byrdes doo For owselles popiniayes rauens and pyes and such the like byrdes oftetymes be taughte of men to sownde they knowe not what These wordes are to be taken of th'understanding of the sense not of the tonge which the Seruice is songe in For the people of Hippo where he was bishop vnderstoode the latine tonge meanely Which sense can not rightly and safely be atteined of the common people De ecclesiasticis diuersis capitulis Constitutione 123. Greg. Haloādro interprete Nā in veteri translatione nihil tale habetur but is better and more holesomly taughte by the preaching of the learned bishops and priestes The commaundement of Iustinian the Emperour which M. Iuell alleageth that bishops and priestes shuld celebrate the holy oblation or Sacrifice which we call the Masse not closely * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but with vtterāce and sownde of voice that they might be heard of the people maketh nothing for the Seruice to be had in the Englishe tong in the churche of England or in any other vulgare tonge in the churche of any other nation but requireth onely of the bishops and priestes open pronouncing Iustinianes ordinaunce truly declared vocall not mentall speaking not whispering with the breath onely in the celebration of the holy Sacrifice and other Seruice Wherein he agreeth with S. Augustine who in his booke de Magistro Cap. 1. sayeth that when we praye there is no nede of speaking onlesse perhappes we doo as priestes doo Who when they praye in publike assemble vse speaking for cause of signifying their mynde that is to shewe that they praye not to th'intēt God but menne maye heare and with a certaine consent through putting in mynde by sownde of voice maye be lyfted vp vnto God This much S. Augustine there And this is the right meaning of that Constitution And thus he ordeined for the greke churche onely and thereto only it is to be referred for that some thought the Sacrifice shuld be celebrated rather with silence after the maner of the churche of Rome specially at the consecration And as that constitution perteined to the Grekes and not to the Latines so was it not fownde in the Latine bookes vntill Gregorius Haloander of Germanie of late yeres translated the place And where M. Iuell alleageth this commaundement of Iustinian against the hauing of the Seruice in a learned tonge vnknowen to the common people it is to be noted how he demeaneth him selfe not vprightly but so as euery man may thereby knowe a scholer of Luther Caluine and Peter Martyr For whereas by th'allegation of that ordinance he might seme to bring somewhat that maketh for the blessed Sacrifice of the churche commonly named the Masse he dissembleth the worde of the sacrifice which Iustinian putteth expressely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est diuinam oblationem the diuine or holy oblation and termeth it other wise in his replyes by the name of common prayers and in his Sermon by the name of the wordes of the ministration refusing the worde of the churche no lesse then he refuseth to be a member of the churche Thus through fooysting and coggyng their dye and other false playe these newe perilouse teachers deceiue many poore soules and robbe them of the suer simplicitie of their faith And where was this commaundement geuen In Constantinople the chiefe citie of Grece where the greke tonge was commonly knowen That Emperour had dominion ouer some nations that vnderstoode not the greke commonly Yet no man can tell of any constitution that euer he made for Seruice there to be had in their vulgare and barbarous tonge So many nations hauing ben conuerted to the faith the common people whereof vnderstoode neither greke nor latine if the hauing of the Seruice in their vulgare tonge had bē thought necessary to their saluation the fathers that stickte not to bestowe their bloude for their flockes would not haue spared that small paine and trauaile to put their Seruice in vulgare tonges If it had ben necessary it had ben done if it had ben done it had ben mentioned by one or other Psal 104. Lib. 1 cōtra haeres haeresi 39. It appeareth by Arnobius vpon the Psalmes by Epiphanius writing against heresies and by S. Augustine in his bookes De Doctrina Christiana that by accompte of th'antiquitie there were 72. tonges in the worlde In Tuscul q. Cicero sayeth that they be in number infinite Of them all neither M. Iuell nor any one of his syde is able to shewe that the publike Seruice of the churche in any nation was euer for the space of syx hundred yeres after Christ in any other then in greke and latine For further answere to the auctoritie of Iustinianes ordinance we holde well with it Good men thinke it meete the Seruice be vttered now also with a distincte and audible voice that all sortes of people specially so many as vnderstand it may the more be stirred to deuocion and thereby the rather be moued to saye Amen and geue their assent to it through their obedience and credite they beare to the churche assuring them selues the same to be good and helthfulll and to the glory of God And for that purpose we haue commonly sene the priest when he spedde him to saye his seruice to ring the Sawnce bell and speake out a lowde Pater noster By which token the people were commaunded silence reuerence and deuotion Now to saye somewhat touching the common prayers or Seruice of the curches of Aphrica where S Augustine preached in Latine as you saye and I denye not and thereof you seme to cōclude that the common people of that countrie vnderstoode and spake latine as their vulgare tonge That the Aphricane churches had their Seruice in Latine it is euident by sundry places of S. Augustine in his exposition of the Psalmes in his bookes De Doctrina Christiana and in his sermons and most plainely in an epistle that he wrote to S. Hierome in which he sheweth that the people of a citie in Aphrica was greatly moued and offended with their bishop for that in reciting the scriptures for parte of the seruice to them he read out of the fourth chapter of Ionas the Prophete not cucurbita after the olde texte which they had ben accustomed vnto but hedera after the newe translation of S. Hierome All people of the latine churche vnderstoode not the latine Seruice Lib. 3.2 belli punici Now as I graunt that some vnderstoode it so I haue cause to doubte whether some others vnderstoode it or no. Nay rather I haue great probabilitie to tkinke they vnderstoode it not For the bewraying of Hannibals Ambassadoures to the Romaines by their Punicall language whereof Titus Liuius writeth and likewise the cōference betwixte Sylla the noble man of Rome and Bocchus kinge of Numidia had by meane of interpreters adhibited of bothe parties as Saluste recordeth in bello Iugurthino declareth that the tonge of Aphrica was the
of the scripture the common people may reade for their conforte and necessary instruction and by whom the same may be translated it belongeth to the iudgement of the churche Which church hath already condemned all the vulgare traÌ„slations of the Bible of late yeres for that they be founde in sundry places erroneous and parciall in fauour of the heresies which the translatours maineteine And it hath not onely in our tyme condemned these late translations but also hytherto neuer allowed those fewe of olde tyme. I meane S. Hieromes translation into the Dalmaticall tonge if euer any such was by him made as to some it semeth a thing not sufficiently proued And that which before S. Hierome Vlphilas an Arian bishop made and coÌ„mended to the nation of the Gothes who first inuented letters for them and proponed the scriptures to them translated into their owne tonge and the better to bring his Ambassade to the Emperour Valens to good effecte was persuaded by the heretikes of Constantinople and of the courte there to forsake the catholike faith and to communicate with the Arians making promise also to trauaile in brynging the people of his countrie to the same secte which at length he performed most wickedly As for the church of this land of Britaine the faith hath continewed in it thirten hundred yeres vntill now of late without hauing the Bible translated into the vulgare tonge to be vsed of all in common Our lord graunt we yelde no worse soules to God now hauing the scriptures in our owne tonge and talking so much of the gospell then our auncesters haue done before vs. This Iland sayeth Beda speaking of the estate the church was in at his dayes at this present according to the number of bookes that Gods lawe was written in doth serche and coÌ„fesse one and the selfe same knowlege of the high truth and of the true highte with the tonges of fiue nations of the Englishe the Britons the Scottes the Pightes and the Latines Quae meditatione scripturorum caeteris omnibus est facta coÌ„munis Which tonge of the Latines sayeth he is for the studie and meditation of the scriptures made common to all the other Verely as the Latine tonge was then commoÌ„ to all the nations of this lande being of distincte languages for the studie of the scriptures as Beda reporteth so the same onely hath alwayes vntill our tyme ben common to all the cowntries and nations of the Occidentall or West churche for the same purpose and thereof it hath ben called the Latine churche Wherefore to conclude they that shewe them selues so earnest and zelous for the translation of the scriptures into all vulgare and barbarous tonges it behoueth theÌ„ after the opinioÌ„ of wise meÌ„ to see first that no faultes be fownde in their translations as hytherto many haue ben fownde And a small faulte committed in the handling of Gods worde is to be taken for a great crime Nexte that for as much as such translations perteine to all christen people they be referred to the iudgement of the whole churche of euery language and commended to the layetie by the wisedom and auctoritie of the clergie hauing charge of their soules Furthermore that there be some choise exception and limitation of tyme place and persons and also of partes of the scriptures after the discrete ordinaunce of the Iewes Amongest whom it was not laufull that any man shuld reade certaine partes of the Bible before he had fullfilled the tyme of the priestly ministerie which was the age of thirty yeres Praefatione in Ezechielem as S. Hierome witnesseth Lastly that the setting forth of the scriptures in the common language be not commended to the people as a thing vtterly necessary to saluation least thereby they condemne so many churches that hytherto haue lackt the same and so many learned and godly fathers that haue not procured it for their flockes finally all that haue gonne before vs to whom in all vertue innocencie and holynes of lyfe we are not to be compared As for me in as much as this matter is not yet determined by the church whether the common people ought to haue the scriptures in their owne tonge to reade and to heare or no I defyne nothing As I esteme greatly all godly and holesome knowledge and wishe the people had more of it then they haue with charitie and meekenesse so I would that these hote talkers of gods worde had lesse of that knowledge which maketh a man to swell and to be proude in his owne conceite and that they would depely weigh with them selues whether they be not conteyned within the lystes of the saying of S. Paul to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 8. If any man thinke that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to knowe God graunt all our knowledge be so ioyned with meekenesse humilitie and charitie as that be not iustly sayd of vs which S. Augustine in the like case sayde very drâ—dfully to his dere frende Alipius Surgunt indocti coelum rapiunt Confess lib. 8. ca. 8 nos cum doctrinis nostris sine corde ecce vbi volutamur in carne sanguine The vnlearned and simple aryse vp and catche heauen awaie from vs and we with all our great learning voyed of heart lo where are we wallowing in fleshe and bloude Or that it was then lawfull for the priest Iuell to pronounce the wordes of Consecration closely and in silence to him selfe Of secrete pronouncing the Canon of the Masse ARTICLE XVI THe matter of this article is neither one of the highest mysteries nor one of the greatest keyes of our religion how so euer Maister Iuell pleaseth him selfe with that reporte thinking thereby to impaire the estimation of the catholike churche The diuersitie of obseruation in this behalfe sheweth the indifferencie of the thing For elles if one maner of pronouncing the wordes of consecration had ben thought a necessarie point of religion it had ben euery where vniforme and inuariable That the breade and wyne be consecrated by the wordes of our lord pronounced by the priest as in the person of Christ by vertue of which through the grace of the holy ghoste the breade and wyne are chaunged into our lordes body and bloude this thing hath in all tymes and in all places and with consent of all inuariably ben done and so beleued But the manner of pronouncing the wordes concerning silence or open vtteraunce according to diuersitie of places hath ben diuerse The maner of pronouncing the coÌ„secration in the Greke and latine churches diuers In libello de Sacramento Eucharistiae The grekes in the East churche haue thought it good to pronounce the wordes of consecration clara voce as we finde in Chrysostomes Masse and as Bessarion writeth alta voce that is plainely out alowde or with alowde voice Sacerdos alta voce iuxtà Orientalis Ecclesiae ritum verba illa pronunciat hoc est corpus
suddeine pange cōming vpon him or with some cogitation and conscience of his owne vnworthines suddeinly comming to his mynde If either this or any other let had chaunced in what case had the patriarke ben then He had ben like by M. Iuelles doctrine to haue broken Christes Institution and so Gods cōmaundement through an others defecte which were straunge But I iudge that M. Iuell who harpeth so many iarring argumētes against priuate Masse vpon the very word Communion will not allowe that for a good and lawfull communion where there is but one onely to receiue with the priest Verely it appeareth by his sermon that all the people ought to receiue or to be dryuen out of the churche Now therefore to an other example of the priuate Masse Amphilochius byshop of Iconium the head citie of Lycaonia to whom S. Basile dedicated his booke De Spiritu sancto and an other booke intituled Ascetica writing the lyfe of saint Basile or rather the miracles through Gods power by him wrought which he calleth Memorabilia vera ac magna miracula in praefatione worthy of record true and great miracles specially such as were not by the three most worthy men Gregorie Nazianzene Gregorie Nyssene and holy Ephrem in their Epitaphicall or funerall treatises before mentioned among other thinges reporteth a notable story wherein we haue a cleare testimonie of a priuate Masse And for the thing that the storie sheweth as much as for any other of the same Amphilochius he is called Coelestium virtutum collocutor angelicorum ordinum comminister a talker together with the heauenly powers and a felowe seruant with orders of Angelles The story is this This holy bishop Basile besoughte God in his prayers he would geue him grace wisedom and vnderstanding so as he might offer the sacrifice of Christes bloude sheding proprijs sermonibus with prayers and seruice of his owne making and that the better to atcheue that purpose the holy ghost might come vpon him After syx dayes he was in a traunce for cause of the holy ghostes comming When the seuenth daye was come he beganne to minister vnto God that is to witte he sayde Masse euery daye After a certaine tyme thus spent through faith and prayer he begāne to write with his owne hande mysteria ministrationis the Masse or the seruice of the Masse On a night our lord came vnto him in a vision with the Apostles and layde breade to be consecrated on the holy aulter and stirring vp Basile sayd vnto him Secundum postulationem tuam repleatur os tuum laude etc. According to thy request let thy mowth be fylled with praise that with thyne owne wordes thou mayst offer vp to me sacrifice He not able to abide the vision with his eyes rose vp with trembling and goyng to the holy aulter beganne to saye that he had written in paper thus Repleatur os meum laude hymnum dicat gloriae tuae domine Deus qui creasti nos adduxisti in vitam hanc caeteras orationes sancti ministerij Let my mowth be fylled with prayse to vtter an hymne to thy glory Lord God which hast created vs and brought vs in to this lyfe and so foorth the other prayers of the Masse It foloweth in the story Et post finem orationum exaltauit panem sine intermissione orans dicens Respice domine Iesu Christe etc. After that he had done the prayers of Consecration he lyfted vp the bread praying continually and saying Looke vpon vs lord Iesus Christ out of thy holy tabernacle and come to sanctifie vs that sittest aboue with thy father and arte here present inuisibly with vs vouchesafe with thy mighty hand to delyuer to vs and by vs to all thy people Sancta Sanctis thy holy thinges to the holy The people answered one holy one our lord Iesus Christ with the holy ghost in glorie of God the father Amen Now let vs consyder what foloweth perteining most to our purpose Et diuidens panem in tres partes vnam quidem communicauit timore multo alteram autem reseruauit consepelire secum tertiam verò imposuit columbae aureae quae pependit super altare He diuided the bread in to three partes of which be receiued one at his communion with greate feare and reuerence the other he reserued that it might be buried with him and the third parte he caused to be put in a golden pyxe that was hanged vp ouer the aulter made in forme and shape of a dooue After this a litle before the ende of this treatise it foloweth how that S. Basile at the houre that he departed out of this lyfe receiued that parte of the hoste him selfe which he had purposed to haue enterred with him in his graue and immediatly as he laye in his bedde gaue thankes to God and rendred vp the ghost That this was a priuate Masse no man can denye Basile receiued the sacrament alone for there was no earthly creature in that churche with him The people that answered him were such as Christ brought with him And that all this was no dreame but a thing by the will of god done in dede though in a vision as it pleased Christ to exhibite Amphilochius playnely witnesseth declaring how that one Eubulus and others the chiefe of that clergie standing before the gates of the churche whiles this was in dooing sawe lightes with in the churche and men clothed in white and heard a voice of people glorifying god and behelde Basile standing at the aulter and for this cause at his comming foorth fell downe prostrate at his feete Here M. Iuell and his consacramentaries doo staggar I doubte not for graunt to a priuate Masse they will not what so euer be brought for proufe of it and therefore some doubte to auoyd this autoritie must be deuysed But whereof they shuld doubte verely I see not If they doubte any thing of the brīging of the bread and other necessaries to serue for cōsecration of the hoste let thē also doubte of the bread and fleshe that Elias had in the ponde of Carith 3. Reg. 17. 3. Reg. 19. Let them doubte of the bread and potte of water he had vnder the Iuniper tree in Bersabée Let them doubte of the potte of potage brought to Daniel for his dyner Daniel 14 from Iewerie in to the caue of lyons at Babylon by Abacuk the prophete But perhappes they doubte of the auctoritie of Amphilochius that wrote this story It may well be that they would be gladde to discredite that worthy bishop For he was that vigilant pastour and good gouernour of the churche Theodorit in hist eccles lib. 4. cap. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precatores who first with Letoius bishop of Melite and with Flauianus bishop of Antioche ouerthrewe and vtterly vanquished the heretikes called Messaliani otherwise euchitae the first parentes of the Sacramentarie heresie Whose opinion was that the holy Eucharistie that is the blessed
bread which Christ there tooke blessed brake and gaue to them was not simple and common bread but the Sacrament of the bodye and bloude of Christ For so a In MatthaeuÌ„ homil 17. Chrysostome b De consensu EuaÌ„gelist li. 3. cap. 25. Augustine c In Luc. Bede and d In LucaÌ„ Act. 2. Theophylacte with one accorde doo witnesse It appeareth also that the communion vnder one kynde was vsed at Ierusalem among christes disciples by that S. Luke writeth in the Actes of the Apostles of the breaking of the bread If M. Iuell here thinke to auoyde these places by their accustomed figure synecdoche among his owne secte happely it may be accepted but among men of right and learded iudgement that shifte will seme ouer weake and vaine Now to conclude touching the sixth chapter of S. Ihon as thereof they can bring no one worde mentioning the cuppe or wyne for proufe of their bothe kyndes so it sheweth and not in very obscure wise that the forme of breade alone is sufficient where as Christ sayeth Qui manducat panem hunc viuet in aeternum He that eateth this bread shall lyue for euer Thus oure aduersaries haue nothing to bring out of the scriptures against the vse of the catholike churche in ministring the communion vnder one kynde And yet they cease not crying out vpon the breache of christes expresse commaundement and M. Iuell for his parte in his first answere to D. Cole sayeth that the councell of Constance pronounced openly against Christ him selfe But for as much as they are so hote in this pointe I will send them to Martin Luther him selfe their patriarke that either by his sobrietie in this matter they may be some what colded or by his and his scolers incoÌ„stancie herein be brought to be a shamed of them selues Though the places be well knowen as oftentymes cited of the catholike writers of oure tyme against the gospellers yet here I thinke good to rehearse them that the vnlearned may see how them selues make not so greate a matter of this Article as some seme to beare the people in hand it is Luther wryteth to them of Bohemia these very wordes Quoniam pulchrum quidem esset Luther and his ofspryng doth not necessitate Communion vnder both kyndes vtraque specie eucharistiae vti Christus hac in re nihil tanquam necessarium praecepit praestaret pacem vnitatem quam Christus vbique praecepit sectari quam de speciebus SacrameÌ„ti coÌ„tendere Whereas it were a fayre thinge sayeth he to vse bothe kyndes of the sacrament yet for that Christ herein hath commaunded nothing as necessary it were better to kepe peace and vnitie which Christ hath euery where charged vs withall then to striue for the outward kyndes of the sacrament Agayne his wordes be these in a declaration that he wrote of the sacrament Non dixi neque consului neque est intentio mea vt vnus aut aliquot Episcopi propria authoritate alicui incipiant vtramque speciem porrigere nisi ita constitueretur mandaretur in concilio generali Neither haue I sayde nor counsailed nor my minde is that any one or moe bishops begynne by their owne auctoritie to geue bothe kyndes of the sacrameÌ„t to any person onlesse it were so ordeined and coÌ„maunded in generall councell Thus he wrote before that he had conceiued perfite hatred against the church Of his coÌ„ference vvith the deuill he vvriteth libello de Missa angulari But after that he had ben better acquainted with the deuill and of him appearing vnto him sensibly had ben instructed with argumentes against the sacrifice of the Masse that the memorie of oure redemption by Christ wrought on the crosse might vtterly be abolyshed he wrote hereof farre otherwise Si quo casu concilium statueret minimè omnium nos vellemus vtraque specie potiri imò tunc primuÌ„ in despectum concilij vellemus aut vna aut neutra nequaquaÌ„ vtraque potiri eos planè anathema habere quicuÌ„que talis coÌ„cilij auctoritate potirentur vtraque If in any case the councell would so ordeyne we would in no wise haue bothe the kyndes but euen then in dispite of the councell we would haue one kynde or neither of them and in no wise bothe and holde them for accurfed who so euer by auctoritie of such a councell would haue bothe These wordes declare what sprite Luther was of They shewe him lyke him selfe Who so euer readeth his bookes with indifferent iudgement shall fynde that sythens the Apostles tyme neuer wrote man so arrogaÌ„tly ne so dispitefully against the churche nor so contraryly to him selfe Which markes be so euident that who so euer will not see them but suffreth him selfe to be caried a waye in to errour hatred of the church and contempte of all godlynes either by him or by his scolers except he repent and retourne he is gyltie of his owne damnation vtterly ouerthrowen Tit. 3. and synneth inexcusably as one condemned by his owne iudgement But for excuse hereof in his booke of the captiuitie of Babylon he confesseth that he wrote thus not for that he thought so nor for that he iudged the vse of one kynde vnlawfull but because he was stirred by hatred and anger so to doo His wordes doo sounde so much plainely Prouocatus imò per vim raptus I wrote this sayeth he otherwise then I thought in my harte prouoked and by violence pulled to it whether I would or no. Here I doubte not but wise men will regarde more that Luther wrote when his minde was quiet and calme then when it was enraged with blustering stormes of naughty affections Now to put this matter that Luther iudged it a thing indifferent whether one receiue the sacrament vnder one kynde or bothe more out of doubte Philip MelaÌ„chthon his scoler and nearest of his counsell wryteth Sicut edere suillam aut abstinere a suilla In locis coÌ„munibus sic alterutra signi parte vti mediuÌ„ esse That as it is a thing indiffereÌ„t to eate swines fleshe or to forbeare swines fleshe so it is also to vse which parte of the signe a man lysteth By the word signe he meaneth the Sacrament lyking better that straunge word then the accustomed word of the churche leaste he might perhaps be thought of the brethren of his secte in some what to ioyne with the catholikes Bucer also is of the same opinion who in the conference that was had betwene the catholikes and protestantes for agreement in controuersies of Religion at Ratisbone confirmed and allowed this article by his full consent with these wordes Ad controuersiam quae est de vna aut vtraque specie tollendam cum primis conducturum vt sancta Ecclesia liberam faceret potestatem sacramentum hoc in vna vel in vtraque specie sumendi Ea tamen lege â—r nulli per hoc detur occasio quem vsum tantopere retinuit Ecclesia
Gelasius went about to spredde their heresie in Rome and in the parties of Italie Their hereticall opinion was that Christ tooke not oure fleshe and bloude but that he had a phaÌ„tasticall bodye and dyed not ne rose agayne trulye and in dede but by waye of phantasie And therefore at the communion they absteined from the cuppe and the better to cloke their heresie came to receiue the Sacrament in the forme of breade with other catholike people Against whom Leo sayeth thus Serm. 4. de quadra gesima Abdicant enim se sacramento salutis nostrae etc. They dryue theÌ„ selues awaye from the Sacrament of oure saluation And as they denye that Christ oure lorde was borne in truth of oure fleshe so they beleue not that he dyed and rose agayne truly And for this cause they condemne the daye of oure saluation and gladnes that is the sunnedaye to be their sadde fastinge daye And where as to cloke theire infidelitie they dare to be at oure mysteries they temper them selues so in the communion of the Sacramentes as in the meane tyme they may the more safely kepe them priuye With vnworthy mowth they receiue Christes bodye but to drinke the bloude of oure redemption vtterly they will none of it Which thing we would aduertise your holynes of that bothe such men maye be manifested by these tokens vnto you and also that they whose deuilish simulatioÌ„ and fayning is fownde being brought to light and bewrayed of the felowship of saintes maye be thrust out of the churche by priestly auctoritie Thus farre be Leo his wordes Gelasius that succeded fourty yeres after Leo imployed no lesse diligence then he dyd vtterly to vanquish and abolish that horrible heresie of whom Platina wryteth that he banished so many maniches as were fownde at Rome and there openlye burned their bookes And because this heresie shuld none elles where take roote and springe he wrote an epistle to Maiâ—ricus and Ioannes two bisshops amongest other thinges warning them of the same Out of which epistle this fragment onely is taken whereby he doth bothe briefly shewe what the Maniches dyd for cloking of their infidelitie as Leo sayeth and also in as muche as their opinion was that Christes bodye had not verye bloude as being phantasticall onely and therefore superstitiously absteined froÌ„ the cuppe of that holy bloude geueth charge and commaundement that either forsaking their heresie they receiue the whole Sacramentes to witte vnder bothe kyndes or that they be kepte from them wholy Here the wordes of Leo afore mentioned and this canon of Gelasius conferred together specially the storye of that tyme knowen it may sone appeare to any Iuell Or that the people had their commen prayers then in a straunge tonge that they vnderstoode not Of the Church Seruice in learned tonges vvhich the vnlearned people in olde tyme in sundry places vnderstoode not ARTICLE III. IF you meane Maister Iuell by the peoples common prayers such as at that tyme they commonly made to God in priuate deuotion I thinke they vttered them in that tonge which they vnderstoode and so doo Christen people now for the most parte and it hath neuer ben reproued by any catholike doctour But if by the common prayers you meane the publike Seruice of the churche whereof the most parte hath ben pronounced by the bishops priestes deacoÌ„s and other ecclesiasticall ministres the people to sundry partes of it saying Amen or otherwise geuing their assent I graunt some vnderstoode the language thereof and some vnderstoode it not I meane for the tyme you referre vs vnto euen of syx hundred yeres after Christes conuersation here in earth For about nyne hundred yeres past it is certaine the people in some countries had their Seruice in an vnknowen tonge as it shall be proued of our owne countrie of England But to speake first of antiquitie and of the compasse of your first syx hundred yeres it is euident by sundry auncient recordes bothe of doctours and of councelles specially of the councell Laodicene in Phrygia Pacatiana holden by the bishops of the lesser Asia about the yere of our lord 364. that the Greke churches had solemne Seruice in due order and forme set forth with exacte distinction of psalmes and lessons of houres dayes feastes and tymes of the yere of silence and open pronouncing of geuing the kisse of peace to the bishop first by the priestes then by the laye people of offering the Sacrifice of the only ministers coÌ„ming to the aulter to receiue the communion with diuerse other semely obseruations As for the Latine churches they had their prayers and Seruice also but in such fixed order long after the Grekes For Damasus the Pope first ordeyned that psalmes shuld be longe in the churche of Rome alternatim enterchaungeably or by course so as now we sing them in the quyere and that in the ende of euery psalme shuld be sayde Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui sancto sicut erat etc. Which he caused to be done by counsell of S. Hierome In rescripto Hieronymi ad 2. epist Damasi Papae ad HieronymuÌ„ presbyterum that the faith of the 318. bishops of the Nicene councell might with like felowship be declared in the mowthes of the Latines To whom Damasus wrote by Bonifacius the priest to Ierusalem that Hierom would send vnto him psallentiam Graecorum the maner of synging of the Grekes so as he had learned the same of Alexander the bishop in the East In that epistle complayning of the simplicitie of the Romaine churche he sayeth that there was in the Sunnedaye but one epistle of the Apostle and one chapter of the Gospell rehearsed and that there was no synging with the voice hearde nor the comelynes of hymnes knowen among them About the same tyme S. Ambrose also tooke order for the Seruice of his churche of Millane and made holy hymnes him selfe Lib. ConfessionuÌ„ In whose tyme as S. Augustine writeth when Iustina the young Emperour Valentinians mother for cause of her heresie wherewith she was seduced by the Arianes persecuted the catholike faith and the people thereof occupied them selues in deuoute watches more then before tyme ready to dye with their bishop in that quarell it was ordeyned that hymnes and psalmes shuld be song in the churche of Millane after the maner of the east parties that the good folke thereby might haue some comfort and spirituall reliefe in that lamentable state and continuall sorowes Thereof the churches of the West forthwith tooke example and in euery countrie they folowed the same In his seconde booke of Retractations Cap. 11. he sheweth that in his tyme such maner of synging began to be receiued in Aphrica Before this tyme had Hilarius also the bishop of Poiters in Fraunce made hymnes for that purpose of which S. Hierom maketh mention In 2. prooemio coÌ„mentariorum epist ad Galat. Much might be alleaged for proufe of hauing Seruice in the Greke and in the
est corpore Christi etc. This is that we saye sayeth he which by all meanes we go about to proue that the Sacrifice of the church is made of two thinges and cōsisteth of two thinges of the visible shape of the elemētes which are breade and wine and the inuisible fleshe and bloude of our lord Iesus Christ of the Sacrament that is the outward signe and the thinge of the sacrament to witte of the body of Christ etc. By this we vnderstand that this word Sacrament is of the fathers two waies taken First for the whole substance of the Sacrament as it consisteth of the outward formes and also with all of the very body of Christ verely present as saint Augustine sayeth the Sacrifice of the Church to cōsist of these two Secondly it is taken so as it is distincte from that hydden and diuine thing of the Sacrament that is to saye for the outward formes onely which are the holy signe of Christes very body present vnder them conteined Hovv the fathers are to be vnderstāded callīg the Sacrament a figure signe token etc. Whereof we must gather that when so euer the fathers doo call this most excellent Sacrament a figure or a signe they would be vnderstanded to meane none otherwise then of those outward formes and not of Christes body it selfe which is there present not typically or figuratiuely but really and substātially onlesse perhaps respecte be had not to the body it selfe present but to the maner of presence as sometymes it happeneth So is Saint Basile to be vnderstanded in Liturgia calling the sacrament antitypon that is a sampler or à figure and that after cōsecration as the copies that be now abroade bee founde to haue So is Eustathius to be taken that great learned father of the Greke churche who so constantly defended the catholike faith against the Arians cited of Epiphanius in 7. Synodo Albe it concerning S. Basile E◠4. c. 14. in caput Matth. 26 Damascen and Euthymius likewise Epiphanius in the second Nicene councell actione 6. and Marcus Ephesius who was present at the councell of Florence would haue that place so to be taken before consecration As S. Ambrose also calling it a figure of our lordes body and bloud lib. 4. de sacram cap. 5. And if it appeare straunge to any man that S. Basile shuld call those holy mysteries antitypa after consecration let him vnderstand that this learned father thought good by that word to note the great secrete of that mysterie and to shewe a distincte condition of present thinges from thinges to come And this consideration the church semeth to haue had which in publike prayer after holy mysteries receiued maketh this humble petitiō vt quae nunc specie gerimus Sabbato 4. tēporū mēsis Septemb certae rerū veritate capiamus that in the lyfe to come we may take that in certaine truth of thinges which now we beare in shape or shewe Neither doo these wordes importe any preiudice against the truth of the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament but they signifie and vtter the most principall truth of the same when as all outward forme shape shewe figure sampler and coouer taken awaie we shall haue the fruitiō of God him selfe in sight face to face not as it were through a glasse but so as he is in truth of his Maiestie So this word antitypon thus taken in S. Basile furthereth nothing at all the Sacramentaries false doctrine against the truth of the presence of Christes body in the Sacrament And because our aduersaries doo much abuse the simplicitie of the vnlearned bearing thē in hand that after the iudgement and doctrine of th' auncient fathers the Sacrament is but a figure a signe a token or a badge and conteineth not the very body it selfe of Christ for proufe of the same alleaging certaine their sayinges vttered with the same termes I thinke good by the recitall of some the chiefe such places to shewe that they be vntruly reported and that touching the veritie of the presence in the Sacrament they taught in their dayes the same faith that is taught now in the catholike churche Holy Ephrem in a booke he wrote to those that will serch the nature of the sonne of God by mannes reason Cap. 4. sayeth thus Inspice diligenter quomodo sumēs in manibus panem benedicit ac frangit in figura immaculati corporis sui calicemque in figura pretiosi sanguinis sui benedicit tribuit discipulis suis Beholde sayeth he diligently how taking bread in his handes he blesseth it and breaketh it in the figure of his vnspotted body and blesseth the cuppe in the figure of his pretiouse bloude and geueth it to his disciples By these wordes he sheweth the partition deuision or breaking of the Sacramēt to be done no otherwise but in the outward formes which be the figure of Christes body present and vnder them conteined Which body now being gloriouse is no more broken nor parted but is indiuisible and subiect no more to any passion and after the Sacrament is broken it remaineth whole and perfite vnder eche portion Agayne by the same wordes he signifieth that outward breaking to be a certaine holy figure and representation of the crucifying of Christ and of his bloude shedding Which thing is with a more clearnes of wordes set forth by saint Augustine in Sententijs Prosperi Dum frangitur hostia De consecrat dist 2 can dum frangitur dum sanguis de calice in ora fidelium funditur quid aliud quám Dominici corporis in cruce immolatio eiusue sanguinis de latere effusio designatur Whiles the hoste is broken whiles the bloud is powred in to the mowthes of the faithfulles what other thing is thereby shewed and set forth then the sacrificing of Christes body on the crosse and the shedding of his bloud out of his syde And by so dooing the commaundement of Christ is fulfylled Doo this in my remembraunce That it may further appeare that these wordes figure signe image token and such other the like sometymes vsed in auncient writers doo not exclude the truth of thinges exhibited in the Sacrament but rather signifie the secrete maner of th'exhibiting amōgest all other the place of Tertullian in his fouerth booke contrâ Marcionem is not to be omitted specially being one of the chiefe and of most appearaunce that the Sacramentaries bring for proufe of their doctrine Tertullianes wordes be these Acceptum panem distributum discipulis suis corpus suum illum fecit hoc esse corpus meum dicēdo id est figura corporis mei The breade that he tooke and gaue to his disciples he made it his body in saying this is my body that is the figure of my body The double taking of the worde Sacrament afore mentioned remembred and consideration had how the sacramentes of the Newe testament comprehend two thinges the outward visible formes that be figures signes and tokens and
godly thinges neither behoofull the same be done in all tymes and places nor that all thinges touching God be medled withall Which aduertisement taketh no place where all be admitted to the curiouse reading of the scriptures in their owne vulgare tonge And the scripture it selfe saye they sheweth plainely that of couenience the scriptures ought not be made common to all persons For Christ affirmeth the same with his owne wordes where he sayeth to his Apostles Lucae 8. Vnto you it is geuen to knowe the secretes of the kingdom of God but to other in parables that when they see they shuld not see and when they heare they shuld not vnderstande They to whom it is geuen to knowe these secretes be none other then the Apostles and their successours or disciples They to whom this is not geuen but must learne parables be they for whom it were better to be ignorant of the mysteries then to knowe them least they abuse them and be the more grieuously condemned if they sette litle by them which we see commonly done among the common people Vide Hilarium in Psal 2. It is reported by sundry auncient writers of great auctoritie that among the people of Israel the seuenty Elders onely could reade and vnderstande the mysteries of the holy bookes that we call the Bible For whereas the letters of the Hebrewe tonge haue no vocalles they onely had the skill to reade the scripture by the consonantes and therby the vulgare people were kepte from reading of it by speciall prouidence of God as it is thought that pretiouse stones shuld not be caste before swyne that is to saye such as be not called thereto as being for their vnreuerent curiositie and impure life vnworthy Here I nede not to spende tyme in rehersing the manifolde difficulties of these holy letters through which the reading of them to the simple and vnlearned people hauing their wittes exercised in no kynde of learning their myndes occupied in worldly cares their hartes caryed awaye with the loue of thinges they luste after Bernard Super cātica is not very profitable As the light shyneth in vaine vpon blinde eyes sayeth a holy father so to no purpose or profite is the labour of a worldly and naturall man taken for the atteining of thinges that be of the spirite Verely emōges other this incōmoditie is sene by dayly experience hereof to procede that of the people such as ought of right to take lest vpon them be now becomme censours and iudges of all despysers of the more parte and which is common to all heretikes mockers of the whole simplicitie of the churche and of all those thinges which the churche vseth as pappe or mylke to nourrishe her tender babes withall that it were better for them not to reade then by reading so to be pufte vp and made insolent Which euill cometh not of the scripture but of their owne malice and euill disposition The dangers and hurtes which the common peoples reading of the scriptures in their owne lāguage bryngeth after the opinion of those that reproue the same be great sundry and many I will here as it were but touche a fewe of them leauing the whole matter it selfe to the iudgemēt of the churche First seing the poyson of heretikes doth most infecte the common people and all heretikes drawe their venyme out of the Bible vnder pretence of gods worde it is not thought good by these men to lette euery curiouse and busie body of the vulgar sorte to reade and examine the Bible in their common language Yet they would not the learned discrete and sober laye men to be imbarred of that libertie Againe if heresie spring of wrong vnderstanding De trinitate li. 2. not of the scriptures as Hilarius sayeth heresie is of vnderstanding not of scripture and the sense not the worde is a crime who shall sooner fall into heresie then the common people who can not vnderstande that they reade verely it semeth a thing hard to beleue that the vnlearned people shuld vnderstande that which the best learned men with long studie and great trauaill can scarcely at length atteine Whereas Luther would the scriptures to be translated into euery vulgare tonge for that they be lyght and easie to vnderstande he is confuted by the scripture it selfe For both S. Peter and also S. Paul acknowlegeth in them to be great difficulties by occasion whereof some misconstrue thē to their owne damnation 2. Pet. 3. 1. Tim 1. 2. Cor. 4. some vnderstande not what thinges they speake nor of what thinges they affirme and to some the gospell that S. Paul preached is hydden euen to them which perishe If the scriptures were playne how erred Arius how Macedonius how Eunomius how Nestorius how many mo men of great learning specially seing they all tooke occasion of their errours of the scripture not rightly vnderstanded Luther sayeth that S. Hierome was ouerseen in the vnderstanding of the scripture that S. Augustine erred in the same that S. Ambrose Cyprian Hilary Basile and Chrysostome the best learned doctours of Christes churche were oftentymes deceiued And yet in the preface of his booke de captiuitate Babilonica he speaketh of them very honorably and graunteth that they haue laboured in the lordes vineyarde worthely and that they haue employed great diligence in opening the scriptures If these being of so excellent learning after long exercise in the holy letters after long studie and watche after long and feruent prayer after mortification of them selues and purgation of carnall affections were deceiued as he witnesseth how can he saye they are cleare plaine and easye to be vnderstanded And if these worthy fathers were deceiued in one pointe or two is it not likely the common people may be deceiued in many specially their diligēce and study not being comparable to theirs and their lyues not being such as the cleannesse of their inward affectes might lighten their vnderstāding and the annointing of god might teach them And least all the vnlearned laye people shulde seme hereby vtterly reiected from hope of vnderstanding gods worde without teaching of others it may be graunted that it is not impossible a man be he neuer so vnlearned exercised in long prayer accustomed to feruent contemplation being brought by God into his inward cellares may from thence obteine the true vnderstanding and interpretation of the holy scriptures no lesse then any other alwaies brought vp in learning Of what sorte S. Antony that holy and perfecte man the Eremite of Egypte was Who as saint Augustine writeth Prologo in libros de doctrina Christiana without any knowledge of letters both canned the scriptures by hart with hearing and vnderstode them wisely with thynking And that holy man whom S. Gregorie speaketh of who lying bedred many yeres for siknes of body through earnest prayer and deuout meditation obteined helth of mynde and vnderstanding of the scriptures neuer hauing learned letters so as he was able to
our aduersaries Iuell or if all the learned men that be alyue be hable to bring any one sufficient sentence out of any olde catholike doctour or father or out of any olde generall councell or out of the holy scriptures of God or any one example of the primitiue Churche whereby it may clearely and playnely be proued that there was any priuate Masse in the whole world at that tyme for the space of syx hundred yeres after Christ etc. The conclusion is this as I sayde before so saye I now agayne I am content to yelde and to subscribe Of Masse vvith out a number of others receiuing the Communion vvith the priest at the same tyme and place vvhich the gospellers call priuate Masse ARTICLE I. EVERY Masse is publike No Masse priuate in it self but in respecte of circūstāces concerning bothe the Oblation and also the communion and none priuate For no man offereth that dredfull Sacrifice priuately for him selfe alone but for the whole Churche of Christ in common The Communion likewise of the Sacrament is a publike feast by Christ through the ministerie of the priest in the same prepared for euery faithfull person from partaking whereof none is excluded that with due examinatiō hauing before made him selfe ready demaundeth the same And so being common by order of the first Institution and by will of the ministers it ought to be reputed for common not priuate That others doo so commonly forebeare to communicate with the priest it is through their owne defaulte and negligence not regarding their owne saluation Whereof the godly and carefull rulers of faithfull people haue sithens the tyme of the primitiue Churche alwayes much complayned Therefore in this respecte we doo not acknowledge any priuate Masse but leaue that terme to Luthers schoole where it was first deuysed and so termed by Sathan him selfe seeking how to withdraw his nouice Luther from the loue and estimation of that most blessed Sacrifice by reasoning with him against the same in a night vision as him selfe recordeth in a litle booke which he made De Missa angulari vnctione sacerdotali Yet we denye not but that the a Concil Vasen c. 4 Cōcil Triburiē Decretal li. 3. tit 41. c. 2. De consecrat dist 1 ex Augusti quod quidā Gregorio tribuunt Gregor ex Regist li. 2. ad Casteriū c. 9. fathers of some auncient Councelles and sithens likewise b 3. parte summae q. 83. respōsione ad 12. argumentu articuli 5. What the Lutheranes call priuate Masse S. Thomas and certaine other schoole doctours haue called it sometymes a priuate Masse but not after the sense of Luther and his scolers but onely as it is cōtrary to publike and solemne in consideration of place tyme audience purpose rites and other circumstances The varietie and chaunge of which being thinges accidentarie can not varie or chaunge the substance or essentiall nature of the Masse Maister Iuell an earnest professour of the new doctrine of Luther and of the Sacramentaries calleth as they doo that a priuate Masse whereat the priest hauing no cōpanie to communicate with him receiueth the Sacrament alone Against this priuate Masse as he termeth it he inueigheth sore in his prīted Sermō which he preached at Poules Crosse the second Sundaye before Easter in the yere of our lord 1560. as he entituleth it shunning the accustomed name of Passion Sundaye least as it semeth by vsing the terme of the catholike churche he shuld seme to fauer any thing that is catholike In which Sermon he hath gathered together as it were in to one heape all that euer he could fynde written in derogation of it in their bookes by whom it hath ben impugned And though he pretende enemitie against priuate Masse in word yet in dede who so euer readeth his Sermon and discerneth his sprite shall easely perceiue that he extēdeth his whole witte and cunning vtterly to abolishe the vnbloudy and daily Sacrifice of the Churche commonly called the Masse Which as the Apostles them selues affirme in * Pro sacrificio cruēto rationale incruētū ac mysticum sacrificiū instituit quod in mortē domini per symbola corporis sanguinis ipsius celebratur Clemens cōstitutionū Apostolicarū lib. 6 cap. 23. Proufes for the Masse briefly touched Clemēt their scoler and felow being vnbloudy hath succeded in place of the bloudy sacrifices of the olde lawe and is by Christes commaundemēt frequented and offered in remembraunce of his passiō and death and to be vsed all tymes vntill his coming But what so euer he or all other the forerunners of Antichrist speake or worke against it all that ought not to ouerthrowe the faith of good and true Christen men hauing for proufe thereof besyde many other places of holy scripture the figure of Melchisedech that was before the law the prophecie of Malachie in the law and lastly and most plainely the Institution of Christ in the new testamēt Which he lefte to the Apostles the Apostles to the Churche and the Churche hath cōtinually kepte and vsed through the whole world vntill this daye Touching doctours they haue with one consent in all ages in all partes of the world from the Apostles tyme foreward bothe with their example and also testimonie of writing confirmed the same faith They that haue ben brought vp in learning and yet through corruption of the tyme stand doubtefull in this point let them take paines to trauaile in studie and they shall fynde by good auncient witnes of the priestes and deacons of Achaia that Saint Androw the Apostle touching the substance of the Masse worshipped God euery daye with the same seruice as priestes now doo in celebrating the externall Sacrifice of the Churche They shall fynd by witnes of Abdias first bishop of Babylō Abdiae li. 7. historiae Apostol who was the Apostles scoler and saw our Sauiour in fleshe and was present at the passion and martyrdom of S. Androw that S. Matthew the Apostle celebrated Masse in Aethiopia a litle before his Martyrdom They shall fynde by reporte of an aunciēt Councell generall Conciliū Constantinopol in Trullo cap. 32. Epistol ad Burdega Lib cōstitut apostolicarū 8. cap. vlt. that S. Iames wrote a liturgie or a forme of the Masse They shall fynde that Martialis one of the lxxij disciples of Christ and Bishop of Bourdeaulx in Fraunce sent thyther by S. Peter serued God in like sorte They shall fynde in Clement the whole order and forme of the Masse set forth by the Apostles them selues and the same celebrated by them after our lord was assumpted before they went to the ordering of bisshops priestes and the vij deacons according to his Institution and the same right so declared by Cyrillus bishop of Ierusalem In mystagogicis orationibus They shall fynde the same most plainely treated of and a forme of the Masse much agreable to that is vsed in these dayes in wryting set forth by S. Dionyse In
eccles hierarch cap. 3. Act. 17. whom S. Paul conuerted to the faith of whom it is mencioned in the actes of the Apostles who had cōference with Peter Paul and Ihon th'euangelist and much acquaintance with Timothe Thus doo I geue thee good Christen reader but a taste as it were of proufes with out allegation of the wordes for confirmation of thy faith concerning the blessed Masse out of the Scriptures Apostles and Apostolike men I doo further referre the to Iustinus the martyr and philosopher Lib. 4. cōtra haeres cap. 32. to Irenaeus the martyr and bishop of Lions who lyued with the Apostles scholers To the olde bishop and Martyr Hippolytus that lyued in Origens tyme who in his oration De Consummatione mundi extant in Greke maketh Christ thus to saye at the generall iudgement vnto bishops Venite Pontifices qui purê mihi Sacrificium die nocteque ohtulistis ac praetiosum corpus sanguinē meum immolastis quotidie Come ye Bishops that haue purely offered sacrifice to me daye and nyght and haue sacrificed my pretious body and bloud daily Finally I referre them in stede of many to the two worthy fathers Basile and Chrysostome whose Masses be lefte to the posteritie at this tyme extāt In mystagogicis orationibus Amongest all Cyrillus Hierosolymitanus is not to be passed ouer lightly who at large expoundeth the whole Masse vsed in Ierusalem in his tyme the same which now we fynde in Clement much like to that of Basile and Chrysostome and for the Canon and other principall partes to that is now also vsed in the Latine Churche As for the other doctoures of the churche that folowed the Apostles and those Apostolike mē many in number excellent in learning holy of lyfe to shew what may be brought out of their workes for proufe of this matter that th' oblation of the body and bloude of Christ in the Masse is the sacrifice of the Church and proper to the new testament it would require a whole volume and therefore not being moued by M. Iuelles Chalēge to speake specially therof but as it is priuate after their meaning and many good treatises in defence of this sacrifice being set forth already in printe at this present I will saye nothing thinking hereof as Salust dyd of Carthago that great citie that it were better to kepe silence then to speake fewe Now this presupposed that the Masse standeth vpon good and sufficient groundes for the stay of all true christen mennes beleefe let vs come to our speciall pourpose and saye somewhat of priuate Masse as our aduersaries call it The chiefe cause why they storme so much against priuate Masse is for that the priest receiueth the Sacrament alone which thing they expresse with great vilanie of wordes Now in case the people might be styrred to such deuotion as to dispose them selues worthely to receiue their housell euery daye with the priest as they dyd in the primitiue church when they looked hourely to be caught and done to death in the persecutiō of Paynimes that they departed not hence Sine Viatico without their viage prouision what shuld these men haue to saye In this case perhappes they would fynde other defaultes in the Masse but against it in this respect onely that it is priuate they shuld haue nothing to saye at all So the right of their cause depēdeth of the misdooing of the people which if they would amende these folke shuld be dryuen either to recant or to holde their peace To other defaultes of the Masse by them vntruely surmysed answere shal be made hereafter Now touching this Where no defaulte is committed there no blame is to be imputed That oftentymes the priest at Masse hath no comparteners to receiue the sacramēt with him it procedeth of lacke of deuotion of the peoples parte not of enuye or malice of his parte The feaste is common all be inuited they may come that lyst they shall be receiued that be disposed and proued None is thrust awaye that thus commeth it may be obtruded to none violētly ne offred to none rashely Well none commeth This is not a sufficient cause why the faithfull and godly priest enflamed with the loue of God feeling him selfe hungry and thirsty after that heauēly foode and drynke shuld be kepte from it and imbarred from celebrating the memoire of our lordes death according to his commaundement from his dutie of geuing thankes for that great benefite from taking the cuppe of saluatiō and calling vpon the name of God Psal 115. for these thinges be done in the Masse But the enemies of this holy sacrifice saye that this is against the Institution of Christ God forbydde the Institution of Christ shuld not be kepte But it is a world to see how they crye out for the Institution of Christ by whom it is most wickedly broken For where as in Christes Institution concerning this Sacrament three thinges are conteined which he him selfe dyd and by his commaundemēt gaue auctoritie to the Church to doo the same the Consecration Three essentials of the Masse the oblation and the participation wherein consisteth the substance of the Masse they hauing quite aborogated the other two and not so much as once naming them in their bookes of seruice now haue lefte to the people nothing but a bare Communion and that after their own sorte with what face can they so busely crye for Christes Institution by whom in the chiefe pointes the same is violated Of Consecration and Oblation although much might be sayde here against them I will at this tyme saye nothing Concerning participation the number of communicantes together in one place that they iangle so much of as a thing so necessary that with out it the Masse is to be reputed vnlaufull is no parte of Christes Institution For Christ ordeined the Sacrament after consecration and oblation done to be receiued and eaten And for that ende he sayd Accipite Number of cōmunicants place tyme vvith other rites bee not of Christes institutiō manducate bibite take eate drinke Here in cōsisteth his Institution Now as for the number of the communicantes how many shuld receiue together in one place and in what place what tyme sitting at table as some would haue it standing or kneeling fasting or after other meates and whether they shuld receiue it in their handes or with their mowthes and other the like orders maners and circumstāces all these thinges perteine to the ceremonie of eating the obseruation whereof dependeth of the churches ordinance and not of Christes Institution And therefore S. Augustine writing to Ianuarius sayeth Saluator non praecepit Epist 118. quo deinceps ordine sumeretur vt Apostolis per quos dispositurus erat Ecclesiam seruaret hunc locum Our Sauiour gaue not commaundement in what order it shuld be receiued meaning to reserue that matter to the Apostles by whom he would directe and dispose his churche Wherefore the receiuing
Sacrament of th'aulter doth neither good nor euil neither profiteth ought nor hurteth euen as our sacramentaries doo ascribe all to faith onely and call the most worthiest sacramēt none other but tokening bread which of it selfe hath no diuine efficacie or operation Therefore I wonder the lesse I saye if they would Amphilochius his auctoritie to be diminished But for this I will matche them with greate Basile who estemed him so much who loued him so intierly who honored him so highly with the dedication of so excellent workes I will ioyne them also with the learned Bishop Theodoritus Theodor. lib. 5. ecclesiast hist c. 16. who semeth to geue him so soueraigne praise as to any other Bishop he writeth his stories of neuer naming him with out preface of great honour now calling him admirandum the wonderful at an other tyme sapientissimum the most wise and most cōmonly laudatissimum most praise worthy If they doubte of Basile him selfe whether he were a man worthy to obteine by his prayer of God such a vision it may please them to peruse what Gregorius Nyssenus what holy Ephrē of Syria and specially what Gregorie Nazianzene wrote of him In monodia which two Gregories be not affrayed to compare him with Elias with Moses with S. Paul and with who so euer was greatest and for vertue of most renome Whereby without all enuie he hath obteined of all the posteritie to be called Magnus Basile the great much more for deserte of vertue and learning then those other for merite of chiualrie the great Charles the great Pompey the great Alexander If they denye the whole treatise and saye that it was neuer of Amphilochius dooing that were a shifte in dede but yet the worst of all and farthest from reason and custome of the best learned and much like the facte of kyng Alexander who being desyrouse to vndoo the fatall knotte at Gordium a towne in Phrygia hearing that the Empier of the worlde was boded by an olde prophecie to him that could vnknitte it not fynding out the endes of the strenges nor perceiuing by what meanes he could doo it drewe foorth his sworde and hewed it in pieces supplying want of skill with wilfull violence For the auctoritie of his treatise this much I can saye Be syde that it is set foorth in a booke of certaine holy mens lyues printed in Colen and besyde very great likelyhode appearing in the treatise it selfe it is to be sene in the librarie of Saint Nazarius in the citie of Verona in Italie written in veleme for three hundred yeres past bearing the name of Amphilochius bishop of Iconium Now one place more for proufe of priuate Masse at the wyneding vp of this matter and then an ende of this article This place is twyse fownd in Chrysostō in an homilie vpon the epistle to the Ephesiās and more plainely in an homelie ad populum Antiochenū Where he hath these very wordes Hom. 61. ad popul Antioch Multā video rerū inaequalitatē In alijs quidem temporibus cum puri frequenter sitis non acceditis In Pascha vero licet sit aliquid à vobis patratum acceditis O consuetudinem ô praesumptionem Sacrificium frustrà quotidianum In cassum assistimus altari nullus qui communicetur I see great inequalitie of thinges among you At other tymes when as for the more parte ye are in cleane lyfe ye come not to receiue your rightes But at Easter though ye haue done some thing amysse yet ye come O what a custome is this O what a presumption is this The dayly sacrifice is offred in vaine We stand at the aulter for nought There is not one that woll be houseled Here is to be noted A true declaration of Chrystomes place whereas Chrysostome sayeth the daily sacrifice was celebrated in vaine and the priestes stoode at th'aulter in vaine it is not to be vnderstanded of the sacrifice in it selfe as though it were in vaine and frustrate but this is to be referred to the people it was in vaine for their parte that shuld haue receiued their communion with the priestes who waited daily for them and cryed out as the maner was Sancta sanctis holy thinges for the holy and after that they had receiued the breade thē selues shewing the chalice to the people In Missa Chrysost sayd Cum timore Dei fide dilectione accedite Come ye vp to receiue with the feare of God with faith and charitie But all was in vaine For none came so colde was their deuotion in that behalfe Now if Chrysostome had cause to complaine of the peoples slaknes in comming to the communion in that great and populouse citie of Antioche where the scriptures were daily expownded and preached where discipline and good order was more streightely exacted where in so great number some of likelyhode were of more deuotion then others what is to be thought of many other litle townes and villages through the worlde where litle preaching was heard where discipline slaked where the number of the faithfuls being small and they occupied all together in worldly affayeres fewe gaue good ensample of deuotion to others Doubtles in such places was much lesse resorte of the people at the Masse tyme to receiue the Sacrament with their priestes And whereas least this place might seme plainely to auouche the hauing of Masse without a number communicating with the bishop or priest for auoyding of this auctoritie the gospellers answere by waye of coniecture that in Chrysostomes tyme the priestes and deacons cōmunicated together daily with the partie that offred the Sacrifice though none of the people dyd we tell thē that this poore shifte will not serue their purpose For though they saye some sufficient number euer cōmunicated with him that celebrated the dayly sacrifice in that great and famouse churche of Antioche where many priestes and deacons were which neither being denyed they shall neuer be able to proue what may be sayde or thought of many thousand other lesser churches through the world where the priest that sayd Masse had not alwayes in redynes a sufficient number of other priestes and deacons to receiue with him so to make vp a communion Of such churches it must be sayde that either the Sacrifice ceased and that was not done which Christ commaunded to be done in his remembrāce which is not to be grawnted or that the memorie of our lordes death was oftentymes celebrated of the priestes in the daily oblation with out tarying for others to cōmunicat with them and so hadde these churches priuate Masses as the churches now a dayes haue Now to conclude of this most euident place of Chrysostome euery childe is hable to make an inuincible argumēt against M. Iuell for the priuate Masse as they call it in this sorte By reporte of Chrysostome the sacrifice in his tyme was daily offred that is to saye the Masse was celebrated but many tymes no body came to communicate
Latine churches long before the first syx hundred yeres were expired which is not denyed The thing that is denyed by M. Iuell is this That for the space of syx hundred yeres after Christ any Christen people had their Seruice or common prayers in a tonge they vnderstoode not Which they of his syde beare the world in hande to be a haynouse erroure of the churche and a wicked deceite of the papistes And I saye as I sayde before that the Seruice was then in a tonge which some people vnderstoode and some vnderstoode not I meane Vsage of churche seruice in any vulgare tōge vvith in 600. yeres after Christ cā not be proued the Greke tonge and the Latine tonge For that it was with in the syx hundred yeres in any other barbarous or vulgare tonge I neuer reade neither I thinke M. Iuell nor any the best learned of his syde is able to prooue To be the better vnderstanded I call all tonges barbarous and vulgare besyde the Hebrewe Greke and Latine The gospell and the faith of Christ was preached and set forth in Syria and Arabia by Paul in Egypte by Marke in Ethiopia by Matthew in Mesopotamia Persia Media Bactra Hyrcania Parthia and Carmania by Thomas In Armenia the greater by Barthelemew in Scythia by Androw and likewise in other countries by Apostolike men who were sent by the Apostles and theire nexte successours as in Fraunce by Martialis sent by Peter by Dionysius sent by Clement by Crescens as a Cōstitutionū apostolicarū li. 7. c. 46. Clement and b Lib. de scriptori ecclesiast Hierome writeth and by Trophimus S. Paules scholer and by Nathanael Christes disciple of whom he at A relate and this at Bourges and Treueres preached the gospell as some recorde In our countries here of Britaine by Fugatius Damianus and others sent by Eleutherius the Pope and Martyr at the request of king Lucius as Damasus writeth in Pontificali Temporibus Antonini Comodi anno do 182 Other countries where the Greke and Latine tonge was commonly knowen I passe ouer of purpose Now if M. Iuell or any of our learned aduersaries or any man lyuing could shewe good euidence and proufe that the publike Seruice of the churche was then in the Syriacall or Arabike in the Egyptian Ethiopian Persiā Armeniā Scythian Frenche or Britaine tonge then might they iustly clayme prescription against vs in this Article then might they charge vs with the example of antiquitie then might they requyre vs to yelde to the maner and auctoritie of the primitiue churche But that doubteles can not appeare Which if any could shewe it would make much for the Seruice to be had in the vulgare tonge Wherefore M. Iuell in his sermon which he vttered in so solemne an audience and hath set forth in print to the world sayeth more thē he is able to iustifie Folio 16. where he speaketh generally thus Before the people grewe to corruption whereby he meaneth the first syx hundred yeres after Christ all christen men through out the world made their common prayers and had the holy communion in their owne common and knowen tonge This is sone spoken Syr but it will not by you be so sone prooued In dede we fynde that where as holy Ephrem deacon of the churche of Edessa wrote many thinges in the Syriacall tonge he was of so worthy same and renome Lib. de scriptori ecclesiast that as S. Hierome witnesseth his writinges were rehearsed in certaine churches openly post lectionem scripturarū after the scriptures had ben reade Whereof it appeareth to Erasmus that nothing was wont then to be reade in the churches besyde the writinges of the Apostles or at least of such men as were of Apostolike auctoritie But by this place of S. Hierome it semeth not that Ephrems workes were vsed as a parte of the common Seruice but rather as homelies or exhortations to be reade after the Seruice which consisted in maner wholly of the scriptures And whether they were tourned in to greke or no so sone it is vncertaine Neither S. Hieromes translation of the scriptures in to the Dalmaticall tonge if any such was by him made at all proueth that the Seruice was then in that vulgare tonge That labour may be thought to haue serued to an other purpose But of the translation of the scriptures into vulgare tonges I shall speake hereafter when I shall come to that peculiar Article Verely the handeling of this present and of that hath most thinges common to bothe Thus that the people of any countrie had the churche Seruice in their vulgare and common tonge besyde the Greke and the Latine tonge we leaue as a matter stowtly affirmed by M. Iuell but faintly proued yea nothing at all proued Now concerning the two learned tonges Greke and Latine and first the Greke That the Seruice was in the greke tonge and vsed in the greke churche I graunt And to shewe what is meant by the Greke churche the learned doo vnderstand all the christen people of that countrie which properly is called Graecia of Macedonia Thracia and of Asia the lesser and the countries adioyning The prouinces that were allotted to the Patriarke of Alexandria in Egypte and to the patriarke of Antiochia in Syria are of the olde writers called sometyme by the name of the Orientall or East churche sometyme of the Greke churche This much by vs bothe confessed M. Iuell and agreed vpon I saye that if I can shewe that the people of some countries of the Greke churche which all had their common prayers and Seruice in the Greke tonge for the more parte vnderstoode not the greke tonge more then Englishe men now vnderstand the Latine tonge then I haue proued that I promysed to proue that some peoples I meane whole nations vnderstoode not their Seruice for that they had it in an vnknowen tonge Now how well I am able to proue this I referre it to your owne cōsideration The lesser Asia being a principall parte of the greke churche All people of the Greke churche vnderstoode not the greke seruice had then the Seruice in the greke tonge But the people of sundry regions and countries of the lesser Asia then vnderstoode not the greke tonge Ergo the people of sundry regions and countries had then their Seruice in an vnknowen tonge The first proposition or maior is confessed as manifest no learned man will denye it and if any would it may easely be proued The second proposition or minor maye thus be proued Strabo who trauailed ouer all the countries of Asia for perfite knowledge of the same neare about the tyme of S. Paules peregrination there who also was borne in the same in his 14. booke of Geographie writeth that where as with in that Cherronesus that is the streight betwen sea and sea there were syxten nations by reporte of Ephorus of them all onely three were grekes all the rest barbarous Likewise Plinius
in the syxth booke natural histor cap. 2. declareth that with in the circuite of that land were three greke nations onely Dores Iones Eoles and that the reste were barbarous amongest whom the people of Lycaonia was one who in S. Paules tyme spake before Paul and Barnabas Act. 14. in the Lycaonical tonge The scripture it selfe reporteth a diuersitie of language there and thereabout as it appeareth by the second chapter of the Actes Where the Iewes gathered together in Ierusalem for keping of the feast of Pentecoste wondering at the Apostles for their speaking with so many sundry tonges emonges other prouinces different in language they rekon Pontus and Asia Cappadocia Phrygia and Pamphylia Which two prouinces are of all attributed vnto the lesser Asia Which maketh a good argument that all Asia the lesser had not one onely the greke tōge and therefore so many of them as were of other language hauing the Seruice in greke had it in a tonge they vnderstode not They that will seme to serche the cause why that land had so great diuersitie of languages impute it to the often chaunge of conquestes for that it was ouercome and possessed of diuerse nations of which euery one coueted with enlarging their Empyre to bring into the countries subdued their lawes their customes and their language Now this being proued by good and sufficient auctoritie that in Asia of xvj nations three onely were Grekes it foloweth that the other thirtene hauing their Seruice in greke had it not in their owne but in a straunge tonge For elles if they had all naturally spoken greke why shuld not they haue ben called grekes Thus we see it is no newe thing proceding of a generall corruption in the churche some peoples to haue the Seruice in an vnknowen tonge Here perhappes M. Iuell or some other for him replyeth and sayeth that the people of Asia commonly besyde their owne proper language spake the greke tonge also and alleageth for that purpose S. Hierome In prooemio 2. lib. cōment epist ad Galatas who sayeth Galatas excepto Sermone Graeco quo omnis Oriens loquitur propriam linguam eandem habere quam Treuiros That the Galathians besyde the greke language which all the Orient or the East speaketh haue their owne peculiar tonge the very same that they of Treueres haue Lo sayeth this replyer S. Hierome affirmeth all the Orient to speake the greke tonge Ergo the Seruice in greke to them was not straunge and vnknowen To this I answere S. Hierome meaneth that some of all countries of the Orient or east spake greke as the learned men gentle men merchantes all of liberall education and such other as had cause to trauaile those countries To be shorte it was with out doubte very common as being their only learned tonge for all sciences and the tonge that might best serue to trauaile with all from countrie to countrie with in the East right so as the Latine tonge serueth to the like intentes for all nations of the West And he meaneth not that all and singular persons of what degree or condition so euer they were all vplandish people tillers of the grownde herdmen and women spake greke For if it had ben so then had they not had peculiar and proper tonges For it is not for their simple headdes for the most parte to beare a waie two languages In that S. Hierome calleth the Galathians tonge propriam linguam a proper and peculiar tonge to that nation he doth vs to vnderstād the same to perteine to all in particular that is to euery one of that prouince and the greke to all in generall in respecte of other nations there so as not of necessitie it be vnderstanded of euery one S. Augustine speaking of the title written by Pilate on the crosse sayeth thus It was in Hebrew Tracta in Ioan. 117. Greke and Latine Rex Iudaeorum For these three tonges were there in preeminence before all other Hebraea propter Iudaeos in Dei lege gloriantes Graeca propter gentium Sapientes Latina propter Romanos multis ac penè omnibus iam tunc gentibus imperantes The Hebrewe for the Iewes that gloried in the lawe of God the greke for the wise men of the gentiles the Latine for the Romaines bearing rule at that tyme ouer many and almost ouer all nations Now where he sayeth here that the greke tonge was in preeminence propter gentium Sapientes for the wise men of the gētiles he discusseth fully the doubte that might seme to rise of S. Hieromes saying and sheweth that the greke tonge was common not to all the vulgare people of the whole Orient but to the wise men onely and that for the atteyning of learning And for this it is to be noted that the scripture reporteth the vulgare tong of the Lycaonians to haue ben vttered in hearing of Paul and Barnabas not by the Magistrates or other the chiefe but by the vulgare people Turbae leuauerunt vocem suam Lycaonicè dicentes etc. Act. 2. And so S. Hierome is to be vnderstanded to speake in that place not of all men of the nations of the East but rather of a great number and of some persons of all nations For elles if all the East had spoken greke the souldiers that buried Gordianus the younger Emperour apud Circeium Castrum at Circey castle neare to the land of Persie would not haue written his title of honour vpon his sepulchre in greke and latine in the Persians Iewes and the Egyptians tonges vt ab omnibus legeretur that it might be read of all In Gordij◠as Iulius Capitolinus writeth Which is an argument that all the East spake not ne vnderstoode not the greke tonge As likewise that Epiphanius writeth Lib. 2. haeresi 66. where he sayeth thus Most of the Persians after the persicall letters vse also the Syrianes letters As with vs many nations vse the greke letters yea where as in euery nation in maner they haue letters of their owne And others some much esteme the most profownde tonge of the Syrians and the tonge that is about Palmyra both the tonge it selfe and also the letters of the same Bookes also haue ben written of Manes in the Syrianes tonge Agayne if all the East had spoken greke sundry the holy fathers would not haue ben so enuiouse to the common weale of the churche as to hyde their singular workes from the reading of all which they wrote in barbarouse and vulgare tonges to the commoditie only of their brethren that vnderstoode the same Antonius that wrote seuen notable epistles to diuerse monasteries Lib. de ecclesiast script of apostolike sense and speache as S. Hierome witnesseth in the Egyptian tonge Likewise holy Ephrem of Edessa Bardesanes of Mesopotamia who wrote very excellent workes in the Syriacall tonge Euen so dyd Isaac of Antioche and Samuel of Edessa priestes write many goodly workes against the ennemies of the churche in
occupied a place at the table visibly by his diuine power there he helde his body in his haÌ„des inuisibly In expositione psal 13. For as S. Augustine sayeth ferebatur manibê° suis he was borne in his owne haÌ„des where nature gaue place and his one body was in mo places then one Verely non est abbreuiata manus domini the hande of our lord is not shortened his power is as great as euer it was And therefore let vs not doubte but he is able to vse nature finite infinitely specially now the nature of his body being glorified after his resurrection from the dead And as the lyuing is not to be sought among the dead so the thinges that be done by the power of God aboue nature are not to be tryed by rules of nature And that all absurdities and carnall grosnes be seuered from our thoughtes where true christen people beleue Christes body to be in many places at once they vnderstaÌ„d it so to bee in a mysterie Being in a mysterie Now to be in a mysterie is not to be comprehended in a place but by the power of God to be made present in sorte and maner as him selfe knoweth verely so as no reason of man can atteine it and so as it may be shewed by no examples in nature Whereof that notable saying of S. Augustine may very well be reported Aug. epis ad VolusianuÌ„ IteÌ„ Ser. 159. de tempore O homo si rationem à me poscis non erit mirabile exemplum quaeritur non erit singulare that is O man if herein thou require reason it shall not be marueilouse seeke for the like example and then it shall not be singuler If Goddes working be comprehended by reason sayeth holy Gregorie it is not wonderouse neither faith hath meede Gregorius in homil whereto mannes reason geueth proufe Iuell Or that the priest did then holde vp the Sacrament ouer his head Of the Eleuation or lyfting vp of the Sacrament ARTICLE VII OF what weight this ceremonie is to be accompted catholike ChristeÌ„ men whom you call your aduersaries M. Iuell knowe no lesse then you Verely whereas it pleaseth you thus to ieste and like a Lucian to scoffe at the sacramentes of the church and the reuerent vse of the same calling all these articles in generall thâ—… highest mysteries and greatest keyes of our religion without which our doctrine can not be maineteined and stand vpright vnderstand you that this a sundry other articles which you denye and requyrâ—… proufe of is not such ne neuer was so estemed The priestes lifting vp or shewing of the Sacrament is not one of the highest mysteries or greatest keyes of our Religion and the doctrine of the catholike churche may right well be maineteined and stande without it But it appeareth you regarde not so much what you saye as how you saye somewhat for colour of defacing the churche which whiles you go about to doo you deface your selfe more then you seeme to be ware of and doo that thing whereby among good christen men specially the learned you may be a shamed to shewe your face For as you haue ouer rashely yea I maye saye wickedly affirmed the negatiue of sundry other articles and stowtely craked of your assurance thereof EleuatioÌ„ of the sacrament so you hauâ—… likewise of this For perusing the auncient father writinges we fynde record of this Ceremonie vsed euen from the Apostles tyme foreward Saint Dionyse that was S. Paules scholer sheweth that the priest at his tyme after the consecration was wont to holde vp the dredfull mysteries so as the people might beholde them His wordes be these according to the greke Ecclesias hierarch cap. 3. Pontifex diuina munera laude prosecutus sacrosancta augustissima mysteria conficit collaudata in conspectum agit per symbola sacrè proposita The bishop after that he hath done his seruice of praising the diuine giftes consecrateth the holy and most worthy mysteries and bringeth them so praysed in to the sighte of the people by the tokeÌ„s set forth for that holy purpose On which place the auncient greke writer of the scholies vpon that worke sayeth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loquitur de vnius benedictionis nimirum panis diuini eleuatione quem Pontifex in sublime attollit dicens Sancta sanctis This father speaketh in this place of the lifting vp of the one blessing that is to saye of the one forme or kynde of the sacrament euen of that diuine breade which the bishop lifteth vp on high saying holy thinges for the holy In saint Basiles and Chrysostomes Masse we finde these wordes Sacerdos eleuans sacrum panem dicit Sancta Sanctis The priest holding vp that sacred bread sayeth Holy thinges for the holy In Saint Chrysostomes Masse we reade that as the people is kneeling downe after th' example of the priest and of the deacon the deacon seing the priest stretching forth his handes and taking vp that holy bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad sacram eleuationem peragendam palam edicit attendamus to doo the holy eleuation speaketh out a lowde let vs be attent and then the priest sayeth as he holdeth vp the sacrament holy thinges for the holy Amphilochius of whom mention is made afore in the lyfe of S. Basile speaking of his wonderouse celebrating the Masse among other thinges sayeth thus Et post finem orationum exaltauit panem sine intermissione orans dicens Respice domine Iesu Christe etc. And after that he had done the prayers of consecration he lyfted vp the bread without ceasing praying and saying Looke vpon vs lord Iesus Christ etc. The same saint Basile meant likewise of the Eleuation and holding vp of the sacrament after the custome of the OccideÌ„tall churche Cap 27. in his booke de Spiritu sancto where he sayeth thus Inuocationis verba dum ostenditur panis eucharistiae calix benedictionis quis sanctorum nobis scripto reliquit Which of the sainctes hath lefte vnto vs in writing the wordes of Inuocation whiles the bread of Eucharistia that is to witte the blessed sacrament in forme of bread and the consecrated chalice is shewed in sight He speaketh there of many thinges that be of great auctoritie and weight in the church which we haue by tradition onely and can not be auouched by holy scripture Of shewing the holy mysteries to them that be present in the sacrifice In epist ad Ephes Sermon 3. in moral the olde doctours make meÌ„tion not sildom S. Chrysostom declareth the maner of it saying that such as were accompted vnworthy and heynouse synners were put forth of the churche whiles the sacrifice was offered whiles Christ and that lambe of our lord was sacrificed Which being put out of the churche then were the vailes of the aulter taken awaie to th'entent the holy mysteries might be shewed in sight doubteles to styrre the people to more deuotion reuerence and to the
be set against the truth as contrary to the same but it is such a kinde of figure as doth couer the truth present and so as it were ioyned with the truth as it is wonte to be taken in the newe testament where it sheweth rather the maner of a thing to be exhibited then that it taketh awaie the truth of presence of the thing which is exhibited For elles concerning the truth of Christes body in the Sacramēt if any man doubte what opinion he was of he sheweth him selfe plainely so to iudge of it as euer hath ben taught in the catholike churche Whereof he geueth euidēce in many other places but specially in his second booke to his wife exhorting her not to marye againe to an infidell if she ouerlyued him least if she dyd she should not haue oportunitie to obserue the Christen Religion as she would Speaking of the blessed Sacramēt which was then commonly kepte of deuout men and women in their houses and there in tymes of persecution receiued before other meates when deuotion styrred them he sayth thus Shall not thy husband knowe what thou eatest secretly before other meat And if he knowe it he wil beleue it to be bread not him who it is called the latine is recited before I omitte many other places which shewe him to acknowledge Christes body in the Sacrament because I would not be tediouse which veryly by no wresting can be drawen to the significatiō of a mere figure The like answere may be made to the obiection brought out of S. Augustine contrà Adimantum Manichaeum cap. 13. Non dubitauit dominus dicere Hoc est corpus meum cum tamen daret signum corporis sui our lord stickte not to saye This is my body when notwithstanding he gaue the signe of his body For this is to be consydered that S. Augustine in fighting against the Maniches oftētymes vseth not his owne sense and meaning but those thinges which by some meane how so euer it were might seme to geue him aduantage against them so as he might put them to the worst as he witnesseth him selfe in his booke de bono perseuerantiae cap. 11. 12. Gregorie Nazianzene oratione 4. in sanctum Pascha shewing difference betwen the passeouer of the lawe which the Iewes dyd eate and that which we in the Newe testament doo eate in the mysterie of the Sacrament and that which Christ shall eate with vs in the lyfe to come in the kingdom of his father vttereth such wordes as whereby he calleth that we receiue here a figure of that shall be receiued there Caeterum iam Paschae fiamus participes figuraliter tamen adhuc etsi Pascha hoc veteri sit manifestius Siquidē Pascha legale audenter dico figurae figura erat obscurior at paulò post illo perfectius purius fruemnr cum Verbum ipsum biberit nobiscum in regno patris nouum detegens et docens quae nunc mediocriter ostendit Nouum enim semper existit id quod nuper est cognitū But now sayeth he let vs be made partetakers of this passeouer and yet but figuratiuely as yet albe it this passeouer be more manifest then that of the olde lawe For the passeouer of the lawe I speake boldly was a darke figure of a figure but er it be long we shall enioye it more perfitely and more purely when as the Word that is the sonne of God shall drynke the same newe with vs in the kingdom of his father opening and teaching the thinges that now he sheweth not in most clear wise For that euer is newe which of late is knowen Where as this learned father calleth our passeouer that we eate a figure whereof the lawe passeouer was a figure terming it the figure of a figure he asketh leaue as it were so to saye and confesseth him selfe to speake boldely alluding as it semeth to S. Paul or at least hauing fast printed in his mynde his doctrine to the Hebrewes Heb. 10. where he calleth the thinges of the lyfe to come res ipsas the very thinges thē selues the thīges of the Newe testamēt ipsā imaginē rerū the very image of thinges and the Olde testamēt imaginis vmbrā the shadowe of the image Which doctrine Nazianzene applyeth to the Sacrament of the aulter And his meaning is this that although we be goten out of those darknes of the lawe yet we are not come to the full lyght which we looke for in the world to come where we shall see and beholde the very thinges them selues clearely and we shall knowe as we are knowen To be shorte by his reporte the sacramētes of the olde testament be but figures and shadowes of thinges to come the Sacramentes of the Newe testament not shadowes of thinges to come but figures of thinges present which are cōteined and delyuered vnder them in mysterie but yet substantially at the ende all figures in heauen shall cease and be abolished and there shall we see al those thinges that here be hydden clearely face to face And where Christ sayeth that he will drinke his passeouer newe with vs in the kingdom of his father Nazianzen so expowndeth that word Newe as it may be referred to the maner of the exhibiting not to the thing exhibited not that in the world to come we shall haue an other body of our lord which now we haue not but that we shall haue the selfe same body that now we haue in the Sacrament of the aulter in a mysterie but yet verely and substantially after an other sorte and maner and in that respecte newe for so had without mysterie or couerture in cleare sight and most ioyfull fruitiō it is newe in comparison of this present knowledge Thus the word figure reporteth not alwaies the absence of the truth of a thing as we see but the maner of the thing either promysed or exhibited that for as much as it is not clearly and fully sene it be called a figure so of Origen it is called imago rerum In Psal 38 homil 2. an image of the thinges as in this place Si quis verò transire potuerit ab hac vmbra veniat ad imaginem rerum videat aduentum Christi in carne factum videat cum pontificem offerentem quidem nunc patri hostias post modum oblaturum intelligat haec omnia imagines esse spiritualium rerum corporalibus officijs coelestia designari Imago ergo dicitur hoc quod recipitur ad praesens intueri potest humana natura And if any man sayeth he can passe and departe from this shadow let him come to the image of thinges and see the comming of Christ made in fleshe let him see him a bishop that bothe now offereth sacrifice vnto his father and also hereafter shall offer And let him vnderstand that all these thinges be images of spirituall thinges and that by bodily seruices heauenly thinges be resembled and set forth So this
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Gods prouidence were fownde grauen in stones representing the figure of the crosse the signification whereof after their interpretation was life to come Which thing espyed by the christians and by the painimes present at the spoile serued maruelously to furtheraunce of the christen faith no lesse then the inscription of the aulter at Athens Ignoto Deo Actor 17. vnto the vnknowen God serued to the same purpose through S. Paules preaching Which all together was before wrought by Gods holy prouidence as Socrates one of the writers of the ecclesiasticall stories reporteth Thus it appeareth plainely how Gods prouideÌ„ce hath commended vnto true beleuers the signe of the crosse For which cause and for remembraunce of our RedemptioÌ„ it hath ben in olde tyme and allwayes sithens much frequented and honoured For besyde that we reade hereof in Tertullian who was neare the Apostles tyme in Apologeâ—ico Cap. 16. we finde in the writers of the ecclesiasticall stories that the Christen people of Alexandria Eccl. hist lib. 11. ca. 29. autore Rufino after they had pulled downe and taken awaye the armes and monuments of Serapis the Idoll euery man caused the signe of our lordes crosse in place of them to be paineted and set vp in their postes entreis windowes walles and pillours that where so euer the eye was tourned it shuld light on the holy signe of the crosse Constantine the Emperour loued and honoured this signe so much Histo tripart li. 1. Cap. 9. that he caused the same to be paineted in all his flagges and banners of warre to be stroken in his coines and monneys to be purtraited in his armes stutchins and targets Of this Aurelius Prudentius maketh mention Lib. 1. coÌ„trà Symmachum Christus purpureum gemmanti textus in auro Signabat labarum clypeorum insignia Christus Scripserat ardebat summis crux addita cristis The sense whereof is this much in English The chiefe baÌ„ner which was of purple had the image of Christ in it wrought in golde and stones The targets were paineted all ouer with Christ The Crosse shyned fyerbright in the crestes of theire helmettes That the banner coÌ„monly borne before the Emperour in warre in Latine called Labarum was of this sorte it appeareth by an epistle that S. Ambrose wrote to Theodosius the Emperour Lib. 5. epistol 29. Neither was the figure of the crosse then onely in flagges and banners paineted wouen embrodered or otherwise wrought in golde or pretiouse stones but also made in whole golde and set vpon a long staffe or pole and borne before men as the maner is now in processions as it semeth plainely by these verses of Prudentius Agnoscas Regina lubens mea signa necesse est In quibus effigies crucis aut gemmata refulget Aut longis solido ex auro praefertur in hastis It houeth you Madame that gladly you acknowledge myne enseignes in which the figure of the Crosse is either glittering in stones or of whole golde is borne on long staues before vs. This much haue I gathered out of the auncient fathers writinges concerning the signe of our lordes crosse the fight whereof the professours of this newe gospell can not abyde to the entent the diuersitie of our tyme and of olde tyme maye appeare to the maners of which fos a perfite reformatioÌ„ these preachers would seme to bring the world againe Images from the Apostles tyme. CoÌ„cerning the images of Christ and of his sainctes that they haue ben greatly estemed and vsed in houses churches and places of prayer from the Apostles tyme foreward it is so euident that it can not be denyed Athanasius writeth that Nicodeme who came to Iesus by night made an image of Christ with his owne handes and that when he laye in his death bedde he delyuered it to Gamaliel who was S. Paules scoolemaister Gamaliel when he sawe he shuld dye lefte it to Iames Iames lefte it to Simon and Zachaeus This image came from hand to hand by succession and continewed a long tyme in Hierusalem From Hierusalem it was caried into Syria and at length it was brought to the citie Berytus not farre from Tyre and Sydon Where how despitefully it was vsed of the Iewes and what woÌ„ders ensued thereupoÌ„ who list to knowe may he reade it largely declared in a litle booke written by Athanasius of that matter Eusebius Caesariensis in the seuenth booke of his ecclesiasticall storie Cap. 14. writeth of the auncient image of Christ made in brasse and of the woman that was healed by our Sauiour of her bloudy flixe in the citie of Phoenicia called Caesarea Philippi whereof that woman was a citizen Which image he sayeth he sawe as likewise the images of Peter and Paul kepte by some of olde tyme. And there he coÌ„fesseth that the images of Peter and Paul and of our Sauiour were in his tyme made and painted in tables and set forth After Eusebius death Iulian the renegate tooke downe this image of Christ Lib. 6. tripart cap. 41. and set vp his owne in the same place Which with violent fyer that fell from heaueÌ„ was clefte asunder in the brest the hedde broken of with a peece of the necke and stickt in the grownde The rest of it so remayned long after as a token of lightning and gods displeasur might be reserued That image of Christ after that the painimes had haled pulled broken and mangled it villainously by the christiaÌ„s was taken vp set together and placed in the church where it is yet reserued sayeth Socrates of his tyme. Of the miraculouse herbe that grewe at the foote of this image which after that id had growen so high as it touched the images skirtes takeÌ„ and ministred was a medecine and present remedie for all diseases as Eusebius writeth because it perteineth not specially to the matter of images I rehearse nothing It is euident by Chrysostomes Masse that there was some vse of images in the church of Constantinople in his tyme for he speaketh of the image of the crucifixe Who so euer is desyrous to see testimonies of the fathers for prouf of images let him read the seuenth generall councell holden in Nicea the citie of Bithynia against Imagebreakers and there he shall fynde no small number I will not let here to recite some which so farre as I remember be not fownde there euery one one onely excepted which is of S. Basile of right good and auncient auctoritie Simeon Metaphrastes a greke writer describing rhe lyfe of S. Luke th'euangelist sayeth that he made the images of Christ and of his mother Mary Sainct Ambrose witnesseth that in his tyme the Images of the Apostles were vsed in pictures for where he declareth the maruelous appearing of the holy martyrs Geruasius and Protasius vnto him in a vision In vita Geruasij et Protasij he sayeth that a third person appeared with them that tolde him where their bodyes laye which semed like
to S. Paul the Apostle as he vnderstoode his face by viewe of his picture Gregorie Nyssene S. Basiles brother writing the lyfe of Theodorus the martyr bestoweth much eloquence in the praise of the church where his holy relikes were kepte commending the shape of lyuing thinges wrought by the keruer the smoothenes of marble poolished like syluer by the mason the liuely resemblaunce of the martyr him selfe and of all his worthy actes expressed and excellently set forth to the eye in imagerie with the image of Christ by the paynter In which images he acknowlegeth the fightes of the martyr to be declared no lesse then if they were described and written in a booke Paulinus the bishop of Nola in his booke that he made in verses of the lyfe of Felix the martyr prayseth the church which the martyrs bodye was layed in In decimo Natali for the garnishing of it with painted images in bothe sydes of bothe kindes men and women the one kinde on the one syde and the other kinde on the other syde Where he speaketh expressely by name of the Images of scabbed Iob and blynde Tobye of fayer Iudith and great quene Hesther for so he nameth them Athanasius hath one notable place for hauing the Image of our Sauiour Christ which is not cōmon where he maketh Christ and the church to talke together as it were in a dialoge in sermone de sanctis patribus prophetis The greke may thus be translated Age inquit dic mihi cur oppugnaris Oppugnor inquit Ecclesia propter doctrinam Euangelij quam diligēter accuratè teneo propter verum firmum Pascha quod agito propter religiosam puram imaginem tuam quam mihi Apostoli reliquerunt vt haberem depictam arram humanitatis tuae in qua mysterium redemptionis operatus es Hic Christus Si propter hoc inquit te oppugnant ne grauiter feras nève animum despōdeds cum scias si quis Pascha neget aut imaginem me eum negaturum coram patre meo electis angelis Rursus verò qui compatitur mecum propter Pascha conglorificaturum an non audisti quid Moysi praeceperim Facies inquam mihi duos Cherubinos in tabernaculo testimonij scilicet ad praefigurandam meam imaginem etc. The English of this Latine or rather of the Greke is this Come on quoth Christ to the church tell me wherefore art thou thus inuaded and vexed declare me the matter Forsooth lord quoth the church I am inuaded and vexed for th'exacte obseruing of the gospell and for the keping of the feast of the true and firme Easter and for thy reuerent and pure Image which thy holy Apostles haue lefte to me by tradition to haue and kepe for a representation of thine incarnation Then quoth our lord if this be the matter for which thou art inuaded and set against be not dismayed be of good confort in hart and mynde being assured hereof that who so denyeth Easter or my * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cleane image I shall denye him before my heauenly father and his chosen Angels And he that suffereth persecution with me for keping of Easter the same shall also be glorified with me Hast not thou heard what I commaunded Moyses the lawegeuer to doo Make me sayd I two Cherubins in the tabernacle of the testimony to be a prefiguration or foretokening of my image etc. Of all the fathers none hath a playner testimonie bothe for the vse and also for the worshipping of Images then S. Basile whose auctoritie for learning wisedom and holynes of lyfe besyde antiquitie is so weighty in the iudgement of all men that all our newe maisters layed in balance against him shall be fownde lighter then any fether Citatur ab Adriano Papa in epistola Synodica ad Constātinū Irenen Touching this matter making a confession of his faith in an epistle inueghing against Iulian the renegate he sayeth thus Euen as we haue receyued our Christian and pure faith of God as it were by right of heretage right so I make my confession thereof to hym and therein I abyde I beleeue in one God father almighty God the father God the sonne God the holy ghoste One God in substance and these three in persones I adore and glorifie I confesse also the sonnes incarnation Then afterward sainct Mary who according to the fleshe brought hym foorth callyng her Deiparam I reuerence also the holy Apostles Prophetes and Martyrs which make supplication to god for me that by their mediation our most benigne god be mercifull vnto me and graunt me freely remission of my synnes Then this foloweth Quam ob causam historias imaginū illorum honoro palà m adoro hoc enim nobis traditum à sanctis Apostolis non est prohibendum sed in omnibus ecclesijs nostris eorum historias erigimus For the which cause I doo both honour the stories of their images and openly adore them For this being delyuered vnto vs of the holy Apostles by tradition is not to be forbidden And therefore we set vp in all our churches their stories Lo M. Iuell here you see a sufficient testimonie that Images were set vp in the churches long before the ende of your syx hundred yeres and that they were honoured and worshipped not onely of the simple christē people but of bishop Basile who for his excellent learning and wisedom was renoumed with the name of Great Now that there hath ben ynough alleaged for the Antiquitie orginall and approbation of Images Three causes vvhy images hauen ben vsed in the church it remayeth it be declared for what causes they haue ben vsed in the church We fynde that the vse of images hath ben brought into the church for three causes The first is the benefite of knowledge For the simple and vnlearned people which be vtterly ignorant of letters in pictures doo as it were reade and see nolesse then others doo in bookes the mysteries of christen Religion the actes and worthy dedes of Christ and of his sainctes What writing performeth to them that reade the same doth a picture to the simple beholding it Ad Serenū episcopū Massilien li. 9. epistol 9. sayeth S. Gregory For in the same the ignorant see what they ought to folowe in the same they reade which can no letters therefor Imagerie serueth specially the rude nations in stede of writing sayeth he To this S. Basile agreeth in his homilie vpon the forty martyrs Bothe the writers of stories sayeth he and also paineters do shewe and set forth noble dedes of armes and victories the one garnishing the matter with eloquence the other drawing it lyuely in tables and bothe haue styrred many to valiant courage For what thynges the vtterāce of the storie expresseth through hearing the same doth the stille picture set forth through imitatiō In the like respecte in olde tyme the worke of excellēt poetes was called a speaking picture
Crosse they worship not the woodde or stone figured but they honour the highest God And whom they can not beholde with senses they reuerēce and worship his image representing him according to auncient Institution not resting or staying them selues in the image but trāsferring the adoration and worship to him that is represented Thus farre S. Gregorie Much might be alleaged out of the fathers concerning the worshipping of Images but this may suffise And of all this one sense redowndeth that what reuerence honour or worship so euer is applyed to Images it is but for remēbrance loue and honour of the primitiues or originalles As when we kysse the gospell booke by that token we honour not the parchement paper and incke wherein it is written but the gospell it selfe And as Iacob Gen. 37. when he kyssed his sonne Iosephes cote embrewed with kyddes bloud holding and embracing it in his armes and making heauy mone ouer it the affection of his loue and sorowe rested not in the cote but was directed to Ioseph him selfe whose infortunat death as he thought that blouddy cote represented So Christen men shewing tokens of reuerence loue and honour before the Image of Christ of an Apostle or Martyr with their inward recognition and deuotion of their hartes they staye not their thoughtes in the very Images but deferre the whole to Christ to the Apostle and to the Martyr geuing to ech one in dewe proportion that which is to be geuen putting difference betwen the almighty Creator and the creatures finally rendring all honour and glory to God alone who is maruelous in his sainctes Such worshipping of Images is neither to be accompted for wicked nor to be dispysed for the which we haue the testimonies of the auncient fathers bothe Grekes and Latines vnto which further auctoritie is added by certaine generall Councelles that haue condemned the brekers and impugners of the same Iuell Or that the laye people was then forbydden to reade the word of God in their owne tonge Of the peoples reading the Bible in theire ovvne tonge ARTICLE XV. THat the laye people was then forbidden to reade the word of God in their owne tonge I fynde it not Neither doo I fynde that the laye people was then or at any other tyme commaunded to reade the word of God in their owne tonge being vulgare and barbarous By vulgare and barbarous tonges I vnderstand as before all other besyde the three learned and principall tonges Hebrewe Greke and Latine Which as they were once natiue and vulgare to those three peoples Three sūdry opinions cōcerning the scriptures to be had in a vulgare tonge so now to none be they natiue and vulgare but common to be atteined by learning for meditation of the scriptures and other knowledge They that treate of this Article concerning the hauing of the scriptures in a vulgare tonge for the laytie to reade bee of three sundry opinions Some iudge it to be vtterly vnlaufull that the Bible be translated into any tonge of the commō people Some thinke it good it be translated so that respecte be had of tyme and of place and of persones Some be of the opinion that the holy scriptures ought to be had in the mother and natiue tonge of euery nation without any regard of tyme place or persones The first opinion is holden of fewe and commonly mysliked The third is maineteined by all the sectes of our tyme the Swenkfeldians excepted who would the scriptures to be in no regard The second is allowed best of those that seme to be of most wisedō and godlynes and to haue most care for the helth of the churche who haue not seuered thē selues frō the faith which hath cōtinewed frō the begynning Here that I saye nothing of the first opinion as they of the third reproue the moderation of the second so they of the second can not allowe the generalitie of the third That the scriptures be not to be set forth in the vulgare tonge to be reade of all sortes of people Fiue cōsiderations vvhy the scriptures are not to be set forth for all sortes of people to read thē vvith out limitation euery parte of them without any limitation of tyme place and persones they seme to be moued with these cōsyderatiōs First that it is not necessary nexte that it is not conuenient thirdly that it is not profitable Fouerthly that it is dangerous and hurtefull And lastly although it were accorded the common people to haue libertie to reade the Bible in their owne tonge yet that the translations of late yeres made by those that haue diuided them selues from the catholike churche be not to be allowed as worthely suspected not to be sownde and assured First that the common people of all sortes and degrees ought of necessitie to reade all the holy scriptures in their owne tonge they saie they could neuer fynde it hytherto in the same scriptures Lib. 3. aduersus haereses ca. 4 Irenaeus writeth that the Apostles preached to the aliātes and barbarous people the faith of Christ euē to those that were aliātes and barbarous in lāguage and sayeth that hauing heard the gospell preached they beleued in Christ and keping the order of tradition which the Apostles delyuered vnto them had their saluatiō and faith written in their hart without prynte penne or ynke and vtterly without letters And further he sheweth that if the Apostles had lefte to vs no scriptures at all yet we shuld be saued by the traditiō which they lefte to thē whō they cōmitted their churches vnto as many natiōs of aliantes be saued by the same Prologo in explationem Psal Hilarius likewise declaring that the mysterie of Gods will and th'expectatiō of the blessed kingdom is most and chiefly preached in the three tonges in which Pilate wrote on the Crosse our lord Iesus Christ to be king of the Iewes confesseth notwithstanding that many barbarous nations haue atteined and goten the true knowledge of God by the preaching of the Apostles and the faith of the churches remayning amongest them to that daie Whereby he doth vs to vnderstand that the vnlearned barbarous peoples had their faith without letters or writing whereof they had no skill by tradition and preaching as well as the other nations who were holpen by the benefite of the learned tonges Hebrewe Greke and Latine That it is not conuenient nor semely all sortes of persons without exception to be admitted to the reading of the holy scriptures I nede to saye nothing euery reasonnable man may easely vnderstand the causes by him selfe This is certaine diuerse chapters and stories of the olde testament conteine such matter as occasion of euill thoughtes is like to be geuen if women maydens and young men be permitted to reade them Gregorie Nazianzene Lib. 1. Theologiae whom the grekes called the diuine sayeth moued with great considerations that it is not the parte of all persons to reason of God and of
Iuell denyeth Irenaeus receiued the same from Saint Iohn the Euangelist by Polycarpus Saint Iohns scoler He declareth it with these wordes Eum qui ex creatura punis est accepit gratias egit dicens Libro 4. cap. 32. Hoc est corpus meum Et calicem similiter qui est ex creatura quae est secundum nos suum sanguinem confessus est noui testamenti nouam docuit oblationem quam Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens in vniuerso mundo offert Deo De quo in duodecim prophetis Malachias sic praesignificauit Non est mihi voluntas in vobis dicit Dominus exercituum Malac. 1. munus non suscipiam de manu vestra He tooke that which by creation is bread and gaue thankes saying this is my body And likewise the cuppe full of that creature which is here with vs and confessed it to be his bloud and thus taught the newe oblation of the newe testament which the churche receiuing of the Apostles doth offer to God through the whole worlde whereof Malachie one of the twelue prophetes dyd prophecie thus I haue no lyking in you sayeth our lord almighty neither will I take sacrifice of your handes because from the rysing of the sunne to the going downe of the same my name is glorified among the nations and incense is offered to my name in euery place and pure sacrifice for that my name is great among the nations What can be vnderstanded by this newe oblation of the newe testament other then the oblation of that which he sayde to be his body and confessed to be his bloude And if he had offered bread and wine onely or the figure of his body and bloud in bread and wine it had ben no newe oblation for such had ben made by Melchisedech long before Neither can the prophecie of Malachie be vnderstanded of the oblation of Christ vpon the crosse for as much as that was done but at one tyme onely and in one certaine place of the world in Golgoltha a place without the gates of Ierusalem neare to the walles of that citie Concerning the sacrifice of a contrite and an humbled heart and all other Sacrifices of our deuotion that be mere spirituall they can not be called the newe oblation of the Newe testament for as much as they were done as well in the olde testameÌ„t as in the newe neither be they all together pure Wherefore this place of Irenaeus and also the prophecie of Malachie wherewith it is confirmed must nedes be referred to the sacrifice and oblation of the body and bloud of Christ dayly throughout the whole world offered to God in the Masse which is the externall Sacrifice of the churche and proper to the newe testament which as Irenaeus sayeth the church receiued of the Apostles and the Apostles of Christ Now let vs heare what S. Cyprian hath written to this purpose Because his workes be common Lib. 2. epist 3. to be shorter I will rehearse his wordes in English If in the Sacrifice which is Christ none but Christ is to be folowed soothly it behoueth vs to obey and doo that which Christ dyd and coÌ„maunded to be done For if Iesus Christ our lord and God very he him selfe be the high priest of God the father and him selfe first offered sacrifice to God the father and coÌ„maunded the same to be done in his remeÌ„braunce verely that priest doth occupie the office of Christ truly who doth by imitation the same thing that Christ dyd And then he offereth to God the father in the church a true and a perfite sacrifice if he begynne to offer right so as he seeth Christ him selfe to haue offered This farre S. Cyprian How can this Article be auouched in more plaine wordes he sayeth that Christ offered him selfe to his father in his supper and likewise coÌ„maunded vs to doo the same Here we haue proued that it is lawfull and hath alwaies from the begynning of the newe tâ—stament ben lawfull for the priestes to offer vp Christ vnto his father by the testimonies of three holy martyrs two Grekes and one Latine most notable in sundry respectes of antiquitie of the rome they bare in Christes churche of learning of constancie of faith stedfastly kepte to death suffred in places of fame and knowledge at Paris at Lions at Carthage Our aduersaries crake much of the sealing vp of their newe doctrine with the bloud of such and such who be writteÌ„ in the booke of lyes not in the booke of lyfe whom they will nedes to be called martyrs Verely if those Moonkes and freres Apostates and renegates wedded to wiues or rather to vse their owne terme yoked to sisters be true martyrs then must our newe Gospellers pull these holy fathers and many thousandes mo out of heauen For certainely the faith in defence of which either sorte dyed is vtterly contrary The worst that I wishe to them is that God geue them eyes to see and eares to heare and that he shut not vp their hartes so as they see not the light here vntill they be throwen awaye into the owtward darkenes Matt. 15. where shall be weeping and grynting of teeth Leauing no small number of places that might be recited out of diuerse other doctours I will bring two of two worthy bishops one of Chrysostome the other of S. Ambrose confirmig this truth Chrysostomes wordes be these Pontifex noster ille est qui hostiam mundantem nos obtulit ipsam offerimus nunc Chrysost in epist ad Heb. Homil 17. quae tunc oblata quidem consumi non potest Hoc autem quod nos facimus in commemorationem fit eius quod factum est Hoc enim facite inquit in mei coÌ„memorationem He is our bishop that hath offered vp the hoste which cleanseth vs. The same doo we offer also now which though it were then offered yet can not be consumed But this that we doo is done in remembraunce of that which is done For doo ye this sayeth he in my remembraunce S. Ambrose sayeth thus In Psalm 38. Vidimus principem Sacerdotum ad nos venientem vidimus et audiuimus offerentem pro nobis sanguinem suum sequamur vt possumus Sacerdotes vt offeramus pro populo sacrificium etsi infirmi merito tamen honorabiles sacrificio Quia etsi Christus non videtur offerre tamen ipse offertur in terris quando Christi corpus offertur We haue sene the prince of priestes come to vs we haue sene and heard him offer for vs his bloud Let vs that be priestes folowe him as we maye that we may offer sacrifice for the people being though weake in merite yet honorable for the sacrifice Because albeit Christ be not sene to offer yet he is offered in earth when the body of Christ is offered Of these our lordes wordes which is geuen for you and which is shedde for you and for many Here S. Ambrose exhorteth the priestes to offer