thou see wine doe these thinges goe to the draught as other meates doe God forbid Thinke not so For as waxe being put into the fire is made like vnto it none of the substance remaineth nothing aboundeth euen so heere thinke the mysteries to bee consumed by the substance of the body In which words he bringeth nothing for Popish transubstantiation For although they doe teach that the substance of the bread is perished yet the accidentes they teach still to remaine and euer they say that Christ is present in the sacrament vnder the formes of bread and wine But when waxe is cast into the fire there is not so much as a shew that there hath beene waxe but all is consumed Therefore this similitude maketh not for transubstantiation And in trueth whosoeuer shall reade that whole sermon shall easily perceiue that Chrysost there doeth but by rhetoricall amplifications exhort the people so to be affected when they come vnto the holy sacrament that their eie shoulde not bee occupied about anie earthly creatures but their minde altogetherr exercised in heauenly cogitations according saith he vnto the promise that you made vnto the Priest when as hee saide Lift vp your mindes and hearts and you answered I haue it lifted vp vnto the Lord. Which is according to the councell which hee giueth vnto vs in an other place that especially in these holie mysteries Chrysost in Math. hom 83 wee shoulde not onely beholde that which is before our eyes but especially remember his wordes But it were too tedious to answere euery place particularly that they doe alleadge and out of this which is already spoken it is easie to answere any thing that they can bring out of the fathers for fiue or sixe hundred yeares But if any man wil aske why our sauiour Christ doth giue vnto the bread the name of his Bodie and to the wine the name of his Blood And why the fathers doe so call these outward signes the bodie and blood of our sauiour Christ I will answere with Theodoret an ancient father Dial. 1. Immutabilâ—â— Hee would haue them that are partakers of the diuine mysteries not to bee occupied in thinking of the nature of the thinges that are seene but in respect of the change of the name to beleeue the change that is made through grace As for the Councels which they bring for proofe of this doctrine Bellarm. de Euchar. lib. 3 cap. 23 the first of them was more than a thousand yeeres after Christ whereby it may appeare how late this doctrine is whereupon Scotus a schooleman doeth confesse that this transubstantiation was not a doctrine of faith before the councel of Lateran although Bellarmine reproue him for it Seeing now this their lately hatched doctrine doeth bring with it so many absurdities is darkened with so many doubtes hath no warrant in the Scriptures no ground in the ancient fathers and is not to be accounted as an article of faith euen by the confession of them that speake of the greatest antiquitie of it much more than fiue hundred yeares since let vs take heed of them who crie continually Antiquitie Antiquitie and yet indeuour to bring in new doctrines and deuises of their owne and to turne away the hearts of the ignorant from the true ancient faith deliuered by Christ and his apostles and sincerely preserued many hundred yeeres in the church of God But of this because it is one of the speciall points of doctrine wherein we dissent I haue stoode longer That the wicked receiue not in the Sacrament Christs bodie and blood CHAP. 14 THE PROTESTANTS BEcause that whosoeuer hath eaten the sonne hath the sonne for hee is meate that perisheth not Ioh. 6.50 and he that hath the sonne hath life 1. Ioh. 5.22 And on the contrary De ciuit Dei lib. 21. ca. 25 De consecra dist 2. vt quid paras ex Augustino as saint Augustine saith He can not eate Christs body that is not in his body Lastly seeing he can not be torn with the teeth but must be receiued by faith wee therefore teach that although the wicked may be partakers of the visible signes yet they can not be said to eate or receiue the body and blood of our sauiour Christ And with Saint Augustine In Ioh. tract 59 that they may eate as Iudas did the Lords bread against the Lord but the bread the Lorde they can not eate which doctrine is most plaine and bringeth with it no absurdities or doubts THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of Rome Iren. lib. 4 cap. 34. forgetting that the Sacrament consisteth of twoo things that is to say the materiall breade and that which came down from heauen which is Christ do adde vnto these a third namely Bellarm. de Euchar. li. 1 cap. 23 the effect of the body of Christ or his spirituall graces making thereby a separation and as it were a diuorce betweene the bodie of Christ which they teach the wicked may receiue and those graces which can not in deede bee separated from the same and cannot be giuen to the vngodly Whereby they do wrap themselues in such a cloud of doubts as all the Papists in the world wil neuer be able to answer M. Bilsoâ— part 4. whilest some say that this body goeth no further than to the teeth some allowe it to haue passage but to the stomake but not to abide there some to continue there also yea some say that it goeth as other meate into the belly yet remaineth stil Christs body so long as the forme of the bread remaineth yea and that it may be voided either vpward or downward and receiued of man or beast Although this vnreconcileable difference that is among them in so materiall a point of their religion namely what is becom of the body of Christ after the wicked haue receiued the same and these filthy blasphemies and detestable shifts that they are driuen vnto for defence of their heresie be a sufficient confutation both of that doctrine of transubstantiation from whence doe spring all these filthie pudles and sinckes and also of this other that the wicked may eate the body of Christ which is but a sowre grape of that vnkindely roote yet for the better satisfying of the ignorant I will by Gods assistance take a short view of their arguments whereby they indeuour to proue that the most wicked men may eate the body and drinke the blood of Christ Now their chiefe and almost onely proofe is taken from transubstantiation of the vntrueth of which doctrine I trust I haue spoken sufficiently in the former chapter And now therefore that I may conclude that if the wicked can not eate the body of Christ vnlesse the bread be changed into the bodie as themselues will confesse then because there is no such change therefore the wicked eate not his body But one shew of an argument they make out of the scriptures 1. Cor. 11.27 29 He
they can sinne actually because they are baptized must needs be saued although they bee not of that number which God hath chosen vnto himselfe before the foundations of the worlde were laide Which to affirme is nothing else but to tie our saluation Ephes 1. not to Gods grace in electing in Christ whome hee would but to such externall meanes as haue alwayes beene accounted but helpers to our faith as the Apostle teacheth by the example of Circumcision in Abraham Ro. 4.10 11. but no workers of saluation And to be short how agreeth this that they say that the Sacrament hath strength or force to worke Holinesse or Righteousnesse with that which they also say That infants when they are baptized De Sacram. Bapt. lib. 1. cap. 11. haue not any new motions or inclinations like vnto the actions of faith and loue If the Sacraments worke not in them such effectes who haue not anie actual sinne to let or hinder how shal we think they work in others that are stroÌ„gly assaulted with the lusts of sin Therefore let vs not ascribe such working vnto them but vnto Christ who is made vnto vs righteousnesse and holinesse 1. Cor. 1.30 As for the number of seuen Sacraments two of them wee acknowledge with the Fathers of the Primitiue church Baptisme and the Lordes Supper As for the other fiue either they haue no commaundement in the word or no visibl signes or to be short no warrant in the word or Primitiue church to bee such Sacraments as the other two are Although wee deny not but the things haue had and many of them yet haue their godly vse in Gods Church Of the Sacrament of Baptisme CHAP. 11. THE PROTESTANTS WE acknowlege Baptism to be as it were a Gods-peny and earnest of our entrance into Christes family Wherein wee are both fully assured that by the blood of Christ which is figured by that water our sinnes are so washed away that they shall not bee imputed vnto vs and also the promise of that spirite of regeneration whereby wee growe to be new men is sealed vp in our hearts so that therein the faithfull are ingraffed into Christ to be made partakers of al his treasures and namely that hee may bee vnto vs sanctification and redemption 1. Cor. 1.30 And as therin our faith is thus norished so is it also a publike testification and witnessing of our profession so that wee doe not only beleeue with our heart vnto righteousnesse but also shew that wee are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for that cause wee weare that badge of our profession and cognisance of our religion THE PAPISTS BVt the Church of Rome lest we should constantly beleeuing the promises and vsing the Sacraments according to Christs institution take sure hold of Iesus christ and to acknowledge our saluation to bee by him onely in whome the word and Sacraments send vs to seeke it teacheth vs that the very Sacrament of it selfe hath such force and vertue as that it doth extinguish and quite abolish Andrad Orthod Explic. lib. 3. not onely the daunger and condemnation the rewarde due to sinne but also the verie corruption of the same And on the contrarie that the verie infants that die before they bee baptised Bellarmine de purgat lib. 2. cap. 6 haue their place of torment appointed vnto them where they must bee purged So that as they giue the power of killing sinne in vs vnto the Sacrament which onely belongeth vnto Christ Rom. 6. so in this latter point they doe in a manner make Christ scant able for to saue without the sacrament and teach sinne by other meanes than by Christ only to be purged De sacr baptism li. 1. ca. 4 Now the first reason whereby Bellarmine wil prooâ—â— that the Sacrament of it selfe hath such force of thâ—◠〈◊〉 doth worke in vs holinesse and abolish sinne and therefore that without it no man or woman can be saued is that place of saint Iohn Ioh 3.5 Vnlesse a man be borne againe of Water and of the Spirit he can not enter into the kingdome of God And for the better credite of his assertion he telleth vs De peccatorum merit remiss lib. 1. cap. 30. that saint Augustine in his first booke of the merites of sinnes and the forgiuenesse thereof the thirtieth chapter doth shew that these wordes are not a commandement but declare the means of saluation as though saint Augustine would make the Sacrament as necessary to saluation as meate for our life or physicke for recouery of health for these are the examples alledged afterwardes by Bellarmine But he belieth that learned father for hee hath not any such thing in that place although indeede hee handle that place of scripture largely there But first before I enter any further into the consideration of this point lest I should bee mistaken as though I accounted the Sacrament of no necessitie I affirme it to bee so necessarie that if it may bee had according vnto Christes institution and any man or woman shall wilfully refuse the same by this their contempt they doe wilfully cut off themselues from the body of Christ and so make themselues vncapable of such graces as God in Christ bestoweth vpon his But if otherwise any man woman or childe being desirous to enter into the felowship of the holy couenant and to be incorporated by that Sacrament into the presence of Christ shall die or depart out of this life before they can attaine thereto God forbid that we should thinke either so vncharitably of them as to iudge them vnworthy of Gods mercy or so hardly of God as that hee would alter his eternall councell for want of this external sacrament or so slenderly of the vertue of Christ his blood as that without this water it can not wash vs from sinne No doubt many died in the wildernesse before the Israelites came to the land of promise that had not the sacrameÌ„t of circumcision and also afterwards by all likelihoode in Babylon The thiefe vpon the crosse of whose saluation we make no doubt was not baptised Yea the order that God vseth in sauing vs doeth teach vs that without the Sacraments we may be saued Rom. 8.30 Ephes 1.4 because that election or predestination goeth before calling whether it be internall by the spirit or externall by the word and Sacraments Therefore wee must either imagine Gods election not to be certaine which is blasphemous or else that all that are elect are saued although they haue not oportunity to receiue that externall seale of Gods couenant Therefore I say that Baptisme is very necessary and in any wise to be vsed and receiued of them that may according to Christes institution haue the same But we detest that doctrine of the Papists that teacheth it to be so necessary that whosoeuer is not baptized can not be saued whereupon they permit lay men yea women to baptise whereas the
taste of christian diuinity that a man may haue faith and no grace whereas in truth faith is Gods gift and that of his especiall grace we see what vertue the papists doe attribute vnto this sacrament as they doe call it and yet Peter Lombard their owne friend Li. sentent 4. dist 18. Levit. 13. out of the priests office concerning leapers who did only iudge whether they were cleane or foule but hee coulde not make them leapers or not leapers doth appoint also those limites vnto the priests concerning binding or loosing or rather sheweth that such is their authority not that they can make any sinners or voide of sinne which lesson he learned out of Hierom but only to iudge whether they were sinners or not vpon Matth. 16 By which he learneth and plainely saith euen in this cause that God doth not alwaies follow the iudgement of the church And therefore god doth not alwaies binde or loose as the church doth in her consistory Is not this flatly to deny vnto this their sacrament that working vertue and power which the papistes giue to it Or rather is not this to deny it to be a sacrament seeing it is denied not only by Saint Hierom but also by a deare friend of theirs Peter Lombard that it hath such vertue as they ascribe to their Sacraments And heere their answere of the vnworthines of him that receiueth this Sacrament whereby he hindereth this worke of the Sacrament will not serue For we see that the iudgement of the church by their opinion doth only shew what men are and according to it doth binde or loose but it doth not make them good or bad And therefore Chrisostome in an homily of repentance Hom. 8. ad populum Antioch Trust not saith he vnto thy repentance for thy repentaunce is not able to take away so great sinnes Now therefore we see that neiâ—â— er the testimonie of the fathers in their commentaries vpon this place neither the words themselues if we looke vpon their naturall meaning neither yet the practise of the church for more then 1100. yeares after Christ can make these words to proue any sacrament of penance which the papists so boldly without all proofe thrust vpon vs. For I pray you where is the outward signe of this sacrament Are these words I absolue thee Concil Triden Sess 14. cap. 3. c But where are these words commanded Bellarmine hath found them in these words Whose sinnes you remit are remitted c. And how doth hee proue it Because the Lord would neuer grant vnto his Apostles power to forgiue sinnes de paâ— nit li. 1. cap. 10. but he would haue that power exercised by some externall signe for these are his words We grant it and for that cause hee hath appointed the ministery of the gospell but the promises are generall and whether they publikely or priuately are to be vsed to the comforte of the afflicted we finde not in the scripture any set forme set downe for absolution and therefore in the scriptures they caÌ„ neuer find that outward signe which is required in a sacrament And therefore it seemeth that Bellarmine scarcely dareth to defend that which the councell of Trent hath taught concerning the forme of this their sacrament For the councell of Trent saith Li. 1. de poen cap. 16. that these wordes are the forme of their Sacrament of penance But master Bellarmine saith we are not tied to those wordes but that these words I remit thee thy sinnes will also serue the turne For this matter let them agree amongst themselues But they must shew vs some outwarde signe appointed by Christ for this Sacrament or els we must denie it to be a Sacrament And that they haue laboured to doe these many yeares and yet they cannot doe it But M. Bellarmine striueth earnestly to proue that place whose sinnes so euer you remit they are remitted not to be spokeÌ„ of baptisme We will ease him of some labour we will graunt that it is not spoken only of that remission that therein is done Man is like a ruinous house that must alwaies be repaired by repentance Hom. 3. de paenitentia We haue alwaies need to pray forgiue vs our trespasses Chrisostome pretily compareth sinne in man to an oake tree which he that will cut it downe must strike not once or twise only but often yea he must neuer leaue vntill it fall So must we flie alwaies to this remedy not only once or twise but ten thousands of times if so often we offend yea alwaies The comfort of this promise therefore we will in no wise restraine to the time of our baptisme only but we confesse that that forgiuenesse of sinnes which in our baptisme is sealed vp vnto vs hath force and vertue through our whole life and thereby are we assured that this promise of the forgiuenes of our sinnes and remitting of the same is most certaine and true and belongeth to our whole life and to euery sinne that we commit Now this forgiuenes say the papists must be applied vnto vs by the sacrament of penaunce They should proue that for in matters of religion their credite is not so good that we dare trust them And the lesse wee trust them in this matter because we are sure that God hath giuen vnto vs other meanes to apply his mercy vnto vs namely his word for applying whereof vnto our consciences hee hath appointed his ministery in his church Yea he hath giuen his word to be read and knowne of euery bodie Then also hath he giuen vs Sacraments to confirme vs in this word and to make vs more confidently to beleeue it and more faithfully to receiue it These therefore are the meanes whereby our faith is nourished and made more bolde and strong to apply to our humbled hartes those comfortable promises of Gods good graces which in the words are offered and by baptisme and the supper of the Lord are sealed vp in our consciences Nowe other Sacramentes we know not and namelie this of penance Neither is there any necessarie consequence in this argument These wordes are spoken of remission of sinnes after baptisme therefore there must needes bee a Sacrament of penance And that should bee proued And therefore to grant him that which hee so striueth for will doe him no good After this one place that Bellarmine hath out of the Scriptures he commeth to the fathers De paenit li. 1. cap. 10. who because they afforde him no plaine proofe he indeuoureth to wring something from them by indirect meanes The proofe therefore that he hath from them as himselfe professeth is either because that when they reckon vp the true Sacramentes they often make mention of repentance also or els they compare it with the sacrament of baptisme shewing that it is God that worketh in them both Had it not bin better to yeeld vnto the truth then thus before hee proueth any thing out of the
fathers to proclaime the weakenes of his proofe For is not this a weake argument The fathers in reckoning vp the sacraments do often also make mention of penance therfore it is a sacrameÌ„t Or this baptisme repeÌ„taÌ„ce are many times coÌ„pared togither but the one is a sacrameÌ„t properly so called therfore also the other must so be I trust the weaknes of that argument is easie to spie out seeing the fathers may in diuers respects speak of the sacraments other than of their sacramentall nature or of those things which they seeme to match with the sacraments in speech not minding to make any mo sacraments than Christ left vnto the church therefore so long as his arguments are but coniectures euen by his owne confession it is but lost labour to bestow any more time thereupon Therefore although we confesse that our whole life should be a continuall profiting in the doctrine of repentaunce and the practise thereof yet the sacrament of penaÌ„ce we iustly reiect because neither the scripture nor most ancient fathers yeeld any plaine testimony thereof Of lawfully calling into the ministerie and against the Sacrament of Order as they call it CHAP. 18 THE PROTESTANTS THat in the Church of Christ there ought to bee a lawfull calling vnto the ministery we so willingly confesse that wee take it to bee one of the especiall graces of God towards vs who are heere in this vale of misery for the which we are bounde to thanke God day and night For as their office is to Gather togither the Saintes Eph. 4.12 to worke in the ministerie and build vp the body of Christ Yea as Ambassadours for Christ to intreat the world to bee reconciled vnto god 2. Cor. 5.20 and therefore it is well called the ministery of reconciliation verse 18. than the which there cannot be any greater benefit whilst we are compassed about with the burden of this flesh whose will is stubborne and cannot be subdued to the will of God whose wisdome is but folly and blindnes Rom. 8.7 and perceiueth not the things of the spirit of God 1. Cor. 2.14 so the more wee are assured that they are appointed of God vnto the said ministery and to labor in the said office with so much the more diligence wee will heare them with the greater reuerence wee will receiue them and with the greater readinesse wee will obey them And such as in some measure indeuour to performe this dutie we reuerence as Ambassadours from that greate God Es 52.7 Their feete are verie beutifull vnto vs we account them worthy of double 1. Tim. 5.17 honor The godly will howsoeuer the world despise theÌ„ obey them as their fathers folow them as their guides hear them as their teachers and loue theÌ„ as helpers of their ioyes 2. Cor. 1.24 knowing that they caÌ„not despise theÌ„ but that they despise also God that sent theÌ„ their own saluation for which they are sent THE PAPISTS BVt the church of Rome not contented to haue the fruit and benefite of this ministery which Christ gaue to his church Eph. 4.11 doe although without all warrant of Gods worde make a sacrament thereof Or rather of this one they make seuen sacraments for all their seuen orders haue seueral ceremonies yea and by their owne confession seuerall graces also which they doe worke so in steed of seuen sacraments vvhich themselues speake of they recken vp thirteene namely sixe beside their sacrament of order seuen in it And whereas the ministery was appointed for preaching and ministring the sacramentes and they who laboured most in the word did best performe the same they haue turned teaching and preaching into sacrificing and listing Concilium Trident. sess 23. Can. 1. So that it is great commendation for one of their priestes to lyft faire As they that could but kill a Ramme or a Calfe were priestes good enough for that rebellious people of Israel who yet called themselues Gods people As for reuerence and honor they content not themselues with that regarde that is due to their ministery and office no neither yet that the Pope shoulde so much excell the Emperour Innoc. de Maior obed c. solâ— t glos ibidem as the Sunne doth the Moone that is 47. times or degrees to be better than the emperour as their own canonists teach but that blasphemous papist In sua chimaera fol. 97. 98. Stanisl Orichouius did offer vnto the councel of Trent a booke wherin he makes euery priest better than a king in authority degree place waight yea he saith that the priest is another God of the kings excellency That the king is but a creature but the priest a creâ—â—â—â— and how much God is beâ—â—â— r thaÌ„ a priest so much is a priest better thaÌ„ a king yea so much better is the priest than a king as a man is better than a beast And yet these horrible blasphemies are allowed of with them These grosse absurdities being thus euen by their owne bookes proclaimed vnto the world I might say to our Papists Ad Ceesiphontem as S. Hierom did to the Pelagians To lay forth your opinions is to confute you Your blasphemie is eueÌ„ at the first very manifest there is no need to refell that which is of it selfe blasphemous Yet for the satisfaction of the ignorant it is not amisse to lay open the principall grounds wherevpon this their sacrament is built It hath say they all those things which are of necessitie required in a sacrament namely the outward signe the promise of inward grace and lastly the commaundement or Gods institution The outward signe they made to be imposition of hands Bellar. lib. 1 de sacra Ord. Chap. 2. Ibidem for so saith Bell. And yet afterwards being better aduised considering also that euen some of his owne friends thinke that laying on of handes is but an accidentall thing vnto this sacrament and that the very necessary matter of this sacrament Cap. 9. is the cup with wine and the couer thereof with bread for then is it said to them Receiue power to offer a sacrifice when these things are deliuered he affirmeth that not only the giuing to theÌ„ of these things but also the laying on of hands is the matter or visible forme of this sacrament Wherby we learn that themselues are not well resolued as yet what shall bee the externall signe in this sacrament For in deed that which Christ did when hee ordained ministers that externall signe I say they make small account of for he Breathing on them said Iohn 20. Tract in Iohn 121 receyue ye the holy Ghost Whereby Christ would teach as saint Augustine thinketh that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the father and the sonne also And no maruell if they vrge not that ceremonie for Christ himselfe is not verie curious in that point Mat. 28.19 Mar. 16.15 Mar. 10.6 7 And as himselfe did not
therfore themselues within so few yeares doubted yea and are not yet fully resolued whether that sacrament giue grace without the which it cannot bee a sacrament in the Popish church they giue vs iust cause to suspect nay flatly to affirme that it was not a sacrament instituted by Christ For if it had before this time doubtlesse themselues at the least woulde haue resolued of such principall points thereof And if Christ did not institute it a sacrament then also we may deny it at all to bee a sacrament For neither men nor angels may institute any sacraments as Bellarmine hath truely noted De sacram Matrim lib. 1. cap. 2. Neither are they yet agreed whether euery marriage is this their sacrament For Canus in the place before alleaged thinketh not any matrimony to be this sacrament but that onely that is solemnized by the Priest But Bellarmine with all the skill he hath opposeth himselfe against him De sacram Matrim lib. 1. cap. 7 yea it is high time he should so do For hee plainely confesseth that if that opinion of Canus be true then they shall neuer out of the scriptures or councels bee able to prooue the sacrament of matrimony Then wee see it standeth him vpon to doe what he can For either must the marriages not solemnized by the Priests bee this sacrament and so euery man and woman is a minister in this sacrament which his own friends will in no wise graunt vnto him or else matrimony is not a sacrament And then they haue deceiued the world some hundreds of yeeres Thirdly matrimony can not be a sacrament because the promise of grace is common vnto all sorts of men and women And therfore the sacraments and signes also of those graces shoulde belong vnto all sortes But in the Popish church matrimony is denied to some sortes as to their cleargie Therefore by their owne doctrine it can not be a Sacrament especially such a Sacrament as baptisme and the eucharist for they are common to all sortes Marriage lawfull for all men but matrimony they say must not so be And this is the second point of their doctrine which must be examined For it seemeth to mee very strange that they who haue nowe so magnified this estate of life that it must be no lesse than a holy sacrament doe so sodainely debase the same that they thinke it not pure enough for their shorne and annointed creatures But I looke that they should come against mee with an answere out of master Bellarmine De sacram matrim ca. 5 that their Priestes in deede are forbidden to marry but not in that respect that it is a sacrament but because of those things that followe marriage and are impediments and lets to them in their calling And yet neither all the consequents of marriage are denied to their clergie For master Bellarmine telleth vs there that if a man and wife being married together will promise continencie they may well enough take their orders and are truely both married folkes and priests So that not cares or troubles that are incident vnto married folkes oftentimes are any thing to bee respected in this case For cleargy men may haue all these but the especiall duety of marriage they may not perfourme Whereby the Papists to defend the credit of this their sacrament doe robbe the Cleargie of that thing which is the especiall representation of the coniunction of Christ and of his church whilest they would make these beleeue that the performaunce of the duety betweene man and wife is a thing not to be suffered in Cleargie men The very ground of this assertion of master Bellarmines is that hee thinketh not the copulation of married folke to bee of the substaunce of Matrimonie And this he prooueth by some testimonies out of the fathers in that fift Chapter But yet himselfe will not that this his saying should bee so vnderstoode as if that hee sayd that the vse of marriage is not any way of the substaunce of marriage Chap. 6 For afterwardes hee sayeth that this their sacrament may haue two respects As it is made and as it is continued As it made that is if I be not deceyued as the mutuall consent of parties ioyneth them together by their promises the consent expressed by such wordes is the matter and forme of their sacrament And thus must wee vnderstand that common rule in their lawe that consent maketh marriages And thus doe the fathers vnderstand that which they say concerning the substaunce of marriage to consist in the mutuall consent partly because after such consent giuen the parties are not free to chaunge the choyse which they haue made Deu. 22 23 24 And partly because that euen by Gods lawe if parties after such consent giuen shoulde carnally knowe another it was death for them so to doe which could not bee but because this their consent is after a sort the marriage it selfe This if it represent any thing to vs doeth but represent that ioyning of Christ with vs by spirituall loue Chap. 5 as Bellarmine himselfe confesseth But that is not any speciall benefite or singular For hee loueth all his creatures and wept for the destruction of his enemies And one man may be so ioyned with another But it is a speciall grace that marriage representeth vnto vs to vs I say that after a peculiar manner belong to him Namely howe wee are made flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones howe our bodies are the members of Christs bodie howe in deed hee is as in name hee is called God with vs. This is represented vnto vs but by that copulation that is betweene man and wife whereby as before by consent they were of one minde so nowe by it they are one bodie For by copulation the wife is made one bodie with her husbande And this doe I take to bee confessed by maister Bellarmine himselfe when hee telleth vs that in the seconde respect by Matrimonie is meant that which continueth And then must the bodyes of them that are marryed needes be the matter of this sacrament euen their copulation and dwelling togither And therefore he alloweth well of the iudgement of Peter Soto that thinketh euen this vse of Matrimonie to bee the matter not onely about which this Sacrament is occupyed but of which it is made or consisteth If then it bee the matter of their Sacrament which they denie to their Cleargie it is not true that maister Bellarmine saide that they denie not their Cleargie men to marrie as marriage is a sacrament For they deny that to them which is the substance of their sacrament This may also appeare by the definition of matrimonie which we may finde in the fathers Strom. 2. li. De Monog Marriage sayeth Clemens of Alexandria is the first lawfull ioyning together of man and woman for the procreation of children And Tertullian is inquisitiue what is marriage before God and findeth it to bee when God ioyneth
owne clecking and that therein they seeke rather their owne praise than Gods glory Because thereby they teach men to looke for remission of sinnes and make it a thing meritorious and so they robbe Christ of his honour and take from him his office to attribute the same to the obseruation of their vngodly lawe And vnto this reason which is taken from the euil fruit of their wicked doctrine I might also adde the sower grape of vngodly life that followed the same Which made not Papists onely but euen the Pope himselfe to wish the abolishing of that cruel lawe and the remoouing of that dangerous stumbling blocke as before you haue heard of Pius the second pope of that name Nowe besides these wants that wee finde in the contrary doctrine which may induce vs to see the vnlikelihoode of the same wee haue also the first institution wherein it was saide to all without exception Genes 1.28 Increase and multiplie Then also wee haue that generall aduise and counsell wherein the apostle aduiseth all men and women that it is better to marry than to burne 1. Cor. 7.9 which aduise the apostle giueth in respect of that common experience wherein wee finde it to be true that euery man can not attaine to the gift of chastitie in single life Thirdly wee haue also particular direction for bishops by name so permitting marriage vnto them 1. Tim. 3.2 Tit. 1.6 that no man can doubt therof vnlesse hee wilfully winke for feare he shoulde see the light of the trueth Fourthly we haue the practise of the priests in the olde lawe who were married although they had the daily sacrifice to offer morning and euening Almost all the apostles and many bishops of the Primitiue church also if they will trust Vicelius their owne friend were married men Therefore we may conclude that for the clergie as for other it is lawfull that euery man haue his owne wife and euery woman her own husband Wherupon it also followeth that not only the Montanists Maniches Eucratians Martionists or such like who did wholy condemne marriage or at the least much mislike the same but also the papists who doe accompt it too impure for their clergie men are amongst the number of them of whom the spirit speaketh euidentlie 1. Tim. 4.1.2.3 that in the latter daies some shal departe from the faith and shall giue heede to the spirit 〈◊〉 error and doctrines of deuils who haue their consciences burned with a hote iron forbidding to marry For although others may perchaunce in that point be worse yet that proueth not that they cannot be euill And although the fathers doe expound this place of those heretickes that were before or in their time yet is that no barre to vs but that we may in like maner confute thereby all them who doe in any sort condemne matrimony But they saie they condemne not matrimonie neither force men to single life Whether they haue drawen men to their vowes or not Bellarm. de cler li. 1. cap. 20. let the world iudge But it is but a shift to saie they denie not mariage They deny it to that whole estate in so much as in Queene Maries time we haue seene the clergy forced either to leaue their function and ministery or to forsake their wiues So that although they say not to any man or woman particularly thou shalt in no wise marry yet they deny it to that estate of life which needs must be in the worlde as not holy enough for them wherein if they were well examined they would be found to conspire with those auncient heretickes Of Anoiling or extreme Vnction that it is not a Sacrament CHAP. 20 THE PROTESTANTS WE willingly confesse that the Apostles of our Sauiour Christ Mar. 6.13 Annointed many that were sicke with oile and healed them And that saint Iames confesseth Iam. 5.14 that if any be sicke they shoulde send for the Elders who shoulde pray for him and annoint him with oyle in the name of the Lord. By the which visible signe God did testifie to men of that gift of healing that he indued his church withall vntill by such myracles he had confirmed the gospel and assured mens consciences of the power of his word But that it was instituted for a sacramēt we cannot acknowledge And much lesse can we yeelde vnto that popish anoiling that it can bee called a Sacrament properly or yet be tollerated in Christ his church it is so contrary to the Apostles practise THE PAPISTS FOr without any warrant of the word they consecrate their oile which the apostles did not for any thing we can reade Secondly the church of Rome doth appoint what partes shal be annointed as the eies eares nose lippes handes feete and the reines of the backe But yet they are not agreed that all these are of the essence of anoiling Devnct c. 10 And indeede Bellar. in respect of honestie supposeth that women shuld not be anointed on their reins But Laurence Vaus In his catechisme would haue men anointed in the back womē on the belly so far hath he forgotten all honesty But thapostls were not curious in these matters Thirdly popish anoiling must not be vsed but when all hope of life is past the apostls vsed oile whē they hoped to heale men of their infirmities Bellarm. de vnctione lib. 1. cap. 2. The apostles vsed oile for all diseases Popish anoiling was but for some Other differences also might be found but these few are sufficient to shew that the church of Rome hath added to the word of God and practise of the Apostles in this point and therefore if that were graunted vnto them which they can not prooue namely that that which the Apostles did was a sacrament yet can it in no wise folowe that the Popish anoyling can bee a Sacrament vnto the which they haue added so many yea and some of them so vnseemely ceremonies And yet the councell of Trent is not ashamed to affirme that the church of Rome doeth obserue none other thing as belonging vnto the substaunce of this sacrament Sess 14. ca. 3 de sacram vnct than that which saint Iames hath prescribed Where did saint Iames appoint that the oile shoulde be consecrated for that it shoulde be consecrated De vnct lib. 1. cap. 7. it is as master Bellarmine doth terme it of the essence of the matter of this sacrament and not accidentary Master Bellarmines shift that hee hath for to answere this demaund is too holde and shamelesse and doth more lay open the badnesse of their cause For hee saieth that it is enough for them if saint Iames doe not forbid it And is that your touchstone M. Bellarmine whereby you wil trie your doctrines What will you say then to that Lawe that God hath established for euer Deut. 12.32 and 4.2 Whatsoeuer I commaund you to doe doe it Thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take aught there-from