habent hiis qui offerunt corpus christi porrigant Sed illud innotuit quod quidam diaconi etiam ante episcopuÌ„ sacrameÌ„ta sumant Haec ergo omnia omputentur acciplant secundum ordinem post presbiteros ab episcopo ves a presbitero sacram communionem Quod si non fuerit in presenti vel episcopus vel presbiter tuncipsi proferant edant It is reported to the holy counsell that in certaine places and cities the deacons deliuer the sacrament to the priestes Neither rule neither custome taught this that they that haue no aucthoritée to offer sacrifice should deliuer the body of christ to them that offer it And an other thyng also came to our eares that there are certain deacons who receiue the sacrament before the Bisshop Wherfore let all such thinges be cut of let them receiue the holy coÌ„munion orderly after the priestê of the bishops or priest And if the bisshop or the priest be absent let them selues bryng it foorth and eate it If the deacons as it appereth by this Canon that had no auctoritie to consecrate and to offer the sacrifice of Christes body and bloud might in the bishops or priestê absens fetch foorth the sacrament and receiue it can you denie but it was reserued And that the same grace of Christes body remained in the holy sacrament after the consecracion in the bishoppes and priestes absence Which coulde by no meanes be consecrated but by the bishoppes and priestes presence A. I will not cauill with you vpon the terme aboue rehersed in the Cannon concernyng the deacons that they might in the bisshoppes and priestes absence bryng forth the sacramente and eate it whiche is proper to the forme of bread and not to the forme of wine and thereby declare that the deacons receiued it but in one kinde Notwithstandynge I might as well stande therein and better to then you stande vpon Accipite manducate bibite ex hoc omnes to driue the sacrament immediatly without any reseruacion to his vse and that at euery communioÌ„ there must of necessitie be a company to receiue with the priest and euery one of the lay people ought of necessitie to receiue the same in bothe kindes B. I wil not I say vse no such daliance vpon the worde eate in the Cannon as you vse in take eate and drinke al of this in the vse of the sacrament very sophistically But let go all suche vauntage vpon titles I am contented to vse none other proufe but suche as al men that haue any discretion do so euidently perceiue to be so good that they are neuer able to finde any occasion in the worlde to controlle it Such as I haue vsed before for the proufe of priuate masse reseruacion the soole receiuynge or ministracion of the sacramente in certaine cases vnder one kinde to haue ben vsed in the state of the primatiue churche Reade S. Cyprian in his fifte sermon De sapsis 11. Cap. there shal you se that the deacon gaue an Infante that had receiued before parte of such meates as were sacrifised vp to the Idoles a porcion of Christes bloud out of the Chalis And as soone as the infante receiued it it was wonderfully vered because it was meruelous dishonour to the bloud of Christe to be powred into the mouthe that was a litle before defiled with the Idoles sacrifice And therby may you vnderstande that the infante receiued the sacrament of the Deacon vnder the forme of wine onely and not vnder the forme of breade For by that reason if the infante had receiued it vnder the forme of bread before beyng parte of the sacrament as precious as the other it should haue been vexed very sore before the cup had ben offered it But the first vexacion that it had was when the Deacon gaue the sacrament in forme of wine And therfore it is euident that the deacon gaue not the infant the sacrament vnder the forme of bread And was not this a communion vnder one kinde only You haue harde now I suppose not a worde or halfe worde not one sentence or half a sentence as your callyng was but many and full prouses against certaine of your assertions And by these you haue good cause to distrust all the rest of your doctrine Thus far my leasure serued me 12. Cap. beyng otherwise occupied with businesse though to answer in the defence of my spirituall mother the catholike church Not for because it was our parte that are in possession to render any reason for our right wherein prescription of time out of minde is a sufficient barre but partely because I saw your importunitie in callyng vpon them to strike that you had bounde in recognisaunce of great sommes to be forfaited if they had gone aboute to geue you any blow So that you may perceiue well by this that they are better armed then you thought they were when I who am nothyng in comparison of the learned Doctours of this realme beyng a man of no greate reading A. but in stories am yet able thus to say in so good a matter that I trust you will here after leaue your importunitie of prouokyng so many learned men of this realme to shew what euidence they haue for the truth It had béen more reasonable that you that woulde dispossesse vs of the interest wée haue in the trew doctrine that the catholike church first taught vs and hath recorded sufficiently in hir practise these xv.c yeres and more and in recordes of writers this lr hundred yeres and .lx. as your selfe do séeme to confesse should shew sufficient causes why wée ought to be dispossessed rather then wée to lay for our selues prouses to kéepe possession I meruell that you thinke it not hurt to your side to grant that the hole practise of the church hath runne with vs this .ix. hundreth yeares and thrée score where as in possession of landes quiet possession for the space of one hundreth yeres or two putteth the case out of all doubte You hange vpon the state of the sire hundreth yeres that were next after Christ and you se how that the whole recorde of the state runneth against you Tertulian is against you Ciprian is against you Eusebius is against you Ambrose is against you Cyrill is against you The holy and aunciente counsell of Nyce is against you And yet you will make the people to wéene that all are with you of that state C. I haue not brought in the emptie names as Poticaries do vpon their bores but haue shewed you what good drugges they haue I haue not cast but from the walle any victayis in your assanite to make a bragge in penurie as many of your parte commonly vse to do as though they had greate plentie of victailes but haue brought you vnto the fight of suche prouision as the holy auncient fathers of the primatiue thurche suche as your selues do alowe haue made for vs. But
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
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
and thingeâ—â— hée listeth That it is a sacrifice of Christes body that it is vsed in place of the Lordes Supper that one may offerat for quicke and deade that it is in the priestes power to apply it all your sorte doe not only without resistance easely confesse but without reason stoutly defende Therefore I shall not néede to make any further prouse of the partes of this discripcion I doo therefore take priuate masse to be not only as you and some other patrons of your cause of late yeares haue wrested it sence the ministers of gods truth in this latter time haue driuen you to the best shiftes of interpretacion but as it was commonly vsed in the worlde before and as it is set forth in your schole men to the great defacinge of Christes death and passion And yet ye shall not thinke that wée of trueth can or ought to yelde to the best of your interpretacions that euer I could heare Of this priuate masse that I haue now declared to you the challenge that ye take so greuousy was made And therein doo I also at this time ioigne issue with you and say that nether you nor any of your parte will euer be able to proue the same by the hoâ—y scriptures auncient fathers or alowed councels yea and because you vrge the negatiue that with gods healpe wée will abundantly proue the contrary This will I doo quietly and calmely without stormynge or tempestuous blustering either at you or at your doctrine as one moste glad to bringe you againe to that heauenly trueth of the gospel whiche vnder the blasphemous names of falshode and phantasée you declare your selfe to haue forsaken In the residue of your discourse ye woulde séeme to take from vs the true and right rule to reforme the church of Christ 3. Cap. that is to proue that in doctrines and vse of the sacramentes al thinges should not be reduced to the patern of the Apostles time and the primatiue churche Herein you doo as they are wonte whose conscience doeth pricke them to haue done amisse For suche alway draw backe and lurke out of the light being lothe to come there where they know that truth woulde be tried Euen so you fearyng to be founde fautie woulde wryng vs from that rule wherby all trueth in doctrine ought to be examined To this purpose ye may séeme to bryng three reasons One is a rowlyng in of a rable of suche examples as no reasonable man woulde denie vnto you The seconde is a resemblyng of the primatiue church vnto an infant in the swadlynge cloutes and this latter time to a tall man of perfit yeres and ripe age The thirde is the comparison of the times and the ferueÌ„t charitée that then was with the key-colde charitée that now is As touching the first I cannot choose but greately merueile at your maner of reasonyng whiche indeuour to proue the contrary of that that no man did euer affirme Did ye euer here of any A. that woulde haue all thinges without exception reduced to that very forme of the worlde that was in the primatiue churche And yet your examples tendeth to the rupted either with false opinions depraued or with superstitious ceremonies defaced is it not full time thinke you to call for redresse accordyng to the scripture and primatiue churche So to doo wée haue good example in Christe him selfe and in his apostle S. Paule When Christe woulde purge the lawe from pharisaicall mitigations and interpretacions he had recourse to the first fountaine originall Math. 5. saiynge Dictum est veteribus c. Ego autem dico vobis So he ruduced all to the first fountaine In the mattier of deuorsemeÌ„t he alledged not the Rabins and late writers of Iewes but saied Ab initio non fuit sic Countyng what soeuer was added to the first ordinance of the law to be a corruption of it S. Paule mindyng to redresse the abuse of this sacramente of the lordes supper euen in this poincte that they tooke it in partes and not together bryngeth the institution of Christ from the beginnyng and saieth This haue st receiued of the Lorde Wyllynge to alter nothyng therin The like doeth S. Cyprian epist ad Cecisium against Aquarios Wee must not harken saieth he what other did before vs but what Christe first did that was before al. And here he speaketh of the same sacrament and against them that abused if contrarie to the first fouÌ„dacion were they neuer so holy This Tertussian also taketh to be a sure rule against all heresies and abuses who saith in this wise This reason is of force against all heresies That is true that was first ordeined that is corrupted that is after done And Cyprian in the same epistle before mencioned Hereof saith he arise diuisions in the church because wee seeke not to the head nor haue recourse to the fountain nor kepe the commaundementes of the heauenly maister Therefore seyng it is so good a rule in religion to resorte to the first institucion wée also without any iust reproche may require to haue the sacramentes reformed accordynge to the scripture and the primatiue church But you thinke perhappê although for shame ye may not say it that their successours in calder age of the churche were of more wisedome and discretion and know better what they had to doo then the Apostles and olde fathers Therto tendeth your similitude of bringyng a talle man againe to his swadlyng cloutes B therein resemblynge the primatiue churche to infancie and this latter time to ripe age and discrecion That the primatiue churche was not of the state of infancie This is not your onely similitude It is muche in the mouthes of suche as mainteine your doctrine But I assure you it was neuer inuented without the spirite of Antichriste nor cannot be maintened without blasphemy against Christe and singular reproche of his Apostles and their successours If that time were the state of infancie in the churche when Christ him selfe instructed when his Apostles taught when the holy fathers gouerned nexte their time then wee muste néedes recken Christ the Apostles the fathers to be infantes in religion to be babes in gouernement of the churche not to be able so well to se what was conueniente in the vse of the sacramente as their posteritee were Can any christian mans hearte fall into that cogitacion without feare of Gods wrath and displeasure And yet that must needes folow vpon this defence of your doctrine I pray you when hath a man best discrecion to rule him selfe Will yée not say when he is most indued with the vse of reason and wisedome When had the churche of God such aboundant wisedome and knowledge of his heauenly misteries When was it indued with so plentifull graces of the holy ghost as it was in time of the Apostles and first fathers Did it not appere in their pure life in their feruent zeale in their miraculous workyng And will
An Apologie of priuate Masse spred a broade in writing without name of the authour as it seemeth against the offer and protestacion made in certayne Sermons by the reuerent father Bisshop of Salsburie with an answer to the same Apologie set foorth for the maintenance and defence of the trueth Perused and allowed by the reuerent father in God Edmonde Bisshop of London accordynge to the order appoincted in the Quéenes maiestes Iniunctions LONDINI Mens Nouemb. 1562. ence before God and you to discouer certeine vanities of yours that the catholike church once your mother misliketh in you And so much the rather because god of his infinit goodnes hath called me backe againe from all suche lewde fansies by the godly instruction of the learned in the whiche I was ones so fully perswaded by euil bookes that all that time I neither regarded God nor good religion nor any good conscience besides And therfore trustynge to doo some good with suche as simplicitie without malice hath perswaded to stay consciens pricked me to giue the aduenture nothyng doubting but that God will bring that to a good ende the beginnynge whereof had no euill meanyng 1. Cap. â—gainst his refusall in the first Epistle to Dâ— Cole And to make mine entrie with you maister Iewell whiche are counted the greatest clarke on your side I meruell not a litle why you beyng reputed a man of such learnyng vtterly refuse to proue the doctrine you teache A. Allegyng very slender causes of your refusal that serue the contrarie side rather then yours Your vocation to so highe a rome the place where you taught the honorable estate of the audience which hard you the doctrine you taught auctorised by the realme as you alledge doo not vnburden you from the proufe of your doctrin but rather bourden you more to proue the same because your estate is now suche that is bounde to rendre accompte of that you teach Nor it is any dishonour to the realme if you be able to certiuÌ„e that by learning that they as you say haue passed by lawes nor want of discretion at all in you to teache them that wold so gladly learn at your hande For if a man may proue by conference of scriptures any article therin comprised either in the letter or by argument boulted foorth without anie dishonour to God or blemish to him that taketh the matter in hande as a man in déede may shall you counte the Realme dishonoured or want of discrecion in your self to proue suche doctrine as your selfe doo publishe because it is auctorised by man and by thassent of the Realme whiche in time of your baptisme assented to the contrarie as al other christian realmes did without any contradiction at all amongest the learned whereas in this assente as many learned clarkes well knowen to the worlde said nay and more to then hitherto hath sayd yea And if the chief proufe of your doctrine be the assente of this realme shall not other christian realmes that teache quite contrarie vnto you rest in doctrine auctorised by them and al christian realmes besides Here you ar driuen if you rest so stoutly vpon thassent of realmes to confesse that the doctrine taught here is trew because this realme hath auctorised it and the doctrine in straunge realmes is â—rew beyng quite contrarie to yours because by like reason the realmes ther hath auctorised it You haue no refuge in this case but to say that this realme folowed the scripture in suche doctrine as they aucthorised and that other realmes folowed not the scripture in auctorisinge the contrarie I am wel contented with your answere But where be the scriptures wherby the realme auctorised your doctrine You may not say it shall be greate dishonour to the realme to haue such scripturs knowne for want of discrecion in you to vtter them as you séeme to say in your letters Let vs know suche scriptures as your trust is most vppon to proue your doctrine by and we wil depart quietly And as all wise men will counte it the office of a discrete man either to stay such as stagger or to perswade suche as verily thinke otherwise So shall I not onely so thinke but also if you giue me good cause why yelde you greate thankes and my poore seruice to In your silence herein if you haue ought to saie you shall doo nothyng els but hide the candell vnder the busshel where as the order is to set it vpon the candelsticke to light all suche as are within the house If you haue no scriptures to lay for you then trouble our mother the holy catholike churche no longer You stande in negatiues you saye against priuate Masses and certaine other which as you pretende cannot be proued Haue wée not here good cause to maruell that you whiche studdie so maruelous reformacion of all doctrine to the touche stone of scripture will openly professe bearyng suche a personage in suche places of honour suche doctrine as can neither bee proued by scripture nor any other substancial record and all because it standeth in negatiues May not children in this sort deuise negatiues conteinyng false doctrine and when they are called vpon to proue it B. say they are not bounde to proue their assercions because they are â—egatiues This dare I be bolde to say Agaynst his stayinge vpon the negatiue â—f you had sentence or halfe sentence woorde or halfe woord in the scriptures â—lde doctoures generall counsels or example of the primatiue churche against priuate Masses al England had runge of it ere this day But you haue none as your silence importeth It were either great folly to kéepe that secret the whiche without any damage may doo good to many or meruelous enuie to enclose that without gaine which law and reason woulde haue to be commen Quicquid dando non deficit saieth sayncte Austin Quamdiu habetur non datur non dum habetur quomodo habendum est All that decay not by bestowynge as long as they are had and not bestowed they are not yet had as they ought to be had The lawes may in diuers speciall factes not restrained to time and place teach perhappes that a negatiue can not be proued But to say that a negatiue in doctrine as yours is can not be proued vpon only consideracion that it is a negatiue as your shifte is that I am well assured no learned man hitherto euer taught either in law or in any other science besides Ye the contrarie rather appereth in Logicke the whiche teacheth the generall groundes of all disputacions Where wée haue in euerie figure negatiue conclusions And for other short kinde of argumentes there are as many places dialectical of the negatiues to destroy as there are affirmatiues to builde on So that shifte of descant can not serue your turne Doeth not the scripture many times ioygne issue in the negatiue and proue the same Wée are not iustified by Moses law and so the like
nor of many other trifling doubtes you make because all such doubtes are answered to the ful in the oryginall veritie of Christes words being in the nature of the veritée necessarily imploied As these are agaynste the whiche you may kicke till you be very but it lieth not in you to alter the nature of Christes owne wordes If you had found in the scripture spoken by Christe concerninge the blessed sacrament This is not my body but the figure of my body beyng absent in substance and onely present to your imaginacions by the sight of the bread You might haue triumphed and blowed vp your horne lustely in euery pulpit and made your auaunte that you had bin able to controlle all christendome But now the letter is very playne against you and the sence of the letter also as the fathers do recorde in all ages and generall counsels to As may appere by your owne mistrust for the space of the last .ix. hundred yeres and odde I take God to iudge I wrote not this for any malice to suche as are otherwise â—ente I pittie them rather and dayly pray for them that they may embrace the catholike faieth But when I perceiued Goltas in his brauerie hauynge truste in his bigge bones and stronge weapons braggyng many times as though there were none of the Israelites hable to matche him Notwithstandynge there are very many that coulde haue handled him better then I beyng a man of small learnyng troubled with much businesse yet I thought it my dutie for the honour of my mother the catholike churche to hurle out foure or fiue stones in Dauids sling against this champion not to hurte him in the forhead as Dauid did Golias but to crushe in péeces certeine vntruethes that he taught Wyshyng him as wel to doo as I woulde my self And all my countrey men of Englande to be ware least they fal into the snares and trappes that our ghostly enemie laieth abrode euery where not onely to hurte their bodies but to hurle downe bothe body and soule into the déepe dongeon of hell The whiche I beséeche God moste hartely géeue all men grace to auoyde Amen An Answere in defence of the truth Againste the Apologie of priuate Masse LONDINI Mens NoueÌ„b 1562. The cheefe poinctes touched in this defence of the trueth Against priuate Masse or soole receiuing by the minister in the common place of praier Why the doctours call the sacrament of the Lordes supper by the name of oblacion or sacrifice Against communion vnder one kinde Of reseruacion of the sacrament Against the argumentes of multitude and longe continuance of time Against the alledging of the aucthoritee name of the church What is to be attributed to the auncient fathers Of reall presence and interpretacion of christes wordes Hoc est corpus c. ⧠The preface to the Reader IT is wel knowen to a greate number partly by presence in hearinge partely by wrytinge set forth of the same that a worthy learned man and Bishop of this Realme stoutly in dede as the matter required and clerkly also as learning and knowlage taught him did openly protest in certaine Sarmons not to the furtheraunce of vntrueth as malice carpeth but to the confusion of falshodde as the ende proueth that if any of those things which he then rehearsed could be proued of the contrary side by any sufficient authoritie of the scriptures olde doctours and auntient councels or by any alowed example of the primatiue church then he would be contented to subscribe and yelde to their doctrine This his doynge as no lesse was to be loked for sum men depraued many dispraised all they misliked that mainteined suche superstitious errours as false teachinge hath trained people in the space of certaine hundred yeares And in dede seinge they harde their doctrine so plainely defaced and their wilfull misleadynge of Christian men so openly to be noted a man maye thinke they had good cause to startle at the matter and somewhat to loke aboute them leste they seemed altogether carelesse Wherfore as dyuers haue dyuersly shewed theyr mislikinge so one of that partie hath in writing priuely spred abrode an answere to the forsaide offer or protestatioÌ„ for priuate masses wherin he both perswadeth him selfe and would haue other also to beleue that he hathe so fully satisfied the parties request as it maye seeme greate folly and as he termeth it impudencie any longer to staye vpon it One of the copies of this answere by occasion as it fortuned not many monethes sence lighted into my hands which I vnderstande is so spred abrode in dyuers places of this Realme as there be fewe mislikers of the trueth but they haue it and make such accompte of it as a greate number of the vnlearned sorte staie their consciences there vpon Who the aucthour is or what maner of man I neither knowe nor can gesse more then he witnesseth of him selfe in the entraunce of this treatise Where he signifieth that once he imbraced that religion which he now detesteth and writeth against In that parte me thinketh he doth deale as fonde men sometime are wonte to doe which to displease their enemies sticke not to hurte them selues also So he to discredite the doctrine that he is reuolted from geueth such testimonie of his owne naughtie life and conscience as he would be lothe to heare at any mans mouth but his owne All that time saieth he neither regarded god nor good relygion nor any good conscience beside What malice it is to charge the doctrine that by hipocrisie he professed with the cause of his euill doinge I will not declare with suche wordes as the matter requireth This muche I will saye that he learned this of olde Adams greate councellour Who at the beginninge beinge blamed for his disobedyence seemed to bourden God him selfe with the cause of it and excused his owne folly by that thinge whiche his maker had geuen him to his comforte and commoditie In like manner when this mans conscience as it seemeth by hys owne wordes accused him of lewde liuinge and lacke of the feare of god to excuse his owne ill disposed minde he casteth the faute vpon the doctrine of the gospell whiche God did open vnto him vndoubtedly to his great commoditie if he would haue taken it And vnder this pretence bothe forsaketh it him selfe and by his example exhorteth other to eschew it But as the wicked life of a man to his owne greate harme may be a blotte to the religion that he professeth so God forbidde it should be compted a full reprofe of the same or a iuste cause to be of all other reiected If it were so men should refuse Christianitie because dyuers not of the basest sorte but of the heades of the Churche as their owne histories witnes haue ben of horrible and wycked life But we muste thinke that the hipocrisie and traiterous couetousnes of Iudas and his felowes is a confusion to them selfe but no iust reproche to
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
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
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
whose wordes by you in this place recited D. I haue this muche to say that as I know the same place is alleaged of dyuers other and therfore I wyl not plainely deny it so because that worke of Ciril is not ertante I haue good cause to suspecte it And so muche the more for that diuers of your sorte haue alleaged oute of the same doctour in his worke Thesaurus certaine wordes for the supremicie of the Byshop of Rome whiche are not there to be found This vniust fatheryng of your owne late deuised phantasies vpon the auncient doctours and writers of the churche may cause vs iustly to suspecte the residue of your doyng But be it so that those are Cirils owne wordes indéede Wée haue for that one suspected place a number of sounde testimonies that all did not alow reseruacion nor thinke it accordyng to the worde of God Origine vpon the .v. chap. of Leuiticus The Lord saith he deferred not the breade that he gaue to his disciples saying take and eate neither commaunded it to be kepte vntill the morow The residue of his wordes vpoÌ„ the same place be suche as he séemeth thervpon to gather an argument that it should not be reserued Hee that wrote the sermon De caena domini in Cyprian saieth plainely of the sacrament Recipitur non includitur At is receiued it is not inclosed or Butte vp Isychius vpon Leuiticum at large declareth how that in his time if the ministers and people were not able to eate vp so muche as was consecrated the restdue was bourned and coÌ„sumed by fier that it might not be kepte vntill the nexte day Therfore you may not force vpon vs to receiue reseruacion as a thyng either grounded in scripture or generally alowed by the primatiue churche What will you say to your seconde Epistle of Clement bysshoppe of Rome Ret so many holy loues saith he he offered vpon the aulter as may be sufficiently for the people If so be any shall remaine let them not be kepte vntil the morow but with feare and tremblyng let the ministers eate it vp This was a Bisshoppe of Rome this was Peters successour this was as you say head of the churche and yet you heare his appoinâ—mente and order taken erpressely against reseruation If ye will not beléene vs why doo you not beléeue your owne Will you say with your testimonie of Ciril that Origine was madde that Isychius was madde Or if ye be not afrayde to say it of them Will you say that Clement was madde also Well sir if ye wyll proue vs impudent or madde for not receiuynge reseruacion I truste you se that wée shal haue company in our impudencie and madnesse But Clementê Epistle presseth you harde in soole receiuynge and priuate Passe also and signifieth that all the ministers receiued together with the people For in the wordes before rehearsed he speaketh of the Passe that was vsed when that Epistle was made and yet it willeth you to prepare for the people Why doo you not folow his aucthoritie in these poinetes You will say as you sayd in the beginning if the people be absente and when the sacramente is prepared either will not or can not come to receiue Clement then sayeth not that the priest consecratyng should forbeare because thother bidden guests will not come The churche you will say did alway professe a communion proue oute of the same history that it were no abuse to haue boyes and chyldren to minister the sacramente commonly because in that extremitie Sirapions boye delyuered him the sacrament which the pryest sent Surely in this your maner of defendynge priuate Passe wherein you shew your selfe to be able to bringe nothing for the mainteinance therof but only extraordynary chanses in extremitie and necessitie you doo much bewray the euyl vse of it and manifestly declare yea and as it weare protestée that in déede it is euel and without all aucthoritie or example of the primatiue churche if you bee not bryuen to it by necessitie and lacke of communicants You wyll reply perhappes and say by these examples it may appeare that company in receyninge is not of necessitie or if it had ben they would not haue vsed the contrary Yes sir necessitie and extremitie may cause some kinde of gods commaundements at times to be omitted and yet out of necessitie the same commaundementes ought necessarely to bee obserued and kepte The Iewes were commaunded on the Sabboth day to doo no bodely or toylinge worke Neuerthelesse sometimes we rede that by necessitie of there enemies constreined they kept warre and fought on the Sabboth day Yet can you not say but that commaundement was necessary I sayd the like before of baptisme and the same must I say in the lordes supper that a case of necessitie may perhappes for a time alter some necessary parte of it and yet not bee taken for any generall rule Therfore if ye wyll receiue alone in your Passe or minister vnder one kinde you must neuer doo it but in extremitie otherwyse your proufes helpe you nothinge at all Yea but in the history of Sirapion but one kinde is mencioned and reseruation manifestly appeareth in that it was so ready to bee boye to soke the sacramente consecrated in a licour not consecrated And especially if he were of your opinion in transsubstantiacion This may you se by your owne place that in reseruation they vsed often to kepe bothe kyndes Which might wel stand with the maner of that time wherin they did euery day communicare so that the wine also might well tary vntil the next day The .xiiii. caÌ„non of Nicene councel in no sence doth prouce sole receiuinge 10. Cap. Answer to the .xiiii. Cannon of Nicene cousell as you would haue it séeme to doo It apointeth who should minister and in what order they should receiue firste the byshop then the priestes after the deacons and so forthe other that dyd communicate This order takeÌ„ by that holy counsaile maketh so plainly againste the manner of your pryuate Masse as I assure you I meruaile that you coulde for shame alledge it Who seeth not by this testimony that all the ministers vsed commonly to receiue together with the byshop beynge present Here was not my lorde at the high aulter and the residew of hys chaplaines and priestes in sundry chapels celebrating by them selfe but all receiued together deacons and all that it might appere to bee a heauenly feast or supper and not a worke or sacritice to be done of one to the behoufe and benefite of a number that stande by and loke on The councel speaketh not here in this poynte of any extraordinary chaunce as it doeth in that parte that you alledge but of the common ordynary maner which by the aucthority of the same councell was apointed to bee vsed in the church It we had lacked testimonyes for the trueth againste pryuate Masse wée had bene muche beholdinge to you for puttinge vs in mindâ— of
setters forth of the sameâ— There lacked not gods promisses amonge the Iewes There lacked not succession of bishops and â—â—istes There lacked not opinion of great holinesse and austeritie of life There lacked â—â—â—t great sâ—il and knowledge of the law of god And yet is it moste euident that they erred that they refused the trueth that vnder the name and gay shewe of the church in very déede they persecuted the church Why shal we not thinke that the like maybee in this time Yea why should wee not surely perswade our selues by the course of gods beinges and by the testimonies of holy scripture that the like is now in this â—urtime Our sauiour Chirst and hys Aposties haue left warning abundantly that it would hee so in his churcheâ— and especially towarde the ende of the â—hâ—â—lde Christe him selfe prophesied that desolacion should stand in the holy place that is in the churche Sainâ— Paule witnesseth that Antichrist shold sit in the temple of god that is in the church Where it is also signified not that he should be an abiecte in the churche but a power auantinge him selfâ— aboue the name of god Peter saiâ—th that in the church should bee maisters and teachers of lies Paule affirmeth for suretie that in the latter dayes suche shall come as shall geue eate to doctrine of the dyuel for bidding to mary and eate suche meates as god had created to bée taken with thanken geuinge These thinges were prophecied to come not amonge Turkes and Sarasens not amonge Infidels and Paganes but in the temple of god in the church of god in the societie of them that did professe Christ We haue therfore great cause to marke the working of god by the example of the old church amonge the Iewes Wee see that the Prophetes were firste vered by those that bare the name of the churche and shold haue most gladly receiued them We sée that in Christes time and the Apostles not the Gentils first refused the comfortable tidinges of the gospel but they that called them selfe the people of god and had amonge them the custodie of his lawe and ceremonies Euen in like maner we haue to thinke that he wyll doo in this time seinge â—ée hath of the same forewarned vs. For euen as the olde lawe and religion of the Iewes was a shadow and paterne of the true relygion brought in by Christ so the state and maner of that church may well resemble the state of Christes church in the latter time As the olde church therefore to warde the â—ndedid forsake this lawe and right vse of gods ceremonies and beinge denyeded in sundry sectes deuised new worshippinges accordinge to theyr dâ—â—â—â— phantasies in so muche that for the mainteraÌ„ce therof they refused Christ and his Apostlê So in like maner and wée iustly thinke that the church after Christ towarde the ende of the world shall departe from the trueth of Gods worde right ministration of his sacramentê cleautinge to theyr owne inter pretacions beinge deuided in sundry sectes of religion for the defence of the saine shal refuse and cast out of the church such as god will sende so renew the trueth of his holy word and gospel Wherfore it ought to comfort and confirme vs and cause vs to thinke that wée be in déede in the churche rather then to feare vs seinge they that in the pompe and glorious face of the worlde séeme to haue the gouernmente of the churche doth refuse vs and take vs to bee none of the church For suche they were alwaies that from the beginnynge refused and oppressed the trueth Such they were that vexed the Prophetes Such they were that refused Christ Such they were that persecuted his Apostels Here perhappes some curious conscience wil be pricked and thinke it is not likely that god of his great mercy would suffer his churche and so great a number of people to erre so many hundred yeares But wée must beware how by oure reason of likelihodde wée enter into gods iudgement and vnscrutable prouidence We must thinke of him as the courte of his doingeâ— sheweth vs Wée must thinke of him as his holy worde teacheth vs. Wée must not thinke of him as oure soâ—de reason wyll leade vs. Is it not merueilous thinke you and to oure iudgement vnscrutable that thousands of yeres hee suffered all the nationâ—â— of the earth to bee â—â—selled in Polaâ—â—y and opened his knowledge to only one little people of the Iewes Is it not merueâ—lous that of .xij. partes of that one people he suffered .x. and a halse to forsake him at one time yea that one parte that remained not a fold tymes cleane to geue ouel the trus worshyppinge of god so that in those dayes he might scante séente to haue any true church vpon the whole face of that earth Be not these thinges beyonde the likelyhoddes of mans féeble reason Nay â—â—â—e not say with S. Paule O vnscruâ—â—sse and Botomlesse deepenes of his diuâ—â—â—e iudgemente and leaue to séeke what is likely in his ddinges The Iewes were his chosen people from whiche the sausour of the worldâ— should rise â–ª They had among them his law aâ—â—â— ceremonies his aboundant promisses and sacramentes They had his tabernacle out of the which he as presente spake vnto them If then the depenes of gods iudgement were suche towarde them that hee suffered them so ofte and so longe to go astraie and sence Christes time most miserably 1560. yeres hath scattered them vpon the earth may 〈◊〉 not feare the like also amonge vs in this latter time Doth not S. Paule put vs in feare that if god did breake away the naturall braunches of the Oliue he would also if cause were geuen cut of those that were but grassed on beside nature Doth not Christe in the gospell forewarne vs that in the latter dayes should bée suche mischiefe and blindnes in the churche that euen the electe should be in daunger to be seduced And shall we then hope at that time to seacute e the true churche in so triumphant glory of the world as it shal make euen the greatest Emperours and Princes of the earth in worlde might power subiect vnto it Truly that agreeth not with Christes prephecie nor the warninges of the Apostels wherein they tel vs of the greate daunger that shal happen in the churche towarde the ende of the worlde â–ª That it may not be thought to be my euely phantasie that the aduersarie of Christe shall in the latter daies sit in the churche and beare the face of religion Heare you what Hylarie sayth Conrra Auxentiuâ—â—n In whose time the Arrians by the furtherance of the Emperour and a number of Bishops tooke on them the name of the Catholikes and persecuted the true christian churche Ye do ill saith he to be infout with walles ye do ill to worship the churche of God in gay honfes and buildinges ye do ill to bryng the name of peace vnder them Vs it not certaine that Antichrist
Christ by his vnfallible promisse vnfeinedly geueth to the faith of his people the very fruition of his body and bloud with the hole benefite of his precious death and passion and by the workinge of the holy ghost merueilously ioyneth vs in one body together with him Is not this thinke you a merueilous change and to mans estimation a miraculous worke when by the power of the holy ghost worde of god of commen breade and wine such as we daily féede our bodies with is made the dredful and reuerent sacramentes and mysteries of Iesus Christ wherby as I saide he doth not by a bare signe only but verely and in déede endow is faithfull people and make them partakers of his body and bloud Yea and that in such sorte that euen as truly as the bread doth norishe our body and euen as truly as the wine doeth comforte our spiritê so truly and vnfeinedly doeth the heauenly foode of his body and bloud toren and shed for vs by fait h in time of that holy supper no ryshe strengthen and comforte our soule and by the wonderfull workinge of his spirite make our bodies also apte to resurrection Truly when I earnestly consider the effecte of this sacrament as it must néedes be by the trueth of Christes promises I confesse I am not able with wordes to vtter so muche as in my minde I doo conceiue and together withal eschew the absurditie of your reall presence and transsubstantion Wherfore I merueile not if those holy fathers fearinge no suche inconueniences but lokinge rather pithely to expresse the thinge dyd vse those earnest wordes and manners of speakinge and yet mente not as you now of their wordes doo gather All though no similitude can sufficiently declare the thinge I wyll for the simplar forte so muche as I can indeuour by a comparison to set for the that I do conceiue If a temporal prince for certaine causes mouinge him would geue you a thousand pound land by the yere and for that purpose had caused the wrytinges to be made The same wrytinge vntill it bee confirmed by the prince is nothinge but common parchment and inke framed into letters by some inferiour mans hand neither doth it bring any effect but when the prince hath once added to his seale confirmed the graunt it is no more called parchement or common writing but the kinges letters patents And now hath that reuerence that all to whom they be shewed doo veile there bonetes as bringinge with it some parte of the princes maiesty Such a change is now made in those trifelinge thinges that before no man estemed You also to whom this lande should bee geuen would not thinke this writinge common parchement blotted with inke but the perfite déede of your prince wherby you were assuredly possessed of the foresaid lands Moreouer when the prince at the deliuery of the same should say sir here is a thousand pound land that I geue fréely to you and to your heires I thinke you would not be so fonde to thinke either that the Prince doeth mocke you because you sée not the laÌ„ds presently or els to conceiue with your selfe that you haue the landes really inclosed within the compasse of your writing For the kinges aucthoritie in the writyng geueth you as ful possession of the landes as though you helde theÌ„ if it were possible in your hande And you in this case might iustly saye to your friende shewing your letters patents Lo here is a thousande pounde lande that my prince hath geuen me If then there bee so greate a change made in framyng the couenant déede of an earthly prince If his seale doo bryng such force effecte to his gifte and letters patentes How much more merueilous change alteracioÌ„ or transmutacion muste wée thinke it to bee when the base creatures of breade and wine be consecrated into the sacrament of the euerlastyng couenante and testament of Iesu Christ wherin he geueth vs not earthly vanities but the precious foode of his body and bloude remission of sinnes and the heritage of his heauenly kingdome how muche more of effecte must this sacrament be that is sealed with the promisse and wordes of our sauiour Christ who is truth it selfe and cannot deceiue any that trusteth in him Wherefore to expresse this change of the externall elementes into so heauenly misteries to shewe the effecte of this sacrament to withdrawe the ignorant mindes of the people from the prophane cogitacion of a bare signe in this mattier the auncient fathers had good cause to vse suche wordes And yet therein doo they nothyng at all defende your miraculous workes that you deuise to be made in the Lordes supper As for the similitude wherewith you woulde declare the necessitie of your Labels depending vpon the first founded absurditie it is both of as smal force as other that you before vsed and you handle it with more sluttish eloquence then is méete for suche a mattier as this is For the drawyng of the Capons the scumming of the potte the stinkyng water the hewyng of wodde the puttyng on the broche with guttes garbage and al. c. Be phrases and termes more méete for the kitchinne then for the Diuinitee schoole and such as your self I thinke woulde not haue vsed if your mockyng spirite had not so rauisshed you as you wist not what you did If wée had resembled your Labels whiche you cutte out by drift of reason vnto so base mattiers you woulde haue sayd that wée had rayled and done otherwise then it became vs. But sens your selfe doth so take them wée must thinke that God oftentimes moueth his aduersaries to vtter trueth against them selues But if the same maister that you imagine to commaunde his seruaunte to make readie that hee may dine did meane onely that he should set vpon the table suche colde meate as was in the house because he saw no cause or necessitie of greater prouision And the seruaunte vpon his owne foolish head would mistake his maisters commaundement conceyuing that he woulde haue great straungers did kill his Capons Chickens and other prouision aboute his house and busied himselfe with more labour then thanke to make them readie Doo you not thinke I pray you that he might iustly be compted an vnprofitable seruaunt and worthy by correction to bee taught more witte for that he putteth his maister to greater chargies and himselfe to more paines then the mattier required if he had rightly vnderstanded his maisters will and commaundemente Euen so sir those thynges that you say foloweth by force of reason and argument vpon the first sentence do folow indéede only vpon that sence that your selfe doth imagine mistakyng your maisters wil and pleasure and not vpon that meanyng that Christe himselfe would haue his wordes to be taken in For all that he woulde haue done may be sufficiently done without the working of so manie miracles as you in this case would driue his omnipotencie vnto Wherefore wée are not