tranquillitie of his realme as in the storie hereof set forth by them selues at large appeareth Which iudgemeÌ„t of that king their notorious sauage and barbarous behauiour in many countries of Europe hath since that time continually more and more verified and the writings of the ministers for defense of their opinions which daily they invent hath much more abundantly iustified whereof this smale booke geveth also some proofe demoÌ„stration In publishing whereof vnder your Maiesties name if any man shal reproove me as bold presumptuous for my excuse laying aside the examples of most auncient fathers whose footesteps herein I haue folowed if former reasons satisfie not I appeale to your clemencie for pardon protesting before God that the cause which hath moued me hereunto next vnto his honour defence of the truth is my faithful dutyful and seruiceable hart to your Maiestie to whom I wish as large dominion and ample monarchie as ever had any king of that Iland for whom I pray that with them and aboue them yow may be victorious in warre fortunate in peace amiable to your subiects dreadful to your enemies that it may please our Lord to heape vpon yow your posteritie al blessings spiritual and temporal that finally hauing gouerned your subiects in such quietnes pretie godlines and rule of faith in which your worthy predecessors haue lead yow the way yow may at length with them to your eternal ioy felicitie render vnto God a comfortable accompt for the great charge which he hath committed to your hands Which that your Maiestie may happily persourme with al honour prosperous successe according to my bounden dutie I shal not cease continually to pray Your Maiesties Most bounden Orator and humble seruant VVilliam Reinolde A table of the chapiters Chap. I. The Catholike and Apostolike faith concerning the Sacrament pag. 1. Chap. II. Of Berengarius heresie renewed in this age pag. 36. Chap. III. Of Calvin and the Calvinists opinion concerning the Sacrament pag. 67. Chap. IIII. Of the vvord SACRAMENT and the Calvinists definition thereof pag. 117. Chap. V. The Scottish Supper compared vvith Christs Institution pag. 145. Chap. VI. Of Christs body truly ioyned and deliuered vvith the Sacrament pag. 163. Chap. VII Of Christs body no vvayes ioyned nor deliuered vvith the Sacrament pag. 172. Chap. VIII A further declaration of that vvhich vvas handled in the last chapiter pag. 191. Chap. IX Comparison of the Sacramental signe vvith the word pag. â—07 Chap. X. Of the VVORD necessarily required to make a sacrament pag. 215. Chap. XI M. B. contradictions The Scottish Supper is no Sacrament of Christ pag. 233. Chap. XII Of names attributed to the Sacrament pag. 243. Chap. XIII Of the ends for which the sacrameÌ„t vvas ordeyned pag. 259. Chap. XIIII Of vertue remayning in the sacrament reserved of private Communions pag. 276. Chap. XV. That evil men receive Christs body pag. 287. Chap. XVI Of tuitching Christ corporally and spiritually pag. 309. Chap. XVII Manifest falsities vntruthes against the Catholike faith pag. 333. Chap. XVIII ArgumeÌ„ts against the real presence answered pa. 342. Chap. XIX Other arguments against the real presence answered pag. 357. Chap. XX. Answere to places of scripture alleaged for proofe that Christs vvords spoken at his last supper must be vnderstood tropically pag. 366. Chap. XXI Of contradictions and the Zuinglians impietie in limiting Gods omnipotencie pag. 379. Chap. XXII A brief confutation of the last two Sermons concerning preparation to receive the Sacrament pag. 398. The Conclusion The conclusion conteyning certain general reasons vvhy the Calvinian Gospel now preached in Scotland can not be accounted the Gospel of Christ pag. 429. This is the summe and effect of the chapiters in general Ech one of vvhich in his place is divided in to several parts and braunches by considering vvhereof the reader may forthvvith perceive the particular discourse and matter of the vvhole chapiter ensuing A NOTE FOR THE READER WHEREAS M. Bruces SermoÌ„s are printed without any figures distinguishing ether page or leafe which no booke lightly omitteth I haue good reader for plain dealing the more easy notifying to others that which I cite out of him added figures to ech page beginning the first next after the Epistle dedicatorie so coÌ„tinuing on by pages 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. vntil the end of his booke which is page 296. Thus much I thought good to warne thee of that if thow please to see his words in his owne booke thow maist with so much the more facilitie find them THE CATHOLIKE AND APOSTOLIKE FAITH CONCERNING THE SACRAMENT The Argument Christ at his last supper instituted both a Sacrament also a sacrifice consisting in the true real presence of his pretious body blud This is proued partly by graunt of the aduersaries who confesse Christ in that supper to haue made his new testament partly by particular examining the nature of a testament and conferring the new testament with the old The same is proued by the Paschal lamb which was a figure as the aduersaries also graunt of Christs Sacrament finished in the same therefore this must needs be a sacrifice as that was according to the plaine scriptures al auncient fathers The same is most clearly proued by the sacrifice of Melchisedech which albeit most Protestants reiect withall reiect the whole primitiue Church of Christians as also the auncient synagogue of the lewes both which church sâ—nagogue confessed the same yet some acknowledge it thereof is the holy sacrifice real presence briefly inferred The same faith was reterned practised by the first primitiue church in the time of the Apostles The same faith was continued in all Christendom from tâ—e Apostles tyme without any great trouble or contradiction the first thousand yeres as appeareth by consent of the fathers general Councels stories of the church Berengarius the first notorious father of the sacrameÌ„tarie heresie conuinced by learning condemned in sundrie Councels gathered out of al Christendom abiured his owne wicked invention died penitent therefore from whose time to this age the Catholike faith hath bene clearly acknowledged and mainteyned by al Christians both in the Latin Church also in the Greeke Berengarius when he was a sacramentarie he was also a damnable heretike euen by the Protestants iudgement for sundry other heresies besides this So were all they which since Berengarius haue taught this heresie as Peter de Bruis the Albigenses Almaricus and Ihon VViâ—lef a pernicious heretike flatterer who yet recanâ—ed his heresies twise or thrise is condemned for an heretike by the Protestants Out of the premisse is gathered a generall sure rule the same confirmed by manifest scriptures to know an heresie to proue that Berengarius his opinion al that folow him is heretical And the summe of this chapiter touching the principal contents thereof is concluded with the authoritie of Erasmus a
by S. Cyprian and Bibliander 1. that in place of al the auncient legal sacrifices should succede in the new testameÌ„t an eucharistical sacrifice in bread wine 2. that that bread wine should be the true flesh blud of the Messias 3. that in such sacrifice should consist the priesthod according to the order of Melchisedech Al which might easelie plainely inough be deduced out of the scriptures for if Melchisedech so offered in prefiguration of Christ Christ must needes likewise so offer to fulfil that figure which being neuer by Christ accoÌ„plished but at his last supper most sure certain it is that there he offered after the order of Melchisedech were it not that the Protestants especially the Sacramentaries herein cheifly in the first original ground of all the rest that is in the sacrifice of Melchisedech meÌ„tioned in Genesis shew them selues incredible wranglers Sophisters in cauilling vpon the Hebrew letter without al reason ground heretikes beyond measure in trusting to them selues alone condemning al others who since the time of Melchisedech both Hebrewes Christians haue acknowledged in this place a sacrifice Amongst which heretikes the chief both Caluin Zuingli very saucely impudeÌ„tly shame not to say that in this matter al the auncient fathers writers wrote spake without iudgement more vainlâ— then vanitie it self not content with Christs institution the wisdom of god inuented the oblatioÌ„ of their owne heads They al erred in so belâ—â—â—ing writing deuised to them selues a sacrifice whereof Moses the holy Gost neuer thought They followed there owne inuentions saw lesse in the scriptures then the rude ignorant people And Illyâ—icus that they in so expounding the scriptures violently naughtely hunted after allegories as was always their fashion Although our English doctor doctor Iewel whose Theologie consisted vpon words phrases haue a farther shift peculier to him selfe beyond al other vz. that the Hebrew word vsed by Moyses is doubtful signifieth as wel a prince as a priest therefore nether priesthod nor sacrifice could necessarily be inferred thereof VVhich is a right way to checke reproue both the prophet Dauid Apostle Paule who long sithence determined the Hebrew word to one certain signification which I suppose they knew somwhat better then M. Iewel did The declaration of which matter to make it plaine to common capacities because it would require some longer time then I thinke needeful to spend for that it is somwhat obscure subtile dependeth vpon gramatical cauils of the Hebrew toÌ„ge I wil here omit especially for that otherwise sufficient seemeth to haue bene said of the words of Christs supper which are also so very manifest euident of them selues that the more learned gospellers from the first original of this new gospel haue stood in defence of the real presence do at this present against the tropical construction of the Caluinists VVherefore ceasing to speake any more hereof I wil procede on as I intended to shew the continuance of this beleefe if yet first I shal note in a word or two that Christs speach vttered in the institution of this sacrament cary such weight to induce establish a sactifice that so much in part is confessed graunted by Ihon Caluin him selfe who in his coÌ„mentarie vpon the words of the Apostle S. Paule Corpus quod pro vobis frangitur The body which is broken for yow writeth thus This is not lightly to be passed ouer For Christ geueth vs not his body sleightly or without any condition adioyned but he geueth it as sacrificed for vs. VVhere ore the first part of this sentence declareth that the body of Christ is deliuered or exhibited to vs the second part expresseth what fruit cometh to vs thereby to wit that thereby we are made partakers of the redemption wrought by Christ the benefit of his sacrificess applied to vs. VVhich words how soeuer he vnderstand them signifie wel truly that Christ in that his last supper deliuered his blessed body to his disciples in them to al Christians not as borne of the virgin not as conversant in this world not as risen from death ascending to heauen or sitting there on gods right hand but as offered to god sacrificed for vs to the end that by that coÌ„memoratiue sacrifice the fruite of Christs redemption procured vniuersally to al mankind by his death on the crosse might be really effectually applied to al faithfull Christians members of Christs catholike church who haue coÌ„munication in that sacrifice ¶ And thus with this opinion was this sacrament practised by the Apostles in the first Apostolical church immediatly after Christ as we learne by S. Luke the Apostle S. Paule by S. Luke when he noteth in the Actes of the Apostles that the holy Ghost chose out certaine of them as they were doing publike service ministerie to our lord ministrantibê° illis domino VVhere the word vsed by the Evangelist signifieth a publike ministerie service of the church such as properly the sacrifice is And therefore Erasmus translateth it according to the proper signification of the Greeke word sacrificantibus illis domino while they were doing sacrifice to our lord VVhich Beza also could be content to admit were it not it draweth to nigh to the church sacrifice But howsoeuer in that respect he refuseth it sure it is al the old fathers Apostolike men from thence in that sense called the christian sacrifice or masse the Liturgie as the Liturgie or masse of S. Iames the Liturgie or masse of S. Basil the Liturgie or masse of S. Chrysost as also Erasmus doth interprete it in this sense of a publike sacrifice doth S. Luke otherwhere vse the word S. Paule by this word properly expresseth our Sauiours priesthod and his most publike general sacrifice VVhich Apostle also mentioneth this the Church sacrifice when as writing to the christians of Corinth he dehorteth them from coÌ„municating with the Gentiles in their idolatrous sacrifices by an argument taken from the nature of al sacrifices the excellencie of this Christian sacrifice For the nature of al sacrifices is to ioyne the coÌ„municants with him vnto whom the sacrifice is offered whether it be god or the deuil As among the Iewes saith the Apostle they which did eate of the thing sacrificed were thereby made partakers of the sacrifice by such sacrifice did concrre to the honor of the true god in like sort they which take part of things ofsered to Idols thereby are made partakers of the Idolatrous sacrifice so together with idolaters honor the deuil Then how straunge a thing is it that yow who partake of the table sacrifice of Christ who there coÌ„municate receiue his pretious body and blud for the chalice there blessed is the coÌ„munication
Gospel sundry times vve reade And this is no derogation to Christ but rather glorie as S. Ambrose verie vvel teacheth For our Lords wil is that his servants haue great power His wil is that they sâ—â—uld in his name do such things as him self did when he was here on earth Yea in S. Ioan. 14. he saith that they shal â—â— greater things then he did Act. 9. when he could haue restored to Saul his sight yet he sent him to Aâ—anias And to be short having with sundry scriptures iustified this in fine he opposeth his adversaries the Novatian heretikes as I do M. B VVhy presume yow to deliuer and clense any from the fowle and stinking service of the devil Cur baptizatis si per honimem peccata dimitti non licet VVhy baptize yow if by man sinnes can not be forgeuen For in baptisme is forgeuenes of al sinnes Et quid interest vtrum per paenitentiam an per la vacrum hoc ius sibi datum sacerdotes vendicent And what skilleth it whether in Baptisme or Penance Priests exercise this right which by Christ is geuen to them Thus S. Ambrose And therefore if this be al the difficultie why a man may not in the sacrament geue Christs body we see the case is not so hard As for that M. B. obiecteth of S. Iohn Baptist proceedeth first of ignorance then of heresie Of ignorance for that from S. Iohns ministerie baptisme which apperteyning to the old lavv and so vvithout question not being of force to remit sinne he draweth his argument to proue that the ministerie baptisme of Christs gospel can not remit sinne VVhich argumeÌ„t holdeth as blindly ignorantly as if he said Moyses could not forgete sinne ergo Christ can not whereof hath bene spoken before And for his better instructioÌ„ herein he may must learne that not S. Iohn Baptist but Christ is the malâ—â— and ordeyner of the nevv testament and al sacraments apperteyning thereto as the prophete Esay the Apostle Paule and vvhole frame of the nevv testament declareth VVherefore if he wil proue that the ministerie of the nevv testament consisteth only in the external element let him shevv it in some one sacrament of this state and so he speaketh to the purpose Of heresie his reason proceedeth because he assumeth as certain that our baptisme is not in the fier and spirite but in water only as that of S. Iohn Baptist was VVhich doctrine stinketh of heresie as being not only coÌ„demned for such by the late general Councel of Trent but also earnestly reproued by al the auncient fathers vvho by occasioÌ„ wrote of those two baptismes vvere they Greeke or latin as Origen in epist ad Romanos ca. 6. Athanas quaest 133. ad Antioch Basil lib. 1. de Baptismo ca. 2. Nazianz. orat 39. in lumina S. Chrysest hâ—m 10. 12. in Matth. 16. in Ioan. S. Cyril lib. 2. in Ioan. ca. 57. where he of purpose handeleth this matter saith that the holy ghost foresaw that afterwards would rise ignorant felowes who would not distinguish Christs baptisme from Iohns and that therefore the holy ghost moued Iohn baptist him self to speake most plainly that it baptized in water only Of the latin doctors Tertul. in liâ— de baptismo S. Cyprian in his sermon de baptismo Christâ— â— Optatus lib. 5 S. Hilarie in Matth. ca. 3. S. Ambros lib. 2. cap. â— in Luc. praeâ—â—â—io in psal 37. S. Leo epistola 4. ca. 6. S. Gregâ—r Homil. 20. in Euangel S. Austin and S. Hierom in a numbeâ— of places S. Hierom. epist 83. ad Occanum in 2. cap. â—oelis iâ— dialogo contra Luciferianos S. Austin epist 48 prope finem 163. Enchirid. ca. 19. 49. Lib. 2. contra literas Peâ—iliani ca. 37. lib. 3. ca 76. lib. 4. de baptis coÌ„tra Donatist ca. 26. lib. 5. cap. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. 15. de vnico baptismo ca. 7. de vnitâ—r ecclesiae ca. 18. Of which two fathers S. Hierom earnestly reproveth them vvho vvith M. B. and the Caluinists thinke that Christs baptisme Iohns was al one and saith that they mainteyne a froward opinion by yelding to much to the baptisme of the seruant destroy the baptisme of his our maister S. Austin that they defend a wicked sacrilegious opinion And what need I to alleage auncient fathers to this purpose vvhereas Caluin confesseth it as a cleere and knowen case that they in deed thus taught much laboured to distinguish the baptisme of Christ and Iohn whose authoritie yet most arrogantly he contemneth But therefore to breake his insolent spirite supporte the fathers authoritie let it be added that this sacrilegious opinion of Caluin and the Caluinists was long before these fathers liued condemned by the Gospel it self in which we find the ministerie of Christs baptisme to haue bene done not in water only but in water and the spirit or as it is expressed sometimes in fier and the spirit that is in the spirite of god who as he descended visibly vpon the Apostles in forme of fier in the day of Pentecost so oft times visibly in the primitiue church he powred his grace on the nevv Christians especially vvhen they received the sacrament of baptisme confirmation thereby to testifie that his presence grace was euer infallibly geuen in al the baptismes which vvere ministred in Christs name and by his order since the first institution thereof as S. Iohn Baptist him self in the place quoted by M. B. plainly told distinguishing most euidently as betwene his person and the person of Christ so betvvene his ministerie and baptisme vvhich was in water that vvhich Christ vvas to ordeyne in water and the spirite as it is noted in euery of the Euangelists and in the Apostles vvhich spake thereof afterwards ¶ And novv this blocke being remoued which lay so in M. B. his way that he could not allovv a man to deliuer Christs body blud no more then a maÌ„ could geue remission of sinnes vve may vvith so much the more facilitie conclude the answere to his first question whether one person or tvvo deliuer the sacrament And alb eit his answere be that there are twa propiners twa perons which offer and geue the sacrament Christ and the minister of which twa the minister geueth the signe Christ the thing signifiedâ— the minister the earthly matter that is bread Christ the heauenly matter that is his body coÌ„paring these two ministeries together he so abaseth the one that he saith he wil not geue a straa for it so that by this description their coÌ„munion so far furth as by their ministers it is geuen is nothing els but an earthly signe a coÌ„mon peece of bread not worth a straa al vvhich I graunt in such sort as hath bene said before yet referring this to the sacrameÌ„t of the church
private then publike of private miserie rather then publike charitie because everie man devoured vp his ovvne supper and gaue no part to his poore neighbour vvho had brought nothing But Dominica caena the supper of our Lord vvho is charitie it self the supper of charitie should be common to al. In an other place he called this supper coÌ„mune praudiuÌ„ a coÌ„mon feast For examining the coherence of the Apostles vvords he obiecteth to him self hovv to vvhat purpose the Apostle bringeth in the storie of Christs Institution of the b. sacrament v. 23. Qualis est haec consequentia what maner of sequele is this saith S. Chrysostom Thow hast hitherto disputed of a common feast or banquet and doest thow new come in with Christs sacraments VVhich question he ansvvereth very vvel as also doth the learned Greeke doctor Theodoretus in his coÌ„mentaries vpon this same place that he brought in the storie of Christs sacrament for examples sake docens eos facere communes mensas in ecclesiâ—s ad sacram illam mensam respicientes teaching that it vvel became them to make their church feasts common to the poore by regarde and consideration of Christs holy table that seing he vvithout respect or choise or such distinguishing betwene rich poore indiffereÌ„tly gaue to al his ovvne most pictious body aud blud it might wel become them vvith like equalitie and indifferency â—o coÌ„municate their earthly and fleshly bankets And thus much is after a sort confessed both by Calvin and Beza though they yet cal the sacrament by the name of the Lordes supper For Calvin graunteth that as among the Iewes and also Gentils it was a custome to accompanie their sacrifices made in the honour of god with frindly banquets amoÌ„g themselues so the first Christians brought the same fashion of banquetting in to the church and called them agapas charities or feastes of charitie vsed them vvith the administration of this sacrament VVhich after grovving to an abuse the Apostle seeketh here to amend And Beza vvriteth that the first Christians were wont to minister the holy supper of the Lord amonge these feastes which were called agapae vvhich in an other place he calleth sacra coÌ„viâ—is sacra ecclesiae conviuia and fraterna ecclesiastici caetus câ—nvivia holy feasts holy church feasts and brotherly banquets of the ecclesiastical congregation among vvhich feastes that the supper of the lord vvas also ministred it may appeare saith Beza by S. Paule 1 Cor. 11. where he goeth al out to correct that custom which was many ways corrupted VVhich being so that S. Paule here goeth about to correct that abuse then must needs those vvords vvhich go before the institution of Christ beginning after versu 23 be vnderstood of such church feasts so abused and then dominicae caena can not apperteyne to the sacrament vvhich after is brought in thereby to correct that custom and abuse of our Lords supper vvhich is expressed before as sovvly corrupted And the vvords of them selues if they be taken as S. Paule vvrote them the old Translation expresseth them and not as they are peruerted in the Geneva translation and examined vvith indifferent iudgement can beare no other sense For these vvords VVhen yow meete together this is not to eate our lords supper for that every one preventeth and falleth to his owne private supper and one is a hungred another is drunke can haue no other proper natural resolution then this vvhen yow meete together that vvhich yovv eate is not that publike ecclesiastical brotherly supper of charitie of god of Christ and his church vvhich should be common to al the societie of Christians but it is a private peculiar supper voyd of al charitie brotherly loue vvhere one devoureth al an other hath nothing one hath to much and is drunke vvith abundance vvhen many other poore Christians stand by get never a morsel of bread or draught of drinke This is the true sense of the place of S. Paule of this vvord vsed in that only place no vvhere els in the scriptures this sense both Beza and Caluin geve after those auncient doctors And therefore M. B. hath litle reason to cal the sacrament the lordes supper by this authoritie And if the compilers of the Scottish Publike prayer booke had no other reason but this they might as vvel haue called their sacrament as our Enghish do by the name of CoÌ„munion which cometh somwhat neerer to S. Paules phrase then this of the Lords supper vvhich is not so probable to be S. Paules meaning Albeit nether is that vvord Communion truly to speake geuen to the sacrameÌ„t ether by Apostle or Evangelist in al the scripture For as the lordes supper so the Communion in the scripture never signifieth as Beza also noteth communion in the sacrament but in civil offices of loue and charitie in imparting our goods and substance as mony cloth meate and drinke to our brethern vvhich need so is it takeÌ„ Rom. 1â— 26. 2. Cor. 9. 13. Hebr. 13. 16. Pro sacris vero mysterijs nusquaâ— legi in novo testamento absolute positum hoc nomen CoÌ„munionis But â—â—ne ver read in the new testament that the word CoÌ„munion put absolutely signified the holy mysteries saith Beza And if it be not found in the nevv testament I suppose it is not found in the old and so nether the English in calling their signe a Communion nor the Scottish in terming theirs the Lords supper folow the word of the Lord but ether their owne vvord or the vvord of some man vvhom they make lesse account of then of them selues ¶ The other name our lordes table is in deed referred to this sacrament But vvhereas M. B. after Caluin argueth from that vvord that because it is a table not an altar therefore vve should sit at it not stand we should take and receiue not offer and propine these arguments are such as become ministers to make For first of al the vvord table in the scripture is indifferent for a table an altar as appeareth continually in the old testament in description of the tabernacle first and Salomous temple after vvhere there vvere tables mensae not for the priests and their vvives to sit at but for the priests alone to stand at to do things apperteyning to sacrifice And the prophete Malachie in one verse both according to the Hebrevv Greeke and Latin calleth it mensam Domini also altare Domini the table of god and the altar of god signifying an altar or place to offer sacrifice on by ether vvord indifferently And the Prophete Esay rebuketh the Iewes for that they forsaking our lord erected a table mensam to fortune and offered sacrifice on it VVhich the English Bibles both of king Edwards time this present time translate ye haue set vp an altar vnto the false goddesse the vvord Mensa according to the most common vse
and played his part though not condemning Carolostadius yet bringing a new kynd of faith in that behalf forthwith al or the greatest number as Zuinglius him self vvriteth euen of those qui vehementer â—rant Carolostadiani who of late were marvelous eager Carolostadians forsooke Carolostadius and ioyned them selves to Zuinglius After how Zuinglius vvas put out of countenance by Calvin and at this present how Clauin is in Germanie disgraced by the Anabaptists in England by the Puritanes and Martinistes and bretherne of love other fresh â—ects vvhich bud vp every day control Caluin and draw multitudes after them for that they bring a gâ—eeneâ— and newer and more fined gospel this is so puâ—â—â—â—â—â—ly knowen that I need not to make â—lâ— herein and vvhat is the reason hereof but because this Gospel be â— of Carolosiadius or Zuinglius or Caluin or Puritans or Anabaptisis or Familie of love is a Gospel of meÌ„ a Gospel devised by light braynes vvhich go about to pervert the true and Apostolike Gospel It is not that Gospel of Christ vvhich Christ by him self first and after by his Apostles preached to continue in al ages It is not that word of God which remayneth one the same for ever but it is the vvord of a few light lecherous infamous Apostataes inuented by them selves vvith assistance of the devil to serve their owne vvanton lustes and appetites for this reason hauing his ground and foundatioÌ„ vpon the fansie of such men can not have other constaÌ„cie then haue the first founders coyners of it But the Gospel of Christ the Catholike vniversal faith vvhich he planted as it came from heauen so hath it that eternitie that heauen and earth shal passe and perish before any peece or parcel thereof As the author of it vvas god and the preachers thereof being principally twelve though diuided and scattered throughout the vvhole vvorld vvere always guided by the same God vvhich is one and indivisible so the Gospel vvhich these many preachers sowed vvas one and the same in al quarters corners of the vvorld in Iurie in Asia in Grece in Macedonia in Italie in Africa in Spaine in France vvhere ever they set their foote planted churches and left successors and so hath it bene preserued by the grace direction and internal guiding of the same God far othervvise then vve see in this new Lutherish Gospel vvhereof the author being but one as many vvil have it that is Luther or at the most two Luther and Zuinglius as our English in their Apologie like better although some loyne a third yet vvithin a short time in some one prouince hath multiplied in to not only twelve different contrary gospels but more then twelue tymes twelve as by faithful calculation of learned men is â—ccorded and by plain reason and historical demonstration may be proved Christ in that his Church ordeyned a peculiar vvorship of God his father consisting in sacrifice according as god had taught al nations ether by the very law of nature vvritten in their harts as in the old Patriarkes in the Greekes and Romanes c. or by the vvritten law deliuered to Moyses as in the politie of the Iewes In this there is no vvorshipping or acknowleging of one God by sacrifice but a prophane contempt of al such vvorship vvherein this new congregation is far more irreligious and godles then ever vvas any knowen estate of Gentils and Pagans In that Christ left divine sacraments as fountaynes conduits of his heavenly grace of vvhich the rest being altogether reiected by these reformed bretherne 2. are only in name reteyned but in effect made no iote better then the old Iewish vvasihings rites and ceremonies that is are not reteyned and â—oâ—deÌ„ at al for sacraments of the new law In that Christ appointed ordinarie meanes vvhereby his people falling might procure remission of their sinne vvhich in this new congregation is counted a matter straunge and vnpossible as though they had never heard of Christ the sonne of man in earth â—orgeuing sinnes to men and imparting the same puissance to his Apostles and disciples vvhom he made gouernors of his church Briefly to that the Apostles committed left a short epitome of Christian saith to be particularly beleeved in euery parcel and sillable of al Christians as most sure and infallible and so hath the faith thereof bene preserued from the Apostles preaching to this age and shal be for ever vvhereas in this new kiâ—k gospelling congregation scarce any one of them is beleeved a right very many are expressely denyed as in this treatise hath bene particularly declared I omit a number of fowle cankered heresies coÌ„demned vvith the authors by that primitive Church of Christ vvhich now are embraced and extolled as Gospellike by these new Euangelical bretherne I omit the gratious discipline regiment and order set downe in that church by Christ and his Apostles contrarie to which in this Synagogue is nothing but a Babylonical misâ—â—der and confusion vvhere ether the sheep coÌ„maund rule their pastors as in England some territories of Suizzerland and Germanie or an equalitie of Ministers vvithout superioritie of bisshops and prelates destroyeth the verie face of al orderly regiment obedience and discipline as in Scotland and Geneva these vvith a number of such dissimilitudes betwene that church of Christ and this of Iohn Knox or Calvin I voluntarily let passe because they are vvithout the compasse of this discourse and vvhereof there hath not bene much mention made heretofore These few may suffise to iustifie both the nobilitie the vvhole youth and every other man vvoman and child of any degree or calling vvho soever forsaketh this new Gospel and ioyneth him self to the old vvhich fault is no greater how so ever M. B. be grieued at it then it is for one that is blind to desue sight for a man that lieth in extreme danger of death to vse the meanes of procuring life one that is tossed amiddest the vvaues rocks of the raging seas to desire a quiet port and harbour in plaine termes then it is for a Christian to forsake heresie and embrace truth to forsake schismatical conuenticles to leave fantastical vayne and discordant opinions of men betake him self to the one only Apostolike Catholike Church and faith of Christ Iesu vvho is God blessed for ever Laus Deo A TABLE OF THE SPECIAL POINTS HERE ENTREATED concerning the Catholike faith and Sacramentarie heresie A A Gapâ— feasts of charitie in the primitive Church what they vvere pa. 245. 246. 251. Altar and Table vsed for one in scripture pag. 249. both are referred to sacrifice pa. 248. 249. Altars in the primitive church pag. 249. Anabaptist Martyrs pag. 305. called Martyrs of the devil by Calvin Ibi. The like iudgeth Luther of the Caluinian Martyrs 305. â— Austin vily corrupted by the
of his blud the bread there broken is the participation of his body should also be partakers of the table sacrifice of deuils In which argument albeit the Apostle being brief and writing to Christians whom he accounteth skilful wei instructed in this thing by mentioning litle signifieth more setting downe one part willeth them to vnderstand the whole as Calvin also truly noteth and therefore vseth not in everie part of his comparison the terme of altar and sacrifice yet as otherwhere he acknowledgeth the Christians to haue a true altar to sacrifice on and consequently a sacrifice from which the Iewes were debatredâ— so here the very drift of his reason exact correspondence of ech part to other require that as the Iewes had an altar a sacrifice so had the Gentils so had the Christians As the Iewes offered to their god so did the Gentils to their false god so did the Christians As the Iewes by that seruice were partakers of the worship of the true god so were the Gentils by the like seruice concluded conuinced to worship a false god that is the deuil therefore could not haue any part or coÌ„munion in the worship of the true god which was performed by the dreadful sacritice of Christs body blud among Christians VVhich triple sacrifice that of the Gentils to the deuil these two of the Iewes Christians to the true god S. Chrysostom veâ—v we observeth writing vpon the same place His words are In the old testament Pagans idolaters offered the blud of beasts to their idols This blud god tooke to him selfe that so he might turne away his people from committing idolatrie which was a great signe of infinite loue But here in the new testament he provided a sacrifice far more wonderful excellent both in that he changed the sacrifice withal in place of beasts killed in sacrifice he coÌ„maunded him selfe to be offered And this to be the true sense of the place Vib. Regius ioynt-Apostle with M. Luther in preaching this new gospel whom the Protestants of Germanie acknowlege cal a perfite absolute Diuine of infinite learning the Evangelist cheef Superintendent of the churthes of Christ in the Duchie of Luneburge as Luther was in the Duchie of Saxonie plainely graunteth Many there are saith he which thinke a sacrifice to be proued by the Apostle 1. Cor. 10. where he dehorteth from the societie of such as sacrifice to idols by arguments taken from the faith of the sacrifice vsed by the Iewes Gentils For he seemeth to compare sacrifice to sacrifice as Chrysostome teacheth his comparison so to stand that by it is gathered Christians in the Lords supper to haue a certaine peculiar sacrifice whereby they are made partakers of our lord as the idolaters by their abominable sacrifice are made partakers of deuils VVhich if it be so me seemeth it may be answered that in the supper of Christians are the body blud of Christ which are a holy sacrifice but coÌ„memoratiue sacrosanctum sunt sacrificium sed memoriale By which later word albeit he thinketh to haue answered the Catholiks excluded the truth of the sacritice yet is he much deceiued therein For so far are Catholiks from denying the sacrifice to be commemoratiue that of al other sacrifices which euer were or can be imagined we graunt this to be moste coÌ„memoratiue as which most neerely liuely truly expresseth the verie condition efficacie nature of that sacrifice offered on the crosse with which being one in substance it differeth only in maner of offering generalitie of redemption And as Christs transfiguration on the holy mount before his passion vvas the best most persite sigure examplar representation of that eternal glorie which the same person of Christ vvas to enioye in heauen after his resurrection ascension in like maner vve are to iudge of this mistical coÌ„memoratiue sacrifice in respect of his sacrifice on the crosse yet not excluding the veritie of Christs presence in one place more then the other Nether is there any reason vvhy Vrbanus Regius a Lutheran should imagine the sacrifice to be disproued for that it is a memorial or done in coÌ„memoration of Christ more then the real presence is disproued reiected because that also in the Lutheran religion must needs be done in coÌ„memoration Christs vvords being most plaine do this in coÌ„memoration of me VVhich vvords doubtles haue no more strength to overthrovv remoue a sacrifice of Christs body as al Catholikes vrge then a true presence of the same body vvhich al LutheraÌ„s graunt So that out of these vvords of the Apostle is confirmed the mistical sacrifice that it vvas vsually frequented in the first Apostolical church vvhich rec aâ—ed directly from Christ and his Apostles the order administration thereof ¶ This sincere sound beleefe concerning both sacrifice sacrament continued in the catholike church for the first thousand yeres almost vvithout contradiction of any man or sect vvorth the naming Only as our Sauiour him self in the veâ—ie beginning vvhen he first promâ—seâ— that the bread which he would geue should be the same flesh which he was to geue for the life of the world signified obscurely that Iudas the traytour certaine other for want of faith vvere scandalized at his vvords repâ—neâ— at them so a fevv veres after it may be gathered that some there vvere of Iudas folovvers vvho likevvise denyed the truth of this heauenly mistery vvhereof S. Ignatius scholer to the postles vvriteth thus as his vvords are recorded by Theodoretus Some sectaries there are who like not nor approue the oblâ—â—ions sacrifiâ—e◠〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 for that they acknowledge not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Sauiour Christ Iesu the selfe same flesh that suffred for our sinneâ— which the father of his merciful goodnes raised from death But vvhat these men vvere vvhat svvay they bare vvhat scholers they had appeareth not by any ecclesiastical record therefore belike vvere sone put to silence in that happie time of our primitiue first faith vvhen the Apostles them selues and many by them instructed had the governement of the church VVherefore the beleefe first taught by Christ and his Apostles proceded on from hand to hand from age to age vvithout any notable resistance VVhereof being a thing at large treated proued in sundry bookes both latin and english set forth of late I vvil bring only thre or fovver testimonies but the same most auncient S. Ireneus bishop of Lyons in Fraunce martyr S. Cyprian bishop of Carthage in Africa a martyr likevvise and the first general Councels of Nice Ephesus in Asia S. Ireneus vvriteth thus Christ taking bread gaue thankes said This is my body and that which was in the chalice he confessed to be his blud and
in the church VVherefore the ministerie of the word is not coÌ„mon to them al Christians Here vnto he answereth I confesse that it is not permitted to women to speake as nether to men that be dumbe For I beleeue that albeit this right is common to al yet no man can nor ought to practise it but only he who is fitter then other to him other are bound to yeld place that order comlynes may be kept And to speake in publike assembly besides the spirite there is required a good voyce eloquence memorie other natural gifts which who so wanteth he must yeld his right to an other So Paule forbiddeth wemen to speake not altogether but in the church that is to say where are men able to speake that for order honesties sake For a man is more fit then a woman and the spirite doth more inspire men then women this is the meaning of Paules place Otherwise how should Paule alone withstand the holy ghost who saith Ioel 2. your daughters shal prophecie and Act. 21. Philip had 4. daughters that prophecied Out of al vvhich much more to like effect he draweth this conclusion Order therefore honestie requireth that men speaking wemen should hold their peace But where men speake not there it is necessarie that wemen speake By al which we see that the word of god forbiddeth not wemen to prophecie that is in the new gospel to preach no not amongst men much lesse amongst wemen which is the highest office consequently nether to minister the communion baptisme which is a great deale lesse if so be that they haue better learning vtterance then men haue as oft tymes it chaunceth or if the minister through negligence and ignorance be not able to preach the word which perhaps in Scotland England is very common And of this same opinion with Luther are Pèter Martyr and Huldrike Zuinglius Of the same opinion were the first reformers of our English church M. Horne bishop so called of VVinchester others who of this matter write thus There is so much required in a spiritual minister that al men be not meete for the office therefore with good reason wemen be debarred from it Albeit at some time it pleaseth god to vse their Ministerie VVherefore me thinke euen in this point we must vse a certain moderation not absolutely in euery wise to debar them herein as it shal please god to serue Christ I pray yow what more vehemency vseth S. Paule in forbidding wemen to preach then in forbidding them to vncouer their heads And yet yow know in the best reformed churches of al Germanie al the maydes be barehedded which the preachers learned men make no great accompt of As much to say that it is a thing indifferent for wemen to preach minister the Sacraments may wel be suffered no lesse then it is that maydes go with their heads vncouered which S. Paule forbiddeth with like vehemencie as he doth their preaching yet the best reformed churches of al Germanie with the learned men ministers there make no great accompt of it It were very easie to proue this by a number of other Protestant writers authorities especially English where a womaÌ„ being supreme head of the church from whence al ecclesiastical power authoritie is deriued to bishops and ministers who hauing in her as writeth my I. Archbishop of Canterbury the supreme gouernemeÌ„t in al causes ouer al persons as she doth exercise the one apperteyning to matters ciuil temporal by the Lord Chauncellor so doth she the other concerning the church religion by the Archbishops what reasonable man can deny or doubt but that a woman in whom is the fulnes of al ecclesiastical gouernement may geue vnto a woman some inferior peece thereof no lesse then she geueth the excercise of many parts vnto the Archbishop who receiueth al his order power from her And whereas king Harry imparted the exercise of his like supreme ecclesiastical regiment to my L. Crumwel Erle of Essex his subhead in the church of England and vicegerent for and concerning al his iurisdiction ecclesiastical who can with any probabilitie of reason yea without incurring manifest treason deny but that as K. Harry a man gaue vnto my Lord of Essex so the Quene a woman may geue vnto my Lady of Essex or any other al her iurisdiction ecclesiastical especially for that it is by supreme authoritie so precisely defined that the Quene may assigne name and authorise whom so euer she shal thinke meete and conuenient and for such so long time such persons being naturally borne subiect as Ladies vvemen are to vse and execute vnder her al maner of iurisdiction spiritual or ecclesiastical And if the pattie thus assigned named authorised be also vvel spoken and learned then not only mans lavv but also gods as Luther and the English doctors haue before taught iustifieth such wemens both preaching al other ministring For if they may haue the greater authoritie to preach and yet to be supreme head of the church is much more then al inferior offices belonging to the edification of the church aâ— baptizing ministring the coÌ„munion binding losing calling Synodes c. may much more be exercised by them as Luther disputeth manifest reason convinceth and our English Iewel together vvith the Qâ—ea ler of this new Divinitie in Cambridge teacheth VVho by authoritie of S. Fabianus an auncient Pope and Martyr 1400 yeres sithence and also of S. Bernard vvil needs proue against D. Harding that in the Primitiue church wemen no lesse then men made the sacrifice of the altar and that of bread wine after the order of Melchisedech VVherefore to returne to our matter of making vp an euangelical communion hereof it appeareth I suppose sufficiently that 3. or 4. Euangelical gossips meeting together and eating and drinking in such â—oâ—t as hath bene said make a very true real perfect and absolute coÌ„munion touching al substance required by the Protestant doctrine And therefore I vvish them selues to iudge vvhether Martin Luther that reuerend Father as M. Fox calleth him vnderstanding throughly their meaning and sense had not some cause to say that Christ had bene very vnwise he vseth a more vvicked terme vvhich I vvil nor English to haue instituted a peculier supper whereas otherwise the world is ful of such suppers quum caenarum huiusmodi totus mundus alioqui plenus sit vvhich after they haue turned and tossed so many vvaies as they can vvil proue nothing but as Luther affirmeth it a poore and vulgar banquet or rather a rustical compotation For if 3. or 4. vvemen so meeting and gossiping make such a coÌ„munion then 3. or 4. men vvemen consequently as many men boyes may serue to do the like so there is no rustical cortage where there is
vsed by Caluin Beza Martyr Musculus and lightly euerie other sacramentarie that the Iewish Manna vvater out of the rocke their passing ouer the sea and baptisme in the cloud vvas as good and effectual as our sacraments of baptisme the Eucharist and that the Ievves in those figures receiued the self same foode in the one spiritual benefite in the other as vve do in these sacrameÌ„ts of ours the ansvvere is that they al sovvly corrupt and peruert the Apostles vvords and sense The Apostle saith not that the Ievves had the self same spiritual foode which Christians baâ—â— as though he compared Ievves and Christians together but that the Ievves amonge them selues good bad iust and vniust receiued those benefites there mentioned For the Ievves al alike passed the redde seaâ— they vvere al directed alike by the cloud they al alike did eate of Manna vvherein the evil men had as great preeminence as the good they did al alike so did their beasts drinkâ— of the water which issued out of the rocke albeit most of them were wicked men in whom god was not pleased This is al that the Apostle saith These vvere temporal benefites bestowed vpon the Iewes which in no place of the Scripture haue annexed vnto them spiritual grace or remission of sinnes as haue the Christian sacraments wherevnto they are impiously opposed And therefore S. Basil with great zeale mueâ—gheth against them which make such odious comparison as men who vtterly disgrace and extenuate the maiestie of the nevv testament For saith he what remission of sinnes what regeneration or renouation of life was geuen by the sea what spiritual gift was geueÌ„ by Moyses what mortificatioÌ„ of sinne was wrought by his ceremonies or sacraments As for the vvord spiritual applied by S. Paule to Manna the vvater he calleth it spiritual partly because it proceeded from a spiritual diuine miraculous cause as in the storie is noted partly because it signified as did almost al things in the old lavv euen the very stones and timber of Salomons temple spiritual things which vvere to be exhibited in the nevv testament in Christ and his church For that of it self it vvas not ordeyned for a spiritual foode but for a corporal the very text proueth which assigneth the vse of it to al indifferently no lesse to euil men then to good yea no lesse to beasts then to men and our Sauiour him self vvho plainlie separateth it from the diuine Manna of the nevv testameÌ„t directly affirmeth it to haue bene geuen for a corporal foode to differ as much from his diuine body geuen in the sacrament of the nevv testament as doth any vulgar bread or flesh And thus do the auncient fathers agreably to Christs words expound it acknovvleging it for his proper and peculiar vse to haue bene an earthly foode though besides it vvere a signe a figure an image a shadovv and signification of Christ the spiritual Manna and heauenly bread vvhich in deed came from heauen in vvhich first vvord of the definition of our sacraments for every sacrament is a signe that Manna and water of the rocke agree with our sacraments and therefore some times so far forth they are by S. Austin compared together but touching the effect of grace never made equal And now if it shal please the reader to conferre these last 6. rules or obseruatons gathered out of the doctrine of Caluin and the Caluinists with that his first magnifiing of Christs real presence in the Sacrament of the Supper he shal very easely discouer him to be a vvicked hipocrite and also find everie parcel point of that whole paragraph gainsayd and refuted by ech one of these 6. obseruations ensuing vvhich if a man vvould gather in to a table after the example before shevved he should fil a great deale of paper and find at the lest so many contradictions in these later against that first as be sentences perhaps lines in that first He shal vvithal be able to frame to him selfe some certaine and sure knovvledge to sure at lâ—st as may be gathered out of the vvritings of such vvethercockes vvho according to the Apostles vvords are tossed vp and dovvne vvith everie nevv conceite as a light clovvde is caried here there vvith every puffe of vvind vvhat the Caluinian supper is to vvit after his ovvne description bread and vvine or some like nutriment voyd of Christs body and blud or any vertue thereof or any other grace instituted for this only purpose to put vs in remembrance of Christ in no respect or comparison better then the significatiue bread or sheeps flesh vsed by the Iewes in their Paschal suppers ¶ And thus much touching the equalitie of their sacrament with the Ievves as they graunt vve accept so herevpon a litle farther we proue vvhich perhaps they vvil deny that the Ievvish sacraments vvere better then thens not only for that the Ievvish had their Institution from god and his holy prophets vvhereas this supper proceedeth directly from the deuil his Ministers but also for that comparing the sacraments thus by them described in them selues the Ievvish much excelled VVhereof this only reason in their diuinitie is a most sure demonstration The preper vse institution and end of the sacrament is this and in this confuteth the benefite thereof that it stiriâ—th vp our â—aith moveth ouâ— external and internal 〈…〉 to consideration of the thing signified that is Christ his death VVhereof â—â—â—â—lâ—vvâ—th that where this 〈…〉 is most â—ound where a signe is most lâ—â—â—â—y 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 to moue ouâ— senses 〈…〉 iy to quicken ouâ—â—aith and excite our mynds to the consideration of Christ his death that â—gâ—e hath in it so much the more singularly and in a more high and excellent degree the nature of a sacrament But this was saâ— better and more effâ—â—â—â—ally wrought by 〈…〉 ng a lamb by pâ—wâ—â—g out the â—lud thereof then by 〈…〉 bread and drinking beare 〈…〉 or wine I or both the lamb is a more noble câ—eatuâ—e then is bread therefore more apt to â—gâ—â—â—â—c Christs body the noblest creature that euer was the innocency of a lamb to signifie Christs innocencie that lamb killed that flesh that blud was a more lâ—â—â—ly signe or this lamb of god killed for â—s of his body of his blud giuen for â—s then breaking of bread drinking of any wine or beare be it neuer so strong Therefore in that wherein consiâ—â—eâ—â— the proper nature of a sacrament the â—ewâ—â—h excelled ours Againe an other saâ—â—â—mental signification and the same very principal 〈…〉 they in this that as the bread and wine nourisheth our bodies corporally so Christ caâ—e by faith nourisheth our sâ—wâ—es spiritually But that Iewish supper hauing in it yong tender nourishing flesh of a lamb together with bread and vvine nourished corporally and so signified Christ body nourishing
were superfluous so vpon this his reason and ground may vve confideÌ„tly say in this place that howsoever they are helpes for weake Christians vvho mistrust god doubtles to these Apostles and Apostolical men ful of the holy ghost to these Martyrs and Confessors these seales were altogether superfluous and served to no purpose for that othervvise they vvere as strong in faith as they could be by any such poore helpes And yet those most blessed most faithful and constant Saints who by their strong faith were able and did remoue rocks and mountaynes stayed the rage of fluds commaunded the sea frequented this sacrament no men more Ergo there is an other vse and nature of this sacrament then to serue for seales to confirme wavering weake Christians It wil be replied perhaps that the greatest multitude of Christians are not such for them principally serue these signes If so yet then vve see that to the best Christians this sacrament is vnnecessarie And yet the holy scripture calleth the figure of this sacrament principally in respect of this sacrament it self and the perfection thereof panem caeli celestial and heavenly bread and therefore most convenient for divine and heavenly persons such as the best men are It calleth it for like reason bread of Angels or as the Protestants coÌ„monly translate it paneÌ„ fortium or as their translation printed in London anno 1572. with the Q. Priuilege hath panem magnificorum the bread of heroical glorious men strong in faith and radicated therein And without doubt by Christs institution it vvas appointed as wel for the one as for the other But come vve to vveake Christians Hovv doth it confirme and strengthen their feeble faith As for example sake Some vveake brother there is who beleeving al this nevv gospel which consisteth more of infidelitie then faith beleeveth not yet the first article of his Creede that God is omnipotent namely that he is able to make his ovvne body or any body to be at one time in tvvo places And that this supposition be not counted fond or slanderous to omit M. B. who thus preacheth hereafter I produce a man of an indifferent good faith as the Sacramentaries measure faith P. Martyr the lose Monke one of our first Apostles in Oxford who vvriteth in sundry places most expresly Dei potentia fieri non potest vt humanum corpus codem tempore sit in multis locis c. Gods power is not of sufficient abilitie to make that the body of a man be at one time in divers places For this is to take from a body his limites and lineaments nether of which in this mans conceite is god able to do Deus humanum corpus absque suis finibus et terminis facere non potest God saith he is not able to make a mans body to lacke his bounds and limites The like he hath in sundry for their to manifest assistance and support yelded to the Anabaptists in their furious madnes as Zuinglius calleth their gospel VVherevnto he addeth an Appendix vvhich I could vvish M. B. vvel to vveigh and consider of for his ovvne good Quapropter ipse quoque ingenâ—e fatâ—or c. VVherefore I my self also confesse frankly saith he that a few yeres sithence I being deceived with this error thought it better to differ the baptisme of yong children vntil they came to perfite age As much as if he had confessed in plaine termes that him self also as great a clarke as meÌ„ esteemed him so long as he thought the sacrameÌ„ts to be instituted for seales and confirmation of faith so long vvas he in mynd a very Anabaptist so long vvas he an enemy to the baptisme of infants nether had he any other vvay to shake of that Anabaptistical heresie but first of al to leaue and forsake that vvicked opinion vvhich here M. B. so seriously teacheth vvhich so long as he holdeth so long can he not blame men if they suspect him to be an Anabaptist vvhose heresie doth so directly folovv of this his doctrine VVhereas then vve find these seales to confirme the vvord preached or faith of the vvord nether in respect of the vvord it self nor of strong Christians nor of vveake nor of yong infants to vvhom principally these seales of baptisme and the supper apperteyne hovv can they in any sort be applied to confirme the word preached It remayneth only to say that they confirme the vvord to the hearers in respect of the minister that vvhereas othervvise the minister should vvant credit novv forsooth vvhen he exhibiteth these seales of bread vvyne and vvater forthvvith the bretherne may be confirmed in the word preached by the minister and be vvarranted that he hath preached the word rightly and rightly opened al the parts of it But nether can this hold For vvhen vve knovv that the ministers in that they are ministers are by the nature of their ministerie lyers and therefore seldome yea never vvhen they speake out of their chaire that is vvhen they speake as ministers and teach any doctrine of their nevv gospel speake any truth as the holy ghost assureth vs of al heretikes and nevv preachers vvhich lacke lavvful vocation both in the old testament and the nevv we must looke for better seales and they must shevv better and stronger then these before we beleeue the vvord preached by them to the confirmation vvhereof seales of bread and butter are as fit as these their seales of bread vvyne and al the seales of the vvorld can not geue a Christian man sufficient ground and assurance to trust them ¶ And novv finally if vve shal a litle consider these seales in them selues abstracting them from men ether strong in faith or vveake or children or ministers as they are seales to confirme gods promises so as these men describe them we shal yet more perceive the inuention of them to be very fond fantastical and ridiculous and fit for such light ministers for that neuer any Diuine or good Christian of any grauitie conscience would thus talke or dreame not only for that there is no ground in scripture whereon any such doctrine may be framed but also because their writing and speaking in this matter is against al wit reason For seales vvhich are vsed to confirme any thing must by common discourse of reason and light of nature be more euident and manifest then that thing for confirmation vvhereof they are vsed For men confirme not strong things by weake manifest by obscute certain and knovven by vncertaine and doubtful Yet so falleth it out here For the promise vvhich these men vrge He that eateth my flesh shal liue for euer He that beleeueth is baptized shal be saued being taken of Christians for the vvord of god is forthvvith to them sure certaine and manifest vvhereof they neuer doubt But when they see vvater sprinkled on a child oâ—
three or fovver bretherne eating and drinking their symbolical bread and vvine hovv can ether that confirme to vs the child to be saved or this that such eaters and drinkers eate spiritually Christs flesh and thereby shal haue eternal life Certainly if the minister out of the vvord did not tel them so much before the bread and vvine vvould neuer confirme nor scarce signifie such spiritual eating much lesse eternal life ensuyng thereof So that vvhereas ordinarily in common practise vvhence these men take their Theologie in this point seales confirme words and vvritings among men and vvithout a scale the vvord and vvriting is of no great force or value in lavv to make a bond and obligation the seale geuing al strength force thereto here it is cleane contrarie For al dependeth of the vvord and the vvord geueth strength vertue and force to the seale not the seale to the vvord and the vvord vvithout the seale is altogether sufficient carieth vvith it ful entier and perfit authoritie vvhereas the seale vvithout the vvord is nothing at al but as M. B. truly saith a common peece of bread so that truly to speake the vvord is rather to be accompted a seale to the bread then the bread a seale to the vvord Again these men in making such comparison vvaigh not the true nature and difference of vvords and seales as they are vsed in things diuine humane In humane because men are mortal and mutable and false so that vve can not take hold of their vvord vve are enforced to vse other meanes for our assurance and certification as first to put their vvords in vvriting and then to ratifie both vvord and vvriting by sealing But in God and things diuine it is not so But for so much as God is immortal immutable and constant vvhose vvord is vvorking and vvhose vvord once vttered is as sure certaine infallible and irreuocable as if it vvere vvritten in faire velem in a thousand exemplars confirmed by as many seales here can be no vse of any such seales as is amoÌ„g men because no such seale can add any more authoritie or certaintie to his vvord as it doth to ours How beit it pleaseth him some times to vse some kynd of confirmation vvhich may not vnfitly be compared to a kind of sealing as vvhere the Euangelist saith that vvhen Christ was ascended his Apostles preached euery vvhere our lord working with them and confirming their dostrine and preaching with signes and miracles of vvhich kynd of confirmation the storie of the Acts of the Apostles is ful But these were miraculous noâ— sacrameÌ„tal seales applied truly properly to speake not to coÌ„firme gods vvord or promises but to confirme vnto the heaâ—ers the authoritie and credit of the preachers the prophets Apostles and disciples of Christ as euery vvhere appeareth both in the old testament nevv And therefore as S. Paul teacheth such miraculous signes and seales properly are not for faithful men Christians but for faithles and infidels to dravv them to faith and Christianitie And this is a far different kind of seales from the sacraments vvhereof vve here entreat vvhich neuer any learned father or vvriter called seale in the Protestant sense For albeit sometime S. Augustin vseth the vvorde and applieth it to the sacraments as also do some other Doctors yet they neuer meane nor applye them as do the Protestants but cal them seales ether because they signe the faithful vvith such a marke vvhereby they are distinguished from the vnfaithful or because they conteyne in them a secret holy thing that is inuisible grace in vvhich sense the booke of the Apocalyps is said to be signed vvith 7. seales in both vvhich senses S. Austin S. Gregorie Nazianzene calle them seales or because they geue perfit and absolute grace vvhereby a Christian being vvashed from his sinnes and made the child of god in baptisme receiueth farther strength to persist and stand fast in his Christian prosession and fight constantly against the enemies of Christ and his church the deuil and his ministers is confirmed in hope and hath as it vvere a pledge of eternal life in vvhich sense S. Cornelius an auncient Pope and martyr and after him S. Leo the Great calle the sacrament of confirmation a seale The vvords of the first are VVhereas Nouatus the heretike was only baptised but afterward tooke not such other things as by order of the church he ought neque Domini sigillo ab Episcopo obsignatus suit nether was signed with the seale of our lord by the bisshop in the sacrament of confirmation how I pray â—ow receiued he the holy ghost to strengthen him in his Christian saith S. Leo in his 4. Sermon de natiuitate Domini Stand fast in that faith in which after yow were baptised by water the holy ghost yow receiued the Chrisme of saluation the seale or pledge of eternal life In these senses and perhaps some other tending to like effect the auncient godly fathers calle the sacraments seales as questionles euery sacrameÌ„t and especially that of the most blessed Eucharist is a most admirable signe and seale and confirmation and demonstration of gods infinite mercy and Christs infinite loue towards mankynd But the sense of the Protestants as it is foolish fond nevv vvithout al vvit and reason and not only so but also wicked impious heretical Anabaptistical as hath bene shevved neuer taught by the holy scriptures of god by any Apostle Evangelist auncient father or Councel so I can not greatly enuy at Bezaes glorious triumph vvhich he maketh to him self and his maisters for the first invention thereof wherein he so flattereth and pleaseth him self that hauing expressed the same in such sort as here M. B. doth and I before out of Beza haue alleaged he suddenly from explication of the scripture breaketh out in to admiration of him self and his companions in these vvords This my exposition coÌ„cerning circumcision a seale of iustice al other sacraments seales in like maner if a man compare with such things as not only Origenes but also sundry other of the auncient fathers albeit for godlines and learning most famous haue written vpon this place he shal doubtles find what greâ—â— abundant light of truth the lorde in this time hath powred out vpon vs of al other men most vnworthy thereof No doubt a vvorthy doctrine for such Doctors and in deed to be vvondered at vvhich being so necessarie for the church as these men make it for it conteyneth the true faith of the sacraments vvhereas Origen S. CypriaÌ„ S. Austin S. Ambrose S. Leo. S. Basil S Gregorie Nazianzene and sundry other for holines and learning most famous as he confesseth could neuer find it out and yet these men Caluin Beza and Iohn Cnox for learning not very famous and for horrible filthines and abomination of life not to be named and not heard
affirmeth the quit contrarie and in precise termes deâ—â—ieth the siâ—ne and thing signified to be deliuered in one action most directly reiecteth al such ioynt-offering and ioynt-receiving and concurrence and teacheth that Christ dispenseth the thing signified that is his body and blud not to whom the minister geveth the sacrament not when he ministreth the communion but to whom in respect of the persons and when in respect of the time be pleases The very like wherof he writeth afterward concerning the sacrament of baptisme that the minister washeth the child in water and baptizeth externally boâ— as for the vertue of regeneration that Christ hath to geâ—e â—â— whom and when he pleâ—â—es and not when it pleaseth M. minister And why so For that otherwise a marvelous great absurditie wil folow VVhat is that If a mâ—â— might geue Christs body he might also clense the hart and forgeue sinnes But only God forgeveth sinnes Therefore it is not possible for man to geue Christs body Graunting the sequele of the first proposition how proveth he the second that only God forgeveth sinnes and not man By Iohn Baptist Matth. 3. 11. For Says he not the ministerie that I â—â—â—e is of the element I am commaunded to minister the element of water only but as to the ministerie of the fier spirite that Christ hath reserued to him self Thus he for his first negatiue For answere whereof let vs take the affirmatiue on the contrary side thus If man haue power to clense the â—art by remitting of sinnes he hath or may haue power also to geue Christs body the thing signified in the sacrament These two M. B. maketh in like â—ort possible or vnpossible But say we a man hath poâ—â—â—â— to remit sinnes and so to clense the hart vvhich vve prooue cleerely by Christs vvords to his apostles VVhose sinnes ye remit they are remitted And here I vvish againe the reader to marke the rude ignorance and grosse barbarousnes vvherevnto this Calvinisme grovveth vvho recken that for a straunge absurditie obiect it as a matter irreâ—utable vvhich in the catholike church is so certain a veritie so vniuersally knovven and beleeved as any article of our Creed in vvhich as the church Catholike hath a principal notorious place next after God him self so ioyntly vvith the Catholike church vve are bound to beleeue Remission of sinnes vvhich men truly â—s Gods ministers and by authoritie from him geue to Christians in the vnitie of the same church as every auncient father Greeke and Latin that ever vvrote vpon the Gospels or of remission of sinnes in the church acknovvlegeth VVhich the Christian learned reader may see if he please to pervse S. Cyprian S. Austin S. Hierom S. Ambrose S. Chrysostom S. Athanasius S. Basil S. Hilarius S. Pacianus al most auncient doctors in the places here noted Cyprian de lâ—psis sermo 5. Augustin Epistola 180. De doctrina Christiana lib. 1. cap. 18. In Eâ—chirid ad Laurent cap. 64. 65. 66. In Psal 101. Concio 2. In Ioan. cap. 11. â—oâ— 49. Contra adversarium legis et prophet lib. 1. cap. 17. Tom. 10. Hom 23. et 50. cap. 10. 11. Hieron in Ecclesiast ca. 10. et in Matth. cap. 16. Ambros in psal 38. Chrylostom de sacerdotio lib. 3. Athanafius Sermo in illud Iâ—e in vicum qui contra vos est in fine Basil in regulis brevioribus reg 229. Hilarius in Matth. ca. 18. Paâ—ianus â—arâ—inon in Parâ—nâ—â—â— ad paenitentiam Leo magnus epistola 80. VVith â—ehersing the several sentences of these Saintes I vvil not trouble the reader because I desire to be brief Only for satisfaction of M. B. vvho maketh it so straunge and absurde to suppose that a man may remit sinnes and if he could so do he might also geue to the Christian people Christs true body I vvil say that herein he is not altogether deceiued in part I yeld vnto him in such sort â—â— S. Ambrose doth to the Novatians heretikes of his time who in this matter were iust of M. B. his opinion and for defence of it argued much like as M. B. doâ—â— and therefore he may be contented with that answere which S. Ambrose so long since allowed to his betters and elders No minister no man can remit sinnes not yet geue Christs body saith M. B. I answere with S. Ambrose Both of these the one the other is lawfully â—â—â— in the church Nether of both is done in heresie cut of the church For this is a right geuen only to priests Duely therefore doth the church challenge it which hath true priests heresie heretical congregations can challenge nether which haue not the true priests of god Non vendicar do autem itâ—â— de se pronunciat quod cum sacerdotes non habeat ius sibi veâ—dicare non debeat sacerdotale And whereas heresie the Scotish ministerie challengeth not this right it geveth sentence against it self that whereas it hath no lawful priests it may in take and vsurpe that right of remitting sinnes which by Christ is geven to priests And forth with he inferreth with a sounder kind of consequence then is this of M. B. that such heretical synagoges for this self same reason aâ— quite void of the holy ghost For that the holy ghosts resident in the church to the end that by the ministerie of priests he may remit sinnes to Christians being penitent according to the articles of our Creede To which purpose he alleageth the words of our Sauiour before â—ted VVhose sinnes yow remit they are remitted And alter it seeme absurd and vnpossible to M. B. yet it is not absâ—â— saith the auncient learned archbishop S. Cyril that they forgeue sinnes which haue the holy ghost For when they â—â—mit sinnes ether in baptisme or in penance the holy ghost remitteth in them Against which whereas M. B. seemeth to stand by challenging this preeminence to the Diuie maiestie who only forgeueth sinnes he must learne tâ—â— as â—â—is conceit is stale and Iewish and perhaps proceedeth from some counterfeit hypocrisie which preteÌ„deâ— great iealousie of Gods honour where it is lest meet so our Sauiour hauing of old detected this hypocrisie â— error in the Iewes I could wish that M. B. would beâ— disciple of Christ and his church rather then of those other Christs adversaries crucisiers For when Christ forgaue sinnes in the gospel they vpon M. B. his ground said within them selues He blasphemeth VVho can forgeue sinnes but only God But Christ proved vnto them that â—â— only God in heauen but alâ—o the sonne of man in earth had power to forgeue sinnes and he proved it so that the multitude seeing it glorified god who had geuen such power to men and not reserved it peculiarlie to him self VVhich povver being in Christ as man he in most plaine and effectual words imparted to his Apostles and their successors as in the
vvhich not Iohn Caluin but Christ ordeyned vve must answere cleane coÌ„trarie that there is but one propiner one person that offereth the sacraments and he exhibiteth not only the earthly matter but also the heauenly not only the signe but also the thing signified euen Christs owne body The difference betwene M. B. and me his ansvvere to the question and myne being so contrarie â—iseth of this that M. B. taketh his sacrament or rather signe I meane his tropical bread vvine from the ministerie institution of Iohn Calvin vvhom he must of necessitie separate and disioyne from Christ the ministerie of the one from the ministerie of the other so must needs haue tvvo different diuided propiners at lest The church taking her sacrament directly simply from Christ can make no difference betwene this ministerie that of Christs this offering and that betvvene this sacrament and that this body and that because as there it was done personally by Christ so novv it is by the order appointment and in the person of Christ And therefore although their eye sight tel them cleerly that then minister geues them nothing but bread and drinke the earthly signe not worth a straa a signe bare and barren without the thing signified yet faith telleth vs that the minister of the church geueth to the Catholike coÌ„municant altogether as much as Christ gaue to his Apostles that was beside the signe the thing signified his diuine and most pretious body vvhich there in a sacrament and after in sight of Iewes and Gentils was offered to God for vs. And thus S. Chrysostom many hundred yeres since taught vs to answere M. B. his question The holy sacrifice saith he whether it be offered by Peter or Paule or any other simple priest of what so euer merit he be it is the self same which Christ gaue to his Apostles Nihil habet ista quam illa minus This hath nothing lesse then that How so Because it is not man that sanctifieth this but Christ who sanctified that For as the words which priests now pronounce are the same which Christ vttered so the sacrifice is al one And so it is likewise in baptisme And after somvvhat more spoken to this effect he concludeth Qui autem hoc illo minus aliquid habere putat ignorat Christum esse qui nunc etiam adest operatur If any man suppose that this our sacrament sacrifice hath lesse then that as M. B. doth making so much difference betwene them almost as is betwene heauen hel â—he is ignorant and knoweth not that it is Christ who now also is present and worketh the consecration and sanctification of sacraments no lesse then he did then And so this first error being thus disproued the second vvhich dependeth theron is by the same reason corrected For as it is one propiner so that vvhich is geuen is geuen in one action vvhich albeit M. B. stay not on but vvith a simple negatiue passeth avvay yet for the readers better information I must tel him somwhat more at large that the signe and the thing signified is by the same Minister of the church at one and in the same action moment exhibited and offered The reason is for that albeit Christ in heauen and the Ecclesiastical minister in earth do differ yet vvhen he in earth forgeueth sinne baptizeth or consecrateth the sacrament he doth it not as of him self but as by povver and vertue and authoritie coÌ„mitted to him from Christ also as hath bene said he doth it in the person of Christ and so the action of Christ and his officer the priest is the self same in number and no way to be accompted tvvo ecclesiastical or rather sacramental actions hovv soeuer morally or physically the actions are distinguished As in like maner vvhen the king sendeth a noble man or iudge with his coÌ„mission into some part of his realme in matters of lavv or othervvise to take order for quiet gouernement of his realme that vvhich the king doth by such a iudge and deputie or this noble man or iudge doth by the kings warrant and authoritie is not in ciuil vvisedome and truth to be accompted tvvo several actions but one and much-more is that other of Christ and the priest one the self same in Theologie ¶ As for the third resolution vvhere it is avouched by him that the thing signified is neuer offered to the mouth of the body the blud of Christ the flesh of Christ whole Christ is not offered nor in the word nor in the sacrament to the mouth of my body to vvhich negatiue he addeth very confidently get me that in any part of the bible that there is any other maner of receiuing of Christ but by faith take it to them I aske him only this question vvhether S. Matth. Gosp â— Marks Gospel S. Luke S. Iohns Gospel vvith S. Paules epistles be any part of his bible If they be then let him ansvvere him selfe vvhether Christ when in his last supper he said to his Apostles Take eate this is my body according to S. Matthevv and S. Marke this is my body which is geuen and broken for yow according to S. Luke S. Paule vvhen thus he performed that vvhich he promised in the sixt of S. Iohn The bread which I wil geue to eate is my flesh the same flesh which I wil geue that is vvhich I vvil offer in sacrifice for the life and salvation of the world vvhen after this promise this performance thus mentioned by al the Euangelists the Christians vvere taught to beleeue as a thing most plaine cleere that in the dreadful sacrifice the bread which vvas there broken vvas the communication of Christs body according to Christs ovvne expresse vvord let him self I say ansvvere him self vvhether in these so manifest and euident speeches the body and flesh of Christ be not offered to the mouth of Christian men For the other part vvhich M. B mentioneth the blud of Christ when of that Christ reaching the chalice to his Apostles said to them drinke ye al of this for this is my blud of the new testament which is shed for many to remission of sinnes according to the same Euangelists and S. Paule when the first Christians were likevvise instructed in particular of this to beleeue vvithout al question of casting doubt that the cup or chalice of benediction which by the priests ministerie was blessed in the church was the communication of Christs blud vvhen vpon this most assured evident and infallible warrant the fathers of the primitiue church vvith one voyce and consent taught that self same blud of Christ to be as truly in the chalice as it truly gusâ—hed out from Christs side vvhen he hung on the crosse the same body and sacrifice to be receiued from the altar in the church vvhich was offered on the altar
fideles is ecclesiae sacrificio sciunt al which the faithful know how it is performed in the sacrifice of the church of which church sacrifice al the sacrifices of the old testameÌ„t were shadowes VVhich sacrifice of praise and thankes-geuing he in a number of places expresly calleth the sacrifice of Christs body and that it was offered not by al Christians a like but by a certaine order of priesthod as he plainly declareth in the same booke and proveth out of the scriptures ¶ VVhere M. B. saith that the name Masse came in vvhen the sacrament began to be perverted the Latin kirk to decay the Romane kirk to fal by this vve learne vvhen according to M. B. censure the Romane church fel. For euerie Protestant allovveth it a time of puritie integritie according to his ovvne humor fansie some 300. yeres some 400. some 500. And thus far our English Ievvel extended the puritie florishing estate of the Latine especially the Romane church some allovv it 200. yeres more But for the first 400 or 500. yeres fevv of the learned Protestant make any doubt but that the Romane church vvas pure and sincere in al parts of religion So taught one of our English Pâ—otomartyâ—s Ridley prelate of London in these vvords The patriarch of Râ—me in the Apostles time and long after was a great maynteiner and setter forth of Christs glorie and above al other countries regions there especially was preached the true gospel the sacraments were most duly ministred And as before Christs coming it was a citie so valiant that al the world was subiect to it and after Christs passion divers of the Apostles there suffered persecution for Christs gospel so after that the Emperors became Christians the Gospel there florished most S. Austin saith our M. Ievvel and other godly fathers rightly and wel in old time yelded great reverence to the see of Rome as for diuers other reasons so also for the puritie of religion which was there preserued a long time 600. yeres after Christ without spot For which puritie and constancie in the same that church was most famous aboue al others and might be a standard vnto them And Iohn Calvin vvriteth Because it was a thing notoriously knowen true without al questioÌ„ that from the Apostles age vntil theirs there was no alteratioÌ„ of doctrine nether in the church of Rome nor in other places the fathers tooke this for a principle and sure ground able to overthrovv al errors vvhich nevvly sprong vp that they gainsayd the truth vvhich had bene constantly preserued and maynteined by common consent from the time of the Apostles VVhich iudgement of Calvin and those other learned Zuinglians I note to control M. B. rash sentence in deputing the fal and decay of the Romane church to that time vvhen by these mens more sound more learned verdit that church vvas most pure perfit and withal hereby I can plainly convince him of falshod and heresie in preaching as he doth Touching the first the sacrament saith he began to be peruerted and turned in to a sacrifice with the falling estate of the Rom. kirke and them comes in this peruerse name of the Masse VVhen was this About 400. yeres after Christ For then vve find this name masse in the Councels Doctors vvritings applied more commonly to such signification as vve novv vse it S. Ambrose in Milan testifieth of him self that he said Masse missam facere caepi Ambros lib. 5. epist 33. â— Leo maketh mention of the same epist 81. ad Dioscorum 88. ad Episcopos Germaniae Galliae S. Austin sermo 91. de tempore 237. 251. Cassian lib. 2. Canon orat noctur ca. 7 lib. 3. canon diurn oral cap. 5. 6. 11. lib. 11. ca. 15. Yea some bishops martyrs of the Romane see far more auncieÌ„t then any of these vvriters vse the vvord though seeldoÌ„ as appeareth by S. Damasus in Pontificali in Alexandro 1. by Papirius Massonus de Episcop vrbis lib. 1. fol. 11. in Pio. 1. As for Councels in sundry very auncient as in Concilio Rom. sub Sil vestro 1. Concil Carthag 2. can 3. Carthag 4. ca. 84. Concil Agathensi ca. 21. 47. Concil 3. Arelaten cap. 3. Concil â— Aâ—â—â—lianenâ— ca. 28. Concil Milevit cap. 12. both the masse is plainly named and the distinction of masses vsed in the primitiue church is described the one called missa catechumenorum the other missa fidelium the masse of learners or novices in the faith to vvhich al indifferently vvere admitted Heretikes Iewes Paganes the masse of peâ—â—â—â—e baptized Christians from the presence and sight of vvhich masse not only the forenamed Heretikes Iewes and Pagans but also the vnchristened though otherwise favoring Christianitie yet for reverence of these dreadful mysteries vvere excluded Thus vve find that long vvithin 500. yeres after Christ the name of Masse vvas very frequent in the Romaine and Latin church vvhen as yet that church vvas far from decay and faâ— nay vvhen according to Calvin and those other famous Superintendents the church of Rome was most pure and had altered nothing of the doctrine received from the Apostles but for her constancie in reteyning the â—aâ—e might serue for a Standard and light to al other churches of Christendome ¶ By vvhich ground also and graunt of these excellent men I condemne secondly M. B. his preaching of heresie vvhereas he saith that when the sacrament was turned in to a sacrifice it was idolatrie and that forsooth began vvith the name of Masse For vvith this perverse name Masse the sacrament began to be perverted This collection I say is very foolish vvicked heretical For if in collecting the 4. names vvhich out of the auÌ„cient fathers he attributeth to the sacrament he had faithfully told his auditorie vvhat he had found he could not haue so blindly stumbled as to vvring idolatrie out of a sacrifice or preach that the sacrifice began vvith the name of Masse vvhereas the more auncient fathers cal the sacrament a true sacrifice some hundreds of yeres before the decaying and falling time of the church vvhich he signifieth that is before the name of Masse vvas practised And vvhen the name Masse began to grovv in vse even then they stil reteyned that other more auncient terme and caled it stil sacrifice both in preaching vvriting ten yea tvventie times for one more oft then Masse And therefore to make the name Masse any occasion of the sacrifice vvhich name and beleef of sacrifice vvas vniversal at lest 200. or 300. yeres before the name of Masse grevv in vse is as poore and peevish a devise as lightly might fall in to a sicke mans brayne This is to set the cart before the horse to make the river cause of his fountayne to make the child beget his father as much as to charge M. B. vvith the invention of heresies published
Paule and cited by M. B. is examined and by it is cleerly proved that the Protestant faith which they cal so is no faith such as S. Paule meaneth but mere fansie and imagination Christ in this world did esteeme of carnal cognation which M. B. wickedly denieth His wicked corruption of Christs words that Christs flesh is vnprofitable is directly against Christs owne preaching and our faith of the incarnation He in taking from the body al real coniunction with Christ infinuateth a denyal of the resurrection of the body as Luther and the Lutherans prove plainly against the Calvinists M. B. his obiection taken out of the Gospel that corporal tuitching of Christ is vnprofitable VVhy Christ required faith what maner of faith in them whom he cured from diseases The place of scripture which M. B. obiecteth as likewise many other proveth the cleane contrarie of thâ—t for which be pretendeth it vz that corporal tuitching was a â—â—re immediat cause of health then tuitching by only faith May had benefite of Christ by only corporal tuitching of hiâ— much more by both corporal also spiritual receiving him in the B. Sacrament CHAP. 16. HEnce forward the principal argument concerning the sacrameÌ„t newly entreated of for here is much tedious repetition of old things of the vvord sacrament vvhat word is necessarily required to make the sacrament the doctrine of seales and confirmation of mens right and title by seales c. vvhich being already drawen in to their several places and answered before I vvil therefore omit here coÌ„sisteth ether in refelling the Catholike doctrine tâ—â—ching Christs real presence or in confirming a vulgar opinion that Christ is eaten by faith vvherein he bestoweth many vvords vvhich of them selves are not amisse but that they are applied to an evil end as that the spirit of God vniteth Christians to Christ that Christ is conioyned to vs with a spiritual band that this is wrought by the power and vertue of the holy spirite as the Apostle saith 1. Cor 12. 13. that al faithful men and women are baptized in â—ne body of Christ that is are conioyned and fastned with Christ by the moyen of one spirite c. that faith is a spiritual thing that it is the gift of God powred downe in to the â—â—â— of men and women wrought in the sowle of every one and â—â—â— by the mighty operation of the holy spirite that we â—â—â— Christ spiritually by remembring his bitter death and pa 〈…〉 c. These and a number such other sentences in which he spendeth many pages of this sermon are in them selves good true Christian and Catholike But vvhen â—e applieth al this coniunction of the spirite to exclude the coniunction vvhich is wrought by Gods spirite to but yet not only spiritually but also corporally vvhen he acknowlegeth no other receiuing of Christ in the sacrament then that vvhich is vvrought as vvel vvithout the sacrament vvhen soever vve remember his death and passion vvhen he so advaunceth this manducation by faith as though there vvere not only no manducation so profitable but also besides that no true manducation of Christs body at al in this he plaieth the sophister in vndermining one veritie by commending an other he plaieth the part of a craftie enemie vvho sheweth bread in the one hand and vvhile we behold that striketh vs on the head with a stone which he holdeth in the other in one vvord he plaieth the very heretike vvho ether thinketh him self or would his audience to thinke that one part of Catholike faith gaynsaith an other that the spirite of God vniting Christians vvith Christ their head spiritually excludeth al corporal participatioÌ„ which most of al confirmeth increaseth that spiritual coÌ„iunction that spiritual eating by faith or remembring Christs death passion is an enemy opposite to the real coniunction of his body vvhich Christ him self appointed for that special end amonges other that it might streÌ„ghthen our faith spiritual maÌ„ducation both in the sacrament out of the sacrament and make vs perpetually more mindful of his death passion Vnto vvhich mindfulnes careful meditatioÌ„ we are a thousaÌ„d times more stirred by one thought vvhen vve conceive the same his most pretious body here truly and really present and though glorious eternal invisible and indivisible in it â—ell yet visible divided and broken in the sacrament for our benefite and nurriture vve are I say more stirred to remembrance of Christs death and passion by one such cogitation then by al the bread broken and al the â—â—nkardes of wine that are in a vvhole yere filled out and empâ—ied by the bretherne and sisterne in al the suppers communions of Scotland and England ¶ Before M. B. come to extol his spiritual manduâ—â—tion by â—aith he frameth an obiection as made by the Catholikes and by answering the same maketh way as it vvere and entrance to that matter His obiection is this If say they Christs flesh blud be not received but by faith in the spirite then we receive him but by an imaginatioÌ„ by a conceit and fantasie This is the obiection as he frameth it vvhich albeit it be none of ours if it be taken generally as though al manducation of Christ out of the sacrament vvere imaginarie or fantastical which is wicked to speake or think yet being applied to the Protestants receiving by their â—aith it is good and for such I acknowlege it For their receiving by their â—aith is mere imaginarie and fantastical to speake the best And let vs see how M. B. can answere this obiection So saith he they count faith an imagination of the mind a fantasie and opinion But if they had tasted and felt in their sowles what â—aith bringes with it alas they would not cal that spiritual iewel only iewel of the sowle an imagination That we account faith an imagination or fansie is â—alse though one of the founders of your faith that is Zuinglius and his Tigurine church cal it so Howbeit we cal it not so nor thinke of it so but esteeme it as a verie iewel of the sowle though not the only iewel as yow falsely terme it For that besides the cardinal vertues which also an iewels of the sowle and a number of graces of the hoâ— ghost reckened vp by the Apostle every man that haâ—â— a litle skil in his Christian Catechisme knoweth that among the 3. Theological vertues hope is a iewel of the sowle as wel as faith and charitie a iewel of the sowle more pretious and better then â—aith as the Apostle expressely teacheth â— Cor. 13. 13. and by the one and the other is engendred in good Christian Catholike men a great confidence ioy and consolation of mind and by the one and the other they feele in their harts the holy ghost making them to crye Abba pater they hope confidently by the testimonie of that spirite that
els they can not prove instruments mighty and potent to deliver vs so great a matter as Christ comes vnto And so yow do in your conclusion of this point vvherein I vvil rest as likewise wil any Catholike who never wil demaund more then yow liberally yeld Therefore say yow there flowes no vertue from the sillables nor from the wordes that are spoken but from Christ and his spirite who geues the vertue to the wordes Again in the same page VVe say there is no vertue resident in the syllables but we say that the vertue is resident in the person of the sonne of God and he workes by his owne word vttered by a lawful priest as in the Catholike church not by the sermon of a seditious minister vvhose sermon can not be called the owne word of Christ And thus much for that The other vntruths of chasing away the bread pulling downe Christs flesh from heaven I pretermit because if he thus speake in scorne and derision I vvil not lose time nor spend words so vainely as to talke of them If he vtter them in sadnes they are to grosse and sensible falsities and cary their refutation vvith them as proceding from shameful intolerable ignoraÌ„ce of the Catholike faith vvhich he goeth about to refute If by such odious slaunderous maner of speech he meane to disgrace the Catholike beleef inough hath bene said in defence thereof already so as I need not to make any farther discourse Only against this light scurtile ethnical kind of talking vvhich in deed vvere fitter for a Pagâ—â— then a Christian as Luther also affirmeth of such vvritings preachings and â—aylings of the Zuinglians I vvil oppose the grave and reverend authoritie of S. Chrysostom vvho preached to the old Christians of Constantinople touching Christs real presence at one and the same time in the sacrament in heauen at the right hand of his father after an other maner of sort and gravitie then doth M. B to his new formed Christians and Gospellers of Edinburgh O miracle saith S. Chrysostom O the great goodnes of God! Christ who sitteth above with his father at the same moment of tyme is in the sacrament handled with the hands of al geveth him self to those that wil receive imbrace him To like effect are S. Basils vvords in his Liturgie vvhere thus he praieth Looke downe vpon vs O lord Christ Iesu our God from thy holy tabernacle and from the throne of thy glorious kingdome Come to sanctifie vs which sittest above with thy father and art conuersant here in visibly vouchsafe to impart vnto vs thy vndefiled body and pretious blud and by vs to al thy people Much to like purpose might he alleaged out of S. Ambrose S. Austin many other both Greeke and Latin But against M. B. his vvords and nothing but bare light prophane and minister like vvords these two may suffise Arguments against the real presence ansvvered The Argument Phisical arguments taken from the proprieties of an humainâ— body wherein M. B. committeth many faults and commeÌ„ded with certain places of S. Austin are refelled with answeres out of the Protestants to those places of S. Austin S. Peters words in the Acts corruptely cited to bynd Christ tâ— a certain place are answered and the Protestants corruptiâ—g of that place plainly manifested Christs words Luke 24. 39. where to his disciples he proveth the truth of his body by seeing and feeling make nothing against his presence in the sacrament The article of Christs Ascension and sitting at the right hand of God being rightly vnderstood impayreth not but more establisheth the real presence Caluins exposition thereof refelleth M. B. his argument taken thence as also his former obiection taken from S. Peters words Other sacramentarie arguments more probable taken from Christs leaving the world and departing hence answered CHAP. 18. ARguments against the veritie of Christs presence in the sacrament M. B. maketh in tale very many but for any weight few inough Al of them that are of any substance a great number more are found particularly vrged in one chapter of Calvins Institutions in his 2. short libels against Ioachimus VVestphalus in divers others therefore have bene so many times answered not only by Catholikes but also by Protestants namely by Luther him self against Zuingliê° that they can not now cary any weight in the iudgement of a meane Christian albeit in the beginning vvhen Zuinglius and Carolosladius with their familiaâ—s inuented them to simple vvauering people they might perhaps seeme somwhat Since vvhich time they have bene much more tossed to and fro especially by Martyr and Bullinger against Brentius by Beza in his dialoges against Heshusius but most of al by Calvin in the places before noted vvhere they are every one that is ought vvorth from vvhence M. B. seemeth to have taken them and therefore from the adversarie part that is VVestphalê° vvil I also take my answere as heretofore if the arguments of them selves do not as often they do answere them selues sufficienly For a meane Christian that is a litle grounded in his Catechismo Creed may casilie see that very weake they are in Theologie though some strength they have in philosophie And albeit these later sacramentaries Beza Calvin Bullinger Martyr have set some new florish and varnish on them vvhereby they seeme more gay and flesh in the eye yet the substance of them is al one and remayneth stil as rotten britle as vvhen they vvere first by Carolostadius and Zuinglius obiected against Luther as the replies of the adversatie Protestants Brentius Heshusius Illyricus and VVestphalus have made manifest Three general heaâ—â— he makes of his arguments by which he vvil disprove Christs true presence in the sacrament First by the veritie of the flesh of Christ 2. By the articles of our beleef 3. By the true end of the institution of the sacrament The first two albeit he commend and beautifie vvith the name of S. Austin and a text or two of scripture yet the whole vveight resteth vpon a text of Aristotle and natural reason For thus he disputeth The first principle that I lay is this Christ had a true humaine body So of necessitie it must folow that the definition of a true body and the inseparable properties thereof be competent to him But the inseparable properties of a true body are to be in a certain place to be finite circumscribed visible palpable For al these agree quarto needs as the Logicians say to a body so that they can not be separâ—t from the subiect without the destruction thereof Then I reason in this maner Every true humane body is in a certain place Therefore Christs body is in a certain place I meane so that where ever the body be it is limitate within that place while it is there it can not be els where
But how matcheth this vvith that vvhich immediatly ensueth In this life there is wonderful iniquities grosse sinnes and great faults wherewith even the righteous are defiled And when we study to do best and the iust man that is the â—â—aist halâ—man falles seven tymes in the day yea rather seventy tymes seuen tymes If the righteous and iust man vvhen he studieth to do best sinneth and that grossely if every â—owre of the day he commit so many grosse and mortal sinnes as these vvords import for in these mens divinitie al sinnes are mortal none venial every mortal sinne sever a man from God as M. B. teacheth agreably to the scriptures vvhat foloweth of these two parcels but that the God of heauen dwelleth in no man be he never so iust for that in every his action he sinneth and offendeth God grossely and mortally And how calleth he such a man holy iust and righteous vvho thus offending and that continually so many hundred tymes in the day is doubtles wicked vniust and vnrighteous for that so perpetually he transgresseth the law of God the true and infallible square of iustice and iniustice as M. B. hath truly declared VVith like constancie he commendeth saith to his audience in these vvords faith is the moyen and hand whereby we apprehend our saluation and applie it vnto vâ— And as it avayles not a sicke man to see a drâ—ge in the Apothecaries booth except a way be found how it may be applied to his sicke body so faith is the moyen and hand whereby we take hold on Christ and applie his redemption to cur sowles This is good if he meant of the right faith and stayd here and proceeded no farther to exclude al other graces of God and his holy spirite But he addeth There is not a way nor an instrument in the scriptures of God whereby any man or woman may applie Christ to their sowles but only the instrument of faith Hereof it foloweth that faith is not only the first and principal but also the sole and only meane of our iustification and saluation as by vvhich only instrument according to the scriptures the redemption wrought by Christ is applied vnto our sowles And thus the Protestants teach commonly and M. B. hath oftentymes told vs before Yet vvithin a few pages after he falleth in to a cleane coÌ„trarie discourse removing faith froÌ„ this office and attributing it altogether to love and charitie For thus he preacheth In corporal foode we have two sorts of apprehensions one by the eye the other by the taist Your eye takes a vew of the meate makes a choise of it This is the first apprehension If your eye like it yet if thy taist like it not also so it enter not in to thy stomake it can never be converted in to thy nurriture For it is only the second apprehension of the meate that is cause of nurrishing our body Even so in spiritual things the first apprehension of Christ Iesus is by the eye of the mynd that is by our knowlege and vnderstanding that is to say by our faith The next apprehension is when we cast our harts on him we have good wil of him For al our affection proceedes from our wil. And if we love Christ we take hold on him we eate him and digest him that is we apply him to our sawles Then is not faith the only instrument to applie Christ but also love charitie and this much more then faith so much more as a mans body is more nurrished by his tast then by his eye by that foode vvhich he eateth then that meate vvhich he seeth standing on the table but never toucheth For so your self applie vrge and reiterate this comparison Looke in what place the eye serves to the body in that same rome serves knowlege and vnderstanding to thy sowle And looke in what place thy hand and thy mouth the taist and the stomake serves to thy body in the same rome serves thy hart and affection to thy sowle So that as our bodies can not be nurrished except our hand take and our mouth eate the meate where thorough the second apprehension may folow likewise our sowles can not feed on Christ except we grip him and imbrace him hartely by our will and affection and not by only faith This is true doctrine and this directly ouerthroweth the former that faith is the only instrument of applying Christ to vs that only faith iustifieth vs and cleanseth the sowle For here vve learne that by charitie vve applie Christ to our sowles as vvel as by faith yea much better as our bodies are better nurrished vvith the 2. apprehension of meate made by our taist then by the first made by our eye Folowing the opinion of Iohn Calvin and the Lutherans before noted touching Christian faith that it is a sure and infallible persuasion of Gods beneuolence towards vs he exhorteth his auditors to hold fast such persuasioÌ„ in these vvords Art thow persuaded of mercy Assure thy self thy conscience is at a good point thow hast health in thy sawle For by keeping of this faith thy conscience is preserved Keep this persuasion bald it â—ail sound hurt it not bring not thy sawle in doubting so far as thow may nor hinder not thy persuasion For if thow doubt or in any wise diminish thy persuasioÌ„ thow dost diminish the health of thy sowle thow leesest thy faith becomest an infidel as Calvin whom in this M. B. foloweth avoweth For he is not a faithful maÌ„ saith Calvin who assureth not him self of Gods faâ—â—ur and who resting vpoÌ„ the securitie of his owne salvation cat not say with the Apostle Paule I am sure that nothing can separate me from Christ vvhich vvords also M. B. very luslely applieth to him selfe saying expressely Our faith assuraÌ„ce growes so great our persuasioÌ„ so strong that we dare come out with the Apostle and say as he said Hereof vve may gather that after this doctrine the best Christian and most faithful is he vvhich hath the greatest confidence in gods fauour and mercy and feareth lest his iudgements VVherevnto tendeth also a great part of his last sermoÌ„ vvhich besides that it preseneth a number of desperat ruffians execrable miscreants and heretikes before meeke harted and humble spirited saintes vpon vvhom the holy ghost specially restâ—â—h can hardly staÌ„d vvith that him self after preacheth that the dearest seruants of God are cast in to terrible doubtings woÌ„derful pits of desperatioÌ„ The best seruaÌ„ts of God are exercised with terrible doubtings in their sowles with wonderful stammerings and they wil be brought sometimes as appeares in their owne iudgement to the very brinke of desperation For this is as much to say as that the most faithful seruants of God are most faithles the best are vvorst his dearest are to him most odious and hateful as they
this to good life by necessarie sequele faith decaieth vvith good life and conscience But how matcheth this vvith his former preaching that the best and most sincere Christians fal every day seuen tymes yea seuenty times seueÌ„ tymes and that in to grosse sinnes Is not this as much as if he said that the best Christians every howre of the day become infidels can not haue faith in the mercy of god to vvhom their coÌ„science vvitnesseth that daily hovvrely Gods wrath is kindled against them for that their conscience shewes then to be giltie of many offences against God and al those offences grosse deadly and damnable after the Calvinists Theologie Much more this doctrine repugneth to that vvhich Calvin Beza the vvhole church of Geneva and M. B. him self preacheth aftervvards in this self same sermon in these vvords It is sure certain that faith is never wholy extinguished in the children of God Be it never so weake yet shal it never vtterly decay and perish out of the hart where once it makes residence A weake faith is a faith and where that faith is there man ever be mercy Again Faith once geven by God can not be revoked again Faith when it is geven by God is constantly geven neuer to be chaâ—nged nor vtterly tane from them Again This gift of faith where ever it be and in what hart so ever it be it is never idle but perpetually working and working wel by love charitie VVhere ever it be it is not dead but lively How oppoâ—ite and most evidently repugnant is this to the former preaching If saith vvhere ever it be be never idle but perpetually working wel by love and charitie how saith he that they haue faith vvhich oppresse the poore keep deadly feid and so forth vvhich are no vvorkes of Christian charitie how soever they be esteemed among the Calvinists as vvorkes perhaps of their sole iustifying faith and hote love If vvhen â—aith is once geven it can never be lost never revoked by God never vtterly tane from them vvho are once possessed of it how saith he that it is lost by evil life and that God spoiles them of faith hope of mercy vvhich commit such mortal sinnes But a most vvicked barbarous sensibly false paradox it is to say that faith once had can not be lost the contrary vvhereof vve see by lamentable experience of thowsands vvho depart daily not only from Catholike faith to heretike in heresie from one to an other from Lutheran to Zuinglian or Calvinian from Caluinian to Anabaptistical from that to Triuitarian Antitrinitarian c. but also from the general name and pretence of Christian faith to plain Apostasie to Iudaisine to Mahoâ—â—ctisine to Atheisme VVith professors of vvhich gospel as by vvitnesse of my Lâ— of Canterburie the English church is vvel replenished so M. B. him self signifieth the like of his Scottish congregation of vvhich he vvriteth thus Alas we are come to sic a loath disdain ofâ—asting of this heavenly food he meaneth Gods vvord in this country that where men in the beginning would have gane some 20. myles some 40. myles to the hearing of this word they wil searcely now come fra their howse to the kirk and remayne one howre to heare the word but bâ—des at home This being true if as he in this same place teacheth faith formed in our harts by the holy spirit vvil decay except it be nurrished and if to the nâ—â—risâ—ing of this faith it be requisite that we heare the word of God preached and preached not by every man but preached by a lawful pastor by him that is sent vvhich point he doth inculcate diligently without which preaching it is not possible saith he that a man continue in the â—aith how can it be avoyded but vvhere this vvord is not thus preached as it is not in a number of places of England nor perhaps of Scotland there the faith among the bretheâ—â—e not only may but also must of necessitie decay vvhich vvithout this kind of preaching can not possibly continue And if there be no such preaching preaching I meane by pastors lawfully sent as in truth there is noâ—e nether in England nor yet in Scotland amongest al the ministers as of the English ministerie is best proved by the Puritanes by Caâ—twight by Calvin by Beza by Knox by the Scottish communion booke and election of ministers appointed there and for the Scottish ministerie to let passe my L. of Canterbury and the English Pontifical it is very clearly proved by Buchanâ—â— in his storie and the first original and foundation of this new Scottish kirk in our age layd by that seditions and infamous man Iohn Knox his comparteners in despite and against the vvil of both magistrates as vvel temporal as spiritual that I mention not Catholike vvriters vvho have made demonstration of this against both Scottish and English in sundry writings how can there be remayning any faith among them vvhere is no orderly preaching of the vvord by any such lawful pastor orderly sent vvho is so necesiarie to preserve this faith And how plentifully is this most barbarous fansie refelled in the holy scripture by a nuÌ„ber of examples facts and sentences vvhere vve find that Simon Magus beleeved Christs gospel as other Christians did vvho yet after became an Arch-heretike or Apostata as likewise did Hymeneê° Alexander vvhere the Apostle forewarneth that in the later dayes many Christians shal depart from the faith vvhereof vve see daily experience vvhere he reproveth the Galathians for that they receiving the spirite and for a vvhile continuing in the spirite afterwards gave over the spirite and ended in the flesh vvhere is declared that some vvho vvere sanctified by the blud of the new testament afterwards despised trode vnder their feete the sonne of God the same blud by which they had bene sanctified being washed from their sinne afterwards as vncleane swine returned and wallowed in their former filth vvhere the Evangelist vvriteth plainly and our Saviour him self teacheth vs that some there are vvho gladly receiue the word of God and beleeue for a tyme but vvhen trial and persecution cometh then they depart and geve ouer their faith And to vvhat purpose is it that the Apostles exhort Christians to stand fast in their faith that S. Paule threatningly vvarneth some Christians to become humble and thinke lowly of them selves and to feare lest God who spared not the natural branches the Iewes spare not them but cut them of also reiect theÌ„ as he reiected the Iewes If it vvere then an article of faith that faith once had can never be lost that God vvil never take faith from them on vvhom he hath once bestowed it vvhat vvit or vvisdom vvere there in these ether exhortations or threats As much as if M. B. should exhort his ministers
meane wit or sense of Christianitie ever wrote or affirmed that Gods vvord could not be heard fruitfully but of such men as vvere first indued with the love of god and then vvith the love of their neighbour in and for god and had such other vertuous dispositions as here yow require in your communicants Doth not the vvhole course and scope of the new testament shew infinit dissimilitude betwene the vvord of God and this sacrament of God in this respect vvithal resel this your to grosse folie VVhereas the sacrament in the verie place by yow read to your auditors if ye read truly is peculiarly appointed for the good and holy those that have tried and examined vvel them selves contrariwise is not the vvord of God by Gods like ordinance indifferent as vvel to the vnholy as holy to the bad as to the good as vvel to correct the one as to preserve the other to illuminate the faithles as to continue the light kindled in the faithful Do not the vvritings and preachings of Christ and his Apostles confirme this â— Preached they not alike to Iew Gentil to Idolaters to Pagans to sacrilegious persons of al sorts blind for their faith and abominable for their life vvhereof many knew not God much lesse loved him and so could not love their neighbour for him And yet this preaching doubtles vvas vvithout al sinne ether in the Apostles vvho thus preached indifferently to al or in the disciples vvere they Iewes or Gentils vvho heard them In the first primitiue church vvhich vvas immediatly planted by the Apostles preaching of the vvord vvas stil publike vniversal to Heathen no lesse them Christiâ— after for the space of 400. yeres the same maner of preaching the vvord continued vvith expresse order taken by the church by hundreds of bisâ—hops in very general Synodes that nether Pagan nor Iew nor heretike should be excluded from the presence and communication thereof from hearing the word of god vvhen as by precise order both of the Apostles and their successors pastors and rulers of the church al not only heathen Iewes heretikes but also novices in the Christian faith so long as they vvere vnbaptized vvere diligently excluded from being present at or seing the administration of the holy sacrament So that most salse it is like preparation to be required for receiuing the vvord and the sacrament and so to say cleane dasheth and destroyeth both these last sermons induceth the plain opposite of that this maÌ„ vvould seeme to persuade For if no other preparation be necessarie for the sacrameÌ„t then for the simple vvorde it being most cleare and certain that Christ his Apostles al auncient Bisshops vvithout any sinne or offence of any part ether of the preacher or of the heater preached the vvord to Ievves Gentils idolaters vsurers adulterers publicans men and vvomen living in al sinne of body and sowle hereof the deduction is manifest that by like reason the sacrament vvithout sinne of ether part may be delivered and received of Iewes of Gentils of Idolaters of adulterers of vsurers of slannderers of men never so sinful and vvicked VVith vvhich qualities albeit perhaps the elect bretherne of Calvins institution be commonly indued vvho vsually as M. B. vvitnesseth fal in to such grosse sinnes not only seven times but even seventie times seven times that is almost five hundred times every day yet thus to instruct and teach them and namely at such tyme and place was a very vnfit vvay of preparation to vvorthy receiving of the sacrament for vvhich by this doctrine any preparation suffiseth to vvhich they can never come vnworthely nor receive it to their condemnation no more then Marie Magdalen the sinful vvoman or other publicans vsurers and sinners received the vvord of Christ or his Apostles to their condemnation And this may stand for an evideÌ„t exaÌ„ple of a more general repugnaÌ„ce vvherein pretending honour to the sacrament he most dishonoreth it and vvhile at large he persuadeth great care of preparation he shortly but pithily dissuadeth the same causeth his auditors to neglect castavvay al such care Now to end this matter let vs consider one other like general example vvherein he vniversally both gainsaieth him self marreth al his deuout preaching and setteth his auditors in the high vvay to al audacitie licence libertie and fleshly securitie Towards the end of his secoÌ„d sermoÌ„ thus he armeth them against al tentatioÌ„s and teacheth them how they shal find repose in their conscience be their sinnes never so great their contempt of God and despising of his commaundements never so notorious and horrible and their owne conscience never so vehemently accusing them thereof VVhen saith he the devil thy owne life and conscience accuseth thee and beareth witnes against thee go backe ouer again to thy bygane experience cast over thy memorie and remember if god at any time in any sort hath loved thee if ever thow felt the love and favour of god in thy hart c. Remember on this and repose thy assurance on this that as he loved thee ains he wil love the ay and wil assuredly restore thee to that love or thow dye The hart that felt ains the loue of god shal feele it again And looke what gift or grace or what taist of the power of the world to come that euer the lord gave to his creatures in this life to that same degree of mercy he shal restore his creature or ever it depart this life This lesson he vvilleth his audience to locke vp in their harts remember on it faithfully as a most vvorthy comfort and me â—icament for their conscience I vvil not spend time in reâ—uting this strauâ—ge doctrine nether how it contrarieth the scripture of the Apostles and Euangelists in a number of places And yet I may no let passe briefly to vvarne the â—eader that not only in the thing and substance of the matter but also in the very forme of vvords and maner of phrase most vvickedly yea like a flat Apostata enemy of the Apostles al Apostolical doctrine he directly opposeth him self to the Apostle For vvhereas S. Paule saith that such Christians as have once bene made partakers of gods graces and gifts and have taisted the word of god and power of the world â—â— come vvhen such men become Apostataes and fal from God it is impossible for them to recover their former estate and grace M. B. running ful but against the Apostle saith in the same vvords phrase that such as have once receiued the grace gift of the holy ghost or taisted the power of the world to come fal they never so desperatly in to vvhat dissolution of body and sowle soeuer most certain and sure it is that before their death they shal recover be restored to the same grace degree of mercy againe Yea vvhich is far more vvonderful and far
men by the very light of nature and natural conscience though out of grace therefore not availeable to glory as the Apostle and true Theologie assureth And therefore vvhereas M. B. against al reason against â—l Theologie against the Apostle and al Apostles and Euangelists of Christ that ever vvere telleth his auditors and biddeth them locke vp this as a sure conclusion that if they once had any of these vertues they before they dye shal have them againe if ever they had any one of them then had they faith vvhereof that vvas a suie certain argumeÌ„t vvhich faith is proper to the elect therefore they are Gods elect perpetually then they can not possibly perish vvhereas he maketh thus far such linking together coÌ„nexioÌ„ of his Theological or rather diabological propositions vvhat one of his auditors or disciples is so simple but he can deduce one farther conclusion out of these premisses that he may live how he vvil he may do vvhat he please he may freely folow the lusts of his flesh in al catnalitie and sensualitie having assurance before hand from this preacher that he shal never be damned for it that if ever he vvere inclined to any good since his infancie he shal be surely as good again before he die and if once he felt any grace of God any good effect of his grace al his life time he shal find God gracious merciful to him for ever for that his gifts favour are irrevocable vvhom he once loved him vvil he love eternally This is the coÌ„clusion consequence of that former preaching this is not to preach God but Epicure not Christ but Antichrist not civil and moral honestie as becometh an honest civil man much lesse as becometh an Euangelist and preacher of Christian pietie and religion but rather this is to set open the schole of Sardanapalus of Lucian and Diagoras to make a mocke of religion to extinguish and eradicare honest life and al vertue other ciuil or Christian and briefly in â—â—eed of making preparation to the vvorthy receiuing of their lords supper except Satan be their lord this is to prepare men to celebrate the Supper and feasts of Bacchus and Venus of Lupercalia and Bacchanalia to set a man headlong in to al filthines villanie al dissolution both bodily and ghostly The conclusion conteyning certaine general reasons vvhy the Calvinian Gospel novv preached in Scotland can not be accounted the Gospel of Christ The Argument The conclusion drawen out of the precedent discourse preaching of M. B. sheweth that whereas al religion especially Christian coÌ„sisteth principally of two partes 1. faith towards God 2. honest charitable behavicur towards men both these the Calvinists vtterly destroy by their preaching of only and special faith and therefore their gospel hath no shew or face of any religion These 2. partes are proued severally first touching good life next touching necessarie points of ChristiaÌ„ saith For which cause euer since the beginning this Calvinian gospel hath bene abherred and condemned not only by al Catholikes but also by very many Protestants and those of most same and learning The Caluinian gospel is nothing so coloured with probable shew of Christianitie as were many old heresies The preachers of it are much more variable mutable contrarie to them selues and therefore the shame miserie and condemnation of men is greater who have departed from the Catholike and Apostolike faith of al ages vnto it The nature of the Caluinian and Sacramentarie Gospel is never to be constant but to be always chaunging the solowers whereof are neuer setled in any one certain faith For which reason and also for that in many chief articles it dissenteth from the Gospel of Christ and his Apostles as most Scottish and English detest it so al Christians haue iust causeâ— hate it and returne from it to Christs Catholike church and Gospel The Conclusion AND now to leave M. B. and turne my talke to thee my deare countryman vvhose benefit I most entend whose eternal good I vvish and daily pray for as thow regardest thy owne saluation and hopest to have part vvith Christ thy Saviour in heaven and to avoid eternal torment vvth Luciser and the damned in hel consider vvith thy self advisedly as the vveight of the case requireth vvhether in coÌ„mon sense and probabilitie in reason humane or divine the vvay to attayne the one and avoid the other be this vvhich these late ragged and scattered Apostataes divided against them selves al Christendome besides Luther and Zvinglius Caluin Beza vvhom M. B. more exactly foloweth have of late inveted or rather that vvhich al thy forefathers for these 13. or 14. hundred yeres in vnitie vvith them selves and al other Christian provinces and countries ouer the vvhole vvorld have taught by vvord and vvorke and in such an vniuersal Catholike faith have happely offered their blessed sowles to God CoÌ„sider vvith thy self omitting al other inferior and secondarie controuersies vvith vvhich the Christian vvorld is now by these new Evangelists so pestered that the nature of every religion in general much more the Christian vvhich only in truth and by vvay of excellency is called religion is built vpon 2. vniversal pillers faith and charitie to beleeve vvel and to live wel as Christ and his Apostles every vvhere teach And leauing to thy private remembrance knowlege if thow be of age if not to thy information by bookes or other better learned how our Catholike religion hath evermore framed her childreÌ„ to both these to right faith and godly charitable life vvhereof the daily discipline and practise of the church is the best proofe and the very face of our realmes Scotland and England adorned vvith such a number of goodly hospitals of colleges of monasteries built first to the honor of God next to the benefit of the realme of the poore of impotent of orphans of al sorts of men in the realme ech in their degree and order ruinated now by these caterpillers and false ministers yeldeth abundant confirmation to leaue this and to behold a litle the other part the religion brought in by these ministers which they intitle by the name of their Gospel consider vvhich thow maist do vvithout any great learning as being a thing evident to the eye vvhether it plucke not vp even by the rootes as it vvere al faith and good life For demonstration vvhereof I vvil not trouble thee vvith any new discourse but only 〈◊〉 vpon that vvhich touching ether of these hath bene said already in the last chapter or at the farthest in this present treatise And concerning good life vvhen men are taught that vvhat so ever they do is sinne and that mortal deseruing damnation that thus they sinne when they studie to do best vvho vvil labour vvho vvil studie to auoid sinne vvhich he beleeveth to be a thing vnpossible VVhen men are taught that if ever
that one article of the sacrament with Zuinglius Oecolampadius and others of that miserable and fanatical sect so he speaketh if Philip Melancthon * that peerles man be of the same iudgement and geve the same counseil if Osiander do the like and infinite others how much more ought vve folowing herein not only Luther not only Melancthon not only Osiander not only such a number of gospelling Doctors congregatioÌ„s but vvhich is a thousand tymes more folowing the true sense of the holy scripture the Apostolike and Catholike Church folowing the direction of Gods holy spirite infallibly resident therein and ever leading in to al truth contemne life and preferre death â—ather then to coÌ„municate vvith those Zuinglians Caluinists vvhereas besides that one heretical article obiected by Luther vve can as truly charge them vvith a number of other ech one as heretical as execrable Satanical as that of Luthers is ¶ And this my deare countrymen is one thing which doubtles as it vvil much encrease our eternal damnation before God so presently it much sheweth forth our miserie our infelicitie and turpitude to the vvorld that the Zuinglian or Calvinian gospel vvhich vve folow hath so smale shew of truth of religion of coherence in itself of learning vvisedome or honestie in the first preachers Apostles that except men did vvillingly shut theyr eyes and stop their eares from seeing or hearing that vvhich is most sensible and evident or God for plague of sinne beâ—est them of common intelligence they could not but streight vvaies see the fowlenes and deformitie thereof Our Saviour vvilleth vs to beware of wolves that come in sheepes clothing because they resemble sheepe to beware of false prophetes vvhich come adorned with the signes marks of ChristiaÌ„ religioÌ„ of holynes of pietie because they nighly represent counterfeit true Christians And such vvere many of the old heretikes as the Manichees the Apostolikes the Tatians or Encratitae the Messalians or Euchitae the Novatians some other vvho for rare severitie vvhich appeared in their living for their long prayer for their maruelous fasting great abstinence and chastitie seemed to excell Besides vvhich as many of the Archheretikes erred not in many articles of their faith so their preaching had much shew of holynes of coÌ„sent vvith religion in general and Christs gospel in special vvhich every vvhere commendeth such holy actions as they though vvith false meaning exercised So that needful it vvas men to be specially vvarned against such craftie deceivers And much it vvas not to be vvondered if false Apostles covered vvith such sheepes clothing adorned vvith such coÌ„mendable vertues good in them selves and right fruits of Christian faith only faulty in this that they vvere not applied to a right end and practised vvith a right intention and meaning it vvas I say no marueil if such false maisters vvere folowed and honored by many vnstable Christians especially of the simpler sort vvho are vsually moved vvith such rare vvorkes and can not easely distinguish betwene pure colours and counterfeit sincere pietie and dissembled hipocrisie betwene puritie of faith in right religion and that which hath the external shape face resemblance countenance thereof vvhereas it vvanteth the internal substance and vertue But vvhat one such probable or affected marke vvhat figure or imitation of such sheepes clothing findest thow in this Calvinisme If thow looke in it for articles of faith thow findest in effect none If thow looke for vvorkes of charitie and pietie their solifidian iustification taketh away al colour thereof If thow respect external monuments built in the honor of Christ in memorie of his Apostles of the first planteâ—s of Christian faith and to the relief of Christians vvherewith in the tyme of our graund-fathers the ChristiaÌ„ vvorld did abound as partly thow maist see by vew and experience of our Iland at home so more evidently â—brode in those partes of Fraunce of Savoy of Flandres and Germanie vvhere Calvinists have vsurped rule and the Zuinglian Gospel hath for any tyme gotte footing there hath bene made much more vvast and desolation of al such Christian monuments I speake of certain knowlege then in Hungarie in Greece in Iurie in Constantinople it self vvhere the great Turke vvith his Alcoran vvith his Bassaâ—s and Ianissaires commaundeth If thow consider the first Apostles of it Carolostadius Zuinglius Calvin they vvere men notoriously knowen for so filthy and abominable livers as the earth never sustayned vvorse set a vvorke by the devil instructed by the devil very familiar vvith the devil in their life and altogether possessed of him in life and death If thow respect their maner of preaching it is so vnioynted so thwart and contradictorie to it self that one thing they preach to thee for the gospel out of the pulpit an other thing they vvrite for the gospel in their studies not only that but one thing they tel thee in their sermons of Sunday the cleane contrarie they teach in the sermon vvhich they make the next munday nor only that but in the beginning of one and the self same sermon they vvil assure thee of this point to be right Euangelical and in the same sermon before the middle and againe before the end they vvil as assuredly tel thee the contrarie For demonstration vvhereof I referre thee to that vvhich hath bene declared out of Calvin and M. B. in some places of this treatise And can that man have any pretence of excuse before God or the vvorld vvho departeth from the Catholike church of Christ and vniforme consent of al fathers tymes and ages to these scattered sects and Apostataes And not content therewith beleeveth them in such heretical impieties as them selves disprove and condemne If vve beleeve that Luther vvas a man of God indued vvith his holy spirite sent to so great a vvorke as to illuminate the whole world vvhich is to make him an other not Elias or Iohn Baptist as the Germanes cal him but an other Christ an other Messias vvhy beleeve vve not the same Elias vvhen he preacheth that it vvere better for vs to susteyne any torment many deathâ— then to communicate vvith the Calvinists and Zuinglians or to be of their opinion If Calvin be such a prophet of God as Beza and the Calvinists vvil make vs suppose vvhy beleeve vve not Calvin so many vvayes and so effectually persuading vs Christs real presence in the Sacrament If M. B. be a true preacher of the vvord if as he telleth vs he be an elect have the right faith and be sure of Gods holy spirite vvhy credite vve not M. B. vvhen as folowing so precisely the steps of Calvin he vvith so many good vvords apt similitudes avovveth in like maner the real presence vvhen against their solisidian iustice he teacheth that love charitie applieth Christ to vs that is to say iustifieth vs as vvel yea better then faith that our saluation
church as we learne by Theodore Beza VVhere there is no vse of bread wine or no store thereof as it chaunceth at some certain time there the Lords supper is orderly ministred if in steed of bread and wine that be taken which supplieth the place of bread wine ether by common vse or at such tymes And he obserueth rightly enough Christs meaning who not for nouelties sake taketh in steed of bread wine such things as haue though not equal yet like proportion or analogie of foode As in like mâ—â—ner if water be wanting yet the baptizing of some child may not wel be differred with edification I truly wold baptise with any other liquor as wel as with water By warrant whereof in many places of Christendom where bread wine is haâ—d to come by stockfish with single ale more coÌ„mon in vsual diet there the Protestant communion is wel orderly ministred if the minister with 3. or 4. brethern go together into a tauerne eate a litle stockfish drinke a draught of ale he bid them to remember the Lords death For whereas the words of Christs institution are no waves necessarie but al dependeth on the faith of the bretherne which communicate here we learne that bread wine are not so requisite but that other meate drinke may supply the want thereof whereas in this coÌ„munion which here I note is both the matter and also the forme of a Protestant supper who can deny but it is a veâ—â—e complete perfite coÌ„munion And that not only if a man vse stockfish but also by like reason any other meate that nourisheth though not in equal degree as bread doth yet in some like sort And then as any flesh â—apon pâ—g goose beef or mutton may serue for the one kind so match-beer strong or smale ale good water metheglin or any such vsed liquor may serue for the other So that we now draw somwhat nigh to the perfectioÌ„ esseÌ„t al forme of that which ouâ— gospellers cal the supper of the Lord which we see may be had at euery breakefast at euery dinner supper beuer where there is bread beere or cheese water oâ— flesh and wine or any such â— things which nourish our bodies as bread wine do though not in so large maner yet with this sober caution that the bretherne which meete at this coÌ„munion remember the death of Christ vse these other kinds of meate not for loue of â—â—eltie but for loue of Christian libertie hatred of Papistrie because forsooth they wil shew that they hate the Catholike church which vseth superstitiously as they suppose those only 2. elements But now let vs go one step farther put the case that 3. or 4. gossips meete together at a drinking and after much good how shold talke in sine they remember them selues then one willeth the other to remember the death of the Lord so drinke one to the other and eate some such gossiping meate as they haue brought some applepie or flawne or so forth whie is not this as true a Protestant coÌ„munion as any yet mentioned Here is the matter of the coÌ„munion that is some foode that nourisheth the body here is faith which is the forme here is remembrance of Christ and his death then what wanteth to make vp and perfite the coÌ„munion Truly I can not imagine any default touching the substance essence but that this is as ful complete a communioÌ„ as any at this day ministred in England or Scotland For that which perhaps some man may obiect to be here wanting vz. a minister is an obiection more â—it for a Papist or Catholike then a Protestant or heretike Among whom very few there are who haue written especially bookes of coÌ„mon places but they discourse at large wemen no lesse then men to be priests of the new testament although for maners sake they may not in al places vse practise such their priesthod I in paâ—t agree with them that euery woman is as â—it lawful a minister as any who ministreth in the Scottish and English congregations Certainly Luther hath made long treatises heapeth tegether a number of allegations out of the holy scriptures to proue al that are baptized wemen no lesse then men to be priests by vertue thereof to haue power both to preach minister sacraments In the second Tome of his works he particularly rehearseth al ecclesiastical functions proueth as wel as he can that the execution of them al is a like common to al that are baptized Among much other talke to that purpose thus he writeth The first office of a priest is to preach the word of this depend al the rest But this is coÌ„mon to al. Next is to baptize and this also may al do euen wemen when they baptize they execute a lawful priesthod an ecclesiastical ministerie which is proper to priests only The third is to consecrate bread wine But this also is commoÌ„â—o al no lesse then priests And this I aduouch by the authoritie of Christ him self saying do this in remembrance of me This Christ spake to al there present to come afterwards who so euer should eate that bread drink that wine Ergo what so euer was there bestowed was bestowed on al. Nether can the Papists oppose any thing against this besides their Fathers Councels custome This also is witnessed by S. Paule who 1. Cor. 11. repeating this applieth it to al the Corinthians making them al as him self was that is to say consecrators c. Forthwith after a few words he concludeth Igitur si quod maius est collatum est omnibus etiam mulieribus c. If then that which is greater be geuen indifferently to al men and women I meane the word and baptisme then that which is lesse I meane to consecrate the supper is geuen also to them VVhich argument as a most principal he vrgeth againe a few leaues after VVhen the office of teaching the word is graunted to any together therewith al that is vsed in the church is graunted I meane to baptise to consecrate to bynd to lose to pray to iudge For the office of preaching the gospel is the chief a very Apostolical office which geueth the foundation to al other offices which al are built thereon The like hath he in sundry places and bookes Only he requireth that whereas the right power thus to minister is coÌ„mon to al that are baptized wemen no lesse then men yet that nether men nor wemen vse this right of theirs but where there is want of better ministers then also that they do it with modestie To which purpose clearing of his assertion he maketh an obiection to himself in an other booke thus But the Papists obiect the saying of the Apostle Let wemen hold there peace