handekerchifes sometimes by laying on of handes and by touchinge sometimes with oyle as is in the sixth of S. Marke they cast out many deuils they anointed many y â— were sicke with oyle healed theÌ„ euen as Christ also by many sundrie wayes healed many He healed sometimes though he were absent sometimes by his worde sometimes by mourning and sorowinge sometimes by hys garment sometimes by touching sometimes with specle dust for at that time the Church had the especial gift of working miracles Therefore S. Iames putteth them in mynde that they dispise not to vse the meanes whiche God hath appoynted that whosoeuer falleth into sickenes he call for the Elders and that they vse their gift of healinge and anointe him with oyle because it hath pleased GOD thereby to worke health This was the maner and order of those times Euen as christ vsed dust and spetle so S. Iames willeth them to vse oyle for the restoring of health As the Corinthians dyd abuse the gift of tongues were taught by S. Paul how to vse it better so dyd many abuse y â— gift of healing were therfore warned by S. Iames howe they should vse it better As the gift of tongues was not to last for euer but only for a time so y â— gift of healing was not to continue euer but for a time Christ saith When thou fastest anoint thine head wash thy face Hee dooth not in these words giue an vniuersal commandement that must euer be kept in our fasting that wee vse the ceremonie of anointing but meaneth thereby that in our faste we bee fresh and mery Euen so S. Iames in saying anoint him with oyle doth not set downe an order wherunto hee would haue the Church of God tyed for euer it is not an vniuersal commandement that the after ages should do the like but onely a particular ordinance for the time to vse the gift of healing This is the meaning of his words Let vs marke what abuses haue growne by mistaking them S. Iames speaketh of bare and simple oyle They vnderstande it of their oyle which they consecrate and halow in vnaduised order For these wordes the Bishop vseth when hee consecrateth it Aue sanctuÌ„ oleum chrisma balsamum Haile O holy oyle chrisme and balsame Againe exerciso te immuÌ„de spiritus in nomine patris filii spiritus sancti vt recedas ab hoc oleo vt possit effici vnctio spiritualis vt spiritus sanctus possit in eo habitare I adiure thee thou vncleane spirit in y â— name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost that thou depart from this oile y t it may be a spiritual ointment and y â— the holy ghoste may dwell in it Agayne Emitte quaesumus sancte pater spiritum sanctum paracletum tuum de coelis in hanc pinguedinem oliuae ad refectioneÌ„ corporum sanationem animarum O holy father we beseeche thee send downe thy holy spirit y â— comforter froÌ„ heauen into this fatnesse of y â— oliue to the refreshing of body soule In like sort they are taught to pray ouer y â— sicke Per hanc sactam vnctionem suam piissimam misericondâ—â—m ignoscat tibi deus vt per hanc vnctioneÌ„ habeas remissionem omniuÌ„ peccatorum By this holy anointing by his great mercye God pardon thee that by this anointinge thou maiest haue remission of al thy sinnes I deuise not these thinges I imagine them not of my selfe nor reporte them vntrulye The Byshop in such wordes blesseth the oyle with such wordes doeth the Priest anoynt the sicke with oyle In their Bookes it is easie to bee seene Now iudge you if this were S Iames doctrine or if this order were kept in the church in the time of the Apostles Would you thinke that S. Iames gaue curtesie by bowing his bodie and saying Aue to the oyle dyd he speake wordes of coniuration to driue foorth the euyll spirite woulde he euer say that the Oyle doth heale both bodye and soule or that remission of al sinnes is giueÌ„ by annointing S. Iames knew that remissioÌ„ of sinnes is not giuen by any creature that there is no name in heauen or earth by which wee are saued but the name of Iesus onely that the holy ghost resteth not nor dwelleth in oyle but in the hearts of the faithful that God giueth health not in respect of the corruptible creature but at the praiers of the Church which are offered vp to hym by his sonne our sauiour So great difference is there betweene the late meaning and the meaning of S. Iames. Such vse of y â— oyle we haue not neither doth the Church of God allow it Yet holde we the rule of the Apostle in visitation of the sicke When any is sicke among vs the Minister coÌ„meth vnto him and discretlye instructeth hym in what sorte he should prepare hymselfe to depart this life so leadeth hym to comforte and laboureth to make hym stronge in the certayne hope of euerlasting lyfe Thus he saith Brother you are entringe the way of al flesh Al y â— sonnes of Adam are heires of this sentence of God vpon Adam thou arte duste and to dust thou shalt returne Man that is borne of woman is of short continuance and ful of trouble He shooteth foorth as a floure is cut downe hee vanisheth also as a shadowe and continueth not Humble thy selfe vnder the mightie hand of God Hee is our good father dooth correct those children whome hee loueth Blessed is he whom the Lord doth chastise and instruct in his wayes Here is the proofe trial of your patience faith remember the patience of Iob in al his miseries he praised y â— name of the Lord. Although saith hee he shoulde kill me yet wyl I put my trust in God Although my bowels be consumed within mee and my members of my body bee rent a sunder and the pangues bee neuer so great yet can I not but trust in him Loue not the world nor y t things that be in the world The world passeth away the lust therof The wise man saith I haue coÌ„sidered al the works that are done vnder the sun behold al is vanitie vexatioÌ„ of spirit Againe great trauel is created for al men an heauy yoke vpoÌ„ the sonnes of Adam froÌ„ the day y e thei go out of their mothers wombe til the day y t they return to y e mother of al things Christ hath therfore willeâ— vs to wake bee ready because wee know not in what houre our master will come He saith Behold I come as a thief blessed is he which watcheth kepeth his garments least he walk naked men see his filthines Examine your selfe consider howe and in what thinges you haue offended God make a true and humble confession of your sinnes say with Dauid I haue sinned against the Lorde
Lawe in their inwarde partes and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shal bee my people and they shal teach no more euery maÌ„ his neighbour and euery man his brother sayinge Know the Lord for they shall all know mee from the leaste of them to the greatest of them sayeth the Lorde And agayne our Sauiour sayeth out of the prophet Esay They shall all be taught of God And in the seuententh of Saint Iohn he sayeth This is life eternall that they knowe thee to be the onely very God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ To this ende and for this cause He gaue some to bee Apostles and some Prophetes and some Euangelistes and some Pastours and teachers for the gathering together of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie and for the edificatioÌ„ of the body of Christ that we hencefoorth bee no more children waâ—ering and caried about with euery wind of doctrine by the deceit of men with craftines whereby they lay waite to deceiue Therefore doeth S. Peter cal vpon them that are of the church of god in all places that they shew foorth the mercies of God that they witnesse vnto all the world what the Lord hath done for them in filling them with all spirituall knowledge and vnderstanding Be readie alwayes to giue an answer to euerie man that asketh you a reason of the hope y t is in you There fore doeth God giue charge to his people the children of Israel to heare his Lawe and keepe his commaundements not as an ordinance that shoulde stande good but for a season whiche shoulde bee kepte onely by them but also requireth that they teache the same to their posteritie that so his great blessinges may neuer bee forgotten For thus hee sayeth These wordes which I commande thee this day shall bee in thine heart and thou shalt rehearce them continually vnto thy children and shalt talke of them when thou taryest in thine house and as thou walkest by the way and when thou lyest downe and when thou risest vp Thus doeth God by promise that hee wyll giue the Spirite of knowledge and of vnderstanding vnto his people and by raysing vp labourers whom he hath sent foorth into his viniarde Prophetes Apostles Euangelistes and pastours and teachers and by his earnest commaundement that we giue eare to his woorde and speake of his wonderfull kindenesse shewed vnto vs and our forefathers make it appeare howe needefull a thinge it is that we knowe his will Without this knowledge we cannot loue hym as our father we can not feare him as our Lorde But when wee see the miserable blindenesse and ignoraunce in all places abroade what hope may wee haue to see Hiericho suppressed and quite ouerthrowne It cannot be but great inconueniences shall followe in the Churche of God as confusion of order and dissolution of life to the indangering of the state vnlesse by godly care of the Magistrates some helpe be prouided This care must shewe it selfe in remouinge blinde watchmen whiche haue no knowledge who are but dumme dogges that can not barke who lye and sleepe and delight in sleeping These greedye Dogges can neuer haue enough sayeth the Prophet Esaye Non residence and absence from their cure is a fault that woulde bee amended in the Sheapheardes of the Lordes flocke Though they be neuer so able to instructe and therefore worthie to haue the roumes in the Churche yet if they haue not a desire to do good if they feede not Christes sheepe if they be strangers to the people of their chargeâ— if they bee not at hande to giue their flockes their bread in due season what let may there bee but that ignorance and blindenesse shall growe and encrease in the people Another fault no lesse hurtfull to the Church of God is the sufferinge of pluralities when one man taketh the profite of two or more benefices whiche is not worthye of one These Non residents and pluralitie men teache not they knowe not nor care for the People of their charge they haue brought this confusion and shame into the house of God They are blinde guides they are the darkenesse of the world Against those whiche are suche GOD sheweth his heauy displeasure My Sheep sayeth he wandred through all the mountaines and vpon euerie high hill yea my flocke was scattered through al the earth and none dyd seeke or searche after them And againe Neither did my shepheards seeke my shepe but the shephardes fedde themselues and not my sheepe And by the Prophet Ieremie he saith They that shoulde minister the law knew me not And againe The Pastours are become Beastes and haue not soughte the Lorde therefore haue they none vnderstandinge and all the flockes of their pastures are scattered These either bee a remnant of the wicked Inhabitantes of Hiericho that resist the passage of Gods people towardes the land of promise or suche as haue forgotten the commaundement of the Lorde and haue giuen themselues to doe the sinnes of the people whom the Lord gaue ouer vnto them These be they that seeke the restoringe of Hiericho the ouerthrow of Hierusalem therefore the curse of God wyll fall vppon them the blood of Gods people shall be required at their handes because they bring the abhomination of desolation into the holy place because they suffer Christes flocke to perishe for lacke of knowledge and to be caryed away after euery wynde of false doctrine God graunt al such that they may see with their eyes and vnderstande in their heartes and knowe the gratious goodnesse of the Lorde that the people bee not through their negligence like Horse and Mule but that they may descerne betweene darkenesse and lighte and betweene Hiericho and Hierusalem that they may bee able to giue a reason of the faith whiche is in them and that they may teache the same vnto their Children So shall we be builte vpon a rocke so shall we stande as firme as mount Sion so shall wee neuer be confounded The thirde meanes to stay the buyldynge of Hiericho is to bee thankefull for the benefites whiche God hath bestowed vpon vs and in suche sorte to leade our life that it may appeare wee bee his seruants To this ende God hath giuen his holye worde and to this ende hath he left his holy sacraments that we should be put in minde of his kindenes and not become vnmindefull or vnthankefull and so receiue his grace in vayne But you wil say What thanks shall I giue Some leade me one way and some another some saye heare is Christe some saye there is Christe I know not nor wherefore nor howe to yeelde thankes Hereto a short answere can not suffice and a long woulde be tedious Let vs call to remembrance the Lesson that was giuen vs in this place on Sunday last Let vs search the scriptures Esay the Prophet saith To the Law and to the testimonie if they spake
to GOD. And therefore God blessed his doinges as wee see this daye For it is the cause of GOD and not of man The zeale of the Lord of hostes hath done this I wil bring this to passe saith the Lord not for your sakes but that my name may bee glorified among the nations For God chooseth y e weake thinkes and the foolish thinges of the world As for the Aduersaries be they neuer so strong he that dwelleth in the heauens laugheth them to scorne These through feare and dispaire keepe backe from building the temple Some there be that confesse that manye things are out of frame and ought to be looked on but they say it is no time to fall a buylding We must looke for a generall Councel And God graunt we may once see that daye that a general Councel may be called wherein Christ may sit president and all these matters that are nowe in question maye haue indifferent hearing and maye bee decided by the woorde of God But alas they that make a face and shewe of general Councels them selues stoppe and staye that there may be no generall Councell When Luther made his first appeale from the Pope that then was to a generall councell they made him answeare that it was against the decree of Pope Iulius and Pope Pius that anye appeale shoulde bee made from the Pope to any councel When the Emperour had compelled them to a Councel and the Princes of Germanie common weales had sent learned men thither the Bishops that were there assembled woulde not heare any of them preache or dispute or declare their minde For onely bishops may sit speake in their councel and suche as are sworne to mainteine the Pope Aeneas Syluius otherwise called Pope Pius the second saith if a Bishop speake against the Pope yea although hee speake the truth yet neuertheles hee sinneth against the othe that he hath made vnto the pope And last of all when the Councell hath done all that it can the whole conclusion of the matter hangeth vpon y e determination of the Pope Now iudge you what sentence there is like to be where as hee shalbe iudge in his owne cause Thus when they crye out and speake of Councels they seeke delay they mocke with God and man and indeed meane to haue no councel Saint Paul after hee was called of God and touched in his heart and couscience with Gods trueth appealed not to a generall Councel but saith Non acquieni carni sanguini I communicated not with fleshe and blood The kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it by force There is no Councel aboue God A Councel may testifie the trueth to be truth but it cannot make falshood to be truth Augustine aunsweared most indifferently writing to Maximinus a Bishop of y e Arrsans y t alleaged a general councel holden at Ariminum Nec ego Nicenum nec tu debes Arimincuse tan quaÌ„ praeiudicaturus proferre coÌ„cilium c. Neither may I lay to thee the councel of Nice nor maiest thou lay to me the couÌ„cel of Ariminum either of vs thinking therby to find preiudice against the other But let vs laye matter to matter cause to cause and reason to reason by the authority of the Scriptures whiche are indifferent witnesses for both WheÌ„ Agisilaus minded to make his passage with his army through his neighbors lande he desired licence of the prince of that countrie the prince saide he coulde make him no ready aunswere but that he would take aduise of his councel Wel then said Agesilaus take you aduisement in the meane season I wil passe through So when our aduersaries delay off soiourne til they may take their deliberation in a councel let them deliberate while they wil but in the meane season let vs passe on in the busines of God and take the occasion offered vs to buylde by a house to the Lord. Some other say it is not yet time y e Bishops be they that should redresse the church Would to God they would For they should be Lux muÌ„di The light of the world they should be shepheards Watchmen they should be builders of Gods church But what if the light become darknes What if the shepheardes become wolues What if the Watchmen lye asleepe what if the builders become ouerthrowers Ieremie saith the Pastours haue ouerthrowen the Uineyard and is it likely that they wil reare it vp again Christ said vnto y e bishops you haue made my house a denne of theeues is it likely that they wil bring it againe to the former state and make it a place of prayer But O merciful God what a building is that like to bee where ignorance is the foundation where ignoraunce is deuotion and the greatest corner stone of the buylding I pray God lighten their hearts w t his holy spirite and make them to bee that they professe themselues to be the light of the world and true labourers in Gods Uineyarde faithful buylders of his house In the meane season let vs remember that in the olde Lawe whensoeuer the Byshoppe grewe out of order God raysed vp sometimes Prophetes sometimes Princes to refourme the churche to redresse things that were amisse and to reedifie the decayes For the Prince is keeper of the Lawe of GOD and that of both Tables as wel of the first that pertayneth to Religion as of the seconde that pertayneth to good order For he is the Head of the people not onelye of the commons and Laâ—â—y but also of the Ministers and Cleargye By that authoritye Moses beynge a Magistrate rebuked Aaron the Bishop for making the golden calfe Ioas beeing a king redressed the riot of the Priestes Salomon being King firste builded the temple of God put down the high Bishop Abiathar and set vp Sadoc Afterwarde the same Temple being polluted was restored not by the Bishoppes but by the Kings Ezechias Iosias Abias Iehosaephat at this time after the captiuitie of Babylon it was restored not by the Bishoppes but by Zorobabel the Prince of Iuda And after the comming of Christ when the Emperours became christened Constantine a Godly Emperour threatned the Bishops if they would not be ruled he would take vppon him to see them punished as hauing in deed authority and power ouer Bishoppes And Iustinianus in his law threatneth the Bishops that if they woulde not make their prayers in a loude voyce that y â— people might say Amen he would punish them with his sworde as hath been sayd before But what needeth more examples When the Arke of God was restored home Dauid being King played the chiefest part Dauid being King made Psalmes and ditties Dauid being King daunced before the Arke and being king set the Bishops Priestes in order And for this cause they are kings euen to serue y â— Lord. And therefore they doe not wel that deuide common weales in two and deuise two heads the one for the
wonne Therefore we ought as our heartes were careful and desirous to see these dayes so by our thankefulnes to God for so great blessinge and by Christian and Godlye prouidence foresee such meanes whereby wee may longe hereafter enioye the same WheÌ„ Phydias had made the pourtraiture of Iupiter Pisanus he ouerlayed it with oyle y t it might continue fresh and greene and neuer putrifie When God gaue order to Noah for making the Arke he saide Thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitche that it might be sound and sure abide the waues He which chalengeth to himselfe that proude and wanton name to be called the head of y e vniuersal church after by litle litle he was gotten into possessioÌ„ was not behind hand by al meanes to maintaine keepe the same In this policie he tooke away the reading of the scriptures froÌ„ the people he made noble men princes his Cardinals He threw downe set vp changed whom what he would The kings states of the world y e bishops professors schollers in vniuersities preachers were brought to swere allegeaÌ„ce obedience vnto him I deuise not this the stories hereof are abrode y e oth which they tooke is known His authorite grew greater theÌ„ the authoritie of general councilles Nothing might be decreed in councels but what pleased him none might be admitted to speak in couÌ„cils but such as were sworne to him He had al law in his breast There was sometimes a proclamation made in Rome y t for considerations no man should erect or builde vp any theater that if any were set vp it shold be rased pulled down Pompeius a gentleman of great wealth noble courage did build a theater such a one as before had not bene seene which would receaue 2500. men contrary to y e proclamation order taken But dubtinge least the next maiestrates should destroy it he caused a place of religion to bee set vpon it called it the teÌ„ple of Venus Whereby he prouided y t if any wold ouerthrow it because it was a Theater they might yet spare it for the temples sake for to pul down a teÌ„ple was sacrilege Euen so there haue bene proclamations cannons y t no man shoulde be called y e chiefe or y e head of al Churches or vsurpe such authoritie ouer others but when y e Pope built vp his supremacie against the meaning of suche canons hee preteÌ„ded religioÌ„ for his doing he sayde it was de iure diuino y t no man should presume or atteÌ„pt agaiÌ„st it y t so his power might coÌ„tinue for euer If they haue bene thus carefull to mainteine falshod how much more careful should we be to maintaine y e truth If they to aduaÌ„ce their owne kingdome how much more wee to set forth the kingdom of God to builde vp the Church of Christ And if they sought to do y t by lies by false meanes why should we bee slack to vse the right true good meanes wherby that good thing which God hath wrought for vs may bee established And albeit there be many wayes by which the kingdome of God may be mainteined as the fauour countenance of y e prince whiche so coÌ„forteth cherisheth y e Church as the sunne beames coÌ„fort cherish the earth knowledge learning discipline which are as the life the sinues without which the Church must needes fall asunder at this time I wil leaue to speak of the rest only stay vpon learninge which may truly be called y e life or y e soule of y e Church of christian religien How necessarie a thinge they haue counted learninge to the settinge foorth of Religion the stories of our old fathers of heathens and Christians in al ages doe witnesse They thought that neither Religion might stande without knowledge nor knowledge were to bee esteemed without Religion Charles the great that hee might the better plant Religion in Saxonie and Heluetia did erect many places for encrease of learning He knewe well that there was no other way better to establish Religion The Cathedral Churches before such times as ignoraunce and blindenesse grewe ouer all the worlde and brought in an vniuersal corruption maintayned schooles of learning that the doctrine which was taught in those places might bee defended agaynst the gaynesayers by suche learned men as were there bred vp The Princes of Germanie and the free Cities after they had receyued the Gospell they dissolued theyr monasteries which had bene harbourers for such as liued in idlenes and set vp Schooles and colledges which should be nourceries to breede vp learned men that might bee able to teache the people and to maintaine religion Whereby it came to passe that in shorte time they had great store of worthy and learned men This did they wel see that haue bene the enemies of religion therefore vsed all meanes to hinder the encrease of learninge that they might haue the better way to ouerthrow Religion For if learning decay it is likely that Religion can not abide Beare with me if I speake that whiche may seeme more fitt for some other place then for this audience the best here vnderstandeth me wel In other countries the receiuing of the Gospell hath alwayes bene cause that learning was more set by and learninge hath euer bene the furtherance of the Gospell In England I knowe not how it commethe otherwise to passe For since the Gospell hath bene receiued the maintenaunce for learninge hath bene decayed And the lacke of learninge will be the decay of the Gospel Would God it were not so or that yet before the faulte be incurable there may be some redresse Loth I am to speake yet the case so requireth that it is needefull to be spoken I truste I shall speak in the hearing of them that wyll confider it Maintenance of learninge whereby an able and sufficient ministerie may growe and be established in al the Churches of this realme is to be wished for The good estate of this noble kingdome y â— comfort of posterytie y â— staye of Religion the continuing of the Gospell the remouing of darknes hangeth vpon it One asked sometimes howe it was that in Athens so goodly and great a citie there were no Phisitians To whom this answere was made because there are rewardes appointed for them that practise Phisicke The same answere may be made for our times the cause why y â— Church of God is so forsaken is the want of zeale in theÌ„ that should either for their curtesie or for their ability be fosterers of learning encrease the liuings where occasion is and giue hope confort to learned men What said I increaseâ—nay the liuings and prouision which hertofore were giuen to this vse are taken away Haue patience if any such be here as I well know there are whom these things touch Suffer me to speake the truth
the Sacraments Mary burie their dead in a strange tongue that the People may vnderstand nothing which make a famine of hearing the word of God which stop vp the springes of the water of lyfe which take awaye the Keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen and neither enter in them selues nor suffer them that woulde enter which say ignoraunce is the mother of deuotion the Church is then in best order the people most deuoute when they are hood winckt blinded see nothing These are not fit instrumēts wherwith we may ouercome the aduersaries This is not y e sworde of the spirit these are not the spiritual weapons which cast downe holdes and euery high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God What man that would keepe out his enemy will pul downe his holdes what captaine that meaneth to giue a forcible assault vpon the enemy will discourage his fighting souldiers but our souldiers are out of courage our Castles are falling therefore that which we feare wyll fall vpon vs The oxe that treadeth out the corne is musseled He that goeth a warrefare receiueth not his wages the crye hereof goeth vp into the eares of the Lord of Hostes He wil not abide so great contempt of his worde and preachers his owne name is therby dishonoured Our sauiour saith He that dispiseth you dispiseth mee And S. Paul He y t despiseth these thinges despiseth not man but god And think we that hee wyll suffer his holy name to be despised Nay hys wrath is alreadie kindled He hath already begū his iudgements therfore many places are left desolate There is none that can warne them of their sinne none that can moue them to repentance none that can preach vnto them forgeuenes through Christ none that can instruct them in the comfort of euerlasting life Because they worke such thinges against the Lord the hearts of many are astonied Though they heare they vnderstande not They scorne and ieste at the worde of saluation it is vnto them a sauour of death vnto death they are earthlye minded whose God is their bellie and whose glorie is to their shame For this cause you liue still in your sinnes in adulterie in couetousues and in pride without any feeling of conscience without any feare of God Your daughters your heires to whom you shall leaue your landes are stollen awaye from you Robberies and theft are so common as if it were not onely lawful but also commendable as if sinne were no sinne and he I fire but a fable Thus wee prouoke God to anger Manye walke of whom wee cannot thinke but with weeping they are the enemies of the crosse of Christ the name of God is blasphemed through them Many are so ignoraunt they knowe not what the Scriptures are they knowe not that there are any Scriptures They call them hereticall and newe doctrine Many will beleeue neyther side whatsoeuer they alleadge Bring they trueth bring they falshoode teache they Christ teach they Antichrist they will beleeue neither they haue so hardened their heartes Be the Preacher rough or gentle learned or vnlearned let him vse authority of the scriptures of the doctours of the councels of Decrees or Decretalles of Gods Lawe of mans law nothing wil moue them nothing wil please them because the ministery of God and there by God himselfe is despised These woordes happily seeme sharpe and ouer vehement but the hardnesse of our hearts against GOD and the lacke of zeale of his house inforce me to them We are almost fallen into the lowest pitte we are left without zeale as senselesse men and as if we had cleane forgotten our selues as the Heathen which know not God Therefore vnlesse we repent the kingdome of God shall be taken away from vs. He will send vppon this land a famine of the woorde Hierusalem shall be ouerthrown and made an heape of stones the man of sinne and they which haue not the loue of the trueth shall preuayle with many and withdraw them from obedience to the Prince this noble realme shall be subiect to foreine nations all this will the zeale of the Lorde of hostes bring to passe I could haue spent this time in opening some other matter but nothing in my iudgement is more worthy your good consideration and speedy redresse I would be loth rashly or rudely to abuse the reuerence of this place but vnles these things be cared for vnlesse we shew foorth greater zeale then hitherto if the yeeres to come eate vp and take awaye from the Ministery as the late yeeres haue done there wil not be left within a while any to speake the word of God out of this place The Pulpits shall haue none to vse them the people shal grow wyld and voyd of vnderstanding When Xerxes behelde the greate company of his Souldiers suddenly he brake into teares and wept bitterly One sayde to him O Syr you haue cause to reioyce you haue a goodlye companie they are able to fight for you agaynst any nation But what shall become of them saith Xerxes after a hundred yeeres not one of all these shall be left aliue If the view of the smal number of Preachers might be taken how fewe they are and howe thinne they come vp we haue greater cause then Xerxes to lament if we haue any zeale to the house of GOD. For of the Preachers which nowe are within fewe yeeres none will remayne aliue And Xerxes souldiers lefte issue behinde them which might afterwardes serue their Countrey But there is like to bee small increase for the supplie of Learned men The Lorde shall lacke men to bring in his haruest the little ones shall call for bread and there shall be none to giue it them They that shall come after vs shall see this to bee true There is no house so spoyled as the House of the LORD There is no Seruaunt so little rewarded as the Seruaunt of Christ and the disposer of the mysteries of God Oh that your Grace did beholde the miserable disorder of Gods Church or that you might foresee the calamities which will follow It is a part of your kingdome such a parte as is the principall proppe and stay of the rest I wil say to your Maiesty as Cyrillus sometimes saide to to the godly Emperor Theodosius Valētiniā Abea quae erga Deum est pietate reipublicae vestrae status pendet The good estate welfare of your common wealth hangeth vpon true godlinesse You are our Gouernour you are the Nource of Gods Church We must open this griefe before you God knoweth if it may be redressed it hath growen so long and is runne so farre But if it may be redressed there is no other besides your Highnesse that can redresse it I hope I speake truly that which I speake without flatterie that God hath endued your Grace with such measure of learning knowledge as no other Christian Prince He hath giuen you peace happinesse the loue and
Pharisies and priests offended eueÌ„ of malice the poore people only of ignorance and simplicity Woe be vnto you Scribes Pharisies that haue taken away the keies shut vp the kingdom of God before the people and neither wil you enter in your selues nor suffer others that wold gladly enter But as for the people he had compassion on them for that he sawe they were forsaken and perished euen as sheepe without a heard that they had a certaine zeale of God although not according to knowledge that they fell into the pitte not of wilfull malice but onely because they followed the blynd guydes that fell before them that they were Gods haruest and lay abroade and were lost no man would take the paines to fetch them in Saint Paul was not only lead away by ignorance but also was a most earnest persecuter of the Church of Christ yet was he a portion of Gods haruest And therfore assoone as GOD had striken him downe from his horse he knew he had done amisse and cryed out Lord what wilt thou that I do and after he writeth of him selfe God hath had mercy and taken me to his grace because I knew not what I did Many there were that cried out vpon Christ crucifie him crucifie him after when he hung vpon the crosse nodded their heads vpon him made mowes at him did him al maner of spite vilany yet pertayned they to Gods haruest and afterward as it is credible were crucified for him shed their blood for him themselues Euen so are there euen at this time many that of ignoraunce persecute the Gospel of Christ as it were crucifie Christ againe which if they felt indeede that it were the Gospell of God they would not so litle regard their owne saluation God make them to bee of his haruest and send out labourers to fetch them in Whensoeuer we begin to feele a lacke within our selues and can suffer our selues to be infourmed and taught by the Spirit of God then may we be assured God wil take vs for his haruest Plato the olde Philosopher imagineth that the god Loue was borne of the Ladie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Madame lack or necessity For no man loueth a thing before he feele himself stand in neede of it so loue is the Childe and lacke or neede is the mother Saint Augustine writeth of himselfe that before he became christened a friend of his offered him the Scripture to looke vpon but he after he had read a litle because he felt in himselfe no lacke of it he despised it and â—long it from him Afterwarde he beganne to finde much follye in himselfe and because he could see no redresse he fel to weeping and prayer In the middest of his mourning and groning he heard a voyce Tolle lege tolle lege Take vp and reade take vp read He marueiled much what it should be At the last he tooke vp a booke that lay by him of Paulos Epistles and the first wordes that he set his eies vpon were these Induimini dominuÌ„ Iesum ChristuÌ„ Put ye on the Lord Iesus Christ S. Hierom writing vpon the prophet Nahum saith In aduentu Messiae populus qui fuerat consâ—pitus sub magistris excitabitur ibit ad montes scripturaruÌ„ What time Messias shal come the people that were lulled a sleepe in ignorance by such as should haue been their teachers shal awake and get them forth to the mountaines of the Scriptures And Chrisost vpon the Genesis Si desit ministerium hominis ipse Dominus superne illustrabit mentem nostraÌ„ If the ministery of man be waÌ„ ting the Lord himself wil lighten our mind froÌ„ aboue And Christ in the Gospel of S. Iohn saith My sheep heare my voice follow me they wil not follow a stranger but flye froÌ„ him And to conclude whosoeuer feeleth a lack within himself can suffer himselfe to be informed taught by the spirit of God he may be assured God wil take him for his haruest Thus was the haruest great the laborers very few the scatterers wasters almost infinite This was the state of the Church at the coÌ„ming of Christ Euen likewise in these our dayes Christ our sauiour hath gone abroad in progresse and done marueilous cures shewed strange miracles amoÌ„g his people hath caused his gospel to ring throughout the world And as he said then eueÌ„ so may it now be said Messis multa The haruest is great marueilous forward yea euen there where as no worldly hope of haruest could haue beene Many there are that hunger thirst after the kingdome of God which is the knowledge of his Gospel many that are yet greene ignorant many that lie by the way side and yet haue gathered no root many that as yet are but tares and darnell I meane blinde and obstinate but when Gods holy will shalbe may be turned into good corne and pertaine to his haruest But the laborers are few I say not there be but few Cardinals few bishops few priests y t shold be preachers few Archdeacons few ChaÌ„celors few Deanes few prebendaries few vicars few parish Priests few monkes few friars For the number of these is almost infinite Gregory Nazianzene in his time complained at the multitude of Priestes and saide they were almost as many as the rest of the people And Iustinian the Emperor in his time was faine to restraine y e number of theÌ„ to giue coÌ„mandement that in one cathedral Church there should neuer be aboue 60. priests 100. deacoÌ„s The like order was takeÌ„ in a general couÌ„cel for the abating of the multitude of monks friars And in the booke called opus tripartitum ioyned to y e councel of Laterane these words were written Totus fere mundus obloquitur scaÌ„dalizatur de multitudine religiosorum pauperuÌ„ qui introierunt in mundum qui non iam religiosi sed trutannij vocantur Welneare y t whole world crieth against is offeÌ„ded at the great multitude of begging monkes friars whiche are entred into the world nowe for their behauiour are called not religious men but varlets These be the wordes of the Councel The number of these is great but alas the number of labourers is very smal And yet they giue a shewe to the worlde that they be pastors and feeders of the flocke that they be the fathers of the people that they bee the teachers of the multitude that they be the labourers in the haruest that the whole Catholike Churche stayeth altogether vpon them They giue the Bishop of Rome these titles that hee is the onely key of Christian faith that he is greater then the Apostles for that they could erre and he cannot they say he is Christes Uicar whereas indeede to any mans sight Christ may be contented to be his Uicar They say he is no bare man but a god as
of al them that speak agaynst vs that touchinge the very substance of religion wee teache nothinge this day but that hath bene taught before by Christ him selfe set abroade by his Apostles continued in the Primitiue Church and maintained by the olde and ancient Doctors And in one or two wordes onely to giue a taste of the same that thereby ye may the better iudge of the rest Wee saye that in the Sacrament after the consecration remaineth the substance nature of bread and wine The same saith S. Augustine S. Chrysostome Theodoretus Gelasius others Gelasius wordes are so plaine as no man can denie them Non desinit esse substantia panis vini There leaueth not to be the substance of bread and wine Thus wrote they and were Catholiques We say that Christes last Supper must be vsed as a communion frequented with more then one So Christ ordeined it so y ◠Apostles the Primitiue Church and all the olde Doctors practised it and neuer was there any of them that euer made mētion of a priuate Masse Thus did they and yet were they Catholiques We say the holy Communion or sacrament of the breaking shedding of the body and blood of Christe ought of necessitie to bee vsed vnder both kindes Thus did all the Doctors vse it And Gelasius an old father saith that otherwise to vse it is open sacriledge And for y ◠space of 1000. yeeres after Christ there can no example be found to the contrary Thus did they and yet were Catholiques We say the publique prayers ought to be in the common tongue that the Bishop of Rome ought not to take vpon him to be the head of the vniuersal Church that the prince is of right by the authority that god hath giuen hym the hiest ruler of his Church and Realme as well of the ecclesiasticall officers as of the temporall And all these thinges bee aduouched confirmed by y e examples of the primatiue Church by the olde general Councels and by the Doctors And the contray here of shall neuer be proued nor by old father or Doctor nor by aucient councel nor by example of y ◠primatiue Church nor by any sufficient authoritie of the Scriptures I leaue the rest for it were an infinite labour to say as much as might be saide Thus they taught thus dyd they were catholikes alas are we sayinge the same onely because we say y e same become heretiques that was once true is it now become false that was once Catholique doctrine is it now at last become heresie O mercifull God was it thy wil y t thy trueth should be true but for a season vntil there should come men to decree the contrary If we be heretiques that teach the same that the olde Doctours of the Church taught what then are they that teach contrary to the Doctours Christ our Sauiour to reproue the Pharises thought it sufficient to say to them Hoc Abraham non fecit This thing Abrahā neuer did Therefore are you not the children of Abraham Euen so may we truely say to such as holde not themselues contented with this doctrine these things that you do Saint Augustine neuer did Saint Hierome neuer did none of the ancient fathers euer did the Apostles in the Catholike primatiue Church neuer did therefore yee are not the children of S. Augustine ye are not the children of S. Hierome ye are not the children of any of the olde catholique doctors ye are not the children of Christes primatiue Catholyke and vuiuersal Church It may not become me to sette order in these thinges yet if it were lawfull I woulde wysh that once agayne as time shoulde serue there might be had a quiet and a sober disputation that eche parte might be required to shew their groundes without selfe wyll and without affection not to mayntayne or breede contention for I trust it should be the way to take away al contention but onely that the trueth may bee knowen many consciences quieted and the right stone tryed by comparison of the counterfaite For at the last disputation that should haue bene you know whiche partie gaue ouer and would not meddle Some will saye the Iudges wyll not be indifferent And alas what man that doubteth his owne matter wyll euer think the Iudges indifferent Let the whole worlde let our our aduersaries them selues bee Iudges heerm affection put apart let our aduersaries themselues be Iudges What can wee offer more if this bee not sufficient what can there be sufficient Pompeius a noble Gentleman of Rome at what time he shoulde goe into the fielde against Caesar that then was his enemie and some of his counsell told him he lacked men and should neuer be able with so small a number to stande in fielde agaynst Caesar beinge well furnished Tushe quoth hee when so euer I shall but beate the ground with my foote I shall by and by rayse vp a swarme of souldiers Afterward it befell that Pompey was vanquished and glad to flee Then Marcus Cato an old gentleman and one of his army sayd to hym O sir remember your promise you lacke men now let vs see your swarme of Souldiers It is wel knowne that it hath bene spoken both in this place and in other lyke that al the Doctours and al the general councels were against vs. Nowe the armie is discomstted nowe they stande in neede of men nowe let them call for their Doctours and Councels if they come but with one sufficient Doctour or Councell they may haue the field I speake not this to boast my self of any learning but the goodnes of the cause maketh me y e holder Neither woulde I haue in this behalfe said so much as I haue sauing that the matter it selfe very necessitie inforced me so to doe Alas it were great pitie that Gods trueth shoulde be defaced w t priuy whisperings It were great pitie that whole houses shoulde be ouerthrowen mēs consciences wounded the people deceiued Gods trueth and the loue thereof pulled from your heartes his woorke blasphemed as if it came from Beelzebub w tout any good ground without any authorytie of the Scripture without any example of the Primatiue Churche without Counsell without any auncient Doctour or father But they haue another kinde of learuynge which because wee haue not therefore they say we are vnlearned For if controuersies might haue bene tryed by learnyng you shoulde neuer haue seene the Masse agayne after it was once downe If there euer come another change as I pray God wee may neuer see nor surely euer shall wee vnlesse our vnkindnesse pull downe Gods plague vppon vs but if a change come suche a one as they looke for you shall see with what argument they wyll proue their Masse We reade that Christ dyd put the Pharises to silence yet afterwarde when their tyme came they sayde We haue a lawe and by our law he must die But Gods name be praysed no persecutions no
torments no fire no fagot haue euer weakened the cause of the Gospel Tertullian saith Plures effiâ—imur quoties metimur the more we be cut downe the more we encrease These be their arguments this is their logique they haue no liking to trie the matter by Scripture by doctours by Councel or by the practise of the most ancient Churches and if they make any pretense of likinge such tryall they doe it for some other hidden purpose to moue mutinies and disquiet that they may woorke their practises whiles mens heades are occupied and busied with talke of such matters Pirrhus a lustie gentleman and Kinge of Epyrus when he first tooke Counsell with hys Nobles to wage warre against the Romanes heard saye hee might soone conquere them for that they were nothinge else but a sorte of wilde and harbarours people but afterward when he came to the view of the Romanes army indeed and sawe their Captaines and Souldiers wel appoynted and their flagges and standardes in good order mary quoth he whether these men be barbarous or no I cannot tel but wel I wot their behauiour and the order of their campe is not barbarous So what accompt soeuer men make of this doctrine that god be thanked is taught this day yet whosoeuer shall come neere view it well and try it to the vttermost and shall finde that al thinges are done seemely and orderly according to the olde doctours to the Apostles and to the primatiue Church of Christ shall fall downe to the grounde and confesse that the order and maner therof or any thing that is taught therein is not hereticall Saint Iohn Baptist sent his disciples to Christ to knowe whether hee were the true Messias or no or els whether they should looke for another Christ made them answer Go and shewe Iohn what thinges ye haue hard and seene the blinde receiue sight the halte goe the lepers are clensed the deafe heare y e dead are raised vp y e poore receiue the Gospel For these tokens were sufficient to make Iohn vnderstande that Christ was the true Messias Euen so if a man stande in doubte of this Religion whether it bee of God or no let hym but consider think with himselfe thus a great number of errours are now reuealed superstition is remoued idolatrie is taken away the Sacramentes are rightlye and duly vsed the dombe speake the blinde see the poore afflicted mindes receiue the Gospell the prayers are in such sort as the people may take profit and comfort by them God giue vs grace to know how great neede we haue to pray that in all places we may lift vp cleane handes and heartes vnto God and cal vpon him in spirit and truth If this be heresie then alas what is true religion Can these bee done by the power of Beelzebub Can the deuil reforme errours remoue superstion take away idolatrie cause the Sacramentes to be directly vsed the dombe to speake the blinde to see the poore to receiue the Gospel the people to take fruite and comfort by their prayers O good brethen this is the worke of Gods right hande the kingdome of God doubtlesse is come vppon vs the prince of errour is put to silence the readinesse of the people vniuersally in al places is marueilous kinges and princes suffer themselues to be led captiues to the obedience of Christ They that before were enemies and persecutours of this doctrine are nowe contented to yeeld their bodies liues for y t defence of the same and to be short al the world this day cryeth and groneth after the Gospel And al these things are come to passe at such time as to any mans reason it might seeme impossible when al the world the people priests princes were ouerwhelmed with ignoraÌ„ce wheÌ„ the word of God was put out of sight when he that tooke vpon him the generall rule of altogether was crept into y e holy place had possessed the coÌ„science of man as if he had bene God and had set himselfe aboue the scriptures of God gaue out decrees that whatsoeuer he should do no man shoulde finde fault with him when all schooles priests bishops kings of the worlde were sworne to hym that whatsoeuer he tooke in hand they should vphold it when he had chosen kings sonnes brothers to be his Cardinales when his Legats espies were in euery kings councel when nothing could be attempted any where but he by by must haue knowledge of it wheÌ„ whosoeuer had but muttered against his doinges must straight waies haue bene excoÌ„municate put to most cruel death as Gods enemie when no man could haue thought there had bene any hope that euer these dayes should haue bene seene that God of his mercy hath giuen vs to see when al things were voide of al hope and full of desperation Euen then I say euen then contrarye to all mans reason God brought all these thinges to passe Euen then God defeited their policies not with shielde or Speare but only with the spirit of his mouthe that is with preachinge of the Gospel There is no counsel agaynst the Lorde the deuils were cast out by the powre of God This is the day which y e Lord hath wrought to thee o Lord y e prayse hereof is due thou hast turned our mourning into ioy thou hast put to sileÌ„ce y e spirit of error thou hast inflamed y t hearts of thy people thou hast brought princes kings to the obedience of thy sonne Iesus Christ thou hast opened the eyes of y e world to espy out to cry for y e coÌ„fort of y e gospel WheÌ„ al things were in dispaire yet thou didst reserue vnto thy selfe one litle sparkle y t should inkindle agayne light in thy church y t shoulde remoue rubbish fylth out of thy teÌ„ple whose hart should euer be in thy haÌ„d who should do that that good is in thy sight should walke in y â— wayes of her father Dauid This is the hand power of God this is the Lordes doing and it is marueilous in our eyes God giue vs grace to haue these things euer before our eyes that we neuer be vnthankfull Now for al these graces y t God hath so plentifully powred vpoÌ„ vs let vs coÌ„sider what kindnes ought to be rendred on our part O Israel O my people saith almighty God what thing is it y t I require of thee but onely that thou loue me walk in my wayes this is our homage this is our dutie this shalbe loked for at our hands The grace of god saith Paul y t bringeth saluation vnto al meÌ„ hath appered techeth vs y t we shold liue soberly righteusly in this preseÌ„t worlde looking for the blessed hope appearing of the glory of the mighty god and of our sauiour Iesus Christ Such in olde times was the life of all them that professed the name of Christ Tertullian of his
wee pray together and vnderstande what we pray This was the order of the Primitiue Churche this was the order of the Apostles of Christe If wee compare this with the former wee shall soone see the difference betweene light and darknesse The kingdome of God nowe suffereth violence The sounde of the Gospell hath gone ouer all the worlde and the whole worlde is awaked therewith and draweth to it The sunne is risen the day is open God hath made his kingdome woonderfull among vs. It is nowe time nowe is it time that wee shoulde arise from sleepe for nowe is our saluation neere Nowe it is in our mouth wee can speake of it GOD graunt it may bee neerer vs euen in our heartes The night is past GOD graunt it be past for euer that we be neuer againe throwen into the darkenesse of death that the worde of life the trueth of Christ be neuer againe taken from vs. And it shall neuer be taken away if wee bee thankefull Unkindenesse can neuer scape vnplagued Let vs wake let vs wake our sleepe is deadly Let vs pray to GOD to awake vs hee is able to rayse the dead Our Sauiour saith The houre shall come when the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that heare it shall liue Lazarus was dead yet hee hearde the voyce of Christe and rose vp agayne and came abroade Let vs put on Iesus Christ let it appeare vpon vs that we weare him let vs not be ashamed of his Gospell it is the power of God to saluation If we be ashamed of him and of his wordes hee will be also ashamed of vs when he commeth in the glorie of his father with the holy Angels Let vs cast away the workes of darkenesse and all doctrines of superstition and ignorance Let vs beholde the troubles and miseries of other countries Heauen and earth our brethren the care of our saluation the Sonne of God himselfe put vs in minde that it is nowe time Whiles we haue time let vs doe good let vs seeke God whiles hee may bee founde The Lorde wayteth when hee may shewe his mercies Let vs turne vnto him with an vpright heart So shall he turne to vs so shal we walke as the children of light so shall wee shine as the sunne in the kingdome of our Father so shall God bee our God and will abide with vs for euer And thou O most mercifull Father wee beseeche thee for thy mercie sake continue thy grace and fauour towardes vs let the sunne of thy Gospell neuer goe downe out of our heartes let thy trueth abide and be stablished among vs for euer Helpe our vnbeliefe encreace our faith giue vs heartes to consider the time of our visitation Apparrell vs throughly with Christ that hee may liue in vs and so thy Name may bee glorified in vs in the sight of al the world Amen FINIS ¶ Ornatissimo viro Thomae Randolpho armigero serenissimo ad Scotos Legato integerrimo QVis te iunxit amor docto Randolphe Iuello Oxonia exilium musa laborque notant Et quod ad exequias defuncti ducere plectrum Triste Buchananos Patritiosque facis Quis tibi gratus erit pro tali munere certè Auctior hoc studio gratia facta tua est Nec nihil ex illo referes Sacra signa redemptor Essent vt fidei tessera fida dedit Haec tuus exposuit sanctè tibi dedico ne sit Tam rarae fidei tessera nulla piae Tuae dignitatis studiosus Iohan. Garbrandus ⧠A treatise of the Sacraments gathered out of certaine Sermons which the Reuerend Father in God Bishop Iewel preached at Salisburie I Haue opened vnto you y â— contents of the Lordes prayer shewed you vpon whom wee ought to call what to aske and y â— articles of our ChristiaÌ„ faith in God y e father y â— sonn the holy Ghost of y e church of remission of sins of the resurrection of life euerlasting c. And I haue opened vnto you the ten commandements in them what our duetie is towards God towards our Prince and magistrates towards our pareÌ„ts towards our neighbour towards our selues Al this haue I done simply plainly without al shewe of learning that it might the better sinke into our heartes Nowe I thinke good to speake of the Sacraments of the Church that al you may know what they are because you are all partakers of the holy sacraments Christ hath ordeined them that by them hee might set before our eyes the mysteries of our saluation and might more strongly confirme the faith which wee haue in his blood might seale his grace in our hearts As Princes seales confirme and warrant their deedes and charâ—ers so doe the Sacramentes witnesse vnto our conscience that Gods promises are true and shall continue for euer Thus doeth God make knowen his secret purpose to his Church first he declareth his mercie by his worde then he sealeth it and assureth it by his sacraments In the word we haue his promises in the sacraments we see them It woulde require a long time if I should vtter that might be saide in this matter especially in laying open such errours and abuses as haue crept into the Church But I wil haue regard to this place and so frame my speech that the meanest simplest may reape profite thereby That you may the better remember it I wil keepe this order I wil shewe you what a Sacrament is Secondly who hath ordained them thirdly wherfore they were ordained and what they worke in vs fourthly how many there are and then I will briefly speake of euery of them A Sacrament is an outwarde and visible signe whereby GOD sealeth vp his grace in our heartes to the confirmation of our Faith Saint Augustine saith Sacramentum est inuisibilis gratiae visibile signum A SacrameÌ„t is a visible signe of grace inuisible And y t wee may the better vnderstand him hee telleth vs what thing we should call a signe A signe is a thing that besides the sight itself which it offreth to the seÌ„ses causeth of itself some other certaine thing to come to knowledge In Baptisme the water is the signe and the thing signified is the grace of God Wee see the water but the grace of God is inuisible we cannot see it Moreouer he saith Signa cum ad res diuinas adhibentur Sacramenta vocantur Signes wheÌ„ thei be applied to godly things be called sacramentes The signification and substance of the sacrament is to shew vs how we are washed with the passion of Christ and how we are fedde with the body of Christ And againe If Sacraments had not a certain likenes and representatioÌ„ of the things wherof they be sacraments then indeed they were no sacrameÌ„ts And because of this likenesse whiche they haue with the things they represent they be ofttimes termed by the names of the things themselues Therefore after a
who haue bin constant in y ◠faith haue suffred death for Christs sake That so they may be taught by their name to remēber whose name they beare y t they neither speake nor doe anie thing vnworthy of their name As if any bee called Iohn that hee praye for grace and desire to be filled with grace that he giue witnesse of Christ that hee is the Lambe of GOD which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde that hee rebuke vice boldelie as Iohn did in Herode though hee were a mightie Prince Or if he be called Paule that hee so become a follower of Paule as Paule was of Christe and saye with Paul That I might liue vnto God I am crucified with Christ Thus I liue yet not I now but Christ liueth in mee and heare Christ speaking vnto him as did Paul fal down say Lorde what wilt thou that I doe So let him that is called Thomas touche the bosome of Christ and handle his woundes and make a good confession as Thomas did and say My Lord and my God Let Matthew forsake his custome euen the deceitful gaines of y ◠world and followe Christ Let Daniel remember Daniel and though he should be throwen in to the denne of Lions or be burnt in the fire or suffer any cruell tormentes yet let him not therfore forsake God but put his whole trust in him Thus should our names teach vs that whether we write them or vtter them or heare them spoken they may put vs in minde of christian duetie and Godlines The other Sacrament of Christes Church is the sacrament of the Lordes Supper whiche some haue called the Sacrament of the Altar some the Sacrament of the holie table some the Sacrament of bread and wine but wee most properly may call it the sacrament of the bodie and blood of Christ And that we wander not at large but may stande in certaine ground I wil expounde those words of our Sauiour This is my bodie and this is my blood of the newe testament that is shed for manie for the remission of sinnes This matter these two or three hundreth yeeres late past hath beene encumbred with manie questions and much controuersie Some saie the woordes are plaine Christe him selfe spake them hee is almightte and can doe what soeuer hee will hee hath not spoken otherwise then hee meant If wee expounde them by signes and figures wee take away the force of the holy mysterie and make nothing of it the woordes muste bee taken euen as they lye they must not haue any other construction Therefore at this day many wise men which yeelde from other pointes of superstition and in many other thinges receiue the truth stand here and sticke at this and cannot yeeld I will declare the whole matter simplye and plainely and submit my selfe to the vnderstanding and capacitie of all men That which I will vtter heerein shall not be of my selfe but of the Fathers of the Churche not of those whiche haue beene of later yeeres but of the most auncient not of the Heretiques◠but of the most Catholique which euer haue beene the enemies and confounders of Heretiques I wil shewe the vse and order and faith of the Primitiue Churche whiche was in the times of the Apostles and of Tertullian Ciprian Basill Nazianzene Hierome Augustine Chrysostome and others Catholique and godly learned Fathers Let no man regarde mee or my speeche I am onely a finger these are cleare and bright starres I doe but shewe them vnto you and poynt them that you maye beholde them God giue vs grace that wee may see them truely and by them bee able to guyde and to direct our waye let vs laie aside all contention and quietly heare that shall bee spoken Whatsoeuer shall bee saide if it bee true if it bee auncient if it be Catholique if it bee so cleere as the sunne beames let vs humble our heartes and beleeue it There is no trueth but of God Whosoeuer resisteth the truth resisteth God First I will shewe you that we doe truelie and indeede eate the bodie of Christ and drinke his blood And this shall be the foundation and key of entraunce into all the rest Secondely I will open these woordes This is my body and there howe by what sort in what sense and meaning the bread is the body of Christ Thirdly that the bread abideth still in former nature and substance as before euen as the nature and substance of water remayneth in Baptisme Fourthly how the body of Christ is eaten whether by faith or with the mouth of our bodie and how the body of Christ is present in the Sacrament Fiftly What difference is betweene the body of Christ and the Sacrament of the body of Christ Sixtly howe wee ought to prepare our mindes and with what faith and deuotion wee must come to the receiuing thereof Wee saie and beleeue that wee receiue the body and blood of Christ truelie and not a figure or signe but euen that bodie whiche suffered death on the crosse and that blood which was shed for the forgiuenes of sinnes So saieth Christ My fleshe is meate in deede and my blood is drinke indeede And againe Except yee eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drink his blood ye haue no life in you And againe He that eateth me euen he shall liue by me Wee say there is no other substantiall foode of our soules and that hee is diuided among all the faithfull and that hee is voyde of saluation and the grace of Christ whosoeuer is not partaker of his body and blood This we say and may not flee from it hereafter Yet least happily any should be deceiued we say this meate is spirituall and therefore it must be eaten by faith and not with the mouth of our bodie Augustine saith Vt quid paras dentes ventrem crede manducasti Why preparest thou thy teeth and thy bellie beleeue and thou hast eaten And againe Nolite fauces parare sed cor Prepare not your iawes but your heart As material bread nourisheth our bodie so doeth the bodie of Christ nourishe our soule and is therefore called bread Deus panis intus est animae meae saith Augustine God is the inward bread of my soule For wee receiue him and eate him and liue by him But heereof hereafter more at large Nowe let vs consider the wordes of Christ This is my body this is my blood These woordes you say are plaine open easie and manifest So are they yet albeit they are plaine they must haue a right construction The plainest woordes that bee vnlesse they bee duelie expounded may breede errour S. Iohn saith The word was made flesh These words are plaine yet of these plaine wordes Apollinaris did breede an heresie Christ saith My father is greater then I. His woordes are playne yet did the Arrians gather thereof an heresie that Christe is not equall with his
darknesse their worme shall neuer die their fire shall neuer bee quenched they shall goe downe headlong into the fire that is prepared for the deuill and his angels Be not deceiued saith Saint Paul neither fornicatours nor adulterers nor wantōs nor bouggerers shal inherit the kingdome of God Now are wee to speake in the next place of the ministerie of the Church which some haue called holy orders Shall wee accompte it a Sacrament there is no reason so to doe It is a heauenly office a holy ministerie or Seruice By suche as haue this office God lighteneth our darkenesse hee declareth his minde to vs hee gathereth together his scattered sheepe and publisheth vnto the worlde the glad ridings of saluation The Patriarkes dyd beare this office This was the office of the prophets God saith I haue sent vnto you al my seruants the prophets rising vp eueri day sending thē Agayne he saith I haue put my wordes in thy mouth Therefore when they taught the people of God the Prophetes signed their speache thus The mouth of the Lorde hath spoken it The Lorde hath saide The voyce and y e worde of the Lord Heare the word of the Lorde But when the fulnesse of the time came God sent his Sonne and hath spoken vnto vs by hym He became our Prophet to shew vs the wyll of his father He saieth I haue not spoken of my selfe but the Father whiche sent mee he gaue mee a commandement what I should say and what I should speake Hereof Saint Iohn sayth No man hath seene God at any time He is inuisible he is incomprehensible no minde can conceiue hym no eye can see hym but the onely begotten Sonne which is in the bosom of y e Father hee hath declared him Of hym the father sayde This is my beloued Sonne in whome I am well pleased heare hym Hearken vnto hym receiue hys woorde credite hym beleeue hym No doubte the Ministerie of the Gospell is hyghlye to bee esteemed seeinge our Sauiour was not ashamed to publish the wyll of his Father in his owne person yet it appeareth not where euer hee dyd ordeine it to be a Sacrament Hee appointed that the comforte thereof shoulde bee carried into all nations and gaue that charge vnto hys Apostles Goe teache all nations Agayne What I tell you in darkenesse that speake you in light and what you heare in the eare y e preache you on the houses Hee sawe the people and had compassion on them hee saw they were dispearsed and scattered abroade lyke sheepe without a shepheard and that they perished because they had no knowledge of the wyll of God Therefore he sayeth Pray the Lord of the haruest that he woulde sende labourers into the haruest Therefore he ordayneth them to this ministery I wyll make you fishers of men And sendeth them foorth as my father sent mee so sende I you And Goe to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel Hee wylled them to call the people to repentaunce and to preache the kingdome of God By this ministerie God hath gathered to hymselfe an acceptable people and hath brought them to the obedience of the Gospell of Christ and hath turned the hartes of the Fathers vnto their children and so made it to be the foundation of religion They that exercise this ministerie are y e eyes of Christ the pillers of y e Church the interpreters of Gods will the watchmen of the Lordes tower the leaders of Christes sheep the salte of the earth the light of the world Daniel saith They that turne many to righteousnes shal shine as the starres for euer euer Not that there is any so great wisdome or eloquence in men they are but weake they are vnfit to do this seruice Esay saith of himselfe I am a man of polluted lippes And Ieremie saith O Lord god behold I cannot speake for I am a child So saith S. Paul I haue planted Apollos watered but God gaue the increase So thē nether is he that planteth any thing nether he that watereth but God y t giueth the increase So said Saint Iohn that he was not Christe nor that Prophet but the voyce of hym that crieth in the wildernesse and not worthy to vnloose the latchet of his shooe that should come after him The power whereby they dyd conquere the worlde was not in them but in the woorde which they preached It is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleueth It is like a fire lyke a hammer that breaketh a stone When ye receiued of vs y e word of the preaching of god saith S. Paul to the Thessalonians ye receaued it not as the worde of men but as it is indeede the woorde of god which also worketh in you that beleue The power of an earthly Prince is great The wyse man sayeth The feare of a King is lyke the roaring of a Lyon Yet is a Prince but mortall and the Law of a Prince is but mortall it hath no power to force the conscience But the woorde of God dooth breake into the heart it forceth a way into the Conscience it is sharper then any two edged sworde it entreth through euen to the deuidinge a sunder of the soule and the spirit because it is the word of God For it is not man but God that speaketh as Christ telleth the Apostles It is not yee that speake but the spirit of your father whiche speaketh in you So saith the Prophet Zacharie Hee spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which haue bene since the worlde beganne The Prophets and Apostles and holy men of God were but instruments It was God which gaue his holy spirite whiche gaue them tongues to speake and wordes to vtter Therfore said Christ I wil giue you a mouth and wisedome where against al your aduersaries shall not be able to speake nor resist Though men be but simple yet the worde they deliuer is mighty though they be mortall the worde of the Lord endureth for euer Where this worde is receiued it is fire and burneth it is a hammer and breaketh the hardnesse of the heart it is mightie in operation it cleanseth the inner man it openeth the consctence it is a sauour of life vnto lyfe it is the meanes of saluation Hee that receiueth this worde and beleeueth shal be saued This is the worde of reconciliation God hath committed it vnto vs. If any hide this worde he slayeth the people He is a dombe dogge Of such God saieth Beholde I wil come against the Prophets that steale my word euerione frō his neighbour They are thieues and robbers Woe be vnto you interpreters of the law for yee haue taken away the key of knowledge saith Christ ye entred not in your selues and them that came in yee forbad And agayne Woe bee vnto you Scribes and Pharises hypocrites because ye shut vp the kingdome of
heauen before men for ye your selues go not in nether suffer ye theÌ„ that would enter to come in Of these and against them God speaketh by the Prophet Ieremie Wo be vnto the pastors that destroy scatter the sheepe of my pasture And by the Prophete Zacharie O Idol-shepherd that leaueth the flocke Thou hast eares and hearest not thou hast eyes and seest not thou hast a tongue and speakest not and a heart but vnderstandest not thou art an idole Christ sayde to thee feede my lambes feede my sheepe but thou carest not for them Thou hast the roume of an Euangelist and Pastour and Teacher but thou gatherest not the saintes together thou doest not the worke of the ministerie thou buildest not vp the bodie of Christe They shall perish in their wickednesse but their blood wyll I require at thy handes Here note this ministerie of the Churche was not ordeined to offer sacrifice for forgiuenesse of sinnes Whosoeuer taketh that office vpon hym be doeth wrong iniurie to the death and passion of Christ He only is called of god an high Priest after y e order of Melchisedec He onely by his owne blood entred in once into the holy place obtained eternall redemption for vs. He only with one offeringe hath consecrated for euer them y t are sanctified He only hath said Consummatum est It is finished The ransome or price for mans saluation and for forgiuenesse of the sinnes of the worlde is payde in mee in my death vpon the Crosse Of hym alone and onely of hym hath it bene spoken This is my well beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased And by Esay With his stripes only we are healed It is he only which hath made of both one It is he only which did put out y â— hande writing of ordinaÌ„ces y â— was against vs he euen tooke it out of the way and fastened it vppon the Crosse He alone is our hye Priest the Lambe of God the Sacrifice for sinnes the Altar the Propitiation for sinners and redeemer of the world He only hath appeased the wrath of god He onely appeareth in the sight of GOD to make intercession for our sinnes All others whatsoeuer Apostles Prophetes Teachers and Pastours are not in office to offer any propitiatorie sacrifice but are called to the ministerie of the Saintes to the edification of the bodye of Christe and to the repayringe of the Church of God Thus muche of the holy ministerie of the Church which standeth in the setting foorth of the mysterie of our saluation both by the Preachinge of the woorde of GOD and by the due and reuerent ministration of the Sacramentes The principallest parte of this office is to preache repentance that so wee may amende our lyues and bee conuerted vnto GOD. So Ioel the Prophet followed hys ministerie sayinge Rent your heartes and not your garmentes and turne to the Lorde your God for he is gracious merciful So S. Paul teacheth that true circumcision is by putting off the sinnefull body of the fleesh that it is in mortifying our members that bee on the earth Fornication vncleanesse the inordinate affections euil concupiscence couetousnes which is idolatrie y â— it is in putting away al these thinges wrath anger maliciousnes cursed speakinge filthy speakinge out of your mouth in putting of the old maÌ„ with his works and putting on the new which is renewed in knowledge after y e image of him that created him So Iohn Baptist said Repent for the kingdome of God is at hand Prepare ye y â— waies of the Lord make his pathes straight So our Sauiour Christ when he began to preache said Am end your liues for the kingdome of God is at hand Therfore it wil not bee amisse now to speake of repentaunce which some of late yeares haue chaunged into pennaunce and there of haue also made a Sacrament Here it behoueth to rippe vp the whole lyfe of man There is not any man that liueth and sinneth not God sayeth The imagination of mans heart is euyll from his youth The Prophet Ieremie saith The heart is deceitful and wicked aboue all things who can know it Saint Iohn therefore saith If wee say that we haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues trueth is not in vs. Of hymselfe Saint Paul saith I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Of hymselfe the Prophet Dauid sayeth There is nothiÌ„g sound in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there rest in my bones because of my sinnes For mine iniquities are gone ouer mine head as a weighti burtheÌ„ they ar to heauy for me He saith If thou O Lord straightly markest iniquities O Lord who shal abide it So sayth the Wise man A iustman falleth seuen times God is a righteous God and the auenger of all them that offendeâ—â— Saint Paul saith The wages of sinne is death And the Prophet Ezechiel The soule that sinneth shall dye For this cause then God ordayned the ministerie of his worde and appoynted certayne to this office that they shoulde warne his people of theyr sinnes and feare them by the terrour of Gods assured displeasure and heauy wrath As is seene by y t to Esay Cry aloude spare not lift vp thy voyce lyke a trumpet and shewe my people their transgressions the house of Iacob their sins So Saint Paul vnto Timothie I charge thee before God the Lorde Iesus Christ which shal iudge the quick and dead at his appearing in his kyngdome preach the word be instant in season out of season improue rebuke exhort with all long suffering and doctrine So woulde God haue our filth layde open before our eyes that wee might weigh and iudge our owne heartes that euery man might make charge vppon him selfe and saye I am an vnprofitable seruant my righteousnesse is as a foule and steined cloth My soule hath sinned and hath deserued to dye the death In this case some fall into desperation and saye as sometimes dyd Caine My sinne is greater then can be pardoned God withdraweth his mercie from mee I am vnworthie of it I haue offended against the holy spirit of GOD mine owne conscience accuseth me I haue no parte in the kingdome of GOD and of Christe there is no sacrifice left for my sinnes Thus the wicked liue in trembling and agony as dyd Cain thus they leaue their lyfe with horrour and miserie so haue they no grace to repent no taste nor feelyng of the mercie of God But the children of God though they bee wounded yet they finde reliefe in the certayne hope of Gods mercie Though they say I am a sinner my sinnes are more in number then the heares of my head I haue offended against heauen and earth Yet they know that Christ came to call sinuers to repentance that hee healeth those that are
to discharge them out of their enemies handes for euer The Iewes notwithstanding they had so gracious a graunt of their king yet many of them would not returne home but made their aboade euen there among their enemies in Babylon and the most part of them that were returned fell to building of their owne houses and left the house of God vnbuilded so soone they had forgotten Gods mercy towardes them In the time of their trouble they cryed out If I shrinke from God I pray God shrinke from me But beinge restored home and at libertie they sayde as the Prophet heere reporteth Nondum uenit tempus c. The time is not yet come that the Lords house should be builded They saw they had many enemies on euerie side the matter it selfe was marueylous weightie and to their iudgementes almost impossible They had begunne before vnder kynge Cyrus and because the matter was then dashe and their enimies preuayled against them they were vtterly discouraged and cast into dispayre Wherefore god spake to them by the Prophet Aggaeus Is it time for your selues to dwel in your seeled houses and this house lye wast Haue you found le asure to set vp furnish your owne house can you neglect the restoring of my house My house I say in which my Lawe hath bene read and preached to you where your Fathers haue made mee sacrifices towardes which house you turned your faces whensoeuer you prayed vnto me in Babylon and were heard Therfore sayth the Lord. Ye haue sowen much bring in litle ye eate but yet haue not ynough ye looked for much loe it came to litle and when you brought it home I dyd blow it out You set your ioye vppon vaine things and the same shal deceiue you This place of the Prophet Aggaeus I haue thought good to apply to the present state of our time For as then the citie of Hierusalem was miserably rased and the Temple of god burnt downe by heathens euen so hath it fared in time lately past with the Churche of Christe here amonge vs. And as then God mollified softened the heart of the king Darius for the deliuery of his people euen so of his great mercie hath he nowe stirred vp a most noble vertuous Ladie our soueraigne Queene Elizabeth for the same purpose And as then there were many that set light by Gods benefites and thought it meete ynough for him to waite vpon their leisure euen so I pray God the same securitie be not founde in vs at this time I pray God there be none of vs that make light of Gods grace and say in our heartes Nondum venit tempus c. The time is not yet come that the Lords house should be builded 1 Wherfore first I wil proue by Gods grace that our Churche hath bene ouergrowne with errours and abuses as then the temple of Hierusalem was defaced by the Caldees 2 Secondly I will shewe what thinges they be that doo stay men from reedifying of this Temple 3 Last of all after what sorte this Churche ought to be builded and so I wyl leaue you to God Prayers Touching the first parte I shall not neede many wordes for God hath in our dayes sufficiently reuealed and we haue seene the state of the Church in time past And indeed the errors abuses haue bene so grosse that who so cānot see them with his eyes yet may feele and grope them with his fingers Yet because I knowe some are not throughly perswaded heerein but thinke that the church of Rome hath euermore bene pure and without spot and some others in their writinges call it the rule of the trueth that whatsoeuer that Church sayth whatsouer it be must needs be true as Siluester sayth it is Infallibilis regula a rule that neuer deceiueth Some set it aboue the word of god as the same Syluester A doctrina Ecclesiae Romanae Romani Pontificis sacra scriptura robur trahit authoritatē The holy scripture taketh force authority of y t doctrin of the church Bishop of Rome And as Cusanus Sequuntur Scripturae Ecclesiā non è conuerso The scriptures follow the church not on the contrary part y t church followeth y ◠scriptures Others say Impossibile haereticari c. It is not possible he should fall into heresies whiche foloweth the church of Rome some others sai y t if christ his Apostles were aliue they were not able to rule the church in better sort then it is now ruled by the Pope and his Cardinalles Thus some schoole doctors haue written I am able to aleadge mine authors Therfore I must of force stād vpō this matter a litle not because I think it needfull but y ◠al men may be satisfied First Christ our sauiour as he foreshewed the prosperous course of the gospell y t it should bee preached throughout y e world y t the gates of hel should not be able to withstand it so he his Apostles forwarned also the ruine decay of y ◠Church y t in so many places and in so plaine wordes that no man can doubt of it or deny it For Christ alleadging the prophet Daniel sayth that abomination should sitte in the holy place and that there shoulde be such confusion and disorder that if it were possible the very elect should be peruerted He sayth that when he shall come to iudge there shal scarsely be found faith in the world Paul likewise sayth that the man of sinne that is such a one as in all thinges should be contrary to Christe and is called Antichrist shoulde sitte in the temple of God and beare hymselfe as if hee were God in deede Daniel sayth The trueth shal be cast downe to the grounde And to Timothie Paul sayeth In the latter times some shall depart frō the faith and shall giue heede to spirites of error doctrins of deuils S. Peter saith Ther shal be false teachers among you And where saith Christ I beseech you consider where saith Christ this horrible desolation should be among y ◠turks or Iewes no but in the holy place Wher shal y e son of man scarsely finde faith wher shall the very elect stande in doubt what they may beleeue amōg y e heathēs or infidels No but in the church Wher saith S. Peter shalbe y e masters of lies wher saith Daniel shall the truth be troden downe where sayth S. Paul shal y e mā of sin perch settel behaue himself as if he were very god among the heathen No no good brethren but in templo Dei In the Temple of God in the very Church among thē that should beare the name of Christ But forasmuch as it cannot be doubted among christian men that Christ his Apostles appointed y e church in their time in such sort as no better could be deuised let vs cōpare the church of late time
to y t original as the vse is in trying of mesures where in tryal whether is true or fals ye haue euermore recourse to the standard For if ther be any falt whatsoeuer it be the standerd wil bewray it This order Christ himselfe vsed with the priests Pharises saying Domus mea domus orationis vocabitur My house shall bee caled the house of praier But you haue gone froÌ„ the paterne or original you haue made it a harbour for theeues And whereas the contention stoode vpon diuorse Christ called them to y e first original A principio non fuit sic From the beginning it was not so they twayne shall be one flesh And S. Paul when the holy mysterie of the Lordes Supper was abused called theÌ„ home to the first institutioÌ„ I haue receiued of the Lorde that which I also haue deliuered vnto you By this standerde Christ reproued the Sadduces Erratis nescientes Scripturas You erre not knowing the Scriptures And by the same hee confuted the Deuil when hee came to tempt him Soriptum est It is written This standerd shall bee able to warrant vs if we can saye truely Scriptum est For as the learned father Irenaeus sayth Scriptura est basis fundamentum fidei nostrae The Scripture is the pillar foundation of our faith It is rashnesse to beleeue without the warrant or direction of the Scriptures It is not deuotion nor catholique faithe but foolish rashnesse Now howe many wayes and in howe many poyntes the Church of late dayes hath dissented from the Churche of Christe and of the Apostles which no doubt was the Catholique Church it were almost an infinite worke to recken vp For they disagree in so many things y t in maner they agree in nothinge Notwithstanding I wil lay out one or two things before you and by them your wisedomes shall ghesse the rest Christ gaue the Sacrament of his body and blood to bee frequented in the Congregation that all shoulde bee partakers thereof in remembrance of his death and sayde Hoc facite in meam commemorationem Do yee this in remembrance of mee Thus Christ hymself ordayned and commanded thus the Apostles and the catholique fathers in the primatiue Church vsed it and there can no commandement nor example be shewed forth to the contrary Yet our later fathers agaynst Christ agaynst the Apostles against the primitiue church haue thought it sufficient that one priest alone should communicate for all the rest Christ deliuered the holy Communion vnder both kindes and so was it vsed in the Primitiue Church and in the times of the doctors Chrysostome Ambrose Gregorie Augustine and Hierome But our fathers in the Councill holden at Constance of late yeares haue gone from the originall and haue decreed against Christ himselfe against his Apostles and Doctours that to minister the Communion to a lay man vnder both kinds is an open heresie Alas good brethren I beseeche you consider by the way in what state was the Church of Christe then when Christes owne institution and the Apostles doctrine was called heresie Christ his Apostles the catholque fathers vsed their praiers in a common tongue that the people might perceiue what was saide in the Church say Amen But how neere our later fathers come to that originall it needeth no rehearsal For you haue heard it taught you as a necessary doctrine that your prayers should be in the Latine tongue although you did not vnderstand what ye prayed for and that kinde of prayer hath bene called deuotion God left order to his Church Non facies tibi sculptile thou shalt not make thee any graueÌ„ image From Christs time for the space of 500 yeres there was no allowance of images in the Catholique Church but our later fathers caÌ„not take it for a Church vnlesse it be decked set about with images The Apostles were maried as Ignatius and Ambrose witnes so were others y e ministers of the Church after them as it is wel knowne for 1000. yeres after Christ To hold good this originall there haue bene certayne Canons set downe Si quis doâ—uerit sacerdotem sub obtentu religionis propriaÌ„ vxorem coÌ„temnere anathema sit If any man teach y t a priest for color of religioÌ„ should conteÌ„nâ— his wife let him be accursed And y e general couÌ„cel holden at GaÌ„gra as it is set downe also by Gratian If any put differeÌ„ce betwene the priest that is maryed by reson of his mariage that he should not offer for that cause coÌ„meth not to his offring he is accursed yet pope Hildebrand one of the later fathers decreed coÌ„manded that no man should heare such priests Masse that had a wife but caused their tenth to bee burnt their prayers blessings to be holden as curses and the sacrament which they had consecrate to be spit at and troden vnder mens feete You wyll saye These be but smal matters and may be borne withal for decencie and good order But you shal vnderstand that the canons of the Apostles and diuers of the first Bishops of Rome and other holy Fathers required that all such as were present at the ministration of the Communion shoulde also bee patakers of the Sacrament accounted worthy to be put out af the Church whosoeuer would not communicate with the Minister And Chrisostome calleth such a one impudent malepert Quisquis mysteriorum coÌ„sors nonest c. whosoeuer saith he doth not communicate standeth by he is shameles malepert CoÌ„munioÌ„ vnder one kinde is no smal matter but such a matter of such weight that Gelasius calleth it opeÌ„ sacrilege to minister y e sacrament in one kinde Common prayer in a straunge tongue is such a matter that it taketh away the very vse of coÌ„mon prayer For the people as Paul saith cannot say Amen nor be edified nor giue God thankes And the Emperour Iustinian in a law that he maketh touching the publike prayers of the Church saith thus we coÌ„mand al Bishops priests to minister the holy oblatioÌ„ the prayer at y e holy Baptism not vnder sileÌ„ce but with such voice as may bee hard of the faithful people to the intent that the harts of the hearers may be stirred vp to more deuotion c. And let the holy priests vnderstand that if thei neglect ani of these things they shal make answer therfore at the dreadful iudgment of the great God our sauiour Iesus Christ And yet neuerthelesse wee our selues vnderstanding the same wyll not passe it ouer nor leaue it vnpunished To haue images in the church of God is no smal matter It is forbidden by a general councel called EliberinuÌ„ Epiphanius a catholique father calleth it abhomination The violent inforcing of sole life is such a matter that S. Paul calleth it doctrinaÌ„ daemoniorum the doctrin of deuils And Daniel saith it is one of the marks of Antichrist Neither