in argument to defende And as for shauen crownes and purple sandales holy water or praying in one tongue hee sayeth they were neuer taken for secreat mysteries in the Church and if the scriptures applyed to them do not proue them they take no harme for by like they are good ynough without the scriptures Sauing that the saying of Ezechiell Chap. 36. I will sprinkle you with cleane water hee seeth not but that it may bee applyed to holy water though it bee meant of baptisme because holy water putteth vs in mynde of our baptisme Where fynde you that meaning of holy water in all the exorcising or coniuring thereof A poore shift God wott to defende a beggerly ceremonie As for Ecce duo gladij hic to prooue that the Pope hath power of both swordes hee defendeth it to bee good and sufficient Firste because Christe had power of both although hee vsed but one But what hath the Pope to doe with Christe Forsooth hee made Peter his lieutenaunt and ruler of all Christians when hee had him feede his sheepe and lambes Euen as good a reason as Ecce duo gladij hic But what hath the Pope to doe with Peter if Peter had beene such a one Forsooth because hee sitteth at Rome So did Nero and was Pontifex Maximus to as good as the Pope But Barnarde vseth the same texte so What if Barnarde was disposed to iest with the Pope in his owne interpretations or if hee were in earnest can Barnarde make that good which is starke naught Last of all the shamelesse and blasphemous beast is not afrayde to compare this argument with the allegorie vsed by the holie Ghoste Gal. 4. of the two wiues in Abrahams house that were figures of two Testaments which the Apostle vsed not to proue but to declare and shewe plainly as it were by example that which hee had before moste substantially proued SECTIO 35. From the seconde face of the III. leafe to the seconde face of the 118. leafe The argumentes where on the masse is builded being so absurde as euen his brasen face blusheth to allowe hee aunswereth the thinges proued by these argumentes are but the heire and nayles of the masse and not the substantiall partes thereof and yet those partes are good ynough without those argumentes namely by tradition For the Corporall was of lynen before the argument of Christes buriall cloath was made for it Chalices were of goulde and siluer before the texte Babylon is a cuppe of goulde was alleadged for them And facer◠signifieth to sacrifice though Virgils verse had neuer beene written Cum faciam vitula For in the Iudges Manoah saide to the Angell faciamus tibi haedum de capris wee may offer to thee a kidde of the Goates O subtile Maister Rastell Where learned you first that Manoah spake latine Secondlye that hee woulde offer sacrifice to a man and not rather make readie a kidde to bee eaten of him whome he thought to haue beene a man for it followeth immediately in the text that Manoah knew not that hee was an Angell of GOD least you shoulde imagine that Manoah had beene a Papist and woulde haue offered a sacrifice to an Angell But yet to couer his shame with impudence he saith he will bee yet bolder and applie whatsoeuer hee findeth in the scripture to mainteine Popish ceremonies hee careth not howe fitlye Theologia Mistica hee saith hee woteth well non est argumentis apta Mysticall Diuinitie is not fit to make argumentes of But GOD keepe our faith from grounding vppon such diuinitie as will neither satisfie our conscience nor conuince the errors of other Laste of all least hee shoulde passe ouer this place without a blasphemie hee compareth these balde reasons of Siluester and Durande with the argument that Saint Paule maketh 1. Cor. 9. vppon this text of the law Thou shalt not binde vp the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne therefore GOD which prouideth that beastes labouring shoulde not want their foode ▪ much more woulde haue the minister of the Gospell rewarded for his trauell Whiche is a most pithie argument from the lesse to the more as euerye learned man and godly will acknoweledge SECTIO 36. From the second face of the 118. leafe to the 127. leafe in which he treateth of the priuate Masse Whereas the Bishop proueth the priuate Masse to be contrarie to the institution of Christe which ordeined a communion First M. Rastell will not vnderstand what is meant by this word priuate Masse for al Masses he saith are common which if it be true to vse his own examples of an open houshold and a common of pasture they be fooles that will pay any money for them Afterward vnderstanding a priuate Masse to be when no man receiueth with the Priest he asketh whether the Masse saide on Easter day be good bicause there be a number of communicants or whether any other Masse be good at which be many that receiue with the Priest I answer him those Masses in that point are lesse euil then the priuate Masses in which there is no communion bicause they erre not in that one point although they are abhominable in many other But now let vs heare how M. Rast. looketh the Doctours in the faces which were cited by the Bishop against priuate Masse as he promiseth to doe First to Clemens and Dionysius he aunswereth nothing but cauilleth at the Bishops manner of citing them not for writings of such antiquitie as they are said to be but yet sufficient to choake the Papistes which boast of their authoritie And trifleth of the oyle salt singing and in Dionysius which ceremonies as we haue not in our Church no more haue the Papistes in such order as he rehearseth thē To Iustine likewise he aunswereth nothing but cauilleth of the water vsed to be mixed with the wine in his time which was no ceremonie but a custome of sobrietie and of sending the communion to them that were absent which we vsed not neither is he able to proue that they vsed to send it as the communion but as almes rather of the great plentie of breade and wine that was accustomed to be offred And if it were proued to bee the communion it maketh more strongly against the priuate Masse that they would suffer none that were absent not to communicate much lesse would they suffer them which were present not to receiue with the minister The sayings of Ambrose Hierome Augustine Leo he passeth ouer with confession that the people in their dayes vsed to receiue with the Priest commonly but hee denyeth they did so alway Which hee weeneth to proue by that Chrysostome saith they did offer daily and Ambrose saith that in Greece they were accustomed to receiue but once a yeare And he thinketh it were absurde that there should be but one Communion in a yeare in Greece But hee is much deceiued for Saint Chrysostome as he confesseth speaketh of often receiuing ad Ephe.
their writinges verilye not hauing the images of their bodies but of their mindes For those thinges whiche are saide by them are the images of their mindes Likewise they cited the saying of Amphilochus sometime bishoppe of Iconium Non enim nobis sanctorum corporales vultus in tabulis coloribus effigiare curae est quoniam hijs opus non habemus sed politicè illorum virtutum memores esse debemus We haue no regarde to counterfet the corporall faces of the saintes in tables with coloures because we haue no need of them but we ought to be wisely mindfull of their vertues Moreouer they rehearsed the sayinge of Theodotus bishop of Ancyn Sanctorum formas species ex materialibus coloribus formari minimè decorum putamus horum cutem virtutes quae per scripta traditae sunt veluti viuas quasdam imagines reficere subinde oportet Ex hijs enim ad similem imitationem zelum peruenire possumus Dicant enim nobis qui illas erigunt quaenam vtilitas ex illis ad se redit an quòd qualiscunque recordatio eos habeat ex tali specie contemplatione sed manifestum est quòd vana sit eiuscemodi cogitatio diabolicae deceptionis inuentum We thinke it nothing at al seemely that the formes and shapes of the saintes shoulde be fashioned in materiall collours but their vertues whiche are deliuered by their writings as certain liuing images we ought often times to renue For by them we may come to the like imitation and zeale For let those which set vp images tell vs what profite commeth vnto them by them is it that a certaine remembrance come to them by such shape and sight But it is manifest that such cogitation is vaine and an inuention of diuelishe deceipte What shall here rehearse the testimony of Eusebius who whē the Empresse Constantia required to haue an image of Christ answered that no such images were to be made with many other sayings of Basil Gregorie Athanasius and other cited in that Councell which M.S. maketh so obscure as though they had mett by candle light and whispered in corners that they durst not be a knowne of But if it deserued not the credit of a councell what needed Irene to haue gathered this worshipfull councel of Nice against it And where M.S. for further allowance of it saith it was confirmed registred for a knowne lawful general councel throughout al christendom he speaketh out of al compasse of the trueth For the Emperour Charles the great would not receiue it but write or at the leastwise cōmanded Albinus or Alcuinus his teacher to write a booke against it in his name which booke is yet extant How it was receiued in Britaine Matheus Westm. testifieth in these words Eodem anno Carolus rex Francorum c. The same yeare Charles the king of Fraunce sent a synodall booke into Britane in whiche manye thinges were founde contrary to the true faith and especially this that it was defined by the consent of almost all the doctors of the East that images ought to be worshipped which doctrine the Catholike Church doeth altogether accurse Against which Albinus wrote an Epistle beinge marueilously well indighted by the authoritie of holy scriptures and the fame brought vnto the Frenche king with that synodall booke in the presence of the bishops and noble men These thinges considered the conference that he maketh betweene this councell and the first helde at the same place is chyldishe and ridiculous for though they were both helde in one place called by Emperours or Popes equall in number disputation in both 4. Patriarks in both custome obserued the decree put in execution c. yet they disagreed in that which is the onely authority of councels The first decreed according to the word of God the later cleane contrary to it The first confirmed the Catholike faith which alwayes was held the later a newe heresie of Idolatrie of which the Churche was cleare more then sixe hundreth yeares And therefore what soeuer hee talketh of the authoritie of general councels is vaine wicked for a general councel of Angels is not to be beleeued against the holy scriptures what is more plaine in the scriptures then the forbidding of Idolatrie and worshippinge of Images The great prerogatiue that Master Sander findeth in this councell that so many bishops recanted in it as in none other is a fonde matter to authorize it Rather it sheweth what turne coates they were which changed as euerie prince was affected Finally the nomber of names that he rehearseth of them that beleeued as this councell decreed maketh it not of sufficient credit beside that he is not able to proue it of many whom he nameth as Beda Theophylacte Euthymius c. It were an easie matter to proue as many mo of more antiquitie which beleeued the contrary As Clemens Alexandrinus Origines Irenaeus Iustinus Cyprianus Lactantius Epiphanius Arnobius Tertulianus Augustinus Chrysostomus Hieronymus Ambrosus Athanasius Basilius Gregorius Naza Eusebius Osius and 18. bishoppes with him in the councel of Eliberis Theodosus and 21. bishoppes with him in the councell of Laodicea Aurelius and 71. bishops with him in the councell of Carth. 5. Amphylochius Iconiensis Theodorus Ancyramus Serenus Massiliensis Claudius Taurinensis Albinus Carolus magnus yea Gregorie 1 of Rome and Ionas of Orleance against the worshipping of Images If I woulde descende to later times as Master Sander doth I might add a great number more as Waldo Masilus Henricus de Gandauo Iohn Wiclef Iohn Hus Hierome of Praga and many other So that there remaineth in recorde foure to one that M. Sander can name for the vse and worshippinge of images against either one or both And the greatest part more ancient then the second councell of Nice which he woulde maintaine by rehearsing so many names of men that allowed it the most part were since it was holden scarse two or three before it was helde THE XVI OR XV. CHAP. That M. Iewell himselfe bringeth such reasons for worshipping breade and wine in the sacrament of the Alter because he saith they are the image of Christs bodie and bloude as may right well serue for the worshipping of all holy images It is proued by maister Iewells owne words that the image of an holy thing may be worshipped with what intent an image it made Maister Iewell hath filthie and vnhonest images in his owne booke This Chapter conteineth nothing else but a shameles cauilling and quarrelling vppon maister Iewels words with little wit lesse learning and least of all of honestie The bishoppe writeth thus The olde fathers in their writings commonly cal the sacrament a representation a remembrance a memory an image a likenesse a samplar a token a signe a figure And in an other place he writeth thus Neither do we onely adore Christ as verye God but also worship and reuerence the sacrament holy mistery of Christes bodie Here vppon maister Sander reasoneth
the time of Tertullian and Cyprians time the people tooke the sacrament home with them This M. Rast. denieth to haue ben an abuse here he craketh of his equalitie with M. Iewel howe wisely let other iudge that his nay is as good as the Bishops yee The matter therfore resteth vpon proofe whereof we shall consider in the next section SECTIO 6. From the second face of the 40. leafe to the first face of the 42. leafe The Bishop alledged the example of a woman out of Cyprian which opening her chest with vnworthie handes in which was the holy thing of the Lord by fire breaking out she was terrified that she durst not touch it This miracle saith M. Ra. proueth none abuse in keeping the sacrament but her fault in presuming to touch it with vnworthie handes But why may it not serue to proue both seeing Christe gaue not his sacrament to be locked vp in Chestes but to be receiued Take eate saith he but neither the breach of Christes commandment nor of the end of his institution can persuade M. Ra. to acknowlege it to be an abuse bicause he imagineth that carying home of the sacrament may iustifie their reseruation therof for adoration yea and the communion vnder one kind wheras it neither iustifieth the one nor proueth the other For that they though abusiuely kept it in corners to receiue caâ—â—ot serue to iustifie the popish maner of hanging it ouer the altar or carying it abroad in procession to be worshipped And there is no colour in the world to make vs thinke that they caryed not as wel of the sanctified wine as of the sanctified bread home to their houses But it is a sport to see that he would proue it to be the body of Christ by the fire that came out of the chest The same Cyprian sheweth an other miracle of an vnworthie receiuer in whose hand the sacrament was turned into ashes will hee say the body of Christ was turned into ashes also But to be short he would knowe what Doctour or Councell we can shew to proue this carying home of the sacrament to be an abuse For Doctour he shal haue Origen in Leu. cap. 7. Hom. 5. Nam Dominus panem quem discipulis dabat dicebat eis accipite manducate noÌ„ distulit nec seruari iussit in crastinum For our Lord differred not that bread which he gaue to his disciples said vnto them take ye and eat ye neither bad he that it should be kept vntil the next day For councel he shal haue Caesar Augustanum Eucharistiae gratiam si quis probatur acceptam non consumpsisse in Ecclesia anathema sit in perpetuum If any man be proued not to haue spent in the church the gift of the Eucharistie which he hath taken let him be accursed for euer Finally if it bee no abuse why do not the Papistes suffer it to be done specially of their Popish brethren whome they take to liue in persecution vnder princes that professe the Gospell of Christ. An other abuse the Bishop rehearseth within Saint Cyprian and Saint Augustines time the Communion was giuen to young babes contrarie to the commaundement of the holy Ghoste Let a man examine him selfe and so let him eat c. whereas infantes are not able to examine them selues This will not Maister Rastell acknowledge to be an abuse neither that a reason of the abolishing thereof but onely the bare authoritie of the Church which belike hath abolished a good custome But hee faith infants might as well communicate as be baptized wherein hee playeth the Anabaptist requiring instruction before baptisme which the scripture doth not in the children of the faithfull as it doth examination iâ— the communicants Againe he saith they may as well communicate in the faith of the Church as they may be baptized in the faith of their Godfathers But I answere they are baptized in the faith which their Godfathers confesse not in that faith which they beleue for perhaps they may be hypocrites and so voyde of faith or heretiques and holde a false faith But seeing Christ said Drinke ye all of this he will knowe why infants may not also drinke and if they may not drinke then by all are meant none but al that were present that is all Priests But I answere drinke ye all of this is saide to all them to whome take ye eat ye c. is saide that is to all that are able to vnderstande the mysterie or else none might take and eate but all Priestes bicause onely Priestes as they say were present which yet they are not able to proue As for his comparing of the sacrament with spicebread and cakebread sauoureth of a mynde that inwardly derideth all religion though outwardly he pretend neuer so much Popish holinesse SECTIO 7. From the first face of the 42. leafe to the first face of the 43. leafe The Bishop rehearseth that Marcus an heretique and Necromanser as Irenaeus writeth made that by enchantment there should appeare very bloud in the chalice Hereof Rastel gathereth that the people beleeued bloud to be there and so he serued their faith and deuotion by his enchauntment but that is vtterly false for he would haue deceiued the people to make them thinke that hee had the bloud of Christe whereas the Ministers of the Catholike Church had but wine He counterfeted also a multiplying of the same wine by his sorcerie and all to get credite to his heresie and not to serue the faith as M. Rastel vntruely and vnlearnedly affirmeth but to ouerthrowe the faith of the people of God. SECTIO 8. From the first face of the 43. leafe to the first face of the 45. leafe The Bishop rehearseth other abuses of the sacrament as that some hang it before their brest for a protection some take the sacrament for a purgation against slander S. Benet ministred the communion to a woman that was dead M. Rastell confesseth the sacrament may be abused by Coniurers and other but he will not graunt that S. Benet did amisse because he was a Saint as though Saintes could not do amisse And he counteth it no reason against S. Benets fact that Christ gaue not the sacrament to dead folke for that he saith is no reason because Christ forbad no communion that three be not present neither badde the chalice to be filled when all is supped vp nor bad vs kneele and say we do not presume to come to this thy table nor carrie home the cantels of bread that are left But notwithstanding his fonde quarrelling whatsoeuer apperteineth to the decent and reuerent ministration of the communion Christ coÌ„manded though not euerie particular thing by name And Maister Rastell sheweth himselfe to be an ignoraunt Asse that compareth substances and accidentes the essential causes variable circumstances together whereas the one must haue the expresse worde of God or else it can haue no being the other for the
praescriptionibus aduersus haereticos which is such as hee saieth that euen religion muste agree to it if with anye reason it will bee credited But in deed it is suche as while Tertulian followed too muche hee fell from the Catholike Church to be an heretike The summe of that saying which M. Rast. hath shamefully gesded falsely translated so that it seemeth he hath not red it in Tertulians booke but in some mans notes that hath ioyned together as it were cantles or patches of Tertulians saying the effecte I saie is this That because some heretikes of his time receiued not all the scriptures and those which they did receiue they receiued not whole but by additions and detractions corruptions and wrong expositions they peruerted them to their purpose his iudgement was that against such heretikes the triall was not to bee made by scriptures by which the victorie should either be none or vncertaine or not sure and therefore in as much as they were not agreed what was scripture and how great was the authoritie thereof he thought that the order of disputinge required that these questions shoulde first be decided Vnto whom the Christian faith pertaineth whose are the scriptures of whom and by whom and when and to whom the learning is deliuered by which men are made Christians For where it shall appeare that the trueth of the Christian learning and faith is there shal be the trueth of the scriptures and of the expositions and of all Christian traditions This is the iudgement of Tertulian But seeinge we receiue all the scriptures Canonicall without addition or detraction yea and for the principal articles of our religion wherein we differ from the papistes we receiue the exposition of the most auncient writers both of the Greeke and Latine Churche not bringinge in any newe doctrine but requiring that the olde doctrine may be restored this rule of Tertulian doth not concerne vs Yet are we able to aunswere to all his demaundes without any taryinge and so as it shall satisfie Tertulian or anye man that vnderstandeth him We say that Christian faith pertaineth to true Christians and that the scriptures are theirs also We say also that the learning by which men are made Christians was deliuered of Christ by his Apostles and Euangelistes in the time of the raigne of Tiberius the Emperour first vnto the Iewes and after vnto the Gentiles making one vniuersall Chruch dispersed ouer the whole worlde And the trueth of this Christian learning and faith thus and then deliuered we do hold and mainteine therefore by Tertullians rule the truth of the scriptures and expositions all Christian traditions are with vs the rather because it cannot be proued that we hold any one article of beliefe but the same is conteined in the manifest wordes of the scriptures by which onely it may be tryed what learning Christ deliuered to his Apostles and they to the churches For seeing the memory of man cānot ascende vnto so many hundreth yeares the certeine remembrance must be had out of Records of writings for so much as no writings are either so auncient or so credible as the holy scriptures the trial must be onely by the scriptures notwithstanding Tertullians opinion as Augustine teacheth in many places of his writings against the Donatistes After this discourse vpon Tertullian he addeth sixe articles more falsely pretending that they are the demaundes of Tertullian but altering them into the manner of a challenge where as I haue both set forth and answered Tertullians demaundes according to his owne words and meaning The first is if we can proue by any sufficient and likely argument that we haue any true Christian faith at all among vs for faith saith hee cleaueth vnto authoritie which they can neuer shewe for themselues c In deede suche faith as cleaueth vnto mennes authoritie wee haue none but suche as cleaueth vnto the worde of God as saint Paule saith faith commeth by hearing of the worde of God which is onely true Christian faith wee haue the whole faith of Christians as we do dayly proue not onely by the auctoritie of scriptures but also by the testimony of aunciēt writers agreeable to the same And because he is so impudent to deny that we haue any true Christian faith at all I demaunde of him why hee doth not then rebaptise those that are baptised of vs seing he is persuaded that neither the minister nor the godfathers whose faith according to their doctrin maketh much fo◠baptisme haue any true Christian faith at all The seconde that the scriptures are deliuered vnto vs that we be the right keepers of them is proued by this argument that we be the church of God vnto whome the scriptures and the custodie of them perteineth That wee are the church of God we proue by this argumēt that we beleeue and teach all that and nothing else but that which God by his holy scriptures hath appointed to be beleeued and taught for Christian faith The thirde we knowe from whome wee haue receiued the gospel not from the Papists Namely frō the doctrine of god and his holy spirite from such ministers as were stirred vp of God and lightened with his spirite according to the scriptures and from the books of the Greekes and Hebrues and not of the papists The fourth we knowe by what successours the gospell came vnto vs from God the authour of it euen from the prophets and Apostles Euangelistes pastours and teachers of the church of all ages florishing in sight of the worlde vntill the comming and tyrany of Antichrist had ouerwhelmed all the worlde with darkenesse by whom they were persecuted and driuen into corners according to the prophecie of Christe in the Apocalipse cap. 12. but yet so as they alwayes continued and testified the trueth oftentimes openly protesting against Antichrist vntill nowe at the length the time being come in which Antichrist must be consumed they are againe brought into the sight of the worlde and the kingdome of Antichrist is made obscure ignominious contemptible The fift we knowe at what time the Gospell was first delyuered vnto the Church of the gentiles namely in the reigne of Tiberius in whose time Christ suffered since which time it hath alwayes continued and shall do to the end of the worlde To the sixt wherein he requireth vs to shew the foundatiō of some Church house communion table or booke c. by which it may bee gathered that a true apostolike religion was within the 600. yeares as void of ornamēts ceremonies reuerence distinction of places and dignities sacraments and solemnities perteining to sacraments as ours is I answere our religion hath all sacraments ornaments ceremonies distinction solemnities reuerence necessarie vnto eternall life and therfore to shewe a monument of a religion voide of these it perteineth not to vs Beside that it is a foolishe and vnreasonable demaund for vs to shewe any such monument remaining aboue 900. yeares when by so often
D. HESKINS D. SANDERS AND M. Rastel accounted among their faction three pillers and Archpatriarches of the Popish Synagogue vtter enemies to the truth of Christes Gospell and all that syncerely professe the same ouerthrowne and detected of their seuerall blasphemous heresies By D. Fulke Maister of Pembrooke Hall in Cambridge Done and directed to the Church of England and all those which loue the trueth AT LONDON Printed by Henrie Middleton for George Bishop ANNO. 1579. The contentes of the seuerall treatises conteined in this Booke 1 The Parleament of Christ auouching the inacted trueth of his presence in the sacrament restored to his veritie and deliuered from the impudent and outragious corruptions of Tho. Heskins 2 That it is lawfull to breake superstitious Images and vtterly vnlawful to honour them with a confirmation of suche true doctrine as Maister Iewel hath vttered in his reply concerning that matter against a blasphemous treatise made by Nicholas Sander 3 The challenge and sound doctrine conteined in M. Iewels sermon mainteined and deliuered from the lewde and slaunderous dealing of Rastel with an answere to his challenge ¶ A CATALOGVE of all such Popish Bookes either aunswered or to be aunswered which haue bene written in the English tongue from beyond the seas or secretly dispersed here in England haue come to our hands since the beginning of the Queenes Maiesties reigne 1 HArding against the Apology of the English church answered by M. Iewel Bishop of Sarum 2 Harding against M. Iewels challenge answered by M. Iewel 3 Hardings reioynder to M. Iewell aunswered by M. Edwarde Deering 4 Coles quarrels against M. Iewell answered by M. Iewell 5 Rastels returne of vntruthes answered by M. Iewel â–ª 6 Rastell against M. Iewels challenge answered by William Fulke 7 Dorman against M. Iewel answered by M. Nowel 8 Dormans disproofe of M. Nowels reproofe aunswered by M. Nowell 9 The man of Chester aunswered by M. Pilkington Bishop of Duresme 10 Sanders on the sacrament in part aunswered by M. Nowell 11 Fecknams Scruples aunswered by M. Horne B. of Winchester 12 Fecknams Apologie aunswered by W. Fulk 13 Fecknams obiections against M. Goughes sermon aunswered by maister Gough and maister Lawrence Tomson 14 Stapletons counterblast answered by M. Bridges 15 Marshall his defence of the crosse answered by M. Caulfehill 16 Fowlers Psalter aunswered by M. Sampson 17 An infamous libell or letter 〈…〉 against the teachers of Gods diuine prouidence and predestination aunswered by Robert Crowley 18 Allens defeÌ„ce of Purgatorie answered by W. Fulk 19 Heskins parleament repealed by W. Fulk 20 Ristons challenge answered by W. Fulk Oliuer Carter 21 Hosius of Gods expresse word translated into English aunswered by W. Fulk 22 Sanders rock of the church vndermined by W. Fulk 23 Sanders defence of images answered by W. Fulk 24 Marshals reply to Caulfhil answered by W. Fulk 25 Shaclockes Pearle answered by M. Hartwell 26 The hatchet of heresies answered by M. Bartlet 27 Maister Euans answered by himselfe 28 A defence of the priuate Masse answered by conâ—ecture by M. Cooper Bishop of Lincolne 29 Certein assertions tending to mainteine the church of Rome to be the true and catholique church confuted by Iohn Knewstub These Popish treatises ensuing for the most part are in answering and those which are not by God assistance as 〈◊〉 will serue shall receiue their seueral replies If the Papistes know any not here reckoned let them be brought to light and they shall be examined 1 Sanders vpon the Lords supper partly vnanswered 2 Allens defence of Priests authoritie to remiâ— sinnes and of the churches meaning concerning indulgences 3 Stapletons fortresse of the faith 4 Stapletons returne of vntruthes 5 Rastels replye 6 Bristowes Motiues and Demaunds collected out of the same 7 Vaux his Catechisme 8 Canisius his Catechisme translated 9 Frarins oration translated ¶ THE AVTHOVR to the Reader ALTHOVGH there is nothing in these bookes which haue beene so long vnanswered but either it is vnworthy any answere or else hath ben satisfied sufficiently before in many treatises extant in the English toung already yet because the aduersaries should not altogether please themselues in their fantasie that they be vnanswerable nor the simpler sort suspect that there is any thing in them that we need to be afraid of I thought good to take in hand this short manner of confutation In which I trust the diligent indifferent reader wil confesse that I haue omitted much matter whereof I might haue taken aduantage rather then that I haue left any argument of importance vnsatisfied Considering therfore what breuitte I haue vsed as was necessarie for me being but one against so many I trust the reasonable Readers will looke for no other vertue of writing at my handes but onely the simple shewing of the trueth and the plaine confutation of the false reasons of the aduersarie Which that they may the better see with more profit perceiue I exhort all such as haue the Popishe Bookes here confuted to conferre their argumentes with mine answers And for them that haue not the bookes at hand I haue so set downe the titles of their Chapters and the cheefe pointes of their treatises collected by themselues in their owâ—â— tables that the perusers may vnderstand I haue left no matter of any moment vntouched In rehearsing of their arguments I haue rather added weight vnto them then taken any force from them in my repetitioÌ„ or abridgement of them so neere as I could by any wit I haue conceiue their order and resolue their Methode What I haue perfourmed in answering let the godly and learned Iudge In the meane time I desire God to graunt that this my labour may be to the glorie of his name and the profite of his Church by Iesus Christe our Lord. THE FIRST BOOKE OF HESKINS PARLEAMENT REpealed by W. Fulke THE first Chapter vpon occasion that this aduersarie this proclamer and challenger he meaneth the B. of Sarum of holy and learned memorie would haue the Scriptures read of all men presupposing the same to be easie to be vnderstanded entereth as by preamble to treate of the difficultie of the Scriptures and to proue that they ought not of all men to be read without an able interpreter or teacher THIS Burgesse for the citie of Rome hauing in purpose to make a speake in the Popish Parleament for the matter of the sacrament of the Masse and douting least his tale should not be long ynough if he vttered nothing but that might seeme directly to appertaine to his cause beginneth with a pretie preamble of eight Chapters long of the difficultie of the Scriptures and the vnderstanding of the same And bicause he hath not aduauntage sufficient of any wordes or writing of the B. of Sarum to inlarge his speach by confuting thereof he feigneth vnto him selfe a monster to fight withall out of Luthers booke De seruo arbitrio who teacheth as he saith That the Scriptures of them selues be
easie of all men to be vnderstanded and neede none interpreter for that we be all taught of God and of his spirite c. Of which minde he imagineth his aduersarie to be In that he would the scriptures to be common to all men How false slanderous this his report is of Luther may sufficiently appeare by that one worde Theodidacti taught of God by which it is most manifest that Luther affirmeth the scriptures to be easie to be vnderstood not of all men in generall but onely of all them that are taught of God and of his spirite by which they were indighted But nowe our Burgesse will make plaine by discussion that the scriptures be obscure darke and hard to be vnderstanded and for that cause not of all men indifferently to be read and that by seuen arguments Although it followeth not that the scriptures are not to be read bicause they are hard but the contrarie yet let vs weigh these seuen arguments The first There be many controuersies of the blessed sacrament therefore there be difficulties in the scriptures If controuersies raysed by froward maintainers of falshoode be a proofe of difficultie there shall nothing be plaine not only in the scriptures of God neither in any other writings or sayings of men no not in such matters as are subiect to our senses but we shall be brought into an Academicall doubtfulnesse of all things But what say you M. Heskins are not the scriptures plaine for the reall presence of Christes body in the Sacrament which you maintaine Is Hoc est corpus meum nowe a matter of difficâ—ltie Let all Papistes that haue witte beware of your proceding you haue euen now by your first argumeÌ„t cut asunder the synnes strength of al your cause The second The very disciples of Christ besides the Iewes vnderstoode not Christes owne words before they were written Ioh. 6. Much lesse we the same written To passe ouer the vngodly difference you make betweene Christes wordes proceeding out of his owne mouth and the same writteÌ„ by inspiration of his owne holy spirit call you them the very disciples of Christ which offended with that speach departed from him or them that abid the interpretation of them and tarried still with him Such disciples as the former were be you and your sect which when the scripture serueth not your purpose accuse it of difficultie and vncertaintie as the olde Heretiques the Valentinians did as witnesseth Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 2. But Chrysostome I suppose helpeth you much where hee saith Quid ergo est durus difficilis intellectu quem capere non posset eorum imbecillitas plenus formidinis What then is this word hard difficult to be vnderstoode and such as their weaknesse could not receiue full of fearefulnes Here is the name of the words of Chrysostome but to what purpose when no doctor more often or more earnestly exhorteth all Lay men that are Christians to read the scriptures of God affirming theÌ„ also to be easie to be vnderstood for the most part and not onely without daunger but also verie profitable euen where they be hard to be vnderstoode I wil rehearse one or two places of a great number In Luc. cap. 16. Idque hortor hortari non desinam c. And this I exhort you and will not cease to exhort you that you would not only in this place meaning in the Church giue heede to those things that are said but also when you shall be at home you would euery day giue your selues to the reading of the holy scriptures And there followeth a reason Neque nunc fieri potest Neither can it nowe be I say it can not be that any man should obtaine saluation except hee bee continually conuersant in spirituall reading And not long after Etiamsi non intelligas illic recondita c. yea although thou vnderstand not the misteries that are therein hidden yet of the very reading of them great holinesse groweth Finally In genesim Hom. 9. In diuinis autem scripturis c. but in the holy scriptures in those spirituall and precious stories neither is it lawfull to suspect any danger neither is there any great labour but vnspeakable gaine onely let vs bring with chearefulnesse that which lyeth in vs. The third If the scriptures be plaine and easie for euery maÌ„ to vnderstand it was no great benefit that Christ did open his Apostles witts that they might vnderstand the scriptures nor that he did interpret Moses and the Prophetes to the disciples that went to Emaus wherefore we conclude with S. Peter that as he witnessing the Epistles of S. Paule be hard so be the rest of the scriptures hard O blundering Burgesse Who did euer affirme that the scriptures were easie to be vnderstaÌ„d without the spirit of Christ Or what asse of Acarnania wold brave out suche a reason The Apostles could not vnderstand the scriptures sufficieÌ„tly to teach all the world without a singular gift of interpretation therefore no Christian man may learne by reading the scriptures howe to knowe God to his eternall saluation without the same extraordinarie gift But by your leaue maister speaker for the office you take vpon you I know not howe you came vnto it you misreport S Peter being a Lord of the higher house as you count him for he saith not that the Epistles of S. Paule be hard but that among those things which he wrote of the second comming of Christ some things are hard to be vnderstoode Wherefore neither his authoritie nor your reason will be sufficient to conclude your cause The fourth The Chamberlen could not vnderstand the prophet Esay without an interpreter therefore the scriptures are not plaine and easie of all men to be vnderstanded A proper conclusion There is some difficultie in some scriptures therefore they are all hard and can not be vnderstoode We neither affirme that all things in the scriptures are easie to be vnderstanded nor that they are easie to be vnderstood of all men But that the children of God by his spirite are instructed to vnderstand so much in them as is profitable for their saluation and that nothing necessarie for vs to knowe is so obscurely set foorth in one scripture but it is as plainly set down in an other Neither do we reiect interpreters bicause we read the scriptures but as Chrysostom teacheth by reading the scripturs we are made more apt to vnderstaÌ„d the interpreters In Euan. Ioan. Hom. 10. The exaÌ„ple of Philip sent vnto the Chamberlen doth also declare howe God wil blesse the reading of the scriptures wheÌ„ he is sought in them The fift The Apostles them selues vnderstoode not Christe speaking of his passion and resurrection Iohn 16. After a while c. therfore if the liuely voyce of Christ was dark much more is the same now written in dead letters dark hard to be vnderstanded The Apostles by speciall dispensation not yet so wel lightned that they vnderstood their master not
iustice that Dauid doeth promise to execute against al the wicked of the land Psalm 101. to incourage men to cruelty and contention but all in vaine like as his purpose for which he alledgeth them was wicked namely to ouerthrowe the true and naturall sense of the scripture But yet the same Origen is directly against maister Heskins in that cause for which he is alledged as appeareth plainely in Leuitici cap. 16. Hom. 9. An tu putas qui vix diebus fectis ad Ecclesiam venis c. Thinkest thou whiche scarcely commest to the Church vpon the holy dayes giuest no heede to heare the wordes of God nor takest any paines to fulfill his commandements that the Lordes lot can come vppon thee Yet we wish that after you haue heard these things you would take paines not only in the Church to heare the wordes of God but also at home in your houses to be exercised and to meditate in the Lawe of the Lorde day and night Go your wayes now and boaste of Origens authoritie that the scriptures are not to be read of all men when in a publique Sermon he exhorteth all the people to the diligent reading of them and sharply reproueth them for their negligence in this behalfe The third Chapter to declare the newe Testament not to be easie to be vnderstanded â–ª bringeth diuers obscure places of the same As I said before there was neuer man yet so foolish to affirme the scriptures to be so easie that there was no obscure place in them but that nothing needful to saluation is so obscure in them but that it may be easily vnderstoode by conference of other places where the fame is most plainely set foorth But let vs see his wise reasons to proue the new Testament to be hard bicause some places therein be hard to be vnderstanded The Euangelistes Matthewe and Luke seeme to varrie in the Genealogie of Christ therefore all is not easie What then They both doe manifestly agree in that which is materiall for our faith â—hat Christe was the seede of Abraham and the sonne of Dauid In the rest what straunge matter is it if one pedegree be brought from one principall ancester by seuerall discents lineall and collaterall natural and legall by the male and by the female â–ª For the second obscure place Chrysostome is alledged who Numbereth it among the hid thinges howe Elizabeth being of the tribe of Leuie may be called the cousen of Marie A perillous doubt in solution whereof though a number be ignoraunt yet I doubt not but they may be saued And yet by conference of the stories of scripture it is easie to finde that men of the tribe of Iuda might marrie of the Priestes daughters and the Priestes did marrie euen of the Kings daughters of Iuda By which mariages cousenage might easily be vnderstoode to growe betweene the two tribes â–ª notwithstanding the lawe of Num 36. Which did forbid only those marriages by which the inheritances might be confounded The third doubtfull place is in Marke 13. Where it is said that Of that day and houre knoweth no man no not the Angels in heauen nor the sonne him selfe but the father And Chrysostome is againe alledged to shewe that this is a doubtful place and yet a simple Christian that knoweth the two diuers natures in Christ humane and diuine can easily solute it and say that although Christe by his godhead knoweth all things yet as he was man he knewe not all things The fourth proofe is taken out of the example of Algasia and Hedibia two godly women and studious of the scriptures whereof the one found twelue the other eleuen doubtes in the newe Testament and sent to S. Hieronyme for resolution of them I maruell M. Heskins hath so small discretion to alledge these examples which do quight ouerthrowe his purpose If not onely men but women also may read the scriptures and profite so well in the studie of them that they can finde but eleuen or twelue doubts in the whole newe Testament for resolution whereof they did as became good schollers send so farre for the iudgement of their learned maister But M. Heskins not content to shewe that they douted will also set downe some of their douts namely this one moued by Algasia Why Iohn the Baptist should send his disciples to Christ to aske this question Art thou he that shalt come or do we looke for an other seeing he both knewe openly pointed at Christ with his finger before Although this good woman doubted of this matter yet it is easie to answer that theÌ„ he sought the instructioÌ„ of his disciples rather then the confirmation of his owne knowledge An other was moued by Hedibia Howe Christ in Iohn 20. forbad Marie to touch him when Matthew 28. affirmeth that the women held his feete It seemeth to M. Heskins that one of these must be vntrue I dare say it seemed not so to Hedibia although she could not perfectly reconcile these places But seeing that both these reports are true it is plaine ynough that he suffered Marie Magdalene to holde his feete so much as was sufficient to confirme the certeintie of his resurrection forbad her not vntil she shewed her self too much addicted to his bodily preseÌ„ce Another doubt is howe Marke saith the women came to the sepulchre when the Sunne was rysen and then saith Marie Magdalene came early in the morning when it was yet darke A woman sitting at her distaffe woulde easily solue this doubt and say that it was darke when they set foorth of their dores but the Sunne was risen by that time they came to the Sepulchre Yet another doubt of Hedibia whether Christ breathing on his Apostles gaue them the holie Ghost when he promised to send him after his ascension There is no doubt but he did then in some small measure but afterwardes sent him with most plentifull vertue and power To conclude what needed Austen to haue written a great volume De consensu Euangelistarum what needed the comentaries of Hieronyme Ambrose vpon the Euangelistes or the Homilies of Chrysostome Augustine and the expositions of so manie learned men c. if the Scriptures be so plaine easie O foolish conclusion as though the Scriptures may not planely set foorth vnto vs all things necessarie for vs to learne and yet the same things with all other things conteined in them be set forth more plainly largely to the instruction increase of our faith hope comfort obedience c. by Comentaries Homelies expositions yea admonitions and exhortations The fourth Chapter conteineth certeine hard places of the Epistles M. Heskins taketh great paines in those Chapters to proue that which no man doubteth of that there be some hard and darke places in the Scriptures and yet it followeth not but that the Scriptures are a light vnto our steppes a lanterne vnto our feete the worde of the Lord giueth wisedome vnto
exercise of patience confirmation of faith Then the Epistle to the Hebrues hath two sore sentences Heb. 6. 10. For it is not possible that they which were once lightened and haue tasted of the heauenly gift and were made partakers of the holie Ghoste and haue tasted of the good worde of God and of the power of the world to come if they fall away should be renewed againe by repentance seeing they crucifie againe to them selues the Sonne of God and make a mocke of him And againe For if we sinne wilfully after we haue receiued the knowledge of the trueth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull looking for of iudgement and violent fire which shall deuour the aduersaries The difficultie of these places resteth in one point and in a manner in one worde in eche of the sentences For the Apostle excludeth not from repentance euery one that falleth and sinneth but him onely which sinneth so wilfully that he falleth cleane away from christ For then there is no repentance nor remission because he sinneth against the holie Ghost as did Iudas Alexander the coppersmith Iulian the Apostata such like The contention of Hieronyme Augustine about Peters dissimulation is the last example of difficultie which did not arise of any obscuritie of the place but of Hieronymes immoderate and ouer great zeale to defend Peter where the holie Ghost saith plainly he was worthie to be reprehended But for as much as these two great doctors could not agree about the exposition of this place it doth not so much declare the hardnesse of the Scriptures as it doth discourage vs to finde the certeine exposition of them at all times in the iudgement of the doctours which both in this place and many other are not onely diuers but oftentimes contrarie one to another The conclusion of the Chapter is not all amisse wherein he dissuadeth not men from reading the scriptures but from rashnesse of iudgement and exhorteth the readers of them to humilitie and modestie that so the spirite of GOD may rest vppon them which will leade them into all trueth The first Chapter declareth the mindes and iudgements of the Fathers and Doctours vpon the difficultie of the scriptures It is not ynough for this bold Burgesse to trouble the house in prouing that which no man doth gainesay but he wil also charge men with impudencie and arrogancie which giue him no occasion of this his long and vaine speache But herein he sheweth his witt more then his honestie For bicause he can not disproue that which they say he laboureth to proue that which they do not denie And nowe of the doctours substantially no doubt Origen must beginne who saith That these wordes of Paule Brethren you are called into libertie Gal 5. is an hard place and that the holy Ghost must be found in the scriptures with much labour and sweat c. We say likewise with Dauid that the godly mans studie must be in the lawe of the Lorde day and night But that Origen would not for the difficultie of the scriptures dissuade any Lay man from reading of them is manifest by this place in Gen. Capit. 26. Hom. 12. Tenta ergo tu ô auditor habere proprium puteum proprium fontem vt tu cum apprehenderis librum scripturarum incipias etiam ex proprio sensu proferre aliquem intellectum secundum ea quae in Ecclesia didicisti tenta tu bibere de fonte ingenij tui Assay therefore thou ô hearer to haue a pit of thine own a spring of thine owne that euen thou also when thou takest in hand the booke of the scriptures maiest beginne to bring foorth some vnderstanding of thine owne wit and according to those thinges which thou hast learned in the Churche assay thou also to drinke of the spring of thine owne witte Here Origen will not only haue men to reade the scripture but also incourageth them to seeke out the interpretation by their owne studie But Hieronyme next to Origen in his Epistle to Paulinus both noteth diuerse obscure places in the scripture and also counselleth Paulinus to vse the helpe of interpreters And who is it that mislyketh his councel especially if it be to exhort one that meant to be a teacher in the Church as Paulinus was Yet neuerthelesse we shewed before that Hieronyme would haue euen infantes brought vppe in the knowledge of the scriptures and exhorteth not onely men but women also to the studie of them and commendeth husband men and labourers for their knowledge of the scriptures And although he confesse the questions of Algasia to be full of difficulties yet he both commendeth her studie in the scriptures and desire to be resolued in her doubtes Yet Basill teacheth that all the scriptures are not to be published and made common For there are poyntes of learning or of doctrine that are to be kept close and the obscuritie which the scripture vseth is a kinde of silence so framing those points of learning that a man may hardly vnderstand them The wordes of Basil are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is according to Erasmus translation exercising a minde vnapte for the contemplation of this doctrine and that for the profite of them that exercise them selues in the scriptures Which last wordes M. Heskins hath fraudulently left out and so he is cleane contrarie to M. Heskins purpose Although Basill speaketh not expressely of reading the Scriptures by the faithfull but of publishing the mysteries of Christian religion that were receiued by tradition without Scripture For in his short definitions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to this question whether it be expedient that they which are new come to the faith should be instructed in the holie Scriptures he aunswereth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. This question may be dissolued by those things that were sayde before For it is both conuenient necessarie that euery man for his neede should learne out of the diuine Scriptures both for the certeine persuasion of godlinesse also that he be not accustomed vnto mans traditions But S. Ambrose also in fewe words saith much to this matter calling the Scripture of God the great sea hauing in it a deepenesse without bottome of deepe senses vnderstandings into the which many floods do enter But this letteth not S. Ambrose vpon 118. Psal. Serm. 1. to exhort the laye people to read the Scriptures Et tu lege prophetam vt videat lege vt apperiat os tutum And thou also read the Prophet that thou mayst see read that he may open thine eyes And againe Quod sisugias lectionem propheticam si domi non legas in ecclesia audire nolis c. But if thou flye from the reading of the Prophetes if thou read not at home thou wilt not heare in the Church but while thou feinest to heare those things that are read c. And if in your iudgement
he said much for you when he coÌ„pareth the scripture to the sea I thinke he saith more against you where he compareth the Church to the sea Hexam lib. 3. cap. 3. Vnde bene mari plerumque comparatur ecclesia quae primo ingredientis populi agmine totis vestibulis vndas vomit deinde in oratione totius plebis tanquam vndis refluentibus stridet tum responsorijs Psalmorum cantus virorum mulierum virginum paruuloruÌ„ consonus vndarum fragor resultat WhervpoÌ„ the Church is oft times verie wel compared vnto the sea which first by the coÌ„ming in of the multitude floweth out waues froÌ„ euery porch or entrie and then maketh a noyse with the prayer of the whole people as it were with the ebbing or flowing backe of the waues last of all with answerings of Psalmes singing of men women virgines and little children a well tunable sound of the waues reboundeth By this place it appeareth that all sorts of people were admitted to the reading of the scriptures and that no tong was vsed in the Church but such as was coÌ„mon to all the people Chrysostome succeedeth Ambrose who saith The scriptures are darke that they are found out with labour but not shut that they can not be found out at all and that the priestes ought to be the keykeepers of the scriptures not to shut them vp but to open them c. I would oppose some testimonie of Chrysostome to explane his meaning not to be to discourage men froÌ„ reading the scriptures but that M. Heskins doth soone after confesse the same of his owne accord in these wordes I am not ignorant gentle reader that Chrysostome doth so that is that Chrysostome in a number of places most earnestly exhorteth men to the reading of the scriptures and doth not feare them with the obscuritie and difficultie thereof I aske no more against M. Heskins but his own confession of Chrysostomes iudgement to be against him whervnto we must returne anon after a little consideration of Gregories iudgement Gregorie sheweth that the obscuritie of the scriptures is for great profite for exercising the vnderstanding for auoyding of wearines idlenes contempt and for great delight when it is found out with labour Augustine hath the like sentence but this maketh much for our cause that the obscuritie of the scripture where it is darke is very profitable for the diligent reader To conclude if all the scripture were neuer so darke yet seeing it is necessarie to be knowne of al men it ought to be read and studied of all the more the oftener where it is more hard to vnderstand that long diligent search may find out that which sildome slight reading would passe ouer As for the last testimonie of Hieronyme ad Paulinum concerning the Canonicall Epistles That they are both short and long so that there be not many which are not blind in them Bicause we had the like before I will referre it to the former answeres The rest of the rayling stuffe charging vs with cause of heresies arrogance and ignorance in suffering and allowing the people to reade the scriptures affirming them to be easie when they be hard c. is more meete for M. Heskins to write then vs to answere But to return to the obiection that he maketh of the iudgement of Chrysostome and Erasmus whom he confesseth to be against him let vs see his wittie answeres To Chrysostome he answereth That there were two causes why he would haue the scriptures read one that they might the better vnderstand his expositions in the Churche the other that they might reade them to followe them to these purposes he graunteth it were tollerable they should be read but not to frame newe doctrines out of them nor to contâ—mne the learned teachers c. And who I pray you would haue them read to other purpose Not Luther not Iewell nor any man whom you most spyte at But see the force of truth and the malice of an enimie therof Heskins hauing reasoned in fiue Chapters against the reading of scriptures nowe graunteth to it but yet that which is most conuenient of al most necessarie he vouchsafeth to cal it but tollerable To Erasmus he replyeth first that seeing he confesseth in diuers places the scriptures to be hard to vnderstand he maruelleth that he would exhort ignorant men to the reading of them But Erasmus would easily turne backe M. Heskins reason vpon his owne head Seeing they are hard they are the more often and diligently to be read studied Secondly he thinketh Alphonsus good ynough to oppose against Erasmus who affirmeth That although it were meete the people should read the scriptures in Chrysostomes time yet it is not meete nowe bicause lawes are changed as the times and manners of men are And it is no more meete that the people should nowe read the scriptures then that the Vigils should be kept as they were in Hieronymes time or that Infantes should receiue the Communion as they did in Augustines tâ—me or men shuld abstaine from bloud and strangled as in the Apostles time or discipline and publique penance should be vsed as in the old dayes If the maners of men be worse nowe they haue more neede of the knowledge of God whereby they might be reformed wherefore the similitudes are nothing like And besides this note also the errour of the Church in S. Augustines time confessed and the want of discipline in the Popish Church acknowledged The sixt Chapter declaring howe the people shall come to the vnderstanding of the scriptures The vnderstanding then of the scriptures is necessarie seing God as you coÌ„fesse which ordeineth nothing in vain hath appointed a meane wherby the people should come to the vnderstanding of the scriptures So by the way we haue gained thus much that ignorance is not the mother of Christian deuotion as was most impudently affirmed by all the Bel weathers of Papistrie in the conference of Westminster to the perpetuall shame ignominie both of them selues and al the Popish Church But nowe to the meane appointed by God which you say Is that the lawe should be in the mouth of the Priest and the people should learne it at his mouth A very godly order in deede but yet such as neither promiseth that the lawe shal be alwayes in the Priestes heart nor bindeth the people to learne it only at his mouth And therefore nothing in the world letteth but that the godly man should meditate in the lawe of God day night Psal. 1. and haue it so familiar vnto him that he shuld teach his childreÌ„ therin talke of it at home abroad vprising and downlying and write on the postes of his doores and vpon his gates that he may learne to do it Deut. 4. 11. Wherefore all the places that M. Heskins alledgeth to shewe that the Priestes should be learned and the people instructed by them serue to proue nothing that is in controuersie
but is confessed of al men except it be to condemne the Clergie of Papistrie which for the most part are ignoraunt not onely of Gods lawe but of all honest knowledge and vpon very necessitie open a gate vnto the people to seeke instruction them selues where the ordinarie passage is stopped through the ignorance of the Ministers The first place by him alledged is Deu. 17. That if there rise a matter too hard for the people in iudgement betweene bloud and bloud c. they shall come to the Priestes and stand to their iudgement on paine of death c. Although I might answere that this ordinaunce appertaineth to iudiciall causes of which God gaue his lawe also yet if it be taken generally so long as the Prieste determineth according to the lawe it is well ynough But this proueth not that the people must haue no vnderstanding beside the priests mouth For the decree is onely of matters that are difficult and such as cannot be decided at home No more do the wordes of Malachie That the lips of the Priest shall keepe the law and men shall require it at his mouth And much lesse the commaundement in Aggee Enquire the lawe of the Priestes And least of all that Christ commaundeth the Scribes and Pharisees to be heard sitting in the chaire of Moses These places proue that it is the Priestes duetie to be learned in the lawe of God but repel not the general lawe wherby euery man is cōmanded also to studie in the law of God yea though the Priestes neither would nor could teach him For if the blinde followe the blinde they both fall into the ditch which our sauiour Christ willeth all men to take heede of Hieronyme in the place by you alledged M. Heskins gathereth rightly of these places that it is the Priestes office to know and expound the scriptures but I muse how the greatest number of your Priestes can brooke those words of his If he be ignorant of the law he proueth him selfe to be no Priest of God. Much more against your cleargie your cause is that large sentence you set down out of Hieronyme thē to hurt your aduersaries where he concludeth out of 1. Tim. 3. Tit. 1. that both by the new Testament and the old it is the priests office to know and teach the lawe of god As is also that which you adde out of 1. Cor. 12. that God hath appointed some Apostles some Prophets some pastors teachers as though these orders might not stand with the peoples reading of the scriptures whē euen in the Apostles time the Thessalonians or Berrhoeans wer cōmended for that thei did not only heare the Apostles but also cōferred their doctrin with the scriptures Actes 17. Hauing rehearsed your texts you fal to collecting of three things out of thē 1. That it is the dutie of a Priest to be learned in the law of God and godly life also which euerie man confesseth 2. That there be doubts and hard matters in the law And that also shal be confessed But withall out of the same place it is proued that there are many plaine and easie pointes in the lawe because the decree was not for all the lawe but onely for harde cases of the lawe Thirdly that the people must bee taught them and learne of the priestes and this also shall be granted to the vttermost so that you will allow the people to learn such things as are easie not only of the priests but also of their own reading study conference with thē that are no priestes And this is no inuerting of Gods order M. Heskins how much soeuer you enuie the peoples instruction For it is gods commaundement as I shewed before that his people shoulde not onely reade the lawe themselues but teach the same to others yea parentes are commaunded to teach the lawe of God to their children and yet I weene you will not say that all parents be priestes But the marke you shoote at is easie to see the ignorance of the people is more for your worshippe and gaine then their knowledge The examples you bring of the people teaching Aaron of Chore Dathan Abiram rebelling against Moses and Aaron and of the Israelites in deposing Samuel and desiring a king are of no force to dissuade men from reading of the Scriptures no thoughe they haue learned and true teachers much lesse when they are vnder dumbe dogges and heretikes as all popishe priestes are nor to abridge the authoritie of lawfull magistrates in banishing and suppressing all vsurped power and false teachers nor to shake off the yoke of Antichrist to submit thēselues vnto a king There is too great oddes betweene the Pope and Samuel betweene Moses and Aaron the popish cleargie that they which withstande the Pope and his Prelates should be in the case of Dathan and his complices or of the people that refused the regiment of Samuel The saying of Augustine Ep. 118. Although it come in here out of season yet it maketh nothing against vs He saith It is most insolent madnesse to dispute whether that is to be done which the Church throughout all the worlde doth obserue Excepte M. Heskins can shewe what is obserued of the Church throughout the worlde which we doe not obserue or deny to be obserued For S. Augustine in that place speaketh of Ceremonies The seuenth Chapter declaring the same by examples of the Fathers and authorities of the Doctours of the Church The title of this Chapter pretendeth to declare howe the people shall come to the vnderstanding of the scriptures but the examples are most of the preachers and teachers how they shall atteine to knowledge sufficient to discharge their office But the first argument whervpō almost all the rest of the Chapter doth runne is a maruellous conclusion God commaundeth the children of Israell 32. Aske thy father and he will shewe thee thy Elders and they will tell thee Ergo God did not sende all the people only to the fiue books of Moses to learne but willed them to learne of their Elders So now all men may not be sent to the scriptures to learne but they must learne of their Fathers what be the goodly workes of God conteined in the Scriptures Why M. Heskins you forget not only lodgike but common reason We would not haue men to learne onely by reading the scriptures but muche more by hearing their teachers first their Pastors and then all other whom God hath indued with any gift of knowledge And wil you conclude with shame that because men were not sent only to the fiue Bookes of Moses men may not now be sent at all to the scriptures And are you so blinde that you cannot see this text to ouerthrowe the purpose of both your sixth and seuenth Chapters after this manner by necessary conclusion Men must learne of their fathers therefore not only of the Priestes The rest that followeth for certeine pages is so tedious a
proofe of that which is not at all in controuersie that it yrketh me to abridge it but for orders sake The Apostles learned of Christ in three yeares study prayer is required to the vnderstanding of the scripture by Origens iudgement The Fathers of the Church learned of their Elders as Clemens Marke Linus Cletus of Peter Titus Timotheus Luke Dionise of Paule and so one of an other Basil and Gregorie Nazianzen studied thirteene yeres in a monasterie Hieronyme learned of the Hebrues trusted not his own iudgement wherefore all rashe readers and arrogant teachers may be abashed which take vpon them to teach before they be learned whereas no man may be his owne teacher in the scriptures All this and much more shall be graunted to M. Heskins without any strife at all But that which he also granteth though it be not very liberally yet it must not be refused That in S. Hieronymies time many did study the scriptures which if the people coulde nowe reuerently and meekely vse might be tollerated Well then the allowance of antiquitie is of our side and the conditional tolleration of M. Heskins for I may not say of the Popish Church knowing what horrible persecution they practise against thē which haue but a book of the scriptures in their mother tonge found in their hand or house although it cannot be proued that they read it Wherefore it is most absurd that hee chargeth the proclamer with slaundering their Churche to bring hir in hatred with the lay people as though she had nowe forbidden them to read the Scriptures in their owne tongue whereas he knoweth no suche prohibition giuen to the lay people vniuersally But the reason is most monsterous For if there had bene any such prohibition there should not haue bene so many lay men which haue both read and written of the scriptures in their natiue tongues c. As thoughe learned lay men coulde not haue readd the scriptures but in their mother tongue But the church fearing the abuses of the scriptures by the vnlearned lay men forbad them But such lay men as vnderstād the scriptures in Hebrue Greeke the Church wil allow them to read thē in english O wise prouident Church Nay meruell not at this For the learned if they be rashe fall into heresies much more the vnlearned And the learned also yea and phisitians themselues sometimes take surfeites therefore it were a sure way for the people neuer to eate meate Noble men and wisemen somtime haue their houses burned therefore it is much more dangerous for poore and simple men to haue fire in their houses The knowledge of Mysteries muste not bee made common to all men for the Iewes would not suffer Genesis and Cantica to be redde of young men before 30. yeares of age The heathen men also as the Romanes Philosophers kept close their secrets the one Sibyllaes bookes the other Morall philosophie especially Metaphysike If I had time I might make sporte with this Metaphysical argument that Christian men must folow the practise of Infidels But I must passe ouer to the rest Chrysostom in the Greeke Church as wel as Hieronyme in the Latine wold haue the people to learne by hearing their teachers and not onely by reading them selues because the scriptures are darke and are a storehouse not common for all men but out of which the stewardes must deliuer to euerie man his portion Remember all this notwithstanding that M. Heskins confessed before that Chrysostome doth often earnestly exhort the lay and vnlearned people to the diligent reading of the scriptures Then followe similitudes of young children and vnthriftes the one if they feede thēselues the meate runneth about their mouth bosome and clothes the other spende their fathers goods in suites and quarels and contention with their brethren So men without witte grace abuse the scriptures to the hurt of others no profite of themselues Except all laye men want witt and grace these similitudes proue nothing For many priestes also want wit grace whō you admit to read the scriptures After similitudes come examples Valdo an vnlearned man caused Bookes of scripture to be translated and so beganne the sect of Valdenses or Pauperes de Lugduno Out of the same founteine of ignorance sprang the heretikes called Begradi Turrelupini Valdo was a godly man seeing the ignorance and vngodlines of the Priests did very wel to procure the translatiō of the scripture and vppon good groundes departed from the Church of Rome vnto the Church of Christ what the other were as stories are vncertein so I leaue them in doubt But Luther and Zwinglius are charged to affirme The scriptures to be easie and make it free for all men to read and expound them and teach that not onely men but also women may openly preache the worde of God and that as well a childe and a woman absolueth as a Bishop If these were not meere slaunders he would haue set downe their owne wordes the circumstance of which no doubt would discharge them of such absurdities as he collecteth For they would neuer affirme euery place of the scripture to be easie nor women but in case where al men or the most faile of knowledge to teach as the prophetesses of the olde lawe did nor women and children to absolue as well as a godly bishop by the doctrine of the Gospell but perhaps better then an ignorant Popish Prelate Likewise where he chargeth Luther To boast that he was ignorant in no part of the scripture and yet bringeth in his owne wordes wherein he confesseth that he knew not whether he had the right vnderstanding of the Psalmes and saith also that it was most impudent rashnesse for any man to professe that he vnderstoode any one booke of scripture in all partes I say the conference of these places doeth declare that no man except he were blinde madde or dronke with malice would beleeue the slaunder of boasting to be true in manner and forme as Maister Heskins setteth it downe Hauing vomited his malice against Luther Zwinglius he inueyeth with mayn sayle of open rayling against the people of our time for the rashnesse and disorder of some As though there were no talke but rash babbling of predestination free wil iustification yea God to be the author of sinne of the number of the sacraments especially the sacrament of the altar and no where but in Tauernes Innes Alehouses and Barbarshops in streetes highwayes and fieldes and in the mouthes of women boyes and girles God be thanked this slaunder is false Although there be great rashnesse in some and vnreligiousnesse in more yet the true members of Christ profite much by reading of his word We confesse with Gregorie Nazianzene that it is not for euery man rashly to dispute of God nor yet of diuine matters but with humilitie and sobrietie which they shal learne no where so well as in the holy scriptures of god The
any part vntill the next moâ—ning therefore he saith in Leuit. 7. Ho. 5. Nam Dominus panem quem discipulis dabat dicebat eis accipite manducate non distulit nec seruari iussit in erastiâ—um For that bread which our Lord gaue to his disciples and said vnto them take ye eate ye he deferred not neither commanded it to be reserued vntill the next day By which wordes it is manifest that as he disallowed the reseruation so was it not in vse in the East Church in his time And that M. Heskins may be snarled in his owne coarde he must call to minde what paines he tooke to proue the Pascall Lambe to be a figure of this sacrament and how earnestly he vrgeth that the trueth must answere the figure in all things iustly inso much that he alledgeth this text that not a iote or apricke of the law shall passe vntill all be fulfilled Nowe of the Pascal lambe there was an expresse coÌ„mandement that no part of it should be reserued vntill the next day therfore by his owne figures textes manner of reasoning I conclude that the sacrament may not be reserued at all The fiue and twentith Chapter proueth the same by Counsells that haue bene neerer to our time For Counsells that haue bene neerer to our time then sixe hundreth yeares after Christ we doe not admit their authoritie But M. Heskins promising Counsells beginneth with the institution of Iustinian That Monasteries of Virgines should haue libertie to choose a Priest which should bring vnto them the holy Communion Herevpon he will build reseruation for they did not celebrate to them saith he but they brought it As though he that bringeth the worde of God to theÌ„ doth not preach before them but bringeth a Sermon in his bosome But for as much as that decree speaketh not onely of a Priest but also of a Deacon I can be content to thinke that he brought the sacrament with him and did not consecrate there but what maketh this for reseruation to the vse of adoration which is the matter in question â–ª Or else for an ordinarie custome of reseruation if the sacrament were brought from the next Church where and when it was celebrated to the Monasterie not to be hanged vp in a cannopie but to be receiued presently But it is a proper reason that M. Heskins vseth for may be reserued for a short time why not for a long time For answere of this I will referre him to his owne Popish decrees that forbid such reseruation for feare of putrifaction and rottennesse At last commeth the Counsels of Wormes and Remes in which times it is certaine that great corruptions preuailed in the church then followeth the Counsell of Laterane commended for generall held Anno. 1215. speaking of the diligent reseruation of the sacrament with much adoe about the authoritie of Counsels But all not worth a rush The generall Counsell of Laterane falsified the text of scripture tract to both in wordes and sense alledging it thus in their second Canon or Chapter against Ioachim Abbas Pater quod dedit mihi maius est omnibus that which the father hath giuen me is greater then all Whereas the trueth of the text is the father which hath giueÌ„ them to me is greter then all A wise and worshipfull Counsel that can not confute an errour but by falsifying of the scripture And this is the Counsell that first decreed transubstantiation Last of all commeth the Counsel of Trent in our days and that not so vainely alledgeth of The age of the Nicen Counsell to haue acknowledged reseruation as M. Heskins impudently affirmeth therevpon that The Nicen Counsell did agâ—â—se reseruation Next he iangleth of the authoritie of the Church as though what so euer the synagogue of Antichrist doth affirme were the difinition of the Church of christ And in the end he ioyneth an other issue with the proclamer That if he can bring any plaine scripture catholique doctour or counsel that by expresse wordes forbiddeth reseruation he will subscribe For scripture the institution do ye this in remembrance of me proueth the sacrament to be an action and not a name of a thing that may be reserued for euery action is in mouing Secondly all Catholique doctours in a manner and all Counsels generall and prouinciall that speake of this sacrament call it Eucharistia whiche is a giuing of thankes which name can not be rightly applyed to the bread and wine only but to the whole vse of them according to Christes institution Thirdly the expresse decree of Clemens his owne Doctour is against reseruation alledged in the Chapter next before Fourthly Origen in Leuit. Chap. 7. Hom. 6. the place also cyted in the latter end of the 24. Chapter The sixe and twentith Chapter answereth the cheefe obiection of the aduerâ—aries Our cheefe argument hee saith against the reseruation and our very Achilles against all other rites vsed in the sacraments is that in the institution thereof there is no mention made of reseruation But there he belyeth vs For we say it is directly against the commaundement of the institution take and eate and do this in remembrance of me I would aske this question of him Was it lawfull for the Apostles to haue reserued it when Christ coÌ„manded it to be eaten If he say no let him shewe me why it is more lawfull nowe to reserue it then it was then seeing we haue the same commaundement continued doe this in remembrance of me that is take and eate it Moreouer we say it is cleane contrarie to the end and forme of the sacrament that it should be reserued and caried about to be worshipped For it is spirituall meate whose end vse and fruit is in eating not in keeping and carying about or worshipping But nowe let vs see Maister Heskins profound Diuinitie in solution of our argument There be three manner of doings as concerning the scripture One is to do so much as the scripture biddeth An other to do against that the scripture biddeth The third to do something besides that the scripture biddeth Concerning the first hee saith that As Christ tooke breade and wine made it his body and bloud commaunded it to be eaten and dronken in remembrance of him so he that taketh bread and wine and doth consecrate it eat it and drinke it in remembraunce of his death c. doth as much as the scripture biddeth him and is blamelesse in this respect This is true and all this doe we in our Church therefore are we blamelesse by his owne conclusion But they that being commaunded to eate and minister to bee eaten doe not eate it nor giue it to be eaten but keepe it and hang it vp doe manifestly breake this commaundement and so doe the Papisteâ— For they doe against that the scripture biddeth And whereas he alledgeth the sixt Counsell of Constantinople reprouing the Armenians for ministring with wine without water it seemeth that both
the wine and such like Did they not beate theÌ„ down with the institution of Christ For they coulde well inough distinguishe the substance from the accidentes the matter and forme from the circumstances After this M. Heskins will open a sleight of the proclamer who confesseth that women in the time of Tertullian and Cyprian did carie home the sacrament to their houses and receiued a portion therof in the morning before meat but he numbreth this custome among abuses whereas neither Tertullian nor Cyprian do directly reproue them neither do they allow them by any one worde But I pray you M. Heskins if it bee no abuse that women shoulde carie the sacrament home with them keepe it in their coffers and eate it euery morning next their heart why doe not you of the Popishe Church continue such an auncient custome Why haue you abrogated it and to dissuade them from it tell tales in you legends and promptuaries of some that haue carried it home and founde it turned I cannot tell into what monsters But peraduenture the vsage of the Church in Iustines time will prooue it to bee none abuse For then the sacrament was caried home to them that were absent And here M. Heskins alleadging Iustines Apollogie telleth not in whether Apollogie and setteth downe a forme of wordes which are not in Iustine Apoll. 2. where the matter is spoken of in such forme as he citeth theÌ„ by which once again you may see that his great reading of the doctors was out of other mens notes collections not of his own studie For it semeth he knew not in which Apologie this matter is spokeÌ„ of alleging this saying thus Cum auteÌ„ is qui praest gratias egerit totus populus approhauerit 〈◊〉 qui vicentur apud nos diaconi distribuuÌ„t vnicuique praesentiâ—a vt participent de pane in quo gratiae actae sunt de vino aqua his qui non sunt praesentes deferunt domuÌ„ WheÌ„ he that is chefe hath giuen thankes and all the people hath consented to it these that with vs be called deacons doe distribute of the consecrated bread and of the wine and water to euerie one that is present to receiue and to those that be absente they carie it home But Iustines owne wordes bee these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When we haue ended our prayer there is offered bread and wine and water And the chiefe minister sendeth forth likewise praiers thanksgiuing with al his might and the people giue their consent saying Amen Then is made distribution and participation of those thinges for which thankes is giuen vnto euerie one And to them that are not present there is sent by the deacons By these wordeâ— it can not be proued necessarily that the sacrament was sente to them that were absent but rather part of the breade and wine which was offered in greate plentie the distribution whereof belonged to the Deacons and immediatly after mentioÌ„ is made of the contribution of the richer sorte But admitte that they did send the sacrament to such as were sicke or otherwise to necessarily letted that they could not be present in bodie yet were present in minde and ioyned in prayer with them what maketh this for the popishe reseruation to bee worshipped Euery one that was present there receiued onely the Priestes receiueth amongest the Papistes and hangeth vp the rest ouer the Altar But it is a fine reason of M. Heskins they carried it therefore they reserued it if they reserued it an houre why might they not reserue it as long as they lift But they caried it that it might be receiued presently they hanged it not vp to bee gazed vppon S. Basill also witnesseth that holy men liuing in the wildernesse did reserue the sacrament in their alter Omnes in Eremis 〈◊〉 vitam agentes vbi non est Sacerdos communionem domi seruantes a se ipsis communicant All that leade solitarie liues in the wildernesse where there is no Priest keeping the comâ—union at home de receiue it of them selues M. Heskins falsifieth the wordes in translation sayth they receiued by them selues as though they receiued it alone This fragment of Basils Epistle argueth an abuse of the reseruation but it proueth no hanging vp of the sacrament for adoration That this was an abuse crept in of superstition it is manifest for that it was afterwarde by a Godly councell condemned and forbiddeÌ„ Concil Caesaraugustanum Capit. 3. Eucharistiae gratiam si quis probatur acceptam non consumpsisse in ecclesia anathema sit in perpetuum Ab vniversis Episcopis dictum est Anathema sit If any person be proued after he hath taken the grace or gift of the Eucharistie not to haue spent it in the Church let him be accursed for euer All the bishops saide let him be accursed Moreouer to prooue a thing to be lawfull by such an vsage as they them selues confesse to bee vnlawfull what abusing of the simple is it S. Hierome also in his apollogie against Iouinian testifyeth that the people of Rome in his time vsed to keepe the sacrament in their houses and receiue it by themselues In this place I cannot tel whether I should suspect that which hath often been prooued before that M. Heskins cyteth his authorities out of note-bookes and collections rather then out of his owne readings and so knowe not what was Hieroms iudgement of this custome of receiuing at home or else that of fraude to abuse the reader hee hath concealed it But the matter of trueth is this There was a custome at Rome to receiue euery day which custome Hierome sayth he doth neither allowe nor reprehende But hee appealeth to the consciences of those men that had communicated at home the same day after they had companyed with their wiues wherefore they durst not go to the Church Quare non ingrediuntur ecclesias an alius in publico alius in domo Christus est quod in ecclesia non licet nec domi licet Why come they not into the Churches Is there one Christ in the publike places another in their priuate house that which is not lawfull in the Church is not lawfull in the house But howe can M. Heskins proue that the people vsed to keepe the sacrament in their houses wherof there is no worde in Saint Hierome but rather it is to bee thought that the Priests did come to them and minister it in their priuate houses which Hierome also disalloweth And howe can he prooue that they did receiue it by them selues when Saint Hierome sayeth communicant they do communicate The last discourse prouing by authoritie of Saint Augustine that vniuersall obseruations of the Church where the Scripture commaundeth not the contrarie are to bee holden for lawes is meerely vaine seeing he can neuer prooue his reseruation to be catholike or vniuersally allowed and practised of the Church and we haue proued it to be contrary to the Scripture The eight and
Christe But by his fauour the prophet in calling the newe sacrifice pure doeth not charge the old with imperfection if they had been offered according to their institution but reproueth the priestes that they had polluted the Lords sacrifices with their couetousnes and hypocrisie and in punishment of their pride which thought God could not bee serued except it were by them threateneth that he will reiect them and the people that were partakers of their sinnes and set vp the spirituall pure worship of his name among the Gentils in all partes of the worlde which shoulde better please God as the Prophete saith then a bullock that hath hornes hooffes And as for the purenes that M. Heskins requireth in the new sacrifices wee haue a sufficient warrant of the holy Ghost Heb. 13. that by Iesus Christ wee offer the sacrifice of prayse always to God that is the fruites of the lippes which confesseth his name doeing good and not forgetting to distribute for with such sacrifices God is pleased By which place you may see that the expositions of the godly before rehearsed are grounded vpon the word of God and not the deuise or imagination of man It is meruell that M. Heskins as the rest of the papistes do in this place doth not builde much vppon the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly doth signifie a sacrifice made of flower and so a kinde of bread but then he lacketh wine and the other worde which the prophete vseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth an incense or perfume both excludeth that phantisie and also sheweth that the Prophet according to the common custom of other Prophets speaketh after the capacitie of the people in discribing the spirituall state of Christs Church by the external-figures ceremonies of Moses law And so there is no place in the scripture maketh lesse for the sacrifice of the masse then this text of the prophete Malachie The foure and thirteth Chapter expoundeth the prophesie of Malachie by Martialis and Ireneus M. Heskins desirous to expounde this prophesie by two verie auncient barrons of the high house of parleament beginneth with one Martialis whom to make him seeme more reuerend and auncient he hath adorned with Parleament Robes affirming that he was the disciple of Christ himselfe and after his Maisters death kepte companie almost continually with the Apostle Peter therfore willeth euerie man to giue audience to his speache Now whether euer there were any such disciple of Christ companion of the Apostle as the scripture maketh nomention of him so I will affirme nothing But for as much as the Church neuer heard of any such writer neither by Eusebius or by Hieronyme nor by Gennadius all which gathered the names of all the writers that had ben in the Church of Christe that were knowen in their times and seeing that many hundreth yeares after there is no mention of any such writer and writinges in anye approued authour I will playnely affirme that the authour of such Epistles is more worthie to stand on the pillerie for an impudent counterfeiter then to sit in the Parleament house among the Apostles of Christ and the holy doctors of the Church If there were nothing else to confute him but the title that he giueth himselfe it were sufficient to prooue him a shamelesse forger Martialis Apostolus Christi he tearmeth himselfe in the Diuels name as though the scripture had not defined both of the number and of the calling of the Apostles If any man liste to heare his absurde speach that hee maketh for the sacrifice of the masse let him resorte to M. Heskins swynetrough for I will not vouchsafe to defile my penne and paper to carie awaye such draffe of such pseude-apostles and counterfeit doctors Leauing therefore M. Heskins with his groyne serching in that swill I will chase him away from routing in the holy auntient garden of Irenaeus of whom M. Heskins confesseth that hee is not to be suspected of truth therby insinuating that his Martiall was not so honest but that his credite might come in question But Irenaeus lib. 4. Chapter 32. writeth thus Sed suis discipulis dans consilium c. But also giuing counsell to his disciples to offer the firste fruites vnto God of his owne creatures not as to one hauing neede but that they might be neither vnfruitefull nor vnthankefull he tooke that bread which is of the creature and gaue thankes saying this is my bodie and likewise the cup which is of the same creature that is with vs hee confesseth to bee his bloude and taught the newe oblation of the newe Testament whiche the Church receiuing of the Apostles offereth to GOD in all the world to him which giueth food vnto vs the first fruites of his owne giftes in the new Testament of which Malachias amonge the twelue Prophetes hath foreshewed I haue no pleasure in you saith the LORD Almightie and I will receiue no sacrifice at your handes c. Here M. Heskins I knowe not for what subtiltie had translated verie absurdly primitias munerum suorum the firste fruite of his sacrifices But to the matter What can bee more playne then that Irenaeus speaketh here of the sacrifice of obedience and thankesgiuing celebrated in the sacrament of the Lordes supper For he sheweth the end of the institution to be that they should neither be vnfruitefull nor vnthankfull which oblation the Church obserueth throughout all the world according to the Prophesie of Malachie in the celebration of the Lordes supper although not onely therein M. Heskins cauill of the newnesse of the oblation I haue answered before that it is newe in the manner of the offering which is without such sacrifices ceremonies as the lawe prescribed And whereas the incense and the pure oblation that the Prophet sayeth should be sacrificed to God be both of one nature Irenaeus doth in plaine wordes expound the incenses for spirituall sacrifice namely the sacrifice of prayers Which exposition M. Heskins doth so obstinately contemne lib. 4. Chap. 33. Quoniam ergo nomen filij proprium patris est in Deo omnipotente Iesum Christum offert ecclesia bene ait secundum vtraque in omni loco incensiū offertur nomini meo sacrificium purum Incensa autem Ioannes in Apocalypsi orationes ait esse sanctorum Therefore for as much as the name of the same perteineth to the father and in God almightie the Church offereth Iesus Christ he sayeth well according to bothe and in euery place an incense is offered to my name and a pure sacrifice Nowe S. Iohn in the reuelation sayth that the incense are the prayers of the Saintes The one being a spirituall sacrifice the other is also of the same nature by which it is euident howe the Church offereth Iesus Christ in God almightie namely when shee rendreth moste humble and hartie thankes to God for her redemption by Iesus Christe To which intent much more might be
alledged out of Irenaeus but for prolixitie and the same places shall afterwardes be cited for other purposes The fiue thirtieth Chapter proceedeth to the exposition of the same Prophet by S. Augustine Eusebius Out of S. Augustine is alledged a long saying lib. Aduersus Iudaeos but not so long in wordes as short of his purpose Dominus omnipotens dicit c. The Lorde almightie sayeth I haue no pleasure in you neither will I receiue sacrifice of your hands Certainly this you cannot denie ô ye Iewes that not oâ—ly he doth not take sacrifice as your handes for there is but one place appointed by the lawe of the Lord where he hath commaunded sacrifices to be offered by your handes beside which place he hath altogether forbidden them Therefore seeing you haue lost this place according to your deserts the sacrifice also which was lawfull to be offered there onely in other placeâ— ye dare not offer And it is altogether fulfilled which the Prophet saith And sacrifice will I not receiue at your handes For if the Temple and the Altar remained to you in the earthly Hierusalem you might say this were fulfilled in them whose sacrifices being wicked men abiding among you the Lorde doth not accept but that he accepteth the sacrifice of other that be of you and among you which keepe the commaundements of god But this cannot be saide for asmuch as there is not one of you all which according to the lawe which proceeded from mount Sinay may offer sacrifice with his handes Neither is this so forespoken fulfilled that the sentence of the Prophes will suffer you to aâ—nswere because wee offer not flesh with our hands with our heart and mouth we offer praise according to that in the Psalme Sacrifice to God the sacrifice of praise From this place also he speaketh against you which sayth I haue no pleasure in you c. Moreouer that you shuld not thinke that seeing you offer not and that he taketh no sacrifice at your hands therefore no sacrifice is offered to God whereof truely hee hath no neede who needeth not the goods of any of vs yet because he is not without a sacrifice which is not profitable for him but for vs be adioyneth and sayeth For from the rising of the Sunne vntil the going downe of the same my name is made honourable among all the Gentiles and in euery place a sacrifice is offered to my name euen a pure sacrifice because my name is greate among the Gentiles saith the Lorde Almightie What aunswere yee to these things open your eyes at the length see from the sunne rising to the going downe thereof that not in one place as it was appointed among you but in euery place the sacrifice of the Christians is offered not to euery God but to him that spake these things afore hand euen to the God of Israel Wherfore in another place he sayth to his Church and he that hath deliuered thee the same God of Israel shal be called the God of the whole earth Search ye the Scriptures in which you thinke to haue eternall life and truely you should haue if in them you could vnderstand Christ and hold him But search them through and euen they beare witnesse of this pure sacrifice which is offered to the God of Israel not of your nation alone of whose hands he saide he would receiue none but of all nations which say come let vs go vp into the hill of the Lord neither in one place as it was commaunded in the earthly Hierusalem bâ—t in euery place euen in Hierusalem it selfe â–ª neither after the order of Aaron but after the order of Melchizedech First we must see how M. Heskins note booke deceiued him for where the words of Augustin in the beginning of this sentence are these Locus enim vnâ—to est lege domini constitutus c. that is â–ª there is but one place appointed by the lawe of the lord M. Hesk. hath falsified and set downe locus enim vnus est loco domini constitutus which he translateth For there is one place in the place of God appointed But this is not the first corruption that we haue bewrayed by a great many Nowe to the matter Maister Heskins still harpeth vpon one string that the sacrifice in this saying spoken of cannot be the sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing because that is not peculiar to the Christians but was offered of the Iewes before Christe and may be yet if they be conuerted But I haue more than once or twise declared that here is no such peculiaritie in the matter of the offering but in the maner of the oblation And Augustine speaketh not halfe a worde by which we might deeme that he refuseth the spirituall sacrifice of the Christians to be the pure sacrifice prophesied in Malachie If you vrge that he sayeth it is offered after the order of Melchisedech and so hath relation to the offering of breade and wine in the Sacrament although it be no necessarie conclusion yet Augustin him selfe will tell vs that it is a spiritual sacrifice of laude and thanksgiuing And M. Heskins him selfe directeth vs to the booke saying As notable a saying as this hath S. Augustine in an other place also and quoteth lib. 1. Cont aduersariuÌ„ legis Prophetarum who so listeth to reade shall finde that that shall not repent him of the reading What place M. Heskins meaneth I knowe not but in the same booke I read in the 18. Chapter that he calleth the death of Christ 〈◊〉 singuler and onely was sacrifice If that sacrifice be but one singuler and the onely true sacrifice what manner of sacrifice is the sacrifice of the Masse which setteth vp a newe altar to ouerthrowe the crosse of Christ And that you may knowe what sacrifice S. Augustine meaneth when he nameth the sacrifice of the Church or the sacrifice of breade and wine or any such like phrase he speaketh this in the twentieth Chapter of certeine apocryphall writings falsly intituled to the Apostles Andrew Iohn Qua fillorum essent receptae essent ab ecclesia quae illorum temperibus per EpiscoporuÌ„ succesâ—iones certissimas vsque ad nostra deincapâ— tempora perseueraâ— immolat Deo in corpore Christi sacrificium â—â—â—dis Which if they had bene theirs they should haue bene receiued of the Church which from their times by most certeine successions of Bishope continueth vnto our times and after and sacrificeth to God in the bodie of Christ the sacrifice of lawde and prayse And let this suffice to discharge Augustine from M. Heskins and the Papistes blasphemous cauelling Now must we come to Eusebius which lib. â— Euang. Demonst. cap. 10. writeth thus The Mosaical sacrifices being reiected he doth by diuine reuelation declare our ordinaâ—ies that was to 〈◊〉 saying For from the rising of the 〈…〉 the going down of the sâ—â—e my name is glorified among the nations in euery place 〈◊〉
were of weight or the corruption of the time in which he liued vnknowen there is nothing in this saying which might not easily and without any wresting be referred to the spirituall sacrifices to the spirituall manner of sacrificing the body and bloud of Christ which we haue learned out of the elder fathers The seuen and thirtieth Chapter maketh a brieefe recapitulation of thinges before written with the application of them to the proclamation of the aduersarie and so concludeth the first booke It were but vaine labour especially for me that professe such breuitie to repeate the answers and declarations made before that not one of these Lordes of the higher house whom he nameth fauoureth his bill of the carnall presence or the sacrifice of the masse in such sense as he and his fellowes take it But whereas he is so loftie once againe to ioyne issue with the proclaymer that as he hath done alwayes hitherto vpon the negatiue I will not refuse him And yet by the way I must admonish the Reader how vnreasonably he dealeth that ioyneth all his issues vpon the negatiue whiche sometime is harde sometime is vnpossible to be proued whereas the Bishop whom he calleth the proclaimer ioyneth issue with them vpon the affirmatiue which if euer it was holden is more probable to finde proofe in antiquitie Whereas if I might haue libertie to ioyne vpon the negatiue I would bring in fiue hundreth propositions that are false and yet neuer a one expressely denied of the olde writers because there neuer happened any controuersie aboute suche matters in their times But to his issue If he can bring any one sufficient authoritie that shall directly say that the Church may not offer the body of Christ in such sorte as it doeth I will giue him the victorie First here he reiecteth the authoritie of the Apostle to the Hebrues saying it is but wrested which is as direct as nothing in the worlde can be more direct that Christ offered himselfe and that but once and by that one oblation hath made perfect for euer them that are sanctified But he shal heare Chrysostome vpon the same scripture Hebr. 10. Aufer◠primum vt sequens statuat c. He taketh away the former that he might establish that whiche followeth Beholde againe the aboundance This sacrifice sayeth he is but one but those sacrifices are many for therefore they were not strong because they were many But tell me what need is there of many when one is sufficient Therefore whereas they were many and alwayes offered he sheweth that they were neuer purged For as a medicine when it is strong and effectuall to giue health and able to driue away all sicknesse being but once laide to worketh the whole at once If therfore being but once laide to it hath wrought the whole it sheweth the vertue thereof in that it is not laid to any more this is the effect of it that it is laid on no more but once But if it be always laid to it is a manifest token that it preuailed nothing For this is the vertue of that medicine that it is but once laid on and not oftentimes euen so in this case By what meanes were they always healed by the same sacrifices For if they had ben deliuered from al their sins there should not haue bene offered sacrifice throughout euery day For they were appointed that they should be always offred for al the people both at euening in the day Therfore that was an accusation of sinns not a discharge for ther was made an accusatiō of weaknes not a shewing of strength For bicause the first sacrifice was of no force the second was likewise offered bicause that also profited nothing an other was offered also wherefore this is but a conuiction of sinnes For in that they were offered there is a conuiction of sinnes but in that they were always offred there is a conuiction of infirmitie But contrariwise in Christ the sacrifice was but once offered For what neede was there of medicines when there is no more wounds remaining For this cause you wil say he cōmanded that it should always be offered bicause of infirmitie that there might be also a remēbrance of sinnes What then do we◠Doe we not offer euery day we offer truely but for a remembraunce which we make of his death and this is but one sacrifice not many Howe is it one and not many Bicause it was offered but once and it was offered in the holy of holies but this sacrifice is an exemplar of that we offer the same alwayes For we do not nowe offer one lamb to morrowe an other but the same thing alwayes Therfore this sacrifice is but one For else by this reason bicause it is offred in many places are ther many Christs No but one Christ is euery where both here being perfect and there being perfect euen one body For as he which is euery where is one bodie and not many bodies so also it is one sacrifice And hee is our highe Priest which offered the sacrifice which purged vs the same do we also offer nowe which then truely being offered can not be consumed Howbeit that which we doe nowe is done truely in the remembraunce of that which was done then For this do ye saith he in remembraunce of me We make not an other sacrifice as the high Priest but alwayes the same but rather we worke the remembrance of the same This place of Chrysostome sheweth both that the Church neither doth nor may offer the body of Christ in such sort as the Papistes say that is really and carnally and for the sinnes of the quicke and the dead and also howe the Church is saide to offer the sacrifice of Christes body namely when she celebrateth the remembrance thereof After this holy issue ioyned M. Heskins rayleth vpon Cranmer which in his first booke hath not one Doctour or Counsel to alledge but only a litle false descant vpon a scripture or two as the proclamer in his Sermon What reading Cranmer and Iewell were able to shewe in the Doctours and Counsels is so well testified by their owne learned workes vnto the world that it can not by such an obscure doctour as M. Hesk. is be blemished or darkned But M. Heskins hath such store of testimonies for the sacrifice of the Masse to proue that Christ is offred therin that beside those which he hath alredy cited he wil ad three or foure to this recapitulation First he nameth Iustinus Martyr in his dialogue against the Iewes Where he alledgeth his wordes truncatly leauing out the beginning ▪ which declareth that Iustine maketh all Christians Priestes and offerers of the sacrifice of thankesgiuing in the celebration of the Lordes supper His wordes are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euen so we which by the name of Iesusas al shal be one man in God the maker of al things hauing put off our
before he departed from them And although after his resurrection hee appeared to them at sundrie times by the space of fourtie dayes eating and drinking with them to shewe the certeintie of his resurrection speaking of the kingdome of God yet is there no worde of celebrating of the sacrament with them And it is altogether vnlikely that he would giue the sacrament the comfort of his absence at his first returne againe to them and that he woulde celebrate the same to two disciples and not to the whole number of his Apostles who had as great neede to be confirmed in faith as those two Finally if euer he had repeated the vse of the sacrament it is moste probable he woulde haue done it immediatly before his assention but then he did not which S. Luke who sheweth that storie exactly would not haue omitted therefore there is no likelihood that he did it before But admitt that he did then minister the communion doth it followe because bread is onely named therefore the cuppe was not giuen But Maister Heskins woulde haue it proued that the figure Synechdoche is here vsed that is part named for the whole For profe the institution of Christe and practise of the church for more then a thousand yeres after Christ may serue a reasonable man. Also the vsuall phrase of the scripture which by bread meaneth whatsoeuer is ioyned with it to be receiued as Math. 15. Mark. 7. The disciples are accused for eating bread with vnwashed handes c. shall wee here exclude meat and drinke because bread is onely named Also Marke the 3. they had no leysure to eat breade Luke 14. Christe came into the house of the Pharizee to eate bread And Iohn 6. You seeke mee not because you haue seene the signes but because you haue eaten of the breade and are satisfied And 2. Cor. 9. He that giueth seede to the sower shall minister bread for foode And 2. Thess. 3. wee haue not eaten our breade freely And in the same Chapter the disordered persons are exhorted to labour and eat their owne bread In all these places and a great number more breade onely is named in which it were mere madnesse to affirme that only bread is spoken of not meat or drink So the whole supper of Christ cōsisting of bread wine for the outwarde or earthly parte vnder the name of breade the cuppe also is comprehended Wherefore the practise of Christ is not contrarie to his institution as M. Heskins most arrogantly wickedly and vnlearnedly affirmeth The second reason he vseth is that the institution perteineth onely to priestes because Christ did then minister it onely to priests But first that is not proued nor like to be true for seeing our Sauiour Christe did minister the communion in the house of one of his disciples with whom he did eat the passeouer it is not like that he excluded him from the sacrament of the new testament with whome he was partaker of the sacrament of the olde testament For proofe that both he and his familie were partakers of the Passouer with him it is manifest that it was not possible for thirteene persons to eate vp a whole sheepe and other meat also at one meale For it was a sheepe of a yeare olde although it were a verie small one and must be eaten with the head feete the purtenaunce and nothing reserued vnto the morrowe But graunt that onely the Apostles were partakers of the first institution by the same reason that the one part of the sacrament perteined to them only the other parte also might be left to them onely and so the people should haue neither of both kindes because onely priestes had both kindes deliuered vnto them Further he sayeth the doctrine of Saint Paule is not sufficient to proue that the sacrament ought to bee ministred in both kindes for Saint Paule doth but onely set foorth the institution without an exclusiue excluding all other maners but this O shamelesse dogge is not the institution of Christe an exclusiue of all other manners take example of baptisme is it lawfull to baptise with any other lycour then water into any other name then the name of the Father the Sonne ▪ and the holy Ghost yea it is sayed in the Actes that the Apostles baptised in the name of Iesus Christe and yet no man will saye that they brake the institution of Christe and baptised onely in the name of Christe excluding the father and the holy ghoste Euen so it is sayde they continued in breaking of breade shall wee not vnderstande this after the institution as well as the other Againe if the institution of Christ had not heene an exclusiue of all other manners howe doth the Apostle by the institution of Christ reproue another manner brought in by the Corinthians Finally when the holy Ghost by Saint Paule commaundeth euery Christian man and woman to trye themselues and so not onely to eate of that breade but also to drinke of that cupp what Lucifer is that which wil oppose him selfe against the flatt commaundement of the holie ghost 1. Cor. 11. and saye the lay people shall not drinke of that cuppe or may be without the cupp well ynough But the doctrine of the Catholike church as he sayeth is that the whole sacrament is in either of both kindes the bloude is in the bodie and the bodie in the bloud But this is neither the doctrine of Christ nor the doctrine of the church of christ For Christ to shewe that he is a perfect nourishment vnto vs which of necessitie consisteth of meate and drinke and neither of both can be lacking for the nourishment of our bodies hath instituted his sacrament both in bread and drinke to testifie vnto vs that wee are perfectly fedd in him and therefore hath deuided the sacrament into two signes the one to signifie his bodie as meate the other to represent his bloud as drinke and therefore confounded be he the confoundeth these things which his heauenly wisedome hath thus mercifully distinguished Iustinus also a moste auncient writer of the church affirmeth that the sacrament consisteth of a drye and moyst nourishment in Dialog Cum. Tryphone aduersus Iudęos And euen this verie diuision of the sacrament sufficiently confuteth both transubstantiation the carnal presence For if he had purposed to giue vs his naturall bodie in the forme of bread or otherwise in the bread he would not haue deuided his bloud from his bodie But euen hereby he taught vs that hee spake of an heauenly mysticall and spirituall manner of eating his bodie and drinking his bloud by faith and not of a swallowing or gulping in of the same at our mouth and our throte But the cuppe saith Maister Heskins is the bodie of Christ and howe is it consecrated by these words This is my bloud Why where is nowe the plaine wordes of scripture where bloud is taken for a whole bodie But seeing Christ sayth further This is my
could not remaine The drinke sanctified in the bloud of our Lord brake out of her polluted bowels c. Out of this Historie Maister Heskins gathereth two thinges First that the sacrament in that time was ministred to infantes which was in deede a great abuse contrarie to the worde of god Secondly that this childe receiued onely the cup which is false for though she was not so troubled at the receipt of the bread yet it followeth not that she receiued no bread but contrariwise Cyprian saith the Eucharistie by whiche wordes the fathers alwayes vnderstand the whole sacrament could not remaine in her bodie And whereas he reasoneth foolishly that if she had receiued the bread she should like wise haue beene troubled he must vnderstand that when God worketh a miracle he taketh times and occasions at his pleasure And it is like he would not discouer her pollution that come by bread and wine before she had receiued both bread and wine as the sacrament If I should vrge vpon this place as the scoole men doe whether this that was vomited was the bloud of Christ and what should be done with it or what was done with it in this storie I should trouble him more then he could easily answere Another tale he telleth out of Sozomenus Eccl. hist. lib. 8. Cap. 5. Ioanne Constantinopolitanum c. When Iohn Chrysostome did very well gouerne the Church of Constantinople a certeine man of the Macedonian heresie had a wife of the same opinion When this man had heard Iohn teaching what was to bee thought of God he praysed his doctrine and exhorted his wife to be of the same minde with him But when she did more obey the words of noble women then his conuersation and after many admonitions her husband had profited nothing Except quod he thou be a cōpaniō with me in Diuine matters thou shalt not be hereafter a partaker of liuing with me When the woman heard this promised her consent dissemblingly she cōmunicated the matter with a certeyne maide seruant which shee iudged to be trustie vnto her and vseth her seruice to deceiue her husband And about the time of the mysteries they that be receiued to them know what I say she keping that she had receiued fell downe as though she would pray Her maide standing by giueth her priuily that which she brought in her hand with her which thing when it was put to her teeth it congeled into a stone The woman beeing astonnied fearing least any euil should happen to her for that thing whiche came to passe from God made hast to the Bishop and bewraying her selfe sheweth the stone hauing yet vpon it the markes of her bit and shewing an vnknowen matter and a wonderful colour and also desiring pardon with teares promised that she would agree with her husband And if this matter seeme to any man to be incredible this stone is a witnesse which is kept to this day among the Iewels of the Churche of Constantinople If this storie be true as it is no article of our beleefe yet proueth it not that the communion was ministred in bread only to all the rest that would receiue the cuppe although I wote not what was turned into a stone before the time came she should receiue the cuppe If M. Heskins will vrge she could not haue any thing to conuey into her mouth in steede of the wine I answere she might easily counterfet the drinking by kissing the cuppe and so letting it passe from her without tasting thereof Wherefore this is but a blind and vnreasonable coniecture of Maister Heskins that the sacrament was ministred in one kinde because she that had dissembled in the receipt of one kinde was punished with depriuation from both kindes The last reason he vseth Is that it is testified by learned men that the manner of receiuing vnder one kinde which is vsed in all the Latine Church vpon good Friday on which day the priest receiueth the hoste consecrated vpon maundie Thursday hath been so vsed from the primitiue Church But what learned men they be except such as him selfe and what proofes they haue of this vsage he sayeth not so much as halfe a word The whole matter standeth vpon his owne credite But if he and all the learned of that side should fast from good Friday vntill they haue shewed proofe of such an vse in the primitiue church not as they vse to fast in Lent but from all manner of nourishment there would not one learned Papist be left aliue on gang Monday to shew what proofes they haue found Thou hast seene Reader what his reasons and authorities are iudge of the answers according to thy discretion ¶ The end of the second Booke THE THIRD BOOKE OF MAISTER HESKINS PARLEAment repealed by W. Fulke The first Chapter entereth by Preface into the first text of S. Paule that toucheth the sacrament and expoundeth it according to the letter TThe Preface is out of Didymus that diuine matters are to be handled with reuerence and considering the difficultie of the scriptures by Hierome that in matters of doubt recourse must be had by Irenęus his aduise vnto the most auncient Churches in which the Apostles were conuersant In so much that Irenaeus saith Libro 3. Cap. 4. Quid autem c. And what if the Apostles had left vs no writinges ought we not to haue followed the order of tradition which they deliuered to them to whome they had committed the Churches Wherevpon Maister Heskins gathereth that not onely for matters conteined in scripture but also for traditions vnwritten in the holie scriptures the fathers are to be credited But he goeth farre from Irenaeus minde who confuted the heretiques both by the scriptures and by the authoritie of the moste auncient Churches whose traditions must haue beene all our institution if there had ben no scriptures But seeing that scriptures inspired of God by his gratious prouidence are left vnto vs al traditions are to be examined by them that is twise proued after Irenaeus minde whiche is proued both by the scriptures and by the authoritie of the Churches Otherwise the scriptures are sufficient of them selues 2. Tim. 3. And no tradition or authoritie is to be receiued which is repugnant or contrarie vnto them The text of Saint Paule that he speaketh is written 1. Cor. 10. Brethren I would not haue you ignorant that all our fathers were vnder the cloude and all passed through the sea and were all baptised by Moses in the cloude and in the sea and did all eate the same spirituall meate and did all drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of the same spirituall rocke which followed them and the rocke was Christe Where it is to be noted that Maister Heskins in steede of the same spirituall meate and the same spirituall drinke translateth one spiritual meate and one spirituall drinke as though the sense were that the Fathers did all eate drinke of one spiritual kind
broken downe thine altares While hee sayth thine he sheweth that the thing is Gods where any thing is offered of any man to God. Vppon pretence of this place Maister Hesk. chargeth vs with great sacriledge for pulling downe their popish altares on which they committed idolatrie and moste horrible sacriledge And therefore wee are commaunded to ouerthrowe such altares to breake downe their pillers burne their images with fire Deut. 7. And whereas he compareth vs to one Iulianus an heathen man that pissed against the altare and therfore was horribly punished hee sheweth his wisedome For there an idolater did vilanously contemne the Christians religion therfore was iustly plaged of God but we as Christians haue obeyed the lawe of God in ouerthrowing their antichristian idolatrous altars And yet I thinke the fact of Iulianus was not worse then the filthinesse of Pope Iohn that lay with his whores vppon your altares In the conclusion of this chapter he affirmeth that the altar sacrifice are correlatiues therefore there coulde be none altars but there was also sacrifice I haue shewed sufficiently howe the old writers called the communion table an altare and the sacrament a sacrifice namely a sacrifice of thanksgiuing and not of propitiation and yet more must I saye vpon M. Heskins discourses that followe The two and thirtieth Chapter vpon occasion that it is proued that the primitiue Church vsed the altare and reputed the bodie and bloud of Christ to be a sacrifice beginneth to treate of the same sacrifice which we commonly call the Masse Because the names of altar sacrifice haue beene vnproperly vsed by auncient writers for wee haue shewed that their altar was a table and their sacrifice a thankesgiuing therefore M. Hesk. will treat of the sacrifice of the Masse And first of the name of Masse which he saith we abhorre and iustly because it hath been vsed of many yeres to signifie a most blasphemous and idolatrous seruice The name he will deriue in all the haste out of the Hebrue tongue from a word that is called Mas from whence the Latines haue deriued their worde Missa being the same that the Greekes called Liturgia and the Latines officium which is in English a seruice To this I aunswere first that if Missa or Masse be nothing but a seruice then Euen song may be called Masse because it is a seruice Secondly it carryeth no shewe of trueth that the Latines would borrowe their name of the Hebrues rather then of the Greekes Thirdly that there is no such Hebrue worde as Maister Heskins affirmeth to bee Mas signifying a seruice as I report mee to all that haue but meane knowledge in the tongue Fourthly that although the name of Missa bee of some antiquitie in the Romane church yet is it neither so auncient as he maketh it and that which is chiefely to be regarded it is neuer founde in the holie scripture But nowe let vs consider his authoritie First Leo bishop of Rome Epist. 79. sayeth thus Necesse est vt quaedam pars populi sua deuotione priuetur si vniut tantùm Missae more seruato sacrificium offerre non possunt nisi qui prima diei parte conuenerint It must needes be that some parte of the people bee depriued of their deuotion if the manner or custome of our onely masse being obserued they cannot offer sacrifice except such as came together the first part of the day Vppon coulour of this place Maister Heskins will not onely prooue that the name of Missa is auncient but also that it is lawfull to saye more then one Masse in one church in one day if two then three if three then tenne if tenne then fifteene and so twentie which the proclaimer sayed could not be proued But you shall see howe lewdly hee abuseth his reader The proclaimers challenge was of tenne or twentie priuate Masses sayed in one church and commonly at one time Maister Heskins bringeth in authoritie of Leo which proueth that when one communion coulde no serue any more then so manie as the church woulde holde at one time it was meete it should be celebrated twise or as often as the same was filled with people vntill all had receiued which as wee confesse to be true so maketh it nothing in the worlde for the priuate Masse but altogether against it as is plaine by the whole treatie going before which Maister Heskins according to his accustomed synceritie hath cleane left out Vt autem in omnibus obseruantia nostra Concordet illud quoque volumus custodiri vt quum solennior festiuitas conuentum populi numerosioris indixerit ad eam tanta multitudo conuenerit quam recipere Basilica simul vna non possit sacrificij oblatio indubitanter iteretur ne his tantùm admissis ad hanc deuotionem qui primi aduenerint videantur hi qui posimodum confluxerint non recepti cum plenum pietatis atque rationis fit vt quoties Basilicā pręsentia nonae plebis impleuerit toties sacrificiū subsequēs offeratur And that our obseruation may agree in al things this also we will haue to be kept that when a more solemne festiuitie shall call together a greater assembly of people and so great a multitude is gathered vnto it that one great Church can not receiue them altogether the oblation of the sacrifice without doubt may be done againe least those only being admitted which came first they which came together afterward might seeme not to be receiued whereas it is a matter full of godlinesse and reason that how often so euer the presence of a newe people shall fill the Church so often the sacrifice following should be offered But M. Heskins vrgeth in the place by him cited that the word missa is vsed which is not denyed but this was almost 500. yeres after Christ about the yere 480. Secondly that the Masse is a sacrifice But he will not see that it is such a sacrifice as all the people offer which can not be a sacrifice propitiatorie but of thankesgiuing Howbeit he saith The Masse is a sacrifice that is or ought by ioyne affection and deuotion of the people to the Priest to be offered of them all What affection or deuotion he would haue to the Priest I do not well vnderstand but let him shadowe him selfe in what fond phrase of word he will yet can he not auoyde but that the people by the wordes of Leo did offer sacrifice in as ample manner as the Priestes and then they were all Priestes Besides this in the words of Leo he obserueth not that it was a custome of the Church before his time to haue but one Masse or Communion in a day so straightly kept that vpon necessitie they would not relent therein vntill he tooke this order with them But Maister Heskins asketh what scripture the proclamer hath to the contrarie for twentie Masses in one Church in one day I aunswere Saint Paule willeth the Corinthians to
no man of learning will acknowledge them to be his And seeing the Greeke Liturgies are very vnlike the Latine Masse hee doth but mocke the ignorant readers to say they be all one Finally hee doth most absurdly conclude that his Masse should be within the compasse of Saint Augustines rule ad Ian. Ep. 118. That those thinges which the vniuersall Church obserueth throughout the worlde we may vnderstand that they are retayned as ordained either of the Apostles them selues or of the generall Counsels whose authoritie in the Church is most profitable Illa que per orbem vniuersa obseruat Ecclesia datur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis vel a plenarijs concilijs quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrim a authoritas statuta retineri Thus hath M. Hes. cited Augustine to haue a starting hole vnder the name of the church but Saint Augustines wordes are somewhat otherwise Illae autem quae non scripta sed tradita custodimus quÄ™ quidem toto terrarum orbe obseruantur datur intelligi vel ab ipsis Apostolis vel plenarijs concilijs quorum est in Ecclesia saluberrima authoritas commendata atque statuta retineri sicuti quod Domini passio resurrectio ascensio in Coelum aduentus de Coelo Spiritus sancti anniuersaria solennitate celebrantur si quid eliud â—ale occurrerit quod seruatur ab vniuersis quacunque se diffundat Ecclesia Those things which we obserue being not written but deliuered which truely are obserued throughout all the world it is giuen to be vnderstoode that they are retained as commended and decreed either by the Apostles or by generall Counsels whose authoritie in the Church is most wholsome as that the Passion resurrectioÌ„ of our Lord and his Ascention into heauen and the comming of the holy Ghost from heauen are celebrated with yerely soleÌ„nitie or if there be any such like matter which is obserued of all men wheresoeuer the Church spreadeth her self But seing the Popish Masse was vnknowne to the world in Augustines time neuer vsed throughout the worlde of all men for the orientall Churches neuer receiued it to this day if it haue no better holde then it getteth by this place of Augustine it must needes fall to the ground And thus much concerning the name fourme of the Masse In the next Chapter we shall heare of the matter or substance of the Masse it selfe The three and thirtieth Chapter treateth of the Masse it selfe Maister Heskins first with rayling tearmes taketh exception to the proclaymers diuision of the Masse into foure partes Prayers consecration receiuing doctrine except he adde oblation as the fifte or comprehend it vnder the name of consecration Moreouer he saith this is but a description of Masse in the large signification But the Masse it selfe properly is the holie consecration of the bodie and bloud of Christ the holy oblation and offring of the same in the memoriall and remembrance of his passion and death with humble and lowly thankes lawdes and prayses for the same and holy receiuing of that body and bloud so consecrated Here is the Lions skinne couering the asse but yet not so closely but the long eares may be seene hanging out For as the forme of these wordes for the most parte may be applyed to the holy communion so almost by euerie word he vnderstandeth another thing then either the scriptures or the auncient fathers do teache as we shall best see in the examination of the partes which followe First where he sayeth the proclaymer cannot abide consecration he sayeth falsely for both he graunteth consecration and the presence of Christes bodie and bloud but not the Popish charming nor their carnall manner of presence whiche how they be proued by M. Heskins let the readers iudge Oblation the second part he sayeth is proued in the first book and declaration of the prophesies of Melchisedech Damascen Malachie and in the 37. Chapter In the same places let the reader consider the answere In receiuing which is the thirde part two things saith Maister Heskins offend the proclaymer that is receiuing vnder one kinde and receiuing of the Priest alone The former is defended by him Lib. 2. from the 64. Chap. to the end of 67. Chap. there it is in this booke confuted The priuate receiuing he saith shall be defended afterward In doctrine the 4. part he knoweth not what faulte the proclaymer can finde wherein is greatest fault of all but M. Heskins will haue nothing to be the doctrine of the Masse but the Gospell and Pistle and other scriptures that are read in it In prayer the fift and last parte he findeth two faultes namely prayer to Saintes and for the dead for triall of these he will haue recourse to the primitiue Church It is well he can haue no recourse to the holie scriptures nor to the most ancient Church which is properly called the primitiue Church although these two errors be of great antiquitie But before M. Heskins vndertake these trials he girdeth at the communion ministred in copes and the proclaymer wearing Aarons garment for a bishoprick If the Popish priestes had no more pleasure to say masse in their vestments then the proclaymer to minister in copes I thinke the common sort of Papistes would haue lesse deuotion to the Masses then Gods people haue to the communion when it is ministred without any ceremoniall attyre But Maister Heskins will proue that neuer yet was heard off that Christ himselfe saide Masse For he instituted the Masse in his last supper and that he will proue by Cyprian but why doth he not rather proue it by the Euangelistes Forsooth because the scriptures haue no such vnproper speech to make any shewe of the Masse as Cyprian and the rest of the fathers haue Well let vs heare how Cyprian affirmeth that Christ saide Masse Maister Heskins saith First for the consecration Lib. 2. Ep. 3. He writeth thus Vt in Genesi c. That the blessing in Genesis by Melchisedech the priest might be duely celebrated about Abraham the image of the sacrifice appointed in bread and wine goeth before which thing our Lord perfecting and fulfilling offered bread the cup mixed with wine and he that is that fulnesse hath fulfilled the veritiâ— of the prefigured image In these wordes M. Heskins forgetting that Christ offred bread wine gloseth vpon the veritie of the image fulfilled by Christ and expressed by Cyprian in other wordes Obtulit c. He offred the same thing which Melchisedech had offered that is bread and wine euen his bodie and bloud Here againe is bread and wine offered by Christe which is his bodie and bloud after a spiritual manner as it was offered by Melchisedech Hitherto no worde of consecration nor of the carnall manner of presence but directly against it Nowe let vs heare howe he proueth oblation Quaerendum est c. It must be asked whom they haue folowed For if in the sacrifice which is
the sacrament was ministred therefore one Priest did not eat vp all alone in Chrysostomes time To the saying of Ambrose which the Bishop alledgeth in 1 Cor. 11. Inuicem expectaâ—â— c. Ad inuicem expectandum dicit vt multorum oblatio simul celebratur vt omnibus ministretur He sayeth they ought to tarie one for another that the oblation of many might bee celebrated together and that it might be ministred vnto them all M. Heskins aunswereth that this doctour doth onely reproue their want of deuotion which is false for he doth also shewe that all ought to communicate together or else it is not to eat the Lordes supper vppon which wordes of the Apostle he sayeth also Murius enim oblatum tosius populi sit quia in vno paene omnes significantur per id quod enim vnum sumus de vno paene omnes nâ—c sumere oportet For the gift which is offered belongeth to all the people because they are all signified in one bread for in that wee are one we ought to receiue all of one bread If al must then one ought not alone As for that balde shift hee flyeth vnto that all priestes in seuerall places communicate together is too bad for a begger to vse for so might the Corinthians whome the Apostle reproueth for not tarying one for another say they communicated with them whome they left out and with al Christians in the worlde But now M. Heskins with full sayle in rayling seas inueigheth against the proclaimer for falsifying wrong translating of Leo when hee doth not translate him at all but onely doth gather the summe of his saying in fewe wordes and that truely though hee name neither Masse nor sacrifice which are in the saying of Leo which how little it maketh either for the popish Masse or for the sacrifice propitiatorie or finally for the priuate Masse I desire the reader to returne to the 32. Chapter of this booke where he shall finde the place at large set downe and vrged which therefore I thought it in vaine to repeat in this Chapter After this hee defendeth that by the Masse booke they are not bounde to haue a communion but one priest may receiue alone And whereas the Bishop rehearseth diuerse exhortations to prayer vsed in the Masse as Oremus let vs praye Orate pro me fratres sorores pray for me brethren and sisters c. And after the Agnus Dei haec sacro sancta c. This holie commixtion and consecration of the bodie and bloud of our Lorde Iesus Christ be vnto mee to all that receiue it health of mind bodie All which sayings import a number present the last a number receiuing whereas in the priuate Masse there is neuer a brother or sister present many times but one sorie boy that helpeth the priest to Masse though they be present yet vnderstaÌ„d they not that they are bidden to pray for the priest when he turneth about Maister Hesk. trifleth vpon the former prayers separating them from the last and affirming that they may pray together though they do not receiue together For he saith there be two communions in the Masse beside the receiuing and therfore-belike that is not needefull the one of prayer the other of sacrifice and as for the last prayer for them that receiue is not ment onely of them that receiue in the church at that time but for all receiuers of all places and times when and wheresoeuer But what reason hath he to persuade vs that those brethren sisterne whome the priest firste exhorteth to pray for him that their sacrifice might be acceptable to God are not the same which ought to receiue with him neuerthelesse in the ende supposing the priestes prayeth with limitation of time and place he sayth it is no reason that if the people will not receiue the priest should not ye as verily because Christe instituted a communion of many participantes in one time and place and not one priests breakefast in a corner by him selfe Againe the wordes of the Masse Omnibus sumentibus to all which do receiue and quae sumpsimus which wee haue receiued doe proue a number of receiuers and which haue receiued at thaâ— time and in that place or else the Priest should saye to mee which receiue it and which I haue receiued And whereas Maister Heskins chargeth the proclaimer for adding the worde Consecration which is not in their Masse booke I confesse I knowe not whether it be in all coppies omitted but I am persuaded the bishop had some ground of his saying or else it might be the faulte of the Printer But whereas the proclaimer alledgeth the Canons of the Apostles and decrees of the bishops of Rome Maister Heskins sayth as odious as the Popes be to him faine he is to praye ayde of them But he is altogether deceiued God be thanked the holy scriptures are sufficient for vs both to proue al trueth and to disproue all errours But if either counsels or Popes decrees be alledged it is to beat downe the Papistes with their owne weapons and to cast their owne doung in their owne faces as the Prophet sayeth But let vs heare the Canon of the Apostles Can. 9. Fideles c. The faithfull which come to the Church and heare the Scriptures and receiue not the holye communion let them be excommunicated as men that disquiet the church Here he doth most impudently charge the proclaimer with falsification which he himself committeth alledging it not out of the booke of Canons but out of the Popes dirtie decrees Omnes fideles c. All Christian men that in the solemne seruice come together to the church let them heare the scriptures of the Apostles the Gospell And such as continue not in prayer vntill masse be all done nor do receiue the holie communion it is meete they be excommunicated as such as moue disquietnesse to the church but that the learned reader may see how syncerely the bishop hath dealt how falsly Hesk. belyeth him I wil set down the Canon in Greek as it was firste written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All the faithfull or Christians which enter into the church and heare the Scriptures but tarrie not out the prayer the holie coÌ„munion or participation ought to be separated as causers of disorder in the Church Here you see no mention of Masse at all And if any ignorant papist dare not trust my translation out of Greeke let him vnderstand that in the book of councels he shal find two translations of this the rest of those Canons called the Canons of the Apostles of which the bishop hath followed the one but Hesk. neither of both for as I said before there is no mention of the Masse in any of them Therfore what is the falsification committed in the Popes lawe out of which he citeth it how honestly in so doing reprouing the bishop for following the trueth let the readers iudge But
for al that he foysteth in the name of his Masse yet can he not exclude the necessitie of receiuing the cōmunion of all the lay people which is the matter in question And therefore it is a verie shame to report what an absurde interpretation of the Canon he would make namely that it was not decreede against good Catholike people which ioyned in prayer and receiued when deuotion serued them but against licentious yet dissembling heretikes and schismatikes which being present in the churche would not communicate either in prayer or in receipt of the sacrament For confutatiō of which blind meaning first I woulde aske whether omnes fideles all the faithful as the Canon sayeth doth signifie all licentious and dissembling heretikes and scismatikes Secondly when the Canon is made expressely against them that after thei haue heard the scriptures depart when the prayer celebration of the communiō beginneth whether those that be present ioyne not in prayer participation can be vnderstood Thirdly if he knew what kind of Censure this was that is spoken of whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or separation were a sufficient punishment for men knowne to be licentious dissembling heretikes scismatikes But hee wil father his feyned vnderstanding vpon the councel of Antioch which saith he expoundeth it so almost word for word Omnes qui ingrediuntur c. All that come into the Church of God heare the holie scriptures communicate not in prayer with the people but of a certein wantonnesse turne them selues away from the receiuing of the holie communion let them be remoued from the church vntill by confession they shewe fruites of repentance and by prayers obteine pardon But with excommunicate persons it is not lawfull to communicate neither may we pray with such as go from house to house auoyding the prayers of the church But who will graunt to M. Heskins that this should be an interpretation of the former Canon contrarie to the wordes thereof Secondly when this Canon consisteth of two partes and in deede comprehendeth two of those Canons of the Apostles the former parte concerning all men that come into the churche the later onel◠excomunicate persons and scismatikes who is so deuoyde of reason to graunt that this Canon was made onely against heretikes scismatikes But in the ende as it were forsaking his holde he claspeth another rotten post that the Canon was made against the slacknesse of the people and not against the deuotion of the priest so that if none of the people would communicate the priest might receiue alone Surely that priuate Masse is such a monster as it is not credible that it once entred into any of their heads that decreede those Canons But seeing they would not suffer any smal number of Christians to withdrawe them selues from the communion is it like they would suffer all not to receiue And seeing the worde of God was the ground of their decree Tarrie one for another 1. Cor. 11. c. who doubteth but that if the peoples deuotion serued them not the priest was as well bound to tarrie for the people as one lay man for another So that all the congregation ought to communicate together and none to be left out but such as either be vnworthie or haue some necessarie impediment Finally if the Papistes were grieued at the seeldome receiuing communicating with the priest as they pretende why do they not execute the censures of these Canons against all that be present at their Masses and do not receiue with them But M. Heskins proceeding in confutation of the proclaimers arguments first chargeth him to father a decree vpon Calixtus which was decreede by Anacletus as though one thing might not be decreed by two bishops and as though in the Canon lawe and other like-recordes one lawe is not fathered vppon diuerse bishops And Gratian ascribeth it to both and namely to Calixtus dist 2. Cap. Peracta The words are these Peracta consecratione c. When the consecration is done let euery man receiue the communion vnlesse he wil be put from the vnitie of the church For this thing the Apostles haue ordeined and the holy churche of Rome continueth the same Two great faultes M. Hesk. findeth in this allegation First he doth detort abuse and wrest the place secondly he doth mutilate it and cutt it off by the knees Here be vehement accusations but in the tryall you shall see the bishop clearely discharged all the slaunder verified vpon the accusers owne dealing For first to reproue the bishops allegation which was brought out of a decree of Calixtus hee bringeth in an Epistle of Anacletus Secondly he will not alledge the wordes of the Epistle but the report of Bartholomewe Garanza a common falsifier of Canons decrees and thus he citeth it Sacerdotes quando c. The priestes when they do offer sacrifice vnto our Lorde they ought not to do it alone but let them take witnesses with them that they may be proued to sacrifice perfectly vnto the Lord in places dedicated to God according to that of Deutron 12. Take heede thou offer not sacrifice in all places that thou seest but in the place that thy Lord God hath chosen Let a bishop sacrificing to God haue witnesses with him more then another priest with whome when the consecration is done let all the ministers communicate which will not bee forbidden the entrie of the church Maister Heskins in his translation hath falsifyed the wordes for where the Latine is Non soli hoc agere debent The Priestes ought not to do it alone he hath turned it they shall not do it alone where the Latine is sed testes secum adhibeant he turneth it but they shall haue witnesses with them wheras hee should saye let them take witnesses with them His pollicie is easie to espye Hee would haue it seeme to the Englishe reader that witnesses are appoynted which if they faile to bee present the Priest might notwithstanding saye his priuate Masse alone whereas by the wordes of the decree the Priestes are commaunded to get witnesses and it is tolde them they ought not to do it alone But M. Hesk. to iustifie the falsification of his spanish Garanza which saith omnes ministri communicent let all the ministers communicate as though the commaundement were to them not to the people bringeth forth a patch or two out of the Epistle of Anacletus But that the trueth of the proclaimer the falshood of this exclaimer may be more manifest I will set downe all the discourse of this matter out of that Epistle set forth vnder the name of Anacletus by Peter Crabbe as errant a Papist as Bartholomew Garanza for his heart nothing therein by diuersitie of letter that which M. Hesk. hath rent out from the rest Ipsi autem quando Domino sacrificant non soli hoc agere debent sed testes secum adhibeāt vt Domino perfectè in sacratis Deo
he vseth this reason All things forbidden vs to do as the aduersarie sayth be conteyned in the scripture priuate Masse sole receiuing are not forbidden in scripture therefore they may be done His Maior is grounded vpon the authoritie of his aduersaries But which of his aduersaries sayeth that all things forbidden are forbidden by name In deede we say that all things that are contrarie to Gods commaundment are forbidden so are priuate Masse sole receiuing therefore they are forbiddeÌ„ That priuate Masse sole receiuing are contrary to Gods commaundement it is manifest by the institution of Christ which is of a communion not of a priuate Masse or sole receiuing Vnus panis c. One bread we being many are one bodie c. After this fond argument which is returned vpon his own neck he cauilleth at the proclaimers words because he saith he knoweth they haue such replyes that as there be many things spoken in the old doctors of that communion so as many things or mo are spoken by them of the priuate Masse but this latter part saith M. Hesk. he passeth ouer will not rehearse one I cannot blame M. Hesk. if he would faine haue the Bishop find something for him in the doctors that soundeth for the priuate Masse because hee can finde nothing him self But when the bishop sayeth hee knoweth they haue such replyes he doth not graunt that their reply is true but denyeth it as false and if it were so that any thing were in the old Doctours that might seeme to fauour the priuat Masse yet what obligation hath M. Hes. of the bishop wherein he is bound to shewe it forth in a sermon I vse more words about this cauil then the matter needeth â–ª only to shew the foolish frowardnes peruerse foolishnes of this man that wil seek a knot in a rush to take occasion to rayle and slander But to the purpose M. Hes. confessing that in the Primitiue Church the people did often coÌ„municat addresseth him self to proue that the sacrament may lawfully be receiued of one alone and that by Iustinus whom both Cranmer the proclamer he saith doth pitifully abuse and truncatly alledge but he him selfe doth falsifie and truncatly alledge as we haue shewed before But first I wish the reader to consider that he hath forsaken his priuat Masse for which is no shew in the Doctours and fleeth to sole receiuing in cases of necessitie or in superstitious abuse which proue not that any priuat Masse was said Iustinê° he citeth thus Diaconi distribuunt c. The Deacons deliuer of the consecrated bread and wine and water to euerie one that is present and if there be any away they carie it home to them In this translation he leaueth out ad participandum to be receiued which is in his Latine text and only maketh mention of the deliuerie omitting for what vse it was deliuered In deede the Greek is otherwise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The distribution and participation of those thinges for which thanks hath ben giuen is made to euery one to them that are not present by the Deacons there is sent First I say as there is a communion confessed of them that are present so it was not cleare that that which was caried to theÌ„ that were absent was caried as the sacrament but as almes but admit it were caried as the sacrament yet it foloweth not that it was receiued of euery man alone but of euery family which vpon necessarie cause was absent from the whole congregation or of diuers families meting in one which could not meete in the common assembly so that here is no priuat Masse said but a communion ministred neither is there so much as any sole receiuing proued which if it were yet proueth it not the priuat Masse And therefore all M. Heskins babbling of the sacrament to be one that is ministred or receiued in diuers places and at diuers times is vaine and to no purpose and most fond it is that he compareth it to the sacrament of baptisme which is but one to all men For of that I may thus reason though euery mans baptisme is not a diuers baptisme but all is one baptisme as there is one faith and one God yet as no man is baptized by other mens baptisme but by his owne so no man communicateth with other communions but onely in that action wherein he is a communicant him selfe Therfore M. Heskins fantasie of one Priest communicating with all Priestes in all places is ouerthrowne by his owne argument and similitude But he wil proue sole receiuing by Tertullian S. Cyprian Basil and Hierome by whom he saith it may be gathered that the godly brought with them a fine linnen cloth or a pretie boxe to carie it home I finde the sacramentall breade in some old writers of credite caried in a cloth or a wicker basket but I remember not any pretie boxe For they had not such pretie cakes sixe hundreth yeres after Christ as M. Heskins imagineth the pretie boxe serued to carie them in In the superstitious Dialogues of Pope Gregorie Lib. 4. Cap. 56. we reade of two cakes called Coronae which should haue bene giuen to a poore man in almes for his seruice done in the Bathe but this supposed poore man being a ghost desiered that the same might be offered in Masse to redeeme him out of that his purgatorie Out of this fable which Gregorie rehearseth this truth is proued that the breade they saide Masse withall at that time was so great the two of these cakes wold giue a poore man his dinner at the least for two of the Popish singing cakes would haue done him small pleasure for his bodily reliefe for which at the first it was meant to be bestowed But let vs heare Tertullian who writing to his wife and dissuading her from marrying with an Infidel after his death saith thus Non sciet maritus quid secretò ante omnem cibum gustes Et si sciuerit panem non illum credet esse qui dicitur Shall not thy husband knowe what thou doest secretely eate before all meate And if he knowe it to bee breade hee will not beleeue it to bee that breade which it is saide to bee I passe ouer howe M. Heskins hath corrupted Tertullian by false pointing howe be it he can gather nothing of this place but the superstitious receiuing of women in corners and that in time of persecution But their superstition proueth neither sole receiuing to be good much lesse priuate Masse to be lawfull That this custome was superstitious and naught M. Heskins can not deny for it was abolished by ancient councels and the Papistes them selues do not obserue it nor suffer it to be vsed else why send they not ouer their consecrated cakes to their frends as they doe their Agnus Dei their graines of the Trinitie and such other gaudes and bables But Saint Basil hee weeneth giueth a notable testimonie who writing to
more certeintie and better credite then the Papists can bring any shewed by God since the restitution of the Gospell yet because our doctrine is the same that was confirmed by all the miracles of Christ and his Apostles we seeke no confirmation thereof by later miracles but onely by the scriptures And herein we followe the example of S. Augustine who vrgeth the Donatistes to proue themselues to be the Church of God only by Canonicall scriptures not by miracles whereof they boasted more then the Catholikes Lib de vnitate Ecclesiae Cap. 16. Et sic ostendat vt non dicat verum est quia ego hoc dico aut quia hoc dixit ille collega meut 〈◊〉 illi collegae mei aut illi Episcopi vel clerici vel laici nostâ—i aut ideo verum est quia illa illa mirabilia fecit Donatus vel Pontius vel quilibet alius aut quia homines ad memorias mortuorum nostrorum orant exaudiuntur aut quia illa illa ibi contingunt aut quiae ille fraeter noster aut illa soror nostra tale visum vigilans vidit vel tale visum dormiens somnianis Remoueantur ista vel figmenta mendacium hominum vel portenta fallacium spirituun ut eniâ—â— non sunt vera quÄ™ dicuntur aut sihÄ™reticoruÌ„ aliqua mira facta sunt magis canere debemus And so let him shewe the Churche that he do not say this is true because I say it or because such a one my fellowe saide it or those my fellowes or those our bishops or clearkes or laymen or it is therfore true because Donatus or Pontius or any other hath done those and those miracles or because men pray at the memories of our dead men and are heard or because those thinges those things happen there or because this our brother or that our sister sawe such a vision waking or dreamed such a vision sleeping Let these thinges be set aside which are either the counterfetting of lying men or els the wonders of deceiuing spirits for either those things are not true that are told or else if any miracles are done of heretiques we ought the more to beware of them And after a litle he saith in the same Chapter Sed verum ipsi Ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinarum scripturarum canonicis libria ostendant quia nec nos propterea dicimus nobis credere oportere quòd in Ecclesia sumus quia ipsam quam tenemus commendauit Mileuitanus Optatus vel Mediolanensis Ambrosius vel alij innumerabiles nostre coÌ„munionis episcopi aut quia nostrorum CollegaruÌ„ concilijs ipsa praedicata est aut quia per totum orbem in locis sanctis quae frequentat communio nostra tanta mirabilia vel exauditionuÌ„ vel sanitatum fiant ita vt latentia per tot annos corpora Martyrum quod possunt a muâ—tis interrogaÌ„tes audire Ambrosio fuerint reuelata ad ipsa corpora caecus multorum annorum ciuitati Mediolanensi notissimus oculos luménque reciperet aut quia ille somnium vidit ille spiritu assumptus audiuit siue ne iniret in partem Donati siue vt recederet à parte Donati QuÄ™cunque talia in Catholica fiunt ideo sunt approbanda quia in Catholica fiunt non ìdeo ipsa manifestatur Catholica quia haec in ea fiunt But whether they holde the Churche or no let them shew none otherwise but by the Canonicall Bookes of the holie scriptures for neither do we say that men ought therfore to beleeue vs that we are in the Church because Optatus of Mileuitum or Ambrose of Millain or innumerable other Bishops of our fellowship haue commended this Church whiche we holde or because it is set foorth and praysed in the councels of our fellowships or because that in holy places thorough the world which our fellowship doth frequent so great miracles are done either of hearing mens prayers or of restoring to health so that the bodies of Martyrs which haue been hidden so many yeres which thing if they wil ask they may heare of many were reuealed to Ambrose at the same bodies one that had ben blind many yeres very well knowen to the citie of Millain receiued his eyes and sight or because this man saw a dreame or that man was taken vp in spirit and heard either that he shold not go into the faction of Donatus or that he should depart from it Whatsoeuer such things are done in the Catholike Church they are therefore to be allowed because they are done in the Catholike Church but the Church it selfe is not therby proued Catholike because these things are done in it And thus much concerning miracles The issue that M. Hesk. ioyneth is tried by all Catholike ancient Doctors that the Masse is idolatrie because it is a worshipping of creatures in steed of the creator although none of the olde writers call the Masse Idolatrie whiche had neither name nor being in their dayes The three and fortieth Chapter maketh recapitulation of the conference of the Masses of the Apostles and Fathers of the primitiue Church and of the Catholike Church that now is with a breefâ— confutation of the conference made by the proclamer betweene thâ— Masse of Saint Iames and that is now vsed The recapitulation conteining nothing but that which is confuted in the discourse at large I will omitte it and come to the conference that the Bishop made betweene the liturgie falsely ascribed to S. Iames and the Popishe Masse beeing content for the time to call it Saint Iames Masse as Maister Heskins doth although neither it is a Masse nor such as it is was it writteÌ„ by S. Iames the Apostle but by some of much later time as appeareth by the prayer therein conteined for such as liue in Monasteries and other thinges fauouring of the errours of that time in which it was written The first point of the conference is that S. Iames saide Masse in the common tong vnderstoode of the people the Papistes say Masse in a straunge tonge M. Heskins answereth that this point toucheth not the substance for the Masse may be good though it be not vnderstood but he himselfe maketh the doctrine of the Masse to be of the substance of it wherefore seeing there lacketh doctrine in the Masse there lacketh one of the foure substantiall partes But he would make the reading of the epistle and Gospel in Latine Doctrine and good doctrine What doctrine that is by which the people are not taught let reasonable men iudge for although all the Masse were nothing but scripture yet it were not good to be read in the Church in a straunge tong 1. Cor. 14. because it were not profitable for edifying His childish sophismes of Plato his substance and his accidents I disdaine to rehearse the trueth is manifest The second comparison S. Iames spake out of the words of consecration They in their Masse suppresse them and keepe them
Sander perhaps would insinuate And the hystorie of the Church is described by Eusebius Socrates Theodore c. by the doctrine vttered in preaching writings and consent in councels and doings and sufferings of the Elders of the Churches and not altogether or cheefely by their knowen gouernement as Maister Sander affirmeth As for example Eusebius sheweth the doctrine of Clement out of his writing for the allowance of marriage who affirmeth that the Apostles were married begot children Lib. 3. Cap. 30. Socrates sheweth that Spiridion a Bishop of Cypres in time of his Bishopricke of great humilitie kept sheepe Lib. 4. Cap. 12. Sozomenus saith he had a wife and children and sheweth his iudgement for eating flesh on a fasting day accounting him no Christian that would refuse it Lib. 1. Cap 11. Finally although some Churches haue ben known by their Pastors and Bishops yet haue there bene infinite Churches known to be in the worlde whose Bishops Pastours are altogether vnknowen And although some heretical and Schismatical companies haue bene knowen by their heades yet not all for the Acephali were so called because they had no head the Anthropomorphites also were rustical Monkes or Eremites in Aegypt vnder no head of their owne but the Bishop of Alexandria which was a Catholike Niceph. Lib. 13. Cap 10. 8 Although the Churche of Christ ceassed not at the end of the first fiue or sixe hundreth yeares nor the glory of Christes kingdome was euer darkened yet a greate number of the Bishops and pastors of the visible Church began then to be dimme and some altogether darke because they lighted not their candels at the word of God the onely true light shyning in the darke but declined to the inuentions of men and doctrine of diuels according to the prophesie of Saint Paule 2. Thess. 2. of the apostasie and departing from the faith 1. Tim. 4. towarde the comming reuelation of Antichrist Neither is it true that M. Sander saith that after the first 600. yeares the Church was spread into mo countries then it was before but the contrarie For Mahomet soone after peruerted the greatest parte of the worlde whereas Affrica long before was ouerrunne and Christianitie spoyled by the Vandales which were either Heathens or Arrians Notwithstanding some small countries haue beene since that time turned to the Christian profession And as it is true that Pastors and Doctors must still be to the end of the worlde in the Church and Christ neuer forsaketh the same so is it false that Popish Bishops Priestes which either were ignorant or altogether negligent in feeding and teaching the Churche with the foode and doctrine of Gods worde whereof Saint Paule spake Ephesi 4. or taught the doctrine of Diuels in steede thereof be those Pastours and Doctours by whome the preaching of the Gospell is continued though they sitte in the same places where sometime the true teachers satt euen as Antichrist their head sitteth in the Temple of GOD which is the proper place of Christe Neither is the credite of such late writers as account them for successors of the Apostles and godly pastours and teachers sufficient to authorise them for such in deed when their whole life and doctrine is contrarie to the writings of the Apostles and those auncient godly Pastors Doctors 9 We say not that the Church of Christ was knowen for the first â—00 yeres after Christ only or chiefely by the Bishops Pastors therof but by their doctrine agreable to the word of god And therefore it is sufficient ground for vs to deny the later rout that professeth not the same doctrine to be the church of christ The succession of persons or places without the continuance of the same true doctrine can no more defende the Pope poperie then it could defend Caiphas Sadduceisme For Caiphas a Sadducei which denyed the resurrection coulde more certeinly declare his personall and locall successioÌ„ from Aaron then the Pope can from Peter 10 I haue proued before that it is false which Master Sander againe sayeth to be true that Eusebius and other writers point foorth the church of 500. yeres onely or chiefely by Bishops which ruled in Rome Antioche Alexandria c. The doctrine actes of those Bishops agreeable to the scriptures is their description not their personall or locall succession as it was accompted in the latter times when they had nothing else to commende their counterfet Bishops being in life and doctrine contrarie to the worde of God the testimonie of the primitiue church And where he sayeth noting in the margent August Ep. 165. that in olde time they were knowen to be heretikes which departed from the knowen companie of Bishops Pastors agreeing in one faith c. it is verie true but then this faith was proued to be true not onely by successions of Bishops but by the holye scriptures as the same Augustine sayeth in the same place Quanquam nos non tam de istis documentis praesumamus quà m de scripturis sanctis Although wee do not presume so much of those documentes as of the holie scriptures To conclude all practises and councels that are contrary to the holie Scriptures were then refused euen as they be nowe Cyprian refused the practise of ministring the communion with water because it was contrarie to the scripture Augustine refused the practise of Cyprian and the Councell of Carthage â–ª for rebaptizing them that were baptized by heretikes and for the same cause our church refuseth the Masse the Laterane and the Tridentin councels without daunger of schisme or heresie 11 The vniuersall church is a spiritual collection of many members into one bodie whereof Christe is the onely head both in heauen and earth as the Apostle sayeth Eph. 3. Cor. 15. The vnitie hereof is mainteyned by following the direction of his worde and his holye spirite The order of particuler churches is mainteined by the seuerall gouernement of them But their whole church although it be like an armie of men well sett in arraye yet can it haue no one chiefe Capteine in earth to direct it but hee that is omnipotent and fitteth in heauen not onely to ouerlooke it but to rule and order it For no mortall man can looke into all places knowe all cases prouide against all mischiefes nor giue ayde in all dangers 12 Therefore Peter was none such and although Pascere be both to feede and rule yet it is to rule like a Shepeheard and not like an Emperour Neither were the sheepe by Christe committed to Peter more then to the other because hee loued more then the other but Peter was charged as hee woulde by his forwardnesse shewe more zeale and loue then the rest so to employe the same to the feeding of Christes flocke And whereas Maister Sanders quoteth Chrysostome in Ioan Hom. 87. I knowe not wherefore except it were to shewe the prerogatiue of Peter aboue the rest You shall heare what his iudgement was
51 As it is true that the Bishops of Rome in the first 300. yeares were greatly persecuted by tyrants so is it false that all heretiques agreed to resist that See. For diuers Bishops were heretiques Liberius was an Arrian peruerted by Fortunatianus Hierom. in Catalog Vigilius was priuily an Eutychian as appeareth by an Epistle of his written to those heretiques at the procurement of the Empresse Liberatus Cap. 22. Honorius was a Monothelite condemned in the sixt generall Councell at Constantinople Act. 13. Anastasius was a fauourer of Nestorians as many Ecclesiastical histories do confesse Garanza in Anast. 52 That the Church of Rome hath continued although diuers Christian Princes haue opposed them selues against it with the citizens of Rome and the Cardinalls and that neither the wicked life of the Popes nor the schismes of many Popes at once haue subuerted it doeth not proue it to be the rocke against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile For when Antichristian heresie and diuelish wickednesse hath ouerflowed all the Church of Rome it is manifest the gates of hell haue mightily preuailed against that See although the finall ouerthrowe of that Antichristian head with the body be reserued vnto the almightie power of our Sauiour Christe toward the end of the world 2. Thessa. 2. And it is false that Christian Princes the Romane Citizens the Cardinals or the factions of Diuers Popes haue assaulted the See of Rome but rather the ambition and tyrannie of some persons occupying the same 53 It is false that all countries which forsooke the obedience of the Bishop of Rome were shortly after possessed by Infidels for Affrica was none otherwise possessed by the Vandales then Italy by the Gothes other barbarous nations The Graecians immediately before their oppression by the Turkes were reconciled to the Church of Rome in the councell of Ferrar and Florens â–ª Before which time the Bohemians forsooke the Romish See and yet remaine a nation at this day howe many mightie nations haue forsaken the the Pope which by Gods grace shall be kept as long from oppression of Infidels as they keep in obedience of the Gospel the contempt whereof and not of the Pope was punished in the Asians Africans and Graecians And the prophecie of Esaie 60. That nation and kingdome which shall not serue thee shall perish is to be vnderstoode of finall and eternall perdition and not of oppression by Infidels For the nation of the Persians Turkes Saracens and other which submit not themselues to the Church of Christ shal perish although they triumph in the worlde neuer so long 54 Diuerse councels without the bishop of Rome did with as great and greater credite determine of the Canonicall Bookes of holie scripture as Gelasius did with his 70. Bishops Cap. 59. Carth. 3. Cap. 74. and others 55 The Popes liberalitie toward forrein nations was neuer so great by the hundreth parte as his couetous extortions and Antichristian exactions haue beene witnesse Matth. Paris Matth. West Anno Reg. 1244. and in a manner all Popish Historiographers of late times As for his liberalitie in these times is but to his owne bondslaues whom he hyreth with a litle exhibition to blase his charitie least hee should bee forsaken of all men 56 The greatest archheretike that euer was is the Pope of Rome so farre passing the archheretikes that haue bene in the other patriarchall Sees as Antichrist the head of all heresies passeth the members of that bodie For other heretikes take away but some part of Christes person or his office but the Pope vnder pretence of honoring him putteth him quite out of place by his vsurped supremacie false doctrine blasphemous sacrifice of the Masse and all other his abhominations And that our Sauiour CHRISTE prayed for Peter that his faith might not fayle it perteined onely to his person and to the temptation that immediately followed For otherwise Peter erred when he was reproued of God in vision Act. 10. and of Paule Gallath 2. And that Bishops of Rome haue erred and beene heretiques I haue proued in the 51. article to which you may adde Iohn the 23. that was condemned in the councell of Constance for that he denied the immortalitie of the soule the resurrection of the bodie and the life euerlasting Sess. 11. 57 That the See of Rome hath made so many wicked decrees so vniuersally obserued with such consent of many nations it came not of the spirite of godly vnitie but of the efficacie of errour whiche God sent into the worlde for a iust plague of the contempt of the trueth 2. Thessalonians 2. And this consent of so many nations vnto her abhominable decrees proueth Rome to be Babilon the mother of all abhominations that hath made all nations dronke with the wine of the furie of her fornications Apoc. 18. verse 3. The degrees of marriage prohibited are of the Lawe of God and not of the Pope the celebration of Easter although it be an indifferent ceremonie yet it is elder then the Antichristian authoritie of the Pope Albeit the mysterie of iniquitie beganne to worke in Victor about it That many Bishops and priuate men haue written to suche Bishops of Rome as were learned namely Leo and Gregorie for their resolution in diuerse questions it proueth no supremacie for as many haue written in like cases to Augustine a poore Bishop of Hippo and to Hieronyme but a Prieste of Rome yea Damasus Bishop of Rome himselfe hath written to Hieronyme for his iudgement Pope Sergius did write to Ceolfride Abbot of Woremouth in England to be resolued of certeine questions of Beda one of his Monkes Math. West Ant. 734. 59 That this resorte to Rome for councell was not onely of deuotion but of duetie because the Pope had reserued the hardest cases to his owne iudgement as Moses did hee bringeth no proofe but the Popes owne decrees whiche are of small credite in his owne case and the corrupt practise of the later times when men had submitted themselues vnto the beast 60 That not onely the Bishoppes of Italie but also of Sicilia whiche is not farre off did come in person to Rome at certeine times it prooueth not that all Bishoppes in the worlde were obedient to the Bishop of Rome or were bound so to visite him or that they did so visite him 61 The primacie of the Bishoppe of Rome in olde times was but of order not of power his presidence in councels was but honour not of authoritie and that by graunt or permission at the pleasure of the councell Ioan. Patr. Ant. in con Basil. The councell of Nice made him equall with other Patriarches The councell of Constantinople made the see of Constantinople equall with Rome Sozomen Lib. 7. Cap. 7. 9 â–ª so did the councell of Chalcedon leauing Rome no prerogatiue but of Senioritie and referring all causes of difficultie to the iudgement of the see of Constantinople whiche was new Rome Con. 9. Con. 16. 62 That Iustinian was
in reformation no doubt but there were mutuall messages betweene them The vnion and communion of our Church with other particular Churches of God throughout the world is spirituall made by the working of the holy Ghost and not by embassages or orders taken by men But the same is declared and shewed by the confession of our faith fully agreeing in all necessarie Articles with them 91 The publique protestations and confessions of our faith doe shewe our reconciliation and coniunction with the Catholique Church of Christ without that it is needfull for vs to exhibite any billes of submission to any singular persons as hath bene vsed in cases of particular discipline as in reconciliation of Vrsarius and Valens to Iulius of Rome Maximus Vrbanus other to Cyprian of Carthage 92 The realme did neuer submit it selfe to Luther Zuinglius or Caluine but to Christe and his Church As for offring of billes of submission to forreigne Bishops it is no part of Christian discipline But if it were a matter of any substance al the Cleargie of England gaue their subscription to the Archbishop of Canturburie and other Bishops for the departure out of the Popish Church into the Church of England That we receiued not the errour of Luther concerning the reall presence it sheweth wee depend not vpon any man further then his doctrine is true and agreeable to the word of God. 93 Caluine and Zuinglius although they receiued some light of vnderstanding by the ministerie of Luther yet came they not from him but were stirred vp of God as he was 94 The realme in King Edwards time neuer purposed to submit them selues to Caluine who although he misliked the title of supreme head in that sense whiche Steuen Gardiner maintained it at Ratisbone as though it gaue vnto the King an absolute authoritie to do what he would in the Church yet in that sence that it was receiued of King Edward and vnderstoode of all godly men that is to bee the highest Magistrate in the Church as well for the ordering of Ecclesiasticall as ciuill matters he neuer did condemne it 95 King Edward retaining that title in the godly sense aboue rehearsed the Church of England notwithstanding was vnited to the Catholique Church of Christ throughout the world 96 When Queene Marie came to the Crowne shee found the realme a member of the Catholique Church of Christe which she forsooke and sought to bring it in bondage againe to the Antichristian See of Rome which by meanes of a Legacie from the Pope brought by Cardinall Poole long before attainted for treason against his Prince and countrie was by an acte of Parleament yeelded vnto Although GOD reserued more then seuen thousand that neuer bowed their knee to Baal of Rome whereof many were cruelly put to death and suffered martyrdome the rest were persecuted and by the protection of God escaped out of that bloudie and fierie persecution 97 The seat of Peter could not be planted at Rome in the dayes of Claudius the Emperour bycause that in the tenth or eleuenth yeare of his Empire Peter was at Antioch reproued by Paule Gala. 2. The last yeare or the first of Nero S. Paule writte his Epistle to the Romanes from Corinth where he taried almost two yeres in which Epistle he sending salutation to sixe and twentie singular persons beside diuers families would not haue omitted to salute Peter if he had bene there But admit that Peter had a seat at Rome yet the Papacie hath not continued from that time but since the dayes of Boniface the third which was more then â—00 yeares after Christe Neither hath the faith of the See of Rome continued without chaunge as M. Sanders saith these 1500. yeares but is altogether in a manner chaunged from the faith of Peter and of the Apostolike Church therefore Queene Marie bringing the realme to that Church did not reconcile it to the true Church of Christ but restored it to the slauerie of the Antichristian tyrannie 98 Seeing the realme is nowe againe returned to the embracing of the doctrine of the Gospell set foorth in the holy scriptures taught in the Primitiue Church many hundreth yeares after Christe continued in all times though vnder persecution of Antichrist and nowe openly and publiquely professed of many nations it is a member of the true Catholike Church of Christe whereof Christe onely is the head and communicateth with the Church of Christ of all nations in all pointes of true religion necessarie to saluation and therefore is no seismaticall Church but a Catholique and Apostolique Church 99 The Catholique Church of Christe whereof the Church of England is a part is an inuisible Church and therefore an Article of our faith which is of things inuisible Heb. 10. and no Church vnder a bushell But Hierusalem that is in heauen is the mother of vs all Gala. 4. Contrariwise the Popish Church which is visible is the Church of Infidels and Rome which is vpon earth is the mother of all Antichristians 100 The preaching of Gods worde is the ground of faith â–ª the celebrating of the sacramentes is the confirmation of the same these exercises haue alwayes beene in the true Churche of God when they be not hindred by persecution 101 The Gospell of Christ hath beene preached vnto all nations And the Church hath had Pastours and teachers froÌ„ Christes time vnto Luthers age Maister Sander asketh where they were through all nations As though it were necessarie they should be in euerie nation at all times Poperie when it was at the largest had not teachers in all nations For many coÌ„tinue in barbarous Gentilisme beside Mahometisme which hath filled the greatest part of the worlde The Church of Christe is scattered in many nations and hath had and now also hath many Kinges that walke in the light thereof And at this time more then the Popish Church hath 102 The true Church in England is honoured nourished by the Kinges whome she honoureth as supreme gouernours heades or rulers thereof And although Ecclesiasticall persons pay subsidies vnto their princes yet are not their Princes and their Courtiers nourished by the goodes of the Church as Maister Sander moste slaunderously reporteth otherwise then it is meete that subiects should contribute to the maintenance of the state of the Prince and their owne defence 103 The worde of God written is in deede honorable and true and conteineth all that doctrine by whiche the Church of God was gouerned two thousand yeres before any word of the Bible was written when by reason of that long life of the Patriarches the tradition might be certeine The Gospell also was preached by the Apostles before any of the foure Gospels was penned but yet agreable to the scriptures of the olde Testament and is the same that is written and none other which written word of God is able to make the man of God perfect and is deliuered vnto the Church of Christe as a moste certeine rule to followe that
it might not be deceiued by vncerteine traditions and inuentions of man in steeede of the doctrine of God. 104 The Popishe Church hath not kept the worde of God faithfully but in a corrupt and false Latine translation The certeintie therfore of the scriptures was not receiued from them but from the Iewes concerning the olde Testament in Hebrue and from the Gręcians concerning the new Testament in Greek Although the very common Latine translation of the Bible is sufficient to conuince the Popish Church of horrible heresies and blasphemies 105 To refourme the Church according to the doctrine of the holie scripture and the example of the Primitiue Church is not like as if one reading of the olde lawes of England in an other Ilande would say it were England and that the countrie whiche is so called is departed from olde England For chaunge of Lawes cannot change places and regions but departing from the trueth of Gods worde is a departing from the Churche of Christe and the returning to that trueth is a returning to the Church of Christ notwithstanding Maister Sanders wise similitude The Prophetes in deede Esaie Ieremie c. by the lawe of Moses shewed the errours of the Church of Ierusalem and by it sought the reformation thereof But they renounced not the lawful gouernement of the high Priest because it was established by the lawe whereas the tyrannicall vsurpation of the Pope is contrarie to the lawe of Christ and therefore is moste iustly renounced 106 It is graunted that the Church of Rome was once a principall parte of the Churche of Christe But the successions of Popes since Popes were hath not continued so without interruption as the successions of the highe Priestes at Ierusalem by meanes of so many Schismes Antipapes and translation of the See from Rome to Auinion with so many and so long variations of the See. And the succession of Christians except in a fewe hath vtterly failed as Esaie saith of Ierusalem how is the faithfull citie become an harlot Esaie 1. 107 It is graunted that of olde time the Romane faith was accounted the catholike faith while it was so in deed euen as the Britanne faith the French faith the Germane faith was likewise But that whiche he inferreth is vtterly denied namely that the Pope and his citie haue continued in the profession of that faith to this day For the contrarie beeing proued it is not onely the euill manners of the Pope and that citie that haue moued vs to departe from the Churche but the false religion therof Although it is nothing like that where suche a sinke of all abhominations is and hath beene openly and generally seene aswel in the Popes as in the people of his citie there should be a true and sincere faith and religion whiche bringeth foorth wicked and vngodly fruites 108 The glorie of Christes Church and kingdome is not like to the kingdome and glorie of an earthly Empire but contrarie to it namely it is spirituall and not carnal inwarde and not outwarde in appearance of weaknesse pouertie foolishnesse and not of strength riches and wisedome 1. Cor. 1. 109 The wayes to see and heare the Church of God is to heare the worde of God whereof commeth faith by the eyes whereof the Church of God is seene and not by bodily eyes to be painted out loe here loe there for the kingdome of God is within vs Luc. 17. vers 21. 110 Notwithstanding any thing repeated in this article conteined in seuerall articles before 19.20.64.18.22.24.25.26.31.46.27.41.42.56.43.45.48.36.39.67.65.68.20 the Popish Church is the Church of Antichrist therefore we haue iustly departed from it to the Churche of Christ. 111 In the Church of Christ is the word of God the sacramentes forgiuenesse of sinnes the holie Ghost the communion of Saintes and Christ himselfe which is the onely head and sauiour thereof But whether the Papistes holde this Church or we let them proue as S. Augustine vrgeth the Donatistes by none of these fonde and carnall reasons but only by the authoritie of the scriptures De vnitate Eccles. Cap. 16. 112 The rest of the preface is consumed in dissuading the Papists of England frō dissembling their professiō of Papistrie exhorting them to make open confessiō therof which next vnto their conuersion I wish as much as M. Sander that if they may not be conuerted to become true Christians and good subiectes they might be knowen as they are for open heretikes enimies of their Prince and Realme ¶ A TREATISE OF IMAGES OF Christe and of his Saintes and that it is vnlawfull to breake them and lawfull to honour them c. THE FIRST CHAPTER THe Argument of the treatise following In which he noteth especially The storie of the spoyle of Images in the lowe countries The diuersitie of sectes there The holie Bible burnt Hermannus a preacher capteine of the spoyle THE defence of idolatrie whiche he taketh in hand beeing so abhominable to be heard among Christians after he hath first sought to dasell mens eyes with the vaine glitering glorie of the Romish Church now he goeth about to tickle their eares with a plausible tale of some disorderly doinges in breaking of Images in the lowe countries As though the inconsiderate zeale of a fewe image breakers or perhaps the licentious riot of some pilfering spoylers beeing either Papistes or of no religion that were mixed with them were sufficient to excuse such horrible Idolatrie as the Papistes daily commit and M. Sander is not ashamed to defend He pretendeth as though his purpose were no more but to answere an obiection of I cannot tell what Protestants nor he him selfe is able to name any of credite which affirmed that the casting downe of idolatrie in the lowe countries and liberty of preaching the gospel procured by a few naked base men against an armed Prince and so many wealthy persons as were enimies to it must come of the mightie hand of God and that it was a great miracle Whiche thing might well and truely be saide without allowing of any thing that was done beside order For there is no doubt but God directed all things to his glory although men sought not the same by lawfull ordinarie meanes It was no miracle saith M. Sander because they were not resisted in suche places where the spoyle was made But so much the greater was the miracle that in so many places the heartes of the magistrates with the people were so daunted that they durst make no resistance The storie as M. Sander reporteth it is that the Lordes of the low countries dissenting from king Philip about the Spanish inquisition the king lyke to be assaulted by the Turkes in Naples and Malta resorte was made to a certaine preacher not called by anye auctoritie in the woods and fieldes neere to Antwerpe The first quarrell he picketh is to the preachers callinge whiche in suche times as religion is in a manner ouerthrowne and defaced by Idolatrie as
witnesse and the Papistes wil not denie so many Schismes haue ben about election of their Popes But neerer to the matter Iulian the Apostata with the paganes pulled downe the image of Christ that was set vp in the streete of Caesarea Philippi in remembraunce of the miracle done vpon the woman that was healed of her issue of bloud not in the Church to be worshipped Wel he shewed his malice but he did no hurt to Christian religion This example hurteth not them that lawfully pul downe deface Images in the Church of Christ for Epiphanius before Iulian did so at Anablatha Epiph. epi. 34. But Iulianus did obiect vnto the Christians that they did worship the woode of the crosse when they painted Images therof on their foreheades and before their houses Hereof M. Sander gathereth that the Christians had a grauen image of Christe him selfe euen from his owne time in Paneade or Caesarea Philippi as images of the crosse before their houses for the image of Christe Eusebius testifieth it was set vp by the Heathen men and not by Christians Lib. 7. Cap. 18. Although it is not like that it was set vp in Christes time when it is manifest by Iosephus that the Iewes could not abide so much as the image of the Emperour or of his standerd the Eagle to be set vp among them The images of the crosses set before their doores declare they had not them and much lesse any other of Christ and his saintes in Churches which Iulian would not haue omitted to proue them woode worshippers and idolaters Cyrillus in deede defendeth these signes of crosses as better memorials of Christ and of his vertues then the Images of the Gentiles yet he defendeth not setting vp of crosses or any images in Churches creeping to them which is the filthie idolatrie of the Papists Iulian the vncle of this Apostata did sit vpon the vessels vsed at the communion in despight of our religion and was iustely plagued therefore Eustachius the heretike kept his conuenticles in priuate places he would not be ruled by his Bishop The protestants kepe open assemblies whē they are not hindred by persecution and are ordered by the Bishops Elders of their Church though they will not be obedient to the Hereticall Bishops of the Popishe Church The same Eustachius condemned the marriage of Priestes as the Papistes doe Ep. Con. Gangr Vigilantius iustly reproued the Christians for superstitious estimatiō of reliques which Hieronyme could not honestly defend for all his quarrelling To conclude Chrysostome complayneth of the iniurie done to him his church and the sacraments by barbarous souldiers Optatus of the like by the Donatistes Victor by the Arrians all these and an hundreth more that might be brought of like examples beeing actes of Infidels and Heretiques against true religion doe not proue but the commaundement of God must be executed against false religion by them who haue authoritie of God so to doe But now he commeth to answere our obiections and first the example of Epiphanius a godly bishop of Cyprus whose wordes I will first set downe as they are conteyned in an epistle of his to Iohn Bishop of Ierusalem Praeterea quod audini c. Moreouer whereas I heard that some men did murmur against me because that when we went together to the holie place whiche is called Bethel that there I might make a gathering with you after the Ecclesiasticall manner and was come to the village which is called Anablatha and had seene there as I passed by a candle burning and had inquired what place it was and had learned that it was a Churche and came into pray I found there a vale hanging at the doore of the saide Church steyned and painted and hauing the image as it were of Christe or of some Saint for I doe not well remember whose Image it was Therefore when I saw this thing that the Image of a man did hang in the Church of Christ contrarie to the authoritie of the scriptures I rent it and gaue councel to the keepers of that place that they should rather wrappe some dead poore man in it carry him to buriall in it And they contrariwise murmured said if he would haue rent it it had beene meete that he should haue giuen vs another vayle and haue changed it Which when I heard I promised that I would giue them one and send it shortly Now there was some stay in the meane time while I seeke to send them a very good vaile in steed of that. For I thought one should haue ben sent me out of Cypres But now I haue sent such a one as I could get And I pray you that you will commaunde the elders of that place to receiue this vale which we haue sent by this bearer And to charge them that here after no such vayles be hanged vp in the Church of Christ which are against our religion For it becommeth your honestie to haue such carefulnesse to take away scrupulositie which is vnworthie of the Church of Christ and the people which i◠committed to you These be the words of Epiphanius in his Epistle translated by S. Hierom. For answere to this first he will not affirme whether that Epiphanius the byshop of Cypres wrote this Epistle or some other of that name because Damascen that impudent corrupter of antiquitie when he can not answere the Epistle he moueth such suspition in his Apologie for the worshipping of Images But let Hierome himselfe testifie the matter Contra errores Ioan Hierosol ad Pampathiam in the end of the Epistle Secondly he answereth that notwithstanding the iudgement of Epiphanius it is not against the authoritie of the scriptures to haue Images in the churches for then shoulde not Theodorus the martyr haue had his martyrdome painted on the walles as Gregorius Nyssenus witnesseth In deede Gregorius Nyssenus which liued somewhat after Epiphanius speaking of the ornaments of the Churche affirmeth that there was the history of the martyr painted on the wall but so farre from anye spice of adoration that the same was also expressed vppon the pauement which men did tread vppon Like as for ornamente there were grauen also in woode the Images of beastes These were the beginnings and as it were the first budding vp of Idolatrie in the church yet gainesaide by godly men and forbidden in the councell of Eliberis Another reason he hath of those simple mens authoritie that hang vp the Image and their murmuring which was not for putting downe the Image but for that he gaue them not another vail or curtaine first That it was not his priuate opinion it appeareth in this that he writeth so confidently thereof to the bishop of Ierusalem in whose dyocesse Anablatha was and who was present whē the saide Image was defaced But if he had thought saith M. Sander the hauing of Images to bee an heresie he woulde haue noted it in his booke of Fourescore and more heresies where he noteth no
suche opinion of hauing Images in the Churche for hereticall This balde reason he learned out of the councell of Nice 2. act 4. of one Epiphanius which taketh vpon him to reiecte and controll the authoritie of this ancient Epiphanius of Cypres But howe falsely they haue affirmed this of him you may see in diuers places of Epiphanius booke against heresies First lib. 1. Tom. 1. he sheweth the punishment of God against Tharra an Image maker which ouer liued his sonne Aran which no man as he saith did before him Secondly lib. 1. Tom. 2. hee sheweth that Simon Magus the father of heretikes made Images of him selfe and his harlot Helena to be worshipped that Carpocrats the heretik made the Images of Iesus and of S. Peter and did cense them and worship them Also Her. 27. he saith Gnostici Carpocratitae c. The Gnostikes and Carpocratites haue Images painted in collours some also of golde and siluer and other matter which they say be the Images of Iesus and that these Images of Iesus were made when hee liued among men vnder Pontius Pilate Againe lib. 2. T. 1. her 55. he sheweth that there were some in Arabia Robas and Edom which worshipped the Image of Moses And Centra Cullyridianos her 79. which worshipped the Images of the blessed virgin Marye he saith Vnde non est c. Howe is not this desire of making Images a diuelish attempt PrÄ™textu enim IustitiÄ™ for the deuil alwais entring into the mind of men vnder pretence of righteousnes deifying the mortal nature in the ere 's of men by variety of arts hath set forth stocks or statues bearing the Image of men And they truely which are worshipped by theÌ„ are dead but they bring in their Images to be worshipped which neuer liued for they caÌ„not be dead which neuer liued Finally Lib. Autorato prima enim scortatio est excogitatio simulachrorum inquit scriptura The inuenting of Images was the first whordome saith the scripture By these places iudge howe true it is which Damascen writeth that his owne church was decked with Images But yet M.S. hath another shift of descaÌ„t that the cause of reÌ„ding this vail might be for auoiding of offence of the weak Iews PagaÌ„s lately coÌ„uerted in that place As thogh Epiphanius doth not plainly declare the cause to haue bin for that it was coÌ„trari to the scriptures The like cause he wold haue to be of the decree of the councell of Eliberis in Spaine Placuit pictâ—ras in ecclesia esse non debere ne quod colitur aut adoratur in arietibut depingatur It is decreed that there ought to be no pictures in the Church lest that which is worshipped adored should be painted on the walles But the Canon it self sheweth a reason why they would haue no pictures in the churches lest God whoÌ„ onely they worshipped adored might be painted on the wals which were an abhominable absurditie yet hath bene practised iâ— defended men be so prone to Idolatrie But M.S. gathereth that seeing there might be no pictures in churches ergo they might be in priuate houses if they be lawful to be in priuate houses much more they might be permitted in churches A proper ringworm a doctor like argumeÌ„t by which I may coÌ„clude as foloweth There may be no shoppes in churches ergo they may be in priuate houses and if they may be permitted â—n priuate houses much more in churches But yet he hath an other answer This fact of Epiphanius was a priuate zeale which is not to be folowed coÌ„trary to the decree of the catholike church but I reply it was a godly zeal because it was ruled by the coÌ„mandement of God the holy scripture against which no church hath authority to decree But the last answere is as good as cake pudding which yet he thinketh worthy of a note in the margent Images could not be brokeÌ„ before they were set vp therfore the setters vp of Images are ancienter neerer the Apostles time then the pullers down That is out of questioÌ„ Euen so heresies could not be confuted before they were inuented therfore the inuenters of heresies are ancienter neerer the Apostles times then the confuters Note ye papistes for your learninge or else note that this note of Master Sander is not worthye the notinge But hee proceedeth and will prooue as he sayeth that as there were some Images in Churches in the time of Epiphanius so straight after his time they were coÌ„mon in all churches but this straightway was almost 200. yeares after Epiphanius as he citeth out of Nicephorus of one Xenias who he saith was the first that spake against worshipping of Images which howe false it is al men that haue read the works of the ancient writers doe knowe sufficiently The next breaker of Images he would haue to be Serenus bishop of Marsiles who waâ— reproued by Pope Gregorie which wrote vnto him that he shoulde not haue broken the Images but prohibited the people from worshipping of them Lib. 7. Epist. 169. But M. Sander will auoide that â—rohibition by the distinction of adoratioÌ„ that they should not be worshipped as God because Gregorie saith lib. 7. epist. 53. Scio quod c. I know that you desire not the Image of our Sauiour to this purpose to worshippe it as god By which wordes he meaneth that all worshippe is due vnto God and that by worshipping an Image it is made a false God. But it foloweth in the same Epistle saith M. Sander which proueth that Gregorie acknowledged some worshippe due to Images Nos non quasi ante Diuinitatem ante imaginem proster nimur c. We fall not downe before an Image as before the godhead but we worship him whome by the Image we remeÌ„ber to haue ben borne or to haue suffred and also to sitte in the throne But these wordes import no such matter but rather the contrarye except M. Sander can prooue that it is all one to fall downe before an Image and to fall downe vnto an Image Although he seemeth to say that they falled not downe at all before anye Image but onely vsed them for their remembraunce M. Sander continuing his petegrue sheweth that Philippicus the Emperour being a monothelite anno 710. threwe downe the Images of the fathers of the sixe generall councels that were set in the Churche porche of Sophia belike he was afraide they woulde come shortly into the Church Pope Constantine caused the like pictures to be set vp in the Church porche of Saint Peter at Rome And what of this Forsooth hee was an heretike that threwe downe images So was Pope Honorius condemned for a monotholite archeheretike in the seuenth generall councell that mainteined images After him An. 730. Leo persuaded by two Iewes saith the late idolatrous writers threwe downe the images at Constantinople and anno 740. Constantine his sonne a wicked man and an heretike followed him But vnder Irene
San. himself afterward confesseth that it is an heathenish custome to honour men with setting vp their images And if it was superstitious in the heathen therefore it was superstitious in these Christians which folowed the heathenish custome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without any change Secondly he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is spightfully Englished their sauiours And why so I pray you â–ª What other thing doth the worde signifie but a Sauiour of whole or part of body or soule Except you will say that among the Heathen Castor Pollux were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the plural number but it was for that they were supposed to be sauiours or preseruers of Mariners which declareth in what sense Eusebius saith these men worshipped them without chaunge by an heathenish custome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 euen as they worshippe sauiours for example such and so as they called Castor and Pollux I will not therefore sticke with you but that those men of whome Eusebius speaketh in this last sentence were such as professed some lâ—ue of Christe and Christianitie but yet after an heathenish maner Alexander the Emperour worshipped the image of Christe in his Chappell among his other idols Carpocrates the heretique made the images of Iesus and Paul Homer and Pythagoras did cense them with incense and worship them Epiph. lib. 1. Tom. 2. in prefat The Gnostike heretiques had euen such images of Christe painted in colours as Eusebius speaketh of euen as they had the images of Pythagoras Plato Aristotle Epher 27. which heretiques answere directly to the wordes of Eusebius that they made and worshipped the images of Christe and his Apostles without chaunge euen as they made the images of Heathen men whome they had in estimation Againe S. August De moribus Ecclesiae Catholicae cap. 34. speaketh of such worshippers of reliques and pictures euen in his time which yet the Catholique Church did not allowe Nolite mihi colligere professores nominis Christiani neque professionis suae vim aut scientes aut exhibentes Nolite consectari turbas imperitorum qui vel in ipsa vera religione superstitiosi sunt vel ita libidinibus dediti vt obliti sint quid promisserint Deo. Noui multos esse sepulchrorum picturarum adoratores noui multos esse qui luxuriosissimè super mortuos bibant epulas 〈◊〉 laueribus exhibentes super sepultos seipsos sepeliant voracitates ebrietatesque suas deputent religioni Gather not me together such professours of the Christian name as either know not or shewe not the vertue of their profession Seeke not vp the multitude of vnskilfull men which euen in true religion it selfe are superstitious or else so giuen to filthie lustes that they haue forgotten what they haue promised to god I knowe there be many worshippers of tombs and pictures I know there be many which most riotously drinke ouer the dead making banquets for the dead bodies burie them selues vpon the buried bodies and account their gluttonies and dronkennesse to be religion Such Christians they might be of whome Eusebius speaketh But M. San. confessing this maner of honouring by images to be an heathenish custom doth also affirme that it was a laudable custome saying that it was but pusillanimitie scrupulositie in the Iewes that they durst make no images So that to obey the commandement of God is counted of him for a vice and it is a great vertue of magnanimitie to be bolde to do that which God hath forbidden But what reason hath he Forsooth all things that the heathens vsed were not euill Sacrifice was not euill though the heathen did offer sacrifice to diuels Virginitie of Nuns for so it pleaseth him to translate Sanctiomonialium in Augustine although there were no Popish names in his time is not euill bicause the heathen had their vestall Virgines So that by his Logike there is one reason of things good and lawfull if they be well vsed as sacrifice and virginitie and things simply forbidden as making and worshipping of images in religion But nowe we are come to S. Iames Chapter which not heathen men but the brethren at Hierusalem and as Ruffinus translateth it the Bishops in succession did preserue and had in estimation his words folowing imediately after the sentence last intreated of are these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the brethren there by succession hauing in estimation the Chaire of Iames the Apostle that is kept vnto this time which Iames was the first that receiued the charge of the Church of Hierusalem of our Sauiour him self and of the Apostles whome also the holy scriptures do shewe to haue bene called the brother of Christ doe euidently shewe vnto all men in what manner both those that were in the old time and those that be euen till our days haue maintained yet do maintaine a worthie reuerence and worshippe of holy men for their godlinesse sake Here M. Sander scoffeth rayleth braggeth and all about the Moone shine in the water Knowe you not Maister Iewel saith he that this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For giueth a reason of that which went before What was that That olde men tarrying in superstition did set vp images whereof the reason followeth bicause the brethren at Hierusalem do honour the chaire of S. Iames. Then he cryeth out O cursed lying spirit c. At length he concludeth that it is manifest that Eusebius alloweth and stoutly defendeth the honour that is giuen to Saints by their images and reliques See what a stout champion Maister Sander wil make Eusebius to be for images and reliques But to returne to your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Maister Sander is there no remendie but either images must be allowed or this connexion be foolish May 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for giue a reason of nothing but as you wil haue it Why may it not rather giue a reason why hee counteth that an heathenish custome of honoring Christ his Apostles by making their images bicause the faithfull brethren at Hierusalem euen from the time of Saint Iames not making an image of him but keeping his chaire that he vsed to sit in as a monument declare euidently what maner of reuerence hath bene giuen by true Christians from the beginning to this day vnto holy meÌ„ that is to haue them in remembrance without superstition and idolatrie but not by making of their images For except this Antithesis be vnderstood it were in deed a folish connexion as euil an argument to proue that they which made images of Christ his apostles after the heathnish custome did wel because the Christians at Ierusalem kept the chaire of S. Iames and had it in estimation So that the matter beeing well considered the coniunction is wiser then Maister S. can vnderstande for all his outcries and amplifications To that which the Bishop saith this image beeing in the streete proueth not the setting vppe of Images in the Churche he aunswereth there were other
comprehendeth it not Ioan. 1. and the natural man vnderstandeth not those things that be of the spirite of God. 1. Cor. 2. ver 14. and where shal we finde the practise of all nations according to the lawe of nature when they haue all declined and gone astray there is not one that doth good no not one Ro. 3. Psal. 13. Wherefore there are other two most certeine infallible rules wherby the law of nature in any case may be found out and knowen namely the word of God and the spirite of God whiche giue mutuall testimonie one to the other the worde and spirite of God beeing contrarie to the worshipping of Images The Lord saying in the first table of religion Thou shalt not fall downe to them nor worship them it is manifest that worshipping of images is contrarie to the Lawe of nature So that you see the foundation of this building already subuerted by which you may coniecture how long it is possible for the house to stande after it For what soeuer he iangleth of the internall conceptions of the minde vnproperly and metaphorically called images and comparing artificiall images vnto them it is nothing els but vain deceiptfulnesse to be contemned and hissed out not onely of all Christian Churches of euery faithfull man but also out of all schooles of Diuinitie by all them that are learned as well in the scriptures of God as in humaine phylosophie But that you may see what soundnesse there is in his doctrine thus he weaueth his copwebbe One telleth him that Christ died onely to saue man from euerlastinge paines he hearing and beleeuing this straight conceiueth Christ dying for him and is mooued to loue him Secondly he is much delighted with the Image which he conceiued in his minde of Christ dying for him and loueth that also Thirdly he loueth and honoureth him that tolde him this matter as a bringer of good tydinges So here bee three kindes of honour the cheefe to Christe the thinge it selfe the second to the inward conception or Image of him in his minde the last is to the reporter And here you haue a paterne of popishe prophane diuinitie for here is no loue nor honour due to the spirite of God who onely must open his heart to receiue suche tydings profitably nor to the worde of God which must be the warrant of this tydinges to be true nor to fayth which applying these tydinges to his owne saluation is the roote of all vertuous obedience loue honour and thankefulnesse in him But euen as he considereth of any prophane report so doeth he consider of this glad tydings of the gospell and not otherwise But to proceede of this wise distribution of three fold honour hee inferreth seuen causes of honouring artificiall Images The first is that it beareth the office of a reporter and therefore it must needes haue a rewarde of honour A slowe messenger a dumbe reporter which can neither go of this errande nor tell his tale But what skilleth it saieth Master Sander whether I learne by hearing or by seeing For Basill sayeth that both eloquent orators and cunninge paynters the one with their tongue the other with theiâ— pensil haue set forth valiant acts done in warre and stirred vp many to fortitude Hom. in 40. martyr But it skilleth vs to learne by hearing of Gods word because faith coÌ„meth by hearing Rom. 10. vers 17. and they are blessed which beleeue without seeing Ioh. 20. vers 29. Howsoeuer it skilleth papists howsoeuer all other things except religioÌ„ faith may be learned As for the reporter of the glad tydings of the gospel he is in deed worthy of honor if he do his message truly willingly diligeÌ„tly but it is honor of the second table not of the first that perteineth to him And except there be in him loue to God his neighbor he is worthy of no honor althogh he do the message Therefore if the Image were as a reporter â–ª he could haue but honor of the second table which is of charity not of religion But seeing there is in an image neither loue will diligence truth for which causes a reporter is loued cherished neither is an image cause of anye thinge there is no loue honour or worshippe due â—nto it The second cause of honoring artificial images is for that it doth speedily and most coÌ„ueniently informe our inward imagination and therefore is more to be honored theÌ„ any orator For the eye being the principal sense is most ready to instruct the minde and therfore a painted image is a more easie and liuely way to enstruct vs then any orator In deed if faith were a register of visible things as it is of inuisible thinges Heb. 11. vers 1.7 the sense of seing were a more easie speedy coÌ„uenient way of instructing then by hearing but yet images were no more to be honored then the sound of words is nowe to be worshipped when we heare the gospell preached But God saith he hath ioyned visible signes to his worde as in the proclaiming of the lawe yea sir but God shewed not there the image of any thing to teach them thereby but expressely forbad the vse of them in his religion and seruice But if God gaue visible wordes as he doeth his sacramentes it is not therefore lawfull for men to make images as visible teachers which God hath forefended There is therefore hitherto no naturall cause of the honouring of images The thirde cause of honouring of Images is because they be naturally knit and ioyned to the trueth concerning their shape and representation as the reporter if he be an Ethnike or Iewe he is ioyned to Christ in morall honestie and naturall loue of trueth if he be baptized much more as a member of Christ if he be a bishop c. as a minister of Gods worde if he be a Prophete by a more special grace if an Apostle as one nerest to Christ if it be Christ himselfe as the chiefe and God himselfe So Images as they be neerer to Christ they are more to be honoured and Christs Image most of all which speaketh alwayes and yet saith neuer a worde to them that haue spirituall eares of vnderstanding Nay carnall eyes of blinded and hardened heartes But this difference he maketh the former reporters deserue honour beeing reasonable creatures freely and voluntarily reportinge the trueth but letters and Images deserue no honour and yet it is due to them whiche is a straunge matter a due without desert yea necessarily due to them in respect of that whose image it beareth But admitte that the image were a true reporter as he is nothing but a false dumb stocke without any action yet seeinge he compareth an image to the written letters of the gospell which be figures of that trueth which is represented and learned by them I pray you what honour is due to the written letters of the Byble more then to the written letters of any other
thus If the sacrament being an image a signe c of Christs bodie not his owne bodie may be worshipped and reuerenced therefore it doth follow that an image of an holy thing being absent as of Christ or saint Laurence may be worshipped of the newe Gospellers Who will say the Papistes lacke learning that make such wittie arguments An image or signe instituted by God may be reuerenced therefore an image forbidden by God may be honoured That which is vnproperlye called an image may be worshiped ergo that which is properly called so may be worshiped Christ is the image of his father Christ is God therfore euery image is god A signe or sacrament of Christs institution ought to be reuerently esteemed therefore a stocke or a stone in fashion of an image ought to be senced kneeled too kissed prayed to c. But maister Iewell proceedeth further saying we worship the worde of God according to this counsell of Anastasius Dominica verbae attentè audiant fideliter adorent Let them diligently heare and faithfully worship the worde of god Briefely we worship other thinges in such religious wise vnto Christ belonging Of these wordes Maister Sander argueth thus But Christs owne image belongeth to him in a religious wise instructing the eye the more worthy sence better then the worde doth the eare therefore Christs image is to be worshipped by the force of master Iewels doctrine I deny that your image belongeth to Christ which he abhorreth or that faith is to be instructed by the eye but onely by the hearing of the worde Rom. 10. Further maister Iewell saith doubtlesse it is our duetie to adore the body of Christ in the worde of God in the Sacrament of baptisme in the misteries of Christs bodye and bloude and wheresoeuer we see any steppe or token of it Hereof maister Sander resoneth thus a steppe is only a token of the foote an image of the whole bodilie shape a step must be adored ergo much more an image I deny that an image is any steppe of the body of Christ but a false lying and deceiptfull counterfet beside that it is a wise reason that is drawne from a Metaphore to a proper speach Moreouer maister Iewell saith in an other place the sacraments in this sort are the flesh of Christ and are so vnderstanded and beleued and adored But the whole honor resteth not in them but is passed ouer from them to the things that be signified Here saith maister Sander he giueth to the sacraments the honor due to an image and as he worshipeth the sacrament without daunger of idolatrie so do we honour holy images without feare of committing idolatrie A sounde conclusion The sacramentes are to be reuerenced as signes ordeined of God to represent the body of Christ without idolatrie therefore images forbidden by God may be worshipped without daūger of idolatrie And yet againe maister Iewell saith The very names of the old fathers are worthie of much honour M. Sander addeth the names of the old godly fathers are attributed to the images For the images of S. Augustin S. Hierome are called S. Austen and Ieronime therefore their images are by M. Iewels owne confession worthie of much honour Shal I say a doctor hath framed this argument or a goose hath hissed it In effect it is this the olde doctours names are falsely attributed to images therfore the images are to be honoured But saith he these names be not giuen them by chaunce but of purpose Verily of such purpose as the Poet Horace saith of the image of Priapus Olim truncu◠eram ficulnus inutile lignum Cum faber incertus scamnum faceretne Priapum Maluit esse deum Sometime I was a stocke of a figtree an vnprofitable peece of woode when the carpenter being doubtfull whether hee shoulde make of me a stoole or Priapus chose rather that I should be a God. Againe he saith these names are not giuen them without cause for the lyknesse of the shape that is in them A worthie cause if there were any liknesse in Saint Augustines image more to him then to any other man. But leauing maister Iewels wordes we must come to his deeds What shall we say if euen in that reply against Harding touching grauen images maister Iewell hath oftentimes grauen images yea besides Gorgons and antiques heades which are Idolles There is a filthie image of a desperate naked boye set forth in such sort that an honest man woulde go backwarde and couer it with his cloake I am sory the printer hath troubled your chaste eyes with such a picture but why is maister Iewell charged with the printers or grauers fault Forsooth you say hee had the ouersight and correction of his booke paraduenture you are deceiued But what if he had howe proue you that this picture was pressed when that leafe came to correction for commonly such superfluous vinites I trowe they call them bee not set to vntill they presse the whole leafe But what if it were pressed and he not regarded it you say if it had beene the picture of the Crucifixe he would haue espied it at the first and caused the printer to haue corrected it Peraduenture he woulde not haue regarded it perhaps he shoulde not haue espied it But seeing you are such a narrowe vewer of such idle pictures maister Sander I meruaile you coulde not see a dronkerd bibbing in the first letter of your owne booke of images nor euen such an impudent naked boye as you speake of in the first letter of your Epistle before your booke of the rocke of the church and the same againe in the rocke of the church Nowe see whereto your lewde hipocriticall outcries do tend O the iudgements of God is it so heinous a matter in maister Iewell which toke no heede to such toyes and yet M. Sander so exacte a reformer of all abuses in images cannot avoide it in his owne bookes Turpe est doctori cum culpa redarguit ipsum It is a shame for a teacher when the crime returneth vpon his owne heade THE XVII OR XVI CHAP. Whether it be profitable or no to haue Images set vp in Churches and to permit them to be worshipped Also that maister Iewell hath Englished tolli to be taken downe where as it signifieth to be taken vp Images are not so much permitted to Christians for their weakenes as for their strength The commodities that come to vs by images This discourse is needelesse to them that denye any setting vp or worshiping of images in churches to be lawfull Neither hath Maister Sander one text of scripture or any one sentence of any one doctour to proue it profitable to permit images to bee worshipped But first hee setteth downe the iudgement of M. Iewell in these wordes The best remedie in this behalfe and most agreeable with Gods worde is vtterly to abolish the cause of the euil So Ezechias brake in pieces the brasen Serpent Epiphanius rent in sunder the
what call you it but the trinitie Fie vppon this horrible idolatrie which is defended with such a sleueles excuse that you honour not the image for his owne sake no more did the Gentiles their images Chrisostom in Homi. 18. in Ep. ad Eph. writeth thus of them Cum illi dicimus quòd simulachrū adoret non inquit simulacrum sed Venerem sed Martem Et cum rogamui quae est ista Venus Qui grauiores inter eos sunt respondent voluptas quis est Mars Animus masculus vehemens When we say vnto him that he worshippeth an image No saith he not the image but Venus or Mars And when we aske what is this Venus the grauer sort among them aunswere pleasure And who is Mars A manlike and valiant corage Augustine in Psal. 96. which place I haue cited before sheweth that the Gentiles affirmed that they worshipped not the images for their owne sake but for the diuine powers which they did represent euen the same which the Christians called Angels So that the Papists are all one with the Gentiles in their excuse as they agree with them in Idolatrie worshipping of images FINIS God be praysed A REFVTATION OF MAITER IOHN RASTELS CONFVTATION AS HE CALLETH IT OF maister Iewels sermon by W. Fulk To the Preface TO giue the Reader a tast of such sinceritie as he must looke for in all M. Rastels booke of confutation hee sheweth in his preface where speaking of three maners of aunswering he declareth the same by an example taken out of the bishops sermon that sole receiuing is not to be suffered among Christians where as the bishoppe hath no such position in all his sermon but that priuate masse was not vsed for the space of sixe hundreth yeares after christ Thus admonishing the Reader that maister Rastell as his grand capteine M. doctour Harding not able to finde any thing either in scripture or antiquitie for the maintenance of their ordinary priuate Masse doth flie to extraordinarie vses and vnlawfull vsages of sole receiuing being all such as either some necessity might seeme to excuse or as all the Papists themselues do confesse to haue beene abuses I leaue his leude preface hasten to the book it self A refutation of maister Rastels confutation SECTIO PRIMA In which he speaketh of the councel of Nice of vnwritten verities TO passe ouer the two first leafes of his booke and halfe the third in which is much vaine babling but no point of confutatiō in the second face of the third leafe he beginneth to picke his iust quarel at the sentence set before the bishoppes printed sermon which is this Let old customes preuaile It greueth M. Rastel his fellowes which perswade the ignorant people that our relygion is all nouelty that M Iewell should make any such claime vnto antiquitie And first therfore he wil know whether the scriptures do not cōteine al things necessary to saluatiō Yes verely and Gods curse light on him that teacheth the contrarie Then he will knowe where we finde this saying in scriptures or if it be not in the scripture of god why we wil vse a sentēce of the coūcel of Nice which was but a cōgregatiō of mens Verily if we found not the matter of this sentence in Gods worde we durst not auouch it to be true that was vttered by men being applied to any point of doctrine But we finde the same doctrine in the sixt of Ieremy where the Lord saith Stand in the wayes and beholde and aske for the olde way which is the good way and walke therein and you shall finde rest for your soules Nowe this saying of the councell of Nice let olde customes preuaile being the same in effect and meaning though somewhat differing in sounde of wordes we embrace it as the worde of God and the holy scripture which we do not restraine vnto the letters and sillables but vnto the plaine and manifest sence and vnderstanding of them The seconde quarrell he picketh to the placing of this sentence before the bishoppes sermon because it is vttered by the Councell of Nice in a particuler case concerning the iurisdiction of the bishops of Alexandria and Antioch and therefore cannot serue for a generall sentence For all olde customes saith he must not be preferred before new customes example of washing of feete abstaining from eating of bloud which were olde customes But if the councell meant that olde customes should preuaile against newe writinges then all books of Luther such like are striken through which one foine Wherefore hee concludeth that the councell meant that olde customes shoulde preuaile against the pretensed alledging of the verye scripture it selfe and newe doctrine of men And so this sentence doth at once ouerthrow all maister Iewels religion But hauing compared this sentence to the text of scripture by which the true meaning therof may appeare I will not stand about this trifling cauils Cōcerning our iudgmēt of antiquitie this it is We wil not admit whatsoeuer is old but only the religiō which is eldest of al which hath god for the autor the Patriarches Prophetes and Apostles for the witnesses and all learning doctrine and religion which is vnder the age of these yeares we reiect as newe false and diuelish As for customes ceremonies and manners which are subiect to mutation we receiue them or refuse them as they be approuable or disprouable by the saide old auncient and Catholike doctrine And bicause M. Rastel hath not only touched the sixt Canon of the Councell of Nice where this sentence is written but also charged M. Iewell with ouerthrowe of his religion thereby I must let the reader vnderstand that he suppresseth one point thereof that vtterly ouerthroweth the piller of all Popish religion that is the Popes supremacie For that Canon maketh the Bishop of Alexandria equall in iurisdiction to the Bishop of Rome For the reason of the iurisdiction confirmed vnto the Bishops of Alexandria is this Quia vrbia Romę Episcop◠parilis mos est Bicause the Bishop of the citie of Rome hath the like or equall custome of iurisdiction But M. Rastell will proue by the storie of Arrius that the Councell meant by that sentence that it is onely tradition custome and manners which killeth the hearts of heretiques and defendeth the Catholike Church and not the authoritie of the Scriptures Bicause Arrius was such a proude heretique that he despised all the interpretations of the auncient Fathers that were before his time as Alexander Bishop of Alexandria writeth of him Yea he is not ashamed to say that although the Fathers of that Councell had scriptures against Arrius yet their chiefe stay was not in that scriptures but in the receiued tradition But this is a most impudent lye for although the consent of Catholike writers of all ages with the word of God is not to be contemned yet the only authoritie in determining of controuersies of faith in
except they denied the institution of the sacrament patterne of reformation to be conteyned in the scriptures But if it be granted saith M. Rast. whiche is to farre absurde that S. Paule did reduce the Corinthians to the first originall and institution Why doe not rich men now bring meate to the Church and receiue the sacrament after they haue filled their bellies Forsooth because Christe instituted no such maner of suppers And why saith he do you not washe one anothers feete hauing a commandement so to do But if this commandement be litterally to be vnderstanded why doe you Papistes breake it If it be not why do you require that of vs which you confesse is not required to be done of any Humilitie is commaunded whereof our Sauiour Christe gaue vs example in that fact that God graunt we may obserue the outwarde ceremonie he commanded not to be obserued of any but that which was signified thereby ▪ And whereas Maister Rastell compareth the receiuing of both kindes by the lay people with that ceremonie of washing of feete to make it seeme that the iustitution of Christ might be altered in the one aswell as in the other he declareth what reuerence or estimation he hath of the institution of Christe For as that ceremonie of washing of feete is and may be altogether omitted as he fantasieth by the authoritie of the Church so not only one kind of the sacrament but both kindes also may be likewise taken away both from the people the priest if it please the Churche of Rome If he denie the conclusion what hath he gayned by the argument of that example Or what hath he proued against this our assertion that nothing is to beleeued without the expresse worde of God conteined in the scriptures SECTIO 3. From the first face of the 19. leafe to the second of the 23. leafe Of the disagreement of the Gospellers Whereas the Bishop had saide that the light of the Gospell is now so mightily and so farre spread abroade that it was to be hoped no man would lightly misse his way as before in time of darkenesse and perish wilfully it offendeth M. Rastel that he should boast of this glorious light of the Gospel which he a most obstinate blinde man will not vouchsafe to see Likewise that he calleth the heresie of Papistrie the darkenesse of the time afore And he would knowe where this glorious light of the Gospell is to be seene Concerning the light of Poperie because the Kingdome of the beaste by Gods iudgement is darkened in these partes of the worlde where he is knowen to sitte which maketh M. Rastel and his complices to gnaw the tonges for anger he is faine to demonstrate the light a farre off beyond the reache of any mans eyes sight among the newe found landes and the wilde Indians conuerted as he saith not by the Protestants but by Popish monkes and Friers Although it were easie to proue that protestantes also haue planted some Churches in those newe founde landes as in Gallia Antartica but what follie were it to boast of that How far and wide the Gospel is spread in Europe he that is so blind that he will not see who can make him acknowledge it Euen Italy Spaine haue yeelded great numbers of Martyrs confessors Al other regions of Europe in a maner at this day haue either vtterly banished Papistry or at lest by publik authoritie giuen libertie to the Gospel as England Ireland Scotland Flanders Holland France Germanie Denmark Bohemia Polonia Hungaria Suetia Gothia c. But M. R. seeing he cannot shewe his Popishe light abroade he wil shewe it in corners of mens harts because as he supposeth there is neuer a citie in which there is not some Papistes and therefore he wil conclude that the Gospel is not mightily and farre spread abroade By which reason he may proue that it neuer was nor shall be mightily spread abroade for euer there haue beene and shal be enimies that will not imbrace it Another reason he would seeme to bring of sixe diuers kindes of Gospellers wheras therere is but one Gospel which is a fond malicious cauill for I can bring more then 16. kinds of Papists which differ in some opinions and ceremonies wheras al the difference he can assigne amongst them that be truly accounted professors of the Gospell is either in one article of the sacrament or else in outward rites and ceremonies which cannot exclude any of them from the possession of the Gospel so long as they al agree in the doctrine of eternal saluation He vrgeth vs as Tertullian did the Marcionistes heretikes of his time to shew the beginnings of our Churches which wee do daily when we approue our doctrine to be grounded vpō the foundation of the Prophets Apostles bringing in no new Gospel as those heretikes did whereof they could not deduce the beginning from the Apostles Euangelistes of christ And whereas he saith we haue no one vndouted true iudge teacher or faith because we read Luther the Doctors old new with iudgement that is because we builde not our faith vppon any one man as they do vpon their proude Pope but vpon Christ his eternall word I answer we haue a most certein faith groūded vpon the teaching of a most holie maister euen the spirite of Christ in his word who is a most vndouted iudge both for wisdome authoritie to determine all controuersies Wheras the Papists building altogether vpō men haue no vndouted iudge teacher or faith not only because al men are liers vnconstant by corrupt nature but also because they cannot agree among themselues whether the Pope or the councel is the superior iudge teacher or rule of faith But M. Ra. as the rest of the Papists do gloryeth much that we haue receiued the gospel frō the Pope whose iudgment in expositiō therof we shold as well receiue as we acknowledge his fidelitie in keeping it without corruption But we vtterly denie that we haue receiued the Gospell from the Pope but rather from the Greeke Churche neither doe we acknowledge any fidelitie of the Pope in keeping of the Gospel whome we accuse of shamefull corrupting the Latine text therof and as for burning of the Books either he could not the same being dispersed into so many copies or he needed not when he persuaded al men that the Gospell had none other sence but that it pleased him to frame vnto it Finally when Pope Leo the tenth accounted the Gospel nothing else but a fable of Christe whiche brought them so great honor and wealth as who seeth not either how reuerently the Pope preserued the Gospell or for what cause he kept it vndestroied Finally M. Rastels prophane iesting of riding post to heauen declareth himselfe to be a right Papist that is to say an Atheist which maketh a scorne of religion and of the hope of the life to come euen as the same
celebration of the communion an oblation or sacrifice of the bodie and blood of christ It is great leudenesse and deceiptfulnes to vrge the termes vsed by the doctors and to refuse their meaning sufficiently expressed in diuers places of their writings SECTIO 17. in the 64. leafe Whereas the bishop saith it is Christ which presenteth â—s and maketh vs a sweet oblation in the sight of his father M. Rastell denyeth that it followeth not that the priest offereth not Christ because Saint Augustine saith de ciuit dei lib. 10. cap. 20. that as the church is offered by Christ so Christ is offered by the Church But that which Augustine maketh here common to al the Church maister Rastel restreineth to his popish priests And although Augustine in the same place expounde himselfe sufficiently when he saith the daily sacrifice of the church is a sacrament of the oblation of Christ yet in Cap. 5. of the same book he speaketh most plainely Sacrificium ergo visibile inuisibilis sacrificij sacramentum id est sacrum signum est Therefore the visible sacrifice is a sacrament that is to say an holy signe of the inuisible sacrifie What can bee saide more plainly concerning his meaning by the terme of sacrifice SECTIO 18. From the first face of the 65. leafe to the ende of the 67. leafe The blasphemous prayers of the Popishe Canon which desireth God to accept the body of his sonne as he did accept the sacrifice of Abel and of Melchisedech he excuseth by vehemency of deuotion and by the vnworthines of the offerer as though either of both should be the cause why Christs body should not be acceptable of it selfe Last of all he flyeth to the example of the figuratiue speaches vsed by the holy ghost in the Psalmes and canticles as where God is saide to sleepe to awake as giant refreshed from his wine yea to the rethoricall figures vsed by men as he saith by Bernard Bonauentur Gregorie in the hymmes of the church which he matcheth vnfitly with the holy scriptures But how will he make this prayer a figuratiue speach that it may be excused by any such example For seeing he will admit no figure in the word body or oblation the other wordes are plaine without figure God to accept the sacrifice of Abel c. SECTIO 19. From the 68. leafe to the seconde face of the 69. leafe The foolish prayer of the Canon that an Angel should carie away the body of Christ he defendeth to be meant after a spirituall manner caueleth of the bishops translating of perferri to be caried away which signifieth to be caried vp which is a toy to mocke an Ape for neither doth the bishop talke of Angels backes such other bables as M. Rastel deliteth to prate of but of the fond absurditie of the Papistes which imagine the ministerie of Angels necessarie for the carying of Christs body or as he saith excusing the matter for the acceptacioÌ„ of their sacrifice But in very deede this prayer being taken out of the old liturgies wherein they desired not the sacrament but their sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing to be presented to God by the ministery of Angels is so absurde when it is applyed to the transubstantiated body that it can haue no reasonable sense as it had in the liturgie cited by S. Ambrose and other old liturgies where the like prayer is made for their sacrifice but they beleued not their sacrifice to be the very natural body of Christ as the Papists say they doe SECTIO 20. in the 69 leafe Where the bishop giueth ouer to speak further of the Canon maister Rastel saith it was because he had no mater against it but his owne misunderstanding But what matter he had howe well hee hath mainteined it his aunsweres to maister Harding sufficiently declare SECTIO 21. in the 70. leafe Against adoration of the sacrament he saith we haue no arguments at al but such as may serue for ouerthrow of all orders in the Church In deede these argumentes may well and worthily serue to ouerthrow all plantes not planted by christ For why may not one hatchet serue to cut downe an hundreth fruitlesse and hurtfull trees SECTIO 22. in the same leafe to the second face of the 71. leafe That Christ gaue no commaundement of adoration he saith it is no sufficient reason first because we must not condemne all voluntary seruice of God which is without his commaundement Then belike S. Paul was not well aduised when he condemned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is voluntarie worshippe of God without his commaundement Coll. 2. vers 23. And where as he cauilleth of them that worshipped our sauiour Christ in the fleshe I aunswere as many as acknowledged him to be the sonne of god knewe they had an expresse coÌ„mandemeÌ„t to worship him The rest reuerenced him as the prophet of god And whereas he saith like a protestant that an argument of authority negatiue is naught and protestant like I aunswere an argument of mans authoritie negatiue is naught but an argument of Gods authority negatiue I am content it be counted protestant like in as much as God hath expresly forbidden what so euer he hath not commaunded in his worship Deuter. 12. vers 32. Contrariwise to reason from the authoritie of men negatiuely is Papistlike and the best argument they haue for many things as if they be asked why say they not masse in englishe they will answere because the Church hath not commanded them Why doe you not giue the communion to Infants Maister Rastel saith in this booke because the Church doth not commaund it Why doth not the priest weare his chisible other vestments at euen song Because the church hath not commaunded it But maister Rastel saith Christ hauing said the sacrament to be his body needed not to commaunde the same to bee worshippid no more then the king when he speaketh to the Lords in the darke needeth to bid theÌ„ put of their caps A dark example for such an obscure argumeÌ„t But when will he proue that Christ is the same in the sacrament that the king is in the darke for remoue the darke the king is seene but take away the accidentes of breade and wine by your owne schoolâ— doctrine and where is the bodie of Christ SECTIO 23. From the seconde face of the 71. leafe to the 2. face of the 72. leafe He decideth the argument taken out of the authoritie of saint Paule negatiuely who declareth the whole institution of Christ and neuer willed adoration to be vsed to the sacrament And asketh whether S. Paul command vs to stand kneele lye or fit to tumble leane vpon brest or elbowes I aunswere whatsoeuer of these gestures is decent orderly he hath appointed the other he hath forbidden And yet the protestantes logike which hee doth so delicately contemne is not so simple
whereas their is no dout but such strong wine as groweth in those countries will be preserued as long from sauoring as the bread froÌ„ moulding Like is the example of Serapion being at the point of death to whom the priest being sicke also sent by a boye the sacrament Vppon which example he vrgeth reseruation which though it be not necessarie yet is it not the matter in controuersie secondly the coÌ„munion in one kind which is false for he sent both and willed him to dippe the bread in the wine which he sent and not in any thing else as M. Rastell saith which were an absurditie that the bodie of Christe should be dipped in prophane licour or sent by a boy either if the Priest had ben so persuaded of it as Rastel would beare vs in hand that all olde fathers were That he receiued alone proueth no priuate Masse nor alloweth sole receiuing as ordinarie which was done in a case of extreame necessitie in one which was excommunicated and could not departe this life before he had receiued the sacrament The last example is the superstitious fact of Satyrus the brother of Ambrose which beeing not baptised obteined the sacrament of the Christians that were in a ship with him in daunger of shipwracke which because he might not receiue he caused it to be wrapped in Orario a linnen garment which Maister Rastell calleth a stole wrapped that linnen garment about his necke and without other helpe escaped by swimming Here M. Rastel thinketh he hath great aduauntage First that the Christians had the sacrament out of the Church As though the ship might not be their Church for that time to minister the communion in the time of that great daunger Secondly that it was in one kind except we can deuise how to wrap wine in a stole No M. Rastel this proueth not that the Christians receiued in one kinde though they had wrapped one kinde in the stole as you call it for Satyrus as yet no Christian. But why might they not either soake the bread in wine as some did in those days or else dippe a corner of that linnen cloth as some also vsed to doe and wrappe it vp in that great linnen garment And the words of Ambrose Fusum in viscera powred into his bowels wold not agree to drie bread Last of all whereas you say it was no fantastical figuratiue memorie which saued him from daunger I agree with you but it was not the sacrament that he carried whatsoeuer you will call it but his faith as S. Ambrose saith that preserued him And how soeuer it was the example of an vnbaptised mans weake and superstitious doing doeth ye but small honestie to confirme your common priuate Masse sole receiuing opinion of carnal presence or what so euer beside you can gather out of it SECTIO 39. From the 132. leafe to the second face of the 135. leafe of seruice in a straunge tongue To the Bishoppes challenge that common prayer was not in a straunge tongue within the compasse of 600. yeares after Christ he hath nothing in the worlde But onely affirmeth that Augustine the Monke brought Latine seruice into Englande whiche the people vnderstoode not whiche both is somewhat without the compasse and also onely said of him without proofe or likelyhoode He saith he made not a newe Englishe seruice or Kentish rather but vsed the Romane fashion and language Be it graunted that he brought in the Latine seruice yet how proueth he that the people did not at that time for the moste parte vnderstand the Latine tongue Seeing he could preach to them onely in Latine beeing a Romane and they also tâ—at came with him vnderstoode no parte of the English tongue as our stories doe testifie And that he planted not the Romane seruice it may appeare by the aunswere of Gregorie to his thirde demaunde of the diuersitie of the Romane Churche and the French Church in which answere he bindeth him not to the Romane Church but willeth him to choose out of all Churches what he thinketh most conuenient and profitable for the Englishe Churche And seeing the Scriptures and diuerse Homelyes and Prayers remaine still in the Saxon or old English tongue I do not see but he might haue made a newe English seruice although by reason of so many mutations troubles as happened in this land by meanes of ciuil and externe warres in the meane time Antichrist daily more and more incroching the same might growe out of vse and latine onely be reteined which perhaps at the first was but vsuall vnto monasteries or clarkes But how soeuer it was this is an inuincible argument that Augustine planted not the Romane seruice in this land bicause there were so many diuersities of customes as there were diuerse Bishops sees and al they differing from the vse of the Romane church But hauing none authoritie he hath reasons perhaps to defend latine seruice First latine seruice is as meete for Englishmen as English seruice is for WelshmeÌ„ wherwith he saith we finde no faulte wherin he lieth For the Welshmen that vnderstand not english haue their common praier in their Welshe tongue The second reason he vseth that Sainct Paule did write in greeke to the Romanes ergo the seruice must be in latine to Englishmen He saith himselfe there be many differences betweene an epistle a common forme of praiers which is verie true But will he proue therby that the Romanes had their common praiers in greeke The cause why the Apostle did write in greeke was bicause he wrote not only to the Romanes but to the whole churche vnto which the greeke tongue was more familiar then the latine and was of many vnderstoode in Rome And also because the holy Ghoste â—ad consecrated the Greekâ— tongue beeing the principall tongue of the gentiles vnto the writinges of the newe Testament auoyding to vse the Latine tongue euen to the Romanes for the mysterie of the name of Antichriste Latinos conteined in the nomber of the beastes name 666. as Irenaeus doeth testifie His thirde reason is that there be many thinges to be saide in publique praier which ought to be saide in secrete therefore an vnknowne tongue is best to vtter them His antecedent he proueth not out of scripture or any auncient authenticall writer but out of the liturgies falsely ascribed to Saint Basil and Saint Chrysostome and yet the argument hath no consequence in the world for then those prayers in the Latine seruice to the Romanes shoulde bee in an vnknowen tongue and all the rest in a knowne tongue to euerie nation Finally where he saith there needeth no diuersitie of seruice according to the diuersitie of languages he speaketh directly contrarye to the decree of the councell of Laterane cap. 9. which commanded the bishoppes to prouide that the sacraments and other diuine seruice should be ministred to all people in their diocesse according to the diuersitie of their languages and customes By which it is
To the â— that to confesse a mans sinnes to the priest is a vaine and superstitious trauell is proued by Chrysostome In Psalmo 50. Non dico vt confitearis conseruo tuo vt exprobret dicito Deo qui curat ea I bidde thee not confesse thy sinnes to thy fellowe seruaunt that he may vpbraide thee tell them to God which healeth them That to seek to make vp a ful and perfect satisfaction by fasting praying almesdeedes c. is iniurious to the passion and merites of Christ is proued by that saying of S. Iohn The bloud of Iesus Christ doth purge vs from all sinnes and if we confesse our sinnes he is faithful and righteous that he will forgiue our sinnes and purge vs from all vnrighteousnesse 1. Ioan. 1. The 7. that the knowledge of the scriptures is a sufficient licence for a man to be a publike teacher in the Church we denie likewise that there is no difference betweene the ministerie of the Churche and the people althoughe that to speake properly of the terme priesthoode all true Christians are alike Priestes to God as it is most manifest 1. Pet. 2. vers 5. Apoc. 1. verse 6. To the 8. That Christian Princes had the auhoritie of supream head ouer the church in that sense which it is giuen to our souereigne is proued by Constantine Theodosius Martianus c. who called the generall councels made lawes for establishment of religion punished Bishoppes and other of the Cleargie offenders and not onely the Emperours but also many other Kinges of Spaine and Fraunce who had the like authoritie in their Dominions as appeareth in all histories and in the actes of the councels generall and prouinciall The 9. that faith onely iustifieth after one be baptised and sanctified is proued by Basil in an Homily of humilitie Hom. 51. speaking of a man baptised and sanctified Haec enim est perfecta ac integra gloriatio in Deo quando neque ob iustitiam suam quis se iactaâ— sed nouit quidem seipsum verè iustiâ—iÄ™ indigum esse sola autem fide in Christum iustificatum For this is a full and perfect reioycing in God when a man doeth not boast himselfe of his righteousnes but knoweth him selfe truely to be voide of true righteousnesse and to be iustified by onely faith in Christe The 10. that all the iustice and holinesse of good men is but an imputatiue iustice c. is not saide of vs which affirme that faith onely is imputed for righteousnesse and not the holines or iustice of any man But we affirme that all the workes of men be they neuer so holie and righteous are imperfect and therefore deserue not the rewarde of Iustice promised in the lawe to the perfect obseruers thereof and to none other The 11. that the keeping of 40. dais fast had no coÌ„mandement from Christ or his Apostles it is manifest by Eusebius which affirmeth that Montanus the heretike was the first that prescribed lawes of fasting Lib. 5. Cap. 16. also he reporteth that there was no certeintie of the time of fasting before Easter for some fasted one day some two dayes some more some compting their day 40. houres of day and night Lib. 5. Cap. 20. And Augustine plainely sayeth Quibus autem diebus non oportet ieiunare quibus oporteat prÄ™cepto Domini vel Apostolorum non inuenio definitum What dayes we ought not to fast or what dayes we ought to fast I finde it not defined by the commandement of our Lord or of his Apostles As for the abstinence from flesh in Lent for ciuill pollicies sake because it toucheth not religion we neede shew no proofe of it To the 12. that aneiling of Christians hath ben abhorred of Christians it is hard to proue because that Popish aneiling by the Priests with oyle consecrated by the Bishop was not in vse in that time The first that is read to vse suche like aneiling about 400. yeres atfer Christ was Innocentius who appointed that al christian men vnder his obedience should vse oyle as witnesseth Sigebertus But Durand and other writers ascribe the institution of this extreame vnction to Felix the fourth who liued about 514. yeares after Christ so that vntil that time this Popishe sacrament was not knowen in the Church And as for reseruation of the sacrament of the altar forbidden I shall need no better authoritie for M. Rastel then the counterfet epistle of Clemens Bishop of Rome Epi. 2. Tanta in altario Holocausta offerantur quanta populo sufficere debent Quòd si remanserint in crastinum non reseruentur sed cum timore tremore clericorum diligentia consumantur Let so many hosts be offered in the altar as may serue the people But if any remaine let them not be reserued vntil the next day but with feare and trembling spent out by the diligence of the Clearks And for other men that can discerne trueth froÌ„ forgerie the testimonie of Euagrius Li. 4. ca. 36. may serue which reporteth an old custome of the church of CoÌ„stantinople to send for childreÌ„ that went to schoole to spend whatsoeuer remained of the sacrament after the coÌ„munion The thirde parte conteineth foure articles To the first that calling vpon Saints in heauen was accounted then blasphemie is proued by S. Augu. which so accouÌ„ted calling vpon Angels or any other creature Conf. Li. 11. Cap. 42. Quem inuenirem qui me reconciliaret tibi an eundum mihi fuit ad Angelos qua prece Quibus sacramentis Whom should I finde that might reconcile me vnto thee Should I haue gone to the Angels With what prayers With what sacraments And yet I confesse some seedes of that errour were scattered in his time But before his time Epiphanius rehearseth it among the heresies of the Caiani that they did call vpon angels Tom. 3. Haeres 38. and calling vpon dead men he compteth it an heresie of the Heracleonites Hae. 36. And Contra Collyridianos he vtterly condemneth al worshipping either of dead Saints or any else or the virgine Marie as them that robbe God of his honour for what greater honour can we doe vnto God then to call vpon him in al our afflictions â–ª Psal. 50. And Dauid saieth Whom haue I in the heauen but thee and I haue desired none in the earth with thee Psal. 73. To the second that the setting vp of images of Christe in Churches was counted idolatrie it is manifest by Epiphanius who as he testifieth in his epistle vnto Iohn bishop of Ierusalem did rend a vaile in which such an image was painted Cum ergo hoc vidissem in Ecclesia Christi contra authoritatem scripturarum hominis pendere imaginem scidi illud c. When I had seene this thing that in the Churche of Christ contrarie to the authoritie of scriptures an image of a man did hang I rent it in peeces c. As for the signe of the crosse I haue shewed before out of Irenaeus that the Valentinian heretikes were