the Church hath none other head but Christ yea as well that part that is Millitant as that that is Triumphant and both together because they both make but one Church And therefore writing to the Church of Corinth in his 2 Epistle 11. chapter 2. verse he said thus vnto her I haue prepared you for one husband to present you a pure Virgin to Christ And to the intent that all might know that the Church Triumphant and the Church Millitant hath both but one and the same head hee writing to the Church of Ephesus chapter 1.20.21.22.23 said thus vnto them of Christ God hath set him at his right hand in heauenly places farre aboue all principalitie and power and might and domination and euery Name that is named not in this world onely but also in that that is to come And hath made all things subiect vnder his feete and hath giuen him ouer all things to be the head of the Church which is his body euen the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all things And to the Colossians chapter 1. verses 16.17.18 thus For by him were all things created which are in heauen and which are in earth things visible and inuisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers all things were created by him and for him And hee is before all things and in him all things consist And hee is the head of the body of the Church hee is the beginning and the first begotten of the dead that in all things hee might haue the preeminence for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell By which it is manifest Christ Iesus alone is the head of the whole Church The Pope cannot claime antiquity of Bishopricke from Peter because Peter was not the first bishop but Iames. and not Peter and therefore the Pope cannot rightly claime the vniuersall headship from him If Peter had beene the supreame head of the Church why was hee not then the first Bishop of the Church but agreed with Iames and Iohn to make Iames the Iust the first Bishop as Clement the first witnesseth in these words * Clement lib. 6. Hypotip Ierusalem the most ancient mother church and not Rome Peter Iames and Iohn after the Assumption of our Sauiour challenged not this prerogatiue vnto themselues but appoynted Iames the Iust Bishop of Ierusalem And as these words of Clement proue Peter not to be the first Bishop so doe they proue Rome not to be the first Church where the first Apostolicall Bishop was placed but Ierusalem therefore not Rome but Ierusalem must needes be the most auncient Apostolike Church 14 That must needes be the most auncient Apostolike Church whose ministers Christ himselfe appointed the Apostles first to be which was the Church of Iewrie as appeareth by S. Mathew chap. 10.5.6 where after he had repeated the names of the twelue Apostles which Christ had chosen said These twelue did Iesus send forth and commanded them saying Goe not into the way of the Gentiles and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter yee not but goe yee rather to the lost sheepe of the bouse of Israell Therefore the Church of Ierusalem was the most auncient Apostolike Church and not the Church of Rome which was the chiefe of the Gentiles 15 Againe that Church must needes be the Mother of the most auncient Catholique hâ—urch in which Christ himselfe first planted the Faith and Religion which should be Catholique and by the meanes of whose Ministers the Catholique Church should receiue it which Faith and Religion Saint Mathew chap. 26.55 and Saint Luke chap. 21.37.38 witnesseth Christ taught vnto the people daily in the Temple of Ierusalem and commaunded her Ministers the Apostles to publish the same afterwards to the vniuersall world Mathew 28.19.20 therefore Ierusalem and not Rome is the Mother of the most auncient Catholique Church 16 MoreoueÌ„r There was no Romish Church at all 14. yeeres after Peter was called to be an Apostle Ierusalem must needs be the mother Church of all Christian Nations for that in her all the Apostles receiued the holy Ghost and the gifts of tougues that euery Nation might be taught by them in their owne language what to beleeue and doe to be saued the which they had largely put in practise during well-neere foureteene yeeres immediately after their calling before Peter came to Rome For they cannot denie but that Peter came not to Rome till the second yeere of Cladius the Emperour which was in the yeere of Christ his incarnation 44. Before which time Peter planted many Churches in diuers Coasts For themselues affirme in their Rozarie that before he came to Rome hee spent his time preaching in Iewry Syria Antiochia and other places Many Churches were planted in the world before Peter came to Rome Therefore seeing that besides those other Churches which were planted by the rest of the Apostles Peter planted many before he planted a Church at Rome it is cleare that when as he had planted a Church in Rome shee could be but one of the Daughters and not the Mother of the most ancient Catholique and Apostolike Church 17 Lastly it must needs be the most ancient Church and the Mother of all the Churches Millitant from which the Church Triumphant hath her name deriued but Saint Paul Galathians 4 and Saint Iohn Reuelations 21. sheweth her name to be deriued from Ierusalem therefore Ierusalem and not Rome was the Mother of all Christian Churches Millitant That is to say the onely figure of the vniuersall Mother for as Saint Matthew Chapter 23.9 sheweth the vniuersall Father to be not in earth but in Heauen so Saint Paul Galathians 4.26 sheweth the vniuersall Mother not to be in earth That must needs be the most anâ—iâ—nt Church Millitant troÌ„ which the Church Triumphant hath her name derâ—ued but in Heauen 18 And now Christian Reader as wee shewed thee at large in our fifth Chapter that before the yeere of Christ 607. there was no Popish Church in Rome and here that before the yeere of Christs incarnation 44. there was no Romish Church at all so will we now shew thee more plainly that after there was a Romish Church and that shee was become most famous for her Faith and Religion that yet euen then shee was not the Mother but a Daughter not the head but a chiefe member of the Apostolike and Catholike Church Tertullian who liued in the next age after the Apostles wrote thus b Tertul. de praescription centra Haereticos Runne ouer and behold the Apostolique Churches whereas the Apostles Chaires are yet still continued and whereas the Authenticall writings of the Apostles are pronounced sounding out the voyce and representing the face of each one of them The next Countrey to you is Achaia There haue you the Church of Corinth If ye be not farre from Macedonia there haue you the Church of Philippi and the Church of Thessalonica If ye may goe
Gentiles to offer vnto him in euery place whereas it is cleare it is meant of the whole spirituall worship and seruice of GOD vnder the Gospell which consisteth of preaching praying and thankesgiuing as may plainely appeare by these auncient Fathers interpretations vpon the same place of the Prophet Tertullian saith z Tertullian in his Exhortation vnto Chastitie The pure Sacrifice that Malachie speaketh of that should be offered in euery place is the preaching of the Gospell to the ende of the World Saint Hierome saith a Hierome vpon the first of Malachie The Prophet Malachie meaneth heereby that the prayers of holy people should be offered to God not onely in Iewrie but also in all places Also Iustinus Martyr saith b Iustinus Martyr in Dialoguo cum Triphone Esaias promised not the restoring of a bloudy Sacrifice but the true and spirituall Sacrifice of Praise and Thankesgiuing Therefore we see that the spirituall Sacrifice vnder the Gospel is preaching praying and thank esgiuing To conclude whereas they would haue made the world to belecue that their Masse and the vse thereof is but the application or applying of the Sacrifice of Christs Death and Bloud vnto vs wee see it tendeth to the vtter destroying of Christs Sacrifice for that they make their Sacrifice of the Masse the very substance of the thing it selfe CHAP. X. Tending to resolue all men that the words of Christ in the sixt Chapter of Saint Iohns Gospell touching the eating his flesh and drinking his bloud are onely but figuratiue speeches as also those his other words when he instituted the Sacrament and deliuering the Bread to his Apostles said Take eate this is my body which is giuen for you 1 OVR Sauiour Christ Iohn 6.59 teaching in the Synagogue at Capernaum deliuered these words vnto the Iewes saying I am the liuing Bread that came downe from heauen If any man eate of this Bread hee shall liue for euer and the Bread that I will giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world Verse 51. Againe Except yee eate the flesh of the Sonne of Man Verse 53. Verse 54.55.56.57 and drinke his bloud ye haue no life in you And againe Whosoeuer eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day For my flesh is meate indeede and my bloud is drinke indeede he that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him As the liuing Father hath sent me so liue I by the Father and he that eateth me euen he shall liue by me 2 Now in these words Christian Reader we are chiefly to obserue these three things First that the scope and drift of our Sauiour Christ was to enduce the Iewes to haue vnderstood that he was the second person in the Godhead equall with the Father and that it was of necessity vnto saluation that they should eate and feede on him as he was God And this is it which he said I am the liuing bread which came downe from heauen If any man eate of this bread he shall liue for euer Secondly he would they should haue knowne that he being the second person in the God-head had taken into his diuine nature flesh and bloud and that it was also of as great a necessity vnto saluation that they should eate and drinke the same and feede on his flesh and bloud And this is it which he also said Christ must be eaten as he is God as hee is man and as he is both God man Except ye eate the flesh of the Son of man and drinke his bloud ye haue no life in you Thirdly he would they should haue perceiued that as he was both God and man so it was also of as great a necessity vnto saluation that they should feede on both his natures vnitedly together And this is it which hee further said vnto them He that eateth me euen he shall liue by me By which we see it euident and plaine that none can be saued but those that doe eate Christ not onely as hee is God but also as hee is man and also as he is both God and man Eaten then he must be of necessity as both the Papists and we confesse but the manner how hee must be eaten is all the matter in question whether spiritually by faith or corporally with the mouth and teeth 3 The Iewes supposing Christ had beene man onely when they heard him say hee was the bread of God that came downe from heauen to giue life vnto the World To eate feed on Christs flesh is to beleeue that by the suffering in his flesh hee tooke away the sinne of our flesh and that he that did eate thereof should not die they were offended but when he added further and said And the bread that I will giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the World of which whosoeuer shall eate shall haue euerlasting life they raged and murmured among themselues saying How can this man giue vs his flesh to eate This is an hard saying who can heare it But when our Sauiour perceiued their carnall vnderstanding in which they so grossely erred in the manner of eating by imagining they should haue eaten him with their mouthes and teethes as their Fathers did eate Manna then in the 58. verse fully to resolue them that he meant no such kinde of eating he said The Iewes erring in the māner of eating could profit nothing by the matter they should eate Not as your Fathers did eate Manna And yet more fully to resolue them that indeede he meant a spirituall kinde of eating in the 57. verse he said plainely thus As the liuing Father hath sent me so liue I by the Father and he that eateth me euen he shall liue by me By which words he declared vnto them that as he did not liue carnally by the Father but spiritually so should they liue spiritually by him Howbeit The cause was they would none of his interpretations such was their peruersenesse that they would none of his interpretations but because he had said they must eate his God-head they would no otherwise vnderstand but that hee meant they should eate it carnally and also because hee had said they must eate his man-hood they would no otherwise but that they should eate his flesh corporally then said Christ further vnto them It is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing Meaning as they vnderstood it should bee eaten for otherwise his flesh was as profitable as his Godhead vnto those that did eate it after that manner as hee meant else would he not haue said Whosoeuer eateth my flesh hath eternall life and except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye haue no life in you But therefore they failing in the manner could profit nothing by the matter they should eate The manner wherein
And when I had opened the fift Seale I saw vnder the Alter the soules of them that were killed for the Word of God and for the testimonie which they maintained And they cried with a loud voyce saying How long Lord holy and true doest thou not iudge and auenge our bloud on them that dwell on the earth and long white robes were giuen to euery one and it was said vnto them that they should rest for a little season vntill their fellow-seruants and their brethren that should be killed euen as they were were fulfilled Loe say they here is a third place euen a place where the soules of the faithful doe rest vntill the latter day To which we answer The Alter vnder which the soules are said to rest The Altar is Christ is Christ as who so will reade the 56. Chapter of Esay and seuenth verse And 60. Chapter 7. verse of the same Prophet and 8. Chapter 3. verse of the Reuelation shall see or that will listen to these testimonies of these three ancient Fathers shall heare to wit Saint Ireneus Saint Augustine and Epyphanius Ireneus saith g Jreneus in his 4. Booke and 34. Chap. Our Alter is not in earth but in heauen Saint Augustine saith h Augustine in his 20. Booke 10. Chap. of the City of God Our Alter is in heauen thither our prayers and oblations are directed Epyphanius saith i Epiphanius in his 2. Booke of Melchisadech Christ is our Sacrifice our Priest and our Alter So that we see euidently that by the Alter is meant Christ and therefore the place in which the soules of the faithfull doe rest till the day of iudgement is vnder the foote-stoole of Christ in Heauen Wherefore those words of Saint Iohn doth not proue a third place Also this is made more manifest by the 15. verse of the 7. Chapter where he speaking of the same soules Reuel 7.15 saith They are in the presence of the Throne of God And therefore whereas the Papists would haue this place of rest Elisius Campus Abrahams bosome or Paradise to be their Elisius Campus a place of pleasure in hell which they say is Paradise or Abrahams Bosome here they are compelled either to say that the Throne of God is in hell or else to grant that the resting place of those soules is in Heauen and then where is their third place yet proued 6 But forasmuch as those words in the 6. Chapter together with the other words in the 7. Chapter doe shew the resting place of the soules of the faithful to be in heauen and a place where they do crie for the time of the perfecting their full ioy and glory it is cleare that vnder the foote-stoole of Christ is the Celestiall Paradise which in the 16. Chapter of Saint Lukes Gospell is called Abrahams Bosome where Lazarus the goâ—d thiefe Paradise is in heauen not in hâ—ll and all the faithfull doe rest with Abraham the Father of the faithfull till they receiue together the full fruition of their faith So that hereby wee see Paradise to be in Heauen and not in hell as they fable And this is yet made more plaine by Saint Paul 2 Cor. 12. where he saith I know a man in Christ about foureteene yeeres agone 2 Cor. 12.2.4 which was taken vp into the third Heauen How that he was taken vp into Paradise By which it is most manifest that Paradise is in the highest Heauen and that therefore their hellish Paradise in which they faine their purified soules of Purgatory doe rest till the last day is fabulous and doth not proue a third place 7 But now I doe expect they will answer thus Be it as you say that Paradise is in Heauen and that therein is the resting place of the soules of the faithfull yet is there at least a third place in which they did rest for a time to wit till they were purified and made fit for Heauen For to the very same effect are these words of Cardinall Allen k Allen in Fulks page 139. By long amending by fire at last they come to that reward Againe speaking of Purgatory fire he saith l Page 130. Through which the good must passe before they come to eternall ioy By which they would haue vs to vnderstand that no soule can come into the presence of God in Heauen Soules are in heauen because they haue washed themselues white in the bloud of the Lambe noâ— in the fire of Purgatory but onely such as are purified by the fire of Purgatory and that those that are in Heauen are there because first they were so purified Which how vntrue it is these words in the 14. and 15. verses of the 7. Chapter of the Reuelation will make it most euident which saith They haue washed their long Robes white in the bloud of the Lambe therefore are they in the presence of the Throne of God and serue him in his Temple day and night Now in that the holy Ghost saith Therefore it is as cleare as the Sunne at noone day that all those that are admitted into the presence of God in Heauen are so dignified because by the hands of their faith they haue washed themselues white in the bloud of Christ not in the fire of Purgatory Wherefore as those words before cited did vtterly ouerthrow their hellish Paradise so doth these words vtterly ouerthrow their hellish Purgatorie 8 Thirdly to proue yet that the soules are made perfect by the fire of Purgatorie they cite the words of Saint Paul 1 Cor. 1 Cor. 3.13 3. where he speaking of ignorant Teachers and their doctrine saith Euery mans worke shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be reuealed by fire Which words they would make the World to beleeue are meant of the fire of Purgatory that shall as they say purge curious and vaine doctrine and those that haue built it on the foundation Christ whereas the very words themselues doe make it plaine to the contrary for in that it saith the day shall declare it 2 Pet. 1 Chap. 19 verse 2 Thes 2. ch 8. he meant the truth the light whereof Saint Peter calleth The day-starre 2. Epistle 1. Chapter And the power thereof Saint Paul 2 Thessalonians 2. Chapter 8 calleth the Spirit of Gods mouth wherewith he sheweth that Antichrist and all Antichristian Teachers and their doctrine shall be consumed euen as fire consumeth the drosse and fineth the gold and siluer And therefore in that Chapter where hee speaketh of purging by fire that no man should vnderstand him to meane a corporall or materiall fire hee concludeth of that matter thus 1 Cor. 3.8 As it were by the fire That is as it were by fire the vaine doctrine shall be burned and consumed by the fire of Gods truth and the Teacher thereof being tryed thereby to hold the foundation sound the Church shall not condemne him as an heretique
wrought Ergo c. THE ANSWERE 20 Heere hee noteth out Antichrist by three speciall miracles which he saith he shall worke which because no Pope hitherto hath wrought they cannot be Antichrist Touching the first namely that he shall make fire descend from heauen wee say That forasmuch as there is no time set downe when that miracle shall be wrought and that there remayneth a Pope and how many shall succeede him who can tell all which make the great Antichrist therefore till the full end and terme of their reigne and that it can be proued that not any one Pope euer wrought that miracle none of the predecessours are cleared from being Antichrist for we find throughout the whole Scriptures that whatsoeuer is done by any one of them is imputed vnto all 21 But as touching the true sense of those words diuers of the Learned doe conclude that by making fire descend from heauen is meant that he should doe such miracles and so great wonders as should as greatly preuaile to draw the people from God to himselfe as the fire that came downe from heauen at the prayer of Elias did preuaile to draw the people from Baall to God 1. Kings 18â—â— 38.39 and that it is no more meant that Antichrist should cause fire really to descend from heauen then in the eleuenth chapter that materiall fire should proceede out of the two witnesses mouthes and destroy their enemies or in the ninth chapter that out of horses mouthes should issue fire smoake and brimstone to deuoure men 22 Secondly he saith that Antichrist shall make the Image of a beast to speake We answere The text saith not of a beast but of The beast That is as the verse going before saith The Image of the beast which had the wound of a sword and did liue Which as Erasmus expoundeth was the Heathenish domination vnder the Heathenish Emperours of Rome Whose heathenishnesse was almost stricken cleane dead by the sword of the Spirit which Saint Paul Ephes 6. Ephes 6.17 calleth the Word of God which wound was afterwards salued but fully healed by that spirituall beast which the 11. and 12. verses of the 13. chapter of the Reuclation declareth rose vp in the Roman kingdome resembling Christ the Lambe for as the Text saith He did all that the first beast could doe before him Whereby hee brought the latter Domination so liuely to resemble the former as any picture or image could possibly be made to resemble any beast therefore by the second Domination vnder the Popes is meant that image which Antichrist should make to speake that is should cause to publish and proclaime that as many as would not be conformable to all the heathenish ordinances thereof as in the former Domination should be killed By which means it came to passe as who so will reade the latter end of the thirteenth chapter shall see that all were brought to be subiect to his Lore Now therefore whether we may vnderstand this great worke to be accomplished by a painted picture or carued image and that by that same image which Antichrist should make to speake should be meant the image of some carnall beast or whether this be not a meer carnall interpretation of theirs let the discreete Reader iudge 23 Thirdly he saith Antichrist shall faine himselfe to die and rise agayne which thing if any one of his places doe proue I doe heere promise to recant Wherefore as the Popes not working those three miracles actually are not thereby cleared from being Antichrist so do not these miracles proue Bellarmines Iew to worke them to proue him to be Antichrist Therefore let vs come to some further triall with them for the better finding out of Antichrist by the miracles which he shal work in which no better course can be taken then by searching out the place where he shal worke them for if he shall worke them in that one City or Nation of the Iewes then it is likely he shall be a Iew but if all the world ouer in the Cities and Nations of the Gentiles then it is more likely he shall not be a Iew but a Gentile Now as the 13. verse of the 13. chapter of the Reuel Reu. 13.13 saith of Antichrist Hee made fire come downe from heauen so the next verse saith By the signes which were permitted for him to doe hee deceiued them that dwell on the earth By which it is most apparent that Antichrist shall not worke his wonders in that one City of Ierusalem nor yet in that one nation of the Iewes but ouer a great part of the whole earth among the Gentiles therefore this proueth he shall not be a lew but a Gentile Againe Saint Iohn in his 16. chapter of the same Booke speaking of Antichrist and his miracle-monger and the place where they should worke their miracles saith And I saw three vncleane spirits like frogges Reu. 16.13 come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false Prophet for they are the spirits of diuels working miracles to goe vnto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world Also in the eighteenth chapter that Angell speaking there of Babylon the seate of Antichrist saith With thine inchantments were deceiued all Nations By which then wee see that the case standeth cleare that Antichrists miracles shall not be wrought in that corner of the world among the Iewes but all the world ouer among the Gentiles therefore Antichrist shall not bee a Iew but a Gentile Also seeing wee our selues in this our age doe see how the Papists euery where incline themselues to miracles and that the Pope doth daily send his Seminaries abroad to worke his wonders all the world ouer by plaine experience wee may be bolde to say the Pope is that Gentile But they say no and who then shall decide the matter that shall hee whom they confesse to bâ—e indifferent betweene both Erasmus who hath thus written vpon the same place of the Reuelation k Erasmus What wonderfull tokens sayth hee haue beene wrought in the Papacie and to what end Christ himselfe did prophecie long agoe vnto his Disciples and gaue them warning of them Againe touching those three vncleane spirits which should deceiue the Kings of the earth and the greatest part of the world by their miracles he sayth l Erasmus vpon the 16. chap. The first is the diuellish Dragon the second is the beast at Rome the very right Antichrist the third is the false Prophet not one person but a whole order and multitude of Bishops and religious persons Monks Friers c. And a little after These are three such foule and vncleane spirits as none can be found more vncleane and yet do they worke miracles Wherefore then seeing that Antichrists great miracles are wrought in the Papacie the Sea of Rome and else where by the authority of the father of Perdition the Dragon of
the person of Christ he saith Esay 63.3 Chapter 63.3 I haue trodden the Wine-presse alone and of all people there is none with me Or that which the Authour to the Hebrewes saith of Christ Heb. 1.3 Chapter 1.3 He hath purged our sinnes by himselfe or that which he saith Heb. 9.26 Chapter 9.26 He hath put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe Wherefore as I said if we must imbrace their doctrine for truth then must we reiect the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles as erroneous But what saith Saint Ambrose to this partnership in taking away sinne euen thus he saith Å¿ Ambrose in his 9. Booke 76. Epistle The Lord remaineth alone for no man can be partner with God in forgiuing of sinnes this is Christs onely office that hath taken away the sinnes of the World Therefore to restraine the power of Christs sacrifice to that onely one sinne of Adam that so the multitude of our transgressions might be done away by the sacrifice of their Masse is vtterly to ouerthrow the proper prerogatiue of Christ and the whole vertue of his death and passion in which the matter of remission of sinnes iustification and saluation doth onely consist For as the Apostle Saint Paul saith Colossians 1.22 Colossians 1.22 In the bodie of his flesh through death he made vs holy and vnblameable and without fault in the sight of God and set at peace through the bloud of his Crosse both the things in earth and the things in heauen Wherefore to bring in any other sacrifice for sinne but onely the oblation of Christs body broken and his bloud shed and that offered by himselfe once for all is vtterly to ouerthrow all whatsoeuer Christ hath done for mans redemption to cast mens mindes into a doubtfull wauering of their saluation to proue the Prophets and Apostles false witnesses and finally to dissolue the whole harmony of the Scriptures both Propheticall and Apostolicall Hebrewes 9.14 For in that the holy Ghost saith Hebrewes 9.14 Christ offered vp himselfe it is cleare that no sacrifice can serue for sinne but where Christ himselfe is the Priest Also seeing hee saith verse 22. Without shedding of bloud there is no remission of sins Cap. 9.22 if Christ himselfe should come amongst vs and offer himselfe neuer so often and not shed his bloud it could doe vs no good Againe seeing hee saith likewise thus of Christ Verse 25. Not that he should offer himselfe often Cap. 9.25 for then must he often haue suffered since the foundation of 〈…〉 he offering himselfe neuer so often without as 〈…〉 death could doe vs as little good Therefore wâ—â—â—â—eeth not but that the sacrifice of the Masse whereat Christ is not the Priest nor in which the bloud of Christ is shed nor he suffering death how often soeuer it be celebrated for our sinnes profiteth iust nothing at all nor doth any good Nay rather who seeth not what hurt it doth in that men are induced to looke for that there which indeede is not there to be had For whereas they make the multitude to beleeue that they sacrifice in their Masse the very body of Christ for their sinnes the Scripture denieth him to be there or any where else but in heauen Heb. 10.12 For as the Authour to the Hebrews saith Chap. 10.12 This man after hee had offered one Sacrifice for sinnes sitteth for euer at the right hand of God and from thence tarrieth till his enemies bee made his foote-stoole which as Saint Luke sheweth Acts 3.21 is till the end of the World and therefore how can they come by his body to offer in their Masse As for that they say it is easily to be come by because by the words of consecration the bread is transubstantiated into the body of Christ and the wine into his bloud is easily confuted by Saint Chrysostome Theodoret Pope Galasius and their Bishop Fisher Chrisostome saith t Chrisostome Ad Caesatima Monachum The bread when it is sanctified by meanes of the Priest it is exalted to the name of Lords body yet the nature of bread doth still remaine Againe he saith v Hom. 11. on Matthew The very body of Christ it selfe is not in the holy vessels but the mistery thereof is there contained Theodoret saith * Theo. in Diologue 1. The sacramental signes goe not from their owne nature after sanctification Pope Galasius saith x Gala. against Eutiches There leaueth not to be the substance of bread and wine nor the nature of wine Their Bishop Fisher saith y Fisher against Luther No man shall proue by the very words of the Gospell that any Priest in these our dayes doth consecrate the very body and bloud of Christ And a little after hee saith Neither is there any word found here meaning in the new Testament to proue that there is the true presence of Christs flesh and bloud in our Masse So that by this who seeth not how impiously they delude the ignorant in making them to beleeue that they haue the body of Christ in the Pixe or Priests boxe to sacrifice for their sinnes and cause them also to commit idolatry in adoring the bread for Christ 6 Now therefore Christian Reader forasmuch as thou heardest before that the holy Ghost maketh it a necessitie that so often as Christ is offered for sinne hee must as often be crucified to death it is cleare that the Papists necessitie of daily offering bringeth in with it a necessitie of daily crucifying and killing of Christ Wherefore in ordayning an order of daily sacrificers of Christ what else doe they but establish an order of daily crucifiers and killers of him in which therefore it is euident they shew themselues much more horrible and vile then Iudas did in betraying of Christ For notwithstanding Iudas for filthie lucre deliuered his Maister to be crucified yet did he not seeke to procure an order for the continuall crucifying of him neyther to iustifie his action did hee contend with the gaine sayers but with great horrour of conscience condemned it as euill and after a sort repented and brought againe the money the hier of his fact and deliuered it backe to the owners but these murtherers not onely contend for the necessity of that they doe but also haue receiued great summes of money oftentimes to sacrifice and consequently to crucifie Christ and yet haue they not by restoring any part thereof shewed so much as that signe of Iudas his outward repentance Moreouer it is very cleare that this their doings hath a farre worse effect then Iudas his action had for Iudas his action in respect of Gods determinate counsell furthered mans saluation but the necessitie of daily sacrificing for sinne vnder the Gospell vtterly ouerthroweth mans saluation Malac. 1.11 And yet notwithstanding they sticke not to say that this is that Sacrifice of the New Testament which the Prophet Malachie fore-tolde God had appoynted the Christian
but saue his life For if Saint Paul should haue spoken those words to haue maintained a place of purging sinne then should hee haue vtterly confounded all his owne doctrine throughout all his Epistles where he so laboureth to proue that our sins are wholly purged by the bloud of Christ onely For first in the third Chapter to the Romans he saith thus of Christ Whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud Rom. 3.25 Rom. 5.9 And in his 5. Chapter thus Being now iustified by his bloud we shall be saued from wrath through him And in the first to the Colossians thus Colos 1.13 Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenesse and hath translated vs into the Kingdome of his deare Sonne in whom wee haue redemption through his bloud that is the forgiuenesse of sinnes And in the same Chapter Verse 19.20 For it pleased the Father that in him all fulnesse should dwell and by him to reconcile all things vnto himselfe and to set at peace through the bloud of his Crosse both the things in earth and the things in Heauen And for a full conclusion of this point namely that wee are absolutely made perfect by Christs death and bloud he saith verse 22. In the body of his flesh Verse 22. through death he made vs vnblameable and without fault in the sight of God Now then this being true to wit that we are fully and wholly reconciled to God by faith in the bloud of Christ and our sinnes cleane washed away thereby so as that we are made vnblameable and without fault in Gods sight how absurd had it beene for Saint Paul to haue taught any other kinde of purgation Therefore it is cleare that those his words in the third Chapter to the Corinthians cannot be vnderstood of Purgatory 9 Furthermore as touching the truth of this doctrine namely that our sinnes are washed and cleansed onely by the bloud of Christ Saint Paul is not singular in this point for as we heard before out of the seauenth Chapter of the Reuelation that it was confirmed to Saint Iohn by the Angell of God from Heauen so likewise whosoeuer will reade the first Chapter of that Booke shall finde these words set downe concerning Christ Vnto him that loued vs Reuel 1.5.6 and washed vs from our sinnes in his bloud and made vs Kings and Priests vnto God euen his Father be glory and dominion for euermore Amen And in the 1 Chapter to the Hebrewes thus Heb. 1.3 Who being the brightnesse of the glory and the ingraued forme of his person and bearing vp all things by his mighty Word hath by himselfe purged our sinnes And in the first Epistle and the first Chapter of Saint Iohn thus Iohn 1. Epist 1. chap. 7. The bloud of Iesus Christ cleanseth vs from all sinne Wherefore then seeing that of the bond slaues of Sathan we are made Kings and Priests to God by the bloud of Christ and that Christ of himselfe and by himselfe hath so purged our sinnes as whereby wee are made vnblameable and without fault in Gods sight why should we nay rather how dare we beleeue it is done by Purgatory Againe seeing the holy Ghost saith By the bloud of Christ Verse 9. wee are cleansed from all sinne and in the verses following From all vnrighteousnesse And that Saint Paul saith Titus 2. Titus 2.14 He redeemed vs from all iniquitie why should we suffer our selues to be so deluded to thinke that there is any sinne vnrighteousnesse or iniquity at all left to be purged by their imagined Purgatorie or that there can be any vse at all thereof or be any such place 10 Saint Cyprian speaking of the matter of our purging saith thus m Cyprian of Christs passion Thy bloud O Lord seeketh no reuenge thy bloud washeth our sinnes and pardoneth our trespasses Also to shew that there can be none other purgation nor any place for the purging of sinne after this life he saith else-where n In his first Treatise against Demetrian After we be once departed out of this life there is no more place of repentance there is no more effect or working of satisfaction life is here either lost or wonne Also to the very same effect are those words of Saint Augustine o August vpon the 25. Psalme Let onely the price of the bloud of my Lord auaile me to the perfection of my deliuery And in another place thus p In his 10. Booke 22 Ch. of the City of God The victory is gotten in his name that hath taken man vpon him and that hath liued without sinne that in him and through him being both the Priest and the sacrifice remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes should be obtained and giuen that is to say saith he by the Mediatour of God and man that man Iesus Christ by whom the purging of our sinnes being made we are reconciled vnto God Well then if onely the bloud of Christ be auaileable to the perfection of our deliuerance from sinne and that the purgation thereof be so effectually made thereby as that our sinnes are washed away and all our trespasses pardoned and wee reconciled vnto God in this life and that here in this life euerlasting life is either lost or wonne and that after this life repentance comes too late and no satisfaction can be made to what end should God prouide a place after this life for the better perfecting of our saluation But therefore it is which Saint Augustine in another place saith q In his 54. Epistle to Macidonius There is no other place to correct our manners and conditions but onely in this life euery man shall haue that which he hath purchased vnto himselfe in this World And what vse then can there be of Purgatory Saint Ignatius saith r Ignatius in his 6. Epistle Alwayes reason requireth that whiles we haue space and time we should amend and correct our faults whiles in this life wee haue occasion giuen of repentance for it is truly said after death there is neither time nor place to confesse our sinnes And why then should wee beleeue that there is both place and time Saint Ambrose saith s Ambrose vpon good death He that here in this life receiueth not remission of his sinnes shall not be there in the life to come meaning Heauen Also Saint Hierome speaking of the same point saith thus t Hierome in his Booke vpon the 95. of Esay He that doth not obtaine remission of his sinnes whiles he yet liueth in the body doth perish to God and abideth to himselfe vnto euerlasting damnation And what auaileth Purgatory after this life then Saint Chrisostome likewise speaking of the same point saith u Chrisost in his 2. Sermon of Lazarus Whiles we be yet here we haue a godly hope but as soone as we are departed hence it lieth no more in vs for to repent nor