they shoulde haue dealte the Wine abroade the common people might haue thought whether that the long racked bodye were without bloud or at the least that there could be no right and perfite Transubstantiation and changing of the bread into the very body of our Lorde Iesus Christe In this behalfe hath she cōsidered further and hath bene better aduised than our Lord him selfe was and so hath forbiddē the laie people the Chalice For thus the Councel of Constance doeth decree That notwithstanding Christ after supper did ordeyne and minister vnto his Disciples the most blessed Sacrament vnder both kindes of bread and of wine And although that in the first ancient Church of the faithfull the same was alwayes vsed vnder both kindes neuerthelesse seeing that the contrarie vse custome is not without great occasion and willingly now put in vre for the auoyding and eschewing of some inconueniences and perilles therefore shal all Patriarches Prelates Archbishops Bishoppes curse and excommunicate all such as shall take vpon them to minister vnto the common people the Sacrament in that maner And so far forth as such do not turne recant then they to be deliuered into the handes of the temporall Iudges to be by them arbitrally executed And herevpon did the President of the Councell named Ostiensis in the name of all the whole College of Cardinals and all other Bishops after him answere Placet which is to say So it pleaseth vs. So that it is euident that the ancient maner good meaning of the Church maye cleane alter vtterly abolish the commandement of Christ the olde custome of the Apostles their Disciples We do likewise see that notwithstanding S. Paul by inspiration of the holy Ghost cōmanded That whosoeuer did feele that weakenes in him selfe that hee could not liue chaste should take a wife for that it was better to marrie than to burne And he did in a maner by speciall words command the same to the Bishops and other Ministers of Gods worde saying That they should haue their wiues their children brought vp in the feare of God. And further That mariage is holy and commendable in all men yea he did esteeme The forbidding of mariage for a doctrine of deuils And yet all this notwithstanding our holy Mother the Church of Rome seeing deeper into the matter and for the eschewing of manie inconueniences hath expresly and slatly commaunded Priestes Bishoppes and al spiritual persons that they in no wise shall take vpon them the state of Matrimonie teaching precisely the contrarie to the doctrine before specified That the state of Matrimonie is nothing else but plaine vncleanesse filthie and shamefull yea a great and foule spot vnto carnall copulation In so much that such as giue themselues therevnto cannot be acceptable before God for that it is writtē Who so liues after the flesh cannot be acceptable before God and haue therefore concluded that it is not decent that a holy Priest who is the temple of the holy Ghost should become a slaue to the lying with a woman and to fleshly lust Like as in the Popes decrees and Decretales is specially set forth Moreouer touching the same point it is concluded in the saide Decrees That the doctrine of the holy Church is nowe more perfite than either the doctrine of Iesus the sonne of God or of his Apostles hath bene in times past For thus the text saith Before that the Gospell was corrected amended and expounded there were manie things permitted which nowe since the time is come that all the doctrine is made perfit are clearely abolished and taken away as especially notwithstanding that the mariage of Priests was neither by the Lawe by the Gospell nor the doctrine of the Apostles forbidden yet hath the holy Church flatly forbiddē the same We do likewise plainely see that Iesus Christ hath streightly forbidden any dispēsation for Matrimonie hath specially declared That who soeuer doeth leaue his wife except it be for adulterie and doth marie another is a whooremonger Truly if it were not that our holy mother the Catholike Church of Rome had full power authoritie aboue Gods word and aboue the special cōmandement of Christ she would neuer haue takē vpō her to haue chāged nor put down this mariage of priests Now let vs further see that the most holy honorable Popes Iulius Innocentius Colestinus being with a great number of Bishops Prelates stately iudicially assembled in the holy Ghost in S. Peters church at Rome haue cōcluded iudged pronoūced whatsoeuer Christ notwithstāding had thereof spoken saide That if so be there were anie which were married together and had christened the children at the fount the one of the other before should be diuorced and the woman to haue her marriage good restored backe againe and within a yeere after it should be lawfull for her to marie another man and for him to marrie another woman Euē as our holy father the pope of Rome Deus dedit doth openly testifie in a letter which for a perpetuall memorie is written in the booke of Councels word for worde and likewise entred in the Register of the Popes decrees and ordinances yet ouer besides this the holy Church hath concluded that if any Nonne Baggine sister or other should marie a husbande the Bishop of that Diocesse where they dwelt should diuorce them cause the Nonne to returne and take vpon her againe her vowe of chastitie Like as in Concilio Triburino and by the Popes lawes is concluded commanded Out of the same authoritie hath the foresaid holy Church likewise cōcluded That what woman soeuer after the decease of her first husband should marrie agayne shee was an open and common harlotte not regarding at all that which S. Paule in his time had written directly to the cōtrarie yea had moreouer straitly charged and commanded the yong widowes That vnlesse they coulde well liue a continent and chast life they should marie againe After this did not S. Paul or rather the spirit of God by the mouth of S. Paul directly forbid any straunge language to be vsed in the Churches and congregations ordeyned for the seruice of God neither in prayer nor in thankesgiuing nor in singing nor in prophesying Yea he did greatly rebuke the Corinthians for so doing in their congregations And yet men plainly see that the holy Church of Rome doth minister her Masses her Mattens Euensong prayers and song al in Latine and some times therewith doeth mingle Greeke and Hebrew wordes In such sort as that not onely the common people but the Priestes and Bishops likewise do not vnderstand it Yet will the holye Church haue it so done yea and puniseth such as woulde otherwise vse it like damned heretikes Like as out of Eckius Piggius Hosius and other Catholike writers is manifest and plaine to be seene Then hereby of
which serues her turne to fill her hiue with pleasant and sweete honie and what soeuer is not appliable or agreeing to her purpose that she leaues vntouched Therefore the foundation of the holy Church of Rome may very wel be called A Bee hiue hauing the propertie of a tubbe wherein al maner of pleasant things are put The vii Chapter VVherin is declared that the Church of Rome can likevvise helpe her selfe vvith the opinions and doctrine of the olde Heretikes in follovving the same vvhen it serues for her purpose NOwe so farre it is from our deare mother the holy Church to be afraid to spring ouer the pales of the holie Scripture auncient Fathers Councelles and Decrees that often times she will go and solace her self in the pleasant medowes and greene fieldes of the olde heretikes which haue alwayes bin extreeme enemies and directly contrarie to the holy scripture and the Fathers and of them doeth she borrowe very many goodly iewelles too furnishe beautiefie her Gabanet or bee Hiue withall For it is wel knowen and euident that she hath learned of the Heretike Pelagius That we notwithstanding the fall of Adam do still possesse a free will and haue power to Iustifie our selues and to fulfil al the commaundementes of God if we our selues will and That it is not the onelye grace of God whereby we are iustified as Paule doth teache but an helper only after that we of our selues haue prepared our selues therevnto Also That Christ did by his death merit for original sinne onely and that for all other our daily sinnes we our selues must answere and make sufficient amendes Of the Messalians or Euchites likewise of the Pelagians she hath gathered that baptisme alone doth not make vs perfect Christians but is onely necessarie to washe away our originall sin to helpe vs out of our first shipwracke But if we fal againe so run in danger of a second shipwracke theÌ„ we must seke for another plaÌ„ke to helpe vs out of hazard Shee hath likewise sucked out of the breasts of the MessaliaÌ„s to mumble out her Mattines The seuen Psalmes and the Pater noster by â–ª number vpon a paire of beades and with a burning candle pretending thereby to obteine great pardones and to doe vnto God great seruice Also whereas she doeth vse spittle in baptizing after that the diuell is coniured that shee tooke of the Messalians who did teache That men might driue away the diuel with spitting Of the Saturnialles Ebeonites Tatians and Encratites shee hath learned That the state of Mariage is vncleane and spotted and that such as wil please God and be cleane purified must wholy refraine them selues from it Also That there is great holinesse in absteining from eating of fleshe and vsing of certeine other meates although she hath set the things out vnder another colour to the ende men might not knowe froÌ„ whence they come Besides this she hath borrowed of the Montanistes manie newe fasting dayes which she hath commaunded and coÌ„firmed to be obserued vpon paâ—ne of great punishment and beside that on or cemeÌ„ts In the schoole of the Coloredlanes shee hath learned to praye to the holye Virgine Marie and to immolate or offer vp her oblations Of Marcus the sorcerer and Heretike she hath learned to vse in her seruice sacrifices certeine strange wordes in Hebrewe and other languages Of the Anthropomorphites to painte God the Father in the forme of a man with a gray beard Of the Gnostikes and Carpocratians to set vp images of Christ and other Saints and to worship the same with censing and other maner of deuotions vnlesse men will say as Eusebius in the 7. booke of histories in the 18. chap. doth declare that this erecting of images did first spring from the Heathen And last of all she hath learned of Simon the sorcerer father of al Heretikes to giue Bishoprikes Benefices Masse Mattius and Sacraments for money and yet not to sell them For it is but a simple bargaine or contract which the Lawyers call Do vt des I giue that thou mayest giue againe Euen like to Simon who would giue money to receiue the holy ghost So that it is very plaine apparaunt that shee can helpe her selfe well ynough with the doctrines and opinions of Heretikes and sucke out of them what shee thinkes good to carie into her Bee hiue Yea shee doeth in manie things agree with the Alcaron of Mahomet and with the Turkes religion as specially in many pilgrimages in praying vnto dead Saints in the obseruing of fasting dayes in diuers sortes orders of Monkes and particularly in the doctrine of Freewill and iustification by workes Now whether they haue borrowed that of Mahomet or he receiued it from them by reason he had a holy Monke one Sergius for an assistent companion I referre that to the iudgement of the Doctors of Louen Thus much once by the waye that it is easie to be noted that it is all one per dominum and all diet in one fatte and that she is like to a cunning spinner which can make good thred of all sortes of flaxe The viii Chapter Declaring that the Church of Rome hath likevvise borrovved manye things of the levves vvhich shee doeth set forth and holde as articles of the faith NOwe as touching the Iewes shee hath not forgotten to followe them sundrie wayes and that is apparant ynough in that which our master Gentianus hath declared in this worke For hee will mainteine that the Transubstantiation of the bread into the very body of Christ and the changing or turning of the substaÌ„ce of the wine into his verie blood maye bee proued by the testimonies of the Iewishe Rabbines And that is without doubt for one of their Rabbines named Rabbi Moses Hazardan writing vppon the 136. Psalme where the Prophet saith O Lord thou giuest all fleshe their foode saieth thus This texte doth fully and wholy agree with that which is saide in the 34. Psalme Taste and see howe pleasant the Lord is For the bread or meate which he giues to euery man is his fleshe and with the tasting or with the eating it is turned into flesh Out of this hath a good Monke a Catholike writer concluded That this Iewish Rabbin did well vnderstand Transubstantiation which he doth yet againe coÌ„firme by another named Rabbie Cahana who vttereth maruelous woÌ„derful speculations vpoÌ„ that texte of Moses where Iacob did promise to his sonne Iuda an vnspeakable vnmesurable quantitie of wine milke by these wordes He shal binde his foales to the vinetree and his asses to the noble vine branches he shal wash his clothing in wine his mantle in the bloud of grapes his teeth are whiter than milk For out of these woordes of Iacob doeth the foresaid Rabbi conclude That the asse doeth here signifie Messias into whose bodie and bloud the wine shal
which is a God of such power that he causeth all them that will not honour him to be burnt In summe it is apparant that the name of the Masse is fetched out of the Scripture Nowe further whereas the Masse may not be long but vpon a foure cornered stone well foreseene with crosses and coniured with holie wordes all that is likewise fetched out of the scripture For Paule speaking to the Corinthians saieth That they ought not so to glorie in themselues for the sacrament coÌ„sidering that the people of Israel who notwithstanding were pitifully destroied by the hand of God had also euen the like sacrament in the beginning were also baptised and had likewise receiued the spirituall meat to wit Manna and dranke the spiritual drinke which did flow out of the Rocke and saith further there in most plaine wordes And the stone was Christ that is to say after the spirituall interpretation of the holie Church That the Masse must be soung vpon a stone Item Christ is also called A corner stone and which is more his graue was hewen out of a stone as Marke doeth wiâ—nesse Ergo it must needes follow that no Masâ—e may be soung without a stone And because he was wound in white linnen clothes therefore must white linnen be vsed in the Masse And so forth concerning all such Ceremonies as are vsed in the Masse you may touching these read the booke of Durandus or of Innocentius de officio Missae or the booke of Guido de monte Rocherii called Encheiridion Sacerdotum that is to say â–ª the manuel of Priests For there you you shall finde plainly set forth that all the partes of the Masse are finely founded and established vpon the scripture And to begin withall you shall find the times appointed for the Masse that it must be done at three of the clocke because it is written that the Iewes did at three of the clock crie Crucifie him crucifie him or at sixe of the clock for that at sixe of the clocke they did crucifie him or at nine because that then he gaue vp the ghost For although it be so that the Iewes at that time did reckon their houres otherwise than we do now so that three of the clocke was with them as viii or ix of the clock before noone is with vs and their sixe as our xii at noone and their ix as our three at after noone yet notwithstanding our deare mother the holie Church doth not gâ—e so narrowly to worke with her reckonings It is sufficient that simplie the names do agree and then she lettes the rest go where it will. After this now as touching the apparel and other consecrated or hallowed stuffe you shall finde her Albe or long white garment in the Scripture specially where it is written But he that continueth to the end shall bee saued For that long garment doth signifie long lasting or long continuance Concerning the girdle where it is written He that feareth God shall prepare his heart c. By the girdle which doth tucke vp the clothes is ment the feare of god Item the Maniples are fetched out of that saying in the Psalme Those that sowe with tears shall reape with ioy and bring home their sheaues with gladnesse c. For the sheaues are called in the Latine tongue Manipuli so that Dauid did there speake of the Priests maniples And the stole which they haue about their neckes commes out of the saying of Paule Beare in your bodies the dying of our Lord Iesus Christ And last of all the head is founded out of the saying of Peter But aboue all things haue perfite loue among you Let vs liue a perfite life Which is as much to say according to the exposition of the holy church Let vs put on a Cassuffle when wee sing Masse And yet besides all this you shall perceiue that the most part of all that which is read in the Masse is fetched out of the Psalmes and other places of holie Scripture here and there by patches and peeces swept together and trimly tied on a heape as if a man of a great manie peeces of golde as of Ducates Crownes Rosenobles and Portagues glued together with dirt woulde make a goodly doore for a Swinestie yet it is most true that euerie particular peece hath a particular Pope whiche did ioyne it to the rest and so were sewed together insomuche that it is a right beggers cloake as is well knowne to all men and as may easily be proued by the Decrees and Catholike Histories And to be plaine there is not anie thing great or small but they are able to bring in Scripture for it as wee can lightly proue by the foresaid Authours if neede were But wee had rather that those that long for such meate shoulde goe to the Market themselues and buy that they like best and let it bee dressed at the Tauerne or Tippling house according to their owne diâ—t It is ynough for vs that wee haue giuen them to vnderstand who can serue them of such vitaile and then further as the case shall require to proue plainely that the Masse is founded wholie on high euen vpon the flat Scripture The .iiii. Chapter Teaching that the transubstantiation of chaunging of the bread into the verie bodie of Christ and the wine into his bloud is grounded vpon the Scripture after the interpretation of the Church of Rome NOw as touching transubstantiation that is to say the plaine chaunging of the bread into the verie bodie of Christ notwithstanding the same was by the holie father Pope Innocentius 3. first set forth for an article of our beliefe about the yere of our Lord 1198. as by the Decretals is apparant yet haue we plaine proofes therof in the Scripture For first Christ in the sixt Chap. of Iohn saieth thus My flesh is verie meat and my bloud is verie drinke that is to say after the interpretation of our deare mother the holie Church My flesh is truely sensibly and bodily taken and eaten vnder the accident of the bread and my bloud is certeinly receiued and dronken vnder the accident of the wine For although Christ indeede doe otherwise interpret it teaching that this eating and drinking is to be vnderstoode of comming to him and of beleuing in him I am saieth he the liuely bread Whosoeuer coÌ„meth to me shall not hunger and whosoeuer doth beleeue in me shall neuer be athirst Againe It is the spirite that quickeneth the fleshe profiteth nothing The wordes which I speake vnto you are spirite and life Yet all this notwithstanding so long as the holie Church of Rome will haue it to be vnderstoode of her transubstantiation as Syluester Prierias high Steward of the palace of Rome hath specially noted in his golden Rosarie wherein hee hath gathered all the pleasant Roses and floures of the Catholike interpreters together vpon one heape and considering that the
praâ—ing Prelates there will yet come as Gentianus here doeth bragge a great companie of men Saintes and women Saintes glorious Martyrs comlie Confessours and excellent Doctours of the Church which the Pope him selfe hath canonized and bestowed places vppon them in heauen These surely in consideration of the benefites they haue receiued at his hands will for the mainteining of his doctrine hazard both cappe and cowle Then siwâ—her there will come such a companie of goodly miracles which surely are so perfectly and also vnreproueably registred in the golden Legend that the Heretikes must nodes be packing away if they will do wisely and followe good counsell For if it were seâ— that this could not yet helpe then should come in the Doctours of Louen with their great coppintankes and Doctours hattes with their Aristotles breech on their heads and his Liripipium about their necks and they will bring in al their Syllogismes their Sortes currit their Quidditatâ—s Realitates Formalitates Ecceitates Identitates Secundas intentiones Instantias and manie more of like learning which they will quickly shoote vp in the aire in such sort that the multitude of their arrowes wil darken the Sunne And at the last they wil plucke out of their quiuer a strong and a swift bolte or argument which the scholemen cal Argumentum a fasciculis that neither Bible nor Testament neither Peter nor Paul shal be able to helpe the poore heretikes so they must altogether daunse into the fire and be burnâ— to ashes This is most true and apparant and needes no proofe or witnesse Notwithstanding seeing that Gentianus him selfe â–ª to shewe his stoutnesse and noble courage doeth alledge and bring forth a certeine example â–ª as it were for an attempt or skirmishe therefore will I take the same vpon me and explane it further â—o the ende that euerie man may see with what strong weapons our deare mother with all her souldiers horsemen and footemen is furnished And thus saith Maister Gentianus here That the Lutheranes and Huguenotes can in no wise be reputed and taken for right beleeuers so long as they doe not beleeue that the breade and the wine in the blessed Sacrament of the altar as soone as euer the fiue wordes are spoken ouer them are no more bread wine but by and by become the verie perfecte bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ as long and as broade as it was hanging vppon the crosse Nowe then who dares once kicke or winche against this Or howe can these Heretikes wrestle against this whereas to begin withal generally the holy Catholike Apostolicall Papisticall Romishe Church with her Pontificall seate and crowne with all her Cardinals haâ—tes Bishops myters Abbats slaues Priestes crownes Monkes cowles and Doctours hoodes doe not onely beleeue so but likewise do specially commande will so haue it in dede that al other persons shal so likewise beleeue and that vpon paine of deadly sinne Wel then it is a sealed â—loth â–ª there is no more to saye to the matter â–ª For Iohannes Scotus hath him selfe said absolutely That if those fiue woordes should be spoken in a market place or in a Bakers house where much breade were or in a seller where much wine were the said bread would by and by bee turned into flesh and the wine into bloud Yea this hath bene proued by manie wonderful tokens as you may see and heare at Bruxels in Saint Goels Church where the Iewes stand painted which did sticke the holy Sacrament there through with daggers and the red bloud came running out For you may yet see red spottes painted vpon it And at Padua in Italie in Saint Anthonies Church standes grauen vpon an altar Saint Anthonie of Padua going alongest the streete with the Sacrament and some Iewes that were there did mock it and would not kneele downe and by and by there came an Asse alongest the streete which seeing that it was verie flesh and bloud did fall verie deuoutely vpon his knees and did open his mouth so wide that Saint Anthonie of Padua did estâ—eme the same for such a great miracle as doth wholy confound these Heretikes with hide and haire thrust in their throtes as is in his Legend set forth more at large â–ª Was not that a goodly and wonderfull miracle What will these Heretikes say to this when that Asses do beleeue it and yet they esteeme it not We read likewise of Saint Gregorie howe he being busie at Masse and hauing spoken the fiue wordes the holy Sacrament was soudeinly through his prayer conuerted and turned into a fleshly and visible finger and that for a good Gentlewomans sake which could not well beleeue that it was fleshe Likewise it is written that there was a good and a deuout woman which had heard in secret of her Curate the fiue wordes and being with her Gossep kneeding of doaw to make bread she rehearsed by chaunce to her Gossep the secretes of the Masse which she had learned of the Priest and soudenly all the doaw was turned into flesh and the water wherwith she had wrought the doaw into verie bloud in so much that the poore women were maruellously affraide and were so bloudie as though they had lien ten yeares in the butchers slaughter house It is verie true that it will not frame so well with beggers who hauing vnderstood this matter would gladly haue plaâ—ed the like paâ—el to the intent to haue made of the craâ—tes of bread which they had begged with the saying of these fiue wordes a good flesh hotch-potch or gallemawfrie but it woulde not fadge because they had not the good intent which the Priestes haue when they say Masse which intent the Curate had surely put into that good Gossep secretely in shriuing her Now is it not plainly written in the booke of that holy Monke Leander Alberte of Bullein that beside the lake called Lago de Bolsena as a Priest was saying his Masse that holy Offertorie or oblation did droppe a great many droppes of bloud vpon the altar and vppon the white piece of cloth called the Corporall after this it skipt and leapt out of the handes of the sacrifising Priest away it went swiftly fleeing all about the Church like a birde still dropping droppes of bloud vpon the Marble stones which are seene there yet to this day Men may finde a hundred thousand such like miracles set foorth in manie goodly laudable and praise worthie Histories and golden Legendes and specially in the Historie of the notable learned wise and discrete man Lipomani who I dare say would not willingly lie if he could hit vpon the truth Then all these miracles and all the foresaid Saints iolly roysters would euen ioyntly together be vpon the bones of these heretikes After all this the Iewes Rabbines would march forwarde into the field with their Caballa with their Thalmood stoutly defend our transubstantiation The Ethnik poets specially Ouid
holy Church cannot erre Christ must haue patience transubstantiation must take place But we haue yet a much clearer text to witte where Christ himselfe saieth This is my bodie for by those wordes doeth the holie Church of Rome plainely vnderstand that the same which before was breade is nowe no more breade although Paule woulde call it breade a thousande times but is chaunged into the verie bodie of Iesus Christ as long and as broade as it was hanging vpon the Crosse. And for that cause it is that shee doeth disallowe all the expositions and interpretations which Basilius Tertullianus Theodoretus Augustinus and other holie Fathers haue sette foorth vpon the same saying That those woordes must bee figuratiuely and sacramentally vnderstoode as Christ himselfe hath plainely saide I am the vine or as Paule saieth The stone was Christ and as GOD spake to Abraham saying This is my promise Cut off the fore skinne c. Which is as muche to say that the breade shoulde not chaunge his nature nor the verie bodie of Christ bee there present but onelie that it shoulde bee a true and holie token a Sacrament a warrant and pledge a Seale and assuraunce whereby wee are assured and fullie certified that hee hath giuen vppe his bodie and bloud for our saluation And for this cause doe they call it a figure or token and in the Greeke Typus and Antitypa that is to say Speciall tokens But I doe tell you that the holie Church of Rome will not allowe anie such interpretations vnlesse it were so that men woulde vnderstand them as Damascenus doeth interprete them and as was in the seconde Councell of Nice concluded by the Fathers to witte That the breade shoulde bee such a seale pledge figure and holie token onely before it be consecrated which is to say It should be a Sacrament before it is become a Sacrament For that this is their conceite and meaning it is apparaunt out of this That long before the breade and the wine bee consecrated or made a holie Sacrament they doe offer vppe the same vnto God for remission of sinnes as well of the liuing as of the dead For in the Canon of the Masse yea before the bread bee turned into fleshe or the fiue holy wordes of consecration be heard the Priest doeth pray That God will accept that offering of breade and through that deliuer him from eternall death And then That hee will blesse the saide offering of breade in all pointes and make the same holie profitable meate and acceptable That is may become the bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ. Yea and before hee hath yet put the wine into the Chalice immediately after the Offertorie he saith thus O holie Father almightie and euerlasting God take and receiue this vnspotted sacrifice which thine vnworthie seruaunt doeth offer vppe vnto thee for my sinnes and innumerable misdeedes for my forgetfulnesse and vnthankefulnesse yea and for all these which are here present and for all faithfull Christians as well those that be liuing as those that be dead that it may bee acceptable auailable and effectuall vnto the saluation both of me and of them vnto eternall life Amen And in one of the secretes which is commonly read vpon the 24. Sunday after Trinitie Sunday he saith thus O Lord take and receiue mercifully this offering through which thou art pleased contented and pacified and hast receiued vs againe vnto saluation through the almightinesse and vnspeakablenesse of thy mercie c. Consider now here doeth our deare mother the holie Church ascribe vnto this bread all things which may be attributed vnto our Lorde Iesus Christ the onely begotten sonne of God as to say That God is become mercifull to vs for the bread sake and hath pardoned vs our sinnes and that before the bread bee consecrated or in anie point transubstantiated or changed What maruell is it then that they doe make a God of it after the fiue wordes be spoken ouer it and yet make a Sacrament of it before it can be a Sacrament For as they can of a peece of breade make God himselfe and of nothing create something wherfore should not they likewise be able to make of no Sacrament a Sacrament and of a Sacrament no Sacrament That is to say that a simple peece of bread shoulde bee a holie token and seale of the bloud of Iesus Christ euen before it bee made holie and consecrated And then Econtra that the Sacrament of the bodie of Christ shall bee no more either a Sacrament or token but euen the verie bodie of Christ it selfe So that the holie Fathers must needes haue vnderstoode it so especially when they say that this Sacrament is but a token a seale and a pledge specialy before it is become a Sacrament For after that it is once a Sacrament then no remedie our deare mothers will is that it shall bee fleshe and bloud and not anie longer neither bread nor wine to signifie the fleshe and the bloud And therefore doeth she not make anie account of the exposition of Christ Iesus himselfe who after he had saide of the bread This is my bodie and afterward of the Chalice of Cuppe This is the new Testament in my bloud thereby declaring that those words This is my bodie must be so vnderstoode as if hee had saide This breade is the new promise in my bodie which shall bee broken for you For of that shoulde followe that the breade after the consecration and likewise after the speaking of the fiue wordes should still remaine breade and so bee but simplie a Sacrament and true token of the bodie of Iesus Christ as shewing vnto vs the promise of God made in the breaking of the bodie and shedding of the bloud of Christ Iesus our Sauiour as was saide of the Circumcision This is my couenant which I doe make with you to witte for that the Circumcision is a sure and holie promise a pledge and seale through which the promise of God is verie stronglie and substantiallie made vnto the faithfull No no I assure you that liketh the holie Church of Rome nothing at all She will lay fast holde vpon the first wordes of Christ and not seek after anie exposition or glosse how necessarie soeuer they bee And for that cause shall Paule go without anie Audiuit when he commeth in with his interpretation and saith That the bread which we do breake is the communion of the bodie of Christ. For thereby it should also seeme that it remaineth bread still after the consecration and that it is not the bodie it self but a remembrance of the bodie â–ª which thing the holie Church in no wise admitteth nor alloweth for life nor death But especiallie she will not accept nor like of the interpretation following wherein Paule proceeding doeth declare how and wherefore the bread is the communion of the bodie of Christ saying For al we which eate of one bread become one bodie Nowe truelie that
come in Scotus and Innocentius the fourth and they will defend a Gods name That it consisteth not in the fiue wordes to hang the vell about the cattes necke but that it is much rather done through the benediction or blessing that goeth before So as the Transubstantiation and verie changing doeth not proceede through these wordes Hoc est corpus meum This is my bodie but through the benediction or blessing which went before And Peter de Aliaco saith likewise verie plainlie That if it were so that the consecration should be by vertue of these fiue wordes as the holie Church of Rome doeth say and beleeue then should not Christ Iesus haue spoken the truth when he said This is my bodie considering that it was not yet his bodie but must first become his bodie The other are earnestlie against this Nowe Armacanus verie willing to please both parties saieth that they both haue reason namelie That our Lorde should not haue spoken the trueth and yet that it should be euen so as he had spoken and said Occam in his Quodlibet questions hath found out wonderfull sharpewittie testimonies and authorities which a blinde man should hardlie haue sene without a paire of spectacles for he saith That when Christ said This is my bodie he ment then to speake the same of his bodie yet notwithstanding vpon certeine exceptions conditions to wit That the Priest which should vtter and speake such wordes after him as soone as he had said the first pretie word This should then immediatlie vpon a sodeine thinke vpon two things at once the first This is my bodie which now at this present shal be secretly hid vnder the substance of bread shall become mine owne bodie hereafter the seconde This bodie which is nowe hid vnder the substance of bread that is my bodie euen now at this present time And this onely should proue true after he had thought vpon these two propositions both at one instant And it seemeth that Armacanus was also of the same opinion Petrus de Aliaco hauing first verie subtilie pratled of the matter doth notwithstāding yet at last fall out of the cart and findeth faulte with the opinion of Scotus grounding him selfe fast vppon this pointe and purpose That the fiue wordes are those which make the sporte and transubstantiateth or turneth the bread Alas saith hee it is a sentence which is not true and yet notwithstanding it is no lie but is neither fishe nor fleshe In summe it is as much to say as Giue the Doues drinke Thomas de Aquino saith That our Lord by that first worde Hoc This did not teache anie thing certeinlie but meant to say simplie in a grosse maner thus That which is here vnder the substāce of bred let it be what it can it is my bodie And whereas some will withstand this saying That the same is nothing else but bread till such time as it be transubstantiated or chaunged vnto that hee answereth Not so For this sentence saieth hee is not fullie concluded till the last syllable to witte Vm be pronounced And therefore no iudgement can be geuen of the veritie or falsitie till such time as the fiue woordes be fullie pronounced For then is the matter first cleare and the bread perfectlie chaunged into the bodie of Christ. Richardus de sancto Amore saieth That these wordes This is my bodie is iust as much as to say thus The thing whereinto this bread and wine shall bee chaunged is my bodie Other againe will saie that Christ did not by this worde Hoc This meane the bread but simplie the accidentes or qualities of the bread to witte The whitenesse The thicknesse The roundnesse and that these words This is my bodie is as much to say as My bodie is here hidde vnder the accidentes or qualities of the bread The holie Bishop Durandus is of another opinion namelie That Iesus Christ did once consecrate by his secret power which is hidde and vnkowen vnto vs and not by power of these woordes But yet should hee notwithstanding after that haue set foorth by the fiue wordes the fourme and manner that men should vse to plaie this parte of Transubstantiation after him In so much that the Priestes should nowe consecrate by an other power and vertue than Christ Iesus did Contrarie to this Comestor is of opiniō That Christ consecrated with the same words but that he did first whisper them out secretlie betweene the teeth and so changed the bread into his bodie the wine into his bloud which being done he spake the same wordes alowde to his Apostles Nowe let see what good Beere you can brewe of this and ioyne al these wise heads together to trie which of them is the wisest of all and who hath shotte downe the Popingaie Truelie for my parte I beleeue neuer a one of them all For the Catholike Doctours of our time haue bene forced nowe againe a freshe to fetch out of a corner other newe and vengeance wise fetches and strange trickes wherewith to mainteine the matter and make it good against these Heretikes and yet are not at this present agreed amongst them selues neither can they tell wherevpon to settle ground them selues For that good Gardiner a Goliah amongst the Catholikes did set forth a great booke vppon this matter hath found out manie quickwittie resons saying That our Lorde when hee spake these woordes ▪ did meane a thing which is not to be found and he doeth name it Indiuiduum vagum that is to say A litle incomprehensible winde or moth which flieth hence awaye in the aire In summe it is euen as much as a litle nothing hanging by a small silke thred And then hee saieth further That this worde Hoc must bee vnderstoode of such an Indiuiduum vagum or flying moth I beleeue verelie that hee hath drawne this out of Democritus well who saieth That trueth lay buried in a deepe hole and so in the meane space doth teache for a veritie That there are manie litle wauering things alwayes shaking and flying in the aire which he doeth call in Greeke Atomi signifying Indiuiduum or Insecabile in Latin. And out of these flying or wild vesekens shuld the world by operatiō of it selfe be made and brought together Which fantasie that good man Epicurus and all Epicuristes haue likewise followed and stoutlie defended And euen so will our Gardiner likewise mainteine That this holie breadgod should bee made of an Indiuiduum vagum and that Christ knewe well to speake of that matter although the Bakers might verie well protest against that and say That they haue made it of good wheate meale yea of the finest wheate flower with dogges grease and not of a wild veseken which is no where to be found But Iohannes de Louanio that woorthie and profounde learned Magister noster who hath so long caried the wisedome of Louen in his head that
Scripture for that is but one witnes And it is a common prouerbe Vnus testis nullus testis One witnes no witnes but they must proue it to be directly against all these before rehearsed or else they remaine in the sacke and by this meanes shall we without doubt get the victorie and vpper hande ouer all our enimies For by this foundation are al the Lutheranes and Huguenotes condemned banished and accursed Vpon this grounde they are deliuered ouer into the hands of temporal officers as ranke Heretikes Vpon this foundation are they at the last pitifully murthered burnt And wherfore For this is the verie foote wherevpon men do condemne for Heretikes all such as do not beleue al whatsoeuer the holy church beleeueth It skils not out of what grounde they haue fetcht this whether out of S. Francis vineyard or out of the goldeÌ„ Legend liues of the ancient Fathers or out of the Decrees Decretals that is all one so that it tend to the benefiâ—e establishment of the holy Church of Rome For as it is before declared that is onelie the foundation of the holy Catholike and Romish Christen faith Therefore whatsoeuer dependeth therevpon must of necessitie be esteemed receiued and taken for a special article of our beliefe and whosoeuer will not so accept it they are damned without mercie yea although they had both Paul and Peter ten times for their aduocates and ten dozen of Bibles on their side will not serue for they shall neuer be demaunded whether they do beleeue the Scripture and the Bible or whether they holde the writing of Paule for the woord of God or whether they doe not acknowledge themselues to be poore miserable lost and condemned creatures by the fall of Adam and the children of wrath and damnation And that God of his meere mercie and pitie without any desertes hath loosed and redeemed them For all this is but brabbling it shall not be demanded of them whether they do not stedfastly beleeue that they onely through the onely oblation of the bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ once offered vpon the crosse are iustified before the face and iudgement seate of God For that is of no importance And much lesse shall it bee demaunded of them whether in time of their neede they do call onely vpon the onely liuing God through the mediation and intercession of our onely mediatour and intercessour Iesus Christ For that is altogether Lutherall What shall be demaunded of them then First and before all whether they doe not beleeue that the holy Church of Rome is the Ladie and Queene ouer all Churches and that the Pope of Rome is the heade of the same And whether they doe not beleeue all whatsoeuer this Church beleeueth After that if they do not beleue in the holy Masse in Purgatorie in the miracles of men Saints and women Saints Also what they doe thinke of the holy Reliques As for example If they do not beleeue in the foreskinne of our Lord Iesus which is at Antwerpe in a second which is at Rome in a thirde which is at Bezancon in a fourth which an Angel brought once from Hierusalem into the towne of Aken and lastly in one whiche is seene and worshipped in an Abbay at Poytears in Fraunce Item whether they do not beleeue in the Cribbe which is at Rome in our Ladies Church and in our Lordes shooes which are likewise at Rome in the holy place called Sancta Sanctorum Item in the Dice wherewith they did play vpon his coate whereof some are at Triers and some at S. Sauiours in Spaine In the Sponge wherewith they gaue him vinegre to drinke which is at Rome at S. Iohns de Laterane And in the tayle of the Asse whereon hee rode which is set foorth with great deuotion at the town of Genuen in Italie c What accompt they make of the three Kings which lie at Colen yet are likewise at Milane in Italie of S. Iohnâ— head which is to be seene at Ghent notwithstanding that they of Ameens conâ—ende that they haue it Item what they esteme of Iosephs breeches which are at Aken with our Ladies smocke And further what they thinke of our deare Ladies needles her sowing thred and her workebasket which lie in her siluer chist at Halle where many goodly miracles haue bene shewed and of her girdle which is there likewise by vertue whereof so many women haue conceiued with child of her milke which is so plentifull in manie places that seuen of the best kine in Holland are not able to giue so much milke in ten yeres Of the holye bloud at Bridges of the holy Sacrament of miracles at Bruxols at Saint Goels church which is a preâ—te litle round thing made of very bone of iuorie and yet our deare mother beleeues that it is very flesh and bloud After this shal be demaunded of them what they do beleeue of all the glorious Saintes As Saint Lieuen S. Gomâ—er S â–ª Rombolâ— S. Goele S. Iobâ— of Wâ—semale S. Ioyce in Flanders where men get children and mo such other like Saintes and Patrones of the holy church â–ª which haue wrought so manie miracles as in very deede no man can tell And if theâ— doe not beleeue al this then the matter is cleare that they beare the whole burden on their backes And wherefore Because they do not beleeue al that the holy church doeth beleeue and therefore they can be no good christen men Therefore is Maister Gentianus worthie to be shrined in golde and set vpon an altar seeing that hee hath with fewe wordes so substantially taught the very right way to bridle and bring vnder these heretikes and to put them all in a cloake bagge specially those which doe not beleeue whatsoeuer the Church beleeues all such are vnbeleeuing and damned Heretikes The xii Chap. VVherein is declared that the Lutheranes are with this foundation so valiantly assalted on all sides that it is not possible for them to escape any way and what is the last argument to be obiected against them is declared and proued by the example of Transubstantiation WHat maruel is it then that a simple yong man whom hee calleth Brother Ligier durst not dispute against Master Gentianus For who dare bee so bold as to looke such a stout Goliah in the face I let alone speaking to him no and I would not counsell the Huguenotes to take vpon them so to do For whereas they thinke perhaps with a sling to hit this Giant in the forehead with the corner stone of Gods worde and to fell him downe to the grounde yet must they knowe that all the matter is not ended there For in place of one there will starte vp by and by and innumerable companie of stout and valian Champions which will assault them on all sides For besides all the holy fathers the Popes of Rome besides all the noble and right honourable Cardinals all forkeheaded Bishops all fatte Abbats and proude
is my name sacrificed a pleasant offering offered vp that is to say The offering and sacrifice of the holy Masse For that can not faile so long as it pleaseth our mother the holy Church to haue and will haue it thus vnderstoode And although it be so that Peter hath otherwise interpreted it saying That all faithfull are that holy Priesthood to offer vp spiritual offrings wherwith God is pleased through Iesus Christ yea they are the chosen generation the kingly Priesthoode the holie and elect people to set foorth the worthines of him which hath called thē out of darkenesse vnto his wonderfull light Wherewith Iohn the Apostle doeth also accorde saying That Iesus Christ hath made all faithfull Christians kings and Priestes to God his father and applies this sacrifice to their prayers and Psalmes And although it be so tha◠the Apostle had so saide to the Iewes That we should offer vp vnto God the offring of thankesgiuing which is the fruites of our lippes and tongues yet notwithstanding the holie Church is not therewith satisfied because greate disorder might followe for that then there shoulde be no mo priests which could serue in the Masse therfore she hath strongly concluded that this place of the prophesie of Malachie may not any otherwise be vnderstood than by the second councell of Nice the councell of Constance the councell of Trent further as by al Catholike men as Thomas de Aquino Scotus Durandus and by all the Doctours of Louen it hath bene vnderstoode interpreted Iudging without doubt that all these profounde learned Doctours together on a cluster as hauing greater measure of wisedome and learning than the rest did vnderstande Malachie farre better than Peter and Iohn who were but simple fishers and had neuer bene Studentes in the famous and renowmed Vniuersitie of Louen And yet if it were so that Peter were not content yet hath the holie Church giuen him to vnderstand that his foresaide reason must bee vnderstoode meant of the Priests only and not of the generall congregation of Christ. Moreouer and beside all this these wordes of Paule where he saith That we should deliuer or offer vp our bodies a liuing holie and an acceptable sacrifice vnto God which is our dutiefull seruing of God c. hath she violently forceably wresled to the Masse and the offering of the Priestes cōmanding that those words should do dailie read in the Canon of the Masse ▪ that at euerie word a crosse should be made to the ende that they by the power and vertue of the crosse might altogether transforme and change their naturall vsages and so serue the turne of the holie Masse For if men will vnderstande them according to their nature after the letter to wit That all perfite Christians must offer vp to God their bodies in all holinesse by that it should seeme that Paul hath otherwise vnderstoode Malachie than the holie Church doth vnderstande him And then should S. Peter haue done euill when he soung his first Masse at Rome vpon the altar which is yet there to bee seene in the holie place at Saint Iohns de Laterane And nowe our Lord hath saide Oraui pro te Petre ne deficeret sides tua ▪ O Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith shuld not faile So that Peter then can not haue done amisse when he did sing Masse And herevpon is to be concluded that the Masse is founded grounded vpon the scripture And yet we see further That in the scripture there are two sortes of Priesthoodes spoken of The one is the order of Melchisedech and the other is The order of Aaron who came of the tribe of Leui. Nowe both these two orders seeme to haue bene a figure of our Priestes Which doth appeare by this That our Priestes haue in their Masse by vertue of the fiue wordes changed the bread into the bodie of Iesus Christ then they go and offer him vp to God the Father praying and beseeching him that he with a mercifull and pleasant countenance will beholde the offring vp of his onely begotten and liuing Sonne Christ Iesus and that he will accept the same euen as hee accepted Abels offring and the sacrifice of Abraham of the hie Priest Melchisedech Who will nowe cast in any more doubts whether they be the right Priests placed in the roomes seates of Melchisedech Aaron Nay they do far passe both Melchisedech Aaron seeing that they do pray for the Sonne of God him selfe are a meane not only betweene God and man but also betweene God the Father and Christ Iesus his Sonne which in an Euangelical degree they do resemble to the sheepe and the lambes So that by this it is apparant that the meaning of our mother the holie church is That Christ is to be accounted for nothing els but the sheepe which Melchisedech did offer vp Contrariwise the Priestes are the true Melchisedechs which do offer vp Christ pray for him For when all is said what other thing did Melchisedech I pray you foreshewe but onelie the figure of the holie Pope of Rome who is the chiefe Priest the Summus Pontifex The high Bishop which doeth create all Priestes and Deacons set vp all spirituall orders giuing and appointing to euery one of them their charge what they shall doe Then must he needes be the right Melchisedech whose Priesthoode is not to bee resembled to other priestes For this is set forth in the Decretalles euen thus in plaine wordes Durandus hath set out the same at large in his booke called Rationale diuinorū officiorū Therefore that which the Apostle would say to the Hebrewes That as Melchisedech was a figure of Christ And accordingly as Melchisedech hath neither had anie successour nor lieftenant that euen so Christ had neither successour nor lieftenant but should him selfe in his owne person exercise his euerlasting Priesthood being once entred into that heauenlie holinesse through the power of that one offering to witte his owne bodie and bloud which offering being once fully accomplished for the remission of our sinnes can neuer be renewed nor done againe But all this doeth not serue the purpose touching out matter for if that were true then the Masse would be nothing worth and our Priestes might go with emptie stomachs and in the end be glad to get them into some hospitall for a refuge or at least to gette their liuing with painfull labour which would be a pitifull case considering that they haue neuer bene vsed to anie labour but simplie to say Masse sing Euensong and to mumble ouer their Mattens and therewith to deserue first a liuing here on earth and afterwardes heauen for themselues their pretie wenches and their yong bastardes Therefore doeth our mother the holie Church conclude that the Apostle in his Epistle to the Hebrewes did not well consider the pith and ground of the
in the ende his braine did waxe feeble and he starke madde that man in his booke which hee did write vppon this matter saieth That herein chaunced a great miracle to witte that the bread is no more bread but that there doeth remaine onelie the qualities of the bread hanging in the aire without grounde or bottome as if a Cow should hang vpon a cherie tree and that yet likewise there remaines amongst these qualities a perfect substance of bread so that it is still bread and yet notwithstanding it is no bread In summe you shall finde as manie peares as plummes Yea is no and No is yea Chickens eate haie and with them horse turdes and good sweete figges are all one There are manie both hie and lowe speculations amongest our Doctours who yet trauell continuallie like Asses to vndo this knotte and yet can not bring it to passe For the deeper they wade in the matter the more they are wrapped and entangled therein For they perceiue verie well that it will not come to anie good perfection so that the bread should become the verie bodie of Christ for that then it must needes followe That the bread died for vs and that a dead and liuelesse creature should be our God and Sauiour and yet would they verie faine bring the matter to passe so that they would seeme to sticke to the word of God and yet for all that mainteine and vpholde their Transubstantiation also They do well consider that they can not iustifie the wordes vnlesse they do expound them sacramentallie and figuratiuelie as the Heretikes doe who make no great matter of vengeance wittie questions But our Doctours and faithfull Catholikes wil neuer come to that baite they will rather spend both hide and haire than they will recant giue ouer their opinion yea it were also an eternal slaunder for our deare mother the holy church and a meane wherby she shuld susteine to great damage For Transubstantiation is the verie best fisheponde and shambles that belongeth to her kitchen and therefore will shee defende that with tooth and naile and in no wise suffer it to bee plucked out of her handes Wherefore it is no maruell that our Doctours had rather inuent newe miracles one vpon another and make newe and straunge glosses neuer hearde of before yea turne all topsie turuie neither touching the heauen nor the earth and brall and chide one against another like whoores knaues and cutpurses than they would consent and agree to doe such a spitefull displeasure to their entirelie beloued mother the holy Church of Rome as to ioyne with the Heretikes her mortall enimies to fetch out of Paule or out of the old Fathers a sacramentall exposition and thereby to doe iniurie to the worthie Transubstantiation They are yet besides this in great difference dissention about manie questions depending vpō the same matter for they cannot conceiue whervpon the qualities of the bread are founded or grounded considering that it is no more bread then that it cannot be said that the bodie of Christ it self shuld be round white sauour weigh as bred then whether this weight this roundnesse and this colour remaine hanging in the aire without anie prop or that they are cleane consumed or where they remaine Item when the offertorie or Oste is broken what is there broken whether the accidents and substance of the breade or the verie bodie of Christ it selfe Item whether this transubstantiated body is so quickly gone when there commeth a Mouse or a Ratte to gnawe vpon it or when Mothes or wormes do breede in it Thereof they dispute a pace whether the substance of the bread doeth then with his accidentes and qualities get him home againe or that the Rattes or Mice do gnaw vpon nothing else but onely vpon the accidents and qualities without touching the bread It is verie true that the maister of the Sentences did leaue off this point very slenderly For these are his wordes Verelie it may well be said that vnreasonable beastes do not eate the bodie of Christ although it seemeth they doe so but then what is it that the Mouse taketh or what is it that shee eateth That doth God knowe Yet notwithstanding those other doctours which haue written vpon the booke of Sentences are not therwithall satisfied but will yet haue a further consideration of the matter especially considering that the glosse of Henricus de Vrimaria written vpon that text saieth thus That the mouth of a Mouse is not so vncleane as the mouth of a sinner And all they generally doe teache that the sinners doe without doubt eate the verie bodie of Christ Ergo Potlid Nowe besides this yet can they not agree amongest themselues to knowe whether all the woordes which they of themselues haue added which are not written by the Euangelistes doe serue necessarily to the Transubstantiation or no For Thomas de Aquino will stoutely defende That they are most necessarie therevnto and that without them the Tarte cannot bee well baked Now against this Bonauentura and maister Henricus de Gandauo with diuerse other writing vpon the fourth Booke of the Sentences say that these wordes serue onely to beautifie and set foorth the other for comelinesse sake but it is needlesse for Scotus to write his opinion considering that it cannot bee certeinly knowne whether they bee verie needfull or no. And yet notwithstanding he doth conclude that the Priest is bounde to say them neither more nor lesse than as if they were most necessarie to the framing or making of the Transubstantiation And Guido de monte Rocherii doeth flatly confesse That he knowes not what to say to the matter Then further they are in contention whether the water which they doe mingle with the wine in the Chalice is first chaunged into wine and after that into bloud so that there shoulde be two transubstantiations at once Or that it is incontinent and by and by turned into bloud as well as the wine And if it become bloud as appeareth it shoulde by the example of the two Gosseps of whome I spake before by what power that can bee so seeing Christ did not meddle with anie water nor the Euangelistes doe not write anie thing thereof And then if the Priest shoulde putte more water into it than wine whiche they doe not gladly or willingly whether then the Transubstantiation shoulde take full effect or that it would stay for doubt of drowning in the water Item if by chance after that the wine be consecrated turned into bloud one should put into the Chalice as much wine more whether then the first wine shoulde bee no more bloud but become wine again or that it should be bloud and wine mingled together either that it shoulde all together bee turned into bloud Item whether a Priest may say and serue Masse with vinegre or veriuce or with must or whether for neede with beere and whether that the beere after the
christian beliefe And for that cause did they drinke the bloud of Christ as the Catholike Doctours haue written according to the doctrine of Cyprianus saying how can they shed their owne bloud for Christes sake if they doe not drinke of Christs bloud But now there is no more tidings of those matters for the holy church of Rome wil not lose one drop of her bloud considering that she hath ynough to do for the defence of the holy Catholike faith to shed the bloud of the Lutherans and Caluinists like water in the streetes And therefore it is not any more needful that the Lay people should drinke the bloud of Christ out of the Chalice vnder the substance of wine They can digest it well inough rawe as it was shed out of the bodie of Christ Iesus yet for all that the priests haue this aduantage that they may drinke the bloud of Christ both waies And yet is not the bloud of Christ in the Sacrament taken quite away from the Lay people For when they do eate the whole body with flesh bones it is certeine that they gette in the bloud wall For the before named Bonauentura doth make mention of a certein miracle of one which would not beleue that there was any bloud in the holy Ost or singing bread vsed in the holie Masse and sodeinly there came bloud ruÌ„ning out And likewise Alexander de Ales doth declare that vpoÌ„ a time when the people would haue receiued the Sacrament vnder both kindes there was sodenlie before them a platter full of bloud whereof the good deuoute people being meruellously abashed were glad to content them selues with the one And that the bloud vndoubtedlie is with the bodie we haue here before by manie other miracles declared sufficientlie proued Therefore haue the Laie people no occasion to complaine as though the bloud of Christ were denied them for euen the Priestes them selues are contented with one kinde on the good Fridaie next after the shire Thursday when they haue had their sops in good Bastard or Romnay For then the next day being good Friday they sing a drie Masse and keepe a Mouses banket as well as the Laie people doe at Easter Before time likewise in the Iewish church the Laie people had no parte of the drinke offerings but the Priestes onelie For although that Chrysostome saith touching this matter that this is now changed and that in this Sacrament the Laie people must enioye the like meate and drinke as the Priestes doe so as nowe the one hath no more aduantage than the other as they had in the olde Lawe yet can not the saying of Chrysostome anie thing serue in this place For against Chrysostome wil we set Brother Barnard of Luxenburgh professour in Theologie and Iohn Eckius with all other good Catholike writers of our time who haue otherwise written and determined of this matter And as touching that which the Huguenotes do alledge out of Paule yea out of Iesus Christ him selfe saying That Paule did command all christen people to do according as Christ had ordeined and as Christ had saide Drinke all of this We do answere to that That this was onelie a simple permission and not a speciall commandement as he saith in another place Destroie this temple and I will builde it vp againe within three dayes for that is no commaundement but onely a permission as if he said If it be so in deede that you will destroie this temple of my bodie I will not forbidde you but I will builde him vp againe c. In like manner doeth our mother the hâ—lie Church saie that these woordes Drinke you all of this And As often as you drinke this you shall declare the death of the Lord Those wordes are thus to be vnderstoode as though he had said I doe not will you Laie people to doe so but the Priestes onelie notwithstanding if you will doe it and that the Priestes are contented withall I will not then bee against it Thus you see the game is won Nowe let vs to an other matter tending to the like ende The vii Chapter VVhich doeth treate of full satisfaction for sinnes of the desertes of good workes also of the merites of Christes passion and of Iustification of the difference betweene mortall sinnes and veniall sinnes and of the assured hope of saluation NOwe seeing that wee haue sufficientlie spoken of the holie Masse and the Sacrament of the altar and that our mother the holie Church of Rome doeth moreouer teache and set foorth for an article of the faith That wee by desert hearing a Masse and receiuing the Sacrament may make full amendes for our offences and sufficientlie satisfie for our sinnes therefore it is now verie necessarie that we something treate of satisfaction for sinnes and of deseruing by good works the rather because the Heretikes do with their scriptures so trouble vs touching this point as they turne both the spit and the rost meat into the ashes in so much that wee shall loose both the sheepe and the fleece if wee suffer this to be so plucked from vs And therefore it is necessarie to put all good Catholike children in remembrance that in no wise they doe giue anie eare to the Heretikes touching this point for feare lest therby they should be brought out of the right way and so by receiuing their goodlie reasons multitude of scriptures be persuaded from their due obedience to the holie Church of Rome And to the ende that euerie man should be warned and not by negligence sodenlie taken in a trappe therefore shall I set out something more at large their meaning touching this point to the ende that euery one may see whether our deare mother the holie Church haue not iust occasion so bitterlie to curse and banish their doctrine Then to beginne withall they do take vpon them to defende and mainteine by Scripture That all sinnes are deadlie mortall because that sinne is the breaking of Gods commaundements as S. Iohn saith And That who soeuer doeth not obserue all whatsoeuer God hath commaunded in his Lawe is accursed For S. Iames doeth witnesse That who soeuer transgresseth in one point of the Lawe is guiltie in the whole considering that the same God which câ—mmaunded the one did also commaunde the other In so much that all those which commit sinne are through sinne alienated and estranged from the life which is onelie to bee had at the hand of God and so must fall into the hand of heath seeing that The recoÌ„pense of sinne is death according to the saying of S. Paule whereby all men without anie exception which are vnder sinne are likewise vnder the bondage of eternall malediction death and damnation considering that all haue sinned are fallen away from that life which is of God into his wrath and do thereby become if the speciall mercie of God were not
the children of wrath of cursing and of death yea iustlie may be called the verie enimies of god Out of this they conclude That in the wide world there is no meaâ—e nor counsell to be found for the payment accomplishment of our satisfaction but that all must be discharged to the vttermost farthing which is as much to saie that all people are vnder the eternall wrath curse damnation of God considering that the sentence of God being once pronounced must endure for euer and a man being dead and once taken away from life can neuer restore him selfe againe to life And thus say they there is no more to be said but al fleshe are debters vnto god But hereby is the mercie of GOD made manifest that the punishment of our sinnes is laide vpon our Sauiour Iesus Christ the vnspotted lambe of God that he hath suffered for vs and taken vpon him our sinnes that hee being become man and hauing put on our nature hath borne the burthen of this curse this wrath of GOD this death and this hell and damnation and through his diuine and eternall power for that hee also was the onelie Sonne of God yea euen God him selfe and the verie authour and well spring of eternall life hath ouer come and clearelie taken away the same and hath freelie and without deserte by his meere mercie giuen vnto all those which doe faithfullie beleeue in him life and iustification In so much that they nowe in the person of Iesus Christ as partakers of his bodie boldlie appeare before the Diuine Maiestie of GOD being assured that God is their good mercifull and most louing Father and doeth no more charge them with the burden of their sinnes but most mercifullie forgiueth them their olde and odde debtes and pardoneth them of the punishment which they haue deserued not thorough anie of their good workes merites or desertes but through the power of the merites and desertes of our Sauiour Iesus Christ whâ— hath made restitution for that which he neuer had and hath not only taken vpon him to discharge our debtes but also to suffer our punishment and hath borne the same wholie in his owne person so that hee is iustiâ—e called Our raunsome Our Pastour Our pledge Our full satisfaction and the costlie pâ—ice of our saluation without whom there is no saluation no raunsome nor redemption in the worlde And therefore say they That who soeuer will beginne to account or reckon with God a newe and make satisfaction or payment vnto him whether in whole or in parte â–ª of that which they are indebted vnto him those are wholie quite of Gods mercie and binde them selues soule and bodie to the full obseruing of the Lawe and doe clearelie take away and renounce as much as apperteineth vnto them the merites of Christ notwithstanding that by the iust iudgement of God sinne is so abhominable that it can not by anie meanes bee recompensed or fullie satisfied but onelie by eternall death and damnation or els by the sweete and most pretious offering of the bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ which is before God the Father a sufficient satisfaction and remission for the sinnes of all those that haue their full trust and confidence therein And also they doe acknowledge That God doth in the meane space correct his children in this worlde and proueth their faith by manie and diuerse troubles crosses afflictions partlie for that they shall learne to knowe verie well their miserie and calamitie and thereby be prouoked the rather spedilie to flie to his mercie for succour partlie that thereby they may become like vnto their maister head Christ Iesus and with him die from sinne and rise vp in newnesse of life and hereafter liue and reigne with him eternallie but they will in no wise consent that these troubles crosses afflictions should serue anie thing for satisfaction or remission of sinnes no not so much as for the least sinne that can be thought vpoÌ„ And likewise they clearely dissent disagree from vs saying That al the good works that anie man can do during all his life can not serue him to anie purpose for the remission of the least sinne that euer he committed considering that al men without exceptioÌ„ are of meere dutie bound to obey God to loue him with all their hearts with all their might with all their power in body and soule with thanks in all that lieth in them to loue their neighbours as theÌ„selues in such maner as though they had accoÌ„plished al this which is impossible for anie man to doe for that we are dead in Adam and that all the thoughtes of mans heart all the conceites of his mind are meere mischiefe and malice against God euen from the beginning in so much that they should yet remaine vnprofitable seruantes and should haue done no more than they of verie dutie were bound to do So farre doeth it differ that they should be able thereby to satisfie God make amends for any such offences as they heretofore haue committed For if they should come in reckoning by works then wee must make a perfect reckoning not halfe a reckoning say they otherwise works were no works but contrawise when men do seeke for mercie not for iustice then must they with Paul forsake all their works all their righteousnes their holines all whatsoeuer they haue done accompt the same as nothing to obteine iustification by faith through God mercy for otherwise mercie were no mercie And after this they proceede on further conclude in this forme and manner Now seeing God will not accept any iustificatioÌ„ by those works which he him selfe commanded in his Law how much lesse will he accept these workes which other men haue deuised and fetched out of their owne heades which hee neuer commaunded As to hearing of Masse to runne from one Church to another to trudge from one altar to another to go on pilgrimage â–ª to weare hairecloth to whippe them selues to pull a Friers hoode ouer their head to make vowes which God neuer allowed with such other like workes which the holie church doeth esteeme for verie meritorious calleth them Opera supererogationis that is to say Superfluous workes for that God neuer commanded them therefore men may hereby do more than they are of dutie bouÌ„d to do These say they shall not onelie be vnacceptable before GOD for good payement but shall rather be esteemed for false coyne yea bee imputed for verie slandering and blaspheming of God and for a flat forsaking and despising of the shedding of the bloud of Iesus Christ. O what a matter is this O helpe blessed Ladie of the 7. Okes Help S. Lewen S. Rombold S. Iames of CoÌ„postell with all your scallop shelles and pilgrims staues helpe all you sweet men and women Saints whose relikes are deuoutly prayed vnto by our deere
mother How can it be that she should be so ouerseene should then all good catholikes haue hitherto reckoned and still do reckon without their host should our forefathers haue deserued none otherwise by building Cloisters Abbies Trentals Masses and such like deuotions should all that be lost O no I defie that We will rather forsake the whole Scripture Peter and Paule with the whole rable of them than that such a slaunder should rise and take place in the holy Catholike Apostolike Popish church of Rome For if that were so then should all our Decrees decretals all our Sentences and Seâ—tentiaries al orders ordinances old customes vsages priuiledges and old proceedings of the holie church all masses with the appurtenances al priests and priestly doings and so one diuell with another be cleane ouerthrowen And then it must needes followe that the Lutherans Zwinglians Caluinistes shal yet againe beare the swing all the shorne swarme of holie shauelings with all the Sophisters Theologians of Louen with all the newe Bishops Abbats Monks Prelats giue place To what purpose then I pray you should the Duke of Alba with his Spaniards serue hauing taken so troublesome a iournie vpon him to stand the Bishops instead of Sargeants hangmen and to set vp the ruined Romish church in her authoritie againe O no no we will neuer be giuen to vnderstand beleeue that the scripture doth teach this for otherwise the scriptures must be heretical directly against the holie church then shuld the scriptures haue deserued to be burnt aswel as the Huguenotes Wel surely our Doctors of Louen haue likewise perused the scriptures our newe Bishops do daily reade their seruice Masse booke at lest when they haue leasure but they find not this written there therfore it is to be thought that either the heretikes haue other Epistles Gospels than is written in our Masse booke read in the church or there is more malt in the mill than the miller will be acknowen of For although our mother the holy church is content to graunt the heretiks that Christ is our right redeemer hath sufficiently satisfied for our sins because it shal not seeme they haue vtterlie forsaken Christ thrust him out of his seat yet is not that so to bee vnderstood that he onely must be taken for our ful raunsome and satisfaction or that he should haue fullie made our peace with God the Father through the offering vp of his bodie bloud so as we should now through his merites be esteemed for righteous and the children of God and haue an assured belefe that God hath for his sake forgiuen vs all our sinnes is to vs a good louing Father as these heretikes will needes proue by their Bible No no it wil not go so easilie to worke we must go otherwise to worke we our selues must paie our debtes with our owne monie satisfie God sufficiently for our sinnes or otherwise all would be naught For it doth not beecome the mercie of God saith the councel of Trent that he should forgiue vs our debtes for nothing without anie former satisfactioÌ„ And although it be so that Paul doeth take on him to defend that Abraham hath no iust occasion to presume of him selfe before God of any desert or former works yea saith That he that works not but doth stedfastly beleeue in him that doth iustifie the vngodly to him is his beleefe for righteousnesse as Dauid also saieth touching the iustification of those to whom God doth impute righteousnes without any works by these words Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnes is forgiuen and whose sins are couered Blessed is that man to whoÌ„ God imputeth not sin yet that holie ghost of the couÌ„cell of Trent hath concluded the contrarie saying thus Whosoeuer will defend mainteine that the vngodly are iustified by faith only that for the obteyning of Gods mercie his works are not needful let him be accursed And our Doctors of Louen haue once for all acknowledged iudged That God may not impute righteousnes to any maÌ„ through faith vnlesse he be righteous of him selfe For consider this is the conclusion of the worshipfull profound learned Magistri nostri Ioice RaueÌ„stein of Thielt in his booke which he now a while agoe did write against the Lutherans of Antwerpe This pretended righteousnes saith he doeth tend first against naturall reason for it cannot stand with any natural reason â–ª that one which had no wisedome in his head should yet notwithstanding be called wise either else righteous who hath no inwarde righteousnesse in him selfe Secondarilie it is slaunderous against the holie Ghost who hath testified and witnessed of manie men in the scripture that they were righteous before God so should the holy Ghost be attached for a false witnesse Thirdlie it doeth differ from the doctrine of the Catholike Fathers Consider now here we haue a clere iudgement irreuocable sentence wherevpon it must rest That Paule hath spoken amisse in saying that God doeth ascribe righteousnes to the vngodlie without any works For what is the meaning of this ascâ—ibing our alowing Our sharpwitted Magistri nostri of Louen can not by their naturall reasons nor with al then Syllogismes Quotlibets nor other speculacions conceiue the same no nor will permit that God should impute righteousnes or yet couer sinnes through the merites of Christ to one that were not righteous of him selfe by deeds that had sufficiently satisfied for his sinnes by his deeds so that God is not licenced to name things that are not as though they were as Paule ascribes vnto him or to deck vs with a righteousnes and obedience which we haue not deserued our selues our deare mother the holie Church of Rome doeth esteeme it for a foolishnes vntowardnesse and blasphemie against God that Christ onelie should be our wisedome our righteousnes our holines and our only redemption Shee will haue it that we shall euen of our selues and by our selues haue our owne wisedome righteousnesse holinesse and redemption before God at least if we will be esteemed for righteous She doth esteeme it for a foolish and faithlesse trust that one should trust to the righteousnesse of anie other than him selfe She will haue it that euerie one shall be iustified by his owne righteousnesse and by his owne merites and therewithall satisâ—â—e and pay all the sinnes and offences wherewith hee may bee by anie meanes iustly burthened It is true That originall sinne hath some preeminence and that it may not be tried to the vttermost point For notwithstanding that originall sinne is that which makes vs the children of wrath and brings vs to death yet will our mother the holie Church stay a little and pale in Gods determination and persuade the best betwixt both saying That it doth not well become the righteousnesse of God that he should deale with those which before baptisme haue
yeres in Purgatorie at last there came an Angel who did bid the soule choose whether it would tarie yet one short Winters day in Purgatorie or that it would returne into the worlde againe and there doe a maruellous hard penance to witte for one long hundred yeares space shoulde goe barefoote and treade still vppon sharpe yron nailes eate nothing else but browne bread and drinke bitter gall mingled with vinegre and weare a cloth made of Camels haire next the skinne a stone vnder the head in place of a pillowe This soule did choose much rather to doe all that same harde penance in earth than to tarie one daie longer in Purgatorie Consider nowe what a sharpe biting sauce mustard is for as it is written in the Decrees There is no earthlie paine or martyrdome to be compared to the paines of Purgatorie yea that holie man Thomas de Aquino saith That the paine of the fire of hell and the fire of Purgatorie is all one and that they differ nothing at all but that the one is but temporall and the other is eternall So that it was not without iust occasion that Virgil set a partition of yron and other metall betweene those two fires although some men be of opinion that the partition was but a pale made of wainscote which because it was of wood was long agoe burnt away so that nowe Hell and Purgatorie enter in both at one hole and are both but one fire Which is the occasion that some take vpon them to say that The fire of Purgatorie is pist out although there be other learned men which bring in another occasion whereby it is happened that there is now no partition betweene Hell and Purgatorie but that they are ioyned together For it is written in a certen historie That there was a good holie Pope which was verie desirous to know of his Secretarie being a good wittie learned man whether as he thought he might giue a general pardon at once for all such soules as were then in Purgatorie and ioyntlie withall pardon alike all such as should hereafter be condemned thither so that after there shoulde be no more neede of Purgatorie Whervpon his Secretarie did demaund of him this question againe Whether hee did not verilie thinke that if it were so that he had such power if he did not thē verely beleeue that all his Pope predecessours haue had the like authoritie in their time Wherevnto the Pope answered Yes surelie considering that all his power and authoritie came from them Then the Secretarie did demaunde of him againe Whether that of so manie Popes and holie Fathers which had possessed that place before him there were not one of them so mercifull and louing towardes the poore soules that had taken vppon him to doe that charitable deed if his power did so farre extend Vnto this the Pope answered As touching that he knewe not Wherevpon the Secretarie gaue him a full resolution saying I can tell then certeinlie Once our Lord Iesus Christ chief Bishop of all Bishops Pope aboue all Popes had full power and authoritie to doe the same for that he was almightie and hee had also the will to doe it for that he was most mercifull and did likewise beare an infinite affection and loue vnto all mankind in so much that he did effectuallie and fullie accomplish that matter So that it is not needful for anie man to trouble him self anie more about that matter seeing hee hath by offering vp of his bodie obteined a pardon of God the Father and sealed the same for euermore with his owne pretious bloud for the redemption of all faithfull soules past present or to come So that nowe there falles no more condemnation or iudgement vpon them neither shall they neede to feare Death Hell nor Purgatorie but depart out of this life directlie into euerlasting life as he him selfe doeth plainlie testifie by Iohn the Euangelist in his Gospell Nowe see out of this will some men mainteine That Purgatorie is cleane taken away euer since this great and generall pardon came in so much that diuelles are come to dwel there haue now brought Hell and Purgatorie all into one kitchen where they broile their soules and turmoile them at their pleasure And for that likewise that good Catholike Doctour Barnardus de Bustis doeth defende this case with the testimonie and witnesse of Gregorie That the fire of Hell and Purgatorie are kindled together saying Nam vt inquit Gregorius sub eodem igne electus purgatur damnatus crematur that is to say For as Gregorie saith with one fire are the elect purged and the damned burned And therefore it is that our deare mother the holie Church in the prayer called Offertorium which she singeth commonlie vpon All Soules day in the Anniuersarie doth put no difference betwixt Hell and Purgatorie for these are the wordes which shee doeth vse Domine Iesu Christe Rex gloriae libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de manu inferni de profundo lacu libera eas de ore leonis ne absorbeat eas tartarus sed signifer S. Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam c. That is to say O Lord Iesu Christ King of glorie deliuer thou all faithfull soules out of the power of hel and out of that deepe lake deliuer them out of the mouth of the lion that they sinke not downe into hell but that thy standard bearer Saint Michael may bring them into that holie light c. Wherein they nowe plainlie call Purgatorie Hell. And in an other Collect which they doe sing vpon the same daye they call it Regiones tenebrarum that is to say The region or place of darknesse praying vnto God that S. Michael will or may doe so much as to deliuer them from thence In summe they make but one hole and one lake of those twaine Howsoeuer it happeneth whether the pale that was betweene them be burnt or that Purgatorie is pist out I wote not it is to profounde a question for vs and therefore we will commit the disputation of that matter to the Doctours of Louen They may perhaps tipple out a flaggon of wine or twaine in the matter before they agree vppon it It is inough for vs that we haue proued Purgatorie sufficientlie not onelie by plaine textes of holie Scripture but also by inheritance and possession and so established it as there is nothing to bee saide against it The ix Chapter Intreating of indulgencies and pardons prouing and establishing the same by the Scripture NOwe it doeth followe that we intreat of pardons and indulgencies which of necessitie must proceede out of the foundation of Purgatorie especiallie if you do minister vnto it a glister of parchement waxe and lead for that hath a wonderfull operation in it sithence it doth refresh againe our deere mother the holie church of Rome and maketh her lustie
certein words and then he can neuer come in hell for all the diuels will runne away from before the crosses like a dogge before a fliâ—che of bacon And therefore must hee take vp his lodging either in the suburbes of hell or in Purgatorie where hee shall haue his house hire and firewood free till such time as he with soule Masses and Popes pardons haue gotten a platte of ground in heauen to build a house thervppon of merites and good workes And this same oyle is of such power that through it all our sinnes are forgiuen vs according to that which the Priestes mumble out in their Masse Per istam sanctam vnctionem piissimam suam misericordiam indulgeat tibi Deus quicquid peccasti per visum per aud itum odoratum tactum gustum c. that is to say Thorough this holie oyntment and by his meeke mercie will God forgiue thee all thy sinnes what soeuer thou hast committed by seeing by hearing by smelling by feeling and by tasting c. Consider nowe what can you looke for more to enioye by the pretious bloud shedding of Iesus Christ the sonne of GOD than that which the Priestes doe beare vs in hand to giue vs by the power and vertue of their holie oyle These Heretikes may if they will hold fâ—st on the offering vp of the bodie and bloud of Iesus Christ but the good Catholike subiectes of the holie church of Rome will in no wise forsake this holie oyntment We will rather bidde Christ him selfe Adieu then wee will suffer such a pretious thing to be wroung out of our handes It is verie true that these Heretikes doe herein againe mocke with our deare mother the holy Church saying that our Priestes are like vnto Apes and Monkies which will counterfeyte euerie thing that they see done before them though they haue neither knowledge nor vnderstanding of the matter and this doe they alledge hereof because that Marke doeth witnesse That the Apostles had receiued the gifte of the holie Ghost whereby they did make the sicke whole with their prayers and with anointing or laying on of handes or by some other apparant token As it doeth likewise appeare in Paule who amongest other apparant giftes of the holy Ghost did likewise deale with this gift of making the sicke whole and he him selfe did shewe a notable token ouer the dead falling vpon the dead carcase and embrasing it in his armes As we reade also of the Prophet Eliseus who did the like ouer the dead childe stretching forth his feete and his handes and set his mouth directlie on the mouth of the dead and his eies on the eies of the dead and so he with these notable tokens iointlie with his deuoute prayers did reuiue that dead carcase But nowe seeing there are no more such giftes amongst the Congregation for that nowe the preaching of the Gospell hath no neede of anie newe establishing by signes and miracles therefore will these Heretikes say that it is but verie Apes plaie to vse outwarde tokens where they haue no inwarde power nor might which may be shewed with the signe or token For otherwise the Priestes must rubbe all blind mens eies with spitle and clay and stretche them selues out vpon all dead carcases which were a verie beastlinesse seeing they haue not the power to make the blinde see nor to reuiue the dead neither can they with their oyle make anie sicke man whole And therefore they were better to burne the oyle in their lampes or grease their bootes withall rather than so to dissemble and mocke with God and his word This talke these Heretikes haue when they are gathered together but we doe not passe for them one haire For when wee shall finde anie of those that would grease his shoes with that holie oyle or oyntment yea if he will not pray vnto it and worship it vppon his knees as though it were God him selfe him we will burne in steade of oyle and make a good fire of him â–ª For we will stand vnto the wordes of Iames the example of the Apostles whether we haue the power to make whole or no we go foorth with our matter euen as we also grease the childrens eyes with clay and spitle although we haue not the power to make the blinde see yea and although the children are not blinde it is inough for vs that our mother the holie Church hath so ordeined Notwithstanding it is here greatlie to bee noted that maister Gentianus hath gone about to declare his innocencie herein saying that hee did bring this in onelie by manner of example and as children playe in iest For otherwise if it were in earnest hee would bring in other manner of stuffe for hee could say so much to the matter as hee would quicklie stoppe the mouthes of the Heretikes as men may easilie iudge by his goodlie vtterance and by his great learning which doth appeare of him on all partes Here doeth followe the declaration vpon the fourth parte of Maister Gentianus Epistle treating of the praying to images Howe they are holden and ordeined in the Churche of Rome And also of this worde or name Idololatria of the idolatrie of the Heathen of praying to Saintes and of the Sacrament with suche other like matters The first Chapter Of the name Idololatria and that men ought to pray to Images wâ—th suche prayers as do appertaine vnto those after whom the images are made And of the good felowâ—hippe and agreeing in one which is betwixt the Iewes and the Churche of Rome and of the hallowed Agnus Dei. THe fourth part is a weightie matter and of greate importaunce which doth make master Gentianus haue an vnquiet minde as he himselfe doeth say to wit That these Heretikes haue no more respect vnto these olde and deuoute Catholike men but for to esteeme them for seruers of false Gods worshippers of images and do call them Idololatras that is Idolaters Alas is not that greate pitie And are they not maruellous muche to blame whereas our deare mother the holie churche can in no wise beare with this name nor heare of it but hath finally concluded commaunded and ordeined vpon paine to be banished accursed excoÌ„municated anathematized That no man shall name her Saintes by that same Greeke worde Idola which is asmuch to say as an image or likenesse yea and hath flatlie determined that from hencefoorth this same worde shall no more be taken properly for images or likenesses made after any man or other thing to their worship like as it hath euermore from time to time bene taken and vsed aswel by the Greekes as Latinistes but shall now be taken for nothing else but onely for the false Gods of the Heathen or Iewes and such images as they heretofore haue vsed in their Temples Insomuch that the verie naturall and proper name and similitude of this worde is wholy transubstantiated and turned into an other
pray to the crosse as to a creature or to a similitude or likenesse For there was neuer anie man so frantike or madde which would pray to anie thing in steade of God as a bare and simple creature yea the Iewes theÌ„selues as we haue seene when they did pray vnto their golden calfe did it not in worship of the golden creature as a creature but in remembrance of him which had broght them out of the lande of Egypt as they well witnessed them selues in naming it by the name of him after whom they had made it The like haue the Heathen alwayes done and in consideration thereof they did call their images idols or simulachra that is to say Likenesses or images because they did in making them attribute vnto them the power of god And therefore did the Egyptians pray vnto those creatures wherein they perceiued best Gods goodnesse to bee declared towardes vs as Oxen and Kine the Sunne and the Moone and other creatures wherin they founde anie speciall helpe or comfort as is to be seene by Iustinus Athenagoras Arnob. August Lactan. Eusebius Orosius and other such like which haue written against them and verie notoriouslie out of Esaie who speaking against the Iewes said That God by his eternall and vnspeakeable power did make heauen and earth And then he doth demauÌ„d of them Like vnto whom then will you make God Or wherwith will you make his image Giuing them thereby plainly to vnderstand that they did not praye to their blockes and stockes onelie as simple creatures but that they did through such resemblances likenesses thinke to haue an image and so a remembrance of God euen as Maister Gentianus doeth here likewise alledge And it was also thus concluded in the second Councell of Nice For sure a calfe may conceiue and see that our deare mother the holie church hath this discretion as well as the idolatrous Iewes and Heathen It may well happen that some simple people and olde deuoute wiues do esteeme that blocke or stocke it selfe where it standeth for a verie God especiallie when he beginneth to laugh vpon them or els to weepe bitter teares for great pitie But what then That is satisfied by their good intents and deuout meanings which the holie church doth applie to the best Yet notwithstanding her owne ground and foundation is no other but euen the same grouÌ„d of the Iewes and Heathen Alwayes excepted and to bee considered that the image of the Crosse hath a speciall prerogatiue before all other images likenesses for it is like to the Sextons Cowe and therefore may grase in the churchyard and she is by our deare mother prayed vnto with a three folde deuotion more than other But now that I do not forget the crosse of pardons which is commonly set vp in the church when anie bulles or letters of pardon are come down from Rome which crosse hath euen such power vnlesse men will make the Popes Legates ranke liers as the offring vp of the body bloud of Iesus Christ vpon the crosse for our sinnes And yet we must besides al this pray vnto and worship all small or ordinarie crosses with Latria that is to say with such worship as doeth apperteine vnto God onelie acording to the order coÌ„mon rule of their schoole here before rehearsed spoken of After this now the verie wood of the crosse which came from Hierusalem and which Christ was crucified vpon must bee by vs worshipped as a creature for it owne proper worthines praied vnto with Hyperdulia that is with such worship as is ascribeth vnto the virgin Marie â–ª especiallie coÌ„sidering the great miracle that is thervpon to be seene which is that it is so waxen increased that the pieces thereof would lade a good Hulke And lastly in reuerence of the most holie crosse we must worship al other tokens similitudes of the same â–ª Wherein our louing mother doeth attribute great preheminence to the holy crosse in respect of that which shee doeth shewe towardes all the reliques and holy things True it is that most deuoutlie she doeth worshippe a heape of speares wherwithal Christ his side was pearced and twoo or three dosen of the verie same nailes which our Sauiour was nailed with on the crosse yea shee hath also ordeined a holie day in â—â—uerence of the same and hath appointed a speciall Masse for it namelie In festo Lanceae Clauorum Domini And then greetes the same most friendlie with a Sonnet wherein shee singeth thus Aue ferrum triumphale Intrans pectus tu vitale Coeli pandis ostia Fecundata in cruore Foelix Hasta nos amore Per te fixi saucia c. with the rest that followeth which in our tongue might thus be englished All hayle O Speare triumphant which pearcing Christ his side Commaundedst as thy seruant heauen gates to open wide O happie Speare and blessed dyde Crimson red in blood Of loue saue vs distressed vouchsafe to be so good c. Thereafter hath she yet foure or fiue of the right sponges wherewithall Christ was refreshed with vineger which she deuoutlie doeth licke and kisse and reserues for a singular relique Moreouer shee hath the verie naturall tayle of the Asse whereon he rode and the same Manger wherein hee laie whereof she makes great store But what is all this to be compared by the reuerence which she doeth shewe to the holie Crosse For admit shee doeth worship fiue or sixe Speares and some Nailes yet will she not worship all the speares which are vsed in the warres nor all the nailes which are made in the smithes forges nor all the sponges which growe in the sea nor yet al the tailes wherewith the asses are couered behind nor all the mangers wherein horses haue their prouender like as she doth permit to worship all the crosses which can be made for then you should counterfeite the Ape to nigh yet may it seeme strange to some whether all other reliques or holy things haue pist against the moone because they cannot atteine to the like preferment For all the roddes of right might challenge the same priuilege in worship of the rod wherewith Christ was scourged and al ropes in worship of that with which he was bound all haithornes in worship of the thornes wherewith he was crowned But it behoues them to be content with their portion for they are sufficientlie prouided for if sobeit the holy church doth please to attribute more to the crosse it proceedes of her meere liberalitie and of the special loue which shee doeth beare to the same which for the same cause shee reuerenceth more than the verie body of Christ which did hang on the crosse or than his bloud which he hath spilt on the crosse For wee can not perceiue that in reuerence of the bodie of Christ all bodies much lesse all similitudes or likenesses of the bodie are had in reuerence or worship like as
Romish schole and take vpon them to face vs out with their Paul with their Esaie their Ieremie What a mischiefe Do they not know that those fellowes whome they alledge and bring vs forth were likewise esteemed for Heretikes as well as they are themselues Yea â–ª in so much that one of them was hanged another was burnt the third clouen thorough the middest with a saw the fourth set vpon a wheele c. And therefore are we no more moued for them than for a bladder full of beanes For the holy Church of Rome would neuer accept their doctrine but vpon this bargaine and condition to wit that shee might alway applie the same as she should thinke good and as might best come to passe for her selfe and that no reuoking nor reuolting nor appellatioÌ„ should be made against her doings no nor that the name of Iesus Christ should in that case serue like as shall by vs shortly in the part next folowing be declared at large For this verely is most true that if our blessed Lorde him selfe would haue followed the exposition and coÌ„mentarie which the Priestes Phariseis Doctours had at that time made vpon the holy Scriptures in the name of the holye Church he had neuer bene crucified or hanged vpon the crosse But because that hee would full wisely go and bring in newe matters and so set vp a newe reformation according to the text and doctrine of the Gospell like as these Heretikes go about nowe to do therfore did they deale so hardly with him Notwithstanding that nowe since the holy Church of Rome hath so finely handled and set forth this newe religion of Christ and brought it vnto such a trim frame that nowe it is very gladly receyued of euery one in a maner yea and if it were so that these Huguenotes would accept the same setting it forth likewise surely men would no more be so readie to bring them to a stake as heretofore they haue done yea and pretend hereafter to do But nowe to come to our matter againe it is necessarie that we well consider and substantially declare wherein the worthines and authoritie of the holy Church doth specially consist what commandements traditions and ordinances of the same men must receyue and accept without all contradiction or gainsaying And this for so much as our Doctors of Louen are troubled with so manye other profounde and deepe questions that they haue not the leasure to set out this point effectually is notwithstanding the right ground and fouÌ„dation of all their building yea and is most needefull to our saluation and to the extirpation and rooting out of all heresies For it may be demanded Whether men shall holde for commandementes and traditions of the Church only alone that which is plainely set forth in the scriptures of the olde and newe Testamentes Or els that which the olde holy Fathers Doctours as Augustine Chrysostome Hierome and such like haue left behinde them in their bookes and writings or a great deale rather that which hath ben concluded in the holy Councels either els that which the holy Popes of Rome haue ordeined and enioyned or last of all that which is scraped together out of the one and the other all layd in one Pastie and baked in one Cake and which is nowe in our dayes obserued in the holy Catholike Church of Rome The 2. Chapter VVhereby is declared that the Church vvith her povver and authoritie can not be inclosed vvith in the pales of the holy Scripture but that the Church may adde to the Scripture or take from it vvhat she thinkes good and therevpon are many examples and profouÌ„d reasons alledged VPon this demande profound proposition very much might be saide but we will make short of the matter And to begin withal we conclude with our Master Gentianus and with the holy CouÌ„cell of Trent That all they which woulde inclose the power and the authoritie of the Church within the limites bounds of the holy Scripture as though the holy Catholike church of Rome could reade no further than is spelled before to her in the Bible are euill and naughty heretikes yea they are euen of those Apostataes or backsliders to whom our Master Gentianus hath written this his Epistle For as touching that for the defence of their opinions they bring forth howe it is written That none shall either put to it or take from it one iote that is simply spoken to the Iewes Rabbines onely so that they should not take any such thing vpon them as to change any words of the texte and to correct Magnificat like as they haue presumed to do as meÌ„ may see clearly without a candle by the honourable Bishop Guilielmus Blindasinus in his booke intituled De optimo genere interpretandi wâ—â—ch is to say Of the best and surest maner of expounding or interpreting For therein he doeth shew very plainly that al Hebrew textes of the Bible are falsified and embaced by the Iewes yea and the like is done to all the textes in Greeke of the new Testament by some Heretikes enemies of the trueth So that neither Christ nor his Apostles nor anie of the olde Doctours should haue had the right Bible but onelie our most holy Catholike Church of Rome which only was borne vnder the right Planet and shee alone hath shot downe the Popingaie Therefore must the texte before specified be vnderstoode and meant of the Iewes alone and of such like Heretikes which haue so falsified the textes of the Bible But you may not gather by this that the holy Church of Rome is not licenced to ad vnto the Scripture whatsoeuer shee doeth marke to be yet lacking and to innouate change and remoue al that tendeth not perfectly to her purpose For you see daily that she doeth freely take vpon her so to do and furthermore she doth punish for ranke Heretikes all such as will not allowe and accept her adding and changing for the perfite worde of God. Men do knowe very well that shee hath finely conueyed out of the Register of the ten commandements the seconde commandement which was That no Images should be made nor fashioned because shee did perceiue the Heretiks would alledge the same to the hinderance both of he she Saintes which stand vpon the altars in the Church Furthermore because men shuld not lacke the number of ten shee hath taken the last commandement speaking of desire and diuided the same in two so made the tailes agree iust And likewise notwithstanding that our Lord Iesus Christ had openly coÌ„manded That the Communion should bee ministred as wel with wine as with bread yet the holy Catholike Church of Rome considering the great daunger which was therein for that the wine might be spilt or being in the winter freeze or be turned into sowre vineger if it should be long kept in a Pixe or litle Sacrament Boxe And especiallye considering that when
fiue wordes spoken and all parts of the transubstantiation well plaid could doe his office as well as the wine and leape soudeinly out of one substance into another Item if there were thirtene or fourtene Offertories Ostes or singing cakes laid vpon the altar and that the priest could tell no better than my maide and so tolde but twelue and vppon that intent doe pronounce the fiue wordes thinking that there were but twelue then whether all the thirtene should be consecrated and transubstantiated considering that the intent and meaning of the Priest is wholie necessarie to the transubstantiation or that neuer one of them should be transubstantiated coÌ„sidering that the one hath as much vantage as the other and not any one of them more base or bastard than an other seeing that they all did heare and vnderstand the wordes of the Transubstantiation indifferently one as well as another There are yet besides these manie other like difficulties sufficient to make deuout catholike men to doubt touching this foresaid article of transubstantiation for I assure you they trouble the heades euen of our masters of Louen and are oftimes occasion that they must drinke two or three quartes of wine the more and sometimes be so dronke that they fall from the benche and catch a redde nose yea and sometime that they dispute the haire from their heads through the great zeale wherewith they are warmed whereby they often fall into dronken diseases and sometime into Plurisies whereof diuerse times they die and so the Church of Rome doth faile of her best pillars And yet for all this as concerning the highest and most principall article of transubstantiation they al danse after one pipe and agree as well in one as Herode and Pilate And as touching the rest they remit that to God to take care for for after that they haue brought forth many cunning trickes and deepe wittie speculations and bralled about those a long time and in vtramque partem that is to say pro coÌ„tra to and fro haue reasoned on both sides verie Magistraliter that is Maisterly in deed In the end they make this coÌ„clusion Sed quomodo hoc fit nescio Deus scit that is I cannot tell what to say to the matter I cannot conceiue how that may come to passe God knoweth all And yet notwithstanding they doe alway conclude this to be an article of the faith whereof no man must doubt For our deare mother the holy Church will haue it so And yet in the meane space for the better stay of deuout coÌ„sciences somthing to establish these great doubts they haue ioyntly found out a newe practise to prop vp their generall building of Transubstantiation to wit first a great beame which they call Concomitantiae then a long rib called The stedfast intention of the holy Church wherewith they do so strongly prop vp this building that not only Christs bodie but the whole Godhead may sâ—and vpon it without falling And if it were so that the priest did dreame had no regard to his Masse yet haue they a remedie for that For the good intent of the holie Church is so sure and vnremoueable that the intent of the Priest is not greatly to be accounted of but may well inough go walk abrode and see if there be anie good cheare toward and that his maid keepe good rule at home which is a iolly matter For otherwise if the priest were yet half dronke with good cheare the eeuen before or that his maid had chafed him or that but only a flie did come sit vpon his nose he might perhaps therby forget his good intent euen as he was speaking the holy wordes and then should not that bread becâ—me a God which were a perilous matter For the simple people should then pray to a peece of bread in place of their God creator Therefore coÌ„meth the holy Church now in for a helpe doth set forth for a perfit article of our faith that it is likewise sufficient for euerie one to beleue whatsoeuer the Church beleues although they know not what it is And again it is sufficient that the holy church haue generally a perfite determination that wheresoeuer Masse is don there is the bred changed into God although it were so that the priest did thinke onely vpon his maid or on his kitchen In summe there is not a hole but the hellish Church hath a peg to stop it withall she can turne euerie thing to the best so that there is no more difficultie And if the Doctours and Licentiates doe chide and brall among themselues that makes no great matter we ought to commit all these weightie causes to the iudgement of the holie Catholike Church and must simplie and ioyntly beleeue That as soone as the fiue wordes are spoken that which the Priest hath in his handes is turned into God let it then be what it will either verie bread or the accidents of bread or an Indiuiduum vagum that is a wilde veseken That is no matter at all to vs it is sufficient that wee knowe it is our God which we must pray vnto in the Masse For the text is plaine This is my bodie there needes no glosse vpon it And although it be so that all the Doctours of Louen of Paris and of Colen cannot vnderstand it yet it is sufficient for vs that we haue fetcht our transubstantiation out of it and sette it forth irreuocably Although we haue yet manie mo other plaine textes whereby to defend it which are verie plentifully sette forth by the worshipfull Eckius and other worthie pillars of the holie Catholike Church as specially that which is written in Ieremie That when the vngodly Iewish Priests and false Prophets went about to bring Ieremie to death because hee did earnestly condemne their vngodlinesse they said thus one to another Let vs marre his bread with wood or let vs destroy the fruite together with the tree roote him out of the kingdome of the liuing For this now hath our deare mother the holie Church turned for the best vnto our Masse priests as though they had holden this Counceâ—l together and saide Mittamus lignum in panem eius that is to say Let vs cast wood into his bread vnderstanding thereby that they will counterfeit in their Masse the passion death of Iesu Christ who suffred vpon the crosse with a peece of bread And to this end doe they cause these woordes to be soung yerely in the Passion wherevpon shee hath resolutely concluded That the bread is chaunged into the verie bodie of Christ Iesus as is to bee seene in the foresaid booke of Eckius and of other stoute Champions of the Romish Church Yea and likewise to proue that this Transubstantiation is neither so wonderfull nor vnnatural as the Heretikes exclaime that doeth Eckius teach out of the Scripture where the diuel said to Christ If thou be the son of God