of rest till the day of the resurrection Yea it is knowne to all them that haue perused the monuments of Antiquitie that Iraeneus Iustin Martyr Tertullian and sundry others were of opinion that none of the iust are in Heauen till the end and consummation of all things but that they are below in some part of hell or in some hidden inuisible place sequestred from the presence of God till the second comming of the sonne of man Now seeing the inuocation of Saints presupposeth that they pray for vs in particular and particular prayer for vs knowledge of our wants which the presence and sight of God is supposed to afford them if they do not yet enioy the presence of God as many of the Auncient though falsely did thinke wee see not how in their iudgment there should be any safe and fruitfull inuocating of them For the absence from GOD and the not enioying of his sight and presence is the reason alleaged by our adversaries why the Fathers in the time before Christ neither prayed in particular for the Church on earth nor were prayed vnto as being in Lymbus and not in heauen Howsoever it is most certaine if we looke into the auncient practise of the Church that the Saints in their anniuersarie solemnities and holy daies were not prayed vnto but remembred only proposed for imitation rather prayed for then prayed vnto as it appeareth by that Innocentius reporteth that in the Feast of blessed Leo the auncient custome was to pray that the solemnitie of that day and the oblations then offered might bee auaileable to his soule for the encrease and consummation of his glory which since hath beene altered the prayer is now that by his mediation this Festivall solemnity may availe and be to the good of them that obserue and keepe it So that it cannot be shewed by our adversaries that before the auncient Liturgies were abandoned and those brought in by Gregory had gotten into their place there was any invocation of the Saints found in the publique prayers of the Church but when their names were remembred men prayed only to God that he would giue them grace to follow their examples make them partakers of that happinesse which those blessed ones already enjoy And at that time when this alteration began the invocation was not brought into the Liturgie and publique prayers of the Church in direct forme but men prayed still vnto God only though desiring him the rather to respect them for that not only their brethren on earth but they also that are in heauen cease not prostrate before his sacred Majestie to pray for them Neither is there any other forme of prayer found in the Missall but in the sequences and Litanies onely Wherefore to conclude this matter concerning the invocation and adoration of Saints and Angels seeing the Fathers did not in their sette courses of devotion make prayers to the Saints but when they had particular occasions to speake or thinke of them vsed doubtfull compellations desiring them if they had sense of these things to be remembrancers for them vnto God seeing for ought we know the Saints are not particularly acquainted with the state of things here below seeing no degree of spirituall worship is to bee giuen to any creature we invocate them not but pray vnto God onely assuring our selues that if they can heare vs or any way further our suites they will doe it when we pray vnto God as Augustine rightly obserueth We adore them not but rest in the judgment of the same Augustine that the Saints are to be honoured for imitation but not to be adored for Religion that they doe not seeke desire or accept any such honour but will haue vs to worship God onely being glad that we are their fellow-servants in well-doing The Romanists evasion that God is onely to bee adored with that highest kinde of religious worship which is named Latria which yeeldeth to him that is worshipped infinite greatnesse but the Saints may be adored with an inferiour kinde of religious worship named Doulia is directly contrary to Augustine who speaking of Saints Angels saith Honoramus eos charitate non servitute Wee honour them with the honour of loue but not of Doulia or service If they say they haue this distinction frō Austine it is true but he doth not vse it to this purpose to make difference of two sorts of religious or spirituall worship the highest degree whereof should be Latria the lowest Doulia neither doth he anywhere call the honour giuen to Saints Doulia but nameth it the honour of loue and fellowship but he vseh to distinguish religious worship euery degree whereof he calleth Latria from that externall and ciuill worship dutie and seruice that men yeeld to their Princes Masters and Rulers which is fitly named Doulia a seruice but it is servitus corporis non animae a seruice of the body and not of the minde For men notwithstanding this servitude haue their mindes and their thoughts free as being knowne to none nor ouerruled by none but GOD onely But the service of the spirit and minde in the lowest degree that can be imagined is due vnto GOD onely and not to bee giuen to any creature for no creature knoweth the secrets of our hearts no creatute can prescribe lawes touching the inward actions thoughts of the mind not hauing knowledge of them nor power to punish them that should offend It is therefore an impious conceipt of the Papists that the Saints both can and doe know all our inward actions and secret thoughts approuing or reprouing excusing or accusing them and that as presidents of our whole life and conuersation and that therefore they are to bee honoured and worshipped with spirituall service or seruice of the spirit and minde Thus then it is true the Centurie writers report that in the third and fourth age after Christ there were some beginnings of that superstition which afterwards grew to be intolerable in the adoration and inuocation of Saints and Angels but neither they nor wee are so ignorant as to thinke that the inuocation of Saints or the adoration of them preuailed in the Church within the compasse of the first six hundred yeares neither doe they as Bellarmine is pleased to slaunder them taxe that as idolatry in the Romane Church which they find to haue beene the practise of all the Fathers for they finde nothing of the Romish Idolatry in these glorious lights of the Christian world CHAP. 21. Of Martyrdome and the excessiue prayses there◅f found in the Fathers THe next allegation against them is touching Martyrdome which Bellarmine saith they suppose the Fathers did too immoderately and excessiuely magnifie and extoll The reason of this their censure hee thinketh is because they will not admitte it to bee a kinde of Baptisme and to wash away sinne as both the Romanists and the Fathers teach For the better
proue he must reason thus The custome of praying to deliuer the soules of men out of the paines of Purgatory is the custome and practise which the Romane Church defendeth and Calvin impugneth but this custome Calvine confesseth to haue beene in vse more then a thousand and three hundred of yeares since therefore he acknowledgeth the doctrine and practise of the Romane Church to be most ancient and to haue beene receiued a thousand three hundred yeares agoe The Minor proposition of this reason is false and Calvin in the place cited by Bellarmine protesteth against it most constantly affirming that the Fathers knew nothing of Purgatorie and therefore much lesse of prayer to deliuer men from thence But Bellarmine will reply that the custome of praying for the dead was most auncient We answere The custome of remembring the departed naming their names at the holy Table in the time of the holy mysteries offering the Eucharist that is the sacrifice of praise for them was a most ancient and godly custome neither is it any way disliked by vs. And surely it appeares this was the cause that Aerius was condemned of hereticall rashnesse in that he durst condemne this laudable and auncient custome of the commemoration of the dead In this sort they did most religiously obserue and keepe at the Lords Table the commemoration of all the Patriarches Prophets Apostles Evangelists Martyrs confessours yea of Mary the Mother of our Lord to whom it cannot be conceiued that by prayer they did wish deliuerance out of Purgatorie sith no man euer thought them to be there but if they wished any thing it was the deliuerance from the power of death which as yet tyranniseth ouer one part of them the speedy destroying of the last enemy which is death the hastning of their resurrection and joyfull publique acquitall of them in that great day wherein they shall stand to bee judged before the Iudge of the quicke and dead This was the practise of the whole church and this the meaning of their commemorations and prayers which was good and no way to be disliked Notwithstanding it is most certaine that many particular men extended the meaning of these prayers farther and out of their owne private errours and fancies vsed such prayers for the dead as the Romanists themselues I thinke dare not justifie and so it is true that Calvin saith that many of the Fathers were led into errour in this matter of prayer for the dead and not that all as if the whole Church had fallen from the truth as Bellarmine falsely imputeth vnto Calvin who saith no such thing First therefore it was an opinion of many of the Fathers that there is no judgment to passe vpon men till the last day that all men are holden either in some place vnder the earth or else in some other place appointed for that purpose so that they come not into heauen nor receiue the reward of their labours till the generall iudgement Out of this conceipt grew that prayer in Iames his Liturgie that God would remember all the faithfull that are fallen asleepe in the sloepe of death since Abell the iust till this present day that he would place them in the land of the liuing c. And the like are found in the masse booke Of this opinion was Iustin Martyr Tertullian Clemens Romanus Lactantius Victorinus Martyr Ambrose Iohannes Romanus Pontifex and sundry other The second opinion was that men may be deliuered from the punishments of sinne after this life if they die in the profession of the true faith how vvickedly soeuer they liued or at least if the punishment of such bee eternall and cannot be ended yet it may be deferred or mitigated How many of the Fathers were in this errour and made prayers for the dead vpon this false perswasion that all Christians how wickedly soeuer they liued may find mercy at Gods hands in the world to come at the entreatie of the liuing they that haue read any thing can soone report Thirdly whereas there are three estates of the soules of men the first in the body the second when they are seuered from the body and stand before God immediately and instantly vpon the dissolution and the third after they haue receiued their particular iudgement the godly doe not onely recommend them vnto God while they are yet in their bodies but when departing thence they goe to stand before the iudgement seate of God they accompany them with their prayers and best good wishes euen to the presence of the Lord. Hence were all those prayers that were vsed on the dayes of the obites of the Saints conceiued respectiuely to their passage out of this world and the dangers they doe by the goodnesse of God escape in that fearefull houre of their dissolution which prayers were againe repeated in the anniuersarie remembrances of their obites Of this sorte was that prayer in the Masse booke Libera Domine animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de poenis inferni de profundo lacis libera eas de ore leonus ne absorbeat eas tartarus ne cadant in obscurum c. Deliuer O Lord the soules of all faithfull ones departed from the paines of hell and the deepe Lake deliuer them from the month of the Lion that hell swallow them not up and that they fall not into the dungeons of vtter darkenesse How hard this was to vse these prayers in a set course in the dayes wherein they did only commemorate and represent the dayes of mens departure hence and so to pray for them long after their death as if they were but euen then in the passage and so in daunger of falling into the hands of their ghostly enimies and not yet secure and assured of their eternall future state which yet Bellarmine confesseth is the best construction can be made of them I leaue to the consideration of the wise These are the seuerall kindes of praying for the dead all which I hope Bellarmine dareth not justifie but for the Romish manner of praying for the dead it hath no certaine testimony of Antiquitie no man euer thinking of Purgatorie till Augustine to avoide a worse errour did doubtingly run into it after whom many in the Latine Church embraced the same opinion but the Greeke Church neuer receiued it to this day Thus then we see how vniustly Calvin is traduced by Bellarmine in this matter of prayer for the dead and how weakely he prooues that it is confessed that their opinion and the doctrine of Antiquitie is the same His next challenge is scarce worth the mentioning much lesse the refuting Caluin saith the Fathers were farre from the popish errour touching merites and that yet they vsed the word whence men haue since taken occasion of errour Therefore hee dissenteth from all Antiquity and acknowledgeth the Romane faith to bee the auncient faith and religion Truely I am weary in following
that so many of vs as shall receiue the sacred body and bloud of thy Sonne by partaking of this Altar may be filled with all benediction and grace thorough the same Christ our Lord Amen And after the communion they pray againe in this sort graunt Lord that we may receiue with a pure minde what we haue receiued with the mouth And againe Let this communion O Lord purge vs from sinne and make vs partakers of the heauenly remedie Whereupon Micrologus inferreth that they must not neglect to communicate that thinke to haue any benefit by these prayers These prayers remaine as witnesses of the olde obseruation Durandus saith that in the Primitiue Church all that were present at the celebration of the Masse were wont to communicate euery day and that to this purpose they did offer a great loafe that might suffice for the communicating of them all which custome saith he the Grecians are said to keepe still Afterwards when the multitude of beleeuers encreased and devotion decreased it was ordained that at least euery Sunday they should communicate In processe of time when this could not be kept there was a third constitution that at least thrice euery yeare each Christian man should communicate if not oftener In the end it was ordered that at the least at Easter euery one should come to the Sacrament and insteed of the daylie communicating the Priest gaue daylie the kisse of peace to the minister saying in some places take you the bond of peace and loue that you may be fit for these sacred mysteries which were words that were wont to be vsed when they vsed to salute one another before the cōmunion did import an ensuing cōmunion The antheme which is named post cōmunio is so named because it is sung after the cōmunicating or in signe that the cōmunion is past For in the Primitiue Church all the Faithfull did daylie communicate and presently after their cōmunicating this song was sung that it might appeare the people did giue thanks to God for the body blood of Christ which they had receiued Odo Cameracensis saith that in old times there was no masse celebrated without some assembly of such as might offer together with him that celebrateth partake with him of the sacrament Generally we may say saith Durandus that that is a lawfull masse at which are present the Priest such as answere vnto him such as offer communicat And Walafridus Strabo agreeth with him saying that the very forme of the prayers vsed in the masse shew so much where there is mention expresly made of such as offer communicate And the booke of Ecclesiasticall obseruations intituled Micrologus written 500 yeares since saith it is to bee knowne that according to the auncient Fathers onely the communicants were wont to bee present at the celebration of the sacred mysteries and that the catechumens penitents were all sent out as not being fit to cōmunicate Which the very forme of celebrating importeth in which the priest prayeth not for his own oblation cōmuniō alone but that of others also especially in the praier after the cōmunion he seemeth to pray only for the cōmunicants Neither can it properly be said to be a communion vnlesse diuerse doe partake of the same sacrifice Chrysostome writing vpon the Ephesians sayth that hee that standeth by and communicateth not is impudent and shamelesse And that not only they that sit downe at table but they that are present at this feast without their wedding garment are subiect to a fearefull iudgment For the master of the feast will not aske friend how durst thou sit downe but how durst thou come in not hauing thy wedding garment thou abidest thou singest the himme with the rest thou professest thy selfe worthy in that thou goest not out with the vnworthy how darest thou abide and not communicate They that are in the state of penitencie are commanded out if thou bee in thy sinnes how continuest thou if thou be vnworthy of the sacramentall participation thou art so also of the communion in the praiers For the spirit descendeth and commeth by them aswell as by the mysteries there proposed And surely how any can be present that are not fit at least in desire and in as much as in them is to communicate I know not In old time they communicated every day or so often that they might seeme to communicate every day and the holy canons debarre all such as did not communicate from hearing of the masse as it apeareth De consecr dist 2. can peract Caietan in 3am Aquinat q 80. art 12. Yet so did deuotion decay and abuses grow that in many places the whole people stayed and were present yet none but the Clergie alone communicated and afterwards none but the Deacon and subdeacon Whence it came that whereas the mysticall breade was wont to be broken into 3 parts whereof the first was for him that celebrated the 2◠for the Clergy and the 3◠for the people in time it was so ordered that a diuisiō being made into 3 parts he took the one to himselfe gaue the other two to the deacon and subdeacon and in some places did eate all himselfe Whatsoeuer the neglect or abuses were it is evident by the composition of the canon that the mysticall action in which the canon is vsed was publique that there were alwaies some present that offered the sacrifice of praise together with the priest participated of the sacrament as these words do clearely shew Quotquot ex hac altaris participatione sacrosanctum corpus sanguinem filii tui sumpserimus Item prosint nobis domini sacramenta quae sumpsimus And therefore Iohn Hofmeister a learned man expounding the prayers of the masse hath these words Res ipsa inquit clamat tam in Graecâ quà m in Latinâ Ecclesia non solum sacerdotē sacrificantem sed reliquos presbyteros diaconos nec non reliquam plebem aut saltem plebis aliquam partem communicasse quod quomodo cessauerit mirandum est vt bonus ille vsus in Ecclesiam revocetur laborandum that is The thing it selfe proclaimeth it that aswell in the Greeke as Latin Church not only the priest which sacrificeth but the other priests and deacons also yea and the people or at least some part of them did communicate which good custome how it grew out of vse I know not but surely we should labour to bring it in againe That it was not lawfull for the priest to celebrate without the Deacon who was to receiue the sacrament at his hand Cusanus sheweth by that which is in the missal Sumpsimus domini sacramēta we haue receiued the Sacraments of the Lord c. In the ◠Interim published by the Emperor Charles the fift in the assembly at Augusta in the 15 of May 1548 we find these words Atque hic expedierit cum verissimum
Christian Churches throughout the world as well those of the East as of the West doe euer did though they doe not so certainely resolue what their state is that are departed hence what is yet wanting vnto them or wherein or how far forth they may bee benefitted by our prayers but the Romish conceipt of Purgatorie and their praying to deliuer thence none of the Easterne Churches admit neither doe wee This is that which our Aduersaries must finde in the Canon of the Masse if they will say any thing against vs for the proofe of the Romish religion out of the canon Let vs heare therefore what the forme of the prayer for the dead is which is found in the canon of the Masse The words of it are Remember Lord thy servants and thine handmaides N. or N. which are gone before vs with the badge of faith and doe sleepe in the sleepe of peace O Lord wee pray thee to graunt to them and to all that are at rest in Christ a place of refreshing of light and peace That this prayer hath no respect to Purgatorie or to the deliuerance thence it is evident For how doe they sleepe in peace that are tormented in Purgatorie and whose paines are no lesse than those of hell though they bee not eternall Or who is so voyde of sense as to thinke that all that are at rest in Christ are tormented in Purgatorie and that to all these God is entreated in this prayer to graunt a place of refreshing of light peace So that first it is euident that a place of refreshing light and peace is wished to such as are not in Purgatorie For it is wished to all that are at rest in the Lord. But all that are at rest in the Lord are not in Purgatorie whence it will further follow that the Church prayeth for them that shee doth not thinke to bee in Purgatorie and consequently that prayer for the dead proueth not Purgatorie as they would make the world beleeue that it doth And secondly that the Church at that time when this forme of prayer was first composed did not beleeue or thinke that there is any Purgatory For if shee had had any such perswasion shee would not haue forgotten to recommend to God the wofull estate of men so afflicted as they are supposed to bee that are there That this prayer can haue no reference to the state of men in Purgatorie paines it is so cleere that Iohn the 22 who supposed as many of the auncient also did long before him and the Easterne Christians still doe that the soules of the iust are so at rest in Christ that yet they remaine vnder the altar that is vnder the protection and comfort of the humanity of Christ in a state place of happines foretasted but not fully enioyed and that they shall not bee lifted vp aboue to the view of the deitie of Christ as it is in it selfe the vision of God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost till the judgement produceth this prayer for confirmation of his opinion supposing that seeing a place of refreshing peace is here wished to them that are at rest in Christ which cannot in any sense be vnderstood of such as are in purgatory therefore there is some state of men free from paine punishment wherein they are expect the accomplishment of happines To which though Ockam so answere that hee would haue this prayer to haue reference to the estate of distressed soules in Purgatory yet in the end hee sayth it may bee vnderstood of the soules of holy men that are in heaven the meaning of it is that the soules of such men as sleepe in the sleepe of peace hauing resumed their bodies may enter into that place of refreshing light peace that includeth the highest essentiall accidentall degree of eternall peace which they cannot haue till the resurrection And Florus that liued in the time of Carolus Calvus in his exposition of the Masse saith it is most cleare that the soules of perfect iust men so soone as they are loosed from the body are receiued into heauen but this is to bee vnderstood of the soules of Apostles Martyrs and confessours and men of great perfection of life For the soules of certaine just men are not presently admitted into the heavenly kingdome but though they bee in blessed rest yet are stayed in certaine mansions by which their stay and not enjoying presently what they most desire it appeareth they come short of perfect righteousnesse Besides these he thinketh there is a third sort of such as are in Purgatorie Bernard as it appeareth in the place of Ockams dialogues aboue cited maketh three estates of the soule the first in corpore corruptibili the second in requie the third in beatitudine consummatâ the first in the body subject to death corruption the second in rest the third in consummate happinesse The second excludeth all punishment affliction the third all desire of having any higher perfection or attayning any farther good A man of great place worth that hath written not long since feareth not to deliuer his opinion that the soules of the iust are so in rest peace and in heauenly mansions immediatly after their departure hence that yet they come not into the highest heaven place of greatest felicity till the resurrection Which of these opinions the authour of this forme of prayer followed it doth not certainely appeare But sure it is hee thought those who are there commended to God to bee in a state of rest farre from paine torment and so desired the perfecting of whatsoeuer is yet wanting vnto them without any reference to purgatory or the deliuering of any thence From this of prayer for the dead let vs come to the other objection touching the commemoration of the blessed Apostles other Saints holy Martyrs by through whose intercession for whose merits the priest people desireth God to graunt that they may in all things be kept safe strongly defended by the help of diuine protection That the Saints doe pray for vs in genere desiring God to bee mercifull to vs and to doe vnto vs whatsoeuer in any kind he knoweth needfull for our good there is no question made by vs and therefore this prayer wherein the Church desireth God to bee gracious to her to graunt the things shee desireth the rather for that the Saints in heauen also are suppliants for her will not be found to containe any poynt of Romish doctrine disliked by vs. But they will say there is mention made in this prayer of the merits of those holy Apostles Martyrs and the Church desireth God to graunt her petitions for those merits which is contrary to the doctrine of Protestants that deny all merit properly so named and therefore cannot but condemne the opinion of one mans meriting for another For answere herevnto wee must obserue as Cassander
point I would desire him therefore to tell mee if hee can wherein I informed him amisse as hee saith I did for first I shewed that there was an Auncient custome of commemorating the departed of rehearsing their names and offering the sacrifice of praise for them to expresse the assurance Christian men haue of the immortality of the soule and their hope of the resurrection Secondly that this sacrifice of the Eucharist that is of praise and thankesgiuing was offered for the Patriarches Prophets Apostles Martyres and the blessed Mother of Christ and euery soule at rest in the faith of Christ for proofe whereof I produce the Liturgy that goeth vnder the name of Chrysostome Thirdly that the Auncient prayed for the soules of men in their passage hence and entrance into the other world Fourthly that they prayed for the resurrection publique acquitall in the day of judgment and perfit consummation of the departed all which customes and obseruations I allow and approue Fiftly that some prayed for the remission or mitigation of the paines of men in hell Sixtly that some other out of a conceipt that there is noe iudgment yet passed and that none of the iust enter into heauen till the resurrection prayed for their admittance into those Heauenly Pallaces and into the presence of God but that none of the Ancient euer prayed to deliuer men out of purgatory What collusion or what vnfaithfull dealing doth Maister Higgons finde in any of these passages yet the faithlesse and perfidious Apostata hauing as he sayth experience of my vnfaithfull dealing directed himselfe to foure considerations whereof the first is that it is vanity in vs Protestants to accept and refuse the Liturgy of Chrysostome at our pleasure the second that Chrysostome did pray for the dead the third that it was by way of thankesgiuing and not of petition that the Church offered sacrifice to God for the Patriarches Prophets Apostles c. the fourth that in the Liturgie of Chrysostome there is prayer for the dead To the first of these wise considerations I answere that wee doe not accept and refuse the Liturgie of Chrysostome at our pleasures but that wee admitte it so farre forth onely as wee finde the thinges it hath in it confirmed out of the indubitate writings of the Auncient and in other things relie not much vpon the credit of it Now that which I alleadge it for hath proofe out of Epiphanius and others and therefore I might rightly alleadge it as I did and doubt of the credit and authority of it in some other thinges To the second wee say Chrysostome did pray for the dead not to deliuer them out of Purgatory whereof hee neuer dreamed nor any Greeke Father that euer liued but in such a sort as Maister Higgons dareth not pray namely for the ease of men in hell Chrysostome sayth Sixtus Senensis in his three and thirtieth Homilie vppon Mathew interpreting these words The damsell is not dead but sleepeth treating of the care that is to be taken for the dead fell in a sort into the opinion of them who thinke that the suffrages and prayers that are made here in the Church doe profit as well those that are damned in hell as those that enjoy eternall glory For there hee hath these words If many barbarous nations doe vse to consume in fire together with the dead the things that pertaine to them how much more oughtest thou to deliuer to thy sonne departed such things as hee possessed not to bee burnt to ashes but that they may make him more glorious Supposest thou that hee went hence defiled with spottes and staines giue vnto him the things he had when he liued that he may wash away those spots Supposest thou that he departed in righteousnesse giue them to him for the increase of his reward And againe that prayers and oblations doe bring some refreshing to them that departed hence without repentance the same Chrysostome seemeth to shew in his third Homily vpon the Epistle to the Philippians where he speaketh to them that bewaile the dead more then is seemely in this sort Bewayle them that died in the midst of great riches and procured with their riches no consolation to their soules who when they had power to wash away their sinnes would not so do let vs weepe for those but with seemely modesty let vs helpe them what wee can let vs procure vnto them some helpe though small yet let vs helpe them but how or in what sort let vs pray and exhort others to pray for them let vs without ceasing giue almes to the poore for them this thing hath some comfort doubtlesse c. To the third consideration I say that the Auncient offered for the Patriarches Prophets Apostles c. by way of thankesgiuing principally but in a sort also by way of petition which this good man also confesseth and bringeth Gersons authority to proue they might do soe who sayth that as it is not absurdly deliuered by the learned Diuines that there is an addition or increase of accidentall felicity in the Saints soe it is not inconuenient if in this respect also we recommend them to God in our Deuotions To which purpose it seemeth to bee that Gregory ordaineth that men shall pray in this sort in the sacred mysteries of the Eucharist We haue receiued O Lord the diuine mysteries which as they profit thy Saints for their glory so wee beseech thee that they may profit vs for our health And Chrysostome willeth the liuing parents to giue something out of their substance to their children departed though they suppose they are departed in the state of righteousnes for the increase of their reward Touching the fourth and last consideration of this considerate and aduised young man we confesse that Chrysostome or the Author of the Liturgie that goeth vnder his name whosoeuer he was teacheth men to pray vnto God to remember all them that are falne asleepe in the hope of the resurrection of eternall life and to make them to bee at rest where the light of his countenance is seene But that this forme of prayer must bee vnderstood in the same sence that the other in the Missal is wherein men are taught to pray to God to deliuer the soules of all faithfull ones departed from the hand of hell from the deepe lake and from the mouth of the Lyon that the lowest hell swallow them not vp and that they fall not into the dungeons of vtter darkenesse or else as proceeding from that opinion that Sixtus Senensis speaketh of that the soules of the Iust are not in heauen-happinesse till the resurrection and not of any deliuerance out of Purgatory For there is not any the least signification of the desire of easing men temporally afflicted in another world expressed in any prayer found in Chrysostomes Liturgie Neither doth it any way contrary any thing that wee professe that hee teacheth men to pray to God to graunt
proue hee affirmeth But he will say that Caluin in the same place doth except against the Fathers Surely he saith hee thinketh they cannot be altogether excused in that they soe much vrged the mysticall sacrificing of Christs body in the Sacrament and thereby made it carry a kinde of shew of a new and newly repeated sacrifice for that by misconstruction of that they meant well others turned the Sacrament into a new offering of the Sonne of God for the quicke and dead The reason doubtlesse that mooued the Fathers so much to vrge that mysticall sacrificing of CHRIST in the blessed Sacrament was for that they liued in the middest of Iewes and Gentiles both whose religion consisted principally in sacrifice the Fathers therefore to shew that Christian Religion is not without sacrifice that of a more excellent nature than theirs were did much vrge that Christ once offered for the sinnes of the World vpon the aulter of his Crosse is dayly in mystery offered slaine and his blood powred out on the holy Table and that this sacrifice of Christ slaine for the sins of the world thus continually represented and liuing in our memories is the sacrifice of Christians If any man shall alleage that these were reasons sufficient to moue the Fathers to speake as they did notwithstanding any occasions of errour that might by ignorant men bee taken Caluine doth not pertinaciously resist for he sayd only what hee thought not peremptorily iudging or condemning those whom so iust and good causes haue made honourable in the Church for ever CHAP. 20 Of the inuocation and adoration of Saints touching which the Century-writers are wrongfully charged to dissent from the Fathers THus then I hope it appeareth that Caluine doth not confesse that the doctrine of the Romanists hath any testimonie or approbation of Antiquity Bellarmine therefore passeth from him to the writers of the Centuries in whom hee hopeth to find something for his purpose but they steade him as little as Caluine did Let vs therefore take a view of that hee sayth Touching free-will iustification merits and the like there is nothing in them but that which hath bin sufficiently I hope cleared in Caluine the things they say being the same Only two things I find imputed to them by Bellarmine and not to Caluine For first they are supposed to acknowledge the Popish invocation of Saints to haue beene in the time of the Fathers and allowed by them Secondly they are charged to blame the Fathers for magnifying too much the excellency of Martyrdome the praises whereof Bellarmin saith they dislike because they will not admit that Martyrdome is a kind of baptisme seruing for the expiation washing away of sin Touching the inuocation of Saints it is euident it was not known in the first ages of the Church nor approoued by the Primitiue Fathers but because it hath mightily preuailed in these later times the superstition and idolatry there in committed hath beene such as cannot be excused therefore for the better answering of Bellarmines cauils and the satisfying of our selues and others let vs consider from what grounds and by what degrees it entred into the Church First there was in the Church from the beginning a true and certaine resolution that the Saints departed do in generall tender respect and wish well vnto their brethren and fellow seruants whom they haue left behind them in the warfare of Christ in this worlde Secondly men grew afterwards to thinke that men departing out of this world carry with them the remembrance of the state of things wherein departing hence they leaue them and that out of their loue which neuer falleth away they do most carefully recommend vnto God the particular necessities of their brethren made knowen vnto them while they liued there Thirdly from hence it came that men entreated their friends yet liuing that if they preuented them and came before them into Christ their maisters ioyfull and happie presence being freed from the daungers miseries and euils of this present life they would not forget to recommend them vnto God that are in them still Fourthly whereas by an auncient custome they did remember the names of the departed at the LORDS table giuing thankes vnto GOD that had made them soe glorious in their life and death through his goodnesse and praying him by their examples to frame them to the like and besides kept the anniuersarie remembrances of the dayes of their death as if they had beene their birth dayes with all tokens of ioy in the orations they made to sett forth the goodnesse of GOD towards them and to propose their example for imitation they did sometimes by way of Apostrophe speake vnto them as if they had beene present and had sense and apprehension of that they spake whereof yet they were doubtfull as appeareth by Gregory Nazianzen Hierome others and not contented thus to commune with them they entreated them if they had any sense or knowledge of things in this world to be remembrancers for them and the Church here below This was a kinde of doubtfull compellation soliciting of them If their state were such as that they could take notice of these things that they would not forget to procure the good of their brethren but was no invocation which is a retyring of our selues in all our needes necessities and distresses with assured hope of helpe to him that wee know can stede vs in what distresse soeuer wee bee Thus then though the Fathers did sometimes when they had particular occasions to remember the Saints and to speake of them by way of Apostrophe turne themselues vnto them and vse wordes of doubtfull compellation praying them if they haue any sense of these inferiour things to bee remembrancers to God for them yet shall our adversaries neuer proue that they did prostrate their bodies bow their knees or make prayers to them in a set course of devotion but this both adoration and invocation of Saints and Angels was directly condemned by them We honour the Saints saith Ierome but doe not worship or adore any creature neither Angels Archangels nor any name that is named in this world or that which is to come The Councell of Laodicea reported by Theodoret directly condemneth this kinde of adoration and invocation not of Saints onely but of Angels also The Popish distinction of Latria and Doulia doth not answere these authorities and testimonies of Antiquity for those erring miscreants mentioned by Paul the Councell of Laodicea Theodoret Epiphanius and others did not thinke the Angels to be God or equall to the Most High neither did they worship them in such sort as to ascribe infinite greatnesse vnto them which the Papists meane by their Latria but they gaue spirituall worship and adoration vnto them in an inferiour and lower degree such as the Papists call Doulia because they thought them to mediate betweene God and mortall men in very high and
incest of Lot therefore hee is like the Manichees that thought the old Testament was from an euill beginning Surely there is neither good beginning nor ending to be found in the writings of this slaunderous Iesuite CHAP. 28 Of the heresies of the Donatists THe next heresie imputed vnto vs is that of the Donatists who denied those societies of Christians to be the Churches of God wherein wicked men are tolerated and the rules of discipline are not obserued and thought that the Church whose communion we must hold doth consist onely of the good and elect people of God Touching the first part of this imputation wee disclaime it as most vniust iniurious For as I haue shewed in the first part wee confesse that wicked and godles men are oftentimes tolerated in the true Church of God either through the negligence of the guides thereof or vpon due consideration of the scandals and euils that would follow if they should bee eiected and cast out by reason of their greatnesse power or number Touching the second part in what sense onely the good and elect people of God are of the Church and how and in what degree hypocrites wicked men and reprobates while they hould the profession of the trueth may be said to be of the Church I haue likewise cleared in the first part But sayth Bellarmine the Donatists thought the Church to bee only in Africa the Protestants think it to be onely in the Northerne parts of the world and therefore they are not farre from Donatisme Surely as farre as hee is from any honest and sincere meaning For none of the Protestants haue any such conceit as to thinke the Church of God so straightned as that it should be no where found but in the Northerne parts of the world where themselues do liue But the Romanists may muchmore iustly be charged with Donatisme who denie all the societies of Christians in the world wherein the Popes feete are not kissed and his words holden for infallible Oracles to pertaine to the true Church of God who acknowledge no true Churches of Christ but their owne conuenticles soe casting into hell all the Christians of Aethiopia Syria Armenia Graecia and Russia for that they stand diuided from the communion of the Church of Rome Which vnchristian censure wee are farre from thinking that all those societies of Christians notwithstanding their manifold defects and imperfections bee and continue parts and limmes of the true and Catholike Church of God Lastly he sayth the Donatists committed many outrages against true Catholike Bishops spoyled the Churches of God prophaned the holy things they found in them But what can hee conclude from hence against vs With which of these impieties can he charge vs Our blood hath bin spilt by them like water in the streets our bodies tormented and consumed with fire and sword and all this by the procurement of the Antichristian Bishops sworne enemies of Christ and vassals of Antichrist Yet haue wee hurt none of them but in patience possessed our soules knowing that our judgement is with God and that when he maketh inquirie for blood hee will finde out all their barbarous actes of cruelty which they haue done against vs. Wee haue prophaned nothing that is holy wee haue remooued and abolished nothing but the monuments of grosse idolatry and therefore we are not to be compared to the Donatists If in any place in popular tumults or confusions of warre whereof euer the Romanists haue beene the causes there haue beene any thing done in furie that was not fit we cannot excuse it nor could not remedie it CHAP. 29. Of the heresies of Arrius and Aērius THe tenth imputation is of Arrianisme which heresie wee accurse to the pit of hell with all the vile calumniations of damned slaunderers that charge vs with it Neither did euer any of our men incline vnto it or giue any occasion of so execrable an heresie Touching traditions which Bella◅mine sayth the Arrians did refuse they were not blamed for denying vnwritten verities For I hope the Romanists will not disaduantage the Catholike cause so much as to confesse that the Godhead of Christ which was the thing the Arrians denyed cannot be proued by Scripture that the Fathers were forced to flie to vnwritten traditions for proofe of it But they were blamed for that when the thing had proofe enough by Scripture they refused the word Consubstantiall most happily deuised to expresse the trueth against the turnings and sleights of hereticks onely because they found it not in Scripture as if no wordes nor formes of speach might be allowed but those only that are there expressely found The eleuenth is the heresie of Aērius Aērius condemned the custome of the Church in naming the dead at the Altar and offering the sacrifice of the Eucharist that is of thanksgiuing for them He disliked set fasts and would not admit any difference betweene a Bishop and a Presbyter For this his rash and inconsiderate boldnesse and presumption in condemning the vniuersall Church of Christ he was iustly condemned For the practise of the Church at that time was not euill in any of these things neither doe we concurre with Aerius in the reprehension of that Primitiue and auncient Church For howsoeuer we dislike the Popish maner of praying for the dead which is to deliuer them out of their fained Purgatory yet doe we not reprehend the Primitiue Church nor the Pastors and guides of it for naming them in their publike prayers thereby to nourish their hope of the resurrection and to expresse their longing desires of the consummation of their owne their happinesse that are gone before them in the faith of Christ. If any of the Fathers did doubtfully extend the prayers then vsed further than they were originally or generally intended or meant it was not to be imputed to the whole Church Of our allowance of set fastes I haue spoken before and of the difference betweene a Bishop and a Presbyter I shall haue a fit occasion to speake in examining the note of succession and the exceptions of the Romanists against vs touching the same If it be sayd that sundry of our Diuines seeme to acquite Aerius in these poynts they are to bee conceived as vnderstanding his reprehension to haue touched the errors and superstitions which even then perhaps began in some places and among some men to grow into practises doctrines of the Church which were not euill nor erroneous For otherwise his reprehension if it be vnderstood to extend to the generall practise and judgement of the Church is not nor may not be justified CHAP. 30. Of the heresies of Iovinian THe twelfth heresie imputed to vs is the heresie of Iovinian concerning whom we must obserue that Augustine ascribeth vnto him two opinions which Hierome mentioneth not who yet was not likely to spare him if he might truely haue beene charged with them The first that Mary ceased to be a virgine when
devout as to desire to communicate euery Sunday and some other dayes also So that there wanted not of the people in former times that desired to communicate aswell as to be present nor of the guides that encouraged them so to doe and therefore hitherto nothing can be proued against my assertion Wherefore let vs come to the Masse it selfe Amongst all the Sacraments of the Church that is the principall saith Durandus that is celebrated vpon the table of the most holy Altar representing that Feast banquet of the Church wherein the father vpon the returne of his lost sonne caused the fatlings to be slaine setteth out the bread of life the wine which wisedome hath mixed for her friends louers These mysteries this holy Sacrament Christ then instituted when he made his new and last testament disposing to his heires a kingdome as his father had disposed to him that vpon his Table they might eat drinke in his kingdome that which the Church hath consecrated for as they were at supper Iesus tooke bread and when he had giuen thanks blessed it brake it gaue it to his Disciples saying take eat this is my body which shal be giuen for you doe this in the remembrance of me The Apostles following this institution began to celebrate these mysteries for the same end that Christ had expressed keeping the same forme in words and vsing the same matter of bread wine that he did as the Apostle witnesseth to the Corinthians where he saith what I haue receiued of the Lord I haue deliuered vnto you who the same night that hee was betrayed tooke bread c. and added to the forme of wordes vsed by Christ the Lords prayer And S. Peter is said in this sort to haue celebrated first of all in the East parts Wherefore in the beginnings of the Church these mysteries were celebrated in another sort then since they haue bin Afterwards the reading of some parts of sacred scripture particularly of the Epist. Gospell was added Pope Celestinus instituted the introitus other things were added at other times by others Howsoeuer this is certain there were are at this day diuers formes of celebrating this mystery For the formes of the East Churches are different from those of the West it appeareth that aunciently in France Spain sundry parts of Italy they had other formes then now are vsed more like to those of the East which being in some things enlarged and perfitted by S. Ambrose were called the Ambrosian forms of divine seruice These cōtinued till the time of Charles the great For thogh Gregory as Io. Diaconus tels vs taking the forms of celebrating masse which Gelasius had cōposed adding somethings detracting others changing others brought in a new forme which the Church of Rome followed yet the other churches of the west retained the old forms which they had receiued frō their ancesters And to this purpose it is that Berno Augiensis testifieth that amongst the monuments of his Abbey there was found an olde ◅all much different from those of Rome But Charles the great sought to bring the Provinces subiect to his Empire to receiue the Romane forme by threats punishment We read saith Durandus in the life of blessed Eugenius that while the forme of divine seruice which was named the Ambrosian forme was more followed obserued by the Church then that of Gregory Adrian the Pope called a councell in which it was ordered that the Gregorian forme should euerywhere be obserued To the obseruation whereof Charles the Emperour by threats and punishments forced the Cleargie in sundry Provinces burning the olde Ambrosian bookes And further hee addeth that Saint Eugenius comming to a certaine councell called about this businesse finding that the Bishoppes were gone and the councell ended three dayes before his comming induced the Pop◅ to call the Bishoppes backe againe which hee did and the councell being againe renued it was agreed on by common consent that both the missals both that of Saint Ambrose and the other of Saint Gregorie should be layed on the altar of Saint Peter the Apostle that the doores of the Church should be fast locked and sealed with the seale of sundry Bishops and that then they should spend the whole night in prayer beseeching God that he would shew by some signe which of these hee would haue to be obserued in his Church and in the morning entering they found that of Gregory torne in peeces and scattered all ouer the Church the other opened but yet still lying entire and whole on the altar of which accident they made this construction that that of Gregorie was to be vsed euery where thorough the world the other only at Millain in S. Ambroses owne Church and so saith Durand it is vsed vnto this day For by the helpe of Charles the great that of Ambrose was disused in many Churches that other brought in place Onely the Christians of Spaine admitted not this alteration notwithstanding all these endeauours till the time of Gregorie the seauenth what time they were constrained by Alphonsus the sixt to giue way which they did most vnwillingly and not without teares Rodericus reporteth that when this alteration was vrged by the Popes legate and the king there being an assembly of all the states the Clergie Nobilitie and people resisted mainely against it whereupon in the end it was resolued that that matter should be tried by cumbate and one being chosen for the newe and another for defense of the old he that vndertooke the defense of the old preuailed which caused a great reioycing among the people But the king not regarding this triall nor thinking it to bee any sufficient clearing of the matter questioned it was agreed that both the bookes should be cast into the fire that that which should bee preserued in the fire might bee allowed as best which accordingly being done the booke of the old forme came forth vntouched and the other was consumed yet would not the king be perswaded to desist but threatning death and vtter confusion to all gainesayers made this innouation in his Church and kingdome all his subiects weeping and sorrowing and then began the prouerbe Quo volunt reges vadunt leges So that wee see howsoeuer our aduersaries would make the simple beleeue that things were euer as now they are yet there haue beene great alterations in the forme of diuine seruice and it is not to be doubted but that the auncient formes as different from the latter were more pure and sincere then they that are now vsed They that haue diligently looked into the monuments of antiquity sayth Rhenanus vpon Tertullians booke de corona militis do thinke that aunciently the masse began when the priest did say The lord be with you immediately after Lift vp your harts and Let vs giue thankes to our Lord God and againe It is very meete right and our
bounden duty that wee should at all times and in all places giue thankes vnto thee holy Father almighty and euerlasting God through our Lord Iesus Christ. And that theÌ„ immediately followed these words Who the night before hee suffered tooke bread c. For they thinke that howsoeuer the latter part of the Roman canon now vsed ipsissimam prae se serat antiquitatem admirabilem spiret sanctitatem that is appeares to be auncient and breathing forth nothing but admirable sanctitie yet the former parts of it do not so and that they were composed by Scholasticus not long before the time of Gregory the first as himselfe telleth vs. What is to be thought of this Scholasticus whether hee were a man so named or whether Gregorie more to expresse vnto us the quality of him that composed the canon that hee was but a man though a professor of learning and that therefore he might adde the Lords prayer vnto that forme that had but a man for the composer of it I leaue uncertaine because some thinke it was composed by Gelasius and that hee was stiled Scholasticus before he was Bishop But this is certaine that some things haue beene added to the canon since the time of Gregory and that in the celebration of the holy mysteries so many tautologismes and barbarismes are found that ingenuous men abhorre from the celebration thereof as Platina testifieth and so many so grosse corruptions are crept into the service of the Church that all good men long since and yet still complaine of it Claudius Elpenâ—…us affirmeth that the publique services are full of old fables and allea â—…geth Petrus abbas Cluniacensis l. 5. cap. 29. saying that the songs himnes of the Church had very many toyes as namely a himne in the prayse of Saint 〈◊〉 in the which though reading it ouer somewhat hastily and not staying to search all yet he found at the least foure twenty lies He alleadgeth likewise Petrus Pictaviensis epist. 31. reprouing a false fond himne in the praâ—…se of Maure running vpon the waters and Cardinall Cameracensis de reâ—…â—…lesie consideration the third advising the councell of Constance to take oder that vnsound writings might be no longer read in the Church and the oration of Picus Mirandula to the same purpose and Volateran complayning that in the daily prayers there are read manifest lies to whom hee addeth Adrian the sixth afterwards Pope misliking superstitious forgeries in holy matters and concludeth that the Catholickes may lament on the behalfe of the Church as Hieremie lamented on the behalfe of the Synagogue Thy Prophets haue seene false foolish things for thee addeth that the greife which hee doth feele and expresse for these toyes dotages is common to him with all good men for the most part Bishop Lindan to the same purpose hath these wordes Quod si nostra conspiceret Agobertus episcopus Lugduâ—…rsis antiphonaria Deum immortalem quomodo ea pingeret vbi non Apochrypha modo exevangelio Nicodemi alijs nugis sunt inserta sed ipsae adeo secretae prâ—…es suâ—… mendis turpissimis conspurcatae That is If Agobertus sometimes Bishop of 〈◊〉 that could not endure the corruptions of his time were now aliue and should see our antiphonaries good God! how would he paint them out in which not onely apochryphall things out of the gospell of Nicodemus and such other toyes are â—…ed but even the very prayers themselues named secretae are defiled with â—…st â—…rosse and vile absurdities and faults Many things sayth Picus Mirandula which in the decrees are accounted apocryphall and are so censured by Hierome are in the service of the Church and many things also that by many are nâ—…t thought to be true I meane not sayth Melchior Canus to defend all the histories which are every where read in the Church I see there are so many of the vulgar sort condition not onely amongst those of the laitie but of the cleaâ—…gie also that most willingly embrace those fables which the Church long since exploded In this kinde it behooueth the Bishops to doe something but they must be wise aswell as diligent least while they goe about to cure the loosenesse of the skinne about the fingers they hurt the head These happilie goe about to put graue histories into the place of such as are apochryphall but they change the diuine seruice of the Church so much that scarce any shew of the old religion seemeth to bee left in the daily prayers wherefore this must â—…nd firme that the histories of the Saints which are wont to bee read in the Church must not bee despised though some of them be vncertaine apochryphall light and false for they are credible and true for the most part some of them certaine Ferdinand caused it to be proposed to the councell of Trent amongst other articles of reformation that the breviaries and missals might be purged that all things that are found in them not taken out of the Scripture might be taken away that the prolixity of prayers Psalmes might be abridged good choise being made of such as should be vsed apud Goldast imper const tom 2. pag. 3â—… These it seemeth are those mysteries of Romish religion found in the liturgy of the Church at before Luthers time whereof M Brerely speaketh but they had no generall approbation but the dislike of all good men as it appeareth by that which hath bin said For otherwise the very forme words of the liturgie condemne the abuses of privat masses halfe coÌ„munions make nothing of that propitiatory sacrifice whereof the Papists fable which are those greatest mysteries of Romish religioÌ„ that they insist vpon in their Masse Touching the first of these parts of Romish religion which is that of their priuate masses wherein the Priest receiueth alone without any communicants making the people beleeue that that which he doth is a propitiatorie sacrifice and that he can apply the benefite of it to whom he will and that it is enough for them to be present or to giue something for the procuring of it their errour is clearely refuted by the forme of prayers that are vsed in the masse which show that they onely haue the benefit that is here sought that communicate For immediatly after the consecration the Priest and people pray in this sort Supplices te rogamus omnipotens deus iube haec perferri per manus sancti angeli tui in sublime altare tuum in conspectu divinae maiestatis tuae ut quicunque ex hac altaris participatione sacrosancti filii tui corpus sanguinem sumpserimus omni benedictione coelesti gratiâ repleamur per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum Amen That is Wee as humble suppliants beseech thee O God Almighty to commaund that these our sacrifices and oblations may bee carried by the hands of thy holy Angell to thy Altar on high and to the sight of thy divine Maiestic
and grace thorough the same Lord IESVS CHRIST This forme of prayer wee finde to haue beene verie auncient but what the meaning of it is it is not soe easie to finde out For how may wee bee vnderstood to desire that the body of CHRIST which we represent vnto GOD in this commemoratiue sacrifice should bee carried into heauen seeing it is alwaies there Wherefore let vs heare what the holy Fathers haue sayd to this purpose Quis fidelium haberet dubium sayth Saint Gregorie in ipsâ immolationis hora ad vocem sacerdotis coelos aperiri in illo Iesu Cristi mysterio Angelorum choros adesse summis in a sociari terrena coelestibus iungi vnum quid ex visibilibus invisibilibus fieri That is What faithfull man or beleeuer will euer make any doubt but that in the houre of the oblation the Heauens are opened that so soone as the voyce of the Priest is heard Quires of Angels are present the lowest and highest things enter into a societie earthly things are joyned with those that are celestiall and things visible and invisible become one And in another place At one and the same time and moment that which is presented on the altar is caught vp into Heauen by the ministerie of Angels to bee ioyned in a neere sort vnto the body of Christ and is at the same time before the eyes of the Priest vpon the altar So then the oblations which we present vnto God on the Altar are then carried by the hands of Angels into Heauen when those sacramentall elements which we bring thither though they be still visible on the altar as Gregory saith yet being changed and become vnto vs in mysterie and exhibitiue signification the body and bloud of Christ once sacrificed and shed for vs and now in heauen continually represented vnto God to intercede for vs may rightly be said to bee carried vp into heauen But seeing by the precedent wordes of mysticall blessing and prayer the sacramentall Elements are so chaunged before the pronouncing of this prayer that they are already become in sort before expressed the body and bloud of Christ which is in heauen wee doe not in these wordes desire any such thing to bee done but this is that wee say Lord wee heere commemorate the death and sacrifice of thy Sonne Christ that once died for vs and now continually representeth the same his death vnto thee to procure vs good humbly beseeching thee that for his sake thus dying for vs now continually in heauen representing himselfe vnto thee setting the same his passions and sufferings before the eyes of thy Diuine Maiesty as if euen now he did hang on the Crosse all euill may bee farre remoued from vs all good brought vpon vs. And that all we that by communicating in these holy mysteries receiue the body bloud of the same thy Son Christ may be filled with all heauenly benediction and grace So that to commaund the sacrifice of Christs body and bloud once offered here by vs commemorated to be carried into heauen and to bee represented vnto God is no more but to make it appeare that that body of Christ which hee once offered by the passion of death and which we now commemorate is in Heauen there so represented vnto God that it procureth for vs all that wee desire There is nothing therefore found in the Canon of the Masse rightly vnderstood that maketh any thing for the new reall offering of Christ to God his Father as a propitiatorie sacrifice to take away sinnes neither did the Church of God at before Luthers time know or beleeue any such thing though there were some in the midst of her that so conceiued of this mystery as the Romanists now do Wherfore for the clearing of this point I will first set down what the conceipt of the Romanists now is then make it appeare that all the best learned at and before Luthers time thought otherwise touching this matter then these now doe These that now are expresse their conceipt touching this point in this sort First they shew what an oblation is Secondly what the nature of a sacrifice is And thirdly how and in what sort they imagine Christ is now newly really not offered onely but sacrificed also to take away our sinnes An oblation they rightly define to bee the bringing of some thing that we haue into the place where the name of God is called on and where his honour dwelleth a representing of it there vnto God a professing that wee will owne it no longer but that God shall bee the owner of it that it shall bee holy vnto him to bee imployed about his seruice if it bee an irrationall thing or to serue him in some speciall sort if it bee rationall as when parents presented and offered their children to God to bee holy vnto him as were the Nazarits who were to serue him in some peculiar and speciall sort and in this sort Christ presented and gaue himselfe to God his father from his first entrance into this world and was holy vnto him and an oblation But in this sort it is not for vs to offer Christ to God his father whatsoeuer any Papist may imagine For it were a wofull thing for vs so to giue vp Christ to his father as to professe that wee will owne him no longer nor haue any interest in him nor claime to him any more And besides if it were fit for vs so to doe yet who are wee that wee should present Christ vnto God his father to bee holy vnto him that so presented and gaue himselfe vnto him from his first entrance into the world that hee bringeth vs also to God to bee holy vnto him A sacrifice implyeth more than an oblation For if wee will sacrifice a thing vnto God wee must not onely present it vnto him professing that it shall bee his and that wee will owne it no more nor make any claime vnto it but wee must destroy and consume it also As wee see in the old law when liuing things were sacrificed they were slaine and consumed in fire when other that had no life were sacrificed they were consumed in fire And answerably herevnto Christ was sacrificed on the crosse when hee was crucified and cruelly put to death by the Iewes But how he should now bee really sacrificed sacrificing implying in it a destruction of the thing sacrificed it is very hard to conceiue First therefore they say that Christ may truely bee said to bee really sacrificed because when the words of consecration are pronounced ouer the bread they so cause the body of Christ to bee where the bread was that they cause not the presence of the blood and in like sort the words pronounced ouer the wine cause the presence of Christs blood and not of his body so that vpon the pronouncing of the words of consecration there would bee in the sacrament the body of Christ without the
innititur divinae iustitiae Contra Paulus Rom. 4. si Abraham ex operibus c vbi dicit glossa Aug. in lib. de spiritu litterâ quod actus hominis quantumvis sit informatus charitate tamen non potest esse tam perfectaeiustitiae vt ex debito mereatur praemium beatitudinis aeternae examplificat de Apostolis In multis offendimus omnes iterum si dixerimus quia peccatum non habemus c Quis vestrum habens servum c docet suos quod ex operibus iustitiae de fide formatâ procedentibus non debet expectari praemium aternae beatitudinis ex debito iustitiae tanquam fecissent Deum sibi debitorem per huiusmodi 1 Quia nihil vtilitatis Deo ex nostris operibus accrescit 2 Quia quicquid facere possumus ex debito servitutis debuimus Attende servum tam in agro quam domo laborantem tamen à Domino suo ex debito iustitiae nec gratias merentem Vt ex praemissis advertere potes homo per quoscunque actus suos qualitercunque factos mereri non potest quia omnium operum suorum quae facere potest debitor est ideo ecclesia iâ—… fide Christi fundata innititur meritis Christi per ease credit sperat saluari ipse enim meruit nobis à peccatis á diabolo liberationem vitae iustificationem glorificationem vt in omnibus honorificetur Deus 3 Ostendit idem Esaias facti sumus vt immundi omnes nos quasi pannus menstruatae vniuersae iustitiae nostrae Quae ergo proportio nostrorum bonorum operum quae tam erunt judici abominabilia aeternae beatitudinis quae tantae pulchritudinis dulcedinis perfectione abundat Anno 1541. In the time of Charles the fifth and by his appointment there was a conference betweene six learned diuines at Ratisbon for the conposing of the differences in religion whereof three were chosen for the Roman and three for the reformed part at which conference Cardinall Contarenus was present At this conference the collocutors of both sides agreed in all the poynts that concerne Iustification composed the differences touching the same and offered the forme of their agreement to the Emperour and the imperiall states In this agreement they left out the matter of merit which when some disliked there wanted not in Rome that tooke exception to their so doing Cardinall Contarenus writeth to Cardinall Farnesius and sheweth at large that there is no merit properly so named out of the grounds of Philosophie and Divinitie And strongly proueth that there is no merit of eternall life because if there bee then either men merit it before or after Iustification not before then enimies c not after because to merit is to make that due that was not due before whereas the happines of eternall life is due to the iustified by the right of his iustification so that the workes of the iustified doe not make the same newly due CHAP. 13. Of workes of Supererogation and counsailes of perfection THe Papists imagine certaine degrees of morall goodnesse the lowest whereof who so attayneth not doeth sinne as not doing that the precept requireth the higher such as men are counselled vnto if they will bee perfect though not by any precept vrged therevnto they that attaine to such height of vertue are sayd by them to doe workes of supererogation But Gerson sheweth that these men erre in that they discerne not betweene the matter of precepts and counsailes imagining that the precept requireth the inferiour degrees of vertue and the counsailes the more high and excellent whereas the precept requireth all the actions of vertue in the best sort they can bee performed and the counsailes are conversant in another matter namely in shewing vs the meanes whereby most easily if all things bee answerable in the parties men may attaine to the height of vertue Herevnto agreeth Iansenius alleaging the authority of Aquinas secundâ secundae quaest 184. Artic. 3. who affirmeth that the perfection of Christian life consisteth essentially in keeping the commaundements and of another who sayth that watchings fastings nakednesse and forsaking all are not Christian perfections but the instruments of perfection not the ends of Christian discipline but the meanes whereby men doe oftentimes attaine to the height of vertue so that as Gerson and Paludanus doe shew some men at sometime and in some state of things may attaine to as great height of perfection liuing in marriage and possessing much as they that liue single and giue away all they haue But the conceit of the Iesuites is that the entring into a Monasticall life wherein are implied the vowes of single life and voluntary pouerty is essentially of so great merit and acceptation with God that it is a kinde of Baptisme freeing from all temporall punishments otherwise due for precedent sinnes CHAP. 14. Of Election and Reprobation depending on the foresight of something in the parties elected or reiected WHy these or these men are predestinated or reprobated Ariminensis saith some yeeld a positiue reason to wit workes or the well vsing of free will others a priuatiue to wit the not resisting against grace against these opinions hee opposeth these conclusions the first that no man is predestinated for that God foresaw hee would vse the liberty of his will aright the second that no man is predestinated because God foresaw he would not resist against his grace the third that whom God did predestinate hee did freely and onely of mercy predestinate them according to the good pleasure of his will See the diverse opinions touching Predestination formerly found in the Romane Church in Cameracensis CHAP. 15. Of the seuen Sacraments DVrandus denyeth Matrimony to bee a Sacrament properly so named and of the same nature with the rest or to giue grace Canus sayth the Divines speake vncertainely of the matter and forme of Matrimony and that they doe not certainely resolue whether it giue grace or not Alexander of Hales sayth that there are onely foure which are in any sort properly to bee said Sacraments of the new Law that the other three supposed Sacraments had their being long before but receiued some addition by Christ manifested in the flesh that amongst them which beganne with the new Covenant onely Baptisme and the Eucharist were instituted immediatly by Christ receiued their formes from him and flowed out of his wounded side whence it commeth that water is the matter of Baptisme and bread and wine of the Eucharist without any other consecration but that which they receiue from the words of Sacramentall forme but the matter of the other two supposed Sacraments requireth consecration and hallowing before it can bee the matter of those Sacraments so that though the wordes of forme bee pronounced they haue no vertue of Sacraments but from precedent consecration Whereby it appeareth that they take their force from the prayers
after this life but in that instant wherein grace may be sayd to be finall grace it hath full dominion and absolute command and expelleth all sinne Whereas therefore the Master of sentences and others do say that some veniall sinnes are remitted after this life we must soe vnderstand their sayings that therefore they are sayd to be remitted after this life because it being the same moment or instant that doth continuate the time of life and that after life so that the last instant of life is the first after life they being remitted and taken away in the very moment of dissolution are sayd to be remitted after this life for otherwise the wills of men after death are vnchangeable and there is no more place left for merit Hereunto Gregory seemeth to agree saying that the very feare that is found in men dying doth purge their soules going out of their body from the lesser sinnes Seeing therefore as Bernard sayth if all sinne be perfectly taken away whiâ—… is the cause the effect must needes cease which is punishment it followeth that seeing after death there is no sinne found in men dying in state of grace there remaineth no punishment and consequently no purgatory CHAP. 21. Of Purgatory TOuching Purgatory whether they that are to be purged be purged by materiall fire or by some other meanes it is doubtfull likewise touching the place the Roman Church hath defined nothing Whereupon some thinke that soules are purged where they sinned some in one place some in another neither is there any more certainty touching the continuance of sinfull soules in their purgation Dominicus â Soto thinketh that no man continueth in this purgation ten yeares his reason is for that seeing men may pacifie Gods wrath by very short penance in this life where they can neither endure any great extremity nor are perfectly apprehensiue of smart griefe therefore much sooner in the other where they may endure greater extremity and are more apprehensiue of it so that the extremity of their passion may counteruaile long continuance in paine This of Soto if we grant to be true saith Bellarmine no soule needes stay in purging one houre neither indeed caÌ„ he proue that any doth by Scripture or Fathers or any resolutioÌ„ of the Church but only because they vse to pray for men departed a long time after their death which doth no more proue that they neede prayers so long as they are prayed for then pardons for thousands of yeares proue Purgatory to continue so long and by certaine visions which sometimes he regardeth not For howsoeuer sundry visions reported by Beda Dionysius Carthusianus and in the first booke of the life of Bernard import that the soules of men in Purgatorie are tormented by diuels yet he thinketh that the children of God ouercomming Satan in the last conflict being secure of their future state for euer are neuer molested by Satan any more Thus then we see that notwithstâ—…ding any thing defined in the Church the soules of men may be purged from all the drosse of sinnefull remainders and freed from all punishments in the very moment of dissolution which is that wee say Hereupon Iohn Bacon sayth there be some who thinke that Purgatory after this life cannot be prooued by the authority of the Scripture that these do say the bookes of Macchabees are not Canonicall and that the Apostle 1. Cor. 3. speaketh of that fire that shall purge the elements of the world in the last day And touching that saying of Christ of sinne that shall neuer be remitted in this world nor that to come they say it prooueth not the remission of any sinnes in the other world but that this forme of speaking is vsed only for the better inforcing of that he intendeth to deliuer as if a man should say to a barren woman thou shalt neuer beare child neither in this world nor in that which is to come CHAP. 22. Of the Saints hearing of our prayers THat the Saints doe heare our prayers or are acquainted with our particular wants was neuer resolued in the Church of God Biel sayth that the Saints by that naturall or euening knowledge whereby they see and know things as they are in themselues do not know or discern our prayers neither mentall nor vocall by reason of the immoderate distance betweene them and vs and touching that morning knowledge whereby they see things in the eternall word it no way pertaining to their essentiall felicity to see and know our desires and it being vncertaine whether it appertaine to their accidentall happinesse hee sayth it is not certaine but that it may seeme probable that God revealeth vnto them all those suites which men present vnto them The Master of sentences sayth it is not incredible that the soules of the Saints that delight in the secrets of Gods countinance in beholding the same see things that are done in the world below Hugo de Sancto Victore leaueth it doubtfull whether the Saints do heare our prayers or not and rejecteth that saying of Gregory brought to proue that they do Qui videt videntem omnia videt omnia The interlineall glosse vpon Esay 63. sayth Augustine was of opinion that the dead though Saints know not what the liuing though they be their owne children doe here in this world Which appeareth to be true by his owne words pronouncing that if so great Patriarkes as was Abraham knew not what befell to the people that came of them it is no way likely that the dead do intermeddle with the affaires of the liuing either to know them or to further and set them forward whereupon he concludes that for ought is knowne to the contrary the Saints remaining only in heauen and praying for vs only in generall God by the ministery of Angels or immediately by himselfe without their particular intermedling giueth vs the things we haue need of Willihelmus Altisiodorensis sayth that many do thinke that neither wee do properly pray to the Saints nor they pray for vs in particular but that improperly only we may be sayd to pray to them in that wee desire God that the fauour which they finde with him resting from their labours and their workes being gone after them may procure vs their brethren acceptation likewise whom they haue left behind them in the warfare of this world Whereupon the prayers are Adiuuent nos eorum merita c. In the margent he sayth that this was a common opinion in his time CHAP. 23. Of the Superstition and Idolatry committed formerly in the worshipping of Images THat many in the Romane Church did see the abuse superstition that was in the vse of Images appeareth by Picus Mirand his Apology of his conclusion proposed in Rome that neither the Crosse nor any other image is to be worshipped with diuine worship by Durand blaming many things in the practise of the Church at that time and
vttermost farthing let him attaine the life of immortality with thee The 3◠Receiue the soule of thy seruant which thou leadest out of the dirty miry gulfe of this world to the heauenly coūtry receiue it into the bosome of Abrahā be-dew it with the dew of refreshing let it be kept apart from the cruell burning of the fiery flaming hell The 4◠Graunt that thy seruant may escape the place of punishment the fire of hel the flames af the lowest gulfe The like may bee shewed in the rest for they are all framed to the same purpose forthe escaping of hel the power of the Prince of darknes the deuouring gulfe of eternall condemnation al which things in the judgment of our Aduersaries thēselues are granted vnto men dying in the faith of Christ state of grace in the very entrance into the other world and the first instant of the next life so that all the prayers that wee finde in the auncient were made respectiuely to the passing hence entrance into the other world with desire of the Resurrection and perfect consummation which we expect in the last day and because this passage is often past they that are departed already entred into their rest before their friends whom they leaue behinde them canne send so many good wishes after them as they desire it was an ordinary thing with the Auncient in their prayers to acknowledge and professe they were perswaded the thing was already granted and performed which they desired and to beseech GOD notwithstanding to accept their voluntary deuotions good affections In this sort Augustine prayeth for Monica his Mother That God will keepe her from the powers and Princes of darkenesse and remit her sinnes And yet saith Hee beleeueth it is already done that hee asketh So Nazianzen professeth his assured perswasion that Caesarius is with God and yet commendeth him to God And the like wee finde in Ambrose touching Valentinian By all which it is euident that the Auncient prayed not to deliuer the departed out of Purgatorie or any estate of temporall affliction but on their obite dayes acknowledged the goodnesse of God towards them preuenting all desires of men declared their readinesse to entreate for them if they were in neede or danger and not past before they could send their good wishes after them and expressed their desires of the perfecting and accomplishing of all that which is yet wanting to them And as the Auncient were wont to pray for their brethren and friends on the dayes of their obites and the deposition of their bodies respectiuely to their passage hence and the escaping of the daungers of hell and eternall death in the same so in like sort in processe of time in those dayes wherein their obites were remembred and by returne of times represented to them they vsed the same forme of prayer againe as if they had beene but euen then in the passage hence and in danger of hell and the powers of darkenesse But as on the dayes of the birth circumcision apparition passion resurrection and ascension of Christ for so wee call the dayes answering to these representing them to vs signes and remembrances carrying the names of the things themselues men so speake asif God did then send his Sonne into the world to be borne of a woman to be made vnder the Law to suffer ouercome and triumph ouer death by ascending into Heaven to take possession thereof for vs and yet meane not as the wordes may seeme to import that Christ doth newly take flesh and is borne of the Virgin c. But that he is borne vnto vs and wee made partakers of the benefits of his birth circumcision passion c. So in the dayes wherein they remembred the obites of their brethren and friends as then present and prayed for them as then in passage hence and in danger to be swallowed vp of hell destruction they desired not that which the words may seeme to import for that was granted to them on their dying dayes or else they are vncapable of it for euer but that which is yet wanting to them In which sense the wordes of that prayer in the Masse-booke must bee vnderstood Lord Iesus King of glory deliuer the soules of all faithfull ones departed from the hand of hell and from the deepe lake deliuer them from the mouth of the Lyon that the lowest hell swallow them not vp and that they fall not into the dungeons of vtter darkenesse but let thy Standard-bearer holy Michael present them into the place of holy Light which of old thou diddest promise to Abraham and to his seede For these dangers of falling into the deepe lake the mouth of the Lyon the dungeons of vtter darkenesse and being swallowed vp of the lowest Hell the dead in Christ escaped in the day and time of their dissolution neither is there any thing to be wished farther vnto them in this behalfe but that publicke acquitall and full and perfect escape in the day of Iudgement according to that other prayer found in the Missall O gracious God which calledst backe the first man to eternall glory O good shepheard which broughtest backe the lost sheepe vpon thy shoulder to the folde Righteous Iudge when thou shalt come to Iudge deliuer from death the soules of them whom thou hast redeemed Deliuer not the soules of them which confesse vnto thee vnto the beasts forsake them not for euer In all these prayers there is no word of petition for the deliuerance of the dead out of any paines or punishments but for their escaping avoyding declining and not falling into hell eternall condemnation the power of Satan and the mouth of the Lyon It is true that some long since began to pray to deliuer men out of paines and punishments or to suspend mitigate and ease their paines but in such sort as the Romanists dare not pray It was an opiniō of many whootherwisewere right beleeuers that all Christians professing the truth in Christ how ill soeuer they liue shall bee saued in the end Frustrà nonnulli saith S. Augustine immò quamplurimi aeternam damnatorū poenam cruciatus sine intermissione perpetuos humano miserantur affectu atque ita futurumesse non credunt that is there are some nay there are exceeding many who out of an humane affection commiserate the eternall punishments of the damned and their torments that are without ceasing these men thought the sayings of CHRIST and his Apostles concerning the eternall punishments of the wicked were vttered rather minacitèr then veracitèr and that they rather shew what men according to their deseruing should suffer then what indeede they shall suffer Hence it came that many did pray for the deliuerance of men out of hell that died in mortall sinne This opinion Damascene followed and whereas the Prophet asketh Who shall confesse vnto thee O Lord in hell he
the whole composition and forme of the sacred prayer called the Canon agreeth onely to a publike ministration there being often mention made in it of the people standing round about offering and communicating so that some ancient expositors of the Roman order thinke the Canon ought not to bee vsed but in a publike ministration To which purpose Micrologus obserueth that the prayers vsed after the communion are appliable onely to such as haue communicated and therefore willeth them not to neglect to communicate that desire to enioy the blessing of these praiers Clichthoueus vppon the Canon of the Masse sayth that which some note that the Priest soe often as hee celebrateth should giue the Sacrament to all that stand by is Auncient and agreeable to the custome of the Primitiue Church when the faithfull did euery day receiue the Sacrament according to that Sanction of Calixtus the Pope After the consecration let all communicate and that of Anacletus who willeth them to bee excommunicated that beeing present at the consecration communicate not which Andradius will not haue to be restrained to the Ministers assisting but extended to all the people and that by the authority of Dionysius and Iustine Martyr Cochlaeus against Musculus de sacrificio missae hath these wordes In olde time both Priest and people as many as were present at the sacrifice of the Masse after the oblation was ended communicated with the Priest as it is evident by the Canons of the Apostles and the Epistles of the most ancient Doctors c. Afterwards the devotion of the people decayed yet the Cleargy and Ministers communicated still when all they did not communicate yet at least the Deacons and Subdeacons communicated as the Authour of the Romane Breviary testifieth Whereupon saith Cassander some godly and learned men doe wish that this ancient custome were restored that at least the Ministers might communicate with him that celebrateth as agreeable to the practise of the Primitiue Church and making much for the dignity and gravitie of this Mystery In the Churches of Aethiopia all communicate in both kindes twise euery weeke to this day Iohn Hofmeister expounding certaine prayers of the Masse hath these wordes the thing it selfe proclaimeth it that as well in the Greeke as Latine Church not the Priest that celebrateth onely but the rest of the Presbyters and Deacons the whole people or at least some part of the people was wont to communicate which custome how it ceased and grew out of vse may seeme strange but it were greatly to be wished that it were restored againe which thing might easily be effected if the Pastors of the Churches would do their duty for the Priests themselues are in fault that few or none of the people are found to communicate in that they doe not invite stirre them vp to communicate more often as appeareth by the writing of a certaine Diuine not vnlearned in the former age in which he reprehendeth certaine Pastours of that age wherein hee liued who tooke it ill that some of their Parishioners though liuing very laudably desired to communicate euery Sunday That the Sacrament was ministred in former times in loafe bread as we minister it at this day it is evident by the booke called Ordo Romanus by Durandus sundry other authorities In auncient times the manner was to giue the holy Sacrament into the hands of the communicants as wee doe and not to put it into their mouthes as the Papists doe What shall I speak saith Andradius of the vse of the holy Eucharist which now no man may lawfully touch but the Priests whereas it was wont to be carryed by the Deacons to such as were absent and to be giuen to Laymen into their hands whence proceeded that exhortation of Cyrill of Hierusalem full of piety and religion that each communicant should fasten his eyes vpon those hands that receiued the holy Eucharist and kisse them with the kisses of his mouth that so he might communicate to the rest of the members the holynesse of the Eucharist The custome of circumgestation saith Cassander is contrary to the manner of the Auncient and would neuer haue beene liked of them who held this mysterie in so great respect that they admitted none to the sight of it but such as they thought worthy to be partakers of it whereupon all such as might not communicate were ejected before the consecration and therefore it seemeth that this circumgestation might be omitted Crantzius praiseth Cusanus who being the Popes Legate in Germany tooke it away vnlesse it were within the Octaues of the feast of Corpus Christi the Sacrament being instituted for vse and not for ostentation Touching the honour of Saints Gerson Contarenus and others reprehend sundry superstitious obseruations wish they were wisely abolished Whether the Saints particularly know our estate and heare our cryes groanes not onely Augustine the Author of the Interlineall Glosse but Hugo de sancto Victore also will tell vs it is altogether vncertaine cannot be knowne whence it followeth that howsoeuer being assured they pray for vs in a generality wee may safely desire to bee respected of God the rather for their sakes yet it is not safe to pray to them Neither is this a new conceipt of ours but Guilielmus Altisiodorensis saith it was a common opinion in his time that neither we doe properly pray to Saints nor they in particular pray for vs but that improperly we are said to pray to thē in that we pray vnto God that the rather for their sakes at their suite we may finde fauour and acceptation with him Touching the abuse of Images and how much it was disliked in former time let the Reader see Cassander How great complaints were made long since against the forced single life of the Cleargy and how many and great men desired the abrogation of the law that forced men so to liue I haue shewed at large else-where That in the Primitiue Church they had their prayers in the vulgar tongue Lyra confesseth and Caietane professeth that he thinketh it would be more for edification if they were so now and confirmeth his opinion out of the Apostle Saint Paul Thus haue I giuen the Reader a taste of the iudgement of those that liued in former times both concerning matters of doctrine now controuersed the Popes incroachments now by vs restrained and also such abuses as we haue remoued by which I thinke it will appeare to be most true that amongst many good proofes of the equitie of our cause there can no better be desired then that what wee haue done in the reformation of thinges amisse the worthiest men in the Church wished to be done before wee were borne And therefore Master Higgons hath little cause to say Our cause is bad and the Patrons worse That which hee addeth that