of hys tribulacyon buylded an altare vnto the Lorde and called the place the God of Bethell bycause that God had apeared vnto him there when he fled frome he face of his brother c. And farther ye shal reade how that God after that he had yeuen the ten Commaundementes by the hande of Moses commaunded also thus An altare of earth thou shalt make vnto me and theron offre thy burnt offringes and thy peace offringes thi shepe and thine oxen in al places where I shal put the in remēbraūce of my name thithir wil I come vnto the and blesse the. Item Exodi xxix Seuen dayes sayth the lorde thou shalt reconcile vpon the altare sanctify it it shal be an altermost holy Exo. xxx And thou shalt make an altare to burne incēce Of Sethim woode shalt thou make it a cubit lōg a cubite bredth euen fowre square shall it be and .ii. cubites hye c. Item .iii. Reg. xviii The holy Prophet Elias vtterly to bringe to confusion the false God Baall his prophetes to set furth the glory of the liuynge God toke xii stones accordynge to the numbre of the twelue Tribes of the Sonnes of Iacob with the stones he made an altare in the name of the lord c. We could alledge .vi. hūdred places out of the bible beside these that we now recited which shold styl make on oure parte if nede requyred but bicause they are so comenly knowē of all mē we wyl at this time ouerpasse them for we trust that we haue alredy brought auctorities inough to proue the aūcientie the laudabilitie cōtinual acteptaūce of alters before almighti God in the old law But now to proue the confirmaciō of them bi the new law ye shal read these other textes But first marcke well how that Chryst himselfe sayd Mat. v. If thou offrest thy gift at the altare and ther remembrest that thy brother hath ought against the leaue thē thine offringe before the altare and go thy way firste and be reconciled to thy brother and then come offer thy gyft Lo ye may se here how the altare is twyse spoken of and that where the reason consysteth but of very few wordes Itē ye shal reade of this word altare in the xxiii chapt of the same Euangelist wher Christ himselfe also sayth from the bloud of the rightouse Abel vnto the bloud of zacharias the sōne of Barachias whom ye slew betwen the temple the altare Itē Lu. i. Ther appered vnto zacharias an Angel of the lord stāding on the right side of the altare of incēse Itē Act. xvii As I passed bi saith s Paule beheld the maner how ye worship your gods I foūd an alter wherin was writtē to the vnknowē god And again the holy Apostell Paule to putte vs herein oute of all doubtes sayeth Do not you knowe howe that they which minister about holy thinges lyue of the sacrifice and they whyche wayte on the alter are partakers of the alter More ouer in the sixte chapter of the Apocalipsis ye shal reade of an altare to And whē he had opened the fifth seale sayth Iohn I saw vnder the altare the soules of them that were killed for the worde of god and for the testimonye whiche they had c. And in the eyght chapter of the same Apocalipsis you shall reade of thre altares and so nighe togither that they fall wtin the cōpasse of thre lines almoste and one of them beynge a golden altare c. Item Apoca. xi Than was geuen me a reed sayth thys holy Euaungelist like vnto a rodde and an angel stode and said Ryse and measure the tēple of God and the altare thē that worshyp therin and the quyre that is within the temple c. Lo syr here ye maye playnelye reade in the verye texte of a tēple of an altare of a quyre to yet these mē of the new learning wyl nether haue temple altare nor quyre or at the leaste wayes if they muste haue a temple they by their wyl woulde haue it to be without quyre wtoute altare without images and without any maner of holy ornamētes vestimentes and deckynges Yea they wold haue it like a barne or like a mannes dwelling house hauynge neyther respecte to the fashyon of the tabernacles nor the temples of the Hebrues nether to the tēples of the church of Rome But blessed be God that lefte vs in the holye wryte suche manifeste testimonyes as wee haue nowe rehearsed whereby we maye easilye confoūd all such naughty heritikes as wil presume to talk against our laudable ceremonies or any other decent things which haue bene accustomed to be had in our temples and haue continued amonge all natiōs since Christ was borne many hūdred yeres before as I haue already declared by sōdry textes of the scripture as well of the new testamēt as of the olde And beside all thys we might ratifye the same by diuerse places of our Canon lawe vnles it were now abrogated by thauctoriti of very aunciēt doctors For doth not the holy doctour S. Augustine Li. xxi cap. x. De ciui dei speaking of the infideles wryght thus They vnto their gods haue builded tēples also haue set vp alters haue offred sacrifices Now bicause these felowes of the new lerning cā scāt away with the lerning of old catholike doctours we wil cite no more of their work But shal we not be as blameles as s Paule to brīg in for our purpose such places of noble Poets as may be thought cōuenient For as I remēbre Ouid in a certaine place of hys worckes writeth much after this sence Whan Medea was come home without the dores she stode Vsynge no mannes companye whyle she was in that mode Twey alters thā of soddes she made and garnished with bowes And a blacke Kamme she Sacrificed to twey greate Goddases Ye may read also in the chiefeste Poete amōg the Latines as thus Firste with these thre thrūmes of thre hewes I the enuiron do And rounde aboute these altares eke wyth thyne image I go But bicause mē now a daies giue no credite in a maner to poetry and not very much to the gloses of the olde fathers we wil allege no mo places of them nother trusting the al good catholike people wil be established by these sufficiēt proues which are brought hitherto seyng the alters haue bē vsed had in such cōdigne reuerence euer since Noes floude who is it that can tell the contrarye but that Cain and Abel the sonnes of Adam offred their oblacions vpō altares And wher al maner of naciōs thorowe out the wide worlde were they neuer so ignorāt in true knowledge ether by the instinction of the Lawe of Nature printed by Gods fyngere in their hertes ether by imitacion of Gods owne electe people the Hebrues thought it very expedyent and no lesse necessarye to buylde them altares whereupon they myght offre theire sacrifices
recoÌ„cyle make at one God and man to offer him selfe vp for a pacifiynge Sacrifice vnto his father for mannes transgression Whiche thing the vnspeakeable mercye and the naturall kindnes of God beynge not required dyd vndeseruedly graunt vnto man as he was yet hys very enemie and most disobedient rebell And thys was the sole and onelye raunsome that redemed Adam and all hys posteritye oute of the greadye chawes of the olde Serpente Al the pacifiyng sacrifices of Moses lawe were but significations of christes sacrifice thys was the sole and onelye propiciatory sacrifice that pacified the yre of god that wholy satisfied for mannes synnes and restored man againe into frendeship and fauour of God And so all the Pacifiynge Sacrifices that euer GOD instituted and commaunded hys Seruaunte Moses to publyshe and sette forthe to the Israelites or Iewes dyd alonelye signifye the sayde Sacrifice of Christe For after that the worlde had continued aboute two thousande yeares wythout lawe or any other prescribed maner of liuynge than nature it selfe dyd minyster at the laste it pleased the hyghe maiestie of God that the mooe myghte be saued to establyshe a lawe The bâ—â— of Moses lawe whiche shoulde as it were declare and open the Lawe that was obscurate darckened and farre degenerated by the sinister corruption which liniallye did issue from the fyrste father Adam into all hys ofsprynge Howebeit as God dyd not gyue thys lawe vnto all Nations but only to the Iewes beyng but a few in numbre in comparison of all the people in the worlde so dyd not he forthwith open the misteries conteined therein but ouer shadowed them with manifold sacrifices and diffuse rites and ceremonies being significations of good thynges to come And moreouer as the lord weÌ„t before theÌ„ in the wildernes the day time in a piller of a cloude to lead theÌ„ the waye and the nyght tyme in a pyller of fire to giue their corporal eies lyght that they might iorney both day night toward the laÌ„d of promyse so lykewyse dyd the tender loue of God practise in furtheringe them to the very lande of promission for he did so tempre hys traditions which he commauÌ„ded vnto theÌ„ that they which were neuer wont before to be grouerned by the light of anye morall lawe and therefore grosse rude and pore blind might be traded vnder a clowdye and misticall doctrine but yet hauing many sparcles of his sunny bright gospell and so the eies of their mynde beyng nother vnmeasurably darkned nor noseled in blindnes nor yet ouermuche daseled and ouercome wyth the eyeing of shyning brightnes they mighte rather atchiue the ende of their spirituall progresse And therfore all the ceremonies coÌ„teined in this law were none other thing The ceremonies of the lawe but introductioÌ„s to lead vnto Christe And all these fleshe sacrifices betokened the fleshe sacrifice of Christes bodye once offered vpon thaltare of the crosse But nowe to beate downe the Iewishe bulwark that the Popes souldiours haue round about their fortresse we will recite certaine testimonies as well out of the olde testamente as of the new whyche shal euidently proue that god delighteth not though he required them for a time in the externe oblation or the vtter offerynge of the sacrifices commaunded by hym in Moses hys lawe The abrogation of sacrifice Wherefore he declared the same by the mouth of diuerse of his prophetes as it is written Mala. i. I haue no pleasure in you sayeth the Lorde of hostes and as for youre meat offerynge I wyll not accepte it at your haÌ„d Again Ose v. They kyll sacrifices bi heapes and turne farre froÌ„ the lorde and I haue bene a rebuker of them all And agayne Prou. xv The lorde abhorreth the sacrifice of the vngodly c. Item Eccle. xxxiiii The hiest doth not alowe the giftes of the wicked And God hath no delite in the offerings of the vngodly nether may sinne be reconsiled in the multitude of oblations Who so bringeth an offering out of the goodes of the pore doth eueÌ„ as one that killeth the soÌ„ne before the fathers eyes And in the .l. Psal I wil not reproue the saith the lord bicause of thy sacrifices or for thy burnt offerings bicause they were not alway before me I wil take no bullock out of thy house nor no he goates out of thy folde For all the beastes of the foreste are myne and so are the cattell vpon a thousande hylles I knowe all the foules vpoÌ„ the mountaynes and the wild beastes of the feild are in my syght If I be hungry I wyl not tell the for the whole worlde is mine al that therin is Thinkest thou that I wil eate Bulles fleshe and dryncke the bloude of goates And in Ieremy .iii. Chapter you shal read not of the abrogation of Sacrifices onely but also of the abrogation disanullynge of all the lawe The abrogation of the olde lawe and of the olde testamente wtall The texte goeth thys When ye are increased and multiplied in the lande than saieth the Lorde there shal no more boaste be made of the arcke of the Lordes testament No man shal thinke vpon it nether shal anye man make mention of it For from thence forth it shall neither be visited nor honoured with giftes Moreouer in the .xxxi. Chapter of the same prophete you shall not alonely reade of resoluyng and repellyng of the olde couenaunt or testamente and the cause therof but also of the substitution of the newe of the descriptioÌ„ nature and tenure of the same The new testament prophecied of And the words of the text be these Beholde the daies wyll come saith the Lorde that I wil make a new couenaunte with the house of Israell and wyth the house of Iudah not after the couenaunte whyche I made wyth their fathers whan I toke them by the hande and ledde them oute of the lande of Egypte whiche couenaunt they brake Yea euen whan I as an husbande had rule ouer them sayeth the Lorde But thys shall be the couenaunte that I wyl make with the house of Israell after those dayes sayth the Lorde I wyll plante my lawe in the inner part of them and write it in theyr hertes wyl be theyr god and they shal be my people from thence forth shall no man teach his neighbour or his brother and saye knowe the Lorde but they shall all knowe me from the loweste to the hyeste sayth the Lorde For I wyl forgiue their misdedes and wil neuer remeÌ„bre their sinnes any more These testimonies I thyncke shall easilye perswade euerye true christian whyche hath not a verye Iewyshe herte to be certified that as wel the carnall gratifiyng sacrifices required in Moses lawe be as vtterli determined and as clearly abolished as the other pacifiynge sacrifices whom mooste speciallye we treated of hytherto And if the gunne shote of these olde culuerynge pieces and double Cannons haue not sufficientlye ouerthrowen the bulworcke of
againste the vniuste intrusion of altares But well worthe the tyme of the olde prymatiue church whan euerye thynge as Polidorus Vergilius recordeth in the administration of the Lordes supper was playne ☜ syncere and wythoute any minling of ceremonies contaynynge more vertue than solemnitie Herken than to thys testimonye al ye Papistes and giue good credite vnto it for he that fyrst wrote it is the Pope his owne countrey manne For surely he speaketh herein as trulye as dyd the bishop Cayphas whan he affirmed that it was better that one man should dye for the people than all the people shoulde peryshe But woulde God it had pleased hys holye Spirite to speake by the mouth of the pope as he hath done bi the mouth of Balaam Cayphas and of other as euyll menne Than shoulde not all the people haue perished but rather one manne And would God I saye that thys Polidorie of Polidorus had ben more liberally bestowed on the common people in Englande Than would they more frelye and wyth a better wyll obeye and imbrace the ecclesiastical proceadynges of the hygher powers And seynge than that of a verye trueth accordinge to the golden seÌ„teÌ„ce of Polidorus the religioÌ„ of Christe was replenished wyth more vnfeyned holines and garnished wyth manye mooe godly vertues before it knewe any thynge of these newe fouÌ„de solemne ceremonies and holylyke traditions What the deuill than was it that put into the Popes braynes to ouer charge the religion wyth so manye folde vayne ceremonies and so diuerse pernitious traditioÌ„s it was but euen the same deuill that sette a worcke Mahometh the notorious false prophete to play the like part Yea it was the selfe same blynd deuyll that maketh euen at thys daye all the Papistes and the Mahumethistes to adhere stycke to their false goddes the Popes and Mahamethes disceitful lawes vaine traditions more than to the Lorde Christ and hys healthsome gospel But nowe to let passe these two greate vsurpers of Christes dignitie and moste hyghe power and to let them syncke in theyr owne sinne and to talk no more of them but rather styckinge stedfaste to our tacklynge to defende oure selues frome the dartes whom we se already directed and shaken agaynste vs by oure aduersaryes the poysonfull Papystes Howe be it bycause my chiefest entente is to wryte thys treactyse for them that be vnlearned I wyl fyrste open and declare somewhat of the nature of one terme lately borowed of the Latines and therfore not so well knowne of euerye Englyshe Reader whyche terme peraduenture I shall haue occasion to vse nowe and than ere I shal haue done wyth this matter What is â—o allude The terme is to Allude And a manne doeth allude whan he speaketh that whyche hath a priuye respecte or resemblaunce to an other thynge as somtime a man alludeth to a worde as thus The good mome is fole a towne meanynge that the good manne is forthe of the towne Here the allusion is in mome and foole for man and forth Sometyme a man alludeth to a practice or a dede doynge as when I saye Let me alone with hym for I wyll walke hym I wyll dresse hym lyke a Lennarde I will make Stockefishe of hym c. And sometime a man alludeth to an history as thus By lyke oure Kynge God saue hys grace after his fathers departynge dyd aske of GOD in hys prayer Wysedome and vnderstandyng not long lyfe neither riches neither reuengment on his enimies seynge the Lord hath so endued his herte wyth suche vnspeakable wisdome vnderstaÌ„dyng c. and hys maiestie wyth such ryches and honour c. Nowe in so sayinge the allusion is had vnto the history of SolomoÌ„ iii. Reg. iii. And so at the laste to re turne frome alludyng to defeÌ„dyng Where soeuer therfore ye do read in the newe testament of thys word altare if ye marke it well and circuÌ„spectly ye shall clearly perceiue that the vse therof is not ther awhyt renewyd or confirmyd but by some occasion spoken of and rather determined ended and adnulled As in the .v. of Math. The text I wyll not reherse now because it is here once before rehersed the seÌ„ce wherof though in many wordes is not farre disagreable from this 〈…〉 place of Math. expounded You Iewes sayth Christ which receyued a Lawe of my Father by the ministerie of Moses by whych Lawe ye were commaunded to vse certaine outwade ceremonies as it wer to enure your selfes in a religioÌ„ and that it shoulde appeare to all nations that you were my fathers owne peculiar People And ye were also coÌ„maundyd by the same Lawe that when so euer you shuld transgresse or breake the same or any Article therof that theÌ„ you shoulde offer vp Sacrifices or Offeryngs vnto my Father where ye myght be blamelesse holden excused and be acquited by the same lawe al youre former trespaces synnes notwithstaÌ„dyng and rather iustified before the worlde than in the presence of God But sence ye haue altogether abused the sayed sacrifices chewynge the Barcke therof and grossely fedynge on the vtter parte of it takynge no fode of the inner pyth neyther haueynge any regarde to those thynges which were chiefly signified by the same sacrifices my father hath warned alredy by the mouthe of hys Prophetes that he passethe nought of your sacrifices and offerynges that you offer vnto hym on Altares whiche were but tokyns of inwarde holynes but the sacrifices and offerynges whych he is reconciled and pleased wythe al are these Psal ii a stomake broken with repentaunce and a herte smytten wouÌ„ded with sorow Ose vi and to shew mercie one to an other And if ye wil offer vp these my Father shall neuer despise them Therfore thou Iewe whaÌ„ so euer thou brekest ani of the x. coÌ„maundemeÌ„tes as whan thou kyllest anye man other by thought or dede whan thou arte angrye with thy brother by hys faulte or misdemeanour or els whan thou hast geuen him occasion by reuilyng scofyng or callyng hym knaue or other wise by vseyng or practiseyng anye dispytfull worde or dede towardes hym to be moued to wrath and to be displeased wyth the. Than if thou wylt pacifye the wrath and Indignation of my Father for the Iniurie and displeasur that thou hast don to hys seruaunt verilye I tell the it auayleth the nothyng at all to come and offer any maner of bodily sacrifices or oblations vpon the altare yea though thou be come nere vnto the altare and thy gyft wyth the euen redy to be offered if it chaunce the than to remeÌ„bre any maner of displeasure betwixt the and thy brother thou must not I saye offer vp thy gyfte immediatly as though thy offeriÌ„g should rather pacifie more please my father than brotherly loue and concorde thou muste not I say go that way to worke but thou must leaue thy gifte as a thynge nought worthe of it selfe before the altare and than go thy way to
the bloud of zathe sonne of Barachias whome ye slewe bitwene the Temple and the altare c. But ful lyttle god knoweth wotteth he what an Altare meanith that wol alledg thys place for an altare And euen of lyke force be the .ii. places before rehersed in the biginyng of the boke on the papistes behalfe whych places were chopped out of the first cha of s Luks gospel of the .xvii. of his boke of the actes But I can not denay but one might gather thereof suche an argumente as this The Iewes had theyr altares and the Heathen had theyr altares Ergo the christiaÌ„s must haue altares But either I am a simple Logician or els the argumeÌ„t wolde better frame and a more true consequent folowe after thys sorte The Iewes had altares the Heathen had altares also ergo the Pope beyng a participle must haue halteres lykewise But I promes you there be two places one .i. Cor. ix the other Heb. xiii whych myght happeÌ„ to make one that is not somewhat trauailed in the scriptures to thincke verili the alters be there spokeÌ„ of as things apertaining to vs that hold of Christes newe TestameÌ„t where it is nothynge so For the texte to the Corh hath thus An nescitis quoniam qui in sacrario operaÌ„tur que de sacrario sunt edunt Et qui in altario deseruiunt cum altario participant Ita et Dominus ordinauit â—is qui EuaÌ„gelium anuÌ„ciant de EuaÌ„gelio viuere Wher the greke texte for Altario hath Thysiasterion which signifieth Sacrarium a place for holy thynges as wel as Altarist an altare But to make no moe wordes than nede Preachers of the gospel all the argumeÌ„t of s Paul in thys place tendeth to proue that they wych preach the gospel oughte of duitie to haue a coÌ„peteÌ„t liuyng therby And to perswad the Corhinth therto he vseth thys Induction Whye you Corhinthians do you not remeÌ„bre howe you your selfes before ye had receiued the preachyng of Christes gospell dyd fynd such as ministered in the teÌ„ples of the Idoles And do you not se emonge the Iewes also howe the priestes the Leuites which wait on the altare haue the offrings deuided amoÌ„g theÌ„ toward their sustinauÌ„ce and liuing And why should not he likewise that taketh pains to preach the gospell haue a liuing also The authour of the gospell willed and ordeyned that the true gospellers shoulde haue a liuynge yet had I rather vse greate scarcitie worcke wyth myne owne handes than to be onerous and chargeable vnto you Neuertheles if ye denay a liuyng to an other that shall require it of you if he preache the Gospell vnto you ye must nedes be adiudged to contemne and set nought by the holye wordes that are preached vnto you and euen despise the authoure thereof whiche is the Lord Iesus Christe c. And. S. Thomas and Remigius as we haue nowe declared this place accordynge to their mind do thynke that Sacrarium here hathe a relatioÌ„ vnto the idoles of the heathen and Altarium vnto the sacrifices of the Iewes Now therfore who so deliteth in the heathens deuillyshe idolatry or Iewish sacrifices he maye well inoughe wreste thys place to maintane his altares whiche thing I had leuer he dyd thaÌ„ I. But nowe or we set vpon to bater and beate downe the heade corner stone of their Popishe Botereulx we wyl fyrst declare yet one grammer terme mooe for the vnlearned sake whyche thoughe it be no hygh point of diuinitie neuertheles who so hath not the knowlege therof hys diuinitie is but humaniti or rather carnalitie than true knowledge in diuine matters And so the grammarians cal it a speach spoken by a fygure called Metonimya whan the thynge contayned is mente by the name of the thyng that contayneth it Metonymia or dâ—nomination As whan wee saye reache hyther the cuppe meanynge to haue the dryncke contayned in the cuppe Thys figuratyue speache vsed Christe him selfe whan he saide Luk. xxii Thys cuppe is the new testament in my bloud Wher he ment of the wine and not of the cuppe And likewise Mathew .xxiii where he speaketh by the name of the City vnto them that dwelled in the citie sayinge Ierusalem Ierusalem thou that slayest the prophetes c. Suche maner of speache is also muche vsed in the olde Testamente As Esai i. Heare O heauen and herkeÌ„ O earth And in an other place Howle ye ships of Tharsis And so the Papistes must eyther graunt that that kind of speache is vsed in the text that we shall anone rehearse hereafter or els must they graunt that the Iewes whose altares or rather Sacrifices and forbydden meate the writer of the Epistle alludeth vnto were wonte to eate vp theyr altares beynge made of stones or of other metall harder thaÌ„ stones And that wer hard meat in dede Yea that were meate alone for Ostriches Yea or rather stone meate were more mete for such as haue stony hertes Ostriche is a beast that swaloweth gaddes of stele digesteth them as haue al Papisticall Doctours who againste their conscience knoweledge and learnynge and beynge all destitute of the spirite of God cry and shoute for the defeÌ„ce of their welbeloued altares Habemus altare Habemus altare Habemus altare Yea and I maye tell you thys Habemus altare is their iudgelynge sticke whereby they dooe Iuggle vnto the vnlearned it is al their hibernacle and onely refuge agaynste all tempestes and this is as well their shote anker as their halow at their hoysinge vp of their ankore But to hale in my saile and to laÌ„d at the proposed haueÌ„ The english texte of Habemus altare written Hebrue .xiii. is thys Be not caried aboute wyth diuerse straung learnynges for it is a good thinge that the herte be stablished wyth grace and not wyth meates which haue not profited them that haue hadde their pastyme in them We haue an altare of the which they haue no power to eate which serue in the tabernacle c. Here he dothe in a maner make a bryefe rehearsal of all the chiefest maters that he entreated of before addynge thereto diuerse godly sentences to perswade the Hebrues to abyde in thys learnynge Inducynge them also by alludynge vnto theyr lawe beynge but a shadowe to cleaue vnto the gospell and to let go the shadow And therfore he saith thus vnto them And as you hadde certayne Sacrifices offered on the altares whereof it was not laweful euen for the very offerers to eat so lykewyse haue wee a Sacrifice once offered vpon the altare of the crosse wherof it is not lawfull for as many of you as be yet duskened wyth the shaddowe of the lawe to eate nor to be patakers of it at al. Nowe therefore muste the Papystes be thought not only to be of to childyshe a wytte and of no vnderstandynge but rather furiouse and mad if they continue to proue their stony altares by thys text And therefore woulde
I thinke it an exceadyng good dede for such as inioye their ryght wytte to pick out from amongest them selues as manye as are vexed wyth the spirite of the sayde kynde of phrenesy and seÌ„d them to Bedlem or to their owne citye of Rome For els they shall styll infect other and do more hurte then euery man is ware of At the laste to drawe toward an ende in thys matter Where thys worde altare is read in the .vi. viii and .xi. Chapters of the reuelation of saint Iohn if altare in those places admittynge the lyke trope and figuratiue speache do not signifye Christe also God knoweth it signifieth nothynge lesse than the confirmation of suche Altares as the Pope hathe fylled euerye corner of Christes churche wythall And if the Papystes after that all the testimonies as wel of thold and the new testament haue fayled them go aboute to wreste the sayinge of the old doctours for the stablyshyng of their altares they shal get nothynge therby but styl vtter their owne grosse ignoraunce or theyr peruerse blyndnes For wher so euer thold catholyke doctours vsed thys worde altare for the lordes Table than alluded they vnto the Iewes altare and mente thereby the crosse whyche serued as an altare to offer vpon the sacrifice of Christes naturall bodye And forsoth ye Papistical priestes as many of you as vnderstode the Latine and marked what you reade and if ye hadde bene Bees The Bee gathereth honi on the same flour that the Spider gathereth poyson and not Spiders you might haue gathered the nature of thys maner of allusion or resemblauÌ„ce of Christes crosse vnto the Altares of the Iewes euen out of your own poysoned masse Whyche well myghte be called Massa farrago vel Chaos quo sacra prophanis miscebat Papa Euen a very hotch pot in the whych the Pope put al maner of religioÌ„s and al maner of rites ceremonies both good bad lessons of holy scripture and of vnholye scripture thys hotch pot I saye ordeyned he euen for hys deare children catch who catche maye happe good or badde happe holye happe vnholy happe godlye happe deuillyshe For do you not remembre howe ye muÌ„bled howe ye redde I wold saye in a certayne ryme of youre sayde hotche potte whyche began Laudes crucis extollamus nos qui crucis crultâ—mus c. O quaÌ„ feliâ— quam pre clara fuit hec salutis ara rubens agni sanguine O howe excellent and howe happye was thys Altare of tree besprynckeled wyth Lambes bloud And agayne in an other prose Ara crucis lampas lucis vera salus hominum Whose sence in Englyshe worde for worde is thys The altare of the cros the lampe of light and the verye healthe of men Nowe thoughe your owne time makers of youre Popyshe seruyce haue vsed so manye Metaphories so many tropes and so manye borowed speches vsurping one word for an other vntyll at the laste they ran on the rocke of vnexcusable Idolatrye and plaine superstition you muste not therefore thyncke that the holye Doctours ranne so headlynge in their worckes that they abused any one terme of Christes religion wherbi the same might be a stomblinge blocke vnto anye sauynge vnto the chyldrene of perdition who continuallie stumble at the verye worde of God And to confesse the trueth the old holy fathers and catholyke writers no doubte are worthye much commendation for that thei greatly traueyled in reuolutynge and expoundynge the sacred Scriptures committyng to wryting theyr censures thereof wyllynge and requyrynge that al their posteritie should gyue no farther credite thereto thaÌ„ their censures and interpretations shoulde seme to be agreable vnto fayeth Whose worthye antiquitie and graue authority notwythstanding wee yet neades muste preferre and esteme of more importauÌ„ce and beleue also that he is a greate deale of a more infallible and vndeceyuable iudgemente Act. ix Galat. ii whome the Euangeliste saynte Luke so to be doeth beare wytnesse vnto vs. And I meane none other but euen oure Apostle Saynte Paule whoe calleth the borde where the Spirituall feaste of the Lordes Supper is celebrated and eaten vpon the table of the Lorde O the depenes of the riches both of the wysedome and knoweledge of GOD who so manye hundreth yeares passed dyd fore see that hys moste holye worde ne shoulde not be sette to a fall Luke ii but to an vprisyng to all hys chosen people And of thys place we maye gather that it pleased God to poure more aboundaunce of foreknoweledge in hys Apostle Paules compendious doctrine thaÌ„ in the large writing of the notable learned doctor Saynt Augustine For saynte Paule throughe the secrete aduertisement of the holye Gooste dyd knowe before hande that if he hadde geuen the name of an Altare vnto the LORDE hys Table that there would be in time to come certayne Iewysh teachers that woulde builde and sette vppe Popyshe altares in stede of tables to serue the Lordes supper vpon And surely the holy doctor s Augustyne nor anye other godly writer woulde neuer haue vsed thys terme altare so often after that sort as they dyd if they had hadde but the leaste inckelynge in the worlde of foreknowlege what absurditie what inconuenience and what mischiefe and abhomination haue ben grouÌ„ded on their traÌ„slated termes And I praye you what though sainte Augustine or other doctours vsed to terme the lordes supper the Sacrament of the altare Sacrament of the altare whych if it be as I take it I take it after the moste sounde and fayeth fulliste vnderstandynge the vnlearned people shoulde not be greatelye beholden vnto them for their strauÌ„ge termes beyng so farre fetched For thus I vnderstand them The Sacramente of the altare that is to saye the sygne of the Altare whyche altare betokeneth the crosse whych crosse betokeneth the Sacrifice that was offered on the crosse or the passion and deathe of Iesus Christe Wherefore good Christen breathreÌ„ let vs that are homely felowes not be ashamed of the olde termes that wee haue at oure home in the texte of holy scripture whyche calleth the reuerende and healthfull remembraunce of the Lordes death by breakinge of bread i. Cor. x. i. Cor. xi by the name of the Lordes supper or the communion and partakynge of the bodye and bloude of Christe And the thynge wherat we ‡ Vel propter arto latriam vitaÌ„dam tutius erit vt sedensquam genu flecteÌ„s mense dominice populus accuÌ„bere assuescaÌ„t sit deuoutlye to eate the Lordes supper lette vs boeth haue it and call it the Lordes borde or the Lordes table and not a borowed towell nor a Popyshe stone altare nor yet a wodden altare with a Superhaltare And lette vs Presente wyth so far fetched termes and so dearelye boughte the Popes glace and hys fayre Ladyes of Rome Nowe bicause I truste that we haue vaunquished and geuen an ouerthrow to the chiefest part of the Popes souldiers batered and beaten downe to the grounde the onely Botereulx and the greate stay of hys stronge holde Fortecesse therefore shall oure trumpet blow a retreit in this battayle Praised be the Lorde Amen ii Cor. ii ¶ Thanckes be vnto God whyche alwayes geueth vs the vyctorye in Christe and opened the Sauoure of hys knoweledge by vs in euery place For we are vnto God the swete sauour of Christe boeth amoÌ„g theÌ„ that are saued amoÌ„g them that perish To these the sauour of deth to deth to the other the sauour of life to life Imprinted at London by Robert Crowley dwellyng in Elye rentes in Holburne The yere of our Lord. M.D.L. âš¹ ☞ âšœ ☜ âš¹ †⧠†⚜ ¶ Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum