as also that wee shall bee able to deriue it from the first and purest ages wherein the sacred fountaine of mans saluation continued and stood in his vnspotted puritie and exquisite bringhtnes not hauing beene as yet troubled with our humaine inuentions not hauing been as yet defiled with the superstitions which the preposterous imitarion of Iudaisme or the vnaduised skill of fashioning themselues after the manner of the Gentiles did together with the time draw in huge and massie heapes vpon them For otherwise certainely if we can neither become acquainted with it by the holie Scriptures nor finde out anie markes or tokens of the same to haue beene vsed in all that space of pure and vncorrupted Antiquitie but rather that not so much as the name thereof is therein specified and that any other seruice was then offered vp to God let vs bee bolde to say that then the misterie and price of our Saluation lyeth not therein seeing that Saluation it self hath not instituted or ordayned the same as also that the Seruice to be performed by the church doth not consist therein seeing the Primitiue church did neuer know it But then may we well see and perceiue that it is some bastardly broode and intire and vniuersall corrupting of Christ his institution and of the first and auncient manner of seruing of God transformed and changed by little little from an abuse of words into an abuse of matter and substance from a Sacrament to a sacrifice and from a sacrifice eucharisticall to a propitiatorie sacrifice and from the commemoration or remembrance of the onely sacrifice of Christ into a pretended reall and dayly killing and offering vp of himselfe as also that this saide Masse which we see now a dayes is nothing else but a collection and patched thing of many ages a composition incorporated by many Popes for the more precisenes whereof there haue not beene admitted thereunto anie other ingredientes from time to time then the abuses which Sathan men and the iniquitie of time haue beene able to bring in eyther of pretended malice or through carelesse negligence or through ignorance into the church In so much as that finallie the holie Supper of our Lord cannot there retaine anie thing to be knowne by neyther hath it anie thing so contrarie opposite or repugnant as the Masse which from this lawfull and legitimate issue as some of the old Writers haue called it is changed into an illegitimare and bastardly thing from a publique into a priuate from the communion of the faithfull in the same Sacramentes into a particular celebration by one priest and to be briefe from a serious meditation of the death of our Lord into a colde and ridiculous representation of the same from a real and effectual participation of that flesh giuen for the life of the world and of that bloode shed for the remission of our sinnes into a dumbe and doltish ceremonie and that to be therewithall such a ceremonie as which assisting aiding vs a thing neuer heard of in any of the former times there is more hope and helpe to be expected I say not then from the holie supper of the Lord administred according to his institution nor then from all the Sacramentes of the Church of Christ but then from the verie sacrifice which the Lord hath once offered vppon the tree of the Crosse for the saluation of mankinde Now therefore for the clearer handling of this matter I will diuide this treatise into foure partes The first shall bee of the originall and proceeding of the Masse according to all the partes thereof and the second of the circumstances whatsoeuer is depending thereupon which is all that which properlie concerneth the historie thereof The third shall declare how it is to be considered and tried according to the nature and quality of a sacrifice and the fourth how in the nature and qualitie of a sacrament being that which commeth neerest to the touching of the doctrine thereof And I beseech all those that loue the truth and are feruentlie touched with an earnest care of their owne saluation that they would open their eyes and bring them to the sight and view of this matter clean and purged from all manner of preiudice of whatsoeuer forestalled opinion as likewise I pray God that he would giue me the grace of comming vnto this work with a true and sincere affection and vnfained defire to see the church of Christe reformed according vnto true antiquitie in these our daies purged from al nouelties which degenerate from the same reformed according vnto that antiquitie I say which hath for his foundation the doctrine of the Sonne of God the practise of his Apostles gouerned by his spirite but purged from that noueltie which can alledge nothing for his maintenance but the dreams of men those such as are alwaies younglings and babes in things concerning God yea rather alwaies brutish as sayeth S. Paul in that which concerneth his seruice The Contentes of the Chapters of the first Booke 1 AFter what manner the Supper of the Lord was first instituted and ordayned and that the Masse hath no ground or foundation eyther in the Scriptures or in the practise of the Apostles 2 That the Masses fathered vpon the Apostles and Disciples of Christ are notorious and meere suppositions 3 In what manner God was serued in the Christian Church in the time of the Apostles and their Disciples 4 What manner of diuine seruice was vsed in the Church vntill the time of S. Gregory or thereabout and namelie what manner of Masse that was which was so called by those that were catechised 5 What manner of diuine seruice there was vsed namelie in that which was called the Masse of the faithfull 6 Answeres vnto certain obiections and what maner of diuine seruice is most conformable vnto that which antiquitie indeed commendeth vnto vs as whether that of the church of Rome as it standeth at this day or that of the reformed Church 7 VVhat change and alteration was admitted in the celebration of the Supper about the time of Gregorie the great which falleth out to be in the sixt age of the Church 8 VVhat manner of growth and proceeding the Masse had from Gregorie the great vntill about the time of Charles the great 9 VVhat manner of proceeding aswell concerning the framing and rearing of the Masse as also about the vse therof was after the time of Charles the great and particularly of the dismembring of the Sacrament by the taking away of the Cup of the Lord from it 10 That the Communion vnder both kindes hath beene practized of all the auncient Churches 11 VVhat manner of effect and working the taking away of the Cuppe of the Lorde had amongst the faithfull and vnder what colour and pretext 12 VVherin are answered the pretēded reasons of the aduersaries both by the holie Scriptures and by the fathers A recapitulation or briefe rehearsall of the matters
handled in the first booke Of the Second Booke 1 OF Churches and Altars their first beginning and proceeding 2 Of Images that olde and auncient Christians had not anie 3 VVhat manner of increase and proceeding Images had amongst Christians and of the licentious abuse thereof after they were once brought into the Church of Rome 4 Of vnleauened bread wine mixt with water and of such thinges as serued in the administration of the Sacraments 5 That the old worship and auncient manner of seruing God was altogether performed done in such a language as the common people knew and vnderstood and by what degrees it was altered and changed 6 That in the Primitiue Church and a long time after the holie Scriptures were read amongst the people in all tongues and languages 7 Wherein is intreated of the Ministers of the Church and of their charge and vocation in the same 8 That the Bishops and Ministers of the old Christian Church were maried 9 How a sole and vnmaried estate of life grew and got increase and strength in the church of Rome vnto the publishing of the decree made by Calixtus 10 The reestablishing of abstinencie from mariage and the continuing of the same euen vnto our dayes A briefe rehearsall of the matters handled in the second booke Of the Third Booke 1 THat the propitatorie Sacrifice of Christ is not reiterated in the holie Supper and in what sence the old Church did vse this phrase and manner of speech 2 Answeres vnto the aduersaries their obiections which they pretend to draw from the holie Scriptures for the prouing of their sacrifice 3 That the pretended propitiatorie sacrifice of the Masse hath no ground or foundation in the new Testament 4 That the olde VVriters haue not â—â—knowledged anie other propitiatory sacrifice then that onelie one made vpon the crosse 5 How and by what degrees the Sacrament of the holie Supper was turned into a propitiatorie Sacrifice 6 That there is not anie Purgatorie the foundation and ground pillar of their Masses for the dead and first how that it was not knowne vnto the Church of Israell or vnto those that liued vnder the olde Testament 7 That Purgatorie hath no ground or foundation in the new Testament 8 That neither the Primitiue Church nor the Fathers liuing in the same for the space of many ages did euer acknowledge the Purgatorie of the Church of Rome 9 Wherein are answered the aduersaries their obiections endeuouring to proue their Purgatorie by the olde VVriters 10 In what manner Purgatorie hath proceeded in the Church of Rome and by what degrees 11 That praying vnto Saintes hath no foundation in the holie Scriptures of the olde Testament 12 That praying vnto Saintes hath no ground in the holie Scriptures of the newe Testament 13 That praying vnto Saintes was not taught in the Primitiue Church and how it sprung vp and grew 14 The continuing of the puritie of doctrine in the matter of Inuocation and of the springing vp of the corruption of the same in the Latine Church 15 The springing vp of the corruption of inuocation aswell in the Greeke as in the Latine Church 16 That a man eannot merite or deserue eternall life for himselfe and much lesse for an other wherein he is considered first as he is before his regeneration 17 That a man regenerate cannot merite eternall life for himselfe or for any other 18 That the law was giuen vnto man to conuince him of sinne and to cause him to looke for his saluation from grace through faith in Christ according to the Scriptures and the Fathers 19 That good workes are the gift of God and therefore cannot merite and to what vse they serue according to the holy Scriptures and fathers 20 How the doctrine of merite first set foote into the Church how it proceeded and how it hath beene oppugned and set against in all ages yea euen vnto S. Bernard his time 21 How merite proceeded and went on euer since S. Bernard his time vntill thâ—se our daies and what oppositions haue beene made against it euen vnto the time of the full light of the Gospell breaking forth againe A Recapitulation of the third Booke Of the fourth Booke 1 WHat a Sacrament is and wherein it consisteth and of the difference of the Sacraments of the old and new testament where are likewise laide downe certaine rules by the old writers for the better vnderstanding of their writings 2 That the doctrine of the holy Supper must be examined by the rules before deliuered as all other doctrine whatsoeuer touching any other Sacraments eyther of the old or of the new Testament 3 That the exposition which our aduersaries giue vpon the wordes of the holy Supper destroyeth all the foundations of the Christian faith as also the nature of Christ and of his sacramentes 4 That the fathers knew not Transubstantiation nor the reall presence in the signes and that which is touched of the times euen to the first Nicene Councell is also included therein 5 The continuing of the beliefe and faith of the fathers of the Church in the matter of the holy Supper from the first Nicene Councell vnto the time of Gregorie the great 6 Likewise that a long time after Gregorie Transubstantiation was not knowne and in like manner that all the most famous Liturgies amongst our aduersaries are repugnant to the same 7 That the old Church did not belieue nor teach Transubstantiation seeing it neither did nor obserued in respect of the kindes or Sacramentes that which is done and practised at this day 8 In what manner the opinion of Transubstantiation was begun increased and finished vntill the yeare 1215. and that it was ratified and confirmed by a Decree made in the Councell of Lateran 9 What manner of increase and proceeding befell the opinion of Transubstantiation from the Councell of Lateran vntill the Councell of Trent and the absurdities and contradictions rising from the same A comparing of the holy Supper with the Masse A briefe rehearsall of the chiefe matters contained in the whole worke THE FIRST BOOKE OF THE MASSE AND of the partes thereof CHAP. I. After what manner the Supper of the Lord was first instituted and ordained and that the Masse hath no good ground eyther from the Scriptures or from the practise of the Apostles OVr aduersaries for the laying of a surer foundation for the Masse out of the holy Scriptures haue attempted to driue and draw the same from the institution of the holy Supper of our Lord ordinarily now a daies do vse to set downe as a note and marke of the same vppon all such places as concerne the holy Supper Heere is the institution of the Masse whereas their predecessors namely the ordinary Glose was wont to note such places thus Heere is the institution of the Supper or Eucharist Wherefore the better to know how like and how vnlike they be as likewise to see so much the more cleerely how farre the one
meanes whereby they might excell and go beyond the laitie therewithall the well inclined being still oppressed kept downe by the authoritie of the Pope Euen iust after the same manner as it would haue fallen out in other cases with vs in Fraunce in as much as the case so stood in the beginning as that matters of sute and law were pleaded in Latine and all manner of writings made in Latine howbeit that the common people by reason of the change that happened did not vnderstand it but that our kings as those which did more carefully watch ouer the goodes of the people then the Romish Bishops did ouer their soules haue beene very prouident wisely to foresee and by their ordinances to prouide for the same CHAP. VI. That in the Primitiue Church and a long time after the holy scriptures were read amongst the people in all tongues THe liturgie then or diuine seruice That the scriptures were translated into all languages euen from the first times was retained in the Church in the vulgar and common tongue for a long space following the precept of Saint Paule Let euery thing be done to edification in the Church And as for the Maxime of the Church of Rome which is to hold the people in ignorance that so they may not come to the knowledge of their faluation it did not take place but of late and that for no other end but to bind their consciences and knowledge to go no further neither yet to come short of the conscience skill of their curates that so they may pray vpon their simplicitie either by leading them into vaine superstition or into seruile subiection The holy scriptures of the old Testament say they were written in Hebrew and those of the new Testament in Greeke and not in any other tongue Let it bee so and good cause why seeing the Hebrew tongue was the language of Israel to whome the law was properly and peculiarly giuen and the Greeke likewise very common knowne vnto all the East parts where Christianitie did first spring and spread abroad But what prerogatiue do they shew vs why they should so aduance and cleaue vnto the Latine Let them answere them that the Gospell was notwithstanding preached by word of mouth in all tongues and to that end was the gift of tongues sent vnto the Church which was no sooner ceased but that the scriptures both of the old and new Testament were found as a supply of the same translated into diuers tongues as Hebrew Syrian Arabicke and Scythian as the ecclesiasticall historie doth witnesse vnto vs that this diligent indeuour continued and endured by the industrie of good pastors in such measure and sort as that the knowledge of Christ gained and got ground in the world Thus we see that Saint Ierome translated the holy scriptures into the Dalmaticke tongue Hieronym in ep ad Sophron. Gregor Patriarch Alexand. in vita Chrysost Sixtus Senens in l. 4. in lit l. k. Postellus in ep ad Ambr. Theseum Chrysostome into the Armenian Vlphilas Bishop of the Gothes into Gothicke Methodius into the Sclauonian and their translations are founde as yet both extant and in vse And that the same zeale was followed and imitated in the end in all Churches so that wee haue as yet the Gospels in the Ethiopian tongue the Psalter in the Egyptian as also in the Indian tongue but imprinted in Syriacke Characters the fiue bookes of Moyses in the Persian tongue the Psalter all the new Testament in the Gothish or old Frizeland speech all the Bible from the time of Ethelstanus king of England that is nine hundred yeares in the Brittish tongue c. And therefore Chrysostome sayth The Syrians Egyptians Indians Persians Ethiopians and innumerable other nations haue the heauenly doctrine translated into their naturall tongues and by this meanes haue left off their barbarousnes to play the philosophers in good earnest Theodoret Theodor. de corrig Graecor affect The Hebrew bookes are not onely translated into Greeke but also into Latine Egiptian Persian Indian Armenian Scythian Saromatian and in a word into all tongues which the nations vse as yet vnto this day All these good Pastors zealously and feruently affecting the wholesome instruction of their flockes and all these famous Churches had not yet studied or busied their braines about the title of the Crosse to conclude from thence that the scriptures could not bee read but in three tongues because in deed they had no desire or will by any such shift so to worke their purpose as that the poore people might not learne the way wherby they might be saued that so they might hold their consciences in homage vnto them Whether it be daungerous or no for the cōmon people to reade them But whatsoeuer any man may seeme to bee able to say to the contrarie say they it is and alwaies hath beene daungerous for the people to haue and reade the holy scripture in their common and naturall tongue And to whom then was it that our Lord said Search the scriptures And wherefore had all Christian Churches so translated them But now therefore let them heare euen they which make such vauntes of the auncient writers into what daunger those auncients did bring mens consciences by the reading of the holy scripture and into what daunger if a man will belieue them herein they brought the whole Church Irenaeus without all doubt did not conceiue any such daunger to bee therein Iren. l. 4. c. 12. 31. when hee said of the heretikes the Valentinians That their not knowing of the scriptures had brought them to this heresie He found preseruatiues therein and our aduersaries are afraid to meete with poison And as little paines did he take to draw backe the faithfull from the reading of them because of obscuritie for he saith The scriptures are open and cleare without ambiguitie or doubtfulnesse Origen in Esa hom 2. in Exod hom 9. they may bee alike heard of all Origen in like manner who tooke so great paines to translate and publish them in all tongues saith Woulde God wee all belieued and did that which is written Search the scriptures they are shutte and sealed to the negligent but they are founde to bee open and vnlockt to them that seeke and knocke at the dore By them hee would haue his parishioners his people that were still to be instructed and catechised and his disciples to trie and examine his doctrine for hee saith Origen in Iosuam hom 20. Idem in Leuit. hom 9. When I teach you that which I thinke then examine and iudge you whether it bee right and true or no. For wee desire sayeth hee in another place that you shoulde not onely heare the wordes of God in the Church but therewithall that you shoulde exercise your selues in them in your houses and meditate in his law day and night Idem in Ios hom 20. Yea and to the end that they
able to discerne which is the true Church you will fall into the abhomination of desolation Idem opere impers hom 29. Idem in Ep. ad Coloss hom 9. which is in the holy places of the Church c. Because sayeth hee in another place that wee must not belieue the Churches if they say not and doe the things which are agreeable to the Scriptures Now then what is there further to be expected after so many reasons but that we shold crie out with him Looke about you you of the secular sort yee Laitie which haue wiues and children how you are here commaunded to reade the scriptures and hee taketh this his exhortation from the Coloss 3.16 not simplie nor sleightlie but diligentlie Coloss 3.16 looke about you I say and consider well of the matter buye yee Bibles the medicines of your soules at the least the new Testament the Actes of the Apostles the Gospels c. And here you haue no neede of Logicke the pesant and the simple women vnderstande them the husbande may talke thereof with his wife the father with his sonne c. The hereticall Priestes doe shut the dores of truth vppon you Chrysost hom 1. in Ioh. Idem in opere imperf hom 44. Sixt. Senens l. 6 annot 152. because they knowe that you forsake their Church and that they shall come from the Priestlie dignitie wherein they are to be no better then popular persons and of the common sorte But what doe our aduersaries aunswere hereunto There was a time say they when the faithfull receiued the Sacrament with their handes which custome was afterwarde as hauing been an vnworthie maner of vsing of it corrected and an ordinance made by the church that they shold not touch it any more the same hath shee thought good of the holie Scriptures Is this in conscience to vnloose and dissolue the hard tied knots or else to cut them in pieces to answere or to wrangle And hath not the Councel of Trent yet dealt more francklie who haue appointed in their Index expurgatorius Ind. Expurgatorius pag. 27 That wheresoeuer these words Scripturae omnibus necessariae the Scriptures are necessarie for all persons are found in the Tables of the workes of the holie Fathers that they should bee raced out and that to the intent that the Tables thus wiped there might not remaine anie direction to guide a man to the places in their works where this doctrine is handled And how much rather would they haue raced the verie places thēselues out of the bookes if there had been but one or two copies of them Epiphanius was not altogether agreeing and of one minde with Chrysostome and yet the truth hath conioyned and knit them together in this point for hee saith Epiphan cont Anomantas All thinges are cleare and manifest in the scriptures no contradictions or contrarieties no deadly traps laide in them For such sayeth hee elsewhere as with the vpright sway of sound reason haue to do with the same not comming thereunto with a diuelish conscience to throw themselues downe headlong into the bottomles pit of destruction And wherefore saith Lactantius Lacta l. 6. c. 26 He that hath made the vnderstanding the tongue and the voice was not he able to speake so as that he may bee vnderstoode Yea on the contrarie hee would in his singular prouidence ordain that the diuine thinges which he spake for all should be without all painted and deceitfull colouring to the end that they might bee vnderstoode of all Whereupon also Theodoret saith Theodor. de natura hom Wee see commonlie that the points of Christian doctrine are not onelie vnderstoode of them which are the chiefe in the Church and teach the people but euen of Shoemakers Lock-Smithes and those that worke in woole and of all other sortes of Artificers yea and which more is of al sorts of women as Semsters Chamber-maides and others which get their liuing with their handie worke aswell hauing no learning as those which haue learning if any such be Againe they which dwell and keepe in the citties are not onelie become skilfull therein but in verie good sort those also that are labourers in the fieldes as neatheardes and setters of plantes whome thou shalt finde disputing of the holy Trinitie and of the creation of all thinges yea and those more skilfull in the nature of man then euer was Plato or Aristotle Now let it bee iudged by this place if this people had been thus instructed and taught by that manner of instruction which is deliuered and taught in the Church of Rome Now it remaineth that after wee haue done with these good Fathers The answere of the Councel of Trent Index lib. prohib Reg. 4. that wee take a view of that which the Fathers of the Councell of Trent shall say vnto vs. Inasmuch say they as if the Bibles should remaine in the vulgar tongue men through their rashnes would take more harme then good thereby we forbid them to haue any without the leaue and license of the Bb. or Inquisitor and that vnder their hand writing who will be readie to grant thē the same vpon the certificate or witnes of their Curate or Confessor If any man haue anie otherwise we declare and make knowne vnto him that he cannot haue absolution from his sinnes vntill he haue giuen vp his Bible vnto his Curate or Ordinarie And as for the Printers they shall loose the valew of such bookes to be bestowed vpon the poore Likewise it is our meaning that the Regulars shall not read or buye them without the permission of their Prelates What shall wee say here or rather what shall we not haue to say The old Writers did chide the Laitie as culpable of a notorious crime for not hauing of Bibles and here the Pope and his shauelinges do punish the Laitie for hauing of them they do confiscate the Bibles they forbid them not as a sinne onelie but vpon the penaltie of not hauing their sinnes forgiuen yea and which is more the Regulars themselues vowed by their institution and ordaining to the studie of holie Scripture are likewise subiect to the penaltie I pray you is it possible that one and the same spirite can say and vnsay And what will follow hereupon then but that those good Fathers being assured of the soundnes of their doctrine did take pleasure that it might be viewed and looked vpon in the light and that these which auoide and shun the same who can doubte but that they do doubt of theirs as conuinced in their consciences of abuse superstition and heresie Now they are not satisfied with hauing their seruice in an vnknowne language The secret of the Masse as if the strangenes of the language did make it so much the more to bee reuerenced euen as it falleth out in the receipts of coniurations and witchcraft whereof we read in Cato Trallianus Scribonius c. But further they haue added thereunto
let him know that tendeth any other course that he shall not attaine vnto the light of the truth which he shal grope after in darknes To be short saith he what soeuer is said since the apostles times is cut off it beareth no authority with it c. Hieronym in Psal 87. how holie prudent soeuer the Authors thereof might be S. August The Canonicall Scripture is set vpon a throne and euerie faithfull vnderstanding must be subiect thereunto If we yea if an Angel from heauen August contr Faust l. 11. c. 5. cont lit ras Petil. 6 lib. 2. contr Donatist c. 6. tract 2 in Ep. S. Iohan do teach any thing more then that which is contained in the Scriptures the Law or the Gospel let him be accursed In our cōtrouersies let vs bring this ballance these gold waights as out of the closet of God to iudge that of weight from that which is light Let vs there iudge of errors for God hath placed in the Scriptures a bright and cleare shining firmament to discouer confute them The Councels for saith he vnto the Arrians I alledge not vnto thee the Councell of Nice Cont. Maxim Episc Arrian l. 3. c. 14. De Ciuit. Dei l. 11. c. 1. Epist 166. De vnit eccles c. 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 16. neither therefore doe thou alledge vnto me the councel of Rimini but let vs trie the maistry by the Scriptures which both you and I my selfe doe well approue c. The Church likewise for The citie of God doth beleeue in the Scriptures and by them is faith conceiued In the Scriptures saith he we haue learned Christ therein also haue we learned to know the Church we haue knowne the head and therefore cannot misknow the bodie thereof VVhether we or the Donatists be the Church the Scriptures alone will teach and instruct vs. Saint Chrysostome The ignoraunce of the Scriptures hath begotten heresies c. Though the dead should liue again or an Angel descend frō heauen Chrysost in hom de Laza. yet we must principally and before them beleeue the Scripture The Angels are but seruants ministring spirits but the Scripture is the Lord maister In Epi. ad Gal. hom 1. In 5. Mat. hom 43. 49. In 1. ad Thess homil 7. In 2. ad Corin. homil 33. In Psal 5.95.142.147 In at this gate doe both the sheepe and shepheard enter they driue away heretikes who so entreth not by them is a theefe The Scripture is the kingdome of heauen it is inclosed therein and fastned thereunto The gate of this kingdome is the vnderstanding of the Scriptures Setting our course and sailing after them wee haue the sonne of God for our patron and protector they are our rule and our squire As the light is vnto the eies so is the law of God vnto our spirits without it all our senses halt An heire doth willingly possesse himselfe of his fathers will and testament and so should we no lesse of the Scriptures the furniture and prouision for our warre against sinne and Sathan himselfe c. In which saith he in another place wee must either denie Christ or blot out the Scriptures or else become the obedient seruants of the Scriptures And if he said this then against the heretikes of his time then much more against Antichrist to come and vpon farre more iust causes and considerations For saith he when this cursed heresie the armie of Antichrist shall possesse the Churches there will not bee found any proofe or maner of helpe to trie and know Christendome by but the holy Scriptures By them alone a man shall know where and who shall bee the true church In this confusion and hurlie burlie there will bee no want of broching and blasing abrode of miracles for euen alreadie the counterfet Christians haue most but and if a man looke any other way then to the Scriptures hee cannot but bee offended perish and fall into the abhomination of desolation which shall bee in the holie places of the Church And therefore our sauiour Christ knowing afore hand that such confusion should follow in the latter daies will that we flie vnto the Scriptures And now also this is the cause why according to the aduertisement of Saint Chrysostome we call you thereunto we which thus alledge and contend with the hazard of our liues and for the working of your saluation and our owne that that Antichrist is alreadie come and seated in your Church and all this according to the Scriptures and by the Scriptures Hereto you replie If his Scriptures alone take place in this controuersie then what shall become of so many goodly traditions What becommeth them of the traditions 1. Cor. 11. What shall become of our Church Verely if you speake of diuine traditions such as whereof Saint Paule saith I haue receiued of the Lord Quod tradidi vobis whatsoeuer I haue deliuered vnto you of those which haue their foundation in the Scriptures and whereof Irenaeus saith vnto vs Looke what Gospel the Apostles preached the same they deliuered vnto vs tradiderunt inquit nobis in the Scriptures Of them saith Saint Cyprian which descend from the authoritie of the Gospel Cypri in Epi. 74. ad Pomp. and the writing of the Apostles Verelie we will be readie to defend them if you will beleeue vs with common armour we shall be both the one and the other quit and freed from all our paines and trouble for the Scriptures and they wil mutuallie acknowledge one another as doe the little riuers and their heads or springs being touched with the touchstone of the Scripture they will hold their value But if by Traditions you meane mans inuentions and doctrines that are without and out of the Scriptures then we tell you that Christ hath giuen definitiue sentence thereof In vaine do you serue me Matth. 15 9 teaching for doctrines the commaundements of men And thus spake he to the Pharisies who wholy rested themselues in the Church in the Sorbone of that time which said as you do of yours at Trent that it was no lesse grieuous an offence to commit against or omit any thing contained in their traditions In Thal. ord 4. tract 4. dist 10 Esay 29 13. then and if such commission or omission had beene in respect of any point of the law it selfe And there is great like lihoode that it is come vpon you which was forespoken by the Prophets They haue serued mee according to the ordinances of men Ierem. 8 8. and therefore wisedome shall perish from their wise men They haue cast behind them the worde of the Lord and there is no wisdome in them But if you suspect the soundnesse of the Scripture Iust in Tryph or rather the vprightnesse of God in his owne cause then let vs heare the fathers Iustine We must giue credite to God and his ordinances alone and not vnto humane traditions And that he ruleth them
Neither yet that S. Paule became a Iew and obserued the law but to the end that hee might draw them from their rudiments or that in like manner by becomming a Gentile hee held not any thing of their vnknowne God but rather preached vnto them the sonne of God come into the worlde that is to say without the annihilating of the crosse of Christ without preiudicing yea to the aduauncing of the veritie simplicitie and puritie of doctrine But as yet the substance of the truth ceased not to swimme and flote a long time vpon the face of these humane inuentions being the good seed husbanded by the care and industry of good teachers who suffered not the same to be choked ouerrun with the darnell at the first blow vntill the ouerflowing streame of barbarous and rude men which happened some ages after did vtterly ouerwhelme it and make an end of the same by occasion whereof the darke and palpable thicke cloudes of ignoraunce did burie and swallow vp Christianitie The Pastors being partly ignorant and partly negligent suffered the darnell to grow so that the darnell occupied the place of the corne euen the incorruptible seed of the word in so much as that the greatest part of Christendome suffered the famine of the true breade that is of the true preaching of the Gospell becomming drunken opprest in the meane time with the excessiuenesse of mens inuentions the proper darnell-bread thrust vpon them vnder the name of traditions And this is that which we haue now to verifie concerning the matter of the Masse going forward with the handling of the growth and proceeding thereof from age to age And here let vs call to mind in what estate condition we left the diuine seruice in the former Chapter It consisted of a general confession of sinnes in singing of whole Psalms in the reading of the holy scriptures in the Pastor his preaching vpō the same after that in a generall prayer for the whole world in the blessing and distributing of the Sacraments to all the faithfull vnder both kindes in a thankesgiuing for the benefite receiued of God in Christ renewed in the action of the Sacrament and how that all this was vttered in a knowne tongue and a language vnderstood of all the people which answered thereunto from time to time the vessels and apparrell being such as were commonly vsed euery thing done in simplicity without vaine ostentation void of all manner of wauering ceremonies and all these thinges continued vnto the times and ages that we are now to speake of being the substantiall partes of the true and lawfull diuine seruice Euseb lib. 10. cap. 2. 3. Eusebius speaking of the ordinarie actions of the true diuine seruice maketh mention of prayers psalmes lessons sermons the blessing communicating of the Sacraments Euseb lib. 4. of the life of Constantine S. Hilarie psal 65. S. August in epist 119. of thankesgiuing c. Likewise saith he Constantine the Emperour praied with the congregation sung himselfe heard the sermon reuerently and that standing saith he not thinking it seemly for him to sit downe in that place S. Hillarie If any man stay without the church he shall heare the voice of the people which prayeth he shall vnderstand the solemne tunes of the Psalmes and in the offices of the holy Sacramentes the aunswere of a denout confession Saint Augustine in as many wordes Jt is not to the purpose saith he to sing Psalmes in the Church when the scripture is in reading or when it is in handling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the same that he meaneth by these words Quando disputatur when the chiefe the Pastors or the Bishops doe pray aloude or when warning is giuen by the Deacons that wee must giue our selues vnto the generall prayer But these meane whiles excepted what can the assemblies of the faithfull bee better occupied about what more holy thing is there which they may exercise themselues in then in singing of Psalmes Hesychius vpon Leuit. lib. 7 cap. 24. Dionys in Hicratch lib. 3. Hesichius Prayer is holy the reading of the scriptures is holy the hearing of the expounding of the same is holy yea and holy it is whatsoeuer is said or done in the church of God according to his law c. This in briefe is the summe of the whole seruice as is testified likewise in the Hierarchie of Saint Denis for it must needes bee referred vnto this time describing the manner of the celebrating of the holy Supper for he affordeth and graunteth place vnto euerie one of these partes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 making it to begin with the harmonious singing of Psalmes the whole ordinance of the Church singing with the Bishop Afterward hee causeth the reading of the holy scriptures to follow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Ministers of the Church and from thence to draw out exhortations vnto the people after which hee giueth leaue to those which were not admitted to the sacramentes to go forth of the Church and temple as namely those that were catechised the penitents and the possessed Then the holy sacraments are set vpon the table and are blessed and sanctified by holy prayer the which are first receiued and taken by him that is the chiefe in these holy actions as the Minister or Bishop and after giuen to all that are by after that they haue testified their spirituall vnitie by a holy kisse Which done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith hee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is hauing participated and distributed the Sacramentes that is the breade and the wine hee closeth vppe the whole action with a holy Eucharist that is a publique than kesgiuing for the benefite receiued from our God in the receiuing of his holy Supper Let vs now follow on The Psalmes Chryso in his eight hom vpō the Heb. Chrysost in hom 6. de paenitent and go forwarde through euerie one of these partes Chrysostome saith of the Psalmes Euerie weeke the Psalmes are read twise or thrice Againe Wherefore haue the Christians the Psalmes alwayes in their mouthes seeing wee reade the Gospell but once or twice neither yet the writinges of the Apostle and why also doe wee sing those with our owne mouthes doing nothing but lending our eares to these Saint Augustine recommendeth them vnto vs by the example of Christ and his Apostles for the profit comming of the precepts contained therein for the edge which they set vpon our zeale Againe he taketh vpon him the protection thereof against such as blamed the Church of Carthage because it did sing them S. Augustine li. 2. retract ca. 2◠whether it were before the offering or in the time of the distributing thereof vnto the people that is to say the Lordes Supper Now it was the auncient custome to sing them and that altogether all throughout The Psalmes cut in sunder diuided into parts Optat. lib. 4. Epiph. haer 64.
custome was vsed in his time And the same thing is witnessed by Saint Ierome Euseb l. 1. de Demonst S. Hieron ad Lucinium Chrysost in epist ad Ephe. especially of the Church of Rome and those of Spaine Whereupon we see likewise that Chrysostome cryeth out most vehemently as complaining of the frosennes of his age as being such as that though the supper of the Lord were celebrated dayly yet there came but a very few people to the holy table yea of so great accompt it was held as that it appeareth vnto vs by a law made by the Church and set downe in the ancient Canons that the sacraments being blessed all the faithfull that is all those which were admitted to bee of the communion fellowship of the Church for so they called them should stay in the assemblie The difference betwixt the faithfull and those that were catechised and should be exhorted euen as they would auoide the punishment for doing otherwise to communicate But on the contrarie such as could not bee receiued thereunto namely such as were catechised as not hauing as yet beene sufficiently instructed Penitents which had not as yet giuen sufficient cleare and manifest signes of their repentance as also the possessed for being vexed of the euill spirit should be aduertised to withdraw themselues and to leaue the place cleane for the faithfull Concil Antioch c. 2. C. peracta D. 2. de consecrat And this is it which the Canons say As for such as enter into the Church of God and heare the scriptures but communicate not in prayer with the people but rather by some intemperancie doe keepe backe themselues from the holy communion let them bee excommunicate and cast out of the Church c. Againe The consecration ended let euerie man giue himselfe to receiue the communion if they will not bee cast out of the Church Hiero. in 1. ad Cor. c 11. Chrysost in 2. ad Cor. ho. 18. for so it was ordayned by the Apostles c. Whereuppon Saint Ierome telleth vs The supper of the Lord must bee common to all for hee hath giuen the Sacramentes vnto all his disciples equally And Chrysostome In some thing the Minister differeth not from the common people Nihil differt sacerdos à Subdito as when the participating of the holy mysteries is in hande For wee are all alike thought worthie to receiue them Not as in the olde law where the high Priest tooke his certaine portion and the people theirs and so as that the people could not haue any thing of that which was the sacrificers part for vnto euery one there present is deliuered one and the same bodie and one and the same cuppe And therefore hee was greatly offended with those who stayed behind with the faithfull after those which were catechised were put forth Chrysost in epist ad Ephe. hom 3. and yet woulde not communicate as offering iniurie vnto the Lordes table and feast Thou art come hither saith hee and hast sung Psalmes in the place with all the rest and in that thou hast not departed hast acknowledged thy selfe to bee of the number of those which are worthy to bee admitted thereunto howe commeth it therefore to passe that thou hauing stayed doest not receiue the Lords Supper And if thou aunswere that thou art vnworthy art thou not so likewise by consequent of the communion which is in prayers c. As for those which were catechised put to do pennance and possessed Of the catechised which had leaue to depart the Deacon after the sermon made knowne and signified vnto them in plaine wordes that they were to depart and go away which thing might bee practised with lesse adoe at this day when as there is not almost one to bee seene possessed of the euill spirit and for that the rigor and seueritie of doing of pennaunce is much abated as thirdly in that there come into our Churches none but the children of Christians And this leaue which was declared and openly told them was called Mittere vel dimittere vnde Missio Missa in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 From whence the name of the Masse grew hence was the first originall of this worde Masse in the Church because as Bellarmin himselfe confesseth that this leaue was deliuered in these wordes Ite Missa est as amongst the Pagans was wont to be said I licet c. And by little and little as abuse is apt to seaze vpon wordes that are most familiar and well knowne vnto vs it came to passe that that part of the seruice which endured vnto the sermon Raban l. 1. c. 32. Innocen l. 6. de Sacr. Hugo l. 2. part 8. cap. 14. Tertul. de praescript corona and inclusiuely vnto the rehearsing of the Creede was called the Masse of those that were catechised and that which was afterwarde that is to say the celebrating of the holy Supper had appropriated and giuen vnto it the name of the Masse of the faithfull according to the olde and auncient distinction made in the Church betwixt those which were called the faithfull and those which were catechised And this is likewise testified by Tertullian in many places and the Masse of the faithfull began where that of the catechised ended But admit that this sending away was practised in the Church Rabbi Leui. in Leuit. cap. 5. after the manner of the Iewish Church which would not suffer that any leprouse or other infected persons shoulde bee admitted vnto their sacrifices or els according to the Pagans themselues who woulde chase the prophane from their misteries and holy thinges with these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is leaue for the people to depart so farre it hath preuailed as that without all doubt it hath brought forth a name for the Masse a name which was neuer read in any Hebrew Greeke or Latine Authour before this time that is to say till foure hundred yeares after the death of our Lord and yet so new in that age of the worlde as that Saint Ierome the Pastor of Rome and one who hath written so many great volumes hath neuer so much as once made any mention of it yea and Saint Ambrose who vttereth it once and Saint Augustine onely twise did yet neuer take it in that sence and signification that we vse it for neither the one nor the other doth speak of it in touching or deliuering the matter and doctrine of the Sacrament although that Saint Ambrose haue written thereof sixe bookes and that S. Augustine haue handled the matter more amply and largely and more often then any other both vpon S. Iohn and in other places But both of them in a signification farre differing from that wherein it is vsed at this day that is to say not meaning or vnderstanding by this worde either sacrifice or sacrament Furthermore the place alleadged out of S. Augustine his sermons are of small force because the best
estate or sole and single life a law and ordinance of the Romish church by which the Ministers and Pastors of the Church are bounde to abstaine from marriage those which doe administer their sacramentes to abstain and renounce according to their doctrine one of their sacramentes But the scripture speaketh plainelie how that our Lorde ordained and blessed marriage from the Creation he vouchsafed to honour it in the Patriarks to commaund it to his Priestes to approue it also in the Prophetes the cleare and manifest vessels of Gods spirite hauing an extraordinarie vocation in the Church approued by signes and miracles These good fellowes which otherwise are most forwarde in bringing backe againe and heaping vppon vs all the ceremonies of the olde Testament why doe they banish and driue from vs this order ordinance In the new Testament our Lord worketh his first miracle at the marriage of Cana the comparisonis often vsed in the Scripture of the mar riage of Christ and his Church If it had been a worke of the flesh as they say would he haue been present at it If it had beene a prophane coniunction and copulation was it for necessity and lacke of other comparisons that the holy Ghost should vse this 1. Cor. 7. Hebr. 13. and that in laying open and pointing out of so high and holy an vnion But furthermore the Apostles say generally Let him that cannot liue continentlie take a wife the marriage and bed vndefiled are honourable among all men and afterward particularly A Bb. and a Deacon must be the husbands each of them of one wife c. If the Bb. do not gouern his children well how shal he gouern the church of God They likewise giue caueats and prouisoes against the contrary doctrine For it wil come saith S. Paul vpon the people giuen ouer to spirits of deceipt and doctrines of Diuels teaching lies in hipocrisie seared in their conscience with a hote iron who shal forbid to be married c. But after all this I leaue to speake of diuerse other places for breuities sake what will they haue to say vnto vs against so plaine and manifest a matter what needeth either reason or interpretation against the expresse commandement of God why should we admit the inuention of man and from whence can it come but from the spirit of lies couering it selfe with the spirit of hypocrisie and from whence commeth this fained holines this making of conscieÌ„ce of that which is no sin but from a conscience which is dead and without feeling of any maner of sin and which that it might not seem past feeling of all sin sheweth it self indifferentlie and alike feeling of that which is and of that which is not If wee obiect against them the example of the Priestes of the olde lawe they tell vs that this was because it behoued that they should come of the same stocke and race Who hath told them then that the Ministers of the newe Testament ought not to haue anie They adde further and say that those Priests did one serue after an other in their seuerall courses and that then they abstained from their wiues Let them proue vnto vs therfore if for that cause they renounced and altogether forsooke marriage And how did the high Priest vse his married estate who was commaunded to sacrifice euening and morning 1. Paralipom 24. And how in a worde did they passe ouer all the other whole fowre hundred yeares For they cannot dissemble or cloake the matter how that this order of seruing by courses came not in but by Dauid a long time after the lawe And where will they find vs that it was commaunded them during the time of their seruice to forsake their wiues and yet wee see that all manner of vncleannes which might defile them was most precisely forbidden them and all manner of clensing and purifying of themselues so distinctly commaunded them If againe wee obiect vnto them the Prophetes who all of them were married Chrysost in Matth. hom 56 in fine and are acknowledged so to haue been by all the old Writers but more speciallie by S. Chrysostome then looke what they cannot vnloose they will not let to cut in sunder saying They had not the charge of sacrificing Or else they imagine that they did put away their wiues during such time And in the ende they are not ashamed to ordaine in the Councell of Trent by their Index expurgatorius that it shal be raced out of the Table of Chrysostome his workes That all the Prophetes were married Iesus Christ was founde present at the mariage in Cana of Galilie Marriage therefore say we is not accounted amongst the thinges that are vncleane and doe pollute nor amongst the workes of the flesh But say they hee was present at it because it was the marriage of S. Iohn the Euaugelist that hee might hinder the marriage and to that end they finde vs out by and by one Abdias Babilonius a late compiler of Legends who telleth vs the whole storie from point to point If thou waste not mine saith our Lord in that place vnto S. Iohn I would suffer thee to marrie Directlie against the expresse word for God the Creator did institute and ordaine it as also consecrate it both by his blessing presence And to the manifest calling in question of S. Iohn his faithfull and sincere dealing who should haue had great wrong and iniurie to bee thought to authorize and alow mariage as by the contents of this storie it may seeme hee did if Iesus Christ had condemned it in himselfe and so also it should follow that it is not possible to bee the seruant of Iesus Christ and to bee married together August serm 1 Dom. 2. post Epiphan tract 8. in Ioh. But how commeth it then to passe that the olde Fathers were not aduised of this point As S. Augustine who handling this place sayeth That the Lord hath not disdained or thought scorne of marriage that it was his will and pleasure to honour it that it was his will that thereby children should be begotten that hee hath by his presence established the lawes of vnitie and concord therein and turned the marriage songes into holie psalmes to the glorie of God Cyril in Io l. 2 c. 22. Chrysost cont Iudae Gentil Heretic Heb. 13.4 c. Saint Cyril That therein hee would declare the holines of marriage and sanctifie the principall cause of our birth c. Saint Chrysostome That he hath honoured marriage and that therefore it is not anie let or hinderance vnto pietie and indeed saith hee why should it be more hinderance to ours then vnto Moses Helias or S. Peter his pâ—etie and godlines The Apostle sayeth Marriage is honourable in all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the bedde vnde filed but God will iudge fornicators and adulterers There is no manner of exception to bee made against this generall affirmation And Paphnutius doth alledge
were first instituted in the Church of God and after what manner they were obserued by antiquitie what new inuentions and deprauations haue ensued thereupon and at what times as also by what waies and pathes Wee haue seene the Church nowe shrowding her selfe into some pitte or caue of the earth and afterward to haue seated and assembled her selfe in faire and comely Temples and that such temples as haue neither altars nor images then wee haue seene altars vsurping the places of the tables for the holy Supper and after some long tract of time imploied about the offering vp of a pretended sacrifice and we haue seene how images being admitted for remembrances at length grew to be worshipped and adored And in the end both the one and the other to haue so increased prospered as that they haue brought the true altar Christ vnto nothing to the offending of the Iewes and to the scorne and reproch of the Turks through the madnes of silly miserable Christians We haue seene the vessels of the Church changed from decencie and comelinesse to great charge costlines from costlines to be honoured from honoring to adoration In like maner the apparrell and habites of the priests from common ones into peculiar and speciall ones from indifferent ones to certaine and vnchangeable ones from simple ones by degrees into comely ones yea into a ceremony into holines and into necessity the whole seruice in the vulgar tong such as was vnderstood of all euen vnto the infants common both to priestes and people in all the Churches of Christendome afterward by the corruptnes partly of languages and partly of men to become vnknown not vnderstood of al the people no not by those which were of best vnderstanding to the bringing of men thereby to dispute against the scriptures against the fathers against reason against cōmon sence how that it shold be both more profitable holy for the same to continue so We haue seen the Bbs. Ministers of the Church ordained to preach and to administer the sacramentes and afterward in succession of time both the seruants and their seruice banished and driuen quite out of place the bright burning lampe of Gods word altogether quenched in the Church the whole seruice turned to a Masse and all the charge and office of the Priestes to the saying of Masses and that for the most part with their harts and eares at home when their tongues are pronouncing the same And in the ende that they might be thought and seeme rather then bee holy in deede from married ones they become vnmaried and promising abstinence from mariage for euer And by what degrees Surely virginitie chastity in mariage hauing been praised as a wel matching paire at the first and as the singular gifts of God and recommended both the one and the other vnto the church were afterward in steed of this seemely and louing yoking together acording to the Apostle opposed and set the one against the other and the praise of the one was neuer thought sufficient without the dispraise disgrace of the other whervpon it followed that the Bbs. ecclesiastical persons who first were maried began to put more holines in an vnmaried estate and so in things that were free and indifferent men haue not let to place both difference and the prerogatiue of excellencie and therevpon exhortations to ecclesiasticall persons to embrace abstinence from marriage then to binde them to it with faire speeches and after to compell them thereto by law and to force it vppon them by seuere punishments and penalties and in the end by the depriuing of them of their Offices and Benefices and by shamefullie disgrading of them Whereupon so much vncleannesse ensued as that the world stinketh thereof as whereby the name of a Church-man is euill spoken of all ouer the world Now it followeth that we come to the third part which entreth into the handling of the doctrine of the holy Supper and consequently into the doctrine of the Masse And here I desire the Reader to be yet both more attentiue and more feruently affected that so he may be the better able to iudge both where the abuse is crept in as also where the true vse is retained as also where prophanenes hath entred and where the holy Ministerie true mystery is kept and obserued The end of the second Booke The Third Booke WHEREIN IS INTREATED OF THE SACRIFICE OF IESVS CHRIST and of the pretended sacrifice of the Masse CHAP. I. That the propitiatorie sacrifice of Iesus Christ is not reiterated in the holy Supper and in what sence the old Church did vse this phrase and manner of speech THe Lord our God hauing vouchsafed through his infinite mercie to chuse vnto himselfe before all worldes a people from amongst men which we call the Church which he hath by the same grace continued against all the changes and mutations which haue happened thereunto and amidst all the broiles confusions falling out in the world was purposed to bind and tie the same vnto himselfe by certaine holy and consecrated ceremonies full of instruction and efficacie by which it is continually aduertised of the dutie which it oweth vnto God and of the grace of God towards it euen that grace of God wherein it pleased him according to the purpose of his good pleasure to giue himselfe to his Church namely to his faithfull and that dutie of man which in the acknowledging of this grace he is bound to offer and consecrate himselfe wholly vnto God and that so much the more because he could not finde any thing in his owne nature that could merite euen the least thing that possiblie could or should allure and draw on this grace nothing yea on the contrarie not any thing but that which ought to prouoke the wrath curse of God vpon him But for as much as the iustice of God and the sinne of man were as it were two extreames there was requisite a Mediator to ioyne them together and that for the same cause he should hold of the said two extreames that is that hee should bee God and man this is that Iesus Christ our Lord begotten from euerlasting before all time borne notwithstanding and giuen in his due time And therefore in this Mediator all the holy ceremonies of the Church of God doe take their roote and foundation whether they bee those which are ordained for to offer vp our holy seruice vnto God in for if our works be not considered in the perfection of this Mediator the naturall imperfections cleauing thereunto will cast them out of his presence cause them to be taken for trespasses offences so far will it be off that they should merite and deserue grace or those which are ordained to assure vs of the grace of God for where is the conscience which being informed and roused vp be it neuer so little by the law of the most mighty yea if it haue neuer so
my bodie which is giuen for you And yet it ceaseth not considered in some sorte to bee in manner of a sacrifice in as much as this is a remembrance of this propitiatorie sacrifice of our Lord on the Crosse according to that which is said Doe this in remembrance of mee shew forth the Lordes death vnto his comming In such sort that as the lambe was after a certaine manner a propitiatorie Sacrifice in that it did prefigure him so the holy Supper in like manner in as much as it bringeth him vnto our remembrances in that it representeth him vnto vs before the eyes of our faith And yet furthermore of this remembrance there proceedeth an other sacrifice euen the true sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing which the Church hath called by the name of Eucharist That is that when we call to mind that God hath so loued the worlde or rather the Church hated of the worlde as that hee hath giuen his dearely beloued Sonne the eternall and euerliuing for the mortall the iust for the vniust to the ignominious and reproachfull death of the Crosse to redeeme them from their sinnes wee adore the bowelles of his mercies wee are lifted vppe with a holy rauishment euen into the heauens farre from our our selues wee vtter our cries in a certaine feruencie of faith from all in generall saying praised bee thou O Lorde for that thy grace hath appeared in the worlde for that it hath superabounded in loue for the sauing of sinners and afterward let vs say with Saint Paule being humbled in our infirmities but imboldened in his grace to the appropriating and particular applying of this benefite vnto our selues Euen the sinners Lord whereof I am the chiefe I a blasphemer a persecutor and oppressor c. And this faith applyeth this sacrifice vnto our selues it maketh it seuerall and peculiar vnto euery one of vs it maketh vs then to say with confidence No more He that eateth the flesh and drinketh the blood of Christ hath eternall life No more I say God so loued the worlde as that he hath sent his sonne c. For what good doth this serue vs vnto but to increase our sorrowe and griefe if wee bee not the parties our selues But more boldly with the Apostle I am crucified with Christ I liue and yet not I now but Christ in mee Galath 2.20 in that I liue in the flesh I liue in the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loued mee and who hath giuen himselfe for me c. Thus in remembring this sacrifice the shamefull death of the Lord wee acknowledge our selues lost in our selues yea vtterly lost seeing that for to saue mankind it was requisite that the Sonne of God should be made man and expose himselfe to the reuilinges and slaunderous speeches of men And this knowledge begetteth in vs an acknowledgement of the free mercie of God which hath giuen vs his onely begotten Sonne yea who hath giuen vs himselfe in his Sonne How can we then do lesse then offer vp then sacrifice our selues to him To offer vp vnto him as saith the Apostle Rom. 12.1 Our bodies a liuing sacrifine holy acceptable a reasonable seruice In such sort as that in the holy Supper wee communicate really and effectually in the bodie and blood of Iesus Christ euen to the sucking of life nourishment to our soules from the same and this is that which proceedeth from it as a Sacrament Wee celebrate likewise his death from whom as out of a fountaine wee drawe life and that the rather because this his death is our life in as much as wee haue the propitiation for our sinnes in his blood and the celebrating of the remembrance of this propitiatorie sacrifice although somewhat improperly may be called a Sacrifice Seeing that consequently vpon the deepe meditation of this high mysterie and vnspeakable benefit receiued by the faithfull adored of the Angels we enter into a serious thanksgiuing in which we resolue to renounce and forsake our selues that so we may offer vp our selues the more freely vnto God ceasing from thenceforth to fashion our selues any more according to this present world seeking rather to transforme and chaunge our selues by the renewing of our vnderstanding c. And here we haue another sacrifice euen a sacrifice of peace in as much as there is a peace concluded betwixt God and the faithfull man a sacrifice of praise in as much as all increase and prosperitie are giuen vnto vs by God and God in this peace Finally a sacrificing of our selues in the offering vp of our thankfull heartes and resoluing therewithall to liue and die in him and vnto him who hath giuen himselfe for vs who hath vouchsafed to offer vp his body and to shed his blood for to purchase vs life who giueth vs them in ordinary bread and wine to nourish our soules vnto eternall life Amen And it is not for any other consideration Wherfore the old writers did vse this worde Sacrifice that the olde writers doe sometimes call the holy Supper a sacrifice a Sacrifice of remembrance and thankesgiuing of the faithfull And if our aduersaries doe keepe themselues within these boundes wee shall not neede to reason and dispute about wordes neither yet refuse or reiect the worde Sacrifice But and if that they tell vs that the Masse is a sacrifice propitiatorie for the quicke and the dead wee tell them that wee would haue them to aunswere vs whether they ground it vppon the holy Supper or els borrowe the institution thereof from els where If from else where then wee boldly auouch vnto them that there is no title of the Masse in all the holy scripture neyther of any thing belonging thereto neither yet in the workes of any of the auncient writers and this wee haue alreadie proued and shall bee able further to proue most plentifully if any thing bee wanting therein But if they fetch and deriue it from the holy Supper then wee auouch and say vnto them that it is no propitiatorie sacrifice that the Lord did neuer ordaine it for any such ende that the Apostles did neuer so teach it neyther yet that the fathers did so vnderstande it And this is the matter that wee are to handle and intreate of in this Chapter In the meane time wee will note and obserue by the way that these wordes Sacrifice and Sacrament doe not alwaies keepe the proper limites and boundes but that sometimes they runne in their generall signification and are taken eyther for all holy offices or for all the signes vsed in the Church to signifie any thing August l. 19. contr Faust c. 14. In Psal 141. Psal 65. de peccat meritis Bernard de caena Dom. And to the end that the doubt of this generall vsing of this worde Sacrament may not trouble vs it appeareth in certaine olde writers that they haue giuen this name to the signe of the Crosse to all the ceremonies of baptisme to
making intercession to God for vs. Ambros ad Hebr. c. 8. S. Ambrose saith It is necessary that our sauior in the daies of his flesh should haue something that he might offer for vs therfore he took vpon him our flesh Theodor. ibid. Haimo ibid. that he might offer the same And Theodoret This is the cause why the only begotten Son of God hauing takē our nature did offer it to God for vs. Haimo He took of vs that which he hath offered for vs namely mans flesh euē himselfe whom he hath offered vpon the altar of the crosse Hugo ibid. Thom. ibid. c. being himselfe both the sacrifice sacrificer And thus also write Cardinal Hugo and Thomas For it behoued that Christ haberet quod offerret might haue something that he might offer hee offered himselfe c. all of them hauing relation to the thing done and not to do Caietan That is himselfe who is offered the Saints which are made such by heauenly grace But what need was there of any other expositor then the Apostle himself when he setteth downe how that he doth not offer himselfe oftentimes And againe For by one onely oblation he hath consecrated for euer those which are sanctified They go forward Hebr. 9. The Apostle saith It is necessarie that the patternes or figures of heauenly things shold be cleansed by these things but the heauenly things themselues be better oblations and sacrifices then these are He speaketh say they in the plural number wherefore it argueth that there are many oblations many sacrifices and those are our Masses But let vs alwaies carrie in minde that the Apostle hath infinite times said That there is but one sacrifice that is Christ and that there is but one oblation offered vppon the Crosse by Christ And let vs also distinguish Hostiam seu victimam from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing sacrificed from the oblation that is to say from the action of sacrificing Now the Apostle vseth in this place the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of sacrifice not of offering of the thing not of the action And what will they then inferre or conclude that the Christian Church here opposed and set against the Iewish Church ought to bee cleansed by many sacrifices will they dare to bee so bold and that seeing it is such a blasphemie or by many offerings of this verie same sacrifice And is not this to come all to one thing and directly contrarie to so many places of the Apostle And againe it is not said in this place Oblations but Sacrifices But say they it is spoken in the plurall number Sacrifices but this is because the Apostle had spoken in the plurall number of those of the law so in setting downe the opposite part doth retaine likewise the plurall number Non quia victimae plures sed quia in vna plures vel potius illae omnes because that in this onely one sacrifice all others are contained And in deed to the end they may not find any starting holes Thom. ad Heb. c. 9. we will not giue credite vnto any others in this point but vnto their owne Doctors S. Thomas Hostus in plurali he saith sacrifices in the plurall number and contrarily he saith afterward that there is but one sacrifice euen that of Christ for by one onely offering he hath accomplished for euer all those which are holy and sanctified Hebr. 10. I answere that though it were one in it selfe yet it was shadowed out by many sacrifices vnder the old law The interlineall Glosse Meliores hostiae better sacrifices namely Christ all those of the old law in as much as it was signified by them all Hugo the Cardinall that is the sacrifice of Christ Anselm ad Heb. c. 9. Caietan by which all those of the law were signified and sanctified Anselme These better sacrifices are but one that is Christ Caietan Christ crucified is here called the better sacrifices because that virtualiter that is in effect and operation it hath the power of all the rest But in the end they say the priesthood being translated it must needes follow that the law is translated also Et vicissim wherefore it must needs follow that there must be a priesthood in the new Testament And who goeth about to denie it them Hebr. 7. for otherwise it should fall out that to haue one which liueth for euer should bee to be without a priest and that to haue an euerlasting sacrifice should be to bee without one And on the other side are we not saith the Apostle all priests in as much as we haue all accesse to the father through him euen to offer vp vnto him through him our sacrifices euen for to offer vnto him himselfe in our praiers a sacrifice for vs But we deny that there is in the new Testament any order of people appointed ordained to sacrifice him a new and we on the contrarie affirme that throughout the whole scriptures there is not one word spoken of any such as likewise there is not of the reiterating of the sacrifice of Christ neither haue any of the fathers interpreted it as our aduersaries doe at this day We affirme also that in all the holy scripture speaking of the Ministers of the Church of Christ they are neuer entitled priestes in whatsoeuer language that a man shall take them And that if the same holy scriptures of the new Testament doe make any mention of sacrifices that they entitle and call them presently for the preuenting and taking away of errour sacrifices of the preaching of the Gospell sacrifices of praise and thankesgiuing spirituall sacrifices the calues of our lips the works of charitie c. offered partly by the Ministers of the holy Gospel who hold their particular place and ranke in the Church to dispense vnto vs the word of God sacraments to shew forth vnto vs our destruction in our owne nature our condemnation by the law our grace and fauour purchased in the death of our Lord the greatnes by consequent of our sinne and of the mercy of God in the greatnesse of this remedie whereupon there followeth in vs a loue towardes God a hatred towardes our selues c. Partly likewise by all the Christians in whom this loue bringeth forth spirituall sacrifices peace offeringes in as much as we haue by this meanes peace with God sacrifices of thanksgiuing for that we giue him thanks in euery kind of seruice whether of the heart the mouth or hands for so great a benefite receiued of his meere mercie and let vs also say propitiatorie in some sort by a great deale better right then in the Masse in as much as wee confesse vnto him our sinnes with a contrite and humble heart intreating him that the blood of our Lord Iesus Christ his onely Sonne may procure vs fauour and mercie by the true and onely propitiation purchased by
ages did euer acknowledge the Purgatorie of the Church of Rome BVt say they if we should go to it but according to mans reason would not it giue sentence with vs that so many persons as die so quickly haue need of this manner of purging their soules departing impure and vncleane out of this world and so vnfit to be receiued into heauen with that their pollution Wherevnto we answere them that the barre and iudgement seat that is directed by humane reason hath no place in the Church that in that skill of the law which professeth the defence and maintenance of Christianitie it is a shame to speake without testimonie and authoritie out of the word and that a great deale more then to speake in the ciuill law without law But how much more shame is it then when a man vndertaketh to speake for Christianitie and holdeth a course contrarie to the scriptures And this we haue learned from the ancient writers Tertullian Let vs reuerence the fulnesse of the scriptures if we will not vndergoe the woe ordained for such as adde vnto them Basill This is to fall away from the faith either to cast away and cut off any parte of that which is written or to adde any thing that is not Chrysostome The thoughtes of the hearers halt when they haue a doctrine deliuered them without any scripture S. Augustine Let vs see if this be taught in the law or prophets or in the Gospell or Epistles Gerson in like manner Let vs suspect all manner of reuelations if they bee not confirmed by the law and the Prophetes But these ancient fathers here alleadged haue also belieued Purgatorie Let vs admit that it is so as it is not in deed yet we answere as we haue done before that we do not allow of the old fathers as lawgiuers in the Church For there is but one law maker saith the Apostle euen Iesus Christ and themselues tooke it as an iniurie offred vnto them to be so reputed only they accompted of themselues as expounders of the law ordained by our Lord and of the scriptures which he hath left vs. And this is the greatest honour that can be giuen them in the Church and in this respect and consideration we honour their bookes we weigh and ponder their expositions where they are found to differ one from another we endeuour our selues to make our choice of the best euen those which come neerest vnto the analogie and proportion of faith If wee doe otherwise if wee admit of them as authours of doctrines and not interpretors wee shall be in danger to bee as we said Anabaptistes with Saint Cyprian Montanistes with Tertullian Chiliastes with Ireneus c. In stead that wee are to abide and continue Christians with Christ whose voice the sheepe heare who alone hath the woraes of eternall life Now we haue heretofore cited all the Doctors to the interpreting of the places produced and alleadged by our aduersaries for purgatorie who could not see it there where they did find it who for the most part haue in the said places found the contrarie and yet we will proceed on further as namely to shew that the auncient fathers haue affirmed such Maximes as wherewith the Romish Purgatorie cannot stand As that when they haue at any time spoken of it they doe it not affirmatiuely but doubtfully and not as of an article of religion but as of a fantasie or opinion that may bee propounded and receiued for arbitrarie that for the most parte what they haue saide cannot agree with that which wee are in controuersie about at this day And finally that if they had belieued it for a necessarie article they had collected and gathered from thence as from a principle of faith such corollaries consequences as wee see at this day which neuer came to light till a long time after one long after another and that by the succession of many ages And to the end that this may more clearely be seene let vs call to mind at our entrance into the same what purgatorie it is whereof we speake as namely of a certaine third place whither the soules of the faithfull dead in the faith of Christ go at the time of their departure out of this life there to bee tormented with fire before they bee receiued into the place of blisse yea and that so long as vntill by the praiers and suffrages of those that are liuing there be satisfaction made for the temporall punishments due for the same and that all the spottes of vncleannesse bee purged and cleansed away that is for that say they vnto vs by faith in Christ wee haue remission of the fault and sinne onely and not of the eternall punishment due to the same which by the fauour and power of the keies is changed from being eternall and made temporall and for that wee must of necessitie satisfie this temporall punishment either in this life or in the life to come by our selues or by some others c. And now behold the Maxims of the ancient fathers contrarie to Purgatorie The propositions held by the old writers contrarie to purgatory Basil reg bren inter 10. 13. Ambr. in Luc. l. 10. c. 22. The first that God by Iesus Christ doth wholly and altogether deface and blot out both the sinne and the punishment S. Basill Thesoule wallowing in the mire of sinne how can it approach or come neere vnto God verily by constantly and stedfastly belieuing that the purging and cleansing of his sinnes is accomplished by the blood of Iesus Christ in the multitude of the mercies of God according to that which he himselfe hath spoken If your sinnes were as red as skarlet they shall be made as white as the wooll Saint Ambrose We embrace and take hold on Christ that so hee may say vnto vs be not afraide of the sinnes of this worlde neither of the floodes of afflictions which vexe and besiege the bodie J am the remission of sinnes c. Saint Augustine August de verb. Dom. ser 37. 31. Idem de Trini l. 4 c. 2. Christ in taking vpon him the punishment and not the fault hath blotted out and vtterly defaced both the fault and punishment due to the same Againe Wee liue not in this world without sinne but wee shall go out of this world without sinne Againe What shall wee pray for in this life verily that wee may finde remission and forgiuenesse in the worlde to come What profiteth this pardon and forgiuenesse it wipeth not away the staine He that acknowledgeth a wrinkle laboureth to smooth and make it plaine And where then are our wrinkles stretched out and smoothed c. verily vpon the crosse of Christ for vpon this crosse hee hath shed his blood and this is that whereby the Church is cleansed from all spottes and wrinkles as a thing verie cleane and bright c. Againe There is but one purging of the vniust the blood of that iust
reputed for the seede There is question then about this faith In controuersies we must haue recourse to the Scriptures and euerie man saith that he hath it To know of what side Christ is and euery man betaketh himselfe to him as his ayde and thereupon all Christendome liueth in suspence and doubt or in trouble But my brethren let vs not beleeue men Men saith our Lord himselfe who know not of their owne vnderstanding either from whence he commeth or whether he goeth The spirits of men saith the spirit of God which are not able to comprehend his wayes In a Sea so vnknowne to man in these gulfes so perillous we cannot attaine to the deliuering of any sure and certaine speech from other where then God himselfe from the father who hath spoken from heauen shewed vs the sonne Matth. 17.5 Iohn 5.3 9. Psal 19. 2. Tim. 3. and said vnto vs heare him from the son who crieth vnto vs in the midst of the Temple in the heate of the Pharisies and all these great doctors their disputations Search you the Scriptures diligently and from the holie Ghost who hath said to vs They cause the eyes to see they giue vnderstanding to children by the Apostles they are inspired of God they make the man of God euen the Euangelist and teacher himselfe instructed vnto euerie good worke and wise vnto saluation Our fathers say some vnto you beleeued as well liued as well whereto serue these alterations Verily if you vnderstand this of your carnall fathers then what other thing doe you say S. Bern. Epi. 91 besides that which the Iewes said to our Lord or which the Turkes or Iewes may not yet say vnto vs How farre better saith Saint Bernard speaking of the reformation necessarie in the Church Let them be cast behinde both me and you which say we will not liue better then our fathers If of the spirituall as of those that haue begotten vs to Christ then who are they but the Apostles and the holie fathers that followed them And what say we herein but by their mouthes And who is there to leade vs more from customes to the lawe from traditions to the holie Scriptures Irenaeus saith The Apostles preached the Gospel Iren. l. 3. c. 1. 11. con h. ret Tradiderunt Iust Mart in Dialog cum Tryphon in exposit fid and afterward by the will of God deliuered it vs in the Scriptures that so it might be the foundation and pillar of our faith Iustinus Martyr We must fixe our faith vpon God and his onlie instructions not vpon mans Traditions we must haue recourse to the Scriptures to the ende we may finde assurednesse in all things c. That Dauid that the Euangelists that the Epistles of the Apostles doe teach vs Tert. con Hermog Cum Apostolis senti c. Tertullian I doe not receiue or admit of that which thou bringest of thine owne without any Scripture If thou bee an Apostolicall writer be furnished with the doctrine of the Apostles c. Bring backe the heretikes to the Scriptures and so saieth hee they will not bee able to maintaine themselues What would he haue said then at this day of our pretended Catholikes who abhorre nothing more then to bee drawne backe to the Scriptures Verilie and without all doubt the same which he saith of these heretikes Heretici sunt lucifugae Scripturarum Like Owles they flie from the light of the Scriptures Wherefore if that which thou speakest be not written beware of that Vae that curse which is pronounced by the spirit of God against them which adde vnto the Scriptures S. Cyprian Cypr. de laps in Epist 74. Doe the Martyrs commaund any thing to be done But what if it bee not written in the law of the Lord. c That saith he must bee done which is written for so God appointed Iosua wee must haue good regard to see if it bee written in the Gospel in the Epistles of the Apostles or their acts for if it be then such holy traditions must be obserued and kept Traditions as we see contained in the Scriptures for so did the fathers vse this worde and not for all that which may be imagined in mans braine prouided that it be of continuance and toleration Origen Orig. in Ierem. in 25. in Matth. Wee must call the holie Scriptures to witnesse without these witnesses the sence and expositions which we giue them worke no beleefe VVhatsoeuer the golde bee which is without the Temple yet it is not sanctified and as litle that sense which is besides the Scripture Athanasius Athan. contr Idol ad Iouinian in 2. orat contra Arrios de interpret Psalm in Synopsi Theodor. l. 1. Socrat. l. 1. 5 Basi de ver fid in Mora◠Regu 26. 80 The holy Scriptures are sufficient of thēselues for the demonstrating of the truth The stones wherewith the heretikes are to be stoned are fetcht from hence they are the Mistresses of the true faith the anchors and props of our c. And this is the cause why in the disputation against the Arrians Constantine the Emperor breaking the array vnto the Councell of Nice appointeth not any other weapons The Euangelicall bookes saith he as also those of the Apostles and Prophets doe teach vs euidently whatsoeuer wee must beleeue Let vs gather from thence the deciding of our controuersies Saint Basil It is a most euident signe of infidelitie and pride to go about to bring in any vnwritten thing for the Lord hath said My sheepe heare my voyce and follow not the voice of any other c. Whatsoeuer we doe or speake must bee confirmed from thence for the beleefe of the good cōfusion of the wicked Euery faithful man hath this proper to him not to adde any thing thereto neither yet to ordaine any new thing for whatsoeuer it is that is besides the Scripture is not of faith Ambros de vocat Gent. l. 2. c. 3. in lib de Parad. c. 12. and therefore is sinne Saint Ambrose VVhere the Scriptures speake not who shal speake VVe must adde nothing to the commaundement howe good soeuer it be who so addeth thereto any thing of his owne argueth it of imperfection c. Saint Hierome The Church of Christ which dwelleth well Hieronym in Mich. l. 1. in ps 98. in Ezeen c. 3. in Agg. c. 1 in Mat. c. 23. in Esa c. 8. and all ouer the world c hath her townes the law the Prophets the Gospel the Apostles It goeth not beyond her limits that is to say the holy Scriptures VVhatsoeuer we say must be auouched from thence The Scriptures are our true meate and our true drinke of this wood is the house of wisdome built whatsoeuer is not authorized by them should be contemptible to vs is likewise striken with the sword of God who so is desirous to deliuer himself out of any doubt let him go thither but
them of vnsounde dealing seeing the auncient fathers of the Church did alwayes make their appeales vnto them against the heretikes and that in such sort as that when they once perceiued them to come within the bounds of their iurisdiction they held themselues victorers in their cause The holie Scripture say they to vs is not sufficient And what other sufficiencie doe wee looke for therein The scripture sufficient but to possesse God who is sufficient of himself euen for al maner of thinges or what other to be briefe but to come to saluation But and if thou wilt not beleeue the Apostle who telleth thee that the holy Scriptures are able to make thee wise vnto saluation by faith which is in Christ that is the man of God the Euangelist the teacher of others Iohn 5 39. Iohn 20.31 at the least beleeue the sonne of God who sendeth vs so expressely to the Scriptures Because saith he that we haue life in them And hast thou them to seeke and search for thine owne saluation The Lord commaundeth thee to search them diligently in them thou hast life Dost thou labour and seeke how to teach it others They are profitable to teach conuince correct and instruct By them the sonne of God the eternall word did teach his disciples Hast thou to deale against heretikes By the verie same hee stopte the mouthes of the Pharisies and confounded the Sadduces who did not admit of any mo parties then one The heretikes cannot keepe their holde before them yea they cannot possiblie defend themselues otherwise then by refusing them No sooner are they drawne thereto saith Tertullian but they are confounded whether Ebionites Hermogenists or Marcionites c. Yea and if the controuersie should bee against the diuell himselfe we know that from thence the Lord put him to silence that he coÌ„futed him in all his schoole points Apocal. and sent him backe againe to the bottomlesse pit of hell how much more the sonne perdition for the ouercomming and discomfiting of whom there are not any other armor or weapons spoken of As he that must be ouerthrowne with the breath of his mouth and beaten downe by the powerfulnesse of his Scriptures wherefore the Scripture hauing beene of such sufficiencie in those dayes both for the children of God and against his aduersaries where shall it sithence haue lost that his â—â—sufficiencie Or who shall not rather suspect that we are become ouer sufficient that is to say spoyled with presumption That we accuse it of insufficiencie because our pretended and deuised sufficiencies are not found therein And againe if it were so much at such times as the Church had no more but the olde Testament both vnto saluation and condemnation what shall we say of the times succeeding and those of the present According to the Fathers Iren cont haeres l. 2 c. 47. accompanied with the accomplishment of that in the person of Christ and made more cleare by the new And verilie the fathers also haue carefully kept themselues from this point rather to be tearmed infidelitie then errour or heresie Irenaeus saith We knowe verie well that the Scriptures are perfect for they are appointed and spoken by the worde of God and his spirit Tertullian Tertul. contra Prax. Hermoâ—g Cypr. de Baptism Christi I adore and reuerence the fulnesse of the Scriptures the scripture hath his reason and is sufficient of it self Saint Cyprian Speake on Lord thy seruant heareth Christian religion shall finde that out of this Scripture doe spring the rules of all manner of doctrine and that from thence riseth as also that thither returneth al whatsoeuer the discipline and gouernment of the Church doth containe Antonius the Hermite Antonius in suiâ— Epistolis Athanasius cont Idola Ad Serapion In Ep. Senten Dyonis Hillar l. 2. de Trinit The Scriptures are sufficient for all manner of knowledge of God and all manner of discipline Athanasius who notwithstanding hath to deale against the Arrians The holy scriptures are sufficient for the demonstration of the truth learne onely the scriptures for the lessons which thou findest there will be sufficient for thee Although saith he in another place I haue not found this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coÌ„substantiall yet so it is as that I haue found the thing it selfe Saint Hillarie vpon the same argument The word of God which by the testimonie of the Gospel hath beene transfused and conueyed into our eares is sufficient for the beleeuers for what is there belonging vnto mans saluation that is not to be found contained therein Or what is there therein either lame or obscure Verily euerie thing therein is full and perfect Basil de vera fide Homil. 29. In oratione Ethicaâ— In Esai c. 2. Chrys hom 9 in 2. ad Tim. c. Saint Basill attributeth it to the same pride and infidelitie to bring in any thing that is not written or to reiect that which is written The old and new Testament saith he are the treasure of the church All the commaundements of God are written and must be obserued All whatsoeuer is besides the straight and euen line of the Scripture is a cursed abhomination before God S. Chrysostome The holie Scripture teacheth thee whatsoeuer thou shouldest know or be ignorant of Thou art a Gentile and wouldest become a Christian but our controuersies doe trouble thee Thou knowest not to whom to goe for euerie man pretendeth and alledgeth the Scriptures c. Knowe that that which agreeth therewith is christian but that which disagreeth with the same In Acta hom 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aug. de bono Viduit De doct christâ— l. 2. c. 9. serm 88. ad fratres lib. de confes 7 c. 7. In S. Ioh. tract 49. vbi viamad vitam De consensu Euan. l. 1. c. v. t. is farre off from the rule of christianitie Likewise saith he in another place It is the propertie of the diuell to adde vnto the commaundements of God Saint Augustine The Scripture saith he doth prefixe and set before vs a law teaching vs not to be more wise then we ought looke not therefore that to teach thee on my behalfe and part is any other thing but to expound vnto thee the wordes of my master for euen saith he in the things that are openly taught in the Scriptures is fully found al that which is to be done or left vndone all that which appertaineth vnto faith or concerneth maners Some haue made choise to write of all that which may seeme to be sufficient for the saluation of the faithfull In thy Christ O Lord and in the holy Scriptures I perswade my selfe that thou hast placed the way of mans saluation Whatsoeuer he would haue that we should reade of his deedes or wordes Cyril Alexan. In S. Iohan. l. 12 c. vlt. that hath he commaunded his Apostles to write as if it had beene done with his own hands c. S. Cyprian Bishop of
ad Thess hom 3. in Gen. hom 13. in S Iohn hom â—6 in Esay c. 1. in proaem in Ep. ad Rom. in S. Mat. hom 49. in S. Ioh. hom 58. in S. Mat. hom 22. The Euangelicall Apostolicall and Propheticall bookes do plainly teach vs what we are to beleeue concerning diuine things Saint Chrysostome All things are cleare in the scriptures they declare themselues not suffering any man to erre The truth lieth not hidden or obscure therein except it be vnto such as will not search for it As the light is to the eie so is the law of God vnto our spirits such as looke not therto doe walke in darknesse Our whole mischiefe is for that we reade it not that same which is a doore by which doe enter both the sheepe and the shepheardâ— more necessarie for the simple idiot then for the learned doctor To be short in that confusion which shall happen vnder Antichrist we shall not be able to tell whither to haue recourse but to the Scriptures and there are none but those which are of a peruerse heart that doe not vnderstand the mysteries being such as in whom the spirit of truth resteth not There might a whole volume be compiled of the like places Epiphanius All things are cleare and euident in the Scriptures to such as with a holie discourse according to reason will heare the worde of God Epipha haeres 69. 70. Hieronym in Matt c. 22. In Esay c. 8. Saint Ierome They erre because they know not the Scriptures and seeing they are ignorant in them they know not the power of God c. If we follow not the testimonies conteined in them darknesse will oppresse vs and ouerrun our doctrine c. Saint Augustine against the Donatists Augu. de vnit eccles c. 5. Let vs make choise of the plaine and manifest places for if they should not be found such in the Scriptures in vain should it be said that wee shall finde in them to lay open the things shut vp to make cleare such as are dark and obscure Again Epist 3. There is not any such great difficultie in the Scriptures to come by the things necessarie vnto saluation the making likewise whereby they are wouen set togither is to be come by of all There is matter fitting all sorts of spirits as to correct the peruerse Praua parua to nourish the weake and yong nouices and to delight such as are growne old and great In the things that are manifestlie apparant in the Scriptures De peccat melitis l. 2. c. vit are clearlie founde to be all those which concern faith maners When we reason of any thing that is verie obscure if wee bee not helped by the cleare testimonie of the Scriptures man must be curbed and kept short for presuming too farre De doct Christian l. 2. c. 6. The holie Ghost hath in such sort qualified them as that in the cleare places they feede our hungrie appetite and in the obscure they sharpen our dull taste wee are refreshed with the things that are cleare and set on worke by the obscure and darke The profoundnesse of this worde sharpneth De verb. dom serm 11. de verb. Apost serm 13. and setteth an edge vpon our indeuours neither doth it for all that denie vs the vnderstanding thereof c. Now if thou thinke to inferre hereupon then there is obscuritie therein and of this obscuritie to conclude either an impossibilitie of vnderstanding of them or else a secking of something therein that is not there to be found De verb. Apo. Serm. 13. To the one he answereth thee The euill spirit hateth vnderstanding for feare that by vnderstanding he should be forced to do and practise according thereunto Planissime De doct Christian l. 2. c. 6. And to the other That out of all these obscurities there is not almost any thing gathered that is not elsewhere deliuered in verie plaine and cleare sort In briefe to the ende thou maist not bring in any distinction betwixt the word written and vnwritten where as the Psalmist saith Thy worde is a torch vnto my feete c. This is saith he that worde which is contained in the holy Scriptures And againe The faithful that cleaueth to them cannot be dazeled with the iniquitie of the world no more then the starres fixed and set in the firmament which cannot haue their light put out by the night So farre is it from him as our aduersaries doe to terrifie the fathfull with going about to make them afraid of it by reason of the obscuritie that is therein Yet so it is But there are darke places 2. Pet. 3. will you say as that there are difficult things in the Scripture for S. Peter likewise saith That in the Epistles of Saint Paule there are c. And what booke is there in any maner of facultie whatsoeuer which hath not some yea and many moe But if thou hadst diligently read this text and well weighed the Relatiue it would haue appeared that he saith not that the Epistles of Saint Paul are difficult but cortaine things in certaine points which he handleth in them And indeed what higher thing is there then the mysterie of our saluation or more profoundly expounded What thing more obscure then that of the Trinitie or more clearlie vttered But thou shouldest therewithall haue added that which followeth That the ignorant and vnstable doe wrest them as they also doe other places of Scripture to their owne destruction Verilie for these obscurities the Fathers did not driue Christians from the Scriptures but rather encouraged them to labour therein so much the more Iren. l. 3. c. 12. contr haeres You haue say they vnto vs this furtherance that there is not anie contrarietie therein and further that one place may expound but not make more intricate an other If we could but say as much of the Bookes of other sciences wherein so many contradictions as also antinomies doe encounter and crosse one another how manie difficulties should we auoide how much of our way and trauaile might we thinke our selues to haue gained Lib. 2. c. 46. contr hâ—res Irenaeus saith The whole Scripture which God hath giuen vs will be found to agree togither the things spoken manifestly do expound the parables therein Ambr. in psal 119. serm 8. c. Saint Ambrose There is much obscuritie in the Scriptures but if thou knocke with the hande of thy Spirit at their gate thou shalt begin to gather the reason of that which is there said and it will be set open vnto thee not by any other means then the word it selfe Augu. de doct Christian l. 2. c. 25. Iren. l. 2. c. 46. contr haeres Basil in Aseeticis 267. Aug Ep. 48 de doctrina Christiana l 2. c. 6. S. August To illustrate the obscure maners of speaking let vs take our paternes from the manifest ones
and so of plaine and euident sentences for the opening of the hidden couert ones But otherwise if vnder the colour of obscuritie thou labor to gather any point of new doctrine Irenaeus will say vnto thee Thou must reason from the cleare places of the Scripture and not from parables Saint Basil The things that may seeme darkly spoken in one place are most cleare in another Saint Augustine Who is so impudent as to expound anie place of Scripture for himselfe by an Allegorie if he haue not an other verie cleare place in the Scripture which may make it plaine Seeing likewise saith he in another place That of all that which is obscure therein Lomb. l. 3. d. 5 there riseth not any thing almost but that which is cleare elsewhere Lombard Tho. in Sum. q. 147. art 10. Pet. de Alliac Where as the Scripture is silent it will be good for vs not to affirme any thing Thomas Thou canst not reason from an Allegoricall sense c. To be briefe the Cardinall Alliaco That the scripture is a lampe that giueth light and that wee must haue recourse thither to haue saluation Gerson That an idiot a woman yea a childe Gers de Script de exa doct Pic. in Quest an Papa sup Concil are better to be beleeued alledging the Scripture then the Pope and a whole Councell And the Counte Iohannes Picus Mirandula after the same manner So farre off were these men who yet were the lights of their time from this darke opinion sprung no doubt out of the pit of vtter darknesse That the Scriptures were not any thing but darknesse But in a word the mischiefe is for that we will finde it difficult because that in the clearnesse thereof it is impossible for vs to finde out our inuentions obscure because that our traditions cannot stand before this light and imperfect because that neither by it nor before it we are able to defend our imperfections Yet so it is that our aduersaries replie that there are controuersies amongst vs that wee cannot agree of the expounding of the places which are alledged respectiuely How they must be expounded and therefore who shall expound them vnto vs who shall cause vs to admit of one exposition more then of another Let vs striue thitherward hauing Gods grace to assist vs let vs come thereto with the Zeale of his glorie the loue of the truth and the desire of saluation and then a meane knowledge ioyned with a good conscience would speedily attaine the ende And for some small taste thereof may it please the reader to examine certaine rules that follow being those which the auncient fathers doe teach vs. The first is That we be agreed vpon the Canonicall Scriptures thereby to auoyde the confounding of them with the Apocrypha that is To agree of the bookes called Canonical of the setting downe of the spirit of God for iudge rightlie discerned and distinguished from euerie spirit of man for humane scripture after the maner of monie is so much the more hurtfull and damnable by how much the coine that it hath counterfeited is the better and hereof the olde Church hath had a speciall regard I call this the first because that by this doore it did perceiue both vanities and heresies to enter into the Church vnder a fained name of our Lord and his Apostles They tell vs that the Scripture is the ballance the rule and the squire c. Hieronym ad Laetam And therefore to render to things their weight measure and streightnesse it is necessarie that it should be iust And this is that which S. Ierome telleth vs Let vs looke vnto our selues to beware of the Apocrypha bookes and if we will reade them c. let vs know that they are not theirs by whose names they are called that many faultie things are mingled there amongst that it craueth a singular prudencie in him that looketh to gather golde out of mud and in a worde that we must not reade them ad dogmatum veritatem for the confirming of doctrines So farre off is he from beeing of iudgement that wee shoulde rake togither the dregges of all manner of such Authours from all parts therewith to defile the Church And in another place In Symb. Ruf. in Praefat in Prou. in Reg. in prolog Galeato Hiberas naemas Certaine peruerse men to strengthen their opinions haue inserted vnder the name of holie personages things that they neuer writ and notwithstanding there are some which preferre these Hiberian fables before the Authētike bookes And this is the cause why S. August doth presse the heretikes continually with the Canonicall Bookes and refuseth the Apocrypha wherin they did their whole indeuour to ground themselues Let vs lay aside both on the one part the other that which we produce frō elswhere then out of the Canonicall bookes let vs shewe forth the holy Church by the holy Oracles let vs search for it in the holie Canonicall Scriptures c. To them I yeeld this honour that their Authour could not erre any maner of way the others I read in such sort how holy or lerned soeuer they might be as that I beleeue them not in that which they say because they say it but because they perswade me either by the Canonicall bookes or else by probable reason c. And therefore he saith further Ep. 19. ad Hieronym l. 2. con Dona. c. 3. con Faust l. 11. c. 5. The aduised searcher of the holy Scriptures shall reade them first all ouer but those onely which are called Canonicall for then he shall be able to reade the others more safely being alreadie instructed in the faith of the truth for feare that otherwise they might forestall and get the aduantage of a weake spirit abuse it with dangerous lies infect it with some preiudicate opinion cōtrarie to sound vnderstanding Lib. de Ciuit. Dei c. 15.23 For although therin be found some truth notwithstanding because of many vntruthes they are vtterly without all Canonicall authoritie And in the meane time what impudencie is it to go about to make him to giue credit to the decree by committing the offence of a most notorious lie D. 9. c. in Canonicis acknowledged also by Alphonsus of Castres to haue said That the Decretall Epistles of the Bishops of Rome are of the same authoritie Cyril Hierosol Catech. 4. that the Canonicall Scriptures Cyrill Patriarke of Ierusalem Studie these Scriptures onely which wee boldly and confidently reade in the Church but haue not any thing to doe with the Apocrypha Nazian de veris Scripturae libris Nazianzene In them wee see the light c. But to the ende that the bookes that are excluded from thence may not deceiue thee learne to know the true and legitimate number c. If you find any other then those holde them for base and bastardlie ones Yea and this was one of
ad Pammach Oceanum de Origen we should likewise speake doubtfullie of the Deitie of the holie Ghost with Saint Hillarie we should condemne children dying without Baptisme with Saint Augustine we should giue them the Eucharist with Saint Cyprian and the greatest part vntill the time of Charles the great euen vnto the mouthes of the dead as certaine Councels doe beare vs witnesse In a word we should haue made with lesse then nothing of the Church of Christ Augeas his Oxehouse Canus l. 7. de locis Theol. c. 3. Gen. Cent. 3. seq ad finem c. 4. VillavinceÌ„tius de ratione studiâ—â— Theolo l. 4 c. 6 obseru 1. 2. Baron annal tom 2. of Noes Arke a sinke of all superstitions and errours Which thing our greatest aduersaries themselues at this time not being able to dissemble doe say All the Saints such onely excepted as haue written the Canonicall bookes haue spoken by the Spirit of man and haue sometimes erred euen in the matters of faith both in worde and writing what profoundnesse of learning or innocencie of life soeuer that we can obserue and marke in them And they come so farre as to set downe their errors and that both by their names as also by their kinds concluding that the Scriptures are onely without error and exempted from lies As therefore there are rules for the expounding of the Scripture by the Scripture The Fathers must be admitted as expounders but not as law-giuers so there are also for the expounding of them by the Fathers the first whereof is alwayes this That they be receyued and read as expounders not as law-giuers and that they referre their expositions to the rule of faith and the articles thereof and not to make any new faith any new articles according to that which Saint Ierome saith vnto vs Hieron cont Iouinian August de Bono viduitat As oft as I expound not the Scriptures but speake freely of mine owne sense reprooue me who will And Saint Augustine The holie Scripture hath set vs a rule not to dare to knowe more then it behoueth My teaching of thee then may not be any other thing then to expound vnto thee the words of the Teacher that is of the Lord. Vincentius c. 2 22 41. And this is the same that Vincentius Lyrinensis saith vnto vs The Canon of the Scriptures saith he is perfect and superaboundantly sufficient in it selfe for all things Wee are not then to make any addition of the Fathers to make by them any supplie vnto the doctrine of the Scriptures but rather saith he seeing that they may bee interpreted in diuerse senses it is meete to ioine therewithall the authoritie of the Ecclesiasticall vnderstanding Not to adde vnto or alter any thing that is written but onely to make for the vnderstanding of it For saith he elswhere It is written Depositum serua That which hath beene committed of trust vnto thee not what thou shalt haue inuented That which thou hast receiued not what thou hast found out wherein thou must not be an authour but whereof thou art a gardiant not an ordiner but a disciple not a guide but a follower What thou hast receiued in golde redeliuer the same in golde c. And in the person of Timothie this is spoken vnto all Teachers it is spoken to the whole Church c. And what we say of one of the Fathers we take it as spoken of all togither for although all the men of the world could bee assembled and called togither and that euerie one of them were worth an Augustine they could not make or cause to be made one article of faith to binde the faith of a Christian to beleeue anie other thing necessarie vnto saluation then that which is in the holy Scripture Gaâ—â— following that which Saint Paule saith Though I my selfe or an Angel from heauen should preach vnto you any other thing then that which wee haue alreadie preached vnto you let him be accursed And a little after he setteth downe the reason For I haue not receiued or learned it of any man but by the reuelation of Iesus Christ c. And this hath beene renued by all the olde Fathers though but ill fauouredly kept by them which were their successours and whereupon notwithstanding our maister Gerson and Cardinall Caietan after him haue framed this conclusion That the Church of this time cannot any more neither hath bin able besides that which the Primitiue Church could to canonize any booke establish any article of faith c. The second is That we discerne in the workes of the Fathers the true and legitimate bookes from the faigned ones not to attribute them vnto them and by consequent sucke out of them an other mans errors in stead of their sound opinions not to receiue any doctrine for old when as the same shall be either new or else verie sparingly commended vnto vs of the ancients For it cannot be denied but that there are many such and those easily found out either by the stile being otherwise in one age then it is in another yea differing in some one time of some one father from that of another or by some apparance of contrarietie and that either in doctrine or exposition a thing hardly befalling any one authour or by the alledging of Authours which are notoriously knowne not to haue liued till after them or by the vsing of some tearmes and speeches not as yet practised in the Church in their time c. Of all which sorts the malice of men hath furnished vs with sufficient store of examples For the stile of the Epistles attributed to the first Bishops of Rome is meerely barbarous and Gottish in the times of the greatest flourishing of the Latine tongue and when there could not bee found in all Italie nor in all the Romane Empire either learned or idiot that could speake this language The stile of Denys the pretended Areoopagite is nothing like to Saint Pauls containing nothing of Apostolicall note or marke nothing of the spoiling of Ceremonies so oft repeated by the Apostle The treatise of Sina and Sion against the Iewes c. nothing of that vigor which was in Saint Cyprian his other writings against the very same but farre lesse of his elegancie zeale and doctrine The pretended Canons also of the Apostles how should they proceed from them when they forbid that which the others approue and command that which they do openly disproue and disallow And therefore by so much the more daungerous and poisonfull for hauing purloined the name of so soueraigne a drug And in such sort we are likewise to say of Saint Clement his reuises and Saint Peter his peregrination Hieronym in Apolog. cont Ruff in Epiph. haeres 27. which Saint Ierome and Epiphanius do witnesse vnto vs wittingly to hold and take part with the heresie of Eunomius and Ebion the most pernicious ones that haue been in the Church
and qualitie that their doctrine and pure life hath aduaunced them vnto in the Church for there is some such a one that is worth manie according to their times according I say as they haue beene nearer or further off from the true light seeing that Saint Ierome complaineth himselfe S. August ad Ianuarium Bed l. 4. in Sam. c. 2. that he was in his time come vnto the lees Saint Augustine That all was now become full of presumptions preiudicate opinions and more then Iudaicall Ceremonies Beda likewise That it was a lamentable thing and not to bee vttered without teares how that in his time the Church grewe worse and worse euery day And this will proue true in counting cleane contrarie to our Iesuites for they to cast dust in the eyes of the world doe tell vs Such a one who liued 800. or 1000. yeares since hath said this or that whereas they should say such a one who liued 200. 300. or 400. yeares next after the Apostles hath spoken thus c. For our question is not how long time a lie hath indured The diuell saith the Lord is a liar from the beginning but what manner of doctrine that was which was first that is according to Tertullian the truth then when how by what degrees falsehood and lying sprung vp increased and grew great aduaunced it selfe against Vincent Lyrinens c. 39. and aboue this truth c. And this is that which Lyrinensis saith For the expounding of the Canonicall Scripture we must summon and call togither the aduises of the fathers but preferre that euermore which they haue spoken either all or the greatest part of them and that verie manifestly often constantly assuredly c. what hath beene otherwise deliuered what Saint Martyr or Teacher soeuer he hath beene let vs hold it inter proprias occultas priuatas opiniunculas for Apocrypha and priuate opinions Furthermore we are euer to proceed forward to the fifth that they are to be read as great personages That we must reade them in such sort as they will be read but neuerthelesse as men whose writings cannot be equall with the Scripture as little as their spirits can match the holy Ghost yea such on the contrarie as must be iudged by the scripture examined one by another euen the old with those which in regard of them are new as they haue sufficiently learned in some places to reproue them of whom they had beene instructed in many things Cyrâ—l in Leuit. l 5. according to the rule which S. Cyril giueth vs. If there be any thing in the scripture to be decided besides the two Testaments let vs know that we haue not any third the authoritie whereof we are bound to receiue This also is the same that the Fathers say vnto vs. S. Ierome Let euery thing that shall haue bin spoken after the Apostles time be cut off Hieronym in Psal 86. let it not carrie any authoritie with it how holy or eloquent soeuer the Author may bee Saint Augustine Augu. de vnit eccles c. 6. Reade to me of the Law Prophets Psalms Gospel and Epistles reade we wil beleeue c. Al others saith he how holy or learned soeuer they be I read them not to belieue that which they affirme to bee true because they say it but in as much as they proue it vnto me by these canonical Authors Ep. 19. ad S. Hieronym Ep. 111. 112 c. For how Catholike so euer they may be there is alwaies something in their writings which their honour reserued it is lawfull for vs to reproue if it doe not agree with the truth Thus am I affected in other mens writings and such wish I them to be in mine c. And if you would know of what manner of men hee purposeth to speake he speaketh of his owne bookes Rest not thy selfe saith he in my books Lib. 3. de Trinit contr Crescon l. 2. c 21 Ep. 112. but correct them by the reading of the Scriptures Of those of Saint Cyprian I doe not hold them for Canonicall but I examine them by the Canonicall Wherein I find them conformable I praise him where otherwise there with his good leaue I reiect and forsake him Of these namely Saint Ambrose and Saint Ierome Contr. Faust l. 11. c. 5. l. 2. Contr. Donat. c. I purposed not saith he to intermingle their opinions that so thou maiest not thinke that wee should follow the sence of any man as the authoritie of the Scripture Of all them in generall that haue written since the time of the Apostles In them all saith be the reader or hearer hath free iudgement to approue or disprouethem not being bound of necessitie to belieue them but with libertie of iudging c. Yea saith he elswhere All the letters of Bishops without any exception to those of the Bishops of Rome which haue beene written or are written after the Canon of the Scriptures may be reprehended by the Councels and the prouinciall Councels giue place to the generall and the first generall are oftentimes amended by the latter Sine vllo typo sacrilegae superbiae without any swelling of wicked pride In like manner saith hee to Maximinus Bishop of the Arrians August contr Maxim l. 3 c. 14. I alleadge not vnto thee the Councell of Nice though the worthiest that euer was by way of preiudice neither alleadge thou against me that of Rimini For as I hold not my selfe bound to the authoritie of the one so neither doe I take thee to be bound to the authoritie of the other wherefore let vs reason the matter together by the authoritie of the Scriptures c. Of which onely saith hee against the Donatists by a speciall priuiledge denied to all others that come after it is not lawfull to doubt And in the meane time Peter Abbot of Clugnt Petr. Cluniac l 2. amongst the pretended errours for which Peter Bruits who read the Diuinitie Lecture at Tholosa was burned about the yeare 1200. obserued this That hee belieued in the Canonicall Scripture only and would not consent that the Fathers had the same authoritie with it And that this was the errour of that time appeareth in Gratian who liuing at this time maketh the Decretall Epistles of the Popes equall with the Epistles of Saint Paul and falsifieth Saint Augustine to fortifie his owne saying How farre better dealt Gerson and the Count Picus of Mirandula who doe more accompt of a lay man an idiot an olde man a child with a place of Scripture then a Pope or vniuersall Councell without Scripture Now who so shall read the Scriptures and the Fathers vpon the Scriptures furnished with these rules calling vpon the name of God and bringing a right zeale to the searching out of the truth let vs not doubt but that hee may easily discerne of the controuersies of this time as to know on which side truth or
of the obseruations of the Primitiue church seeing that a verie strong preiudicate opinion hath seazed the spirites of the greatest part that nothing is done now a dayes in the church of Rome but after that sort maner that to require any reformatiō therin is nothing else but a longing after nouelties and a remouing of the ancients their markes and limittes and lastlie seeing that they which make their aduantage of such abuses are not without store of colours thereby corrupting and disguising the olde and auncient monumentes and writinges and besmoking the new and latter ones that so they may carrie the greater shew of antiquitie amongst which that of making as to receiue the thinges for olde and auncient which haue meerelie regarded the succeeding times of the church is verie newe and latelie hatched This I say is the taske and text which we are now to finish and make plaine by the grace of God that so wee may prouide helpes for the strengthning and supporting of some simple men and preuent the malice of the contrarie minded to the end that antiquitie may shew it selfe antiquitie and noueltie may appeare to bee but noueltie and also to the end that the superstitious and long obseruation of some ill established noueltie may not carrie away the title of antiquitie from olde and auncient veritie That truth which is of all other most ancient may not grow out of date by reason of the antiquitie thereof That the disagreements in religion are for the most parte aboute traditions established without the warrant of the word carelesly and negligentlie looked vnto Ne inquam antiquissima illa veritas vel ipsa antiquitate antiquari videatur Certainelie hee that shall weigh and consider with sound and vpright iudgement the controuersies which are at this day in christian religion shall not finde them to be anie such things for the most part as are founded vpon any doctrine that is trulie auncient vpon anie doctrine I say that is taught or mentioned in the holie Scriptures notwithstanding that the Scriptures bee the true and proper boundes of whatsoeuer may fall into mens fansies and the olde and authentike Registers and Maisters of the church to line and square out whatsoeuer is the proper due and true possession of any one And further we doo freelie declare testifie that whosoeuer shall dare to remoue the same though neuer so little shall worthilie fall into the curse pronounced by the Prophet against them which remoue auncient boundes and markes But the question is of Traditions which haue insinuated themselues and are sprung vppe together with the time by the industrie of men and that to the choaking of the true plantes of Christes fielde Of Traditions which by the reading of Antiquities wee see and behold first in the bare and naked seede then in the bud putting forth growing and rising vp into a stalke bearing fruite ouergrowing in the end the good corne ouerspreading the earth watred with the vanitie and ordinarie curiositie of men manured and fed with the ignorance of the most darke and ouershadowed ages Of Traditions one marke or step whereof for the most part we cannot espie or finde out eyther in the holie Scriptures or in the Primitiue church but which from age to age we finde and see to haue sprung vp of some crosse or ouertwhart word or else of some vnexpected action as hearbes cōming by chance wherof there is no great regard or reckoning made or else to grow by a priuation or negatiuelie in some doubtfull question from thence proceeding into some affirmatiue not well and firmelie grounded and finally ending in a full and absolute conclusion from whence is drawne within some space of time after and so throughout euerie age such strange increase and ouerrunning measure such consequences so far differing from the first steps and footinges as that they which first cast the seede into the grounde not thinking of any such haruest would not bee able as it falleth out with the fowles of the aire letting fall some nut or acorn euer to auouch the same for theirs if they should returne to beholde them yea which would rather haue smothered and stifled them in the birth if they had foreseen anie shew of such monstrousnes to haue eusued And finallie of Traditions which smoothlie conuey themselues vnder the habite of indifferencie and a certaine kinde of pretended seemlines into thercome and place of profite of necessitie of subiection yea and that greater then any Iudaicall seruitude and of the Articles of faith Articles I call them seeing that men now a dayes such as are our aduersaries are farre more tenderlie affected and deeplier doting vpon their owne inuentions then vpon faith it selfe And for the which they let not to stand and contend a great deale more in the church of Rome to maintain the same then they do striue and seeke to root out Atheisme notwithstanding it iet vp and downe like a Lord and spreade it selfe into euerie coast and quarter vnder the name of Philosophie priuilie vndermining and thereupon forciblie ouerturning the foundations of the church of Christ the holie Scriptures and the holie Sacramentes Articles againe for the strengthning whereof they are not ashamed to weaken so much as lieth in them the force and authoritie of Gods word and for the procuring of authority thereunto they defend the sufficiencie integritie and simplicitie of the same they make no conscience to call the ministerie of death the ministery of our life and to pronounce as imperfect and vnsufficient vnto Saluation the Scriptures whereof the essentiall worde did say vnto the Iewes and then by a stronger reason to vs Examine the Scriptures diligentlie and carefullie for you thinke to haue eternall life by them and they are those that beare witnes of me Now it were no hard or difficult matter to demonstrate and shew foorth the same throughout all the Articles which are in controuersie and indeede the matter hath beene performed by diuerse alreadie But I will rest my selfe for this time in shewing the truth thereof in the matter of the Masse and the appendances thereof because at this day it occupieth the principall place of Diuine Seruice in the church of Rome because it seemeth vnto them the badge cognizance to distinguish betwixt the good and euill Christian because that in not going thereunto or in going thereunto is as they hold in their opinion to worke a mans damnation or saluation And lastly because that it containing comprising in it eyther the doctrine or the practise of the principall pointes which are in controuersie betwixt vs it shall stand for a full reuew of the whole bodie of their religion or not want much thereof if it bee throughlie examined and sifted If then it be of such moment and importance vnto saluation as they would make vs belieue we need not to doubt anie thing at all but that we shall finde it so most clearelie and euidentlie by the holy Scriptures
is swaruing and degenerating from the other wee must first consider after what manner the holy Supper was instituted that holy Supper which is the sacrament of the new Testament and succeeded the feast of the Passeouer which was the Sacrament of the olde that holy supper which is the true commemoration and memoriall of the sacrifice of the lambe without spot or blemish slaine for our sinnes the figure and representation whereof had before beene liuely set out in the Paschall lambe For we do altogether agree in this all the sort of vs that as the law was ordained to leade vs to grace Moses and the Prophets to bring vs to Christ euen so all the propitiatorie sacrifices of the law were to fit and to prepare vs for the laying holde vppon that true and onely propitiatorie the very lambe which taketh vpon him the sinnes of the worlde And all the sacrifices of thankesgiuing likewise which were offered for the acknowledgement of temporall benefites serued to stirre vs vp to the consideration of this great and vnspeakeable spirituall benefite which it pleased God according to the riches of his mercie to manifest and lay open in his Sonne And therefore as we must come to the knowledge of the Masse by the holy Supper so to that of the holy Supper by the Passeouer the holy Supper hauing succeeded the Passeouer by the institution of our Lord Iesus Christ and the Masse in the Church of Rome hauing taken vp the place of the holy supper through the corruption which hath beene brought in by the See and gouernment of Antichrist Behold therefore the institution of the Passeouer in Exodus Pharao perseuering in his rebelliousnes Exod. 1◠That the holy Supper came in place of the Passeouer God declared vnto Moses that he would roote out all the first borne of Egypt yet neuerthelesse to the end he might put some difference betwixt the vessels of his wrath and those of his mercie he would spare the first borne of Israell spare them I say not because of any their merites but for his owne compassions sake through the fauour purchased by the lambe slaine for sinne from the foundation of the world Wherefore hee ordained that in euerie familie betwixt two euens a lambe without spot for a type and figure of the true and verie lambe should bee killed and eaten that with the bloode thereof the postes of the houses of his people should be sprinckled to the end that the destroying Angell might passe ouer as an euident warning and admonition that whereas this blood was not sprinkled what familie or person soeuer it might be there was nothing but matter for his wrathfull anger to worke and feede vpon that moreouer this killing of this lambe should bee renewed euery yeare and that for euer to teach and instruct the ages to come as well in the memorie of the benefites alreadie receiued as in the expectation and faithfull looking for of greater that were to come and to be receiued Now in this institution wee haue both a Sacrament and a sacrifice to consider and thinke vpon In the Passeouer is a Sacrament and a sacrifice The Sacrament giuen of God vnto his people for a seale and assurance of his promise and of the fulfilling of the same for to this end are the Sacraments giuen of God vnto his people when he saith And this blood shal be for a signe vnto you in your houses that when I shall see it I will passe-ouer and that there shall not be any deadly stroke amongst you when I shall smite Egypt A sacrifice offred vp to God by his people for as properly are sacrifices offered vp to God by the people as Sacramentes come from God are giuen to the people as is witnessed when he saith And this day shall be for a memoriall vnto you and you shall keepe holy this feast in your generations in as much as God smote Egipt and passed notwithstanding ouer our houses c. Such a Sacrament notwithstanding as leadeth vs from this lambe vnto another lambe from this blood vnto an other bloode and from this temporall effectualnesse vnto a spirituall in as much as it is chosen without spotte it is for a signe of our Redeemer his innocencie and in that it is slaine it serueth vs for a signe of his death and passion in that it is eaten it is a signe to vs of that life and nourishment which wee draw from his death and of our communicating of his flesh and of his bloode as being bone of his bones flesh of his flesh c. And a Sacrifice also which besides that it is truely and verily one of the number of those which were of praise and thankesgiuing ceaseth not neuerthelesse any manner of way to hold the place of a propitiatorie seeing that this lambe offered by the father of the familie doth prefigure vnto vs the lambe which the heauenly father did sacrifice vpon the tree of the crosse for the saluation of such as were of his houshould through faith and our Propitiation in his bloode as it is expounded by S. Iohn the fore-runner Ioh. 1.19 Behold the lambe which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde And by the Euangelist in better forme referring and applying that to the substance and truth which was ordained and decreed of the type and figure To the end saith he that the Scripture might be fulfilled There shall not one of his bones be broken Now our Lord the true and verie lambe The same in the holy Supper to what end which came to fulfill the law and not to destroy it kept the feast of the typicall or figuratiue lambe with his disciples both according to this institution as also according to all the circumstances thereof Hee kept it I say the fourteenth day of the moneth beginning at the euening according to the order of the Hebrewes the first day of vnleauened bread betwixt two euens that is to say betwixt the euening Sacrifice and the Sunne-set Therein hee likewise obserued the accustomed washing excepted onely that hee therewithall endeuoured to draw men euermore from the naked ceremony 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the doctrine contained therin there he taught vs humilitie washing the feet of his disciples whose dutie it was without all doubt to haue washed his Thereat after Supper he distributed and gaue the bread and the cup from hand to hand vnto his Apostles as he was wont to do vpon that day among the Iewes in a certaine kind of collation which they call Aphicomin of the greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 otherwise Kinnuah but in steed of the words which euery housholder did vtter in this distribution which intimated no other thing to those that stood by then the miseries they sustained in Egypt and Gods mercy which had deliuered them from the same our Lord in this action as oftentimes elsewhere raiseth their spirites from the type to the truth from the shadowe to the
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirits which serue God his children Heb. 1. as his officers c. But let vs further grant vnto them that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place doth signifie how that they celebrated the holy Sacrament what can they gather from thence if so be that they haue not first proued that the supper is the Masse yea further let it be granted theÌ„ that it doth signifie to sacrifice what other thing wil this proue to be Epiphan haeres 79. against the Collyridians theÌ„ as Epiphanius saith that they sacrificed the Gospell throughout the whole world speaking especially by name of Paule Barnabas and others mentioned in that place According as S. Paule likewise calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to sacrifice the Gospell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 15.16 And yet in the meane time they doe nothing but play vpon the ignorance of the world which with shamelesse faces they go about to make belieue that the Masse is found in such writers as in deede neuer thought of it translating out of the old writers these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into this sence namely to say Masses to celebrate Masses c. whereas in deed they signifie no other thing then to preach to assemble to celebrate the supper to administer c. I am ashamed to refute the inuention of one of this time Genebr in the Lithurgie of Denis which hath perswaded himselfe that the Apostles did sing their first Masse vpon the day of Pentecost and that he could find it in the old Testament seeing himselfe put out of the new And his reason is most excellent for so it pleaseth them to sport themselues with the scriptures It must needes be saith he that this was the day of the comming downe of the holy Ghost vpon the Apostles following that which our Sauiour Christ said in S. Iohn The words that I tel you are spirit life Act. 2.42 There is some question moued about that place in the Acts where it is said That they did perseuere in the doctrine of the Apostles in communicating in breaking of bread and prayers from whence he deriueth the whole matter at one iumpe namely that this day S. Iames began to say Masse And his proofe is that in the old Testament God had ordained that on the day of Pentecost there should be offred vp vnto him a new cake for an oblation which is called in Leuiticus Minha Hadascha In Deut. saith he Missath Nidbath Leuit. 23.16 Minha Hadascha Deuter. 16.10 Missath Nidbath Of this word therefore he will make the Masse to take his original as ordained instituted in this place by way of prophecie and fulfilled and accomplished on the day of Pentecost by Saint Iames. Vnto this he ioyneth a graue and weightie coniecture For saith he before it was onely said that they perseuered in praier and not in the communion and breaking of bread c. In stead that he should haue considered that this word perseuere cannot properly be referred to any thing which is but in beginning to be done and yet how in that place it is equally and indifferently affirmed both of the communion and breaking of bread as also of their praiers But let vs come to the foundation thereof In the place which he alleadgeth these words are contained Missath nidbath iadecha Thou shalt keepe saith he a solemne feast of weekes vnto the Lord thy God in bringing the free will offrings of thy hand The Greeke saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to thy power Which thou shalt offer according as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee Who seeth not that this ordinance extendeth it selfe vnto all and euery one of the people to offer their first fruits vnto the Lord according to that blessing which hath been receiued And who is it that hath any smattering in the Hebrew which knoweth not that Nibdath is to be vnderstood to signifie a thing which is freely willingly giuen by euery one according as he is touched in his conscience by the due consideration of his power abilitie as for example is to bee seene in that contribution which was made for the building of the Tabernacle in which place this word is ordinarily vsed And what is there then in common betwixt the Masse the offering of one onely priest and a contribution rising from euerie particular man amongst the people betwixt his host and the first fruits betwixt the Son of God whom they make men belieue to be there offred vp these new fruits But if he thinke to strengthen his cause make it good only by reason of the name how coÌ„meth it to passe then that so many expositors both old new yea and diuers who cannot please themselues but by running much into allegories haue not once so much as pointed at the Masse As Origen Origen in homil 13. in Leuit. S. Hieronim in Aggeum notwithstanding that he translated the institutioÌ„ of the shew-bread in this place vnto the holy Supper S. Ierome although he expound this feast very particularly citing expounding this same place vpon Haggee But much more how commeth it to passe that this word once indowed by S. Iames if we belieue this inuentioÌ„ with this sence signification hath not still retained it and passed it along from church to church as it befell vnto many Christians first broached and springing vp in Antioch How lyeth it buried foure hundred yeares after in deep and deadly silence not any old either Grecian or Latinist so much as once renewing the memory of the same And what should be the happy influence of this time that should reuiue set it vp againe Why was it not preserued amongst the Orientall Lithurgies which they beare vs in hand to bee of so high a price and valewe aswell as many other Hebrew wordes namely Amen Hosanna Hallelu-iah Sabaoth Pascha and others At the least why was it not retained in that Lithurgie of Ierusalem in the Syriacke tongue if it were vsed vttered in this sence out of the mouth of so great and famous an Apostle vpon so solemne a feast day in so honourable and reuerend an action and that but once Againe I cannot perceiue that any other man hath gone about to seeke or search for that either in that place of the Acts Gloss ordinaria in Leuit. Deut. or in that other of Deu. or Leui. which this fellow there findeth The Glosse saith A new sacrifice because it is made with new fruits not with corn as at easter but with breads therfore he addeth the breads of the first fruits c. And again A free will offring because that God loueth those which giue cheerfully those which adde more more vnto their good wâ—rks In azymis sinceritatis veritatis that is to say in the vnleuened bread of sinceritie and veritie And as for the place of the Acts They perseuered saith S. Luke
in the doctrine of the Apostles Gloss ordin in Act. 2. in the communion and breaking of bread c. The Glosse saith Of bread as well common as consecrate that is to say as well ordinarie as sacramentall And Lyranus Partly saith he because they did communicate together day by day partly likewise because they did vse their victuailes and goods as in common Oecumenius in Act. 2. And Oecumenius Breaking the bread saith he to shew the plaine and cheape diet which the Apostles vsed Caietanus Distributing the breade that is to say their prouision of victuailes from house to house according to the store which they had receiued by the gift of the able faithfull And when shall we learne to speake like to the Siriacke and Arabian expositors communicating in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper called the Eucharist for they to signifie the same doe vse the word Vcaristio and by the same reason they might haue retained the worde Masse What coÌ„munion or agreement is there betwixt that this new inuention And who is he that is not out of all doubt that this was not any of the Apostles and disciples their ordinarie exercises of pietie And withall marke well how that to establish the truth the whole bodie of holy scripture is not sufficient to content and satisfie this sort of people whereas one onely word mis-vnderstoode falsely construed drawne into a by-sence rent and torne froÌ„ the best interpretation of most ancient antiquity of the best learned in these latter ages euen their owne a gesse and coniecture a dream is sufficient yea more then enough for them to establish build a lie vpon But that the Apostles and disciples of our Lord did keep themselues to his institution without any swaruing from it at all if our aduersaries will not belieue S. Paule when he saith to the Corinth and to vs all I haue receiued of the Lord that which I haue deliuered vnto you Gregor lib. 7. de Registr c. 67. let vs see at the least if they will belieue their owne Doctors Gregory the great who notwithstanding hath plaid the part of a liberal benefactor to the erecting and setting vp of the Masse telleth vs that The Lords Prater is said presently after commoÌ„ praier because the custome of the Apostles was to consecrate the Host in saying the Lords praier onely c. where he calleth the consecrating of the host the sanctifying of the signes or sacraments Platina in the life of Xistus the first He ordained that Sanctus Sanctus Platina in vita Xisti c. was sung in the office or Lithurgie for at the first these thinges were nakedly and simply done S. Peter added nothing to the consecration saue onely the Lords praier Walafridus Strabo vnder Lewes the Gentle Walafri Strabo abbas c. 22 in lib. de rebus ecclesiast about the yeare 850. a famous Abbot as Trithemius writeth What we do at this day saith he by a ministery multiplyed and enlarged with praiers lessons songs and consecrations the Apostles as our faith bindeth vs to belieue and those which followed next after them performed in most simple and single maner being no other thing then that which our Lord had commanded by prayers and remembring of his passion And therefore they did breake bread in houses as it appeareth Actes 20. And our Elders likewise report vnto vs that in former times Masses were no other thing then that which it vsually done vppon the day of Preparation otherwise called the Fryday before Easter vppon which day there is no Masse saide Mandatum but onely the communicating of the Sacrament after the pronouncing of the Lordes Prayer And in like manner according to the commandement of the Lorde after a due commemoration of his death and passion they did participate and receiue in old time his bodie and blood euen all they I say who were for capacitie and reason meet to be admitted thereunto Berno Augiensis de rebus ad missam spectantibus c. 1. Berno Augiensis to the same effect In the birth of the Church saith hee Masse was not said and celebrated as it is at this day witnes Pope Gregorie and therewith he alleadgeth the place aboue named And it may be saith he that in former times there was nothing read but the Epistles of S Paule afterward other lessons as well of the olde as of the new Testament haue beene mingled therewith B. Remig. Antisiado de celebratione nusâ—ae Cap. 1. And all this he may seeme to haue taken out of the life of S. Gregory and S. Remigius Bishop of Auxerre vnder Charles the bald It is held saith he that S. Peter did first say Masse in Antioch that is to say in such sort as the Lord had giuen in commandement vnto his Disciples in these words Do this in remebrance of me that is to say call to your minds that I am dead to purchase your saluation and do ye the like and that both for his your owne sakes And some say that he said not at that time aboue three prayers which began with these words Hanc igitur orationem c. Durandus in his Rationall Durand in Rationali The Masse in the Primitiue church was not such as it is at this day for it did not properly consist of any moe then these eight wordes This is my body This is my bloud Afterwards the Apostles added thereto the Lords Praier c. And furthermore the steps marks of this truth are yet to be seene in the Monastery of S. Benet wherein the three daies before Easter the Abbot alone doth hallow the bread and the wine and the Monkes sitting with him receiue them at his hand vpon these daies there is no other manner of Masse said The Lords institution is read and certaine places of the holy scripture and that they call Mandatum that is to say Mandatum the Lords commaundement as Walafridus Berno and Remigius c. Now in all these places they vse the word Masse being vsed in the times wherin they liued for the holy supper This which wee haue run out into of fitting our selues with the testimonies of such as speake their owne language and agree with them in their worship and seruice hath got vs thus much namely that from the testimonies of all the said Abbots which haue professed to write of the Masse wee get this ground and aduantage namely that the Apostles did retaine the Lords institution and as of consequent it must follow did also deliuer the same vnto their disciples and followers That they had not as they themselues doe affirme added any thing thereunto but that which was of the same spirit and maister namely the Lords prayer and this we must assuredly conceiue to haue beene not so much in respect of the forme of the Lordes Supper as in respect that it was commended vnto them for their ordinarie prayer And that there was
and bookes Nay rather how can we receiue and admit of them seeing they belie themselues or build our selues vpon them seeing they plucke downe themselues hauing receyued the black sentence by the Primitiue Church and being confounded by their owne mouthes wordes And in all this who goeth away with the losse our aduersaries for producing false witnes or we for charging them therewithall they for offering to make vp theyr payment of counterfeyte coyne and that in a bargaine of merchandize of such prices and worth or we for touching and making an assay thereof But what is the greatest gaine that riseth by such faining and counterfeyting of bookes Certes euen such as ordinarilie attendeth Sathan in all the trauell and paine hee putteth himselfe vnto namelie to drawe and allure and afterwarde to keepe man kinde in the snares of ignorance or errour by his counterfeyte and fained deuises The same which fel vpon those deceyuing Spirits in the first ages of the christian Churches for foisting in the goodlie Gospells of Nicodemus S. Iames S. Bartholomew S. Thomas and others which was a derogating from the authoritie of the holy true Scriptures so much as in them laye by the bringing in of those which were false What did the Manichies pretend sayeth S. Augustine by their false Actes of the Apostles Euen nothing else but to weaken the truth of the holie historie and to strengthen the arme of falshoode which suteth verie well with that which Leo the first saide That these pretended writinges of the Apostles which vnder this faire name contained the seedes of manie false doctrines ought not onelie to bee forbidden in the church but quite banished yea burned Againe it is most certaine that one of the hotest persecutions that euer the Primitiue Church endured and whereof it so grieuously complayneth was that which was kindled with the bellowes of false and counterfeyte writinges and those proceeding so farre as euen to shrowde themselues vnder the name of Iesus Christ of the truth it selfe so ragingly did the spirite of lying ouerflow and so licentiouslie did he run loose at his libertie in these first ages as there was not to be found a more deadly wound then that against the puritie of the Gospell so the ancient Fathers did fortifie and arme themselues to the vttermost of their might for the keeping out of the same as Ireneus Iustine Origene Melito and others by distinguishing the Canonicall bookes from the Apocrypha whereas our aduersaries now a dayes that they may haue the better meanes to support and beare out their lies are nothing so carefull for or so zealously and earnestlie set vppon anie thing as to shake and weaken the authoritie of the holie Canonicall Scriptures and that partlie by slipping in amongst thē such books as the Primitiue Church had cut off as dead vnprofitable members partlie by reuiuing yea by new coining such store of such manner of fables such store of such such fooleries as possiblie they could deuise al to that end that amongst so much filthie and durtie stuffe as they brought and as had beene of olde swept and cast out of the Church by the auncient Fathers they might at the leaste finde out some scantlins more or lesse of the stuffe wherewith they did infect and corrupt their Church CHAP. III. What manner of diuine Seruice was vsed in the Christian Church in the time of the Apostles and their Disciples NOw it may not content vs to know that the Masse which is vsed at this day was no parte of the diuine seruice of God in the Christians Church in the time of the Apostles and their Disciples nor yet anie other thing comming neare vnto the same but wee must goe further and search what manner of seruice it was though wee bee put to fish and finde out the truth from the botomles lake of lying deceitfulnes a thing become very hard and difficult for vs to atchieue by reason of the piled heaps of ceremonies and the mighty multiplying of Nouelties for men to play and sport themselues withall throughout the whole continuance of so manie ages and because also that besides all such we shall bee forced to vndertake the clearing of this so intricate and intangled a matter by the darke and dimme traces as they may be found which are apparant in the bookes that are left vs and which our aduersaries themselues doe approue to the ende that on the one side we may bee able to discerne of Superstition from which we must depart and that on the other side we may not hang in suspence what is the true seruice of God wherunto we are to cleaue and according whereunto we ought as neere as may bee to desire and labour for the reformation of the Church Now this ought to suffice vs 1. Cor. 11. that S. Paule hath tolde vs that he hath not taught the Churches anie thing but that which he had receyued from the Lord and which also he hath declared vnto vs and againe that S. Peter by the bookes of our verie aduersaries is sayed to haue tyed and kepte himselfe to his institution And who is hee that would receiue or belieue otherwise of anie one or al the rest but yet notwithstanding men will not be content herewithall wee must be forced for their satisfaction to handle the matter in a more large and ample manner And here first we are to consider what S. Angustine telleth vs that is What the seruice was amongst the Christians that the church of God yea of Christ had his beginning in Adam shall end in this world by the last Christian which is asmuch to say as that there is but one Church euer since the beginning euen vnto the worlds end howsoeuer it haue his diuerse periods amongst all which that was the chief and principall which happened vpon the change of Iudaisme into Christianitie for to speake properlie a good Iewe was no other thing then a Christian by faith looking and waiting for the Messias which is Christ as in like manner a Christian is a true and naturall Iew of the true seed of Abraham in asmuch as by the same faith he hath receiued Iesus for the Christ The diuine seruice likewise amongst the Iewes notwithstanding that they were darkened in their opinions by the peruerse glosses of the Pharisies was abiding sincere and pure purged and free from all Idolatrie in as great measure as euer at any time before when our Sauiour Christ came into the world whereupon wee see he made it not straunge neither yet his Disciples to be conuersant in their Temple and Synagogues But on the contrary there was the place where our Lord did chuse oftentimes to take occasion to teach instruct the people to interprete the Scriptures which were therein diligentlie read as in like manner his Apostles did after his example Iohn 18. Actes 15. and to this end we haue infinite store of plaine and manifest places both
sacraments are distributed by the Deacons to euerie one yea vnto theÌ„ which through infirmity were not able to come as a signe of that coniunction vnitie which they had with the rest Tertul. in Apo. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Instino quod Tertulliano caetus Pro mora finis that is either of the world or of the Empire what can there be found more vnlike vnto the ceremony of the Masse or more like and answerable vnto the simplicitie of the reformed Church Tertullian in his Apologeticall Oration some fiftie yeares after Now saith he I will declare vnto you the practises of the Christian faction to the end that when I haue refuted the euill I may shew you the good we come together into one congregation to haue recourse vnto God by prayer forcing him as it were by the ioyning together of all our prayers and this violent inforcement is well pleasing and acceptable vnto God Wee pray for Emperors for their Officers and Potentates for the estate present for the quieting of matters and for the deferring and putting off of the ende we come together for the communicating of the holy scriptures if the estate of the time present do presse vs or to preuent somewhat to come or to take acknowledgement of the present and thus we shall feed our faith with holy speeches we relieue and succour our hope we make strong our confidence and therewithall likewise fortifie our discipline and manner of gouernment by the vrgent and vncessant rehearsall and renewing of the memorie of good preceptes In our congregation are likewise vsed exhortations reprehensions and the exercise of sacred censures for there matters are iudged with great aduisement as is wont to be done of such men as assuredly know that the face of God is towardes them to behold and see their doings And it is a great foreshew of the iudgement to come if any one amongst vs haue sinned so deepely as to bee excluded from the communication of prayer and of the assemblie and from all manner of hauing any thing to doe with this holy societie and fellowship The Elders that are best approued and found most faithfull 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustino doe sit as Presidentes in our assemblies aduaunced and called to that dignitie not through any summes of money but vpon the waight and sway of the good testimony Tertul. de Corona milit which they haue giuen c. And at their handes saith hee in another place wee receiue the Lordes Supper In the second booke written by him to his wife speaking of the exercises of pietie which a woman married to an vnbelieuing man could not inioy Tertull. l. 2. ad vxorem At whose hand saith he shall shee desire the Sacrament of bread and of whome shall shee participate and take the cuppe What shall her husband talke and commune of with her or what shall she talke and commune of with him Doe you thinke that it will be meete for one to bee talking of Tauernes in the time of the receiuing of the Lordes Supper or of Hell c And where then shall bee our due and holy remembring of God our calling vpon Christ the nourishing of our faith and the intermingled reading of the scriptures Tertull. de anima In his booke of the Soule There is saith hee a sister amongst vs vnto whom is giuen the gift of reuelation In the middest of diuine seruice shee is cast into an extasie She is brought into the companie of the Angels and sometimes into the presence of the Lorde himselfe Adlocutiones proferuntur c. Againe according to the scriptures which are read or the Psalmes which are sung or the Sermons which are made or the prayers which are offered newe matter of visions is administred and offered vnto her she seeth and heareth the Sacraments c. In which words he may seeme to haue comprehended in briefe all the substance of the auncient diuine seruice Tertull. de Pudicit c. 10. For the circumstances in his booke of shamefastnesse there was alleadged vnto him a chalice whereupon was painted our Lord seeking the stray sheepe Out of this cuppe saith he thou wilt drinke that is deriue and fetch a second kinde of pennance he speaketh after the phrase of the heresie of Montanus but as for mee I draw and drinke of the scripture of this Pastor which cannot be broken in peeces Tertul. de orat c. 12. alluding to the glasse cuppes which were of Glasse in his time As likewise in his booke of prayer he reproueth them which after the manner of the Pagans Posit is penulis orabant that is put off their cloakes or vpper garments to pray Where haue you saith he any commandement either from the Lord or from his Apostles This is superstition and not religion a curious and not a reasonable seruice wherein was nothing but an apish imitation of the Gentils I omit to speake of the kisse of reconciliation before the holy supper which he calleth SignaculuÌ„ orationis without the which we canot pray well vnto God nor come neere vnto his mysteries And therfore hee taketh them vp roundly Tertull. in lib. de oratione which habita oratione subtrahebant osculum pacis that is which after prayer did depriue themselues of the kisse of peace that is refused the marke of reconciliatioÌ„ with their brethreÌ„ But let it be that we our aduersaries agree wel together about all these places yet notwithstanding they will draw vs forth an African Masse But what wil they gaine themselues that way seeing they shal be able to proue nothing but that the holy supper was distributed vnder both kinds vnto all in generall euerie one in particular by the Pastor or Minister That there was vsed ardent and deuout prayers before and after that the word of God was there read expounded by the Praeses or Pastor of the Church applyed likewise in reprehensions and censures That therein men and women did vse to sing Psalmes That all was done there in a knowne tongue without any curiositie about the vessels and without any distinction or difference for or about apparell and garmentes S. Cyprian in Epist ad Câ—â—câ—â—uÌ„ Cyprian in an Epistle vnto Cecilius disputing Contra Aquarios against such as vsed water in the holy Supper which he calleth Dominicum as if a man should say the Lords banket sheweth vs very well that we must keepe and hold our selues fast and close to the institution of Christ without changing any thing thereof and that throughout his diocesse hee vsed it so for he sendeth them to the Gospell and to Saint Paule to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 11. out of whom he rehearseth the place euen through to the very end Of a truth saith he seeing that neither any Apostle neither yet any Angell from heauen could declare or teach vs any thing PraeterquaÌ„ quod Christus semel docuit besides that which Christ hath once taught
Pope alone for to decide and aunswere together with the aduise of diuerse Bishoppes and in euerie case they send vnto him certaine conditions and articles whereto hee is admonished to binde them by whome hee shall bee wonne and ouercome and these articles are such as are not contained in the Decrees of the Councell but were then retained in mente Curiae and were afterwarde communicated vnto the saide Princes First Those that wil cōmunicat vnder both kinds shal protest that they agree in hart mouth vnto al that the church of Rome hath receiued aswel in this matter of the sacramēt as in all the rest either of faith or ceremonies and that they doe religiously imbrace all the Decrees of Councels as well published as to be published How many errors may they thus gaine and get in whiles they doe nothing but grant some one thing or other that is done Secondly That the Pastors and preachers vnto those nations or people to whom the vse of the cup shall be graunted doe beleeue and teach that the custome of communicating vnder one kinde is not against the sacred institution of the Lard but rather laudable and worthie to bee obserued kept as a law if the Church ordain not otherwise That such as teach or beleeue otherwise are hereticks and that they shall not administer vnder both kindes vnto any but such as shal both beleeue and confesse the same But and if this be to applie themselues onely to the infirmitie of the people that they thus giue place and yeeld vnto them in this their request then what a hell is that to force and violently to wrest this profession from them cōtrarie to their infirmitie by this meanes offering them one fauour with the left hand and in the meane while drawing twentie from them with the right The third is That they shall promise to acknowledge the Pope to be the lawfull Pastour and Bishop of the vniuersall Church yeelding to him as dutifull children all manner of reuerence from a free and loyall heart Who will beleeue that such things did euer come from the Apostles or who will beleeue that Saint Peter before that euer hee would graunt the sacrament to the faithfull had gone about to draw such an oath homage frō them And againe who doth not see that they sell the blood of Christ to the people yea the same blood which Christ himselfe did so freely and without any price shed for them doe they not make them buy with the high price of the seruitude of their soules and not of their soules onely but of the whole Church yea and of the truth it selfe But in as much as these conditions seemed vnto the Princes and Estates too hard and heauie a yoake and too much ouerlaid with tyrannie it was thought good that things should stand and continue altogether in such state as was graunted and allowed by the consent of the Councell And let them not maruaile any more at that which Luther said That it was wisedome to be well aduised and warie in taking any thing that the Pope shall yeeld and agree vnto namely seeing that for to take away one abuse hee would vndoubtedlie aime at and stand for the establishing of all others how many soeuer And it standeth him vpon seeing that of all the Christian Churches that are whether Greeke Russian Syrian Armenian or Abissine c. there is not so much as one but the communion is administred therein vnder both kindes and contrariwise the administration thereof vnder one kinde disallowed and condemned And this is the reason why they wish so much mischiefe vnto the writings of Cassander containing the Lithurgies rather then the reformation of their own profession Index expurgato p. 38. ordaining in their Index expurgatorius in that booke I meane wherein they haue set downe a register of all the places which they would haue razed and defaced in the reimprinting of the good and sound books that are now extāt that what soeuer Cassāder hath writtē of both kinds should be blotted out Deleantur apud Cassandrum quae de vtraque specie c. Now I woulde gladly know 2. Thess ch 2. by what priuiledge or dispensation the Pope is able to claime and challenge to himselfe alone this power if it be not from that which is belonging onely to the man of sinne the sonne of perdition who is deciphered in the second to the Thessalonians That he opposeth and lifteth vp himselfe against all that which is called God or that is worshipped so that he doeth sit as God in the temple of God shewing himselfe as if he were God c. CHAP. XII Wherein the pretended reasons of the aduersaries are aunswered as well by the holy scriptures as by the Fathers THus then it behooueth vs brieflie to examine the reasons which they pretend to beare them out The cōsutation of the reasons that are made against the vse of both kinds in so bold and hardie an enterprise of change howbeit indeed to goe about to alleadge and oppose reason against Christ his sound and solide institution is properly as the Poet saith Cum ratione insanire And first they inferre that the cup is not necessarie in the sacrament because say they that the sacraments of the old Testament which did prefigure and foreshew the same had no drinke as the Manna the Paschall lambe c. Indeed those sacraments were figures and types of this the Manna of the true bread which was to come downe from heauen the lambe of the true lambe which should beare and take vpon him the sinnes of the worlde in the communicating of whom we are saued But what force can this reason carrie with it being drawne from a figure or shadow against the expresse word of Christ So then Baptisme comming in place of circumcision because that in circumcision men were cut and not washed should it follow that in Baptisme men should be cut seeing they were so in circumcision or else that it should not be needfull to wash in Baptisme because in circūcision there was no washing On the cōtrarie Paul speaking of the sacraments of the olde law as of the sea of the cloude c. 1. Cor. 10. Our fathers saith he were all baptised in the cloud in the sea they did all eat of one spiritual meat they did al drink of one spirituall drinke c. from hence haue some of the old writers proued the communicating vnder both kinds But what wil they say of Melchisedech whō they the said old writers would haue to represent in bread and wine the sacrament of the Eucharist when as wee cannot but see that hee did distribute them to Abraham and those that were with him as his seruants and souldiers It is said Drink ye all all say they that is to say all the Apostles and therefore this precept prooueth nothing for the rest of the faith full Math. 26. These men boast much of antiquitie
spoken in the scriptures but of the fruite of the wine shewing thereby how much dearer their owne inuentions bee vnto them then the institution of our Lorde in asmuch as they haue made the wine of the holie supper according to their doctrine to bee superfluous hee hauing by his institution made it necessarie and the water on the contrarie which is of their owne inuention necessarie which the institution of our Lord hath left indifferent It is certaine that the Churches of Armenia vnto the time of the Councell of Ferrara which was vnder Eugenius the fourth did not vse any thing but onelie pure wine and yet were neuer excommunicated therefore and as yet to this day they doe not obey vnto that which they were made subscribe vnto in the Councell And the Abyssines stand so strictlie vpon the point as that they wold neuer consent that the daughter of their Prince should bee married to any that receiued the Communion without the wine And as for the Grecians Durandus Scotus and Innocentius doe saye that in their time for the most part they did the like howbeit that in the Lithurgies which we can come by Niceph. l. 8. c. 54. Concil Aurel. 4. c. 4. it is mingled and delaied and that with warme water which thing sayth Cabasilas is That it may represent the blood the more fullie so deepely is the spirite and minde of man tickled and delighted with his owne inuentions And as for the Churches of the Latines the Councel of Orleance forbiddeth to offer wine delaied with water adding the reason thereto Because it is sacriledge to offer anie other thing then what our Sauiour hath instituted Conc. Worm c. 4. Concil Tiburt c. 19. C. Sicut D. 2. de Consecr ibi gl Thom. 3. part q. 74 art 7. q. 8◠art 6. ad 4. Sentent D. 11. q 2. art 4. in 1. Cor. c. 11. Iohan. Scot. D. 11. q. 6 l. 4. Sentent Innocent◠de Offic Miss Bonauent D. 11. q. 3. Richard D. ead art 3. Vessels Hieronym ad Rusticum And this was in the time of King Childebert when as Pelagius liued that is before S. Gregorie The Councell of Wormes more then 200. yeares after ordained the contrarie after which followed the Councell of Tiuoli or Tibur a Citie of the Sabines wherein it was ordained that there should be one third part of water put to two third partes of wine And these differences may at the least suffice to shew the indifferentnesse But the Glosse of the decree saith that this is De honestate tantum onely in regard of honestie And Thomas that this is not fetcht or deriued from the Gospell but that it hath some apparant shew for it selfe as that by reason of the strength of the wine it is delaied in some countries And Hales Scotus and Bonauentura say It hath no hold or warrant in the scriptures And Richardus Non de necessitate sed de congruitate not for any necessitie but for seemelines And thereupon it followeth that the councell of Trent doth excommunicate and cut off from saluation as farre as lyeth in it for fantasies and things nothing making vnto saluation That more is that this mingling of wine and water is not any whit significatiue or respecting the misteries which are therein sought and searched for but growing onely eyther of the custome of the countrie or of some apparant seemelinesse Now the bread prouided and prepared for the holy Supper was carried either in a linnen cloth or in a small chest as we reade in S. Ierome and set vpon the holy table couered with some table napkin for to keep it cleane without any other ceremony Men and women did touch it without any superstitious scrupulousnes according as they brought their offeringes yea and after the blessing or consecrating of it It was distributed vnto the faithfull not into their mouthes as we haue seene it but into their owne hands And as for the wine it was carried as we reade in the same S. Ierome in vessels of all sorts euen of glasse notwithstanding the daunger of breaking of them yea and sometimes it was sent in that sort in signe of vnitie and agreement from one to another Vaine curious superstition came in afterward first forbidding women and then afterward men also to touch either the linnen clothes Concil Altisiodor c. 36.37 wherein the bread was wrapped or els the cups Transubstantiation was set at a higher price and rate then all the rest for in respect therof the cups must be halowed as also the patines of the same with vnctions and wordes expresly vttered because of it all the instruments and vessels of this sacrament were turned into Sacraments the Altar stone was called the sepulcher or graue and the linnens the shroude wherein the bodie of our Lord was inwrapped that from thenceforth the cuppes should be of mettal that siluer not any longer of glasse Things which antiquity more regarding the things thē their signs did neuer so much as once dreame of because that she could neuer once bethinke her self or conceiue any thing of this monstrous doctrine of transubstantiation the fountaine and welspring of so many and so foolish vanities And in deed whereas the Primitiue and ancient church had care according to the admonition of S. Paul that the faithfull the proper vessels of the body and bloud of our Lord shold receiue thē worthily we see the councels after these times to conuert and turne all this zeale all this care from the spirit to the flesh from spirituall temples to materiall ones from the vessels of God elect vnto saluation to the implements instruments onely which they vsed in the administration hereof Witnes hereto let be the Councell of Rhemes held about this time Concil Rhemens as the decrees thereof which are extant do shew Let the cups or chalices be if not of gold yet at the least of siluer and let the people be exhorted to contribute thereunto as for the tabernacle in the time of Moyses not of copper neither of brasse for feare they should prouoke men to vomit the wine being apt to make them rust but in any case neither of wood nor glasse Let the clothes wherein it is wrapped be a verie faire and cleane linnen cloth After the Masse let them be put into a booke of the Sacraments and before they be deliuered to be scoured and washed cleane with lee let them be washed in the Church by the Priest Deacon or Subdeacon because saith he that they be spotted stained with the blood of our Lord. Conc. Colon. c. 7. We reade the same and something worse in a Councell held at Collen about the yeare 1300. Let the prieste smell diligently the little pots that he may know the water from the wine by the smell therof and then let him so marke them as that he may know afterward the one frō the other not be deceiued let the cup haue a
holie things before dogs And what will they say then of all the old Church and amongst whome shall all the faithfull during the time of so manie ages be accounted but amongst hogs and dogs Againe the Councell of Trent is so bold as to pronounce and say Concil TrideÌ„t c. 8.9 If anie man condemn and disalow the manner and fashion of the Church of Rome for speaking the Canon and wordes of consecration verie low or by affirming that the Masse ought to bee saide in a common and vulgar tongue let him be accursed Now it is certain that this custome slipt in for company with the rest of the abuses of the Masse The Lordes supper was wonte of olde to bee celebrated euerie Lordes day and neuer without the communicating of the faithfull in the same all the people made one partie both of the whole seruice as also of the holy supper By little and little it began to bee more rare and seldome as also lesse frequented and resorted vnto insomuch as that in the end there came but a verie few people to it yea there was not anie to communicate in the same The Pastors notwithstanding to hold fast their former authoritie were verie readie to perswade them that their alone presence was profitable and to this end they went and disguised this sacrament and put vpon it the visarde of a sacrifice and closed vppe this generall communicating of the faithfull in a particular action performed by the Priest The Priest then which was eyther alone with his onely Clearke to aunswere him or else very slenderlie accompanied beganne to speake with a lower voice and Transubstantiation comming vpon this solitarie condition of the Masse tyed the force of the sacrament to the pronunciation of words which the olde Church was alwaies wonte to attribute in parte to the power of Gods spirite and partlie to the faith of the communicants Gab. Biel. in expos Can. l. 4. l. f. g. h. and that so farre as that Gabriel Biel was so bolde as to say that the consecration was wrought by a hidden and secret power of these wordes euen altogether in such sort as charmers and witches are wont to draw milke out of a bench or forme and a helue out of a hatchet So that to giue honour and reuerence vnto the Masse but especiallie to the consecrating thereof it grew by little and little to bee a custome to pronounce these wordes as secretlie and mysticallie as may bee And this for a certaintie was not found to bee obserued before the Councel of Lateran in the Roman Church nor after it in any other CHAP. VII Wherein is intreated of the Ministers of the Church and of their charge and calling in the same IT followeth that we intreate of persons That the Ministers of the Church are to preach the Gospell and not to offer sacrifices and inasmuch as the Masse hath no grounde in the scripture or if it would yet it cannot haue any other then that of the institution of the holie supper whereof wee auouch that it is the meere deprauation the Ministers of the same can consequentlie be no otherwise sought or found in the scripture then in those which haue the charge of administring the holy supper that is to say in those which are called Ministers of the worde as Pastors Ministers Bishoppes diuerse names but signifiing one and the selfe same charge that is to say the preaching of the Gospell and dispensation of the sacraments for as for sacrificing Priestes which they call Sacerdotes wee haue none of them in the new Testament inasmuch as all the sacrifices of the law as wee shall see hereafter had relation all of them to the onelie sacrifice of our Lord finished and consumate vpon the Crosse and inasmuch as that in this sacrifice were ended and accomplished all the other sacrifices there remaining none other but the sacrifice of thankesgiuing instituted in the holie supper to declare this death to renew it vnto the belieuers and to stirre vppe in their heartes the praises of God in acknowledging of this benefite And in this sence sayeth Saint Peter all the faithfull are sacrificing Priests Neither was there anie order of Priesthoode more fitting the name and the rather for that they are all annointed in asmuch as they are Christians and so haue receiued the annointing of the holy spirite from Iesus Christ the first borne amongst his Brethren Our Lord sendeth his Apostles Matth. 18. Marke 16. he giueth them his holie spirite But is this to offer Sacrifices Preach sayeth hee the Gospell vnto all creatures Baptise in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holie Ghost c. that is declare my worde dispense and distribute my Sacraments Tit. I. 1. Tim. 3.5 S. Paul sayeth Let the Bb. be firme in the worde faithfull and mightie to exhort by wholesome dostrine fit to instruct and teach as also to reproue and correct the sinners c. Of the sacrificing of the bodie and blood of our Lord for the quicke or deade not a word And furthermore we doe not see that in the auncient Church at such time as they receiued the imposition of hands that any such charge was giuen vnto them notwithstanding that for to applie themselues both to the Iewes and the Gentiles the auncient Doctors did sometime call them Sacerdotes and their Ministerie Sacerdotium that is to say Sacrificing Priestes and the action of Sacrificing as S. Paule also saith Rom. 15. Orig. in Ep. ad Rom. l. 10. Nazian in ora ad plebem Chrys in Ep. ad Rom. hom 19. Pacâ—ym in Dionys 1. Pet. 2. Cyprian de Vnct. Chrisma Origen in Leu. hom 9. August in exposit inchoata ad Rom. I sacrifice the Gospell of God calling the Ministerie of the word a sacrifice and so in like manner the most auncient Writers Origen This is the worke of a Sacrificer to preach the Gospell of Christ And Nazianzene to his people I haue offered you to God as an offring or beast that is sacrificed And Chrysostome My offring and sacrificing is to preach and publish the glad tidinges of the Gospell Whereupon also Pachimeres the expounder of Dionisius saith He calleth a Priest him who is properlie called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Elder because that custome hath so obtained On the contrarie all Christians are called Priests in S. Peter You are a royall Priesthood In the Reuelation of S. Iohn in like manner c. Whereupon S. Cyprian vttereth these wordes All those which of the name of Christ are called Christians do offer vnto God a daylie sacrifice and are ordained of God Priestes of holines And Origen All such as are annointed with the holy vnction that is with the holy spirit of Christ are made Priestes thereby And hee presseth the place of S. Peter to that purpose And S. Augustine goeth further saying Euerie man offereth the whole burnt offring of the passion of our Lord for his sinnes Which
of Churchmen was all one with the apparrell of the time Index Expurg pa. â—6 not of any set or affected sortes or sutes As likewise the garmentes of the Monkes of the Order of S. Benets were not anie other thing then the Latus-clauus of the Romaines Which when our Fathers of the Councell of Trent perceiued they caused this place in the Table of the notes of Erasmus vpon S. Ierom to be set down amongst other places that they decreed to be raced out and defaced Afterward as the apparrell of men doth hardly continue in one state they begun to alter amongst the secular sort and were notwithstanding continued in one fashion amongst the Church-men thereupon grew the difference betwixt the one and the other And notwithstanding that the ancient Canons do stay there yet by by after the time of Constantine Plat. in vita Syluestâ— when the church was in her prosperitie it followed that the Ministers were appointed to weare a speciall kind of garment by the ordinance of Syluester the first Let them refraine and abstaine from all cloth of silke and from dyed or coloured cloth contenting themselues with linnen at the time of the administration of the Sacraments and further let them not goe But as Gregorie had vndertaken to reduce all the olde Testament into the new changing the Elders into the sacrificing Priestes of the lawe the Tables into Altars the sacramentes into sacrifices and the Deacons into Leuites then there entred an endles peece of worke And then also beganne from time to time these priestlie garmentes consecrate for the action of their Ministerie which wee reade to haue beene giuen to Churches sometimes by princes as by Charles the Great and Lewes his sonne as also these goodly Canons and Rules that euerie man euen to the Porter should bee apparelled otherwise then the common people and that of these garmentes there should be a differenec betwixt those which were to be worn on working dayes and those which should bee worne on festiuall dayes as also that they should bee diuerse according to the diuersitie of feastes as white blacke redde greene c. white ones vpon the festiuall dayes of Confessors and Virgins redde ones vpon the festiuall dayes of the Apostles and Martyrs blacke ones vpon the dayes of affliction and abstinence and from Aduent to the Natiuitie of Christ as also from Septuagesima sunday to the Saturday before Easter greene ones vpon common and working dayes and a thousande other such like particular obseruations which it would bee too long to repeate wherewith the Romish Church hath sported herselfe from time to time to holde vp with nouelties and not to instruct in the olde and auncient truth the poore simple people Through which also the Doctors addicted to speculation as Innocent the third Durandus in his Rationall and diuerse others haue runne themselues out of breath in allegorizing vppon the vestmentes of the Massing Priestes vppon their stoles and tippettes c. and in blazoning of the colours after the manner of the olde Romaines fonde Curiosities which the first antiquitie did neuer thinke of but haue beene deuised by that antiquitie which in respect of the former is but as a yesterdayes Noueltie Now it was likewise about the same time How Vnction and the Order of Priesthoode grew vp and prospered that Vnction grewe to bee receiued for a Priestlie Order Gregorie the Great beganne the same by a peruerse imitation of the Iewish religion The times so shaped whiles the Barbarians did beare swaye in Christendome that euerie man as the scripture sayeth filled his hande that the calling of the Ministerie was prostituted to euerie ignorant fellowe and the imposition of handes offered to euerie one that came By the same meanes also the zeale of Christians waxed colde and resorte vnto the sacrament of the holie supper was rare and seldome So that what through the negligence of the Bishoppes busied with the affaires of this worlde what through the multitude of Priestes vnable for the most parte to teach the worde of God and lastlie through the coldnes and benummednes of the faithfull in the bestirring of themselues in holie exercises all these abuses were bredde and brewed namelie that the Bishoppes and Priestes preaching the worde of God no more and the faithfull repayring to the sacramentes but certaine times in the yeare the whole seruice was become a hearing or as the Italians saye a seeing of the Masse As also that whereas the Bbs. and Elders were wont to be called to the preaching of the gospell the Elders from henceforth were not ordained but onlie to celebrate the Masse which at the first they tearmed to consecrate and afterward to sacrifice They were ordained by these wordes Accipe potestatem c. Take the power of sacrificing for the quicke the deade Duran d. l. c. 9. without anie one worde spoken of the preaching of the Gospell set into their charge per calicem patinam with a cuppe full of wine and a dish full of hostes and not by the deliuering of the Gospell as being inioyned to this onely dutie and with these wordes Take vnto thee power and authoritie to offer vnto God hosts able to appease his wrath c. And they were annointed for this worke by the annointing of handes with this praier Vouchsafe O God to consecrate and sanctifie that which these handes shall consecrate and sanctifie Anno 1000. c. And this chaunge fell out about the yeare 1000. in a time most famous for all manner of ignorance of all others that had beene since the time of our Lord and that in the common opinion of all men and wherein all manner of superstition grew and increased more then it had done in many ages before In the end Transubstantiation was added vnto the rest and that the Priest who was to bee receiued into the Order Hostia 40. dierst Fulbert Epise Carnot Ep. 2. ad Finard shoulde haue giuen him by the Bb. a consecrated host which he shold be eating for the space of full 40. daies euerie daye taking some part thereof though neuer so little that so hee might be sanctified by little and little in signe of the fortie daies which our Sauiour Christ conuersed with his Disciples after his resurrection c. But what ground haue all these newe inuentions in the scripture what staye or holde in that which is true antiquitie If so bee that wee will not intitle with this name all that which may bee alleadged and brought within the compasse of some hundred yeares against the priuiledge of the Church whose priuiledges and lawes and much lesse doctrine but least of all the truth of Christ there is no prescription or number of yeares that can preiudice or impeach CHAP. VIII That the Bbs. and Ministers of the olde Christian church were married THere is yet remaining to be spoken of The scripture contrarie to their single vnmaried life the vnmarried
man did offend against the Apostle who accompteth it amongst the vertues of a Bishop that he be the husband of one wife onely And all the world saith he is full not of priestes nor of inferior persons but of Bishops so that the number would become greater then that which was found in the Councell of Rimini c. Tertullian himselfe Pertull de Monogam although he were a Montanist alleadging these places of Timothie and Titus is of iudgement that Bishops and Priestes should be maried onely he standeth vpon the disalowing of second mariages for which hee is reproued by Saint Ierome in the place aboue named But this point should not bee to our purpose In the meane time we are not to belieue as some would go about to wrangle out the matter against vs by this place of Saint Ierome disagreeing with himselfe whiles he was caried away with the streame of contention that we should nourish this opinion that the Bishop had beene maried but that he may not bee so derogating and detracting the credite due to other places wherein he handleth the question that of purpose and void of all passionate affections Let vs say then for it followeth by like reason from the coherence and scope of the text that the Apostle doth likewise vnderstand that the Bb. hath beene vigilant sober of good report giuen to hospitalitie apt to teach c. but that he may not be so any more But the holy Ghost hath preuented such wrangling and false assertions who saith In the present time Let the Priest be established Tit. 1. 1. Timoth. 3. let him be the husband of one onely wife let the Deacons also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be the husbandes of one onely wife c. And Saint Paule doth describe afterward vnto vs what manner of women the wiues of Bishops Priestes and Deacons should bee And thus you may see whither a blind passion had almost led vs against the cleare and euident light Chrysost in ep ad Tit. hom 2. In ep ad Heb. hom 7. Chrysostome therefore saith better There are some that affirme that S. Paule his purpose is to speake of one that hath beene maried but that he may not bee so any more But saith hee although hee shall bee so still yet he may demeane carrie himselfe honestly therein Vse saith he mariage soberly and thou shalt be the chiefe in the kingdome of heauen Ambros D. 26. C. Qui sine Likewise Saint Ambrose saith Who so otherwise blamelesse is the husband of one onely wife is beld by the law to bee capable of the office of the Priesthoode Saint Augustine August in quest ex vtroque testam Hug. Card. in 1. Tim. 3. Caiet in 1. Timoth. 3. ad Tit. 1. The Apostle saith that hee which hath a wife may and ought to bee made Sacerdos a priest a Minister a Bishop Cardinall Hugo saith At that time it was lawfull for Priestes to haue wiues And Cardinall Caietan after him This estate and condition must bee vnderstood negatiuely that is to say Non plurium vxorum virum not a husband of many wiues But Pope Calixtus the second about the yeare 1100. did turne make it into an other maner of sence The husband of one onely wife that is consecrate and put apart for one onely Church for one onely Bishoprick that to be taken so as that he was not to haue any moe then one or that he was not greedily or proudly to labour to be translated and remoued from one to another And in S. Ierome his time this Allegorie was begotten and borne and by some preferred and better liked then that which was according to the letter and Carterius his aduersaries themselues saith he did finde that interpretation to be violently forced and very harsh To whome hee answereth thereupon Restore them to the scripture his simple sence and meaning that so we may not reason against you from the constitutions and conclusions of your owne lawes that is to say that wee may not oppose allegorie against allegorie and iudgement against iudgement but may hold and keepe our selues simplie to the wordes of the Apostle Otherwise what will become of S. Paule his argument If he know not to gouerne his owne children how shall hee be able to direct and guide the Church of God As also when the Apostle shall tel vs of widowes that choise must be made of such as haue beene the wiues of one onely husband shal we vnderstand it of Bishopricks or Diocesses that haue had but one only Bishop But to draw to an end what should hinder the Apostle that be could not more plainly say It behoueth that the Bb. to the end he may be without blame abide vnmaried or at the least be a widdower c. But shame maketh them mingle these absurdities with a blasphemie as that during the weaknes of the church these mariages were permitted but prohibited and forbidden when it came to bee strong And what will they say to Chrysostome who saith plainely That S. Paul gaue this law to Timothie not for himselfe onely but for all them which were to come Or rather vnto Egesippus who endeth the flower and virginitie of the Church at the death of the Apostles Euseb l. 3. c. 32 And presently after there followed saith he an infinite number of impurities and corruptions They labour further to proue the matter in controuersie against S. Paul by himself 1. Cor. 7.5 for say they he telleth vs in another place That they must abstaine from women to attend vpon fasting and praier And what shall they doe then who are to pray euery day let them with conscience carefully reade this place they shall see that which Chrysostome obserueth in the same that he speaketh not there of an ordinary praier but of an extraordinarie made with rare singular attending thereunto by fasting And therefore he saith Defraude not one another except it bee by mutuall consent and that for a time Againe And come together againe to the end that Sathan doe not tempt you because of your incontinencie And Chrysostome saith expresly If he said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the maried which lie together could not pray how should that which he commandeth all Christians in another place agree therewith Pray without ceasing wherefore hee speaketh of an extraordinarie prayer saith he which requireth an exact attention not that the societie betwixt the married doth conuay or carrie about it any impuritie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but rather businesse and affaires 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whereupon also Saint Ambrose saith Ambr. in ep 1. Cor. 7. We must pray without ceasing but this is spoken Vt orationi insistatur by courses and distances of time saith hee to strengthen and increase meditation And Theodoret For to sanctifie the fast And likewise hee saith in another place That the Apostle hath deemed him worthy of a bishopricke that liueth and dwelleth
and bastardly writings against the canonicall and manifest bookes of the scriptures As for example a certaine pamphlet of the peregrination of S. Paul Tecla made by a priest the contents therof are that S. Paule hauing found this young maid betrothed to a certain man named Themirus in Iconium Tertul. de baptism Ambros de virginit Hieronym de script Eccesiast did so ouercome her by the praises of virginity as that hee should take her away from her espoused husband drawing and leading her after him throughout the world that he had put a vaile vpon her and giuen her power to do the like to others as also to teach and baptise Now thinke with your selues how answerable this is to the scope of S. Paul his doctrine who teacheth that wiues should cleaue to their husbands who will not haue them to speak in the Church c. S. Iohn who was as yet aliue saw the book caused the priest to come before him coÌ„uinced him of hauing forged it deposed him from his ministerie and for the instruction of the posterity to come condemned the booke which booke notwithstanding the Monks of our time haue absolued set at liberty againe vnder the name of the legend of Tecla for the founding of their Monkery although it haue beene reiected put downe again since the first time by Pope Gelasius And therby we learne how to esteeme think of the traditions which they thrust vpoÌ„ vs vnder the name of the Apostles also of those goodly books wherupon they so build stay theÌ„selues the ProtoeuaÌ„gelion Abdias the Babilonian such like After false and counterfeit scriptures what remained but a forged and false holy Ghost Montanus And here behold starteth out Montanus his Comforter about the yeare 230. who buckleth himselfe with speare and shield to bid mariage the combate He maketh Tertullian holding a hot and fierie pen Tertul. de Monogam his champion especially after that being turned about vpon a certain conceiued spight and stomack he had embraced the heresie of Montanus but yet not being able to purchase the establishing of a single life to be obserued by the Priestes he standeth and striueth that they may not be permitted any moe then one single mariage he presseth I say and vrgeth that against the sincere and Orthodoxe Church falling vpon the same in plaine tearmes with bitter reproaches for the practising of the contrary And in as much as he was a man of great reputatioÌ„ he caused to fall away a great number after him wherby we may see that some thinke that they haue neuer sufficiently praised virginitie if they reproach not and speake euill of the married estate and life others make scruple that maried persons should administer holy thinges Euseb in l. 9. de monst c. 9. Opinions which at the first were amongst some few the seedes whereof we haue in Eusebius Origen vttered in some dumbe and muttering manner and defended as yet in very faint and feeble sorte That it seemeth to them that it would doe better so that the Bishops might bee at more leasure to receiue this great multitude of people which flocke in so fast vnto Christianitie c. And which notwithstanding within a while after had so farre prospered and preuailed Prouincial Synodes c. 10. 2. c. 19. Concil Elibert c. 33. Concil Arelat c. 2. D. 16. Concil Ancyr c. 10. as that in the Prouinciall Synode held at Neocaesarea it is said That the Priest that is married shall bee deposed and hee that shall commit adulterie shall bee reiected of the Church And in the Synode assembled at Rome That he that shall bee married shall bee depriued and put from his charge for tenne or twelue yeares And in that of Elibert in Spaine That Church men shall abstaine from their wiues vppon paine of being degraded And in that of Arles the second somewhat more mildly That married men shall bee no more receiued or admitted vnto the same and all these were held vnder Pope Syluester the first before the Councell of Nice which fell to bee in the time of Pope Iulius the first And in that of Ancyra That the Deacons which shall protest that they cannot contain themselues may marie but with the licence of the Bishop Thus the presumption of man runneth on headlong when once it hath taken liberty to it selfe further then the word of God doth graunt it In the end The generall Councell of Nâ—ce D. 31. C Nicena Synodus the question alreadie forestalled by these Prouinciall Synodes commeth to be debated and examined in the Councell of Nice The writ giuen out the parties heard the holy scripture sitting as Iudge by the report of Paphnutius an old man who had beene alwaies maried and suffered much for the testimony of the truth setting before them the pollutions manifold vncleannes which might spring vp in the Church by this inforcement vnto a single and vnmaried life it falleth out that the libertie of mariage as wee haue seene remaineth whole and entire vnto the Church men And yet so great is the subtiltie and wilinesse of the Deuill and of such power with fraile weak men is a preiudicate opinion when it hath once taken further libertie theÌ„ euer the word of God did giue it as that rather then all shold be lost they wold be content with small pay so they obtain That those which shal haue beene receiued into the ecclesiasticall orders vnmaried shall not be permitted to marry because of the tradition of the Church Euen as it fell out with Montanus his Spirite of Comfort who not being able to obtaine a lawe for the cutting off of second mariages in the laitie did forciblie and violently wrest it out against ecclesiasticall persons Now this generall Councell became a bridle vnto superstition for some time and held backe the execution of the Canons of these Prouinciall Synodes in as much as the most famous notable Bbs. from out of all the nations and prouinces of Christendome were found to be present at the same Hosius Bb. of Corduba did subscribe thereunto for Spaine Mantuan de Hilario Non nocuit tibi progenies non obstitit vxor legitimo coniuncta thoro who carried away with him from thence instructions for the correcting of the Canon of Elibert Hillarius Bb. of Poitiers so renowned much spoken of in auncient writers who without all contradiction was married testifieth likewise that it was obserued and kept amongst the Frenchmen notwithstanding the Synode of Arles And so likewise of other prouinces as appeareth by Oceanus Numidicus Seuerius Restitutus Cheremon Philogonius Apollinaris and Synesius all of all them Bbs. or famous priestes who liued and exercised their charges with great commendation yet were maried Whereunto for an ouerplus we will adde Gregorie Nazianzene his father S. Basil his father and Gregorius Nyssenus his brother Greg. Nazian in Monach. Niceph. de Basil Mantuanus Praesule
the breade giuen to those that were catechised which wee call the hallowed breade to the washing of feete practised vppon the Apostles c. which neuerthelesse do shew vnto vs at large in their treatises that howsoeuer they abuse the word yet they doe not let as need requireth to take and vnderstand it in the right vse and signification And as for the worde Sacrifice the Grammarians likewise say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the priesthood that is the care or administratiō of holy things And this is the cause that euery consecrated action hath beene called by this name likewise it hath purposely beene vsed to signifie the diuine seruice because that the Iewes and the Gentiles did vse it so Rom. 15. Phil. 2. Orig. ad Rom. l. 10. Chrysost ad Rom. hom 29 Epiph. haeres 79. Angust de ciuit Det. l. 10. c. 6 Tertul in Apolog Idem ad Scapul Iren. l. 4. contr haeres c. 34. Psal 50.69 Ecclesiastic 35 Ad. Heb. c. 13. August epist 120. ad Honorat Euseb de Demonstr l. 1. c. 10. Tertul. c. 4. contr Marciō Philip. 4. Hebr. 3. Iren. l. 4. c. 32. 34. Cypr. serm 1. de cleemos August ep 122 Psalm 51. Ecclesiastic 35. Rom. 12.2 who placed all their seruices in Sacrifices Thus wee see that Saint Paul called all the ministerie of the Gospell a Sacrifice And Origen saith This is a very worke of the Priesthood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to preach the Gospell Chrysostome My Priesthood or sacrificing office is to preach the Gospell Epiphanius speaking of them which were chosen in the thirteenth of the Actes saith They did sacrifice the Gospell And in the same sence Saint Augustine likewise hath said We call a sacrifice euery worke that hath relation vnto God being done to the end that wee may cleaue and sticke vnto him in a holy societie As Tertullian speaking of prayers I offer vnto him the fattest sacrifice that I am able euen prayer which hee hath commanded proceeding from a chaste bodie from a harmelesse soule from a holy spirite c. Ireneus Our altar is in heauen whither our prayers and offeringes are directed And the praises of God and giuing of thankes are called by the name of Sacrifices in the Psalmes Whereupon Saint Augustine saith Wee giue thankes to the Lord our God which is the great Sacrament in the sacrifice of the New Testament c. And Eusebius We sacrifice and burne the memorie of this great sacrifice c. rendring thankes to the God of our saluation c. And Tertullian The Samaritane intended to offer a true sacrifice euen the sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing in the true temple and to the true sacrificer Iesus Christ c. The offeringes likewise which are made in the Christian assemblies for the reliefe of the poore haue had this name giuen them in Saint Paule A smell of a sweete sauour a sacrifice acceptable vnto God offeringes wherewith hee is well pleased In Ireneus We offer vnto God the first fruites of his giftes feeding the hungrie and cloathing the naked c. In Saint Cyprian where he reprocheth a rich widow Comest thou to the Lords banquet without a sacrifice And Saint Augustine which calleth the almes of certaine matrons sacrifices the table of the Temple whereuppon they were laide an Altar and to bee briefe a broken and contrite heart is a sacrifice vnto God Psalme 51. so is charitie towardes a mans neighbour and the vowes which wee make of consecrating and dedicating of our liues vnto the Lord Rom. 12. And why then should any man make it strange that the olde writers haue called the holy Supper a Sacrifice seeing that all these actions doe meete together in it namely a holy office a remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ vppon the Crosse the reading and preaching of his worde feruent praiers a serious and deepe meditation of sinne and of the grace of God both together the contrition of hart the vow of sacrificing from thence forward soule and bodie vnto God and the opening of the bowelles of compassion towardes the brethren all of them such actions as euerie one whereof by it selfe is called both in the holy scriptures as also in the fathers Oblations and Sacrifices and how much more then that which doth comprise them all in it selfe alone But that we may not contend about wordes let vs come to the question which is If the Masse bee a propitiatorie Sacrifice and also if the holy Supper in his puritie were instituted for the same end if our Lord Iesus bee there sacrificed a new really and in very deed for a propitiation of our sinnes that is to say for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead by the Ministers or Priestes which things we denie and our aduersaries affirme The scripture telleth vs That there are no propitiatory sacrifices in the new Testament besides that of Iesus Christ himselfe That the lambe was slaine before the foundation of the worlde And this lambe is the eternall Sonne of God whose sacrifice cannot chuse but be almighty all-sufficient absolutely perfect in respect of the desired end namely the saluation of men And therefore for the saluation of man wee haue no need neither of reiterating any sacrifice neither of any other new and neuer before offered Sacrifice whatsoeuer on the contrary all the Sacrifices of the lawe in their imperfections doe leade vs to the perfection of this same in their being often reiterated they shew vs their insufficiencie and weaknesse to bee cut off and ended in the strength and efficacie of this onely one Whereuppon it commeth that in the new Testament we heare not any more of Sacrifices or Sacrificing Priestes Of Sacrificing Priestes saue where as it is taught to bee the name and office of all and euerie Christian You are saith Saint Peter a royall priesthood a holy priesthood a holy people 1. Pet. 2. Apocal. 1. c. And Saint Iohn Christ hath made vs kinges and priestes vnto God his father to offer saith the Glosse acceptable sacrifices vnto God by him Of sacrifices also in like manner saue that wee render continuall thankes vnto God for this great sacrifice by the consecrating of whatsoeuer is in vs To offer vnto God sayeth the Apostle spirituall sacrifices which may bee acceptable vnto him in Iesus Christ 1. Pet. 2. Rom. 2. euen our selues a liuing sacrifice which is our reasonable seruing c. Likewise in the holy Supper from whence they woulde deriue the Masse there is no worke of sacrifice for sinne The sacrifice of Iesus Christ was accomplished vppon the Crosse where hee was slaine for vs and not in the holy Supper but the remembrance of that sacrifice offered vppon the Crosse is renewed in the Supper according to the institution of the Lorde vntil his comming that is without the being of any other sacrifices for sinne that partition wall and to the vtter cutting off of all expectation or further looking after of
by the offering of his bodie once made wee are sanctified that by his owne blood hee is entred into the holy places hauing obtained an euerlasting redemption that hauing offered vp this onely sacrifice for sinnes he sitteth for euer at the right hand of God his father And in all this there is likewise as little to bee replyed that Christ is no more offered after a bloody manner but by a certaine kinde of sacrifice without blood For besides that this distinction hath no warrant in all the scripture the Apostle as if he had forseene the same cutteth it off in a word for not being contented to haue gone ouer it oftentimes how that wee haue propitiation for our sinnes in the blood of our Lord Iesus Christ once shed that all manner of other blood is voide and destitute of this effectuall power c. To the ende that wee might place our propitiation in this his only blood he yet further giueth vs these generall rules That it behoueth that the death of this Priest should be wrought for the ransome of transgressors that whereas there is forgiuenesse of sinnes that is to say after this ransome paide there is not any more offering for sinne that as concerning the rest there is no purifying or cleansing no remission without blood Whereuppon it followeth that there is no more oblation for sinne other then that of our Lord no more propitiation saue that in his blood and therefore not any more by that pretended sacrifice of theirs without blood But if they reply that if this bloodlesse sacrifice of theirs bee not propitiatorie yet it helpeth vs to make application and to take hold of the true propitiation Wee answere neuer a deale for wee are all Priestes in this behalfe all annointed by the spirite of Christ to represent and daylie offer vp vnto God the sacrifice of his onely Sonne in the feruencie of our prayers made in a liuely faith to the ende that it might please him vpon the view of the same to forgiue vs our offences He himselfe likewise as saith the Apostle is sitting neere vnto his father to make intercession for vs to make way of entrance for our requestes to apply vnto vs his faithfull ones the merite of his obedience the benefite of his death and the efficacie of his sacrifice supplying the defectes of our petitions by his intercession the infirmities of our faith and the imperfections of our obedience by the faithfulnesse of the couenant made in his blood and by the perfect obedience performed by him vpon the Crosse CHAP. II. An answere to the obiections of the aduersaries which they pretend to gather out of the holy scriptures for a Sacrifice NOw therefore what is there that our aduersaries can obiect against this doctrine grounded vpon the anology of the whole bodie of the holy scriptures both of the old and new Testament and that by so manifold plaine and expresse places They tell vs that the sacrifices of the law haue in such sorte shadowed out the sacrifice of our Lord vppon the Crosse as that neuerthelesse they haue not vtterly bereft vs of all manner of Sacrifice and that in very deede the Sacrifice of the Masse is prefigured and foretold in the old Testament and that such a one as they vse to celebrate at this day sacrificing the body and blood of our Lord vnder the kindes of bread and wine vpon their altars But let vs see vppon what ground In Genesis the 14. it is said Melchisedech king of Salem brought Genes 14. Melchisedech or caused wine bread to be brought and he was the priest of the high God They cannot deny but that this is not the true text in that place and yet notwithstanding they gather with a full hand this conclusion Christ is a Priest according to the order of Melchisedech and he brought bread and wine therefore Iesus Christ hath sacrificed bread and wine and vnder bread and wine his body and his blood and the priestes do the same daily according to his example Let vs agree in the grammaticall and literall sence and the whole controuersie in diuinitie wil be altogether void and ended The Hebrew word which is vsed there is neuer vsed in the scriptures about the matter of sacrifice cannot be better expressed then by that which we say in French To draw forth set forth or to cause to be brought or to bring forth In this sence wee reade the same word for the drawing forth of a sword Ezech. 21. the drawing forth of the windes Psalme the 135. And lice brought forth Exod. 8. and water from the rocke Cypr. in epist ad Cecil Chrysost in hom 35. in c. 14. Genes Numbers 30. in which places and infinit others the holy Ghost hath vsed the same word The Chaldie Paraphrast saith He brought or caused to be brought The Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Latine Protulit Cyprian Chrysostome in like manner Iosephus saith He entertained him as a guest Ioseph l. 1. c 18. Ambros ad Hebr. c. 7. Cardin. Caiet in Genes c. 14 and suffered not him or any of his followers to want any thing Saint Ambrose also Protulit in refectionem And Cardinall Hugo seemeth to hold himselfe satisfied with the same sence affirming that the Hebrew Doctors had so expounded it The vulgar translation Proferens panem vinum And Cardinall Caietan in like manner Here is not any thing written of any sacrifice or oblation Sed de prolatione seu extractione but of bringing forth or causing of bread wine to be brought as Iosephus saith for the refreshing of the conquerors And thus also Erasmus Sigonius do take it for which they are reproued of Posseuinus the Iesuite Possenin Bibliothec Select l. 4. c. 14. But the Apostle decideth the whole matter who telleth vs that Melchisedech came before Abraham and blessed him He speaketh not of the bread wine he findeth not any such profound mystery there he concealeth it as accessarie and priuy to that which went before it and he proceedeth to the mentioning of the blessing without making of any other stay or delay Now if the proofe of a Sacrifice do lie in this word and that this word by the consent of all interpretors containeth not so much as any shadow of a Sacrifice in it what need we then to seeke to proceed or wade any further to fish out long discourses the fountaine fathered vpon the word being alreadie dried vp and stopped Graunt it say they but yet he bringeth forth bread But now let them not go about to be ignorant of that which they know namely that the Hebrews vnder the name of bread do comprehend all manner of food and sustenance which likewise the Septuagintes haue translated in this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loaues or meates in the plurall number to shew that they were to be distributed vnto the troupes and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a bread to be sacrificed
hauing these giftes either of Saints or Angels but on the contrarie this doctrine was then noted to be the doctrine of heretickes as of the Basilidians and Ophites c. Who praied vnto Angels in their workes and that by set formes of praier Idem l. 1. c. 23. 35. which Ireneus rehearseth O tu Angele ab a te or opere tuo c. And these had likewise their pretended Saints Iudas Cain c. Against whom Ireneus doth not oppose either Abell or S. Peter but onely Iesus Christ our Lord. But in the Epistle of the Church of Smyrna Idem in Ep. ad Sâ—â—yâ—nens apud Euseb l. 4. c. 15. we haue this whole question handled the Martyrs were much honoured in the Church and they deeply condemned that did not honour them and not without cause being vessels chosen of God to seale and assure by their testimonie the resurrection of the Lord. But how far did this honour extend They were buried with great regard and there is made yearely a rehersall of their martyrdome vppon a certaine day the day of their death is celebrated and solemnized by the name of the day of their natiuitie in stead of the Paynims their Genethliacks or birth-daies the Church commeth together into the common place of buriall there to praie vnto God that by the sight of their bones they may be stirred vp to the like constancie for at that time they had not yet any Churches Now in respect of any of al this may they iustly be said to haue either worshipped or praied vnto them Nay rather saith this Epistle The Iewes and the Gentiles came to intrcate the gouernour that the body of Polycarpus might not be deliuered to the Christians least they should honour it in stead of Christ. But how doth the Church defend it selfe They are abused through ignorance saith it for we can neuer forsake Christ who hath suffered for the saluation of all them which are to bee saued in the whole world neither can we euer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 colere honour any other And note how it vseth the word which coÌ„prehendeth the seruice which was accustomed according to godlines to be giuen vnto Christ that is to say the seruing of him in calling vpon him seeking of our saluation in him But some said vnto them so greatly do you honour your Martyrs Yea saith the Church of Smyrna but we worship Christ as the true and naturall Sonne of God and we loue the Martyrs as his Disciples and followers and not without good cause for the incomparable loue which they haue borne to their king Schoolemaster we our selues greatly longing and earnestly desiring to become their companions and Schoole fellowes c. Finally We celebrate the natiuitie that is to say the day of the death and Martyrdome of Polycarpus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in remembrance of them that haue finished the combat before vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and for the preparing and exercising of them which are to come thereto that is to say to stirre vp such as are present to the like constancie for the name of Christ Who giueth vs the grace say they and not the Martyrs to bee partakers of the like crowne Tertull. in Apol. c. And this Epistle was written about the yeare 160. Tertullian saith J pray not to any but him of whome I know that I may obtaine because it is hee onely which doth and giueth all things and I am one that haue need to beg and craue his seruant to honour him alone and to offer vnto him the best fattest sacrifice as he hath commanded euen a praier and supplication which proceedeth from a chast body an innocent soule and a holy spirit c. And in the booke of the Trinitie he yeeldeth a reason why hee praieth vnto him alone It is not proper or pertinent to any but God to know our secrets but Christ knoweth the secrets of our harts Jt belongeth not to any but God to forgiue sins but Christ forgiueth sinnes Reasoning from his all-seeing knowledge and from his Almightie power to proue his Deitie Godhead and froÌ„ the Godhead to the seruice of inuocation Againe Else how should a man be sought sued vnto in our praiers as our mediator seing that the inuocating of one only man is without any power or efficacie to saluation seeing also it is said cursed is that coÌ„fidence that is put in man c. To that aboue said they oppose and bring a place of Ireneus Obiections where there is comparison made betwixt Eue and the Virgine Marie As Eue saith he was seduced by the words of an Angell that is a wicked Angell to runne from God by transgressing of his word so the Virgine Marie receiued ioyfull tidings by the word of an Angell that is a good Angell to heare God by obeying vnto his word And as the first was seduced and drawne away to runne and flie from God so the second was perswaded to obey him to the end that of the Virgine Eue the Virgin Mary fieret aduocata might become say they the aduocate Here saith Belarmine what can be more cleare Yea rather say we vnto him what can be more obscure That the Virgine Marie should be Eue her aduocate with God being borne 4000. yeares after Eue and receiued likewise a long time after her into heauen when as likewise we shall haue regard to their opinion of the Limbes But in deed that which goeth before as also that which followeth sheweth clearely that Ireneus had no other drift but to oppose the good that came to mankind by the meanes ministerie of Marie to the maladie and mischiefe wherwith the same became infected by that transgression of Eue. And as for the word Aduocate some are of iudgement that Ireneus was translated out of Greeke into Latine for we haue great peeces of him as yet in Greeke and further it cannot possibly bee that euer any Latine writer would haue written in such a stile 2. Cor. 7. passim Ioh. 16 And in other places also hee is verie absurdly translated by his interpreter Now the case so standeth that in the Greeke one and the same word dooth signifie both an aduocate and a comforter that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and one and the same Verbe to comfort and to exhort as is often and commonly to be seene in the Scriptures So in S. Iohn that which is translated in the Gospell Comforter according to the old translation speaking of the holy Ghost the comforter of our soules is interpreted Aduocate in the Epistle of S. Iohn 1. Ioh. 2.11 Tertul. de Trinit c. 29. speaking of Christ the mediatour Likewise Tertullian where he speaketh of the holy Ghost translateth it Aduocatum so indifferently hath it beene taken either for the one or for the other And so the sence is as if Ireneus should say that as Eue was the ruine and ouerthrow of mankind so the
Eunomius the Sonne be not partaker of the substance of the Father how shall he be an intercessor c. And therefore the Saintes by the same accompt no Gods no intercessors CHAP. XIIII Of the continuance of the purenesse of doctrine concerning Inuocation and of the growth and proceeding of the corruption of the same in the Latine Church LEt vs here againe returne to the rest of this doctrine in the West Church proceeding where we left to speake of the same S. Hillarie tooke vp his standing at this point That notwithstanding that the Angels and the Saintes do continue their charitie towardes vs that yet we must call vpon one onely God by Christ it being expected that hee should be alone and onely one which knoweth and can doe all things And now let vs a little looke ouer S. Ambrose S. Augustine and Saint Ierome in the Latine Church and examine their opinions the first of them answering within a little the time of Basil Nazianzene the other two the time of Epiphanius and Chrysostome in the Greeke Church S. Ambros in sunere fratris Satyr Ambrose verily in like manner as S. Basill wanteth no store of Rhetorike such as the time afforded In the funeralles of his brother Satyrus he is vehement Well saith he go thou first into this common house that which now is more desired and wished for of me then any other thing make readie there for vs our bed chamber leaue mee not to languish and mourne any long time after thee Call vpon me if I be too slow and helpe me to make more hast Ambr. in Luc. l. 10. c. And in another place From whence shall I cause thee to come Peter that thou maiest tell me what thou didst thinke when as thine eies distilled teares shal it be from heauen where thou art in the companie of Angels or els from the graue c. Who will not acknowledge in these words the Rhetorical Apostrophes so familiarly vsed of Orators In his booke of widowes he is carried away a great deale further in a Declamation When saith hee Peter his mother in law had a feauer Andrew and Peter praied vnto the Lord for her And thou O widow hast so many neighbours that pray for thee the Apostles the Martyrs and the Angels therefore thou must pray vnto them for they can pray for our sinnes seeing that they are washed from theirs by their owne bloud seeing also that they are beholders of our actions Againe Is she lesse fit to pray because of her sinne or lesse fit for to aske and obtaine let her vse the benefite and helpe of others which doe pray c. Who is hee that may not iustly be offended with these loftie and hyperbolicall speeches with this exceeding ryot lauish laying out of such high mounted speeches directly contrarie to the doctrine of Christ his Apostles Of Christ who calleth the repentant vnto himselfe they being so much the more fit to come vnto him by how much the heauier they feele themselues laden with the burthen of their sinnes Come vnto mee saith he all you that labour are heauie laden c. Of the Apostles who teach vs that the sins of the Apostles themselues were washed away in the blood of Christ As also against the doctrine of his dearely beloued Origen That the virgin Marie hath need to be washed to be sanctified and to haue a part in the redemption purchased by this blood But now let vs heare him like some still brooke or little riuer gliding smoothly along some plaine channell all his heate of Rhetoricke laid aside and expounding the scriptures according to their bare meaning and sence that verily in a far other sence The Gentiles said to him as we haue seene before It is needfull to haue accesse vnto kings by the mediation of great personages so we must looke to approch vnto the high God by inferior and pettie Gods so say our aduersaries by the saints And what answer doth he make them vpon the Romaines Ambr. in epist ad Rom. c. 1. But saith he and that in many words With God thou needest not any other intercessor then a deuout spirit It is high treason against him to make way to come to him by his creatures whereas in deed it is good for kinges who know not whom to trust in their common wealth but not in respect of God who knoweth all things Idâ—â— de Iscac Antma who vnderstandeth the value and worth of euerie man c. But wouldest thou haue a Mediator looke vpon him whom he giueth vnto thee Iesus Christ himselfe saith he is our mouth by which we speake vnto God our eye by which we see the father our right hand by the which we offer vnto the father and if that hee make not intercession for vs neither we nor any of the saintes haue anie part or portion in God And elsewhere Idem l. 3. de Spir. Sanct. c. 12 Wee must not worship saith he any thing but God as the scripture saith Thou shalt worship one onely God The holy Ghost likewise must be worshipped seeing that wee worship him who after the flesh is borne of the holy Ghost But no man must draw or applie this to the virgine Marie she was the temple of God but not the God of the temple c. And if any man reply and say that he speaketh of adoration and not of praier he ouerthroweth the question for in vaine is it to pray where wee put not our affiance But saith hee the Almightie power of Christ was declared and manifested in that we know that it is hee alone in whom wee must haue our affiance c. Coloss 1. In so much that if any man thinke that he ought to frame his deuotion either to some one of the Angels or els to some one of the superiour powers bee it knowne vnto him that he is in an errour for he that humbleth and casteth downe himselfe before the subiectes is altogether out of the way he cleaueth not fast vnto the head he is without a head Truncus est c. And this is according to the scope of the place in the Colossians expounded heretofore by Theodoret of the Canon of the Councell of Laodicea In the time of S. Ierome this inuocation did insinuate it selfe more and more amongst the people in so much as that it was come to an open offence and controuersie And this is proued by the disputation betwixt Saint Ierome and Vigilantius Hieronym contr Vigilant whether it were that on the one side Vigilantius did not speake honorably enough of the Martyrs or that Saint Ierome doth wrongfully so charge him proceeding here as in other places from wholesome admonition and reproofe to hot and distempered choller a man for that cause certainely vnworthy to bee admitted into any disputation concerning religion But of all Vigilantius his Theses because his bookes are not to bee come by
heere were the place to speake of it if he had belieued otherwise Not the Angels themselues Idem l. 10. con fess c. 42. For saith hee in an other place How shall I find one that may reconcile me vnto thee must I goe vnto the Angels But with what praiers With what Sacraments Many indeuoring to return vnto thee and not being able of themselues haue as I vnderstand assaied this way and haue beene deceiued by vaine illusions as they deserued c. But the true mediatour hath appeared betwixt mortall men being grieuous sinners and the immortall iust one euen Iesus Christ man c. In him is my hope hee maketh intercession with thee for vs. Otherwise I should flie and hide my selfe from before thy presence but thou hast staied and kept me backe saying Therefore is Iesus Christ dead for sinners c. Behold therefore Lord I cast my whole care vpon thee and I shall liue And now after that he hath laid these Maxims behold how cunningly he indeuoreth to stop and turne the course of the presumptions of his time It was now growne to an inueterate opinion that the Church triumphant or already gathered into heauen had care of the militant or that which was warfaring here vpon earth hee standeth not obstinate and wilfull as Vigilantius against it on the contrarie Idem de praedest sanct c 14 Idem confess l. 9. A great companie saith hee doe wish vs in heauen being alreadie assured of their owne saluation but yet standing in some doubt of ours Againe Now Nebridius is in Abrahams bosome hee greedily powreth downe full draughts of wisedome and yet I cannot be perswaded that he drinketh himselfe so deepely and deadly drunke therewith as that hee forgetteth vs seeing that thou O Lord who giuest him to drinke vouchsafest to haue vs in remembrance c. In a certaine place hee cannot containe himselfe from desiring and wishing that S. Cyprian would praie for him Behold saith he S. Cyprian disburdened of this bodie Idem contr Donatist l. 5. c. 1. who seeth the truth more clearely let him helpe vs with his praiers in this our fraile and mortall flesh as in a darke and gloomie cloud to the end that by the grace of God we may follow him c. This is a wish and not a set praier or purposed inuocation on the contrarie after hauing discoursed vppon the question Whether the Martyrs doe intermeddle in humane affaires Idem de cura pro mort agend 10. 13 and if they appeare in dreames and visions c. and the same argued and disputed euerie manner of way he protesteth that The thing passeth his vnderstanding that he is not able to reach so high c. And notwithstanding setteth downe his opinion according to the Scriptures Let euerie man saith he take that which I shall say as it pleaseth him if the soules of the dead should be found dealers in the affaires of them that are liuing my good mother would not leaue me or forsake me any one night but certainly that which the holy Psalme doth sound out so shrilly is true My father and my mother forsooke me And if our parents haue no care ouer vs what other amongst the dead are there that either know what wee doe or what we suffer Esay saith Thou art our father for Abraham hath not knowne vs Jsraell is ignorant of vs. If then these great Patriarkes were ignorant of that which befell this people sprung and risen out of their loynes how shall the dead haue any dealing in the affaires of the liuing to helpe and further them And how shall wee say that it was prouided that such as are departed out of this world 2. King 22. 2. Paralip 32. before that the euils which followed their transgressions he speaketh of Iosias should fall to the end that they might not be grieued at the sight thereof And the conclusion is The spirits therefore of the deceased are in a place where they see not what is done or what accidents fall out in the life of man August de cura pro mort c. 13.14.15.16 And vpon the obiection of the wicked rich man He had as much care and consideration of the liuing as we haue of the dead we know not what the dead doe neither did hee regarde whether the liuing did sinke or swimme Now if you take away this knowledge from the dead what shall become of the praiers made vnto them by the liuing In the meane time Miracles at the Sepulchers of the Martyrs the common people say wee see miracles at the graues of the Martyrs But to the end that they might not conclude or gather therevpon any inuocation or praying vnto them as holding such a good fauour to come from them he leadeth them to the consideration of other causes Jt is God saith hee that dooth this thing by himselfe in this wonderfull manner so that although he be eternall yet it is hee that worketh these temporall things and hee bringeth them to passe either by his Ministers or else the same which he doth by his Ministers he effecteth likewise somtime by the spirits of his Martyrs as though they were done by men still dwelling in their bodies or else hee bringeth all these things to passe by his Angels the Martyrs obtaining by earnest sute that the same may be done though they bee no Actors in the same or finally by some incomprehensible manner past the reach of mortall men but yet such as may vndoubtedly confirme vs in the resurrection vnto eternall life Who seeth not in the reckoning vp of â—o diuers causes that he would pull them from one and in that hee concludeth that the cause is incomprehensible that hee would breake off both their manner of reasoning and the consequences which they gather thereon But in the Maxim which hee setteth downe in an other place that he would draw them from the Martyrs vnto God August de Ciuit Dei l. 10. c. 12. when he saith That all the miracles which are done whether it be by Angels or any other manner doe not recommend vnto vs any other Religion deuotion or worship then that of the one onely God in whome alone consisteth the blessed and eternall life But to what ende and wherefore then was it that they praied and worshipped which they cal also by the name of sacrificing Ad memorias MartyruÌ„ at the Sepulchers of the Martyrs Verily we haue said that before that Christians had Churches and during the times of the persecutions of the Church they met with one consent in their burying places for the cherishing of their zeale by the example of the Martyrs and this custome was still retained for a long time after But was that which they called sacrificing to the Martyrs the action of inuocation or praying vnto them God forbid Idem de Ciuit. Dei l. 22. c. 10. We build saith S. Augustine no Churches vnto our Martyrs as vnto Gods
but for memorials as vnto men that are dead whose soules liue with God Neither doe we prepare any Altars to sacrifice vpon vnto our Martyrs but we offer a sacrifice vnto the one onely God both our God and the God of the Martyrs in which sacrifice the Martyrs are named in order for the number is read ex diptychis as men of God which haue ouercome the world in confessing of him but they are not praied vnto by the Minister which saith seruice for hee sacrificeth to God and not to them notwithstanding that hee doe it In memoria corum non in memoriam in the place of their Graues or Sepulchers and not for their Sepulcher or Graue Where it is to be noted that he plainely opposeth vnto their particular deuotions Precem Canonicam the forme of praier vsed in the Church An euident testimonie that in the seruice of his time the Commemoration of the Saints had not as yet proceeded vnto inuocation and by consequent ought to cause vs to suspect a place alleadged of our Aduersaries out of Cyrill the Bishop of Ierusalem his instructions concerning the interpretation of mysteries Gesner in Bib lioth August de Ciuit Dei l. 8. c. 27. wherin are these words When we offer the sacrifice we make mention of the Saints which are deceased before vs to the end that God by their praiers may receiue our praiers c. And indeed these bookes are found in Greeke written by hand in some Libraries vnder the name of one Iohn who liued not till many yeares after In an other place Saint Augustine Wee honour the memortes of the Martyrs as well to bee thankefull to the true God in these solemne Assemblies for their victories as for to bee exhorted thereby by the renuing of their memories to imitate them in praying vnto the same God for our aide and succour And by this meanes ad Sepulchrum aut memoriam Petri supplicare Idem Ep. 42. is not to praie vnto Saint Peter but to praie vnto God in remembring our selues of the place of the Martyrdome of Peter and that it would please him to giue vs the like constancle that hee gaue vnto his Apostle Peter And this is the cause why in the time of Saint Augustine in the third Councell of Carthage and in the Mileuitaine there were Canons made of purpose forbidding that any thing should bee rashly chaunged in the praiers of the Church Concil Carthag 3. c. 23. but obserue and marke notwithstanding what followed The former saith When a man is at the Altar let his praier be directed euermore vnto the father and to whatsoeuer praiers a man betaketh himselfe let him not vse them before he haue first conferred with the best instructed of his brethren The latter Concil Mileuit c. 12. That no praiers petitions or Masses that is to say Collects Prefaces or recommendations bee made in the Church except they haue beene approued in the Councell for feare saith it that there bee mixt something amongst them that is contrarie to the soundnesse of faith either by ignoraunce or else by vnaduisednesse And S. Augustine by name did sit in this Councell August Ep. 43.44 The Gentiles obiected vnto the Christians and a certaine man named Madaurensis vnto S. Augustine And well VVhat doe you lesse then we Wee call vppon the powers of God vnder many names we make our supplications vnto them after diuers sorts Piis precibus adoramus We adore and worship them by our holy praiers for it is to bee noted that inuocation alwaies in the old writers is taken for a part of Adoration And wherein are the Christians behind the Pagans when in stead of Iupiter Iuno Minerua and Venus habent colunt they haue and worship the Martyrs of Africke as Mygdor Sananes Naupsion and Lucitas c. But doth S. Augustine confesse it On the contrarie Nullum eoli mortuorum how doth he take it in the matter of honour Be it knowne vnto you saith he that no Christian Catholike doth worship or adore any of the dead that nothing is worshipped with the worship of the Deitie that hath beene created of God but the onely God that hath created all things To Faustus the Manichee in like manner You haue said he chaunged the Idols into Martyrs Quos votis similibus colitis which you worship with like vowes Where the word of Vowes is taken as in the Greeke for Praiers And the Gentiles knewe well inough to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they did not worship their Idols as Gods but as mediatours vnto God Nay saith he We honour the Martyrs with the honour of loue and fellowship August contr Faust l. 20. c. 22. as we shall doe to the people that are good and vertuous here in this world saue that we performe that we doe to them with greater deuotion as being alreadie become conquerours But with that manner of worship which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is not for any to be worshipped but the one onely God and because that oblations and Sacrifices belong vnto him alone we teach that neither they nor any other such thing can bee giuen to Martyr or Angell Let our Aduersaries who are continually saying of Masses their pretended sacrificings of the Sonne of God in honour of the Saints and Angels wash their hands of this place Let them answere vs also how they may pray vnto them seing that they cannot sacrifice vnto them and that because that praiers are the sacrifices of Christians as wee haue shewed at large both by the Scriptures as also by all the old Fathers and themselues cannot denie it Idem de Vera religione But how much better should they doe if they would conclude with S. Augustine Non sit nobis Religio cultus mortuorum Let vs not make a Religion of the worshipping of the dead The honour that is to be giuen to them consisteth in imitating of them and not in a deuout adoring of them If they liued godly they doe nothing affect any such honour but their desire is that wee should honour the one onely God and so doe likewise the Angels Now it is sufficiently apparant by that which goeth before what S. Augustine his opinion was concerning this Article and we need not doubt but that if he had had but a little the vpper hand and aduantage against the streame of the time hee would haue made it seene In the meane time as false doctrin cannot stand but by falsehood Serm. 2. de Annunt Assumpt our Aduersaries haue mingled with Saint Augustine certaine Homelies of Fulberts Bishop of Charters who liued not till almost sixe hundred yeares after S. Augustine wherein hee saith Sancta Maria succurre miseris c. Sentiant omnes tuum leuamen c. The Chanon Garet hath dealt more faithfully for hee alleadgeth them vnder the name of Fulbert And after the same manner they alleadge the bookes of Meditations which
counteruaile eternal life and of too shallow and short a measure in respect of infinite blessednesse yea though it were the merite of the holy Virgine and that conceiued or not conceiued be it as you will in originall sinne For if shee were conceiued in originall sinne shee is freely redeemed as well as any other and regenerate and borne againe of meere grace as well as any other But and if shee were not which yet the holy Scripture denieth that was also of the worke and operation of the same grace and furthermore the greater shee is the deepelier is shee bound vnto God and the further off from merite as also from hauing any occasion to be proud beeing on the contrarie so much the more to carrie her selfe in a greater measure of dutifulnesse and humilitie in respect of so rich and aboundant mercies bestowed vpon her so freely and vndeseruedly by the high and mightie God According to that which is said Vnto whome much is giuen and committed Luk 12.24 of him shall so much the more bee required againe c. CHAP. XVII That the Regenerate man cannot merite eternall life either for himselfe or for anie other LEt vs come to the condition of the regenerate man to the state of grace Proofes out of the holy Scripture as it is called and let vs see if any one standing in that state before God can merite of him by his workes either his owne saluation or an other mans The Scripture speaketh verie highly of mans Regeneration it setteth him before vs as a man new moulded and cast by the effectuall power and working of the holy Ghost in all and euerie one of his parts and members Now what better way to comprehend and conceiue the fall and ruine then by the reedified repaired parts Coloss 1.3 Acts. 15. Ephe. 1. Coloss 2.13 Gala. 5. Rom. 6. Coloss 7. Rom. 8.14 For the spirit of Christ deliuereth vs from the power of darknesse being dead as we were in sinne he quickneth and maketh vs aliue he purgeth our hearts by faith he inlightneth the eyes of our vnderstanding by the knowledge of God He destroyeth the bodie of sinne He mortifieth yea crucifieth the old man with all the diseases concupiscences and affections of the flesh He maketh vs the children of God and as we are such to crie Abba that is to say father But dooth it follow of all this that after Regeneration we are either cleane from all sinne or that we can attaine vnto it in this world Such as doe flatter themselues in making their sinne small should therewithall thinke that a small thing should repaire and make vp the breach But what then will they say when as of necessitie for the sauing of this miserable flesh the word must be made flesh When for the deliuering of vs from the seruitude of sinne hee must needes become sinne himselfe who had neuer knowne any sinne Or will they thinke that the flesh bee it neuer so wholly and throughly regenerate will bee able to doe all things Or would they flie vp with their owne wings to heauen without Iacobs Ladder the helpe of the Lord or his merite More readie as yet by their pride to loose the benefit of Regeneration then our Father was to loose the excellent gifts he had by his Creation at the suggestion of the woman But let vs heare how the Scripture speaketh J am saith S. Paul crucified with Christ I liue Gala. 2.16 no more I but Christ in me and the life that I liue now in the flesh I liue by the faith of the Sonne of God who hath loued me and who hath giuen himselfe for me What could he haue spoken of more excellencie And where is that regenerate man that can vtter any thing more boldly then hee hath done this And yet therewithall heare him comming from the setting foorth of the praises of the grace receiued by God to the consideration of his owne infirmitie I see saith hee an other Law in my members Rom. 7. fighting against the Law of my vnderstanding and making me captiue to the law of sinne which is in my members c. That is to say I feele concupiscence the bud of the flesh c. And this Lawe this concupiscence if thou be in doubt doe not thinke that it is good For I know saith he that in me that is to say in my flesh there dwelleth no good thing To will well is readie with me but J doe not find the meanes to performe or doe it Nay this concupiscence is euil for he addeth thee hereunto The euill is readie with me and fast sticking vnto me I doe the euil that I would not euen the euill that I hate that is to say which I condemne in my mind and such euill as is repugnant vnto the Law of God which cannot be called any thing but sinne according to that which S. Iohn saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All whatsoeuer is against the Lawe is sinne euen to the obeying of my flesh and not the Law of my God which J consent vnto and agree to be good but vnto the Law of sinne which I condemne and dislike of in my spirit And againe This sinne is sinne in such a manner and degree as that it forceth me to confesse that it is sinne in deed For if the Law had not said Thou shalt not lust I had not knowne sinne but now I knowe it And it hath such a deepe roote in me as that I am constrained to crie Miserable man that J am who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death Yea and it hath fruit also which it beareth and bringeth forth in me Sinne dwelleth in me euen the sinne which begetteth death which hath no other wages but death which also in stead of being brought vnder by the Law of God is lifted vp by the nature thereof and armed to rebell against it taking occasion from the same to multiplie and increase Rom. 8. Gala. 5. Coloss 3. Ephe. 4. It is prouoked and enraged like a maligne Vlcer against the salue Thus speaketh S. Paul of this sinne and not as it is in the Infidels but as it is in the regenerate and those not of the weakest sort of the regenerate but as it was in himselfe concluding generally and euerie where that he hath need to spoyle destroy kill and crucifie the same and that yet notwithstanding all this doe what he can 2. Cor. 4.10 it will not all be vanquisht and subdued at one blow For Howbeit saith he that our outward man be decaied and cast downe yet our inward is renued euerie day And yet notwithstanding not in any such measure of perfection as that any man can vaunt or boast himselfe to haue wholy put on the one and put off the other in this world For In this world wee shall neuer grow vp together and become perfect men Ephe. 4 13. according to the measure of the perfect stature of Christ
bee that pure righteousnesse when transgression and some default cannot bee shut out from it But it seemeth to vs that the iust and righteous dealing of men may be vpright and honest when it yeeldeth not so farre vnto sinne as to suffer it to raigne in the bodie c. Againe The Lord is hee that iudgeth me Idem de verbo Originis for I cannot auoide his righteous sentence yea and if I were iust yet would I not lift vp my head because that all my righteous actions are as a stained cloth seeing that before God no man can be iustified no not one CHAP. XVIII That the Law was giuen man to conuince him of sinne and to cause him to looke for his saluation in that grace which is by faith in Christ according both to the Scriptures and the fathers FOr what vse then will some say doth the Law of God serue vs The end of the law according to the holy Scriptures if we cannot fulfill the same Verily that by it thou maist know the difference that is betwixt the righteousnesse of God and that pretended righteousnesse of thine owne and that thou maist knowe that thou art not able to doe it As certainely also that thou maiest bee conuinced in thy pride condemned in thy righteousnesse and bound and beholden to his mercies And all the Pedagogie thereof Deut. 9. all the discipline and instruction contained in the same if thou consider it is no other thing Moyses saith Say not in thine heart O Israell This is because of my righteousnesse that God hath brought me into this land it is not by reason of the vprightnesse of thy heart for thou art a stif-necked people c. And then how much lesse into the true land Into the heauenly Chanaan The whole seruice of the Lawe consisteth altogether in washings altogether in bloud and in killing which aunswere fitly to our vncleannesse sinnes crimes accidents and happes yea to our verie ignorances to our faults known and vnknowne vnto vs and they were renued Euening and Morning and were continued perpetually and therefore also both an ordinarie and continuall charge and accusation of our whole liues and of all that which is within vs Psalme or that commeth out of vs. Whereupon Dauid saith If thou markest our iniquities O Lord who shall abide it who shall indure thy stroke And whereas he speaketh of his righteous workes he saith Thou art the Lord my goodnesse reacheth not vnto thee The Prophets likewise doe neuer speake vnto vs but of a circumcised heart of a new heart of a hart of flesh in stead of our vncircumcised and stonie harts to the end that wee may know where the disease holdeth vs euen in our most noble part and that it lyeth not in vs to reforme the same that it hath need to be quite framed anew by the operation of the Creator himself by his holy spirit and in the fountaine or spring head are all the waters issuing from thence condemned in the tree all the fruites thereof In the originall of motion all our motions and in the workman all the workes which he hath wrought Whereupon S. Paul also the true interpreter of the Law leadeth vs continually from workes vnto faith and from the Law to grace The Law saith hee giueth knowledge of sinne Rom. 3. the Law maketh it to abound the Law worketh wrath the Law is the ministerie of death by the workes of the Law no man is iustified for no man can fulfill it And yet in the meane time Cursed are they that abide not in all the words of the same And what shall we doe then But saith he the iust shall liue by faith he shall be iustified by faith without the workes of the Law iustified freely by the grace of God by the redemption made in Iesus Christ Rom. 4 That grace which superaboundeth whereas sinne hath abounded That faith which applieth vnto vs this grace which is imputed vnto vs for righteousnesse in as much as we belieue in him that hath raised Christ from the dead slaine for our sinnes and raised for our iustification Rom. 11.5 c. And If it bee of grace saith the Apostle then it is no more by workes otherwise grace were no more grace otherwise workes were no more workes And yet in the meane time faith the gift of God Faith the gift of God and grace that is to say the remission of sinnes the gift also of God and the hand to receiue the bountifull kindnesse and free liberalitie of our God in Christ this free mercy also the gift of God Faith Ephes 2.8 Rom. 5. for you are saued saith the Apostle by grace through faith and that not of your selues it is of God Grace the remission of sinnes in like manner For saith hee also if by the offence of one many die much more the grace of God and the gift by grace c. hath abounded on many Rom. 6. Againe The wages of sinne is death Our aduersaries would say and the wages of good workes is eternall life Nay saith our Apostle But the the gift of God that is to say Rom. 5 the gift of righteousnesse the aboundance of grace is eternall life by Iesus Christ And this gift notwithstanding is called an inheritance the inheritance of Children and not the wages of seruants And yet an inheritance which wee although adopted for children doe loose and forfait euerie day as much as in vs lyeth by our sinnes if God euerie houre in the obedience of his Sonne did not restore it vnto vs againe and that of his free gift Ioh. 1. Rom. 8. For saith Saint Iohn He hath vouchsafed vs the honour to be made the children of God And If saith Saint Paul you bee Sonnes you are also heires yea fellow heires with Christ Such is the paines that the Apostle taketh to weede and destroy out of vs this roote of Pharisaisme of pretended merite sometimes making vs heires sometimes Donatories or rather heires Donatories in as much as it is giuen vnto vs to be children which naturally we were not But what child is hee that can be indured or thought worthie to be maintained if hee say that he deserueth and meriteth at his fathers hands and that of his father of whome hee holdeth and inioyeth but this mortall life and that rather but as the instrument then the author thereof Some in like maner asked the auncient fathers The end and scope of the law according to the olde writers wherefore serueth the law of God if we cannot performe it And behold now what was their answere Saint Ambrose The Law worketh and causeth wrath Adam fell to offend by disobedience and to commit a fault by insolencie But in as much as pride was the cause of the fall and the prerogatiue of innocencie the cause of his pride there was iust cause giuen for the making of a Law which might make him subiect vnto God
of the Law The law leadeth to faith and the iustice of God to his grace cannot possibly faile by consequent to explaine and lay open vnto vs the benefite of grace leading vs from Moyses to Christ from workes to faith and from death wherein wee stand naturally euen from the time of our conception and whereinto also euen after the time of our regeneration we runne and cast our selues continually by our faults and offences vnto our life and righteousnesse which is hid in Christ We cannot liue by the Law for we cannot fulfill it wherefore we must haue recourse vnto his grace His grace that is to say the mercie of God freely exhibited in Iesus Christ who hath fulfilled the Law by his obedience and which hath borne our transgressions vppon the Crosse but for such as to whome God hath giuen by the same grace to feele the sentence of condemnation due in themselues and assuredly to belieue their saluation in him And this is the cause why these two points are ordinarily conioyned and coupled together both in the Scriptures and holy Fathers euen grace and faith opposed to the Law and workes namely that grace that is to say that gift which God hath bestowed vppon vs by the righteousnesse of his onely begotten Sonne yea of his Sonne and all that which hee possesseth for the abolishing of our sinnes that faith that is to say that abilitie and power which hee giueth vs by his holy spirite to receiue in humilitie and yet with all assurednesse and certaintie that incomparable good thing which hee bestoweth vpon vs here below as a pledge and earnest pennie of those which hee will consequently giue vs to possesse with him in the highest heauens Origen expounding these words of the Apostle Orig. in Ep. ad Rom. l 3. c. 3. Where is thy glorying it is shut out c. He saith saith he that the iustification which is of faith onely doth suffice although that the belieuer haue not wrought any worke And for an example wee haue the theefe for whose onely faith Jesus said vnto him This day thou shalt be with me in Paradice c. And so likewise the woman in the Gospell Luke the seuenth The Pharisie said Jf he were a Prophet he would know what shee is but for her faith onely Iesus said vnto her Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee c. And for this cause the Apostle doth not boast himselfe of his owne righteousnesse chastitie wisedome c. But of the Crosse of Christ in the Lawe of faith which is in Iesus Christ c. Saint Ambrose saith Ambros de Virgin l. 3. Christ hath not redeemed thee with siluer nor gold haue thy siluer readie thou art not arrested euerie day though thou be in debt He hath paid his bloud for thee thou art indebted vnto him this bloud for we lay pawned in the hands of a wicked Creditor We haue beene the cause of the bill of our owne blame and guiltinesse by our sinnes Idem de fide l. 3. c. 3. wee owe for the punishment of the same our bloud the Lord Iesus is come hee hath paid his bloud for vs c. Againe Our redemption is by the bloud of Christ our forgiuenesse and pardon by his power and our life by his grace Idem de bono mort c. 2. Ep. 72.73 Againe Eternall life that is the forgiuenesse of sinnes and the Lord Iesus is come to fasten our sufferings to his Crosse to forgiue vs our sinnes to nayle to the crosse our obligation and to wash all the world in his blood Otherwise Idem de Iacob beat vita l. 1. c. 5. Psalme 118. saith he wherefore should the Prophet haue said Haue mercie on mee if he had trusted vnto his owne righteousness if there be any thing but mercie which deliuereth from sin But hee that hath need of mercie is a sinner and therefore what soeuer good commeth to vs let vs impute it to the righteousnesse of Christ It is the mercie of the Lord that remission of sinnes is freely and liberally giuen vnto vs Let no man glorie or boast himselfe that he hath a chast hart c. Againe Idem de fide l. 3. c. 3. My wisedome that is to saie the crosse of Christ My redemption the death of Christ Again By the disobedience of one man many are made sinners by the obedience of one man many are made righteous Againe God hath taken vpon him our flesh to abolish the curse of our sinfull flesh Idem de fuga saecul c. 7. Iudicato he was made a curse for vs to the end that the blessing might swallow vppe the curse integritie sinne grace the sentence of death and life death it selfe for he likewise hath vndergone death to fulfill the sentence of death and to satisfie the iudge for the curse lying vppon sinfull flesh Faith receiueth and taketh hold of grace Idem de paenit l. 2. Ex Syngrapha Idem in ep ad Rom. c. 3. 4 euen to the death c. And here behold the poole of grace the fountaine of life freely set open who shall put vs into the poole who shall draw for vs out of that fountaine verily verily no other helping hand saith the Apostle but faith yea Onely faith saith Saint Ambrose Let vs hope and looke for saith he the pardoning of sinnes by faith and not as by debt or merite faith will obtaine it for vs as by vertue of couenant vnder writing that is to say of the promises of God by the which he hath bound himselfe vnto vs Praesumptio propior est arroganti quà m roganti c. Presumption that is that ouer high couceipt we haue of our workes is more incident to such as arrogate and challenge for their owne eternall life by their desertes then to such as acknowledging themselues to haue no parte therein as of themselues doe humblie craue the same by praier c. Againe They are iustified freely because they are iustified without doing or working for the same and because they giue not any thing in exchange for the same they are iustified by faith alone by the gift of God c. The wicked man impius is iustified before God by faith alone c. For Idem devocat Gen. l. 2. c. 8. He that dare saith he preach that the grace of God is giuen according to mens merites preacheth against the catholike faith c. Let no man therefore glorie in his workes for no man shall be iustified by them He that is iust he hath it of gift Tertullian calleth it Donatiuum for hee is iustified by being washed It is faith that deliuereth vs by the blood of Christ Idem ep 71. Blessed is he whose sinnes are remitted and hath his pardon granted c. Againe By the sinne of one all haue deserued to bee condemned sinning alike for in the righteousnesse of one all shall be iustified credentes that belieue If hee
them from natural sense and vnderstanding to the spirit from an opinion to faith and from the earth vnto heauen c. And therfore we see not that euer the Scripture doth lead vs to obserue and marke any miracles in the signes of his Mysteries notwithstanding that it is a dutie to be most carefully discharged to publish set forth the maruailous works of the Lord in the church It teacheth vs the famous and worthie passing of the destroying Angell ouer the houses of the Israelits without touching of theÌ„ The lamb was the memoriall therof and that so cleare and euident a one as that it was called by the name of the Passouer it self In this passing ouer then ther is pointed out vnto vs a miracle namely in the difference which the Angel made betwixt the Israelits and the Egyptians and in the lambe it recoÌ„mendeth vnto vs a mysterie So likewise of Manna the rock in that the one was rained the other dissolued into water it is a miracle but in that they feed queÌ„ch the thirst of the true Israelits spiritually there lies a mystery And of the water conuerted into wine in Cana S. Iohn maketh mention vnto vs of a myracle Of Iorden turned dayly into bloud by reason of so many persons as daily confessed their sinnes and were baptised how much more famous had it beene and worthie of renowne And yet this was no myracle but a misterie Verie excellently thereforefore hath a certaine Schooleman said That wee must not looke for myracles Aegyd l. 2. examer c. 13. but where they are That where and so oft as euer we can discharge and free the holy Scriptures by the things that we naturally see that there and so oft wee ought not to haue recourse vnto the power of God nor vnto myracles Now we may free them most easily when wee vnderstand misteries mistically Sacraments Sacramentally figures figuratiuely Chrys in Ioh. c. 6. â—om 46. spiritual things spiritually c. Chrysostome saith What is it to vnderstand things carnally Simply according to the letter without conceiuing and taking any further thing to be meant and contained therein But it is requisite saith hee to consider and looke vpon all misteries with inward eyes that is to say spiritually And as we conceiue them spiritually euen so wee receiue them in like manner namely by faith For saith he Idem in c. 11. ad Hetr hom 21 Theophyl ibid. Theod. dial 1. Thoâ—â— 3. part summ q. 78. art 2. We thinke that the things that rest in hope are without substance but faith giueth them a substance and yet not as though it gaue them any thing more but because it becommeth vnto them their verie essence and being c. Theodoret The things that are misticall are spoken mistically and the things which are not knowne vnto all are openly declared Thomas likewise The word of Christ worketh effectually and Sacramentally Sacramentally that is to say saith hee according to the force of the signification CHAP. II. That the doctrine of the holy Supper must be examined by the rules aboue handled as also all that which is deliuered of all other the Sacraments as well of the old as of the new Testament NOw wee are for the most part of this mind that the rules aboue named may be practised and vsed in other Sacraments but our Aduersaries wil not agree that they are so in the explication and vnfoulding of the doctrine of the holy supper and therefore wee are consequently to see if the holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers doe tolerate and admit yea or rather necessarily presse and vrge that the doctrine of the holy supper be examined and tried by these same rules which wee reduce into a few words in these manner of tearmes That a Sacrament is a visible signe of a thing that is to say of an inuisible grace That the signe and the thing are Correlatiues and that therefore the one is not the other That the signe is giuen by the Minister or Pastour but the thing by God alone That the signe is receiued by the hand both of true belieuers and hypocrites but the thing by faith of the belieuers onely That the likenesse that is betwixt the signe and the thing hath caused the name of the one to be attributed vnto the other that is to say the name of the thing to the signe but that thereis not therfore any changing of the one into the other neither by way of myracle nor yet of any supernaturall worke c. but onely of names the more plainely to point out the mysterie That Sacraments and misteries haue one proper stile which must bee vnderstood mistically and Sacramentally c. which hath beene verified and approued in all the other Sacraments as well of the old Testament wherof the Apostle saith That our Fathers did eate the same meare and drinke the same drinke as also in Baptisme a Sacrament of the new Testament Let vs come therefore vnto the holy supper of our Lord. We belieue that in it In what sort aâ—d manner the faithfull communicate and receiue the Lordes supper the belieuer receiueth drinketh eateth not only bread and wine but also the verie flesh of Christ and the true verie bloud of Christ the flesh giuen for the life of the world the bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes That it is not more true that the bread is broken and the wine powred out or that they become nourishment vnto our bodies for the sustaining of this fraile and brittle life then it is true that the flesh of our Lord is broken and his bloud shed for vs and that they become nourishment for our soules drie and barren that they are of themselues but watered and altered by his righteousnesse to nourish them vnto eternall life Much more then whereas the bread and wine are turned into our substance by the operation of our naturall heate to bee incorporated into vs doe the flesh and bloud of our Lord by the operation of the holy Ghost incorporate vs more and more into him wee communicate his substance and in the same his life and all his benefits as members of Christ bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh to be crucified iustified sanctified and glorified in him insomuch that our heat being more strong then the bread and wine doth turne and alter them into our substance the holie Ghost being stronger and more mightier then we doth conuert and turne vs both to him and into him And by that meanes wee receiue not onely Christ really and substantially in the holy Supper celebrated according to his institution but we are wrought into one bodie more and more amongst our selues of which body he is the head and we the members the faithfull I meane that draw their spirituall life the sense motion and spirituall action of their soules from him a liuely and quickened body by his spirit one togither by him one
by his grace with him And thus haue both the holy Scriptures as also the olde writers spoken and written Our Lord saith According to the holy scriptures He that commeth to me he that beleeueth in me he that eateth me be that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him he hath eternal life he liueth through me I will raise him vp againe at the last day c. This maner of communication participation ceaseth not spiritually to be performed and effected without the Sacrament but our Lorde as helpes vnto vs against our infirmitie hath prouided and appointed these Sacraments for vs in the eating and drinking whereof it pleaseth him to set out vnto vs the certaintie of this spirituall life which is in his bodie and bloud and that as verely as the corporall consisteth in the bread and wine And as for the bread he hath saide of it Iohn 6. This is my bodie But my bodie saith he which is giuen for you That bodie whereof hee had saide in Saint Iohn My flesh is meate in deed That flesh whereof he had saide The bread which I will giue you is my flesh and this I will giue for the life of the worlde For this bodie this flesh doe nothing auaile vs saue in that they are giuen and deliuered for vs for the remission of our sinnes and for the redemption of our soules And therfore he expoundeth himselfe vnto the Capernaites The flesh profiteth nothing the wordes which I speake vnto you are spirit and life Of the Cuppe also hee hath saide This is my bloud the bloud of the newe Testament c. And in another place This Cup is the new Testament in my bloud Not of his bloud onely but also of the Cup to the ende wee should not stay our selues or rest in the elements of this Cuppe in deede which he was to drinke for vs euen in the elements of that bitter death whereof hee had saide Let this Cup passe from me For this Cup this Passion is the newe Testament the newe couenant of God with vs. And in my bloud saith hee which is shed for you For the bloud of our Lorde entereth not into our stomackes neither yet is it shed or powred into our bowels and entrailes for to what ende should there bee any such thing done and acted in this Sacrament where the question is of the nourishment of our soules and of a feeding vnto eternall life This bloud likewise simplie considered maketh not for the profite of our soules neither as it is bloud neither as yet in that it is the bloud of Christ but herein onely for that it is the bloud of Christ crucified for vs the bloud of the sonne of God shed for the remission of our sinnes and for the saluation of our soules To eate this flesh to drinke this bloud is to draw by faith our spirituall life out of the fountaine of his flesh broken for vs of his blood shed for vs of Christ the sonne of God crucified for vs. This is to liue by him this is to liue in him this is to be with him that is to say to liue by his righteouâ—nesse whereas wee die by our owne sinne by the redemption which hee hath wrought where as wee lay in bondage and thraldome and finallie to bee iustified by him and sanctified in him that so wee may bee quickened and glorified also in him Neither haue the ancient fathers otherwise vnderstoode this communicating of Christ Saint Cyprian Our coniunction with Christ doth not make any mixture of persons According to the old writers Cypr. de Caen. Dom. it vniteth not substances but it effecteth a fellowship and correspondencie in affections it bindeth the willes togither by a firme and faithfull league c. He had said that if wee eate not his flesh c. we shall not haue life in him Teaching vs by a spirituall instruction and opening vnto vs the spirit to the conceyuing of so hidde and secret a thing to the ende that wee might know that our abiding in him is an eating of him and our incorporating into him a drinking of him And all this is wrought by our submitting of our selues in obedience ioyning of our selues vnto him in will and vniting of our selues vnto him in our affections Wherefore the eating of this flesh is a greedinesse or a feruent desire to abide and dwell in him As by eating and drinking the substaunce of the bodie liueth and is nourished euen so the life of the spirit is nourished by this proper nourishment For looke what eating is vnto the bodie the same is faith vnto the soule And looke what meate is vnto the bodie the same is the worde vnto the spirit accomplishing and working for euer and that by a more excellent power and efficacie that which carnall nourishment woorketh but for a time c. And again In the celebrating of these Sacraments wee are taught to haue the Pascion alwayes in our remembrance Again Wee are made of this bodie that is to say of the bodie of Christ in asmuch as by the Sacrament and the thing of the Sacrament wee are ioyned and knit vnto our head Nowe it is most certaine and true that such doe liue as touch the bodie of Christ Saint Hillarie These thinges taken and drunke Hylar de Trinit that is to say the bread and wine doe cause and bring to passe that Christ is in vs and wee in him Not verilie as he there teacheth that his bodie entereth into ours but by a similitude drawne from nature for that wee are ioyned together as members to the heade to his humaine bodie holie and glorious And this vnion is wrought by the faith of the death and passion of the Lorde in his spirit Saint Augustine August Ep. ad Iren. De Consecr D. 2. Christ is the bread whereof who so eateth liueth eternally and whereof hee hath saide And the bread which I will giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the worlde Hee determineth and setteth downe howe hee is bread not onely according to the worde by the which all thinges liue but according to the flesh taken for the life of the worlde For man which was dead in sinne being vnited and made one with the fleshe which is pure and vndefiled and incorporated into the same doth liue by the spirit of Christ as a bodie liueth by his soule but he that is not of the body of Christ doth not liue by his spirit c. Of this body Christ is the head Idem Ep. 57. ad Dardan the vnitie of this bodie is recommended vnto vs by this sacrifice c. By our head we are reconciled vnto God because that in it is the Diuinitie of the onely begotten Sonne made partaker of our mortalitie to the end that we might also become partakers of his immortalitie Again Idem de ciuit Dei l. 21. c 25. Compage He that
bread shall liue for euer And in S. Augustines time there were that taught hereupon that if a man had communicated at the Lords supper how be it he should afterward renounce the Christian profession yet hee could not possibly perish and fall away for euer Wherefore as oft as euer wee shall reade such places we ought alwayes to remember and call to mind these rules The good and prudent Reader saith Saint Hillarius doth looke for the vnderstanding of that which is said Hilat. de Trin. l. 1. Hieronym in Mat. not by fetching it from any preiudicate opinion of his owne but from the cause of that which is said And S. Ierome The discreete Reader is verie carefull to keepe himselfe euermore from all manner of superstitious vnderstanding he frameth and squareth his sence and vnderstanding according to the Scriptures August cont aduers leg Prophet l. 2. c. 9. and not the Scriptures according to it And Saint Augustine handling this same matter One peece of Scripture must be expounded by an other and all the holy Scriptures according to the soundnesse of faith if we expound any thing done or spoken figuratiuely it standeth vs vpon to see that such expositions be drawne wisely and not negligently from other things and words which are contained in the holy writings But aboue all wee haue to consider in the matter of the Sacramentes what a Sacrament is and in the matter of the holy supper that therein is handled the most excellent of all the rest that is to say a great mysterie a profound and high secret and that so soone as wee heare the word Sacrament wee must lift vp our spirits from the beholding of these outward things to the apprehending of inward things from the skin to the marrow and from of the earth vp vnto heauen obseruing the nature of the misterie the signification of the word and what the thing doth permit suffer what the letter saith and what the meaning of the spirit is Thus These words This is my body cannot bee interpreted without a figure This is my bodie according to their sence and construction what shall it signifie Hoc this If it be meant of the bread then it must be thus taken This bread is my bodie But this is not their meaning for they confesse that it cannot bee two substances at one and the same instant And when two chiefe and primarie substances that is to say two Iudiuidua as the Logicians call them are called the one by the name of the other there must of necessitie be included a figure but this they wil not yeeld vnto Furthermore they doe not pretend that it is the body vntill the last word be vttered and wee are as yet but in the verie first And in the meane time then shall it not be the same which our Lord tooke blessed brake and gaue to his Disciples that is to say bread What shall then this hoc make The accidents of bread without the subiect namely whitenesse roundnesse c And what manner of speech were it to say The accidents of bread are my body which is giuen for you or else their Indiuiduum vagum and vage determinatum This I cannot tell what in the ayre which they can neither name nor point out so as that it may be comprehended How it may bee bread in the beginning of the vttering of the words and his body in the end What a number of obscure and straunge figures to how many contradictorie designments and deuises are they driuen and all to auoide one cleare and manifest figure and that such a one as is verie often and familiarly vsed in the Sacraments Afterward This is my bloud What shal be the meaning of this Hoc in this place It is said that taking the cup he blessed it and said Drinke ye all Bibite ex hoc omnes This Hoc then is the cup whereof he saith This is my bloud But can it possibly be that the cup should be called blood without a figure seeing that according to their owne assertions it is the wine and not the cup It followeth Est This is say they a verbe substantiue Let it bee granted but is it therefore a verbe transubstantiue This is my bodie that is to say This is made my bodie It is substantially turned it is transubstantiated into my bodie and bloud This is their meaning and they call this word in their affected tearmes and gibberidge an operatiue and practicke Est But if it be vnderstood of the bread then what figure is it And how will their fond deuised fantasie stand sith they hold that the bread is not changed or turned but becommeth nothing to the end it may giue place to the bodie And what shew of any figure will there then be here Hoc est that is to say this Vagum Indiuiduum which hath no name is transubstantiated into his bodie And if it bee wandring and vnstable it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it hath not any substance Or els This bread is become nothing to giue place to the bodie c. But this word Est may it bee expounded by the word Fit factum est conuertitur transubstantiatur it is made turned transubstantiated Yea and also by Fiat conuertatur transubstantiatur that it may be made turned transubstantiated without a figure yea and which is more without any contradiction And of the cup particularly without acknowledging that it is transubstantiated But this they do not admit Let vs proceed Take eate but what Accidents but they are no proper obiects for the teeth to be occupied about The bodie of Christ then But as they say themselues it is not as yet there And then it is not chewed there it is not there broken What shall then the meaning bee of this word eate But to endeuour to eate to make semblance of eating c. But how much better had it been to haue expounded this place by the nature of other Sacraments whereof it is said This is my couenant as here This cup is the new Testament in my blood This is the blood of the new Testament c. all comming to the same sence Againe The rocke was Christ I am the bread of life as here The bread is my bodie the cup is my blood To expound it I say by Iesus Christ in S. Iohn My flesh is meate in deede and my bloud is drinke in deede Where in plaine tearmes he referreth vs vnto his death when hee saith Which I will giue for the life of the world As also here Which is giuen which is shed for you But saith he to the Capernaites The words that J say vnto you are spirite and life And therefore some are of iudgement that this whole speech of his was nothing else but a resolued and purposed Commentarie and a preparatiue to the right vnderstanding of the holy supper And finally to haue expounded it by Saint Paule Who giueth vnto vs that which he
had receiued of the Lord. But what Accidents No but bread As oft saith he as you shall eate of this bread and drinke of this Cup c. And he goeth ouer this word bread fiue times and that after the words of Consecration as they call them and yet notwithstanding The body of the Lord c. For Whosoeuer eateth saith he of this bread vnworthily eateth his iudgement is culpable of the body and bloud of our Lord c. As if a man should say Reus Maiestatis guiltie of high treason against the body of Christ because he hath abused his Sacramēts vnto death which were ordained for him vnto life And what is there more ordinarie in the Scripture then to vse the words of eating drinking spiritually As where wisedome it selfe saith Such as eate of me Ecclesiast 14. Iohn 7. shall further hunger after me and they which drinke of me shall still thirst after me Where our Lord the true and essentiall wisedome crieth Jf any man thirst let him come vnto me and drinke And particularly in the Paschall Lambe a figure correspondent to the holy supper were not these verie words which they call Sacramentall Verba inquam concepta This bread is the bread of miserie which our Fathers did eate in Egypt He that is hungrie let him come and eate c. But the absurditie of this pretended literall construction and yet altogether figuratiue improper and verie straunge shall be better knowne by the touch and triall of the same where wee shall see how that it destroyeth the nature of all the Sacraments of those of the new Testament yea euen the supper celebrated by our Lord with his Apostles how that it destroyeth the humane nature of Christ and offereth violence vnto his diuine nature and in a word how that it ouerthroweth the analogie of faith the consent of the holy Scriptures the Creede of the Apostles together withall the rest of the most firme and infallible points of Diuinitie which we purpose to handle briefely from point to point CHAP. III. That the interpretation and Exposition which our Aduersaries make of the words of the holy Supper doth ouerthrow all the foundations of the Christian faith as also the nature of Christ and of his Sacraments FIrst and principally That Transubstantiation doth destroy the nature of euery sacrament Transubstantiation destroyeth the nature of euerie Sacrament for euerie Sacrament consisteth of a signe and a thing signified both which abide and continue whole and intire in such sort as that it is not possible that the one can be the other neither any part of the other and notwithstanding they depend the one vppon the other they cannot bee well weighed and considered the one without the other But it destroyeth the nature of the bread In the signe the signe and seale of his bodie the nature of the wine the signe and seale of the bloud of our Lord either by changing and altering of them or else by making them nothing worth or by reducing them as others say into the first matter from substances into accidents contrarie to all nature yea contrarie to the Law of the Sacraments it selfe which made choice of signes proportionable to the things signified as they rained Manna to the bread of life which came downe from heauen Water which washeth away corporall spottes to the righteous bloud which cleanseth and taketh away the spirituall bread and wine which nourish and maintaine this life to the body and bloud of Christ which doe sustaine and feed vs vnto eternall life Roundnesse whitenesse moystnesse and rednesse which they giue vs for signes what analogie haue they with the spirituall nourishment Or the accidents with the substance And in stead of deeper and deeper setling vs in faith what is it that they are able to beget in vs but new forged opinions and vaine fantasies Let vs take from Baptisme water the signe of this liuing water of the holy Ghost which washeth our soules Mich. 7. yea saith the Prophet which drowneth and swalloweth vp our iniquities and what maner of doctrine remaineth there behind Take away bread in the holy supper Nehem 9. Psalme 70. Iohn 6. Apocal. the signe of that bread of heauen of the bread of life which giueth life vnto the world Wine the signe of the bloud of the Lambe wherein wee are to wash our garments wherewith wee likewise comfort our soules both the one and the other signes of our vnion in as much as they are made of many cornes kneaded and troden out into one and what doctrine or instruction will there bee then left for vs behind What proportion is there betwixt these accidents and our life Not that verily of our soule onely but that also of our body In the second place In the thing what shall I say of the thing signified How doe they handle it The thing signified is the body bloud of Christ it is Christ himselfe But wherefore was hee giuen in the holy Supper Verily saith he To giue life vnto the world And to what world Verily vnto them whome hee hath drawne out of and saued from the world To them saith hee Which belieue in him which abide in him To them saith the Apostle In whose hearts he dwelleth To them saith S. Augustine Which are his members and not to any others What iniurie then and wrong dooth Transubstantiation offer vnto our Lord vnto this precious pearle of the Gospell which giueth the same to hypocrites and vnbelieuers which casteth the same to Dogges and Swine in such sort as that they regard or looke after nothing else but that they haue a mouth to cast it into and a stomacke to swallow it downe into Can these courses bee maintained either by the scriptures or yet by the old church wee say of euery Sacrament that the signe which is called ordinarily the Sacrament may be receiued of all but the thing of the Sacrament res Sacramenti of the faithfull and beleeuers onely And as for that due regard and consideration which is to be had of the holie Supper the word of the sonne of God is expreslie laide downe concerning the same This is my bodie which is giuen for you my bloud which is shed for your sins He giueth them not for meat and food but to such as for whome it is shed as for whom it is broken that is to say which are effectually redeemed and by consequent his members And thus saith Origen Orig. in Mat. c. 11. That of this true and verie meat of this word made flesh no wicked or vngodly man can eate because saith he that it is the worde and the bread of life because that hee that eateth this bread liueth for euer Saint Cyprian Cypr. l. de Caen. Domini August tract 26. in Ion. That although that the Sacraments bee suffered to be taken and handled by such as are vnworthie yet they cannot bee partakers of the spirit that is to say of
grace And Saint Augustine That the signes are common to the good and euill but the thing proper vnto the faithfull alone That although they shut vp within their teeth tantae reâ— Sacramentum that is to say the signe of so excellent a thing Idem de ciuit Dei l. 21. c. 25. In sent Prosper 318. tract 59. in Iob. yet they eate but their owne condemnaion That none abide in him but such as beleeue in him that such as abide in him eate him that the rest eate Sacramento tenus non re vera the signe not the thing That the Apostles did eate panem Dominum the bread which was the Lord but Iudas the bread of the Lord against the Lord c. Although Saint Hillarie say that he communicated not at all and the Canon Qui discordat drawne out of Saint Augustine is cleare and euident therein Wheras on the contrarie it should proue most plain and manifest that if their opinion take place that the vnbeleeuers and hypocrites shall receiue the bodie of Christ Christ shal dwell in their bodies corporally such as are dead in their sinnes shal receiue the bread of life and in it eternal life Thus then they destroy the Sacrament of the Supper both in the thing and in the signe prostituting holinesse and sanctimonie vnto the prophane casting the childrens bread vnto dogges and bestowing the spiritual life vpon the vnbeleeuers In the signes causing them to cease to be substances and signes of a most substantiall substance turning them into vaine and imaginarie accidents accidents subsisting without any subiect and yet hauing taste and apt to feed and sustaine and to beget excrements and wormes that is to say substances yea and to be turned into ashes that is to say into matter doe we consent and agree vnto the contradictions contained in these things yea and to be brused and broken in peeces For if this be not bread which is broken shall it be the bodie They are not able to affirme it Iohn 19. Exod. 12. The scripture is verie cleare and plaine His bones shall not be broken Thus then you see how they go about to make them accidents without any bodie Thirdly the nature of one Sacrament is vnderstood by the other It destroyeth the conformity and correspondency that is betwixt the holy supper and the other sacraments We haue affirmed it heretofore out of the old writers with the Apostle That in the Sacraments of the old Testament the fathers receiued the same meate and the same drinke and yet notwithstanding without transubstantiation euen Christ And namely in the comparing of the holy Supper they haue â—o vnderstood it S. Augustine The same faith abideth but the signes are chaunged There the rocke was Christ here that which is set vpon the Altar There they drunke the water that ranne out of the rocke and we the faithfull know that which we drinke c. And Bertram They did eate and drinke the same meate which the people of the beleeuers doth eate and drinke in the Church euen the flesh and blood of our Lord and infinit others Let vs speake now of those of the new Testament Of Baptisme it is said Bee baptised in the name of Christ for the remission of sinnes Of the Supper This is my bodie which is broken my bloud which is shed for you for the remission of sinnes Of the one If a man be not regenerate and borne againe of water and of the spirit hee cannot enter into the kingdome of God Of the other If you eate not the flesh of the Sonne of man drinke not his blood you haue no life in you In a word it is said that in the one We put on Christ we are baptised into his death established and â—ssured into his resurrection regenerate renewed saued c. That in the other We dwell in Christ and that we are in him nourished vnto eternall life c. And Saint Paule seemeth to haue ioyned them together in one verse 1. Cor. 12.13 We were all baptised into one selfe same spirit and we haue all drunke of one selfe same spirit that we might become one and the same bodie c. For the like effects proceeding from the same power and tending to the same end wherefore then wil we in these Sacraments find out diuerse natures Tit. 2. 2. Pet. 1. And why dooth water continue still to be water and neuerthelesse the sprinckling saith the Apostle of the bloud of Christ washing vnto regeneration and remission of sinnes and to saluation by the operation of the holy Ghost when as the bread and wine by the verie same cannot become instruments to nourish our soules with the bodie and bloud of Christ but that it must first come to passe that they be made of no reckoning that the bodie and bloud doe enter into and take possession of their places and that the nature of all both wordes and things holie and not holie be turned topsie turuie As though the power of God were weaker in the one then in the other And it is likewise most certaine that there is nothing more familiar amongst the fathers Epiph. cont haeres l 3. c. 2. in Anchorat Chrysost in Mat. hom 83. August in Io. tract l. 25. 26. Euseb Emiss then to reason from Baptisme vnto the Supper of the Lord. As when Epiphanius saith That the strength of the bread and vertue of the water are made powerfull in Christ c. And Chrysostome speaking of the Supper The Lord saith hee hath not giuen vs here anie sensible thing wee must see and looke vpon the same with the eies of our vnderstanding c. And thus saith hee by the water in Baptisme which is a sensible thing he hath giuen vs regeneration which is a gift apprehended by the vnderstanding And S. Augustine vpon the same matter The Christian is made fat inuisibly namely in the holie Supper as also he is begotten and borne againe inuisibly namely in Baptisme And Eusebius Emissenus labouring to declare and shew what manner of change it is that is made in the bread and wine laieth out the same in plaine sort by that which is wrought in the regeneration of man saying which continueth idem idem the verie same and yet notwithstanding quite another maner of man through the growth and increase of faith Damascene also in like maner Damasc l. 4. c. 14. D. 2. C. Quia corpus de consecr C. vtruÌ„ though one that hath written after the grossest sort in this matter Gratian likewise in the Canon Vtrum which is taken out of Saint Augustine and manie other Certes the Councell of Nice saith of Baptisme Our Baptisme is not to be considered with the eies of the bodie but with the eies of the spirit and so of the Supper Let not your eies stay themselues vpon these signes but lift theÌ„ vp on high c. And he letteth not to say of Baptisme Seest thou water
Againe that which followeth Thy bodie is broken O Christ thy cup is blessed let thy blood be to vs vnto eternall life Can this be spoken and that in their owne iudgementes but of the bread and not of the bodie seeing that in the bodie they do not allow of any breaking And in deed he calleth the kinds after the consecration Creatures in these words Per quem haec omnia Domine semper bona creas sanctificas viuificas c. By whom O Lord thou createst all these thinges as also sanctifiest and quickenest them c. But the praiers which are said after the communion which they call Post-communions will witnesse with vs of the intent of the Church We which receiue the pledge of eternall life doe humblie beseech thee that this which we haue toucht by the image of the sacrament may be receiued of vs by a manifest receiuing c. Againe Hauing beene refreshed with celestial meat drinke we pray thee that we may be made strong through this prayers in remembrance of whom we haue receiued these things Again That we may receiue the sauing effect the pledge whereof we haue receiued by these mysteries Note Pledge Image of the Sacrament communication mysteries c. which they also commonly call Commercia sacrosancta redemptionis nostrae The sacred trafficke of our redemption Celestiall gifts the celestiall Table celestiall sacraments spirituall nourishmentes which are receiued by the spirit in visible mysteries but by an inuisible effect c. Now followeth that which is attributed vnto Chrysostome S. Chrysostomes liturgie but with what apparance of truth we haue shewed before for it cannot bee of fiue hundred yeares after The prefaces therein are customarie There is something said of change but by the inuocating of the name of God and by the power of the holy Ghost not by the pronunciation of wordes and not in the nature of the elementes but in the vse for likewise after the blessing there is a prayer For the precious giftes sanctified And the bread is called Holy bread which is distributed vnto those that are present in these wordes The Lambe of God the Sonne of the father is distributed and not diuided daily eaten and neuer consumed but he sanctifieth them which are partakers thereof Can this be any otherwise spoken then figuratiuely They obiect vnto vs that it is there said That Christ is present there That he is there toucht with the hand and seene with the eye c. And would they haue all this vnderstood according to the letter How then is it said both before and all with one breath Christ is there inuisiblie It is not incident for him to bee discerned there by our sight c. And how will these contradictions in one the same Periode agree stand together but only thus by vnderstanding the signe to be spoken of in the one the thing in the other Can they any way relieue themselues still holding their opinions without falling as saith the Canon into greater more dangerous heresies then euer did Berengarius But verily Chrysost hath spokē thus elswhere Christ is crucified before your eyes his bloud runneth downe from his side c. And S. Paul likewise to the Galathians Christ is crucified before your eies As in S. Ierome Hyeronym in Psal 85. Tertul. de baptism Our faces in baptisme are marked with the bloud of Christ In Tertullian We are washed in the passion of our Lord c. In S. Barnard Washed in his bloud in Baptisme c. And all this without any reall transmutation in the elements In the Masse also vsed at this day The liturgie of the Latines although that it haue beene ouertrimmed againe and againe wee may find sorne traces and footinges thereof for the bread and the wine are there called Dona Munera giftes offerings and the same gifts after consecration are called Creatures Per quem haec omnia semper bona creas c. Whereas the massing Priestes would haue vs belieue that after they haue once gone ouer them that they become the Creator himselfe And they pray vnto God That he would vouchsafe to accept them as the offeringes of Abell c. If it were Christ himselfe with what face could this be done Furthermore there are as yet many Post-communions carrying S. Ambrose his stile As this Pignus vitae eternae c. the pledge of eternall life Again Quod specie gerimus rerū veritare capiamus Lord let thy Sacraments accomplish in vs that which they containe to the end we may receiue in truth that which we handle in figure Otherwise how wil they expound this without a figure That the bodie that I haue taken and the bloud that I haue drunke cleaueth vnto my entralles if we vnderstand it not of the entralles of the soule and by consequent of the mouth of the same according to the words which follow That so there may not remaine any spot of mine iniquities in me c. They think themselues to haue done a great act against al these so euident proofes Obiection when they can but obiect against vs That our Lord had told his disciples that hee would not speake any more vnto them in similitudes and that the question is here about a Testament wherein euerie thing must be plainely set downe But is there any that do both wittingly and willingly make the same more obscure and intricate then they doe which of them or vs doth admit therein both moe figures more strange figures But we say that there is something to be said betwixt parables and figures and that figures are giuen to make cleare and plaine not to make obscure darke And that more is there is not any place in the scripture without speaking either of their figures That the whole discourse of the holy supper is full of figures or our owne wherein there are so many figures to be found Father let this cup passe from me Let a man sell that he hath to buy him a sword This cup is the new Testament c. I will not drinke any more of this fruit Behold thy mother c. Are these figures And is there not also both before and after the passion not onely figuratiue speeches but also figured deeds The washing of the feet of the Apostles The sop giuen to Iudas c. The breathing vpon the Apostles c. in these words Receiue the holy Ghost c. And yet these figures whether those concerning actions or those concerning wordes such as both expressely signifie as also giue much light to that which is intended to bee deliuered yea more then many other wordes would haue done For what store number would haue sufficed to lay open the duetie that our Lord would that S. Iohn should performe to the virgine or the humilitie which hee recommended to the Apostles or to haue set forth the presence of the spirite which he was as certainely to send vnto
there members owe yea what doe they not owe one to an other Seeing also that this head most liuely feeling all that which these members doe or suffer doe not disdaine to declare and manifest vnto vs that what is done or denied vnto the least is done or denied vnto himselfe and from him hath either reward or punishment And this is the cause why the Fathers haue called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an assemblie a Communion And this second fruit and effect is also wanting in the Masse where there is no Communion betwixt the members nor any signification of this coniunction of Christ with vs of our selues together all men vsing of so many cornes to make but one Loafe and one wine and al of vs sucking life out of the same death nourishment from the same meate of the fleshe and bloud of our Lord But particularly in respect of our selues we being members of Christ and quickned by Christ are there nourished and strengthned both in Christ and of Christ And it is not more sure that the Minister doth giue vs the bread and wine that wee take them with our hands that we eate and drinke them that they are conuerted into our substance and become nourishment for our bodies to maintaine and strengthen this life then it ought to be sure and certaine to euerie Christian that our Lord in the holy Supper celebrated according to his institution dooth giue vnto vs at the same instant his flesh and bloud That we take them by faith that we eate and drinke them that they are turned into the life and substance of our soules becomming the foode of the same to maintaine and strengthen vs vnto eternall life Yea and which more is that by the predominant and ouer-ruling power that they haue they turne our soules both to Christ and into Christ vniting them vnto him and making them one with him and our bodies consequently and proportionablie after the manner of our soules doe make vs bones of his bones flesh of his flesh members of that head gouerned by his spirit and one with him to raise againe one day our bodies and soules to be glorified and raigne with him And this fruit also of the holy Supper is lacking in the Masse of the Church of Rome wherein there is not any thing at all representing this straite and neere coniunction with Christ or that true eating by the which it is cherished and maintained wherein such as are present doe neither eate nor drinke corporally nor spiritually wherein they become all together idle gasers and starers vpon the Priest which eateth and drinketh and vpon a pretended mysterie both deafe and dumbe and wherein in a word there is not any one action which stirreth vp their consciences nor any manner of instruction to helpe forward and ad vnto their knowledge These are the principall ends for which our Lord instituted his holy Supper and whereof wee haue beene altogether destitute vnder the Church of Rome which in steed of this sacred meate which we were wont to eate at our Fathers table hath fed vs with huskes apish toyes and mummeries intertaining in stead of all that which was the old fashion of Rome the poore people with vaine pompes and ceremonies and therefore famished with the want of the grace of God From that farre countrie whether our humane fancies had transported and led vs wee are put in mind of our Fathers table and become resolued to returne againe home vnto him from these abuses and deceits so farre differing from his institution to his truth and from our sinnes to his grace and that by his grace Father haue we said We haue sinned against heauen and against thee we are not worthie any more to be called thy children And hee hath according to the same euen his wonted mercie put a ring vpon our finger cloathed vs with Christ and caused vs to eate his flesh and his bloud They were dead hath hee said but they are returned to life they were lost and they are found againe c. To God bee praise and glorie for euer by the same his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Let vs now runne ouer and briefely rehearse againe all that which we haue handled and intreated of in this whole worke In the first Booke we haue handled the rearing and raising vp of the Masse A briefe rehearsal of the whole worke from time to time and from parcel to parcell we haue shewed that the old seruice did consist of a publike confession of sinnes in the reading of the old new Testament and that of whole bookes of the same in singing of Psalmes by the whole Congregation in a Sermon vnto the people which was made by the Bishop or Pastor expounding either some place that had beene read or some such other as hee iudged fit for the edifying of the Church in offerings which were offered by the people for the poore and other vses of the same in a generall praier for all the necessities of the Church state in the institution of the holy Supper taken out of the Gospell or the Apostle in a witnessing of the sincere loue of the faithfull one towards an other before they should draw neere vnto the holy Table and in a denunciation vnto such as were not of this number to the wishing of them to abstaine in the distribution of the holy Supper vnto all the people vnder both kindes during the time of which action they ceased not to sing Psalmes or to read the Scriptures and finally in a solemne thankesgiuing for the benefit receiued as well in the death and Passion of our Lord as in the Communion of his body and bloud in the holy supper Which done the Bishop or Pastor sent the people away with a holy blessing And it is not to be forgotten as we haue seene that all this was done in an vnderstood and knowne tongue As for prayers for the dead praying vnto Saints the Canon of the pretended sacrifice and all the parts whereof it is framed wee haue seene them brought in many ages after and that at seuerall times and great distaunces betwixt one and an other and still impairing and growing worse from time to time Retaining therfore for our seruice that which we well perceiue to bee truely auncient and reiecting that which is notoriously new what shall such seruice bee to speake according to a good conscience but the same that is now vsed in the reformed Churches In the second Booke we haue compared the circumstances of the old seruice and those of the Masse First we haue found the Church vnder persecution without publike places to call vpon the name of God in Afterward wee did see Churches built for the same but without any manner of Images with tables let vs call them if you will Altars for the communicating of the holy supper but without Lampes burning of Incense Consecrations Dedications c. We haue obserued the lawfull election and calling of