oblacion woorthier then this but this excelleth all other whiche ys to be offred to our Lorde with a pure conscience and to be receaued with a pure minde Among the Chrystians ther ys no sacrifice to be offred and with pure minde to be receaued but the sacrifice offred on the aultar And thus of necessitie yt foloweth that this Authour graunteth the presence of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament and that yt ys a sacrifice and that the woordes of Chrystes supper are to be vnderstanded without figure The thirde note ys that when he had taught that the sacrifice must be of Adoracion of the Sacrament auouched fred with a pure cōscience and receaued with a pure minde he teacheth also that yt must be woourshipped and honoured and that with no lowe degree of woorshippe and honour but as this sacrifice saieth he doth precel al so it ys aboue all to be honoured By whiche doctrine yt maie appeare that yf the thinge of the sacrifice dothe excell all other and ysaboue all other to be honoured and the onely sacrifice of Chrystes bodie and blood excelleth all other ys to be honoured that then that blessed bodie and blode are there present to be honoured wher they be offred They be offred wher they be receaued they be receaued in the Sacrament wherfore they are to be honoured in the Sacrament Now when all this disputacion of this holie Father ys graunted vpō these woordes of Chryst This ys my bodie this ys my bloode yt can not be but that these woordes of Chryst must be vnderstanded simplie and plainly in their propre sense with oute figure or trope And thus to conclude for these two great Seniours of Chrystes schoole and Parliament house ye perceaue that they vse Chrystes woordes in ther propre sense And also thervpon testifie to vs the enacted trueth of Chrystes very presence in the holy Sacrament whiche ys the cheifest matter here sought THE FOVRE AND FOVRTETH CHAP. BY occasion of the woordes of Alexander treacteth of the adoracion and honouring of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament BVt occasion being geuen by this holie Father Alexander to speake of the adoracion of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament I can not ouerpasse somewhat more to saie of yt to the confutacion of the most impudent and blasphemouse vntrueth spoken and vttered by this Proclamers woordes against adoracion recited and cōfuted Proclamer for thus he saieth Chryst that best knewe what aught to be doen herein when he ordeined and deliuered the Sacrament of his bodie and bloode gaue no commaundement that anie man should fall dowen to it or woourshippe it S. Paule that tooke the Sacrament at Chrystes hande and as he had taken it deliuered it to the Corynthians neuer willed adoracion or godlie honour to be geuen vnto it The olde doctours and holie Fathers of the Churche S. Cyprian S. Chrysostom S. Ambrose S. Hierom S. Augustine and others that receaued the Sacrament at the Apostles hands and as it maie be thought continued the same in soche sorte as they receaued it neuer make mencion in any of all their bookes of adoring or woourshipping of the Sacrament Yt ys a verie newe deuise and as it ys well knowen came but lately into the Churche oboute three hundreth yeares past Honorius then being Bishoppe of Rome commaunded the Sacrament to be lifted vppe and the people reuerentlie ta bowe downe vnto yt After him Vrbanus the fourth appoincted an holie feast of Corpus Christi And graunted oute large pardons to the kepers of it that the people shoulde with the better will resorte to the Churche and kepe it holie This ys the greatest antiquitie of the wholl matter aboute three hundreth yeares ago it was first fownde oute and putte in practise But Chryst and his Apostles the holie Fathers in the primitiue Churche the Doctours that folowed them and other godly and learned men what soeuer for the space of a thousand and two hundreth yeares after Chrystes ascension into heauen this woourshipping of the Sacrament was neuer knowen nor practised in any place within the wholl catholike Churche throughout the wholl worlde Thus moche the Proclamer Whē I readde these his woordes I staied as one astoined considering that they coulde not proceade from anie man but either by ignorance or ells by peruerse malice that wittinglie wolde al shame set apparte vtter soche an vntrueth as the meā learned I suppose of all the catholike Churche knoweth it so to be And the more did I merueill that it was so impudētly setfurth with a repeticiō as therbie with moch boldnesse to auouche the matter Nowe for that the Authour of the woordes ys not vnlearned I coulde not asscribe thē to ignorance And considering his callinge ther shoulde be in him no soche peruerse malice But remembring howe Macedonius Nestorius and diuerse soche other leauing the doctrine of the catholike Church and the mociou of the spirit of God in the same and folowing the doctrine of priuate men according to the mocion of the spirit of Sathan did forget their calling and peruersedlie vsed them selues So likwise I perceaue this man doth the more ys the pittie But that we maie perceaue howe farre wide he ys from the trueth we will examen his woordes His first argument ys that Chryst neuer gaue commaundement to woourshippe the Sacrament Ergo yt ys not to be doen. To this first I saie to him as to one exercised in schooles that an argument of negatiues concludeth The ngatiue argumēt of the Proclamer concludeth nothing nothing But for more large declaracion to the vnderstanding of the Reader yt ys not redde in the Gospell that Chryst commaunded anie bodie to adore him while he here liued in the earth yt ys therfore a good argument that he was not to be adored The three wise men of the east came with their giftes and offringe them adored the babe Chryst They had no cōmaundement of Chryst so to do shoulde they not therfore haue doen yt or did they offende in so doing Diuerse that were cured of Chryst came and adored him but not commaunded of Chryst so to do Yt ys not redde in the Gospells that the Apostles during their familiare conuersacion withe Chryste before his passion that they fell down and adored him Shall we therfore frame an argument that Chryst in his mortall state was not to be adored by cause the Apostles be not readde to haue adored him And that Mary Magdalen the woman of Canaan and the Leeper that did adore him did offende Yt ys a faint kinde of argumentacion I will in like maner reason with this disputer in his owne kinde of disputacion Chryst gaue the Sacrament of his bodie to his Apostles onelie and gaue no commaundement that all people indifferentlie shoulde receaue the same as nowe they doe Wherfor yt aught not to be doen. Yf this argument be good then ys his good But the trueth ys this argument ys naught and so ys his but this disputer knewe well
admonished of your wicked errours and heresies hertofore by doctour Harding and other and nowe by me Yowe knowe who saieth Haereticum hominem c. after one or two admonicions flie the companie of an heretique knowing that soche one ys subuerted forsomoche as he ys euen by his owne iudgement condemned In dede being as I saied thus admonished and seing with all your wicked doctrine by the whol multitude here alleaged so plainlie and cleerly condemned yt can not be but by your owne iudgemēt yowe must be condēned For this ys so euidētlie true that yowe or any man can not denie yt that no doctrine nowe holdē of the catholique Churche for a trueth and impugned by the Sacramentaries was euer yet at anie time by the churche or by any catholique writer reputed as heresie or errour Again this ys as true that euerie doctrine holden of the Sacramentaries and nowe impugned by the catholiques hath ben before time of the catholique Church and wtiters reputed and adiudged erour and heresie a fewe late inuencions onelie excepted which also are now by catholikes impugned and by plain testimonies of the auncient Church proued to be erours and heresies and so condemned To make good the first saing I will reherse certain catholique propositions Chrysts bodie ys verilie in the blessed Sacrament Chrysts bodie ys ossred in sacrifice in the Masse The holie Sacrament ys to be reserued for the cōmunion of the sicke The blessed Sacrament maie be receaued vnder one kinde The bodie of Chryste in the Sacrament ys to be adored Saincts in glorie praie for vs and are to be praied vnto by vs. The dead receaue great benefitte by the sacrisice of the Masse Praier and almose dedes doen for the dead doe auaill them These and soche like the catholiques doe holde the heretiques denie I will not here proclame against yowe but I will ioine this issue with yowe that if yowe can bring anie catholique Coūcell or catholique doctour impugning these or anie of thē as hereticall or erroneous I will subscribe vnto yowe and saie as yowe saie yf yowe can not as I am sure yowe can not thē will I saie as I maie well that your doctrine ys erroneous hereticall and deuelish Nowe to saue your doctrine frō this fowle reproache proue by soche testimonie as I haue saied that our doctrine ys erroneous or ells the shame will be on your side that teach the contrarie To make good my second assertion I will also reherse certain propositions of your doctrine Chrysts bodie ys not reallie in the Sacrament The Sacrament ys onelie a figure of Chryste and not his bodie The substance of bread ys not by due consecracion chaunged turned transmuted nor transelementated into the substance of the bodie of Chryste Ther ys no sacrifice of Chrystes bodie offred in the Masse Praier and almose dedes nothing auaile the dead neither the sacrifice of the Masse These and soche like do yowe and your likes teache and defend for the whiche I will ioin this issue with yowe that if I haue not in this booke sufficientlie proued or can not hereafter if I be required more fullie proue euerie of these to be erroneous and hereticall and long agon for soche to haue ben condemned I will subscribe to them and consesse thē to be good Yf I haue or can euidentlie proue thē so to be then confesse yowe thē to be naught and deuelish Yf yowe refuse thus to doo yet for the defence of your doctrine yf yt maie be defended doo that to vs that I haue doen to yowe I haue doen to yowe in this booke three things First I haue shewed yowe the beginning of the doctrine of the bless Sacramēt the progresse and cōtinuance of yt and the defence of yt Secōdlie of the Masse which ys the solēne sacrifice of Chrysts Church I haue shewed yowe good presidents certē and assured practises and these right auncient Thirdlie for the Sacramētaries doctrine I haue shewed whē yt began by whō yt was inuēted whē and wher yt was condēned and so ce assed and by whom yt was raised again in these our daies in the whiche yt ys also laufullie again condēned Nowe doo yowe the like for your doctrine and against ours Shew the beginning progresse cōtinuance and defence of your Sacramentaries doctrine Shewe the originalls and aunciēt presidents of your Cōmunion which ys the kaie and note of your religion and cōferre thē as we haue done the Masse with the aunciēt presidents of the primitiue Churche Shew howe all your innouacions whiche within these feweyears were in no place of the christian world vsed were put down howe and by whō that was compased in what Popes time and Emperours reign they were suffred to be doen yf anie suffred persecuciō or exile for thē who stoode against these that ouerthrewe them who wrote against thē that banished your religiō and wher be the bookes Yf your doctrine be so notablie good and ours so notablie wicked as yowe teache and preache yt to be so great an alteraciō and decaie of religion frō so great a good to so grete an euell coulde not be doē in the world withoute great note without large testimonies of histores and cronicles of so lamentable a chaūge Bring furth therfor yf yowe can the monimētes and testimonies of this chaunge Yf yowe can not wise mā will thinke and beleue that ther was neuer none soche Yf ther was none thē be your procedings but nouelties inuēted in these later daies and neuer before in vse and therfor well tearmed the newe religiō newe doctrine newe faith newe churche newe Communion Two things M Iuell I doubt not but yowe knowe Thone that in the primitiue and auncient church ther arose no notable heresie but yt was spedelie impugned Thother that of the originall and progresse of euerie soch ther were notes made and moniments for memorie left As concerning the first yt ys certē that euē in the beginning of Chrystes Church Ebion and Cerinthus sowing their heresie were streight impugded by S. Iohn against whō he was moued to write his gospell and epistles Against the same also with other as Valentinus Marcion Cerdon Symon Samarites Basilides Carpocrates and soch like wrote the holie Father Irenaeus not long after who as in his workes yt maie be seen in diuerse places vsed for an argument against those heretiques the presence of Chrysts bodie in the Sacramēt and yet the same Irenaeus was neuer noted of errour for his so affirming and teaching Origen his works being fownde inspersed with diuerse errours was noted for them but wher he testifieth the presence of Chrystes bodie in the bless Sacrament he was neuer blamed Ciprian the holie martir was verie vehemēt against Nouatus the heretique and his sect he diligentlie laboured to cut of soche weedes This holie mā in the matter of the presence wrote so plainlie as no mā more plainlie he wrote also of baptisme In the matter of the presence the church hath
soche as heys himself Soche true mē they be nowe also that this mā wil creditte in this matter euē soche as he ys himself yf he doe refuse all these kindes of mē aboue produced But howesoeuer he shall take this and the rest of my booke in outwarde countenance I trust yt shal touche his conscience And then as Chrysostom Smalle conforte wher conscience ys consounded saieth Leuis erit consolatio vbi conscientiae sentiunt se esse confusas Yt ys but a light or small comfort when the consciences of men perceaue them selues confownded God of his mercie reduce him and all that be gone astraie home to hys folde again that they be not in his terrible iudgement confownded before him and all his Angells Nowe Reader that the order of this my rude worke maye be knowen vnto Ordre of the Booke thee vnderstād that wher the enemie of Gods trueth hath in his saied sermō made his boast that he ys sure that not one sentēce cā be brought by the catholiq̄s to proue the Articles ther by him rehersed amōge the which beside the reall and substāciall presence of Christ in the Sacramēt he addeth manie other thinges apperteininge to the same which he ioineth together vnder one predicamēt that ys that we haue no proof for them that he maye be perceaued to be a vain and false man I will proue yt by scriptures doctours and Councells And incidentlie diuerse other of his rehersed matters to this principal apperteining Whiche allthough I ouerpasse them not in soche maner as he doth onelie to saie and nothing to proue or improue thē as they be of him vttered yet ye shall finde thē answered wher occasion ys ministred to speake of soche matter And although manie profownde and excellent learned men whose latchettes of their shoes I am not woorthie to loose haue woorthlie written in this matter yet for that none of them to my knowledge hathe after this maner proceaded orderlie to expownde the scriptures that treact of the Sacrament whiche methinke to the confutacion of this man ys necessarie I will by the helpe of God that waie proceade and not by mine owne phantasie but by the verie mindes of the doctours truely seke oute the true vnderstanding of them And for that these scriptures be in three sundrie bookes of the Bible that ys in the olde Testament in the Gospells and in the epistles ther The contens and ordre of this work for the matter beinge lōg I haue diuided this rude worke into three bookes In the first booke are opened soche promisses figures and prophecies of the olde Testament as appertein to the Sacrament The seconde booke geueth yow vnderstanding of the scriptures apperteininge to the same conteined in the vj. of sainct Ihon his Gospell the xxvj of sainct Matthew and in the xxiiij of saincte Luke The thirde booke expowndeth so moche of the tenth and the eleuenth chapiter of the first epistle to the Corinthians as toucheth that matter and also one sentence of the epistle to the Ephesians and one other to the Hebrues In this exposition to the more confutacion of the Aduersaire and confirmacion of the catholique I for the most part bringinge sundrie and diuerse doctours vpon euerie text doe ioin a greke doctour and a latine together that the concord and agreement of bothe churches maye well appeare and fullie be seen So haue I also ioined the doctours that haue written within the compasse of these nine hondreth yeares to them that haue written before that yt maie be iudged whether that these of the later time doo differ or dissent from them of the auncient time in the substanciall poinctes of our faith as the aduersarie saieth they doo By which processe gētle Reader thow shalt I trust perceaue that where the arrogante Philistine both blasphemouslie and vntruelie hathe said of the Catholique Church of the liuing God that yt hathe not one scripture one doctour nor one Councell yt hathe vndoubredly as touching the blessed Sacramēt and other articles apperteining to the same not onelie al the holie Scriptures that treact of that holie mysteric but also the holie Fathers and Councells that speake of the same both Grekes and latines and them aswel of the auncient time before a thousand yeares as thē that were of the later time within the cōpasse of a thousand yeares So that the scriptures being thus explained by the common consent of so manie doctours and all the same also conspiring vpon this one trueth as yt shall be perceaued not by a vain bragge withoute proofe but by euident and plain testimonie we maic as truelie as boldlie returning his bragge into his owne lappe saie that this philistine and his cōplices for the maintenance of their heresie against the presence of Christ in the blessed Sacramēt haue not one scripture one doctour nor one Catholiq̄ Coūcel to make for thē Which thīge I dare saie the indifferēt Reader whē he shal haue perused this booke wil not feare to auouche with me And wishinge that this my laboure might be profitable to the simple and Catholique Church Christes Parliamēt house vnlearned for whose helpe I haue most speciallie taken yt I haue framed my writing as neare as the matter will suffre to their capacities And wher in ciuill and politike regiment Lawes Actes and statutes haue their force by Councells and Parliamentes therfor wher the veritie of Christes reall presence in the Sacrament ys a trueth establissed enacted and receaued by Christes Parliament house I meen the catholique Churche yt liketh me oftentimes to allude to the name and therto agreablie to name this booke I haue Title of the booke not entēded to fall one heere breadth frō the faith of the catholiq̄ Churche Yf anie thing hath slipped from me I submitte yt to the correction of Christes catholique Churche and my self also Prainge thee god Reader to accept my labours in good part and remembre me in thy prayers Vale. THE FIRSTE BOOKE THE FIRST CHAPITER VPON OCCASION THAT THIS ADVERSARIE THIS PROCLAMER AND CHALENger wolde haue the scriptures red of all men presupposing the same to be easie to be vnderstanded entreth as by preamble to treact of the difficultie of the scriptures and to prooue that they aught not of all men to be red without an hable interpretour or teacher HAVING in pourpose to declare by the testimonie of the noble men of Christes Parliament house the enacted and receaued treuth or true meening of all or most of soche scriptures as treact of the blessd Sacrament of the bodie and bloode of our Sauioure Christe ther cometh to my minde the doctrine of Luther the great Progenitour of this Aduersarie who in his booke De seruo arbitrio Luther de seruo arbitr as other his ympes likewise in their bookes teacheth that the scriptures of them selues be easie of all men to be vnderstanded and nede no interpretour Wherunto also the more to infatuate the people he addeth
we die not for we haue sinned in asking vs a king As theise people offended for that they abidde not in the ordre that God appointed thē So oure people nowe a daies folowing the inuentiōs of their heades and castinge awaie their rulers which God hathe appointed and takinge soche as God hath not appointed reiectinge also the holie religiō and faith of God vniuersallie receaued and framinge thēselues a faith and Religiō newlie inuēted and but priuately vsed haue not onelie offended but as sainct Augustine saieth they haue shewed their great madnesse Si quid diuinae Aug. ad Ianuar. Epla 118. scripturae praescribit autoritas non est dubitandū quin ita facere debeamus vt legimus Simi liter etiam si quid per orbem frequentat Ecclesia Nam hoc quin ita saciendum sit disputare insolentissimae insaniae est Yf the authoritie of the scripture of God dothe prescribe anie thing yt ys not to be doubted but that we aught to do as we read Likewise what so euer the Churche through the worlde dothe obserue for to dispute but that this aught so to be done yt ys most arrogant or foolish madnesse As I saie oure people haue offended with the childrē of Israel in theise and other before mencioned So God graūte thē to be cōtended with Gods ordre and to repēt with the childrē of Israell and saie peccauimus we haue offended ād so their eies through mekenes opened theymaie mekelie se their igno raunce and acknowledging the same maie iudge thēselues more mete to heare then to speake to learn then to teache to obie then to rule as the authoritie and exāples of the most famouse fathers and men of Chrystes Churchemaie moue Of whiche some shal be shewed in the next chapiter THE SEVENTH CHAPITER DECLARING THE same by examples of the Fathers and autorities of the Doctours of the Churche MOyses when his death drewe nere willing that the great woūders that God had wrought shoulde not by obliuiō be wiped oute of memorie not onelie to the childrē of Israel that thē liued but to al their posteritie as wel their spiritual as carnal childrē he gaue this rule Interroga patrem tuum annunciabit tibi maiores tuos dicent tibi Aske thy father and he will shewe thee thy Elders and they will tell thee Deut. 32. Although Moyses had writtē fiue bookes wherin he had most excellētlye declared the mightie workes and wounderful miracles of God Yet he did not sende all the people onelie thither to learn but he willed thē to learn of Scripture must be learned of the Fathers The Fathers learned of their elders The Apostles learned of Chryst. Praier required to vnderstād the scriptures their Elders what were the great workes of God Euē so nowe a daies all mē maie not be sent to the scriptures to learn but they must learn of their fathers what be the goodlie workes of God conteined in the Scriptures Yf ye aske all the holie auncient Fathers of whome they learned they wil aunswere of their teachers Fathers and Elders The Apostles learned of our master Chryste who were not in a soddein absolutelie and perfectlie learned but were three yeares and more in learning although they learned of so noble a Schoolemaster whom yt pleased so to vse his Scholers the holie Apostles as therby to insinuate vnto thē that the knowledge of the scriptures ys not rashlie to be had either with a daies hearinge or with a yeares studieng but yt ys as Origen saieth withgreate studie and praier to be gotten Non studin̄ solū nobis adhibendū est ad discendas sacras literas verùm supplicandū Domino diebus ac noctibus obsecrandū vt veniat Agnus ex tribu Iuda ipse accipiēs librū signatū dignetur aperire Not onelie studie saieth Origen ys to be applied to learn the holie scriptures but supplicacion must be made vnto our Lorde and praier vsed daies and nightes that the Lābe of the Tribe of Iuda maie come and that he takinge the sealed booke maie vouchesaif to open yt Thus moche Origen After this maner the holie disciples ād fathers did learn of their Seniours as Fathers of the Church learned of their Elders the histories do declare So did Marke Clemens Linus and Cletus learn of saincte Peter So did Titus Timothius Lucas and Dionysius of saincte Paule Ignatius Policarpus and Papias of saincte Ihon. Of Papias Tertulian Of Pantenus Origen Of Origen Dionysius Alexandrinus Of Tertulian Cyprian Of Dydimus and Gregorie Nazianzen saincte Hierō Of Theophilus saincte Cyrill Of saincte Ambrose sainct Augustin Of saincte Augustin Primasius and Orosius And so agreat nōbre of other which did not onelie with holie life ād deuoute praier applie their great and plainfull studie but also trauailed manie and diuerse cōtries to seke famouse and holie learned mē of whome they might be instructed in the Scriptures The Ecclesiastical historie declareth that two notable learned holie Fathers Eccles hist li. 11. ca. 9. Sainct Basill and Grego Naziā howe they learned the scriptures Basil and Gregorie Nazianzen laie thirtene years in a Monasterie in the studie of the Scriptures and yet presumed not of their owne heades but vsed the learned helpe and instructiō of their elders whose learninge and authoritie they diligentlie and obediētlie folowed The woordes of the historie be these Gregorius cum se totum dei seruitio mancipasset tantum de collegae amore praesumpsit vt sedentē Basiliū de doctoris cathedra deponeret ac secū ad Monasteriū manu iniecta perduceret ibiue per annos vt aiunt tredecim omnibus Graecorū saeculariū libris remotis solis diuinae scripturae voluminibus operā dabāt eorumue intelligentiā non ex propria praesum ptione sed ex maiorū scriptis autoritate sequebantur quos ipsos ex apostolica successione intelligendiregulā suscepisse constabat Gregorie when he had geuen and boūde himself whollie to the seruice of God presumed so moche vpon the loue of his felowe that he putte Basille sitting from the chaire of a doctour or teacher and taking him by the hande led him with him to the Monasterie and ther by the space of thirtene yeares as yt ys reported all prophane or secular bookes of the Grecians remoued they applied their diligēce and laboure to the onelie bookes of Gods Scripture and poursewed the vnderstāding of the same not of their owne presumption but by the writinges and autoritie of their Elders who also themselues as yt was wel knowē receaued the rule of vnderstanding by succession frō the Apostles Thus moche the historie Saincte Hierome of himself saieth Nobis curaefuit cum eruditissimis Hebraeorum hunc laborē subire vt circumiremus Prouinciā quam vniuersae ecclesiae Christi sonāt Fateor Hier. ad Domnion et Rogatiā Sainct Hierom howe he learned the scriptures enim mi Domnion Rogatiane charissimi nunquam me in diuinis voluminibus proprijs
bodie our true Paschall lambe In nocte quippe inquit agnum comedimus quia in sacramento modò Dominicum corpus accipimus quando adhucinuicem nostras conscientias non videmus In the night saieth he do we eate the lambe forsomoche as we do nowe receaue our lordes bodie in the Sacrament when as yet we doe not see one an others conscience In this his sainge ys not onelie perceaued the applicacion of the figuratiue Paschall Lambe to the verie true Paschall Lambe but to the full agreement with other holie Fathers before alleaged he doth most plainlie testifie the reall presence bothe by his woordes terming yt the bloode of our Redemer and the bodie of our lorde and also by the maner of the receauinge of yt In the whiche note that he teacheth that the bodie and bloode of Chryst ys receaued by two distincted and diuerse maners of receauinge One maner ys with the mouthe of the bodie whiche argueth the reall presence The other maner ys with the mouthe of the hearte and that ys the spirituall maner of receauing So that the learned men in Chrystes faithe doo teache the good Chrystian man to receaue Chrystes bodie both corporallie and spirituallie But the maliciouse learned man against Chrystes faith teacheth that the good Chrystian man receaueth Chryste but onelie spirituallie and so robbeth him of the other the contrarie of the whiche Doctrine ye see here auouched by sainct Gregorie as yt was also by other before alleaged with whom he well agreeth To this sainct Gregorie shall be yoined Damascen one of the other side of the Parliament house of Chryst that ys of the greke church and of the lowe house but one of the first and cheif in that place as ys before saied a man so excellentlie will seen in the statutes of Chrystes Parliament house that ys to saie in the knowledge of the receaued trueth of Chrystes faithe that he did write foure bookes of the same both learnedlie and godlie and in the fourthe booke of his workes emong other explicacions of matters of faith he declareth also the faithe of the Churche in this matter of the Sacrament at large wher as touching the same matter he saieth thus Natiuitas nobis per spiritum donata est per sanctum dico baptismum Cibus verò ipse Li. 4. de orthod sid c. 14. panis vitae Dominus noster Iesus Christus qui de coelo descendit Nam suscepturus voluntariam pro nobis mortem in nocte qua seipsum obtulit testamentum nouum disposuit sanctis Discipulis Apostolis per ipsos omnibus alijs in ipsum credentibus In coenaculo sanctae gloriosae Sion antiquum Pascha cum Discipulis manducans et implens instrumētum antiquum lauit pedes Discipulorum signum sancti baptismatis praebens Deinde frangens panem dedit illis dicens Accipite comedite Hoc est corpus meum quod pro vobis tradetur in remissionem peccatorum Similiter accipiens calicem ex vino aqua tradidit illis dicens Bibite ex eo omnes hic est sanguis meus noui testamenti qui pro vobis effunditur in remissionem peccatorum Hoc facite in meam cōmemorationem Quotiescunque enim manducabitis panem hunc calicem bibetis mortem filij hominis annunciatis resurrectionem eius cōfitemini donec veniat Si igitur verbum dei viuens est efficax omnia quaecunque voluit Deus fecit Si dixit Fiat lux facta est lux Fiat firmamentum factum est Si verbo Dei coeli firmati sunt spiritu oris eius omnis virtus eorum Si coelum terra aqua ignis aer omnis ornatus eorum verbo Dei perfecta sunt homo ipse vbique diuulgatum animal Si volens ipse Deus Verbum factus est homo c. Non potest panem suum ipsius corpus facere vinum cum aqua sanguinem Dixit in principio Deus Producat terra herbam virentem vsque nunc pluuia facta producit germina diuino coädiuta vigorata praecepto Dixit Deus Hoc est corpus meum hic est sanguis meus hoc facite in meam commemorationē omnipotentieius praecepto donec veniat efficitur A newe birth ys geuen to vs by the Spirit and the water I saie by holie Baptisme but the meat ys the verie bread of life our lorde Iesus Christ who descended from heauen For willing to take for vs a willing death in the night in the whiche he offred vppe him self he disposed a newe testamēt to his holie Disciples and Apostles and by them to all other beleuing in him In the parlour Chrystes cuppe cōteined wine ād Water therfore of holie gloriouse Sion eating the olde Passeouer with his disciples and fulfilling the olde lawe he washed the feet of his disciples geuing a sign of holie Baptisme Afterwarde breaking bread he gaue yt to thē saing Take eate This ys my bodie whiche shall be deliuered for yowe in the remission of sinnes Likewise taking the cuppe of wine and water he deliuered yt vnto them saing Drinke ye all of this This ys my bloode of the newe Testament whiche shall be shedde for yowe in the remission of Sinnes This do ye in my remembrāce For as often times as ye shall eate this bread ād drinke this cuppe ye shew furth the death of the Sōne of mā ād acknowledge his resurrectiō vntill he come Yf then the woorde of God be liuing ād mightie in operaciō and al thinges whatsoeuer he hath willed he hath doē Yf he saied The light be made and the light was made The firmament be made and yt was made Yf by the woorde of God the heauens were made and all the power of them with the breath of his mouthe Yf heauen earth water fire and the Ayer and al the furniture of them by the woorde of God were made perfect and man himself being euery where a knowen liuing creature Yf God the Sonne himself being willing was made man c. Can not he make breade his owne bodie and wine and water his bloode God saied at the beginning Let the earth bring furth green herbe And vntill this daie being holpen and made strong with Gods commaundement the rain comming Effect of Chrystes woordes of consecraciō yt bringeth furth fruicts God saied This ys my bodie and this ys my blood and this do ye in the remembrance of me And by hys allmightie commaundement yt ys so made and brought to effecte vntill he come Thus farre Damascen Whose saing ys long but as pithie and weightie as yt ys long In the which he hath not onelie declared hys faith but the faith of Chryst receaued in his Churche which ys the wholl matter and onelie argument of hys worke as the title of the same doth purporte And to the matter which we haue in hande he geueth woorthie testimonie declaring the accomplishment of the olde lawe in
yt he beleueth not yt to be that bread that yt ys saied to be Hitherto Tertul Whose litle sentence although yt doth ouerthrowe three or foure assertions of the Auersaries in this matter of the Sacrament Yet we shall here touche but two that be to the pourpose here The first ys that good deuoute godlie people had the Sacrament reserued in their houses oftē to receaue as their deuotiō to God moued thē secretly by them selfs For at that time the churche was not so settled nor had The Sacrament reserued in priuate houses in the Primitiue church soche peace that the chrysten people might frelie come together and receaue openlie Wherfor for the excercising of their faith and deuociō and doing of their duetie to God they had the Sacrament home to their houses and ther reserued yt to receaue when they thought good And this maie ye verie well gather of this that Tertullian saieh Shall not thy housband knowe what thowe secret he doest receaue before all meat For the better vnderstāding of whiche saing yowe must suppose and knowe that Tertulian writeth to this woman as though she had an insidell to her housbande and she a Chrystian Vnto whom she wolde not haue her doinges knowē in this behalf Nowe to couer this matter frō soche an ynfidel good people wolde secretlie by thē selues receaue that they for soche pourpose reserued and so yt appeareth that for soche cause reseruacion of the Sacrament might be and was moche vsed in the primitiue churche The seconde note ys for the presence whiche ys wher he saieth And yf he knoweth yt yet he beleueth not yt to be the bread that yt yssaid to be Wherby Ioan. De lapsis serm 5. A miracle wrought in the Sacrament reserued we are taught that yt ys an other maner of bread then yt appeareth For yt appeareth to be but earthlie bread but in dede yt ys heauenly bread the bread of life euen that bread yt self that saied The bread which I will geue ys my flesh which I will geue for the life of the worlde But to return to the matter of reseruacion we haue plain testimonie ther os in sainct Cyprian who reporteth thus Cùm quaedam arcam suam in qua Domini Sanctum erat manibus indignis tentasset aperire igne inde surgente deterrita est ne auderet contingere When a certain woman did attempte with vnwourthie handes to open her coafer in whiche was the holie thing of our Lorde ther arose thence a fire and so feared her that she durst not touche yt Thus sainct Ciprian Do ye not heare that this woman had the Sacrament kept in her coafer Perceaue ye not the great power of yt that wher she wolde but opē the coafer with vncleā handes she was feared awaie with a fire that rose frō thence Ys ther anie mean for the Aduersarie to auoid this Perchaunce he will cauille and saie that Ciprian speaketh not of the Sacrament but of some other thing whiche he calleth the holie thing of our Lorde But yf he wolde so seke to auoide he shoulde shewe him self to vain For Ciprian speaketh ther alltogether of the Sacrament in somoche as he reporteth foure miracles together which God had wrought aboute the Sacrament And albeit in this sentence he dothe not by expresse woordes call yt the bodie of our Lorde as he dothe in manie other places yet he so termeth yt Oecolamp and Cranmers doctrine reproued by S. Cipr. Vide sup cap. 23. as he reproueth the doctrine of Oecolampadius and Cranmer and very likly of this Proclamer also For he calleth yt the holie thing of our Lorde and they saie ther ys no holinesse yn yt For yt ys a dumme creature Thus though in woordes they pretende tofolowe the olde Fathers yet in very dede they slatlie against saie them But to proceade in the prooff of reseruaciō yt maketh moche for yt that sainct Ambrose reporteth of his bother Satyrus who as he saieth being a singular mā in godlinesse and affiānce toward God and being in dānger vpō the Ambr. in oratione funebr de obi tu sratris sui sea yet not fearing death but desierouse not to be destitute of that blessed Sacramēt yf yt should so please God to call him went to the christians that were ther in the shippe ād desired to haue that Godlie Sacramēt of the faith full not that he wolde please his curiouse eies in loking vpō soche a mistery Satyr had part of the Sacrament reserued in the shippe and was saued ther by from drowning but that by soche a Sacramēt he might obtein the helpe of his faith Whiche whē yt was geuē him he caused yt to bownde in a stole ād so hāged yt aboute his necke ād whē shippwracke happened he sought not for a loose boorde of the shippe to swimme vpon and so to helpe him self but for that he had sought the armour of faith alone he did so committe him self to the sea and thinking him self safe enough by the helpe of the Sacrament he desiered no other helpe and as sainct Ambrose saieth his hope did not forsake him nor deceaue him For he was the first that eschaped oute of the sea ād came to the land Thus moche in effect reporteth sainct Ambrose In whiche his reporte yt ys more thē manifest that the Sacramēt was reserued and as yt maie be supposed for a good time Yf yt maie be reserued three or foure daies why maie yt not be reserued longer As the wholl reporte for that yt ys made by so holie and woorthie a man ys woorthie to be remembred So be two or three things wourthie of speciall note The first ys that this good man the Brother of saincte Ambrose wēt to the chrystians in the shippe ād obteined of thē to haue ād to carie the Sacramēt with him Yf to reserue the Sacrament had ben so heinouse a matter as this Proclamer and his complices make yt wolde they trowe ye haue cōmitted soche an offēce as to haue yt reserued in the shippe ād to deliuer yt to Satirus to be so reserued And further yf the reseruing of this Sacrament Sacrament reserued in the shippe had ben against the ordre of the churche wolde Saincte Ambrose to the praise of his Brother report yt as a thing well and Godlie doen No trulie yt ys not to be thought in so godlie and so learned a father but raither yt ys to be thought that the Brother of sainct Ambrose doing no other thing but that was by the same sainct Ambrose cōmended did agreable to the maner of the Churche Therfor saincte Ambrose to his Bothers praise and to the example of S. Ambrose cōmēded the doing of his brothe Satyr the posteritie to doo soche like vertuouse workes did write this matter and made a boke to remain to kepe the thing in memorie By this then yt maie appeare that the reseruacion of the Sacrament was in vse in the churche
in those daies An other thing woorthie of note in this reporte of saincte Ambrose ys that he with cōmēdaciō declareth the affiāce that his brother had in the Sacrament Whiche was soche that seing imminēt perill and remēbring what he had aboute him did not seke earthlie or worldly helpe but reposing his trust in the Sacramēt that he had aboute him he perswaded him self to haue helpe enough and nothing distrusting rested onelie vpon that helpe and in that hope committed him self to the fearfull and terrible vaiues of the sea I praie thee good Reader weigh this well ād iudge whether this good mā the brother of sainct Ambrose did thinke or beleue the Sacramēt to be but a peice of bread a figure or sign of Chryst onelie Wolde he thinke yowe in that great daūger perill haue cōmitted the sauing of his life all other helpes sett a parte te a poour dūme creature a litle peice of bread And aboue this wold that good mā in that agonie so endaūgered his soule as to cōmitte so horrible ydolatrie in placing and putting that his great trust in a peice of bread whiche aught onelie to haue ben reposed in God No yt ys not to be thought but this raither that he being a faithfull and godlie man folowed the example of faithfull Peter who being in a shippe and hearing Chryst whom he sawe walking on the sea saing to them that were in the Matth. 14 shippe be of good trust yt ys I be not afraied saied to him yf yt be thowe lorde cōmaunde me to come to thee vpon the waters And he went out of the shippe and walked vpon the sea toward Chryst Euen so this man by faith knowing his master Chryst to be at hand with him presentlie in the sacrament he cōmitted him self with Peter to the sea and was the first that was saued Adde vnto this that whiche ys an other thing to be noted that sainct Ambrose cōmending this brother for the great faith trust and affiance that he had in the Sacrament well declareth also his owne faithe that he also beleued the verie presence of Chryst in the Sacrament Holie men commēde not the misbeleif of mē to the worlde no not by mouthe moche lesse by bookes whiche must remain For that then that sainct Ambrose hath written this no dowbte aswell to our Imitaciō as to the cōmendaciō of his brother bothe the faith of the Churche beleuing Chrystes presence in the Sacrament ys to be approued and the reseruacion of the same Sacrament for the comforth of vs being seke or wholl ys not to be dissalowed And yet ys ther a more euident testimonie of this matter of reseruacion in an epistle of Chrisostom to Innocentius wherin he maketh complainte of the calamitie that happened in his churche of Constantinople by wicked Soldiers and emong other thinges reporteth thus Ipso magno Sabbato Chrysost epist. ad Jnnocent collecta manus militum ad vesperam diei in ecclesias ingressa clerum omnem qui nobiscum erat vi eiecit armis gradum vndique muniuit Mulieres quoque quae per illud tēpus se exuerant vt baptisarentur metu grauiorum insidiarum nudae aufugerunt neque enim concedebatur vt se velarent sicut mulieres honestas decet multae etiam acceptis vulneribus eijciebanttur sanguine implebantur natatoria sancto cruore rubescebant sluenta Neque hic rerum finis erat Nam sanctuaria ingressi sunt milites quorum aliquos scimus nullis initiatos mysteris viderunt omnia quae intus erant quin sanctissimus Christi sanguis sicut in tali tumultu contingit in praedictorum militum vestes effusus est Euen vpon the great Sabboth daie meaning Easter daie at the euentide an Armie of Soldiers entred the churche and by violence cast oute all soche as were with vs of the cleargie And kept with strēght the entrie The womē also whiche at that time had put of their cloathes to be baptised for feare of more daūger fled naked awaie Nether were they suffred to couer thē selues as becometh honest women manie of them also being wounded were cast oute and the fontes prepared to baptise them in were full of bloode and the waters of the fontes were made red with bloode But this was not the ende of the businesse For the Soldiers also went into the holie places of the whiche Chrystes blood in the Sacr. shed vpon the soldiers cloathes we knowe some to haue receaued no parte of the chrystian religion and they sawe all the thinges that were within And besides that the most holie bloode of Chryst as yt doth happen in soche tumulte was shedde vpon the garmēts of the Soldiers Thus facre Chrisostom In this complaint first note when these wycked soldiers entred vpon the churche they entred in the euening At whiche time they entring into the Sanctuarie Ye perceaue they fownde the Sacrament ther for he saieth that yt was shedde vpō the cloathes of the Soldiars In the time of Chrisostō yt was not in vse to cōsecrate the Sacramēt in the after noone but onely in the morning This then being kept in the Sanctuarie and shed vpon the garmēt of the Soldiers in the euening yt proueth inuinciblie and most plainly that the Sacrament was reserued Presence of Chrystes blood in the Sacra and reseruation auouched by Chrysost Yf ye will also knowe what the Sacrament was whether yt was a figure onely or the thing yt self Christostom by as plain woordes teacheth vs that yt was the bloode of Christ And that we should perceaue yt was so in dede he cōtented not him felf onelie to cal yt the blood of Chryst but the most holie blood of Chryst By Chrisostom then the reseruacion of the Sacrament ys so plainly wittnessed that the Proclamer can not denie yt the very presence of Christes bloode in the same ys so auouched that the Sacramentary ys confounded Yt ys with moche reuerence termed and called the most holie blood of Chryst wherby the vureuerent and spitefull railing and raiging of the blasphemer ys reproued and rebuked But let vs yet proceade further maie we not finde the reseruacion of the Sacrament in S. Hieromes time Yes verilie For he wittnesseth yt Reseruatiō in S. Hieroms time him self declaring to one Rusticus the godlie life and great libertie of Exuperius Bishoppe of Tolosse and signifieng the great contempt of worldelie thinges the same had and his great pleasure in heauenly thinges writeth thus Nihil illo ditius qui corpus Domini in canistro vimineo sanguinem portat in vitro Ther ys no man richer then he who beareth the bodie of our Lorde in a wicker basket and his bloode in a glasse As who might saie So litle regardeth this good Bisshoppe Exuperius the riches of the worlde that geuing awaie all his substance and bearing aboute him the bodie of our Lord but in a litle wicker baskett and the blood of
corruption and controuersie taught beleued and folowed I claime also creditte to be geuen to the holie aunciēt Fathers whom I haue alleaged who being in that pure time when faith was purely taught do cōmunicate to vs soche doctrine as the Churche of God then had whose doctrine howe moche yt ys different from the doctrine of this wicked teacher that hathe thus exclamed and howe repugnāte his doctrine ys to the teaching of these Fathers yt ys as easie to discerne as darknesse frō light or white frō blacke Wherfore gentle Reader nowe being by me aduertised after soche sorte as yt hath pleased my lorde God to imparte his grace vnto me yf thowe hauest not erred reioice in God and be confirmed Yf thowe hauest erred repent before God and be reduced And thus moche of the scriptures of the olde Testament THE SEVEN AND THIRTITH CHAP. MAKETH a breif Recapitulacion of thinges before written with thapplicacion of them to the Proclamacion of the aduersarie and so concludeth this first booke ALthough I am not ignorante gentle Reader that in the Psalmes be diuerse other prophecies whiche according to the minde of saincte Hierom do speake of this blessed Sacrament and sacrifice of Chrystes bodie and bloode that shoulde be offred in the Churche of Chryst and of the whiche the poour in spiritte shoulde eate and be satisfied as in the xxi xxij lxxj cx psalmes Yet for that the figures of this Sacrament be allreadie aunswered by prophecies to them aunswerable And these that be lefte maie by iust occasion be spoken of hereafter I shall for the Readers ease disauauntage my self of the allegacion of them to the setting furth of the matter here taken in hand by me to be defended and so cōclude this booke with a breif recapitulacion of some thinghes bfore saied to the entent they maie be applied to aunswere some one or mo mēbres of the Aduersaries proclamacion not yet spoken of I did of pourpose omitte to applie that ys saied as aunswer to that parte of his wicked proclamacion whiche yt doth fullie confute by cause I wolde not to moche trouble my processe but thought yt best to reserue yt to this place as in other matters I haue also doen the like in this booke Wherfor that yt maie well be perceaued that this that ys saied doth clean ouerthrowe this mans doctrine vnderstand first what ys his doctrine Thus in his proclamacion he crieth Yf any one of all our Aduersaries be able plainlie and clerely to proue by soch authoritie of the scriptures the old Doctours and Councells as ys before saied that the preist had then authoritie to offre vpp Chryst vnto his Father c. In which his proclamaciō he denieth the Sacrifice of the Churhe which ys the bodie and blood of our sauiour Chryst which he saieth the Churche hath none authoritie to offre to God in sacrifice Against this his false doctrine call to minde what ys in this booke saied speciallie in the setting furthe of the prophecies of the preisthood of Chryst The deuell hath bewitched the Proclamer after the ordre of Melchisedech of the prophecies of Daniel and Malachie wher but that the deuell hath bewitched this man and to his perdition hath cast a mist before his eies that he shoulde not see the trueth he coulde not ells but see that the bodie and blood of Chryste were of him self offred in his last supper and ther and then instituted and ordeined to be offred and continued in his Church as the memoriall of his passion and death S. Ciprian as yt ys alleaged saieth that our Lorde Iesus offred the same Cyprian that Melchisedech offred that ys bread and wine that ys to saie saieth he his bodie and blood Isychius saieth that we haue the sacrifice of Chryst the intelligible Melchisedech Isychius whiche sacrifice was perfectlie doen in bread and wine when Chryste saied This ys my bloode that shal be shedd for yowe S. Hierom saieth that as Melchisedech offred bread and wine so shall Chryste Hieron offred his bodie and blood the true bread and true wine S. Augustin saieth Chryst did institute the sacrifice of his bodie and blood according to the ordre of Melchisedech to succeade the sacrifice after Augustin the ordre of Aaron Wher note that he saieth Chryst did institute the sacrifice of his bodie and bloode after the ordre of Melchisedech Yf he did institute the sacrifice then ys ther authoritie by the same institution geuen to the Church to offre the same Whiche well appeareth by the saing of Origen whiche foloweth in this processe We saith Origen being obedient to the Creatour of thinges when we Origen haue geuen thankes we receaue the breades that were offred whiche be turned into a certain holier bodie whiche bodie trulie maketh them holier that with a sownde and pure minde vse yt Note then that our obedience standeth not onely to eate the bread but to eate the bread that ys offred and therforre we must both offre and eate The church must both offre and eate yf we will be obedient Yf yt be our obedience to offer then ther ys commaundement geuen to offre Yf commaundement be geuen then Authoritie also Theophilact saieth that the oblacion conteining Chryste our Lorde Bishoppe and Sacrifice ys continuallie offred by the ministres of God Seing that Chryste ys offred Theophila as Theophilact saieth by the ministres of God yt ys euident that yt ys doen with authoritie For withoute authoritie can none offre him Martialis one of the disciples of Chryste saieth that we for our health offre that vpon the holie Altar that the Iewes did offre vpon the Crosse for enuie And yf ye S. Martia We offre ou the altar that the Iewes offred on the crosse Irenaeus require by what authoritie we do it he saieth that our Lord cōmaunded vs so to doo in the remembrance of him And yf ye will vnderstande howe the authoritie cometh ordrely to vs to offre the bodie of Chryste to God the Father Irenaeus will teache you For he saieth that Chryste geuing instructions to his Apostles to offre sacrifice to God tooke the creature of bread and gaue thankes and saied this ys my body And the cuppe also he tooke and confessed yt to be his bloode and so of the newe Testament taught the newe oblacion whiche the Churche taking of the Apostles offreth yt yn all the worlde to God according to the prophecie of Malachie Can not nowe this Proclamer or raither Blasphemer see or perceaue what authoritie the preist hath to offre Chryst to God the Father Yt ys deriued from Chryst to the Apostles from the Apostles to the Church and so vsed through out all the worlde S. Augustine saieth that the pure and clean sacrifice that Malachie speaketh of that shall be offred in euery place ys the sacrifice after Augustin the ordre of Melchisedech What the sacrifice after the ordre of Melchisedech ys by the minde of S.
Augustin yt ys aboue declared wher he saieth that Chryst did institute the sacrifice of his bodie and blood after the ordre of Melchisedech Eusebius saieth that the Mosaicall sacrifices being reiected Eusebius Caesarien the Prophet Malachie by the reuelacion of God sheweth what ys our ordeinaunce that was to come And therfore we sacrifice nowe to the most high God the sacrifice of lawde We sacrifice to God a full and a most holie sacrifice bringing horrour We sacrifice a pure sacrifice in a newe maner after the newe Testament What this most holie sacrifice ys bringing horrour with yt yt ys declred by Chrysostom saing Thowe commest to the holy and terrible sacrifice Bashe at the Chrysost secret thinge of the sacrifice For Chryst that was slain ys ther setfurthe The cause then why this sacrifice ys called the most holie sacrifice Why yt ys called terrible Why yt ys saied to be full of horrour ys bicause Chryst that was slain ys in the sacrifice sett furth before vs. Chryst then being settfurth in our sacrifice Yt ys to be saied after the minde of these holie Fathers that Chryst ys offred in our Sacrifice Last of all to make the conclusion Damascen saieth that the bodie and blood Damascē of Chryst ys that pure and vnbloodie sacrifice that our Lord speaketh of by the Prophet to be offred from the east to the west Yf our Lorde spake yt mete yt ys that yt be doen. And the doers haue good authoritie to do yt seinge their Lorde hath so ordeined and commaunded Now Reader doest thow not see the great bragge of this yonge Goliath ouerthrowen See yow not plain scriptures and doctours and those the grauest and eldest withe their plain and weightie sentences presse and crushe this hys puffed bladder and thrust oute in hys seight the vanitie therin conteined Perceaue yow not by these holy Fathers that the preist hathe authoritie to offre vppe the bodie of Chryst to God the Father whiche thing thys Proclamer in his stowt maner flattering him self semed percase to manie of his auditorie by his Proclamacion to haue ouerthrowen But what so euer he or anie other withe him phantasied both he and they maie perceaue that this blast was not against a reed wauing and bowing with the winde but yt was against the sure and substancial piller and grownded faith of Chrystes Churche and against that sure builded house the catholique Churche builded vpon the Rocke and therfore shaketh yt not neither with the waues of the trooblesome sea nor yet with soche blastes as this man bloweth Thus ye perceaue here ys good matter shewed for that that the catholique The Proclamer hath none authoritie to disproue the Sacrifice but hys bare Proclamacion Churche teacheth What bringeth he for that whiche he so stowtlie blowstereth Yt ys with good authoritie nowe proued that Chryst ys offred in the holie sacrifice What proofe hath he that Chryst ys not so offred now but hys bare Proclamaciō A meruailouse matter He requireth scriptures Doctours and Councells for that that the catholique Church teacheth and for that he teacheth and wolde haue receaued he bringeth not one title And therin he doth but as he maie doo For certē I am that he cā bring none And here will I again ioin with him that yf he can bring anie one sufficient authoritie that shall directlie saie that the Churche maie not Issue ioined with the Proclamer for the Sacrifice offer the bodie of Chryst in soche sorte as yt doth I will geue hym the victorie He requireth plain proof that the preist offreth Chryst his request ys satified the plain proof by expresse woordes ys made Let him doo the like for hys doctrin yf he can But let him not trust to proue yt by the wresting of sainct Paule to the Hebrues folowing Caluine and other of his Fathers For that will not serue hys turne As for Doctours ther ys not one that will fauour hym and hys Cranmer in his siste booke hath not one doctour nor Councell to make any shew for him doctrine in thys poinct For yf ther had ben anye hys predecessour Cranmer or he that was the authour of that booke wolde in the fifte booke wher he treacteth of the sacrifice haue alleaged some one But I saie he had not one Doctour or Father nor Councell by whom he impugneth the doctrine of the catholique Churche that Chryst ys offred in hys Churche He wolde fayn Father hys doctrine vpon sainct Paules epistle to the Hebrues but that scripture accepteth yt not as a laufull childe but as a Bastarde begotten by some wicked parentes and therfore refuseth yt He ys moche encombred laboring to deliuer himself from Chrysostome and other but all in vain Wherfore as this man who sparing not stirreth ād moueth as the prouer be saieth euery stone to gett some helpe or finde some shifte for the mainteinaūce of his doctrine could not gette one whollie to go with him although he semeth to alowe Lōbardus ād Nycen Coūcell yet he durst not so alleage thē as that he wolde stand throughlie with them So I beleue verilie that this Proclamer can no more doo but leuing the holy Fathers sing a litle voluntarie false deskant vpon a scripture or two as Cranmer did By this then thus moch maie be saied that to saie that Chryst ys not offred in and of the Church and the ministres therof ys no catholique doctrine for that yt ys not taught of anie catholique Father But that the contrary ys a catholique doctrine yt doth well appeare by a nombre of catholique Fathers before alleadged and shall more appeare to yow by those that shall be yet alleaged For God be praised this trueth ys not so slender that yt lacketh good wittnesses nor yet so barren that nothing can be said of yt but what I can inuent But yt ys so full that to saie all yt wolde fill an wholl volume Wherfor in this place I shall of manie produce but foure or fiue to be added in this recapitulacion and so end this booke Iustinus Martyr of the Sacrifice of the Chrystians saieth thus Deus ipse Dialog a duersus iudaeo ait In omni loco in gentibus hostias acceptas gratasue immolari Neque verò à quoquā hostias Deus accipit nisi à suis sacerdotibus Itaque omnia sacrificia quae suo nomine faciēda Iesus Christus tradidit it est in Eucharistia panis poculi quae in omni loco à Christianis fiunt praeoccupatione vsus Deus sibi grata esse testatur God him self saieth that of the gentills acceptable and pleasaunt Sacrifices in euery place shall be offred Chryst instituted the Sacrifice of the Churche Neither trulie doth God accept Sacrifices but of hys owne preistes Wherfor all the sacrifices whiche Iesus Chryst hath deliuered to be doen in hys name that ys to saie in the Sacrament of breade and the cuppe whiche sacrifices are doen of the Christians in
per charitatem Hoc autem sacramentum dicitur sacramentum amoris Thus moche Lyra. who although he speaketh plainlie as ys saied yet fullie and trulie so fullie and trulie that he hath whollie set furth that faith that the whol Churche dothe professe ād so plainlie as here ys no obscure maner of speach for the Aduersarie to lurke vnder and by a wicked glose to drawe to his sense and pourpose Yt ys to be knowen saieth Lyra that in the Sacrament of thankes geuing ys cōteined the verie Sōne of God incarnate And therfor shewing the qualitie of the Sacrament he toucheth foure thinges The first that ther ys one thing whiche ys a Sacrament onelie and that ys the forme of bread whē he saieth And the bread c. The secondeys the Authour of this Sacrament which ys Chryste himself the high preist The preist whiche ys the mynistre of this Sacrament doth onelie speake the woordes not in his owne person but in the person of Chryste In other sacramentes the mynistre doth vse his owne woordes or the woordes of the Churche by the which the acte that he dothe ys expressed as yt doth appeare in Baptisme wher yt ys saied I Baptise thee But in the Sacrament he doth onelie reherse the wordes of Chryste when he saieth Who before the daie he suffred c. And after folowe the woordes of Chryste working the consecracion And this ys noted when yt ys saied whiche I shall geue to yowe The thirde ys the thing signified and conteined that ys the verie bodie of Chryst noted when yt ys saied yt ys my flesh The fourth ys the thing signified ād not cōteined ād that ys the mystical bodie of Chryste the which ys conioined to the head by charitie For this Sacrament ys called the Sacrament of loue This ys the exposition of Lyra. In the whiche that he doth vnderstand this text of the Sacramēt yt ys more manifest then I nede to note yt to yow That he also in the same Sacrament teacheth to be the verie reall presence of Chrystes bodie For in the first entrie he affirmeth that the verie Sonne of God incarnate ys in the Sacrament Whiche in the thirde note he groundeth vpon this Verie Sōne of God incarnate in the Sacra woord of Chryste yt ys my stesh whiche flesh of Chryste saieth he ys the thing signified and conteined Yt ys signified by the Sacrament that ys a signe of an holy thing whiche ys the formes of bread and wine And ys conteined being reallie present as the verie substance vnder the same formes In these two partes this Authour dissenteth not from other that haue ben hitherto alleaged For they all teach one doctrin One thing in dede he teacheth here whiche the other alleaged for the exposition of this texte haue not taught which ys that he noteth in this texte that Chryste dothe accompte himself the Authour and geuer of this Sacrament Which in my iudgement he doth verie well take of these woordes of Chryste which I will geue c. By whiche woordes Chryste signifieth vnto vs that he himself ys the doer the woorker and the geuer of this Sacrament which thing this authour more at large opening saieth Chryste ys the authour of this Sacrament For he ys the heigh preist The preist that ys the minister doth but onely speake the woordes and vse hys ministerie By the which woordes the vain saing of vain mē which do deceaue the simple and haue not passed to Blaspheme this holie mysterie and shamefullie to slaunder the Church of Chryste are made openlie to be knowen in their owne sorte as they be For wher to drawe the simple from Chrystes holie sacrament and bringe the same most excellent mysterie in contempte to be derided of boies and Girlles they wolde saie doest thow beleue that God ys in Preists make God Cauill of the Aduersaries opened the Sacrament why then the preist doth make him And beleuest thow that the preist can make God What God made all the worlde and he ys made of none With these and soche like the simple astoined and not seing what to aunswer ys led awaie as the oxe to the slaughter THE EIGHT CHAPITER DECLARETH BY whose authoritie and power the Sacrament ys consecrate and Chrystes bodie made present BVt that ye maie perceaue that to saie the preist maketh God ys the Preist maketh God the doctrine of the Deuell doctrine of the Deuel and hys disciples who haue inuented soche lies and slaunders to dishonour God and his holy Sacrament and to snare and entrappe the simple in heresie and so finallie to cast thē headlong into perpetuall dānacion I shall open and declare vnto yow what ys the verie true doctrine of Chrysts Churche in this matter The doctrine of Chrystes Church was declared vnto vs by the authour last alleaged in the chapiter before Who saieth that Chryst ys the high preist and that he ys the authour and woorker of this Sacrament This was the doctrine taught nowe in the latter daies whiche vndoubtedlie was also taught in the auncient Churche as yt shall appeare to yowe by the Fathers whiche shall be alleaged which liued in diuerse ages Damascen an holie father and of good antiquitie as touching this matter Damasce de orth sid lib. 4 ca. 14 saieth thus Quemadmodum omnia quae fecit Deus Spiritu sancto cooperante fecit sic nunc Spiritus sancti operatione haec supra naturam operatur quae non potest cognoscere nisi sola fides Quomodò fiet istud dixit sancta virgo quoniam virum non cognosco Respondit Gabriel Archangelus Spiritus sanctus superueniet in te virtus Altissimi obum brabit tibi Itaque si nunc interrogas Quomodò panis fit corpus Christi vinum aqua sanguis Christi Respondeo ego tibi Spiritus sanctus obumbrat haec supra sermonem intelligentiam operatur Panis autem vinum Transsumuntur As all thinges that Howe the bread ys made the bodie of Chryst God hath made he hath made them by the holie Gost woorking with him Euen so nowe he woorketh these thinges aboue nature by the operacion of the holy Goste Whiche thinges no man can knowe but onely faith Howe shall this thing be doen saieth the holy virgen seing I knowe not a man The Archangell Gabriell aunswered The holie Goste shall come vpon thee and the power of the moste highest shall ouershadow thee Therfore yf thowe al so aske nowe howe the bread ys made the bodie of Chryste and the wine and water hys bloode I also aunswer thee The holie Gost ouershadoweth and woorketh these thinges aboue speache and vnderstanding The breade and the wine be transsumed Thus moche Damascen who did write a booke of the faithe of the Church in the which writing this saieng that yowe haue now heard he dothe sufficientlie geue yow knowledge what was taught to the faithfull people of hys time In the whiche saieng also ye perceaue
Chryst that he was but a bare man naturallie And therfor the Councell who tooke the same scriptures to improue that that Nestorius semed to himself to haue proued must nedes vse the same sense of the scripture as touching the substance of the thing that ys in disputacion Reall presence auouched by the Ephesine Councell or ells they shoulde nothing proue against him For yf Nestorius spake of the verie flesh of Chryst and the Councell of the spirituall flesh of Chryst what coulde they conclude against him not speaking of the same thing that the other spake of And therfore vndoubtedliē they spake of the verie reall flesh of Chryst which ys the own propre flesh of God Whiche thing also the A plain saing of a Councell for M. Juel woordes of the Councell do proue wher yt ys saied We come to the mysticall benedictions being made partakers of the holie bodie and preciouse blood of Chryst the Redemer of vs all receauing yt not as common flesh but as the flesh truly geuing life Yt maketh also for this vnderstanding not a litle that Cyrill being president of the Councell who as before ye heard doth plainlie affirme that we do not onelie by faith and charitie spirituallie receaue the flesh of Chryste but also verilie and reallie wolde not nowe nor did not speake of the spirituall receauing onelie which onelie receauing of Chryst spirituallie and not otherwise in the Sacramēt he did earnestlie denie and stronglie improue by the scriptures And therfor yt ys most euident that this texte nowe in hand was vnderstanded by that Councell of the Sacrament as being the very reall bodie and blood of Chryst whiche yf we receaue not we haue no life To this holie Councell I thinke yt vnsemlie to ioin anie one particular man Wherfore to ende here the exposition of this said texte I will onelie adde to yt being an holie multitude the practise of an other holie multitude euen the auncient Church who so streictlie and yet directilie for the substance of the thing did take this text to be vnderstanded of the verie reall and The church of Affrica vnderstanding the vi of S. John of the Sacr. ministred yt to infantes substanciall flesh and blood of Chryst in the Sacrament that they thought yt a matter of necessitie to ministre the same to infantes as withoute receipt wherof they thought they coulde not be saued The practise wherof we finde to haue endured in the Affrican Church from the time of S. Cyprian vntill the tyme of S. Augustine at the least By whiche yt ys manifest that the Churche then vnderstood thys scripture of the Sacrament and yet not of the bare Sacrament onelie but of the verie flesh and bloode of Chryst ther reallie to be receaued and not of yt spirituallie to be receaued for that they well knewe that ther lacked in those infantes that knowledg whiche necessarilie ys required to the spirituall receauinge of Chrystes bodie and therfor they did not receaue yt spirituallie but sacramentallie And though this practise of the communicating of infantes grounded vpon this vnderstanding of this scripture was ceassed yet that the Churche did still retein that vnderstanding this well proueth that Petrus Dresensis perswading Iacobellus de Praga to minister the Sacrament vnder bothe kindes vsed this texte here expownded as being vnderstanded of the Sacrament by the comon consent of the Churche for hys argument which text when Iacobellus had weighed and considered howe yt hadde ben alwaies vnderstanded in the Churche he began to perswade the people that they aught of necessitie yf they wolde haue euerlasting life to receaue the Sacrament vnder both kindes as vnder whiche they shoulde both eate hys flesh and drinke hys blood of whiche matter more large disputacion shall be made in the ende of this booke wherfor I think yt not mete here to trouble the reader with all but to refer him thither thinking yt sufficient for this place to aduertise him that all the authours herto fore alleaged vpon this text and all these holie fathers in the Ephesine Councell representing the Churche and the Chuch in the time of S. Cyprian and so to S. Augustine and from him to the time of Petrus Dresensis and Iacobellus and after ther time in the time of soche as haue written vpon the gospells vntill the time of Luther did vnderstand this text of the flesh and bloode of Chryst in the Sacrament as their workes do well testifie But thus moche maie I here well saie that yt pitieth me to see howe the people suffer them selues to be deluded of these newe inuentours of disordres and by them both to be drawen from true faith and also to breake the vsuall ordre of the Churche that wher our Sauiour Chryst saied by plain woordes Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloode ye shall not haue life in yowe Whiche text as ye haue heard ys fullie proued to be ment of Chrystes verie bodie and bloode in the Sacrament yet being inueigled by Both flesh and blood was before vnder one kind now neither of both vnder two kindes thaduersaries doctrine hardlie beleue this mening of the Catholique Fathers to be true and therfor wher the Aduersaries maliciouslie perswade thē that the ministres of the Churche deceaued them in geuing them the Sacrament but vnder one kinde they are contented to encline and yelde vnto them And so wher before they did vnder one kinde receaue the verie flesh and bloode of Chryste they are nowe contented vnder two kindes to receaue neither flesh nor bloode THE SEVENTENTH CHAPITER EXPOVNDETH THE next text folowing in the sixte of S. Iohn by saincte Augustine and Cyrill NOwe will I proceade to the text folowing in S. Iohn whiche for asmoche as yt ys not moche discrepant from that before but as yt were an affirmatiue sequele of the same I will not troble the reader with long treacting vpon yt but breiflie shewe the meninge therof and haste me to other that contein more matter not so plainlie spoken of before as this hath ben The text ys Qui manducat meam carnem bibit meum sanguinem habet vitam aeternam He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life As the absteining from the eating of the flesh and blood of Chryste causeth lacke Foode of Chrystes flesh cause of immortalitie of life So ys yt consequent that the feading on the flessh and blood of Chryst causeth the hauing of life As the meat ys soche ys the effecte and operacion of yt Yf a man eate corruptible meate yt will for a while maintein but yt will not preserue from corruption Yf a man feade on mortall thinges yt can not preserue from mortalitie but fuffer him to be mortall So if a man feed on spirituall thinges and digest them well yt will make a man spirituall Yf a man feed of immortall thinges yt will bring the like effect and make a
the disciple of Chryst Ignatius the disciple of S. Iohn the euangelist Dionysius Arcopagita the disciple of S. Paule with diuerse other yet the eldest that I finde after the Euangelistes and S. Panle treacting of the woordes of Chryst are Alexander and Iustinus of the whiche although Alexander be the elder yet for that by him occasion ys geuen to speake of some matter more at large I shall first produce Iustinus This holie martyr for answer and defence of the Chrystians who were slaundered that they shoulde eate mans flesh wrote to the Emperour Antonius Pius and among other thinges declareth what ys the religion of the christians aboute the Sacrament and what faith they were taught to haue of yt and saieth thus Cùm autem is qui preest gratias egerit totus populus approbauerit hi qui vocantur apud nos Diacom distribuunt vnicuique praesentium vt participent de pane Justin. Apolog. 2. in quo gratiae actae sunt de vino aqua ijs qui non sunt presentes deferunt Atque hoc alimentum apud nos vocatur Eucharistia De quo nulli alij participare licitum est nisi qui credit vera esse quae docentur à nobis et qui lauacro in remissionem peccatoruÌ„ in regenerationem lotus est sic viuit sicut Christus tradidit Neque vt communeÌ„ panem commune poculuÌ„ haec suscipimus sed quemadmodum per verbum Dei incarnatus Iesus Christus Seruator noster carnem sanguinem habuit Sic verbi sui oratione consecratum gratiarum actione alimentum ex quo caro nostra sanguis per transmutationem aluntur ipsius incarnati Iesu Christi carnem sanguinem esse edocti sumus Apostoli enim in commentarijs suis quae Euangelia vocantur sic ipsis praecipisse tradiderunt Cùm accepisset panem gratijs actis dixisse Hoc facite in mei commemorationem Hoc est corpus meum Et poculum similirer cum accepisset gratias egisset dixisse Hic est sanguis meus solis ipsis impartisse When the preist hath ended his thankes geuing and all the people haue saied Amen they whom we call Deacons distribute to euery one then present to be partakers of the bread wine and water consecrated Bread wine and water consecrated in the primitiue churche and carie part to them that be absent And this ys the foode whiche among vs ys called Eucharistia Wherof yt ys laufull for no man to be partaker except he beleue those thinges to be true that be taught vs And be baptised in the water of regeneracion in remission of sinnes and so liueth as Chryst hath taught For we do not take these as common bread and wine but like as Iesus Chryst our Sauiour incarnated by the woorde of God had flesh and blood for our saluacion Euen so we be taught that the foode wherwith our flesh and bloode be nourished by alteracion when yt ys consecrated by the praier of his Bread and wine after consecracioÌ„ be the bodie and blood of Chryst. woorde to be the flesh and bloode of the same Iesus incarnated For the Apostles in those their bookes whiche be called Gospells teache that Iesus did so commaunde them when he had takeÌ„ bread and geuen thankes saied Do this in my remeÌ„brance This ys my bodie And likewise taking the cuppe when he had geuen thankâ—s saied This ys my bloode and gaue them to his Apostles onelie Thus moche holy Iustine In this Authour be many thinges woorthie note But omitting them all I shall onely note that that he ys at this time alleaged for namely for the right vnderstanding of Chrystes woordes in their propre sense withoute figure or trope For the which note well that he saieth that we be taught that the foode mening the bread wine and water after the consecracion ys the flesh and bloode of Iesus incarnate He saieth not that they were taught that they were signes tokens or figures of the flesh of Iesus neither that they be onely called the flesh of Iesus Ye maie then perceaue what the teaching and doctrine of the primitiue church was ye maie well see that they were plainly taught that the bread wine and water be the flesh and bloode of our Sauiour Iesus And herwith all note howe certen this doctrine was Yt was as certen and sure as the mysterie of the incarnacion of Chryst For saieth this Authour Doctrine of the reall presence as certen as the incarnacion to the primitiue church Like as Iesus Chryst our Sauiour incarnated by the woorde of God had flesh and bloode for our saluacion Euen so we be taught the breade wine and water after the consecracion to be the flesh and bloode of the same Iesus Weigh this gentle Reader and marke these woordes well that euen as we be taught as a principle of our faith to beleue that Iesus Chryst in his incarnacion had flesh and bloode euen so we be taught the foode of the holie Sacrament to be the flesh and bloode of the same Iesus But howe doth this Authour proue that this doctrine was so taught By this proof For the Apostles saieth he in their workes whiche they call Gospells do teache that our Lorde Iesus so commaunded them saing when he had taken breade and geuen thankes doe this in the remembrance of me This ys my bodie And likewise taking the cuppe when he had geuen thankes saied This ys my bloode In this proof of this Authour ther be two thinges to be noted The one against the blasphemouse reproche of the Aduersaries and this Proclamer Reall presence plainlie auouched by Justinus whiche saie that yt ys an inuencion of the papistes to teache Chrystes flesh and bloode to be in the SacrameÌ„t But this Authour saieth that the Apostles taught that our Sauiour Iesus did commaunde them so to doe So thar yt ys his commaundement and tradicion an not the papistes inuencion but yf they will accompt Iesus Chryst for this his so doing to be a papist Then in dede they maie saie yt ys the inuencion of a papist The other note ys for the applicacion of the woordes of Chryst to the SacrameÌ„t Ye haue perceaued that we be taught that the foode of the Sacrament ys the flesh of Iesus Chryst Yeperceaue also that the same Iesus Chryst so coÌ„mauÌ„ded as the Apostles haue taught in their Gospells But wher ys that coÌ„maundement in the Gospells This ys the commaundement Doe this in the remembrance of me This ys my bodie this my bloode By these woordes we are commaunded to doe the thing By these woordes we are taught what the thing ys The thing as this authour saieth ys the flesh and bloode of Iesus Chryst incarnated And this thing also he saieth we are taught by these woordes Wherfore these woordes are to be vnderstanded of the flesh and bloode of Iesus Chryst Nowe looke well vpon the doctrine of Chryst and his primitiue Church compare
doctrines doeth affirme what shall be the priuilege or what reason that onely men shoulde communicate the bodie and bloode of him and not Deuells also for the whiche in his passion he did shedde his bloode hitherto Theoph. Who improuing the opinion of Origen before mencioned saieth that if the bodie of Chryst shoulde suffre for Deuells and his blood shoulde be shedde for thē then vnto thē he shoulde haue saied as he hath to his Apostles and all faithfull men Take eate This ys my bodie Take and drinke This ys my blood Whiche argumēt as yt doth confute the errour of Origen for that yt ys meit that all they that be partakers of the redemption purchaced by the bodie and blood of Chryst should also be soche as to whō in time conuenient yt Deuells be not redemed by Chrystes passion but if they might receaue him spirituallie they shoulde be partakers of his merittes might be saied Take eat This ys my bodie Take drinke This ys my blood Whiche thing to Deuells ys not saied so also yt doeth impugn the errour of our Aduersarie in that that no mencion being made of figures and tropes the wordes of Chryst be left in their owne propre sense teaching vs that we must take and eate his verie bodie and drinke his verie bloode And that they doe so teache vs by the minde of this authour the woordes that folowe in his second argumēt doo well prooue For the better perceaving wherof vnderstād first as the trueth of the catholique faith ys that Deuells be not redemed by the passion of Chryst neither be they nor can be partakers of the vertue and benefitt of the same Nowe to receaue Chryst spirituallie ys to receaue the grace and fruict of this passion When then in his second argument this authour saieth that the Deuells be not parone bloode excludeth an other and the legall solemnitie when yt ys chaunged ys fulfilled Thus Leo. For the better vnderstanding of this saing of the authour yt ys to be obserued that he doth compare the solemnitie of the olde iudaicall Passouer to the newe Passouer solemnely begonne by Chryst in his last supper Whiche thing maie well be perceaued by the last woordes of the authour wher he saieth as the conclusion of all that he had before spoken legalis festiuitas dum mutatur impletur And the legall solemnitie when yt ys chaunged ys fulfilled The legall solemnitie was the feast of the Paschall lambe This feast was chaunged and then fullfilled when Chryst in stead of that lambe being the figure made his solemne feast and gaue his owne bodie and bloode the bodie and blood of the right and verie true lambe of God that taketh awaie the sinnes of the worlde of which matter more ys saied in the first booke In the whiche feast saieth the authour that the shadowes shoulde geue place to the bodie and the images shoulde ceasse in the presence of the trueth the olde obseruance ys taken awaie with a newe sacrament Marke then in the legall solemnitie was the shadowe in Chrystes supper the bodie in the legall solemnitie were the Images in Chrystes feast was the presence of the trueth that ys the verie thing signified by the image which ys the bodie and bloode of Chryst not nowe in figure but in verie deed See ye not nowe then what ys in Chrystes supper Ys ther not the bodie of the shadowe and not the onelie shadowe Ys ther not the verie thing and not the image Ys not the bodie of the shadowe In Chrystes supper ys the verie bodie and not the shadow and the verie thing of the image the bodie and blooode of Chrysts Then the verie bodie and bloode of Chryst be in hys supper Thus maie ye perceaue what he ment when he saied that Chryst did ordein the Sacrament of hys bodie and bloode not a Sacrament voyde of hys bodie and bloode but a Sacrament conteining hys bodie and bloode Will ye see this again plainlie taught This authour saieth that the olde obseruance ys taken awaie with a newe Sacrament But what ys thys Sacrament Yt ys a sacrament that ys a sacrifice remouing and ending the sacrifice of the Paschall lambe and others of that nature Yt ys a Sacrament wherin ys bloode excluding the bloode of legall sacrifices Hostia in hostiam transit sanguis sanguinem excludit one sacrifice passeth into an other sacrifice one bloode excludeth an other bloode The sacrifice of the olde lawe passeth into the sacrifice of Chrystes bodie and ther endeth and the bloode of Chryst excludeth and putteth awaie the bloode of the sacrifice of the olde lawe and so ys the sacrifice of that bloode ended Chryste in his supper did not institute a bare Sacrament onelie Thus maie yowe perceaue that when this authour saied that Chryst ordeined the Sacrament of hys bodie and bloode that he ment not onely the institucion of a bare Sacrament but also the consecracion of the bodie and bloode of Chryst lieng hidden vnder the formes of bread and wine in the same Sacrament Whiche ordeinance and consecracion was doen by the woordes of Chryst when he saied Take eate This ys ys my bodie And Take drinke this ys my bloode And so the woordes teache the verie presence of Chrystes bodie and blood in the Sacrament and not a naked figure Yf thus moch satissie not the reader forsomoch as ys here saied of and vpō this authour as I trust yt maie anie that ys not contenciouse yf he desire to see more of this authour let him reparie to the sixt of sainct Iohn and to the beginning of this processe vpon the woordes of the Supper and he shall see more wherfore remitting the reader to those places I staie to saie anie more vpon this coople but hast me according to my promesse to heare an other coople THE SEVEN AND FIFTETH CHAP. PROceadeth in the exposition of the same woordes by sainct Cyrill and sainct Gregorie THough yt be moche that ys allready saied vpon these sewe woordes of Chryst and maie well suffice to teache the trueth of this matter yet that the arrogancie of the Proclamer maie be beaten down and his vntrueth against gods trueth well perceaued we shall yet bring in one or twoo cooples mo of the higher house of Chrystes Parliament and then descend to other of the lower house Of the higher house ther yet remaineth holy Cyrill whose faith in the Sacrament although yt maie well be knowen to vs by hys manie and sondrie sentences both in the first booke and in this vpō the vi of S. Iohn alleadged yet that the faith of the catholique Church maie be discerned from errour and heresie with which titles some heretiques wold defame the same we wil heare him teache vs the faith that ought to be had and geuen to the woordes of Chryst and howe we shall vnderstand them euen as he taught Calosyrius to whom he wrote vpon the woords of Chryst in this maner Non dubites an hoc verum
exposition of the Aduersaries so ys yt consonaunte and agreable to the doctrine and exposition of the elders In the next chapter before this yowe sawe the exposition of Euthymius vpō these woordes of Chryst not vnlike vnto this but altogether like Euth in 26. Matt. Doctrine of the Sacramentarie contrarie to the sathers bothe in woordes and sentence yt ys not saieth he a figure of Chrystes bodie but his bodie not a figure of hys bloode but his bloode Wherfore Reader when thowe seeist the authours agree and agreyng saie the contrarie of that that the Aduersarie teacheth thowe maist be well adsured that the doctrine of the Aduersarie ys false Wherfore seing yt plain before thine eyes flee the falhead and cleaue to the trueth The third note also maketh for the declaracion of this matter that he alleaging the sixt of sainct Iohn referreth yt to the Sacrament in the same sense that he vnderstoode Chrystes other woordes which ys as Theophilact also vpon the same sixt of sainct Iohn saieth Non figura carnis sed caro med est Not a figure of my flesh but yt ys my flesh So that by these authours the sixt of S. Iohn perteineth to the Sacrament notwithstanding the contrarie saing of Luther and Oecolampadius and other of that rable In which chapter ys promised the geuing not of a figure of his flesh but his verie flesh And as yt was ther promised verilie to be geuen so was the same to the accomplishment of the same promesse in verie dede deliuered and receaued euen the verie flesh and verie blood of Iesus Chryst and not the onelie figure of them The fourte note also whiche ys for the due receauing of the Sacrament geueth also light to the vnderstanding of the presence of Chrystes verie bodie in the Sacrament But for that the conuenient place to speake of this matter ys in the thirde booke we shall not here trooble the reader with all We haue nowe seen a goodlie and an euident testimonie testifieng howe Chrystes woordes were vnderstanded in the greke Church we will likewise heare one that shall declare the vnderstanding of them in the latin Church Who shall be Haymo who vpon these woordes of Chryst writeth thus Expletis solemnijs veteris Paschae transit Dominus ad sacramenta noui Paschae demonstranda Haymo in 26. Matth Postquam coenauit dedit eis panem vinum in mysterio videlicet corporis sanguinis sui Quia enim panis cor hominis confirmat vinum anget sanguinem in homine meritò idem panis in carnem Domini mutatur idem vinum in sanguinem Domini transfertur non per figuram neque per vmbram sed per veritatem Credimus enim quia in veritate caro est Christi similiter sanguis The Solemnities of the olde passeouer being fullfilled our Lord goeth to shewe the sacramentes of the newe Passouer After he had supped he gaue them breade and wine in mysterie Breadchaūged into the bodie and wine into the blood of Chryst not in figur but in trueth that ys of his bodie and bloode Bicause bread doeth make strong the heart of man and wine encreaseth blood in man therfor the same bread ys verie well chaunged into the flesh of Chryst and the same wine ys transferred into the blood of our Lorde not by figure nor by shadowe but by trueth For we beleue that in verie dede yt ys the flesh of Christe and likewise that yt ys hys bloode Thus moch Haymo Yowe see nowe here in the latin Church also a goodlie testimonie and a clere exposition of Chrystes woordes so clere and plain that I shall not nede to trauaill to open the same but onely I haue thought good to note to thee Reader the goodlie order that this authour obserueth in his exposition First he ioneth our newe Passouer to the olde as the verie trueth to the figure whiche being in place the figure vanisheth awaie Wherbie yt ys consequent that yf the Passouer whiche Chryst did institute were the trueth whiche the olde passouer did prefigurate that the newe Passeouer was a true thing in dede and not a bare figure For otherwise shoulde the figure be the figure of a figure and not of a trueth which ys against the nature of a figure And when he had thus ioined the trueth to the figure he declareth whē yt was doen saing that after he had supped he gaue them bread and wine in the mysterie of his bodie and bloode Then proceading he geueth a cause whie Chryst vsed bread and wine in this mysterie of his bodie and blood bicause saieth he the materiall bread comforteth the heart and the materiall wine encreaseth the blood therfor to signifie that as these twoo things doe A chaunge in the Sacr. in trueth not in figure woorke ther effectes in our material bodies so thy being transmuted and chaunged into heauenlie bread and wine of Chrystes bodie and blood the bread of the life they woorke the like effect spirituallie in our soules And forasmoche as he had saied that the bread and wine be turned and chaunged into the bodie and bloode of Chryst he immediatelie teacheth howe yt ys chaunged They are chaunged saieth he not by figure nor by shadowe sed per veritatem but in verie dede whiche ys asmoche to saie as yt ys chaunged or turned into the verie flesh and blood of Chryst in verie dede and not into a bare Sacramentall bread as the Aduersarie tearmeth ys Now as I haue doen with Damascē so will I with this authour first cōferr this dictrine with the doctrine of the elders to see howe they agree and after the doctrine of the aduersarie both that yt maie appeare which of thē best agree with the auncient Churhe and whether ther be anie iust cause why the Aduersarie shoulde reiect this authour or his likes This authour Greg. Nissen serm cathec de diuinis Sacramen saieth that the bread ys chaunged into the bodie of our Lorde and the wine into his bloode doeth not among the elders the great elder Gregorie Nissen vse the like woordes Quamobrem saieth he rectè nunc etiam Dei verbo sanctificatum panem in Dei Verbi corpus credimus immutari Wherfor we doe nowe also verie well beleue the bread that ys sanctified by the woorde of God to be chaunged into the bodie of the sonne of God See ye not then that the doctrine which Haymo here teacheth of the transmutacion chaunging or turning of the bread into the bodie of Chryst Trāsubstāciacōn that ys chaunge of bread ād wine into the bodie and bloode of Chryst a matter of faith which nowe the Church tearmeth Transubstantiacion ys an auncient doctrine and if yowe will conferre them diligentlie ye shall haue occasion to thinke that this authour Haymo did in this matter folowe Gregorie Nissen their sainges be so like For as Gregorie maketh this matter of the chaunging of the bread into the bodie of Chryst no matter
two significacions of the Sonne and of the holie Gost and to the washing of the Soule from sinne by grace geuen in the ministracion of the same Sacrament yet the wholl ministracion and praiers aswell before batisme as after vsed in the same by a generall significacion ys called Baptisme So ys the consecracion and oblacion of the bodie of Chryst with all praiers and Ceremonies either going before or folowing the same by generall significacion called Masse This breif description of the Masse being made let vs examin the partes of yt whiche of them or howe manie of thē be against the woorde of God and the example or practise of the primatiue Church as yt ys pretended that yt maie be perceaued what iust cause the Proclamer hath so moche to exclame against the Masse The first parte ys consecracion This parte for that by yt ys taught the Parts of the Masse presence of Chrystes bodie and bloode whiche the Proclamer can not abide ys one cause why he reiecteth the Masse But howe iustly he doth it yt maie be perceaued through oute all this booke in which ys prooued the presence whiche the catholique Church teacheth and the figure ys improued whiche the Aduersary mainteineth An other parte ys oblacion or sacrifice wherin the Churche offreth Chryst to God the Father according to the commaundement of the same owne maister Chryst in the memoriall of his passion and deathe That this parte ys not against the scriptures and the holy Fathers yt ys allready proued in the declaracion of the prophecies of Melchisedech Daniel and Malachie in the first booke wherunto ys made an addicion whiche thowe shalt finde in the xxxvij chapiter of that same booke sufficient I trust to aunswere and satisfie anie reasonable man An other parte ys receauing of the Sacrament In the whiche twoo thinges do offend the Proclamer The one ys that the people do receaue vnder one kinde The other that the preist receaueth alone Whether the receauing vnder one kinde be against the Scriptures or the practise of the Primitiue Churche yt ys disputed and the trueth declared in the seconde booke from the lxiiij chap. to the. end of lxvijchap As for the receauing whiche the Proclamer termeth priuate yt shall be hereafter treacted of In doctrine which ys an other parte I knowe not what fault he can finde In praier the first and last parte of the Masse he findeth two faultes The one that praier ys made to sainctes The other that praier ys made for the dead for these two we shal haue recourse to the primitiue Churche and there make triall whether the Church doth well in so doing or the Aduersarie euell in denieng the same to be laufull and good Nowe for the first parte of the Masse whiche ys consecracion I will not moche otherwise here treact of yt but onelie laing furth the practise of the Apostolique and primitiue Churche therin compare the doinges of the catholique Churche nowe therwith that yt maie be perceaued howe iustlie yt foloweth the example therof As for the effect of consecracion whiche ys the presence of Chrystes bodie ther neadeth here no speciall treactice for that the woll booke treateth therof so fullie that yf the Proclamer will finde fault in the Masse forthat the presence ys taught ther to be he maie in other places of this worke finde sufficiēt matter for the proofe of the presence whiche yf yt will not satisfie him neither maie a fewe woordes here spoken moche helpe him As for the seconde parte whiche ys the oblacion or sacrifice of Chrystes bodie as before yt ys declared that yt ys offred according to the will and commaundement or Chryst himself and that by the testimonie of the Scripturs as they be vnderstāded of a nombre of the most auncient Fathers and by diuerse other graue authorities So shall yt be nowe set furth and cōmended to yowe by the practise of the Primitiue Churche Whiche we haue differred to this place And forasmoche as the Proclamer to extenuate and abase the honorable estimacion of the Masse whiche yt ought to haue in the heartes of the people doth for shame and with shame conceale the names of soche auncient Authours as do testifie that both Sainct Peter and Sainct Iames saied Masse the one at Rome the other at Hierusalem and doth also to Whē truth and learning serueth not mocking and skorning be their best argumētes bring the matter in contempt aske by waie of skorn whie raither we saie not that Chryste him self saied Masse for that were the neerer waie to bring the Masse in creditte I shall by good and sufficient authoritie shewe that not onelie Sainct Peter and Sainct Iames but also Chryste him self did saie Masse And so beginning at Chryst descende to three or foure hundreth yeares after Chryst and shewe the practise of the Churche And for this time I will ouerpasse the farder mocke and skorn that he maketh against the blessed Masse asking whie we doe not raither saie that Aaron and his chapleins saied Masse For in dede saieth he as yt hath ben vsed the Churche hath had moch more of the Robes of the Ceremonies and of the sacrifices of Aaron then of the institucion or ordeinance of Chryste For ys I shoulde touche him for that I shoulde cause Arons garment worne for a Bishopporke and the Cōmunion ministred in a cope him to be perceaued to impugne and in that behalf to skorne the ministracion of the Communion For that ys ministred in coapes and other soche garmentes as before were vsed in the Churche and he himself refuseth not to weare Aarons garment for a Bishoppericke So well agreeth his doing and his preaching together And thus scoffing at the garmentes that be nowe yet vsed he seemeth to me not to like this order of Religion that he liueth in but raither to reprooue this as he doth the other For in this poinct by his iudgement they holde both of Aaron But letting this passe I will returne to my matter and wish the Reader to remembre what this woorde Masse doth signifie as yt ys declared in the last chapiter and therwith to haue in minde as yt ys saied in this chapiter Chryste saied Masse that Masse ys the action of the consecracion oblacion and receauing of the bodie and bloode of Chryst and so vnderstanding Masse I saie that Chryst did saie Masse For he in his last Supper did institute Masse and did ther consecrate his bodie and bloode and offred them in sacrifice and gaue them to his Apostes to be receaued and commaunded that so yt shoulde be doen in the remembrance of his passion and death In this matter who listeth to be satisfied forsomoche as one auncient Authour maie satisfie a man let him reade the Epistle of Sainct Ciprian to Cecilius Epist li. 2. Epist. 3. and he shall ther sinde euery parte of the Masse here reckned to be doen by Chryst First for the consecracion he saieth thus Vt in Genesi
remembrance of me for asmoche as holie Ciprian saieth that Chryst hath commaunded vs to offre his bodie in sacrifice and before him so saied Irenaeus and after him so saied Sainct Ambrose and diuerse other holie learned Fathers I wolde learn of them what place ells in the scripture ther ys wherupon these auncient Fathers dooe grownde these their sainges But let them mocke and skorn at Chrystes trueth as the Phariseis and Scribes did at him self yet as Chryst remained and remaineth and shall for euer remain and shall condemne the wiked generacion So dothe and shall this trueth remain to their condemnacion And howesouer they will laboure to obscure yt yet the holie doctours who verie well knewe by the doctrine of the primitiue Churche howe the scripture ys to be vnderstanded shall allwaies open the same and make yt clere As nowe Sainct Cyprian in declaring the commaundement of Chryst doth almost speake the verie woordes of the commaundement Chryste saied Hoc facite in meam commâ—morationem This doe ye in the remembrance of me Ciprian saieth he commaunded this sacrifice to be doen in the remembrance of him Sainct Ambrose likewise growndeth himself vpon these saine woordes of Chryst when he saied I lorde being mindfull of thy honorable passion come vnto thing aultar although vnwoorthie and a sinner that I maie offre vnto thee the sacrifice that thowe didest institute and commaundest to be offred in the remembrance of thee The Ambr. oratione praepar ad Missem same allusion haue other Fathers also So that yt ys as clear as the daie light amonge the auncient doctours that Chryst by these woordes commaunded his Churche to offre his bodie and bloode in sacrifice Nowe once to ende the notes that maie be made vpon Sainct Ciprian and to stoppe the mouthes of them that speake wicked thinges as saieth the spalmist Note well the last parte of Sainct Ciprians sainges and ye shall see that both Chryst did offre sacrifice in his last Supper and that we also do òffre sacrifice yf we doe obserue and kepe the institucion of Christ For Sainct Ciprian saieth Sacerdos vice Christi verè sungitur si id quod Christus secerit imitatur sacrificium verum pleanum tunc offert in Ecclesia Deo Patri si sic incipiat offerre secundùm quod ipsum Christum viderit obtulisse The preist doeth truelie exercise the ministracion of Chryste yf he folowe that that Chryst hath doen and then doeth he offre in the Chruche vnto God the Father a true and sull sacrifice yf he so beginne to offre as he hath seen Chryst to haue offred In which sentence this maie be noted first that Chryst did offre sacrifice in the last Supper which the Aduersarie denieth Secondarely that the Church folowing the institucion of Chryste offreth to God a full and a true sacrifice whiche also the Aduersarie denieth By this then ye perceaue these two partes of the Masse that ys holie consecracion and oblacion to be doen by Chryst in his holie ministracion As for the thirde whiche ys holy receauing ther ys no controuersie betwixt vs and the Aduersarie Yt ys more then neadeth to be spoken of that both Chryst him self and all the Apostles present at the borde of Chryst did eat of that holie oblacion or sacrifice These three being the substanciall partes of the Masse and the verie true Masse in dede and being by Christ instituted ordeined and appoincted as yowe haue perceaued what can we ells saie but that Chryste ys the Authour of the Masse that he instituted the Masse and that he saied Masse Yf anie desire to be better satisfied in these two partes namely consecracion and oblacion for the first let him repaire to the second booke and ther from the xli chapiter to the ende of the booke he shall finde enoughe to satisfie him For the other in the first booke from the xxxiij chapiter to the ende of that booke he shall likewise finde that maie content him THE FOVR AND THIRTETH CHApiter sheweth the vse of the Masse vsed and practised by the Apostles THe Masse as ys saied and proued being instituted by Chryste and by him also coÌ„maunded to be practised and vsed of his Church yt shall be expedient and necessarie that we see how and in what maner that his commaundement was executed and his institucioÌ„ practised first by the Apostles and after by the holie Fathers of the primitiue and auncient Chruche For they well knowing Chrystes verie minde their doinges are to vs a perfect expositioÌ„ and declaracioÌ„of the same Wherfore minding to see them they shall yet so be seen as both the practise of the Masse of the catholique Church nowe in vse and the practise also of the Schismaticall Churche maie be plainlie laied furth and compared to the former practises that therbie triall maie be made whether of these two agree or disagree with the Apostolique and primitiue Churche Yf we of the catholique Churche dissent either from Chrystes institution or from the Apostles and Fathers as touching the substanciall parts of the Masse or anie other weightie matter of the faith let vs suffre the reproche Yf the Proclamer and and his complices haue swerued from them let them repent and seke gods mercie This I promisse before God that I will laie furth the matter as simplie for the declararatioÌ„ of the trueth as I can deuise that the fault maie be fownd wher yt ys And before I enter to declare this practise I wish the reader to be aduertised and to haue this for a generall rule that wher in this Processe we shall treact of the Masse and call yt the Masse of S. Peter of S. Andrewe of S. Iames of S. Clement or S. Dionise Masse S. Basills Masse Chrisostomes Masse S. Ambrose Masse and soche other that we doe not neither ys yt so to be betaken that these distinctions be vpon the propre significacioÌ„ of the Masse that ys that these Masses be distincted in the substanciall parts of Masse as that the Masse of S. Peter shoulde be substanciallie distincted from the Masse of S. Iames and the Masse of S. Iames substanciallie different from the Masse of S. Basill and so furth But the difference ys taken of the generall acception or significacioÌ„ of Masse that ys that they be different in extern thinges as in some ceremonies in praiers and in other gestures or maners but not in intern or inwarde substanciall thinges For in them all ye shall finde one thing onely consecrated one thing onelie offred in sacrifice one thing onelie receaued And therfore in Consecracion oblacion and receauing they being not different Masse of the Apostles and Fathers and that ys vsed nowe in the Church all one in substance But all one are not called S. Peters Masse nor S. Iames Masse and so furth But Chrystes Masse For these thinges be of his institucion and not of theirs The diuersitie of Ceremonies praiers and other maners ys of theÌ„ by the magisterie of the
he did sanctifie and blesse yt The catholique Churche folowing them saieth likewise that he gaue not onelie thankes but also that he blessed yt The Proclamers Church saieth no more but that he gaue thanks and liketh not to saie that Chryst blessed yt or sanctified yt And wote yow whie Bicause they feared that the trueth might be sooner perceaued that by the blessing and sanctificacion of Chryste his verie bodie and blood were consecrated as they were in dede which by all shiftes and meanes they labour to hide But I wishe the wholl woordes of S. Iames Masse not onely to be well noted but also continuallie to be remembred that he saieth that Chryste gaue thankes he sanctified he blessed and fylled the cuppe with the holie Gost For these woordes not onelie impugne the wicked assertion of the Sacramentarie but also commende to vs the excellencie of the B. Sacrament and Woordes of S. James Masse proue the presence of that blessed bloode whiche the catholique Churche teacheth there to be present For who can saie that after these great doings of Chryste of sanctifieng blessing and filling with the holie Gost that ther ys nothing ells made but a bare hungrie figure This godlie acte of Chryste the Apostles and Fathers foloweing as S. Iames in his Masse S. Basill and Chrysostom in their Mases did not onelie make mencion of his blessiing and sanctifieng but did them selues sign and blesse the Sacrament as in their Masses yt ys plain to see Which acte of Chryst of the Apostles ād fathers the catholike church embrancing signeth with the sign of the crosse and blesseth the Sacrament signifieng the sanctificacion their doen to be doen by the power of him that by his crosse sanctified all the faithfull But these wicked bretheren of the late fownd Church geue as fewe termes of excellencie to yt and vse as fewe gestures and actes signifieng blessing and sanctificacion as they maie that the estimacion of that gloriouse Sacrament maie be impaired Thus nowe ye haue seē the conference made ye see the catholique Churche Conference of the catholeque authoritie of preists withe the lacke of authoritie of newe ministers in euerie poinct agreing with Chryste withe Apostles and with the pritiue Churche Contrarie wise ye see the newe fownd Churche allmost in all pointes disagreing Finallie I thinke yt expedient that as I haue here spoken of consecracion and conferred the doing of the catholique Churche and of the newe Churche with the Apostolique and primitiue Churche So to saie a fewe woordes of the preist of the one and of the minister of the other And here not moche to tarie the reader yt ys to be remēbred that Chryste when he had instituted this diuine and noble Sacrament willing yt to be continued gaue his Apostles and in them to all their successours power authoritie and commaundement to doo that that he had doen. By which commaundement euery catholique preist duelie executing this ministracion doth consecrate the verie bodie and blood of Chryste by vertue of Chrystes ordeinance and woordes duelie pronouced The ministres of the newe churche not being of the catholique succession as they haue no soche power authoritie or cōmaundement from Chryste Newe ministres haue no authoritie to consecrate to consecrate his bodie and blood and as their monstrouse heades neither can geue them soche neither mindeth that they shoulde doe anie soche thing but raither as they finde yt bread and wine so to let yt remain and so to receaue yt they do not so rehersing Chrystes woordes consecrate his blessed bodie no more then they doo that read those woordes vpō the booke in their cōmon studies For if the historie of Chrystes supper rehersed of a minister not endewed with laufull authoritie descending to him by catholique ordre did consecrate then shoulde consecracion haue ben doen in manie a querulouse and contenciouse dinner and supper aswell in Tauerns as ells wher wher the like woords haue ben spokē and rehersed of men of as good authoritie for that pourpose as the ministre Be not deceaued therfor gentle readers to thinke that of sochemens hands yowe receaue the bodie of Chryste Yt ys to moche that yowe receaue ther schisinaticall bread yt were lamentable therwith also to committee Idolatrie And now although this might suffice to prooue the Masse to haue benvsed of the Apostles yet for thy better confirmaciō gentle reader I shall adde Addias hist Apost li. 7. the testimonie of Abdias Bishoppe of Babilon and a Disciple of the Apostles who writeth thus of the Masse and death of S. Matthewe Cumue respondissent amen misteria Domini celebrata Missāsuscepisset omnis Ecclesia retinuit se vt iuxta altare vbi corpus ab eo fuerat Christiconfectum illic martyriū Apostolicū exultaret S. Matt hew saied Masse And when all had saied Amen and all the Churche had receaued the Masse and the ministeries that were celebrated he staied him sem self that by the aultar wher the bodie of Chryste was by him cōsecrated ther should his martidom be solemnised Thus ther. In this place ye heare plain menciō made of the Masse doen and celebrated by S. Mathewe whiche if the Aduersarie wil seke to auoid as put in by the translatour yet he can not denie these two thinges whiche be in effect equiualent that ys the aultar and the consecracion of the bodie of Chryste Nowe if he did clerebrate at the aultar and on the aultar did consecrate the bodie of Chryste yt foloweth that he did celebrate the Masse And here I wish these two thinges to be well noted forsomoch as they were written of one that was disciple to the Apostles and did write diuerse bookes of their liues The one ys that S. Matthew did celebrate at the aultar the other that he did consecrate the bodie of Chryste Yf these two were to be writtē as in vse thē yt maie easelie be iudged who doth offēd he that doth vse both in these daies or he that refuseth both And wher the Proclamer as ys of late saied prouoketh so moche to the primitiue Churche iudge nowe again Reader how well yt liketh him to folowe the order of the primitiue Churche whē he abādoneth and flieth frō these two thinges as frō a serpēt and yet both vsed as ye perceaue of the Apostles and the Primitiue Church Hauing nowe saied sufficiētlie for the vse of the Masse in the Apostles time to cōclude this chapter this maie be saied that as yt pleased our Sauiour Christe to cōmend to the worlde the trueth of his holie Gospell principallie by foure Euāgelistes and S. Paule his chosē vessell So yt hath pleased him to cōmēd the trueth of the holie ministracion of his bodie and blood called the Masse by foure Apostles namelie S. Peter S. Andew S. Iames and S. Matthew and also by S. Paule He of his mercie graūt that as by the Euangelistes his Gospell was receaued and beleued so by the testimonie and doinges
drinke in the remembrance of me What should they eate That that he tooke vnto them what did he take vnto them The Euangelists do testifie Take eate this my bodie They shoulde drinke in the remēbrance of him What shoulde they drinke ▪ That also that he did take them What did he take them The Euangelists likewise declare Drinke ye all of this saieth Chryste for this ys my blood of the newe testament c. Here be the woordes of the institucion Here ys instituted that the bodie and bloode of Chryste should be receaued in By Chrysts institucion we shoulde receaue his bodie and bloode in 〈◊〉 c. the remembrance of his passion and death that bread and wine shoulde be so receaued here ys not one title Chryste saied not eate this bread and drinke this wine in my remembrance Wher then be we commaunded to receaue the creaturs of bread and wine according to the institucion of Chryste yf yt be not commaunded here As touching the institucion of Chryste yt ys at the full treacted of in the second booke wher be produced xii cooples of the higher house of Chrystes Parliament and vi cooples of the lower house of the which a great nombre declare the verie substance of Chrystes bodie and blood to be verilie dispensed and geuen in the Blessed Sacrament The newe church chargeth Chryst with an vntrueth and a good nombre of them denie the same Sacrament to be a figure onelie Yf yt be not a figure then ys yt not bread and wine Yf yt be not then we eate not bread and wine as they saie according to Chrysts institucion Beholde thē the impudencie of these mē see their notable vntrueth that fear not before mē onelie which in so weightie a matter were to moche but also as yt were euen to the face of God to make a stoute lie against his onelie begotten sonne charging him with that that they be not hable to prooue But that this their vntrueth wher with they charge our Sauiour Chryst maie more fullie appeare and the trueth of the catholique Churche clerelie be seen ye shall not onelie when ye come to the next chapter note what ys doen according to Chrysts institucion but also here the practise of the Apostolique and primitiue Churche shall teache yowe what Chryste instituted to be receaued for the remembrance of his death S. Iames praied thus in his Masse Misericors Deus dignum me fac gratia tua vt citra condemnationem particeps fiam sancti corporis preciosi sanguinis in remissionem peccatorum c. O mercifull God make me by thie grace wourthie that withoute my condemnacion I maie be made partaker of thie holie bodie and preciouse blood to the remission of sinnes S. Basill thus Nullum nostrum ad iudicium aut condemnationem facias accipere sanctum corpus sanguinem Christi tui Make none of vs to iudgement or condemnacion to receaue the holie bodie and bloode of thie Chryste S. Chrysostom praied thus dignare potenti manu tua tribuere nobis immaculatum corpus tuum preciosum sanguinem per nos omni populo Vouchsafe with thy mightie hand to giue vnto vs thie vndifiled bodie and thie preciouse blood and by vs to all the people Thus they Yt ys not to be doubted but that all these and the Churche that they liued in receaued the sacrament according to Chrystes institucion But these creaturs of beead and wine omitted they shewe thē felues by expresse woordes to receaue the bodie and bloode of Chryste Wherfor Chrysts instituciō ys to receaue his bodie and blood and not the creaturs of bread and wine And that they speake not of the spirituall bodie onelie but of the reall bodie in the blessed Sacramēt two thinges in these fathers prooue yt in uinciblie The one ys in S. Iames and S. Basill They both desire that thoy not to cōdēnaciō maie receaue the holie bodie ād preciouse blood of Chryst That 〈…〉 bodie thē ys here receaued that maie be receaued both to saluaciō and damnacion The spirituall bodie can be receaued but to saluacion the reall bodie both to saluacion and damnacion wherfor they receaue the reall bodie of Chryste that maie be receaued to condemnacion The other ys in Chrysostom who desiereth Chryste that he wold vouchsafe both to imparte vnto him his bodie and blood and also by him and the preists to the people Wher vpon we maie thus reason That bodie was receaued of Chrysostom and the preistes which by them also might be deliuered to the people But thereall bodie of Chryste and not the spirituall might by them be deliuered to the people Wherfore Chrysostom and the preists receaued the reall bodie of Chryste That the spirituall bodie of Chryste or Chryste spirituallie cā not by the preists be deliuered to the people yt ys so manifest that yt nedeth no probacion yt standeth thē certē and sure that Chrysostome receaued the verie reall bodie of Chryste To conclude then this disputacion vpon the principall part of that that here ys intended S. Iames S. Basill S. Chrysostom receaued that that was according to Chrysts institucion to be receaued in the remembrance of his death But they receaued not the creaturs of bread and wine but the verie reall bodie of Chryste Wherfor they receaued according to Chrysts institucion his verie reall bodie in the remembrance of his passion and death Yt ys euident then that yt ys not Chrysts institucion to receaue the creaturs of bread and wine in the remembrance of his death wherfor we maie conclude that the pretensed praier of the lare erected Churche hath a foule and a wicked vntrueth in yt and for the maintenance of an abhominable heresie doth vntruely report and saie of our Sauiour Chryste and that not onelie Of intēciō of the newe ministres to the world but euen as yt were to the face of God Nowe remaineth the last thing appointed here in this chapter to be spoken of which ys the intencion and faith of the ministers of this newe Churche in the whiche a sewe woordes maie and shall suffice The intencion and faith of this Church ys not onelie perceaued by their cōmon professiō Two sortes of ministres of the Communion but also by this their praier Their common profession denieth the presence of Chrysts bodie in the Sacrament their praier confirmeth the same For desiering to receaue the creaturs of bread and wine they exclude the bodie and blood of Chryste into whose substance as Euseb Emis saieth the inuisible creaturs are turned Vnderstand that in this newe fownded Church be two sorts of ministres that doo minister this Communion One sorte ys of preists whiche lausullie consecrated in the catholique Churche haue fallen to heresie who although they haue authoritie by their holie orders to consecrate the bodie and bloode of Chryste yet nowe hauing neither right intencion nor faith of the catholique Churche they consecrate not The other sort ys
in the Communion of Chrystes bodie and bloode and also that sacrifice shoulde be offred for them This doctrine S. Augustine saith Sith yt can not be denied but that praier for the dead ys good yt cannot again be denied but they be naught that saie yt ys euel shoulde not be doubted of yea yt ys so certen a doctrine that in an other place he saieth yt can not be denied Thus he writeth Neque negandū est defunctorum animas pietate suorum viuentium releuari cum pro eis sacrificium mediatoris offertur vel eleemosinae in ecclesia fiunt Neither ys yt to be denied but that the soules of the dead are releiued by the godlinesse of their frendes liuing when the sacrifice of the mediatour ys offred for them or ells almose dedes be doen in the Churche Yf by the iudgement of S. Augustine yt be not to be denied then yt ys a doctrine to be receaued and holden of a good chrystian And wicked maie he be iudged that reiecteth yt contemneth yt and derideth yt The time shall come that soche shall desire to be refresshed as did the riche glotten but they shall not be heard But that I maie once make an ende of this matter of the value of the Masse to the dead though a iust volume might be made of that that therin maie be saied yet this maie suffice to him that will be satissied For first ys shewed that the praier and sacrifice for the dead was vsed of the Apostles For proof wherof ys produced the praier of S. Iames Masse and to confirme that ther ys added both the testimonie of Chrysostom and also the maner of praing for the dead described by S. Dionise S. Paules Disciple Asterwarde for the farder declaracion of the practise of the Churche the authorities of the Masses aswell of S. Basill as of Chrysostom be alleaged And that the continuance and generall receipt of this practise maie be perceaued to be good and the refusall of yt to be euell aswell in the greke Church as in the latin Epiphanius and S. Augustine be brought furth as wittnesses testifienge that Aerius mainteining the cōtrarie doctrine was reputed esteemed and nombred among heretiques Against soche like persons did the Councell of Carthage publish a decree And that this practise might most clerelie be perceaued to be frequented in the churche the decree reported by S. Cyprian and the practise of the same decree by S. Cyprian vpon Geminius Faustinus and Victor ys added which inuinciblie prooueth praier and sacrifice to be vsed for the dead in the holie auncient churche Finallie for the proofe of the countinuāce of this sacrifice from the Apostles time to the time of S. Ambrose and S. Augustine not onely mencion ys made what S. Ambrose wolde haue doē towarde and for Faustinus sister and what was doen of S. Augustines Mother but also two places be alleaged in the which the certentie of this matter ys so taught that yt ys neither to be denied nor doubted And good cause whie we shoulde neither denie yt nor doubte of yt For yt was receaued ād obserued of the vniuerfal Churche Nowe reader when thowe seist this matter so plainlie and so euidentlie testified to thee that thus yt hath ben taught thus yt hath be doen thus yt hath ben vsed and yet all this not withstanding that the Aduersarie raigeth and raileth against yt and that that by these Fathers was taught to be heresie of him to be taught to be averitie that the Apostles and Fathers commaunded to be vsed that he commaundeth to be refused that the holie Fathers had in reuerence that he hath in contempt I suppose thowe neadest no farder aduertisement but when thowe seist him so stowtlie so arrogantlie and therfor hereticallie impugn this being so certen a trueth thowe maist iustlie thinke that he ys not ledde of the spiritt of trueth who medleth not as ys saied with falsheade but he ys ledde with the lieng spiritt And therfor iust cause hauest thowe to suspect all that he saieth and to no parte of yt to geue creditte as spoken of him but as spoken of other whose doctrine agreeth with the doctrine of the Spiritt of trueth taught in his schoole the holie Churche And nowe to ende I will ioin this yssue yf either the proclamer or anie Yssue ioined with the proclamer for praier for the dead other of his adherentes can bring anie one catholique and auncient Father that saieth that soche as departe in the saith of Chryst are not to be praied for or that sacrifice ys not to be offred for them or that charitable almosse doeth not profitt thē Let them I saie bring one aunciēt and catholique Father so writing and I dare and will not onely for my self but for asmanie as be catholique and learned promisse that we will subscribe Again reader I beseche thee if thowe be learned marke if thow be vnlearned enquire if euer anie Aduersarie in anie booke made anie argument of authoritie against this matter other then mocking lieng denieng and reproouing by voluntarie reason and will warrant if thowe wilt weigh and marke thowe shalt finde none Yf then in that side ys nothing but willfullnes and on this side thowe seist graue auncient and weghtie authoritie call vnto God for his grace and staie wher authoritie ys and flee from thence wher noisom wilfullnes reigneth THE FOVRTETH CHAP. TREACTETH OF priuate Masses as the Proclamer tearmeth them and solueth his argumentes HAuing nowe somwhat saied of two principall partes of the Masse namelie consecracion and oblacion ther remaineth the thirde principall parte to be spoaken of whiche ys receauing As touching that the Sacrament shoulde be receaued ther ys no controuersie betwixt vs and the Aduersarie For on both sides yt ys affirmed that yt shoulde be receaued But the controuersie ys aboute the maner of receauing Which standeth in two poinctes The one whether of necessitie yt must be receaued vnder bothe kindes The other whether of necessitie yt must be receaued of mo then one at once Of the first we haue spoken at large in the second booke Of the other shall be reacted here In this matter for that the catholique Church permiteth preistes in their common ministracion to receaue the blessed Sacrament alone and sekemen for their necessitie to doe the like yt liketh the Proclamer as yt hath doen other his likes with might and main to accuse the Church of transgression and breach of Chrystes ordinance And here we be all that euell ys for our so doinge Here the Proclamer triumpheth vpō vs in his own conceipt pressing and crushinge vs as he suppseth euen to the grownde so lowe that he thinketh we shall neuer be able to stand on foote again against him and hath as to him appeareth so stopped our mouthes with scriptures and the practise of the primitiue Churche and the authorities of auncient Fathers that we shall likewise neuer be able to open our mouthes against him But as
sacrifice For in these two all that be faithfullie and deuoutlie present lifting vppe their heartes to God and ioining with the preist in godlie affection be communicantes And so yt commeth to passe that both the praier and the sacrifice made and offred by the preist as by the common mynister of the Church ys common to all the people of gods church I will not stand vppon this being so plain but leaue yt to the farder consideracon of the Reader and come to his conclusion of the Masse booke wher he saieth shus And to conclude the preist by his owne Masse booke ys bidden to saie these woordes immediatelie after the Agnus Dei. Haec sacrosancta commixtio consecratio The Procl corporis sanguinis Domini nostri Iesu Christi fiat mihi omnibus sumentibus salus mentis corporis That ys to saie This commixtion and consecracion of the bodie and blood of our Lorde Iesus Chryst be vnto me and to all that receaue yt health of bodie and soule I perceaue this man kepeth his profession For yt ys apperteining to mēof his calling either to diminish and take awaie or to adde and put to somwhat The Answer from or to most of the sentences that they allcage For where before he cuttof from the places which he alleaged here he putteth to For wher the Masse booke hath but these woordes Haec sacrosancta commixtio corporis sanguinis c. He putteth in this woorde consecratio which the booke hath not But ouerpassing yt let vs see the force of the argument that he maketh oute of our owne Masse booke as he tearmeth yt and verie well For in dede yt ys our booke that abide and remain in the catholique Church not his that hath cutte himself of from yt and ys become a cast awaie But our Lord chaunge his minde that the lost shepe maie be fownde and brought home to the folde again The praier ys that the cōmixtion of the bodie and blood of Chryst maie be to the preist and to all that receaue health of bodie and soule Vnderstād that the preist ys the cōmon mynister of the Church wherfor doing the comon The cōmon praier of the Church ys not for one angle but for the wholl vniuersall Church mynistracion he cōmonlie praieth for all that doe receaue generally he stricteth not his praier for a fewe neither doeth he limitte yt or bownde yt withtime and place but he leaueth yt cōmon and vttereth yt with an vniuer sall He praieth not that the bodie and bloode of Chryst maie be health of soule and bodie to thē onely that receaue with him at that time and in that place which ys the thing the Proclamer laboureth to proue but in vain but he praieth for all that receaue indifferenlie either in that place and time or anie other Whether yt be now or at anie other time in that place or in anie other place in Fraunce or in Italie in Spain or in Germanie in Englōdor in Hierusalem whersoeuer the catholique Church ys and the Sacrament catholiquelie receaued But be yt that the preist had praied with limitaciō of time ād place ād desiered that yt might be halth of soule and bodie to all that receaue with him in that place and time what offence should the preist cōmitte yf when none wolde receaue with him he receaued alone or howe can the Proclamer proue a necessitie by yt that neades ther must be mo then the preist or that at that time and place the preist can not receaue alone Yf the Church charitablie wishing that some people shoulde receaue the holie Sacrament with the preist had made soch a praier coulde the Proclamer turne this charitie to a necessitie Will he turne the charitie of the Church wishing vertue godlinesse and deuocion in the people to a necessitie that bicause the people wil not vse this of necessitie the preist shall not Ys this good learning Ys this hys good doctrine ys this his holie religion Yt ys as moch to saiethat yf the people waxe colde in deuociō so shall the preist to Yf the people slacke their deuocion so shall the preist to yf the people neclect the seruice of God so shall the preist to Yf the people omitte to rendre most humble thankes to God and our Sauiour Iesus Chryst for our redemption so shall the preist to Finallie if the people will but twice or thrice in the yeare celebrate that solē ne memorie of Chrysts passiō and death as the more pitie yt ys the most of them doe yt not so often no more shal the preist also Thus shall yt come to passe that the deuociō ād duetie of the preist shall hang vpon the will of the people Thus the preistes that should be the salte of the earth the light of the woorlde whose light should so shine before men that they seing their good workes might glorifie their Father which ys in heauen shall neither be salt light nor geuers of good exāple to prouoke them to doe the memoriall of Chrystes death but when the people will Yt ys a straunge doctrine that yf Math. 5. the people will not serue God the preist shall not But who ys he that wise ys that seeth not the vanitie of yt and whether yt tendeth Hitherto I trust ye perceaue that how great so euer the countenaunce was made by these allegacions As odiouse as Popes be to protestāts they can alleage their decres wher they thinke good before alleadged that yet the force ys verie small But nowe come the great argumentes nowe come they which can not be auoided as the Proclamer supposeth so great ys the force of them Where to his places before alleadged I saied and doe saie they are raither examples of vertue for the people and not lawes of necessitie for the preist nowe he produceth lawes as the Canons of the Apostles and the decrees of Bishoppes of Rome which how odible socuer they be and haue ben to this Proclamer and his complices yet nowe in this matter they are fain to praie aide of thē First he alleageth a Canon of the Apostles in this sorte Fideles qui ecclesiam ingrediuntur scripturas audiunt Communionem sanctam non recipiunt tanquà m eccle Canon 19. See this Canō cut of in the middest siastica pacis perturbatores à Communione arceantur Soch Chrystian men as come to the church and heare the scriptures ād doe not receaue the holie communion let them be excommunicated as men that disquiet the Church In the alleaging of this Canon he kepeth his profession as he did in other by him before alleaged that ys to cutte them of and to mangle soch places as he alleageth and not to bring thē wholl as they lie wherof reader I make thee iudge This ys the Canon Omnes fideles qut conueniunt in solemnibus sacris ad ecclesiam scripturas Apostolorum Euangelium audiant Qui autem non perseuerarint in
prophecies plain speaches of his onelie begotten Sonne Iesus Chryst and the great nombre of assertions declaracions and expositions of most holie famouse auncient and learned Fathers shewed anie miracles for the confirmacion of the trueth of the blessed Sacrament And First let vs see for the presence of Chryst in the Sacramēt Sathan perswaded Luther that ther ys not present the bodie and bloode of Chryst but bread and wine let vs trie the trueth therof by Gods worke Amphilochius an holie Bishoppe who liued within the compasse of foure hondreth yeares after Chryst and therfor a good nombre of yeares more Jn vita Ba. The blessed Sacr. deliue red to a Jewe was verie flesh ād verie blood in seight then eleuen hondred agone writing the life of S. Basill testifieth that a certain Iewe desierouse to see the misteries of the chrystians came among an infinite multitude to the churche wher S. Basill saied Masse And feigning himself to be a Chrystian and being among them at S. Basills Masse sawe in the handes of S. Basill a childe diuided Neuer the lesse when the time of the communion came he stoode among other to doe as they did and when the Sacrament was deliuered vnto him yt was yerie flesh And when the cuppe was brought to him yt was verie bloode of whiche both as he might keping some parte when he came home he shewed them to his weif and tolde her what he had seen with his eies Whervpon beleuing that the misteries of the christians were woonderfull the next daie he went to S. Basill and tolde him all the wholl matter and desiered him that he might withoute delaie be christened and so he was and all his housholde Yt ys redd also in the liues of the Fathers that ther was a certain olde mā who although he were a great man yet he was simple and did erre in the matter of the Sacrament and saied that the consecrated bread which we doe receaue ys not the naturall bodie of Chryst but a figure of yt This his errour when two auncient men did vnderstand and knowe that his life and cōuersacion other wise was good they thought that he did yt innocētlie and simplie And therfor they went to him and rehersed his errour to him He graunted that he did so saie They perswaded him that he should not so beleue but as the catholike Church doeth We saie they beleue that that bread ys the bodie of Chryst and that cuppe his bloode in verie dede and not in The blessed Sacr. deliuered to a doubting chrystian appeared flesh figure But as in the beginning God taking a litle earth made man to his owne image and no man can saie but that man although he be made of the earth he ys the image of God Euen so the bread by cause he saied This ys my bodie we beleue that yt ys verilie his bodie The olde man saied except I maie know yt so to be in verie dede yowr reasons can not satisfie me Then they saied Let vs geue our selues to praier this weke that God maie vouchsaffe to reueill this mysterie vnto vs. After their praier they three came to the church And when the time came that they shoulde receaue the one lie porcion of the Sacrament deliuered to that olde man was verie bloodie flesh whiche when he sawe he was afearde and cried saing I beleue that the bread that ys on the aultar ys thie bodie and the cuppe ys thy bloode And furthwith the flesh in his hand was made breade and so he receaued yt and gaue thankes to God Let not the Aduersarie by skorning trauaill to reiecte this miracle or auoide the force of yt by slaunder saing that some papist hath inuented yt For as yt ys testified this was doen as the last rehersed miracle was with in the compasse of foure hundreth yeares after Chryst at whiche time yt were to moch wickednesse for the Aduersarie to think anie vain inuencions to haue ben deuised for the maintenance of the treuth of the Sacramet I omitte to alleadge here soche miracles as S. Cyprian and S. Ambrose reporte aboute the blessed Sacrament for that I haue made some mencion of them allreadie and again by occasion shall Manie goodlie miracles also be reported by S. Gregorie and manie were doen in his time aboute this blessed Sacrament whiche were to long to reherse These two therfor shall suffice to helpe vs to perceaue and vnderstand Gods pleasure and his holie trueth as concerning the presence of Chrystes bodie in the blessed Sacrament Sathan perswaded Luther not to honoure the bodie of Chryst in the Sacrament but what the Churche hath doen frō the Apostles time and what the holie Martirs and learned Fathers teach in this matter yt ys declared in the secōd booke Besides whiche knowledge so left vnto vs of God we shall Optatus li. 2. cont Donatist perceaue gods pleasure by miracle that the blessed Sacrament shoulde be honoured In the which matter yt ys verie notable that Optatus reporteth of the Donatistes who being cruell heretiques so farre misliked what was doen by the catholiques that violentlie inuading their Churches they commaunded the Sacrament to be geuen to the dogges But the iudgement of God Dogges after their eating of the Sacrament worowed their Masters that cast yt vnto them not suffring so heinouse an offence to be vnpunished so great contumelic to the dishonour of the blessed Sacrament to be vnreuenged The dogges vnto their owne masters whom before they loued and defended nowe being enemies fell on them as on straungers or theues and with all violence as though they had neuer knowen them waxed feirce on them and worowed them God herby as I take yt signifieng vnto vs that as rabbish men forgatte their duetie and honoure to their Lorde God so the vnreasonable creatures forgatt their loue to their masters Whether they haue offended and displeased God that in this our time haue as wickedlie abused the Sacrament as did these Donatistes they maie by this miracle easilie perceaue And this maie we perceaue also that as the dishonouring of the Sacrament offendeth and displeaseth God and therfor he punissheth yt So in the honouring of the Sacrament neuer anie Idolatrie was committed for we neuer readd yt punished Let anie of the Aduersaries if they can bring furth anie one sufficient example that euer anie one was punished of God for honouring Chryst in the Sacrament and then they haue doen somwhat but they neuer coulde yet nor neuer shall so weake ys their cause Against the Masse also Sathan perswaded Luther and good cause whie For by the Masse his power as well in extern or worldly thinges as in intern Sathan his power abated by the vertue of the Masse or spirituall thinges ys ouerthrowen For worldlie thinges we haue the testimonie of S. Augustine who as be fore ys mencioned testifieth that by the offring of the sacrifice of the bodie and blood of Chryste whiche ys the Masse the wicked power
the differēce for anie thing that he in these comparisons hath saied that as before he was borne they were in substance all one so be they still and so will remain when he shall be rotten But where I haue made comparisons betwen S. Iames Masse and the Communion of the Churche of this Proclamer and his complices yowe maie see manifest and great differences not by my woordes not by toies of rethoricall inuencion not by vntrueths but in the things them selues in their substanciall poincts in matters of weight and trueth For soche ys the Substācial dyfferēces of the Masse and the newe Cōmnuniō difference betwen S. Iames Masse whiche ys the Masse of all the holie Apoles and fathers and of the catholique Churche that hath ben or nowe ys for in substance all ys one and the newe Cōmunion of the newe Churche that first wher the Masse setting furth the matter of the Sacrament doth vse bread wine and water the newe Communion vseth no water wherin yt doth neither folowe the Apostles nor so well and liuelie set furth the death of Chryste as the Masse For as oute of the side of Chryste yssued oute bothe blood and water so the Masse in the latine Churche at the putting in of the water into the chalice saith thus of him be this water blessed oute of whose sideo ran oute both blood and water And the greke Church saieth these woordes of the scripture Et vnus militum lancea latus eius aperuit continuò exiuit sanguis aqua And one of the Soldiers perced his side with a speer and furth with ther went oute blood and water both well minding that blessed welspring of Chrysts side oute of the whiche ran that clensing water and blood that washed awaie the filth of our sinnes Here yowe see one difference in substance The Masse of the Apostles Fathers and catholique Churche as ys saied had intencion and beleued that they folowing Chrysts institucion shoulde consecrate the bodie and blood of Chryste The newe Communion of the newe Churche hath no soche intencion nor beleueth no nor mindeth nor pourposeth to consecrate the bodie and blood of Chryste according to his institucion The Masse as before ys saied foloweth the institucion and cōmaundement of Chryste who commaunded saing This do ye in the remem and consecrateth as he did his verie bodie and blood The newe Communion neither consecrateth the bodie and blood of Chryste neither abideth the name of consecracion so farre ys yt from that Church either to obeie Chryste or to folowe the church of his Apostles and Fathers The Masse according to Chrysts institucion and commaundement as ys proued offreth his bodie and blood in sacrifice to the Father in the remembrance of his passion and death The newe Communion not onelie abhorreth this to do but also detesteth both the name of sacrifice and the name of him that hath authoritie to do yt that ys A preist The Masse aswell of the Apostles as other offreth the same sacrifice as yt ys also proued for the liuing and the dead The newe Communion of the newe Churche deriding both offreth neither for the one nor for the other The Masse of the catholique Churche desiereth the aide and intercession of blessed Saincts to commende their seruice and praiers to God The newe Churche skorneth yt and vseth yt not in their Communion The Apostles and fathers with great reuerence and lowlie humblenesse came to an aultar semelie as meit yt was adorned to do this blessed oblacion and memoriall of Chrysts death The minister of the newe Communion commeth Tapster like to a pelting table onelie to eate and drinke and to deliuer to a fewe mo a bare peice of bread and a cuppe of wine so that the Apostles and catholique Churche in their Masse fedde them selues and the people with the blessed bodie and blood of Chryste the fatt and the sine flower of the heauenlie wheat and these feed them selues and the people with chaf and bran in respect euen a bare peice of bread and a cuppe of wine Soche differēce ys ther and soche maie yowe see betwixt the Apostles Masse and the newe communion And these defferences be in weightie matters and substanciall poincts soche as the doing or refusing of them bringeth life or death heauen or hel saluacion or damnacion Wherfor Reader looke well to thie doings ther ys no dallieng in Gods matters For the Masse ther haue ben brought furth without all haulting or colouring withoute all dissembling and lieng the auncient presidents of the Apostles of their Disciples and of the Fathers of the Apostolique and primitiue Churche as plainlie as truelie and as simplie as they be commended to vs by the books of our elders As for the comparisons of the Proclamer besides that they be but voluntarie deskant they are toies colours of Rethorik cloaked vntrueths setfurth withoute all authoritie Nowe therfor which ys to be embraced whether the Masse commended to vs by so good authoritie great antiquitie long and reuerend continuance or the newe Communion set furth without good authoritie and of no antiquitie and neuer yet reuerentlie continued yt ys of him that hath either grace or wisdom easie to be perceaued Wherefor trusting that I haue sufficientlie instructed and warned the reader aboute the Masse I ende and go forwarde in my matter THE FOVRE AND FOVRTETH CHAPT RETVRning to the exposition of S. Paule expowndeth this text As often as ye shall eate of this bread c. by S Hyerom and Theophilact IDoo here omitte the institucion of the Sacrament declared by S. Paule to the Corinthians as he had receaued the same of our Lorde for that in the seconde booke those woordes of Chryste and that his institucion ys largelie spoken of and expownded by a great nombre of holie learned Fathers Wherfor I thought yt wolde be to tediouse to the reader and superfluouse for me to expownde the same woordes here a gain I come therfor to the woordes immediatelie folowing in S. Paule As often as ye shall eate of this bread and drinke of the cuppe ye shall shewe furth the death of oure Lorde vntill he come For that this text hath ben woonderfullie abused and by soche abuse manie of the simplie haue ben deceaued and caused otherwise to thinke and beleue of the blessed Sacrament than the trueh ys I haue thought yt good to open the true vnderstanding of the same scripture to the reader that he being instructed maie withdrawe his foote from the snares of Sathan and well espie his falshoode and so eschewe soch erroure as he wolde entrappe him into Vpon this text the ministres of Sathan haue grownded two argumentes against Chrystes reall presence in the blessed Sacrament The one ys as Two arguments of the Sacramentaries grownded vpon S. Paule theie saie that by this scripture yt ys manifest that the Sacrament ys instituted for a memoryall of Chryst A memoriall ys of a thing that ys absent Wherfor the Sacrament
heretiques in all ages be heretiques and heretiques be like heretiques He saieth that the heretiques did forsake the one aultar of the Church and framed to themselues manie aultars So in this our time they haue forsaken the one aultar of Chrystes Church and framed to themselues manie aultars For first Luther forsaking the aultar of Chrystes Church framed himself an other aultar But Carolstadius Zuinglius and Oecolampadius not likinge either the aultar of the Church or of Luther framed to thēselues after their phātasie an other aultar The Anabaptistes framed themselues an other aultar after their deuise The Swenck feldians misliking all that was doen before them framed after their conceit a newe aultar altogether spirituall The Caluinistes thinking to passe them all haue inuented an other maner of aultar euen altogether after the maner of the Arrians aultar or not moch vnlike as Richerus Caluines preacher hath in Frasice plainly declared Al whiche aultars as ours also in Englond with like diuersitie haue not ben to appease God but raither to heape vppe the multitude of iniquities to the great prouocacion of hys yre wrath and indignacion against vs. Wherbie they being puffed vppe with the vanitie of their mindes and contemning the lawes of God whiche before they had receaued are nowe reiected and not thought woorthie of the lawes of God and therfor as men corrupted in iudgement like mē in furiouse feuers who mislike in taste and appetite all thinges that be holsome and profitable and vehementlie desierouse of thinges vnholsome and noisome reiect all the holsome lawes the holie religion the catholique faith the orders rites and Ceremonies vnder whiche they were born in the whiche thei were baptised in the which they liued whiche they receaued and professed whiche with moche peace moche concorde were manie nombres of years established holden obeied and reuerenced and haue desire to haue no other faith religion constitucions ordeinannces or lawes but soche as they can presentlie Soch be the phansies of men of this time inuent and deuise So great ys their desire to alter chaunge and make newe thinges that they wolde leaue nothinge that they fownde in vse But why God fuffreth them to doe this sainct Hyerom declareth bicause he thinketh them vnwoorthie to receaue his lawes forasmoche as they haue contemned the lawes whiche before they had receaued As touchinge their allegacions of the scriptures S. Hierom saieth that their vnderstanding of them ys no better than to be compared to the sainges of Ethnickes For hauinge the letters or woordes of the scriptures and Force of the scripturs falselie alleaged by heretiket not the true sense howe moche soeuer they bragge of the woorde of the Lorde they haue not the woorde of God as yt doeth well appeare in their handlinge of the vi of S. Iohn the xxvi of S. Mathew the x and xi chapt of the first epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians the fift to the Ephe. the thirtenth to the Hebrues and other whiche in this booke we haue taken from their violent wrestinge and tirannouse captiuitie and haue restored them to the libertie of the concorde and true vnderstandinge of Chrystes Churche as yt hath ben taught to vnderstande the same by the magisterie of the holie Gost the right and appoincted Schoolemaster of the same Churche by our Lorde and God Iesus Chryste To proceade in the sainge of S. Hierome he saieth that they doe not eate the flesh of Chryst whiche sainge howe true yt ys with the greif of my heart This ys a chaunge for the wouse I saie yt yt ys to well knowen For what thinge doe they more detest and abhorre then to beleue and confesse Chrystes bodie and verie naturall flesh to be in the Sacrament and there to be receaued And therfor to the intent that they wolde not eate his flesh they haue altered Chrystes institucion they haue altered his faith they haue abandoned his holie feast of his blessed bodie and bloode and haue in place of yt inuented a poour bare receauing of a drie peice of bread and a sippe of wine And beinge as they be yt ys well For the flesh of Chryst ys not meate for them but yt ys the meate as S. Hierō saieth of beleuers Finallie what soeuer this kinde of people doeth Fasting for meritte ys punishable by statute whether they fast as they doe not for fastinge by them ys exiled or praie whiche by them ys almost to nothing shortened or vowe chastitie whiche they runne so fast vnto that they hate all that doe not marrie as the greater nombre of them ys married and soche of them as doe not marrie doe yt for the like holinesse that was in Iouinian not for perfection of life but for quiettnesse and ease and to auoide then combrances that maie happē by a shrewed weif For thorowoute they condemne the vowe of chastitie though S. Hierom S. Ambrose S. Augustine Chrysostome and all holie writers highlie esteem and commende the same But to ende what good dedes soeuer they flatter them selues to doe as by their dissembled humilitie to shewe them selues lowlie or by sweet and flatteringe woordes to deceaue the simple God S. Hyerome saieth receaueth no part of soche their sacrifices Seinge then their doinges are accepted of God in no better part I wish all men to leaue their vanitie and walke in the veritie to leaue heresie and to walke in faith to leaue their inuented toies and to walke in gods established and long continued lawes to leaue their manie aultars framed vpon dissent and diuision and to cleaue to the one aultar of Chrystes catholique Churche whiche ys our helpe and protectiō to leaue their houngrie cheer of bare bread and wine and to enioie the roiall feast of Chrystes bodie and bloode to leaue their colde maner of fastinge and praier and to acquainte them selues with sharpe fasting and feruent deuocion to leaue their pretensed matrimonie and to delight in pure chaistitie to leaue their licenciouse maner of life and come to the trade of a penitent life For in the ende Veritas liberabit trueth will deliuer And then when conscience shall be sett before the iudgement seat of God in the daie when he shall iudge the secrettes of men thē vnto them that be rebells and that doe not obeie the trueth but folowe vnrightwisnes shall come indignacion and wrathe tribulacion and angnishe vpon the soule of euery man that doeth euell as saith S. Paule and as he saieth to the Iewe first and also to the Rom. 2. gentile so saie I to the chrystian first and also to the infidell but to euery man that doeth good shall come praise honour and peace God therfore that hath once called vs to his holie faith confirme and establish soche as haue not yet swarned from yt and reduce and bringe home again soche as haue wādred like lost sheape that we be maie all be of the nombre of them that shall receaue praise honoure and peace
whiche God of his mercie graunt Amen THE ONE AND SIXTETH CHAPITER maketh a recapitulacion of that that ys doen in this worke NOwe gentle Reader haue I goen thorowe all those scriptures that treact of the holie Sacrament speciallie soche as be commonlie alleadged either by the catholiques to proue the same or by the Aduersaries to improoue yt In the hādling of which scriptures so litle haue I geuen to mine owne iudgement that yt beinge suppressed I haue as meit yt ys and as I wolde wish all that liue in this time of controuersies to doe geuē place to the iudgementes of the learned fathers of Chrystes Churche in all ages In the setting furth of which Fathers I haue in sundrie places and matters cōferred the doctrine of the elder and the younger together that the concorde that ys betwixte thē might fullie be perceaued This being trulie and faithfullie doen the iudgement wher of I referre to the catholique Churche and submitte both myself and this ys my worke to the correction of the same yt maie and doeth easilie appeare and maie clerelie be seen howe vain the bragge of the Proclamer ys who wolde haue but one scripture one doctour or one Councell produced for the testimonie of the trueth of the catholique faith And nowe ther be so manie scriptures doctours and Councells brought furth that ther ys not one left to bolstar vppe his heresie The scriptures which he and his complices pretend to haue in their possession are by the iudgement of the Fathers of Chrystes Parliament house prooued neuer to be theirs but are and haue ben allwaies in the possession of the catholique Churche Considre Reader howe manie fathers of the greke churche be here produced as Dionise Iustyne Irenaeus Origen Gregorie Nazianzen Basill Chrisostom Cyrill with other of the elder sort which although they were of one Churche yet they were of diuerse times some of them with in one hundreth yeare after Chryst some two hundreth some three and yet all these agree in one trueth of the presence of Chrystes bodie in the bless Sacrament In the latine Churche were Alexander Tertullian Cyprian Hilarie Optatus Hierom Ambrose Augustine and other whiche although they were farre distaunte manie hundreth of miles from the fathers of the greke Churche yet in consent and agreement together in this matter they ioin and go together Of the greke churche again be produced other that were manie yeares after the other Fathers before rehersed as Theodorete Euthimius Damascen Theophilact Oecumenius and Bessario with other whiche although they liued in great diuersitie of ages hauinge manie hundreth yeares passing betwixt them yet they liued in the vnitie of faith and religion Again also in the latine Churche answerablie to these were produced Gregorie Beda Haymo Anselme Paschasius Thomas de Aquino Lyra and Dionise with other whiche also liuinge with moche difference of times and diuersitie of places were yet with the eldest and the midlest and with the latest all of one minde And here note that these authours as they doe according to the rule of Vincentius Lirinen alltogether teache Chrystes presence in the Sacrament so doe they yt manifestlie commonlie and continuallie For Origen Basill Chrysostome Cyrill Theodoret Euthymius and Theophilact whiche be the greater writers of the grecians are not produced once onely neither speaking obscurelie but they are often and manie times and that with speache most plain and manifest and that commonlie in euerie weightie matter of the booke Likwise be the Fathers of the latine churche whiche in euery place beare agreable testimonie to the Fathers of the greke churche And for asmoche as these fathers haue expownded the scriptures to vs that doe treact of the Sacrament and doe therin agree yt ys meete for vs to accept that sense and vnderstanding that by the handes of so manie Fathers ys so consonantlie deriued to vs. All they vnderstande them of the presence of Chryst in the bless Sacrament wherfor yt ys meete that we also vnderstand them so and not onelie yt ys meete but we aught and are bownde to doe so Nowe therfor let the Proclamer turne his Historie of Mitridates vnto his owne heade and his likes who lainge wicked seige to the citie of Gods Church wolde beare the citizens in hand that the armie of the holie learned Fathers and doctours of Chrystes Churche were on their side But God be praised the contrarie nowe appeareth For this holie armie ys comed down and haue ioined with Gods citizens and haue vanquished Mitridates and his companie and deliuered the citie from their cruel tirannie of he resie and haue declared them selues to all the worlde that they be frendes of Gods citie and defenders of the same and aduersaries to Mitrydates the Proclamer and vanquishers of the same For we haue not by bragge onelie saied that the scriptures doctours and Councells be on our side as this Mitrydates this proclamer did But we haue euidentlie and inuinciblie prooued yt in dede Giezi the lieng and leprouse seruante of Heliseus coulde not when his master was compased aboute with the theues of Syria see anie that were on his masters side but against his Master he sawe manie yet in verie dede there were mo on the Prophets side then on the Syrians part as after yt was well declared So this Giezi this Proclamer the lieng leprouse seruant seeth not what a noble companie ys on Christs side but on the Syrians side the enemies of Chryste he seeth multitudes For hitherto beinge blinded with ambition and as Giezi did lieng for some gain or promotion he hath since fallen into the deapth of the spirituall leprey which S. Austen calleth heresie Leprosi saieth he non absurdè in telliguntur qui scientiā verae fidei non habentes varias doctrinas profitentur erroris Nulla porrofalsa doctrina est quae non aliqua vera intermiseat Vera ergo falsis inordinaté permixta in vna narratione vel disputatione hominis tanquam in vnius corporis colore significant lepram tanquam veris falsisue colorum fucis humana corpora variantem atque maculantem The lepres are verie well to be vnderstanded those whiche not hauinge the knowledge of the true faith doe professe diuerse doctrines of errour For their ys no salse doctrine whiche hathe not some true thinges medled with yt True thinges therfore inordinatelie permixed with false thinges in one narracion or disputacion of a man as yt were appearing in the coloure of one bodie doeth signifie the leprey altering and defiling the bodies of men as yt were with true and false shewe of coloures By these means then this man was so blinded that he could not see one scripture one doctour nor one Councell on Chrystes side or on his trueths side But on the enemies side on heresies side he could see an wholl armie But I compare this armie vnto the people that were with in the walls of Hierusalem at the time of the destruction of the same whiche as Iosephus
In the whiche sentence two thinges maie emong other be noted the one ys that be ye neuer so wise yet ye maie be wiser Wherfore disdain not to learn either by hearing or by reading The other that all these which S. Hierom bringeth in for example contented them selues to heare and by hearinge came to more wisdoÌ„ Let not then the prowde or arrogant be singular in his owne conceat for the superiour maie heare and learn of the inseriour as here ye haue perceaued Moyses to doo of Ietro his wifes Father Yf theÌ„ we should hear aÌ„d learn of al meÌ„ moche more should we heare and learn of them whome God hath appointed in his Churche to be pastours aÌ„d teachers whom of deutie we aught to heare as being coÌ„mended vnto vs by God and his Church and preaching vnto vs nowe by their bookes as somtime they did by their mouthes whose holines and learning was soche that they maie verie wel be takeÌ„ for the elders that Iesus Sirach speaketh of saing Ne despicias narrationeÌ„ presbyteroruÌ„ sapientiuÌ„ in prouerbijs eoruÌ„ conuersare Ab ipsis enim disces sapientiaÌ„ doctrinaÌ„intellectus c. Despise not the sermons of soche Eccles 8. elders as haue vnderstaÌ„dinge but acqueint thy self with the wise senteÌ„ces of theÌ„ For of them shalt thow learn wisdom and the doctrine of vnderstaÌ„ding But for asmuche as men maie appoincte to theÌ„ selues soche elders as they 2. Tim. 4. phantasie as saincte Paule prophecieng both of soche masters and disciples saith The time shall come when they shall not suffer holsome doctrine but after their owne lustes shall they whose eares doo ytche gett them an heape of teachers and shall withdrawe their eares froÌ„ the trueth and shal be turned to fables yt ys expedieÌ„t that we learn of the wise what elders we shal folowe Iesus Syrach teacheth vs to learn of soche elders as had learned of their Fathers Ne te praetereat narratio seniorum ipsi enim didiceruÌ„t à patribus suis quoniaÌ„ ab ipsis disces intellectum in teÌ„pore necessitatis dare responsum Go not from the doctrine Ibid. â— of the elders for they haue learned yt of their fathers For of them thowe shalt learn vnderstaÌ„ding so that thow maist make auÌ„swer in the time of nede In this godlie counsel ye perceaue the cause geuen why ye shoulde learn of your elders bicause saieth he they haue learned of their Fathers As who Elders that are to be folowed might saie the learning that ys learned of the Fathers ys no new inueÌ„ted doctrine yt ys no straunge doctrine vnknoweÌ„ to the coÌ„gregacion of the which S. Paule geueth yow admonitioÌ„ saieng Doctrinis varijs et peregrinis nolite abduci OptimuÌ„ est enim gratia stabilire cor Be not caried awaie with diuerse and strauÌ„ge doctrines for yt ys a good thing that the heart be established with grace But StrauÌ„ge doctrines are not to be folowed yt ys a doctrine tried and continued froÌ„ successioÌ„ to sucessioÌ„ a doctrine that ys permanent through all ages Elders that are not to be folowed Therfor go not froÌ„ that doctrine neither chose yow anie other elders to learn of but soche as haue learned of their fathers Therfor chose not soche elders as be inueÌ„tours of their owne doctrine as the LutheraÌ„s chose Luther who teaching that womeÌ„ maie preache teacheth an inueÌ„ted doctrine against the scripture For S. Paule saieth Mulieres in ecclesiis taceant non enin permittitur eis loqui etc. 1. Cor. 14. Let your women kepe scilence in the congregacion for yt ys not permitted vnto them to speake but to be vnder obedience as saieth the law Yf they will learn anie thing let theÌ„ aske their husbandes at home For yt ys a shame for women to speake in the â—ongregacion Luthers straunge doctrine Luther taught that coÌ„tritioÌ„ maketh a man a more sinner In assert art 6. And that the righteouse man doth in euerie good worke that he dothe mortallie offende Luther also taught that euery christian man ys a preist for the coÌ„mon ministrie Ibid. ar 31 These be straunge doctrines bothe to the scriptures and to oure elders and therfore we maie not learn of him for he hath not learned of the Fathers Zuinglius straunge doctrine Zuinglius taught that original offeÌ„ce ys no sinne In libell de Baptismo Yet Dauid in the psalme huÌ„blie confesseth Psalm 50. Ecce in iniquitatibus conceptus sum et in peccatis concepit me mater mea Behold saieth he I was conceaued in iniquitie and in sinne hath my mother conceaued me And saincte Paule saieth Natura sumus filij irae of nature we be the children of wrathe or damnacion Zuinglius taught also In articulis in fine that the children of christen men nede not to be Baptised but yf they die withoute Baptisme they shall be saued yet Chryst saieth Ioan. 3. Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua et spiritu sancto non potest introire in regnum Dei Except a man be born again of the water and the holie goste he can not entre into the kingdoÌ„ of God Luthers lucifero use pride Of this man therfore maie ye not learn neither doo ye heare him for whie he hath not learned of the fathers Whiche thinge most arrooantlie euen Luther like as yt becometh a Lucyferan folowing his master Lucifer prowdelie protesteth not a fewe times and saieth that he will not be taught of men but of God O deuelish and wicked saing This ys a second Paule The first Paule saieth speaking of the gospell Neque ab homine accepi illud neque didici sed per reuelationem Iesu Christi Nether haue I receaued yt of man nether learned yt but by the In lib. coÌ„â— Canon reuelation of Iesus Chryst The second Paule saieth that he will not learn of man but of God But as ther ys a first Adam and a seconde the one earthlie the other heauenlie And as in the first Adam all doo die and in the secoÌ„de 1. Cor. 15. all be reuiued So our first Paule ys heauenlie this second earthlie that first leadeth to saluation This seconde to damnacion Zuinglius wrote de claritate verbi Dei of the clerenesse of the woorde of God an whol booke to the entent to make you suppose hard thinges to be Zuinglius wrote a booke of the clerenesse of scripture easie and so to passe through theÌ„ not as the trueth woulde lead yowe which ys hard to finde but as yowre phantasie should moue you which ys at haÌ„de and that he might with like facilitie bringe yowe to errour scisme and heresie and so consequentlie to damnacion Wherof he being soche a secoÌ„d Paule ys the right ministre Howe falselie that booke ys compiled this that ys here saied dothe manifestlie declare and inuincible proue What shoulde I troble thee Reader with rehersall of the false doctrine of Heretiques disseÌ„t
emōg them selues but conspire al agaīst the Church Heretiques what Fathers they folowe Oecolāpadius of Bullingerus of Caluinus of Bucer ād of soche like Who although they dissent emong themselues in manie thinges yet in manie they agree ād specialle in this that they be all mortall enemies to the catholique Churche Of theise fathers hath this our Aduersaire learned his doctrine of the which he ys a stowte mainteiner as ye haue partlie heard But maye we hope to drinke swete water oute of a stinking puddle Maie we gather as our Sauiour Chryst saieth grapes of thornes or figges of thistles Maie we hope to learn the wholsom trueth of him who hath sucked the lothsom poyson of Heresie of Luther and Zuinglius of whose detestable doctrines ye haue Math. 7. heard of many their wicked assertions afewe rehersed that by them ye maie iudge of the rest He that foloweth soche doctors and buildeth vpō soche sandes forsaketh the strong rocke he also leaueth the fountain of the water of life and puddleth Heretiques whie they are not to be folow in the fowle puddles which they haue digged whiche can not holde water Wherfor as they be not to be folowed no more ys this Aduersarie being certen that none of thē all haue taught the doctrine that they learned of holie catholike Fathers but of soche fathers as be of the nōbre of the elders ād teachers that faincte Peter spake of whiche shoulde come emong vs. Fuerunt in populo Pseudoprophetae sicut in vobis erunt magistri mendaces qui introducent sectas perditionis etc. Ther were false Prophetes in the people as emōg yow ther shal be false teachers or lieng masters which shall bring in damnable sectes euen denieng the Lorde that hath bought thē ād shal bring vpō thē selfs swifte dānation Wherfor coūt thē not as elders mete to learn of leest ye be of the nōbre of thē that saincte Peter immediatlie speaketh of And manie saieth he shal folow their dānable waies bi whō the waie of trueth shal be blasphemed Of theise folowers ther be some that solowing the arrogancie of their masters Corner teachers wil assēble cōpanies in corners ād being rude ād illiterate not brought vppe in the studie of sciēce but onelie in trade of worldlie craftes wil take vpon thē to teache before they learn as S. Hierō saieth And this emong other ys lamentable that mē will sett so litle by the faith of their Lord God so litle by the doctrine of Gods Churche so litle finallie by their owne sowles that they will hassard all these vpon the credite of soche an ignorāte vppestarte who neuer learned of his Fathers neither knewe what the Fathers had taught But be not so light o Brethren be not so light haue a more staie in you be not so easilie caried awaie frō your Lord God to your destruction Yf ye haue cōmitted your selfs to soche light masters open nowe your eyes ād be holde howe ye haue ben deceaued And to exhorte you with saincte Paules woordes frō hencefurth be no more babes wauering and caried aboute Ephes 4. with euerie winde of doctrine by the wilinesse of mē through craftinesse wherwith they laie in wait for yowe to deceaue yowe But folow the trueth in charitie and in all thinges growe in him which ys the head euen Chryste And this shall yowe the better do yf ye wil well regard the counsel of Salomon who saieth thus to euerie one of yowe Audi fili mi disciplinam patris tui Teachers meet to be beleued Prou. 1. et ne dimittas legem matris tuae My Sonne heare thy fathers doctrine and forsake not the lawe of thy Mother Vpon the which text sainct Hierom saieth thus Notandum quod ita nos disciplinam patris audire praecipit vt legem quoque matris nullo modo dimittamus quia non sufficit vt quis se Deum diligere eius praeceptis obtem Hier. ibid. perare dicat si vnitatem Ecclesiae fraterna charitate nō sequatur Yt ys to be noted that he commaundeth vs so to heare the doctrine of the father that we also by no means forsake the lawe of the Mother For yt sufficeth not that anie mā shall saie that he loueth God and obeyeth his commaundementes yf with brotherlie charitie he folowe not the vnitie of the Churche Note well Reader this note of saincte Hierom and by this learne to knowe bothe when your teacherys good and when his learninge ys good Howe to know good teachers yf your teacher remain in the vnitie of the Churche and his learning swarue not from the same nor teache dissention from that that in yt ys taught then ys your teacher and his learninge soche as ye maie withoute daūger accept Yf otherwise slee yt as from a serpent And yf ye wolde learn or being learned wolde be resolued in doubtes as ys before said seke not onelie soche as be onelie learned but seke soche as being best learned haue learned of their Fathers and abiding in the same do so embrace the doctrine of their Fathers that they in no poincte forsake the lawe of their mother the Churche as by this Aduersary ye are taught to doo For yf all christēdom maie be called the Churche thē teacheth he yow to forsake the lawe of your mother the Church For wher ys this doctrine of his professed through oute the Churche and not raither the contrarie Before Straunge doctrines these fewe yeares where was yt taught in all the Christian worlde that Chrystes bodie ys not in the Sacrament that yt ys not to be offred for the quick and the dead that yt ought not to be reserued for the commoditie of the sick that yt aught not to be honoured that soule 's departed are not to be praied for that we maie not make requestes to Sainctes to praie for vs ād manie soche other Teachers not meet to be beleued Seing thē he forsaketh the lawe of his mother though he pretende to haue learned of the Fathers yet ys he not to be folowed bicause he hath not bothe theise two that ys bothe the learning of his father and also the lawe of his mother For they onelie are to be folowed that haue both theise Thus shall ye finde the holie Fathers to haue doen as first for exāple saincte Hierō a mā not of the cōmon sorte of learned mē but an excellēt and singular mā who neither hauinge affiance in his owne iudgement notwithstanding his great learning neither seking obscure teachers but most famouse reporteth this of himfelf Non ab adolescētia aut legere vnquam aut doctos viros ea quae nesciebā Hieron in Prohemio Epist. ad Eph. ad Paul Eusto Saincte Hierom howe he learned the scriptures interrogare cessaui meipsum tātùm vt plerique habui magistrū Denique nuper ob hāc vel maximè causam Alexādriā perrexi vt viderē Didymū ab eo in scripturis