verie things themselues For he did not shape a sharpe aunswere to their cruelty neyther doth he by any meanes contende but he doth indeuor more then once to print in their mindes the quickning knowledge of this mysterie But after what maner he will giue his owne fleshe to be eaten he doth not declare bicause they could not vnderstande it But howe great good things they shall obtayne if they shall with faith eate it he doth oftentimes declare that by the desire of eternall lyfe they might be compelled to imbrace fayth by the meane wherof they might the more easily be taught For thus hath Esay sayde If ye will not beléeue ye shall not vnderstande It behoued therefore first to cast the rootes of fayth in the minde and afterwarde to séeke those things that man should séeke But those men did before they beléeued out of season seeke for those things For this cause therfore the Lorde did not declare how that thing might be done but he doth encourage them to séeke it by fayth In lyke maner vnto his Disciples which beléeued he gaue the péeces of bread saying take and eate this is my bodye The cup also he did in like maner beare about saying drinke ye all of this this is the Cup of my bloud which shall be shed for many for the remission of sinnes Thou séest that he opened not the maner of the mysterie to them that sought it without fayth but to such as beléeued he did expound it before they asked any question Nowe let the indifferent Reader iudge howe faythfully you haue handled the wordes of Cyrill and so he may haue the lesse cause to credite you in your large affirmation wherein you saye Watsons store is but small that all the good auncient Writers doe with one consent expound this place of Iohn as you doe Whereas when your store shall be sought there shall not one that lyued within .600 yeres after Christ be founde of your minde in thys point Wherfore we may well conclude that Christes fleshe is not in the sacrament in such sort as ye teach and that Christ ment not by those wordes that you cite out of Iohn to promise that he would giue his bodye in such sort to be eaten as ye haue affirmed that he did But that he ment to teache that he himselfe is that heauenly foode that the father giueth for the lyfe of the world The meaning of Christ in the 6. of Iohn and that he would giue them none other foode from heauen but onely that which at the time appointed he would yéelde vp for the lyfe of the worlde And that not to be eaten after a fleshly sort but after such a spirituall sort as the fathers that lyued afore he was incarnated had and did eate it Your exposition of saint Iohns wordes therefore is but a vayne and fayned glosse for that text WATSON Diuision 17 The time also is to be considered that he spake these wordes the night before hee suffered death at which time and the next day after he ended and fulfilled al figures saying on the crosse Consummatum est All figures and shadowes be ended and expired which was no time then to institute and begin new figures Is it lykely or probable that our sauiour Christ then entring into his Agony and beginning his passion accustoming commonly before to teach his Disciples in playne wordes without Parables or figuratiue speeches would then so lightly behaue himselfe as to delude his chosen and entirely beloued Disciples in calling those things his bodye that is giuen for them and his bloud that is shed for them which were neither his body nor his bloud but bare bread and wyne Or is there any religion in oure christen fayth in nicknaming thinges or calling them otherwise then they be If any man thinke himselfe able to aunswere that bycause Christ sayde he was a Vine he was a dore being neyther Vine nor dore that man seemeth to mee not substantially to way the wordes and speeches of scripture For let him consider thorowout all the scripture whersoeuer he shall finde that Christ spake any thing of himselfe by wordes of our common speeche for the God head and the properties of the Godhead be ineffable and cannot be expressed to our capacitie but by wordes and names of wordly and naturall things here among vs. He shall alwaies finde that Christ was a better and more singular thing then the worde did properly signifie that was attribute vnto him and to make this matter more playne by examples Where Christ sayde I am the waye he ment not that he was the way that leadeth to the Citie or to some other place but that he was a more excellent waye A way that leadeth to the father to heauen to euerlasting lyfe When he sayde he was the dore he ment not Iohn 10. that he was the dore of the sheepefold here in earth but a farre better dore the dore of the Church the spirituall sheepefold by the which dore whosoeuer entereth shall be saued Also calling himselfe a Vine Iohn 15. hee ment that he was the spirituall Vine whereof all christen men be braunches and better then such a Vine as groweth in the fieldes And lykewise by that he calleth himselfe the light we vnderstand that he was not the sensible light of this world but the heauenly light that neither by course is chaunged nor by shadowe is darkened So that it maye be obserued for a rule when Christ doth attribute the name of any sensible creature to himselfe euer the vnderstanding exceedeth and excelleth the worde in dignitie And if this be true in all kinde of teaching and doctrine shall we nowe in the highe mysteries and sacraments of God come from the Hall to the Kitchin from the better to the worst that where Christ sayth This is my bodye we shall vnderstande it is bread a worse thing then his body This is my bloud that is to say wine a worse thing then his bloud This be fond and false gloses neyther true nor lykely nor yet tolerable Wherfore leauing out a great many other circumstaunces that would serue verye well Math. 26. to set foorth the truth of this doctrine I shall conclude thus seing saint Mathewe sayth in plaine termes it is my body it is my bloud Saint Marke sayth it is my body Mar. 14. Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. Iohn 9. Saint Luke sayth it is my body Saint Paule sayth it is my bodye Saint Iohn sayth it is my fleshe shall we nowe fiftene hundreth yeare after them handle the matter so finely and waye the scripture so substantially that we shall affirme the contradictory to be the true sense saying this is not my body this is not my bloud but a figure and a signe of my bodye and bloud These euident scriptures moue me to continue still stedfast in that fayth I was borne in and not to be moued with vaine words and reasons without probabilitie
as is signified by the outward forme of the sacrament As in baptisme the water which is the outwarde forme signifieth the grace of saluation and remission of sinnes which grace is both giuen to the worthy receyuer and is also promised in scripture to be giuen by the mouth of Christ saying Qui crediderit baptizatus fuerit saluus erit Mar. 16. He that beleeueth and is baptised shall be saued Euen so the outward element of this sacrament which is bread wine doth signifie the grace of the vnitie of Christs misticall bodye that lyke as one bread is made of manye graynes one wine is pressed out of many Grapes so one misticall body of Christ is compact and vnited of the multitude of all Christen people as saint Cyprian sayth Nowe if our sacrament be bread and wine as they say then shal they finde the promise of this grace Cypri li. 1. Epist 6. or of some other in the Scriptures made to the receyuer of bread and wine And if there be no promise in all the scriptures made to the receyuing of bread and wine then be they no sacraments Iohn 6. But if they will looke in the sixt Chapiter of saint Iohn they shall finde this grace of the mysticall vnitie promised not to the receauing of breade and wine but to the worthy receauing of Christes body bloud where Christ sayeth he that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud he abydeth in me and I in him and so is ioyned and incorporate into one misticall body with him Our sacrament therfore that hath the promise annexed vnto it is not bread and wine be they neuer so much appointed to signifie heauenly things as they say but the very body and bloud of oure Lorde Iesus Christ the bread that came from heauen CROWLEY It is sayde that there was once one so malicious that when he perceyued that asking for himselfe what he would he should receyue it but yet vpon such condition that another whome he hated should receyue double so much of the same he being desirous to doe the greatest mischiefe he could to the other asked that one of his owne eyes might be put out for then he knewe that the other should loose both his This mans malice was but little in comparison of yours M. Watson for to haue one of your neyghbors eyes put out you will not stick to put out both your owne eyes your selfe You tell vs that saint Austen sayth but you tell vs not where that euery sacrament of the newe testament is a visible forme of an inuisible grace And that it can not be a sacrament of the newe testament except it haue a promise of some such grace to be giuen to the worthye receyuer as is signified by the outwarde forme of the Sacrament c. Watson hath lost fiue of the Popes seauen sacraments By this you haue at one blowe striken of from the number of your holy fathers sacraments no moe but fiue For where wyll you finde in all the Scripture that eyther confirmation order matrimonie penaunce or extreme vnction are such sacraments as you speake of Or that they or anye of them haue anye such grace promised to the worthy receyuer of them Well Thus you haue dispossessed your selfe of fiue sacraments in hope to spoile vs of one But let vs sée whether we cānot kéepe our two sacraments still and so disappoint you of your purpose Baptisme you doe graunt vs for you say water is the visible or outwarde forme and doth signifie the grace of saluation and remission of sinnes Which grace is not only giuen to the worthy receyuer but also promised by Christes owne mouth when he sayth Qui crediderit c. He that will beléeue and be baptised shall be saued But fearing least you should marre all you leaue out the wordes that folowe Qui verò non crediderit condemnabitur But he that will not beléeue shall be damned Where is now the grace of saluation and forgiuenesse of sinnes that is promised to the outwarde baptising or washing in water Take awaye beliefe and there is no forgiuenesse of sinnes at all No not though you be baptised in water a thousand times Beliefe must goe before and baptising in water must folow after as a seale or confirmation of the fayth And whosoeuer doth beléeue will surely be baptised according to the institution of him in whome he doth beléeue The cause why children be baptised And such as doe beléeue that the promise of forgiuenesse of sinnes through Christ doth apperteyne to them and to their séede will not fayle to begge baptisme for their children also that when they shall come to the yéeres of discretion they may be put in remembraunce that they were dedicated to God and that therefore they ought to lead a godly lyfe as it becommeth such to doe And so many among these as shall be founde worthy that is to saye elected in Christ before the beginning of the worlde shall surely be saued as our Sauiour Christ hath promised But such among them as were not elected in Christ from the beginning shall not be saued although they doe beléeue after a sort as Iudas and Simon Magus did and be baptised too For onely Gods elect are effectually baptised and doe effectually beléeue Baptisme therefore is a visible or outwarde signe of an inuisible grace which grace is by the promise of Christ so annexed to the outward ministration of the visible element water that in Gods elect it neuer fayleth but is euer more effectuall Election in Christ maketh men worthy forgiuenesse of sinnes But in the other that are not elected it is effectuall in preaching lyuely the inuisible grace that is by Christ but it can not make them partakers of that grace bicause they be not worthy of it That is they be not elected in Christ which election alone is it that maketh men worthy Thus haue we one sacrament with your consent M. Watson nowe let vs sée whether we can kéepe another also maugre your beard But first let vs trie if there be not some contradiction in your wordes First you say that the outwarde element in this sacrament is bread and wine Cypri li. 1. Epist 6. and that it doth signifie the grace of the vnitie of Christs mysticall body c. And this you confirme by the testimonie of saint Cyprian And afterwarde you saye that our sacrament that hath the promise annexed vnto it is not bread and wine Contradiction in Watsons words but the very body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ the bread that came from heauen Nowe if yea and naye may be contrarie then is there contradiction in your wordes But to the matter There is no promise of grace made in the scripture to the worthy receyuer of bread and wine Wherefore it is manifest that bread and wine can be no sacrament The same reason might be made against that which you haue saide of
charitate in passione Resurrectione omnes in gratia nominatim congregemini in commune in vna fide Dei Patris Iesu Christi vnigeniti eius filij primogeniti totius creaturae secundum carnem ex genere Dauid praeunte deducente vos paracleto obedientes Episcopo atque presbyterorum caetui indiuulso animo vnum panem frangentes quod est medicamentum immortalitatis antidotus ne moriamini sed vinatis in Deo per Iesum Christum purgatio malorum expultrix Brethren stand fast in the fayth of Iesus Christ and in his loue his passion and resurrection Congregate your selues togither all into one place in louing fauour one towardes another in one fayth of God the father and of Iesus Christ his onely begotten sonne the first begotten of all creatures of the lynage of Dauid after the fleshe the holy ghost being your guide and leading you thether Obeying your Byshop and the whole company of elders with one consent of mind breaking one loafe of bread which is a medicine of immortalitie and a thing to preserue you that you should not dye but lyue in God thorow Iesus Christ and a purgation that doth expel euils This much hath Ignatius written in the place that you cite And can any indifferent man gather of these words that he ment here to teach that our resurrection is the effect of the sacrament of Christs body and bloud I thinke not Yea I suppose Effectes doe spring out of efficient causes that none can gather that meaning of his wordes but you and such as you are whome affection hath blinded Doe ye not know that effects must spring out of efficient causes And dare you say that the sacrament of Christes body and bloud is the efficient cause of our immortalitie If you haue any shame left you will not affirme it For Saint Paule sayth 1. Thess 4. 2. Cor. 4. that the efficient cause of our resurrection is the same that raysed vp Christ from death to lyfe How can the sacrament of his body and bloud be the efficient cause of our resurrection and immortalitie then as you thinke you haue proued it to be If Ignatius were nowe lyuing he would not I am sure commend you as he doth commend those Ephesians that he wrot vnto For he should finde in you the contrarie of that he found in them by the testimonie of Onesimus their Bishop Wherevpon he wryteth thus Onesimus autem ipse valde laudat vestram in Deo moderationem dispensationem quod omnes secundum veritatem viuatis quodque in vobis nulla haeresis inhabitet sed neque auditis quenquam nisi solum lesum Christum verum pastorem magistrum ac estis sicut Paulus ad vos scribebat vnum corpus vnus spiritus c. And Onesimus himselfe sayth Ignatius doth greatly commend your moderation and disposition of things in God for that you doe all lyue according to the truth and for that there is in you no heresie abyding but you refuse euen to heare any other then Iesus Christ alone which is the true Shepheard and teacher and you are euen as Paule wrote vnto you one body and one spirite c. How farre you and your sort be from the harkening to Christ alone may easily be séene of all that will consider the multitude of traditions that you haue brought into the Church of Christ and doe estéeme them aboue the ordinaunce of God Wherefore Ignatius might say vnto you as he wryteth in the same Epistle Similiter autem omnis homo quisquis indicium a Deo accepit punietur si imperitum pastorem secutus fuerit falsam opinionem vt veram exceperit And in lyke maner euery man that hath receyued at Gods hand habilitie to iudge shall be punished if he shall follow an vnskilfull shepheard and receyue a false opinion as true Thus you sée that when Ignatius is well considered he will be found none of those auncient Authors that doe commonlye teache this affect of the sacrament of Christs body but contrarywise he will tell you that you shall be punished for that you follow an vnskilfull shepheard and accept a false opinion as though the same were true And euen in that place which you cite hys wordes are flat against your doings and therefore you dissemble those wordes and begin with the next He hath written thus Vnum panem frangentes quod est c. Breaking one loafe of bread which is a medicine of immortalitie and a preseruatiue against death Now tell me how this breaking of one loafe of bread doth or can agrée with your priuate Masse that you call the sacrifice of the Church and with your Popishe Easter housell when euery one hath a mock loafe by himself Ignatius would haue the Ephesians to breake that is to be partakers of one leafe of bread and he sayth that is a medicine of immortalitie and a preseruatiue against death Watson was foule ouersene Why then It is neyther your priuate Masse nor your Easter housell that he speaketh of but our communion If I had bene of your counsell before you made this Sermon you should neuer haue cited this place for shame Well it is out now and can not be called in againe But nowe let vs sée what the fathers that were gathered togither in the generall counsell of Nice Concilium Nicenum haue sayde to this matter They haue called this sacrament Symbola Resurrectionis nostrae The pledges or causes of our resurrection say you But I would faine knowe where you haue read Symbolum in that signification I beléeue you neuer read it in any of the eloquent Gréekes or Latinistes You were sure that you had Auditorium beneuolum A straunge signification of Symbolum and therefore you might be bolde to saye that Symbolum signifieth a cause and so translate Symbolum Resurrectionis the cause of resurrection But perhaps you haue some secret Authors wherin you read Simbolum written with ī and not with y. And that Simbolum it is that you translate so for your printer hath so printed it Well I leaue this translation of yours to the iudgement of such as be skilfull in the Gréeke and Latine tongues But to our purpose You shall neuer be able to proue that Symbolum signifieth a cause but a pledge it may signifie And what haue the fathers of the Nicene counsell done for you then Euen as much as Ignatius hath done before I will not stick to graunt you both the sayings to be true The sacrament of Christes body and bloud Medicines be not the efficient causes of health is a medicine of immortalitie a preseruatiue against death a purgation to expell euils a pledge of our resurrection Are medicines preseruatiues and purgations the efficient causes of health And how can this medicine preseruatiue and purgation be the efficient cause of our resurrection immortalitie And is a pledge the efficient cause of the thing or déede that is promised when the
bloud and body of Christ that he speake of is that whereby the substaunce of our flesh is encreased doth continue But you doe denie that For you say that it nourisheth not our flesh as other earthly meates doe to this temporal lyfe but to eternall lyfe I would gladly knowe therfore what Ireneus may meane by the encreasing of the substaunce of our fleshe by this foode Well this matter is playne ynough to as many as will sée And so it is that neyther Catholikes nor heretikes did in the dayes of Ireneus beléeue and confesse that the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ is the cause of the vncorruption of our bodyes and the eternall lyfe of the same And that we which doe nowe denie our resurrection and euerlasting lyfe in an immortall state to be the effect of the sacrament of Christs body and bloud doe not giue thereby any iust occasion to be suspected of the error of them that doe denie the resurrection of our fleshe And for that you charge vs with beastlynesse of lyfe for my part I referre the iudgement to them that know vs both Let other aunswere for themselues Well For further proufe of this effect you could bring in many mo Authors as the saying of Hilarius c. Hilarius hath sayde thus say you Haec vero vitae nostrae causa est c. This is the verie cause of our lyfe that we haue Christ by his flesh dwelling in our fleshe First I must tell you that you shew your selfe to impudent in translating the text that you cite out of Hilarius in this place Hilarius de Trinitate li. 8. Let the learned iudge whether Hilarius haue sayde this is the verie cause c. And againe in the ende of the sentence dwelling in our fleshe The wordes in Latine for the first are these Haec vero vitae nostrae causa est And for the other the words be these Quod in nobis carnalibus manentem per carnem Christū habemus If I should translate the whole sentence I could not be bolde to say otherwise then thus Truely this is the cause of our life that we which be carnall or fleshly haue Christ dwelling in vs by the meanes of the fleshe But this is a common thing with men of your sort not onely to alledge Patches out of the fathers in such sort that the true meaning cannot by the wordes that you cite be perceyued but also to make them séeme to serue your purpose you will not stick to adde somewhat in the translation that can not be founde in their wordes as in this place it doth most mafestly appéere Censura Erasmi And how easie a thing it is for such as be disposed to apply the wordes of auncient wryters contrarie to their meaning to vse the wordes of this wryter so may well be séene by that which Erasmus hath writtē in his Epistle set before this Authors works where he sayth Plurimum sudoris compereram in emendando Hieronymo sed plus in Hilario cuius talis est sermonis Charecter vt etiam si res per se dilucidas tractaret tamen esset intellectu difficilis deprauatu facilis I did finde sayth Erasmus much labour in the correcting of Hierome but more in the amending of Hilarie Whose maner of spéeche is such that although he did entreat of thinges which were of themselues euident and playne yet should he bée hard to be vnderstanded and easie to be depraued No maruell therefore though you in this place fayling of the first which is harde haue happened on the latter which is easie Affirming that Hilarius is one of those auncient fathers that doe teach that the resurrection of our bodies and euerlasting lyfe is the effect of the sacrament of Christes body and bloud Yea and in the selfe same Booke out of which you cite those wordes the same Erasmus doth iudge him to teache doctrine that is not sounde And therefore in the aforenamed Epistle he sayth thus of him Et quum alias tum libro de Trinitate 8. magna contentione defendit nos quoque cum filio patre vnum esse natura non adoptione neque consensu tantum And both in other places and chiefely in his eyght booke De Trinitate he doth with great contention defend that we also are all one with the sonne and the father by nature not by adoption and consent onely And immediatly after he sayth thus Rursus eius operis lib. 3. sed magis lib. 10. sic loquitur de Corpore Christi vt sentire videatur Mariam virginem praeter concipiendi gestandi pariendi ministerium nihil addidisse de suo cum orthodoxi credant Christum ex opificio quidem spiritus sed ex substantia virginei corporis conceptum Quin alia loca sunt quae ciuilem commodum requirant interpretem Againe in the thirde booke of the same worke but rather in the tenth booke he doth so speake of the bodie of Christ that he may séeme to thinke that besides the ministerie of conceyuing bearing in hir wombe and bringing forth into this life the virgine Marie did adde nothing of hir owne Whereas such as be of right beliefe doe beléeue that Christ was conceyued by the work of the holy ghost but of the substance of the virgins bodie Other places also there be which do require a curteous and gentle interpretour I suppose you knew all this before Watson hath a wrong opinion of vs. but by lyke you thought that all such as be not of your minde must néedes be ignorant herein Else you would haue weighed Hillaries wordes better before you had cited them for your purpose But let vs sée nowe how we can weigh them and what doctrine will ensue vpon the taking of them in such sense as you doe And if we finde that some absurde doctrine will follow vpon such a meaning as you gather of his words why shoulde we not call to memorie the wordes of Erasmus in the Epistle aboue named where he sayth thus Nemo quantumuis eruditus oculatus non labitur non caecutit alicubi videlicet vt omnes meminerint homines esse à nobis cum delectu cum iudicio simulque cum venia legantur vt homines There is no man be he neuer so well learned and circumspect that doth not slip and in some point shew himself to lacke sight that no man should forget them to be men and that we shoulde reade them with choyse wyth iudgement yea and with fauour also as men But bicause you haue as you are wont left out those words of Hilarie both immediatly before and after which might gyue more light to hys meaning I haue thought good to cyte the words that you doe with somewhat of the circumstance Thus he sayth Quod autem in nobis naturalis haec vnitas sit ipse ita testatus est qui edit carnem meam c. And that this naturall vnitie
c. In déede Chrysostome hath written all those wordes that you report and in such order as you doe write them sauing that to blinde the hearer or reader you put Dauid in the place of Illi least your hearers and readers should haue occasion to thinke that there is somewhat going before vnto which Illi hath relation Well I will let the reader sée some of those wordes that go before and some of those that folowe that euen your friendes may sée and iudge howe great a cause you haue to thinke that our best way were to yéelde After Chrysostome hath begun to paint out the toleraunce of Dauid not only in forbearing to reuenge himselfe vpon king Saul but also in séeking to doe him good he beginneth to compare him with such as liue in the time of the newe testament and doth preferre his tolleraunce before theirs bicause he did not heare and see that which they haue both heard and séene And thus he sayth Neque enim paria sunt sub vetere lege degentem nunc post illustratam Euangelij gratiam talia condonare gratis Non audierat Dauid parabolam de decem milibus talentorum neque de centum denarijs c. The doings are not alyke when one that lyued vnder the olde lawe and one that lyueth nowe after the grace of the Gospell is made manifest doe fréely forgiue such wrongs Dauid had not heard the parable of the ten thousande talents nor of the hundered pense He had not heard the prayer which sayth Forgiue men their debts euen as your Heauenly Father doth forgiue your debts He had not séene Christ crucified he had not séene that precious bloud poured out neither had he heard the innumerable sermons of the Lorde concerning the restrayning of the lustes of the minde It happened not vnto him to taste such a sacrifice neyther had he bene partaker of the Lordes bloud But being brought vp vnder lawes that were not altogither perfite neyther did require any such thing yet did he by the moderation of his minde attayne to the highest point of Euangelicall Philosophie But thou art oftentimes offended at the remembraunce of the iniuries that be past but this man although he might stande in feare of those things that were to come knowing for certaintie that if he would saue his enimie he should both be banished the Citie and lead a poore and miserable lyfe yet did he not leaue of to be carefull for him but he did all things that might nourishe this so great an enimie Who is able to tell vs of a greater toleraunce or forbearing then this If figuratiuely and spiritually may not be admitted in these wordes of Chrysostome then let vs knowe howe it can be truely saide of him that he in his time they that were before him and after Christes ascention and those that haue bene since are now and shal be to the worlds ende haue séene or shal sée Christs bloud poured out and him crucified I am sure you will not say that all these vnder the new testament haue séene or shal sée with their bodily eyes Christ crucified and his bloud poured out Well then you must giue vs leaue to thinke that Chrysostome doth vse here that same figure that saint Iohn doth vse in the beginning of his first Epistle Where he sayth thus Chrysostome vseth the figure hyperbole in extolling Dauids toleraunce We declare vnto you that thing that we haue séene with our eies c. And why may we not vnderstand Chrysostome to vse the same figure when he sayth that Dauid had not bene partaker of the Lordes bloud And that it had not happened him to taste of suche a sacrifice c. There was none of the sacrifices of the olde lawe that did paint out Christ crucified so playnely and set him out so liuely to our senses as this sacrament doth wherefore Chrysostome might well and truely say without any figure at all that it had not hapned to Dauid to taste of such a sacrifice Neyther did the lawe and prophets before Christ so plainely and fully teache that highest point of christian Philosophie which Dauid attayned vnto as doth the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles Wherefore Chrysostome might well write as he doth that Dauid had not heard c. And why might not Chrysostome say then that Dauid was brought vp vnder lawes that were somewhat vnperfite in comparison of the lawe of the gospell although there be in the lawe it selfe no imperfection at all The lawe was perfite to the ende that God did appoint it for That was to bring men to the knowledge of their sinnes and to driue them to Christ that was able to take away their sinnes And why may not Chrysostome in this place according to the common custome of the fathers call the sacrament by the name of that thing wherof it is a sacrament But here once agayne I must tell you that the verie wordes that you cite are flatly against your halfe communion And that if Dauid had bene a popishe prince he should neuer haue dronken the Lordes bloud except he woulde haue bene a popishe Priest also WATSON Diuision 32. August in Ioannem tract 11. And further then this saint Augustine sayth Si dixerimus Catechumino credis in Christo respondit credo signat se cruce Christi portat in fronte non erubescit de cruce domini sui ecce credit in nomine eius Interrogemus eum manducas carnem filij hominis bibis sanguinem filij hominis nescit quid dicimus quia Iesus non se credidit ei If we shall say to one that learneth and professeth our faith being yet not baptized doest thou beleeue in Christ he aunswereth I beleue and he doth signe himselfe with the crosse of Christ he beareth it on his forehead and is not ashamed of the crosse of his Lorde Lo he beleueth in his name But let vs aske him doest thou eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke the bloud of the sonne of man he can not tell what we say for Iesus hath not beleeued committed himselfe to him Beside other things that may be fruitfully gathered of this place for our erudition I note but this one that a man beleeuing in Christ professing the fayth of Christ with his worde and worke and for that cause eateth Christes fleshe and drinketh his bloud spiritually yet he wote not what the eating of Christs flesh meaneth whereof Christ spake in the sixt of S. Iohn But we that be baptized and are admitted to our Lordes table we know by our experience what it is to eate Christes fleshe and to drinke his bloud for to vs Christ doth trust giue himselfe to the other that beleue as wel as we he doth not commit himselfe Whereby I conclude beside the spirituall eating of Christ by faith there is also a reall eating of him in the sacrament by the seruice of our bodies to the confirmation in grace
moue you to consider certaine things whereby the consent may appeare First the possession of the Church in this doctrine so many yeares in such quietnesse without contradiction that no reason or yet iniunction nor no new deuise that the Deuill or his dearlings can inuent to the contrary eyther can or ought to remoue vs out of possession except wee will wilfully loose our owne right and claime seing that we that liue nowe vniuersally throughout all Christendome haue receaued this fayth of our fathers and they of theirs Cyprian Ser. De Caena and so foorth euen to the Apostles and our sauiour Christ himselfe by whose mouth this doctrine as saint Cyprian sayth was first taught to the world that Christen men in the new lawe be commaunded to drinke bloud which the Iewes in the olde law were forbid to doe And so from him and his Apostles it hath bene by succession deduced and brought throughout all ages euen to this our time and beleued as Gods worde which can not be chaunged and not as mans worde subiect to alteration as probabilitie can perswade CROWLEY The first of those certayne things that you moue your Auditorie to consider whereby the consent of the Catholike Church may appeare is prescription of tyme. To this I haue partly aunswered in the aunswere to your former Sermon And the Byshop of Sarisburie hath fully aunswered in his aunswere to Doctor Harding And here I aunswere in fewe wordes That your possessiō hath bene forcible your fathers fayth in this point a false perswasion beside the worde of God and your clayme altogither vniust and therefore iustly withstanded by vs to whom the right belongeth as by good euidence of Gods holy worde and iudgement of sounde wryters we both haue and shall proue by Gods helpe WATSON Diuision 4 Secondly this consent in this matter may appeare by that the holy fathers and pastors of Christes Church haue written of it whome god hath placed and planted in hys Church for the buylding and vpholding of it in truth that his flock be not seduced and caried about with euery blast of newe doctrine by the craftines of men to the destruction of their soules Of this I haue spoken something already CROWLEY The indifferent reader may easily perceyue in the aunswere that I haue made to your former Sermon howe well those fathers and pastours that you speake of doe maintaine that which you doe teache Euen as those that fight against you with all the knowledge they haue And whatsoeuer you haue alreadie spoken therein is in the place where you haue spoken it alreadie fully aunswered WATSON Diuision 5. Thirdly we may knowe the consent of the Church by the determination of the generall counsels where the presidents of Gods Churches the rulers and learned priestes of Christendome assembled in the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ representing the holy Church of God Militaunt being led not with priuate affectiō but by Gods holy spirit to his glory instaunt in prayer feruent in deuotion purely diligently and freely haue intreated and determined those things that perteine to the faith of Christ and the purging of his Church to whose determination as to Gods ordinaunces we are bound to obey Wherein appeareth manifestly the consent of the Church How the determination of the general counsels CROWLEY doth declare the consent of the Church and how purely diligently and fréely they intreated and determined those things that you speak of in these generall counsels shall playnely appéere to the indifferent reader in the aunswere that shall be made to all such sentences as you shall cite out of any generall counsell in order as the same shall be cited The first generall counsell both for the calling WATSON Diuision 6. Concilium Nicenum and also for the cause was holden at Nice in Bithinia by .318 Byshops in the time of Constantinus Magnus twelue hundred and thirtie yeares ago where it was determined and published to the worlde in these wordes Exaltata mente fide consideremus situm esse in sancta illa mensa agnum dei qui tollit peccatum mundi quià sacerdotibus sacrificatur sine cruoris effusione nos verè preciosum illius corpus sanguinem sumentis credere haec esse resurectionis nostrae symbola c. Let vs lift vp our mindes vnderstanding and considering by fayth that the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world is situate and lyeth vpon that holy table which is offered of the pristes wythout the shedding of bloud and that wee receauing verily his precious body and bloud doe beleue them to be the pledges or causes of our resurrection This authority serueth me very well to declare the consent of the Church both in the matter of the reall presence also of the sacrifice which we haue in hand For the words be touched maruellously euery one seruing to expresse the truth and to auoyde all doubtes For first he biddeth vs lyft vp our mindes and consider by fayth wylling vs not to sticke onely to our senses thinking nothing else to be there but what we see outwardly teaching vs that the iudgement of this matter perteyneth not to our senses but to our fayth onely and as Eusebius Emesenus sayth Verè vnica perfecta hostia fide aestimanda non specie nec exterioris censenda est visu hominis Emesenus orat de corpore Christi sed interioris affectu This hoost and sacrifice is verily one and perfite to be esteemed by faith and not by forme and appearaunce to bee iudged not by the sight of the outward man but with the affection and perswasion of the inwarde man for to faith onely and not to senses apperteyneth the knowledge and iudgement of Gods mysteries and sacraments Then the counsell declareth what faith teacheth that is to say that the Lambe of God not material bread and wine nor the figure of the Lambe but the Lambe that taketh away the sinne of the worlde is placed lying vpon the holye table of the aultar which externall situation proueth a real presence of Christ to be there before we receaue it and not a phantasticall or an intellectuall receyuing of Christ by fayth in the tyme of the receauing onely as these men contende Further it teacheth that this Lambe of God is offred to almightie God by the Priestes which is a distinte offering from that Christ made vpon the crosse for there he offered himselfe by shedding his bloud which hee did but once and neuer shall doe it agayne any more Here is he offred of the priests not by shedding of bloud but as the counsaile saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not after a bloudy maner which is not a newe kylling of Christ but a solempne representation of his death as himselfe hath ordeyned After this it declareth the receauing of it saying that we verily receaue hys precious body bloud which worde verily is as much as that we call really and
Austens workes will think either of these readings to be more like to be Austens then that which you folow And then hath Austen sayd thus By this being in the forme of a seruaunt he is a priest he himselfe offering and beyng the oblation The sacrament whereof he would haue the dayly sacrifice of the Church to be Which being the bodie of that heade doth say that she offereth vp hir selfe through him Or learneth by him to offer vp hir selfe Nowe what do these wordes of Austen make for your purpose That is to proue that the Masse is the sacrifice of the Church and that Christ is offered therein That Christ offered himselfe no man doubteth and so he was both Priest and sacrifice And that the Church hath learned of him to offer hir selfe Or sayth that she doth through him offer hir selfe no man will denie And that this dayly sacrifice of the Church wherein she offereth hir selfe is a sacrament of Christes offering of himselfe euery man will graunt For as Christ offered himselfe so doth the Church offer hir selfe being both priest and sacrifice Here is your notable place that resolueth so many doubtes It were best for you first to be out of doubt of the reading and to be sure that this which you folowe is not agaynst that which the same Austen wryteth in other places of his workes August lib. 3. de Trinitate and agaynst the holy scriptures For in such case Austen desireth no credite The other matter that you alledge out of Austen may easily be graunted and yet your conclusion neuer the latter denied August cont Faust Li. 20. Capit. 18. August ad Bonif. Epi. 23. Chrysost ad Heb. homi 17. For who will not confesse that Christians doe celebrate the remembraunce of Christes sacrifice when they be partakers of the holy Communion of his bodie and bloud And who will denie that the fathers vsed to call that holy sacrament by the name of sacrifice or oblation because it is the sacrament and remembraunce of that sacrifice that Christ offered once for all I néede not therefore to say any more of this poynt For it is manyfest that men neyther do did nor coulde at any tyme offer Christ to his father He onely was found worthy to offer a sacrifice to take away sinne And because no man can offer a greater sacrifice then himselfe our sauiour Christ hath offered himselfe once for all and remayneth a Priest for euer So that his one sacrifice endureth for euer being in it selfe infinite and shall neuer be consumed But as saint Augustine sayth Tibi hodie Christus est De verbis domini secund Lucam ser 28. tibi quotidiè resurgit Thou hast Christ this daye he ariseth for thée euery day They say the sacrifice of the Masse diminisheth and taketh away the glorie of Christ they say so but proue it not WATSON Diuision 29 But in very dede nothing doth more set forth the glorie of Christ and his true honor The honor of God is considered two wayes inwardly by fayth outwardly by extertall adoration Latria which in English signifieth the honor that is due onely to God and to no creature is the worke of fayth and sacrifice is a kinde Latria of godly honour as saint Austen sayth Ad hunc cultum latriae pertinet oblatio sacrificij August contra Faustum lib. 20. cap. 21. c. To this godly honour called Latria the oblation of sacrifice doth pertayne and for that cause it is called Idolatrie if any sacrifice be done to Idols and therefore we doe sacrifice neyther to martyr nor yet to an aungell but onely to God Fayth ought to be vnfayned and liuely and then it is true honour For hee that erreth in fayth or fayneth to haue fayth doeth not exhibit honour and reuerence due to God Againe he that hath true fayth but yet dead for lacke of charitie he giueth reuerence to god but not perfite and therefore not pleasaunt to God because he honoureth god with his vnderstanding but not with his affection He that hath true and liuely fayth honoreth and worshippeth God in spirite and truth The externall and outwarde honour procedeth from the inwarde honour and is the protestation practise and vse of it the worke of fayth outwardlye declared And whereas sacrifice is the speciall and chiefest adoration that can be therefore this sacrifice of Christes owne bodye and bloud in the Masse beyng institute of Christ by his owne expresse commaundement as I haue shewed alreadie doth not onely not diminishe the glory of God but is the verye highest honour of God that man can giue They say it is a derogation of the passion of Christ but it is not so good people for the sacrifice of the Masse doth ascribe altogither to Christ for it is the passion of Christ Vnderstand well what I say and iudge not till ye heare what I meane Cypri lib. 2. Epist 3. Saint Cyprian sayth Passio domini sacrificium est quod offerimus That sacrifice which we offer is the passion of Christ A straunge saying but yet saint Augustine declareth more plainly what is ment by it in these wordes August lib. sententiarum prosperi Vocatur ipsa immolatio carnis quae sacerdotis manibus fit Christi passio mors crucifixio non rei veritate sed significante mysterio The oblation of Christs flesh which is made in the handes of the priest is called Christes passion death crucifying not by the truth of the thing but by the mystery signifying As though he should say it is called Christes passion not for that Christ in very deede suffereth passion againe but for that in mysterye it renueth representeth and signifieth his passion againe For while that we haue no worthy thing of our selues nor in our selues to render to God for all his benefites and as the Psalme sayth Psal 115. Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus quae retribuit mihi What shall I giue to God againe for all that hee hath giuen to me We may do euen as the Psalme doth answere Calicem salutaris accipiam nomen domini inuocabo I shall take the cup of our sauiour and call vpon the name of our Lord. I shal take his passion representing to God the father the worke of our redemption that we thereby being partakers of his bloudie sacrifice once made vpon the crosse and now by this our commemoration renued againe may be replenished with the fruite of his passion and death For saint Augustine sayth Ex ipsis reliquijs cogitationis id est August in Psalm 75. ex ipsa memoria quotidiè sic nobis immolatur quasi quotidiè nos mouet qui prima sua gratia nos innouauit Of the leauings of our cogitation that is to say of this very memory and commemoration Christ is so dayly offered of vs as he doth make vs newe men dayly which by his first grace in baptisme did once make vs newe See how
reconciled that the body of sinne might be destroyed that it reigne not in our bodies And here the prayer was made In many wordes immediatlye before these that you cite CROWLEY S. Bernarde prooueth that our saluation commeth of the mercifull goodnesse of God onely and not of any thing that is in vs. For to that ende he citeth the name Sauiour both out of the wordes spoken by the Angell Gabriel to the Virgine Marie and also out of the Aungels wordes to Ioseph and to the Shepheardes declaring also the cause thereof to be for that he should saue his people from their sinnes To what vse Watsō would haue Christ to serue But you M. Watson would haue Bernarde to teache that Christ serueth for none other purpose but to be offered in the Masse to helpe out with that that lacketh in our merits For you say sée how saint Bernarde ioyneth the offering of our bodies and of Christes body togither That if the oblation of our bodies be imperfect and suffice not the oblation of Christes body may fulfill and supplie that lacketh in vs. If Bernarde had béene of that minde then might it not onely haue bene truely said of him Bernard saw not al things but rather thus Bernard was blind in euery thing For what is more manifest both by the scriptures iudgement of auncient fathers then that Christ alone is our Mediator and reconcilor to God his father Did not the Aungell say to Ioseph he shall saue his people from their sinnes In the Latine it is saluum faciet Math. 1. He shall make them safe And what is required to be done by his people towardes their saluation if he alone shall make them safe Againe Esay sayth Esay 53. Liuore eius sanati sumus By his stripes are we made whole Et disciplina pacis nostrae cecidit super illum The correction that might purchase our peace Oseas 13. fell vpon him And Oseas sayth O Israel perditio tua tantum ex me auxillium tuum O Israell destruction is thine owne but thine helpe commeth of me alone What can be more playnely spoken then this And agayne Iohn Baptist sayth Iohn 1. Ecce qui tollit peccata mundi Beholde him that taketh away the sinnes of the world And shall we now set him to serue but for a shift that when we are not able to go thorow with oure matters then he must helpe out withall Oh blinde Bernarde if he were suche a one as Watson would haue him to bée But Bernarde was none suche Bernard was deceiued in some things was none suche although he were deceyued in somethings according to the déepe ignoraunce of the time he liued in But in these wordes that you take holde of he meaneth to teache that for as much as there is not in vs any abilitie at all to satisfie for sinne we must flie to that meane that God hath appointed euen Iesus Christ and offer him vp a sacrifice propitiatorie for our sinnes not by massing but by beléeuing the promise of God his father made in him and so shall we supplie that that in vs lacketh altogither and not in part For when we shall haue done all that is giuen vs in commaundement to doe we must saye that we are bondmen that can deserue nothing Luc. 17. How should we then by offering vp our bodies satisfie for anye part of oure sinnes When we offer our bodies therefore to God in obeying his holy will How that which lacketh in vs is supplyed we doe declare thereby that we beleue the promise of God made in his sonne Christ which is all that he requireth of vs and in so doing we supply by Christ the thing that was vtterly lacking in vs. That is the satisfaction for our sinnes WATSON Diuision 8. Now entring to speake of the Sacrifice of the Church I presuppose one thing which is the foundation of the same to be most certainly and constauntly beloued of all vs that be here present Here the praier was made which is that in the most blessed sacrament of the Aultare is present the true bodye and bloud of our Sauiour Christ the price of oure redemption not in figure onely but in truth and very deede Which the learned men call really and essentially that is to saye that thing that substance that was vpon the Crosse is now verily present in the blessed Sacramēt before we receiue it the cause of which reall presence is the omnipotent power will of God assisting the due administration of the priest the which body bloud we christen men receyue by the seruice of our bodies senses though not by the iudgemēt of our senses but only by the iudgement of faith bicause it is giuen not in the outwarde forme of the selfe same body and bloud as it was slaine shed vpō the crosse but in the formes of our daily and special nutriments of bread wine and that for sundry weighty necessary causes foresene by our sauiour Christ Now you begin to builde CROWLEY and you presuppose the foundation to be already layd in the minds of all your hearers which is as you say that in the most blessed sacrament of the Aultar the true body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ is present not in figure only c. Surely this foundation is not that wheron S. Paule that wise and good builder did build Watson and Paule builde not both vpon one foundation then the which as he sayth none can be laide for christians to build vpon For Christ hath not taught that his Church should offer such a sacrifice as you doe teach that your Sacrament is Wherefore although this foundation were layde in the harts of all your hearers yet were it not sure grounde to builde vpon bicause it is beside the Rock Christ But I suppose that your hearers were of thrée sortes One sort I thinke had your foundation hard rammed in their hartes another sort could not receyue any such rubbishe into their harts Watsons hearers were of three sorts as you doe vse to ramme into your false foundation but hauing alreadie receyued the Rock Christ they cannot admit any other But the thirde sort are lyke bottomlesse quakemires whereon no building can stande And manye of your hearers haue since that time when you made your Sermons shewed themselues to be such Wherefore your supposition séemeth to me to be deceyued But to your purpose The reall and essentiall presence of Christes bodye and bloud in the Sacrament is the foundation of that you minde to teache in this Sermon The foundation of Watsons sermon If I can proue then that they be not so present therin then must you séeke a new foundation to builde vppon Which thing by the helpe of God I doubt not to doe First by reall and essentiall presence you meane suche a presence that who so receyueth into his body the visible Sacrament must of necessitie
power in gyuing the resurrection of body euerlasting life to as many as we wil hold from the receyuing of the sacrameÌ„t It appéereth that in Aunstens time such as were of your minde durst not be so bolde The vse in saint Austens time as to presume vpon the absolute power of God in this point and therefore they ministred the sacrament of Christes body to the Infants so sone as they were baptised but we kéepe them from the receyuing of it till they bée growne to discretion and be sufficiently instructed in Christ and doe know how to examine themselues before they come to the lords table And if they die in this meane while shal we think that God must vse his absolute power in raising their bodies giuing them euerlasting lyfe We might as well kéepe all our children from baptisme and saye that God shall giue them the proper grace of baptisme by his absolute power without the sacrament And so should we be all one with the Anabaptistes But vayne is all that you haue affirmed of this effect of your sacrament Cyrill li. 4. Cap. 15. and therfore the obiection and the aunswere that you make can not be other then vayne We holde with Cyrillus whose wordes you haue cyted that bicause the sonne of God is become man all mankinde shall in the last daye arise out of the earth All the ofspring of the first Adam that sinned shall be raised agayne by the second Adam that neuer sinned himselfe neyther was partaker of the sinne of the first The cause of the resurrection and immortalitie The Infants therefore whome you call Innocents being of the ofspring of the first Adam shall be raysed agayne by the second whether they be partakers of any sacraments or not For the resurrection and immortalitie commeth not by the receyuing of sacraments Rom. 6. but by the incarnation of the sonne of God And euerlasting lyfe in ioye and felicitie is the frée gift of God thorow Iesus Christ our Lorde And this frée gift was giuen to all the elect and chosen children of God euen before the foundations of the world were layd But the reprobates which be not chosen in Christ shall haue by Christ that hath taken mans nature vpon him the resurrection and immortalitie of their bodies but bicause that they beléeue not in Christ they shall haue this immortalitie in those torments that their first fathers sinne did deserue The receyuing of sacraments can not make the reprobates partakers of endlesse felicitie neyther can the lack of them be a cause August De catechiz rudib Quest in Leu. 9.84 why Gods elect should not be partakers thereof But they be the visible seales of heauenlye things and being receiued without those heauenly things wherof they be feales they profite the receyuers nothing at all more then circumcision did Esau and baptisme Simon Magus But when they doe both concurre then doe the outwarde and visible sacraments confirme the fayth and comfort the weake and wauering conscience These therefore be the effectes of Christes sacraments and not such as you imagine But let vs sée what you haue more to say of this effect that you last spake of This effect is commonly taught of many auncient authors with one consent For Ignatius one of the oldest calleth this sacrament Mâ—dicamentum immortalitatis Ignatius ad Ephesos antidotum non moriendi a medicine of immortalitie a preseruatiue against death And the great generall counsayle at Nice Concilium Nicenum de Eucharistia wryteth that they beleeued these sacramentes of the body and bloud of Christ to be Simbola resurrectionis nostrae the pledges or causes of our resurrection And Athanasius who was one of the chiefe men in that counsaile calleth it Conseruatorium ad immortalitatem vitae aeternae Athanasius de peccato in spiritum sanctum A conserue or a thing that preserueth our bodyes to the immortalitie of eternall lyfe Ireneus that was a great deale older wryting against the heretikes that denied the resurrection of the fleshe Ireneus lib. 4. Cap. 34. proueth it and confuteth them by the effect of this sacrament saying thus Quomodò dicunt carnem in corruptionem deuenare quae á corpore sanguine Domini alitur By what reason doe they say that our fleshe goeth wholy to corruption seing that it is nourished with the body and bloud of our Lord and in his fift booke he sayth Quomodo carnem negant capacem esse donationis Dei Ireneus lib. 5. quae est vita aeterna quae sanguine corpore Christi nutritur How doe they denie our fleshe to be able to receyue the gift of God which is eternall life which is nourished with the body and bloud of Christ The greatest argument that Ireneus could bring to proue the resurrection of our fleshe to lyfe eternall was to alledge the cause of that resurrection which was the nourishing of our fleshe with the lyuely fleshe of Christ in the sacrament not to this temporall lyfe as other earthly meates doe but to eternall lyfe as onely Christes fleshe doth and this cause was beleued and confessed of all men at that time both Catholikes and heretikes In so much that these heretikes of our time that denie this cause that is to say Christes fleshe to be really giuen in the sacrament and eaten of our fleshe doe giue occasion yea I am afrayde doe giue more then occasion for vs to thinke of them that they denie also the resurrection of our fleshe which is the proper effect of it although as yet they dare not impudently burst out in plaine words though they expresse the same euidently to all mens eyes in their carnall and beastly lyues To proue this effect further I could bring in many moe authorities Hilarius De Trinit li. 8. as the saying of Hilarius Haec vero vitae nostra causa est quod in nobis carnalibus manentem per carnem Christum habemus This is the verie cause of our life that we haue Christ by his fleshe dwelling in our fleshe But I will not in so playne a matter through my curiositie seeme to mistrust the credire of you that be faythfull men Therefore to conclude knowing the greatnesse and excellencie of this effect shall we ascribe it to so base creatures as be bread and wine which be not able to worke such an effect God forbid CROWLEY Many auncient authors you saye doe with one consent teach this effect As Ignatius the fathers of the Nicene counsaile Athanasius Ireneus and Hilarius and many moe you could bring in but you will not by curiositie séeme to mistrust the credite of your auditorie Well let vs sée what your auncient authors haue sayde First Ignatius speaking of your Sacrament hath sayde Medicamentum immortalitatis c. A Medicine of immortalitie c. In hys Epistle to the Ephesians he sayth thus State fratres firmi in fide Iesu Christi in eius
Priests onely Make thée no grauen Image sayth he yes say you we will haue our Churches full c. Wherefore if God haue disceyued you it is not bicause you haue beléeued his worde but bicause you haue loued lyes more then truth and therefore God hath iustly giuen you ouer In efficaciam erroris euen to the force and strength of error 2. Thess 2. as saint Paule wryteth And so is your error a iust punishment for the credite that you gaue vnto lyes And although God neyther doth nor can disceyue any man in such sort as you doe meane yet he sayth that in such meaning as I haue written Ezech. 14. he doth disceyue such as you are for the wickednesse of such people as you haue instructed Thus hauing spoken something of the scriptures WATSON Diuision 29 as this short time would permit there remayneth also the second thing which I sayde moued mee to continue in thys fayth which is the authorities of auncient fathers that haue flourished in the preaching of Gods truth in all ages with authorities I thinke verily in no age haue bene so curiously sought so diligent founde out and so substantially wayed as in this our time And all this is bicause the oppugnation of the truth in this matter hath extend it selfe not onely to the scriptures but also to the doctors to euery particle and title of the doctors whose wrytings haue bene so scanned tried that if any thing could haue bene gathered piked out of their books eyther by liberal writing before this mistery came in contention or by misconstruction of their words or by deprauatiō of their meaning that could seme to make against our fayth herein it was not omitted of some but stoutly alledged amplified inforced and set forth to the vttermost that their wittes coulde conceaue which if God hath not infatuat leauing them to speake so as neyther fayth nor reason could allow lyke as they haue with their vanities seduced a great sort the more pittie so they should haue vndermined and subuerted the fayth of a great many mo that were doubting and falling but not cleane ouerthrowne thankes be to almightie God Of these authorities although with a little studie and lesse labour I could at this time alledge a great number yet cōsidering the shortnesse of the time which is almost spent I shall be content to picke out a fewe which doe not onely declare the minde of the author but also conteyne an argument to proue and conuince the truth of our fayth and such an argument as neyther figuratiue speeche nor deprauation of the wordes or meaning can delude And first I shall begin with the weakest that is with the suspition of the Gentils Tertullian in his Apologie teacheth howe the Gentiles did accuse the Christen men for kylling of yong children ertul. apol Capit. 7. and eating of their fleshe he sayth thus Dicimur sceleratissimi de Sacramento infanticidij pabulo inde We are reported and accused as most mischeuous and wicked men for the sacrament of kylling of children and eating their fleshe and drincking their bloud Historia Ecclesiast lib. 5. Capit. 3. Eusebius also in this historie of the Church wryteth of one Attalus a martyr who being roasted in an yron Cradell with fyre put vnderneath when the sauour of his burnt fleshe came to the smelling of the people that looked on he cryed with a lowde voyce to the people Lo this is to eate men which you doe which fault ye make inquisition of as secretly done of vs which you commit openly in the mid daye By this accusation we may vnderstand that our sacramentes and misteries in the beginning of the Church were kept very secret both from the sight and knowledge of the Paganes that mocked and scorned them and also of those that were Catechumini learners of our fayth and not yet baptized for many great causes which I shall not neede to rehearse nowe And yet for all the secret keping of them being so many Christen men and women as there was they could not be kept so secret but that some ynkeling of them came to the eares of those that were Infidels and vnchristened insomuch that where as in deede and verie truth by the rules of our religion we did eate the fleshe of Iesus Christ our Lorde and drinke hys bloud ministred vnto vs in the sacrament the Gentiles as they were curious to know new things so they came to knowledge of the rumour of our doings eyther by the bewraying of some false brethrē or else by the simplicity of other that of zeale without knowledge would haue conuerted the vnfaythfull to our fayth heard secretly that wee christen men in our misteries did eate mans flesh and drinke mans bloud which they for lack of faith and further instruction began to compasse in their wittes how it was possible so to doe and therefore some of them blinded by their owne foolishe suspicion conceaued and published amongst other as it was most likely vnto them that we in our secret misterie did kill yong children eating their flesh and drinking their bloud and therevpon accused certayne before the Magistrates of thys heynous crime which they coulde neuer trie out to be true as they did accuse But for our purpose it appeareth plainly that we would neuer haue kept our misteries so secret if they had beene but ceremonies of eating of bread wine nor they would neuer haue accused vs of such beastly and vnnatural crimes being men of such reason learning and equity as they were if there had not bene some truth in their accusation which in deede was true for the substaunce of that they alledged but not for the maner of the thing for it was and is true that we in our misteries eate fleshe and drinke bloud but yet we doe not kill and murder yong children and eate their flesh and drinke their bloud And therfore I alledge the sayings of Tertullian and Eusebius the which is also in Origen the sixt booke contra Celsum to declare the accusation of the Gentils against vs concerning the eating of fleshe and drinking of bloud which could neuer haue commed into their heads so to haue done if there had not bene a truth in that matter which they by their reason could neuer see otherwise then they alleged which we by our faith do plainly see and know as it was ordeined by Christ our Lord. And for that cause Tertullian did cast in a vaine worde saying that we were accused of the sacrament of kylling of children which worde Sacrament standeth there for no purpose but to declare vnto vs that this their accusation did rise for lack of the true and precise knowledge of our Sacrament which is true concerning the eating of fleshe and drinking of bloud but not true concerning the kylling and murdering of children CROWLEY After you haue something spoken of the scriptures how much to the purpose let the readers
substaunce of holynesse making all other things holy And here I thinke it worthy to be noted and to be opened somewhat vnto you with what sophistrie and vnlearned folye they deluded the sanctification and consecration of this sacrament Children at the Vniuersitie can tell that it is a deceytfull way of reasoning by a generall discription to exclude and driue away a special and singuler definition as they did in this case For they sayde that the consecration of the sacrament was no more but an appointing of bread and wine to an holy vse which vse they sayde was to signifie vnto vs Christes body that is in heauen and therefore some sayde that the bread was consecrat when the parishe Clarke did bring it to the Church and set it vpon the table and these were no small men but our greatest Bishops God forgiue it them other sayde it was not consecrate till the wordes of Christ were spoken but yet they noted that the Priest should not looke at the bread in the time of the pronouncing for this ende belike that they should not be disceyued that God should worke no more then it pleased them that their doctrine might some waye bee true And therfore they sayde euery man and woman might consecrate and speake the words as well as a Priest but they neuer read what Arnobius sayth Arniobus in Psalm 139. Quid tam magnificum quam Sacramenta deuina conficere quid tam perniciosum quam si ea is conficiat qui nullum sacerdotij gradum accepit What is so excellent then to consecrate the sacraments of God and what is so pernicious then if he doe consecrate that hath receyued no order and degree of Priesthood And as they erred in the time and person so they erred in the nature of the consecration making this of the same sort that all other consecrations be receauing the generall discription and denying the degrees and specialties of sanctification which be many for somethings be holy not for any holynesse that is in them but for that they be brought to the Church and dedicate to some holy vse as is the temple of God the vestures about the aultar and other things vsed in Gods seruice which things to steale and conuey is sacrilege and amongst those things there be degrees of holynesse as saint Augustine sayth Quod accipiunt Catechumini August de peccat merit remiss libr. 2. ca. 26. quamuis non sit corpus Christi sanctum est tamen sanctius quà m cibi quibus alimur Holy bread which those that be learners receiue although it be not the body of Christ yet it is holy and more holy then the meat with which we are fed daylie which also is sanctified by the worde and prayer There is also holynesse a qualitie a vertue gift of God making him in whome it is acceptable in the sight of God The soule of man is likewise sanctified holy bicause it is that substaunce and subiect wherein holynesse consisteth and dwelleth being a vessell created to Gods ymage and prepared to receaue Gods gift of sanctification holynesse And the body of a godly man is also sanctified holy bicause it is the member of Christ the temple of the holy Ghost and the house and tabernacle of the soule replenished with Gods grace and sanctification and for this reason we haue in reuerence and estimation the reliques bodyes of holy martyrs and confessors which being members of Christ were also pleasing sacrifices to Almightie God eyther for austeritie of life or for suffering of vndeserued death for the fayth or in the quarell of Iesus Christ oure Lorde The sacraments of Gods Church be iustly called holy bicause they be the instruments whereby God doth worke holynesse in the soule of man and be as causes of the same by Christes owne ordinaunce and institution But aboue all other thys sacrament of the aultar is holye being as Chrysostome sayde not onely a thing sanctified but the verie sanctification it selfe For in that it is the body of Christ by consecration whervnto is annexed the Godhead by vnitie of person it must needes be holynesse it selfe not in qualitie but in substaunce seing whatsoeuer thing is in God is also God who for his simplicitie receyueth no qualitie into himselfe but is the author and principall cause of all good qualities and graces giuen vnto man Wherefore this place of Chrysostome that calleth it sanctification it selfe can not be auoyded by no figuratiue speeches or such like cauillations CROWLEY Here you begin with a lowde lye by your leaue for there was neuer time yet wherein true christen men cared not who looked vpon them in the time of their mysteries Two lowde lyes one in anothers neck but they did shut out from the place where they did communicate all that were not thought méete to be partakers with them And if you beléeue not me looke in your Liturgies of Iames Basill and Chrysostome And then you clap another lye euen in the neck of the first saying that the Christians made a knocking and knéeling and adoration to the sacraments and that that was the thing that moued the Gentils to say that we worship many Gods and not one as we pretend But to proue this to be no lye you take saint Austen to wytnesse Who in the place that you cite sayth thus speaking to Faustus the Maniche Quomodo ergo comparas panem Calicem nostrum parem Religionem dicis errorem longè à veritate discretum peius desipiens quam nonnulli qui nos propter Panem Calicem Cererem liberum colere existimant How doest thou therfore compare our bread and cup and sayest that an errour which differeth verie farre from the truth is as good a religion as oures being more fondly disceyued then are certaine which by reason of the bread and cup doe suppose that we doe worship Ceres and Bacchus And in the same Chapter he sayth Sicut enim à Cerere libero Paganorum dijs longè absumus quamuis Panis Calicis sacramentum quod ita laudastis vt in eo nobis pares esse volueritis nostroritu amplectamur c For euen as we are verie farre from Ceres and Bacchus Gods of the Paganes although we doe after our maner embrace the sacrament of the bread and the cup which you haue so highly commended bicause you would therein be like vnto vs euen so our fathers were farre ynough from the chaines of Saturne although they did during the time of prophecie obserue the calling or name of the Sabboth The same Gentils which had sayde that the christians did worship Ceres and Bacchus bicause they vsed bread and wine in their communion had sayde also that the people of the Iewes were appointed to be the people of Saturne bicause they obserued the seuenth day of their wéeke for their Sabboth or rest which day the heathen did dedicate vnto Saturne Saint Austen therefore
numerentur Attende igitur Quinta vespera fecit Dominus Coenam Discipulis dixit Accipite commedite hoc est enim corpus meum Et ita quia potestatem habebat ponere animam manifestum quòd tunc immolauit seipsum ex quo tradidit corpus suum I am able to shewe thée another reason also how the thrée dayes and thrée nightes may be numbred The Lord made his supper the fift day at éeuen and he sayd to his Disciples take eate this is my bodie And so because he had power to leaue his life it is manifest that he did then offer himselfe euen from that time wherein he gaue his body to hys Disciples Bicause sayth he our Sauiour had power to leaue his life at his pleasure it is manifest that euen then he offered himselfe when say you he deliuered to his disciples his bodie but to say as Theophilactus writeth euen then from that time wherein he gaue his bodie c. To proue that Christ had bene thrée dayes and thrée nights in the graue when he arose from death Theophilact seketh shiftes where none nedeth Theophilactus vseth this shift affirming that Christes death began at his supper so that by this mans iudgement he was but a deade man when he stoode answered before Pilate and the rest One other such shift he vsed before in the same Chapter saying that the darcknesse that happened by the Eclips that was at the time when Christ gaue vp the ghost must be taken for a night and the time that was betwéene that darknesse and the naturall night for a day But other more auncient then he and of better credite haue affirmed and well proued that by the figure Synecdoche wherby the part is named for the whole the prophecie may be well vnderstanded to be fulfilled Which figure is verye much vsed of the Prophets Wherefore I may conclude that Theophilact goeth about to teache vs that thing that other men haue taught vs before his time in better order then he doth and that you woulde make vs beleue that he teacheth vs that which he neuer ment to teache But mysdoubting the credite of Theophilact you bring in Austen for a witnesse of that which you saye Theophilact hath taught His wordes be these Vnde ipse Dominus c. For which cause our Lord himselfe c. I néede not to trouble the reader with manye wordes in prouing that you haue done great wrong to Saint Austen in that you bring him in as a witnesse of your false doctrine I will onely adde to that which you haue cited out of him those fiue wordes that doe immediately folowe the same By which fiue wordes the Reader may easily vnderstand howe well ye do apply saint Austens wordes to your purpose Austen against Watson in the same place that he cyteth The fiue words be these Quia illis omnibus ipse prenunciabatur Bicause that by all those sacrifices he himselfe was shewed or spoken of before Yea the learned reader that wil read that place of saint Austen shall easily perceyue that it maketh manifestly agaynst you For as the sacrifices of the olde testament were not the sacrifices of the Scribes and Phariseis but Gods although abused by them so are not the sacramentes of Christ your sacraments though you haue abused them but they are Christes and therefore we do according to saint Austens doctrine take them to vs in such sort as Christ did institute them leauing to you all those fond ceremonies that you haue inuented to furnishe oute Christes sacraments after your fashion Which when you haue clouted togither you call your blessed Masse Which not Christ but Antichrist hath ordeyned to bée dayly frequented in hys Church so long as God will suffer it so to be Dionisius Areopagita Cap. 3. Specul But Dionisius Areopagita was Paules scholer c. He sayth thus Quocirca reuerenter simul c. For the authoritie that this Dionisius is of I haue sayd something in the aunswere to 33. diuision of your former Sermon It forceth not much what his opinion is in this matter although you woulde haue vs to thinke that his authoritie alone is ynough But let vs sée howe you handle him in citing his wordes for your purpose You folow not the Greke but that rude and corrupt translation that goeth abroade vnder no name I must therefore trouble the Reader with the Gréeke text enterpreting the same after the true signification and vse of the wordes Dionisius hath sayde thus in Gréeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which in Latine is thus Watson had no leasure to looke in the Greeke Quocirca reuerēter simul sacerdotaliter post sacros Hymnos de admirabilibus dei operibus pro sacrificio pro ipsis se excusat prius ad eum piè exclamans Tu dixisti hoc facite in meam reminiscentiam In Englishe it is thus Wherefore he that is to say the chiefe Minister doth both reuerendly and priestly after the holye Hymnes concerning the merueilous works of God excuse himselfe for the sacrifice that is offered for them first crying out vnto him after a godly maner Thou hast sayd do this in the remembrance of me The Translatour that you folow knewe not bylyke that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being ioyned with the Genitiue case doth not signifie super or supra aboue but Pro for neyther coulde he put difference betwene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the one being the Accusatiue case singuler and the other the genitiue case plurall And therefore he translateth super ipsum in stede of pro ipsis Aboue him in stede of for them And you folowing his folly doe conclude That the thing that is aboue the degrée of the priest must nedes be the bodie of Christ Thus you sée how one folly bringeth in another As you did therfore for shortnesse of time leaue al other authorities so it might haue béene more for your honestie to haue left this also and to haue concluded with S. Paule to the Hebrues Per ipsum ergo offeramus hostiam laudis semper Deo Hebr. 13. The conclusion that Watsō might with more honestie haue made id est fructum labiorum confitentium nomini eius Beneficentiae autem cōmunicationis nolite obliuisci talibus enim hostijs conciliatur Deus Through him therfore let vs alwayes offer vnto God the sacrifice of prayse that is the fruite of lips that do prayse his name Forget not louing liberalitie and the making other partakers of the giftes you haue receyued for with such sacrifices is God pleased But shamelesly you boast that you haue proued both by the institution of Christ and the consent of the Church that the Masse is the very sacrifice of the Church where as the Reader may by that which I haue aunswered easily perceyue that you haue both the institution of Christ the consent of the auncient Church and all good reason agaynst you and nothing