seorsum Calicis commendatio memoratur VVhere as some deliuer to the people the Sacrament dipte for the ful and whole Communion they haue not receiued this testimonie pronounced out of the Gospel where our Lorde gaue his Bodie and his Bloude For the geuing of the Breâ—d is recorded aparte by it selfe and the geuinge of the Cuppe aparte likewise by it selfe And where as some afterwarde in the time of Vitellianus woulde haue brought in againe this abrogated custome it was in like manner condemned and abolished In tertio Concilio Braccarensi Can. 1. The B. of Sarisburie There haue béene many great abuses aboute the holy Mysteries not onely of late yéeres in the Churche of Rome whereof we iustly complaine but also in the primitiue Churche euen from the Apostles time For some there were that ministred in water onely some that ministred milke in steede of Wine some brused grapes into the Cuppe and so ministred some ministred Breade and Cheese together some dipte the Sacrament of Christes Bodie in the Sacrament of his Bloud But neither this folie whereof Iulius speaketh nor any other like olde folie was euer renewed by any of vs. In déede M. Hardinge and al the reste of that side haue vsed to breake the Breade and to dippe the thirde parte of it into the Wine and for the same haue diuised a solemnâ— Mysterie For some of them say it signifieth Christes risinge from the deade some the faithful that be yet aliue some others the Blissed that be in Heauen And yet M. Hardinge knoweth that Iulius calleth it a Schismatical ambition and a practise contrary to the Apostles Doctrine We bothe herein and in al other cases like followe onely Christes Institution who as the Euangelistes haue written and as Iulius also recordeth first gaue the Breade aparte and afterwarde the Wine likewise aparte and saide not onely Eate this but also by expresse woordes Drinke this Yet Iâ—o saithe that for daunger of sheddinge sometimes the Breade is dipte into the Cuppe and so deliuered to the people This Iulius here alleged standeth fully of our side and therefore I maruel that M. Hardinge woulde séeke comforte at his hande For where he saieth Porâ—igunt Eucharistiam populis they deliuer the Sacrament vnto the people he importeth a Communion where he reproueth the errour of dippinge and rectiâ—ieth the same by Christes Institution and commaundeth Bothe Kindes to be geuen aparte he signifieth the whole Communion expressely in Both Kindes and so quite ouerthroweth what so euer M. Hardinge hath hitherto builte M. Hardinge The .28 Diuision Nowe I referre me to the iudgement of the Reader of what opinion so euer he be whether for proufe of the Communion vnder one Kinde we haue any woorde sentence or clause at al or no and whether these woordes of M. Iuel in his Sermon be true or no where he saithe thus It vvas vsed throughout the vvhole Catholike Church sixe hundred yeeres after Christes ascension vnder Bothe Kindes vvithout exception That it was so vsed yea sixe hundred yeeres and longe after we denie not but that it was so alwaies and in euery place vsed and without exception that wee denie and vpon what groundes wee doo it let M. Iuel him selfe be iudge If some of our allegations may be with violence wrested from our purpose verely a great number of them cannot the authoritie of the auncient Fathers who wrote them remaining inuiolated Whereof it followeth that after the iudgement of these Fathers where as Christe instituted this Blessed Sacrament and commaunded it to be celebrated and receiued in remembrance of his Death 62 he gaue no necessarie commaundement either for the one or for bothe kindes biside and without the celebration of the sacrifice but lefte that to the determination of the Churche â–ª Nowe that the Churche for thâ—â—â—idinge of vnreuerence periles offences and other vveightie and important causes hath decreed it in twoo general Councels to be receiued of the laye people in one Kinde onely we thinke it good with al humblenesse to submitte our selues to the Church herein whiche Churche Christe commaundeth to be hearde and obeyed sayeinge He that heareth not the Churche let him be to thee as a Heathen and as a Publican In doeinge whereof we weigh aduisedly with our selues the horrible daunger that remayneth for them who be authours of schisme and breakers of vnitie The B. of Sarisburie Good Christian Reader now that M. Harding hath said so much as he is hable it behooueth thée as thou wilt iudge indifferently betwéene vs bothe so to consider and marke wel the very state and issue of the mater wherein the whole question lieth The negatiue of our side whiche so muche troubleth him is this That for the space of sixe hundred yeeres after Christe it can not be founde in any old Doctour or Councel that euer the holy Communion vvas ministred to the people in the Church or any open assemblie in One Kinde onely as it is novve ministred in the Churche of Rome The issue therefore of the whole mater betwéene vs standeth vpon the order and vsage of the Churche M. Hardinge for proufe hereof hath brought certaine particular examples of Drouthe Infirmities Sicknesse Age Ineuitable Necessities Impossibilities and Weakenes of nature Uerely good Reader I lookte for other proufes at M. Hardinges handes For al these other like thinges I knew before He hath alleged Christes Breakinge of Bread at Emaus the allegation wherof to this purpose one of his owne Doctours saieth is méere folie He hath alleged twoo Wemen thrée Sicke Folke in their death beddes Personnes Excommunicate Infantes Phrenetiques and Madde Menne He allegeth Naptkins Cheastes Chambers Mountaines and Wildernesse and for further proufe hath brought Coniectures Gheasses Lies and Fables He allegeth abuses that longe sithence haue beene condemned He allegeth Scriptures Doctours and Councels plainely and directly againste him selfe He is learned and hath reade muche he is eloquent and canne vtter muche yea he is hable to make nothinge to appeare somewhat and a little to séeme much He hath had good conference with as many as he thought meete either within this Realme or without He hath seene what so euer hath beene written by Coclaeus Eckius Pigghius Hofmeister Michael Vaehe Hosius Staphylus and suche other of that sorte He hath had fiue whole yeeres and more to order and digeste his Booke It toucheth him very neere that any man shoulde be so bolde to say They haue defrauded the people of halfe the Sacrament and yet can allege nothinge for it He sheweth him selfe muche offended and therefore spareth not his familiar termes Heretiques Schismatiques Aduersaries of the Churche Goddes Enemies and suche like Yet hauinge so muche learninge so muche eloquence so much conference so muche studie so muche leasure beinge so affected and so offended yet hath he not hitherto brought one woorde either of auncient Councel or of olde Doctour to prooue that thinge that is
Priuate Masse O M. Hardinge is it not possible your doctrine may stande without lyes So many vntruethes in so litle roome without shame of the worlde without feare of God Where did Christe euer commaunde you to make your Sacrifice By what Commission By what woordes Where did Christe wil you to doo it euery daye Where did Christe euer cal it the daily Sacrifice Or where euer learned you that the remembrance of Christes death perteyneth more to the priest then to the people And if your Masse be that Sacrifice who euer commaunded your priest to saye your daily Masse What Lawe what Decrée what Decretal what Legantine what Prouincial Or what priest euer was there that saide if daily Peccham in his Prouincial was neuer so straite He saithe no more but thus Statuimus vt quilibet Sacerdos quem Canonica necessitas non excusat conficiat omni â—ebdomada saltem semel We ordeine that euery priest onlesse he be excused by some Canonical necessitie doo Consecrate euery weeke once at the least There is oddes betweene once a weeke and once a daye And Linwoode writinge vpon the same allegeth these woordes of S. Augustines Quotidiae Eucharistiae communicare nee laudo nec vitupero As for receiuinge the communion euery daye I neither prayse it nor dispraise it Innocentius the thirde noteth that there were priestes in his time that woulde scarcely saye masse at foure times in the yeere And Thomas of Aquine thinketh it sufficient for a prieste that is not charged with Cure to say Masse onely vpon principal feastes It is also written in Vitis Patrum that a certaine holye man beinge made prieste woulde notwithstandinge neuer saye Masse while he liued Yet was there none of these euer charged with foresâ—owinge or ceassinge the daiely Sacrifice or leauinge vndoone that thinge that Christe had commaunded to be doone Concerninge the priestes Sole receiuinge whiche is grounded onely vpon it selfe without further proufe Uerily I sée no cause but that Nicolaus de Cusa beinge a Cardinal of Rome ought to carie as good credite herein as M. Hardinge with al his gheasses He saithe and willeth his woordes to be specially noted as it is before touched that in those daies the priest did neuer receiue without the Deacon Yet hath M. Hardinge a certaine surmise by him selfe that the priestes in the Countrey receiued alone But what a woonderful case is this The Masse that we must needes beleue is so Auncient so Uniuersal so Catholique so Holy so Glorious cannot be founde neither in Churches nor in Chapels nor in secrete Oratories nor in Priuate houses in Towne or Citie but must be sought out in some Petie parishe in the Countrie and that by coniecture onely and by gheasse and by suche recordes as directely condemne the whole order of the Masse and wil suffer no man to be present thereat but onely suche as wil receiue For thus saithe Chrysostome If thou stande by and doo not Communicate thou arte maliperte thou art shamelesse thou art impudent Thyne eies be vnwoorthy the â—ight hereof vnwoorthy he thine eares O thou wilt saye I am vnwoorthy to be partaker of the holy Mysteries Then art thou vnwoorthy to be partaker of the praiers thou mayste no more stande here then a Heathen that neuer was Christened And touchinge him selfe he saithe In vaine wee come to offer the daily Sacrifice In vaine wee stande at the Aultare Meaninge thereby as may appeare that if he saide Priuate Masse for lacke of companie it was in vaine Here M. Hardinge séeinge that his Masse euen by his owne authoritie is shrewdly cracâ—te and leafte for vayne assayeth to salue it as wel as he may The Masse saithe he is not in vayne in it selfe but vnto the people that wil not come This is a Glose biside the texte yet let vs take it as it were true But if hearinge of the Masse be a thinge pleasaunt vnto God and meritorious vnto the people if Christe be there offred in déede for the sinnes of the worlde if the Priest alone may receiue for al the rest if it be sufficient for the people to Communicate spiritually as M. Hardinge hath auouched then is not the saieinge of the Masse in vaine no not vnto the people no although they neuer woulde Communicate Chrysostome saithe It is in vaine M. Harding saithe It is not in vaine And yet to sée a greater contradiction M. Hardinge him sâ—lfe in this place saithe It is in vaine vnto the people And yet the same M. Hardinge hath saide before It is commaunded by Councels it is sufficient for the people to Communicate in spirite it is not in vaine vnto the people If M. Hardinge wil stande vnto the authâ—ritie of Chrysostome let him not dissemble but speake plainely vnto the people â–ª as Chrysostome spake Let him saye to them that come to heare his Masse If yee receiue not ye are shamelesse yee are impudent yee are not woorthy to be partakers of the common praiers departe yee from the Churche yee haue no more place here then Turkes and Heathens Your eies â—e vnwoorthy to see these thinges vnwoorthy be your eares our Masses can not profite you they are not meritorious for you they please not God they prouoke his anger they are al in vaine This is Chrysostomes sense and plaine meaninge and this is a fayre winding vp of M. Hardinges Clewe Now let vs examine this inuincible argument wherewithal euery Childe as M. Hardinge vaunteth is hable to proue the Priuate Masse The Maior is this The Sacrifice in Chrysostomes time was daily offred The Minor is this But many times no man came to Communicate with the Priest The Conclusion Ergo There was Priuate Masse Here the Maior is apparent false The Minor proued at aduentures onely by blinde gheasse and so not proued at al Therefore the Conclusion must néedes follow after as it may Onlesse M. Hardinge looke better to it I trow it wil proue but a childish argument As for the Maior it is plaine by the sixte Councel of Constantinople by S. Augustine vpon S. Iohn by S. Basil Ad Caesariam patritiam By the Epistle of the Councel of Alexandria in the defence of Macarius and by the Councel holden at Laodicea and by sundrie other authorities to that purpose before alleged that the Sacrifice was not daily offred as M. Hardinge imagineth Touchinge the Minor it is not proued but hangeth as I haue saide onely by gheasse M. Hardinge him selfe sawe that this is but a sclender proufe Chrysostome Ministred euery day Ergo he receiued alone And therefore he sought further to finde his Single Communion in the Countrie But Chrysostome saith There is No body to Communicate By this it may appeare as I haue already saide that Chrysostome him selfe did not Communicate onlesse wée wil say Chrysostome was No bodie and so No body receiued alone and No body him selfe saide M. Hardinges Priuate Masse And therefore No body may
Sacrifice of the Bodie and bloud of our Lorde Iesus Christe whiche the Priest offereth on the aultar Next the trueth and real presence of the Bodie and Bloud of our Lorde in the Sacrifice offered Then Aultars whiche this Councel calleth diuine or holy for the diuine and holy thinges on them offered the Bodie and Bloud of Christ. Furthermore the 200 multitude of Masses in one day For they speake of many Sacrifices that is many Masses Plurima Sacrificia Lastly Priuate Masses For the woordes nec ipse Sacrificans rightly construed and weighed importe no lesse For where as no woorde in this Decree is vttered whereby it may appeare the people to be of necessitie required to receiue if the Priestes had receiued them selues at euery Masse no faulte had beene founde And if the people had receiued without the Priestes in this case it had been reason this Decree should otherwise haue been expressed And so it is cleare that at that time Priuate Masses were saide and doone The B. of Sarisburie The authoritie and credite of this Councel of Toledo is no parte of our question It was holden almoste seuen hundred yéeres after Christe And of greater Antiquitie M. Hardinge is hable to allege none Whiche thinge I trust the indifferent and discrete Reader wil wel remember Concerning these fiue notes whereof one onely toucheth this purpose As this Councel saithe The Priest offereth the Sacrifice at the Aultar or Holy Table euen so Leo saithe Euery of the whole Faithful people likewise offereth vp the same Sacrifice I say not any other but the very selfe same Sacrifice and that in as ample manner as it is offered by the Priest Touchinge Real presence M. Harding seemeth to doo as Children sometimes vse to doo that imagin horsemen and Banners and other strange miracles in the Cloudes It is onely his owne fantasie For there is no suche woorde or mention in the Councel The mater of Aultars is already answeared Priuate Masses and also Multitudes of the same consideration euermore had to the computation of the yeeres might easily be graunted without hinderance Yet hath not M. Harding in the space welneare of seuen hundred yeeres hitherto founde in one Churche more then twoo Masses in one daie al this his greate studie and trauaile therein taken notwithstandinge But the woordes of the Councel be plaine Plurima Sacrificia that is many Sacrifices and therefore saithe M. Hardinge many Masses Hereby it may appeare that M. Hardinge either considereth not his booke or els hath no great regarde to that he writeth His owne bookes wil reprooue his ouersight and shewe how much he is deceiued For Plurima in this place signifieth not Many that is neither sixe nor fiue nor foure nor three but onely twoo And for trial hereof I reporte me to the Glose it selfe vpon the Decrées The woordes be these Noâ—a hâ—c plurima dici de duobus Quia plura non licet Marke here that this woorde Plurima is spoken onely of two For to say moe Masses then â—woo it is not lawful M. Hardinge The .10 Diuision Now if M. Iuel refuse and reiecte the auctoritie of the Churche represented in that Councel then he giueth vs a manifest notice what marke we ought to take him to be of Then may we saie vnto him the woordes of S. Paule Nos talem consuetudinem non habemus nec Ecclesia Dei VVe haue no suche custome neither the Churche of God hath not to condemne the Churche And in this case he must pardon vs if accordinge to the precepte of Christe for that he wil not heare the Churche we take him for no better then a heathen and a Publicane The B. of Sarisburie To these simple Premisses M. Hardinge hath laied a large Conclusion If we heare not him and his Churche then are we Heathens and Publicanes God knoweth This is a very poore Brauerie In the Schooles it is called Petitio Principij and Fallacia Accidentis a deceiteful kinde of reasoninge without either grounde or good order I neede not to open it it is knowen vnto Children But doeth M. Hardinge thinke that euery man is an Heathen that reprooueth errour that discloaseth the Man of Sinne wisheth the Reformation of Goddes Churche Christe saide vnto the Scribes and Phariseis You haue made the house of God a denne of Theeues Hieremie saithe The labourers them selues haue trodden downe and torne the Vine of the Lorde The Prophete Esaie saithe Your Siluer is turned into Drâ—sse S. Bernarde saithe of the Bishoppes in his time Pro Mercenarijs habemus Diabolos c. In steede of hirelinges we haue Diuels from the toppe to the toe there is no parte leafte whole in the Churche of Rome Nicolaus de Clauengijs saith Calamitosa desolatio est in domo Dei There is a miserable desolation in the House of the Lorde Pigghius confesseth there be abuses in the Priuate Masse Latomus confesseth there is an errour in the Administration in One Kinde And wil M. Hardinge knowe al these by his owne priuie Marke Or muste Christe Hieremie Esaie S. Bernarde Pigghius and Latomus be taken for no better then Heathens and Publicanes Certainely touchinge these pluralities of Masses and this shameful profanation and waste of Goddes Holy Mysteries bothe Christe and his Apostles and al the Olde Catholique Fathers of the Primitiue Churche wil saie Nos huiusmodi consuetudinem non habemus nec Ecclesia Dei We haue no suche custome neither the Churche of God And to the wilful mainteiners of the same Christe wil saie Frustra colitis me docentes doctrinas praecepta hominum Ye woorship me in vaine teachinge the Doctrines and Commaundementes of men And where as M. Harding ye countenance and furnishe your errours by the name of the Churche Remember S. Iohn saithe Make no vauntes that ye be the Children of Abraham For God is hable euen of the stoanes to raise vp Children vnto Abraham And the Angel saithe in the booke of Reuelations Dicunt se esse Iudaeos noÌ„ sunt Sed sunt Synagoga Satanae They name them selues Iewes that is the people of God â–ª but they are not They are the Synagoge of the Diuel Now good Christian Reader that thou maiste sée how vainely M. Hardinge hath wandred throughout this whole treatie it may please thée to remember my first Negatiue Proposition touchinge the same whiche in effect is this They are not hable to shewe that within sixe hundred yeeres after Christe there were fiue Masses saide anywhere in any one Church in one daie throughout the worlde In whiche proposition twoo pointes are specially touched the number of Masses and the number of yéeres To prooue the Affirmatiue hereof M. Hardinge hath alleged the Councel of Antisiodorum and the Councel of Toledo either of them beinge without the compasse of sixe hundred yéeres He hath also alleged Leo an ancient Bishop of Rome
is vaine and puffeth vp the minde God make vs learned to the Kingedome of God that wée maie humble al our knowledge to the obedience of Faithe It reioiceth mee mutche that ye saie ye loue mée and in respecte of our olde frendship and loue haue thus written to mée Howe be it our olde priuate frenship néedid not so many publique witnesses Ye saie Ye wil folowe the later parte of Chiloes Counsel Oderis tanquam amaturus Hate so as afterwarde thowe maiste loue Bytweene whiche your two saieinges of hatinge and louinge I knowe not howe yowe include a plaine contradiction Onlesse ye wil saie Ye can hate and loue in one respecte bothe togeather But I take it in the best sense wherein I doubt not but ye meante it Howe be it touchinge your frendly aduise I maie answeare yowe likewise with an other péece of Chiloes Counsel Obsequendum est amicoâ— vsque ad aras A man maie folowe his frendes Counsel so it be not either against God or against his Conscience The people of Alexandria saide vnto Timotheus Eâ—si non communicamus tecum tamen amamus tâ— Although wee Communicate not with yowe yet wee loue yowe notwithstandinge Ye promisse to deale herein without either gal or bitternesse For that as yowe saie Glikes Nippes and Scoffes Bittes Cuttes and Gyrdes these be your woordes becomme not your stage And doubtelesse sutche kinde of dealinge as it is moste commendable in it selfe so it seemeth moste sitting for them that traueile in Goddes causes Christe saithe Learne of mee for I am meeke and gentle But whoe 's woordes then be these M. Hardinge From what Sprite haue they procéeded Upon what stage were they spoken These woordes I saie wherewith ye seeme so mutche so often to solace your selfe to refreasshe your Sprites Goliath Thersites Rasshe Presumptuous VVicked Vnlearned Ignorant Peeuishe Lucians Scoffers Coggers Foisters Pearâ—e Insolente Vaunters Braggers Sectaries Schismatiques Heretiques Sacramentaries Newe maisters Newe Fanglers False reporters Sclaunderers of the Churche Terrible seducers The Enimies of the Sacrifice The Enimies of the Churche The Ministers of the Diuel Sitters in the Chaire of Pestilence Monsters Heathens Publicanes Turkes Infidelles Antichristes and Forerenners of Antichriste These woordes be yours M. Hardinge not onely for that they be vttered by yowe but also for that they perteine directely and properly vnto your selfe With these and other like pearles ye haue thorowly besette your whole Booke that it might the more glitter in the eie of your Reader Herewith your stage is fully freight Some man woulde thinke it were Vetus Comoedia So faitheful ye seeme to be in kéepinge your promise Yf ye vtter sutche woordes of pure loue and frendship what then maie wée looke for yf ye once beginne to hate They say the Scorpion embraceth louingely with his feete but smiteth his poison with his taile Thus ye suffer the teÌ„pestes of your affections sometimes to blowe you oute and to tosse yowe of from the shoare In a man of professed grauitie reasons had benne more conueniente then reproches Sutche eloquence might better becomme some of your yonger Iannizers who as their frendes saie here haue not yet learned to speake otherwise As for these woordes and these stages they maie not wel chasâ— vs awaie from the Gospel of Christe Yt is not needeful for vs to heare your good reportes but it is most needeful for vs to speake the Trueth The aduertisement that yow allege out of Salomon There is a waie that vnto a man seemeth right but the ende thereof leadeth to damnation is common toucheth vs bothe aswel yowe as mee or rather somewhat more yowe then mee Ye were once deceiued before by your owne confession But they that haue indifferently weighed the causes and suddainesse of your change haue thought ye are as mutche or rather mutche more deceiued nowe Marke I beséeche yowe M. Hardinge what ye were lately and what ye woulde nowe seeme to be what waie ye trodde then and what waie ye â—reade nowe The difference is no lesse then is bitweene Light and Darknesse Life and Deathe Heauen Hel â–ª So greate a change would require some good time of deliberation But if ye be thorowly changed as yow saie and if ye be touched in deede either with theâ— zele of God or with the loue of your brethren be not then ashamed to telle vs what thinges God hath donne for yowe Let your Reader vnderstande that yow your selfe sometime were that man of whom Salomon speaketh That yow sometime were in a waie that seemed right and yet the ende thereof leadde to damnation That yow sometime bent your whole harte and studie to deface the Churche of God That yow preached so many yeeres togeather directly contrary to your conscience That yow sometime witingly and willingly and of purpose and malice deceiued Goddes people That yow sometime were the Minister of the Diuel â–ª a Turke an Heathen an Infidel a Forerenner of Antichriste and that from this rueful state ye were suddainely changed not by readinge or conference of the Scriptures or Anciente Fathers but onely for that ye sawe the Prince was changed Thus must ye deale M. Hardinge yf ye deale truely So wil your frendes thinke ye dissemble not nowe as yow did before but are mooued onely of true zele pure conscience Certainely either as wee saie ye are nowe deceiued or at the leaste as your selfe must needes graunte not longe sithence ye were deceiued And S. Augustine saithe Hoc est erroris proprium vt quod cuique displicet id aliis quoque oportere existimet displicere This is the very nature of Errour that what so euer misliketh any man he thinketh al others shoulde likewise mislike the same Sutche is the miserie of Adams children their harte is euermore inclined vnto il and errour Hereof false prophetes oftentimes take occasion to saie Good is Il and Il is Good Light is Darknesse and Darknesse is Light And oftentimes the people is wilfully leadde awaie and cannot abide to heare sounde Doctrine but turneth their eares to heare Fables Therefore Salomons counsel is wise and good And for that cause wee truste not our owne eies to choose our waie but wee calle vnto God with the Prophete Dauid O Lorde shewe vs the waie that wee maie walke in Wee seeke vnto him that saithe I am the Waie the Trueth and the Life I am the Light of the World who so foloweth mee walketh not in darknesse but hath the Light of Life And wee thanke God that with his Daiespringe from aboue hath visited vs and directed our feete into the waie of peace into the same waie that Christe hath shewed vs and the holy Apostles and anciente Catholique Fathers haue trodden before vs. Touchinge your exhortation to humilitie and the denieal of my learninge whiche I trust of your parte proceedeth from a meeke and humble sprite I maie safely denie that thinge that I neuer auouched It cannot
and thus shal Christes callinge be verie comfortable M. Hardinge The .6 Diuision Now this presupposed that the Masse standeth vpon good and sufficient groundes for the stay of al true Christen mens beliefe lette vs come to our special purpose and say somewhat of Priuate Masse as our aduersaries cal it The B. of Sarisburie The groundes he here speaketh of be his Doctours suche as he hath already brought foorthe laide vp in great secresie and hidden from al the worlde by the space of one thousande yeeres and more and nowe of late founde out by chaunce some in Ilandes in the Sea some in Arches vnder the grounde some so defaced with moulde and canker that it was harde to geasse their meaninge some ful of impudent lies and fables one parcel not agréeinge with another some diuised and written by heretikes and euer mistrusted and condemned of the Churche yet euery of these as M. Hardinge wel knoweth fully reportinge the holy Communion and manifestly testifieinge against Priuate Masse These be M. Hardinges greatest groundes Nowe iudge thou gentle reader what woorthy buildinge may stande vpon the same Doubtlesse this beginninge is verie simple M. Hardinge The .7 Diuision The chief cause why they storme so muche at priuate Masse is for that the Priest receiueth the Sacrament alone whiche thinge they expresse with great villanie of woordes Now in case the people might be stirred to suche deuotion as to dispose them selues woorthely to receiue their housel euery day with the Priest as they did in the Primitiue Churche when they looked hourely to be caught and done to deathe in he persecution of Paynimes that they departed not hence sine viatico without their viage prouision what should these menne haue to say In this case perhappes they would finde other defaultes in the Masse but against it in this respecte onely that it is priuate they should haue nothinge to say at al. So the right of their cause dependeth of the missedoinge of the people whiche if they would amende these folke should be driuen either to recante or to holde their peace To other defaultes of the Masse by them vntruely surmised answeare shal be made hereafter Now touchinge this VVhere no faulte is committed There no blame is to be imputed That oftentimes the Priest at Masse hath no comparteners to receiue the Sacrament with him it proceedeth of lacke of deuotion of the peoples parte not of enuie or malice of his parte The feast is common 13 al be inuited they may come that liste they shal be receiued that be disposed and proued None is thrust away that thus commeth it may be obtruded to none violently ne offred to none rashely wel none commeth This is not a sufficient cause why the faithful and godly Priest enflamed with the loue of God feelinge him selfe hungrie and thirstie after that heauenly foode and drinke should be kepte from it and imbarred from celebratinge the memorie of our Lordes death accordinge to his commaundement from his dutie of geuinge of thankes for that great benefite from takinge the cuppe of Saluation and callinge vpon the name of God for these thinges be done in the Masse The B. of Sarisburie God be thanked both our life and maner of teachinge notwithstanding these sclaunderous reportes is voide of villanie Or if there had ben any defecte in vs this man of his courtesie should not haue supplied it with an other villanie Here M. Hardinge graunteth that the people in the Primitiue Churche receiued the holy Communion euery day and so consequently vnawares he confesseth that in the Primitiue Churche was no Priuate Masse which as he sayth came in afterwarde by the negligence and vndeuotion of the people It is great pitie that so good a thinge as it is supposed should haue no better beginninge One special principle of these mennes doctrine is to embarre the people from readinge and vnderstandinge of the Scriptures and to suffer them to know nothinge for that as some of them haue saide they be Dogges and Swine and therefore should not precious stones be layde before them Yet now must their negligence be the rule of Christes Religion This is laide as the grounde and foundation of the whole cause and therefore it ought the better to be considered Eckius Pigghius Hosius and others haue often cried out amayne in their bookes and Pulpites where was your Religion before Lùther first beganne to Preache So may wée likewise say And where was your Priuate Masse whiche is the crowne of your kingedome before your people firste beganne to growe negligent and to wante deuotion Some haue saide the Church is gouerned by the Pope some by the general Councels some by the holy Ghost M. Hardinge saith better it is not amisse that the Churche be gouerned by the negligence and vndeuotion of the people Charitie say they is colde and the people is carelesse But therefore hath God appointed Pastours and Ministers to ouersée and control the people and not to suffer them to perishe in their negligence Were it a mater of tiethes or other paimentes the people should be called vpon and not suffered in any wise to be negligent neither should their negligence stande for excuse How much lesse should it be suffered when the case toucheth God The Bishoppes and Fathers in the seconde Councel holden at Bracara in Spayne decreed thus If any man resorte vnto the Church and heare the Scriptures and for negligence or wantonnesse withdraw him selfe from the Communion of the Sacrament and in the reuerende mysteries doo breake the rule of discipline wee decree that suche one be put out of the Catholike Church Vntil he haue done penance and shewed the fruites of his repentance that hauing obteined pardon he may be receiued againe to the holy Communion Thus the godly Fathers in olde time did not flatter and fauour the peoples negligence in this case as M. Harding and his felows doo but exhorted warned reprooued rebuked them called them malâ—pert and impudent that woulde be present and not receiue and excommunicated them for their negligence But these men contrarywise turne away their faces from their brethren and suppresse their voyce and wil not be hearde and speake nothyng but in an vnknowen tongue and finde no faulte with the people but rather make them beléeue that they receiue for them and applie Christes death vnto them by their Masse and that the verie hearyng thereof is sufficient for them and meritorious and thus as muche as in them lieth they increase the negligence of the people and discourage them from the holy Communion The people is tought nothyng they vnderstande nothyng they heare nothing and sauyng onely a few childish and vnséemely gestures they sée nothing neither comforte nor memorie of Christe nor benefite of his passion And this is the cause of their negligence therefore they stande thus backe and withdraw them selfe How be it what néedeth M. Harding thus to charge
and sette at libertie shoulde yet for al that be in seruitude and subiection vnder those out warde thinges whiche S. Paule calleth Infirma egena elementa weake and beggerly ceremonies after the Englishe Bibles translation Then when S. Paule blaminge the Galathians saithe ye obserue dayes and monethes and times for this bondage he might likewise blame vs and saye ye obserue places But S. Paule woulde not we shoulde returne againe vnto these whiche he calleth Elementes for that were â—ewis â—e And to the Colossians he saithe we be deade with Christe from the elementes of this worlde Nowe if we excepte those thinges whiche be necessarily required to this Sacramente by Christes institution either declared by written Scriptures or taught by the holy ghost 23 as breade and wine mingled with water for the mater the due woordes of consecration for the forme â–ª and the Prieste rightly ordered hauinge intention to doo as the Churche doothe for the ministerie al these elementes and al outwarde thinges be subiect vnto vs and serue vs being members of Christes Churche In consideration whereof S. Paule saithe to the Corinthians Omnia enim vestra sunt c. Al thinges are yours whether it be Paule either Apollo either Cephas whether it be the worlde either life either death whether they be present thinges or thinges to come al are yours and ye Christes and Christe is Gods The B. of Sarisburie If it be lawful neither for the Priest nor for any other Christian man or woman to receiue alone then saithe M. Hardinge we must needes condition of a place to receiue togeather Here these woordes euery other Christian man or woman that he hath taken in by the way are an ouerplus quite from the purpose For the question is moued not of any other man or woman but of the Masse and onely of the Priest that saithe the Masse Nowe to condition of a place saithe M. Hardinge were as badde as to obserue monethes daies which thing S. Paule vtterly forbiddeth it were a very Iewish Ceremonie it were an element of this worlde and so a miserable seruitude of the Churche But from suche bondage Christe hath deliuered vs. I know not wel whether M. Hardinge scoffe dally herein for his pleasure or speake soothly as he thinketh If he dally it becommeth not the mater if he speake soothely as he thinketh then he hath not wel aduised him selfe neither from what seruitude Christe by his Bloude hath deliuered vs nor of what libertie S. Paule speaketh Certaine it is Christe hath not deliuered vs from honest Ciuile Policies without whiche no state neither Ecclesiastical nor Ciuile canne be mainteined but from the curse of the Lawe wherein we reasted vnder sinne and from the Ceremonies and ordinances geuen by Moses whiche for that they were weake accordinge to the imperfection of that time therefore S. Paule calleth them the Elementes of this worlde Here M. Hardinge séemeth by the waie to touche the Englishe Translation of the Bible whiche calleth suche Elementes Beggerly Ceremonies him selfe beinge not hable to translate it better And yet if he were wel apposed I thinke he would hardely yéelde any greate difference betwéene the Gréeke woorde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latine woorde Egena and this Englishe woorde Beggerly Whiche woorde if it séeme to homely yet S. Hierome in his exposition is as homely callinge it vilem intelligentiam Traditionum And yet the Prophetes abase it further Hieremie calleth such Ceremonies so abused others diuised by men Chaffe Swil Drosse Dreames Esaie Filthe Zacharie Curses Ezechiel Mans dounge other like From this seruitude saithe Paule God hath deliuered you Now are ye free and no more bonde now are ye the children and heyres of God From this libertie the Galathians were fallen away to the seruile obseruation of Circumcisions Washinges and other Ceremonies of the Lawe Therefore of this libertie and of this bondage S. Paule speaketh and of none other To condition of a place saithe M. Hardinge were meere Iewishe for as S. Paule saithe to the Galathians ye obserue monethes and dayes so might he say vnto you ye obserue places Thus he saithe as though he him selfe had no choise of place to say his Masse in He moueth talke of place whereof we had no question but the number of Communicantes whereof S. Paule so plainely speaketh he thought beste to salue with silence If these men accoumpte al vtter thinges to be worldly Elementes then must they take away the Breade and Wine in the holy Ministration the water in Baptisme the woordes of the Gospel the whole Ministerie and al kinde of Ciuile policie Al these be vtter creatures geuen to vs by God to be vsed fréely without seruile obseruation or subiection of Conscience For God hath appointed these thinges for vs not vs for them But wil our aduersaries now at laste defende the Libertie of the Churche or complaine of Bondage O good reader they deale not simply they dissemble they meane it not They haue dâ—filed the Lordes Sacramentes with a multitude of superstitious and childishe Ceremonies and haue annexed vnto the same a déepe charge of Goddes highe displeasure and burthen of conscience They teache the people of God in this sorte O touche not this O taste not this They burthen the peoples consciences with choise of meates They restrainâ— lawful Matrimonie the restrainte whereof is a Yoke intolerable and a snare of mennes liues and as S. Paule calleth it the doctrine of Diuels They heare S. Augustine complaine that by meane of suche traditions whiche he calleth mennes presumptions the Church of Christe was in woorse case in his time then euer was the Synagoge of the Iewes They heare others of late yéeres likewise complaine muche of the same Yet woulde they neuer nor yet wil they yéelde that any one of al their vaine Ceremonies be released no not nowe hauinge had as they cal it a general Councel for that purpose And can these menne stande foorthe to complaine of bondage Or wil they restore vs the libertie of the Churche Howe be it M. Hardinge hath wel disclosed him selfe herein that this libertie is nothinge els but to doo what him listeth and his Bondage nothinge els but to be subiecte vnto God For he addeth immediatly that the minglinge and blindinge of Water and Wine togeather and the intention of the Prieste are thinges necessarily required to the Consecration of this Sacrament Of the firste hereof the superstition onely excepted no man maketh any greate accompte In déede S. Cyprian and certaine olde Fathers speake of it and force it muche and Iustinus Martyr calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Cuppe of Water and mixture But neither Christe nor any of his Disciples euer gaue Commaundement of it neither was it at any time in the Churche vniuersally receiued or accompted necessarie For Scotus
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
grannted the Sacrament or the Ministration of the Sacrament vnto Polycarpus Here marke good Christian Reader then thei Communicated saith Irenaeus when they mette in the Churche and not before they mette togeather as M. Hardinge saithe Anicetus as Irenaeus saithe receiued the Sacrament with Polycarpus in the Churche and not as M. Hardinge séemeth to say in his Inne or Hosterie Now the truthe of the mater standinge thus what hath M. Hardinge here founde for his Priuate Masse M. Hardinge The .16 Diuision Iustinus the Martyr likewise describing the manner and order of Christian Religion of his time touchinge the vse of the Sacrament saith thus Finitis ab â—o qui praefectus est gratijs orationibus ab vniuerso populo facta acclamatione Diaconi quos ita vocamus vnicuique tunc temporis praesenti Panis aquae vini consecrati dant participationem ad eos qui non adsunt deferunt When the Priest hath made an ende of thankes and Praiers and al the people therto haue saide Amen They whiche wee cal Deacons geue to euery one then present Breade and water and wyne Consecrated to take parte of it for their housel and for those that be not present they beare it home to them Thus in that time they that serued God togeather in the common place of Praier and some others that were absent letted from comming to their companie by sickenesse businesse or otherwise 26 Communicated togeather though not in one place and no man cried out of breakinge the Institution of Christe And bicause M. Iuel is so vehement against Priuate Masse for that the Priest receiueth the Sacrament alone and triumpheth so much as though he had woonne the fielde makinge himselfe mery with these woordes in deede without cause vvhere then vvas the Priuate Masse vvhere then vvas the Single Communion al this vvhile He meaneth for the space of sixe hundred yeres after Christe as there he expresseth I wil bringe in good euidence and witnesse that longe before S. Gregories time that he speaketh of ye from the beginning of the Churche faithful persons bothe men and vvomen receiued the Sacrament alone and were neuer therefore reproued as breakers of Christes Institution And er I enter into the rehersal of the places whiche I am hable to shew for this purpose one question I demaunde of M. Iuel If they whiche remained at home of whom Iustinus Martyr writeth receiued the Communion by them selues alone lawfully why may not the Priest doo the same in the Churche seruinge God in moste deuoute wise in the holy Sacrifice of the Masse lacking compartners without any his defaulte Haue the Sacramentarâ—es any Religion to condemne it in the Priest and to allow it in lay folke what is in the Priest that shoulde make it vnlawful to him more then to the people Or may a lay man or woman receiue it kepte a longe time and may not a Priest receiue it forthwith so soone as he hath consecrated and offered And if case of necessitie be alleged for the lay the same may no lesse be alleged for the Priestes also wanting compartners without their defaulte For otherwise the memorie and recordinge of our Lordes death should not according to his commaundement be celebrated and doone wel now to these places The B. of Sarisburie Good reader behâ—lde not the names of these Fathers here alleged but rather weighe their sayinges M. Harding hath brought them for his Masse but they witnesse clearely and fully against his Masse and of al others none more pregnant or plaine then Iustinus Martyr wherof thou hast good occasion to consider how faithfully these men demeane them selues in the allegation of the Doctours Iustinus touchinge this mater writeth thus Towardes the ende of the Praiers eche of vs with a kisse saluteth other Afterwarde vnto him that is the chiefe emonge the brethren is deliuered Breade and a Cuppe mingled with wine and water whiche he hauinge receiued rendreth praise and glorie vnto the Father of al thinges in the name of the Sonne and the Holy Ghost and yeeldeth thankes a greate space for that he is thought woorthy of these thinges Whiche beinge orderly doone the people blesseth or confirmeth his Praier and thankesgeuing sayinge Amen c. This ended they that emonge vs be called Deacons deliuer to euery of them that be present the Breade Wine and Water whiche are Consecrate with thankesgeuinge and cary of the same to them that be absent Here is set foorthe the whole and plaine order of the holy Ministration vsed in the Churche at that time The Priest praieth and geueth thankes in the Uulgare tongue the whole Congregation heareth his woordes and confirmeth the same sayinge Amen The holy Communion is Ministred to the people in bothe kindes and al the whole Churche receiuâ—th togeather I maruel muche wherein M. Harding can liken any parte hereof to his Priuate Masse Onlesse it be for that as he saide before euery Priuate Masse is common so â—e wil now say euery Communion is Priuate Let vs a litle compare Iustines Masse and M. Hardinges Masse bothe togeather And to passe by al other circumstances of difference in Iustines Masse al the people did receiue in M. Hardinges Masse none of the people doo receiue In Iustines Masse none absteined in M. Hardinges Masse al absteine In Iustines Masse a portion was sente to the absent in M. Hardinges Masse there is no portion deliuered no not vnto the present Withwhat countenaunce then can any man allege the authoritie of Iustine to proue the antiquitie of Priuate Masse M. Iuel triumpheth saithe M. Hardinge and maketh him selfe mery as if he had wonne the fielde No no M. Iuel triumpheth not but geueth al triumphe victorie and glory vnto God that wil subdue al them that withstande his truthe and make his enemies his foote stoole I wil bringe good euidence and witnesse saithe M. Hardinge that from the beginninge of the Churche faithful persons bothe men and women receiued the Sacrament alone I haue no greate cause to doubte these witnesses for excepting onely the Fable of Amphilochius and Iohn the Almonare whiche were not woorthe the reckening I alleged al the rest in mine owne Sermon I knew them had weighed them and therefore I alleged them That certeine godly persons both men and women in time of persecution or of sickenesse or of other necessitie receiued the Sacrament in their howses it is not denied neither is it any parcel of this question But if M. Hardinge coulde haue proued that any man or woman in the Primitiue Churche euer saide Priuate Masse then had he answeared somwhat to the purpose He séemeth to reason thus Some receiued the Sacrament alone Ergo there was Priuate Masse The foly of this argument wil the better appeare by the like Wemen receiued the Sacrament alone Ergo wemen saide Priuate Masse But saâ—the M. Harding it was lawful for lay men to receiue alone why
men and wemen to take some portion of the Sacrament home with them and to receiue it alone secretely and at their pleasures to make further doubte whether the partie so hauinge it might touche it and receiue it with his owne handes was a very nice question and méete for a Gentlewoman as Caesaria was to demaunde And so it séemed also to S. Basil as may appeare by his answeare For who so euer hath considered the olde Fathers shal finde this mater fully debated by the continual practise of the Churche S. Cyprian sheweth that in his time the people receiued the holy Mysteries of the Deacons with their handes and that one that had committed Idolatrie and afterwarde came to receiue the Communion amongst the faithful opened his hande and founde the Sacrament turned into Ashes The like manner of receiuinge is recorded also by Tertullian Dionysius Byshoppe of Alexandria hath these woordes in an Epistle vnto Sistus the Bishoppe of Rome touchinge the same speakinge of one that had receiued the Communion in the Churche After he had hearde the thankes geuinge and had sounded Amen with the reast and had been at the Table and had reached foorthe his hande to receiue the holy Foode c. Clemens of Alexandria thus vttereth the manner of the Churche there When certaine haue diuided the Sacrament as the order is they suffer euery of the people to take parte of it Nouatus the Heretike when he ministred the Communion to the people vsed to sweare them by that they had in their handes that is to say by the Sacrament that they woulde no more returne to Cornelius S. Augustine writinge against certayne letters of Petilian saithe thus I speake of him whose Cosse of peace ye receiued at the Ministration and in whose handes ye layde the Sacrament I leaue the storie betwéen S. Ambrose and the Emperour Theodosius and other sundry like authorities to the same purpose Yet bicause many haue béen superstitiously ledde and simply seduced herein by the doctrine of them that say O taste not this O touche not this whiche are nothinge els as S. Paule saithe but commaundementes and doctrines of menne hauinge a shew of wisdome in superstition and abasing of the minde I thinke it not amisse to note one special place out of the Councel of Constantinople concerninge the same The woordes of the Councel be these Wee doo in no wise admitte them that in steede of their hande make to them selues instrumentes of golde or of any other mater for the receiuinge of the holy Communion as men more regardinge a dead metal then the Image of God And if any Prieste receiue suche persons with suche instrumentes vnto the Communion sit him be Excommunicate and him likewise that bringeth them But if this gentlewomans doubte were not whether a lay man might safely touche the Sacrament but onely whether it were lawful for any suche one to minister the same vnto his owne mouthe S. Basil saithe it is no question custome already hath made it good For saithe he bothe the Eremites in the wildernesse and euery of the people in Egypte and Alexandria for the more parte haue the Sacrament at home and eche of them doothe minister it vnto him selfe Yea euen in the Churche after that the Priest hath distributed a portion of the Sacrament he that hath receiued it putteth it to his mouthe with his owne hande without any remorse or doubt of conscience and whether he receiue one portion of the Priest or moe the effecte and strength thereof is al one This is the very meaning of S. Basil al be it for plainnesse sake reseruing the sense I haue somwhat altered the woordes But muche I maruel how M. Hardinge can geather hereof his Priuate Masse Touchinge his fiue special notes if wée graunte them throughly euery one yet is he nothing the neare his purpose For his Masse is none of them The Eremites Sole receiuynge as it nothinge hindreth vs that denie not the facte so it nothing furthereth him vnlesse he will haue lay men and wemen to doo so stil. The reason that S. Basil maketh of custome and continuance being wel considered is very weake both for many other good and iust causes and also for that the same custome as it was neuer vniuersally receiued so vpon better aduise by order of the Churche it was cleane abolished For wyse men in Goddes causes haue euermore mistrusted the authoritie of Custome The Heretikes in olde time named Aquarij that in the Holy Ministration vsed water onely no Wyne notwithstanding they manifestly brake Christes Iustitution as our Aduersaries doo now yet they vphelde their doinges therein by longe Custome But S. Cyprian being then aliue wrote thus against them Victi ratione opponunt consuetudinem quasi consuetudo fit maior veritate c. Beynge ouercome with reason they defende them selfe by Custome as though Custome were better then the Truthe Wee may not prescribe of Custome but wee muste ouercome with reason Custome without trueth is the mother of erroure But be it that bothe the Reason were good and the Custome that longe sithence hath béen abolished had remained still Yet is not M. Hardinge hable out of this place precisely and vndoubtedly to proue his Priuate Masse For if a man shoulde say it may possibly be that these Eremites did not Minister seuerally eche man to him selfe alone but one of them vnto the reast of the Eremites dwellynge in the wildernesse as it appeareth diuersely they had times to méete and to pray togeather Or that the householders in Egypte and Alexandria Ministred not onely to them selues but also to their whole seueral families as it is written of Hippolytus Martyr that beinge a lay man he receiued the Communion of Iustinus beynge a Prieste and bare it home and Ministred the same to his Wife his Children and his Seruauntes If a man woulde thus say perhappes M. Hardinge woulde better bethinke him selfe of his Conclusions This sense may seeme to stande very wel with S. Basiles woordes notwithstandinge M. Hardinge in his Translation into Englishe hath openly falsified the same For whereas it is written in the Greeke and so likewise in the Latine They receiue of them selues Whiche may wel be vnderstanded that one of them receiued of an other for wante of a Prieste he hath otherwise wreasted it to come to his tune and hath turned it thus They doo Communicate with themselues alone Wherein al be it I wil not greately striue yet neither this woorde Alone nor these woordes with them selues can be founde either in the Gréeke or in the Latine This longe allegation of S. Basiles woordes with all the furniture thereof may shortely be geathered into this reason These Eremites beynge no Priestes receiued alone Ergo These Eremites beinge no Priestes saide Priuate Masse Further M. Hardinge saithe This Sole Receiuing was allowed by custome Ergo Priuate Masse likewise is
straunge interpretation of M. Hardinge Certainely I thinke he him selfe will say that sithence the Churche was once in peace neither this woorde Ecclesia nor this woorde Parochia euer signified a priuate house in any kinde of writer or in any time But saithe M. Hardinge Adoes Heretikes for Damasus speaketh of none bare al the swaie and woulde not suffer the Catholike people to communicate in the Churche Therefore we must néedes vnderstande here priuate houses Alas when did Heretikes euer beare suche swaie in the Churche of Rome Or if they did at any time as it is vntrue onlesse he meane the Soueraine Heretikes the Pope his Cardinalles yet may we thinke that the Catholiques were so weake in the common Churche beinge altogeather and so stronge in their owne houses beinge alone Or were these Heretikes hable to withstande a whole Congregation and not hable to withstande one single man by him selfe Marke wel good reader how handesomely M. Hardinges argumentes hange togeather He muste néedes thinke thée to be very vnsensible that hopeth thou wilt yéelde to suche gheasses To leaue a great number of other like absurdities M. Hardinges argumentes are framed thus The Sacrament was receiued in Priuate houses albeit there appeareth no suche thinge by Damasus Ergo one man receiued alone Surely then had that man a very emptie house he might wel singe Tanquam passer solitarius in tecto It is more likely that beinge a godly man he would desire his wife and familie to receiue with him as I haue saide before Againe the Sacrament was sent emonge the Parishes Ergo there was priuate Masse The force of this reason may soone be séene But who saide this Masse whether it were the Messenger or the receiuer I leaue it to M. Hardinge to consider He might better haue concluded thus The Bishoppe sente the Mysteries abroade for the people to Communicate ergo he meante a Communion and no Priuate Masse Further he saithe this was done in time of necessitie bicause of Heretikes and yet by the same he defendeth the Masse vsed now without any suche necessitie and that in the Churche of Rome where he saithe can be no Heretikes To conclude this maner of sendinge abroade the Sacrament was afterwarde abolished by the Councel holden at Laodicea Thus is M. Hardinge driuen to goe by Gheasse to imagine strange Heretikes for shewe of some antiquitie to allege vaine Decrees without sense to auoutche suche orders as he knoweth were longe sithence condemned and to comment the same with his owne Gloses M. Hardinge The .21 Diuision Here haue I brought muche for priuate and single Communion and that it hath not onely bene suffered in time of persecution but also allowed in quiet and peaceable times euen in the Churche of Rome it selfe 31 where true Religion hath euer bene most exactely obserued aboue al other places of the worlde and 32 from whence al the Churches of the VVeste haue taken their light As the Bishoppes of al Gallia that now is called Fraunce doo acknowledge in an Epistle sent to Leo the Pope with these woordes vnde religionis nostrae propitio Christo fons origo manauit From the Apostolike see by the Mercie of Christe the fountaine and springe of our Religion hath come The B. of Sarisburie M. Hardinge vseth a straunge kinde of Logique He pretendeth priuate Masse and concludeth single Communion And why mighte he not aswel plainely and without colour conclude his priuate Masse Doubtles the wise reader may soone geather thus if he coulde finde it he woulde not concele it This talke of the Churche of Rome in this place was néedlesse as nothinge seruinge to priuate Masse Yet is it generally confessed by al menne that Rome is the eldest Churche that we know founded in this Weast parte of the worlde and that the Churches of Fraunce and other countries at the beginninge had both the confirmation of Doctrine and also other great conference conforte from thence like as also the Churche of Rome had from Hierusalem and Antioche and other great Churches in the Easte But that the first that euer preached the Ghospel in Fraunce were sente from Rome I recken it not so easy to be proued For some say that Nathanael whome Christe coÌ„mendeth to be the true Israelite preached at Trire and Bituriges Lazarus whome Christe raysed at Marsiles Saturninus at Tolouse longe before Peter came to Rome S. Paule as it is thought after his deliuerie vnder Nero went into Spaine sente Titus into Dalmatia and Crescens into Galatia or as Epiphanius readeth it into Gallia Ioseph of Arimathaea came into Englande And yet it appeareth not that any of these were sente by Commission from Rome But why dothe M. Hardinge thus out of season rushe into the commendation of the Churche of Rome that was so longe agoe It had bene more to purpose to haue vewed the state of the same Churche as it standeth nowe But as one once saide ye shal not now finde Samnium in Samnio bicause the Citie of Samnium was sackte and rased vp and vtterly ouerthrowen euen so I hearde M. Harding sometime say He had sought for the Church of Rome in Rome it selfe and yet coulde not finde the Churche of Rome The Bishoppes Cardinalles and Priestes doo neither teache nor exhorte nor conforte nor any other parte of their duties The people as it is alreadie confessed is carelesse and voyde of deuotion S. Bernarde saithe O Domine sacerdotes tui facti sunt â—onsores Praelati Pilati Doctores Seductores O Lorde thy Priestes are become shearers thy Prelates Pilates thy Doctours Deceiuers If such a Churche cannot erre then may we say of it as Eurypides sometime saide of the Citie of Athens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O Citie Citie thy lucke is farre better then thy witte M. Hardinge The .22 Diuision More coulde I yet bringe for confirmation of the same as the example of S. Hilariae the virgin in the time of Numerianus of S. Lucia in Diocletians time doone to Martyrdome of S. Maria Aegyptiaca and S. Ambrose of whiche euery one as auncient testimonies of Ecclesiastical histories and of Paulinus doo declare at the houre of their departure hence to God receiued the holy Sacrament of the Altare for their viage prouision alone But I iudge this is enough and if any man wil not be perswaded with this I doubte whether with suche a one a more numbre of authorities shal any thinge preuaile The B. of Sarisburie Nowe M. Hardinge higheth him selfe vnto the ende of his authorities and for speede is content to passe by the stories of Hilaria Lucia Maria Aegyptiaca and others written I suppose in Legenda Aurea of whome as it appeareth he is certaine that they saide Masse a litle before their departure hence The like is also auoutched for certaine of S. Ambrose lieinge in his death bedde But this thinge séemeth marucilous in my iudgement that not withstandinge S. Ambrose
heare but to sée Masse And for so muche as M. Hardinge séemeth to delite him selfe with this kinde of speache To heare Masse To the entente he may make some simple body beléeue that the people hearinge that they vnderstande not are neuerthelesse wel and deuoutly occupied and therein followe the order of the Primitiue Churche I wil also demaunde of him what learned Doctour or Auncient Father euer tooke Hearing in that sense Surely Christe in the godly ioyneth hearinge and vnderstandinge bothe togeather Thus he saith Audite intelligite Heare ye and vnderstande ye And the wise man saithe If thou geue thine eare thou shalt receiue knowledge And God himselfe in the Deuteronomie saith Thou shalt reade the woordes of this Law in the presence of al the people of Israel c. That they hearinge may learne and feare the Lorde your God and may keepe and fulfil al the woordes of this law And in the booke of Kinges it is written thus Loquere nobis Syriacâ— nam audimus Speake to vs in the Syrian tongue For wee heare it That is to say For wee vnderstande it And to that vse hath God endewed vs with the sense of hearing that thereby wée might learne and atteine knowledge And therefore Aristotle calleth hearinge the sense of vnderstanding For hearing voide of al manner vnderstanding is no hearing Cicero saithe In illis linguis quas non intelligimus quae sunt innumerabâ—les surdi profectò sumus In the tongues that wee vnderstande not which are innumerable wee are doubtlesse deafe and heare nothing By this it appeareth that the simple people hearing Masse in a straunge language is deafe heareth no Masse at al. The Emperour Iustinian saith NoÌ„ multuÌ„ interest vtâ—um abfuerit tutor cum negotiuÌ„ contraheretur an praesens ignorauerit quale esset quod contrahebatur There is no greate difference whether the Tutour were absente when the bargaine was made in the behoufe of his Pupil or being present vnderstoode not the manner of the bargaine Likewise also in an other place he saithe Coram Titio aliquid facere iussus non videtur praesente eo fecisse nisi is intelligat He that is coÌ„maunded to doo a thing in the presence of Titius seemeth not to doo it in his presence onlesse he vnderstande it Upon the whiche woordes Alciat writeth thus Quid opus erat eius praesentiam adhibere qui quod agatur non intelligat Siquidem aiebat Epicharmus philosophus MenteÌ„ esse quae videt non oculos Qui igitur animo non adest abesse videtur what nâ—edeth his presence that vnderstandeth not what is done For the Philosopher Epicharmus saith It is the minde that seeth and not the eies Therfore he that is not present with his minde to vnderstande what is doone may be taken for absent I haue alleged these authorities rather then other for that in them wée may see the very light and sense of Nature How then can M. Harding thinke he may steale away inuisible vnder the cloke of these woordes of hearinge Masse Uerely in the sauour iudgement of common reason it is as strauÌ„ge as fonde a speache to say I wil heare Masse As it is to say I wil see the Sermon For what is there in the Masse that the vnlearned can heare The oblation that they imagin is an outwarde action or dooinge and therfore is to be séen not to be hearde The Consecration as they vse it is spoken in silence may not in any wise be hearde Their Communion is none at al and therefore cannot be hearde These be the three substantial partes wherof as M. Harding saith the whole Masse consisteth How then can he say The vnlearned man heareth Masse that heareth not one parte of the Masse If by this woorde Masse he vnderstande the praiers that be saide in the Masse the vnlearned vnderstandeth them not and therefore heareth them not Chrysostome speakinge of him that heareth the praiers in a straunge vnknowen tongue saithe thus Tâ— rectè oras Spiriâ—u scilicet concitatus sonas sed ille nec audiens nec intelligens ea quae dicis paruam ex ea re vtilitatem capit Thou praiest wel for thou soundest out woordes beinge moued â—y the Spirite but the vnlearned neither hearinge nor vnderstandinge what thou sayste hath thereby but smal profite Likewise saith S. Pauleâ— Qui loquitur lingua non hominibus loquitur sed Deo Nullus enim audit He that speaketh with tongue speaketh not vnto men but vnto God For no man heareth him M. Hardinge saith The vnlearned heareth the Masse and other prayers ye although he vnderstande not one woorde that is spoken But S. Paule and S. Chrysostome saye The vnlearned heareth not bicause he vnderstandeth not God saithe vnto the wicked and not vnto the Godly Ye shal heare with your eares and shal not vnderstande Now let vs sée what M. Hardinge geathereth out of these two Councels Then of like saithe he specially in smal townes and villages they had Masse without the Communion of many togeather Of like was neuer good argument in any Schooles Thou séest Good Reader the best that here canne be had is but a gheasse and as it shal afterwarde appeare a very simple and a blinde gheasse It is a woonder to see so great a mater and so single proufes You haue taught the people that in your Masse Christe him selfe is Presently and Really Sacrificed for the sinnes of the worlde that al that euer he did or suffred for our sakes is liuely expressed in the same and that al Kinges Princes and other estates must needes stoope vnto it And yet was the same for the space of sixe hundred yeeres to be founde onely in poore Townes and Uillages and that onely by gheasse and blinde coniecture and none otherwise Or coulde it neuer al that while once entre into any Citie or good Towne And beynge so good a thinge can no man tel vs who published it and saide it firste But what if the very woordes of these Councels wherevpon M. Hardinge hath founded his Masse make manifest proufe against his Masse The woordes be these Al Secular Christian folke be bounde to receiue the Communion at the least thrise in the yere This Relaxation or Priuilege is graunted onely vnto the Secular Christians Whereof it foloweth necessarily that al Ecclesiastical persons as Priestes Deacons Clerkes others what so euer of the sorte were not excepted but stoode stil bounde to receiue orderly as thei had doone before and that was at al times when so euer there was any Ministration And so by the plaine woordes of these Councels the priest receiued not alone neither hath M. Hardinge yet founde out his Priuate Masse But that the whole mater may the better appeare not by gheasse or ayme but by the very Ecclesiastical order of that age we must vnderstande that
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
libertie and is not of the substance of Baptisme Neither dooth it follow Wee may breake a Ceremonie Ergo wee may breake the substance of Christes Institution This reason rather maketh against M. Harding and his fellowes For if Ceremonies should be vsed freely and without rigour as S. Cyprian saith why then be they so precise in their Oyle their Balme their Lightes and other thinges of like value that be the abuse thereof neuer so greate yet they wil remitte nothinge And if they be so precise and so earnest in Ceremonies diuises of their owne how muche more ought wée to be earnest in maters touching the essential forme of the Institution of Christe M. Hardinge The .10 Diuision I trust no man wil geather of that I haue saide here that it is none offence to doo against Goddes commaundement My meaning is farre otherwise Neither say I that this sayeinge of Christe in Matthew Drinke ye al of this or that in Iohn Excepte ye eate the fleashe of the sonne of man and drinke his Bloud ye shal not haue life in you Or other commaundementes of Christ be not to be keapte but this is that I say and that euery Catholike man saithe that the vniuersal Churche dooth better vnderstande whiche are the commaundementes of Christe and how they ought to be keapte then Berengarius VViclefe Hus Luther Zuinglius Caluine Cranmere Peter Martyr or any their scholars and followers which now be sundrie sectes As for example God hath thus commaunded Thou shalt not sweare and Thou shalt not kil and if thine eye cause thee to offende pul him out and cast him away from thee Whereas certaine sectes of Heretiques as namely they whiche be called VValdenses and Picardi by their construction hereof haue mainteined opinion that no othe ought to be geuen or made in no case or respecte likewise that in no case or respecte a man may doo an other to death and also that after the outwarde letter of the Gospel sometime a man is bounde to pul out his eye and cast it from him whiche thinge hath been doone by some of the Picardes as it is reported as though els Gods commaundement were not keapte this hath so beene vnderstanded by the Catholyke Churche confessing neuerthelesse these to be Gods commaundementes as in time in place and in certaine cases a man might and ought without breache of Commaundement bothe sweare and kil and likewise keape his eye in his head ▪ and therein offende God nothinge at al. So the Catholike Churche vnderstandeth Drinke ye al of this to be Christes Commaundement and of necessitie to be obserued but of Priestes onely I meane of necessitie and that when in the Sacrifice of the Churche is celebrated the memory of Christes deathe whiche in that degree be the successours of the Apostles to whom that commaundement was specially geuen when they were consecrated priestes of the Newe Testament who so did drinke in deede as S. Marke witnesseth Et biberunt ex eo omnes and they dranke al of it To these onely and to none other the 55 Catholike Church hathe euer referred the necessitie of that commaundement Els if the necessitie of it shoulde perteine to al and because Christe sayde Drinke ye al of this if al of euery state and condition ought to drinke of this Cuppe of necessitie howe is it come to passe that our aduersaries them selues who pretende so streighte a conscience herein keepe from it infantes and yonge children vntil they come to good yeeres of discretion specially where as the Custome of the Primitiue Churche was that they also shoulde be partakers of this Sacrament as it may plainely be seene in S. Dionyse Cyprian Augustine Innocentius Zosimus and other auncient Fathers what better reason haue they to keepe the infantes from the Cuppe then the Anabaptistes haue to keepe them from their Baptisme If they allege their impotencie of remembringe the Lordes deathe the Anabaptistes wil likewise allege their impotencie of receiuinge and vnderstandinge doctrine that Christes Institution in this behalfe seemeth to require Thus the aduersaries of the Churche them selues doo agnise that the vse of the Cuppe in the Sacrament perteineth not to al of necessitie So haue they neither godly charitie to ioyne with the Churche neither sufficient reason to impugne the Churche The B. of Sarisburie The best defence to colour disobedience is to improue Goddes Commaundement Therefore saithe M. Hardinge The halfe Communion is no breache of Christes Institution For Christe neuer commaunded that the whole Communion shoulde be ministred vnto the people in bothe kindes And that saith he the Churche knoweth better then Luther or Cranmere or suche others What so euer ordinary lighte the Churche hath she hathe it not of hir selfe but of Goddes holy Woorde that is a lanterne vnto hir feete And it is no Christian modestie to make suche boastes of the gyftes of God Goddes holy Spirite bloweth where it thinketh good Daniel alone sawe the innocencie of Susanna the Iudges and Elders sawe it not Paphnutius alone was hearde againste al the rest of the Nicene Councel S. Hierome alone is receiued against al the whole Councel of Chalcedon And for as muche as M. Hardinge deliteth him selfe with odious comparisons without cause why might not a man likewise saye The Primitiue Church in the time of the Apostles and other Catholike Doctours and olde Councels that ministred the whole Sacrament vnto the people in Bothe kindes vnderstoode Christes Institution as wel as did afterwarde the Councel of Constance in whiche Councel holden fouretéene hundred yéeres after Christe and more it was determined that the Laitie shoulde contente them selues onely with the halfe Communion in One Kinde But therefore hath God geuen his holy Scriptures that the Churche shoulde be directed and neuer erre And S. Augustine saithe Dominus semper veraciter iudicat Ecclesiastici autem Iudices sicut homines plaerunque falluntur The Lorde alwaies iudgeth truely but the Ecclesiastical Iudges for that they be men are oftentimes deceiued The examples of killinge swearinge pullinge out of eyes eatinge of bloude and strangled thinges that are here brought in stande more for a countenance then for proufe of the mater Touchinge the firste God saithe vnto the priuate man Thou shalt not kil but vnto the Magistrate he saithe Thine eye shal not spare Thou shalt not suffer the wicked sorcerer to liue This case was neuer doubteful or if it were let M. Hardinge shewe in what Councel it was determined Touchinge Oathes it is forbidden that any shal sweare vnaduisedly or without iust cause so to abuse the name of God But otherwise to sweare before a Iudge in the way of Iudgement Iustice and Trueth God him selfe hath commaunded The pullinge out of the eye is an allegorie wherein by a figure or manner of speache one thinge is conceiued of an other and Christes meaninge is that who so wil followe him
setting foorth of the Councels nor alleged by Gratian but that the Deacon in the absence of the Priest might Consecrate the holy Mysteries and deliuer the same vnto the people as may wel be geathered by the woordes of Rufine But let vs graunt M. Hardinge that the Sacrament was reserued Yet hath he gotten very smal aduantage for his halfe Communion For if he woulde say thus The Sacrament was reserued Ergo it was reserued in one kinde the Sequele of his argument would be to weake No Logique coulde make it good I graunte the holy Mysteries were sometimes keapte in the primitiue Churche vpon sundrie occasions but they were keapte in Bothe kindes as manifestly appeareth by Nicephorus and by the first Epistle of complaint sent by Chrysostome vnto Innocentius This beinge true as it can not be denied that the Sacrament was reserued in bothe kindes what then hath M. Harding gotten by this inuincible argument for his halfe Communion in one kinde M. Hardinge The .19 Diuision VVhere oftentimes wee finde it recorded of the Fathers that Christian people in time of persecution receiued of the Priestes at Churche in fine linnen clothes the Sacrament in sundrie portions to beare with them and to receiue it secretely in the morning before other meate as their deuotion serued them for the same cause and in respect of other circumstances it must of necessitie be taken onely for the kinde or forme of Breade The places of Tertullian and S. Cyprian be knowen Tertullian writing to his wife exhorteth her not to marie againe specially to an Infidel if he die before her for that if she doo she shal not be hable at al times for her husbande to doo as a Christian woman ought to doo VVil not thy husbande knovve saith he vvhat thou eatest secretely before al other meate And in case he doo knovv it he vvil beleeue it to be Breade not him vvho it is called S. Cyprian writeth in his Sermon De Lapsis That when a woman had gonne about with vnwoorthy handes to open her Cofer where the holy thinge of our Lorde was layde vp she was made affraied with fier that rose vp from thence as she durst not touche it which doubtlesse must be taken for that one kinde of the Sacrament The B. of Sarisburie The mater that hangeth in question betwene vs is whether the people being assembled togeather in the Churche at any time within the space limited receiued the Communion vnder one kinde M. Harding answeareth me not of the order of the Churche but of seueral men and Priuate houses Thus he flieth that thinge that should be proued and the thinge that néedeth no proufe as nothinge pertinent vnto the mater he proueth onely to coniecture In the place of Tertullian he vseth a manifest corruption as I haue already shewed His coniectures be these Wemen receiued the Sacrament in a linen clothe Tertullians wife receiued it at home before meates S Cyprian saith A woman keapte it at home in a Cheaste Ergo The Sacrament was ministred in one Kinde These be colde gheasses no prouâ—es To say They had the Breade Ergo They had not the wine is a very fainte reason and hangeth onely of ignorance for that M. Hardinge knoweth not in what order these thinges were keapte But that women and others keapte the Sacrament carried it about them and that in Bothe Kindes it is euident and cannot be denied Gregorie Nazianzene thus writeth of his sister Gorgonia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. If her hande had layde vp any portion of the tokens of the pretious Body and of the Bloude minglinge it with her teares c. Here Nazianzene contrary to M. Hardinges iudgement saith she had laide vp bothe partes And what should I stande longe to heape examples M. Hardinges owne Amphilochius of whome he séemeth to make so greate accompte emonge other his fables whereof he hath good stoare saith That a certaine Iewe came and receiued emonge the Faithful and priuily carried parte of either Kinde home with him How or wherein it is not written Yet wil it not followe M. Hardinge cannot tel wherein the Iewe carried home the wine therefore Amphilochius tale is not true Now if M. Harding had his owne request yet is he farre of from his purpose For if he woulde reason thus One woman receiued the halfe Sacrament in one Kinde at home Ergo The People receiued in like sorte openly in the Churche Which is the thing that should be prooued this argument would hardely holde To be shorte these thrée examples here alleged are nothing els but méere abuses of the Sacrament And therefore as it appeareth by S. Cyprian God shewed him selfe by miracle to be offended with it frayeing the woman that so had keapte it with a â—lame of fier And it was decréed in the CouÌ„cel holden at Câ—saraugusta in Spaine That if any man receiued the Sacrament and eate not the same presently in the Churche he should be accursed for euer Thus M. Hardinges reasons holde onely by gheasse grounded vpon abuse and beinge graunted yet are not hable to proue his purpose M. Hardinge The .20 Diuision The examples of keepinge the holy Sacrament vnder the forme of Breade onely to be in a redinesse for the sicke and for others in time of daunger that they might haue their necessarie vitaile of life or viage prouision with them at their departure hence be in manner infinite Here one or twoo may serue in steede of a number For though M. Iuel maketh his vaunte that wee haue not one sentence or clause for proufe of these articles whiche he so defaceth with his negatiue yet I wil not accumulate this treatise with tedious allegation of authorities S. Ambrose at the houre of death receiued the Communion vnder one Kinde keapte for that purpose as it appeareth by this testimonie of Paulinus who wrote his life And bicause it may be a good instruction to others to die wel I wil here recite his woordes At the same time as he departed from vs to our Lorde from about the eleuenth hovver of the day vntil the houre that he gaue vp the ghost streatchinge abroade his handes in manner of a Crosse he praied VVee savve his lippes mooue but voice vvee hearde none Horatus a Priest of the Churche of Vercels beinge gonne vp to bedde hearde a voice three times of one calling him and sayeing to him arise and haste thee for he vvil departe hence by and by VVho goinge downe gaue to the Saincte our Lordes Body whiche taken and swallowed downe he gaue vp the ghost hauinge with him a good viage prouision so as the soule beinge the better refresshed by the vertue of that meate may now reioyse with the companie of Angels whose life he lead in the earthe and with the felowship of Elias The B. of Sarisburie It is no vaunte to say the truthe Neither did I denie that euer any one man receiued
denied that is that the Sacramente vvas euer Ministred vnto the people in one Kinde Openly in any Congregation or in the open order and vsage of any Churche Yet were there Churches then erected yet were there Priestes and people then yet was the holy Ministration then openly vsed in forme and order and learned men to recorde the same Al this not withstandinge M. Hardinge hath hitherto founde nothinge in the open Ministration in the Congregation and assemblie of the people whereby to prooue his Halfe Communion Wherfore there is no cause yet shewed to the contrary but M. Iuel may say nowe as he truly before saide in his Sermon The vvhole Communion vvas vsed throughout the vvhole Catholique Churche vnder Bothe Kindes sixe hundred yeeres after Christes Ascension in al Congregations and Churches vvithout exception But Christe hathe leaâ—te these maters to the discretion and determination of the Churche By what recorde may that appeare M. Hardinges woorde is no Charter Or if it be true where did the Churche euer so determine of it within the compasse of sixe hundred yeeres S. Augustine in this case is very reasonable his woordes be these Vbi authoritas deficit ibi consuetudo Maiorum pro lege tenenda est Where authoritie faileth there the Custome of our Elders muste holde for a Lawe But hauinge Goddes Woorde and Christes Institution we wante no authoritie The authoritie of the Church is greate I graunte but the causes that moued the Church of Rome to breake Christes Institution as the keapinge of the VVine Beardes and Palsies and suche like are not greate Not withstandinge M. Hardinge enlarge them muche and cal them Importante and vveightie causes The two Councels of Basile and Constance where this mater was firste concluded as they were at the leaste fourtene hundred yéeres after Christe and therefore not to be alleged in this case againste may assertion so the authoritie of them bothe â—angeth yet in question For the Thomistes say the Councel of Basile came vnlawfully togeather and that therefore al their determinations were in vaine And Pigghius saithe the other Councel of Constance concluded againste Nature againste the Scriptures againste Antiquitie and againste the Faithe of the Churche These be the twoo Councels that M. Hardinge woulde haue vs yeelde vnto VVe are bounde to heare the Churche saith M. Hardinge But much more are we bounde to heare God This saieing of S. Cyprian is woorthy déepely to be noted Non iungitur Ecclesiae qui ab Euangelio separatur He hath no felowship with the Churche that is diuided from the Gospel And likewise writinge against certaine that abused the Cuppe of Christe Ministringe therein Water in stéede of Wine he geueth this lesson to al Bishoppes and others toutchinge the Reformation of the Churche Religioni nostrae coÌ„gruit timori ipsi loco officio Sacerdotij nostri custodire Traditionis Dominicae veritatem quod prius apud quosdam videtur erratum Domino monente corrigere vt cùm in claritate sua Maiestate Coelesti venire coeperit inueniat nos tenere quod monuit obseruare quod docuit facere quod fecit It behoueth the Religion that we professe and our reuerence towardes God and the very place and office of our Priesthoode to keepe the trueth of the Lordes Tradition and by the Lordes aduertisement to correcte that thinge that by certaine hath beene amisse that when he shal come in his glorie and Maiestie he may finde vs to holde that he warned vs to keepe that he taught vs to doo that he did M. Hardinge The .29 Diuision Nowe for answeare to M. Iuelles place alleged out of Gelasius whiche is the chiefe that he and al other the aduersaries of the Churche haue to bringe for their purpose in this pointe this muche may be saide Firste that he allegeth Gelasius vntruely makinge him to sounde in Englishe otherwise then he doothe in Latine M. Iuels woordes be theâ—e Gelasius an olde Father of the Churche and a Bishop of Rome saithe that to Minister the Communion vnder one Kinde is open Sacrilege But where saithe Gelasius so This is no syncere handlinge of the mater And bicause he knewe the woordes of that Father imported not so muche guilefully he reciteth them in Latine and dothe not Englishe them whiche he woulde not haue omitted if they had so plainely made for his purpose The woordes of Gelasius be these Diuisio vnius eâ—usdemque Mysterij sine grandi sacrilegio non potest peruenire The Diuision of one and the same Mysterie can not come without great sacrilege Of these woordes he cannot conclude Gelasius to say that to minister the Communion vnder one kinde is open sacrilege Gelasius rebuketh and abhorreth the diuision of that highe Mysterie whiche vnder one forme and vnder bothe is vnum idemque One and the same not one vnder the forme of Breade and another vnder the forme of VVine not one in respecte of the Bodie and an other in respecte of the Bloude but vnum idemque one and the selfe same The woordes afore recited be taken out of a fragment of a Canon of Gelasius whiche is thus as we finde in Gratian. Comperimus autem quod quidam sumpta tantum Corporis sacri portione a calice sacrati cruoris abstineant Qui procul dubio quoniam nescio qua superstitione docentur adstringi aut integra sacramenta percipiant aut ab integris arceantur quia diuisio vnius eiusdemque Mysterij sine grandi sacrilegio non potest peruenire VVhiche may thus be Englished But we haue founde that some hauinge receiued onely the portion VVherein is the holy bodie absâ—eine from the Cuppe of the sacred Bloude who without doubte for as muche as I know not with what supersitition they be taught to be tied either let them receiue the whole Sacramentes or let them be keapte from the whole bicause the diuision of one and the same Mysterie can not come without greate sacrilege Here mighte be saide to M. Iuel â–ª she we vs the whole Epistle of Gelasius from whence this fragment is taken that we may weigh the circumstance and the causes why he wrote it conferringe that goeth before and that followeth and we wil frame you a reasonable answeare But it is not extant and therefore your argument in that respecte is of lesse force â—he B. of Sarisburie Neither are we the aduersaries of the Churche nor Gelasius the chiefest that we bringe for our purpose We follow Christe as he hath commaunded vs whome it became Gelasius also to followe But it is a worlde to sée into howe many faces and fashions M. Harding is faine to turne him selfe to auoide this authoritie of Gelasius He leaueth the whole route of his owne companie and is gladde to renne alone He expoundeth Gelasius by Leo as though they wrote bothe of one thinge And yet others of his owne side say that Leo wrote of Heretiques and Gelasius of Catholikes Leo
euermore béen called Priuate and neuer Common And in this sense Thomas of Aquine thinketh that a Praier made in suche sorte by the Priest and in the Churche may be called Priuate He thinketh That the people vttered their Secrete Praiers in the tongue that they vnderstoode and so he saithe Christian people doo now for the most parte The former parte hereof is vndoubtedly true But for the seconde That Christian people doo so now Goddes name be blessed that hath brought it so to passe not by M. Hardinge or his Catholike Doctours but by suche as they haue withstanded for the same and called Heretiques Touchinge the Publique Seruice pronounced by the Priest wherevnto the people saide Amen some saithe M. Hardinge vnderstoode the language thereof and some vnderstoode it not Here vnawares he implieth a repugnance in reason a manifest contradiction For if some of the people vnderstoode it not how coulde al the people say Amen S. Paules woordes be plaine How shal the vnlâ—arned say Amen to thy thankes geuinge For he knoweth not what thou saiest This tenneth directly against M. Harding Al the people gaue their assent and saide Amen to the Common Praiers in the Churche Ergo al the people vnderstoode the Common Praiers The allegation of the Churche of Englande in the time of Augustine whereof M. Hardinge maketh him selfe so sure and saith with suche affiance It shal be proouâ—d when it shal hereafter come to prouâ—e in déede shal prooue nothinge As concerninge the distinction of Priuate and Common Praiers betwéene whiche M. Hardinge woulde also haue a difference of speache vndoubtedly the tongue that is godly and profitable and wil sturre the minde in Priuate deuotion is also godly and profitable and likewise hable to sturrey â— minde in the open Churche And I maruel what reason can leade any man to thinke the contrary M. Hardinge The .2 Diuision But to speake first of antiquitie and of the compasse of your sixe hundred yeeres it is euident by sundrie auncient recordes bothe of Doctours and of Councels specially of the Councel Laodicene in Phrygia Pacatiana holden by the Bishoppes of the lesser Asia aboute the yeere of our Lorde 364. that the Greeke Churches had solemne seruice in due order and forme set foorthe with exacte distinction of Psalmes and Lessons of Howers Daies Feastes and times of the yeere of Silence and open pronouncinge of geuinge the Kysse of Peace to the Bishop first by the Priestes then by the Lay people of offeringe the Sacrifice of the onely Ministers comminge to the Altare to receiue the Communion with diuers other seemely obseruations As for the Latine Churches they had their Praiers and Seruice also but in suche fixed order longe after the Greekes For Damasus the Pope firste ordeined that Psalmes should be Songe in the Churche of Rome Alternatim enterchaungeably or by course so as now wee singe them in the Quier and that in the â—nde of euery Psalme shoulde be saide Gloria patri filio spiritui sancto sicut erat â–ª c. Which he caused to be doone by Councel of S. Hierome that the faith of the 318. Bishops of the Nicene Councel might with like felowship be declared in the mouthes of the Latines To whome Damasus wrote by Bonifacius the Priest to Hierusalem that Hierome woulde sende vnto him Psallentiam Graecorum The manner of the singinge of the Greekes so as he had learned the same of Alexander the Bishop in the East In that Epistle complayninge of the simplicitie of the Romaine Churche he saithe that there was in the Sunday but one Epistle of the Apostle and one Chapter of the Gospel rehearsed and that there was no Singinge with the voice hearde nor the comelinesse of Hymnes knowen amonge them Aboute the same time S. Ambrose also tooke order for the Seruice of his Churche of Millane and made Holy Hymnes him selfe In whose time as S. Augustine writeth when Iustina the younge Emperour Valentâ—â—ians mother for cause of hir Heresie wherewith she was seduced by the Arrians persecuted the Catholike faithe and the people thereof occupied them selues in deuoute watches more then before time ready to die with their Bishop in that quarel it was ordeined that Hymnes and Psalmes should be songe in the Churche of Millane after the manner of the Eastparties that the good folke thereby might haue some comforte and spiritual reliefe in that lamentable state and continual sorowes Thereof the Churches of the West foorth with tooke example and in euery Countrie they followed the same In his seconde Booke of Retractations he sheweth that in his time suche manner of singinge beganne to be receiued in Aphrica Before this time had Hiâ—â—rius also the Bishop of Poyters in Fraunce made Hymnes for that purpose of whiche S. Hierome maketh mention The B. of Sarisburie Wée may wel suffer M. Hardinge to wander at large in maters that relieue him nothinge If it were lawful for others so to doo it were no greate Maisterie to write Bookes Many maters be here heapte togeather touchinge order of Seruice distinction of Psalmes Lessons Houres Daies Feastes the geuinge of Peace the forme of Communion Singinge in the Churche when it beganne in Grecia when in Rome when in Millane when in Aphrica when in FrauÌ„ce and when in other places These be none of the maters that lie in Question And therefore as they nothinge further M. Hardinge to this purpose so in other respectes they hinder him sundrie waies For in the same Councel of Laodicea it is decréed like as also in the Councel of Carthà ge That nothing be redde in the Church vnto the people sauinge onely the Canonical Scriptures Therefore the Lessons there mentioned were not taken out of the Festiual or Legenda aurea as hath béene vsed in the Churche of Rome but out of the Chapters of the Holy Bible as it is now vsed in the Churche of Englande The Peace geuen to the Bishop was not a litle Table of Siluer or somewhat els as hath beene vsed in the Churche of Rome but a very Cosse in déede in token of perfit peace and vnitie in Faithe and Religion So Iustinus Martyr saith speakinge of the time of the Holy Ministration Wee salute eche one an other with a Cosse So likewise Chrysostome and others Where he saithe that the Churche of Rome beinge as then plaine and simple learned the Psalmodie and other Ecclesiastical Musique and the singing of Gloria patri at the ende of euery Psalme of S. Hierome and the Bishoppes of the East he dooth vs wel to vnderstande that then Rome is not the Mother of al these thinges neither is so to be taken But where he further saithe Damasus ordeined that the Psalmes should be Songe Interchangeably and in sides and euen so as they be now Songe in the Quiere meaninge as it séemeth that onely the Priestes and Clerkes Songue and the people sate stil it is an open and a
omnia Neque enim ille solus gratias agit sed populus omnis The Lorde be with thy Sprite whiche woordes the whole people answeareth vnto the Priest is nothinge els to saie but The thinges that perteine to thankes geuinge are al common For it is not the Prieste onely that geueth thankes but also al the people Likewise S. Ambrose Imperitus nescit finem orationis non respondet Amen id est verum sit vt firmetur benedictio Per hoc enim impletur confirmatio precis cùm respondetur Amen omnia dicta rei testimonio in audientium animis confirmantur The ignorant knoweth not the ende of the prayer and answeareth not Amen that is to say so be it that the blissinge may be confirmed For thereby the confirmation of the praier is fulfilled when Amen is answeared and al the woordes that be spoken by the testimonie of the thinge it selfe are confirmed in the mindes of the hearers Thus in Chrysostomes time the whole people and the Prieste in their Common Seruice talkte and praied togeather M. Hardinge The .13 Diuision As for the place he allegeth out of S. Augustine vpon the Psalmes it maketh nothinge for his purpose S. Augustines woordes be these otherwise then he reporteth theÌ„ Quid hoc sit intelligere debemus vt humana ratione noÌ„ quasi auiuÌ„ voce cantemus NaÌ„ merulae psittaci corui picae huiuscemodi volucres saepe ab hominibus docentur sonare quod nesciunt Hauinge prayed to God saithe S. Augustine that he make vs cleane of our priuie sinnes c. We ought to vnderstande what this is that we may singe with mans reason not with voyce as birdes doo For Owselles Popiniayes Rauens and Pies and suche the like birdes oftetimes be taught of menne to sounde they knowe not what These woordes are to be taken of the vnderstandinge of the sense not of the tongue whiche the seruice is songue in For the people of Hippo where he was Bishop vnderstoode the Latine tongue meanely VVhiche sense can not rightly and safely be atteined of the common people but is better and more holesomely taught by the preachinge of the learned Bishoppes and Priestes The B. of Sarisburie First he saithe S. Augustines woordes be otherwise then I reporte them I assure thée good Reader if this great errour had béene woorthe the shewinge it had neuer béene suffred thus to passe in silence But to shifte of S. Augustines woordes here is brought in a Glose plaine contrary to the texte For this comparison saithe M. Hardinge betweene Menne and Birdes muste be taken not of the woordes but of the sense and vnderstandinge And what reason leadeth him thus to say Uerily Birdes are vtterly voide of reason and neither vnderstande the woordes they be taught to speake nor the meaninge of the woordes And yet muste we onely vpon this simple warrante needes beleeue that S. Augustine compareth Birdes with Menne in vnderstandinge S. Augustines meaninge is plaine as is the meaninge of other godly Fathers in this behalfe that the people shoulde know what they praie and so singe with reason agreeable to a Man and not chatter with voice as Birdes doo For if they Singe or Pray they knowe not what he saithe that for their sounde of voyce and wante of sense they may be wel compared with Owselles or Popiniayes This is the very drifte of S. Augustines meaninge Birdes by skil may be trained to recorde and sounde Mens woordes although they haue no vnderstandinge of them As Plinius writeth of the Rauen that was taught to say Aue Caesar Imperator Alhaile Emperour Caesar an other that had learned to saye Salue victor Antoni Alhaile Antonius the Conquerour and Caelius Rhodiginus writeth that Cardinal Ascanius had a Popiniaye that coulde pronounce distinctly al the articles of the Creede With suche Birdes let vs compare suche Men as pray they know not what They be taught to sounde woordes but vnderstande not the meaninge of them neither Singe they with reason agreeable to a Man Whether these woordes agrée aptely to my purpose or no let M. Harding himselfe be the Iudge Certainely he shal haue muche to doo to racke them to serue for his purpose Onlesse perhaps he wil reason thus S. Augustine exhorteth Men to knowe what they praie Ergo they may praie in an vnknowen tongue Or thus S. Augustine willeth Men not to Singe or chatter like Birdes Ergo they may praye they knowe not what And if we receiue M. Hardinges Glose of Sense and vnderstandinge yet standeth he in case as he did before For if the people vnderstande not the woordes muche lesse can they vnderstande the sense and meaninge of the same woordes Aristotle saithe Hearinge is the peculiar sense of learninge and therefore they that heare neuer can neuer learne And Cicero saithe Sententia constare non potest si verba semoueris Remoue the woordes and their meaninge cannot stande Therfore this shifte healpeth nothinge Onles he thinke this is a good argument The people ought to vnderstande the meaninge of their praiers Ergo they neede not to vnderstande the woordes S. Augustines meaninge appeareth in the nexte woordes that immediatly folow Scienter Cantare naturae hominis diuina voluntate concessum est To Singe with vnderstandinge is graunted through Goddes wil vnto the Nature of Man And therfore thus he exhorteth the people Charissimi quod consona voce cantauimus sereno etiam corde nosse tenere debemus Deerely beloued that we haue songue togeather with tunâ—hable voice we must vnderstande and keepe with pure harte But this can we not doo onlesse we vnderstande what we pray Therefore S. Basil saithe Lingua cantet mens autem scrutetur sensum â—orum quae dicuntur Let thy tongue singe but let thy minde searche out the meaninge of the thinges that thou speakest M. Hardinge The .14 Diuision The commaundement of Iustinian the Emperour whiche M. Iuel allegeth that Bishoppes and Priestes should celebrate the holy Oblation or Sacrifice whiche wee cal the Masse not closely but with vtterance and sounde of voice that they might be hearde of the people maketh nothinge for the Seruice to be had in the Englishe tongue in the Churche of Englande or in any other Vulgare tongue in the Churche of any other Nation but requireth onely of the Bishoppes and Priestes open pronouncinge Vocal not Mental speakinge not whisperinge with the breathe onely in the celebration of the holy Sacrifice and other Seruice Wherein he agreeth with S. Augustine who in his Booke De Magistro saith that when wee praâ—e there is no neede of speakinge onlesse perhaps wee doo as Priestes doo â–ª who when they Pray in Publike assemblie vse speakinge for cause of Signifieing their minde that is to shew that they Pray not to the intente God but men may heare and with a certaine consent through puttinge in minde by sounde of voice may be lifted vp vnto
God This muche S. Augustine there And this is the right meaninge of that Constitution 76 And thus he ordeined for the Greeke Churche onely and thereto onely it is to be referred for that some thought the Sacrifice should be celebrated rather with silence 77 after the maner of the Church of Rome specially at the Consecration And as that Constitution perteined to the Greekes and not to the Latines so was it not founde in the Latine Bookes vntil â—regorius Haloander of Germanie of late yeeres Translated the place And where M. Iuel allegeth this commaundement of Iustinian against the hauinge of the Seruice in a learned tongue vnknowen to the common people it is to be noted how he demeaneth him selfe not vprightly but so as euery man may thereby know a Scholer of Luther Caluine and Peter Martyr â–ª For where as by th'allegation of that ordinance he might seeme to bringe somewhat that maketh for the Blessed Sacrifice of the Churche commonly named the Masse he dissembleth the woorde of the Sacrifice whiche Iustinian putteth expressely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id est diuinam oblationem The Diuine or holy Oblation and termeth it otherwise in his replies by the name of Common Praiers and in his Sermon by the name of the woordes of the Ministration refusinge the worde of the Churche no lesse then he refuseth to be a member of the Churche Thus through Foistinge and Cogginge their Die and other false playe these new perillous teachers deceiue many poore soules and robbe them of the sure simplicitie of their Faithe And where was this commaundement geuen In Constantinople the chiefe Citie of Greece where the Greeke tongue was commonly knowen The B. of Sarisburie The Glose that M. Hardinge hath here imagined wherewith to defeite this good Emperours whole purpose may seeme somwhat vnto the ignorant Iustinian saithe he speaketh of the open vtterance and sounde of voice and agreeth with S. Augustines place De Magistro Therefore it nothinge toucheth Praiers to be had in the Vulgare tongue Here is a very Uulgare Conclusion as I trust hereafter it shal appeare Good Christian Reader if it shal please thee onely to peruse these woordes of the Emperour Iustinian and of S. Augustine by vs alleged I wil make thee Iudge and Arbitrour of the whole S. Augustine saithe Wee neede no vtterance of voice to Pray vnto God For the Sacrifice of Iustice is sanctified in the Temple of our minde and in the secrete Chamber of our harte As Clemens Alexandrinus also saithe God looketh not for the voices of our tongues to declare our meaninge For before our Creation he knoweth what thoughtes woulde come into our mindes And therefore God saithe in the Prophete Esay Antequam clament ego exaudiam I wil heare them yea before they crie Herevpon S. Augustine demaundeth this Question Wherefore then dothe the Priest lifte vp his voice and pray alowde in the open assemblie in the Churche He answeareth Not that God but that men may heare him that the people by the sounde of his voice and vnderstandinge his meaning may be put in minde and by consente be ioyned togeather and be lifted vp to God This is the very meaninge and minde of S. Augustine agréeinge fully with these woordes of S. Cyprian The Priest before Praier prepareth the mindes of his brethren sayeing thus Lifte vp your hartes To the intente they may be put in minde they ought to thinke of nothinge els but of the Lorde For not the sounde of voice but the minde and vnderstandinge must pray vnto the Lorde with pure intention Al this saithe M. Hardinge perteineth to the sense and vnderstandinge of the Praier and nothinge to the Vulgare tongue And doothe he thinke the people can vnderstande the praier without vnderstandinge of the tongue S. Augustine if he were aliue woulde be ashamed to sée suche a Comment vpon his woordes He saithe further The Priest lifteth vp his voice not that the people may vnderstande him but onely for a token to shew that he praieth And thus he maketh the Minister of God woorse then a Brasen Trompet whiche if it geue no certaine sounde as S. Paule saithe no man can prepare him selfe to warre This is the iuste iudgement of God that who so séeketh to blinde others shal be geuen ouer and become blinde him selfe And not withstandinge S. Augustines minde concerninge the speakinge of the Priest be plaine in it selfe yet afterwarde in the same Booke he openeth it in this manner more at large Constat inter nos verba esse signa At signum nisi aliquid significet non est Signum Wee are agreed vpon this that the woordes wee speake be tokens But a token onlesse it betoken some thinge is no token Now if the Priest after M. Hardinges construction vtter his woordes whiche are the tokens of his meaninge in an vnknowen tongue and the people vnderstande not what is tokened accordinge to S. Augustines meaninge he speaketh and yet saith nothinge and sheweth tokens and yet tokeneth nothing Further S. Augustines woordes be cleare The Priest in the assemblie speaketh alowde Significandae mentis causa vt homines audiant c. to the ende to declare his minde that men may heare him and by the sounde of his voice be put in remembrance But M. Hardinge saithe No the Priest speaketh not alowde to the intente to declare his minde neither that menne may heare him nor be put in remembrance but onely to geue a token that he praieth And thus by his Glose he vtterly destroieth the texte Now let vs resolue bothe S. Augustines and Iustinians woordes into their causes whiche is an infallible waye of vnderstandinge The ende of them bothe is according to the Doctrine of S. Paule that the people may say Amen Then further The people must answeare Amen vnto the Praier then must they vnderstande the Praieâ— Yet futher The people must vnderstande the Praier then must the Priest vtter the same praier bothe with a lowde voice and also in the peoples Vulgare tongue Let vs againe resolue it forewarde The Priest by M. Hardinges iudgemente may praye openly in a strange tongue then he néedeth not to speake alowde â—e speaketh not alowde then can not the people vnderstande him The people vnderstandeth not the Priest Then can they not say Amen Thus M. Hardinge must néedes conclude his Glose with the open breache of S. Paules Doctrine M. Hardinge saithe further This law tooke place onely in Constantinople and not in the Churche of Rome And so he coucheth twoo manifest vntruethes togeather in one sentence But what wil he say Iustinian was not Emperour of Rome or had nothinge to doo in the Churche of Rome Uerily he writeth him selfe the Emperour of Rome of Fraunce of Almaine and Germanie c. And deposed twoo Bishoppes of Rome Siluerius and Uigilius whereof it may appeare he had somewhat to doo in the Churche of Rome Touchinge this
Constitution the law saithe Generaliter dictum generaliter est accipiendum The thinge that is spoken generally must be taken generally And it is commonly saide Vbi lex non distinguit nos distinguere non debemus Where the Lawe maketh no distinction there ought wee to make no distinction And what reason hath M. Hardinge or what witnesse more then his owne that this onely law tooke no place in the Churche of Rome Certainely the reast of the same Nouel Constitutions were made not onely for Constantinople or for Rome but also for the whole Empier And the Emperour Iustinian in the same Title saith thus What so euer thinges touchinge this mater were needeful for this Imperial Citie of Constantinople wee haue comprised in a special Law for the same But what néedeth many woordes The Emperour him selfe calleth the Constitution that concerneth the Cleregie a Law General by these woordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wée haue enacted by a General and a Common Law And in the Code intreatinge namely of Bishoppes and Clerkes he hath these woordes Et hoc non solum in veteri Roma vel in hac Regia Ciuitate sed in omni terra vbicunque Christianorum nomen colitur obtinere sancimus This law we wil haue to take place not onely in the Citie of olde Rome or in this Imperial Citie of Constantinople but also in al the worlde where so euer the name of Christians is had in honour And how can M. Hardinge make him selfe so sure that the Churche of Rome was neuer subiecte to this Law Certainely bothe by Leo Bishop of Rome and also by S. Ambrose Bishop of Millane and other holy Fathers it appeareth otherwise S. Augustine saithe of the Churche of Rome Vnum Psalmum canâ—amus vnum Amen respondemus wee singe one Psalme and wee answeare one Amen S. Hierome saith Euen in Rome at the ende of the Praier the people so sounded out Amen as if it had been a Thunderclappe Againe if this Constitution serued onely for the Gréeke Churche and onely the Priestes there spake alowde and the others of the Latine Churche spake in silence how then doothe M. Hardinge expounde this Lawe of Iustinian by the woordes of S. Augustine who as he supposeth did the contrary and was neuer subiecte vnto that Law Or how can he make contrarieties agrée togeather Hath he so soone forgotten him selfe Or wil he expounde Speakinge by Silence Or singinge out by whisperinge To conclude Iustinian saith These Constitutions were general M. Hardinge alone saithe They were not general Iustiuian saith They tooke place in al the worlde M. Hardinge alone saithe They tooke place onely in Constantinople S. Ambrose S. Augustine S. Hierome Leo and others say They were obserued in the Churche of Romeâ— M. Hardinge alone saithe They were neuer obserued in the Churche of Rome If he wil thus deceiue vs in plaine thinges how may wée then trust him in doubtful thinges Gregorius Haloander whom M. Hardinge séemeth to touche with corruption of these lawes was a learned man and a faithful Translatour and for his diligence deserued thankes and therefore néedeth no excuse He addeth nothing morâ— then is to be founde in the Original In M. Hardinges olde Translation euen in this same very title De Ecclesiastiâ—is diuersis capitulis There wanteth a whole leafe or more at the beginninge that is founde extant in the Grâ—eke Touchinge Cogginge and Foystinge I maruel M. Hardinge beinge so graue a man woulde borrow Ruffians termes to scoffe withal As for the Sacrifice of Christe vpon the Crosse whiche is represented vnto vs in the holy Communion Wee beléeue it with our hartes and confesse it with our mouthes Concerninge this woorde Oblatio he knoweth wel I translated not yâ— place but onely touched it neither had I then any manner occasion to speake of the Sacrifice but onely of Praiers whiche thinge also I did without any Cogging or any other â—â—â—ight folowinge these very woordes of Iustinian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is to say To offer vp other praiers also with lowde voice Neither did I avouche any vntruth by Iustinian as M. Hardinge hath here dâ—one by Iustinian and S. Augustine bothe togeather I know the Holy Ministration is named of the holy Fathers sundrie waies The Supper of the Lorde The Lordeâ— Table The Communion The Mysterie The Sacrament The Mystical Table The Tankes geuinge The Oblation and the Sacrifice Neither is there any of these names but wée vse indifferently as occasion serueth Now for so muche as M. Hardinge taketh occasion for that I past this place of Iustinian so shortely ouer onely touchinge it with one woorde as the time then forced mée I thinke it not amisse for the better contentation of the Reader to lay it out fully as it lieth His woordes be these Wee commaunde al Bishops and Priestes to minister the Holy Oblation and the praier at the Holy Baptisme not vnder silence but with suche voice as may be hearde of the faithful people to the intente that thereof the heartes of the hearers may be sturred to more deuotion and honour geuinge to God the Lorde For so the holy Apostle teacheth sayeinge in the firste Epistle to the Corinthians For if thou only blisse vvith the spirite hovv shal he that supplieth the roume of the ignorant saye Amen to God at thy thankes geuinge For he knovveth not vvhat thou saiest Thou geuest thankes vvel but the other is not edified For these causes therefore it behooueth that the praier at the holy Oblation and also other praiers be offred with lowde voice of the holy Bishoppes and Priestes vnto our Lorde Iesus Christe with the Father and the Holy Ghost And let the holy Priestes vnderstande that if they neglecte any of these thinges they shal make answeare therefore at the dreadful iudgement of the greate God and our Sauiour Iesus Christe And yet neuerthelesse wee vnderstandinge the same wil not passe it ouer nor leaue it vnpunisshed Here wée sée it is lawful for a godly Prince to commaunde Bishoppes and Priestes To make lawes and orders for the Churche To redresse the abuses of the Sacramentes To allege the Scriptures To threaten and punishe Bishops and Priestes if they offende Now if these woordes of Iustinian make not for vs and that without Foistinge or Cogginge muche lesse make they for M. Hardinge onlesse he wil forme his reasons thus The Priest must speake a lowde Ergo He may speake in an vnknowen tongue Or thus The people must heare the Praier and answeare Amen Ergo They neede not to vnderstande it To be shorte where as to the intente to bringe Goddes truthe out of credite and to make it odious emonge the ignorant he saith Wee haue refused to be the members of the Churche of God This is onely a bitternesse of talke inflamed with malice whereof it seemeth he wanted no stoare and neither furthereth his
his woordes Omnipotens Dominus coruscantibus nubibus Cardines Maris operuit quia emicantibus praedicatorum miraculis ad fidem etiam terminos mundi perduxit Ecce enim penâ— cunctarum â—am gentium corda penetrauit Ecce in vna fide Orientis limitem Occidentisque coniunxit The almightie Lorde with his shininge Clowdes hath couered the Corners of the Sea for he hath broughte the endes of the worlde vnto the Faithe at the sight of the glorious Miracles of the Preachers For beholde he hath welneere perced through the hartes of al Nations and hath ioygned togeather the borders of the Easte and the Weast in one Faithe Nowe saithe M. Hardinge Gregorie is a witnesse of right good authoritie that this Realme of Englande had the Seruice in an vnknowen tongue Uerily Gregories authoritie in this case were right good if he woulde say the woorde But saithe M. Hardinge S. Gregorie reporteth that the Englishe people in the praisinge of God pronounced the Hebrewe Halleluia Ergo he is witnesse to the Latine Seruice This argument may be perfited and made thus The Englishe people in their praiers saide Halleluia Halleluâ—a is an Hebrewe woorde Ergo The Englishe people had the Latine Seruice This is an other Syllogismus of M. Hardinges God wote he might haue made it better Of S. Gregories woordes he might rather haue concluded thus The people of Englande in their praiers pronounced the Hebrewe Halleluia Ergo they had the Hebrewe Seruice Whiche doubtelesse in the Englishe Churches had beene very strange and yet as muche reason in that as in the Latine As for these Hebrewe woordes Halleluia Amen Sabbaoth and other like they may as wel be vsed in the Englishe Seruice as in the Latine and at this daie are vsed and continued stil in the reformed Churches in Germanie and therefore can importe no more the one then the other M. Hardinge The .24 Diuision Bede in the ende of his seconde booke sheweth that one Iames a Deacon of the Churche of Yorke a very conninge man in songe soone after the faithe had beene spred abroade here as the number of beleuers grewe beganne to be a Maister or teacher of singinge in the Churche after the maner of the Romaines The like he writeth of one Eddi surnamed Stephanus that taught the people of Northumberlande to singe the Seruice after the Romaine maner and of Putta a holy man Bishop of Rochester commendinge him muche for his greate skil of singinge in the Churche after the vse and maner of the Romaines whiche he had learned of the Disciples of S. Gregorie These be testimonies plaine and euident enough that at the beginninge the Churches of Englande had their diuine seruice in Latine and not in Englishe One place more I wil recite out of Bede most manifest of al other for proufe hereof In the time of Agatho the Pope there was a reuerende man called Iohn Archicantor that is chiefe Chaunter or singer S. Peters Churche at Rome and Abbot of the Monasterie of S. Martin there Benedicte an Abbot of Britaine hauinge builded a Monasterie at the mouthe of the Riuer Murus Bede so calleth it sued to the Pope for confirmations liberties fraunchisies priuileges c. as in suche case hath beene accustomed Amonge other thinges he obteined this cunninge Chaunter Iohn to come with him into Britaine to teache songe Bicause Bedes Ecclesiastical storie is not very common I haue thought good here to recite his owne woordes thus Engliâ—hed This Abbot Benedicte tooke with him the foresaide Iohn to bring him into Britaine that he should teache in his Monasterie the course of Seruice for the whole yeere so as it was doone at S. Peters in Rome Iohn did as he had commaundement from the Pope bothe in teachinge the singinge men of the saide Monasterie the order and rite of singinge and readinge with vtterance of their voice and also of writing and prickinge those thinges that the compasse of the whole yeere required in the celebration and keepinge of the holy daies Which be kepte in the same Monasterie til this day and be copied out of many rounde about on euery coaste Neither did that Iohn teache the Brethren of that Monasterie onely but also many other made al the meanes they coulde to get him to other places where they might haue him to teache This farre Bede I trowe no man wil thinke that this Romaine taught and wrote the order and manner of singinge and pronouncinge the Seruice of the Churches of this lande in the Englishe tongue If it had beene deemed of the learned and godly gouernours of Christen people then a necessary pointe to saluation to haue had the Seruice in the Englishâ— no man had beene so apte and fitte to haue translated it as he who in those daies had by special grace of God a singular gifte to make songes and sonets in Englishe Meter to serue religion and deuotion His name was Cednom of whome Bede writeth marueilouse thinges Howe he made diuerse songes conteininge mater of the holy Scripture with suche exceedinge sweetenesse and with suche a grace as many feelinge their hartes compuncte and prickte with hearinge and readinge of them withdrewe themselues from the loue of the worlde and were enkendled with the desire of the heauenly life Many saithe Bede of the Englishe Nation attempted after him to make religious and godly Poetries but none coulde doo comparably to him For he was not saith he alludinge to S. Paules woordes taught of men neither by man that Arte of makinge godly songes but receiued from God that gifte freely And therefore he coulde make no wanton triflinge or vaine ditties but onely suche as perteined to godly Religion and might seeme to proceede of a head guided by the holy Gost. Lib. 4. Cap. 24. This diuine Poete Cednom though he made many and sundrie holy workes hauing their whole argumeÌ„t out of holy Scripture as Bede reporteth yet neuer made he any peece of the Seruice to be vsed in the Church Thus the faith hath continued in this lande amongâ— the English people from the .14 yeere of the reigne of Mauritius Themperour almost these .1000 yeeres and vntil the late King Edwardes time the English Seruice was neuer hearde of at least way neuer in the Churche of Englande by publike authoritie receiued and vsed The B. of Sarisburie I litle thought M. Harding would so much haue bewraied his wante to prooue his mater by Pipers Poetes specially beinge al without the compasse of .600 yéeres For it is plaine by Beda that this Iames the Deacon liued vnder Kinge Edwine about the yéere of our Lorde 640. Putta Edda in the yeere .668 Iohn the ArchechauÌ„ter Cednom or Cedman for so his name is readde in Beda written in parchement in the time of Pope Agatho in the yéere .680 in whose name this Decree is written Sic omnes sanctiones Apostolicae Sedis accipiendae
If thou blisse with thy sprite howe shal the ignorant saie Amen vnto thy thankes geuinge For he knoweth not what thou saiest In the Chruche I had leuer to speake fiue woordes with my minde so that I may instructe others then tenne thousande woordes vvith my tongue Let al thinges be donne to the profite of the people These woordes be euident the exposition of Lyra of the Councel of Acon of Chrysostome and Iustinian is plaine And yet muste we vpon M. Hardinges warrant néedes beleue that al this maketh nothinge for the Englishe Seruice to be had in the Churche of Englande M. Hardinge The .26 Diuision And for as muche as al the people cannot heare the priestes prayers at the Aultare whiche hath from the Apostles time hitherto euer beene a place to celebrate the holy oblation at tourninge him selfe for the moste parte to the Easte accordinge to the Apostolike tradition in what tongue so euer they be vttred for distance of the place they remaine in it is no inconuenience suche admitted into the quiere as haue better vnderstandinge of that is saide or songe that the reste remaine in seemely wise in the neither parte of the Church and there make their humble praiers to God by them selues in silence in that language they beste vnderstande conforminge them selues to the Priestes blessinge and thankes geuinge through faithe and obedience with their bretherne in the quiere and geuinge assent to the same vnderstandinge some good parte of that is doone as declared by often preachinge and by holy outwarde Ceremonies perceiuable to the senses of the simplest The B. of Sarisburie There haue beene Aultares saith M. Hardinge euen from the Apostles time and that euen as it is vsed now farre of from the Body of the Church Neither coulde the people beneathe heare the Priest standinge aboue at the Aultar or vnderstande what he meante but onely were instructed by holy reuerende Ceremonies and gaue consent vnto al that was saide by the Priest and yet knew not what he saide This man coulde neuer vtter so many vntruthes togeather without some special Priuilege For first where he saith The Apostles in their time erected Aultares It is wel knowen that there was no Christian Churche yet builte in the Apostles time For the Faithful for feare of the Tyrannes were faine to méete togeather in Priuate Houses in Uacant places in Woodes and Forestes and in Caues vnder the grounde And may we thinke that Aultars were builte before the Church Uerily Origen that liued twoo hundred yeres after Christe hath these woordes against Celsus Obijcit nobis quòd non habeamus Imagines aut Aras aut Templa Celsus chargeth our Religion with this that wee haue neither Images nor Aultars nor Churches Likewise saithe Arnobius that liued somwhat after Origen writinge against the Heathens Accusatis nos quòd nec templa habeamus nec imagines nec aras ye accuse vs for that wee haue neither Churches nor Images nor Aultars And Uolaterranus and Uernerius testifie that Sixtus Bishop of Rome was the first that caused Aultars to be erected Therefore M. Hardinge was not wel aduised so confidently to say That Aultars haue euer beene euen sithence the Apostles time Neither afterwarde when Aultars were first vsed and so named were they streight way builte of stoane as Durandus and such others say they must néedes be and that Quia petra erat Christus Because Christe was the stoane For Gerson saith that Syluester Bishop of Rome firste caused stoane Aultars to be made and willed that no man should Consecrate at a woodden Aultar but him selfe onely and his Successours there And notwithstanding bothe for continuance and staidinesse suche Aultars were vsed in some places as it appeareth by Gregorius Nyssenus S. Basiles brother yet it is plaine by S. Augustine that in his time in Aphrica they were made of Tymber For he saith That the Donatistes in their rage wounded the Priest and brake a sundre the Aultare bourdes And againe he saith That the Deacons dewtie was to carry or remoue the Aultar Whiche thinge cannot be expounded of a heape of stoanes but onely of the Communion Table And therefore S. Chrysostome commonly calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The holy bourde And S. Augustine Mensa Domini The Lordes Table As other Fathers also do in infinite places And notwithstanding it were A Table yet was it also called An Aultar Not for that it was so in déede but onely by allusion vnto the Aultars of the olde law And so Ireneus calleth Christe our Aultar And Origen calleth Our harte our Aultar Not that either Christe or our hartes be Aultars in deede but onely by a Metaphore or a manner of speache Suche were the Aultars that were vsed by the olde Fathers immediatly after the Apostles time Nowe whether it may séeme likely that the same Aultars stoode so farre of from the hearinge of the people as M. Hardinge so constantly affirmeth I referre mée selfe to these authorities that here folow Eusebius thus describeth the forme and furniture of the Churche in his time Absoluto templo ac sedibus excelsissimis ad honorem praesidentium subsellijs ordine collocatis ornato post omnia Sancto Sanctorum videlicet Altari in medio constituto c. The Churche beinge ended and comely furnished with high Thrones for the honour of the rulers and with stalles beneathe set in order and last of al the Holy of Holies I meane The Aultar beinge placed in the middest Eusebius saith not the Aultar was set at the ende of the Qâ—ter But in the middest of the Churche amonge the people S. Augustine likewise saith thus Christus quotidiè pascit Mensa ipsius est illa in medio constituta Quid causae est ô audientes vt mensam videatis ad epulas non accedatis Christe feedeth vs daily and this is his table here set in the middest O my hearers what is the mater that ye see the table and yet come not to the meate In the Councel of Constantinople it is written thus Tempore DiptychoruÌ„ cucurrit omnis multitudo cum magno sileÌ„tio circumcirca Altare audiebant When the Lesson or the Chapter was a readinge the people with silence drew togeather rounde aboute the Aultar and gaue eare And to leaue others Durandus examining the cause why the Priest turneth him selfe aboute at the Aultar yeldeth this reason for the same In medio Ecclesiae aperui os meum In the middest of the Churche I opened my mouthe And Platyna noteth that Bonifacius Bishop of Rome was the first that in the time of the Ministration diuided the Priest from the people To leaue farther allegations wée sée by these few that the Quier was then in the Bodie of the Churche diuided with Rayles from the rest whereof it was called Cancelli a Chauncel and commonly of the Greekes Presbyterium for
that it was a place specially appointed vnto the Priestes and Ministers and shut vp from al others for disturbinge the holy Ministerie as it appeareth notably by the storie of S. Ambrose that willed the Emperour Theodosius him selfe to departe foorthe and by Nazianzenus in the life of S. Basile and by a Decrée vnder the name of Clemens and by the Councel of Laodicea concerninge the same and as it may be geathered by S. Chrysostome at certaine times of the Seruice was drawen with Courtaines Euen at this day in the great Churches at Millaine Naples Lions Mens Rome and in the Churche of S. Laurence in Florence the Priest at his Seruice standeth towardes the Weast and so hath his face stil vpon the people And therefore Durandus saith In suche places the Priest needeth not to turne himselfe rounde when he saith Dominus vobiscum And saluteth the people And where as M. Hardinge imagineth that the people for distance of place coulde not heare what the Priest saide a man that hath considered the Olde Fathers with any diligence may soone sée he is far deceiued For Chrysostome saith The Deacon at the holy Mysteries stoode vp and thus spake vnto the people Orem us pariter omnes Let vs pray al togeather And againe he saith The Priest and the people at the Ministration talke togeather The Priest saithe The Lorde be with you The people answeareth And with thy sprite Iustinian the Emperour commaunded that the priest should so speake alowde at the holy Ministration As the people might heare him Clemens Alexandrinus saith Est ergo quod est hîc apud nos Altare terrestris congregatio eorum qui sunt dedicati orationibus qui veluti vnam vocem habent Communem vnam mentem The Aultare that we haue is an earthly Congregation of men geuen to praiers whiche haue as it were bothe voice and minde common togeather And to leaue rehersal of others Bessarion saith Sacerdote verba illa pronunciante assistens populus in vtraque parte respondet Amen The Priest speakinge these woordes the people standinge by at eche parte of the Sacrament or on euery side saith Amen Now iudge thou good Reader what trueth may séeme to be in that M. Hardinge addeth hereto That the people remaining in seemely wise in the neather parte of the Churche was instructed by certaine Ceremonies and tokens shewed in the Quier and gaue assent and saide Amen vnto the Priest praieing at the Aultar although they vnderstoode no parte of his praier Certainely S. Paule saith Quomodo dicet Amen ad tuam gratiarum actionem Quandoquidem nescit quid dicas How shal he say Amen and geue assent vnto thy thankes geuinge For he knoweth not what thou saiest So saith S. Augustine Vt populus ad id quod planè intelligit dicat Amen That the people vnto that they plainely vnderstande may say Amen Likewise S. Ambrose Imperitus audiens quod non intelligit nescit finem orationis non respondet Amen id est veâ—um vt confirmetur benedictio Per hos enim impletur confirmatio precis qui respondent Amen vt omnia dicta veri testimonio in audientium mentibus confirmentur The vnlearned hearing that he vnderstandeth not knoweth not the ende of the praier neither saith Amen that is to say It is true That the Priestes â—lissinge may be confirmed For by them that answeare Amen the Praier is confirmed whereby is meante that what so euer is spoken by the testimony of the trueth be made good in the mindes of the hearers Seâ—nge therfore that neither Aultars were erected in the Apostles time nor the Communion Table that then was vsed stoode so farre of from the body of the Churche nor the people gaue assent to that they vnderstoode not so many vntruthes beinge founde in M. Hardinges premisses wée may wel and safely stande in doubte of his Conclusion M. Hardinge The .27 Diuision VVhere as you M. Iuel allege S. Paule for your purpose and make him to say thus otherwise then he wrote If thou make thy praier in the congregation with thy sprite or noise of strange wordes how shal the vnlearned man therevnto saye Amen For he knoweth not what thou saiest you boâ—basâ—e this texte with your owne counter feit stuffinge The translation auctorised by kinge Edwarde and his Counsel is truâ—r and foloweth the Greeke nearer whiche hath thus VVhen thou blessist with the spirite how shal he that occupieth the roome of the vnlearned saye Amen at thy geuing of thankes seinge he vnderstandeth not what thou saiest Here the Apostle S. Paule speaketh of Blessinge or thankes geuinge with the spirite whiche spirite what it is it is not easie to declare after the iudgement of your owne Patriake Iohn Caluine S. Ambrose taketh it for the spirite we haue receiued in Baptisme that doth encline and moue vs to praier S. Thomas for the holy ghost geuen to vs for reason and for the powre imaginatiue Erasmus for the voice it selfe Isidorus Clarius for the povver of pronouncing or vtterance some for the breathe that passeth the throte some for the intention S. Augustine verie subtily Pro apprehensione quae ideas concipit signa rerum Caluine in his Institutions De oratione Cap. 15. for the sounde of the mouthe that is caused of the breathe of a mans throte and reboundinge of the aier Chrysostome for the spiritual gifte or the gift of the holy ghoste to speake vvith tongues VVhiche Caluine him selfe sittinge in iudgement as it vvere vpon this doubtful matter allovveth best and condemneth the minde of al others and also his ovvne though vnvvares as it seemeth and so he vvoulde condemne your noyse of strange vvordes likevvise if he hearde it This texte beinge so doubtful of it selfe in sense so put out of tune by your noyse of strange vvordes vvherewith you descant vpon the vvorde Spirite so violently applied by your nevv fangled exposition maketh litle to the condemnation of the Latine Seruice in the Latin Church specially seing that S. Paule meaneth by that miraculous speakinge vvith tongues vsed or rather abused amonge the Corinthians a farre different manner of speakinge from that speaking vvhereby the Priest vttereth the Common Seruice The Priest I graunt saieinge his Seruice to his parishe speaketh with a tongue but suche maner of speakinge is not that whiche S. Paule meante For the priest vnderstandeth it for the better parte if he be learned and 83 the people be not vtterly ignorant bicause of often preaching longe custome solemne feastes and sundrie Ceremonies And therfore your argument gathered out of that texte concludeth nothinge against hauinge the Seruice in the learned Latine tongue not perfitely vnderstanded of the vnlearned people Verily if you admitte the exacte iudgement of S. Augustine concerninge this place of S. Paule then must you seeke for other Scriptures and proufes of your English Seruice For as he discusseth this pointe
peoples vnderstandinge and no vnderstandinge is al one thinge Origen as he is here alleged saithe that the very readinge or hearinge of Goddes Woorde profiteth muche and reioiceth the Angels bothe within and about vs although we vnderstande it not For better vnderstandinge hereof I must briefely note certaine particular opinions that this godly Father had of Angels and heauenly powers And to leaue muche that might be saide he helde thus that Angels haue their offices allotted vnto them diuersely some ouer trees some ouer hearbes some ouer other thinges that some haue power to teache Grammar some Logique some Rhetorique some other Sciences and that some others are appointed to guide and garde vs in this life and shal appeare before God at the General Iudgement to yeelde accoumpte of our dooinges By these it may appeare what Origen meaneth by the Angels that as he saithe be about vs. His saieinge is very comfortable vnto the simple minde that deliteth in Gods Woorde although oftentimes not vnderstandinge the déepe sense of it Of readinge the Scriptures his purpose was to speake and not of hauinge the Seruice or Praiers in a strange tongue Wherefore M. Hardinge was the more to blame thus to wreast his authour to a wronge purpose Origen oftentimes exhorted the people to the readinge of the Scriptures Upon Esaie the Prophete he writeth thus Vtinam omnes faceremus illud quod scriptum est scrutamini Scripturas I woulde we woulde al performe that is written Searche the Scriptures In this place vpon Iosue he layeth this obiection againste him selfe It may be saide The Scriptures be harde He answeareth Yet that not withstandinge if thou reade them they shal doo thee good For the Lorde Iesus Christe if he finde vs occupied in the Scriptures and exercised in the studie thereof not onely vouchsafeth him selfe to be refreashed and fedde in vs but also seeinge suche a banket prepared bringeth with him his Father vnto vs. In the ende he concludeth thus Haec idcirco diximus ne fastidium capiamus audientes Scripturas etiamsi eas non intelligamus These thinges haue I saide that we lothe not to heare the Scriptures although we vnderstande them not And thus muche Origen spake not of the Grammatical or plaine vnderstandinge of the Scriptures that riseth of the letter but of the Allegorie or profounde sense whereunto the vnlearned can not wel atteine For so he expoundeth his owne meaninge writinge vpon the Gospel of S. Matthew Etiam illi saluantur qui Literam Euangelij hoc est simplicem narrationem sequuntur Sola enim narratio simplex sufficit simplicioribus ad salutem Euen they be saued that followe the Letter that is to say The plaine storie of the Gospel For onely the simple storie is sufficient vnto the saluation of the simple So farre foorth may the vnlearned haue profite by readinge of the Scriptures although he further vnderstande them not So likewise saith S. Augustine Qui diligit Legem Dei etiam quod in ea non intelligit honorar Who so looueth the Lawe of God honoureth in it euen that thinge that he vnderstandeth not Likewise he confesseth of him selfe that at his first entrie into the Faithe of Christe he receiued great profite by readinge the Epistle of S. Paule vnto the Romaines although he were not then hable throughly to conceiue the meaninge of it And further that by the Counsel of S. Ambrose he readde the Prophete Esaie And al though he fully vnderstoode him not yet was he therby made the meeter to receiue the Grace of God The like also writeth S. Hierome by waie of Prophecie of the later daies before the comminge of Christe In aduentu Messiae populus eleuabitur prophetabit qui sub Magistris antè fuerat consopitus ibunt ad montes scripturarum Ibi inuenient montes Mosen Iosue filium Naue montes Propheâ—as montes Noui Testamenti Apostolos Euangelistas Et cùm ad tales montes confugerit in huiusmodi montium fuerit lectione versatus si non inuenerit qui eum doceat tamen illius studium comprobabitur quòd confugerit ad Montes At the comminge of Messias the people shal be lifted vp and shal prophecie that before laye asleepe vnder their Maisters and they shal goe to the Mountaines of the Scriptures and there shal they finde Mountaines Moses and Iosue the sonne of Naue the Mountaines of the Prophetes the Mountaines of the Newe Testament the Apostles and the Euangelistes And when they shal flee to suche Mountaines and shal be occupied in the readinge thereof if they finde not one to teache them yet shal their endeuour and good wil be allowed for that they haue fledde vnto the Mountaines This may the simple haue profite by the readinge of the Scriptures albeit he fully vnderstande them not thus be the Angels delited thus is the Diuel molested and gréeued with the same as Origen him selfe witnesseth by these woordes Daemonibus super omnia est tormentorum genera super omnes poenas si quem videant Verbo Dei operam dare scientiam Diuinae Legis Mysteria Scripturarum intentis studijs perquirentem Vnto the Diuels it is a griefe aboue al kindes of torment and aboue al paines if they see any man labour the Woorde of God seekinge with earnest minde the knowledge of Goddes Lawe and the Mysteries of the Scriptures S. Augustine as M. Hardinge allegeth him saithe The Psalme chaseth away Diuels But S. Augustine geueth not suche power vnto a Psalme pronounced onely with the lippes in a strange vnknowen tongue but vnto a Psalme vnderstanded beléeued and pronounced from the harte For to saie The Woorde of God onely bicause it is written or spoaken is auaileable of 〈◊〉 without vnderstandinge as M. Hardinge séemeth to say is a superstitious and a Iewishe kinde of folie Chrysostome sawe reproued the superstition therof in his time by these woordes Quidam Sacerdotes partem aliquam Euangelij alligant circa collum Dic Sacerdos insipiens Nonne quotidiè Euangelium in Ecclesia legitur auditur ab hominibus Cui ergo in auribus posita Euangelia nihil prosunt quomodo eum poterunt circa collum suspensa saluare Vbi est virtus Euangelij In figuris literarum an in intellectu sensuum Certaine Priestes there be that binde a peece of the Gospel aboute their neckes Tel me thou foolishe Priest Is not the Gospel euery daie readde and hearde of menne in the Churche If the Gospel doo not profite a man beinge put in his eare howe then can it profite him beinge tide at his necke For wherein reasteth the power of the Gospel In the forme of the letters or in the vnderstandinge of the sense So may we say vnto M. Hardinge Wherein resteth the power of the Psalmes wherwith the Diuel is vanquished In the bare sounde of the woordes or in the sense and meaninge of the same Certainely S. Augustine saithe
The woorde of God woorketh in our hartes nō quia dicitur sed quia creditur Not bicause it is spoken but bicause it is beleeued Likewise saithe S. Basile Non qui ore profert verba Psalmi Psallit Domino sed quicunque de puro corde proferunt Psalmodiam He singeth not vnto the Lorde that vttereth the woordes of the Psalme but they that from a pure harte pronounce the Psalmodie Likewise Origen Fiduciam habet ad Deum non propter Verba Orationis vel Psalmi quamuis videantur bene composita de Scripturis electa sed quia altare cordis sui bene construxit He that praieth hath trust in God not for the woordes of his prayer or of the Psalme although they seeme to be wel made and chosen out of the Scriptures but bicause he hath wel made vp the Aultare of his harte This was Origens whole and onely purpose He exhorteth not the people to heare Seruice in a strange language Neither is M. Harding hable to shew that there was any such Seruice in the whole Churche of God either then in Origens time or within foure hundred yéeres after him Onely he encouraged the people to reade the Scriptures yea although they were not hable to reatche the bottome of them as it plainely appeareth by his owne woordes folowinge In Scripturis Sanctis est vis quaedam quae legenti etiam sine explanatione sufficiat In the holy Scriptures there is a certaine vertue sufficient for the Reader yea although they be not expounded And therefore he allegeth these woordes of S. Paule My sprite praieth but my sense is vvithout fruite not to warrant M. Hardinges strange order of praier whiche neither S. Paule nor Origen him selfe euer knewe but onely to shewe that as God of his mercie healpeth our weakenesse in praieinge so likewise in readinge the Scriptures he healpeth our weakenesse in vnderstandinge S. Paule saithe Quid Oremus quemadmodum oporteat nescimus sed ipse Spiritus postulat pro nobis gemitibus inenarrabilibus We know not what to praie as it is meete for vs to praie But the Sprite of God intreateth for vs with sighes that cannot be expressed Thus saithe Origen The Angels of God delite to see vs praieinge thus they delite to see vs readinge But if they delite onely to sée vs praie or heare in a strange tongue we know not what as M. Hardinge woulde geather then are they the Angels of Darkenesse and not of God Out of this place of Origen M. Hardinge geathereth these reasons The Angels are delited to heare vs reade or praie although we of our weakenes knowe not throughly what we speake Ergo the people in Origens time had the Common Seruice in a strange tongue The errour or fraude hereof may the better appeare by that I haue before declared It is called Fallacia ab Amphibologia that is of the doubteful takinge of one woorde For this woorde Vnderstandinge hath twoo significations For we vnderstande the woordes we vnderstande the meaninge of the woordes Origen saithe the people vnderstoode not the meaninge of the Scriptures Ergo saithe M. Hardinge they vnderstoode not the woordes of the Scriptures Againe Origen saithe They had no ful and perfite vnderstandinge Ergo saithe M. Hardinge They had no vnderstandinge at al. And therein standeth the falseheade of his argument And againe The woordes that Origen writeth of Readinge the Scriptures M. Hardinge applieth the same to the Common Seruice and so violently and perforce altereth and depraueth Origens meaninge and concludeth one thinge for an other And thus this good Father is drawen in to prooue that thinge that he neuer neither knewe nor did nor willed to be donne M. Hardinge The .34 Diuision I trust wise godly and stedfast men who be not caried about with euery winde of Doctrine wil be moued more with the auctoritie of Origen a man alwaies in the iudgement of al the Christen worlde accompted most excellently learned then with the scorninge of Caluine who speakinge of the auncient Latine Seruice vsed in Englande and Fraunce saithe Ad Ecclesiam ex sono non intellecto nullus penitus fructus redit that of the sounde not vnderstanded no fruite at al retourneth to the Churche vsinge that woorde of despite that might better be spoken by a Mynstrel of his Pipe and Taburret then by a Preacher of the Diuine Seruice Neither hereof with any milder Spirite speaketh his Disciple and Subminister Theodore Beza the hote Minister of the deformed Churches of Fraunce Quaecunque preces ab aliquo cōcipiuntur eo idiomate quod ipse nō intelligat pro Dei ludibrio sunt habendae What praiers so euer be made saithe he of any man in a tonge that he vnderstandeth not they be to be taken for a mockerie of God Who so euer here alloweth Caluine and Beza condemned of the Churche must condemne Origen for this pointe neuer reproued or toutched of any that haue not spared him where so euer they coulde charge him with any errour If al praiers made in an vnknowen tonge be a mockinge of God as Beza saithe then were the praiers vttered by miracle in the Primitiue Churche with tongues which the vtterers them selues vnderstoode not after the minde of Chrysostome a mockinge of God For I see nothinge whereby they are excluded from his 87 general saieinge and vniuersal proposition Verily this teachinge of Beza is not sounde I weene if he were out of the protection of his deformed Churches and conuented before a Catholike Bishop to geue an accompte of this doctrine he woulde steppe backe and reuoke that rasshe saieinge againe For els he shoulde seeme to graunte that God gaue at the beginninge of the Churche the gifte of tongues to be mockte withal whiche were very absurde and blasphemous S. Paule wissheth that al the Corinthians spake with tongues but rather that they Prophecied The B. of Sarisburie I maruel muche what soundenesse of Doctrine M. Hardinge can meane hauinge thus taken vpon him to be the proctour of ignorance or how he can wel commende others for constancie and stedfastnesse findinge him selfe with so lighte windes so often remoued or wherfore he should so highly commende that olde Father Origen at whose handes he findeth so smal reliefe That he thus bitterly chargeth that godly learned Father Iohn Caluine for saieinge thus Of the vnknowen Seruice there redoundeth no manner profite vnto the Churche it toutcheth many others moe not him onely S. Augustine saithe thus Si Moses mihi Haebraea voce loqueretur frustrà pulsaret sensum meum nec inde mentem meam quicquam tangeret If Moses shoulde speake vnto me in the Hebrewe tongue for that I vnderstande it not he shoulde beate my senses in vaine neither shoulde there any thinge thereof enter into my minde S. Chrysostome saithe Nisi dixero quod percipi facilè clareque à vobis possit sed linguarum munere praeditum me esse tantùm ostendam
yeeres pasâ—e seeinge the place of S. Paule to the Corinthians either perteineth not to this purpose or if it be so graunted for the diuersitie of states of that and of this our time it permitâ—eth a diuersitie of obseruation in this behalfe though some likenesse and resemblance yet reserued seeinge great profite commeth to the faithful people hauinge it so as they vnderstande it not Finally seeinge the examples rehearsed herein to be folowed be of smal auctoritie in respecte either of antiquitie or of true Religion As the bolde assertion of M. Iuel is plainely disproued so the olde order of the Latine Seruice in the latine Churche whereof Englande is a Prouince is not rashly to be condemned specially whereas 91 beinge first committed to the Churches by the Apostles of our Countrie and the firste Preachers of the Faithe here it hath beene auctorised by continuance almost of a thousande yeeres without control or gaine saieinge to the glorie of God the wealthe of the people and the procuringe of healpe from heauen alwaies to this lande And to adde hereunto this muche laste of al though it might be graunted that it were good the Seruice were in the Vulgare tongue as in Englishe for our countrie of Englande Yet doubteles good men and zelous keepers of the Catholike faithe wil neuer allowe the Seruice deuised in Kinge Edwardes time nowe restored againe not so muche for the tongue it is in as for the order it selfe and disposition of it lackinge some thinges necessarie and hauing some other thinges 92 repugnant to the Faithe and custome of the Catholike Churche The B. of Sarisburie Here M. Hardinge it appeareth ye beginne to mislike your owne dealinge that after so many woordes and so greate a countenaunce of learninge ye shoulde be founde so nakedly and so vnsensibly to deceiue the people And therefore hauinge no manner Authoritie of auncient Councel or Doctour to allege againste the Englishe tongue in the Churche of Englande yet leaste in the ende hauinge saide so muche ye shoulde seeme to saie nothinge ye beginne to finde faulte with the order of our Seruice and without any manner of proufe ye say there are many thinges therein conteined contrary to the Catholique Faithe and so contrary to your owne knowlege ye mainteine one vntrueth by an other You knowe that we serue God accordinge to his holy woorde and the order of his Primitiue Churche For As Tertullian saithe the Christian people did in his time Coimus ad diuinarum Scripturarum commemorationem si quid praesentium temporum qualitas aut praemonere cogit aut recognoscere Certè fidem sanctis voâ—â—bus pascimus spem erigimus fiduciam figimus Wee meete togeather to heare the rehearshal of the holy Scriptures if the state of the present time doo force vs either to forewarne any thinge or els to cal any thinge to remeÌ„brance Verily we feede our Faithe with those holy woordes we confirme our hope we assure our trust Wée minister the holy Sacramentes in pure and reuerent sorte we Baptize in the name of God the Father the Sonne the Holie Ghost we receiue the Sacrament of Christes Bodie and Bloude from the Holy Table we make our humble Confession and fal to the grounde and praie al togeather with one harte and one voice in sprite and trueth and specially wée pray for you and for suche others that ye may consider from whence ye are fallen and repent your selues and returne to God wée Excommunicate open offenders wée receiue againe them that shew them selues penitent wée instructe our youthe in the Faithe of Christe wée make collections and prouide charitably for the poore Of al these thinges what one thinge is contrary to the Catholique faithe O M. Hardinge it is written The mouthe that lieth destroieth the soule And Christe saithe The Blasphemie against the holy Ghost shal neuer be forgeuen neither in this life nor in the life to come Now good Christian Reader for the better contenting of thy minde I beséeche thée to looke backe and to consider the whole substance of al that M. Hardinge hath laide in for proufe of this Article what weight it beareth and how wel it serueth to his purpose He hath intreated largely of singinge in the Quier at what time and where it first beganne and likewise hath prooued by a greate longe discourse of situation of countries and diuersitie of tongues that neither al the east parte of the worlde vnderstoode the Gréeke nor al the people of Aphrica Mauritania Spaine and Fraunce vnderstoode the Latine whiche labour in this case was nothinge needeful But that al the Nations of the East parte had their Seruice in the Greeke tongue and that al the people of Aphrica Mauritania Spaine and Fraunce had their Seruice in the Latine tongue whiche thinge onely stoode in Question and therefore was onely to be prooued he hath hitherto vtterly leaft vnprooued Touchinge the Publique Seruice within this Ilelande the storie of Augustine of Rome and Edda and Putta and other Poetes and singinge men as I haue shewed standeth him in smal stéede Contrary to his owne knowlege he saith that the fouretéenth Chapter of S. Paule to the Corinthians cannot necessarily be applied to this purpose And further he saith that euen from the Apostles time the Priest euermore made his Praiers in the Quier farre of from the hearinge of the people That the ignorant people vnderstandeth the Latine Tongue although not in most exacte wise or perfitely That they are now better instructed in the Articles of the Faith then they were in the time of the Apostles That it is sufficient for them now to be taught by Gestures and Ceremonies and that they haue greate profit by hearinge their Seruice although they know not what they heare Againe he saith that the Gréeke and Latine be learned tongues and therefore al the Seruice of the Churche throughout the whole worlde ought to be ministred in one of them That al the Psalmes and al other Scriptures are harde and farre passe the capacitie of the people That vnderstandinge of the mater causeth the minde to wander and to be shorte that praier in the Common tongue that euermore bredde Schismes and Diuisions in the Churche He hath openly falsified Strabo Iustinian Origen Chrysostome and others and hath forced them to say the thinge they neuer meante This is the whole Summarie of al that he had to say Hereof he woulde séeme to conclude that within the first sixe hundred yeeres after Christe the Common Seruice was ministred openly in a tongue vnknowen vnto the people Albeit he hath hitherto alleged neitheir Scripture nor Councel nor Decrée nor Doctour nor Example or Practise of the Primitiue Churche to prooue the same Of the other side it is sufficiently prooued of our parte that the fouretienth Chapter to the Corinthians must of necessitie belonge to the vse of Common praiers and that in the Primitiue Churche the Seruice was euery
knowledge expoundeth it or if either his woordes or his purpose of writinge may seeme any way to leade to that ende then may M. Hardinge séeme to haue some honest colour for his defence Otherwise wée may iustly say He racketh the Doctours and forceth them to speake what him listeth to sâ—rue his tâ—rne First it is certaine that in al that Epistle S. Cyprian neuer gaue vnto Câ—rnelius any suche ambitious Title but onely calleth him by the name of Brother For thus he saluteth him Cyprian vnto his Brother Cornelius sendeth greetinge And maketh his entrie in this wise Deere Brother I haue readde your letters Thus S. Cyprian beinge Bishop of Carthage claimeth brotherhoode and equalitie with the Pope One special occasion of his writinge vnto Cornelius was this emongst others Cornelius being Bishop of Rome and hauinge Excommunicate certaine notorious wicked men and afterwarde beinge threatened and il vsed at their handes began to fainte and to be weary of his office S. Cyprian hearinge thereof wrote comfortably vnto him willed him in any wise to procéede and to deale boldly not to yéelde consideringe it was Gods cause and not his awâ—e Amonge other woordes he saith thus Christiani non vltrà aut durare aut esse possumus si ad hoc ventum est vt perditorum minas insidias pertimescamus Wee can no lenger continue or be Christian men if wee beinge Bishoppes once beginne to shrinke at the threates and fetches of the â—icked Upon occasion hereof he sheweth what hurte and confusion of Sectes Schismes insueth in any Prouince or Diocesse wâ—ere as the Bishops Authoritie and Ecclesiastical Discipline is despised For euery Bishop saith S. Cyprian within his owne Diocese is the Priest of God and for his time is a Iudge appointed in the place of Christe and as the Churche is one so ought he likewise to be but one And thus he writeth generally of the authoritie of al Bishops not onely of the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome And notwithstandinge he directeth his Epistle onely to Cornelius yet are al his reasons general and touche bothe him selfe beinge Bishop of Carthage and also al other Bishoppes what so euer Now therefore to drawe that thinge by violence to one onely Bishop that is generally spoken of al Bishops it is a guileful fetche to misâ—eade the Reader and no simple or plaine dealinge But M. Hardinge séemeth to grounde his errour vpon the mistakinge of these woordes of S. Cyprian Vnus Sacerdos and Fraternitas vniuersa That is One Bishop and The whole Brotherhoode For where as S. Cyprian saith There must be one Bishop in a Churche he imagineth there must be one Bishop to rule ouer the whole vniuersal Church And where as againe S. Cyprian saith The whole Brotherhoode must obey one Bishop He geathereth that al Christian people throughout the whole worlde which he vntruely calleth The whole Brotherhoode must be obedient vnto one vniuersal Bishop And thus he buildeth one errour vpon an other But mistakinge of the Doctour maketh no sufficient prouâ—e It maye soone appeare S. Cyprian meante that for the auoiding of Schismes and diuisions there ought to be onely one Bishop within one Diocese and not one Bishop to rule ouer al the worlde For thus he expoundeth his owne meaninge Cùm post primum esse non possit quisquam qui post vnum qui solus esse debet factus est iam non secundus ille sed nullus est Seeing that after the first Bishop is chosen there can be none other who so is made Bishop after that one whiche must needes be alone is nowe not the seconde Bishop but in deede is no Bishop So likewise when the Heretique Nouatus had by wicked practise diuided the people of Rome into Sectes and had solemnely sworne them that gaue eare vnto him that they should no more returne vnto Cornelius the Bishop there and so had rent one Bishoprike into twoo and made twoo Bishoppes in one Citie Cornelius complaining thereof vnto Fabius the Bishop of Antioche and informinge him of the same writeth thus vnto him Nouatus nescit vnum Episcopum in Catholica Ecclesia esse debere Nouatus knoweth not that there oughte to be but one Bishop in a Catholique Churche not meaning thereby the whole vniuersal Churche throughout the worlde but onely his owne particular Churche of Rome So when Chrysostome the Bishop of Constantinople sawe Sisinius beare him self as Bishop within the same Citie he saide vnto him One Citie may not haue twoo Bishoppes So likewise S. Hierome saithe that notwithstanding the power of al priestes by the authoritie of Goddes woorde be one and equal yet menne by policie to auoide contention appointed one prieste in euery Citie to order and to directe his brethren Thus was the vnitie of the whole Churche preserued Thus were al Churches as one Churche And all Bishoppes as one Bishop For who so dissented from one dissented from al. So saithe S. Cyprian Ecclesia cohaerentium sibi inuicem Sacerdotum glutino copulatur The churche is coupled and ioined in one by consent of Bishops agreeing togeather Likewise againe he saithe Hanc vnitatem firmiter tenere vendicare debemus maximè Episcopi qui in Ecclesia praesidemus vt Episcopatum quoque ipsum vnum indiuisum probemus This vnitie must we keepe and defende specially that be Bishoppes and beare rule in the Churche that we may declare in deede that our Bishoprike is one and not diuided And therefore S. Hierome saithe Episcopi nouerint in commune debere se Ecclesiam regere Let Bishoppes vnderstande that they ought to gouerne the Church in common â–ª or as al in one In this sense is euery Bishop for his time as S. Cyprian saithe in the steede of Christe to euery suche Christe saithe He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me And therefore Ignatius saithe The Bishop in his Churche is the forme of God the Father of al And so muche as is possible resembleth in his office Christe our God For this cause S. Cyprian saithe Hereof spring Schismes and Heresies for thaâ— the priest of God in euery seueral Diocese is not obeied As likewise againe he saithe to like purpose Qui cum Episcopo non sunt in Ecclesia non sunt They that be not with the Bishop be not in the Churche So likewise Ignatius They that be of Christe are with the Bishop Thus S. Cyprian spake these woordes generally of the authoritie of al Bishops in their seueral dioceses and not of any special authoritie of the Bishop of Rome as â—t is here vntruely affirmed by M. Hardinge But he wil replie S. Cyprian saith Vniuersa fraterniâ—as That is The whole Brotherhoode ought to be obedient to that one Bishop And that whole brotherhoode must needes be the whole companie of al Christian people Notwithstanding this
them yet can he not finde any one of them al that calleth the Bishop of Rome the Uniuersal Byshoppe or Head of the Uniuersal Churche Ireneaeus speaketh neither of Supremacie nor of Headship of the Churche nor of any other Uniuersal power Therefore M. Hardinge mistelleth his authours tale and auoucheth that he neuer meante For Irenaeus in that place writeth onely against Ualentinus Cerdon and Marcion which contrary to the Doctrine of the Apostles had diuised sundrie strange Heresies Fantasies of their owne For trial whereof he biddeth them to beholde the Churches whiche the Apostles had planted The Churche of Ephesus saith he first instructed by S. Paule and afterwarde continued by S. Iohn is a sufficient witnesse of the Apostles learninge Polycarpus beinge conuerted and taught by the Apostles instructed the Churche of Smyrna and al the Churches of Asia folow it Yet none of al these Churches euer allowed or receiued your strange doctrine yea the very wilde Barbarous nations that haue receiued the faithe of Christe at the Apostles handes onely by hearinge without any booke or letter if they should heare of these Heresies they would stoppe their eares Thus Irenaeus calleth foorth these Heretiques as wée doo now our Aduersaries to be tried by the Doctrine and Churches of the Apostles But he saith Valde longum est in hoc tali volumine omnium Ecclesiarum enumerare successiones It woulde be very longe in suche a booke as this is to recken vp the successions of al Churches Therefore he reasteth specially vpon the example of the Churche of Rome whiche he calleth Maximam antiquissimam omnibus cognitam The greatest most auncient and knowen to al men And saith By the example of this Churche wee confounde al peruerse Doctrine And addeth further Ad hanc Ecclesiam propter potentiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem Ecclesiam conuenire quia in hac semper conseruata est ea quae est ab Apostolis Traditio Vnto this Churche of Rome euery other Churche must agree The reason is For that in this Churche the Tradition of the Aposâ—les hath euer been keapte So the Emperours Gratian Ualentinian and Theodosius Commaunded al them to be called Catholiques that folow the Faithe that S. Peter deliuered to the See of Rome For the Apostles Doctrine is the trial and rule of Faithe This Doctrine at the beginninge was exactly obserued in Rome without corruption and therefore was that Churche in reuerence and estimation aboue others But they wil replie Irenaeus saith Propter potentiorem principalitateÌ„ Of these woordes groweth their errour They dreame of a Kingdome and Principalitie But Christe saith to his Disciples The kinges of Nations rule ouer them Vos auteÌ„ non sic But you may not so And Origen saith Qui vocatur ad Episcopatum non vocatur ad principatum sed ad seruitutem totius Ecclesiae He that is called to be a Bishop is not called to a principalitie but vnto the Seruice of the whole Churche The Principalitie that Irenaeus meante was the Ciuile Dominion and temporal state of the Citie of Rome in whiche God had then planted the Empier of the worlde and made al Nations subiecte vnto it And therefore the Churche of God beinge once inkendled there was more notable and better knowen vnto al Nations As for the Bishops of Rome that then were they had neither landes nor rentes but liued stil vnder the swearde in continual persecution as S. Paule saithe The ofshauinge of the worlde and the vilest of al people Farre from any shew or colour of Principalitie Yet that notwithstandinge the Churche there was called a principal and a chiefe Churche aboue others bicause of the Dominion and Principalitie of the Citie And in this sense Ecclesia principalis Is sometime vsed in the Olde Fathers In the Councel of Carthage it is written thus Placuit vt nemini sit facultas relicta principali Cathedra ad aliquam Ecclesiam in Dioecesi constitutam se conferre Wee thinke it good it be lawful for no man leauinge the principal Cheyre or Churche to goe to any other Churche within the Diocese Likewise Paulinus vnto Alypius Dominus in suis te ciuibus principalem cum principibus populi sui sede Apostolica meritò collocauit The Lorde hath woorthily placed thee in the See Apostolique a principal one emonge his Citizens with the Princes of his people Thus the Principalitie that Irenaeus meaneth stoode not in the preachinge of the Gospel but in the Ciuile estate and worldly Dominion not in the Bishop that professed Christe but in the Emperour that was an Heathen not in the Churche but in the persecutors and enimies of the Churche Therefore M. Hardinge reasoninge thus Rome had the power and Princehoode of the worlde Ergo The Bishop there was Head of the Vniuersal Churche séemeth not wel to weighe his owne Conclusion For of the same grouÌ„des wée might wel reason thus Rome now hath loste that power and Princehoode of the worlde Ergo The Bishop there is not now the Head of the Vniuersal Churche To be shorte If the Churche of Rome woulde now faithfully kéepe the Traditions and Doctrine of the Apostles wée would frankely yelde her al that honour that Iraeneus geueth her But she hath shaken of the yoke of Christe and wilfully breaketh Gods commaundementes to thintent to vpholde her owne Traditions For proufe wherof to passe ouer an infinite number of other disorders the Bishop there presumeth now to intitle him selfe The Vniuersal Bishop But S. Gregorie saith Nemo decessorum meorum hoc tam profano vocabulo vti consensit None of my predecessours euer consented to vse this vngodly name Therefore like as Irenaeus saithe of his time The Churche of Rome hath euer hitherto keapte the Tradition and Doctrine of the Apostles Ergo al Churches ought to take her for an example and to agree vnto her So may wée in contrary wise say of our time The Churche of Rome hath now broken the Traditions and Doctrine of the Apostles Ergo No Churche ought to folow her example and to agrée vnto her M. Hardinge The .10 Diuision Androw folowed our Sauiour before that Peter did Et tamen primatum non accepit Andreas sed Petrus And yet Androw receiued not the Primacie but Peter saith Ambrose The B. of Sarisburie This errour holdeth onely of the missevnderstandinge of this woorde Primatus which by M. Hardinges â—â—dgement must néedes signifie an Uniuersal power ouer the whole worlde Bâ—t it is easy to be shewed that Primatus emonge the Olde Fathers is farre 〈…〉 I meane for any superioritie or preferrement before others And first to beginne with S. Ambrose thus he writeth Esau pe◠〈…〉 Primatus amisit 〈…〉 of Rise potage lost the honâ—â—â— of 〈…〉 In like sorte writeth S. Augustine Esau Primatus suos non propâ—â—◠〈◊〉 sed 〈…〉 perdidit Likewise the Councel of Chalcedoâ— in the condemnation
to whom if there be not geuen a power peereles and surmounting al others in the Churches we shal haue so many schismes as there be priestes The B. of Sarisburie This place of S. Hierome is notably wel noted But if it might haue pleased M. Hardinge to note but the twoo lines that wente before he should soone haue séene that this note was not woorthe the notinge For it is certaine that S. Hierome there speaketh generally of al Bishops and not one woorde specially of the Bishop of Rome He intreateth there of the order of Confirmation which he saith by the vsage of the Churche for quietnesse vnitie in many places was ministred onely by the Bishop and not by any other Priest and that he saith Ad honorem magis Sacerdotij quà m ad necessitatem Legis More for the honour of the state of Bishops then for the necessitie of the Law And this as I saide he speaketh generally of al Bishops Immediatly after he addeth these woordes that M. Harding here allegeth Ecclesiae salus c. The safetie of the Church hangeth of the dignitie of the high priest Herein S. Hierome agréeth throughly with S. Cyprian that is That for auoiding of Sectes and Schismes one high Priest that is to saye one Byshop was by good policie appointed in euery Diuision to whose dooinges and Doctrine the reast of the Clergie should câ—nforme them selues And by this order the vnitie of the Churche was wel preserued S. Cyprian saith Ecclesia cohaerentium sibi inuicem SacerdotuÌ„ glutino copulatur The Churche is ioined togeather by the consent of Bishops agreeinge in one So saith S. Hierome Singuli EcclesiaruÌ„ Episcopi singuli Archiepiscopi singuli Archidiaconi omnis ordo Ecclesiasticê° suis Rectoribê° nititur There be seueral Bishops of Churches seueral Archbishops and seueral Archedeacons and al the Ecclesiastical order is staied by the gouernours And the Glose therevpon saith thus Hieronymus probat hâ—c plures praelatos non debere esse in vna Ecclesia sed singulos debere esse in singulis Ecclesâ—s S. Hierome here proueth that there may not be twoo or mo Byshops in one Churche But that a seueral Bishop must be in euery seueral Churche To the like purpose S. Hierome writeth vpon the Epistle vnto Titus Haec proptereà vt ostenderemus apud veteres â—osdem fuisse Presbyteros quos Episcopos Paulatim verò vt dissensionum plantaria euellerentur ad vnum omnèm sollicitudinem esse delatam These thinges haue I spoken to the intent to shew that in olde time Priestes and Bishoppes were al one and that in processe and by degrees the whole charge was brought vnto one man he meaneth within one Diocese that the occasions of dissension might be rooted out And therefore as it is before declared â–ª S. Cyprian saith Hereof springe Schismes for that the Priest of the Lorde is not obeyed And therefore also saith S. Hierome Vnlesse the Byshop haue a special power aboue others there wil be as many Schismes in the Church as there be Priestes But al these thinges thus vttered generally of al Bishops M. Hardinge wreasteth and forceth onely vnto one Bishop and thus that is General he maketh Special and that is Special he maketh General at his pleasure and as before he misreported S. Cyprian euen so dooth he nowe likewise misreporte S. Hierome and so shoareth vp a ruinous mater with the falsification of his Doctours But M. Hardinge wil say S. Hierome vseth these special woordes Summus Sacerdos The highest Priest whiche can not otherwise be taken but onely of the Pope And therefore he gaue this note with a special Parenthesis He meaneth the Pope Peters successour Yet M. Hardinge knoweth there is no suche necessitie wherefore these woordes shoulde so be taken His owne Amphilochius calleth S. Basile Summus Sacerdos and yet he knoweth S. Basile was neuer Bishop of Rome Euery Bishop within his owne Diocesse may be called the highest Priest in respecte of other Priestes that liue vnder him And in this sense Lactantius séemeth to cal euery Bishoprike Maximum Sacerdotium As for the Bishop of Rome S. Hierome auaunceth him not so high as M. Hardinge woulde séeme but rather maketh him equal and leuel with al other Bishoppes For thus he writeth vnto Euagriâ—s Si authoritas quaeritur Orbis maior est Vrbe Vbicunque fuerit Episcopus siue Romae siue Eugubij siue Constantinopoli siue Rhegij c. eiusdem est meriti eiusdem Sacerdotij If wee seeke for Authoritie the Worlde is greater then the Citie of Rome Wheresoeuer there is a Bishoppe whether he be at Rome or at Eugubium or at Constantinople or at Rhegium c. He is of like woorthinesse and of lyke Priesthoode Here S. Hierome specially and by name rekeneth the Bishoppe of Rome amonge others and maketh him equal vnto the rest And againe he saithe Quid mihi profers Vnius Vrbis consuetudinem What shewest thou mee the order or manner of one Citie So muche S. Hierome seemeth to set by the Sée of Rome And to this ende S. Cyprian saith Hoc erant coeteri Apostoli quod fuit Petrus pari consortio praediti Honoris Potestatis The reast of the Apostles were the same that Peter was al indewed with like felowship bothe of Honour and also of Power And so S. Cyprian calleth Cornelius Bishop of Rome his Brother and Cyrillus calleth Coelestinus likewise Bishop of Rome his Felowseruant And therefore when I heare M. Harding by his strange interpretation geue vnto the Bishop of Rome A power peereles and surmounting al others Me thinketh I heare Doctour Durandus say Hic est Melchisedech cuius Sacerdotium non est coeteris comparatum Ille est Caput omnium PontificuÌ„ a quo illi tanquâ—m a capite membra descendunt de cuius plenitudine omnes accipiunt This is Melchisedâ—â—â— whose priesthoode is not comparable vnto others He is the Head of al Bishoppes from whom al they grow as members grow from the head and of whose fulnesse al they receiue Me thinketh I heare that is written by the Canonistes Dominus 〈…〉 Our Lorde God the Pope And where as he further saithe The safetie of the Church hangeth of the high priest whom he supposeth to be the Bishop of Rome Uerily S. Gregorie saith Quando is qui appellatur Vniuersalis cadit vniuersa Ecclesia 〈…〉 suo corruit When so euer he that is called the Vniuersal Bishoppe falleth the whole Churche from her state must needes fal to the grounde M. Hardinge The .16 Diuision There is an Epistle of Theodoretus Bishop of Cyrus extant in Greeke written to Leo Bishop of Rome wherein we finde a worthy witnesse of the primacie of the See Aposâ—â—like His woordes may thus be engliâ—â—ed If Pâ—ule saith he the preacher of the truthe and trumpet of the â—oly Ghoste ranne to Peter to bringe from him a determination and declaration for them
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
shal afterwarde be shewed more at large Donatus a Casis nigris was by the Emperour lawfully remooued from the Bishop of Rome to the Bishop of Arle in Fraunce Ostiensis woordes be these Non nocebit error si appelletur ad Maiorem quà m debuerit vel ad parem The errour shal not hurte if the appeale be made either to a higher Iudge then was meete or to an equal Where also it is thus noted in the Margin Appellari potest ad parem si de hoc sit consuetudo Appeale may be made vnto the equal if there be a custome of it Hereby it is plaine that the right of appeale by fine force of Law concludeth not any necessarie superioritie muche lesse this infinite power ouer the whole Uniuersal Churche But M. Harding might soone haue foreséene that this his first principle of Appeales woulde easily be turned against him selfe First for that it is wel knowen that Appeales then euen in the Ecclestastical causes were made vnto the Emperours and Ciuile Princes Secondely for that the Bishop of Rome determined suche cases of Appeale by warrant and Commission from the Emperour Thirdly for that maters beinge once hearde and determined by the Bishop of Rome haue béene by appeale from him remooued further vnto others As touchinge the first that appeales in Ecclesiastical causes were lawfully made vnto the Prince it is cleare by Eusebius by Socrates by Nicephorus and by S. Augustine in sundrie places Donatus beinge condemned by thréescore and tenne Bishops in Aphrica appealed vnto the Emperour Constantinus was receiued S. Augustine saith Parmenianus vltrò passus est suos adire CoÌ„stantinuÌ„ Parmenianus willingly suffered his felowes to goe vnto Themperour Constantinus Againe he saith Infero adhuc verba Constantini ex literis eius vbi se inter partes cognouisse innocenteÌ„ CaecilianuÌ„ comperisse restatur Here I bringe in the woordes of Constantine out of his owne letters wherein he confesseth that he hearde the parties and founde Caecilianus to be innocent Likewise he saith An fortè de Religione fas non est vt dicat Imperator vel quos miserit Imperator Cur ergo ad ImperatoreÌ„ legati vestri venerunt What is it not lawful for the Emperour or for such as shal be sent by the Emperour to pronounce sentence of Religion Wherefore then came your Embassadours vnto the Emperour And so likewise againe Si nihil debent in his causis Imperatores iubere Si ad Imperatores Christianos haec cura pertinere noÌ„ debet quis vrgebat maiores vestros causam Caeciliani ad lmperatoreÌ„ mittere If Emperours haue nothing to commaunde in these cases or if this mater nothing touche a Christian Emperours charge who then forced your predecessours to remoue Caecilianus mater vnto the Emperour Therefore the Emperour Constantinus summoned the Bishops of the East that had béene in the Councel of Tyrus to appeare before him to rendre accompte of their dooinges His woordes be these Vt re ipsa quà m sincerè ac rectè iudicaueritis oftendatis idque Coram me I wil you to make your appearance and to shew in deede how sincerely and iustly ye haue dealte And that euen before me By these few examples it may wel appeare that appeales in Ecclesiastical causes in those daies were made vnto the Prince and that it was thought lawful then for the Prince to haue the hearinge of the same Yet was not the Prince therefore the Head of the Uniuersal Churche Certainely S. Gregorie thought it not amisse to commit a Spiritual mater touching the purgation of a Bishop to Brunichilda the Frenche Quéene Notwithstanding it be noted thus in the Glose Fuit tamen hic nimiuÌ„ papaliter dispensaâ—um As touching the Bishop of Romes power herein it is certaine he hearde suche maters of appeale by warrant of the Emperours Commission and not as hauiâ—ge authoritie of him sâ—lfe S. Augustine openinge the contention betweene Caecilianus and Donatus a Casis nigris vttereth this mater at large in this wise An forte non debuit Romanae Ecclesiae Episcopus Milâ—iades cum Collegis transmarinis Episcopis illud sibi vsurpare iudicium quod ab Aphris septuaginta vbi Primas Tigisiâ—anus praesedit fueâ—at terminaâ—um Quid quòd nec ipse vsurpauiâ— Rogatus quippe Imperator Iudices misit Episcopos qui cum eo sederent But shoulde not the Bishop of Rome Miâ—â—icdes with otâ—er hâ—s fellowes Bishopâ—es beyonde the seas ioined togeatâ—er in Commission take vpon him tâ—e iudgeâ—ent of that thinâ—e that was determined before by threâ—score and tenne Bishoppes of Aâ—hrica emongest whom the Primate of Tigiâ—ita sâ—te as President And what if he never tooke it vpon him as of him selfe For the Emperour beinge intreâ—ted by the partie sente other Bishoppes to sitte with him The very copie of this Commission is yet to be seene bothe in Eusebius and also in Nicephorus Neither was the Bishop of Rome alone in that Commission but ioined togeather with Rheticius Maternus Marinus and Marcus whom the Emperour calleth his Commission fellowes The woordes of the Commission be these Constantinus Imperator Miâ—tiadi Episcopo Romano Marco c. Constantâ—nus the Emâ—erour vnto Miltiades the Bishoppe of Rome and vnto Marcus For as muche as sundrie letters haue beene sente vnto mee from Amlâ—inus â—ur moste Noble President of Aâ—hrica whâ—â—ein Caecilianus the Bishoppe of Carthage is â—ccused of many mateâ—s by ceâ—taine his fâ—lowes of the same Countrie c. Therefore I haue thought it good thâ—t the â—aide Caeciliâ—nus togeather with tenne Bishoppes his accusers and other tenne such as he shâ—l thâ—nke meete saâ—le to Rome that there in your presence togeather with Rheticius and Mâ—ternus and Marâ—nus your Felow Commissioners whom for that cause I haue wâ—lled to trâ—vel to â—ome he may be heâ—rde c. Here it is euident to be seene that the Bishop of Rome was the Emperours Delegate and in Ecclesiastical Iurisdiction had his authoritie and power not from S. Peter but from the Emperour Whereby it is easie to be geathered that the Bishoppe of Romes power was not so Uniuersal then as M. Hardings woulde séeme now to make it and that the worlde then vnderstoode not this Decrée of Pope Clemens the fifth whiche as it is reported he afterwarde published in the Councel of Uienna Omne ius Regum pendet a Papa Al the right of the Prince is 〈◊〉 frâ—m thâ— Pope Neither was the Bishop of Romes determination of suche force but that it was lawful then for the partie greeued to refuse his Iudgement and to appeale further And therefore Donatus beinge condemned before Miltiades appealed from him and vpon his complaint vnto the Emperour was put ouer vnto the Bishop of Arle in Fraunce and to certaine others And in conclusion vnderstandinge that iudgement there woulde passe against him last of al he appealed to the Emperours owne pâ—rson And the Emperour him selfe confesseth by
ruleth ouer them And Pope Nicolas hath straitely commaunded vpon paine of Excommunication that no man shoulde be present to heare Masse saide by a Priest that he knoweth vndoubtedly to liue in aduoutrie How be it in déede it is not their life onely that the Churche of God is offended withal but also and specially the filthe and corruption of their Religion the oppressinge of Gods Woorde the open deceiuinge of the people and the manifest maintenance of Idolatrie And what if the Syluer of Rome be turned into Drosse What if the Citie that was Faithful be become an Harlot What if they can abide no sounde Doctrine What i◠they haue made the House of God a Caue of Theeues What if Rome be become the greate Babylon the Mother of Fornication imbrewed and dronken with the Bloud of the Sainctes of God And what if Abomination sit in the holy Place euen in the Temple of God Yet may wee not departe from thence Yet must that be the Rule and Standarde of Gods Religion Truely Christe saithe Take heede of the leauen of the Scribes and Phariseis And God him selfe saith Exite de illa populus meus ne participes sitis delictorum eius de plagis eius ne accipiatis O my people come away from her least yee be partakers of her sinnes and so receiue parte of her plagues Irenaeus saith Presbyteris illis qui sunt in Ecclesia obaudire oporter qui successionem habentab Apostolis qui cum Episcopatus successione charisma Veritatis certum secundum placitum Patris acceperunt Wee ought to obey the Bishoppes in the Churche that haue their Succession from the Apostles which togeather with the Succession of the Bishoprike haue receiued the certaine gifte of the Truthe accordinge to the wil of the Father This holy Father saith Bishops must be heard and obeied with a limitation that is not al what so euer they be or what so euer they say but that haue the vndoubted gifte of Goddes Truthe And for that M. Hardinge séemeth to claime by the Authoritie of the Scribes and Phariseis sayeinge They sit in Moses Chayre and that therefore wee ought to doo that they say S. Augustine expoundeth the same place in this sorte Sedendo in Cathedra Legem Dei docent Ergo per illos Deus docet Sua verò si illi docere velint nolite audire nolite facere By sittinge in the Chayre is meante they teache the law of God Therefore it is God that teacheth by them But if they wil teache any thinge of their owne as the Churche of Rome hath doone and yet doothe aboue number then saith S. Augustine heare it not then doo it not M. Hardinge The .23 Diuision Now that the Bishop of Rome had alwaies cure and rule ouer al other Bishops 109. speacially of them of the East for touchinge them of the weast Churche it is generally confessed beside a hundred other euident argumentes this is one very sufficient that he had in the East to doo his steede three Delegates or Vicares now commonly they be named Legates And this for the commoditie of the Bishoppes there whose Churches were farre distant from Rome The one was the Bishop of Constantinople as wee finde it mentioned In Epistola Simplicij ad Achatium Constantinopolitanum The Seconde was the Bishop of Alexandria as the Epistle of Bonifacius the Seconde to Eulalius recordeth The thirde was the Bishop of Thessalonica as it is at large declared in the 82. Epistle of Leo ad Anastasium Thessalonicensem By perusinge these Epistles euery man may see that al the Bishoppes of Grece Asia Syria Egypte and to be shorte of al the Orient rendred and exhibited their humble obedience to the Bishop of Rome and to his arbitrement referred their doubtes complaintes and causes and to him onely made their appellations The B. of Sarisburie What wée may thinke of the other Hundred proufes whiche M. Hardinge as he saith hath leafte vntouched it may the sooner appeare for that this one proufe that is here brought foorth in stéede of al is not onely vntrue but also vtterly without any shadow or coloure of truthe These authorities of Leo Symmachus and Bonifacius for as muche as they are alleged without woordes may likewise be past ouer without answeare Howbeit this Bonifacius the seconde in defence of this quarel is forced to saye that S. Augustine that Godly Father and al other the Bishops of Aphrica Numidia Pentapolis and other countreis adioyninge that withstoode the proude attempte of the Bishops of Rome and founde out their open forgerie in falsifieinge the Nicene Councel were altogeather inflamed and leadde by the Diuel But howe doothe this appeare to M. Hardinge that the Bishop of Rome had al the Bishops of the East in Subiection to vse and commaunde them as his Seruantes In what Councel was it euer Decréed it shoulde be so who subscribed it who recorded it who euer sawe suche Canons The best Plea that Pope Nicolas can make in this behalfe is that Peter was firste Bishop of Antioche and after of Rome and S. Marke his Scholar Bishop of Alexandria Hereof he thinketh it may verie wel and substantially be geathered that the Bishops of Rome ought to haue al the worlde in Subiection In déede in the counterfaite Chartar ▪ or Donation of the Emperour Constantine authoritie is geuen to the Bishop of Rome ouer the other foure Patriarkes of Antioche of Alexandria of Constantinople and of Hierusalem But the Bishops of Rome them selues and of them selues diuised and forged this Chartar and that so fondely that a verie Childe maye easily espie the folie For biside a greate number of other vntruethes at that very time when it is imagined that Chartar was drawen there was neither Patriarke nor Bishop nor Priest nor Churche in Constantinople nor the Citie it selfe yet builte nor knowen to the worlde by that name This notwithstandinge the Bishop of Rome vpon this simple title hathe besette his Miter with thrée Crownes in token that he hath the Uniuersal power ouer the thrée Diuisions of the worlde Europa Asia and Aphrica And so as the Kinge of Persia in olde tymes intitled him selfe Frater Solis Lunae euen so Pope Nicolas calleth him selfe The Prince of al Landes and Countreis But what dutie the Bishops of the East partes owed to the Bishops of Rome whosoeuer hath read and considered the storie and practise of the times may soone perceiue Firste the Councel of Nice appointed euery of the thrée Patriarkes to his seueral charge none of them to interrupte or trouble other and willed the Bishoppe of Rome as Rufinus reporteth the storie to ouersee Ecclesias Suburbanas which were the Churches within his Prouince and therefore Athanasius calleth Rome the Chiefe or Mother Citie of the Romaine Iurisdiction And for that cause the Bishops of the East in their Epistle vnto Iulius calle him their Felowe Seruante and
Rome in consideration of that Bishoppes supreme authoritie Ecclesiam principalem vnde vnitas Sacerdotalis exorta est The principal or chief Churche from whence the vnitie of Priestes is spronge Eusebius Caesariensis speakinge of Peter sent to Rome by Goddes prouidence to vanquis he Simon Magus calleth him Potentissimum maximum Apostolorum reliquoruÌ„ omnium principeÌ„ The mightiest of power and greatest of the Apostles and Prince of al the reaste Augustine commonly calleth Peter Primum Apostolorum First or chief of the Apostles Hierome Ambrose Leo and other doctours Prince of the Apostles Chrysostome vpon the place of Iohn cap. 21. Sequere me Folowe me amonge other thinges sayth thus If any woulde demaunde of me howe Iames tooke the See of Hierusalem that is to saie howe he became Bishop there I woulde answeare that this he meaneth Peter maister of the whole worlde made him gouernoure there And in an other place bringinge in that God saide to Hieremie I haue sette thee like an yron Piller and like a brasen walle But the father saith he made him ouer one nation but Christe made this man meaninge Peter ruler ouer the whole worlde c. And leaste these places shoulde seme to attribute this supreme Auctoritie to Peter onely and not also to his Successours it is to be remembred that Irenaeus and Cyprian acknowledge and cal the Churche of Rome chief and principale And Theodoretus in an Epistle to Leo calleth the same in consideration of the Bishop of that See his primacie Orbi terrarum praesidentem President or 122 bearinge rule ouer the worlde Ambrose vpon that place of Paule 1. Timoth. 3. where the Churche is called the pilloure and staie of the trueth saith thus CuÌ„ totus mundus Dei sit Ecclesia tamen domus eius dicitur cuius hodie rector est Damasus VVhere as the whole worlde is Gods yet the Churche is called his howse the ruler whereof at these daies is Damasus I woulde not werie and trouble the Reader with such a number of allegations were it not that M. Iuel beareth the worlde in hande we haue not one sentence or clause for vs to proue either this or any other of al his Articles But perhappes some one wil say yet I heare not the Bishop of Rome called Heade of the Vniuersal Churche what forceth it whether that very terme be founde in any auncient writer or no Other termes of the same vertue and power be oftentimes founde Is it not one to saye Heade of the vniuersal Church and to saie Ruler of Gods howse which Ambrose saith whereof this argument maie be made The Churche yea the Vniuersal Churche is the howse of God But Damasus Bishop of Rome is ruler of the howse of God after Ambrose Ergo Damasus is ruler of the Vniuersal Churche And by like right and title is the Pope who is Bishop of Rome nowe also ruler of the same VVhat other is it to cal the Churche of Rome the principal Churche respecte had to the Bishop there and not otherwise wherein a figure of speache is vsed as Irenaus and Cyprian doo and President or 123 sette in auctoritie ouer the whole worlde as Leo dothe then to cal the Bishop of Rome Heade of the Vniuersal Churche VVhat meaneth Chrysostome callinge Peter totius orbis magistrum The Maister and teacher of al the worlde and saieinge in an other place that Christ made Peter not ruler â—uer one nation as the father made Ieremie ouer the Iewes but ouer the whole worlde VVhat other I saye meaneth he thereby then that he is heade of the whole worlde and therefore of the Vniuersal Churche The 〈◊〉 of Sarisburie Touchinge the name of the Uniuersal Bishop M. Hardinge hath but one authoritie and yet the same can not be founde Touchinge the other name of Heade of the Churche he commeth in onely with ioyly bragges and great vauntes as if he were plaieinge at poste and shoulde winne al by vicinge He saithe If M. Iuel know this then he speaketh againste his conscience If he know it not then is he not learned To contende for learninge it were a childishe folie He is sufficiently learned that saith the trueth But if M. Hardinge with al his learninge be hable to finde out his Heade of the Churche he shal haue his request I wil graunt him to be learned He saithe The Bishop of Rome is so named either in termes equiualent or expressely Thus he doubteth at the mater and stammereth and faltereth at the beginninge But if the Bishop of Rome were the Heade of the Churche in déede and so allowed and taken in the worlde why was he neuer expressely and plainely named so Was there no man then in the worlde for the space of sixe hundred yéeres hable to expresse his name His termes of like force and meaninge whiche he calleth equiualent must néedes importe thus muche That the Bishop of Rome is aboue al General Councelles that he onely hath power to expounde the Scriptures and cannot erre nor be iudged of any man and that without him there is no health and that al the worlde ought to know him for the Uniuersal Heade vpon paine of damnation Thus muche the Pope him selfe claimeth by that name If M. Hardinges termes sounde not thus they are not equiualent It had beene the simpler and plainer dealinge for M. Hardinge to haue saide This name can not yet be founde and so to haue taken a longer daie As for the mater the question is moued of the Bishop of Rome the answeare is made of S. Peter as if S. Peter continued there Bishop stil vntil this daie But it is presumed that what so euer priuilege was in Peter the same muste néedes be in the B. of Rome by Succession yea although he haue not one sparke of Peter S. Peter in the Olde Fathers is diuersely called the First the Chiefe the Toppe the Highe Honour of the Apostles and in Eusebius and S. Augustine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Princeps Apostolorum In which last woordes of S. Augustine Eusebius I muste doo thée good Reader to vnderstande that Princeps is not alwaies takeÌ„ for a Prince or a Gouernour indewed with power but oftentimes for the first man or best of a companie So we reade in the Scriptures Princeps Familiae princeps legationis princeps Coquorum that is The Chiefe of the house or stocke The chiefe of the embassage the chiefe of the Cookes In this sense Cicero saithe Seruius Princeps in iure ciuili Philosophorum Princeps Aristippus Seruius the Chiefe in the Ciuile Lawe Aristippus the Chiefe of Philosophers So is S. Peter called Princeps Apostolorum And therefore S. Augustine calleth him Primum Praecipuum that is The First and the Chiefe of the Apostles We may not imagine as M. Hardinge seemeth to doo that Peter was made a Lorde or Prince and had Power and Dominion ouer his brethren
Nos quoque diligimus pacem vnanimitatem cum Ecclesia Catholica cui tu per Dei gratiam praefectus es We also loue Peace and Unitie with the Catholique Churche ouer which you by the Grace of God are made gouernour Here Athanasius is pronounced Gouernoure of the Catholike Churche Yet was he not the Bishop of Rome So likewise saith S. Cyprian Haec Ecclesia vna est quae tenet possidet omnem sponsi sui Gratiam in hac praesidemus This Churche is one that keepeth and holdeth the Grace of her Spouse In this Churche we are the Rulers Here S. Cyprian calleth him self the president or ruler of Goddes Churche Yet was he the Bishop of Carthage and not of Rome To be shorte in like sorte Origen pronounceth generally of al Priestes Si tales fuerint vt à Christo super illos aedificetur Ecclesia If they besuche as vpon them the Churche of God maie be builte Here Origen imagineth that euery priest is the fundation of Goddes Churche Yet were it harde to saie Euery Priest is Bishop of Rome S. Ambroses meaninge therefor is That euery Bishop or Patriarke within his Precinctes or Prouince is the Ruler of the whole Churche And this is it that Cyprian seemeth to saie Episcopatus vnus est cuius à singulis in solidum pars tenetur The Bishoprike is one a portion whereof is possessed in whole of euery Bishop Therefore M. Hardinge seemeth to doo wronge to S. Ambrose thus violently to abuse his woordes to proue the Bishop of Romes Uniuersal power Here M. Hardinge doubtinge least his Reader being wearie of theise colde sclender shiftes and lookinge for some other more substantial and formal reasons woulde saie I heare not yet the Head of the Vniuersal Churche purposely preuenteth the mater and saith what forceth that whether that very terme be vsed in any ancient writer or no Gentle Reader I beseeche thée marke wel this dealinge This name the Heade of the Uniuersal Churche is the very thinge that we denie and that M. Hardinge hathe taken in hande to proue and boldely auoucheth that he hathe already plainely shewed and proued the same Yet nowe in the ende findinge him self destitute he turneth it of as a thinge of nought and saith VVhat forceth that whether he were called by that very name or no As though he woulde saie Al the olde Fathers of the Churche bothe Greekes and Latines wanted woordes and eloquence and either they coulde not or they durst not cal the Heade of the Churche by his owne peculiar name Howe be it if the Bishop of Rome be so called it maie be shewed If not then is my first assertion true Uerily touchinge the title of Uniuersal Bishop S. Gregorie calleth it Nouum Nomen A New Name vnacquainted and vnknowen vnto the worlde And saith further If we quietly take this mater we destroie the Faith of the Vniuersal Churche This therfore was the cause that the ancient Doctours neuer called the Bishop of Rome the Heade of the Churche for that they knewe he was neither reputed nor taken so nor was in deede the Heade of the Churche M. Hardinge hauing not yet found the thinge that he so long sought for at the last is faine to make it vp by shifte of Reasō The Vniuersal Churche saith he is the house of God Damasus is the Ruler of the House of God Ergo Damasus is Ruler of the Vniuersal Churche This Syllogismus is a manifest Fallax and hath as many faultes as lines First There is an Equiuocation or double vnderstandinge of these woordes The house of God For bothe the Uniuersal Churche and also euery particular Churche is Goddes House Againe There is an other Fallax whiche they cal Ex meris particularibus or A non Distributo ad Distributum Thirdely there is an other foule faulte in the very Forme of the Syllogisme easy for any Childe to espie For contrary to al Logique and order of Reason he concludeth in Secunda Figura Affirmatiu◠Where as M. Hardinge knoweth al the Moodes or Formes of the Seconde Figure must néedes Conclude Negatiuè The weaknes hereof wil the better appéere by the lyke The Vniuersal Churche is the Catholique Churche But Arsenius saithe Athanasius the Bishop of Alexandria was Ruler of the Catholique Churche Ergo Athanasius the Bishop of Alexandria was Ruler of the Vniuersal Churche Thus hitherto M. Iuel maye truely saye M. Hardinge hath yet brought neither Clause nor Sentence sufficient to prooue that the Bishop of Rome was called either the Uniuersal Bishop or the Heade of the Uniuersal Churche M. Hardinge The .32 Diuision But to satisfie these menne and to take awaie occasion of cauille I wil alleage a fewe places where the expresse terme heade is attributed to Peter the first Bishop of Rome and by like right to his successours and to the See Apostolike Chrysostome speakinge of the vertue and power of Peter and of the stedfastnes of the Churche in the .55 Homilie vpon Matthew hath theise wordes amonge other Cuius pastor caput homo piscator atque ignobilis c. By which wordes he affirmeth that the pastoure and heade of the Churche beinge but a fisher a man and one of base parentage passeth in firmnes the nature of the diamant Againe in an Homilie of the praises of Paule he saith thus Neither was this man onely suche a one but he also which was the heade of the Apostles who oftentimes saide he was readie to bestowe his life for Christ and yet was ful sore afraied of death If he were heade of the Apostles then was he heade of the inferioure people and so heade of the vniuersal Churche Hierome writinge against Iouinian saith Propterea inter duodecim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto Schismatis tollatur occasio For that cause amonge the twelue one is specially chosen out that the heade beinge ordeined occasion of schisme maie be taken awaie VVhereby it appeareth that Peter was constituted heade for auoidinge of diuision and schisme Nowe the danger of the inconuenience remaininge stil yea more then at that time for the greater multitude of the Churche and for sundrie other imperfections the same remedie must be thought to continewe onlesse we woulde saie that Christ hath lesse care ouer his Churche nowe that it is so muche encreased ▪ then he had at the beginninge when his flocke was smal For this cause excepte we denie Goddes Prouidence towarde his Churche there is one heade for auoidinge of schisme also nowe as wel as in the Apostles time VVhich is the Successour of him that was heade by Christes appointement then the Bishop of Rome sittinge in the seate that Peter sate in Cyrillus saith Petrus vt princeps Caputque caeterorum primus exclamauit tu es Christus filius Dei viui Peter as Prince and heade of the reste first cried out thou art Christ the sonne of the liuinge God Augustine also in a Sermon
are ioyned togeather in one Mysterie So is the Bloude of Christe called Water bicause it cleanseth so is the Water called Christes Bloude bicause it is a Sacrament of that Bloude And as S. Chrysostome saithe The Water of Baptisme is Christes Bloude euen so Ignatius saithe The Breade is the Fleashe of Christe and none otherwise These thinges are plaine and without cauil Therefore S. Augustine saith Sacramenta ex Similitudine plerunque etiam rerum ipsarum nomina accipiunt Ergo secundum quendam Modum Sacramētum Corporis Christi Corpus Christi est Sacramentum Sanguinis Christi Sanguis Christi est Sacramentes bicause of a certaine likenes oftentimes receiue the names of the thinges them self whereof they be Sacramentes And therefore the Sacrament of Christes Bodie after a certaine manner of speache is the Bodie of Christe And the Sacrament of Christes Bloude is likewise after a certaine manner the Bloude of Christe But here hath M. Hardinge taken greate paines to wreast and to falsifie the plaine woordes of that holy Father Ireneus For that parte of the Mysterie that Ireneus calleth Rem terrenam an Earthly thinge that is to saie Breade the same M. Hardinge contrary to his Authours meaninge calleth Formes or Accidentes or Shewes of Breade For this fonde and Heathenishe kinde of speache was not heard of in the Churche in that holy Fathers daies but was brought in welneare a thousande yeeres afterwarde to accompanie Transubstantiation But Ireneus in plaine wise calleth it a Creature Thus he saith Sāctificamus Creaturā We doo sanctifie a Creature Offerimus e◠ex Creatura eius We offer vp vnto him of his Creature And that he meaneth not a miraculous Creature as is Accidens sine subiecto the like whereof was neuer seene but he saith simply Creaturam quae est secundum nos Suche a Creature as we haue in common vse Suche as we see Suche as we feele Suche as we eate Suche as we drinke and vtterly to cutte of al M. Hardinges shiftes he saith Ex illa augetur consisti◠Carnis nostrae Substantia Of the same the Substance of our Fleashe is increased and standeth Therefore it is certaine and most manifest by Ireneus that as Christes Bodie is the one parte of the Sacrament so is Material Breade the other Likewise in Baptisme as the one parte of that holy Mysterie is Christes Bloude so is the other parte the Material Water Neither are these partes ioined togeather in place but in Mysterie and therefore they be oftentimes seuered and the one is receiued without the other And for that cause S. Augustine saith Qui discordat à Christo nec Panem eius manducat nec Sanguinem bibit etiam si tantae rei Sacramentum ad iudicium suae praesumptionis quotidie indifferenter accipiat Who so disagreeth from Christe neither eateth his Breade nor drinketh his Bloude although he daily receiue the Sacrament of so greate a thinge without difference to the iudgement of his presumption If any man thinke it strange that the Sacrament is called the Bodie and the Fleashe of Christe beinge not so in deede let him vnderstande That the Written Woorde of God is likewise called Christes Bodie and Christes Fleashe euen the same that was borne of the Uirgin and that the Father raised againe to life although in deede it be not so So saith S. Hierome Quando dicit qui non comederit Carnem meam biberit Sanguinem meum c. Licet in Mysterio possit intelligi tamen veriùs Corpus Christi Sanguis eius Sermo Scripturarum est VVhen Christe saith He that eateth not my Fleashe and drinketh not my Bloude c. Notwithstandinge it maie be taken of the Mysterie Yet the VVoorde of God is more truely the Bodie of Christe and his Bloude Here note good Reader That by these woordes of S. Hierome the Woord◠of God is the Bodie and Bloude of Christe and that more truely then is the Sacrament M. Hardinge The .6 Diuision This beinge that Breade whiche of our Lorde geuen to his Disciples not in shape but in Nature chaunged by the almightie Power of the VVoorde is made Fleashe as S. Cyprian termeth it The B. of Sarisburie This authoritie is answeared more at large in the Tenthe Article and in the Second Diuision M. Hardinge The .7 Diuision This beinge that Holy Mysterie wherein the Inuisible Prieste turneth the Visible Creatures of Breade and VVine into the Substance of his Bodie and Bloude by his VVorde with secrete power as Eusebius Emissenus reporteth The B. of Sarisburie This Authoritie is answeared in the Tenthe Article and in the Seuenthe Diuision M. Hardinge The .8 Diuision This Beinge that Holie Foode by woorthy receiuinge whereof Christe dwelleth in vs Naturally that is to witte in vs by truethe of Nature and not by Concorde of VVil onely as Hilarius affirmeth The B. of Sarisburie This Authoritie is answeared before in the Fifthe Article and the Tenthe Diuision M. Hardinge The .9 Diuision Againe this beinge that Table whereat in our Lordes meate we receiue the woorde truely made Fleashe of the most Holie Virgin Marie as the same Hilarie saithe The B. of Sarisburie This Authoritie as it nothinge hindereth vs so it nothinge furthereth M. Hardinge Wee saye that at that Holy Table oure Faithe is directed not vnto a fantasie but vnto the very Bodie and Bloude of Christe and tasteth it and feedeth on it and that as verily and as effectually as our Bodie feedeth vpon material foode And we adde further That who so euer eateth not Christes Fleashe nor drinketh his Bloude shal not haue euerlastinge life But the thinge that we receiue with our mouth is not the same thing that we receiue with our Faith For as it is before alleged out of S. Augustine Aliud est Sacramentum aliud res Sacramenti The Sacrament is one thinge and the Mater or Substance of the Sacrament whiche is Christes very Bodie is an other thinge But beinge graunted that Christes Bodie is verily and really in the Sacrament Yet cannot M. Hardinge thereof conclude his purpose His argument standeth thus Christes Bodie ought to be Adoured with Godly honoure Christes Bodie is in the Sacrament Ergo The Sacrament ought to be Adoured with Godly honoure This argument is made vp of foure Termes and therefore in the Schooles would be counted childishe The erroure thereof wil the better appeare by the like Christes Bodie ought to be Adoured with Godly honoure Christes Bodie is in heauen Ergo Heauen ought to be Adoured with Godly honoure M. Hardinge The .10 Diuision This beinge that Breade whiche neither Earinge nor Sowinge nor woorke of Tillers hathe brought foorthe but that Earthe whiche remained vntouched and was ful of the same that is the Blissed Virgin Marie as Gregorie Nyssene describeth The B. of Sarisburie Gregorie Nyssene in this whole place speaketh not one woorde neither of any
whiche thinge is not denied he might also as wel haue noted that the same woorde Iteretur importeth likewise one and the selfe same Minister and none other For if the Seconde Communion be Ministred by an other Priest and not by the same it cannot rightly be saide Iteratur And further the same woorde necessarily signifieth that one Communion was then in suche cases ministred successiuely and in order after an other and not twoo Masses or thrée or foure or sixe or tenne togeather al at once as the manner is now in the Churche of Rome Hereof M. Hardinge frameth vs this formal Syllogismus The cause that mooued Leo to take this order was that al and euery of the deuoute people might heare Masse But it is likely the people resorted to the Churche at sundrie times some rather some later and not al at once Ergo It is likely that to satisfie the peoples deuotion there were sundrie Masses saide in one day It is likely that M. Hardinge neuer examined the partes and likelyhoode of this Argument For first the Maior or Head Proposition is apparent false grounded as it is termed in Logique A non causa vt causa Presuming that thing to be the cause whiche in déede is no cause For the cause that mooued Leo was not the hearinge of Masse as it is already prooued but the receiuinge of the Holy Communion The Minor or Seconde Proposition notwithstandinge in some parte it may seeme true yet it is nothinge agréeable to Leoes meaning For Leo speaketh not of one man or twoo nor of the ordinarie course of euery daye but onely of greate Solemne Feastes and of suche resorte of people as might fil vp the whole Churche His woordes be plaine Cùm solennior Festiuitas conuentum populi numerosioris indixerit And Quoties Basilicam praesentia nouae plebis impleuerit Therefore to beare vs thus in hande that Leo had suche a special care either for the Terme time in London or for the people aboute Paules or for hearinge the Postels masse it is a very vaine and a childishe fantasie like as this also is that he addeth The people should be denied that Spiritual Comforte For alas what Comforte can the people receiue where as they can neither see nor heare nor vnderstande nor know nor learne but stande onely as men amased vtterly berefte of al their senses Let M. Hardinge once lay aparte dissimulation and tel vs by what waies or meanes the people at his Masse can possibly receiue this Spiritual Comforte If he woulde speake truely and that he knoweth as he seldome dooth he shoulde rather cal it Spiritual Blindenesse And where as he pleadeth his toâ—ies quoties and thereby woulde erecte a whole totquot of Masses sans number if he had aduisedly considered out the whole sentence he shoulde better haue espied out his owne folâ—e and haue had lesse occasion to deceiue the people For Leo saithe not as M. Hardinge woulde force him to say As often as any deuoute people cometh to Churche but as it is saide before Quoties Basilicam praesentia nouae plebis impleuerit As often as the presence of â— newe companie shal haue filled vp the whole Churche In suche cases it was lawful to beginne againe the whole Communion and not otherwise By these woordes M. Hardinges Totquot is muche abbridged In the ende he concludeth not onely against Leo his Authour but also against the very expresse order of his owne Churche That one Priest for Leo speaketh onely of one and of no moe may say Masse boldely without stickinge or staggeringe as often as any people resorteth to him For now it is thought sufficient for one Priest to saie one Masse vpon one day and no moe So it is determined by Pope Alexander Sufficit Sacerdoti vnam Missam in vno die celebrare It is sufficient for a Prieste to say one Masse vpon a day Onlesse it be in case of great necessitie whiche the Glose as it is before alleged wel expoundeth Causa Honestatis vel vtilitatis In case of Honestie or of Profite as if some greate personage happen vpon the suddaine to come to Churche Likewise the Councel of Salesgunstadium hath straitely charged that no Priest presume to say more then three Masses vpon one daie the one in course Of the Day Present the other For the Deade the third to pleasure some noble personage whiche also is a great stopple to M. Hardinges Totquot In these prouisoes there is no manner consideration had to the Deuotion of the people but contrary to M. Hardinges Newe Canon they are vtterly leafte without their Spiritual Comforte And therefore Pope Clement the seuenth caused one Frier Stuppino in Rome to be whipte naked through the streates for that he had saide v. or vi or moe Masses in one day to satisfie the Deuotion of the people Thus good Reader thou maiest see bothe the partes and the force of M. Hardinges Syllogismus The Maior is false The Minor farre from Leoes purpose The Conclusion contrary to him selfe Certainely if it had then beene thought lawful to saie so many Corner Masses as sithence that time haue béene vsed in the Churche of Rome it had béene greate folie either for Dioscorus to moue this question or for Leo to take this order M. Hardinge The .5 Diuision VVherefore they that reprooue the pluralitie of Masses in one Churche in one daie after the iudgement of this woorthy Father be reiectours of the Faithful people and robbers of their deuotion But they that haue vtterly abrogated the Masse whiche is the outwarde and euer enduringe Sacrifice of the Newe Testamente 199 by verdite of Scripture be no lesse then the forerenners of Antichriste The B. of Sarisburie The former parte of this Conclusion is already answeared But for the Seconde parte If they that haue refourmed the horrible Abuses of the Masse be the Forerenners of Antichriste what then may we thinke of them that haue wilfully and of purpose inuented and erected al those Abuses That haue taken from the people of God not onely the Holy Communion but also the vnderstandinge and swéetenes and comforte of the same That haue spoiled Goddes Children of the Breade of Lyfe and haue feadde them with the Breade of Confusion that is with Ignorance Superstition and Idolatrie That haue mangled and corrupted Christes Blissed Mysteries and haue wickedly defiled the Campe of the Lorde And hauinge thus donne yet notwithstandinge haue faces to mainteine and vpholde al their wilful doinges What maie Goddes people thinke of them And before whome doo they renne Uerily Gerardus Lorichius M. Hardinges owne Doctour saithe thus Missae priuatae quae absente populo Catholico fiunt abominatio veriùs quà m Oblatio dicendae sunt Priuate Masses whiche are saide without presence of the people are rather an Abomination then a Sacrifice And S. Augustine saith Si Iohannes ita diceret Si quis peccauerit me habetis Mediarorem apud Patrem
Basile who for his excellente learninge and wisedome was renoumed with the name of Great The B. of Sarisburie In déede as S. Basile for his learninge wisedome and constancie in Goddes truth was worthily called Greate so was his authoritie alwaies accoumpted very weighty If M. Hardinge had in him some parte of that poise he woulde not so lightly be blowen away from Christe and his Gospel with so weake blastes of light fantasie But this Basile is not Basile nor are these woordes S. Basiles woordes Onely Pope Adrian in his Synodical Epistle emonge other vaine authorities allegeth these woordes in the name of Basile But in S. Basiles Bookes whiche are extant and abroade they are not founde And where as this Basile is made to protest that he wil honoure and Adoure Images and that openly to the example of others M. Hardinge knoweth this Doctrine is contrary not onely to common sense but also to his owne Councelles For in the Councel of Mens it is written thus Imagines non ad id proponuntur vt Adoremus aut Colamus eas Images are not set vp to thintent we should honoure or woorship them Neither doth Gregorie calle them Goddes to be honoured but onely bookes to be read neither bookes of profounde knowledge to instructe S. Basile or other like learned Bishoppes but Libros Laicorum Poore simple bookes to teache the ignorant And for as muche as M. Hardinge woulde haue vs to make so deepe accoumpte of the authoritie of this Councel for the better satisfaction of the Reader in this behalfe I thinke it necessary briefely and by the waie to touche some parte of those weighty reasons whereby the Bishoppes and Fathers there after longe deliberation were forced to erecte and stablishe the vse and Adoration of Images and to condemne the gainesaiers as Blasphemers and Heretiques Their special groundes are these Moses saith God tooke claie and made man after his owne Image and likenes Esai saith There shal be a Signe and a Testimonie to the Lorde in the LaÌ„de of Egypte Dauid saith Confession and bewtie is before him Lorde I haue loued the bewtie of thy House O Lorde ini face hath sought for thee O Lorde I wil seeke after thy countenance O Lorde the light of thy countenance is sealed ouer vs. Of euery of these seueral clauses Pope Adrian concludeth thus Ergo we must erecte Images in the Churche An other reasoneth thus Sicut audiuimus ita vidimus As we haue hearde so haue we seene Ergo there must be Images to looke vpon An other saith Mirabilis Deus in Sanctis suis God is marueilous in his Sainctes Ergo the Churche must be deckte with Pictures An other saith Noman lighteth a candle and putteth it vnder a bushel Ergo Images must be set vpon the Aultar Of al these and other like Authorities Isidorus concludeth Ergo A Churche is nothinge woorth onles it be ful freight with Images To prooue the Adoration and Woorshippinge of Images they haue these authorities Dauid saith Adoure ye the footestoole of his feete Adoure ye in his holy hille O Lorde Al the riche of the people shal praie before thy countenance Ergo saie they Images must be woorshipped Nowe to recken vp the vanities and Idolatrous Fables of that Councel it would be tedious The Diuel promiseth by his honestie that he wil no lenger tempte and trouble a holy man if he wil leaue woorshippinge of the Image of Our Lady An other sendeth for an Image to featche home water to his cesterne An other goeth on Pilgrimage and biddeth our Lady in his absence to see to her owne Candel She did al thinges accordingly as she was commaunded Until his returne the Candel went neuer owt Thus muche onely for a tast These proufes be greate and weighty And in comparison hereof al our Newe Maisters as M. Hardinge saith shal be founde lighter then a feather And for as muche as these menne so often charge our Doctrine with noueltie thereby to bringe it owt of credit as if it had neuer benne knowen before these later daies it shal therefore be good to touche some parte of the most Ancient Fathers iudgement and the Olde Practise of the Churche concerninge the same Origen saith Dei vt Inuisibilis Incorporei Imaginem nullam â—â—â—igiamus We make no Image of God as knowinge him to be Inuisible and without body Againe he saith Celsus obijcit nobis quòd non habeamus Altaria â–ª Imagines Celsus the Heathen chargeth vs that we haue neither Aultar nor Images Clemens Alexandrinus that liued at the same time writeth thus Nobis apertâ— veâ—itum est Artem fallacem exerceâ—e Non facies enim â–ª inquit Propheâ—a cuiusuis rei Similitudinem We are plainely forebidden to vse thâ—s deceiteful arte of Paintinge or Grauinge For the Prophete saith Thow shalt not make the likenes of any thinge Arnobius that folowed immediatly after ClemeÌ„s and Origen writeth thus vnto the Heathens Accusatis nos quòd non habeamus Imagines Alâ—aria Ye accuse vs for that we haue neither Images nor Aultars Laâ—tatius sometime Scholar to Arnobius saith Non est dubium quin Religio nulla sit vbi Simulachrum est Out of doubte where so euer is any Image there is no Religion S. Augustine muche commendeth this saieinge of Uarro Qui primi Simulachra Deorum populis posuerunt illi Ciuitatibus suis metum dempserunt errorem verò addiderunt They that first erected the Images of the Goddes vnto the people tooke awaye feare and ReligioÌ„ and increased erroure vnto their Cities And addeth thereto this reason Quia Dij facilè possunt in Simulachrorum stoliditate conteÌ„ni Bicause the Goddes in the folie of Images maie soone be despised The Councel holden at Eliberis decréeth thus Placuit Picturas in Ecclesijs esse noÌ„ debere ne quod colitur aut Adoratur in parietibus depingaâ—ur We thinke it good there be no Picture in the Churches least the thinge that is honoured or Adoured be painted on the Walles The like might be saide of the Councel holden at Constantinople The godly Emperours Ualens and Theodosâ—us gaue owt this General Proclamation throwghout al Christendome Cum sit nobis cura diligens in rebus omnibus Superni Numinis Religionem â—ueri Signum Saluatoris nostri Christi nemini concedimus coloribus lapide aâ—aâ—e materiâ— fingere sculpere aut pingere Sed quocunque reperitur loco tolli tubemus grauissima poena eos mulctando qui contrarium Decreâ—s nostris Imperio quicquam tentauerint For as muche as we haue ad ligent care in al thinges to maineteine the Religion of the most highe God therefore we suffer noman to facion to graue or to painte the Image of our Saueoure Christe either in colours or in stoane or in any other kinde of Metal or mater But where so euer any suche Image shal be founde we commaunde it
owne tongue Howe be it some others of his side thought sometimes they had surely founde it and were hable to allege these woordes Nolite sanctum dare Canibus Geue not holy thinges to Dogges And thereof necessarily to conclude that the Laie People whom in respect of them selues they called Dogges might not once touche the holy Scriptures But M. Hardinge saith plainely He findeth it not This short answeare touching the demaunde is sufficient Yf he knewe what were sufficieÌ„t Al the rest is made vp onely in woordes as shal appeare He addeth further Neither doo I finde that the Laie People was then or at any other timâ— commaunded to reade the woorde of God in their owne tongue beinge vulgare and Barbarous First this stopple of Commaundinge is wholy impertment vnto the question Secondly al other tongues thrée onely excepted are without iuste cause Condemned for Barbarous Thirdly this exception of the peoples readinge in their Uulgare tongue is onely a bare shifte and a quarrel without sauoure For in what tongue can the Uulgare people reade and vnderstande any thinge sauinge onely in their owne Common and Uulgare tongue But as the Emperoure Tiberius vsed sometimes to sende certaine of his Nobles into his out Prouinces and far Countries to rule there as Uiceroies Lieutenantes vnder him and yet that notwithstandinge whoulde not suffer them to goe thither or in any wise to departe from Rome euen in like sorte M. Hardinge notwithstandinge he woulde seeme to licence the Laie People to reade Goddes Woorde Yet he limiteth them either to the Greeke or to the Latine or to the Hebrewe tongue wherein he is wel assured they cannot reade it But that the people was in Olde times willed to reade the Scriptures and that in suche tongues as they were hable to vnderstande it is euident and appereth many waies And of infinite testimonies and good proufes onely to touche a few God saith thus vnto his people Herken O Israel Let the Woordes that I speake to thee this daie reast in thy haâ—te thow shalt shew them vnto thy Children thow shalt thinke of them sittinge in thy house and walkinge in thy iourney and when thow goest to reast and when thow riseste thow shalt binde them as a marke vnto thy hande thow shalt haue them as a token before thine eies thow shalt write them on the postes of thy doores and at the entrie of thy gates As it is noted by a Writer of late yeeres it was decréed in the First Councel of Nice that no Christian man shoulde be without the Bilble in his house S. Augustine saith vnto the people Nec solùm sufficiat quòd in Ecclesia Diuinas Lectiones auditis Sed etiam in domibus vestris aut ipsi legite aut alios legentes requirite Thinke it not sufficient that ye heare the Scriptures in the Churche but also in youre houses at home either reade youre selues â–ª or geate some other to reade vnto yowe S. Chrysostome saith vnto his people Admoneo rogo vt libros comparetis I warne yowe and beseche yowe to geate bookes Againe he saith Audite Saeculares omnes Comparate vobis Biblia â–ª animae Pharmaca Si nihil aliud vultis vel Nouum Testamentum acquirite Apostolum Euangelia Acta continuos sedulos Doctores Heare me ye menne of the Worlde geate ye the Bible that most holsome remedie for the soule Yf ye wil nothinge els yet at the least geate the Newe Testament S. Paules Epistles and the Actes that maie be youre continual and earnest Teachers Origen saith Vtinam omnes faceremus illud quod Scriptum est Scruâ—amini Scripturas I woulde to God we woulde al doo as it is written Searche the Scriptures S. Hierome speakinge of the Companie of wemen that was at Bethleem with Paula saith thus Non licebat cuiquam Sororum ignorare Psalmos non de Scripturis Sanctis quotidiè aliquid discere It was not lawfull for any one of al the Sisters to be ignorant of the Psalmes nor to passe ouer any daie without learninge some parte of the Scriptures In these Examples notwithstandinge some â—auil perhaps might be made to the contrary yet very reason wil leade M. Hardinge to thinke that these Fathers meante the people shoulde reade the Scriptures in their owne knowen and Uulgare tongues S. Basile saith Quantum ferre potest humana natura possumus esse Similes Deo Similitudo autem illa sine cognitione nulla est Cognitio autem constat ex Doctrina Initium autem Doctrinae Sermo est Sermonis autem partes Syllabae Voces Wee maie become like vnto God as far foorth as the weake nature of man can beare But this likenes cannot be wâ—thout knowledge Neither this knowledge without Doctrine And the beginninge of Doctrine is speache and the partes of speache be Woordes and Syllables The Resolution hereof is this The people without vnderstandinge the particulare Woordes and Syllables cannot know the Speache not knowinge the Speache they cannot attaine this Doctrine and without this Doctrine they cannot be like vnto God M. Hardinge The .2 Diuision They that treate of this Article concerninge the hauinge of the Scriptures in a Vulgare tongue for the Laitie to reade bee of three sundry opinions Some Iudge it to be vtterly vnlawful that the Bible be translated into any tongue of the Common people Some thinke it good it be translated so that respecte be had of time and of place and of persones Some be of the opinion that the Holy Scriptures ought to be had in the mother and natiue tongue of euery nation without any regarde of time place or persones The first opinion is holden of fewe and Commonly mysliked The third is mainteined by all the sectes of oure time the Swenkfeldians excepted who woulde the Scriptures to be in no regarde The seconde is allowed best of those that seeme to be of most wisedome and godlines and to haue most care for the healthe of the Churche who haue not seuered them selues from the Faith whiche hath continewed from the beginninge Here that I saie nothinge of the first opinion â–ª as they of the thirde reprooue the moderation of the seconde so they of the seconde cannot allowe the generalitie of the thirde The B. of Sarisburie Here are laide owt thrée sundrie opinions The First vtterly barreth al and euery of the Laie people from euery parcel of the Scriptures The Thirde geueth al menns leaue to reade al partes thereof without exception Bytweene these two extremes the Seconde opinion is a meane The first hereof saith M. Hardinge is commonly misliked Yet neuertheles it â—ppeareth by him in the fourteenthe Diuision of this Article it is the very Practise and opinion of the Churche of Rome whiche Churche as he saith hath already condemned al the Newe Translations and not allowed the Olde neither in the Gotthian tongue translated by Ulphilas nor in the Sclauon tongue translated by S. Hierome nor
Ignorance Chrysostoms saithe Magna aduersus peccatum munitio est Scripturarum Lectio Magnum Praecipitium profundum barathrum Scripturarum ignoratio nihil scire de Diuinis Legibus magna Salutis perditio Ea res haereses peperit vitam corruptam inuexit hoc sursum deorsum miscuit omnia The readinge of the Scriptures is a greate fense against sinne And the Ignorance of the Scriptures is a dangerous downefal and a great Dungeon To know nothinge of Goddes Lawes is the losse of Saluation Ignorance hath brought in Heresies and vitious life Ignorance hath turned al thinges vpsydowne Therefore the Apostles of Christe and al other godly Fathers haue euermore incourraged the people to reade the Scriptures and euermore thought the Churche of God to be in best case when the people was best instructed S. Paule saith Let the Woorde of God dwelle abundantly emongest yowe Polycarpus saithe to the people Confido vos bene exercitatos esse in Sacris Literis My trust is that ye be wel instructed in the Holy Scriptures Origen saith vnto his people Geue your diligence not onely to heare Goddes Woorde in the Churche but also to be excercised in the same in youre houses at home and daye and night to be studious in the lawe of the Lorde S. Augustine saith Reade ye the Holy Scriptures For to that ende God woulde haue them written that we might receiue comforte by them S. Hierome saithe as it is alleged before Laici non tantùm sufficienter sed etiam abundanter Verbum Dei habere debent se inuicem docere The Laye People ought to haue the Woorde of God not onely sufficiently but also abundantly and to instructe one an other S. Chrysostome willeth the Father with his Childe and the Husbande with his Wife at home in his house to talke and reason of the Woorde of God Theodoretus writeth thus Passim videas haec nostratia dogmata c. Ye maie commonly see that not onely the Teachers of the People and Rulers of the Churches but also Tailers Smithes and Clothe woorkers and other Artificers doo vnderstande the Principles of our Religion And further that not onely learned wemenne yf there be any suche but also suche Wemenne as liue by their laboure and Sewsters and Maide seruantes but also Husbandmenne and Ditchers and Heardmenne and Graffers canne reason of the Holy Trinitie and of the Creation of the worlde and of the Nature of mankinde a greate deale more skilfully then either Plato or Aristotle was euer hable to doo Therefore Origen saithe vnto his hearers of the Laye People Me dicente quod sentio vos decernite examinate si quid rectum est aut minùs rectum While I speake that I thinke meete examine and iudge yow whether it be wel or otherwise Thus in olde times the Uulgare People and suche as M. Hardinge calleth Swine Rude and Rasshe people and Curious Busie Bodies were hable not onely to vnderstande the Scriptures but also to iudge of their preachers And therefore the wicked Renegate Emperoure Iulianus reprooued the Christians euen as M. Hardinge nowe dooth vs for that they suffered their Wemen and Children to reade the Scriptures But the Enimies of Goddes Trueth for feare and conscience of their weakenes haue euermore vsed violently to take awaie the Woorde of God not onely from wemen and Children but also from al the whole people Chrysostome saithe Haeretici Sacerdotesâ—claudunt ianuas Veritatis Sciunt enim si manifestata fuerit Veritas Ecclesiam suam esse relinquendam se de Sacerdotali dignitate ad humilitatem venturos popularem Heretique priestes shutte vp the gates of the Trueth For they knowe that yf the Trueth once appeare they must needes leaue their Churche and from the dignitie of their Priesthoode come downe to the state of other people For Tertullian saithe Scriptura Diuina HaereticoruÌ„ fraudes furta facilè conuincit detegit The Holy Scripture wil easily bewraye and confounde the guiles and theaftes of Heretiques Christe saithe He that dooth yl hateth the Light And therefore they saie as it is written in the Prophete Amos Tace ne recorderis nominis Domini Holde thy peace and neuer thinke vpon the name of the Lorde But miserable is that Religion that cannot stande without hidinge and suppressinge of the Trueth of God FINIS THE XVI ARTICLE OF CONSECRATION VNDER SILENCE The B. of Sarisburie Or that it was then lawful for the Priest to pronounce the woordes of Consecration Closely and in Silence vnto him selfe M. Hardinge The .1 Diuision The mater of this Article is neither one of the higheste Mysteries nor one of the Greatest Keies of our Religion howe so euer M. Iuel pleaseth him selfe with that reporte thinkinge therby to impaire the estimation of the Catholique Churche The diuersitie of obseruation in this behalfe sheweth the indifferencie of the thinge For elles if one manner of pronouncinge the woordes of Consecration had beene thought a necessary pointe of Religion it had beene euerywhere vniforme and inuariable That the Breade and VVine be Consecrated by the woordes of our Lorde pronounced by the priest as in the personne of Christe by vertue of the whiche through the grace of the Holy Ghoste the Breade and VVine are Chaunged into our Lordes Bodie and Bloude 213 this thinge hathe in al times and in al places and with consente of al inuariably beene doonne and so beleeued But the maner of pronouncinge the woordes concerninge Silence or open vtterance accordinge to diuersitie of places hath beene diuerse The B. of Sarisburie This saithe M. Hardinge is but a smal Keye of our Religion Whiche thinge may very wel appeare bothe otherwise and also by the smal weight and sclendernes of his proufes How be it in cases of Religion and in the Seruice of God nothinge ought to be iudged smal specially that may deceiuâ— the people Uerily how smal so euer they wil now haue this keie to séeme as it hath béene heretofore cause of no smal Superstition so it hath shutte out Goddes people from the sight and vnderstandinge of our greatest Mysteries Certaine it is That the Religion of Christ may wel stande without this kinde of Mystical Silence as it may also without TraÌ„substantiation or Priuate Masse or any other their like fantasies But if the mater be so smal wherefore doothe M. Hardinge take so greate paines to prooue it and that by so greate vntruethes and so manifest Fables Wherefore are they not ashamed to say that Christe him selfe at his Laste Supper Consecrated in Silence and Secresie and that in like order and forme as they doo nowe Or how durste the Byshoppes in this present Councel of Tridente so solemnely to abanne and accurse al them that dare to finde faulte with the same So smal a mater as this is now supposed to be should neuer néede so greate a doo But whether these woordes be
vttered Secretely or Alowde he imagineth that by the power thereof the substance of the Breade and Wine is Really and wholy changed into the Substance of the Bodie and Bloude of Christe The vntrueth hereof is manifestly reprooued by S. Augustine S. Chrysostome Theodoretus Gelasius and by the general consente of al the Olde Fathers and is answeared more at large in the tenthe Article of this Booke Certainely this errour neither was euer confirmed in the Latine Churche before the Councel of Laterane in Rome whiche was aboue twelue hundred yéeres after Christe nor euer receiued in the Greeke Churche from the Birthe of Christe vntil this daie M. Hardinge The .2 Diuision The Greekes in the Easte Churche haue thought it good to pronounce the woordes of Consecration Clara voce as we finde in Chrysostomes Masse and as Bessarion writeth Aâ—ta voce that is plainely out Alowde or with a lowde voice Sacerdos Alta voce â—uxta Orientalis Ecclesiae ritum verba illa pronunciat Hoc est Corpus meum The Prieste saithe Bessarion after the rite or manner of the East Churche pronounceth with a lowde voice these woordes This is my Body VVhiche manner of Lowde pronouncinge was thought good to be vsed in the Greeke Churche as it maye be gathered by that Bessarion writeth who beinge a Greeke borne and brought vp in learning amongst the Greekes knewe right wel the order of that Churche to the intent the people might therby for the better maintenaunce of their Faith be stirred and warned to geue token of consente and of beliefe thereto VVhen the Prieste saithe he pronounceth those woordes with a loude voice the people standinge by â— n vtraque parte that is firste at the Consecration of the Body and againe at the Consecration of the Bloude answeareth Amen as though they saide thus Truely so it is as thou saiest For where as Amen is an Aduerbe of Affirminge in Hebrewe in Greeke it signifieth so muche as Truely And therefor the people answearinge Amen to those woordes Verily say they these giftes sette foorthe are the Bodie and Bloud of Christe So we beleeue So we confesse This far Bessarion It is declared by Clement Lib. 8. Constitutionum Apostolicarum that the people saide Amen when the woordes of Consecration had beene pronounced VVhereby we vnderstande that order to haue beene taken by the Apostles The same Custome also may be geathered out of S. Ambrose who saithe thus Dicit tibi Sacerdos Corpus Christi tu dicis Amen hoc est verum Quod confitetur lingua teneat affectus De Sacram. li. 4. ca. 5. The Priest saithe The Body of Christe and thou saiest Amen that is to saye True Holde with thy harte that whiche thou confessest with the tongue He saithe likewise hereof De ijs qui initiantur Mysterijs ca. 9. Frustrà ab illis respondetur Amen c. Amen is answeared in vaine by them who dispute against that whiche is receiued saithe Leo. Sermone 6. De Ieiunio 7. Mensis The B. of Sarisburie It is clearely witnessed by al these doctours against M. Hardinge and the order of the Churche of Rome that the woordes of Consecration were pronounced with a Lowde Uoice and that the People not onely hearde but also vnderstoode and answeared the same Wherefore M. Harding can finde but smal reliefe in these Authorities Uerily in his Churche whiche he so often calleth Ancient and onely Catholique the people neither answeareth nor vnderstandeth nor heareth the woordes of Consecration Thus it appeareth He hath alleged these fiue Doctours in thrée special pointes against him selfe M. Hardinge addeth hereto Amen is as muche as Verum est It is true And therefore the People answearinge Amen confessed thereby that they beleeued the very Real and Substantial Changinge of the Breade into the Bodie of Christe It was needelesse and owt of season to renewe this mater in this place But he thought it better skil to speake from the purpose then vtterly to holde his peace and to saie nothinge First as it is saide before The Latine Churche neuer receiued this newe Beleefe before the Councel of Laterane holden in Rome the Greeke Churche neuer vntil this daie Therefore by M. Hardinges skille the people thus answearinge saide Amen to that thinge that they beleeued not and so Confirmed the Childe eight hundred yeeres and more before it was borne In deede The people saide Amen to that they hearde spoken by the Prieste But the Prieste spake nothinge neither of Real Presence nor of Transubstantiation nor of Accidentes without Subiecte Therefore it is not likely the Peoples answeare had relation to any suche mater Otherwise they should seeme to answeare that thinge that was not spoken The Prieste onely vttered these Woordes of Christe This is my Bodie Whereunto the Greekes make answeare in this sorte as it is recorded in the Councel of Florence Firmiter credimus Verbis illis Dominicis Sacramentum fieri Wee beleue steadfastly that by these woordes of our Lorde there is made a Sâ—cramente Likewise S. Ambrose Post Consecrationem Corpus Christi Significatur After the Consecration the Bodie of Christe is Signified Againe Ante Consecrationem aliud dicitur post Consecrationem Sanguis nuncupatur Et tu dicis Amen hoc est Verum est Before the Consecration it is called an other thinge After Consecration it is named the Bloude of Christe And thou saiest Amen that is to saie It is True So Dionysius writeth vnto Sixtus the Bishop of Rome of one that had benne Baptised emougste Heretiques Gratiarum actionem in Ecclesia audiuit ad illam vnà cum alijs respondit Amen He hearde the Thankesgeuinge in the Churche and to the same togeather with others he answeared Amen So S. Augustine Fratres nostri eadem Sacramenta celebrantes Vnum Amen respondentes Our Brethren resortinge to one Sacramente and answearinge al one Amen This answearinge Amen imported not any suddaine Transubstantiation but a Thankesgeuinge vnto God for our deliuerie by the Death of Christe But Leo saith They answeare Amen in vaine that dispute against the same thinge that they receiue For cleare vnderstandinge of whiche woordes it behooueth thée good Reader to remember that Leo as wel herein as also in sundrie other places bendeth the whole force of his learninge against the Heretique Eutyches whoe 's erroure was this muche like vnto the common erroure that is nowe defended that Christes Bodie after his Ascension was turned wholy into the God-head and so was no lenger a Mannes Bodie Against whiche erroure Leo taketh an argumente of the holy Mysteries wherein the Faithful People as with theire Bodily Mouth they receiue the Mystical Breade and Wine so with their Sprite and Faith they receiue the Bodie and Bloude of Christe and that verily and in Trueth and in witnesse thereof the receiuer saith Amen But saith Leo he saith Amen in vaine that denieth the same thinge that he receiueth That is to saie
That receiueth the Sacramente of Christes Bodie and yet neuerthelesse is persuaded as the Heretique Eutyches was that Christe in deede hath no Bodie And in this sense S. Augustine seemeth to saie Mors illi erit non Vita qui mendacem putauerit Vitam The receiuinge of the Sacramente shal be Death and not life vnto him that thinketh that Christ beinge the life it selfe was a lyer Deliueringe these holy Mysteries as the Sacramente or Pleage of his Bodie him selfe in deede hauinge no Bodie So likewise Prosper Aquitanus Christum à Populo Iudaico fuisse occisum nullus iaÌ„ ambigit Christianus Cuius Sacrum SanguineÌ„ omnis nunc terra accipiens clamat Amen Vt neganti ludaeo quòd occiderit Christum recté dicatur à Deo Vox Sanguinis fratris tui clamat ad me de terra Whether Christe were slaine of the Iewes or no there is no Christian man nowe that can stande in doubte For nowe al the Earth receiueth his holy Bloude and crieth Amen Therefore yf the Iewe wil denie that euer he slewe Christe God maie iustly saie vnto him The voice of the Bloude of thy Brother crieth vnto me from the Earth So S. Chrysostome Haec afferentes Mysteria ora ipsorum consuimus Si enim mortuus Christus non est cuius Symbolum ac Signum hoc Sacrificium est Layeinge foorth these Mysteries we stoppe their mouthes For yf Christe dyed not whoe 's Signe then and whoe 's Token is this Sacrifice Thus by the iudgemente of these learned Fathers Eutyches the Heretique or any other that denied either the Bodie or the Death of Christe might soone be reproued euen by the receiuinge of these holy Mysteries For they receiue the Sacramente yet denie the thinge it selfe that is represented by the Sacramente so as Leo saith they dispute against the thinge it selfe that they receiue And thus Leo him selfe plainely expouÌ„deth openeth his owne meaninge QuaÌ„ sibi in huius SacrameÌ„ti praesidio SpeÌ„ relinquuÌ„t qui in Saluatoris nostri corpore negaÌ„t Humanae substantiae veritatem Dicant quo Sacrificio sint reconciliati Dicant quo Sanguine sint redempti What hope doo they leaue them selues in the healpe of this Sacramente that say There is no Trueth of the Substance of Man in the Bodie of our Saueour Let them tel mee by what Sacrifice thei are reconciled Let them tel mee with what Bloud thei are Redeemed By these Holy Fathers it is plaine that who so receiueth the Holy Mysterie of Christes Bodie and yet thinketh and holdeth that Christe in déede hath no Bodie as Eutyches the Heretique did he disputeth againste that thinge it selfe that he receiueth For Gelasius saithe Hoc nobis in ipso Domino Christo sentiendum est quod in eius Imagine profitemur We muste thinke the same of Christe the Lorde him selfe that wee professe in the Sacramente whiche is his Image And therefore in the Communion Booke that beareth the name of S. Iames it is written thus Quoties cunque comederitis hunc panem hunc Calicem biberitis Mortem Filij Hominis annuntiatis donec veniat Populus respondet Credimus Confitemur As often as ye shal eate this Breade or Drinke this Cuppe ye doo publishe the Death of the Sonne of Man vntil he come Hereto the people maketh answeare Wee Beleeue it and wee Confesse it This is it that S. Ambrose S. Chrysostome Leo Clementâ—cal Amen And this is that vndoubted Trueth of Christes Bodie not in the Sacrament as M. Hardinge imagineth but in the Unitie of One Personne that Leo defendeth against the Heretique Eutyches Bessarions Authoritie in these cases cannot be greate bothe for that he was but of very late yéeres therefore a very yonge Doctour to be alleged and also for that being promoted to the Bishoprike of Tusculum and made a Cardinal of Rome in the late Councel of Florence contrary to the mindes and iudgementes of the reste of his Brethren of Graecia he openly flattered and yelded him selfe vnto the Pope M. Hardinge The .3 Diuision And that the people shoulde geue their consente and applie their Faithe to this trueth without errour and deceite and that by saieinge Amen they should then Beleeue and Confesse The Breade and VVine to be made the Bodie and Bloude of Christe 214 when it was made in deede and not els for so were it a greate errour for this cause Iustinian the Emperour made an ordinance that the Bishoppes and Priestes should to this intent pronounce their Seruice plainely distinctly and so as it might be vnderstanded that the people might answeare Amen whiche is to be referred to eche parte of the Seruice but specially to the Consecration that they might beleeue and Confesse it was the Bodie and Bloude of Christe 215 when it was in deede and not so confesse when it was not whiche might happen if they hearde not the VVoordes of Consecration plainely pronounced And hereunto specially that Constitution of Iustinian is to be restrained as pertaininge onely to the Greeke Churche wherein he liued 216 and not to be stretched further to serue for proufe of al the seruice to be had and saide in the vulgare tongue in the VVeste Churche as to that purpose of our newe teachers it is vntruely alleged The B. of Sarisburie So many Untruethes in so litle roome so constantely to be auouched without blushinge Where is the Feare of God Where is the Reuerence of the Reader Where is shame become Firste neither doothe that godly Emperour Iustinian once mention or touche this Newe Fantasie of M. Hardinges Doctrine nor did the Gréeke Churche as it is sufficiently already prooued euer hitherto consente vnto the same Wil M. Hardinge make the worlde beléeue that the people openly in the Churche gaue their consentes vnto that thing that they neuer beléeued but knewe vndoubtedly to be an erroure Is he hable to allege not one Councel not one Doctour not one Father that euer expounded Amen in this sorte Is the mater so miserable and so bare that no honest witnesse wil speake for it Or muste M. Hardinges bare woorde without Scripture Councel Doctoure or Father be taken for the Doctrine of the Churche The Emperours woordes are plaine Wee commaunde al the holy Bishoppes and Priestes to minister the holy Oblation and the Sacramente of Baptisme and other Praiers not cloasely or in Silence as the manner is nowe in the Churche of Rome but with a lowde voice that may be hearde of the Faithe ful people not to testifie M. Hardinges Transubstantiation whiche then was not knowen but that the hartes of the hearers may thereby bothe the more be humbled to repentance and also the more be sturred to glorifie God If the pronouncinge of these twoo Syllables Amen bee proufe sufficient to warrant Transubstantiation then may wee easily finde the same Transubstantiation not onely in the Sacramente of Christes Bodie but also in the Sacramente
and other like maters incident vnto the same suche as the Godly people in the Olde times neuer learned How be it if the people were thorowly instructed and knewe the meaninge of al Mysteries woulde M. Hardinge thereof conclude That therefore they shoulde not heare the Woordes of Consecration Is this the Logique of Louaine who euer taught him to frame suche a Syllogismus In what Forme in what Moode may it stande How may this Antecedente and this Consequente ioine togeather But where he addeth That in consideration hereof the Fathers thought it coÌ„uenient that woordes of Consecration should be pronounced in Silence this bisides other great wantes is also a great vntrueth to make vp his simple Syllogismus For what were these Fathers what names had thei where dwelte they In what Councel in what Countrie mette they This is a very strange case that beinge Fathers and suche Fathers hable to alter the Traditions of the Apostles and the whole state of the Churche nomâ— should knowe them but onely M. Hardinge As for S. Basile whose name he muche abuseth to this purpose it is plaine that he speaketh not neither of the Sacrament nor of the woordes of Consecration And here good Christian Reader marke I beséeche thée the circumspection constancie of M. Harding For proufe of his late inuented order of the Latine Churche he sheweth vs examples of the Gréeke Churche to auouche his Consecration in Silence he allegeth the Authoritie of S. Basile who by his owne Confession euermore pronounced the same alowde with open voice neuer in Silence He shoulde neither so vnaduisedly auouche the names of Ancient Fathers nor haue so smal regarde vnto his Reader True it is as S. Basile saith Familiar vse breedeth conteÌ„pte And for that cause Pope Innocentius saith The woordes of Consecration were commaunded to be saide in Silence Ne Sacrosancta verba vilâ—scèrent Lâ—â—st the holy woordes should be despised The like hereof is surmised also by Iohn Billet Thomas of Aquine saith That the Oblation and Consecration belonge onely to the Priest and that therefore the woordes be spoken in Silence as nothinge perteininge to the People But if the people be thus naturally inclined the lesse thei heare or know thinges the more to haue them in admiration then were it good they should neuer heare neither the Woordes of Baptisme nor any parte of the Gospel nor the Lordes Praier nor the Name of God or Christe no nor the Masse it selfe And as now their eares be barred from hearinge the woordes that make the Sacrament so were it good policie their eies were also barred from séeinge the Sacrament For naturally contempte groweth as wel of Sight as of Hearinge or rather more For by M. Hardinges skil these were good waies to breede Reuerence in the people to increase Deuotion But this is an vnreuerent reuerence and a disordred honoure of God The people of God is not made to serue the Sacramentes but the Sacramentes are made to serue the people But these be the secrete woorkes policies of Satan to make the simple beléeue they Reuerence the Sacramentes yet vnderstande no parte neither of the meaning nor of the vse of the SacrameÌ„tes Lactantius saith Hinc fida silentia instituta sunt ab hominibus callidis vt nesciret populus quid colereâ— Therefore suttle and crafty men diuised to haue their Sacrifices wrought in Silence that the people shoulde not knowe what thinge they honoured for their God M. Hardinge The .5 Diuision If in the Olde lawe Priestes were chosen as S. Ambrose writeth to couer the Arke of the Testamente bicause it is not lawful for al personnes to see the deapth of Mâ—steries If the Sonnes of Caath by Goddes appointemente did onely beare the Arke and those other Holy thinges of the Tabernacle on their shoulders when so euer the children of Israel remooued and marched forewarde in VVildernes beinge Cloâ—ely folded and lapte within vailes courteines and palles by the Priestes and might not at no time touche nor see the same vpon paine of deathe whiche were but Figures of this howe muche more is this highe and woorthy Mysterie to be honoured with Secretenes Closenes and Silence The B. of Sarisburie Here M. Hardinge séemeth to reason thus In the time of the Olde Testament it was not lawful for euery of the people to beholde the Arke of God and the thinges therein conteined Ergo the Prieste ought to pronounce the woordes of Consecration in Silence and secretely to him selfe This simple reason holdeth from Moses to Christe from the Olde Testament to the Newe from Séeinge to Hearinge and to be shorte from somewhat to nothinge and serueth onely to control al the Ancient Fathers of the Churche who as M. Harding knoweth and hath already in parte confessed neuer pronounced these woordes in suche secrete sorte nor euer vsed these policies for increase of Reuerence Notwithstandinge M. Hardinge the better to leade alonge his simple Reader hath conningly drawen in the names of twoo Olde Fathers Ambrose and Origen to the intent to make his owne Conclusion to séeme theires And thus vnder his painted cooueringes and Ueles of Eloquence he foldeth vp Closely not the Arke of God but as his woonte is greate Untruethes M. Hardinge The .6 Diuision For this cause as they reporte saithe Carolus Magnus that noble vertuous and learned Emperour writinge to his Schoolemaister Alcuinus our Countreiman and first teacher of Philosophie in Paris It is become a Custome in the Churche that the Canon and Consecration be saide by the Priest Secretely that those woordes so Holy and perteininge to so greate a Mysterie shoulde not growe in contempte whiles al in manner throughe common vse bearinge them awaie woulde singe them in the highe waies in the streetes and in other places where it were not thought conuenient VVhereof it is tolde that before this Custome was receiued Sheapheardes when they sange them in the fielde were by Goddes hande strooken Luther him selfe in Praeceptorio is muche against them that would haue the CanoÌ„ of the Masse to be pronounced with a lowd voice for the better vnderstanding The B. of Sarisburie It appeareth M. Harding is muche sâ—anted of good Authorities when he is thus driuen by Tales Fables to couÌ„treuaile the Tradition of the Apostles and that by suche Fables as he him selfe is faine to cutte of in the middest and cannot truely reporte without shame How be it nothinge commeth amisse that may serue to astonne the simple Suche groundes be sufficient for suche Doctrine The tale as it is tolde by Innocentius and Durandus emongst other Fables is this Certaine Shepeheardes hauinge by often hearinge learned the woordes of Consecration began to practise the same emongst them selues ouer their Breade in the fielde vpon a stoane Suddainely the breade was fleashe the poore men were amased God was angrie Fiere came from Heauen and burnte them vp not one leafte aliue to tel these tidinges Hereupon saithe M.
Hardinge this lawe was made For viewe of the likelihoode hereof they say that the Priest him selfe be he neuer so holy onlessâ— he haue his Aultar his Superaltare his Chalice his Corporesse his Lightes his Uestimentes and al other appourtenances necessary Onlesse he stedfastly eie beholde the Breade onlesse he pronounce al these fiue woordes with one breathe without stoppe and onlesse he haue a special intent and minde to woorke Consecration he laboureth in vaine and can neuer Consecrate Yet these poore Shepeheardes not beinge Priestes for ought that wée knowe nor hauinge either Aultar or Superaltare or Uestimentes or any knowledge of these Cauteles nor intention or minde to woorke Consecration yet notwithstandinge had Consecrate suddainely before they were ware By these it may be geathered that Consecration is easier for a Shepehearde then for a Priest But when these Shepeheardes were al slaine in the place where they stoode and not one leafte aliue to reporte these doinges M. Hardinge shoulde haue tolde vs by what Angel or Archangel or otheâ— secrete Reuelation this tale afterwarde came to light His Reader woulde also longe to know in what Kingedome or in what Countrie in what Kinges or Popes daies these thinges happened in what Chronicle in what Storie thei were recorded Otherwise he wil suspecte M. Hardinge founde it in the Shepeheardes Calendare And touchinge this Newe Decree for Silence and Secresie M. Hardinge shoulde haue taught vs in what Councel in what Synode in what Conuocation in what Diâ—tâ— in what Countrie and at what time it was determined who was Legate at the dooinge who was Referendarie who was Presidente who was Presente Yf he haue nothinge to saie his tale hath loste his grace and wil be thoughte a Shepeheardes Fable But hereof these twoo thinges M. Hardinge might wel haue learned Firste that before these strange vnknowen Shepeheardes gaue this attempte the Consecration was euerywhere pronounced alowde And farther that the same Consecration was pronounced in the Common Knowen Mother tongue of euery Countrie that the Shepeheardes might learne it and vnderstande it Onlâ—sse M. Hardinge wil happily saie They were Gréeke or Latine Shepeheardes M. Hardinge The .7 Diuision The Fathers of the Primitiue Churche had this Sacramente in suche reuerence and honour that they excluded some sortes of Faitheful people from beinge present at the celebration of it thinkinge them vnwoorthy not onely to heare the mystical woordes of ConsecratioÌ„ pronouÌ„ced but also to see the Formes of the outwarde Elementes and to be in the Churche whiles that most holy Sacrifice was offered They were these Catechumeni Energumeni and Poenitentes The firste were learners of our beleefe who as they were daily instructed beleeued in Christe and as S. Augustine writeth bare Christes Crosse in their foreheade and marked them selues with the same The seconde were suche as notwithstandinge they had beene Christened Yet for the Inconstancie of their minde were vexed with vncleane Sprites The thirde sorte were they who for their sinnes committed had not yet made an ende of dooinge their open penance Al these were iudged by the Gouernours of the Churche at the beginninge vnwoorthy to be presente at these holy Mysteries Nowe if this great reuerence towardes the holy thinges in them was iustely praised the admittinge of al sortes of people not onely to be presente and to beholde the same but also to heare and vnderstande the VVoordes of Consecration 218 that hath thus alwaies beene honoured with silence and Secretenes cannot seeme to wise zelous and godly menne a thinge commendable specially in these times in which the holy Christian Discipline of the Churche is loosed and vtterly shaken of and no difference nor accoumpte of any diuersitie made bitweene the perfite and godly people and them that ought to doo open penance that be possessed with Diuels and be infamous for heinous and notorious crimes committed The B. of Sarisburie The reuerence that M. Hardinge presumeth was geuen onely to this Sacrament was geuen likewise and in as ample sorte to the Sacrament of Baptisme And as the Catechument were sequestred from the presence and sight of the one Sacrament so were they also sequestred from the other In the Councel holden at Arausica it is written thus Catechumeni ad Baptisterium nunquam admittendi sunt The Catechumâ—ni may neuer be admitted to the place of Baptisme S. Chrysostome touchinge the woordes of Baptisme writeth thus Verba Dei quae noruÌ„t Fideles in Aquae Lauacro per Sacerdotem pronuntiata tanquam in vtero quodam Formant ac RegeneraÌ„t eum qui Baptizatur The woordes of God whiche the Faithful knowe beinge pronounced by the Priest in the Water of Baptisme do Fourme and Regenerate him that is Baptized as if it were in the Mothers woombe Likewise againe he saithe Cupiam sanè verba illa clarè proferre c. Faine woulde I in plaine sorte vtter these woordes of Baptisme yf the presence of these vngodly menne the Heathens did not let me They cause my interpretation to be the harder I may not specke plainely nor publishe our Mysteries bicause of them So saithe Cyrillus Dicerem de Baptismo alia nisi vererer non initiatorum aures Touchinge Baptisme I would saie more sâ—uinge that I doubte the eares of these profane people that are not Christened To like purpose S. Augustine saithe Opera nostia bona vident etiaÌ„ Pagani Sacramenta verò nostra occultaÌ„tut illis The Heathens may see our good woorkes But our Sacramentes that is our Baptisme our Lordes Supper are hidden from them The like may be saide bothe of Publique and Solemne Praiers and also of the vnderstandinge of the Scriptures Chrysostome saith Quid Oratione potentius Et Catechumenis quidem hoc nonduÌ„ permissum est c. What thinge is there more mighty then the Solemne Praier of the Churche Yet is it not lawful for the Catechumeni to vse the same For they are not yet come to that boldenesse But you beinge Christened are commaunded to pray for the whole worlde and for the Churche Thus like as for reuerence of the Mysterie the Catechumenâ— mought not be present at the Minisâ—ration of the Sacrament of Christes Bodie euen so for like reuerence thei mought not be Presente neither at the Sacramente of Baptisme nor at the Solemne Common Praiers But now let vs weigh M. Hardinges reasons In the olde times saithe he the Catechumeni whiche were onely Nouices in the Faithe and as yet vnchristened and other Renegates Frantike and vngodly people mought not be present at the Holy Mysteries Ergo Nowe the godly Faithful people may not heare the woordes of Consecration Noman would vse such Logique but M. Hardinge And yet this he thinketh for Wise Zelous Godly menne is sufficient As for the rest in déede M. Hardinge as a man of trauaile that hath béene in Rome and hath séene Bishoppes Cardinalles men of warre Children Boies sette in the highest Degrées
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
Corin. 13. Psalm 123. Deuteron 17. Psalm 18. Contra Iuliaâ— lib. 7. Augustinus Dâ— tempore Serm. â— Chrysostom in â— ad Timoth. hâ—mi 5. Danger in Readinge Curious busy Bodie of the Vulgare sorte * A coÌ„tradictioÌ„ For hovve can the Sober lâ—ye man Reade the Scriptures if thâ—y be not translated into hâ—â— Barbarous Vulgare toÌ„gue De Trinitate lib. 2. Actor 24. Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 12. Matthae 22. Hieronym in Epist. ad Ephe. lib. 3. cap. 4. Chrysostom ad â—ebraeos hom 8. Theophylact. De â—â—zaro Scriptures harde â— Pet. 3. 1. Tim. 1. â— Cor. 4. Iohan. â—â— Rom. 11. Iohan. 3. Osee. 14. Cyrillus in Iohan lib. 14. Matthae 11. Epiphanius li. â— Albert. Pâ—gghius in Priuata Missa In Concilio Selectorum Cardinalium Psalm 118. Psalm 18. Chrysostom in 2. Thessalonic â—o 3. Clemens Alexandrin in Oratione adhortatoria ad â—entes Irenaeus li. 1. ca. 31. Origen in Exâ—dum hom 9. Hieronym in Psalm 86. Fulgentius in Sermone de CoÌ„fessorâ—b Gregor in epist. ad Leandrum Psalm 7â— Prologo iâ— libros de Doctrina Christiana Augustinus in Prologo De Doctrina Christiana Augustinus in eodem Prologo Matthae 16. Matthaei 11. Luke 24. Chrysostom in epist. ad Coloss. Hom 9. The people commaunded by God to Reade the Scriptures Chrysostom in Genesim ho 28. Hieronym in epist. ad Coloss. cap. 3. Hosius lib. 2. contra BrentiuÌ„ In the .6 diuisioÌ„ Iohan. 7. Ephes. 2. Bernardus in Conuersi Paul â–ª The Gospellers diuided inâ—â— contâ—ary sectes Fridericus Staphylus A Vile Renegate The .208 Vntrueth For the Anabaptistes sprange not of Luther but vvere reproued and condemned by Luther Protestantes The .209 Vntruth inflamed vvith sclaunder The .209 Vntruth inflamed vvith sclaunder Protestantes diuideâ— into tvventie secteâ— DiffensioÌ„ Augustin ad Quoduulâ— deum Galat. 2. Actor 1â— â–ª Socrates lib. 1. cap. 6. Socrat. li. 3. c. 23. Tertull. contrâ— Marcionem li. 1. deinceps 2. Petri. â— â–ª Exod. â—3 Actorum 17. Chrysostom in Opere imperfecto homi 49. Origen in Matthae cap. 24. Hieronym in Prophetam Nabum cap. 3. â—â—silius Moralium 26. ca. 1. Chrysosâ—om in Matth. homi 49. Valdenseâ— Alphonsus De Haeresib lib. 1. ca. 13. Ad Roman li. 〈◊〉 â–ª Ca. 16. 1. Corin. 1. Alphonsus de Haresib Bartholomaeus Abramus Creten in Concil Ferrarien Furius Bononâ—â— de Transferendis Sâ—ripturis Sozomen li. â— ca. 18. 1. Machabaeorâ—â— ca. 1. Alphonsus de Haeresib li. 1. c. 13. Socrates li. 4. ca. 33. VVhat partes of the Scriptures apperteine to the people to knovv Basilius in Psalmum Primum Irenaeus li. 5. The .210 vntruth raised â—â—nely of despite and sclaunder Hieronym in epitaphio Paulae Basilius in epist. ad Nâ—ocaesarieÌ„ Sulpitius in Vita Martini li. 1. Isidorus de Ecclesiasticis officijs Ca. 10. Hosius de Sacro Vernaculè legendo Alphonsus de Haeresibus li. 1. ca. 13. Dist. 2. Omnes The .211 Vntrueth For sundrie partes of the Bible vvere translated into the Englishe toÌ„gue â–ª by king Alured by Cedman and by Beda as shal appeare Hist. Eccle. lâ— 1. The .212 Vntrueth ioyned vvith a sâ—lauÌ„der If there vvere â–ª such faultes M. Harding vvould open them in particular Prefationâ— in Ezechielem 1. Corin. â— Confess li. 8. Cap. â— The Bible in Englishe and yeâ— not for Englishe people The Scriptures in Englishe Beda in Histor. Anglorum li. 1. Ca. 1. Beda in Histor. Anglorum li. 5. ca. 22. Adelstane Iohan Treuisa li. 5. ca. 24. Iohan. Treuisa li. 6. ca. 1. Concil Chalcedonen Action 1. Hilarius in epist Auxentij Hieremi 44. Ezechiel 20. 2. Timoth â–ª 2. Exod. 3. Daniel 6. Daniel 3. Exod. 14. Origen in prologo in Cantica Canti Nazianz. in Apologetico Hilari de Vnitate patris Filij 2. Corin. 3. 2. Timoth. 3. Roman 15. Irenaeus li. 5. Ca. Omnes Chrysostom De Lazaro Concio 3. Coloss. 3. Polycarpuâ— ad Philippen Origen in Leui â–ª homi 9. Augustin in Psalm 33. Hieronym in Epist. ad Coloss. cap. 3. Chrysostom in Iohan. homi 1. Theodoretus De natura hominis lib. 5. Origen in Iosue homi 21. Cyrillus contra Iulian. lib. 6. lib. 7. Chrysostom in Opere imperfecto hom 44. Tertullian in libro de Trinitate Iohan. 3. Amos. 6. The .213 Vntrueth Often auouched and neuer prooued Thom. in 3. par Summae quae â–ª 78. ar 8. Concil Triden Session 2. D. Tonstal De Eucharist li. 1. Conc. Lateran Anno 1215. Bessarion a yonge Doctour He liued Anno. Domini 1459. Anno Dominâ— 1215. Concil Florenti Sessione Vltim Ambrosius De ijs qui initiantur cap. 9. Eusebius lib. 7. cap. 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Augustin in Psalm 33. Leo De Ieiunio 7. Mensis Sermon 6. Beda 1. Corin. 10. Prosper De promiss Dei parte 1. cap. 6. Chrysostom in Matthae hom 83. Leo Epistola 81. ad Palaestinos Gelasius contra Eutychem Liturgia Iâ— cobi An. Dom. 143 â— The .214 Vntruthe For Iustinian meante no such thinge But M. Hardinge is licensed at Louaine to make commentes as he listeth The .215 Vntrueth vaine and Fantasâ—ical â–ª For vvhereunto should the people ansvveare Amen hearinge no parte of the Praier The .216 Vntrueth For this Lavve touched as vvel the Churche of Rome as the Church of â—recia as shal appeare De Ecclesia Diuer Caepitulis Constitutione 123. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— Corin. 14. Donatio Constantini in 1. tomo Concil Cod. De Iudicijs Cap. properandum Cod. De Episc. Cleri Ca. Generaliter Eusebius in vita Constantinâ— Oratione 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 M. Harding CoÌ„trary to him selfe The .217 Vntruethe For there is no such thinge decreed by the Ancient Fathers These vvoordes of S. Basile perteine nothinge to the Sacraments Articul 13. Diâ—uisione 6. Basil. De Spir. Sanc. Ca. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Innocen 3. De Sacro Altaris Myster li. 3. Ca. 1. 〈◊〉 Billet De Diâ—in Officijs Thom par 3. que 183. Lactant. li. 5. cap. 20. Tracta in â—o 11. The .218 Vntrueth For the Contrary is knovven and euidente Concil Arausican Ca. 19. Chrysostom in epist. ad Galat. cap. 4. Chrysost. in Lad Corin. homi 40. Cyrill Contra Iulian. li. 7. August in Psal. 104. Chrysostom ad popul Antiochen homi 79. The .219 Vntrueth For the same Secrete Praier vvas pronouÌ„ced alovvde as shal appeare Gerard. Lorichius lib. 2. Threefolde oblation of Christe Agnus occisus est ab origine mundi Apoc. 13. Heb. 10. Lib. 6. ca. 5. De Fide ad Petrum Diaconum cap. 16. * M. Hardinge hath purposely maimed this place of S. Augustine as shal appeare Tit. 2. Ephes. 5. Christ offered not in respecte of the manner of offering Hebrae 5. Theophylact. in Matthae ca. 21. Pachymeres pag. 401. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Roman 15. Origen in Epist. ad Roman li. 10. Nazian in Oratione ad Plebem Chrysos in Epist. ad Rom. Hom. 29. August De vtilitate Poeniten ca. 1. August in Iohâ— tracta 26. August De