Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	catholic_a	church_n	tradition_n	2,528	5	9.2068	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08197	The oration and sermon made at Rome by commaundement of the foure cardinalles, and the Dominican inquisitour, vpon paine of death. By Iohn Nichols, latelie the Popes scholler. Which sermon and oration was presented before the Pope and his cardinalles in his Consistorie, the xxvij. day of Maie. 1578. and remaineth there registred. Now by him brought into the English tongue, for the great comfort and commoditie of all faithfull Christians. Heerin also is aunswered an infamous libell, maliciouslie written and cast abroad, against the saide Iohn Nichols, with a sufficient discharge of himselfe from all the Papists lying reports, and his owne life both largelie and amplie discouered.	Nicholls, John, 1555-1584?	1581 (1581)	STC 18535; ESTC S105660	86,257	238

the auncient Fathers much to blame who in setting downe the Articles of our Creede dyd neglect and lightly passe ouer this vpstart Article of the Romish sea that where we be commaunded to beléeue one Catholique and Apostolique Church they dyd not in manner commaund vs to beléeue the Romaine Church withall Héereby you perceyue well enough my fréendes into what combersome straights and absurdities the Papistes haue hurled them selues by their blinde and vnaduised rashnesse For first if no certaintie of saluation be to be hoped for out of the Church which Church must be without all question that same verie Church of Roome as they frame theyr argumentes and that the Church of Roome be none other but the same which is strained and straighted to the vniuersall commaundementes and decrées of the Bishoppe of Roome Nowe then they doo exempt out of the priuiledge of the Church not onely this our English nation but together with them also they doo exclude out of the number of the Catholique Church infinite other famous learned Clarks of the auncient and pure age of the Church as Doctors Patriarches and Bishoppes yea amongst these also all the Bishoppes of Roome as many as were Gregories predecessors But what néede many proofes in a matter of it selfe so manifest and well knowne Vndoubtedlie sithens Christe would vouchsafe to lay the first foundation yea and to build vp that beautifull and euerlasting building of his owne house vpon none other ground worke then vpon that corner stone of Christian faith and Christian confession And if Paule doubted nothing to recoumpt the same faith to be the only and infallible shoote-Ancker of saluation By what Lawe then will the Pope adiudge them as out-castes worthy to be banished from the Catholique and Apostolique Church which professe the selfe same faith of Christe that the Apostles and other Catholique Churches dyd professe Why should the Papistes thus cruelly deale with the Christians for following Christe and his Apostles Why should they thus furiously persecute the godlie burne them or consume them in prison for denying the Romaine Church to be the holie Catholique Church Séeing that no mention thereof is made to be such a Church as the Papistes would haue it to be throughout all the Scriptures But we gather by the Scriptures that the Church of Roome is the Church of the deuill for if the Church of Roome were the true Church of Christe Christes sheepe heare his voice But the Church of Roome heareth not his voyce but heareth rather the voyce of Courtezanes therefore it is not the true Church but the Sinagogue of Sathan Shee wryteth in her coyne That Kingdome and people that doo not obey mee shall be rooted out contrarie to that the Kinges of Nations beare rule ouer them but ye shall not so doo therefore shée is not the true Church Ambrose sayth That the true Church is the Mother of the liuing But those that be in this Church are dead for they haue no faith because they haue no knowledge therfore this Church is not the true Church Shée committeth idolatrie and spirituall adulterie many wayes therefore shée is not the holie Catholique Church The Church of Roome numbers her multitudes as Dauid nūbred his Souldiors and therfore shée is not the holie Catholique Church These Papistes are like Cockles they carry theyr house about with them so doo they theyr Church Aspalathus will not growe but in Boetia ye kill these men if ye take away the couerture of the Church of Roome This Church is the ritch Arras that couereth all her faultes follies But admit good people that we were wunderfull hūble obediēt to this Church and most willing to come againe as foolishe Béetles to the shirt of this Church and to aske of her questions and demaundes I protest before heauen and earth and the founder of them bothe that I thinke it not good we should be holde in asking for the great imminent daunger in her aunswering For if we aske Whether Iesus be Christe or no This Romishe Church giueth out her aunswere That the Bishop of Roome is the high Preest and that the sayde Bishoppe hath the strength of the kingdome of Christe and the infallible veritie of a Prophete And therefore they allowe to ouer rule Christe by adding and taking too and fro his woorde If we aske If Christe were the onely oblation offered once vp for all for the sinnes of the world Her aunswere is verie daungerous That the Masse is a sacrifice for the quicke and the dead And shee falleth into commendation of her wheaten God and dooth attribute the health of the world to that abhominable bread and Idoll If we aske her If Christe be her intercessour to God Shée aunswereth vs most wickedlie Iure Matris imperat That Christe forsoothe shall commaund his Father by the right of his Mother If we aske her Of the state and condition of man since the fall of Adam Shée aunswereth That hee may ouertake heauen of him selfe and well enough by him selfe worke out his owne saluation Aske her What faith is And shee wyll tell of an implicite thing and of a generall faith and to be holden fast by that hand there shée kéepeth silence and is as spéechlesse as a Fishe If we aske her What the Lawe is Shée ladeth our shoulders with the heauy Ceremonies of Judaisme and Paganisme If we aske her What the Gospell is Shée maketh voide Gods promise with her owne Iustice If we aske her Of good workes Shee aunswereth iust lyke Saint Lukes Pharasie Then againe shée deuiseth good workes to be thus to hyre certayne men for money to pray and to mumble vp much quantitie of Psalmes in a couert tongue to kéepe huge troughes of Ling and Saltfishe many yéeres to waxe spéechlesse with seldome speaking to waxe lame with much sitting to vse many knottes in theyr gyrdles and many windowes in theyr showes to be buried in Monkishe wéedes and Nunnishe Cowles c. If we aske her Of the number of Christes Sacramentes Shee aunswereth That there be seuen Without Scripture shée hath added fiue to Gods two as though God hath let her his two Sacramentes to vsurie If we aske her Whether we goe after this life Shée telleth vs of Virgils Platoes and Mahomets Purgatorie If we should say vnto her Fayre Church of Roome whether is thy belooued gone Shée would say He went in his body to harrowe hell And then I wyll aske her Howe she can aunswere to Signum Ionae et signum Lazari The signe of Ionas and the signe of Lazarus that Christe should be three dayes in his graue If we would say Fayre Church of Roome whether is thy belooued gone Shée wyll say To heauen But then shée dreameth grosely of heauen as Mahomet and besides that in euerie hyll Alter and grone Alter shée wyll saye Here is Christe and there is Christe The more shée aunswereth the more shée aunswereth of lesinges Vneath hath shée nowe these many long yéeres aunswered any

thing truelie of the goinges of the beloued or of the dooinges of the beloued Beléeue me truely O world it is daunger to aske her it is next to deaths doore to heare her it is dampnable death and hell to beléeue her Better it is to dye in body for him that may then to beléeue her to be the holy Catholique Church and therefore to perishe in body and soule Happy were they and are and shall be who patiently suffered doo suffer and shall suffer the tyranny and persecution of Antichriste Hope of Roome for the deniall of his whoorishe and Babilonicall Church By theyr patience it appeared that they had the cognisance or badge of the true Church August De tempore Ser. 130. Crux regni insigne est The Crosse sayth Saint Augustine is the cognisance or badge of the Church Athanasius Ad solitariam vitam agentes sayth Caedi Christianorum proprium est Caedere aus tem Christianos Pilati et Caiphae officia sunt To be persecuted belongeth to Christians but to persecute the Christians belongeth to the office of Pilate and Caiphas But the Papistes say that they punishe the Protestants onely for a desire to haue them reconciled to their Sinagogue and for entyre looue A gentle kinde of looue lyke the looue of one Philippides of whome Aristophanes in Vespis writeth who tooke a cudgell A prettie example alluded to the Papists and dyd beate his Father and all for looue But we may say with Tertullian Crudelitas vestra nostra gloria est Your crueltie is our glorie For Gods Religion the more it is pressed the more it encreaseth This persecution of the Papistes against the Christians is an euident token that the Church of Roome is the Sinagogue of Sathan Caine persecuted Abell the Giants Noah the Sodomites Loth Ismaell Isaack Esau Iacob the Egiptians the Israelites Pharaoh Moses Saule Dauid and yet Dauid would not hurt againe of whome we learned that Gods Church dooth suffer rather then hurt pardon rather then persecute The false Church of the Prophetes persecuted the true propheticall Church the Sinagogue of the Iewes persecuted Christe and his Apostles The Churche of Roome persecuteth Christes lyttle flocke and congregation So Hillarius and Nicephorus in many places discourse Lactantius sayth excellently to this matter Diuin Institut Lib. 5. Cap. 19. Defendenda religio est non occidendo sed monendo non saeuitia sed patientia non scelere sed fide Nam si sanguine et tormentis si malo religionem defendere velis iam non defendetur illa sed polluetur atque violabitur Religion is to be defended not with murthering but with monishing not with crueltie but with patience not with furie but with faithfulnesse For if ye defend Religion with bloodshedde and tormenting or with working of mischeefe it is not defended but defiled and deceyued The Church of Roome persecuteth all Christians The Ornamentes and deckings of the Antichristian Church of Roome her sentence is burne burne burne her hadge let vs laye wayte for blood her head blasphemie her shéelde tyrannie her breast iniurie her eyes fyre her gyrdle fornication her breath poyson her tongue the stinge of death her féete ready to shedde innocent blood her sworde violence her Crosse persecution her pardons iniquitie her tryple crowne presumption her Keies ambition and all her dooinges abhomination Héere doo follow great swarmes of Cainites Giantes Sodomites Egiptians Scribes Pharasies Herodians Monks The Champions and vpholders of this Babilonicall Sea Friers Cardinalles Adulterers Idolaters Parasites Poysoners Pardoners Bawdes Flatterers Traytours Rebels Murderers Theeues with all the Romishe rabble These are the right Canniballes lyke to the barbarous people of Armenica that eate one an other My countrey men wyll you builde your faith vppon this Church which receyueth such Varlettes which hath such gracelesse personnes such persecutours and such bloodie butchers The Church of Christe hath none such there were neuer in the Church of Christe nor are not nor neuer shall be persecutors The Church of Christe is styll persecuted and neuer persecuteth Did the Matriarches persecute did Christe persecute did the Apostles persecute When the Samaritanes would not receyue Christe Iames and Iohn béeing as yet Nouices in Christes schoole called for fyre from heauen and would haue burned and consumed the Samaritanes but Christe rebuked them saying You wot not of what manner of spirite you are for the sonne of man is not come to destroye mens liues but to saue them If the Church of Roome were the holie Catholique Church it would then féede the soule of man béeing a spirite with spirituall foode moone her by spirituall instrumentes drawe her by the worde leade her by the spirite and persuade her by the Scriptures which are the onely meanes which God appoynteth If an Heretique holde an opinion he holdeth it eyther of ignoraunce or of wylfulnesse If of ignoraunce he is to be conuerted by doctrine to be conuinced by Scripture reformed by exhortation reduced by reason persuaded by the trueth If of wylfulnesse he is to be menaced by the Lawe and corrected by excommunication The Church of Rome vseth no such meanes wherefore the Church of Roome is of the deuill and not of Christe And as the Lord hath done to Ierusalem in Titus Vespasianus tyme as Iosephus in his hystorie of the Iewes maketh mention and to the ruines thereof that the place should not boast of the Oracles of God So God hath done to Roome A notable forewarning to the Church of Roome to the Idolles thereof that theyr boasting should be in vaine of the Church of God For what was Roome euen from her byrth but a Citie built in Parricide then strengthened with robberies and made a Sanctuarie for murderers of all Nations The pettigree of Roome as you may read in theyr owne Romaine Hystories And what was it afterwardes in the time of the Emperour Iulianus Apostata Dioclesian Nero and diuers others but a slaughter house of the Martyrs of God and what is it in ours and our fathers dayes but the Queene of pride the nurse of Idolatries the mother of whordomes the sincke of iniquities out of which sorceries withcrafts poisoninges adulteries rebellions and bloodie warres haue ouerflowed the whole earth Who wyll beléeue in this Church are we commaunded to beléeue léeue in this Church when as it is sayd in our Créede Credo sanctam Catholicam Ecclesiam I beleeue that there hath béene is and shall be a holie Catholique Church My sence can not shew it and therefore I beléeue it for if I sée it beléefe is in vaine for where sence faileth and can goe no farther there beléefe beginneth For is it necessarie that we should frō time to time beleeue that Roome is the holie Catholique Church but we should from tyme to tyme beleeue there is a holy Catholique church But in déede the Papists and such like open persecutours haue of so long tyme kept vnder the Church that we are driuen to beléefe for they haue left scarse any sence or memorie of the true members of Christes Church If we beléeue the Romaine Church to be The holie Catholique Church The Scriptures are against vs theyr owne Doctours are against vs and the definition of the word Church is

prooue lyttle yea nothing that is to the trueth they alledge They are not afrayde so impudent and shamelesse they are to say that Purgatorie standeth with the Scriptures The great impudencie of the Papistes in alleadging their Purgatorie and also was allowed by the olde wryters of the anncient and Catholique Church This they can not verifie by all the Canonicall Scriptures neyther that it was allowed in the primatiue Church that we ought to beléeue that there is a Purgatorie Therefore bothe King Henrie the eight and also King Edward the sixt with all the learned and godly Clergie of England in taking away the vaine and erronious doctrine of popishe Purgatorie and in abolishing or putting downe the Massing Sacrifices for the dead forbydding dirges and other lyke trumperie to be vsed any more dyd most Catholiquely and Christianlike If theyr sayinges in this matter touching Purgatorie and praying for the dead doo agrée with the Scriptures and be grounded vpon Gods worde we wyll take them for an vndoubted and infallible trueth If not we wyll followe the counsell of the blessed Apostle Saint Paule who writeth on this manner If an Angell from heauen should preach vnto you any other Gospel besides that that ye haue receyued let him be accursed Yea we wyll followe the counsell of the olde auncient writers themselues of whome Ireneus writing against Valentinus and other lyke heretiques sayth plainely thus Scripturis diuinis niti quaecerta et indubitata veritas est in firma et valida petra est domum suam edificare hac verò derelicta alys niti quibusi dam doctrinis effusae arenae vnde facilis euersio est do mum suam inaedificare That is to say To leane vpon the holy Scriptures which are the sure and vndoubted trueth is to builde his house vpon a sure and strong rocke but if leauing it I meane the trueth of the Scriptures any man dooth sticke to some other Doctors the same is to builde his house vpon the vnstedfast sande where it shall easily fall Séeing then that the canonicall scriptures make no mention at all of Purgatorie or of praying for the dead if we should followe the doctrine of men in this poynt leauing the infallible worde of God wherein all thinges that pertayne to the saluation of all soules and bodies be most sufficently set foorth and comprehended were it not I pray you according to Ireneus saying To builde vpon the vnstedfast sande Saint Ambrose cryeth out saying Nos noua omnia quae Christus non docuit iure damnamus quia fidelibus via Christus est si igitur Christus non docuit quod docemus etiam nos id detestabile iudicamus We doo by right condemne all newe thinges that Christe hath not taught for Christe vnto the faithfull is the way if therefore Christe hath not taught this that we teach we doo also iudge it detestable Except then they can prooue that Christe who is the way vnto the faithfull dyd teach vs in his Gospell word to beléeue that there is Purgatorie and that it is requisite to pray for them that be departed out of this lamētable maze of myserie We wyll be so bolde with Saint Ambrose to iudge coumpt and recken that doctrine which teacheth vs to beléeue that there is Purgatorie and exhorteth vs to pray for the dead to be most detestable and deuillishe who soeuer be Author of it though it were an Angell from heauen Let vs doo what we can héere in this world to gaine eternall lyfe for doubtlesse after this life departed Prayer or Masse may say Requiescat in pace Not all the Papisticall incātations or exorsisms can help vs after we be dead but may nothing helpe vs in glory to beholde Gods face héere during life perpetuall ioy is wonne or euerlasting sorrowe is gotten Fasting nor almose déedes repentance nor righteousnesse good nor euyll can neyther profite or hurt after our death Lazarus cōmeth not vnto the ritch nor the ritch vnto Lazarus the ritch receyueth not the thing that he dooth aske though he dooth aske it with earnest praiers of the mercifull Abraham For the Garners Sellers he made faste the time is accōplished past the battaile foughten and the place thereof emptie and voide the Crownes are giuen they that haue foughten are at rest they that haue not preuented or come before are gone they that haue not foughtē he no more there they that haue beene ouercommed are driuen out For all thinges are plainlie consumated and ended by and by after the departing out of this world but whyles they be yet all in the conflict or battaile there is yet hope there is a medicine and confession And although these things be not in all men most perfect yet the saluation of other is not without hope And vnto this Saint Hierome dooth agrée writing on this manner in his 13 question 2. Chapter In praesenti seculo scimus siue orationibus siue consilijs inuicem nos inuari posse cum autem ante tribunal Christi venerimus nec Iob nec Daniel nec Noah rogare posse pro quoquam sed vnum quemque portare onus suum We knowe that in this worlde we can be helped one of an other either with prayers or with counsayle but after we be come once before the iudgement seate of Christe neyther Iob nor Daniel nor Noah be able to pray for any body but euerie man shall beare his owne burden And vppon the ninth Chapter of Ecclesiastes these be his wordes Peccator viuens iusto mortuo si voluerit in eius virtutes transire melior esse potest Quare quia viuentes metu mortis possunt bona opera perpetrare mortui verò nihil valent ad id adijcere quod secum tulere de vita A sinner yet lyuing may be better then a righteous man that is dead if he wil follow his vertues And wherfore for that they that be alyue may for feare of death doo yet good deedes but they that be dead are able to doo nothing vnto that which they haue once borne away out of this lyfe with them Therfore it is wisedome to make our selues ready afore and to prepare oyle for our Lampes that is to say to gette vnto vs a liuely faith working through charitie dooing good déedes whyle we haue tyme for when we be once gone there is no more tyme of well dooing of repentaunce or of amendment of lyfe the gate of mercie is shut we can adde nothing vnto that that we haue once caried away with vs out of this world Oh that this would sinke into mennes hearts I would to God this would be remembred of all men oh that they would remember this then we would not trust and haue affiaunce in the good workes of other men we would not be to séeke and buie oyle when it is more tyme to goe in with the Bridegroome least it should be sayde vnto vs Verelie I say vnto you I knowe you not Watch ye

the witte of man by reason of the féeblenesse thereof can by no meanes attaine vnto God but béeing holpen and lyfted vp by his holie worde It followed of necessitie that all men except the Iewes did wander in vanitie errour because they sought God without his worde Should the Papistes committe such absurdities in theyr writinges of matters of Religion if they reiected not the scriptures Should they holde such erronious opinions as they doo if they would content them-selues with the sufficiencie of the Scriptures no truelie if they followed the doctrine preceptes and councell of the Scriptures and not Traditions the inuentions of ambitious and worldly minded men S. Iohn teacheth in the. 20. Chap. That all things needfull to saluation are onely contained in the word of God These are his wordes Multa quidem et alia signa fecit Iesus in conspectu discipulorum suorū quae non sunt scripta in libro hoc haec autem scripta sunt vt credatis quod Iesus est Christus ille filius Dei et vt credentes vi● tam habeatis per nomen eius And many other signes dyd Iesus in the presence of his Disciples which are not written in this booke but these thinges are written that ye might beleeue that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God and that in beleeuing ye might haue life through his name The which wordes Cyrill expoundeth thus Non omnia qua Dominus fecit conscripta sunt sed quae scribentes putarunt sufficere tam ad mores quam ad dogmata All is not written that Christe dyd but so much as the writers thought sufficient as well to manners as to doctrine Saint Augustine De doctrina Christiana Lib. 2. Cap. 9. Sayth In his quae aperte in Scripturis posita sunt inueniuntur ea omnia quae continent fidem moresque viuendi All thinges contayning faith and manners are manifestly set downe in the Scriptures Basilius De fidei Confessione Sayth Manifesta est elapsio à fide et superbiae crimen aut reprobare quid ex ijs quae scripta sunt aut superinducere quid ex non scriptis It is a manifest slyding from the faith and a great pride eyther to reiect any thing that is written in the worde of GOD or to bring in any thing vnwritten For Christes sheepe sayth Saint Iohn Chap. 10.4 heare his voice and will not heare the voyce of an other And in his Moralles he sayth That if whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne if faith come by hearing hearing by the worde of God whatsoeuer is brought in beside the worde of God is not of faith and therefore sinne What haue we to doo good Christian people with Romish Traditions with Decrées Canons Constitutions Coūcels and Papisticall writings are their inuentions comparable with the scriptures or haue the Papists the lyke vtteraunce the lyke gifte of spéeche as Christe had Saint Iohn speaking of Christe Chap. 7.46 Sayth Nunquam sic loquutus est homo Neuer man spake as this man dooth Not all the hypocritical illusions of the Papists can once preuayle against Christes Church Not Cicero the father of eloquence not Demosthenes out of whose mouth flowed flooddes of eloquence not eloquent Pericles of whome it is written that he dyd thunder out his wordes not the golden tongued Chrisostome But Christes argumentes were so mightie and his wordes so swéete that a certaine woman hauing great admonition thereof lyfted vp her voice and sayde vnto him Happie is the wombe that bare thee and the pappes which thou hast sucked This worde differeth in perfection in his wordes all thinges endure take away this worde what is man a brute beast Take away the sunne out of the world what remaineth horrible darknesse Lactantius De ira Dei Cap. 1. Sayth Lumen mentis humanae Deus est remoto Deo coelestique doctrina omnia erroribus plena sunt God is the light of mans soule if you set a side or put away from you God his heauenlie worde all thinges are full of errours Take away this worde what is man a captiue of Sathan a praye of death a slaue of sinne a fire-brande of hell Ignorantia Scripturarū Christi ignorantia est Sayth Hierome in Prologo Esaiae Ignoraunce of the scriptures is ignoraunce of Christ As farre as heauen is distaunt from earth so farre ought heauenlie thinges alwayes be preferred before humaine thinges yea incomparably ought they alwayes to be preferred Hierome in Epistola Ad Demetriadem Virginem vtere lectione diuina Sayth hée Vtere speculo vide speculum foeda corrigenda pulchra conseruanda et pulchra facienda Scriptura enim speculum est foeda ostendens et corrige dicens Vse to reade the holie Scripture vse the glasse see the glasse that deformitie may be amended fayrenesse preserued and fayre thinges performed For the scripture is a glasse shewing deformitie and saying amend Gregoris in Moral sayth Sacra scriptura tanquam speculum quoddam mentis The holy Scriptures is as a certaine glasse of the minde S. Augustin in Psalm 48. Scriptura sancta sit tibi tanquam speculum speculum hoc habet splendorem non mendacem non adulantem nullius personam amantem formosus es formosum te ibi vides Sed cum foedus accesseries et foedum te ibi videris noli accusare speculum ad te redi non te fallit speculum tu te noli fallere Let the holie Scripture be to thee as a glasse this glasse hath no deceytfull or flattering brightnesse it is not in looue with any mans person Arte thou beautifull thou seest thy selfe there beautifull but when thou commest deformed accuse not the glasse aduise thy selfe the glasse deceyueth thee not deceyue not thou thy selfe Saint Augustine sayth Tom. 2. Epist 166. In Scripturis didicimus Christum in Scripturis didicimus Ecclesiā In the Scriptures we haue learned Christe in the Scriptures we haue learned the Church Saint Ambrose sayth in Homil. Lib. 4. Cap. 1. Christus oritur in lectione sol iustitiae In reading the Scriptures Christ the sonne of righteousnesse ryseth Saint Augustine sayth Verbo Dei docemur in omnibus By the worde of God we are instructed in all thinges Saint Basill in Concione Quod Deus non causa malorum verbum Dei ex quo solo noscitur Deus regiam viam monstrat et est lucerna pedum nostrorum The worde of GOD by the which onely GOD is knowen sheweth the kinges high way and is the lyght of our feete We learne faith in the Scriptures and not in Popishe Traditions Saint Hillarie sayth Ad imperatorem Constantinum to the Emperour Constantinus Fidem imperator quaeris audi eam non de nouis Chartulis sed de Dei libris Dooth your Maiestie seeke the faith Heare it then not out of any new scroll but out of the booke of God Saint Iohn sayth Chap. 14. Qui non diligit me sermones meos non seruat et sermo quem auditis non est meus sed eius

the body of Christe Therefore it is not corporal foode but spirituall Wherevpon the Apostle speaking of the figure therof Because our fathers did eate the same spirituall foode For the body of Christ is spirituall the body of Christ is the body of a diuine spirit De con Dis Ambros De sacra Lib. 4. cap. 4. Euen as thou hast receiued the likenesse of death so doost thou drinke the symilitude of blood Hesychius in Leui. Lib. 1. Chap. 2. Hunc comedimus cibum in recordationem passionis Christi We doo eate this meate receyuing the memorie of his passion Esai the. 25. Chap. And in this mountaine shall the Lord of Hoastes make vnto all people a feast of fatlinges euen as a feast of meate and fined wines and of fatte thinges full of marrowe of wines fined and purified c. Wéereby it appeareth that his suffering should be bread and foode for all people in the world and as it were an euerlasting banquet according to that propheticall promise Esay the Prophet the. 25. Chapter And for that cause least the remembrance of his passion should waxe out of minde he cōmaunded it to be done in the remembrance of him and by the same memoriall to shewe the Lordes death vntyll he come againe Whereby may appeare without any difficulty that the natural body is not eaten héere but the death of his body signified and the remembrance thereof celebrated Not the bread and wine turned into fleshe and blood but a Sacrament of our redemption to be instituted in bread and wine August De consecrat Dist 2. This is it that the heauenly bread which the flesh of Christe is called after his maner the body of Christ when as in deede it is the Sacrament of Christes body Rabanus Maurius Lib. 1. Cap 31. Sacramentum vna res est efficacia sacramenti alia res est Sacramentum conuertitur in nutrimentum corporis virtute sacraments honor aeternae vitae obtinetur The Sacrament is one thing the efficacie of the sacrament is an other thing the Sacrament is turned into the nourishment of the body by the efficacie of the sacrament the honour of euerlasting lyfe is obtayned Origen vpon Mathew writeth after this manner Panis sayth hée qui verbo Dei sanctificatur quantum ad materiam et substantiam in ventrem descendit et in latrinam eucitur The bread which is sanctified by the worde of God touching the matter and substance thereof goeth downe into the belly and is throwne out into the draught c. If that be bread which after sanctification goeth downe into the belly according to the testimony of Origen with what face wyll the Papistes deny it to be bread Againe on the other side if according to the Papistes opinion there remayne no crum of substance at all Whereof then shall that be a substance which Origen dooth ascribe to the bread To the same effect may Augustine De consecra Disti 2. be produced a witnesse of antiquitie not to be reiected The heauenly bread sayth he which is the fleshe of Christ is after this manner called the body of Christe beeing in verie deede the Sacrament of Christes body c. If it be a sacrament of the body how is it the verie body againe if because it is called the body of Christe it be therfore Christes fleshe what should let but that by the same argumēt Peter should be Sathan because he is called Sathan Moreouer if the nature of Sacramēts be such as to be called by the name of the thinges which they signifie Let the Papistes take away the substaunce of bread what shall be left in the Accidentarie fourmes that may eyther supplie the name of a body or represent the lykenesse of a body in any respect You haue heard good Christiā people bothe by the Scriptures and Doctours that there is no transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper Who is therefore of so peruerse minde that wyll not persuade him selfe that these wordes Take ye eate ye This is my body to be a Sacramentall spéech and mysticall and ought to be expounded simbolically and according to the meaning For the bread is a Sacramēt signe or pledge of the body of Christe I haue giuen you to vnderstand by many euident reasons that these words of our Lord This is my body ought not to be taken according to the grosse lytterall sence but to be expounded mystically or sacramentally for the bread remaineth in his substance is not chaunged into the substance of the body of Christe In lyke manner the naturall body of Jesus Christe the which being giuen once for vs raysed from death is ascended into heauen is not hyd nor inclosed vnder the kinde or forme of bread For the Angels of God speaking of this body beare witnesse thereof and saye Acts. 1.11 Hic Iesus qui assumptus est à vobis in coelum sic veniet quemadmodū vidistis euntem in coelum This same lesus which is taken vp from you into heauen shal so come euen as you haue seene him goe into heauen In like manner S. Peter sayth Act. 3.21 Quem oportet quidem coelum accipere vsque in tempora restitutionis omnium quae loquus ●us est Deus per os omnium sanctorum suo●um à seculo Prophetarum The heauen must receyue Iesus Christe vntyll the ●yme that all thinges be restored which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy ones from the tyme of the Prophetes Saint Paule sayth also Iesus Christe after he hath offered one sacrifice for sinnes is set downe for euer on the right hande of God from hence foorth tarying tyll his foes be made his footestoole Wherfore we reade that Saint Augustine writing to Dardanus sayde ryghtlie and according to the Scriptures Christe as he is God is all whollie present in euerie place but according to the measure and propertie of a true body he hath his place in some one place of heauen hee hath giuen immortallitie to his body in the glorification thereof After this forme he is not to be thought to be diffused and spread abroade euerie where Wherefore we must take good héede that we doo not so affyrme the diuinitie of the man Christe that we take away the trueth of His body For our personne is God and man and out Christe Jesus is bothe two béeing euerie where in that he is God but béeing in heauen in that he is man Yea and this aucthor hath left in his bookes these thinges and many other lyke bothe Catholique and according to the true sence of the Scripture agréeable to this matter Moreouer the Catholique veritie suffereth vs not to faine that Christe hath two bodies But if you take the wordes of the letter This is my body without the blessed body of the Lord béeing set at the Table with his Disciples gaue vnto them also I knowe not what other body for he could not giue him selfe with his owne handes vnto his Disciples Therefore