sillables in one sentence but compare the same with diuers other places as well of the same doctour as of other and al together with the common vse and maner of that time and therby gather a perfit conclusion If you will skanne and stay vpon euery worde or clause in the Doctours as you doo of the holy scriptures and not consider them by conference with them selfe and other you may easely erecte infinite new doctrines that hitherto were neuer hearde of in the churche The reason 6. Cap. that you bring in grouÌ„ded as you say vpon our principall is euen of as muche force as the other before mencioned A. That is not euidently determined in scripture say you ought to stande as indifferente but the necessitie of coÌ„panie to receiue with the priest is no where determined ergo it ought to remaine indifferent Your seconde proposition is not true For I say and partly before haue proued that it is determined in Christes institucion In Luke he saith Accipite hoc diuidite inter vos But how can it be taken at the ministers handes and deuided or distributed amonge theÌ„ vnlesse there be a companie I se no sufficient warrant that ye can brynge vs for the discharge of this commauÌ„demente If ye wyll say Diuidite is no commaundement but a counsell that may be vndoone and yet the substance of the sacrament remaine then bylike ye will say Late drinke is no commaundement nor yet do this in remembrance of me But all be indifferent couÌ„sels that may bee altered as you after say by spirituall gouernours So that your spiritual gouernours may by this meanes cleane alter Christes institution and leauinge out eatinge drinking distributinge doinge in remembrance of Christes death as they haue done deuise a a new fashion of their owne braynes more fitte for the churche to vse then that order which Christ hath lefte But as he taketh away the right vse of the sacramente that taketh away from it eatynge drinkynge and doynge in remembrance c. So I say that hee taketh away the same that leaueth out distributynge Whiche because it can not be without companie I conclude the Sacramente can not bee vsed in the celebration without companie Cyprian teacheth you that Christes institution should be of more authoritie with you than so lightly to change it at your owne pleasure Only Christ saieth he is to be hearde in the order of this sacrament And we must not in any wise departe from the preceptes of the Gospell The Apostle also more constantly and stoutly declareth in an other place that the disciples ought to obserue and doo the same thynges that their maister taught and dyd before them saying in this wise If either I or an angell from heauen teach you otherwise then I haue taught you before accursed be he Seyng therfore neither the apostle him selfe nor an Angell from heauen can tell vs or teache vs otherwise then that Christe hath once taught vs already and the Apostle declared to vs I meruayle how this came in vse to doo contrary to that whiche Christe dyd And what I pray you can be more contrarie then when Christe had them drinke to take away the cup and whan Christe bad them distribute amonge them and S. Paule willed one to tarrie for an other vntill they came together yet contrarie to this as you doo to minister and receiue alone Therfore I say with Cyprian that in alteryng the sacrament either by soole receiuyng or géeuing vnder one kinde ye worship God in vayne with mens tradicions The mattier that Cyprian wrote against that is vsinge of water alone in the Sacramente in stéede of wyne might perhappes in case of necessitie be graunted to some that of nature coulde not abide wyne Neuerthelesse the necessitie of a few is not to be drawen to a general example in the common vse of the Lordes supper Euen so it may be graunted that in cases of necessitie one may receiue alone and yet that is not to be taken for a common maner and fashion in the churche when the sacrament is celebrated as you vsed in the priuate Masse That many circumstancies of place person and time B. may be altered or taken away for good considerations without impeachement to the right vse of the sacramentes wée graunte you but that company in receiuyng is one of those circuÌ„stances that wée can not graunte as well for the reasons before declared as also that wée haue no aucthoritée or example of the Apostles or primatiue churche that wée may so doo as wée haue in all other thynges that you recite with moe wordes then néedeth Wée dare minister in other places then Iurie because wée se in scripture that the Apostles did so Wée minister to women and lay men because S. Paule applieth Christes institucion to the whole congregacion of Corinth where were both lay men women We celebrate vpon any day indifferently because the Apostles did so Actum 20. vno die sabbatorum Wée minister to fewer or moe then twelue by the example of the Apostles in .20 of the Actes and of Paule in .10 and .11 to the Corinthê Wée receiue in the mornyng both because time is a thyng indifferent in this sacrament and also for that wée haue plaine examples in the primatiue churche without case of necessitie or extraordinarie chaunses Christe sayd not doo it after supper as he sayde Deuide it amonge you He did it after supper him self because he wolde institute the Sacramente of the new law in place of the sacrament of tholde law that at the same supper he had celebrated Neither is it so muche of the substance of the sacrament to be doone after suppper as it is to be celebrated with companie because of the significacion of vnitie and charitie amonge christian men receiuynge together Whiche is one cheefe poincte in this sacrament of the Lordes supper The very proporcion and likenesse of that ceremonie of the olde lawe in place whereof the Lordes supper is ordeined may teache vs the right vse of it The Passeouer was a solempne eatynge of the Pascale lambe together in remembrance of Godes great benefite of their deliuerance and passyng of his plague from them This ceremony they coulde not solempnice alone but if they had not companie of their owne house they shoulde take of their neighbours Euen in like maner Christ hauyng finisshed at his laste supper the celebracion of that ceremonie of the Passeouer ordeined for his euen a lyke sacramente a supper a feast wherin they beyng together might celebrate the remembrance of their redemption by his body and bloud géeuen and shed for them And euen as the Iewes in solempnisinge their sacrament had a communitie of the remembrance of that benefite when their coÌ„panies were in sundry howses seperate and yet might not one alone eate the pascall lambe in his owne house for that god had ordeined it to be done with company so all the churches in the worlde haue communitie
it that he woulde thinke it were breade and not that which christian men tooke it to be Non sciet maritus quid secreto ante omnem cibum gustes Et si sciuerit panem non illum credit esse qui dicitur Thy husbande shall not know what thou doest eatâ— secretly before thy meate And if he do know it he beléeueth that it is breade and not he whome wée call it Ponder these wordes well and se whether it agréeth not with Erasmus reporte When the christian wife did secretly receiue the holy sacrament was there any company receiued with hir Can a thyng done in companie be secret Or coulde she kéepe close from the Panime hir husbande that thyng that should be often practised in any open assemblie Were not thinke you the panimes that at that time were the greater numbre diligent to searche what the christians did Séemeth it not in hir secret receiuyng before all meates that she reserued the sacrament at home to receiue it when she woulde And where Tertulian saieth that if it chaunced that her husbande knew what she eate he would thinke it to be bread makynge no mencion he woulde thinke it to bee wine and not the very body of Christ as the christians do confesse Furthermore séemeth not this woman to haue receiued it vnder one kinde For hir husband that saw hir eate the fourme of bread that was wonte to be first receiued woulde soone haue perceiued when she dranke the fourme of wyne that shoulde be immediately receiued after To conclude it appereth by these olde writers that this woman receiued alone without any company to receiue with hir And that she reserued the sacrament with hir at home to receiue at mutabitur sacro sanctum corpus christi sed virtus benedictio viuificatiua gratia magis in eo est They are then madde that saie the misticall benediction or blessing leaueth from the sanctification if any leauyng remaine of it till the next day For the very holy body of Christe shall not be changed But the power and vertue and the liuely quickenyng grace is continually abiding in it without company to receiue WheÌ„ ye heare Chrisostome tell of the dayly sacrifice when you heare the aunciente father Cirillus call them madde that denie the reseruacion when yée heare him say plainly and flatly that there is no alteracion in the very holy body of Christe though it be kept and the vertue and ful power of the consecracion and the liuely quicknynge grace doeth continew stil in the holy porcions that are reserued when S. Ciprian that holy martir maketh reporte of the holy sacrament reserued at home in the womans coffer to receiue when hir lust when deuocion serued hir and when he sheweth that God wrought the myracle in the stiryng of the fier from it because she thought to vse it vnreuerently to cause hir to forbeare When Tertulian afore that agréeth with the same and when Erasmus Roterodame a man famous in his time recordeth the matter as he had learned it of these holy fathers and other that the people receiued it in their handes receiued it at home receiued it when euery man saw his time Shal any man coÌ„tinue so impudent to denie that euer people vsed the soole receiuyng without company or deny the reseruacion The Scripture saieth In ore duorum vel trium c. Two or thrée witnesses are able to trie any matter and especially such witnesses as these are men of holy life aunciente fathers of greate learnyng called foorth to witnesse the trueth from euery quarter of the worlde some from Asia some from Africa some from Europa c. What say you to Satyrus E. that hanged the hely sacrament aboute his necke in a stole when he wente to the sea What say you to the greate clarke S. Ambrose bisshop of Millayn that praised him greatly for his so doyng Apered not there a reseruacion And I trow vnder one kinde vnlesse your brayne will serue you to enclose wine in a stole as mine will not What say you by Syrapion 9. Cap. who beyng in dispaier of his life sente for the priest to minister him the sacrament in the night season But when the priest lay sicke in his bed and coulde not goe him selfe he tooke Syrapions ladde the Sacramente in his hande and bad him moyste it and so minister it into the mouthe of his sicke maister The priest was sicke and coulde not rise The lad came in the night time the priest deliuered the sacramente into his hande he bad him moyste it and géeue it to the sicke A. And doeth not this proue bothe that the priest had reserued it and the moystynge thereof that the sicke man tooke it vnder one kinde and when he sent no more then woulde serue the sicke man was not there the howselyng of one alone without companie The twelfth Cannon of Nicene counsell prouideth for suche as are like to departe this life to receiue the sacrament or they departe And if any suche that is in the case howseled chaunce to recouer then to be amongest the communicantes praier The wordes be these De iis qui recedunt excorpore antiqua segis regusa obseruabitur etiaÌ„ nunc Ita ve si quis forte recedat ex corpore necessario vitae suae viatico non defraudetur Quod si desperatus asiquis recepta communione superuixerit sit inter eos qui sola oratione communicant Concernynge those that departe this life the olde rule of the lawe shall be kept now also So that any be like to departe this life he be not disceiued of his necessarie viage prouision for his life If he that was in dispaier of life after that he receiued the coÌ„munion chaunce to recouer let him be amongest them that do communicate by praiers onely The holy auncient counsell of all the learned fathers at Nice thought it conuenient that suche as were like to die should be howseled before their departyng And coulde this rule be vnuiolably kepte amongest so many casualties of sicknesse and sodeine infectiones and diuers other chaunces that fall at diuers and sundrie times bothe by day and night B. vnlesse the holy sacramente were reserued And vnlesse euery man receiued as necessitie serued alone with out company when necessitie so required Some time the priest as Chrisostome saieth in the celebracion of the dayly sacrifice receiueth without the people and sometime the people without the priest and some time one alone without any company at all as wée haue at large shewed afore In the bisshops and priestes absence 10. Cay the Deacons receiued alone if they were disposed to receiue as the fouretéenth Cannon of thauncient and olde counsel of Nyce hath taken order The wordes be these Peruenit ad sanctum consilium ê™ in locis quibusdam ciuitatibus presbiteris diaconi sacramenta porrigant Hoc neque regula néque consuetudo tradit vt ij qui offerendi sacrificij potestatem non
whose wordes by you in this place recited D. I haue this muche to say that as I know the same place is alleaged of dyuers other and therfore I wyl not plainely deny it so because that worke of Ciril is not ertante I haue good cause to suspecte it And so muche the more for that diuers of your sorte haue alleaged oute of the same doctour in his worke Thesaurus certaine wordes for the supremicie of the Byshop of Rome whiche are not there to be found This vniust fatheryng of your owne late deuised phantasies vpon the auncient doctours and writers of the churche may cause vs iustly to suspecte the residue of your doyng But be it so that those are Cirils owne wordes indéede Wée haue for that one suspected place a number of sounde testimonies that all did not alow reseruacion nor thinke it accordyng to the worde of God Origine vpon the .v. chap. of Leuiticus The Lord saith he deferred not the breade that he gaue to his disciples saying take and eate neither commaunded it to be kepte vntill the morow The residue of his wordes vpoÌ„ the same place be suche as he séemeth thervpon to gather an argument that it should not be reserued Hee that wrote the sermon De caena domini in Cyprian saieth plainely of the sacrament Recipitur non includitur At is receiued it is not inclosed or Butte vp Isychius vpon Leuiticum at large declareth how that in his time if the ministers and people were not able to eate vp so muche as was consecrated the restdue was bourned and coÌ„sumed by fier that it might not be kepte vntill the nexte day Therfore you may not force vpon vs to receiue reseruacion as a thyng either grounded in scripture or generally alowed by the primatiue churche What will you say to your seconde Epistle of Clement bysshoppe of Rome Ret so many holy loues saith he he offered vpon the aulter as may be sufficiently for the people If so be any shall remaine let them not be kepte vntil the morow but with feare and tremblyng let the ministers eate it vp This was a Bisshoppe of Rome this was Peters successour this was as you say head of the churche and yet you heare his appoinâ—mente and order taken erpressely against reseruation If ye will not beléene vs why doo you not beléeue your owne Will you say with your testimonie of Ciril that Origine was madde that Isychius was madde Or if ye be not afrayde to say it of them Will you say that Clement was madde also Well sir if ye wyll proue vs impudent or madde for not receiuynge reseruacion I truste you se that wée shal haue company in our impudencie and madnesse But Clementê Epistle presseth you harde in soole receiuynge and priuate Passe also and signifieth that all the ministers receiued together with the people For in the wordes before rehearsed he speaketh of the Passe that was vsed when that Epistle was made and yet it willeth you to prepare for the people Why doo you not folow his aucthoritie in these poinetes You will say as you sayd in the beginning if the people be absente and when the sacramente is prepared either will not or can not come to receiue Clement then sayeth not that the priest consecratyng should forbeare because thother bidden guests will not come The churche you will say did alway professe a communion proue oute of the same history that it were no abuse to haue boyes and chyldren to minister the sacramente commonly because in that extremitie Sirapions boye delyuered him the sacrament which the pryest sent Surely in this your maner of defendynge priuate Passe wherein you shew your selfe to be able to bringe nothing for the mainteinance therof but only extraordynary chanses in extremitie and necessitie you doo much bewray the euyl vse of it and manifestly declare yea and as it weare protestée that in déede it is euel and without all aucthoritie or example of the primatiue churche if you bee not bryuen to it by necessitie and lacke of communicants You wyll reply perhappes and say by these examples it may appeare that company in receyninge is not of necessitie or if it had ben they would not haue vsed the contrary Yes sir necessitie and extremitie may cause some kinde of gods commaundements at times to be omitted and yet out of necessitie the same commaundementes ought necessarely to bee obserued and kepte The Iewes were commaunded on the Sabboth day to doo no bodely or toylinge worke Neuerthelesse sometimes we rede that by necessitie of there enemies constreined they kept warre and fought on the Sabboth day Yet can you not say but that commaundement was necessary I sayd the like before of baptisme and the same must I say in the lordes supper that a case of necessitie may perhappes for a time alter some necessary parte of it and yet not bee taken for any generall rule Therfore if ye wyll receiue alone in your Passe or minister vnder one kinde you must neuer doo it but in extremitie otherwyse your proufes helpe you nothinge at all Yea but in the history of Sirapion but one kinde is mencioned and reseruation manifestly appeareth in that it was so ready to bee boye to soke the sacramente consecrated in a licour not consecrated And especially if he were of your opinion in transsubstantiacion This may you se by your owne place that in reseruation they vsed often to kepe bothe kyndes Which might wel stand with the maner of that time wherin they did euery day communicare so that the wine also might well tary vntil the next day The .xiiii. caÌ„non of Nicene councel in no sence doth prouce sole receiuinge 10. Cap. Answer to the .xiiii. Cannon of Nicene cousell as you would haue it séeme to doo It apointeth who should minister and in what order they should receiue firste the byshop then the priestes after the deacons and so forthe other that dyd communicate This order takeÌ„ by that holy counsaile maketh so plainly againste the manner of your pryuate Masse as I assure you I meruaile that you coulde for shame alledge it Who seeth not by this testimony that all the ministers vsed commonly to receiue together with the byshop beynge present Here was not my lorde at the high aulter and the residew of hys chaplaines and priestes in sundry chapels celebrating by them selfe but all receiued together deacons and all that it might appere to bee a heauenly feast or supper and not a worke or sacritice to be done of one to the behoufe and benefite of a number that stande by and loke on The councel speaketh not here in this poynte of any extraordinary chaunce as it doeth in that parte that you alledge but of the common ordynary maner which by the aucthority of the same councell was apointed to bee vsed in the church It we had lacked testimonyes for the trueth againste pryuate Masse wée had bene muche beholdinge to you for puttinge vs in mindâ— of
you with looking on many places There is a little treatise of Melancthons intituled De vsuintegri sacrameÌ„ti in which ye shall finde diuers argumentes concludyng the necessitie of bothe kindes and that they sinne and greuously offende that doo restraine the people from one parte of the sacrament But I perceiue this is your coÌ„mon fashion to make Doctours writers to speake whatsoeuer you woulde haue them to speake Now sir 12. Cap. if ye haue no better proufes and testimonies oute of the holy scriptures and olde fathers then these whiche ye haue in this your Apologie alledged I assure you the challenge that before was made may iustly be againe repeted And A. it may be sayde to you that you haue out of the scripture nor sillable nor tittle out of the auncient doctours nor sentence nor halfe sentence that doeth directly proue eyther your priuate masse or communion vnder one kinde to the laitie For all that here you haue vttered be nothinge but wrythed coniectures vpon cases extraordinary and shiftes of extremitie to proue a continual or general rule to bée obserued in the church of Christe contrary to the example and order by hym selfe apointed Wherefore there is no cause that you should so confidently conclude as though you had profoundly ben faire clokes for them to holde their peace where as in déede they haue in these poinctes or litle or nothing to say for them selfe And surely if I had ben of your sorte I would haue wyshed that you also had ben bounde in recognisance if that would haue stayed you from wrytinge For both your reasons and aucthorities by you vttered though they séeme to your selfe neuer so stroÌ„g doth rather bewray your parte theâ— pithely defend it But if you and yours had neuer so greate store of armour prouision and furniture as to the terrour of men you would pretende to haue yet ye shold neuer be able to beare downe the manifest trueth so euidently apperinge in the wordes of Christes institution nor the wytnesses of the primatiue churche agreinge with the same Answere to the argumente of multitude continuance of time c â–ª Therefore the thunderinge in of the aucthoritie of the holy catholike church the prescription of .xv C. yeres the consent of moste parte of Christendome the holines and learninge of so many godly fathers as hath béen these ix C. yeres the age and sclender learninge of those that stande against you doth nothinge at all either feare vs or moue vs to suspect that doctrine which by Christes aucthoritie and witnesse of the Apostles wée know to be trewe We haue ben accustomed of longe time to those vaine voices Wée sée they all be either manifestly false or at the least of small effecte These are the mystes which you haue alway cast before the eies of the simple and ignorant as it were to blinde and amase them to the ende that either they may not sée the trueth when it is brought to them or if they sée it to make them suspecte it when they heare that .xv. C. yeares the more parte of the worlde haue bene of contrary opinion But this is euidently false that you say For .600 yere after Christe more these doctrines were neuer heard of in the church much lesse vnder one kinde prohibicion of mariage in priestes purgatory the supremacie of Rome nor a number moe of your errours Yea and at this daye thinke and doo contrary to you in those thinges And wyll you then so falsely beare men in hand that the whole churche was always of your opinion But be it so that the moste part of christendome .ix. C. yeres hathe taught as you doo Is that a sufficient argument to reiecte a doctrine euident by the worde of god May not all christianitie be cleane defaced if such argumentê of continuance of time and multitude of persons should be rules to gouerne mens conscience Might not the gentiles haue alledged the like againste the Apostles and their successours Might not they haue saide and saide more truly then you that the worshipping of their gods had continued not hundreds but thousande of yeares that the whole worlde helde with them that the wise and profound learned Philosophers defended their doctrine that the Apostles were but new heretikes Ideotes and vnlearned persons that their doctrine came from the dotinge people of the Iewes that the gods declared their dyspleasure and indignations against the new teachinge of Christ with seditions tumultes warres plagues dearthes tempestious weatheringes and suche like Might not the Israelites haue couÌ„ted greate folly in the house of Iuda that they would swarue from theim in worshippinge of god seinge they were tenne partes to one Might not the priestes in the olde lawe yea dyd they not alledge against the prophetes continuance of time and multitude of doctours priestes and Rabins Were they not hundredes to one poore Micheas Did they not the like in Christes time Did they not beate vpon the longe continuance of Moyses law whiche they saide he came to destroy Did they not none can forsake the guidinge and instruction of our holy mother the church without manifest perill of their owne soules and such as they doo leade from the church In déede this accusation is greuous and may not lightly be passed of mée although you staie not longe vpon it This is that you feare mens consciences withall This is it that in déede maketh many to stagger in receininge the trueth when they heare you continually beate vppon the name of your holy mother the churche and in wordes claime that to you whiche verely and in déede is not in you For all be not the sonnes of Abraham that bragge and auante that they came of Abrahams stocke All be not the people of god that say they bee the people of god All be not Israelites that discended of Israel All be not Christian men in déede that name them selfe Christians I will therfore in few wordes declare what the church is and howe we may if we take not good héede be deceiued by the name of the churche takinge the church of Antichrist for the true and right churche of Christe First how necessarie indéede it is for a christian man to beléeue the faieth of the holy church it may by this appere that to be borne to euerlastyng life and saluacion to be made the sonne of God and heire of the kyngdom of heauen of necessitie wée must be conceiued in the wombe of the churche of Christe and as it were fostred vp in hir lappe For she is the mother of all those that are the true children of God And in hir custodie Christe hath lefte the treasure of his grace by hir ministery to be bestowed amonge his people Therfore if wée couitte to haue entrance into the kyngdome of God and be partakers of the graces and promisses of Christe I confesse wée must remaine in the faith of his holy churche But what is this churche or how may