that eateth this bread shall liue for euer You see how the promisse of eternall lyfe was made to the bread and not to the cuppe And in all that sixth chapiter of S. Iohn is made no mencion in any one word either of the cuppe or of the wyne VVhy doest thow therfore complayne O Sathan why doest thow so often dull our eares with thy vayne boasting of the expresse worde of God VVhē what so euer is browght foorth of the scriptures if it be rightly vnderstanded seemeth muche more to make to the allowing of the receyued order of the Churche then to the maintenaunce of this thine errour But there is no cause why a Christē man should thinke that Sathan passeth so muche for the cuppe For he knoweth wel inowgh it is no whyt materiall to saluation whether a mā vse the cuppe or no synce by his lymmes Luther Bucer and Philipp Melancthon he doth manifestly confesse nothing touching the vse of the cuppe to be commaunded by Christ as necessary to saluation Full well knoweth he that it was very trewe which by the fathers in the Coūcell of Basill which councell wee knowe in this matter to be receyued and allowed was fully decreed that whether a man cōmunicate in one or bothe kyndes so it be done by the ordinaunce and obseruaunce of the Churche it profiteth the worthy receyuer to saluation Therfore this offendeth him not that a man should communicate vnder one forme neither dooth he force to haue him communicate vnder bothe But that it should be doone according to the ordinaunce and obseruaunce of the Churche because in that sorte and none otherwyse it profitteth the receyuers to saluation that is it Lo that chiefflly offendeth Sathan And that they should not cōmunicat in that sort that is to saye according to the ordinaunce and obseruaunce of the Churche that is it which he is so earnest abowt VVell Sathan will be Sathan for in the Hebrew Sathan is as myche to saye as an aduersary He therfore will still be an aduersary both to Christ the head and to his body It is an ordinaunce and obseruaunce of the Churche which is the mysticall body of Christ that wee should communicat vnder one forme he will haue it doone vnder bothe But suppose the ordinaunce and obseruaunce of the Churche which is the mysticall body of Christ were so that we shoulde communicatt vnder bothe formes Then wil you haue it done either vnder one alone or vnder neither of bothe But wil you heare the beast vtter his owne wordes VVe recited them before but it shall not be a mysse to heare him agayne Thus he speaketh by his chosen vessell Luther If perhapps the councell should so decree then would wee not receyue in both kindes but then chieffly in despight of the councell would we vse either the one or neither of both and not both and playnlie hould thē accursed which by auctoritee of syche councell should vse both See you now to what end Sathan tēdeth He seeketh not so myche to haue the vse of the cuppe permitted to the layetie but that all things in despight of the Church should be doone contrary to the decrees therof He is a right Sathan He is the enemye of Christ the head and of his body He is Antichrist VVherfor what so euer it hath pleased Christ to decree by the mowth of his churche allbeit he knoweth the same to be right and agreable with the worde of God yet dooth he all wayes with toothe and nayle earnestly withstand it And looke what song he being the head of his body and lymmes did once synge to our head and maister Christ the same by his members doth he now recorde to vs being the members of Christ Throwe thy self downe That is to saye as wee haue before heard Vincentius Lirinensis interprett it Lett thy self fawll downe from the doctrine and traditiō of this high churche which is reputed the church of God Followe not that which seemed good to the churche but that which leeketh me Imbrace the vnderstanding of some priuatt man who being inspired with my spirit shall not doubt to arrogat any thing to him self and to derogatt all thinges from others and followe not the sence and cōsent of the whole christian worlde wherunto it is certayne the Spirit of Christ wanteth not Therfore so often as you shall heare Sathan saye owt of the Gospell For it is written Drinke ye all of this so often thinke you heare him saye nothing els but that which he sayd to Christ Throwe thy self downe For this is it which he seeketh to persuade wnto men that they should despyse the churche which is the grownde and piller of truthe that in the interpreting of the scriptures they should geue more auctoritee to their owne priuatt iudgement then to the decree of the churche That they should howld for nawght her ordinaunces and cutt them selues of from the body of the churche VVherfore as touching the vse of the sacramēt wee may well saye to these men as S. Augustine sometyme sayde to the Donatistes The faulte is not in the sacramentes but in the separation The fault is not in communicating vnder one or both formes but yf thow communicat contrary to the ordinaunce and obseruaunce of the churche in that only is the faulte And doubtles so great a faulte as that all wickednes compared with this is as a strawe in respect of a beame Then what a kynde of religion is this of some men that saye they are moued with the feare of God and loue of his lyuely word for that is their maner of speache to thinke it necessary for them to receyue the cuppe As who should saye that in the space of this 600. yeres wherin Polonia with the countries adioyning hath receyued and helde the faith of Christ there hath been no man that hath feared God no man that loued his lyuely worde no nor is at this daye in the whole Christian worlde but only syche as hath been inspired with the spiryt of Luther VVhat an arrogācy what a deuilif he and odious pryde is this so to arrogat vnto thy self alone the feare of God and the loue of his lyuely word that thow wilt vtterly pull the same from all others were they of neuer so singular pietye and godly lyfe VVhat be these men ells then degenerated childrē and as the prophett caullyth them the seed of the harlott and adulteresse that dare thus charge their holy elders and blessed forefathers of so extreme impietye as that none of them should feare God or loue his word and that syche fathers from whom they haue receyued both the rules of well liuing and the doctrine of true belefe VVhich many of them allso haue left vnto vs sealed with their bloud by whose trauayll it came to passe that wee first heard the name of Christ that being drawen out of most thick clowdes and darknes of idolatry wee are sett
in the bright and shinyng light of the truth These are they forsothe which so religiously embrace the expresse word of God saying vnto vs honour thy father and thy mother But let vs waygh a litle what feare of God this is wherwith they saye they are so strykē that they may not forbeare the cuppe Sure this is syche an other feare as the Iues semed to be in when they doubted to enter into the place of iudgement lest they should be defyled They had a great conscience to enter into the place of iudgement thinking that by entring therinto they were greuously defyled but to deliuer vp Christ to the gentills to be scornyd whipped and crucified therin had they no religion or conscience at all but rather thought it an offence of conscience and religion to haue done otherwyse For they persuaded them selues that they fulfilled the commaundement of God in deliuering the sonne of God to the Gētills to be done to death VVe haue a lawe sayd they and by that lawe he owght to dye because he made him self the sonne of God They seemyd to them selues by the expresse word of God to shewe that they rightfully deliuered Christ to the Gentills to be put to death and theryn were so litle troubled with any scruple of consciēce that they thowght they should haue committed a wycked act yf they had done otherwyse But what should they not with myche lesse fault for any cause haue entred in to the iudgement place then haue crucified Christ the sonne of God But euen syche is their religion which saye they are forbidden by their conscience to content them selues with receiuing the sacramēt in one kynd Very rightly are they touched with the place of the Psalme They trembled for feare where was no cause of feare and that which Christ him self sayth in the Gospell They straine a gnat and swallowe downe a camell They will seeme to feare God They knowe the churche by the expresse word and precept of God is to be heard and that the custome receyued and allowed by the same is to be receyued and kept yet when the holly catholike Church the mysticall body of Christ which he so loued that he gaue his true and liuing body to death for the same when that I saye is in daunger to be deuyded in to many partes and to be no lesse cruelly torne and rēt then the true and liuely body of Christ was of the Iues there shewe they no feare or scruple of conscience at all But euen as the Iues when they deliuered the true body of Christ to be rent of the tormentors affirmed they did it according to the expresse word of God saying VVe haue a lawe and by that lawe he owght to dye Euen so these men when they are entred into the leeke councell against the mysticall body of Christ when they seeke all the wayes and meanes they can to deuide and cut the same into many partes which their attemptes greate is the pittye haue had to speedy successe taking their entry with the matter of the cuppe will needes seemes to do it according to the expresse word of God still cryeng allso VVe haue a lawe drinke yee all of this and by this lawe the mysticall body of Christ the Churche must be deuyded and cut in soonder How wonderfull are these sleightes of Sathan How great is the subteltie of his crafty deuises Of that very thing which Christ would haue to be a sacrament of pietye a tokē of vnitee a bond of charite he seeketh to make a cause of dissencion a matter of deuisiō and a fyrestone of hatred For what ells is there done in this sacramēt but as S. Pawll sayeth the death of our lord is shewyd And for what cause dyed he Verely to gather in to one as s Iohn sayeth the children of Israell which were dispersid Christ therfore dyed that he might gather together vnite and make vs one body of which matter he allso would this sacrament to be a token For wee which be many be one bread and one body in that wee participate of one bread But here Sathā the true Antichrist not only in word but in deed the very enemye of Christ did therfore cast in this contention about the cuppe to separat deuyde disperse and cut in pieces the church which Christ by the sheading of his precious bloud hath gathered together so as therby he might make voyd the benefitt of the crosse and death of Christ to them that should followe this wicked and sacrilegious counsell of separation Our lord sayth S. Augustine did in this sacrament marke and seale vs by this he would vs to appertayne vnto him in this table did he consecrate the mystery of peace and vnitee he that receiueth this mystery of vnitee and howldeth not the bond of peace he taketh not a mystery for him self but a wittnesse against him self But will you knowe how great a wickednes he committeth then harken to S. Pawll who telleth the that he is giltye of the body and bloud of our lord that is to say he hath committed no lesse wickednes and shall be gilty of no lesse crime then euen they who with their owne hādes whipped Christ shed his bloud crucified his body and put him to greuous death And this is the thing which Sathan seeketh that diuisiō may be wrought in this sacrament of Vnitee so as therby Christ may be crucifyed agayne and as it were scornyd and mockyd at But shall it be thus euen with him which calleth it the sauing word Deserueth this to be called the sauing worde which cōdēneth to euer lasting death Verely this is no sauing word Drinke of the cuppe for Iudas dranke of the cuppe and was condemned many heretikes many false bretherne many confessing Christ and yet denying his power haue dronke of the cuppe But how To death and euerlasting damnatiō not to lyfe and eternall saluation But wilt thow knowe what is this sauing word It is a short worde and an easy Looue Charite is this sauing word which who so hath not lett him drynke of the cuppe so myche as he will yett shall he gayne euerlasting death eternall saluation he shall neuer atteyn therby For it is trewe that is writtē he that loueth not dwelleth in death but he that loueth his neighbour hath fulfilled the lawe And can he possibly seeme to loue his neighbour which doth so iudge of them that haue auctoritee ouer him and whom he is commaunded to obey that they neither haue nor euer had any feare of God or loue to his sauing word but allwayes endeuoured them selues to oppugne and withstand the same Surely these are not signes of loue but of hatred Seemeth he to loue his neighbour which doth not only separat him self from one person but from all which truly professe Christ and from the vniuersall catholyke churche condemning his fathers and
the Hebionytes begaÌ„ne to sprynge who would needes haue all the ceremonies of the lawe also as precysely obserued and kept as the very Gospell and therfore vtterly denied that this sacrament might be made in leauened bread because all oblation offred to our lord ought by the lawe to be with out leaueÌ„ the contrary was decreed that is to saye That the sacrament should be made of leauened bread VVheÌ„ yet the thing in his owne nature is indiffereÌ„t neither seemeth it muche materyall whether you make it in vnleauened or in leauened bread But after the heresie of the Hebionites ceased the Latyn churche thought good to returne agayne to their intermitted manner of consecrating in vnleauened bread Thus wee see our holy fathers thought not good by permission to noorishe heresies but by meere contrary decrees to suppresse them But somwhat they saye is to be graunted to the multitude which require this VVhat yf the multitude should propound this pointe of doctrine that only God the father were to be adored and called vppon but Christ to be holden only for an aduocate Shall we say that this is straight wayes to be graunted because the multitude required it The matter goeth yll when we shall rather chose to followe the vnlearned multitude then the iudgement of those who are properly called to this office Namely synce it is truly sayd that the multitude is the mother of sedition and contumacye and the small nomber the mistrese of discipline The multitude ought to be gouerned and not to gouerne ought to obey but not to prescribe lawes That kingdom is in an hard and pittefull case where the Rule and gouernemeÌ„t standeth in the multitude As in all other thinges so chieffly in matters of religion it is diligently to be considered not who or how many doo requyre but what the thing is that is required The multitude requyred of the Apostles and their followers that they should denye Christ and offer incense to idolls The power and auctoritee did also earnestly aduyse theÌ„ therunto But what did they to this VVee must sayd they obey God rather then men And so they were ready to indure al kynd of punishemeÌ„t yea to laye downe their neckes vnto theÌ„ rather theÌ„ they would do that they required yea and by their martyr dome they ê‘formed in deed that they had spokeÌ„ VVhat your part is to doo most vertuous kyng in the suppressing of heresies you are not ignorant You are taught this also by the lawes of your contrey to the keeping wherof you bound your self by an othe when you were inuested in this your kingdom Verely all men which will be accompted ChristiaÌ„s especially wee that be bisshops and guides of religion must rather desire a thowsand deathes then once to denye Christ. But he denyeth Christ not only which confesseth him not to be God and acknowlegeth him only for an aduocat or he which dooth not beleue euery poynt and article which the infallible auctoritee of the canonicall scriptures prescribeth vnto vs either of his diuinite or of his humanite but allso he which dooth not in all pointes communicatt with the vnitee of his churche For Christ is both the head and the body The head is the only begotten sonne of God and his body is the Churche they be as husband and wyfe two in one fleshe VVherfore he dooth as myche denye Christ which dooth so dissent from his body the Churche that he thinketh the communion therof not to be spred ouer all but to be found separat in some one part as he which dissenteth from the holly scriptures in any point touching Christ him self the head therof as S. Augugustine teacheth vs in many places There is extant in Eusebius an epistle of Dionysius AlexaÌ„drinus to Nouatus wherin he writeth that martyrdome indured for not deuyding the Churche is as glorious as that which is indured for refusing to committe idolatry Yea and surely in my iudgement saieth Dionysius it is so myche more glory For there he suffreth martirdome but for his owne soule but here for the whole churche VVherby wee may see it is no lesse greuous offence to deuide the Churche or by assent to allowe a schisme then to offer incense to idolls Let it therfore be farre from a christian man and namely from a Bisshopp by and by to geue his assent wheÌ„ a multitude or power requireth a separation from the Churche of God It is to be wished that it may please God to geue vs this mynd rather to suffer our bodyes to be deuyded from our soules then by our assent to allowe any sacrilegious deuise of separation from Christ or his body the churche Of this mynd as it becometh all Christians to be so chieffly vs that be bisshopps yf wee will duely execute the office of good pastors It is well remeÌ„bred most vertuous kyng how when your highnes came first to the gouuernement of this Realme and that some thing was then requyred of you which partly tended to separation your highnes curteously as your manner is and yet well and flatly denyed their request saying you could not without offence of your conscience graunt the same vsing farther in the presence of your councell and a very notable assembly of the people this saying of Christ VVhat auayleth it a man yf he gayne the whole word and suffer his soule to perishe or what exchaunge may a man make for his soule Your princely crowne the empyre of your large and populous kingdome and of so many dominions adioyning therunto were not so deere vnto you that the losse or hazard of any of them could once moue you to do any thing that should seeme to be against your faith and religion And why should not the lyke wordes now allso serue for answer Vnlesse perhapps this separatioÌ„ seeme of lesse importaunce then the other being now required to permitt a deuisioÌ„ to be made from the holly Catholike Church being the body of Christ But some what is to be grauÌ„ted say they in respect of a publyke tranquillitie And I pray you was not then allso the publyke tranquillite of the kingdome preteÌ„ded VVas it not said that great troubles would ryse yf the request were not graunted Yet God did forsee and prouyde for the tranquillitie of your kyngdome And yf tranquillite and quyet be to be bought with so great losse of suche a number of sowlls it were better as the Prouerb sayeth that heauen and earth should meete and a thousand tymes to indure the losse of this mortall lyfe then being deuided from the body of Christ to lead a whyle a happy lyfe heare in yearth in the iudgement of common men and soone after to change the same with euerlasting death and hell tourments that neuer shall haue end Lighter is the losse of goodes and lyfe then of the soule the losse wherof is not to be recouered I reason not as though it were true which they seke
trouble the hearers For suche common articles of all Christendom be now sufficiently heard declared and concluded by the writings and generall cōfession of all Christendom They are confirmed by many miracles sealed vp with myche bloud of many martyres defended by the bookes of al lerned men and not now needing any mans conning or deuise to enlarge them Yet is it not in all pointes trewe that this hyperbolicall doctour reporteth the holy fathers to haue done in that Councell of Nice as though they had condemned Arrius vnheard or his cause vnexamined For albeit there be extant in Socrates and Nicephorus an epistle of the coūcell of Nice to the churche of Alexandria and to them which were in Egipt Libia and Pētapolis in which they wryte that they would not indure so muche as to heare the wicked opinion of Arrius the madnes of his mynd or his blasphemous wordes yet is it manifest ynough by the epistle of Constātyne the Emperour which euen there followeth fast after that his doctrine was dilligently viewed and considered For the Emperour vseth these wordes All his sayings and writinges were diligently examined which by their dowbtfulnes or disagreement seemed to brede any pretence or colour If all thinges were so diligently examined how was it then that Arrius was not heard VVherfore that the fathers write they would not vouchesafe so myche as to heare his blasphemous wordes may be more rightly wnderstanded in this sence that after his doctrine was once thoroughly examined and yet he proceded in redoubling his blasphemous talke the fathers would not then vouchesafe to heare him any more but strake him with the sentence of curse and condemnation For that he was heard Socrates plainly shewyth when in the same place he writeth that the Emperour signified to the people of Alexandria the determination of the faith not to haue been simply or rashly made but with great examination and deliberation to haue been set foorth Not that some thinges only were spoken and some thinges past in silence but that what so euer was needfull to be set foorth for the confirmation of the doctryne were layde open and that it was not barely determined but first exactly enquired of and what so euer might geue occasiō of dissenciō or debate were so reiected that nothing cowld be sayd against them Therfore sayth he the Emperour calleth this concord and agreing sentence of the Bisshopps in that Synode the sentence of God and yeldeth thankes to the holy Ghost for so great concord and vnite of mynde among so many fathers Sozomenus allso when he telleth vs that the Bisshops there dilligētly assembling thēselues callyd foorth Arrius and aduisedly searched his propositions For they were very ware not to geeue an headlōg or rashe sentence on either part dooth sufficiently declare vnto vs that Arrius was heard but in dede after his cause was thorowghly examined it is leekly hee was not thē suffred to prate or talke any more But this in the meane tyme is very true that as heretikes allwayes prouoked to disputacion and browght yn newe faythes so the Catholykes lightly auoyded argumētes and gladly reposed them selues in the faith of their fathers as among the writers of the Ecclesiasticall storie Socrates Sozomenus Victor and Nicephorus wee may plainly see Looke in what matter so euer the decree of a councell had once takē order that would the catholikes neuer permyt to be browght agayn in question Athanasius writeth that Germinius Auxentius Valens Vrsacius Demophilus and Gaius exhibited a certayn paper of their confession which they would haue had to be preferred before all the auncient councells But what answer therūto made the Catholike fathers assembled at Arimino VVe said they assembled our selues hither not because wee lacked a fayth for that wee haue bothe pure and sownde but to confound thē which gaynesaye the trouth and attempt newe thinges Yf therfore you now beginning as it were to beleue haue thus written you are not to be accompted as any of the clergy but suche as now beginne to learne the first principles of the faith And if you came hither with that minde as we did then let vs all agree let vs with curse condēne these heresies and hold fast that we haue receiued of our fathers to the end we may cut of all occasiōs hereafter of keping councels since the fathers once already assembled in the coūcell of Nice haue by sure establishemēt and sound determinatiō preuentyd all farder questions It seemed an absurd thing to those fathers that any newe fayth or confession of faith should then be brought foorth and that callyd back into questiō which they had receiued of their fathers for which cause also in the Epistle which they wrote to Constantius the Emperour he reporteth them to haue vsed these wordes VVe humbly beseeche your clemency with benigne eares and fauorable countenaunce to behould our imbassadors and that you admitte not to the reproche of the dead any nouelty but suffer vs to remayne in the rules and decrees of our forefathers whō we affirme to haue doō althinges with great wisedō foresight and direction of the holy Ghost Soothely these newe things which these men attempt do make the beleeuers to faynte in belefe and do stirre vnbeleuers to contēpt of belefe VVhat would these fathers do if they sawe now allmost euery Citye of Germany bring foorth their seuerall faith or cōfession therof and cōtēd to haue them allowed reiecting the faith of the fathers as though they were no Christians Can any thing be imagined more absurd or more wicked As though forsooth our fathers were ignorāt of the Christiā fayth and now at the last Christ were to be knowen vnto vs by the meanes of some fewe such as be in deed traytors vnto Christ VVherfore the opinion of Luther in this pointe is to be commēded to witt that suche men are not to be heard but meete to be condēned without pleading their cause Yet looke what lawe he gaue to the Sacramentaries and Anabaptistes the same must him self stand vnto Namely synce him self is he whom those men professe them selues to followe as their guyde and capitayne as the first auctor of this their departure frō the Churche and father of so many sectes as are now hard to bee nombred for looke what S. Augustin writeth to haue happened vnto Donatus that as he sought to deuyde Christ so was him self dayly deuyded in peecemeles by his disciples the very same doo wee now allso see happened vnto Luther Hee laboured to deuyde the Churche being Christes mysticall body And is not he him self leek wyse deuided os his followers by dayly hacking and mangling But to saye nothing of the sacramentaryes Anabaptistes and Campanes whom perhapps Luther will denye to apperteyne to him are not Melancthon Brentius Osiander and Illyricus professed Lutherans But what spitefull enmitye is ther emong them what bitter dissensions in matters of
more diligently wayghe the very text it self They saye the expresse word of God is Drynke yee all of this Ergo it is necessary that all persons should drinke of the cup and yf any do other wyse they are giltye say they of breaking the institution of Christ VVee will here a litle nerer ioyne foote to foote with them I pray thee what caliest thow the word of God The scripture And what meanest thow by this worde liuely and expresse Clere playne and that which is so layde opē to all mens eyes that no man is so dull of sight which may not plainly see it But yf it be so playne and cleere how cometh it to passe that there is now such a doe about it Of thin ges which are clere and manifest is there any man that will moue argument As for example VVhether it be daye or no when wee see the sonne vp and shinyng vpon the earth Of necessite therfore it must nedes followe that this is not so expresse and playne a worde as to thee it seemeth since there ryseth so muche question vpon it And yf it be so playne and expresse it is a great marueill that in al these 600. yeres since Polonia first receiued and hath imbracyd the Gospell of Christ and these wordes of Christ hauing ben commonly read and rehersed in the Churche that no man hath ben founde not only in Polonia but neither in the whole world besyde wherin the name of Christ is professed who coulde thinke it in that sence that yow now bryng foorth to be the expresse word of God That is to saye that therby the laye people should be bound as by the commaundement of God of necessite to receyue the sacrament of the aultar in both kindes The Grekes themselues albeit the laye people were with them admitted to the cup did yet neuer so interprette these wordes VVho when in the Councell of Florence more then an hundreth yeres past they assembled them selues with the Latynes and contendyd with them about some other matters yet did they not bestowe iij. wordes in altercation with them about the vse of the Challyce because they knewe there was no precept of Christ wherby the laitye were of necessite bounde so to receiue the same Doo you then thinke all men to haue been blynde and suche blockheades and stockes that in so many ages yea euē synce the tyme that the Gospell was written they could neuer see this so playne and expresse a word of God But wayghe well with thyself whether this be a point of Christian pietye and modesty so to thinke of the fathers wherof a great number neuer being acquaynted with the vse of the cup to other thē to the Priestes themselues in the sacrifice of the Masse did yet leaue vnto vs the Gospell of Christ sealed with their bloud VVilt thow so cōdemne them all of blyndnes or impiete that either they sawe not this so playne a place of Gods worde or els that seing it which were more intollerable they wold wittingly haue gone against it But thow sayest what so euer is become of the fathers the wordes be cleere Drinke yee all of this he that sayeth all excludeth none VVith what impudency then dost thow make of all not all But yf he exclude none whic sayeth All wilt thow then haue infidels also to drinke of the cup God forbid thow saist for the participatiō of the sacramentes pertayneth only to the faythfull VVhy But a lytle before thow saydest he that sayeth All excludeth no man VVith what face then dost thou now exclude the infidels and so of All make not All But in this poynt synce thow thinkest rightly we will gladly agree with thee and will not be vnwilling to allowe this thy restraynt But now tell me of good fellowshipp whether thinkest thow children that be christned to be of the number of the faythfuii or no Thow sayest yea How thē VVilt thow cōmaund them allso to drynke of the cupp no why but a litle before thou saydst that all the faithfull must of necessite drynke of the cupp VVherfore dost thow now agayne of al make not all VVhy dost thow allowe to thy self that which thow wilt not allowe laufull to the church of God Thow thinkest it laufull to keepe children from all sacramentall participatiō of the body and bloud of Christ and yf to laye persons being past their childhood the one kind be not geuen when yet in that other which is geuen all and whole Christ is receyued then complaynest thow that great sacrilege is committed But here thow wilt saye As touching infantes that I thinke them well kept from the communion of the Sacramente of the body and blood of Christ the auctorite of S. Pawll moueth me whoo wryteth lett euery mā trye himself and so eate of that bread and drinke of the cupp But how shall an infant trye him self and how shall he iudge our lord his body which is not yett come to reason and vnderstanding But what I praye the if it be superfluous that they shoold trye themselues whom wee knowe to be cleane being purified by the holy sacrament of baptisme and newly entryd ynto the howsehold of Christ VVhat yf litle ones can iudge the body of our lord which they receyue by their God fathers and God mothers who before they be baptysed doo in their name professe to beleaue yea and that the chyld him self beleaueth and renounceth Sathan Yf the faith of the suertyes and of the churche suffise the infant to the receiuīg of baptisme why should not their triall and iudgement allso suffise him to the receiuing of the sacramēt Verely Ruardus Tapper a learned man bringeth none other cause why childrē are kept from the sacramentall participation of the body and bloud of Christ but only that they doo not allwayes swallowe that is put into their mowth or yf they doo yet do they often putt it vp agayne But God forbidde I should reprehend that you doo therin allso farther restrayne this word All and denye allso the communion to infantes For this is in deed the mynd of the churche althowgh wee reade it was otherwyse in the primitiue churche But yf thow thinke it is with good reason doone that the churche keepeth infantes from all sacramentall participation of the body and bloud of Christ why doest thow not allso persuade thy self that in forbearing to geue the cupp to the laye people it was leekewyse led therunto by iust reasons and waighty considerations But let vs yet wayghe and examine farther these words of Christ which yf wee will rightly vnderstand it behoueth vs to haue regard to those which went before to the end we may therby knowe to whom these wordes were spoken S. Mathew descrybing the supper of our lorde speaketh thus But when euening was come he sate downe with his twelue disciples S. Marke thus But when the euening was come he came with
elders of impiety as men that had resisted the holy Ghost and would not embrace a knowē truth The property of charitee and Loue is to vnyte and knytte together and not to separatt and deuyde This word therfore Drinke ye of the cuppe is not that sauing or liuely worde But the sauing word is Loue That is to saye Separatt not thy self from the vnitee and knot of the body of Christ frō the agreement of his churche but obediently and reuerently heare the same humble gladly thy sense and conceyte to the sense and consent therof and neuer arrogat so myche to thy self as to preferre thyne owne iudgement before the iudgement therof It is very well written by S. Augustine Loue and doo what thou wilt VVhether thou drinke or drinke not of the cuppe so thy drinking or absteyning be in loue and vnitee according to the ordinaunce and obseruaūce of the churche it proffiteth thee vnto saluation And contrary wyse whether thow drynke or drynke not of the cuppe standing in deuision thow shalt be gilty of the body and bloud of our lord because there thou seekest discord where Christ chieffly cōmended vnto vs vnitee and concord VVhich thinges being so most fortunatt Kyng Sygismond who can sufficiently commend this your Acte that when to your self it hath allso been often sayd Throwe thy self downe that is to saye let thy self fall from the doctrine and tradition of this high churche or at the lest in this only communion of the sacrament of the aultar suffer that to be done which is contrary to the decrees of the churche and differing from the rest of Christendome yet coulde your highnes neuer be induced to yelde to these sedicious counsells of separation But when more then once or twyse you had openly professyd it appertayned not to your person to determyne any thing in matters tooching religion for so myche as the Emperour being allso a chylde of the Churche and within the Churche not aboue the Churche is bound reuerently and obediently to heare his most holy moother and not to prescribe vnto her your highnes therfore thought meete to referre the matter to the next generall councell or to the iudgement of the holy Apostolyke See VVherin suerly you did a thing which was well sitting to your woorthines and to the vertu and pietye of your renoumed Auncetors For what thing is there that can woorse become a christian and Catholyke kyng then to take vppō him to meddle in those thinges which are proper and peculiar to Priestes and Bisshopps which wickednes when so euer any Prynce hath commytted wee reade that God hath most greuously punisshed him But I doo not denye that the vse of the cuppe vppō iust causes shewyd and appering to a generall coūcell may by the same be permitted to the laye people But yf any one kingdom will vsurp the same vnto it self diuiding it self therin from the rest of the christyan world what dooth it ells but willingly and wittingly spott it self with most wicked schisme And that is it wherunto Sathan tendith He passeth not for the Cuppe but seeketh to worke the schisme For yf the cuppe shoold by an agreing consent of the churche be permitted thē would he as before by the wordes of Luther his member doth appere thinke meete vtterly to refuse it So seeketh he none other thing but separation and diuision in that sacramēt which is the pledge and knot of vnitee for it is he of whom the prophet spake which setteth discord emong brethern of whom Christ him self also sayd He that gathereth not with me shattereth And on the other syde Our God is not a God of diuision or dissensiō but a God of peace loue and charitee so as no good man ought to doubt but that it is the expresse word of the diuell wherin nothing is sought but discord and diuision Yet are there some which labour to persuade vnto the people that this is the waye and only meane to stay the dissensiō in matters of religion and that herby only it might come to passe that in your highnes kingdom cōsent and vnitee of doctrine and fayth myght be retayned yf the cuppe might be permitted to the laye people But these men seeme not as yet to haue sufficiently learned to knowe the sleightes of Sathan Can any wyse and good man beleue that by permitting an errour errors be takē awaye or that separation being graunted vnitee can be reteyned I call it an errour if the cuppe be challenged as necessary to saluatiō And a separatiō I meane yf it be permitted to any one countrey apart from the rest of the Christian world And suerly to me this waye seemeth contrary to reason and common sense The fathers haue been of farre cōtrary opinion They thought not the meane to quēche heresies to be permission but by making of contrary decrees and constitutions VVhat iniquitee seemed to be in that matter that Nestorius would haue our lady to be called the mother of Christ Did not shee in deed beare Christ Doo we not fynde her in the scriptures commonly called the mother of Iesu and neuer termed directly the mother of God Yet seemed it good to the holy fathers assembled in the councell holden at Ephesus to make this decree that yf any man should call her the mother of Christ and not the mother of God he should be accursed And litle did it moue them that Nestorius still cryed out he leaned to the expresse word of God or that in all the canonicall scriptures it could not be founde that euer she were termed the mother of God and that they owght to receiue nothing which were not expresly contayned therin for they sawe well ynough that the heresie of Nestorius wherby he laboured to proue that our lady when shee bare Christ was deliuered but of a bare man only could not any other waye be sooner quenched then by a decree and generall constitution to the contrary Neither was their opinion frustrat therin For soo deepe a roote in the myndes of men did this decree of the holy fathers take that euen to this daye as long as it is since that councell ther is no natiō found wher the Gospell of Christ is receyued in whose vulgar tong the virgin Mary is not more commonly called the mother of God then the mother of Christ Agayne wee knowe there is a Canon of the Apostles that suche as be Christened should be thryse dypped Yet for auoiding the sclaunder of schisme and the vse or allowing of hereticall doctryne we reade it was decreed in the iiij Councell holden at Tolledo they should be but once dipped lest by thryse dipping following the manner and custome of heretikes they should seeme to allowe their assertion Neither are wee ignorant that Christ made the sacrament of his body and bloud in vnleauened bread which custome was also a whyle obserued in the churche and is agayne at this daye But so sone as
followers Brentius also with his bande are throwen foorth of that Churche which would be counted of the Augustan not Christian confession as wee may plainly see by the writinges of Mathias Flaccus and Ioachimus Merlinus who glory themselues to be vpright perfect Lutherans But yf any man will geue more credyt to the iudgement of Melancthon or of his disciple Iustus Menius then shal he fynd that they geue the like iudgemeÌ„nt of Flaccus as Flaccus doth of them VVhere then shall wee now fynde this churche of Luther Melancthon will not graunt it to be emong the Illiricans The Illiricans on the other syde say it is not emong the Melancthonistes or BrentiaÌ„s whom they haue allredy throwen out from the communion of their Churche And haue not thus the very followers of Luther by hellis he discord deuided allso their owne vnitee euen as their maister before did by most impious sacrilege diuide and separat him self froÌ„ the catholyke vnitee as from our lordes barne flower VVhere then shall wee seeke this church of theirs which neither of themselues wyll graunt to the other VVho is there so destitute of all reason that will not rather chose to remayne in that Churche wherin he was borne and allso regenerat in Christ which was the greater benefyt then forsaking this to betake him self vnto that which to them selues is so vncertayne and vnknowen But God forbid that a ChristiaÌ„ catholyke and right beleuing man should haue any doubt whether that churche wherin not only him self but his parentes his graundfathers and great grauÌ„dfathers haue been entred into the faith of Christ be the true church of God or no. For what were this ells but to doubt whether he be a ChristiaÌ„ man or borne of christian parentes and as it is written by the Prophet to stumble at none daye as in the darke God hath placed his tabernacle in the sunne He hath planted his churche as a citye vpon an hill which can not be hidden But of that matter our purpose is not to taulke any more in this place for that it apperteyneth not properly to this treatyse and for that as well in our christian confession as in our writing which we haue late pubblisshed against the prolegomena of BreÌ„tius we haue at large treated of that matter wher we haue taught you which be the markes of the true churche To wytte that it be one holy catholyke and Apostolyke churche wherof except one haue the chiefrule whose auctoritee all do acknowledge it can not be caulled the churche of God Now therfore we wyll not tary any lenger vpon this matter For that I trust wee haue sufficiently shewed that the expresse word of God wherof those meÌ„ brag so myche is not the word of God but the expresse word of the diuel For the cleer and expresse word of God is Charite VVhich that it may please God by his holy spirite to power into our hartes and once to geue ende to thies schismes and heresies and to restore to his churche the desired tranquillite wee humbly beseeche his infinite mercy VVhich no doubt he will do not for our merites wherunto most greuous punishementes are dewe but of his owne exceding great goodnes so that we amend our lyues and with confidence adressing our selues to the throne of his grace incessantly contine we in feruent prayer THE CONCLVSION THis myche I had to write vnto your highnes most vertuous Kyng of the expresse word of God at what tyme I was preparing to take my iourney to Rome and by that occasioÌ„ letted with myche and mani folde busynes How be it the faithfull hart I beare your grace enforced me to bestowe this trauayll in writing of this matter The great benefytes allso which without my desert you haue heaped vpon me being so great as I doubt whether any man haue receiued the lyke of any kyng of Polonia hath driuen me theruÌ„to VVherfore howe myche the more I ê“fesse and acknowledge my self bouÌ„de vnto you so myche â–ª the more carefull am I of your safety and namely of the euerlasting saluation of your soule For the defence wherof I will not only not flee any payne and trauail but most willingly aduenture my lyfe For it is possible ther want not some which do allso beate vpon your eares with thies wordes Throw thy self downe for it is writteÌ„ But I haue so great a confidence in your constancy and in the mercy of God that assisted therwith you will neuer imbrace their wycked counsells of separation or suffer their pestilent persuasions to haue any place with you For myne owne part yf I should see your highnes which God of his mercy forbyd slipping downe from that high tower of the church I would not fayle God geuing me streÌ„ghth yea though I should presently dye therfore but with my body receyue you faulling downe and with the death therof redeme the safegard of your sowll You knowe most worthy Kyng how often I haue imployed my trauaill in the defence of the sound and holly doctrine of the churche You know how synce the tyme your highnes pleasure was to haue me called to the office of a Bisshop I haue not spared any charges labours or perill to staye the declyning religion within this your kyngdom and dominions and to the vtter most of my power to susteyne and shore vp the same seeming redy to faull VVho can be a better witnesse then your highnes what study labour and diligence I haue imployed in auowing defending and proouing our auncieÌ„t ChristiaÌ„ Catholike and right religion But for that God is iustly angry with our synnes how litle good hath yet followed therof I see to my great grief This Sathanisme doth daily increase more and more For when men haue once begonne to throwe them selues downe then are they caryed daily downe hedlong more and more into the bottomles dungioÌ„ of errours For as it was in their power to let them selues fall so when they be once going it is not then in their power to stay them selues VVhat is now the state of your kyngdome your highnes seeth VVhyle euery man allmost hath none other thing to dispute of but of the expresse word of God VVhyle eche man arrogateth vnto him self the knowledge therof and will haue his owne fancy adored as the expresse word of God Yea and often is it seene that how myche the more vnlerned a maÌ„ is with so myche the more bouldnes he will take on him to taulke and dispute of that which he vnderstandeth not But lord how myche I feare lest while euery maÌ„ wil haue what so euer him self sayeth or deuiseth to be houlden for the expresse word of God we shall shortly recken emong vs so many Polonian Gods as allredy we see of Germayne Gods VVould God your highnes would be induced most vertuous Prince to harken to the Prophets and Apostles which styll crye vnto you Auoyde idolls For what can they be ells but idolls