was hym selfe that they should take them so as the ministers of God and dispensators or distributours of his misteries Againe This ys it that hath discoraged Christen people from the often vse and frequenting of the Sacrament As though that if there were no priestes at all there would be continuall receauing or that priestes would receaue more oft then they do if they were free and not bound vnto it The people say you is left free to come as seldome as they wil. You speake cuttedly and vntruly Vntrulie because yourselfe confesse that the church hath takeÌ„ order that the people receaue at Easter and then are thei not left free to come as seldome as thei wyll which must come ones a yeare And cuttedlie because thei are left free to come in one yeare not as seldome as thei wyll but allso and rather as oft as they will And if it be in their wil and power to come euerie weeke or daie in which masse is celebrated how should the state of the priest be the cause of stopping their libertie You shall goe with hym for his wysedome which being condempned for robberie sayed that if he had neuer praied to Sainct he had neuer come to haÌ„ging As you do now put the cause of the peoples fault in the holye order and office of priesthode But I trust you had somwhat that moued you against priestes about their office of sacrificing Where vpon it foloweth Sure I am that neither the institution of Christ maketh mention of any oblation or sacrifice to be done by the minister sauing only the sacrifice of thankesgeauing nor yet the scripture apointeth any bounden duetie for the priest more to vse the sacrament then other godlie and well disposed Christians Whether the priest ys bound to vse the sacrament more theÌ„ other good people it is nothing to the purpose to aske it except you take the word vse for sacrificing I tell you so oft of your euill maner herein because you should hereafter amend it But for the other matter which in deed ys now in question what if you reade not in the institution of Christ speciall mention of oblation to be done by the priest are you straitwaies at your wittes end that you can not tell where to seeke further for the truth Doe yow not know that our Sauior was found after iij. dayes seeking in the middle of doctours and doe not holy men interprete vs our Sauiors meanyng such as ourselues should neuer find in scripture yf we loked till our eies were out in the letter only and text of it Allso where find you in the institution of Christ any precise mention made of the sacrifice of thaÌ„kes geauing which onlie sacrifice yow find there or els you lie Then as you might thinke vs of very small iudgemeÌ„t if we would denie the sacrifice of thankes geauyng because we doe reade no such word sacrifice in the text of Christe his institution of the sacrament so as we may be content that you shew vnto your selfe therein some part of fauor and beleue that which is not expressie writen yet do ye not vse such argumeÌ„tations by negatiues with vs hereafter except we should reason only for makyng of sport or spending of tyme. Yet to declare vnto you shortly that some see more then you doe in this matter I answer that hoc facite which is to saie doe this or make this standeth emong other his significations there allso for sacrificare For so is facere taken in sundrie places of the scripture And if you take facere in his most common signification I saie that Christ dyd make an oblation and sacrifice of his bodie in his last supper and his Apostles are authorised and charged to do as he dyd ergo thei were bound to offer and to sacrifice Bishopes also priestes now must folow their example whom thei succede in office For Christ our Sauior after he had ended the eating of the lambe according to the manner of the old law he instituted and brought in the eating of his owne fleshe of the truth of which the old paschal was but a figure Reade S. Hierome vpon the. 27. of S. Matheu But the paschal lambe was offâ—red vp to God before it was eaten therefor vndoubtedly that the truth might answer the figure Christ offered hymselfe in his maundie before the Apostles receaued hym Consider allso that a sacrifice properlie ys when any thing is made holie to the honor of God and what thing in old or new testament did euer sett furth the honor of God more worthely then the geauing of his owne flesshe to feede wretches Or where was there any thing euer made of prophane holie if not then when Christ toke breade in to his handes and saied in his allmightines This ys my bodie I note besides all this vnto you that in S. Luke his Ghospell it is saied expreslie of our Sauior takyng the bread in to his handes This ys my body which ys geauen for you Not which shall be geauen only vpon the crosse but which presently is geauen neither geauen only to you at this present as though all consisted in the eating but euen now geauen for you by which an oblation a present a sacrifice or some such seruice of his bodie is signified Thinke you theÌ„ that you might not reade in the verie institution of the sacrament that his bodie was offered of hymselfe and that the Apostles had commaundement to folow his example therein if you had a simple and faithfull eie to see all that to be true which the church spelleth vnto you But a sacrifice is a thing geauen vnto God the sacrament was a thing geauen vnto vs nothing can therefore be of nature more contrarie then your sacrifice and Christ his sacrament You must not stand herein if you doe well For Luthers opinion and Zuinglius encountring hym in the sacrament are a thousand tymes more contrarie theÌ„ a sacrifice and a sacrament For thei can neuer be brought to agreement but sacrament and sacrifice doe very quietlie stand togeather what Dyd you thinke that we offered sacrifice vnto any other then to God Or if we had any part in it for ourselues weened ye that God must be vnserued Marie Syr if there were nothing els yet because we haue a God there is nothing more conuenient then to haue a sacrifice for hym and nothing to hym ys more wellcome then his verie owne soun his body Were it not a great absurditie that of our corne or any lyke thing we might make both an offeryng vnto God and meate allso for our selues afterwarde and that Christ of his bodie the true and sweete floure or meale shold make no larger commoditie theÌ„ to geaue vndeserued breade to synners where lerned you that one the selfe same thing can not be both a sacrifice and a Sacrament we haue sucked you saie our error out of the fashions of speaking
that the church hath prouyded that they should not receaue generally at other tymes of the yeare but only at Easter Which is as false as God is true For the Canon and decree of the church is that who so doth not receaue at Easter shall not be accoūted a Christian. The wordes are these Omnis vtriusque sexus sidelis postquam ad annos discretionis peruenerit omnia sua solus peccata confiteatur fideliter saltem semel in anno proprio sacerdoti iniunctam sibi poenitentiam studeat pro viribus adimplere suscipiens reuerenter ad minus in Pascha Eucharistiae sacramentnm c. and they are thus much in Englishe Let euerie faithfull man woman and child after they come to yeares of discretion confesse by them selues faithfully vnto their owne priest all their synnes once a yeare at the least and studie to fullfill according to their power the penance inioyned them reuerently receauing the Sacrament of the Eucharist at Easter at the least c. By which decree she doth not I trow take order that the people shall generallie receaue onely at Easter but that if they receaue not at that tyme ad minus at the least they shall be punished for it Declaring hereby how much she mislyketh that the people will not voluntarilie prepare them selues to receaue their maker wheras she is constrained to put furth a law that at the least they shall receaue at Easter or els be accoūted for not Christans where lerned you then that the people were apointed to receaue onlie at Easter Or in what text or glose do you find it that the church hath takē order for them not to receaue generally at other tymes Tell vs I praie you whether all be one in your iudgement to saye you shall receaue at Easter at the least and you shall receaue only at Easter The first the church decreeth constrainyng thereby herr childerne to remember their dutie and to receaue the cumfort of their sowles The second is only by you imprinted to make the laity suspect the gouermēt of the Catholike Bishopes as though they should study how to diminisshe the cōmon peoples profit and knowledge and therefor had taken order and diligence that they should receaue only at Easter What authoritie you haue to make such open and wicked lyes I knowe not but allthough it might be geauen yet a good man wold not vse it And allthough you might scape vnespied thorough the greate credence in which your brothers haue you perchaunse yet should you not shew such malice or boldnes towardes the good and indifferent reader or towardes a neuer so euillbeloued aduersarie But now to an other matter An other matter I maye well saye For whereas it was consequent to bring in the testimonie of S. Chrisostome you deferr that ouer vnto the fifthe chapiter and occupie the reader and the replier allso when any such would be found out for you with the question of the sacrifice In which matter although I might be long and copious in answering you yet as much as I can prouide for it I will be short and compendious in declaring the truth Therefor let vs heare of you where your griefe is that by answering yea or no vnto it we may the quicklier end this extraordinarie eruption of yours against the truth of our sacrifice First you alleage that to saie that the priest is bound to offer vpp the daily sacrifice ys The roote of all the abuses of the Lords supper that haue ben brought in to the church of Christ. c. Do you thinke then that if priestes were not bound vnto it all abuses which haue sprong vpp as you saie would straitwaies decaie and wither the roote of them being taken awaie But who shall then stand at the aultar and intend vpon the misteries for dutie sake And when the parissheners shall make courtesie and saie one to the other Goe you and nay goe you and by my trothe I am not readie and by my trothe then lett all stand wyll you permitt such disorder to contynue when the roote of abuses shall be taken awaie by you or will you apoint some one or other which shall be bound to serue in the office whom yet if you will apoynt to be a reader only and to haue no further authoritie thēto open the boke and tell what is writen in it then shall you disgrace very much the priesthode and order of the newlaw which by all common reason should be more worthier then any ptiesthode that euer was in the world Now if you being venterous to take the rule of Christen sowles in to your owne handes are enforced to keepe officies and dignities emong you for the better commendation of your Ghospell thinke you that the wisedom of God and a God hym selfe Iesus Christ would gather a multitude of natiōs togeather in to one faith one hope and one absolute forme of seruing and honoring God and prouide no officers cōcernyng that effect ouer them Or when he hath apointed most perfect and excellent offices to be taken and exequuted of men for the wealth of his welbeloued would he leaue them to their pleasure whether they did folow their office or no and lett them stand vnbound and vncharged It seemeth then that as by his diuine prouidence he as man began a priesthode to serue for his church in matters apperteinyng vnto God so by as necessarie consequēce he charged his leuetenantes and vnderofficers in that kind to exequute his wyll and doe their dutie Wherefor that priestes should be bound to daily offering concernyng the whole body of priesthode and not euery particular person it is so farr of to be the roote of abuses that except such a dutie were folowed we should by this tyme haue had no supper of our Lords at all I warrant you Iniquitie would so much haue preuailed when the dayly sacrifice should haue ceased and no man his law could haue continued it if by the law of God it had bēfound vnrequired And further I saie that the church hath brought in or alowed no abuses in the ministration of any sacramēt But you goe forward and lie This is wherewith you do pitifully deface the death and passion of Christ makyng your selfe for your glories sake as it were meanes of reconciliation between God and his people This is a shamefull lie yea rather it is a slaunder whereas you make the desire of glorie to haue ben the cause in the church of Christ of hauing her priestes endued with such excellencies and prerogatiues And you speake so aduisedlie as though Aaron had not stode laudablie betwyxt God and the people when the plague was sent furth against them or Moyses had done presumptuously to be the spokesman for the people vnto God or as though Christ had not sent his Apostells euen as his Father sent hym or S. Paule had not geauen warnyng vnto the Corinthians cōcernyng such as he
quarelling But aâ—ee herein yowr honest and true charitie M. D. Cole in hys first letter to the Bishope promiseth by the faith he beareth to God that he will yeld so farr as M. Iuel shall geaue him cause And he againe in the second letter â–ª to M. Iuell in most hartie and humble wyse desyreth hym to geaue eare vnto his sute and he speaketh so loulie and baselie that it may be wel marueiled why such a Catholike would submitt hym selfe vnto a protestant Yet this notwithstanding you which see further in other mens hartes then you can gather by any outward signe dare to speake it and that in print that for all M. D. Coles pretence yet in deede he went about quarelling And you speake not onlie for your selfe but you would haue other beleeue that M. Iuell allso was of the same opinion as though he had therefore made strange without further licence to shew furth the proufes for his doctrine because he had to do with a wayward and quarelling subiect Whereof you do fouly and vnworthely cause hym to be suspected â–ª as it doth clearly appeare by his answer to M. D. Coles first letter In which after he had declared the doubt of hys mynd whether without further liceÌ„ce he might safely geaue a rekonyng of his doctrine Not withstanding sayeth he for as much as I am persuaded that you charitablie desyre to be resolued I can allso charitablie be contented c. to conferr with you herein Wherefor truly Syr what so euer you be you be much to blame to report in such sort of D. Cole as neither by hym is to be gathered by the faith he oweth vnto God neither to M. Iuell ys persuaded as plainely appeareth by his letters Yf therefor D. Cole was not in such sense taken by M. Iuell as you suppose hym to haue ben receiued it is euident that as you vnderstode not the meanyng of the author of the Apologie so lykewyse you haue mistaken the mynd and saying of your Lord of Salisburie Which maketh me iustly to doubt whether you vnderstand your selfe in such matters as you haue enterprysed As in an other reason which you bring for M. Iuell it may be partly proued vntill I procede further Your reason is this In that he is orderlie called to the state of a Bishope he is in possession of the truth And therefor it were not reason he shold â—e requested first to shew his euidence What meane you then I pray you by possession of the truth Is the truth so ioyned vnto the Bishopericke of Sarum that he which is sett in possession of the landes ys straitwaies placed in the possession of the truth And because it is not so how ys M. Iuell at this daye more properly in the possession of the truth then he was seuen yeres past when he was out of all possession of land And if seuen yeres past he might haue ben required and nothing haue doubted to shew his euidence vnto a Catholike Bishope whâ— ys it against reason that at this daye for all his temporall honor he should do the lyke For allthough palace parkes reuenues seruantes horses and such lyke do make hym in the sight of the world more worthyer yet all the ryches and glorie of the world should not make hym by one iote the truer If the wyll or counsell of mightie Princes of the world or yf the consent of the commons of any realme were able to sett the studentes of diuinitie in the possession of the truth then not only such Princes or such commons might be called Lordes of the truth but allso the truth which is one in it selfe should be oftentymes changed euen as their myndes shoulde be altered whiche are letters and setters of it But the wysedome of God hath apoynted a better order And he hath geauen vnto his only-begoten and singularly welbeloued soun Ihesus Christ the nations of the world as his iust inheretance which yet is so geauen of the father that the soun by his pretiouse death hath truly deerly purchased it To take therefor the possession of the world which he might of right challenge for his obedience vnto death he sent furth his officers and Apostells and by his diuine power and shewing of miracles he placed those so few and so simple persons in the possession of hys landes and by sending vnto them all the giftes and graces of the holyghost he set them perfectly in the possession of hys truth as it ys writen when the holygost cummeth he shall teach you all truth Now that the possessioÌ„ of this truth might not be lost for euer after and that allthough the Apostells and Disciples should within few yeares depart from this world yet that such should neuer be to seekyng as might hold the possession of truth once taken therefor God which was able to performe it â–ª dyd apoynt in hys church some Apostles some Prophetes some Euangelistes other some Pastors and teachers vntill all we shall come and meete togeather in vnitie of faith and knowledge of the soun of God Such therefor as succeed the Apostells in their faith and places and such as haue coÌ„tinued in the possession of the truth euer sence Christ hytherto such also as keepe the Catholike tradition and priesthode in the most partes of Christendome are to be regarded and estemed as the right heires of the Apostles and Christ. But if in some corner of Christendome the old and auncient Bisshopes be dryuen out of their places and if a new religion be planted xvC yeres after Christ allthough it should continue without interruption in that one particular place vnto the worlds end yet could it be neuer rightly saied to haue the possession of truth by order No verely it hath not so much as the possession of place orderly and much lesse the possession of the truth For I pray yow what maÌ„ner of faith was he of whom M. Iuell succedeth in the palace of Sarum Or what order can yow number vp sence England was Christened of Bisshopes and Priestes inspired with the lyke confession of faith as now is for the tyme vsed Well Syr yet agayne if the order which any one Realme taketh be able to settle men in the possession of truth and if for the tyme of that order standyng no Bishope is to be required to shew his euidence how chaunseth it that in the disputatioÌ„ which was prepared at Westminster the catholike Bishopes which then were in possessioÌ„ were not yet permitted to enjoy their pruilege Or whi did your Bishopes now which then were out of office refuse to shew their euidences as thei were required As the church of Christ had hundred of yeares togeather vsed so dyd the Bisshopes and clergie of England obserue and keepe in their seruice and order of church what tyme you began to ryse and reason against them And whereas it was sufficient cause inowgh for them to beleiue and mainteine as thei
dyd because thei had so receiued of their predecessors and fathers whose wysedomes thei had not to suspect yet you were not content with the licence grauÌ„ted vnto you of disputyng with them but you would allso apoint vnto them what order thei should take in the matter And for all their possession yet you would dryue them to shew their euidencies What if thei had lost their writinges or could not fynd them presently or wold not shew them to such as you were ys their silence or refusall in that behalfe to be accompted for a losse of their cause But thankes be to your Bishoperickes when you be now well placed you are content that the plaintyfe shoulde first and formost shew his euidence And now it ys against reason that the possessor should take the person of a plaintyfe which before this tyme would not be grauÌ„ted whiles your selfes were out of all possession But how say yow if the Catholikes doe continually yet keepe their possession for the Bishopes of Fraunce Spaigne Germanie and Italy are not yet dryuen out of their chaires and places of the Apostells And as long as they keepe their romes you can not enter in to the churche as it were a house forsaken and destitute how then will you dryue them out by force vi armis In deede it ys one of the cheifest wayes by which the new ghospel hath proceded which if you can not as yet folow thoroughly you must then either lett them alone which you do not as appeareth by your sermons writinges or els bring furth your euideÌ„ces against them which be in possession But no reason shall preuaile except it make for you and therefor you passe not vpon the possession which the Catholikes hold and keepe in the world but you wyll dryue them to the prouyng of such articles as doe offend you and for your owne part you will stand vpon the negatiue The resting vpoÌ„ which because you say it ys mistaken lett vs heare your expositioÌ„ how it must be vnderstanded M. Iuell say you perceauyng vs to make this auauÌ„t that the church hath taught as we doe these xvC yeares dyd both wyselie and lernedly see that there was none so fytt way to dryue vs from it As to rest vpon this true negatiue that we haue no sufâ—icient proufe out of the authorities of scriptures fathers or councells But Syr how can your wysedome serue you to think that because you will haue vs to proue our doctrine therefor we must do it Yf euerie Catholike Bishope in the world should in his owne conscience haue mislyked the vse of the Catholike church in sundrie articles yet for the reuerence which they owe vnto antiquitie they should not without euident and manifest reason haue lightly geauen ouer their old orders for the strength of tradition ys so great that allthough I could see no reason why I should defend it yet I should not contempne their authoritie from whom it was receiued For lyke as in the Epistle vnto the Romanes which epistell traditioÌ„ teacheth me to be S. Paules I must not blott out euerie sentence which vnto my iudgemeÌ„t may seeme either vntrue either vnprofitable but reuerently thinke that all ys well allthough my vnderstandyng be very euill so when the churche of Christ doth generallie receaue and folow a custome I ought to iudge the best of it allthough I were not able to proue it To dispute of that which the whole churche thorough the world doth vse it is sayeth S. Augustyne a poynt of most insolent madnes Yf therefor being able to geaue no other reason for my beleife then only traditioÌ„ I should not rasshely depart from it shall my aduersary require of me a cause of my doinges in wryting and except I shew it owt of hand pull me away from my religion Lett me suppose that you browght M. Iuell vnto me and that he should find me standing in this poynt of the Catholike faith that it ys not of necessitie required in a Christen man to receiue vnder both kyndes What might he thinke you say vnto me either wysely either lernedly agaynst me you would make hym I know to speake after this sort that I haue no sufficient proufe owt of Scriptures Doctours or Councells to make for me Yes Syr would I answer and please you I haue sufficient authoritie for my beleife therein but I am not disposed to tell you of it and I would not care to take a blowe for so answering a Bisshope Yes Mary shall he saye if you had any you would alleage it and except you tell me of one or other you shall be accounted to make only an auaunt and in deed to haue nothing And here I trow if all Catholikes should hold their peace in lyke manner as I do it should be declared at Paules crosse the next sunday folowing that the papistes haue no one sentence or word to make for them in all Scripture Doctours and CouÌ„cells Well Sir then allthough this be to much iniury and oppression because the Catholikes were not disposed to refell your negatiue therevpon to conclude that they are able to say nothing I will yet goe further with you and graunt for disputation sake that which for truth sake is to be denyed And what is that forsoth that I haue no other cause in all the world for defence of the article which I mentioned but only this one that it hath very long and quietly continued How say you in this case wyll you stand still vpon the negatiue which for trying of your wysedome I graunt vnto you And to keepe your negatiue wil you deny that receiuyng in one kynd only hath not ben long vsed in the church No verely that can you not doe because it is so playne and euident that receiuyng in one kynd hath continuance of tyme and approued practise of Christendome for it that your selues doe crye out and gapple in pulpites that many hundred of yeres togeather before you were breathed owt in to the worlde all Christendome as in sundrie other pointes so in that allso was miserablie deceaued How then you will perchaunse proue vnto me that my argumeÌ„t is not good because all the world hath hytherto ben seduced And truly what other thing you might say I can not tell For when I shold yeld vnto you that I haue no Scripture Doctour or Councel for coÌ„munion in both kyndes and when you should not well call me vnreasonable for dwelling against you in that article and opinion alleageing the coÌ„sent and vse of Christendome for me either you must declare that reason of myne to be nothing worth the staying vpon or els you must hold your peace as hauing no more to saye vnto me or els you must repete your begynning againe and harpe madlye vpon one string in telling me that I can shew no sufficient sentence exaÌ„ple or authoritie why coÌ„munion should be geauen vnder one kynd only Now as you haue to muche varietie
authors but you can neuer be able to shew that we make such definition of a priuate masse whereas so expressely we answer you that we haue no masse priuate But it is to be noted the authoritie with which you make your conclusions I do therefor say you take priuate masse to be not onlye as you c haue wrested it but as it was commonly vsed in the world before and as it was sett furth in your scholemen to the great defacing of Christ hys death and passion Yf you haue any face at all of à true man shew in what place of any scholeman any such priuate masse is spokeÌ„ of as you define And I would allso that you had concluded whether you will take this word priuate in such sense as by the Lutherans it is apointed to expresse sole receiuing For allthough you ioyne your issue with vs about this definition of priuate masse which your selfe haue inuented yet you will not refuse alltogeather to take priuate masse as we do thorough the occasion of certen heretikes for sole receiuing Which whether you do because you would not seeme to graunt vnto the Catholikes that priuate masse hath ben in the primitiue church which is coÌ„cluded easelie vnderstanding by it sole receauing or rather because you would haue some libertie to hyde your selfe vnder ambiguities and thereby to troble your aduersarie when he shold not know where to find you as I feare them bothe so I wil not determyn vpon any one But if you mynd to stand with vs vpon that definition of priuate masse which you haue made we saie that there is no such thing emong vs as you do enforce your selfe to proue owt of owr authors And yet if you will put out the word priuate which you neuer lerned of vs for the rest we will abyde by all that which the church hath receiued and delyuered coÌ„cernyng our sacrifice and the value of it and in what sense the priest may applie a benefite proper to some peculiar person And therefor when you will begyn and you shall be answered or rather answer when you can for we haue allreadie begon We I meane Catholikes which speake in all tonges that if you find not our argumentes in Englisshe yet you may resort to the Italian Spaynisshe French Laten and to the Duch tong But if now on the other syde you will admitt such an interpretation of priuate which word Luther hath ioyned vnto the masse as shall signify and declare sole receiuyng then shall we ioyne this issue with you that the priest is not bound to haue present companie to receiue with hym but that without all daunger of God his indignation he may celebrate a priuate Masse as you terme it c. The third Chapiter FOrasmuch as M. Iuell with other do think theÌ„ selues to hurt our church very much in their stout deniall that there was any masse priuate as they terme it in the primitiue church the Catholike therfor in his Apologie although he had good authorities to confute that bold conclusion yet for the better opening of their weake kynd of reasonyng he so beginneth with them as though it were true that there was no ptiuate masse in the primitiue church And he seemeth to make these argumentes for vs. Not if there were no priuate masse in the primitiue church therefor it must of necessitie folow that none might or should be vsed at these daies For many thinges were then interdicted which now are permitted And many thinges were not extant then in the church which now are to be maynteined Examples hereof may be perceaued in wasshing of feete in absteinyng from bloud in receiuyng of the sacrameÌ„t after supper in howseling of infantes in temporalties of Bishopes and Christenyng of Princes To call therefor such thinges to the state of the primitiue church ys to inforce a taule man to returne to his swathing clothes Againe men at that tyme were so well disposed that it was no woÌ„der if at euerie masse there were coÌ„municantes but now there ys such coldnes of charitie that if we should allwaies tarie for communicantes we should verie seldome haue any masse at all Furthermore the people are not commaunded but counselled only to the frequentation of their housell but the priestes are commaunded to celebrate oftentymes Therefor it ys no reason that a dutie should be omitted and the priest made to waite vpon the pleasure of the laitie And so he shortly concludeth that to prescribe of necessitie that there ought to be a cumpanie to receiue with the priest it is an itching folie But now against these reasons of the Catholike what saieth the M. of the defence You would seeme to take from vs the true and right rule to reforme the church of Christ You be verie suspitiouse Syr or verie iniurious For no other thing was gone aboute in this third chapiter but that all thinges should not be required to be done as thei were vsed in the primitiue church Which conclusion do you simply and plainelie yeld vnto or els will you dryue vs to the further prouyng of it Nay you confesse it to be so euident and true that you maruell at the Catholike because he endeuored to open it Where theÌ„ is that fault which you find with him or what true and right rule of reformyng the church might he seeme to take awaie from you He saied nothing els but that all thinges should not be so required to be done as thei were vsed in the primitiue church and yourselfe confesse this â–ª to be a most true saying and yet you misâ—lyke with hym because of the speaking of it Here now it may appeare who lurketh out of the light or who draweth back For whereas you without distinction haue abused the name of the primitiue church and made so litle rekonyng of these last ixC yeares and more as though you would admit no other thing then that which should be proued to agree with the example of the primitiue church what thing is more necessarie to be spoken of then that discretion is to be vsed in this matter and that all thinges are not absolutlie to be reduced vnto the paterne of the primitiue church For allthough you for your owne part be of such iudgement that you can make distinction betwene thinges necessarie and indiffereÌ„t yet wheÌ„ the multitude of light heades do heare you to appeale simplie to the primitiue church and to crake that the right and true reformation ys from thence to betaken thei fall in to such a conceit by and by that except the Catholikes can bring all their orders from the primitiue church thei will not be ruled by them And if I were so suspitious as you I could saie that your owne preachers and masters do seeme to be of the same opinion when thei make so exact rekonyng vpon the tyme in which orders haue by holy men ben brought in to the church as though nothing were to
be permitted but that which hath come frō the Apostles or that those thinges should be alltogeather now autētike which were vsed in the primitiue church But if the Catholike hath ben superfluous in prouing of that which no man as you saie hath denyed if you wyll charitablie forgeaue hym this once he shall within the turnyng of one leaffe in your defence do the lyke again for you And now I trow we do agree in this one poynt that for ceremonies and thinges indifferent we are not bound vnto the Apostells tyme. In what thinges then are we bound to do after the example of the Apostels and the primitiue church In truth of doctrines and right vse of sacramētes as thinges in the church most necessarie And you doe alleage this cause of your so saying In doctrine there is but one veritie and but one right vse of the sacramentes If I were able precisely to know what you meane by the right vse of Sacramentes I could sone answer you how farfurth we agree with you in this part of your distinction For to receiue in the morning or euening to receiue fasting or after meales and to receiue with cumpanie or alone they be such thinges as you may at your pleasure vnderstand by the right vse of the Sacrament or saie to disagree from the right vse of it For in S. Paules tyme emong the Corinthians they vsed to receiue at night about supper tyme and they made no matter of conscience if they had dined that daie before And you can not saie but notwithstanding the breaking of their fastes or takyng of their suppers they dyd in that beginnyng of the church rightly vse the Sacrament Yf therefor the vse of the Sacrament ys to be taken for that manner and order which they rightly vsed at the begynnyng in receauyng of the sacramentes I denie vnto you that the right vse of them is to be accompted emong preceptes and lawes vnchangeable For the right vse is but one you saie and therefor lyke as thei of the Apostells tyme dyd sitt togeather in the church about euening and receiue either after or before other meates Christ his verie naturall body so should we do now of necessitie in these daies or els we vse not the sacrament rightly To which case if you will answer that tyme place and maner of supping with common meates which then were vsed do nothing apperteine to the right vse of the sacramēt so shall I againe inferr that number of communicantes and receiuing in one or both kyndes are as litle required to the right vse of the sacrament Therefor to auoid the occasion of stryuing which could not but be geauen if one part vnderstanded not the other our meanyng is this that in the articles of our faith and necessary doctrine we haue to keepe one veritie which hath ben from the begynnyng but in canons and orders which haue ben added sence vnto the substance of our religion the church of Christ is not so straictly bound vnto them but that she may with discretion abrogate or alter them or permit the discontinuance of them And in this kynd of orders we vnderstand the vse of the sacramētes which in substance are to this daie one with those of the primitue church do thei neuer so much differ in ceremonies circunstancies and manner of vsing them We do not therefore graunt vnto you that the right vse of the sacrament ys but one or that the vse of a sacrament is in the same authoritie and estimation as the truth of doctrine is For he which receiueth alone if he be in state of grace doth well and he which receiueth with cumpanie doth wel if his liffe be cleane And then againe a conclusion in doctrine can neuer be remoued but in receiuing of sacramentes diuers vses may be permitted except you doubt whether both parties should be thought baptised a right of which the one were but once dipped the other thrise wasshed and perfunded Wherefore the vse of the sacramentes being ▪ with vs a thing indifferēt in it selfe allthough not indifferent vnto euerie rasshe controller you speake very absurdly vnto our iudgementes first in not bynding vs vnto the obseruations of ceremonies and thinges indifferent and then againe requiring of vs to keepe the ceremonies of the primitiue church ▪ For when you had said in one sentence For the vse of ceremonies and thinges indifferent we do not bind you to the Apostles tyme and the primitiue church in the next sentence folowing you call for redresse according to the scripture and primitiue church not only for vse of sacramentes or false opinions which are referred to the first member of your distinction but allso as concerning ceremonies which allthough you call superstitious that you might seeme to haue some iust cause of taking them awaie yet you do against right dealing to call vs to the primitiue churche for ceremonies which you said before were in themselues indifferēt And here loe you make a rule and saie that nothing is to be added vnto the first ordinances of the law and that we must bring thinges vnto the institution of Christ. And againe that we must not harken what other dyd before vs but what Christ first dyd that was before all And yet againe That that ys true that was first ordeined and that ys corrupted that ys after done which rule yf you wyll haue to be vnderstanded in suche matters as cōcerne immutable doctrine then haue you proued that thing which none of ours denyeth vnto you and so you are all fallen in to the same lapse for which you misliked with others But if you vnderstand generally by truth of doctrine the vse of Sacramentes and ceremonnies then haue you much forgoten yout selfe which euen now made ceremonies indifferent But if you do it for that purpose that a Catholike should not know where to haue you allthough I seeme to aske your losse yet for truth sake amend that fasshion And perchaūse this myght be amended allso that you do not trulie alleage your testimonies saying that to be Saint Cyprianes in his Epistle vnto Cecilius which is not at all to be found there but in his goodly treatise De simplicitate praelatorum In which place the seeking vnto the head which you do mention is not vnderstanded for to seeke vnto the beginnyng of a doctrine or custome but vnto that head of whom it ys wryten Thou art Peter that is to saye a rocke and vpon this rocke I wyll buyld my church But how rightlie you alleage the doctours and how much they make for you it wyll be perceaued before we haue ended Hytherto let it be marked that we refuse your rule of resorting to the first institution for the redresse about the vse of the Sacramentes Because the vse of them is a thing indifferent and it neither maketh neither marreth to receiue alone or with cumpanie and to receiue in one or in both kyndes or at
night or in the morning or thrise in the yere or ones in all our liffe so that the church be obeied And now we will come to an other part of this third chapiter in which you do excedingly reproue the Catholike because of the similitude of a taull man and infant which he vsed to the openyng of his purpose and confounding of his aduersarie Which so much displeaseth you that you saie I assure you it was neuer inuented without the spirite of Antichrist nor can not be mainteined withowt blasphemye agaynste Christ and singular reproch of his Apostells and their successors Syr I beseche you to pacifie yourselfe and to vse the matter so calmelie and quietly as you promised to do in the end of the .ij. chapiter Consider I pray you first whether the Catholike hath such a meaning as yon make sense vpon hym Let vs reherse faithfully the wordes of the Catholike and then as farr as your grammar rules will suffer you make your construction vpon them He had spoken before of the coÌ„mones of all thinges in the Primitiue church of miracles of couering of womens faces of temporalties of Bisshopes of receiuyng after supper of eatyng of blouddinges and houseling of infantes of which all he saieth in manner of a conclusion To call such thinges to the state of the Apostles tyme and of the primitiue church againe ys nothing els but to enforce a taule man to come to his swadeling clothes and to crie alarme in his cradel againe These loe be his very wordes in which do your worst and tell vs what fault you find He resembleth the primitiue church saie you to infancie wich similitude you terme as please you an inuention of Antichrist a blasphemie against Christ and singular reproch of his Apostells But see now herein how much you be deceaued The Catholike doth not as you weene saie that alltogeather that church was an infant but in such thinges as he speake of concerning order or dispensation which then was vsed in the church he saieth and saieth it truly that to require that all thinges shold be now in these daies obserued as thei were then vsed it were no more nor better then to bring a taule man to his swadeling clothes againe And yet as though he had made no more of the primitiue church then as if none but boyes had lyued in it so you ful manly reason against hym and proue your selfe to lacke discrâ—â—ion For you saie Yf that tyme were the state of infancie in the church wheÌ„ Christ hymselfe instructed when hys Apostles taught when the holy fathers gouerned next their tyme then we must needes recken Christ the Apostles the fathers to be infantes in religion to be babes in gouernement of the church Yf we must needes do so as you saie then is there no remedie But certenlie it is wonder vnto me how any such necessitie should be concluded yea allthough I would affirme it that not only in a few particular causes but allso coÌ„cernyng the whole state of her the church was then in her infancie For allthough the whole house be full of childerne yet it must not straitwaies folow that the goodman and the goodwiffe must needes be childerne Or if in a schole of one hundred of scholars the best is not come vnto his Catechisme or the institutions of Caluyne in Englisshe bokes which will sone make one a Doctour it must not folow of necessitie that the master vnderstandeth not his accidence The Apostells of our Sauyor Christ before the cummyng of the Holyghost in fierie tonges vpon them thei were allwaies full of imperfection both in will and allso vnderstanding ergo was Christ our master to be reckened for an ignorant person For so runneth your wyse reason that if that tyme were the state of infancie then we must needes recken Christ to be an infaent in religion The Christians allso after the ascension of Christ and preaching of the Apostles were for the most part fraile and weak of which the Apostle had need to saie If a man be preuented in any fault c. And againe I speake gentlie and fauorablie because of the weaknes of your flesshe And vnto the Hebrewes Euerie bodye that is partaker of milke is voyde of the talke of iustice for he is litle one but the sound and strong meate is for the perfect Yet not withstanding the imperfections of the weaker there were many spirituall men apt to instruct others and the Apostle had many thinges to tell his countriemen which could not be well interpreted because thei were vnable to heare hym But you to make your part the stronger do proue that the primitiue Church had vse of reason and wysedome and you goe so farr in the matter that you define vnto vs what the word Infancie doth signifie and you saie that young age ys for no other cause named infancie theÌ„ for that it hath not the vse of tong and can not speake But the primitiue church could speake ergo you would haue vs discredited because we saie that she had her infancie In very deed it had ben better for you if you coulde haue neither spoken neither wryten so childishly For to let that reproufe which you deserue to passe that you doe not rightly coÌ„ceiue hys meanyng whom you would seeme to aunswer you must consider that he which shall compare the tyme of the primitiue church vnto infancy may haue right good meaninges therin such as yourselfe must alow For lyke as to infantes many thinges are permitted which afterwardes shall leisurely be taken awaie so in the primitiue church vnder the sight and gouernement of the Apostells some ceremonies of the old lawe were suffered to continue which now emong all Christians are vtterly abrogated as circuncision purification and absteinyng from certen meates Againe lyke as all thinges are not opened vnto childerne which in further processe of yeres serue for their profit and vnderstanding so the wysedom of God which was abundantly in his Apostells and their successours did not straitwaies put furth in writyng all misteries but as occasion afterward required so it brought furth in to the open knouledge of the church the auncient and Apostolical verities I might allso saie that because the church then was in externall shew both poore and naked and subiect to persequutions therefor it was in her infancie but now wheÌ„ it is so glorious so strong and mightie that she hath the Princes of the world obedient and subiect vnto her and hath noblely spreaden herselfe ouer the cumpasse of the whole world it is no great absurditie I trow if she be said to haue come to a perfect age and stature Which yet if you will call dotage because of many euill maners and enormities extant in her I would not striue with you vpon it concernyng some members of her if you dyd so speake without priuy spite and malice But yet this doth folow that
You must graunt allso that as we are vnder a proper and most excellent law so lykewyse that we haue a correspōdent priesthode as it is writen VVhen the priesthode is transferred it must needes be that there be made a transferring of the law allso because law and priesthode do go◠ioyntly togeather Then it foloweth herevpon That euery Bisshope chosen out of men is apointed for men in those thinges which are to Godward that he should offer vp giftes and sacrifices for synnes c. But sacrifice for synn there is none in this law and tyme of grace besides the body and bloud of our Sauyor ergo that must be offered Yet no man should take an office vpon hym except he were called and there is no place in all scripture where that calling ys expressed but only in the last supper of Christ. therefor whereas he in that his last supper gaue authoritie vnto priesthode in saying Do this in remembrance of me I conclude that priestes only are bound to blesse to breake his body and consequently to eate it I saie not that euery priest is bound to daily frequentation of the sacrament which if you thinke vs to do you speake without boke therein and misreport the Catholikes but concernyng the whole body of priesthode and the necessitie of a daily sacrifice priestes are not only bound to offer but to prouide that there be daily offering Knowing this that it is a most sure token of Antichrist his presence whē the Iuge sacrificium the daily sacrifice shall cease to be offered For thei only are called to that high office and their dutie is to folow their office And this thing being rightly considered of the auncient fathers made them so reuerently to behaue them selues towardes the blessed sacrament As S. Denyse the Areopagite speakyng of the order of masse in his tyme saieth that the Bisshope excused hymselfe that he offered vp the helthsome sacrifice which is aboue his power and that he cried out decently saying vnto God Thow hast saied Do this in my remembrance As who sould saie except thow hadest geauen licence and authoritie what man would haue bē so bold as to come nigh to the touching of so diuine misteries S. Iustine allso the Martir witnesseth that the Apostles in their cōmentaries which are the ghospells do declare that Christ cōmaunded them to consecrate the bread by the prayers of his word at what tyme he toke bread and after thankes geauing saied Do this in remembrance of me And S. Cypriane more plainely saieth that in Christ his last supper those sacramentes came furth which had ben signified from the tyme of Melchisedech and that the high priest bringeth furth vnto the sounes of Abraham which do as he dyd bread and wyne sayng this is my body Of which bread saieth this blessed martyr the Apostells dyd eate in the same supper before according vnto the visible forme but sence the time that it was saied of our Lord do this in my remembrance this is my bodye this ys my bloud as often tymes as the thing is done with these wordes and this faith this substantiall bread and chalice consecrated with the solemne blessing profiteth vnto the liffe and health of all the whole man being both a medicine and a sacrifice to heale his infirmities and purge his iniquities Wherefore if you Syr would consider how great this misterie ys you shoulde perceaue how great honor and preeminencie all priestes are indued with For when they worke then are these holy thinges which I speake of begon and perfected But say you Christ his institution was generall and his commaundement therein stretcheth as well to the people as to the priest I haue proued vnto you the contrary both by reason because priesthode ys a distinct office vnto which certen onlye are apoynted and chosen owt from the laitie and by scripture as you may cōsider by S. Paule to the Hebreues and allso by Doctours as S. Denyse Iustine and Cypriane do plainely testifie But then you byd vs to vnderstand That S. Paule a good interpretour of Christ his mind applieth the wordes of Christ to the whole congregation of Corinth where it ys certē were both ministers and cōmon people Nay Sir vnderstand you this rather that you vnderstand not S. Paule which in that his chapiter alleageth the institutiō of Christ to this purpose that the Corinthians by consideration of the charitie and maiestie which was represented therein shold be more felolyke in the cōmunicating of theyr common meates from which they were fallen vnto seuerall and priuate tables or suppers in the church And he doth tell historically what Christ saied vnto his disciples not what Christ apoynted the Corinthians and euery other of the Christians to do For I haue receiued of owr Lord that which I haue delyuered vnto you sayth the Apostell But what meaneth he by these wordes I haue deliuered he spake vnto all the Corinthians without respect of spiritualtie or temporalty but dyd he speake by waie of instruction or by waie of geauing some office and function vnto them And that which he receiued of Christ did he delyuer vnto them as a doctrine and article to be lerned or as a cōmaundement to be exequuted if you meane the first you agree with vs if you meane the second you disagree from cōmon sense and euident truth for if it apperteine vnto all Christians without distinction to doe as S. Paule receaued of Christ and as the Corinthians receaued of S. Paule then must euery Christian take bread geaue thankes and breake it and when euery body is a minister who then shall be a receauer Againe in the wordes of our Sauyor Do this in remembrance of me how much is wylled to be done Are the wordes do this to be referred only to the takyng and eating no truly for do this doth not folow in Sainct Paule immediately vpon the wordes take and eate but after the wordes thys ys my body and it were better and plainelier englyshed make this then do this thereby to geaue you to vnderstand that by those wordes authoritie of makyng and consecrating Christ his body was geauen vnto the Apostles But taking do this after the largest manner it can not yet be referred to takyng or eatyng only but must allso be vnderstanded of blessing now if you will haue these wordes of do this in my remembrance to stretch as well vnto the people as to the high order of priestes then may you cōplaine not only that thei receiue not as oft as the priest which thei will not I warrant you for all your greate mouyng but allso and rather that they take not the bread in to their handes and blesse it themselues and say masse such as may be called priuate in deed Which vnsensible and pernitiouse folissh opinion because you will not suffer to enter in to your hart therefor you must of necessitie graunt great
difference to be betwyxt the priest and the people and confesse that taking blessing and breaking is so properly his that it can not rightly be the common peoples Yea marie saie you but Christ tooke the bread c. then the priest in his ministration must do as Christ dyd and no otherwyse that is to take breake and geaue vnto the people c. Speake you this of your owne mynd or do you speake it as it were vpon occasion of the Catholikes wordes Yf you thinke as you speake why find you no fault with your coÌ„munion where no rule ys apointed vnto ministers of taking the bread in to their handes or of blessing it which Christ hymselfe dyd But if you beleeue not that of necessity euery thing must be done as Christ dyd at his maundy what cause then moueth you whi distributyng should be more required then taking and blessing of the holy host which by your seruyce is omitted For the Catholike church doth teach that as the body of Christ is a sacrifice and a sacrameÌ„t so lykewyse that it ys two distinct actes â–ª his body to be offered and the same to be receiued And as S. Cypriane whom I haue alleaged doth testifie that the bread which the true Melchisedech and our high priest Christ gaue to his Disciples was both a whole burnt offering and sacriâ—ice and allso a medicine so as it is a medicine it is to be receaued of all Christians because all without exception are diseased and as it is a sacrifice it is actually to be offered for all persons by such as are properly apoynted out for that purpose because no man should take an office vpon hym before he be called Yet because one may iustly saie that to shew furth the death of our Lord vntill he come doth well agree with euery Christian man his part and office and therevpon vntruly conclud that Do this in remembrance of me which is by the interpretation of S. Paule to shew furth the death of Christ vntill he come should in all pointes be referred as well vnto the people as the priest therfor I answer further that allthough many thinges which Christ spake to the Apostles onlye and their successors may be truly applied vnto euery Christian so is it in this case of which we talke Christ saied vnto the Apostles onlye You haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you which allthough it may be truly verified of euery Christian man woman and child because that Christ in deed hath chosen vs to his people so many other besides coÌ„tinuing in their infidelitie or Iuisshnes yet it must not folow that Christ dyd not meane by those wordes that the Apostles were singularly chosen vnto the proper office of preaching and ministring his sacramentes Therfor allthough one may vse the wordes Do this in remembrance of me in respect of the common peoples affection yet it is not true that Christ had no larger or greater meanyng in them then that by eatyng of his body we should only remember that he dyed for vs which euery one may do as well as a priest Wherefor Syr as you haue coÌ„cluded that the priest is not bound to minister to other if there be none to receaue which is quickly to be graunted vnto you so I say that you haue nothing at all proued that Christ his institution stretcheth as well to the people as the priest or that the priest could not laufully receaue except there were some cumpany But where now are your scriptures your Doctours your generall councells and your crakes by which you should directly answer to that which is required of you We shall perchaunse hereafter in your defence read many great argumentes against vs but in the meane tyme you thinke it good to prouyde for a place of refuge when the ouerthrow shall be geauen vnto you And therefor you saie Yf we had no scripture at all to proue that the priest should not receaue without cumpany yf ye dyd geaue vs the ouerthrow in that yet could ye not triumph therein as though ye had wonn the field And why so I pray you Our contention you answer ys for priuate Masse c. of which sole receauyng ys but one part You pitch your campe Sir in a very wyde field and your kind of fight is such as we perceaue you would neuer be ouercummed The church of God whose armies of doctrine and verities do allwaies stand in good order if she be iustly ouercuÌ„med in any one thing which she absolutelye mainteineth she straitwaies shall be forsaken as one which is not to be credited But you in whose name I will not saie are so trimlye prepared that allthough you be ouerthrowen in one of your articles yet you will not be ouercummed in the state of your whole religion Yet how well this may be graunted lett vs consider Do not you distinct thinges some in to necessarie some in to indifferent Do not you saie that the sole receauyng of a priest by hym selfe is not a thing indifferent And do not you make a necessitie of doctrine in it that the people must receaue with the priest or els Christ his institution is broken Tell me then now further Is not the church of Christ the pillar and staie of truth And can that be possiblie his church which would sett furth a lye No truly It is impossible that the church should err in doctrine to whom the Holyghost was promised to teach her all truth and allso to tary with her for euer And if but one article which she defendeth be proued false I will not saie that all the rest which she vttered is false but this is most certen that she is not the church which is to be folowed Yet see you can so dispose your selues that allthough you be proued lyers in one of those your articles which you make necessary yet you will not be mistrusted but that neuerthelesse you be the true church of Christ. And whereas the Holyghost which was promised vnto the church doth teach her all truth yet you so vnderstand the matter that for all the ouerthrowing of one whing of your battaile you neuerthelesse will not leese the whole field and victorie Which one saying of yours alone without further stroke geaueÌ„ doth so wound your church and confound it that in deed you haue lost the victorie And it may well be that your tong is yet free and that your feete may serue you to runn in to other questions besides the purpose but as concernyng the truth which is with you in all poyntes if you be the true church you haue lost for euer the grace of it either because as we know you can not disproue sole receiuing either because yourselfe saie that if you were therein ouerthrowen you had not yet lost the victorie Which is thus much in effect that the church of Christ which honor you challenge vnto yourselfe might
commemoration of hym be offered vp mixt with wyne By which wordes he plainelye declareth his intent and purpose which was that for the tradition of mengling water and wyne in the chalice we should not folow any other order then that which Christ hymself fyrst vsed Therefor if you meane by your maior proposition that which S. Cypriane meaneth the plaine sense thereof is this that as concernyng the offering of wyne alone or water alone we should folow Christ his tradition only which apointeth for the chalice both water and wyne But then your argument will be very ridiculous as in example We ought to do that only which Christ did and nothing els as concerning the ordering and tempering of the chalice But in Christ his institution appeareth neither sole receiuing nor ministring vnder one kynd Therefor you may inferr wheÌ„ you will that if all abbeis were destroied we should haue fortie egges for a penie The maior of this argument is S. Cyprians and much staied vpoÌ„ in his epistle ad Cecilium The minor is your owne The conclusion ys lawfull and currant For to suche agreeable and proper premisses euerie conclusion will serue will inowgh But now if you will haue your maior to be generall first I flattly denie it then I haue declared that it ys not extant in S. Cypriane and thirdly I answer vnto you that you do not beleeue your owne maior because that in your communion no water is put in to the chalice Now as concerning your minor I graunt it vnto you that in the last supper of Christ there appeareth no sole receyuing I allso confesse that S. Iustine and S. Denyse the Areopagâ—te whom you alleage do well proue that in their daies there were coÌ„municants to receiue with the priest But as I must tell you againe our question is not of what was done but of what might haue ben done then and now ys done withowt offence of God and breach of Christ his coÌ„maundement I answer Christs institution the example of the Apostles the common vse of the fathers was otherwaies therefore the priest should not communicate without other I denye your argument for their vsages and doinges are not lawes vnto the church so as they may not be altered And by this reason you may bring vs to receiue after supper because of the institutioÌ„ of Christ example of the Apostles and coÌ„mon vse of the primitiue church As we againe myght bryng yow to take the sacrament in one kind because of the authoritie of Christ and example of the primitiue church But you seeme to yeld that you haue no expresse commaundement to bryng furthe agaynst vs and yet that notwithstanding you will haue vs to be ouercummed And to this purpose you saye You haue no expresse coÌ„maundement which forbeadeth you to baptyse in the name of the father only but that Christ his institution was otherwyse What was the institution of Christ therein was it not that his Apostles should baptise in the name of the Father the Soun and the Holighost Yet the Apostles did baptise in the name of IESVS only without mention made of the Father or the holighost Yf thei did breake Christ his institutioÌ„ thei were not faithful Apostles and yet thei do not seeme to keepe it when thei do not baptise in the name of the three persons What then shall we saie Truly that you vnderstand not the institution of Christ and that the church is the staie of all the Catholikes which doth interprete vnto them Christ his full mynd and order And lyke as it is answered by autentike and good authoritie that in baptising in the name of Ihesus Christ the sacrament is full and perfect For he which saieth CHRIST coÌ„prehendeth in that one word the father which anoynted hym and the holyghost with whom he was anoynted and then Christ which is by interpretatioÌ„ the anoynted and so doth make vp the misterie of the three persons so in receauing vnder one kynd we receaue both flesh bloude as perfectly as if both kindes had ben ministred and in receauing alone we receaue as much of the true and reall profit which cummeth vnto vs by the sacrament as if all the parishe dyd beare vs cumpanie at the aultar Therefor when you talke of Christ his institutioÌ„ of baptisme you speake you can not tell what and you know not I beleue when Christ instituted that sacrament For he baptised before his resurrectioÌ„ were it by himselfe or by his Apostells and he gaue not the commaundement of baptising in the name of the father the soun and the holighost before the tyme of his ascensioÌ„ And againe when yow tell vs that we haue no other proufe against hym which would baptise in the name of the father then Christ his institution yow would seeme to vnderstand and know all our reasons and conclusions and yet you be as ignoraÌ„t in that point as he which neuer had readen any other then his owne doctours Reade in Petrus Lombardus that lerned Bishope in what sense it may be true that one might baptise in the name of the father without specifying of the Soun or the Holyghost Therefor to conclude you haue hytherto either not prouyd your purpose either spoken owt of the purpose either made directly against your owne purpose The fourth Chapiter THE Catholike in his Apologie folowing his principall purpose beginneth to shew what the priest may doe And he alleageth S. Chrisostome by whom he would make yt plaine bothe what the priest may doe and what the people should doe that yf the people will not folowe good exhortations then the priest without all doubt maie doe his dutie As who should saie â–ª if communicantes were to be had then were the questioÌ„ a great deale more doubtfull but if none will be brought to receaue with the priest then is there nothing to staie hym but he may receaue alone For as all surseasing of sutes in the lawe ys first to be wished and if that can not be obteined that then a man may sue for his right so all good men may wishe that the people should be allwaies well disposed and yet yf they will not be brought vnto it the priestes may sue for their right Which similitude being alleaged and seruing also well for this purpose that if we can not come to the best we may laufully take the next best vnto it yet the M. of the defence doth make such a doe against it as though it were a principal argument of ours in refelling of which he might shew his florishies And thus he saieth In recityng the authoritie of Chrisostome you bring in a similitude or coÌ„parison which of how small force thei be in prouyng your lerning can not be so litle but that you must needes know The similitude of which you speake was not brought in so much to proue as to open and expound that which then was to be approued
haue shortlie declared what a sacrifice is And that one is internall an other externall And that vnder the name of internal sacrifice all pietie and deuotion of the hart is coÌ„teined in to how manie kindes so euer it may be deuided And that all good externall actions done in respect of God are comprehended vnder the name of externall sacrifice with all the varietie and number of them be they neuer so diuerse and manie In which kind of externall sacrifice I haue putt the sacrifice of the churche geauing warning vnto you in what sense the church doth call it a sacrifice And now therefor to returne vnto your diuision of sacrifice you maie lerne hereafter to doe your thinges in better order For the oblations which the people made of bread wine and other victualls likewise the praying for all states in the tyâ—e of celebrationâ— thirdlie euerie good act and consequentlie the action of the priest at the aultar should haue ben putt of you vnder the title or member of externall sacrifice And then you should haue spoken sumwhat of internall sacrifice And before you had come vnto that you should haue defined vnto vs what a sacrifice had ben that we might haue a little perceaued your good iudgement in the doctors But let vs forgeaue you this vnskillfullnes and consider now whether that which you haue spoken without order be not spoken allso of you without trueth or reason First we agree with you that the people made such offeringes as you speake of But we denie that the offering of the people was cause vnto the holie fathers that they should geaue the title of sacrifice vnto the sacrament For it is vnreasonable that the Sacrament should borow the name of oblation of the peoples offering and not rather the peoples wine and bread be honored with that title â–ª because of the Sacrament For in euerie kind of thing the first and cheifest in that kind is first and formest to be accompted As for example the offering of Christ which he made of hymselfe vpon the crosse because it was the most perfectest and best that euer was made you should not therefor saie that by the example taken of the offering vpp of calues sheepe or lambes Christ is saied to be offered but rather because of his principal sacrifice all other must from thence haue and borow their name And so because the oblation which ys made in the misteries is of more excellencie and of higher degree then the offeringes of the people no doctour of the church wold be so vnlike hym selfe as to call that which the priest coÌ„secrated at the aultar by the name of sacrifice because it was a selected portion out of the peoples offering Againe yf yt were true that in respect that the bread and wyne was taken out of the peoples offering therfor the bread and wine consecrated should haue the name of an oblatioÌ„ yet you could neuer call the priest an offerer except for some action in which his offering might be perceaued And this shall be the better proued by considering of your example which to shewe your purpose you bring out of S. Irenei which speaking of the bread and wine of which Christ saied Thys ys my bodie thys ys my bloud witnesseth that Christ therein taught them not vs as you conster it but the Apostles first and after them and by them vs a new oblation of the new testament which the church taking of the Apostles offereth vpp to God in all the world Here loe in this sentence if it were possible that the terme oblation should be applied not properlie vnto the sacrament but in respect as you thinke of the oblation of the people yet how doth the church offer when by your saying there is nothing to offer But consider for shame the wordes of S. Irenei He taught saieth he the Apostels a new oblation of the new testament Yf Christ taught them thei were to lerning of it if he taught them a new oblation it was such as thei neuer had before Yet of the offering of bread and wine and such like thei had not onlie hard of before but were allso offerers of it them selues because all the nation of Iewes had example or commaundement of it in the law Againe if it were a new oblation of the new testament it is plaine it was more worth and more royall and more true then any of the old law what tyme all thinges chaunsed vnto theÌ„ in figures and were done for vs which lyue now in the later end of the world And therefor if in the old law the priests oblations were true oblations and had not that name or title because thei were offered vp before of the people what a vile reproche is this to the euerlasting and new testament to saie that when the Doctours do speake of the oblation made at the masse thei meane thereby that the common people made offeringes of bread and wyne to serue therewith the aultar the priests and poore beggars Allso this holie father saieth That the church receauing that oblation of the Apostles doth offer it vpp to God in all the world Furthermore he bringeth in the testimonie of the Prophete Malachie to proue that the sacrificies of the old law should be abolisshed and one pure and cleane sacrifice succede them and please God more then all thei had done I haue no mynd to you saieth God by the Prophete vnto the Iewes as coÌ„cerning their sacrificies because from the East to the weast my name is greate emong the Gentiles and in all places there is sacrificed and offered vpp vnto my name a pure oblation or offering because my name is greate emong the Gentiles This testimonie of the Prophete S. Irenei alleageth to proue the new testament of which he spake And by all this which the church hath receaued the Apostles haue delyuered the Sonn of God hath taught the Prophete hath forshewed the whole world doth celebrate is this trow you vnderstanded that the people should in the tyme of the new law and kingdome of Messias come in to the churches with bread wyne butter egges and cheese and other good victualls that of the bread and wine which thei offer a portion should be taken to serue at the communion I will be short with you we the Christians either haue no externall sacrifice and then we be in more worse and discumfortable case then euer any before haue ben in any kind of religion or els we haue an excellent oblation delyuered vnto vs as the Prophete Malachie foreshewed and Christ exhibited and the church obserueth But this excellent oblation and so much spoken of is not the oblation which the people make for the offering of come wyne and victualls was more largelie and plentifullie vsed emong Iewes and Panimes both then it is with vs Ergo the Prophete Malachie spake of an other and better kind of offering Ergo allso S. Irenei dyd not meane in his sentence
that greate fault was found with manies slacknes in that behalfe as thei do make directly against hym which would mainteine the opinion that the people neuer receiued but at Easter so thei confirme rather our cōclusion which is that communicantes are not necessarie at euery tyme of masse to be celebrated For whereas the Bisshopes or Synodes as you confesse apointed and charged the Christians to receiue once twyse thryse or fowre tymes in the yeare and whereas the councell called Elibertinum decreed that all the faithfull should communicate at the least thrise in the yeare it may be verie well gathered hereof that there was no daylie receauing with the priest Because the councell in charging them to receiue thrise at the least sheweth thereby consequētlie that thei came not so oft as thrise in the yeare And S. Ambrose in that he reproueth the custome in the East partes of receiuing no more then once a yeare he proueth therein vnto you necessarilie that there was such a custome Wherfor to graunt vnto you that S. Chrisostome in saying there is none to communicate vseth a certen exaggeration and meaneth that there are verie few and seldome which communicate yet the sacrifice being dailie he offered and receaued some tymes without communicants For allthough a few might haue come dailie and so haue made vp a communion yet when S. Chrisostome meaneth after your comment vpon hym that they came seldome allso there were vndoubtedlie some vacant daies betweene in which the dailie sacrifice was offered and yet none dyd cōmunicate with the priest But let vs come to your second answer in which you saie that allthough this place dyd proue that none of the common people would cōmunicate wherevpon we haue concluded that the priest receiued alone for any cummyng of theirs yet saie you to vs Ye can not by this testimonie declare that none of the ministers and clergie receiued with hym being Bisshope there c. for the maner was not then as you do vse it now c. but all the ministers and clergie dyd communicate togeather with the Bisshope or chiefe minister that celebrated You speake herein verie reasonablie that the Bisshope hymselfe celebrating had according vnto the manner of that tyme not all the cleargie I beleeue but allwaies some of them to communicate with hym And lykewyse in Cathedrall and principall churches it is verie credible that some of the clergie dyd receaue with the chiefe minister Such was the order then and manner in the churche But how can you proue that the Bishope hymselfe celebrated euerie daie solemplie or that he said masse allwaies in a greate or Cathedrall churche with his priestes archedeacōs deacons and other officers about hym Or that there were no small and litle parisshe churches oratories chappells and such like in that world whiche one priest and a clarke might haue serued well inough without more cumpanie of the clergie Then allso if the populous cities of Antioche or Constantinople in which S. Chrisostome dyd bestowe the most of his life and lernyng had either but one Cathedrall church which is as conuenient and reasonable as one citie to haue one Bisshope or if they had a number of faire and greate churches and them all furnisshed with priestes archdeacons deacons subdeacons readers singers exorcistes and other officers perteinyng to the clergie yet that the clergie and ministers dyd euerie daie receiue with the priest at the aultar as we graunt that somtymes they dyd so in deede or that the sacrifice went not forward except some cōmunicantes were prepared which properlie ys our question I denie it flattlie vnto you vntill you can proue the contrarie For I see no vrgēt cause why I might not thinke that the clergie allso of that tyme was slacke in the dailie cummyng to the communion and that thei hauyng one to exequute and to offer the dailie sacrifice for the rest cōtended them selues with communicating in praier onlie and spirituall eating and not in the Sacramentall receiuing Especiallie if it be considered how vehementlie S. Chrisostome noteth and reproueth his clergie for laughing not onlie abrode with good merie felowes but allso in the church it self at the tyme of praier Against whom emong other strange argumēts and well worth deepe consideration this ys one that he saieth The priest of God doth stand offering vp the praiers of all and thow doest laugh and he trulie doth tremble in offering praiers for the and thou settest light by the matter By which it is credible that not only the people whō canons had need to cōstraine to come thrise a yeare to receiue their maker did suffer the priest to receiue alone but that allso in the clergie there was such lacke of consideration as it ys in manie Catholikes now whose faithe is stedfastinough that thei were not in hast to accumpanie dailie the prieste which celebrated nor glad to make them selues readie to communicate with him but talked or laughed the more pytie to geather thinking perchaunse that all will be well inough because the priest in all their names offereth a most acceptable sacrifice for thē The which fault I would it were not emong the Catholikes and that thei would keepe themselues as attent and deuoute when thei heare masse onlie mynding not to communicate sacramentallie as the truth is that their part is in the oblatiō and remember that not onlie the priest must behaue hymself reuerentlie but all the clergie and laietie present though thei stand neuer so farr from the aultar Therefor as we will not stryue against you in this one poynt that the ministers receiued with the Bisshope or chiefe priest so we bydd you to proue it that allwaies the ministers dyd cōmunicate when the daylie sacrifice was offered Which because you thought as I gesse that it shold be ouer hard for you therefor you inuent a third shift for your defence which is this But if I should flatlie denie that the minister receaued when none of the people were partakers how could you proue it by this place This is your third answer to S. Chrisostome As who should saie if I can not proue first that the people dyd communicate with the priestes or secondly that the clergie did allwaies communicate yet thirdlye will I answer that the priest at the aultar dyd not receaue when he saw that none wold come and eate with him And here you require our proufe against our saying vnto which I answer that because the oblation and sacrifice was dailie therefor it was offered and taken of the priest allthough none were prepared to receaue with hym But you are not pleased with this and therefor you interprete S. Chrisostome that He named it oblationem either for that it was done in remembrance of Christs sacrifice or for the offering vp of the bread and wyne to the celebration of the Lords supper Well Syr first of all what vnderstand you by that
Goliath was bygg in stature and wordes and contemned the simple staffe and scripp with which the loueable Dauyd came against hym yet after the stone once fastened in his forehead and the overthrow geuen vnto hym the Philistians hartes were in their heeles and they fledd awaye without any further bragging But he whom you nyckname Parys allthough he hath vtterlye kylled your Achilles shooting as you saye his arrowes out of a corner priuely but how so euer they were shott hitting as we beleiue the marke perfectlye yet you make your Achilles so invincible as though he could not be woūded at all in this quarrell and as though he passed no more of any shott of ours then if benettes or strawes should be cast agayne hym Which is so exceading and vayne glorious a crake that it maye rather be thought that your Achilles would be very gladd if he might neuer hereafter heare any more wordes about his open and loude challendge For as concerning the manifest obiections which are made against hym they are to be read in playne prent which he hath not bē yet in haste to answer as far as we know because perchaunse he knoweth his owne imbecillitie And if this Apologye of the priuate Masse had ben allso putt in prent that it might haue come vnto his sight he would I thinke haue dyssembled the matter or despysed the argumētes to shifte awaye from hym all the labor of answering But how so euer your Achilles be dysposed you haue shewed your selfe a frindlye Patroclus which to saue his worshipp haue taken vpon you to answer in his behalfe Which although you haue done with much infelicitie yet you haue declared your good hart and fidelitie You shall cause Achilles himselfe to take the matter into his owne hādes partly for the chalenge sake which he fyrst of all pronunced partly for you his frendes sake whom he wil be loth to see vndefended God sende you of his grace abundantly that you fyght not for an Helena in deede mainteyning the lustes and appetytes of your carnall reason striuing for your owne inuentions and following your owne prayses The church and spouse of Christ is shamefast chaste gentle faythfull obedient without murmour and spitefullnes full of good vowes stedfast in her profession allwayes desyrous of vnitie which vertues whiles some haue neglected they haue themselues ben contemned of God and permitted to folow their owne frowardnes to the increasing of their iust dampnation Of this kynde was Luther and his folowers which as though they had nothing els to study vpō but only how thei might inuent sectes and diuisyons so they lefte no one thing which the church taught them vncontrolled or vncorrupted making at their will and pleasure of thinges necessarye no matter at all as appeareth in the seauen sacramentes which they haue brought to two only or three and them corrupted of vniuersall and autentyke so indifferent that euerye one might omitt them as prescript fastinges orders of praying and ceremonies and of indifferent in the nature of them so necessary and absolute that no dispensation may serue for the altering of them as in sole receyuing receauing in one kynde and reseruation of the sacramēt So that nothing pleased them that the churche in which they toke their fayth delyuered vnto them because they loued them selues to much and their owne deare Cate and Helena Whom God shall at length destroye with the spyrite of his mouth and by sending of his feare into their hartes which honor her dryue away that wycked one which maynteyneth the battayle and make such peace and tranquillitie in their conscience that it maye haue good space and mynde to consider the securitie which is in the catholike church and learne emong many other this one point of charitie that neither sole receyuing vnder one kynde neyther receyuing vnder both kyndes with company doth commende vs vnto God but the keeping of his commaundementes and obeying of his ordynances which he hath or shal vtter eyther by him selfe immedyatly or by the Catholike church his interpretour Amen Quandoquidem viri docti scripturae sacrae atque Anglicae linguae periti librum hunc Ioannis Rastelli aduersus falso nominatam defensionem veritatis Anglicè scriptum in quindecim ternionibus testati sunt apud me se eundem accuratè examinasse seque reperisse eum non solùm esse catholicum sed etiam vtilem qui ad aedificationem typis excudatur omnino putamus operaepreciū esse vt imprimatur Ita esse testor Cornelius Iansenius Theologus ¶ A table of particular matters which you shall find in this boke That the church had her infancie 24 That priestes are bound to offer 30. 54 A discussing of a testimonie of S. Cyprian lib. 2. epist. 3. 43 Of the sacrifice of the aultar 59 S. Chrisostome his wordes discussed frustra habetur quotidiana oblatio the dailie sacrifice is had in vaine 77 Of the analogie proportion betweene the paschall lambe and the sacramēt of the aultar 83 Of receiuing alone at home 130 Of holie Satirus and his shippwracke with the maner of his receiuing 142 Of reseruation of the Sacrament 148 Of Sirapiō his sole receiuing in one kynd 158 The .xiiij. Canon of the first Nicene Councell examined 162 That continuance of tyme ys a greate commendacion to a religion 170 Of the church and where it ys to be serched for 188 Of the true certen markes of the church 190 Of the reall presence of Christ in the Sacrament 196 ¶ faultes escaped folio pag. linea Pruilege 6 2 22 priuilege not 9 2 12 put it out contended 13 2 10 contented speake 24 1 15 spake allthough 33 2 23 lyke as fol. 19 41 2 in the margē 20 hymselue 45 2 2 hymselfe herr 53 1 6 her new testament 67 2 16 the sacramēt of the new testament Singularly pure 69 1 6 is singularly pure Much lesse 70 1 3 much lesse are war 72 1 25 were writinges 76 1 23 writinge contended 81 1 2 contented strang 81 1 11 strong Substances 100 2 26 substance of the matter 101 1 26 of the substance of the matter vsed 107 1 24 vseth geaue 110 1 21 geaueth dyuided 111 2 5 deuised it 113 2 19 yet the faith 117 1 21 the same faith fair 119 2 6 farr saied 129 2 20 saieth dodie 140 2 3 bodie Iulis 147 1 6 Iulius make 147 2 9 maketh man 148 1 18 men recise 150 2 18 cease had 165 1 19 hath before 180 1 14 be for it 180 2 18 yet 3. Esd. 3. 10. 19. 3. Reg. 3. Psal. 138 3. Reg. 3. 4. R◠20. Defence Replie Defence Reply Defence Reply The M. of the defence slaūdereth D. Cole and Master Iuel bothe M. Iuell in the answer vnto D. Coles first letter Defence Reply How the possessiō of the truthe was geauē and who be the holders of it at this daye Io. 16. Eph. 4. The heretikes chāge their argumentes togeather with the changes of tyme.