in his hands at his last supper that selfe same body that was borne of the virgine Mary and suffered the next day after And yet if the valure of the sacrifice of the mâ—sse be finite then doubtlesse that sacrifice can not be the sonne of God for he is of infinite power of infinite glorie of infinite maiestie of infinite valure Yea whosoeuer denieth Christes body bloud subsisting in the person of God by hypostaticall vnion to be of infinite valure hee is become a flat Arrian beleeuing Christ to bee pure man and not God And consequently howsoeuer the papistes thinke or speake of their masse yet in making it a sacrifice they are blasphemous and that must needs followe though it were freelie graunted them that Christes body were present really in the Sacrament I prooue it tenthly because our Iesuite cannot denie but that a reall destruction is necessarily required in euery true reall sacrifice Wherefore since Christ dieth not in the popish masse it cannot be that he is truly sacrificed in the same For as Bellarmine truely saith Abraham did not truely sacrifice his sonne Isaac because he was not really slain Now that this discourse may be made more manifest I will propound the strongest obiecâ—ions for the aduerse part and adde briefe solutions to the same The first obiection S. Paul saith that Christ is a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech and Melchisedech offered bread and wine as he was Gods priest saith holy Moses To which we must adde that the thing figured is more excellent then the figure that Christ truely offered sacrifice in bread and wine otherwise hee shuld not haue exactly fulfilled y e figure of Melchisedech For al the fathers graunt that he was a true figure of Christ euen as he was a priest The answere I say first that Melchisedech did not sacrifice bread wine but as the Hebrew text saith brought forth bread wine that is sufficient victuals for the refection of Abraham and his souldiers after their returne from the slaughter of Chedor-laomer and the other kings For the whole course of y e scripture telleth vs that bread by Synecdoche signifieth meate So Moses saith that the Egyptians might not eate bread with the Hebrewes that is meate In Esay 7. women say we will eate our owne bread that is our owne meat King Dauid promised Mephibosheth that he should eate bread alwaies at his own table which had been a very small reward of a king if by bread were not signified all kinde of meat King Iehoiachim ate bread at the table of Euil-merodach the king of Babel that is al delicate fare So it is called bread that Iobs friendes ate in his house when it is certaine that they had right sumptuous cheere The like examples are in S. Mathew sundry other places of scripture This I note against the papistes who fondly vse to answere that bread was a slender refection for all Abrahams companie I say secondly that Christes priesthood is after the order of Melchisedech not in any sacrifice of bread and wine which Melchisedech can neuer be prooued to haue offered but in y t as man he was without father wonderfully coÌ„ceiued as God without beginning without ending without mother woonderfully begotten for which cause the prophet demaundeth who shall declare his generation in these points Christes priesthood differeth not from Melchisedech who as S. Paule saith was without father without mother without kinred without beginning of his daies without end of his life likened to the son of God and a priest for euer Yet in the oblation of bread and wine the priesthood of Melchisedech was not perfitly distinguished from the priesthood of Aaron as the scripture witnesseth S. Paul therfore describeth the priesthood of Melchisedech without the mention of bread and wine in such sort as it is perfitly distinguished from the priesthood of Aaron So Eusebius Caesariensis comparing the priesthoode of Christ with the priesthood of Melchisedech doth not say that it consisteth in the sacrifice of bread and wine but in the vnction the diuine similitude the eternitie and want of succession These are his expresse words Tu es sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech Hic auteÌ„ Melchisedech in diuinis voluminib sacerdos fuisse Dei summi refertur sed qui non oleo communi perunctus sit neque qui ex successione generis suscepit sacerdotium sicut apud Hebraeos fieri mos erat ideo secundum ordinem ipsius sacerdos futurus dicitur Christus qui non olei liquore sed virtute coelestis spiritus consecretur Thou art a priest for euer after the order of Melchisedech And this Melchisedech is called in the holy scriptures the priest of God most high but one which was not annointed with common oyle neither yet receiued his priesthood by the succession of kinred as the manner was among the Hebrews and therfore Christ is called a priest after his order who is consecrate not with the liquor of oyle but with the vertue of the holy ghost I say thirdly that Melchisedech in his action towards Abraham shewed himself both to be a priest and a king a priest in that he blessed Abraham a king in that he releeued Abraham and his souldiers with bread wine that is with al competent corporall sustenance I say fourthly that if there had bin any force in the oblation of Melchisedech touching Christs priesthoode S. Paul who handled euery least thing exactly in that comparison would neuer haue omitted his sacrifice in bread and wine and yet he passed it ouer as a thing of no importance I say fiftly that Christ offering himselfe vpon the crosse for the sinnes of the world was not a priest after the order of Aaron but properly and truely after the order of Melchisedech I proue the former part First because perfection could not come by the priesthood of the Leuites as the apostle beareth witnes Againe because our Lord Iesus was of the tribe of Iuda of which tribe Moses spake nothing at al touching the priesthood Thirdly because the sacrifice of the crosse was the most perfit sacrifice of all other as which did coÌ„summate them that are sanctified for euer I proue the latter part first because it must be after some order but not after the order of Aaron as is proued ergo after the order of Melchisedech Secondly because the apostle doth in expresse terms cal Christ a priest euen after the order of Melchisedech These are his words And being consummate was made the cause of eternall life to all them that obey him and is called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedech Lo Saint Paule ioyneth the order of Melchisedech with the sacrifice of the crosse offered for mans redemption as if he had said Christ is therefore called a priest after the order of Melchisedech because he
credite For the verie inscription it selfe auoucheth roundly and boldly that that which followeth is but chaffe Out of which wordes I note first that the pope hath a long time seduced the worlde with fabulous vanities in printed bookes I note secondly that the foundations vpon which all poperie is built is nothing els but chaffe For to these foundations set downe in the 96. distinction of their owne decrees I doe not belie them reade the place who listeth and he shall finde it to be true the popish Canonists make this plaine inscription Palea Chaffe as if they should say Gentle reader be no longer seduced with such doctrine for that which followeth is but chaffe If any liuing can yeeld a fitter exposition I desire to know his skill I note thirdly that since the papists are enforced by the spirite of God to acknowledge the counterfeite groundes of the very principal articles in their religion published to the viewe of the worlde in their owne decrees and canon lawe euery discreete and wise reader may easily perceiue what credite ought to be giuen to their popish written vanities Decretall epistles Edictes Canons extrauagantes the like wherwith they haue these many yeres bewitched and dazeled the eyes of many men I answere thirdly that although they would haue vs to beleeue as an article of our Creede that Constantine was baptized at Rome by Siluester whereupon they ground many absurd consequentes yet doe most holy learned and ancient writers S. Hierome Eusebius Socrates Theodoritus Sozomenus Pomponius and Cassiodorus affirme the same to be a fable and that Constantine was christened at Nicomedia CHAP. VI. Of the warres betweene Constantine and Maxentius The most religious Emperour Constantinus preparing for warres against Maxentius who had thirsted the bloud of christians and fearing greatly the danger of the battell imminent did often lift vp his eies towardes heauen and humbly requested helpe at Gods hands Being at that time a great fauourer of christian religion and a zealous worshipper of the euerliuing God albeit hee had not as yet receiued the signe of Christes passion he saw in the firmament the euident signe of the crosse which so glistered with fierie brightnesse as he was astonied at the sight thereof While he was doubting with himselfe he beheld the angels of God standing by him and saying thus vnto him Constantine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Constantine in this signe get thou the victorie Constantine beeing ioyfull with this vsion and assuring himselfe of the victory against Maxentius made in his owne forehead the signe of the crosse which before he had seene in the firmament So write Eusebius Caesariensis Socrates Sozomenus Cassiodorus and many others of approoued antiquitie Whereupon the papistes would infer that it is lawfull to make images to set them vp in churches and to adore the same religiously For perspicuous confutation whereof with a manifest declaration of the state of the controuersie because it is maliciously defended by some vnsoundly impugned by others of others not throughly vnderstood I purpose to set downe these few conclusions The first conclusion The signe of the crosse appeared to the Emperour Constantine in the firmament at what time as hee was afraid to ioyne battell with Maxentius This conclusion is graunted and approoued by the vniforme consent of all learned writers Constantinus himselfe as Eusebius reporteth affirmed the same to Eusebius confirmed the veritie therof with an oth not only Eusebius but all the world for many hundreth yeares gaue credite thereunto Heereupon Constantinus and other christian kings generally vsed the signe of the crosse vpon the garments of their souldiers so often as they had warres with Infidels and such as were enemies to the name of Christ Iesus For then there was great cause so to doe as since iust occasion hath been giuen to take the same away which thing heereafter by Gods assistance more planly shall appeare The second conclusion Simplie and absolutely to make images for ciuill vse is not prohibited by the word of God This conclusion is to be prooued three speciall waies By the authoritie of holy writ by the testimonie of learned writers and by the generall practise of christian kinges Touching the first God himselfe indued Bezaleel with the spirite of wisedome vnderstanding and knowledge that he might worke curiously in gold siluer brasse in grauing stones and in caruing woode and in all maner of fine worke In the temple of Salomon were grauen Lillies Pomegranates Cherubins Lions and Palme trees God commaunded Moses to make two Cherubines aboue the mercie seate He also commanded to make a fierie or brasen Serpent and to set it vp for a signe Touching the second S. Basill is so farre from condemning the ciuill vse of images that he hath commended the making and the vtilitie thereof These are his expresse wordes Nam magnifica in bellis gesta oratores saepenumero pictores pulcherrime demonstrant Hi oratione illi tabulis describentes atque ornantes amboque plures ad fortitudinem imitandam inducentes Quae enim sermo historiae per inductionem praebet eadem pictura tacens per imitationem ostendit For not onely Oratours oftentimes but euen painters also doe finely pourtray worthy martiall exploites the one sort by their fine oratiōs the other by their fitly pourtraied tables both perswading many to the imitation of fortitude For whatsoeuer the historie doth performe by perswasion the same doth the silent picture declare by imitation In which wordes it is cleere that S. Basill approoueth the ciuill and historicall vse of images Eusebius Caesariensis maketh mention of the images of our Sauiour of Peter and Paul which were not only in his time but long before his daies The historicall vse whereof he neither reprooueth nor condemneth S. Ambrose Gregorius Magnus and many auncient fathers holde constantly the same opinion Touching the third Constantinus the first Christian Emperour surnamed the Great caused after his couersion his owne image to be engrauen in his coyne whose example therein all christian kinges at all times in all ages haue de facto approoued to be good For all kinges no one or other excepted haue their inscriptions and images vpon their gold and money neither were they at any time in any age reprooued by anie learned writer for the same Yea our Sauiour Christ himselfe seemeth to approoue the same when hee requiring to know whose inscription the money had charged to giue to Cesar that which was his owne In fine the reformed churches in Germanie this day allow thereof and the church of England approoueth the making of the signe of the crosse in the forehead of baptized infantes The third conclusion To worship and adore images religiously is superstitious and idolatricall This conclusion is prooued by the expresse commaundement of God For in Exodus it is written thus Thou shalt not make any grauē image thou shalt not bow downe to them nor
altaria in quibus sacrificemus martyribus sed vni Deo martyrum nostro sacrificium immolamus ad quod sacrificium sicut homines Dei qui mundum in eius confessione vicerunt suo loco ordine nominantur non tamen à sacerdote qui sacrificat inuocantur We build not churches to our Martirs as to gods but we make memories as to dead men whose soules liue with God neither doe we reare vp altars there in which we may offer sacrifice of laud to the martyres but we offer sacrifice of thanksgiuing to one God the God of martyres and ours at which sacrifice they are named in their place and order as the men of God that haue ouercome the world in their confession neuerthelesse they are not inuocated or prayed vnto by the priest that offereth the sacrifice Of honour and reuerence due to Saints Eusebius Caesariensis maketh sufficient relation in these words Neque ChristuÌ„ aliquando possumus derelinquere qui mortem pro totius mundi salute sustinuit neque alium quenquam colere quoniam verum Deum qui solus colendus sit nouerimus martyres vero tanquam discipulos domini dâ—ligamus veneremur quasi integrè fidem magistro seruantes domino quorum nos quoque in fide perseuerantia charitatis optamus esse participes We can neither forsake Christ at any time who suffred death for y e saluatioÌ„ of the whole world neither can we worship any other but him because wee knowe him to be the tru God him that only is to be worshipped yet let vs loue and honor martires as the disciples of our Lord as those that keep their faith vndefiled to their master lord with whom also our selues desire to be partakers in faith and perseuerance of charitie What need more Christ himselfe saith Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God him onely shalt thou serue And saint Iohn was forbidden to worship the angell The first obiection God honoureth his saints and reputeth them for his deare friends Ergo it is our duetie also to honour them The answer We honour them with that honor which God hath appointed we acknowledge their faith their humilitie their patience their constancie and all their gratious gifts and wee desire to imitate the same and this is al the honor that saint Austen wil affoord them as you haue heard The second obiection The saints in heauen pray for vs and therefore it is meete that we inuocate and call vpon them For the angell saide O Lord of hostes how long wilt thou be vnmercifull to Ierusalem and to the cities of Iudah with whom thou hast bin displeased now these threescore and ten yeeres Baruch witnesseth that the dead pray for vs when he saith O Lord almightie heare now the prayer of the dead Israelites and of their children which haue sinned before thee Iudas Machabeus had a vision in which he saw Onias holding vp his handes toward heauen and praying for the whole people of the Iewes And saint Iohn saw 24. Elders fall downe before the lambe hauing euery one of them harpes and golden vialles full of odours which are the prayers of saints The answere I say first that although we grant both angels and saints in heauen to pray for the liuing on earth as they doe indeede in some cases for some respects yet doth it not follow that wee must inuocate and pray to them as shortly shall bee proued I say secondly that there is not the same reason in the saints and angels for the charge and defence of the church in this life is committed vnto the angels Besides this the angell in Zacharie praieth onely for the particular calamities of Iuda which were apparant aswell to men as to angels I say thirdly that Baruch speaketh of the prayers of the Israelites that were yet liuing but as dead for their manifold sins I say fourthly that the booke of Machabees is not canonical as I haue proued in my Motiues at large I adde that albeit Onâ—as prayed for the liuing yet must not the liuing inuocate or call vpon him as is alreadie said I say fiftly that the 24. Elders wherof S. Iohn speaketh do represent the church militant heere on earth and consequently the prayers there mentioned are of the liuing on earth not of the Saints raigning in heauen which interpretation must needes be sound and authenticall because the holy ghost doth confirme the same in the tenth verse following For among other thanks to God one is this that he hath made the elders to raigne on earth S. Irenaeus agreeth hereunto neither is any ancient approued writer of the contrarie opinion The third obiection Yee bewray your ignorance not knowing the difference betwene Latria and Dulia and so wrest the scriptures against the lawful worshipping of saints for the worship prohibited in the gospel and in the Reuelation is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that worship which is proper to God alone The answere I say first that though Saint Augustine made difference betweene Latria and Dulia in ecclesiasticall signification which was the cause of great superstition afterwarde in the Romish church yet did hee ascribe and giue all religious worship to God alone no other then ciuil worship to any creature whatsoeuer Which thing I haue proued out of Saint Austen already and shall more at large hereafter I say secondly that though saint Austen say that Latria is alway or almost alway taken in the scripture for diuine worship yet doeth Lodouicus Viues a learned papist oppose himselfe against saint Austen therein alledging sundry texts of the olde testament for his probation Yet the same Viues addeth that he is coÌ„tent with the distinctioÌ„s inuented by the popish schoole men so they will likewise allow him and others to vse wordes in their proper and natiue significations But heere I can not omit the taunt which hee by the way giueth to his scholasticall masters these are his wordes Obiter tamen admonebo eos duliam latriam penultimam habere longam ne breuem faciant sed has leges ipsi conteÌ„nere se dicunt quia nesciunt Yet must I saith he admonish them by the way that Latria and Dulia haue the last syllable saue one long lest they make it short But they say they care not for these rules because they know not what they meane Which checke doubtlesse were a bloodie word if any but a papist had giuen the same I say thirdly that Valla Suidas and Zenophon all three very skilfull in the greeke tongue affirme Latria and Dulia to haue one and the selfe same signification and that Latria is taken for that common seruice which one creature doth to another Thus writeth Zenophon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But I O Cyrus would redeeme euen with my life that she should not serue Suidas also affirmes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Latria is seruice for hire I say fourthly that if this
aboue him For first the virgine Mary is desired to defend vs from the tortures of hell Secondly to bring vs to the ioyes of heauen Thirdly the last iudgement is called her iudgement Fourthly she is called our sauiour Fiftly she is requested to saue father mother brother sister friendes benefactors the quicke and the dead by the help of Christ her sonne Now by the first foure she is made equall with Christ and by the last farre aboue him For she is the sauiour and hee the intercessor which I gather out of these wordes ipso auxiliante c. By the helpe of our Lord Iesus Christ. For by these wordes and the rest afore going the virgine Mary doth saue vs Christ is but the instrument that helpeth her in the worke of our saluation which howe intollerable blasphemie it is let the reader iudge I haue said The sixt conclusion To inuocate Saintes as the papistes doe and to beleeue that they heare their praiers is to make a pluralitie of Gods I say as the papistes doe because to inuocate saintes at certaine times in certaine places and for certaine respectes doth not make them gods I proue this conclusion because to heare all prayers at all times in all places for al things is a thing so proper to God as it can not possibly agree to anie but to God alone For his knowledge is infinite and so not communicable to any creature marke well gentle reader what I say for this reson is such as few seem to haue cōceiued y e same But certs no learned papist can indeed denie it to be tru For which cause their great learned D. Aquinas telles vs two truths the one that God can not communicate the power of creation to any creature liuing either on earth or in heauen and he proueth it out of Saint Augustine who saith that neither the good nor the bad angels can be the creators of any thing And why so because that kind of worke requireth power infinite whereof no creature is or can be capable The other that none but God is or can be infinite and his reason is euident because to be infinite is against the nature of that which is made The first obiection The Saints in heauen may heare vnderstand our praiers on earth and yet haue limited not infinit knowledge ergo the proofe of your conclusion is not good The answere I say first that God hath reuealed to his seruants on earth the secret cogitations and externall facts of others farre distant from them For hee reuealed to Ahias that Ieroboams wife would come disguised to him and told him what he should say vnto her He reuealed to Elizeus all the secret dealing of Giezi which he had with Naaman the Syrian he disclosed to Peter the falshoode of Ananias and Saphyra his wife and so may he at his holy pleasure reueale to his saints in heauen the prayers that on earth are made in some places at sometimes vnto them Euerie thing is proportionable no contradiction is implied therein I say secondly that there be sundrie things which God cannot do as I haue proued in my booke of Motiues not for that there is any want in God but because there is defect in the thing that shoulde bee doone and so is it in this present case of popish inuocation I say thirdly that Gods apostles and prophets knewe but some special things which seemed good in Gods wisedome to be so reuealed Neither did they know such things by any inherent qualitie but by signification from aboue and that onely at such time as the necessitie of the church did require Which I proue by these words of Elyzeus to Gihezi Let her alone for her soule is vexed within her and the Lord hath hid it from me and hath not told it me as if the prophet had said God reuealeth not al things to his deare and faithfull seruants at all times but some things at some times as seemeth best in his diuine wisedome I say fourthly that popish inuocation requireth infinite knowledge because they pray for all matters at al times in al places so that y e saints must perforce be somtime ignorant what they pray for vnles their knowledge be infinit The first replie As the saints cannot haue infinite knowledge because it is not communicable to any creature so neither can anie liuing of limited power make any infinite request vnto them The answere I say first that there is exceeding great disparitie betweene the persons that pray the things praied for and the saints praied vnto for the things prayed for are without end and measure They that pray are innumerable multiplicable into infinit in potentia and yet must euery saint seuerally for himself haue the distinct notice of al them that pray and of all things that are prayed for for otherwise many shall pray at manie times and not be heard which is the thing that I contend to proue For example al papists in al countries pray to the virgin Mary at al times for all things and so hir knowledge must extend to al persons al places and al desires at al times and so be infinite or certes she must be sometime deceiued not knowing what is required of her I say secondly that it is proper to God alone to know our hearts and cogitations and consequently our prayers Therefore is it saide in the Acts thou Lord which knowest the hearts of all men shewe whether of these two thou hast chosen God saith S. Peter which knoweth the harts beare them witnes Salomon saith thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men He saith S. Paul that searcheth the harts knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit Thou O Lord of hosts saith Ieremy iudgest righteously triest the reines and the hart And yet must the saints know our hearts and thoughts if they heare and know our prayers for doubtlesse the sound of our words can not reach vp to heauen The second replie Both Angels saints are present here on earth and knowe our affaires and therefore it is a vaine cauill to say that the sounde of our wordes cannot be heard to heauen The answere I say first that neither angels nor saints can be in many places at once but are definitiuely in one onely place at one time And this their owne angelical doctor Aquinas doth witnesse with me in these words Nam corpus est in loco circumscriptiuè quia commensuratur loco angelus autem non circumscriptiuè cum non commensuretur loco sed definitiuè quia ita est in vno loco quòd nō alio Deus autem neque circumscriptiuè neque definitiuè quia est vbique for a body is in a place circumscriptiuely because it is measured with the place but an angel is not in place by circumscription for that hee is not measured with the place but definitiuely because he is so in one place that he