est ad eum c. Tu es sacerdos Hebr. 5. in aeternum secundùm ordinem Melchisedech Euen so Chryste also glorified not him self to be made the high pteist but he that said vnto him c. Thowe arte a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech And declaring the great benefitte that came by him being the high preist to all beleuers he saieth again Et consummatus factus est omnibus obtemperantibus sibi causa salutis aeternae appellatus à Deo Pontifex iuxta ordinem Melchisedech And Ibid. he being perfight was the cause of eternall saluacion vnto all them that obeied him and ys called of God an high preist after the ordre of Melchisedech Likewise he calleth him in the VI. chapiter And the wholl VII chap. he occupieth in applieng Melchisedech to Chryst prouing by this prophecie the abrogacion of the preisthead of the lawe and so consequētlie of the lawe yt self Wherfore he saied Yf nowe therfore perfection came by the preistheade Hebr. 7. of the Leuites for vnder that preisthead the people receaued the lawe what neadeth further that an other preist shoulde rise to be called after the ordre of Melchisedech and not after the order of Aaron For yf the preisthead be translated then of necessitie must the lawe be translated also c. For after this maner dothe he testifie Thowe arte a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech Then the commaundement that went before ys disanulled bycause of weakenesse and vnprofitablenesse And further declaring the excellencie of Chrystes preisthead aboue the preisthead of Aaron he saieth For these preistes were made withoute an othe but this preist with an othe by him that saied to him The Lorde sware and will not repent him Thowe art a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech Thus as the lawe of nature hath in Melchisedech figured Chryste And the lawe of Moyses by prophecie forespoken yt So hath the lawe of the Gospell as ye haue nowe learned by sainct Paule fullfilled the same and most plainlie and euidentlie proued yt so to be Yf then Chryste be a preist after the order of Melchisedech we must seke what the order of the preistheade of Melchisedech ys and wherin yt consisteth And therbie shall we knowe the preistheade of Chryste wherin yt consisteth Sainct Paule generallie declareth the order of a preist when he saieth Omnis namque Pontifex ex hominibus assumptus pro hominibus constituitur in ijs Hebr. 5. quae sunt ad Deum vt offerat dona sacrificia pro peccatis Euery high preist that ys taken from amonge men ys ordeined for men in thinges perteining to God to offer giftes and Sacrifices for sinne By whiche description of saincte Paule yt dothe appeare that the order of preisthead standeth in two partes The first he teacheth when he saieth Ordre of preisthead standeth in two partes Pro hominibus constituitur in ijs quae sunt ad Deum He ys ordeined for men in thinges perteining to God Wherby ys ment the preaching to the people and teaching them the lawes of God and ministring the Sacramentes to them as yt was saied vnto Moyses Esto tu populo in ijs quae ad Exod. 18. Deum pertinent vt referas quae dicuntur ad eum ostendasue populo ceremonias ritum colendi viam per quam ingredi debeant opus facere Be thowe vnto the people to Godward that thowe maist bringe the causes vnto God And thowe shalt teache them ordinaunces and lawes and shewe them the waie wherin they must walke and the worke that they must doo The seconde parte of the order of preistheade standeth in offring giftes and sacrifices for the sinnes of the people Then they that be called of God as was Aaron and doo preach and teache one faith of God vnto the people and offer vnto God one maner of sacrifice they be one order of preistheade So that these two must concurre or ells yt ys not a perfight order For Elias the prophet of God and the 3. Reg. 18. preistes of Baall did offer one maner of thinge in sacrifice for they both offred oxen yet they differed in preisthead For Helias was the preist of God the other the preistes of Baall And why was this difference bycause they taught not one faithe in one God Melchisedech and Aaron taught one God and were bothe preistes of Gen. 14. Leuit. 8. Heb 5. God For Melchisedech was the preist of the most high God as the booke of Genesis wittnesseth and Aaron was called of God as the booke of Leuiticus and saincte Paule to the Hebrues testifie And yet they were not of one order of preisthead bycause their sacrifices were not of one maner By this then yt maie be taken for a trueth that Chryst not being a preist after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchidech whiche two orders differed not in faith but in maner of sacrifice ys so called a preist after the order of Melchisedech for the maner of the sacrifice For he must agree with Melchisedech in that thing that maketh the difference betwixt the order of Aaron and the order of Melchisedech and that was and ys in the maner of sacrifice For Aaron offred in blood the other in bread and wine But here the Aduersarie will saie that Chryst ys not likened to Melchisedech for anie sacrifice by all the processe of saincte Paule But for Obiection that Melchisedech was Rex Salem kinge of Salem and withall the preist of God and for that he was with oute Father withoute Mother hauing neither beginning of daies nor ending in these pointes he ys the figure of Chryste who ys both king and preist hauing no Father in earth nor mother in heauen neither as concerning his Godhead anie beginning and as touching his Godhead and Manhead no endinge And so ys he a preist for euer To this I saie that the thing that saincte Paule principallie intended ys to be considered And then yt shall easilie be perceaued why he did not Principall entent of S. Paule in his epist to the Hebrues make rehersall of the maner of the sacrifice of Melchisedech nor mencion of the doing of the same in Chryste The principall entent of saincte Paule in this place was to proue and make manifest the excellencie of Chryst and his preisthead aboue Aaron and his preisthead Whiche excellencie in nothing more appeared then in that that Chryst was an euerlasting preist and his preisthead euerlasting and not in the maner of sacrifice For yf he had alleaged that Melchisedech did sacrifice in bread and wine The Hebrues wolde quickly haue saied that their sacrifices in that respecte moche excelled and had a moche more gloriouse shewe and cowntenance then the sacrifice of Melchisedech being but bread and wine And therfor saincte Paule omitted to make mencion VVhie S. Paule spake nothing of she sacrifice of Melchisedech in his epist
soche as heys himself Soche true mē they be nowe also that this mā wil creditte in this matter euē soche as he ys himself yf he doe refuse all these kindes of mē aboue produced But howesoeuer he shall take this and the rest of my booke in outwarde countenance I trust yt shal touche his conscience And then as Chrysostom Smalle conforte wher conscience ys consounded saieth Leuis erit consolatio vbi conscientiae sentiunt se esse confusas Yt ys but a light or small comfort when the consciences of men perceaue them selues confownded God of his mercie reduce him and all that be gone astraie home to hys folde again that they be not in his terrible iudgement confownded before him and all his Angells Nowe Reader that the order of this my rude worke maye be knowen vnto Ordre of the Booke thee vnderstād that wher the enemie of Gods trueth hath in his saied sermō made his boast that he ys sure that not one sentēce cā be brought by the catholiq̄s to proue the Articles ther by him rehersed amōge the which beside the reall and substāciall presence of Christ in the Sacramēt he addeth manie other thinges apperteininge to the same which he ioineth together vnder one predicamēt that ys that we haue no proof for them that he maye be perceaued to be a vain and false man I will proue yt by scriptures doctours and Councells And incidentlie diuerse other of his rehersed matters to this principal apperteining Whiche allthough I ouerpasse them not in soche maner as he doth onelie to saie and nothing to proue or improue thē as they be of him vttered yet ye shall finde thē answered wher occasion ys ministred to speake of soche matter And although manie profownde and excellent learned men whose latchettes of their shoes I am not woorthie to loose haue woorthlie written in this matter yet for that none of them to my knowledge hathe after this maner proceaded orderlie to expownde the scriptures that treact of the Sacrament whiche methinke to the confutacion of this man ys necessarie I will by the helpe of God that waie proceade and not by mine owne phantasie but by the verie mindes of the doctours truely seke oute the true vnderstanding of them And for that these scriptures be in three sundrie bookes of the Bible that ys in the olde Testament in the Gospells and in the epistles ther The contens and ordre of this work for the matter beinge lōg I haue diuided this rude worke into three bookes In the first booke are opened soche promisses figures and prophecies of the olde Testament as appertein to the Sacrament The seconde booke geueth yow vnderstanding of the scriptures apperteininge to the same conteined in the vj. of sainct Ihon his Gospell the xxvj of sainct Matthew and in the xxiiij of saincte Luke The thirde booke expowndeth so moche of the tenth and the eleuenth chapiter of the first epistle to the Corinthians as toucheth that matter and also one sentence of the epistle to the Ephesians and one other to the Hebrues In this exposition to the more confutacion of the Aduersaire and confirmacion of the catholique I for the most part bringinge sundrie and diuerse doctours vpon euerie text doe ioin a greke doctour and a latine together that the concord and agreement of bothe churches maye well appeare and fullie be seen So haue I also ioined the doctours that haue written within the compasse of these nine hondreth yeares to them that haue written before that yt maie be iudged whether that these of the later time doo differ or dissent from them of the auncient time in the substanciall poinctes of our faith as the aduersarie saieth they doo By which processe gētle Reader thow shalt I trust perceaue that where the arrogante Philistine both blasphemouslie and vntruelie hathe said of the Catholique Church of the liuing God that yt hathe not one scripture one doctour nor one Councell yt hathe vndoubredly as touching the blessed Sacramēt and other articles apperteining to the same not onelie al the holie Scriptures that treact of that holie mysteric but also the holie Fathers and Councells that speake of the same both Grekes and latines and them aswel of the auncient time before a thousand yeares as thē that were of the later time within the cōpasse of a thousand yeares So that the scriptures being thus explained by the common consent of so manie doctours and all the same also conspiring vpon this one trueth as yt shall be perceaued not by a vain bragge withoute proofe but by euident and plain testimonie we maic as truelie as boldlie returning his bragge into his owne lappe saie that this philistine and his cōplices for the maintenance of their heresie against the presence of Christ in the blessed Sacramēt haue not one scripture one doctour nor one Catholiq̄ Coūcel to make for thē Which thīge I dare saie the indifferēt Reader whē he shal haue perused this booke wil not feare to auouche with me And wishinge that this my laboure might be profitable to the simple and Catholique Church Christes Parliamēt house vnlearned for whose helpe I haue most speciallie taken yt I haue framed my writing as neare as the matter will suffre to their capacities And wher in ciuill and politike regiment Lawes Actes and statutes haue their force by Councells and Parliamentes therfor wher the veritie of Christes reall presence in the Sacrament ys a trueth establissed enacted and receaued by Christes Parliament house I meen the catholique Churche yt liketh me oftentimes to allude to the name and therto agreablie to name this booke I haue Title of the booke not entēded to fall one heere breadth frō the faith of the catholiq̄ Churche Yf anie thing hath slipped from me I submitte yt to the correction of Christes catholique Churche and my self also Prainge thee god Reader to accept my labours in good part and remembre me in thy prayers Vale. THE FIRSTE BOOKE THE FIRST CHAPITER VPON OCCASION THAT THIS ADVERSARIE THIS PROCLAMER AND CHALENger wolde haue the scriptures red of all men presupposing the same to be easie to be vnderstanded entreth as by preamble to treact of the difficultie of the scriptures and to prooue that they aught not of all men to be red without an hable interpretour or teacher HAVING in pourpose to declare by the testimonie of the noble men of Christes Parliament house the enacted and receaued treuth or true meening of all or most of soche scriptures as treact of the blessd Sacrament of the bodie and bloode of our Sauioure Christe ther cometh to my minde the doctrine of Luther the great Progenitour of this Aduersarie who in his booke De seruo arbitrio Luther de seruo arbitr as other his ympes likewise in their bookes teacheth that the scriptures of them selues be easie of all men to be vnderstanded and nede no interpretour Wherunto also the more to infatuate the people he addeth
as I also wolde be ashamed to wryte theÌ„ yf they were not scripture He speaking of an harlotte writeth thus Like as one that goeth by the waie and ys Ecclesiast 62. thristie so shall she open her mouth and drynke of euerie next water that she maie gette By euerie hedge shall she sitte her downe and open her quoiuer to euerie arrowe What trifeling what iestyng what pastime I haue heard and seen vpon the reading and reherfall of this texte and what vnseemlie and vnchaist woordes haue fallen oute by occasioÌ„ of the same yt ys vnmeete in this place to be rehersed But this I will reporte for that as trulie as God liueth I knowe yt to be true This texte was spoken in the presence of a good vertueouse gentlewoman and one that feared God and she misliking the same yt was auouched to her to be scripture The booke was turned the place was red she exclamed and saied that yf the scripture had soche bawdie woordes she wolde no more beleue the scripture for yt was naught with mo soche like woordes which nowe memorie reteyneth not Maye not this grieue a christian heart that the scriptures Gods holie woorde shoulde be thus blasphemed And what ys the cause of yt verilie bicause they be made common to their handes that vnderstande them not That this place was not vnderstanded of them that handeled the same as ys afore saied yt ys more manifest then I nede reporte For the effecte well proueth yt Nowe to put a conclusion to this that ys here saied litle dothe yt awaill them to reade the scriptures that vnderstand not what they reade But raither as Origen saieth they maye as well take occasion of euell as of good by reading the scriptures and not in their true sense and meeming vnderstand them whose sentence for the better declaracion therof I haue here noted Opera carnis diuinorum voluminuÌ„ historia continet non valde eos iuuans qui sic eam intelligunt vt scripta est Quis enim non docebitur scruire luxuriae fornicationem habere Origen 10. li. Strom. pro nihilo cum Iudam ad meretricem legerit ingredientem Patriarchas multas pariter habuisse vxores Quomodo non ad idololatrian prouocabitur qui sanguinem taurorum caeteras Leuitici victimas non plus quà m in litera sonat putauerit indicare Gene. 38. Quod autem inimicitias in aperto positus scripturae sermo doceat ex hoc loco probatur Filia Babylonis misera beatus qui retribuet tibi retributionem quam retribuisti nobis Psal 136. Psal 100. Beatus qui tenebit allidet paruulos suos ad petram Et exillo In matutino interficiebam omnes peccatores terrae et ex ijs similibus de contentionibus videlicet aemulatione ira rixis dissentionibus Ad quae si non altius aliquid sentiamus prouocant nos magis historiae exempla quà m prohibent Haereses quoque magis de carnali scripturae intellectu quam de opera carnis nostrae vt plurimi aestimant substiterunt Nec non ebrietates et inuidiam per legis literam discimus Inebriatur Noë post Diluuium et Patriarchae apud fratrem Ioseph in AEgypto The histories of Gods books saieth Origen contein the workes of the flessh whiche historie dothe not moche helpe them whiche dooso vnderstande yt as yt ys written For who shall not be taught to serue voluptuouse pleasure and to accompte fornycation for nothinge when he shall reade Iudas to haue taken an harlotte and the Patriarkes to haue had manie wifes at once Howe shall he not be prouoked to Idolatrie who shall thinke the blood of Bulls and other Leuiticall sacrifices no more to shewe vnto him then the letter sowndeth That the plain sainge of the scripture teacheth enemities yt ys proued both by this place Daughter of Babilon thowe shalt come to myserie thy self yea happie shall he be that rewardeth thee as thowe hauest serued vs. Blessed shall he be that taketh thy children and throweth them against the stones And also by that place I shall soon destroie all the vngodlie that are in the lande And by soche other like vnto theise as of contencion enuie wrathe brawlinges dissentions vnto the whiche yf ye vnderstand not some higher thing the examples of the histories do more prouoke vs then forbidde vs. Heresies also Diuerse histories of Scripture literallie taken doe more prouoke sinne than forbidde yt haue ben more by the carnall vnderstanding of the scriptures then by the worke of our flesh as manie do thinke We learn also by the letter of the lawe dronkennes and enuie Noë after the flood was dronken And the Patriarkes also were droncken being with their Brother Ioseph in AEgypte Thus Origen Nowe then as in this chapiter ye haue heard a nombre of bookes and places of scripture recited whiche well proue the obscuritie and hardnesse of the same So yn the ende ye haue heard Origen declaring his minde that to vnderstand but the carnall sense of yt ys raither hurtfull to edificacion then profitable Peraduenture some will graunte that the olde Testament ys darke and hard but the newe Testament they will saie ys easie and plain But that this likwise ys not easie for euerie man to vnderstande the chapiter folowing shall declare THE THIRDE CHAPITER TO DECLARE the newe Testament not to be easie to be vnderstanded bringeth diuerse obscure places of the same THAT the newe Testament ys hard to be vnderstanded yt ys sufficientlie proued in the frist chapiter Neuerthelesse that the Reader maie haue some experieÌ„ce of that that by Authoritie ys saied I shall laie before hym certain places whiche shall enforce hym to confesse that by his owne iudgement to be true whiche by the scriptures he hath allreadie heard taught and affirmed And first let him beginne with the Genealogie of Chryste described vnto vs by two Euangelistes Matthew and Luke And let them be compared together and triall made whether yt be esaie to concile them or no. Matthewe beginneth at the elders as at Abraham and so descendeth to Chryste Luke beginneth at Chryste and ascendeth vppe to the elders euen vnto AdaÌ„ and so to God In the whiche Genealogie Luke saieth that Chryst The Euangeâ—istes Mathew and Luke seem to varte in the genealogie of Chryst was the supposed sonne of Ioseph and that Ioseph was the sonne of Heli Matthewe saieth that Iacob begatte Ioseph the husband of Mary of whoÌ„ was born Iesus whiche ys called Chryste So that Luke saieth that Iosep was the sonne of Heli and Matthew saieth he was the sonne of Iacob Which dysagrement Iulianus Augustus the Apostata as saincte HieroÌ„ saieth obiected vnto vs. Which obiection al though it be solued by saincte HieroÌ„ yet ther remaineth a great difficultie howe these Genealogies shoulde be true and both pertain to Chryste seing that from Ioseph to Dauid ther ys none agrement betwixt theÌ„ as by comparing of the EuaÌ„gelistes
example of godlie liuing that God bothe in his pastours and people maie be glorified As cōcerning the second that the scriptures haue doubtes and difficulties Scriptures ful of doubres Yt appeareth by the expresse woorde of God when he saieth Yf ther rise a matter to hard for thee in iudgemēt c. Thow shalt get thee vppe to the preistes the Leuites But forsomoch as this matter ys allready sufficiētlie treacted of and proued yt ys enough here nowe to haue touched yt and so to passe to the third Which ys that the people must be taught and learn the lawes of god of the preistes Which thīg ys so manifestlie declared ād in so plain woordes Doubtes in the lawe of God must be dissolued by the preistes opened in the scriptures alleaged that I shal not nede to make any further declaraciō therof forasmuche as yt ys plainlie ther saied that the doubtes of the people in the lawe of God must be dissolued bi the preistes to whose sentēce and iudgemēt they must in any wise stande and not decline frō yt neither on the right hand nor on the left and that on the pain of deathe In the which saing of God yt ys euidēt howe moche God wolde that the determinaciō of his church in the doubtes of his lawe should be estemed ād reuerēced and his preistes in that respecte obeid Which howe moche yt ys nowe disdained and contēned and gods ordre and cōmaūdemēt neclected his holie faith and religion infringed and violated yt ys more with Sithes and teares to be lamented then beinge so manifest as yt ys nedefull to be opened and declared Of whose mouthe the people should learn the lawe AlmightieGod by his prophete Malachie telleth Likewise that of the preistes the people should aske People must learn of the preistes the lawe God by the Prophete Aggaeus cōmaundeth Who shoulde teach the people the newe Testamēt he also prescribeth Appointing some Apostles some Prophetes some Doctours or teachers who to theise offices are appointed to rule and instruct the people In ijs quae ad Deū pertinēt in those thinges that appertein to God But nowe al this ordre ys inuerted in manie places The people teache the preistes and not the preistes the people The people dissolue the doubts of the lawe the preistes not being asked for The people God his ordre inuerted speake the preistes holde their peace The people make lawes in religion the preistes are cōpelled to obeie The people take in hande the thinges that appertain to God the preistes are put to scilence A moch like state we finde in the time of Moyses emōge the children of Israel in the time when Moyses was in the moūt with God For they perceiuing him to be lōg absent and thinking that he wolde no more come they began to take the rule vpō thēselues And wheras Aarō before cōmaūded and taught thē the religiō of the true God nowe they taking the rule and inuerting the ordre cōmaunded Aaron and taught him soche Religion as lyked them of a false God When the people sawe saieth the booke of Exodus that yt was long er Moyses came downe oute of the Mountain they gathered themselfes togeather Exod 32. vnto Aaron and saied vnto him Vppe make vs Gods to go before vs. For of this Moises the felowe that brought vs oute of the lande of Aegypte we wote not what ys become Hereby maie yt be perceiued what religion shall be when the ordre that God appointed being broken they will teache and commaunde which in matters to godwarde shoulde be taught and commaunded But with all yt ys to be remembred that for this wickednes the wrathe of God waxed hote against the people and notwithstanding that ther was immediatelie Plaguesfor breaking Gods appoincted ordre in religiō and mynisterie a greate slaughter of the people aboute the nōbre of three thousand and that Moyses made intercession to God for the people Yet allmightie God in the ende saied Neuer the latter in the daie when I viset I will viset their sinne vpon them and the Lorde plagued the people bicause of the calfe whiche Aaron made Wherfore seinge that the moche like trangression ys committed emonge the Chrystian people yt ys to be feared that the wrathe of God will waxe hote against vs. But God graūte vs a Moyses that by earnest intercessiō maie yet mittigate the plague of God that shall come for this wickednesse The plague I feare me will be sore vpon Corah Dathan and Abiron and vpon the capitanes of the multitude whiche be the great and famouse mē in the Num. 16. congregacion which haue gathered thē selues together against Moyses and Aaron and cā not contēt thē selues with soche ordre as God hath put in his Church and which by hys pleasure hath so long continued But yet they come to Moyses and Aaron and saie ye make muche to doo seing all the multitude are holie euery one of them and the Lorde ys emonge them Whieheaue ye your selues vppe aboue the Congregacion of the Lorde I must staie my hand I shall ells be to tediouse to the reader in this matter in the whiche I thought not to haue writtē the fourth parte of that that ys written and for expedicion leaue vnto him to reade the strory in the booke of Nombres and so further to consider yt And wher ther be manie stories declaring the displeasures of God to haue commed vppon the people bicause they wolde not submitte them selues to the ordeinaunce of him and his ministres but wolde vsurpe vpon them both Yet I will speake but of one in the first booke of the kinges which ys that where God appointed Samuel his beloued and holie Prophet to be the ruler of the people they being a stiffnecked and disobedient people to gods 1. Reg. 8. ordre so long before vsed al the elders gathered themselues together and came to Samuel and saied vnto him Beholde thowe arte olde and thy Sonnes walke not in thy waies Nowe therfore make vs a king to iudge vs as al other nacions haue See their phantasticall prouidence and therwith their disobediēce They take in hande to prouide for their common wealth as though God coulde not prouide them as good a ruler after Samuel as he did in prouiding of Samuel And therfore the ruler whiche God appointed reiected make vs saie they a kinge But what saied Almightie God to Samuel Heare the voice of the people for they haue not cast thee awaye but me that I shoulde not reign ouer them 1. Reg. 12. And after that they had a kinge Samuel to cause them to vnderstand that their offence was great saied I will call vnto the Lorde and he shall send thunder and rain that ye maie perceaue and see howe that yower wickednesse ys great which ye haue doen in thee seight of the Lorde in asking yowe a king And they saied Praye for vs thy seruauntes vnto the Lorde thy God that
ommbus quae habebā dubia sciscitarer I haue not frō my youth ceassed at any time either to read or ells to aske of learned men soche thinges as I knewe not Nether haue I had or vsed my self as manie do as master to my self But of late euē speciallie for this cause I wēt to Alexādria that I might se Didymus ād that I might aske of him soche doubtes as I had in all the scriptures Thus sainct Hierom. In the which reporte ye do heare howe cleresoeuer Luther and Zuinglius make the scriptures that saincte Hierō fownde doubtes therin and for dissolution of thē trauailed to Alexandria to Didymus In which facte also yt maie be learned that yf sainct Hierō so notable a mā sought a famouse mā to learn him yt maie well beseme other so to doo Did not Damasus being Bishoppe of Rome send to saincte Hierō to be aunswered in certain doubtes and disdeined Damasus learned of S. Hierom. S. Augustin of S. Amb. Many learned of S. Aug. not to learn of him Did not saincte Augustin go to Millen to saincte Ambrose to heare him and to learn of him Howe many that were learned worte to sainct Augustin to be taught of him in diuerse matters of scripture Yt wolde well fill an whollvolume to nōbre vppe those that haue trauailed cōtries to heare and learn of good holie learned men and that haue written to other for the like And therfore to conclude this matter I will no more but bringe in the saieng of sainct Clement the holie Martyr and disciple of saincte Peter the Apostle and then enter into the matter which principallie I haue in pourpose to treacte of Saincte Clement in his fiste epistle writeth thus Relatū est nobis quòd quidā in Clemens epist. 5. vestris partibus cōmorantes aduersantur sanis doctrinis prout eis videtur non secū dū traditiones patrū sed secundū suū sensum docere videntur Multas enim quidā vt audiuimus vestrarū partium secundum ingeniū hominū ex ijs quae legunt verisimilitudines capiunt Et ideò diligenter obseruandū est vt lex Dei cum legitur non secundum propriā intelli gentiālegatur vel doceatur Sunt enim multa verba in diuinis scripturis quae possunt trahi ad eum sensum quem sibi vnusquisque spontè praesumpsit Sed fieri non oportet Non enim sensū quē extrinsecus adulteretis alienū extraneū debetis quaerere aut quoquo modo it sū ex scripturarū autoritate consirmare sed ex ipsis scripturis sensum capere veritatis Et ideò oportet ab eo intelligentiā discere scripturarum qui à maioribus secundum veritatem sibi traditam seruauit vt ipse possit ea quae rectè suscepit competenter asserere Yt ys reported vnto vs that some duelling in your partes are aduersaires to wholsom doctrines and are perceaued to teache euē as yt liketh thēselues ād not according to the traditiōs of the Fathers but according to their own vnderstanding Some of your countries as we haue heard take many likelihoodes of those thinges that they do read according to the witte of men And therfore yt ys diligentlie to be looked vnto that the lawe of God whē yt ys red be not red or taught according to mens owne vnderstanding For ther be manie woordes in the scriptures of God which maie be drawen to that vnderstāding that euery mā at his own pleasure hath chosen But it maie not Scripture maie be drawen to diuerse senses so be doen. For ye ought not to seke an vnderstanding diuerse and straunge which ye maie adulterate or by any maner of means by autoritie of the scripturs in the outwarde face to confirme but of the scriptures themselues to take the true vnderstanding And therfore ye must learn the vnderstanding of the scriptures of him who kepeth yt according to the trueth deliuerid vnto him frō his elders that he maie also agreablie teache that he hath well receaued Thus farre Sainct Clement To take and embrace this ordre I meen to mistrust oure owne iudgemētes ād therfore to heare our Fathers ād vpō their iudgemētes not vpō our own phātasies to staie our selues in the true vnderstāding of the scriptures I haue yf my iudgement faill me not geuen thee gentle Reader god occasion For first to remoue and disproue the false saing of Luther and Zuinglius who haue taught that the scriptures be easie and plain to be vnderstanded wherun to this proclamer willing the scriptures to be common semeth to agree and consent I haue proued by diuerse and sondrie places yea and by whol bookes of the olde Testament that the same ys verie harde and full of difficulties not able to be dissolued but by a mā wel exercised in the reading and knowledge of the same And the like haue I doen of the gospells As for the epistles of saincte Paule yt ys proued by the inuincible testimonie of sainct Peter that they be harde ād be depraued of manie to their own damnaciō And that this might fullie appeare to thee I haue at large opened and proued the same not onelie by the saing and iudgementes of the best ād most auncient fathers of Chrystes Churche as of sancte Clement Hierom Chrysostome and other but also by their maner of atteigning to the vnderstanding of the scriptures for that they be hard Whiche their maner I haue also declared by their owne testimonie The difficultie of the scriptures thus proued cōtrarie to the sainges of Luther and Zuinlius I haue proceaded to declare by the scriptures first and after by the famouse learned Fathers howe we shall come to the vnderstāding therof Wher yt ys made manifest that we must atteign therunto by the teaching of the preistes which God hath appointed to be pastours ād teachers and Fathers of the people to feede thē to teache thē and to bring thē vppe in God And yet maie we not learn of euery one that taketh vpon him the Teachers meet to be folowed name of a pastour teacher or Father but of soche as teache the lawe of our heauēlie Father and ther withall forgetteth not the lawe of our mother the holie churche Theise two propreties he must haue iointlie for the one withoute the other sufficeth not in a teacher as by sainct Hierom yt ys declared Who also as saincte Clement teacheth must be soche one as teacheth the vnderstanding of the scriptures according to the trueth that he hath receaued and learned of his elders According to which counsell I minding to searche the vnderstanding of certain scriptures which be in controuersie I will repair to them that be the elders of Christes Churche whiche I terme his Parliament house and to learn of them the true vnderstanding of those scriptures I wish therfore the reader to submitte his iudgement vnto them as I will doo and all affection sett aparte to learn of them we ought to learn of
Ascendisti in altum cepisti captiuitatem accepisti dona in hominibus Thow arte gon vppe on high thowe hauest led captiuitie captiue and receaued gistes for men That the Prophete did in this sentence speake and prophecie of the ascension of Christe saincte Paule ys wittnesse who alleaging this prophecie proceadeth vppon yt thus Vnicuique nostrū data est gratia secundùm mensuram donationis Christi Propter quod dicit Ascendēs in altum Ephes 4. captiuam duxit captiuitatem dedit dona hominibus c. vnto euerie one of vs ys geuen grace according to the measure of the gifte of Christe wherfore he saieth when he went vppe on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue giftes vnto men That he ascended what meeneth yt but that he also descended first into the lowest partes of the earth He that descended ys euen the same also that ascended vppe aboue all heauens to fullfill all thinges By the whiche woordes that saincte Paule taketh the sainge of Dauid to be a prophecie of Christes Ascencion yt ys more manifest then yt neadeth anie further probacion of me or anie other man But this scruple perchaunce maie moue a diligente reader that the Psalme saieth Thowe arte gon vppe on high thowe hauest led captiuitie captiue and receaued giftes for men or emonge men Accepisti dona in hominibus And the Apostle saieth Dedit dona hominibus He hath geuen giftes to men betwixte geuinge and receauing ther ys a great difference This doubte doth saincte Augustine dissolue writting in this wise Sed Aug. l. 15 de Trinit cum Propheta dixerit Accepisti dona in hominibus Apostolus maluit dicere Dedit dona hominibus vt ex vtroque scilicet verbo vno Phrophetico Apostolico altero quia in vtroque est diuini sermonis autorites sensus plenissimus redderetur Verūque enim verum est quia dedit hominibus et quia accepit in hominibus Dedit hominibus tanquā caput membris suis accepit in hominibus idem ipse vtique in membris suis propter quae membra sua clamauit de coelo Saule Saule quid me persequeris But when the Prophete hath saied Thowe hauest receaued giftes in men or emong men the Apostle hath chosen to saie Thow hauest geuen giftes to men that oute of both sainges the one of the Prophete the other of the Apostle by cause that in bothe ys the autoritie of Gods woord a most full and perfecte sense might be geuen For both be true bothe that he gaue giftes vnto men and also receaued giftes in men He gaue giftes vnto men as the head to the membres the self same also receaued giftes in his membres for the whiche his membres he cried from heauen Saul Saul why doest thowe persequute me Thus moche sainct Augustin Albeit the Scriptures be copiouse and plentifull of Prophecies as well of this matter as of other all teachinge vs one trueth though they be vtterred by diuerse organs or instrumentes of the holie Goste forbicause the holie Goste the Schoolemaster of all trueth ys but one Yet I will not molest the Reader with the rehersall of anie mo well knowing that the truthe ys as Holie Gost schoolmaster of all trueth perfecte as sure and as substācial in one sentēce of the holy Goste as in twēti Neuerthelesse he that ys desierouse to read mo prophecies of this matter I referre him to the xlvj psame to the lxiij chapiter of Easie and to the second of Micheas as the holie learned fathers haue taught me Thus praise be to God I haue through his helpe profourmed that that I entended namely declared that the misteries of our Redemptiō were by diuerse meanes that ys to saie by promisses figures and prophecies reueiled vnto the Fathers by Allmightie God and that in diuerse ages and times as in the time of the lawe of Nature in the time of the lawe of Moyses All whiche promisses figures and prophecies promised figured and prophecied soche thinges as by our Sauiour Christe were fullfilled accōplisshed and ended whiche so beinge they haue their ende according as Christ himself saied Etenim quae de me scripta sunt finem habent For the thinges whiche are written of me haue an ende Luc. 22. THE THIRTENE CHAPITER HOW THAT MELCHIsedech was a figure of Christe bothe in preisthood and sacrifice NOwe to approche to the matter in this first booke principallie entended Wheras Allmightie God did paint open and shewe the misterie of our Redemption by promises figures and prophecies in the olde testament to the great comforth of thē that liued in that testament whiche Redemption ys alredie wrought doen and perfected Euen so hath he by figures and prophecies shadowed and spoken before of thinges that shal be doen in the new Testament as a perpetuall memoriall of the same redemption to the great and spirituall comforth of them that liue vnder the newe testament whiche memoriall ys nowe in the Churche of Christendom vsed and continned For as by his bloodsheding vpon the Crosse he did the verie thing in dede that the legall Sacrifices did prefigurate shadowe in the olde testament So by the same blood he as being the thing yt felf and the verie light causingge figure to ceasse and the shadow to be remoued abolished the olde Testament and established and confirmed a newe Testament not to remayn for a season as the other was appointed to do when Moises saied Hic sanguis Testamenti quod mandauit ad vos Deus This ys the bloode of the Testament whiche God hath made with yowe But a newe euerlasting Testament according Exod. 24. Hebr. 9. Hebr. 13. Aeternum Testamētū as saincte Paule saieth This euerlasting Testament hath accordinglie an euerlasting preist and an euerlasting sacrifice The euerlasting preist ys our Sauiour Christe as wittnesseth sainct Paule Nec Christus semetipsum glorificauit vt pontifex sieret sed qui dixit ad eum Filius meus es tu ego hodie genui te Quemadmodum in alio loco dicit Tu es sacerdos in aeternum secundùm ordinem Melchisedech Neither did Christe glorifie him self to be made the high preist but he that saied vnto him Hebr. 5. Thowe arte my Sonne this daie haue I begottē thee As he saieth also in an other place Thowe arte a preist for euer after the order of Melchisedech The euerlasting sacrifice ys the verie bodie and bloode of the same our Christes bodie and blood an euerlasting sacrifice Luc. 22. Sauiour Iesus Christe whiche as he according to the ordre of his preisthood did sacrifice in his last Supper vnder the formes of bread and wine So did he geue auctoritie and cōmandement to the Apostles and ministres of his Churche to do the same saing Hoc facite in meam cōmemorationē This do ye in the remembrance of me The continuance of the doing of this thing in the remembrance of him sainct Paule declareth saing Donec veniat vntill he come
legem vngebantur quia ipse Dominus primus in coena mystica intelligibilem accepit sanguinem atque deinde calicem Apostolis dedit Sed ecce legislator hic post vnctionem Aaron filiorum subdidit De sanguine reliquum fudit super altari per circuitum Quod et Christum fecisse inuenimus Bibens enim ipse et Apostolis bibere dans tunc intelligibilem sanguinem super altare videlicet suum corpus effudit Corpus autem Christi Ecclesia est et omnis plebs eius Quod specialiter dicentem Marcum inuenimus Et sumens gratias agens dediteis et biberunt ex eo omnes et dixit eis Hic est sanguis meus noui testamenti qui pro multis effusus est But first the preist and after him his Sonnes were according to the lawe anoincted with blood For our Lorde him self also first in the misticall Supper did take the intelligible blood and then gaue the cuppe to hys Apostles But yet lo this lawgeuer after the enoincting of Aaron and his sonnes saieth The rest of the blood he powred rownde aboute vpon the Altar Whiche thing also we finde Chryst to haue doen. For he drinking and geuing his Apostles to drinke then he powred the intelligible bloode vpon the altar that ys to saie vpon his bodie The bodie of Chryst ys the Churche and all his people Whiche thinge we finde Chryst drāke his owne blood and gaue yt to his Apostles Marke speciallie sainge And he tooke the cuppe and gaue thankes and gaue yt to them and they all dranke of yt and he saied vnto them Thys ys my blood of the newe Testament whiche ys shedde for manie Thus moche Isychius I shall not nede to note any thing in this place of this Authour wher euery parte of his saieng ys so plain Yt ys verie manifest that he saieth that Why Christ first drank his owne blood Christ gaue vnto the Apostles his bloode whiche he calleth as before ys declared the intelligible bloode Which ys as moche to saie as the bloode of Chryst figured by the bloode of the lambe and also of the Ramme offred for Aaron ad his Sonnes Whiche bloode as Chrysostō also together with this Author wittnesse Chryst himself because his Apostles beleuing yt verilie according to the woorde of their master to be bloode shoulde not therfore loathe to drinke of yt dranke first vnto them and then dranke all they Yf Chryst dranke his owne blood he dranke yt either spirituallie or corporallie Spirituallie he could not wherfore he dranke yt corporallie As touching this wittnes of Chrysostome more shall be saied in the second booke And although this place conuinceth the Proclamer who saith Li. 2. ca. 55 that we can not bringe anie one olde catholique Doctour or Father Yet in the thirde booke shall be brought oute of this father diuerse and many places more plainlie teaching Gods truthe then this doth Wherfore leauing him with his ioint felowe who haue plainly testified Chrystes verie presence in the Sacrament for that the figure must be aunswered by the verie thing and truthe wherof yt ys the figure I shall cal two other mo wittnesses to testifie the same THE SEVENTENE CHAPITER PROCEADETH in the same matter by sainct Cyprian and Euthymius SAincte Cyprian martir Bishoppe of Carthage a man in learninge and vertuouse conuersacion most excellent and in propinquitie of time to Chryst right aunciente as Eusebius doth testifie whom sainct S. Cyprian his commēdacion Lab. 7. eccl li. Hist. c. 2 Cypriā de coena Augustine in his workes doth moche reuerence who liued aboute 256. yeares after Chryste whome I make to folowe emong the latines Tertullian for that he so moche esteemed and loued him as ys before saied In this matter he speaketh after this sorte Coena itaque disposita inter sacramentales epulas obuiarunt sibi instituta noua antiqua consumpto agno quem antiqua traditio proponebat inconsumptibilem cibum magister apponit discipulis Nec iam ad elaborata impensis et arte conuiuia populi inuitantur sed immortalitatis alimonia datur à communibus cibis differens corporalis substantiae retinens speciem sed virtutis Diuinae inuisibili efficientia probans adesse praesentiam The Supper therfore beinge ordered emonge the sacramental meates their mett together the olde ordeinances and the newe And when the lambe was consumed or eaten which the olde tradition did sett furth the master did put before hys disciples the inconsumptible meate Neither nowe be the people bidden to feastes prepared with conninge and charges but here ys geuen the food of immortalitie differing from common meates reteining the forme of corporall substance but prouinge by the inuisible efficiencie the presence of Gods power to be therin Thus sainct Cyprian Christ gaue his disciples inconsumptible meat Sacramentaries giue ther disciples ccnsumptile meat In the which woordes of this holy Father ye perceaue first the comparison of the two passouers Which he calleth the olde ordeinaunce and the newe that mette together emong the sacramentall meates Secondarelie ye maie perceaue the difference of thē bothe For the olde Passouer was a lābe which was cōsumed Whiche he teacheth when he saieth Et consumpto agno and when the lambe was consumed which the olde tradicion dyd sett furth The other ys a meate whiche neuer ys able to be consumed whiche he plainlie vttereth thus The master meening Chryst did put before his disciples inconsumptible meat Nowe note howe different the Sacramentaries be from this holie elder Sacramentaries glose vpon S. Cyprian ouerthrowen of Chrystes church They saie ther ys put or sett before vs but bread which ys consumptible as the paschall lambe was but this Father saieth The master put before hys disciples inconsumptible meat Neither maie they here vse their feigned glosing sainge that we do receaue inconsumptible meate in the Supper of the Lorde for we receaue Chryst spirituallie that ys the merite and grace of his passion For neither these Meate of Christes supper differeth frō common meates woordes will beare that glose neither the woordes that folowe For these woordes saie that the master did putte before them inconsumptible meate He did not putte the merite of his passion before them For yt ys not a thing of that nature that yt maie be taken by hand and laied before men in seight but yt ys taken by the inward man onelie But this meate was put before them H. 3. Bread of the hereticall cōmunion differeth not frō common bread Christes meat reteining the forme of corporall substāce cānot be the spirituall meat of the Sacramentaries And the woordes that do folowe do yet more clearlie shewe the matter and wype awaie their glose for yt foloweth that this meate whiche Chryste putte before his disciples did differ from cōmon meates and yet yt reteined the forme of naturall substance Yf yt did differ from common meates then yt can not be taken for the bread vsed
vse no sacrifice wherin also ys fullfilled the prophecie of Daniel whiche saieth that after a certain time after Chryste ys slain sacrifice and meate offring shall ceasse amonge the Iewes And what soeuer was after doen in the temple as sainct Daniel 9. Hierom saieth Non suit sacrificium Dei sed cultus Diaboli yt was not the sacrifice of God but the woourshipping of the Deuell And this desolacion saieth Hieron in Daniel cap. 9. Daniell shall continewe to the ende Wherby ys ment that the abolishing of the sacrifice of the Iewes ys perpetuall and for euer The Sarazens being deluded by the shamefull imposture and deceipt of Mahomete haue a certain mingled religion vsing circumcision and certain lotions of the Iewes And so vse a parte of Moises lawe They also confesse that Chryst was born of a virgen and that he liued holilie and preached truely and wrought manie miracles But externall and speciall sacrifice wherbie their religion shoulde be discerned from other they vse none but that certain howres on the night and certain howres on the daie they geue them selues to praier and speciallie after meate The Pagans being a rude grosse and barbarouse people almost vnknowen to the worlde and neither knowing God neither almost theim selfes dwelling farre of in the furthest parte of the northe and not knowing the names of the Idolls of other Idolaters nor religion what thing so euer they first mete in the morning be yt horse hogge Cowe or calf that same for that daie doo they take and honour for their God So that they haue Pagans haue daie Gods and howre Gods and no certen God not Deos perpetuos but Deos Diarios vel horarios Gods for euer continuall but daie Gods and howre Gods vnto whom yet they do no sacrifice but according to their ignoraunt educacion they liue withoute the knowledg of doing sacrifice The christians being called to the knowledg of the true liuing God and of his sonne Iesus Chryste instructed in his lawes and taught the true maner of honouring and seruing him knowe that all that haue serued God froÌ„ the beginnig haue not onelie serued him with the sacrifices of lawdes praises praiers and obedience whiche be thinges comon but haue vsed also this speciall sign of seruice as to offer some extern sacrifice to testifie their duetie and right propre seruice to God Whiche maner of seruice I call propre for that yt can be don to none but to God or to some thing taken for god Call to minde all the Fathers in the beginning the Patriarkes the Prophetes and all other holie men knowing God and ye shall perceaue that all they besides lawdes praises praiers and other did also testifie their seruice to God by their externall sacrificing of some of the fruictes of the earth So did Abel so did Noe so did Iob AbrahaÌ„ Isaac and Iacob and manie other as the bookes of the olde Testament do testifie And Chryst him self did not onelie offer his blessed bodie a bloodie Sacrifice Chryst offred sacrifice in his supper and coÌ„mauÌ„ded yt to be coÌ„tinued vpon the Crosse to God his Father which all that do but tast the name of the religion of Chryst doo confesse But he also as the authour of the newe Testament did first offer to God his hodie and blood an vnbloodie sacrifice in his last supper after the ordre of Melchisedech ther and then instituting the same sacrifice and commaunding yt to be doen and continued in his Church as yt ys allreadie proued And so as Irenaeus saieth he taught the newe oblacion of the newe Testament Nowe then seing that no sect in the worlde vseth anie dailie sacrifice but we Chrystians Yf we also had no dailie sacrifice as the enemies of â—od haue traueiled to compasse howe then shoulde the prophecie of Daniel be fullfilled that the dailie sacrifice shall be taken awaie yf ther be none none can be takeÌ„ awaie But the Prophet saieth that one shall be takeÌ„ awaie wherfor ther must nedes be a dailie sacrifice whiche for the fullsilling of the prophecie must be taken awaie Of this prophecie ys sainct Hierom an expownder who being more busied to refell the wicked expositions of Prophyrius and breiflie to open the true vnderstanding of the Prophete then at large to sett furthe owre misteries in plain woordes saieth yet that that ys sufficient to satisfie anie man that ys not contenciouse that this prophecie ys to be vnderstanded of the dailie sacrifice of the christians although not in so expresse woordes as this time of controuersie in this matter wolde require Thus ys the text of the Prophecie Et à tempore quo ablatum fuerit iuge sacrificium posita fuerit abominatio in desolationem dies mille ducenti nonaginta And from the time that the dailie Daniel 12. or continuall Sacrifice shall be taken awaie or put down and the abominable desolacion sett vppe ther shall be a thousande daies two hundreth and nintie Vpon this texte Hierom saieth thus Hoâ— mille ducentos nonaginta dies Prophyrius Hieron in Danielem in tempore Antiochi in desolatione templâ— dâ—oit completos quam Iosephus Machabaeòrum â—ut diximus liber tribus tantùm annis fuisse commemorant Ex quo perspicuum est tres istos semis annos de Antichristi dici temporibus qui tribus semis annis hoc est mille ducentis nonaginta diebus sanctos persecuturus est et postea corruiturus in monte inclyto et sancto A tempore igitur quod nos interpretati sumus iuge Sacrificium quando Antichristus orbem obtinens Dei cultuns interdixetit vsque ad internitionem ciustres et semis anni id est mille ducenti nonaginta dies complehuntur These thousande two hundreth and ninetie daies Porphyrius saieth they were fullfilled in the time of Antiochus and in the desolation of the temple whiche bothe Iosephus and the booke of the Machabees as we haue said doo testifie to be don in Antichryst shall cause the dailie sacrifice to ceasse three years onelie Wherbie yt ys plain these three yeares and a half to be spoken of the times of Antichryste who by the space of three years and a half that ys a thousande two hundreth and ninetie daies shall persecute the holie and faithfull chrystians and after shall fall downe in the famouse and holie hill From the time therfore that we haue interpreted the dailie sacrifice when Antichryste shall for bidde the seruice of God vnto his destructioÌ„ ther shall be fullfilled three years and a half that ys to saie a thousand two hundreth and ninetie daies Thus moche S. Hierom. Who yf we marke interpreteth the greke woorde and calleth yt the dailie sacrifice and ther with remembre that as before by him ys saied in the exposition of the prophecie of the preisthead of Chryst after the ordre of Melchisedech Chryst our Melchisedech offred his bodie and bloode the verie The dailie sacrifice ys the
corruption and controuersie taught beleued and folowed I claime also creditte to be geuen to the holie aunciēt Fathers whom I haue alleaged who being in that pure time when faith was purely taught do cōmunicate to vs soche doctrine as the Churche of God then had whose doctrine howe moche yt ys different from the doctrine of this wicked teacher that hathe thus exclamed and howe repugnāte his doctrine ys to the teaching of these Fathers yt ys as easie to discerne as darknesse frō light or white frō blacke Wherfore gentle Reader nowe being by me aduertised after soche sorte as yt hath pleased my lorde God to imparte his grace vnto me yf thowe hauest not erred reioice in God and be confirmed Yf thowe hauest erred repent before God and be reduced And thus moche of the scriptures of the olde Testament THE SEVEN AND THIRTITH CHAP. MAKETH a breif Recapitulacion of thinges before written with thapplicacion of them to the Proclamacion of the aduersarie and so concludeth this first booke ALthough I am not ignorante gentle Reader that in the Psalmes be diuerse other prophecies whiche according to the minde of saincte Hierom do speake of this blessed Sacrament and sacrifice of Chrystes bodie and bloode that shoulde be offred in the Churche of Chryst and of the whiche the poour in spiritte shoulde eate and be satisfied as in the xxi xxij lxxj cx psalmes Yet for that the figures of this Sacrament be allreadie aunswered by prophecies to them aunswerable And these that be lefte maie by iust occasion be spoken of hereafter I shall for the Readers ease disauauntage my self of the allegacion of them to the setting furth of the matter here taken in hand by me to be defended and so cōclude this booke with a breif recapitulacion of some thinghes bfore saied to the entent they maie be applied to aunswere some one or mo mēbres of the Aduersaries proclamacion not yet spoken of I did of pourpose omitte to applie that ys saied as aunswer to that parte of his wicked proclamacion whiche yt doth fullie confute by cause I wolde not to moche trouble my processe but thought yt best to reserue yt to this place as in other matters I haue also doen the like in this booke Wherfor that yt maie well be perceaued that this that ys saied doth clean ouerthrowe this mans doctrine vnderstand first what ys his doctrine Thus in his proclamacion he crieth Yf any one of all our Aduersaries be able plainlie and clerely to proue by soch authoritie of the scriptures the old Doctours and Councells as ys before saied that the preist had then authoritie to offre vpp Chryst vnto his Father c. In which his proclamaciō he denieth the Sacrifice of the Churhe which ys the bodie and blood of our sauiour Chryst which he saieth the Churche hath none authoritie to offre to God in sacrifice Against this his false doctrine call to minde what ys in this booke saied speciallie in the setting furthe of the prophecies of the preisthood of Chryst The deuell hath bewitched the Proclamer after the ordre of Melchisedech of the prophecies of Daniel and Malachie wher but that the deuell hath bewitched this man and to his perdition hath cast a mist before his eies that he shoulde not see the trueth he coulde not ells but see that the bodie and blood of Chryste were of him self offred in his last supper and ther and then instituted and ordeined to be offred and continued in his Church as the memoriall of his passion and death S. Ciprian as yt ys alleaged saieth that our Lorde Iesus offred the same Cyprian that Melchisedech offred that ys bread and wine that ys to saie saieth he his bodie and blood Isychius saieth that we haue the sacrifice of Chryst the intelligible Melchisedech Isychius whiche sacrifice was perfectlie doen in bread and wine when Chryste saied This ys my bloode that shal be shedd for yowe S. Hierom saieth that as Melchisedech offred bread and wine so shall Chryste Hieron offred his bodie and blood the true bread and true wine S. Augustin saieth Chryst did institute the sacrifice of his bodie and blood according to the ordre of Melchisedech to succeade the sacrifice after Augustin the ordre of Aaron Wher note that he saieth Chryst did institute the sacrifice of his bodie and bloode after the ordre of Melchisedech Yf he did institute the sacrifice then ys ther authoritie by the same institution geuen to the Church to offre the same Whiche well appeareth by the saing of Origen whiche foloweth in this processe We saith Origen being obedient to the Creatour of thinges when we Origen haue geuen thankes we receaue the breades that were offred whiche be turned into a certain holier bodie whiche bodie trulie maketh them holier that with a sownde and pure minde vse yt Note then that our obedience standeth not onely to eate the bread but to eate the bread that ys offred and therforre we must both offre and eate The church must both offre and eate yf we will be obedient Yf yt be our obedience to offer then ther ys commaundement geuen to offre Yf commaundement be geuen then Authoritie also Theophilact saieth that the oblacion conteining Chryste our Lorde Bishoppe and Sacrifice ys continuallie offred by the ministres of God Seing that Chryste ys offred Theophila as Theophilact saieth by the ministres of God yt ys euident that yt ys doen with authoritie For withoute authoritie can none offre him Martialis one of the disciples of Chryste saieth that we for our health offre that vpon the holie Altar that the Iewes did offre vpon the Crosse for enuie And yf ye S. Martia We offre ou the altar that the Iewes offred on the crosse Irenaeus require by what authoritie we do it he saieth that our Lord cōmaunded vs so to doo in the remembrance of him And yf ye will vnderstande howe the authoritie cometh ordrely to vs to offre the bodie of Chryste to God the Father Irenaeus will teache you For he saieth that Chryste geuing instructions to his Apostles to offre sacrifice to God tooke the creature of bread and gaue thankes and saied this ys my body And the cuppe also he tooke and confessed yt to be his bloode and so of the newe Testament taught the newe oblacion whiche the Churche taking of the Apostles offreth yt yn all the worlde to God according to the prophecie of Malachie Can not nowe this Proclamer or raither Blasphemer see or perceaue what authoritie the preist hath to offre Chryst to God the Father Yt ys deriued from Chryst to the Apostles from the Apostles to the Church and so vsed through out all the worlde S. Augustine saieth that the pure and clean sacrifice that Malachie speaketh of that shall be offred in euery place ys the sacrifice after Augustin the ordre of Melchisedech What the sacrifice after the ordre of Melchisedech ys by the minde of S.
and sufficient matter to approue the doing of the holie catholique Churche in this matter And will I trust iudge this Proclamer sufficientlie aunswered by the best learned Fathers as well of the greke church as of the latin and will therfore thinke yt right that wher this Proclamer required but one plain sentence hauing nowe a nombre that he doo perfourme hys promesse and submitte him self to the trueth and subscribe to the catholique Churche and become her childe again whiche God of hys mercie bring to passe in him For trulie the giftes that God hath placed in him considered I cannot but loue him and prayse God in him and wish that I might ioin with him But whē I remembre hys great fall into this wickednesse I pietie him and vtterly deuide my self from him as my bownden duetie before fowre mēbres for the Proclamocion aunswereth God ys In this booke then as occasion hath serued I haue aunswered foure peices or membres of hys proclamacion The first for the hauing of the scriptures in the vulgar toung The second for Reseruacion of the Sacrament The thirde for the authoritie of the offring of Chryst to hys Father The fourth for the presence of Chrystes bodie and blood in the blessed Sacrament In the other bookes by the helpe of God shall be likewise aunswered some other partes of the same proclamacion as like occasion shall be ministred whiche God graunt maye be to hys euerlasting prayse and honour Amen THE SECOND BOOKE THE FIRST CHAPITER DECLARETH THE OFFICES OF THE OLDE LAVVE AND THE BENEFITTES OF the newe Lawe with an exhortation to submitte our vnderstanding to the knowledge of faithe and therwith to the beleif of the Sacrament LEX per Moysen data est gratia veritas per Iesum Christum facta est The Lawe saieth saincte Iohn was geuen by Moises but grace and trueth came by Iesus Chryst The Lawe as saincte Paule declareth had two offices for the Ioan. 1. The lawe hath two of fices Rom. 3. Ibid. 7. which yt was geuen of God by Moises to the people The one was to geue them knowledge of finne and to restreign them from yt The first parte of this office S. Paule speaketh of to the Romans saieng Per legem cognitio peccati By the lawe cometh the knowledge of sinne For saieth he in an other place Peccatum non cognoui nisi per legem Nam concupiscentiam nesciebā nisi lex diceret Non concupisces I knewe not sinne but by the lawe For I had not knowen what lust had ment except the lawe had saied Thowe shalt not lust The seconde parte he speaketh of to the Galathians wher when he had proued that the promisse of the blessing came not by the lawe but by faith as being made foure hundreth and thirtie years before the lawe was geuen he moueth this question Quid igitur lex wherfor then serueth the Lawe As who Galat. 3. shoulde saie yf the lawe were not geuen that by yt men shoulde atteign to iustification wherto then serueth yt what then ys the office of yt He answereth Propter trangressionem posita est yt was added for transgression that transgressours takinge with the lawe the spirit of seruitude in feare might be witholden from the trangression of the same Lawe although the outwarde obseruacion of yt conferred not that iustificaciō to the obseruers therof that auaileth before God The other office of the Lawe was by liniamentes of figures and shaddowes to leade the people to Chryst as S. Paul saieth Lex poedagogus fuit in Christo Jbid. The Lawe was oure schoolemaster to Chryste Wherfore our Sauioure Chryste willed the Iewes who were not willinge to receaue him as the Messias being yet by the Lawe taught to knowe him that they shoulde repair to Ioan. 5. the scriptures of the Lawe as to their schoolmaster saieng Scrutamini scripturas in quibus putatis vos vitam habere aeternam illae sunt quae testimonium perhibent de mè Searche the scriptures in the whiche ye thinke to haue eternall life and they are they whiche testifie of me Whiche Lawe vndoubtedlie did so teache them Christe by promisses figures and prophecies that they coulde not pretende ignorance but they must nedes be fownde offendours of malice wherof the chief ruler of the schoole Moyses wolde accuse them as Chryste saieth to them Nolite putare quòd ego accusaturus sum vos apud patrem Jbid. 5. meum est qui accusat vos Moyses in quo speratis Si enim crederetis Moysi crederetis forsitan mihi De me etenim ille scripsit Do not thinke that I will accuse yowe to my Father ther ys one that accuseth yowe euen Moises in whom ye trust For had ye beleued Moises ye wolde peraduenture haue beleued me for he wrote of me Of this office of the Lawe that ys of the schoole mastershippe of yt Howe yt promised Chryste Howe yt painted and deschribed him by figures and shaddowes Howe yt spake of him by prophecies in the old testament yt ys as to the pourpose of the matter whiche ys nowe in hand apperteineth treacted of in the first booke Nowe mindinge to seke the trueth of the same matter in the newe Testament I am moche comforted and delighted trusting with moche more facilitie and ease to atteign the same And yet as not withoute pleasure mixed with trauaill I haue doen the like in the firste booke passinge through the thikkes as yt were and obscure places of the Law not all vnlike vnto an Hūter who painfullie beating the busshes and traueling through the Thickes yet not withoute pleasure seking his game and comming to the goodlie faire Lawnde semeth to be moche eased and as yt were releiued of a great greif and then with more delight and pleasure foloweth the same Euē so nowe that I am comed to the beautifull Lawnd of the newe Testament wher for the sharpe priking busshes of the seuitute and bondage of sinne vnder the Lawe and for the obscure and darke thickes of figures and shadowes of the same finding the goodlie pleasaunt Lawnde of grace and veritie by Iesus Chryste I forgett my former trauaills and with freshe delight folowe on my gamme The Lawe had two offices not voide of incōmodities The Gospell hath The Gospel hath two commodities two benefittes enriched with great cōmodities The Lawe gaue knowledge of sinne The Gospell geueth grace for remission of sinnes the Lawe had figures the Gospell hathe the veritie He then by whome came this grace and veritie Iesus Christe who ys the Ioan. 1. light of the worlde and lightneth euery man that cometh into the same geue the bright and clere beames of his knowledge vnto vs both the writer and the reader that beinge led by his grace we maie come persightlie to his trueth and veritie and cominge to the same we maie with all humilitie and mekenesse subdue our vnderstanding to the seruice of faith And so learninge not
doctrines doeth affirme what shall be the priuilege or what reason that onely men shoulde communicate the bodie and bloode of him and not Deuells also for the whiche in his passion he did shedde his bloode hitherto Theoph. Who improuing the opinion of Origen before mencioned saieth that if the bodie of Chryst shoulde suffre for Deuells and his blood shoulde be shedde for thē then vnto thē he shoulde haue saied as he hath to his Apostles and all faithfull men Take eate This ys my bodie Take and drinke This ys my blood Whiche argumēt as yt doth confute the errour of Origen for that yt ys meit that all they that be partakers of the redemption purchaced by the bodie and blood of Chryst should also be soche as to whō in time conuenient yt Deuells be not redemed by Chrystes passion but if they might receaue him spirituallie they shoulde be partakers of his merittes might be saied Take eat This ys my bodie Take drinke This ys my blood Whiche thing to Deuells ys not saied so also yt doeth impugn the errour of our Aduersarie in that that no mencion being made of figures and tropes the wordes of Chryst be left in their owne propre sense teaching vs that we must take and eate his verie bodie and drinke his verie bloode And that they doe so teache vs by the minde of this authour the woordes that folowe in his second argumēt doo well prooue For the better perceaving wherof vnderstād first as the trueth of the catholique faith ys that Deuells be not redemed by the passion of Chryst neither be they nor can be partakers of the vertue and benefitt of the same Nowe to receaue Chryst spirituallie ys to receaue the grace and fruict of this passion When then in his second argument this authour saieth that the Deuells be not parone bloode excludeth an other and the legall solemnitie when yt ys chaunged ys fulfilled Thus Leo. For the better vnderstanding of this saing of the authour yt ys to be obserued that he doth compare the solemnitie of the olde iudaicall Passouer to the newe Passouer solemnely begonne by Chryst in his last supper Whiche thing maie well be perceaued by the last woordes of the authour wher he saieth as the conclusion of all that he had before spoken legalis festiuitas dum mutatur impletur And the legall solemnitie when yt ys chaunged ys fulfilled The legall solemnitie was the feast of the Paschall lambe This feast was chaunged and then fullfilled when Chryst in stead of that lambe being the figure made his solemne feast and gaue his owne bodie and bloode the bodie and blood of the right and verie true lambe of God that taketh awaie the sinnes of the worlde of which matter more ys saied in the first booke In the whiche feast saieth the authour that the shadowes shoulde geue place to the bodie and the images shoulde ceasse in the presence of the trueth the olde obseruance ys taken awaie with a newe sacrament Marke then in the legall solemnitie was the shadowe in Chrystes supper the bodie in the legall solemnitie were the Images in Chrystes feast was the presence of the trueth that ys the verie thing signified by the image which ys the bodie and bloode of Chryst not nowe in figure but in verie deed See ye not nowe then what ys in Chrystes supper Ys ther not the bodie of the shadowe and not the onelie shadowe Ys ther not the verie thing and not the image Ys not the bodie of the shadowe In Chrystes supper ys the verie bodie and not the shadow and the verie thing of the image the bodie and blooode of Chrysts Then the verie bodie and bloode of Chryst be in hys supper Thus maie ye perceaue what he ment when he saied that Chryst did ordein the Sacrament of hys bodie and bloode not a Sacrament voyde of hys bodie and bloode but a Sacrament conteining hys bodie and bloode Will ye see this again plainlie taught This authour saieth that the olde obseruance ys taken awaie with a newe Sacrament But what ys thys Sacrament Yt ys a sacrament that ys a sacrifice remouing and ending the sacrifice of the Paschall lambe and others of that nature Yt ys a Sacrament wherin ys bloode excluding the bloode of legall sacrifices Hostia in hostiam transit sanguis sanguinem excludit one sacrifice passeth into an other sacrifice one bloode excludeth an other bloode The sacrifice of the olde lawe passeth into the sacrifice of Chrystes bodie and ther endeth and the bloode of Chryst excludeth and putteth awaie the bloode of the sacrifice of the olde lawe and so ys the sacrifice of that bloode ended Chryste in his supper did not institute a bare Sacrament onelie Thus maie yowe perceaue that when this authour saied that Chryst ordeined the Sacrament of hys bodie and bloode that he ment not onely the institucion of a bare Sacrament but also the consecracion of the bodie and bloode of Chryst lieng hidden vnder the formes of bread and wine in the same Sacrament Whiche ordeinance and consecracion was doen by the woordes of Chryst when he saied Take eate This ys ys my bodie And Take drinke this ys my bloode And so the woordes teache the verie presence of Chrystes bodie and blood in the Sacrament and not a naked figure Yf thus moch satissie not the reader forsomoch as ys here saied of and vpō this authour as I trust yt maie anie that ys not contenciouse yf he desire to see more of this authour let him reparie to the sixt of sainct Iohn and to the beginning of this processe vpon the woordes of the Supper and he shall see more wherfore remitting the reader to those places I staie to saie anie more vpon this coople but hast me according to my promesse to heare an other coople THE SEVEN AND FIFTETH CHAP. PROceadeth in the exposition of the same woordes by sainct Cyrill and sainct Gregorie THough yt be moche that ys allready saied vpon these sewe woordes of Chryst and maie well suffice to teache the trueth of this matter yet that the arrogancie of the Proclamer maie be beaten down and his vntrueth against gods trueth well perceaued we shall yet bring in one or twoo cooples mo of the higher house of Chrystes Parliament and then descend to other of the lower house Of the higher house ther yet remaineth holy Cyrill whose faith in the Sacrament although yt maie well be knowen to vs by hys manie and sondrie sentences both in the first booke and in this vpō the vi of S. Iohn alleadged yet that the faith of the catholique Church maie be discerned from errour and heresie with which titles some heretiques wold defame the same we wil heare him teache vs the faith that ought to be had and geuen to the woordes of Chryst and howe we shall vnderstand them euen as he taught Calosyrius to whom he wrote vpon the woords of Chryst in this maner Non dubites an hoc verum
large in the first booke and yt ys S. Augustins rule also that all euell thinges figured by figures of Good thinges figured better then the figures the olde lawe are moche woorse then the figures by the whiche they are figured Soo all good thinges figured are moche better and more excellent then the figures Yf then the Sacramentes and sacrifices of the olde lawe be figures of the Sacramentes and sacrifices of the newe as in dede they be then must the Sacramentes and sacrifices of the newe lawe be moch better then the Sacramentes or sacrifices of the olde lawe Yf moche better then more excellent And nowe note that yf yt were so as the Aduersaries falslie doe teache that the bodie of Chryst were not present verilie in the SacrameÌ„t and that the other Sacramentes of Chrystes Churche as the constant and true doctrine of the same Churche ys to the contrary did not geue grace then were the Sacramentes of the olde lawe not onely as excellent as the Sacramentes of the newe lawe but by all means passing and excelling them And bicause this shall not be declared and proued by examples that be straunge to our matter we will bring furth an example with in the limites of our matter euen of Manna yt self the figure of our Sacrament What great miracles and wonders were in that MaÌ„na the booke of Exodus doth declare whiche for the better vnderstaÌ„ding of theÌ„ that are not exercised in the scriptures are collected and set furth by Roffensis and they be in nombre twelue Twelue woÌ„ders in MaÌ„na declared Roff. lib. 1. cap. 12. The first ys that howe moche soeuer anie hadde gathered yet he had no whit more then the measure that God had appoincted them to gather The secoÌ„d that he that gathered lesse theÌ„ the measure appoincted he had asmoche when he caried yt home as he that had gathered the iust measure The thirde yf they had kept any porcion vntill the next daie yf yt were not the Sabboth daie yt wolde haue putrified The fourth although yt might so quickly and shortly putrifie yet yt was kept in the Arcke a great nombre of yeares and putrified not The fift yf yt were laied in the Sunne yt wolde melt yf before the fire yt wolde be very harde The sixte although yt did euerie other daie orderly fall from heauen yet vpon the Sabboth daie ther fell none The seuenth although other daies in the weke whether they gathered more or lesse yet they had but one measurefull called Gomer vpon the daie next before the Sabboth to serue them two daies bicause they were forbidden to gather vpon the Sabboth daie they had home with them two measures full The eight he that that daie gathered more or lesse had no more nor lesse then his two measures when he came home The ninthe although in so great a multitude ther were of diuerse stomackes diuerse appetites some eating more some lesse yet that measure sufficed the strong stomaked and was not to moche for the weake stomacke The tenth vnto them that were good yt tasted to euery one according to his desire The eleuenth although to the godly yt was a most pleasaunt taste yet to the vngodly yt was lothsom The twelth the children of Israell were fedde fourtie yeares with this Manna in the Wildernesse As these miracles be conteined in the scriptures as in Exodus Numeri and in the booke of wisdom So they are also setfurth by holy writers to Exod. 16. Num. 11. Sap. 16. Chrysost indictum Apost Nolo vos ignor the settingfurth of Gods glorie in his wonderfull workes Of diuerse of these Chrysostome maketh mencion saing Et hoc vtique mirabile Tentauerunt tunc aliqui per tempus illud plus quà m opus fuerat colligere nullum auaritiae suae fructum accipiebant Et quamdiu aequalitatem colebant mansit Manna quod Manna erat Postquam autem auari plus habere desiderauerunt auaritia mutauit Manna in vermem Quamuis hoc non cum detrimento aliorum faciebant Non enim rapiebant exalimento proximi cùm plus colligerent attamen cùm plus desiderarent condemnati sunt Nam tametsi neminem alium iniuria affecerunt tamen sibi ipsis maximè nocuerunt hoc colligendi modo auaritiae studentes atque sic simul erat cibus diuinae agnitionis instructio simul pascebat corpora erudiebat animam Neque pascebat solùm sed à laboribus liberabat non enim opus eratiungere bones neque trahere aratrum neque sulcos secare neque ad annum expectare sed mensam habebant subitò appositam semper recentem quotidie nouam rebusue ipsis discebant Euangelicum illud praeceptum non debere solicitum esse in crastinum Nulla enim vtilitas ipsis ab hac solicitudine proueniebat Nam qui plus colligerat corrumpebatur peribat auaritiae argumentum solùm dabat Insuper ne putarent illum imbrem iuxta naturae consuetudinem esse nihil talium in die Sabbati fiebat Deo duo illa ipsos docente quòd prioribus diebus ipse mirabilem priorem pluuiam operabatur per diem illum abstinebat vt inuiti etiam discerent illo die feriari And this also was merueilouse Some proued in that time to gather more then was nede and of their couetousnesse they tooke no profit And as long as they tooke their equall proporcion that that was Manna did abide Manna But after the couetouse desiered to haue more auarice turned Manna into a woorme although they did this withoute hurte of other when they wolde gather more they did not violentlie take awaie any parte of their neighbours foode and yet for all that wheÌ„ they desiered more they were condemned For although they did not wrong an other man yet after this maner of gathering geuing their mindes to auarice they did moche hurte them selues And so yt was both meat and also an instruction of the knowlege of God Yt did bothe feed the bodie and teache the soule Neither did yt onely feede but yt also deliuered them from labours For they had no nede to yocke their oxen to drawe their plough nor to cutte oute furrowes neither to tarie a yeare for the croppe But they had a table quicklie sett furth and made readie fresh and dailie newe And by the same thinges they did learn the Euangelicall commaundement that they shoulde not be carefull for to morowe For of this carefullnesse ther came no profet to them For he that gathered more yt was corrupted and perished and gaue onely a rebuke of their greadinesse or couetousnesse Moreouer that they shoulde not thinke that shower or rain to be according to Manna githered more 〈◊〉 was nâ—ede corrupted the custome of nature vpon the Sabboth daie ther was none soche God teaching them these two thinges who was the worker of that merueilouse rain in the other daies and that he vpon that daie absteined that they shoulde