people that the admynistracion of the Sacramente of this offeringe was called an oblation As in Jraeneus sib 4 cap. 32. He taught vs a new oblacion of the new testamente whiche the church takinge of the apostels offereth vp to god in all the worlde But in other places after as in yt. 34. cap. he expoundeth him selfe and signifieth that he speaketh not of the offeringe of the Sacrament consecrated but of the breade and wine offered partely to the vse of the supper partely to the findinge of the poore Vt behoneth vs saith hee to offer to god the first fruites of his creatures And againe a lyttle after We must make offeringe vp to god and in all thinges be found thankfull to god our maker offeringe vp to him the firste fruites of his creatures in pure mynde in faith without hipocrisie in firme hope in feruent loue And this pure offeringe the church only offereth to our maker geuinge to hym parte of his creatures with thankes geuyng Instine also in his Apology affirmeth that after the communion all that would offered to the behalfe of poore people fatherlesse children and sicke persons An other occasion that the doctours vsed those termes of sacrifienge and offeringe was that in celebration of the Sacramente they had prayer for all states and thankes geuing to god for all his benefites which the doctours in infinite places affirme to be the true and only sacrifice of the new testament Csemens Asexan Strom. 7. sib Of god reioiseth to be honoured when aâ— by nature he nedeth nothing not withoute good cause we honour him with prayers and send vp to him that most excessent and holy sacrifice And after in processe of writing he geueth the same name to the reading and study of a godly man Wherby it may appeare as Sainct Augustine also signifieth that the fathers called euery good and godly action a sacrifice weare it priuate or common And therefore their successours by lyttle and little bente the same name vnto the action and celebration of the Sacramente wherin most solemly prayer and thankes geuinge were offered So wryteth Jraeneus sib 4. cap. 34. We offer to him not as one that nedeth but geuing thanks for his benefites to vs. And againe He wyll haue vs to offer our gift to the aulier often times our anlter is in heauen For thether our praiere and offeringes be directed To this agreeth Eusebius de demonstr Euang. sib 1. We offer saith he to the most high god a sacrifice of praiser we offer a ful swete and holy sacrifice after a new sort according to the new testament And that ye may not obiecte that in this place he speakech not of the sacrament It foloweth in this wise net my prayer be made as intense in thy fight Therfore we do sacrifice and burne incense to him sometime celebrating the remembrance of that great sacrifice accordinge to the misteries instituted by him selfe bothe geuing thankes to god for our saluation and offering holy hymnes and prayers vnto him some time consecrating and bequethinge our selues holly to him both in body and mynde Here he speaketh of the sacrament and maketh no mencion of any sacrifice propitiatory but only of the sacrifice of remembrance by prayer and thankes geuinge and of the offeringe vp of our selues to god which is the offerynge of Christes mistical body that sainct Augustine speaketh of in dyuers places Of whose testimonies ye are wonte to bringe some for the confirmation of your sacrifice As that hee hath De ciuitate dei The sacrifice saith he that we offer is Christes body But immediately he declareth that hee ment his misticall body that is the vnitie of the faithfull congregation For he addeth which wee offer not to martiâ—s because they be the same body them selfe How the bishop or chiefe minister offereth vp the people in the communion hee sheweth in his 59. Eristâ—e aâ— PausinuÌ„ Another cause 3. that the holy fathers call the sacrament an oblacion or sacrifice is because according to christes ordinance we celebrate the remembraunce of his death and passion which was the onely true and perfit sacrifice And so may ye perceiue that Eusebius did take it in the place before recited For he saieth we sacrifice celebratinge the remembrance of that greate sacrifice c. Chrisostonâ—e likewise Hom. 17 ad Ebreos After he hath in many wordes declared that there is no more but one sacrifice once offered by Christe for euer he addeth this Doe not we then offer euery day yes verely we offer but doing it in remembrance of his death And againe That we doe is done to the remembrance of that was done Before Sainct Augustine also de fide ad petrum declareth the same very plainly Belene stedfastly saieth he and in no wapee doubte that the only begotten of God beyng made flesh for vs did offer him selfe a sactifice to God as a sweete sauour To whom with the father and holy ghost in the olde testament beastes were offered and to whom now together with the father and holy ghost with whom he hath one diuinitie the churche ceaseth not to offer the sacrifice of breade and wine He saieth not of the body and bloud of Christ For in those carnall sacrifices there was the figure of the fleshe of Christ which c. but in this our sacrifice there is a thankes geuinge and remembrance of the body and blond of Christ that hee gaue and shed for vâ— Here he saith not there is an offering of the body bloud for our sinnes whiche he would not haue omitted if the churche had taught so in his time For some of these causes before rehersed the fathers vsed to cal the Lordê supper a sacrifice not meanyng as you doo that it was a sacrifice propitiatorie to be offered of the priestes for them selfe for the people This your facion of speakyng ye séeme to take of the maner of the Iewisse priestes which had an offeryng for them the people As though Christ had left to vs a like sacrifice as they had dayly to be repeted where as S. Paule in his whole Epistle to the Ebrues reasoneth against it and proueth the contrarie that Christe did it perfitly once for euer in suche sorte that it néedeth not to be reiterated But perhappes ye will obiecte S. Cyprian where he speakynge of the dead saieth We offer sacrifice for them But it is euident he offered there for Martiers whiche he was throughly perswaded were in heauen and néeded no offerynge for their sinnes Likewise Ambrose mencioneth that he offered for ValentiniaÌ„ the good Emperour of whom in the oracion made at his buriall he witnesseth that he doubted not of his saluacion but beléeued by the witnesse of Angels that he was caried to heauen Therfore their offeryng for the deade was no more but as I mencioned before the sacrifice of prayse and thankes geuynge to God for them This thyng the Greeke Cannon declareth more plainely where it is mencioned
in his wordes He sayde not absolutely no negatiue proposition coulde be proued neither doeth D. Cole finde so muche faute with him for deniyng that a negatiue might be proued for him selfe had so saide before but with this that to gréeue his aduersarie he woulde stay vpon the negatiue and put you of the contrarie parte to proue the affirmatiue Whiche was vpon good reason donne at that time to the ende as I thinke that he might presse vpon you somwhat narre then other before had vsed to doo The cause why hee might iustly rest vppon the negatiue For whereas you haue vntruly borne the worlde in hande and make your auaunte continually that the church hath taught as you doo these xv hundred yeres that the holy scriptures aunciente fathers counsels doo make altogether for your doctrine against ours he both wisely and learnedly did sée that there was no way so fitte either to driue you from this auaunte or to declare it euidently to be false as to rest vpon this true negatiue that you haue no sufficiente proufe out of the aucthoritées before rehearsed For therby he should either force you to shew what you haue whiche in effecte is nothynge or els to confesse that the chiefe poinctes of your doctrine by him recited be as they are in déede cleane beside the worde of god and example of the primatiue churche or if you would not for shame confesse it yet that all men in the ende might perceiue it is so when that you neither woulde nor coulde bring any sufficient confirmation of the same by the scriptures olde fathers auncient counsels or alowed example of the church by the space of vi hundred yeres I will declare the mattier by example of those thinges that your self taketh in hande to proue All the preachers of this time teache that the right vse of the lordes supper is to be celebrated in maner of a communion or feast with companie and that as well the laytée as clergy shoulde receiue vnder bothe kindes This doctrine they say is accordyng to Gods worde and vse of the primatiue churche and not the contrarie For proufe thereof they alledge out of the scripture the Euangelistes and saincte Paule in whiche appereth euidently that company was and bothe kindes were indifferently vsed and no significacion at all of the contrarie For the primatiue churche they bringe Justine Dyonisius Cyprian Chrisostome and other ther hée did of purpose seeke a shifte to cauille or els in déede had nothinge to saye Or if you doo thinke it reasonable I will learne at your hande howe you coulde proue that negatiue by all your lawe or logike I doo scante thinke you wyl say that a man may be orderly required to proue suche mere negatiues When a negatiue or what kinde of negatiues may bée proved I leaue to bée discussed in some other place as a question more mete for Sophisters in the paruise schoole at Oxforde then for dyuines in matters of weight and importance After your reasoninge againste the causes 2. Cap. that as you saye were alleged not to proue the negatiue An aunswere to the distinction of priuate as it were to lay the ground of your controuersée for priuate masses ye beginne with a distinction that this terme priuate may be taken after dyuers sortes Eyther as contrary to common to many for the commoditie therof or els as sole receiuing by a priest aloue without any company In the firste way A. you saye ye neuer affirmed masse to be priuate but to pertaine to the behalfe of all states and sortes of men whatsoeuer they be In déede I were to blame and very iniurious vnto you if I woulde dente that ye haue ben very bountifull in bestowinge the benesite of your masse and especially when money was broughte in aboundantly For then ye applied it vnto highe to low to Princes to priuate persons to absent to present to quicke to deade to heauen to hel ye and to purgatory to Ouer and beside that ye made it a saliâ—e for all sores and a remedy for all misâ—heffes Here were a large feeld for me to deseant vpon the diuers abuses that you applied it vnto contrary to Christes institution and ordinanâ—â— but that any Christian hart may rather yerne and lamente to remember so vngodly prophanation of the holy Sacrament then to séeke occasion pleasantly to daly in the rehersall and deluding of the infinite vanyties therof The other signification of priuate in sole receiuing by the priest not imbarringe any that is willynge and ready to be partaker with him ye say the Catholike Church doth and alway hath taught And here vpon makinge your proposition ye require a profe of the affirmatiue included in the negatiue that is that euery priest or any other ought when he receiueth to haue a company to receiue with hym Why sir is this the truste that you would séeme to haue in the trueth of your cause is this the plaine and sound dealinge that ye after professe to vse is this the leauing of all shifts where by ye may séeme to cauill rather then staye vppon the chéefe profes of your matter Who séeth not that euen in the very entrance mistrustinge your quarel ye seke a shiste as it were by policy to helpe that whiche in the open féelde is not able to defende it selfe This was no parte of the challinge as you terme it This is not that ye pretende so earnestly to proue The matter is of priuate masses and you make your issue in sole receiuing Is there no difference thinke you betwene sole receiuinge and priuate masse doeth euery one that receiueth alone say a priuate masse Then may not only priestes say masse but also by your owne authorities after brought in lay men and women also And yet your reasoninge in the residew of your treatise is suche as if it were a sufficiente profe of priuate masse to shew that some men and women in certaine cases receiued alone in the primatiue Church But of your argumentes afterwarde In this place ye shall geue me leaue to finde that faute in you that Tussy in the beginning of his offices layeth to Panetius who intending to write of dutie in behauiour omitteth the definition of the same where as euery reasonable discourse ought to procede of a viefe declaracion of that whiche is in controuersée If ye had this done I doubte not but ye would rather haue plucked your pen from the paper thâ—â— haue medled with the matter that ye are now entred into What priuat masse is I will therefore thewe you oute of your owne aucthours what I take your priuate masse to bée B. It is a sacrifice of the body and bloud of Christ vsed in the Churche in place of the Lordes Supper by one prieste alone offered to God the father for the sinnes of quicke and deade which without any to participate with him haâ— may apply to the benefite of what persons
for your defence in so weightie mattiers Which now seyng your selender and féeble groundes will beginne I doubte not as they haue the feare of God to mistrust your dealyng and more diligently examine the residue of your doctrine It is not good for them any lenger to walke on other mens féete nor to be guided by other mens eyes but them selfe to se what way they go least their guides either by ignorance or wilfulnesse leade them into the pitte of continuall errour Of reseruacion The third poincte that you gather out of these testimonies is reseruacion of the sacrament which to deny say you is extreame impudencie I thinke you haue not mette with any whiche haue flatly denied that in the primatiue churche diuers vsed reseruacion But it foloweth not therevpon but that a man may deny without any impudencie at all either that wée haue any testimonie in the worde of God to iustifie it or that all the holy fathers did approue it Or if ye wyll say the contrarie I wyll not doubte to make the crime of impudencie that you charge vs withal to rebounde vpon your self But you will say you haue witnesse that it was vsed and that of good men whiche is sufficient Indéede it is sufficient to shew that it was then vsed but it is not sufficient to proue that it must therfore be alwayes vsed or that all did well at that time in vsing of it Oh ye will say this is your olde maner so longe as the fathers make with you you wil admit them if they séeme to be any thynge agaynst you ye will reiecte their aucthoritie What authoritie is to be attributed to the doctours Because you cōmonly take holde here and through this odious reporte often vse to stirre mens stomackes agaynst vs before I answere your reseruacion I will protest what aucthoritie wée attribute vnto the olde fathers This will I doo not with my owne wordes but S. Augustines in his epistle to Hierome I confesse that I haue learned to attribute this reuerēce and honour only to the canonical scriptures to beleeue stedfastly without controuersie all that is written in them As for other I so reade them that be they neuer so excellent in great holynes and learnyng I do not therfore counte it true because they were of that opinion but because they coulde perswade me either by scripture or good reason that it was not against the truth Here you may obiecte that men of such learning holinesse and deuocion woulde neuer haue written any suche thynge if they had not thought it to be agréeable with Gods worde Ye sir I thinke they as good men were so perswaded but that they did leaue in writyng many thynges not onely beside the worde of God but also against it I thynke it is not vnknowen to you And that other also may know it and therby holde vs excused when wée doo not in all poinctes agrée vnto them I will recite some proufes therof Clemens Alexand. with Iustine and diuers other taught that Angels fell from their estate for the carnall loue of earthly women Whiche doctrine I thinke you wil not say riseth of true interpretacion of the scripture The same Clement Strom. 2. 6. writeth that mens soules are transformed into Angels and first learne a thousande yeres of other Angels afterwarde teaching other new transformed Angels at the length become Archangels Whiche can not be soundly taken out of the scriptures Iustine Lactantius Iraeneus and other wrote that good men after the resurrection shoulde liue a thousande yeres in all ioye before Christe shoulde come to iudgement And yet is that but a misunderstandynge of the scripture Tertullian séemeth to attribute a bodily substance to God and in diuers places De trinitate speaketh dangerously of Christe for whiche and like thinges many would haue had his workes counted Apócrypha Therfore he doth not alwaies agrée with scripture Cyprian would haue Heretikes to be rebaptised and speaketh so dangerously of them that are fallen from the faith that he might séeme to geue some occasion to Nouatians heresie What shall we say of Origine in whom be founde so many perilous doctrines as both I in this place am loth to rehearse them and in the primatiue churche diuers greate learned men woulde haue had his bookes burned for the same I coulde say the like of diuers other but that I feare some will maliciously gather that I rehearse these thynges of purpose so muche as in me lieth to deface the aucthoritie of the holy fathers Which God is my witnesse I meane not but onely to signifie that when wee measure their doctrine by Goddes wordes or teache not in all poinctes as they did wée be not so muche to be blamed as that men should counte vs as you doo to controlle the doctours and as it were to set them to schoole For if God hath suffered them to erre in so weightie mattiers as is before mencioned although for good cause I haue omitted the greatest it may be also that they haue taught amisse in some other lighter thinges and therfore are to be reade with iudgement as Augustine counselleth bothe in himselfe and in other Nothwithstandynge wée doo greatly estéeme the fathers not only as holy mē indued with singuler grace of God but also as right good witnesses and strong defendours of the chiefe articles of our faith at that time when Sathan indeuoured partely by crueltie of persecution partely by infinite numbers of Heresies to deface and extinguishe the same Therefore who doth not muche honour them when trueth constreineth with reuerence go from their opinion is scantly worthie the name of a christian mā Neuerthelesse I think not the contrary but if they had séene what abuses and supersticions woulde haue folowed vpon diuers thynges that they either taught or for the state of that time winked at and suffered vndoubtedly they woulde either haue recanted those thinges as Augustine did many or els would haue made a more perfit interpretacion of their mindes Before the Pelagians Herisie beganne to be spredde S Augustine so wrote of frée will as he séemed not to himselfe afterwarde sufficiently and as the trueth required to expresse the mere grace of God Therfore vpon occasion of that Herisie he writeth more perfitly of that and of predestination then either the other doctours do or then it is to be thought that himselfe would haue done if that occasion had not been So doubtelesse both he and many other woulde haue doone of diuers thinges now in controuersie if at that time they had been brought in question This much by the way haue I spoken of my opinion in the doctours so muche as I can to eschew the malicious reporte that your sorte is moste readie to spreade of vs in this mattier Now I wyll returne to reseruation Of reseruacion Wee denie not as I sayd that some in that time did vse it as it appereth by your witnes of Ciril As touchinge
Christe that they folow or to his doctrine that they seeme to professe I will iudge and hope better of this wryter to whom with all my harte I wishe much more good trustinge that god shall once agayne open his hearte to receiue the trueth which I cannot but thinke God hathe taken from him in punishment of that naughtie conscience that hee witnesseth hath ben in him selfe But what soeuer he be let him stande or fall to his lorde god I will not take vppon mee to iudge him neither would I haue spoken this much of him but that hee doeth odiously excuse his owne euill mynde by the good doctrine of Christes gospel My purpose is to confute his doctrine I wil not meddle with his person I intende to answere his cauelinge at other mens wordes and doinges I minde not to discredite or deface his estimation or honestie And yet in this pointe I know some maye iudge me presumptuous and arrogant that I seeme to take vppon me his quarell who is farre better able to aunswere for him selfe then I am But I would desire those whiche so thinke to consider Firste that this is a common quarell touchinge not only him that is named but all other that either teacheth or beleueth as he doth Secondly that he against whom this writing is directed either knoweth not that any such thinge is spred or if he doe know it either thinketh it not worthy answere of it selfe or els hath not at this present such leasure as he may intend to answere it Thirdly and chiefely that by priuate conference with certaine persons I vnderstande perhappes more then either he or any other doth thinke how much this treatise is estemed amonge many which otherwise happely mighte bee perswaded to imbrace the gospell Therefore I haue bene moued the soner my selfe in suche sorte as I might to shape an aunswere vnto it For to all suche of the contrary opinion as haue feare of God and staye vpon conscience rather then selfe wil I acknowlage my self in christian charitie to owe this muche of dutie as that I should to my power trauaile to lift this stumbling blocke out of theyr way that it maye not be a let or staie vnto them to come vnto Christe at this daye by his worde callinge them Wherfore gentle Reader seing thou doest vnderstand my meaning and the occasion of my doinge I will cease any more to trouble thee and will tourne the residew of my talke vnto the aucthour of this wryting with whom I will make my entrie there where he first beginneth to confute the reasons that were alleged why accompte should not bee made to Docter Cole of that religion that now is taught In this parte I wil be the shorter partly because those thinges bee sufficiently answered in the conference already published althoughe this wryter seemeth to dissemble it partly because the questions haue more captiousnes of words then profit of good matter ⧠The defence of the trueth WHere you reason againste my lorde of Salesburée 1. Cap. for refusinge to bringe proufe of his doctrin because he was a Bishop and at that time preached before the Quéenes grace and hir counsel You deale somewhat like with him as you doo afterwarde with the Doctours that you doo alledge For you first bring your owne sence vnto their wordes and so alledge them for your purpose where as they meane nothynge lesse So in the wordes of the firste epistle to Doctor Cole you applie your owne sence vnto them and after reason against it as though it were his meanyng Whether this be to be compted a cauilling rather then a confutyng I leaue to the iudgement of other He neuer sayde simply A. that he should make no recknynge of his doctrine because he was a bishop For he doeth the contrarie dayly aswell in his preachinge as otherwise He neuer saide that the consent of the prince and realme was a sufficient proufe of doctrine in christian religioÌ„ as you would haue men thinke of him by your reasonyng against him He sayd this that for so muche as he was called to the state of a bishop and at that time vttered before the prince and hir counsell that doctrine which was confirmed by the aucthoritée of the whole realme he might séeme to doo vnaduisedly I iuste cause of his refusâ—ll if he shoulde make accompte therof to a subiecte and especially suche a subiecte as alway hath professed him selfe to muslike it and at that time vnder pretence of learnyng but in déede quarellyng required a proufe therof Were it good reason thinke you that a magistrate at the demaunde of euery subiect should bryng reason to proue any law publisshed by the prince to bee good which the same subiecte would proteste to be an euill and vniust law and therfore woulde not obey it If that should be so a gappe might be opened to euerie busie person to picke a quarell against the law If that should be so beside other inconueniences he might séeme to submit the iudgement of the prince and realme to the mislikynge of one waywarde subiecte Which coulde not be doone without greate impeachement to the princes aucthoritée and wisedome of the whole state of the coÌ„mon weale That this was his meanyng it may appere in those wordes where he saith he might not doo it with out farther licence Wherfore in this parte of his answere knowyng with whome he had to doo he respected his doctrine as it was a law confirmed by the prince and states of the realme and not as it might be a controuersie of religion before the law publisshed More ouer in that he is orderly called to the state of a bisshop say you what you wil to the contrarie he is in possession of the trueth And therefore it were not reason that he should be requested first to shew his euidence and take vpon him the person of the plaintife especially towarde those men that make exception to his possession and claime the right therof them selues He ought not lightly to geue ouer to you in this poincte he ought to acknowledge and stande in defence of that benefit wherby through gods worde and aucthoritée of the prince he is sette in open possession of that which you before vsurped Séeyng then it is the plaintifes parte first to shew euidence and he now god be thanked standeth with other as defendante You doo disorderly and contrarie to reason to will him to doo that which by order your selfe shoulde first doo He profered openly to geue ouer to you if you coulde shew any reasonable euidence for your part out of the scriptures doctours or counsels If you refuse it all men will thinke that either you haue no euidence at all to shew or els that whiche you haue is suche as you are well assured wyll not abide the triall B. In like maner doo you mistake his restyng vpon the negatiue You write not against his meanyng but against that your selfe conceiueth to be
you then to defende your ceremonies affirme that time to be the state of infancie in the churche Doo you not remember that immediatly after ye attribute to the primatiue church passing feruent charitée with excéedyng holynesse of life contempte of the world To this latter time keycolde charitée slacke deuocion loue of the worlde and contempte of vertue Whereof I pray you commeth this Not because in the firste time they were stronge in godlynes abundante in liuely spirite and grace of God and wée now féeble and fainte to all vertuous doinge lackinge wisedome and as it were dotinge for age For what other cause was yonge age of children called infancie then for that it had not the vse of the tonge nor coulde not speake But the primatiue Church coulde speake and continually declare the good will of God and his great benefites to his people S. Paule spake with a loude voice and a stronge spirite Woe be to me if I preache not the gospell The same was the voice of all the olde fathers and godly men in the beginning They were occupied in nothinge but either in teaching and confirminge trueth or in reprouinge and defacinge falshode and heresée but after 600. yeres the prelates of the churche wel nere cleane loste their voyces Wealth of the worlde honour and ryches had stopped their mouthes in such sorte that within few yeres it came to passe that it was a rare mattier and almoste a reproche to see a bishoppe in the pulpite and heare him speake to the people Wherefore ye can not so aprely resemble the primatiue churche to infancie as ye may this latter time to dotinge olde age wherin they that should doo nothinge but preache the worde of God and teache the people haue either cleane loste the vse of their speache throughe infancie and ignorance or els bable they wot not what through dotage and folly That ye may not thinke mée to speake of stomake more then trueth reade the histories of this latter time rede those that write particularly of the Bishoppes of Rome sée howe many bée praised for preachinge to the people and for teachinge the worde of god either by speakinge or writinge So that they may not only séeme for age to haue loste the strength of their voice but as it were with a paulsie to haue loste the vse of their handes onles it weare in wrytinge of decrées or fingringe of pence In that ye attribute vnto the primatiue Churche so good deuotion C. An aunswere to the comparison of this time with the primatiue churche so earnest zeale so feruente charitée and there by that they came dayly to the receiuing of the Sacrament it is most true that ye say But you must againe consider that the often frequenting of the Lordes Supper by grace therein conferred did bothe bréede and increase that same liuely faith and feruent charitée that in mutuall loue and contempte of the worlde so flourishingly did shewe it selfe in them So that their earnest zeale dyd not so muche cause them to come often to the Lordes Supper as the often frequenting therof did increase their so greate zeale and charitée For by that meanes it was alwayes freshe in their memory not only by hearinge but also by féeling in them selfe that they were all members of one body all the children of one father all deliuered oute of bondage by one raunsome all fed with one foode and norished at one table And therefor that it was as méete and necessary for them to imbrace one another as for one limme of the body to healpe another for one brother to loue another one deliuered oute of thraldome to reioyce with the other One housholde companion to tender the good estate of the other Therfore that kaycolde charitée that you say and truly say doeth reigne in these dayes may not more iustly bée attributed to any one thinge then to your priuate masse Colde charitie is not so muche cause of priuate masse as priuate masse is of colde charitie For there by the common vse and frequentation of the holy Sacramente of vnitée loue and concorde hath bene taken from amonge the people of God beinge perswaded by you that it was sufficient for them to bée present in the churche when one of you alone dyd saye a priuate masse You laye the cause of priuate masse vpon the keicolde charitée of the people and perhappes the first occasion came therof in déede but your scaulding hotte and firebourning charitée may bee more iustly charged with the continuance thereof And therfore the people of God may worthely crie out vpon the chiefe maisters and mainteiners of it for all the mischiefe and diueleshnes either in naughtiues of life or corruption of doctrine that the Churche hath ben drowned in this certaine hundred yeres may séeme to be drawen in firste by that occasion Hasten you saith signatiue to the sacrament of thankes geninge and to the glory of god For when that is continually frequented all the powers of the deuil are expelled Then muste it of necessitée be that the slacke vse of the same doth bringe in weakenes of faith coldnesse of charitée contempte of vertue loue of the worlde and the hole heape of those things that the deuill moste desireth and chiefely sheweth his power in Therefore not without a cause that perpetual enemy of mankinde quickely did séeke occasion euen in S. Paules time to corrupt the right vse of this Sacrament and bring them to faccions in receiuinge of it He did wel sée of how greate force it was to mainteine concorde loue and charitée which is as it weare the very cognisance of a Christian man For that cause hee indeueringe as hee doeth alway traiterously to traine away the seruauntes of God firste alway by the abuse of this Sacramente of vnitie he as it weare cutteth of the cognisance from their liueries that not beinge knowen whose Souldiours they are he may the sooner conueigh them into his campe and there put on his badge of hatred malice dissencion Your faute therfore in furtheryng his indeuour cannot be excused But is to be taken of Christian people as very gréeuous and heinous An obiection But ye wil say that the priest doeth not imbarre any that will communicate that he wolde reioyse to se them dispose them selues vnto it that they doo lament to se the contrarie The aunswere These be faire wordes without any sounde trueth at all I assure you sir if the matter were so indéede vnfeinedly not you by force of truth against you driuen to séeke that interpretacion for a shifte your soole receiuyng had ben muche more tollerable But when I pray you did any of you vse in priuate masses to cal for the people to reproue their slacknes to shew them the daunger of beyng priesente and not receiuyng to tell them of the greate commoditées that commeth by the vse of it When did any of you stande at the aulter as Chrisostom did
it be knowen What the churche is and whether it may erre Forsooth the scripture speaketh of the churche of Christe twoo waies Sometime as it is indéede before God not knowen alway to mans iudgemente Into this church none be receiued but onely the children of grace and adoption and the very members of Christe by sanctifiyng of the holy ghost This church doth not comprehend only holy men and sainctes liuyng on the earth but all the electe from the beginnynge of the worlde This churche is the piller of truth that neuer continueth in errour This churche is neuer forsaken of the spirite of God This is the holy communion of sainctê that in our Créede wée professe and acknowledge But this church as after shall appere doth not alwaies flowrish in sight of the worlde Sometime the churche is taken for the vniuersal multitude of al those whiche beyng dispersed through the worlde acknowledge one Christe and beyng through baptisme admitted into the same by the vse of the Lordes supper openly professe the vnitie therof in doctrine and charitie Sometime the churche is taken for the multitude of those that beare rule in the churche This churche is resembled to a nette whiche caste into the sea bringeth vp both good and badde It is resembled to a feilde that hath not only pure corne but also Cockle Darnell and other wéedes And as wée often se that good corne in some groundê is so choked vp and ouer runne with wédes as the good graine may hardly be deserned for that the wéedê beare the chief rule Euen so in this churche the euill and corrupted doth sometime beare downe the better sorte that a man can hardly iudge whiche be the true members of the churche whiche are not This churche therfore for the most number may be misled and in many thinges stray out of the way This church may erre and not continually abide in pure and vncorrupte worshippyng of God as I wil now with good prouse farther declare vnto you God hath had this his externall churche from the beginnyng of the worlde instructed by his holy worde instructed by his Patriarâ—es and Prophetes instructed by hiâ— apoincted law and ceremonies and so continued till the commyng of his dâ—â—â— forme Iesus Christe This churche he called his spouse his tabernacle his priuie garden his loued citie his electe and chosen vineyard But did it alway continue in florishyng estate Did it alway in like maner retaine the truth of Gods morde that it was taught in the beginnyng Did it alway cherish and mainteine suche ministers as God sent from time to time into it to redresse and reforme his law accordyng to his holy will In what state was this churche in Nous time when .viii. onely were saued In what state was it when the .x. Tribes forsooke the right worshippyng of God and leste onely the Tribe of Iuda In what state was it afterwarde when the same one Tribe of Iuda vnder diuers kinges sell to Idolatrie In what state was it when Elias pitifully complained that he onely was lefte and all other were departed from God Where was the enternall face of the church at that times In what state was it when Esaias Ieremie Ezechiel and al the Prophetes of God were persecuted put to death I pray you was not Iurie then called the people of God Had they not at that time the lawe of God Did not they vse his ceremonies Did not they bragge and make their auaunte that they coulde not erre that the trueth coulde not departe from the mouthe of their priestes and doctours that they had the temple of God the temple of God Yes certainely they had euen then the law of God They had euen then the sacramentes and ceremonies by God appointed or els the Prophet would neuer haue vsed their temple or compante of their praiers and ceremonies Yet how miserably the law of God and his sacramentê were corrupted among them it appereth by that Esay sayeth The siluer of the people of God is iourned into drosse How they interteined the messengers that God sente to reforme his law it is euidente in this that all the Prophetes were slayne amonge them This externall churche then did erre this externall churche refused the trueth of Gods law This externall churche did persecute the Prophetes And yet did not the Prophetes thinke that they coulde caste them out of his true churche or make them not true members of his people to whiche the promisses were made Neither did the Prophetes for that cause cease to call for a redresse of the pure law and ceremonies of God and worshipyng him accordyng to his holy worde They did not refraine to tel euen those that faib they were the chosen people of god the electe vineyarde of God the citie and habitacion of God that they had fortaken the law of God that they folowed their owne deuises that they worshipped God in vayne with their owist tradicions And therfore that he would not acknowledge them any more for his people that he woulde sette his vineyarde open to spoile that he would bringe his owne citie into thraldome and captiuitie After the captiuitie of Babilon when the same churche was restored and his people taught by adversitie to reforme the law and receiue againe the right worshippinge of god apointed in his worde it continued of many yeares but that it was agayné corrupted horribly and led farre out of the way to lowinge againe their owne phantasies For when Christ him selfe came for whose cause God had so preserued that people they sayd that they had Moyses lawe that they were the séede of Abraham that they were the chosen people and true churche of God that he wente aboute to take away the lawe and destroy the temple and for that cause did they put him to death In like maner did they vse the Apostles â–ª They reproued their doctrine as vaine and phantasticall they caste them out of their Synagoges as Schismatikes and Heretikes Yea and when they did this they had in face of the worlde those thynges wherin the churche is compted to consiste They had doctrine out of the law of God They has the ministerie of the same by their Priestê and Doctours They had the sacrament of circumsicion as the couenant wherby they were admitted as the people of God They had the other ceremonies â–ª wherin they were practised to the confirmation of the same They had the counsels wherby the condeÌ„pned Christ wherin they condempned the Apostles and refused their doctrine They blâ—med their predicessours for that they had â—illed the Prophetes and yet they persecuted Christe and his Apostels Shal we thinke therfore that the Apostles were not of the church or rather shal we indge that them which haue the gouernemente of the law and sarrâ—mentes and to the world haue the facâ— and name of the churche may so fowly erâ—e as they may refuse the true doctrine of gods lawe and persecute the ministors and