Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A15779
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A treatise, shewing the possibilitie, and conueniencie of the reall presence of our Sauiour in the blessed Sacrament the former is declared by similitudes and examples: the latter by the causes of the same.
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Wright, Thomas, d. 1624.
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1596
(1596)
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STC 26043.5; ESTC S111546
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105,764
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270
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A Treatise Shewing the possibilitie and conueniencie of the reall presence of our Sauiour in the blessed Sacrament The former is declared by similitudes and examples the latter by the causes of the same MAN HATH EATEN THE BRAEDE OF ANGELS Ps 77 INRI IHS At Antwerp Imprinted by Ioachim Trognesius 1596. Iudic. 14 De comedente exiuit cibus de forte egressa est dulcedo Meate went out of the eater sweetenesse issued from the strong Zach. 9. Quid enim bonum eius est quid pulchrum eius nisi frumentum electorum vinum germinans virgines For what of his is good and what of his is beautifull but the wheate of his elected and wine that springeth virgins The Praeface to the christian Reader FROM the same fire the sulpher match and the white taper draw two sundry flouers the one yeelding a sweet sauour the other a stinking sent the one in colour resembling the brightnesse of heauen the other in shew the darknes of hell the one ascending with milde and calme motion declaring the aeriall and vniforme substance the other still frying bubling expresseth the terrestriall nature and violent mixture From the same Scriptures Catholikes and Heretikes drawe diuers lights the Catholike cleere bright worthy of God sutable to man agreeable with the Text consenting with Fathers answerable to antiquitie The Heretikes darke expositions forced interpretations racked sences stinking of pride breathing sensualitie dissenting from the Primitiue Pastours swaruing from ecclesiasticall traditions repugning to Christs church the pillar of truth This diuersitie proceedeth not from the word of God which is most holy and lieth alike open to them both but from the Interpreters dispositions As in the aforesaide example those various lights of the taper and match were not caused by the fire but by their owne qualities and temper For the Catholike commeth with humilitie the Heretike with arrogancie the Catholike with submission to the leaders of Christs flocke the heretike with presumption of his own conceit the Catholike armed with consent of Fathers the heretike with his owne singularity the Catholike trusting in God and hoping in his grace the Heretike relying wholly eyther vpon the forces of his feeble wit or beguiled with the illusions of Lucifer The which difference thogh in al controuersies of religion now called in question it appeereth manifestly to all those who wil examine them to the botome and wade into the depth where they shal find no other grounds of heresie than Chimericall interpretations and selfe-willed expositions of the Scriptures yet in none so much as about the blessed Sacrament The Catholikes from these foure wordes Hoc est corpus meum deduce their dreadfull reuerent maiesticall and deified sacrifice the light of Paradice the foode of Angells The Heretikes their common-table Communion their prophane supper their schismaticall cup their tipicall bread their vnblessed breakefast Yet as the taper receiueth often light from the stinking match so the wisedom of God by his infinit prouidence hath so permitted these hereticall dissentions in his church that by occasion of them the verities of the Catholike religion shine nowe as cleare as the Sun at noonetide in the beuty of brightnes For how many worthy Volumes haue bin penned thereupou most learnedly which otherwise should neuer haue sene light what deuotion hath this antiperistasis or enuironing repulsion wrought in the hearts of Catholikes for by infallible recordes it may be prooued that for a hundred that were accustomed to communicate weekely in great citties now there are well nie ten thousand Againe since the Eucharist hath beene so impiously blasphemed of the aduersarie how gloriously how religiously howe maiestically hath it beene consecrated vpon the altare reserued in the tabernacle caried in procession in respect of former ages what coÌ„course haue we seene of Catholiques to the church to worship it what feruour in praying to it what learned Sermons in exalting it what zeale to defend it and not without cause for so great reuerence the maiestie of God required his loue deserued our homage enforced so many graces thereby receiued exacted so that heresie hath rubd off the rust of ignorance from many catholikes it hath burned the chaffe of imperfections and purified the corne of deuotion it hath blown off the ashes of remissenes and reuiued the coles of seruour and charitie Finally it hath dispersed the cloudes of some irreuerence and caused the blessed eucharist shine like a spirituall sunne in the Catholike church If saint Gregory called the sin of Adam Foelix culpa a happy offence that deserued such a Redeemer I may say happy heresie that caused such reformation nay rather cursed heresie and blessed prouidence of God in ordaining so inordinate a thing to so ordinate and noble an end Wherefore since al catholikes either by deuotion or religious almes or frequent communion or dayly reuerence or ardent affects or learned bookes endeuoure to oppose themselues against the enimies of this sacrament I thought good to cast my two Mites in Gazophylacium that they with whome I Luke 21. am lincked in faith might knowe mine affection by worke and he to whome my soule is due may here receiue the of-spring of my soule The title perhappes wil seeme somewhat stale but I hope the maner of explicating to be new or at least that which lieth scattred abroad in Fathers Doctors here they shall find vnited in one And this argument the rather I haue handled first because I prooued in my selfe and diuers other Catholikes that it did not onely reuiue greatly our faith but alâ—o moued vs to conceiue a more maiesticall and diuine opinion of the wisedome and prouidence of God in instituting this sacrament For by vnderstanding how agreeable it was with all his attributes how glorious for his church how conuenient for man how profitable to all members of his elected congregation I could not but cry out with Dauid say quam magnificata sunt opera tua Domine Omnia Psal 103. in sapientia fecisti impleta est terra possessione tua How glorious are thy workes O Lord thou hast made al things in wisedome the earth is filled with thy riches Secondly because I haue tried by experience that wheÌ„ faith and reason grace and nature consort together they make a sweet harmonie that is when reason applieth the mysteries of our faith to the wit by shewing them credible and worthy to be beleeued then faith flourisheth exceedingly and can hardly be remoued as when an excellent eie meeteth with the cleare light of the sunne howe farre how sharply and how distinctly will it discerne euen very aereall vapours and almost inuisible moates Of such a man spake the Prophet when he described the happy man who did me ditate in the lawe of God night and day that folium eius non defluet his leafe shal not fal because long meditation vppon the mysteries of Psal 1. Faith keepeth the soule without withering and faith without perishing
Hic est casix sanguinis mei This is the challice of my blod make that they signifie and therefore hecause they signifie only blod consequently they put by their force and efficacy only bloud in the challice without body or soule although by sequele both the body and the soule descend into the chalice for the bloud being in the veines it draweth the veines the veines beeing fixed in the body cannot but naturally draw the body with them the body harboring the soule likewise bringeth it for company As for example the woman of Samaria that drew Io. 4 vp water with a cord from the wel she immediatly drew the cord but by sequele came the paile because it was tied to the corde and with the paile by sequele the water with the water if there had bin a fish had followed a fish the priest out of Christs side drawes first the bloud immediatly follow the vaines to the vaines the body to the body the soule for which sequel this sacrifice is called incruent and is most decent perfectly representing the maner of Christs death and passion The twentieth cause that it might be a holocaust or burnt offering THree sortes of externall sacrifices we reade in holy scripture were in vse among Louie 1. 43. the Iewes holocausts or burnt offerings pacifying hoasts hoastes for sins The first were offered to God in reuereÌ„ce of his maiesty the 2. in thankesgiuing for his benefits receaued or expected the 3. for expiation of their sins The first was al burnt vpon the altar the last were partly offered to God partly imparted to the priests the second were deuided into 3. parts one was offered to God another bestowed of the priests the third fel to the offerers share The lawe therfore of grace being most complete excellent of al others as it required a most excellent sacrifice in substance so it exacted al sorts of sacrifices included in that one which ether tended to the greater glory of god or the benefit of his worshippers Therefore in this sole solitary sacrifice he clasped theÌ„ al as most plainely shal appeare for here are many consumptions in this sacrifice which euideÌ„tly conuince that it is a burnt offering First it is burnt here as Christs sacrifice and holocaust was burnt vpoÌ„ the Crosse that is with the infinite extinguishable flames of his charity For questionlesse as he there offered himselfe and fired his sacrifice with loue to redeeme al the world euen so here his sacrifice burneth with the same affection to saue all those in particuler for whom it is offered Luke 22 Desiderio desideraui hoc pasca manducare with desire I haue desired to eate this pasche Secondly the substance of bread and wine by this sacred action of transubstantiation are not reduced to ashes as wheÌ„ the holocaustes were burnt vpon the altar but so consumed that they wholy vanishe away and leaue nothing but their skin and rinde behinde Thirdly the priest by receiuing it consumeth it wholy It is likewise a pacifying hoast because by it we acknowledge the infinit benefits we haue receued and especially that benefit of our redemption the which we do not onely represent but also most diuinely exercise by this also we respect the last benefite of all that is life euerlasting Hic est pamis pro Io. 6. mundi vita This is the bread for the life of the world finally it is an hoast for sinnes not onely in regard of the grace it conferreth as a SacrameÌ„t but also for that it worketh to the purging of our sins as a sacrifice because in the old Testament goates bloud and calues bloud did expiate them Heb. 9. from their delicts howe much more the bloud of Christ in this our Eucharist exceedeth both the pacifying hoasts and the sacrifice for sinne that it is whole offered to God whole receiued of Priests whole participated of the people whereas theirs for the imperfection of them coulde not but be dismembred Hereupon I will infer that those people are happy who can daily be present at the sacrifice of Masse to be made partakers of the admirable effects of this diuine oblatioÌ„ For if the Iews resorted to Ierusalem out of all nations at Easter to offer vp their paschall lambe to represent their deliuery out of Egypt if God accepted that shadow of this sacrifice as a gratefull obsequie and louing duty O with what deuotion ought we to resorte to Masse what assurance may wee conceaue that God will accept this sacrifice more then the bloud of a thousand lambes or calues The one and twentieth cause to be a satisfactory sacrifice for the soules in Purgatory THis blessed sacrament doth not only sanctifie the soule as all other sacraments do but also as a sacrifice it hath force to impetrate of God many graces and fauours to incite vs to vertue and to withdraw vs from vice yea the blessing hereof is so ample that it adorneth and profiteth the Church millitant and succoureth also those soules which suffer in Purgatory not vnlike the ocean sea which serueth not only for the commerce of men in forraine countries to nourish and maintaine the fishes which lodge in her wombe to fructifie the earth with riuers and raine but also it passeth throgh the lowe parts there concurreth to the generation of mettels stones other minerals In like sort the blessed Sacrament is not content to ioyne the faithfull in vnitie and concord to nourish those soules which harbour in the catholike Church to engender in them vertues and good workes but also it extendeth fauours and satisfactions to them that doe liue in Purgatory that inhabit the lower partes of the earth This effect none can deny but professed enimies of christs church for the protestants themselues generally confesse that the pâ—imitiue Fathers both caught practised such oblations for the dead howbeit impiously they cal this piety of Fathers Pastours and Doctours of Christs church superstition error But what madnes is this so arrogantly to condemne a matter not of mere speculation but of dayly practise exercised through the whole church at such time as pietie religioÌ„ was most feruent many of those authors either the apostles schollers or schollers vnto them or at least that could render euideÌ„t testimony what al the faithfull beleeued practised in those dayes Whosoeuer I say condemneth this exercise of errour consequently confesseth himselfe to be a foole and Saint Agust Lib. 6. de fâ—cerdot hom 69. ad pop Antâ—o in litt c. calleth it expresse madnes to infringe any thing obserued vniuersally in the whol church And specialy without scripture authoritie or reason Here I omit scriptures Fathers and histories and suppose the matter as an infallible truth that this holy sacrifice profiteth greatly those souls which be in Purgatory according to that saying of â—aint Chrisost Non temere sancitum est ab apostolis vs in tremendis misterijs defunctorum agatur