Fourthly he changed the substance of the bread into his substantiall bodie saying of that with was bread when he tooke it first into his hands This is my body and so made a change of the substance of bread into the substance of his bodie as I shall proue more at large here after to shew the power and omnipotencie of God who can change and alter things created at his will and pleasure which ostension of the power of God is vsed in all Sacrifices as I haue shewed in the 2. chapter And lastly he gaue his body for a gift to God for vs thereby to signifie the Sacrifice of our hearts and our subiection vnto him and his dominion ouer vs as is vsed in particular externall visible Sacrifices saying This is my body which is giuen for you Luk. 22. By which words it is plaine and manifest that the bodie which our Sauiour deliuered in the Communion to the Apostles was a particular gift and vnbloudy Sacrifice giuen to God for vs to signifie the sacrifice of our harts c. 10. In like manner our Sauiour at his last Supper took wyne which also was vsed in vnbloudy sacrifices or sacrifice of gifts as witnesseth the Scripture in the sacrifice of Melchisedech Gen. 13. and after blessed it as witnesseth S. Paul 1. Cor. 10. So that it was holy and consecrated wyne to God as is the wyne of all sacrifices and changed the substance of that which before vvas wyne into the substance of his bloud saying This is my bloud Math. 26. 28. To shew the omnipotent power of God who is able to alter and change all things created at his will and pleasure vvhich alteration by some change of the thing offered is vsed in all sacrifices and lastly to shed his bloud to God for vs therby to signifie the inuisible contrition and sacrifice of our harts and his dominion ouer vs and our subiection vnto him saying This is my bloud which is shed for you Luk. 22. not after a carnall or cruell manner but after the manner of a gift cleane oblation and vnbloudy sacrifice as witnesseth the practise and experience of all ages no Christian Catholik man euer affirming that our Sauiour at his last supper shed his bloud after a carnal cruell manner but after the manner of gifts and cleane vnbloudy Sacrifices to the fulfilling of the Prophecies cited before in the 8. and 10. Chapters 11. Our aduersaries confesse that our Lord at his last Supper administred the communion vnto the Apostles and it is neuer read of any sect or sort of people in former ages that they communicated together and not of meate offered in Sacrifice to God except the Epicures and Atheists as I haue proued in the 6. Chapter of this book Wherefore seeing that our Sauiour at his last supper administred the holy communion it is manifest that he offered first sacrifice in the meate which he deliuered in the communion before he deliuered it and bloudy Sacrifices being to cease in the new law as I haue proued it necessarily followeth that our Sauiour at his last supper offered vnbloudy Sacrifices of gifts and administred the communion of the same and that these gifts or vnbloudy Sacrifices were his body and bloud vnder the species of bread and wyne seeing he in plaine and expresse termes sayth of them This is my body which is giuen for you Luk 22. This is my body which is broken for you 1. Cor. 11. This is my bloud which is shed for you Luk. 22. 12. And after that our Sauiour at his last supper had offered a Sacrifice of gifts or an vnbloudy Sacrifice in his body and bloud and had communicated the Apostles of the same he presently by an expresse command established the said kind of Sacrifice in his Church for a commemoration of him saying Doe this the same which he then did for a commemoration of mee Luk 22 And this doe ye for the commemoration of mee 1. Cor. 11. 24. Whereupon the Catholik anciens Fathers beleeued that our Sauiour at his last supper offered vnbloudy Sacrifice or Sacrifice of gifts in his body and bloud and therefore sometymes call the Sacrifice of the new law Gifts sometymes vnbloudy sacrifice as all one thing as I will shew more at large in the next chapter CHAP. XII The ancient Fathers beleeued that our Lord at his last supper offered vnbloudie sacrifice in his body and bloud and established the same in his Church 1. FIrst all the Catholick ancient Fathers were The Fathers Bishops or Priests either Bishops or Priests or both and either daily or often vsed and practised Liturgies or publick Church seruice books which teach the offering of vnbloudie Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord in their Churches and the administration of the Sacrament as the protestant Bishops and ministers of England vse the book of the order for the administration of the Lords supper in their Churches so they could not but beleeue and teach that our Lord at his last supper offered vnbloudie Sacrifice or Sacrifice of gifts in his body and No antient books of the administatiō of the Communion but teach vnbloodie Sacrifice bloud and established the same in his Church vnlesse our aduersaries will make them atheists and hypocrites to say and doe one thing and beleeue another For there neither is nor euer was before the rebellion of Luther amongst anie sect or sort of Christians reputed heretickes to both parties only excepted any book of the administration of the holie communion but those which teach how to offer vnbloudie Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord and how to administer the communion in the same 2. This is first manifest by the practise and proceeding of our Aduersaries themselues Protestant Bishops and Priests are nevve inuentions who vvhen they did resolue in the 2. yeare of King Edvvard the sixt a child to forsake the Catholique Religion and faith in this point and to haue a Religion vvherein there should be noe offering of vnbloudie Sacrifice or receauing the bodie and bloud of our Lord from the hand of a Priest or Altar could not finde before the time of the Rebellion of Luther anie one Bishop or Priest who had taken such orders or was ordayned a Bishop or Priest of such a Religion knowne and reputed hereticks to both parties onely excepted by whom they could or might haue such Bishops and Priests made nor yet anie book in the whole Christian world in the ages before Luther where in they might or could finde the formes or manner of making and consecrating such kind of Bishops or Priests But seeing they would needs haue such a kinde of Bishops and Priests and such a kinde of Religion they were forced to inuent a new forme and manner of making and consecrating Bishops and Priests conformable vnto their desyres as appeareth by their book intituled The forme and manner of making and consecrating Bishops Priests and Deacons 3. And this
their forme and manner of making those their Bishops Priests and Deacons is so dissonant from all the manners and formes vsed before the rebellion of Luther that in the 36. Article of their owne religion established by act of Parliament they confesse that this their said booke is a booke Lately sett forth in the time of Edward the fixt and confirmed at the same time by authoritie of Parliament and neuer before either The making of Protestat Clergie a late inuentiō set forth or confirmed by anie Councell or Parliament but then diuised as witnesseth the statute it selfe of the 3 and 4 yeare of Edward the sixt in the 12 act saying Be it enacted by the Kinges Highnes c. that such forme and manner of making Protestant Clergie deuised in the time of Edvvard the sixt and consecrating of Archbishops Bishops Priests Deacons and other Ministers of the Church as by six other men of this Realme learned in Gods law by the Kings Maiestie to be appointed and assigned or by the most number of them shal be deuised for that purpose and sett forth vnder the great Seale of England before the first daie of Aprill next coming shall by vertue of this act be lawfully exercised and vsed and none other anie other statute law or vsage to the contrarie in anie wise notwithstanding Thus this statute whereby we see that before the time of Edward the sixt all the Archbishops Bishops Priests c. were so ordained to offer vnbloudy Sacrifices in the bodie and bloud of our Lord that our aduersaires could not finde a forme or manner of making Archbishops Bishops Priests and who should not offer vnbloody sacrifice but were forced to inuent and deuise as the statute saith a new one and this so contrarie to the 3. Creeds and promises of God vnto his Church that Thomas Rogers a Protestant Glosser vpon the articles of their Religion in his book intituled The English Creed at the end of the 36. article ingeniously The Protestant Clergie no Catholiques confesseth that this article of the consecration of Protestant Archbishops Bishops Priests c. is noe article of the Catholique Church as a thing no where to be found amongst Catholique Christians but then deuised by Protestants 4. And after that they had deuised a forme and manner of making Archbishops Bishops Priests c who should not offer Sacrifice in all the ages before Luther except only knowne and reputed heretickes atheists and Epicures to both parties they could not finde a book where the office of these kind of men was sett downe without offering of sacrifice but were also forced to inuent a new book of offices for their said Bishops and Priests called The order for the administration of the Lords supper neuer heard of to haue been vsed amongst anie sort of men before Luther except aboue excepted as witnesseth the said book or Order for the administration of the Lords supper sett downe in the end of their booke of common praier and the statutes of the 5. and 6. yeare of Edward the sixt and first yeare of Queen Elizabeth and experience it selfe our aduersaries not being able to finde anie such book sett forth for the administration of anie Lords supper amongst anie sect or sort of men from the beginning of the world vntill the rebellion of Luther knowne and reputed heretickes atheists and Epicures to both parties onely excepted 5. The Apostles themselues beleeuing that our Lord ordained them Bishops and Priests to offer vnbloudy Sacrifice or Sacrifice of Giftes in his bodie and bloud for a commemoration of The forme of making Bishops and Priests set dvvne by the Apostles him sett forth also a forme or manner of consecrating other Bishops and Priests to offer vnbloudy Sacrifice or Sacrifice of Giftes in his body and bloud for a commemoration of him in the 8. booke of their constitutions where in the consecration of a Bishop the Consecrator saith Giue vnto him that is consecrated ô Allmightie Lord by thy Christ the participation of the holie Ghost that he may haue power to remitt sinnes according to thy command and of loosing all bands according to the power which thou hast giuen vnto the Apostles and of pleasing thee in meekenes and puritie of heart by offering vnto thee alwaies without fault and without sinne a pure and vnbloudie Sacrifice which by Christ thou hast established the misterie of the new Testament as a fragrant smell of sweetenes For as the Apostles saie in the last chapter of their said booke The only begotten Christ did not take this honor to himselfe but was instituted a cheef Priest by his Father who being made man for our sakes and offering a spirituall host his spirituall bodie to his God and Father before his passion and ordained vs onlie that we should doe the same when there were others with vs whereof some also beleeued in him but whosoeuer doth beleeue was not forth with made a Priest or obtained the degree of Episcopall dignitie And we offering a pure and vnbloudie Sacrifice as our Lord ordained haue chosen Bishops Priests and seauen Deacons Thus the Apostles in their constitutions and for the proofe of their authenticalnes I referr you to the preface of Franciscus Turrianus sett before them The forme and manner of making or consecrating Bishops and Priests thus established there was neuer anie Catholick Priest ordained who was not ordained to offer vnbloudie Sacrifice or sacrifice of guifts in the bodie and bloud of our Lord as witnesse all the Pontificals or bookes sett forth for the ordayning of Bishops and Priests in the Church of God nor ever a catholique Bishop or Priest who had not for office the offering of vnbloudie Sacrifice or sacrifice of guifts in the Church of God Whereupon S. Basill Bishop of Capadocia as witnesseth Amphilochius in his life desired of God that he would giue him wisdome and vnderstanding to write a Liturgie or publicke Church-seruice booke with his owne hand wherin he might offer vnbloudie Sacrifice to God and continueing in his praier our Lord appeared vnto him in a vision and saied According to thy petition let thy mouth be filled with praise in such sort as by thy proper wordes thou maiest offer vnbloudy Sacrifice Againe in his Anaphora he praieth saying Thou ô Lord make vs worthie that wee maie stand before thee with a pure heart and minister vnto thee and may offer vnto thee this reuerend and vnbloudy Sacrifice for the remission of our sinnes 6 So likewise S. Chrisostome Bishop of Constantinopole not only in his Liturgie praieth vnto God that he may assist at his fearefull Sanctuarie and finish the vnbloudie Sacrifice without offence but also affirmeth that Christ as Lord of all hath deliuered vnto vs the celebration of this solemne and vnbloudie Sacrifice And sometimes calleth it vnbloudie Sacrifice sometimes guifts which was so extended all ouer that world in his time that in his homily vpon the 95. Psal he saith In
they being for the most part daily and publickly vsed and practised in all the Curches of Christendome and no knowne Christian Catholick man to take notice of such a generall corruption was a thing impossible as we see by experience in thinges of lesser moment and more rarelie practised and of meaner account and reckoning Neither could the whole Christian Catholick Church the promises of God vnto his Church considered so suddenly decaie after the death and Passion of our Lord that in all Christendome there should be no knowne publick practise of the right administration of the Sacrament of the bodie and bloud of our Lord. 3. And if wee looke in to the first Liturgie or publicke Church seruice booke which was made The Christian vnbloudie sacrifice begunn at Hierusalem in the Apostles tymes for the Church of Hierusalem where the Ghospell first began and from whence it was to be spredd and preached vnto all nations according to the wordes of our Lord Luck 24. 47. Act. 1. 8. as into the Liturgie which was made by S. Iames the Apostle for the Church of Hierusalem whereof he was instituted Bishop by the Apostles as witnesseth Eusebius in the 22. chapter of his 2. booke of histories which Liturgie is also confirmed to be his by the 32. Canon of the 6. generall Councell by Proclus Bishop of Constantinople in his Tradition of the Diuine Liturgie and S. Cirill Bishop of Hierusalem in his 5. Catechesis both which liued aboue 1200. yeares past and see what will be found there it will directe vs in all the rest 4. In this Liturgie the Priest saith Lord thou S. Iames his Liturgie hast granted that we should confidentlie approach vnto thy holie Altar and offer vnto thee this reuerend and vnbloudie Sacrifice for our sinns c. Let it please thee that these Giftes which we offer with our handes maie be acceptable vnto thee c. Doe not turne awaie from vs sinners handeling tbis fearefull and vnbloudie Sacrifice c. Let it please thee o Lord that we maie be ministers of thy new testament and sacrifice of thy immaculate misteries and admitt vs approaching vnto thy holie Altar according to the multitude of thy mercies that we may be worthie who would offer vnto thee Giftes and sacrifice for our selues and for those sinnes which the people haue committed through ignorance Grāt vs ô Lord that we maie offer vnto thee with all feare and a pure concience this spirituall and vnbloudie Sacrifice c. We bend our knees vnto thy goodnes haue mercie vpon vs ô Lord seeing that we worship and tremble when wee are to aproache vnto tby holie Altar to offer this fearefull and vnbloudie sacrifice for our sinnes c. We offer vnto thee this venerable and vnbloudie sacrifice c. Send vpon vs and vpon these giftes thy holie Spirit 5. And setting downe the wordes of consecration he saith Iesus Christ the night in which he was betraied or rather the night in which be deliuered himself for the life and saluation of the world taking bread into his holy immaculate blamelesse and immortall hands looking vp into heauen and shewing to thee God and father giuing thankes sanctifying breaking he gaue vnto vs his disciples and Apostles saying Take ye and eate this is my bodie which is broken for you and is giuen for the remission of sinns In like manner after he had supped taking the Chalice and mingling wine and water and looking into heauen and shewing to thee God and Father giuing thankes Sanctifying blessing filling with the holie Ghost he gaue vnto vs his disciples saying Drincke yee all of this This is my bloud of the new Testament which is shedd for you and for manie and is giuen for the remission of sinnes doe this for a commemoration of me for as often as you shall eate this bread and drinke this Chalice you doe shew forth the death of the Sonne of man and doe confesse his resurrection vntill he come 6. And further telling vs what these Giftes and vnbloudie Sacrifices were he saith Christ our Lord doth come forth that he may be immolated and giuen for meate to the faithfull And putting a parte of the consecrated bread into the Chalice mingling them together he saith The vnion of the most pretious bodie and bloud of our Lord and God and Sauiour Iesu Christ. And sygning the consecrated bread he saith Behold the lambe of God the Sonne of the Father who taketh awaie the sinnes of the world slaine for the life and saluation of the world Thus S. Iames the Apostle and much more to this effect in his Liturgie or publick Church-seruice booke which he made for the Church of Hierusalem whereof he was Bishop 7. And the like hath all the rest of the Liturgies or publicke Church-seruice-bookes which were made by the rest of the Apostles and Euangelistes or Apostolicall men for the countries and Prouinces which they had vnder their charge or which they had conuerted vnto the Christian Catholicke faith to the publishing and dilating the vnbloudie sacrifice or sacrifice of Giftes in the bodie and bloud of our Lord which was begun in Hierusalem by our Lord and the Apostles all ouer the world for a commemoration of our Lord to the fulfilling of the prophecies in that kinde As the Liturgie or publick Church-seruice Booke of S. Peter made for the Romans and these westerne partes of the world The Liturgie of S. Matthew made for the Ethiopians and further partes of Asia and Africa The Liturgie of S Marke made for the Egiptiens and Grecians and so forth as they are sett downe by Margarinus in his sixt Tome of his Bibliotheca Patrum And in the first and laste Tome of the Bibliotheca Patrum sett forth by the Deuines of Colen 8. Of these Liturgies and publique Church-seruice bookes the afore said Proclus Bishop of Constantinople in the place afore cited writeth thus Verie manie Pastors and Doctors of the Church who were famous for pietie and some of those who succeded the Apostles haue deliuered vnto the Church in writing the exposition of the mystitall Liturgie Amongst whom S. Clement doth challenge the first place who was a disciple of the Prince of the Apostles and declared his successor by the Apostles themselues and S. Iames the first Bishop of Hierusalem Afterwards Basill the great finding that manie men thought the former Liturgies to long brought it into a more compendious forme Not long after our Iohn who of his golden eloquence was called Chrisostome hauing consideration of the infirmitie of men that they might haue no excuse tooke awaie manie things and prescribed a briefer forme c. After our sauiour was assumptod into heauen the Apostles before they were dispersed ouer the world being of one minde and liuing together gaue themselues wholy vnto praier and finding great consolation in that mysticall sacrifice of our Lords bodie they sunge the Liturgie at large with manie praiers Thus Proclus Bishop of Constantinople who
Passion Resurrection from hell and Ascension into heauen we doe offer vnto thee this immaculate host reasonable host vnbloudy host this holy bread and Chalice of eternall life and beseech that thou wouldest receaue this oblation in thy high Altar by the handes of thy Angells as thou hast vouchsafed to receaue the Giftes of thy child Abell and the Sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham and that which the high Priest Melchisedech offered vnto thee Which wordes are also vsed in the in the offering of Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord in the Catholicke Church even vntill this daie 8. S. Hierome who as we haue placed them is the sixth amonst the antient Doctors of the Catholick S. Hierome of the Sacrifice and Sacrament Church so constantly beleeued a Sacrifice and communion in the body and bloud of our Lord that in the 5. chapter of his 3. booke against the Pelagians he saith Christ hath taught his Apostles this that these who haue daily confidence in the Sacrifice of his body may bouldly saie Our Father which art in heauen as the Catholicke Church vseth euen vntill this daie in the daily Sacrifice of his body Vpon the first chapter to Titus A Bishopp is to offer pure victimes euery daie to God for his owne sinnes and sinnes of the People In the 19. chapter of his first book against Iouinian Priests ought alwaies to offer Sacrifice for the People In the 3. chapter of his book against Vigilantius defendeth the Bishopp of Rome who as he saith offered Sacrifice to God ouer the venerable bones of Peter and Paule In his 150. Epistle Moyses hath not giuen vs true bread but our Lord Iesus he is the guest and the banquet he is he that eateth and who is eaten we drincke his bloud and without him we cannot drincke it and daily in his Sacrifices we tread forth the new redd wine of the branch of the true vine and of the viniard of Sorac which is as much as to saie chosen and out of these we drinck new wine of the Kingdome of the Father In the Preface of his 5. book vpon the Prophet Ieremie alluding to the communion of Christians he saith The People of God shall eate the bread which was borne in our village of Bethlem where he sometimes liued a religious life in a monasterie Vpon the 3. chapter of Sophonias Priests serue the Eucharist and distribute our Lords bloud to his People In his Epistle to Heliodorus he saith God forbidd that I should speake any sinister S. Hierome his respect to Priests thing of those who succeeding to the Apostolicall degree doe make the body of Christ with their holy mouthes by whom we also become Christians Againe in his Epistle to Euagrius he saith At the praiers of Bishopps and Priests the body and bloud of Christ is made Which eminencie and dignitie of consecrating the body and bloud of our Lord who is the lambe without spott and the light of heauen so penetrated his heart that though a Priest yet out of his profound S. Hieromes humilitie humilitie and venerable respect to so great a Mysterie as is the consecration of the body and bloud of our Lord would not venture to consecrate or offer Christian Sacrifice as witnesseth S. Epiphanius in his Epistle to Iohn Bishopp of Hierusalem translated out of greeke into latin by S. Hierome himselfe and fett downe both amongst S. Hieromes Epistles and in S. Epiphanius his workes where he saith That after he had seen that there were a multitude of holy bretheren or fryars gathered together in a Monastery and the holy Priests Hierome and Vincent who liued amongst them out of their modestie and humilitie would not exercise the offering of Sacrifice due vnto their function nor labour in this Sacrifice the chiefest saluation of Christians part of the Ministrie which is the chiefest saluation of Christians he ordayned S. Hieromes brother a Priest to supply the necessitie of the monasterie for the offering of Sacrifice and the administration of Sacraments as further witnesseth S. Hierome in the 3. chapter of his Epistle to Theophilus against Iohn of Hierufalem and Epiphanius aboue cited 9. By this which hath been said it is so manifest that all the six aforesaid ancient Doctors of the Catholick Church not only held and taught a Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord and a communion of the same but also that this their opinion was agreable to the Scriptures that it is without all controuersie Before all those Doctors flourished Optatus Mileuitanus who writing Optatus Mileuitanus of the furie of the hereticall Donatists against the Eucharist of the body and bloud of our Lord consecrated by Catholicke Priests saith in his 2. booke against Parmenianus That your aforesaid The furie of the Donatists against the Sacrifice and Eucharist of Catholickes Bishopps might violate all holy thinges they commanded the Eucharist to be cast vnto doggs not without a manifestation of the iudgement of God for the same doggs becomming madd with their teeth tore theire Maisters as theeues and guilty of the holy body c. Againe in his 6. booke describing yet more at large the furie of these heretickes against the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord offered by Catholick Priests saith What is so sacrilegious as to breake raise or remoue the Altars of God vpon the which you also sometimes offered wpon which the vowes of the People and the members of Christ are borne where Almightie God is inuocated where the holy Ghost being desired doth descend from whence many take the pledge of eternall saluation the defence of faith and hope of Resurrection c. for what is the Altar but the seate of the body and bloud of Christ All these things your furie hath either raised or broken or remoued c. What had Christ offended you whose body and bloud did dwell there vpon the Altar for a certaine time What haue you offended against yourselues that you should breake these Altars vpon the which for many yeares before vs you offered as we thinke holily whilest that you doe wickedly persecute our handes there where the body of Christ doth dwell you strike your owne whereby you imitate the Iewes They cast their handes on Christ vpon the Crosse and you strike him vpon the Altar And afterwardes This wicked deede is doubled whilest you breake the Chalices the beares of the bloud of Christ whose species you haue turned into masses or lumpes prouiding marchandize for wicked fayres Thus Optatus 10. S. Cyprian liued abond the yeare 240. and S. Cyprian his beleefe of this Sacrifice he in his 63. Epistle proueth against the Aquarij certaine hereticks who were in his time That Iesus-Christ our Lord God was author and teacher of this Sacrifice of his body and bloud which in his time was vsed and beleeued throughout the Christian world as there he proueth at large and by the same places of
Chalcedon Whereby it is sufficiently manifest that three of the fower first Generall Councels called the Eucharist the vnbloudie sacrifice and esteemd that our Sauiour at his last supper offered vnbloudie sacrifice or gifts vnto God 14. To this we may add the second Councel of Nice in the third Tcme of the sixt section saying The 2. Councel of Nice None of the Apostles or of our famous fathers called our vnbloudie Sacrifice which is donn in commemoration of Christ our Lord and all his dispensations the image of his bodie Againe a little after in the same place the said Councel saith Neither our Lord or the Apostles or Fathers euer called the vnbloudie Sacrifice which is offered by the Priest an Image or signe So these fower generall Councels Whereby it is manifest vnto anie indifferent Reader that our Sauiour at his last Supper offered in his bodie and bloud a proper and speciall visible externall vnbloudie Sacrifice and ordayned that a proper and speciall visible externall vnbloudie Sacrifice representing the inward and inuisible Sacrifice of our hartes should be offered vnto God in his Church by Bishops and Pristes thereby to honor God with diuine worshipp or Latria only due to him make commemoration of the passion of our Sauiour for vs and preserue peace vnitie and societiewith God and amongst our selues After vvhat manner our Sauiour died for all 15. For though our Sauiour died for all and his Sacrifice vpon the Crosse is of such a value and vertue that it alone for as much as is required on the behalfe of our Sauiour for the redemption of mankinde was sufficient to redeeme a thousand worlds if there were so manie yet because this Sacrifice of redemption was donn but once and neither could nor needed to be donn anie more and our Sauiour did not neither was it conuenient that he should so redeeme mankinde by his death and passion as that man on his part should haue nothing to doe for his saluation but only idlely to beleeue that Christ died for him and assure himselfe that he should be saued therefore he ordained that all those who would be saued should not onely beleeue the whole articles of the Faith which he planted vpon earth S. Iohn saying in his second Epistle Euerie one that reuolteth and persisteth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God but also that they should doe those thinges which he hath commaunded comparing the rest vnto fooles saying Euerie one that heareth these my wordes and doth them not shal be like a foolish man that built his hous vpon the sand Matth. 7. Wherefore all those who are of yeares of discretion and will not be nombred amongst these fooles and perish eternally are to offer vnbloudie Sacrifice to God thereby to honour God with the worship of Latria due only vnto him applie the Sacrifice of the Crosse vnto them make commemoration of the Passion of our Lord and fulfill his Cōmands For as our Sauiour commanded the Apostles to teache and baptize saying Teach yee all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holie Ghost Matth. 28. 19 so also he commaunded them to offer vnbloudie Sacrifice saying after he had giuen his bodie for vs Doe this for a commemoration of me Luk. 22. 16. If our Sauiour by his Sacrifice of Redemption vpon the Crosse should haue redeemed all If our Sauiour had redeemed all men vvith out doing anie thing on their parts he had destroied all morall vertues men absolutely without requiring any thing to be donn on their partes but only to beleeue he had destroyed all morall vertues as patience obedience humilitie iustice fortitude temperance c. and also those theologicall vertues of charitie and hope and had been a meanes to plante idlenes sloath sinne and the workes of the Diuell amongst men which is absurd seeing that as S. Iohn saith For this appeared the Sonne of God that he might dissolue the workes of the Diuell 1. Ioh. 3. 8. And the sinn of sloath is to be punished with euerlasting tormentes Matth. 25. 26. And this is sufficieot to shew how the auncient Fathers beleeued that our Lord at his last supper offered vnbloudie Sacrifice in his Bodie and bloud and established the same in his Church CHAP. XIII The whole Christian world before Luther beleeued that our Sauiour at his last supper offered vnbloudie Sacrifice or Sacrifice of Gifts in his bodie and bloud and established them in his Church 1. THe whole Christian world which was Vnbloudy sacrefice dilated ouer the vvorld before the Rebellion of Martin Luther beleeued that our Lord at his last Supper offered vnbloudie sacrifice or sacrifice of Giftes in his bodie and bloud and established them to be vsed in his Church vntill the end thereof as witnes all the Apostles and Apostolicall mens Liturgies or publicke Church seruice Bookes both ancient and moderne which haue been vsed before the rebellion of Luther in anie countrie prouince cittie or parish in anie part of the Christian world or by anie knowen sect or sort of men knowen and reputed hereticks to both parties only excepted all which bookes were made chieflie to expresse what passed at the last supper of our Lord and to retaine in the Christian world a pious memorie and commemoration of him according to his commaund saying Doe this the same which he then did in commemoration of me In execution whereof all those Liturgies or publicke Church-seruice-bookes were putt forth either by the Apostles themselues or Apostolicall men as witnes the bookes themselues vnto which bookes howsoeuer some prayer names of Saintes or the like may be added which is commōly donn according to the necessitie of the time and the worthines of Saintes arising vpp in the Church of God yet by the consent of both the Greeke and Latin Church and all Christian Catholick men in this point of the commemoration of the Passion of our Lord and expression of what passed at the institution of the B. Sacrtment there is noting added of moment or substance 2. And this doth appeare by the bookes themselues All catholick publick Church-seruice bookes agree in sacrifice which though they haue been dispersed in all ages and times since they were made through Christendome and were penned by diuers of the Apostles or Apostolicall men yet in matter of the Sacrifice and Sacrament of the new Law they all agree in one and so vniformely expresse the commemoration commaunded to to be obserued by our Lord at his last supper by diuine Gifts or vnbloudie Sacrifice in his body and bloud as though they had all in this point been penned at diuers times by one man and vsed in one citty or Church which could neuer haue been if anie of the said bookes had in this point been corrupted For to corrupt them all in those mysteries which the Christian Catholickes haue euer esteemed to be sacred and all their corruptions to agree in this point
God is true and euery man that speaketh contrary to his word and promises is a lyar Rom. 3. 4. and beleeue as an article of our Creed that the true reall and substantiall body and bloud of our Lord is in the blessed Sacrament after consecration by the omnipotency of the word of God and so make good the promises of God our 3. Creeds and the honor of the Catholik Church of former ages 23. If thou beest a Christian and esteemest Christians bound to honor their Parents that thou art bound to keep the ten commaundements and honor they carnall Father and Mother how much more art thou bound to honor God who is Father of all Fathers and the Catholik Church who is Mother of all Mothers who are or shal be saued So do but beleeue thy Creed which teacheth thee to saye I beleeue in God the Father Almighty and in Iesus-Christ his only Sonne our Lord and not to saye I beleeue mine owne witt judgment knowledge or learning and perswade they selfe that thou art bound to honor Father and Mother and then thou wilt finde that it is as certaine that the true reall and substantiall body and bloud of our Lord is in the blessed Sacrament after consecration when it is consecrated aright by a Priest lawfully ordained as are certaine the articles of they Creed or that the promises of God are true or that thou art bound to keep the fourth commandement CHAP. X. The Amen or conclusion of this book and how all faithfull communicants haue vsed to saye Amen to the body and bloud of our Lord in the blessed Sacrament before they communicated 1. OVr Sauiour foreseeing the infidelity which vvould arise amongst men towards the end of the world against this article of the reall presence of the body and bloud of our Lord in the Eucharist after consecration Confirmation of the reall presence by oath affirmed vnder a kind of oath that we shoud eate his flesh and drink his bloud saying Amen Amen I say to you vnlesse you eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud you shall not haue life in you He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath life euerlasting and I will raise him vp at the last daye Io. 6. For as S. Augustine in his 41. Tract vpon the Ghospell of S. Iohn saith Amen Amen is after a certaine manner Christs oath And this our Sauiour did to establish in men a confident assurance of the deliuering of his true and reall flesh to eate and bloud to drink in the Communion For to thinke that Christ our Lord who came down from heauen to teach men the truth should vse a kinde of oath in so serious a matter as did concerne the euerlasting life or death of all his Auditors and yet equiuocate rightly considered is too great an impietie to enter into the heart of any one who professeth himselfe a Christian so that it cannot be doubted but the end why our Lord vsed this his kind of oath or earnest asseueration was to assure the faithfull that The cause vvhy our Sauiour confirmed the reall presence by oath he would giue them his true reall and substantiall flesh to eate in the Eucharist for as S. Hierome in his commentaries vpon the last chapter to the Galathians saith In the ould Testament God confirmeth his words by a certaine custome of swearing saying I liue saith the Lord c. and our Sauiour in the ghospell by the word Amen doth pronounce these things to be true which he saith 2. This Doctrine being thus established by our Lord vnder his kind of oath the Apostles also according to the example of our Lord foreseeing Preuention against future difficulties the difficulty which in future tymes would arise about it taught the Children of the Church of God in the celebration of this Sacrament either presently after the words of the consecration of the body and bloud of our Lord or before the Communion or both to add to their acclamations and consent by saying Amen either to the words of consecration or els to the Priest when he should call the Eucharist the body of Christ thereby to instruct all her faithfull children constantly to beleeue the being of the true reall and substantiall body of our Lord in the Eucharist after consecration before Communion and couragiously to professe this their beliefe by acclamations of Amen to the confusion and shame of all those who at any tyme thereafter should deny it As wittnesseth the practise of the Church in all ages euen from the Apostles tymes both in the publike Liturgies or Church seruice books and the workes of the ancient Fathers 3. And as for the Liturgies the Liturgy of S. Iames the Apostle sett fort for the Church of Hierusalem saith Iesus taking bread into his holy immaculate Amen to the reall presence taught by S. Iames. inculpable and immortall hands looking into heauen and shewing to thee God and Father giuing thankes sanctifying breaking he gaue vnto vs his Disciples and Apostles saying Take ye and eate this is my body which is broken for you and giuen for the remission of sinnes Wherevnto the people aswere with a lowde voice Amen to demonstrate that they beleeued the Eucharist after the consecration to be the true and reall body of Christ for to say Amen is as much as to saye It is true And the like they answere after the consecration of the chalice the Liturgie saying Then the Priest taketh the chalice and sayth In like manner also after he had supped taking the chalice and mixing it with wine and water and looking into heauen and shewing to thee God and Father giuing thankes sanctifying blessing filling with the holy Ghost he gaue it to vs his Disciples saying Drinke ye all of this this is my bloud of the new Testament which is shed for you and for many and is giuen for the remission of sinns Where vnto the people answere with a lowde voice Amen constantly to shew their faith and beliefe of the true reall and substantiall bloud of our Lord in the Eucharist after consecration and before they receiued it 4. Amen is an Hebrew word vsed in confirmation VVhat Amen signifyeth of a thing spoken of before and signifyeth true or truth as it is true or be it so As witnesseth the Scripture saying The Leuites shall pronounce and saie to all the men of Israel with alowde voice cursed is the man that maketh a grauen thing or idoll and shall put it in secret and all the people shall answere and saye Amen Cursed is he that honoreth not his Father and Mother and all the people shall saye Amen Cursed is he that remoueth his neighbours bounds and all the people shall saye Amen c. as is sett down Deut. 27. So likewise S. Paule saith To God be honor and glory for euer and euer Amen Rom. 16. 27. Againe The holy Ghost be with you all Amen Apoc. 22. 5. So
OF THE VISIBLE SACRIFICE OF THE CHVRCH OF GOD. THE FIRST PART VVritten by ANONYMVS EREMITA He that Sacrificeth to Gods shall be put to death but to our Lord only Exod. 22. 20. AT BRVXELLES By HVBERT ANTONY Velpius Printer to his Maiestie 1637. TO THE MOST EXCELLENT HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE CHARLES KING OF GREAT BRITAINE France Ireland c. Health and eternall felicitie MOst dread Soueraigne So many are the temporall blessings which All tie God hath bestowed vpon your Royall Maiestie that scarcely can they be paralelled in any other A Monarke of three Kingdomes all fortefied with the Ocean sea a Queene wyse vertuous beutifull and fruitefull subiects without number all in peace and plentie stryuing how to expresse their loues and obedience to so worthie a soueraigne health of Body and disposition of mynd fitt for any heroicall action so that not knowing what to wish or how to adde any more vnto your present temporall estate and happinesse as much as in me lyeth I desyre with all my heart that these your temporall blessings may also be seconded with spirituall eternall And for this cause and to this end hauing occasion to wryte of a Medecine against mortalitie of a Receipt against all diseases corruption and death of a Soueraigne Balme which whosoeuer will vse worthely shall liue eternally I could not but dedicate these my labours vnto your Maiestie vnto whom aboue all men liuing I wish compleat felicitie that protected by your royall fauour this Cordiall may worke the effect I desire which is euerlasting happines to your selfe subiects And so imploring your royall clemencie with most humble respects and profound submission I cast my selfe and labours vnder the shadow of your gratious protection euer to remaine Of your Sacred Maiestie A most humble and most faithfull subject ANONYMVS EREMITA THE PREFACE TO THE READER DEare Reader It may seeme strange vnto thee that an Hermit whose entertainment and conuersation ought chiefly to be in solitude meditation contemplation should trouble himselfe in his Cell with the turbulent controuersies of this tyme in matters of faith which in former ages when innocencie and vertue most florished euery Christian receaued with his baptisme after most constantly to hould and professe the same all the dayes of his life yet so it fell out that in conuersing with dyuers Puritans I found by experience that out of ignorance and want of knowledge what our visible sacrifice is by whome it was instituted or to what end they hate it more then they doe Iudaisme Turcisme or Paganisme it selfe in such sort that they obiect our offering of visible Sacrifice as one of the chiefest causes of their alienation from vs when in truth and veritie exterior visible sacrifice is the cheef exterior visible honor which is due to God as he is God and Creator of all things as will appeare by examination if we shall passe through all the exterior visible worships respects reuerences which are vsed by men in this life and it is so due vnto God alone that it may not be giuen vnto any Creature or false God vnder penaltie of high treason against his Deuine Maiestie punishable by death as witnesseth his lavv and euerlasting decree saging He that sacrificeth to Gods shall be put to death But to our Lord only So that the first motiue which moued me to wryte of this subiect was the grosse ignorāce and blindnesse I found in many Puritans who commonly would bitterly inueigh against our visible sacrifice not knowing what it was nor wherfore it was instituted for otherwyse I suppose they would not be so vehement against the honour of God therfore thought with my selfe for the honor of God and good of their soules to wryte plainly and manifestly of this subiect without any flourishing words or loftinesse of style or farr fetcht inuentions to make euery well minded simple Protestant or Puritan who will be delyghted with truth capable to perceaue and vnderstand that the exterior visible sacrifice or Masse which he so much hateth is the cheef exterior visible worshipp which doth belong vnto God alone that he may also defend the honor of God and not oppose it Secondly the emminencie excellencie of the Sacrament of the Alter is so greate that S. Augustine in the 24. chapter of his first booke de peccatorū meritis calleth it The lyfe of the world S. Ignatius disciple to S. Iohn the Euangelist The medecine of immortalitie and antidote against death S. Epiphanius in his Epistle to Iohn of Hierusalem The chiefest saluation of Christians vvhich before God is also so highly prysed that vvhen through wickednes of men and of Antechrist it shall be quyte taken a way out of the face of the earth the world shall end as witnesseth our fauiour saying The bread which I will giue is my flesh for the lyfe of the world Iohn 6. 51. for euē as when lyfe is takē from a man a man dyeth so when the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord shall be taken out of the world by the meanes of wicked men and of Antechrist the world shall be consumed with fyer as witnesse Daniel 9. 27. Mat. 24. 15. 1. Cor. 11. 26. Which considered fynding the passion of the Puritans of our nation so furious against this said Sacrament of the Alter as to esteeme the reuerence respect which is due vnto it Idolatrie and so to persecute it that if it lay in their poners they would not only extirpate it out of this Iland of great Britanie but out of the whole globe of the earth to bring in their fancie of eating a peece of bakers bread The honour of my lord the saluation of their soules and the lyfe of my Countrie moued me to abstract some howers from my ordinarie recollections to defend with my penne the dignitie of so emminent a Sacrament If this worke of myne fall short of thyne expectation accept of my good will which is if it were in my poner te giue all honor vnto God vnto whome all honor and glorie is due and vnto thee Reader lyfe of eternall lyfe and so Irest thy seruant in Christ Iesus CHAP. I. VVhat we vnderstand by visible Sacrifice and of the whole scope of this booke TO vnfold vnto thee deare Reader the whole scope of this our booke and to sett plainely and manifestly before thine eyes the whole state of this controuersy Of the exterior visible Sacrifyce of the Church of God where of I intend by Gods grace to treate It is necessary first to explicate vnto thee what a sacrifice in generall is then to distinguish the different kindes of Sacrifice one from an other after to defyne or descrybe a proper exterior visible sacrifice and lastly to sett downe the differences between Catholiques and English Protestants and Puritans concerning visible sacrifice that by this first Chapter thou maist cleerly know what I treate of and see the said differences and the whole
by the sufferings of our sauiour vpon the Crosse 10. If anie obiect and say that the Scriptures Hovv God doth desire Sacrifice and not desire it often affirme that God doth not desire Sacrifice this obiection S. Auguctine answereth in the aforesaid chapter prouing by manie examples of Scripture that when it is said God doth not require Sacrifice it is to be vnderstood of the visible signe which is commonly called the sacrifice when it is without the inuisible Sacrifice of our hearts for so it is but a false signe and hipocrisie such as was the sacrifice of Cain who offered his goods as a visible signe but not his heart in an inuisible Sacrifice and therefore his sacrifice was reiected and Abells accepted as witnesseth Rupertus in his 4. book vpon Genesis and second chapter saying By faith saith S. Paul Abel offered a greater host then Cain for in exterior worshipp and religion they both offered alike And therefore both of them offered rightlie but Cain did not rightly deuide for Cain whilest he offered his goods to God kept himself vnto himself hauing his heart fixed in earthly desires Such portions or outward gifts God doth not accept of but by himselfe saith in the 23. of the Prouerbes Sonne giue vnto me thy heart Wherefore Abel first offered vnto God his heart and then his goods and so offered by faith a greater host then Cain Who offered the outward Sacrifice which was the visible signe but kept the inward which God most esteemed vnto himselfe 11. The case standeth before God with Sacrifice The case of Prayer and Sacrifice alike as it doth with prayer God commandeth prayer Marke 14. 38. And yet saith that some kinde of prayer is hipocrisie Math. 15. 7. In like manner God so affecteth Sacrifice that vnder penaltie of death he prohibiteth it to be offered vnto anie but vnto himselfe Exod. 22. 20. and yet saith that he will not haue Sacrifice offered vnto him Isay 1. 12. The reason is for that exterior prayer which is cōmonly called prayer is a signe of the interior prayer of the heart which when it wanteth is hipocrisie as a false signe So exterior visible Sacrifice which is commonly called Sacrifice is a signe of the interior and when it is without this it is hipocrisye as a false signe So God will prayer and Sacrifice and he will not prayer nor Sacrifice He will haue prayer and Sacrifice when they are conioyned with the prayer and Sacrifice of the heart and he will not haue prayer nor Sacrifice when they are not accompanied with the heart because they are hipocrisie as making shew of that which is not Wherevpon after the Prophet in the 50. Psalme had said A Sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit a contryte and humble heart ô God thou will not dispyse c. Hee addeth Then shalt thou accept Sacrifice of iustice oblations and holocausts then shall they lay calues vpon thyne Altar When with the exterior visible Sacrifice of the Church men shall offer the inuisible Sacrifice of their hearts by sorrow for the negligences of their liues past contrition for their sinnes and humiliation before God vnto whom that Sacrifice is offered thē shall they offer a true and proper Sacrifice of justice oblations and holocaustes acceptable to God and not otherwise because the outward Sacrifices with out this inward and inuisible is but hipocrysie 12. Visible Sacrifices saith Saint Augustine in the place a fore reoyted Are signes of the inuisible Visible Sacrifices are signes of the inuisible as vvords are of thinges as wordes are signes of things Wherefore when without anie iust necessitie men speake wordes and haue other intentions in their hearts then their words sound or signifie it is but dissimulation and contrarie to the institution of words which were ordeyned to expresse the intention of the heart So when we offer visible Sacrifice without the inuisible Sacrifice of our hearts it is hipocrisie or dissembled sanctitie which is double iniquitie because visible Sacrifices were instituted vnto this end that they might be a publicke sacred visible signe of the inuisible sacrifice of mēs hearts vnto God as words were ordeyned to expresse the sinceritie of mens myndes and because man should alwaies haue an intention and be euer readie to giue his heart and soule to God without dissimulation therefore he may neuer offer visible Sacrifice without the inuisible Sacrifice of his heart 13. S. Augustine expressing the excellencie of The excellencie of visible Sacrifice conioyned to the inuisible this visible sacrifice when it is accompanied with the visible Sacrifice of our hearts and how acceptable it is vnto God and vnto the Church triumphant in heauen addeth in the same chapter saying When wee offer visible Sacrifice together with the inuisible of our hearts Then all the Angells and the superior powers and the more powerfull spirits through their goodnes piety doe fauour vs and reioyce with vs and according to their power doe helpe vs to offer this visible Sacrifice Thus S. Augustine of the excellencie of this visible Sacrifice when it is vnyted vnto the inuisible of our hearts and how acceptable it is vnto God and vnto the whole triumphant church in heauen 14. The reason why the triumphant Church in VVhy th' Angells reioyce at th' offering of visible Sacrifice heauen which as S. Paule saith doth consist Of the assemblie of manie thousand Angells doth so reioyce at the offering of visible sacrifice when it is accompanied with the inuisible sacrifice of our hearts is for that they are as they themselues say fellow seruants with those who serue God vpon earth And seeing that men here vpon earth cannot continewally without intermission think of God and honor him with the honor which is only due vnto him by a perpetuall and continewall sacrifying of their hearts vnto him as they in heauen doe who Day and nyght crye holy holy Lord God omnipotent and so are eternally happie therfore they doe reioyce that yet sometymes men vpon earth will actually thinke vpon God and actually honor him with the honor of Latria worshipp due only vnto him and consecrate their hearts vnto him alone who is their end and chiefest good therby to become partakers of a little droppe of their happinesse for as S. Augustine in the 22. chapter of his 10. booke of confessions saith This is happie life to reioyce in God of God and for God this is it and other is none Now the question is whether Christians are bound to offer this 4. kynd of Sacrifice to God or no The Puritans deny that in the Christian Church there ought to be any such kind of extenall Puritans deny externall visible Sacrifice in the Christian Church visible Sacrifice offered vnto God The moderate sort of Protestants doe after a sort confesse it in words and doctrine though not in practise as his late deceased Maiestie in his answer to Cardinall Perron related by Casaubon saying The
Kings Maiestie hauing heard of the learned dispute of the double Sacrifice that is to say of expiation and commemoration or religion affirmed in the presence of many that he approued of it Doctor Andrews in his answer to the 18. chapter of Cardinall Perrons replie Moderate Protestants after a sort defend visible Sacrifice saith The Eucharist euer was and by vs is considered both as a Sacrament and a Sacrifice A Sacrifice is proper and only applyable to deuine worshipp Againe The Eucharist being considered as a Sacrament is nothing else but a distribution and application of the Sacrifice to the seuerall receiuers Mr. Mountague in his appeale chapter 29. confesseth that S. Paul calleth our Lords table 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing to offer sacrifice vpon Heb. 13. 10. And moreouer addeth that S. Ignatius S. Iohns disciple vseth this word in the same sense more then thryce and so doth also saith he Clement the Apostles Canons and Dionysius Areopagita and that Ireneus in the 20. chapter of his 4. book of heresies affirmeth it to be the office of the Ministers of the new Testament To serue God and the Altar 16. To these ancient Protestants I may adde the confession of more moderne Protestants Writers as of M. r Browninge Batchelor of diuinitie in his six sermons published by aprobatiō this yeare of 1636. page 132. where setting downe the offices of Priests out of S. Ciprian saith S. Ciprian speaking of the Clergie we Priests euery day celebrate and offer Sacrifice also in his 66. Epistle Ex all who are honored with Deuine Priesthood and are placed in the ministerie of the Clergie ought not to attend vnto any thing but the Altar and the Sacrifices and apply themselues to prayers and supplications Moreouer page 134. affirmeth that it was the vniuersall practise of all former ages to make supplications before the Altar And out of Hugo de S. Victore teacheth that not only the Clergie and domesticall of the Church but also the Heardsmen Hoggards and In the Primatiue Church all sorts heard Masse euery day labourers heard Masse euery daye and for this also citeth the 30. chapter of the Councell of Agathensis and of that which is more ancient then it the 5. Canon of the first Councel Tolletan saying If a Priest or Deacon or Subdeacon or anie Clarck who is deputed to the Church if he shall be within the Cittie or in a place where there is a Church or in a Castle Burrough or Village and shall not come to the Church or to the dayly Sacrifice let him not be accounted for a Clergie Man and for the further confirmation hereof referreth the reader to the 30. Canon of the first Councell of Orlians to the 7. Canon Tarraconensis to the 10 Cannon Gerundensis to the 14. of the 2. Councell of Orlians and many others and the common people for want of instructions fayling herein as he saith gaue occasion Why Masses afterward came so frequently as wee see to be celebrated in priuate The tract called a Coale from the Altar written in defence of the vicar of Gr printed with approbation Gr this yeare of 1636. page 17. saith Wee haue a Sacrifice and an Altar and a Sacrament of the Altar on all sides acknowledged neither the Prince nor Prelates the Priest or People dissenting from it some of these termes being further iustefied by the statute-lawes M r Pocklington a Doctor of diuinitie in his sermon of the Sunday no Sabboth of the second edition published with authoritie this yeare of 1636. page 14. citeth S. Augustine saying My brethren your holines knoweth very well that to day wee celebrate the feast of the celebration of the Altar in which the stone is anointed or blessed vpon which deuine sacrifices are consecrated Againe page 25. None were allowed to come and stand within the listes of the holy place wher the Altar was fixed but the Priests whose office it was not to attend vnto any thing but the Altar page 27. he citeth S. Ambrose saying S. Ambrose his practise sheweth a distinction of seruice the Cathecumeni being dismissed I began to say masse saith S. Ambrose S. Ambrose begun not the second seruice as our Church calleth it at the Altar before the first seruice in the Body of the Church was finished and the Cathecumenie sent out Againe page 34. he saith those are prophainers of the Lords day who will not come to Church vntill seruice be ended and the sermon begun and such as S. Augustine sayes they make the Priest to curtaile the masse or sing or say it after their fancie Of the reall presence the same Author page 39. The reall presence defended by moderate Protestants saith In the Church reuerence was to be giuen to the Angells which attend the Lord our Sauiour at his table in tremendis misterijs as S. Chrisostome speakes where he is truly and really present not so in priuate houses Mr. Shelford in his fiue pious sermons page 6. In this house of the Church God will heare for the presence of his sonne for as Chrisostome saith where Christ is in the Eucharist there is no want of Angells where such a king is and such Princes are there is a heauenly place nay heauen it selfe Doctor White a Doct. VVhite a Protestant Bishope of the reall presence Protestant Bishope in his epistle to his treatise of the Sabboth day saith The sense of the second commandment is thou shalt worship no Idol c. Leuit 26. 1. but the sonn of God and his blessed name are no Idols The Sonne of God in the blessed Eucharist giuing his body and blood is no Idol therfore religious adoration of Christ in the holy Eucharist and at the rehearsing of the name of Iesus is no superstitious act prohibited in the second commandement Thus these moderate Protestants Wherby it doth appeare that they after a fort confesse both the reall and substantiall presence of the Sonne of God in the Sacrament of the Altar and also the visible Sacrifice in the Church of God Catholiques affirme that as in the beginning The opinion of Catholiques concerning visible Sacrifice of the Church of God vpon earth there were particular visible Sacrifices offered vnto God vpon Altars after the manner that is aforesaid so there shall be vntill the end and that in the new law our Sauiour at his last supper not only instituted an externall visible Sacrifice to be offered vnto God vpon an Altar but that also he instituted this Sacrifice in his body and blood an ordeyned that it should be a propitiatorie Sacrifice for the remission of sinnes not of it selfe abstracting from te sacrifice of our redemption vpon the Crosse nor yet immediately that who soeuer shall offer the sacrifice of the body and blood of our Lord shall haue his sinnes immediately forgiuen without contrition or any satisfaction for them as our aduersaries manie tymes doe falsely report but that this Sacrifice is an application of
which he then did For a commemoration of me Luk 22. And so taught his followers to offer the inuisible sacrifice of their hearts to God with him who is their head Lord and Master that though for their owne sakes and multitude of sinnes formely cōmitted their inuisible sacrifice might be lesse gratefull yet by him and through him who is their head it might be also most acceptable 7. Our Sauiour out of his infinite wisdome hath bestowed himself vpon vs for to be the only VVhy our Sauiour vvould be our Sacrifice publick sacred solemne signe of the inuisible sacrifice of our hearts not only to oblige vs daily to offer sacrifice and present God the Father with his sonne In whome he is well pleased but also to offer ourselues with him and by him and not to offer him alone who is our head and reteyne ourselues who are or should be his members vnto ourselues as witnesseth S. Augustine in VVith the sacrifice vve are to offer also ourselues the sixth chapter of his 10. book of the Cittie of God saying The Church doth frequent the Sacrifice of the Altar which the faithfull know where it is shewed vnto him that in the oblation which he doth offer he is also offered himselfe Againe in the 20. chapter of his said booke saying Christ is the Priest he offered and he is the oblation or thing offered the Sacrament of which thing he would should be the dailie Sacrifice of the Church whith Church as bodie of him her head hath learned to offer herselfe by him Thus S. Augustine With whom also agreeth Eusebius Caesariensis in the 10. chapter of his first booke of Euangelicall demonstration saying Christ laboring for all our saluations offered as it were a certaine victime and a singular Sacrifice vnto his father that we might offer ourselues to God himselfe for a Sacrifice So that amongst the other ends why Christ our Lord instituted a visible sacrifice in his bodie and blood at his last supper this was one that we might together with him offer ourselues Wherevpon S. Gregorie the great in his 37. homily vpon the Ghospell and in his 4. booke of his Dialogues and 59. chapter saith It is necessarie that when we offer Sacrifice That we immolate ourselues to God in contrition of heart for that we who celebrate the misteries of the passion of our Lord ought to imitate that which we doe for then it shal be trulie an host for vs to God when we shal be made ourselues an host For whith cause when Bishopps make Priests they saie vnto them as is sett downe in the Pontificall Vnderstand that which you doe imitate that which you handle to this end that celebrating the misterie of the death of our Lord you procure to mortifie your members from all vices and concupiscences Thus these Fathers Whereby it doth appeare that our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ hath instituted a Sacrifice for vs in his bodie and blood that we might in offering it also offer ourselues in Sacrifice to God by an inuisible Sacrifice of our hearts 8. In like manner our Lord also tooke the Chalice Sacrifice instituted in the chalice after supper saying euen as Protestants translate This chalice is the new testament in my blood which is shed for you Luk. 22. as a sacred signe of the inuisible Sacrifice of your hearts to God as were the Sacrifices in the law of Nature and written law which were types and signes of this and ended when this new Sacrifice of the bodie and blood of our Lord was brought in and instituted by our Lord as witnesseth S. Augustine in the 20. chapter of his 10. booke of the Cittie of God saying The manie and diuers sacrifices of the Saintes in the old testament were signes of this true Sacrifice This one Sacrifice was figuratiuely foretould by manie Sacrifices as if one thing should be deliuered with varietie The Sacrifice of the bodie and blood of our Lord succeded in place of all the Sacrifices of the old Testament of wordes least in being much commended it might grow iedious To this chiefe true Sacrifice all the false Sacrifices haue giuen place Wherevpon S. Chrisostom vpon 26. the chapter of S. Mathew saith As the old testament had sheepe and calues in their Sacrifices and Sacramēts see the new hath our Lords blood For which cause after that our Lord had offered Sacrifice and administrated communion in his blood he presently commaunded the Apostles that they should not drinke of the Cuppe without shedding it to God or offering it in Sacrifice saying This doe yee the same that he then did as offen as you shall drinke for the commemoration of me 1. Cor. 11. 15. Wholy forbidding them to drinke of the Cuppe in commemoration of him without offering it first in sacrifice to God as a sacred signe of the inuisible sacrifice of their hearts least at anie tyme they should drinke in commemoration of him and not of drinke which was offered to God as a sacred signe of the common vnion of their hearts with God 9. That this visible Sacrifice of the new law was not onely instituted by our Sauiour for a publicke exercise of the Sacrificing of our hearts to God and a daily solēne adoration of him with the worshippe of Latria and commemoration of the passion of our Sauiour but also for the preseruation of vnitie peace and societie amongst ourselues S. Paule doth witnesse saying The bread which we breake after the manner of offering sacrifice in bread is it not the participation of the bodie of our Lord for being manie we are one bread one bodie all that participate of one bread 1. Cor. 10. 16. Wherevpon S. Augustine in his 57. Epistle alledging this text saith The head of this bodie the Church is Christ and the vnitie of this body is commended in our Sacrifices which the Apostle doth briefly signifie saying being manie we are one bread one bodie Againe in his 59. Epistle and 5. question hee saith All things are vowed which are offered vnto God especially the oblation of the holy Altar by which Sacrament is preached and declared an other our greatest vow whereby we vow to remaine in Christ as in the coniunction or closing together of the bodie of Christ 10. Exterior visible sacrifice being instituted as a sacred signe of the inuisible sacrifice of our hearts all those who offer Sacrifice as they should doe offer to God the inuisible Sacrifice of their hearts and thereby as S. Augustine here saith doe preach and declare agreat vow or promise which is to remaine vnited members in the misticall body of Christ Wherevpon S. Chrisostome in his 24. homilie vpon the first Epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians saith O my beloued let vs haue care of the brethren and let vs preserue that vnitie with them which is in vs in our owne bodies for vnto this that terrible and most fearefull sacrifice of the new law doth call vs
plāt peace and preach as S. Paul saith Peace to them that were farr of and peace to them that were nigh Ephe. 2. 17. And God is not the God of dissention but of peace 1. Cor. 14. 33. 6. Fourthly Adam and his sonnes liued in the law of nature and instituted externall visible Sacrifice in the Church of God vpon earth according to the Law of Nature no other law being then published or known as all diuines generally Sacrifice instituted by the Lavv of Nature hold and the law of nature being inserted and ingrafted by God as S. Paul saith Rom. 2. 15. in the harts of all men for them to follow as a rule of Iustice and an instinct of nature proceeding from reason as an euerlasting couenant between God and Man Isa 24. 5. Certayn it is that our The Lavv of Nature immutable Sauiour could not take away externall visible Sacrifice from amongst men and moue them to violate the Law of Nature or change it in the harts of all men seeing that as S. Paul saith He continueth faithfull and cannot deny himself 2. Tim. 2. 13. to change his diuine decrees and alter the Law of Nature in all men or change the naturall diuine instinct which he hath engrafted in all men to follow euen from the first beginning of his Church vpon earth which Lactantius in his 6 Book and 8. Chapter of diuine Institutions obserueth out of the 3. book of Ciceros common-wealth saying Cicero almost with a diuine voice hath in these words described the Law of Nature saying The Law of Nature is right reason agreable Description of the Lavv of Nature to nature spread amongst all men constant and euerlasting To this Law it is not lawfull to add any thing or to take away Thus Lactantius and Cicero of the Law of Nature Wherefore seeing that visible Sacrifice was instituted by the Law of Nature most certayn it is that our Sauiour came not to take it away but to institute it in better termes with he did when taking bread he gaue thanks and brake and gaue to the Apostles saying This is my Body which is giuen for you to God do this for a commemoration of mee In like manner the Chalice also after he had supped saying This is the Chalice the New Testament in my Bloud which is shed for you to God This do ye as often as you shall drink for a commemoration of mee Wherefore we may iustly complayn of these who persecute the offering of visible Sacrifice vnto God in the words with the Prophet Isaie vsed when he complayned of the Iewes for violating the Law of Nature saying The earth is infected with the inhabitants thereof because they haue transgressed the Lawes changed right dissipated the euerlasting couenant Isa 24. 5. 7. Fiftly the Prophet Daniel promiseth that externall visible Sacrifice shall be offered vnto God in the Church of God vntill the end of the Sacrifice to last vntil the end of the vvorld world saying And in the half of the week shall the host and the Sacrifice fail and there shal be in the Temple the abomination of desolation euen to the consummation Daniel 9. 27. Agayn The continuall Sacrifice shal be taken away and the abomination of desolation shal be set vp Dan. 12. 11. And our Sauiour himself setting down the tyme when this Prophecy of Daniel shall be fulfilled and when there shal be no more hosts nor Sacrifices offered to God in his Church vpon earth saith And when you shall see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of by Daniel standing in the holy place c. immediatly afther the tribulation of those dayes the Sunn shal be darkned and the Moone shal not giue light and the Starres shall fall from heauen Math. 24. And so forth describeth the day of Iudgment signifying that externall visible Sacrifice shal be offered in the Church of God vntill a litle before the consummation of the world 8. Sixtly God Almightie promised saying I will send of them which shall be saued to the Gentils into the Sea into Africa and Lidia into Italy and Greece to the Ilands farr of to them that haue not Priests and Leuits shal be allvvayes in the Church to offer Sacrifice heard of mee and haue not seene my glory And they shall shew forth my glory to the Gentils and they shall bring all your Brethren of all Nations a guift to our Lord. And I will take of them to be Priests and Leuits saith our Lord because as a new Heauen and a new earth which I make to stand before mee saith our Lord so shall your seed stand and your name Isa 66. 19. Where we see that God almightie promiseth to make Priests and Leuits whose office is to offer and assist at the offering of visible Sacrifice of the gentils conuerted vnto Christianity and that their seede shall not fail vntill the end of the world Wherevpon S. Augustin in the 21. Chapter of his 20. Book of the Cittie of God alledging this place saith God compareth the conuerted Gentils as it were by a similitude vnto the Children of Israel offring vnto him their hosts or Sacrifice with Psalmes in his house or Temple which the Church doth now euery where and hath promised that he would take of them Priests and Leuits for himself which now we see donne for now Priests are not by succession of flesh and bloud according to the order of Aron but as it ought to be in the new Testament where Christ is the chiefe Priest according to the order of Melchisedech thus S. August 9. Seuenthly God promised by the Prophet Ieremy saying Behold the dayes shall come saith our Lord and I will raise vp the good word that I haue spoken to the house of Israel c. This is the name they shall call him the lord of our iust one c and of Priests and Leuits there shall not faill from before my face a man to offer Holocausts and to burne Sacrifice and to kill victimes all dayes Ierem. 33. 14. Wherevpon Theodoret in his interpretation of this place saith Wee see the euent of this Prophecy for the new Testament being giuen according to the diuine promise The Priest-hood according to the order of Melchisedech is also giuen which whosoeuer haue obteyned do offerr vnto God reasonable Sacrifice 10. Eightly S. Paul commaundeth all Christians No communion vvithout Sacrifice saying As often as you shall eate this Bread and drink the Chalice you shall shew the death of our Lord vntill he come 1. Cor. 11. 26. and our Lord dyed offering vp himself to God in an externall visible Sacrifice as our aduersaries do graunt whereby it is manifest that exteriour visible Sacrifice by the commaund of the Scriptures shall last vntill the later day 11. Ninthly externall visible Sacrifice being a thing only and chiefly aboue all things due vnto God and giuen vnto God by the consent of all Nations thereby to acknowledg him for
our lord God and maintayn our vnion and society with him and amongst our selues And Antichrist at his comming as S. Paul faith shal exalt himself Antichrist shall take avvay publik Sacrifice aboue all that 's called God or that is worshipped so that he shall sit in the Temple of God shewing himself as if he were God 2. Thes 2. It necessarily followeth that Antechrist shall not only as our Sauiour foretold in the 24. of Mathew and the Prophet Daniel in the 9. and 12. Chapters of his Prophecies take away the offering of externall visible Sacrifice vnto the true God but also from all Idolls that there shal be no externall visible Sacrifice publickly offered vnto anie Idoll or diuell but vnto him onlie who will secretly worshipp the diuell Mahuzim Daniel 11. and so he shall publickly exalt himselfe as the Scriptures saie aboue all that is called God or that is publickly worshipped Wherevpon S. Ireneus in his first Booke against Heresies and 25. Chapter saith He shall put downe Idols to perswade others that he is God and to magnifie himselfe who wil be an Idol that will haue in it the diuers errors of all other Idolls 12. Moreouer S. Ireneus speaking of the Crueltie In the time of Antichrist the faithfull vvho offer Sacrifice shal be forced to fly of Antichrist in putting downe the externall visible Sacrifice in the Church of God in his first Booke of Heresies and 25. Chapter saith In the time of the tirannie of Antichrist the saintes who offer pure Sacrifice vnto God shal be forced to flie awaie And in the halfe of the weeke shal be taken awaie the Sacrifice and the Host and the abomination of desolation shall be vnto the consummation of time With whom also agreeth Hippolitus the Martyr an ancient Father who liued about the yeare 220. after the natiuity of our Sauiour in his booke of the cōsummation of the world saying In the time The mourning of the Church after sacrifice is taken avvaie by Antichrist of Antichrist the Church shall mourne with great sorrowe because there shall be in it neither oblations nor offerings nor incense nor worshipp gratefull vnto God but the sacred Churches shal be like Cottages the pretions Bodie and blood of Christ shall not be extant in those daies the Liturgie or Masse shal be put downe singing of Psalmes shall cease and reading the Scripture shal be taken awaie 13. And the like affirmeth S. Ephrem in his treatise of Antichrist saing Before the end of the world at the coming of Antichrist the whole Church of Christ shall mourne with great sorrowe for that the diuine oblation and sanctification shal be no more offered to God then Sacrifice to cease in the time of Antichrist the holie misterie of Priesthod shall cease after three times and a halfe shall be fulfilled in the power and worke of the wicked Antichrist and all scandalls of the world benig consumed as our Sauiour spoke by his owne proper mouth then shall come the later daie So S. Ephren who liued about the yeare 370. after the natiuitie of our lord And with these aforesaid Fathers agreeth S. Chrisostom in his 49. homily vpon S Mattew saying For three yeares and a halfe the Sacrifice of Christians shal be taken away by Antichrist the Christians flying from him into the deserts there shal be none to enter into the Churches or to offer Sacrifice vnto God S. Hierome in his commentaries vpon the 9. of Daniel is of the same minde saying Hippolitus putteth the last weeke in the consummation of the world c. whereof it is said God will confirme the couenant one weeke vnto manie and in the other three yeares vnder Antichrist the host and Sacrifice shall cease Thus those Fathers of the extirpation of visible Sacrifice out of the Church of God by Antichrist 14. Now seeing that Antichrist at his coming as both Scriptures and Fathers doe testifie shall put downe external visible Sacrifice in such sort as that for a time there shal be no externall visible Sacrifice publickly offered to God vpon earth and that Antichrist is not to come vntill Antichrist is to raigne three yeares and a halfe the end of the world as witnesseth our Sauouir in the 24. of S. Matthew and Dan. 7. and to raigne but three yeares and a halfe before the consummation of the world as affirmeth the aforesaid Hippolitus in his said booke of the consummation of the world S. Ireneus in his 5. booke against Heresies towards the end S. Hierome vpon the 7. Chapter of Daniel S. Cyril in his 25. Catechesis and S. Augustin in the 23. Chapter of his tenth booke of the Cittie of God and others it is manifest Visible sacrifice taken avvaie the vvorld shall end that externall visible Sacrifice shal be offeto God in the Church of God vntill the end of the world and it being wholy taken awaie which is onely cheifely and aboue all thinges due vnto God then shall come the consummation of the world by fire wich shall burne and destroy all these things which are vpon earth Man ceasing to honor God with that honor which is due only vnto him as he is God and Creator of all thinges God will destroy man out of the face earth and all things els which vpon earth he created for man So those who denie and persecute the offering Those vvho denie Sacrifice hasten their ovvne torments vp of externall visible Sacrifice vnto God doe but hasten the destruction of the world and the euerlasting damnation of their owne soules and bodies to the verifying of the saying of the Prophet The sinner is taken in the works of his owne hands Psal 9. 17. he is fallen into the pitt which he made Psal 7. 16. and so doth but as saith the Apostle heape to himself wrath in the daie of wrath Rom. 2. 5. which our Sauiour himself also further signifieth saying The bread which I will giue is my flesh for the life of the world Ioh. 6. 51. As when the life of a man is quite taken from his bodie the bodie dieth and by degrees returneth vnto that which it was in his first creation which is slime dust and ashes so when the exterior visible Sacrifice and Sacrament shall be quite taken awaie for which God spareth the world then the world shal be destroyed by fier and shall returne to be as it was In the beginning when God created heauen and earth and the earth was void and vacant a darknes was vpon the face of the earth Gen. 1. 1. And shall so remaine vntill God create a new heauen and a new earth which shall stand for euer Isa 65. 17. Isa 66. 22. CHAP. VIII The reasons why our Sauiour would not take away visible Sacrifice out of the Church but establish it in better termes FIrst for that it shall be the worke of Antichrist Antichrist shall take avvay Sacrifice to put downe the daily Sacrifice as
I haue prooued in the last Chapter and there fore to make Christ to put down all speciall externall Sacrifice were to make him Antichrist Secondly all other outward acts obseruances and worships may be vsed and giuen vnto men only visible Sacrifice is due vnto God as he is God and Creator of all things as I haue prooued in the former Chapters Wherefore if our Sauiour Sacrifice taken avvay Religion is destroyed should haue taken away the offering of visible Sacrifice vnto God he had taken away Religion for Religion is a vertue by which men do giue due worship and honor vnto God as witnesseth S. Thomas in his Secunda Secundae quaest 81. art 1. Wherevpon S. Cyprian in his booke of our Lords Supper saith Religion is destroyed when there resteth no more Sacrifice to bee offred for as S. Augustin saith in the 21. chapter of his 20. book against Faustus The offering of Sacrifice doth belong Sacrifice is diuine honor or only due to ditie vnto the worship of Latria which is a seruice properly due vnto diuinitie Again in the same book and chapter he saith Sacrifice is diuine honor Wherefore if our Sauiour had taken away the offering of visible Sacrifice he had taken away the diuine honor which properly belongeth vnto God and had destroyed Religion 2. Thirdly if our Sauiour had taken away visible Sacrifice out of his Church he had taken away Priest-hood for by the law of nature nations Sacrifices taken avvay Priest-hood is destroyed and written law and law of grace Priests were ordeyned to this end that they might offer externall visible Sacrifice vnto God as we see by experience in all tymes and in all nations for at all tymes and in all nations those who beleeued that there was a God and his prouidence ouer mankind knew by the dictamen of right reason and nature that they were to honor and worship God with visible Sacrifice as a thing only and aboue all things belonging vnto him as their God and Creator as I haue shewed in the 6. Chapter and also knew by the same light of nature that euery one was not fitt to execute that office or could tell how to do it wherefore they chose some who publickly should for the whole assemblie or company performe that act Wherevpon S. Paul saith Euery high Priest is taken from amongst men that he may offer gifts and Sacrifices Heb. 5. 1. Agayn for euery high Priest is appointed to offer gifts and hosts wherefore it is necessary that he haue somthing that he may offerr Heb. 8. 3. Whereby we see that if our Sauiour had taken away the offering of externall Sacrifice vnto God hee had also taken away Priesthood which S. Ephrem in his treatise of Antichrist further witnesseth saying in the tyme of Antichrist for that the deuine oblation and sanctification shal be no more offred to God then the holy mistery of Priesthood shall cease 3. Fourthly the Priesthood being taken away Priesthood being taken avvay the lavv is destroyed the law also is translated and taken away as witnesseth S. Paul saying The Priesthood being translated it is necessary that a translation of the law be made Heb. 7. 12. Wherefore if our Sauiour had not instituted a visible Sacrifice in his Church he had not bin a lawgiuer as the Scriptures call him Iames 4. 12. but a law destroyer And from hence it is that S. Ireneus in the 15. Chapter of his â—5 book against Heresies saith That Antichrist Antichrist vvithout a lavv shal be with out a law as an Apostata because he shall take away all publick visible Sacrifice and Priesthood on which the law dependeth for as the Scripture saith The Lipps of the Priest shall keepe knowlege and the law they shall require of his mouth Math. 2. 7. He that shal be proud refusing to obey the commandement of the Priest that man shall die Deut. 17. 12. Wherevpon the Prophet Osee when he would expresse the wickednes of the Children of Israel in whom there was no truth nor mercy nor knowledg of God but cursing and lying and man-slaughter and theft and adulterie c. saith Thy people are as those who gainsay the Priest Osee 4. 4. Whereby it is manifest that if our Sauiour had taken away externall visible Sacrifice he had taken away the Law 4. And for this cause least that the Church of God should at any tyme be without a religion or law our Sauiour presently after he had finished the Sacrifice of the Paschal lamb took bread and gaue thanks and brak and gaue to his Apostles saying This is my Body which is giuen for you to God Luc. 22. 19. And instituted the Sacrifice of the new law and said to the Apostles and their successors Do this that is giue my body to God for you in commemoration of mee least that his Church should be at any tyme without a speciall visible exteriour Sacrifice Religion and Law 5. If our Sauiour in the new law had not instituted a proper visible Sacrifice wherewith God might be worshipped by men in the time of the VVhen Sacrifice is taken avvay the chief visible honor due vnto God is taken avvay new law as he was in the old but had wholy taken externall visible Sacrifice out of his Church he had left no externall visible act of Religion whereby men might haue adored God as God and had depryued his eternall Father of the greatest externall visible worship and honor which he had vpon earth that is to say the worship of Latria by offering externall visible Sacrifice vnto him which is absurd seeing our Sauiour came to add honor vnto his etternall Father and not to diminish it Ioh. 8. 49. 6. Sixtly the law of nature and nations and written law as I haue proued in the former chapters teach vs to offer externall visible Sacrifice vnto God therby to acknowledge his soueraigntie and supreame power ouer vs and our Sauiour came not to breake the lawe but to fulfill it Math. 5. 18. 7. In the communion of the ould law there was a Sacrifice to represent the Sacrifice of our Sauiour vpon the Crosse to come as witnesse the Scriptures Exod. 12. 6. and Fathers as S. Chrysostome in his 61. homily to the people of Antioch S. Augustine in the 18. Chapter of his first booke against the aduersaries of the lavv and the Prophets therefore there must be also a Sacrifice in the communion of the new law to represent the Sacrifice of our lord vpon the Crosse past seeing as I haue said before our Sauiour came not to breake the law but to fulfill it And as the Children Sacrifice as necessarie in the nevv lavve as in the ould of God who liued before the Passion of Christ stood in need of a Sacrifice in their communion to represent the Sacrifice of Christ vpon the Crosse to come and to apply the merits of the said Sacrifice vnto them So the Children of the Church
did for a commemoration of mee especially considering that these his words are so plaine and manifest and no where els we finde that our Sauiour either offered vnbloudy Sacrifice according to the order of Melchisedech or commaunded any of his followers to offer vnbloudy Sacrifice but at his last supper and the Christian world now for 1600. yeares hath generally beleeued that at his last supper our lord offered vnbloudy Sacrifice and gaue his bodie and bloud to God for vs after an vnbloudy manner as in part I haue proued in the 2. Chapter and shall proue more at large heereafter 6. Neither doth this hinder the fulfilling of this oath of God in our Sauiour for that he is not visibly now vpon earth to execute Priesthood according He vvho cōmandeth a thing to be donn is said rather to do it then his officer to the order of Melchisedech for when a thing is donn by commandement of another who hath lawfull power and authority to command and vertue to execute what is commanded he who commandeth is rather said to do the thing commanded then his officers or ministers who do it by his authority power and command So our Sauiour commanding the Apostles and their Successors to giue his body to God for vs and shed his bloud to God for vs and they doing it by his authority power and command he may be rather said to giue his body and shed his bloud to God for vs and offer Sacrifice then Bishops or Priests who do it but as his officers and by vertue of his power authority and command 7. The Scriptures supposing Melchisedechs Melchisedechs Priesthood supposed by the Scriptures to bee vvell knovvn Priesthood and Sacrifice to bee well known many tymes say that Christ shal be a Priest foreuer according to the order of Melchisedech yet of Melchisedechs Priesthood and Sacrifice we haue in the Scriptures no more but Melchisedech brought forth bread and wine for he was the Priest of the most high or And he was the Priest of the most high Gen. 14. 18. Whereby it is manifest that hee brought forth bread and wine to offer it vnto God in Sacrifice seeing that no where els there is made any mention of any thing he could offer to God in Sacrifice whereby his order might be known neither can it be said that he brought them forth only to feed Abraham and his soldiors who were filled with the victualls and spoyles of 4. kings and gaue the tythe thereof vnto Melchisedech as appeareth in the same chapter and then it had binn needles to add that he was a Priest of the most high and how he blessed Abraham 8. Secondly the Ancient Iewes affirme that Melchisedech offered Sacrifice in bread and wine The Ancient Ievves affirme that Melchisedech offered Sacrifice in bread and vvine as Rabbi Samuel vpon the 14. Chapter of Gen. saying He sett forth the acts of Priesthood for he was sacrificing bread and wine to God Rabbi Phinees vpon the 28. of Numbres saying In the time of the Messias all Sacrifices shall cease but the Sacrifice of bread and wine shall not cease as it is said Gen. 14. For Melchisedech the King Messias shal be exempted from the cessation of the Sacrifices of bread and wine as it is said in the 110. Psal thou art a Priest foreuer according to the order of Melchisedech Rabbi Moyses Hadarsan vpon the 14. of Gen. saying Rabbi the sonne of Enachinam said that this Melchisedech was Sem the sonne of Noe but what is the meaning of this that he brought forth bread and wine by this he shewed that he taught the act of his Priesthood which was to sacrifice bread and wine And this is it which is said in the Psal Our Lord hath sworne and it shall not repent him thou art a Priest foreuer according to the order of Melchisedech And Philo Iudaus in his book of Abraham toward the end saith that Melchisedech sacrificed in bread and wine for the victory of Abraham And Galatinus in his 10. book of the secrets of Catholick verities and Genebrard in his Chronologie vpon Melchisedech cite certayn Rabbies who translate these words of the 14. of Gen. and 18. Ver. thus Melchisedech offred bread and wine The Catholick Church translateth them brought forth bread wine and assigning the cause saith for he was Priest of the most high as if she should say that this was his office to offer bread and wine in Sacrifice to God And Theodorus Bibliander a Protestant in his 2. booke of the Trinity and 89. leafe confesseth that it was a generall receaued opinion amongst the ancient Iewes that as the comming of the blessed Messias all legall Sacrifices were to cease and that only the Sacrifice they called Theoda of thancksgiuing praise and confession was to continue with was to bee performed in bread and wine as Melchisedech king of Salem and Priest of the most high God in the tyme of Abraham brought forth bread and wine 9. The ancient Fathers were of opinion that The Ancient Fathers affirme that Melchisedech offered Sacrifice in bread and vvine Melchisedech sacrificed in bread and wine and that our Sauiour was to fulfill the Type in Melchisedechs sacrifice by offering vp his body and bloud in Sacrifice to God vnder the formes of bread and wine As S. Cyprian in his 63. Epist. saying Our Lord Iesus offered a Sacrifice to God the Father and offered the same that Melchisedech did that is bread and wine that is his body and bloud S. Ambrose vpon the 109. Psal saying Christ by the misterie of bread and wine is made a Priest foreuer according to the order of Melchisedech S. Hierome in his 17. Epist to Marcella chapter 2. saith Melchisedech then in type of Christ offered wine and bread and dedicated the Christian mystery in the body and bloud of our Sauiour And with these Fathers doth agree S. Augustin in his first Sermon vpon the 33. Psal saying In the old law you know that the Sacrifice of the Iewes was according to the order of Aaron in the slaughter of beasts and that in a mysterie for then the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord which the faithfull and those who read the Scriptures know was not instituted which Sacrifice is now dilated ouer the whole globe of the earth Propound therefore before your eyes two Sacrifices that according to the order of Aaron and this according to the order of Melchisedech c. The Sacrifice of Aaron was taken away and the Sacrifice according to the order of Melchisedech entered in his place and the Iewes adbering vnto that Sacrifice which was according to the order of Aaron imbraced not the Sacrifice which was according to the order of Melchisedech and so lost Christ Thus S. Augustin 10. Of this opinion where both the Greeke and Latin Fathers abundantly cited by Coceius in his 2. tome and 6. book Insomuch that Doctor Fulk a Puritan in the 99. leafe of his booke
shal be a cleane oblation and not cleane oblations and so is the sacrifice of the bodie and bloud of our lord one and the same cleane oblation though offered in sacrifice by the Gentils conuerted vnto Christianitie in Europe Asia Africa and America our Sauiour not hauing manie bodies but one 8. Eightly the Prophet sayth That by occasion of this Sacrifice The name of God shal be great The name of God great by occasion of this sacrifice amongst the Gentils conuerted vnto Christianitie And what greather Sacrifice can there be then this where the sonne of God is offered in sacrifice for man and man liuing in this exile may receaue and communicate God his creator Seing that herein doth wonderfully appeare the charitie or vnitie of God with Christian men and his omnipotencie wisedome goodnes or mercie Wherevpon S. Marke the Euangelist who planted the Churche of Alexandria in the Liturgie or publick Churche booke which he made for the Churche of Alexandria fett downe in the first to me of Bibliotheca Patrum saith We offer vnto thee ô Lord this reasonable and vnbloudy worshipp of Latria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which to thee ô God all nations do offer from the rising of the sunne to the going downe from the north vnto the south-all the Gentils and in cense and sacrifice and oblation is offered to thy name in euery place 9. And in lyke manner the ancient Fathers vnderstood this prophecie of Malachie to be spoken The Fathers vnderstand the prophecie of Malachie to be spoken of the Christian sacrifice of the Sacrifice of the Christians as Iustine martyr in his dialogue with Triphon who liued in the yeare 150. after the natiuitie of our Sauiour alleadging this place sayth Then the Prophet foretould of the Sacrifices of the Gentils which are offered in euery place S. Cyprian in his first book against the Iewes and 16. chapter allegeth this place to proue that the old Sacrifices of the Iewes should be made voyd and the Sacrifice of the new law established saying That the old Sacrifice should cease and the new be celebrated which appeares by the first chapter of Isaie Psalme 49. and Malachie the first saying I haue no will in you saith the lord and I will not receaue Sacrifice from your handes for from the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe my name is glorified amongst the Gentils and in euery place the sent of incense is offered to my name and a pure or cleane Sacrifice for my name is great amongst the Gentiles sayth the Lord. Thus S. Cyprian against the Iewes S. Ireneus who liued with S. Polycarpe scholler to S. Iohn Euangelist alledging this place saith of our Sauiour He tooke bread and gaue thankes saying This is my body c. and taught the new oblation of the new testament which the Church receauing from the Apostles offereth to God in all the world wherof Malachie foretould 10. S. Chrisostome in his commentarie vpon the 95. Psalme cyting this text of Malachie sayeth Behold how excellently how perspicuously he hath sett fourth and described the mysticall table which is the vnbloudy host Eusebius in his 1. booke of Euangelicall demonstrations chap. 10. alledgeth this place to proue that we ought to offer sacrifice in the new lawe saying We Sacrifice after a new manner according to the new Testament a pure host 11. S. Augustine in his Oration against the Iewes sayeth What will you answer to this open your eies at the last and see the sacrifice of the Christians offered to the God of Israel from the rising of the sunne to the going downe not in one place as it was appointed for you but in euerie place And the lyke he hath in his 18. booke cap. 35. of the Cittie of God saying Malachie prophetizing of the Church which now we see propagated by Christ in the person of God most plainly saith vnto the Iewes I haue no will in you I will not receaue gifts at your handes for from the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe great is my name among the Gentils and in euerie place there shal be sacrificing and offered vnto my name a cleane oblation because my name is great amongst the Gentils Now we may see this sacrifice offered vnto God by the Priesthood of Christ according to the order of Melchisedech in euery place from the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe and the sacrifice of the Iewes vnto whom it was sayed I haue no will in you and gifts I will not receaue at your handes to haue most manifestly ceased Wherfore doe they expect another Christ when they see that which they reade in the Prophet to be fulfilled and could not be fulfilled but by him Thus Augustine And the lyke is affirmed by manie more of the ancient Fathers cyted at large by Coccius in his 6. booke and 6. article 12. And this is sufficient to shew that at the coming of the Messias all the sacrifices of the old law should cease which we finde true by experience and that a cleane vnbloudy sacrifice was to be offered euery where amongst the conuerted Gentiles which also we finde true by experience and to denie this where to ouerthrowe the ancient Fathers arguments against the Iewes so manifest it is that a cleane vnbloudy sacrifice was at the coming of the Messias to be offered euery where amongst the Christians that without denying the arguments the ancient Fathers vsed agaynst the Iewes it can not be deneyd CHAP. XI By the distinction of bloudy and vnbloudy Sacrifices is proued that our Sauiour at his last supper offered vnbloudy Sacrifice in his body and bloud 1. FRom the beginning of the Church of God vpon earth there hath been two kinds of Tvvo kindes of visible sacrifices from the beginning speciall visible Sacrifices offered vnto God th' one bloudy by carnall effusion of bloud out of the veines of some liuing thing th' other vnbloudy which had no such carnall effusion of bloud but in some resemblance as by pouring out of wine or by deuiding the thing offered to God as we read in Gen. 35. and 14. and Leuit. 2. 1. 6. and 14. and both the bloudy and vnbloudy sacrifices were offered vnto God in his Churche euen from the beginning of his Church vpon earth for Abel offered a bloudy sacrifice Caine an vnbloudy Gen. 4. 3. 4. Melchisedech an vnblouddie Gen. 14. 18. Iacob offered both Gen. 35. 14. Gen. 46. 1. In the law of Moyses there were many bloudy Sacrifices ordeyned Leuit. 1. 3. and also diuers vnbloudy Leuit. 2. 1. and 4. and 5. and 14. Leu 5. 11. Vnbloudy sacrifices called gifts 2. The vnbloudy sacrifices were commonly called giftes as Cain offered of the fruits of th' earth gifts to our lord Gen. 4. 3. But to Cain and his gifts God had not respect Gen. 4. 5. Againe If thou offer a gift of the first fruit of thy corne to our lord of the eare being yett greene thou shalt
drie it at the fire and bruise it after the manner of meale and so shalt thou offer thy first fruits Leuit. 2. 14. Malachie the last of the Prophets foretelling how God would reiect the sacrifices of the Iewes and haue a cleane oblation or vnbloudy sacrifice offered vnto him euery where amongst the coÌ„uerted gentils sayth A gift I will not receaue at your hands Mal. 1. 10. Where the Prophet accompteth a cleane oblation an vnbloudy sacrifice and a gift offered to God by Priests vpon an Altar as all one 3. S. Paul also maketh mention of these two kinds of sacrifices and calleth th'vnbloudy sacrifices gifts offered to God in sacrifice by Priests saying Euery high Priest taken from amongst men is appointed for men in these things which appertayne to God that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sinne Heb. 5. 1. Agayne Euery high Priest is appointed to offer gifts and hosts Heb. 8. 3. where distinguishing the two kinds of sacrifices which where offered by Priests in the Church of God from the beginning of the world he calleth the vnbloudy sacrifices gifts and placeth them in the first rank as a more excellent kind of sacrifice then hosts offered with carnall effusion of bloud 4. Moreouer that cleane and vnbloudy sacrifices are called gifts S. Hierom. vpon the 25. chap. of Ezechiel and 15. and 17. verses doth witnes saying that gifts were things of wheate flower or barley flower or oyle offered to God in sacrifice Wherevpon Theophylact vpon this 8. chap. to the Hebrewes and 3. verse sayth If we would diligently examine the difference betweene gift and host it is this that an host is offered with bloud and flesh but gifts consist of fruites and other such things as are vnbloudy With whom agreeth our aduersarie Samuel Purchas a Puritan in the 6. chap. of his 1. booke of his relations of the religions obserued in all ages saying Of sacrifices there were from the beginning two kinds th' one called gifts or oblation of things without life th' other victimes or slayne sacrifices of birds and beasts Where it is manifest that gifts offered to God by Priests appointed as Saint Paul saith for that purpose and vnbloudy sacrifice are all one 5. These gifts or vnbloudy sacrifices were also VVhat gifts vvhere vnbloudy sacrifices of two sorts that is to say of things solide as bread wheate new corne c. or of things liquid as of wine oyle c. If they were of solide things then the manner was in signe of the inuisible sacrifice of the hart to breake or bruise them if of liquid things then the manner was also in signe of contrition and the inuisible sacrifice of the hâ—â—t to poure them fourth before God as appeareth in the solide and liquid vnbloudy sacrifices or sacrifices of giftes which where offered to God in the law of nature and written law So the vnbloudy sacrifice or sacrifices of gifts were distinguished from the generall offerings gifts oblatioÌ„s and tenths of the peole first for that the sacrifice of gifts or vnbloudy sacrifices were broken or shedd th' other offered whole these were offered vpon an Altar by Priests appoynted for that purpose Heb. 5. 1. th' other offered at the Altar by any one Math. 5. 24. these were publike sacred visible signes of the inward contrition and sacrifice of the harts of them who offered as is proued heretofore th' other priuate dewties and donations c. So that not all manner of gifts or oblations were vnbloudy sacrifices or sacrifices of gifts but those which were broken or shedd to God vpon an Altar by a lawfull Priest to signifie the inuisible sacrifice of our harts 6. This distinction putt downe of bloudy and vnbloudy sacrifices or sacrifices of gifts it is easy to proue that our Sauiour at his coming was Our Sauiour established the sacrifice of gifts in his Churche to offer vnbloudy sacrifice or gifts and to establish them in his Churche for after the coming of the Messias all the bloudy sacrifices were to cease as witnesseth the Prophet Dauid in the 39. Psalme Prophet Malachie in his first chapter S. Paul Heb. 10. and the Fathers cited in the last chapter to this purpose But our Sauiour was not to take away all kind of particular exterior visible sacrifice as I haue proued in the 8. 9. and 10. chapters of this booke therefore the vnbloudy sacrifice or sacrifice of gifts were to be established in the Church of God in the new law 7. Moreouer the Prophet Malachie speaking of the sacrifice which shal be established in the new law saith it shal be a gift and cleane oblation Malach 1. wherevpon Lactantius who liued about the yeare 290. in the 25. chapter of his 6. book of diuine institutions sayth There are two things which ought to be offered vnto God gifts and sacrifice gifts for euer sacrifice for a tyme with whom agree the ancient Fathers cited before in the last chapter and many more who shal be cited here after in the ensuing chapters 8. And as for the time when our Sauiour was Our Sauiour at his last Supper offered gifts to God to offer the sacrifice of gifts or vnbloudy sacrifice and to establish it in his Churche it must needs be then when he changed the Sacrament of the old law and instituted the Priests of the new which was at his last Supper as appeareth by Iudas Iscariot who vvas a Priest and Bishop as witnesseth S. Peter Act. 1. 20. And yet could not be made before the last Supper nor yet after seeing that presently after the last Supper hee went forth and betrayed our Lord Luc. 22. and no man euer made a Priest or Bishop but he instructed him what he was to doe Secondly our aduersaryes in the book of their consecration of Priests doe coÌ„fesse that the consecration and administration of the Sacrament of the new law doth belong vnto the office of the Priests of the new lavv but at the last Supper our Sauiour not only consecrated and administred the Sacrament of the new law himselfe as our aduersaries confesse but also gaue vnto the Apostles authoritie to consecrate and administer the Sacrament of the new law saying Do this the same which he then did for a commemoration of me and therefore he then made them Priests and gaue them authoritie to offer vnbloudy Sacrifice or the sacrifice of gifts and established the said kind of sacrifice to be vsed in his Church This sett downe lett vs examine what our Lord did at his last Supper 9. First he tooke bread which was a meate or thing vsed in the sacrifice of gifts and vnbloudy sacrifice Gen. 14. 18. Secondly he blessed the bread Math. 26. 25. and so made it holy and consecrated to God as al things offered in sacrifices are Thirdly he brake it Math. 26. 26. with was accustomed to be donn in all sacrifices of gifts or vnbloudy sacrifices as I haue proued in the 1. paragraphe of this chapter
euerie place there are Altars as God foretould by the Prophet Malachie for expressing the Ecclesiasticall sinceritie of the new lawe and laying open the ingratitude of the People of the old law he saith vnto them I haue no will in you saith the Lord omnipotent and hosts I will not receaue at your handes for from the rising of the sunne vnto the goeing downe my name is glorified among the Gentils and in euerie place sacrifice is offered vnto my name and a pure Sacifice See how plainelie how manifestlie he hath sett forth that mysticall Table which is the vnbloudy Sacrifice c. The pure Sacrifice is certainely the chiefe mysticall Table the heauēly and most venerable Host so S Chrysostome 7. In like manner the rest of the ancient Fathers The antient Fathers agre able to the ancient Liturgies doe also call the Sacrifice of the new law somctimes guifts and sometimes vnbloudie sacrifices As S. Dionisius Areopagita in the 5. chapter of his Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy saying The Bishop after that he hath shewed the guifts of the diuine workes cometh to cōmunicate them himselfe and also inuiteth others Againe The Bishop doth shew the couered guifts and that which in them is one he diuideth Vnbloudie Sacrifices called gifts into manie S. Clement in the 12. chapter of his 8. booke of constitutions speaking of the sacred host after consecration saith Wee beseech thee ô Lord fauorablie to looke vpon these guifts sett before thee And in the 13. chapter he earnestly beseecheth God to receaue the said Guifts offered for all Bishops Priests Kings and the people there presēt and the whole Church Theodoret in his 2. Dialogue saith What doe You call the guifts which are brought before the inuocation of the Priest Answereth It is made of such like seede And after the sanctification how doe you call those things Answereth The bodie of Christ 8. S. Ireneus in the third chapter of his 4. booke of heresies saith Christ taught the new oblation of the newe testament which the Church receauing Gifts in the nevv Testament from the Apostles offereth throughout the whole world to God who giueth vs for nourishment the first fruits of his gifts in the new Testament So likewise the 318. Fathers in the first general great Councel of Nice in the 5. cannon according to the Greeke copie call the sacrifice of the new Lawe A most pure gift offered to God Where we may obserue that those ancient Fathers doe call the sacrifice and Sacrament of the new Lawe Gifts of the diuine workes and a most pure guift before they were receaued in the communion as being the bodie and bloud of our Lord independant of the faith of the receiuer 9. And in like manner the ancient Fathers doe call the sacrifice of the new Law an vnbloudie sacrifice as Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea in the 10. chapter of his first booke of Euangelicall demonstrations saying We are taught by the most high Priest of all to offer vnto the supreame God throughout our whole life vnbloudie and reasonable victims sweete vnto him S. Gregorie Nazianzen in his first oration Iulian the Apostata hated vnbloudy Sacrifices against Iulian the apostata shewing the auersion which this apostata had from the sacrifice of the Altar saith He profaned his hands that he might wash them from the vnbloudie sacrifice by which we communicate Christ and his sufferings and diuinitie 10. S. Cyrillus Alexandrinus in declaratione Anathematismi 11. saith Wee offer the holie quickening and vnbloudie sacrifice in the Church beleeuing the bodie and pretious bloud which is sett before vs to be not of a common man and like vnto vs but of the word Againe in his booke de adoratione in spirituli 13. The table trulie of proposition hauing bread vpon it did signifie our vnbloudie host wherewith we all are blessed whilst we eate that bread which is from heauen that is to saie Christ. 11. And it was a thing so generally receaued in the Church of God and so vniuersally beleeued of the whole primitiue Church that our Sauiour at his last supper instituted an vnbloudy Sacrifice cleane oblation or gifts in his bodie and bloud to be offered by Bishops and Priests for a commemoration of him that three of the 4. first generall Councells which euer were celebrated in the Church of God call the Eucharist or thing deliuered in the communion the vnbloudie sacrifice as the great generall Councell of Nice which was the first generall coūcell which euer was celebrated in the Church of God saying In the time of the first generall coūcell of Nice they offered vnbloudy sacrifice in the third booke and title of the diuine table Lett vs vnderstand the Lambe of God which taketh awaie the sinnes of the world to be placed vpon the table sacrificed after an vnbloudie manner by Priests 12. In like manner S. Cirill Archbishop of Alexandria chiefe of the generall Councell of Ephesus in the 26. Epistle set downe in the first part of the same Councell writeth after this manner vnto Nestorius the heretick for whose condemnation In the time of the Councell of Ephesus they offered vnbloudie sacrifice that Councell was called saying I cannot omitt this that whilst we declare the death of the onlie sonne of God and his resurrection from death we also confesse his assumption into heauen and celebrate the vnbloudie sacrifice in the Church and approach vnto the misticall blessings by which meanes we are sanctified as being made partakers of the holie flesh and pretious bloud of Christ the Sauiour of vs all Neither doe we receaue it as common flesh God forbidd we should doe so nor yet as the flesh of a holie man c. But we receaue it as trulie quickening flesh and as proper flesh of the word it felfe which was incarnate Thus S Cyrill Chiefe in the generall Councell to the heretick Nestorius 13. And in the 4. generall Councell which In the time of the Counced of Calcedon they offered vnbloudy sa crifice was that of Calcedon Ischyrion Deacon of Alexandria preferring in the third act of the Councell a bill of complaint vnto the Councell against Dioscorus Archbishop of Alexandria a wicked man amongst other things accuseth him of this as of agreat crime that whereas in Lybia for the sterilitie of the countrey wheate would not grow the most pious Emperor allowed wheates first that as he saith the vnbloudie host might be offered of it and secondlie for the reliefe of Pilgrims and the poore of the prouince Dioscorus would not permit the holie Bishops of the countrie to receaue the said wheate but would forestall it and buy it vp with great summes of money and in time of famine sould it againe at most deare rates and by these meanes neither the terrible and vnbloudie sacrifice as there it is termed was celebrated nor the Pelgrims or poore releeued Thus Ischyrion in his complaint against Dioscorus the hereticke vnto the generall Councell of
liued aboue 1200. yeares past And thus the vnbloudy sacrifice or sacrifice of the bodie and bloud of Lord after an vnbloudie manner which was begun at Hierusalem by our Lord and the Apostles was after dispersed and planted all ouer the Christian world by the Apostles and Apostolicall men their Successors and hath continued vntill this daie as we may finde by experience 9. For our aduersaries to saie that all these Liturgies or publick Church-seruice bookes which All the Liturgies could not be corrupted haue been vsed by all nations countries and people who haue bin conuerted by the Apostles themselues or Apostolicall men whose names would be to tedious to reherse haue in this point of the Sacrifice and Sacrament been corrupted without assigning when or where or by what men or meanes so maine sundrie and diuers nations separated by place gouernment tongues in warrs one with another deuided manie times in other pointes of Religion could become so generally corrupted in one and the same point and that a thing which they for the most part all practised daily is as the Prophet saith but to excuse excuses in sinne Psal 140. 4. 10. Neither may our aduersaries say as they vse to doe in other thinges that the Pope hath brought vpp this as new doctrine For first it was foretould by the Prophets in the old law before there were anie Christian Popes Secondly manie of these nations who vse vnbloudie Sacrifice in the bodie and bloud of our Lord are so farr distant from him as that vnlesse it were in these late-yeares that nauigation and trauelling into strange countries hath bin more in vse they did scarcely know whether there were such a man or no and manie of theÌ„ remaine yet in schisme and heresie deuided from the Pope as the Grecians Nestorians Eutychians and other heretickes in Egypt the Muscouits and Russians 11. Moreouer the afore said Proclus in the place aboue cited affirmeth that by thse praiers of the Liturgie They expected the coming of the holie Ghost that by his diuine presence he might make the bread and wine mixt with water which was prepared for the Sacrifice the self same bodie and bloud of our Sauiour Iesus Christ which religious rite is trulie obserued vntill this daie and shal be vntill the end of the world Thus Proclus Bishop of Constantinople about 1200. years agoe whereby it is manifest that this doctrine of offering vnbloudie Sacrifice in the bodie and bloud of our Lord and communicating of the same is no new doctrine nor inuented by anie man but instituted by our Lord at his last supper in Hierusalem and published ouer the world by the Apostles and Apostolicke men at the conuersion of nations as was foretould by our Sauiour Act. 1. As farther witnesseth S. Hierom. in his commentaries vpon the first Chapter of Prophet Malachie saying In euerie place there is offered an oblation not an vncleane one as was offered by the people of Israel but a cleane one as is offered vp in the ceremonies of the Christians The Conclusion Though God be a spirit and according to the Scriptures is delighted with that worshippe which procedeth from our spirits yet because the foule as long as she is in this mortall bodie cannot make her inward actes oblations and Sacrifices of her selfe conueniently and perfectly except she behold the same in some sensible oblation of a gift or present offered visibly to God before her as a meanes signe or motiue to moue and stirr her vp vnto that interior and visible Sacrifice of herselfe the vnderstanding of mortall men depending vpon the senses according to that axiome There is nothing in the vnderstanding which was not first either by it selfe or by some resemblance in some one of the senses Therefore God of is infinite goodnes condiscending vnto our capacities hath instituted an exterior visible sacrifice in his Church to moue and stirr vs vpp vnto this interior and invisible wherein he so much delighteth the example whereof we may finde in prayer God vnderstandeth that praier of our hearts and that which delighteth him most is the praier of the heart and mynde yet because the operations and actes of the soule in this life depend vpon the organs of the bodie â—nd senses therefore God hath instituted vocall praier or praier with the mouth in his Church â—s a sensible signe to prouoke the heart feruently â—o pray and praise him so that those who would haue men to practise and vse the inuisible sacrifice of their hearts to God and yet denie them the exercise of exterior visible Sacrifice are like vnto those who would haue men pray in their hearts and studie to become learned and yet permitt them no bookes nor exterior meanes to learne Which our most blessed Lord considering at the institution of the new law left vs not without an exterior visible sacrifice but instituted it in his bodie and bloud vnder the curtaines of bread and wine the more powerfully to moue and stirre vpp in vs the sacrifice of our hearts to God by the excellencie and eminencie of the outward obiect as I shall shew more at large in the ensuing bookes FINIS CENSVRA TRractatus hic de Sacrificio nihil continet quod aut rectae Fidei aut bonis moribus repugnet imprimi itaque poterit divulgari Louanij 12 Febr. 1637. Antonius Louerius S. T. L Apost Regius lib. Censor OF THE VISIBLE SACRIFICE IN THE CHVRCH OF GOD. THE SECOND PART VVritten by ANONYMVS EREMITA Sacrifice ye the Sacrifice of Iustice and hope in our Lord. Psal 4. 6. AT BRVXELLES By HVBERT ANTONY Velpius Printer to his Majestie 1638. THE PREFACE REligion saith S. Thomas in 22. quest 81. Art 1. is a vertue by which men giue to God due worshipp and reuerence wherin hee agreeth with S. Augustine in his book of the nature of God saying It is the office of religion to giue due honor vnto God And the honor and worshipp which is cheefly and most properly due vnto God is the inuisible Sacrifice of the heart and the outward visible Sacrifice of some creature to expresse the inuisible Sacrifice of the soule as wordes doe things which is properly Latria or seruice due vnto God as God and Creator of all things as I haue shewed more at large in the 5. and 6. Chapters of the first part Whereupon it cometh to passe that without the offering of visible Sacrifice there cannot be any perfect Religion for though some of the more pious sort of men by a longer custome and much practise may attaine vnto a continuall or often inuisible Sacrifice of their hearts by inward anagogicall actes without the helpe of exterior visible Sacrifice yet because the myndes of men in this life depend vpon the organs of the bodie for their knowledge and operations therefore they haue need to be lead by the hand of sensible and visible things vnto God and inuisible because as S. Paule saith in the first to the Romans the
vexation might cease and by the mercies of God it forth with ceased And in the 10. chapter of the same book he saith We Sacrifice and doe immolate Sacrifice to God only and the Sacrifice it selfe is the body of Christ In the 11. chapter of his first booke de origine animae he saith According to the Catholick faith and Ecclesiasticall rule it is by no meanes granted that the participation of the body and bloud of Christ should be offered for such as are not baptised Which he also repeateth againe in the 15. chapter of his 2. book 4. In his 1. Sermon vpon the 33. Psalme he saith The sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord This sacrifice spread ouer the vvhole earth which the faithfull who haue read the Scriptures doe know was not in the time of the old Law which sacrifice is spread ouer the whole globe of the earth And againe in his second Sermon vpon the same Psalme he saith Christ at his last Supper instituted a sacrifice of his body and bloud according to the order of Melchisedech Whervpon in his 86. Epistle he saith Christ gaue his bloud to drinke before his Passion And in the 20. chapter of his 12. booke against Faustus he saith In this Sacrament is drunck that which flowed out of the side of Christ And vpon the 56. Psalme he affirmeth that the Iewes who crucified Christ and afterwards were conuerted to beleeue in him in this Sacramēt drunck by grace the same bloud which through furie they had shed 5. And because the same body and bloud of One body and bloud in all sacrifices our Lord is offered to God in all Christian Sacrifices which was offered to God in the Sacrifice of the Crosse though after an other manner therefore S. Augustine in the 12. chapter of his 9. booke of Confessions calleth that which is offered to God in Sacrifice by Christians the Sacrifice of our Redemtion saying The Sacrifice of our Redemtion was offered for his Mother after her decease at her Funeralls And in the 13. chapter of the same book speaking of his said Mother S. Monica saith She desyred to be remembred at the Altar of God where at she vsed to assist without pretermission of This Sacrifice dispensed from the Altar any one day and from whence she knew that holy sacrifice to be dispensed whereby the hand writing was blotted out which carried our condemnation in it and whereby our Enemie had triumphed ouer vs. Thus the glorious S. Augustine and that according to the Scriptures as he further affirmeth in the 3. question of his 49. Epistle saying The sacrifice which we Christians doe now offer is not only demonstrated by the written word of the Ghospells but also by the Prophecies 6. Neither is this expression of the Sacrifice of the body and bloud our Lord found only in S. Augustine but also in the rest of the ancient Fathers who are commonly stiled Doctors of the Catholick Church as namely in S. Basil S. Chrisostome S. Ambrose S. Gregorie and S. Hierome for the Church being in peace in their times the first fower of these fiue that is to saie S. Basil S. Chrisostome S. Ambrose and S. Gregorie euery one of them sett forth books where in they expresse the forme and manner how to offer Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord with great solemnitie Fouer Doctors sett forth Missalls and how to administer the Sacramēt in the same which books are extant in print vnder the Titles of The Liturgie of S. Basil The Liturgie of S. Chrisostome The Masse of S. Ambrose and the Booke of the Sacraments of the circle of the yeare sett forth by S. Gregorie the Pope Where of the first two are printed with their works the latter are printed by Pamelius in his two Tomes of the Missalls of the Latin Fathers which Liturgies or Missalls are in substance the same with those Liturgies and Missalls which are vsed at this daie in the Catholick Church for the offering of Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord and also with the Liturgies and Missalls which were before their times as with the Liturgie of S. Peter S. Iames S. Andrew S. Marke S. Clement c. as may manifestly appeare vnto anie man who shall take the paines to vew them 7. Moreouer S. Ambrose in the 2. chapter of his 4. book of Sacraments setteth down the words which at this daie are vsed in the Catholick Church in the consecration of the Eucharist and offering Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord saying Wilt thou know how the Eucharist is consecrated by diuine wordes He are the wordes The Priest saith make this oblation apply able vnto vs reasonable and acceptable which is downe vpon the figure Bread a figure of Christs body before consecration of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ. that is to saie vpon the bread not yet consecrated After it followeth Who the daie before he suffered tooke bread into his holy handes looked vp into heauen vnto thee ô holy Father Almighty eternall God giuing thankes blessed broake and broken gaue vnto his Apostles saying Take and eate of this all for this is my body which is giuen for you And in like manner he tooke the Chalice after he had supped that is the daie before he suffered looked vp into heauen vnto thee holy Father Almighty eternall God giuing thankes blessed deliuered to his Apostles saying Take ye and drinck ye all of it for this is my bloud consider euery thing he saith who the daie before he suffered he tooke bread into his holy handes therefore it is bread before it be consecrated but when Christs wordes doe approach it is the After consecration the Eucharist is the body of Christ. body of Christ Finally heare him saying take ye eate ye all of it This is my body And before the wordes of Christ it is a Chalice full of wine and water but assoone as the wordes of Christ haue done their worke there is made the bloud which redeemed the People therefore consider after how many sortes the word of Christ is powerfull to conuert all things And to conclude our Lord Iesus-Christ himselfe doth testify vnto vs that we receaue his body and bloud and ought we to doubt of his sinceritie and testimonie Thus S. Ambrose explicating the manner of the consecration of the body and bloud of our Lord in his time and the certaintie there of in the Eucharist before receauing which manner of consecration is also vsed in the Catholicke Church at this daie Againe in the 6. chapter of the same booke he sheweth that the intent of these wordes As often as you shall doe this so often you shall doe it in commemoration of me vntill I commeagaine were to command a Sacrifice in the commemoration of his Passion and for that cause he immediatly addeth to these wordes The Priest saith therefore mindfull of his glorious
offered Sacrifice to God the Father in his body and bloud for the remission of sinnes and withall gaue an expresse command that no other kind of Sacrifice should be offered for the remission of sinnes in his Church but the Sacrifice of his body and bloud which we see fulfilled 7. As faith in Iesus-Christ to come and the Sacrifice of our Lord vpon the Crosse to come did Saluation at all tymes by vertue of our Lords Passion not hinder the faithfull in the Law of nature and written Law from the offering of Sacrifice to God in the commemoration of Christs Passion to come for the remission of their sinnes so neither may it doe in the Law of grace seing that Christ was slaine from the beginning of the world Apoc. 13. 8. and by vertue of his Passion the faithfull in the Law of nature and written Law were saued as they are now as our Aduersaries together with vs confesse though now the faithfull in the Law of grace haue better meanes because the Law brought nothing to perfection but an introduction to a better hope Heb. 7. 19. And Iesus is made a surty of a better testament Heb. 7. 22. which he should not be if in the new Testament he had not instituted as he did a propitiatorie Sacrifice for sinne in better termes 8. And not only the Scriptures at the institution All high Priests ordained to offer Sacrifice for sinne of the blessed Sacrament doe affirme that our Lord offered a propitiatrie Sacrifice in his body and bloud for the remission of sinnes but also S. Paule saith Euery high Priest taken from amongst men is appointed for men in these things which appertayne to God that he may offer Gifts and Sacrifice for sinne Heb. 5. 1. wherefore seeing that our Sauiour was a high Priest according to the order of Melchisedech Heb. 5. 10. it is certaine that he offered Gifts and vnbloudy Sacrifice for the remission of sinne seeing that euery high Priest did it And considering that he ordayned the Apostles Bishoppes The Apostles high Priests and his Priests at his last Supper Act. 1. it necessarily followeth that at his last Supper he both offered Gifts and vnbloudy Sacrifice for the remission of sinnes and also ordayned the Apostles Bishoppes and high Priests for to offer Gifts and vnbloudy Sacrifice for the remission of sinnes and seeing that at his last Supper there is mention made of no other Gifts giuen or broken to God for the remission of sinnes but his body and bloud vnder the species of bread and wine it manifestly followeth that our Lord at his last Supper instituted an vnbloudy Sacrifice or Sacrifices of Gifts in his body and bloud vnder the species of bread and wine to be offered in his Church for the remission of sinnes because he then taught his Church what she should doe herin 9. And not only the ancient Fathers when they haue occasion to speake of the last Supper of our The Fathers affirme that our Lord instituted a Sacrifice for the remission of sinnes Lord affirme that our Sauiour offered vnbloudy Sacrifice in his body and bloud for the remission of sinnes as S. Clement in the 12. chapter of his 4. book of Apostolicall constitutions S. Alexander in the 2. chapter of his Epistle vnto all Catholicks S. Irenaeus in the 23. chapter of his 5. book of heresies Origen in his 35. Tract vpon S. Mathew S. Cyprian in his 63. Epistle S. Chrisostome in his 28. homily vpon S. Math S. Augustine in the 24. chapter of his 1. book De Peccatorum meritis but all the publicke Liturgies or Church seruice bookes for the administration of the communion which haue bin vsed by any nation or people in the Church of God before Luther reputed heretickes only excepted affirme that our Lord at his Last Supper instituted a Sacrifice in his body and bloud for the remission of sinnes as the Liturgies or books of the administration of this Sacrament sett forth by S. Peter S. Iames S. Marke S. Basil S. Chrysostome c. and all the whole Church of God the promises of God considered could not decaie in the right vse and beliefe of this Sacrament 10. Our Sauiour comming to fulfill the Law Our Sauiour came to fullfill the Lavv and the Prophets concerning Sacrifice and the Prophets as he wittnesseth Math. 5. and all the Sacrifices in the Law of nature and Law of Moyses being figures and shadowes of this one and only Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord as wittnes the Scriptures saying Priests that offer Gifts according to the Law serue vnto the example and shadow of heauenly things Heb. 8. 5. for the Law had a shadow of good things to come Heb. 10. 1. And all these things hapened to them in figure 1. Cor. 10. for the Law brought nothing to perfection but an introduction to a better hope Heb. 7. 19. Wherevpon S. Augustine in the 20. chapter of his book against the Aduersaries of the Law and the Prophets saith Israel according to the flesh did serue in the shadowes of the Sacrifices where with the singular Sacrifice The Sacrifices in the ould Lavv shadovves of the Sacrifice in the nevv was signifyed which now the Israel according to the spirit doth offer Againe in the same chapter he saith Our Lord hath sworne and it shall not repent him Thou art a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech to commend that healthfull Sacrifice wherein his holy body and bloud is shed for vs where of the Sacrifices which were commanded to be immolated of vncleane beastes were shadowes Whervpon it followeth that the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord was not only to be a propitiatorie Sacrifice for the remission of sinnes but also a Sacrifice of Thanksgiuing peace laud and prayse and for the obtayning of all those things for which the diuerse and sundrie Sacrifices of the Law of nature and written Law were vsed to the fulfilling of the Law and Prophecies concerning these Sacrifices 11. Wherefore seing that in the Law of nature and Law of Moyses there were not only propitiatorie The diuerse Sacrifices of the old Lavv fulfilled in the Sacrifice of the nevv Sacrifices for the remission of sinnes but also of Thanksgiuing and for peace as also vpon vowes made for the obtaining sōme good thing to the honor of God and good of personnes as is sett downe in the 7. chapter of Leuiticus and other places as also for cessation of plauges or other punishments as is specifyed in the 2. of Kings and last chapter and in like manner for the preseruation of the temporall life of men which Onias the high Priest practised in the fact of Heliodorus 2. Machab. 3. and the people of Israel for the preseruation of the life of Darius and his children Esdras and 6. chapter what Christian man can with reason deny that the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord wherein all
these Sacrifices are to be perfectly fulfilled may not be offered to God for the obtaining of all or any one of these or like benifits especially seing that it hath bin the practise of the Catholicke Church in all ages as appeareth by all the Liturgies or publicke Church seruice books of ancient tymes where in the manner of offering the body and bloud of our Lord to God vnder the species of bread and wine is sett down not only for the remission of sinnes but also for the obtaining those other particuler blessings comforts and consolations as is to be seene in the said books at large 12. S. Augustine so constantly beleeued this S. Augustine of the remission of sinne by Sacrifice doctrine that in his 57. question vpon Leuiticus he saith By these Sacrifices of the old Law this only Sacrifice the new was signifyed wherein is true remission of sinnes from taking the bloud of which Sacrament in nourrishment there is no restraint but rather an exhortation vnto all to drinck it And speaking of the practise and vse of this meanes for the remission of sinnes in the 12. chapter of the 9. book of his confessions saith That the Sacrifice of our redemption was offered for his Mother for the remission of her sinnes after her death and yealding the reason why the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord was offered for her in the next chapter addeth All though shee was so quickened and renewed in Christ whilst she remained yet amonst vs that thy name was praysed both in her beleefe and lyfe yet I dare not affirme that after thou hadest regenerated her by her Baptisme there issued no word out of her mouth against thy commandement And in the 25. chapter of his 10. book of the cittie of God he saith that at the tyme of the vniuersall iudgment it wil be necessary that some be purged by the fyer of the iudgmeÌ„t because then Noe man can offer Sacrifice for his sinnes shewing that the offering of Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Lord for the remission of sinnes shall not cease vntill the end of the world and then adding saith For all who offer Sacrifice for their sinnes are commonly in the sinne for the remission whereof they doe offer Sacrifice and when they haue offered and it shal be acceptable to God then their sinnes are forgiuen 13. S. Cyprian liued about the yeare 240. yet S. Cyprian and the vvhole Catholick Church of the remission of sinne by Sacrifice speaking of the practise of the Catholick Church of his tyme in his 66. Epistle saith The Bishopps which were before vs haue religioussy and prudently decreed that none of the brethren departing out of this lyfe should name for his Executour or Ouerseer a Clergy man and if any did there should be no offering for him nor Sacrifice celebrated for his ease or rest In the yeare of our Lord 121. S. Alexander the first was made Bishopp of Rome yet he in the 2. chapter of his first Epistle vnto all Catholicks repeating the words of the institution of this Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord for the remission of sinnes presently addeth saying Crimes and sinnes are blotted out by offering these Sacrifices to God And to conclude the remission of sinnes by the offering of the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord was so generally beleeued to be a matter of faith that in the most flourishing tyme of the Church Aâ—â—ius was condemned of heresie for denying amongst other things the offering of Sacrifice for the dead As wittnesseth Epiphanius in his recapitulation of all heresies S. Augustine in the 53. heresie of his book of heresies and S. Damascene in his book of 100. heresies And if it were the faith of the Catholick Church to beleeue that we might offer the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord for the remission of the paines and punishment due vnto some sinnes after death no man can with reason deny but that also it was the faith of the same Church to offer the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord for the remission of the sinnes of the liuing 14. And it was not only the custome of the Catholick Church to offer the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord for the remission of Sacrifice offered for other blessings sinnes but also for obteyning of other benefits Tertullian in his book to Scapula saith that in his tyme They offered Sacrifice for the health of the Emperor as we doe many tymes for our Soueraigne Lord king Charles his Queene and Children S. Augustine in the 8. chapter of 22. book of the cittie of God relateth how one of his Priests offered the body of our Lord in a hous that was possessed with euill Spirits and the wicked Spirits ceased to trouble the hous any more 15. S. Chrysostome vpon the 95. Psalme setting downe the practise of the Catholick Church in S. Chrysostome of the custome of the Church in offering Sacrifice offering Sacrifice saith In euery place are Altars and Doctrine This God foretould by the Prophets for expressing the Ecclesiasticall sinceritie and manifesting the ingratitude of the Iewes he saith vnto them I haue no will in you saith the Lord omnipotent neither will I receaue hostes from your hands for from the rysiing of the sunne vnto the goeing downe my name is glorified amongst the Gentills and in euery place Sacrifice is offered to my name and a pure Sacrifice See how fully and plainely he hath interpreted the mysticall table which is the vnbloudy Sacrifice and calleth pure incense the holy prayers which are offered with the Sacrifice for this incense doth recreate God not that which is taken from the rootes of the earth but that which is breathed from a pure heart Lett my prayer therefore be deliuered as incense in they sight dost thou see how it is graunted to this Angelicall Sacrifice to shyne most brightly in euery place dost thou not see how neither the Altar nor the Canticle is comprehended within any limits In euery place incense is offered to my name Therefore most certainly the principall mysticall table and the heauenly and the most venerable host is the pure Sacrifice There is also amongst vs diuers kinds of Sacrifices for the Law of the ould Testament had diuers hosts some for sinne others which were called holocaustes others Sacrifice of praise others of health others for the cleansing of Leapers briefely there were others and many and diuers for those who were censured to innumerable expiations Great was the number of the Sacrifices of the ould Law and aboue measure all which the new grace entring vpon doth comprehend in one Sacrifice by appointing one and a true host thus S. Chrysostome With S. Chrysostome agreeth S. Leo in his 8. Sermon vpon the Passion saying Now ô Lord the carnall Sacrifices ceasing the one oblation of thy body and bloud doth fulfill the diuersity
Sacrifices of the ould Law and establishing the giuing of his body to God for vs added Do this in a commemoration of me and so as S. Paule here saith he took away all the former Sacrifices of the ould Law to establish the giuing of his body to God for vs which was to follow after they were abrogated or ended 4. Though in the ould Law there were many Sacrifices Holocausts Oblations and Hosts yet in the new Law all the Sacrifices Oblations and Hosts should be but one as S. Paule saith A body thou hast fitted to me one body in all the Sacrifices of the new Law though offered in euery place amongst the conuerted One host at the last Supper vpon the Cross and daily Sacrifices of the Church Gentils as was foretold by the Prophet Malachie which here also S. Paul further signifyeth saying Christ offering one host for sinnes for euer fitteth on the right hand of God for by one oblatiō hath he consumated for euer them that are sanctifyed shewing that in the new Law there are not many Hosts Oblations or Holocausts to be offered but only one Host the body of the Sonne of God which was giuen for vs to God at his last Supper and vpon the Crosse and shall be giuē to God for vs in his Church vntill the end of the world according to the words of our Sauiour saying This is my body which is giuen for you to God doe this for a commemoration of me as S. Paul addeth vntill he come to Iudgment 1. Cor. 11. Wherevpon S. Augustin in the 20. chapter of his 10. book of the cittie of God saith Christ is the Priest he it is that offereth and he is the oblation The Christ both the Priest and the oblation Sacrament of which thing he would that it should be the daily Sacrifice of the Church which being the body of him her head hath learned to offer herself by him and of this Sacrifice the many and diuers ancient Sacrifices of the Saincts were signes that whilst this one Sacrifice was figured or sett forth by many one thing might as it were be expressed by many words and be much commended without tediousnes To this chiefe and true Sacrifice all the false Sacrifices haue giuen place Thus S. Augustin where the Sainct manifestly and clearely sheweth that Christ himself is the oblation in the daily Sacrifice of his Church succeeding in place of all the Sacrifices of the Saincts in ould Law and that the Church which is his body hath learned to offer herself by him to God in ths one and yet daily Sacrifice of his Church which is the same that the Catholick Church doth teach at this day 5. Moreouer S. Augustin in the 20. chapter of the 17. book of the cittie of God reciting this same place which S. Paul hath before cited out of the 39. Psal saith To be partakers of this table is to begin to liue for in another book which is called Ecclesiastes he saith There is no such good belonging to man as that he shall eat and drinck which we may easely vnderstand to belong vnto the being partaker of this table which the Mediator himself or Priest of the new Testament according to the order of Melchisedech doth bring in of his body and bloud for that Sacrifice hath succeeded in place of all those Sacrifices of the ould Testament which The Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord succeeds all the Sacrifices of the ould Lavv. were immolated in figure of this to come for which cause we also do acknowledge that voyce of the same Mediator speaking by way of Prophecy in the 39. Psalme Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not but a body thou hast fitted to me for in place of all these Sacrifices and oblations of the ould Law his body is offered and administred to the communicants So S. Augustin where he sheweth most playnely that this same body of Christ is offered in Sacrifice and deliuered in the communion vnto all the communicants Againe in his book vpon the Psalmes expounding these words of the 39. Psal alledged here by S. Paul he saith Sacrifices and oblations thou wouldst not What Christians are not vvithout Sacrifice then are wee therefore in this tyme sent away with out Sacrifice God forbid But a body thou hast fitted to me therefore thou wouldst not the other that thou mightest perfect this c. and so shewing that this body is that which is sacrificed and giuen in the communion addeth In this body we are of this body we are partakers that which we haue receaued we know and you that doe not know shall know and when you haue learned I pray to God that you may not take it to your condemnation for he that eateth and drincketh vnworthily eateth and drincketh judgment to himfelf So S. Augustin 6. Primasius Bishop of Vtica in Africa and a disciple of S. August vpon the 10. to the Hebrewes saith In the Sacrifices of the Altar the host is one and not many though it be offred vp by many in diuers places and at diuers tymes the diuine power of the vvord The Sacrifice offred by many is one though offered in diuers places and at diuers tymes doth make that there are not many Sacrifices but one all though it be offered by many c. Neither is there now one greater Sacrifice and an other lesser or one offred to day and another to morrow but allwayes the selfsame hauing equall magnitude Wherefore this Sacrifice of Christ is one and not many for if it should be otherwise because it is offered in many places there should be many Christs which God forbidd one Christ therefore is in all them places And as that which is offred euery where is one body and not many bodies so also the Sacrifice is one Thus Primasius 7. And in like manner S. Chrysostome vpon the 10. to the Heb. saith The holy oblation by what Priest soeuer it be offred is the self same which Christ gaue to his Disciples this hath nothing less in it then that All Priests offer the same oblation or host had because men do not sanctify it but Christ himself who before had consecrated that And in his 24. Hom. vpon the first to the Corinthians speaking of the Christian Sacrifice which was vpon the Altar saith This body when it was placed in the manger was reuerenced The same body vpon the Altar vvhich vvas in the manger and adored by the Magi. by the Magi who though wicked and Barbarous men by nation yet left their contrey and home and vndertook a long voyage and when they came they adored with great fear and trembling Let vs Cittizens of heauen imitate at least these Barbarous people for they though they saw him in a manger and in a cottage and not in such state as thou seest him now yet they approached vnto him wit great reuerence and thou dost not see him in a manger but vpon
of speech and vnderstanding of reasonable men but also leaue the consecration of a Sacrament to be made or recorded to all future ages in words which of themselues should not be true 6. Neither is it any way probable that the 3. The Euāgelists vvould not put dovvne the last vvill and Testament of our Lord other vvise then he spake it Euangelists and S. Paule or any of them would haue penned these words of the institution of this Sacrament in the present tense without any further exposition had not our Lord both spoken and intended that they should be vnderstood in the present tense seeing that words are instituted to signify the reall intention of mens minds especially in last wills and Testaments in matters of Sacraments and serious affaires which concerne all mens soules and not for to saye one thing and think another 7. This Sacrament is published to be worthily receaued of all those who shall receaue it vnder penalty of euerlasting fyer and damnation 1. Cor. 11. which cannot be without a true faith and belief in this Sacrament and how cann they haue a The danger of vsing equiuocation in the last vvill and testament of our Lord. true faith or beliefe of this Sacramēt who knowe not by faith but by coniecture only what this Sacrament is or what our Lord instituted as wittnesseth experiēce For when our Aduersaries saie that these words of the institution of this Sacrament This is my body which is broken for you are to be vnderstood thus This is a signe of my body which shal be crucifyed for you how doe they knowe that these words a body is taken in this place for a signe of a body is for shall and broken for crucifyed but by a meere coniecture seing that neither Scriptures nor Fathers nor practise of the Catholick Church of former ages doe tell them so nor yet any dictionary or lexicon in any language 8. The same greek Bibles in the same places doe affirme that our Sauiour speaketh of his owne actions about the communion and what he would haue the Apostles to doe in the consecration of the communion and not what the Jewes were to inflict vpon him at his Passion as I haue proued at large in the 1. and 2. chapters of this book 9. The greek Fathers who vnderstood greek and knew the mind of our Sauiour and his sense and meaning of these his words of the institution of this Sacrament as well as our Aduersaries doe arffirme that our Lord then at the institution of The greek Fathers affirme that our Lord at his last Supper instituted a Sacrifice in his body and bloud this Sacrament offred Sacrifice in his body and bloud as S. Irenaeus saying Christ at his last Supper taught the new oblation of the new Testament which the Church hauing receaued from the Apostles doth offer vnto God throughout the wholeworld which was the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord as I haue proued in the former chapter S. Chrysostome in his 24. Homily vpon the 1. to the Corinthians Christ at his last Supper commanded himselfe to be offred in lieu of the slaughter of boastes and in the 27. following In steed of the bloud of beastes he brought in his owne bloud S. Gregorie Nissen in his Oration of the Resurrection Christ after an vnspeakable and hidden manner of Sacrifice preoccupated the violent force of his death and being the Priest and the Lambe of God offred himselfe an oblation and victime for vs. When was this donn when he exhibited his body to be eaten and his bloud to be drunke by his familiar freinds Whervpon Theodoret vpon the 109. Psalme saith Christ did begin the Priesthood of the new Law in the night when he vndertooke the Crosse when he took bread and brake c. And Occumenus vpon the 5. to the Hebrews saith Christ deliuered the forme of his Priesthood of the new Law vnto Priests in the mistical banquet and Supper So the grecians Fathers 10. The first amongst the Fathers who cite these words of the institution of this Sacrament The first Fathers vvho alledged the vvords of the institution of this Sacrament are S. Alexander of the latin Church and S. Iustine Martyr of the greek Church the words of S. Alexander I haue sett downe in the 3. chapter S. Iustine Martyr writt a 2. Apologie for the Christians vnto Antoninus Pius the Emperor and Senate and people of Rome in the yeare of our Lord 150. or as Eusebius in his Cronikle saith in the yeare 143. In which Apologie he plainely and manifestly proposeth vnto the Emperor Senate and people of Rome the faith of the Christians in his tyme concerning the Eucharist saying These who amongst vs are called Deacons giue vnto euery one of the Assistants to take of this bread and wine and water made the Eucharist and also to carrie to the absent And this meate is called amongst vs the Eucharist whereof it is not lawfull for any to be partaker but those who beleeue that our doctrine is true and haue been washed with the lauer of remission of sinns and regeneration and doe liue according to the ordinance of Christ for we doe not take these things as common bread nor common drinke but after the same manner that Christ Iesus our Sauiour was made flesh by the word of God and had flesh and bloud for our saluation so also haue we been taught that the food whereof by change our flesh and our bloud are nourished made the Eucharist by the word of prayer proceeding from him is the flesh and bloud of the same Iesus made flesh For the Apostles in their commentaries called the Ghospells haue related vnto vs that Iesus hath ordained them to doe so that hee took kread and making it the Eucharist he said Doe this in commemoration of me This is my body And taking likewise the Chalice and making it the Eucharist he said This is my bloud And gaue them to the Apostles only Thus S. Iustine to the Emperor Senate and people of Rome in the yeare 143. or 150. Whereby we may obserue that not only the faithfull of these tymes beleeued that the same flesh and bloud which was incarnate was in diuers places and vnder diuers dimensions at the same tyme in the Eucharist or communion but that this command of our Lord Doe this for a commemoration of me was taken euen in the infancy of the Church to be a command giuen vnto the Apostles and their Successors in the Church of God to consecrate the true reall and substantiall body and bloud of our Lord vnder the species of bloud and wine and that the words of our Lord in the institution of the communion which are spoken in the present tense as This is my body which is broken for you or in the future tense as This is my body which shal be deliuered for you are both to be vnderstood of his body in the Sacrifice and communion and
giue lesse then he promised in so manifest and plaine termes and these so often repeated Wherefore seing that he often promised with cleare and manifest words in the 6. of S. Iohn that he would giue liuing bread bread that came down from heauen bread which is his flesh for the lyfe of the world meate which is his flesh and drinke which is his bloud meate which who soeuer eateth worthily hath lyfe euerlasting and abideth in Christ and Christ in him it cannot without blasphemy be affirmed that Christ hath not truely and really performed those things which he hath so often and so plainly and clearly promised and that rather more then lesse then his words import which cannot be vnlesse he giue his true reall and substantiall body and bloud himself vnder the species of bread and wine vnto vs for meate for whatsoeuer inferior thing he should giue which should be lesse then himself the same should also be lesse then his promise 5. And the want of performance if any such thing could possibly be were so much the more Our Sauiours assurance in giuing his flesh remarkable for that our Sauiour with a double assurance or as it were with a kind of oath affirmeth saying Amen Amen I say to you vnlesse ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall not haue lyfe in you Io. 6. 53. Wherevpon S. Augustine in his 41. Tract vpon S. Iohn sayth Truth sayth Amen Amen I say vnto you what a thing is this that our Lord shoul saye Amen Amen I say vnto you He commendeth it very much which he so pronounceth seing that if it be lawfull so to saye Amen Amen I saye vnto you is his oath 6. Wherefore seeing that it is impossible for God to lye and alter all these his afore sayd properties and conditions it necessarily followeth that our Lord at the institution of the communion gaue his true reall and substantiall body and bloud vnto the Apostles in the communion and instituted that his true reall and substantiall body and bloud should be administred in the communion to the fulfilling of those his wordes here spoken in the 6. S. Iohn and also at the institution of this Sacrament where he doth not only saye This is my body and this is my bloud but This is my body which is giuen for you and This is my body which shal be deliuered for you This is my bloud which is shed for many and This is my bloud which shal be shed for many 7. If after all these faire wordes and large promises of receauing from our Sauiour this heauenly God cannot faile to fulfill his many and serious promises food and diuine meate we should receaue from him only a peece of bakers bread and supp of vintners wine which notwithstanding all that it hath from him or on his part is euen after consecration but a peece of bread and supp of vintners wine without any reall qualitie entitie substance flesh body or bloud of his in it more then is in other bakers bread and vintners wine which is the assertion of our Aduersaries who could with reason thinke or beleeue that Christ were God faithfull in his words and iust in all his promises 8. That the Puritans saye they receaue the true reall and substantiall body and bloud of The Protestans and Puritans communion a meere imagination or fiction our Lord by faith eate his flesh and bloud by faith imagine him there though he be as farr of in deed and truth as it is to heauen that 's nothing to the purpose For first these are their own words which are no where to be found in the Scriptures Secondly we do not looke for the actions of men what they do or ought to doe when they communicate or receaue but for the actions of God in preparing and giuing the thing they are to receaue before they receaue it Thirdly faith or imagination can not make a thing really absent to be really present as is manifest by experience and to beleeue that a thing which is indeede absent is really and indeed present is but a deceipt in the imagination and a false faith which cann neuer make that which is not present to be present Fourthly suppose that these sayings of the Puritans were true then the words and promises of Christ were false and so he should not be true God for these are not his words promises workes and actions but theirs wherefore if they saye true then our Lord hath not fulfilled his promises and so was not true God not faithfull in all his words But seeing that he was true God and Sonne of God and truth it selfe it necessarily followeth that he fulfilled these his promises so solēnely made and gaue his true and reall flesh to eate and bloud to drinke in the Communion 9. And this was as I haue said heretofore the argument Christ vvas God because he could chāge bread into his body of S. Irenaeus to proue against some heretiks who denied Christ to be God the changing of bread into his body and wine into his bloud saying in the 34. chap. of his 4. book of heresies How vvill it be manifest to these heretikes who deny Christ to be the Sonne of God that the bread vpon vvhich thankes is giuen is the body of their Lord and the chalice his bloud if they do not saye Christ to be the sonne of the biulder of the world that is to say his vvord by vvhich trees be are fruite fountaines flow the earth first doth giue the blade afterwards the eare then full vvheate in the eare Thus S. Irenaeus who liued why lest yet some of the Apostles schollers were liuing and the actions of our Sauiour and the Apostles were fresh in the memory of men And from hence it is that euen in the primitiue Church none denyed that Christ gaue his true flesh and bloud in the Communion but those who denied him to be God as witnesseth S. Hilarius in his 8. book of the Trinitie saying Christ said my flesh is meat indeed and my bloud is drinke indeed he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud remaineth in me and I in him There is no place left to doubt of the truth of the flesh and bloud of our Lord in this Sacrament for now by the profession of our Lord himselfe and by our faith or according to our faith it is truly bloud and these things being taken into our handes as was the custome of the primitiue Church and swallowed downe do worke this that vve may be in Christ and Christ in vs. And is not this truth It falleth out verily that it is not esteemed true by those who deny Christ to be God 10. From hence it is that when our Lord first preached of this blessed Sacrament in the 6. of S. Peter beleeued the reall presence before he vnderstood it S. Iohn S. Peter as witnesseth S. Augustine vpon the 54. Psalme did not
then vnderstand how our Lord would giue vs his flesh to eate and his bloud to drinke but he beleeued the words to be good which he did not vnderstand and that they should eate his true flesh and drinke his true bloud because Christ was God and Sonne of God and therefore casting of all doubts and misbeleef against this Sacrament and firmely beleeuing that they should eate his true flesh indeed and drinke his bloud indeed answered Lord vnto whome shall we goe thou hast the words of eternall lyfe and we beleeue and haue known that thou art Christ the some of God Ioh. 6. 68. 11. The reason why S. Peter answered thus was because the Jewes and many of the Disciples The reason of S. Peters ansvver to our Sauiour vvhenothers beleeued not his vvords spokē about this Sacrament who murmured at our Sauiours words and sayed This saying is hard that they should eate his flesh and drinke his bloud did not beleeue that he was God but only man saying How cann this man giue vs his flesh to eate who if they had beleeued that he was God and Sonne of God would haue made no difficulty in beleeuing that he would giue them his flesh to eate and his bloud to drinke knowing that with God all things are possible Math. 19. 26. and that there shall not be impossible with God any word Luk. 1. 37. And therefore S. Peter said Thou hast the words of eternall life and we beleeue and haue known that thou art Christ the Sonne of God According to the profession of his faith formely made saying Thou art Christ the Sonne of God Math. 16. 16. And therefore he and the rest of the Apostles only Iudas excepted beleeued that he both could and would giue The institution of the Sacrament often repeated in the Scriptures least there might be any doubt them his flesh to eate and bloud to drinke 12. And least there might be any doubt made whether our Sauiour gaue his body and bloud in the Communion or no S. Matthew S. Luke S. Marke and S. Paule when they speake of the institution of the communion doe all affirme that our Lord took bread and blessing said Take ye and eate this is my body and likewise the Chalice saying Drinke ye all of his for this is my bloud Insomuch as amongst them all accounting both the body and bloud least there might be any doubt made of the deliuering his body to eate and his bloud to drinke they repeate it eight times in the words of institution besides other places 13. And to take awaie all doubtes and distrust that our Lord in the institution of the communion did not giue his body to eate and bloud to drinke according to his promise in the 6. of S. Iohn our Lord did not only saye Take ye and eate this is my body and Drinke ye all of this this is my bloud but also added a reason or cause why he would haue them to eate and drinke that holy VVhy our Sauiour vvould haue the Apostles to receaue the communion communion saying for this is my body as wittnesseth Alexander the first who was made Bishopp of Rome in the yeare 121. in the 2. chapter of his 1. Epistle to all Catholikes Origen in his 35. tract vpon S. Mattheuw S. Ambrose in the 5. chapter of his 4. book of Sacraments S. Marke in his publike Liturgy c. And againe For this is my bloud as wittnesseth S. Mattheuw Matth. 26. 28. S. Ciprian Epist 63. S. Hierome Epist 150. c. where our Lord doth assigne vnto the Apostles as a cause or reason why he would haue them eate and drinke of that vvhich he had prepared for them in the communion for or because it vvas his body for or because it was his bloud shewing vnto them that the motiue which moued him so much to desire the institution of this blessed Sacrament and that they should eate and drinke of it was because it was his body and bloud and that he might feede them with his body and bloud to the fulfilling of what he had promised in the sixt of S. Iohn 14. Moreouer all the people and nations vnto All nations vnto vvhich the Apostles preached beleeued the reall presence which the Apostles preached which would be to long to reckon vpp beleeued that our Lord both then did and now doth giue his body to eate and his bloud to drinke in the Communiō as is manifest by their chronicles histories recordes monuments bookes of common prayer and practise and it is not possible that all the nations vnto which the Apostles preached being so infinite many and so farr distant one from another diuided by diuerse languages principalities and kingdomes should all fall into one and the same errour as we see by experience and into an errour Hovv impossible it is for the reall presence to be inuented by any man so hard to be embraced a◠it is to beleeue that vnder the species of all litle peece of bread was the body of the Sonne of God which sitteth at the right hand of God the Father in heauen and vnder the species of a litle wine was the bloud of the Sonne of God and adore and respect them as his true reall and substantiall body and bloud when at the first speaking of it by our Lord it seemed a thing so improbable that not only the Jewes murmured at it but also many of the Disciples were scādalised to heare of it insuch sort as at the hearing of it only they went backe and walked no more which our Lord. Iohn 6. And yet notwithstanding all this can it be imagined by any vnderstanding man that after the death of our Lord all the whole Christian world without a teacher and without a master would beleeue these things of themselues and no man to take notice either when or where or hovv they fell into these supposed grosse errours as the Comike sayeth These things are not well deuised Dauus 15. And because the ancient Fathers of the primitiue Church most firmly beleeued that the Great synners not communicated vntill after many yeares of penance same body and bloud of our Lord which sitteth at the right hand of God the Father in heauen was in the B. Sacrament after consecration therefore they did not communicate great sinners as adulterers drunkards apostatas and the like vntill after many yeares of penance as wittnesseth the Councel of Iliberis celebrated in the yeare 305. throughout the Councel of Arles held in the yeare 314. can 14. and 23. the Councel of Ancira gathered the same yeare the first great Councel of Nice Can. 10. 11. 12. and 13. according to the greeke copie which they did for the great respect they had to the most sacred body and bloud of our Lord in the communion Not to giue that which is holy vnto doggs nor cast pearles before swine according as our Lord had giuen commandement Matth. 7. 6. 16. If these
that the saying of Amen doth signify the free consent and confirmation of the thing spoken of before or propounded to be donn Wherefore seeing that both our Sauiour and the faithfull in all ages added Amen to the words spoken of the flesh body and bloud of our Lord in the Eucharist it is most manifest that both it was the true flesh and bloud of our Lord which they spake of and the faithfull in all ages beleeued it to be the true flesh and bloud of our Lord euen that which was borne of the blessed Virgin Mary for as S. Paule saith He that supplieth the place of the vulgar how shall he saye Amen vpon thy blessing if he know not what thou saiest 1. Cor. 14. 16. Wherevpon S. Hierome in his Commentaries vpon the last chapter to the Galathians saith Moreouer that Amen doth expresse the consent of the hearers and is a seale of the truth the first Epistle to the Corinthians doth teach vs where S. Paule saith But if thou blesse with the spirit he who supplieth the place of the common people how shall he say Amen to thy blessing because he knoweth not what thou saiest whereby he declareth that an vnlearned man cannot answere that it is true which is said as Amen signifyeth vnlesse he vnderstand that which is taught Wherevpon the Priest in the primitiue Church before he administred the Communion to the vulgar common people admonished them that it was the body and bloud of Christ as witnesseth Pelagius who liued in the tyme of S. Hierom in his commentaries The people aduertised of the reall presence vpon the first Epistle to the Corinthians and 11. chapter saying When we receaue the Sacrament we are admonished by the Priest that it is the body and bloud of Christ. 5. Not only in the Liturgiy of S. Iames which was vsed for the administration of this Sacrament Amen to the reall presence ansvvered by all nations at Hierusalem the people answered Amen to the words of consecration and to the Priest when he saith The body of Christ or bloud of Christ but also in the rest of the Liturgies or publik Church seruice kooks as in the Liturgie of S. Peter which was made for the latine Church the Liturgie of S. Marke made for the greeke Church the Liturgie of S. Basil made for the Church of Capadocia the Liturgie of S. Chrisostome made for the Church of Constantinople in the Liturgie of the Ethiopians made by S. Matthew the Priest representing the person of our Sauiour saith This is my body the people answere Amen Amen so we beleeue it to be and confesse and do praise the Lord our God this is truly thy body The Priest saith c. This is my bloud of the new Testament c. The people answere Amen Amen Amen we beleeue it and confesse and and doe praise the Lord our God this is truly thy bloud c. The Priest saith This is the body holy honorable and vitall of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus-Christ which hath been giuen for remission of sinnes and the obteyning of life euerlasting to those who take it truly Amen This is the bloud of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus-Christ holy honorable and quickening which hath been giuen for the remission of sinnes vnto all those who shall truly receaue it Amen This is truly the body and this is truly the bloud of Emanuel our God Amen I doe beleeue it now and for euer Amen 6. To this end that the people might answere Amen to the words of consecration and confirme VVhy anciently the vvords of consecration vvere spoken a lovvde their beliefe of the true reall and substātiall being of the body and bloud of our Lord in the Eucharist after consecration in the primitiue Church the words of consecration were pronounced with a lowd voice that all the people present at the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord might answere Amen to the confirming and professing of their faith which continued as it seemeth vntill about the yeare 700. about which tyme diuerse men reteyning the words of consecration would sing them vp and down the streets as The occasion vvhy the vvords of consecration are spoken vvhich a lovv voice they walked and in other indecent places vnfitt for such sacred words and also certaine shepheards who had retained the words of consecration by heart erected a stone for an altar and placed bread and wine thereon pronounced the words ouer them as they had seen Priests to doe wherevpon fire came down from heauen consumed the bread and wine and stone and so astonished the shepheards as that for a longe tyme after they could scarce speake as witnesseth Sophronius in the 196. chapter of his Prato Spirituali Remigius Antisiodorensis in his exposition of the Masse and Alcuinus in his book De diuinis officijs for remedy whereof and such like prophanesse the latin Church hath brought vp the custome to pronounce the sacred words of consecration with a lowe though a distinct voice Yet neuer thelesse euen vntill this day when the Priest doth communicate himselfe before he receaue houlding the Eucharist in his handes he saith The body of our Lord Iesus-Christ keepe my soule to euerlasting lyfe Amen and after communicateth himselfe And when he communicateh any other before he deliuer the Eucharist he holdeth it in his hāds and saith The body of our Lord Iesus-Christ keepe thy soule to life euerlasting Amen 7. In the Liturgie or Masse of S. Ambrose sett forth for the Church of Milan the Priest publikely sheweth the consecrated host vnto the communicants and saith with a lowde voice The body of Christ and the people before they receaue in confirmation that they beleeue it to be the body before it be deliuered vnto them and to professe their faith in this point answere Amen The same custome was vsed also in the administration of the chalice when the Communion was distributed in both kinds as appeareth by the 49. question of a book dedicated to Orosius by some attributed to S. Augustine which saith that before the Priest administrated the Chalice vnto those who communicated in both kinds he said The bloud of our Lord Iesus-Christ and he that communicated in profession of his faith that he beleeued it to be the very bloud of our Lord independant of his faith and before he communicated answered Amen So the whole Church of God hauing at all tymes euen from the first foundation thereof by the Apostles vsed publik acclamation in the confirmation of their beliefe of the reall presence of the body and bloud of our Lord in the Eucharist before receauing and independant of the faith of the receauer I leaue it to the discretion of every vnderstanding man to thinke how absurd it is now after 1600. yeares for any man who desireth to beare the name of a Christian to deny it 8. Moreouer the Catholik Church hath alwayes had so great a care to preserue in all her
The decree of Apostles that none should receaue vvithout ansvvering Amen children the beliefe of the true reall and substantiall body of our Lord in the Eucharist before receauing that the Apostles amongst other things decreed that none should receaue the Eucharist without professing it to be the body and bloud of Christ by answering Amen to the Priest or Deacon when he calleth the Eucharist before receauing the body or bloud of Christ as witnesseth S. Clement in the 13. chapter of his 8. book of Apostolicall constitutions saying Lett the Bishopp deliuer the oblation to the people saying The body of Christ and lett him who receaueth it saye Amen but lett the Deacon hold the chalice and administring it vnto others lett him saye the bloud of Christ the chalice of life and he who doth drink it lett him saye Amen Thus the Apostles whereby we see that this answere of Amen by the people vnto the Priest affirming the Eucharist to be the body and bloud of Christ before receauing is an Apostolicall constitution conformable to the words of our Lord saying Amen Amen I say vnto you vnlesse you eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud you shall not haue life in you If the Sonne of God affirme vnder Amen Amen that the meate he would giue should be his flesh and the drinke his bloud what are the Sonnes of men who deny it but deceaued people 9. This practise of the profession of the body and bloud of our Lord to be in the Eucharist before receauing by the common people being thus established in the Church by the Apostles it cōtinued as a generall custome amognst the laiety and whole Church in succeding ages as witnesseth S. Iustine Martyr in his second Apologie to S. Iustine Martyr of the ansvvering Amen the Emperour Antoninus Pius the Senate and people of Rome who setting down the manner and custome which the Christians vsed in their Communion saith At the end of prayers we salute one an other with a kisse Then is offred vnto him who is chiefe amongst the bretheren bread and a cupp mixt with wine and water which after that he hath receaued he giueth praise and glory to the Parent of all things in the name of the Sonne and holy ghost and giueth thanks a good space that he is esteemed by him worthy of these things which being rightly performed or finished all the people which are present doe giue the blessing to the prayers and thanks-giuing saying Amen And Amen in the Hebrew tongue is as much as to saye be it donn After that both the Prelats haue giuen thanks and all the people haue giuen their blessing by saying Amen those who amongst vs are called Deacons giue vnto euery one that is present c. And we take it to be the flesh and bloud of Iesus-Christ Thus S. Iustine who liued with the Apostles schollers whereby it appeareth that euen from the first plantation of the Church of Christ vpon earth amongst the nations the laiety and common people vsed to aswere Amen to the blessing and consecration of the Eucharist thereby publikly to declare that they most firmely beleeued it to be the body and bloud of Christ independant of the faith of the receauer 10. Not longe after S. Iustine Martyr liued Dionysius Alexandrinus who in his Epistle to Xistus Dionysius Alexandrinus Bishop of Rome recorded by Eusebius in the eight chapter of his 7. book of histories maketh mention of the answering Amen to the words of thanks-giuing and consecration by the laiety and common people saying that a certaine brother who had for a longe tyme been esteemed a faithfull man amongst them and receaued the Communion because he had been baptized by wicked heretiks with teares and sorrow desired of him that he might be baptized againe according to the custome of the Catholik Church Which verily saith he I durst not doe but tould him that the daily Communion whereof he did participate with the faithfull was of force sufficient to purge his soule for he who had heard the thanks-giuing he who together with the rest had pronounced Amen he who had approched to the table who had stretched forth his hands to receaue that holy foode who had receaued it who had been for so longe a tyme partaker of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus-Christ I durst not wholy renew his Baptisme Thus S. Dionisius 11. S. Cirill of Hierusalem in his 5. Catechesis S. Cirill of Hier. maketh also mention of this custome saying Thou presenting thy-self to the Communion doest not come with thy handes extended or thy fingers open but making thy left hand serue to thy right as a seate or throne as he who ought to receaue the king and contracting together the palme of thy hand receaue the body of Christ answering Amen And after thou hast sanctifyed thine eyes by the touching of the holy body receaue or be partaker of it with confidence vsing great eare that thou loose none of it for all that thou doest loose account it as the losse of one of thy proper members c. Hauing communicated the body of Christ present thy-selfe to the chalice of his bloud not stretching forth thy hands but incline in manner of adoration or worshipp saying Amen and this donn sanctify thy-selfe and participate of Christ Thus S. Cirill For the better vnderstanding whereof it is to be noted that the Grecians receaued the body of our Lord into the palmes of their left hands and covred it with the right and so the left hand was as a seate or throne to the blessed Sacrament vntill the communicant receaued it which he did not presently but after some pious meditation or considerations yet at the deliuring of the Eucharist into the palme of his hand the Priest said according to the constitutions of the Apostles The body of Christ and he who receaued it answered Amen and afterwards communicated himselfe 12. S. Ambrose also in the fift chapter of his 4. book of Sacraments affirmeth that it was the custome S. Ambrose of all those who receaued to professe the Eucharist to be the body of our Lord his words are these It was truly a great and venerable thing that God rayned Manna to the Iewes from heauen but vnderstand which is greater Manna from heauen or the body of Christ The body of Christ certainly who is the inlarger of heauen c. Therefore thou doest not say Amen in vaine when thou takest it now confessing in spirit that thou receauest the body of Christ The Priest saieth vnto thee The body of Christ and thou saiest Amen that is to saie true That which thy tongue doth confesse lett thy affection hould 13. S. Leo also the great speaking of this answering S. Leo. by Amen to the Eucharist when it was called the body of Christ in his 6. Sermon of Fasting in the 7. Month saith Seeing that our Lord doth say If you doe not eate the flesh of
the Sonne of Mann and doe not drinke his bloud you shall not haue life in you you ought to communicate after such asort to the holy table as that you doubt nothing at all of the body and bloud of Christ for that is taken by the mouth which is beleeued by faith And in vaine doe these answere Amen who dispute against that which is taken Thus S. Leo. 14. This custome of answering Amen to the Priest when he called the Eucharist the body of Christ was so vniuersally practised in the primitiue Church that Cornelius who was a holy Martyr and made Bishop of Rome about the yeare 254. Nouatus the heretik chāged the ansvvere of Amen in his Epistle to Fabius Bishop of Antioche set down by Eusebius in the 35. chaper of his 6. book of Histories amongst other things accuseth Nouatus an Arch-heretike of a most greevous offence for that when he had offered Sacrifice and should distribute vnto euery one part of the Sacrament he would take the hands of the communicants between both his hands and would not lett them goe vntil he had bound the communicant with this oath Sweare vnto me by the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus-Christ that thou wilt neuer forsake me nor returne to Cornelius And the miserable man saith S. Cornelius who was to receaue did not taste of the blessed Sacrament before he had bound himselfe vnto him after this manner And he who should receaue the Sacrament said this in lieu of Amen which he ought to haue said I will from this tyme forward no more returne to Cornelius Thus S. Cornelius in disciphering the wickednes of the heretike Nouatus whereby we see that euen in the primitiue Church both the Eucharist was beleeued to be the body and bloud of Christ before receauing and that the whole Church of God in all ages vsed to acknowledge it to be the body and bloud of Christ before they receaued 15. S. Augustine in his 29. Sermon vpon the words of the Apostles maketh also mention of this testimony which all the faithfull haue euer giuen to the body and bloud of Christ in the Eucharist before receauing saith You know ô faithfull men what testimony you haue giuen vnto the bloud which you haue receaued for certainly you saie Amen Wherevpon The ansvvere of Amen crieth against the Aduersaries of the reall presence lyke the bloud of Abel S. Augustine in the 10. chapter of his 2. book against Faustus a Manichean heretike who contemned the bloud of Christ in the Eucharist compareth the crying of the bloud of Christ out of the mouths of the faithfull who answere Amen vnto it before they receaue it vnto the crying of the bloud of Abel which was shed vpon earth by his brother Cain saying God saith to Cain what hast thou donn The voice of thy brothers bloud crieth vnto me from the earth Euen so the diuine voice in the Scripture saying This is my bloud doth reprehend the Iewes for the bloud of Christ hath alowd voice vpō earth when Amen is answered vnto it by all nations at their receauing of it This of Amen is the cleare or manifest voice of the bloud which the bloud itselfe out of the mouth of the faithfull redeemed by the same bloud doth expresse Thus S. Augustine whose words we may vse word for word against our Aduersaries changing only Jewes for Puritans 16. Wherefore I humbly beseech the Reader whosoeuer thou art that shalt read these our books and doest not beleeue the reall presence seriously to consider with thyselfe in what a lamentable and miserable estate thou liuest seeing that as S. Augustine saith not only all faithfull people who euer receaued the communion in the Church of God crie against thee as guilty of the bloud of our Lord but also the bloud of Christ itselfe out of the mouthes of the faithfull who haue receaued euen as did the bloud of Abel against his brothe Cain and haue compassion of thyselfe yet whilest there is tyme lett not thy senses deceaue thee nor the obstinacy of thy will hinder thee nor yet sloath or negligence so lull thee a sleepe that thou wilt not heare the crye of all faithfull people and nations If life please thee doe not contemne life when it is offred vnto thee in the bread of life but prepare thy heart to receaue it worthily that thou maist liue eternally Amen THE TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS OF THE FIRST BOOK CHAP. I. WHat we vnderstand by visible Sacrifice and of the whole scope of this book CHAP. II. The necessitie of visible Sacrifice and the end or cause why it was instituted and vsed CHAP. III. All the Gentils and heathen people Atheists and Epicures only excepted offred visible Sacrifice vnto their supposed Gods CHAP. IV. Of all the visible outward actions of men exterior visible Sacrifice is chiefly due vnto God as God and Creator of all thinges CHAP. V. Of all the visible actions of men exterior visible Sacrifice is only due vnto God alone CHAP. VI. By the instinct of nature all people who firmly beleeued that there was a God and his prouidence ouer mankind offred externall visible Sacrifice to some God true or false CHAP. VII How visible Sacrifice was offred vnto God in the beginning of his Church vpon earth and shal be vnto the end CHAP. VIII The reasons why our Sauiour would not take awaie visible Sacrifice out of the Church but establish it in better termes CHAP. IX Our Sauiour was to be a chief Priest of the order of Melchisedech and to offer vnbloudy Sacrifice in his body and bloud vnder the formes of bread and wine vntill the end of the world CHAP. X. At the comming of the Messias vnbloudy Sacrifice in the body and bloud of our Sauiour was to be offred euerie where vpon altars amongst the conuerted Gentils CHAP. XI By the distinction of bloudie and vnbloudie Sacrifices is prooued that our Sauiour at his last supper offred vnbloudie Sacrifice in his bodie and bloud CHAP. XII The ancient Fathers beleeued that our Lord at his last supper offred vnbloudy Sacrifice in his bodie and bloud and established the same in hi Church CHAP. XIII The whole Christian world before Luther beleeued that our Sauiour at his last supper offred vnbloudie Sacrifice or Sacrifice of Gifts in his bodie and bloud and established them in his Church CHAP. XIV The conclusion The Chapters of the 2. book CHAP. I. OVr Sauiour at his last Supper instituted an vnbloudie Sacrifice or Gifts in his bodie and bloud to be offred to God in commemoration of him CHAP. II. How these words This is my body which shal be deliuered for you import also a Sacrifice in his body CHAP. III. The Scriptures and knowne Christian mens books who writt of this subiect before Luther reputed heretiks to both parties only excepted teach a Sacrifice in the bodie and bloud of our Lord. CHAP. IV. Remission of sinnes and other blessings are and may be obteined by the Sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord. CHAP. V. Our Sauiour commanded that we should giue to God for vs the same body and bloud which he gaue and shed and how all the hosts offred in Sacrifice or giuen in the Communion are one CHAP. VI. One and the same substantiall body and bloud of our Lord in the holy Sacrament is in diuers places and vnder diuers dimensions at the same tyme. CHAP. VII Our Sauiour is chief Priest or agent in offring vnbloudy Sacrifice and administratring Sacraments CHAP. VIII How in generall our Sauiour by his omnipotency together with Priests his instruments and Legats doth consecrate his true reall and substantiall body and bloud in the blessed Sacrament CHAP. IX Of the certainty of the presence of the true reall and substantiall body and bloud of our Lord in the blessed Sacrament after consecration by the omnipotency of God CHAP. X. The Amen or conclusion of this book and how all faithfull communicants haue vsed to say Amen to the body and bloud of our Lord in the blessed Sacrament before they receaued FINIS APPROBATIO TRactatus hic secundus de Sacrificio nihil continet quod aut rectae Fidei aut bonis moribus repugnet imprimi itaque poterit diuulgari Datum Bruxell die 15. Maij 1637. Henricus Calaenus S. T. L. librorum Censor