did for a commemoration of mee especially considering that these his words are so plaine and manifest and no where els we finde that our Sauiour either offered vnbloudy Sacrifice according to the order of Melchisedech or commaunded any of his followers to offer vnbloudy Sacrifice but at his last supper and the Christian world now for 1600. yeares hath generally beleeued that at his last supper our lord offered vnbloudy Sacrifice and gaue his bodie and bloud to God for vs after an vnbloudy manner as in part I haue proued in the 2. Chapter and shall proue more at large heereafter 6. Neither doth this hinder the fulfilling of this oath of God in our Sauiour for that he is not visibly now vpon earth to execute Priesthood according He vvho cōmandeth a thing to be donn is said rather to do it then his officer to the order of Melchisedech for when a thing is donn by commandement of another who hath lawfull power and authority to command and vertue to execute what is commanded he who commandeth is rather said to do the thing commanded then his officers or ministers who do it by his authority power and command So our Sauiour commanding the Apostles and their Successors to giue his body to God for vs and shed his bloud to God for vs and they doing it by his authority power and command he may be rather said to giue his body and shed his bloud to God for vs and offer Sacrifice then Bishops or Priests who do it but as his officers and by vertue of his power authority and command 7. The Scriptures supposing Melchisedechs Melchisedechs Priesthood supposed by the Scriptures to bee vvell knovvn Priesthood and Sacrifice to bee well known many tymes say that Christ shal be a Priest foreuer according to the order of Melchisedech yet of Melchisedechs Priesthood and Sacrifice we haue in the Scriptures no more but Melchisedech brought forth bread and wine for he was the Priest of the most high or And he was the Priest of the most high Gen. 14. 18. Whereby it is manifest that hee brought forth bread and wine to offer it vnto God in Sacrifice seeing that no where els there is made any mention of any thing he could offer to God in Sacrifice whereby his order might be known neither can it be said that he brought them forth only to feed Abraham and his soldiors who were filled with the victualls and spoyles of 4. kings and gaue the tythe thereof vnto Melchisedech as appeareth in the same chapter and then it had binn needles to add that he was a Priest of the most high and how he blessed Abraham 8. Secondly the Ancient Iewes affirme that Melchisedech offered Sacrifice in bread and wine The Ancient Ievves affirme that Melchisedech offered Sacrifice in bread and vvine as Rabbi Samuel vpon the 14. Chapter of Gen. saying He sett forth the acts of Priesthood for he was sacrificing bread and wine to God Rabbi Phinees vpon the 28. of Numbres saying In the time of the Messias all Sacrifices shall cease but the Sacrifice of bread and wine shall not cease as it is said Gen. 14. For Melchisedech the King Messias shal be exempted from the cessation of the Sacrifices of bread and wine as it is said in the 110. Psal thou art a Priest foreuer according to the order of Melchisedech Rabbi Moyses Hadarsan vpon the 14. of Gen. saying Rabbi the sonne of Enachinam said that this Melchisedech was Sem the sonne of Noe but what is the meaning of this that he brought forth bread and wine by this he shewed that he taught the act of his Priesthood which was to sacrifice bread and wine And this is it which is said in the Psal Our Lord hath sworne and it shall not repent him thou art a Priest foreuer according to the order of Melchisedech And Philo Iudaus in his book of Abraham toward the end saith that Melchisedech sacrificed in bread and wine for the victory of Abraham And Galatinus in his 10. book of the secrets of Catholick verities and Genebrard in his Chronologie vpon Melchisedech cite certayn Rabbies who translate these words of the 14. of Gen. and 18. Ver. thus Melchisedech offred bread and wine The Catholick Church translateth them brought forth bread wine and assigning the cause saith for he was Priest of the most high as if she should say that this was his office to offer bread and wine in Sacrifice to God And Theodorus Bibliander a Protestant in his 2. booke of the Trinity and 89. leafe confesseth that it was a generall receaued opinion amongst the ancient Iewes that as the comming of the blessed Messias all legall Sacrifices were to cease and that only the Sacrifice they called Theoda of thancksgiuing praise and confession was to continue with was to bee performed in bread and wine as Melchisedech king of Salem and Priest of the most high God in the tyme of Abraham brought forth bread and wine 9. The ancient Fathers were of opinion that The Ancient Fathers affirme that Melchisedech offered Sacrifice in bread and vvine Melchisedech sacrificed in bread and wine and that our Sauiour was to fulfill the Type in Melchisedechs sacrifice by offering vp his body and bloud in Sacrifice to God vnder the formes of bread and wine As S. Cyprian in his 63. Epist. saying Our Lord Iesus offered a Sacrifice to God the Father and offered the same that Melchisedech did that is bread and wine that is his body and bloud S. Ambrose vpon the 109. Psal saying Christ by the misterie of bread and wine is made a Priest foreuer according to the order of Melchisedech S. Hierome in his 17. Epist to Marcella chapter 2. saith Melchisedech then in type of Christ offered wine and bread and dedicated the Christian mystery in the body and bloud of our Sauiour And with these Fathers doth agree S. Augustin in his first Sermon vpon the 33. Psal saying In the old law you know that the Sacrifice of the Iewes was according to the order of Aaron in the slaughter of beasts and that in a mysterie for then the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord which the faithfull and those who read the Scriptures know was not instituted which Sacrifice is now dilated ouer the whole globe of the earth Propound therefore before your eyes two Sacrifices that according to the order of Aaron and this according to the order of Melchisedech c. The Sacrifice of Aaron was taken away and the Sacrifice according to the order of Melchisedech entered in his place and the Iewes adbering vnto that Sacrifice which was according to the order of Aaron imbraced not the Sacrifice which was according to the order of Melchisedech and so lost Christ Thus S. Augustin 10. Of this opinion where both the Greeke and Latin Fathers abundantly cited by Coceius in his 2. tome and 6. book Insomuch that Doctor Fulk a Puritan in the 99. leafe of his booke
Chalcedon Whereby it is sufficiently manifest that three of the fower first Generall Councels called the Eucharist the vnbloudie sacrifice and esteemd that our Sauiour at his last supper offered vnbloudie sacrifice or gifts vnto God 14. To this we may add the second Councel of Nice in the third Tcme of the sixt section saying The 2. Councel of Nice None of the Apostles or of our famous fathers called our vnbloudie Sacrifice which is donn in commemoration of Christ our Lord and all his dispensations the image of his bodie Againe a little after in the same place the said Councel saith Neither our Lord or the Apostles or Fathers euer called the vnbloudie Sacrifice which is offered by the Priest an Image or signe So these fower generall Councels Whereby it is manifest vnto anie indifferent Reader that our Sauiour at his last Supper offered in his bodie and bloud a proper and speciall visible externall vnbloudie Sacrifice and ordayned that a proper and speciall visible externall vnbloudie Sacrifice representing the inward and inuisible Sacrifice of our hartes should be offered vnto God in his Church by Bishops and Pristes thereby to honor God with diuine worshipp or Latria only due to him make commemoration of the passion of our Sauiour for vs and preserue peace vnitie and societiewith God and amongst our selues After vvhat manner our Sauiour died for all 15. For though our Sauiour died for all and his Sacrifice vpon the Crosse is of such a value and vertue that it alone for as much as is required on the behalfe of our Sauiour for the redemption of mankinde was sufficient to redeeme a thousand worlds if there were so manie yet because this Sacrifice of redemption was donn but once and neither could nor needed to be donn anie more and our Sauiour did not neither was it conuenient that he should so redeeme mankinde by his death and passion as that man on his part should haue nothing to doe for his saluation but only idlely to beleeue that Christ died for him and assure himselfe that he should be saued therefore he ordained that all those who would be saued should not onely beleeue the whole articles of the Faith which he planted vpon earth S. Iohn saying in his second Epistle Euerie one that reuolteth and persisteth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God but also that they should doe those thinges which he hath commaunded comparing the rest vnto fooles saying Euerie one that heareth these my wordes and doth them not shal be like a foolish man that built his hous vpon the sand Matth. 7. Wherefore all those who are of yeares of discretion and will not be nombred amongst these fooles and perish eternally are to offer vnbloudie Sacrifice to God thereby to honour God with the worship of Latria due only vnto him applie the Sacrifice of the Crosse vnto them make commemoration of the Passion of our Lord and fulfill his Cōmands For as our Sauiour commanded the Apostles to teache and baptize saying Teach yee all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holie Ghost Matth. 28. 19 so also he commaunded them to offer vnbloudie Sacrifice saying after he had giuen his bodie for vs Doe this for a commemoration of me Luk. 22. 16. If our Sauiour by his Sacrifice of Redemption vpon the Crosse should haue redeemed all If our Sauiour had redeemed all men vvith out doing anie thing on their parts he had destroied all morall vertues men absolutely without requiring any thing to be donn on their partes but only to beleeue he had destroyed all morall vertues as patience obedience humilitie iustice fortitude temperance c. and also those theologicall vertues of charitie and hope and had been a meanes to plante idlenes sloath sinne and the workes of the Diuell amongst men which is absurd seeing that as S. Iohn saith For this appeared the Sonne of God that he might dissolue the workes of the Diuell 1. Ioh. 3. 8. And the sinn of sloath is to be punished with euerlasting tormentes Matth. 25. 26. And this is sufficieot to shew how the auncient Fathers beleeued that our Lord at his last supper offered vnbloudie Sacrifice in his Bodie and bloud and established the same in his Church CHAP. XIII The whole Christian world before Luther beleeued that our Sauiour at his last supper offered vnbloudie Sacrifice or Sacrifice of Gifts in his bodie and bloud and established them in his Church 1. THe whole Christian world which was Vnbloudy sacrefice dilated ouer the vvorld before the Rebellion of Martin Luther beleeued that our Lord at his last Supper offered vnbloudie sacrifice or sacrifice of Giftes in his bodie and bloud and established them to be vsed in his Church vntill the end thereof as witnes all the Apostles and Apostolicall mens Liturgies or publicke Church seruice Bookes both ancient and moderne which haue been vsed before the rebellion of Luther in anie countrie prouince cittie or parish in anie part of the Christian world or by anie knowen sect or sort of men knowen and reputed hereticks to both parties only excepted all which bookes were made chieflie to expresse what passed at the last supper of our Lord and to retaine in the Christian world a pious memorie and commemoration of him according to his commaund saying Doe this the same which he then did in commemoration of me In execution whereof all those Liturgies or publicke Church-seruice-bookes were putt forth either by the Apostles themselues or Apostolicall men as witnes the bookes themselues vnto which bookes howsoeuer some prayer names of Saintes or the like may be added which is commōly donn according to the necessitie of the time and the worthines of Saintes arising vpp in the Church of God yet by the consent of both the Greeke and Latin Church and all Christian Catholick men in this point of the commemoration of the Passion of our Lord and expression of what passed at the institution of the B. Sacrtment there is noting added of moment or substance 2. And this doth appeare by the bookes themselues All catholick publick Church-seruice bookes agree in sacrifice which though they haue been dispersed in all ages and times since they were made through Christendome and were penned by diuers of the Apostles or Apostolicall men yet in matter of the Sacrifice and Sacrament of the new Law they all agree in one and so vniformely expresse the commemoration commaunded to to be obserued by our Lord at his last supper by diuine Gifts or vnbloudie Sacrifice in his body and bloud as though they had all in this point been penned at diuers times by one man and vsed in one citty or Church which could neuer haue been if anie of the said bookes had in this point been corrupted For to corrupt them all in those mysteries which the Christian Catholickes haue euer esteemed to be sacred and all their corruptions to agree in this point
Passion Resurrection from hell and Ascension into heauen we doe offer vnto thee this immaculate host reasonable host vnbloudy host this holy bread and Chalice of eternall life and beseech that thou wouldest receaue this oblation in thy high Altar by the handes of thy Angells as thou hast vouchsafed to receaue the Giftes of thy child Abell and the Sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham and that which the high Priest Melchisedech offered vnto thee Which wordes are also vsed in the in the offering of Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord in the Catholicke Church even vntill this daie 8. S. Hierome who as we haue placed them is the sixth amonst the antient Doctors of the Catholick S. Hierome of the Sacrifice and Sacrament Church so constantly beleeued a Sacrifice and communion in the body and bloud of our Lord that in the 5. chapter of his 3. booke against the Pelagians he saith Christ hath taught his Apostles this that these who haue daily confidence in the Sacrifice of his body may bouldly saie Our Father which art in heauen as the Catholicke Church vseth euen vntill this daie in the daily Sacrifice of his body Vpon the first chapter to Titus A Bishopp is to offer pure victimes euery daie to God for his owne sinnes and sinnes of the People In the 19. chapter of his first book against Iouinian Priests ought alwaies to offer Sacrifice for the People In the 3. chapter of his book against Vigilantius defendeth the Bishopp of Rome who as he saith offered Sacrifice to God ouer the venerable bones of Peter and Paule In his 150. Epistle Moyses hath not giuen vs true bread but our Lord Iesus he is the guest and the banquet he is he that eateth and who is eaten we drincke his bloud and without him we cannot drincke it and daily in his Sacrifices we tread forth the new redd wine of the branch of the true vine and of the viniard of Sorac which is as much as to saie chosen and out of these we drinck new wine of the Kingdome of the Father In the Preface of his 5. book vpon the Prophet Ieremie alluding to the communion of Christians he saith The People of God shall eate the bread which was borne in our village of Bethlem where he sometimes liued a religious life in a monasterie Vpon the 3. chapter of Sophonias Priests serue the Eucharist and distribute our Lords bloud to his People In his Epistle to Heliodorus he saith God forbidd that I should speake any sinister S. Hierome his respect to Priests thing of those who succeeding to the Apostolicall degree doe make the body of Christ with their holy mouthes by whom we also become Christians Againe in his Epistle to Euagrius he saith At the praiers of Bishopps and Priests the body and bloud of Christ is made Which eminencie and dignitie of consecrating the body and bloud of our Lord who is the lambe without spott and the light of heauen so penetrated his heart that though a Priest yet out of his profound S. Hieromes humilitie humilitie and venerable respect to so great a Mysterie as is the consecration of the body and bloud of our Lord would not venture to consecrate or offer Christian Sacrifice as witnesseth S. Epiphanius in his Epistle to Iohn Bishopp of Hierusalem translated out of greeke into latin by S. Hierome himselfe and fett downe both amongst S. Hieromes Epistles and in S. Epiphanius his workes where he saith That after he had seen that there were a multitude of holy bretheren or fryars gathered together in a Monastery and the holy Priests Hierome and Vincent who liued amongst them out of their modestie and humilitie would not exercise the offering of Sacrifice due vnto their function nor labour in this Sacrifice the chiefest saluation of Christians part of the Ministrie which is the chiefest saluation of Christians he ordayned S. Hieromes brother a Priest to supply the necessitie of the monasterie for the offering of Sacrifice and the administration of Sacraments as further witnesseth S. Hierome in the 3. chapter of his Epistle to Theophilus against Iohn of Hierufalem and Epiphanius aboue cited 9. By this which hath been said it is so manifest that all the six aforesaid ancient Doctors of the Catholick Church not only held and taught a Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord and a communion of the same but also that this their opinion was agreable to the Scriptures that it is without all controuersie Before all those Doctors flourished Optatus Mileuitanus who writing Optatus Mileuitanus of the furie of the hereticall Donatists against the Eucharist of the body and bloud of our Lord consecrated by Catholicke Priests saith in his 2. booke against Parmenianus That your aforesaid The furie of the Donatists against the Sacrifice and Eucharist of Catholickes Bishopps might violate all holy thinges they commanded the Eucharist to be cast vnto doggs not without a manifestation of the iudgement of God for the same doggs becomming madd with their teeth tore theire Maisters as theeues and guilty of the holy body c. Againe in his 6. booke describing yet more at large the furie of these heretickes against the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord offered by Catholick Priests saith What is so sacrilegious as to breake raise or remoue the Altars of God vpon the which you also sometimes offered wpon which the vowes of the People and the members of Christ are borne where Almightie God is inuocated where the holy Ghost being desired doth descend from whence many take the pledge of eternall saluation the defence of faith and hope of Resurrection c. for what is the Altar but the seate of the body and bloud of Christ All these things your furie hath either raised or broken or remoued c. What had Christ offended you whose body and bloud did dwell there vpon the Altar for a certaine time What haue you offended against yourselues that you should breake these Altars vpon the which for many yeares before vs you offered as we thinke holily whilest that you doe wickedly persecute our handes there where the body of Christ doth dwell you strike your owne whereby you imitate the Iewes They cast their handes on Christ vpon the Crosse and you strike him vpon the Altar And afterwardes This wicked deede is doubled whilest you breake the Chalices the beares of the bloud of Christ whose species you haue turned into masses or lumpes prouiding marchandize for wicked fayres Thus Optatus 10. S. Cyprian liued abond the yeare 240. and S. Cyprian his beleefe of this Sacrifice he in his 63. Epistle proueth against the Aquarij certaine hereticks who were in his time That Iesus-Christ our Lord God was author and teacher of this Sacrifice of his body and bloud which in his time was vsed and beleeued throughout the Christian world as there he proueth at large and by the same places of
this earthly and worldly kingdome and all things that are therein which for the most part is so possessed by wicked men and diuels that our Sauiour himself doth not lett to call the diuel Prince of this world Ioh. 12. 31. and 14. 30. and S. Paul to call him God of this world 2. Cor. 4. 4. How can any man thinke it absurd for vs to say that the same God by the omnipotency of his vvord hath established the misteries of our faith and the kingdome of his Church vpon earth which he hath purchased and planted with his bloud and hath espoused vnto himself foreuer Osee 2. 19. seeing that they confess our Sauiour to be God and in the mistery of the holy communion to haue taken bread blessed and said Take ye and eate This is my body and likwise to haue taken the Chalice giuen thanks and gaue to them saying Drink ye all of this for this is my bloud 13. This vvas the argument which mooued the ancient Fathers to beleeue the reall presence of the body and bloud of our Lord in the blessed Sacrament the omnipotency of the vvrd of God as I haue abundantly proued in the precedent chapter For as S. Augustine in his 3. epistle to Velosianus saith in the vvonderfull vvorkes of God and high misteries of our faith All the reason of the deed is the omnipotency of the doeer Wherevpon S. Chrisostome in his 83. Homily vpon S. Matthew exhorteth all Christians saying Lett vs beleeue wholy in God and lett vs not contradict him although that which he saith seeme contrary to our reason and our sight Lett his word haue more authority with vs then our reason or our eyes c. Lett vs not behold only the obiects which are there proposed in the blessed Sacrament but lett vs imbrace his words for his words cannot abuse vs but our sense is easily deceaued His word hath neuer failed but our sense is mistaken euery hower Wherefore seeing that the word itselfe saith This is my body let vs be persuaded and beleeue it and we shall see it with the eyes of our vnderstanding Thus S. Chrisostome vvith vvhom agreeth Gaudentius in his 2. Tract of the reason of the Sacraments saying When our Lord gaue the consecrated bread and wine vnto his Disciples he said vnto them This is my body Lett vs beleeue him I praie you whom we haue beleeued Truth doth not know what it is to lye 14. Wonderfull are the vvorkes of God in his earthly kingdome of this vvorld yet seeing that our Lord descended from heauen and vvas incarnate to erect a spirituall kingdome farr more excellent then is this materiall kingdome of the earth euen so excellent as that he saith I will dwell and walke in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people 2. Cor. 6. 16. What maruell if in this his spirituall kingdome he vvorke more vvonderfull things then he did in that materiall seeing that he erected this for his friendes and founded that for all sortes of men and vvoemen and beastes And this is sufficient to shevv in generall hovv our Lord by the omnipotency of his vvord consecrateth his body and bloud vvith Bishopps and Priests his Officers and Legates CHAP. IX Of the certainty of the presence of the true reall and substantiall body and bloud of our Lord in the blessed Sacrament after consecration by the omnipotent power of God 1. FIrst these are as vve may saye the properties The qualities and conditions of God of God 1. To doe all things what soeuer he would Psal 113. 1. Secondly He is faithfull in all his words Psal 144. 14. Thirdly Able to doe what soeuer he promised Rom. 4. 21. Fourthly With him all things are possible Math. 19. 26. Fifthly There shall not be impossible with him any word Luk. 1. 37. Sixtly The word which proceedeth from his mouth shall not returne vnto him voyd but it shall doe whatsoeuer he would and shall prosper in those things for which he sent it Isai 55. 11. Seauenthly He will watch vpon his word to do it Ier. 1. 12. Eightly He is truth it selfe Io. 14. 6. And to conclude it is impossible for God to lye Heb. 6. 18. 2. Secondly our Sauiour in plaine and manifest The promises of Godt o giue his flesh and bloud for meate and drink words promised that He vvould giue meate that perisheth not but endureth to lyfe euerlasting bread that descended down from heauen that if any any man eate of it worthily he dye not liuing bread that came down from heauen bread which is his flesh the flesh of the sonne of man drink vvhich is his bloud meate in deede drink in deede himself to eate and so forth as it is sett down in the 6. chapter of S. Iohn 3. That our Sauiour in the 6. of S. Iohn speaketh of the B. Sacrament the ancient Fathers doe abundantly wittnes whose authorities are cited at large by Bellarmin in his book of the S. Iohn in his 6. chap. vvriteth of the B. Sacrament Eucharist Maldonate vpon the 6. of S. Iohn and Doctour Saunders in his book That our Lord in the 6. of S. Iohn hath spoken properly of the Eucharist I will content my selfe for the further proofe hereof which the words of S. Augustine in the 1. chapter of his 3. book de consensu Euangelistarum where after that he hath cited the words of our Lord at his last Supper as they are set down by the rest of the Euangelists saith That S. Iohn in that place hath not spoken any thing of the body and bloud of our Lord but in an other he doth manifestly wittnes that our Lord had farr more copiously spoken hereof which was this 6. of S. Iohn for no where else hath he spoken of the Communion Againe in the last chapter of his 4. book he saith that S. Iohn doth rarely write that which the rest doe Yet when he commeth to the Lords supper it selfe which none of the rest passed ouer with silence he extendeth himselfe much more copiously out of the Cellar of our Lords breast where he vsed to repose his head And in the 20. chapter of his first book De peccatorum meritis he saith Let vs heare our Lord speaking this of the Sacrament of his holy table except you eat may flesh c. So that it cannot with any reason be denyed that S. Iohn in his 6. chapter speaketh of of the blessed Sacrament 4. Moreouer this is the condition and nature of God Almighty that he neuer giueth or performeth The condition of God is to giue more then he promised lesse then in cleare and manifest words he promiseth but for the most part more then he promiseth as becometh the liberalitie and magnificence of his infinit mercies for he that giueth more then he promiseth doth not deceaue but he who giueth lesse is a deceauer and an impostor So it is blasphemie to affirme that Christ who is true God should