A TREATISE CONTEYNING THE TRVE CATHOLIKE AND APOSTOLIKE FAITH OF THE HOLY SACRIFICE AND SACRAMENT ORDEYNED by Christ at his last Supper VVith a declaration of the Berengarian heresie renewed in our age and an Answere to certain Sermons made by M. Robert Bruce Minister of Edinburgh concerning this matter By VVilliam Reynolde Priest Ioan. 6. 51. The bread vvhich I vvil give is my flesh the same vvhich I vvil give for the life of the vvorld AT ANTVVERPE Imprinted by Ioachim Trognesius M. D. XCIII TO THE RIGHT EXCELLENT AND MIGHTIE PRINCE IAMES THE SIXT BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF SCOTLAND HAVING of late perused examined answered certain Sermons preached in Edinburgh by one who entitleth him self Minister of Christs Euangel there for sundry causes most excellent and gratious Prince I haue ben induced of that my smale labour to make a present vnto your royal Maiestie First for that the Author of those Sermons published them vnder the name of your Highnes it seemed to me conuenieÌ„t that the Answere also should be offered vnto the same personage by conference whereof he might be able better with indiffereÌ„cy to iudge of both Next whereas those Sermons conteyne false doctrine against the sacraments against the eternal Testament of Christ ordeyned in his last Supper against the peculiar sacrifice and worship of God evermore and vniuersally practised in the Gospel and new law since the first preaching thereof by Christ and his Apostles and not only this but also they manifestly imply the foundation and ground of plain infidelitie of discrediting al the old new Testment of denying the chief and souerain articles of Christian faith who can blame me if where I perceiue so great daunger intended there I study to repel the same if where poison is addressed to infect the very hart of religion and head of the common welth there I oppose a counterpoison against that infection if I couet to preserue sound that which others endeuour to corrupt and desire by right argument of true Theologie to conâ—â—rme and establish that which the aduersarie by sleight Sophistrie and heretical cauils laboureth to ruinate ouerthrâ—w And thus to do as Christian dutie requireth for any article of our Christian beleef for the benefite of any Christian sowle like otherwise to perish so much greater is the obligation wherewith my self and al other English Catholikes acknowlege our seluâ—s bouÌ„d to our Countrymen the inhabitants of England and Scotland but especially in a singular degree vnto your royal person Vnto whom as the lawes of both â—eâ—lmes descent of blud custom inheritance drawen from the auncient kings of the one and other nation in ciuil respect geueth right to succede in gouernment of both crownes with al their dependences so is it the continual prayer of Christian Catholikes not only in both those nations but also in al prouinces of Europe that it wil please God so to inspire and direct your Ma. tus hart that yew may gouerne them in such Christian sort touching faith matter of eternal saluation as your most noble progenitors haue done froÌ„ the first Christened Prince to the last from Donaldus vnto Quene Marie your Graces most honorable most renoumed most constant religious mother who hauing so many yeres susteyned hard impri sonment and finally cruel death and martyrdom for profession of that first auncient Apostolike faith hath thereby left a glorious and immortal president to al her aftercoÌ„mers who clayme teÌ„poral right from succession of her blud to make the like or greater accompt of that right which cometh by succession to her in faith for which she with Heroical fortitude neglected her blud her libertie her crownes and what so euer is most deere to Princes in this world and for which neglect her name is more honorable before God his Angels her memorie more famous among Christians of this age and so wil be to al posteritie then if with refusal of that faith that is with refusal of Christ eternal blisse she had gayned as many teÌ„poral crownes realmes as they haue liued dayes howres who were occasioners of that so straunge woÌ„derful execution Now if it shal please your Grace to bestow some voyd tyme in overrunning this smale booke I nothing doubt but touching the argumeÌ„t here intreated that is touching the external seruice honour done to God by sacrifice and sacrament in his church your Grace shal easely see the manifest cleere euidece of our Catholike cause the truth thereof set downe in the most plain scriptures of God the coÌ„tinuaÌ„ce thereof testified by vniforme consent of al Antiquitie the first original roote of the coÌ„trarie heresie which now beareth greatest sway in your realme of ScotlaÌ„d as also in England from what fountaine it sprang by what Apostles it was spread by what Sophistrie malice dissimulatioÌ„ it hath encreased by what wickednes ignoraÌ„ce impietie it is maynteyned finally to what plain Atheisme or Paganisme it teÌ„deth For which cause many potent kings princes although otherwise circumuented by false ministers or seduced by evil counsailers vpon some humane reasons colourable coÌ„modities craftely obiected they departed from the vnitie of Christs church intangled them selues with other heresies of this tyme yet could they never be induced to approue or so much as to permit within their realmes this ZuingliaÌ„ or CalviniaÌ„ heresie because they were thoroughly resolved that it was the very bane pest of wel ordered coÌ„mon welthes for that it breadeth in her Sectaries a licentious libertie to beleeve what they fist against God his church and to live how they please against the magistrate his civil lawes to which it preacheth that no obedience is due for conscience sake Among which Princes for exaÌ„ples sake to name one lest I seeme to charge theÌ„ vniustly Christianus 3. king of Denmarke a Prince of great wisdom and experience grand-father to that vertuous Princesse whom your Highnes hath chosen for your spouse and Queene when as the congrègatioÌ„ of such kind of Protestants expelled from England by Queene Mary sought laboured by al meanes possible to obteyne harbour in his realme only for a few dayes vntil the extremitie of winter were somwhat passed over if not in regard of their religion which they said was purely Euangelical yet in consideratioÌ„ of many feble old men and wemen many infants yong children which were in the company vnable without certain hazard of their liues to abide any more trauail on the seas in that extreme season this notwithstanding that king otherwise of nature clemeÌ„t and mercyful and professing the Gospel as they cal it would by no meanes condescend that they should remayne any time within his dominions except they forthwith without farther disputes abandoned and condemned their Sacramentarie heresie which he iudged to be directly against the Gospel of Christ against the Articles of the Christian beleef against the publike quietnes
their Manna and vvater issuing out of the rocke our baptisme with their red sea and other their ceremonial purifications novv for sooth can in no case abide that we should say their tropical bread is nothing better then those figuratiue and tropical breads of proposition or those cakes or vnleauened bread eateÌ„ with their paschal lamb VVhat straunge logike what mad Theologie is this Are al and euerie Iewish sacrament aâ— good as any of the gospel and is this one not so Is the rule true in al vniuersally which al conteynes yet but two is it false in this particular which is one of the tvvo For by the vvay to stop the cauilling of some ignorant minister and withal to reforme Caluins and Bezaes wrong iudgement vvho terme this mans inuention as though in that respect theirs vvere any better it is to be noted that Emanuel Tremellius the Ievv and Theodorus Bibliander the Suizzer both of Caluins religion therefore of sufficient authoritie in this case and ether of them better seene in the Rabbines and Ievvish ceremonies then Caluin or Beza out of the Rabbines and Hebrevv Talmud vvrite som vvhat othervvise of it then Caluin doth of vvhich tvvo the one signifieth obscurely and the other vvriteth plainly in a treatise vvhich he maketh hereof that it vvas a most auncient custome deliuered by the â—â—terpreters of the law amongest whom Esdras was chief instituted by god He describeth out of the Talmud in vvhat sort it vvas ministred something othervvise then Beza doth His vvords are He that blesseth consecrateth those symboles vseth this kynd of prayer Blessed art thow o lord our god king of the world who hast sanctified vs with the preceptes and 〈…〉 vs commaundement to celebrate this coÌ„munion dedidi nobis mandata Communionis After he declareth hovv the good men vvho is the minister taking out the bread which he had layd vp in a secret place distributeth it and euery man eaâ—eth his portiâ—â— very religiously with maruelous care taking heed that no part thereof fal on the ground or sticke in their heard or be any wayes prophaned no otherwise then the Christ ans vse the Lords bread Finally this bread they name aphikiâ—oâ— or as Vrbanus Regius the coapostle vvith Luther in Germanie vvho also calleth this ritum antiquissiâ—â—m a most auncient ceremonie of the Ievves in his booke against Eccius vvil rather haue it aphigman they suppose the Messias to be signified thereby whose coÌ„ming should be secre and hid from the knowlege of the Iewes This Ievvish communion and supper I vvold gladly learne of Calvin or any Caluinist vvhy vvherein it is inferior to their supper and communioÌ„ Remoue from thence the vvords of our Sauiour remoue al vertue and sanctification let the bread be only symbolical and tokening bread vvhat hath Caluin in his supper aboue this Iudaical ceremonie Very much For that saith Caluin if this ceremonie were then in vse among the Iewe Christ so solowed the accustomed maner that yet he lead the myndes of his disciple to another consideration chaunging the vse of the bread to an other end That Christ did so vve graunt haue before out of the gospels and other holy scripture shevved at large Christ both lead the mindes of his disciples to an other â—â—nâ—id ration and chaunged the vse of the bread nature also vve confesse and the church euer hath beleeued But in your supper there is nether an other consideration of the bread vvine noâ— yet vse For vvhy that bread vvas deputed to signifie the Messias and so it did as effectually as any bread vsed on the table or communion of Calniu Here is bread broken so vvas it there Here for a sigue memorie so was it there There vvas as much grace geuen as here For lesse there could not be then nothing and we must vvonderfully take heed as Calain teacheth vs that we suppose not any secrete vertue to be hid in or aÌ„nexed to the signes Here it is vrged as a point verie essential that the communicants kneele not nor stand but sit so â—ate they there That many should be present to make vp a communion so was it there This is done with prayers and praises of god so was that That figured and represented Christ to come this is nothing els but a signe and representation of Christ novv past This is a symbole and signe of loue and charitie so was that The Caluinists vse their bread drinke with much reuerence The Iewes vsed theirs with much more where of I thinke the ministers them selues wil beare me vvitnesse For they make smale accompt if peeces of the communion bread falling vnder the table be eaten of dogs many present eye-witnesses there are vvho haue seene that when the cup was novv in the hand of the communicant ready to be receiued the vvine hath bene cast on the ground by very zealous and chief Protestants because they espied some more or stravv in the vvine whereas these Iewes shevved far greater regard tovvards the bread and vvine of their Communion as Bibliander telleth vs. Brieflly let an indifferent Caluinist examine this rite diligently and point by point compare it according to the true rules of Caluins discipline vvith Caluins supper and he shal not possibly find any reason degree article or any circumstance vvhy this Ievvish coÌ„munion is not equal to the communion of Caluin saue that as Caluin teacheth this bread figured Christ to come aftervvards his bread figureth the same Christ come already VVhich circuÌ„stance albeit it make somvvhat in the mynd of man vnto vvhom things past are more plaine evident then things to come yet in the communion and bread thereof it maketh nodifference at al no more then it maketh a difference in the singer of an horologe that at one time it shevveth the â—ovvre of 12. in the night anon after it shevveth the same hovvre of 12. in the day no more differeÌ„ce then there is in a mans finger if in the morning he point with it to the Sinne rising at night point vvith the same singer to the Sunne setting going to glade And thus much doth Bibliander plainly giaunt and confesse For thus he vv 〈…〉 in the booke place before cited The â—eâ—e is the holy paschal feast did eate bread which represented the Meâ—â—â—â—s That therefore both Christians and Iewes may clearly see that the self same mysterie and sacrament was hid in the paschal supper of the â—lâ— church â—â—â—e Iewes and in the â—â—per of the Lord and Euâ—â—â—râ—st â—f the Christian church I wil declare that ceremonie â—ut of the Iewes Tiâ—â—â—ul In like maner VVolf Musculus in his common places vvriteth expressely Christ â—raâ—â—â—eth no new matter but things vâ—â—â—â—l and vulgar in that paschal â—ererâ—â—e he aâ—pled to a sacrament of the new â—est â—ment VVherefore he â—â—â—e vnâ—eauened bread the bread of the I wish pâ—â—â— and
our Sauiour who so diligently obserued euery lesser resemblance should neglect omitte that which was most notable important VVherefore as the ProtestaÌ„ts them selues confesse one part videlicet the sacrament of Christs body to haue bene foresignified in the paâ—chal lamb and that to haue bene fulfilled in our sacrament this our sacrameÌ„t to haue succeded in place their of so we must dravv them one foote farther and adde vpon like ground vvarrant that that sacrifice of the lamb foresignified also our Eucharistical sacrifice that it vvas fulfilled accomplished in this and that this Christian sacrifice hath succeded in place of that Iudaical VVhich conclusion the same comparison of the scriptures inferreth the office of Christs priesthod and fulfilling of the lavv enforceth the Apostle acknovvledgeth and the church of Christ from the beginning hath euermore beleeued as vve learne by Tertullian lib 4. contra Marcionem S. Cyprian de Caena Domini S. Ambrose in Luc. 2. S. Nazianzen oratio 2. de pascha S. Hierom in Matth 26. S. Chrysostom homil de proditione Iudae homil 23. in Matth. S. August contra literas Petiliani lib. 2. cap. 37. S. Leo Serm. 7. de passione Domini Hesich lib. 2. in â—euit cap. 8. lib. 6. ca. 23. S. Beda in Luc. 22. The summe of al vvhose vvords is briefly thus vttered by S. Chrysostom in the place before noted At one table both Paschal lambâ— were celebrated or offered first the figure then the truth And S. Leo The old obseruation is taken away by the new sacrament one sacrifice passeth into an other one blud excludeth endeth the other the legal ceremonie while it is changed is fulfilled Hesichius more shortly Christ at his last supper hauing first eaten the figuratiue lambe with his Apostles afterwards offered his owne sacrifice And albeit as saith S. Gaudentius in that shadow of the legal pasch many lambs were offered not one onely but in euery seueral howse one yet now thorow al churches idem in mysterio panis vini reficit immolatus viâ—ificat creditus consecraÌ„tes sanctificaâ— consecratus Haec agni caro hic sanguis est One the selfe same lambe in the mysterie of bread wine being sacrificed doth refresh vs al being beleeued reviueth vs al being consecrated sanctifieth al the consecraters This is the flesh of the lambe Christ this is his blud Thus these two parcels being true manifest and for such graunted by our aduersaties the one that Christ in his last supper made the new testament the other that then he fulfilled the auncient ceremonie of the paschal lambe and altered that in to this our sacrament these two being examined conferred according to the sense of euideÌ„t scripture and consent of the primitiue church manifestly establish a true sacrifice and real presence of Christs body blud in this sacrament of the new law testament ¶ And yet the figure of Melchisedech is more plaine cleare and irreâ—utable then ether of these Nether vvas there euer any learned christian man bishop Father Doctor or hovv so euer he be called that vvrote since the beginning of the church but he graunted as occasion of mentioning the same vvas offered committed also to vvriting that the sacrifice of Melchisedech foreshevved Christs sacrifice in his last supper and that there Christ exactly and most properly offered sacrifice according to the order and â—ite of Melchisedech as vvas foreprophecied of him This I say is the vniforme and vniuersal consent of al auncient fathers that euer vvrote coÌ„mentaries vpon scripture since the Apostles tyme and some few sacramentarie-protestans there are and more LutheraÌ„s which vnwares and indirectly to an other purpose confeâ—â—e so much Of vvhich number Andreas Fricâ—is sometime secretarie to the king of Pole and for a noble man as learned as any that hath vvriten for the sacramentarie gospel Christ saith â—â— as a feasâ—maker distributed to his gheasts bread wine â—e fulfilled the office of Melchisedech the priest of the most high god him selfe a most true priest For as he offered to Abraham bread wine so Christ gaue bread and wine to his Apostles And in an other place somewhat more to the purpose Christ after the example of Melchisedech offering bread wine gaue both to his disciples Therefore priests that sacrifice after the example of Melchisedech Christ should geue to Christs disciples both bread wine In which application this man much abuseth him self in that he maketh Melchisedech a priest in offering bread wine to Abraham his inferior whereas sacrifice is an office or dutie appointed to testifie the obedience of an inferior to the superior properly of man to god which was no part of a priestly sacrifice but onely of a regal or princely liberalitie benevolence as the Protestants coÌ„monly therein truly declare the matter And much more theologically S. Cyprian expresseth this figure wheÌ„ he writeth that Christ in his last supper as the priest of the hiest god offered sacrifice not to Abraham but to god his father offered the same that Melchisedech did id est panem vinum suum scilicet corpus sanguinem that is to say bread wine I meane his owne body blud And thus he being the fulnes plenitude of all accomplished performed the veritie of that figuratiue sacrifice which was foreshewed in the bread and wine offered by Melchisedech VVhich sacrifice in the same epistle S. Cyprian also deduceth to priests of the new testament that for so much as Christ being the priest of God his father first of al so offered sacrifice to god commaunded the same to be done in coÌ„memoration of him therefore priests ought in that same maner to offer true persite sacrifice to god almightie in the Catholike church as they see Christ to haue done before them This is the right application of that sacrifice offered to god by Melchisedech that this should so be practised in the new testament Theodorus Bibliander a famous man among the Sacramentaries testifieth to haue bene the general beleefe of al the auncient Hebrewes His words are Est apud Hebraeos veteres dogma receptissimum c. It is among the auncient Hebrewes a doctrine most generally receyued that at the comming of the Messias al legal sacrifices shal haue an end there shal be frequeÌ„ted only the Eucharisti cal sacrifice of praise coÌ„fession that shal be done in bread wine as Melchisedech king of Salem priest of the hiest god in the time of Abraham brought forth bread wine in sacrifice VVhereof the Christian learned reader desirous of the truth may see a verie good treatise out of sundrie the old most famous Rabbins before Christ gathered together by Petrus Galatinus in his tenth booke De arcanis Catholicae veritatis where he verie wel declareth the three special points here mentioned