Subdeacons one hundred and tenne Readers and fiue twentie Singers Hereby wée may sée that Chrysostome beinge at Antioche in so Populous a Citie although he had none of the Lay people with him yet coulde not be vtterly lefte alone Now if wée say that some of these Priestes Deacons or other Communicated with the Bishop I tel them saithe M. Hardinge boldely and with a solemne countenaunce whiche must needes make good proufe This is but a poore shifte and wil not serue their purpose But if it be true it is ritche yenough if it agrée with Chrysostomes owne meaning it is no shifte therefore sufficiently serueth our purpose And bicause he sitteth so fast vpon the bare woordes and reposeth al his hope in Nemo if wée liste to cauil in like sorte wée might soone finde warrant sufficient to answeare this mater euen in the very plaine woordes of Chrysostome For thus they lie Frustra assistimus Altari In vaine wee stande at the Aultare Wee stande saith he and not I stande and therefore includeth a number not one alone How be it our shiftes are not so poore wée néede not to take holde of so smal aduantages It is prouided by the Canons of the Apostles That if any Bishop or Priest or Deacon or any other of the Quiere after the Oblation is made doo not receiue onlesse he shew some reasonable cause of his so dooinge that he stande Excommunicate There was then neither suche number of Aultares nor suche cheuisance of Masses as hath beene sithence Al the Priestes receiued togeather at one Communion The like law in the Churche of Rome was afterwarde renewed by Pope Anacletus The Councel of Nice decréeth thus Accipiant Diaconi secundum ordinem post Presbyteros ab Episcopis vel a Presbytero Communionem Let the Deacons in order after the Priestes receiue of the Bishops or of the Priest the holy Communion Likewise the Councel of Carthage Accipiant Diaconi ex ordine Eucharistiam post Presbyteros eis dante Episcopo vel Presbytero Let the Deacons receiue the Communion in order after the Priestes either the Bishop or the Priest ministring it So the Councel of Laodicea It is lawful onely for the Priestes of the Churche to enter into the place where the Aultare standeth and there to Communicate So the Councel of Toledo Let the Priestes and Deacons Communicate before the Aultare the Clerkes in the Quiere and the people without the Quiere Nicolaus Cusanus writinge vnto the Clergie and Learned of Bohemia hath these woordes Hoc est singulariter attendeÌ„dum quod Sacerdotes nunquaÌ„ sine Diacono celebrabant in omni Missa Diaconus de manu Sacerdotis accepit Eucharistiam sub specie Panis Sacerdos de manu Diaconi Calicem This thinge is specially to be noted that the Priest did neuer Celebrate without a Deacon and that in euery Masse the Deacon receiued the Sacrament in the kinde of Breade at the Priestes hande and the Priest the Cuppe at the Deacons hande But what néedeth muche proufe in a case that is so playne Chrysostome him selfe in the Liturgie that commonly beareth his name followeth the same order After that the Priestes haue receiued saith he the Archedeacon commaundeth the Deacons to come foorthe and they so comminge receiue as the Priestes did before This was the very order of Chrysostomes Masse touchinge the Clergie and that by the witnesse of Chrysostome him selfe Now let M. Hardinge iudge vprightly whether these shiftes be so poore as he woulde make them But if the whole Clergie had béene so negligent that not one of them al being so many and so straitely charged woulde haue Communicated with the Priest as M. Hardinge séemeth to condemne them al onely vpon his owne woorde without any euidence Yet let vs sée whether M. Hardingâ—s Nemo were hable of necessitie to shutte out al the rest of the people Chrysostome in diuers places séemeth to diuide the whole multitude into three sortes whereof some were Penitent some Negligent and some Deuoute The Penitent were commaunded away and might not Communicate The Negligent sometime departed of them selues and woulde not Communicate The Deuoute remained and receiued togeather Now that the Deuoute remained stil with Chrysostome the whole time of the holy Mysteries it is plaine by the very fame place that M. Hardinge here allegeth for his purpose For thus Chrysostome saith vnto the people Thou art come into the Churche and hast songe praises vnto God with the rest and hast confessed thee selfe to be one of the woorthy in that thou departedste not foorth with the vnwoorthy By these woordes he sheweth that some were woorthy and some vnwoorthy that the vnwoorthy departed and the woorthy remained And againe in the same Homily he saithe The Deacon standinge on high calleth some to the Communion and putteth of some thrusteth out some and bringeth in some Chrysostome saith Some are called and some are brought in to Receiue with the Priest Where then is now M. Hardinges Nemo Uerely if there were some people with the Priest then was there no place for No body If No body receiued then is it not true that Chrysostome saithe that Some Receiued Here of a false Principle M. Hardinge as his wonte is gheasseth out the like Conclusion If there were so few Communicantes in that populous Citie of Antioche where the Scriptures were daily expouÌ„ded and preached then it is likely in Countrie Churches there were none at al. This argument hangeth onely by likelyhoode as doo the reast of his makinge and beinge set in order it standeth thus There was no Priuate Masse in the greate Citie of Antioche Ergo there was Priuate Masse in the Countrie Surely â–ª Good Reader this is a very Countrie Argument what so euer it seeme to M. Hardinge And further where as to aduance the Citie and to abase the Countrie he saithe The people in Cities were duly taught by opèn Sermons herein he must nâ—â—des be content that his gheasse geue place vnto the truethe For Chrysostome hâ—â— selfe saithe farre otherwise Thus he speaketh vnto the people in the Citie Dum per Hebdomadam semel vocamus vos ignaui estis alij quidem non aduenitis alâ— aâ—tem praesentes sine â—ucro disceditis quid non faceretis si nos hoc continuâ—â—â—â—â—remus Where as beynge called by vs but once in the weeke yet yee be slothful and some of you come not at al and other some beynge present departe without profite what would yee not doo if wee should cal you euery daye I note not this for that I misselyke with daily preachinge but for that vntrueth so boldly presumed shoulde not passe vntouched Yet saithe M. Hardinge In smal Countrie Churches either the priest let cease the daily Sacrifice or els he receiued alone But the daily Sacrifice ceassed not for then that had beene leafte vndoone that Christe commaunded to be doone Ergo there was
his fable He thought it not sufficient to say The Canons al were quite burnte whiche thinge he onely saith and no man els but bicause he sawe Wise men woulde replie There vvere no suche Canons euer made therefore he tooke paines further to shew the considerations and causes and the whole order and circumstance of the making whereat he saith he him selfe was present Fourscore Canons he saith were diuised in the whole whereof fourtie were laide in in Latine by the Latines and fourtie other in Greeke by the Grecians Of this whole number of Canons saith he the Fathers there tooke of tenne Canons and diuided them as they might moste handesomely emonge the rest and so made vp onely the number of threescore and tenne Canons therby mystically to represent the threescore and tenne Disciples or els the number of the threscore and tenne Tongues that be knowen in the worlde Thus of wholesome and Godly rules of Faith and manners M. Hardinges Athanasius hath leasure to fansie preatie Mysteries But for better viewe hereof I remember Cardinal Cusanus touchinge the Famous Donation of Constantine writeth thus In ipsa scriptura reperi manifesta argumenta falsitatis Euen in the writinge of it I haue founde manifest tokens of falsehoode The like maye be saide of these M. Hardinges newe Canons Euen in the vtteterance and vvritinge of them vve may finde plaine contrarietie and therefore vndoubted tokens of vntruthe For the former twentie Canons whereof there is no question were made in the Councel of Nice But the rest whereof S. Augustine and the Bishops of Aphrica moued doubte whereby the Bishop of Rome woulde seeme to claime were diuised at Rome and not at Nice This newe Canon here alleged saithe The Bishop of Rome hath the rule and soueraintie ouer al Patriarkes But the very true and vndoubted Councel of Nice saithe farre otherwise Antiqua consuetudo seruetur per Aegyptum Lybiam Pentapolim vt Alexandrinus Episcopus horum omnium habeat potestatem quia vrbis Romae Episcopo parilis mos est Let the auncient custome be keapte throughout Aegypte Lybia and Pentapolis that the Bishop of Alexandria haue the gouernement ouer al these For the Bishop of the Citie of Rome hathe the like order But this Canon the Bishoppe of Rome hath no soueraintie ouer other Patriarkes as M. Hardinge fantasieth but onely a felowshippe and equalitie with the reste to walke carefully within his owne diuision as others were bounde to doo within theirs And in this Canon these twoo woordes Parilis mos are specially to be noted whiche cannot otherwise be expounded but onely of like manner order and authoritie of Iurisdiction M. Hardinges Canon saithe S. Peter was Maister and ruler ouer al Christen Princes and yet is not M. Hardinge hable to prooue that while S. Peter liued there was any one Prince Christened in the whole worlde And if Peter had had power ouer Kinges Princes it is not likely he woulde haue taken vp his lodginge with Cornelius the poore Tanner In the ende he concludeth with a terrour If any man repine against this statute accursed be he Wherein he dooth great wronge bothe to S. Augustine and also to al the Bishoppes of Aphrica Numidia Mauritania Pentapolis and Bizancena who not onely repined openly against this Canon but also saide It was falsified and rebuked the Pope of pride and ambition for the same To be shorte what leadeth M. Hardinge to saie The Bishop of Rome hath these three scoare and tenne Canons in safe keepinge Why dooth he thus dissemble mocke the world Certainely the Bishop of Rome himselfe vtterly disclaimeth it and saith He hath them not For thus he writeth touchinge the same Viginti tantùm capitula Nicenae Synodi in Sancta Romana Ecclesia habentur sed quo neglectu alia defecerint ambiguum est There are in the Churche of Rome onely twentie Canons of the Councel of Nice But by what negligence the rest are loste it is not knowen The Pope saithe There are but twentie Canons extant M. Hardinge saithe There are threscore and tenne Canons I trowe It is no reason we should beléeue M. Harding leaue the Pope But Steuin the Bishop of Rome saith There were sometime in Rome the ful thréescore and tenne Canons whiche thinge he geathereth onely vpon this forgerie of M. Hardinges Athanasius And the same beinge the euidence whereby he holdeth his whole title and suche euidence as was not to be founde els where in al the worlde yet cannot he tel neither how he came by it nor how longe he keapte it nor how he loste it But a thinge is wel loste that can not be auoutched and shewed without shame M. Hardinges Athanasius saithe Power to binde and loose is geuen to the holy See of Rome by special priuilege aboue al others And yet the olde Catholique Fathers coulde neuer vnderstande any suche special priuilege S. Cyprian saithe Quamuis Dominus Apostolis omnibus post Resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuat tameÌ„ vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem originem ab vno incipientem sua authoritate disposuit Hoc erant vtique coeteri Apostoli quod fuit Petrus pari consortio praediti Honoris Potestatis The Lorde after his Resurrection gaue vnto his Apostles like power yet to declare vnitie he disposed by his authoritie the Original of vnitie beginninge of one The rest of the Apostles were euen the same that Peter was endewed with like felowshippe bothe of Honour and of Power Origen saithe An verò soli Petro dantur à Christo Claues Regni Coelorum nee alius beatorum quisquam eas accepturus est Hoc dictum Tibi dabo Claues Regni Coelorum coeteris quoque est commune What hath Christe geuen the Keies of the Kingedome of Heauen vnto Peter onely and shal no holy man els receiue them Verily this saieinge To thee vvil I geue the keies of the kingedome of Heauen is common also to the rest S. Cyril saithe Apostolis â—orum in Ecclesijs Successoribus plenam concessit potestatem Christe gaue ful power vnto the Apostles and vnto others that succeeded them in the Churches And S. Basile saithe Christus Petrum post se suae Ecclesiae Pastorem constituit consequenter omnibus Pastoribus Doctoribus â—andem tribuit potestatem Cutus signum est quòd omnes ex aequo ligant absoluunt quemadmodum ille Christe appointed Peter to be Pastour of his Churche after him and so consequently gaue the same power vnto al Pastours and Doctours A token whereof is this that al Pastours doo equally bothe binde and loose as wel as he Nowe if Christe gaue like power to al his Apostles If the reast of the Apostles were the same that Peter was endewed al with like honour and like power If Christes woordes were common to al the reast If al Pastours doo equally bothe binde and loose as
owne persons Whiche is plainely gathered of Theodoretus his Ecclesiastical storie who writeth thus Eusebius Bishop of Nicomedia who was the chiefe piller of the Arianes and they that ioyned with him in that faction falsely accused Athanasius to Iulius the Bishop of Rome Iâ—â—ius folowinge the Ecclesiastical rule commaunded them to come to Rome and caused the reuerende Athanasius to be cited to iudgement regulariter after the order of the Canons He came â–ª The false accusers went not to Rome knowinge right wel that their forged lye might easily be deprehended In the cause and defence of Iohn Chrysostome these Bishops came from Constantinople to Innocentius the Pope Pansophus Bishop of Pisidia Pappus of Syria Demetrius of the seconde Galatia and Eugenius of Phrygia These were suiters for Chrysostome He him selfe treated his mater with Innocentius by writinge In his Epistle emonge other thinges he writeth thus Least this outragious confusion runne ouer al and beare rule euery where write I pray you and determine by your auctoritie suche wicked actes doone in our absence and when we withdrewe not our selues from iudgement to be of no force as by their owne nature truely they be voide and vtterly none Furthermore who haue committed these euils 107 put you them vnder the Censure of the Churche And as for vs sithe that we are innocent neither conuicte neither founde in any defaulte nor proued giltie of any crime geue commaundement that we be restored to our Churches againe that we maie enioye the accustomed charitie and peace with our bretherne Innocentius after that he vnderstoode the whole mater pronounced and Decreed the iudgement of Theophilus that was against Chrysostome to be voyde and of no force This whole tragedie is at large set foorthe by Palladius Bishop of Helenopolis In vita Iohannis Chrisostomi who liued at that time By this Appeale of Chrysostome and by the whole handelinge of the mater and specially by the purporte of his Epistle to Innocentius The Superioritie of the Pope is euidently acknowleged And so is it plainely confessed by Athanasius and the Bishoppes of Aegypte Thebais and Lybia assembled in Councel at Alexandria by these woordes of their Epistle to Foelix Vestrum est enim nobis manum porrigere c. It is your parte saye they to streatche foorthe your helpinge hande vnto vs because we are committed vnto you It is your parte to defende vs and deliuer vs it is our parte to seeke helpe of you and to obey your Commaundementes And a litle after For we knowe that you beare the cure and charge of the Vniuersal Churche and specially of Bishoppes who in respecte of their contemplation and speculation are called the eyes of our Lorde as alwaies the Prelates of your See firste the Apostles then their Successours haue doone Theodoretus that learned Bishop of Cyrus beside the Epistle he wrote to Leo for succour and helpe in his troubles in an other that he wrote to Renatus a priest neare aboute Leo sayeth thus Spoliarunt me Sacerdotio c. They haue violently robbed me of my Bishoprike they haue caste me foorth of the Cities neither hauinge reuerenced mine age spente in Religion nor my hoare heares VVherefore I beseeche thee that thou perswade the most holie Archebishop he meaneth Leo to vse his Apostolike auctoritie and to commaunde vs to come vnto your Councel or Consistorie For this Holie See holdeth the Rudther and hath the gouernement of the Churches of the whole worlde partely for other respectes but specially for that it hath euermore continued cleare from stinche of Heresie and that none euer sate in it who was of contrary opinion but rather hath euer kepte the Apostolike grace vndefiled In whiche woordes of Theodoretus this chiefely is to be marked that the holie See of Rome as he saithe hath the gouernment of the Churches of al the worlde most for this cause that it was neuer infected with Heresie as al other Churches founded by the Apostles were The B. of Sarisburie It is certaine that the Bishops of Rome to atteine the preeminence and fulnes of power ouer al the worlde letted not to vse many ambitious and importune meanes and manifestly to falsifie the Canons of the Holie Councel of Nice Sithence whiche time they haue not beene idle but haue forged new Canons to this purpose vnder the name of Clemens Anacletus Euaristus Telesphorus Higinus and other Martyrs and bisides haue diuised other like Canons of their owne The Decretal Epistle that is abrode vnder the name of Iulius séemeth to sauour of some corruption bothe for sundrie other causes and also for that it agréeeth not with the very true Epistle of Iulius whiche Athanasius allegeth in his Apologie and yet ought bothe these Epistles to be al one without difference Wherfore we haue good cause to thinke That al is not Gospel that commeth from Rome Thus ambitiously to auance them selues vnder pretence of suche Appeales oftentimes not vnderstandinge the case as it wel appeareth by that is written of Apiarius and by the storie of Flauianus and Eutyches they founde faulte with good Catholique Bishops and receiued Heretiques into their fauour wherwithal the Bishoppes in the General Councel of Aphrica fynde them selues muche gréeued Firste therefore I must shewe that there laye no such ordinarie Appeale from al Countreis of the worlde to the Bishop of Rome that therefore the same is by M. Hardinge vntruely auouched That doone I trust it shal not be harde to answeare these places of Chrysostome Athanasius and Theodoretus here alleged And that there laye not any suche Appeale to Rome it is plaine by consent of General Councelles by the authoritie of Holie Fathers and by the Lawes and Ordinances of Emperours and Princes By whiche groundes it is easie to vnderstande the practise and order of the Churche in those dayes In the Councel of Nice it is Decréed thus Ab alijs excommunicati ab alijs ad Communionem ne recipiantur Let not them that stande Excommunicate by one Bishop be receiued againe to the Communion by any other M. Hardinges Appeales and these woordes can not wel stande togeather But he wil saye The Bishop eyther of ignorance or of malice maye Excommunicate the partie wrongfully In this case the same Councel hath prouided remedie of Appeale not vnto the Bishop of Rome but vnto a Prouincial Synode within the Countrey These be the woordes Ergo vt haec possint digna examinatione perquiri rectâ— visum est per singulos annos in singulis prouincijs bis in anno Episcoporum Concilium fieri vt simul in vnum conuenientes ex communi Prouincia huiusmodi quaestiones examinent Therefore that these thinges maye be wel examined it is wel prouided that euery yeere in euery Prouince at two seueral times there be holden a Councel of Bishops that they meetinge togeather out of al partes of the Prouince maye heare and determine suche complaintes The Bishoppes in the Councel holden at Tela in
come foorthe and iustly require me to subscribe Thus the Maior beinge false the Minor not proued the Conclusion not following thou séest good Christian Reader what inuincible force M. Hardinge hath brought to proue his Masse But bicause he séemeth to set somwhat by the windinge vp of his Clewe it shal not be from the purpose to vnwinde it againe and to lay it abroade and to consider the stuffinge of it and to sée how closely and handesomely it is wounde togeather First there is not one threade of the holy Scriptures in al this Clew but the plaine example of Christe and his Apostles quite refused Secondly the Priuate Masse is founded vpon the negligence and as M. Hardinge calleth it the vndeuotion of the people Thirdely there is a way diuised how twoo Priestes saieinge their Masses in diuerse countries may Communicate togeather in Breakinge Breade be the distance betwéen them neuer so greate and that without any manner warrant of Scripture or Doctour Fourthly Laye people wemen sicke folkes and boyes that receiued or ministred the Sacrament alone are brought in for this purpose as though it had béene lawfull then for wemen or boyes to say Masse Fifthly bicause S. Ambrose S. Augustine S. Hierome S. Chrysostome S. Basil and suche others woulde not serue there is brought in a greate number of Pety Doctours al of doubtful credite and many of them longe sithence misseliked and condemned by the Churche Sixthly the mater is made good by Uisions Dreames and Fables Seuenthly there are alleged Canons of Councels not extant in any Councel geathered without greate iudgement by one Gratian and yet none of them neither proouing nor once naminge the Priuate Masse Eighthly bicause M. Harding coulde not finde his Masse in the whole Church of Rome within the space of sixe hundred yeres after Christe he hath therefore made searche at Alexandria in Egypte at Antioche in Syria at Caesaria in Cappadocia a thousande Myles beyonde the Limites of al Christendome where as was neuer Priuate Masse said neither then nor before that time nor neuer sithence Nienthly for that he stoode in despaire of Cathedral and other like great Churches he hath sought out Chapels Celles Oratories and Priuate houses and because he had no hope to spéede in Townes or Cities he hath sought out the litle Churches in the Countrie Tenthly notwithstandinge al this inquirie he hath not yet founde neither the name of Priuate Masse nor any Priest that euer ministred receiued alone To be shorte the whole substance of his proufes hangeth onely vpon his owne surmise without any certaintie or appearance of truthe These be the contentes of M. Hardinges Clew and thus substantially hath he prooued the antiquitie and vniuersalitie of his Masse Now good Reader to geue thee onely a taste of some parte that may be saide of our side firste it is apparent that Christe our Sauiour at his laste Supper Ministred the holy Communion and no Priuate Masse and bade his Disciples to doo the same in his remembrance Likewise S. Paule willed the Corinthians one to waite and tarie for an other in the holy Ministration and to conforme them selues to Christes example Wherevpon S. Hierome saithe as it is before alleged The Lordes Supper must be Common vnto al for the Lorde deliuered the Sacramentes equally vnto al the Disciples that were present And S. Ambrose likewise expoundinge these woordes Inuicem expectate waite one for an other saith thus That the Oblation of many may be celebrate togeather and may be ministred vnto al. In the Canons of the Apostles it is Decréed that if any man resort vnto the Churche and heare the Scriptures and absteine from the Communion he stande excommunicate as one that troubleth the Congregation The like Decrées are founde vnder the names of Calixtus Anacletus Martinus Hilarius and others by whiche it is certaine that the whole Churche then receiued togeather Clemens as M. Hardinge calleth him the Apostles fellow writeth thus Let so many Hostes be offred vpon the Aultare as may be sufficient for the people S. Augustine saithe of the Congregation in his time Euery day wee receiue the Sacramente of Christes Body And openinge the same more particularly he saithe thus Vnde confido in eis quibus heri Communicasti hodiâ— Communicas cras Communicabis What trust can I haue in them with whom thou diddest Communicate yesterday and doost Communicate to day and wilt Communicate againe to morrow Clemens Alexandrinus saithe After that certaine as the manner is haue diuided the Sacrament they geue euery of the people leaue to take parte of it S. Chrysostome plainly describeth the very order of the Communion that was vsed in his time by these woordes The spiritual and reuerende Sacramentes are set foorth equally to riche and poore neither doothe the riche man enioye them more and the poore man lesse they haue al like honour and like comminge to them The Sacramentes beinge once laide foorthe as then the manner was for the people to receiue are not taken in againe vntil al the people haue Communicate and taken parte of that spiritual meate but the Priestes stande stil and waite for al eâ—en for the poorest of them al. Againe he saithe There are thinges wherein the Priest differeth nothinge from the people as when wee must vse the feareful Mysteries For wee are al of one woorthinesse to receiue the same S. Gregorie saithe that euen in his time the order was that in the time of the holy Communion the Deacon should stande vp and say alowde vnto the people Si quis non Communicat det locum If there be any body that is not disposed to Communicate let him geue place This Latine woorde Missa in the time of Tertullian and S. Cyprian signified a dimissing or a licence to departe and was specially applied vnto the Communion vpon this occasion that I must here declare They that were then named Catechumeni that is to saye Nouices of the faithe and not yet Christened were suffered to be present at the Communion vntil the Gospel was ended Then the Deacon commaunded them foorthe pronouncing these woordes alowde Catechumeni exeunto Or thus Ite Missa est Goe ye foorthe ye haue licence to departe Of this dimissing or departinge foorthe of the Catechumeni and others the seruice it selfe was then called Missa The reast remained stil in the Churche and receiued the Communion togeather with the Priest Further the breakinge of the Breade whiche euen now is vsed in the Masse it selfe signifieth a distribution of the Sacrament vnto the people as S. Augustine saithe vnto Paulinus Ad distribuendum comminuitur It is broken to the ende it may be diuided Moreouer the Priest him selfe in his Masse saithe thus This holy Mixture and Consecration c. be vnto me and to al that shal receiue it vnto Saluation Thus the very name of the Masse
Communion as he him selfe seeth may be easely answeared and William Wideford a Doctour of his owne learning saith is foolishely and falsely brought in to serue this turne Yet he woulde not passe it ouer without some brauerie But now wil he bringe in suche authorities so cleare so forcible and so inuincible as can not possibly be auoyded How be it God be thanked these authorities be neither so weighty nor so strange I knew them al and had weighed them wel before I spake any thinge in that behalfe Here he doubleth a greate many thinges before by him alleged for his Priuate Masse in déede seruinge as wel to the one purpose as to the other M. Hardinge The .17 Diuision Melciades that Constant Martyr of Christe and Bishop of Rome ordeined that sundrie hostes prepared by the consecratinge of a Bishop shoulde be sent abroade amonge the Churches and Parishes that Christian folke who remained in the Catholike faithe might not through heretiques be defrauded of the holy Sacrament Whiche can none otherwise be taken then for the forme of Breade onely bicause the wine cannot so conueniently be caried abroade from place to place in smal quantitie for suche vse muche lesse any longe time be kepte without corruption The B. of Sarisburie This argument hangeth onely vpon lacke of carriage For if it were possible to diuise a way that the Sacrament might be caried aboute in bothe kindes then were this gheasse soone answeared For otherwise Melciades speaketh not one woorde of the Communion in One Kinde Now that the carriage of bothe kindes is not impossible the examples of antiquitie doo wel declare S. Hierome writeth thus of Exuperius the Bishop of Tholouse in Fraunce Nihil illo diâ—ius qui Corpus Domini in canistro vimineo sanguinem portabat in vitro There was no man richer thâ—n he that carried the Lordes Body in a wickeâ— Basket and his Bloud in a Glasse Likewise Iustinus Martyr declaring the order of the Churche in his time saithe thus Illis quae cum gratiarum actione consecrata sunt vnusquisque participat Eadem ad eos qui absunt Diaconis dantur perferenda Of the thinges that be consecrate that is the Breade Water and Wine euery man taketh parte The same thinges are deliuered to the Deacons to be carried vnto them that be away Here haue we founde not onely a possibilitie but also a common vsage practise of carrieyng the Sacrament in Bothe Kindes This is the first inuincible argument that al the worlde cannot answeare M. Hardinge The .18 Diuision The Councel of Nice decreed that in Churches where neither Bishop nor Priest were present the Deacons them selues bringe foorthe and eate the holy Communion VVhiche likewise can not be referred to the forme of wine for cause of sowringe and corruption if it be longe keapte The B. of Sarisburie This later clause Ipsi proferant edant Let them bringe it foorth them selues and eate neither is in the Gréeke nor in the Decrées nor in the former edition of the Councels Certaine woordes somewhat like are founde in Rufinus in this sorte Praesentibus Praesbyteris Diacoâ—â— ne diuidant Eucharistiam sed illis agentibus Solùm ministrent Si verò praesbiter nullus sit in praesenti tunc demum etiam ipsis liceat diuidere In the presence of the Priestes let not the Deacons diuide or minister the Sacrament but onely serue the Priestes in their office But if there be no Priest present then let it be lawful for the Deacons to minister Here is very smal healpe for M. Hardinges purpose onlesse perhappes he wil say that Proferre or diuidere Is to minister in One Kinde But if he thinke this a very fonde Translation as it is in déede then this authoritie might haue béene spared M. Hardinge vpon occasion of these woordes would haue men beléeue that the Deacon in the absence of the Priest wente to the Pyx and tooke out the Sacrament and receiued it But Rufinus speaketh not one woorde neither of takings foorthe of the Sacrament nor of the receiuing of the Deacon but of Diuidinge or Ministringe to the people And his meaning séemeth to be this that in the absence of the Priest the Deacon might Consecrate and so serue the people Whiche thinge notwithstanding it séeme in some parte contrary to an other Canon of the same Councel namely in the presence of a Priest yet that it was so vsed in the primitiue Churche it appeareth by most manifest and certaine prouâ—es S. Ambrose imagineth S. Laurence beinge a Deacon thus to say vnto Sixtus the Bishoppe when he saw him ledde to his Martyrdome Experire vtrum idoneum ministrum elegeris cui commiseris Dominici sanguinis Consecrationem O â—ather trie whether thou haue chosen a â—itte minister vnto whom thou hast committed the Consecration of the Lordes Bloud By these woordes wée sée that Deacons then vsed to Consecrate Therefore Eutropius was not wel aduised when he without cause corrupted and altered S. Ambroses woordes and for Dominici sanguinis Consecrationem redde Dominici sanguinis dispensationem For it followeth immediatly in S. Ambrose Et consummandorum consortium Sacramentorum That is The fellowship of perfiting the Sacraments And the Emperour Iustinian in his Authentiques De ecclesiasticis diuersis capitulis Let the Bishop appoint vnto the wemen that be vnder his gouernement suche Priest or Deacon as they shal choose to make answears vnto them or to minister vnto them the holy Oblation The same also may euidently be geathered by the seconde Canon of the Councel Ancyrane the woordes be Diaconi similiter qui immolauerunt honorem quidem habeant cessare verò debent ab omni Sacro ministerio â—iue a Pane â—iue a Calice offerendo vel praedicaÌ„do Let the Deacons that haue offered vnto Idoles keepe their estate stil. But they must geue ouer al holy Ministerie both of offring the Bread and Wine and also of preachinge This parte of the Deacons office was afterward in sundrie decrées abrogated First Bergomensis in the life of Honorius saith It was Decreed by Zosimus Bishop of Rome that the Deacon shoulde not minister in the presence of the Bishop or Priest And longe before that time order was taken in the Councel holden at Arle in Fraunce that Deacons should not minister the Sacrament at al. The woordes be De Diaconis quos cognouimus multis locis offerre placuit id minimé fieri debere Touchinge Deacons of whom we heare say that they make the oblation in many places we haue thought it good that they doo so no more M. Hardinge wil not denie but these be proufes sufficient that the Deacons in those daies vsed to minister the holy Communion Therefore the meaninge of the Councel of Nice is not that the Deacon should goe to the Pix and take the Sacrament reserued as M. Hardinge séemeth to geather vpon a false texte being neither in the Gréeke nor in the former
people without consent of a General Councel It appeareth wel God is not bounde to suche orders He hath oftentimes restoared his Churche and reformed Abuses and Heresies by particular conference within seueral Realmes and Countries as wée sée by these Priuate Councels holden at Carthage vnder S. Cyprian at Neocesaria in Pontus at Ancyra in Galatia at Gangra in Paphlagonia and by other like without any consent of a General Councel So likewise saith S. Ambrose against Secundus and Palladius The Bishoppes of the East parte and so the Bishoppes of the weast haue euer vsed seuerally to assemble them selues togeather as occasion was offered and to reforme their Churches by them selues without troublinge the whole worlde But saith M. Hardinge Christe him selfe hath by special vvoordes commended the authoritie of Councels Qui vos audit me audit He that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth mee Wée denie not the truthe of these woordes notwithstanding it is plaine Christe spake there no more of a Councel then of any one priuate man hauinge Commission from him and dooinge his commaundement wherevnto the whole Councel is bounde to yeelde no lesse then others and without whiche the Councel be it neuer so General is no Councel But where did euer Christe geue commaundement that the Seruice should be saide in a strange vnknowen tongue Or where did any General Councel euer decrée it Once againe I aske M. Harding and gently desier his answeare where did any General Councel from the beginning of the worlde euer decrée that the people shoulde heare their Seruice in a strange vnknowen tongue If there be any suche Councel why dooth he not shewe it If there be none nor neuer were any why doth he thus mocke the worlde with the name of a Councel Cicero saithe very wel of him selfe Nihil nobis opus erat Lege de quibus nihil esset actum Legibus To restoare me from exile I needed no lawe against whome there was nothinge donne by Lawe So may we likewise say Wee neede no Councel to restoare Goddes Truthe that was taken away from vs without a Councel Euery Prince is bounde in the whole to see the Reformation of his owne Churche and Countrie Neither wil God holde him excused if he say I wil tarie til al other Princes and the whole worlde doo the like Iosue that noble Prince when he had assembled al the Tribes of Israel before him thus he spake vnto them Si malum vobis videtur vt seruiatis Domino optio vobis datur Ego autem Domus mea seruiemus Domino If ye thinke it il to serue the Lorde ye shal haue your choise but I and my house wil serue the Lorde It pleased God to plante this Church in this Realme three hundred yeeres before the first General Councel was holden at Nice The Lordes hande is not shortened He is likewise hable nowe to reforme the same by his holy Woorde without tarrieinge for a General Councel How be it the worlde may see these be but pretertes and vaine shiftes without any simple meaninge They haue now had a Councel of longe continuanâ—e They haue hearde the great complaintes of al Christian Kingdomes and Countries namely touchinge their Common Seruice M. Hardinge him selfe confâ—sseth It vvere good the people vnderstoode it Yet not withstandinge the Councel saithe No it were il it were not good and can in no wise abide it And so either the Councel condemneth M. Hardinge or els M. Hardinge condemneth his Councel But Christe saithe vnto vs Let the deade burie their deade come thou and followe me M. Hardinge The .32 Diuision Yet al standeth not in vnderstandinge S Augustine saithe notably Turbam non intelligendi viuacitas sed credendi simplicitas tutissimam facit That as for the common people it is not the quickenesse of vnderstandinge but the simplicitie of beleuinge that maketh them safest of al. And in another place Si propter eos solos Christus mortuus est qui certa intelligentâ—a possunt ista disceinere penè frustra in Ecclesia laboramus If Christe saithe he died onely for them whiche canne with certaine or sure vnderstandinge discerne these thinges concerninge God then is the laboure we take in the Churche in maner in vaine God requireth not so muche of vs how muche we vnderstande as howe muche we beleeue and through belefe howe muche we loue And when we shal al appeare before Christ in that dreadeful daie of Iudgemente 84 we shal not be required to geue an accompte of our vnderstandinge but faithe presupposed of our Charitie The B. of Sarisburie Where as M. Hardinge saithe Al standeth not in vnderstandinge If he meane thereby profounde knowledge and deepe conceiuinge of Mysteries as S. Augustine also meante it may wel be graunted Otherwise as touchinge the publique Seruice as Chrysostome saithe Onles the vnlearned vnderstande what thou praiest he is not edified neither canne he geue consent vnto thy prâ—ier thou throwest thy woordes into the winde and speakest in vaine And therfore the very substance of the Publique praier reasteth in the vnderstandinge of the hearer No man may iustly presume of that M. Hardinge saithe we shal not render accoumpte of our knowledge For at that terrible daie of the Lorde we shal assuredly render accoumpte of our wilful Ignorance Christe him selfe vnto whome God hath geuen al iudgement saithe If the blinde leade the blinde bothe shal fal into the pitte And againe This is the Condemnation of the worlde light is come into the worlde and men loue the darkenesse more then the light This saithe Christe is the Condemnation of the worlde And the wise man saith The wicked at that terrible time shal make their moane on this sorte Aberrauimus à via veritaris Iustitiae lumen non fulsit nobis Sol intelligentiae non exortus est nobis We straied from the way of the Trueth and the light of Iustice shined not before vs neither did the Sonne of vnderstandinge arise vnto vs. Chrysostome oftentimes complaineth of the peoples negligence in this behalfe Non sum inquis Monachus Vxorem habeo filios curam Domus Hoc illud est quod omnia quasi vna quadam peste corrumpit quòd Lectionem diuinaruÌ„ Scripturarum ad solos puâ—atis Monachos pertinere c. Thou wilt saie I am no Monke I haue wife and Children and charge of householde This is it that as it were with a Pestilence infecteth al togeather that ye thinke the readinge of the Holy Scriptures belongeth onely vnto Monkes He addeth further Multò est grauius atque deterius superfluam esse putare Legem Dei quà m illam omninò nescire Haec enim verba sunt quae de Diabolica prorsus meditatione promuntur The faulte is greater and more greeuous to thinke Goddes Lawe is superfluous and not needeful for thee then to be ignorant
of Rome in the highest state of the Churche as Athanasius with al the Fathers of that Alexandrine Councel recordeth If this I saye be true then is it easely seene vpon howe good grounde this doctrine standeth whereby it is affirmed that the Bishop of Rome his primacie hath his force by Goddes Lawe and not onely by mans Lawe muche lesse by vniuste vsurpation The Scriptures by whiche as wel these as al other holy and learned Fathers were leadde to acknowlege and confesse the Primacie of Peter and his successours were partely suche as Anacletus and Gregorie here allegeth and Cyprian meaneth as it appeareth by his thirde treatise De simplicitate praelatorum and sundry moe of the Newe Testament as to the learned is knowen of whiche to treate here largely and piâ—hâ—hely as the weight of the matter requireth at this time I haue no leysure neither if I had yet might I conueniently performe it in this treatise whiche othervvise vvil amounte to a sufficient bignesse and that matter throughly handled wil â—il a right great volume VVherefore referringe the readers to the credite of these woorthy Fathers who so vnderstâ—â—de the Scriptures as thereof they were perswaded the primacie to be attributed to Peters successour by â—od him selfe I wil proceede keepinge my prefixed order Where at the preeminence of power and auctoritie whiche to the Bishop of Rome by special and singular priuilege God hath graunted is commended to the worlde by many and sundrie Councelles for auoidinge of tediousnesse I wil rehearse the testimonies of a fewe Amonge the Canons made by three hundred and eightene Bishops at the Nicene Councel which were in number 70 and 96 al burnt by heretikes in the East Churche saue .xx. and yet the whole number 97 was kepte diligently in the Churche of Rome in the original it selfe sent to Syluester the Bishop there from the Councel subscribed with the saide 318. Fathers handes the. 44. Canon whiche is of the power of the Patriarche ouer the Metropolitanes and Bishops and of the Metropolitane ouer Bishops in the ende hath this Decree Vt autem cunctis ditionis suae nationibus c. As the Patriarke beareth rule ouer al Nations of his iurisdiction and geueth lawes to them and as Peter Christes Vicare at the beginninge sette in auctoritie ouer Religion ouer the Churches and ouer al other thinges perteining to Christe was 98 Maister and Ruler of Christian Princes Prouinces and of al Nations so he whose Principalitie or Chieftie is at Rome like vnto Peter and equal in auctoritie obteineth the rule and soueraintie ouer al Patriarkes After a fewe woordes it foloweth there If any man repine againste this Statute or dare resist it by the Decree of the whole Councel he is accursed Iulius that woorthy Bishop of Rome not longe after the Councel of Nice in his epistle that he wrote to the. 90. Arriane Bishops assembled in the Councel at Antioche against Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria reprouinge them for their vniuste treatinge of him saithe of the Canons of the Nicene Councel then freshe in their remembrance that they commaunde Non debere praeter sententiam Romani pontificis vllo modo Concilia celebrari nec Episcopos damnari That without the auctoritie of the Bishop of Rome neither Councelles ought to be keapte nor Bishoppes condemned Againe that nothinge be Decreed without the Bishop of Rome Cui haec maiora Ecclesiarum negotia tam ab ipso Domino quà m ab omnibus vniuersorum Conciliorum Fratribus speciali priuilegio contradita sunt To whom these and other the weightie matters of the Churches be committed by special Priuilege as wel by our Lorde him selfe as by al our Brethern of the whole vniuersal Councelles Amonge other principal pointes whiche he reciteth in that Epistle of the Nicene Councelles Canons this is one Vt omnes Episcopi c. That al Bishoppes who susteine wronge in weightie causes so often as neede shal require make their appeale freely to the See Apostolike and flee to it for succour as to their Mother that from thence they may be charitably susteyned defended and deliuered To the disposition of whiche See the auncient auctoritie of the Apostles and their successours and of the Canons hath reserued al weightie or great Ecclesiastical causes and iudgementes of Bishoppes Athanasius and the whole companie of Bishoppes of Egypte Thebaida and Lybia assembled togeather in Councel at Alexandria complaininge in their Epistle to Felix the Pope of great iniuries and griefes they susteined at the Arrians allegeth the determination of the Nicene Councel touching the Supreme auctoritie and power of that See Apostolike ouer al other Bishoppes Similiter à supradictis Patribus est definitum consonanter c. Likewise say they it hath beene determined by common assent of the foresaide Fathers of Nice that if any of the Bishoppes suspecte the Metropolitane or their felowe Bishoppes of the same Prouince or the Iudges that then they make their appeale to your holy See of Rome to whome by our Lorde himselfe power to binde and louse by special priuilege aboue other hathe been graunted This muche alleged out of the Canons of the Nicene Councel gathered partely out of Iulius Epistle who wrote to them that were present at the makinge of them whiche taketh away al suspicion of vntrueth and partely out of Athanasius and others that were a great parte of the same Councel The B. of Sarisburie A scarcrowe stufte with strawe and set vpright may séeme a farre of to be a man Euen so a forger of lies and fables prickte vp in the apparel of auncient names may séeme to the ignorant an Olde Catholique Father No maruel though this authoritie like M. Hardinge beste aboue al others for it is moste vaine and shameles aboue al others and therefore méetest to helpe vp a shameles Doctrine It is no newe practise in the Churche of Rome to forge euidence in the name of Olde Fathers as God willinge hereafter it shal better appeare But as for this Epistle and certaine others that are carried aboute vnder the name of that Godly Bishop Athanasius I wil onely rippe vp the stuffinge and open some parte of the contentes of them and so wil not refuse M. Hardinge him selfe to be the Iudge First that they were neuer written in Gréeke and therefore not by Athanasius it may appeare by sundrie tokens and namely by the allusion of these two Latine woordes Vertex and Vertuntur Romana Sedes est sacer vertex in quo omnes verâ—untur The Latine is rude and barbarous and many times vtterly voide of sense The manner of vtterance is childishe and bablinge emptie of mater and ful of woordes without measure The substance of the whole is nothinge els but flatteringe and auancinge of the Sée of Rome farced vp and set out with lies without shame The authour hereof speaking of the Churche of Rome saith Inde Ecclesiae sumpsere Praedicationis exordium
vnto them aboue al others Noli altum sapere sed time Be not highe minded but stande in awe Wherefore it is the lesse to be marueled if they haue so ambitiousely at al times attempted dominion ouer others But M. Hardinge saithe the preeminence of power and authoritie of the Bishop of Rome is commended to the worlde by many and sundrie Councelles Wherein I maruel he allegeth not the Councel of Carthage of Hippo Regius and of Aphrica in whiche it was decreed thus Vt primae sedis Episcopus non appelletur Princeps sacerdoâ—um aut Summus sacerdos aut aliquid huiusmodi sed tantùm primae Sedis Episcopus That the Bishop of the firste See be not called the chiefe of Priestes or the highest Prieste or by any other like name but onely the Bishop of the firste See Or the Councel of Aphrica where toutchinge appeale to Rome it was specially prouided thus Si prouocandum putauerint non prouocent nisi ad Aphricana Concilia vel ad primates prouinciarum suarum Ad transmarina qui putauerit appellandum à nullo intra Aphricam in CoÌ„munionem suscipiatur If they thinke it needeful to appeale from their owne Bishoppes let them not appeale but onely vnto Councelles to be holden within the countrie of Aphrica But who so euer shal thinke it needeful to appeale to the iudgement of any beyonde the Sea that is to the Bishop of Rome let no man within Aphrica receiue him to his Communion Why doothe M. Hardinge so warily leaue these Councelles that be ertant and to be séene the authoritie whereof was neuer doubted of and allege onely a patche of the Councel of Nice whiche he him selfe confesseth was burnte and al the Bishoppes of the East parte who are supposed to haue made it protest openly vnder their handes and seales it was neuer made But M. Hardinge herein doothe muche like vnto the Arrians that accused Athanastus who were not ashamed to bringe in the names of certaine menne as beinge aliue to witnesse againste him and yet not withstandinge charged Athanasius with the same menne that he had slaine them Neither doo I sée wherefore M. Hardinge shoulde néede in this case to leane to the authoritie of any Councel For his Anacletus thought it better to make men beleeue he had his superioritie Not from the Apostles but from Christe him selfe And Faustinus Episcopus Potentinus claiminge for the Bishop of Rome in the Councel of Carthage and findinge him selfe to haue smal holde in this Canon of the Nicene Councel alleged rather Custome and prescription These be his woordes Tractandum est cum vestra beatitudine de Nicenis Canonibus vt conseruentur constituta eoruÌ„ Consuetudo Quia aliqua ordine Canone tenentur aliqua Consuetudine firmata sunt â–ª We must deale with your holines of the Canons of the Councel of Nice that thei maie be keapte both the Constitutions thereof and also the Custome For certaine thinges are holden by order and by Canon and certaine thinges are made good by Custome But Pope Nicolas the first vtterly refuseth not onely the Councel of Nice and al other Councelles in this behalfe but also the authoritie of Prescription and Custome For thus he saithe Animaduertendum est quia non Nicena non denique vlla Synodus quicquam Romanae contulit Ecclesiae priuâ—legij quae in Petro nouerat eam totius iura potestatis pleniter meruisse cunctarum Christi ouium regimen accepisse Ye muste consider that neither the Councel of Nice nor any other Councel euer gaue any priuilege to this Churche of Rome For this Churche knoweth that in Peter she hath fully deserued the right of al power and hath atteined the gouernement of al the sheepe of Christe But touchinge the forgerie of this Councel of Nice the very beginninge of the quarel and the whole storie standeth thus One Apiarius a Priest of the Churche of Sicca in Aphrica as it appeareth a very il man beinge iustly excommunicate bothe by his owne Bishop and also by a great number of other Bishoppes togeather in the Councel there appealed from them al vnto Zosimus then Bishop of Rome Zosimus without further knowlege of the cause neuer hearinge the other partie pronounced Apiarius to be innocent restoared him to the CoÌ„munion And vnderstandinge there was a Councel geathered in Aphrica touchinge the same sent thither Faustinus the Bishop of Potentia with twoo other priestes of Rome Philippus Asellus not onely to sée that the saide Apâ—arius without any further trial might be restoared vnto his right but also to make plea in the open Councel that it should be lawful for any prieste to appeale from his owne ordinarie or Metropolitane or Councel vnto the Apostolique See of Rome The Bishoppes of Aphrica answeared there was no law it shoulde be so Faustinus laide foorth this Canon of the Councel of Nice not made by the authoritie of the Bishops there but onely diuised by the Bishop of Rome The Bishops there emonge whome was S. Augustine that famous learned Father thought it was a forged mater therfore saide they woulde sende vnto Alexandria Antioche Constantinople for the very Original copies of the saide Councel and desired the Bishop of Rome to doo the same and saide that in the meane while they woulde doo as they had done before Upon this Message and returne of the answeare with the true Authentique copies from Cyrillus the Bishop of Alexandria Atticus the Bishop of Constantinople it appeared plainely vnto the worlde that the Canons were corrupted that the Pope had falsified the holy Councel and to thintent to auaunce his Apostolique Sée of Rome had diuised Priuileges and Prerogatiues of his owne Here mightâ— M. Hardinge wel bestowe his termes Here mighte he truely say The Pope coggeth and foisteth the die The Pope bombasteth the Canons of Councelles and the Decrees of holy Fathers vvith his counterfeite stuffinge The Bishoppes in the Councel of Aphrica hauinge thus throughly examined the trueth hereof wrote vnto Coelestinus beinge then Bishop of Rome in this wise Decreta Nicena c. The Decrees of the Councel of Nice haue committed both the inferior Clerkes and also the Bishopes vnto their Metropolitanes For it was discreetely and rightly considered that al maters are to be determined in the places where they began and that no Prouince canne lacke the Holy Goste whereby the Bishoppes of Christe may be hable bothe wisely to see and also constantely to mainteine the right and specially for that it is lawful for euery man that shal mislike the discretioÌ„ of his Iudges to appeale either to a Particular Councel within the same Realme or elles to the vniuersal Councel of the whole worlde Onles perchaunce some man wil saie God is hable to inspire the trial of Iustice into one man alone bicause he is Bishop of Rome and vvil not inspire the same into a
answeare The storie beinge truely knowen is sufficient to answeare it selfe It is certaine as wée haue before declared more at large and as it plainely appeareth by the Actes of the Councel of Aphrica that Zosimus the Bishop of Rome to the intente to auance him selfe ouer al other Bishoppes manifestly falsified the Nicene Councel This forgerie in the Councel of Aphrica was disclosed laide abroade to the eyes of al the worlde The Bishoppes there beinge in number twoo hundred and seuentiene saw that one Apiarius a Priest whom they for his open oultrage and wickednesse had Excommunicate was without any further examininge of the mater onely vpon his bare complainte admitted againe vnto the Communion and receiued into fauour in despite of al their dooinges by the Bishoppe of Rome They saw that the accusers and witnesses without whom no ordinarie iudgement can procéede either for age or for sickenesse other causes coulde not wel trauel so farre Therefore they desired the Bishop of Rome by their letters that he woulde bringe no suche ambitious puffe of vanitie into the Churche and made a straite Decrée in the Councel emonge them selues that it should not be lawful for any man to appeale out of Aphrica to any foren Bishop An hundred yéeres after that this Eulalius the Bishop of Carthage if it be true that is reported of him and not forged at Rome as were many thinges moe reconciled him selfe to the Churche of Rome in the time of Bonifacius the Seconde as it is recorded in the Pontifical for other recorde therof to my remembrance there is none The woordes of the Reconciliation be these Hanc professionem meam manu mea subscripsi c. This profession I haue subscribed with mine owne hande and haue directed the same to Bonifacius the holy and Reuerende Pope of the Cittie of Rome vtterly condemninge my Predecessours and Successours and al others that shal goe aboute to frustrate the Priuileges of the Apostolike See of Rome Likewise Bonifacius writeth hereof vnto Eulalius the Bishoppe of Alexandria in this wise Aurelius Carthaginensis Ecclesiac olim Episcopus cùm Collegis suis instigante Diabolo superbire temporibus praedecessorum nostrorum contra Romanam Ecclesiam coepit Aurelius sometime Bishop of Carthage togeather with his felowes his felowes were S. Augustine Alypius and twoo hundred and fifteene other Bishoppes beinge set on by the Diuel in the time of my predecessours beganne to beare him selfe disdainefully against the Churche of Rome The one of these by a publique instrumente vnder his hande and seale vtterly condemneth and accurseth S. Augustine with twoo hundred and sixtéene other godly Bishoppes togeather with foure General Councelles of Aphrica Carthage Mileuitum and Hippo the other saithe they were al sette a woorke and prickte foorthe by the Diuel and liued out of the Churche of God and died in Schisme If this be true then ought S. Augustine no longer to be holden for a Saincte neither to haue any roome in the Calendar But if al these godly Fathers that iustly and truely defended the holy Councel of Nice were leadde with the Diuel with what sprite then was he leadde that openly and in the sight of al the worlde durste to corrupte and falsifie the same Councel Uerily Dionysius the Bishop of Corinthe complaineth thus Rogatu fraâ—rum meorum scripsi Epistolas sed illas Apostoli Diaboli alia eximentes alia interserentes impleuerunt Zizanijs quibus vae reponitur At the request of my brethren I wrote certaine Epistles but the Diuels Apostles by puttinge to and takinge fro haue filled them ful of Tares and Cockle But woe be vnto them But in the meane while saith M. Hardinge the Countrie of Aphrica euen by the punishment of God was Brought into subiection and spoiled by the Vandales Here M. Hardinge entreth into Goddes Iudgementes and pronounceth that al this Miserie happened vnto that Countrie for leauinge the See of Rome whiche thinge he reckeneth al one with the leauinge and forsakinge of God him selfe Howbeit M. Hardinge might soone knowe that aboute the very same time while Aphrica was thus afflicted the Citie of Rome it selfe was sixe times taken by wilde and Barbarous enimies the Visigotthi Ostrogotthi Heruli Vandali Hunni and Longobardi within the space of an hundred fourtie yéeres The Walles were rased the Towers throwen downe the Howses burnte the Nobilitie taken captiue the People spoiled and banished the Citie it selfe a longe time leafte waste and desolate without inhabiter If M. Hardinge can gheasse so rightly of the miseries of Aphrica howe happeneth it that he can gheasse nothinge of sixefolde greater miseries that at the same time befel vpon Rome If the Bishoppes and people of Aphrica were thus plagued for their Schisme wherefore then were the Bishops and people of Rome plagued that as it is supposed continued stil without Schisme Notwithstandinge Possidonius saithe That God of special mercie graunted S. Augustine who then was beséeged by the enimies that duringe his life his Cittie of Hippo shoulde not be taken And yet was the same S. Augustine the greatest discloaser of the forgerie and pride of the Bishop of Rome that is to saye the greattest authour and mainteiner of al this Schisme Touchinge the Reconciliation of Alexander the Bishop of Antioche M. Hardinge for the better furniture of the tale hathe wouen in and interlaced many woordes of his owne For in al that is written thereof by Innocentius there is no manner mention neither of Solemne Instrument of Repentance nor of acceptinge of Penance nor of Subiection or humble Submission In déede this Alerander at his firste entrie into the Bishoprike of Antioche findinge his Churche ful of Diuision by meane of one Eustathius by his wisedome and Godly exhortations brought the whole people there vnto vnitie and afterwarde wrought the like Godly policie in other Churches and ceased al the strife that had longe continued for the condemnation of Chrysostome and caused his name that his enimies had rased out to be inrolled againe amonge other Catholique Bishops and likewise wrote vnto the Emperour Theodosius the yonger and to the Bishoppes of other Countries to doo the like In the ende hauinge appeased al contentions in token not of subiection as M. Hardinge surmiseth but of ful consent and agréement he desired that his Churche might be ioyned in Communion and felowship with the Churche of Rome and other Churches of the Weast from whence before by reason of their Dissentions they had béene diuided Whiche thinge also appéereth by the woordes of Innocentius him selfe vnto Alexander touchinge the same Gratias agens Domino Communionem Ecclesiae vestrae ita recepi vt prae me feram Apostolicae Sedis Condiscipulos primos dedisse caeteris viam pacis I geuinâ—e God thankes so receiued the Communion and felowship of your Churche that I professe that you beynge our Schoolefelowes of the Apostolique See haue firste opened vnto others
they wil in no wise be called for that the name of a Kinge emonge them then was odious How be it he saith in deede thei are very Kinges So Augustus Caesar notwithstanding he were a Tyran had oppressed the people yet the chose to be called Tribunus plebis The Defender and Patrone of the people And Uerres notwithstanding he had miserably wasted and consumed the whole Ilelande of Sicilie yet in his title he woulde be called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is The Keper and Saueour of that Ilelande Thus they dissemble openly and as one saith With faire names they couer foule faultes But it was not any suche Dissimulation or countenaunce of Humilitie that moued Leo Gregorie or any other Godly Bishop of Rome to refuse this name as M. Hardinge imagineth but the very iniquitie and iniurie therein conteined For thus saith S. Gregorie Si vnus Patriarcha Vniuersalis dicitur Patriarcharum nomen cocteris derogatur c. If one be called the Vniuersal Patriarke then is the name of Paâ—riatkes taken from others But God keepe it farreâ—from any Christian minde that any man should take so muche vpon him The consenting vnto this wicked name is the loosinge of the Faith Therefore in the Councel of Carthage it is decréed thus Primae sedis Episcopus ne appelletur Princeps SacerdotuÌ„ vel Summus Sacerdos vel aliquid huiusmodâ— â–ª sed tantùm Primae Sedis Episcopus Vniuersalis autem nec etiam Romanus pontifex appelletur Let not the Bishop of the first See be called the chiefe of Bishoppes or the Highest Bishop or by any other like name But the Bishop of Rome him selfe may not be called the Vniuersal Bishop This later clause of that Canon Vniuersalis autem Episcopus nec etiam Romanus pontifex appelletur one Peter Crabbe the setter foorth of the Councels of purpose and contrary to good Faith dissembled least out How be it the fraude is soone discouered For yâ— same Clause is to be founde whole bothe in written examples of the Councels and also in Gratian that compiled the Decrées and in the very Barbarous Glose vpon the same by these woordes Hîc dicitur quòd Papa non debet vocari Vniuersalis Here it is saide that the Pope may not be called The Vniuersal Bishop M. Harding saith The Pope was called by that name and for prouse thereof allegeth a Councel without a Canon But the whole General Councel of Carthage saith The Bishop of Rome may not in any wise be so called and the Canon therof is apparent and may be seene Now let the Christian Reader iudge to whether he wil geue greater credite This Councel saith M. Harding woulde not haue offered this name vnto Leo onlesse it had beene lawful Yet he knoweth al is not law that is mooued in Councel Leo Gelasius as it is before said condemned certaine Decrées of this same CouÌ„cel of Chalcedon as Unlawful notwithstanding the Determination of .630 Bishops The Fathers in the Councel of Nice attempted contrary to Gods commaundements to breake the lawful Matrimonie of Priestes Bishops But their attempte bicause it was vnlawful was reprooued staied by Paphnutius M. Harding therefore might better conclude thus Leo Gregorie other holy Fathers Bishops of Rome refused the name of Uniuersal Bishop as it appeareth by their woordes for that it was iniurious vnto other Bishops a corruption of the Faith and for the same cause the General Councel of Carthage determined that the Bishop of Rome should not ne might not so be called Therefore that name was not lawful Al this notwithstanding true it is that M. Harding saith Leo in that Councel of Chalcedon was thus called The places be knowen and may not be denied He is so saluted in thrée sundrie Epistles the one sent by one Athanasius a Priest the other by one Ischyrion a Deacon the thirde by one Theodorus likewise a Deacon But of that whole number of sixe hundred and thirtie Bishoppes there assembled I trow M. Hardinge is not wel hable to shew that any one euer saluted or called him so Therefore whereas M. Hardinge the better to put his Reader in remembrance hath sette this note in the Margine that the Bishop of Rome was called the Uniuersal Bishop and Heade of the Churche aboue a thousand yéeres sithence he mighte with more truethe and muche better haue noted his booke thus S. Gregories vvoordes misalleged The Councel falsified This onely Canon lost al the reast vvhole and safe A straunge Priest and tvvo poore Deacons in their Priuate suites for their goodes and Legacies named Leo the Vniuersal Bishop â–ª But of the sixe hundred and thirtie Bishops that had voices in the Councel not one euer named him so Thus muche M. Hardinge mighte truely haue noted in the Margine Yet saithe M. Hardinge the Bishops of Rome â–ª that were godly Fathers and holy 〈◊〉 vsed this name as it appeareth by their Epistles And here are brought in the titles of letters vnder the names of Sixtus Pontianus and certaine others written as it is before declared a longe time after the writers were deade Suche ruinous fundations M. Hardinge hath chosen to builde vpon But what are these Olde Fathers taught to saye Or howe is M. Hardinge relieued by their woordes In the Salutation before their letters they write thus Sixtus Pontianus Victor Bishop of the Vniuersal Churche This saithe M. Hardinge is euen alone thinge with Vniuersalis Episcopus â–ª there is no manner difference O what ranginge and huntinge here is to beate vp that thinge that wil not be founde M. Hardinge bicause he can not finde the Uniuersal Bishop that he sought for therefore he hath sought out the nexte of kinne that is The Bishop of the Uniuersal Churche and these two he saithe be both one Howbeit this mater néedeâ— no greate séekinge euery Childe might soone haue founde it But if an Uniuersal Bishop and a Bishop of the Uniuersal Churche be al one thinge howe then is it true that S. Gregorie saithe Nemo decessorum c. None of my Predâ—cessours woulde euer consent to this name Or how can he finde suche faulte with the name of Uniuersal Bishop and beare so easily with the name of Bishop of the Uniuersal Churche which he knew his Predecessours had vsed if he tooke them bothe for one thinge without difference To be shorte if these names as M. Hardinge assureth him selfe be bothe one howe is the one Godly the other Ungodly the one Arrogant the other not Arrogant the one blasphemous the other not blasphemous This errour riseth of misvnderstandinge these woordes Vniuersalis Ecclesia For the Churche Uniuersal and the Churche Catholique the one beinge Gréeke the other Latine are bothe one and are commonly vsed of the learned Fathers as contrary to a Particular Churche as be the Churches of Heretiques Schismatiques In this sence euery Godly Bishop is a Bishop
goinge against this wil withdrawe them selues from the auctoritie of the Bishop of Rome Lo this is one chief inuincible reason that maketh me to be vnder the Bishop of Rome and compelleth me to confesse his primacie This farre Luther Thus I haue briefely touched some deale of the Scriptures of the Canons and Councelles of the Edictes of Emperours of the Fathers saieinges of the reasons and of the manifolde practises of the Churche whiche are wonte to be alleaged for the Popes primacie and supreme auctoritie VVith al I haue proued that whiche M. Iuel denteth 125 that the Bishop of Rome Withein sixe hundred yeeres after Christ hath beene called the Vniuersal Bishop of no smal number of menne of greate credite and verie ostentimes heade of the Vniuersal Churche both in termes equiualent and also expressely Nowe to the nexte article The B. of Sarisburie The case goeth somewhat hardely of M. Hardinges side when he is thus driuen for wante of other authorities to craue aide at Luthers hande Touchinge alteration in religion whiche it pleaseth him to name lightnes if he woulde soberly remember his owne often chaunges and the light occasions of the same he shoulde finde smal cause to condemne others Certainely D. Luther after God had once called him to be a minister of his Trueth neuer lookte backewarde from the plough nor refused the Grace that God had offred him notwithstandinge he sawe al the powers of the worlde were against him His argument is taken of the effectes or tokens of Goddes wil. The Pope saide he is auanced vnto a Monarchie or Emperial state of a Kingedome But he coulde neuer be so auanced without Goddes wil Ergo it was Goddes wil it shoulde be so Argumentes that be taken of Goddes permission or of the tokens of his wil make no necessary proufe either that the thinges in them selues be good or that God is pleased with them For God suffred Nabucodonozor Sennacherib Pharao and others and their very estates procéedinges were euident tokens of Goddes wil. For if his wil had béene otherwise they coulde not haue reigned Yet neither were they good men nor was God pleased with their dooinges So shal God suffer Antichriste to sitte euen in the holy place Daniel saithe Faciet prosperabitur He shal take his pleasure and shal prosper And againe Roborabitur fortitudo eius non in viribus suis. His power shal be confirmed but not through his owne strength but through the strength of God Yet shal not God therefore loue or fauour Antichriste or delite in his wickednes For S. Paule saith The Lorde shal kil him with the sprite of his mouth and shal destroy him with the brightnes and glorie of his comminge Now for as muche as it hath pleased M. Harding for the Conclusion hereof to touche the Effects of Godes wil I trust it shal not be paineful to thée gentle Reader likewise shortely to consider the effectes and sequeles of this Uniuersal power It is graunted that the Churche of Rome for sundrie causes before alleged was euermore from the beginninge the chiefe and moste notable aboue al others Notwithstandinge Eneas Syluius beinge him selfe a Bishop of Rome saith Ad Romanos pontifices ante Nicenum Concilium aliquis sanè si non magnus respectus fuit Verily there was some respecte had to the Bishoppes of Rome before the Councel of Nice although it were not great S. Cyprian in his time complained That Pride and Ambition seemed to lodge in priestes bosomes Origen in his time complained that the Ministers of Christe seemed euen then to passe the outrage of worldly Princes Yet was the Churche of God in those daies euerywhere vnder cruel and vehement persecution Therefore to abate this ambitious courrage order was afterwarde taken in the Councel of Carthage that no man shoulde be intitled the Highest Bishop or the Prince of Bishoppes or by any other like name The Greeke Bishoppes in the Councel of Antioche and the Bishoppes of Aphrica beinge in number twoo hundred and seuentéene in the Councel there founde them selues greeued with the Pride and Arrogancie of the Sée of Rome For that Iohn the Bishop of Constantinople tooke vpon him to be called the Uniuersal Bishop therefore Gregorie the Bishop of Rome called him Lucifer and the Messenger of Antichrist and saide He had chosen vnto him a proude and arrogant a pompous and a blasphemous name But after that by great sute made vnto the Emperour Phocas the Bishoppes of Rome them selues had once obteined the same title and had possessed enioied the same a longe while in the ende their pride was suche that it seemed intolerable Then they beganne to decrée and determine That euery mortal man is bounde to be subiecte to the Sée of Rome that vpon paine of damnation and that without the Obedience of that Sée noman is saued That the Bishop of Rome is an Uniuersal Iudge ouer al men and that he him selfe may be iudged by noman neither by Emperour nor by Kinge nor by al the Cleregie nor by the whole people For that it is written by the Prophets Esaie The Axe shal not glorie against him that heweth with it That what so euer he doo noman may presume to say vnto him Domine cur ita facis Sir why doo you thus That he hath al manner Lawe and Right in Scrinio pectoris sui in the Closet of his breaste That al other Bishoppes receiue of his fulnes That no Councelles can make lawes for the Churche of Rome and that the Bishop of Romes authoritie is plainely excepted out of al Councelles That notwithstandinge the Pope drawe innumerable companies of people after him into Helle yet no mortal man may dare to reâ—roue him That the Popes wil or pleasure standeth as a lawe In illis quae vult est ei pro ratione voluÌ„tas And that there is none other reason to be yéelded of his dooinges but onely this Quia ipse voluit For he woulde For of that that is nothinge he is hable to make some thinge Quia deâ—eo quod nihil est potest facere aliquid That he hath the right of bothe sweardes as wel of the Temporal as of the Spiritual That the Temporal Prince may not drawe his swearde but onely at his becke and sufferance ad nutum Patientiam Ecclesiae That he is Haeres Imperij the Heire apparent of the Empier and is seuen and fiftie degrees greater then the Emperour and that bicause in suche proportion the Sunne is greater then the Moone That it is lawful for him to depose kinges and Emperours as he did the Emperoure Henry the sixthe and Chilpericus the Frenche Kinge Then he made the Emperour of Christendome to lie downe flatte before him and spared not to sette his foote vpon his necke addinge withal theise woordes of the prophete Dauid Thou
shadowes of him selfe and fighteth stowtely against the same Therefore he maie soone attaine the Uictorie For wee saie not that the common people of al sortes and degrees ought of necessitie to reade al the holy Scriptures This is onely M. Hardinges fantasie We saie it not We knowe some are blinde and many vnlearned cannot reade But thus we saie That in the Primitiue Churche who so euer woulde and could reade might lawfully reade without controlmente Therefore S. Augustine saith as it is before alleged Aut ipsi legite aut alios legentes requirite Either reade your selues or geate some other to reade vnto yowe I graunt at the first preachinge and publishinge of the Gospel certaine Barbarous Nations that receiued the Faithe of Christe had neither Bookes nor Letters Yet were they not therefore ignorant or leafte at large to beléeue they knewe not what They had then certaine officers in the Churche whiche were called Catechistae whose dutie was continually and at al times to teache the Principles of the Faithe not by Booke but by Mouthe Of these mention is made in the Actes of the Apostles in the Councel of Nice and els where This office bare Origen that Ancient learned Father This doctrine Dionysius calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oracles or Instructions geuen from God And saithe They paste from one to an other not by Writinge but by Mouthe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from minde to minde Neither did these Traditions conteine any secrete or priuie Instructions or Inuentions of Men as it is imagined by some but the very selfe same Doctrine that was conteined written in the Scriptures of God And in this sorte the Gospel it selfe and the whole Religion of Christe was called a Tradition So Tertullian calleth the Articles of the Faithe An Olde Tradition So the Faithe of the Holy Trinitie in the Councel of Constantinople is called a Tradition And the Faithe of twoo sundrie Natures in Christe in the same Councel is called Apostolorum viua Traditio The Liuely Tradition of the Apostles So it is written in Socrates Credimus in vnum Deum Patrem secundum Euangelicam Apostolicam TraditioneÌ„ Wee beleeue in one God the Father accordinge to the Tradition of the Gospel and of the Apostles So S. Basile calleth it a Tradition To beleeue in the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghoste Therefore S. Paule saithe Teneâ—e Traditiones quas accepistis siue per Sermonem siue per Epistolam Keepe the Traditions that ye haue receiued either by Mouthe or els by Letter By these woordes the Doctrine of the Apostles is called a Tradition And for this cause S. Cyprian saithe Vnde est ista Traditio An de Dominica Euangelica Veritate descendens an de Apostolorum MaÌ„datis atque Literis veniens From whence is this Tradition whether cometh it from our Lorde and from his Gospel or els from the Epistles and Commaundementes of the Apostles Thus were the Barbarous Nations instructed by Tradition and by Mouthe and were made perfite in euery pointe and parcel of the Faithe and as Irenaeus saithe Had their Saluation by the Holy Ghost written in their Hartes and were as muche bounden vnto the same as vnto any writinges and letters of the Apostles Of suche liuely and cleare Doctrine S. Paule saithe Christe was set out and Crucified before the â—ies of the Galathians And thereof he saithe to the Philippiens My praier is that your Charitie may yet more and more abounde in al knowlege and in al vnderstandinge And thus notwithstandinge they were Barbarous yet were they hable to render an accoumpte of al the Religion and Faithe in Christe For thus Irenaeus writeth of them Si quis illis annuntiaret ea quae ab istis Haereticis inuenta sunt statim clauderent aures Yf any man woulde shewe these Barbarous Nations what thinges these Heâ—etiques haue inuented they woulde stoppe their eares and not abide it Likewise if a man woulde shewe them of the Profanation of Christes Holy Mysteries of Transubstantiation of Real and Fleashely Presence and of other like horrible disorders that nowe are holden and defended in the Churche of Rome as Irenaeus saithe Fugerent longo longiùs ne audire quidem sustinentes blasphemum colloquium They woulde flee away as farre as they were hable and would not abide the hearinge of suche blasphemous talke Thus were these Nations sufficiently instructed notwithstanding they were Barbarous and wanted Bookes But they of M. Hardinges side neither wil teache the people as their dutie is nor suffer them to reade the Holy Scriptures and to teache them selues Christe may iustly say to them as he did sometimes vnto others the like Woe be vnto you ye Scribes and Phariseis Ye shutte vp the Kingedome of Heauen before men and neither doo ye enter your selues nor suffer others that would enter Of suche Irenaeus speaketh in the nexte Chapter folowinge Hoc non est sanantium nec viuificantium sed magis grauantium augentium ignorantiam Et multò verior hic Lex inuenitur Maledictum dicens omnem qui in errorem mittit Coecum in via This is not the parte of them that would heale or gâ—ue life but rather of them that augment the burthen and increase ignorance And herein is the Lawe wel verified Accursed is he that leadeth the blinde out of his way M. Hardinge The .5 Diuision That it is not conuenient nor seemely al sortes of persons without exception to be admitted to the readinge of the Holy Scriptures I neede to say nothinge Euery reasonable man may easely vnderstande the causes by him selfe This is certaine diuerse Chapters and stories of the Olde Testament conteine such matter as occasion of euil thoughtes is like to be geuen if VVomen Maidens and Younge men be permitted to reade them Gregorie Nazianzene whome the Greekes called the diuine saith mooued with great considerations that it is not the parte of al persons to reason of God and of godly thinges neither behooueful the same be done in al times and place nor that al thinges touchinge God be medled withal VVhiche aduertisement taketh no place where al be admitted to the curiouse readinge of the Scriptures in their owne vulgare Tongue The B. of Sarisburie M. Hardinge saithe It is not conuenient nor seemely that al the people shoulde reade the Holy Scriptures As if he woulde say in plainer wise It is not meete nor seemely that God shoulde speake vnto euery of the poore simple people without exception How be it God him selfe saithe not so but rather the contrary S. Augustine saithe as it is alleged before God speaketh as a familiar frende vnto the harte bothe of the learned and also of the vnlearned For he hath no acceptation or choise of personnes If it be not seemely for the people of God to reade and
Cochlaeus de Sacrif Missae Canones Apost can 9. De Septem ordinib Eccle. gradu 6. Concil Toletan 12. Ca. 5. Beatus Rhenanus in annota in Tertul. De Corona Militis Concil Salesgunstadien ca. 5. Leonis Epist. 81. De Con. Dist. 1. Sufficit De Celebratione Missarum alijs c. Esai 1. Marke 4. Esai 1. Apocalyp â— â–ª Cicero Esaie 5. Iohan. 3. Cochlaeus de Sacrif Missae Rob. Holcot li. 4. quaest 3. â— Quaest. 7. Non oes In Glosa De verbis Domini in EuaÌ„gel Matthaeiserm 19 â—uetonius in Iuâ—â—o Plutarchus in Lysandra â— Samuel 5. Lidforde Lavve Cyrillus in Iohan li. 12. ca. 43. Tertull. de Râ—surrectione Carnis The .197 Vntruth For these tvvo Masses vvere tvvo Communions Churche filled â–ª The 198. Vntrueth For there is no such Canon in al that Councel ⧠This Deuotion vvas that the vvhole people shoulde receiue the Communion vvhich thing is contrary to Priuate Masse * To the Communion The people offer the Sacrifice A blinde Commentarie contrary to the Texte A guilâ—ful Fallax A non Causa vt Causa The Churche filled August de Verbis Domini secundum Lucam â—ermo 28. Hieronym in Apologia aduer sus Iouinian August De Bono Perseuer antiae 〈◊〉 2. ca. 4. Concil Agath Ca. 21. anno 44â— Concil Aruern ca. 14. anno 557. Augustin Epist. 118. ad IanuariuÌ„ Gregorius in Euangelia hom 8. De Conse Dâ—st â— Nocte Sancta Superbum Arrogans Antichristianum Iteretur De Conse dist 1. Sufficit De Celeb. Miss Consuluisti In Glosa Concil Salesgunstadien ca. â— M. Hardinges Syllogismus The .199 Vntrueth vvithout any honest shame For M. Harding knovveth there is no suche coÌ„mendation geuen to his Masse in the vvhole Bodie of the Scriptures Gerard. Lorichius de Missa Pub. Prorogan li. 3. Augustin contra Parmenianum li. 2. ca. 8. Non licet super vno Altario in vna die dâ—as Missaâ— celebraâ—e nec in Altâ—â—â—rio vbi Episcopus Missas dixerit presbyter illa die Missas dicar CoÌ„cil Anâ—â—siodoren c. 10. An. Dâ— 613. M. Hardinge groundeth his gheasse vvithout his compasse For this Councel vvas holden Anno. 613. In genere permissoâ—uÌ„ omniâ— intelligâ—â—tur permissa quae specialiter roâ—reperiuâ—tâ—r prohibita I. Iulia. ffâ— de â—estibuâ— â–ª Exceptio confirmat regulam iâ— non exceptis â–ª Canon 1. Canon 3. One Aultare Canon 8. Mellitum vel muâ—sum Canon 12. In. 2. Tomo Conciliorum in vita Deusdedit Anno. 614. Petrus Vrbeuetanus Thomas Valdensis li. 6. ca. 34. Franciscus in Epist. ad Fratres Ambros. 1. Timoth. Ca. 2. Ignatius ad Philadelphien Eusebius li. 10. ca. 4. In Encaenijs Augustinus de Verbis Dominâ— Secundum IohaÌ„ Ser. 47. Concil Constantino 5. Actione 1 Eusebius li. 10. ca. 4. Ignatius ad PhiladelphieÌ„ses Chrysost. in 2. Corin. hom 18. Gentianus Heruettus Deuteron 23. Ibidem Leuit. 18. Exod. 20. Ephes. 5. Matthae 15. Matthae 23. Matthae 16. Matthae 17. Matthae 23. D. Bernar. in Conuersione Pauli Bernard in Psalm Qui habitat Sermo 6. Augusti aduersus Maximinum lib. 3. Augustin contra Cresconium Crammattcum â–ª lib. 2. cap. 21. Can. 5. 1. Cor. 10. 1. Cor. 10. This vvoorde Misâ—a is founde sometimes in the Fathers But it is vâ—ed euermorâ— for the Communion Missa Esaie 1. De Cons. Dist. 2. Relatum est in Glosa Hebrae 10. Philippen 3. Hebrae 10. August in Sermontâ— de tempore Hieronym in Prouerb Cyprian lib. 3. Epistolar Gregorius Dialogor li. 2. ca. 23. The .200 Vntrueth For M. Harding vnderstandeth not his ovvne booke as it shal appeare Leo ad Dioscorum epist. 81. Anno. 68â— De Conse dist â— Relatum est In Glosa 1. Corin. 11. Matth. 18. Matthae 21. Hierem. 12. Esai 1. Bernard in CoÌ„cilio Remensi Bernard in CoÌ„uersione Pauli Nicolaus de Clauengijs Albertus Pigghius de Priâ—â—ta Missa Latomus contra Bucerum 1. Corin. 11. Matthae 15. Esai 29. Matthae 3. Apocalyp 2. Anno. 614. Anno 680. Leo Epis. 81. De Conse dist 2. Relatum est In â—losâ— Not Specially to be vvoorshipped Ergo to be vvoorshipped although not Specially August de Fide Symbolo Ca. 7. Epist. Epiphanij ad Iohannem Episcop Hierosol The Heathens Fathers of Images Antiquitie of Images The .201 Vntrueth conteininge three great Vntrueths togeather in one Exod. 25. Cap. 9. Exod. 37. Num. â—â— 3. Reg. 6. 2. Paâ—al 3. Exodi 20. Deuâ—eron 27. Psalm 96. Sapientia 14. Cyprian de Idolorum vanitate Ambros. in Psal. 118. Concil Nicen. 2. Actione 6. Eusebius lib. 7. cap 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Augustin contrae Adimantum ca 13. Laâ—â—antius lib. 2. Cap. 2. Daniel 3. Baruch 6. Lampridius Iulius Capitol Epiphanius Augustinus ad Quoduulâ—deuÌ„ Irenaeus lib. 1. ca. 24. Athansius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dion lib. 37. Origen contra Celsum li. 4. Tertullian De Idololatriae * He seemeth to vse Interdixit for Edixit Genesis 2â— Exod. 11. The Barsen Serpent The Cherubines The Brasen Serpent 2. Regum 18. Concilium Moguntinen cap. 42. Ezech. 9. In Commentar in Ezechielâ— The Signâ— of the Crosse coÌ„mended to meÌ„ by â—ods ProuideÌ„ce Eusebius Ecclesiast hist. lib. 1. cap. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sozomenâ— Tripart hist. lib. 5. cap. 50. Eccles. hist. li. 10. in 〈◊〉 Histo. Tâ—â—â—part lib. 9. cap. 29. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Actor 17 â–ª Cap. 16. Eccle. hist. lib. 11. cap. â—9 auctore Rufino Histor. tripart lib. 1. cap. 9. The Crosse. Lib. 1. coÌ„tra Symmaâ—hum Vide histo tripart lib. 1. cap. 5. lib. 5. Epistol 29. The .202 Vntrueth For Prudentius speaketh not of processioÌ„ in the Churches but of Marchinge in the fieldes Galat. 3. Deuteron 21. Chrysostom in Epis. ad Roman homil 2. 1. Corin. 1. Ibidem Augustin in Psalm 141. Chrysostom de laudib Pauli homil 4. Roman 1. Galat. 6. 1. Corin. 2. Ephes. 4. Collossen 2. Theodoretus li. 3. Cap. 27. Chrysostom in homi Quòd Christus est Deus Actorum 19. 4. Regum 13. Actor 5. Cassiodorus lib. 1. cap. 9. Ezechiel 9. Euseb. li. 9. ca. 9. Sozomen lib. 5. cap. 50. Rufinus lib. 10. Socrates lib. 5. ca. 17. Sozomen lib. 7. ca. 15. Rufinus lib. 2. cap. 9. Cassiodor lib. 1. cap. 9. Tertullian in Apologetico Sozomenus lib. 9 cap. 4. Aelius Spartianus Gregor ad German Patriarch in CoÌ„cil Nicen. 2. Action 6. Eusebius in vita Constantini â—ratio 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nicephor lib. 8. cap. 32. Ambrosius in Oratione funeâ—ri Theodosij Euseb De vitâ— Constantini Oratione 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Images froÌ„ thâ— Apostles time Prudentius contra Symmach lib. 1. The Genâ—alogie and peregâ—ination of a Fable It is a fabulouâ— tale neuer â—ritten by Athanasius Cap. 14. Lib. 6. 〈◊〉 part ca. 〈◊〉 Eusebius lib. 7. Cap. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—sebius li. 7. â—ap 18. Matth. 15. Basilius Moral Cap. 14. Sozomen lib. 5. cap. 8. Anno. 855. Abbas Vrspergen Carion Nicen. Concil 2. Actio 4. Nicen. Concil 2. Actio 2. A vaine Fabular He liued about the yeere
remembraunce of his passion and death and to be vsed al times vntil his comminge But what so euer he or al other the forerunners of Antichrist speake or woorke against it al that ought not to ouerthrowe the faith of good and true Christian men hauing for proofe therof beside many other places of holy scripture the figure of Melchisedech that was before the lawe the prophecie of Malachie in the lawe and lastly and most plainely the 5 institution of Christe in the newe testament VVhiche he lefte to the Apostles the Apostles to the Churche and the Churche hath continually kepte and vsed through the whole worlde vntil this daye Touchinge Doctours they haue with one consent in al ages in al partes of the worlde from the Apostles time forewarde bothe with their example and also testimonie of writinge confirmed the same faithe They that haue bene brought vp in learninge and yet through corruption of the time stande doubtful in this pointe let them take paines to trauel in studie and they shal finde by good auncient witnes of the priestes and Deacons of Achaia that 6 S. Andrewe the Apostle touching the substance of the Masse woorshipped god euery day with the same seruice as priestes now doo in celebrating the externals Sacrifice of the Churche They shal finde by witnes of Abdias first Bishop of Babylon who was the Apostles scholer 7 and sawe Christour sauiour infleshe and was present at the passion and martyrdome of S. Andrewe that S. Mathew the Apostle celebrated Masse in Ethiopia a litle before his Martyrdome They shal finde by reporte of an auncient Councel general that S. Iames wrote a Liturgie or a forme of the Masse They shal finde that Martialis one of the LXXII Disciples of Christe and Bishop of Burdeaulx in Fraunce sent thither by S. Peter serued god in lyke sorte 8 They shal finde in Clement the whole order and forme of the Masse set foorth by the Apostles them selues and the same celebrated by them after our lorde was assumpted before they went to the orderinge of Bishops priestes and the .vii. Deacons accordinge to his institution and the same right so declared by Cyrillus Bishop of Hierusalem In mystagogicis orationibus They shal finde the same most plainely treated of 9 and a forme of the Masse much agreable to that is vsed in these daies in writing set foorth by S. Dionyse whom S. Paule conuerted to the faith of whom it is mencioned in the actes of the Apostles who had conference with S. Peter Paule and Iohn the Euangelist and much acquaintance with Timothe Thus doo I geue the good Christen reader but a taste as it were of proofes without allegation of the woordes for confirmation of thy faith concerning the blessed Masse out of the Scriptures Apostles and Apostolike men 10 I doo further referre the to Iustinus the Martyr and Philosopher To Irenaeus the Martyr and Bishop of Lions who lyued with the Apostles scholers To the olde Bishop and Martyr Hippolytus that liued in Origens time who in his oration De consummatione mundi extant in Greeke maketh Christe thus to saye at the general iudgement vnto Bishops Venite Pontifices qui purè mihi Sacrificium die nocteque obtulistis ac pretiosum corpus sanguinem meum immolastis quotidie Comeye Bishops that haue purely offered Sacrifice to me daie and night and haue Sacrificed my pretious bodie and bloud dayly 11 Finally I referre them in steede of many to the two woorthy fathers Basile and Chrisostome whose Masses be lefte to the posteritie at this time extant 12 Amongst al Cyrillus Hierosolymitanus is not to be passed ouer lightly who at large expoundeth the whole Masse vsed in Hierusalem in his time the same which now we finde in Clement much like to that of Basile and Chrysostome and for the Canon and other principal partes to that is now also vsed in the Latine Churche As for the other Doctours of the Church that folowed the Apostles and those Apostolike men many in number excellent in learning holy of life to shew what may be brought out of their woorkes for proufe of this mater that thâ—oblation of the body and bloud of Christ in the Masse is the Sacrifice of the Church and proper to the new testament it woulde require a whole volume and therefore not being moued by M. Iuelles chalenge to speake specially thereof but as it is priuate after their meanige and many good treatises in defence of this Sacrifice beinge set foorth already in printe at this present I wil say nothing thinkinge hereof as Salust did of Carthago that great citie that it were better to keepe silence then to speake fewe The B. of Sarisburie God graunte vnto al his people the spirite of wisedome and vnderstandynge that they may be hable to discerne the Spirites whether they be of God or no that they may take héede of false Prophetes and geue eare to the voice of the Prince of Pastours flie the voice of strangers and beware of blinde guides that so often haue deceiued them Here M. Hardinge a litle ouermuch inflameth his choler and whom he listeth he calleth the enemies of the Sacrifice and the forerunners of Antichriste and what not euen with the same spirite that the Pharisies sometime saide Steuen had spoken against the holy Temple or Christe had vttered blasphemie against God I wil not answeare heate with heate but in such kinde of eloquence wil rather geue place As touchyng the mater M. Harding knoweth that S. Gregorie calleth him the forerenner of Antichrist not the saith Christ hath made a ful sacrifice for sinne once for al vpon the Crosse but that vaunteth him selfe aboue his brethren as did Lucifer and nameth him selfe an vniuersal Bishop ouer the whole Churche of Christe Such a one S. Gregorie calleth the forerenner of Antichrist And where as he calleth vs at his pleasure the enemies of the holy Sacrifice woe were vnto vs if we had not that Sacrifice We know that Christe is that lambe of God that hath taken away the sinnes of the worlde and that there is no name or Sacrifice vnder heauen wherby we can be saued but onely the name and Sacrifice of Iesus Christe And bicause we know that this Sacrifice is sufficient therefore we flie to no Sacrifice made by man The Sacrifice saith M. Hardinge commonly called the Masse But why sheweth he not of whom it is so called Uerely neither the Hebrues in their tongue nor the Gréekes in their tongue nor Christe nor his Apostles nor Tertullian nor S. Cyprian nor Origen nor Lactantius nor S. Hierome nor S. Augustine in any bookes vndoubtedly knowen for theirs nor his owne doctours Clement Abdias Hippolytus euer vsed the name of Masse Therefore it is maruel that he would say the Sacrifice is so commonly called the Masse If it might haue
woorde Communio is as muche as Participation or receiuinge of partes Micrologus saith Non potest propriè dici CoÌ„munio nisi plures de eodem Sacrificio participent It cannot iustly be called a Communion onlesse many doo receiue togeather of one Sacrifice If M. Hardinge wil not beleeue vs yet I hope he wil beléeue some of these They be al his owne It were muche for him to say they be al ignorant and vnlearned and not one of them vnderstoode what he wrote Certainely their age wil geue it them they are no Lutheranes S. Basile reporteth an Ecclesiastical Decrée or Canon that at the receiuinge of the holy Communion whiche he calleth Mysticum Pascha there ought to be twelue personnes at the least and neuer vnder M. Hardinge The .11 Diuision VVhat if foure or fiue of sundry houses in a sickenes time being at the point of death in a parish require to haue their rightes â—r they departe The Prieste after that he hath receiued the Sacramente in the Churche taketh his natural sustenance and dineth and then beinge called vpon carieth the rest a mile or two to the sicke in eche house none beinge disposed to receiue with the sicke he dooth that he is required 21 Dothe he not in this case communicate with them and doo not they communicate one with another rather hauinge a wil to communicate togeather in one place also if oportunitie serued Elles if this might not be accompted as a lawful and good Communion and therefore not to be vsed the one of these greate inconueniences should wittingly be committed 22 that either they shoulde be denied that necessary vitaile of life at their departinge hence which were a cruel iniurie and a thinge contrarie to the examples and godly ordinances of the Primitiue Churche Or the Prieste rather for companies sake then of deuotion shoulde receiue that holy meate after that he had serued his stomacke with common meates whiche likewise is against the auncient decrees of the Churche Euen so the Prieste that receiueth alone at Masse dooth communicate with al them that doo the like in other places and countries The B. of Sarisburie He that séethe no marke muste shoote by ayme What saithe M. Hardinge if foure or fiue men of sundrie houses within one Parishe be at the pointe of death and require their rightes and the Prieste haue diâ—â—ed Herevpon he thinketh may be grounded an argument inuincible for his Masse But what if the Prieste were fastinge shoulde he then say foure Masses to serue al foure And what if noman happen to be sicke then hath M. Hardinge loste a good argument Alas muste he leaue al the olde Doctours and holy Fathers and begge at deathes doore to geate somewhat to healpe his Masse In this case saithe M. Hardinge either the Prieste must communicate after he hath dined whiche is against the Canons or the sicke man muste receiue alone whiche is proufe sufficient for the Masse or els he muste passe without that necessarie vitaile whiche were a cruel iniurie and a thinge contrarie to the Primitiue Churche To answeare these pointes if the Prieste not withstandinge his diner communicate with the sicke then hath M. Hardinge yet founde no Priuate Masse And it appeareth by S. Augustine and â—ertaine olde Canons that in the Primitiue Churche bothe the Prieste and people sometimes communicated togeather after Supper And why is this prouision thought so necessarie Or why is it counted so cruel an iniurie if the sicke man passe without it Shal noman be saued that so departeth In déede that were a cruel iniurie Infinite numbers of Children and others departe this life in Goddes mercie without that vitaile In the Primitiue Churche this order was thought expedient not for the sicke for they in their health receiued dayly and in their sickenesse had the Sacrament ordinarily sent home vnto them but for personnes excommunicate and inioined to penaunâ—â— who vpon great and notorious crimes coulde not be suffred to communicate with the rest of the faithful sometimes duringe their whole life but onely when they shoulde departe the worlde This extremitie was vsed for terrour of others and suche reconciliation was thought necessarie at the ende for solace of the partie that he shoulde not vtterly be swalowed vp in despaire but might perceiue he was receiued againe emongst the faithful so departe comfortably as the member of Christe And therefore it was decréed by the Councel of Carthagè That if any man after suche Reconciliation had recouered his health againe he shoulde neuer thelesse not be receiued to the Communion of the Church but onely be admitted to the common Praiers Thus farre foorthe and in this case this prouision was counted necessary in the ende How be it I confesse sometimes it was otherwise vsed and at laste grewe to suche superstition that it was thrust into mennes mouthes after they were dead as we may sée by the Councel of Carthage forbiddinge the same But if the people woulde nowe Communicate euery day as they did then or at leaste oftener then they doo nowe then shoulde not this mater seeme so necessary at th ende as it is here pretended and so had M. Hardinge lost an other argument But let vs graunte M. Hardinge his whole requeste let his Prieste come and minister to the sicke What maketh al this for his Priuate Masse the members of these argumentes hange togeather like a sicke mans dreame not one péece like an other For if here be a Masse whiche of the twoo is it that saithe this Masse Is it the sicke man or the Prieste The Prieste hath dined and therefore may not the sicke man is no Priest and therefore cannot Here woulde M. Hardinge faine finde a Masse but he can finde no man to say his Masse and so hath hitherto founde no Masse at al. And thinketh he to prooue his Masse by yâ— thinge that is no Masse Againe graunte wée this action of the Priest not onely to be a Priuate Masse but also the necessitie of the sicke considered to be lawful Yet coulde not this President make it lawful to be done openly in the Churchs where as is no suche case of necessitie The circumstances of place of time of cause of ende of manner of dooinge be not like In case of necessitie a dispensation was graunted to the Priestes of Norwey to Consecrate the Mystical Cuppe without Wine for that Wine beinge brought into that countrie by meane of the extreme colde can not laste Yet was it neuer thought lawful for al other Priestes in al Churches generally to doo the same M. Hardinge The .12 Diuision Nowe if either the Prieste or euery other Christen man or woman mighte at no time receiue this blessed Sacrament but with moe togeather in one place then for the inioyeinge of this greate and necessarie benefite we were bounde to condition of a place And so the Churche deliuered from al bondage by Christe
in the behalfe of Christe Benedic haereditati tuae quam per Corporis sanguinis mei Mysterium in ecclesia congregasti Blisse thine inheritance whiche thou hast geathered togeather in the Churche by the Mysterie of my Bodie and Bloude And Dionysius The common and peaceable distribution of one and the same Breade and Cuppe prescribeth a godly concorde vnto them as vnto men fedde togeather with one foode And thus as M. Hardinge hath truely saide Cyrillus and Dionysius agrée in one but bothe togeather against him bothe vtterly condemninge his Priuate Masse M. Hardinge The .14 Diuision And therefore that one may communicate with an other though they be not togeather in one place whiche M. Iuel denieth with as peeuis he an argument of the vse of excommunication as any of al those is that he scoffeth at some Catholike writers for 24 and that it was thought lawful and godly by the Fathers of the auncient Churche neare to the Apostles time it may be wel proued by diuerse good authorities The B. of Sarisburie I vsed the Pulpite as a place of reuerence and not of scoffinge Onely I thought good to laie out the weakenesse of sundrie reasons alleged on your side that the people might sée vpon howe sclender groundes your Religion standeth And thus I did hauinge iuste occasion thereunto of the vniuste reportes moued in corners by you and others whereby you bare the people in hande that al our doctrine was light and childishe and not woorthe the hearinge Therefore that the people hauinge taken some taste of the argumentes on bothe partes might be the better hable to iudge of bothe I shewed foorthe this argument of Pope Innâ—centius The Sunne is greater then the Moone Ergo the Pope is greater then the Emperour and the Elose in the Margine vpon the same The Sunne is seuen and fiftie times greater then the Moone Ergo the Pope is seuen and fiftie times greater then the Emperour And likewise the argument of Pope Bonifacius the eight In principio creauit Deus Coelum terram non in principijs In the beginninge and not in sundrie beginninges God made Heauen and Earth Ergo the Pope hath the soueraintie ouer al Kinges and Princes He that sheweth the weakenesse of these argumentes and suche other deserueth not therefore by and by to be called a scoffer Further touchinge Excommunication I saide thus If the Prieste that saithe Masse in Louaine may communicate with the Prieste that saieth Masse in Calicute whiche is M. Hardinges greatest grounde for his Priuate Masse then hath the Churche so farre foorthe as toucheth the Priestes loste the whole vse of Excommunication For the partie excommunicate beinge a Priest might saye he woulde say Masse and so receiue the Communion euen with the Bishop of whom he were excommunicate whether he woulde or no. This sayinge M. Hardinge hath condemned for péeuishe by his authoritie onely and not by reason In déede the Churche of Rome as it hath lost the whole vse of the holy Communion so hath it also lost the whole vse of Excommunication For these twoo woordes be of contrary natures and the one of them hath his name of the loosinge of the other In the primitiue Churche as al the Godly were fréely receiued to the holy Mysteries so by the authoritie of the Spirite of God the apparent wicked and vngodly were remoued and that with great discretion accordinge to the enormitie qualitie of the faultes as it is specially noted by Gregorius Naeocaesariensis in a Canon touchynge the same The greatest offenders were vtterly excluded from the Congregation as men not méete to be in the company of the godly Others were suffred to enter into the temple and to heare the Sermon but at the beginninge of the praiers they were remoued as men not méete to praie with their bretherne Others were suffred to be present at the praiers but at the beginninge of the Communion were willed to departe The reste were the godly that remained stil and hearde the Sermon and continued in praier and receiued the holy Mysteries altogeather The order hereof is declared by Cassiodorus out of Socrates Stant rei velut in lamentationibus constituti cùm sacra celebratio fuerit adimpleta Communionem non percipiunt They stande wofully and as it were men in lamentation and in heauines and when the holy celebration is ended they receiue not the Communion It followeth Constituto verò tempore velut quoddam debitum exoluentes cum populo Communionem participant At the time appointed as if they had discharged a certaine debte they Communicate togeather with the people Thus the offenders were put from the Communion and al the reste receiued togeather And therefore it is decréed by the Canons of the Apostles That al Faithful that entre into the Churche and heare the Scriptures and doo not continue out the Praiers nor receiue the Communion should be excommunicate as men woorkinge the trouble and disorder of the Churche And the people saide vnto Timotheus beinge a Bishop of the Arrians and neuerthelesse a man of milde and gentle nature and shunninge his companie for the one and yet louinge him for the other Although we Communicate not with thée yet wée loue thée notwithstanding Now if M. Hardinges principle stande for good that the Priest sayeinge his Priuate Masse may receiue the Communion with al others in other places that doo the like then can no Priest be excommunicate For notwithstanding neither any other Priest nor any of the people wil receiue with him yet may he say a Priuate Masse and by M. Hardinges new diuise straight way communicate with them al. But for better declaration of this mater it is commonly taught in Schooles that Priuatio praesupponit habitum that is that the loosinge of a thinge firste presupposeth the hauing of the same for no man can loose that thinge that he hath not Therfore to say there is Excommunication from the Sacramentes where as is no Communion of the Sacramentes Or that he is put from the Lordes Table that neither is at nor comming to the Table Or that he is Excommunicate that is onely forbidden to heare Masse Or that the people doth sufficiently receiue the Sacramentes by the mouthe of the Priest Uerely this kinde of learninge in the Primitiue Churche woulde haue séemed not onely péeuish but also fantastical and méere Frantike Thus the Bishop of Rome as it is saide vseth to Excommunicate Locustes Snakes Caterpillers other like woormes Coniurers vse to Excommunicate their Diuels as though these creatures sauing the force of their authoritie were otherwise méete enough to receiue the CoÌ„munion M. Hardinge The .15 Diuision Irenaeus writing to Victor Bishop of Rome concerning the keeping of Easter as Eusebius Caesariensis reciteth to th'entente Victor shoulde not refraine from their Communion whiche kepte Easter after the custome of the Churches in Asia
vntil this day in many parishes within this Realme and that the law it selfe determineth a difference betwéene Ecclesia parochialis and Ecclessia Baptismalis But let this woorde Missa in these Decreâ—s be taken for the Masse that is to say for the Ministration of the Sacramentes Yet is not M. Harding muche therfore the neare to proue his purpose For alas what a simple reason is this vpon principal Holy Daies the Priest receiued the Sacrament solemnely in the Common Churche with al the whole pariâ—he Ergo at other times he receiued alone Or how hangeth this argument At certeine times al the people receiued togeather Ergo at other times the Priest receiued alone Or this The Prieste ministred the Sacramentes in a Chapel Ergo he saide Priuate Masse What leadeth M. Harding thus to say What was there no companie at al in the Chapel to Communicate with the Priest Uerely it is prouided by the Decrée it selfe that there should be a lawful and an ordinarie companie And that in suche companies yea and in mens seueral houses they had the Communion ministred it is euident by the Preface of the Councel of Gangra againste the Heretique Eustacâ—ius These be the woordes In domibus coniugatorum ne orationes quidem debere celebâ—ari persuaserunâ— in tantum vt easdem fieri veâ—ent oblationibus quae in domibus factae fuerint minimè communicandum esse decernant They haue perswaded the people that praiers may not be made in maried mens houses and that so farre foorthe that they forbid any suche praâ—ers to be made and determine that no man may Communicate of the oblations made in houses Here wée haue not onely the Communion but also the ordinarie vse of the Communion in Priuate houses Now let M. Hardinge shew vs as muche for the ordinary vse of Priuate Masse or for any Priuate Masse at al and that without his surmises and Gheasses And then let him hardly require Subscription Thou maist sée good Reader these be but very poore healpes In his former allegation he sought his Masse in litle Townes and Uillages now he hunteth for it in Priuate mennes houses and yet cannot finde it They say they haue had the vse and possession of their Priuate Masse these fiftéen hundred and threscore yeres and more Wherefore it is much to be marueiled that of so longe continuance of time of so many Doctours and Councels they haue so sâ—lender proufeâ— to bringe for it Yet for clearer aunsweare vnto M. Hardinges blinde gheasses it appeareth by the plaine woordes of the same Councel of Agatha that in those daies the people receiued the holy Communion togeather with the Prieste and not the Prieste by him selfe alone The woordes are these Lapsi in haeresim agentes paenitentiam cùm Catechumeni egredi commonentur discedant They that haue fallen into some Heresie and doo penance for the same when the Nouicies that be not yet Christened be commaunded to departe out of the Churche let them departe also They were commaunded foorthe not to the entent they shoulde not heare Masse but that they shoulde not Communicate with the reste For it is wel knowen bothe to M. Hardinge also to others that al suche as were newly entred into the Faithe of Christe but were not yet Baptized and were called Catechumeni after the Sermon was ended were commaunded out of the Churche before the Distribution of the holy Mysteries and so likewise were the Penitentes that they should not Communicate with the rest of their brethren Whiche is a manifest and vndoubted proufe that the reste of the brethren that remained stil did communicate altogeather And so it followeth in the same Canon Hoc si obseruare voluerint constituto tempore admittendis ad altare obseruatio relaxeâ—ur If they wil doo thus after a time apointed their penance shal be released and they shal be admitted againe vnto the altare whiche was the Communion table there to receiue togeather with the congregation and no more to be commaunded foorthe Hereunto agréeth an other Canon set foorth in the name of Siricius toutchinge the same case by these woordes Certaine that after their penaunce haue gonne backe againe like dogges vnto their vomite we decree that they shal ioyne in praier onely with the faithful within the Churche and that they may be present at the celebration of the Mysteries although they be not woorthy but that they be keapte of from the banket of the Lordes Table to the intent that by this aduertisement beinge corrected they may bothe amende them selfe and also shewe example vnto others Here we may plainely sée that the rest receiued and these that had offended sate by and receiued not for Example vnto others But what Example coulde that haue bene if they had absteyned altogeather M. Hardinge The .32 Diuision Nowe let vs see what examples of the olde Fathers we haue for the Priuate Masse Leontius a Greeke Bishop of a Citie in the East Churche called Neapolis writeth the life of S. Iohn the holy Patriarke of AlexaÌ„dria who for his great charitie was commonly called Eleemosynarius that is the almose geuer telleth this storie whereby it appeareth that at that time Priuate Masse was vsed Though the translaâ—our through ignorance of the time he liued in tourned this life into Latine of meane eloquence yet for trueths sake I wil not let to recite that whiche I take for my purpose as I finde it Malitiam reseruantem quendam industrium contra alium principem audiens hic magnus Ioannes monuit eum saepe suasit ad concordiam non potuit eum conuertere ad pacem Semel ergo ad eum miâ—â—it adducit eum sanctus quasi pro republica facit Missas in oratorio suo nullum habens secum nisi ministrum suum Cum ergo sancta benedixisset Patriarcha orationem dominicam inchoasset coepeâ—unt dicere tantuÌ„ tres illi Pater noster Et cum peruenissent ad sermonem quo dicitur dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris Innuit domestico Patriarcha vt taceret Siluit ergo Patriarcha remansit princeps solus dicens versum dimitte nobis sicut nos dimittimus Et statim conuersus sanctus dicit ei mansueta voce vide in quà m terribili voce dicas Deo quoniam sicut ego dimitto ita tu dimitte mihi Et tanquam ab igne staâ—im cruciatum ferens praedictus princeps cecidit in faciem ad pedes sancti dicens Quaecunque iusseris domine faciet seruus tuus Et reconciliatus est inimico suo cum omni veritate This story soundeth thus in Englishe This greate Patriarke Iohn hearinge that a noble man bare malice to an other noble man warned him oftentimes of it and treated with him to be at accorde but he coulde not bringe him to be at peace VVherefore on a day this holy Father sent for the noble man
of the people Gelasius of the Priestes He complaineth that the reste of Gelasius is not to be founde as though it were suppreste by some of vs and yet it is thought the Pope hath it whole in his Librarie He diuiseth newe causes of vnitie of the Mysterie suche as Gelasius neuer knewe He concludeth at the laste that this breache of Christes Institution and Ministration vnder One Kinde that is nowe vniuersally vsed in the Churche of Rome was firste brought in and practised by the Manichees whiche were in olde time wicked and horrible Heretiques He saithe I haue guilefully alleged Gelasius and to the intent it mighte the sooner appeare he hath noted it specially in the Margin But if M. Hardinge himselfe had meante no guile he woulde haue shewed plainely wherein I haue béene guileful or what I might haue gotten by this guile or what aduantage I mighte haue loste by plainer dealinge For guile without cause is meere â—olie and no guile But I recited the woordes in Latine and had forgotten to Englishe them Nowe surely that is but a simple guile and might wel haue béene spared out of the Margin But my woordes be these Gelasius saithe that to Minister the Sacrament in one Kinde is open Sacrilege And what guile canne he finde herein This woorde Sacrilege and the refusinge of the Cuppe are bothe specially named by Gelasius There remaine onely these woordes To minister the Sacrament and there saithe M. Hardinge lieth the guile How be it therein as it shal wel appeare I say nothinge but that Gelasius saithe and M. Hardinge him selfe woulde haue him say For thus saithe Gelasius The diuision of the Mysterie whereby he meaneth the Sacrament is Sacrilege But the Priest that Ministreth in One Kinde diuideth the Mysterie Ergo the Priest that Ministreth in One Kinde committeth Sacrilege This argument is perfite and formal founded vpon Gelasius woordes I trowe this is no guileful dealinge The vnitie of the Mysterie that M. Hardinge hath here fantasied that either parte is in other and therefore harpeth so often as it were by reportes vpon these woordes Vnum idem is but his owne voluntarie He is not hable to allege either Gelasius or any other olde Father that euer expounded Vnum and Idem in that sorte He calleth it one Mysterie as Hugo Cardinalâ—s saith although otherwise a very grosse writer Propter vnitatem Institutionis For the vnitie of the Institution and for that the Breade and Wine beinge sundrie portions haue bothe relation vnto one Christe and for that cause by S. Hieromes iudgement S. Paule saithe vna fides vnum Baptisma one Faithe one Baptisme And for that also that beinge as I saide two sundrie portions yet they make not two sundrie Sacramentes but one onely Sacrament And therefore Durandus a late writer seemeth to say wel In multis locis communicatur cum Pane Vino id est cum toto Sacramento In many places they Communicate with Breade and Wine that is saith he with the whole Sacrament Of whiche woordes the Reader be he neuer so simple may easely geather that the Communion in One Kinde is but the Halfe Sacrament and so the diuision of one Mysterie and so further the selfe same thinge that Gelasius calleth Sacrilege M. Hardinge The .30 Diuision But for auoidinge that our aduersaries woulde hereof conclude it is to be vnderstanded that this Canon speaketh against the Heretiques named Manichaei who in the time of Leo the first abouâ—â— fourtie yeeres before Gelasius wente aboute to spreade their Heresie in Rome and in the partes of Italy Their Heretical opinion was that Christe tooke not our fleashe and Bloude but that he had a phantastical bodie and died not ne rose againe truely and in deede but by way of phantasie And therefore at the Communion they absteined from the Cuppe and the better to cloke their Heresie came to receiue the Sacrament in the forme of Breade with other Catholike people Against whome Leo saithe thus Abdicant enim se Sacramento salutis nostrae c. They driue them selues away from the Sacrament of our Saluation And as they denie that Christe our Lorde was borne in trueth of our fleashe so they beleue not that he died and rose againe truly And for this cause they condemne the day of our Saluation and gladnes that is the Sonneday to be their sadde fastinge day And where as to cloke their infidelitie they dare to be at our mysteries they temper them selues so in the Communion of the Sacramentes as in the meane time they may the more safely keepe them priuie VVith vnwoorthie mouthe they receiue Christes Bodie but to drinke the Bloude of our Redemption vtterly they wil none of it VVhiche thinge we woulde aduertise your holines of that bothe such men may be manifested by these tokens vnto you and also that they whose Diuilishe simulation and faininge is founde beinge brought to light and bewraied of the felowship of Saintes may be thrust out of the Churche by Priestly authoritie Thus farre be Leo his woordes Gelasius that succeded fourtie yeeres after Leo imployed no lesse diligence then he did vtterly to vanquishe and abolishe that horrible Heresie Of whome Platina writeth that he banished so many Manichees as were founde at Rome and there openly burned their bookes And bicause this heresie should none els where take roote and springe he wrote an Epistle to Maioricus and Ioannes two Bishoppes amongst other thinges warninge them of the same Out of whiche Epistle this fragment onely is taken whereby he dothe bothe briefely shew what the Manichees did for clokinge of their infidelitie as Leo saithe and also in as muche as their opinion was that Christes Bodie had not very Bloude as beinge phantastical onely and therefore superstitiously absteined from the Cuppe of that holy Bloude geueth charge and commaundement that either forsakinge their Heresie they receiue the whole Sacramentes to witte vnder Bothe Kindes or that they be keapte from them wholy Here the woordes of Leo afore mentioned and this Canon of Gelasius conferred together specially the storie of that time knowen it may soone appeare to any man of iudgement against whome this fragment of Gelasius was written Verely not against the Church for ministringe the Communion vnder one Kinde but against the detestable Manichees who goeinge aboute to diuide the Mysterie of the Bodie and Bloud of Christe denieynge him to haue taken very fleashe and Bloude so much as in them laye loosed Christ whereof S. Iohn speaketh and woulde haue made frustrate the whole woorke of our Redemption The B. of Sarisburie To auoide the inconuenience growinge of this authoritie M. Hardinge is driuen to auoide the companie of Pigghius Hosius Tapper D. Cole and al others his fellowes of that side and to say that Gelasius wrote this decrée againste the Manichées notwithstandinge al they say he wrote it againste certaine superstitious Priestes D. Cole referreth him selfe vnto
consecrati sumere in huiusmodi minoribus Ecclesiis est concessum It is graunted onely vnto the Priestes that celebrate in suche smal Churches to receiue the Bloud vnder the forme of Wine He excepteth onely the smal Countrie Churches not the greater Churches in Cities and Townes Al these Doctours liued within the space of three hundred yeres paste So longe it was before M. Hardinges Doctrine coulde growe general Antoninus saith that Kinge William the Conquerour that liued a thousande yeres after Christe caused his whole armie to Communicate and that as the order was then vnder Bothe Kindes Haimo that was not longe before him saithe Appellatur Calix Communicatio propter participationem quia omnes Communicant ex illo The Cuppe is called the Communication bicause of the participation for that euery man receiueth of it Thus is our doctrine confirmed not onely by the Olde Doctours but also by the New Wherefore M. Harding thus mainteining the open abuse of the holy Mysteries offendeth against Christes Institution against the Scriptures against the perfection of the Sacrament against the Confirmation of the New Testament against the Tradition and practise of the Apostles against the ancient Councels against the Canons against the Doctours bothe Olde and New The Apostles of Christe beinge ful of the holy Ghost so tooke Christes woordes as wée take them now And S. Hierome saith Quicunque aliter Scripturam intelligit quà m sensus spiritus sancti flagitat quo conscripta est licet de Ecclesia non recesserit tamen Haereticus appellari potest Who so euer vnderstandeth the Scriptures otherwise then the sense of the holy Ghost requireth by whiche holy Ghost the Scriptures were written although he be not yet departed from the Churche yet he may wel be called an Heretique If M. Harding wil say that was true then and this is true nowe then may wée answeare him as S. Hilarie did the Arrians Veritas ergo temporum erit magis quà m EuangelioruÌ„ Then truthe must be as pleaseth the time not as pleaseth the Gospel And further as S. Augustine answeared the Donatistes Si aliud declamas aliud recitas nos post vocem Pastoris nostri per ora Prophetarum os proprium per ora Euangelistarum nobis apertissimè declaratam voces vestras non admittimus non credimus non accipimus If ye Preache any otherwise or tel vs any other tale after wee haue once hearde the voice of our Shephearde most plainely declared vnto vs by the mouthes of his Prophetes by his owne mouthe â—nd by the mouthes of his Euangelistes touching your voices wee take them not we beleeue them not wee receiue them not But for as muche as this is a Mysterie of vnitie God graunte vnto vs suche humilitie of minde that wée may al submitte our selues vnto his Holy Woorde that wée may ioyne togeather in holy and perfit vnitie and as I alleged before out of S. Cyprian By his aduertisement redresse that thinge wherein certaine haue erred That when he shal come in his glorie and in his heauenly Maiestie he may finde vs to holde that he warned vs to keepe that he taught vs to doo that he did Amen THE THIRDE ARTICLE OF PRAIERS IN A STRANGE TONGVE The B. of Sarisburie Or that the People had their Common Praiers then in a strange tongue that they vnderstoode not TO furnishe out this Article M. Hardinge hath laide togeather a greate heape of Stories Antiquities Obseruations of writers Erections Propagations Canons and Orders of the Churche Cosmographie Situation of Countries Corruptions and Chaunges of tongues whiche thinges he might better haue vsed to some other purpose Now they serue him more for shew of learninge then for substance of proufe He hath bestowed vpon this treatie what so euer he coulde either diuise of him selfe or finde in others adding bisides al maner of bewtie and force vnto the same bothe with weight of sentence and also with colour of woordes How be it greate vessels be not alwaies ful and the emptier they be the more they sounde The wise Reader wil be weighed with reason and not with talke As I saide at the beginning One good sentence were proufe sufficient And if there be any one suche in this whole booke I wil yéelde accordinge to promisse If there be none then must M. Hardinge consider better of the mater and beginne againe How be it he hath donne that was the parte of a good Oratour that the learned may say he hath shewed learning and eloquence the vnlearned may thinke he hath saide some truthe M. Hardinge The .1 Diuision If you meane M. Iuel by the peoples Common Praiers suche as at that time they commonly made to God in Priuate deuotion I thinke they vttered them in that tongue whiche they vnderstoode 65 and so doo Christian people now for the moste parte and it hath neuer beene reprooued by any Catholike Doctour But if by the Common praiers you meane the Publike seruice of the Church whereof the moste parte hath beene pronounced by the Bishops Priestes Deacons and other Ecclesiastical Ministers the people to sundry partes of it sayeing Amen or otherwise geuinge their assent I graunte some vnderstoode the language thereof and some vnderstoode it not I meane for the time you referre vs vnto euen of sixe hundred yeeres after Christes conuersation here in earthe For aboute niene hundred yeeres paste 66 it is certaine the people in some Countries had their seruice in an vnknowen tongue as it shal be prooued of our owne Country of Englande The B. of Sarisburie The disorder of Praier that M. Harding hath here taken in hande to defende is not onely repugnant to the Scriptures of God but also contrary to the sense of Nature For if Birdes and Beastes coulde speake as Democritus the Philosopher sometime thought and as Lactantius a Christian writer séemeth partly to say they doo yet beinge Birdes and Beastes and voide of reason they woulde not speake they know not what Wherefore séeinge this abuse appeareth contrary to God and Nature and now also is misseliked and condemned by the common iudgement of al People therfore it behooueth M. Harding to leaue his gheasses and soundely and effectually to séeke to prooue it Two special thinges he hath confessed in this treatie whiche quite ouerthrow his whole purpose The one is That the Praiers in the Primitiue Churche were saide in the common knowen tongue The other is That it were good euen now that the people vnderstoode their owne Praiers This is the plaine songe and may wel stande for the grounde the rest is altogeather discant and vaine voluntary and the moste parte out of tuene This distinction of Common Praiers whereof he imagineth some to be made openly by the Minister of the Churche some seuerally by euery of the people in Priuate deuotion is bothe vnperfit and also néedelesse For the secrete praiers that the faithful make seuerally by them selues haue
not preuaile against it And vnto thee I wil geue the Keies of the kingedome of Heauen And what so euer thou bindest vpon earth shal be bounde also in Heauen and what so euer thou lowsest on earth shal be lowsed also in Heauen Beholde he receiueth the keyes of the heauenly Kingdome the power of bindinge and lowsing is geuen to him the charge of the whole Church and principalitie is coÌ„mitted to him Thus farre Gregorie But biâ—ause our aduâ—rsaries though without iust cause refuse the witnesse of the Bishoppes of Rome in this Article as vnlawful witnesses in their owne cause vvere they neuer so holy Martyrs or learned Confessâ—urs they may vnderstande vvee are hable to allege sundrie other authorities to the confirmation hereof that be aboue al exception The B. of Sarisburie If S. Gregorie were now aliue he woulde charge M. Hardinge with open iniurie not onely for alteringe his whole meaninge but also for manglinge and maiming his very woordes M. Harding to prooue that the Bishop of Rome was called the Uniuersal Bishop allegeth these woordes of S. Gregorie Ecce Petrus claues Regni Coelorum accipit Et potestas ei ligandi soluendique tribuitur Cura ei totius Ecclesiae principatus committitur Beholde Peter receiueth the keyes of the Kingedome of Heauen To him is geuen power bothe to binde and to loose The charge and chiefe rule of the Churche is committed vnto him Thus farre Gregorie saith M. Hardinge And why no farther was he staied with the Choynecough and forced to breake of his tale in the middest But marke wel gentle Reader and thou shalt see S. Gregorie set to Schoole and keapte in awe and not suffred to vtter one woorde more then M. Hardinge wil geue him leaue The next woordes that immediatly folow in the same sentence are these Tamen Petrus Vniuersalis Apostolus non vocatur Yet Peter is not called the Vniuersal Apostle M. Hardinge saith The Bishoppe of Rome was called the Vniuersal Bishop But S. Gregorie euen in the selfe same sentence that M. Hardinge hath here so hastily broaken of saithe Peter him selfe beinge the Apostle of Christe yet was not called the Vniuersal Apostle And woulde M. Hardinge haue the worlde beléeue that the Popes power is greater and more vniuersal then S. Peters These woordes M. Hardinge thought good to nippe of in the middes Suche is his dealing in the allegation of the Auncient Fathers If I liste to vse his owne termes I might wel cal this Foystinge or Cogging or I know not what Certainely the holy Fathers in the Councel of Constantinople saie thus Non conuenit orthodoxis ita circumtruncatas Sanctorum Patrum voces deflorare Haereticorum potiùs hoc proprium est It is nâ—t meete for Catholique men thus to choppe and to pare the sâ—â—einges of the holy Fâ—thers It is rather the very propertie of Heretiques M. Hardinge wil say Gregorie misâ—iked this name of Uniuersal Bishop onely in Iohn the Bishop of Constantinople that so ambitiousely so greadily sought for it and yet neuerthelesse claimed the same vnto him selfe as a title onely belonginge to the Sée of Rome and that wee therefore doo wrongefully racke S. Gregorie forcinge his woordes otherwise then he euer meante For answeare hereunto it shal behooue vs to consider bothe what S. Gregorie hath written in general of this title and also what special claime he hath layde vnto it for him selfe Thus therefore generally he writeth of it Ego fidenter dico quisquis se vniuersalem sacerdotem vocat vel vocari desiderat in elatione sua Antichristum praecurrit quia superbiendo se coereris praeponit I speake it boldely who so euer calleth him selfe Vniueâ—sâ—l Bishop or desireth so to be called is in his pride the Forerâ—nnâ—r of Antichriste bicause in his pride he setteth him selfe before others Hac in re à fratre Conâ—acerdoâ—e meo contra EuangelicaÌ„ sententiam c. Herein my Brother and felow Bishop dooth against the meaning of the Gospel against S. Peter the Aposâ—le against al Châ—rches and againste the ordinance of the Canons In this pride of his what other thinge is there tokened but that the time of Antichrist is euen at hande For he foloweth him that despisinge the equalitie of ioye amonge the Angels laboured to breake vp to the toppe of singularitie saieing thus I wil auance my throne aboue the starres of Heauen I wil sit in the Mounte of the Testament euen in the corners of the Northe I wil geate me vp aboue the light of the cloudes and wil be like vnto the highest Againe Rex superbiae in foribus est c. The kinge of pride is euen in the Gates and a horrible thinge to speake an armie of Priâ—stes is made ready For now they play the Souldiers and beare then heades on high that were ordeined to be Captaines of humilitie Againe I woulde haue al men to be greate and honorable so that there honour be no de derogation to the honour of God For who so wil be honoured against God shal not be honourable vnto me Againe Neither may you say that the vsinge of this Title is nothinge For if wee beare this mater quietly wee ouerthrow the Faith of the whole Church The agreeing vnto this wicked Title is the loosinge of the Faith Thus therfore S. Gregorie iudgeth generally of the name of Vniuersal Bishop whiche name not withstanding the Bishoppes of Rome haue sithence chosen and taken to them selues that is to say That it is Vaine and Hurteful the Confusion the poyson and Vtter and Vniuersal destruction of the Churche The corruption and loosinge of the Faithe against the holy Canons against S. Peter the Apostle against the very sense and meaninge of the Gospel against al the Churches of God and against God him selfe that neuer good or holy man woulde vse suche titles that who so euer vseth them in so dooinge foloweth Lucifer and is the very Forerennâ—r and Messinger of Antichriste Perhappes M. Hardinge wil say This name belonged peculiarly and onely to the Bishop of Rome and therefore Gregorie reprooued Iohn the Bishop of Constantinople for that he so presumptuousely and by way of intrusion claimed the same as a right and interest that was not his But S. Gregorie calleth the same title of Uniuersal Bishop Typhum superbiae Nomen nouum Vocabulum Temerarium Stultum Superbum Pompaticum peruersum Superstitiosum ProfanuÌ„ Scelestum Nomen erroris Nomen singularitatis Nomen vanitatis Nomen Hypocriseos Nomen Blasphemiae That is to say A puffe of Arrogancie A new name a Râ—she a Poolishe a Proude a Pompouse a Peruerse a Superstitious an Vngodly and a Wicked title A name of Erroure a name of Singularitie a name of Vanitie a name of Hyprocrisie and a name of Blasphemie And doothe M. Harding thinke or woulde he
wel as Peter What a fable then is this that M. Harding with his Athanasius hath brought in That power to binde and loose is geuen to the holie See of Rome by special priuilege aboue al others Nowe gentle Reader shortely and simply to laie al the effecte hereof before thine eyes M. Hardinges Canons were burnte before they were euer made They were burnte and yet were they falsified They were falsified and yet were they burnte too This Athanasius informeth Marcus the Bishop of Rome of the burninge of them niene yéeres before the fiere was made The Pope is founde in manifest forgerie and that by the witnesse of the Patriarkes of Constantinople and Antioche and of al the Bishopes and the whole Councel of Aphrica S. Augustine him selfe beinge presente M. Hardinge saithe The Pope hath the custodie of these Inuisible Canons The Pope himselfe saieth he hath none of them Theise Canons be plaine contrarie not onely to the olde Catholique fathers but also to other Canons of the same Councel The Bishoppes in the Councel of Aphrica openly mislike the Popes attempt in this behalfe and cal it worldly pride and vaine ambition Suche warrant hath M. Hardinge to auaunce the state of the See of Rome M. Hardinge The .7 Diuision For further declaration of this matter it were easie here to allege the Councel of Sardica the Councel of Chalcedon certaine Councelles of Aphrica yea some Councels also holden by Heretiques and sundrie other but suche store of authorities commonly knowen these may suffice The B. of Sarisburie These Councelles are brought foorthe al in a mummerie saieinge nothinge Therefore I might safely passe them ouer vntil they had learned to speake somewhat Yet for as muche as these menne thinke it good policie to huddle vp their maters in the darke it wil not be amisse to rippe them abroade and to bringe them foorthe into the light In the Councel of Chalcedon it is decréed thus Teneat Aegyptus vt Episcopus Alexandriae omnium habeat potestatem quoniam Romano Episcopo haec est consuetudo Similiter qui in Antiochia constitutus est Let Aegypte holde this order that the Bishop of Alexandria haue the Iurisdiction of al thinges there For the Bishop of Rome holdeth the same order within his Diuision So likewise let the Bishop of Antioche By this Councel euery of these Patriarkes had his power limited within him selfe and none of them to haue dominion ouer other The Fathers in the Councel of Aphrica wherein M. Hardinge would séeme to haue some affiance haue decréed thus Ne primae Sedis Episcopus appelletur Princeps Sacerdotum aut Summus Sacerdos aut aliquid huiusmodi sed tantùm Primae Sedis Episcopus That the Bishop of the First See be not called the chiefe of Priestes or the highest Priest or by any other like title but onely the Bishop of the First See And againe If any shal thinke it good to appeale let them appeale onely to Councelles to be holden within Aphrica or els to the Primates of their owne Prouinces But who so euer shal appeale beyonde the Seas that is to the Bishop of Rome let no man within Aphrica receiue him to his Communion Thus muche onely for a taste I thinke M. Hardinge wil not geather hereof that the Bishop of Rome was called vniuersal Bishop or the Heade of the vniuersal Churche M. Hardinge The .8 Diuision The Christen Princes that ratified and confirmed with their Proclamations and Edictes the Decrees of the Canons concerninge the Popes primacie and gaue not to him firste that auctoritie as the Aduersaries doo vntruly reporte were 99 Iustinian and Phocas the Emperours The woordes of Iustinians edicte be these Sancimus secundum canonum definitiones Sanctissimum senioris Romae Papam primum esse omnium Sacerdotum VVe ordeine accordinge to the determinations of the Canons that the most holy Pope of the elder Rome be formest and chiefe of al Priestes About three scoare and tenne yeeres after Iustinian Phocas the Emperour in the time of Bonifacius to represse the arrogancie of the Bishop of Constantinople as Paulus Diaconus writeth who vainely and as Gregorie saithe contrary to our Lordes teachinges and the Decrees of the Canons and for that wickedly tooke vpon him the name of the Vniuersal or oecumenical Bishop and wrote him selfe chiefe of al Bishoppes made the like Decree and ordinance that the holy See of the Romaine and Apostolike Churche shoulde be holden for the Heade of al Churches The B. of Sarisburie Emperours Princes and others haue béene fauourably inclined sometime to the parties in respect of their places sometime to the places for the admiration and reuerence of the parties Theodosius Themperour saide He neuer saw Bishop that bare him selfe as a Bishop in deede but onely S. Ambrose Constantinus Themperour said of Eusebius the Bishop of Caesaria Dignus est qui sit Episcopus non tantùm vnius Ciuitatis sed etiam propè Vniuersi Orbis He is woorthy to be the Bishop not onely of one Citie but also in a manner of the whole worlde In respecte of places they were moued either for their Antiquitie or for their Authoritie and Ciuile power or for the commoditie of the situation or for some other good consideration and circumstance to fauour them and to graunte them priuileges aboue others Thus the Emperour Iustinian had a special inclination to the Citie of Constantinople for that it was now growen in wealth and puisance and for the state nobilitie thereof called Noua Roma Newe Rome And for that it was as he saithe Mater pietatis nostrae Christianorum Orthodoxae Religionis omnium That is The Mother of his Maiestie and of al Christian menne of the Catholike Faithe For like consideration the Emperour gaue out this special priuilege in fauour of the See of Rome Sancimus secundum Canonum definitiones sanctissimum Senioris Romae Papam primum esse omnium Sacerdotum We Decree accordinge to the determinations of the Canons that the most holy Pope of the Elder Rome be the firste or formest of al Priestes And by the waye leaste any errour happen to growe of this woorde Papa it behooueth thée good Reader to vnderstande that Papa in olde times in the Gréeke tongue signified a Father as appeareth by that Iuppiter the greate Idole that was honoured as God in Bithynia was called Papa 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iuppiter Papa And further that in S. Augustines time and before the same name was geuen not onely or specially to the Bishop of Rome but also generally to al Bishoppes The Priestes and Deacons of Rome write thus vnto S. Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage Cypriano Papae Vnto Pope Cyprian And Galerius the Iudge hauinge S. Cyprian in examination for the Christian Faithe saide thus vnto him Tu es quem Christiani Papam suū nominant Art thou he whome the Christians cal their Pope So
ordinatos à nobis Episcopos c. If you wil allowe the Bishoppes that we haue ordred we wil be at peace and Communicate with you If not we wil proclaime the contrary And the Emperour Gratian made Nectarius Bishop of Constantinople contrarie to the mindes of the most parte of the Bishoppes Therefor M. Hardinges argument might better haue benne framed thus The Bishop of Rome Confirmed the Bishoppes withein his owne Prouince and had no other special authoritie to coÌ„firme al other Bishoppes in the worlde no more then others had to Confirme him Therefor he was not then taken for the Heade of the Churche nor was thought to haue this Vniuersal Power M. Hardinge The .26 Diuision That the Bishoppes of Rome by accustomed practise of the Churche had auctoritie to approue or disproue Councelles I nede to saie nothinge for proufe of it seeinge that the Ecclesiastical rule as we reade in the Tripartite storie commaundeth 111 that no Councel be celebrate and keapte without the aduise and auctoritie of the Pope Verily the Councelles holden at Ariminum at Seleucia at Syrmium at Antiochia and the seconde time at Ephesus for that they were 112. not summoned nor approued by the auctoritie of the Bishop of Rome haue not ben accoumpted for lawful Councelles but as wel for that reiected as also for their Heretical determinations The Fathers assembled in the Councel of Nice sente their Epistle to Syluester the Pope beseechinge him with his consent to ratifie and confirme what so euer they had ordeined Isidorus witnesseth that the Nicene Councel had set forth rules the whiche saithe he the Curche of Rome receiued and confirmed The seconde general Councel holden at Constantinople was likewise allowed and approued by Damasus specially requested by the fathers of the same thereto So was the thirde Councel holden at Ephesus ratified and confirmed by Coelestinus who had there for his Vicares or deputes Cyrillus the famouse Bishop of Alexandria and one Arcadius a Bishop out of Italie As for the fourthe Councel kepte at Chalcedon the fathers thereof also in their Epistle to Leo the Pope subscribed with the handes of .44 Bishoppes made humble request vnto him to establishe fortifie and allowe the Decrees and ordinances of the same This beinge founde true for the fower first chief Councelles we nede not to saie any thinge of the rest that folowed But for the suer proofe of al this that chiefly is to be alleaged that Constantius the Arian Emperour made so importune and so earnest sute to Liberius the Pope to confirme the Actes of the Councel holden at Antioche by the .90 Arian Bishoppes wherein Athanasius was depriued and put out of his Bishoprike For he beleued as Ammianus Marcellinus writeth that what had ben done in that Councel sholde not stande and take effecte onlesse it had ben approued and Confirmed by the Authoritie of the Bishop of Rome whiche he termeth the Eternal Citie The B. of Sarisburie Here M. Hardinge hathe auouched two greate vntruethes the one in his Translation in the Englishe the other in the allegation of the storie Touching the first Cassiodorus in his Latine Translation writeth thus Canones iubent extra Romanum nihil decerni Pontificem Socrates in the Greeke out of whiche the Latine was taken writeth thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Englishe hereof is this It is prouided by the Canons that rules to binde the Churche be not made without the consent of the Bishop of Rome Wherein M. Harding hath purposely corrupted falsified altogeather both the Greeke the Latine not reporting one woorde that he founde in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Decernere he Englisheth to Keepe or as he termeth it to Celebrate a Councel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Praeter senteÌ„tiaÌ„ or as Cassiodorus turneth it Extra he Englisheth without the aduise Authoritie No he would not suffer no not him in whose quarel he thus fighteth to passe without a venewe for where he sawe him named in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in the Latine Romanum Pontificem The Romaine Bishop he thought it beste to leaue bothe the Greeke and the Latine and to cal him the Pope And thus to increase the Popes authoritie he hath altered and corrupted the whole place and not translated one woorde as he founde it Touchinge the storie he saith The Arians Councelles were not allowed for that they were not Summoned by the Pope And yet he knoweth right wel it was no parte of the Popes office in those daies to Summon Councelles For it is euident euen by the policie and practise of that time that CoÌ„stantinus the Emperour Summoned the Councel of Nice Theodosius the first the Councel of Constantinople Theodosius the .2 the Councel of Ephesus and Martianus the Councel of Chalcedon And Socrates in his storie saithe thus Idâ—irco Imperatores in historia complexus sum quia ex quo tempore coeperunt esse Christiani Ecclesiastica negotia pendent ab illis maxima Concilia de illorum sententia facta sunt fiunt Therefor I haue comprised the Emperours within my Storie for that sithence they beganne to be Christened the state of the Churche dependethe of them and the greatest Councelles haue benne keapte and be stil keapte by theire aduise And the Bishoppes in the Councel of Constantinople witnes that they were summoned to come to the Romaine Counsel by Damasus the Bishop of Rome but they adde withal by warrant of the Emperours letters not by any his owne authoritie And likewise in their Epistle to the Emperour Theodosius thei write thus Literis quibus nos coÌ„uocasti EcclesiaÌ„ honore prosecutus es Your Maiestie hath honoured the Churche by the letters wherewith ye Summoned vs togeather As for the Bishop of Rome he was not yet of Authoritie hable to cal a general Councel For the worlde as yet had no skil of his Uniuersal power ouer al others neither woulde they haue appeared vpon his Summon Gregorius beinge Bishop of Rome coulde not cause the Bishop of Salonae beinge but one man to come before him Thus he writeth by waie of complainte vnto the Empresse Constantia Contempto me atque despecto ad me venire secundum iussionem Dominorum noluit He despised me and set me at naught and wolde not come vnto me accordinge to my lordes the Emperours commaundement Therefore Leo findinge this weakenes in him self wrote vnto the Cleregie and people of Constantinople and willed them to craue a general Councel at the Emperours hande Exposcite vt petitioni nostrae qua plenariam indici Synodum postulamus Clementissimus Imperator dignetur annuere Make your request that the Emperours Maiestie wolde voutchsaue to graunte my humble petition wherein I besought him to Summone a general Councel Liberatus saithe that Leo the Bishop of Rome with other moe Bishoppes of Italie fel vpon their knees and desired the Emperoure Ualentinian and
the Empresse Eudoxia to appointe a Councel and yet coulde not obteine it Afterwarde he desired the Emperour Theodosius that he woulde cal a Councel to some place within Italie and the Emperour contrary to the Bishoppe of Romes petition appointed it to be holden at Ephesus After that he made the same request to the Emperour Martianus and the Emperour likewise contrarie to the Bishops humble request commanded the Councel to be keapte at Chalcedon And where as Leo had besought bothe these Emperours that it might please them to take a longer daie for the Councel for that the time of the Summon seemed very shortie and the waies were laide with enimies and therefore dangerous for the Bishoppes to trauel yet woulde neither of them alter one daie but charged eche man to appeare as they were Summoned And Leo the Bishop of Rome with al his Uniuersal power was faine to yeelde Hereby we maye soone coniecture howe true it is either that Pope Gelasius writeth That onely the Apostolique See of Rome decreed by her Authoritie that the Councel of Chalcedon should be Summoned Or els that M. Hardinge woulde haue vs beléeue That al Councelles were summoned by the Pope Neither was the Bishop of Rome nor his legate in his absence euermore the President or Chiefe of the Councel For it is knowen that in the Councel of Nice Eustathius the Patriarke of Antioche was the president and the Bishop of Romes Legates Uitus and Uincentius sate in the fourth roome beneath In the Councel of Constantinople Menna was the chiefe In the Councel of Sardica Osius of Corduba in Spaine In the Councel of Aquileia S. Ambrose of Millane In the Councel of Carthage Aurelius the Bishop there In the Councel of Chalcedon Leo the Bishop of Romes Legate had chiefe roome but by way of intreatie onely and by the Emperours special graunte not of dew right or Uniuersal Authoritie But saith M. Hardinge the Bishop of Rome allowed General Councels This is not denied So did others not onely Patriakes or Bishops but also Ciuil Princes In the Councel of Chalcedon it is written thus Diuae memoriae Theodosius confirmauit omnia quae iudicata sunta Sancta Vniuersali Synodo Generali Lege Theodosius the Emperour of godly memorie hath confirmed al thinges by a General Law that were determined in the Vniuersal Councel So likewise the Emperour Martianus Sacro nostrae Serenitatis edicto venerandam Synodum confirmamus By the holy Edicte of our Maâ—estie wee confirme that reuerende Councel So Eusebius witnesseth that the Emperour Constantinus confirmed the Determinations of the Councel of Nice So the Bishoppes in the Councel of Constantinople wrote vnto the Emperour Theodosius by these woordes Rogamus tuam clementiam vt per literas tuae Pietatis ratuÌ„ esse â—ubeas confirmefque Concilij Decretum Wee desire your fauour by your Highnesse letters to ratifie and Confirme the Decree of the Councel Now seinge it was lawful for Princes and Ciuile gouernours to confirme the Decrées Determinations of Councels how can wée doubt but it was lawful for Bishoppes also to doo the same Therefore Theodoretus saith The Conclusions of the Councel of Nice were sente abroade to other Bishoppes that were away And Uictorinus saith That many thousandes of Bishoppes allowed that same Councel and agreed vnto it Aboue al others the Subscription and Confirmation of the foure Principal Patriarkes was specially required for that bothe their charge and also their Countenance and Credite was greater then others Emonge whiche foure the Bishop of Rome was euer the first and therefore his consent séemed to beare greatest weight And for that cause the Emperour Martianus required Leo the Bishop of Rome to write vnto the Councel of Chalcedon and to declare that he gaue his consent to the Rule of Faith that was there determined And in like sorte the Emperour Theodosius requireth al Bishoppes to Subscribe and to geue their assente to the Councel of Nice For it is a rule agréeable vnto Law and Reason Quod omnes tangit ab omnibus debet approbari The thinge that toucheth al ought to be allowed by al. And therefore Iulius beinge Bishop of Rome pronounced that al the Actes of the Councel of Antioche were voide and of no force for that he being one of the foure Patriarkes was not called thither as wel as others For it appeareth by Eusebius Theodoretus and others that to al General Councels al Primates and Metropolitanes were specially summoned And this séemeth to be that Canon that Iulius allegeth that it was not lawful to make rules and orders for the whole Churche without the consent of the Bishop of Rome beinge one of the foure chiefe Patriarkes and hauinge in his Prouince one greate portion of the Churche And therefore Leo Bishop of Rome testifieth his consente to the Councel of Chalcedon by these woordes Fraternitas vestra nouit me definitionem Sanctae Synodi toto corde complexum esse Your brotherhoode knoweth that I haue embraced with my whole harte the Determâ—nation of that holy Councel And likewise vnto the Emperour Martianus he writeth thus Constitutionibus Synodalibus libens adieci sententiam meam Vnto these Constitutions of the Councel I haue gladly geuen my assent The ende hereof was not to shewe his Soueraine Power aboue al others but that the Decrees so ratified by him others might be had in more estimation So Leo him selfe writeth Clementia vestra arbitratur malum faciliùs delendum si per vniuersas Ecclesias Definitiones sanctae Synodi Apostolicae Sedi placuisse doceantur Your Highnes thinketh this â—uil wil the rather be suppressed if it be declared throughout al Churches that the Decrees of the holy Councel be wel liked of the Apostolique See But that the whole ratification of Councelles depended not onely of the Bishop of Rome but also of others no lesse then of him it is easie to be prooued The Bishops in the Romaine Councel in the time of Damasus condemned the Councel of the Arians holden at Ariminum for that neither the Bishop of Rome whose minde shoulde haue béene knowen before al others nor Uincentius nor any of the reaste had agreed vnto it Likewise the Councel of Carthage and of Aphrica are allowed for good not withstandinge the Bishop of Rome woulde not allow them The Councel of Chalcedon decreed that the Bishop of Constantinople should be in dignitie nexte vnto the Bishop of Rome and shoulde Consecrate the Metropolitanes of Asia Pontus and Thracia This decree Leo the Bishop of Rome very muche misliked and would neuer assent vnto it yet that not withstandinge it is in force and continueth stil. Liberatus thereof writeth thus Cùm Anatolius consentiente Concilio Primatum obtinuisset Legati verò Romani Episcopi contradicerent à ludicibus Episcopis omnibus illa contradictio suscepra non est Et licet sedes Apostolica nunc
the way of peece Here Innocentius calleth Alexander his Schoolefelowe not his Subiecte or Underlinge And therefore he calleth him his Schoolefelowe of the Apostolique See for that S. Peter sate first at Antioche and after that in Rome and for that cause bothe these Sees of Peter the Apostle were called Apostolique Againe in an other Epistle vnto the same Alexander he writeth thus Voluit Compresbyter noster Cassianus hanc amicitiarum nostrarum paginulam quasi primitias pacis nostrae conscribi c. Cassianus our felowepriest woulde haue this instrument of our frendship to be written as the firste fruites of our peace Therefore I greete wel your brotherhoode and al others of that Churche that are of your minde Here Innocentius him selfe calleth this Composition an Instrument of Frendship or felowship not of Repentance or Humble Submission as it pleaseth M. Hardinge vntruely to translate it Neither dooth this woorde Reconciliation necessarily importe a Superioritie or a Maâ—stership but also and that moste commonly a Felowship or Equalitie as it is saide before So saithe S Paule Christe hathe reconciled bothe the Iewe and the Gentile in one Bodie And what is meante by that Reconciliation he expoundeth thus Omnes vnum sumus in Christo Iesu We are al one in Christe Iesu. So saithe Plinie the yonger Principis est reconciliate aemulas Ciuitates It is a Princes parte to reconcile Citties that contende for the Soueraintie Not that the one may be brought into Subiection to the other but that they may be made frendes and liue in peace So likewise saith Christe Vade Reconcilieris Fratri tuo Goe and be reconciled vnto thy Brother Thus therefore was the Patriarke of Antioche reconciled to the Bishoppe of Rome not as a Subiecte vnto his Prince but as in a Bodie one member vnto an other and for as muche as Innocentius him selfe vseth this woorde Condiscipuli as in a Schoole one Scholar vnto his felowe So where as there was mater of dissension betwéene the Churche of Rome and the Churche of Alexandria it séemed good to the Fathers in the Councel of Aphrica to intreate bitwéene them not that the Churche of Alexandria shoulde submitte her selfe as vnto her Heade and liue in Subiection but that they might be reconciled and liue in peace togeather So Liberatus saithe Petrus Moggus was reconciled vnto Asatius not as vnto his Superiour but as vnto his Brother In this sense writeth Hormisda Bishop of Rome vnto Epiphanius the Bishop of Constantinople A equale studium aequalem curam susâ—ipiamâ—s quibus vna est in Communione fide amicitia Seeinge we haue one frendship in Communion and in faithe let vs therefore take like studie and like care This manner of Reconciliation is largely set foorthe by Socrates in his storie and maye be abbridged in this sorte The Macedonian Heretiques hauinge forsaken their Heresies sent their messingers Eustathius Syluanus and Theophilus vnto Liberius the Bishop of Rome and to other the Bishoppes of the Weast Liberius vnderstandinge that their Faithe agreed fully with the Councel of Nice and with the Faithe that he him selfe and al the other Bishoppes of the Weaste Churche professed receiued them vnto the Communion and wrote fauourably vnto the Bishoppes of the East in their behalfe These Messingers departinge thence went into Sicilie and in a Councel of the Bishoppes there likewise Reconciled them selues vnto them and beinge returned home they sent abroade into al the Churches of those countries and willed them to consider the letters sent from Liberius the Bishop of Rome and from other Bishops of Italie Aphrica France Sicilie and al the Weast and to agrée and to Communicate togeather with them An other like example of Reconciliation we haue made by one Arsenius the Bishop of Hipsilitae vnto Athanasius the Bishop of Alexandria The woordes of the Reconciliation are these Nos volentes Ecclesiastico Canoni c. We desiringe to be subiecte to the Ecclesiastical Canon accordinge to the auncient order dooe write these vnto you Dilecte Papa beloued Pope and like wise doo promise in the name of our Lorde that wee hencefoorthe wil not Communicate with any Schismatikes or with any that haue not peace with the Catholique Churche whether they be Bishops Priestes or Deacons This Submission or Reconciliation was made vnto Athanasius yet was not Athanasius the Bishop of Rome This then was the manner of Reconciliation of Churches without any suche Humble Subiection as M. Hardinge fansieth or knowlege or token of Supremacie or any manner Uniuersal Power M. Hardinge The .29 Diuision Thus hauinge declared the Supreme auctoritie and Primacie of the Pope by the Common practise of the Churche I neede not to shewe further howe in 116 al questions doubtes and controuersies touchinge Faithe and Religion the See of Rome hath alwaies beene consulted howe the decision of al doubtful cases hathe beene referred to the iudgement of that See and to be shorte 117 howe al the worlde hath euer fetched light from thence For proufe whereof bicause it cannot be here declared briefely I remitte the learned reader to the Ecclesiastical stories where he shal finde this mater amply treated The B. of Sarisburie As Rome hauinge atchieued the Empier of the whole worlde bothe for renoume honoure and also for wisedome learninge which commonly folowe the Empier was the noblest and most famouse of al other Citties so for commoditie of accesse out of al Kingdomes and Countries bothe of the East of the Weast and also out of Aphrica and Aegypte and other countries of the Sowthe and also for receiuinge of Questions and Resolution of doubtes it seemed to be planted in the fittest place of al the worlde For as Thucydides calleth the Cittie of Athens Graecia of al Graecia so some called the Cittie of Rome in those daies of hir honoure Epitome orbis terrarum The abbridgemeÌ„t of the whole worlde The Admiration of this glorie drewe such resorte of people thither that Beda a learned man of this Countrie beinge there and seeinge the multitude of strangiers that came onely ot gase and to see newes expounded these foure solemne letters S. P. Q. R. in this wise Stultus populus quaerit Romam Foolishe Folke Flee to Rome Therefore for opportunitie of the place and expedition of answeare many maters of question and doubtful cases were brought thither Many I say but not al. For menne that wanted Councel wrote and sought vnto them that had the fame of learninge and were thought best hable to make them answeare So Marcellinus Dulcitius Bonifacius Euodius and others sent their questions to S. Augustine and desired his Counsel S. Ambrose saithe as it is before alleged that many that had beene with the B. of Rome woulde afterwarde for their better satisfaction sende to him And Leo him selfe beinge B. of Rome therefore as M. Hardinge thinketh the Oracle of al the worlde thouht it
Omnibus viribus prouidendum est ne in vnius Veneno Sermonis viuentia in Christi Corpore membra moriantur Wee must labour and prouide with al that wee can doo least the members that liue in Christes Body happen to perishe in the Poyson of one woorde Moreouer as it is before at large declared he calleth it a New a Peruerse a Superstitious an arrogant an vngodly an Antichristian name a name of Singularitie a name of Errour a name of Confusion a name of Blasphemie against the Canons against the whole Churche against S. Peter against the Gospel Yet saith M. Harding To sticke at this name it is but a childis he mater How be it if the thing it selfe that this name importeth had béene lawful then had this name not béene so horrible But contrary wise the very vsurpation of the name is horrible Therefore the thinge it selfe thereby signified must of necessitie be muche more horrible Now for a briefe answeare M. Hardinge hath founde sixe hundred and thirtie Bishops that gaue this title to Leo Bishop of Rome in the Councel of Chalcedon and called him the Uniuersal Bishop whiche thinge as he saith is recorded by S. Gregorie in thrée sundrie places Here good Christian Reader by the way this one thinge I trust thou wilt consider of thée selfe If the name of Uniuersal Bishop were geuen to the Bishop of Rome in the Councel of Chalcedon which was holden in the yéere of our Lorde 488. then by M. Hardinges owne graunte by the witnesse of this Councel the Bishop of Rome before that time had not the name of Uniuersal Bishop Otherwise how coulde either they geue that they had not to bestowe or he receiue that he had already In déede suche bestowinge of giftes had béene very childishe Thus of the whole number of sixe hundred yéeres M. Hardinge fréely euen at the sight hath yelded vs backe foure hundred foure score and eight yeeres towardes the reckening Before wee passe further let vs 〈◊〉 what credit the Pope him selfe geueth to this Councel of 630. Fathers holden at Chalcedon Pope Gelasius saith The Apostolique â—ee of Rome in parte allowed it not for that thinges were there borne out by inordinate presumption Pope Leo accuseth the whole Councel of Ambition and wilful Rashenesse And S. Hierome in the case of Matrimonie Inter RaptoreÌ„ Raptam is receiued against al those .630 Bishops against the Determination of the whole Councel In such regarde they haue the CouÌ„cels when they list But yâ— law saith AbsurduÌ„ videtur licere eidem partim comprobare iudiciuÌ„ defuncti partim eueâ—â—ere It is against reason that one man shoulde in parte allow the wil of the dead so farre foorthe as it maketh for him and in parte ouerthrow it where it seemeth to make against him But M. Hardinge wil say Of what credite so euer this Councel ought to be it gaue Leo the name of Vniuersal Bishop And what if al this be vtterly vntrue What if there were no suche title either geuen or offred in the Councel Certainely the whole Councel of Chalcedon is extant abroade bothe written and printed may soone be séen why dooth not M. Hardinge allege either the place or the Canon or the woordes At the least why geueth he no note in the Margine where this authoritie may be founde Perhaps he wil say This Canon was burnte by some Heretiques as he saide before of the Councel of Nice How be it it were muche for him to say That of that whole Councel onely sixe Lines should be burnte and that in al the examples throughout the worlde and yet al the reast of the same Councel remaine safe Or that the woords wherby the Pope claimeth his title should so negligently be lost and that in Rome it selfe in the Popes owne Librarie and yet the woordes that the Pope reprooueth and condemneth shoulde stande whole M. Hardinge hath no other Councel within sixe hundred yéeres after Christe to holde by but onely this And yet the same cannot be founde But S. Gregorie is witnesse sufficient He saith that .630 Bishops in the Councel of Chalcedon named the Bishop of Rome the Vniuersal Bishop This is an vntrueth to beguile the Reader For Gregorie saith not the Bishoppes in that councel Saluted Intitled Proclaimed or Called the Bishop of Rome by that name Onely he saith Romano pontifici Vniuersitatis nomen oblatum est The name of Vniuersal Bishop was offered by the Councel of Chalcedon to the Bishop of Rome He saith they offered to cal him so but that they called him so in déede he saith not Therefore M. Harding herein ouerreatcheth mistelleth his authours tale But S. Gregorie saith further That neither Leo nor any other of his Predecessours Bishoppes of Rome woulde euer receiue that Arrogant and Vngodly name or suffer him selfe to be so called not withstanding it were offered by the Councel The Bishops of Rome neuer vsed that name notwithstandinge it were offered them Therefore they ought to loose it by non vsure M. Hardinge wil say This was onely their humilitie and not wante of right And therfore they chose rather to be called Serui Seruorum Dei The Seruantes of Gods Seruantes Uerily it may wel be thought that Gregorie who first vsed these woordes as his familiar stile named him selfe so without Hypocrisie onely in respecte of his intolerable paines and continual trauailes For so he him selfe complaineth Veni in altitudinem Maris tempestas demersit me I â—m come into the deepe of the Sea and the rage of tempest hath drowned me vp So S. Augustine longe before S. Gregories time for that he was likewise troubled vsed sometimes the like stile For thus he writeth of him selfe Augustinus Episcopus Seruus Christi Seruorumque Christi Augustine Bishop the Seruante of Christe and the Seruant of Christes Seruantes But he that neither féedeth the flocke nor ploweth the Lordes grounde nor dresseth his Uineâ— nor ministreth the Sacramentes nor conforteth nor exhorteth nor teacheth that is caried on high through the stréetes on noble mens backes and may not touche the grounde for holinesse that causeth that noble Prince the Frenche Kinge to holde his stirrup the Emperour of al Christendome to leade his horse by the raine and the Princes and gouernours of the worlde of kisse his shue that dooth no manner of Seruice or ministerie in Christes Churche how can he cal him selfe either the Seruant of Christe or the Seruant of Christes Seruantes without Hypocrisie This in déede is open dissimulation a childish plaieing with woordes an open mocking of the worlde So one writeth of Iulius Caesar Deposuit nomeÌ„ Dictaturae at vim retinuit He refused the name of Dictator but the power and force thereof he keapt stil. So likewise saith Appianus The Princes of Rome name them selues Imperatores Emperours which was a name of gouernement in the fielde lasted but for yâ— while but Kinges
the holy Table where these Mysteries are celebrated the Lambe of God beinge laied and Sacrificed of Priestes vnbloudely as that moste Ancient and woorthy Councel of Nice reporteth The B. of Sarisburie As the Councel of Nice saith The Lambe is laide vpon the Aultar alludinge vnto the Sacrifices of the Olde Lawe euen so dooth S. Augustine say vnto the people Vos estis in Mensa vos estis in Calice You are vpon the Table you are in the Cuppe As the people is laide vpon the Table so is Christe laide vpon the Table But this Authoritie is answeared more at large in the fiâ—te Article and the eighth Diuision M. Hardinge The .13 Diuision Briefely in this highest Sacrament vnder visible shape inuisible thinges soothely the very true Real Liuely Natural and Substantial Bodie and Bloud of our Sauiour Christe being conteined as 162 the Scriptures Doctours Councels yea and the best learned of Martin Luthers Schoole doo most plainly and assuredly affirme The B. of Sarisburie Now soothly if M. Hardinge coulde haue founde any of al these Termes Real Lyuely Natural or Substantial either in the Scriptures or in the Doctours or in any Councel he woulde not haue spared the allegation But thus auouchinge these Termes and so constantly assuâ—ring vs thereof by these Authorities beinge neuerthelesse not hable anywhere to finde the same wée must néedes thinke he misreporteth the Scriptures the Doctours and the Councelles and muche abuseth the simple credulitie of the people M. Hardinge The .14 Diuision This I say in conclusion beinge so as it is vndoubtedly so we that remaine in the Catholike Churche and can by no persecution be remoued from the Catholike Faithe whome it liketh M. Iuel and his fellowes to cal Papistes beleeue verily that it is our bounden dewtie to Adore the Sacrament and to woorship it with al Godly Honoure By whiche woorde Sacrament notwithstandinge in this respecte we meane not the outwarde Formes 163 that properly are called the Sacrament but the thinge of the Sacrament the Inuisible Grace and Vertue therein conteined euen the very Bodie and Bloude of Christe And when we adore and woorship this Blissed Sacrament we dooe not Adore and VVoorship the Substance it selfe of Breade and VVine 164 because after Consecration none at al remaineth Neither doo wee Adore the outwarde Shapes and Formes of Breade and VVine whiche remaine for they be but Creatures that ought not to be Adored But the Bodie it selfe and Bloude of Christe 165 vnder those Formes Verily and Really conteined lowly and deuoutly doo wee Adore And therefore to speake more properly and accordinge to skille least our Aduersaries might take aduantage against vs through occasion of termes where right sense onely is meante â–ª wee protest and saye that wee doo and ought to Adore and woorship the Bodie and Bloude of Christe in the Sacramente The B. of Sarisburie If M. Hardinge be Persecuted as he saithe verily it seemeth a delicate kinde of Persecution They of his side did not so persecute others But Salomon saith There be certaine that flee when nomâ—n foloweth them Thus did Arius the Heretique sometimes complaine of his Persecutours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arius that wrongefully suffereth Persecution for the Trueths sake that conquereth al thinges As for M. Hardinges Constancie which is here brought in as in stéede of some proufe I wil say nothinge How be it his frendes thinke So many so light and so suddaine changes can scarcely stande wel with the title of Constancie Certainely the mainteinance of open knowen errour should rather haue some other name The Prophete Zacharie saithe Posuerunt vt Adamantem Cor suum They haue sette their harte as the Adamant stoane Iob saithe Stetit cor eius sicut incus His harte stoode as a steadie Yet might not they therefore be called constant S. Hilarie saithe Grauis periculosus est lapsus in multis Etsi enim se intelligant tamen pudor exurgeÌ„di authoritatem sibi praesumit vt quòd errant prudentiam velint existimari quòd cum multis errant intelligentiam esse asserant Veritatis Fallinge from God in many men is greâ—ous and dangerous For albeit they vnderstande them selfe yet for that they are ashamed to rise againe they therefore take vpon them some authoritie and wil haue their Errour counted Wisedome and that they are deceiued with many they cal it the vnderstandinge of the Trueth Touchinge the purpose it appeareth this mater cannot stande without the disordringe and confoundinge of the Natural course and sounde of woordes Sometimes the Accidentes and Shewes of Breade muste be the Sacrament Sometimes Christes Bodie whiche as M. Hardinge confesseth in déede is not the Sacrament yet to mainteine this newe Adoration muste needes become the Sacrament And thus now wée haue twoo Sacramentes togeather in one Sacrament And yet in the Conclusion we may not woorship the very Sacrament but onely Christes Bodie in the Sacrament And this as M. Hardinge telleth vs is a Proper Plaine Familiar kinde of speache and accordinge vnto skil Thus he teacheth vs to lifte vp our hartes and to woorship God in Sprite and Trueth Onlesse the simple people goe to the Uniuersities and learne this newe skil what is Accidens absque subiecto Corpus sine loco Locus sine Corpore Quantitas sine modo quanti thei cannot skilfully woorship Christes Bodie Or if they woorship without this skil they woorship one thinge for an other and become Idolaters M. Hardinge The .15 Diuision And here this muche is further to be saide that in the Sacrament of the Aultar the Bodie of Christe is not Adored by thought of minde sundred from the woorde but beinge inseparably vnited to the woorde For this is specially to be considered that in the moste Holy Sacrament the Bodie and Bloude of Christe are not present by them selues alone as beinge separated from his Soule and from the Godhead but that there is 166 here his true and liuinge Fleashe and Bloude ioyned togeather with his Godhead inseparably and that they be as him selfe is perfite whole and inseparable VVhiche is sufficiently confirmed by sundrie his owne woordes in S. Iohn I am saithe he the Breade of life Againe This is Breade comminge downe from Heauen that if any eate of it he die not I am the liuely Breade that came downe from Heauen If any eate of this Breade he shal liue euerlastingly And to shewe what Breade he meante he concludeth with these woordes And the Breade whiche I shal geue is my Fleashe whiche I shal geue for the life of the worlde By whiche woordes he assureth vs plainely that his Fleashe whiche he geueth vs to eate is ful of life and ioyned with his Godhead whiche bringeth to the woorthy receiuers thereof immortalitie as wel of Bodie as of Soule VVhiche thinge Fleashe and Bloude of it selfe coulde not performe as our Lorde him selfe declareth plainely where he saithe as there it foloweth It is the
hodiè inde accidisse arbitror quòd olim omnes tum Sacerdotes tum Laici quicunque intererant Sacrificio Missae peracta oblatione cum Sacrificante communicabant sicut ex Canonibus Apostolorum ex Libris atque Epistolis antiquissimorum Ecclesiae Doctorum perspicuè cognoscitur That in olde times there were not so many Masses nor so many Priestes as be nowe I recken the cause thereof to be this for that in olde times al that were present at the Sacrifice of the Masse as wel Priestes as Laye men did Communicate togeather with the Minister as it is plaine to be seene by the Canons of the Apostles and by the Bookes and Letters of the most Ancient Doctours of the Church He addeth further Nunc verò c. But now seeinge the order of Communion is no more obserued emongst vs and that through the negligence and slouthfulnes as wel of the Laye people as of the Priestes the Holy Ghost by the often saieinge of Priuate Masses hath founde out â— godly remedie for this wante Here wée sée that Negligence and Slouthfulnesse Lacke of Deuotion bothe in the people and in the Priest is a good leare to bréede Masses And that the Priestes as many as were present did then Communicate with the Priest that Ministred it is plaine by the Canons of the Apostles and by sundrie other good Authorities which now I purposely passe by And to this purpose it is written thus in a litle booke set abroade vnder the name of S. Hierome Non debet Episcopus repudiare Eucharistiam Presbyteri The Bishop ought not to refuse the Sacrament of a Prieste But M. Hardinges Priestes vtterly refuse to Communicate one with an other and be they neuer so many in one Churche togeather yet wil they saie seueral Masses at sundrie Aultars And not onely thus but also as it appeareth by the Councel of Toledo in Spaine one Priest hath sometimes said foure fiue or moe Masses in one day Pope Leo saide some daies .vij. some daies eight Masses and some daies moe The excesse and oultrage whereof was so greate that they haue benne forced to prouide Lawes and Canons to the contrary For thus they haue decreed Presbyter in die non amplius quà m tres Missas celebrare praesumat Let not any one Priest presume to saie more then three Masses in one daie We maie wel thinke that priestes then saide good stoare of Masses when it was thought sufficient to stinte them at thrée The cause that mooued Leo and other Ancient Fathers to appoint twoo Communions to be Ministred in one daie was as it shal wel appeare that the whole people might Communicate al togeather quietly and without disturbance Whiche thing of it self vtterly ouerthroweth the whole abuse of Priuate Masses But the causes that haue increased the number of M. Hardinges Priuate Masses as they are alleged by Innocentius the .3 and others are these That there maie be one Masse saide Of the Daie and an other For the Deade and That there maie be regarde had to honestie and Profite For so they saie Causa Honestatis vel Vtilitatis vt si dicta Missa de die superueniat aliqua magna persona quae velit audire Missam As if any notable personage happen to come to Churche after that Masse is donne and be disposed to heare Masse These be very easy causes Upon the same the Priest maie saie twentie Masses as wel as thrée M. Hardinge The .2 Diuision Nowe if that rekeninge coulde duely be made of our parte M. Iuel perhaps woulde then saie as commonly they saie that confesse their erroure in numbringe that he had mystolde him self Al be it here it is to be marueiled that he appointeth vs to prooue a number of Masses in one Churche in one daie that vtterly denieth the Masse and woulde haue no Masse in any Churche any daie at al. And standinge in the denial of the whole so peremptorely as he dooth it maie seeme strange that he shoulde thus frame this Article For what reason is it to chalenge vs for proufe of so greate a number sith he taketh awaie altogeather The B. of Sarisburie I haue keapte my rekeninge wel yenough as I trust it wil wel appeare But if M. Hardinge of so greate a number of his Masses be hable to proue no more but two and the same two in the ende be founde Publique Communions and no Priuate Masses at al then maie we iustly saie That he hath both muche misrekened the people and also shamefully mistolde him self As before I vtterly denied that any Priuate Masse was euer vsed within sixe hundred yeeres after Christe so in this Article that the simple that so longe haue benne deceiued might the better vnderstande both the greate disorder that M. Hardinge mainteineth and also howe farre the Churche of Rome is growen from the primitiue Churche of God I thought it not amisse to sette out the mater by partes in suche plaine diuision Therefore the marueil that M. Hardinge raiseth hereof is not so greate The mater considered his Reader wil rather marueil at his marueil M. Hardinge The .3 Diuision It appeareth that beinge not vnwittinge howe good proufes we haue for the Masse it self he thinketh to blanke vs by puttinge vs to the proufe of his number of xxx.xx.xv.x or .v. Verily this kinde of men fareth with the Churche muche like vnto stronge Theeues who hauinge robbed an honest wealthy man of al his money saie afterwardes vnto him vncourtuously ah Carle howe camest thou by so muche Olde Golde Or if it like not them to be compared with Theeues in regarde of the roume they haue shuffled them selues into they may not vnfittely be likened to a Iudge of the Stemerie at Lâ—dforde in Deuonshire who as I haue hearde it commonly reported hanged a felone amonge the tinners in the forenoone and sate vpon him in iudgement at afternoone And thereof to this daie suche wrongeful dealinge in a common Prouerbe is in that Countrie called Lydforde Lawe Sithe that you M. Iuel and your felowes that nowe sitte on the benche require of vs the proufe of moe Masses in one Churche in one day as it were a verdite of twelue men of equitie and right ye shoulde haue hearde our verdite er ye had geuen sentence and condemned the Masse The B. of Sarisburie Howe good cause M. Hardinge hath to make these vauntes of his proufes for his Priuate Masse it may soone appeare vnto the discrete Reader vpon the viewe But here he thought it proufe sufficient for the multitude of his Masses to cal vs Théeues and wicked Iudges and to charge vs with the Lawe of Lydforde and so to solace him selfe with an olde Wiues tale and to make holy day out of season How be it this comparison of his Théeues is not so greately agréeable to his purpose For the coyne that is taken from him was neither Golde nor so Olde as he maketh it nor was
be stretched to any other sense wee haue here good auctoritie for the hauing of many Masses in one Churche in one daye And where as the Fathers of that Councel allowed many Masses in one daye saide by one Prieste there is no reason why they shoulde not allowe the same saide by sundry priestes in one daye If our aduersaries saye this â—igâ—â— haue bene done in sundry places wherby they may seeme to frustrate our purpose touchinge this Article we answeare that beside thapprouinge of the Masse by them so confessed it were vaine and friuolouse to imagine suche gaddinge of the Priestes from Churche to Churche for saiâ—inge many Masses in one daye Doubtlesse the Fathers of that Toletane Councel meante of many Masses saide in one place in a daye as â—eo did for seruinge the faithful peoples deuotion that resorted to Churche at sundry houres as we see the people do now that so al might be satisfied â–ª whiche shoulde not haue bene if one Masse onely had bene saide The B. of Sarisburie We condemne not the Churche of God in any Generation be the Abuses thereof neuer so greate God resembleth it vnto a Uine vnto a Cornefilde and vnto a Flocke of Sheepe Notwithstandinge the Uine be spoiled and torne downe yet is it the Uine of the God of Sabaoth Notwithstandinge the Filde lie waste and be ouer growen with weedes yet is it stil the Lordes Filde Notwithstanding the Flocke be forsaken of the Shepheardes and renne astraie and perishe in the wildernes yet is it stil the Flocke of Christe And herein we haue great cause to Glorifie the Name of God that when he seeth it good in his sight sendeth foorth Labourers to reare vp and to dresse his Uine to laboure to weede his Grounde to geather in and to feede his Flocke This allegation of the Councel of Toledo serueth M. Hardinge onely to betraie his want For if he could haue founde any other CouÌ„cel of antiquitie I trow he woulde not haue alleged this It was holden welneare seuen hundred yeeres after Christe by which time many greate disorders and deformities were priuily cropen into the Churche as maie appeare both otherwise and also by this same example that one Priest vsed then to saie many Masses in one daie and yet him selfe not to Communicate contrary both to the Institution of Christe also to the Lawes and Canons of the Churche and therefore the Glose vpon the Decrees calleth it a most Naughty Custome and this Councel it selfe saith Who so euer so dooth is gilty of the Lordes Sacrament Thus both the computatioÌ„ of the time and also the disorder and abuse of the thinge it self considered this Authoritie needeth no further answeare It was impertenent in this place for M. Hardinge to moue mater of the Sacrifice How be it for shorte answeare thereto the Sacrifice that in the Olde Writers is called Daily is that euerlastinge and onely Sacrifice that Christe once offered vpon the Crosse beinge there a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech and who so euer thinketh not that Sacrifice sufficient but imagineth some other Sacrifice for sinnes to be made by man is an enimie of the Crosse of Christe and of his Sacrifice and treadeth downe the SoÌ„ne of God vnder his feete and counteth the Bloude of the Testament to be vnholy In what sense the Mysterie of the Holy Communion is of the Olde Fathers called a Sacrifice it shal be shewed at large in the seuenteenth Article hereof seruinge wholy to that purpose Touchinge this woorde Missa neither is the name nor the meaninge thereof of suche Antiquitie as it is here supposed by M. Hardinge It grewe first in vse aboute foure hundred yeeres after Christe is very seldome vsed of the Olde Latine writers of S. Augustine S. Hierome Tertullian S. Cyprian Arnobius Lactantius and others of that age neuer vnto S. Chrysostome S. Basile Nazianzene Gregorie Nyssene and al other Greeke writers vtterly vnknowen It is founde in two sundrie places vnder the name of S. Augustine and once vnder the name of S. Hierome But it is certaine that these bookes were neither S. Augustines nor S. Hieromes Howe be it we make no greate accoumpte of the name The natural sense and meaninge thereof contrary to M. Hardinges surmises necessarily importeth a Communion and not a priuate Masse For this Latine woorde Missa is as muche as Missio that is a commaundinge awaie or licence to departe So S. Cyprian saith Remissa peccatorum in steede of Remissio And the order of the Churche then was this That Nouices that were not yet Christened were called Catechumeni others that were called Poenitentes that for some offence were inioyned to doo penance notwithstanding they might lawfully heare the Sermons praie togeather with the reaste yet might they neither be present at the Baptisme nor receiue the Holy Mysteries And therefore after the Gospel was read and the Sermon ended the Deacon saide vnto them Ite Missa est Goe ye hence Ye maie departe Likewise in S. Gregories time the Deacon vsed thus to saie Qui non communicat det locum Who so dooth not Communicate let him geue place Thus al they that either woulde not or might not Communicate with the rest of their brethren were willed to departe whereof it necessarily foloweth that al they that remained did Communicate Of this departure away and Proclamation of the Deacon the action it selfe whiche was the holy Communion was called Missa Afterwarde when either through negligence of the people or through auarice of the Priestes the whole order hereof was quite altered and the thing that had beene Common was become Priuate yet as it happeneth often in other the like thinges the former name remained stil. For example The Uigilles or Night Watches were tourned into Fastinges Aultars that serued for offeringe vp of Calues and Goates were turned into the Lordes Table The Sabaothe day was turned into the Sunday Yet the thinges beinge thus altered the names notwithstandinge of Uigilles Aultars and Sabaothe daies remaine stil in vse as they did before Therfore M. Hardinge herein as commonly elswhere thought it best to deceiue his Reader by the mistakinge and errour of the Name Last of al if the Fathers in the Councel of Toledo and Leo meante al one thinge as here it is constantly auouched then is M. Hardinge by the same Fathers but poorely reliued For it is most euident by that is already saide that Leo meante the Holy Communion and not M. Hardinges Priuate Masse M. Hardinge The .9 Diuision If M. Iuel agnise and accepte for good the authoritie of this Councel as the Churche dooth then must he allow these many thinges whiche he and the Sacramentaries to the vttermost of their power and cunninge labour to disproue and deface First the blessed Sacrifice of the Masse whiche the Fathers of this Councel cal the true and singular Sacrifice the
Dignities of the Churche Open Stewes so déerely rented so many thousande Cortegianes so wel regarded Priestes so fréely allowed to kéepe their Concubines The Churche of God turned into a Caue of Théeues Suche corruption in the Cleregie suche corruption in the People So litle difference bitwéene Wife Harlot Honest and Unhonest Godly Ungodly and as S. Bernarde saith of them the Seruantes of Christe seruinge Antichriste and al this suffered without Correction wel allowed of accoumpted Catholique séeinge I saie the Churche of God in Rome thus vsed he may iustely complaine of corruption of life and loosenesse of Discipline How be it it were harde hereof to conclude that therefore noman may heare the Woordes of Consecration Uerily it is thought lawful for Usurers Théeues Hoores Murderers Traitours and al other like to be presente and to heare Masse without exception M. Hardinge The .8 Diuision VVhere as in olde times when by holsome Discipline the Faithful people were kepte in Godlye awe and obedience that Praier also whiche was saide ouer the Oblation before Consecration 219 was pronounced Closely and in Silence and therefore it was called of the Latines Secreta of the Greekes Mystica oratio meaning thereby that it ought not to be vttered openly and made Common The B. of Sarisburie Here M. Hardinge for wante of other proufes presumeth of him selfe that in Olde times the Praier before Consecration was pronounced as he saith Closely and in Silence And that he gheasseth onely by this woorde Secreta whiche is a terme peculiar onely to his Massebooke in the Olde Catholique Fathers was neuer founde And yet doothe not the same importe any suche Silence or Secresie as M. Hardinge supposeth For so Gerardus Lorichius writeth of it Non arbitrandū est Orationem eam dici Secretam quasi non liceat Laicis illam vel nosse vel audire Sed quòd iuxtà atque Canon non cantetur voce altiori Wee may not thinke that the Praier is called Secreta for that it is not lawful for the Laie people to know it or to heare it but onely for that it is not songe out with loude voice as is the Canon Therefore M. Hardinge concludeth this mater with twoo vntruethes bothe togeather Thus notwithstanding this newe dūme Ceremonie haue béene onely receiued in the Churche of Rome no where els and that onely for a time and not from the beginninge and therefore mere particulare and no way Uniuersal and so not Catholique Notwithstandinge also it be vtterly voide of any shewe either of the Scriptures or of the Olde Councelles or Ancient Fathers or of any manner Antiquitie Yet M. Hardinge thinketh him selfe wel hable to mainteine it as he dooth the rest against S. Ambrose against S. Augustine against S. Chrysostome against Leo against his owne Clemens against the whole Primitiue Church both Gréeke and Latine and against the Decrées and Traditions of the Apostles and against his owne knowledge and I feare me also against his owne Conscience FINIS THE XVII ARTICLE OF THE SACRIFICE The B. of Sarisburie Or that the Priest had then Authoritie to offer vp Christe vnto his Father M. Hardinge The .1 Diuision Christe is offered vp to his Father after three manners Figuratiuely Truely with Bloudsheddinge and Sacramentally or Mystically In Figure or Signification he was offered in the Sacrifices made to God bothe in the time of the Lawe of Nature and also in the time of the lawe written And therefore S. Iohn calleth Christe the Lambe whiche was killed from the beginninge of the worlde meaninge in Figure The Sacrifices of Abel Noe and Abraham and al those of the people of Israel commaunded by the Lawe of Moses figured and Signified Christe For whiche respecte chiefely the lawe is reported of S. Paule to haue the shadowe of the good thinges to come S. Augustine writinge against Faustus the Heretike saieth Testamenti Veteris Sacrificia omnia multis varijs modis vnum Sacrificium cuius nunc memoriam celebramus significauerunt Al the Sacrifices of the Olde Testament signified by many and sundrie waies this one Sacrifice whose memorie we doo nowe celebrate And in an other place he saithe That in those Fleashely Sacrifices there was a Signification of Christes Fleashe whiche he shoulde offer for sinnes and of his Bloude whiche he shoulde sheadde for the remission of our sinnes Truely and with Bloudesheadding Christe was offered on the Crosse in his owne persone whereof S. Paul saithe Christe gaue him selfe for vs that he might redeme vs from al iniquitie And againe Christe hath loued vs and hath deliuered him selfe for vs an Oblation and Sacrifice to God into a swete sauour Sacramentally or in Mysterie Christe is offered vp to his Father in the daily Sacrifice of the Churche vnder the Forme of Breade and VVine truely and in deede not in respecte of the manner of offeringe but in respecte of his very Bodie and Bloude really that is in deede present as it hath ben sufficiently proued here before The B. of Sarisburie The greatter and woorthier the woorke is that our Aduersaries haue imagined that is for a Mortal and a Miserable man to offer vp the Immortal Sonne of God vnto his Father that Really and in deede the more ought the same either by manifest woordes or by necessary collection expressely and plainely to be prooued For noman taketh honour and office vnto him selfe but he that is called and appointed thereto by God But for ought that maie appeare by any Clause or Sentēce either of the Newe Testament or of the Olde God neuer appointed any suche Sacrifice to be made by any Mortal Creature And Theophylacte saithe Iesus eijciendo Boues Columbas praesignauit non vltrà opus esse animalium Sacrificio sed Oratione Iesus throwinge the Oxen and Dooues out of the Temple signified that they shoulde no lenger haue neede of the Sacrifice of beastes but of praier How be it The Olde learned Fathers as they oftentimes delited them selues with these woordes Sabbatū Parasceue Pascha Pentecoste and suche other like Termes of the Olde Lawe notwithstandinge the Obseruation Ceremonie thereof wer◠then abolished and out of vse Euen so likewise they delited them selues oftetimes with these woordes Sacerdos Altare Sacrificium the Sacrificer the Aultare the Sacrifice notwithstandinge the vse thereof were then clearely expired onely for that the eares of the people as wel of the Iewes as of the Gentiles had benne longe acquainted with the same Therefore Pachymeres the Paraphraste writinge vpon Dionysius saithe thus Presbyterum appellat Sacerdotem vt etiam in Coelesti Hierarchia idque vsus iam obtinuit Him that is the Priest or Elder he calleth the Sacrificer as he dooth also in his Coelestial Hierarchie And the same woorde Sacrificer is nowe obteined by Custome In this sense S. Paule saith of him self Sacrifico Euangeliū Dei I Sacrifice the
Adoration nor of the Sacrament but onely of Christes Birthe of the Blissed Uirgin These woordes are alleged and answeared before in the fifthe Article and tenth Diuision Yet shortely and by the waie these Woordes yelde vs one good reason against M. Hardinge For where as Gregorie Nyssene saith The Breade of Christes â—odie cometh not of the laboure of tillers that is to saie of Material Corne and neuerthelesse S. Cyprian and S. Augustine saie the Sacrament is wrought of many Cornes Of these Fathers thus considered togeather we maie conclude That Christes Bodie and the Sacrament are sundrie thinges The argument that M. Hardinge canne geather hereof standeth thus Christe was borne of the Blissed Uirgin Ergo We ought to Adoure the Sacrament For other necessitie of sequele out of these woordes there is none M. Hardinge The .12 Diuision This beinge that Supper in the whiche Christe Sacrificed him selfe as Clemens Romanus and as Hesychius declareth who furthermore in an other place writeth moste plainely that these Mysteries meaninge the Blessed Sacrament of the Aultare are Sancta Sanctorum the Holiest of al Holie thinges because it is the Bodie of him selfe of whom Gabriel saide to the Virgin The Holie Ghoste shal come vpon thee and the power of the Highest shal ouershadowe thee therefore that Holie thinge whiche shal be borne of thee shal be called the Sonne of God and of whom also Esaâ—e spake Holie is our Lorde and dwelleth on high verily in the bosome of the Father The B. of Sarisburie Christe as he had shewed his Disciples before that he must goe vp to Hierusalem and there be Crucified so beinge at that his last mourneful Supper he ordeined a Sacrament of his Death and tooke Breade and Brake it and described and expressed before theire eyes the whole order and manner of his Passion As if he shoulde haue saide Thus shal my Bodie be Broken thus shal my Bloude be sheadde This description of Christes Death so plaine and so liuely Hesychius calleth a Sacrifice that is to saie an Examplar or Resemblance of that Sacrifice whiche he had to offer the daie folowinge vpon the Crosse. And in déede as the Breade was Christes Bodie so the Breakinge of the same was Christes Passion And in this manner of speache the Ancient Fathers seeme to cal Baptisme a Sacrifice Chrysostome saith Baptisma Christi Passio Christi est The Baptisme of Christe is Christes Passion So Tertullian Tingimur in Passione Domini We be washte in the Passion of our Lorde So like wise againe Chrysostome saith Quod Crux Sepulchrum fuit Christo id nobis Baptismus factus est That is Baptisme vnto vs that the Crosse and Graue was vnto Christe In this sense Hesychius saith Christe offered him self at his last Supper that is to saie by waie of a Sacrament and in a Mysterie but not in deede to take awaie the sinnes of the Worlde In like sense the same Hesychius calleth the Birth of Christe a Sacrifice These be his woordes Sacrificium Coctum Christi appellat Incarnationem The bakte Sacrifice he calleth the Incarnation of Christe Touchinge this woorde Sancta Sanctorum it is not the outwarde Sacrament that Hesychius calleth by that name but the very Bodie of Christe it selfe whiche as S. Augustine saith is Res Sacramenti The Substance and Mater of the Sacrament So writeth Origen vpon Leuiticus Quae est Hostia quae pro peccatis offertur est Sancta Sanctorum nisi vnigenitus Filius Dei Dominus meus Iesus Christus Ipse solus est Hostia pro peccatis ipse est Hostia Sancta SanctoruÌ„ What is that Sacrifice that is offered vp for Sinne and is the Holy of the Holy but the onely begotten Sonne of God my Lorde Iesus Christe He onely is the Sacrifice for Sinne and he is the Sacrifice of Holy thinges the most Holy And this he speaketh of the Sacrifice that Christe made vpon the Crosse. And therfore he addeth thus Quod vno verbo Apostolus explicauit cùm dicit Qui seipsum obtulit Deo Which thinge the Apostle expressed in one woorde saieinge thus VVhich hath offered vp him self vnto God How be it not onely the Sacrament but also other thinges appointed vnto godly vse may be called Sancta Sanctorum So it is written and determined by Bonifacius the Firste Omne quod Domino Consecratur siue fuâ—rit homo siue animal siue ager vel quicquid fuerit semel consecratum Sanctum Sanctorum erit Domino Euery thinge that is Consecrate vnto the Lorde be it Man or beast or landes or what so euer beinge Consecrate it is Holy of the Holy vnto the Lorde Neither dooth he cal the holy Mysteries Sancta Sanctorum in that sense that M. Harding meaneth for that they are the holiest of al holy thinges but bicause they are appointed for Holy People For thus he expoundeth it him selfe Panis iste Calix Sancta Sanctorum sunt Vides quomodo non dixerit Sancta tantummodò sed Sancta Sanctorum Ac si dicereâ— Panis iste non est communis Omnium nec cuiusque indigni sed Sanctorum est Quantò magis hoc de Verbo Dei dicemus Hic Sermo non est omnium nec cuiuscunque sed Sanctorum est This Breade and this Cuppe are the Holy thinges of the Holy You see That he saith not onely They are Holy thinges but he addeth biâ—ides Of the Holy As if he woulde say This Breade is not common to al men nor to euery vnworthy but it is the Breade of the Holy How muche more may wee say the same of Goddes woorde This Woorde is not of al men or of euery Bodie but of the Holy Therefore S. Chrysostome saith The Priest was wonte to shew foorthe the Bread in the time of the Holy Mysteries and to say Sancta Sanctis Holy thinges for the Holy And this is the meaning of Sancta Sanctorum As for Clemens of Rome the Apostles Felow as M. Harding euerywhere calleth him he saith not That Christ offered him selfe at his Last Supper but rather far otherwise Thus he saith Propter nos Homo factus Spirituale Sacrificium offerens Deo Christe beinge made Man for vs and offeringe vnto God a Spiritual Sacrifice And in plainer sorte he maketh this praier vnto God touchinge the same Offerimus tibi Regi Deo iuxâ—a Christi institutionem hunc Panem hoc poculum Wee offer vp vnto thee ô King and God this Breade and this Cuppe He saith not wee offer vp Really the Bodie of thy Sonne but this Breade and this Cuppe Which also he calleth Antitypa that is to say Signa Corporis Sanguinis Christi The Tokens or Pleadges of Christes Bodie and Bloud And so Theodoretus writeth hereof Ecclesia offert Corporis Sanguinis eius Symbola The Churche offereth the Tokens or Signes of his Bodie and Bloud M. Hardinge The .12 Diuision On