English history commonly called Caxtons history because printed by him thus testifieth Peter the first Pope was ablessed man and glorious Apostle of Christ hee was head of the church after S. Hierome 37. yeares and he held his Bishoprick in the easte fiue yeares and hee said Masse hee made our Lords body then after hee came to Antioch old English histor published by Caxton part 4. an D. 34. 7. Martianus Polonus hath the same words with our Manuscript history before cited Walfridus Strabo 800. yeares since writeth how the Romans receaued the vse and obseruations of their Masse common to the western world from S. Peter the cheifest of the Apostles Martin Polon in supputat tempor col 27. in S. Petro. Walafrid Strab. l. de obseruat cap. 22. The like hath S Clement scholler and successor to S. Peter Comestor Ioannes Belethus Pope Innocentius the third Polychronicon Ioannes Cantabrigiensis Petrus de natalibus Hesichius Nicholaus Cabasilla Germanus S. Beda S. Hierome Theonas Cassianus S. Anacletus who was made preist by S. Peter as hee himselfe witnesseth S. Epiphanius Ionas Aureliensis our learned coÌ„tryman with diuers others cited by Eisengrenius and others And to take the warrant of Protestants with vs for this veritie first wee haue the testimony of the Magdeburgians from Martinus Polonus and others in quibusdam chronicis vt Martini aliorum not onely that S. Peter said Masse but in some sort the order thereof Our first English Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury expressely acknowledgeth that S. Peter said Masse both in the easte Missam dictaÌ„ à Petro in orientalibus regionibus and after hee came into the west also and that illius traditio à Christi primo instituto ducentis amplius annis in prima Ecclesia durauit The order of Masse which S. Peter vsed taught continued in the primatiue church aboue 200. yeares from the institution of Christ vntill the time of Pope Zepherine Clem. Rom. l. 10. Recognit histor scholast cap. 7. in act Apostol Io. Belethus l. de offic diuin cap. 124. Innocent 3. Praefat. l. 1. Polychronic l. 4. cap. 6. Ioannis Cantabrigien in pupill oculi c. 8. Petrus de natalib l. 4. cap. 108. Hesichius Hierosol in act cap. 20. cap. 23. Leuit l. 6. Nichol. Cabass c. 28. de Miss Germ. Constantinp in can Miss Anaclet epist 2. al. apud Eisengren centen 1. fol. 116.117 Magdeburg â—…ent 1. l. 2. cap. 6. col 500. Math. Parker antiquit Britannie pag. 47. cap. 17. 8. And this Pope by this great protestants confession was so far from chaunginge any essentiall thinge therin to make it worse that to insist in his wordes donec eam Zepherinus 16. Romanus Pontifex quorundam suasionibus ad pulchriorem materiam formamque mutare voluit vntill Zepherine the sixteenth Pope of Rome by the persuasions of some would chaunge that Masse to a more excellent matter and forme And to put vs out of doubt that Pope and S. Zepherine did make no chaunge or alteration of this S. Peters Masse now after two hundred yeares in protestants iudgement but that which rather honored then in any respect disgraced this holy sacrifice all the chaunge which this Protestant Archbishop findeth made herin by this holy Pope is this by his owne testimony that where before woddeÌ„ challices were vsed in some places in those times of persecution and necessitie this Pope to vse this protestants words the 16. Pope of Rome constituted that Masses should bee celebrated with patens of glasse Zepherinus 16. Romanus Episcopus patents vitreis Missas celebrari constituit Matth. Parker supr cap. 18. pag. 47. Which an other English Protestant purposely entreating of such thinges thus expresseth sanguinis Christi consecrationem in vitâ—…eo calice non ligneo vt antea fieri debere statuit Pope Zepherine constituted that the consecration of the blood of Christ should bee made in a chalice of glasse not of wood as before was vsed Robertus Barns in vita Pontific Roman in Seuer alij Zepherin And further Cum Episcopus celebraret Missae sacra iussit omnes presbyteros adesse Hee commaunded that all the preists should be present when the Bishop celebrated the sacrifice of Masse 9. This is all S. Zepherine altered in this Masse of S. Peter by these protestants own graunt Therefore it is sufficiently agreed vpon both by Catholicks and the best learned protestants that according to the common opinion in that respect S. Peter did not onely and vsually say Masse beeinge a massing and sacrificing preist by his preistlie consecration but as the great Apostle of Christ composed an order or forme of saying Masse and deliuered it to the church to practise and it was so accordingly receaued and practised with the best learned most holy men the glorious lights of Gods house in that primatiue and freely confessed vnspotted dayes of Christianitie What this holy order was and how it did not differ in any substantiall or essentiall matter from that Masse which the present Roman church now vseth I shall sufficiently proue with the good leaue and likinge both of Catholicke learned protestant authors hereafter 10. In the meane time to make that which is already said vnquestionable S. Peter euer left in the renowned places where hee liued this holy doctrine and practise of saying Masse And whether soeuer he sent any Apostolick men to preach the ghospell this was a principall charge power bequeathed vnto them For Hierusalem where S. Peter first preached I haue spoken sufficiently in S. Iames before so for S. Marke at Alexandria the African parts For Antioch also I haue written what might suffice yet will I add somewhat of the glorious successor of S. Peter there S. Ignatius whome S. Chrisostome the great ornament of that very church S. Felix and Theodoret doe allowe mee to call the immediate substitute or successor of S. Peter there and that by S. Peter hee was consecrated Bishop dextera beati Petri fuisse ordinatum Episcopum Ecclesiae Antiochenae and per magni Petri dexteram Pontificatum suscepit Though I doe not deny but as S. Clement did to S. Linus and Cletus at Rome so S. Ignatius might and did giue place to Saint Euodius at Antioche Whome great Authors therefore name S. Peters first successor there S. Io. Chrisostom orat de translat corp S. Ignatij Antioch Felix Rom. Pont. epist. ad Zenon Imper. in S. Synod Const act 1. Theodoret. dialog 1. Immutab Euseb chr hist. l. 3. c. 16. Hieron l. de scriptor in Ignat Ignat. epist ad Antioch 11. This holy Saint and learned Father consecrated by S. Peter was so farr a massing preist and earnest practiser and patron of this holy sacrifice of Masse wherein Christs sacred body and blood ar offered that as not onely Theodoret and al Catholicks with him teach but as the grand protestants Beza Peter Martyr Scultetus Whitaker and others as enforced doe graunt that S. Ignatius did condemne Simon and Menander for hereticks
coÌ„secrated many preists which as before must needs be sacrificing massing preists And he made Kinge Polimius a massinge Bishop and maker of massinge preists continuinge so 20. yeares besides others Breuiar Rom. in fest S. Bartholom Abd. cert Apostol l. 8. Antonin part 1. titul 6. Petr. de natal l. 7. cap. 103. Martyrâ—log Rom. die 24. Aug. Dion Areopag l. mistic Theolog. Euseb l. 5. hist. c. 10. Origen in Gen. Hieron l. de script in pauten 9. S. Simon and Iude could not bee of any other profession opinion or practise in this point beeing both with the rest of the Apostles consecrated sacrificinge preists and S. Simon so zelous a louer of Christ as our protestants write that hee thereby was named Zelotes by a kinde of excellency and S Iude as he himselfe is witnes in his epistle was frater Iacobi brother to S. Iames that notorious massinge preist and Apostle as is before declared and S. Simon is generally taught to haue conuersed most in those contries where S. Marke that massinge Euangelist practised and plaÌ„ted that doctrine And S. Iude first preached in Iury diuers yeares where his massing Brother S. Iames was so renowned for writinge the forme of this holy sacrifice and both practising it himselfe and deliueringe it to others And they consecrated Abdias Bishop of Babilon who by his owne and all testimonies was a massinge and sacrificinge preist and Bishop who could make and consecrate no others but such as hee was and had authoritie to doe Socrat. l. 1. cap. 15. Niceph. hist. l. 4. c. 32. Fortunat. Godwin Conuers of Britanie Iud. Episc c. 1. v. 1. Martyrolog Rom. die 28. Octob Bed Vsuard ib. Stowe histor Godwin Conu of Brit. Nicephor l. 2. cap. 4. Ado Treuer Bed 5. cal Nouemb. Nicephor lib. 2. cap. 40. Guliel Eisengr centen 1. part 5. dist 7. fol. 168. Abd. certam Apost l. 4. Antonin part 1. Petr. de natal l. 9. cap. 115. Abdias l. de certam Apost l. 6. Iul. African praefat histor Apostol Anonym in S. Bartholom 10. S. Matthias beeing chosen into the place of Iudas the traitor by the other Apostles could bee of no other iudgement and Religion herein then they were And the places hee preached in giue testimony vnto this for whether wee will say with Sophronius Dorothus and Nicephorus that hee preached in Aethiopia wee haue heard that massinge Apostles and preists preached there or with our auncient Martyrologes that hee was martired in Iury S. Iames and the other Apostles before haue proued hee must needs hee a massinge and sacrificinge preist and execute that holy function liuing and dying there Sophron. apud Hier. l. de scrip Eccles Doroth. in Synops Nicephor l. 2. c. 40. Martyrolog Rom. 24. Febr. Bed Ado. Vsuard ib. Isidor l. de vit obit Sanct. cap. 81. 11. To conclude with S. Barnabas extraordinarily called to bee an Apostle as S. Paul hee is commonly taken to bee the first composer of the Masse of Milane in Italy named S. Ambrose his Masse in respect of certaine additions of his vnto it vsed with great priuiledge in that church to this day not differinge in any materiall point from the present order of saying Masse vsed in the rest of the Romane Latine or Greeke church at this time or whersoeuer Traditio Eccl. Mediolanen in Ital. Iodoc. Cocc l. 6. To. 2. articul 9. lib. 7. artic 5. And this Masse was as our protestants themselues acknowledge in such vse and credit in the Latine church that it was more vsuall then that called S. Gregories Masse vntill the time of Pope Adrian the first about the yeare of Christ 780. Their words bee these Io. Balaeus in act Roman Pont. lib. 3 in Hadrian 1. Missarum ritus à magno Gregorio editus occidentalibus Ecclesijs imperauit Pope Adrian commauÌ„ded the order of the Masse published by Gregory the greate to bee vsed of the west churches till which time S. Barnabas and S. Ambrose Masse still vsed at Millane were more vsuall as an other thus writeth Foxe Tom. 1. act and Monum pag. 130 Pope Adrian the first ratified and confirmed the order of Saint Gregories Masse aboue the order of S. Ambrose Masse for vnto this time which was about the yeare of our Lord 780. the Liturgie of S. Ambrose was more vsed in the Italian churches Therefore there is no difficultie but S. Barnabas as the rest of the Apostles was also a sacrificinge massinge preist THE XI CHAPTER How S. Peter the cheife Apostle and first founder of the church of Christ in this our kingedome was a sacrificinge massinge preist deliuered a forme of Masse to the church consecrated many massinge preists in this part of the world nere vnto vs and some of this kingdome NOw lastely to come to S. Peter the prime and cheife of the Apostles hee could not bee at difference with the rest in this but must needs bee a massinge preist as they were and so for this purpose is it little materiall whether this contry receaued the faith from him or any other of the Apostles But because both Catholicks and protestants agree Gul. Cambden in Britan. Theatr. of great Brit. l. 6. controuers histor To. 1. in S. Petro. that both Greeke and Latine antiquities giue that vnto him as is lately proued at large hee must also bee the first institutor of our ecclesiasticall Hierarchie in consecratinge vnto vs diuers holy Bishops and preists which that is deliuered already proueth to haue beene massing Bishops and preists and by those sacrificinge Bishops and his sacrificinge successors our preists and Bishops were euer sacred massinge Bishops and preists vnto these daies of innouation as will manifestlie appeare in all ages herafter by this treatise For besides that which is said before how all the Apostles were massing and sacrificing preists and all the other Apostles and Euangelists besides S. Peter wee haue of him in particular more and moste credible witnesses then are needfull to be alleadged S. Isidor saith Ordo Missae vel orationum quibus oblata Deo sacrificia consecrantur primum à S. Petro est institutus cuius celebrationem vno eodemque modo vniuersus peragit orbis The order of Masse or of the praiers by which the sacrifices offered vnto God are consecrated was first instituted by S. Peter whose celebration the whole world obserueth in one and the same maner Isodor l. 1. de officijs cap. 15. de Missa orationibus 2. Our holy auncient learned contriman S. Albinus or Alcuinus by others purposely entreatinge of this most blessed sacrifice and the ceremonies thereof thus writeth Celebratio Missae in commemorationem Passionis Christi peragitur sic enim ipse praecepit Apostolis tradens eis corpus sanguinem suum dicens hoc facite in meam commemorationem hoc est in memorian Passiones mea Tanquam diceret quod pro vestro salute passus sum ad memoriam reuocate Hanc Petrus Apostolus primus omnium Antiochiae dicitur celebrasse The
prescribe what hymnes prefaces graduals and collects or prayers were to bee vsed it is euident these were before and he being Pope and cheife prescribed the order how they should bee vsed which proueth he rather tooke some away then added any for amonge them were before praescripsit he prescribed which and no others should bee vsed And wheras there is a controuersie by some whether this prescription and orderinge these things was by Pope Gelasius or one called Scholasticus Master Foxe the Protestant historian decideth this question Io. Foxe in Q. Mary pag. 1403. teaching out of vetusto quodam libro de officio Missa an old booke of the office of Masse that these were both one and Gelasius beinge Scholasticus before was made Pope Gelasius Papa ex Scholastico effectus in ordine 48 And thus much of Gelasius 8. After whome for an intermedler in these affaires our protestants propose Pope Symmachus Barnes in vit Pontif. Rom. in Symmacho Bal. l. 2. in eod who commaunded gloria in excelsis Deo to bee sunge vppon sondayes and feasts of Saints In Dominico die Sanctorum natalitijs gloria in excelsis canendum esse dixit or by an other praecepit But if they meane the first part of this holy hymne it was the songe of the Angels at the birthe of Christ and recommended vnto vs in scripture and by one of these protestants vsed at Masse by the commaundement of Saint and Pope Telesphorus who liued in the Apostles time gloria in excelsis Deo c. in Missa canendum praecepit Rob. Barnes in vit Pontif. Rom. in Telesphoro S. Petro and if they meane the whole canticle as it is now vsed their brother Iohn Foxe with others thus testifieth Iohn Foxe supr in Q. Mary The hymne gloria in excelsis which was sunge of the Angels at the birth of our Sauiour was augmented by Hilarius Pictauiensis with those words that follow singing it first in his owne church which was an 340. afterward brought into other churches by Pope Symmachus And our histories testifie it was vsed here in Britanie by S. German in his time And our English Protestants vse it in their publicke church seruice at this day by publicke authoritie Engl. Protestant communion booke morninge prayer 9. That which a Protestant Bishop writeth of this Pope that he reduced the Masse to forme Missam in formam redegit Bal. l. 2. Act. Pontif. Rom. in Symmacho is his formall forgery or foolery confounded by many vndeniable instances graunted by protestants before as the forme of Masse of S. Peter S Iames S. Matthew S Marke S. Clement S. Basile S. Chrisostome and Popes of Rome longe before this time as amonge other witnesses this Protestant Bishop himselfe testifieth of S. Innocentius Syricius S. Celestine S. Leo and Gelasius Bal. in Act. Pontif. Rom. in Innocent Syric Calestino Leon. Gelas therefore without euident contradiction and wilfull errour he cannot intend or affirme that Pope Symmachus did first bringe the Masse into order Therefore of necessitie to keepe himselfe from these absurdities he must vnderstand that Pope Symmachus confirmed or allowed of the forme of Masse formerlie vsed in the church which all Popes good Christians euer did and ought to doe 10. And here endeth the fift hundred yeare at which time and longe after as with others our protestants assure vs that S. Dubritius that great massinge Prelate and Archbishop primate here the Popes Legate and great Master of diuinitie together with S. Iltutus priuiledged in the same facultie by papall authoritie and S. Gildas by whome all Britanie and other contries receaued instruction were liuinge and consequently agreeing in all thinges with the church of Rome Bal. cent 1. in Dubritie Iltuto Gylda Albanio Godwin Catal. in S. Dauids Capgrau Catal. in Dubrit Iltut Gild. About which time also amonge diuers others those three great lights of our Brittish church knowne massinge preists and Bishops S. Dauid that succeeded S. Dubritius in his archiepiscopall dignitie S. Thelians and S. Patern began to florish and went that great Pilgrimage to Hierusalem M. S. antiq Capgrau Catal. in S. Dauid S. Thelian S. Paterno alij M. S. S. Theliai apud Godwin Catal. in Landaff 2. and both in going and returninge through Italy and those places and ordinarily sayinge Masse must needs vse that order and forme therof they found to bee vsed at Rome and all places receauinge direction from thence in such affaires and so here I end this age and centenary of yeares THE SIXTH AGE OR HVNDRED YEARES OF CHRIST THE XXI CHAPTER Wherein being confessed by our protestant writers that all the Popes of Rome vnto S. Gregory were massinge preists and Popes yet not any one of thē by these protestāts cōfession made any the least materiall chaunge or alteration in these misteries NOw wee are come to the sixt age or hundred of yeares of Christ wherin liued S. Gregory the great Pope of Rome that sent S. Augustine and diuers other holie cleargie men hither which conuerted a greater part of this nation and kingdome called England Wherefore seeing by confession of our best learned protestants the Christian Britans of this Iland had from their first conuersion vnto Christ and did at the coming of S. Augustine from Rome continue in the same holy faith and Religion which they had learned and receued in the Apostles time and hitherto we haue not found any materiall difference in any age between them the church of Rome in these cheif questions I haue in hand now to make euidēt demonstration by these aduersaries to the holy Romane Religion that this church neuer altered any substantiall matter by their owne iudgement at before or after the cominge of S. Augustine hither I will first set downe all the pretended chaunges additiōs or alteratiōs which these protestants charge that holy church withall in these affaires prouinge them to bee of no moment or essentiall And after shew how the Christian Britans in this age also as in all the former still agreed in these questions with the church of Rome And wheras there was then some difference betweene the disciples of S. Gregorie and the Britās here about the obseruation of Easter and some other questions rather ceremoniall then substantiall in Religion that the church euen by the testimonie of our protestants did hold the truth in these matters and such Britans and Scots as held the contrary were in confessed and vnexcusable error 2. The first alleaged chaunger or additioner of any thinge in the holy sacrifice of Masse which our protestants obiect among the Popes of Rome in this age is Horsmida who as these men write commaunded that altars should not be erected without the assent of the Bishop Ne altaria sine Episcopi assensu erigerentur iussit Rob. Barnes in vit Pontif. Rom. in Horsmida Bal. in Act. Pont. in eod but this was according to holy scriptures to haue Superiors and commaunders to bee obeyed remember them
with them sett downe in the 6. article of their Religion confirmed by parlaments and subscribed and sworne vnto by all protestant Bishops and ministers of England The wordes of this their sworne and subscribed vnto Religion in this point are these Articles of Engl. protest Religion ratified by the parlaments and canons of Q. Eliz. and King Iames articul 6. 10. Holy scripture conteyneth all thinges necessary for saluation so that whatsoeuer is not read therin nor may bee proued thereby is not to bee required of any mā that it should bee beleeued as an article of the faith Therfore things so reade in scripture and therby proued must needes bee articles of faith otherwise Religion should bee without articles of faith which is vnpossible for by this protestant Religion there is no other meanes to make or proue them such Being thus directed by these protestants and by their direction I make this Argument and proofe from scriptures as they translate thē Euery high preist is ordeined to offer sacrifice for sinnes Hebr. 5.1.8.3 But Melchisedech was an high preist Therefore ordeyned to offer sacrifice for sinnes The first or maior proposition is the very wordes of S. Paule as our protestants translate him The minor or second proposition is theire translation of the Prophet Moises Melchisedech was the preist of the most high God Gen. 14.18 Where hee is called the preist by excellency and blessing Abraham and called by S Paule better or greater then Abraham Hebr. 7.6.7.9 Who also was a great preist and patriarke and as a superiour receauing tithes of him and so eminent and cheife that the order of which hee was is not onely called the order of Melchisedech but Christ himselfe often termed high preist after the order of Melchisedech and as our protestants also translate after the similitude of Melchisedech as both the Greeke and Latine texts also are Therefore Melchisedech of necessitie was an high preist Therefore againe the conclusion which in a true Argument and Sillogisme as this is cannot bee denied that Melchisedech offered sacrifice beeing therto ordeyned is most certaine and an article of faith by these protestants Religion before 11. And because by the rule of their Religion wee may not seeke but in scripture to knowe what sacrifice it was which hee offered it must needes bee that sacrifice of bread and wine which the scripture Rabbins Fathers and forreine protestants haue told vs of before for wee do not find any other sacrifice or matter like a sacrifice in scripture attributed to Melchisedech If any man shall say that S. Paule speaking of all high preists offering sacrifice meaneth sacrifice vnproperly as prayers and such deuotions I answere this is not onely vnproperly but by true consequence blasphemously spoken vtterly denyinge that either the preists of the Lawe of Nature or Moises or Christ did offer any sacrifice and so no sacrifice for sinne beeinge offered by Christ mans redemption was not wrought by Christ but man is vnredeemed and Christ was not the Sauiour of the world for in that place as S. Paul speaketh of euery high preist and preistly orders he also speaketh of the externall sacrifices of of them in their order and time And so doth the protestant publicke glosse vppon those wordes of S. Paule Euery high preist is ordeyned to offer sacrifice expound them in these termes Hee bringeth a reason why it must needes bee that Christ should haue a body that hee might haue what to offer for otherwise hee could not bee an highe preist Protest Annotat. in cap. 8. Hebr. v. 3 Therfore by these protestants S. Paul speaketh of an externall and properly named sacrifice and that therefore Melchisedech as well as other high preists did offer an external sacrifice otherwise by their owne reason the same which S. Paul alleageth hee could not bee an high preist as the holy scripture proueth hee was not offering any externall sacrifice which both by S. Paule so many testimonies before and the publicke and authoritatiue exposition of English Protestants is essentially and vnseparably belonging to al true preists preisthood 12. The Protestant Bishop D. Morton Appeale l. 3. c. 13. pag. 394. plainely graunteth that Melchisedech offered an externall sacrifice wherein there was really bread and wine Hee further proueth from the Rabbins and Bibliander supr cent 1. That at the cominge of the Messias all legall sacrifices should ceise and a sacrifice in bread and wine should onely stil continue And constantly auoucheth for the common doctrine of English Protestants in these wordes The protestants acknowledge in the Eucharist a sacrifice Euc◅aristicall Mort. sup l. 3. c. 13 The present protestant Archbishop of Canterbury director of Master Mason and hee directed by him directly graunt that the words of Christ concerning his body and blood to bee giuen argue a sacrifice to God Franc. Mason lib. 5. pag. 233. And cite and graunt further in this maner pag. 243. Christ hauinge offered himselfe for a soueraigne sacrifice vnto his Father ordeyned that wee should offer a remembrance thereof vnto God instead of a sacrifice An other saith Middle papistom pag. 92.113 The sacrifice of the Altare and vnbloodye sacrifice were vsed in the primatiue church and the auncient Fathers called the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ a sacrifice And againe pag. 49.137.138.47.45 The primatiue church did offer sacrifice at the Altar for the dead Sacrifice for the dead was a tradition of the Apostles and the auncient Fathers And Isaac Casaubon the knowne french stipendary champion for the Protestants of England writeth thus of our Kinge in this matter Respons ad Card. Peron pag. 51. The Kinge is neither ignorant of nor denieth that the Fathers of the primatiue church did acknowledge one sacrifice in Christian Religion that succeeded in place of all the sacrifices in the lawe of Moses And least any man should doubt what sacrifice hee ment by so speaking hee telleth vs it is The body of Christ in the Eucharist as Catholicks hold and addeth there Haec est fides Regis haec est fides Ecclesiae Anglicanae This is the faiih of the Kinge this is the faith of the English church And writeth to Cardinall Perron in these wordes The Kinge said in the hearing of manic and wished him so to signifie to Cardinal Perron that hee agreed with the Cardinal in his opiniō de duplici sacrificio expiationis nempe commemorationis siue Religionis Concerning two kinds of sacrifice the one of expiation for the world the other commemoratiue or of Religion Which last Cardinall Perron with all Catholicks take to bee the sacrifice of Masse Therefore if the English Protestant church and his maiestie agree so far with Catholicks the attonement wil sooner bee made in this matter 13. Neither did Casaubon here assume for his maiestie and English Protestants any new thinge but the same which they had professed and graunted in their most solemne and publicke decrees and proceedings from the first beginning of
thinges deliuered by the tradition of the Apostles saith S. Basil l. 5. de vniuersal eccl this tradition did commend the words of long prayer and consecration ouer the breade and chalice set downe in order multifariam digesta super panem calicem prolixae orationis consecrationis verba commendauit Irenaeus saith the church receaued this order of sacrifice from the Apostles and in his time offered it to God in all the world Oblationem noui testamenti Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens in vniuerso mundo offert Deo Irenaeus l. 4. cap. 32. contr haeres The auncient learned Bishop Stephanus Eduensis writtinge of this holy sacrifice setteth down the maner how the Apostles practised and preached it Stephan Eduen Episc l. de Sacramento Altaris cap. 20. Sicut Magister docuerat Apostoli se alios communicando consecrationem corporis sanguinis Domini facere caeperunt fieri per vniuersas Ecclesias instituerunt Primo sine aliquo ornatu fiebat canonis mysterium postea cum canone legebatur epistola Euangelium Deinde à Romanis Pontificibus quibusdam additis ad ornatum decoratum Ecclesiae celebranda aliqua susceperunt As Christ theire Master had taught them the Apostles communicating themselues and other began to make the consecration of the body and blood of our Lord and preachinge instituted it to bee done throughout all churches First without any ornament the mistery of the canon of Masse was practised afterward with the canon were reade the epistle and Ghospel After this somethings for ornament were therto added by the Popes of Rome the churches receiued the rest to be celebrated 3. Where wee see the whole body and substance of the Masse consistinge in the holy canon perfected practised and deliuered by the Apostles And what was after added by the Popes of Rome were onely ceremoniall for honor and ornament sake and not necessitie as hee there expresseth and I wil demonstrate herafter by our protestants themselues and for this place their prime man and first protestantlye made Archbishop testifieth as much as this holy Bishop hath done before For he saith plainlie Matth. Parker l. de Britan. antiq cap. 17. pag. 47. that the order and forme of Masse which the Apostles vsed and deliuered to the church ducētis āplius ānis in prima Ecclesia durauit continued aboue two hundred yeares in the primatiue church without alteration And then beeing somewhat altered by Pope S. Zepherine the chaunge which was made was to a more excellent forme and matter Ad pulchriorem materiam formamque S. Proclus Patriarch of Constantinople and successor to S. Chrisostome there testifieth that Saint Clement receaued the forme of Masse from the Apostles and published it to the world Proclus tractat de traditione diuin Liturgiae infra cap. Quia Sacrosancta illa mysteria à Sanctis Apostolis sibi reuelata in lucem edidit And how daily after Christs Ascension they assembled and found great comfort in this holy sacrifice of Christs body and blood said Masse with longe prayers Cum multam consolationem in mistico illo Dominici corporis sacrificio positam inuenissent fusissimè longa oratione Liturgiam decantabant and more plainely as hereafter preferringe it before all other holy duties and exercises And Amalarius Fortunatus maketh this reason why the forme and order of this sacrifice was by our Sauiour recommended to the care of the Apostles Amalar. Fortunat l. 3. de Eccles offic cap. Saluator quo vehementius commendaret mysterij illius altitudinem vltimum hoc voluit infigere cordibus memoriae discipulorum a quibus ad passionem digressurus erat ideo non praecipit quo deinceps ordine sumeretur vt Apostolis per quos Ecclesias dispositurus erat seruaret hunc locum Our Sauiour that hee might more vehemently commend the worthines of that mistery would haue it the last thing hee was to fasten into the harts and memorie of his disciples from whom he was to depart to his passion and therefore did not commaund in what order it should afterwards bee receaued that hee might reserue that dutie to the Apostles by whom hee was to dispose the churches 4. To this all the holy Fathers before that testifie Christ ordeyned this holy sacrifice and recommended it to his Apostles beare witnes for none but Antichristians will say that the Apostles taught or practised otherwise then Christ instituted and commaunded And they were so zelous in this holy doctrine that as both Catholicks and Protestants haue proued before they were wicked Hereticks by S. Ignatius testimony that then denyed this B. sacrifice to bee the body and blood of Christ which were giuen and shed for the sinnes of the worlde Ignat. apud Theodoret. Bezam Whitaker al. supr And Leontius Bizantinus writing against the Hereticks Nestorius and Eutiches charging them first with denyinge the Nicen creed and producinge a pseudosimbolum of their owne inuention taxeth the Hereticke with an other prophane impietie not inferior to the other to deny the holy order of the sacrifice of Masse ordeyned and instituted by the Apostles receaued by the Fathers and that of S. Basil penned by the same holy spirit inuented an other Masse of his owne to susteine his heresie full of blasphemies Audet aliud malum non secundum ad superiora aliam enim Missam effutiuit praetor illam qua à patribus tradita est Ecclesijs neque reueritis illam Apostolorum nec illam magni Basilij in eodem spiritu conscriptum in qua Missa blasphemijs non precationibus mysterium Eucharistiae oppleuit And this wickednes was so great by this renowned author that hee calleth it Antichristianitie and the denier of the Apostles Masse Antichrist An vt alius Antichristus adhuc expectetur par est qui sic Christum oderit quae Christi sunt mutare nitatur And our English Protestants themselues both say that the sacrifice of Masse for the liuing and the dead was a tradition of the Apostles and Aerius was iustly condemned of heresy by the primatiue church for denyinge sacrifice for the dead And this is publickly and authoritatiuely approued by the remembred statute of Queene Elizabeth Kinge Eduard the 6. and Kinge Iames our present soueraigne assuringe vs that this holy sacrifice of the altare was instituted by Christ at his laste supper with his Apostles deliuered to thē and by them to the church and succeeding Christian preists to the end and conteyneth the oblation of the most sacred body and blood of Christ Middleton Papistom pag. 49.137.138.47.48 Feild l. 3. cap. 29. pag. 138. statut an 1. Edu 6. an 1. Elizab. an 1. Iacob Reg. THE X. CHAPTER Wherin is particularly proued of all the holy Apostles and Euangelists that they were sacrificinge massinge preists and did both practise and teach the same doctrines And first the 4. Euangelists and S. Paule who haue remēbred these misteries in holy scriptures THis being thus inuincibly proued and acknowledged
all Christians should both haue power were bouÌ„d vnder daÌ„nation to take vpon them to minister in such things for the wordes doe this to whomsoeuer they were spoken conteyne an expresse commaundement to bee performed 5. And to make this matter more euident it is manifest by the protestant parlament statute of Kinge Edward the sixt Queene Elizabeth and King Iames. Statut 1. Edw. 6.1 Eliz. 1. Iacob supr That the Protestants of England neither doe nor by their Religion may make it a matter of commaundement and necessitie for lay parsons to communicate vnder both kindes but doe freely acknowledge that in the first fiue hundred yeares of Christ the Sacrament was ministred vnto and receaued of the laitie sometimes in one somtimes in both kindes and yet the practise of the church was holy in those dayes therfore there neuer was a generall commaundement to al Christians to receaue in both kindes yet S. Paul settinge downe Christs ordinance and institution of this holy sacrifice he said both concerninge his body and blood he gaue this expresse commaundement doe this in remembrance of mee 1. Corinth cap. 11. ver 24.25 And therefore Tatianus Alexandrinus disciple to S. Iustine the martyr in his harmony of the ghospels doth set downe those wordes of Christ to his Apostles Doe this in commemoration of me both after the deliuery of his body and blood vnto them Tatianus Alexand. Harmon Euang. cap. 155. Therfore all they being preists and onely present then must needs bee made preists and sacrificinge preists by those consecratory words of Christ then onely spoken vnto them 6. Which is made moste euident in the case of S. Thomas the Apostle who by opinions Catholicke and Protestant was a preist and as hereafter a sacrificinge massinge preist yet hee was not present when Christ said to the other Apostles in the 20. chapter of S. Iohns ghospell receue yee the holy Ghost whose soeuer sinnes yee remit they are remitted vnto them and whose soeuer sinnes yee retayne they are retayned And as protestants affirme made them preists and they themselues in their booke of pretended consecration only vse these in making ministers for the scripture saith plainly and immediatly in the next words But Thomas one of the twelue called Didimus was not with them when Iesus came ver 24. neither when hee said these words vnto them but when the rest of the Apostles told him they had seene Christ it followeth in the same place by English Protestants reading The other disciples therefore said vnto him wee haue seene the Lord. ver 25. But hee said vnto them except I shall see in his hands the print of the nailes and put my finger into the print of the nailes and thrust my hand into his side I will not beleeue v. 26. These be the very next words of the Euangelist vnto the former and then immediatly followeth how eight dayes after Christ appeared againe S. Thomas beeing present and cured his incredulitie 7. So that it is most plaine and euident that S. Thomas receaued the cheife preistlie power in the last supper of Christ and by those his powerfull wordes when hauing celebrated the high preistly function of sacrificinge after the order of Melchisedech in consecrating and offeringe for our sacrifice his most blessed body and blood vnder the formes of breade and wine and beeinge to leaue this preistly sacrificinge power in his church hee did first communicate and giue it to his Apostles sayinge vnto them as our protestants translate This doe in remembrance of mee Luc. cap. 22. ver 19.1 Cor. 11. ver 24.25 where wee may boldly reade sacrifice this in remembrance of me or in commemoration of me For so both the Hebrue and Greeke and Latine also wil giue allowance as I haue proued before Yet if wee should take them onely for the common action of doinge seâ—…ing in the very common sence of doing it conteyneth both a power commaundement to doe that which Christ there did which by all testimonies before and allowance of protestants themselues was his moste holy offeringe and sacrificinge his sacred body and for sinnes It must needes giue both power and precept to his Apostles to doe the same doe this or this doe otherwise neither the Apostles nor preists truely consecrated after them had done that which Christ did and which he gaue power and commaund vnto them to do but some other thing not commaunded and which they had no authoritie or warrant to doe which is the transgressing vncoÌ„maunded and vnwarranted lamentable condition of all those that deny this holy sacrifice and presume to practise any other thing in place thereof 8. Therefore seeinge no man doth or can pretend but there was onely one true consecrator time place maner and order of consecratinge both S. Thomas and the other Apostles for holy preists it euidentlie followeth they were all consecrated by Christ in the action time place and order as is before remembred and that they were so consecrated sacrificinge massinge preists Which our learned Protestants of England plainely teach vs to bee so The great Archbishop champion for the English Protestants when he so professed him selfe writing with their greatest applause and priuiledge speakinge of the time place and maner when where and how the Apostles were made preists and of theire two spirituall powers iurisdiction and order hee saith of this Marcus Ante. Reipub. Ecclesiast l. 2. cap. 1. num 3. Ordinis ego potestatem intelligo nunc ad conficiendam Eucharistiam sacrificij in cruce per Iesum Christum peracti memoriam celebrandam ad quod Sacerdotium quoddam est necessarium Ad hoc Sacerdotium promoti sunt Apostoli à Christo Domino in vltima caena quando eis dixit hoc facite in meam commemorationem Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. By power of order I now vnderstand power to consecrate the Eucharist and celebrate the memory of the sacrifice which Christ perfected vpon the Crosse to which a certaine preisthood is necessary to this preisthood the Apostles were promoted in the last supper wheÌ„ hee said vnto them do this in my commemoration 9. And againe Marcus Anto. supr l. 2. cap. 4. pag. 19. Quando Eucharistiae conficiendae ipsis dabat potestatem dixit eis hec facite in meam commemorationem nimirum id quod me videtis nunc facere vos facite hoc est sumite panem benedicite frangite porrigite similiter vinum Et conseqnenter Apostoli ex ipso facto Christi instructi certè diuina Christi institutione dabant Eucharistiam When Christ gaue vnto his Apostles power to consecrate the Eucharist he said vnto them doe this in my commemoration That is what you see mee now to do doe you the same that is take bread blesse it breake reach likewise also wine And consequently the Apostles armed by that fact of Christ certainely by the diuine institution of Christ did giue the Eucharist And in an other place Marc. Anton. l. 2. cap.
and order fully how this sacrifice was to bee celebrated he concludeth thus in that chapter The rest I vvill set in order vvhen I come 1. Corinth c. 11. v. vlt 34. reseruing it to tradition beeing to longe a worke to bee comprised in an epistle 28. Whereuppon S. Augustine expoundinge those very words caetera cum venero ordinabo The other thinges I will order when I come as hee readeth writeth in these words Augustin epistol 118. ad I anuarium cap. 6. Tom. 2. operum eius vnde intelligi datur quia multum erat vt in epistola totum illum agendi ordinem insinuaret quem vniuersa per orbem seruat Ecclesia ab ipso ordinatum esse quod nulla morum diuersitate variatur Whence wee are giuen to vnderstand that it was to much for him to insinuate in an epistle all that whole order of celebration which the vniuersall church obserueth in all the worlde to bee there ordered of him which is not varied with any diuersitie Where wee see plainlie that by the testimony of S. Paul himselfe warranted with this great authoritie hee deliuered a forme of Masse vnto the church and the church in S. Augustines time still continued it without any diuersitie or difference to bee excepted against 29. And where S. Paul writeth to S. Timothy according to our protestants translation I exhort therefore that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giuinge of thankes bee made for all men for Kings and all that bee in authoritie 1. Timoth cap. 2. v. 1.2 it is the common interpretation of the holy Fathers and expositors of scriptures that hee there alludeth to the order vsed in the holy sacrifice of Masse where these things were obserued as appeareth in the moste auncient Masses wee haue extant So S. Remigius S. Augustine S. Bede S. Bruno S. Anselme Haymo Petrus Lombardus and diuers others writinge vppon that place expound them of the holy Masse S. Remigius saith Apostolus dirigens haec verba Timotheo in illo tradidit omnibus Episcopis presbyteris omnique Ecclesiae quando deberent Missarum solemnia celebrare pro omnibus orare The Apostle directinge these wordes to Timothie and in him deliuered to all Bishops and preists and to the whole church when they shoulde celebrate the solemnities of Masse and pray for all Remigius in 1. Timoth cap. 2. Augustin epistol 59. quaest 5. Beda in 1. Timoth. cap. 2. Bruno Haimo Petr. Lombard alij in eund loc 30. And a little after Quam formam vel exemplum omnes Ecclesiae modo retinent nam obsecrationes sunt quicquid praecedit in Missarum solemnijs vbi incipit Sacerdos consecrare mysteria corporis sanguinis Domini Which forme or example all churches doe still retaine for obsecrations are all whatsoeuer it said in the solemnities of the Masse vntill that place where the preist beginneth to cōsecrate the misteries of the body and blood of Christ sayinge Te igitur clementissime Pater Which bee the first words of the canon Orations or prayers are those which the preist vttereth in the consecratiō of the Eucharist euen to the fractiō of the body of our Lord that is when the preist putteth one part of the host into the chalice Postulations are the blessiings which the Bishop saith ouer the people inuocating vpon them the name of God The giuing of thanks are prayers which the preist after the people haue receaued doth render vnto God the Father who hath offered vnto them the mistery of the body and blood of his sonne for theire saluation Which all moste word by worde and in the same sence is deliuered by S. Augustine in his 59. epistle quaestione 5. Tom. 5. where he setteth downe the whole order and maner of the sacrifice of Masse as wee now vse it and expoundeth S. Paules wordes to that purpose as the other holy and learned recited Father likewise doth 31. And to make all sure by our protestants themselues they assure vs that S. Trophimus mentioned by S. Paul was his disciple and left by him at Arles in Fraunce when hee passed from Rome to Spaine althoughe Eisengrenius proueth from the french Annals and diuers antiquities that he was disciple both of S. Peter and S. Paul B. Petri Pauli discipulus Guliel Eiseng centen 1. part 1. dist 3. fol. 53. And was of such fame and renowne as Pope Zosimus 1200. yeares since the Romane Martyrologe Zosimus To. 1. concil Martyrol Roman in S. Trophimo die 29. Decembris the Magdeburgian Protestants with others testifie ex eius praedicationis fonte tota Gallia fidei Rinulos accepit out of the fountaine of his preaching all Fraunce receauing the channels of faith Magd. centur 1. l. 1. in Trophimo yet the auncient Brittish antiquitie suppressed by our protestants of which before and more herafter is a sufficient warrant and witnesse that hee deliuered and obserued in Fraunce a certaine forme and order of the holy sacrifice of Masse and the same was vsed and practised also both at Rome and here in Britanie likewise at that time M. S. Britan. antiq pr. Stores in exordium 32. And the same is as euidently proued from his renowned scholler S. Denis the Areopagite Who in his booke of the ecclesiasticall Hierarchie cap. 5.7 epist ad Demophil setteth downe the whole order of the sacrifice of Masse and how the preist behaued himselfe at the holy altare both before and after consecration how the catechumens energumens and publick penitents were not permitted to bee present but onely to the prayers which were before the oblation of the sacrifice He setteth down how bread and wine was proposed on the altare how blessed consecrated into the body blood of Christ and offered in sacrifice How greate reuerence and prayer was also vsed vnto Christ vnder the externall species O tu diuinum sacratissimumque Sacramentum obducta tibi per signa obscuritatum quasi vela integumenta patefacta perspicuè nobis ostende mentisque nostrae oculos singulari quae obtegi non potest luce comple Hee sheweth how a memory of Saints is there made mystica Sanctorum recitatio fit He teacheth how the preist or Bishop prayed for the dead for remission of their sinnes and to come to glory Precatur oratio illa diuinam clementiam vt cuncta dimittat per infirmitatem humanam admissa peccata defuncto eumque inluce statuat regione viuorū Which is as much as the Romā church now vseth in that holy sacrifice of Masse And hee remembreth how in the ende the preist acknowledgeth the dignitie of that holy sacrifice to bee so great that he was vnworthy to offer it but that Christ did both giue power and commaund to doe it when hee said to his Apostles doe this in commemoration of mee Religiosè simul vt Pontificem decet post sacras diuinorum operum laudes de sacrificio quod ipsius dignitatem superat se purgat dum primò ad cum clamat
tu dixisti hoc facite in meam commemorationem 33. And how carefull and diligent an obseruer and practiser of this massing doctrine hee was in act and deed daily in his whole life we may be assured by the worthie writers of his life and death Hilduinus Abbot of S. Denis in Fraunce where hee was buried about 800. yeares since Roswita or Roswida not longe after and others who confidently and from publick testimony write that neither his strict imprisonment in a dungeon could hinder him from performing this holy dutie but there both persuadinge the people present and writinge vnto others absent to confirme them more said Masse in that vnfit place to proue how acceptable it was Christ Iesus with a multitude of Angels appeared vnto them all with such a light from heauen as had beene seene at the very time when they were to communicate comforted his holy Martir Sed nec carcereis praesul praeclarus in antris desinit obsequium Domino persoluere dignum sed docuit plebem studiosè conuenientem ac celebrat sacrae solitò solemnia Missae Est vbi caelestem debebat frangere panem lux noua tristifico subito fulgebat in antro in qua sidereae regnator splendidus aulae scilicet angelica pariter comitante caterua apparens charum consolabatur amicum Trithem l. de scriptorib in Hildonio Roswida Hilduinus Abb. in vita S. Dionisij Areopag cap. 29. Roswita l. de vit S. Dionis Areopag alijs THE X. CHAPTER How all the rest of the Apostles in particular S. Andrew Iames the great Thomas Iames the lesse Philip Bartholomew Symon Thaddaeus and Matthias were sacrificinge Preists and Apostles and vsually offered the sacrifice of Masse NOw let vs come to the rest of the holie Apostles which haue not in scriptures written of these misteries and proue of them all and in order except S. Peter the first whom I haue promised to put in the last place that in their sacred functions they offered the most holy sacrifice of Masse And first to begin with S. Andrew It is a receaued opinion Iodoc. Cocc Tom. 2. l. 7. artic 5. de purgator that this holy Apostle did first deliuer that forme of Masse which was auntiently and from the beginninge vsed in the church of Constantinople and after called the Masse of S. Iohn Chrisostome the great and learned Patriarke of that place because it was enlarged by him and is stil as our protestants acknowledge vsed to this day in the churches of Greece Edwin Sands relation of Religion cap. 53. or 54. And that hee himselfe did vsually and daily offer this moste sacred oblation of Christs body and blood wee haue moste auncient and vndeniable testimonies whether we will professe our selues Catholicks or protestants in Religion for both these agree in this that S. Andrew was martyred by Aegeus Procōsull of Achaia in the citie Patras and they celebrate his day of festiuitie vppon the laste of Nouember And they doe or ought if they make not fictions of theire owne deduce the history of his passion from the auncient penners and relators thereof which bee the preists and deacons of Achaia which were eye witnesses and present at the same S. Cyprian or whosoeuer was the auncient Author of the booke amonge his workes de duplici Martyrio The old Anonimus who wrote the booke of the Apostles liues published by the learned Bishop of Vienna Fredericus Nausea S. Simeon Metaphrastes himself a learned grecian and auncient of those parts S. Iuo S. Bernard Algerus the auncient writer of the liues of Saints the whole latine church in the publicke seruice of the feast of S. Andrew the Apostle the auncient Breuiary of the church of Salisbury in England and others are witnesses that S. Andrew beeinge persuaded and threatned by Aegeus the Proconsull to sacrifice to the Pagan Gods answered publicklie vnto him in these wordes Ego omnipotenti Deo qui vnus verus est immolo quotidie non taurorum carnes nec hircorum sanguinem sed immaculatum Agnum in altari cuius carnem posteaque omnis multitudo credentium manducauerit Agnus qui sacrificatus est integer perseuerat viuus I doe daily sacricrifice to God almightie the onely true God not the flesh of bulls nor blood of goates but the immaculate Lambe vppon the altar whose flesh after all the multitude of beleeuers haue eaten the Lambe that is sacrificed remayneth whole and liuinge Breuiar Missale Rom. Martyrolog Rom. Bed Vsuard vlt. Nou. Protestant comm Booke in calendar Nouem infest vlt. Nouem Cooper v. Andreas Godw. conuers Magdeb cent 1. in Andr. Apostolo Act. S. Andrea per Presb. Diacon Achaiae Ciprian l. de duplic Mart. Anonim in mirac vit Pass Apost in S. Andrea Sim. Metaphr in S. Andr. S. Iuo Carnoten Episc serm de Sacram dedicat ser 4. Algerus contra Berengar S. Bernard apud Francisc Feuarden annotat in Frenaeum l. 4. contra haer cap. 32. pag. 361. Iacob Genuen Epis in vit S. Andrea vlt. Nouem Breu. Ecclesiae Salisbur ibidem 2. Thus it is euident that S. Andrewe the Apostle did offer this holy sacrifice of Masse and euery day and that the sacrifice was Christ himself the true Lambe of God that taketh away sinnes Amonge the holy auncient and renowned witnesses S. Iuo supr ser 4. speakinge of this holy sacrifice of Masse thus wtiteth In memoriam veniunt verba beati Andreae Apostoli quibus asserit in caelis esse corpus Domini de altari posse sumi corpus Domini Cuius inquit carnes cum sint comestae in terris à populo ipse tamen in caelestibus ad dexteram Patris integer perseuerat viuus The wordes of S. Andrew the Apostle doe come to memory in which hee affirmeth that the body of our Lord is in heauen and yet may his body bee receued from the altare Whose flesh saith hee when it is eaten of the people on earth yet he perseuereth whole and aliue in heauen at the right hand of his Father And this giueth full satisfaction for S. Andrew that hee was a sacrificinge and massinge preist 3. The next in order is S. Iames the brother of S. Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist martired by Kinge Herode as we reade in the 12. chapter of the Acts of the Apostles where our protestants thus reade About that time Herod the Kinge stretched forth his hand to vexe certaine of the church And he killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword Actor cap. 12. ver 1.2 Which his timely death hath taken from him such ample memory as is deliuered of some other Apostles that liued longer in histories But beeing assured before by all kinde of testimonies that he was one of them to whom our blessed Sauiour gaue power and commaundement to offer the holy sacrifice of his body and blood that he there being consecrated a preist and one of the three Apostles which our Sauiour most loued and hee him
Apostoli deportauerunt Trophinus Bishop of Arles and S. Photin Martyr and Bishop of Lions disciple of S. Peter Apostle deliuered the Roman order in Fraunce Then afterward the relation of S. Photin Martyr imprisoned together with 48. Martyrs it was carryed to S. Clement the fourth in succession to S. Peter the Apostle Where wee plainely see that the church of Rome had then a publick order forme of Masse and this was published throughout France by S. Trophinus from whose fountaine as I haue shewed before both from Catholicks and Protestants all the churches of Fraunce did receaue instruction Zosimus Pap. epist. To. 1. Concil Petr. Cluniacens Magdeb centur 2. pag. 2. col 6. Martyrolog Rom. die 29. Decemb. 13. And this Masse after the death of S. Peter Linus and Cletus was approued by S. Clement and as it seemeth by an auncient Manuscript french history hee added the epistle and ghospell which all were not written in S. Peters time For thus it testifieth with others S. Clement Pope ordeyneth that in the solemnitie of the Masse the epistle and ghospell should bee reade M. S. French historie an Do. 81. cap. 2. and immediatlie addeth how then hee sent many preachers and holy Bishops into Fraunce and these parts which could bringe with them no other Liturgie or Masse then that which their Master S. Clement had so published and approued both by his authoritie and practise before And if the Masse of S. Marke was not the same with Saint Peters as some thinke yet sure wee are seeing hee was an Euangelist S. Peters scholler and wrote his ghospell ex ore Petri from S. Peters mouth as S. Hierome witnesseth and by his approbation Hieron in Catal. script in S. Marco that his Masse could not bee different from his Masters in any materiall thinge and seeinge S. Peter approued his ghospell hee did not and would not disproue or disallowe his Masse And yet this old Brittish antiquitie is witnes that the Masse which the old Christian Scots did vse in his time and was accompted very holy was practised by S. Marke and from him continued to the time of this Author by continuall tradition from one to an other 14. Ipsum cursum qui dicitur presenti tempore Scottorum Beatus Marcus decantauit post ipsum Gregorius Nazianzenus quem Hieronymus suum Magistrum esse affirmat beatus Basilius frater ipsius S. Gregorij Antonius Paulus Macharius vel Ioannes Malchus secundum ordinem Patrum decantauerunt Inde postea beatissimus Cassianus post ipsum beatus Honoratus Sanctus Caesarius Episcopus qui fuit in Arelata beatus Porcarius Abbas qui in ipso monasterio fuit ipsum cursum decantauerunt qui beatum Lupum beatum Germanum Monachos in eorum monasterio habuerunt ipsi sub norma regulae ipsum cursum ibidem decantauerunt Et postea Episcopatus cathedram adepti in Britannijs Scottijs praedicauerunt Quae vita beati Germani Episcopi Antisiodorensis vita beat Lupi affirmat Qui beatum Patricium literas sacras docuerunt atque enutrierunt Et ipsum Episcopum in Scottijs ac Britannijs posuerunt qui vixit annos centum quinquaginta tres ipsum cursum ibidem decantauit post ipsum beatus Vuandilocus senex beatus Gomogillus qui habuerunt in eorum monasterio Monachos circiter tria millia Inde beatus Vuandilocus in predicationis ministerium à beato Gomogillo missus est beatus Columbanus partibus Galliarum ibidem ipsum cursum decantauerunt That order which at this time is called the order of Scots S. Marke did singe and after him Gregory Nazianzen whome Hierome affirmeth to haue beene his Master and S Basil brother of the said S Gregory Antonius Paulus Macharius or Iohn and Malchus accordinge to the order of the Fathers did singe it And after that most blessed Cassian and after him S. Honoratus and S. Caesarius Bishop that was in Arles and S. Porcarius Abbot which was in the same monasterie did singe that order who had monkes in their monastery S. Lupus and S Germanus and they three vnder rule did singe the same order and after made Bishops preached in Britanie and Scotlande which thinges the life of S. German Bishop of Antisiodor and the life of S. Lupus doth affirme who taught S. Patricke holy learning brought him vp and placed him Bishop in Scotland and Britanie who liued an hundred fifty and three yeares and songe there the same order And after him Vuandilocus an old man and S. Gomogillus who had in their monastery about three thousand monkes After S. Vuandilocus was sent to preach by S. Gomogillus as also S. Columbanus to the parts of Fraunce and there they did singe the same order 15. Hitherto the wordes of this so auncient and approued Manuscript Brittish antiquitie So that whether soeuer or to whomsoeuer we turne our selues to enquire of these thinges whether Hebrues Grecians or Latines Apostles Euangelists or their Disciples with vs at home Britons or Saxons Catholicks or Protestants it is clearely and plainely confessed that generally in this first Apostolicke age and hundred yeares of Christ which must needes bee allowed for a rule square and direction to all succeedinge times and posterities The holy sacrificing preisthood of the present Greeke and Latine church and all Christian nations whether these late nouelties haue not entered sacrificinge massinge preists and the moste holy sacrifice of Masse were our Sauiour Christ Iesus his sacred ordinances and institutions and so vsed practised and with all honor performed by the whole number of the Apostles without exception their disciples and successors in all places among the rest to the great glory thereof in this our nation of great Britanie And all this without any materiall chaunge or alteration in that sacrifice the principall act and office of truely cōsecrated preists preisthood as is before related and our cheife protestantes haue before confessed of the moste contradicted and questionable thinges a sacrifice instituted by Christ himselfe conteyning an oblation of his moste blessed body and blood both for the liuing and faithfull departed propitiatory for sinnes with a memory of the holy Saints in heauen of which lesser instance hath bene giuen because few Saints of the new testament were then at the first deceased this life and entered into glory yet the churches then dedicated to diuers of them and inuocation praier then made vnto them as before appeareth maketh it an vndoubted truth 16. To which I only add for this kingdome of our Britanie from those antiquities both printed and Manuscripts which our protestants most allowe and approue that S. Ioseph of Aramathia and his holy company besides their buildinge a church in honor of the blessed Virgin Mary did expressely serue her and pray vnto her duod cim praedicti in eodem loco Deo beatae Virgini deuota exhibentes obsequia vigilijs ieiunijs orationibus vacantes eiusdem Virginis
Dei genitricis auxilio in necessitatibus suis refocillobantur The twelue holy men spoken of before S. Ioseph and his companions yeeldinge deuout seruices to God and the blessed Virgin attendinge to watchings fastings and prayers were in their necessities releiued by the helpe of the same Virgin Mother of God Antiquitat Glast apud Capgrau in Catalog in S. Ioseph ab Aramath S. Patricio antiq M. S. tabulis affixae in ead Eccles Glaston and others So that whomsoeuer S. Peter S. Paul S. Ioseph or any other man will truly and seriouslie allowe or in his owne singular conceipt or phantasie imagin to haue beene the first preacher teacher of the Christian faith and Religion in Britanie or what or whose order and forme of Masse and Liturgie they will say was then here vsed and practised they must needs by all authorities warranted iudgements acknowledge that the holy preists here in that time were sacrificinge massinge preists their externall Liturgie and sacrifice the sacrifice of Masse wherein Christs holy body and blood were consecrated and offered both for the liuinge and faithfull departed the Saints were remembred and prayed vnto and no materiall difference betweene that and the present Masse of either the Greeke or Latine church And so I end this first age and hundred yeares of Christ THE SECOND AGE OR HVNDRED YEARES OF CHRIST THE XV. CHAPTER Wherein demonstration is made both by protestants and other antiquaries that sacrificinge massinge preists and Bishops and sacrifice of Masse continued and were honored in this kingdome of Britanie from the beginninge of this hundred yeares vntill Kinge Lucius time when it was wholly conuerted to that faith WE are now come to the beginninge of the second age or century of yeares of Christ when by all accompts in historie Kinge Coillus that was bred vp at Rome was Kinge in Britanie and S. Anacletus Pope of Rome When many of our before remembred massinge and sacrificinge Brittish preists as namely S. Mansuetus S. Beatus his holy companion before by some named Achates and S. Timotheus were liuinge And though I doe not find any particularly named whome S. Anacletus sent hither of the holy preistly massinge order yet to followe euen the opinion and direction of English Protestant antiquaries in this busines wee must needs graunt that hee had a care of this contry as wel as others in this kind for they testifie of this Pope Ab â—…pso Domino primatum Romanae Ecclesiae super omnes Ecclesias vniuersumque Christiani nomine populum concessum esse asseruit Robert Barns l. de vit Pontific Roman in Anaclet Ormerod pict Pap. pag. 78. Pope Anacletus affirmed that supremacy was graunted from our Lord himselfe to the church of Rome ouer all churches and all Christian people Because saith hee Christ said to S. Peter who liued and died at Rome thou art Peter or a rocke and vppon this rocke I will builde my church Quia inquit Petro agenti morienti Romae dixit tu es Petrus super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam By which reason amonge others diuers other learned English Protestant writers with publicke priuilege and allowance doe proue vnto vs first confessinge with this holy Pope that Christ made S. Peter the supreame and cheife gouernour of his church secondly that this supreamacy was necessary and to continue foreuer in his church and thirdly because S. Peter dyinge Bishop of Rome and at Rome and there onely possibly to haue his laste and immediate successor and so constituted by himselfe as is euident in S. Clement before it euidently followeth by the reason of this holy Pope and protestants that euen by Christ himselfe this supreamacy ouer all churches and Christians was graunted to the church of Rome Whereuppon these protestants testifie in his life that hee ordeyned diuers lawes bindinge the whole church and still obserued Rob. Barnes in Anacleto 2. And if we may beleeue the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury and in the whole world also Matthew Parker hee telleth vs how in particular his iurisdiction extended into this kingdome of Britanie and that the diuision and constitution of Archbishops sees with vs was by Pope Anacletus his ordination Ex Anacle to huius insulae diuisionem Matth. Parker antiquitat Brit. pag 24. And that he was a sacrificinge massinge preist it must needs be graunted both by his owne and our protestant testimonies also of him for hee himselfe is witnesse that hee was made preist by the great sacrificinge and massinge Apostle S. Peter à Sancto Petro Apostolorum Principe presbyter ordinatus Anacletus epist 3. To. 1. concil and our protestants do plainely confesse of this holie Pope Sacerdotem sacrificaturum ministros vestibus sacris indutos seu testes custodes sibi adhibere ordinauit Episcopos vero plures ministros sibi in sacris faciendis adiungat quod Sacerdote maior ac dignior sit Robert Barnes l. de vit Pontif Roman in Anacleto Pope Anacletus ordeined that when a preist was to offer sacrifice hee should take vnto him as witnesses and keepers ministers in holy vestiments And that a Bishop should ioyne vnto him more ministers when he said Masse And that hee is greater and more worthie then a preist The authoritie from whence they cite this is much more plaine where the very order wee still vse in solemne Masses is expressed But the protestant words manifestly proue that the sacrifice of Masse and sacrificinge vestures were vsed froÌ„ the daies of the Apostles Therfore this holy Pope exercising supreamacy and enactinge lawes for the whole church in Britanie or wheresoeuer as these protestaÌ„ts there doe testifie it must needs bee confessed that the preists which in his time either for Britanie or any other nation were consecrated immediatlie by himselfe or mediatly by his authority were as himselfe was sacrificinge massinge preistes and the deacons also for which hee made decrees by the testimony of these men Robert Barnes Sup. in Anaclet Matth. Parker antiquitat Britan. pag. 24. were also as they teach such as serued at the altare and sacrifice of Masse as Master Foxe speakinge of the very deacons ordeined by Pope Anacletus proueth in these termes therefore serued the office of the deacons as wee reade to lay the offerings of the people vppon the altare to bee hallowed and when the misteries be consecrated to distribute the cupp of the sacred blood of the Lord to the faithfull people Foxe Tom. 2. in Q. Mary Ambros l. de omnib diuin offic 3. And much part of the aboade and residency of this holy Pope as also of his predecessors and successors as appeareth before and will bee more manifest hereafter was in that knowne massinge and sacrificinge house of our noble contriwoman S. Claudia or her children And the order of Masse which hee vsed was the same which was practised by S. Peter the Apostle and by him deliuered to the church as these protestants haue before
Timothie his scholler dead longe before S. Lucius Britanniae Rex S. Timothei Apostoli Pauli discipuli cruditione ad Religionem Christi inductus est Petr. Merssaeus Annal. Archiep. eccl Treuer in S. Marcello If wee reflect vppon the Saints that were sent cheife Legats hither from Rome S. Fugatius and Damianus the principall of them in all antiquities as wee must needs to giue them their due that bee chosen and selected mē they must needes be learned vertuous and of mature age and iudgment to be imploied in so weightie a busines and as all histories testifie they were and so must needes bee consecrated massinge preists beeing sacred by those remembred sacrificinge Popes which neither did nor could consecrate any other nor they bringe any other doctrine in this or any other points of Religion but what they had receaued from those holy Popes 4. And to this besides so many generall Arguments S. Gildas the moste auncient and renowned Brittish Author is a particular witnes if it could please our protestants to publish it to the worlde except that renowned Abbot Doctor Fecknham did abuse his auditory in the first parlament of Queene Elizabeth in his publicke oration which no indifferent man will thinke hee did or durst to doe for feare of open shame and confusion if hee should haue aduouched an vntruth in that assemblie And yet speaking principally of the sacrifice of Masse then to bee condemned by that parlament citeth Gildas in the proeme of his history testifyinge that the same Religion and church seruice the sacrifice of Masse which was then to bee abrogated was brought hither and settled here in the Latine tonge by the Legats of Pope Eleutherius Abbot Fecknham orat in parlam 2. of Queene Elizabeth and all our cheife protestant antiquaries and historians of England as their Bishops Parker Bale Godwine with others Gosteline Powell Foxe Fulke Middleton Stowe Holinshed others confidently affirming that the Christian Brittans neuer chaunged in any materiall thinge that holy Religion which they receaued in the time of the Apostles but constantly continued in the same vntill the cominge of S. Augustine hither from S. Gregory the great Pope of Rome and after Parker antiquitat Britan. pag. 6.45.46 Balaeus l. 2. de act Pontif. Rom. in Gregor 1. l. de scriptor cent 1. in August Dronotho Godwin conuers of Brit. Powel annot in l. 2. Giraldi Camb. de Itiner Cambr. cap. 1. Foxe act pag. 463. edit an 1576. Fulke answ to a count Cath. pag. 40. Middelt papistom pag. 202 Stow histor in S. Augustine and Kinge Ethelbert Holinsh. histor of Engl. cap. 21. pag. 102. 5. But as I haue proued before by these protestants and otherwise the Britans by that Apostolicke man receaued the doctrine profession and practise of sacrificinge preisthood preists and sacrifice of Masse and continued them vnto this time soe I will demonstrate by them and all antiquities hereafter in euery age that they kept and obserued the same inuiolablie to those dayes and after without interruption And yet this is but a needles probation for being so inuincibly proued before that they receaued these holy doctrines and professions from the Apostles and from them to these daies if they had departed from them now or after they should bee apparantly guiltie of error in departinge from those truthes which the Apostles and all from them to these dayes continued And if wee looke into the catalogues of holy writers in this time whose works bee preserued to posteritie wee shall see that the holy sacrifice of Masse and massinge preists were generally in al places in as great vse and honour as at this day The moste renowned writers of this time whose bookes bee extant now were S. Iustine S. Irenaeus and Tertullian all they doe plainelie testifie that the sacrifice of Masse offeringe vp the sacred body and blood of Christ was the generally vsed knowne sacrifice of the Christians in this time in omni loco in euerie place saith S. Iustine Iustin Dialog cum Tryhone Ecclesia in vniuerso mundo offert Deo The church doth offer it in all the world saith S. Irenaeus Irenaeus aduers Haeres lib. 4. cap. 32. therefore the church of Britanie must needs offer it and I haue proued by our Brittish antiquities before that Rome Fraunce and Britanie in these daies of Eleutherius and Irenaeus which went to Rome in the papacy of S. Eleutherius vsed one and the same order of Masse And Tertullian that notorious massing Author declaring how Christiā Religion was then dilated in the worlde and the sacrifice of Masse was the common sacrifice thereof expressely nameth this our Britanie to haue receaued the Christian faith and to agree with other Christian nations therin Tertullian de cultu Faeminar cap. 11. l. ad Scapul cap. 2. l. de orat cap 14. l. de vel Virg. cap. 9. l. contra Iudaeos S. Iohn Chrisostome speaking of this conuersion of our Britans witnesseth manifestly and our protestants acknowledge it for truth that the Brittish churches then founded which were many had altars for their preists erected in them Chrisostom serm· de Pentecost protest Theater of great Britanie l. 6. § 12. which as is confessed before by these protestants neither were nor could in Christian Religion bee ordeyned but for massinge preists and the sacrifice of Masse as wee finde in the moste auncient churches of this nation as S. Iosephs dedicated to our Lady at Glastēburie Antiquit Glaston Capgrau in S. Patricio M. S. antiq in Lucio S. Martins at Canterbury and the olde church at Winchester where as we read there were Christian altares so also that the sacrifice of Masse was from their first foundation offered on them Bed hist. l. 1. cap. 27. Galfr. Monum l. 11. histor cap. 4. Stowe histor in Constantine sonne of Cador. c. so of S. Peters church in Cornhill in London and others And S. Damianus and Phaganus the cheife Legats of S. Eleutherius bearing so great deuotion to the massing church builded by S. Ioseph at Glastenbury that they themselues continued and dwelled there some time and settled twelue of their company to continue there duringe their liues must needs bee massinge preists as all had here euer beene from the Apostles time in which faith and Religion this holy Pope as our protestants with al antiquities assure vs confirmed the kingdome of Britanie Eleutherius vt bonus paterfamilias effecit vt confirmatis consolidatis Britannis in suscepta prius ab Apostolis doctrina totum illud regnum in eius fidei verba iuraret Ioh. Bal. l. 1. de act Pontif. Rom. in Eleutherio 6. So that by this Protestant Bishop and his and other authorities those doctrines of sacrificinge preists and Masse which from the Apostles dayes as I haue aboundantly proued had without discontinuance euer continued here in diuers particular places and parsons were now generally by this holy Pope and his massinge Legats established and confirmed in this kingedome confirmatis
consolidatis and this Pope highly commeÌ„ded for that his general confirmation vt bonus paterfamilias And by their first Archbishop with others before and as I haue proued by continuall deduction the order and forme of Masse which S. Peter deliuered to the church was still continued after this time without any materiall chaunge alteration addition or diminution Neither doth any Protestant Author challenge S. Eleutherius of any innouation in Religion but the contrary how hee condemned all innouators therein as Tatianus and the Seuerians makinge a decree against them and the knowne Religion of Christ his sacrificinge Religion as before is proued was much increased by him Sub hoc Pontifice caepit Ecclesia esse securior ob id Christianorum Religio plurimum aucta est And yet no chaunge at all therin Bal. Robert Barnes in vita Eleutherij Eleutherius epist decretal ad prouincias Gall. To. 1. conc Io. Bal. act Pont. Rom. l. 1. in Eleutherio Rob. Barn in vit Pontif. Rom. in eodem therefore all those Bishops preists which by all writers hee consecrated must needs bee massinge Bishops and preists as all those three Archbishops 28. Bishops which he consecrated or confirmed for this kingdome renowned in histories and all the preists of this our Britanie vnder them must needes bee massing Archbishops Bishops and preists Whose succession here continued vnto the conuersion of the Saxons and after by all histories and vntill both those peoples vnited themselues as well in this massinge and sacrificinge doctrine which both the Britans and Saxons had euer obserued from their first conuersions as in al other points of Christian Religion The names of many of them I haue remembred in other places 7. And concerninge the supreame spirituall power which this holy Pope both claimed and exercised both in this kingedome to settle these sacred points of Religion here and in other nations these protestants assure vs it was as great and ample as euer any his successors did or now doe challenge in such affaires These men tell vs. Rob· Barnes in vit Eleutherij protest annot Mag. in Matth. Westm an 188. hee condemned hereticks and made decrees against them he made lawes binding all cleargie men in the cases of Bishops reserued judgement to the see of Rome vt nihil nisi apud Pontificem definiretur In his epistle to Kinge Lucius so recommended by our protestants hee prescribeth what lawes hee was to vse Hee appointeth the limits and bounds of Britanie as these men witnes in the lawes of Kinge Edward tâ—e Confessor His Legats disposed of all spirituall things here in that time and he by his papal authoritie confirmed them And so they continued vntil heresie and infidelity in the Pagan Saxons time did ouerthrowe them as all histories and antiquities Brittish or Saxon Catholicks or protestants as their Bishops Parker Bale and Godwine with Cambden Powell Holinshed Stowe and others cited in other places are witnesses Therefore it will bee but a superogated worke to proceede further to followinge ages yet for a generall and compleate content to all I wil though with more breuitie speake also of them and here end this second age or hundred of yeares Pope Eleutherius dyinge in the later ende thereof and Kinge Lucius not longe after in the beginninge of the next age and Pope and S. Victor the immediate successor of S. Eleutherius both endinge this and giuing entrance to the next ensuinge age and centenary of the yeares of Christ by his papall regiment THE THIRD AGE OR HVNDRED YEARES OF CHRIST THE XVII CHAPTER How notwithstandinge the manifold tumults and persecution of Christian Religion in this kingdome of Britanie in this third hundred yeares yet the holy sacrifice of Masse sacrificinge and massinge preists and Bishops stil here continued without any totall discontinuance KInge Lucius dyinge as Matthew of Westminister with others writeth in the yeare of Christ 201. the first of this third hundred yeare without heire This our kingdome by that meanes in the beginning of this age was pitifully vexed with warrs and tumults towards the later end therof lamentably tormented and afflicted as the whole Christian worlde almoste then was with the moste cruell and barbarous persecution of Diocletian in which among other miseries all monuments of Christian Religion so neare as he could were ruined and destroyed whereby it came to passe that little memory of ecclesiasticall things then in this nation is left to posteritie yet sufficient is to be found that together with the Popes supreamacy in such affaires the holy sacrificinge preisthood the sacrifice of Masse and diuers renowned sacrificinge Bishops and preists here still continued without discontinuance in al this age notwithstandinge so huge an army of moste sauage and cruell enemies still fightinge against them Matth. Westm. an gratiae 201. Bed l. 1. histor c. 4.6 Parker antiquit Britan Godwin conuers of Britanie Stowe histor in K. Lucius Theater of great Brit. l. 6. Foxe Tom. 1. Holinsh. histor of Engl. Galfr. Monum hist. Britan. l. 5. cap. 1.2.3.4.5.6.7 Ponticus Viran Brit. histor l. 5. Gildas l. de excid conquest Britan. cap. 7.8 2. For First our cheife protestants haue told vs before that S. Peters Maste continued in vse in the church without any chaunge vnto the time of Pope and S. Zepherine which was next successor to S. Victor therefore by their allowance wee haue the sacrifice of Masse a massinge preisthood and preists to offer that holie sacrifice all his time Therefore when wee finde by many antiquities and historians aswell Catholicks as Protestants that hee sent many learned preists and preachers into this kingedome especially the more northren parts thereof which wee now cal Scotland wee must needes if wee had noe other argument conclude that they were sacrificinge and massinge preists because they receaued both their consecration and iurisdiction from soe knowne a massinge preist and Pope his authoritie Yet to make this matter more euident and shew the supreame spirituall power which hee vsed euen in this besides that which he both claimed and exercised in excommunicatinge the church of Asia for their not due obseruation of Easter hee confirmed the order and institution of his predecessor S. Eleutherius in subiectinge all the churches and Christians of that part of Britany now termed ScotlaÌ„d to the Archbishop of Yorke a massing preist Prelate as I haue shewed before these parts and countries then beeing temporally ruled by diuers temporall Kings or Princes and at difference or enmity at that time one with an other And to make this ReligioÌ„ more permanent with that rude nation the Scots themselues then began to study diuinitie Hector Boeth Scot. histor l. 6. fol. 89. pag. 2. beeing therin instructed by those preists which Pope Victor sent thither euen to the vttermost part therof to propagate Christian Religion Incepere nostri tum primum sacras colere literas Sacerdotibus praeceptoribus quos Victor Pontifex Maximus ad Christi dogma
in particular soe neare as such a desolation and losse of Antiquities as England hath often suffered will giue vs leaue of this Archbishop and Bishops in particular which S. Peter consecrated for vs to found and begin the first hierarchicall order and Succession in our primatiue church of Britanie Many Authors both auntient and later writers and of these late times both catholicks and protestants ar witnesses that S. Aristobulus one of the seauentie and two disciples of Christ our Lord was Bishop of this our kingdome of Britanie Dorothaeus Bishop of Tyrus Dorothaeus lib. de septuaginta duobus discipulis in Aristobulo And the Maenologe of the Greekes are plainely of this minde The first in his booke intituled de septuaginta duobus discipulis of the seauentie two disciples writeth Aristobulus ab Apostolo ad Romanos commemoratos Episcopus Britannia factus est Aristobulus one of the seauentie two disciples of whom S Paul speaketh in his epistle to the Romans was made Bishop of Britanie And to putt vs out of doubt that hee did not mistake naminge Britania for Bythinia as a protestant writer would seeme to expounde him when hee writeth Dorotheus saith Aristobulus whome the Apostle to the Romans remembreth was made Bishop in Britanie or Bithania Stowe histor titul the Romans in Agricola I thinke this man will hardly finde any Bythania in the world wee reade of Bethania often in the Gospels and S. Iohn saith cap. 11. v. 18. Bethany was nigh vnto Hierusalem about fifteene farlongs off as our protestants translate and their note there vpon is that is about towe miles protest annot marginal in c. 11.11 Io. v. 18. Which was too neare to Hierusalem to bee a Bishops see and the old prouinciall maketh mention of noe such And if by Bythania hee ment the country Bythinia the Region of lesser Asia against Thracia and next Troas which was also somtime called Bebrycia after Mygdonia and by S. Peter Bythinia in the Apostles time and after it is euident that Dorothaeus ment it not for in the next name which is S. Tyticus hee saith that hee was made Bishop of Chalcedonia of Bithâ—…nia Tyticus meminit huius Paulus primus Episcopus Chalcedoniae fuit quae in Bithynia est Doroth. supra in Tyticho Therefore of necessitie by this Author and the rest foe affirming it without doubt or any exception S. Aristobulus needs must bee Bishop of this our kingdome of Britanie noe other place then of that name fitt for a Bishop in the knowne world to apply it vnto And thus testifieth the auntient Maenologe of the greekes with others both catholicks and protestants of whome I haue here noted some Maenolog Graecor die 15. martij Baron annot in martyrol Rom. eod die Arnold Mirman in Theatr. Conuers gent. Auth. of the Exam. of the Calend. praefat and in the 3. Conuers Syr. Ed. Hoby counterf pag. 48. Thom. Rogers vpon the Articles of Relig. articul 36. pag. 197. Protest Theater of Brit. l. 6. Cambden Belg. That this holy Bishop was either consecrated here or sent hither by S. Peter wee may not question beeing soe generally confessed by protestants before that noe other Apostle did or then could performe that office And if the Identitie of the name deceaueth vs not this our holy Bishop or Archbishop was Father in lawe to S. Peter his wyues Father and Brother to S Barnabas the Apostle sent into these west parts by S. Peter for as Simon Metaphrastes writeth S. Simon Metaphr die 26. Iunij Accepit Petrus filiam Aristobuli fratris Barnabae Apostoli ex ea genuit filium vnum vnam filiam Peter maryed the daughter of Aristobulus Brother of Barnabas the Apostle and had by her one sonne and one daughter Martyrolog Rom. 15. Martij Godw. And beeing called in the Romane Martyrologe as a protestant Bishop truely telleth Apostolorum discipulus the disciple of the Apostles Conuers of Brit. It wholy disableth him from beeing disciple to S. Paul whoe alone of the Apostles besides S. Peter was in this kingdome for the scriptures themselues are wittnes Actor cap. 13. v. 2.3.4 that S. Paul was not an Apostle vntill in the 13. chapter of the Acts of the Apostles before which time by the protestants before Britanie had receaued the faith and probably S. Aristobulus was then a Bishop as many others of the 27. Disciples were And many ar called the disciples of the Apostles which were peculiarly the disciples of S. Peter the cheife Apostle as appeareth in diuers places of the same Authority S. Aristo Arch. of this our Britanie And that this holy disciple of S. Peter was not onely our Bishop but Archbishop alsoe in Britanie I haue warrant both of Catholicks and protestants to auouche it First if wee examine either by Dorotheus or any whomsoeuer writing of the resideÌ„cies of the 72. disciples of Christ wee shall hardly finde any amonge them which had not the dignity of that high callinge yea hee relateth S. Aristobulus as a cheife amongst theÌ„ then beeing sent to this kingdome of Britanie soe greate ample And where as in other such kingdomes our protestants before assure vs S. Peter ordeined an Archbishop wee caÌ„not doubt but in particular it was this his moste worthy disciple as also the disciple of Christ which first exercised by S. Peters assignement that Archie and cheife pontificall order in this Iland Secondly because wee reade it confideÌ„tly written and from more auncient authoritie that this holy disciple of S. Peter was not only our first Apostle but here began and first founded the hierarchical order of our Brittish church a thinge proper to that highest spiritual callinge Arnold mirac Theatro conuers gentium in Britan. Aristobulo BritaÌ„nia Straboni à Britone Rege nuncupata primum Aristobulum siue illuÌ„ cuius meminit S. Paulus quod Dorothaeo probatur siue aliuÌ„ vnuÌ„ certe ex 72. discipulorum classe ApostoluÌ„ est nata Deinde FugariuÌ„ DamianuÌ„ qui ordinem Hierarchicè Ecclesiae istic fundatae ab illo inchoatum constituerunt sanxeruntque more nimirum Apostolico Britania so named by Strabo of Kinge Brito or Brutus had for the first Apostle therof Aristobulus either him whome S. Paule remeÌ„breth which Dorotheus approueth or an other surely one of the order of the 72. disciples after that Fugarius Fugatius by others and Damianus whoe constituted confirmed by Apostolick maner the Hierarchical order begun by him of the church founded there Where wee see S. Aristobulus the first founder of the Hierarchicall order in this church of Britanie a thinge which as al protestaÌ„ts against the puritans maketh the peculiar office of an Archbish Whitgift answ to the admonit Bridges eccles gouern Bilson against the purit Couel Downam Barlowe c. Thirdly These protestants of England especially the vniuersitie of Cambridge by their chosen champion Mr. Thomas Rogers for defence of their Articles of Religion of Protestants writing to vse his wordes by the lawfull authoritie of the church of
tell vs condemned this hereticke and to vse their wordes Rob. Barnes sup in Sozimo Papa That Sozimus might declare that nothinge was in any place ratified that was done in holy things except it were done by the Popes authoritie hee sent Faustinus a Bishop two preists to the councell of Carthadge The decrees of the councell were brought to Pope Sozimus which beeinge by him approued the Pelagian heresie was condemned euery where Vt Sozimus declararet nihil vsquam ratum fore quod in rebuâ—… sacris ageretur nisi id Romani Pontificis authoritate fieret Faustinum Episcopum duos presbyteros ad Cathaginensem Synodum misit Synodalia decreta ad Sozimum perlata sunt quibus approbatis Pelagiana haeresis passim damnata est Thus wee see by these Protestants that the Popes of Rome euen in this time when they were moste afflicted and Rome it selfe taken and sacked by Gothes in the time of this Pope Barns supr beeinge Pope but one yeare 3. moneths and twelue dayes Sozimo Pontifice Roma à Gothis capta est They still exercised and practised this highest spirituall power in all places euen in Africk as these Protestants assure vs and not onely in Europe where our Britanie is In which they shewed and exercised this their highest supreamacy in many and diuers matters in that time And first in this Busines of Pelagius the monke or Abbot of Bangor in Wales Thus writeth a Protestant Bishop with consent of Antiquities Bal. centur 1. de Scriptor in Palladio Graeco Hector Boeth hist Scotor l. 7. fol. 132.133 Holinsh. histor of Scotland Ed. Grymston cap. Relig. of Scotland pag. 20. Prosper in Chronico Palladius Graecus à Caelestino Romanorum Pontifice Antistes mittebatur vt Pelagianam haeresim quae tunc magnam Britanniae partem inquinauerat à Britannorum gente arceret atque Scotorum populum ad veram pictatem à qua continua bellorum atrocitate paulùm aberrarit rite reduceret Hunc ferunt concionibus pijs à quibusdam gentilium superstitiuÌ„culis ecclesias illas purgasse atque ob id in hodiernum vsque diem Scotorum Apostolus appelatur Palladius a Graecian was by Celestine Pope of Rome sent a Bishop to driue from the nation of the Britans the Pelagian heresie which then had defiled a great part of Britanie and rightly to reduce the Scots to true pietie from which by the continuall crueltie of wars they had erred The saying is that with his godly sermons hee purged those churches from some superstitions of the gentiles and soe is to this day called the Apostle of the Scots Here wee see it first left to the Popes Iudgment what was heresie to bee condemned what was error to bee recalled superstition to bee reformed and in his power spirituall the temporall Romane then hauinge nothing to doe in any part of this Iland to assigne and send a Bi-Bishop and Apostle to that nation which was neuer subiect either in temporall respects to the Romane Emperors whoe soe performed the highest sacred duties and authoritie in that church that as before and by all writers hee is called Scotorum Apostolus the Apostle of the Scots as iustlie hee deserued it settling all things there by his legatine power makinge a Bishop an Archbishop and the like matters of greatest Iurisdiction as namely S. Seruanus Bishop of the Orchads and S. Teruanus Archbishop of the Picts Palladius Seruanum Episcopum ad Orchadas Insulas missum vt Populum rudem christiana pietate institueret creauit Teruanum quem InfanteÌ„ lustrico lauerat fonte PictoruÌ„ Archiepiscopum constituit Palladius created Seruanus a Bishopp and sent him to the Orchads Ilands to instruct the rude people in the christian faith and hee appointed Teruanus whome hee baptized when hee was an Infant to bee Archbishop of the Picts Hector Boeth hist. Scotor l. 7. folio 133. pag. 1. Georg. Buchan Rerum Scoticar l. 5. Rege 42. pag. 146. Polidor Verg. hist. Anglic. l. 3. pag. 58.59 Thus the Scottish histories teach vs. By which it is euident that the whole state of the church of Scots and Picts alsoe was then settled by the Authoritie of this Roman Legate and that the other Gouernors which he appointed in it were alsoe sent from Rome for if Teruanus whom hee appointed Archbishop of the Picts was baptized when hee was but an Infant as these Scottish historians tell vs hee was baptized at Rome or those parts where S. Palladius then liued not in this kingdome where it is confessed by all antiquities that S. Palladius liued a verie short time And S. Teruanus beeinge made by him an Archbishopp amonge the Picts it both informeth that there were other Bishops there vnder him els he could not bee Archbishop cheefe of the Bishops there and maketh probable that S. Ninian whoe as a Protestant Bishop writeth Bal. cent 1. in Ninian Bernic died about this time was alsoe Archbishopp there and now dyinge Teruanus was by Palladius his legatine power ordeyned his successor or that both these were Archbishops of Yorke soe appointed by the See of Rome and named Bishops of the Picts because they with other prouinces were subiect to the Archbishops See of Yorke a subordination neyther altered by S. Celestine or any other Pope vntill such time as I haue before declared except in such extraordinary cases of special legats sent immediately from Rome with cheife authoritie such as S. Palladius was whoe by that prerogatiue exercised this iurisdiction extraordinarily in consecrating and instituting Bishops within the limits of the Metropolitane of Yorke which ordinarily belonged vnto his See by the order of Pope Eleutherius from the beginning of our publick receauing of the faith of Christ And the same care and chardge which S. Celestine then Pope of Rome tooke of the Scots and Picts at this time the same alsoe hee had and as cheife pastor performed both to this kingedome of Britanie and Ireland alsoe Concerning Britanie these Protestants assure vs that when Pelagius was dead before and his heresies by many Popes and councells condemned yett it beeing maintayned here by Leporius Agricola a very learned Hereticke Bal. centur 1. de scriptor in Leporio Agricola l. 2. de Act. Pontif. Rom. in Celestino Rob. Barns l. de vita Pontif. Roman in Caelestin That Saint Palladius of whome I haue spoken the Popes Legate in Scotland informed S. Celestine Pope hereof whoe therevppon sent the twoe french Bishops Germanus and Lupus hither to strengthen the Britans in the true doctrine of heaueÌ„ly grace and to coÌ„fute the wicked doctrine of the sufficiency of mans vvorkes vvithout the grace of Christ. Quod per Palladium audieÌ„s Caelestinus Pontifex Romanus Germanum Antissiodorensem Lupum Tracafessum Gallicanos Episcopos illuc misit vt Britannos in fide gratiae caelestis solidarent impiam atque Hipocriticam humanorum operum doctrinam confutarent And that wee may bee fully informed that S. Celestine the Pope did not send these two holy
come This man had disciples in greate number aswell French men as Britās of the which the cheifest were Sampson Paulinus Dauid and Gyldas Badonicus The same is proued vnto vs by other Protestants Merchiannus Rex in Dipl apud Caium antiq Cantabr l. 1. pag. 147. Catalog Sanct. Wall in S. Iltuto And how the Pope graunted him this priuiledge of such publick teachinge Magistralis tibi cura à Pontifice concessa est as the kinge of those parts in his princely graunt with others witnesse Therefore if the greatest doctors and teachers of others in Britanie in these times were thus licenced by the Popes their Legates and schollers of their legats wee cannot question but such as the Masters such likewise the schollers and disciples were especially when wee find their cheifest Schollers S. Dauid S. Sampson made Archbishops by the Poopes Authoritie and this former primate of all Britanie by the Popes graunt as hereafter Matth. Westm. ad An. 727. And that the scholers of Britanie were not then allowed without the Popes priuiledge doth further appeare by our Protestants Hardinghe Lydgate and others Ioh. Hardinge apud Bal. in praefat ad l. de Script Stow histor Ioh. Caius l. 1. antiq Cantabrig Brian Twin apol Oxon. l. 1. testifying that in the tyme of S Gregorie the vniuersities or publick Scholes of Stamford Caerlegion and perhaps some others were interdicted by the Pope for some errors they held at this time The Antiquaries of Cambridge contend Caius sup l. 1. that their vniuersity was then Innocent and soe preserued and priuiledged Brian Twyn apol l. 2. pag. 143. They of Oxord seeme to graunt and glory in it that S. Germanus the Popes Legate did confirme the orders and constitutions of the vniuersitie of Oxford and alledge Asserius Meneuersis to that purpose Asser Meneu apud Brian Twyn supr Diuum Germanum Oxoniam aduenisse annique dimidium illic esse moratum qui ordines instituta illius loci mirum in modum comprobauit Saint German came to Oxford and stayed there halfe a yeare and greately approued the orders and institutions of that place And to proue that all the Christians of this Britany then in this age acknowledged this power of the Pope or Rome and their dependance of him in spirituall things the Archbishops See of London beeinge wasted and persecuted by the pagan Saxons moste swayinge in the prouinces subiect vnto it wee doe not reade of any Archbishop of London after the martyrdome of S. Vodinus vntill Theonus Bishop of Glocester tooke charge thereof in the yeare 553. as a Protestant Bishop writeth in this manner Godwyn Catalog of Bish in Lond. in Vodinus and Theonas Stow. histor in Lucius I finde onely one of them named viz. Theonus that beeing first Bishop of Glocester forsooke it and tooke the chardge of London vppon him in the yeare 553. soe write other Protestants Therefore wee must now seeke to the other two Archiepiscopall Sees Caerlegion and Yorke For S. Dubricius hee was both consecrated by the Popes Legate S. Germanus and hee himselfe alsoe both the Popes Legate and Primate of all Britanie Britanniae Primas Apostolicae sedis Legatus Galfrid Monum hist Reg. Brit. l. 9. cap. 12. Godwyn Catal. in S. Dauids 1. Landaff 1. Soe that there is noe question of him but hee acknowledged this highest spirituall power in the See of Rome whose Legate hee was then in this kingedome Neyther can there bee any doubt of the Archbishop of Yorke in this behalfe at this time for S. Sampson was then Archbishop there whoe as before was both scholler to S. Dubritius soe earnest a patrō of the Romane See and alsoe of S. Iltutus as before scholler to S. German the Popes Legate and warrāted to bee publick professor teacher here by the Popes allowāce to giue more certaynety herein this holy man S. Sāpson was miraculously chosen of God as Capgraue and others write to the Archiepiscopall See of Yorke Ioh. Capgrau in Sampsone and was consecrated by S. Dubritius the Popes Legate and primate of Britanie Therefore there cannot bee the least suspition but that both hee and the prouinces both of the North of England and Scotland alsoe then vnder his iurisdiction were of the same opinion in this matter And if the Metropolitan See of London a little before destroyed as our histories tell vs. Galfrid mon. histor Reg. Brit. l. 8. cap 9. by the pagan Saxons with other churches of that prouince had then any Archbishop whose name is not remembred noe man of indifferent iudgement will thinke that he differed in opinion in this matter from those glories of this kingedome and church thereof S. Dubritrius the Popes Legate and S. Sampson consecrated by him by whome alsoe whose authoritie from the See of Rome if London then had any Archbishop at this time hee was likewise consecrated noe others then beeing to intermedle in that busines And our kings of that time Vortimer Aurelius Ambrosius Vther Pendragon and Arthur crowned kings by these holy Archbishops Legats patrons and knowne mainteyners of the priuiledges of the Apostolicke See of Rome Kinge Vortimer belonged to the age before therefore I onely here say of him as I am directed by our Protestants in the Brittishe historie as they approue it Galfrid Monum l. 6. cap. 14. Matth. Westm. an 454. That after hee was chosen kinge and obteyned victorie of the pagans soe soone as it was in his power hee did all thinges especially apperteyning to Religion by the direction or rather commaund as the words be of S. Germanus the Popes Legate Victoria potitus Vortimerus caepit reddere possessiones ereptas ciuibus ipsosque diligere ac honorare Ecclesias iubente Sancto Germano renouare Vortimer hauing obteyned victorie began to restore the possessions that were taken from the citizens and to loue and honor them and by the commaundement of S. German to renewe the churches Neyther can wee make it a straūge thing if wee will follow soe manie Protestant guides to leade vs as before that kinge Vortimer followed the commaundement of Saint German the Popes Legate in such affaires when they haue assured vs that by his direction and order both his Father Vortigern kinge before him was deposed and this man by the same power and order was chosen and erected to bee kinge And the same is the condition and case of Aurelius Ambrosius by the same power and proceedings made kinge as these Protestants tell vs when Vortigern was deposed the second time Protest Catalog Regum Britan. Stowe histor in Vortiger Aurel. Ambros and Vterp Holinsh. in eisd Soe likewise of Vterpendragon his brother both of them made kings by cōmon consent of the cleargie nobles the line of Vortigern beeinge quite disinherited and hee himselfe to write in Protestāt words burnt in his castle in Wales by Aurelius Ambrosius his brother Vter Galfrid monum histor Reg. Brit. l. 8. cap. 2.17 But Nennius writeth that one
verie wordes of their owne subscribed and sworne Article of Religion Therefore when they require three things to the true Church true and lawfullie consecrated preists and preachers the pure word of God preached and Sacraments duely ministred and all these shall be found in the Roman Church in all ages from the first preaching of Christ and not any one of them in the protestant parlamentary Church of England or any such other but a manifest opposition and persecution of those sacred preachers of the word and ministers of the Sacraments as of the word and Sacraments themselues so preached and ministred none of these can possibly bee the true Church of Christ but a company of professed aduersaries and enemies vnto it and that the onely true Church which they haue so vnchristianly persecuted the Catholike Romā church is that true and most holy church of Christ THE PREFACE PROVING THE CONTENTS OVT OF THE Prophets Wherin sacrificing and Massinge Preisthood Preists and the sacrifice of Masse are proued by learned Protestants and other testimonies from the history of Melchisedech Gen. 14. THE I. CHAPTER SO vndoubted a veritie and necessary a thinge it was for our blessed Sauiour cominge into the worlde to perfect the Lawe of Moyses and euacuate the externall vnperfect preisthood sacrifices and ceremonials thereof and to institute and ordeine a sacrifice and preisthood more perfect and independant to continue for euer as his lawe and Religion is to doe and to geue a most sure and timely warning and notice of this to the world that when God had made the first promise of the Messias vnto Abraham in the 12. and 13. chapter of Genesis in the very next the 14. chapter following hee reuealed by the preisthood and sacrifice of Melchisedech longe before either the lawe preisthood or the sacrifices thereof were deliuered to Moises what the euerduringe preisthood and sacrifice of the Messias and his lawe should bee For so both the Prophet Dauid S. Paule to the Hebrues S. Peter in the canon of the holy Masse being Author therof as shall bee proued hereafter the auncient Rabines before Christ as protestants them selues acknowledge so likewise by their warrant the most auncient and holy Fathers of the Church of Christ doe proue their preisthood and sacrifice of Christ and his sacrificinge preists in the lawe of the Ghospell from the wordes of Moises these be our english protestants trāslation 2. Melchisedech Kinge of Salem brought forth bread and wine and hee was the preist of the most high God The greeke readinge is For hee was the preist of the most high God signifying thereby that hee did the preistly sacrificall office with that breade and wine and although in the hebrue the verbe Hotzi which our protestants translate brought forth ordinarily where it is not otherwise limited and restricted hath that signification yet beeing confined as here it is to the office of a sacrificing preist such as Melchisedech was it must bee appropriated to his office of sacrificinge otherwise the reasō which the scripture maketh because hee was a preist is superfluous And the rather in this case because in the hebrue text this bringinge forth of breade and wine by this extraordinary preist hath relation vnto God and so must needes bee a sacrificall action for the bringinge forth of bread and wine or matter of any sacrifice to God by a preist that is a sacrificer must needes bee a sacrifice The hebrue is thus Melchisedech Kinge of Salem brought forth breade and wine hee beeing a preist to God the most highe The name God here in Hebrue Leeb beeing the datiue case and answeringe the production of the breade and wine and not the word preist for otherwise it would not bee true constructiō in that language the particle le there seruinge to the datiue and not genitiue case And therfore as Franciscus Stancarus that great protestant professor of hebrue and others tell vs Rabbi Samuel vppon this place of Genesis doth thus expound it actus Sacerdotij tradidit erat enim ipse sacrificans panem vinum Deo sancto benedicto Hee deliuered the acts of preisthood for hee was sacrificing bread and wine to God holie and blessed Where hee plainely expoundeth it as I did before referring the bringing forth of the bread and wine by Melchisedech the preist to God holy and blessed Which is more plaine by the words immediatlie following in the hebrue veicbarechehu and hee blessed him That is to say hee blessed or praysed God of whome the immediate laste speach was Rabb Samul in cap. 14. Geness Francisc Stancar in l. 10. de art fid Petr. Galat. ibid. c. 6. alij 3. So that a preist that vsed to sacrifice beeing proued by the original text of scripture to haue offered or brought forth bread and wine to God the most high and blessed and praised him must needes bee said as the Rabbine expoundeth it to haue sacrificed bread and wine vnto him So doe the holy fathers panem vinum obtulit Melchisedech offered bread and wine saith S. Cyprian the old Roman Masse and S. Ambrose Quod tibi obtulit summus Sacerdos Melchisedech The high preist Melchisedech offered sacrifice to God S. Hierome saith In Typo Christi panem vinum obtulit mysterium Christianum in Saluatoris corpore sanguine dedicauit In figure of Christ hee offered bread and wine and dedicated the Christian mystery in the body and blood of our Sauiour So S. Augustine S. Leo Arnobius Eucherius Primasius Eusebius Caesariensis Theodoretus and others of the primatiue church both greeke and latine Cyprian epist 63. Miss Rom in can Ambros l. 4. de Sacram. c. 6. l. 5. c. 1. ad cap. 5. ad Hebr. Hierom. epistol 17. ad Marcell c. 2. in quaest in Gen. in psal 75 109. ad cap 26. Math. August in psal 33. de cia◅tat Dei l. 6. c. 22. epist 95. Arnob. Rom. in psal 109 Leo serm 2. anni vers Assumpt Eucherius Lugd. homil 5. de Pasch Primas in c. 5. ad Hebr. Theodoret. quaest 63. in Genes ad psalm 109. Protest Articl of Relig. articul 7. scriptures 4. And except wee will say there was a tradition of so great a mistery and necessarie to saluation which the Religion of our english protestāts denieth or that the Prophet Dauid had some new particular reuelation of this thing which though it should bee gratis spoken by protestants doth inuinciblie confirme what hath bene said of this matter wee must needes graunt that this holy prophet did expound and vnderstand that action of Melchisedech as so many authorities remembred did for hee maketh it a thinge so certaine that hee bringeth in God him selfe testifyinge by oath that it was so Thus by protestantes translation hee speaketh of Christs preisthood and consequently sacrifice from this place The Lord hath sworne and will not repent thou art a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech psal 109. or 110. vers 4. For wee doe
not reade in any other passage of scripture before Dauids time but in that place of Genesis what the order preisthood or sacrifice of Melchisedech was The same is testified by S. Paule the Apostle to the Hebrues Hebr. 5.6 7.17 And all learned texts Hebrue Chaldy Greeke and Latine agree onely the Hebrue maketh it plaine that God had made such a promise to Melchisedech that Christ should bee a preist after his order for euer 5. For where our English protestantes takinge vppon them to translate and followe the Hebrue and as before translate Thou art a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech The Hebrue is Our Lord hath sworne and will according to my word or as I promised to Melchisedech Hal dibrati Malchisedech Where wee cannot without corrupting the Hebrue dibrati takinge the last letter away reade otherwise Therefore seing S. Paul plainely saith that Christ was a preist after the order or maner of Melchisedech 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repeating it in diuers places And the Prophet Dauid saith that God swore it and so promised to Melchisedech wee must needes beleeue that Christs preisthood and sacrifice after this order to continue for euer is vndeniably testified and expressed in that place of Genesis and act of Melchisedech Which to leaue S. Paul vntill I come to the new testament is proued by the greatest protestants that euer were 6. Luther vppon that place alleaged by Dauid in psalm 110. Tom. 8. saith Melchisedech Rex erat Sacerdos obtulit panem vinum pro Patriarcha Abraham eius familia Quid est vero oblatio panis vini pro Abrahamo Hoc exprimit Sacerdotium Christi ab hoc tempore vsque ad finem mundi quo mysterium altaris Sacramentum pretiosi corporis sanguinis sui offert Ecclesia Melchisedech was a Kinge and Preist hee offered bread and wine for Abraham and his family What doth the offeringe of bread and wine for AbrahaÌ„ meane This doth expresse the preisthood of Christ from this time to the end of the world in which the church doth offer the mistical Sacrament of his pretious body and blood Philip Melancthon in concil Theolog. part 2. pag. 373. saith Excipit Melchisedech redeuntem ex praelio Abraham eum ad sacrificium admittit eique benedicit Melchisedech receaueth Abraham returninge from battaile and admitteth him to sacrifice and blesseth him Caluine diuers times confesseth in c. 7. ad Hebr. vers 9. pag. 924. That this was the opinion of the old Fathers and hee plainely saith Veteres Ecclesiae Doctores in hac opinione fuerent vt in oblationem panis vini insisterunt sic autem loquuntur Christus Sacerdos est secundum ordinem Melchisedech atqui panem vinum Melchisedech obtulit ergo panis vini sacrificium Sacerdotio Christi conuenit The auncient Fathers were in this opinion that they insisted in the oblation of bread and wine for so they speake Christ is a preist after the order of Melchisedech but Melchisedech did offer breade and wine therefore the sacrifice of bread and wine agreeth to the preisthood of Christ. 7. The godly and learned man as Master Doctor Sutcliffe calleth Andreas Crastouius the Caluinist l. 5. de Miss papist c. 26. Andr. Crasteuius l. de opific. miss 1. sect 66. saith wee may not reiect the consent and harmony of the auncient Fathers both for their nearenes to the Apostles age and the singular agreemeÌ„t of them al together yet he addeth hic omnium veluti conspiratione oblatio Melchisedechi sacra proponitur vt non tantum Abrahae militibusque sed etiaÌ„ Deo incruentum sacrificium simboliâ—…è oblatum videatur Here as it were with consent of all the holy oblation of Melchisedech is proposed that it was not onely to Abraham and his souldiers but that it seemeth to haue beene an vnbloody sacrifice simbolically offered also to God Theodor BibliaÌ„der a learned protestant l. 2. de Trinit pag. 89. writeth erat apud veteres Hebraeos dogma receptissimum in aduentu Missiae benedicti cessatura esse omnia legalia sacrificia tantumque celebrandum sacrificium Thoda gratiarum actionis laudis confessionis illud peragendum pane vino sicut Melchisedech Rex Salem Sacerdos Dei altissimi temporibus Abrahami panem vinum protulit It was among the old Hebrues a most receaued Maxime that at the coming of the blessed Messias all legall sacrifices should cease and onely the sacrifice Thoda of thankes geuing praise and confession should bee celebrated and that to bee done with bread and wine as Melchisedech King of Salem and preist of God most high in the time of Abraham brought forth breade and wine Thus this learned protestant 8. But where hee saith onely that the Rabbines wrote thus Melchisedech did bringe forth bread and wine that is his glosse for FraÌ„ciscus Stancarus Apud Petr. Gallat l. 10. de arcan The best learned protestant of his time in the Hebrue antiquities doth assure vs from the most auntient Rabbines of which I haue cited Rabbi Samuel before the like or more plaine for the sacrificing of Melchisedechs bread and wine and that onely neuer to cease but to continue in the time of the Messias So haue R. Moses Hadarsan R. Pinhas and R. Ioai as the same protestant with others testifieth So that wee plainely see by all authoritie the holy scriptures the auncient Rabbines and the generall consent of the holy primatiue Fathers of Christs church as they are warranted by the best learned protestants of forrein natioÌ„s whether Lutherans or Caluinists that both Melchisedech the plaine figure of Christ in this did offer sacrifice in bread wine and this kinde of sacrifice though after a more excellent maner as the lawe of the Messias so requireth was to bee offered by him and his holy preists in that lawe Now let vs come to our English protestants to make all sure from any contradiction and learne of them that the best learned of theÌ„ doe so write and all of them ought soe to acknowledge by their owne Religion 9. For euidence whereof it is a common maxime and ground of Religion among them that the scriptures especially as they translate them and logically deduced conclusions from them are the word of God Feild pag. 226. wotton def of Parkins pag. 467. To speake in their wordes all matters concluded logically out of the scriptures ar the word of God aswel as if they were expressely set downe in it word by word And so of necessitie must they all say if they will maintaine any externall shew of Religion for reiecting traditions and the authoritie of the church as they doe and claiminge onely by scriptures in all matters of faith they must needes allowe soe ample authoritie to deductions from scriptures for euident it is and they willingly confesse that all things which they hold euen as matters of faith are not expressely sett downe in scriptures And this is an expresse article of faith