bread of life And that the Aduersarie shoulde not haue anie place to put in his glosing woorde spirituallie and to saie that he receaueth the bodie of the vndefiled lambe spirituallie S. Augustin maketh a stoppe in the woordes that folowe saing he dothe saie mening vibicus that blood hath geuen place to the cuppe not remeÌ„bring that he also nowe doth receaue blood in the cuppe Which saing of saincte Augustin openeth the true faith of the catholique Churche and wipeth oute the false faithe of the malignant Churche For they well vnderstande that to receaue the bloode of Chryste in the cuppe teacheth a reall presence of the same And as yt ys manifest by S. Augustin that the bloode ys receaued reallie So ys the flesh of the bodie of the immaculate lambe receaued reallie For as the one ys receaued so ys the other Thus ye haue hearde sainct Augustine his wittnesse of the trueth of this matter Nowe shall be ioined to him Isychius who beareth full testimonie of the same trueth Thys man as the learned knowe applieng the leuiticall Sacrifices and Ceremonies to the thinges which they figured in the euangelicall lawe dothe at large expownd this place and figure of the Shewe breads Whose exposition though yt be long yet forasmoche as yt ys fructfull my trust ys that yt shall not be tediouse but euen as I for the readers commoditie did with good will transcribe yt So I trust that he wil with like good wil reade yt And that the wholl matter maie be knowen to the Reader I will alleadge aÌ„d bringe the wholl text of the scripture as this Authour hath yt aÌ„d then putto his expositioÌ„ wherby yt shal be seen how euerie parte of the text ys applied Thus alleageth he the text Accipies quoque similam coques ex ea duodecim panes qui singuli habebunt duas Decimas quorum senos altrinsecus super mensam purissimam coram Domino statues pones super eos thus lucidissimum vt sit Isychius li. 7. ca. 24. panis in monimentum oblationis Domini Per singula Sabbata mutabuntur coram Domino suscepti à filijs Israël foedere sempiterno Eruntque Aaron et filiorum eius vt comedant eos in loco sancto quia Sanctum Sanctorum est de sacrificio Domini iure perpetuo And thowe shalt take fine flowre and bake twelue loaues therof two tenth deales shall be in one loaff And thowe shallt sett them in two rowes sixe on a rowe vpon the pure table of thy Lorde And putte pure frankencense vpon the rowes that they maye be breades of remembrance and an offring to thy Lorde Euery Sabboth shall he putte them in rowes before thy Lorde for euermore Of the children of Israell shall they be offred for an euerlasting couenaunte And they be Aarons and his sonnes whiche shall eate them in the holie place For they are most holie to him of the offringes of thy Lorde by a perpetuall statute Vpon this text thus writeth Isychius Vocat ad contemplationem mandati nos ipse panum numeras sed propositio quia non ipsos quemadmodum ea quae suâ—t de sartagine craticula clibano holocaustum fieri praecipit sed poni quidem in mensa altrinsecus solis eos licere sacerdotibus non Leuitis edere vt tamen ab ipsis in loco sancto comedantur Sed quia SanctuÌ„ sanctorum appellati sunt intellige quae dicuntur dabit enim tibi Dominus intellectum memento mysticae mensae de qua nulli praesumere praeceptum est excepto intelligibili Aaron id est Christo Ipse enim eam primus initiauit sed filijs eius qui ab eo facti sunt Christi induti sunt eo quam tamen comedere in loco sancto iussi sunt Est verò et Sanctum sanctorum vt sanctificationem habeant praecipuam et indespicabilem Illi panes ex duabus decimis Dei enim et hominis sunt eiusdem in vtroque perfecti ponuntur seni altrinsecus Mystica mensa ponitur quidem hic ponitur etiam in futuro scculo Sex autem panes propositio vna quiae perfectus numerus sicut mysterium ipsum perfectum est perfectos facit eos qui hoc fruuntur In sex autem diebus haec visibilis facta est creatura sextaue die homo productus est propter quem Christus mysticam praeparauit mensam Veruntamen omnes simul rectè duodecim panes sunt quia primi dominicam coenauerunt Apostoli qui erant duodecim numero The verie nombre of the loaues doth call vs to the contemplacion or deligent beholding of the commaundement So doth also the setting furthe of them and that he doth not commaunde them to be made a burnt sacrifice as those thinges whiche be of the frieng panne of the gridiron and fornace but that they shall be put vpon the table on the one parte and to be laufull to the preistes alone and not to the Leuites to eate them and yet they maie not be eaten of them but in the holie place But also bicause they be called most holie vnderstande these thinges that be saied Owre Lorde shall geue thee vnderstanding Remembre the mysticall table of whiche yt ys commaunded no man to eate except the intelligible Aaron that ys to saie Chryst he first began this table except also his children whiche of him were made Chrystes and were cloathed with him whiche table yet they were commaunded to eate in the holie place Yt ys also most holie that they shoulde haue a principall and reuerente holinesse Those loaues are of two tenth deales that ys of God and man perfecte in both Six loaues are sett on a rowe For the mysticall table ys sett here and ys sett also in the worlde to come Sixe loaues ys one rowe for yt ys a perfect nombre as the mysterie ys also perfect and maketh them perfecte that do vse yt In sixe daies the visible creature was made the sixte daie also man was created for whom Chryste prepared the mysticall table And yet for all that all the loaues together are verie well twelue For the Apostoles that first supped at the Supper of our Lorde were in nombre twelue Thus moche Isychius Of whome we learne a full applicacion of the figure to the thing of the Shew bread to Chryst For beginning to open the figure and to sett furthe Shewbread applied to the Sacrament the thing figured by the Shew bread he saieth MemeÌ„to mysticae mensae RemeÌ„bre the mystical table Wherbie he meeneth the blessed bread of the table of Christ which after he openeth with verie plain woordes wheÌ„ he saieth The Shew breades were made of two teÌ„ths deales Chryst the verie bread ys made of the Godhead and the manhead in both perfecte perfect God and perfecte man Yf this applicacion were not plain enough I wolde tarie longer vpon yt But yt ys easie to perceaue that by the Shew bread ys figured that
maner of presences of Chryst. two maner of beinges of Chryst the one ys in the Sacrament wher he saieth Chryste ys as in a sign token or figure but not in veritie The other maner of being ys not in the Sacramēt but in the receauer of yt in whom he saieth Chryst ys spirituallie As for this seconde maner of being euerie good Chrystian will graunte that euerie wourthie receauer of the Sacrament receaueth Chryste spirituallie but not onelie spirituallie as the Aduersarie teacheth but he also receaueth Chrystes verie real ād substācial bodie So that in this secōd maner he dissenteth in part from the catholike faith But in the first maner of beinge he dissenteth whollie for ther he denieth Chrystes bodie to be verilie in the Sacrament which the catholique faith doth affirme and teache Nowe gentle reader thowe hauest hearde this figure of the Paschall Lambe both by great auncient Authours that were aboue a thousand yeyears agon or within the compasse of sixe hundreth years after Chryst and also by Authours that were within the compasse of these nine hundreth years applied to the thing figured Whiche thing figured by one consent and by one mouth as yt were and by consonante and vniforme testimonie they haue testified and taught not onelie to be Chrystes bodie vpon the crosse for that in that parte yt aunswereth the death and bloode sheding of the lambe but also the bodie of Chryst being in the Sacrament not as in a shaddowe signe or token but verilie substanciallie and reallie and so not spirituallie onelie eaten and receaued But of all good christians both spirituallie with the mouth of the soule and also reallie with the mouthe of the bodie taken eaten and reccaued herin also aunsweringe the figure that as the lambe was eaten in the remembrance of the sauing of the first born and of their deliuerance from the tirannie of Pharao and of their passing oute of Aegipte by the mightie hand of God So the true faithfull of Chryst shoulde eate the verie Paschall lambe of the newe Testament whiche ys the verie bodie of that immaculate Lambe our Sauiour Iesus Chryst reallie and substanciallie in the Sacrament and so receaue yt in the remembrance of our deliueraunce from our cruell Pharao the Deuell and from the miserable seruitude of Aegipt whiche ys sinne Whiche benefittes as they haue happened to vs by the death of that blessed Lambe aught by the eating of him in the Sacramēt to be remēbred And thus moche for the figure of the Paschall Lambe THE TWO AND TWENTETH CHAPITER BEginneth the applicacion of the shewe bread to the Sacrament as of the figure to the veritie by sainct Hierom and Damascen NOwe ther remaineth three other figures to be treacted of which be Manna the water flowing oute of the Rocke and the shewe bread But for somoche as sainct Paule maketh mencion of two of them that ys of Manna and of the water and I wolde not gladlie grieue the reader with reading of one matter twice I shall disfer theise two vntill we come to treacte of the sainges of sainct Paule whiche shall be in the third booke Wherfore nowe I will passe them ouer and treacte here of the figure of the shewe bread Of this shewe bread we first read thus Thowe shalt sett vpon the table shewe breade before me allwaie These woordes Allmightie God spake vnto Moyses after he had tolde him the maner and Exod. 25. fashion of the table howe yt shoulde be made and granished vpon the which table this shewe breades shoulde allway be sett But of the making of the breads and the ordre of them we reade in Leuit. 24. Leuiticus thus And thowe shalt take fine flowre and bake twelue wassells therof two tenth deals shall be in one wassell And thowe shalt sett them in two rowes that they maie be bread of remembrance and an offring vnto thy Lord God euery Sabboth He shall put them in rowes before thy Load God euermore Of the children of Israël shall they be offred for an euerlasting couenante And they shall be Aarons and his Sonnes whiche shall eate them in the holie place For they are most holie vnto him of the offringes of the Lorde by a perpetuall statute In the whiche saing of God ye first perceaue the place of theise breades whiche ys vpon the table in the tabernacle Ye vnderstande also the continuance of them whiche ys that they must be before the Lorde allwaie Further this bread was made of fine flowre and yt was the bread of remembrance and an offring vnto the Lord. Yt was no common bread but an holie bread wherof the preistes onelie might eate and no defiled person Wherfore when Dauid and his men were verie hungrie and came to Abimelech the preist and desired him to geue them some bread he 2. Reg. 21. aunswered him that he hadd no common bread vnder his hand but hallowed bread neuerthelesse he considering their necessitie asked Dauid if the men had kept them selues from vnclaen thinges especiallie from womē And when Dauid had aunswered that they werie clean from womē aboute three daies the preist gaue them of the bread Nowe all the Ceremonialls of the lawe of Moyses were figures of Chryst and his Churche as by sainct Augustine before ys declared And for so moche as the Shewe bread was a sollemne offring in the olde lawe Yt must nedes be a figure of some thing in the newe lawe For no iotte nor title of the olde lawe shall escape saieth Chryst vntill yt be fullfilled in the newe lawe Ther ys therfor something in the newe lawe that aunswereth and fulfilleth this figure of the olde lawe And that ys vndoubtedlie that most blessed Shew bread a figure of the Sacrament and heauenlie bread of life the verie bodie of our Sauiour Christ in the Sacrament vnder the forme of bread Whiche blessed bread aunswereth the figure the Shewe bread verie aptelie and iustilie as by comparison in discourse and applicacion of them we shall perceaue The Shewe bread was placed vpon the table in the tabernacle This bread ys placed on the Altar in the Churche That bread neuer failed Shew bread applied to the Sacrament but was allwaies reserued This bread allwaies remaineth and ys reserued That bread was a bread of remembrance This bread ys a bread of remembrance bothe of Chrystes death and of the great benefett pourchased by the same death That bread was an offringe to God This bread ys a most holie oblacion and sacrifice to God That bread might no defiled person eate This bread maie no defiled sinner eate For Quicunque manducauerit panem Domini biberit calicem indignè reus erit corporis sanguinis Domini c. he that eateth the breade of our Lorde and drinketh of his cuppe vnwourthilie shal be giltie of the bodie of our Lorde 1. Cor. 11. Therfor let a man examin himself and so let him eate of that bread and drinke of that cuppe
the neutre gendre importeth a difference substanciall from the thing that yt ys compared to and so the two thinges that be compared together be of two different substances And therfore for somoche as the Father the Sonne and the holie Goste be three distincted persons the catholique faithe teacheth vs to saie Alius est Pater alius Filius alius Spiritus sanctus The Father ys one the Sonne ys an other and the holie Goste ys an other But formoche as they be not distincted in substāce we maie not saie Aliud est Pater aliud Filius aliud Spiritus sanctus The Father ys one thing the Sonne an other thing and the holie Gost an other thinge But cōtrarie wise bicause these three be one in substance the Scripture teacheth vs thus Tres sunt qui testimonium dant in coelo Pater Verbum Spiritus sanctus hi tres vnum sunt Ther be three that beare wittnesse Ioan. 5. Vnum in the neutre gēdre signifieth vnitie of substāce Ioan. 10. in heauen the Father the Sonne and the holie Gost and these three be Vnum that ys one thing or substance not Vnus one person So we reade in the Gospell Ego Pater vnum sumus I and the Father be one that ys in substance So here where sainct Cyprian saieth Aliud est quod appositum c. Yt ys one thinge that was sett before them and cōsumed and an other thing that the master did geue and distribute he sheweth that these two thinges were thinges substanciallie distincted For before yt was the substance of bread of the whiche he spake in the beginning of the sentence whē he saied Manducauerāt de eodem pane secundùm formam visibilem They had eaten of the same bread after a visible forme But nowe after the solemne benediction yt ys an other substance that ys the substance of Chryste whiche as before ys saied ys the medicin to heale our infirmities and the sacrifice to pourge our iniquities Yf ther were the same substance of bread still remaining after the consecracion by the solemne blessinge as was before so as ther were none other chaunge but an accidentall chaunge that ys as the Aduersaries saie that the bread before the woordes of Chryst spoken ouer yt For they abhorre to vse the woorde consecracion as saincte Cyprian dothe and other holie Fathers ys but comon bread but after the woordes be spoken yt ys a sacramentall bread then this Authour wolde not saie Aliud est yt ys an other thing Whiche latin woord Aliud respecteth the difference of the substance as ys before saied and ys as moch to saie as an other thing in substance or an other substance Wherfore to conclude this holie Martir of Chryste teacheth vs here The bread that before consecraciō serueth to nourish the bodie onelie after cōsecraciō ys an other thing whiche nourisheth the soule that the bread consecrated by the Solemne benediction wher before yt was bread onelie to nourish the bodie yt ys nowe after the consecracion a thing profitable for the healthe and life of the wholl man that ys both of the bodie and of the soule being a medicin to beale infirmities and a sacrifice to pourge iniquities Which thing ys an other thing from the thing that yt was before differing from that in substance We must nedes therfore affir me and professe that yt ys the verie bodie of Chryst substanciall and Reall But that this maie appeare vnto yow to be the verie minde of saincte Cyprian and not a sense of mine owne wresting as the Aduersaries for the more parte will saie when ells they coulde saie nothing being put to scilēce by force of the trueth ye shall heare an other place of the same Authour At Melchisedech Rex Salem protulit panem vinum fuit enim sacerdos Li. 2. Epi. 3. ad Cicil. Dei summi benedixit Abraham Quòd autem Melchisedech typum Christi portaret declarat Spiritus sanctus in psalmis ex persona Patris ad Filium dicens Ante luciferum genui te Iurauit Dominus non poenitebit eum tu es sacerdos in aeternum secundùm ordinem Melchisedech Qui ordo vtique hic est de sacrificio illo veniens inde descendens quòd Melchisedech sacerdos Dei summi fuit quòd panem vinum obtulit quòd Abraham benedixit Nam qui magis sacerdos Dei summi quà m Christus Iesus Dominus noster qui sacrisicium Deo Patri obtulit obtulit hoc idem quod Melchisedech obtulerat id est panem vinum suum scilicet corpus sanguinem And a litle after yt foloweth Vt ergo in Genesiper Melchisedech Sacerdotem benedictio circa Abraham possit ritè celebrari praecedit antè imago sacrificij in pane vino scilicet constituta Quam rem perficiens adimplens Dominus panem calicem mixtum vino obtulit qui est plenitudo veritatem praefiguratae imaginis adimpleuit And Melchisedech King of Salem saieth holie Cyprian brought furthe bread and wine For he was the preist of the most high God and he blessed Abraham And that Melchisedech did beare the figure of Chryste the holie Gost in the person of the Father to the Sonne dothe declare in the psalmes saing Before the daie starre haue I begotten thee Owre Lorde hath The ordre of Melchisedech came to Chryst not onelie in that he was the high preist but in that he offred bread and wine the like sacrifice sworn and yt shall not repent him Thowe arte a preist for euer after the ordre of Melchisedech Whiche ordre also ys this cominge from that Sacrifice and from thence descendinge that Melchisedech was the preist of the most high God that he offred bread and wine that he Blessed Abraham For who ys more the preist of the most high God then our Lorde Iesus Chryste who did offer sacrifice to God the Father And offred the verie same that Melchisedech had offred that ys to saie bread and wine euen hys bodie and bloode And after a fewe woordes he proceadeth thus That therfore the blessinge aboute Abraham might laufullie be celebrated by Melchisedech the preist in Genesis the ymage of the sacrifice goeth before appointed in bread and wine Whiche thing owre Lorde perfecting and fullfillinge hath offred the bread and the cuppe mixed with wine And he that ys the fullnesse hath fulfilled the trueth of the prefigurated ymage Thus farre saincte Cyprian What neadeth me here to saie any thing wher euery parte of the sentence ys so plain that yt clerelie and plainlie openeth yt self As touching the speciall matter of thys place do ye not see that he saieth Melchisedech was the figure of Chryst Do ye not perceaue that he also saieth that the holie Gost declareth the same in the psalme Do ye not also see that Melchisedech was the figure of Chryst in three poincts that ys in that he was the preist of the most high God
Deo defertur oratione petitur pro populo pro regibus pro caeteris Vbi venitur vt cōsiciatur venerabile Sacramētū iā non suis sermonibus vtitur sacerdos sed vtitur sermonibus Christi Ergo sermo Christi hoc conficit Sacramentum Let vs then teache this How Cōsecraciō how yt ys doen cā that that ys bread be the bodie of Chryste By consecraciō By what ād whose woordes ys the consecracion Of our Lord Iesus For all the other things that be saied laude ys geuē to God peticiō ys made in praier for the people for kinges and other Whē the time ys comed that the honorable Sacrament shall be made then the preist vseth not his owne woordes but the woordes of Chryste Therfor Yt ys the woorde of Christe that maketh this Sacrament A plain place of S. Amb. for master Iuell Thus moche S. Ambrose whose woords are so plain that I nede not by notes vnto yow declare the same ād his testimonie so cōsonaunt and agreable with the Fathers before alleaged for this matter her hādled that ye maie euidētlie perceaue howe one trueth and the self same doctrine hath bē cōstantly taught in the diuerse ages in the whiche these Fathers liued And to ascend a litle higher and nearer to the Apostles time we will for the full declaracion of this treuth and doctrine allready auouched heare Eusebius Emis in homil pasch Christ doth consecrate his own bodie by turning the substance of bread c. the testimonie of Eusebius Emissenus an auncient Father in Chrystes church who saieth thus Inuisibilis sacerdos visibiles creaturas in substantiam corporis sanguinis verbo suo secreta potestate conuertit The inuisible preist with his woord by a secret power turneth the visible creatures into the substance of his bodie and bloode Thus Eusebius Whome heare yowe here tomake the bodie of Chryste dothe not the inuisible preist which ys our Sauiour Iesus Chryste and not the preist who ys but the ministre as the Auersaries maliciouslie blaspheme But leauing to thee gentle reader to weigh and consider what maner of people they are that haue feigned soche abhominable vntrueths as to saie to deceaue with all that the preist made God and to iudge what credite aught to be geuen to soche as with lies slaunders and blashemies go aboute to maintein their detestable heresies I will ioin one more of like auncientie to this Eusebius and then I trust this maie satisfie thee in this matter And this shall be Cyprian that holie martir who speaking of euell receauers Cypr. decoena Dom. saieth thus Melius erat illis mola asinaria collo alligata mergi in pelagus quà m illota conscientia de manu Domini accipere qui vsque hodie hoc veracissimū sanctissimū corpus suū creat sanctificat et benedicit piè sumentibus diuidit Yt were better for thē a milstone tied to their neckes to be drowned Christ doth create sanctisie and blesse his own bodie a plain saig of S. Cyp. in the sea then with an vnwasshed consciēce to take the morsell at the hāde of our Lorde who vntill this daie doth create and sanctifie and blesse and to the godlie receauers diuide this his most true and most holie bodie Thus Cipr. Do ye not see and learn by this holy martir who doth make the bodie of Chryst in the Sacrament Oure Lord saieth he dothe euen till this tune create sanctifie and blesse this his most holie bodie Note also against these signe makers and figure feigners that he saieth not he createth a bodie But his bodie Corpus suum and not an imaginatiue bodie but veracissimū sanctissimū corpus suū his most true ād most holie bodie And he did not onelie so do in his last supper as the Petrobrusiās saied sed vsque hodie creat vntil this daie he dothe create sanctisie and blesse this his most true and most holie bodie Wherbie ys taught that Chryste and none other dothe cōtinuallie create in that holie ministraciō ād make his bodie Nowe ye haue heard frō the latter daies vntill the time of this holie martir Cipriā and Eusebius before alleaged who were nere to the primitiue churche what hath bē taught as cōcerning this matter in diuerse ages and that Supra li. 1. cap. 31. aswell in the Greke Church as in the Latin Churche whiche ys that Chryste himself doth woorke this wonderfull worke of consecracion to make present in this blessed sacrament his verie bodie and bloode and not the preist who as Chrysostom hath taught speaketh the woordes but the power and grace of God dothe consecrate the thinges Wherfore Reader take hede of this wicked sorte of people who as ye maie perceaue haue not onelie for the setting furthe of their wicked heresies wickedlie slaundered the wholle Churche and the holie ministerie of the same But also most impudētlie haue spoken the contrarie of that that the famouse learned holie Fathers haue taught What trueth maie be thought to be in thē in other matters by this ye maie coniecture But nowe leauing this matter as sufficientlie declared and proued against them I will resume my entended pourpose to expownde the sixt of saincte Iohn wherof ye haue heard one texte and the testimonie of diuerse Fathers auouching the same to be vnderstanded of the blessed Sacrament and of the reall presence of Chrystes bodie in the same Nowe will I proceade to other textes in the same chapiter touching this matter THE NINTH CHAPITER EXPOVNDETH THE next text that foloweth in sainct Iohn THe next text folowing in the sixt chapiter of saincte Iohn ys this Litigabant ergo Iudaei adinuicem dicentes Quomodò potest hic nobis carnem suam dare ad manducandum The Iewes stroue emong them Ioan. 6. selues sainge How can this felowe geue vs his flesh to eate The Iewes vnto whom as saincte Paule saieth vsque in hodiernum diem cùm legitur Moyses velamen positum est super cor eorum Vntill this daie when 2. Cor. 3. Moyses ys red the veill ys putt vpon their heartes their vnderstandinges being carnall and couered with so grosse a veill that they coulde not perceaue the spirituall talke of Chryste they stroue together and asked howe he coulde geue them his flesh to eate They lacked the right principle of the vnderstanding of his matter whiche ys faith Esay 7. For Nisi credideritis non intelligetis Vnlesse ye beleue ye shall not vnderstaud They did not vnderstand yt bicause they did not beleue yt No more shall they vnderstande vntill they turne vnto God by true beleif as saincte Paule saieth Cùm autem conuersi fuerint ad Dominum auferetnr velamē de corde eorū Neuerthelesse when they turne to our Lord the veile shall be taken awaie frō their hearte And then shall they not vse this woorde of incredulitie and doubtfullnesse whiche neuer passith from man but in the wante of faithe as saieth Chrysostom
wherof note gentle reader as before ys saied that as S. Iames and S. Clement directe their communicacion in praier to God the Father so doth S. Basill Chrysostom and S. Ambrose so also doth the catholique Church The schismaticall Church of the Proclamer and his felowes doth not so but reherseth historicallie the woordes of the scripture Yf yt should be asked whie the Proclamer and his likes refuse to folowe herin the auncient maner of the primitiue Church the imitaciō of whiche Protestāts why they folow not the maner of primitiue Church they so moch pretend and so often haue yt in their mouth yt ys easie to aunswer that they so doo bicause innouaciō which delighteth yt self with thown inuencions and desiereth nouelties and liketh allmost nothing that before was fownded ād setled by the Fathers which also pleaseth the people thursting chaunges of thinges occupieth their heades Other cause whie they shoulde not kepe the same forme maner and order of consecracion as the Apostles their Disciples and the Fathers did whie they should not cōtinew their peticion and praier in the time of consecraciō to god the father as they did whie theie vse not soch phrase and maner of woordes as all or most or some of thē did whie they put not water to the wine as all they did I cā none assign But to conclud hitherto yt maie be perceaued that the catholique Church in nothing varieth from the Apostolique primitiue and auncient Church and that the hereticall Church in nothing as touching consecraciō agreeth THE SIXE AND THIRTETH CHAP. DEclareth what was the intencion of the Apostles and Fathers in and aboute the consecracion in the Masse THe order by me appointed now requireth that we search what was the faith ād intenciō of the Apostles and Fathers of the primitiue Church aswell Grekes as Latines in and about the cōsecracion Yt ys a world to see how the Proclamer like a commōiester trifleth with soch a weightie matter Ah mercifull God that wise men can not see the deuelish wicked intēts of this heretical brood Brentius and Caluine contemne the woordes of the formes of Sacraments The Proclamer mocketh and skorneth the intencion of soch as mynistre the sacraments Yet when these two be taken awaie what sacrament haue yowe But that I tread not oute of my path leauing to entre the disputacion of intencion and faith generallie in all sacraments I will onelie here declare the intencion of the consecracion of the B. Sacrament by the practise of the Apostles and fathers And without all circumstances breiflie to entre into the matter we will first see the intent and faith of S. Iames what he thouht to be wrought in the consecracion of the Sacrament Which his goodlie praier wilfullie declare wherin he praieth thus Miserere nostri Deus omnipotens miserere nostri Deus seruator noster misere nostri Deus secundùm magnam misericordiam tuam demitte super nos et super haec dona proposita Spiritum tuum sanctissimum Dominum viuificum S. Jacobus in Missa vnà tecum Deo Patre et vnigenito Filio tuo assidentem simul regnantem consubstantialem ac coeternū qui locutus est in lege et Prophetis et in nouo tuo testamento qui descendit in specie columbae super D. n. Iesum Christum in Iordanis stuuio mansit super eum qui descendit super Apostolos tuos in specie ignearum linguarum in coenaculo sanctae gloriosae Syon in die Pentecostes Ipsum spiritum tuum sanctiss demitte nunc quoque Domme in nos in haec dona sancta proposita vt superueniens sancta et bona et gloriosa sua praesentia sanctificet et efficiat hunc panem corpus sanctum Christi tui et calicem hunc preciosum sanguinem Christi tui vt sit omnibus ex its sumentibus in remissionem peccatorum et in vitā aeternam Haue mercie vpon vs o God allmightie haue mercie vpon vs o God our Sauiour haue mercie vpon vs o God according to thie great mercie and send downe vpon vs and vpon these proposed giftes thy most holie Spiritt our liuing Lorde sitting and reigning and euerlasting together with thee S. Iames beleued by the worke of the holie Gost the bread and wine to be consecrated into the bodie ād blod of Chryste God the Father and thy onelie begotten Sonne who hath spokē in the law and in the Prophets ād in thie new testament which came down in the shape of a done vpon our Lord Iesus Chryst in the floud of Iordane ād abidde vpon him who came downe vpon thy Apostles in the shape of sierie toungs in the parlour of the holie and gloriouse Syon in the daie of pentecost The same thy most holie Spiritt o Lorde sende down also vpon vs and these holie proposed gifts that he coming vpon them maie with his holie good and gloriouse presence sanctifie and make this bread the bodie of thy Chryst ād this cuppe the preciouse blood of thie Chryst that yt maie be to all that receaue of yt remission of sinnes and life euerlasting c. Allthough in this praier of S. Iames manie things might be fownd woorthie of note yet yt shall suffice for this present that we obserue that he vpon the consecracion had the same maner of intent and faith that the catholique Church how hath that ys that the bread and wine set vpon the aultar by the miraculouse woork of the holie Gost be made the bodie ād blood of Chryst Which thing ys so liuelie and fullie spoken and vttered that yt nedeth no farder declaraciō This onelie maie be added that yf ther were no more doē by the consecracion but that the bread and wine be made a sacramentall bread and wine that ys onelie figurs and tokens of the bodie and blood of Chryst S. Iames wold neuer haue so earnestlie praied for the coming down of the holie Gost to sanctifie that bread and wine he knowing that the bread and wine might without the speciall sanctificacion of the holie Gost verie well be figurs of Chrystes bodie and blood as manie other things were in the olde lawe Neither wolde he haue praied that the holie Gost by his holie presence should make the bread and wine the bodie and blood of Chryste yf he had entended or beleued Chrysts institucion to haue but figures Yt were in my iudgement a mockrie of God to desire that the bodie and bloode of Chryste might be ther and wolde not haue yt in dede but onelie the figurs of yt But whie do I saie so moch in so plain and clere a mater As ye nowe perceaue by S. Iames his praier that his entent and faith was that Chrystes verie bodie and verie blood were consecrated on the aultar so shall ye see that S. Clement came to the aultar with the same faith and entent wherupon he praied thus Rogamus vt mittere digneris sanctum tuum Spiritum super
teache ye the scriptures to the hard and therby diswade men from the reading of them seing that Chrysostom in a nombre of places moste earnestlie exhorteth men to the reading of the scripturs and doth not feare them with the obscuritie and difficultie therof An aun ∣ swere I am not ignorante gentle Reader that Chrysostom doth so Neither do I forgett that Erasmus being very earnest that the scriptures should be red of the common people vseth for this pourpose both the doyng and authoritie of Chrysostom Wherfore I shall first aunswer thee for Chrysostom and after Erasmus Although Chrysostom exhorteth yow to read yet he maketh yow no warrantise of the easinesse of the scriptures that ye maie vnderstand interprete and expownd them and frame to your self a doctrine soch one as shall like your phantasie But as all ready ye haue heard he teacheth that the scriptures be hard and obscure But ther be two causes why Chrysostom willed the people to read One that he expownding the scriptures to his people he thought it shoulde be commodiouse to them for the better vnderstanding of the scripturs if they wolde read that scripture before they came to hym whiche he wolde expōde vnto them An other that they shoude read them to folowe thē To these pourposes and with this entent with Chrysost in psal 90. the remembrance also that they be full of difficulties and therfore circumspectlie to be red it were tollerable they shoulde be red But otherwise to folowe their phantasies to be doctours and framers of a faith and doctrine to them selues with the contempte of them whom God hath called and placed to be teachers that Chrysostom willeth not as in the next chapiter folowing ye shall heare him saie As for aunswer to Erasmus ther neadeth no better to be made thē Alfonsus Alfonsus maketh And yet first to saie to Erasmus yt ys merueilouse that he cōfessing the scripture to be hard as he dothe in the argument of the epistle of sainct hierom to Paulinus and in the argument of the epistle of saincte Paule to the Romans wher he dothe with soche maner of woordes set furth the difficultie of that epistle and yet truely that it wolde raither discourage a man from the reading of it then otherwise moue or prouoke him to read yt ys merueilouse I saie that he wolde the cōmō rude and vnlearned people shoulde read that that he teacheth to be so hard In the whiche for lacke of vnderstanding manie of them either they spend their labour in vain or ells vainly abuse the scriptures to errour and heresie according to the vanitie of their minde So that to confesse the scriptures to be hard and withall to will them to be common to the rude people yt hath but litle shewe of reason Yf they were easie and plain as Luther falslie teacheth yt might seme consonante to reason that the people might medle with them for that that for the easynesse therof they might wade through them Alfonsus aunswereth thus that although sayncte Chrysostom wolde the the people shoulde read the scriptures as in that tyme yt ys no good collection that it aught to be so at this time For oftentimes yt ys seen that an order or a lawe taken reputed to be good for the maners of the people and condicion of the tyme at one tyme ys lefte and not put in execution at an other time As in olde tyme yt was vsed to kepe night watches at the monumētes of holie Martyrs the name wherof whiche we call Vigills yet remaneth Vnto the hwich all maner of ages men women bachelers maidens and children repaired and came Whiche thing was so estemed in the time of saincte Hierom that when Vigilantius depraued yt saincte Hierom wrote verie sharpelie against him for yt And yet afterward the maners of of the people so requiring these Vigills were lefte Why then dothe not Erasmus as well seke to haue these Vigills reuiued and restored seing they were vsed in the tyme of sainct Hierom and of Chrysostome as well as the other was In the time of sainct Augustin children were communicated but nowe yt ys not in vse The Apostles made an ordinaunce at Hierusalem that strangled and bloode shoulde be forborne and not eaten of but yet yt ys not nowe in vse for that the condicon of the tyme and of the people ys otherwise Discipline and publike penance were in vse in the olde daies in the churche but we be loth now to haue yt again in vse So true yt ys that the people in the time of Chrysostom did read the scriptures but yt foloweth not therfore that yt ys good and expedient that yt be so nowe For the condicion of the time and maners of the people be farra different Whiche two ostentimes as they do alter chaunge cause alteracion of orders and lawes as yt semeth to the rulars expedient Yt ys the office of the people to heare and learn and so by that mean to knowe the lawe of their Lord God as the scriptures do testifie and putting yt in practise to vse due obedience toward God and his officers as the next chapiter more at large shall declare THE SYXTE CHAPITER DECLARING HOWE the people shall come to the vnderstanding of the scriptures ALmightie God who in moste goodlie wise disposith all thinges and ordeineth nothing in vain hathe thus appointed that the lawe shoulde be in the mouthe of ther preist and that the people shoulde learne yt of him as yt ys written Yf ther ryse a matter Deuteron 17 Matters of doubt must be refered to the preistes to harde for thee in iudgemēt betwene bloode and bloode betwē plee and plee betwē plague ād plague and the matters come to strife within thy gates Thē shalt thow rise ād get thee vppe vnto the place which the Lorde thy God hath chosen and come vnto the preistes the leuites and vnto the iudge that shall be in those daies and aske and they shall shewe thee the sentence of iudgement And thow must doo according to that whiche they of that place which the Lorde had choosen shewe thee And thowe shalt obserue to doe according to all that they enforme thee accordinge to the sentence of the Lawe which they teache thee and according to the iudgement which they tell thee shalt thowe doo and bowe not frō that whiche He that wil not heare the preist shall die they shewe thee neither to the right hande neither to the lefte And that man that will do presumptuouslie and will not harken to the preist that standeth ther before the Lorde thy God to ministre or vnto the iudge that man shall die and thowe shalt put awaie euell from Israel And all the people shall heare and feare and shall doo no more presumptuouslie Accordinglie to this also allmightie God saieth by his prophet Malachie Malac. 2. Labia sacerdotis custodient scientiam et legem requirent ex ore eius quia Angelus domini
example of godlie liuing that God bothe in his pastours and people maie be glorified As cōcerning the second that the scriptures haue doubtes and difficulties Scriptures ful of doubres Yt appeareth by the expresse woorde of God when he saieth Yf ther rise a matter to hard for thee in iudgemēt c. Thow shalt get thee vppe to the preistes the Leuites But forsomoch as this matter ys allready sufficiētlie treacted of and proued yt ys enough here nowe to haue touched yt and so to passe to the third Which ys that the people must be taught and learn the lawes of god of the preistes Which thīg ys so manifestlie declared ād in so plain woordes Doubtes in the lawe of God must be dissolued by the preistes opened in the scriptures alleaged that I shal not nede to make any further declaraciō therof forasmuche as yt ys plainlie ther saied that the doubtes of the people in the lawe of God must be dissolued bi the preistes to whose sentēce and iudgemēt they must in any wise stande and not decline frō yt neither on the right hand nor on the left and that on the pain of deathe In the which saing of God yt ys euidēt howe moche God wolde that the determinaciō of his church in the doubtes of his lawe should be estemed ād reuerēced and his preistes in that respecte obeid Which howe moche yt ys nowe disdained and contēned and gods ordre and cōmaūdemēt neclected his holie faith and religion infringed and violated yt ys more with Sithes and teares to be lamented then beinge so manifest as yt ys nedefull to be opened and declared Of whose mouthe the people should learn the lawe AlmightieGod by his prophete Malachie telleth Likewise that of the preistes the people should aske People must learn of the preistes the lawe God by the Prophete Aggaeus cōmaundeth Who shoulde teach the people the newe Testamēt he also prescribeth Appointing some Apostles some Prophetes some Doctours or teachers who to theise offices are appointed to rule and instruct the people In ijs quae ad Deū pertinēt in those thinges that appertein to God But nowe al this ordre ys inuerted in manie places The people teache the preistes and not the preistes the people The people dissolue the doubts of the lawe the preistes not being asked for The people God his ordre inuerted speake the preistes holde their peace The people make lawes in religion the preistes are cōpelled to obeie The people take in hande the thinges that appertain to God the preistes are put to scilence A moch like state we finde in the time of Moyses emōge the children of Israel in the time when Moyses was in the moūt with God For they perceiuing him to be lōg absent and thinking that he wolde no more come they began to take the rule vpō thēselues And wheras Aarō before cōmaūded and taught thē the religiō of the true God nowe they taking the rule and inuerting the ordre cōmaunded Aaron and taught him soche Religion as lyked them of a false God When the people sawe saieth the booke of Exodus that yt was long er Moyses came downe oute of the Mountain they gathered themselfes togeather Exod 32. vnto Aaron and saied vnto him Vppe make vs Gods to go before vs. For of this Moises the felowe that brought vs oute of the lande of Aegypte we wote not what ys become Hereby maie yt be perceiued what religion shall be when the ordre that God appointed being broken they will teache and commaunde which in matters to godwarde shoulde be taught and commaunded But with all yt ys to be remembred that for this wickednes the wrathe of God waxed hote against the people and notwithstanding that ther was immediatelie Plaguesfor breaking Gods appoincted ordre in religiō and mynisterie a greate slaughter of the people aboute the nōbre of three thousand and that Moyses made intercession to God for the people Yet allmightie God in the ende saied Neuer the latter in the daie when I viset I will viset their sinne vpon them and the Lorde plagued the people bicause of the calfe whiche Aaron made Wherfore seinge that the moche like trangression ys committed emonge the Chrystian people yt ys to be feared that the wrathe of God will waxe hote against vs. But God graūte vs a Moyses that by earnest intercessiō maie yet mittigate the plague of God that shall come for this wickednesse The plague I feare me will be sore vpon Corah Dathan and Abiron and vpon the capitanes of the multitude whiche be the great and famouse mē in the Num. 16. congregacion which haue gathered thē selues together against Moyses and Aaron and cā not contēt thē selues with soche ordre as God hath put in his Church and which by hys pleasure hath so long continued But yet they come to Moyses and Aaron and saie ye make muche to doo seing all the multitude are holie euery one of them and the Lorde ys emonge them Whieheaue ye your selues vppe aboue the Congregacion of the Lorde I must staie my hand I shall ells be to tediouse to the reader in this matter in the whiche I thought not to haue writtē the fourth parte of that that ys written and for expedicion leaue vnto him to reade the strory in the booke of Nombres and so further to consider yt And wher ther be manie stories declaring the displeasures of God to haue commed vppon the people bicause they wolde not submitte them selues to the ordeinaunce of him and his ministres but wolde vsurpe vpon them both Yet I will speake but of one in the first booke of the kinges which ys that where God appointed Samuel his beloued and holie Prophet to be the ruler of the people they being a stiffnecked and disobedient people to gods 1. Reg. 8. ordre so long before vsed al the elders gathered themselues together and came to Samuel and saied vnto him Beholde thowe arte olde and thy Sonnes walke not in thy waies Nowe therfore make vs a king to iudge vs as al other nacions haue See their phantasticall prouidence and therwith their disobediēce They take in hande to prouide for their common wealth as though God coulde not prouide them as good a ruler after Samuel as he did in prouiding of Samuel And therfore the ruler whiche God appointed reiected make vs saie they a kinge But what saied Almightie God to Samuel Heare the voice of the people for they haue not cast thee awaye but me that I shoulde not reign ouer them 1. Reg. 12. And after that they had a kinge Samuel to cause them to vnderstand that their offence was great saied I will call vnto the Lorde and he shall send thunder and rain that ye maie perceaue and see howe that yower wickednesse ys great which ye haue doen in thee seight of the Lorde in asking yowe a king And they saied Praye for vs thy seruauntes vnto the Lorde thy God that
scriptures haue Scripture ys full of hardnesse and diuerse senscis manie senses and in some places require Tropes and figures in some none in some place they beare one sense in some other place they wil not beare the same And the vnframed capacitie of the vnlearned can not therunto atteign shall yt not be better for them to learn the true vnderstanding of the scriptures by hearing then by reading to fall into misunderstanding Maruaill not Reader at this that I saie For the learned yf they be rassh fall into this daunger For the Arrians the Macedonians the Nestorians the Eutichians the Pelagians the Lutherans the Oecolampadians of the which secte this proclamer ys were learned men and yet folowing their owne arrogaunt phantasie fell in to the misunderstandind of the scriptures and by misunderstanding into heresie Moche sooner the vnlearned maye thus fall knowledge of misteries not common to all Hierō prafa in Ezech Yt hathe ben vsed emong most people of sundrie sortes not to make the knowledge of their high thinges common of all to be handeled The Iewes were forbidden to read Genesis and the Balletts of Salamon before they were thirtie yeares of age Among the Romans the Bookes of the Sibells were red but of certain selected and speciall choosen men Emong the Philosophers Morall philosophie and speciallie Metaphisick was not to be handeled of all men but of soche as were thought mete for that studie Howe moche more then ys the scripture of God with reuerence and fear to be handeled of the chrystians not that I wolde yt should not be knowen of all as yt aught to be knowen but that yt shoulde not be red of all and therbie through misunderstanding God to be dishonoured the scripture abused and not onelie they that read but other also by them deceaued And thus Reader I wish thee to perceaue the godlie meening of the Churche to see the shaunder of this proclamer against yt and with all to vnderstand that the scriptures be hard Whiche meenyng ys not to be imagined nowe to be in theise latter daies inuented as this Proclamer semeth to charge the Churche but the weightie consideracion of this matter that the people shoulde raither learn then read them selues was not onelie in the latin churche as it appeareth by sainct Hierom but also in the greke churche as yt appeareth by Chrysostom For he declaring the causes of the obscurities of the scriptures and alleaging this for the first saieth Primum quia voluit Deus alios esse doctores alios discipulos Si autem omnes omnia scirent doctor necessarius non erat ideò esset rerum ordo confusus Nam ad eos quidē Chrystomel 44. in Matth. Esay 40. Deutr. 32. quos voluit esse doctores sic Deus dicit per Esaiam prophetam Loquimini sacerdotes in cordibus populi Ad eos autem quos voluit discendo cognoscere mysteria veritatis sic dicit in Cantico Interroga patrem tuum dicet tibi presbyteros tuos annunciabunt tibi Et sicut sacerdotes ne si omnem veritatem manifestauerint in populo dabunt rationem in die Iudicij sicut dicit Dominus ad Ezechielem Ecce speculatorem te posui domni Israel si non dixeris impio vt à vijs suis prauis discedat ipse quidem in peccatis suis morietur animam autem eius de manu tua requiram sic populus nisi à sacerdotibus didicerit cognouerit veritatem dabit rationem in die Iudicij Sic enim dicit Sapientia ad populum Et extendebam sermones meos non audiebatis Ideò ego in vestra perditione ridebo Sicut enim paterfamilias cellarium aut vestiarium suū non habet cunctis expositum sed alios habet in domo qui dant alios autem qui accipiunt sic in domo Dei alij sunt qui docent alij qui discunt First bicause God wolde some shoulde why God wolde the scriptures to be obscure be teachers some learners Yf all men should knowe all thinges a teacher were not necessarie and therfor shoulde the ordre of thinges be confownded For vnto them whome he wolde shoulde be doctours or teachers God saieth thus by Esaye the Prophete Speake ye preistes in the heartes of the people But vnto them whom he wolde to haue knowledge of the misteries of trueth by learning of other he saieth thus in the Canticle Aske thy father and he shall tell thee thy elders and they shall shewe thee And euen as the preistes except they open all treuth to the people they shall make an accompte in the daie of Iugement as our Lorde saieth to Ezechiell Beholde I haue sett thee a watch man to the house of Israel Yf thow saie not to the wicked that he maie departe from his naughtie waies he shall die in his sinnes but I shall require his sowle at thy hande So also the people except they learn of the prestes and shall know the trueth they shall make an accompte in the daie of iudgement So saieth Sapience vnto The store-house of God not comon to all the people I did sette furth my wordes and ye did not heare Therfor shall I also laugh in your perdicion As the housholder dothe not make his store-house or his wardrobbe common to all men but he hath in his house some that deliuer some that receaue So in the howse of God ther be some that teache some that learn Thus moche Chrysostome Whose saieng I nede not to expownde yt ys so plain of yt self Ye perceaue that he teacheth yowe that God hath sette this ordre that the preistes shoulde be teachers and the people learners and that for this cause God hath willed the scriptures shoulde be obscure Whiche in the ende of his saing he cōmendeth vnto vs to be remembred by à goodlie Similitude that the housholder maketh not his storehouse and wardrobbe cōmon to Scripture the store-house of God all but certain do deliuer and other do receaue no more thē ys deliuered The Storehouse ys the scripture wher in for the feading and cloathing of mans sowle ys reposed great plentie of knowledge whiche yet God hath not made common to all men to take at their owne pleasures But he hath appointed officiers to be kepers of this store which be his preistes to geue yt furthe to the people in due tyme and in due maner and forme As all men haue not discrecion to vse plentie well but some will wast yt some will abuse yt and turne yt to other vses then yt was made or appointed for therfore they haue not accesse vnto yt So all men hauing not grace and discrecion to vse the plentie of Gods knowledge in the scriptures well they wast yt that ys they sett litle by yt they do but bable and talke of yt yt runneth aboute their lippes as the meate doth aboute the childes mouthe bosom and cloathes and ys wasted but yt
consummantes verum mysterium sequi figuras quae praedicta sunt demonstrant Neque enim est eiusdem temporis Sed aliud quidem pertinere ad figuram aliud autem ad veritatem qui vtraque sanciuit praecepit Propter quod Christus primùm celebrauit figuratum Pascha Pòst caenam autem intelligibilem tradit angustante eam tempore pro die horā immutauit vel magis etiam diem Sic enim ad vesperam quartae decimae diei caenae Iudaicae Paschalis festiuitatis celebratur Post hoc autē Christus propriam tradidit caenam The thin ges therfore which are afore saied doe declare that we hauing present and doinge the true misterie maie not folowe figures Neither ys yt apperteining to the same time But he that ordeined both cōmaunded one time to appertein to the figure an other time to the veritie Wherfore Crist also did first celebrate the figuratiue passeouer but after supper he deliuered the intelligible Supper and the time straicting the same he chaunged an howre for a daie or raither also the daie For so in the euening of the fourtenth daie the Supper of the Iewish Paschall solemnitie ys celebrated And after this Christe deliuered his owne Supper Thus farre Isychius In whose woordes yt maie be perceaued first what was the Iewish Paschall offring whiche was an oxe or à shepe whiche were a figure of Christ our Paschall oblation Secondlie he teacheth that we nowe hauing the true misterie maie not folowe figures In whiche wordes note gentle Reader that he saieth that we nowe haue the true misterie wherby we are taught that we haue in our Paschall solemnitie the verie or true presence of Christe For he putteh here this terme true misterie to answere the figuratiue presence in the figure Paschal lābe ād christ compared The figure hath but the shadowe of the thing but that that ys figured hath the thing yt self The Paschall Lambe of the Iewes eaten in their Passouer was a figure of Christ our Paschall lambe eaten in our Passouer Wher for as the Iewes had a verie earthlie lambe the figure in their supper So we haue the verie heauenlie Lambe Christ the truthe of that figure in our Supper Whiche thing this Authour in the woordes folowinge doth plainlie declre For saieth he one time serueth not for the figure and the thing figured Verie Christ in oure Passouer but ther ys one time for the figure an other time for the veritie Note then again that he calleth the thing figured the veritie what ys the veritie but the verie thing in dede that the figure did perfigurate The lambe the figure did perfigurate Christ Wherfore verie Christe ys in our passouer This ys not fallen from this Authour as a thing vnwittinglie spoken but proceading aduisedlie in the matter and applieng the thinge figurated and declaring the accomplishing of the thing by Christe he saieth Wherfore Christ also did first celebrate the figuratiue Passouer But after supper he deliuered the intelligible Supper What ys meāt by the intelligible Supper ye shall better perceaue by other places of this Authour wher he vseth this woorde whiche he doth almost in every leaf As in his same chapiter shewing wherof Aegipte ys a figure he saieth Etenim AEgyptus intelligiblis praesens mundus quia AEgyptus cōtenebratio inter Isych Ibid. pretatur The intelligible Aegipt ys this present worlde For Aegipt by interpretacion ys called a darkning Likewise vpon this text of Leuiticus wher Allmightie God saied to the children of Israel by Moyses When ye shall come into the land whiche I will geue vnto yowe and reape downe the haruest therof ye Iebitic 23. shall bring a sheife of the first fructs of your haruest vnto the preist who shall waue the sheife before the Lorde to be accepted for yowe First teaching who were figured by the sheiues he saieth Illi enim sunt Jsic li. 6. ca. 23. Matth. 9. messores et intelligibiles segetes ad quos Dominus dicebat Messis quidem multa operarij autē pauci etc. They be both the reapers and the intelligible sheiues to whom our lord said The haruest trulie ys great but the woorkmen or reapers are fewe And likewise opening who was figured by the preist that shoulde make their oblacion accepted of God for them he saieth Manipulum autem primitiarum intelligibilis sacerdos Christus corpus proprium offerebat The intelligible preist Chryst did offer his owne bodie a sheif of first fruicts Again in the same chapiter vpon this text And ye shall offer that daie when ye waue the sheife an he lambe withoute blemish of a yeare olde for a burnt offring vnto the Lorde he saieth Volens nos in die qua celebramus Domini resurrectionem et manipuli intelligibilem oblationem celebramus non obliuisci dominici sacrificij ex quo nobis est oblatio manipuli sed caedere agnum immaculatum anniculum in holocaustum Domino intelligibilem agnum Domini traditionem immolantes mysticè et offerentes ipsius autem vt sacrificium caedentes memoriamfecit Owre Lorde willing vs in the daie wherin we do celebrate the resurrection of him and do celebrate the intelligible oblacion of the sheif not to forgett our Lordes sacrifice of the which we haue the oblacion of the sheif but to offer vppe a lambe withoute spotte of one yeare olde for a burnt sacrifice to our Lorde mysticallie sacrificing and offring the intelligible lambe being the tradicion of our Lorde in the doing of this sacrifice he hath made his memoriall In an other place also wher almightie God saied A man that hath sinned Isich li. 7. ca. 5. through ignorance and hath doen against the lawe and knoweth himself giltie shall offer an vnspotted Ramme vnto the preist Rectè intelligibilis aries Christus huius peccatum in sacrificio pro eo oblatus diluit Euen verie wel Chryste the intelligible ramme being offred for him in sacrifice wipeth awaie the sinne of this man In all these places these woordes the intelligible Egypte the intelligible sheiues the intelligible preist the intelligible oblacion the intelligible lambe the intelligible Ramme what doe these ells signifie but the verie thinges shadowed and signified by the figures Wherby we maie conclude by this authour that the legall Supper and the lambe therin eaten were the figures of Chrystes Supper and the lambe therin eaten beinge the verie thinges in dede that ys Chrystes owne Supper and hys owne blessed bodie whiche ys the intelligible lambe that was and ys therin eaten And that this shall be so plain that the Aduersarie shall not against saie Leuit. 24. yt heare this Authour clerelie opening the matter Expownding howe Aaron and hys children were touched with the bloode of the Ramme Isich in Leuit li. 2. ca. 8. that was sacrificed for them and applieng yt to that that yt was a figure of he saieth Sed tamen primus sacerdos sanguine post eum filij eius secundùm
bread that ys made of two tenth deales as that was by which tenth deales he vnderstādeth the Godhead and manheade of Chryst For as Athanasius saieth Sicut In Symbolo anima rationalis caro vnus est homo ita Deus homo vnus est Christus As the reasonable Soule and the flesh ys one man Euen so God and man ys one Chryste Nowe this loaf made of these two tenth deales of the Godhead and of the manhead wher ys yt but in mystica mensa in the mysticall table So that here ys taught more plainlie then can be denied that which the rude heretike with wonder somtime asketh saing What ys Chryste God and man in the Sacrament vnder the formes of so litle a peice of bread Which rude man if he wolde leaue reasoning and questioning which make him doutfullie to wonder at the workes of God and wolde subdue his vnderstanding to the faithe of Chryst and harken to this Father and soche other of the Parliament house of Chryste as teache his enacted and receaued faith he shoulde soone by the helpe of Gods grace ceasse with incredulitie to wonder and with reuerence to embrace this misterie And that ye maie the sooner so doo note yet more how this auncient Father expowndeth this figure The loaues made of two tenth deales were set in two sondrie rowes The blessed loaf Chryste that ys of two tenth deales of his Godhead and of his manhead ys sett in two sondrie rowes as thys Authour applieth yt Seni ponuntur altrinsecus Mystica mensa ponitur quidem hic ponitur in futuro seculo The breades are putte sixe in a rowe The mysticall table ys sett here and ys sett in the woorld to come In which Applicacion note that as the Shew bread was sette in sondrie rowes So Chryst figured by the same bread ys sett both here and in heauen And that the Aduersarie shall not delude thee by his common glose saing that Chryst by his godhead ys here in the worlde but not by Godhead and manhead in Glose of the Sacramentaries for Chrystes presence the Sacrament Remembre the wholl applicacion of the figure that yt ys for the presence of Chryst in the Sacrament as yt dothe well appeare by that that foloweth immediatelie In sixe daies saieth he this visible creature was made and in the sixt daie man was created for whom Chryst prepared this mysticall table And yet all these breades together are verie well twelue For the Apostles which first supped at our Lordes Supper were twelue So that this figure ys cōtinuallie applied to the Sacrament Wherin to proue the presence of Chryste if ye desire more plain and euident The table of Chryst pourgeth c. testimonie note this that he saieth immediatelie Haec munda est primùm quidem sicut mundans deinde sicut nihil mendacij nec infectionis qualia sunt in mysterijs Paganorum habens This table ys clean Firist as clensing or making clean secondlie as hauing no lie or vntrueth nor infection as the mysteries of the Pagans haue In which sainge note well that he saieth that this table ys a table that pourgeth clenseth or maketh clean What doth yt make clean but the soule What ys yt to make the soule clean but to remitte and wipe awaie sinnes which be the vncleannesse and filthinesse of the sowle Who remitteth and taketh awaie sinne but God our Sauiour and Redemer Chryst Iesus For as the Iewes saied Quis potest peccata remittere nisi solus Deus who can remitte sinne but God alone Luc. 5. Seing then in this table ys that that clenseth vs and taketh awaie our sinnes we maie boldelie point with our fingar to this blessed table wher Chryst ys present in mysterie and yet verilie as Iohn the Baptist did point to him being in visible forme and saie Ecce agnus Dei ecce qui tollit peccata mundi Beholde the Lambe of God beholde him that taketh awaie the sinnes of Joan. 1. the woorlde And humbling our selues before him ther present with meke supplicacion of the catholique Churche praie God and saie O Lambe of God that takest awaie the sinnes of the worlde haue mercie vpon vs. This maie we boldelie doe for as yt foloweth in this Authour in this table ys no lie or vntrueth as in the mysteries of the Pagans but here ys in verie dede Chryste God and man verilie and trulie as ys before by this Authour testified In my iudgement this veritie of the blessed Sacramēt ys by this Authour allready both pithilie and plainlie testified and the figure well and iustilie applied But will ye yet see in the ende of the applicacion a more plain sentence Thus he saieth Insuper eleuans eius gloriam mysterij dignitatem efferens in sublime addit Sanctum sanctorum est de sacrificio Domini iure perpetuo Ergo sancta est oratio sancta scripturae diuinae lectio interpretationis auditio sancta sunt vt breuiter dicam omnia quae in ecclesiis Deisecundùm legem eius dicuntur aguntur Sancta autem sanctorum de sacrificio Domini de omnibus videlicet quae offeruntur aguntur ad eius gloriam mensa est quam de sacrificio suo Christus proponit Moreouer exalting the glorie of yt and extolling the dignitie of the mystery vnto the Table of the Sacrifice most holie thing in the church height he addeth Yt ys the most holie of the Sacrifice of the Lorde by a perpetuall statute Nowe praier ys holie the reading of Gods scripture ys holie and the hearing of the interpretacion of the scripture ys holie and breifly to saie All thinges that according to his lawe are either saied or doen in the churches of God are holie But of all thinges whiche be either offred or doē to his glorie the most holie of all ys the table whiche Chryste hath sett furth of his sacrifice Hitherto Isychius Doe ye not here see whiche ys the holiest thing in all the church of God aboue praier aboue the reading of the scriptures aboue the hearing of the interpretacion of the scriptures yea generallie aboue all thinges that be doen or offred to the glorie of God The blessed Shewe bread the bodie of Chryste which ys the bread of life ys the holiest of all Thus Reader thowe maist see how yt hath pleased God by the figure to extoll and magnifie the thing figured that ys the blessed bodie of Chryst in the Sacrament with these great woordes caling yt the most holie of the offringes of God A greablie wherunto ye see this Authour so moche esteme and repute the woorthines and holinesse of the Sacrament that he declareth yt to Sourmounte and excell all the holie thinges what soeuer they be that be doen to the glorie of God in his Churche Iudge then what ells can atteign to soche holinesse in the Sacrament but the bodie of Chryst For the bread and wine as the aduersaries saie being dumme creatures are
Wherfore note that yn this litle werse twoo thinges being conteined the one that Chryst ys a preist for euer the other that he ys of the ordre of Melchisedech The first ys at large expownded by saincte Paule but the other that ys the order of Melchisedech ys not expownded by saincte Paule Wherfor saincte Hierom saieth immediately Hoc solùm dicamus quare dixcrit secundùm ordinem Let vs onelie declare this Why he saieth after the ordre As who might saie Sainct Paule hath plentifullie saied of the eter nitie of the priestgood of Chryste Wherfore yt were vain for me to speake of that But I will onelie speake of the order of the preisthood of Chryst for that hath not sainct Paule spoken of And entring to shewe of what ordre of presthoode Chryst ys he speaketh in the persō of God the Father and saieth Thowe shalt not be a preist after the or dre of offrings of the Iewes sacrifices but thowe shalt be a preist after the ordre of Melchisedech And howe he shoulde doo sacrifice after that ordre he furtwith declareth For as Melchisedech saieth he king of Salem did offer bread and wine So shalt thowe also offer thy bodie and bloode the true bread and true wine A breif exposition but as plain as yt ys breif Nowe as saincte Paule to the hebrues hath oponed the first parte for the eternitie of the prestheade of Chryste So here saincte Hierom hath as touching this order and sacrifice opened the second parte wherin reader first note that wher the Aduersaries as ys before said in the last chapter to denie the sacrifice of Chryst after the ordre of Melchisedech doo first denie that Melchisedech him self did offer breade and wine saing that in Genesis yt ys not readd of Melchisedech Obtulit panem vinum he offred bread and wine but protulit panem vinum he brought furth bread and wine Yet Melchisedech offred bread and wine after S. Hierom. sainct Hierom knowinge the olde Testament and well vnderstanding the hebrue toung saieth that Melchisedech did offer bread and wine and vsith the latin woorde obtulit he offred and not protulit he brought furth wherby we are taught that this ys the true mening and vnderstanding of the place Further also as we are taught that Melchisedech did offer bread and wine So also are we taught whiche ys in the se cōd parte to be noted bothe that Chryst did offer and what he did offer he did offer after the ordre of Melchisedech bread and wine not bare bread and bare wine as Melchisedech did in the figure but his verie bodie and blood the true bread and true wine as saincte Hierom expresseth wherbie we are taught not onelie the verie presence of Chrystes bodie and blood in the sacrament But also that he in his last Supper did offer the same bodie after the ordre of Melchisedech Whiche for somoche as yt ys so plainlie spoken I shall not neade either to bring in anie other saing of the same saincte Hierom to declare his minde more plainlie in this or I my self to tarie anie longer in opening of this his sainge being all readie so plain that yt can be made or spoken no plainer Onely this I shall desire thee gentle Reader to call to thy memorie the ende of the saing of saincte Ciprian last alleadged in the chapiter before and compare yt to the ende of this saing and I thinke verilie yt will wonderfullie delight thee to see the trueth not onely so painlie but also with so goodlie consonannt agreement vttered and spoken Sainct Ciprian saied who ys more proprelie the preist of the most highe God thā our Lorde Iesus Christe Who offred a sacrifice to God the Father and offred the same that Melchisedech offred that ys bread and wine euen his bodie and bloode Saincte Hierom saieth As Melchisedech Aplain place for master Iuell offred bread and wine So shalt thowe offer thy bodie and blood the true bread and true wine what goodlie consent ys this what plain maner of speache ys this what more neadeth to be saied in this matter Ys yt not cōsessed that Chryst offred in his last Supper his bodie and bloode I trust the proclamer himself will graunt yt and saie yt ys most plain ffor who can doubt that these woordes be spoken of the sacrifice in the Supper sainct Hierom saing that this Melchisedech meening Chryst deliuered vs these misteries c. Wherfor leauing further explicacion of this Authour we will heare Theodorete one of the other side of Chrystes parlament house who as breiflie as plainlie openeth the trueth of the matter whiche we seke as yt shall appeare in this his sainge Antiquam genealogiam conscribens diuinus Moyses docuit nos quòd Adam cùm tot annos natus esset genuit Seth. Ei cùm tot annis vixisset finem vitae accepit Ita etiam dixit de Seth Enos alijs Melchisedech et generationis Theodoretus Dial 2. initium et vitae finem silentio praeterijt Ergo si historia spectetur nec initium dicrum nec vitae finem habet Reuerà autem Dei filius nec esse coepit nec finem accipiet In ijs ergo maximis et verè diuinis fuit Melchisedech figura Christi Domini In sacerdotio autem quod hominibus magis quà m Deo conuenit Dominus Christus Pontifex fuit secundū ordinem Melchisedech Melchisedech enim fuit gentium Pontifex Et Dominus Christus pro omnibus hominibus sactum et salutiferum sacrificium obtulit The godlie Moyses writing the olde genealogie hath taught vs that Adam when he was thus manie years olde he begatte Seth And when he had liued so manie yeares he made an ende of his life Euen so also he saieth of Seth and Enos with other As for the beginning of the generacion of Melchisedeh and the ende of his life he ouerpasseth yt with scilence Wherfor if the historie be looked on he hathe neither beginning of daies nor the ende of life So in verie dede the Sonne of God neither hathe beginning of his being neither shall haue ending In these great thinges then verie diuine was Melchisedech a figure of our Lorde Chryst In the preisthead also whiche ys more mete or agreable for men then for God our lorde Chryst was an high preist after the ordre of Melchisedech For Melchisedech was the high preist of the gentiles And our lorde Chryst offred for all men an holie and holsom sacrifice Thus moche Theodorete Whom ye do perceaue to testifie not onelie that Melchisedech was a sigure of Chryste as concerninge his eternitie but also as concerning his Christes of fring of sacrifice after the ordre of Melchisedech ouerthroweth the heresie of Eutiches preisthead and Sacrifice which did appertein to him as man By whiche Applicacion he conuinceth the Eutichians who forsaking the catholique faith whiche teacheth that in Chryst be two natures that ys to saie the perfecte nature of God and
offertur nomini meo oblatio munda quia magnum est nomen meum in gentibus dicit Dominus exercituum I haue no pleasure in yowe saieth the Lorde of hostes And as for meat offring I will not accept yt as your handes For from the rising vppe of the sunne vnto the going downe of the same my name ys great emong the gentiles yea in euery place shall ther be sacrifice doen and a clean meat offring offred vppe vnto my name For my name ys great emong the Gentiles saeth the Lorde of hostes This prophecie hath moche tormented the Aduersaries and therfore all Protestantes tormented with the propheâ—… 〈◊〉 howe â—…ey wrest yt their ingines hookes and all their fetches haue be sett vpon this place to drawe yt to their sense and pourpose but yt will not be all will not serue that they can doo for trueth will shewe yt self and preuaill This prophecie in dede inuinciblie proueth the Sacrifice of Chrystes Churche as hereafter shall be shewed But first let vs see howe the Aduersaries wolde wrest this place and let vs make yt plain to the reader that the sence whiche they wolde haue the scripture vnderstanded in ys not the right and full sence but a distorted sence a wrong sense and soche a sense as the place can not beare a sense disagreing from the expositions of all the holie Fathers bothe of the latin churche and of the greke churche Occolampadius in a booke that he did write of the Masse vnto the Senate of Basille saieth that by this prophecie of the Prophet Malachie was Prophecied Occolamp that the ministres of the newe testament shoulde make a faithfull people oute of all nacions as a pure and an holie oblacion and sacrifice to God And this saieth he ys the minde of the Prophet Martin Bucer not moche differing from him in his aunswer that he made to Latomus saieh that hy this Prophecie ys cheiflie promised the preaching of the Gospell by the whiche God shall be euery whear acknowleged and Bucer the fruicte also of the same preaching that ys faithe and the confessing of the same faithe And he saieth also that by the incense and oblacion are to be vnderstanded the sacrifices of chrysten men whiche be saieth he the praising and calling on the name of God wherunto ys allwaies annexed the geuing vppe of our selues to the will of God and the declaracion of our thaÌ„kefull minde towardes God by the doing and shewing of loue and mercie to the poore And thus dothe he expownde the Prophete Bullinger an other of the same secte and sorte saieth that the lawde and prayse of God his name ys the pure sacrifice that the Prophete speaketh of Bullinger Vrbanus Rhegius But Vrbanus Rhegius writing against Eckius his master in his firstbooke saieth thus The sacrifice that Malachias prophecied of ys the mortificacion of the flesh and the calling on the name of God with godlie prayer And this was his phantasie whiche so I terme as I might the rest for that eche of theÌ„ hath vnderstanded the prophecie as him listeth and not as the full mening of the same hathe required And although other haue vttered their conceptes and coniecturs vpon this prophecie Yet these being the standarde bearers of that wicked armie that hath so maliciouslie fowght against Gods truthe maie fuffice to be rehersed for this time presupposing that the rest do folowe their standerd bearers But let vs nowe examin and weigh their expositions Yf ye marke they do all agree in this that this prophecie ys to be vnderstanded of the sacrifice of praise and thanks geuing which thei call the pure sacrifice Yt ys to be considered here that Allmightie God by his Prophet declaring that the sacrifice of the Iewes which was onelie doen in Hierusalem shoulde be reiected abolished and lefte signified also that an other sacrifice shoulde be substituted in the place of the same whiche shoulde be a pure and clean sacrifice whiche shoulde not be doen onlie in Hierusalem as the other was But in euery place Nowe as for the sacrifice of a contrite heart of lawde praise and thankes geuing who doubteh but that they were vsed and offred of diuerse holie Psal 50. and vertuouse men in the olde lawe and well accepted whiche thing Dauid was not ignorant of when he saied Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus Psalm 49. cor contritum humiliatum Deus non despicies A troobled spirit ys a sacrifice to God a contrite and humble heart o God shalt thowe not despice Of the sacrifice of lawde Dauid also speaketh Immola Deo sacrificium laudis Offer to God the sacrifie of lawde c. praise And in the same Psalm Sacrificium laudis honorificabit me Who so offreth me thankes and praise he honoureth me The hereticall expositions of the prophecie of Malachie cannot stand Therfore wher the Aduersarie wolde that these kinde of Sacrifices shoulde be they of the whiche the prophet Malachie spake that shoulde come into the place of the sacrifice of the Iewes whiche God wolde abolisshe their exposition can not stande For these can not nowe be placed as newe sacrifices whiche were placed and vsed from the beginning of the first good man that offred sacrifice to God Abel who withe the sacrifice of the fruictes of the earth whiche he offred offred also praise and thankes geuing to God These sacrifices then be not newe placed but being of olde time vsed God wolde haue them so continued Neither doo I meen that these be separated from that sacrifice that God wolde place in stead of the sacrifice of the Iewes For their ys no extern sacrifice Sacrifice of laude separated from the extern sacrifice but yf yt be rightlie and duely offred yt bringeth with yt the sacrifice of lawde and praise and of other also But that the Prophet dothe meen of these onelie and not raither of some extern sacrifice to be vsed offred and frequented among the Chrystians and that he ment not cheiflie and principallie of an extern sacrifice to be placed in the place of the Iewes extern sacrifices that ys most vntrue And that maie be perceaued by the difference of the newe sacrifice from the olde What ys that That yt shall be a pure sacrifice Why were not theirs pure sacrifices before in the olde lawe Was ther not a sacrifice of expiacion and a daie of expiacion assigned in the whiche the clensing sacrifice shoulde be offred Read the xvi chapter of Leuiticus and ther shall ye finde that Allmightie God saeth thus In hac die expiatio vestri erit Leuit. 16. atque mundatio ab omnibus peccatis vestris coram Domino mundabimini In this daie shall be your expiacion and cleÌ„sing and ye shall be made clean from all your sinnes before the Lorde Was not this then a pure sacrifice that purified and clensed the people from all their sinnes before God Ys yt not a pure sacrifice that ys
ys this Authour who willeth vs to merueill at yt doth declare for no wise man willeth men to merueill wher no thinge ys to merueilled at Wherfore in this Sacramēt something ys wrought wher at we maie iustlie merueill whiche ys in dede the merueillouse worke of God to make present the bodie of Chryste our Sauiour But I see I stande to long in the alleadging of the Fathers wherfor leauing theise auncientes whiche haue taught vs the practise of the primitiue Churche in the adoracion of the holie Sacrament we will among manie of the later time heare but holie Bernardo to see the agreement of the two times Christus enim pridie quà m pateretur Discipulis suis huius sacramenti formam praescripsit efficaciam exhibuit Cùm adhuc caenaretur surrexit à caena Discipulorum pedes Dominus Bernar. de dign sacer vniuersorum lauit Dehinc ad mensam regressus ordinat sacrificium corporis sanguinis sui Christus in coena illa munerans munus cibans cibus conuiua conuiuium offerens oblatio Obstupescentes admiramtui nulli Angelorum nullis spiritibus supernis sed hominibus nec tamen omnibus sed ordini vestro tantùm mandatam esse tanti sacramenti celebrationem in altari quod Christus fecit manibus suis in coena Paschali Quid facis indigne quid facis homo ingrate Adora deuotiùs recole frequentiùs in Sacramento altaris salutem mundi pro te passam Chryste the daie before that he wolde suffer prescribed to his disciples the forme of this Sacrament he declared the efficacie of yt When they were yet at supper he rose from the same and being the Lorde of all washed the feete of his disciples After that being returned to the table he ordeined the sacrifice Chryst in his supper the geuer and the gifte the feeder and the foode the seaster and the feast the offerer and the offering of his bodie and bloode In that supper Chryst was the geuer and the gifte the feede and the foode the feaster and the feast the offerer and the offeringe Wonder ye therfor and merueill for to none of the Angells to none of the heauenly spirittes but to men neither yet to all men but onely to your order was appoincted the celebracion of so great a Sacrament in the aultar which Sacrament Chryst made with his handes in the Paschall supper what doest thowe thowe vnwoorthie man What doest thowe thowe vnthankfull man In the Sacrament of the aultar adore deuoutely remembre often the health of the worlde that suffred for thee Of this Sainct Bernarde we maie first learn as he did of the Euangelist Sainct Iohn Chrystes order both in the preparacion of his Apostles towarde Washing of the Apostles feet what yt signifieth the institucion of the holie Sacrament and also what he himself did in the same institucion He prepared his Apostles towarde the institucion not onely signifieng to them by the washing of their feet that they and all chrystians that will come to this holie mysterie must be pure and clean from all wordlie vnclenlie and eartlie affections and also humble meke and lowly not onely to God with all submission being readie to obey his holie commaundements but also by penance for the transgression of anie of them and therwith meke and lowly one to an other Yf I saieth he haue washed your feete being your Lorde and master yowe also aught to wash Joan. 13 one an others feet For I haue geuen yowe an example that as I haue doen ye shoulde so doe Thus moch doen for the preparacion of his Apostles and all Chrystians he returneth to the institucion of the Sacrament In the which what he did S. Bernarde also declareth He did saieth he ther institute the sacrifice of his bodie and bloode and of his bodie and bloode ther ys no other sacrifice but the same his bodie and bloode And that he so did S. Bernarde teacheth by the woordes immediatelie folowing For he saieth that in that supper Chryst was the geuer and the giste The feeder and the foode The feaster and the feast The offerer and the offering Marke well gentle Reader these propre speaches For as they contein a notable declaracion of the trueth So also be they not spoken withoute imitacion of holie auncient doctours For the first yf Chryst him self were in his supper the geuer the feader the feaster and the offerer as most certenlie he was then was he also the thing that was geuen he was the foode or meat that was eaten he was the wholl feast he was the oblacion What ys Chryst him self but God and man Then was Chryst God and man so geuen of him self in the last supper These maner of speaches be vsed of S. Hierom S. Ambrose and S. Augustine S. Hierom saieth thus Dominus Iesus ipse conuiua conuiuium ipse comedens Hieron ad Hedib q 2 Amo orat Prapar ad missam 〈…〉 in psal 33. conc 1. qui comeditur Owre Lorde Iesus he ys bothe the feaster and the feast he ys the eater and that which ys eaten Sainct Ambrose praing to Chryst saieth Tu es sacerdos sacrificium mirabiliter ineffabiliter constitutus Thowe arte the preist and the sacrifice wonderfullie and vnspeakeablie appoincted Sainct Augustin speaking of Chryst saieth Ferebatur manibus suis He was born in his owne handes Then Chryste bearing him self in his owne handes was bothe the bearer and that was born These I hauebroughtin that the Reader might perceaue that S. Bernarde hath not framed soche maner of speaches of his owne inuencion but hath taken thē of the Farhers by imitacion Whiche maner of speaches I haue the more willingly setfurth at large bicause they doe verie well and godly declare the true catholique faithe they mightilie ouerthrowe the heresie of the Aduersarie they also confirme and comfort the true chrystian notablie prouinge vnto vs the presence of Chryst in the Sacrament This presence of Chryst by S. Bernarde so setfurth then he putteth vs in Chryst in the Sac. denoathe to be adored minde of our duetie sainge Adore in the Sacrament the health of the worlde that suffred for thee Obserue diligently that he willeth thee to adore Chryst in the Sacrament whiche woordes be directlie against the woordes of the Proclamer who willeth thee not to adore Chryst in the Sacrament but onely in heauen Nowe Reader wher the Proclamer saied that Sainct Ambrose Sainct Augustine Sainct Chrysostome made no mencion of the adoracion of Chryst in the Sacrament thowe hauest hearde them plentifullie testifieng the contrarie Wher also he saied that no other doctours made mencion of yt thowe hauest hearde diuerse declaring the contrarie And not onelie these doctours but also thowe hauest heard S. Paule theaching vs to honoure Chryst in the Sacrament Thus thowe feest a nombre of wittnesses produced for the declaracion of the catholique faith for the wicked doctrine of the Proclamer thowe feest
ys this Qui duxit viduam aut diuortio separatam à viro aut meretricem aut ancillam aut aliquam quae publicis sit mancipata spectaculis Episcopus presbyter Canon 18. aut Diaconus aut demque ex consortio sacerdotali esse non potest He that hath married a widowe or a woman diuorced from her husbande or an harlott or a bond maiden or a anie that ys accustomed to plaie in enterludes can neitherbe Bishoppe preist nor Deacō nor be of the cōpanie of the preistes By this breif discourse ye maie perceaue the Fathers of the later times made decrees of that was in vse in the Apostles time wher vnto they were enforced by the wickednesse and licenciouse life of men in their times not to make newe deuises but to cause the olde auncient lawes to be obserued and kept Ther be decrees made in these later daies for the fasting of Lent bothe Lent fast commaunded by Councells and Popes As for example to produce one In the eight Councell of Tolett thus we finde declared Illis qui ausu temerario quadragesimae dies contemnunt nec voracitatis ingluuiem frenant quod peius est Paschalia festa Concilium Toletā 1. illicitorum esuum perceptione profanant ex hoc adeò acerrimè interdicitur vt quisquis sine ineuitabili necessitate atque fragilitate euidenter languore seu etiam impossibilitate aetatis diebus quadragesimae esuin carnium praesumpserit attentare non solùmreus erit resurrectionis Dominicae verumetiam alienus ab eiusdem diei sancta communione Et hoc illi cumuletur ad poenam vt ipsius anni tempore ab omni esu carnium abstineat quia sacris diebus abstinentiae oblitus est disciplinam Vnto them that presumptuouslie contemne the daies of Lent neither do refrein the excesse of their greadinesse and that which ys woorst of all do prophane the Easter solemnities with the eating of vnlaufull meates from hencefurth we straightlie commaunde that whosoeuer withoute ineuitable necessitie and weaknesse and euident sicknesse great weakensse of age shall presume in the daies of Lent to eate flesh he shall not onely be giltie of the resurrection of our Lorde but shall be also excommunicated from the holie Communion of that same daie And thys shal be added to his farther pain that that yeare he shall abstain from all eating of flesh bicause in the holy time of Lent he forgotte the discipline of abstinence Thus the Councell In the which Councell the fast of Lent ys commaunded as ye perceaue but this proueth not that yt was but then begonne and that yt ys a newe deuise For S. Hierom who liued moch aboue twoo hūdreth years Hieron aduersus Mōtan before that Councell saieth thus Nos quadragesimam secundùm traditionē Apostolorum ieiunamus We fast the Lent according to the tradition of the Apostles But this fast of Lent not withstanding that yt ys the tradicion of the Apostles hath ben in diuerse Councels since the Apostles and long after their The queen that nowe ys commaūded Lent to be fasted and yet yt was in vse before time commaunded bicause in processe of time the deuociō of the people decaied as yt doth to moch in these our daies Wherbie the decrees of the Apostles being contēned as nowe also they be yt was necessarie by a newe cōmaundement to reuiue and confirme the same and so cause them to be continued which ells had ben omitted Euen so Honorius perceauing the deuociō of the people to be decaied and their regard of the blessed Sacrament through the wicked doctrine of Berengarius which yet as yt maie be thought late smoldering in putrified and rotten postes and stickes to be moche abated to reuiue that that so long had continued he gaue commaundement to honoure the Sacramēt as the like maie be doē whē the catholique faith shal be resumed in Englōd Thus ye maie perceaue both how fōd and weake the argument of the Proclamerys and therwith howe false and vntrue After this yt liketh him to dallie and solace himself in alleadging certain scholastical doctours as S. Thomas Dunce Durande Holkot and other not in reprouing Mocking and skorning easie kindes of confutacion their learning by learning which he can not doe but reprouing yt with mocking and skorning which ys in deed easie to doe The Summe of all that long disputacion ys onely to make the matter appeare to the worlde that yt ys a daungerouse thinge to honour the Sacrament for that the people can not discerne the accidentes or the outwarde formes of the Sacrament from the bodie of Chryste and therfore maie soen committe idolatrie in honouring the outward formes in the stead of Chrystes bodie Yt ys a woorld to see thys man that when he hath no substācial argument to make against the matter derectlie he seketh oute daūgers to bring himself ād the people into more daūger For wher yt ys our duetie to honour our sauiour Chryst whersoeuer we know him by faith to be to auoide his inuēted daunger he wold haue vs by omissiō of owr duetie to rūne into a certē daūger ād to auoide soch abuse as he imagineth to take away the thing yt self as Licurgus did who seing wine to be abused for that mē took excessiuelie of yt caused all the vines in the contrie to be cutte dowen that ther shoulde be no wine So this man for an abuse that he phantasieth he wolde take awaie the thing By like phantasie he might also moue vs not to honoure Chryst in heauen Like Phantasie ioined with auarice pulled down all Abbeis in England But moche more yt might seem to haue moued the Apostles and other that were conuersaunt with Chryst in the flesh and beleuing in him honoured him What daunger were they in that seing the humane bodie of Christ and percase not sufficientlie discerning the humanitie from the deitie nor fully perceauing the vnition of these two natures in the vnitie of person neither yet well vnderstanding how the bodie of Chryst ys to be adored and howe yt ys not howe the deitie was in that person of Chryst and howe to be considered and yet did adore him Al these poinctes as yt maie be gathered by the peticion of Philippe were not well vnderstanded of the Apostles themselues For when he saied Domine ostende nobis Patrem et sufficit nobis Lord shewe vs the Father and yt ys enough for vs yt semeth that he had not that consideracion of the Deitie that faith required And further by the aunswer of Chryste yt semeth that the Apostles didnot yet knowe Chryst For he saied Tanto tempore vobiscum sum non cognouistis me Haue I ben so long time with yowe and haue ye not knowen me Yf they that had ben so long conuersaunt withe Chryst and so long traded in the schoole of Chryste did not know Chryst how did the three wise men of the east the woman of Chananie the man born blind
saied Nisi abiero Paracletus non Ibid. 16. veniet ad vos si autem abiero mittam eum ad vos Except I go the comforter shall not come to yowe but yf I go awaie I will sende him to yowe At the whiche coming he promised them saing Accipietis virtutem superuementis Spiritus sancti in vos Ye shall receaue powre after the holie Goste Acto 1. ys comed vpon yowe yet nowe they receaued certain giftes of the holie Goste as Chrysostom wittnesseth Non erraret quispiam si tunc eos potestatem quandam gratiam spiritualem accipisse diceret non tamen vt mortuos suscitarent virtutes In. 20. Joā ostenderent sed vt peccata dimitterent Differentes enim sunt gratiae Spiritus Quare addidit Quorum remiseratis peccata remissa sunt ostendens quod virtutis genus largiatur A man shoulde not erre yf he saied that they did receaue a certain power The holie Gost was geuen by Chrystes breathing and spirituall grace not yet that they shoulde rayse the dead and shewe wonders but that they shoulde forgeue sinnes The graces of the Spirit are different wherfore he added Whose sinnes ye remitte they are remitted declaring that he graunted a kinde of power Thus Chrysostome By this then yt ys manifest that at that breathing Chryst gaue vnto his Apostles the holy gost Let vs nowe examin the fourth scripture which Oecolampadius alleageth to proue a trope in Chrystes woordes whiche ys that Chryst saied of Iohn the Baptist that he was Helias The woordes be these Omnes Prophetae ac ipsa lex vsque ad Ioannem prophetauerunt si vultis recipere ipse est Helias Iqui venturus erat All the Prophetes and the lawe yt self hath prophecied vnto Iohn And Math 11 yf ye will receaue yt This ys Helias whiche was for to come For the better vnderstanding of this text yt ys to be noted that the Iewes vpon the prophecie Opinion of the Iewes of the coming of Helias of Malachie which prophecieth that Helias shal come before the Iudgement of Chryst mistaking and mysvnderstanding the same that he shoulde come before his coming into flesh were in doubte whether Iohn the Baptist were Helias and therfore sent Messengers vnto him asking whether that he was Helias or no. Wher in dede the prophecie speaketh of the coming of Helias before the seconde coming of Chryste whiche shall be to iudgement as the woordes do declare Beholde saieth allmightie God by the Prophet I will sende yowe Helias the prophet before the coming of the great and fearful daie of the Lorde He shall turne the heartes of the fathers to their children and of the children to ther fathers Mala. 4. that I come not and smite the earth with cursing Two things in this prophecie ther be which do teache vs that Helias shal be the percursour of the iudgement of Chryste and not of his natiuitie The one ys that he shall come before the daie of the great and fearfull Lorde Chryste at his natiuitie came as Rex pacificus a king a peacemaker he came as Zacha. ◠Rex mansuetus as a lowlie kinge as Zacharie prophecied that he shoulde do Reioice saieth he greatlie thowe daughter of Syon be glad o daughter Hierusalem Forlo Math. 21. Mar. 11. Luc. 19. Jbid. 2. thy king cometh vnto thee euen the righteouse and sauiour lowlie and simple ys be he rideth vpon an asse and vpon the fole of an asse This to be fulfilled in Chryste the holie Euangelists do wittnesse At his birth also as the prophet willeth Syon ād Hierusalē to reioice so the Angell appearing to the sheperds saied Beholde I bring yow tidinges of great ioie that shall come to all people And streit waie ther was with the Angel a multitude of heauenlie soldiers pray sing God and saing Glorie to God on hight and peace on the earth and vnto men a good will By this yt doth well appeare that the first coming of Chryst ys not fearful but peaceable lowlie and Ioyfull The first coming of Chryste was ioifull the second shall be terrible The seconde thing be noted ys that the Prophet shall come to turn the heartes of the fathers to the Sonnes c. Lest when that Lorde cometh he smite the earthe with cursing Chryst at hys first coming came not to smite punish and curse as he himself not a fewe times doth testifie Non veni vt iudicem mundum sed vt saluificem mundum I came not to iudge the worlde but to saue the world Again Venit filius hominis quaerere saluum facere quod perierat The Sonne of man came to seke and saue that that had perished In so moch that when his Disciples moued him that Luc. 19. fire might descende from heauen to consume the Samaritanes that wolde not receaue him he saied The Sonne of man came not to destroye but to saue mens lifes All whiche places declare that Chryst at hys first coming came not to Luc. 9. iudge nor to punish but to seke and saue But hys seconde coming in dede shall be fearfull and terrible For then he shall come to iudgement at which time yf the heartes of the people be not turned he shall then be a seuere iudge and shall greuouslie smite the wicked nesse of men and shall pronunce the sentence of cursing vpon earthlie men saing Go ye cursed into the euerlasting fire whiche ys prepared for the Deuell and hys Matth. 25 Angells Of thys iudgement ye maie read in sainct Matthew more at large Forsomoche then as Chryst at that his seconde coming shall be a fearfull Lorde and shall smite the earth with cursing yt must nedes be that Helias must be a precursour of that coming and not of the first Nowe for that the Iewes where in that errour that they loked that Healias shoulde come before that Messias shoulde come in to the worlde Chryst saied vnto them Si vultis recipere ipse est Helyas qui venturus erat Yf ye will receaue yt this ys Helias which was for to come Whiche woordes Euthymius expowndeth thus Si vultis recipere quod futurum esse dictum est de boc tempore ipse est Helias Jn 1. Math qui venturus erat vtpote ipsum illius ministerium perficiens Yf ye will receaue that that ys spoken to be doen hereafter to be of this time present He ys Helyas whiche was for to come as one perfourming euen his very mynisterie and office As who might saie Wher as ye thinke that Helyas who shall be the percursour of my seconde cominge to prepare the heartes of the people that they maie eschape my terrible iudgement ys the precursour of this my first cominge to prepare the heartes of the people to receaue me and my faith as touchinge that office yf ye will so take yt Iohn ys Helias For to that office ys he by the prophetes appointed as Helyas ys to the other
admonition that we beware with all diligence that we do not communicate with heretiques neither ministre the Sacrament vnto them For if we do we partake of their euell faith and condemnacion This admonicion as yt ys good so ys yt necessarie to be kept For yt ys agreable to the scriptures For as this place of S. Paule to the Corinthians doth forbidde them that they shoulde not be partakers with Idolaters in their Idolathites for then they shoulde entre into felowshippe with Deuells so doth yt forbidd vs to be partakers with heretiques For if we do we entre into felowshippe with them we seem to consent to their wicked heresie and so to be 2 Ioan. partakers of the same wherfor S. Iohn gaue streict charge saing Si quis venit ad vos hanc doctrinam non adfert nolite eum recipere in domum nec aue ei dixeritis Yf any man come vnto yowe and bring not this learning receaue him not to house neither bidde him God spede So farre wide was yt froÌ„ the minde of the Apostle that we shoulde entre into the house of God with heretiques and their to ioin with them in the partaking of sacramentes that he wolde that we shoulde not receaue them into our house neither as moche as to bidde them God spede And shewing the cause of this his commaundement saieth For he that biddeth him God spede ys partaker of his euell dede And to the entent this his admonicion shoulde be the better regarded and the daunger of the breach therof well knowen to them and feared he concludeth thus Beholde I haue tolde yowe before that ye shoulde not be ashamed in the daie of our Lorde In this saing of S. Iohn yt ys easie to perceaue that yt ys daungerouse to ioin with heretiques and speciallie in the communion of sacracmentes For if we do we shall be confownded in the daie of our Lorde Yf S. Paule did earnestly require the Thessalonians and that in the name of our Lorde Iesus Chryste they shoulde with drawe them selues from euery brother that did walke inordinatelie and not after the tradicion whiche 2 TessaloÌ„ 3. they had receaued shoulde we not withdrawe our selues froÌ„ them which do not onelie walke inordinately but do with all that in them lieth laboure to subuert the wholl order of Chrystes Churche and with all violence and blasphemie impugn not onelie the tradicions which they haue receaued but the Sacramentes and misteries of the true religion and the wholl faith of Chryst S. Paule willeth that with fornicators adulterers dronkers and idolaters we shoulde not asmoch'as eate meate Therfor with the other yt ys withoute 1 Cor. 5. doubte that we shoulde haue no felowshippe nor medle with them and speciallie in the communion of sacramentes And as yt ys not laufull for the true chrystian to communicate with them in the sacramentes of the catholique Churche no more ys yt laufull for him to communitate with anie in the newe forged sacramentes of the congregacion of heretiques for like perill enseweth vpon bothe But let not the reader take me that I meen that they which ignorantlie Heretiques how they must be auoided not knowing them to be soche incurre anie soche daunger if they communicate with them But I meen of them who knowing soch to be heretiques will yet communicate with them They vndoubtedlie incurre the daunger For when they be knowen to be soche and will not be reformed S. Paule willeth them to be auoided Haereticum hominem post vnam alteram admonitionem deuita sciens quia subuersus est qui eiusmodi est delinquit cùm sit proprio indicio condemnatus A man that ys an Heretique after the first and second admonicion Tit. 3. auoid knowing that he who ys soch ys peruerted and sinneth eueÌ„ daÌ„ned by his own iudgement According to this rule the people knowing Macedonius to be a notable Eccl. hist. tripar li. 4. ca. 39. li. 5. ca. 30 heretique did both men and women so auoid him that they wolde not although enforced with great and cruell tormentes once communicate with him as in the Tripartite historie yt ys more at large declared In the primitiue Churche this matter was so straightlie obserued that by the Canons of the Apostles ys was ordeined that Byshoppe preist or Deacon Can. 45. which did but onely praie with heretiques shoulde be putte from the comunion if they suffred them to do anie thing as clerkes they shoulde for their soche permission be depriued from their office Although ther be manie histories declaring this auoiding of the communion of heretiques to haue ben moche practised yet I omitte them for that this maie suffice to be spoken as but by occasion of the note of the woordes of Damascen whiche although breiflie yet with dumbe scilence I coulde not ouerpasse yt perceauing the note to be verie necessarie for this time In. 10. 1. Cor. And nowe here shall be place for Haymo whom I haue thought good to ioing with Damascen bicause his sentence ys but short and yet doth plainlie expresse the minde of S. Paule Thus he saieth Diuinitas Verbi quae implet coelum terram omnia quae in eis sunt ipsareplet corpus Christi quod à multis sacerdotibus per vniuersum orbeÌ„ sanctificatur facit vnuÌ„ corpus Christi esse Et sicut ille panis et sanguis in corpus Christi transeunt ita omnes qui in Ecclesia dignè comedunt illum vnum The God head silleth the bodie of Chryste which ys sanctified of the preist corpus Christi sunt sicut ipse dicit Qui manducat carnem meam bibit sanguinem meum in me manet ego in eo The Godhead of the Sonne which filleth heauen and earth and all that in them ys that same filleth the bodie of Chryst the whiche ys sanctified of manie preistes throughoute all the worlde and maketh one bodie of Chryst to be And as that bread and bloode do passe into the bodie of Chryst euen so all that in the Church do woorthilie eate yt they are one bodie as he himself saieth He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and â—…n him Thus moche Haymo Do ye not in these fewe lines see these two thinges that ys that in the Sacrament ys the verie bodie of Chryst and his verie blood and also that all The excelleÌ„cie of the blessed Sacrament they which do woorthilie receaue the same that they are one bodie of Chryst As concerning the first yt ys woorthie of note to see howe he doth settfurth the excellencie of the Sacrament whiche I wish the reader more diligentlie to obserue that the wickednesse of the Angells of Sathan maie be the better perceaued Beholde howe litle so euer they esteem yt or howe barelie so euer they terme yt yet this authour saieth that the Godhead of the Sonne of God doth fill the bodie of Chryst that ys
had sufficientlie doen penance and made amendes for the same rebuketh them both the preistes sor that they suffred yt and the receauers for that they presumed to receaue yt Whose rebuke yf you marke ys verie sore sharpe and terrible whiche of so graue and godlie holie martyr shoulde not haue ben doen yf the thing that they receaued had ben but a peice of breade For soche graue men as holie Cyprian was did with moche grauitie and godlie wisdome rebuke offences with iust measure a small faulte gentlie and easilie a great faulte seuerely and sharpelie Wherfor this rebuke of S. Cyprian being sharpe and sore yt argueth that their offence was great and so in dede yt was For they being so filthilie desiled presumed to come to receaue the blessed bodie of Chryst For they yet Table of our Lorde the bodie of our Lorde smelling of the deadlie infection saieth S. Cyprian of the eating of the Idolatites came violently vpon the bodie of our Lorde to receaue yt By whiche his woordes as ye maie perceaue ther was a great offence committed iustly deseruing so great a rebuke So maie ye perceaue that by the table of our Lorde spoken of by S. Paule he vnderstandeth the bodie of our Lorde So that when S. Paule saieth Ye can not be partakers of the table of our Lorde yt ys asmoche to saie as ye can not be partakers of the bodie of our Lorde In this then the one parte heretofore in the former processe taught ys confirmed namely that S. Paule rightly vnderstanded taught the presence of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament I shall not nede to make farder proof of this seeing that yt ys manifest that S. Cyprian correcting them that being defiled with Idolathites did presume to receaue our Lordes bodie dothe touche them with the saing of S. Paule Ye can not be partakers of the table of our Lorde Whiche texte in dede shoulde nothing touche them yf the thing that S. Cyprian spake of were not the same that S. Paule spake of And so contrarie wise yt ys manifest then that S. Cyprian speaking of the euell receauing of the bodie of Chryst that S. Paule also spake of the bodie of Chryste and so both of them of the very presence of Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament The other parte also namely that he speaketh of the bodie of Chryst as of a sacrifice ys also easie in him to be pceaued For to what pourpose ells shoulde Sainct Cyprian alleadge that place of Leuiticus forbidding the vnclean person to receaue anie parte of the sacrifice of our Lorde but that that prohibition being spoken of the sacrifice that was the figure shoulde directlie be applied to the sacrifice which ys the thing which ys the bodie of Chryst our sacrifice and so teache vs that euery vnclean person ys forbidden to eate of this holie sacrifice For to that pourpose did S. Cyprian alleadge that text as a scripture by the which we are forbidden to be partakers of our Lordes sacrifice yf we be ioined in anie folowshippe with Sathan I minde not to stande long vpon this matter for that I haue saied moche of yt allreadie both in the first booke and also in this booke Wherfore thus leauing Cyprian I will call in Chrysostom as one of the other side of Chrystes parliament house of whose iudgement in the matter of the Sacrament soche a nombre of his sainges being produced I trust the Reader ys not ignoraÌ„t of the whiche also diuerse produced vpon this Epistle of Sainct Paule whiche we nowe treat of be so plain and clere that none can be desiered more clere But for that vpon this text I finde him not by expresse woordes speaking so plainlie as the matter maie fullie appeare to the Reader for the opening of the matter that ys here to be spoken of I will produce him where he speaketh of the same sense that S. Paule doth and withall openeth our matter very plainly Thus he writeth Quomodò sacrum videbimus Pascha quomodò sanctum suscipiemus sacrificium quomodò mirabilibus communicabimus mysterijs lingua Chry. hom 11. ad pop Antioch illa qua Dei legem conculcauerimus lingua illa qua animam contaminauerimus Si nemo namue purpuram regalem manibus accipere inquinatis auderet quomodò Dominicum corpus lingua polluta suscipiemus Iuramentum enim maligni Sacrificium verò Domini Quae igitur communicatio luci ad tenebras vel quae conuenientia Christo ad Belial Howe shall we see the holie Easter howe shall we receaue the holie sacrifice howe Sacrifice plainly auouched with reall presence shall we communicate the wonderfull mysteries with that tounge whiche we haue contemned the lawe of God withall with that toung wherwith we haue defiled our soules For yf no man wolde be so bolde with defiled handes to take the kinges robe howe shall we with a defiled toung receaue the bodie of our Lorde Swearing ys of the wicked The sacrifice ys of our Lorde What folowshippe then ys ther betwixt light and darknes or what agreement betwixt Chryst and Beliall Thus Chrysostom Who diswading the people from vain and superfluouse swearing Whervnto Swearing to moche vsed wicked custom hath at these daies also to moche brought our people saieth in effect that they can not receaue and become partakers of the bodie of our Lorde with the same toung with whiche they blaspheme Gods holy name and contemne his holy lawe Whiche ys euen the same that S. Paule saieth here ye can not be partakers of the table of our Lorde and of the table of Deuells And here note that as S. Paule by the table of our Lorde vnderstandeth the sacrifice of our Lorde of the whiche the wicked can not be partakers So here Chrysostome by expresse woordes saieth that the wicked blasphemour can not be partaker of the sacrifice of our Lorde By the whiche sacrifice he vnderstandeth the bodie of Chryste For the better perceauing wherof note that he tearmeth the holie Sacrament with these tearmes He calleth yt the holy sacrifice He calleth yt the wonderfull Excellent titles of the blessed Sac. mysteries He calleth yt the bodie of our Lorde He calleth yt light Yea he calleth yt Chryst himself By whiche tearmes he declareth vnto vs the excellencie of the Sacrament as in which ys the very presence of Chrystes bodie verilie and substancially whiche ys also our sacrifice These two partes we shall breiflie open in this Authour The verie reall presence he teacheth when he saieth Howe shall we with Reall presence ê“ued by Chryso a defiled toung receaue the bodie of our Lorde Yt ys manifest that with our mouth and toung we can receaue nothing but that that ys substancial and corporal but with these saieth Chrysost we receaue the bodie of Chryst Wherfor we receaue the substaÌ„cial and corporal bodie of Chryst And therfor this being well knowen to the Aduersarie he with might and main denieth that we receaue the bodie of Chryst
the preist who ys the common ministre of the Churche and offreth for them all to be offred of them all And therfore the preist saieth plurallie offerimus we offre And when he hath doen he likewise saieth plurallie obtulimus we haue offred And this common offring or sacrifice ys commonly called Masse The other ys that ther maie be mo Masses then one in a Church on one daie Whiche nombre of Masses in one church the Proclamer impugneth Ther maie be mo masses then one in one churche and one daie by a membre of his proclamacion and chargeth the catholique Church with an abuse in that ther haue ben in one Churche mo Masses than one in one daie Yf he saie that yt was doen that the people might communicate I content me let yt be so though the trueth ys ys was doen that all the people might sacrifice Then for communion ther maie be no Masses then one in one daie Then yf ther be fiue ten or twentie communions in one daie ther maie be fiue ten or twentie Masses in one Church in one daie For why not aswell twentie as two and those aswell for thoffring of sacrifice as for communion what scripture hath the Proclamer to the contrarie But thus moche oute of the principall matter by occasion as the like shall happen again when we shall alleadge Telesphorus But nowe as touching the name of Masse we finde yt also vsed of Sainct Ambrose For he saieth of him self Ego mansi in munere missam Ambrosius epist 33. facere cepi orare in oblatione Deum vt subueniret I did abide in my office I began to saie Masse to praie God in the sacrifice that he wolde helpe In which saing Sainct Ambrose vseth the name of Masse to expresse to vs the sacrifice of God that he began to doe Whiche by plain woordes he openeth when he saied he began Masse to praie God in the sacrifice to helpe So that to saie Masse was to offre sacrifice and the oblacion of yt to make praier to God So familiare was the name of the Masse that as yt ys thought Sainct Ambrose making two godly praiers to be saied before Masse he entitled them the praiers preparatiue before Masse Yt ys not vnlike that the name of Masse was familiar in Sainct Ambrose daies seing yt was in vse in the time of Telesphorus Who being the seuenth Byshoppe of Rome after Sainct Peter was wellnigh three hundreth yeares before Sainct Ambrose This man made a statute that in the feast of the natiuitie of our Lorde there shoulde three Masses be songe The first at midnight when Chryst was born in Bethleem The seconde in the morning when he was seen of the shepards The thirde aboute the howre that Chryst suffred his passion And ye maie perceaue that yt was the Masse nowe in vse for a Telesphor Three masses coÌ„maunded to be doen on Chryst maesse daie 140 yeares agoÌ„ great parte of yt calling the Masse the wholl Ceremonie that was by this man appoincted For by him was Gloria in excelsis commaunded to be songe before the sacrifice shoulde be offred From this mans time who liued more the fourten hundreth yeares agon not onely the name of Masse hath ben in the Churche But also on the daie of the Natiuitie of our Lorde three Masses haue ben vsed in the Church For some proofe wherof we haue Sainct Gregorie who vpon the Gospell of Sainct Luke readde that daie in the Churche making an homelie or sermon to the people saieth thus Quia missarum solemnia ter hodie celebraturi sumus diude Greg. hom Euangelica lectione loqui non possumus Bicause this daie we must sing three solemne Masses we can not long speake of the Euangelicall lesson That this hath ben also obserued in these later daies ther ys no doubte Then seing yt hath ben solemnely obserued so long time to sing three solemne Masses vpon the daie of Chrystes birth who can be so blinde not to see the name to haue ben from the primitiue church vsed Nowe here by the waie note howe true the article of the Proclamer ys wher in he auoucheth that yt can not be shewed that mo Masses then one were saied in one daie Yt ys I suppose laufull to haue mo then one on a daie when first we finde yt by so auncient and so holie a Martyr commaunded and that so nere to the beginning of the Churche Secondarely for that Leo gaue ordre that in one daie and in one Church mo Masses should be celebrated then one Thirdlie we maie iudge yt laufull forasmoche as we finde yt so obserued to Sainct Gregories time In all which time who can doubte the Churche to haue ben in good perfection And yf the Churche did repute yt well doen that time Yf so manie learned men as were in that flowrishing time whiche was for the space of foure hundreth yeares in the which time liued Tertullian Cyprian Hylary Hierom Ambrose Augusten and a nombre of men both famouse in holinesse of life and excellencie of learning did practise the same did obserue and folowe the same What maie we or can we saie but yt ys laufull to haue mo Masses saied then one in one daie and in one Churche For yf three be commaunded to be saied Why maie not fiue be saied Why not ten Why not not fiftene and so furth wher the nombre of preistes and denocion of the people suffice and require The Proclamer brageth moche of the primititiâ—e churche but his doinges be against yt Thus ye maie see howe the Proclamer bragging of the primitiue Churche ys confownded by the primitiue Churche He wolde with woordes of the primitiue Churche bleer the eyes of men when the doinges of the same Church shall cause them to see him ouerthrowen And thus by shamefull speakinge against the trueth he geueth occasion to his owne shame to haue the trueth shewed And here also yt ys to be obserued that this impugnacion of the nnmbre of Masses can not procead oute of anie godly or vertuouse principle For yf yt be godly and to our duetie apparteining highlie to esteeme Chrystes passion and death for oure redemption therin wrought to rendre to God and our Sauiour Chryst most humble heartie and often thankes and often also to doe that solemne memoriall that Chryst himself hath appoincted to be doen all whiche be doen in the Masse what shoulde let or what likelie or apparaunt dissuasion can this Proclamer make that the Masse shoulde be seldomer and not raither oftener doen Soche doctrine as moueth to vertue to the setting furth of Gods honoure ys to be embraced Soche as dissuadeth from vertue and causeth a decaie of deuocion and slacknes of our duetie in remembring of Chrystes passion and death and thankes geuing for the same ys not onely to be suspected but to be iudged euell deuelish and abhominable And truelie in this ys a farder matter entended by Sathan and his mynisters then ys yet opened But this
The finall marke that SathaÌ„ shooteth at maie be coniectured that where they beginue to diminish the memorie of Chryst they will afterwarde clean extingnish yt And so at the last alltogether wipe Chryst from all memorie But to returne to our cheif pourpose Although this sufficeth to prooue the name of Masse the vse of Masse and the vse of moo Masses then one in one daie and one place to be right auncient yet we shall ascende somwhat higher and come nearer to the Apostles time Before Telesphorus was Sixtus who commaunded that when the preist began the solemne action of the Masse wherby ys ment the praiers going before the consecracion the people shoulde singe Sanctus Sanctus c. Whiche we see to this daie obserued in the Masse where yt ys vsed Before Sixtus was Alexander the Martyr a Roman borne and aboute the yeare of our Lorde cxix Byshoppe of Sixtus in Decret Alexan. in epist. ad orthodox Rome Who made soche a decree as I finde yt in the summe of decrees In sacrificio missarum panis tantùm vinum aqua mixtum offeratur In the sacrifice of Masses let onely bread and wine mixed with water be offied This man being a Roman borne an auncient of the Churche and an holie Martyr withe his plain speach of Masse presseth the Aduersarie so sore that he ys fain to slie to his common solucion Whiche ys to denie the Authour In whiche his doing he doth not degenerate from his fore graunde Fathers Marcion for the maintenance of his heresie reiected the olde Testament and the Prophetes all the Euangelistes sauing Sainct Luke The Manicheis also reiected the olde Testament Martin Luther reiected the Epistle of Sainct Iames. The Sacramentaries reiecte Sainct Ambrose bookes of the Sacramentes And why haue all these denied these bookes Bycause they be directlie against their heresies and do confute them So I saie the Aduersary denied Alexander bicause he maketh so expresse and plain mencion of Masse whiche he wolde ouerthrowe But let vs see what proofe he hath to prooue that Alexander did not make this aboue mencioned constitucioÌ„ Bicause saieth he The charche in the time of Alexander did not knowe this woorde Masse And therfore yt ys like not to be his sainge This saing shall be diuided in to two partes and to aunswer the first parte of yt I saie yt ys a merueilouse thing that he will saie of him self withoute all authoritie yea eueÌ„ against plain authoritie that the Church did not knowe Alexan. his authortie approued and delinered froÌ„ the cauile of the Aduers this woorde Masse when by authoritie the contrarie ys prooued Yf he will refuse yt let him counteruaill yt withe like authoritie and then we shall geue him place But naked woordes without proofe in matters of controuersie are not of weight able to prooue any thinge For the second parte wher he saieth yt ys therfore like not to be his sainge I must saie that oute of a fainct antecedent commeth but a weake consequent Euerie likelihoode hath not the verie veritie no more hath his And therfore in case yt were like as he saieth yet yt proueth not But to prooue that this ys the saing of Alexander we will vse neither bare woordes neither fainct likelihoods But authoritie and probable matter For authoritie we haue a councell holdeÌ„ more then sex hoÌ„derth yearesagon Conc. Constantine 6. whiche testifieth this to be the saing of Alexander and neuer yet against saied by anie councell that since hath ben celebrated or by anie famouse learned catholique man Probable matter we haue that for asmoche as the name of Masse was in vse in the time of S. Gregorie as ys allreadie testified In the time also of Felix the fourth who was before S. Gregorie in whose time the vse of the thing yt self with the name was so moch in vse that he made a decree that no preist withoute a great necessitie shoulde saie masse but in places halowed and dedicated to God wher by yt ys clere that yt Felixquartus epistola ad Episc was vsed also before his time Nowe yf the name of Masse or the thing were so straung in that time as the Aduersarie wolde beare vs in hande ther shoulde no soch commaundement haue ben made to will the preistes to celebrate onely in churches For by this restraint yt maie be coniectured that yt was commonlic vsed in prophane places I meen in their houses no necessitie enforcing them therto but their owne priuate deuocion Nowe yf I were in the Aduersaries case and shoulde perceaue the vse and continuaunce of the Masse and the name of yt to haue continued but for so long time as from Felix hitherto which ys almost a thousand yeare I shoulde be ashamed to take vpon me to reprehende the doing of the wholl christian worlde so long vsed and the iudgement of so manie holie and learned men as in so moche time haue liued And contemning all them to setfurthe mine owne phantafie But pitie yt ys to beholde he doth not onely so but arcogancic so leading him he reproueth the wholl christian worlde and all the Church and learned men that haue ben these eleuen hondreth and three skore years and more For euen by his owne confession yt ys euident that the name of Masse hath ben in vse since foure hondreth years after Christ For these be his woordes towardes the ende of The Proclamer him self graunteth the name of Masse to haue ben vsed from four hundreth years after Christe his sermon I assure â—owe Bretheren in the time of Peter and Iames neither was ther anie man that euer heard the name of Masse For Missa was neuer named vntill foure hundreth yeares after Christ And yet then was yt no Priuate Masse neither By whiche woords yt ys euident that he acknowlegeth the name of Masse to haue ben vsed from foure hundreth years after Christ and yf yt hath continued but so long what arrogancie maie be thought in him Not onelie arrogancie but manifest vntrueth maic be perceaued in him For yt ys allready vse within one hundreth and a fewe yeares after Chryst For better declaracion wherof we haue shewed the vse of yt in the time of S. Gregorie and Felix But yet here ys not the beginning of the matter For as ye haue hearde Leo who was before this Eelix and S. Ambrose who was before do make expresse mencion of yt Thelesporus also and Sixtus that were verie nere the time of Alexander as yt ys before shewed made decrees for the Masse Seing then yt ys prooued that the name of Masse was in vse from owre time to Sixtus who was next Bishoppe of Rome to Alexander ys yt not a probable matter or raither dothe yt not prooue in dede that yt was in vse in the time of the same Alexander For when Sixtus made the addicion of Sauctus to the Masse yt presupposeth that the Masse was before his time Yf before his time then neades in the
Cyprian accompteth a great and a weightie matter this man being blinde on the one side can perceaue yt but a small matter but opeining his eies to the other side he seeth yt to be a great and horrible faulte For the ministres of Chrystes catholique churche teaching according to Chrystes instituciō and woorde saing this ys my Bodie that his bodie ys in the Sacramēt are by this man not a litle exclamed at For here are we Papistes here are we Capharnates Here are we Idolaters and the Authours of destable Idolatrie here are we makers of Gods here are we blasphemers here are we the Robbers of Gods honour and what are we not that euell ys so great and wicked ys our offence teaching Chrystes bodie in the Sacrament and yet the same in Luther was but a small matter Soche ys the parciall Iudgement of this man But howe soeuer he iudgeth holie Ciprian iudgeth him and all soche as he ys greuouse offenders and brakers of the institucion of Chryst that doe so alter Christes institucion that wher yt pleased him of the abundant and vnspeakeable loue that he beareth to vs to ordein his owne blessed bodie to be ministred vnto vs in the holie Sacrament as a pledg of that same his loue to our great consolacion and comforte and to our great benefitt both in bodie and soule they will ministre and geue vnto vs not his bodie but a peice of bread and a cuppe of wine But that Chryst did geue furth his owne bodie and bloode and not bread and wine ye haue before heard yt declaretd For Chryste fulfilled that in veritie saieth Sainct Ciprian that Melchisedeth did in figure Melchisedech offred bread and wine Chryst perfecting that figure offred bread and wine that ys saieth holy Ciprian his bodie and bloode Note then that Sainct Ciprian expownding the fullfilling of the figure of bread and wine offred by Melchisedech saieth not that Chryst offred bare bread and wine but bread and wine that was his bodie and bloode wiche blessed bread and wine of his bodie and bloode being made present by his allmightie power by the turninge of materiall bread and wine into his bodie and blood ys the right fullfilling of the figuratiue breade and wine offred by Melchisedech Ita nunc sanguinem suum in vino consecrauit qui tune vinum in sanguine Tertull. cō Martionē Consecracion the woorde vsed by Tertul. figurauit So nowe saieth Tertulian he hath consecrated his blood in wine who then figured wine in his blood Thus then ye perceaue that Chryst did consecrate his bodie and bloode whiche woorde of consecracion ye see that Tertulian abhoreth not although yt mislike manie in these daies but vseth yt as the Church nowe vseth yt and saieth that Chryst did consecrate his bloode in wine An other note we haue whiche ys this that Iesus Chryst our lorde and God the high preist of God the Father did first offre this sacrifice In whiche woordes we are taught not onelie that he did in his last Supper offre a Sacrifice but that he did then offre a Sacrifice that was neuer offred before Let vs therfor discusse and searche what sacrifice that was Yt was not a sacrificie of figuratiue bread and wine For that also was offred by Aarons preistes yt was not a sacrifice of thankes geuing onelie For that was both in the lawe of nature and by the lawe of Moises and also by Chryst diuerse times doen. What sacrifice was yt then was yt a sacrifice after the ordre of Melchisedech Yt was a sacrifice after the ordre of Melchisedech But yt maie be saied that that sacrifice was ofred by Melchisedech thousand of years before Chryst so that Chryst was not the first that did offre after that maner wherfor yt shoulde appeare that yt was not that maner of sacrifice True yt ys that Melchisedech offred sacrifice in bread and wine as yt ys proued in the first booke But Melchisedech offred bread and wine in figure Chryst offred after the same ordre bread and wine in veritie What did he offre in veritie That that the bread and wine of Melchisedech did figure what Chryste in his last Supper offred his bodie and blood in sacrifice did yt figure Yf figured the verie bread and wine of Chrystes bodie and bloode Then Chryst offred in sacrifice his bodie and blood True yt ys And this sacrifice was neuer offred before Chryst himself did offre yt For neuer man did offre yt before in veritie though Melchisedech and other did offre yt in figure For as Sainct Ambrose saieth Christus formam Sacrificij perennis instituens hostiam se primus obtulit primus docuit offerri Chryste instituting Ambro. in praesaction Misse in cana Dom. the forme of the euerlasting sacrifice he first offred him self a sacrifice and first taught yt to offred And that Chryst did offre his owne blessed bodie in sacrifice Sainct Ciprian hath taught vs. For first he saied that Chryst offred bread and wine that ys saieth he his bodie and bloode and nowe teaching howe yt ys offred he saieth that yt ys offred in sacrifice Thus yf I be not deceaued the matter ys plain that Chryst did offre hys bodie in his last Supper in sacrifice And yf the Aduersarie can shewe what sacrifice yt was ells that Chryst did first offre yt maie somwhat make for him yf he can not as I am sure he can not let him geue place to the trueth taught by the holie Fathers in the auncient Curche Thus moche then for this note being saied let vs farder consider what ys saied of this holie Father He saieth not onely that Chryst did first offre this sacrifice but he saieth also Et hoc fieri in sui commemorationem praecepit And he commaunded this to be doen in the remembrance of him Here I wolde learn of the Aduersarie which shall be the substantiue to the Pronowne This yt ys manifiest to him and to all that haue but their grammer rules that this woorde Sacrificium ys the Substantiue Then must yt of necessitie folowe that our lorde and God Iesus Chryst hath commaunded vs to offre We acc cōmaunded by Chryste to offre the same sacrifice that he offred this sacrifice in remēbrance of him that he offred in his last Supper whiche sacrifice ys his blessed bodie and blood Wherfore I wishe this to be well noted that howsoeuer the enemies of Chryst doo raile at the catholique Churche and at the ministres of the same for that they doo teache that in the Masse they offre sacrifice to God yet we are so commaunded to doo by the authoritie of Chryste as here by holie Ciprian ye see yt testified Neither ys this to be ouerpassed but diligentlie to be noted that wher the same enemies of Chryst in their sondrie workes doo triumphe against certain learned catholique men for that they saie that power ys geuen to Chrystes Churche to offre sacrifice by these woordes of Chryste This doe ye in the
not these dūbe gestures and ceremonies This ys not onely an vntrueth For he knoweth that ther be learned Fathers that haue written bookes of the ceremonies of the Masse and farder haue declared what euerie p cercell or peice of the garmētes that the preist doeth weare in mynistracion doe signifie and haue fullie ād plainlie expounded euerie part of the Masse and the canon of the same as Isidorus Rabanus Hugo de Sancto Victore Gabriel Hoiffmister ād Garetius with other But yt ys also arrogantlie slaunderouse For he generallieaccuseth the wholl Church of ignorāce therbie seking to winne to himself the praise of singular knowledge and to blott all other before him with the grosnesse of ignorance to make himself to be seen wise and all other to be reputed as fooles but dicentes seesse sapientes stulti facti sunt The thirde which ys so manifest an vntrueth that euen a plain mā wolde by plain woorde call yt a lie as he maie doe the rest before mencioned ys that the Masse maketh no maner of mencion of Chrystes death Who wolde hauing knowledge so saie except he were so farre past shame that he regarded not what he saied Who wolde so saie that were not forced by Deuellish malice The Masse setfurth the death of Chryste more liuelie thē the new Communiō that wittinglie he wolde impugne the trueth and saie that not to be that ys and that to be that ys not What ys he that knoweth not that the Masse ys the memoriall of Chrystes passion and death Why ys the consecracion and oblacion of the bodie of Chryst doē but to the remēbrance of his passiō ād death Farder whē the preist saieth that the daie before our Lord Iesus suffred he tooke bread into his holie bādes and gaue thankes and saied take eate this ys my bodie which shall be geuen for yowe maketh he no mencion of Chrystes death When he saieth also This ys my bloode of the new testament which shall be shedde for yowe and for manie ys ther no mencion made of Chrystes passion and deth what hath the newe Communion to settfurth the death of Chryst more thē this but in the Masse besides this when the bodie and blood of Chryst be lifted vppe as once that same his bodie was vpon the crosse ys ther not a liuelie mencion made of his exaltacion vpon the crosse and of his death whē the preist in doing of this speaketh the woords of Chryst As often as ye doe this ye shall doe yt in the remembrance of me ys ther not good occasiō geuē to remembre Chrystes passiō and death by the rehersall of his owne cōmaundemēt After all this the preist immediatelie praieth and saieth Wherfore we Lorde being mindefull of the passion resurrection and ascension of oure Lorde offre vnto thie noble maiestie this pure sacrifice and be these woordes spoken without anie menciō of Chrystes death wher his passion resurrection and ascencion be called to minde and spokē by expresse woordes Ys not the prophecie of S. Peter fulfilled in this man and his likes when he saieth Erunt in vobis magistri mendaces qui 2. Peter 2. introducent sectas perditionis c. Ther shall be among yowe liēg masters which shall bring in sectes of perdiciō denieng the God that bought thē bringing vpon thē selues hastie perdiciō But leauing his vntrueths ād slaūders to him self and wishing this onelie here to be noted that soch vntrueths come not frō a good spirit I will returne to holie Basill of whose spirit ther ys no doubte and remembre that he in his Masse doeth both make intercession to Sainctes and doeth also praie for the soules of them that be departed Chrysostome also in his Masse praieth likewise in this maner Offerimus tibi MissaChrisost rationabile hoc obsequiū pro fideliter dormientibus pro patribus pro auis nostris interuenientibus Patriarchis Prophetis Apostolis Martyribus confessoribus et omnibus sanctis We offre vnto the this reasonable seruice for thē that sleape in faith for our Fathers and great graundfathers the holie Patriarches Prophetes Apostles Martyrs and confessors ād all saincts praing for vs. And shortlie after he praieth thus again Sancti Ioannis Baptistae prophetae praecursoris sanctorū nominatis simorū Apostolorū et sanctihuius cuius memoriā agimus et omniū sanctorū supplicationibus visita nos Deus et memor esto omniū in Domino dormientiū in spe resurrectionis vitae aeternae Chrysostō desurethin tercessiō of Sainctes ād praieth for the dead ac requiem praestaeis vbi lumen vultus tui superintendit By the supplicaciō or praiers of S. Iohn the Baptiste the prophet and forerunner ād of the holie ād most famouse Apostles ād of this Sainct whose memorie we make o God viset vs ād be mindfull of all that sleape in our Lord in hope of the resurrectiō of euerlasting life ād geue thē rest wher the light of thy coūtenance ouerlooketh all As in the other so in Chrysostōs Masse yowe see oblaciō made for the dead yowe see praier made for thē to obtein thē rest ād that also by the intercessiō of Sainctes By this then ye maie perceaue the maliciouse and slaunderouse railing of the Aduers against the Church who saieth that the Papistes haue made the Masse a sacrifice for the quicke ād the dead to the entēt they might make their merchandise therwith and so robbing the people fill their Aug. li. de heres Aerius accōpted an heretike deniengthe sacrifice of the Masse to auail the dead purseis with soule pence But ye see yt not inuēted of the Papistes as the Aduersarie termeth the catholike Chrystiās but ye see yt vsed ād practised of the Apostles and the holie Fathers in their Masses and so deliuered to vs. Now as we haue seen the practise of the aunciēt Church for the doing ād affirming the thing so let vs see the practise of the same for deniēg ād refusing the thing S. Augustine and before him Ephiphanius declare that ther was one called Aerius who as our newe masters doe nowe a daies denied the sacrifice of the Masse to be profitable to the dead for the whiche and certain other doctrines he was of the holie learned Fathers nombred amōg heretiques and of the Church so esteemed and reputed The practise of the Church then vpon them that denied the sacrifice of the Masse to be auailable to the dead was to esteem them and repute them as heretiques and this estimacion and reputacion was before the time of Epyphanius ād S. Aug. Concil Cartha 4. Let vs now proceade and see yet a litle farder In the fourth Councell of Cartage in the which S. Augustine was one soch a decree was made Qui oblationes defunctorum aut negant ecclestis aut cum difficultate reddunt tanquam egentium necatores excommunicētur they which denie vnto the church the oblacions of the dead or ells doe slacklie paie thē let them as the
Horace saieth Parturiunt montes nascetur ridiculus mus so here be great bragges but we shall haue but colde roste here ys a great cowntenance but small ys the force The Priclamer his arguments against sole receauing Chryste saieth he ministred not to one alone but to all the twelue Apostles Paule commaunded that one shoulde tarie and wait for an other Inuicem expectate S. Clement willed that so manie hostes shoulde be offred vpon the Aultar as might be sussicient for the people S. Dionise saieth that the preist when he had receaued himself and deliuered the holie communion to all the people geueth God thankes and maketh an ende of the misteries Iustinus the holie Martir saieth that in his time the Deacon exhorted the people that they will be partakers of those thinges that be laied furth before thē S. Ambrose rebuketh his people that were then growen necligent in receauing the lordes supper and vsed to excuse the matter for that they thought them selues not woorrhie saing to them Yf tbowe be not woorthie euery daie thē art thowe not woorthie once in a yeare And again S. Ambrose expownding these woordes of S. Paule Alius alium expectate writeth thus He commaunded them to tarie one for an other that the oblacion of manie maie be celebrated together and so be ministred vnto them all S. Hierom S. Augustine and the ecclesiasticall historie wittnesse that vntill that time cōmonlie euery where but speciallie in Rome the people vsed to cōmunicate euery daie Leo wrote to Dioscorus Bishoppe of Alexandria and willed him that wher the churche was not able to receaue all the people to cōmunicate together that the preist shoulde ministre two or three communions on one daie that as the people came in and had once filled the Churche so they shoulde receaue the communion and afterwarde geue place to other S. Hierom writing vpon the elementh chapter of S. Paules first epistle to the Corinthians saieth that the supper of the Lorde muste be common to all the people For Chryste gaue his Sacramentes to all his Disciples that were present These be the Proclamers scriptures these be his Doctours these be his authorities And nowe gentle Reader weigh with one what force these authorities haue to proue that he intendeth His intent ys to prooue that of necessitie Solucion of the Proclamers arguments ther must be mo communicantes then one at euery place and time wher and when yt happeneth Masse to be saied Nowe these places prooue no soche necessitie onelie they prooue that the Sacrament in the beginning was ministred to the people that were disposed to receaue and therby he maie prooue that manie maie receaue and that the Sacrament ought to be cōmon to all that will orderlie desire to receaue And that yt can not be denied to soche as so require yt bicause Chryste hath instituted yt be a cōmon Sacrament of all his faithfull that be meet and able to receaue yt to be receaued as he hath also instituted Baptisme For these sacramentes were not instituted for Kinges Princes Bishopps and the mightie of the earth onlie but answearablie to their figures for all people For as all the Iewes as well high as lowe riche and poore did all as S. Paule saieth passe through the Read Sea and all did eate of one meat and all drinke of one drinke so as Chrysostom saieth yt ys in the churche Non aliud quidem corpus diues aliud verò Chrysoft homil in dictum Apost Nolo vosignor pauper neque alium quidem sanguinem ille alium autem iste Sic tunc non aliud accipiebat quidem diues Manna aliud verò pauper neque alterius fontis iste participes erat alterius verò indigentoris ille For so yt ys nowe in the Churche For he riche man receaueth not one bodie a poore man an other neither he one maner of bloode and this man an other So also then the riche man did not eate of one Manna and the poore man of an other neither of one fowntain was this man partaker and of a woorse the other man So these two sacramentes I saie are common to all bothe Baptisme and the Sacrament of Chrystes bodie and bloode And to this pourpose saied S. Hierom wher the Proclamer alleageth him that the supper of our lorde must be common to all people For Chryst gaue his sacramentes equallie to all his Disciples that were present and not to the pourpose that the Proclamer alleageth yt whiche ye maie perceaue by this woorde equallie wherby ys signified that Chryst gaue his bodie and bloode as well to the inferiour Apostles as to the higher and so equallie to all The Proclamer both falslie interpreteth S. Hierom and misunderstādeth him And here note that the proclamer in his translacion left oute this woorde equallie and saied thus that Chryst gaue his sacramentes to all his disciples that were present minding by that phrase of woordes to make yt appeare that all that be present must communicate whiche was not saincte Hieroms minde but raither after the minde of S. Paule to shewe that both the supper of the riche and the Sacrament of Chryste should be common to all that were present equallie as Chryst made his supper of the paschall lambe and the supper of his bodie blood common to all his Disciples equallie geuing yt as well to the lower as to the higher But soche ys the sleight of this man But to returne Baptisme ys a common sacrament for all Nowe shall we saie that we maie not ministre yt to one alone but to manie at once Naie the communitie of yt standeth well if all receaue yt though but one at once receaue yt But yowe vrge and saie that he bringeth the practise of the primitiue and auncient Churche that yt was receaued of manie To this first I saie that he maie doe the like for the ministracion of the sacrament of Baptisme Yt ys knowen to all that be learned that ther were in the primitiue She wing that manie receaued together yt prooueth that the like maie be doen nowe but enforceth no necessitie that yt aught so to be or that anie ys forbodden to receaue alone Churche two speciall assigned times for Baptisme Easter and whitsontide at which times not one alone but manie were baptised and commonlie in that time Baptisme was ministred to manie and not to one alone But yet no good argument can of that be deduced that Baptisme ys not to be ministred but to manie together and not to one alone So though he bring manie practises of the Church that manie did receaue the sacrament together yet yt prooueth not that yt can not be receaued of one alone at one time For though the Sacrament be common yt nothing hindereth the communitie of yt when all maie and doe receaue yt though but one at one time doe recaue yt And so receaued yt maie verie well be called and ys in dede a communion forasmoche as
yt he forgatt the counsell of Chryste and by like made his left hand of coūsell what the right hand did But whoso will with the right eie looke vpon this place of this holie Martir Iustine shall finde that trueth that before I testified that in the primitiue and auncient churche the people did receaue both in nombre and alone Perhapps the Proclamer being by this place of Iustine driuen to his shiftes will saie that yt was notwithstanding that some of the people did receaue at home a right communion for that both they and the people being at the ministracion did all receaue of one consecrate bread Will yowe see what a bare shift this ys And to ioin with him in his owne termes I will aske him whether by this one consecrate bread he mean one loaf of bread or one Sacramentall breade He can not speake of one loaf of bread For in the primitiue Church when the nombro of people did receaue one loaf coulde not suffice Yf he speake of one sacramentall bread or one consecrated bread as Iustine doth tearin yt ys not the bread consecrated to daie and the bread consecrated to morowe all one consecrated bread all one sacramentall breade ys yt not allwais one Sacrament Ys not the sacrament of Baptisme ministred to daie and ministred to morowe all one Baptisme forasmoch as S. Paule saieth Vnus Dominus vnae fides vnum Baptisma Ther ys one lorde one faith and one Baptisme Likewise ys not the bread consecrate in the morning and at noone all one consecrate bread And to saie more at large ys not the bread consecrated in the Supper of Chryst by Chryst him self and the bread consecrated nowe by his minister and that shall be consecrated in the last daie of the worlde all one bread yf yt be not so why saieth S. Paule that we are all partakers of one breade The reason why yt ys one breade Chrysostome sheweth speaking of the table of Chryst consecrated by the minister Homi 83 in 26. Math. saing Haec enim illa non alia mensa est Haec nulla re minor quà m illa est Non enim illam Christus hanc homo quispiam facit sed vtramque ipse This ys euen the same not an other table This in no poinct ys lesser then that For Chryst did not sanctifie that and this an other man but Chryst did sanctisie both So that the reason whie yt ys one bread ys by Chrysostom bicause yt ys sanctified and consecrated by one Chryst Yf then yt be a communion bicause they receaue all of one consecrated bread and S. Paule saieth that we all doe eate of one bread in somoch that by yt we are made one bread and one bodie ys yt not one Communion that the Apostles and the faithfull that nowe be and shall be in the last daie of the worlde haue made doe Priuate Cōmunion howe and wher yt ys and shall make Yf yt be so then among true Chrystians receauing as becometh them the holie Sacrament ther ys no priuate communion Priuate communion ys among priuate men soche as cutte them selues of frome the vniuersall churche and eate of one peice of bread to daie and of and other to morowe as heretiques doe and doe not all eate of one breade as the faithfull doe This Proclamer alleageth Leo Bishoppe of Rome that vpon consideracion that the churche being litle and not able to receaue the people ther might be three communions in one daie in one churche I wolde nowe knowe whether they that receaued at the first Second and thirde communion whether they did all communicate together or no. Yf they did not then were they not all of one communiō whiche ys not to be saied Yf they did and did not receaue of one cōsecrated bread nor at one time yt shoulde folowe that cōmunion dependeth vpon some other thing then one bread time or ministracion And in dede so yt doeth For yt depēdeth of one thing made common to vs all and which all we being faithfull doe receaue in the whiche we are made one and knitte together as membres of one bodie which thing ys the bodie and blood of Chryst which ys that one bread that S. Paule speaketh of and saieth that all we partake of whiche ys in dede the bread of life nowrishing vs to euerlasting life I haue taried to long vpon this place in opening the vanitie of this mans doctrine and the longer that yt might be perceaued that he alleaging this holie man was so blinded that he wolde not aswell see the one trueth as the other but brought yt as an argumēt to reproue the church wher yt reprooueth him self and to confute the trueth wher yt confuteth his heresie But let vs heare other testimonies and first of Tertullian who liued in the time of Seuerus the Emperour in whose time the chrystian religion not yet being receaued of the Princes of the worlde the chrystians liued vnder great and fearfull presecucion by reason wherof though the people were right godlie affected and well disposed to the seruice of God and the receipt of the blessed Sacrament yet they coulde not freely make their assemblies when they wolde Wherfor at soch time as they came together the Bishopps and pastours wold to soch as were right godlie and holie chystians deliuer the blessed Sacrament to carie home with them to receaue yt at home at soche time as they might bicause they coulde not otherwise when they wolde For the which pourpose as by S. Cyprian S. Basill and S. Hicrom yt maie be gathered the godlie brought with them either a faire cleā linnen cloath or a prettie boxe to carie yt home in The like yt appeareth that Tertullians wief did For he diswading her from the Marriage of anie gentile or heathen man after his decesse and knowing that she did secretlie receaue the Sacramēt at home ād wolde also doe the like though she maried an insidel vsed this for one part of his diswasion Non sciet maritus quid secretò ante omnem cibum gustes et si sciuerit panem non illum credet esse qui dicitur Shall not thy husbande knowe what thowe doest secretlie eate before all meat And Tertulliās wief receaued the B. Sacr alone or solie or priuatelie if he knowe yt he will not beleue yt to be that bread that yt ys called As who might saie As I being yowr housband doe know that yowe doe receaue the Sacrament secretlie So yt can not be but an heathē man being yowr husband shall perceaue also that yowe doe receaue yt secretlie Wherby yt shall come to passe that either he will restreign yowe from that libertie that nowe ye vse in yowr secrete receipt or ells taking and beleuing yt not to be that bread that yt ys he will with irreuerencie abuse yt In this saing of Tertullian yt ys easie to be perceaued that his wief did secretlie receaue the Sacrament at home yf secretlie then with no nombre
of the Deuell molesting the house of a certain mā and moche disquieting his familie and seruants was clean driuen awaie Aug li. 22. De ciuit Dei ca. 1 and the house after wel quieted Howe moche then so euer they crie oute against Masse howe great ab hominacion soeuer they make yt to saie that the sacrifice of Chrystes bodie ys offred by the preist howe moche soeuer Sathan and his disciples wolde extenuate the vertue and power of yt yet in spite of their teeth they must heare S. Austen saie that the preist offred the sacrifice of Chrystes bodie And what ys yt to offre the sacrifice of Chrystes bodie but to saie Masse And to saie Masse ys to offre this sacrifice And wher Sathans Angells troobled the house of this man to great hurt bothe of his seruantes and of his cattaill when Masse was saied in the house the power of Sathan was put to fleight Yowe maie perceaue then that yt ys not without cause that Sathā stirred vppe his ministres so cruellie and fiercely to crie oute to raill and to rage against the blessed and holie Masse For being deuoutlie and godlie doen yt weakeneth his power yt withstandeth his malice yt abateth his tirannie and diminisheth his kingdom And by this ye maie consider howe acceptable a thing the Masse ys that at once saing the Deuel and his Angells were driuē awaie Yf the Masse were so detestable before God as they wolde make yt God wolde at the doing of yt haue caused mo Deuells to come to the house rather than by the doing of yt to putte them to fleight Thus maie yowe perceaue that God commendeth to vs the goodnesse of the Masse by miracle In spirituall thinges yt also abateth the power of the Deuell for yt diminisheth the force of temptacion as saieth S. Bernard Duo enim illud sacramentū operatur in nobis vt videlicet sensum minuat in minimis in grauioribus peceatis tol Sermon de Baptis lat omnino consensum Si quis vestrum non tam sepè modò non tam acerbos sentit iracundiae motus luxuriae aeut caeterorū huiusmodi gratias agat corpori sanguini Domini quoniā virtus sacramenti operatur in eo Two thinges that Sacrament woorketh in vs that in lesser sinnes yt diminisheth the feeling and in greater sinnes yt taketh awaie consent Yf anie of yowe doe not so often nowe feele so bitter mocions of wrathe of enuie of lecherie or soche other let him geue thankes to the bodie and bloode of ower lorde For the vertue of the Sacrament woorketh in him Thus the bodie and blood of Chryst in the Sacramēt with standeth the furie of Sathan and his Angells both in outewarde thinges and inwarde thinges Nowe let not the Aduersarie cauill that bicause S. Bernarde saieth here that the vertue of the Sacramēt woorketh that he vnderstandeth not Chryst Three thin ges to be attended in the bless Sacr. him self to be geuen in the Sacrament but the vertue For S. Bernarde with all catholiques acknowlegeth three thinges in the Sacrament the outwarde formes the bodie and bloode of Chryst and the spirituall grace which three he professeth in a sermon saing Tria in sacramento Altaris attendere debes speciem panis veritatem carnis virtutem gratiae spiritualis vsque ad speciem panis sensus pertingit exterior ad veritatem carnis fides interior ad virtutem gratiae spirituallis charitas Bernardus sermon de Cana Dom superior Three thinges thowe oughtest to attende in the Sacrament of the aultar The outwarde forme of bread The veritie of the flesh the vertue of spirituall grace Vnto the outwarde forme of breade reacheth the outwarde sense Vnto the veritie of the flesh the inwarde faith Vnto the vertue of the spirituall grace perfect charitie So that in the Sacrament ys both the bodie of Chryst vnto whome we must geue thankes and the vertue of the spirituall grace therin receaued for the whiche we aught to geue thankes The pleasure of God being by his miraculouse workes shewed to be other wise yea euen contrarie to that that yt pleased Sathan to perswade Luther as touching the presence of Chryst in the holie Sacrament and the hououringe of him in the same with or seruice and duetie in the holie sacrifice of the Masse we will cease to saie any more vpon the woordes of S. Bernard But if yowe desire to be aduertised of some notable practise call to remēbrance Paul Diacon the historie of the noble matrone of Rome who by Sathans tentaciō encōbred and in faith as manie be now a daies blinded that could not beleue the verie bodie ād blood of Chryste to be in the blessed Sacramēt but coming to the Masse ād ioining in cōpanie with other to receaue whē in the deliuery of the Sacrament to her she heard these woordes The bodie of our Lorde Iesus Chryste awail thee to the remission of sinnes she similed which when S. Gregorie perceaued and by examinaciō vnderstoode her vnbeleue he and the people praied and after praier going again to the aultar and taking the Blessed Sacramēt in his hand to the helpe of the faith of that womā and the confirmacion of the faith of the people yt was of the one and of the other seen as a verie bloodie fleshly litle fingar Wherupon S. Gregorie willed her to remembre the saing of Chryst The bread which I will geue yowe ys my flesh Which so being seen and praier made by S. Greg. and the people that yt might be reduced to the forme that yt might be receaued yt came furthwith so to passe and she thus of an vnfaithfull made a faithfull receaued the blessed Sacrament as other faithfull had doen. Thus she holden captiue in lacke of faith in the forts of Sathan was by the holie mynistracion of Chryst at the Masse deliuered from the same And now that we haue made reporte of one miracle doen in the time of S. Gregorie we will touche one or two mo reported by hym and so ende this matter of proof Thus writeth S. Gregorie Non longè à nostris fertur tempori bus factū quòd quidā ab hostibus captus longè transductus est Cumue diu teneretur in vin Greg. hom 37. culis eum vxor sua cùm ex eadem captiuitate non reciperet extinctum putauit Pro quo iam velut mortuo hostias hebdomadibus singulis curabat offerri Idem ergo vir longo pòst tempore reuersus admirans valdè suae indicauit vxori quod diebus certis hebdomadibus singulis eius vincula soluebantur Quos videlicet dies eius vxor atque horas discutiens tunc eum Aprisoners cheines loosed by vert ue of the Masse recognouit absolutū cùm pro eo sacrificiū meminerat oblatū Yt ys saied to be doen not long before our time that a certain man takē of his enemies was caried into a farre contrie and whē he was lōg kept in prison
a perfect faith taught Carolstadius Zuinglius and Oecolampadius a contrarie faith to Luther as to teache that Chrystes bodie ys not in the Sacrament Let Carolstadius bring furth one Chrystian realme that so taught him or one Church or one allowed Father or elder then liuing that so taught But forsomoch as he cā not yt maie be cōcluded that as well his faith as the faith of Luther ys not learned of the Fathers by succession but partelie borowed of some other heretique by priuate election partlie deuised by a newe inuention and so a faith not continued but both inuented and interrupted and therfor neither Apostolique neither catholique The state of man then in the vpprightnesse of faith must be in the faith Apostolique and catholike and not in hereticall faith which ys no more a faith in dede then a painted man ys a man A man ys vpright in faith whē he discrediteth nothing that ys conteined in the holie faith Apostolique and catholique The other parte of the state of mans life before God ys puritie and cleannesse of life which parte who so can Faith as ys saicd presupposed atteign vnto ys blessed Chryst saing Beatimundo corde quoniam ipsi Deum videbunt Blessed be the clean in hearte for they shall see God This cleannesse standeth in two poinctes in the eschewing the filthinesse Puritie of life stādeth in two poincts Psalm 33. of sinne and in adourning our selues with vertues in declining from euel and doing of good as the psalme saieth Declina à malo fac bonum Decline or forsake euell and doe good For yt ys not sufficient to a good life to flie sinne onelie but also to doe good And therfore the holie Goste hath with a copulacion coopled and linked them together allwaies Nowe thus moch of the state of mans life knowen yt ys the easier to perceaue what S. Paule meeneth by the examinacion of themselues To examine our selues ys to trie and prooue to search to call our selues to accompte first whether we stand sownde in faith according to the counsell of S. Paule in an other place Vos metipsos tentate si estis in fide ipsi vos probate Prooue yowrselues whether ye be in faith or not examine yowrselues This triall ys made when we examining our selues whether we disagree or dissent from anie one article of the catholique faith finde our selues neither varieng from nor doubting of anie of them In the secōd part we must thus examine our selues first whether anie sinne be by vs allreadie committed or anie pourpose remaining in vs for anie to be committed Yf anie be cōmitted the same must by heartie cōtriciō humble 2. Cop. 13. and plain confession true and faithfull penaunce be wiped awaie Yf anie pourpose be in vs to sinne that must be cutt of and detested and by like means as ys before saied clean forsaken knowing that euery sinne to the which consent of wil ys geuen though yt be not doen in facte ys reputed before God and ys in dede a full sinne Thus moch not onely the catholique Church hath willed to be doen as S. Cyprian and S. Augustine are plentifull wittnesses But also the Lutherans Conuenticles For in their confession of the cheif articles of their faith thus they saie Confessio in ecclesiis apud nos non est abolita Non enim solet porrigi corpus Domini nisi antea exploratis absolutis Confession ys not with vs in our churches Confess August Art de Confess abolished For the bodie of oure Lorde ys not wount to be geuen but to soche as before be diligently searched and examined and absolued When we be thus farre goen we must examine our selues of our deuocion regarde and reuerence to the thing that ys to be receaued For ells we shall receaue to our owne condemnacion for that as S. Paule saieth we make no difference of the bodie of our Lord from other common meates Thus moch being saied for our examinacion and preparacion before we come to the receipt of this high mysterie we haue therin neither varied from the doctrine of Chryst neither from the doctrine of S. Paule nor of the holie Fathers of the Church The doctrine of Chryst shall furth with be shewed The doctrine of S. Paule and the Fathers shall be opened in all the processe folowinge Chryste setting furth this high mysterie of his bodie and blood declared Joan. 6. Chryste in structed his Apostles in the faith of the bless Sacrament before he institutedit that yt was necessarie to haue both faith and puritie of life First as touching faith that his Apostles shoulde be therin prepared and made readie he did not onelye instructe them fullie long before he ministred the thing to them that they shoulde knowe what yt was that they should receaue but also induced them to the same faith by a miracle wrought also in bread that as thei knewe by the power of his godhead the fiue loaues to be multiplied to the satisfieng of fiue thousand people and to the leauing yet of twelue baskettes full of fragmentes of the same loaues so they shoulde this being doē in their seight with the more ease be brought to beleue that he by the same power coulde make of bread his bodie Wherupon though manie of the Disciples not beleuing Chryst did forsake him and came no more at him as manie haue doen in these daies yet the Apostles by the miracle being prepared and by Chrystes owne doctrine instructed in the faith of this mysterie abode with him and saied-Domine ad quem ibimus Verba vitae aeternae babes Lorde vnto whom shall we go Thowe hauest the woordes of euerlasting life Thus being by Chrystes instruction made perfect in the faith of this my sterie thei came as Chrysostom saieth quietlie to the receipt of yt being nothing troobled with the woordes of Chryst when he saied Take eate this ys my bodie Take and drinke this ys my blood for that saieth he they had before hearde manie and great thinges of this mysterie By this then yt ys manifest that to the receipt of this Sacrament faithe ys necessarelie required .. Likewise are we by him admonished of the puritie of life For when he Chryste gaue instruction of the puritie of life required in the receauers of the bless Sacr. wolde geue furth this blessed Sacrament he rose from the supper of the Paschall lambe and laied aside his vpper garmentes and being girded with a towel wasshed his Disciples feete signifieng therby that all that come to receaue this Sacrament must before be clensed and purified from all sinfull affections And here to saie by the waie yf this Sacrament contein no more thē did the Paschall lambe but that both this and that be onely figures of Chryst and so the Lambe as good a Sacrament as this why did Chryst leaue this solempn Ceremonie of wasshinge his Disciples feet vndoen before the eating of the Paschall lambe and differred yt vnto the receipt of this