sayeth VVe are fed with that thing which the Angels seeing do tremble at and can not loke vpon it without â—ear bycause of the brightnes which reboundeth from it Agayn the same blessed Doctor in the .24 homylie vpon the .10 chapâ—ter of the first to the Corinthians sheweth at large that at the least we should doe towardes the Sacrament of the altar that which the Magians dyd towardes owâ— Sauyor lying in the maynger which dyd come vnto hym with great reuerence and horror Which example he repetyng in an oration of his vpon S. Philogoâ—ius sayeth As thou doest receaue and intertayn God here menyng in earth with much honor so will â—e receaue the there vndowbtedly in heauen with much glorye Lykewyse S. Ambrose most playnly reasonyng with hym self how the Prophet Danyd in the Psalmes willeth vs to worshipp the footestole of God which by the interpretation of an other Prophet ys called the earth at the length he concludeth Therefor by the footstoole let the earth be vnderstanded and by the earth the flesh of Christ which also at this daye we worship in owr misteryes and which the Apostles dyd worship in owr Lord Ihesus Marke the worde which Sainct Ambrose hath That to this day we worshâ—pp Christ in owr misteries Because M. Iuel will haue vs to ascend vp I can not tell how in to heauen to worshipp Christ there as thowgh there wer no â—ote stoole of his that is to saie no flesh of his in earth For where as S. Augustyne hath these wordes manifestlye Christ toke earth of earth for flesh is of the earth he toke flesh of the flesh of Marie and because he walked here in that very flesh and gaue that very flessh vnto vs to be eaten for owr health and no man eateth that flessh except first he adore and worshyp it it is found owt how such a fotestoole of owr Lord may be adored and that we not onlye do not oâ—â—end in worshipping it but in not worshipping of it we doe offend M. Iuell doth expouÌ„d hym after this sort that the eating of hym and worshipping of hym must ioyne togeather but we eate hym in heauen sayth he ergo we must worshipp hym there But how much better doth it folow we eate hym on earth ergo we must worship hym on earth where we eate hym or els to ioyne bothe sayinges togeather we eate hym in heauen and in earth ergo we must worship hym in heaueÌ„ and in earth For as concernyng those testymonyes which are alleaged by M. Iuell that we must lift vp owr hartes And Yf we be rysen agayn with Christ let vs seeke those thinges which are aboue And agayne Owr conuersation ys in heauen By which testimonies he would conclud that Christ his body is to be sowght for only in heauen verely as the wordes doe sownd diuinelie and trulie so is the coÌ„clusion inferred very madly and miserablie Bicause those textes do no more disproue Christ his body to be on earth reallye then they proue owr bodies to be now reallie in heauen As in this short example Owr conuersation ys in heauen sayeth S. Paule and yet when he spake those wordes was he not on the earth in presence of bodie Doth M. Iuels hart goe owt of his body when he doth lift it vp to God Or when I am coÌ„maunded to seeke those thinges which are aboue must I make a ladder for my bodye to clyme vp to heauen All blessed men doe counsell the receauers of the Sacrament to ascend in their hart to loke vp to heauen to worshipp Christ sittyng at the right hand of the Father Which they doe not therefor counsell that we should not beleue owr Sauior to be present in his misteries but bicause they couet to withdraw our imaginations from all earthlines and to geue vs warnyng that we doe not make rekonyng to see with our eâ—e or perceaue by tast or smell or grosslye to conceiue by any bodilye sense the manner of Christ his being in the Sacrament For euen then also when owr Sauior hanged visiblie vpon the crosse it might haue ben well sayed to the faithfull lift vp yowr hartes and ascend with your myndes in to heauen not fastenyng your eyes so much vpon this present forme most pytiefull but rysing with yowr faith to apprehend that infinite maiestie and diuinitie and wysedom and power of Christ which is the glorie of his Father in heauen and comfort of all the holie Angells and thus presentlie yet now ys tormented and defaced vpon the earth As S. Augustyne sayeth very wysâ—lye in the Psalme which I haue fornamed entreatyng vppon the adoration of Christ his flessh It is the spirite which quickeneth the flessh profyteth nothing And therefore when thou doest bowe downe thy selfe and â—al prostrate before any such earth meanyng the flessh of Christ looke not vpon it as it were earth but looke vpon that â—oly one whose fotestoole it is which thou doest worshipp So that the bodye of Christ being present vpon the altar bycause we are all very prone to grosse cogitations and sensible loues therefor may it be sayed most iustly vnto vs lift vp yowr hartes goe vp towardes heauen with them there lett yowr thowghtes be occupyed As who should saye bycause good people yow here that this is his body and yow see it yet in a simple forme as lying vppon an altar and caryed in mennes handes broken also and deuyded yow may perchauÌ„se haue to base and lowe cogitations But I tell yow ascend in yowr myndes dilate yowre hartes and enlarge yowre thowghtes This is his bodye in deed as he hath spoken hymself the word which can not be false and this ys his bloude But whose body and bloud lyft vp yowr hartes now The body of the second person in trinite the onlye begotten of the Father the maker of the world the wisedome of God the ouerlooker of all creatures good and badd angells and diuells men and beastes the sercher of owrâ— hartes the disposer of tymes the iudge of the worlde the felicytie and ioye of the good the terror and feare of the condempned Lyft vpp yowr hartes I saye Thinke you that here ys present a bodye or flessh onlye And that as in diseases some whott meates doe cumfort the bodye so that yow haue but a lyuely peece of his â—lessh onlye Or els doe you conceaue the matter after this sort that as one fâ—nde sendeth to an other a morsell of good meate which the other had not that so Christ in this banket geueth vnto euery man a tast or els a portion onlye of his pretious bodye as it were a most excellent gyft but yet baser then his sowle and diuinitie O lift vpp your hartes You must not seeke Christ so grosselye looke not to haue hym so vpon the earth Christ ys one perfect person God and man maker of all tymes and borne according to flesh in tyme euerlasting lyfe and yet putt
to most shamefull death reignyng at the right hand of God his father and present among men vpon the altar Stick not therefor I say vnto the body lett not your thoughtes and desires rest in the flessh onlye but goe hyer by your faith and coÌ„sider that blessed sowle of his so chast patient wise charitable bright glorious and yet hyer and hyer in to the very heauens and aboue all heauens beholding and wondering how the maker of them all whom thowsand thowsandes and ten hundred thousand thousands do wayte vpon ys present here for vs to be receaued of vs and to incorporate vs in to hym selue This loâ— haue I spoken more largelie bicause M. Iuell hath no other way to answer S. Augustine but to declare as we denye it not vnto them but which thei haue lerned of vs that we must ascend with our hartes in to heauen and there honor Christ. Which being most true and grawnted vnto hym he doth vntruly and ignorantlye to say that Christ is not to be honored also in earth in the sacrament of his very bodye and bloud bycause he is to be honored in heauen For we doe not diuide Christ and make one Christ to be in heaueÌ„ an other to be on earth one bodye in heauen an other in earth but men worshipp hym in heauen one God and the Angells worshipp hym in the Sacrament here on earth as S. Chrisostome proueth And men worship hym as he lieth vpon the altar and Angells worship hym as he sitteth at the right hand of God his father And so both Angells and men doe worshipp Christ both in earth and in heauen and that not with two kindes of honors one for holy dayes an other for working but with one salfe same honor and worship The protestants wold be seen to say much when they appeale so often to heauen and receaue Christ sitting at the right hand of God as who shold saie the papistes myndes goe no hyer then the priestes handes when he sheweth the SacrameÌ„t vnto them And when they haue supposed that this is true then loe they triumph in recityng S. Chrisostome S. Augustyne S. Hierome and then are they sorye that old holie fathers be not regarded But the answer vnto them is readie that they haue saâ—ed therein very well but nothing to the purpose for Catholykes doe beleue that they must lift vp their hartes and seeke for Christ in heauen and worship hym at the right hand of his Fatherâ— but protestantes denye that Christ is reallie present in the Sacrament or that he is to be worshipped therein which I shal disproue a litle more S. Augustyne vpon the .21 Psalme The riche of the earth sayth he haue eaten also the bodye of their Lorde but they haue not been fulfylled as the poore men were in folowing of Christ but yet they dyd worship hym Now M. Iuell coÌ„fesseth that where we eate Christ there we worship Christ. ergo these riche men of whom the Prophet and S. Augustyne speak which did eate Christ on the earth did worshipp hym also on the earth for in heauen they did not eate hym bicause they folowed hym not as the poore did which worthelie did receaue hym Again how could the gentyles haue misreported the Christians in the primitiue church for honoring of Ceres and Bacchus the false goddes ouer bread and wyne except they had geuen some argument thereof in deed by reason of honoring Christ in the SacrameÌ„t For if an Ethnyk shold behold a Christian after grace sayd to eate his meate sauorlie and soberlye he could not think that he worshipped Ceres and Bacchus therein But when the panymes hard saye that the Christians dyd eate the flesh of theyr God and when they could see nothing but bread and wyne which were receaued with all reuerence and deuotion they might not saye that is was onlie bread bycause of the honor which at the presence thereof the Christians exhibited vnto it and they could not saye it was the bodye of Christ bycause that being yet infydells they were not instructed in owr misteries it remayned then to think and to report that vndoubtedlie Christians dyd worshipp Ceres and Bacchus Which proueth that the Sacrament was then adored and worshipped Besides this it ys gathered owt of the same blessed Doctor that we doe honor thinges inuisible I meane flessh and bloud vnder the forme of bread and wyne whiche we see And we doe not take these two kyndes after lyke sort as we dyd before the consecration whereas we confesse faythfullie that before the consecration it is bread and wyne which nature formed but after the consecration it ys the flessh and bloud of Christ which blessing hath halowed But yet for all those testimonye what sayeth M. Iuell It is a verie now deuyse quod he and which as it is well knoweÌ„ came but latelie in to the church about .iij. hundred yeares past Honoâ—us being Bishop of Rome and coÌ„maunding the SacrameÌ„t to be liâ—â—ed vp and the people reuerentlie to bowe downe to 〈◊〉 After hym Vrbanus the fowerth appointed 〈◊〉 holydaie of Corpus Christ c. Threâ— hundred yeares are 〈◊〉 but a very litle 〈◊〉 with â—ow when we â—alke of the adoration of the sacrament but if we come to the glorious setters furch of the new fownd Ghospell thirtie yeares lacking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 computationem Eccelesiâ— Anglicaâ—â— doe â—â—â—ke a greaâ—â— antiquitie And then 〈◊〉 or after hym Zuinglius must be named fathers and Apostells when very blessed Bisshoppes Honorius and Vrbanus whom all Christendome assented vnto are named contemptuouslie as who should say I knew them whem thei did stand withowt the church doores and could not read any letter in the bâ—ke But goe to when Honorius did commaund the adoration of the sacrament dyd any countrey of all Christendome or Cytie or godlye man speake agaynst it Or when S. Vrbane apoynted an holidaye for it is it writen or extant by any argument that it was refused in any place The popes I am sure were not withowt counsell the Vnyuersities were not withowt great scholars religious houses and orders were not theÌ„ destroyed the holy ghost in true Catholykes was inuincible the wicked spirite in heretykes would haue been venterous a good man with the daunger of his life would haue spoken the trueth an heretyke to wynne a fame would not haue passed vpon death the dyuel also being his comforter and in these so manye causes whi the trueth should not be suppressed is it possible that withowt open coÌ„tradiction a false honor of God should be receiued among Christians therough the whole world yf the adoration of the Sacrament were in deed blasphemous being so receaued as it was in all ChristeÌ„dome so many people runnyng headlong as you ween in to their damnatioÌ„ did the holy ghost stirr vp no one good man to call them back That holy ghost which was promysed before and is now performed vnto the church of Christ which
hym by one of the cheifest then in the world yet he to teach the Emperor a true lesson and to proue that his maiestie ys not the highest began aboue all other vnto his chapelaine declaryng that he knew none there to be better Of lyke corage and fortitude was Eulogius an holye and constant priest which being required of the Emperor Valens cheife officer to communicate with hym which helde the empyre and kyngdome which in owr English tongue at these dayâ—s ys to saye Folowe the Kynges procedinges answered peaceablie and gentlelie saying And I also haue my part of a kyngdome and priesthode Such men were holye Basile Ambrose Chrysostome noble and reuerend Bisshoppes in deede which litle regarding the glorie of the court and the worlde spared not to tell the Emperors their owne and also to shewe them that a Bisshopp his office ys not geuen with goldon crowne or purple And not only in theire doinges but in writinges also they declared this veritie that the Emperor rulâ—th in the court the Bisshopp in the church the Emperor ouer mens goodes and bodyes the Bisshopp ouer sowles and consciencies the Emperor in thinges transitorie the Bisshopp in thinges euerlasting These conclusions being therefore true if Innocentius would sweetlye and misticallye allude vnto the beginnyng of Genesis and saye that the two great lightes which God made to rule the daye and nyght doe signifie the two powers of the spiritualtye and of the temporaltye of whiche the one ys so brighter then the other that the least of them both yet doth direct and guide men in the whole worlde is this so vnproperlie spoken or childiâ—â—â—lie that anye father of this generation may honestlie contempne it As on the other syde if there be no strength and force in this argumeÌ„t is the highest misterie and secrete lerning of the catholikes therby vttered and coÌ„futed When frindes confer together familiarly many thinges come and goe to fro betwixt them which if they were examined by the seuere iudgemeÌ„t of some coÌ„trollar would seeme to be spoken triflinglie yet consider the tyme place and persons they may stand wel inough with charitie my meaning is this when Christians write vnto ChristiaÌ„s in great peace of conscience and silence of heresie they are more bold with the Scriptures alleagiâ—g the textes of them â–ª towardes their purpose although it be not according to the first sense and meanyng of the place Alluding as sweet S. Bernard doth man thousand places vnto some historie verse sentence or other lyke thing in them playeing as I might saye and refreshing them selues with the Scriptures as â—saac dyd play with the fayre Rebecca his wiffe in the garden of Abimelech the kyng secretlye as he thowght hym self and honestlie is a good and vertuous man louinglie yet and familiaâ—lye as with a most true and bewtifull wiâ—e All which thinges 〈◊〉 colerated â—mong frendes and they agree wel inowgh with chaâ—â—â— as long as they disagree not with honestie and veriâ—ie But when peekers of quarell◠〈…〉 doe appere and heretikes begin to loure then in deed other kynd of writing and arguyng ys to be vsed not to the vtter disalowing of the familiar manner and fashion which hath his tyme and place but to prouyde against the cummyng in of strangers and enimyes which seek onlye how to fynd faultes with the Catholikes S. Paul wryting to the CorinthiaÌ„s emong other thinges he willed that women should be couered in the churche and emong other reasons this was one which he wrote verie sadlie Doth not nature sayeth he teache yow this for yow see that long heare ys geauen vnto a womaÌ„ to couer herselfe withall This now in a Christian man his eares doth sownd right well and probablie But lett a quareller stand agaynst hym and saye my masters Paul here hath wryten vnto yow that your women should not be bare headed in the church And why so Loth I am to ripp vp the secretes of his lernyng and the force of his reasons But his importunitye dryueth me therevnto marke ye therefore well and waighe this argumeÌ„t A woman by nature hath long heare ergo they must were byggins in the church Should not such a skorner then speak as right as master Iuell doth alleaging that for a principall or singular argument which in deed is not so and afterward by disgracing of that argument to bring the whole matter in to question or els contempt for the blessed Apostle vsed that reason as in waye of persuasion and as a probable and conuenient argument which if one would denie saying it dyd not proue his purpose his conclusion ys sure for all that where he sayeth in the end of that question Yf any man seem to be contentiouse we haue no such custome nor the church of God After which sort it may be well answered that if Innocentius did not therebye well proue the superioritie of the pope aboue the Emperor bicause the Sonn ys bigger then the moone and if there were no other reasons of force and strength emong the Catholykes for that purpose as contrary wyse there be whole bokes of auncient doctors which preferr priestes before all other what so euer creatures for their order sake and authoritie yet it might be well answered to heretykes that if yow be good and cunning at iesting and lyinge vnderstand ye that we haue no such custome neither the church of God And so I answer not onlie for Innocentius but for Isidorus also and Gerson Bonifacius the Glose and for all others which master Iuell rekoneth vp That if they lyke good men abundyng in their sense haue alleaged scripture for prouing of those thinges which were vsed before thei were borne and if vnto contentiouse persons those good mens reasons are not sufficient yet none should be so hardie as to take awaye orders or articles generallie of the whole church receiued Bycause it ys inowgh for a Christian man to alleage that we haue no such custome neither the church of God Wherefor as concernyng shauen crounes and purple sandales holye water or praying in one tong they were neuer taken for secrete mysteries in the church and if the sentences of scripture which holy men haue applied vnto them doe not abundantlie proue them good there is no great harme taken As for holye water althowgh that the wordes of the Prophet Ezechiel may verie well be applied vnto it where he sayeth I will sprinkle vpon you cleane water which wordes being a prophecie of the baptisme of ChristiaÌ„s I can not deuyse in what parte of the seauen deadlie synnes it may be numbered to speake them also by holye water which in one signification doth bring vs in remembrance of owr baptisme yet graunting that they make no more to the purpose then master Iuells talke here of the supremacie and purgatorie and priestes crownes and purple sandales doe make against the Canon of the masse holie water for all that is not
which hauing no religion yet of their owne haue idlenes and liceÌ„tiousnes inowgh to find fault with others pietie they may be well compared to the wanton dame Michol which lookyng owt at a window vpon the kyng Dauid her husband and mislyking much his daunsing before the arke of God allmightie O quod she tauntinglie how worshippfull was my Lord this daye discovering hym selfe before his handmaydens And sayeth the scripture she dispised hym in her hart by likelihode bycause he had a white lynen cloth as rochett or surplesse vpon his backe like a priest And so these now from the windowe of their high contemplation or despection rather of other when they behold good and blessed men to daunce before the arke of God and to make in their turninges and returnynges the scriptures pleasantlie to allude vnto the ornamentes of the sacrifice and the true manna which is the bodie of Christ and perchaunse thorough libertie of spirite excesse of ioye shew a litle their bare O saye these daughters of Saul what goodlie doctors are these and how cleane is their religion See what golden cuppes and altars of stone and fyne lynen clothes and rowndnes of hostes and wasshinges of haÌ„des and sighthinges of hart and what reasons thei haue Behold the Sonn and the Moone doe rule daie and night and againe two swordes be here ergo the Pope ys better then an Emperor and may sitt iudge ouer spirituall and temporall matters How gloriouse loe say thei be these young fathers and lordes of the church But what sayeth the trueth for Catholikes Marye bycawse God hath chosen vs to be rulers of his church and hath preferred vs before the stowtnes of the Protestantes and bycause in owr arke and church the law and the Ghospell ys conteyned with the authoritie to correct miscreantes which is the rodd of Aaron and the pott of heauenlie Manna which ys the bodie of owr Sauyor therefor if owr discouering of owr selues doth greene yow we will not onlie not be ashamed of the applications of scriptures which we haue vsed but we will hereafter be more studiouse in reading in vsing in expownding of the scriptures that no historie prophecie battell name of person place or countrye no hill floud field nothing at all shall escape vs but we will bring it vnto some good sense allegoricall morall or analogicall we all knowe that Theologia mystiâ—a non est argumentis apta and that the sense misticall ys not of sure strength in reasonyng but owr arke being sure and the growndes of owr religion being well setteled and owt of dawnger for the rest we maye sing and plaie and be ioyfull and harpe vpon the scripture In vsing of which if a curiouse 〈◊〉 shal see vs discouered or in part naked it is not owr thowght whether all thinges sitt abowt vs so well and fynelie that heretikes and quarellers doe not or can not carp at vs but that the arke of God be safelie conducted in to Syon and placed within Hierusalem And if this text of the old law Thow shallt not bynd vpp the mowth of thi oxe which treadeth owr thi corne doth not proue that thei which labor in seruyng the altar must lyue by the altar yet as long as church altar priesthode sacrifice and such other thinges of weight remaine we will not stryue vpon the misticall sense of euerie chapiter in the law whether it proueth owr conclusion that which we think worth the alowing These wordes as I trust are reasonable and this ys the plaine trueth of the matter Not to make more ieopardie then the church requyreth neither to faine vpon the Catholikes as that if a Cardinall tredd a wrie vpon his purple sandales or the priest at the altar remember not the theife which hanged on the crosse by Christ and sigth at the remembrance thereof that all owr religion ys quyte ouerturned And this much hitherto for the answering of that common place of M. Iuells where he thowght by gathering of certaine absurd argumeÌ„tes if the people be iudge and by lowd and bold crying owt that these were the secrete misteries of owr religion and that loth he was to rip them vp he thought to bring owr whole religion in to contempt and obloquie And now lett vs consider his last matter which he promysed to touche It can not be denyed sayeth he but Christ in his last supper ordeyned a communion and shewed no manner taken of priuate masse But what calleth M. Iuell a priuate masse He craketh much of the primitiue church as who should saye all antiquity were with them And oftentymes he asketh the question where we can fynd a priuate masse and will not heare vs answer that we vpholde no priuate masse and that this terme of priuate hath ben inuented but of the heretikes them selues For the masse in deede is a common function and office to be done of a priest which is the legate of the people vnto God and God his messenger vnto them In which offices he speaketh for their necessities bringyng vnto God the most noble ryche present of Christ his owne body the soner to obteyne mercy and grace at the which not onlye the visible parties present but all Angels and blessed sowles either in heauen or in the way thytherward be assistants and doe accompany the priest If .20 men be standyng by is it common and if thousandes of heauenly hostes replenysh the place .19 of the men lackyng is it priuate yf it be sayd in the open church is it common and yf it be browght vnto a litle chappell is it priuate what meaneth he by this word priuate I would fayne vnderstand And they answer that when one alone receiueth then it is priuate But is that all their reason why then yf the matter hangeth vpon the nomber of the communicantes we shall haue as many diuisions of common masse as they haue prety definitions of a priuate masse Three sayeth the order of the communion boke myndyng to receaue do make a coÌ„munion as three make a colledge as I haue heard with the lawiers but one alone maynteyneth it a colledge by the selfesame lawiers ergo that masse is not priuate but common and yet common of the least because yf one lacked there could be no coÌ„munion well then yf three skore will coÌ„municate the nombre encreasyng the state of the masse is altered and therfore let this be called a masse of the common of the more Now yf yow make vp three hundred that must nedes be a coÌ„mon of the greater yf three thousand a coÌ„mon of the more greater so that we shall haue no end of coÌ„mon of the more and common of the lesse How much more better is it proued euery masse to be equally coÌ„mon because the priest is a coÌ„mon officer the prayers be common the answerer in the peoples behalfe common the thing offered coÌ„mon the table common the thankes geuyng is common and as it was