saith that the Mediator of Intercession prayeth for vs but no man prayeth for Him And to the ende it might appeare the they are countenanced by antiquitie they insert some prayers vsed by holy Fathers in time of celebration of diuine mysteries but by a deceitfull transposition of their wordes they vtterlie peruert the right sense and meaning of the words of the ancient Fathers as namely when Ambrose saieth Command thou these to wit oblations to bee caried by the hands of thine holy Angell vnto the high Altar in Heauen Ambrose spake of the bread and wine that God would vouchsafe vpon those elements the high honour that they might represent vnto vs the blessed body blood of Christ which was like vnto an eleuation of the elements vnto the Heauen But by a deceitfull transposition of the words of Ambrose inserting them after the words of cōsecration they ordaine their sinfull Priest to pray for the body of the Sonne of God which is a notable abusing of the words of Ambrose Likewise in the Canon of the Masse there is inuocation of Saincts farre contrarie to the auncient custome of the Church who albeit they made a reuerend commemoration of the names of holy men when they celebrated diuine mysteries yet they inuocated them not as Augustine clearly testifieth saying The names of Martyres are commemorated in their owne place and order as men of God yet are they not inuocated by the Priest who offereth sacrifices The seconde absurditie of the Masse consisteth in the verie grounds thereof which I referre first to the superstition of some Christian people who had a zeale to God but not rightly ordered with knowledge Some Christian people were so superstitious that they were not content to eat the Communion bread at the holy Supper in the Church but also they carried a part of it home to their houses they ate it secretly in their chambers Of this the defenders of the Masse inferreth If it was lawfull for them to communicate alone in their chamber much more is it lawfull for the Priest to communicate alone in the Church Vpon such sandie ground is the Popish Masse builded The secōd ground of the Masse is the timorous minds of simple people who being informed by their deceiuing teachers that they might haue like benefite with lesse hazard and danger by seeing of the sacrifice as they had by participation of the Sacrament The people began to loathe the frequent resorting to the holy Sacrament and they came to see the sacrifice of the Masse Both these groundes of the Masse are abuses of the Lords holy Supper In the first ground that which Christ cōmandeth to be presently eaten in remembrance of him a part thereof is reserued to be eaten in the chamber contrary to Christs institution as is already declared In the second ground the Apostolicke precept is neglected which commandeth vs to trie our selues and so to eat drinke at the Lords table but he forbiddeth vs not to approach to the Lordes holy table if we be duely rightly prepared neither giueth hee allowance to this new forme of communicating that the people shall stand only gazing and beholding and shall communicate by the mouth of the Priest alone They who brag of antiquitie and follow new inuented toyes they haue no honour by their bragging The third absurditie of the Masse consisteth in the rotten pillars whereupon the Masse standeth to wit Trans substantiation and Purgatorie for incase the bread bee not changed into the substance of Christs bodie the priest cannot offer Christs bodie to His Father And incase there be no soules tormented in Purgatorie how doeth the priest offer a sacrifice for the dead So it is manifest that these are the two rotten pillars vpholding the Masse I shall refute the doctrine of Transsubstantiation GOD willing in its own place for the present I say If there be Transsubstantiation in the holy Sacrament then is the spirite of man corporally fedde and the body of Christ is eaten by many in the Sacrament to whom hee is not promised in the Word which is an absurd thing once to imagine it And if such a place as Purgatorie had beene then Christ who hath reueiled vnto vs all thinges necessarie to be knowne hee woulde haue reueiled that mysterie also vnto vs. But Christ hath tolde vs of the pleasures of Heauen and of the terrours of Hell but neuer a word of Purgatorie If a house builded vpon sandie grounde and leaning vnto rotten pillars can stand then possible the Masse also may consist and stand if not the Masse also is in danger to fall The fourth absurditie of the Masse is a vile abusing of places of holy Scripture for vpholding the sacrifice of the Masse In the olde Testament they confirme the sacrifice of the Masse by the fact of Melchisedek who brought foorth bread and wine to refresh the wearie armie of Abraham but not to offer these elements in a sacrifice to God And the ancient Fathers who translate the Hebrew word obtulit in stead of protulit yet their opinion is that Melchisedek offered bread and wine to Abraham for his refreshment but not to God in a sacrifice But suppose the words of Moses did sound to that sense that Melchisedek offered a sacrifice of bread wine vnto God What belongeth that to the sacrifice of the Masse wherin they say that bread and wine is not offered vnto God but the verie bodie of Christ vnder the accidents of bread and wine This was not the sacrifice of Melchisedeck Also the words of the prophesie of Malachi are mis rably abused for confirmation of the sacrifice of the Masse whereas hee saieth For from the rising of the Sunne vnto the going downe of the same my Name is great among the Gentiles and in euerie place ncense shall bee offered vnto my Name and a pure offering for my Name is great among the Heathen saith the LORD of hostes The Prophet expoundeth his owne meaning so clearelie that there is no neede of any other commentarie for hee is speaking of the calling of the Gentiles to the kingdome of God and vnder one point of the true worship of God namelie inuocation of his blessed and glorious Name hee comprehendeth all other points of Gods worship such as faith obedience and confession of God before men Tertullian Eusebius and Chrysostona expounde this pure sacrifice to bee prayer and thankesgiuing vnto GOD. Iustinus Martyr citing this place of Malachi affirmeth that this prophesie was performed at that time when Grecians and Barbarians Hamaxobii and Nomades and Scenitae offered prayers and thankesgiuing vnto GOD the Father and Creator of all thinges in the Name of IESVS who was crucified In the newe Testament besides the wordes of Christ spoken at the institution of the holie Supper where of I haue spoken already two other places are mightily abused First the place of the Epistle to the Hebrewes
Romane Church supposeth that the wordes of Consecration are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that is Take eat this is my bodie And againe these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Drinke all of this for this is my blood of the New Testament which is shedde for manie for remission of sinnes But the Graecian Church thought that the blessing or consecration was not only made by the words afore-saide but also by prayer as Iustinus Martyr calleth the elements 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The foode blessed by the Worde of prayer Let no man separate the thinges that CHRIST hath conjoyned together to wit prayer and the wordes of the holie institution and wee shall easilie accorde about the consecration of the elementes The time in the which the elementes are thought to be consecrated is not the time in the which these wordes This is my bodie c. are begun to bee vttered but rather when they are ended So that the consecration is not an action fashioned by partes but wholly in one minute and at once perfected when the wordes are ended Albeit I agree to this opinion with full consent of my mind yet I could wish that the Romane Church who haue auouched the same would make no exception against their owne doctrine But when they speake of the intention of the consecrating Priest which is continually vnknowne to the people the people are left in a doubt whether they are partakers of Christes bodie or not And this is not the forme of the teaching of Christ to leaue the people in a suspence and doubting but to manifest clearely vnto them the mysterie whereof they doubt if so bee it bee necessarie to bee knowne as Christ manifested to his Disciples the parable of the sower and the seede and of the husbandrie and the tares c. The first word of Consecration is the principall word impugning Transsubstantiation for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a demonstratiue pronowne and it pointeth out something and Scripture conferred with Scripture is the best Commentarie to declare what is pointed out by the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Apostle Paule in his first Epistle to the Corinthians expoundeth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is This bread and the seconde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hee expoundeth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is This cuppe So we see that the substance of the elementes in the Sacrament of the Supper are neither changed nor euanished but remaining in their former substaÌ„ce they are honoured with a great honour to bee made Sacramentes of the Lordes blessed bodie and blood but their substance is not changed as saide is The next words of coÌ„secration are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is is my body The bread is the Lordes body because it is the Sacrament of the Lords body like as the Sacrament of faith to wit Baptisme saith August after a maner is faith euen so the Sacrament of the Lordes body after a maner is the Lordes body the wordes secundum quendam modum and quodammodo that is to say after some maner of way so oft repeted by August is forget by papists insomuch that they remember when August saith ferebatur Christus in manibus suis quando commendans ipsum corpus suum ait hoc est corpus meum that is Christ was borne vp in his owne handes when as deliuering his owne bodie hee saieth This is my bodie but they forgette the expositorie wordes in the which Augustine manifesteth his owne meaning namelie these Accepit in manus suas quod norunt fideles ipse se portabat quodammodo cum diceret hoc est corpus meuâ—… that is Hee tooke into his handes as is knowne to the belieuers and did beare after a maner himselfe in his owne hands when he said This is my body It is better in singlenesse of hart to make a true rehearsall of the words of ancient fathers in that same sense the they spake than with deceitfull speaches to abuse the simplicitie of the Reader who possibly will not take paines to search out in what sense Augustine said that Christ did beare himselfe in his owne hands In like maner Augustine writing against Adimant saieth that the blood is the life euen as Christ was the Rocke Nowe the Apostle saieth not Petra significabat Christum but saieth Pâ—…ra erat Christus quae rursus ne corporaliter acciperetur spiritualâ—…m illam vocat id est spiritualiter intelligi docet that is the Apostle saith not the rocke signified Christ but hee saieth the rocke was Christ which againe lest it should bee taken in a corporall sense hee calleth it a spirituall rocke teaâ—…hing vs that wee should spiritually vnderstand it Then if we fellow the exposition of ancient Fathers it cannot be inferred of these wordes this is my bodie that the bread is transsubstantiated into the substance of Christes bodie for such vaine conceits neuer entered into their mindes Papistes doe grant that after consecration Sainct Paule calleth the elementes bread and wine because they haue the shewe and shape of bread and wine as the brasen Serpent was called a Serpent and Angels in Scripture are called men because they so appeared But this is a friuolous shift because the Apostle when he speaketh of bread and wine after the words of consecration he speaketh expressely of bread that is eaten and of wine that is drunken This cannot bee the shape and accidentes of the elementes but their verie substance The Angels did not appeare only in the shape of men but also had mens bodies indeede so that their feete were washed and they did eate and drinke with Abraham and Lot The brasen Serpent was not in shewe but in substance and altogether of brasse These examples helpe not An euill cause hath more neede of a true confession than of a false defence as August writeth and Chrysost. saith most truely that albeit a bitter roote may sende foorth sweete and pleasant fruites yet a roote of bitternesse can neuer produce sweete and pleasant fruites warning vs thereby to beware of men who disseminate and propagate erroures and obstinately striue against the knowne trueth of God The last wordes of the consecration are these Doe this in remembrance of mee Marke the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for albeit Christ only suffered but once yet it is his will that wee should keepe a continuall remeÌ„brance of his death because the death of Christ is the fountaine of our life Now when we offer the Sacrifice of thankesgiuing vnto God in the holy Supper because hee hath saued vs by the death of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ. This Sacrifice which wee offer differeth from that which Christ offered vpon the Crosse because that Sacrifice was but onely once offered and was receiued into the most holy place as Chrysostome speaketh but this which we offer is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sub 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is wee offer in remembrane of his death and this which wee offer is a type to wit commemoratiue of that which he offered But because they hing by an haire and if any ancient Father cast out one worde albeit it were hyperbolically spokeÌ„ they fasten their gripes vpon it as if it made altogether for them Now Chrysostome saieth This Sacrifice which we offer is one and the selfe same Sacrifice which Christ offered Is it not good reason hee haue libertie to expounde the meaning of his owne words and so he doeth Our Sacrifice and Christs Sacrifice is one because we celebrate a remembrance of that Sacrifice once offered vpon the Crosse and of none other But that Sacrifice which Christ offered vpon the Crosse hath no neede to be reiterated saith Chrysostome in that same Homilie because it is like vnto a medicine which beeing once applyed hath a perfect vertue to saue vs from all our sinnes Hitherto I haue declared that the words of Consecration if they bee expounded as auncient Fathers expounded them they make nothing to proue the doctrine of Transsubstantiation Nowe let vs proceede further to see howe this definition of Transsubstantiation agreeth with the doctrine of the Apostles and of other auncient Fathers The Scriptures of God neither acknowledge an euanishing of the substance of bread and wine neither yet a chaunge of their substance into the substance of Christs bodie and blood For as much as the Apostle Paul speaking of the sacred elementes of the Lordes Supper at that time when they seale vp our conjunction with Christ which is not before the blessing breaking and distribution but after these holy actions the Apostle calleth the eating of the blessed bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the drinking of the blessed Cuppe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a communion of the Lords bodie and blood not excluding the substance of the elementes but expressely pointing out the wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the bread and the cuppe The moste ancient Fathers are moste vnacquainted with this Noueltie of Transsubstantiation for they all in one voyce for the space of 500. yeeres doe consent that the substance of bread and wine remaineth in the Sacrament after the wordes of Consecration albeit the vse of the elementes bee changed Iustinus Martyr saith that the elementes in the Sacrament of the Supper are made the flesh and the blood of Iesus in that same forme that the eternall worde of God was made flesh but so it is that the substance of the diuine nature neither euanished nor yet was changed into the substance of flesh And in like manner the bread is made the body of Christ neither by the euanishing of the substance thereof nor yet by changing the substance thereof into another substance In like manner Ireneus when he saith that the holy Eucharist consisteth of things earthly and of thinges celestiall by mentioning of earthly things hee would declare that the substance of the bread and wine remaineth after the consecration And lest any man by shifting wordes shoulde saye that Ireneus meaneth not by earthly thinges the substance of bread and wine but rather the accidents hee expresseth his owne meaning in the 32. chap. that he is speaking of the bread and the cuppe Ambrose speaking of the operatiue vertue of the Lords word in the Sacrament he saith that the elementes remaine that same thing which they were they are changed into another thing because the substance of the elements remaineth and their vse is changed Like as a regenerated man in substance both of soule and body is that same man that hee was before yet in qualities and conditions there is a great change And who can interprete the words of Ambrose better than hee himselfe doeth illustrate them by the foresaide similitude Theodoretus in his first Dialogue saith that God hath honoured the elements in the Sacrament with the name of His bodie blood not by changing of their nature but by adding grace vnto nature And in his second Dialogue he saith that after the wordes of consecration the elementes remaine in their former substance shape and forme The wordes of Theodoretus are not more effectual to instruct vs in the right judgement concerning the nature of the Sacrament than the very purpose whereat hee aimeth in those his Dialogues They are written of purpose to refute the heresie of Eutyches who affirmed that after the diuine nature assumed the humane nature all became diuinitie and there was not two distinct natures in Christ but one only Theodoretus for refutation of this heresie bringeth a comparison taken from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in the which the bread in substance remaining bread assumeth a name and vse that it had not before by diuine institution to be called the bodie of the Lord Euen so the diuine nature of Christ assumed the humane nature without any change of the one natuâ—…e into the other Moreouer he proueth the veritie of Christs humane nature by this That the elements in the Sacrament of the Supper are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is signes types and figures of the bodie and blood of Christ. And incase he had not a true body how could the elements in the Sacrament be figures of his bodie These speaches of Theodoretus doe import two thinges First that the elementes in the Sacrament of the Supper remaine still in their owne substance and their substance is neither changed nor euanished Secondly that in the holy Sacrament of the Supper there are signes not accidentall but the elementes in their owne substance remaining are signes of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. And howe these two things can agree with the doctrine of Transsubstantiation let the judicious Reader consider Augustine in like manner is so farre from imagining that the substance of the bread is euanished or turned into another substance that he putteth a difference betwixt Sacramentum and res Sacramenti counting the elementes Sacramentum and the bodie blood of Christ res sacramenti Now concerning the elements that is the bread and the wine he affirmeth that some doe eate them vnto saluation others doe eate them vnto damnation but as concerning the body and blood of Christ which Augustine calleth res sacramenti in expresse tearmes he saith No man receiueth them but onely to eternall life Of this it is euident that Augustine calleth that Sacramentum which is eaten either worthily or vnworthily either to saluation or to damnation And he is speaking of the substance of bread and wine which can bee eaten drunkeÌ„ and not of accidents which no man can eat or drinke But wherefore doe I spende time to cite testimonies of Fathers to prooue that after the wordes of blessing the elements in the holy Supper neither change their substance nor yet doeth their
blood of Christ. It is hard to bee a prolocutor for an euill cause for it is like vnto a bulge in a wall which falleth and bruiseth him who woulde sustaine it which cannot sustaine it selfe It is certaine that the bread and wine are not types and figures of Christs body before the words of consecration for it is after the words of blessing that the elements receiue this great honour to be called Christs bodie and blood that is signes externall wherewith Christes bodie and blood is spiritually exhibited vnto vs. And therefore Sainct Ambrose calleth the bread before the wordes of consecration panis usitatus that is common bread but it is after the wordes of consecration that they receiue this honour to beare the names of things represented by them as Theodoreius in expresse words writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is â—…ee hath honoured the visible signes with the appellation of his bodie and blood not changing their nature but adding grace to nature Which place clearly prooueth that the elementes obtaine not that great honour to bee called Christes body or types of his blessed body vntill the time that by diuine grace they bee consecrated to that holy vse Mailrosius Scotus liued vnder the reigne of Charles the Great about the yeere of our Lord 800. and likewise RABANVS Bishop of Mentz these two had so acquainted themselues with the doctrine of Augustine that they could in no manner of way giue allowance to the doctrine of Transsubstantiation And about the yeere of our Lord 840. Carolus the second the sonne of Ludouicus Pius and brother to Lotharius and Ludouicus Germanicus he writ to Bertramus a Presbyter to haue his resolution concerning the mysterie of the Sacrament and after what manner of way the body and blood of Christ was present in the Sacrament To whome hee returned this answere That in the Sacrament of the holy Supper there were some thinges that were perceiued with bodily senses other thinges were taken holde of onelie by faith And the bread and the wine were to vs the body blood of Christ as MANNA and the waters of the spirituall rock were Christs body and blood to the people of the Iewes in the wildernesse This opinion aggreeth well with the doctrine of Paul that the Fathers in the wildernesse ate that same spirituall food which we eat which they could not doe by corporall manducation of Christs flesh because as yet the word was not made flesh So this opinion of Transsubstantiation did no sooner put out its head but assoone also contradiction was made vnto it About the yeere of our Lord 1020. Berengarius maintained the opinion of Augustine and other auncient Fathers hee was a presbyter of Angiers in Fraunce and denied the doctrine of Transsubstantiation and the Romane Bishops were coÌ„mooued with great indignation as appeareth by the number of Councels assembled against one poore man who durst presume to speake against the opinion once embraced by the Romane Church Leo the ninth gathered a Councel at Rome in the which he condemned the opinion of Berengarius and excommunicated him euen before he was warned to be present at the Councell and before hee was heard Hee assembled also another Councell in Vercellis about the yeere of our Lord 1051. in the which Borengarius was not present but Messengers who came to pleade his cause were imprisoned and casten into bands and the booke of Ioannes Scotus Mailrosius De Eucharistia was condemned By the way if any equitie had beene kept in these Councels looke by what reason they condemned Ioannes Scotus whose opinion Berengarius followed by the like reason they shoulde haue condemned Augustine Bishop of Hippo whose opinion Ioannes Mailrosius followed But the Romane Church cannot erre ' Another Councell was assembled by Pope Victor the successor of Leo the ninth in the which the Decree of the CouÌ„cell of Vercellis was allowed Yet all this coulde worke no contentment in their heâ—…rtes because the people of Angiers and Towrs in Fraunce liked the doctrine of Augustine Mailrosius and Berengarius about the Sacrament of the Supper Therefore another Councell was assembled at Rome by Pope Nicolaus the seconde anno 1058. in the which Berengarius yeelded to the opinion of the Pope and his Councell and his weaknesse strengthened the errour already receiued in the Romane Church mightily But the number of them who abhorred this newe found out doctrine was exceeding great therefore the Romane Church after the yeere of our Lord 1079 and after the dayes of pope Gregorie the seuenth put hand to worke And being now mightie strong they stirred vp Kings and Princes to persecute with fire and sword and all kind of hostilitie as heretiques all those that spake against worshipping of Images corporall presence and manducation of the body of Christ in the Sacrament of the holy Supper So it is manifest that this doctrine of Transsubstantiation was mightily contradicted vntill the dayes of pope Innocentius the third who in the Councell of Laterane anno 1215. gaue full allowance thereunto But when all this is done râ—…member that the vniuersall Catholicke Church dwelleth not in one countrey or city When the Romane Church was miserably infected with this miserable scabbe of pestilent errour what consent gaue the Churches of Asia and all the Grieke Churches They euer disâ—…ssented from this doctrine vntill this daye as appeareth by the last Sessions of the Councell of Florence anno 1439. Therefore let the Romane Church bragge of Antiquitie as they please the doctrine of Transsubstantiation shall neuer be found an ancient doctrine but a doctrine newe false absurd and borne out more by might of the preuailing authoritie of men than power of argumentes grounded vpon holy Scripture God teach them to returne to the ancient trueth from which they haue sliden To whom be praise and glory for euer Amen A TREATISE Of the Sacrament of Pennance IN this CENTVRIE it was a receiued custome to men to confesse their sinnes secretly to Presbyters and to receiue from them such forme of injunctions as they counted satisfactions for their faultes as appeareth clearly by the Councell gathered in Fraunce anno 742. in the which Bonifacius bishop of Mentz was Moderator In the first Canon of that Councell it was statuted and ordained That no man of the Clergie should put on armour and goe to warre-fare except one or two bishops with their presbyters and chaplens to prescribe pennance vnto them who should happen to confesse their sinnes By this it is euident that the custome of secret confession of sinnes to presbyter poenitentiarius which was excluded out of the Church in the dayes of Nectarius Bishop of Constantinople yet it returned againe and it was in vse in the VIII CENTVRIE Now in the inseription of this TREATISE I call it a SacrameÌ„t as the Romane church in our dayes call it not as though I were in the opinion that in this age the number of seuen Sacramentes
lying narration with lying miracles wrought at the sepulchres of Iosâ—…phat some time King of India and Barlaam an Eremite whose bones hee alleadgeth were transported by King Baracbias out of the Wildernesse into the Countrey of India but I leaue Damascene lying and I proceede Vnder the shadowe and coloure of all this counterfeit glorie aboue mentioned from the sixe hundreth yeere of our LORD vntill our owne time horrible abominations hath beene hatched so farre surpassing the defections preceeding the sixe and seuenth hundreth yeere of our LORD as the darknes of the winter night goeth beyonde the darkenesse of the summer night Beside the doctrine of Images where of Monkes were the principall authors yea and Paulus Cyprius before hee coulde procure the gathering of the second Councill of Nice entred into a Monastrie as it were into the shop and office house of Sathan and with his vntimous sorrowing moued the Empresse Jrene to gather the Councill fore-saide But beside this I say Monks were the first forgers of the doctrine of Transsubstantiation for Damascene expreâ—…ely writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the very Bread and Wine are changed into the Bodie and Blood of the LORD And againe he saieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Bread and the Wine are not a figure of the Bodie and Blood of CHRIST but the verie Dei-fied Bodie of our LORD This errour was receiued dispersed and propagated the more willingly in Monastries because it was forged by the braine of a Monke Likewise the doctrine of the merite of mens workes cuen such workes as are superstitious and not commanded in the Law of GOD This doctrine I say as a banner displaide against the merites of the sufferings of CHRIST it was chiefely spred out in Monastries wherein the grand our of great and legible letters made their opinion knowne to the worlde ORDO SERVAT US DUCIT AD VIT AM that is The keeping of order to wit Monasticke rules leadeth to life Other points of erronious corrapt doctrine where of they are not the first inuenters they are the principall propagators of them as namely prayer for the dead and the opinion of purgatorie these errours inuented of old had died out long agoe as the fires of Aetna and Vesuvius haue done if that the fables of Monkes dayly renewed had not beene like vnto fewell intertaining the flame of foolish opinions The vilde and vnchaste conuersation of the Monkes from the sixe hundreth yeere of our LORD vntill our time he who vndertaketh to describe it vndertaketh an â—…nnecessarie worke as they did who of olde commended Hâ—…rcules whom no man did 〈◊〉 euen so they who presume to describe the vnchastitie of Monastries and Nunneries they spend time in vaine to prouâ—… that thinâ—… which no man can denie yea and their owne speaches contâ—…ine a confession oâ—… the Guiltines of vnchaste liuing When any of their number is dâ—…prehended in whoredoâ—…e and aduâ—…rie they do not aggre gâ—… thâ—… fault as a shame and dishonouâ—… done vnto their holy Order but rather extenuâ—…e the horrour of sinne saving it is better to bee a secrete whore-monger than an open Heretique The commendation that the Poet Nigellus giueth to the Nunnes of the Gilbertine order in our neighbour Countrey is but slender namely this that when they were aged they left off bearing of children This Order began in ENGLAND ANNO 1140. The Monkes and Nunnes of our owne Countrey where they were best knowne they were worst liked and â—…hey might haue suffered a triall of anie persons except of neighbours and such as knew them well In other Countreyes albeit the turpitude of an vnchaste life was couered with lesse transparent vailes alwayes GOD is like vnto himselfe and hee hateth the workers of iniquitie Let S. Adonei a Monke of Rowâ—…m bee an examplarie type of the maners of manie others when hee fell ouer the bridge in the night time and drowned in the water of Seane the good and euill Angels stroue for his soule because it was to bee doubted whether his foote-steps led to the Church or to his harlot And in ende the decision of this controuersie was referred to RICHARD Duke of Normandie It appeareth by this fable inuented by Normand Monkes that their purpose was not only to excuse the villanie of Adonei and to count him a Saint but also to encourage themselues to lasciuiousnesse because the good Angels woulde striue for the soule of a villane who was cled with an holie Monkish habite and at last the decision of the controuersie must bee referred to some mortall man not vnlike vnto Paris who was more fauourabiie inclined to Venus then hee was either to Iâ—…no or Minerva Now it is time to speake of the multiplied number of the orders of Monkes not to make a perfect reherâ—…all of them but to let the Reader vnderstand that the woride groned vnder the charge of an importable burthen which neither were they willing to shake off nor able to beare it Ouer and beside the multiplied number of the branches of the Augustine and Benedictine Orders aboue specified other Orders also sprang vp such as the order of the Charterus Monkes where of Brâ—… a man bo ne iâ—… Colne was the author ANNO 1080. It is rumored that a certaine man in Paris died who was renowned for the honestie of an vnreproueable life notwithstanding after his death in audience of the people who were assembled to performe the last funerall duetie to him hee sate vp in the bire and vttered terrible wordes that hee was accused and in the righteous judgement of GOD condemned Bruno was present and heard these tragicall wordes and saide vnto the people If so bee that this man bee condemned it is not possible that any man can bee saued except hee renounce the worlde And so being accompanied with a few followers he went into a Wildernesse neâ—…re to Gratianopolis and was the author of a new Order of the Charterus Monkes whose continuall abstinence from flesh vnmanerly silence and purging with fire the footesteps of women was in their opinion a renouncing of the world If this bee true the people of Aethiopia called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue renounced the worlde and are neerer to the Kingdome of GOD then the Charterus Monkes By the like Diabolicall inuention the Order of Catherina de Senis was found out ANNO 1455. The marks of CHRISTS sufferinges the spousing Ring shee receiued from CHRIST with foure pretious Pearles of inestimable value the emptying her body of her owne heart to the ende the heart of CHRIST might bee thrust in place of it What are all these forgeries but as the filthie exhalation of a stirred mire of vncleanenesse yet are these fables published to the worlde in that booke laden with lies called Chronica Chronicorum yea and this woman was canonized by Pope Pius the seconde ANNO 1470. And the Order of S. Catherene was receiued amongst other holy orders Hospitalarii Templarii Teutonici gladiatores
argumentes whereby the seconde Councell of Nice endeuoured to approue the adoration of images are all refuted in the Councell of Frankford as I haue declared alreadie in a Treatise concerning worshipping of Images Concerning the argument taken from the authotitie of Epiphanius who in his booke called Panarium reckoneth not the worshippers of images in the roll of Heretiques it is answered by the Councell of FRANKFORD that incase Epiphanius had counted the haters of the worshippers of images Heretiques hee had likewise inferted their names in the catalogue of Heretiques but seeing hee hath not so done the Councell of Nice had no just cause to triumph so much in this friuolous argument which maketh more against them that it maketh for them More-ouer in the Councell of FRANKFORD the Epistle of Epiphanius written to Ihonne bishop of Hierusalem was read wherein hee disalloweth the verie inbringing of images into Churches and this Epistle was translated out of Grieke into the Latine language by Ierom. The Epistle is worthie to bee read Reade it in the Magdeburg Historie Cent. 8. Chap. 9. TREATISES Belonging to the VIII CENTVRIE A TREATISE Of Transsubstantiation SATHAN is a vigilant enemie setting himselfe in most opposite manner against euerie thing that is a comfort and refreshment vnto the sheepe-folde of God Now the principall comforts of the sheepe of God are the pastures wherein they feede and the waters wherewith they are refreshed Doubtlesse these two comforts are the preaching of the word and the ministration of the Lordes holy Sacraments If Sathan by any meanes can hinder the true preaching of the worde and the right ministration of the Sacramēts then his malice against Gods people is descried as the malice of the Philistimes of olde against Isaac and his cattell was manifested when they stopped with earth the foūtaines of water which Abraham had digged whereof the cattell of Isaac were accustomed to drink It cannot bee sufficiently expressed in words what malice Sathan hath born against the true preaching of the word of God the right ministration of the Sacraments The sixt persecution of Ethnick Emperoures was so directly set against the Preachers of Gods worde as the worlde might easily discerne that the intention of Maximinus was to vndoe the sheepe-folde of God for lacke of pastures and of refreshing waters For this cause let not our cogitations be rauished with admiration when we heare or reade that manie questions haue beene mooued concerning the holie Sacrament of the Lords Supper If there were not plenty of spirituall consolation to bee receiued by the right participation of this holy Sacrament Sathan had neuer busied himselfe so earnestly against it as if the throate of his kingdome were cut if this Sacrament be rightly ministred by the Preachers rightlie receiued by the people Let the Christian Reader remember that of olde vnder the tenne persecuting Emperoures the receiuing of the holy Sacrament of the Lordes Supper was called the banquet of Thyestes This proceeded from none other ground but from the malice of the Deuill hating the Lords holy banquet Secondly the Manichean heretiques so peruerted the Lords holy Sacrament that Augustine to whom their secret mysteries were not vnknowne was compelled to call their Communion Execramentum and not Sacramentum that is an execrable thing and not a Sacrament Thirdly the Donatists in ministring the Lords Sacraments were in an opinion That the Sacrament was onely effectuall when it was ministred by one of their owne number But seeing the malice of Sathan is an infinite thing and hath not a period wherein it endeth For defacing of the right vse of the holy Sacrament Sathan filled the heart of an hereticall Monke called Damascene with a lewde opinion to affirme That the bread in the holy Sacrament was transsubstantiate into the body of Christ and that the wine was transsubstantiate into His blood Which opinion I may justly call a Noueltie because it was neither in worde nor writ hearde before the seuen hundreth yeere of our Lord. But it is the custome of Papists to follow Nouelties and in the meane time to bragge of Antiquitie What abuses of the holy Sacrament followed after the seuen hundreth yeere of our Lord God willing shall bee declared in its owne time for the present thus much I say That vpon a time I saw the images of Cain and Abel pictured by an vnlearned painter with such habite as the Germanes are appareled with in our dayes These pictures made mee not to thinke that the Germane habite was in vse in the dayes of Cain and Abel but rather that the painter was a foolishe man destitute of vnderstanding Euen so when I reade the works of Damascene albeit I was at that time but young in yeeres yet I thought not that the opinion of Damascene was agreeable to Apostolicke doctrine but rather that Damascene was a foolishe and doating Monke and somewhat ambitious also desiring to be coūted the author of some new opinion which no man had maintained before him IN this TREATISE I shall first declare God willing what it is that they call Transsubstantiation secondly howe absurde an opinion it is and thirdly with what relùctation it was insinuated into the bosome of the Latine Church but euer vntill this daye was rejected of the Grieke Church Nowe Transsubstantiation as they saye is an euanishing of the substance of bread and wine after the wordes of consecration and a substitution of the bodie blood of Christ in place of the euanished substance of bread and wine the accidents of bread and wine alwayes remaining without inherence into anie subject Albeit the worde Transsubstantiation seemeth to import a change of one substance into another and the moste part of them define it to bee a chaunge of the substance of bread into the substance of Christes bodie yet some of them doe forsee a great inconueniencie if Transsubstantiation be defined to a chāge of the substance of bread into the substance of Christes bodie namely this that Christes bodie in heauen cladde with a most glorious and celestiall brightnesse and Christes bodie in earth ouershaddowed with the accidentes of bread and wine shall not bee counted one and the selfe same bodie in respect that the bodie of Christ that is in heauen was formed by the holy Spirit of the substance of the Virgine Marie and the bodie of Christ in the Sacrament woulde bee founde to bee made of the substance of bread This is the cause wherefore they who are more subtile than the rest abstaine from the grosse definition afore-saide Howsoeuer concerning the word Transsubstantiation I admonish the Reader that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an euanishing or disparition hath no affinitie with Damascenes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a change of one thing vnto another thing that is better so that there is no good agreement amongst themselues concerning the signification of the word Transsubstantiation Concerning consecration of the elementes there are diuerse opinions The
is the true bread The doctrine of Transsubstantiation importeth also accidentes without a subject as hath beene touched in a part before in the definition of Transsubstantiation This is admirable that the Scholasticke Doctors who make Aristotle to be Master Caruer of this most holy banquet who haue acquainted themselues better with his Preceptes than with the heauenlie doctrine of the Apostles yet in this point they haue forgotten euen the doctrine of their Schoole-master Aristotle who saieth that accidentes can haue no subsistence but into a subject as if a man bee talking of blindnesse hee must also talke of eyes that are blinded and if hee talke of deafenesse hee must also talke of the eare and if hee talke of lamenesse hee must talke of some member of the bodie that is maimed and finallie if hee talke of a disease hee must also talke of some bodie either of man or beast that is diseased and this hee must doe either expressely or couertly because accidentes haue no subsistence without a subject There can bee nothing imagined more absurde more repugnant to reason than to talke of whitenessâ—… roundnesse and rednesse and in the meane time to saye there is nothing that is white round or redde The recourse which they haue to the Omnipotent power of God who is able to make accidents to subsist without a subject declareth that they neuer rightly considered the cause wherefore the Omnipotent power of GOD is mentioned in holie Scripture to wit to bee one of the strong pillars of our faith which faith commeth onely by hearing Then let this order bee kept First let GOD speake in His owne worde Secondlie let vs beleeue the worde of GOD by faith Thirdlie let the assured pillars of the Omnipotent power and infalâ—…ible trueth of GOD vpholde our faith as it did the faith of ABRAHAM But let vs not grounde vpon the Omnipotent power of GOD in matters whereof wee haue no assurance in His written worde as some of the wise men of PERSIA did who assured both themselues and others that incase they woulde distribute all their goods to the poore and throwe themselues headlonges from eminent places then their soules shoulde bee transported immediatelie to Heauen This madnesse fell out about the yeere of our LORDE and Sauiour IESVS CHRIST 759. What was this leaning of theirs to the Omnipotent power of GOD without assurance of his word but only the conceits of braine-sicke men And so let Papistes talke what they please In this purpose that God by his Omnipotent power can make accidentes to subsist without a subject I will conclude that the Omnipotent power of God is ordained to bee a confirmation to our faith and not to be a citie of refuge to foolish fables The doctrine of Transsubstantiation also importeth that the body of Christ at one time may bee in infinite places which repugneth vnto the nature of a true body which like as it is circumscribed and may be seene so likewise at one time it is onely in one place as Augustine writeth to Dardanus in these wordes Tolle spatia locorum corporibus nusquam â—…runt nec â—…runt that is to say Take from bodies the rowmes of places and they shall be no where and consequently they shall not bee at all And Theodoretus prooueth that the body of Christ is a true humane body albeit it be glorified euen in the latter daye when hee commeth to judge the quicke and the dead because it shall bee seene according as it is written Matth. 26 64. Yee shall see the sonne of man comming in the cloudes of heauen and like as it may be seene so likewise it is circumscribed and consequently it is in a place and is not turned into his diuine nature which is both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is it cannot be seene and it cannot bee circumscribed as the humane nature is It is well remarked by that learned Preacher Du Moulin that in the last edition of S. Augustines workes at Parise anno 1571. a notable place of the foresaid epistle of Augustine to Dardanus is vtterly left out by aduice of the Fathers correctors of the writings of the Auncientes namely this Destrai naturam humanam Christi si non detur ei certum spatium quo more aliarum rerum corporearum contineatur that is The humane nature of Christ is destroyed if a certaine place be not attributed vnto it wherein it is contained according to the custome of other corporall thinges What credite is to bee giuen vnto Popishe Doctors when they cite testimonies of auncient Fathers after they are deprehended to be deceitfull deprauers of their bookes Ancient Fathers a long â—…ime before the question of Transsubstantiation of the substance of the elementes in the holy Supper came in head they were reâ—…soning of the two natures in Christ to wit the diuine and humane nature and that the one nature was not turned into the other they could not find a fitter similitude than that which is borrowed from the Sacrament as I haue alreadie declared Alwayes they thinke that if any man shall imagine that by vertue of these wordes This is my body the substance of bread was chaunged into the substance of Christes body as many doe thinke euen vntill this day then in steade of one Transsubstantiation of the substance of bread into the substance of Christs body there should be two Transsubstantiations and the substance of Christs body should againe be turned into bread for like as Christ speaking of bread saith This is my body euen so Christ speaking of his body calleth it corne of wheat in these words Verily I say vnto you except wheat corne fall into the grounde and die it abideth alone but if it die it bringeth foorth much fruit If by vertue of the former wordes bread bee changed into the substance of Christes body then in like manner by vertue of these words for both are spoken out of one blessed mouth the body of Christ should be turned into the substance of corne of wheat I grant there is a difference betwixt a Sacrament and a metaphore yet in neither of them is there such vertue in the word is to change the substance of any thing IN the last head let vs consider with what strife and reluctation this erronious doctrine was intruced vpon the Church I holde the Monke Damascene to bee the first author thereof who perceiuing that his opinion was repugnant to the doctrine of ancient Fathers namely to the doctrine of Basilius Magnus who calleth the bread and the wine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is figures of the body and blood of Christ. He forgeth a friuolous shift to excuse his contradiction to Basilius because saieth hee Basilius calleth them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before the wordes of the blessing but after the pronouncing of the wordes of the blessing they are no longer figures but the very body and
other parts make seruice in his Church without letters of recommendation 14. Let a Pres byter leauing a lowe place and presuming to an higher incurre that same punishment which a Bishop deprehended in the like fault should incurre 15. A Presbyter who attaineth to a Church by giuing money for it let him be deposed 16. Let tythes bestowed vpon Churches by aduise of Bishops be faithfully distributed to the poore by the Presbyters 17. The families of Bishops shall bee instructed in the summe of the true faith In the knowledge of the retribution to be giuen to good men and the condemnation of vngodly people and of the resurrection and last judgement and by what kinde of workes eternall life may bee promerited and that the Homelies containing these instructions shall bee translated into Rusticke Latine language to the end that euery person may vnderstand them Marke in what estimation the Latine language hath bene at this time that instructions in Rusticke and Barbarous Latine are counted better than instructions in good French Language 18. It is the duetie of the Bishop to instruct his Presbyters concerning the Sacrament of Baptisme what it is that they should desire the people baptized to renounce namely they should renounce the deuill all his works his pomps Now the works of the Deuill are murther fornication adulterie drunkennesse and other such like faultes But the pompes of the Deuill are pride ostentation swelling conceites vaine glory lostinesse and such other faultes as spring vp from such groundes 19. Presbyters are precisely to bee admonished that when they say the Masse and doe communicate they doe not distribute the Lords bodie indiscretely to children and to all persons who happen to bee present who if they bee entangled with great sinnes they procure vnto themselues rather damnation than any remedie to their soules according to the saying of the Apostle Whosoeuer eateth this Bread and drinketh this Cuppe vnWorthilie hee shall bee guiltie of the bodie and blood of the LORD Let a man therefore trie himselfe and so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cuppe By this let the judicious Reader marke that euen in the dayes of Carolus Magnus priuate Masses had no place but they who were duely prepared did communicate with the Priest 20. Presbyters shall not suffer the holy Chrisme to be touched by euery man 21. Presbyters shall not resort to Tavernes to eate or drinke 22. Bishops and presbyters shall prescribe to sinners who haue confessed their sines pennance discretly according to the weightinesse of their fault 23. Chanons who dwell in Cities let them eate in one Closter and sleepe vnder one roofe to the ende they may bee readie to celebrate their Canonicall houres From the 24. Can. vnto the 32. are contained Constitutions concerning Monkes and Nunnes which I ouer-passe with silence fearing to bee prolixt Can. 32. All men should studie to peace and concorde but especially Christians forsaking hatred discorde and enuie 33. Lordes and Iudges should bee obedient to the wholsome admonitions of their bishops and bishops on the other part should reuerentlie regarde them to the ende they may bee mutually supported euery one with the consolations of another 34. Lordes and Iudges are to bee admonished that they admitte not vile and naughtie persons to beare witnesse in their judicatories because there are manie who for a contemptible price are readie to make shipwracke of a good conscience 35. Let no man for his decreet receiue a rewarde for diuine Scripture in manie places for biddeth this as a thing that blindeth the eyes of the wise 36. Let euerie man bee carefull to support indigent persons of his owne familie and kinred for it is an impious and abominable thing in the sight of God that men abounding in riches should neglect their owne 37. Christians when they make supplications to God let them in humble manner bowe downe their knees following the example of the Martyr Steuen and of the Apostle Paul Except vpon the Lordes daye and other solemne dayes on the which the vniuersall Church keepeth a memoriall of the Lordes resurrection and at such times they are accustomed to stand and pray 38. Faithfull people must be admonished not to enter into the Church with tumult and dinne and in time of Prayer and celebration of the Masse not to be occupied in vaine confabulations and idle speaches but euen to abstaine from wicked cogitations 39. Let not the Consistories and Iudgement seates of secular Iudges bee in the Church or portches thereof in any time to come because the house of God shoulde bee an house of Prayer as our Lord Iesus Christ saieth 40. Let it bee forbidden that Merchandize be vsed vpon the Lordes daye or Iustice Courtes because all men should abstaine from seruile laboures to the ende this day may bee spent in praysing and thanking God from Morne till Euen 41. Incestuous persons parracides and murtherers are found who will not hearken to the wholsome admonitions of Church men but perseuere in their vitious conuersation who must bee reduced to order by the discipline of the secular power 42. Let the people bee admonished to abstaine from Magicall Artes which can bring no support and helpe to the infirmities of men and beastes but they are the deceitfull snares of the Deuill whereby hee deceiueth mankind 43. A frequent custome of swearing is forbidden wherein men vpon euery light occasion willing to purchase credite to that which they speake they take God to bee witnesse of the veritie of their speaches 44. Manie frie subjectes by the oppression of their Masters aro-redacted to extreame pouertie whose causes if our clement Soueraigne please to examine hee shall finde that they are vnjustlie redacted to extreame indigence 45. A false measure and a false ballance is an abomination vnto the Lord as Salomon recordeth The 46. Canon containeth a regrate that tythes were not duely payed to the Church notwithstanding that the Church had giuen in their complaint to the ciuill Magistrate whereby it came to passe that not onely Lightes in the Church and steependes to the Clergie beganne to inlacke but also the very Paroch Churches became ruinous 47. When generall Fastinges are appointed for any impendent calamitie let no man neglect the fellowship of the humbled Church for desire to fearce his bellie with delicate foode 48. Drunkennesse and surfetting are forbiddē as offensiue both to soule and and bodie and the ground of many other sinnes 49. Lords and Masters are to bee admonished not to deale cruelly and vnmercifully with their subjectes yea and not to seeke that which is due vnto themselues with excessiue rigour 50. Let Laicke people communicate at least thrise in the yeere vnlesse they bee impeded by some hainous sinnes committed by them 51. In the last Canon mention is made that they diligently examined the cause of them who complained to the Emperour that they were disherited by the donation of landes which their fathers and friends had bestowed
vnto him In Scripture we reade of many great vials of the wrath of God powred downe vpon vnrighteous men but these are greatest that resemble by most viue representation the great condemnation of the wicked at the last daye such as the flood of NOE the ouerthrow of Sodom and destruction of Ierusalem The flood of NOE was vniuersall and sudden so shall be the condemnation of vngodly men at the last day Mat. 24 37. 38. 39. The ouerthrow of Sodome and Gomorrha was a destruction vnsupportable and the more meete to be an example of the vengeance of eternall fire epist. Iud. ver 7. The destruction of Ierusalē the forerunning tokens therof are so mixed with the tokens preceeding the condemnation of the great day that it may be clearly perceiued that God hath appointed the one to be a type and figure of the other Mat 24. So ost as wee call to remembrance the flood of NOE the ouerthrowe of Sodom and the destruction of Ierusalem let vs feare and stand in awe to fall into the condemnation of vngodly men because all the terrors of these judgements concurre and are massed together in the judgemēt of the last day What are the deep Weeles of water what are the shoures of fire and brimstone what is famine pest and sworde both intestine and forraine in comparison of that worme that neuer dieth and that fire that shall neuer be quenched the blacknesle of darknesse with weeping and gnashing of teeth c. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the liuing God Concerning the number ofthem that were slaine in Galile Trachonitis Samaria Iudea chiefly in the Metropolitane towne Ierusalem ouer and beside those that were sold to be siaues and those that were deuoured by wild beastes in the triumph of FLA. and TITVS at Rome reade Ioseph d◅ bello Iud. lib. 6 cap. 45. Titus AFter FLAVIVS reigned TITVS VESPASIAN his sonne two yeeres two months twentie dayes Bucolc index Chron. The nation of the Iewes being nowe subdued there was great peace in all parts of the Romaine dominions both by sea and land and the temple of IANUS in Rome was closed and locked vp againe Bucolc Domitian FLAVIVS DOMITI AN was associat to his brother TITVS in gouernement during his lifetime and after his death was his successor hee reigned 15. yeeres Chytr chron He was proud like NERO persecuted innocēt Christians as he did so prone bent is our corrupt nature to sin to follow euill examples Now againe the Church of Christ militant vpon the earth must learne obedicnce by suffering must giue a proofe before the world that the Couenant of God is written in the tables of her heart and so deepely ingraued by the finger of God that no tribulation anguish persecution famine nakednesse nor death it selfe can separate her from the loue of Christ. The members of the Church were the good marchants of whom Christ speaketh Mat. 13. who hauing found a pearle of vnspeakable value were content to sell all that they had for loue of gaining it they had tasted of the Well of water springing vp into eternall life and thirsted not againe for the water that cannot satisfie the heart of man with full cōtentment Ioh. 4. 14. In this second great persecution the belooued disciple of Christ the Apostle IOHN was banished to the Isle of Patmos for the worde of God Euseb. eccl hist. lib. 3. cap. 18. FLAVIA DOMICILLA a woman of noble birth in Rome was banished to Pontia an Isle lying ouer against Caieta in Italie Euseb. eccl hist. lib. 3. cap. 19. PROT A'SIVS and GERV ASIVS were martyred at Millain Chytr Chron. concerning the miracle wrought at their sepulchres God-willing wee shall speake in the thirde Centurie and in the treatise of reliques CHYTRAEVS writeth that the Euangelist TIMOTHIE was stoned to death at Ephesus by the worshippers of DIANA and that DIONYSIVS AREOPAGITA was slaine by the sword at Pareis DOMITIAN had heard some rumours of the Kingdome of Christ and was afraid as HEROD the great had beene after the Natiuitie of our Lord but when two of Christs kinsemen according to the flesh the Nephewes of the Apostle IYDE were presented before him and hee perceiued them to bee poore men who gained their liuing by handie labour and when hee had heard of them that Christes Kingdome was not of this world but it was spirituall and that he would come at the latter day to judge the quicke and the dead hee despised them as simple and contemptible persones and did them no harme Euseb. eccles hist. lib. 3. cap. 20. In ende as the life of DOMITIAN was like vnto the life of NERO so was he not vnlike vnto him in his death for his owne wife and friends conspired against him and slew him his body was caried to the graue by porters and buried without honour The Senat of Rome also decreed that his name should be rased and all his actes should bee rescinded Sueton. in Domit. Ierom. catal script eccles Nerva COCCIVS NERVA after DOMITIAN reigned 1. yeere 4. months Euseb. lib. 3. cap. 21. Bucolc And hitherto all the Emperours that ruled were borne in Italie from this foorth strangers doe rule for TRAIAN the adoptiue sonne of NERVA his successor was borne in Spaine NERVA redressed many things that were done amisse by DOMITIAN and in his time the Apostle IOHN was relieued from banishment and returned againe to Ephesus where hee died Euseb. cccles hist. lib. 3. cap. 21. CENT I. Chap. 2. AFter the Lordes resurrection his twelue Apostles were indued with grace from aboue and sent foorth to conqu◅sse all people to the obedience of Christ whose trauailes the Lord so wonderfully blessed that within a short time many thousands of all nations languages whom God had appointed to eternal life were conuerted to the faith of Christ. This conquest that Christ made by the ministerie of 12. poore and contemptible men is more worthy to be called a conquest then all the valiant exploites of CYRVS ALEXANDER CAESAR and other conquerours For he made this conquest by a small handfull of poore and infirme disciples also he conquessed not only the bodies of men but also their hearts to his obedience finally hee made this conquest not by shedding of peoples blood but by preaching of his owne death and blood shed for the redemption of many Neither conquessed hee free men to make them slaues as other conquerours had done but they who were slaues indeede to Satan vnto thē he gaue the libertie of the sons of God Now these 12. Apostles the more faithfully they laboured in the worke of their ministery the worse were they intreated by the vnthankfull world according as Christ had forctold Iohn 16. The most part of them were put to death the rest were not free of many painfull sufferings rebukes which they willinglysustained for the Name of Christ. PETER PAVL are supponed to haue beene
of Constantinople left his charge entred into a Monastrie and lamented that he had consented to the abolishing of Images Gregorius B of Neocesarea one of the chiefe disallowers of Images in the Councill holden at Constantinople gaue in his supplicant bill in the second Councill of Nice confessed his error and subscribed to the decreet of that vnhappie Councill by whose example the bishops of Nice Hierapolis of the Isles of Rhodes and Carpathus were mooued to doe the like Let this bee a warning to them who are in eminent places that they fall not from the trueth of GOD lest by their fall they procure a great ruining and desolation to the house of GOD. The LORD keepe vs from defection to whome bee praise and glory for euer AMEN A TREATISE Of Satisfaction and Indulgences SATISFACTION of olde was publicke repentance made for grieuous faultes such as murther adulterie apostasie And this publicke humiliation made in sight of the people with fasting teares basenesse of apparrell and such other tokens of an humbled minde with a sense of sorrow for by-past offences it was called satisfactio as Augustine writeth quia satisfiebat Ecclesiâ—… that is because the Church was satisfied yea and the slander was remooued This humiliation foresaide in the Greeke Church was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a punishment because it was inflicted as a punishment in Church discipline to terrifie others from committing the like offences Now seeing this Ecclesiasticall discipline was very rigorous and indured many yeeres as the Canons of Councils clearely declare It pleased the Church vpon weightie considerations to relent somewhat of the severitie of the first prescribed discipline yea and the people ofâ—… times intreated the Pastor by earnest requests that the time of publicke repentance might be shortned because they saw great tokeâ—…s of vnfained repentance in the offender This dispensation with the rigour of olde discipline was called indulgentia but in Poperie which was beginning in this Centurie to haue great vpper hand the abuse of these two words hath vtterly vndone the ancient puritie of religion and discipline The word satisfaction which of old was referred to the people now in Poperie is referred to God in this maner They teach the people that the sinnes committed before Baptisme are abolished in Baptisme but sinnes committed after Baptisme wee must obteine pardon for them by our own satisfactions namely by fasting praying almesdeedes pilgrimages and such other workes done by our selues And to maâ—…e this doctrine the more plausible vnto the people they bring in the similitude of a man sailing in a ship if he fall out of it into the sea the ship say they goeth away without recouerie and incace he find not another vessell to support his distressed estate and to bring him to land he must needes perish and drowne euen so say they if after baptisme we commit any transgression we must either be supported by our owne satisfactions els wee must perish in our sinnes No similitude can be more repugnant to Scripture than this For albeit there bee many vessels whereinto mens bodies may bee preserued from the danger of drowning yet is there not many vessels whereinto our soules can bee saued from damnation but â—…ee are saued onely by our spirituall Baptisme whereby the filth of our soules is washen away in the blood of Christ. And like as God commanded not NOE to make two arkes but one alanerly for the safetie of a fewe so hath GOD appointed only one way for safetie of our soales so that if wee sinne after Baptisme wee must haue refuge to the sweete promises of remissiion of sinnes made to vs in Baptisme In what sense indulgentia was taken of old I haue already declared In the Romane Church Indulgences and Pardones are a dispensation of the merites of Christ and his Saintes to the vtilitie of sinners This presupponeth that the merites of Christ and his Saintes are put in the custodie of the bishop of Rome and that his treasures can keepe them Concerning the merites of CHRIST they say that there was such precious vertue in his blood that one droppe of it was sufficient to redeâ—…me all the world now say they what shall become of all the rest of his blood which he shed in great abundance shall all this precious blood be lost and where can it be better kept than in the treasures of CHRISTS Vicar to be dispensated to the vtilitie of sinners when need requireth To this vaine assertion of Papistes I answere that the LORD neuer dealt sparingly neither with our bodies nor soules The LORD hath prouided greater abundance of aire for the refreshment of our bodies than all the breathing senses of men and beasts is able to draw in The LORD rained downe MANNA from heauen in greater plentie than might haue sufficed the people of the Iewes in the wildernesse euen so when the LORD is content to shed great abundance of his precious blood he hath done it to set foorth the great riches of his mercie toward our soules but not to make a mortall man a dispensator of one drop of his blessed blood Nothing is more repugnant to holy Scripture conteined in the old and new Testament than this that the dispensation and application of Christs blood should be committed vnto a mortall man In the old Testament the high Priest who entred once in the yeere into the moste holy place sprinckled the blood of the sacrifice with his own fingers vpon the Arke euen so the blood of the euerlasting Couenant which Christ caried vp to heauen is sprinckled on the Saints of God on the earth but by whom only by the fingers of our high Priest the Lord Iesus In the new Testament wee see that albeit many things were committed to the dispensation of the holy Apostles yet some things were reserued to the Lords owne dispensation allanerly Christ gaue power to his disciples to wish peace to euery house which receiued them but the dispensation and application of this peace Christ reserued vnto himselfe because hee alone and not his disciples knew who was the true Childe of peace In like manner power of preaching the Gospel was committed to the Apostles but the conferring of the gift of faith which is wrought by hearing belongeth onely to CHRISTS euen so the preaching of saluation by the merites of CHRISTES blood is committed to many but the application of that precious blood to the safetie of our soules is onely proper to Christ himselfe who shed that blessed blood for our saluation The merites of the Saintes also that is the workes of supererogation are thought to enter into the Popes treasurie and to be at his dispensation Of this we haue spoken somewhat alreadie But what presumption is this that they dare mixe together the blood of the Saints and Christs blood and the merits of Saintes with the merite of Christ and cast all in ore heape and treasure The verses of Praxilla
Verely vcrely I say vnto thee except that a man be borne of Water the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God was the occasion that both August in the 4. Centurie and Chrysostome in the 5. Centurie thought that they who died without Baptisme were in the estate of those who are condemned howbeit the want of Circumcision 40. yeeres in the wildernesse not vpon contempt but onely vpon necessitie because they knewe not what time the cloud would remooue was not preiudiciall vnto the soules of the Infants all this time yea and if they had circumcised their children and had not permitted them to rest after the wound their children had died in the Wildernes Many faults are laid to their charge such as Idolatrie Fornication murmuring c. Why is not this fault also laide to their charge that they circumcised not their children in the Wildernesse Doubtlesse the Apostle in this point hath seene them to be faultlesse that they despised not the Sacrament of the Couenant of GOD but they were hindred byâ—… the necessitie of their iourneying to circumcise their children This intermission of the Sacrament was helped at Gilgal and the Campe remooued not vntill the time they who were circumcised were whole This historie might haue taught both Augustine and Chrysostome to vnderstand that the Couenant of GOD is not annulled when the holy Sacrament is neither neglected nor contemned but children are preueened by death before they can be presented to the holie Sacrament Notwithstanding these same Fathers were compelled to make exceptions from their owne rigorous sentence for they who gaue their liues for the testimonie of CHRIST before they were baptized in CHRISTS Name the forementioned Fathers were compelled to say that their Martyrdome supplied the want of Baptisme and that they were baptized in their owne blood Moreouer Ambrose who was more ancient than either Augustine or Chrysostome writing of Valentinian the second who was slaine before hee was baptized he sayes of him that as Lazarus rested in the bosome of ABRAHAM euen so the Emperour Valentâ—…nian rested in the bosome of IACOB But now to leaue speaking of ancient Fathers who were compelled both to correct other mens opinions and to make exceptions from their own opinions In this Centurie whatsoeuer was incommodiouslie spoken by ancient Fathers it is not amended but made worse by their suffrage and vote all bypast sini es are said to bee pardoned in Baptisme as Pharao was drowned in the red Sea but no word of comfort to them who beeing hindered by necessitie are preueened by death before they be baptized The simple forme of baptizing in water in the Name of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost was long agâ—…e perueâ—…ted and men added oyle vnto the institution of CHRIST wherewith diueâ—…se parts of the bodie of him who was baptized was annointed but in this Centurie none amendement of preceeding errours but a continuall progresse to further superstition Albeit it came to passe by the prouidence of GOD that the holy Supper continued ministred vnto the people in both formes and the holy Cup was not withdrawne from the people by no Ecclesiasticall ordinance before the Councill of Consiance ann 1414. Notwithstanding the holy Supper was abused in making it both a Sacrament distributed to the liuing and likewise a sacrifice offered for the quicke and the dead especially for those who were alledged to betoâ—…mented in Purgatorie Surely this was a beginning of the dishaunting of the Lordes holy Sacrament for the people beeing once informed that there was as great berefite redounding to their soules by seeing the sacâ—…ifice celebrated and farre lâ—…sse hazard and danger than to communicate of the Sacâ—…ament of CHRIST his bodie and blood the ignorant people were gladly conâ—…ent to bee oft present at the sacrifice but they lothed the frequent 〈◊〉 of the blessed Sacrament of the Lords Communion Finallie in this Centurie good thinges were abused euill ma'adâ—…es were increased desection from the Faith was mightily aduanced all thinges tended vnto a lamentable decay and I conclude this second booke of the Arrian and Eutychian persecution with this exhortation to beware of the beginnings of Apostacie for albeit the shadowes of the Euening doe not vtterly spoyle vs of light yet within a shorte time after our eyes are so dimmed with multiplied and thickned shadowes that we stagger and we know not where we are walking The Lord of his vnspeakable fauour continue with vs and our posteritie the light of his euerlasting trueth AMEN FINIS Faultes escaped In the 4. Centurie in the treatise of Coâ—…ncills PAG. 126. LIN. 10. patrone read patterne In the 5. Centurie Chap. 1. PAG. 5. LIN. 15. 〈◊〉 read Rithimer In the Inscriptions of the Treatises PAG. 38. LIN. 3. Fourth read Fifth Ibidem in the treatise of mans Free-will PAG. 43. LIN. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the treatise of Originall sinne PAG. 52. LIN. â—…4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibidem Cent. 5. PAG. 56. LIN. 1 than read noâ—… Cent. 6. In the treatise of the worshipping of Images PAG. 42. LIN. 3. 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 PAG. 53. LIN. 3. knee read kine Ibidem in the treatise of Satisfaction PAG. 57. LIN. 20. Christs read Christ. Ibidem PAG. 60. LIN. 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CENTVRIE VI. CHAP I. OF EMPEROVRS Anastatius AFTER ZENO succeded ANASTATIVS and gouerned 27. yeeres Hee was a patrone of the heresie of Eutyches He banished Euphemius B. of Constantinople because hee would not redeliuer vnto him that letter which he had subscribed before his Coronation wherein he was bound to attempt nothing against the true faith naâ—…ely against the Council of Chalccdone In like maner hee banished Macedonius the successour of Euphemius for the same cause for he had the custodie of the hand-write of Anastatius and the Emperour gaue secret Commandement to make him out of the way at Gangra the place of his banishment Xenoeas B. of Hierapolis a firebrand of Sathan stirred vp the Emperours minde to great rage partly by gathering a Councill at Sidon wherein they damned the actes of the Councill of Chalcedon partly by stirring vp the Emperor to wrath against good men such as were principall defenders of the true faith â—…mely Flavianus B. of Antiochia Helias B of Ierusalem The people of Aâ—…chia were very friendly to their Pastor finding that a great number of Monkes fauouring Eutyches errour had assemblâ—…d in the towne of Antiochia to compell Flavianus their bishop to accurse and abiure the Councill of Chalcedon they set vpon the Monkes and slâ—…we a number of them others leaped into the riuer of Orontes where they found a meet buriall for seditious Monkes On the other part a great number of the Monkes of Syria Caua came to support the troubled estate of Flavianus For these things as if he had bene a contentious man
Emperours and Councils with all their might contended in the contrarie that images should not bee worshipped The Emperours Philippicus Leo lsaurus Constantinus Copronymus and Leo his sonne were all seriously bent to suppresse the worshipping of images and in the VVest Carolus Magnus King of France and Emperour was present in the Councill of Francsord where the worshipping of images was damned To this I answere that the anthoritie of the bishop of Rome was at this time so increased that they durst encounter with the Emperours of the East who were farre distant from them Constantine B. of Rome razed out of Charters the name of the Emperour Philippicus Gregorius 2. did excommunicate Leo Isaurus and forbade to pay tribute vnto him Gregorius 3. in conternpt of Leo gathered a Councill and ordained the worshipping of images As concerning Carolus Magnas who was proclaimed Emperour by the speciall mandate of the chaire of Rome the question is greater Howe could the bishops of Rome tolerate that worshipping of images should bee damned by a Councill gathered by this new Emperour whom they had authorized by their owne trauels To this Ianswere that the bishops of Rome did as the ancient Romanes did of whome Augustine writeth Mulcas cupiditates unius ingenti cupiditate presserunt that is to say Many desires they pressed downe for the excessiue desire they had of one thing to wit of soueraignitie and domination euen so the great desire the Romane bishoppes had firmely to keepe in their possession that great territorie of land in Italie called Exerchatus Ravinna which Pipinus King of France reft from the Emperour of the East and gaue it to the chaire of Rome for the excessiue desire I say which they had to keepe this rich prey they would not contend with Carolus Magnus but after his death they could not suffer his posteritie to take such a doing against the worshipping of Images as Carolus Magnus had done In so much that in the dayes of the reigne of Ludouicus Pius it was hard to the Emperour to protect Claudius Taurinensis against the chaufing malice of the bishops of Italie who hated him because hee cast out Images out of his Church in Turin yea and Claudius Taurinensis directly impugned the adoration of Images by a booke written by him vpon that subiect whereunto none answere was giuen during his lifetime but after his death many were found like barking dogges railing against his blessed memoriall and that so much the more because in his booke he rubbed quickly vpon the surfeiting pleasures of the Romane Church who were better content to worshippe the Crosse of Christ because that was easie to bee done than to beare the Crosse of Christ because that was a laborious worke and painefull to the flâ—…sh yet did Christ command vs to beare his Crosse but not to worship it Finally it is to be noted that the defection of some men of great account was a stumbling blocke to many others Paulus Cyprius B. of Constantinople left his charge entred into a Monastrie and lamented that he had consented to the abolishing of Images Gregorius B. of Neocesarea one of the chiefe disallowers of Images in the Councill holden at Constantinople gaue in his supplicant bill in the second Councill of Nice confessed his error and subscribed to the decreet of that vnhappie Councill by whose example the bishops of Nice Hierapolis of the Isles of Rhodes and Carpathus were mooued to doe the like Let this bee a warning to them who are in eminent places that they fall not from the trueth of GOD lest by their fall they procure a great ruining and desolation to the house of GOD. The LORD keepe vs from defection to whome bee praise and glory for euer AMEN A TREATISE Of Satisfaction and Indulgences SATISFACTION of olde was publicke repentance made for grieuous faultes such as murther adulterie apostasie And this publicke humiliation made in sight of the people with fasting teares basenesse of apparrell and such other tokens of an humbled minde with a sense of sorrow for by-past offences it was called satisfactio as Augustine writeth quia satisfiebat Ecclesiae that is because the Church was satisfied yea and the slander was remooued This humiliation foresaide in the Greeke Church was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or a punishment because it was infâ—…cted as a punishment in Church discipline to terrifie others from committing the like offences Now seeing this Ecclesiasticall discipline was very rigorous and indured many yeeres as the Canons of Councils clearely declare It pleased the Church vpon weightie considerations to relent somewhat of the severitie of the first prescribed discipline yea and the people ofâ—… times intreated the Pastor by earnest requests that the time of publicke repentance might be shortned because they saw great tokens of vnfained repentance in the offender This dispensation with the rigour of olde discipline was called indulgentia but in Poperie which was beginning in this Centurie to haue great vpper hand the abuse of these two words hath vtterly vndone the ancient puritie of religion and discipline The word satisfaction which of old was referred to the people now in Poperie is referred to God in this maner They teach the people that the sinnes committed before Baptisme are abolished in Baptisme but sinnes committed after Baptisme wee must obteine pardon for them by our own satisfactions namely by fasting praying almesdeedes pilgrimages and such other workes done by our selues And to make this doctrine the more plausible vnto the people they bring in the similitude of a man sailing in a ship if he fall out of it into the sea the ship say they goeth away without recouerie and incace he find not another vessell to support his distressed estate and to bring him to land he must needes perish and drowne euen so say they if after baptisme we commit any transgression we must either be supported by our owne satisfactions els wee must perish in our sinnes No similitude can be more repugnant to Scripture thaâ—… this For albeit there bee many vessels whereinto mens bodies may bee preserued from the danger of drowning yet is there not many vessels whereinto our soules can bee saued from damnation but â—…ee are saued onely by our spirituall Baptisme whereby the filth of our soules is washen away in the blood of Christ. And like as God commanded not NOE to make two arkes but one alanerly for the safetie of a fewe so hath GOD appointed only one way for safetie of our soules so that if wee sinne after Baptisme wee must haue refuge to the sweete promises of remission of sinnes made to vs in Baptisme In what sense indulgentia was taken of old I haue already declared In the Romane Church Indulgences and Pardones are a dispensation of the merites of Christ and his Saintes to the vtilitie of sinnâ—…rs This presupponeth that the merites of Christ and his Saintes are put in the custodie of the bishop of Rome and that
This ordination was annulled and it was ordained that none of these Leuites shoulde bee promoted to the honour of a Deacon In the fift Session a Deacon of the Church of Agabra complained of the ordination of three persons in that Church one was ordained to bee Presbyter and two to bee â—…euites The bishop beeing blinde laide his handes vpon them but one of the Presbyters pronounced the blessing Nowe the Presbyter who had pronounced the blessing was dead before the Councell of Hispalis therefore they remitted him to his owne judge but the three persons afore-saide admitted to Church-offices they deposed them from their offices as persons vnlawfullie admitted In the sixt Session it was found that Fragitanus a presbyter of the Church of Corduba was moste vnjustlie both deposed and banished by his bishop For remedie that the like mis-order shoulde haue no place in time to come it was statuted and ordained That a bishop without aduise of his Synode shoulde not presume to depose a presbyter In the seuenth Session Chore-episcopi and Presbyters are debarred from the high priueledges of the Episcopall office namelie from the consecration of presbyters of holie Virgines Churches and Altâ—…rs from laying hand vpon men conuerted from heresie and conferring vnto them the holie Spirit from making of Chrisme and signating with it the fore-heads of them who are baptized from absoluing publikelie in time of Masse anie penitent person and sending testimonials to foraine partes called Formatae epistolae and finallie from baptizing consecrating the Sacrament blessing the people and teaching them receiuing penitentes when the bishop was present Now the ground of all these prohibitions is not brought out of holie Scripture but from the authoritie of the Apostolicke chaire Earlie beganne the Antichâ—…ist to establish an Hierarchie in the Church which neither Christ nor His Apostles had commanded The eight Session intreated concerning Helisens a seruant whome the bishop of Agabra had set at libertie and hee on the other part abused his libertie so farre that hee prâ—…sumed by Magicall Artes to cut off the bishop who had beene so beneficiall vnto him hee was ordained to bee redacted againe to his former seruile estate that hee might learne obedience to his superiours by the heauie yoke of seruile subjection In the ninth Session it is forbidden that bishops shoulde haue Leke-men to bee masters of their house but oneliâ—… some of their owne Clergie shoulde bee dispensators of their householde affaires because it is written Thou shalt not plowe with an Oxe and an Asse together By the way marke that nothing was so miserablie abused at this time as testimonies of holie Scripture In the tenth Session the Monasteries latelie builded in the Bâ—…tike prouince were allowed and confirmed In the eleuâ—…nth Session the Monasteries of Virgines are recommeÌ„ded to the ouer-sight of the Abbot gouerning the Monasterie of Monkes with caueates that all appearance of euill should bee prouidentlie eschewed In the twelfth Session one professing the heresie of Acephali compeared who denied the distinction of two natures in Christ and affirmed that the diuinitie of Christ did suffer vpon the Crosse but hee was seriouslie dealt withall and conuicted by testimonies of holie Scripture and Fathers so that hee renounced his hereticall opinion and embraced the true Faith and the whole Councell gaue praise and thankes vnto God for his conuersion Iâ—… the thirteenth Session there is a prolixe refutation of the opinion of those who supponed that the two natures of Christ were confounded and that the diuinitie suffered Isidorus seemeth to bee the compiler of this Treatise against Acâ—…phali giuen in to the Councâ—…ll of Hispalis and manie doe thinke that he collected into one volume the Councels that preceeded his time for hee was a man more learned than his fellowes in his dayes IN the yeere of our Lord 639. and vnder the reigne of Sisenanâ—… king of 〈◊〉 by the kinges commandement moe than 70. bishops and pâ—…esbyters were conuened in the towne of 〈◊〉 vpon occasion of diuersitie of Ceremonies and Discipline in the countrey of Spaine First they set downe a short confession of the true Faith which they ordained to be embraced and kept Secondly that there should be an vniforme order of praying singing of Psalmes solemnities of Masses Euen-song-seruice throughout all Spaine and Gallicia like as they all professed one Faith and dwelt in one kingdome lest diuersitie of ceremonies and rites should offende ignorant people and make them to thinke that there was a schisme in the Church It was statuted and ordained That at least once in the yeere prouinciall Councels should be assembled and incase anie controuersie should fall out in matters of Faith a generall Councell of all the prouinces of Spaine should be assembled Here let the judicious Reader marke that in processe of time almoste all thinges are subject to alteration and Councels of olde called Nationall now abusiuelie beginne to be called Generall The order of incomming of bishops to the Councell and sitting in the first place and of the presbyters after them and sitting in a place behinde the bishops and of deacons who should stand in presence of bishops and presbyters is described at length in the third canon That the festiuitie of Easter or Pashe daye should bee kept vpon the day of Christes resurrection Concerning the diuersitie of rites vsed in baptisme some vsing the ceremonie of thrise dipping in water others one dipping onelie It was thought most expedient to be content with one dipping because the Trinitie is so viuely represented in the names of the Father Sonne and holie Ghost that there is no necessitie by three dippinges in water to represent the Trinitie and for eschewing all appearance of schisme and lest Christians should seeme to assent vnto heretiques who diuide the Trinitie For all these causes it was expedient to keepe vniformitie in the ceremonies of Baptisme It was statuted and ordained That vpon fryday immediately preceeding Easter day the doctrine of the suffering of Christ of repentance remission of sinnes should be clearly taught vnto the people to the end that they being purged by remission of sins might the more worthily celebrate the feast of the Lords resurrection and receiue the holie Sacrament of the Lords bodie and blood The custome of putting an ende vnto the fasting of Lent vpon fryday at nine a clocke is damned because in the daye of the Lordes suffering the Sunne was couered with darknesse and the elementes were troubled and for honour of the Lords suffering that daye should bee spent in fasting mourning and abstinence and hee who spendeth anie part of that day in banqueting let him bee debarred from the Sacrament of Christes bodie and blood on Pashe day That the Tapers and Torches which shined in the Church in the night preceeding the daye of the resurrection shoulde bee solemnly blessed to the end that the mystery
when as of olde the people were wont to communicate euerie daye and therefore hee calleth the Lordes Supper a daylie sacrifice The Papistes are so farre from reproouing the people for not communicating that they make prouision onely for one to eate and drinke at the Altar and not for manie and they inuite not the people to communicate with them but rather by the noueltie of their newe inuented religion they distinguishe the Altar from the Communion table and the Sacrifice from the SacrameÌ„t farre contrarie to the custome of the Primitiue Church who by a Metaphore called the Sacrament a Sacrifice and by the like Metaphore called the Communion table an Altar If anie man will rudely presse the wordes of Chrysostome expresse contrarie to his meaning let him vnderstand that the like forme of speaking is vsed in Holy Scripture where it is saide And no â—…an receiued his testimonie to wit the testimonie of Christ. The meaning is not that no bodie receiued the testimonie of Christ but that verie fewe receiued it Euen so the meaning of the words of Chrysostome is that verie fewe of the people did communicate And this hath bene verie judiciously marked by Master IEWELL that worthie Bishop in his disputation against master Harding To bee short in this head of Antiquitie of the Popish Masse Their bragging of Antiquitie is not vnlike to the Gibeonites shoos which were olde and put on of purpose to deceiue yet were not their shoos so olde as the shoos of GODS people which by the miraculous worke of GOD lasted fourtie yeeres in the Wildernesse and were not rent GODS people might haue bragged indeede of ancient and vnrent shoos but the deceitful Gibeonites they bragged and deceiued Gods people with antiquitie falsely pretended Such is the antiquitie of the masse and no better Before I leaue this head I will admonishe the Reader not to bee deceiued with olde Latine transations of Grieke Authors Socrates writeth of the fauourers of Paulinus that after hee died they communicated not with Flauianus bishop of Antiochia but they kept Assemblies apart by themselues Nowe the wordes of the Grieke language 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is better translated this way Separatim conuentus faciebant than as some olde Latine interpreters translate the wordes Separatim missarum celebrabant solennia howbeit the olde interpreters by missarum solennia vnderstand nothing but Ecclesiasticall conuentions IN the second head we haue the definition of the Masse to be set downe and to bee examined The Masse is called a sacrifice propitiatorie vnbloodie wherein the Priest offereth the bodie of the Sonne of God to the Father vnder the formes of bread and wine and that without suffering for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead From the worde of Sacrifice auncient Fathers did not abhorre but they called the Holy Sacrament a Sacrifice of thankesgiuing and a commemoratiue Sacrifice of the death of Christ the wordes of Augustine are these Hujus sacrifitii caro ante aduentum Christi per victimas similitudinum promittebatur in passione per ipsam veritatem reddebatur post ascensum Christi per sacramentum memoriae celebratur that is to say The flesh of this sacrifice was promised by sacrifices of similitudes In the suffering of Christ it was in verie deede exhibited and after the ascension of Christ it is celebrated by a Sacrament of His memoriall In these wordes Augustine distinguisheth a sacrifice prefiguratiue before Christes comming and a sacrifice commemoratiue after the Lordes ascension from the sacrifice of Christes bodie in veritie and actually exhibited vpon the crosse other sacrifices point out as types and figures the great sacrifice of the bodie of Christ once offered vpon the crosse but they are not that selfe same sacrifice except by a figuratiue manner of speach And like as the towne Nicopolis was not the victorie of Augustus Casar when hee faught against Antonius and Cleopatra but it was onely a memoriall of the victorie Euen so the commemoratiue sacrifice of the new Testament is not the true sacrifice of Christes bodie but only a memoriall of that blessed sacrifice Iustinus Martyr had good occasion offered vnto him to write of the sacrifices of Christes Church because Paganes slaundered Christians and called them Atheistes in regarde they offered not bloodie sacrifices nor incense vnto their God to whome Iustinus returned this answere That Christians offered to GOD such sacrifices as they knew to bee moste acceptable to Him to wit the sacrifices of prayer and thankesgiuing And as concerning the creatures of God appointed for the sustentation of mankinde we keepe them saith hee for our owne vse and for the sustentation of indigent people but we consume them not with fire If there had bene anie corporal sacrifice in the Church of the bodie of the Sonne of God vnder the formes of bread and wine Iustinus had occasion offered vnto him to haue spoken of it but hee knew no such sacrifice in his time Yea and the sacrament of the Lords Supper is called by Iustinus a Sacrifice of thanksgiuing who confidently affirmeth that prayer thanksgiuing are the onely sacrifices perfect and acceptable to GOD euen at that time when the Sacrament is ministred which putteth vs in remembrance of the Lordes suffering Testimonies out of the bookes of ancient Fathers should bee cited without fraude and deceite and should not bee wrested to another sense and meaning than they were spoken into by the Authors And so the worde Sacrifice could offend no man if it were spoken in such sense as ancient Fathers spake it The Romane Church shoulde doe well so to remember the names that ancient Fathers haue giuen to the Sacrament that they shoulde not forget that Holy Scripture calleth it a Communion of the bodie and blood of Christ. Then let it be such a sacrifice wherein many participates of one bread and one cup and thereby sealeth vp that they are all members of one mysticall bodie of Iesus Christ but not such a sacrifice wherein the people standeth gazing and looking and the Priest alone eateth and drinketh and distributeth nothing vnto the people They answere that the Priest who offereth at the Altar he communicateth with others who doe the like seruice in other places This is but falsehoode in reasoning arising vpon the deceitfull handeling of one worde hauing two significations The worde Communion importeth two things First a Communion in religion Secondly a participation of the Holy Supper in one place and an eating of one bread and drinking of one cuppe and in this second sense it is taken by the Apostle in the 10. Chapter of his first Epistle to the Corinthians in which sense their priuate Masse cannot be called a Communion The second word of the definition of the Masse is propitiatorie This word doeth signifie a sacrifice purchasing remission of sinnes as the Apostle witnesseth And this honour doeth onelie appertaine to the sacrifice of Christ who
ordaine that such woman as either negligently or fraudulently present their owne children to the Sacrament of Confirmation they shall be compelled to do pennance all the dayes of their life neither shall they in anie wise be separated from their husbandes 32. Let a sinner confesse vnto his Father Confessor all his sinnes which hee hath committed either in thought worde or deede because that hatred enuye and pride are such pestilentious bot◅hes of the soule and the more secretly that they are couched the more periculously they hurt 33. Sinnes shoulde not onely bee confessed to GOD according to the example of DAVID who saieth I will confesse against my selfe my wickednesse vnto the LORD and thou for gauest the punishment of my sinne Psal. 32. vers 5. But also wee shoulde confesse our sinnes to our Father Confessor according to the precept of the Apostle Acknowledge your faultes one to another and pray one for another that yee may bee healed Iac. 5. 16. 34. In prescribing of pennance let fauour and hatred of any person bee laide aside and let the injunctions be giuen according to the rule of H. Scripture according to the canōs custome of the Church following the example of the physitions of the body who without exception of persons doe adhibit cuttings burnings vehemēt remedies to perilous diseases 35. Many in doing of pennance are not so desirous of remission of sinnes as of the accomplishment of the prescribed time of their humiliation and beeing forbidden to eate fleshe or drinke wine they haue the greater desire of other delicate meates and drinkes but spirituall abstinence which should bee in penitent persons excludeth all bodily delightes 36. Let no man sinne of purpose to the ende hee maye abolishe his sinnes by Almes deedes for that is all one as if a man should hy◅e God to grant vnto him a libertie to sinne 37. Seeing all Canons of Councels are to be diligently read in speciall such as appertaine vnto faith and reformation of manners shoulde bee moste frequently perused 38. Bookes called Libelli Poenitentiales are to bee abolished because the erroures of these bookes are certaine how beit the authors of them bee vncertaine and they prepare pillowes to laye vnder the heads of them who are slecping in sinne 39. In the solemnities of the Masse Prayers are to bee made for the soules of them who are departed as well as for them who are aliue 40. Presbyters who are degraded and liue like seculare neglecting repentance whereby they might procure restitution to their office let them bee excommunicated 41. A Presbyter who transporteth himselfe from his owne place shall not bee receiued in any other Church except hee prooue both with witnesses and letters sealed with lead and containing the name of the Bishop and of the Citie which hee liued in that hee hath liued innocently in his owne Church and had a just cause of transportation 42. Let no Church bee committed to a Presbyter without consent of the Bishop 43. In some places are founde Scots men who call themselues Bishops and they ordaine Presbyters and Deacons whose ordination wee altogether disallowe 44. Presbyters must not drinke in Tavernes wander in Markets nor goe to visite Cities without aduise of their Bishop 45. Many both of the Clergie and Laickes goe to holy places such as Rome and Turon imagining that by the sight of these places their sinnes are remitted and not attending to the sentence of Ierome It is a more commendable thing to liue well in Hierusalem than to haue seene Hierusalem 46. In receiuing the Sacrament of the bodie and blood of Christ great discretion is to bee vsed Neither let the taking of it bee long differred because Christ saieth Except yee eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his blood yee haue no life in you Neither let vs come without due preparation because the Apostle saieth Hee who eateth and drinketh vnworthilie eateth and drinketh his owne damnation 47. The Sacrament of the bodie and blood of Christ which in one daye is accustomed to bee receiued of all Christians let no man neglect to receiue it except some grieuous crime doe hinder him from receiuing of it 48. According to the precept of the Apostle Iames Weake persons shoulde bee annointed with oyle by the Elders which oyle is blessed by the Bishop these wordes inclosed in a parenthesi are added to the Text for hee saieth Is anie man siecke amongst you let him call for the Elders of the Church and let them pray for him and annoint him with oyle in the Name of the Lord And the prayer of faith shall saue the sicke and the Lord shall raise him vp And if hee haue committed sinne it shall bee forgiuen him Iam. cap. 5. vers 14. 15. Such a medicine as cureth both bodily and spirituall maledies is not to bee neglected 49. In the Councell of Laodicea it was forbidden that Masses should bee saide and Oblations offered by Bisshops or Presbyters in priuate houses This questiō also was disputed in this Councell 50. The authoritie of the Emperour is to bee interponed for reuerent keeping of the Lordes daye 51. Because the Church is constituted of persons of dine se conditions some are Noble others are ignoble some are seruantes vassalles strangers c. It becommeth them who are in eminent rowmes to deale mercifully with their inferioures knowing that they are their brethren because God is one common Father to both and the Church is one common mother to both From the 52. Canon vnto the 66. are contained precepts of chaste and honest liuing prescribed to Prioresses and Nunnes which I ouer-passe as I haue done in the preceeding Councels 66. It is ordained that prayers and supplications shall bee made for the Emperour and his children and for their well-fare both in soule and bodie 67. These things haue wee touched shortly to bee exhibited to our Soueraigne lord the Emperour Hee who desireth a more ample declaration of all vertues to bee followed and vices to be eschewed l◅t him reade the volume of the holy Scriptures of God IN the same yeere of our LORDE wherein the preceeding foure Councels were conuened and by the mandate of the Emperour Charles the Great another Councell was conuened at Arles The Canons of this Councell were in number 26. 1. They sette downe a Confession of their Faith 2. They ordaine That Prayers shall bee made for the Emperour and his children 3. They admonish Bishops and Pastors diligently to reade the bookes of holy Scripture To teach the Lordes people in all trueth and To administrate the Sacramentes rightly 4. Laick people are admonished not to remooue their Presbyters from their Churches without consent of their Bishoppes 5. That Presbyters bee not admitted for rewardes 6. It is ordained That Bishops shall attende that euery person liue ordinately that is according to a prescribed rule The 7. 8. Canons belong to the ordering of Monkes and Nunnes The 9. Can. pertaineth to the
signe of subjection vnto him that is a thing no lesse reprooueable than the fact of Samson Wee reade of CONDALVS Gouernour of LYCIA vnder MAVSOLVS King of CARIA that hee gained infinite summes of Golde and Siluer for suffering the people of LYCIA to weare their haire as an ornament of their bodies wherein they much delighted But it is otherwise with the shauelinges of the ROMANE Church whose expectation of gaine beginneth not vntill their heads bee shauen then they gette some benefice by ascending degrees their estate is aduanced vntill they become companions to Princes LINDANVS according to his accustomed manner 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saye Serious in trifles hee will needes haue this custome of shauing the heads of Church-men to bee referred vnto the APOSTLE PETER whose head saieth hee the enemies of the GOSPELL did shaue before they executed him vnto the death And this rebuke of CHRIST the CHVRCH conuerted it into an honourable rite of shauing the heads of Church men after the similitude of the shauing of Simon Peters head But if the ROMANE Church had beene verie sollicitous to haue kept the doctrine of the true faith of CHRIST iâ—… puritie as it was deliuered by SIMON PETER and the rest of the APOSTLES they had not beene so serious in matters of haire ANOTHER custome in the ROMANE Church is to annoint with oyle all them who are admitted to Church Orders Where haue they learned this custome from the sonnes of AARON who were annointed with oyle LEVIT CAP. 8. vers 30. and consecrated to the worke of their ministration Maye it not justlie bee spoken of them which was spoken of olde vnto him who was too loftie in his vaunting speaches 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saye Either encrease your strength or diminishe your loftinesse Euen so I saye to the Chaplens of the ROMANE Church That they shoulde either bee liker vnto CHRIST who was a Priest according to the order of MELCHISEDECK or else they shoulde bragge lesse of the ceremonies of the LEVITICALL Lawe seeing that the Priesthood of Melchisedeck is farre different from the Priesthood of Aaron To grace this Sacrament of Order all these seuen Orders afore-saide are attributed vnto CHRIST himselfe Hee was a Doore-keeper saye they when He cast out the buyers and sellers out of the TEMPLE IOANN CAP. 2. VERS 15. Hee was a Reader when Hee read the place of ISAIAS in the Synagogue of NAZARETH saying The Spirite of the LORD is vpon mee c. LVKE CAP. 4. vers 17. Hee did the office of an Exorcist when Hee cured a man possessed with a Deuill LVKE CAP. 4. vers 33. Hee practised the office of Acoluthus when Hee saide Hee who followeth Mee shall not walke in darkenesse but shall haue the light of Life Ioann Cap. 8. vers 12. The office of a sub-Deacon when Hee washed His Disciples feete Ioann Cap. 13. vers 4. The office of a Deacon when Hee distributed Bread and Wine to His Disciples Matth. Cap. 26. vers 26. And finallie Hee executed His Priestlie office when Hee offered Himselfe vpon the Crosse a Sacrifice for our sinnes Matth. cap. 27. vers 50. Who can bee so babishe ignorant but hee maye vnderstande that CHRIST in working sauing miracles Hee declared Himselfe the promised MESSIAS and Sauiour In reforming the abuses of the Temple Hee declared Himselfe to bee both King and Priest to whome reformation of abuses in the Church belongeth In reading Holie Scripture and opening the sense and meaning thereof to the people Hee declared Himselfe to bee the Great Prophet whom GOD promised to sende into the worlde DEVTER XVIII And when CHRIST saieth Hee who followeth Mâ—…e shall not walke in darkenesse c. these wordes doe import That wee who followe CHRIST are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but not that CHRIST himselfe is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who could once imagine that the hearts of men coulde bee ouer-casten with such horrible darkenesse as to attribute to the Lorde of the House of GOD the basest rowme in all the House and to make a Doore-keeper of him for a time NOwe the Ceremonies which are vsed in the Consecration of them who are admitted to inferiour Orders are these The Doore-keepers are admitted with the signe of deliuering the keyes of the Church-doore vnto them The Readers by deliuering vnto them the Holie Bible The Exorcistes by deliuering vnto them certaine formes of adjuration of persons possessed with Deuils or transported with madnesse And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by deliuering vnto them Tapers of waxe with a little water potte Are these elementes instituted by GOD and hath GOD annexed vnto Keyes Bookes Adjurations and Tapers of waxe a promise of spirituall grace If these two thinges cannot bee prooued by Holy Scripture then no Sacrament can bee acknowledged in these Orders especiallie since the administration of these offices is committed to boyes to ignorant fellowes and to men who haue no extraordinarie gift of casting out of Deuils as the Exorcistes of the Primitiue Church had of olde The like I speake of superiour Orders The signes and Ceremonies which are vsed in admitting of Presbyters whome now they call Priestes are the presenting vnto them a platter in the which consecrated Hosties are contained to declare that they are called to stande at the Altar to consecrate the elementes and to offer vp the bodie and blood of CHRIST as a propâ—…tiatorie Sacrifice to the Father Howe blasphemous this opinion is I haue alreadie declared in the TREATISâ—… Of the Sacrifice of the Masse but for the present this I saye That if the auncient Ceremonie of Imposition of handes had beene kept in admission of Presbyters yet it coulde not haue beene called a Sacrament of the Newe Testament because a Sacrament is a visible signe of the inuisible grace of GOD and belonging to all them to whome the Couenant of GOD belongeth Onelie this obserued that euerie Sacrament must bee applied in its owne time as GOD hath ordained The Ceremonie of breathing vpon them who are admitted Priestes conjoyned with these wordes Receaue the Holie Spirite Ioann Cap. 20. vers 22. it is a preposterous counterfeiting of CHRIST whome wee aught to followe in such thinges as Hee hath sette downe to bee followed but not to presume to doe all thinges which Hee did for demonstration of His diuine power The Deacons in the Romane Church are ordained by a Bisshop who cloatheth them with their Stoles and their Oraria vpon their left shoulders and putteth into their handes the Booke of the Euangell whereof they shoulde bee Preachers Their office is to attende vpon the Presbyters when they minister the Sacramentes to laye the Hosties vpon the Altar to prepare and to couer the LORDES Table to carrie the Crosse and to preach and sing the Gospell and the Epistle to the people In the ordination of Deacons there is neither a regarde of the first institution of Deacons appointed by CHRISTES Apostles Acts 6. neither is there anie similitude
of their Hierarchle haue forsaken it yet this they gaine that Marriage beeing counted an holie Sacrament they haue drawne the cognition of all Matrimoniall causes vnder their judicatorie This beeing done and their authoritie beeing setled they tooke boldnesse to make lawes both impious against GOD and injurious to men as namelie that Marriages bound vp betwixt young persons without consent of Parentes shoulde bee firme and itable That amongst kinsfolke it shoulde not bee lawfull to marrie within the seuenth degree and these were alreadie married within these degrees shoulde bee separated againe That a man who is diuorced from an adulterous woman shall not haue libertie to marrie during her life-time That they who are spirituall brethren and sisters by the Sacrament of Baptisme and Confirmation shall not haue leaue to marrie one another And Marriage is forbidden at certaine seasons of the yeere And finallie that the Church may dispense with the degrees of consanguinitie forbidden in the eighteenth CHAPTER of LEVITICVS and finde out moe degrees impeding Marriage to bee bound vp The Apostle PAVL when hee calleth Marriage a great mysterie EPHES. CAP. 5. VERS 32. hee is speaking concerning CHRIST and concerning His Church And it is indeede a mysterie vnspeakeable whether wee consider the beginning or the progresse or the consummation of this Marriage It is begunne in Earth and perfected in Heauen And the loue of CHRIST and His Church is vnspeakeable For euen the Spouse of CHRIST albeit shee bee infirme and weake in the Earth yet her heart is so inflamed with the loue of her husband that shee forgetteth all thinges and remembereth vpon Him shee counteth all thinges to be dongue in comparison of him one sight of His reconciled face is dearer to her than all the treasures of the worlde His name is like a sweete oyntment powred out and delighting her soule with the sweete smell of saluation And if the loue of the Church towardes CHRIST bee vnspeakeable who can comprehende the length breadth and deepnesse of the loue of CHRIST towardes His Church who hath purged her from all spotte of sinne in this worlde and prepared a glorious mansion for her in His Fathers house that is in Heauen But this is not spoken of the marriage of mortall men with their wiues True it is that the Apostle PAVL in that same place setteth downe some similitude betwixt corporall marriages and the spirituall marriage betwixt CHRIST and His Church But that is not enough to furnishe out an ordinarie Sacrament in the Church of GOD for then shoulde there bee infinite Sacramentes For the Kingdome of GOD MATTHEW 13. is compared to a man who soweth good seede in his fielde It is compared to leuen and to a treasure that is hidden in the fielde and to a drawe nette and to a graine of Mustard seede yet all these thinges are not Sacramentes in the Church Yea and in the marriage of ADAM and EVA wee see a certaine similitude of the spirituall marriage betwixt CHRIST and His Church for ADAM loued the woman which was fleshe of his fleshe and bone of his bones and in whom hee saw his owne similitude GENES CHAP. 2. VERS 23. And CHRIST in like manner by feeding vs with His owne bodie and blood Hee maketh vs fleshe of His owne fleshe and bone of his owne bones and more-ouer Hee stampeth vs with His owne similitude to assure vs that He loueth vs whom Hee hath stamped with His owne likenesse In like manner a matrimoniall bande is more indissoluble than other bandes for other bandes like as they are bounde vp with consent of parties so in like manner they maye bee dissolued and vndone with consent of parties but the bande of Marriage cannot bee vndone except by death or fornication But the conjunction betwixt CHRIST and His Church ROMAN CHAP. VIII cannot bee vndone by death it selfe As concerning spirituall whordome the true Church which consisteth of a number whome GOD hath elected called justified sanctified and whome Hee intendeth to glorifie These I saye the LORD in mercie preserueth from spirituall whordome and apostasie from the knowne trueth And like as a chaste woman delighteth in her husbande whether hee bee present with her or absent from her if hee bee present shee delighteth to conferre with him if hee bee absent shee delighteth to talke of him to reade his letters to beholde the tokens of his fauour towardes her and finallie in the secrete parloure of her heart to meditate of his goodnesse towardes her Basil. Magn. De vera Virginiâ—… Euen so the Church is rauished with an vnspeakeable delight of her husband IESVS CHRIST Hee is spirituallie present and by holie prayers shee talketh with Him night and daye Hee is corporallie absent therefore shee delighteth to talke of His loue and goodnesse towardes her and to reade the bookes of holie Scripture wherein His good will towardes her is clearlie manifested and in the secrete chamber of her heart continuallie to meditate of His second blessed appearance IN nothing doeth the ROMANE Church agree better with vs for a time than in magnifying Marriage as an holie bande instituted by GOD in PARADISE and hauing a type and similitude of the loue of CHRIST towardes His Church and therefore they make it an holie Sacrament in the Church which no man euer did before the dayes of Pope GREGORIE But when they perceaued that this was not consented vnto that Marriage shoulde bee counted one of the ordinarie Sacramentes in the Church especiallie the whole Hierarchie of the ROMANE Church disclaiming it and the East Church in a generall Councell disallowing prohibition of Marriage to men called to spirituall offices The ROMANE Church tooke offence at euerie thing which was repugnant to their opinion They coulde neither abide them who denied that Marriage was a Sacrament nor yet them who gaue libertie to Church men to marrie And so beeing irritated on all sides they beganne to speake euill of Marriage as a worke of the fleshe and an estate vncompetent to men in spirituall offices Is not the ROMANE Church in this poinct like vnto the Riuer EVPHRATES which flowing out of the Mountaines of ARMENIA setteth its course Westward vntill it forgather with the skirtes of Mount TAVRVS and then when the course of it is hindered it fetcheth a contrarie course and runneth directlie East vntill it bee mixed with the water of TYGRIS Euen so the ROMANE Church which coulde neuer abide to bee controlled it tooke occasion to speake vnreuerentlie of Marriage because their opinions were not receaued in the Church without contradiction NOwe seeing the cause is euidentlie knowne wherefore they were so serious to drawe in Matrimonie into the number of Sacramentes namelie to the ende that matrimoniall causes might bee founde spirituall causes and might bee judged by spirituall Iudges Let vs consider what constitutions they made in matters of Matrimonie without anie warrand or regarde of Scripture insomuch that their vilepending of Scripture maketh a number of