tooke to him selfe that so he might turne away his people from committing idolatrie which was a great signe of infinite loue But here in the new testament he provided a sacrifice far more wonderful excellent both in that he changed the sacrifice withal in place of beasts killed in sacrifice he coÌ„maunded him selfe to be offered And this to be the true sense of the place Vib. Regius ioynt-Apostle with M. Luther in preaching this new gospel whom the Protestants of Germanie acknowlege cal a perfite absolute Diuine of infinite learning the Evangelist cheef Superintendent of the churthes of Christ in the Duchie of Luneburge as Luther was in the Duchie of Saxonie plainely graunteth Many there are saith he which thinke a sacrifice to be proued by the Apostle 1. Cor. 10. where he dehorteth from the societie of such as sacrifice to idols by arguments taken from the faith of the sacrifice vsed by the Iewes Gentils For he seemeth to compare sacrifice to sacrifice as Chrysostome teacheth his comparison so to stand that by it is gathered Christians in the Lords supper to haue a certaine peculiar sacrifice whereby they are made partakers of our lord as the idolaters by their abominable sacrifice are made partakers of deuils VVhich if it be so me seemeth it may be answered that in the supper of Christians are the body blud of Christ which are a holy sacrifice but coÌ„memoratiue sacrosanctum sunt sacrificium sed memoriale By which later word albeit he thinketh to haue answered the Catholiks excluded the truth of the sacritice yet is he much deceiued therein For so far are Catholiks from denying the sacrifice to be commemoratiue that of al other sacrifices which euer were or can be imagined we graunt this to be moste coÌ„memoratiue as which most neerely liuely truly expresseth the verie condition efficacie nature of that sacrifice offered on the crosse with which being one in substance it differeth only in maner of offering generalitie of redemption And as Christs transfiguration on the holy mount before his passion vvas the best most persite sigure examplar representation of that eternal glorie which the same person of Christ vvas to enioye in heauen after his resurrection ascension in like maner vve are to iudge of this mistical coÌ„memoratiue sacrifice in respect of his sacrifice on the crosse yet not excluding the veritie of Christs presence in one place more then the other Nether is there any reason vvhy Vrbanus Regius a Lutheran should imagine the sacrifice to be disproued for that it is a memorial or done in coÌ„memoration of Christ more then the real presence is disproued reiected because that also in the Lutheran religion must needs be done in coÌ„memoration Christs vvords being most plaine do this in coÌ„memoration of me VVhich vvords doubtles haue no more strength to overthrovv remoue a sacrifice of Christs body as al Catholikes vrge then a true presence of the same body vvhich al LutheraÌ„s graunt So that out of these vvords of the Apostle is confirmed the mistical sacrifice that it vvas vsually frequented in the first Apostolical church vvhich rec aâ—ed directly from Christ and his Apostles the order administration thereof ¶ This sincere sound beleefe concerning both sacrifice sacrament continued in the catholike church for the first thousand yeres almost vvithout contradiction of any man or sect vvorth the naming Only as our Sauiour him self in the veâ—ie beginning vvhen he first promâ—seâ— that the bread which he would geue should be the same flesh which he was to geue for the life of the world signified obscurely that Iudas the traytour certaine other for want of faith vvere scandalized at his vvords repâ—neâ— at them so a fevv veres after it may be gathered that some there vvere of Iudas folovvers vvho likevvise denyed the truth of this heauenly mistery vvhereof S. Ignatius scholer to the postles vvriteth thus as his vvords are recorded by Theodoretus Some sectaries there are who like not nor approue the oblâ—â—ions sacrifiâ—e◠〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 for that they acknowledge not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Sauiour Christ Iesu the selfe same flesh that suffred for our sinneâ— which the father of his merciful goodnes raised from death But vvhat these men vvere vvhat svvay they bare vvhat scholers they had appeareth not by any ecclesiastical record therefore belike vvere sone put to silence in that happie time of our primitiue first faith vvhen the Apostles them selues and many by them instructed had the governement of the church VVherefore the beleefe first taught by Christ and his Apostles proceded on from hand to hand from age to age vvithout any notable resistance VVhereof being a thing at large treated proued in sundry bookes both latin and english set forth of late I vvil bring only thre or fovver testimonies but the same most auncient S. Ireneus bishop of Lyons in Fraunce martyr S. Cyprian bishop of Carthage in Africa a martyr likevvise and the first general Councels of Nice Ephesus in Asia S. Ireneus vvriteth thus Christ taking bread gaue thankes said This is my body and that which was in the chalice he confessed to be his blud and
bishops in vvhich he againe vvas confuted and yelded so that with his ovvne hands he burnt the bookes vvhich he had made in defence of his heresie But not persisting in his faith and oth geuen after certaine yeres he vvas againe persvvaded to come to Rome there to defend his opinion by such learning as he could in a great synod of bishops gathered for that purpose vvhere being convinced by al maner proofe vvhich he desired by scriptures by fathers by Councels by vniuersal and vncontrolled tradition and vniforme consent of al Christians and christian churches that euer vvere since Christ be being then an old man hauing some more feeling feare of death of hel of his ovvne damnation then before acknovvledged his impietie requested pardon of the supreme Pastor and other bishops there present and as it may be credibly thought vvithout al fiction or hypocrisie abiured his heresie in these vvords Ego Berengarius corde credo ore confiteor c. I Berengarius beleeue in hart confesse with mouth that the bread and wine is conuerted into the true propre and life-geuing flesh and blud of Christ our lord that after consecration there is the true body borne of the virgin which suffred on the crosse and sitteth at the right hand of the father the true blud which issued out from his side that it is present not only in signe or vertue but also in proprietie of nature and veritie of substance As here in this writing is conteyned as I reade it and as yow vnderstand it so I beleue wil neuer teach contrarie And aftervvards being at the point of death vvhich befel on the day of the Epiphanie vvhich is as much to say as the Apparition of our Sauiour remembring by his hererical preaching what numbers of poore ignorant sovvles he had seduced vvith great sorovv and repentance he vttered these vvords This day which is the day of Christ Iesus his Apparition shal he also appeare vnto me for my glorie as I hope because of my repentance or for my eternal punishment as I feare because of so many as I haue deceaued I verelie beleue that after the consecration those mysteries are the true body and blud of our Sauiour And I am induced so to beleue both by the authoritie of the primitiue church by many miracles shewed of late And â—o vvith great signes of sorovvfulnes and repentance died a true Catholike man as is recorded by good autentical vvriters From Berengarius tyme vntil this present albeit there haue not bene any such great numbers as vvere in Berengarius tyme yet scarce any one age hath missed some notorious heretike vvho among other heynous he resies hath vpholden also the heresie of BereÌ„garius As on the other side there hath not vvanted great Clerks and Saints of excellent holynes learning vvho haue maynteined the Catholike and Apostolike faith deliuered to them from their fathers Such vvere in the age of Berengarius besides those before named Adelmanâ—us bishop of Brixen Hugo bishop of Langres Iuo bishop of Chartres Hildebertus first bishop of Mantes after archbishop of Tours S. Bruno and sundry others After solovved S. Bernard Petrus Clumacensis Petrus Lombardus Hugo Richardus de S. Victore Euthymius S. Thomas S. Bonauenture the general Councel of Laterane vnder Innocentius in vvhich vvere present as vvitnesseth M. Fox 61. Archbishops Primates 400. Bishops 800. other men of great learning an other general Councel holden at Vienna item a third general Councel holden at Florence besides that of Constance vvherein the Greeke church and Latin professed their consent and vniforme faith touching the veritie of this diuine sacrifice and sacrament as likevvise many Greeke Bishops vvrote sundry treatises in iustification thereof Samonas Bishop of Gaza Nicolaus of Methone Marcus of Ephesus Nicolaus Cabasilas Bessaâ—ion the Cardina ' as likevvise of late they haue testified the same in their ansvvere to the ProtestaÌ„ts of Germanie vvho sued to enter in to some communion vvith them against the Romaine church But the Greekes vtterly refused them as condemned heretikes both for other their sundrie heresies namely for this of the sacrament vvhereof I speake vvherein the Greeks very constantly hold the same faith vvhich al Christians heretofore haue and euer ought vvhich is deliuerâ—d in the late general Councel of Tient ¶ Thus much is to be noted in this discourse that from Berengarius vnto Luther no one man hath bene a patrone of this opinion but he hath bene also defiled vvith some very sovvle grosie heresies beside such as the Protestants them selues hold for heresies count the defenders of them heretikes As for example to begin vvith Beregauê° him selfe vvhen he maynteined this sacramentarie heresie he his partakers denyed withal the grace of baptisme denyed that men coÌ„mitting mortal sinne cou'd euer obtayne pardon therefore Besides this he was an enemie to mariage and al stayned from meates which god had created and from fat as things vncleane VVhereby it appeareth that he vvas not only a Sacramentarie but also an Anabaptist a Ievv and vvhich in the Protestant gospel perhaps is greatest of al an enemie to mariage and good fare For vvhich cause Occolampadius though in the matter of the sacrament a right Berengarian yet iudgeth him to be an heretike vvorthely condemned Berengarium a Concilio Romano non iniuste condemnatum arbitror c. I saith he am of opinion that Berengarius was iustly condemned by the Councel holden at Rome For besides the matter of the Eucharist he defended some things against mariage the baptisme of children in the verie matter of the Eucharist he seemeth hoâ—ely to haue set him selfe a worke rather desirous of victorie and vaine glorie theâ— of opening the truth ¶ Next ensued one Petrus Brusius and Henricus author of the sect called Albigenses vvhich so horribly for many yeres tormented Fraunce as novv do the Caluinists and these in many articles agreed iust vvith the Sacramentaries of this tyme. For vvhich reason Ioannes Crispinus him self a sacrameÌ„tarie one that hath gathered together in to a storie the french sacramentarie mar tiâ—â— as M. Fox hath done the English the like vvhereof euerie sect especially the Lutherans and Anabaptists haue done for the Martirs of their peculiar Gospels this Crispinus of Geneua in his Martyrologe acknovvledgeth them for bretherne of his congregation and for martyrs those that dyed in defence of their opinions as also M. Fox in his Acts monuments greately aduaunceth them And vvhat men vvere they In matter of the Sacrament so far forth as now it is ministred in the church for in an other point they differed they vvere of Berengarius faith beleeuing that the body of Christ was present there no otherwise then it was in any other bread VVithal they denyed prayer for the dead and Purgatorie defaced Images brake downe
for that his death passion is then called to memorie and thanks are yelded for so great a benefite Thus VVestphalus and much more to this purpose may the learned reader see in the same place Yet one other interpretation Zuinglius geueth of this vvord body vvhich VVestphalus mentioneth not vz. that the body of Christ in the Eucharist signifieth the church His vvords are VVhen as Paule 1. Cor. 10. saith that the bread which we receiue is the coÌ„munication of Christs body here it standeth for the coÌ„munication of the church for that by this meanes euery man approueth him self to the church and ingraffeth him self therein as it were by geuing an othe The same exposition he auoucheth in his Commentarie de vera falsa religione cap. de Eucharistia Thus Zuinglius VVestphalus in the place before noted alleageth one more exposition taken not from Zuinglius but Ioan. a Lasco whom our late king Edward the sixt created Superintendent of the congregation of straungers in London VVhich exposition is so much the more to be regarded because Caluin him self highly esteemeth it vvhereof thus vvriteth VVestphalus Albeit Caluin in his coÌ„mentarie vpon the first epistle to the Corinthians putteth it out of doubt that THIS HOC in Christs supper pointeth the bread yet that notwithstanding here he defen leth the contrarie opiof Ioanne a Lasco who in his booke of the sacraments of the church assureth that it pointeth not the bread but the whole forme and ceremonie the verie external action of the supper This glose of his reuerend brother that HOC doth not demonstrate bread but the external action of the supper Caluin honoreth as an Oracle from heauen VVhere by the vvay VVestphalus geueth vs a good example hovv much vve may esteeme the conference of places of scripture and interpretation there after made by the Zuinglians and Sacramentaries For saith he let this stand for good that the first particle HOC this according to Caluiâ— Ioannes a Lasco signifieth the external action Next vve must by like reason confesse that Est doth stand for Significat vvhich Zuingliê° proueth by a number of textes of scripture as before hath bene shevved and is after likevvise proued by M. B. Thirdly vve may not deny to Occolampadius like grace vvho saith that scripture al Antiquitie expounded the vvord Body corpus by a figure or signe of the body Let vs now in fine conioyne al together and thence wil arise this prodigious proposition Haec formâ— seu actio câ—nae significat figuram corporis Christi This forme ceremonie or action of the supper signifieth a figure of Christs body And if Christs body stand for the Church as the same Zuinglius sometimes affirmeth or his Passion or his Deitie then the sense is This action signifieth a figure signe of the church of Christs passion or Deitie so forth Al vvhich dravveth to this point first that from the sacrament Christs body is quit remoued and no maner of Christs presence least there at al more then in any other common action place or assembly of Christians Next that concerning any vvorke effect vertue or operation vvrought in the elements of bread and vvine by force of Christs vvords there is nothing done at al. Only in the mynd and vnderstanding of the còmunicants if they be vvel instructed somvvhat there may be perhaps For they coÌ„ming to receiue some perchance remember Christ other geue thanks for his death other thinke vpon his Deitie other vpon the church his mystical body and so â—orth ech hath some imagination one or other according as the preacher ether then at that instant warneth them or as euery man by some fore-conceiued opinion directeth him self and so the bread becoÌ„meth to them a symbole a memorie a signe a thankes-geuing c. according as euerie man is affected ¶ For this the discrete reader vvho coveteth to knovv truly the opinion of our aduersaries whereof in a maner al dependeth must diligently note remember that as the auncient Primitiue church bishops thereof which in most plaine and sincere maner confesse the real presence of Christs body and blud in the Sacament attribute that grace operation to the force of Christs vvord so the Zuinglians or Sacramentaries vvho denie that presence ake the contrarie course flatly resolue the vvords of Christ to vvorke nothing but to be as idle and vnprofitable as if they vvere neuer vttered that for any thing added to the supper by them as good it vvere to reade no chapter at al or any chapter of the bible that if ye please of Christs genealogie in the first of S. Matthevv as the 26. vvords of Christs InstitutioÌ„ Concerning the fathers and auncient church their faith is sufficiently knovven by their manifold most plaine confessions For instruction of the simple I vvil recite the sayings of a fevv Iustinus the martyr in his second Apologie for the Christians made to the Romain Emperour Antoninus vvriteth thus As by the word of god our Sauiour Christ Iesus was incarnate and for our saluation toke flesh and blud euen so by the worde of God with prayer we are taught that of vsu il bread wine is made the flesh blud of the same incarnate Christ Iesus S. Ambrose in a long chapiter by many examples proueth this force and povver of Christs vvord to conuerte the elements of bread and vvine in to his body and blud His vvords are Thou wilt say perhaps how is this the body of Christ whereas my eyes teach me the contrarie He ansvvereth How many examples do we bring to proue that not to be in the Sacrament which nature hath framed but that which benediction hath consecrated And after a number of examples taken out of the old Testament wherein the nature of things hath bene altered of Aarons rod turned in to a serpent of the riuers of Aegipt turned in to blud of the red sea diuided and standing stedfast like a wal of the riuer Iordan turned backe to his fountayne of these he inâ—erreth If then the blessing or prayer made by man were able to chaunge nature what shal we say of the Diuine consecration where the very words not of man but of Christ our lord and Sauiour do worke For the Sacrament which thou receiuest is made by the word of Christ And if Elias speach were of such force that it caused fier to come from heauen shal not Christs speach be of suficient force to alter the nature of these elements bread and wine Thou hast read in the works of al the world He spake the word and they were made he commaunded and they were created Then the word of Christ which was able to make somwhat of nothing can it not change that which already is and hath an essence in to that which it is not c. And this self same reason taken from the creation he vseth
in the church VVherefore the ministerie of the word is not coÌ„mon to them al Christians Here vnto he answereth I confesse that it is not permitted to women to speake as nether to men that be dumbe For I beleeue that albeit this right is common to al yet no man can nor ought to practise it but only he who is fitter then other to him other are bound to yeld place that order comlynes may be kept And to speake in publike assembly besides the spirite there is required a good voyce eloquence memorie other natural gifts which who so wanteth he must yeld his right to an other So Paule forbiddeth wemen to speake not altogether but in the church that is to say where are men able to speake that for order honesties sake For a man is more fit then a woman and the spirite doth more inspire men then women this is the meaning of Paules place Otherwise how should Paule alone withstand the holy ghost who saith Ioel 2. your daughters shal prophecie and Act. 21. Philip had 4. daughters that prophecied Out of al vvhich much more to like effect he draweth this conclusion Order therefore honestie requireth that men speaking wemen should hold their peace But where men speake not there it is necessarie that wemen speake By al which we see that the word of god forbiddeth not wemen to prophecie that is in the new gospel to preach no not amongst men much lesse amongst wemen which is the highest office consequently nether to minister the communion baptisme which is a great deale lesse if so be that they haue better learning vtterance then men haue as oft tymes it chaunceth or if the minister through negligence and ignorance be not able to preach the word which perhaps in Scotland England is very common And of this same opinion with Luther are Pèter Martyr and Huldrike Zuinglius Of the same opinion were the first reformers of our English church M. Horne bishop so called of VVinchester others who of this matter write thus There is so much required in a spiritual minister that al men be not meete for the office therefore with good reason wemen be debarred from it Albeit at some time it pleaseth god to vse their Ministerie VVherefore me thinke euen in this point we must vse a certain moderation not absolutely in euery wise to debar them herein as it shal please god to serue Christ I pray yow what more vehemency vseth S. Paule in forbidding wemen to preach then in forbidding them to vncouer their heads And yet yow know in the best reformed churches of al Germanie al the maydes be barehedded which the preachers learned men make no great accompt of As much to say that it is a thing indifferent for wemen to preach minister the Sacraments may wel be suffered no lesse then it is that maydes go with their heads vncouered which S. Paule forbiddeth with like vehemencie as he doth their preaching yet the best reformed churches of al Germanie with the learned men ministers there make no great accompt of it It were very easie to proue this by a number of other Protestant writers authorities especially English where a womaÌ„ being supreme head of the church from whence al ecclesiastical power authoritie is deriued to bishops and ministers who hauing in her as writeth my I. Archbishop of Canterbury the supreme gouernemeÌ„t in al causes ouer al persons as she doth exercise the one apperteyning to matters ciuil temporal by the Lord Chauncellor so doth she the other concerning the church religion by the Archbishops what reasonable man can deny or doubt but that a woman in whom is the fulnes of al ecclesiastical gouernement may geue vnto a woman some inferior peece thereof no lesse then she geueth the excercise of many parts vnto the Archbishop who receiueth al his order power from her And whereas king Harry imparted the exercise of his like supreme ecclesiastical regiment to my L. Crumwel Erle of Essex his subhead in the church of England and vicegerent for and concerning al his iurisdiction ecclesiastical who can with any probabilitie of reason yea without incurring manifest treason deny but that as K. Harry a man gaue vnto my Lord of Essex so the Quene a woman may geue vnto my Lady of Essex or any other al her iurisdiction ecclesiastical especially for that it is by supreme authoritie so precisely defined that the Quene may assigne name and authorise whom so euer she shal thinke meete and conuenient and for such so long time such persons being naturally borne subiect as Ladies vvemen are to vse and execute vnder her al maner of iurisdiction spiritual or ecclesiastical And if the pattie thus assigned named authorised be also vvel spoken and learned then not only mans lavv but also gods as Luther and the English doctors haue before taught iustifieth such wemens both preaching al other ministring For if they may haue the greater authoritie to preach and yet to be supreme head of the church is much more then al inferior offices belonging to the edification of the church aâ— baptizing ministring the coÌ„munion binding losing calling Synodes c. may much more be exercised by them as Luther disputeth manifest reason convinceth and our English Iewel together vvith the Qâ—ea ler of this new Divinitie in Cambridge teacheth VVho by authoritie of S. Fabianus an auncient Pope and Martyr 1400 yeres sithence and also of S. Bernard vvil needs proue against D. Harding that in the Primitiue church wemen no lesse then men made the sacrifice of the altar and that of bread wine after the order of Melchisedech VVherefore to returne to our matter of making vp an euangelical communion hereof it appeareth I suppose sufficiently that 3. or 4. Euangelical gossips meeting together and eating and drinking in such â—oâ—t as hath bene said make a very true real perfect and absolute coÌ„munion touching al substance required by the Protestant doctrine And therefore I vvish them selues to iudge vvhether Martin Luther that reuerend Father as M. Fox calleth him vnderstanding throughly their meaning and sense had not some cause to say that Christ had bene very vnwise he vseth a more vvicked terme vvhich I vvil nor English to haue instituted a peculier supper whereas otherwise the world is ful of such suppers quum caenarum huiusmodi totus mundus alioqui plenus sit vvhich after they haue turned and tossed so many vvaies as they can vvil proue nothing but as Luther affirmeth it a poore and vulgar banquet or rather a rustical compotation For if 3. or 4. vvemen so meeting and gossiping make such a coÌ„munion then 3. or 4. men vvemen consequently as many men boyes may serue to do the like so there is no rustical cortage where there is
can not comprehend vet let our faith beleeue For true it is though most miraculous in these sacramental earings of the Ievves who so perceiueâ—h not many miracles to be coÌ„teyned is more then a doâ—t vvere he not if not in vvit a very dolt asse yet surely in diuinitie a very simple one vvho vvould attribute such miraculous excellencie to the ceremonies of Moses lavv vvhich them selues notvvithstanding al their hyperbol cal lâ—ing florishes meane not to be true no not in the gospel And vvhat so euer they meane the vniuersal scope and drift of scripture denieth refuteth it in the old lavv most effectually For although the good men vnder the law which vnderstood their ceremonies and sacraments to be shadowes and darke presignifications of a Messias and by vsing them were kept in an obedience and orderly subiection and expectation of a Sauiour to come by such obedience faith pleased god and were therefore rewarded at his hands yet that those ceremonies and sacraments velded them any such grace as is here declared much lesse the participation of Christs true flesh blud which is the supreme soueraine grace of al that euer was or euer shal be in this world the old testameÌ„t it self and also the new in many places denyeth especially the Apostle S. Paule in whole chapirers of his epistle to the Hebrewes where he most expresly treateth discourseth of their sacraments and state of the old testament in comparison of ours and state of the gospel For to omit sundry textes apperteyning to this purpose in the Prophets Euangelists to rest only vpon S. Paule when he saith that circumcision the principal sacrament of the law was nothing of no effect to conferre grace and that Abraham him self vnto whom singularly circumcision was a sâ—â—â—e of the iustice of faith was not yet iustified in circumcision nor by circumcision but otherwise when he disputeth that no worke no ceremonie no sacrament of the lâ—â— was 〈◊〉 to iustification but only the faith and grace exhibited in the new testament when he calleth al those Iudaical sacraments infirma et egena elementa weake and poore elements or as the English bibles translate it weake and beggerly ordinances when he teacheth the vvhole lavv and al the ceremonies sacraments thereof to haue bene reiected and altered because of their weakenes and vnprofitablenes that those sacrifices baptismes and meates drinkes blud of oxen and goates were only iustices of the flesh sanctified those that vsed them no otherwise then in taking away legal pollutions and so purified men only according to the flesh and therefore were instituted by god not to remayne for euer but only vntil the time of correction or new testament and then other maner sacrifice and Sacrament should succede in their place briefly when he teacheth the law to haue had a shadow of good things to come not the very image of them much lesse the body which is geuen by Christ in the nevv testament that it vvas impossible for the blud of those sacrifices to take away sinne and purifie the comscience for vvhich cause also god foretold by his prophets that he vvold reiect those hostes and oblations sacrifices and that they pleased him not vvhen the Apostle thus vvriteth thus teacheth thus disputeth against those legal sacraments vvhat Christian man vvil say that vvith them vvas exhibited and conioyned the true flesh and diuine blud of our god and Sauiour as before according to Caluins first preaching the same is conioyned vvith the sacraments of the nevv lavv If vnder those elements of bread and wine as novv in the supper the body and blud of Christ were not only figured but also truly deliuered if vvhen they vvere eaten of the Ievves by the omnipotencie of god and miraculous operation of his holy spirite Christ Iesus I meane as Calvin teacheth me the flesh blud of Christ yea the very substance thereof as Beza also with the consent of a whole Caluinian Synode speaketh were receiued vvithal then truly S. Paul in calling such a Sacrament a weake and beggerly ordinance had bene a very vveake Apostle an vnfit instrument to publish Christs name before nations and Princes of the vvorld vvho of Christs diuine person of his pretious flesh and blud the price raâ—â—â—om of the world reconciliation of al things in heauen and earth had had so meane and beggerly aâ— opinion But because most sure it is that b. Paule was â—â—â—nom any such beggerly or rather beastly ethnical â—og 〈◊〉 the Calumâ—â— who in this deteâ—â—able â— aâ— pâ—â—mous conâ—cite â—oloweth Calâ—in know that tâ— hâ—m S. Paule speaketh and he shal once to his eterna payne vnlesse â—e in time repent â—â—ele true that which S. Paule threatneth in eueÌ„ for this particular blasphe â—â—â—s heresie of matching the base Iewish ceremonies with Christs most heauenly and diuine Sacraments A man making frustrate the law of Moyses is adiudged to death therefore by the verdite of 2 or â— witnesseâ— How much more deserueth he more extreme punishmentâ— which thus treadeth the sonne of god vnder foote and esteemeth the blud of the new testament polluted by making it nothing superior to the blud of beasts and so hath done contumelâ—e to the sp rite of grace beyond al measure abased most vily and contemptuously the diuine state and maiestie of the new testament Let the discreete reader know that against this Iudaisme the Christians euer from the begâ—nning of Christianitie haue had touching their sacraments a more excellent faith and diuine perswasion as who vpon warrant of Christs words haue euer beleeued that in the one sacrament was deliuered the body and blud of Christ the same in veritie and truth of substance that was sacrificed on the crosâ—e as before more largely hath bene deduced And for the other sacrament for I mention no more because thâ—se men acknowledge no more the holy scriptures and writings of the Apostles and the church ensuing haue yelded vnto it as to an instrumental cause higher grace vertue then to any sacrament of the Iewes law or al their sacraments and sacrifices ioyned in one For proofe whereof when Christ was baptized the heauens opened and the holy ghost descended to signifie that by baptisme the way to heauen shut before is made open to is the holy ghost powred in to vs as Christ him self by word and deed taught most manifestly except a man be borne of water the spirite he can not enter into the kingdome of god And to testifie that aâ—â—uâ—â—dly and that in baptisme Christians are made partakers of the holy ghost in the begin â—â—â—g of the church the holy ghost â—â—sibly deseended rested on them that were baptized by the Apostles and first preachers of our faith And the gospel Apostolical writings euery where teach that â—â—bert the baptisme of Iohn
by like reason any baptisme vsed in the law were but â—gâ—â—â—â—ue in waâ—er alone yet the baptisme of Christ brought with it the holy ghost it gaue remission of synneâ— and therefore to there that were otherwiâ—e faithful beleeuing beâ—â—â—â—s their faith and beleef baptisme was neâ—eâ—â—aâ—â— for remission of their sâ—nnes eternal life For which cause it is called the holy ghosts lauer or font of regeneration and râ—â—â—uation By iâ— the word of life we aâ—â—cle â—nâ—ed from synne and siued as 〈…〉 â—â—uly as Neâ— and his â—aâ—â—â—lâ—e was sauâ—â— by the Arke and water supporting it in the time of the vniuersal deluge Al which promises and testimonies so plaine and preguant other to 〈…〉 as Calâ—â—â— Zuinghus Musculus and others do with flat denyal that by vertue of baptisme any such matter as grace remission is bestowed on vs or to elude by interpreting al thâ—â— to be spoken only for that baptisme is a signe or marke to â—estife the Lords wil vnto vs is to make a â—est of al scâ—â—pture nothing being so cleare but in this â—ort and with this audacitie may be shifted of or els to expound al these teâ—ts so that nothing be leaft singular to the new testament aboue the old this is plainly to disgrace and deface Christ with his new testament This is to match Moyses with Christ the servaÌ„t with his maâ—ster quit to destroy this new testameÌ„t whose essence coÌ„â—isteth in this differeth from that for that the old law coÌ„teyned shodowes signes prefigurations the grace veritie whereof was fulfilled in Christ Iesus That was a law of secuitude because it found meÌ„ sinners left the in then sinne occasionally encreased heaped synne vpon synne by no meanes of the lavy deliuered men from the burden of synne and therefore is called a TestameÌ„t in the letter which killeth not in the spirite which geueth â—â—fe the ministerie of death damnation because for the â—â—â—son a sore said it was a greater cause of death damâ—â—ion where as this is the law of freedom lâ—l ertie especialy for that it setteth men free from their sinnes hath old naâ—â—e meanes to abolish sinnes when they are committed and to pouregrace into men whereby they may absteyne from committing sinne and therefore is called a nevv Testament in the spirite which geueth life not in the letter which killeth the ministerie of the Spirite and iustice because it maketh men iust holy by conferring grace in her sacrifice and sacraments vvhereas in those other of the lavv was nothing els but a perpetual commemeratioÌ„ of synne once committed without forgeuing putting away or abolishing the same Al which difference the Apostle sammatilie compriseth when as comparing these two Testaments together he coÌ„cludeth that the nevv Testament standeth and is grounded on better promises then the old which out of the prophete Ieremie he noteth to be these In the new testament I wil geue my lawes into theirs mynds and in their hart wil I write them and not in tables of stone as before and I wil be mercyful to their iniquities and their synnes I wil not new remember which in the old testament vvere neuer forgotten but by the very sorme of then seruice remembred perpetually ¶ But to dravv to a conclusion of that vvhich I purpose that is to make plaine and manifest the true nature of the Eucharist after Caluins faith and the faith of such congregations as are erected grounded vpon his Apostolical ministerie and vvithal to demonstrate where to this gospel tendeth that is to a very abnegation of Christianisme establishing in place thereof Iudaisme or some worser thing let vs in this principal mysterie coÌ„sider wel hovv they forsaking Christ and his Apostles forsaking the Apostolical primitiue church of al fathers martyrs the beleef vse of this SacrameÌ„t practised amongest them haue taken their Supper from the Ievves from a Iewish ceremonie vsed amongest the Ievves before Christs coming It is recorded by good historiographers that Berengarius was thought to haue bene instructed in this point of his insidelitiâ— â—y a certain Iew and that al his argument vvhich he made against the truth of Christs presence in the sacrament vvere borowed and taken from Iosephus Albo a Iew a capital enemie of Christian name and religion For that Iew chap. 2â— of his 3 oration which he wrote concerning the points of Moyses law vâ—â—ereâ—h the self same arguments against the Eucharist which afterwards Berengarius his sectaries cast forth Eadem omnino dicit que BereÌ„garius se tatores eâ—uâ— pâ—stea vomueruÌ„t Beza out of Emanuel Tremell us the Ievv telleth that among the Iewes it vvas a custome yerely vvhen they did â—ate their paschal lamb vvithal to ioyne a ceremonial eating of bread and drinking of vvine in this sort The good maÌ„n of the house in the beginning of supper taketh an vnleauened loaf which he diuiâ—eth in two parts and blesseth the one with these words Blessed art thow O lord our god king of al things which out of the earth doest bring forth bread The other part of the loaf â—e â—â—uereth with a napkin and reserueth Then â—al they to their supper merily which being ended the good man taketh out that part of bread which was couered and sitting downe eateth so much as is the quantitie of an oliue distributeth the like to al that sit with him in memorie of their passe ouer Then sitting stil in like order he drinketh and saith the ordinarie grace c. This Ievvish ceremonie I make choise of to compare vvith the Caluinian Supper principally for that both in matter and forme al circumstances it resembleth the Calâ—inian deuise most aptly but partly also that vvithal I may shevv to the reader the incredible â—rovvardnes and peruersitie of Caluin and Beza vvho vvhen they haue equalled al sacraments and ceremonies of the lavv vvith those of the gospel yet forsooth for honour of their ovvne inuention can not abide to haue their peeuish supper called a Ievvish ceremouie or coÌ„pared vvith any such vvhereaâ— Caluin stoâ—meth maruelously Beza in the place before quoted vvheÌ„ he hath likened the one to the other very diligently in fine as though he bare some special reuerence to his ovvne supper addeth by vvay of correction Longe â—amen aliter iudicandum est de hac sancta solemni c. yet must we iudge fâ—â— other wise of this holy and solemne institution of the supper as it is set forth by Ihon Caluin and the church of Geneua whereby we are put in possession of Christ then of thâ—â— external rite humane traditioÌ„ Thus Beza most foÌ„dly frovvardly For what more peevish frovvardnes can be imagined then that they vvho against Christ his Apostles and al scripture haue altogether made equal our Testament with the Ievvish our sacraments vvith theirs ouâ— Eucharist with
Vniuersitie who saith he by good reason proved that the word Sacrament and Sacramenâ—ally were not to be vsed in treating of the Eucharist because of their divers and doubtful signification This may serue for a very notable example to the Christian reader to teach him vvith vvhat impretie vvicked conscience and iugling al bent to circumvent and coosen their poore folovvers these ministers handle the sacred vvord of god They confesse the vvord Sacrament not to be vsed of their supper nether by Christ nor his Apostles they dislike it them selues they acknovvledge it to be ambiguous doubtful they protest to reverence the vvords of Christ the true sease vvhereof they solemnly protest to geue to their scholers and in â—ine after al these preambles like most detestable hipocrites mockers of god man they make their resolutioÌ„ vpon the same vvord Sacrament vvhich they haue so improved vvhich they can not be ignorant that to Luther is as much as bread and the real body of Christ present vvith the bread to Calvin in some places bread vvith a vertue of Christs body in others a signe in others a sâ—ale But generally to the Zuinglians and Calvinists and this self same expositor is nothing but bread vvith a tropical signification of the body of Christ vvhich in truth and really they account no more ioyned vnto it then heaven is ioyned to earth or the North pole to the South And this self â—ame is M. B. his determination behaviour For so he preacheth Come on How is the body of Christ coÌ„ioyned with the bread He answereth VVe can not crauâ— any other sort of coniunction nor may stand with the nature of the sacrameÌ„t Againe There can not be here any other sort of conâ—unctiâ—â— then the nature of the sacrameÌ„t wil suffer Againe The nature of the sacrament wil not suffer but a sacramentâ—â— coniunction Thus M. B. after the example of Caluin Musculus forgetting his manifold sober admonitions geuen before forgetting him self and his ovvne teaching that this word sacrameÌ„t was not vsed in scripture forgetting that it was inuented by the wit of man which is mere folly forgetting that it was and is the cause of much strife coÌ„tention digladiatioÌ„ forgetting the Apostolical vvord of signes seales vvhich should be vsed in steed thereof briefly neglecting his ovvne Euangelical rule that nâ— flesh should presume to be wiser then god but should stoupe keepe the names appointed by god him self vvil novv prâ—sume to be wiser then god and leauing the names which gods vvisdome appointed and resting vpon the vvord which mans folly inueÌ„ted teacheth his auditors to beleeue sacramental coniunctions vvhere as he should be plain and preach to vs that Christs body being as far from vs as heauen is from earth is conioyned with the bread and vvine in the supper as vvith a signe significatiuely oâ— as vvith a figure signâ—atiuely or as vvith a rude image imaginarily he stil doth inculcate his sacramental coniunction that Christs body is in the sacrament conioyned therewith sacramentally and vve can haue no other coniunction then the nature of a sacrament wil suffer Al vvhich as I graunt it is very true the Catholike euer hath confessed the same so these men very shamefully abuse such speeches as I haue said to blind the eyes and vnderstanding of the poore sovvles that trust them others that reade them so as nether vve nor they can lightly tel vvhere â—o find them For if a man go no farther then to these vvords the vvords may seeme to be vttered by a Catholike man Againe they may wel be the vvords of a Lutheran although in deed they be spoken in the sense of a sacramentarie or Caluinist vvhom both Lutheran Catholike detesteth I omit here to speake of this coniâ—nction vvhereof somvvhat hath bene sayd already more shal be hereafter For the present the Christianâ— reader careful of his salvation is to be warned that he haue diligent regard to these mens words and maner of speeches for that never as I suppose any other heretikes vsed more craft and false meaning in their words â—â—hen these do They for the most part wil not stick in speech in preaching in writing to vse the very same words and maner of vtterance as the Catholike church doth when as yet they being heretikes haue no part of the meaning But as some man that inteâ—deth to poison an other tempereth his cup with pleasant suckets or sweetneth the brim of it whence it must be drunken vvith some delitious confiture in like maner these impoisoners of mens sovvles because their heresies proposed in their ovvne rude termes vvould not so soone be swalovved of their hearers therefore they coÌ„mend set them forth vvith the sacred and holy vvords vsed by the Catholike church as vve haue had some examples in Calvin before and a number vve haue in our English Ievvel a perfit Zuinglian vvho yet vvil not let to say vvrite that by this sacrament Christs body dwelleth in ours and that not by way of imagination or by figure or fantasie but really naturally substaÌ„tially fleshly in deede VVhich his Cambridge interpreter rendereth in latin very Catholikely Christus per sacramentum corporis sui habitat in corporibus nostris idque non tantum imaginatione figura aut cogitatione sed realiter naturaliter substantialiter carnaliter eâ— reipsa VVhereas yet M. Ievvel as likevvise his interpreter meaneth that Christs body by the bread vvine of their vvorshipful Supper is communicated to vs and received in to our bodies nether in deede â—or substantially nor naturally nor really but only figuratiuely by imagination for that forsooth by their broken bread our mynd is moved to remember Christ crucified and so as the church of Zurick declareth the matter in their Confession albeit the thing signified be corporally absent yeâ— a faithful imagination and sure faith renewéth or remembreth that worke once done ¶ Let vs novv returne to M. B. vvho having disliked and condemned the vvord Sacrament because it is not in scripture preferreth the vvord seales and signes for that so the Apostle calleth them VVhere In vvhat Epistle In vvhat chapiter The devise being so nevv straunge vvhy is not the place quoted Truly I know no such place in any Epistle of those that be extant in our Catholike church And therefore except the Scottish Seignone haue some secret Apocâ—phal Epistles and chapiters of the Apostle I verely beleeue that he findeth no one place or sentence in the Apostle Paule or any Apostle vvhere the sacraments of baptisme or the supper are called signes and seales No â—aith M. B Looke in the Apostle to the Romanes chap. 4. v. 11. there shal yovv find both signe and seale True it is there I find them in that only place of the Apostle vvhere he vvriteth that Abraham by his good and fruitful faith being iustified before â—e was
three or fovver bretherne eating and drinking their symbolical bread and vvine hovv can ether that confirme to vs the child to be saved or this that such eaters and drinkers eate spiritually Christs flesh and thereby shal haue eternal life Certainly if the minister out of the vvord did not tel them so much before the bread and vvine vvould neuer confirme nor scarce signifie such spiritual eating much lesse eternal life ensuyng thereof So that vvhereas ordinarily in common practise vvhence these men take their Theologie in this point seales confirme words and vvritings among men and vvithout a scale the vvord and vvriting is of no great force or value in lavv to make a bond and obligation the seale geuing al strength force thereto here it is cleane contrarie For al dependeth of the vvord and the vvord geueth strength vertue and force to the seale not the seale to the vvord and the vvord vvithout the seale is altogether sufficient carieth vvith it ful entier and perfit authoritie vvhereas the seale vvithout the vvord is nothing at al but as M. B. truly saith a common peece of bread so that truly to speake the vvord is rather to be accompted a seale to the bread then the bread a seale to the vvord Again these men in making such comparison vvaigh not the true nature and difference of vvords and seales as they are vsed in things diuine humane In humane because men are mortal and mutable and false so that vve can not take hold of their vvord vve are enforced to vse other meanes for our assurance and certification as first to put their vvords in vvriting and then to ratifie both vvord and vvriting by sealing But in God and things diuine it is not so But for so much as God is immortal immutable and constant vvhose vvord is vvorking and vvhose vvord once vttered is as sure certaine infallible and irreuocable as if it vvere vvritten in faire velem in a thousand exemplars confirmed by as many seales here can be no vse of any such seales as is amoÌ„g men because no such seale can add any more authoritie or certaintie to his vvord as it doth to ours How beit it pleaseth him some times to vse some kynd of confirmation vvhich may not vnfitly be compared to a kind of sealing as vvhere the Euangelist saith that vvhen Christ was ascended his Apostles preached euery vvhere our lord working with them and confirming their dostrine and preaching with signes and miracles of vvhich kynd of confirmation the storie of the Acts of the Apostles is ful But these were miraculous noâ— sacrameÌ„tal seales applied truly properly to speake not to coÌ„firme gods vvord or promises but to confirme vnto the heaâ—ers the authoritie and credit of the preachers the prophets Apostles and disciples of Christ as euery vvhere appeareth both in the old testament nevv And therefore as S. Paul teacheth such miraculous signes and seales properly are not for faithful men Christians but for faithles and infidels to dravv them to faith and Christianitie And this is a far different kind of seales from the sacraments vvhereof vve here entreat vvhich neuer any learned father or vvriter called seale in the Protestant sense For albeit sometime S. Augustin vseth the vvorde and applieth it to the sacraments as also do some other Doctors yet they neuer meane nor applye them as do the Protestants but cal them seales ether because they signe the faithful vvith such a marke vvhereby they are distinguished from the vnfaithful or because they conteyne in them a secret holy thing that is inuisible grace in vvhich sense the booke of the Apocalyps is said to be signed vvith 7. seales in both vvhich senses S. Austin S. Gregorie Nazianzene calle them seales or because they geue perfit and absolute grace vvhereby a Christian being vvashed from his sinnes and made the child of god in baptisme receiueth farther strength to persist and stand fast in his Christian prosession and fight constantly against the enemies of Christ and his church the deuil and his ministers is confirmed in hope and hath as it vvere a pledge of eternal life in vvhich sense S. Cornelius an auncient Pope and martyr and after him S. Leo the Great calle the sacrament of confirmation a seale The vvords of the first are VVhereas Nouatus the heretike was only baptised but afterward tooke not such other things as by order of the church he ought neque Domini sigillo ab Episcopo obsignatus suit nether was signed with the seale of our lord by the bisshop in the sacrament of confirmation how I pray â—ow receiued he the holy ghost to strengthen him in his Christian saith S. Leo in his 4. Sermon de natiuitate Domini Stand fast in that faith in which after yow were baptised by water the holy ghost yow receiued the Chrisme of saluation the seale or pledge of eternal life In these senses and perhaps some other tending to like effect the auncient godly fathers calle the sacraments seales as questionles euery sacrameÌ„t and especially that of the most blessed Eucharist is a most admirable signe and seale and confirmation and demonstration of gods infinite mercy and Christs infinite loue towards mankynd But the sense of the Protestants as it is foolish fond nevv vvithout al vvit and reason and not only so but also wicked impious heretical Anabaptistical as hath bene shevved neuer taught by the holy scriptures of god by any Apostle Evangelist auncient father or Councel so I can not greatly enuy at Bezaes glorious triumph vvhich he maketh to him self and his maisters for the first invention thereof wherein he so flattereth and pleaseth him self that hauing expressed the same in such sort as here M. B. doth and I before out of Beza haue alleaged he suddenly from explication of the scripture breaketh out in to admiration of him self and his companions in these vvords This my exposition coÌ„cerning circumcision a seale of iustice al other sacraments seales in like maner if a man compare with such things as not only Origenes but also sundry other of the auncient fathers albeit for godlines and learning most famous haue written vpon this place he shal doubtles find what greâ—â— abundant light of truth the lorde in this time hath powred out vpon vs of al other men most vnworthy thereof No doubt a vvorthy doctrine for such Doctors and in deed to be vvondered at vvhich being so necessarie for the church as these men make it for it conteyneth the true faith of the sacraments vvhereas Origen S. CypriaÌ„ S. Austin S. Ambrose S. Leo. S. Basil S Gregorie Nazianzene and sundry other for holines and learning most famous as he confesseth could neuer find it out and yet these men Caluin Beza and Iohn Cnox for learning not very famous and for horrible filthines and abomination of life not to be named and not heard
leaueth that office to the people to distribute and diuide the bread amonge them selues as though al grace came to them from them selues vvithout Christ and his spirite of vvhom they had no need and vvithal he maketh a grosse lye vpon Christ which may stand for a fourth difference betvvene their Communion and Christs Supper that Christ commaunded them so to do VVhereas in the quotations with which they most foolishly paint their margent there is no such thing but the cleane contrarie as before out of the Gospel and the very places which they quote by Musculus hath beneshevved Christ mingled the cup vvhich he consecrated vvhich thing albeit Musculus directly affirmeth not yet he supposeth it most likely and probable yea he nothing doubteth of it being the vniuersal custome of the country VVherevnto if he vvould adde that the text of the Euangelists is indifferent as expressing nether cleane wine nor wine mingled with vvater but only the cup or chalice in every place vvhich vndoubtedly speaketh of the Sacrament for the place of S. Matthevv vvhom S. Marke foloweth vvhere is mentioned the fruite of the vine is doubtful and by auncient fathers expounded diuers vvaies albeit being exactly coÌ„ferred vvith S. Luke and the Ievves maner of eating their Paschal lamb it seemeth most probably to apperteyne not to the cup of Christs Supper but to the cup of that Paschal lamb being applied to the supper of Christ though it include the one it excludeth not the other then lay vnto the Gospel being indifferent the general maner of the country of the lavv of the Iewish Synagoge of the sacrifices especially of that singular sacrifice which most expressely foreshevved this al making for the mixtion of vvater vvith it the vniversal consent of the Christian church and al antiquitie besides he should not deny but Christâ—o tempered the chalice vvhereof he made the sacrament So testifieth S. Iames the Apostle vvho vvas present in his Liturgie Likewise after supper Christ tooke the chalice mingling it with wine and water geuing thankes sanctifying and blessing it gaue it to vs his disciples c. So writeth the most auncict Christian doctor S. ClemeÌ„t a man of the Apostolical age mentioned commended by S. Paule S. Ireneus nameth it temperamentum calicis calicem mistum the chalice mingled or tempered S. Cyprian a number of times epaeteth that Christ so deliuered that Christ offered his chalice mingled with wine water So vvitnesseth S. Basile in his Liturgie And finally to omit al other because it is a thing vvel knovven that the vvhole primitiue church consenteth herein so vvitnesseth the 6. Councel of Constantinople and proveth it by great authoritie The vvords are The vse of mingling water and wine in the chalice in al churches is kept as delivered from god him self For S. Iames the brother of Christ and first bishop of Ierusalem likewise S. Basil that most glorious archbisshop of Caesarea having put in writing this mystical sacrifice declare that the holy chalice should haue in it water wine And the fathers of the Councel of Carthage in vvhich Councel vvas S. Austin plainly and precisely decree that in the sacrament of Christs body and blud nothing be offered more then Christ him self delivered that is to say bread and wine mingled with water Out of al vvhich the fathers of this Councel of Constantinople conclude If therefore any bishop or priest folow not this order delivered by the Apostles but offer the immaculate sacrifice not mingling water with wine in the chalice let him be deposed from his office This general or rather vniversal consent custom of al Christendome coming thus directly from the Apostles might suffise to overpeise for our side especially the vvord of the Gospel being indifferent or rather coÌ„pared vvith the old lavv more bending to the same side But because I vvil charge M. B. and his felovv-ministers no farther then they charge them selues and they plainly confesse not Christs chalice to haue bene tempered vvith vvater or at lest thinke not theÌ„ selues bound to folovv Christs example herein because it is not euidently specified in the Gospel nether vvil I vrge them farther vvith breach of Christs ordinance in this behalfe But the last and the same most pregnant principal of al that vvhich geueth light to al the precedent actions of Christ the vvords vvhich Christ adioyned to declare and expresse the meaning of the â—est the vvords vvhich as Musculus truly auoucheth Christ by his diuine wisedome ioyned to his doing and so bound the one with the other that his disciples might see in his doing and heare in his speaking that whereby they might be instructed in this sacrament and thereby al occasion cut of from mans rasbnes to inuent any new thing or corrupt any part of this sacrameÌ„t these vvords I say so vvisely disposed so necessarily ordeyned so significantly declaring our sauiours meaning and intentioÌ„ these vvords so diuine so mystical and effectual vvhere are they Hovv chaunceth it that they appeare no vvhere Are Christs vvords not vvorth the rehersing Or chalenge yovv to your selues a souerain vvisdome aboue the eternal vvisdome of God If not vvhy disioyne yow most sacrilegiously that vvhich he conioyned VVhy separate yovv and pul a sunder that vvhich Christ bound and coupled together After these precedent signes and actions vvhy here vve not This is my body geven and broken for yow This cup is my blud of the new testament which is shed for yow to remission of sinnes VVhy is this inexplicable benefite omitted vvhich vvas principally intended by al the Evangelists so specially remeÌ„bred If you list not to reherse them vvith the opinion of Catholikes or Papists as yovv cal true Christians as though there vvere some force vertue effect and operation in them vvhich vvas the faith of al the auncient and primitiue church as hath bene shevved yet at lest reherse them historically by vvay of narration as is the guise of the English comunion for that in the storie of the gospel so they stand and there ought to haue their place M. B. vvil perhaps reply O Sir vve omit them not For in the beginning before our Sermon the minister reherseth such vvords out of S. Paule But vvhat maketh that to your Communion vvhat maketh the ministers talking out of the pulpit before the Sermon to his communion vvhich he ministreth sitting at the table long after the Sermon is ended VVhat if the minister before he came to the church read the vvhole chapiter in his ovvne hovvse vvhat if over night Christs order is that they should be vsed ioyned vvith those other doings and actions in the administration of his supper Yow thrust them away from that place Christ tooke bread gaue thanks blessed diuided distributed to his disciples and then telling them what it was vsed those words Yow first take bread and then
affirmeth the quit contrarie and in precise termes deâ—â—ieth the siâ—ne and thing signified to be deliuered in one action most directly reiecteth al such ioynt-offering and ioynt-receiving and concurrence and teacheth that Christ dispenseth the thing signified that is his body and blud not to whom the minister geveth the sacrament not when he ministreth the communion but to whom in respect of the persons and when in respect of the time be pleases The very like wherof he writeth afterward concerning the sacrament of baptisme that the minister washeth the child in water and baptizeth externally boâ— as for the vertue of regeneration that Christ hath to geâ—e â—â— whom and when he pleâ—â—es and not when it pleaseth M. minister And why so For that otherwise a marvelous great absurditie wil folow VVhat is that If a mâ—â— might geue Christs body he might also clense the hart and forgeue sinnes But only God forgeveth sinnes Therefore it is not possible for man to geue Christs body Graunting the sequele of the first proposition how proveth he the second that only God forgeveth sinnes and not man By Iohn Baptist Matth. 3. 11. For Says he not the ministerie that I â—â—â—e is of the element I am commaunded to minister the element of water only but as to the ministerie of the fier spirite that Christ hath reserued to him self Thus he for his first negatiue For answere whereof let vs take the affirmatiue on the contrary side thus If man haue power to clense the â—art by remitting of sinnes he hath or may haue power also to geue Christs body the thing signified in the sacrament These two M. B. maketh in like â—ort possible or vnpossible But say we a man hath poâ—â—â—â— to remit sinnes and so to clense the hart vvhich vve prooue cleerely by Christs vvords to his apostles VVhose sinnes ye remit they are remitted And here I vvish againe the reader to marke the rude ignorance and grosse barbarousnes vvherevnto this Calvinisme grovveth vvho recken that for a straunge absurditie obiect it as a matter irreâ—utable vvhich in the catholike church is so certain a veritie so vniuersally knovven and beleeved as any article of our Creed in vvhich as the church Catholike hath a principal notorious place next after God him self so ioyntly vvith the Catholike church vve are bound to beleeue Remission of sinnes vvhich men truly â—s Gods ministers and by authoritie from him geue to Christians in the vnitie of the same church as every auncient father Greeke and Latin that ever vvrote vpon the Gospels or of remission of sinnes in the church acknovvlegeth VVhich the Christian learned reader may see if he please to pervse S. Cyprian S. Austin S. Hierom S. Ambrose S. Chrysostom S. Athanasius S. Basil S. Hilarius S. Pacianus al most auncient doctors in the places here noted Cyprian de lâ—psis sermo 5. Augustin Epistola 180. De doctrina Christiana lib. 1. cap. 18. In Eâ—chirid ad Laurent cap. 64. 65. 66. In Psal 101. Concio 2. In Ioan. cap. 11. â—oâ— 49. Contra adversarium legis et prophet lib. 1. cap. 17. Tom. 10. Hom 23. et 50. cap. 10. 11. Hieron in Ecclesiast ca. 10. et in Matth. cap. 16. Ambros in psal 38. Chrylostom de sacerdotio lib. 3. Athanafius Sermo in illud Iâ—e in vicum qui contra vos est in fine Basil in regulis brevioribus reg 229. Hilarius in Matth. ca. 18. Paâ—ianus â—arâ—inon in Parâ—nâ—â—â— ad paenitentiam Leo magnus epistola 80. VVith â—ehersing the several sentences of these Saintes I vvil not trouble the reader because I desire to be brief Only for satisfaction of M. B. vvho maketh it so straunge and absurde to suppose that a man may remit sinnes and if he could so do he might also geue to the Christian people Christs true body I vvil say that herein he is not altogether deceiued in part I yeld vnto him in such sort â—â— S. Ambrose doth to the Novatians heretikes of his time who in this matter were iust of M. B. his opinion and for defence of it argued much like as M. B. doâ—â— and therefore he may be contented with that answere which S. Ambrose so long since allowed to his betters and elders No minister no man can remit sinnes not yet geue Christs body saith M. B. I answere with S. Ambrose Both of these the one the other is lawfully â—â—â— in the church Nether of both is done in heresie cut of the church For this is a right geuen only to priests Duely therefore doth the church challenge it which hath true priests heresie heretical congregations can challenge nether which haue not the true priests of god Non vendicar do autem itâ—â— de se pronunciat quod cum sacerdotes non habeat ius sibi veâ—dicare non debeat sacerdotale And whereas heresie the Scotish ministerie challengeth not this right it geveth sentence against it self that whereas it hath no lawful priests it may in take and vsurpe that right of remitting sinnes which by Christ is geven to priests And forth with he inferreth with a sounder kind of consequence then is this of M. B. that such heretical synagoges for this self same reason aâ— quite void of the holy ghost For that the holy ghosts resident in the church to the end that by the ministerie of priests he may remit sinnes to Christians being penitent according to the articles of our Creede To which purpose he alleageth the words of our Sauiour before â—ted VVhose sinnes yow remit they are remitted And alter it seeme absurd and vnpossible to M. B. yet it is not absâ—â— saith the auncient learned archbishop S. Cyril that they forgeue sinnes which haue the holy ghost For when they â—â—mit sinnes ether in baptisme or in penance the holy ghost remitteth in them Against which whereas M. B. seemeth to stand by challenging this preeminence to the Diuie maiestie who only forgeueth sinnes he must learne tâ—â— as â—â—is conceit is stale and Iewish and perhaps proceedeth from some counterfeit hypocrisie which preteÌ„deâ— great iealousie of Gods honour where it is lest meet so our Sauiour hauing of old detected this hypocrisie â— error in the Iewes I could wish that M. B. would beâ— disciple of Christ and his church rather then of those other Christs adversaries crucisiers For when Christ forgaue sinnes in the gospel they vpon M. B. his ground said within them selues He blasphemeth VVho can forgeue sinnes but only God But Christ proved vnto them that â—â— only God in heauen but alâ—o the sonne of man in earth had power to forgeue sinnes and he proved it so that the multitude seeing it glorified god who had geuen such power to men and not reserved it peculiarlie to him self VVhich povver being in Christ as man he in most plaine and effectual words imparted to his Apostles and their successors as in the
Gospel sundry times vve reade And this is no derogation to Christ but rather glorie as S. Ambrose verie vvel teacheth For our Lords wil is that his servants haue great power His wil is that they sâ—â—uld in his name do such things as him self did when he was here on earth Yea in S. Ioan. 14. he saith that they shal â—â— greater things then he did Act. 9. when he could haue restored to Saul his sight yet he sent him to Aâ—anias And to be short having with sundry scriptures iustified this in fine he opposeth his adversaries the Novatian heretikes as I do M. B VVhy presume yow to deliuer and clense any from the fowle and stinking service of the devil Cur baptizatis si per honimem peccata dimitti non licet VVhy baptize yow if by man sinnes can not be forgeuen For in baptisme is forgeuenes of al sinnes Et quid interest vtrum per paenitentiam an per la vacrum hoc ius sibi datum sacerdotes vendicent And what skilleth it whether in Baptisme or Penance Priests exercise this right which by Christ is geuen to them Thus S. Ambrose And therefore if this be al the difficultie why a man may not in the sacrament geue Christs body we see the case is not so hard As for that M. B. obiecteth of S. Iohn Baptist proceedeth first of ignorance then of heresie Of ignorance for that from S. Iohns ministerie baptisme which apperteyning to the old lavv and so vvithout question not being of force to remit sinne he draweth his argument to proue that the ministerie baptisme of Christs gospel can not remit sinne VVhich argumeÌ„t holdeth as blindly ignorantly as if he said Moyses could not forgete sinne ergo Christ can not whereof hath bene spoken before And for his better instructioÌ„ herein he may must learne that not S. Iohn Baptist but Christ is the malâ—â— and ordeyner of the nevv testament and al sacraments apperteyning thereto as the prophete Esay the Apostle Paule and vvhole frame of the nevv testament declareth VVherefore if he wil proue that the ministerie of the nevv testament consisteth only in the external element let him shevv it in some one sacrament of this state and so he speaketh to the purpose Of heresie his reason proceedeth because he assumeth as certain that our baptisme is not in the fier and spirite but in water only as that of S. Iohn Baptist was VVhich doctrine stinketh of heresie as being not only coÌ„demned for such by the late general Councel of Trent but also earnestly reproued by al the auncient fathers vvho by occasioÌ„ wrote of those two baptismes vvere they Greeke or latin as Origen in epist ad Romanos ca. 6. Athanas quaest 133. ad Antioch Basil lib. 1. de Baptismo ca. 2. Nazianz. orat 39. in lumina S. Chrysest hâ—m 10. 12. in Matth. 16. in Ioan. S. Cyril lib. 2. in Ioan. ca. 57. where he of purpose handeleth this matter saith that the holy ghost foresaw that afterwards would rise ignorant felowes who would not distinguish Christs baptisme from Iohns and that therefore the holy ghost moued Iohn baptist him self to speake most plainly that it baptized in water only Of the latin doctors Tertul. in liâ— de baptismo S. Cyprian in his sermon de baptismo Christâ— â— Optatus lib. 5 S. Hilarie in Matth. ca. 3. S. Ambros lib. 2. cap. â— in Luc. praeâ—â—â—io in psal 37. S. Leo epistola 4. ca. 6. S. Gregâ—r Homil. 20. in Euangel S. Austin and S. Hierom in a numbeâ— of places S. Hierom. epist 83. ad Occanum in 2. cap. â—oelis iâ— dialogo contra Luciferianos S. Austin epist 48 prope finem 163. Enchirid. ca. 19. 49. Lib. 2. contra literas Peâ—iliani ca. 37. lib. 3. ca 76. lib. 4. de baptis coÌ„tra Donatist ca. 26. lib. 5. cap. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. 15. de vnico baptismo ca. 7. de vnitâ—r ecclesiae ca. 18. Of which two fathers S. Hierom earnestly reproveth them vvho vvith M. B. and the Caluinists thinke that Christs baptisme Iohns was al one and saith that they mainteyne a froward opinion by yelding to much to the baptisme of the seruant destroy the baptisme of his our maister S. Austin that they defend a wicked sacrilegious opinion And what need I to alleage auncient fathers to this purpose vvhereas Caluin confesseth it as a cleere and knowen case that they in deed thus taught much laboured to distinguish the baptisme of Christ and Iohn whose authoritie yet most arrogantly he contemneth But therefore to breake his insolent spirite supporte the fathers authoritie let it be added that this sacrilegious opinion of Caluin and the Caluinists was long before these fathers liued condemned by the Gospel it self in which we find the ministerie of Christs baptisme to haue bene done not in water only but in water and the spirit or as it is expressed sometimes in fier and the spirit that is in the spirite of god who as he descended visibly vpon the Apostles in forme of fier in the day of Pentecost so oft times visibly in the primitiue church he powred his grace on the nevv Christians especially vvhen they received the sacrament of baptisme confirmation thereby to testifie that his presence grace was euer infallibly geuen in al the baptismes which vvere ministred in Christs name and by his order since the first institution thereof as S. Iohn Baptist him self in the place quoted by M. B. plainly told distinguishing most euidently as betwene his person and the person of Christ so betvvene his ministerie and baptisme vvhich was in water that vvhich Christ vvas to ordeyne in water and the spirite as it is noted in euery of the Euangelists and in the Apostles vvhich spake thereof afterwards ¶ And novv this blocke being remoued which lay so in M. B. his way that he could not allovv a man to deliuer Christs body blud no more then a maÌ„ could geue remission of sinnes vve may vvith so much the more facilitie conclude the answere to his first question whether one person or tvvo deliuer the sacrament And alb eit his answere be that there are twa propiners twa perons which offer and geue the sacrament Christ and the minister of which twa the minister geueth the signe Christ the thing signifiedâ— the minister the earthly matter that is bread Christ the heauenly matter that is his body coÌ„paring these two ministeries together he so abaseth the one that he saith he wil not geue a straa for it so that by this description their coÌ„munion so far furth as by their ministers it is geuen is nothing els but an earthly signe a coÌ„mon peece of bread not worth a straa al vvhich I graunt in such sort as hath bene said before yet referring this to the sacrameÌ„t of the church
sacraments And then must it needs folow that the sacraments may be ministred to those only which are able to heare the word whereby infants are secluded from baptismâ— And in deed this is one of the strongest arguments that the Anabaptists haue This for al Christians to come so that hence forward by M. B. Theologie baptisme must no more be ministred to children or infants but we must expect with the Anabaptists vntil they come to yeres of discretion that then they hearing the minister preach may haue the right sacrament endued with life and sowle and perfite essence which now for want of such preaching is to them mere water without the spirite a dead body without life or sowle and as our Puritanes speake iust according to Caluin M. B. nothing but seales without writing and plain blanks After foloweth an authoritie of Zuinglius to prove his purpose which because it is very long would fil vp a leaf at lest I willingly omit The summe of Zuinglius allegation and my L. application is that the word preached is not the life and perfection of the sacrament but that the sacraments are perfite without it and that M. B. and al other in teaching this doctrine plainly ioyne hands with the Anabaptists Thus my Lord of Canterbury Vnto whose reasons one more I wil adde which M. B. his preaching before and the general doctrine of the sacramentaries yeldeth against this toy or rather madnes It is agreed among them very generally that the baptisme of S. Iohn was the self same that Christ his Apostles after deliuered to the church we now enioy VVhich being so then must it needs folovv that it had the same matter forme the same elemeÌ„t word that ours hath This is evident can not be denyed Let vs then proceed because of the matter element which was water in both there is no controversie let vs consider the forme that is the life and sovvle the word preached without vvhich baptisme is nothing but water as their other signe of the supper conteyneth nothing but coÌ„mon bread VVhen S. Iohn ministred baptisme to Christ did he preach the word as here vve haue it defined did he with a cleere voyce denounce and proclame to Christ al the parts of baptisme Did he tel Christ vvhat was his owne part and dutie as likevvise what was Christs part dutie How Christ ought to come receiue the baptisme and so furth as here vve haue the vvord defined and explicated Let M. B. make choise of vvhich part he vvil and answere yea or no I suppose he shal perceiue his ovvne error and foly and that as in ansvvering truly he must deny al his preaching hetherto about this VVord so if he vvil stand to maynteine his vvord and say that S. Iohn vsed in his sacrament such a word such preaching and opening al parts of the sacrament this affirmation in the iudgement of sober men wil conuince him not so much of folie as furie not of heresie as of phrenesie the particular consideration vvhereof I leaue to him selfe ¶ Novv let vs a vvhile sequester al authoritie both of god and man of scripture and father old or nevv saving M. B. him self and examine this matter by it self according to indifferent trial M. B. his ovvne preaching If vve marke vvel vvhat vvord it is that he requireth to geue life to the sacrament vve shal find it to be such a word as proueth the tenth part of English and Scottish baptismes and communions to be no sacraments at al. For first vvhereas in very many churches of England and I thinke the like of Scotland baptismes and communions are ministred vvithout Sermons in many some poore homilie is read in steed of a Sermon in al these churches the sacraments are dead things the communion bread is nought els but common bread the vvater of baptisme is coÌ„mon prophane vvater nether of these any sacrament And that the reader thinke not my asseveratioÌ„ bold or straunge vvhere I say that in England in many churches are so fevv Sermons let him vnderstand that albeit there be in deed order prescribed that in euery parish church there should be 4. sermoÌ„s in the yere euery quarter one vvhereas in the yere there are baptismes and communions perhaps 2. or 3. hundred yet this is soil obserued that notvvithstanding such order takeÌ„ the CaÌ„bridge doctors them selues testifie that they know parishes not far from Cambridge so principal an Vniuersitie for preachers where one of these sermons was not in 4. yeres together which if it be so so nere to Cambridge say they what is to be thought of other places of the realme And els where the same parties affirme that in most churches of England there is none that ether can or wil preach so that this one clause maketh voyde thousands of baptismes and thousands of Communions in England and Scotland For this must be obserued by the vvay that such reading of Homilies in the church is not according to this definition not these mens opinion preaching of the word with a cleere voyce no more say they then a mens pen or hand is his tongue and voyce vvho furthermore vtterly deny such reading to be comprised in the name of preaching despise it altogether and say that it is as il as playing on a stage and worse to Next to omit Homilies come to sermons whereas this vvord is appointed by Caluin to be preached after one certaine forme vz that the minister preach the promise and leade the people thether where the signe directeth how many thousand ministers faile in preaching this promise who doubtles in al the Gospels where after the Protestant-Theologie mention is made of the sacrament can not possibly find any such promise as Caluin surmiseth for that assuredly there is none such For to tel vs that these vvords This is my body is a promise is as blunt ridiculons a toy as if a man would make the articles of our Creed promises as if some vvise minister would tel vs that these verities Christ was borne of the virgin he suffred death vnder Pilate be rose againe and ascended vvere promises which are of like qualitie with that promise of Iohn Caluin And if in Christs words vvhere he instituteth this sacrameÌ„t there be no promise hovv then shal the minister preach with a lowd cleer voyce vpoÌ„ this promise which is not If to helpe forward the matter we shal take M. B. his expositioÌ„ that the minister must tel the people whereto the signe tendeth and directeth them that is looke how able the bread is to nurish them corporally so able is Christ to nurish them spiritually to eternal life which spiritual nurriture is sealed coÌ„firmed in them by these reuerend sealeâ— of bread vvine first this similitude is taken not from the scripture but from the doctors fâ—thers and therefore a
in it besides common bread because to passe ouer the former 11. points prescribed by M. B. of which very probable it is that in most CoÌ„munions many of them were omitted 12. by very order of their communion booke some words which Christ spake in deed were most importaÌ„t concerning the sacrament are purposely least out Fourthly I conclude that in most of the Caluinian Communions the communicants do more commonly according to their ovvne doctrine eate the flesh of their lavvful Superiors to vvhom God hath subiected them then the flesh of Christ and so consequently their table is rather the table of Devils then of god they at that table coÌ„municate ten tymes more vvith the Devil then with God For vvhereas among that rayling generation no one argument is more common then to rayle at the Pastors of Christs Church at the Catholike doctrine vvhereas nothing is more vsual and frequent with them then to slaunder Popes Cardinals Bishops Priests the Catholike church of al ages vnto vvhose obedience Christ hath bound theÌ„ vnder paine of damnation when after such raylings and slaunders they eate their tropical bread and vvine they eate as truly to speake the lest the flesh of Popes bishops Catholike Princes and people as they ever do the flesh of Christ and after such a raylative sermon the breaking of their bread and povvring out of their vvine signifieth as directly and autentically the flesh and blud of the Popes and bishops which they not spiritually but spitefully not by right faith but by grosse and froward infidelitie and detraction teare rent pul in peeces spilâ—as at an other more sober sermon if any such be it signifieth the flesh blud of Christ And the bread and vvine being appended afterward serue as aptly in the one sermon time place to seale and confirme the malicious and slaunderous eating of the flesh of Bishops and Christian people as in the other sermon time and place it serueth to seale and confirme the spiritual eating of Christs flesh and the vvord of the one sermon determineth and limiteth as wel and perfitely the general signification of the bread and vvine to the one sense as the vvord of the other sermon restrayneth it to the other sense Finally I conclude that this doctrine is the high way to remove from the CoÌ„munion al vvord of God one or other ether preached or not preached For let vs suppose vvhich may be very easely that halfe a dosen Euangelical bretherne knovv as vvel as the minister vvhereto the signe of bread and vvine is referred that the one signifieth Christs flesh the other his blud that as by bread they are nourished temporally so by the other they are nourished eternally item that by oft frequenting the communion they know their owne dutie they knovv the ministers dutie and so forth if such bretherne come to supper vvhat need is there of a sermon Nether let M. B. deny my supposition For it is a thing most easie facile and no doubt many there are vvhich by reading his booke and perhaps this or by hearing it so oft told them out of pulpits without any â—ers sermon haue it stil fresh and deepely imprinted in their memorie Here in this case what need a sermon To geue life to the action The life is geuen alredy To quicken it It is quickened alredy To put them in remembrance of their dutie I presuppose they remember it vvel inough To keepe the fashion and custome of the church That is not spoken like a Minister And if I graunt that order is good and so not to be neglected for regard of other ignorant men yet hereof it folovved that the vvord preached after your owne fashion often tymes geveth not life to the action but the action the sacrament is as lively as quicke as ful of sovvle without it as with it And to this coÌ„clusion M. B. him self bringeth the whole effect and drift of the vvord preached and his so diligent explication thereof Al vvhich saith he must be done in a familiar language that the people may vnderstand that vnderstanding they may beleeve that beleeving they may applie Christ to them which is to eate him by faith Then if these communicants of vvhom I speake vvithout such a sermon vnderstand as I presuppose already and beleeue and so applie Christ to them vvhich is to eate him spiritually what necessitie is there of the vvord and preaching at al vvhich serveth only for novices or infidels to make them vnderstand and beleeve in Christ and not for faithful such as vnderstand Christ already So that M. B. word preaching thereof so necessarily required to make their supper or signe presupposeth in deed al the bretherne and sisterne vvhich come to receiue to lacke faith and vnderstanding of Christ to be faithles without beleefe of Christ vntil the minister by the vvord preached engender faith in them VVhich defects being not in these communicants of whom I speake for I hope al Caluinists be not in so short space of a few yeres by the preaching of the word become plain infidels though they may be in a good degree towards it what vse or at lest what necessitie is there of the word to be preached vvhen that effect is present before hand to the vvorking vvhereof the preaching serveth VVhat needeth a candle vvhen the Sunne shineth VVhat foly it is to vvater a vvel grovven tree vvhich hauing deepe roote in the earth is able to nourish it self VVhat nurse vseth to feed the child vvhich is 10. or 12. yeres old and able to feed it self If these fevv brethren being of good memorie and hauing zeale to the vvord remember these points of the vvord vvhich maketh the bread to haue life and become a signe if they vnderstand Christ and believe in him by vertue of old sermons vvhich they haue heard of this matter before vvhat needeth this Battologie this idle repetition of one and the self same thing this casting of vvater in to the sea this bringing of a sevv sticks in to the maine vvood This is the islue of this nevv devised vvord to induce contempt neglect of both vvord sacrameÌ„t to make every prophane eating drinking as good as the SacrameÌ„t VVhich thing as before â— haue shevved by other arguments of theirs so here the very vvord whereof they vaunt most and glorie in ten deth to the same scope induceth the same conclusion For it can not be denied but according to this theologie and explication of the vvord 3. or 4. such brethern as I require vvithout preaching of the vvord at any commoÌ„ table at any common breakfast haue a communion a sacramental signe and seale as good effectual as they should haue and others haue with the minister in the church VVhich being very true that their breakefasts at home be as good and sacramental as their suppers in the church it were wel done
fideles is ecclesiae sacrificio sciunt al which the faithful know how it is performed in the sacrifice of the church of which church sacrifice al the sacrifices of the old testameÌ„t were shadowes VVhich sacrifice of praise and thankes-geuing he in a number of places expresly calleth the sacrifice of Christs body and that it was offered not by al Christians a like but by a certaine order of priesthod as he plainly declareth in the same booke and proveth out of the scriptures ¶ VVhere M. B. saith that the name Masse came in vvhen the sacrament began to be perverted the Latin kirk to decay the Romane kirk to fal by this vve learne vvhen according to M. B. censure the Romane church fel. For euerie Protestant allovveth it a time of puritie integritie according to his ovvne humor fansie some 300. yeres some 400. some 500. And thus far our English Ievvel extended the puritie florishing estate of the Latine especially the Romane church some allovv it 200. yeres more But for the first 400 or 500. yeres fevv of the learned Protestant make any doubt but that the Romane church vvas pure and sincere in al parts of religion So taught one of our English Pâ—otomartyâ—s Ridley prelate of London in these vvords The patriarch of Râ—me in the Apostles time and long after was a great maynteiner and setter forth of Christs glorie and above al other countries regions there especially was preached the true gospel the sacraments were most duly ministred And as before Christs coming it was a citie so valiant that al the world was subiect to it and after Christs passion divers of the Apostles there suffered persecution for Christs gospel so after that the Emperors became Christians the Gospel there florished most S. Austin saith our M. Ievvel and other godly fathers rightly and wel in old time yelded great reverence to the see of Rome as for diuers other reasons so also for the puritie of religion which was there preserued a long time 600. yeres after Christ without spot For which puritie and constancie in the same that church was most famous aboue al others and might be a standard vnto them And Iohn Calvin vvriteth Because it was a thing notoriously knowen true without al questioÌ„ that from the Apostles age vntil theirs there was no alteratioÌ„ of doctrine nether in the church of Rome nor in other places the fathers tooke this for a principle and sure ground able to overthrovv al errors vvhich nevvly sprong vp that they gainsayd the truth vvhich had bene constantly preserued and maynteined by common consent from the time of the Apostles VVhich iudgement of Calvin and those other learned Zuinglians I note to control M. B. rash sentence in deputing the fal and decay of the Romane church to that time vvhen by these mens more sound more learned verdit that church vvas most pure perfit and withal hereby I can plainly convince him of falshod and heresie in preaching as he doth Touching the first the sacrament saith he began to be peruerted and turned in to a sacrifice with the falling estate of the Rom. kirke and them comes in this peruerse name of the Masse VVhen was this About 400. yeres after Christ For then vve find this name masse in the Councels Doctors vvritings applied more commonly to such signification as vve novv vse it S. Ambrose in Milan testifieth of him self that he said Masse missam facere caepi Ambros lib. 5. epist 33. â— Leo maketh mention of the same epist 81. ad Dioscorum 88. ad Episcopos Germaniae Galliae S. Austin sermo 91. de tempore 237. 251. Cassian lib. 2. Canon orat noctur ca. 7 lib. 3. canon diurn oral cap. 5. 6. 11. lib. 11. ca. 15. Yea some bishops martyrs of the Romane see far more auncieÌ„t then any of these vvriters vse the vvord though seeldoÌ„ as appeareth by S. Damasus in Pontificali in Alexandro 1. by Papirius Massonus de Episcop vrbis lib. 1. fol. 11. in Pio. 1. As for Councels in sundry very auncient as in Concilio Rom. sub Sil vestro 1. Concil Carthag 2. can 3. Carthag 4. ca. 84. Concil Agathensi ca. 21. 47. Concil 3. Arelaten cap. 3. Concil â— Aâ—â—â—lianenâ— ca. 28. Concil Milevit cap. 12. both the masse is plainly named and the distinction of masses vsed in the primitiue church is described the one called missa catechumenorum the other missa fidelium the masse of learners or novices in the faith to vvhich al indifferently vvere admitted Heretikes Iewes Paganes the masse of peâ—â—â—â—e baptized Christians from the presence and sight of vvhich masse not only the forenamed Heretikes Iewes and Pagans but also the vnchristened though otherwise favoring Christianitie yet for reverence of these dreadful mysteries vvere excluded Thus vve find that long vvithin 500. yeres after Christ the name of Masse vvas very frequent in the Romaine and Latin church vvhen as yet that church vvas far from decay and faâ— nay vvhen according to Calvin and those other famous Superintendents the church of Rome was most pure and had altered nothing of the doctrine received from the Apostles but for her constancie in reteyning the â—aâ—e might serue for a Standard and light to al other churches of Christendome ¶ By vvhich ground also and graunt of these excellent men I condemne secondly M. B. his preaching of heresie vvhereas he saith that when the sacrament was turned in to a sacrifice it was idolatrie and that forsooth began vvith the name of Masse For vvith this perverse name Masse the sacrament began to be perverted This collection I say is very foolish vvicked heretical For if in collecting the 4. names vvhich out of the auÌ„cient fathers he attributeth to the sacrament he had faithfully told his auditorie vvhat he had found he could not haue so blindly stumbled as to vvring idolatrie out of a sacrifice or preach that the sacrifice began vvith the name of Masse vvhereas the more auncient fathers cal the sacrament a true sacrifice some hundreds of yeres before the decaying and falling time of the church vvhich he signifieth that is before the name of Masse vvas practised And vvhen the name Masse began to grovv in vse even then they stil reteyned that other more auncient terme and caled it stil sacrifice both in preaching vvriting ten yea tvventie times for one more oft then Masse And therefore to make the name Masse any occasion of the sacrifice vvhich name and beleef of sacrifice vvas vniversal at lest 200. or 300. yeres before the name of Masse grevv in vse is as poore and peevish a devise as lightly might fall in to a sicke mans brayne This is to set the cart before the horse to make the river cause of his fountayne to make the child beget his father as much as to charge M. B. vvith the invention of heresies published
primitiue church yea consequently the Apostles them selves for that he condemneth that church of idolatrie vvhich nether in this point nor in any other had departed from the Apostles doctrine but stil reteyned most constaÌ„tly that vvhich by Christs Apostles vvas delivered vnto them as Ievvel Ridley Calvin to their ovvne eternal condemnation according to S. Paules most true sentence confesse If M. B. thinke any great force to be in these his words that vvhereas vve should take the sacrament from the hands of Christ we contrariwise offer it to him which Luther counteth vnansvvereable and in his rayling libel against king Henry the 8. calleth it his principal strength and capital argument let him knovv that in vulgar Theologie it is so childish as nothing can be more For if vve may not offer to god that vvhich god mercifully geveth to vs vve must offer to him nothing at al not the sacrifice of thankes-geuing not of praise not of an humble spirite not of speaking a good vvord or thinking a good thought for every good thought proceedeth from him and is raised in vs by his holy spinte and then doubtles the English communion is very idolatrous in vvhich the minister in the behalfe of al the bretherne doth offer and present vnto the lord him self his and their sowles and bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively sacrifice which can no ways stand for Evangelical Theologie if that we have taken from the hand of god we may not geve to him And perhaps for feare of such idolatrie the Scottish coÌ„munion taketh so diligent heede that it doth not so much as mention any such offering But if this be most peevish sensles if the prophet David speake far more divinely Tua sunt omnia quae de manu tua accepimus dedimus tibi al things are thine o lord and that we haue receiued of thy hand that render we and offer to thee in sacrifice if it be most true that vvhich hath bene sufficiently declared that this is not only a sacrament for the vse of men but also a sacrifice to the honour of God if this have bene alvvayes the faith of Christs Catholike church then to vse the sacrament as a sacrifice vvhich Christ at the first made a sacrifice and Christians ever vsed as a sacrifice this is no idolatrie on the churches part but rather atheisme impietie blockishnes on the heretikes part to suppose that that vvhich vve take from the hand of God in Christ may not be geueÌ„ to god againe seing that vvhich vve receiued from god in our first creation that is tight and povver over al beastes and creatures of the earth vvas yet rendered backe to god in sacrifice in the vvhole course of the old testament both in the lavv of nature and also in the lavv of Moyses Of the ends for vvhich the sacrament vvas ordeyned The Argument The 4. ends appointed by M. B. why this sacrament was first instituted are for the most part false The sacrameÌ„t was not ordeyned for mutual bene volence among men much lesse to testifie to the Pagans in what sort we worship god VVhich conceit is against the general practise of the primitiue church which kept this sacrament secret and hid from the knowlege of Pagans The chief end of the sacrament is not to figure or represent our spiritual nurriture which we haue in Christ The Scottish â—â— Geneus signe signifieth vnperfitly such nurriture the scripture yeldeth many other signes as good and effectual to signifie as that and therefore as good sacraments It is in the power of man to institute signes as good as this and every vulgar repast vsed among Christians is as good a sacrament M. B. his preaching ioyneth Christs body as nighly effectually sacramentally to every meate and drinke vsed in coÌ„mon howses as to the bread and wine vsed in their communions His resolution how long the holines such as it is of their communion bread endureth CHAP. 13. This hetherto conteyning those few appellations of the sacrament M. B. calleth the first head general of this his second sermoÌ„ The next head general is why the sacraments were appointed VVhich endes he maketh to be 4. The first vvhich is the principal he declâ—reth thus This sacrament was instituted in the signes of bread and wine and was appointed chiefly for this end to represent our spiritual nurriture the ful and perfit nurriture of our sowle That as he who hath bread and wine lacks nothing to the ful nurriture of his body so he who hath the participation of the body and blud of Christ lacks nothing to the ful and perfite nurriture of his sowle To represent this ful and perfite nurriture the signes of bread and wine in the sacrament were set downe and instituted Thus much for the first The second end wherefore this sacrameÌ„t was instituted is that to the world to the princes of the world who are enemies of our profession we might testifie our religion maner of worshipping god and that we might also testifie our love towards our bretherne Because I meane not to make any great stay vpon these in several I vvil therefore ioyne them al together after in fevv vvords shevv vvhat is amisse in any of them The third end is to serue for our special comfort and consolation to serve as a souerain medicine for al our spiritual diseases And when we find our selues ready to fal or that we haue fallen by the world the flesh or devil and wold fayne flee away from god god of his infinite mercy hath set vp this sacrament as a signe on a high hil to cal them again that haue run shamefully away The fourth and last end is that we might render him thankes for his benefites These are the endes for which M. B. teacheth vs this sacrameÌ„t was ordeyned vvhich as they conteyne some truth so yet are they very vnperfite and omit that vvhich in this sacrament and every sacrament of the nevv testament is principal Of the fourth end hath bene spoken before in the name of the Eucharist and therefore I vvil passe it ouer here The second is in part true in part false but no vvay proper or peculiar to this sacrament as he affirmeth True it is as S. Austin writeth that men can not be gathered together in to any fashion of religion ether true or false except they be vnited with some societie of visible signes or sacraments And therefore both among the faithful faithles Iewes and Pagans as likevvise Ievves and Christians the sacraments are some signes of mutual love and benevolence and by them we testifie our religion as Christians towards the true god so infidels to the false But as this is a proprietie or qualitie incident to sacraments of al sortes be they Pagan or Ievvish or Christian so to make it one special end why this sacrameÌ„t was ordeyned is cleane wrong
vvhich they cal sanctifying It is a fowle vntruth to sâ— that without whispering vve account the vvords of Christ to lacke their force And vvhen he calleth consecration incantation that is an vntruth Sâ—â—â—â—ical blasphemous because it reacheth not only to aâ— the auncient primitiâ—e church as hath bene shewed but also to Christ him self For vve vse the vvords of Christ as Christ did and vve vse them no otherwise to no other end vvith no other intention or effect then Christ did and commaunded to be done and the church of Christ first and last old new in the East and VVest in Europa Asia and Africa vsed vniversally vvithout control vntil these vvicked and prophane mockers of Christ and al religion set a vvorke by Satan brake lose in to the vvorld Besides al vvhich falsitie impietie heresie blasphemie and ignorance â— true religion this man seemeth to be ignorant of common learning and philosophie for that he supposeth â—â— magike and incantatioÌ„ to depend of vvhispering vvhere as such inchanters and impostors play their parts no more by whispering then by speaking vvith a cleare voyce as M. B. byndeth his ministers to speake vvhen they eate their supper ¶ The seuenth vntruth vvith vvhich I vvil end â—oâ— if I vvould note al I should be to tedious euery sentence almost conteyning nought els but such grosse and palpable falsities and the same accompanied vvith a number of folowers is vvhere he preacheth thus After the words of consecration are this way whispered they presâ—pâ—â—â—â— such a hid and monstruous vertue to be inclosed in the sillables one blasphemous vntruth that the vertue and power which flowes from the words there is two are able to chase away wholy the substance of bread there is a third and that the power which flowes from these words is able to rug pul downe the flesh and blud of Christ that sits at the right hand of his father there is 4. at lest This ministerlike kind of speech that is to say this vvitles and frantike kind of railing and blaspheming and lying that vve suppoâ—e such hid vertue to be inclosed in the sillables and flow from the words he continueth and thus repeateth to make good his former raylative speech of incantation against vvhich he disputeth very gravelie and the more gravely the more ridiculously because he disputeth against the false conceit of his owne fansie and not against any faith of ours His argument is this VVe deny that any vertue is inclosed in the sillables For if there were such a vertue and power inclosed in the sillables by that reason there should be a vertue in the figure and shape of the letter that makes vp the word Now there is no man wil thinke that there is any vertue in the figure or shape of the letter ergo c. Doubtles a profound argumeÌ„t vvhich if M. B. could have vsed vvel towards Iohn Knox that famous incestuous adulterer and Apostata M. B. his predecessor the chief Scottish Apostle of this age the Scottish ministers vvhich now rule he might perhaps have much refrayned and vvithdrawen both him them from their vsual magicke familiar coniuratioÌ„ of spirites For of Knox it is testified that even in Geneva vvhere he vvas to pretend a litle honestie he vvas much geven to such kind of study and of the Scottish ministers it is publikely witnessed by one vvho speaketh of his certaine knowlege that no other science and so belike not the Iustitutions of Iohn Calvin nor yet the vvord of the Lord is more ordinarle and 〈…〉 liar there or more diligently studied or had in mor◠〈…〉 and esteeme then magicke and witcheraâ—â— As for the 〈…〉 liks any creature that is not bereft of common 〈…〉 may soone perceive that this point of incancatioÌ„ â—posâ— pose any vertue or power to lye inclosed in the sillables no more toucheth them then the man in the moone For they know and professe that vvho soever pronounceth these wordes or sillables be he man vvoman or child be he King or Keisar or of vvhat degree and state soever if he be not lawfully called in the church of Christ to the office of priesthod the words and sillables pronounced by any such haue no more vertue and power then if they vvere pronouÌ„ced by a minister of the Scottish or Geneva creation Againe they know prosesse that if a lawful priest or bisshop pronounce them as many do both in their studies vvhen they reade S. Paules Epistles or the Gospels and in the church vvhen privatly they say their service and among other parts of scripture rehearse these vvords there is no more power or vertue in them then in any other vvords or sillables or sentences of the Gospelâ— and yet if there vvere any power or vertue included in the sillables the sillables being stil one like power and vertue should ensue of theÌ„ And therefore M. B. may soone perceive that vve have no such magical imagination of these or any like vvords Mary vvhen a lawful priest or bisshop pronounceth them as the substitute of Christ to that end and vvith that intention and meaning to do as Christ appointed now in this case that these vvords or any other of like effect substance have power vertue to vvorke that vvhich Christ ordeyned to be wrougâ—â— by them vvhat should I go about to prove vvhereas M. B. him self in the next page immediatly confesseth it For I vvil not trouble the reader vvith any distinctions vsual in Catholike vvriters because the simplicitie of this man is such that him self in this very page yeldeth as much to consute him self as I desire or the reader needeth to require For thus he vvriteth VVe deny there is â—â—y vertue inclosed in the sillables or resident in the word But we say there is a power conioyned with the word and vve say no more but al power is resident in the eternal word whereof tobe 〈◊〉 mention in the first of his Euangel Let that stand for 〈◊〉 that yet yow remeÌ„ber your owne words in your first sermon that as the Euangel is a mighty and pâ—tent instrument to our everlasting saluation so the sacrament is a potent instrument appointed by God to deliver and exhibite to vt the thing signified that is Christ Iesus And therefore vvhereas yow say There is not a drams weight of this vertue power resident in any creature but it is only in Christ Iesus vvhich no vvise man denieth so long as yow speake of this vertue to vvit such and in such sort as it is resident in our Saviour the fonteine origin author of al grace and vertue both in vvord and sacrament so yet if yow consider the vvord and sacrament as mighty and potent instruments ordeyned by Christ instrumentally to deliver vs Christ yow must allow vnto them some drams and some ounces to of vertue and power or
men by the very light of nature and natural conscience though out of grace therefore not availeable to glory as the Apostle and true Theologie assureth And therefore vvhereas M. B. against al reason against â—l Theologie against the Apostle and al Apostles and Euangelists of Christ that ever vvere telleth his auditors and biddeth them locke vp this as a sure conclusion that if they once had any of these vertues they before they dye shal have them againe if ever they had any one of them then had they faith vvhereof that vvas a suie certain argumeÌ„t vvhich faith is proper to the elect therefore they are Gods elect perpetually then they can not possibly perish vvhereas he maketh thus far such linking together coÌ„nexioÌ„ of his Theological or rather diabological propositions vvhat one of his auditors or disciples is so simple but he can deduce one farther conclusion out of these premisses that he may live how he vvil he may do vvhat he please he may freely folow the lusts of his flesh in al catnalitie and sensualitie having assurance before hand from this preacher that he shal never be damned for it that if ever he vvere inclined to any good since his infancie he shal be surely as good again before he die and if once he felt any grace of God any good effect of his grace al his life time he shal find God gracious merciful to him for ever for that his gifts favour are irrevocable vvhom he once loved him vvil he love eternally This is the coÌ„clusion consequence of that former preaching this is not to preach God but Epicure not Christ but Antichrist not civil and moral honestie as becometh an honest civil man much lesse as becometh an Euangelist and preacher of Christian pietie and religion but rather this is to set open the schole of Sardanapalus of Lucian and Diagoras to make a mocke of religion to extinguish and eradicare honest life and al vertue other ciuil or Christian and briefly in â—â—eed of making preparation to the vvorthy receiuing of their lords supper except Satan be their lord this is to prepare men to celebrate the Supper and feasts of Bacchus and Venus of Lupercalia and Bacchanalia to set a man headlong in to al filthines villanie al dissolution both bodily and ghostly The conclusion conteyning certaine general reasons vvhy the Calvinian Gospel novv preached in Scotland can not be accounted the Gospel of Christ The Argument The conclusion drawen out of the precedent discourse preaching of M. B. sheweth that whereas al religion especially Christian coÌ„sisteth principally of two partes 1. faith towards God 2. honest charitable behavicur towards men both these the Calvinists vtterly destroy by their preaching of only and special faith and therefore their gospel hath no shew or face of any religion These 2. partes are proued severally first touching good life next touching necessarie points of ChristiaÌ„ saith For which cause euer since the beginning this Calvinian gospel hath bene abherred and condemned not only by al Catholikes but also by very many Protestants and those of most same and learning The Caluinian gospel is nothing so coloured with probable shew of Christianitie as were many old heresies The preachers of it are much more variable mutable contrarie to them selues and therefore the shame miserie and condemnation of men is greater who have departed from the Catholike and Apostolike faith of al ages vnto it The nature of the Caluinian and Sacramentarie Gospel is never to be constant but to be always chaunging the solowers whereof are neuer setled in any one certain faith For which reason and also for that in many chief articles it dissenteth from the Gospel of Christ and his Apostles as most Scottish and English detest it so al Christians haue iust causeâ— hate it and returne from it to Christs Catholike church and Gospel The Conclusion AND now to leave M. B. and turne my talke to thee my deare countryman vvhose benefit I most entend whose eternal good I vvish and daily pray for as thow regardest thy owne saluation and hopest to have part vvith Christ thy Saviour in heaven and to avoid eternal torment vvth Luciser and the damned in hel consider vvith thy self advisedly as the vveight of the case requireth vvhether in coÌ„mon sense and probabilitie in reason humane or divine the vvay to attayne the one and avoid the other be this vvhich these late ragged and scattered Apostataes divided against them selves al Christendome besides Luther and Zvinglius Caluin Beza vvhom M. B. more exactly foloweth have of late inveted or rather that vvhich al thy forefathers for these 13. or 14. hundred yeres in vnitie vvith them selves and al other Christian provinces and countries ouer the vvhole vvorld have taught by vvord and vvorke and in such an vniuersal Catholike faith have happely offered their blessed sowles to God CoÌ„sider vvith thy self omitting al other inferior and secondarie controuersies vvith vvhich the Christian vvorld is now by these new Evangelists so pestered that the nature of every religion in general much more the Christian vvhich only in truth and by vvay of excellency is called religion is built vpon 2. vniversal pillers faith and charitie to beleeve vvel and to live wel as Christ and his Apostles every vvhere teach And leauing to thy private remembrance knowlege if thow be of age if not to thy information by bookes or other better learned how our Catholike religion hath evermore framed her childreÌ„ to both these to right faith and godly charitable life vvhereof the daily discipline and practise of the church is the best proofe and the very face of our realmes Scotland and England adorned vvith such a number of goodly hospitals of colleges of monasteries built first to the honor of God next to the benefit of the realme of the poore of impotent of orphans of al sorts of men in the realme ech in their degree and order ruinated now by these caterpillers and false ministers yeldeth abundant confirmation to leaue this and to behold a litle the other part the religion brought in by these ministers which they intitle by the name of their Gospel consider vvhich thow maist do vvithout any great learning as being a thing evident to the eye vvhether it plucke not vp even by the rootes as it vvere al faith and good life For demonstration vvhereof I vvil not trouble thee vvith any new discourse but only 〈◊〉 vpon that vvhich touching ether of these hath bene said already in the last chapter or at the farthest in this present treatise And concerning good life vvhen men are taught that vvhat so ever they do is sinne and that mortal deseruing damnation that thus they sinne when they studie to do best vvho vvil labour vvho vvil studie to auoid sinne vvhich he beleeveth to be a thing vnpossible VVhen men are taught that if ever
they had a good motion to god ward if ever they did any good then had they faith and then are they surely elect they are sure to be saved vvhat man vvil take needles toyle to procure by painful and vnprofitable vvorks that vvhereof he is sure already VVhere it is preached for right Euangelical that a man once endued vvith faith is afterwards by no sinne by no filthines of life never vtterly forsaken of Gods holy spirite a most filthie and blasphemous doctrine is never out of Gods love favour for whom God â—ins loued he loueth perpetually wil scholers thus instructed stand in feare and horrour of sinne vvith vvhich they may satisfie their carnal delites yet hold fast stil Gods favour to and remayne indued vvith his holy spirite VVhere only faith is commended as sufficient to instification vvere it not madnes to suppose that the vulgar multitude vvil do vvorks of supererogation vvil by superfluous and vnnecessarie vvorks do shame to the blud of Christ vvil do that vvhich no vâ—ayes profiâ—eth themâ— vvithout vvhich they are assured of heavâ— of which if they did as many as did S. Peter and S. Paule yet they are persuaded that such works though never so many never so excellent are nothing regarded before God but rather in them they offend his divine maiestie against whom they sinne even when they study to do best Briefly where men are persuaded in that one point that having once had faith or any signe thereof that is to say any good motioÌ„ in their harts they are surely electe surely possessed of the holy ghost and so that they shal never be altogether forsaken of him sal they to murther to adulterie range they in any kind of sinne never so long they shal finally die the seruants of God and without fail inherite eternal ioy who is so blunt and blind as not to see that infinit presumption to commit sinne infinite securitie to wallow and tumble in sinne perpetual neglect to leave sinne or satisfie for sinne must necessarily ensue of such meretâ—icious doctrine more fit for a common bordel then for an honest howse though this man bring at forth as a special ievvel perle of his EuaÌ„gelical doctrine to honor his new kirk congregation withal If we proceed from works to faith which among Christians is first to be waighed as being the ground and foundation of al good works this faith is so wasted by these mens new gospellizing that scarce any peece of it remayneth â—ound in his integritie For let vs put for true that one article which being by Luther and Calvin by Lutherans and Calvinists advaunced as the hart and life of theiâ— Gospel M. B. also magnifieth as the specifike differeÌ„ce betwene his Scottish Gospellers and al Papists yea al â—ects of the world vz. that he with his bretherne by meanes of their firme fast peâ—suasion which is their definition of faith have their sinnes certainly remitted â—oâ—â—em they are in the number of Gods elect and stil endued vvith his spirite This one opinion vvhat a garboile what a spoile and vvast maketh it in Christian religion For first to many heretikes and schismatikes out of the church not only Catholike but also Calvinian to Lutherans Zuinglians Anabaptists Trinitarians SuenkfeldiaÌ„s Memnonists c. al and singular endued vvith this persuasion or presumption no lesse then are the Caluinists to these and a number of like it geueth remission of sinnes eternal life vvhich is against the articles of our Câ—eed and general principles of Christianitie Secondly it abolisheth the vse of the keyes vvhich Christ so expressely gave to his church to S. Peter and the Apostles VVhose sinnes yow remit they are remitted to S. Peter VVhat thow losest in earth shal be losed in hearen Against vvhich these good fellowes by that specisike difference of their only faith iustifying them can and do remit their owne sinnes though never so grosse and damnable vvhich they howrely commit vvithout help of the Apostles open heaven gates to them selves vvhether S. Peter vvil or no. Of seuen sacraments vvhich hetherto the church hath enioyed five being already by this new gospel abolished both in name and vse and two only remayning in name baptisme and the Eucharist to vvhat purpose serve they Are they not in like sort made altogether voyde and frustrate by this solifidian persuasion For doth baptisme remit sinnes vvhich is his office Nothing lesse But sinnes are remitted by this persuasion as the Caluinists teach vs not by the sacrament of baptisme The Eucharist doth it give vnto Christians the communion of Christs body and blud No. VVe eate that only by this appprehension by this solifidian conceit and persuasioÌ„ besides vvhich the sacramâ—nt yeldeth nothing but the communion of a bit of bread and a sip of vvine or ale twentie of vvhich communions altogether as good spiritual a maÌ„ may buy in the market for 2 or 3. half pence But the scripture every vvhere teacheth men to pray to God continually night and day to geve almes to vvatch to fast to do al good vvorkes that they may purchase more grace of God and obteyne from him fuller remission of their sinnes and confirme their election to life eternal and this piâ—â—ie perhaps is much amplified by this vvonderful faith Nay it is vtterly destroyed vvith the rest For before any such prayer may be made there is presupposed faith in the bretherne faith infallibly includeth remission of sinnes therefore to pray for that of vvhich by faith they are assured already is like as if vve should pray for the incarnation of Christ vvhich is already past accomplished Besides that it is against the doctrine of their gospel to thinke that ether Gods favour and grace dependeth on mans vvorks vvhich are never good but alvvaies sinful and impuâ—e or that works caÌ„ any way better or make more perfit and absolute remission of sinnes vvhich is altogether annexed and fastned only to a strong persuasion and constant faith And how can that person feare God vvho is taught evermore to beleeve as an article of his faith that God is loving friendly and most benevolent to him that vvhatsoever he doth God never hateth him never taketh his holy spirit froÌ„ him but loveth him perpetually and therefore before hand hath set him free and secure from al daunger of hel hath geven him a sure placard and vvarrant of his saluation For these and a number of like absurdities both against faith and good life issuing out of this Lutheran and Caluinian doctrine Melancthon that peerles and imcomparable maâ— and most florishing in al kind of vertue and learning as the Protestants account him a chief author of this new gospel albeit in his youth he much holpe forward this special faith vvith the dependences thereof yet in his age he woÌ„derfully abhorred detested
113. It is in the power of man to make as good a sacrament 270. 271. 272. 273. Actions of Christ in the Institution of the Sacrament pa. 147. 148. 150. 151. 155. He mingled his chalice vvth water 151. 158. 159. He blessed the bread and chalice 152. 153. 154. 155. The Sacrament vvhy called Eucharist pa. 251. 252. Carefully coÌ„ceiled froÌ„ knowlege of Ievves Pagans in the primitiue church 262. 263. 264. No heretike could be present at the administration thereof 254. 262. The Sacrament reserved sent abrode to private men in the primitive church pa. 278. 279. Yet beleeved to sanctifie and confer grace 279. Only heretikes thought contrarie 279. To receiving the Sacrament other preparation required then to receiving the vvord pa. 421. 422. 423. Sacraments of the Law Gospel much differ in conferring grace pa. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 108. The material parts of the Sacrament signifie many things not necessarily present pa. 359. 360. substance of bread not necessarie to it 359. 361. The Sacrament not called Dominica coena the lords supper in scripture pa. 245. VVhat that word meaneth in S. Paul 245. 246. 247. Nether is it called coÌ„munion in al scripture 247. 248. A Sermon not necessarie to the essence of any SacrameÌ„t p. 218. that opinioÌ„ is refuted by the English church 221. It is plainly Anabaptistical 222. 223. It maketh voyd most baptismes in England and Scotland 224. 225. and also coÌ„munions 226. 227. 228. 229. 235. It maketh the vvord or sermoÌ„ it self superfluous of no effect 230. 231. A Sacramental speech pa. 367. Sacramentaries condemned by Erasmus pa. 34. 35. By Luther 325. 354. 438. By Melancthon 348 349. By Pappus 326. VVestphalus 121. 283. 284. 285. Hosiander many other protestaÌ„t Doctors 344. 436. Euery heretike against the Sacrament an heretike for other matters besides as Berengarius pa. 26. 27. Petrus Brusius Henricus and the Albigenses 27. 28. Almaricus 28. VViclef 29. Christ at his last supper instituted a sacrifice pa. 3. proved by vvords of the Institution 4. 16. and conference of them with the vvords of the legal sacrifice of Moyses lavv 4. 5. Christs sacrifice ordeyned in steed of the Paschal sacrifice of the law pa. 9. 10. The exact coÌ„parison of them proveth ours to be a true sacrifice 10. 11. So al the auncient fathers teach pa. 12. 51. 252. 255. 256. 257. 258. 363. It is the same sacrifice which Christ offered 201. A true sacrifice though commemoratiue 19. 20. Sacrifice of Melchisedec a figure of Christs sacrifice pa. 13. 14. 15. 363. Sacrifice vsed by the Apostles pa. 17. Proved by S. Paule 17. 18. 19. Graunted by some chief Protestants 19. Beleeved in the primitiue church 20. 21. 22. 257. 358. Confessed by both churches Greeke and Latin 26. as Calvin graunteth 257. Sacrifice of the church testified by the auncient fathers 201. 249. 251. 252. 255. 256. 257. Seales divine miracles pa. 142. 143. ProtestaÌ„t Sectes of this age to what number they are grovven pa. 445. Sinne separateth man from God pa. 399. Al sinne mortal none venial with the Calvinists pa. 30. 399. Remission of Sinnes See priests The Protestants special faith invented by Luther pa. 301. 302. putteth them in assurance of their election and salvation 303. 304. Cause of infinite pride and presumption 304. 307. 308. 402. Of vile dissolute life 306. 307. CoÌ„mon to al kind of heretikes especially Anabaptists 304. 305. 4â—4 By this faith the vvorst Protestants eate Christ spiritually in their supper as vvel as the best 304. 307. 308. It leadeth to hel 308. 309. Seâ— Protestants Special faith destroyeth al Christian faith 433. Remission of sinnes in the church Keyes of the church Sacraments of the church pa. 433. prayer to God feare of God 433. 434. This special faith refuted by S. Paule pa. 316. By Caluinists theâ—â— selves 316. 317. By Melancthon 434. 435. This special faith once had can never be lost pa. 306. VVhat is necessarie essential to the Scoâ—tish or Geneva Supper pa. 146. 239. How it is ministred 156. It is nothing like to Christs sacrament for a number of defects 157. 158. 159. 160. 162. 200. 201. 239. 240. 241. 242. and superfluities 220. 223. 224. Any vulgar dinner or repast as good as that Supper 65. 163. It is ministred as wel by wemen and boyes â—â— by their Ministers 65. How Christs body is ioyned to the Geneua or Scottish Supper pa. 174. 175. 274. As to a word spoken 176. 177. 27â— Lesse then to a picture 178. No more then God is ioyned to the devil 175. 176. Nothing at al. 175. 176. It is altogether superfluous ridiculous 179. 180. VVickedly by M. B. preferred before gods vvord 210. 211. 212. The Supper described by M. B. pa. 182. prophanely 182. 183. 184. Striving for the coÌ„munion drinke 184. It is not vvorth a straa 193. 200. 229. rather to be called a breakfast then a supper 332. It is wicked and sacrilegious 242. 243. No sacrament of Christ 229. 233. Christ no othervvise received in the Scottish supper then in any common dinner pa. 187. 206. 275. 276. Then in seeing any creature 189. Christ received no vvayes in their Supper 189. 190. The flesh of priests Catholikes more eaten in the Geneva suppers then the flesh of Christ pa. 229. 230. Divers vncertain significations of the Geneua supper pa. 177. 178. 179. Many things signifie Christ as wel as that 180. 181. 182. How long it remayneth holy 276. 277. T Table See Altar Christs Testament made at his last Supper 6 8. VVhat was required to the making thereof 6. 7. 8. The real presence and sacrifice is thereof inferred 7. 8. 9. How his blud in the chalice is called the new testameÌ„t 371. 372. Difference of the old TestameÌ„t new pa. 98. 99. V No lawful VocatioÌ„ of preachers in Scotland or England pa. 407. VV VVemen may preach and minister the Protestants communion pa. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. VVemen have in them al power ecclesiastical 64. VViclef an heretike and a parasite pa. 29. 30. An heretike to the Calvinists 30. His often Recantation 30. 31. He is condemned by the Protestants 31. 32. The VVord required to make the Calvinists sacrament is a sermon pa. 134. 216. 220. 228. The Ministers preferre their owne words before Christs 216. 217. 218. The right word wanteth in most Scottish sacraments pa. 226. 227. 228. No such word found in scripture as they require 225. Christ vsed no such word pa. 220. 221. 233. See more in Sermon Z Zuinglius an Anabaptist pa. 140. His interpretation of Christs words more fond then that of Carolostadius 43. He learned it of a sprite in the night 376. 378. FINIS A TABLE OF PLACES OF SCRIPTVRE EXPLICATED IN THIS TREATISE ESPECIALLY SVCH AS APPERTEINING TO THE SACRAMENT ARE CORRVPTELY expounded and perverted by the Sacramentaries Genes 3. 15. In the sweate of thy face thow shalt eate thy bread pa. 267. Exod. 12. 6. The children of Israel shal offer
church as we learne by Theodore Beza VVhere there is no vse of bread wine or no store thereof as it chaunceth at some certain time there the Lords supper is orderly ministred if in steed of bread and wine that be taken which supplieth the place of bread wine ether by common vse or at such tymes And he obserueth rightly enough Christs meaning who not for nouelties sake taketh in steed of bread wine such things as haue though not equal yet like proportion or analogie of foode As in like mâ—â—ner if water be wanting yet the baptizing of some child may not wel be differred with edification I truly wold baptise with any other liquor as wel as with water By warrant whereof in many places of Christendom where bread wine is haâ—d to come by stockfish with single ale more coÌ„mon in vsual diet there the Protestant communion is wel orderly ministred if the minister with 3. or 4. brethern go together into a tauerne eate a litle stockfish drinke a draught of ale he bid them to remember the Lords death For whereas the words of Christs institution are no waves necessarie but al dependeth on the faith of the bretherne which communicate here we learne that bread wine are not so requisite but that other meate drinke may supply the want thereof whereas in this coÌ„munion which here I note is both the matter and also the forme of a Protestant supper who can deny but it is a veâ—â—e complete perfite coÌ„munion And that not only if a man vse stockfish but also by like reason any other meate that nourisheth though not in equal degree as bread doth yet in some like sort And then as any flesh â—apon pâ—g goose beef or mutton may serue for the one kind so match-beer strong or smale ale good water metheglin or any such vsed liquor may serue for the other So that we now draw somwhat nigh to the perfectioÌ„ esseÌ„t al forme of that which ouâ— gospellers cal the supper of the Lord which we see may be had at euery breakefast at euery dinner supper beuer where there is bread beere or cheese water oâ— flesh and wine or any such â— things which nourish our bodies as bread wine do though not in so large maner yet with this sober caution that the bretherne which meete at this coÌ„munion remember the death of Christ vse these other kinds of meate not for loue of â—â—eltie but for loue of Christian libertie hatred of Papistrie because forsooth they wil shew that they hate the Catholike church which vseth superstitiously as they suppose those only 2. elements But now let vs go one step farther put the case that 3. or 4. gossips meete together at a drinking and after much good how shold talke in sine they remember them selues then one willeth the other to remember the death of the Lord so drinke one to the other and eate some such gossiping meate as they haue brought some applepie or flawne or so forth whie is not this as true a Protestant coÌ„munion as any yet mentioned Here is the matter of the coÌ„munion that is some foode that nourisheth the body here is faith which is the forme here is remembrance of Christ and his death then what wanteth to make vp and perfite the coÌ„munion Truly I can not imagine any default touching the substance essence but that this is as ful complete a communioÌ„ as any at this day ministred in England or Scotland For that which perhaps some man may obiect to be here wanting vz. a minister is an obiection more â—it for a Papist or Catholike then a Protestant or heretike Among whom very few there are who haue written especially bookes of coÌ„mon places but they discourse at large wemen no lesse then men to be priests of the new testament although for maners sake they may not in al places vse practise such their priesthod I in paâ—t agree with them that euery woman is as â—it lawful a minister as any who ministreth in the Scottish and English congregations Certainly Luther hath made long treatises heapeth tegether a number of allegations out of the holy scriptures to proue al that are baptized wemen no lesse then men to be priests by vertue thereof to haue power both to preach minister sacraments In the second Tome of his works he particularly rehearseth al ecclesiastical functions proueth as wel as he can that the execution of them al is a like common to al that are baptized Among much other talke to that purpose thus he writeth The first office of a priest is to preach the word of this depend al the rest But this is coÌ„mon to al. Next is to baptize and this also may al do euen wemen when they baptize they execute a lawful priesthod an ecclesiastical ministerie which is proper to priests only The third is to consecrate bread wine But this also is commoÌ„â—o al no lesse then priests And this I aduouch by the authoritie of Christ him self saying do this in remembrance of me This Christ spake to al there present to come afterwards who so euer should eate that bread drink that wine Ergo what so euer was there bestowed was bestowed on al. Nether can the Papists oppose any thing against this besides their Fathers Councels custome This also is witnessed by S. Paule who 1. Cor. 11. repeating this applieth it to al the Corinthians making them al as him self was that is to say consecrators c. Forthwith after a few words he concludeth Igitur si quod maius est collatum est omnibus etiam mulieribus c. If then that which is greater be geuen indifferently to al men and women I meane the word and baptisme then that which is lesse I meane to consecrate the supper is geuen also to them VVhich argument as a most principal he vrgeth againe a few leaues after VVhen the office of teaching the word is graunted to any together therewith al that is vsed in the church is graunted I meane to baptise to consecrate to bynd to lose to pray to iudge For the office of preaching the gospel is the chief a very Apostolical office which geueth the foundation to al other offices which al are built thereon The like hath he in sundry places and bookes Only he requireth that whereas the right power thus to minister is coÌ„mon to al that are baptized wemen no lesse then men yet that nether men nor wemen vse this right of theirs but where there is want of better ministers then also that they do it with modestie To which purpose clearing of his assertion he maketh an obiection to himself in an other booke thus But the Papists obiect the saying of the Apostle Let wemen hold there peace