the first workes of the Apostolike and Primitiue Church to seale vp vnto vs the Canon of theese bookes by the same spirit which had inspired them and so called them Canonicall as if a man should say Reguler because they are ordained the rule of Christian doctrines and stand as a law to guide all our discourses And to this first number it belongeth not neither hath belonged since then to any either man or Church to chop in or to adde other bookes without the violating of the iudgement of the Apostolike Primitiue Church For what other thing were it but to say that it had excluded the bookes which it should haue admitted Wherefore we may thinke that what they haue said of such as at this day leade vs to Iewish fables Tit. 1.14 and to the commaundements of men which Saint Paule so earnestly warneth vs of to the pretended Gospels of Saint Iames Saint Bartholmew Nicodemus Ioseph of Aremathia c. yea and to the verie bookes which the Church both Christian and Iewish haue pronounced Apocrypha was not done to teach vs to draw from thence anie patternes of good manners as sometimes the olde fathers do but pretended articles of faith not to strengthen any poynt of Canonicall doctrine but to lay a foundation of a new inuented one such as neuer came in the Canon Euen as Saint Augustine after his modest maner would tell them the same that he said to the Donatists These men wanting examples of their wickednesse do boast themselues to haue found in the booke of the Machabees August cont Gaudent l 2 c. 23. one Razias to imitate who slue himselfe but the Iewes make no such account of these bookes as they doe of the Law the Prophets and the Psalmes to which God hath giuen testimonie as to his witnesses They haue beene receiued not vnprofitablie of the Church if so be they be soberly read principallie in respect of these brethren the Machabees who laboured and tooke paines for the law of God c. Could he haue spoken thus of the diuine bookes inspired of God without blasphemie Caletan in 1. ad Cor. c. 12. v 28. Not vnprofitablie if they be read soberlie c. And this is the same that in our time Cardinall Caietan hath acknowledged laying out the difference betwixt the Apostles and all others in the Church The vniuersall gouernment of the church saith he belongeth onely to the Apostles not onely by worde and action but also by writing and therefore the onely writings of the Apostles or those which haue beene approued by them must haue the authoritie of holy writ The second rule is That for the vnderstanding of these Canonicall bookes To haue recourse to the originals Hebrew and Greeke Ambros de S. Spir. l. 2. c. 6. de incarna c. 8 or any place in them that is in controuersie we haue recourse for the olde Testament to the truth of the Hebrew and for the New to the Greeke seeing there is neuer a translation by whom soeuer it may haue beene performed which can be called either Canonicall or Authenticall Seeing also that as from false premisses or propositions there cannot follow but a false conclusion so from false Grammar there cannot proceede true Diuinitie And this is that which the Fathers say vnto vs If any man striue about the diuersitie of Latin copies that some vnfaithfull persons haue falsified them let him in such case looke vpon the Greeke c. Againe We haue found it so in the Greeke copies Hillar in Psal 11◠the authoritie whereof is farre more to be preferred Saint Hillarie We haue oftentimes tolde you that we cannot be satisfied in the vnderstanding of the Scriptures by the Latine translation And this Saint Ierome spoke to him that was ignoraunt in the Hebrew tongue Saint Ierome also whose translation some men doe so highly esteeme howbeit that the best learned doe doubt if it be his and all agree that all of it is not S. Hier. in Epi. ad Paulin. Marcel ad Suniam ad Damas in Prefat in 4. Euang. in Zac. c. 4. 8. ad Lucin. Augu. de doct Christ l. 2. c. 11 Epist 59. 19 De doct christ l. 2. c. 10 15 in Decret D. 9 c. in veterum Genes 3. It behooueth vs to haue recourse to the originall of the Hebrew for the Olde testament and to the Greeke for the New For saith he there are so manie diuerse Latine copies as there are bookes and by these originals wee must alter and correct that which hath beene ill translated by the Interpretors Saint Augustine The Latins to attain to the knowledge of the Scriptures haue neede of two wings of the Hebrew and Greeke tongues let the Latines haue recourse vnto the Hebrew and Greeke copies c. Againe For to correct the Latins let vs vse the Grecians c. Let vs rather beleeue the tongue from whence the Expositors haue translated the Scriptures into other tongues c. Saint Augustine I say who knew nothing in the Hebrew And that they had iust cause to say so may be made to appeare vnto vs by infinite examples In Genesis it is said That the seed shall breake the head of the Serpent that is to say Christ The Vulgar translation saith Ipsa she◠not Ipsum that is to say semen and so by that means it is referred vnto the virgin Marie◠and so a Sauioresse set vp in stead of a Sauiour At this stone good S. Barnard stūbled as Burgensis Caietanus Canusius do acknowledge c. And still they would that wee should leaue it in the way to the ende that euerie man may stumble thereat S. Paul in his Epistle to the Hebrewes saith Hebr. 13. That God is well pleased with charitie and well doing The Interpreter hath translated it That by them men merit at Gods bands See you not therefore say some vnto vs Merit proued in the Scripture Yes were it not that euerie man knoweth what the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meaneth nemely that God taketh pleasure c. Melchisedech brought forth bread and wine to Abraham In stead of Protulit he hath translated it Obtulit Genes 18. and see you not how thereupon also the sacrifice of the Masse◠But Vatablus and Pagnine and Caietan also doe acknowledge the sooth and therefore reforme the translation and withall you wipe out the Masse So vpon the Psal 68. For To sleepe amongst pots or Andirons he translateth it Inter Cleros amongst the clergie The lots or heritages ex lapidibus sacculi is made lapides saeculi stones of the ballance that is of weights are made eternall stones and fiue hundred such like Where is the Doctor how holie or great soeuer he may be who resting and relying vpon any such translation shall be able to gather any true sense Who shall not be forced thereby to deceiue both himselfe and others No lesse then Accursius
handled in the first booke Of the Second Booke 1 OF Churches and Altars their first beginning and proceeding 2 Of Images that olde and auncient Christians had not anie 3 VVhat manner of increase and proceeding Images had amongst Christians and of the licentious abuse thereof after they were once brought into the Church of Rome 4 Of vnleauened bread wine mixt with water and of such thinges as serued in the administration of the Sacraments 5 That the old worship and auncient manner of seruing God was altogether performed done in such a language as the common people knew and vnderstood and by what degrees it was altered and changed 6 That in the Primitiue Church and a long time after the holie Scriptures were read amongst the people in all tongues and languages 7 Wherein is intreated of the Ministers of the Church and of their charge and vocation in the same 8 That the Bishops and Ministers of the old Christian Church were maried 9 How a sole and vnmaried estate of life grew and got increase and strength in the church of Rome vnto the publishing of the decree made by Calixtus 10 The reestablishing of abstinencie from mariage and the continuing of the same euen vnto our dayes A briefe rehearsall of the matters handled in the second booke Of the Third Booke 1 THat the propitatorie Sacrifice of Christ is not reiterated in the holie Supper and in what sence the old Church did vse this phrase and manner of speech 2 Answeres vnto the aduersaries their obiections which they pretend to draw from the holie Scriptures for the prouing of their sacrifice 3 That the pretended propitiatorie sacrifice of the Masse hath no ground or foundation in the new Testament 4 That the olde VVriters haue not â—â—knowledged anie other propitiatory sacrifice then that onelie one made vpon the crosse 5 How and by what degrees the Sacrament of the holie Supper was turned into a propitiatorie Sacrifice 6 That there is not anie Purgatorie the foundation and ground pillar of their Masses for the dead and first how that it was not knowne vnto the Church of Israell or vnto those that liued vnder the olde Testament 7 That Purgatorie hath no ground or foundation in the new Testament 8 That neither the Primitiue Church nor the Fathers liuing in the same for the space of many ages did euer acknowledge the Purgatorie of the Church of Rome 9 Wherein are answered the aduersaries their obiections endeuouring to proue their Purgatorie by the olde VVriters 10 In what manner Purgatorie hath proceeded in the Church of Rome and by what degrees 11 That praying vnto Saintes hath no foundation in the holie Scriptures of the olde Testament 12 That praying vnto Saintes hath no ground in the holie Scriptures of the newe Testament 13 That praying vnto Saintes was not taught in the Primitiue Church and how it sprung vp and grew 14 The continuing of the puritie of doctrine in the matter of Inuocation and of the springing vp of the corruption of the same in the Latine Church 15 The springing vp of the corruption of inuocation aswell in the Greeke as in the Latine Church 16 That a man eannot merite or deserue eternall life for himselfe and much lesse for an other wherein he is considered first as he is before his regeneration 17 That a man regenerate cannot merite eternall life for himselfe or for any other 18 That the law was giuen vnto man to conuince him of sinne and to cause him to looke for his saluation from grace through faith in Christ according to the Scriptures and the Fathers 19 That good workes are the gift of God and therefore cannot merite and to what vse they serue according to the holy Scriptures and fathers 20 How the doctrine of merite first set foote into the Church how it proceeded and how it hath beene oppugned and set against in all ages yea euen vnto S. Bernard his time 21 How merite proceeded and went on euer since S. Bernard his time vntill thâ—se our daies and what oppositions haue beene made against it euen vnto the time of the full light of the Gospell breaking forth againe A Recapitulation of the third Booke Of the fourth Booke 1 WHat a Sacrament is and wherein it consisteth and of the difference of the Sacraments of the old and new testament where are likewise laide downe certaine rules by the old writers for the better vnderstanding of their writings 2 That the doctrine of the holy Supper must be examined by the rules before deliuered as all other doctrine whatsoeuer touching any other Sacraments eyther of the old or of the new Testament 3 That the exposition which our aduersaries giue vpon the wordes of the holy Supper destroyeth all the foundations of the Christian faith as also the nature of Christ and of his sacramentes 4 That the fathers knew not Transubstantiation nor the reall presence in the signes and that which is touched of the times euen to the first Nicene Councell is also included therein 5 The continuing of the beliefe and faith of the fathers of the Church in the matter of the holy Supper from the first Nicene Councell vnto the time of Gregorie the great 6 Likewise that a long time after Gregorie Transubstantiation was not knowne and in like manner that all the most famous Liturgies amongst our aduersaries are repugnant to the same 7 That the old Church did not belieue nor teach Transubstantiation seeing it neither did nor obserued in respect of the kindes or Sacramentes that which is done and practised at this day 8 In what manner the opinion of Transubstantiation was begun increased and finished vntill the yeare 1215. and that it was ratified and confirmed by a Decree made in the Councell of Lateran 9 What manner of increase and proceeding befell the opinion of Transubstantiation from the Councell of Lateran vntill the Councell of Trent and the absurdities and contradictions rising from the same A comparing of the holy Supper with the Masse A briefe rehearsall of the chiefe matters contained in the whole worke THE FIRST BOOKE OF THE MASSE AND of the partes thereof CHAP. I. After what manner the Supper of the Lord was first instituted and ordained and that the Masse hath no good ground eyther from the Scriptures or from the practise of the Apostles OVr aduersaries for the laying of a surer foundation for the Masse out of the holy Scriptures haue attempted to driue and draw the same from the institution of the holy Supper of our Lord ordinarily now a daies do vse to set downe as a note and marke of the same vppon all such places as concerne the holy Supper Heere is the institution of the Masse whereas their predecessors namely the ordinary Glose was wont to note such places thus Heere is the institution of the Supper or Eucharist Wherefore the better to know how like and how vnlike they be as likewise to see so much the more cleerely how farre the one
the Scriptures Walafridus speaketh Who first instituted and appointed lessons to bee read out of the Epistles of the Apostles Walafrid de diuin Oftic c 22. Microlog c. 1. and out of the Gospels before the celebrating of the Sacrifice it is not certainely knowne but it is thought the Apostles their first successors did so ordaine especially because the celebration of these Sacrifices is commaunded in the Gospels and in the Apostle is taught the manner how it must bee done c. And in the same Chapter Telesphorus sayeth hee the ninth Bb. of Rome ordained that the Gospels and Epistles should be read in the assemblies of the Christians in steade of the propheticall writinges And againe Before Pope Celestine that is before the yeare 430. or thereabout there was nothing rehearsed before the consecration but the Epistle and Gospell Againe sayeth hee there was a time when there was nothing read but Saint Paule namelie as may bee presumed the place which concerneth the holie Supper Albinus Flaccus in like manner sayeth Albinus Flaccus de diuinis officiis Rabanus de instit cleric Berno Aguiensis cap. 1. Heretofore the Epistle of Saint Paule onelie was recited and after it the holy Gospell and then the Masse was celebrated Rabanus likewise vseth almost the verie same wordes saue onelie that hee addeth that this fashion of singing was not vsed in the Church in such sorte as it is at this day All these cited Authors were about the yeare 800. and 900. The Abbotte Berno alleadging the life of S. Gregorie He bindeth vp saieth hee into one volume Gelasius his booke of the solemne orders and Customes vsed in Masses cutting off much changing a little and putting to somewhat and calleth it the booke of the Sacraments and it may be that in the former times there was nothing read but the Epistles of Saint Paule Then afterwarde it fell out that other Lessons Amalar. lib. 3. cap. 5. both of the olde and of the new Testament were mingled therewithall in such order ad manner as solemne thinges are wonte to require Amalarius Bishoppe of Trire Celestine was the first that ordayned that the Psalmes of Dauid shoulde bee sung by course not sayeth hee that they had beene vsed to haue beene sung for before time the Epistle of Sainte Paule and the holie Gospell were onelie wonte to bee read and afterwarde the Sacrifice was celebrated and the Masse beganne by the foresaide Lecture where vppon custome hath retayned it vntill this daye in the vigilles of Easter and Whitsontide that is to saye at these solemne feastes wherein now in these latter dayes euerie man appointed himselfe to receiue the holie Supper And this I woulde haue marked by the waye against those that finde faulte with the reformed Churches for hauing taken the chiefe grounde and principall foundation for their prescript forme of administring and receyuing of the holie Supper out of the first Epistle of Saint Paule to the Corinthians chap. 11. where hee rehearseth the institution of our Lord seeing they may well perceiue that it was so practised in the first olde age as their owne Authors doe witnes vnto them Of Psalmes Radulph Deane of Tongres sayeth That the olde Diuine Seruice consisted in Psalmes and in Lessons but that the Psalmes made vppe the greater parte insomuch as that the Psalter was runne through there euerie weeke and hee giueth a reason for it Because sayeth hee that it is a perfect abridgement of Diuinitie wherein Dauid hath spoken more like an Euangelist then a Prophette and furthermore it is to vs and to all true repenting sinners an example of the mercie of God and that for the same cause the reading of Saint Paule his Epistles was so much vsed as wherein we are instructed and taught the manner of his conuersion and profiting Walaf c. 26 in them likewise obseruing the rich and bountifull goodnes of God and in like manner Walafridus in Chapter 26. Now after these Lectures there was a place wherein they vsed to speake of the preaching that had beene made and framed thereof for the Bishoppe or Pastor was wonte to expounde some one place or other vnto the people wherevppon wee reade these wordes in the Lithurgie attributed vnto Clemente How that after the Lessons the Bishoppe speaketh vnto the people by waye of exhortation and hereuppon sprung so manie Homilies of the olde Fathers Clemens siue alius in Liturgia aswell Greeke as Latine as likewise the Bbs. when they tooke their oath did bind themselues by promise to performe this dutie in signe and token whereof the booke of the Gospell was deliuered to them with these wordes Take the Gospell and preach it vnto the people that is committed vnto thee as wee shall see hereafter The traces and steps whereof may seeme still to bee seene in that part of the Masse called in French the Prosne wherein the Curates doe laye open vnto the people some rudimentes of their Christian faith but the ignorance or else the riotousnes of the Prebates hath now through tract of time so preuailed with these Copiers out of bookes as that they haue left out what was mentioned of making of Sermons and goe on with a smooth foote from the Lecture to the Offertorie or offring which Walafridus and Berno affirme to bee sprung vp Walafr c. 22. Berno Augiensis c. 1. ex prioris populi consuetudine of the custome of the Iewish Church And these offrings in the Christian Church were for the most parte of breade wine or of the first fruites thereof in corne and in grapes and these were consecrated vnto God by prayer afterward they tooke that which was necessarie for the Communion of the holy Supper and looke what remained it was eyther eaten of all in common or else giuen to the poore And further let it bee marked that both of them say in proper and apte tearmes We do not reade it in plain and euident forte who it was that added vnto our Lithurgies that which is sung inter offerendum at the offring and as little of that singing by course vsed in the communion and as certainelie doe wee receiue verily belieue that the holie Fathers in the first times did offer and communicate without anie voice heard which also is furthermore obserued vpon the holie Saturday of Easter Wherby wee perceiue verie clearelie that the Bbs. or Priestes did not say Offero Sacrifico Offerimus Sacrificamus but that according to the example of our Lorde after they had pronounced and vttered the holie wordes of the institution of the Sacrament they gaue it vnto the people without saying anie thing all those precise and strict ceremonies coupled and fastened to a number of wordes vttered with one breath to certaine signes of the Crosse c being crept in a long time after and whereof these honest fellowes can render no other reason saue that according to the measure of the growth of the Church in mightines
and sung twice The Psalmes at the first were wont to be sung intire whole of all the people and with one voice where afterward they were diuided into pauses and in the ende into verses in the singing whereof the Cleargie and the people did by course sing one one verse Hermanus Gigas in Flore temp Psalmes and the other the other Gregorie appointed an Antiphonarie for the time and space of the whole yeare consisting of Versicles Responsories for euery day Likewise he ordained a schoole of singers to sing the lithurgie and hee laboured greatly to haue his song or maner of singing receiued euery where throughout the Latine Churches finding himselfe much offended with the barbarous voyces of the French Singing Germaine English men Ioann Diaconus l. 2. c 6. 7. Walafr c. 22. Kyrie cleison as not hauing beene able to fit and tune themselues thereunto He taketh the Kyrie eleison from the Grecians and was found fault with therefore for said some This is far off from reducing the Church of Constantinople vnder the church of Rome seeing thereby he did nothing els but draw their fashions manners vnto Rome But he excuseth himselfe in these wordes Amongst the Grecians all the people doe say it but amongst vs the Cleargie that is the Ministers of the Church onely and the people answereth Greg. l. 7. epi. 63. indict 2. Prayers Againe Looke how oft we say Kyrie cleison so many times also do we say Christe eleison which is not done amongst the Grecians For prayer hee made a booke some part whereof was taken and drawne out of that of Gelasius which is called the Sacramentarie containing those thinges which were to be said euerie day throughout the yeare If there be found saith Walafridus any thing in this booke which halteth it is to be thought Gregor l. 2. c. 17. Walafr c. 22. Lessons that it is none of his but that some other hath added the same thereto afterward yea and there are old Masse-bookes to be seene where are noted the praiers secrets and Post-communions of Gregorie to make them tobe knowne from the others which in deed are more corrupt then his For the lessons of the Gospell and Epistle he followeth directly and altogether the booke of lessons or the bookes called Comes attributed vnto Saint Ierome saue onely that vpon the festiuall dayes the institution of Pope Vigilius was receiued and kept and thereto also was his booke of Anthemes fitted and squared endeuouring to raise and draw Anthemes taken out of the Psalmes to answere to the seuerall drifts and purposes of the lessons whereas before this prescript forme of reading the Gospels Epistles Prophesies and other bookes of the old and new Testament were read through Sermons And as for their preachings and expositions of the word of God vnto the people hee speaketh of himselfe in a certaine place that he had expounded forty lessons out of the Gospel as it had beene accustomed to be read vpon certaine daies in the Office Gregor in praef Homil. and that some of his expositions were deliuered by word to his Clearke or Secretarie that he might afterward reade them to the assemblie and that he had himselfe pronounced and vttered other some of them with his owne mouth But therewithal he complaineth himselfe greatly of the iniquitie and abuse of the time which had preuailed so far as that The Pastors of the church had left and abandoned the chaire of teaching and preaching of the Gospell Gregor D. 92. and would not find leasure to do any other thing then sing And this saith he grew because singing men were aduaunced and placed in the Ministerie of the Church who supposed themselues to haue discharged their duty when they had opened their pipes tickled the people with their singing though they had done nothing vnto them eyther in instructing of them in the articles of their faith or in the doctrine of manners For offerings Offeringes they continued and were brought in euerie day notwithstanding that the Church was growne very rich in so much as that diuers of the old Fathers complained themselues saying that the Bishops had not done as Moses did who caused proclamation to be made amongst the people that they should not bring any more Gregor in Dialogis when he saw that there was enough for the building of the tabernacle For wee find likewise that in the time of Gregorie there were offered sheep and calues c against the expresse Canon which commanded that nothing but bread wine should be offered But the greater abuses hapning about the consecration of the offerings cause vs to leape ouer the other which were not so waightie with a lighter foote Now we haue alreadie seene that it was the peoples custome to offer of their fruits and increase vnto God as the old people of the Iewes did and that these fruits were consecrated vnto him by a holy prayer after the manner vsed by the Priest amongst the Israelites wherin he was humbly intreated to take in good part that their thanksgiuing and to accept of this their sacrifice of praise And these fruits as all the peace offerings amongst the Iewes were lifted vp or shaken for to shew them vnto the people after that of the same fruits that is of the bread and wine was taken that which was sufficient for the Sacraments and the remainder reserued for the poore c. Now all this so commendable a custome beganne not to degenerate but to turne into a plaine poison about this time of Gregorie Walafr c. 22. and not without iust cause saith Walafridus seeing he ordained the order of Masses consecrations as well as of singing For in deed the forme of consecration was so far changed at that time by chaunging of the subiect as that the words properly vsed in the blessing of the gifts and offerings were appropriated directly to the Sacraments The Canon There then beganne the worke about that part of the Masse which properly they call the Canon In the Primitiue Church the holy Supper was celebrated euery Lords day and all the faithfull there present were bound to participate thereof by little and little thir zeale waxed cold whereof we heare S. Ambrose S. Chrysostome and others to crie out In the ende it came to that point Can. non iste C. quotidie de consecrat dist 5. that the people did not for the most part accustome any more to communicate neither were they pressed any thing thereunto by the diligence of the Pastors Whereupon likewise followed a tolleration and ceasing from the looking vnto of the seueritie and straitnesse of the Canons namely those which enioyned men that they should communicate at the least three times a yeare at the natiuitie of Christ Easter and Pentecost otherwise they should not bee taken for good Catholikes which afterward was restrained to the Natiuitie of Christ onely And thus it
meanes whereby they might excell and go beyond the laitie therewithall the well inclined being still oppressed kept downe by the authoritie of the Pope Euen iust after the same manner as it would haue fallen out in other cases with vs in Fraunce in as much as the case so stood in the beginning as that matters of sute and law were pleaded in Latine and all manner of writings made in Latine howbeit that the common people by reason of the change that happened did not vnderstand it but that our kings as those which did more carefully watch ouer the goodes of the people then the Romish Bishops did ouer their soules haue beene very prouident wisely to foresee and by their ordinances to prouide for the same CHAP. VI. That in the Primitiue Church and a long time after the holy scriptures were read amongst the people in all tongues THe liturgie then or diuine seruice That the scriptures were translated into all languages euen from the first times was retained in the Church in the vulgar and common tongue for a long space following the precept of Saint Paule Let euery thing be done to edification in the Church And as for the Maxime of the Church of Rome which is to hold the people in ignorance that so they may not come to the knowledge of their faluation it did not take place but of late and that for no other end but to bind their consciences and knowledge to go no further neither yet to come short of the conscience skill of their curates that so they may pray vpon their simplicitie either by leading them into vaine superstition or into seruile subiection The holy scriptures of the old Testament say they were written in Hebrew and those of the new Testament in Greeke and not in any other tongue Let it bee so and good cause why seeing the Hebrew tongue was the language of Israel to whome the law was properly and peculiarly giuen and the Greeke likewise very common knowne vnto all the East parts where Christianitie did first spring and spread abroad But what prerogatiue do they shew vs why they should so aduance and cleaue vnto the Latine Let them answere them that the Gospell was notwithstanding preached by word of mouth in all tongues and to that end was the gift of tongues sent vnto the Church which was no sooner ceased but that the scriptures both of the old and new Testament were found as a supply of the same translated into diuers tongues as Hebrew Syrian Arabicke and Scythian as the ecclesiasticall historie doth witnesse vnto vs that this diligent indeuour continued and endured by the industrie of good pastors in such measure and sort as that the knowledge of Christ gained and got ground in the world Thus we see that Saint Ierome translated the holy scriptures into the Dalmaticke tongue Hieronym in ep ad Sophron. Gregor Patriarch Alexand. in vita Chrysost Sixtus Senens in l. 4. in lit l. k. Postellus in ep ad Ambr. Theseum Chrysostome into the Armenian Vlphilas Bishop of the Gothes into Gothicke Methodius into the Sclauonian and their translations are founde as yet both extant and in vse And that the same zeale was followed and imitated in the end in all Churches so that wee haue as yet the Gospels in the Ethiopian tongue the Psalter in the Egyptian as also in the Indian tongue but imprinted in Syriacke Characters the fiue bookes of Moyses in the Persian tongue the Psalter all the new Testament in the Gothish or old Frizeland speech all the Bible from the time of Ethelstanus king of England that is nine hundred yeares in the Brittish tongue c. And therefore Chrysostome sayth The Syrians Egyptians Indians Persians Ethiopians and innumerable other nations haue the heauenly doctrine translated into their naturall tongues and by this meanes haue left off their barbarousnes to play the philosophers in good earnest Theodoret Theodor. de corrig Graecor affect The Hebrew bookes are not onely translated into Greeke but also into Latine Egiptian Persian Indian Armenian Scythian Saromatian and in a word into all tongues which the nations vse as yet vnto this day All these good Pastors zealously and feruently affecting the wholesome instruction of their flockes and all these famous Churches had not yet studied or busied their braines about the title of the Crosse to conclude from thence that the scriptures could not bee read but in three tongues because in deed they had no desire or will by any such shift so to worke their purpose as that the poore people might not learne the way wherby they might be saued that so they might hold their consciences in homage vnto them Whether it be daungerous or no for the cōmon people to reade them But whatsoeuer any man may seeme to bee able to say to the contrarie say they it is and alwaies hath beene daungerous for the people to haue and reade the holy scripture in their common and naturall tongue And to whom then was it that our Lord said Search the scriptures And wherefore had all Christian Churches so translated them But now therefore let them heare euen they which make such vauntes of the auncient writers into what daunger those auncients did bring mens consciences by the reading of the holy scripture and into what daunger if a man will belieue them herein they brought the whole Church Irenaeus without all doubt did not conceiue any such daunger to bee therein Iren. l. 4. c. 12. 31. when hee said of the heretikes the Valentinians That their not knowing of the scriptures had brought them to this heresie He found preseruatiues therein and our aduersaries are afraid to meete with poison And as little paines did he take to draw backe the faithfull from the reading of them because of obscuritie for he saith The scriptures are open and cleare without ambiguitie or doubtfulnesse Origen in Esa hom 2. in Exod hom 9. they may bee alike heard of all Origen in like manner who tooke so great paines to translate and publish them in all tongues saith Woulde God wee all belieued and did that which is written Search the scriptures they are shutte and sealed to the negligent but they are founde to bee open and vnlockt to them that seeke and knocke at the dore By them hee would haue his parishioners his people that were still to be instructed and catechised and his disciples to trie and examine his doctrine for hee saith Origen in Iosuam hom 20. Idem in Leuit. hom 9. When I teach you that which I thinke then examine and iudge you whether it bee right and true or no. For wee desire sayeth hee in another place that you shoulde not onely heare the wordes of God in the Church but therewithall that you shoulde exercise your selues in them in your houses and meditate in his law day and night Idem in Ios hom 20. Yea and to the end that they
this venome as it were by a fire Marke this word As then the speeches here vsed do not deale with the fire of that materiall purgatorie And in deed he setteth downe S. Cyp. l. 3. testim aduers Iud. c. 57. Cyrill in Esa l. 1. c. 4. orat 3. Barnabas as one of this number S. Cyprian likewise The Lord hath reformed and amended me not giuing me ouer vnto death according to that which is written in Malachie c. For saith he God amendeth and preserueth his faithfull S. Cyrill expoundeth it of the operation of the holy Ghost in the regnerating and sanctifying of the faithfull and according to the same expoundeth the place of Esay 4. When the Lord shall wash the daughters of Sion c. But yet and if wee marke the text Behold the Lord saith he quasi ignis as a fire This then cannot be purgatorie but God which maketh this purging and not properly a fire but as a fire hee meaneth doubtlesse the fire of the spirit of Christ which purifieth our soules by his doctrine And so S. Ierome hath expounded it Hugo in Esa c. 4. in Malac. c. 3. Cardinall Hugo in like manner saith He will purge sinnes by the fire of his passion or of his spirit And by this meanes we conclude that there is no place throughout all the canonical bookes of the old Testament from which may bee gathered or proued this their purgatorie or any of the praiers or Masses for the dead neither yet according to the exposition of the fathers and that the most worthie and renowned amongst them any such torment as is giuen to them And this is freely acknowledged by Perion the Monke and thereof there is as yet some iarre and disagreement remaining amongst those of the Church of Rome namely whether there were any purgatorie in the time of the olde Testament or not There remaine the booke of Tobiah and the second of the Machabees both Apocrypha which we are to examine howbeit that wee could answere them in a word that all doctrines that haue no other ground approbation but in the Apocrypha bookes must needs themselues be Apocrypha Tobiah saith Tob. c. 4. v. 18. Cast thy bread liberally vppon the graues of the iust but giue nothing vnto the wicked The Israelites had beene amongst the Gentiles and so had Tobiah also now the Gentiles were wont to make feastes at the funeralles of their neere kinsmen Vnde parentare et parentatum The Iewes that they might not seeme to be behind the Gentiles in honouring of their parentes distributed victualles vnto the poore In like manner saith Saint Ierome they caried victualles to such as were sorrowful pensiue and which wept about the graues of their dead which hee gathereth out of the 31. of the Prouerbes And Cardinall Hugo Hee speaketh here of some fashion not knowne vnto vs or rather for the comforting of the kinsfolkes hee commanded feastes to be made after the buriall c. This is all that can be gathered out of this place That of the Machabees may seeme to minister vnto them some better matter for their purpose This is saith he a oly cogitation to pray for the dead 2. Micab 12. to the ende that they may bee deliuered from their sinnes c. First it is pittie that this doctrine of their pretended fire whereof they make so great accounts and for the defence whereof they haue kindled so many fires throughout Christendome should haue no other foundation then one only place and that out of the Apocripha bookes and that the rather in as much as they haue beene acknowledged such by all antiquitie and by the most auncient Doctors and Councels witnesse S. Cyprian S. Ierome S. Augustine S. Gregorie c. The primitiue Church gouerned by the holy Ghost Cypr. in Symbol Hieronym in lib. Sapient August contr Gaudentium Gregor l. 8. Moralium hath not iudged the books of the Machabees to be such without cause if afterward they haue been permitted to be read in the Church it was as S. Augustine telleth vs For the example sake of vertue and not for the grounding of any doctrines vpon them Saint Ierome saith They are read for the instruction of the people and not to authorize any doctrine c. S. Gregorie likewise They are not produced or alleadged for to testifie or confirme any thing as canonicall but onely for edification There are whole volumes to this effect And when as the Church hath not touched or had any dealing with the reportes and narrations contained in the second booke partly as not agreeing vppon the same matters with that of the first and partly for their being detected and conuinced of falshood by the whole storie of the ancient gestes of the Iewes as in that matter of the hidden fire of the Arke c. which Nehemiah and Esdras would not haue concealed c. We cannot but haue them suspected as also it fared with Pope Gelasius who would not admit of the first c. yea the Author himselfe giueth sentence of condemnation against himselfe as crauing pardon if he haue written amisse The holy Ghost who hath inspired and enlightened the authors of the canonicall scriptures would neuer haue written so In the second book it is certaine that from the time of the Machabees 2. Machab. 4.7.12 the Iewes by means of the familiaritie that they had with the Grecians began mightily to incline to Paganisme Now wee will shew hereafter that this doctrine is taken from the Paganes and it appeareth so to be by Iason who in fauour of Antiochus prouided an vniuersitie of paganisme in Ierusalem by other priestes who turned the sacrifices of the law into the manner of vsage that was amongst the Paganes 2. Machab. 3.13 sacrificing for the idolatrous kings for the Lacedemonians for the health of Heliodorus a piller and spoiler of the temple also by their suffering of the Paganes contrarie to the law to offer therein as namely vnto Antiochus Eupator the Emperor Augustus c. Philo de legatione ad Caium By the historie of Razias who laid violent hands vpon himselfe that so he might not fall into the enemies hands the opinion of al Paganes yet commended by this author of the second book of Machabees But after all this let vs come to the storie which is the same with that which is mentioned in the 1. book and 5. chap. Ioseph the sonne of Zachary and Azarias priestes 1. Mach. 5.57 in the emulation which the prowesse and valiantnesse of Iuda had stirred vp in thē contrarie to his inhibition made an enterprise against Iamnia but Gorgias comming out against them discomfited them so that there remained 2000. vpon the place And Israel had receiued a sore ouerthrow Because saith he that hee had not obeied Iuda and that they were not of those whom God had stirred vp for the deliuerance of Israel that is to say because they
there members owe yea what doe they not owe one to an other Seeing also that this head most liuely feeling all that which these members doe or suffer doe not disdaine to declare and manifest vnto vs that what is done or denied vnto the least is done or denied vnto himselfe and from him hath either reward or punishment And this is the cause why the Fathers haue called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an assemblie a Communion And this second fruit and effect is also wanting in the Masse where there is no Communion betwixt the members nor any signification of this coniunction of Christ with vs of our selues together all men vsing of so many cornes to make but one Loafe and one wine and al of vs sucking life out of the same death nourishment from the same meate of the fleshe and bloud of our Lord But particularly in respect of our selues we being members of Christ and quickned by Christ are there nourished and strengthned both in Christ and of Christ And it is not more sure that the Minister doth giue vs the bread and wine that wee take them with our hands that we eate and drinke them that they are conuerted into our substance and become nourishment for our bodies to maintaine and strengthen this life then it ought to be sure and certaine to euerie Christian that our Lord in the holy Supper celebrated according to his institution dooth giue vnto vs at the same instant his flesh and bloud That we take them by faith that we eate and drinke them that they are turned into the life and substance of our soules becomming the foode of the same to maintaine and strengthen vs vnto eternall life Yea and which more is that by the predominant and ouer-ruling power that they haue they turne our soules both to Christ and into Christ vniting them vnto him and making them one with him and our bodies consequently and proportionablie after the manner of our soules doe make vs bones of his bones flesh of his flesh members of that head gouerned by his spirit and one with him to raise againe one day our bodies and soules to be glorified and raigne with him And this fruit also of the holy Supper is lacking in the Masse of the Church of Rome wherein there is not any thing at all representing this straite and neere coniunction with Christ or that true eating by the which it is cherished and maintained wherein such as are present doe neither eate nor drinke corporally nor spiritually wherein they become all together idle gasers and starers vpon the Priest which eateth and drinketh and vpon a pretended mysterie both deafe and dumbe and wherein in a word there is not any one action which stirreth vp their consciences nor any manner of instruction to helpe forward and ad vnto their knowledge These are the principall ends for which our Lord instituted his holy Supper and whereof wee haue beene altogether destitute vnder the Church of Rome which in steed of this sacred meate which we were wont to eate at our Fathers table hath fed vs with huskes apish toyes and mummeries intertaining in stead of all that which was the old fashion of Rome the poore people with vaine pompes and ceremonies and therefore famished with the want of the grace of God From that farre countrie whether our humane fancies had transported and led vs wee are put in mind of our Fathers table and become resolued to returne againe home vnto him from these abuses and deceits so farre differing from his institution to his truth and from our sinnes to his grace and that by his grace Father haue we said We haue sinned against heauen and against thee we are not worthie any more to be called thy children And hee hath according to the same euen his wonted mercie put a ring vpon our finger cloathed vs with Christ and caused vs to eate his flesh and his bloud They were dead hath hee said but they are returned to life they were lost and they are found againe c. To God bee praise and glorie for euer by the same his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Let vs now runne ouer and briefely rehearse againe all that which we haue handled and intreated of in this whole worke In the first Booke we haue handled the rearing and raising vp of the Masse A briefe rehearsal of the whole worke from time to time and from parcel to parcell we haue shewed that the old seruice did consist of a publike confession of sinnes in the reading of the old new Testament and that of whole bookes of the same in singing of Psalmes by the whole Congregation in a Sermon vnto the people which was made by the Bishop or Pastor expounding either some place that had beene read or some such other as hee iudged fit for the edifying of the Church in offerings which were offered by the people for the poore and other vses of the same in a generall praier for all the necessities of the Church state in the institution of the holy Supper taken out of the Gospell or the Apostle in a witnessing of the sincere loue of the faithfull one towards an other before they should draw neere vnto the holy Table and in a denunciation vnto such as were not of this number to the wishing of them to abstaine in the distribution of the holy Supper vnto all the people vnder both kindes during the time of which action they ceased not to sing Psalmes or to read the Scriptures and finally in a solemne thankesgiuing for the benefit receiued as well in the death and Passion of our Lord as in the Communion of his body and bloud in the holy supper Which done the Bishop or Pastor sent the people away with a holy blessing And it is not to be forgotten as we haue seene that all this was done in an vnderstood and knowne tongue As for prayers for the dead praying vnto Saints the Canon of the pretended sacrifice and all the parts whereof it is framed wee haue seene them brought in many ages after and that at seuerall times and great distaunces betwixt one and an other and still impairing and growing worse from time to time Retaining therfore for our seruice that which we well perceiue to bee truely auncient and reiecting that which is notoriously new what shall such seruice bee to speake according to a good conscience but the same that is now vsed in the reformed Churches In the second Booke we haue compared the circumstances of the old seruice and those of the Masse First we haue found the Church vnder persecution without publike places to call vpon the name of God in Afterward wee did see Churches built for the same but without any manner of Images with tables let vs call them if you will Altars for the communicating of the holy supper but without Lampes burning of Incense Consecrations Dedications c. We haue obserued the lawfull election and calling of
ad Pammach Oceanum de Origen we should likewise speake doubtfullie of the Deitie of the holie Ghost with Saint Hillarie we should condemne children dying without Baptisme with Saint Augustine we should giue them the Eucharist with Saint Cyprian and the greatest part vntill the time of Charles the great euen vnto the mouthes of the dead as certaine Councels doe beare vs witnesse In a word we should haue made with lesse then nothing of the Church of Christ Augeas his Oxehouse Canus l. 7. de locis Theol. c. 3. Gen. Cent. 3. seq ad finem c. 4. VillavinceÌ„tius de ratione studiâ—â— Theolo l. 4 c. 6 obseru 1. 2. Baron annal tom 2. of Noes Arke a sinke of all superstitions and errours Which thing our greatest aduersaries themselues at this time not being able to dissemble doe say All the Saints such onely excepted as haue written the Canonicall bookes haue spoken by the Spirit of man and haue sometimes erred euen in the matters of faith both in worde and writing what profoundnesse of learning or innocencie of life soeuer that we can obserue and marke in them And they come so farre as to set downe their errors and that both by their names as also by their kinds concluding that the Scriptures are onely without error and exempted from lies As therefore there are rules for the expounding of the Scripture by the Scripture The Fathers must be admitted as expounders but not as law-giuers so there are also for the expounding of them by the Fathers the first whereof is alwayes this That they be receyued and read as expounders not as law-giuers and that they referre their expositions to the rule of faith and the articles thereof and not to make any new faith any new articles according to that which Saint Ierome saith vnto vs Hieron cont Iouinian August de Bono viduitat As oft as I expound not the Scriptures but speake freely of mine owne sense reprooue me who will And Saint Augustine The holie Scripture hath set vs a rule not to dare to knowe more then it behoueth My teaching of thee then may not be any other thing then to expound vnto thee the words of the Teacher that is of the Lord. Vincentius c. 2 22 41. And this is the same that Vincentius Lyrinensis saith vnto vs The Canon of the Scriptures saith he is perfect and superaboundantly sufficient in it selfe for all things Wee are not then to make any addition of the Fathers to make by them any supplie vnto the doctrine of the Scriptures but rather saith he seeing that they may bee interpreted in diuerse senses it is meete to ioine therewithall the authoritie of the Ecclesiasticall vnderstanding Not to adde vnto or alter any thing that is written but onely to make for the vnderstanding of it For saith he elswhere It is written Depositum serua That which hath beene committed of trust vnto thee not what thou shalt haue inuented That which thou hast receiued not what thou hast found out wherein thou must not be an authour but whereof thou art a gardiant not an ordiner but a disciple not a guide but a follower What thou hast receiued in golde redeliuer the same in golde c. And in the person of Timothie this is spoken vnto all Teachers it is spoken to the whole Church c. And what we say of one of the Fathers we take it as spoken of all togither for although all the men of the world could bee assembled and called togither and that euerie one of them were worth an Augustine they could not make or cause to be made one article of faith to binde the faith of a Christian to beleeue anie other thing necessarie vnto saluation then that which is in the holy Scripture Gaâ—â— following that which Saint Paule saith Though I my selfe or an Angel from heauen should preach vnto you any other thing then that which wee haue alreadie preached vnto you let him be accursed And a little after he setteth downe the reason For I haue not receiued or learned it of any man but by the reuelation of Iesus Christ c. And this hath beene renued by all the olde Fathers though but ill fauouredly kept by them which were their successours and whereupon notwithstanding our maister Gerson and Cardinall Caietan after him haue framed this conclusion That the Church of this time cannot any more neither hath bin able besides that which the Primitiue Church could to canonize any booke establish any article of faith c. The second is That we discerne in the workes of the Fathers the true and legitimate bookes from the faigned ones not to attribute them vnto them and by consequent sucke out of them an other mans errors in stead of their sound opinions not to receiue any doctrine for old when as the same shall be either new or else verie sparingly commended vnto vs of the ancients For it cannot be denied but that there are many such and those easily found out either by the stile being otherwise in one age then it is in another yea differing in some one time of some one father from that of another or by some apparance of contrarietie and that either in doctrine or exposition a thing hardly befalling any one authour or by the alledging of Authours which are notoriously knowne not to haue liued till after them or by the vsing of some tearmes and speeches not as yet practised in the Church in their time c. Of all which sorts the malice of men hath furnished vs with sufficient store of examples For the stile of the Epistles attributed to the first Bishops of Rome is meerely barbarous and Gottish in the times of the greatest flourishing of the Latine tongue and when there could not bee found in all Italie nor in all the Romane Empire either learned or idiot that could speake this language The stile of Denys the pretended Areoopagite is nothing like to Saint Pauls containing nothing of Apostolicall note or marke nothing of the spoiling of Ceremonies so oft repeated by the Apostle The treatise of Sina and Sion against the Iewes c. nothing of that vigor which was in Saint Cyprian his other writings against the very same but farre lesse of his elegancie zeale and doctrine The pretended Canons also of the Apostles how should they proceed from them when they forbid that which the others approue and command that which they do openly disproue and disallow And therefore by so much the more daungerous and poisonfull for hauing purloined the name of so soueraigne a drug And in such sort we are likewise to say of Saint Clement his reuises and Saint Peter his peregrination Hieronym in Apolog. cont Ruff in Epiph. haeres 27. which Saint Ierome and Epiphanius do witnesse vnto vs wittingly to hold and take part with the heresie of Eunomius and Ebion the most pernicious ones that haue been in the Church
is the cause also that S. Ambrose would haue men to be throughlie intentiue Ambros 1. Cor. 83. Chrysost in 2. Cor. hom 8. To the end sayeth hee that this oblation which is of many may be celebrated together And Chrysostome seteth it downe vnto vs for a general rule That in the mysteries that is in this sacrament the Pastor differeth not from the Parishioner c. In like manner the forme and ceremonie of ordaining and instituting of Ministers in the Apostolike Church is most cleare and euident The maner of the laying on of hands vsed of the olde Church The Church prayed God that it would please him to be present by his holie spirit at the election to blesse it And to the end that they might be the more feruent in praier they vsed to fast before after which those which were elect by the Church receiued the imposition of hands in the beginning by the Apostles and afterward by the Pastors Bishops but neuer without a perfect knowledge and triall of their doctrine and life It is also to bee obserued that whereas our Lord breathed vppon his Apostles saying vnto them Receiue the holie Ghost the Primitiue Church notwithstanding did not practise the same because such signes haue no other power then that which God hath giuen vnto them and therefore must not presumptuously be conceiued to haue anie such except there appeare the expresse institution and ordinance of the Lord for the warrant of the same In the election of the Bb. Fabian Eusâ—b l. 6. c. 29 wee see the simplicitie that was in the olde Church The Church came together aswell the Elders and Deacons as the other people manie were propounded as thought worthy to vndertake the charge in the end Fabian by the common consent and voice of the whole Church is named Bb. and sometimes wee see the common people make the election and after to present the elected to the Presbyterie that is to the ecclesiasticall assemblie and other sometimes wee see the Presbyterie to propound them vnto the people for to approue them if there bee no man that can say anie thing against them onelie it was alwaies vsed that before they were ordained and installed in their Ministerie there was a generall agreement and consent of the people and ecclesiasticall order that is of the whole Church as concerning the soundnes of his doctrine and vnspottednes of his life which was to bee chosen Bishoppe or Elder And this wee coulde proue through all ages successiuelie if so be it were anie controuersie amongst vs. For the present the questioÌ„ is first of the charge of the Minister of the church whether Bishop or Priest for the first were intituled by the Ancientes with the name of Ministers the old Episcopall bookes doe yet make mention thereof secondlie of the ceremonie which was obserued in the ordaining of the same And seeing that these two pointes doe one of them cleare and make plaine the other wee purpose to insist and stand vppon them The charge of such a one I say was to preach the Gospell and administer the Sacramentes not to say Masses not to sacrifice the bodie of Christ for the liuing and for the dead The forme of giuing of orders in the ancient time Theodoret l. 4 c. 23. Concil Carth. 4. c. 1. 2. Epiphan l. 1. tom 2. Sozom. l. 4. c. 24. Iust Nouel 123 de eccles diuer The auncient forme and manner also say wee had not any ceremonie that did shew anie thing eyther of Priestes or sacrifices And this wee must proue by taking the search and view of the auncient recordes of antiquitie Theodoret teacheth vs in the election of one that was to succeede Meletius the Great that it was the custome in ordaining of a Bb. that all the Bbs. of the Prouince should be present therat at the least three or fowre Where hee was examined of his doctrine and sometimes called to make confession of his faith and in his life so farre foorth as that hee was to aunswere therein to whatsoeuer hee could bee accused of or charged withall whereuppon wee haue a most expresse lawe made by Iustinian the Emperour Afterwarde it was agreede that the Metropolitane or in his absence the most auncient Bishoppe should lay his hand vppon him and blesse him and all the others likewise laide to their handes in signe of consent And to the end that he might bee aduertised and put in minde of his dutie by an eye signe two Bishoppes helde the holie Gospels ouer his head to the end hee might know that his calling tyed him to the preaching of the Gospel And this ceremonie was ordinarily done before the holie Table where the Sacraments were wont to bee administred Nazian in leudem Basil In some places likewise it was obserued that the Bishoppe passed through all the degrees of the Church before that hee came to that place and roome S. Denys describing this ceremonie sayeth The Bishoppe is kneeling before the Altar hee hath the bookes giuen of God helde ouer his head and the hand of the Bishoppe that is his who layeth his handes vppon him and is blessed of him by most holie praiers the consecrating Bishoppe doth set vpon him the signe of the Crosse c. but of the Masse or any sacrifice or yet any other ceremonie hee speaketh not at all August l. 3. cont Crescon c. 21. 22. Sozom. c. 19. l. 8. Chrysost 2. Cor. 8. hom 18 Volaterr l. 22. Herman Gigas Concil Aquisgran c. 9. The same forme and manner was practised in the person of Cresconius Maximilianus Theophilus Alexandrinus c. and these alwaies with publike praiers and fasting going before And from thence the Romaine Church retaineth as yet the fastes of the fowre times because that Pope Gelasius did ordaine that Orders should be giuen onelie fowre times a yeare vpon a Saturday the dayes going before being spent in examining their liues and manners The ages following added therto the staffe and the ring saying The staffe as a shepheardes crooke to reforme and call the stragling into the way as also to vpholde the infirme and weake and the ring in signe of the honour due vnto Bishoppes and for to seale their secrets withall But the truth is that this was after that they were become Lordes of great Lordshippes that the Popes and Emperours would receiue fealty and homage from them inuesting them with these ensignes and badges as Knightes and Squiers are wont to bee noted out by the speare the sword and shield c. But what get wee hereby but that the Bb. both in his election and examination as also in the whole forme and maner obserued in his ordination was charged onelie to teach the word of God well and faithfullie and to administer his holy sacraments purelie and sincerely to correct his people by his prescribed form of discipline and his church with such a gouernment as is truly ChristiaÌ„ And look what
whole as that it may seeme to be nothing else then his words translated For he maketh and that by the report of Eusebius himselfe in his booke of the soule three degrees of men some that haue liued well and vertuously whom they conceiued to haue their abode in the Elisian fields as accompting them for most pure places and heauenly habitations Those whom he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 past hope of amendment whome hee placeth in Tartaro in hell from whence they can neuer come out and those which haue committed sinnes but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as are curable and veniall whome hee casteth into burning flouds there to accomplish and make perfect their repentance to the ende they may bee purged therein and after their purgation receiue absolution And in deed he vseth these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to purge and absolue Yet notwithstanding note that Eusebius who compareth the opinions of Philosophers with the doctrines of Christians doth not make any mention therein but onely of two conditions of men after death namely of the saued or of the damned A plaine and cleare testimony that the Church in his time did acknowledge no other but these two Virgill describeth it at large in the sixt booke of his Aeneidos Aliis sub gurgite vasto Infectum eluitur scelus aut exuritur igni Virgil. l. 6. Aencid Where he may seeme to haue expressed the two verbes before mentioned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Donec longa dies perfecto temporis orbe Concretam exemit labem c. Wherefore S. Augustine needed not to be abashed when he said August de ciuit Dei l. 21. c. 13. 17. That Purgatorie was one of Platoes doctrines As also That the dead may be relieued by the suffrages sacrifices of the liuing in so much as that the souls which are destitute therof are stil delaied caused in lingring manner to lie languishing in torments Homer Odyss 12. Virg. l. 6. Aenei Alcor Azo 10. as wee reade of the soule of Elpenor in Homer and of Palinurus in Virgill c. In like manner the Iesuits do not let to confesse that purgatory is sound there And we do further giue them to vnderstand that it is all whole to be had in the Turks Alcoran if that of the Paganes doe not content them The Iewes as we haue seene learned the same of the pagans vpon their falling away from their maner of worship religion and yet not so as that it preuailed with them to get a place in their Church for in the time of our Lord there appeared no markes or notes of any such thing but rather the contrary Paul Fagius in Deut. c. 14. Anton Margarita de superstitionibus Iudaic. The bookes of remembrance which they vse at this day wherin they name three times a yere those which are dead in the yeare praying to God that he would place them in his paradice with Abraham Isaac and Iacob c. are come since thē And this is made most apparant by their order for the extreame and deadly sicke was demanded if he did not perseuere to hold fast belieue the 13. Articles of their faith amongst the which the eleuenth is of the glorie to come and of eternall death the twelfth of their faith and beliefe in the Messias for want whereof they say the law is vnprofitable the thirteenth of the viuification or resurrection of the deade of Purgatorie not a worde neither yet of the Suffrages by which they should bee freed out of the same There happeneth one to die whereupon wee come to see all their ceremonies euen to the least Their neerest kinsfolkes doe rent their garmentes they eate not for that day in the house but without they eate not any flesh neyther drinke any wine except it bee vpon their Sabbath They neither wash nor annoint themselues for the space of seuen daies They lie vpon the ground and refraine the companie of their wiues They follow the bodie bare-footed They light a lampe for the space of seuen whole nightes setting it on the house floure perswaded thereto through a sottish and fantasticall conceipt that the soule commeth during the same time for to seeke the bodie c. And this is all that humane superstition had till then inuented the most part thereof being contrarie to the pure worde of the eternall God forbidding them in expresse wordes not to torment themselues for their dead And as for their praier if you obserue the tearmes thereof it will appeare to come neerer the nature of a wish then of a prayer Let his soule rest let his sleepe bee in peace let the gates of paradice bee opened vnto him by the Comforter that is to come c. And what is there in all this that is common with Purgatorie And in deed their Capitula patrum doe not make mention of any moe then two places But amongst Christians the first seedes of this doctrine are contained in the bookes declared to be Apocripha by the Primitiue Church and so by consequent the doctrine also is Apocrypha because it hath no other foundation besides them A certaine man named Hermas in his visions asketh an old woman if after the casting of certain stones there remaine any more pennance to bee done she answered that they could not come to a certaine tower but that they should be put into a lower roome where they are tormented vntill they haue accomplished the daies of their sinnes A booke of the Actes of Saint Andrew prayeth vnto God for an old Pandor and saith vnto him Iren. l. 5. We obtaine much mercie of him for the dead and why should we faile for this man which is aliue But the doctrine of the Church is to bee read in Ireneus The priestes saith he the disciples of the Apostles say that those which are translated from hence are conueighed into paradice which is prepared for iust men and such as haue the spirit whither Saint Paule was rauished and where he heard wordes that cannot bee vttered and that they abide and continue there vnto the end of the world Index expurgator p. 71. Iust Martyr in resp ad quaest Orthod q. 7. And therefore vpon good ground doth Erasmus shew that he spake as one that knew not purgatory And this obseruation the fathers of Trent haue caused to be raced And Iustin Martyr also After saith he the departure of this bodie there is presently made a seperation of the iust and vniust for they are caried into places worthy of them that is to say the soules of the iust into Paradice where they inioy the company of Angels Archangels as also the sight of our Sauiour Iesus Christ but those of the vniust and wicked into the infernall places c. They will alleadge against vs Clemens Alexandrinus and Origen Clem. Alex. l. 6 The one whereof laboureth to proue by the supposed Apocryphes of S. Peter S. Paule
beene deriued and drawne Masses for the deade through such an abuse much like to that which is condemned by diuers auncient Councels namely the giuing of the Eucharist vnto the dead Withall wee haue shewed that there is no Purgatorie that the old and new Testament did neuer acknowledge it as neither the first and most auncient antiquitie if so bee they take it not from the heathen as also that those which haue spoken of it did not meane the same which our aduersaries embrace maintaine but rather that this is an opinion which cannot by any meanes stand and agree with that of theirs and how that hereby Masses and Suffrages for the dead swarme vpon the face of the earth From this pretended sacrifice likewise haue proceeded and sprung the Masses said in honour of Saints in which they were both praied vnto and worshipped yea euen to the offering vp in sacrifice in honor of them of the Sonne of God himselfe if one would belieue them Further wee haue shewed that the inuocation and worshipping of Saints is condemned throughout the whole Scripture old and new and by all true antiquitie that the beginning of this doting madnesse was taken vp by the imitating of the heathens in their Paganisme shewing further the manifold contradictions that were maintained against the same for a long time and thus the whole seruice of Saints a great portion of the Papists doctrine falleth downe to the ground And for as much as Inuocation is grounded vppon the merit of Saints and this Merite oftentimes alleadged in the Masse and that euen in their speaking to God for the remission of sinnes wee haue verified and auoucht it that there is not any maner of meriting at Gods hand allowed or taught either in the Scriptures or in the auncient writers neither yet in the purer sort of the new latter writers except such as they themselues are at this day ashamed of In summe that there is neither sacrifice name nor merit which euer saued the dead or which euer was able to preserue the liuing but the onely name merit and sacrifice of one onely Iesus Christ God and man dead for our sinnes and risen for our iustification To whome with the Father and the holy Ghost be honour and glorie for the riches of his grace eternally and euerlastingly Amen The end of the third Booke The fourth Booke Wherein the holy Supper of our Lord is handled and intreated of as a Sacrament and consequently of the Masse and it is a treatise of Transubstantiation CHAPTER I. What a Sacrament is and wherein it consisteth And of the difference betwixt the Sacraments of the old and of the new Testament where are set downe certaine rules of the old writers for the vnderstanding of them HItherto wee haue intreated of the Masse as it is a corrupting of the holy Supper of our Lord in the qualitie or vnder the name and nature of a sacrifice it followeth now that we examine it as a counterfeit of the same in the qualitie of a Sacrament a matter intreated of so exactly by many great personages of this time as that it may seeme a verie vnaduised and needlesse thing after them to enter into the same matter not treading the steps wherein they haue gone before Notwithstanding because this worke would remaine lame vnperfect if it should want this part I will deale therevpon but so briefely as possibly may bee standing not so much vpon the matter of dispute as the course of the storie to the end that that which seemeth at the least to haue his stay and maintenance from auncient writers may be confessed and acknowledged not to haue any manner of recommendation at all more then that which it reapeth from the verie newest and latest writers that haue sprung vp in the Church of Rome The Lawe was no sooner giuen to man but sinne insued thereupon neither was sinne so soone hatched but that presently thereupon man receiued the writ of condemnation and sencibly felt the punishment thereof whereupon likewise the Gospell was preached vnto him Gene. 3. by Gods owne mouth namely in the promise of the holy seede which should bruise the head of the Serpent and in the incarnation of the Sonne of God for the redemption of mankind for the remission of our sinnes And this Gospell is the reconciliation of God with men by the bloud of our Lord shed effectually before the foundation of the world in as much as from the same he hath wrought the saluation and redemption of the Patriarkes and Prophets and to bee short of al them which haue bene saued either without the Law or vnder the law shed notwithstanding naturally in his appointed and determined time euen when our Sauiour hauing taken our flesh was stretched vpon the tree of the Crosse for vs. Man in the meane time in his blindnesse and peruerse nature became vnable either to see or belieue this excellent mysterie if God had not reuealed it vnto him The necessity of the sacraments but able on the contrarie quickly to forget it according to our ordinarie negligence and carelesnesse in heauenly things if it had not beene represented and set before his eyes continually And afterward what apparance or likely-hood could there be conceiued of sinfull man vnthankfull to God and condemned and cast away in his owne conscience that God would vouchsafe to be his God that hee would reconcile himselfe vnto a vile and vnprofitable creature that hee would make a league with dust giue himselfe to him for a perpetuall inheritance and deliuer his onely Sonne to suffer a shamefull and ignominious death for him All of them beeing workes of a bottomelesse depth of mercie towards a most miserable creature who waited and looked for nothing else in the guiltinesse of his owne conscience but a bottomlesse Sea of wrath and indignation This therefore was the cause why God our Creator the beginning middle and end of our saluation not content to haue promised and giuen his Sonne to our first parents vnto reconciliation and redemption and in their persons vnto their true posteritie which is the Church doth renue from time to time this Gospell vnto his children this glad tidings of the league and couenaunt made with his faithfull ones for their saluation giuing them sometimes Prophetes to preach his Christ that was to come and sometimes Apostles to testifie and beare witnesse vnto him alreadie come in the flesh dead and risen for vs. This is the ministerie of his holy word euermore continued in his Church He furthermore ordaineth for them Sacraments of this couenant made and accomplished earnest pence and palpable pledges of the certaintie of his promises testimonies of his faithfulnes and remedies of their distrust and diffidencie which speake and testifie outwardly both vnto their eares and eyes by the analogie and agreement of their nature and inwardly to their vnderstandings and hearts by the working of the holy Ghost accompanying them namely that this
Mathew S. Marke and S. Luke doe all of them make mention how our Lord tooke the bread blessed it gaue it to his disciples saying vnto them Take eate this is my bodie how commeth it that S. Iohn maketh no mention thereof in this place that is to say in the rehearsing of that which goeth before the passion of our Lord Verily saith he It is a testimonie that our Lord hath spoken of that point a great deale more largely elswhere and where then but in this sermon of Capernaum Chrysost in Mat. hom 83. And Chrysostome saith How came it to passe that his disciples were not much troubled when they heard this Namely these words This is my bodie c. Verily saith he Because he had handled the great and waightie points of this thing before hand he laboured not to confirme that which they did alreadie vnderstand c. And againe And he drurke saith he himselfe least the hearing these words should haue said what then Doe we drinke blood and eate we flesh c. For when he first spake of these things manie were offended onely for the wordes sake to the end therefore that this might not come to passe againe he first performed the action himselfe that so he might take away whatsoeuer might trouble their spirits or perplexe their mindes in the communicating of the misteries Whereby it appeareth that those excellent olde fathers haue referred the place of S. Iohn to the interpretation of the holy supper instituted afterward that is to say that the eating which is ordained in the vse of the sacrament in the holy supper is the same that without the sacrament is declared in that place If then it bee spirituall here let it bee so likewise there And therefore let vs heare what the fathers say vpon the same Tertullian Notwithstanding that he saith That the flesh profiteth nothing Tertul. de resurrect carn wee must gather the sence from the matter of that which is spoken For in as much as they accounted his speeches to be harsh and intollerable as if he had determined in deed to haue giuen them his flesh to eate to direct and bring the state of their saluation to the spirite hee did set downe aforehand It is the spirit that quickeneth Marke that he saith Verily which cannot be expounded and taken there for Visiblie but for Carnally c. Athanasius â—pon this place Whosoeuer shal haue spoken a word against the Son of man De peccat contr spirit whereunto by consequent we haue to oppose Spirituallie Athanasius The Lord disputing in S. Iohn of the eating of his bodie and seeing that many were offended said vnto them what will this bee then if you see the Sonne of man ascend and go where he was before c. It is the spirit which quickneth c. For be hath spoken there both of the one and the other of the flesh and of the spirit and hath distinguished the spirit from the flesh to the end that belieuing not in that onely which appeareth to the eyes but also in the inuisible nature wee may learne that those thinges which hee spake are not carnall but spirituall For to how many men should his bodie bee able to be sufficient meate that so it might bee the foode and nourishment of the whole worlde But to draw them from vnderst anding of him carnally he made mention of his ascention and to make them to vnderstand afterward that the flesh whereof he had spoken was a spirituall meate and heauenly food that he was to giue it them from aboue For the thinges saith he which I haue told you are spirit and life As if he said My bodie which is shewed and giuen for the world is giuen for meate to the ende that it may be giuen spiritually to euerie one and that it may become a defensatiue and preseruatiue to all in the resurrection vnto eternall life S. Augustine expounding these wordes August in psal 98. The wordes which I speake vnto you are spirit and life bringeth in our Lord expounding those of the holy Supper in these tearmes Vnderstand saith he spiritually that which J haue said You shal not eate this bodie which you see you shall not drinke that blood which they shall shed that shall crucifie mee I haue recommended vnto you a certaine Sacrament which spiritually vnderstood will quicken and make you aliue Idem tract 27. in Ioh. and if necessitie require that it be visiblie celebrated yet it must be vnderstood inuisiblie Againe What meaneth this saying They are spirite and life that wee may vnderstande them spirituallie they are spirite and life hast thou vnderstoode them carnally they are notwithstanding spirite and life but not to thee And spiritually that is to say figuratiuely mistically Carnally is as much as to say literally really For saith he Thou hast to obserue this rule Idem de doct Christ l. 3. c. 16 If in the scripture a word or phrase of speech doe for bid thee some vile and wicked thing or command thee some honest and good worke that then it is not figuratiue but if on the contrarie c. thou must then make account of it to be figuratiue If you eate not the flesh c. it may seeme to command a trespasse c. it must needes then be a figuratiue speech a phrase and manner of speech commanding vs to be partakers of the death and passion of our Lord Cyril Cateches mystag Idem in Leuit. l. 7. and sweetly and profitablie to call to our remembrance that his flesh was crucified and pearced through for vs. S. Cyril Bishop of Ierusalem If you eate not c. Not vnderstanding these things according to the spirit they went away offended supposing that he had inuited them to a banket of mans flesh Saint Cyrill Bishop of Alexandria If you eate not c. But if you bee the children of the Church and instructed in the mysteries of the Gospell If the word which is made flesh dwell in you c. know that the thinges which are written in diuine bookes are figures c. For there is also in the new Testament and Gospels the killing letter c. as he shall find that doth not spiritually apprehend the thinges that are there spoken c. and hee bringeth forth this place for an example Theoph. in Ioh. c. 6. Whereupon also Theophilact though he were of that time wherein transubstantiation was set vp saith vpon this place In as much as we vnderstand it spiritually wee are no prophane deuourers of flesh but rather we are sanctified by this meate Againe For that they vnderstood it carnally he saith vnto them That which I tell you must be vnderstood spiritually and that is the way to profite thereby But to expound and take them carnally that profiteth nothing but turneth into matter of grosse offence Therefore he addeth The words that I say are spirit that is to say spirituall and life that is
and so of plaine and euident sentences for the opening of the hidden couert ones But otherwise if vnder the colour of obscuritie thou labor to gather any point of new doctrine Irenaeus will say vnto thee Thou must reason from the cleare places of the Scripture and not from parables Saint Basil The things that may seeme darkly spoken in one place are most cleare in another Saint Augustine Who is so impudent as to expound anie place of Scripture for himselfe by an Allegorie if he haue not an other verie cleare place in the Scripture which may make it plaine Seeing likewise saith he in another place That of all that which is obscure therein Lomb. l. 3. d. 5 there riseth not any thing almost but that which is cleare elsewhere Lombard Tho. in Sum. q. 147. art 10. Pet. de Alliac Where as the Scripture is silent it will be good for vs not to affirme any thing Thomas Thou canst not reason from an Allegoricall sense c. To be briefe the Cardinall Alliaco That the scripture is a lampe that giueth light and that wee must haue recourse thither to haue saluation Gerson That an idiot a woman yea a childe Gers de Script de exa doct Pic. in Quest an Papa sup Concil are better to be beleeued alledging the Scripture then the Pope and a whole Councell And the Counte Iohannes Picus Mirandula after the same manner So farre off were these men who yet were the lights of their time from this darke opinion sprung no doubt out of the pit of vtter darknesse That the Scriptures were not any thing but darknesse But in a word the mischiefe is for that we will finde it difficult because that in the clearnesse thereof it is impossible for vs to finde out our inuentions obscure because that our traditions cannot stand before this light and imperfect because that neither by it nor before it we are able to defend our imperfections Yet so it is that our aduersaries replie that there are controuersies amongst vs that wee cannot agree of the expounding of the places which are alledged respectiuely How they must be expounded and therefore who shall expound them vnto vs who shall cause vs to admit of one exposition more then of another Let vs striue thitherward hauing Gods grace to assist vs let vs come thereto with the Zeale of his glorie the loue of the truth and the desire of saluation and then a meane knowledge ioyned with a good conscience would speedily attaine the ende And for some small taste thereof may it please the reader to examine certaine rules that follow being those which the auncient fathers doe teach vs. The first is That we be agreed vpon the Canonicall Scriptures thereby to auoyde the confounding of them with the Apocrypha that is To agree of the bookes called Canonical of the setting downe of the spirit of God for iudge rightlie discerned and distinguished from euerie spirit of man for humane scripture after the maner of monie is so much the more hurtfull and damnable by how much the coine that it hath counterfeited is the better and hereof the olde Church hath had a speciall regard I call this the first because that by this doore it did perceiue both vanities and heresies to enter into the Church vnder a fained name of our Lord and his Apostles They tell vs that the Scripture is the ballance the rule and the squire c. Hieronym ad Laetam And therefore to render to things their weight measure and streightnesse it is necessarie that it should be iust And this is that which S. Ierome telleth vs Let vs looke vnto our selues to beware of the Apocrypha bookes and if we will reade them c. let vs know that they are not theirs by whose names they are called that many faultie things are mingled there amongst that it craueth a singular prudencie in him that looketh to gather golde out of mud and in a worde that we must not reade them ad dogmatum veritatem for the confirming of doctrines So farre off is he from beeing of iudgement that wee shoulde rake togither the dregges of all manner of such Authours from all parts therewith to defile the Church And in another place In Symb. Ruf. in Praefat in Prou. in Reg. in prolog Galeato Hiberas naemas Certaine peruerse men to strengthen their opinions haue inserted vnder the name of holie personages things that they neuer writ and notwithstanding there are some which preferre these Hiberian fables before the Authētike bookes And this is the cause why S. August doth presse the heretikes continually with the Canonicall Bookes and refuseth the Apocrypha wherin they did their whole indeuour to ground themselues Let vs lay aside both on the one part the other that which we produce frō elswhere then out of the Canonicall bookes let vs shewe forth the holy Church by the holy Oracles let vs search for it in the holie Canonicall Scriptures c. To them I yeeld this honour that their Authour could not erre any maner of way the others I read in such sort how holy or lerned soeuer they might be as that I beleeue them not in that which they say because they say it but because they perswade me either by the Canonicall bookes or else by probable reason c. And therefore he saith further Ep. 19. ad Hieronym l. 2. con Dona. c. 3. con Faust l. 11. c. 5. The aduised searcher of the holy Scriptures shall reade them first all ouer but those onely which are called Canonicall for then he shall be able to reade the others more safely being alreadie instructed in the faith of the truth for feare that otherwise they might forestall and get the aduantage of a weake spirit abuse it with dangerous lies infect it with some preiudicate opinion cōtrarie to sound vnderstanding Lib. de Ciuit. Dei c. 15.23 For although therin be found some truth notwithstanding because of many vntruthes they are vtterly without all Canonicall authoritie And in the meane time what impudencie is it to go about to make him to giue credit to the decree by committing the offence of a most notorious lie D. 9. c. in Canonicis acknowledged also by Alphonsus of Castres to haue said That the Decretall Epistles of the Bishops of Rome are of the same authoritie Cyril Hierosol Catech. 4. that the Canonicall Scriptures Cyrill Patriarke of Ierusalem Studie these Scriptures onely which wee boldly and confidently reade in the Church but haue not any thing to doe with the Apocrypha Nazian de veris Scripturae libris Nazianzene In them wee see the light c. But to the ende that the bookes that are excluded from thence may not deceiue thee learne to know the true and legitimate number c. If you find any other then those holde them for base and bastardlie ones Yea and this was one of
Of the vnperfect worke vpon Saint Mathew wherein Arianisme sheweth it selfe most euidently howsoeuer notwithstanding condemned and conuinced by Chrysostome in all his bookes c. The Liturgie how can it proceede from S. Iames seeing it euery where speaketh of this worde Consubstantiall a name in his time not heard of in the Church The booke of the Hierarchie how can that be made by S. Denys at least the Areopagite seeing it citeth Clement Alexandrinus Or that of Christian questions Iustine Martyrs seeing it speaketh of the Manichies De variis quaest q. 23. Or how can that of diuerse Questions bee made by Athenasius seeing it alledgeth Athanasius the great That of the calling of the Gentiles by S. Ambrose seeing it speaketh of the Pelagians Those by Clement Abdias and Iulianus Africanus which are full of Temples of Altars and of Porches of Sextens chambers seeing they were built in the honour of Saint Iohn at Ephesus That of the Resurrection in Ethiopia that by the commaundement of S. Mathew in a time when al Christendome dreamed of nothing but Martyrdome When as there was nothing more busily prouided then pyles of wood to burne the Apostles and their disciples withall And when they prepared nothing but Theaters from whence the people might behold them deuoured of wilde beasts And yet forsooth these are the goodlie bookes whereto our aduersaries for the most part doe appeale for ayde and that oftentimes in those things which haue beene the cause why they were condemned of falshood and which haue caused the Church to account of them but as fables But after all who knoweth not how greatly the heretikes haue giuen themselues to falsifie thē how greatly they haue bestirred themselues to slip in either some of their heresies S. Hieronym in Symb. Ruff. as Ruffinus witnesseth in the bookes of Clement and S. Ierome in many others or of their Traditions as it is easie to be obserued in those of the Montanists And if further according to the measure of the growth and getting of foote of errours in Christendome the Church of Rome haue beene also carefull as we haue seene at Trent to cut off or alter in the bookes of the Fathers what soeuer might be founde to impugne their superstitions and who can doubt of this practise to haue beene followed for the space of many ages hauing beene guided by one and the same spirit who shall be able to assure himselfe of the truth sinceritie and naturalnesse euen of the most legitimate Seeing in Gratian his Decretall wee may marke so manie places of the Fathers and Councels notoriouslie corrupted according as the authoritie of the Pope or powerfulnesse of deceipt did growe in the Church and tempered ad sensum currentem as they call it according to the disease of the time and course of the Market Seeing by name in the Copies of Beda and Theophylact who are of the time when the doctrine of the Eucharist began to varie we perceiue by the comparing of them with old bookes found in Monasteries places concerning this matter either gelded or cut out or added and augmented And thus also it is euen at this day wherein great personages haue complained themselues how they haue beene driuen to labour to discerne and finde out for vs the stiles and spirits of writers from whose paines taken herein wee may ease our selues in the practising of this rule And let this bee saide for no other ende then of manie to giue an example in some few particulars of the cursed practises that Sathan hath continued in the Church for the bringing in of his errours vnder the name of the most approoued Teachers And this verilie not newe or straunge seeing that euen presently after the life time of the Apostles if Saint Iohn who ouerliued them had not prouided against it he had fathered some vpon Saint Paule Saint Peter and certaine others and those also of the peregrination of Saint Paul and Thecla which our aduersaries at this day labour to raise againe out of the graue and to set in their former liuelihood and credite The third is That we marke diligently if the father or ancient Doctor which we handle To consider well if such father haue vsed a good translation haue followed a sound translation haue well vnderstood the words and phrase of the Text in controuersie or not for for example what apparance is there that the Commentaries of S. Hillarie or of S. Gregorie vpon Iob of S. Ambrose S. Augustine or S. Bernard vpon the Psalmes can alwaies reach vnto the sense and meaning when they haue vsed a translation wherein there are almost as many faults as words That S. Anselme or S. Gen. 3. Bernard should be able to gather good doctrine from that place in the translation of Genesis Ipsa conteret caput Serpentis the woman and not Christ shall breake the Serpents head Gen. 4 Or out of that other Gen. 4. Quam vt veniam merear from whence our aduersaries gather the doctrine of merit There where it is My punishment is greater then that I can beare Whereas then we shall find that a Father shall haue followed a false translation we shall not possiblie be able to come by a true exposition so that in such case we are to preferre and make more account of the least that shall haue had it right then him who shall haue followed the false following the precept which they themselues did giue vs here tofore That we are not to rest vpon the Latine translation but to haue recourse vnto the originall and fountaine whether Hebrew or Greeke And now behold the fourth which is that when we are once agreed of the literall sense we should weigh the expositions of the Fathers the Interpreters both in the ballance of the Scripture and in the analogie of faith respect their pietie doctrine and time wherein they liue and receiue their opinions with reuerence whether they shall be differing or agreeing in one or arising from diuerse and sundrie persons let vs preferre that which is spoken in handling the place of purpose before that which is spoken in touching of it by the waye that which is saide in teaching familiarly before that which may bee spoken rhetoricallie as it somtimes falleth out in preaching that which is spoken affirmatiuely before that which is spoken doubtfully that which is spoken from the proper sense of the Authour before that which is spoken by imitating of another that which is gathered from the literall sense before that which is drawne from some allegoricall sense which proueth not and aboue all that which is spoken of some place in cōtrouersie before the controuersie rise at such time as there is nothing sought after therein but the simple truth yea or otherwise after it hath beene argued when as we shall haue searched out thereof for the fortifying of our opinion Here also will occasion be administred to put difference betwixt the Fathers according to the degree
the Iesuite which is sung in great Greece or that part of Italie which is called Basilicata But who will belieue or giue anie credite vnto him seeing that Gregorie telleth vs and manie others after and besides him that S. Peter did celebrate the Eucharist most plainelie and simplie without adding to the words of the institution so much as the Lords prayer And who can perswade himself that the Church of Rome holding so much of S. Peter that vnder his name it exalteth it selfe aboue the whole world would offer him the iniurie as to make his Masse inferiour to that of S. Gregories yea to driue it out of Rome to restraine and keepe it within the number of a few poore priests keeping the mountaines of Basilicata And such notwithstanding altogether are the proofes which they produce for their Masses or Lithurgies which they pretend to be the Apostles Of the Masse attributed to S. Denys Acts. 17. Neither yet haue they anie firmer ground or more assured warrant for those Masses which they attribute vnto the Apostles their Disciples It is said in the Actes that Denis Areopagita was conuerted at Athens at the preaching of S. Paule a great mischief if he shall not haue left with vs the same institutiō which he receiued of Paul but yet verilie it is greater if S. Paule deliuered anie other to him then he did to the Corinthians yea such an other as he neuer receiued or was taught of Christ the Son of God In the meane time they clap vs vp together a Masse of his diuine function and seruice but farre differing as shall bee seene from that which they themselues do exercise and practise and yet notwithstanding the same hauing as little part and portion in Denys as the others had in the Apostles That wee may not alledge against them how that the stile is altogether differing from the Apostolicall manner of writing neither yet the curious speculations therein propounding and setting before vs as it were in an Inuentorie whatsoeuer is contained in the heauens howsoeuer they be expresly forbidden by that great Apostle howbeit that he had beene rapt and carried vp into the third heauen because it may bee that these thinges would not content the contentious Let vs come and see how these bookes can be thought to bee his hauing obserued the proofes to the contrarie as they follow Eusebius reckoning vp all the famous men in the Church called by the name of Denys and whatsoeuer they had written sayeth not a word of this man S. Ierome in his Catalogue of worthy men speaketh of two or three of this name but of this man or of any of his books he is not remembred Origene Chrysostome and all the first Greekes and Latines in like manner altogether as little Gregor homil 33 de decem drachmis Yea Gregorie the great citing the bookes of this Denys calleth him not Areopagite He speaketh of the consecration of Monkes who can denie but that these ceremonies were vnknowne more then three hundred yeares after Christ And that Denys speaketh also of their shauing which cannot bee proued to haue beene knowne or heard of more then 600. yeares after saue that the Fathers in generall termes did admonish those of the Clergie that they should not fashion themselues after the vaine manner of such men who gloried in their long haire Of the vse of Godfathers in Baptisme but who is hee that is able to shew out of anie old either Greek or Latine writer I say not this name but so much as any trace or smal impression of the thing for many ages after Howsoeuer they haue beene verie exact and exquisite in describing all the ceremonies obserued in Baptisme Dionisius de diuin nominib But what Denys soeuer this might bee he neuer so much as once pretendeth that it should bee the Areopagite for in his bookes of diuine names he reckoneth vp Clement the Philosopher and they will haue him to bee the Romaine but it appeareth that hee was an Alexandrian seeing it is so found and proued by a place in his viii booke hee liued about the yeare 200. And therefore further or otherwise then hee witnesseth of himselfe what haue wee to doe to expect and looke what others doe say In like manner wee see that Theodore Gaza in his preface vpon the Problemes of Alexander Aphrodiseus Theod. Gaza in praef in proble Aphrod Erasmus vpon Act. 17. Caietan vppon the Actes cap. 17. and vpon the third of the Kings Sixtus Senensis lib. 4. in dictione Athanasius dedicated vnto Pope Nicholas the fift pronounceth that these bookes of the Hierarchie were neuer made by Denys the Athenian So sayeth Erasmus also writing vpō the Acts and he addeth his reason I do not thinke sayeth he that in these first times the Christians had so manie ceremonies c. Laurentius Valla that the learned of his time did attribute them vnto one Apollinaris as also the Cardinall Caietan sheweth that they could not bee his and Sixtus Senensis dooth so faintlie and doubtfullie mantain the contradictorie part as that he reiecteth the questions concerning the old new Testament attributed to Athanasius Seeing sayth he that in the fourth question there is mention made of the misticall Diuinitie which I thinke to haue beene vnknowne at that time To bee short I doubte not but that it will befall the man whosoeuer hee bee that shall reade them through as it happened to one Gulielmus Grocinus a worthy man an English Diuine nothing suspected of our aduersaries who as Erasmus maketh mention hauing vndertaken in the time of king Henrie the eight publikelie to expound this writer in S. Paules Church in London did straine himself mightilie euen from the beginning to take away all doubt from such as should once imagine that Denys Areopagite should not be the author thereof but scarse was he proceeded to the middest before that he vnsaide it againe and was neare to haue craued pardon and foregiuenes of his auditors whereby we may note what consciences our aduersaries beare about them not letting to paye out anie manner of counterfeyted coyne whatsoeuer Nicen. Synod 2. Against all this they set the councell of Nice but let vs marke that it is the second held about the adoration and worshipping of Images about the yeare 800. and therewithall that in the same he is not called Areopagite Constantinop Syn. 3. They alledge also the Councell of Constantinople the third wherein there is a certain place though cold and blunt inough alledged about his books against the Monothelites This was helde about the yeare 680. But what is this for to proue vnto vs the antiquitie thereof For as concerning that which they take out of the first Homilie of Origen vpon S. Iohn they might blush and be ashamed seeing he nameth none but the Manichies and Arrians in that place and how long was that after him But what shal we say seeing in France where it is held that
he exercised his Apostleshippe we haue so negligentlie looked to the keeping of this Masse as that wee had it not till after the yeare 900. or thereabout when Michaell the Emperour of Constantinople sent it vnto Lewes the son of Charles the bald where we must not forget that so great ignorance raigned when it was brought vnto vs so able were wee to giue a sound and vpright iudgement vpon it as that to the end wee might be able to celebrate and keepe the same yearlie vpon S. Denis his day in the Abbay of S. Denis neare Paris as it was then appointed it must needes bee written in Latine in which language it is read as yet vnto this day Let vs come to Clement They shew vs his Lithurgie I dare take them vpon their oath Of the Masse attributed to Clement to speake in what estimation they haue it concerning the goodnes and sufficiencie thereof and whether that they would think themselues to haue made a right consecration and according to the lawes of their Canons if they should bee ruled by the same and yet notwithstanding Euseb lib. 3. cap. 16. S. Hieron de eccl Scriptor they are not ashamed to make it a buckler of theirs Eusebius and S. Ierome allowe not anie worke of this Clements from whome euerie day doth giue vs a newe spring of volumes saue onelie one Epistle written to the Corinthians and yet that same is lost and perished although they let not to confesse that there are manie bookes that walke abroade vnder his name but such as are verie much swaruing from the doctrine of the Apostles those especially which are intituled his reuiewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Ruffinus alledged by S. S. Hieron in Apol. aduers Ruff. Dist 15. sancta Romana Epiph. haeres 27. Sixt. l. 2. Bibl. Ierome doth affirm that they contain the heresie of the Eunomians in such euident and manifest manner as that it might seeme to haue beene Eunomius himselfe speaking in them Gelasius the Pope giueth the same censure vppon the booke called Itinerarium Petri or S. Peter his voiage And Epiphanius addeth that the Ebionites did make vse of the same for the prouing of their heresies And the Inquisition saith Sixtus Senensis hath likewise disalowed of and condemned them As for his Epistles vnto S. Iames the Bb. of Ierusalem it is apparantlie cleare that he was dead 30. years before that S. Clement could be Bb. of Rome and yet notwithstanding hee taketh vpon him this facultie But how can it be maintained being before the death of S. Peter And yet after all this who is there that will stand forth and warrant vs that there is no falshoode in the bookes of Constitutions newlie brought ouer from Candie by a certaine Venetian called Capellus in which we may reade this pretended Lithurgie of S. Clements seeing that the Councell of Constantinople held in Trullo doth complaine that these Constitutions of Clement haue beene falsified seeing also that the Cardinall Bessarion not knowing possibly how to approue the words of consecration vsed therin doth vtterlie reiect the authority therof as Apocrypha openlie suspected of being counterfeite and fained Now therfore what haue they merited or what seruice haue these bookes of Clementes done vnto the Church since that time hauing beene condemned by the Primitiue Church that they should now find allowance and approbation in our Church Shall books containing the seede of controuersies bee admitted as deciders of controuersies what shoulde let vs to condemne euerie particular of the doctrines which they containe seeing they were euerie where and vniuersallie then condemned in the Church But let vs see some notes of vntruth in them such as are in others and withall such particular ones as are proper vnto them alone Behold prayer for Confessors not receiued as saith Bellarmine for the space of 700. yeares after in the Church of Rome and so they woulde proue that from that time there was a Pope That the remainder of the Euchariste should be cast into the Sextens chamber or roomes called Pastophoria which in olde time were certain galleries in the Temples of the Painims appointed for lodgings for such as resorted thether for to offer sacrifice and how short came poore Christians as then of hauing anie such Temples or buildinges Let vs make an end of that which remaineth concerning this matter Decretall Epistles all after the same manner what shall we say then of those goodlie Epistles written by the first Bbs. of Rome wherein so oftentimes mention is made of the Masse shall they also swing in the same ballance and obtaine as vile an end This would it may bee but anger and vexe them too much But who can indure that it should bee thought that such Epistles should bee attributed vnto so great Clearkes and personages and that in those ages wherein the Latine tongue most flourished being more full of incongruities and barbarismes then euer were found amongst the verie Gothes as for example Episcopi sunt obediendi sunt vener andi non sunt detrahendi and in that written to Euaristus non sunt respuendi non insidiandi againe in an other to Telesephorus Also ab iis omnes se fideles cauere debent and such like who euer spake such Latine or else who cannot say if they did speak so that of all the Latine the B bs of Rome the head citie of the whole world were the most barbarous and the least Latinistes But is it in these pretended Epistles that we find these goodlie Decrees Of Clement the first Let not the Laitie enter into the Presbiterie whilest Masse is in saying when as at this time not 300. yeares after there were not anie eyther Temples or Presbiteries witnesses herein are Origene and Arnobius And as wee shall see the name of the Masse was as little amongst the Latines and lesse amongst the Greekes Of Alexander the first Let not a Priest say anie moe then one Masse a day De Consecr D. 1. Can. Sufficit Can Nocte Sancta c. And of Telesephorus That hee may say it thrice vpon Christes day and that because the people flocke and run together by thousands vnto Christianitie and that euerie one is desirous to communicate vppon that daye yea hee had an expresse commaundement And thus they euerie where deceiue with the name of Masse in stead of Communion or Eucharist And yet of all this while haue they not got so much as one Masse neither of the Apostles nor of their Disciples neither yet of the first Bbs. of Rome by turning ouer and pressing all the recordes of one hundred yeares space after the death of Christe And although we should allow for good and currant whatsoeuer they alledge how far off notwithstanding should we finde them from that great Masse of these our times and how farre to seeke for their priuate Masses But they replye who is able to proue any thing to you seeing you deny so manie Testimonies
and bookes Nay rather how can we receiue and admit of them seeing they belie themselues or build our selues vpon them seeing they plucke downe themselues hauing receyued the black sentence by the Primitiue Church and being confounded by their owne mouthes wordes And in all this who goeth away with the losse our aduersaries for producing false witnes or we for charging them therewithall they for offering to make vp theyr payment of counterfeyte coyne and that in a bargaine of merchandize of such prices and worth or we for touching and making an assay thereof But what is the greatest gaine that riseth by such faining and counterfeyting of bookes Certes euen such as ordinarilie attendeth Sathan in all the trauell and paine hee putteth himselfe vnto namelie to drawe and allure and afterwarde to keepe man kinde in the snares of ignorance or errour by his counterfeyte and fained deuises The same which fel vpon those deceyuing Spirits in the first ages of the christian Churches for foisting in the goodlie Gospells of Nicodemus S. Iames S. Bartholomew S. Thomas and others which was a derogating from the authoritie of the holy true Scriptures so much as in them laye by the bringing in of those which were false What did the Manichies pretend sayeth S. Augustine by their false Actes of the Apostles Euen nothing else but to weaken the truth of the holie historie and to strengthen the arme of falshoode which suteth verie well with that which Leo the first saide That these pretended writinges of the Apostles which vnder this faire name contained the seedes of manie false doctrines ought not onelie to bee forbidden in the church but quite banished yea burned Againe it is most certaine that one of the hotest persecutions that euer the Primitiue Church endured and whereof it so grieuously complayneth was that which was kindled with the bellowes of false and counterfeyte writinges and those proceeding so farre as euen to shrowde themselues vnder the name of Iesus Christ of the truth it selfe so ragingly did the spirite of lying ouerflow and so licentiouslie did he run loose at his libertie in these first ages as there was not to be found a more deadly wound then that against the puritie of the Gospell so the ancient Fathers did fortifie and arme themselues to the vttermost of their might for the keeping out of the same as Ireneus Iustine Origene Melito and others by distinguishing the Canonicall bookes from the Apocrypha whereas our aduersaries now a dayes that they may haue the better meanes to support and beare out their lies are nothing so carefull for or so zealously and earnestlie set vppon anie thing as to shake and weaken the authoritie of the holie Canonicall Scriptures and that partlie by slipping in amongst thē such books as the Primitiue Church had cut off as dead vnprofitable members partlie by reuiuing yea by new coining such store of such manner of fables such store of such such fooleries as possiblie they could deuise al to that end that amongst so much filthie and durtie stuffe as they brought and as had beene of olde swept and cast out of the Church by the auncient Fathers they might at the leaste finde out some scantlins more or lesse of the stuffe wherewith they did infect and corrupt their Church CHAP. III. What manner of diuine Seruice was vsed in the Christian Church in the time of the Apostles and their Disciples NOw it may not content vs to know that the Masse which is vsed at this day was no parte of the diuine seruice of God in the Christians Church in the time of the Apostles and their Disciples nor yet anie other thing comming neare vnto the same but wee must goe further and search what manner of seruice it was though wee bee put to fish and finde out the truth from the botomles lake of lying deceitfulnes a thing become very hard and difficult for vs to atchieue by reason of the piled heaps of ceremonies and the mighty multiplying of Nouelties for men to play and sport themselues withall throughout the whole continuance of so manie ages and because also that besides all such we shall bee forced to vndertake the clearing of this so intricate and intangled a matter by the darke and dimme traces as they may be found which are apparant in the bookes that are left vs and which our aduersaries themselues doe approue to the ende that on the one side we may bee able to discerne of Superstition from which we must depart and that on the other side we may not hang in suspence what is the true seruice of God wherunto we are to cleaue and according whereunto we ought as neere as may bee to desire and labour for the reformation of the Church Now this ought to suffice vs 1. Cor. 11. that S. Paule hath tolde vs that he hath not taught the Churches anie thing but that which he had receyued from the Lord and which also he hath declared vnto vs and againe that S. Peter by the bookes of our verie aduersaries is sayed to haue tyed and kepte himselfe to his institution And who is hee that would receiue or belieue otherwise of anie one or al the rest but yet notwithstanding men will not be content herewithall wee must be forced for their satisfaction to handle the matter in a more large and ample manner And here first we are to consider what S. Angustine telleth vs that is What the seruice was amongst the Christians that the church of God yea of Christ had his beginning in Adam shall end in this world by the last Christian which is asmuch to say as that there is but one Church euer since the beginning euen vnto the worlds end howsoeuer it haue his diuerse periods amongst all which that was the chief and principall which happened vpon the change of Iudaisme into Christianitie for to speake properlie a good Iewe was no other thing then a Christian by faith looking and waiting for the Messias which is Christ as in like manner a Christian is a true and naturall Iew of the true seed of Abraham in asmuch as by the same faith he hath receiued Iesus for the Christ The diuine seruice likewise amongst the Iewes notwithstanding that they were darkened in their opinions by the peruerse glosses of the Pharisies was abiding sincere and pure purged and free from all Idolatrie in as great measure as euer at any time before when our Sauiour Christ came into the world whereupon wee see he made it not straunge neither yet his Disciples to be conuersant in their Temple and Synagogues But on the contrary there was the place where our Lord did chuse oftentimes to take occasion to teach instruct the people to interprete the Scriptures which were therein diligentlie read as in like manner his Apostles did after his example Iohn 18. Actes 15. and to this end we haue infinite store of plaine and manifest places both
Walaf c. 22 there was shew and apparance that it was meet that it should likewise grow in pompe and ceremonies And moreouer concerning the circumstances of time and of the howre they saye sometimes that it should bee before sometimes they say that it should bee after Noone sometimes at Morning sometimes at Night and sometimes in the night season And for the place that it was in priuate houses in caues in dennes and holes and in most secret places And for garmentes In the first ages say they Masses were said with common apparrell the priestlie robes hauing altered and increased from time to time which notwithstanding Walafr c. 23 there are some in the partes of the world lying Eastward which yet vse them as at the first And as for vessels The cups in the Primitiue Church were of glasse and of wood c. Then say they were our Bbs. of gold Thus then you heare what these industrious searchers out of the ancient seruice of the Church do say vsing notwithstanding the Phrases and tearmes of the age wherein they liued though vnknown amongst the former as those of the Masse of the Sacrifice c. And they might also haue seene in their times and dayes the Bookes of the rites or prescript formes vsed in the Church before that the authoritie of Popes suborned and vnderpropped by the power of great Princes for so long a continuance of time had abolished both the vse and memorie thereof But to the end that wee may not thinke them to goe by gesse in that which they say neyther yet that we may seem to repose our selues vpō that only which they say nor regarding how much or little they agree with the former and more honorable reportes of antiquitie drawing neere vnto the times of the Apostles let vs heare in what manner Iustine Martyre about the yeare 160. describeth the holie Supper On the daye sayeth hee which is called Sundaye Iustinus martyr in Apologia 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say the Lords day there is an assembling and comming together of all manner of people dwelling eyther in the fieldes or in the citties into one place and there are read the Actes or Recordes of the Apostles and the writinges of the Prophetes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so long as the time would suffer Then when the Reader had left off reading ô 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say he which was President or chiefe in the assemblie that is to say the Bb. or Pastor deliuereth an admonition and exhortation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by way of discourse tending to the stirring of them vppe to follow and practise those good thinges afterwarde we rise all as one and send our praiers vnto God And as wee haue said before praier being ended the breade the wine and the water are brought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he which directeth the action 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deliuereth with all the power and might in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prayers and thankesgiuing and the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is consenteth adde thereunto their approuing voice affection and blessing saying Amen Then followeth the distribution which is to euerie one present the cōmunicating 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of the thinges which were blessed by thanksgiuing and they send of the same vnto those that are absent by the Deacons In the end they which are of abilitie and are moued therewithall giue euerie one according as it pleaseth him and that which is gathered abideth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with him which is president or chiefe amongst them wherewithall he made prouision for the fatherlesse widdowes sicke persons captiues and needie straungers c. And in another place going before After saith he that we haue washed that is to say baptised him that hath receiued the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and ioyned himselfe with vs we bring him into the assemblie and congregation of the brethren where they are come together to make their common prayers both for themselues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and for him that hath beene enlightened and for all manner of persons in what place of the world soeuer c. When prayers are thus ended wee salute one another with a holy kisse and then there is brought vnto him that is president 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bread and the cup of water and wine and he hauing taken them giueth praise and glorie vnto the father of all thinges in the name of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost and maketh a great thankesgiuing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that he hath vouchsafed to thinke them worthie of these thinges which being ended 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ioyne and put their blessing thereto saying Amen which being Hebrew signifieth as much as So be it Afterward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Pastor hauing blessed them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the people answering to this blessing those whom we call Deacons giue to euerie one of those that are present to receiue of the bread and wine and water so blessed by the said thankesgiuing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they carrie it to those that are absent And this foode is called amongst vs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Eucharist or Sacrament of thankesgiuing which it is not lawfull for any one to receiue which hath not before receiued the truth of our doctrine by faith and which hath not beene washed with the baptisme of regeneration for the remission of sinnes c. Now in these two places thus laying out the forme and patterne for the manner of the celebrating of the holy supper in the Primitiue church for our aduersaries cite them in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of the Lithurgie or diuine office we haue all that which is before mentioned together with the euident markes of the whole Iewish seruice and yet we shall hardly bee able therein to find out the Masse Therein we well behold and see a flocke of Christians and one Pastor which doth call them together to serue God and to be fed with his word and with his sacraments the reader that readeth the holy scripture the pastor that frameth some exhortation out of the same vnto the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 deuout prayers in a loude voice offred vp to God before and after aswell for the Church as for all other men Then afterward how the bread the wine and water are brought and not offered which are blessed by the Pastor by thanksgiuing vttered in a language that is vnderstood of all and not consecrated neither turned or changed by the whispring and muttering of certaine wordes the people ioyning therewithall their vowes and inward affections becomming a partie in this seruice Finally after a mutuall kisse the signe of the holy charitie which ought to be nourished amongst them as the mēbers of Christ the
vpon his cap he then turning himselfe about gaue one of them a blow with his fist Theodor. l. 3. c. 15.16 esteeming himselfe as saith Theodoret defiled and not cleansed thereby because he was a Christian And furthermore he saith the like elie where as namely that Iulian caused all that which was sold in the market to be sprinckled to the ende that the Christians might not buy any thing at all there And that by this sprinkling they held that sinnes were defaced appeareth by these wordes of Hippocrates himselfe de morbo sacro Hippocr de morb sacro that I may haue nothing to doe here with the alleadging of Poets In going in saith hee wee sprinkle our selues with this water to the end that if we haue any sinne we may bee purified and made cleane And Proclus saith That it was not onely made of fresh water but of Sea water also Proc. de sacrif Magia Turneb in Aduers l. 13. c. 21. Athenaeus l. 9. because that salt is detersiue And they sprinckle Aspergillum either of Rosemarie or of the boughes of the Bay tree or of the Oliue tree and not onely for the purging and cleansing of men but Citties Temples and other things without life as also is practised at this day in the Romish Church To be short as they had amongst the Gentiles a peculiar and proper forme of sanctifying it dipping therein as Athenaeus telleth vs a fire brand taken from off the Altar whereupon they offered their sacrifices Durand l. 4. c. 4. so likewise haue they a peculiar manner of making this exorcising the salt first and then the water and after that them both being mixt together which being done both they and the Gentiles do thinke that it purgeth away sinnes Of burning of incense it was so common a custome amongst the Gentiles Of burning of incense Theod. l. 3. c. 16. Sozom. l. 5. c. 17. as that Iulian the Apostate that hee might cunningly binde the Christians to the same ordained that when anie came vnto him according to the custome to receiue anie gifts at his hands they should burne incense before him whereupon certain notable Christians hauing vnderstanding of his purposed intent came and brought them backe againe vnto him that so they might not be polluted and but for a little he had caused them to haue beene put to death Ruffin lib. 1. C. 36. To be briefe Thurificantes that is such as burnt and offered incense vnto creatures no otherwise then to idols were in old time accompted amongst them which had turned aside from the puritie of Christianitie But whether it come from the Gentiles or from the Iewes amongst whom incense represented the sweet smell of the holy praiers of the faithfull in Gods nostrels by the same maner of peruerse lewd imitation it came to passe that in the end it was brought into the Christian Churches but yet not so soone as some would haue vs to belieue For S. August S. Ambr. S. Basil S. Chrysost and other ancient fathers do not speake one word of it in any of all the books they haue written if onely certain Lithurgies alleadged out of them be excepted which yet hereafter wee will confute proue to be false and counterfeit stuffe S. August in Psal 49. 50. S. Augustine to the contrarie Behold saith he we are out of care we go not any more to seeke incense in Arabia God requireth of vs a sacrifice of praise and such a sacrifice had Zacheus in his patrimony c. Againe shal we not then offer any thing vnto him shall we come before God in such sort How then shal we appease his wrath Offer thou hast whereof to offer in thy selfe go not about to take any farre iourney to buy incense Plat. in vit Sixt. 1. Polyd. l. 5. but saie Thy vowes are vpon me O Lord which I will render vnto thee in singing of praises vnto thee c. The onely man wherein it is found is S. Denis an Author better stuft with vaine ceremonies then with solide and sound doctrine And a long time after about the yeare 800. wee reade that Leo 3. ordained that it should be vsed in the Masse For Tapers waxe-candles lights in the Church it is to be noted that the greatest part of Christians their diuine seruice was done in the beginning in priuate Lightes and secretly before day as we may reade in Plinie the second and in all the ecclesiasticall writers and thereupon they could not be without light Now this custome of comming together in the night because of persecution did likewise continue and hold on in the times of peace Euseb l. 4. de vit Constant whereupon it commeth that wee reade that Constantine continued in holy watch vntill it was day and caused to bee lighted for his going to the place and comming backe againe great waxe candles Tapers and verie great torches throughout the whole Citie and lampes in the place of prayer to giue light to them that were present Epiphanius calleth them thereupon Psalmos orationes lucernales Epiph. l. 3. t. 2. that is Psalmes and praiers which were said by a lampe and this was the office of the Acoluthes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to light them after cleare day we do not see that euer the Primitiue Church did euer vse them Tertull. in Apol. Tertullian on the contrarie Wherefore saith he do we not deck the posts with baies vpon the daies of ioy and why breake we not off the day-light by lighting torches Againe Who forceth the Philosopher to sacrifice to play the malecontent Lanct l. 6. c. 2. and to light fond and vaine torches at high noone because the Gentiles constrained the Christians to do it And Lactantius after he perceiued that he had beene a long time mocked of the Pagans at length concludeth in these wordes Who can esteeme or make account of him to bee wise which offereth candles and lampes for giftes vnto him who hath created and giuen the light a reproch which had beene vnfitly charged vpon the Pagans if then it might haue beene cast backe vpon and obiected against the Christians To be briefe the Elibertine Councell forbiddeth them vpon paine of the curse to light any in the places of the buriall of the Martyrs being the places where the Christians vsed to assemble and come together for hee called it The troubling of the Ghostes and spirites of the Saintes and holy ones But as a great number of others did this ceremony tooke his passage from the Gentiles to the Christians in the time of S. Ierome that is more then 400. yeares after the death of our Lorde And Vigilantius the Pastor of Barcelonia writ against the same Conc. Elibert c. 34. complaining of it that he should see the superstition of the Pagans drawne into religion and deriued fetcht from the Gods of Paganisme to bee bestowed vppon the Christian Martyrs Saint Ierome did
also to be of the same mind with S. Augustine when he saith in the very same places That the catechised in a certain maner were sanctified by the sign of Christ That the signe of the crosse is a Sacrament which is receiued in the forhead as the others are in the mouth and in the bodie improper speeches as well the one as the other haue begotten and hatched sutable like opinions Els what will they say to Thomas Aquinas who maintaineth and defendeth that the signe of the crosse is not necessarie in the sacraments And how much better had it beene to the purpose for them to haue kept themselues to the serious meditation of the true crosse the death and passion of our Lord But all that they thus struggle and striue for Thomas 3. p. Summae qu. 84. artic 42. add 3. is to be able to approue and make good the signes of the Crosse which are so often in the Masse but yet they cannot tell how to become friends with S. Denis who amongst so many ceremonies reckoned vp in his lithurgie hath not made any mention at all thereof But they tell vs The lithurgies of this time that all these ceremonies are found in the lithurgies or offices of this time as that of S. Basil S. Chrysost c. as likewise many doctrines which we approue not I auouch confesse the same most freely and reserue the doctrines to handle them in their place but I aunswere here in a word that I will not let to indorse write vp the title of false and counterfeite against all these lithurgies and that by prouing either that they were neuer written nor made by them or that if they did ordaine any prescript forme of the administration of the sacrament in their diocesses as there is some apparance and likelihood that they did that according to the measure of abuses that haue beene brought in they were corrupted and depraued afterward And first he that shal compare that which the Syrians vse vnder the name of Basil with that which we haue shall find most notable differences therein Then againe of that which we haue there is one patterne and copie which the old interpreter did vse and another which the latter new interpreter did vse so likewise it standeth with it in the matters of substance Secondly for that that which is attributed vnto Chrysostome is not agreed vpon by the copies of Leo Thuscanus Erasmus and Pelargus one of the making mention of the dead of the inuocating of the virgin there being nothing in the other concerning the same one of them also being printed at Rome and the other at Paris where may also be obserued the forward readinesse and zeale of one place to corrupt and falsifie a thing more then another which is a matter of no small moment to cause men to doubt of the truth of them both And furthermore the Doctor of Espence noteth Claud. Espenc de Missa priuata That this Leo went about to alter and change that which Chrysostome had said of the priuate Masse into an ill fauoured sence and that far from the purpose for which he had deliuered it fitting and applying it to the fashion of the Latine Church in his time into which as then they had brought the same for he was Secretarie to Emanuel Emperour of Greece about the yeare 1170. and did interprete vnto him the writinges of Trithemius the Abbot Which notwithstanding saith hee I doe not stand vppon eyther to make it suspicious or to bee thought vnworthie of Chrysostome and the Greeke Church but rather to cause that it might bee receyued and certainly knowne that as it was begunne by Saint Chrysostome so it had beene amplified and inlarged by others in succession of time The same likewise for the same reasons may bee saide of Saint Basill Thirdly wee haue the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both in the one and in the other And wee haue shewed before that it was not receiued till about a hundred yeares after them by Proclus Archbishoppe of Constantinople and in both of them there is mention of Confessors after the Martyrs Now it is confessed by our aduersaries themselues that their name was not receiued into the seruice of the Church till a long time after and yet also a great deale later into the Latine Church Wee find also in both of them the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of God speaking of the holy virgin the doctrine concerning the same is as old and was borne with the Church but the heresie of Nestorius gaue occasion of the worde first receiued in the Councels of Ephesus which were after them In both of them wee find the offring vp of incense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the remission of sinnes a ceremonie altogether vnknowne vnto these auncient fathers and a blasphemous doctrine not tollerable amongst Christians In that of Basil particularly wee finde the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Latine Panis Catechumenorum the holy bread to bee distributed after seruice vnto them which had not communicated not knowne at this time in the Church of the Grecians neither yet mentioned in Basil Nazianzene nor Chrysostome againe in that of Chrysostome by it selfe the Priest adoreth the image of our Sauiour crucified and of the holy virgine a thing not heard of in the Greekish Church for 300. yeares after neither made mention of in any one of all his bookes though he writ verie many volumes and that amongst the rest he was giuen very diligently to write of the ceremonies of the holy supper yea and which is more condemned by himselfe in expresse tearmes Is not this saith he a shame that those whome God hath indued with reason Chsysost in hom 57. in Genes c. 31. doe honour wood and stone that those vpon whom he hath bestowed a voice and speech should bee caried away to the worship of dumbe thinges yea doe we thinke that such brutish and beastly Apostasie can be within the compasse of mercie Fourthly ioyne to the former that there is mention made not of Chrysostome only who is inuocated and prayed vnto therein in certaine copies but of many moe Saintes who liued after Chrysostome and that therein is prayer made for the Emperour Alexius and for the Pope Nicholas by the name of Oecumenius or vniuersall Now it is well knowne that the Greeke Church did neuer take any acknowledgement of the Bb. of Rome by this name and title but that euer since the yeare 1054. the Greekes haue degraded him and set vp in his place the Patriarch of Constantinople that is to say more then 30. years before Alexius came to the Empire And from other places it is to be proued that the first of this name fell to be in the yeare 855. that is to say more then 200. yeares before Alexius in somuch as that this must needs be Nicholas the Patriarch of Constantinople of whom Zonarus maketh mention as liuing in
this day was saued at the request of one Petrus Diaconus hauing some care of the same But it was to verie good purpose that hee had in his life time left the forme of seruice to the discretion of the Pastors and that those which presentlie after succeeded him did not stirre much or trouble themselues in causing of his to bee obserued for by that meanes the Churches remained a long time inioying their libertie in such sort as wee haue alreadie acknowledged to bee contained in the Canons of the Councell of Venice and Gerond helde about the yeare 500. and 550. that is to say that all whatsoeuer was to bee got thereby was That in one and the same Prouince or vnder one and the same Metropolitane there was obserued one and the same seruice except it were in such countries as where Christianitie did settle it selfe a fresh for there the reformers sent thether from the Popes caused them strictlie and directlie to admit and follow the Romish order In France this Augustine a Monke of Rome of the Order of S. Bennet trauelling on the behalfe of Gregorie into England found himselfe offended that the Order of Rome was not obserued and thereupon did write vnto Gregorie who repressed redressed his ouer forwardnes in these wordes That hee must take that in euerie Church which is good c. Againe the authoritie of the French Church was then so great as that it helde his councels apart and within it selfe and not fearing or standing vpon whatsoeuer anie man could or would gain-say as caring but a little or else nothing at all for the Church of Rome In England The Romish Masse first receiued in England where hee thought hee should find a greene ground that neuer had beene husbanded or tilled hee proceeded further insomuch as that hee procured from the Pope to bee created Archbishoppe of Canterbury and the rather because of his good happe so seruing him to meete with an ignorant king and a superstitious Queene and there hee preached so was it called the Christian religion that is to say all the ceremonies and trumperie of Rome as their Masses Letanies Processions Copes Vestmentes Altars Candlestickes holie Waters Consecrations c. and there hee brought to passe to haue them receiued and yet vpon condition That no man should bee forced or constrained thereunto Beda lib. 1 2. But going about to purchase still further credite to himselfe and beginning of a wilie Foxe to play the fierce and furious Lyon a famous Abbot named Dinoth a great Diuine who taught vnder him more then two thousande Monkes for the Nurcerie of seauen Diocesses in England opposed himselfe verie stoutelie against him in a full Synode and boldly auouched that hee ought not to chaunge the olde and auncient formes of Christian religion refusing therewithall to acknowledge him for an Archbishoppe c. insomuch as that this good Augustine did incense Ethelfred king of Northumberland against him who caused him to bee knockt in the head with twelue hundred of those that did belong vnto him From that time forward the people being bold and farre from feare about the yeare 637. at the earnest sute of Pope Iohn the fourth and the solicitation of Laurentius Mellitus Iustus Honorius and others sent from the Sea of Rome one after an other to presse and vrge forward the kinges and Cleargie of England for the entertayning of this change and alteration beganne to celebrate the feaste of Easter after the manner of Rome And about the yeare 666. the Bishoppes receiued shauing and vnction and the Pastors which were there beganne to bee called Sacerdotes that is to say Priestes Afterward about the yeare 679. there was established the manner of celebrating in the Latine tongue Beda lib. 4. c. 18. de geshs Anglor at the great labour and diligence vsed by an Archchanter or chiefe singing man of Rome whom the Pope Agatho sent thether and as for the playing of organes it being added vnto the Romish manner of singing by Pope Vitalian Beda could not abstaine but say Heretofore in steade of these thinges the principall seruice of God consisted in the preaching of the Gospell and hearing of the word of God But as the Romains thought not themselues absolute Lordes and Conquerours of anie Countrie who did not consent to liue according to their lawes The Romish Masse first receiued in Italy speak their language euen so the Popes at this time aspiring vnto and greedilie gaping after the Monarchie of the Church did not thinke or make account of hauing the same in good earnest except they brought it to bee subiect vnto their lawe of the Latine seruice and that ioyned with the Latine tongue And as Pipin and Charles the great new vsurpers both ouer the French as also ouer the Empire in the West had great neede of their fauour for the authorising of them and making of their places to be graunted and acknowledged as rightlie descending vnto them by the people so the Popes did not spare to looke to receiue from them againe a giue for their gaue as namelie to establish their lawes seruices and ceremonies so farre as they shoulde be able that is so farre as their authority or sword might establish and settle the same Thus Adrian the first about the yeare 790. held a councell in Rome Adr. D. 63. Durand l. 5. c. 2. wherin hee caused to bee ordained that Gregories Masse should bee obserued in all Christian Churches And Charles the great liuing at the same time ordained that the decrees of the Pope should bee obeyed throughout all his Empire and Dominions and particularlie that Gregories Masse should bee receiued into all the coastes and countries of the same and for the easier accomplishing of the execution of the same which could not but be full of difficulties hee did not spare either threatninges or punishmentes The historie is set downe all at large in Nauclerus Naucler Gene. 2â— fol. 44. Iacob de Vorag in legenda Gregor B. Eugenri Iacobus de Voragine and others to the breaking out of these wordes Carolus Imperator omnes Clericos minis suppliciis coegit libros Ambrosiani Officii c. Hee compelled all the Church men by threatninges and punishmentes to burne all the bookes of S. Ambrose his Office or Lithurgie c. Yea there was no sparing of miracles whereupon the malice of a few became very pregnant and fruitfull preuailing much against the ignorance of a great sort It is reported that in this Councell of Rome the Masse-bookes or Offices of S. Ambrose and S. Gregorie were laid vpon S. Peters Altar the dores of the Temple close shut and sealed with the seales of diuers Bishoppes they all abiding in fasting and prayer vntill such time as it shoulde please God by some signe to shewe which of the two was most acceptable to him Now in the Morning when they should come to open the dore they found the Masse-booke of S. Ambrose
to receiue the Romish Order they preuailed by might against such as with stoode them Vide literas Zachariae ad Bonifacium cius rursus ad Zachariam Item Iuraniētum quod Papae dedit as Virgilius the Bb. of Iuuauia otherwise called Saltzburge Clement Scotus Samson and other great personages as also one Albert a French man by nation whome Boniface suffered to dye in prison for writing of a booke against his innouations then to continue this order hee created new Bbs. in the countrie and there accordingly installed thē after his manner as namely at Wirtzburge Bamberg Erford Eichstat Hirtafeld c all which were shortly after confirmed by Pope Zacharie and these in their places instituted and set vppe the Romish ceremonies the which that they might bee so much the more strongly auouched it was ordained Munster aetat 3. that there should be a Synod held yearelie in Germany The particular wordes of the oath that Boniface made vnto the Pope are not to bee ouerpassed without noting Fidem meam atque concursum tibi vtilitatibus Ecclesiae tuae exhibebo I promise thee my faith and help in Auent lib. 3. and about euery thing which shall concerne the profites of thy Church Againe writing to Zacharie As manie Disciples sayeth hee as God doth giue mee in this my embassage I am not slacke or cold in drawing their affections vnto the obedience of the See Apostolike Wherupon may easily be discerned whether his chief scope drift were to win them to Christ or to the Pope to preach the Christian faith or the Romish authoritie Neuerthelesse Annales Carētanorum wee reade that about the yeare 860. a great and holy Personage named Methodius Illiricus did bend himselfe againe and againe against these abuses turning the holie Scripture to this end into the Sclauonian tongue reestablishing the auncient seruice in all the Churches of this language assaying likewise to doe the same in Bauaria Austria Sueuia and other Prouinces of Germany abolishing from thence the Latine Masse and the ceremonies of Rome against whome these new Bbs. raised the princes and people which notwithstanding he dyed peaceably in Morauia being buried in Olmuntz the Metropolitane Cittie of the Countrie and where his name is yet had in great reuerence In Spaine the people being giuen to cleaue fast vnto the thing which they shall once take hold of the Popes had not so soone wonne this goale The Masse receiued in Spaine In the beginning they had many prescript formes of seruice as wee learne out of the Councell of Gerund wherein it was ordained that vnder one Metropolitane at the least there should bee but one forme of seruice And after that in the fourth councell of Toledo it was decreede that in all Spaine there shall bee vsed one order in prayers in singing Concil Tolet. 4. cap. 2. C. Bracar 1. c. 22. in the Sacramentes and in the solemne celebrating of the Masses c. which thing also was confirmed by the councell of Bracare and it may seeme that the forme or order instituted eyther by S. Leander or by Isidore the Bb. of Siuill and Disciple of Saint Gregorie cōmonly called the Office of the Mozarabes was preferred before all the other because the Moores mixt amongst the Christians did vse the same in Spaine not much differing in the rest from the Gregorian seruice no not any more then the Disciple differeth from the Maister And indeede it appeareth by the Councell of Bracare that the Metropolitane Profiturus had brought it from Rome into the Church of Bracare by the authoritie of the See of Rome Notwithstanding the Popes to procure vnto themselues all manner of further credite woulde haue that all manner of considerations consultations deliberations or aduises being omitted and quite forgotten the order of Rome should bee receiued in Spaine but this they coulde not obtaine till a long time after that they had gained all other nations namelie in the time of Gregorie the seauenth and Vrban the seconde aboute the yeare 1090. and that because of the contradictions and resistances which were brought in and made against the same Then sayeth Roderico Archbishoppe of Toledo in his historie Pope Vrbane the second reprouing the waies of Pope Gregorie the seauenth Roderie Tole lib. 6. c. 24. called Hildebrand his predecessor sent a Legate into Spaine named Richard Abbot of S. Victors of Marseilles at the request of king Alphonsus the 6. to reforme the Churches of Spaine endamaged by the long and hard persecutions which they had suffered which Richard vnder this colour hauing perswaded the king Alphonsus by the means of the Queen Constance his wife which was a French woman hee ordained that the French Order and that was then the Romish or Gregorian Order should bee receiued and that of Toledo otherwise called Mozarabique abolished and banished out of Spaine The three estates of the Realm fell to be verie turbulent and yet notwithstanding the king would not goe backe from his worde to the procuring of his least discredite insomuch as that in the end the thing came to this issue namely that it should bee decided by a combat and thereuppon there was named and chosen for the king a Knight and hee should fight for the French or Gregorian Office and by the States an other and hee should fighte for the Office of Toledo But the kinges Champion as sayeth the historie was quicklie ouercome not without the exceeding ioye and reioycing of the States for the victorie obtayned of their Champion for the Order of Toledo who was of the house of Matanza neere vnto Pisorica whereof there is a hardie and valiant race and offpring remaining aliue yet vnto this daye The Queene Constance hauing so much the more edge set vppon her did not giue ouer to follow the point with the king her husband alleadging for herselfe that the triall of the combat should not stand as a righteous sentence or become Iudge and Vmpier in such matters c. vppon which wordes the States were much discontented and neare vnto the raising of a tumulte and mouing of sedition Insomuch as that it was the seconde time agreede vppon that the booke of the French Office and that of Toledo should be both of them cast into a great fire and that the Primate the Legate and the Church men should in the meane while keepe all the people in fasting and prayer And now likewise it so fell out as that the booke of the French Order was burned and consumed all into ashes whereas on the contrarie that of the Order of Toledo remained whole not so much as smelling of any flame And notwithstanding sayeth the Historiographer The king continued as yet obstinate without being moued to feare at the sight of the miracle and nothing turned at the humble sutes and requestes of the people but on the contrarie commaunded vnder the paine of loosing goodes and life that the French that is the Romish Order should
Christianitie by their dispearsinges and scatteringes according to the purenes and sinceritie of the Gospell did teach at this time that the Masse did retaine and hold nothing of the institution of Christ neither for the liuing nor for the dead that the consecration was not tyed to the wordes of the Canon but to the Lordes institution that the holy Supper ought to be celebrated according to that institution or else that it is no supper that all other ceremonies therein are vnprofitable and the vulgar or naturall tongue of euery people necessary for the instruction of the people c. If also the king S. Lewes although caried away with the streames of custome did exhort Henrie king of England to heare sermons taken out of the word of God rather then to frequent Masses Matth. Paris addit Because saith he the one will bee much more auaileable vnto you to saluation then the other But because we haue handled it before how that the priestes had got so much by their daies labors that they had in the end cut off and taken away the cup of the Lord from the people it concerneth vs now consequently to looke about vs and see by what proceedings they attained thereto being no change or alteration but a meere dismembring and violent rent vndertaken in so deepe a degree of presumption and performed with so high and horrible an enterprise of sacriledge CHAP. X. That the Communion vnder both kindes was practised all in the old Church SEeing for certaintie that our Lord Iesus Christ hath once said The communion vnder both kindes Take drinke ye all this is the cuppe of the new Testament in my blood which is shed for you where shall be found such a priest as dare vnder the name of the church refuse deny to giue the same vnto the faithfull and what faithfull person should he be that should not be so bold as to vrge and importune the priest if he denie the cup the blood and the saluation in the blood of our Lord shed for vs the cup of the couenant if we will not willingly bee excluded and shut out from it the cup of the new Testament if wee will not by too open and euident a contempt frustrate and make of no effect our inheritance if wee will not be blotted out of the booke of children And yet such are excommunicate as require that they may haue the communion in the blood of Christ and which do stifly hold and contend that the one halfe of the legacies bequeathed them by their Lord and Maister his last will and testament is stolne from them those are called Sacramentarie Heretickes which complaine that the Sacrament of the bloode of Christ is taken from them And it is nothing but noueltie newfanglednes and innouation to haue recourse to this will and testament whose title is so auncient and authentike or to sue by force and vertue of the couenantes and conditions contained and agreed vpon therein It is antiquitie to eiect disseise and dispossesse vs by a new ordinance which hath no ground nor foundation but meere fansies no reason but presumption an antiquitie which cannot but verie hardly and with great difficultie deriue his pedegree further then one generation But now let vs looke into the stately march and proceeding of this great abuse The holy Supper of our Lord is cut off as we haue seene close by the ground and vpon the ruines thereof is built the Romish Masse By this meanes the people hath beene frustrate of the ordinarie vse of the bodie and blood of Christ From weekes it hath beene reiourned and put off to monethes from monethes to quarters and finally from quarters to once a yeare In stead of the bread of the Eucharist there is giuen the holy bread when they go out from the Masse In stead of the cuppe of the Lord in the communion they are now vouchsafed as much as will wash their mouthes and all this from time to time couered with the glorious name of the Church And what shall wee then say if all the olde Church be cleane contrarie thereunto If of all the deformities and corruptions of the same there bee not one that is newer or later then this Let vs trace ouer therefore the ages of the worlde and the workes of the fathers for I am willingly diposed to take the paines to make it plaine vnto the readers though they might enuy me for the same and though this matter be of the nature of those whereof S. Augustine hath giuen this rule Valeat ad sui demonstrationem ipsa rei ouidentia let the euidence and clearnes of the thing it selfe deale and speake for the proofe thereof Saint Paule in the first to the Corinthians beginneth at that end 1. Cor. 11. I haue receiued of the Lord that which I haue also giuen vnto you he is not so bold as these fellowes which giue cleane contrarie euen that which they haue neuer receiued and that which hee had receiued and that which he gaue that is the communion vnder both kinds Let vs vse this word kindes for the signes or Sacraments that so we may the better apply and fit our selues vnto them As oft saith he as you shal eate this bread drink this cup c. Let euerie man proue himselfe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup c. The man saith he and not the Apostle nor the disciple nor the Priest nor the Clearke but euerie Christian for so he writeth vnto the Church of God which is in Corinth to the sanctified in Iesus Christ to them which are called Saintes Yea and vnto all them saith hee which call vppon the name of our Lord in what place soeuer they be Ignatius writing to the whole Church of Philadelpha The consent of the fathers Ignatius ad Philadelph Anno salutis 100. Iren. lib. 4. c. 32 33.34 I exhort you saith he that you vse all one faith one publike ministerie and preaching of the word and one Eucharist for there is but one flesh of Iesus Christ and one blood shed for vs one bread broken for all and one cup distributed to all He saith to all and not to the priestes onely for euen in the same epistle before these words he had made mention of the Bb. Elder Deacons and people Irenaeus ioyneth and coupleth both of them together continually The Lord hath commanded saith he vnto his disciples to offer vnto God the first fruits of his creatures the bread to be his body and the cup to be his blood c and we neuer find them seperated the one from the other in him Saint Cyprian writing vnto Cornelius the Pope Epist 2. Anno 200. How saith he doe we teach how doe we incite and stirre vp the faithfull to shedde their blood for the confession of the name of Christ if we denie vnto them his blood vnto them who haue to fight for him How shall wee fit
concealed and kept backe Concil Tolet. 1. c. 14. Concil Caesar August c. 3. Liturg. PraesanctificatoruÌ„ Interprete Genebrardo that they were condemned by the Councels The first of Toledo saith If any man do receiue the Eucharist of the Minister and doe not eate it let him be put backe and excommunicate as a Church robber And that of Saragosa If hee doe not eate it in the Church that is in the verie place let him be accursed for euer Whereas Bellarmine alleadgeth the lithurgie of the presanctified amongst the Grecians which was said in Lent pretending that therin they did not consecrate or take any moe then one kind for certaine the lithurgie saith expressly that after that the Minister hath sanctified the bread he powred out the wine and water into the cup pronounced the accustomed words And the praier of the faithfull saith For behold his bodie without spot and his quickning blood c. which are set vpon this table And in the Post-communion they giue thankes vnto God for the receiuing of the one and the other That which is more speciall proper herein is that they consecrate for many in one day whereof they alleadge some one or other tradition But these are their cold and friuolous arguments vpon this point and in deed how can they be otherwise against the expresse word of God But we against these particular deuotions so endles and bottomles doe set this Maxime and generall rule In vaine do you serue me after your owne fancies being properly called in the scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will worship And against that custome Tertul. de virg veland Cypr. ad Quin. ad Iubaâ—â—num August lib. 2. contra Donatist c. 6. de Bapt. cont Donat. lib. 2. c. 14. that euerie man frameth and fashioneth to himselfe whether new or old as best pleaseth him let vs set the true antiquitie Iesus Christ saith Tertullian and S. Cyprian hath said I am the Truth and not Custome And whereas Custome hath preuailed against the law let vs say with S. Augustine We must waigh and ponder the doctrines in the right balance of the scriptures and not in the false and deceiptfull scales of Custome But let vs draw all vnto a conclusion and let vs not be ashamed with S. Cyprian his saying That what others before vs haue erred in and done amisse let vs correct at the admonition and warning of the Lord and where doth he speake lowder and more clearely then in his word to the end that when he shall come in his glorie and heauenly Maiestie he may find vs holding fast such admonitions as hee hath giuen vs obseruing that which he hath taught vs and doing that which he hath done So be it And now by this time wee haue looked into all the partes thereof A Recapitulation how and by what degrees the holy Supper of our Lord is degenerate and turned into the Masse how of the corrupting of the one the other was first begotten then nourished and afterward brought vp to that state wherein it hath stood for these certaine ages and that so long as vntill it hath vtterly brought the other to nothing in the Church of Rome So straunge an alteration as that in the whole frame and booke of nature there is not the like to bee met withall seeing the Masse now retaineth no more of the holy Supper either in his outward or inward partes seeing that the best sighted hauing considered the one could not obserue or find so much as one step or note of the other because also it is to go against and exceede the lawes of nature to passe from one extremitie to another a thing not credible not possible to be acknowledged if the diligent obseruation of histories did not point out vnto vs both the first proceedings and also the growing of the same till it came at the midst The holy supper was an assemblie a bodie of the faithfull vnited and knit together in one spirite strengthning the faith stirring vp the charity and kindling the zeale one of another in one common manner of celebrating of the seruice of God The Masse what containeth it being said by a priest in some corner of the church shuffled vp by a cleark who vnderstandeth not for the most part of the time one word that he speaketh The holy supper did resound with songs to the praise of God sung indifferently by all the people it taught them by the reading expounding of the holy scriptures it lifted them vp vnto God raised them out of themselues by feruent ardent praier But what impression can the Masse make in the heartes of men being a certaine kind of muttering noise posted ouer by one man alone not vnderstood of those which are present yea hardly vnderstood of himselfe where the scriptures are read of purpose so as they may not be vnderstood the praiers vttered with a low voice in an vnknown tongue that so they may not be heard with attention and lesse followed deuoutly by the people where by consequent they abide fixt vpoÌ„ that which they see not minding any higher matters it hath signes without any signification it hath pretended mysteries without any thing misticall in them except it be the muttered hums artificially affected by him that consecrateth and the carefull regard of a premeditated ignorance to be wrought and effected by such meanes vpon and in the poore silly people In the holy Supper was celebrated the memory of the death and passion of our Lord by a plaine and open rehearsall of the cause manner and benefites of the same and thereby the faithfull were taught to acknowledge and call to minde the greatnesse of their sinnes and to admire and magnifie the great and vnspeakeable mercies of God stirred vp consequently to renounce and forsake themselues to giue themselues vnto God to die vnto their lusts and concupiscences to liue vnto Christ to Christ I say who hauing once deliuered himselfe to the death of the Crosse for to giue them life did yet further vouchsafe to giue himselfe to them in his sacramentes euerie day as meate and drinke vnto their soules to the feeding of them vp vnto eternall life In the Masse I appeale vnto the consciences of all those that eyther say or see the same who of them it is that can say by being at the same euerie daye that hee can learne or carrie away any of all this that the infidell can thence playe the diuine that thence hee can receiue any instruction either of the deadly fall of Adam or of the quickning death of Christ that the Christian can profit therby any thing be it neuer so little in the true acknowledging of the mercies of God or in the knowledge of himselfe or in briefe that he can therein perceiue his transgressions that so he may run to seeke the remedie or this drynes alteration of the soule and mind which our Lord calleth the thirst of righteousnes
cast away a booke framed in expresse tearmes approuing that of Constantinople and confuting for false and counterfeit that of Nice the same being signed by all the Bishops And furthermore for the further gracing of the same published vnder the name of Charles the Great which is yet at this day to be read and was put forth here some fortie yeares since by my L. Iean du Tillet Bishop of Meaux This booke keepeth the meane or middle way betwixt the Synodes of Constantinople and that second of Nice that is to say That images might be had to be remembrances of thinges which the Councell of Constantinople denied but that they might not be worshipped and this the Councell of Nice affirmed Neither doth it make as the sophisters of our time vse by a false Grammer that common distinction betwixt an idoll and an image but it rather affirmeth according to sound Diuinitie We call not idols those images which are in Temples but we forbid them to bee worshipped for feare that they should be called idols that is to say that by worshipping of them they become not the thing which they are not And to the end that no man may call this booke in question Augustinus Steuchus Bishop of Agobio the keeper of the Popes librarie testifieth that it is kept in the library of Laterane Hinemar Archiepisc Rhemens c. 20 Bellarm. de eccles triump l. 2. c. 19. written in old Lumbardie letters and Hinemarus Archbishop of Rhemes doth alleadge whole pages out of the same and Bellarmine likewise doth acknowledge that in it is contained the Councell of Franckford yea and that which is more maruellous and strange that is that Adrian by letters which he writ vnto the Emperour of Constantinople and to Tharasius the Patriarch the furtherer aduauncer of images doth approue that which was done at Franckford as in deed the truth is that he had his legates there which were ashamed of that which was done at Nice But seeing that images had beene retained in Churches when Charlemaine was once dead idolatrie found an easie reentry in the West as will be seene in the time of Charles his sonne who was constrained to write a sharper booke then the first as on the contrarie Constantine the son of Irene comming to his age would not obserue keep that Councell held in the time of his mothers regencie who for that occasion wrought his death and dissolution And this contention in the Empire of Greece indured more then 200. yeres according as the Emperours were well or ill inclined working sometimes the ruine and ouerthrow of images and sometimes the establishing and confirming of the same In this contrarietie of Councels A comparing of these two councels together to which of them I pray you shal Christians haue recourse to stay and rest their consciences vpon To whom say I when as they see the East armed against the West about this cause and quarrell yea the East against the East that is the Churches and Empires of those partes at iarre amongst themselues Doubtlesse nothing can assure or certifie them but the word of God Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. thou shalt not worship or serue them The word which the Popes Emperors neuer could neither euer shal be able to dispatch quite destroy from out of the world neither yet out of the hearts of such as are truely faithful howbeit it may be obserued that from this time this commandement beginneth such is the shameles boldnes to be raced out of the law of God as may yet be seene in the ancient lawes of England Archaeonomia Anglicana written published shortly after the second councel of Nice whose first title containeth the ten Commandements but the second commandement is wholly wanting therein the third continued in place thereof But let vs notwithstanding briefly weigh the reasons of these Councelles the one against the other because it may be that out of their disagreement wee shall make the truth and light to appeare The Nicene doth alleadge the image which Iesus Christ sent to Abgarus that which Nicodemus painted vnder the name of a false Athanasius which we haue proued to bee onely imagined and supposed likewise the vision of Constantine as it was foretold him by Peter and Paule before that hee was baptised which all ecclesiasticall histories together with those next afore mentioned do note for Apocrypha It playeth and sporteth it selfe with the scriptures as men vse to doe with Pasquils Adrian the Pope in his Synodall Epistle Concil Nic. 2 Act. 2 God tooke of the myre and clay and made man according to his owne image and likenesse And the Prophet Dauid saith Confession and dignitie are before him Againe I haue loued the beautie of thy house O Lord I will seeke thy face c. It behooueth therefore saith it to haue images in Temples Theodorus saith As we haue heard so haue we seene wherefore we must haue images to looke vpon them And God is wonderful in his Saints therefore we must haue painted pictures And No man lighteth a candle to put it vnder a bushell therefore it must bee set vpon Altars To bee briefe the Psalmist hath said Worship his footstoole worship him in his holy mountaine O Lord all the riches of thy temple shall worship before thy face wherefore we must worship images But I would verie gladly that of all the ancient Doctors that haue written vppon the Psalmes and Prophets they would shew me but one who hath from these places or any one of them found out images They alleadge the fathers with like conscience Quest 16. citing an Epistle written by Basill to Iulian which is not to bee found and another of Gregorie the Great which is manifestly knowne to be written by Gregorie the third a certaine booke of questions vnder the name of Athanasius in the sixteenth question and it is found to haue beene written by one Leontius almost three hundred yeares after in the time of the Emperour Mauritius And how should they spare the Doctors when they haue not beene ashamed to corrupt the first Councell of the Apostles held at Antioch daring to affirme Actes 15. that they therein ordained that the image of our Sauiour Christ should bee worshipped in steade of the images of the false Gods Although it be so as that there were not according to their owne confession any images in the Christian Churches before Constantine his time thereby charging the Primitiue Church with an vnsupportable crime for hauing made so small accompt of the Apostles their ordinance yea or rather of the holy Ghostes and that in a full Councell In the end they come to the legends of the Saintes and to pretended miracles And what miracles How that there was a woman healed of the gnawings and gripes that she suffered in her bellie by looking vpon the images of Saint Cosme and Saint Damian an other of the fluxe
in looking vppon the image of Simeon and that an other found a Well by causing the image of Theodosius the Abbot to be brought her An image of the virgine Mary kept the candle of a certaine Abbot from going out a long way and an other helpeth to conueigh water from the cesterne to the house And how a woman was tempted of the Deuill by forsaking and leauing to vse the image of the virgin whereupon the Abbot Theodorus sheweth her that it were better to go to the stewes and brothell-house a thousand times then to leaue and forsake the worshipping and adoring thereof What baggage are these to oppose set against the holy law of God Giuen as saith the Apostle by the ministery of Angels and vttered by his owne mouth Thou shalt not worship images Now let vs heare on the contrarie the foundations of the Councell of Francford We must not saith it worship images seeing we must not worship any besides one onely God one onely Iesus Christ who with the father the holy Ghost raigneth eternally Because likewise there is neither commandement nor example either of the Apostles Patriarkes or prophetes or of the fathers of the primitiue Church for the same And on the contrary that if any man haue images for remembrances and monumentes that yet notwithstanding it ought not to be any president for the trimming decking vp of the Church that such ornamentes and courses are nothing els but the waies of the Gentils that the good fathers Antonius Hilarius and others who loued well the beautie of the house of God did yet verie well leaue off to haue any dealing with them And as little for the instruction of the people That God hath giuen them the holy scriptures to this end the law whereby to come to the knowledge of Christ and not by Images And not any more for imitation or example sake to bee followed That the vertues of the Saintes as faith hope and charitie are inuisible and that we must therefore seeke them in their workes and not in their painted pictures It further proueth that whatsoeuer the patrons of images alleadge of scripture it is eyther to no end or contrarie to the end for which they alleadge it that their tales of the image of Christ are Apocrypha their authorities out of the fathers meerely imaginarie and their pretended miracles no better then either doubtfull or notoriously false or els diuelish Yea and although saith it that they were true because that God appeared to Moyses in a bush shall we therefore worship all bushes or vnder the colour of Aarons rod shall we worship all rods And so for Sampson his iaw-bone all other iaw-bones Or from the shaddow of S. Peter all other shadowes c. That this assertion of the Nicene Councell is damnable I adore and worship the image with the same worship wherewith I worship the Trinitie it selfe and do curse those that say otherwise The word being so plaine and euident Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and that exclusiuely meant say they of all other maner of worship besides that which is due vnto God alone not excluding onely that of images but of whatsoeuer other creatures be they neuer so excellent In like manner that their other reason is as weake which they would draw from the nature of relation and reference which the image hath with the thing whereof it is the image seeing that Christ said not He that receiueth Images but he that receiueth you receiueth me Nor that which you haue done to images you haue done to me but rather what you haue done to one of these little ones And therefore that whosoeuer doth say of a picture This is Christ sinneth lyeth and committeth villanous wickednesse instead that the second Nicene Councel hath by name said and affirmed that a man may speake it in godly religious maner And all these things with such grauitie learning and religiousnesse together with such reasons drawne so to the purpose from the scriptures fathers S. Ierome S. Augustine S. Gregorie c and pressed with such good consequence and so necessarily as that all the Dagons of the Philistines bee they neuer so firmely vnderpropped shal not be able possiblie to stand before them And yet furthermore this booke is approued by Hincmarus Archbishop of Rheimes who alleadgeth a whole Chapter out of the same against Hincmarus Bishop of Laon who liued in the time of Charles the great and as for Ecchius himselfe hee doeth not once call it in question Let vs go forward with the effectes and successe insuing vppon these two Councels The effect of these Councels It appeareth that that of Franckford did stay the course of idolatrie for a time in the Churches of France and Germanie which is gathered hereby namely for that Haimo and Rabanus who followed shortly after do not speake a word of the worshipping of images and in that Walfridus Strabo liuing at the same time continueth all one phrase and manner of speech Walfrid Strabo c. 8. That it is not lawfull either to worship them or els to banish and cast them out And because likewise that Claudius a famous Priest brought vp in the Court of Charles the Great was no sooner made Bishop of Turin in the time of Lewes the Gentle then that hee pulled downe and defaced the images when as hee founde the people of his Diocesse giuen to worship them by reason of the Romish superstition which had gained and preuailed so farre amongst them Claud. Taurinens de adorat imaginum An Abbot called Theodomirus set himselfe against his proceedings wherevpon this Claudius writte a booke vnto him against the worshipping of Images which hee was not afraide to send to the Emperour Lewes who committed the same to Ionas of Orleance to examine But hee neuer vouchsafed to vtter his iudgement of it till after that both Lewes and Claudius were deade neither is it found that Claudius was disturbed or troubled by the French Church vppon this occasion Anno. 840. Ionas Aurelian aduers Claud. Taurinens a signe that the doctrine of images was gouerned by the Councell of Franckford Now of this booke of Claudius Bishoppe of Turin there is no parte to come by more then that which Ionas his booke wherein hee goeth about the confutation of the same doeth afford vs and that after his death It may iustlie bee doubted whether hee haue dealt faithfullie with it in alleadging and setting downe the whole but onely that his owne aunsweres do sufficiently witnes that Idolatrie as yet was verie young and tender in the Churches of France Claudius reproueth the worshipping of Images according to the Councell of Francford Ionas doth not maintaine the same for hee aunswereth onlie as Gregory aunswereth Serenus that they may bee had for instruction sake to the people and not for to bee worshipped proceeding euen to the cursing of them who do worshippe them Claudius maintaineth and proueth by Origen
shewed at Rome and that the people with a lowde voice crying and weeping should aske mercie of the same When in like manner they consecrate an Image of the holie virgin they pray That it may bee of power against thunderinges and lightninges against floudes ciuill warres and inuasion by forraine and barborous people What will they aske of God himselfe if they pray vnto the virgin for these thinges yea which is more if they aske them of her image But yet much more That who so shall pray vnto this Image the Queene of Mercie may by it obtaine pardon for whatsoeuer sinfull deedes hee hath committed and for euerie good worke which he hath omitted as also merite present grace saluation for all that time that is to come What meaneth all this but to make the Crosse of Christ of no effect These and such like blasphemous superstitions are those which are practised about the Images of Saintes yea euen to the blessing of the incense That the Diuels may run from it that such as shal be senced therewith may neuer be bitten of the old Serpent that is may be exempted from sinne c. He that expecteth and looketh to receiue such graces of a deade creature what remaineth for him to hope or looke for to receiue of the Creator But these and other such like things haue been handled by others more particularly and their Pontificall booke doth testifie and witnesse the same so that this which is now done is rather but to point out then to examine the thinges And who is there that cannot thereby discerne the spirite and worde of Christ from the spirite and word of Antichrist of Christ as being he who euen of stones doth raise vppe children vnto Abraham of Antichrist as being he who of the children of Abraham maketh stones yea worse then stones seeing that he maketh them to fall down and worshippe stones God in the meane time taking care of his church hath not left these abhominations without contradictions Such opposit ons and gain-sayinges as haue beere taken vp against these abhominations Durand in ration Diuin Offic. Holcot in l. Sapient lect 158. but rather in the thickest of the darkenes hath caused some light to shine forth and that euen out of the darkenes it selfe The first Councel of Mentz saith Images are not set vp in the Churches that they should be either worshipped or honoured Durandus the Bishoppe of Miniate saith If neither men nor Angels must bee worshipped let them looke well to themselues what they doe who vnder the colour of deuotion do worshippe diuerse Images for it is not lawfull for vs to worship the worke of man aliquid manufactum c. There is but one Image of the Father which wee must worshippe as the Father that is to say the Sonne c. Robertus Holcoth a Fryer Iacobine liuing about the yeare 1350. whome they called Doctorem Moralissimum reproueth the deciding of the difference by Thomas saying Latria cannot conueniently be giuen to any thing but onelie God the Jmage of God is not God and therefore Latria or diuine worship cannot bee attributed vnto it for if it should then should also the Creature and the Creator bee worshipped after one the same maner that is to say otherwise Idolatrie should be cōmitted And therefore the Fathers of the Councell of Nice are Idolaters Durandus de S. Durand tit 57 Portiano is of the same opinion both for the Crosse as also for the Image of Christ but hee feareth the censure Loquendum sayeth hee vt plures wee must speake as the greatest number doe And so are Henricus de Gandauo Petrus de Aquila Iohannes de Guiuerra and other schoolemen About the yeare 1380. in the time of the schisme of Vrban the 6. and Clement the 7. Anno 1380. lib. de Concil whereof Theodorus a Niem hath written there was published a book de Concilio wherin is handled how necessarie a councell were both for the taking away of the schisme as also for the reforming of the Church And amongst other abuses he complaineth much of the multitude of Images saying That they gaue occasion to the people to commit Idolatrie In the time of the Councell of Constance Gerson the Chancellor of the Vniuersitie of Paris Gerson in Ep. de neglig praelat Anno 1415. writ an Epistle of the negligence of prelates saying It is great pittie to see how religion falleth away from day to day and becommeth worse euerie man is continuallie adding vnto it some one or other thing that is naught but no man doth cut off or lop away any part of all that is cuill All abroad in our Temples wee see not anie other thing exercised but the reliques of the Idolatries of the Pagans and our Spiritualtie will not haue anie man so much as to touch them And for the like reprehensions and reproofes hee was driuen out of Paris and died at Lions The same thing was taught by Nicholas de Clemangis a Doctor of Sorbone and Archdeacon of Barre in his booke Of the corrupt estate of the Church So in like manner did the Cardinall of Alliaco in his booke Of the reformation of the Church presented by him to the Councell of Constance And these were the lights of their time That great worthy Picus de Mirandola in his Theses which hee propounded for to bee disputed at Rome saieth Conclus 3. Gab. Biel. in Cant. lect 43 Neither the Crosse nor the image of Christ can bee worshipped with Latria neither yet after that manner that Thomas setteth downe Gabriel Biel the interpreter of the Canon of the Masse holdeth with them that taught That an Image coulde not bee worshipped eyther in regarde of it selfe or in regard of the thing which it represented saying That in what manner soeuer it bee considered yet it is euer more a senceles thing and a creature for both which respectes it cannot be worshipped with Latria And hence sayeth hee wee may see the sottishnes of such as attribute a certaine kinde of Diuinitie grace or holines vnto Images waiting and looking for the healing and curing of diseases or some other miracles from them and likewise the vndiscreetnes of some others which are more willingly drawne to worship such as bee faire then such as be fowle the newe rather then the olde and the trimmed and tricked vp rather then the rude and nakedones and the grosse lightnes of others who make their vowes vnto them binde themselues to goe on Pilgrimages sometimes to one Church sometimes to an other to beholde and take the view of certaine Images thinke to finde some miracles or powerfull workes more in one then in an other or more in one place then in an other All these thinges are altogether wrapped in superstition whereinto wee shall neuer fall if we know what the right seruing of God is or else bee willing in humilitie to learne the same For the way to serue God is founde out in
his soueraigne and singular workes of creation and gouernment in the creatures also there are some vertues which are communicated vnto them by God in the Image there is neither the one nor the other Polyd. Virgil. l. 6. c. 13. for it can neither see heare nor vnderstand c. Polydor Virgill doth likewise take offence against these superstitions and concludeth in these wordes Wee are fallen into such a vaine of follie and doting rage towardes our Images as that the duties and seruices of pietie Caietan in Pentatcu Exod. c. 20. which wee seem to performe in that behalfe are nothing but verie impieties themselues The Cardinall Caietanus is taken vppe and checked for comprising and lapping vppe together both the Idoll and the Image in a like defence notwithstanding that he make a distinction inter Dolatum Similitudinem in respect of the wordes and Paulus Burgensis likewise one of the most learned Hebricians which had beene amongst them and in whome notwithstanding our aduersaries do place and put their chiefest hope of defence Paulus Ricius sayeth franklie and freelie after hee had weighed all the reasons and aunsweres to the same which were brought to that ende and purpose If wee must abstaine from thinges sacrificed to Idols because of the infirme and weake in faith how much more then whatsoeuer Thomas can say from this pestilent worshipping'of Images c These are the wilde vine growing vp and ouerspreading the natural vine of Christ these are the Darnell in his field The Iewes haue brought in the works of the law the Gentiles Images c. which I would to God that they had neuer come in our Temples then we should haue learned to haue lift vp our hearts to heauen in stead of bowing and casting them down to fixe them vpon Images In a word Ludouicus Viues writing vpoÌ„ S. Augustine saith That he cannot see any difference betwixt certain Christians addicted to the honouring of Images and the Pagans worshipping their Idols And Erasmus concludeth That it is more safe and sure to take them away then to expect or waite vntill there be some rule good directions for the moderating of the same Cassand in Consult deuised and established But Cassander after that hee hath alleadged Biel saith Who shall be able to do it who shall be able to bring backe the people from this their entred course of superstition especiallie seeing that such as teach them are themselues the authors of these superstitions Michael Episc Mersburg in Cathechismo are those that nourish and cherish them in their harts to the end they may sucke out some profite from them But our Fathers of the Councell of Trent imagined that they had well looked into the curing of all the mischiefes threatned against them by all these so euident testimonies when they ordained in their Index expurgatorius that these places of Polydor Viues Erasmus Cassander and others should be raced and left out in the first impression insuing But the very defenders of these abuses coÌ„mitted in this our time haue bin in some sort ashamed of their doctrine as Martinus Peresius Ambrosius Catharinus Nicolaus Saunderus intreating of this matter holding against Thomas Scotus BonaueÌ„tura That the Images cannot be worshipped after the same maner that the persons may whom they do represent And Alphonsus of Castres their resuter of heresies proceedeth yet further That wee must not at all worship or doe any reuerence vnto Images but rather before the Images for feare of being condemned for Heretikes our selues And Bellarmine willing to set them at one commeth so farre as to saye Bellar. de Ima l. 2. First That we must honour but not adore or worship them by praying vnto theÌ„ Secondly That no man may teach especiallie in any sermons that they ought to be worshipped with Latria no not the Image of Christ himselfe but rather the contrarie Where is now the second Nicene Councell affirming That there is but one kind of Worshippe one I say for the originall and for the image framed after the same c Thirdlie That images cannot properlie and of themselues be worshipped as the patternes themselues whereby they are made and that neither Latria nor Huperdulia nor yet Dulia or any other adoration or seruice is properlie due vnto them but I know not what after the proportion of those whereof they are Images What will now become of Thomas his ordering of the controuersie betwixt Scotus and Bonauentura c And finallie That there is no other honour dew vnto them then such as is vouchsafed and giuen to the bookes and vessels of the Church as to the cups and their couerings c. And what is now become of these kneelings inuocations and cleare euident worshippings For who did euer worship the Masse books the holy linnens or cups c But how much more brief and shorter course had it bin to haue held themselues to the pure vndefiled word of God to the obseruatioÌ„s of the ancient church theÌ„ to incumber the people with so manie superstitions ignorances and impieties as that no man is able to free them againe no not with all the distinctions limitations fine deuises or shifts that can be imagined And how much better had it been to haue followed the counsell of Gratianus in his Decree and that vpon far better ground Gratian D. 63. C. Qâ—ia Sancta seeing that all Images in the Church of Rome are of mans ordinance whereas the brasen Serpent in Israel was of Gods ordinance And notwithstanding hee saith Ezechias destroyed the brasen Serpent which Moses had set vp in the desart by the expresse commaundement of God because the people moued by the miracles which they saw betooke themselues to the worshipping of it whereupon saith he we see the greatnes of the authoritie of the church as that if our fathers predecessors haue done any thing in their time blameles without falt that the same afterward do turn into superstition or error that theÌ„ in such case the succeeding persons are to destroy and vndoe the same without delay that with great authority In the ende they make God a party with them It is he say they who hath taught it vs for wherfore did he commaud Moses to erect a brasen Serpent in the desert and to make Cherubins ouer the Arke As if God had bound himself by the commandements that he hath giuen vs and left vs free As if Abraham had aunswered God I will not sacrifice my Son for thou hast said Thou shalt not kill But wee haue authority to beare vs out for the caruing and worshipping of Images let them shew vs a contrary commandement forbidding vs to make any To this blasphemous obiection by which they make God the author of their abhomination they shal be aunswered by Tertullian for me Tertullian being beaten with this argument by the Idolaters of his time Tertul. de Idolo for euen
and bastardly writings against the canonicall and manifest bookes of the scriptures As for example a certaine pamphlet of the peregrination of S. Paul Tecla made by a priest the contents therof are that S. Paule hauing found this young maid betrothed to a certain man named Themirus in Iconium Tertul. de baptism Ambros de virginit Hieronym de script Eccesiast did so ouercome her by the praises of virginity as that hee should take her away from her espoused husband drawing and leading her after him throughout the world that he had put a vaile vpon her and giuen her power to do the like to others as also to teach and baptise Now thinke with your selues how answerable this is to the scope of S. Paul his doctrine who teacheth that wiues should cleaue to their husbands who will not haue them to speak in the Church c. S. Iohn who was as yet aliue saw the book caused the priest to come before him coÌ„uinced him of hauing forged it deposed him from his ministerie and for the instruction of the posterity to come condemned the booke which booke notwithstanding the Monks of our time haue absolued set at liberty againe vnder the name of the legend of Tecla for the founding of their Monkery although it haue beene reiected put downe again since the first time by Pope Gelasius And therby we learne how to esteeme think of the traditions which they thrust vpoÌ„ vs vnder the name of the Apostles also of those goodly books wherupon they so build stay theÌ„selues the ProtoeuaÌ„gelion Abdias the Babilonian such like After false and counterfeit scriptures what remained but a forged and false holy Ghost Montanus And here behold starteth out Montanus his Comforter about the yeare 230. who buckleth himselfe with speare and shield to bid mariage the combate He maketh Tertullian holding a hot and fierie pen Tertul. de Monogam his champion especially after that being turned about vpon a certain conceiued spight and stomack he had embraced the heresie of Montanus but yet not being able to purchase the establishing of a single life to be obserued by the Priestes he standeth and striueth that they may not be permitted any moe then one single mariage he presseth I say and vrgeth that against the sincere and Orthodoxe Church falling vpon the same in plaine tearmes with bitter reproaches for the practising of the contrary And in as much as he was a man of great reputatioÌ„ he caused to fall away a great number after him wherby we may see that some thinke that they haue neuer sufficiently praised virginitie if they reproach not and speake euill of the married estate and life others make scruple that maried persons should administer holy thinges Euseb in l. 9. de monst c. 9. Opinions which at the first were amongst some few the seedes whereof we haue in Eusebius Origen vttered in some dumbe and muttering manner and defended as yet in very faint and feeble sorte That it seemeth to them that it would doe better so that the Bishops might bee at more leasure to receiue this great multitude of people which flocke in so fast vnto Christianitie c. And which notwithstanding within a while after had so farre prospered and preuailed Prouincial Synodes c. 10. 2. c. 19. Concil Elibert c. 33. Concil Arelat c. 2. D. 16. Concil Ancyr c. 10. as that in the Prouinciall Synode held at Neocaesarea it is said That the Priest that is married shall bee deposed and hee that shall commit adulterie shall bee reiected of the Church And in the Synode assembled at Rome That he that shall bee married shall bee depriued and put from his charge for tenne or twelue yeares And in that of Elibert in Spaine That Church men shall abstaine from their wiues vppon paine of being degraded And in that of Arles the second somewhat more mildly That married men shall bee no more receiued or admitted vnto the same and all these were held vnder Pope Syluester the first before the Councell of Nice which fell to bee in the time of Pope Iulius the first And in that of Ancyra That the Deacons which shall protest that they cannot contain themselues may marie but with the licence of the Bishop Thus the presumption of man runneth on headlong when once it hath taken liberty to it selfe further then the word of God doth graunt it In the end The generall Councell of Nâ—ce D. 31. C Nicena Synodus the question alreadie forestalled by these Prouinciall Synodes commeth to be debated and examined in the Councell of Nice The writ giuen out the parties heard the holy scripture sitting as Iudge by the report of Paphnutius an old man who had beene alwaies maried and suffered much for the testimony of the truth setting before them the pollutions manifold vncleannes which might spring vp in the Church by this inforcement vnto a single and vnmaried life it falleth out that the libertie of mariage as wee haue seene remaineth whole and entire vnto the Church men And yet so great is the subtiltie and wilinesse of the Deuill and of such power with fraile weak men is a preiudicate opinion when it hath once taken further libertie theÌ„ euer the word of God did giue it as that rather then all shold be lost they wold be content with small pay so they obtain That those which shal haue beene receiued into the ecclesiasticall orders vnmaried shall not be permitted to marry because of the tradition of the Church Euen as it fell out with Montanus his Spirite of Comfort who not being able to obtaine a lawe for the cutting off of second mariages in the laitie did forciblie and violently wrest it out against ecclesiasticall persons Now this generall Councell became a bridle vnto superstition for some time and held backe the execution of the Canons of these Prouinciall Synodes in as much as the most famous notable Bbs. from out of all the nations and prouinces of Christendome were found to be present at the same Hosius Bb. of Corduba did subscribe thereunto for Spaine Mantuan de Hilario Non nocuit tibi progenies non obstitit vxor legitimo coniuncta thoro who carried away with him from thence instructions for the correcting of the Canon of Elibert Hillarius Bb. of Poitiers so renowned much spoken of in auncient writers who without all contradiction was married testifieth likewise that it was obserued and kept amongst the Frenchmen notwithstanding the Synode of Arles And so likewise of other prouinces as appeareth by Oceanus Numidicus Seuerius Restitutus Cheremon Philogonius Apollinaris and Synesius all of all them Bbs. or famous priestes who liued and exercised their charges with great commendation yet were maried Whereunto for an ouerplus we will adde Gregorie Nazianzene his father S. Basil his father and Gregorius Nyssenus his brother Greg. Nazian in Monach. Niceph. de Basil Mantuanus Praesule
the same no widow neither yet diuorced or put away And this also rise of the doubtfull interpretation of the place But afterward he goeth further In Auth. Quâ—modo Opâ—â—ter Concil 6. Occumen Constantin in Trullo D. 32. C. Quoniam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Familiaritatem Cohabitatione Let such as amongst the maried doe abstaine from their wines he preforred But the East Church about the yeare 680. to stay the further course of that streame decided the controuersie in the sixt generall Councell held at the pallace of Iustinian the second called Trulla there being assembled to the number of 227 Bishops For in the thirteenth canon recorded by Gratian we reade these words In as much as we haue knowne that it is ordained in the Canon of the order of Rome that such as should be ordained priests and Deacons should declare that they would abstaine from the keeping of company with their wiues we following the ancient canon of the Apostles special care diligence and the constitutions of the fathers do decree that loyall and faithfull mariages take place from this time forward and that the knot of coniunction of priestes with their wiues be not dissolued as also that they shall not be depriued of hauing familiaritie with them in due time Wherefore whosoeuer shall be found worthy to bee ordained Subdeacon Deacon or Priest shall not be drawne back by reason of his company keeping with his loyal wife neither bound in his ordaining to promise to abstaine from hauing due familiaritie with her In like maner it behoueth them which serue at the Altar at the time of the offering of holy thinges to bee continent in all thinges c. And therefore If any man presume contrary to the authoritie of the Apostolicall Canons to bereaue the abouenamed persons of the inioying of their lawfull wiues let him be deposed and as for those who vnder the colour of religion doe cast off their wiues let them be excommunicated and if after the same they continue obstinate let them be deposed Where is to bee noted that these fathers opposed against the Canon of Rome the Canons of the Apostles and the decrees of the Fathers But in as much as this Canon did torment them as if they had beene cast into some scorching furnace D. 16. C. Habeo they haue taken vppon them to maintaine notwithstanding their champion Gratian be against them that it was not made and decreed for one of the Canons in the sixt Councell making the world belieue that this Councell was held at two seuerall times and that at the first time they did not make any Canons but at the second onely the fathers begunne therewith saying That after the manner of other generall councels going before it behooued them to ordaine and make some And Peter the Bishop mentioned by Gratian saith vnto the Bishop of Nicomedia that he had a booke containing 102. And Nicaetas Studensis citeth this same for the thirteenth Nilus likewise Archbishop of Thessalonica saue that he leaueth out this part of it Likewise it behoueth them that serue at the Altar c. because it seemeth not to hang well together with that which goeth before But we haue thsi Canon all whole in Photius his Canon law in such tearmes as do giue much light to that of Gratian and being further expounded by Gentian Heruet and Perion in so much as that it hath not stood them in any stead to haue cut it out of the volumes of the Councels And that wee may not make any moe repetitions thereof we will onely obserue that in stead of this clause Likewise it behoueth them c. there is set down in the Greek Canon Sed vicis suae tempore abstinebunt That they should abstaine from their wiues when their course was to do seruice Againe the words are much more proper forcible throughout the whole tenor of the Greeke text then they are in the Latine translation whether it came that Gratian in fauour of the Romaine Church did of purpose weaken the same or of the vnsufficiencie of one tongue at all times to expresse an other And it is furthermore not to be forgotten that Pope Agatho was presented in this Councell by George of Constantinople and Theophanes of Antioch which thing Nicaetas being assured of did not let to obiect the same against Cardinall Humbert who writ against him by the commandement of the Pope and in particular of this matter Whereupon ensued that which is ordinarily happening in contentions namely for peace sake to remitte and lose somewhat both of the one side and the other that so they may accord in a middle opinion For the third Canon debarreth such as haue beene twise maried from taking of orders the twelfth doth except from the general libertie of ecclesiasticall persons the Bishops and some make the reason there of to be that the goods of the Church might not bee wasted and spent and yet this not to bee vnderstood saue onely of those who should marrie after they were called to the Bishopricke for the sixth doth excommunicate such Bishop whosoeuer as vnder the colour of religion should forsake his wife as also the sixth doth counsell them who would be emploied in any ecclesiasticall function to take a wife before hand esteeming it not so conuenient to do it afterward and according to this law it is to be seene practised in Greece at this day But in deed the most certaine course is to cleaue fast vnto the law of the Lord the Apostles Canon for after that we begin to make the decree of God to bee arbitrarie it is not possible for vs to keep within any measure And againe all the Churches professing the name of Christ those excepted which are vnder the gouernment of the Bishop of Rome haue retained their married Priestes as the A byssines Syrians Armenians Russians Muscouites c. And that in so much saith Aluares as that amongst the Abyssines the Canons and Priestes haue wiues and children amongst the Greekes Muscouites saith the Baron of Herbestein according to the Councell of the Canon of Constantinople it is oftentimes seene that Priestes and Deacons are oftentimes maried and called to their charges in one and the same day to the end that amongst so many other markes of Antichrist which doe so fitly and properly paint out the Church of Rome as also amongst so many liuely representations of the spirit of errour working by hypocrisie it hath yet ouer and aboue this one peculiar and speciall from all other Churches namely the forbidding of mariage forespoken by the Apostle and intitled by the spirit of God by the expresse name Of the doctrine of Deuils Thus farre then haue we alreadie discoursed of The summe of the second booke and examined the dependances circumstances of the auncient diuine seruice and of the Masse which hath intruded it selfe into the place thereof in the Church of Rome examining what manner of ones they
also a continued course of offering vnto them the consecrated bread which they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if any man would say one gifte for an other the better to entertaine their contentation and this they distributed after it was consecrated by a praier whereas before it had beene giuen them for common bread In the lawes of Charles the great it is inioyned That they should make the people to vnderstand how manie waies the Masse doth profite them aswell in respect of themselues as of their friendes eyther dead or liuing and this they call Vim Missae the force and efficacie of the Masse and together therewithall to make them the better to vnderstand the efficacie of Memento wherein sayeth hee prayer is made for the Soules aswell of them which offer as of those which belong vnto them assuredly because that otherwise the Masse would bee forsaken and cast off Where it is likewise further to bee noted that it was not then saide in the Canon For whome wee offer vnto thee but which offer vnto thee the Priestes hauing afterward taken to themselues this prerogatiue of offering to the debarring and shutting out of all others for hauing anie dealing in the same whereas it was the worke of the people at the first properlie which did offer From that time forwarde also the office of the Priest in the Latine Church was brought to haue his Masse book much altered and corrected that so hee might sing the Masse And thereupon also was the bread of the Sacrament called singing bread and the exercise of a Christian restrained to the hearing onelie of the Masse or else as they say in Italie to the seeing of it things vnheard of and meere strangers in the Primitiue Church a long time after Gregorie the first although that a great parte of the abuses may bee attributed vnto him inasmuch as hee established the new seruice framed and set forth by one named Scholasticus who applied the olde seruice to a new vse the old prayers to the abuses and corruption of the time Now for the fortifying of this pretended sacrifice manie thinges doe concurre The worde Sacrifice vsed in the Church after the manner of the olde lawe to signifie the giftes which were offered to God by the people as it hath beene prooued heretofore for these offeringes were commonlie called oblations and sacrifices and this is confirmed by Pope Gelasius his ordinance That the sacrifices which shall be offered by the people at the Masse shall be distributed into foure partes that is for the Bishop for the Cleargie for the poore and for the maintaining of the Church Charles the Great calleth them Oblations These offeringes were after the Iewish manner consecrated by one or moe prayers which as yet are continued to bee read in diuerse Lithurgies and in the Romish Masse also which as we haue seen are wrested by a most pernicious paralogisme namelie from the sacrifice which was giuen for a name to those offeringes that were offered vnto God to their pretended sacrifice which the Priest consecrateth Ab oblatis inquam ad oblatam and by consequent from a sacrifice of fruites offered to God by the people to the sacrifice of the Sonne of God our Lord whome the Priest presumeth to sacrifice vnto him vppon this Altar Wee neede not anie other proofe of this matter then the prayers vsed in the Masse Wee pray thee sayeth the Canon that thou wilt accept of and blesse these giftes these oblations and holy sacrifices Againe We recommend vnto thee those who offer them vnto thee or as it is read at this day For whome wee offer vnto thee this sacrifice of praise Againe That thou wouldest vouchsafe to regarde and looke downe vpon them with a milde and mercifull countenance and accept of thē as thou vouchsafedst to accept of the offerings of iust Abell thy chosen childe c. Again Commaund thē to be laid vpon thine holie Altar by the hands of thine Angell For in their conscience can all these prayers bee conceiued by any Christian for the sacrifice of our Lord Iesus Christ which their Priestes pretend to offer For in them wee haue sacrifices alwaies in the plurall number where it is neuer qualified or intituled by anie other name then the sacrifice of praise where God should be prayed vnto to vouchsafe to looke downe vppon his welbeloued Sonne with a fauourable eye being one with him and hee in whome hee is well pleased That hee would vouchsafe to accepte of him as of the offeringes of iust Abell of him in whome alone all the Fathers haue beene accepted without whose righteousnes the righteousnes of Abell shoulde bee pollution and filthy vncleannes to commaund that hee should bee laide vpon the Altar by the handes of an Angell being the eternall sacrifice the euerlasting oblation and who found as Iob sayth vncleannes in the verie Angels And indeed this is manifestly appearing in the Lithurgie Liturg. Clem. which they attribute vnto Clement wherein there is an expresse praier Pro dono oblato for the oblation offered but in these tearms That it would please our good God to receiue it vpon his Altar by the intercession of his Christ for a smell of a sweete sauour c. In other Greeke Lithurgies also whose desert we haue heretofore examined wherin there are cleare and euident praiers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is for the oblations offered and brought framed like vnto those aboue where they are called a spirituall sacrifice of praise offered without blood-shedde c. The name of Sacrifice now shufled and closely conueied into the Christian Church which at the first receiued the same from the Iewes helped it not a little to passe from the action of thankesgiuing to a propitiatorie sacrifice and from an action of remembrance to a reall offering and oblation being ioyned with that ignorance which raigned after barbarisme in those ages as also with that which was ordinary amongst the people and which in stead of being dispelled and driuen away by the bright light of the Bishoppes was on the contrarie more ouercast and darkened For it is openlie acknowledged and confessed as a thing most plaine and apparant in the sight of such as know anie thing in historie that the Bishoppes of that time besides the publike and ordinarie ignorance were altogether giuen to the minding of worldlie matters which the lawes of Charlemaine by name doe confirme and proue vnto vs Let them abstaine from worldly affaires from the Court from the warres from hunting hawking playes gaming c. And hereto you may also adde the corruption of speeches which was in those times by the mixture of many nations together for of vulgar ones they became meere barbarous and of such as were familiarlie spoken such as were not vnderstoode a great aide oportunitie and aduantage for Sathan to sowe his tares for who woulde not otherwise haue reiected this realitie of the sacrifice when in euerie corner of the fielde there was
had no calling to doe it There the first booke stayeth without speaking of any sacrifice or praier for the deade The second book goeth further Iuda saith it hauing beaten Gorgias came to carry away the bodies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his countrimen which had beene slaine before for to burie them who found vnder the garmentes of euery one of them which had beene slaine things sacrificed to idols Euery man iudged them worthily punished and gaue glory vnto God praying him that he would blot out this sinne or rather as it is in the best copies that they might not bee quite raced out that is to say that they might not bee vtterly rooted out for this sinne But Iuda did openly make knowne vnto the people this notable iudgement to the end they might beware and keepe themselues from sinne c. he maketh a collection of twelue thousand groates or rather according to the Greeke of two thousand which he sendeth into Ierusalem for to offer in sacrifices for the sinne For the sinne simply that is to say of the people to the end that it might not be as that of Achan namely imputed to all in generall and not for the sinnes of the dead Biblia impressa madatu Concil Trident â—ub Sixt. 5. Clem. 8. Missal in anniuersariis defunctorum triginta Missale reformatum Pii 5. as our aduersaries haue corruptly falsly turned the same in certaine of their Bibles and those imprinted by the authoritie of the Councell of Trent and as they reade it as yet vnto this day in their Masse bookes Hitherto according to the law Iosua 7. Deuteronomie 21. That which followeth goeth further that is that it pretendeth also that the oblation of these groates did serue for the purging away and blotting out of the prouocation of that sinne committed by the dead But now we are to see how farre this may make for purgatorie It appeareth that Iuda ought not to belieue or doe this either by reason of the law or in respect of any example of the fathers or yet by reason of any custome receiued in the church for it is not spoken of in all the scripture And in deed the Author himselfe giuing his iudgement theron sheweth sufficiently that he doth it by way of a particular discourse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dealing verie honestly and ciuillie saith he in discoursing vppon the resurrection And it is likewise as apparant that it was not in any consideration of Purgatorie but rather saith he of the last resurrection In so much as that the intention and drift of this prayer properly was that this sinne might not be imputed vnto them in the day of the iudgement of the Lord which shall bee at the generall resurrection a praier which conueieth not either good or euil vnto the dead no more then that of Paul for Onesiphorus when hee was aliue 2. Tim. 1. Ingolstadienses The Lord giue him to find mercie with the Lord in that day For as for that which certaine Iesuites say that hee speaketh of the mysticall resurrection from sinne and not of the actuall there needes no more but the reading of the text to refute them It appeareth likewise by our aduersaries their doctrine that this praier and sacrifice could not be to draw them out of Purgatory For the sinne according to their owne distinction was mortall being idolatrie which is treason against the Maiestie of God that in the highest degree Now purgatorie is not for mortall sinnes Againe God say they doth neuer punish one and the same thing twise But it was saith the Author for this sinne that they had beene slaine and that euerie man did iudge it so wherefore they were not to haue inflicted vpon them any more temporall punishment that is to say any purgatorie Againe purgatorie say they doth not satisfie for the fault but for the punishment and notwithstanding Iudas doeth there offer a sacrifice for sinne which was neuer offred in the law for the punishment onely but for the fault wherefore it followeth that in that his action hee had no mind of purgatory so much as to thinke once thereof so farre was he from the thing For the Author addeth He considered that those which were dead in a true godly sort could not faile to find grace and fauour which is saith he by a parenthesis a sound and wholesome thought And so it is in the Greeke text far differing from that which they pretend namely that all lesse or more may bee supposed to stand in need to bee freed from purgatorie But say they yet he praid for the dead let it be so How beit we shal see by and by that it is but an euill argument to go about to proue purgatory because of such praiers And on the contrary we haue reason to belieue seeing that according to the doctrine of the Church of Rome it selfe this place cannot stand with purgatory that this sacrifice hath no other end as may appeare by the text but to pray vnto God that in the last resurrection he wold be fauorable vnto theÌ„ But there is more in the matter Iudas did it say they therefore it is wel done That we deny How many actions do we reade of in the scriptures of famous men which notwithstanding are not to be imitated In the church of God men liue by his lawes not by our owne examples neither do we see in deed since the time of the Machabees vnto the comming of Christ that this example was euer followed in the Church The mourning also and lamentation made for Lazarus is contrarie hereunto Ioh. 11. And as concerning that the author of this booke doth approue it so hee did the fact of Razias who murthered himselfe And this is the cause why S. Augustine sayeth to the Donatistes which woulde haue made it a good consequent That these bookes ought to be read soberlie and the same libertie haue wee to aunswere our aduersaries after the same sort in a different and diuerse cause but about the same author To bee short this seconde booke of the Machabees doth approue prayer for the dead but to bring them to bee allowed by the Church it is requisite that they should first bee allowed of by the word and all this notwithstanding as wee haue seene doth not make any thing for Purgatorie Insomuch as that of so manie textes alleadged out of the olde Testament wee haue seene them by the confession of Perion to haue not so much as one left them besides this same as being put besides all holde and proofe in the Canonicall and tyed to one onelie Apocrypha text and that such a one as is the most Apocrypha of all the rest and yet euen that cannot stand match with Purgatorie Whereupon wee conclude here That Purgatorie hath not anie one foundation or ground in all the olde Testament not anie one in all the Church of Israel where notwithstanding it seemed to haue beene most
ages did euer acknowledge the Purgatorie of the Church of Rome BVt say they if we should go to it but according to mans reason would not it giue sentence with vs that so many persons as die so quickly haue need of this manner of purging their soules departing impure and vncleane out of this world and so vnfit to be receiued into heauen with that their pollution Wherevnto we answere them that the barre and iudgement seat that is directed by humane reason hath no place in the Church that in that skill of the law which professeth the defence and maintenance of Christianitie it is a shame to speake without testimonie and authoritie out of the word and that a great deale more then to speake in the ciuill law without law But how much more shame is it then when a man vndertaketh to speake for Christianitie and holdeth a course contrarie to the scriptures And this we haue learned from the ancient writers Tertullian Let vs reuerence the fulnesse of the scriptures if we will not vndergoe the woe ordained for such as adde vnto them Basill This is to fall away from the faith either to cast away and cut off any parte of that which is written or to adde any thing that is not Chrysostome The thoughtes of the hearers halt when they haue a doctrine deliuered them without any scripture S. Augustine Let vs see if this be taught in the law or prophets or in the Gospell or Epistles Gerson in like manner Let vs suspect all manner of reuelations if they bee not confirmed by the law and the Prophetes But these ancient fathers here alleadged haue also belieued Purgatorie Let vs admit that it is so as it is not in deed yet we answere as we haue done before that we do not allow of the old fathers as lawgiuers in the Church For there is but one law maker saith the Apostle euen Iesus Christ and themselues tooke it as an iniurie offred vnto them to be so reputed only they accompted of themselues as expounders of the law ordained by our Lord and of the scriptures which he hath left vs. And this is the greatest honour that can be giuen them in the Church and in this respect and consideration we honour their bookes we weigh and ponder their expositions where they are found to differ one from another we endeuour our selues to make our choice of the best euen those which come neerest vnto the analogie and proportion of faith If wee doe otherwise if wee admit of them as authours of doctrines and not interpretors wee shall be in danger to bee as we said Anabaptistes with Saint Cyprian Montanistes with Tertullian Chiliastes with Ireneus c. In stead that wee are to abide and continue Christians with Christ whose voice the sheepe heare who alone hath the woraes of eternall life Now we haue heretofore cited all the Doctors to the interpreting of the places produced and alleadged by our aduersaries for purgatorie who could not see it there where they did find it who for the most part haue in the said places found the contrarie and yet we will proceed on further as namely to shew that the auncient fathers haue affirmed such Maximes as wherewith the Romish Purgatorie cannot stand As that when they haue at any time spoken of it they doe it not affirmatiuely but doubtfully and not as of an article of religion but as of a fantasie or opinion that may bee propounded and receiued for arbitrarie that for the most parte what they haue saide cannot agree with that which wee are in controuersie about at this day And finally that if they had belieued it for a necessarie article they had collected and gathered from thence as from a principle of faith such corollaries consequences as wee see at this day which neuer came to light till a long time after one long after another and that by the succession of many ages And to the end that this may more clearely be seene let vs call to mind at our entrance into the same what purgatorie it is whereof we speake as namely of a certaine third place whither the soules of the faithfull dead in the faith of Christ go at the time of their departure out of this life there to bee tormented with fire before they bee receiued into the place of blisse yea and that so long as vntill by the praiers and suffrages of those that are liuing there be satisfaction made for the temporall punishments due for the same and that all the spottes of vncleannesse bee purged and cleansed away that is for that say they vnto vs by faith in Christ wee haue remission of the fault and sinne onely and not of the eternall punishment due to the same which by the fauour and power of the keies is changed from being eternall and made temporall and for that wee must of necessitie satisfie this temporall punishment either in this life or in the life to come by our selues or by some others c. And now behold the Maxims of the ancient fathers contrarie to Purgatorie The propositions held by the old writers contrarie to purgatory Basil reg bren inter 10. 13. Ambr. in Luc. l. 10. c. 22. The first that God by Iesus Christ doth wholly and altogether deface and blot out both the sinne and the punishment S. Basill Thesoule wallowing in the mire of sinne how can it approach or come neere vnto God verily by constantly and stedfastly belieuing that the purging and cleansing of his sinnes is accomplished by the blood of Iesus Christ in the multitude of the mercies of God according to that which he himselfe hath spoken If your sinnes were as red as skarlet they shall be made as white as the wooll Saint Ambrose We embrace and take hold on Christ that so hee may say vnto vs be not afraide of the sinnes of this worlde neither of the floodes of afflictions which vexe and besiege the bodie J am the remission of sinnes c. Saint Augustine August de verb. Dom. ser 37. 31. Idem de Trini l. 4 c. 2. Christ in taking vpon him the punishment and not the fault hath blotted out and vtterly defaced both the fault and punishment due to the same Againe Wee liue not in this world without sinne but wee shall go out of this world without sinne Againe What shall wee pray for in this life verily that wee may finde remission and forgiuenesse in the worlde to come What profiteth this pardon and forgiuenesse it wipeth not away the staine He that acknowledgeth a wrinkle laboureth to smooth and make it plaine And where then are our wrinkles stretched out and smoothed c. verily vpon the crosse of Christ for vpon this crosse hee hath shed his blood and this is that whereby the Church is cleansed from all spottes and wrinkles as a thing verie cleane and bright c. Againe There is but one purging of the vniust the blood of that iust
bee so purged by this fire as that in the end they shall proue and trie the clemencie of God And he alleadgeth Origen thereupon concealing in the meane time the rest of his opinion for that it finally extended vnto the Deuils But what helpeth all this for the prouing of the purgatorie whereof wee speake which is made for the faithfull penitents and not for them which die in their sinne for to fulfil the punishment Sixt. Senens l. 5 and not to cleanse or wipe away the fault where sinnes haue no entrance much lesse merites where the wicked haue no place much lesse the Saints much lesse also the Apostles and much lesse the holy virgine which taketh his beginning so soone as death hath made an end and is imployed about his office euerie day without ceasing and without attending the day of iudgement And notwithstanding they are not ashamed to alleadge vnto vs these places which themselues condemne in their bookes That it was a disputable doctrine and which to be short cannot make any thing for them or against vs. Yea and that furthermore this was but an opinion wherein men were let alone and left to range according to the pregnancie of their wit and capacitie and not any doctrine receiued and admitted into the Church it appeareth clearely for Saint Augustine doth not faine or dissemble the gainsaying and disallowing of it neither yet the publike confutation thereof in his bookes and that not onely without all checke or dislike August de Genes contr Manich l. 2. c. 10 In Psalm 37. but with much praise and to the good liking of men for the same In a certaine place he suffered it to escape according to the opinion then currant As that after this life such as haue not husbanded their ground well are in daunger either of the fire of purgation or of eternall fire notwithstanding that hee vseth these wordes Videri apparere that it seemeth to be apparant and that these purgatorie punishmentes according to his owne iudgement De ciuit Dei l. c. 10.25 De ciuit Dei l. 21. c. 13. l. Cor. 3. are reserued vnto the last iudgement But in the booke of the Citie of God hee reckeneth vp all the opinions of Origen and others depending on him who carried themselues in his time in the Church as those who had founded themselues vppon the mercifull clemencie and fatherly mildnesse of God misexpounded and confuteth them all bringing them backe from their pretended likelihood of truth vnto the truth it selfe and from their conceited fantasie to the infallible scriptures Thou wilt saith he that the wicked Christians may in the end be saued by these pains of purgatorie because that God is mercifull it must then also follow that the Deuils may also bee saued that so hee may bee so much the more mercifull for it is said equally and indifferently to the one and the other 2. Cor 3. Goe into euerlasting fire c. If thou demandest the cause this it is and then the which there is none more iust neither yet more holy namely that the scripture which deceiueth not hath said so Some haue abused the place of the 1. Corinth 3. for Purgatorie but hee sheweth that this fire cannot bee vnderstood of hell because that so it should become common both to the good and euill but rather of tribulations and afflictions August de ciuit Dei l. 21. c. 16. seq Dicuntur which are the exercises by which God maketh cleane his floure in this world that after this iudgement also contrarie to Origen there is not any paines of purgatorie And as concerning those punishmentes and paines which men might imagine to happen betwixt both hee saith If in this distance of time which is betwixt the death of the bodie and the day of iudgement men say that the soules of the deceased doe suffer some such fire Secularia venialia August de fide operibus Quantum arbitror Idem in Enchirid c. 69. Idem in quaest ad Dulcitium and that whether it bee there onely or whether it be here and not there or whether it bee here and there both they find a fire of transitorie tribulation burning the veniall thinges of this world I find no fault with them for such their assertion because it may bee that it is true And in another place hee saith This exposition as I suppose doth not wander farre from the way of truth Againe That some such thing may be after this life it is not incredible Againe writing to Dulcitius after he had handled the question We haue written these thinges but in such forte as that wee would not haue any canonicall authoritie giuen vnto them Whereby wee see in the first place that hee condemneth Origen Saint Ambrose and Hillarie their purgatorie c. Secondly that what hee sayeth of that space betwixt death and the day of iudgement hee speaketh doubtfully and as it were interrogatiuelie affirming And thirdly That by the same hee doeth not vnderstande any materiall fire of the same nature with Hell-fire as our aduersaries doe but a fire of tribulation or temptation such as may fall out and happen in this life And it is not to be omitted how that the good fathers of Trent did not forget to cause to be raced out many good places of Viues Index Expurg pag. 38.39 August de tempore serm 66. De verb. Apostol serm 18. In ep 80. ad Hesich Hypognosticon l. 5. Hieronym in Ecclesiast Olympiod in Prouerb c. 11. intreating of this matter in his commentaries vpon Augustines booke of the Citie of God But in another place wee haue shewed that hee hath made but two places of abode as in heauen or in hell and that hee shutteth out all manner of purgation after this life and that hee cutteth it off quite and cleane As concerning the third place we know not any thing at all thereof we find not any thing at all thereof in the scriptures And what shall we say if S. Ierome speake no lesse resolutely Jn what place soeuer saith he the tree falleth there it lyeth be it towards the South or be it towards the North In like manner looke in what place death doth take thee in the same thou abidest for euer be it that thy last day do find thee cruell and vnappeasable or otherwise courteous and mercifull And Olympiodorus doth cleare him vpon the same place In whatsoeuer place whether light or darke a man is surprised and seazed vppon by death bee hee following after vice or bee hee following after vertue he continueth in the same state and condition and in the same degree for euer For either he resteth in the light of euerlasting happines with the iust and righteous men and Christ our Lord or els he is tormented in darknes with the vnrighteous and the Deuill which is their prince They obiect vnto vs that Saint Ierome saith in his commentaries vpon the Prouerbes That soules
other man you shall find them to haue beene of the same opinion But what maketh all this for purgatorie but onely that it may serue to dasle the eyes of men For that this was an opinion at that time helde as indifferent in the Church it doth appeare in that that Saint Augustine handling the same in his bookes of retractations leaueth it vndecided whereas Chrysostome in many places speaketh to the contrary cutting all off in a worde As that the righteous shall see God face to face and not any more by faith c. That death coupleth vs with the companie that is with Christ where the Cherubines glorifie God where the Seraphins flie where we shall see Saint Paule c. In so much as that it was pronounced hereticall and that by the name of the heresie of the Armenians by Innocent the third Benedict the eleuenth by the decree of the Councell held at Florence where it was said that the soules of the saints at their departure out of this life did inioy the presence of God Notwithstanding that Pope Iohn the 22. had made a Decree in fauour of that doctrine namely that the Vniuersitie of Paris should be restrained from admitting any to proceed Doctor or in any other degree of diuinity which did not take an oath that soules did not see God before the day of iudgement And this is verified by Gulielmus Occan in his booke intituled Opus nonaginta trium dierū And Pope Adrian the 6. vpon the 4. booke of Sentences both which do condemne it And thus as hitherto they haue not any third place where the souls are purged in the time betwixt death the day of iudgement For that of Origen S. Ambr. S. Hillary helpeth thē not a dodkin that of Augustines refuteth this of theirs and being wel looked on appeareth to be a fire of tribulation a spirituall but not a materiall fire moreouer such a one as is very doubtfull and meere arbitrarie Likewise these pretended receptacles of Soules are not places of anguish and torment but of rest and ioyfulnesse not of making satisfaction but of contentation to be receiued by the attending and wayting for of the glorie to come in like manner they are condemned of heresie by themselues And therefore it remaineth that if they will needes haue it to haue beene at this time which is fiue hundred yeares after Christ that yet they goe and find it amongst the Gentiles And great in deede is the antiquitie of that for it was before the comming of Christ many ages and yet notwithstanding it is verie young and a meere Nouice in the Church of Christ because it is without Christ and out of the Church CHAP. IX Wherein the obiections of the aduersaries whereby they goe about to proue their Purgatorie out of the old Fathers are fully answered THey say you cannot denie Of the satisfactions vsed amongst them of the olde Church but that the Primitiue Church did impose great satisfactions vpon them which had failed in the profession of the name of Christ How then could they make the same but in Purgatorie when they were dead and had left them vndone But wee rather argue quite contrarie As that if the auncient Church which imposed these Satisfactions vpon them that so they might let them goe to God in peace did as ordinarily giue them absolution then it cannot but certainely proue that it had not learned any thing of this Purgatorie But the truth is that in the times of those great and continuall persecutions which the Christians suffered for the space of three hundred yeares onely some little respite and rest giuen vnto them many did renounce and belie the profession of the faith of Christ who before in the calme and peaceable times had giuen their names thereunto becomming readie to returne to Idolatrie as the times chaunged and altered Now against this leuitie in constancie the auncient Church did not thinke any punishments that could be inflicted to be too hard or sharpe by meanes whereof it thought to find out the sinceritie or hypocrisie of the penitents as also their liuely or otherwise dull and dead sence and feeling that they had for their sinne Wherefore the end and scope of this course was to bring them to sackcloth and ashes and to suffer them to passe many daies in making humble petitions to bee reconciled to the Church who either had sacrificed or burnt incense to Idols or who had giuen the Gospels and holy Bookes to bee burned and who were therefore called Sacrificati Thurificantes Traditores Libellatici c. yea and which is yet more to the end they might adde more carefull heede to such as should offer to enter themselues into the number of the Church there were some that would not receiue Lapsos paenitentes any more then once to the taking of penance after baptisme And Nouatus proceeded yet further and denied it them altogether for the which he was condemned of the Church which also thereupon Cypr. l. 4. Ep. 2 from that time forward began to mitigate these punishments What then And now if they died before the time were they not bound by the Church And how then did they satisfie these punishments Idem l. 3. Ep. 8 Serm. 5. de Lapsis Verily the order was good that before they had fully made such satisfaction they were not to be receiued to absolution or to haue any communion with the Church But as duely was it obserued on the other side that if they were in daunger of death before the time of such accomplishment that then notwithstanding they were receiued into the peace absolution and communion of the same Assuredly not with any purpose or intent that they should euer haue gone into Purgatorie for they neuer thought of it But to the end saith S. Cyprian that dying they might goe to the Lord in peace Idem l. 3 Ep. 17. l 4 Ep 4. Euseb l. 6. c. 34 To the ende saith Dionysius That their sinne being blotted out they may depart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in good hope out of this life But here withall they ioyned say they this condition that if they should recouer their health againe that then they should fulfill this satisfaction but that otherwise they should haue any thing to accomplish in the world to come not a word Contrariwise S. Cyprian sheweth a reason of this absolution in these words saying Quoniam exomologesis apud in feros nec esse nec fieri potest Seeing there neither is nor can be any publike confession or acknowledgment amongst the dead That is to say as we haue learned to expound it of Tertullian that these Acts of Canonicall satisfaction cannot be accomplished after this life Bellarmine and others before him obiect vnto vs a place out of S. Cyprian in this same Epistle Cypr. l. 4. Ep. 4. but to no end or purpose Aliud inquit est ad veniam stare c. It is one
we reiect and cast of that which it offereth vs and particularly it condemneth the Pharisies for that they denie Christ promised in the law Moyses on the contrarie that is to say this same doctrine dooth iustifie vs worketh with vs vnto saluation when we embrace Christ at whome it altogether aimeth according to that which is said afterward If you belieue Moyses you will also belieue me for it is written of me Iohn 5.39 And the Pharisies hoped in him that is to say in this doctrine according to that which hee said in former times Search the Scriptures for you thinke to haue eternall life by them c. And in the same sence Abraham aunswered the rich man They haue Moyses and the Prophets Not Moyses in the flesh not Moyses in the soule but Moyses as likewise the Prophets in the doctrine What should then the question of the intercession of Moses doe here Origen To belieue Moyses that is to say the writings and workes of Moses Orig in Ep. ad Fom l. 4 c. 4. Basill de Spir Sanct c. 14. Cirill in Ioh. l 3. c. 8. And by consequent to be accused by Moses that is to say by the law giuen by the Ministers of Moses S. Basill It is the custome of the Scripture to vnderstand vnder the name of Moyses the Law as when it is said they haue Moses and the Prophets Cyril more clearely intreating vpon this place When as saith he all others did hold their peace the Lord said that Moyses law alone did suffice to condemne the incredulitie of the Iewes Cardinal Hugo Moyses that is to say the Scripture or Law giuen by Moses Caietanus goeth yet further Caiet in Ioh. c. 5. The Iewes are accused by Moyses for that his writings declare them worthie of punishment in not belieuing in Iesus the Iewes also are said to hope in Moses because they generally hoped in the promises contained in the said writings but they acknowledged not the fulfilling of the same Iesus In the 2. Peter 1.15 I am saith he shortly to goe out of this my Tabernacle as our Lord himselfe hath declared vnto me 2. Pet. 1.15 but I will doe my indeuour that after my departure also you may continually call to mind these things that is pietie charitie brotherly loue c. Here they affirme that this shall be by his intercession in heauen But we that this shall bee by his diligence in instructing them well before that he goe out of this world that is as he hath said in the former verses By continually bringing it to their remembrance And the text is verie cleare and plaine for the same for he doth not say Dabo operam post obitum meum vt possitis but Vt possitis post obitum meum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say I wil haue care that after my death you may remember your selues and not I will haue care after â—y death c. That which followeth teacheth it For we haue not taught you the power and comming of our Lord in the deceitfulnesse of fables c. The Glose saith Jnterim dum venio dabo operam c. As long as I liue I will giue order or I will doe my endeuour c. And as for the alleadging of Oecumenius saying that certaine would collect heereof by the figure called Hyperbaton that is to say a long draught of words the intercession of Saints it had beene their dutie in like maner for the discharge of a good conscience to haue added that which followeth That others which handle the same more simply do vnderstand it thus That wheras he so carefully laboureth to imprint this doctrine in them it is not for that he doubteth them to be egnorant but to the end that they might abide the more firme after his death Caiet 2. Pet. 1. At the least they should haue held themselues to Caietanus I wil giue order that is in my life time that you may haue after my death books which may put you in remebrance of this doctrin In the Apocalips 5. Apocal. 1.8 the foure beasts and the foure and twentie Elders haue harps in their hands and Viols of gold full of perfumes Which are saith S. Iohn the prayers of the Saints therefore they must be imployed as intercessors for vs. Now it is not called in question whether they pray or praise God or no but if they make intercession to God for the things which wee particularly and by name pray vnto them for and againe if we may and ought to imploy them for intercessors with God for vs. And this cannot be gathered out of this place but rather that they praise God and pray vnto him And this praier without any further gessing of it doth follow in the next verse Thou art worthie to take the booke and to open the Seales thereof c. for thou hast bought and purchased vs to God by thy bloud out of euerie tribe and language c. And then not to imploy their merits with God for vs in stead of that of the Lambe but rather to acknowledge the bloud of the Lambe imployed for themselues And that maketh yet lesse for them Apocal. 8.3 which they further alleadge out of the fore part of the eight Chapter where the Angell standeth before the Altar with a Censor of gold wherein there were many perfumes giuen vnto him either to offer vp with the praiers of all the Saints or rather according to the Greeke to adde it to the praiers of the Saints vpon the Altar of gold which is before the throne For this Angell saith their Glose is Christ himselfe offering vnto God his father the petitions of the faithfull which are acceptable and well pleasing to him for his sake S. Ambros Aug. Primas Andraeas Caes in Apocal. Ambrose expoundeth this whole place of the teachers of the Church euerie man in his age That Christ openeth then the booke when by his holy spirit hee manifesteth vnto them the sence of the Scriptures that they fall downe before the Lambe when they are raised to the meditation of his mysteries and by consequent are humbled in themselues that these odors are their praiers whereof the Psalmist speaketh Let my praier ascend vp vnto thee as the perfume of incense c. And vpon the eight Chapter he taketh Christ for the Angell Ambros in Apocal c 8. the Church for the Altar c. and maketh many sorts of incensings praiers of the Saints For saith he the faithfull pray when they aske forgiuenesse of their sinnes when they giue almes when they forgiue their neighbours when they obserue and keepe the commaundements of God c. August Primas Andr. Caesar Thom. Aquin. in Apoc. c. 5. l. 8 And not a word of the praiers of the Saints that are dead for vs or of vs praying to them And as little in S. Augustine Primasius Andreas Bb. of Caesarea Thomas
of my God The Breuiarie of Premonster And likewise we reade furthermorein the Breuiarie of the order of Premonster which was instituted in his time these Latine rimes in the Liturgie vpon all Saints day Adiuuent nos corum merita Quos propria impediunt scelera Excuset eorum intercessio Quos propria accusat actio At tu qui eis tribuisti Caele stis palmam triumphi Nobis veniam ne deneges peccati Shall we saith hee be helped by their merits which are hindered by their owne grieuous crimes Excused by their intercession who are accused of their owne actions and workes But thou O Lord which hast giuen them the ensigne of celestiall triumph denie not vnto vs the pardon of our sinnes The Valesians opposing themselues c. But whiles the abuse in the meane time was master of the plaine and open field there was raised new forces by the Waldenses and Albigenses which gaue a sharpe assault with great heate incountering the same euen to the drawing of the matter to such a dispute and parle as required for an indifferent hearing of the same an assembly of many graue and learned men in an open Councell and not staying there proceeded euen to the filling of a great part of France so far with the fauoring and good liking of their matter as that til all maner of fraud and force did ioyne and couple it selfe together they could neuer be perswaded to abandon and banish it out from amongst them yea which more is to the giuing of it such deepe roote as the Histories of that time as well as the enemies themselues doe witnesse as that it ouerspread and flourished in all the nations of Christendome Therefore amongst their Articles we reade this for one That there is but one mediator and that all inuocating and worshipping of men is but Idolatrie And the foresaid histories doe further adde that the doctrine of the Waldenses was no new thing but such as had continued euer since the time of the Apostles at the least euer since the time of Pope Syluester the first that is to say that the chaunge beeing come by succession of time into the Christian Church they should haue retained the puritie of the same amongst them Histor Vetus de Waldensib And in deed a certaine booke of this date saith That it was for three respects more daungerous then any other sect The first quia diuturnior because saith it it was of longer time for some are of iudgement that it hath continued euer since the time of Pope Syluester some there are likewise that say euer since the time of the Apostles The second because it is more generall Quia generalior for there is not almost any Countrie or nation wherin it hath not seated it selfe The third because that others by being blasphemous against God doe make men afraid of them whereas this hath great apparance that it proceedeth of pietie in as much as the fauourers thereof liue iustly before men doe easily belieue that which concerneth God and the whole Creed cleauing fast only to the Church of Rome c. And thus spake their enemies also and this being once said I would haue to serue without any further repetitions Now it is not credible how this abuse holding by open force the vpper hand of the truth Lombard l. 4. d. 55. did in short time become horrible fearefull Lombard from hence forth doth put it downe for a sentence That the Saints make intercession for vs and that both by their merits because they fulfill wherein wee come short as also by their affection because they ioyne themselues vnto our vowes This hitherto had not beene vttered in any sort so hardly to be disgested And furthermore from henceforth al the Schoolemen doe not only follow and approue what he hath said but doe labour to make it to be valewed still at more more As Alexander Hales Bonauenture Thomas c. And their reason is That Vltima reducuntur in Deum per media That the extreames cannot come to God but by meanes things of a midle qualitie The very same reason that the Platonists did alleadge for the intercession of their Gods Semi-gods As concerning the question whether the Saints do know the affaires of men or no that also they take vpon them to determine That they know all things in as perfect sort as the Angels in the beholding seing of God The same that S. Gregorie had said as it were by the way But what will they doe with S. Barnard who maintaineth that the Saints are not receiued to inioy the presence of God vntil the resurrection And to Pope Iohn the 22. whom W. Occam saith to haue so resolued him Thom. Sum. q. 57. art 5. 12 art 8. as also to haue laboured to cause him to sweare therunto at Sorbone And finally to S. Thomas who teacheth That the Angels by naturall knowledge doe not vnderstand the mysteries of grace and that by that which they haue in the seeing of God they do not know any more then it pleaseth him to reueale vnto them that for other matters they know not either those that are contingent neither yet the thoughts of harts Being notwithstanding the ordinarie subiects according to the doctrine of our aduersaries both of the inuocation of men and of the intercession of Angels But seing they haue brought vs to speak in their tearmes ab extremo ad supremum per media behold see the extremities whervnto they lead vs. Antoninus Archb. of Florence teacheth Anton. part 3. Sum t. 3. 12. Idem part 4. t. 15. 1. Ioh. 2. That Saints must be both inuocated adored of all that all those vpon whom the Virgine Mary casteth her eyes are necessarily iustified saued that Christ is ouer rough in as much as he is both aduocate iudge together for that God hath prouided vs of an aduocatesse in whō there is nothing but mildnes So that what is said in S. Iohn If we haue sinned we haue an Aduocate c. he turneth it in plaine words to be vnderstood of the Virgin Mary Heb. 4. and that which the Apostle to the Hebrews saith vnto vs of Christ the high priest Let vs draw neere vnto the throne of grace c. he will haue it to be vnderstood of her For Marie saith he is the throne of Christ Genes 2. c. What shall I say more The Seraphins say they would haue retained Marie as shee ascended vp to heauen No saith she it is not good that man should be alone speaking of the eternall sonne sitting at the right hand of the father I am giuen vnto him for a help in the worke of redemption by suffering with him and in the worke of glorification by making intercession to the end that if he should threaten to drowne the world as in the deluge I may appeare before him as the rainebow to the end that hee
Frier hath purposely written and put forth a booke The truth is that he teacheth Ioh. Ferus in Mat. l. 1. In Ioh. c. 1. v. 4.13.17.19 That all our old birth for so hee calleth the man not regenerate and all the powers of our nature are condemned in the Scriptures that wee are nothing but sinne and darknesse that our thoughts speech reason and will are accursed that our light if the same be not inlightned by the word of God worketh nothing in vs but errour and going astraie that euen the Law howsoeuer good in it selfe without grace begetteth nothing but hypocrites that without faith there is no good workes and that none but such as belieue can worke them that in the regenerate not onely after Baptisme Idem in Ioh. c. 13. v. 10. c. 14 v. 16 c. 16. v. 9. but euen after they become to an actuall faith there abideth continually a remainder of originall sinne which bringeth forth sinne in vs whereupon it must consequently bee auouched that no man is without sinne and notwithstanding that such as belieue doe not cease therefore to be cleane that is in as much as they be purified by faith and by the same ingrafted into the body of Christ participating his holinesse and possessing himselfe according to that which S. Paul saith But you are washed but you are sanctified c. And that notwithstanding that considered in themselues they are nothing but sin yet there is no condemnation for them with God who doth not impute vnto them any their sinnes vncleannesse but rather reputeth them for pure cleane because of their faith in Christ Moreouer that this faith which iustifieth vs is not any other thing then the free mercie of God forgiuing sinnes for his Christs sake which only is requisite in vs vnto saluation c. and it worketh in vs a certaintie of the same so farre foorth as that it leaueth vs not without a pledge and earnest penie of eternall life that by the only merits of Christ we are saued made partakers of the same merits by faith alone In all which points he doth verie notably agree with vs that is to say with all antiquitie and consequently is condemned by the Councell of Trent in diuers Canons in the sixth Session Now of all this discourse wee gather that this doctrine of free iustification in the bloud of Christ by faith hath beene of a long time kept maintained in the Church in his puritie howsoeuer deadly assailed by Sathan and that at diuers times in diuers depending points as the See and seate of our saluation That notwithstanding it hath beene subiect to manifold diuers great alterations and changes through the proud and presumptuous nature of man through the doctrine of Philosophers through the subtilties of the Schoolemen and the Pharisaical hmuour of the Monkes In so much as that notwithstanding the couragious defence of the same by diuers worthie and great personages holding vnto the yeare 1200. more for the grace of God against the ingratitude of man the said Pharisaicall doctrine did preuaile and get the vpper hand and yet not so absolutely but that at the same time it was still impugned and confuted almost throughout all the nations of Christendome by many good people and that euen to the suffering of death for their confession being also mightily and soundly crossed by their Maxims by whose fine conceipts and subtile deuises it had beene chiefely established that in it there is hapned vnto vs as it falleth out in the Countries farre North wherein the brightnesse of the two twilights doe happen and fall out so neere together as that the day is no sooner dead and departed on the one side but it quickneth and reuiueth againe on the other This Article hauing beene no sooner shut in and couered with the darknesse which had ouer-spread and ouershadowed the Church but that wee might see it incontinently after more splendent and glorious then euer it was before Wherein we may note the singular goodnes of God towards his Church for in as much as iustification is that point of Christian doctrine which ioyneth man Christ together which maketh the proper difference of the Church from all other sortes of assemblies and of a Christian from all other men as being that without which no man can bee a Christian with which alone well vnderstood we retaine both the name and the effect and to be short which may bee called by good right the life of a Christian the soule of the Church the bond of the mariage betwixt Christ and his Church it was surely verie necessarie seeing that God according to his promise cannot destroy his Church that this article should be conserued in the same that such Eclipse as should couer the face therof shuld be but short to the end it might returne vnto his former brightnesse and light In a word as Phisitions say that the heart is the first liuing last dying part in man That this heart also of the Church by which it began to liue notwithstanding first assailed and set vpon by the venimous poyson of Sathan was the last that was mortally wounded and striken and the first againe recouered as for certaine it is come to passe in our daies wherein God making his Gospell as it were to liue againe after so long a time of death and darknesse would of his incomparable grace that this point should bee the first restored into his former estate and perfection by them whome he had raised for the restauration of his Church Now in this third part we haue entered into the consideration of the Masse A briefe rehea 〈◊〉 of that which hath beene said before this third book in the qualitie of a Sacrifice so it remaineth for our better comming to our selues againe after so long a discourse that we briefly repeate the same which we meane to performe in manner as followeth The Masse is properly a corrupting adulterating of the holy Supper of our Lord and the Supper of our Lord was not ordained for a sacrifice taken in his proper signification but for a Sacrament Neither can it be called a sacrifice except for that it is a holy action or else because it is a commemoration of the sacrifice of our Lord once made vpon the tree of the Crosse for our sinnes or thirdly for that it is a thankesgiuing for the benefits receiued by him Wherefore the Masse cannot properly be called a sacrifice and much lesse a propitiatorie sacrifice in as much as the whole Scripture and all antiquitie do teach vs that there is not in the Church any moe sacrifices truely propitiatorie then one euen the bloud of our Lord shed for our sinnes represented and shadowed out vnder the Lawe by all the sacrifices then in vse and fulfilled in the time of grace in one onely which ought not neither can bee reiterated without sacriledge From this pretended Sacrifice of the Masse haue