the supper of the Lord and not the Masse Call wee it then the supper of the Lord and not the Masse And chiefly the difference betweene the supper and the Masse beeing so great as wee shal see Concerning the name of Masse yet is it not concluded among the Romists themselues whence it is deriued Some say that it is deryued of this hebrew word Mas which signifieth trybute or taxe others sayd that it is Latine and that Missa is the same that Missio is as Remissa which word some of the ancients and chiefly Saint Ciprian vsed is the same that Remission is and others sayd other thinges The Masse as our aduersaries define it is a sacrifice whereby pardon is obtained for the sinnes of the quick and dead The Romists doe magnifie their Masse and that as they say for diuers reasons Eight of the chieffest whereof I will here set downe The first for that it is a sacryfice expiatorie The second in regard of him who instituted the same which as they say was Iesus Christ The third in regard of them that say it which were as they say Saint Peter Saint Iohn who was chaplaine say they of the virgine Mary Saint Iames and the other Apostles The fourth for the antiquitie of the Masse seeing all the Church from the death of Christ vntill now hath celebrated it with great reuerence God would neuer permit say they that his Church should so long time be deceiued The fift with many myracles which the Masse and their consecrate host haue done they confirme it which shew the holinesse and diuinitie that remayneth in the Masse The sixt they maintaine it saying that in the Masse are many good thinges taken out of holie scripture as the Epistle the Gospell the Hoc est corpus meum the Pater noster c. The seauenth that this sacrifice of the Masse say they was figured in Melchisedech who being a priest of the most high God offered bread and wine vnto him Malachie they say spake of the Masse when he said For from the rising of ths sunne vnto the going downe of the same my name is great among the Gentiles and in euery place Incense shal be offered vnto my name and a pure offring 8. For the great profit which thereby we receaue doe they esteeme it Of all this they conclude that the masse is holy good blessed and diuine And that we for so shamelesly speaking against a thing so excellent which Iesus Christ ordayned his Apostles celebrated and all the Church Catholique worshippeth and honoreth are heretiques dogges c. In conclusion their Masse is their Helen for whom they trouble the whole world These be the principall reasons wherewith our aduersaries doe maintaine their Masse Whereunto inuocating the name of the Lord whose cause we deale in and here mainetaine in like order as we haue proposed them will we answere I beseech thee Christian reader for the zeale thou holdest of the glory of God the desire thou hast of the saluatiō of thine own soule attentiuely to read with ripe Iudgment to waigh the foresaid reasons and the answers which we will giue and that moreouer which wee shall say to this purpose See which of these two Doctrines doe agree and are more conformable with the squier and rule of holy scripture and that beleeue Bee not a beast vnderstanding and his law hath God giuen thee Consider well if thou be an idolater or no that nought therein befall thee but the saluation of thy soule Concerning the first where the Masse they say is a sacrifice to obtaine remision of sinnes c. I say by their leaue that the Masse is no sacrifice For were it a sacrifice it should not speaking properly be a sacrament And they affirme the Masse to be both a sacrifice and a Sacrament which cannot be For so great is the difference betweene a sacrifice and a sacrament as there is difference betweene giuing and taking The sacrifice is offered and presented vnto God The sacrament is taken and receiued of the hand of the Lord by the ministerie of the minister of his word The holie supper speaking properly is no expiatorie sacrifice for of this doe wee now speake but a sacrament of the precious bodie and blood of Iesus Christ our redeemer But improperly speaking it may bee called a sacrifice because a memoriall it is of that euerlasting and onely sacrifice which Iesus christ offered to his father vppon the alter of the Crosse And so vnderstand it the fathers when they call it a sacrifice Not that the supper is a sacrifice but a memorial of the sacrifice doe they vnderstand according to that which Christ speaketh of his supper saying Doe this in remembrance of me And Saint Paul to the same purpose saith Ye shall shew the Lords death till his comming againe And if the supper be no sacrifice much lesse shall the Masse be which they celebrate in the place of the supper Besides this were the Masse a sacrifice It should be either propitiatory which we also call expiatory or Eucharisticall to wit either offered for remission of sinnes or in thanksgiuing They will say vnto me as in the definition thereof they said that it is a sacrifice expiatory I say vnto them it cannot so be for no other expiatory sacrifice is there but only the death and passion of Iesus Christ An expiatorie sacrifice is that which is made to appease the wrath of God and to satisfie his iustice and in so doing doth purge and clense sinnes that the sinner beeing clensed from his filthinesse and sinnes and restored to the purity of righteounesse may be reduced into the fauour of God All this wholy and perfectly did the Lord by his death vppon the Crosse and hee onely and no other did sacrifice such kind of sacrifice For the vertue and efficacy hereof which Christ alone one only time offered is eternall And so said he in offering this sacrifice all is finished all is fullfilled asmuch to say That whatsoeuer was necessarie to reconcile vs with the father to obtaine remission of sinnes righteousnesse and saluation all this was ended and fulfilled with that onely sacrifice which Iesus Christ offered And so faulted hee nothing that no place might afterwardes remaine for any other sacrifice Hereuppon will we then conclude that it is an intollerable disgrace and monstrous blasphemy against Iesus Christ and against his sacrifice if any offer any other sacrifice besides that already offered or shall reitterate that which Christ before offered supposing by such sacrifice to obtayne forgiuenesse of sinnes reconciliation with God and righteousnesse And what other thing is done in the Masse but that wee by the merit of a new sacrifice may bee made partakers of the death and passion of Christ Who so will well vnderstand this which wee saie concerning the onely expiatory sacrifice one onely time offered and neuer more iterated Let him read the
Epistle which the Apostle wrote to the Hebrewes and chiefly the seuenth chapter Of this will wee intreat somewhat more to the purpose hereafter The 2. manner of sacrifice which wee call Eucharisticall comprehendeth all the exercises of charitie which done to our neighbours in some sort are they done vnto God who is thus honored in his members Our prayers praises thankesgiuing and all whatsoeuer we doe for the seruice and honor of God are also comprehended in this kind of sacrifice Al which sacrifices doe depend vppon that great sacrifice by which we are consecrated in body and soule and dedicated for holy Temples to God This kind of sacrifice nought serueth to appease the wrath of God to obtaine forgiuenesse of sinne or to deserue or purchase righteousnesse but is only to magnifie and glorifie God This Eucharisticall sacrifice can no way please God except it proceede from those which hauing by the other kind of sacrifice which we call Expiatory obtained forgiuenesse of sinnes bee already reconcyled with him and iustified This sacrifice Eucharisticall is very necessarie in the Church And woe to that day which a Christian passeth without offering of this sacrifice to God This is the incense and oblation cleane and pure which Malachie Prophesied that the Church of God should offer Of this sacrifice speaketh Saint Paule when hee saith that we offer vp our bodies a liuing sacrifice holie and acceptable vnto God a reasonable seruice of God For this cause the almes and other good works of the faithfull are called sacrifices wherewith God is well pleased The Prophet Hoseas exhorteth the people to returne vnto the Lord and saie vnto him Take away all iniquitie and receaue vs gratiously So will wee render the Calues of our lippes What the Prophet vnderstood by the calues of lippes the Appostle declareth when hee saith Let vs therefore by him offer the sacrifice of praise alwayes to God that is the fruite of the lippes which confesse or prayse his name Saint Paule calleth the liberalitie wherewith the Phillippians in his necessitie had relieued him A sacrifice of sweete sauour and all the good workes which the faithfull doe are called spirituall sacrifices His Maiestie giue vs grace continually to offer such sacrifices vnto him and that when we offer them we may without all hypocrisie confesse that wee are vnprofitable seruauntes c. For if hee commaunded his Apostles so to say and thinke yea when they had done what God had commanded them Why shal he not command the same vnto vs which be in life and doctrine so farre inferiour to his Apostles that we are vnworthie to lose the latchets of their shooes God giue vs grace to be humble in heart Of this kinde of sacrifice will we also say more hereafter By that which is said is plainely seene that the Masse is neither an expiatorie nor Eucharisticall sacrifice and so by consequence no sacrifice at all That it is not expiatorie we already haue proued and that it is not Eucharisticall by that which our aduersaries say that the Masse is an expiatorie sacrifice is proued If it be expiatorie then is it not Eucharisticall The force of this Argument consisteth in a rule of Logicke which saith The members diuiding must not be confounded As touching the definition of the Masse this is sufficient Wee haue taken from it the kind in prouing it no sacrifice we haue taken from it the difference in prouing that it is not expiatorie both the kind and difference taken away what shall be the definite Nothing Or if the Masse bee anie thing it is a priuation of the holy supper of our master and redeemer Iesus Christ euen as sinne is the priuation of grace Let not our aduersaries thinke that we yeeld thē their Masse to be so ancient as they make it saying that the Lord 1565 yeares past did institute it for so long it is since he suffered Neither do we grant them that S. Peter nor S. Iohn nor any of the Apostles euer said that which our aduersaries say to bee the Masse Those which they bring are false testimonies If any man beare false witnesse against his neighbour how vile or abiect soeuer he be he breaketh the 9. commandement he breaketh the law of God and for the same is worthy of eternall death Howe much more shall he breake it and be worthy of death that vpon cold bloud and deliberat purpose of the learned I speake and not of the vulgar sort which can neither read nor vnderstand bringeth false witnes against Christ his king prophet and priest saying that he did institute the Masse wherin are so many superstitions and idolatries saying that the Apostles chosen vessels of God to denounce the Gospell and to preach the holy catholike faith haue sayd such a Masse And so say they that S. Peter was the first that sang Masse but by hearesay they speake without alleaging any Authors How is it possible that S. Luke so diligent an Historiographer of the Acts of the Apostles hath left in the incke-horne this Article which our aduersaries hold so necessarie to saluation as any other of the twelue Articles of the faith contained in the Creed And seeing that this false testimony which they raise vp against Peter auaileth little to the confirmation of their Masse Another false testimony raise they vp also of S. Iames that S. Iames say they was the first that said the first Masse in Ierusalem Yet are they more shamelesse bring to light the said Masse said of S. Iames which 1500 years since at the least was buried cry out a miracle a miracle Now is there no further disputing to be had sith it is an Apostle which hath said Masse now neither can or ought they to moue any more doubts touching the Masse vpon paine to be an heretike blasphemer whosoeuer shal moue it In the 1560. yeare was this Masse of S. Iames as they call it printed in Paris In this Masse ther is a prayer wherin are said these words We pray for the gifts offred sanctified precious supercelestiall ineffable immaculate glorious horrible fearful diuine What maner of speech is this when vsed the Apostles any such forme of speaking Also that this falshood may be clearely perceiued there is a prayer in the Masse for the Monkes Nunnes which liued in the Monasteries They which say that this Masse is of S. Iames should read this and be silent For in the time of the Apostles was there neither Monkes nor Nunnes nor Monasteries many yeares after were these things inuented Moreouer if this be a Masse of S. Iames let them augment the Cannon Let them place them among the Canonicall bookes of the holy Scripture Let them beleeue do al that which is said in the same In this Masse which they call of S. Iames all the people did vnder two kinds communicate all the office was said in the vulgar tongue the people sang
for otherwise one may and ought to pray to God for another And so S. Paul recommendeth himselfe to the prayers of those to whom hee wrote that they should pray to God for him And the same Apostle besought God for them Should the Priest say that in saying his Masse he so prayed to God as the Apostle prayed for them to whom he wrote such a prayer were it done in faith should be good But to presume to be an intercessour and to sell his sacrifice for as much vertue and efficacie as the death and passion of Christ it selfe This is intollerable ouermuch pride Let them begin to hūble thēselues to giue glory to God who only pardoneth sins this doth he by the only intercession of Christ by the vertue of that only sacrifice which he once no more offred to his father The fourth domage which we say the Masse worketh and this passeth and ought no way to be supportted That is the Priest which sayeth it and the People that heare it commit Idolatry How great a sinne is Idolatry and how much more God abhorreth it then any other we haue already declared in our first Treatise The Priest ordayned for the Masse say our Aduersaries hath authoritie and power from Christ and his vicar the Pope that in saying the words of consecration as they call them Hoc est enim corpus meum so that hee say them super debitam materiam ouer a competent matter and with intention to consecrate he changeth conuerteth transformeth and transubstantiateth this last word is it that best pleaseth them the bread into the body of Christ and the wine into his bloud In such sort that be the Priest what ye will liue hee a letcher in mortall sinne as the most part of them do be he the greatest and most infamous villaine of the world yet for al this say they that this authoritie he hath to bring Christ from heauen in finishing the words Hoc est corpus meum and to put him into the place where the bread and wine were so that no more bread nor no more wine remaine for the substance of the bread and of the wine is vanished and gone to nought but the body and bloud of Christ the which is there trulie really corporally and carnally these be their proper termes as bigge and as great as corpulent and as large as hee was vpon the crosse when hee dyed for vs sinners This is their doctrine And because we beleeue not these straunge things which be contrarie to the word of God and contrarie to that which the ancient Doctors haue taught as we will prooue it they condemne vs for heretikes they persecute vs most cruelly with fire and bloud worse then were wee Iewes or Turkes But another more strong then they to their griefe hath defended doth defend and will defend vs from them Who listeth to know more of the roote of this doctrine let him reade their new Councels wherein the Popes by their Legats tyrannically haue gouerned Let him reade their Decrees Decretals Sextos Clementines and Extrauagants there shall hee find it at fall Let him not reade the Scripture for in it shall hee finde nothing at all to confirme such wonders Scotus one of the chiefe and principall pillers of their Church sayth That albeyt the priest were not attyred to celebrate nor in the state of grace nor ouer any Altar but should saye the fiue wordes or the foure leauing out Enim ouer all the bread that is in the market or in the Pantry and ouer all the wyne that is in the Sellar how much bread so euer should be in the pantrie or in the market so that he had intention to consecrate should be in that very moment conuerted transubstantiated into the body of Iesus Christ and all the wine of the sellar by the vertue of the wordes spoken and pronounced by the Priest should be conuerted into the bloud of Christ Herehence it commeth that no bread but the body of Christ remayning in the sacrament in their Sagrarios or pixes do they keepe it that when anie shall be sicke they may with torch-light carie it in procession that the diseased may adore and receiue it for the saluation of his soule Iesus Christ say they is in sort as we haue said not onely in one Masse but in an hundred thousand more also if so many could bee said in one moment And whole Christ is not in all the Host only but also in euery small parcell how little soeuer it be so that Christ is in the host as the soule is in the body all in all and all in euery part thereof This their doctrine of Transubstantiation they confirme first with the omnipotencie of God that seeing God of nothing could create something the heauen and the earth and whatsoeuer is therein contained how much more can he cause one thing to be conuerted and transubstantiated into another 2. They say that seeing Iesus Christ is the infallible truth it is meete that that which he saith must be in sort as hee spake it and sith he saith Hoc est corpus meum This is my body they now inferre that the bread is no bread but the body of Christ 3. For confirmation of their opinion they also alleage the sayings of Doctors In answering to these three reasons wherewith they confirme their Transubstantiation me seemeth wee shall haue answered to all whatsoeuer in this matter they can obiect vnto vs. That which they say of the omnipotency of God God forbid that we should once denie we confesse it and it may be and also without may be much better then they With all our heart we do also confesse that which the Creed saith I beleeue in God the Father almightie all sufficient that which we say is that from the power to the deede is no good maner of argument God in that he is omnipotent may eftsoones drowne the world as he did drowne it in the time of Noah and the malice of our times is no lesse but much more then that of that time Notwithstanding his omnipotencie and notwithstanding our extreme malice we know that he will not drown it because so promised he to Noah when he sayd My couenant will I establish witb you that from henceforth all flesh shal not be rooted out by the waters of the floud c. And to seale and confirme this promise God gaue him the Bow in the cloudes for a signe of this couenant c. Reade the historie To this same purpose is it sayd in the Psalm 140. 9. that God set a bound for the waters ouer which they shal not passe nor turne againe to couer the earth And God speaking to Iob concerning the sea chap. 38. 10. saith I established my commaundement vpon it and set barres and doores and said Hitherto shalt thou come but no further and there shall it stay thy proud waues Here you see that
nor his Apostles who in all simplicitie did celebrate the holy supper The wisdome of the flesh being enemy to God hath brought them into the Church to make vs forget the memorie of the benefite of Christs death and passion Moreouer we wil cite certaine histories by which the Christian Reader shall clearely see what account the Pope and his Cleargie make of their Sacrament of the Altar which they affirme to be God Gregory 7. for that he demanded a reuelation of the Host against the Emperour and had no answer cast it into the fire burned it Victor 3. died of poyson which his subdeacon in saying of Masse put into the chalice A Dominicke Friar gaue poyson in the Sacrament to the Emperour Henry 7. Sixtus 4. commanded that at the time of the eleuation the-murder should begin and so it was performed at Florence A certaine Inquisitor at Barcelona called Molon clipped the Host with a paire of sheers Foure Augustine Friars which were hanged at Seuill said Masse without any intention of consecration The same haue many other Priests done also and so by their owne Cannons haue caused all that heard their Masse to commit idolatrie That being as it is true which we haue said and proued of the Masse with very iust title and good and sound conscience do we detest it as a prophanatiō of the holy supper of the Lord There is then no cause why any shuld condemne vs for sedicious heretikes or schismatikes if abhorring the Masse flying the same we follow and imbrace the holy supper which Iesus Christ iustituted his Apostles and our forefathers for the space of a thousand yeares celebrated Would God for that onely sacrifice sake which his sonne our high and onely Priest offered vnto him that all our Spaniards would know as other nations do already know what the Pope is what things are his Buls which be nought els but mockeries which he maketh of vs what is his authoritie which is nought els but vanitie wherewith he hath many yeares deceiued vs that they would know that when the Pope curseth vs then God doth blesse vs would God they would know the holinesse of the masse to be diuelishnesse seeing it is a prophanation of the holy Supper of the Lord. Very hard will it be for them I know well to do this because they haue bene borne brought vp growne old in the contrary But if the holy spirit giue them grace to reade compare conferre cōfront that which we haue sayd in these two Treatises with the holy Scripture which is the word of God very easie it shall be vnto them wherby euery faithfull and catholike Christian in particular and the whole Church in generall ought to be ruled gouerned Our Spaniards in this should imitate those of Berea who as saith S. Luke in his history of the Acts of the Apostles searched the Scriptures to know if that which Paul preached were the word of God or no. If that wee haue said be the word of God no time no custome how ancient soeuer ought to preuaile against it And if for our sins lies falshood and error haue for a little or long time oppressed and darkened the truth the errour ought to giue place as maugre the same it shall giue and so truth iure Postliminij as say the lawes shall reenter his possession And albeit an olde custome is very hardly left yet none ought to preferre such custome to reason and truth do euer exclude and expell custome Therefore when with reason and truth for reason and truth we constraine and conuince our aduersaries In vaine do they oppose ancient custome vnto vs saying in this were our forefathers brought vp in this did they die In this were wee borne and brought vp in this then will we die As if custome were greater then the truth This is euen like the saying of another A Moore was my father a Moore also will I be hauing no other reason to giue but custome Custome without truth is an olde errour and errour the elder the more dangerous it is Therefore leauing as saith Saint Cyprian in his epistle ad Pompeium errour let vs follow the truth knowing as saith Esdras Truth ouercommeth as it is written Truth doth shall euer preuaile and liue and raigne eternally And then saith the same S. Cyprian Blessed be the God of truth The which truth Christ shewing in his Gospell vnto vs saith I am the Truth wherefore if we be in Christ and haue Christ in vs if we abide in the truth and the truth abide in vs. Let vs hold that which is the truth And a little lower If the truth in any thing shall stagger or seeme doubtfull meete it is that we runne backe to the originall which the Lord ordained and to the Euangelicall and Apostolicall instruction and thence ariseth the reason of that which wee doe from whence the order and originall was raised And as he himselfe in another place saith What men haue formerly done ought wee not to looke but to that which Christ who is the first of all hath done The holy Scripture is the most certaine and infallible rule and squire whereby all our actions ought to be ruled and squired as witnesse these places which we will alleage and manie others Dauid Psal 119. vers 105. sayth Thy word is a lanterne to my feete and a light vnto my pathes Esay chap. 8. and 20. we are commanded to repaire to the Law and to the testimonies and sayth that they which do not so it is because there is no light in them It is because they be in darkenesse it is because they are blind and as blind men goe groping Saint Peter speaking of the word or doctrine of the Prophets saith Whereunto yee shall doe well to giue eare as to a candle burning in an obscure place c. The holy Scripitures doe teach vs that Iesus Christ is our high and onelie Priest It teacheth vs that hee once offered vp himselfe with which sacrifice being of infinite vertue he sanctifieth vs for euer And teacheth vs that there is no other sacrifice nor was nor shal be but this alone by which remission of sinnes is obtained it teacheth vs that whosoeuer shall offer another sacrifice be sides this or reiterate this doth most great iniurie to Christ As though his sacrifice which was Christ himselfe were insufficient It teacheth vs that Iesus Christ ordained his holy supper which he commandeth vs to celebrat in remembrance of that sacrifice which he one only time offered to the father all this in generall and euery thing in particuler by the grace of God to him be the glory haue we sufficiently proued This is the trueth for it is the word of God This then we beleeue his Maiestie graunt vs grace not onely with the heart to beleeue this which he in his holy Gospell he hath reuealed vnto vs but also strength and constancie with the mouth to confesse it and
they are worthie of perpetuall memorie I will here recite them Hardly saith he remayned any bishopricke or ecclesiasticall dignity which entertained not strifes whose cause but not with emptie hande was caried to Rome Be glad mother Rome because the sluces of treasures doe open in the earth that the flouds and riuers of money may come to thee in great abundadnce Reioice ouer the wickednes of the sonnes of men because for recompence of so great wickednes the price to thee is geuen delight thou with discorde thy helper which issued from the pit infernall that many rewardes of money might be heaped vnto thee Hold that for which thou hast thirsted Sing to sing because by the malice of men and not their godly religion thou hast ouercome the world draw men vnto thee not their deuotion but the committing of great abhominations and the deciding of strifes for reward Hitherto the Abbot who so now would say thus should be an heretike a Lutherane In the 1198. yeare died Celestinus Don Alonso 8. reigned in Castile Innocent 13. whom the Historians call Nocentissimus bare so great hatred to the Emperour Philip because against his liking he was chosen by the Germane Princes that he said these words Bishop either take the crowne and kingdom from Philip or Philip take from the Bishop his Bishopdome And so stirred he vp Otho a great and rash warriour against the Emperour Much bloud he shed for the Popes cause vntill another Otho and great taitor slew Philip and so his Competitor Otho came to Rome and for his good seruice done to the Pope was crowned Note that which before we haue said vpon Alexāder 3. against the Emperour but long lasted not the friendship between Innocent Otho For Otho willing to recouer that which the Popes had vsurped of the Empire was by the Pope excommunicated all whosoeuer should call or hold Otho for Emperour were accursed And so the Pope procured the Princes to choose for Emperor Frederike king of Cicil. The Popes be like vnto stumpets which no longer loue their ruffians then they do them seruice In the time of this Pope which was in the 1212 yeare some of the Nobles of Alsacia as Huldericus Mucius reporteth condemned the Pope for wicked because he suffered not the Priests to be maried And because certaine men said it was lawfull for euerie Christian to eate flesh and marrie at any time of the yere the bishops burned in one daie a hundred persons If this be heresie then Saint Paule was an heretique 1. Timothie 4. 3. where he calleth them that forbid mariage and meats which God hath created c. apostatates from the faith This Innocent 3. vnder colour to recouer the holy land did celebrate the Councell of Laeteran but his principall intent was to excommunicate and depose the Emperor because he had taken some citties of the Patrimonie of Saint Peter The Pope in this Councell brought forth auricular confession He was the first that imposed this charge vpon christians He was the first that forbad the laitie as they call them the cuppe in the communion This prohibition was confirmed in the Councell of Constance Almericus a learned man he condempned for an heretike and cōmaunded his bones to be burned in Paris and all those that held his opinion This did the Pope saith Friar Domingo Soto in one of his sermons because Almericus had taught that Images should be cast out of the Temple Seest thou not ô Pope that God forbiddeth that which thou commandest and comandeth that thou forbiddest with great reason doe men call thee Antichrist The Councell of Eliberis celebrated in Spaine at the same time almost with the first Councell of Nice comaundeth that that which is reuerenced or adored should not vpon the walles be pictured as in the beginning of this Treatise we haue said This Pope ordeined that when the princes disagreed in election of the Emperour such election should remaine to the arbitrement of the pope Concerning the election of the Emperour and the authoritie of the 7 electors reade Carion lib. 5. fol. 3. and 5. Therewith hath the Pope nothing to doe He commaunded the God Pan the wheaten God should in the Churches be kept And that when they carried it to any sicke person a little bell and light should be borne before it Hee ordained that the Pope ought to correct the Princes of the whole world And that none bee holden for Emperour which shall not bee crowned by the Pope If this be true it followeth that Don Fernando in our Countrey of Spaine nor Maximilian his sonne nor Rodulph his nephewe that nowe is Emperour were no Emperours seeing that none of these three besides other more were crowned by the Pope In the 1216. yeere he dyed Thomas Cantipratensis a Dominican as recounteth Friar Iohn de Pineda lib. 21. cap. 26. ¶ 7. writeth that this Innocent after his death burning in cruell flames appeared to the holy Virgine Lutgarda and said vnto her that so should he goe vnto the end of the world and that for three sinnes hee had deserued euerlastingly to bee condemned but that the glorious mother of God and of mercie fauoured him because he had built a Church in honour of her holy and sweete name And this Authour saith that Saint Lutgarda tolde him what sinnes they were but that hee for the Popes honour would not write them O yee Church-men that for true prelates confound the Churches God grant ye become not worse then Innocent Thus farre Pineda Open thine eyes ô Spaine and vnderstand at last what a one is the Pope whome as a God on earth thou adorest Don Alonso the ninth then reigned in Castile Honorius the third against the excommunicated Otho the fourth and Henry the first crowned Frederick second sonne of Constantia the Nunne of whom we haue spoken in the life of Celestinus the third which Fredericke because he sought that which was his in Sicilia and Pulla the Pope did afterwards excommunicate This Honorius forbad the Ciuill lawe to be read in Paris In the time of this Pope and the 1223. yeare did one Adam Bishop of Cathan in Scotland excommunicate certaine men for not paying their tithes against whome the citizens were so muche offended that they burned him in his kitchin So much did the Pope stomacke this matter that he staied not till the king of Scotland called Alexander did it but 400. of them he caused to be hanged and their sonnes to be gelded that their name shoulde not remaine in the earth Cruell and reuengefull is this beast In the 1227. yere he died Don Fernando surnamed the Holie which wan Seuill Cordoua and a great part of Andalusia reigned in Castile Gregorie 9. the Nephew or to speake better the sonne of Innocent 3. bare great hatred against Fredericke and so he confirmed the sentence of excommunication which Honorius had giuen against him The
houses but then is the charge of them double For the Priest which saith Masse must haue mony And the Pope for the license which he giueth to haue an altar portable which is also called the Bull. All this is contrarie to the institution of the Lord. You see heere howe the holy supper which Iesus Christ did institute and his holy Apostles did celebrate hath bene by little and little disfigured vntill from the Supper of the Lord it is conuerted into the Masse of the Pope Behold the institution of the holy supper and behold that which is done and said in the Masse and it is to be seene if the Masse be the Supper or the Supper the Masse By an infallible argument and palpable demonstration doe we now proue that neither Iesus Christ did institute the Masse nor his Apostles sayd it and this it is that which very many yeares after the death of Christ and his Apostles and not of one but many and in diuerse times was inuented Châ—ist did not institute nor yet his Apostles did it The Masse which our Aduersaties say many yeares after the death of Christ and his Apostles not of one but of many and in diuerse times was inuented It followeth then that such a Masse was not instituted by Christ neither did his Apostles say it The first part of this argument none except he bee sencelesse and foolish will denie But the secoÌ„d part will our aduersaries denie which easily may be proued For one Pope made the Confiteor another the Introit another the Kyrie-elison another the Gloria in excelsis another the Gradual another the Offertory another the Cannon another the Mementoes another the Agnus Dei the same say I of all the rest that is done or sayd in the Masse None of these things Christ but the Popes in sundry times ordained Our aduersaries of those I speake which haue but meanly read the histories though they burst againe can by no means denie that the Masse from end to end hath bene made by many Popes They well know that Damasus which was Bishop of Rome in the 368. yeare ordained the Confiteor Gelasius Affricanus about the 492. yeare composed as saith Neuclerus the Hymnes Collectes Responsories Graduals and Prefaces and added the Verè dignum iustum est Symmachus about the fiue hundreth and twelfth yeare ordayned that euery Lords day and principall feast of the Martyrs should be sung Gloria in excelsis Deo Pelagius about the 556. yeare added the commemoration of the dead Gregorie the first about the sixe hundreth yeare made the Anthems and the Introit He ordained also that the Kyrie-elison should nine times be sung and the Alleluia Item that the Pater noster should with a high voyce be sung ouer the consecrated Host and addeh the Cannon Diesque noâ—tros iâ— tua pace disponas Sergius which in the seuen hundred and first yeare died ordayned that the Agnus Dei should three times be sung before the breaking of the bread Gregorie the third added to the secret of the Masse Quorum solennitas hodie in conspectu tuae Maiestatis celebratur Domimine Deus noster in toto orbe terrarum Nicholas 1. added the Sequences As little can they denie that Sistus the first added to the Masse Sanctus Sanctus Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth Innocent about the 405. yeare added the kissing of the Paxe Leo the first added Orate pro me fratres and the Deo gragratias He added also the Cannon Sanctum sacrificium immamaculatam hostiam Item hanc igitur oblationem c. Celestine ordained the Offertorie Alexander the first who died in the yeare 117. began to corrupt the order and maner which Iesus Christ and his Apostles held in celebrating of the Supper And so the said Pope ordayned that the bread should be thinne without leauen and not common as before it was As it appeareth by Dist 93. Cap. Siquis Item he ordained that water should be put into the wine De Consec Dist 2. Cap. Sacramento Item he added Qui pridie quam pateretur c. This sheweth verie clearely that Iesus Christ did not institute the Masse seeing so many persons sithence the death of Christ haue bene much busied in making the same Besides this the great Teigitur clementissime Pater which is one of the chiefest patches of the Masse wherein mention is made of the Pope of the Bishop and the king doth manifestly shew that Iesus Christ made not the Masse because in the time of Christ was neither Pope nor bishop The communicants wherein made mention of the holy Virgin of the Apostles and of many Saints which very long time after the Apostles liued in the world as S. Cyprian Laurence Grisogonus Cosmus Damianus and others very well sheweth that Iesus Christ made not the Masse Saint Peter they haue not placed in this Cannon for should he so haue beene it would haue beene said that he sought his owne glorie A peece of the Masse is there also and that of the chiefest which beginneth Nobis quoque peccatoribus wherin mention is made of some of the Apostles hee and shee Saints mingled without order one with another as Saint Barbara Perpetua Agueda Lucia Iues Cicelia c. which long after the death of Christ liued in the world By this then may be seene that Christ did not institute the Masse that which we pretended haue we prooued that Iesus Christ did not institute the Masse and that his Apostles neuer sayd it but that the Popes in diuers times did make it one adding one peece and another another vntill it was brought into the being and estate wherin it now is which hath no agreement with the Supper of the Lord. Entring sometimes into consideration of these patches ragges shreds and peeces whereof the Masse is made a wonderfull similitude or comparison me seemeth came to minde and the same I suppose will also appeare to such as well consider it To the Masse neither lesse nor more hath it happened then to a pilgrims scrippe to an old cloake of a begger that beggeth from doore to doore vpon such a cloake the elder it is the more patches doe they set vpon it so that in time nothing therein is seene but here a little peece and there a smal peece of the cloth whereof it was first made And this cloth is so vsed so wasted so discolloured so without being that it no way appeareth to be that which it was In this cloake are not seene but patches of cloth corrupt and rotten and very ill placed and worse sowed together so that it causeth loathing to those which haue bene delicately brought vp Such another cloake and neither more nor lesse is the Popish Masse The cloth wherof it was made was the Supper of the Lord which men not celebrating according to the institution of
Sadduces shamelesly denied the resurrection and allowed neither Angel nor spirit As by the disputation which they held with Christ about the woman that had seauen husbands appeareth Matth. 22. 22. and in the Acts 23. 8. The Essees apart had their opinions It was a people solitarie like the Charterhouse Monkes They had no wiues drunk no wine nor did they eat any flesh a people they were very austere and euery day fasted Whiles the Church was deuided into these sects when all was confused came the sonne of God into the world With such he conuersed And of such for preaching the truth vnto thē he was crucified When the light of the Gospel was come which Christ and his Apostles preached who allowed it not but rather killed and crucified those that preached the same The same people of God the Church of God chiefly the Scribes Pharisies priests and high priests These came togither held a Councell wherein they concluded that Christ should die and all those that should preach the same Doctrine They tooke him because they wanted authoritie to put any to death with false witnes they accused him before Pilate Deputy to the Emperour Tiberius and thisin the holy Ierusalem And so was he condemned for an euil doer for such a one was crucified O what a Church O what a Councell if the cheife Preist may erre and erred in dede The Lord by diuine power eftsoones raysed vpp who suborned his keepers to say that his disciples had stollen him away Who assembled a Councell to persecute the Apostles and commaunded them that they should not preach who caused S. Iames to be put to death Who made S. Peter to be taken to cause him to die had not the Angel of the Lord deliuered him The visible Church of God the scribes and Pharisies and high Priests Not without cause faid the Lord speaking of Ierusalem Ierusalem Ierusalem which killest the prophets and stonest those that be sent vnto thee Afterwards the very same hath hitherto happened leauing former times spake we of these wherein we liue Who hath for the space of 70 or 80. yeares hitherto shed so much bloud of Martyres they that call themselues the Church of Iesus Christ chiefly the peeuish Friars Bishops chiefe Bishops and the same shal they doe vntill the end of the word And so Christ speaking of his second comming when he shall come to the vniuersall Iudgement saith Luke 18. 8. The son of man when he commeth shall he find faith vpon the earth As if he should say no. And in the XXIIII chapter of Saint Matthewe he maketh a discourse hereof verse 12. And because saith he iniquitie shal be increased the loue of many shal be cold And verse 24. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders so that if it were possible they should deceiue the very elect And thinke we not these false Christs and false Prophets shal bee Turkes and Iewes Christians they shal be and for such shall they be holden Bishops and chiefe Bishops shal be the principally as at this day they be I haue sufficiently proued me thinketh by many examples and passages of the old and new Testament that the Church of God may erre and hath erred indeede which to our aduersaries seemeth vnpossible Now will we resolue a doubt and this it is If the Church bee such and subiect to fall into Errours superstitions heresies and idolatries as before we haue proued How shall that be vnderstood which the scripture saith That the Church is the body of Iesus Christ That the Church is the spouse of Christ That the Church is the pillar of truth founded vppon the sure foundation That the Churche is without spot or wrincle and wholy faire That the gates of hell shall not preuaile against her and other like commendations and prayses thereof the word of God witnesseth To this may we answere that both the one and the other may very well stand For God neuer suffered all his Church to fall togither into Error But rather hath alwayes reserued some good and some times also seauen thousand As said he speaking of Elias albeit in corners which neuer bowed the knees to Baal Such as these the common error dispatched wherewith all the Church was generally deceaued Against this Error such others of these spake preached and wrote and most times it cost them their liues and had each one of them had a thousand liues a thousand liues would each one of them haue lost for the same cause That Church wherein Catholiquely and vniuersally raigned that Errour or heresie shee and her Bishoppes did persecute condemned and kill them As by examples wee haue confirmed the same So that when the scripture saith All Israel all Iuda all the inhabitants of Ierusalem turned away from God committed Idolatrie c. Of such a manner ingenerall must wee vnderstand which hath it Exceptions for in the middest of these Errours and idolatries so Catholique fo vniuersall had alwayes God some particular men whom he reserued cleane and pure from that common errour So reserued God Moses and Iosua and some other particular persons also which worshipped not the calfe when all Israel ingenerall and Aaron the high Priest him selfe worshipped it The same will wee say of the time of the Iudges that God neuer forsoke his Church The same wee say also of the times of the kings of Israel and of Iuda When all committed Idolatrie God raysed vp an Esaias a Micheas a Ieremias an Ezechiel a Daniel c. Who reproued vices and false Doctrine and declared the truth But which of these did not the Church and her high priests persecute and kill So also reserued the Lord vnro himselfe at his first comming into the worlde A Simeon an Anna widdowe a Ioseph and his spouse the virgin Marie mother of our sauiour An holie Elizabeth and her sonne Saint Iohn Baptist which were Godly very well thought of the true religion and agreed neither with the Pharisies nor Sadduces nor Essees And so the Lord in so vnhappy times preserued his Church And so likewise vntill now hath he preserued the same And now also in these lest miserable times wherein neither faith Luk. 18 8. nor loue is found Matth. 24. 12. God reserueth some which oppose themselues to the tyranny of the Antichrist of Rome and to the common errour and Idolatrie of all the Romane Church ingenerall And so God hath not permitted that his Church hath wholly bene deceiued nor according to his promise I am with you vnto the end of the world Wil he euer permit the same Euer thē hath God reserued fome that haue not bene deceiued with the cōmon errour many from time to time be enlightened As by experience we haue seene it God of his infinit mercy increase them that the number of his chosen may be fulfilled so sinne may cease and only Christ
denote that this Incense and offering is not to be carnal but spirituall What agreement hath this with the Masse Which is a diuelish inuentioÌ„ prophaneth the holy supper Other places of the scripture alleage they for confirmation of their Masse But with as great faithfulnesse and as much to the purpose As these two of Mechilzedeck and Malachy which by that is said may easily be answered The 8 reason wherewith our aduersaries do magnifie their masse is for the great good profit that therof they receiue And of al these reasons others such like which they alleadge they coÌ„clude vs to be heretiques dogs worse theÌ„ Iewes Turkes Because we so shamelesly speake against the Masse which Iesus Christ instituted his Apostles said all the Church Catholike vnto this day hath celebrated c. They say then that besides the oblatioÌ„ and sacrifice which Iesus Christ hath made vppon the Crosse of his body and of his blood for remission of our sinnes to reconcile vs with God and to obtayne for vs life eternall hee hath ordayned the Priestes which be successors of the Apostles to consecrate in the Masse the bread and wine to transubstantiate it in the body and bloud of Christ to sacrifice and offer vnto God the father that body and that blood for the remission of our sinnes and to obtaine all that is necessarie for vs both in body soule And what greater good then this say they can be This sacrifice say they also doth much profit the dead to allay the paines which they haue to suffer and doe suffer in purgatory As we cited before of the dead maÌ„s scul of Macharius reported by Damascen Who so lusteth to knowe the profits of the Masse Let him read the Spanish houers he shall find very many Amongst others there mentioned be these which follow as much worth is the masse as is the passion of Iesus Christ Also that he which heareth it waxeth not old whilst he heareth it Also that hee shall not loose that day the light of his eyes Also that he shal not die an euil death also that he which shal haue seen the body of the Lord if that day he shal die sodenly that it is taken for comunicating he may not feare to be condemned And al this say they that S. Iohn Chrisostom S. Augustine S. Ierom say for they knew how to raise false testimonies These Articles of faith haue the inquisitors of our countrey of Spaine many yeares ago yeelded to goe among the houers which coÌ„monly are praied And if now they haue caused theÌ„ to be taken away and not suffered them to be printed in this yet doe they shew their ignorance that for so many yeares they haue suffered and commanded that with their license they should print them The cause that they now fall in account is that so grosse and abhominable lies more serue at this day to make wary the people then to deceaue them And therefore permit they such things more to be printed We say then that the Masse procureth vs no good at all but great mischiefe rather As after we shall see Now that we haue answered to the reasons wherewith our aduersaries thinke to mainetaine their Masse for more confutation thereof we will now likewise set downe some notable domages which it causeth and great aduersaries which necessarily follow the popish Doctrine of the masse And I will not be much curious in seting down here al the domages absurdities which follow of the masse for that should be neuer to end Only wil I set down such as most fitly come to mind for the preseÌ„t I say then that the Masse causeth many domages First it prophaneth the holy supper of the Lord suppressing and despising his death passion 2. In it they inuocate the dead saints 3. In it dead saints are placed for intercessors 4. The priests that saith it holde hee intention to consecrate or not and the people that heare it commit idolatrie Fiftly The Masse mainetaineth many other abuses besides the Idolatrie of transubstantiation As the worshipping of Images and the inuention of Purgatorie which is a common cutpurse Sixt. In the masse defraud they the people of the halfe of the Sacrament and this halfe doe they giue seldome and wickedly Seuenthly And put case the Masse were good yet is it said in a straunge Language which the people vnderstand not and with such gesture mouing childish toyes apish fopperies that rather prouoke laughter then deuotion These seuen domages wee proue by the same order as we propounded them And that the masse derogateth from the passion of Christ is clerely sene For the Masse which for this cause was ordayned that a hundred thousand sacrifices should euery one day be offered what doth it pretend but that the passioÌ„ of Iesus Christ wherin he offered himseâ—â—e and this once by one only sacrifice remaineth buried and cast in a corner Who will thinke to be redeemed by the death of Christ when he shall see a new redemption in the Masse Who will beleeue his sins to be pardoned by the death passion of Christ when he shal see a new remission of sins in the Masse Inuocation is a high worship seruice which is only due to God For in him only we beleeue how saith S. Paule shall we call vpon him in whom we haue not beleeued So that inuocation presupposeth faith such a faith as is founded vpon the word of God the Nicen creed they sing in their Masse which beginneth Credo in vnum Deum I beleeue in one only God If in one only God we ought to beleeue one only God ought we to inuocate The which inuocation being done in faith God promiseth that he will heare it Whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord saith Ioel shall escape c As S. Paule Rom. 10. 13. and Saint Peter Acts 2. 21. doe interpret it shal bee saued Also that only God ought to be inuocated is by this reason proued Sacrifice is only due to the true God this our aduersaries will not deny inuocation is a sacrifice As saith the Psal 50. 14. Sacrifice vnto me praise or as saith the common edition The sacrifice of praise The sacrifice of praise commendeth the Apostle Hebr. 13. 15. and Hosea 14. 3 that we shal offer to God Therefore Inuocation sith it is a sacrifice to God onely ought it to bee offered But our aduersaries forsaking the fountaine of liuing waters haue digged them broken cesternes which can holde no water They leaue to call vppon God and inuocate the Saints And Saints sometime also that it is not knowne who they bee and some of them it may bee that are burning in hell An example haue we hereof in the prayer of S. Roccus which togither with the Crowne of our Lady in the 1581 yeare was printed in the house of Iohn Gutierres in Siuell The praier saith thus God which
Transubstantiation among our aduersaries that they hold him not a Christian but an heretike anathematized accursed and excommunicated that doth not beleeue it Wherein to the Councell of Florence held in the time of Eugenius the fourth in the yeare of our Lord 1439. do they great iniurie In this Councell were present the Emperour of Grecia the Patriarke of Constantinople and many Easterne Bishops The Greekes and Latines agreed in this Councell in the difference which they held touching the holy Spirit and in some other things they also agreed but as touching Transubstantiation albeit the Pope did labour them to allow of it yet could they neuer effect it with them And great heed tooke the Greekes that in the letter of vnitie no mention were made of Transubstantiation the which was done to the good liking of the Greeks as in the Bull of Eugenius which beginneth Exultent coeli laetetur terra appeareth wherin he giueth for good to all Christendome that the Greeke and Latine Church had once againe accorded And I surely know had their Transubstantiation bene an article of faith without which there is no saluation the Romane Church did wickedly to admit the Greeks for brothers seeing they openly denyed Transubstantiatiō That which our aduersaries say of the mutual cōsent of the Church touching the article of Transubstātiation here appeareth to be false For neither the Greek nor Eastern church euer beleeued it nor now at this day beleeueth it nor yet did the Latine Church for a thousand yeares space beleeue it Of all this which we haue spoken touching Transubstantiation we conclude that which we say to be truth that he which heareth the Masse is a great Idolater and he which sayth it is a greater The fift Domage which the Masse causeth is that besides the sayd foure domages it maintaineth many abuses as is Purgatorie Concerning Purgatorie say we there is no other purgatorie but the bloud of Christ which purgeth our sinnes By which purgation wee are reconciled with the euerlasting Father The other purgatorie say we which our aduersaries haue forged without the word of God is the head of a wolfe as Doctor Constantine did call it who for the cause of religion of infirmitie age and hard imprisonment among those cruell Canibals and eaters of mans flesh the defilers of the faith in the castle of Traiana died Purgatorie is a common cutpurse that without shame or correction stealeth robbeth and catcheth all what it can to fill the paunches of these idle bellies priests and friers all the ecclesiasticall order For whence haue they so enriched themselues whence is it that they haue builded so many sumptuous Monasteries which seeme rather Castles and pallaces of most rich kings and Princes then houses of begging Friers and poore Monkes who in times past gained their liuing with the labour of their hands Whence haue they founded so many Chappels so manie Trentals so many Masses prayed and sung which they called de requiem but of the foolish perswasion of Purgatorie As the Masse entertayneth Purgatorie so also doth Purgatorie entertaine the Masse The Masse and Purgatorie are euen as two Mules the one rubbing the other The false prophets made an old simple woman beleeue that the soule of her father mother husband daughter or other person whō she deerely loued was suffering most grieuous torments and paines in Purgatory and demanded some reliefe by the Masse or Masses which should be said for it Then the poore old woman taking it from their mouth ioyned peece to peece 68 Blancas which is a ryall went to a Priest and giuing him the tyall for Masses are sold for money besought him to say a Masse with great deuotion for the soule of her father or some other person whom she loued And were the old woman so much more superstitions then went she to a monasterie holding it for certaine that the Fryers liued a more religious and holy life then the Priestes and being come to the monasterie besought the Sextan or potter to cause a Masse with all speede to be sayd The Sextan or porter sayd it should presently bee done Then went out a Father to say the Masse and tooke money of her to whom better had it beene to haue giuen then taken it from her for God knoweth the pouertie that remayned in the house of this old woman and the riches and superfluity that was in the monasterie And a faire thing it was that they sayd it not for her for oftentimes it happeneth that more Masses are receiued for in one day then all the Priestes of the monastery can say in a moneth And this is the cause why they cannot say all the Masses they receiue for But thou wilt say vnto mee Why do these reuerend men take of them more money for Masses then they well can say Me seemeth they rob in doing this which thou sayest Hereunto I answer that they reckon not of this nor make they any conscience thus to rob and deceiue And that which is worse this their theft and robberie do they sanctifie saying that is very well done and that necessity so requireth that the deuotion of the people be not despised Ad the Pope for the cause aforesayd a proueth and maketh good this theft and commandeth them to say two Masses at euery moneths end one for the quicke another for the dead which two Masses saith he are as auayleable as all those how many soeuer they haue omitted to say Did the Magistrates their dutie they would seeke and in the chests of their Monasteries should find such Bulles such mockeries and such licenses to steale Purgatorie haue they made a new article of faith so that he which beleeueth it not is therefore an heretike If it be heresie not to beleeue that which neither in the doctrine of the old or new Testament is confirmed Nor is in any of the three Creedes of the Apostles the Nicen nor of Athanasius being a Summarie token out of the scripture which a Christian ought to beleeue conteyned The 6. domage is that suppose the sacrifice of the Masse or sacrament of the altar As they call it had bene such As they paint it out Yet should it not be wel administred sith the Christian people are defrauded and depriued of the one halfe of the sacrament because they giue them not the sacramentall wine which is the sacrament of the bloud of Christ shed for vs vpon the Crosse when the other halfe is receiued they giue it seldome once in the yeare wickedly with so many superstitions and Idolatries As we haue already proued In bread and wine did Iesus Christ institute this sacrament for the high signification and allusion which the bread and wine holde with his bodie and with his bloud and commaunded his Apostles in the selfe same maner As they had seene him celebrate the supper in memoriall of his death to celebrate it When he gaue thē the bread he said Take
eate this is my bodie And when he gaue the wine he said Drinke ye all of this This is my blood In giuing the wine he addeth that not without great mistery this word all for with this word All doth the Lord preuent arme vs against the heretikes which were afterwardes to arise saying Drinke not all of the wine Our aduersaries cannot deny the Lord to haue said Drinke yee all of this They cannot deny that all those which haue receaued the bread haue not drunke of the wine And so saith S. Marke And they all dranke thereof As litle also can they deny that they themselues coÌ„mand contrary to the coÌ„mandement of God that all do not drinke thereof What shall we hereupon conclude That they be heretikes Albeit they deny it because they falsify and clip the most holy sacrament which Christ did institute If the lawes commaund that he which falsifieth or clippeth the coyne bearing the figure of the king or the Lord of the land shal die What punishment shal he deserue that falsifieth clippeth the sacrament which hath not only the figure of Christ but his proper body bloud As in bread wine Iesus Christ did celebrate his supper Euen so did his Apostles celebrate it afterwards Read the 11. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthes where S. Paule intreateth of the celebration of the holie supper But the space of one thousand yeares was the selfe same order touching the substaÌ„ce of the supper obserued in the Church vntil false prophets arose that brake this good order which Christ did institute and his Apostles the Church did long time after obserue These would shew theÌ„se lues to be more wise theÌ„ Christ so coÌ„maÌ„ded they that no Christian were he not a priest shuld receiue wheÌ„ they coÌ„municated the coÌ„secrated wine And their reasons they yeeld but very friuolous ridiculous why they so commaund The first is because there is no difference betwene the priest and the people Great pride arrogancy is this euer haue they pretended to keepe Christian people in subiection So are they called the Clergie for being as they say The Lot of the Lord. As though the people for whom Christ died were the lot of the diuell The second cause is the danger of shedding the bloud by the beardes if the people should drink it If this bee the cause why giue they it not to womeÌ„ seeing they haue no beards why giue they it not to many which either by nature or shauing or cutting haue no beards Why command they not that all Christians should be beard shauen Why permit they the Pope and many Cardinals Bishops in Italie to nourish their beards and so no danger should be The third say they that receiuing the forme of the bread they receiue the body of Christ and by consequence as they call it receaue they the bloud And thus say they that vnder one forme they receaue both thinges the bodie and bloud of Christ Oh learned men Oh great wits The Lord commandeth that all shuld drink They countermaÌ„d saying That all shal not drinke that to receaue one kind is sufficient And a faire thing is this that they coÌ„demne those for heretikes which receiue the supper in both kinds As Christ did celebrate as the Apostles all the Church for more then a thousand so many yeares celebrated the same They see not that in condemning vs they condemne Christ his Apostles all the Church for so many yeares Let theÌ„ shew me one Church that comunicated in one kind for the space of 1000. yeres after the death of Christ Tehâ—s reasons all whatsoeuer they can imagine and in their fantasie forge wil not suffice to diminish nor defeat the order which Christ ordayned in his Church In bread aud wine did Christ institute this sacrament so distributed it to his Apostles and commanded them so to doe the same S. Paul as a good disciple obedient to his maister did so celebrate the holy supper distributing the bread which is the sacrament of the body and the wine which is the sacrament of the bloud Ye saith he cannot drinke the cup of the Lord the cup of diuels c. And a little before by the cup he had made mention of the coÌ„munion of the bloud of the participation of his bodie by the bread Also as often as ye shal eate this bread drinke this cup c. So that whosoeuer shall eate this bread and drink this cup of the Lord vnworthyly c. Let euery one therefore proue himselfe so eate of that bread and drinke of that cup. Also for he that eateth and drinketh vnworthyly c. Of all those that did communicate spake S. Paul and not of the priests alone This selfe same order of communicating in both kindes was for many yeares obserued in the Church As in the ecclesiastical histories writings of the fathers some of whom I wil here alleage appeareth Our flesh saith Tertullian is fed with the flesh bloud of Iesus Christ that the soule may be nourished of God Oftentimes doth S. Cyprian make mention of this coÌ„munion in both kinds in bread wine Read his sermon intituled Delapsis In which not once but 5 or 6 times he maketh mention thereof Also he saith that those which did coÌ„municate receiued the sacrament with the hand giueth a reason why we ought to coÌ„municate in both kinds the which is of other touch then those which our aduersaries giue why we should not in both kindes coÌ„municate How shal we exhort saith S. Cyprian the people to shed their bloud for the confesion of Christ if when they enter the combate we deny them the bloud of Christ Or how shall we make theÌ„ capable to drink the cup of martirdome If we admit theÌ„ not first to drink the cup of the Lord Also that which we said of the same S. Cyprian coÌ„cerning the young Infant wheÌ„ we spake of the miracles that in both kinds receiued the sacrament Chrisostome saith We are not as in the olde lawe where the priest toke his portion and the people had the rest but one selfe same body is here giuen to all and one selfe same cup and all whatsoeuer is in the Eucharist is common both to priest and people Chrisostome in this sacrament putteth not the difference that our aduersaries doe betweene the priest the people That the priest in both kindes communicate and the people only in one But we will shew for greater confusion of our aduersaries all those foure Doctors As they call them of the Church to bee for vs. As great credit giue they to the Doctrine which these foure Doctours with one common consent doe teach As they giue to the Gospell it selfe Saint Ambrose As Theodoret lib. 5. cap. 17. reporteth speaking with the Emperour Theodosius 1. a naturall Spaniarde of Italica which we now call olde Siuill one
the day houre and moment when Christ offered it for which cause it neither ought nor may be reiterated without doing most great iniurie to Christ as though his sacrifice which he once offered were not fufficient to obtain pardon for all sins that therefore another new sacrifice were needful or at the least to reiterat the old All as many as were or shal be saued not onely since the death of Christ but before his death also frō the first iust Abel vnto the last were are shal be saued by the vertue of this only sacrifice once offered Otherwise must he often haue suffered since the foundation of the world But now in the end of the world hath he appeared once to put away sin by the sacrifice of himselfe These be the words of the Apostle against which nothing impugneth that which S. Iohn saith in his Reuelatiō That the Lambe Christ was slaine frō the beginning of the world for Iesus Christ but onely once died this was whē Tiberius Caesar was Emperor which is now 1566. yeares since How thē saith S. Iohn that he died frō the beginning of the world To this say we that S. Iohn meant that the sacrifice which Christ offred did not only profit those that in the time of Christ or sithence liued but all those also which were long time before frō the beginning of the world For all before the death of Christ which beleeued that the seed of the woman which is Christ should breake the head of the serpent which is the diuel were neither more nor lesse saued then these which sithence the death of Christ beleeue that he is come and that by dying he hath ouercome the deuill In the same God whom we beleeue beleued they the same faith which wee hold held they and by the same sacrifice of Iesus Christ one only time no more offred they we are saued The same Sacraments as touching the substance that we haue had they So wittnesseth Saint Paul when he saieth Moreouer Brethren I would not that yee should be ignorant That all our fathers were vnder the cloud and all passed through the Sea and were all baptised vnto Moses in the cloud and in the sea and did all eate the same spirituall meate and did all drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of the spirituall Rocke that followed them which Rock was Christ This is the difference between them and vs that they beleeued Christ the Messias shuld come and we beleeue that he is already come and hath fulfilled all whatsoeuer was written of him We then here conclude that with one only sacrifice which Iesus Christ offred and this one only time and no more he sanctified for euer all those that from the beginning of the world haue bene are and shall be sanctified The Lord God which whē we were the children of wrath and his enemies hath shewed vs such mercie giue vs grace firmely and constantly to perseuer in this faith perseuering may liue in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life The holy Scripture as we haue seen mentioneth two kinds of Priests which offer sacrifice for sinnes the one after the order of Aaron the other after the order of Melchisedech Many there were after the order of Aaron because being mortall they died and being dead one succeded another After the order of Melchisedech no other Priest there is but only Christ who being an euerlasting Priest and his sacrifice being of euerlasting vertue admitteth no companion for he only is sufficient This priesthood shall shall endure for euer and it is proper to the new Testament wherein there is not nor can be more then one onely Priest which neither hath nor can haue companion nor successor in his office For he is an euerlasting priest and therefore his offering one only time offered is of euerlasting vertue Hereupon we then conclude that if the Masse-priests which say they offer Christ in Sacrifice for the sins of men be Priests instituted by God either they so be after the order of Aaron or after the order of Melchisedech for of these two only orders the scripture maketh mention But Priests they be not after the order of Aaron which already ceased with the death of Christ As little are they of the order of Melchisedech for after this order there is but one only Priest which is Christ Hereuppon it followeth that if they be Priests not by God but by the diuell be they instituted and so be they the Priests of Baal May it please our God and Lord to conuert them Or if they bee vessels of wrath to breake them with his rod of yron that they doe not more mischiefe to the Catholique Church the Spouse of Iesus Christ and with his precious bloud redeemed I trust in mine omnipotent God that one day he will haue mercie vppon our country of Spaine and send the true Elias which with the power of Gods word shal kill these false prophets filthy priests Besides the expiatory sacrifice wherof we haue spoken anothere there is called Eucharisticall of thanksgiuing This sacrifice offereth and ought to offer euery faithfull and Catholique Christian and for such a one he that offereth it not neither is nor ought to be holden What maner of sacrifice this is in the beginning of this Treatise of the Masse we haue before declared And if euery Christian offer vnto God this kind of sacrifice it followeth hereupon that euery Christian seeing he offreth sacrifice is a priest And for this cause God commanded Moses to say these words to all the people of Israel Ye shall be vnto me a kingdom of Priests and a holy nation And S. Peter speaking to all the faithfull saith Ye are a chosen generation a royall priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you out of darknesse into his maruellous light c. S. Iohn in his Reuelation speaking of the Lambe saith Thou hast made vs vnto our God kings priests Of this which we haue said we conclude Christ only to be the Preist who offring vp himselfe this onely once obtained for vs remission of sins that all faithful christians are priests that not once but manie times euery day euery houre euery moment so ought it to be done do offer sacrifices of praises vnto God And why ought we to praise God to giue him thanks For al the benefits which we receiue ech momēt of him touching both body soule But for this benefit chiefly that passeth all others which is the inestimable benefit that we receiue by the death passion of Christ By the sin of the first Adam we were all made sinners and seruants of sinne sonnes of wrath enemies of God and to two sorts of death temporall and eternall of body soule condemned Strangers we were from the common wealth of Israel
which is the house of God And so all the goodnes which was in vs was either wholly lost and banished from vs or els corrupted and endamaged through sinne So that we cannot think well much lesse can we doe well The cause of all this is sin which as saith Saint Paul entred into the world by Adam by sin death And so death went ouer all men for as much as all men haue sinned But contrary wise by the righteousnes of the second Adam Christ by his obedience by his death passion for of no lesse power to saue was his obedience then the disobedience of the first Adam to condemne all are we made iust free from sin sonnes friends of God heires of life eternal citizens of the heauenly Ierusalem desirous to do wel and enemies vnto euil and whatsouer wickednes is in vs it is conuerted into goodnes For by Christ grace entred into the world and by grace life and so went grace vnto all men in him in whom all men were saued O my God how vnspeakeable is thy mercie and goodnesse that thou so much louedst the sinfull world that thou gauest thine only begotten son that euery one that beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life c. And if God so loued the world that he spared not his onely begotten son but gaue him vp for vs how theÌ„ shal he not giue vs al things with him Who shall lay anie thing to the charge of Gods elect And that moreouer which S. Paul to this purpose saith Rom. 8. 32. But God setteth out his loue or charitie towards vs seeing that whiles wee were yet sinners Christ died for vs. Much more then being now iustified by his bloud shall wee be saued from wrath through him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more now being reconciled vnto God shall wee be saued by his life c. Who so listeth to know and meditate vppon that which Christ did and suffered to obtaine for him remission of sinnes and reconcile him with God let him reade the historie which the Euangelists set downe concerning the life and death of Christ he shall finde that from the houre wherein he was borne vâ—ntil he died no other thing he was but a verie example of crosses afflictions miseries and calamities And what greater miserie then to be born in a manger amongst beasts And that when he was borne it behoued him to fly to a strange land for feare of Herod who sought to slay him This miserie can none vnderstand but he that with aduersitie hath bene a stranger And to what land did he fly To a land of a barbarous language and strange religion It is great comfort for a stranger to find people of his owne nation but much more is it to find people of his owne religion Very long should I be thus to prosecute the life of Christ to the Euangelists I referre me And if miserable was his life to the eyes of men much more miserable and vnhappy was his death Sith as a transgression of the diuine and humane law he was publikely sentenced to die vpon the crosse which kind of death was not giuen but to abominable persons which had committed enormious offences and sinnes And so pronounced the holy scripture such sentence when it said Cursed is he vvhich hangeth on the tree And so Saint Paul speaking of Christs humiliation saith He became obedient vnto the death euen the death of the crosse And all this which he out wardly suffered was nothing in comparison of that which his most holy soule inwardly felt this was the insupportable burthen of sinnes not his but of all men which God layd vpon him for which hee onely was to satisfie This so great a weight felt Christ when praying in the garden he sayd Father if thou wilt let this cuppe passe from me yet not mine but thy will be done And so great was his sorrow that an Angell from heauen appeared vnto him and comforted him and notwithstanding being in an agonie hee prayed more earnestly and his sweate was as witnesseth the same Euangelist like droppes of bloud trickling downe to the ground so as abhorred and forsaken of the Father for the multitude of sins not his but ours which were poured vpon him a little before he gaue vp the ghost cried he out with a loud voice saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Christ thou seest here cast into the depth of hell striuing with death with sin with the diuel which fel to the erth with him but their reioycing not loÌ„g endured for Christ aided by his diuine power returned vpon his enemies and did in such sort suppresse them that he vaÌ„quisht theÌ„ for euer This is that which S. Peter saith Whom God hath raised vp anâ— loosed the sorrowes of death because it was impossible that he should be holden of it And so Christ hauing vaÌ„quished his enemies satified the Father for our sins reconciled vs with him went out victorious froÌ„ this cruel bloudy battell Read for this purpose Esai 53. wherein Esayas seemeth not to bee a prophet which foretelleth that which should happen to Christ but an Euangelist which recounteth that which already had befallen him In the 4. verse he saith Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrowes yet we did iudge him as plagued and smitten of God and humbled vers 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions hee was broken for our iniquities the chastisment of our peace was layd vpon him and with his stripes are we healed verse 6. All we like sheepe haue gone astray we haue turned euery one to his owne way and the Lord hath layd vpon him the iniquitie of vs all c. And ver 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous seruant iustifie manie for he shall beare their iniquities An admirable chapter is this against the obstinate Iewes which expect their Messiah to be verie mighty in this world a great warriour which shall kill and cleaue asunder But here the Prophet depaintcth out a man the most humbled of any that hath been whipped and wounded of God and men without any forme or beautie so had he bene handled of God and men Admirable also is this chapter to proue the Diuinitie of the Son of God of the Messiah of our Christ For who can by faith in him which the prophet calleth with his knowledge iustifie men Who can giue righteousnesse and take away the sinnes of men but God alone This doth Christ therefore is he God The same Christ Matth. 9. 6. saith that he hath power to pardon sinnes and so said he to the sicke of the palsie Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes be forgiuen thee For which cause said the Scribes that he blasphemed And so said he to the sinful woman Luk 7. 4. S. Thy sinnes are
negligence forgetfulnes of the things which concern our saluation that we shuld not forget the benefit of his death passion did institute the most holy sacrament of his precious body which he gaue vpon the crosse of his precious bloud which he shed in his passion which sacramēt he wold shuld be vnto vs a memoriall of al that which he suffred for vs of the benefit we receiue by his death passion As often as ye shal do this to wit as ye shall celebrate the holy Supper ye shal do it saith Christ in remembrance of me One only time was Christ offered and by this only offering he obtained for vs a generall pardon of all our sinnes But hee would we should alwayes remember this benefit And to help our memorie did he institute this sacrament and willeth wee not once but many times in our life receiue it The institution of this Sacrament the Euangelists Matthew Marke and Luke do declare but most largely Saint Paul in 1. Cor. chap. 11. and in the tenth chap. he beginneth also to intreate thereof He are wee then Saint Peul declare how Christ celebrated his holy supper wherein hee instituted the Sacrament of his body and of his bloud I receiued of the Lord saith Saint Paul that which I also deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus the same night that he was betrayed tooke bread and when he had giuen thanks he brake it and said Take eate This is my body which is broken for you Do this in remembrance of mee Likewise also after supper he tooke the cup saying This is the new testament in my bloud Do this as often as you shall drinke it in remembrance of me For as often as you shall eate this bread and drinke of this cup ye shall shew forth the Lords death vntill his comming Whosoeuer therefore shall eate this bread and drinke of this cup vnworthily shall be guiltie of the body and bloud of the Lord. Let then a man proue himselfe and so eate of that bread and drinke of that cup. For who so eateth and drinketh the same vnworthily eateth and drinketh his owne damnation not considering the Lords body We haue heard how the Lord did celebrate his holy supper and instituted therein the most holy sacrament of his body and bloud The same order that Iesus Christ vsed in celebrating of it held his Apostles as often as they celebrated the same This selfe same order as we haue before shewed was for a thousand yeares space obserued in the Church Albeit true it is that before the thousand yeares were accomplished Sathan enuying the great benefite and comfort which we receiue with this sacrament began to alter it adding thereto many thinges touching rites and ceremonies But the thousand yeares passed the whole sacrament with furie hee cast to the earth and in place thereof aduaunced an idoll made of dough made betweene two irons which they adore and sacrifice vnto neither more nor lesse then if it were God himselfe that created heauen and earth But in all this time of so great ignoraunce and Idolatrie The Lord as we haue said did neuer vtterly forsake his Church For euer he raised vp some true prophet some holy man or men that with zeale of the Lordes house and nor accompting of the daunger whereunto they thrust their liues reproued the world Because through the Church of God was sold this so horrible idolatry But particularly in these our times hath the Lord shewed mercy raysing vp very many learned godly men Which being simple poore men haue with great zeale opposed them selues to the tyranny of Antichrist and to all the power of the world which was inchanted bewitched with the false Doctrine of Antichrist And so hath God blessed the labour of these men As he blessed in times past the labour of the Apostles meane simple people that they haue cast to the earth the Missa or Masse the breaden God which our aduersaries haue raysed vp and haue eftsoones restored the holy supper which the Lord Iesus the night before he should suffer celebrated with his disciples They that haue eyes to see Let them see and they that haue eares to heare Let them heare That seeing and hearing All the world may iudge if that be true which we say I will here set downe the order holden in our Churches which God by the meanes of these holy men hath in our time reformed when the holy supper is celebrated Hearken then O Spaine what in thine owne Language I speake that small and great learned and vnlearned may vnderstand me The forme which is holden in the reformed Churches of celebration of the holie supper of the Lord. It is to be noted That the Lords day before the supper is celebratae The minister doth warne the people that each one dispose and prepare himselfe to receiue it worthily and with such reuerence as is meete The second thing which is done is that youthes which haue now attayned to yeares of discretion doe not present themselues to receiue it before they he well instructed and taught in the Christian Doctrine and have made profession of their faith in the Church Thirdly if therebe any straungers or newe commers which be as yet rude and ignorant in religion that they come present themselues to be taught particularly in that which is meete for them to know the day on which they celebrate the same the minister at the end of the sermon toucheth somewhat concerning the misteries Or if neede require his whole sermon treateth of the Doctrine of the supper to declare to the people what the Lord by this mistery will say giue to vnderstand And how we ought to receiue it After that the minister hath publiquely prayed he saith the generall confession after the confession of faith made to witnes in the name of the people that they all wil liue die in the doctrin Christian religion The table being prepared the bread wine vpō it he thus aloud speaketh The institution of the holy supper of the Lord Let vs heare how Iesus Christ did institute vnto vs his holy supper according to that which S. Paule in the 11. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians declareth I receiued of the Lord c. As we haue before recited The forme of excomunication and excluding from the holy supper of the Lord these which be not worthy to receiue it We haue heard brethren how the Lord celebrated the supper with his disciples and in that which he did he sheweth vnto vs that straungers to wit those which be not of the fellowship of his faithfull ought not to be admitted vnto it Following therefore this rule in the name by the authoritie of our Lord Iesus Christ I excommunicate all Idolaters blasphemers contempners of God heretiques all Schismatiques which make sects a part to break the vnity of the Church all periured persons all that be
keepe my statutes and do them The same teacheth Iesus Christ Mat. 15. 9 saying In vane do yee honor me teaching for doctrine the commandements of men The new doctrine of men doth teach that in the worship of God the traditions ceremonies and constitutions of the Roman Church ought to be obserued and that the Cannon law doth equall the constitutions of the Popes in value with the Gospell and that it is necessarie to keepe them for as saith Pope Leo 4. The Gospel cannot well be obserued if a man obey not iointly therewith all the decrees and constitutions of the Fathers Dist 15. cap. Sicut Dist 19. cap In canonicis Dist 20. cap. De libellis The ancient doctrine of God teacheth that the worship of images is a thing abominable Deut. 27. 15. Leuit. 26. 1. and expresly forbidden in the second commandement of the law of God Exod. 20. 4. and Deut. 5. 8. 9. also that the holy Spirit calleth images Teachers of lies and vanitie Ierem. 10. 8. Habac. 2. 18. And therefore in no wise to be allowed in the Temples of Christians in which Iesus Christ hath bene painted out before the eyes of the faithfull by the preaching of the Gospell Gal. 4. 1. The new doctrine of men teacheth that the worship of images is well pleasing to God and verie necessarie and profitable for the Church And that images are the Bookes of the Laytie Hee therefore that teacheth the contrary is cursed and anathema Concil Trid. Sess 9. The ancient doctrine of God doth teach that Christians ought to imitate the faith godlinesse and good doctrine of the Saints as they imitated Christ 1. Cor. 11. 1. Heb. 6. 12 cap. 13. 7. But that in no wise they ought to inuocate them nor put their confidence in them 1 Because inuocation is an honor due to God alone which he declareth by his Prophet Esay 48. 11. Mine honour will I not giue to another 2 Because the Saints being in this world will not receiue this honor neither the Angels As Act. ch 10. 26. chap 14. 14. Reuâ—â—â—s 19. 10. chap. 22 9. appeareth 3 Because they be ignorant and do not know vs as Esay 63. 16. doth very clearely teach saying Abraham hath forgotten vs and Israel doth not know vs Thou Lord art our Father and Redeemer So that as the Israelites in the old Testament were idâ—laters and transgressours of the Law of God when they sacrificed to another then God alone So be all they at this day that inuocate Saints or Angels wherein they do contrarie to the doctrine of Christ Maâ— 6. 9. chap. 11. 28. Ioh. chap. 16. 24. And contrary to the example of all the Saints Psal 22. 6. Neâ—â—e 9. 27. Gen. 32. 9. Exod. 2. 25. cap. 17. 12. Iosua 10. 13. Psal 107. and 11. 8. 5. c. Act. 4. and 24. and cap. 16. 25. c. The new doctrine of men teacheth that Christians ought to inuocate the Saints and to be ayded by their intercession to God because they be his familiars Also that it is a false and wicked opinion to beleeue that the Saints pray not for men and that the inuocation of Saints is idolatrie contrary to the word of God and that he which so teacheth and beleeueth is accursed and anathema Concil Trid. Sess 9. The ancient doctrine of God teacheth that Iesus Christ our Lord being true God and true man â—s the onely and perfect sauiour of the world who saith by his Prophet Esay chap. 63. 3. I haue troden the wine-presse alone and of all the people there was none with me And of whom saith the Angell Matth. 1. 21. Thou shalt call his name Iesus for hee shall saue his people from their sinnes And the Apostle Saint Iohn doth witnesse 1. Ioh. 1. 7. that the bloud of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God doth cleanse vs from all sinne The new doctrine of men teacheth that Iesus Christ is not a perfect Sauiour for Christ saith it died onely for originall sinne And that by his death he satisfied for the fault but that God being iust will that man satisfie hâ—s iustice for the punishment Also that the purgation of sinnes is made by good works satisfactions Masses indulgences and Purgatorie Lib. 4. Sent. distinct 17. and 18. The ancient doctrine of God doth teach that Iesus Christ is the onely Mediator between God and man and our Aduocate and Intercessor to the Father and that no other can be found nor ought to bee sought for 1. Because there is no saluation in any other but in him alone Act. 4. 12. 2. Because 〈…〉 other but Christ only can be sufficient for this office which hath all power in heauen and in earth and remaineth euer with his to the end of the world Math. 28. 18. 20. â— Because Christ hath loued vs and more loueth vs then anie other seeing he gaue himselfe for vs and hath made the purgation of our sinnes with his bloud in his owne person Heb. chap. 13. And so gratiously inuited vnto him all that trauell and are heauie laden Matth. 11. and 28. So that men haue no cause to doubt of his sufficiencie power and good will but that in all their afflictions they ought to flie vnto him alone who witnesseth of himselfe Iohn chap. 14. 6. I am the way the truth and the life no man commeth to the Father but by me The new doctrine of men doth teach that Iesus Christ is not the onely Mediator but also the Saints which reigne with him in heauen and that Saint Mary also the mother of God is the Mediatrix and Aduocatrix of mankind lib. 4. Sâ—nt Distinct 45. in Mâ—ssale Paris in prosâ— Mâ—ssae de Anuntiat The ancient doctrine of God doth teach that our Redeemer Iesus Christ by the perfect sacrifice of himselfe once offered vpon the crosse for the putting away of sinne hath reconciled all the faithfull with God his Father and hath found eternall redemption so that there remayneth now no more sacrifice for sin Heb. 9. 12. 26. and cap. 10. 12. 18. The new doctrine of men doth teach that the Masse is a sacrifice for the remission of sins of the quicke and the dead Concil Trid. Sess 6. Can. â— The ancient doctrin of God doth teach that we are iustified by faith in Iesus Christ without the works of the law Rom. 3. 24. 28. Gal â— 16. as witnesseth the holy Ghost of Abraham the Father of all beleeuers Abraham saith he beleeued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnes Gen. 15. 6. Rom. 4. 3. And the Apostle S. Paul expresly addeth that this was not written only for him but also for vs to whom faith shall also be imputed for righteousnes Rom. 4. 23. 24. The new doctrine of men doth teach that not faith only but works also do iustifie Concil Trid. Ses 6. can 11. The ancient doctrine of God teacheth that faith is not doubtfull but assured of saluation which it hath by the bloud of Christ and
they taken it for an error But none of them say that Origin thought amisse of the Eucharist Therfore that which Origin saith is no error neither among the anciēt Doctors was it holden for an error But leaue we the pudles let vs drinke of the cleare water of the fountaine Leaue we apart the fathers and let vs see what the holy scriptur saith Many times doth S. Paul call it bread yea after it be consecrated after it be dedicated made the sacrament of the body of the Lord. First the bread saith he which we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ 2. For one bread is that we many are one body 3. For we be al partakers of one bread 4. So that whosoeuer shall eat of this bread c. 5. Let euery man therefore proue himselfe 50. Let him eate of that bread c. The Apostle in all these places calleth the bread bread Not because it was so But because it is so concerning the wine the Lord himselfe aftrr he had made the sacrament of his blood calleth it The fruit of the vine And I say vnto you saith he That henceforth will I not drinke more of this fruit of the vine c. what thing is the fruit of the vine or of the grape but wine S. Paule saith The cupp of Blessing which wee blesse is it not the communion of the bloud of Christ Also Or shall drinke of this cupp of the Lord vnworthily Also And drinketh of that cup. In these there places S. Paul by the cup doth vnderstand that which in the cuppe is conteyned which is that which his maister calleth the fruit of the vine or wine Here yee see that the Lord his Apostle and the auncient Doctours call that bread wine which in the sacrament is visible earthly and by the same reason admit no transubstantiation As there is none in deede This simple and sound Doctrine taketh away many absurditie inconueniences which followe transubstantiatiō it taketh away many scruples afflictions of conscience And so if the sacrament I speak as they speak for it is not a sacrament but when it is taken eaten Take saith Christ and eate and afterwards saith This is my body Then in the sacrament is not Christes body except it be taken and eaten be mouldy corrupt eaten with wormes or mice when it falleth on the ground or powered out c. For to all these things the bread and wine and not the body of Christ are subiect the bread say we is mouldy is corrupt c. The wine is spilled The which bread and wine had not rat◠but men eaten and dronken had bin the sacrament of the body blood of Christ Would our aduersaries vnderstand this they should not neede the booke which they cal De coutelas de la Missa which intreateth what ought in such former like cases to be done This booke is a continuall affliction torment and slaughter house of the consciences which haue zeale but as saith S. Paul not according to knowledge The reason is because this conscience are not founded vpon the firme foundatiō vpon the word of God but vpon the sand the traditions of men Such as will not vnderstand the words of the Lord This is my body c. Spiritually but carnally doe fall into great heresie horrible Idolatrie The Christian religion as witnesseth Athasius in his Symbol beleeueth that in Iesus Christ are 2 natures diuine and humane It beleeueth that these two natures are so vnited and conioyned in Christ that they are not confounded nor mingled one with another The diuine hath his properties and the humane his As the reasonable soule and fleshly bee one man So the diuinitie and humanitie bee one Christ It is the propertie of the diuinitie onely and of no other thing besides to bee in euery place for it is vnmeasurable infinit and no other thing there is that is vnmeasurable and infinite It is the propertie of the humanity to be in some one place and not in euery place So witnesseth the Angell speaking of the humanitie of Christ He is risen sayth he he is not here Beholde here the place where they put him And S. Peter Whom sayth he the Heauens must contayne vntill the time of the restauration of all things And so do wee hold it for an article of faith that he ascended into Heauen and is set at the right hand of God the father from thence shall he come to iudge the quicke and the dead Iesus Christ himselfe sayth The poore shall you haue alwayes with you but me shall you not haue alwayes All these places doe proue Iesus Christ according to his humanity and in as much as he is man not to bee here below but in heauen This Article of faith do our aduersaries impugne when they beleeue the body of Christ to be in euery Masse And so many as dayly through all the world are celebrated and in all their Sagrarios or pixes where they keepe it inclosed really corporally carnally so great and so big as it was vpon the crosse If this be not heresie what shall bee heresie Good Transubstantiators are our aduersaries when they haue transubstātiated the bread and the wine into the body and bloud of Christ so that now is it no bread now it is no wine but as they say the body and bloud of Christ So now they transubstatiate the humanitie of Christ his flesh and his bloud into the diuinitie seeing they attribute vbiquitie to the bodie and bloud of Christ the which is only proper to the diuinitie Iesus Christ is true God and true man But his Godhead is not his manhood and his manhood is not his Godhead The one is the Creator whose beginning is from euerlasting the other is a creature whose being had beginning Notwithstanding all this which our aduersaries of the learned I speake may heare and reade they continue obstinate and hardened and God hath left them to a reprobate mind that they may beleeue the bread to be no bread but the bodie of Christ the wine to be no wine but the bloud of Christ And so they worship that which a parish Clearke maketh betweene two yrons and the Priest giueth it a forme making it his God In the pixe do they keepe it to the sicke they carie it Vpon some feastes of the yeare and chiefly the day which they call Corpus Christi with great pompe triumph and maiestie take they it forth to walke and wo to that person that will not kneele before it I would aske them who commanded them to doe this If they know that Iesus Christ hath so done orcommaunded his Apostles so to doe Neither example nor commandement will they giue Christ neither did nor commanded any such thing nor his Apostles nor the Catholike Church did so by the space of one thousand yeares after
the death of Christ A new inuention it is humane diuelish founded vpon the wicked foundation of transubstatiation Some things there be in the Masse which manifestly declare that there is no transubstantiation as when they say in the Cannon Offerimus praeclarae maiestati tuae de tuis donis ac datis c. that is to say We offer to thy excellent Maiestie of thy gifts and of that which thou hast giuen c. a pure Ho ✚ st an holy Ho ✚ st an Ho ✚ st without spot holy ✚ bread of life eternall and a cup ✚ of euerlasting saluation One of the two either by these gifts which they offer to God doe they vnderstand the bread and the wine without any transubstantiation or els so transubstantiated into the body and bloud of Christ that now there remaynneth neither bread nor wine It apeareth by the prayer that there which there they make that by the gifts they ought to vnderstand the bread and wine without any transubstantiation which gifts the Priest prayeth God to accept as he accepted the gifts which Abel Abraham and Melchisedech offered so say they super quae propitio ac sereno vultu respicere digneris c. that is to say Vpon which gifts vouchsafe to behold with thy merciful bright countenance and to accept theÌ„ as thou pleasedst to accept the gifts of thy iust seruant Abel the sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham that holy sacrifice spotlesse â—ost which that thy high Priest Melchisedech offered to thee Beseeching humbly we pray thee to command these gifts to be caried by the hands of thine holy Angel to the high Alter before the presence of thy diuine Maiesty c. And if by gifts the bread wine vntransubstatiated be vnderstood what necessitie haue we of such a sacrifice to obtaine pardon of our sins holding that most perfect sufficieÌ„t sacrifice which one only time ought not to bee reiterated our redeemer Christ Iesus offered vpon the crosse wherewith he sanctifieth vs for euer But they will say vnto me that they vnderstand by giftes not the bread and wine vntransubstantiated but transubstantiated into the body and bloud of Christ If so they vnderstand it worse is it then it was for then the prayer which the Priest maketh is a most blasphemous blasphemie against Iesus Christ the only begotten sonne of God true God and man What pride what haughtinesse and presumption is it that a miserable sinner conceiued and borue in sinne and corruption and that doth nothing in all his life time but adde sinnes vnto sinnes dare to present himself before the maiestie of God the Father and pray him to receiue and accept his Sonne Iesus Christ And how saith he that he should accept him Euen as he accepted the giftes of Abel Abraham and Melchisedech Is Christ no other thing then Abel Abraham and Melchisedech Is the sacrifice of Christ his precious bodie and bloud which he offered no other thing then the sacrifice of Abel Abraham and Melcbisedech and then the sacrifice of all how many soeuer iust persons that haue bene and shall be Let them then be ashamed so to speake of Iesus Christ and of his sacrifice On the one side they confesse Iesus Christ to be equall with the Father as he is in essence and power and on the other side and stinking Priest put they for intercessor and mediator that the Father should accept and receiue him with a mercifull and chearefull countenance O miserable sinner pray thou vnto God that he pardon thy sinnes thy superstitions and idolatries and pray not nor intreat thou for Christ who is the Lambe without spot which taketh away the sinnes of the world he is he that committed no sinne neither was anie guile found in his mouth He needeth not thee that thou shouldest pray to the Father for him but thou hast need that he pray for thee The father himselfe speaking of his sonne faith This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him Ye see here a terrible blasphemy vttred by the priest in saying of the Masse Of that which is sayd doe wee conclude that all those which heare Masse seeing they beleeue this transubstantiation bee Idolaters and that the priest which faith it hold he intention of consecration or not is a double Idolater For he not only committeth idolatrie but causeth also all that heare his Masse to commit Idolatry Infinite thankes I giue to my God that although he permitted that I with the rest committed Idolatrie for a time in hearing the Masse yet hee neuer suffered me to commit idolatrie by saying it to others The third reason wherewith they confirme their new article of Transubstantiation is the authoritie of Doctors which they alleage and determinations of Councels They cite Ireneus who in his fifth booke saith When the cup mingled and the bread broken receiue the word of God the Eucharist of the body and bloud of Christ is made Tertullian lib. 4. faith Christ made the bread which he tooke his bodie and distributo his disciples Origen vpon Matth. chap. 25. saith This bread which God the Word doth witnesse to be his bodie c. Saint Cyprian Sermone de coena Domini saith This common bread changed into flesh and bloud procureth life Also in the same sermon he saith This bread which the Lord gaue to his disciples not in forme or appearance but chaunged in nature is made flesh of the omnipotent Word Saint Ambrose lib. 4. de Sacramentis saith Before the words of the sacrament it is bread when consecration is applied to it of bread it is made the flesh of Christ Saint Chrysostome hom de Eucharistia tom 6. sayth This Sacrament is like waxe applyed to the fire in which no substance remayneth but becommeth like to the fire So saith Chrysostome the bread and wine is consumed of the substance of the bodie of Christ Also in the 61. Homily hee saith That Christ not onely gaue himselfe that we should see him but that wee should also touch and handle him and in whose flesh also we should fasten our teeth Also Hom. 38. vppon Matthew he saith Manie say that they will and desire to see the forme and figure of Christ and also his rayment and shooes but he giueth himselfe to thee that thou maist not only see him but also touch him Saint Augustine Prolog in Psal 23. saith Christ did beare himselfe with his handes when in the Supper hee instituted the Sacrament And vpon the 98. Psalme declaring those words Fall downe before his footestoole he affirmeth that the flesh of Christ ought to be in the Sacrament adored which should not fitly be if the bread remayned Hillarie in his eight booke of the Trinitie saith Christ is in vs by the truth of nature and not by conformity of will onely and saith that in the meat of the Lord we truly receiue