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
admonished of your wicked errours and heresies hertofore by doctour Harding and other and nowe by me Yowe knowe who saieth Haereticum hominem c. after one or two admonicions flie the companie of an heretique knowing that soche one ys subuerted forsomoche as he ys euen by his owne iudgement condemned In dede being as I saied thus admonished and seing with all your wicked doctrine by the whol multitude here alleaged so plainlie and cleerly condemned yt can not be but by your owne iudgemēt yowe must be condēned For this ys so euidētlie true that yowe or any man can not denie yt that no doctrine nowe holdē of the catholique Churche for a trueth and impugned by the Sacramentaries was euer yet at anie time by the churche or by any catholique writer reputed as heresie or errour Again this ys as true that euerie doctrine holden of the Sacramentaries and nowe impugned by the catholiques hath ben before time of the catholique Church and wtiters reputed and adiudged erour and heresie a fewe late inuencions onelie excepted which also are now by catholikes impugned and by plain testimonies of the auncient Church proued to be erours and heresies and so condemned To make good the first saing I will reherse certain catholique propositions Chrysts bodie ys verilie in the blessed Sacrament Chrysts bodie ys ossred in sacrifice in the Masse The holie Sacrament ys to be reserued for the cōmunion of the sicke The blessed Sacrament maie be receaued vnder one kinde The bodie of Chryste in the Sacrament ys to be adored Saincts in glorie praie for vs and are to be praied vnto by vs. The dead receaue great benefitte by the sacrisice of the Masse Praier and almose dedes doen for the dead doe auaill them These and soche like the catholiques doe holde the heretiques denie I will not here proclame against yowe but I will ioine this issue with yowe that if yowe can bring anie catholique Coūcell or catholique doctour impugning these or anie of thē as hereticall or erroneous I will subscribe vnto yowe and saie as yowe saie yf yowe can not as I am sure yowe can not thē will I saie as I maie well that your doctrine ys erroneous hereticall and deuelish Nowe to saue your doctrine frō this fowle reproache proue by soche testimonie as I haue saied that our doctrine ys erroneous or ells the shame will be on your side that teach the contrarie To make good my second assertion I will also reherse certain propositions of your doctrine Chrysts bodie ys not reallie in the Sacrament The Sacrament ys onelie a figure of Chryste and not his bodie The substance of bread ys not by due consecracion chaunged turned transmuted nor transelementated into the substance of the bodie of Chryste Ther ys no sacrifice of Chrystes bodie offred in the Masse Praier and almose dedes nothing auaile the dead neither the sacrifice of the Masse These and soche like do yowe and your likes teache and defend for the whiche I will ioin this issue with yowe that if I haue not in this booke sufficientlie proued or can not hereafter if I be required more fullie proue euerie of these to be erroneous and hereticall and long agon for soche to haue ben condemned I will subscribe to them and consesse thē to be good Yf I haue or can euidentlie proue thē so to be then confesse yowe thē to be naught and deuelish Yf yowe refuse thus to doo yet for the defence of your doctrine yf yt maie be defended doo that to vs that I haue doen to yowe I haue doen to yowe in this booke three things First I haue shewed yowe the beginning of the doctrine of the bless Sacramēt the progresse and cōtinuance of yt and the defence of yt Secōdlie of the Masse which ys the solēne sacrifice of Chrysts Church I haue shewed yowe good presidents certē and assured practises and these right auncient Thirdlie for the Sacramētaries doctrine I haue shewed whē yt began by whō yt was inuēted whē and wher yt was condēned and so ce assed and by whom yt was raised again in these our daies in the whiche yt ys also laufullie again condēned Nowe doo yowe the like for your doctrine and against ours Shew the beginning progresse cōtinuance and defence of your Sacramentaries doctrine Shewe the originalls and aunciēt presidents of your Cōmunion which ys the kaie and note of your religion and cōferre thē as we haue done the Masse with the aunciēt presidents of the primitiue Churche Shew howe all your innouacions whiche within these feweyears were in no place of the christian world vsed were put down howe and by whō that was compased in what Popes time and Emperours reign they were suffred to be doen yf anie suffred persecuciō or exile for thē who stoode against these that ouerthrewe them who wrote against thē that banished your religiō and wher be the bookes Yf your doctrine be so notablie good and ours so notablie wicked as yowe teache and preache yt to be so great an alteraciō and decaie of religion frō so great a good to so grete an euell coulde not be doē in the world withoute great note without large testimonies of histores and cronicles of so lamentable a chaūge Bring furth therfor yf yowe can the monimētes and testimonies of this chaunge Yf yowe can not wise mā will thinke and beleue that ther was neuer none soche Yf ther was none thē be your procedings but nouelties inuēted in these later daies and neuer before in vse and therfor well tearmed the newe religiō newe doctrine newe faith newe churche newe Communion Two things M Iuell I doubt not but yowe knowe Thone that in the primitiue and auncient church ther arose no notable heresie but yt was spedelie impugned Thother that of the originall and progresse of euerie soch ther were notes made and moniments for memorie left As concerning the first yt ys certē that euē in the beginning of Chrystes Church Ebion and Cerinthus sowing their heresie were streight impugded by S. Iohn against whō he was moued to write his gospell and epistles Against the same also with other as Valentinus Marcion Cerdon Symon Samarites Basilides Carpocrates and soch like wrote the holie Father Irenaeus not long after who as in his workes yt maie be seen in diuerse places vsed for an argument against those heretiques the presence of Chrysts bodie in the Sacramēt and yet the same Irenaeus was neuer noted of errour for his so affirming and teaching Origen his works being fownde inspersed with diuerse errours was noted for them but wher he testifieth the presence of Chrystes bodie in the bless Sacrament he was neuer blamed Ciprian the holie martir was verie vehemēt against Nouatus the heretique and his sect he diligentlie laboured to cut of soche weedes This holie mā in the matter of the presence wrote so plainlie as no mā more plainlie he wrote also of baptisme In the matter of the presence the church hath
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
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