of S. Paul The chalice of benediction which wee do blesse is it not the communication of the bloud of Christ and the bread which wee breake is it not the participation of the body of our lord I answeare that our doctrine is not here denied but affirmed for the Apostle teacheth here importing withall by his manner of speach the doctrine to be so well and so commonly knowne that none can denie it he teacheth I say that the breade and the cuppe are the communication of the body and bloude of our lord The reason whereof is cleere because in those formes are exhibited reallie the body and the bloude of Christ Whereas in your sense there were no reall receauing giuing or participating of the body and bloud of Christ but of bakers breade and meere wine And therefore to the Apostle the Corinthians if they had bene of your Religion might haue answeared no it is not any communication participation or communion of bloude and flesh but of naturall meate and drinke If you stick at the word breade you are dull for the words annexed to it doe interprete fully what breade it is and before you haue the word applied and the sense of it inculcated in the Sixt of S. Iohn where our Sauiour saith the breade which I will giue is my flesh Io. 6. v. 51.32.58.48 my father giues you true bread from heauen I am the breade of life c. where I thinke you are not so seÌ„sles as to take the word breade for that which bakers make More ouer this flesh or body of Iesus Christ is in the forme of bread in the Church as it was allso in his owne haÌ„d wheÌ„ he gaue it uÌ„to his disciples aÌ„d therefore after the phrase of Scripture it is called breade Mar. 16. Act. 1. as Angells appearing in meÌ„s likenes are there called meÌ„ 30. Fourthlie whereas wee say that it is not necessary the publique seruice be said in the vulgar tongue You oppose those words of S. Paul If I pray in a tongue to wit 1. Cor. 14. v. 14. which I vnderstand not my Spirit prayeth but my minde is without fruite Answ The meaning is that I haue not in that case the benefit of profiting my soule or minde with contemplation of the thinge yet neuer the lesse my Spirit is eleuated and ascendeth vnto God which is the substance and essence of prayer and this is nothing against vs. You vrge againe if thou blesse in Spirit how shall he say amen which doth supplie the place of the vulgar v. 16. since he knoweth not what thou sayest Answ The meaning is if thou speake some praise of God the hearers not knowing whether it be good or bad he that supplies the place of the vulgar cannot say amen to it Neither is this against vs for our coÌ„mon prayers or liturgies are both knowne and approoued by the Church to whom this approbation doth belonge and this all do know and therefore the clarke or he that supplieth the place of vulgar may boudly sâ—â— Amen Moreouer the Apostle doth not censure as ill that blessing in Spirit which you do vrge but sayeth expresly that he doth giue thankes well which doth so v. 17. If you say the contrary theÌ„ you coÌ„tradict the scripture not wee De imputa iustitia nihil noruÌ„t VValdenses Luth. colâ—oq c. de Suermeris Coce l. 8. â— 4. 31. The fift place is to shewe by Scripture that iustifyiÌ„g faith is that speciall faith whereby you beleeue that your sinnes are all forgiuen and you iust by an extrinsecall imputation of the iustice inherent in Iesus Christ This which is the ground and soule of your Religion wee denie Your proofe is Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed vnto him to iustice Rom. 4.3 v. 16. And therefore of faith that according to grace the promise may be firme Answ This is nothing against vs nor for you for the question is of the Obiect of this faith whether it were the remission of sinnes to him that beleeued they were remitted as you interprete it From the 16. v. to the end or somthing els Reade further and you shall finde in the same Chapter that the Obiect or thing he beleeued was that God would make him the father of many Nations and that notwithstanding his owne age and the sterilitie of his wife God was able to performe this promise Of your Obiect there is not one word neither is it to be fouÌ„d any where in all the Bible The Obiect of Iustifying faith if you beleeue Scripture is the Incarnation the Passion Resurrection and other revealed Mysteries Who is he that ouercometh the world he that beleeueth that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God â— Io. 5. v. 5. Rom. 10.9 If thou confesse with thy mouth our lord Iesus and in thy hart beleeue that God hath raised him from the deade thou shalt be saued Without faith it is vnpossible to please God for Heb. 11.6 he that coÌ„meth to God must beleeue that he is and is a rewarder to them that seeke him This is the Obiect of iustifying faith and the second part you do not beleeue because it implieth a merite in the beleeuer 32. The sixt place is about communion of lay people in both kinds You would haue it a diuine precept for the lay people I admit a diuine precept for the Priests who do consecrate and denie that there is any such whereby the lay people are commanded to receaue the Sacrament in both kinds Your place is Drinke ye all of this Mat. 26.27 But this place doth not import a precept or commaund for the lay people to receaue the blood for the speach is not directed to the lay people but to the Apostles And the word all is referd to them and was verified by them This is manifest by the words of the Gospell He gaue to his Disciples and said take and eate ibid. v. 26.27.28 this is my body And taking the chalice he gaue thankes and gaue to them the same disciples saying drinke ye all of this for this is my bloode c. And S. Marke relating it saith and taking the chalice giuing thanks he gaue to them and they all dranke of it If all dranke of it theÌ„ by all the Apostles are meant onely for all men were not there neither haue all Christians drunke of it In this therefore you haue produced no diuine precept for all men in their owne persons to receaue the blood 33. The seaueÌ„th place is to prooue the Scripture to be iudge of CoÌ„trouersies aÌ„d sufficient of it selfe without helpe of TraditioÌ„ Wee hold the necessity of TraditioÌ„ too â— Tim. 3.16 The place is All scripture inspired of God is profitable to teach to argue to correct to instruct in iustice that the maÌ„ of God may be perfect instructed to euery good worke Answ This is not against vs wee graunt tath it is profitable Wee denie that it is
nothing i conuerted into the veritie of his flesh that our Sauiour maketh not of breade his bodie and of wine his blood I referre the comparison and iudgment to your self or to any other man learned or vnlearned and goe on 44. Thirdlie out of that which is allreadie said I may conclude with ease that the Fathers thought the substāce of breade ād wine remained not in the Eucharist For that which is changed conuerted transelemented into an other thing is no more existent in it selfe and you haue heard them say that the nature of breade and wine is changed conuerted transelemented into the body ād blood of Christ whēce it followes that it is not existent in it selfe But you shall heare them further affirme that in the formes or accidēts of breade and wine there is not breade ād wine S. Iren. l. 4. c. 34. but flesh ād blood It is not common breade but Eucharist consisting of two things the earthlie the species and the heauenlie the Bodie Let vs giue credit to God euerie where let vs not oppose against him though what he saith doth seeme to our sense and to our thinking to be absurd let his saying master our sēse and our reason S. Chrys hom 83 in Matth. Let vs doe this in all things and especiallie in the Mysteries not regarding alone the things which lie before vs but holding fast his words for by his words wee cannot be cozened our sense 1 may easilie be deceaued his words cannot be vntrue our sense is often times beguiled Seeing therefore that our Lord hath said This is my Bodie let no staggering or doubt lay hold on vs but let vs beleeue it and see it with the eies of our vnderstanding for nothing that is sensible is giuen vnto vs here by Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in sensible things indeed yet All that he giueth is 2 insensible It is 3 not that which nature made but that which the blessing hath consecrated S. Ambr. de Myst in c. 9. by the blessing euen nature it selfe is changed Conceaue it not as bare breade and bare wine for it is the holie bodie and blood of Christ for though sense doth suggest this that it is breade and wine vnto thee yet let faith confirme thee S. Cyrill Hier. Catech c. 4. that thou iudge 4 not according to the tast but rather take it as of faith most certaine without doubting the least degree that the bodie and blood is giuen thee And a little before VVith assurance let vs receaue the bodie and blood of Christ for in the 5 forme of breade the bodie is giuen to thee and in the forme of wine the blood c. Ibid. Knowing and beleeuing most assuredlie that that which appeareth breade is 6 not breade though it seeme so to the tast but it is the bodie of Christ and that which appeareth wine it not wine as the taste doth iudge it to be Theophil in c 26. Mat. but the blood of Christ. Breade is transelemented by an ineffable operation although to vs it seeme breade because wee are weake and haue a horrour to eate rawe flesh especiallie the flesh of man for this reason breade appeareth but in essence and 7 substance it is not breade S. Ansel in c. 11. pri Cor. To the 8 exteriour senses it seemeth to be breade but knowe by the sense of your vnderstanding that it is my bodie not another but the same in substance which shall be deliuered to death for your redemption 45. The Protestant Opinion our 1 sense cannot erre The substance giuen vs is 2 sensible breade it is 3 that which nature made Of the substance contained vnder those accidents iudge 4 according to the tast The Protestant explication of this point a mans bodie is not in the 5 forme of breade it is breade and wine 6 the sense is to be beleeued in essence and 7 substāce it is breade it is not that bodie which was deliuered but that 8 which it seemeth to the exteriour sense that is plaine breade Compare this to the Fathers words and iudge of the differēce in this point 46. Fourthlie out of the former places of the Fathers it is Further cleere that they beleeued the bodie of Christ in the Eucharist to be the same bodie which is in heauen and the same blood which issued out of his side to be in the Chalice I will adde a place or two more of this S. Aug. l. 12. cōt Faust c. 10. The blood of Christ hath a loude voice on earth when all Nations hauing receaued it do answere Amen This is the shrill voice of blood which the blood it selfe doth make out of the a mouthes of the faithfull redeemed with the same blood V. Beda in c. 10 pri Cor. ex S. Aug. Serm ad Neoph. In the breade you shall receaue that verie b thing which did hang vppon the Crosse and in the Cuppe you shall receaue that which was powered out of the side of Christ Our Lord doth patientlie sustaine Iudas a diuel S. Aug. ep 162. a thiefe his betrayer he permitteth him to receaue among the innocent disciples that which the faithfull doe knowe c the price of our Redemption S. Chrys hom 24 pr. Cor. Ibid. That which is in the Chalice is that which did d issue from our Sauiour his side This bodie the Sages did reuerence in the cribbe thou seest it not in the cribbe but e on the Altar This mysterie makes the earth to be a heauen vnto thee Ibid. Open heauen gates and looke in or rather open the gates of the heauen of heauens and then thou wilt see that which is said to be true For looke what is there most preciouse I will shewe it vnto thee f heere on earth For euen as in royall pallaces the walles and the gilded roofes are not esteemed the most magnificent thing of all but the royall Person seated in his princely throne so is the kings bodie in heauen Now this mayest thou see heere on earth For here I shewe thee not Angells nor Archangells nor heauens nor the heauen of heauens but I shewe vnto thee him who is the verie Lord of all those things Thou perceauest now in what manner thou dost behold heere on earth that thing which is most precious and most honourable of all other and how thou doest not see it onely but allso doest touch it and that thou doest not touch it onely but allso doest eate it and eating of it returnest to thy howse S. Chrys de sacerd l. 6. At the tyme of the Sacrifice the Angells stand about the Priest and the whole companie of the celestiall powers doe make a noise and the place round about the g Alter is full of Angelicall quires in honour of him who h is there sacrificed which thing those will beleeue easilie who do consider the great Sacrifice which is then donne 47. The Protestāt opiniō Blood
the Church and the onelie meanes which men haue vnder heauē to be informed of the truth is by recourse vnto it vnto the Church and to the Spiritte in her 6. I will descend vnto particulars and make it more manifest A man beleeuing or knowing that there is a God would gladlie heare what he hath imparted to men of the truth and therfore inquires for Gods word he would esteeme himselfe happie if he could be certainlie directed to it and not cozened with other things in steed of it with forged Gospells and Epistles To this mā the Church doth giue satisfaction by reaching him the Bible and assuring him that she knowes it to be Gods word by the assistance and testimonie of the diuine Spiritte which protectes her from errour in beleefe and this promise she had from Iesus Christ who by miracles by prophecies and other sufficient meanes prooued himselfe to be the Sonne of God You on the otherside who denie this certaintie and assistance can giue him no satisfactiō in the world Next opening this booke he finds it hard as containing many obscure passages about the Trinitie the Incarnation the death of Christ his resurrection the sacrament of his bodie and blood c. to this the Church answears him directlie and tells him the sense of God assuring him as before that she by the assistance of the diuine Spiritte left vnto her doth know is to be so You leaue him without satisfaction to the dishonour of Iesus Christ whose wisedome you call in question withall whilst you denie that he prouided meanes for men to be informed of his doctrine and of the waie to serue God 7. You are more sensible peraduenture in examples neerer home though these which I haue put cōcearne euerie man very neerelie I therefore put you in particular in the busines and on the other side put my selfe The question betwixt you and me is whether the visible Church be iudge of controuersies and infallible or be not what meanes to end it your witte why rather then mine or why either since the matter is diuine The Spiritte why in you rather then in me especiallie since I am in the communion of the Church and you not as I haue allreadie prooued or rather whie the Spiritte in either rather then the Spiritte in the Church I am a part that is the whole I am to learne and by Gods grace haue the Spirite to be taught and directed in the Church are my Pastors and I must heare them by the commaund of my Sauiour why then shall I not beleeue that when the voice of them all is one it is the voice of my Sauiour Iesus Christ Other things allso you question as whether it be in the hart onelie to beleeue or in the mouth allso to teach and to professe whether the promise be executed inuisiblie onelie and in the hart of the predestinate and no where els or visiblie also by publique proposition and profession of the truth These and infinite other controuersies wee haue with you ād with your fellowes now adayes and what meanes are there to finde the truth if you say your witte or the Spiritte I replie as before and am certaine that in fine no thing can be brought but the Spiritte nor this pretended howsoeuer but existent by Gods promise in the Church * Seeing the controuersies in our time are growen in number so many and in nature so intricate that fewe haue time and leasure fewer strength of vnderstanding to examine thē what remaineth for men desirous of satisfaction in things of such consequence but diligently to search out which amōgst all the Societies of men in the world is that blessed company of holy ones that househould of faith that spouse of Christ and Church of the liuing God which is the pillar and ground of truth that so they may embrace her communion follow her directions and rest in her iudgment Thus Field in his Epist to the Byssh of Cant. before his Church But if you keepe your eie long vppon this man you shall see him daunce the round too with his fellowes 8. Thirdlie this assistance doth efficaciously follow out of Gods eternall ordinance and decree about the Church which ordinance and decree he hath reuealed in holie writte All powerfull and wise persones intending Arg. 3 resolutelie an End do ordaine likewise efficaciouse meanes to compasse and effect it Since therfore allmightie God hath intended resolutelie to raise a Church out of all Nations as I haue declared in the former booke ◠Book 1. Chapt. ād since the meanes to doe this is infallible propositiō of the truth it followeth that he hath ordained infallible propositiō there of which proposition being not by externes but by the Church it remaines that the Church-propositiō is infallible Your āsweare is that the propositiō made to the elect is infallible but not the proposition made to the rest I replie that the proposition which I speake of that is the exteriour proposition is one and the same in it selfe and made to all but the elect make good vse of it others do not To put this in example for vnderstanding of it you knowe that our Sauiour did preach openlie and his doctrine was instruction for the elect and was infallible but reprobates did heare it allso Good and bad heard the Apostles preach and their doctrine was the same all men cast their eies on the Scripture and the decrees of Generall Councells are proposed vnto all These all are meanes ordained by allmightie God for the instruction of his elect and therfore by his perpetuall watch are kept infallible though reprobates heare and see the same but make not of them such vse as they ought 9. But to speake of the elect particularly since you desire it I demaund of you whether God doth prouide exteriour proposition of diuine faith and pure and solide truth for them or no if you graunt he doth I haue that which I intend for noe man is so mad as to thinke he doth imploie infideles and not his Church in this busines ād if he doth imploy the Church in it he keepes her from erring in the proposition that so the true doctrine may be conuaied into the harts of his electe if you denie that he doth prouide and dispose things so that the true doctrine be exteriorlie proposed vnto his elect how then doe they beleeue you must studie hard to resolue the question Rom. 10.14 for the Apostle thought it could not be And why do you trouble your selues to preach and write bookes perhappes you haue some other end but why did almightie God sēd prophettes into the world ād afterwards his owne sōne why did our Sauiour sende Apostles to teach Nations if this were not necessarie for the instruction of Gods elect why did God ordaine pastors and teachers and promise that his words should neuer out of their mouthes Ephes 4. Isay 59. why were the Gospells and the Epistles written and
it filles no place He is the Creator and may doe as he list The Bodie of our Sauiour in the Sacrament hath not situall extension or Localitie it succeeds into the roome of breade Before breade was vnder those dimensioÌ„s which you see and the body succeeds to bread wherefore the body is now vnder the same It is true that the nature of a bodie requires extensioÌ„ but God is Author of nature and needs nor paie but when he please his DominioÌ„ is absolute Humane nature hath a proper subsistence due vnto it yet in Christ it hath none but diuine 39. To your question how this is donne I answere that other Infidels had the like difficultie in other matters as how he who filles heauen and earth should be in a Mothers armes a little child Almightie God Do you vnderstand how this doth come to passe how is the indiuisible Substance of God in each part of the world all S Chrys in Ep. ad Heb Hom. 2. S Cyrill Alexand. l. 4. in Ioan. c. 13. Reade here an â—xcellen discourse â—o this â—urpose I said God is euery where saith a learned Father but I doe not vnderstand it I say that he is without begining but doe not vnderstand it I say that he hath begott a Sonne c. You should attend to the counsell of S. Cyrill in such high things neuer to question how when God works leaue the way and the knowledge of his worke vnto himselfe As the heauens are exalted aboue the the earth so are my wayes exalted aboue your wayes Isa 55. and my cogitations aboue your cogitations saith allmightie God This how is the Iewes question in this matter as the Father before named doth wel obserue Our Sauiour had said that the bread which he would giue was his flesh 10. 6. aÌ„d that he who did eate it should liue for euer Wherevppon the Iewes moued this questioÌ„ how can this man giue vs his flesh to eate If they had beleeued he was God they might then haue knowne that he was able to turne breade into his flesh and so giue it in the forme of breade to be eaten but they did not beleeue him to be God aÌ„d therefore moued the question how Which question I leaue a while in your mouth and betake my selfe to the text where I finde that he gaue his bodie and blood to the disciples and thus I argue 39. If Iesus Christ true God and therefore allmightie did affirme in expresse termes that the Eucharist which he gaue his Disciples was his bodie and bloode wee are to beleeue it was so since God is Truth and Truth cannot lie but Iesus Christ whom you confesse and I haue declared to be true God l. 2. c. 4â— and allmightie did affirme in expresse termes that the Eucharist which he gaue his disciples was his bodie and blood therefore wee are to beleeue it The Proposition you will not question for you professe you are a Christian l. 2. and if you were none there is inough said in another place to make you graunt it The AssuÌ„ption is cleere in the Gospell THIS IS MIE BODIE Mat. 26. THIS IS MIE BLOOD And further yet that men should not mistake our Sauiours meaning he our Sauiour did adde such attributes to this Bodie and Blood as cannot agree to Breade and Wine Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. or is deliuered This is my Bodie which is giuen for you this is my bodie which shall be deliuered for you Was breade giuen for vs were wee redeemed with breade was bread crucified for the redemption of the world Mat. 26. This is my blood of the new Testament which shall be shedde for manie vnto remission of sinnes Was wine the blood of the new Testament was wine shed for remission of Sinnes No it was the true blood of Iesus Christ Luc. 22. This is the Chalice the new Testament in my blood which Chalice shall be shed for you or is shed The Chalice that is the thing in the Chalice is shed for vs. Is this thing wine or blood If wine then you are redeemed with wine wine was in the side of Iesus Christ If the thing in the Chalice were blood then blood true blood the blood wherewith wee were redeemed was there in the Chalice 10. 6. and the Disciples dranke it In an other place he said allso the bread which I will giue is my flesh vnles you eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood you shall not haue life in you my flesh is meate indeede and my blood is drinke indeede he that eateth my flesh aÌ„d drinketh my blood 1. Cor. 10. abideth in me and I in him And the Apostle The Chalice of benediction which wee do blesse is it not the communication of the blood of Christ and the bread wee * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe sacrifice vnbloodilie as in the next ch v. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And your Caluin doth acknowledge this sense frangi saith he vppon that place Interpreter immolari 1. Cor. 11. breake is it not the participation of the bodie of our Lord whosoeuer shall eate this bread or drinke the Chalice of our Lord vnworthilie he shall be guiltie of the bodie aÌ„d of the blood of our Lord. He that eateth and drinketh vnworthilie eateth and drinketh iudgment to himselfe not discerning the bodie of our Lord. And you too discerne it not you esteeme it bakers bread You doe not beleeue that it is the bodie of our Lord. You doe not beleeue that it is heauenlie breade That it is the flesh of Christ that the Chalice is the communication of blood that the blood of Christ is drinke and his bodie meate that Christ is is in him that hath eaten this breade This you beleeue not but are content with common bread and wine Common wine with you is the Testament of Iesus Christ it issued out of his side you were redeemed with it and bakers breade was crucified for your sinnes THE SEVENTH CHAPTER The Fathers vnderstood the Reall Presence as wee doe 40. FOr the Reall Presence out of Antiquitie are cited Iustinus the Martyr Ireneus TertulliaÌ„ Hilarius both the Cyrills Ambrose Epiphanius Hesichius Optatus Augustine Ierom Leo Gregorie and others by Zanchez Coccius Garetius and Gualterius Your answere is that all are to be vnderstode of a figuratiue and not a reall Presence You thinke the Bodie and Blood are in heaueÌ„ onelie and no neerer but wine and breade you say are equiuocallie called the blood and Bodie though they be indeede nothing els but signes This deuice doth not satisfie For the Fathers haue directlie expressed all the conditions of a reall Presence to the verie last and will not be contented with your figure This I delare 41. First because in conceauing the Institution of a signe there is no difficultie it was easie to say and for men to vnderstand that breade was a signe or figure of the bodie if
is the sense of the Spiritte of the Catholique Church and of the holie Ghost himselfe And in this sense of vnbloodie exteriour Sacrifice in forme of breade and wine the catholique church diffused thorough the whole world doth and euer did vniuersallie consent as I haue sufficientlie declared 76. Lastlie taking the Christian Church thus beleeuing and practizing and comparing it to the Prophecies I confound the Iewes too and make an in euitable demoÌ„stration that the Catholique Church in communion of all Nations thus offering a cleane Oblation to God EVERIE WHERE is the true Church of God and shake those people of with that of Malachie My will is not in you saith the Lord of hosts and guifte I wil not receaue at your hand Mal. 1. v. 10 11. for from the rising of the Sunne euen to the going downe my name is greate among the GENTILES and IN EVERIE PLACE there is Sacrificing and there is offered to my name a CLEANE OBLATION because my name is greate AMONGE THE GENTILES saith the Lord of Hosts THE TENTH CHAPTER Tradition 80. BEing not able with your sillie Arguments to driue vs from the Masse you growe desperate and runne foolishlie into the mouth of a Canon It was declared at Nice and since againe at Trent Conc. Nicen 2. act 7. Conc. Tr. sess 4. that Tradition is to be admitted without it you can knowe nothing in diuine matters because it must reach you the Scriptures wherein you pretend to grouÌ„d your selfe Yet because it doth withall offer more then you are willing to receaue you speake against it I haue spoken of it sufficientlie in the first and third bookes but since you repeate your argument I will resume also part of my discourse 8s The doctrine of Tradition is grounded in the Scripture 2. Thess 2. v. 15. Hold and obserue the Traditions which you haue learned either by word of mouth or by our letter heere are distinguished as you see plainlie two waies of deliuering the sacred truth and instruction one is by writing the other by word of mouth and it is to be kept and obserued if the Apostle may be iudge in the matter whether it be deliuered the one way or the other The same in another place allso he doth teach writing vnto Timothie thus 2 Tim. 2. v 2. The things which thou hast heard of me by manie wittnesses commend vnto faithfull men which shall be fitte to teach others allso This is the care the Apostle did take that what he had said might be conuaied vnto Posteritie from haÌ„d to hand commend vnto them saith he which shall be fitte he doth not say to write but to teach these thiÌ„gs which thou hast heard of me he doth not say which thou hast reade but heard and that openlie by manie wittnesses this doctrine taught by word of mouth is to be conserued by teaching others and this is the sacred depositum where of he had spokeÌ„ in the former chapter referring the good keeping thereof to the assistance of the holy Ghost 2. Tim. 1. v 14. keepe the good depositum by the holie Ghost which dwelleth in vs. Which is conformable to our Sauiours promise in S. Iohn He the holie Ghost shall teach you all things and suggest vnto you all things whatsoeuer I shall saie vnto you He saith not whatsoeuer shall be written but whatsoeuer I shall saie and God the Father in his promise to the Church Isa 59. v. 21 My words that I haue putte in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth c. which words are more generall then if he had said thus the Scripture shall neuer be out of thy eies or thou shalt be euer reading that which I will cause to be writteÌ„ or it shall neuer out of the booke whereinsoeuer I shall write it he saith not so but my words shall not out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seed and out of the mouth of the seede of thy seede from hence forth for euer a cleere testimonie of the perpetuitie of sacred doctrine euer deliuered by word of mouth which is the thing wee call Tradition 82. Heerevppon Sainct Ireneus a man neere vnto the Apostles tyme â— Iren. l. 3. â—du Haeres â— 2.3.4 and well seene in their doctrine doth say that the Tradition in the Church receaued from the Apostles hath beene kept by the Succession of Bisshops that the Apostles laid vp in the Church as in a rich depositorie all truth and that therefore for resolution of controuersies recourse is to be made vnto the most auncient Churches So likewise Tertullian one allso of those who were neere vnto the Apostles tyme doth tell vs that in disputation with Heretiques wee are not to appeale vnto the Scripture Tertull. Praesc c. 19. because Heretiques will interprete as they list but that wee must inquire where the faith where the Church is from whom by whom when and to whom the discipline hath beene deliuered whereby Christians are made for where it shall appeale that the truth of discipline and Christian faith is there will be the truth of the Scriptures and of Expositions and of all Christian Traditions wee must vse Tradition S. Epiphan Haeres 61. Vide eundem in haeresi 55. 69. saith S. Epiphanius because all things cannot be had out of diuine scripture wherefore the holie Apostles haue deliuered some things by scriptures and some things by Tradition Many things saith Sainct Augustine are not found in the writings of the Apostles nor in the constitutions of later Councells which notwithstanding are beleeued to haue bene deliuered and commended by them the Apostles because by the vniuersall Church they are obserued S. August l. 2. Bapt c. Donat. c. 7. The doctrines which are obserued and taught in the Church wee haue partlie by the written word and partlie wee haue had them brought vnto vs by Apostolicall tradition S. Basil l. de sp s c. 27. Ib. c. 29. S. Chrys in 2. Thess â— saith S. Basil and in another place I esteeme it Apostolicall to perseuer in vnwritten traditions It is manifest saith S. Iohn Chrysostome that the Apostles deliuered not all by letters but many things without writing and these the vnwritten are as worthie to be beleeued as those other deliuered by writing Wherefore wee thinke the Churches tradition worthie of beleefe it is a tradition Vincent Lirin c. 1. 2. looke no more To conclude Vincentius Lirinensis in his booke of the Prophane Noueltie of Heresies doth tell that he learned of wise and holie men this way to perseuer in the true faith to fence it as he saith with the authoritie of the diuine lawe and with the tradition of the Catholique Church And obiecting presentlie to him selfe as if Ecclesiasticall authoritie were not necessarie because of the sufficiencie of the Scriptures he answeares that it is necessarie because all men vnderstand not the Scripture the same way because of the depth
the sixt Age wee haue the Testimony of seuerall * Concil Agath cap 470 GeruÌ„ den cap. 1 Aurelian â— 28. Turonens 2 cap 3. 4. ConstaÌ„tin act 1. citat Gaâ—ret Co. Gualt S. Greg. Magn. 4. Dial. c. 58 Hom. 37. in EuaÌ„ S. Aug. l. 1â— de Ciuit. c 22. Councells celebrated in many Nations wherein there is such expresse mention of the Masse as no tergiuersation can suffice But omitting that as allso the testimony of Remigius Cassiodorus Fulgentius and others of that time I content my self with the place before cited out of S. Gregorie because he was in communion with all the world Christ liuing himself immortallie is AGAINE SACRIFICED FOR VS in this Mysterie of the holie oblation In the begining of the sift age liued S. Augustine wheÌ„ Melchisedech did blesse Abraham there first appeared the Sacrifice which is offered now to God by Christians in ALL THE WORLD wee do not erect Altars wherein to sacrifice to Martyrs Idem l. 22 c. 10. but wee doe offer sacrifice to their God and ours The Sacrifice it self is the bodie of Christ And to the Iewes Open your eies at leingth Ibid. and see froÌ„ the east to the west not in one place as it was appointed you but in EVERIE PLACE offered the Sacrifice of the Christians Idem orat cont Iud. c 9.10.6 vide eundem de Ciuit. l. 17. c. 17. l. 18. c. 35. S. Ierom. adu Vigilant c. 3. vide S. Amb. ad Ps 38. not to what God soeuer but to the God of Israel who foretold it In the fourth age liued S. Ierome Ill therefore doth the Bysshop of Rome who ouer the venerable bones base dust according to thee Vigilantius of deade men Peeter and Paul doth offer Sacrifice and thinks their tombes to be Altars and this the Bisshops not of one towne onelie but of ALL THE WORLD doe who contemning Vigilantius enter into the Churches of the deade And Eusebius Bisshop of Caesarea speaking of those words of the Psalmist thou hast prepared a table in my sight c. He doth saith he Euseb Caesar Demonstr Euang l. 1. c. 10. in this openlie signifie the mysticall vnction and horrour-bringing Sacrifices of the table of Christ wherein operating wee are taught to offer VNBLOODIE and reasonable and sweete VICTIMES in our whole life to the most high God by his most eminent Priest of all And a little after vppon a place of Esaie they shall drinke wine c. Ibid. He doth prophecie to the Gentiles saith he the ioy of wine signifying therein somewhat obscurelie the mysterie of the newe Testament BY CHRIST instituted Idem orat de Lâ—â—d Constant which at this daie verilie IS OPENLIE celebrated in ALL NATIONS The same man in his Oration in the commendation of Constantine tells of Churches Altars Vide Cyp. l. 2. Ep. 3. and sacrifices in the whole world In the begining of the third age Sainct Cyprian did liue who saith S. Cypr. lib 1. ep 9. all that are honoured with diuine Priesthood and placed in Clericall ministerie ought not to serue but the Altar and Sacrifices and to follow their prayers and deuotions Our Lord aÌ„d God Iesus Christ is himself the most high Priest of God the Father Idem lib. â— ep 3. and he first of all hath offered SACRIFICE to God the Father and hath commaunded THE SAME to be donne for a commemoration of him Tertullian Tertall l. ad Scapul c. 2. S. Iren. l. 4. adu Haere c. 32. wee doe offer Sacrifice for the saftie of the Emperour to our God and his In the second age liued Ireneus and Iustinus both Saincts the one saith He Christ tooke that breade which is of the creature and gaue thankes saying this is my bodie and likewise he coÌ„fessed the Chalice which is of the creature which is according vnto vs to be his blood aÌ„d taught the new oblation of the new testament which the Church RECEAVING FROM THE APOSTLES doth offer to god in ALL THE WORLD S. Iustin Dial. cum Tryphone The other Euen then he Malichias foretold of our Sacrifices of Gentiles which are offered IN EVERIE PLACE that is of the breade of the Eucharist and the cuppe likewise of the Eucharist c. Ibid. God preuenting doth wittnes all those to be gratefull vnto him who offer thorough his name the sacrifices which Iesus Christ deliuered to be donne that is in the Eucharist of breade and the Chalice which are donne by Christians IN EVERIE PLACE 76. And heere I name againe the Liturgies of the Churches of Rome of AlexaÌ„dria of Ierusalem and of Aethiopia wherein is euident acknowledgmeÌ„t of this Vnbloodie Sacrifice in forme of breade and wine whereof I speake in so much that all these Liturgies and generallie the Liturgies of all knowne Christian Churches that euer yet were of anie note in the world consent and agree heerein If you denie these were auncient I bringe against you all these Churches who professe and beleeue to haue receaued them from hand to hand euen from the Apostles Thus other bookes haue beene deliuered vnto vs from Antiquitie And this Tradition must haue equall force in the deliuering of these bookes I adde further that all Churches cannot erre in tradition of Bookes otherwise you could neither be certaine of anie worke of anie Father as of S. Augustine S. Ierom c. nor of anie part of the Bible since therefore all knowne Churches agree in the receipt of the Liturgie from the Apostles you must beleeue it or else with the same pretense you may refuse the Bible too 77. Next I name the Apostles who taught a propitiatorie Vnbloodie Sacrifice in forme of breade and wine and did also say Masse Our B. Sauiour also at his last supper did offer this die Sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacrificantibus autem illis domino Act. 13. v. 2. vert Eras remember what I cited but now out of S. Ireneus The Liturgies of S. Peeter S. Iames S. Matthew and Sainct Mark are yet extant as I haue declared by the Gospell in the first booke and the thing is so cleere that you cannot auoide it if you take the words of Scripture in their proper sense as the Church hath euer donne So well is the Masse grounded for which wee suffer now In the Masse you are to distinguish the substance of the sacrifice oblation consecration and the consumption of the sacred hoast or eating of the victime in this vnbloodie forme by the Priest from the Epistle Gospell prayers ceremonies c. the first was euer since and euerie where the same the second not names of Saincts prayers ceremonies might be and yet may be changed by the Church 78. To all this I adde further the testimonie of the holie Ghost the Spirit of Truth and Interpreter of Gods word for that sense wherein the Catholique Church spred ouer the world doth and euer did from the begining vniuersallie consent