Christ by his vnfallible promisse vnfeinedly geueth to the faith of his people the very fruition of his body and bloud with the hole benefite of his precious death and passion and by the workinge of the holy ghost merueilously ioyneth vs in one body together with him Is not this thinke you a merueilous change and to mans estimation a miraculous worke when by the power of the holy ghost worde of god of commen breade and wine such as we daily féede our bodies with is made the dredful and reuerent sacramentes and mysteries of Iesus Christ wherby as I saide he doth not by a bare signe only but verely and in déede endow is faithfull people and make them partakers of his body and bloud Yea and that in such sorte that euen as truly as the bread doth norishe our body and euen as truly as the wine doeth comforte our spiritê so truly and vnfeinedly doeth the heauenly foode of his body and bloud toren and shed for vs by fait h in time of that holy supper no ryshe strengthen and comforte our soule and by the wonderfull workinge of his spirite make our bodies also apte to resurrection Truly when I earnestly consider the effecte of this sacrament as it must néedes be by the trueth of Christes promises I confesse I am not able with wordes to vtter so muche as in my minde I doo conceiue and together withal eschew the absurditie of your reall presence and transsubstantion Wherfore I merueile not if those holy fathers fearinge no suche inconueniences but lokinge rather pithely to expresse the thinge dyd vse those earnest wordes and manners of speakinge and yet mente not as you now of their wordes doo gather All though no similitude can sufficiently declare the thinge I wyll for the simplar forte so muche as I can indeuour by a comparison to set for the that I do conceiue If a temporal prince for certaine causes mouinge him would geue you a thousand pound land by the yere and for that purpose had caused the wrytinges to be made The same wrytinge vntill it bee confirmed by the prince is nothinge but common parchment and inke framed into letters by some inferiour mans hand neither doth it bring any effect but when the prince hath once added to his seale confirmed the graunt it is no more called parchement or common writing but the kinges letters patents And now hath that reuerence that all to whom they be shewed doo veile there bonetes as bringinge with it some parte of the princes maiesty Such a change is now made in those trifelinge thinges that before no man estemed You also to whom this lande should bee geuen would not thinke this writinge common parchement blotted with inke but the perfite déede of your prince wherby you were assuredly possessed of the foresaid lands Moreouer when the prince at the deliuery of the same should say sir here is a thousand pound land that I geue fréely to you and to your heires I thinke you would not be so fonde to thinke either that the Prince doeth mocke you because you sée not the laÌ„ds presently or els to conceiue with your selfe that you haue the landes really inclosed within the compasse of your writing For the kinges aucthoritie in the writyng geueth you as ful possession of the landes as though you helde theÌ„ if it were possible in your hande And you in this case might iustly saye to your friende shewing your letters patents Lo here is a thousande pounde lande that my prince hath geuen me If then there bee so greate a change made in framyng the couenant déede of an earthly prince If his seale doo bryng such force effecte to his gifte and letters patentes How much more merueilous change alteracioÌ„ or transmutacion muste wée thinke it to bee when the base creatures of breade and wine be consecrated into the sacrament of the euerlastyng couenante and testament of Iesu Christ wherin he geueth vs not earthly vanities but the precious foode of his body and bloude remission of sinnes and the heritage of his heauenly kingdome how muche more of effecte must this sacrament be that is sealed with the promisse and wordes of our sauiour Christ who is truth it selfe and cannot deceiue any that trusteth in him Wherefore to expresse this change of the externall elementes into so heauenly misteries to shewe the effecte of this sacrament to withdrawe the ignorant mindes of the people from the prophane cogitacion of a bare signe in this mattier the auncient fathers had good cause to vse suche wordes And yet therein doo they nothyng at all defende your miraculous workes that you deuise to be made in the Lordes supper As for the similitude wherewith you woulde declare the necessitie of your Labels depending vpon the first founded absurditie it is both of as smal force as other that you before vsed and you handle it with more sluttish eloquence then is méete for suche a mattier as this is For the drawyng of the Capons the scumming of the potte the stinkyng water the hewyng of wodde the puttyng on the broche with guttes garbage and al. c. Be phrases and termes more méete for the kitchinne then for the Diuinitee schoole and such as your self I thinke woulde not haue vsed if your mockyng spirite had not so rauisshed you as you wist not what you did If wée had resembled your Labels whiche you cutte out by drift of reason vnto so base mattiers you woulde haue sayd that wée had rayled and done otherwise then it became vs. But sens your selfe doth so take them wée must thinke that God oftentimes moueth his aduersaries to vtter trueth against them selues But if the same maister that you imagine to commaunde his seruaunte to make readie that hee may dine did meane onely that he should set vpon the table suche colde meate as was in the house because he saw no cause or necessitie of greater prouision And the seruaunte vpon his owne foolish head would mistake his maisters commaundement conceyuing that he woulde haue great straungers did kill his Capons Chickens and other prouision aboute his house and busied himselfe with more labour then thanke to make them readie Doo you not thinke I pray you that he might iustly be compted an vnprofitable seruaunt and worthy by correction to bee taught more witte for that he putteth his maister to greater chargies and himselfe to more paines then the mattier required if he had rightly vnderstanded his maisters will and commaundemente Euen so sir those thynges that you say foloweth by force of reason and argument vpon the first sentence do folow indéede only vpon that sence that your selfe doth imagine mistakyng your maisters wil and pleasure and not vpon that meanyng that Christe himselfe would haue his wordes to be taken in For all that he woulde haue done may be sufficiently done without the working of so manie miracles as you in this case would driue his omnipotencie vnto Wherefore wée are not
nor of many other trifling doubtes you make because all such doubtes are answered to the ful in the oryginall veritie of Christes words being in the nature of the veritée necessarily imploied As these are agaynste the whiche you may kicke till you be very but it lieth not in you to alter the nature of Christes owne wordes If you had found in the scripture spoken by Christe concerninge the blessed sacrament This is not my body but the figure of my body beyng absent in substance and onely present to your imaginacions by the sight of the bread You might haue triumphed and blowed vp your horne lustely in euery pulpit and made your auaunte that you had bin able to controlle all christendome But now the letter is very playne against you and the sence of the letter also as the fathers do recorde in all ages and generall counsels to As may appere by your owne mistrust for the space of the last .ix. hundred yeres and odde I take God to iudge I wrote not this for any malice to suche as are otherwise â—ente I pittie them rather and dayly pray for them that they may embrace the catholike faieth But when I perceiued Goltas in his brauerie hauynge truste in his bigge bones and stronge weapons braggyng many times as though there were none of the Israelites hable to matche him Notwithstandynge there are very many that coulde haue handled him better then I beyng a man of small learnyng troubled with much businesse yet I thought it my dutie for the honour of my mother the catholike churche to hurle out foure or fiue stones in Dauids sling against this champion not to hurte him in the forhead as Dauid did Golias but to crushe in péeces certeine vntruethes that he taught Wyshyng him as wel to doo as I woulde my self And all my countrey men of Englande to be ware least they fal into the snares and trappes that our ghostly enemie laieth abrode euery where not onely to hurte their bodies but to hurle downe bothe body and soule into the déepe dongeon of hell The whiche I beséeche God moste hartely géeue all men grace to auoyde Amen An Answere in defence of the truth Againste the Apologie of priuate Masse LONDINI Mens NoueÌ„b 1562. The cheefe poinctes touched in this defence of the trueth Against priuate Masse or soole receiuing by the minister in the common place of praier Why the doctours call the sacrament of the Lordes supper by the name of oblacion or sacrifice Against communion vnder one kinde Of reseruacion of the sacrament Against the argumentes of multitude and longe continuance of time Against the alledging of the aucthoritee name of the church What is to be attributed to the auncient fathers Of reall presence and interpretacion of christes wordes Hoc est corpus c. ⧠The preface to the Reader IT is wel knowen to a greate number partly by presence in hearinge partely by wrytinge set forth of the same that a worthy learned man and Bishop of this Realme stoutly in dede as the matter required and clerkly also as learning and knowlage taught him did openly protest in certaine Sarmons not to the furtheraunce of vntrueth as malice carpeth but to the confusion of falshodde as the ende proueth that if any of those things which he then rehearsed could be proued of the contrary side by any sufficient authoritie of the scriptures olde doctours and auntient councels or by any alowed example of the primatiue church then he would be contented to subscribe and yelde to their doctrine This his doynge as no lesse was to be loked for sum men depraued many dispraised all they misliked that mainteined suche superstitious errours as false teachinge hath trained people in the space of certaine hundred yeares And in dede seinge they harde their doctrine so plainely defaced and their wilfull misleadynge of Christian men so openly to be noted a man maye thinke they had good cause to startle at the matter and somewhat to loke aboute them leste they seemed altogether carelesse Wherfore as dyuers haue dyuersly shewed theyr mislikinge so one of that partie hath in writing priuely spred abrode an answere to the forsaide offer or protestatioÌ„ for priuate masses wherin he both perswadeth him selfe and would haue other also to beleue that he hathe so fully satisfied the parties request as it maye seeme greate folly and as he termeth it impudencie any longer to staye vpon it One of the copies of this answere by occasion as it fortuned not many monethes sence lighted into my hands which I vnderstande is so spred abrode in dyuers places of this Realme as there be fewe mislikers of the trueth but they haue it and make such accompte of it as a greate number of the vnlearned sorte staie their consciences there vpon Who the aucthour is or what maner of man I neither knowe nor can gesse more then he witnesseth of him selfe in the entraunce of this treatise Where he signifieth that once he imbraced that religion which he now detesteth and writeth against In that parte me thinketh he doth deale as fonde men sometime are wonte to doe which to displease their enemies sticke not to hurte them selues also So he to discredite the doctrine that he is reuolted from geueth such testimonie of his owne naughtie life and conscience as he would be lothe to heare at any mans mouth but his owne All that time saieth he neither regarded god nor good relygion nor any good conscience beside What malice it is to charge the doctrine that by hipocrisie he professed with the cause of his euill doinge I will not declare with suche wordes as the matter requireth This muche I will saye that he learned this of olde Adams greate councellour Who at the beginninge beinge blamed for his disobedyence seemed to bourden God him selfe with the cause of it and excused his owne folly by that thinge whiche his maker had geuen him to his comforte and commoditie In like manner when this mans conscience as it seemeth by hys owne wordes accused him of lewde liuinge and lacke of the feare of god to excuse his owne ill disposed minde he casteth the faute vpon the doctrine of the gospell whiche God did open vnto him vndoubtedly to his great commoditie if he would haue taken it And vnder this pretence bothe forsaketh it him selfe and by his example exhorteth other to eschew it But as the wicked life of a man to his owne greate harme may be a blotte to the religion that he professeth so God forbidde it should be compted a full reprofe of the same or a iuste cause to be of all other reiected If it were so men should refuse Christianitie because dyuers not of the basest sorte but of the heades of the Churche as their owne histories witnes haue ben of horrible and wycked life But we muste thinke that the hipocrisie and traiterous couetousnes of Iudas and his felowes is a confusion to them selfe but no iust reproche to
commonly of hym that hee was a deceiuour to purge him selfe of that suspicion witnessed that hee spake not of him selfe because he spake out of the lawe and prophetes euen so if any man sayinge that he hath the holy ghost speaketh of hym selfe and not out of the gospele wee must not beleue him For as Christ said the holy ghost shall not speake of him selfe but shall declare vnto you those thinges that it hathe hearde That is those thinges that I haue spoken he shal confirme These wordes of Chrisostome cleane ouerthroweth the ground of all your vnwriten verities beside the worde of god much more such doctrines as be expresly against the same as is your sole receiuinge and communion vnder one kind Wherfore neither your multitude of sundry nacions and great learned clerkes neither the continuance of .ix. C. yeres if it were so neyther the name of your holy mother the churche which you so often repete can bee any sure proufe of your doctrines without the expresse testimonies of the scripture to witnes the same For the holy ghoste whiche you assure your churche of doth not speake of himselfe saith Chrisostom but confirmeth that Christe spake before After that you haue at your pleasure in sundry partes of your treatise charged him that you write against with folly rashnes arrogancie and impudency euen in those pointes that the same crimes may bee more iustly retourned to your selfe and yours in this place also you indeuour to debase and imminishe his estimation extenuatinge his age continuance in study of holy scripture and maner of life in comparison of your late holy fathers which you doo greatly extolle Such is your shiftes when the matter will not healpe it selfe to transferre your talke to the persons by scorneful disdeining of other to procure your self aucthoritie What your opinion is of him your writing declareth but they whiche haue bene of longer and better acquaintance with him then you are doo right well know and in his behalfe doo protest that .xx. yeres sence he was able fully to haue answered stronger argumentê for these matters then any that you haue brought at this time But whatsoeuer hee is to you god bee praised in him he so liueth as the most malicious of your parte cannot iustly blame him and his learnings is suche as when the matter shal be tried I doubt not but it wil fal out that he with his .xl. yeres age and such other whom in like maner you disdaine shal shewe more true diuinitie then a many of your hoare heades and greate reading clerkes as you thinke whose aucthoritie and name alone ye iudge sufficient to beare downe whatsoeuer shall bee brought against them Towarde the ende you shewe your opinion of reall presence of Christes 13. Cap. Of reall presence body in the sacramente and in that parte blame vs as though we had more acquainted our selfe with Ismael and Agar as you say then with Abraham and Isaac thereby signifâ—yng that we misdoubted the almightie power of god in bringinge that to passe whiche he promiseth or speaketh in the institution of his sacramentes But I muste néedes iudge this to bee in you eyther ignorant blindnes or hatefull malice Blindnes if you doo not vnderstande and sée that in this controuersie wée stay not vpon gods omnipotency malice if you know it and vpbrayde vs with the contrary We graunt as fréely as you with Abraham and Isaac That god is able to performe whatsoeuer he both promise Wee graunt as freely as you with the Angell Thâ—â— no worde it 〈…〉 to god We graunte as fréely as you with Dauid That god hath done whatsoeuer his 〈…〉 We grauÌ„t with the holy fathers that 〈◊〉 greate and merueilous mutation and change is made in this sacrament by the power of gode worde Wee detest euen as muche as you all such as sée no more but common bread or a bare signe in this holy supper neither can wee thinke well of you when you doo so falsely charge us with that assertion But how can you shew that it was gods holy wil to haue so many miracles wrought as you without necessitie doo make in this sacramente Yea and of such sorte as be contrary to the maner of all those miracles that the holy scrinture mencioneth to bee wrought by his diuine power Moyses turned his rodde into a serpent but all that were presente sawe that it was a serpent He made water miraculously to come out of the rocke but al the children of Israell saw and tasted of the water Christe tourned water into wine but all the company dranke and felte it to be wine The same is to bee saide of all the residew of merueylous workes And when gods power had miraculously tourned these thinges that into the whiche they were tourned reserued and kepte that nature that was agreable to suche a thinge The serpent had the very nature of a serpent the water was of such nature as it behoued water to be the wins lost not the right nature of wins Otherwise it may séeme rather a iudglinge then miraculous workinge You neuer reade in all the course of the scripture that gods power tourned the substance of any thinge and left the qualitées of the other thinge that it was before sauing onely in this case that you imagine it God is able to turne darkenes into light and light into darkenes but it were madnes to require at gods almightie power to make lighte and not to haue a shininge that is to make lighte to be light and not to be light all at ones or to make light darkenes all one This were nothing but to peruert the order of gods wisedome Doo you not this in the sacramente when you apoint the body of Christ to be without quantitée proportion and figure or to be in a thousand places at ones which is proper only to his diuinitie Is not this to take away the nature of a body from his body and in déede to affirme it to be no body And yet wee say not but that god is able to worke that also if it be his pleasure But we say it was not gods wil and pleasure in ordeining the sacrament to haue it so For neyther is there any necessitie that should constraine him to it nor doth his word teach vs that ouer hee did the like Oh ye wyll say we muste beleue Christes wordes This is my body which be of as great power now as they were in the parlour at Hierusalent to make the very body of Christe really and carnaly present and so the Catholike church say you doth teache vs. Wherefore vpon this veritie once setled diuers other thinges must of necessitie followe by drifte of reason although they bee not expressely mencioned in scripture as the adoration of the sacrament the turninge of the substance of bread and wine the beinge of Christes body in many places at onâ—â— c. In déede in such is the vanitie of mans reason in gods
it that he woulde thinke it were breade and not that which christian men tooke it to be Non sciet maritus quid secreto ante omnem cibum gustes Et si sciuerit panem non illum credit esse qui dicitur Thy husbande shall not know what thou doest eatâ— secretly before thy meate And if he do know it he beléeueth that it is breade and not he whome wée call it Ponder these wordes well and se whether it agréeth not with Erasmus reporte When the christian wife did secretly receiue the holy sacrament was there any company receiued with hir Can a thyng done in companie be secret Or coulde she kéepe close from the Panime hir husbande that thyng that should be often practised in any open assemblie Were not thinke you the panimes that at that time were the greater numbre diligent to searche what the christians did Séemeth it not in hir secret receiuyng before all meates that she reserued the sacrament at home to receiue it when she woulde And where Tertulian saieth that if it chaunced that her husbande knew what she eate he would thinke it to be bread makynge no mencion he woulde thinke it to bee wine and not the very body of Christ as the christians do confesse Furthermore séemeth not this woman to haue receiued it vnder one kinde For hir husband that saw hir eate the fourme of bread that was wonte to be first receiued woulde soone haue perceiued when she dranke the fourme of wyne that shoulde be immediately receiued after To conclude it appereth by these olde writers that this woman receiued alone without any company to receiue with hir And that she reserued the sacrament with hir at home to receiue at mutabitur sacro sanctum corpus christi sed virtus benedictio viuificatiua gratia magis in eo est They are then madde that saie the misticall benediction or blessing leaueth from the sanctification if any leauyng remaine of it till the next day For the very holy body of Christe shall not be changed But the power and vertue and the liuely quickenyng grace is continually abiding in it without company to receiue WheÌ„ ye heare Chrisostome tell of the dayly sacrifice when you heare the aunciente father Cirillus call them madde that denie the reseruacion when yée heare him say plainly and flatly that there is no alteracion in the very holy body of Christe though it be kept and the vertue and ful power of the consecracion and the liuely quicknynge grace doeth continew stil in the holy porcions that are reserued when S. Ciprian that holy martir maketh reporte of the holy sacrament reserued at home in the womans coffer to receiue when hir lust when deuocion serued hir and when he sheweth that God wrought the myracle in the stiryng of the fier from it because she thought to vse it vnreuerently to cause hir to forbeare When Tertulian afore that agréeth with the same and when Erasmus Roterodame a man famous in his time recordeth the matter as he had learned it of these holy fathers and other that the people receiued it in their handes receiued it at home receiued it when euery man saw his time Shal any man coÌ„tinue so impudent to denie that euer people vsed the soole receiuyng without company or deny the reseruacion The Scripture saieth In ore duorum vel trium c. Two or thrée witnesses are able to trie any matter and especially such witnesses as these are men of holy life aunciente fathers of greate learnyng called foorth to witnesse the trueth from euery quarter of the worlde some from Asia some from Africa some from Europa c. What say you to Satyrus E. that hanged the hely sacrament aboute his necke in a stole when he wente to the sea What say you to the greate clarke S. Ambrose bisshop of Millayn that praised him greatly for his so doyng Apered not there a reseruacion And I trow vnder one kinde vnlesse your brayne will serue you to enclose wine in a stole as mine will not What say you by Syrapion 9. Cap. who beyng in dispaier of his life sente for the priest to minister him the sacrament in the night season But when the priest lay sicke in his bed and coulde not goe him selfe he tooke Syrapions ladde the Sacramente in his hande and bad him moyste it and so minister it into the mouthe of his sicke maister The priest was sicke and coulde not rise The lad came in the night time the priest deliuered the sacramente into his hande he bad him moyste it and géeue it to the sicke A. And doeth not this proue bothe that the priest had reserued it and the moystynge thereof that the sicke man tooke it vnder one kinde and when he sent no more then woulde serue the sicke man was not there the howselyng of one alone without companie The twelfth Cannon of Nicene counsell prouideth for suche as are like to departe this life to receiue the sacrament or they departe And if any suche that is in the case howseled chaunce to recouer then to be amongest the communicantes praier The wordes be these De iis qui recedunt excorpore antiqua segis regusa obseruabitur etiaÌ„ nunc Ita ve si quis forte recedat ex corpore necessario vitae suae viatico non defraudetur Quod si desperatus asiquis recepta communione superuixerit sit inter eos qui sola oratione communicant Concernynge those that departe this life the olde rule of the lawe shall be kept now also So that any be like to departe this life he be not disceiued of his necessarie viage prouision for his life If he that was in dispaier of life after that he receiued the coÌ„munion chaunce to recouer let him be amongest them that do communicate by praiers onely The holy auncient counsell of all the learned fathers at Nice thought it conuenient that suche as were like to die should be howseled before their departyng And coulde this rule be vnuiolably kepte amongest so many casualties of sicknesse and sodeine infectiones and diuers other chaunces that fall at diuers and sundrie times bothe by day and night B. vnlesse the holy sacramente were reserued And vnlesse euery man receiued as necessitie serued alone with out company when necessitie so required Some time the priest as Chrisostome saieth in the celebracion of the dayly sacrifice receiueth without the people and sometime the people without the priest and some time one alone without any company at all as wée haue at large shewed afore In the bisshops and priestes absence 10. Cay the Deacons receiued alone if they were disposed to receiue as the fouretéenth Cannon of thauncient and olde counsel of Nyce hath taken order The wordes be these Peruenit ad sanctum consilium ê™ in locis quibusdam ciuitatibus presbiteris diaconi sacramenta porrigant Hoc neque regula néque consuetudo tradit vt ij qui offerendi sacrificij potestatem non
come vnto the practise of the churche and recordes of she fathers D. of the latter .ix. hundreth yeres They crie so thicke and thréesolde against you that you are not able to abide them And therefore you were woonte to disgrace them art By what aucthoritée I pray you woulde you haue them all discredited It sanorth of a maruerlous arrogancie to discredite them all Can your doctrine creepe no other wayes into credit vnlesse you deface the practises of the churche and the aucthoritée of the fathers for the space of .ix. hundreth yeres and odde Haue you no other meanes to get honor but to dishonour so many auncient fathers as haue written this latter .ix. hundred yeres Know you not the scripture Qui masedixerit patrives matri morte morietur And what malediction is there greater then to blase that our learned fathers that liued so godly in praiers fastyngs almesdéedes continuall studie of doctrine that hath their common agréementê for the space of .ix. hundred yeres and more disceiued Christes flocke know not the right faieth but trayned the people to the state of dampnation And I pray you if they were so many yeres disceiued and yet giuen all the while to spiritual exercises more then you as it appereth by their workes or any now a daies what assurance can you make vs that you do now know the truth Beynge a man far vnderneth them in all peinâ—tes and one that hath not continued here muche as I here say aboue fortie yeres and not bestowed the fourthe parte of that time neither as I here in studie of the scriptures or olde doctours Shal you with .ix. or .x. yeres studie in the matters of doctrine thinke your selfe able to sit as a iudge to controll all such doctours and the doctrine whiche they haue left in recorde for the space of .ix. hundred yeres No man gaue you such aucthoritée but your self Luther and Melancthon tooke vpon them to be reformers of religion in all poinctes But if you marke them they make no mattier of necessitée to communicate the laytie with bothe kindes They acknowledge that a general couÌ„sell may take order in it as a thynge indifferent And hauyng no scripture for the prouse of the necessitée thereof They confirme also the being of christê body in a thousaÌ„d places at once meanyng therin as the catholskes meane If you had acquainted your self with Abraham and Isaac 13. Cay that sayed that quaecunque promisit deus potens est facere What so euer God promiseth he is able to performe it Or with the Angell that saied vnto Mary in as greate a mattier as this is Non est impossibile apud deum omne verbum There is no worde vnpossible vnto God as well as you haue acquainted your selfe with Ismaell and Agar that se no farther then the trade of common nature or if you had marked but the very rule of nature how of an antecedent grauÌ„ted all necessarie consequence doo by force of reason issew there hence you woulde neuer put the mattier in question Wée finde in scripture that eur sauiour saied in the consecracion of the blessed sacrament This is my bodie that shall be desmered for you And when the sence of this sentence is as the catholike churche teacheth the very reall presens of Christes body to be in the blessed sacramente vpon this sence once setled many labelles doo necessarily hange not expressedly had in scripture but by drifte of reason out of the first veritie gathered And so did saincte Chrisostome S. Ambrose S. Basill and S. Bernard when they vnderstode the sence of Christes wordes concerning the consecracion to be as the holy catholike churche vnderstoode it And not to haue powre in the parlour at Hierusalem onely where the sacrameÌ„t was first instituted but in all places where the thinge was so practised as Christ began it Therunto they sawe they muste néedes confesse by drifte of argumente that Christes body is in diuers places at once and of the remainders of the accidentes you néede no other proufe but your owne sensis your iye and your tastyng And of the alteracion of the substance of breade the fathers in diuers ages saw it so depende vpon the first veritie that they haue omitted no varietée of termes to expresse it and to brynge it into the knowledge of the worlde They haue transmutation transelementation mutation conuertion faction afteration transsubstanciation and diuers other such that are not to be rehersed now You haue taken vpoÌ„ you to controll that counsell of Constance alredie but now you will controll the greate counsel of Lateran where were so many learned clarkes as there were neuer more gathered together And the counsell of Valense and the counsell of Rome sub Nicolao and the generall counsell of Florence and the counsell of Basill In the whiche all your errours concernyng the holy sacrament are ouerthrowen Concernyng your doubte how Christes hodie is in diuers places at once sithen you beléeue no counsel that hath determined that mattier nor auncient fathers Grekes us Latins I will sende you to your great god Luther in a littell booke that he wrote against the Swinglians of the sence of the woordes of the supper of christe They yet remayne vndefaced There he answereth you at the ful Or els to Brentius that great Cane in the exposition of the article of thassention in the first of the Actes where he enterpreteth thereof at the full thoughe very farre in diuers poinctes from the sence of the churche Yet may he not suffer that blinde reason of yours to haue his force in no case It is but a very fonde daliance to braule vpon the labelles before you agrée vpon the originall veritée The trew sence of this littell sentence This is my body that shal be desiuered for you Is the roote and the originall of all suche labelles as wée teache not mencioned in scripture expresly but bulted out by drifte of argument as these are 〈◊〉 similitude for â—uwritteÌ„â—â—eeâ—â—â—â—â— that offend you so sore When the maister saieth to his seruaunt make redie that I may dine he speaketh nothynge in these wordes of scommynge of the potte of cleans water for the potage of the earbes to be chopped of scaldynge and drawynge the Capons of makyng after of hewyng of woodde of laiyng the clothe and other thynges necessarie belongyng to his dinner And yet if the seruaunt woulde leaue the potte vnscommed herbes vngathered make potage with stinkyng water put the Capon vpon the broche fethers guttes and all because his maister made no expresse mencion of the particular orderyng of all these I wéene no man woulde alow his wit or honestie Because in his maisters first commaundement all suche necessaries are imploied And so wée answer you as your mother the catholike churche hath taught vs. Wée néede not to shew you of accidentes remainynge without any subiecte nor of Christes body being in diuers places at once nor of the adoracion of the holy sacrament
and thingeâ—â— hée listeth That it is a sacrifice of Christes body that it is vsed in place of the Lordes Supper that one may offerat for quicke and deade that it is in the priestes power to apply it all your sorte doe not only without resistance easely confesse but without reason stoutly defende Therefore I shall not néede to make any further prouse of the partes of this discripcion I doo therefore take priuate masse to be not only as you and some other patrons of your cause of late yeares haue wrested it sence the ministers of gods truth in this latter time haue driuen you to the best shiftes of interpretacion but as it was commonly vsed in the worlde before and as it is set forth in your schole men to the great defacinge of Christes death and passion And yet ye shall not thinke that wée of trueth can or ought to yelde to the best of your interpretacions that euer I could heare Of this priuate masse that I haue now declared to you the challenge that ye take so greuousy was made And therein doo I also at this time ioigne issue with you and say that nether you nor any of your parte will euer be able to proue the same by the hoâ—y scriptures auncient fathers or alowed councels yea and because you vrge the negatiue that with gods healpe wée will abundantly proue the contrary This will I doo quietly and calmely without stormynge or tempestuous blustering either at you or at your doctrine as one moste glad to bringe you againe to that heauenly trueth of the gospel whiche vnder the blasphemous names of falshode and phantasée you declare your selfe to haue forsaken In the residue of your discourse ye woulde séeme to take from vs the true and right rule to reforme the church of Christ 3. Cap. that is to proue that in doctrines and vse of the sacramentes al thinges should not be reduced to the patern of the Apostles time and the primatiue churche Herein you doo as they are wonte whose conscience doeth pricke them to haue done amisse For suche alway draw backe and lurke out of the light being lothe to come there where they know that truth woulde be tried Euen so you fearyng to be founde fautie woulde wryng vs from that rule wherby all trueth in doctrine ought to be examined To this purpose ye may séeme to bryng three reasons One is a rowlyng in of a rable of suche examples as no reasonable man woulde denie vnto you The seconde is a resemblyng of the primatiue church vnto an infant in the swadlynge cloutes and this latter time to a tall man of perfit yeres and ripe age The thirde is the comparison of the times and the ferueÌ„t charitée that then was with the key-colde charitée that now is As touching the first I cannot choose but greately merueile at your maner of reasonyng whiche indeuour to proue the contrary of that that no man did euer affirme Did ye euer here of any A. that woulde haue all thinges without exception reduced to that very forme of the worlde that was in the primatiue churche And yet your examples tendeth to the rupted either with false opinions depraued or with superstitious ceremonies defaced is it not full time thinke you to call for redresse accordyng to the scripture and primatiue churche So to doo wée haue good example in Christe him selfe and in his apostle S. Paule When Christe woulde purge the lawe from pharisaicall mitigations and interpretacions he had recourse to the first fountaine originall Math. 5. saiynge Dictum est veteribus c. Ego autem dico vobis So he ruduced all to the first fountaine In the mattier of deuorsemeÌ„t he alledged not the Rabins and late writers of Iewes but saied Ab initio non fuit sic Countyng what soeuer was added to the first ordinance of the law to be a corruption of it S. Paule mindyng to redresse the abuse of this sacramente of the lordes supper euen in this poincte that they tooke it in partes and not together bryngeth the institution of Christ from the beginnyng and saieth This haue st receiued of the Lorde Wyllynge to alter nothyng therin The like doeth S. Cyprian epist ad Cecisium against Aquarios Wee must not harken saieth he what other did before vs but what Christe first did that was before al. And here he speaketh of the same sacrament and against them that abused if contrarie to the first fouÌ„dacion were they neuer so holy This Tertussian also taketh to be a sure rule against all heresies and abuses who saith in this wise This reason is of force against all heresies That is true that was first ordeined that is corrupted that is after done And Cyprian in the same epistle before mencioned Hereof saith he arise diuisions in the church because wee seeke not to the head nor haue recourse to the fountain nor kepe the commaundementes of the heauenly maister Therefore seyng it is so good a rule in religion to resorte to the first institucion wée also without any iust reproche may require to haue the sacramentes reformed accordynge to the scripture and the primatiue church But you thinke perhappê although for shame ye may not say it that their successours in calder age of the churche were of more wisedome and discretion and know better what they had to doo then the Apostles and olde fathers Therto tendeth your similitude of bringyng a talle man againe to his swadlyng cloutes B therein resemblynge the primatiue churche to infancie and this latter time to ripe age and discrecion That the primatiue churche was not of the state of infancie This is not your onely similitude It is muche in the mouthes of suche as mainteine your doctrine But I assure you it was neuer inuented without the spirite of Antichriste nor cannot be maintened without blasphemy against Christe and singular reproche of his Apostles and their successours If that time were the state of infancie in the churche when Christ him selfe instructed when his Apostles taught when the holy fathers gouerned nexte their time then wee muste néedes recken Christ the Apostles the fathers to be infantes in religion to be babes in gouernement of the churche not to be able so well to se what was conueniente in the vse of the sacramente as their posteritee were Can any christian mans hearte fall into that cogitacion without feare of Gods wrath and displeasure And yet that must needes folow vpon this defence of your doctrine I pray you when hath a man best discrecion to rule him selfe Will yée not say when he is most indued with the vse of reason and wisedome When had the churche of God such aboundant wisedome and knowledge of his heauenly misteries When was it indued with so plentifull graces of the holy ghost as it was in time of the Apostles and first fathers Did it not appere in their pure life in their feruent zeale in their miraculous workyng And will
congregation came together that they might receiue according to Christê institution That this was S. Paules minde it appeareth by his first proposition and reason and by the conclusion that he addeth in the ende When ye come together saieth he ye can not eate the Lorde supper wher firste it is to be noted that to the celebracion of the sacrament they resorted together and were not priuately in sundry corners He addeth the reason why they coulde not at their méetinges celebrate the Lordes supper Because euery man is occupied in eatynge his owne supper Herein Paule blameth them not onely for immoderate féedynge of their owne meate but also for the disordered vsyng of the Lordes supper in partes where as they should be together as Christ and his Apostles were This he declareth more plainly in that conclusion that he inferreth vpon the rehersall of christes wordes in ordering the sacrament For he saieth Therfore my bretherne when ye come together to eate the Lordes supper do you tarie one for an other What can more plainely declare that S. Paule tooke the right vse of the sacrament to be a common receiuynge together and not a seuerall vse by one man alone As if he had said In christes supper ye se the maister together with the disciples the table and the meate common to all not so muche as Iudas the traitour excluded one lofe and one cuppe discributed amonge the whole companie Therfore when yee come together ye must imitate the concorde and equalitie that he then vsed If he thought it an abuse in the Corinthes to receiue in partes he woulde counte it a farre greater abuse for .x. or xii to receiue eache of them seuerally in one church at one time as though they were of diuers religions or membres of diuers misticall bodies If the Corinthes in receiuyng by partes were blamed of Paule for that they séemed one to contemne an other may not pristes be as iustly blamed because they séeme in their priuate Masse to disdeine and contempne the people I wil now therfore conclude with Cyprians wordes If so be both it be ordeined by christe and the same confirmed by the Apostle that wee should do in this sacrament as our Lord did wee finde that wee steepe not that is commaunded if we do otherwise then Christ did Séeyng then Christe vsed company in ordeinyng the sacramente of that holy feast and supper Priestes also ought to haue company in ministring the same For the aucthoritée of the primatiue churche to confirme that this is the right vse of the sacramente Proufes againste priuate masse out of the fathers I will in this place bringe in onely twoo witnesses which shall not speake of this mattier lightly or by the way but of very purpose declare the maner that then was vsed amonge the people of God alowed and confirmed by godly and holy fathers In so much that if any other maner had ben then vsed they coulde not haue omitted the same especially séeyng they professed to declare that maner of christians therin Iustine the martir in his Apologie descriueth it thus After prayer wee safute eache other with a kiffe then breade and the cuppe mixed with water is brought to the chief brother which after he hath taken geuing praise and thankes vnto the father of all in the name of the sunne and holy ghost for a space he continueth in thankes geuynge After praiers and thankes geuyng the whole company saieth Amen When the ministers geuynge of thankes and the peoples well wisshynge is finisshed those whiche wee call deacons gene parie of the breade and cuppe ouer whiche thankes is geuen vnto euery one that is present yea and suffer the same to be caried to them that be absent This nourishment we call Eucharistiam the sacrament of thankes geuing A litle after he declareth the same thyng agayne On sunday saith he companies of the towne and countrey come together Where lessons of the prophetes and Apostles be redde When the clarke ceaseth the minister exhorteth and allureth them to the imitation of so holy thinges Afier we all arise and pray Then as I said bread and wyne mixed with water is brought foorth and the chiefe minister so muche ae he can praieth and geueth thankes the people syngyng Amen Then the thynges consecrated are distributed to al present and be sent by the Deacons to those that be absent The same forme and maner of celebracion of the sacrament with very little difference is witnessed by Dionisius who in Ecclesiastica Hierarchia after he hath descriued a few other circumstances and noted that only they taried in the churche whiche weare méete for the sighte and communion of the deuine and holy sacrament addeth this After hee hathe she wen the gifts of those diuine workes he hoth commeth to the communion of the same hym selfe and also allureth other When the dynine communion is bothe taken and geuen it endeth in holy thankes geuinge Woulde a man desire any plainer testimony of the vse of the Lordes supper in the primatiue Churche Doth not all thynges agre with the institution of christe and example of the Apostle Is here any coniecture either of the laitée receiuing vnder one kinde or of sole receiuynge by the priest or of sacrifienge the body and bloud of Christe for quicke dead Is here any worde or ceremony that signifieth suche vse to haue bene at that time Yet as I sayd these men write not of this mattier by the way but of purpose vndertake to shew the maner of the churche in their daies And wyll you yet continew to affirnie that wee haue no colour or title in the scripture and fathers for the reproffe of your priuate masse But ye wil vrge after your maner to haue an expresse sentence that forbiddeth the priest to receiue without company I answere Christes institucion the example of the apostels the common vse of the fathers was other wayes therfore the prieste should not communicate without other Ye haue no expresse commaundmente that forbiddeth you to baptisme in the name of the father only but that christes institution was otherwise Wyl ye therfore say that ye may withoute offence baptise in the name of the father only If christes institution in baptisme be a sufficient forbidding of the contrary to be vsed why should not his wordes and mauer vsed in the supper forbidde you to doe the contrary Ciprian as I haue sayde taketh it for a full prohibition of the contrary and if you wil not ye must of necessitie weaken his reasoninge against those that he writeth which dyd bringe euen as good reasons and as holy considerations for their parte as ye be able to deuise any for yours Now that I haue in this manner-layed the foundacion of our proofes I wil procede to examine the residew of your argumentes againste vs. In recityng the aucthoritie of Chrisostome you brynge in a similitude or comparison 4. Cap. which of how small force they be in
the sacrament But that you were neuer able to doo and so was it said in the protestation that you call the challenge For herein the whole number of the fathers be against you And that you may not iustly say that wee bragge of our empty boxes that haue the name only and no stuffe in them I wyll rechearse and shewe you some of the mattier which shal be directly applied to that maladie and disease that you haue brought to the right vse of the lordes holy sacrament You hard before rehearsed oute of Iustine declaringe the maner of the church of Rome in his time that both bread and wyne were geuen to companies of the towne and contrey and the same also sente vnto those that were absent Here is manifestly declared that such as were absent and receiued at home in theyr houses had both kindes sent vnto them contrary to your coniecture vpon Tertullian where you say one kinde only is mencioned and therefore receiued Tertullian and Iustine were both of the church of Rome B. and were not in time farre a sunder Therfore it is like one maner was vsed in bothe theyr ages The fleash saith Tertullian him selfe is fed with the body and bloud that the soule may be filled of god He saith not only the body wherein the bloud also may be vnderstanded but hee addeth seperately the Bloud Declaringe the maner of Christes sacrament ministred in two sundry partes Cyprian also speakinge not only of priestes but of other laye men that were like to abide persecution and martirdome for Christ saith in this wise How doe wee teach and prouoke them to shedde their bloud in confession of Christ if wee deny them his bloud or bowe make we them meete for the cuppe of martirdome if wee do not first by communion admitte them to drinke the cuppe of the lorde Is not this a playne testimony C. what maner of mynistracion was vsed in Cyprians time And wyll you then vpon a surmise gather the contrary If ye rede this father in all places where he speaketh of the sacrament you shall finde nothinge more common then Bibi sanguinem Christi How wisie thou saith Ambrose to Theodosius the Emperour with those hands receiue the holy body of our lord how wilte thou be so bolde with thy mouth to be partaker of the lords bloud This Emperour was a laye man E. neyther is it likely that he receiued any otherwayes then the other people did at that time And shall wee thinke by a vayne coniecture of the history of Satirus that the custome of that time was otherwise because your mocking head could not deuise how to cary wyne in a stole and yet they of that time as ye may perceiue by dipping a linnen cloth in the sacrament of the bloud had deuysed which way it might be done But to our purpose Withoute confusion and doubt saith Gregory Nazienzene eate his body and drinke his bloud if thou haue any desire of life in thee And yet hee speaketh to the people Oratione 4. in sanctum pascha Hilariê° also li. 8. de trinitate These thinges saith hee beinge eaten and dronke make that wee be in Christ and Christe in vs. Basile de baptismo vpon these wordes As often as ye shall eate c. What profit haue those wordes saith he That we easing and drinking may be perpetually mindeful of him that died for vs and so may bee instructed in the sight of god and his Christ of necessitie to kepe the doctrine deliuered by his Apostles Here beside the mencion both of eating and drinkinge he addeth of necessitie to kepe this doctrine of the lordes supper whiche you in many poyntes without pricke of conscience take vppon you to aulter Prystes saith S. Hieronime vpon Sophon whiche make the sacrament and dystribute the bloud of the lord vnto the people This man was priest in Rome in Ambroses time and yet he signifieth that the maner then was to mynister the bloud to the people E. And shall the history of Satyrus nothing perteining to the mattier perswade vs the contrary What can be more plaine and expresly against you then that Chrisostom hath Hom. 18. in poster ad corinth There he saieth that in this sacramente the priestes parte is not better then the peoples For it is not saith he as it was in the olde law where the priestes had parte and the people parte neither coulde the people be partaker of that was the priestes But now it is not so for one body and one cuppe is indifferently offered to all And it is notable that he saieth All be like worthy to be partakers neither doth the inferiour differ any thing at all froÌ„ the priest in that matter Why doo you then so plainly againste Chrisostome make difference of dignitie betwéene the priest and the people Is not this which Chrisostom speaketh agaynst one of the chiefest reasons that you haue for the geuynge of one kynde to the people But S. Paule to Timothie and Titus declareth other causes that shoulde make the order of ministerie honorable not to defraude the people of one parte of the sacrament Cyprian againe in the same sermon De lapsis that you afterward aledge and the same Hystorie sheweth that all the companie of lay men and women tooke the sacrament of the Lordes cuppe and dronke of it in order one after an other But I feare I shal séeme to moste men to commit muche foly in that I stande so longe with aucthorities to proue that thinge whiche of it selfe is most manyfest that is that in the primatiue churche the only maner in the common celebracion of the sacrament was that all receiued vnder bothe kindes of breade and wyne Seynge therefore Iustine saieth that on sundaies breade and wine consecrated were distributed to companies of the towne and countrey seynge Gelasius calleth it sacrilege to deuide the sacrament seynge Cyprian counselleth that lay men should be admitted to the communion of the Lordes cuppe and by an Hystorie sheweth that in his time they vsed it seynge Chrisostome affirmeth no difference to be betweene the priest and the people in vse of this sacramente seyng all the residue of the fathers of al countreyes and all ages of the primatiue churche agrée to the same were it not more then willfull blindenesse not to se that holy men at that time in celebracion of the sacramente ministred both partes to the people accordyng to Christes institucion and the doctrine of S. Paule to the Corinth Were it not almoste desperate stubburnesse to perswade the contrarie to ignorant people and by libelles priuily spred to deteine the vnlearned in errour But it stoode you vpon to say somewhat least you shoulde séeme to haue nothynge to say And yet in very déede it had been better for the confirmacion of your doctrine to haue sayd nothyng For then perhaps such as of simplicitie depende vpon your aucthorities woulde haue thought that you had had farre better prouision
for your defence in so weightie mattiers Which now seyng your selender and féeble groundes will beginne I doubte not as they haue the feare of God to mistrust your dealyng and more diligently examine the residue of your doctrine It is not good for them any lenger to walke on other mens féete nor to be guided by other mens eyes but them selfe to se what way they go least their guides either by ignorance or wilfulnesse leade them into the pitte of continuall errour Of reseruacion The third poincte that you gather out of these testimonies is reseruacion of the sacrament which to deny say you is extreame impudencie I thinke you haue not mette with any whiche haue flatly denied that in the primatiue churche diuers vsed reseruacion But it foloweth not therevpon but that a man may deny without any impudencie at all either that wée haue any testimonie in the worde of God to iustifie it or that all the holy fathers did approue it Or if ye wyll say the contrarie I wyll not doubte to make the crime of impudencie that you charge vs withal to rebounde vpon your self But you will say you haue witnesse that it was vsed and that of good men whiche is sufficient Indéede it is sufficient to shew that it was then vsed but it is not sufficient to proue that it must therfore be alwayes vsed or that all did well at that time in vsing of it Oh ye will say this is your olde maner so longe as the fathers make with you you wil admit them if they séeme to be any thynge agaynst you ye will reiecte their aucthoritie What authoritie is to be attributed to the doctours Because you cōmonly take holde here and through this odious reporte often vse to stirre mens stomackes agaynst vs before I answere your reseruacion I will protest what aucthoritie wée attribute vnto the olde fathers This will I doo not with my owne wordes but S. Augustines in his epistle to Hierome I confesse that I haue learned to attribute this reuerēce and honour only to the canonical scriptures to beleeue stedfastly without controuersie all that is written in them As for other I so reade them that be they neuer so excellent in great holynes and learnyng I do not therfore counte it true because they were of that opinion but because they coulde perswade me either by scripture or good reason that it was not against the truth Here you may obiecte that men of such learning holinesse and deuocion woulde neuer haue written any suche thynge if they had not thought it to be agréeable with Gods worde Ye sir I thinke they as good men were so perswaded but that they did leaue in writyng many thynges not onely beside the worde of God but also against it I thynke it is not vnknowen to you And that other also may know it and therby holde vs excused when wée doo not in all poinctes agrée vnto them I will recite some proufes therof Clemens Alexand. with Iustine and diuers other taught that Angels fell from their estate for the carnall loue of earthly women Whiche doctrine I thinke you wil not say riseth of true interpretacion of the scripture The same Clement Strom. 2. 6. writeth that mens soules are transformed into Angels and first learne a thousande yeres of other Angels afterwarde teaching other new transformed Angels at the length become Archangels Whiche can not be soundly taken out of the scriptures Iustine Lactantius Iraeneus and other wrote that good men after the resurrection shoulde liue a thousande yeres in all ioye before Christe shoulde come to iudgement And yet is that but a misunderstandynge of the scripture Tertullian séemeth to attribute a bodily substance to God and in diuers places De trinitate speaketh dangerously of Christe for whiche and like thinges many would haue had his workes counted Apócrypha Therfore he doth not alwaies agrée with scripture Cyprian would haue Heretikes to be rebaptised and speaketh so dangerously of them that are fallen from the faith that he might séeme to geue some occasion to Nouatians heresie What shall we say of Origine in whom be founde so many perilous doctrines as both I in this place am loth to rehearse them and in the primatiue churche diuers greate learned men woulde haue had his bookes burned for the same I coulde say the like of diuers other but that I feare some will maliciously gather that I rehearse these thynges of purpose so muche as in me lieth to deface the aucthoritie of the holy fathers Which God is my witnesse I meane not but onely to signifie that when wee measure their doctrine by Goddes wordes or teache not in all poinctes as they did wée be not so muche to be blamed as that men should counte vs as you doo to controlle the doctours and as it were to set them to schoole For if God hath suffered them to erre in so weightie mattiers as is before mencioned although for good cause I haue omitted the greatest it may be also that they haue taught amisse in some other lighter thinges and therfore are to be reade with iudgement as Augustine counselleth bothe in himselfe and in other Nothwithstandynge wée doo greatly estéeme the fathers not only as holy mē indued with singuler grace of God but also as right good witnesses and strong defendours of the chiefe articles of our faith at that time when Sathan indeuoured partely by crueltie of persecution partely by infinite numbers of Heresies to deface and extinguishe the same Therefore who doth not muche honour them when trueth constreineth with reuerence go from their opinion is scantly worthie the name of a christian mā Neuerthelesse I think not the contrary but if they had séene what abuses and supersticions woulde haue folowed vpon diuers thynges that they either taught or for the state of that time winked at and suffered vndoubtedly they woulde either haue recanted those thinges as Augustine did many or els would haue made a more perfit interpretacion of their mindes Before the Pelagians Herisie beganne to be spredde S Augustine so wrote of frée will as he séemed not to himselfe afterwarde sufficiently and as the trueth required to expresse the mere grace of God Therfore vpon occasion of that Herisie he writeth more perfitly of that and of predestination then either the other doctours do or then it is to be thought that himselfe would haue done if that occasion had not been So doubtelesse both he and many other woulde haue doone of diuers thinges now in controuersie if at that time they had been brought in question This much by the way haue I spoken of my opinion in the doctours so muche as I can to eschew the malicious reporte that your sorte is moste readie to spreade of vs in this mattier Now I wyll returne to reseruation Of reseruacion Wee denie not as I sayd that some in that time did vse it as it appereth by your witnes of Ciril As touchinge
this place I thinke such as fauour your assertion wyl smally thanke you for bringing in this councel But thanked be god that you are driuen so much and better to you may proue out of the same place that priestes also receiued but only the body and not the bloud because it saith Corpus christi porrigant and mencioneth not Sanguinem The like you shall reade in many places of the olde fathers where one part only is mencioned when they speake of the priestes receiuinge And yet bothe are vnderstanded If you wil vpon this gather that deacons vsed but one kind I wil inferre vpon the same place that priestes also vsed the like maner But a reasonable man wyll easely conceiue that in speakinge of one parte both is vnderstanded For in the actes of the Apostles the whole celebration of the sacrament is termed breakinge of breade wherby we must not gather that Apostes vsed only bread in ministration of the lordes supper I meruaile why you make suche courtesy to recite this for a proufe of one kinde then vsed seynge the best of your collections for this matter be euen of the same sorte Is not your coniecture out of Tertullian Cyprian Ambrose euen in the same maner gathered For that they séeme to mencion but the one parte onely And yet you make such a bragge vpon them as you count all such to lacke discretion as wil not by and by without contradiction yelde vnto them and acknowledge them vnuincible In déede it standeth you vpon seinge your proufes are of them selfe so sclender somewhat to helpe them with stoute wordes that men may bee almost afrayde to doubte of them You obiecte to vs that we dalley B. when wee presse you with the wordes of Christes institution Accipite manducate bibite diuidite and yet you wyl vrge the words of the fathers as though euery sillable in them were in like maner to be scanned as the wordes of the bible written wholly by the inspiration of the holy ghost But in déede you declare of what aucthoritie you coumpt Christes wordes that estéeme it a dalleinge to repete often his commaundementes Did Cyprian thinke you dally when in one Epistle to Cecilius hee doth well néene .xx. times repete and beate vpon this that the sacrament is to hee ministred in no other maner then Christe him selfe did vse it Did hée dally when hee pressed vpon the matter in this wise If in that sacrifice that is Christe him selfe none but Christ is to hee folowed then must wee obey and do that Christ did and willed to be done When as he in his gospel faith if you do that I hyd you then I call you not seruanies but fuendes And that Christ is only to be heard his father wytnesseth from heauen sayinge This is my deare beloued sonne hym you must heare Wherfore if onely Christ is to be heard we must not gene eare what other dyd before but what Christ did before all Neyther must wee folow mens custome but gode trueth semge he saith by his prophet in vaine they worship me teachinge mens tradicions and doctrines And againe the lorde sayth in the gospell you reiecâ—e my commaund mente for your owne tradition And in another place he that breaketh one of these least commaundements and so teacheth shall be called feast in the kingdome of god If then it be not leeful to alter one of the leaste commaundements how much lesse may we alter so great and weightie commaundements as these are so nigh touchinge the sacrament of the lordes passion and our redemption or to tourue them to any other purpose by mans tradition then the lorde ordeined them These are not my sayinges but worde by worde as they lie in that holy father and wyl you say that hée cauilleth or dalieth when hée this vrgeth Christes institution to bée kepte and would haue nothinge therin to be altered for any cause that man coulde deuise The matter that hee wrate againste was of no more effecte then these are of sole receiuinge and ministring one parte of the sacrament and yet is he so earnest as you sée with a greate number of wordes mo to the same purpose Thinke you not they could haue brought for the vse of water only the examples of holy men and also goodly considerations in apperance ful and negligent as we neither knew the place nor would séeke to examine it Or lastly that of purpose you dyd abuse the simplicitie and ignorance of them that you conueighed your wrytinge vnto which commonly beleue all that you say without examination and therfore doo you alledge for your selfe that maketh expresseâ—y againste you if the place be red which in Cyprian is in this wise The childe beinge among the holy company was not able to abide our suffrâ—ges and prayers but the ignoraÌ„t soule in the simple and younge yeares sometime with wepinge and cryinge did sterile sometime wyth trouble and anguyshe of minde tossed hether and thether and as it were by a tourmentour constreininge it by such meanes as it coulde dyd confesse the gilte of the facte meaninge the eatinge of the Idolle offeringe And when the residew of the celebration was ended the dearon began to offer the cuppe to them that were present and after other had receiued and the childes course was come the babe as if we are by institucion of god tourned away the face held the mouth and lippes together and refused the cuppe Yet the deacon continued and although the infant stryued againste it poured some of the sacrament of the lordes bloud into her mouth Then folowed yeâ—ing and vomiting c. Here were gathered together with Cyprian not priestes only but lay men women and Children also and you sée the cuppe of oure Lordes bloud was offered to all and all drancke in order withoute exception Neyther is heare any thinge that by coniecture can leade a man to thinke otherwyse but that this was the common maner then vsed How than can you gather by the extraordinarie chaunce whiche you recited before out of the same Tertullian and Cyprian that the laytie then vsed to receiue the one kinde of breade onely whereas this place brought by your selfe sheweth that in celebracion they vsed the cuppe also The childe you say in this hystorie receiued but wine only and so one kinde That you make probable because the childe that had receiued the Idoll offeryng was not them to say that whiche they neuer ment In like maner you doo a litle after in Luther and Melancthon saying that they compte it a thing indifferent to communicate the laye people vnder one kinde and that a generall counsel may take order in it as a thynge of no necessitie Sir it had been plaine and sounde dealing that you shuld haue recited some place wher they had so said but that ye were not able to doo For any man that hath ben conuersante in their workes may right well iudge that it is not so I wil not trouble
shall sit in them Mountaines woddes marriceâ— prisonâ— denneâ— are more safe for me For in those the Prophetes either vosuntarely abydinge or cast thether by violence did prophesie by the spirite of god How could a man more plainely declare that the true churche both then was and after shuld be vexed and persecuted by those that in sight and power of external gouernment were taken for the church At is notable also that Augustine hath Deciuit dei lib. 20. speaking of Antichriste Rectius putant etiam latine dici sicut in graeco est non in templo sed in teÌ„plum dei sedeat â—â—nq ipse sit templum dei quod est ecclesia Some thinke it were better spoken in Latine as it is in the Greâ—e as to say that Aâ—â—ithriste shoâ—th sit not in thâ— temple of God but as the temple of God aâ— thoughe himselfe were the temple of God â–ª which is the churche What Bernarde dyd thinke of the churche in his time aboue 400. yeares agoe it appereth in viuers places There is no sounde parte now faith he in the clergie it remaineth therfore that the man of sinne be reuealed And in an other place All my friendes vt now become my foes all my mainteinere â—â—e now become aduetsariâ—â— â–ª The 〈◊〉 of Christe â—o seruice so Antichrist If I should â—â—eite out of authourâ— and Histories al such testimonies as serueth to this purpose I shoulde be a greate deale longer then this place requireth I will therfore at this time omitte them Seting therfore it doeth euidently appere that in the latter time they shall beare the name of the churche whiche in déede be not the right churche wée must booke diligently that wée gene not ouer to euery power that wil claime the name of the churche but consider whither the true marke of the holy churche be amonge them What is the true marke of Christes churche Christe the true pastour noting whiche were his shéepe faseth 〈◊〉 sheepe will here my voyce And as by his worde and voyce he calleth them into his folde so by his sacramentes there he marketh them The right churche therfore as the folde of Christe hath the true worde of God and vse of his sacramentes accordyng to the same for the due markes therof So much then as the worde of God and vse of the sacramentes be corrupted amonge ady people or congregacion so farre shall that company be from the shate of the true and perfit churche of Christe Therfore it is easie to iudge what is to be thought of them that leaue the worde of God and worship him well nere altogether with their owne deuised phaÌ„tasies That the scripture which is the voyce and worde of God is the true triall of the church wée haue good authoritie in the auncient fathers S. Augustine contra PetilianuÌ„ cap. 2. The controuersie is betweene veâ— the Donatisteâ— saith he where the churche is Therefore what shall wee dot shall wee seeke if in our owne wordes or in the wordes of out forde Iesus Christe the head therof thinke wee ought rather to seeke it in his wordes that is trueth and best knoweth hie body Therfore they be not to be compted the churche that with their owne wordes will san they he the churche but they whose doctrine â—â—â—réeth with the worde of Christe that is head of the churche In like maner hath Chrisostome in Mat. cap. 14. wherfore saith he in this thâ—â— off chaifâ—ouâ— men ought to resorte to the seâ—â—â—â— tureâ— â—ecause in this time since theresie is come into the churches there can be no other proufe of true christianitie nor any other refuge for christian men desyryng to know the tune faith but onely the holy for iptureâ— for before it was she wed by many meanes which was the churche of Christe which was gentilitie But now to them that will knowe whiche is the right churche of Christe there is no meanes but only by the scriptures S. Augustine hath the like in many wordes in the. 16. cap. contra epistolam Periliani whiche I let passe here for breuiries sake The place beginneth in this wise Vtrum Donatistae ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinatu scripturarum canonicis libris ostendant Quianee nos ppterea dicimus nobis credere oportere quod in ecclesia Christ sumus c. Wherfore a Christian conscience that in this daungerous time wyll walke safely must take the word of god to be his only state must â—ake the holy scripture to be as well the rule whereby his shall measure the true paterne of the church as the very touchstone wherby he must trie al the doctrine of the same For god in time paste spoke by his prophetes many and sundry waies but last of all by his dere sonne Whose doctrine how perfite it was the woman of Samaria witnesseth sayinge When Messias commeth he shall telâ—â— all thinges And the same Messias hym selfe saieth I haue made knowen to you all that I haue heard of my father And therefore sendinge his Apostles hee saith Teach them to obserue all that I haue commaunded As if he had sayd ye shall declare vnto the gentils not whatsoeuer shal seeme good to your selfe but those thinges that I haue commaunded you Those thinges therfore are to be hard those thinges we must stay vppon In those we must séeke our saluation and life What soeuer is not agreinge with them must be cast of and compted of no forse So saieth Origine Wee must nedes cal the holy scriptures to witnes In Hierem Hom. 1. For our senses and declaracions withoute those witnesses haue no credite So saith Hierom. That hath not aucthoritie in the scripture in euen as lighily contenmed as it is spoken And againe in psal 86. Consider what hee saith Which were in it not which be in it So that except the Apostles whatsoeuer should be spoken afterwarde let it bee cutte of let it not haue authoritie Therfore be one neuer so holy after the Apostlee bee hee neuer so eloquent he hath not authority Because the lord wyll make his declaracion in the writinge of people and princes that were in it In that place Hierome at large declareth that the doctrine of god must bee proued by such wrytinges as were in the churche vntil the Apostles time and those that after folowed to bee of no sufficient authority were they neuer so holy Let vs stay therefore vpon the canonical scriptures and holy worde of god For saith S. Cyprian Hereof arise schismes because we selâ—e not to the head nor haue recourse to the springe nor kepe the commaundementes of the heauenly maister Let he aske Peter saith Ambrose let vs aske Paule if we wyl finde out the trueth And Christ him selfe biddeth vs searche the scriptures and not presume of our owne spirite vppon vnwritten verities beside the worde of god What credite is to bee geuen to those that so speake Chrisostome teacheth vs. As Christ saith he when hee vnderstode that they sayde
holy misteries For when it is once departed from the true sence of gods worde it draweth in as it were by linkes a number of other absudities none of which can haue any profft in scripture seing the first roote of them came not out of the true sence of scripture Euen so when you had deuised and geuen to Christes wordes another sence then the meaninge of them doth importe no maruel if the same reason doo leade you to a multitude of other doctrines not only beside the worde of god but expressely against it Whether that interprefacion that you make uppon these wordes doo more agrée with the scripture and grounde of our faith then that which we teach any indifferent man that is not contentiously bente to the one parte or to the tother may easely discerne Your sence is when Christ saith This is my body that the naturall substance of the breade which Christ toke was turned into the naturall substance of the very body that Christ dyed in notwithstandinge that the colour taste forme and power to norâ—she that were before in the substance of bread doth still remanynâ— â–ª And yet under those qualities and accidences of bread is really conteined the natural body of Christ hauing neither bignes nor any proportion or sensible qualitie rightly apperteininge to such a body To expresse this your meaning you vse to say that the bread is transsubstantiate into the body of Christ In what tonge or language was it euer séeue In what authour was it euer redde that Sunâ— es fui the verbe substantiue might be iuterpreted by transsubstantiare Or if the proprietie of the worde wil not in any wise admit that sence what one sentence or clause haue you in all the course of the bible that vnder the like wordes can receiue the like interpretacion Or what prouses can you bringe by conference of other places of the scripture that these â—â—â—des in this place ought of necessitie in this maner to be interpreted If neyther the proprietie of the tounge can beare the sence nor you can bring any examples or prouses out of the wordâ— of god where vpon men in so weightis a matter may stay their consciences is it not extreame crueltie in you vnder payne of damnasion to compel them to beleue it Here you will burden vs with the aucthoritie of the holy catholike churche which as you say hath alway receiued alowed that interpretacion Vnto this I answer that the catholike churche of Christe neuer generally receiued the meanynge of any sentence but that they gathered the same either by examples of the like or els by grounded reasons taken out of the scripture declared that of necessitie it must be so vnderstanded This rule was appointed to the churche by Christe and his Apostles who in their doubtes willed men Serutari scripturas to searche the scriptures Therfore when the churche decreed against the Arrians and other Heretikes that in this sentence In principio erat verbum the woorde was in the beginnynge that Verbum was to be taken for the person of the sonne of God Or when they decréed that the sonne was eiusdem substantie cum patre of the same substance with the father they stayed not onely vpon their owne consente and aucthoritie but brought a greate number of prouses out of the scripture that it must of necessitie be so taken as it appereth in Cyrill and other of the holy fathers Now then if this that you defend be the iudgement of the catholike church it hath vndoubtedly good proffe in the scripture or if you can bringe for it no such testimony oute of the worde of god it is euydent that you doo wrongfully father this interpretatioÌ„ vpon the holy catholike churche and vnder the couert of that name you doo promote set forth your owne errour And this much for your opinioÌ„ On the tother parte when wée interprete Christes wordes wée say it is a figuratiue spéeche and suche as the holy ghost often vseth in the institucion of sacramentes and ceremonies or in the deseriuyng of other misteries The figure is named Metonymia when the name of the thynge is geuen vnto the signe When these wordes therefore be laied vnto vs This is my body wée say it is moste true But mistically sacramentally figuratiuely not really and accordyng to the naturall substance For this interpretacion wée haue a number of examples out of the canonicall scriptures God speakynge of circumsicion saieth This is my couenante And yet was circumsicion not the couenante indéede but the signe testimonie wherby they were assured to be the people of God and partakers of his promisses The Paschale lambe is called the Passeouer and yet was it but a testimony and remembraÌ„ce of the greate benefite of God in passyng his plague from them This is the victorie saieth S. Paule that ouercome the world euen your faith And yet is not our faith the victorie it selfe but the instrument or meanes wherby the victorie is gotten In like maner diuers other places As I am a vyne God is a consumyng fier The seuen kine be seuen yeres And that S. Paule hath to the Corinthes Petracrat Christus The rocke was Christe And yet was not the rocke Christe himselfe really onlesse ye will take it as hee there doeth indéede for the spirituall rocke For that spirituall rocke was Christe himself verely and indéede not only in a misterie or signification So in the Lordes supper if you take bread for spirituall bread as Christe doth in the .vi. of Iohn I will say with you that it is really and essentially the verie true body of Christe it selfe and not onely mistically If wée had not these many examples with a greate number mee in the holy scripture to iustifie our maner of interpretacion yet the very wordes whiche the spirit of God by singuler prouidence hath vsed in the Euangelist and S. Paule doeth manifestly leade vs vnto this sence rather then to that you haue deuised For in the seconde parte of the sacrament where Math. and Marke say This is my bloud of the new Testament That Luke and Paule vtter in this maner This is the new Testament in my bloud Whiche can not be otherwise vnderstande but that this sacrameÌ„t is a testimonie or pledge of his laste will and gifte of our saluacion confirmed by his moste precious bloud Wherfore if you say neuer so often times with Math. and Marke This is my body This is my bloud wee wyll repete as often with Luke and Paule who were led with the same spirit This is the new Testament in my body and bloud This interpretacion and meanyng of Christes wordes which wée gather by conference with other places of holy scripture is confirmed also by the consent of the aunciente fathers in many places Whose testimonies I wil recite more copiously partely because you séeme to signifie that they altogether make for you in this mattier partely that all men may se how vniustly your sorte
doo terme vs Figuratores because wée interprete that sentence by a figure wheras it is not our deuise but the exposicion of all the aunciente fathers of the primatiue churche First I will beginne with Augustine contra Adimantum cap. 12. There it appereth that Adimantus vsed Moyses wordes Sanguis est anima trumake this sonde argument â—loud is the â—â—oule saith Moyses 〈◊〉 flesh and bloud saith Paule shall not possesse the kyndome of God Therefore the soule shal not possesse the kyngdome of God Auguâ—tnes answer to that argument is that this sentence Sanguis est anima must be vnder standed figuratiuely and not litterally as he in that argument tooke it To proue that he vseth these wordes of Christe Hoc est corrusmeum Saiyng in this wise Possum interpreâ—â— illud praeceptum in signo positum esse NoÌ„ enim dubitauit dominus dicere hoc est corpus meum cum daret signum corporis sui I may saieth Austine interzete that precept to consiste in a signe or figure For the lorde bonbted not to say This is my body when he gaue the signe of his body As if he had saied in a farre greater mattier then this that is in institutinge the sacrameÌ„t of his death and our redemption the lorde doubted not to vse a figure and to say this is my body when be gaue the signe of his body Therfore this sentence â—loud is the soule man soner be interpreted figuratiuely So that the meaninge of it is that bloud is the signe of the soule or life and not the very soule in déede The same Augustine in his exposition vpon the thirds psalme Iudam inquit adhibuit ad conuiuium in quo corporis sanguinis sui figuram discipulis suis commendauit Hee admitted Iudas to that feast wherin he commended to his disciples the figure of his Body and bloud The same exposition Tertullian maketh moste euidently in hys forth booke againste Martion Panem inquit acceptum distributum discipulis corpus suum illum fecit Hoc est corpus meum dicendo Hoc est figura corporis mei Christe saith Tertullian made that bread that he toke in his handes and gaue to his disciples his body sayinge this is my bodie that is to say the signe of my body What can bee playner then this exposition of this auncient father if men did not study rather to mainteine partes then to confirme trueth His purpose was there to proue against Martion that Christ had a true body in deds because in the sacrament hee ordeyned the signe or figure of his body and therfore afterward he addeth Figura autem non esset nisi veritatis esset corpus That should not be a figure of his Body onles hee had a very true body in deede Augustine againe in 23. Epistle to Bonifacius Si inquit sacramenta similitudinem quandam earum rerum quarum sunt sacramenta non haberent omnino sacramenta non essent Ex hac autem similitudine plerumque rerum ipsarum nomina sortiuntur Sicut ergo secundum quendam modum sacramentum corporis Christi corpus Christi est sacramentum sanguinis Christi sanguis Christi est ita sacramentum fidei sides est And a littell after Sicut de ipso Baptismo Apostolus Consepulti inquit sumus Christo per baptismum in mortem Non ait sepulturam significamus sed pror sus inquit consepulti sumus Sacramentum ergo tantae rei non nisi eiusdem rei vocabulo nuncupauit If sacramentes had not a certaine similitude of those thinges where of they be sacraments they should not be sacraments at all And for this similitude or likenes they commonly haue the names of the thinges them selfe Therefore as the sacrament of Christes body after a certaine fashion is Christes body and the sacramente of hys bloud is his bloud so the sacrament of faith is faith c. As the Apostle speaketh of Baptisme We bee buried saith he in death to Christ by baptisme He faith not we signifie burial but plainely we be buried Therefore he doth nothinge els but terme the sacrament of so great a thing by the name of the thinge it selfe Sainct Augustines meaninge is to declare to Bonifacius that Baptisme might bee called by the name of faith and that therefore the Infante baptised might be truly affirmed to beleue or to haue faith because it had Baptisme the sacrament of faith This he proueth by comparison with the sacrament of Christes body and bloud Which for a similitude or likenes hée saieth is called the body and bloud of Christ that after a certaine fashion adding that Baptisme in like manner is faith And yet no man wyl be so vnwise to say that Baptisme is faith in déede really Wherfore the like is to be iudged of the sacramente of the Lordes body wherby S. Augustine proueth it This also is diligently to be noted that Augustine saith all sacraments generally be vttered by name of the thinges them selfe because of a certaine similitude or likenes therfore Paule saith not we signifie our buryall but wée be buried callinge the sacrament by the name of that thing as Austine saith Againe in Libro sententiarum prosperi as it is recited in the decrées De consecratione distine 2. cap. Hoc est The same father hath these words Coelestis panis qui est caro Christi suo modo nom inatur corpus Christi cum reuera sit sacramentum corporis Christi Vocaturque ipsa immolatio carnis quae sacerdotis manibus fit Christi passio mors crucifixio non rei veritate sed significante misterio The heauenly bread which is the flesh of Christ after a fashion is named the body of Christ where as in dede it is but the sacrament of his body And the offeringe of the fleash which is done with the priestes hands is called the passion the death the crucifiynge of Christ not in veritie of the thinge but in a signifiynge mistery The glose in expounding these words of Augustine saith this Caeleste sacramentum quod vere repraesentat Christi carnem dicitur corpus Christi sed improprie vnde dicitur suo modo non rei veritate sed significante misterio Vt sit sensus vocatur corpus Christi id est significat It is called the body of Christ saith he that is to say it signifieth the body of Christ To this I wil adde Chrisostome Operis imperfecti Homil 11. Si inquit vasa sanctificata transferre ad priuatos vsus peceatum est in quibus non est verum corpus Christi sed misterium corporis Christi continetur quanto magis vasa corporis nostri c. If saieth hee it be sinne to transferre holy vessels vnto priuate vses in whiche is not the true body of Christ but that mistery of his body is conteined how muche lesse should wee c. What can more plainly declare the figuratiue sence of those wordê of christ hoc est corpus meuÌ„ then that
Chrisostome saieth in whiche vessels is not the very body but the mistery of it For if those wordes were litterally to bee vnderstanded as you say then should the holy vessels that conteyne the sacramentes haue in them not only the mistery of Christes body and bloud but his very body really in dede Which Chrisostome denieth In the. 83. Homil. vpon Mathew the same doctour saith Si mortuus Iesus non est cuius simbolum aut signum hoc sacrificium est If Christ be not deade of whom is this sacrifice a figure and signe And vpon the. 22. psalm Vt quotidie in similitudinem corporis sanguinis Christi panem vinum secundum ordinem Melchisedech nobis ostenderet in sacramento That hee might dayly shew vs in the sacrament bread and wine accordynge to the order of Melchisedech as the similitude of his body and bloud As before hee vsed Symbolum signum misterium so he hath here Similitudinem Likewise Dionisius de ecclesiastica Hierarchia cap. 3. Per venerabilia signa Christus signatur sumitur By those reuerent signes Christe is signified and receiued Ambrose also De hijs qui imciantur misterijs cap. 9. Ipse clamat dominus Iesus Hoc est corpus meum Ante benedictionem verboruÌ„ caelestium alia species nominatur Post consecrationem corpus Christi significatur Our Lorde Iesus crieth this is my body Before the blessing of the heauenly wordes one kinde is named after consecratione Christes body is signified In the. 4. boke also De sacramentis cap â–ª 8 The same Ambrose saith Fac nobis hanc oblationem ascriptam rationabileÌ„ acceptabilem quod est figura corporis sanguinis domini nostri Iesu Christi Make to vs this offering alowable reasonable acceptable whiche is the figure of the body and bloud of our lord Iesus Christ Here he acknowlegeth the sacrament to bee a figure In the. 6. boke De sacrameÌ„tis cap. 1. He hath these wordes also Ideo in similitudinem quidem accipis sacramentum sed verae naturae gratiam virtutemque assequeris Therefore thou receiuest the sacrament as a similitude but thou atteinest the grace and vertue of the true nature in dede This sentence of Ambrose conteineth our whole doctrine of the sacramente of Christes body and bloud whiche is that it is a figure or signe of his body and yet not a bare or naked figure but suche a one as there by we atteine in déede the full grace and benefite of his body that suffred for vs and was crucified vpon the crosse and haue our soules fed and norished with the same to euerlastinge lyfe Origine vppon Mathew saieth Panis sanctificatus iuxta id quod habet materiale in ventrem abit in sesessum encitur c. The sanctified bread saith he according to that it hath material passeth into the bealy and is auoyded oute of the body But accordinge to the prayer that commeth to it it is profitable makinge that the minde vnderstandeth and hathe regarde to that is profitable Neither is it the matter of the breade but the word spoken ouer it that profiteth him which receiueth it not vnworthely And thus much haue I spoken of the typicall and figuratiue body Much also may be sayd of the liuely worde it selfe whiche was made fleash and very meat in deede whiche meate he that eateth shal surely liue for euer whiche no yll man canne eate c. Here note you firste that Origine saieth that the mattier of the consecrated breade of the sacrament passeth into the bealy and is auoyded out expresly againstâ— your interpretacion of Christes wordes wherby ye say the breade is transsubstantiate and no mattier of it leftâ— but onely accidencies Secondly that he calleth the sacrament Typicum symbolicum corpus the typicall and figuratiue body Thirdely that he affirmeth constantly that no ill man can eate the very flesh of the seconde person in Trinitie And yet that is one of the necessarie labels that your sorte doeth teache to depende vpon your wrongefull interpretacion of Christes wordê Wherfore Origine with this one sentence teareth of diuers of your counterfaited Labels that you stitche to Christes testamentes by drifte of reason without the warrant of his holy worde More ouer Austine de doctrina Christ lib. 3. cap. 9. After he hath declared that in the new Testamente God hath lefte vnto his people but few sacramentes and ceremontes and the same to be vnderstande not carnally seruilely accordyng to the letter and there for example hath mencioned baptisme and the celebracion of the Lordes body and bloud in the ende he addeth these wordes In whiche saith he as is folow the letter and to take the sygure for those thynges that are signified by them in a poincie of seruile infirmitie so to interprete the signes euill is the poincie of wandrynge erronâ— As he counteth it a fonde and wicked errour not to interprete the sigkes well and accordynge to Gods worde so by a streight litteral sence to take the signes for the thynges signified he esteemeth a seruile infirmitie What can be more plainly spoken against that interpretacion that you make vpon these woordes of Christe wherby you doo binde vs to a seruile litterall sence of this worde Js and in suche forte take the signes of this sacramente for the thinges signified as you affirme breade and wine whiche S. Augustine and the other Doctours call the externall signes cleane to be tourned into the body bloud of Christ The same Augustine contra AdimaÌ„rum Manich. The Lorde faieth this is my bobie when he gaue the signe of his body Also vpon the. 98. psal he speaketh in this maner Ye shall not eate that body that you se not ye shal not drinke that bloud that they shall shedde It is a misterie that I tell you whiche shal reliue you if you vnderstande it spiritually Wyll you not yet vnderstand from whence our men receiued this interpretacion will you not yet perceiue that wée sucked not it out of our owne singers but were led vnto it by the testimonies of holy scriptures and teachyng of these aucient fathers Will you not cease vniustly to bourden vs that wée cauill and dally vpon titles and sillables whereas your self in this sentence woulde driue vs to suche an vnderstandyng of this one sillable Js as the like is not in the whole Bible But ye will aledge for your selfe as you signifie in you writyng that Ambrose Cyprian Chrisostome and other auncient fathers haue in this case vsed the termes of transmutacion alteration conuersion transelementation c. Wherby they haue plainly declared theyr meaninge to bee as yours is and that no bread there remayneth but only the substance of Christes body True it is in déede that those holy fathers vsed such wordes not for that they were of your opinion but only to th end they might more reuerently as méete was and more liuely expresse the dignitie and effect of that heauenly mistery wherin Iesu
so muche to be blamed for mistrustynge the almightie power of God whiche wée confesse to be in all thynges that his pleasure is to haue it shewen as you are for presuming vpoÌ„ the same to haue miracles wrought beside his will and without necessitie For by the meanes of your manifolde miracles without the expresse woorde of God whervpon mens faith in suche mattiers shoulde bee grounded you make that sacrament a torment to trie mens weake and féeble consciences which Christe ordeined to be a comfortable and spirituall féeding to increase and strengthen the consciences of christian people This haue I thought good to answere your defence of priuate Masse and as a champion not méete to matche with any greate clerke yet in suche sorte as I coulde to resist your assaute that you make vpon the foresayde protestacion not as good Dauid valiantly assauted Goliath in defence of his Prince and countrey but as amorous Paris traiterously shotte at Achilles in the behalfe of his loue Helena For neither is it Goliath that you fight against in his brauerie as you say braggynge agaynst the people of God but rather Achilles manfully reuengynge the inceste committed with the spouse of Christe which with your amorous cuppê you haue allured from him nor yet doo you come stoutely as Dauid did in the name of the liuynge God before the face of both the armies to hurle your stones but priuely out of a corner shoote your arrowes agaynst him as Paris against Achilles You were afrayde perhappes if he had séene you that with shame enough he wold haue wronge your bowe and arrowes out of your hande but truly I thynke hee woulde not haue so doone but rather knowyng that in this quarell he coulde not be wounded he would haue suffered you to shoote your in and with his naked hande receiuing your blount arrowes in suche forte woulde haue picked them at your face as for shame either you should haue runne out of the place or at the least submitted your self yelded to the truth that you protest your self to haue forsaken Wherfore as you haue the feare of God as you haue care of your soules health I most earnestly exhorte you to leaue studie of contencioÌ„ and with a single harte diligently to ponder the reasons on bothe partes as the weight of the mattier requireth Consider as the holy father Cyprian counsaileth of what authoritie Christê institucion ought to be that wée should not be so bolde to alter any parte of those weightie greate preceptes that so nighly touche the sacramente of our saluacion Consider that neither Christê ordinaunce nor the testimony of S. Paule maketh any signification of soole receiuyng or ministrynge vnder one kinde but all contrarywise Consider that Iustine Dyonisius Cyprian the holy counsel of Nice withal other the auncient fathers testifie the common maner of the primatiue churche to haue ben in forme of a communion that in both kindes Consider that Chrisostome other so earnestly call the people beyng present vnto it as they affirme them to doo impudently that do refraine Consider that the maner of the primatiue church was as Dyonisius witnesseth that none did remaine in the church but those only that woulde communicate Consider the Anacletus Sixtus the cannons of the Apostles Antioch counsell threatned excommunicacion punishment to such as being present at consecration readyng of the lessons of scripture woulde not receiue Consider I say and vnfeinedly weigh these thynges with your selfe and ye cannot choose but se that the aucthoritie of Gods worde and consente of the primatiue churche maketh wholy with vs in these mattiers And on the contrarie parte you shall perceiue that you haue no coullor in the scripture for priuate Masse that you are fayne to séeke defence in the churches aucthoritie beside Gods word that your reasons be grounded on false principles and suche as haue no proufe at all That your aucthorities out of the doctours be either abuses of the primatiue churche or such extraordinarie cases of necessitie contrarie to the coÌ„mon maner as they can not be rules to shew either what was then orderly done or what now ought of right to be done Be not these gaye reasons thynke you to builde mens consciences vpon Priuate Masse is nothyng but soole receiuyng in case of necessitie therfore it is lawfull The Priest may celebrate alone in thassemble of the people because diuers in necessitie and extremitie receiued alone in their priuate houses The priest may receiue alone when the people will not because he is bounde to offer and the people is lefte frée The priest may do it when he wil because he may doo it in necessitie when the people will not The minister may receiue alone for companie is but an ornamente and not of the substance of the sacramente The Doctours in diuers places name one kinde Therfore one kinde only was receiued of the people How will you be able to proue that priuate Masse is nothyng but soole receiuyng in necessitie How wyll you be able to proue that it is al one thing for the minister in the congregacion and a laye man at home in peril to receiue alone How will you proue that the priest is bounde to the frequentyng of the sacramente and the people leste frée How will you proue that companie is but an accident or ornamente to the sacramente or that one kinde onely was receiued because one kinde onely was named And yet these argumentes muste be good or els those prouses and testimonies that you wold haue to séeme vnuincible shall indéede be of no force Oh sir for the loue of God weigh the mattier more indifferently Do not dissemble that you must néedes know If you will haue your doctrine tried by the balance of the scripture and primatiue churche adde more weight to your side of the balance or els confesse that your parte is the lighter Let not the vayne sounde of the holy churches name where the thynge is not leade you to be enemie to that doctrine whiche you se to haue more force in the worde of God Remember that the true churche is ruled and guided onely by Christes worde and doctrine If you abyde sayth he in my worde then be you my true disciples Christe is the good shepparde and the churche is the folde of his right shéepe Christe is the wise maister and the churche is the companie of his diligente scholars Christe is the bridegrome the church is his derely beloued spouse The true churche therfore will not go rangynge what way she lusteth she will not learne of hir owne braine she will not folowe hir owne phantasie They be wilde Goates they be not tame shéepe that when the shepardes voyce calleth one way will runne headlonge an other way They be selfwill moichers they be not diligent scholers that leauyng their maisters teachyng will folow their owne interpretacions She is a frowarde and presumptuous woman she is not an obedient wife that will make light of hir husbandes commaundementes and thinke she may alter them at hir pleasure The true shéepe of Christe therfore the diligent scholars the obediente spouse that is the right and true churche will harken onely to hir good shepardes voyce will folow hir maisters preceptes will obey hir housbandes commaundementes How then can you excuse your selfe by your holy mother the churche if you teache otherwise then Christe hath taught and make suche interpretacions of your owne head as haue no grounde in his holy woorde You doo vnder that name mainteine your owne errour ye folow not the churches aucthoritie If you will harken to Christes churche to the Apostles churche to the olde fathers churche neither Christe nor the Apostles nor the fathers teache you any suche thyng And so ye séeme your selfe in a sorte to confesse or els ye woulde neuer striue so muche for vnwritten verities and authoritie of the churche in doctrines beside Gods worde You needed no suche helpes if your teachyng had iust proufe in the scripture and auncient fathers as indeede it hath not This haue I framed my answere vnto you in suche sorte as I truste the indifferent reader may iudge that my minde and purpose is rather directly and playnly to consute the summe of your vntrue doctrine thou as you do to séeke shiftes by cauelynge to discredit my aduersarie For if I should haue scanned euery sillable worde or sentence that in this writing hath passed you and indeuoured capciously to haue taken aduantage at euerie trifle as your sorte is wonte to deale with vs for faute of better mattier bothe I shoulde haue fallen into that faute that I proteste my selfe to mislyke in you and my answere would haue growen to suche a length as it might iustly haue weried the reader I haue therfore medled onely with the principall poinctes of this your Apologie whiche may séeme to be of chiefe force in those matters that you touche And of purpose haue let passe many small trifles wherin bothe you might iustly haue béen reproued and some men I know will thinke meete and worthy to be answered I wyll now ende and cease any further to exhorte you to a more diligent examinyng and discussyng of the residue of your doctrines trustynge that your owne conscience hauynge now more feare of God then you say you had before wyll driue you to the same Whiche I pray God may be if not by this occasion yet by some other when his holy wyll shall be FINIS ¶ Imprynted at London in Fléetestréete by Thomas Powell