in faithe For vve ought not to maruayle if the auncient fathers haue done many thinges in that time vvhich novv can not serue nor profite vs any thing at all inasmuch as they haue serued but onely for their time For the Apostles haue ordayned some thinges vvhich novve ought not to be follovved nor kept As vve doe reade in the actes of the Apostles that the counsell that vvas celebrated by the Apostles in Ierusalem decreed that vve should abstaine from bloude and from the fleshe of beastes that vvere strangled VVe knovve vvell inough that this ordinance novv hath no more place and is not in force among the christians nor ought to haue bicause that all thinges are cleane and purified through the vvorde and prayer Then vvee see that that decree vvhich hath bene decreed by the holy spirite by the Apostles to haue bene made bicause of the personnes and to serue onely but for that time Iudge novve if an ordinance made by the Apostles to support the infirmitie of men hath bene set foorth and aftervvardes abolished vvhat oughte vve to iudge of those vvhich are of lesse importance vvhich haue bene ordayned by men a great deale inferior and of lesse estimation then the Apostles There is no doubt that forasmuch as they haue bene ordayned to serue onely for that time that novve vve may let them alone and forsake them bicause that there is neyther Ievves nor Turkes among vs but christians at the least as they saye Also vve ought not vpon this to holde our peace or hide the vnshamelesse malice of many vvho neuerthelesse calling themselues christians vnder colour of antiquitie and of the auncient doctors doe forge and inuent of their ovvne vvicked and filthye brayne naughty and most detestable errors and aftervvard say that the auncient fathers haue vvritten so and preached so and by that meanes make the poore vvorld being seduced to beleeue it And yet the malice is so great in them that all they that vvill not receiue and allovve that vvhich their brayne hath inuented vnder the name of holy men they crye after them vvith open mouth to the fire to the fire vvith the Heritickes They reiecte the doctrine of the fathers Alas O my God and Lord thou knovvest our hearts and the heartes of these lyers that vve doe not desire but that in all and through all be it through life or death that thy son Iesus Christ and his doctrine may be onely receiued loued and vvorshipped And for this are vve apoynted as sheepe to be slayne vve are nought set by mocked beaten banished chased from tovvne to tovvne To be short vve are esteemed and counted as the most vile stinking filthynesse of all the vvorld troden dovvne vnderneth the feete of the vvorldlinges But for all that vve possesse our soules in patience looking for the righteous Iudge vvhich vvill iudge all the vvorld not according to the doctrine of men but according to hys holy vvorde for vvhich vve are had novve in suche abhomination to the vvorlde Furthermore they vvhich dayly accuse vs vvith so greate rage and furye against the auncient doctrine of the Apostles and Doctors shall at the last acknovvledge their malice and liuing that they haue declared in their bookes corrupting and marring the bookes of the auncient fathers of the churche If I durst I vvould gladly name one vvho in that occupation or science hath serued out his prentyshyppe for that cause is called our maister in his booke that he hath intituled The bouckler of the faithe vvherein he declareth the subtiltie of his intent and craft alledging the auncient Doctors in Latine after translating them into Frenche and at euery place where he found Sacrificium or the like manner of speaking in steade to put in sacrifice or holy mysterie he hath translated them alvvayes the holy mysterie of the Masse and so by that meanes they finde that vvorde Masse in the bookes of those good fathers vvhich they neuer thought nor did I beleeue he thought that his booke should not come but only in the handes of yong children or else he thought that he had to doe but vvith beastes like vnto himselfe There is no man though he haue but small iudgement and vnderstanding vvhich reading that booke but that he may see at the first dashe hovv he lyeth and vnsayeth and reuoketh it agayne and neuerthelesse he is heard and accounted as halfe a God not only of the poorest sort but of the greatest in the vvorlde In the meane time vve ought not to maruayle at this that such gallants haue bene so hardy and ouerbolde forasmuch as they vvere supported and maintayned of Kings Emperors Princes and Magistrates and that they vvere the best vvelcome to their Court. I remember that I haue reade in the Ecclesiasticall histories that in the time of the auncient Doctors there vvere abusers and seducers of the people that sovved their pestilent venim amongst the doctrine of the auncients Of that Denise bishop of Corinth complayned very much saying that many haue sovvn in his Epistles much vvicked doctrine Therefore thinke that if they haue bene so hardy and bolde that they durst corrupt the vvrytinges of the auncientes yea vvhilest they vvere yet aliue VVhat vvill they doe novve at the least they vvill doe asmuch as their auncient fathers that is to saye those Apostates ennemies of the fathers Novv notvvithstanding their shamelesse malyce they rebuke and checke vs vvith a vvhores face that vve are ennemies of the fathers despisers and contemners of their doctrine and disturbers of the vvorld I vvould to God that they vvould permitte and suffer vs to compare our doctrine openly and before all the vvorld vvith theirs to the end that all men might knovve vvho be the contemners and ennemies of the fathers somuch it vvantith that vve should be found condemners and ennemies of those good fathers that altogither it vvoulde be seene that the same doctrine that vve hold keepe at this day is the very same for vvhiche manye of those good fathers haue shead their bloud and vvould shead it if they vvere novve aliue It seemeth that the same is not true that I haue spoken that if the fathers vvere yet aliue that men vvould put them cruelly to death as most vvicked Heritickes Yea they vvhich at this daye doe boste and brag them selues to be their obedient children and make bucklers of their bookes Vnderstand and hold fast in minde dearely beloued behold this present booke may serue vs for a certayne argument of that vvhich is composed and faithfully gathered togither out of the very bookes of the auncient Doctors That if I vvould present this present booke vvherein there is nothing in it of mine but altogither of the auncientes for confession of my faith to those enemies of the fathers I doubt not but presently I should be as a moste vvicked Heretick condemned to be burned quicke into ashes Novve see dearely beloued and iudge iustly before God according to your
and to me For I shall haue no great labor to declare vnto you the vertue and efficacie of the gospell so that the sentence before be made easy by you in your house And you shal be a great deale more wyse not onely to heare and vnderstande but to teach others For there are a great manye that heare and take great payne to keepe all the wordes of the Gospell and all that wee doe interprete vpon them yet neuerthelesse they profite not very much although wee shoulde remayne there with them a yeare Wherefore Bicause they giue not themselues vnto our sermons but a small time that onely in the Churche And if anye excuse themselues by reason of their businesse and occupations of publike and particular things First of all they erre very much chiefly in that they vnderstande so manye things and are so much giuen vnto temporall affayres and businesse as they doe nothing at all studie on the things whiche are moste necessarie and doe alledge a vayne excuse and of no force For one may rather accuse in this matter the long conuersation of frendes the long sitting in the theaters and gasing places the long time that men spende in beholding the running of horses in which vayne things they consume and spende manye times a whole daye and the which neuerthelesse they excuse not themselues by reason of their occupations Furthermore ye are to diligent in things that are vyle and nothing worth But when ye muste vnderstande heauenly things ye esteeme them vnprofitable and of no price insomuch as yee make none account to bestowe on them anye little care and diligence And howe are they worthie of victuals and to see the sunne which make so small account of it The negligent people haue yet another excuse but very euill that is to say that they haue no bokes That should be a ridiculous thing to answere here for the rich but bicause I doe thinke that many poore men doe vse manye times that excuse I will a little speake vnto them and aske them whether they haue not all the instruments and tooles that belong to their arts and sciences Although that pouertie letteth or hindreth them greatlye to buye them It is then a foolishe thing to excuse themselues through pouertie and to be diligent in lacking nothing necessarie for their occupations and sciences yet to excuse themselues vppon their occupations and pouertie in things whereof commeth vnto them so great vtilitie and profite Augustine in the .56 Sermon vnto the brethren being in sorrowe and care He which maketh none account to reade the holy Scriptures sent from paradise ought to feare that he do not only peraduenture receiue eternall retributions and rewardes but also that he escape not eternall paines For it is so dangerous not to reade the heauenly precepts that the Prophet with great mourning doth crye therefore commeth my folke into captiuitie bicause they haue no vnderstanding for he that is ignorant shall be ignorante still Without doubt he whiche maketh none accounte in this world to seeke God by heauenly reading God will scorne to knowe him in the eternall and euerlasting blessednesse We ought greatly to feare with the fiue foolish virgines who came after the gates were shutte when Christe saide vnto them I knowe you not depart from me ye workers of iniquitie What is that to saye I knowe you not I knowe you not Howe doth he not knowe those whom he sendeth to the fire not without cause both of them For as he saide not long sithence those whiche will not vnderstande in reading in this worlde God will not knowe them in the daye of iudgement We ought also to heare not negligently but diligently and with great feare that which is written in the prouerbes of Salomon hee that turneth saith he awaye his eare from hearing the lawe his prayer shal be abhorred He that woulde be hearde of God oughte first to heare God for howe would he that God should heare him considering that he dispiseth so much as he maketh none account to reade his holy commaundements And that what is it my brethren Some christians yea and which is worse some of the clergye when they would bring them into the right waye doe ordaine that bread wine and oyle and other necessarye things of coste be prepared for them And forasmuche as euery one prepareth so manye thinges for his terrestriall iorney for to nurrishe his fleshe wherefore hath he no care or desyre to reade so excellent a booke of whiche his soule shoulde be refreshed here eternally What soeuer thinges are written afore time are written for our learning that we through pacience and comfort of the scriptures might haue hope To all you that be at Rome he hath written vnto all that that he did write These thinges were written to put vs in remembrance whom the endes of the world are come vpon Saint Ierome writing vnto Caelantia a gentlewoman of Rome You demaund and redemand very carefully and earnestly that I should describe for you a certayne rule of the holy Scriptures to whiche you shoulde addresse and leade the course of your life to the end that knowing the will of the Lorde among the honors of this worlde and the pleasure of riches you should rather haue a heape and great store of good manners And to that end that you being maryed may please not onely your husbande but also him whiche hath permitted maryage And againe first of all that the authority of the husband be kept and that all his family doe learne of you how greatly they ought to honor him the Lorde declareth through seruice and great obedience by humilitie for the more you honor him the more you shalt be honored for the Apostle saith The husband is the wiues heade For the bodie hath more ornaments vpon the head than all the residue of the whole parts Againe S. Ierome writing vnto the sayde Caelantia Let all excuse of error cease the filthie the filthie and dishonest reioycing in sinne let them be put awaye for if we will excuse and defende our selues by the example of the multitude reciting many times the vices of others for our consolation and comfort saying that we haue none whō we may followe we doe nothing We are sent to the example of him who we doe all confesse ought to be followed And therefore the chiefest care is to knowe the heauenly lawe by the which thou mayest see the examples of the saints as if they were present Learne by the counsell of the same what we ought to do what to auoid For he helpeth greatly to iustice that is to say increaseth vertues that filleth his spirite and mynde with heauenly wordes and whiche hath alwayes in his heart that which he desireth to fulfill by works c. Immediatly after he sayth Let the holye Scriptures bee then alwayes in thy handes and continually in thy thought
here for he is rysen as he sayd come and see the place where the Lord was layde Behold my handes and my feete for it is euen I my selfe handle me and see for a spirite hath not flesh and bones as ye see me haue And when he had thus spoken he shewed them his hands his fete And while they looked stedfastly vp to heauen as he went behold two men stode before them in white apparell which also sayd ye men of Galyle why stand ye gasing into heauen This same Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen shall so come euen as ye haue seene him goe into heauen Also whom the heauen must contayne vntill the time that all thinges be restored That we ought not to take from the lay people the wyne of the supper Gelasius Pope of Rome of consecration in the seconde distinction chapter Comperimus c. We haue vnderstoode that some men receyuing only the bodye of the Lorde doe abstayne themselues from the Cup who forasmuch as they sinne by superstition ought to be constrayned and compelled to receyue the Sacrament wholy or else to reiect it altogither For the diuision of this mysterie cannot be without great sacriledge Iesus Christ commaunded in his supper and sayde Drinke ye all of this For this is my bloude of the newe testament The Counsaile of Basile hath ordeined that the laye people shoulde communicate the supper in two kindes Saint Cyprian in his Sermon of penitent sinners Howe shall we exhort the people to shed their bloude for the confession of Christ if we doe denie vnto them the bloude of him when they ought to fight Or howe can we make our selues capable to drinke the cuppe of Martyrdome except that we suffer our selues firste to drinke of the cuppe of the Lorde That we ought not to keepe the breade of the supper nor to carie it here and there Saint Clement in his 2. Epistle to Iames. And of the consecration in the 3. Distinction Chapter tribus c. So many hostes ought to be offred at the Aulter as shall be sufficient for the people And if any remaine we ought not to keepe it vntill the next day but through the diligence of the clarkes with feare and trembling ought to be receiued and eaten Origen vpon the 7. chapter of Leuiticus The Lorde hath not ordayned or commaunded that the bread should be kept vntill the morrowe the which he gaue vnto his disciples but sayd vnto them take ye and eate c. And in this he commaunded not to carry the bread by the wayes it may be that by the same is conteyned a mysterye that is to say that alwayes thou oughtest to bring forth the newe breade of the worde of God whiche thou bearest within thee Iesus Christ sayth Take and eate In which sense we ought to vnderstand the auncient Doctors when they haue sayde we offer we sacrifice in calling the supper a sacrifice S. Augustine writing against Faustus the 8. Chapter The Hebrues sacrificing the brute beastes did exercise themselues in the prophecie of the sacrifice which Iesus Christ hath offered And nowe the Christians in the oblation and communion of the bodie of Iesus Christ doe celebrate the memorie of the sacrifice already ended Chrysostome in his first tome vpon the 8. Chapter of Saint Mathew in the 16. homily For this cause these reuerende and salutarie mysteries which we celebrate in all the congregation of the Church are called Eucharistiae that is to saye a giuing of thankes for they are the remembrance of many benefites and doe shewe the verye heade of the heauenly loue towardes vs and doe make vs alwayes render thankes vnto God. The Prophet Dauid in the 50. Psalm Offer vnto God thanks giuing c. Irenaeus in his 4 booke against the heresies Chap. 32. 33 34. He hath willed that we shoulde offer often the gift at the aultar and without intermission The aultar then is in heauen for thither our prayers and oblations are addressed and directed to the temple as S. Iohn saith in his Apocalips And the temple of God was open and the tabernacle For beholde sayth he the tabernacle of God in the whiche I doe dwell with men S. Cyprian in his 2. boke of Epistles the 3. Epistle vnto Cecill We must not welbeloued brother that any man thinke that one ought to followe the custome of some men whiche haue thought or iudged that we must offer the water only in the Lordes cuppe we must aske of those whō they haue for example For if in the sacrifice which is Christ we must followe none but Christ truly then we must heare and doe that which Christ hath done and commaunded to be done Inasmuch as he sayth in his Gospell if you doe whatsoeuer I commaunde you I will call you no more seruauntes but my frendes And that Iesus Christ ought to be onely hearde the father himselfe doth witnesse it from heauen saying This is my welbeloued sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him Wherefore if Christe ought to be only hearde we ought not to regarde that whiche another before vs shall thinke good to be done But that he who is before all that is to saye Christ hath done first For we must not followe the custome of man but the veritie of god forasmuche as he sayeth by his Prophete Esay They worshippe me in vayne teaching doctrines whiche are but mens preceptes And the Lorde himselfe repeateth the same in the Gospell saying ye doe reiect the commaundement of God for to establishe your owne tradition But yet he hath sayde in another place Whosoeuer shall break one of these least commandements teacheth men so to doe he shall be called the least in the kingdome of heauen Then if it be not lawfull to breake the least of all the commaundementes of God howe much lesse shall it be lawfull to breake these so greate so excellent and so properly appertayning to the Sacrament of the passion of the Lorde and of our redemption Or to chaunge it thorow the ordinance and tradition of men to an other thing than to that to the which it hath ben godly instituted For if Iesus Christ be the very souereygne Priest of God the father and if he hath bene the first offered sacrifice to God his father and hath commaunded to doe this in remembraunce of him he shall doe truly the office of Christ which shall followe that which Christ hath done And if he doe begyn to offer in the Church to God the father according as he shall see that Christ him selfe hath offered then he shal offer vnto God a full and whole sacrifice Furthermore if one kepe not that faithfullye which is spirituallye commanded the discipline of all religion and truth is ouerthrowne S. Augustine in his booke of fayth vnto Peter Chap. 16. In that sacrifice which we doe vse there is giuing of thankes
and remembrance of the fleshe of Christ which he offered for vs and of his bloude which he hath shed Augustine in his 10. booke of the Citie of god Chap. 5. The visible sacrament is the testament that is to saye the holy signe of the inuisible sacrifice Chrysostome in the 7. homilye vpon the Epistle to the Hebrues We doe offer in deede but that which we doe offer we doe it in remembraunce of his death for that which we doe is done in remembraunce of that which hath bene done For he sayth doe this in remembraunce of me we doe not make it any other sacrifice as the priest doth But wee doe alwayes the very same and for to tell you better we doe the remembraunce of the sacrifice which hath ben done The Apostle vnto the Hebrues we doe by him offer the sacrifice of laude alwayes vnto God that is to say the fruite of those lippes which confesse his name I beseche you therefore bretheren by the mercifulnesse of God that yee make your bodies a quick sacryfice holy and acceptable vnto God which is your resonable seruing of God. The prophet Oseas O forgiue vs all our sinnes receiue vs graciouslye and then wyll we offer thee bullockes of our lippes vnto thee S. Paule sayth I was filled after that I had receiued of Epaphroditus the which came from you an odour that smelleth sweete a sacrifice acceptable and pleasant to God. Lactantius Firmianus in his 6. booke the .24 .25 chapters Iesus Christ sa yt I haue pleasure in mercy and not in offring Math. 9. Mat. 12. Oseas .6 and the 1. of Samuel 15. Pope Gregory in his .16 decretall the .7 question Pope Gregory in his decretals adiudgeth him culpable of Idolatry which shall heare the masse of a priest that is a whore monger or which shall communicate at his Sacramentes and Sacrafices Francis Maro in his suffrages for the deade He which causeth a masse to be sayde by an vnchast or whore maister priest or which is in deadly sinne it profiteth nothing neyther to the liuing nor to the deade The Apostle to the Hebrues the lawe which hath but the shadowe of good things to come and not things in their owne fashion can neuer with the sacrifices which they offer yearely make the commers therevnto perfect Agayne it is impossible that the bloud of Oxen and of Goates should take away sinnes Also Lo I come to do thy will O God c. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the bodie of Iesus Christ once for all Moreouer This man after he had offred one sacrifice for sinnes sat him downe for euer on the right hand of God. Likewyse with one offring hath hee perfected for euer those that are sanctified Agayne theyr sinnes and iniquities wyll I remember no more And where remission of these thinges is there is no more offring for sinnes Also he sayth not that Iesus Christ doth offer him selfe often as the hie priest entred into the holy place euery yeere with strange bloud for then must he haue often suffred sence the world began c. That there is but two Sacramentes in the church of Iesus Christe Augustine in his .3 booke of the christian doctrine the .9 chapter But in this time hereafter that the manyfest iudgement of our liberty is reuealed by the resurrection of the Lorde wee are not ouermuch charged through heauy operacions and workinges of signes which we already doe vnderstand But the same Lord hath giuen by the doctrine of the Apostles a certayne little number in steede of many which are easye to doe and good to vnderstand and most chast to keepe As is the Sacrament of baptisme and the celebration of the body and bloud of the lord And when euery one doth vse them being instructed to what ende they serue he shall acknowledge them not with a carnall seruitude and bondage but to honor them in the liberty of the spirite And as it is a seruyle infirmytie to follow the letter and to take the signes for the thinges which are signified by them so is it an euill error to interprete vnprofitably the signes c. Augustine wryting to Ianuarius in the 118. Epistle I would that thou shouldest knowe that our Lorde Iesus as he him selfe saith in the Gospell hath submitted vs to an easie yoke and light burthen And therefore he hath ordayned in the christian church a fewe Sacramentes in number easie to be kept excellent in significacion as the Baptisme consecrated in the name of the Trinitie and the communication of the body and bloud of the lord And if there be any other thing commaunded in the Scripture c. Augustine vpon S. Iohn in the .80 homelye The word being adioyned to the Clement it shal be made a Sacrament How we ought to vnderstand this word Sacrament Sacrament Mystery Secrete is all one and is vnderstoode for an hidde and vnknowen thing the which notwithstanding is reuealed at a certayne time when it pleaseth the goodnesse of God. Reede Tob. 12. Daniell 2. Sapien. 2. 1. Cor. 4. Ephe. 5. Ephes 1. Ephes 3. Collos 1.1 Timoth. 3. Apocal. 7. Of confession to God and of auricular confession Dauid sayth in the .32 psalm I haue acknowledged my sinne vnto thee and mine vnrighteousnesse haue I not hydde I sayd I wyll confesse my sinnes vnto the Lord and so thou forgauest the wickednesse of my sinne Againe I acknowledge my faultes and my sinne is euer before me Agaynst thee only haue I sinned and done this euill in thy sight If we acknowledge our sinnes he is faythfull and iuste to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnesse Acknowledge your faults one to an other and pray one for an other Eccles 28. Ephe. 4. Collos 3. If thy brother trespasse against thee c. Reade Luke 17. Deut. 17. 1. Cor. 5.2 Cor. 13. Augustine in his 10. booke of confessions the 2. chapter What haue I to doe then with men that they should heare my confessions As though they should heale my griefes That is a curyous kinde of people to know another mans life and slowe to correct and amend their owne wherefore doe they demaund of me to heare what I am where they wyll not heare of thee what they are And how doe they know when they doe heare me wheather I doe speake true when in deede no man knoweth that which is done in the man but the spirit of the man which is in him c. Chrysostome in the 12. chapter to the Hebrewes 3. homily and in the 4. tome 41. homily I doe not say vnto thee that thou accuse thy selfe openly nor before others But I would that thou shouldest obay the Prophet which saith reuele vnto the Lorde thy way acknowledg then thy sinnes before God pronounce thy vnrighteousnesse with prayer to the true Iudge not with the tongue but by the
Open thy mouth wyde and I shal fill it And although that we cannot open the mouth except it be through the ayde of him without whome we can doe nothing Neuerthelesse wee doe open it through his ayde and through our worke but the Lorde doth fill it without our worke By and by after he sayeth God doth many good things in man which man doth not But man doth none which God doth not to the ende that man doth them Augustine vpon Saint Iohn in the 49. treatise Chap. 9. Let no man then flatter himselfe for of himselfe he is a deuill but of God he is blessed And what is that to be of himself but of sinne Cast awaye the sinne which is of thee thy righteousnesse sayth he is of me For what hast thou that thou hast not receyued Augustine in his contemplations of the soule with god Chap. 18. O Lorde I doe confesse as thou hast taught me that I am no other thing but altogither vanitie and a shadow of death and but a darke earth vayne and voyde the which without thy blessing doth not encrease and bring forth anye fruite but confusion sinne and death If I haue had any good thing I had it of thee All that which I haue receyued is from thee or I had it of thee If I doe any thing that is right that is through thee But when I am fallen I am fallen through my selfe and had alwayes remayned in the myre if thou hadst not lifted me vp I had bene alwayes blinde if thou hadst not illuminated mee When I did fall downe I shoulde neuer haue bene raysed vp againe if thou hadst not giuen me thy hande And afterwarde also when thou hadst raysed me vp I shoulde haue fallen agayne if thou hadst not sustayned mee I had bene oftentimes lost if thou hadst not gouerned me Euen so O Lorde euen so thy mercie hath alwayes gone before me in deliuering me from all euill keeping me from those that be past and in keeping me from those that be present and in defending and preseruing me from those whiche are to come breaking also in peeces before mee the snares of sinners in taking awaye the occasions and the causes for if thou hadst not done vnto me those things I had done all the sinnes of the worlde For O Lord I doe knowe verye well that there is no sinne that euer man hath done but that an other man dothe the same if the creator of whome man is made be absent But thou hast done it so to the ende that I doe not that which thou hast forbidden and hast shed out in me thy grace to the ende that I may beleeue in thee c. Augustine in his .2 boke of the remission of sinnes Chapter 18. Men doe take payne to finde in our wyll some goodnesse which is ours and not of God but I doe not knowe howe they can finde it Saint Barnarde in the first homily of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary As touching good workes it is moste certayne that no man hath them of him selfe for if the humaine nature could not continue in his state when it was whole and perfect how much lesse can it rayse it selfe nowe in that it is marred and corrupted It is most certayne that all thinges drawe to their beginning asmuch as is possible for them Augustine vnto Vitalis in the 107. Epistle Aunswere I pray thee how saith the Apostle in giuing thankes to God the father which hath made vs fitte to be of the company of Saintes in light if it be not he which doth deliuer our free will but that the free will doth deliuer it selfe We doe render then faulsly thankes vnto the father as if he did that which he doth not and he hath erred whiche hath sayde that he doth make vs fitte Aunswere how we haue our free will for to deliuer vs from euill and for to doe good and when free wyll was vnder the power of darkenesse From which darkenesse if God hath deliuered vs as saith the Apostle truely he hath made the wyll free wherefore it followeth that euen as men are not faythfull but by free wyll Neuerthelesse they are made faithfull through the grace of God which hath deliuered free will from the power of darkenesse And so the grace of God is not denyed but is declared to be verytable and true although no merytes of men preceede it And free will is so defended that it is affirmed by humylitie and not ouerthrowen by pryde Then the grace of God is not geauen in the nature of free will nor in the lawe nor in doctryne as the wicked and peruerse Pelagian hath set foorth But is geiuen to all the workes through the will of him of whome it is wrytten O Lord God thou doest seperate from thy wyll the soule that is wylfull for we haue lost free wyll for to loue God through the greatnesse of the first sinne c. Afterwardes he sayth in that we doe beleeue in God or in that we doe liue faithfully it lyeth not then in mans will or running but in the mercy of God nor that we ought to wyll nor runne but bicause that he doth in vs both the wyl and the running Let vs not say then that the grace is the loue but let vs acknoweledge the grace which doth cause the doctrine and learning to profit for where that grace is absent we doe see that the same doth hinder and let the learning Augustine in his fyrst booke against Pelagius and Celestine Whosoeuer hath heard and learned of the father commeth vnto me The wyll of mā is so ayded not only in this that it doth knowe what it must doe but hauing knowen what it doth And therefore when the Lorde doth teach through the grace of his spirite he doth teach in such sorte that not only euery one doth see that which he hath learned in the knowledge thereof but of will he doth desire it and of worke fulfill it Augustine in the .3 booke vpon the wordes of the Apostle .3 sermō And in his booke of the spirite and the letter Chapter 3. How are these wicked men proude of free wyll before they are free or of their strength if they are already free they doe not consider that in this word of free wyll is signified a libertie For where the spirite of the Lorde is there is libertie If then they be the seruantes of sinne how doe they bragge and bost to haue free wyll For of whome soeuer a man is ouercome vnto the same is he in bondage If they are already deliuered how doe they boste them selues as it were of their proper workes Are they so free that they would not be the seruantes of him which sayth without me ye can doe nothing Iesus sayth No man can come vnto me except the father which hath sent me drawe him Saint Iames Euery good gift and euery perfect gift is from aboue and cōmeth
Gentils through fayth and therefore preached before hande the Gospell vnto Abraham saying in thee shall all the Gentiles be blessed so then they which be of fayth are blessed with faythfull Abraham For as many as are vnder the deedes of the law are vnder the curse For it is written Cursed is euerye man that continueth not in all things that are written in the booke of the lawe to fulfill them And that no man is iustified by the lawe in the sight of God it is euident For the iust shall lyue by fayth and the lawe is not of fayth but the man that shall fulfill those things shall liue in them Nowe Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the lawe when he was made accursed for vs. For it is written Cursed is euery one that hangeth on a tree That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Iesus Christ and that we might receyue the promise of the spirite through fayth But the Scripture hath concluded all things vnder sinne that the promise by the fayth of Iesus Christ shoulde be giuen to them that beleeue c. For ye are all the sonnes of God by fayth in Christ Iesus Galat. 3. De poenitentia Distinction 3. chap. which beginneth Totam c. And we are iustified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus whome God hath set forth to be a pacification through fayth in his bloude to declare his righteousnesse in that hee forgiueth the sinnes that are passed Without fayth it is impossible to please God. In whome euen nowe though yee see him not yet doe ye beleeue and reioyce with ioye vnspeakable and glorious receiuing the end of your faith the saluation of your soules c. And God which knoweth the heartes bare them witnesse in giuing vnto them the holy Ghost euen as he did vnto vs and he put no difference betwene them and vs seing that with faith he purified their heartes S. Ierome vpon Sophon Chapter 3. They doe seeke the righteousnesse the which is not but Christ alone Iesus Christ sayeth Daughter bee of good comfort thy fayth hath made thee whole Agayne Beleeue ye that I am able to doe this And they sayde vnto him yea Lorde Then touched he their eyes saying according to your fayth bee it vnto you Also Daughter be of good comforte thy fayth hath made thee whole goe in peace Also What shall we doe that wee might worke the workes of God Iesus aunswered and sayd vnto them This is the worke of God that ye beleeue on him whom he hath sent Likewise all things are possible to him that beleeueth The wages of sinne is death but the gyft of God is eternal life through Iesus Christ our Lorde If thou shalt confesse with thy mouthe the Lorde Iesus and shalt beleeue in thine heart that God raysed him vp from death thou shalt be saued For the beleefe of the heart iustifieth and to confesse with the mouth saueth a man. Who soeuer beleeueth on him shal not be ashamed But ye are of him in Iesus Christ who of God is made vnto vs wisedome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption that according as it is written He that reioyceth shoulde reioyce in the Lorde This is the name that they shal call him euen the Lorde our righteous maker To him giue all the Prophets witnesse that through his name all that beleeue in him shall receyue remission of sinnes For among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby wee must be saued Ye are gone quite from Christ as many as are iustified by the lawe and are fallen from grace Let no man esteeme of himselfe more then it becommeth him to esteeme but that he discretely iudge of himselfe according as God hath dealt to euery man the measure of fayth How shoulde I then aunswere him or what wordes shoulde I finde out agaynst him yea though I be righteous yet will I not giue him one worde agayne but meekely submit my selfe to my Iudge If I will iustifie my selfe myne owne mouth shall condemne me If I will put forth my selfe for a perfect man he shall proue mee a wicked doer for that I shoulde be an innocent my conscience knoweth it not yea I my selfe am weary of my life Thou hast graunted me lyfe and done me good and the diligent heede that thou tookest vpon me hath preserued my spirite c. If I doe wickedly wo is me therfore If I be righteous yet dare I not lift vp my heade so full am I of confusion and see mine owne miserie What is man that he shoulde be cleane what hath he which is born of a woman whereby he might be knowen to be righteous Beholde there is no trust in hys Saintes yea the very heauens are not cleare in his sight Howe much more then an abhominable and vile man which drinketh wickednesse like water But how may a man compared vnto God be iustified Or how can he be clean that is borne of a woman We are all as an vncleane thing and all our righteousnesse are as the clothes stayned or a menstruous cloth There is not one iust vpon earth that doth good and sinneth not Verely in the Lord is my righteousnesse and strength To him shal men come but all they that thinke scorne of him shal be confounded And the whole seede of Israell shall be iustified and praysed in the Lorde The Lorde helpeth me therefore shall I not be confounded I haue hardened my face like a flint stone for I am sure that I shall not come to confusion Mine aduocate speaketh for me who will then goe with me to lawe My righteous seruant shall with his wisedome iustifie and deliuer the multitude for he shall beare away their sins c. We being iustified by his grace should be amde heires according to the hope of eternall life Yet darest thou say I am giltlesse Tushe his wrath cannot come vpon me behold I wyll reason with thee bicause thou darest say I haue not offended O howe euill will it be for thee to abyde it when it shall be knowen how oft thou hast gone backwarde Doubtlesse our owne wickednesse rewarde vs but Lorde doe thou according to thy name thoughe our transgressions and sinnes be many and haue sinned against thee They that put their trust in me shall inherite the land and haue my holy hill in possession Be it knowen â—nto you therefore men and brethren that through this man is preached vnto you the forgiuenesse of sinnes and that from all sinnes from which you could not be iustified by the lawe of Moyses by him euery one that beleeueth is iustified And of his fulnesse haue all we receyued euen grace for grace Which he predestinated before them also he called and whoÌ„ he called them also he iustified
for to make of twayne one new man in himselfe so making peace Christ hath put out the hande wryting of ceremonies that was agaynst vs which I say was contrarie vnto vs he tooke it out of the way and hath fastened it on his crosse For by the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne Lawe entred in that offence shoulde increase I had not knowen what lust had ment except the lawe had sayde Thou shalte not lust We knowe that the lawe is spirituall but I am carnall solde vnder sinne Augustine in his 9. booke of confessions Chapter 13. Woe be vnto mans life although it be praysed neuer somuch if the mercy of God drawen from it thou wilt examine or discusse it Augustine in his first booke of Retractions Chapter 19. All the commaundementes of God are reputed to be done when that whiche is not done is pardoned Augustine in his booke of the spirit and of the letter Chap. 36. This first commaundement of righteousnesse by the which it is commaunded vs to loue God with all our heart with all our soule and with all our thought the which is following the other which is to loue our neighboure in this life then wee shal fulfil them when we shall see thee face to face But therefore it is commanded vs in this world that we may be admonished and warned of that which we ought to aske through faith afterwardes and by that same as farre as I can perceiue hee profiteth much in this life in righteousnesse which ought to be ended who in profiting knoweth how much he is farre from the perfection of righteousnesse Ambrose vpon the .3 Chapter of the Romaynes He that beleeueth in Christ keepeth the lawe The similitude of the creditor the goodman of the house willing to take account of his seruants one was brought vnto him which ought him ten thousande talentes and had not wherewith to paye and yet notwithstanding woulde be payde c. We are debters not to the fleshe to liue after the fleshe but to the spirite Ye haue not receyued the spirite of bondage to feare anye more but ye haue receyued the spirite of adoption whereby we crye Abba that is to say father There is no feare in loue but perfecte loue casteth out feare for feare hath painfulnesse and hee that feareth is not perfect in loue We loue him bicause he loued vs first Augustine of free will and grace Chapter 19. Iohn sayth God is loue And the Pelagians also doe saye that they haue God not of God but of themselues And where they confesse that the lawe is giuen vs of God they will haue the loue of themselues and do giue no eare vnto the Apostle which sayth Knowledge maketh a man swell but loue edifieth Also the Scripture sayth that true fayth and holy doctrine are both of god For it is written From his face proceedeth wisedome and vnderstanding And it is written Loue commeth of God. Augustine vpon the exposition to the Galat. 3. Chap. The lawe is not of fayth but the man that shall fulfill those things shall liue in them He doth not say he which shall doe the lawe shall liue in it insomuche that thou doe vnderstande that the lawe in that place is put for the workes themselues But those who doe liue in their workes doe feare that if they had not done them they had bene stoned or crucified or suffred some other kinde of payne Wherefore he sayeth he whiche shall doe those things shall liue in them that is to saye he shall haue the rewarde to the ende not to be punished with such death Saint Barnarde vpon the Canticles Sermon 50. He which hath commanded the commaundementes was not ignorant that the burthen of the commandement exceedeth the strength of men but by that meanes hath iudged that it is profitable to admonishe them that they are not able and that they may plainely know to what ende of righteousnesse they must endeuor them selues with all their vertues then in commanding impossible thinges God hath not made men transgressors of the lawe but hath made them humble that euerye mouthe might be stopped and that all the world be made subiect to god For no flesh shall be iustified before him through the workes of the lawe Euen so when wee haue receiued the commandement and that we doe feele our default we crye vnto heauen and God hath mercye on vs and knowe in that time that he hath saued vs not of the deedes of righteousnesse whiche we wrought but of his mercy Augustine against the aduersary of the lawe and of the Prophetes 2. booke 7. Chapter It was very needefull that the lawe in the old Testament should be set forth vnto the proud and vnto those which did truste in the vertue of their owne will the which lawe doth not giue iustice but it doth command it and euen as those being wrapped in through the death of preuarication or transgressiō ought to haue their refuge to grace the which only doth not commande but also helpeth The blasphemers of the heauenly wordes doe thinke that the lawe whiche was giuen by Moyses was euill bicause that it was called the administration of death figured in letters of stone not regarding that it is sayde for those whiche doe thinke that the lawe was sufficient for their free will. c. The lawe was giuen by Moyses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ Did not Moyses giue you a lawe and yet none of you keepeth the lawe Augustine vpon Saint Iohn 3. Treatise 1. Chapter The lawe was giuen by Moyses which helde them guiltie For what sayeth the Apostle The lawe entred in that offence shoulde encrease This is heauye vnto the proude that is that he sayth to the ende that sinne may encrease For they doe attribute muche to themselues and doe assigne much to their strengths And cannot accomplish righteousnesse if he which hath commaunded it helpe them not God willing to tame their pride gaue the law As if he had sayde beholde accomplishe it to the end that you doe not thinke your selues to be without him which commandeth you are not without a commaunder but there is no fulfiller Augustine of the spirite and the letter Chapter 14. Doth not S. Paule call that lawe written in his two tables killing letters When he sayth the letter killeth speaketh he only of the lawe of Circumcision and of other olde Sacramentes alreadye abolished Howe shall we esteeme it so in as much as it is put in this lawe thou shalt not couet By the which commaundement although that it be holy iuste and good he saith that sinne hath deceiued it and thereby killed And what is that the letter killeth and the spirite quickeneth but that the law cannot iustifie c. Immediatly afterwarde he saith these my commaundementes if they are well kept as they are written we must thinke that it appertaineth not to
that they doe not assault and afflict vs againe but to auoyde and giue the repoulse through the continual reading of the scriptures to the darts of the diuell comming a farre For if we be alwayes hurt take no remedy what hope of health shall we haue Doest thou not see the workers of mettal goldsmythes coyners and all those which doe exercise any occupacion to haue all the instrumentes of their occupacion readye and to lacke none Although that honger constrayneth them and pouertie doth afflict them they had rather to suffer all thinges then to sel any instrument of their occupacion for to nurrish them yea many had rather to borrowe mony vpon vsurye then to lay to gage any little instrument of their science or occupacion and for a good cause for they doe knowe that after that they haue solde it the occupacion shoulde be vnprofitable and all the foundation of their gayne taken away but in hauing them it may be that in time they will paye that they haue borowed of another in vsing alwayes their occupation But if they doe sell them to other before they haue payde that they doe owe they haue not whereby to excogitate or inuent any thing to helpe their hunger and pouertie Truly it behoueth vs to be of such courage for euen as to them the Hammers Anuiles and Tongs are instruments of their Artes euen so the bookes of the Apostles and Prophets are instruments of the Arte and waye of saluation and all Scripture being heauenly inspired is profitable And euen as they finishe all that they doe take in hande to doe by those instruments euen so truly by those bookes we frame our soule and amende and correct it when it is wicked and renue it when it is waxen olde For those can but onely by their Arte giue formes and fashions to things for they cannot chaunge nor alter the substaunce of the mettall neyther make golde of siluer but onely giue them their figures to be like But it is not so with thee but thou mayst doe more for thou mayest sometime of a vessell of wood make a vessell of golde of which thing S. Paule is witnesse speaking after this maner In a great house are not onely vessels of gold and of siluer but also of woode and of earth some for honour and some for dishonour But if a man purge himselfe from such fellowes he shall be a vessell sanctified vnto honor meete for the Lord and prepared vnto all good works Wherfore let vs not be negligent to buye vs bookes that we receyue not woundes in our heartes and let vs not lay vp our gold in the earth but let vs furnishe our selues with a treasure of spirituall bookes Truly when that golde aboundeth greatly then it deceyueth greatly those which possesse it but great store of bookes gotten togither doe bring great vtilitie vnto those that haue them euen as weapons in the roial assemblies although that none doe vse them yet neuerthelesse they giue great assurance vnto them which dwell in the house where they are when neyther theeues nor breakers of wals nor anye wicked persons dare not assayle the house Euen so in any house where these spirituall bokes shall be from them all the force of the deuill is driuen awaye and great consolation and comfort commeth vnto those that dwell there for the onely beholding of bookes maketh vs the slower to sinne And although that we haue done some things that are prohibited and haue defiled our selues the conscience doth condemne vs more sharplye when wee are come vnto the house and haue behelde the bookes and are made slower to committe at another time such things agayne If we doe persist in holynesse wee are made surer and stronger by the bookes For as soone as any hath touched the Gospell he hath by and by withdrawne his spirite from worldly things by the beholding of them and if he reade diligently the soule is by such meanes purged made better no otherwise thā being in the holy secrets it imploieth it selfe to holy things God speaking vnto it by such scriptures What thē say they if we vnderstand not that which is contayned in the bokes truly although thou vnderstād not that which is hid yet neuerthelesse great holines cōmeth of such reding For it cannot be that thou be ignoraunt of it altogither For trulye the grace of the holy spirite hath so dispenced and moderated it to the ende that the Publicanes and sinners makers of Tabernacles Pastors and Apostles Idiotes and the vnlearned shoulde be saued by those bookes And to the ende that none of those Idiotes might excuse themselues alledging the difficultye thereof he woulde that those things whiche are spoken shoulde be easie at the first sight and that the labourers seruants women wydowes and the most ignorante of all men should receiue some gaine and profite of the reading that they did heare For those whom God hath reputed from the beginning worthy of the grace of the holy spirite haue not done all these things through vayne glorie as gentilles but to the saluacion and healthe of the hearers Truely the Philosophers being ignorant of Christe good orators and composers of bookes not seeking that which profiteth all men but tending to make them selues esteemed although they haue saide some thing that is profitable yet not withstanding obscuritie hath kept it hid as in a certayne kinde of foolish wysedome but the Apostles and the Prophets haue done altogither therwyse expounding vnto all men the bookes clearly and manyfestlye that they haue written as publicke doctors of the worlde in such sort that euerye one may learne the thinges which are spoken by the onely reading That whiche the Prophet did pronounce saying al shall be taught of God and from thence foorth shall no man teache his neighbour or his brother and say know the Lorde But they shall all knowe me from the loweste vnto the hyest I brethren when I came vnto you came not in gloriousnesse of wordes or of wysedome shewing vnto you the testimonye of God And agayne my wordes and my preachinges was not with entising words of mans wysedome but in shewing of the spirite and of power And againe That which we spake is not the wisedome of this worlde neyther of the rulers of this worlde whiche goe to noughte For vnto whome are not all the thinges that are in the gospell manyfest who would haue a maister for to learne hearing any of these wordes Blessed are the meeke blessed are the mercifull blessed are the pure in heart and such other thinges The signes miracles and historyes are not they knowen and manyfest vnto euery one That is a colour and a cloked excuse of their slothfulnesse to saye thou vnderstandest not the thinges which are there how canst thou a-thing at all vnderstand when thou wilt not but with great paine lightly see it Take the bookes in thy handes reade all the hystory and keeping in memory
anathematisations if they will not be chastised nor corrected with corporall punishment and after confiscation of their goodes malgre their heades to consent vnto vs who doe will and commaunde thinges better agreable vnto God. And againe a little after he saith For our will is that by this and other tongues those which giue good eare vnto the holy bookes ought to be ware of the malice of the interpretors and that they doe not onely vnderstand the letters but also taste well the thinges therein contayned and receiue it throughly and vnderstande the moste holy sentences to the ende they may learne better that which is best and be no more deceiued erring and fayling in the ende For there is nothing so excellent as for to haue affiance truste in God Therefore we haue opened vnto them all tongues for the reading the holy bookes to that ende that if all by order do embrace the science and knowledge of them they may be the more diligent to learne that which is the best Forasmuche as it is most euident that he whiche hathe ben and is nourished and instructed in the reading of holy bookes is more prompte and ready to discerne and receiue that which is the best to receiue correction and to be conducted and leade into goodnesse then he that vnderstandeth none of all this depending of the only name of religion and staying him selfe as to the anker of respecte and soueraigne refuge thinking that the scyence and true knowledge of God is in the only calling of the secte This then whiche hath pleased vs and which is declared by this holy lawe shall keepe aswell thy glorye as those whiche are vnder thy obedience And also shall keepe and obserue them which shall succeede in the honor of thy magistrate and ruler And shall not suffer that the Iewes doe contrary or against those thinges but shall vtterly put to exile and banish al those that shall resiste or attempt to let this ordinance punishing them first by corporall punishment afterward confiscating theyr goodes to the ende they may not eleuate them selues against God and the imperial maiestie more insolently through a foolishe and rashe boldnesse and vse their Edictes towardes the presidentes of the prouinces considering our law to that end that knowing those thinges they may set them foorth in euery towne and village and that they may knowe that they ought necessarily to obserue these thinges by them whiche doe feare our indignation and displeasure S. Ierome in his Proeme of the Prophete Ieremie What other lyfe can there be without the knowledge of the Scriptures by the which Christ also is knowen who is also the lyfe of the beleeuers Saint Ambrose in his .35 Sermon The Lorde doth witnesse that the reading of the Scriptures is lyfe saying The wordes that I speake vnto you are spirite and lyfe Moyses sayde What is he that causeth that all the Lordes people doe prophecie and that the Lorde doth giue them his holy spirite c. As for me I am no Prophete nor Prophetes sonne but a keeper of cattell c. Eusebius bishop of Caesaria in his Ecclesiasticall historie lib. 6. Chapter .11 Alledging the Epistle of Alexander bishop of Ierusalem agaynst Demetrius and rebuking him thus sayeth That which thou hast added in thy letters thou sayest that it was neuer seene that the lay and secular people shoulde dispute of the fayth in the presence of the Bishoppes I maruayle what moued thee to affirme a lye so euident In asmuch that as often as there is founde any man that is sufficient and apt for to giue good counsayle and to instruct the people the Byshops haue accustomed to desire him to doe it as oure brother the Byshop Neon did vnto Euelpius in the Citie of Laranda and the Bishop Celsus vnto Paulinus in the Citie of Iconium and the Byshop Atticus vnto Theodosius in the Citie of Sinnas And there is no doubt but that the other Byshops may doe the lyke in their diocesses when they finde any one whiche is a man for to profite the people Chrysostome vpon the first Chapter of Genesis 8. homilie I desire most earnestlye and doe praye that ye may be all in the order of doctors and not only to be hearers of our wordes but also that ye woulde report and declare vnto others our doctrine and that ye wold correct those that doe erre and go astraye to the ende they may returne into the way of truth as S. Paule sayeth Exhort one another and edifie one another c. And a little after he sayth God would not that the Christian shoulde bee onely content with himselfe but that he do also edifie others and not only with doctrine but also with good lyfe conuersation c. Chrysostome vpon the .2 Chapter of Genesis .10 Homilie He which hath the care to teach and instruct his neyghbour doth not so muche good vnto his neighbor as he getteth gret gayne vnto him selfe when hee shall receyue double rewarde and obtayneth of God great retribution c. In the same place he sayeth moreouer If we do vnderstand rightly those things we may being at home in our houses and taking the holy Scriptures after we haue well dyned or supped to take the profite and giue spirituall meate vnto the soule For as the bodie hath to doe with sensible meates in lyke maner also hath the soule neede to refreshe it selfe dayly with spirituall meates to the ende that the same be corroborated and made strong agaynst the assaultes of the flesh and agaynst the continuall battayle by the which we are constrayned that it may resist it And it is to be feared least the soule should be brought into seruitude and bondage if we will be slothfull any thing at all Chrysostome vpon the first Chapter of Saint Mathew 1. Tome 2. Homilie You that are here present aunswere me I pray you what is he among you who if one demaunde of him a Psalme can say it without booke or any other parcell of the holye Scripture There is not one and yet this euill is not only here but for bicause you are slothfull and negligent in spirituall things so much do you surmoūt through feruentnesse the fire vnto diuelish things For if any man will demaunde or aske you foolishe or as men call them merye songs or songs of bawdrie they shall finde many which moste diligentlye haue learned them which they will sing very willingly But yet they would defend such crimes saying I am not a Monke I am maried and haue care of children of my house keeping Truely it cometh thereby that you doe corrupt and marre all thinges togither as a plague bicause that you doe thinke the reading of holy Scriptures to belong only vnto the Monkes where it is a great deale more necessary and needefull for you then for them For those whiche are in the middest of the battayle and which doe receiue continually wounds vpon
properly in their being doe demonstrate vnto vs that onely Christ abydeth altogither wholy and in his veritie The Councell of Nice Let vs not staye here belowe on the breade and wyne whiche are sette on the Lordes table but let vs lift vppe our spirites on high through fayth Let vs consider that the lambe of God whiche taketh away the sinnes of the world is in that holy table the whiche is not offered in sacrifice by the Priestes after the manner of beastes And in taking his precious bodie and his bloude let vs beleeue that they are the signes and tokens of our resurrection And for the same cause we eate not much but a little to the ende we may know that the same is not ordeyned for to fill our bellye withall but for to serue to sanctitie and holynesse c. Saint Ambrose in his booke of those which are dedicated to the mysteries Before the consecration one kinde or likenesse is named but after the consecration the body of Christ is signified Christe sayth that his bloud before the consecration is called an other thing but after the consecration is signified the bloud of Christe c. S. Ciprian in his sermon of penitent sinners Speaking of the mayd which did vomit out the Sacrament The drinke sanctified in the bloud of the Lord issued out of the polluted entrailes Chrisostome wryting to Caesar the Monke Before the consecration of the breade we doo call it bread but when the grace of God hath sanctified it by the priest it is deliuered from the name of bread and is exalted to the name of the body of the Lorde although that the nature of the bread abydeth alwayes and is not called two bodyes but one body of the sonne of GOD. Augustine vppon S. Iohn in his 80. homelye Iesus Christ sayth not that you are cleane bicause of the baptisme by the which you haue ben washed but he sayth it bycause of the word which I haue sayd vnto you That is for none other cause but that the word doth wash and clense you in the water If one doo take away the word what shall the water be but water Which if the word be ioyned to the element it shall be made a Sacrament and the word it selfe is made as visible from whence commeth so great vertue to the water that in touching the body it washeth the hart but by meanes of the word Not alwayes bicause that the word is pronounced but bicause that one beleeueth For in the worde it selfe truly there is a difference betwene the sound passing and the vertue abyding The Rubrycke wrytten in redde letters whiche is called cautela Missae If the body of the Lord be found within the armorye or pyxe to be rotten or mustye through to great moystnesse of the armorye or through to great negligence in not changing it If none can be founde which wyll receiue it that the sayd body of the Lorde be burned and the asshes put in a certayne halowed place Item if the sayd body of the Lorde be found within the sayd armorye to be eaten parte of it with Myce or Spiders if none can bee found which wyll receiue it that it be burned and the asshes put in a halowed place Item if any that is sicke who hauing receiued the sayd body of the Lord and through the infirmitie of his stomacke is constrayned to vomite it vp agayne if none can be found which wyll take that refection that the sayd body of the Lorde be burned and the asshes put into an halowed place S. Peter aunswereth to the same in his sermon Thou shalt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption S. Paule sayth asmuche in his sermon that he made to the people of Antioche saying He whome God raysed agayne sawe no corruption also God hath raysed him from death for to returne no more to corruption How our Lord Iesus Christ according to his Humanite cannot be but in one place S. Ambrose wryting vpon S. Luke in his 10. booke We ought not to seeke thee vpon earth nor in the earth nor according to the flesh if we wyll finde thee For we may not knowe now Iesus Christ after the fleshe S. Stephen did not seeke him vpon earth who did see him at the right hand of god But Mary which sought him in the earth had not the power to touche him Stephen hath touched him for he sought him in heauen Augustine in his 2. Quinquagesima psalme 54. Vntill such time as the heauen shal end the Lord shall be alwayes on high but the truth of the Lord is here with vs For it must nedes be that the body with which he rose agayne be in one certayne place but his truth is spread abroad euery where Augustine wryting to Dardanus in the 67. Epistle Doubt not that Iesus Christ as touching his manhod is not there where we doe looke for him And doe remember that which we confesse in our crede That he rose agayne and ascended into heauen and that he shall come from thence and not from any other place to iudge the quick and the dead And he shall come according to the witnesse of the Angell as they haue seene him ascend in that same visible form and in the same substance to the which he hath giuen immortalitie But he hath not taken frō him his nature according to the forme and substance of his body we must not think that he is dispersed euery where for we must take heede so to affirme his deytie that we destroy not his humayne nature Therefore it followeth not that all which is in God is God. Augustine vpon S. Iohn in his 30. treatyse The body of Christ is raysed vp from death and it must needes be that it is in one place If ye then be rysen agayne with Christ seeke those thinges which are aboue where Christ sitteth at the righ hand of god Thinke on the thinges which are aboue but not on those which are on earth Iesus Christ sayth I am yet a little while with you and then goe I vnto him that sent me Also the poore ye haue alwayes with you but me ye shall not haue alwayes My little children yet a little whyle am I with you ye shall seeke me and as I sayd vnto the Iewes wheither I goe thither can ye not come Again I go to prepare a place for you I wyll returne agayne and receiue you euen vnto my selfe that you may be there where I am also I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I goe away For yf I goe not away that comforter wyll not come vnto you But if I depart I wyll send him vnto you I came out from my father and came into the world Againe I leaue the world and goe to my father Also the Angell sayde vnto the women I knowe that ye seeke Iesus whiche was crucified he is not