and therefore the Lutheran churches of the Counts of Mansfeld in Germanie in the Confession of their faith put a great difference betwene the old Sacramentaries the new saying that the old Sacramentaries that is the Carolostadians the Zuinglians the Anabaptists and such like alwaies taught the Sacrament of the altar to be nothing else but an external idle signe without the body and blud of Christ that it serued only for a token to distinguish Christians from Pagans whereas the new teach otherwise and Caluin to continue and mainteine such a conceite of al other seemeth to speake of this matter most diuinely and mystically and with straunge affectation of high speach may make vnlearned and vnstable sowles beleeue that he hath a wonderful deepe fetch in this case aboue the rest of common ministers writers whom M. B. in these sermons much foloweth yet who so thoroughly fifteth and examineth Caluin shal find in the end that he hath no other opinion of their supper then hath Carolostadius or Zuinglius or Occolampadius or the Anabaptists or the Scottish and English martyrs or who else so euer thinketh of it most basely and beggerly For let vs by articles consider how he runneth vp and downe praiseth dispraiseth maketh and marieth it at one time mounteth alost flieth in the ayer like a bird straight waies creepeth on the ground like a beast but in â—ine falleth headlong in to the coÌ„mon dongeon with the rest of his bretherne and whether in deed the very course and sway of their whole doctrine carieth them At some times he speaketh and writeth so supernaturally as though he were a very Lutheran defending the real presence as for example I say saith Caluin that in the mysterie of the supper by the signes of bread and wine Christ is truly deliuered vnto vs I meane his body and blud to the end we may grow in to one body with him he thereby refresh vs with the eating of his flesh and drinking of his blud And although it may seeme vncredible that in so great distance of places as is heauen from earth he should passe downe to vs and become our food yet let vs remember how far the power of the holy ghost excedeth our sense and how fond a thing it is for vs to go about to measure his infinite power by our smale capacitie VVherefore that cur mynd or reason can not comprehend let our faith conceiue VVhat Lutheran wold require more then here Caluin coÌ„fesseth Or what more pregnant and effectual words can be desired to declare the veritie of Christs real presence not in figure trope or signification which wit and reason can castly comprehend but truly verely so as Christ I say Christs body and blud notwithstanding so great distance of place as is betwene the highest heauen this low vale is here truly deliuered by the inexplicable force and strength of the holy ghost which only is able to worke such a miraculous coniunction Againe If any man demaund of me how this is done I am not ashamed to confesse the mysterie to be higher then that I can ether comprehend it with my wit or declare it with my tonge to speake the truth I rather find it by experience then vnderstand it Therefore the truth of god wherein I may safely rest here I embrace without scruple He pronounceth his flesh to be the meate of my sowle and his blud the drinke To him I offer my sowle to be nourished with such foode In his holy supper he willeth me vnder the symboles of bread and wine to take eate and drinke his body and blud I nothing dout but he truly geueth it and I receiue it And that his meaning is Christs true body to be not sigâ—â—atâ—uely or tropically but most really and truly present vvith the bread he expresseth in his litle booke De caena domini by an apt similitude ExempluÌ„ valde propriuÌ„ in re simili habeâ—â—u c. VVe haue a maruelouâ— apt example in a like matter VVhen the Lord wold that the holy ghost should appeare in the baptisme of Christ â—e represented him vnder the figure of a doue Iâ—â—n Baptist rehearing the storie saith that he saw the holy ghost descending If we consider the matter wel we shal fynd that â—e saw nothing but a douâ— For the essence of the holy ghost iâ— inuisible Yet because he wel knew that vision to be ro emptie figure but a most sure signe of be â—resence of the holy ghost â—e doubteth not to affirme that â—e saw him because he was represented or made present in such sort as he could beare So in the communion of Christs body blud the mysterie is spiritual which nether can be seene with eyes nor comprehended bâ— mans wit Therefore is it shewed by signes figures yet so that the figure is not a simple bare figure but ioyned to his veritie aâ—d â—â—stance Iustly therefore is the bread called the body of Christ because it doth not only figure it but also present or offer it vnto vs. This is a plain declaration that novv Caluin vvil not separate Christs body from the Sacrament as far as heauen is from earth but ioyne it thereto as truly as the holy ghost vvas to that doue vvhere he vvas vvithout doubt present truly really substantially And this being so is it not a great shame vv â— some say to charge Caluin and the Caluinists vvith contempt of the Sacrament and to say that they haue no other opinion of it then Zuinglius Carolostadius and those other forenamed Protestants Doubtles so he complaineth The aduersarie slaunder â—e â— â—aith Caluin that I measure this mysterie with the squire of humaine reason and gods power by the course of nature But who so euer shal tast our doctrine herein shal be rapt into admiration of gods secrete to ver VVe teach that Christ descendeth vnto vs as wel by the external signe as by the spirite that the flesh of christ entreth in to vs to be our foode that Christ truly with the substance of his flesh and blud doth geue life to our sowles In the e few words who so perceiveth not many miracles to be â—onteâ—â—ed is more then a dolt These words and other to the same effect are common with â—aluin as that the symbole doth not only signifie râ— figure but truly also deliuer the thing which it figureth that it bath the veritie which it signifieth conioâ—ned with it vere exhibet quod figuraâ— adiunctam secum habet veritateâ— Vbi signum est ibi res signata vere exbibetur VVhere the signe is there also the thing signified thereby is truly deliuered Nether must we suppose the signe to be destiâ—uâ—e of the truth signified except we wil make god a deâ—eâ—uer â—or true it is and we must needs confesse that the sacrament compriseth the visible signe
the nevv testament of persecutions of S. Paules vocation his coming to Rome his trauailes there to plant the gospel VVhat if he exhort the people vvhich yet I suppose is a rare argument in the ministerie to chastitie to almes to fasting to praier and such other good vertues vvithout any relation oâ— explication of the Supper of Christ Nether is this the vvord vvhich geueth life to the sacraments For so yovv decide the matter both here and in the beginning that the vvord vvhich yovv meane and is so necessarie is the word preached distinctly and opening al the parts of the element There must be preached and proclaymed and publikely denounced with a cleare voyce what is the ministers part what is the peoples part how he ought to deliuer distribute that bread that wine how they ought to receiue it what is signified by it a number of such matters and al this must be done in a familiar and homely language This vvord must go before the sacrament as a seale folow and be appended thereafter And according to Caluin when we heare meÌ„tion made of the sacrameÌ„tal word which ioyned to the signe maketh it a sacrameÌ„t we must thereby vnderstand the promise which being preached by the minister with a cleare voyce may guide and leade the people thether where the signe tendeth and directeth vs that is as before M. B. hath declared it how able the bread is to nurish the body to life earthly and temporal so able is the flesh of Christ signified by the bread to nurish both body and sowle to life everlasting VVel noâ— vve knovv vvhat kind of vvord it is vvhich thus geueth life and sovvle to their sacrament vve shal be better able to iudge vvhat maner of thing the Scottish Geneva sacrameÌ„t is And first of al it must needs be cleane separateâ— from the sacrament of Christs last supper For it is manâ—est by the gospel that the sacrament of Christ had â—â— such life and sowle For 1. nether did Christ make a Sermâ— 2. nether did he vvith a cleare voyce proclame and denounce vvherevnto the signe did leade direct theâ—â— 3. nether taught he his disciples that as the bread vvâ—â—â— nourished their bodies to life temporal so his flesh 〈◊〉 able to nourish both body and sovvle to life euerlastinâ— 4. nether declared he vvhat vvas the Ministers paâ—◠〈◊〉 dutye 5. nor yet vvhat vvas the peoples 6. he made 〈◊〉 mention hovv the one should deliuer the bread and vvine 7. nor hovv reuerently the other should receiue it and so furth in al the rest we find no peece or parcel of such a word that is of such a life and sovvle in any Euangelist of whom yet doubtles vve learne vvhat Christ did very sufficiently so far as is necessarie to the making of the sacrament VVherefore by these so many essential parts required to their Scottish or Geneua signe and not vsed or practised by Christ in his sacrament vve may assuredly conclude that Christs sacrament and their signe are of cleane different natures Besides al vvhich M. B. him self teacheth vs that in their Scottish Supper there are tâ—a propiners or geuers vvhich deale their sacrament vvhereas in Christs supper there was but one In the Scottish supper the minister exhibiteth only the signe of the bread he deliuereth only an earthly creature not worth a straa vvhereas in Christs supper it vvar far othervvise as M. B. be he never so prophane vvil I suppose graunt But to omit this and returne to the word and stay thereon Although this be most euident and most sufficient especially that of the vvord not preached by Christ and yet required of necessitie by them to make an essential separation betvvene Christs sacrament their signe or sealing bread yet for the better iustification of that vvhich I haue said I vvil produce for me against M. B. the Scottish ministrie the authoritie of my lord Archbisshop of Canterbury and our English Congregations vvho condeÌ„ne this opinion of mere Anabaptisme and that by scripture authoritie of their chief Apostle of our age Hâ—lderike Zuinglius For saith my L. of Canterbury against the Puritanes It is manifest Matth. 3. v. 13. 14. 15. that Iohn did baptize without preaching Nether reade we that Christ preached immediatly before the distribution of the sacrament of his body to his disciples Yet hâ—d it bene so necessarie a matter as yow make it and of the substance of the sacraments the Euangelists would haue expressed it by one meanes or other And vvhereas this notvvithstanding the Puritanes proceed say vvith M. B. that the life of the sacraments depen deth of the preaching of the word this as a fowle error and most vntrue he refuteth somewhat more at large with very good reasons part of which for M. B. better instruction or satisfaction I vvil set downe Thus he disputeth If this doctrine be true then be the sacraments dead sacraments and without effect except the word be preached when they be ministred And so some of your adherents in plain termes affirme saying that they are seales without writing and plain blanks VVhich doctrine savoureth very strongly of Anabaptisme and depriueth those of the effects and fruits of the sacraments which haue bene partakers of them without the word preached when they were ministred so consequently even your self M. B. for it as not very like that there was a sermon at your christening And therefore this doctrine must of necessitie bring in rebaptization condemne the baptisme of infants which is flat Anabaptistical For if that baptisme be without life at which the word of God is not preached then can it not be effectual and regenerate those that were therewith baptized and therefore it must of necessitie be iterated that it may be livelie Here is one reason and the same very strong vvhereby M. B. him self probably is proved no Christian as being not at al baptised â—â—r water without the word is nothing but mere deâ—â— water as likewise the bread is nothing but common bread and such baptisme lacking the life of a sermon is not able to geue life or regeneration to others more then a dead man is able to geue life or generation to any and al baptismes heretofore practised in the catholike church and most Protestant churches are no baptismes and consequently al or most of the Scottish nobilitie people ministerie must be rebaptised if they wil be accounted Christians VVhich is one invincible argument for the Anabaptists concerning al Christians of times past Now let vs heare an other for those that come hereafter If baptisme be dead at which the word is not preached then can it do no good to infants who vnderstand not the word preached For if the preaching of the word be so necessarily adioyned to the administration of the sacraments it is in respect of those that are to receiue the
also vvould they haue ministred the sacrament VVhich although M. B. his vvise ministers in quiet times can speake of and say so they should have done yet I vvâ—â—ne both he and they vvould haue bene better advised before they did it if them selues vvere put to the trial ¶ His third end is true if it vvere spoken and applied to Christs holy sacrament but being applied to the Scottish signe or Geneuian seale is very fond and ridiculous vvhich because it dependeth on the first end vvhich is the principal therefore by shewing the vanitie of the first I shal consequently vvith one labour declare the baldnes of the third In the first he saith that this sacrament was appointed chiefly for this end to represent our spiritual nurriture VVhere vve learne that the chief grace of these mens sacraments is to figure represent vvhich end M. B. proveth vvith no other reason then his ovvne only bare vvord and authoritie And therefore as before so here every vvhere perpetually let the reader marke hovv these men having of them selues invented coyned vs a definition of sacraments and â—iamed the nature and vse of this sacrament especially in their ovvne forge brayne stil confirme it by their ovvne only vvord never mentioning S. Paule or S. Peter or Gospel or Epistle or any sacred authoritie of god or man For in vvhat chapter of al the gospel or al S. Paules epistles find they that this sacrament vvas chiefly instituted to represent to signifie to figure our spiritual nurriture being in deed instituted for this end to nourish to feed and actually to preserue vs to life spiritual and eternal as Christ came in to this vvorld not chiefly to signifie to represent to figure to teach our redemption and reconciliation but truly to vvorke it performe it Not that I deny the sacrameÌ„ts this namely to figure to represent and signifie for that is the first word in euery sacrameÌ„t both old and nevv both Iewish and Christian that it be a signe and signifie but this is not the chief but meanest not highest and supreme but lovvest and lest accountable vertue incident to this sacrament and vvhich if it be made chief quit deâ—aceth and destroyeth the nature of a sacrament in the nevv testament For this signification not only addeth nothing to these sacraments above the Ievvish but also it addeth to them nothing aboue the force and abilitie of man and any good man may make many a sacrament as good as this and better to if such signification be the chief and best part of it But that we deceiue not ourselues misconster M. B. his meaning let vs heare him more at large declare this chief end of his sacrament vvhich he doth in this maner Nothing is so fit as bread and wine for this sacrament as nothing is so fit for baptisme as water VVhy so for that as nothing is meeter to wash with then water so nothing is meeter to wash the sowle then the blud of Christ And the reason why in baptisme is but one signe that is water alone is this because water is sufficient inough to do the whole turne But in the other sacrament it is not so there must be two VVine can not be sufficient alone nor yet bread For he that hath bread only and wine only hath not a persit nurriture corporal Therefore that they might represent a persit nurriture Christ hath geuen vs both bread and wine for the persit nurriture corporal stands in meate and drinke to represent the ful and persit nurriture of the fowle Here is the chief and supreme sacramental grace of the Scottish and Geneua signe Hereof he coÌ„cludeth thus Looke how ful persite a nurriture he hath to his body that hath store of bread and wine so he that hath Christ hath a ful and persite nurriture of his sowle This is M. B. discourse touching that which he accompteth the chief end of this sacrameÌ„t VVherein let the ChristiaÌ„ reader first of al note the true ground of the Geneva resolutioÌ„ for altering the matter of this sacrameÌ„t For when they coÌ„clude that it may be very wel ministred not only in bread and wine but also in bread beer in ale flesh fish or any thing els which bodily nourisheth for that such bodily food aptly represeteth the food of the sowle this resolutioÌ„ hath his ground hence that to signifie figure is the chief end why the sacrameÌ„t was instituted and therefore where this significatiâ— is reteyned there is the substance of the sacramenn sufficiently coÌ„served as our M. Iewel also expresly affirmeth And nâ—w to come to M. B. Theologie who vpon this simple g 〈…〉 bulldeth his sacrameÌ„t what if a man deny al his ground both in the one signe in the other what if a maÌ„ deny that as Christs blud washeth away the spots staynes of sinne so this is best represented by water as Christ is the persit nurriture of our sowle so this is best represented by bread and wine For touching both the one and the other both washing and feeding not only his laundresse or wife if she be demaunded the question and wemen having by the gospel such power and sway geven to them in ecclesiastical matters as hath bene declared doubtles their sentence in such cases is greatly to be esteemed wil answere in both negatively that nether only water washeth and clenseth best nor only bread and drinke be it wine or ale is ful and persit nurriture but also reason common experience and the scripture it selfe wil iustifie this their negatiue For everie one that vseth to wash and scoure cleane knoweth that water alone is not of best force so to do And the scripture when it wil signifie persite and best washing requireth somewhat els as where the prophete saith If thow wash thy selfe with nitre and multiplie the herbe Borith or after Malachie the fullers herbe yet thow art stil vncleâ—â—e VVhich Nitre as likewise many other natural liquours or herbes to be of greater power to scoure out spots and steynes then is running water daily practise philosophie teacheth vs. And on the other part the coÌ„mon diet thorough out Scotland and England assureth vs the contrarie of that M. B. so confidently affirmeth every man and woman I say wil deny that who soever hath bread and drinke hath by by ful and persit nurriture as on the contrarie side some times and in some places countries ful persit nurriture hath bene without ether of them ether bread or wine In the first age before the deluge when men lived 700. 800. yea 900. yeres they had persite ful nurriture yet never knew what wine meant perhaps nether bread For albeit the scripture vse once that vvord bread in our vulgar translations yet it is wel knowen to al vvhich knovv ought that the hebrew word especially in that place signifieth
any food in general vvhereby man liveth as vvel herbes rootes apples yea flesh fish as our kind of bread vvithout vvhich as then doubtles men might live vvel so at this present it is sure and certain that both in Africa and in America there are vvhole nations vvho liue far longer then vve do vvho vntil this time never knevv nor savv ether bread or vvine and now they knovv both yet preferre they their rootes siuit vvhich they of old vsed iâ— steed of bread vvine before ether the one or the other And since the ChristiaÌ„ faith was published in the world hovv many good men of longest life as for example â— Antonie S. Paule the first Eremites of vvhich the one lived 105 the other 113. yere haue perpetually absteyned from vvine yet vvanted not for al that ful perfite nurriture or els they could neuer haue liued so long And the holy scripture vvhen it vvil describe sufficiencie and fulnes requisite for mans sustenance sometimes yea commonly expresseth it not by bread and vvine but otherwise somtimes vseth those 2. but ioyneth other things vnto them VVhen God promised to the Hebrues a land where they should find no vvant but haue plentic of such nurriture as M. B. telleth vs os generally it nameth a land not abounding vvith bread and wine but vvith milke and hony as appeareth in the old testament every vvhere Sometime it mentioneth bread alone sometime vvith bread ioyneth not wine but water that vvas to thovvsands as ful and perfite nurriture as vvine from vvhich among the Ievves many for very religion absteyned yet had their ful and perfite sustenance At other times it rehearseth corne wine and oyle And yet after al these ful and perfite sustenance and nutriment is made by flesh fish and other such commodities no lesse then by the premisses vvhich therefore God in like sort gave to the hand of man saying al birdes of the ayer al fishes of the sea al beasts of the earth shal be to yow for food and nurriture VVherefore if M. B. in saying that bread and vvine is ful and perfit nurriture and therefore may signifie Christ vvhich nourisheth vs persitely speake of bread vvine in such sense as the scripture doth vvhich vnder the name of bread and vvine compriseth al food as I confesse he speaketh truly so in that sense bread by it self or bread and vvater or mylke and hony or flesh or fish is a ful perfite nurriture and may signifie Christ as vvel and so serue as vvel for a sacrament If he speake as he seemeth after the vulgar sense of men namely of our countrymen in Scotland England vvhere bread signifieth one special and particular kind of food and vvine an other then is his vvord false then doth not his sacramental bread and vvine represent Christ as a perfite and ful nurriture of our sovvles for that only bread and vvine are not ful perfite nurriture of our bodies according to our speech fashion and dyet and so is his sacramental signe a false signe and seale vvhich sealeth a false doctrine as not having a perfite representation of ful and perfite nurriture And albeit against the right sacrament of the church vvhere the principal part of the sacrament is an other maner of grace vertue and sanctification vvhereof this significative qualitie dependeth as an accident of the substance as an accessorie of the principal this argument be vveake concludeth nothing yet against them who make not any spiritual effect and operation but such tropical figuring and representation the chief effect and substance of the sacrament the argument standeth strong forcible sufficient to destroy the vvhole entier sacrament because it destroyeth the perfit signification vvherein the sacrament principally chiefly consisteth Furthermore if the chief point and part of this sacrament is to be dravven from that vvhich geveth ful perfite nurriture to our body then that meate vvhich best fullest nourisheth our body is the best sacrament as fittest to signifie our ful nurriture vvhich vve haue in Christ and so if to bread vvine we ioyne a good peece of mutton a fat capon vvhich questionles nourisheth better then bread vvine alone this because it nourisheth the body best shal be fittest to signifie and so to make the Scottish sacrament For this sequele can not be denyed nor avoyded that if vve measure and define the sacrament as he doth by feeding the body and so consequently representing spiritual foode if it be true as vvith M. B. our English Iewel vvriteth that the substance of the sacrament iâ— to shew vs that like as material bread feedeth our body so the body of Christ crucified eaten by faith feedeth the sowle then that vvhich in this kind excelleth the same is most significatiue most sacramental so vve shal be everyday varying our sacraments according as the Phisicians â—nforme vs vvhich meate is most nourishing And thus in fine vve shal proceed to take our sacraments from the kitchin or from Galen and Hippocrates rules of fatting the body not from Christs gospel his Apostles order of feeding the sovvle And breefely hereof it ensueth that every man and vvoman can make as good a sacrament as this For vvhat man or vvoman that hath a litle skil in phisike or cookery can not geue to every dish of meate sod baked rost fried to every banqueting dish every good restoratiue every good vvine beere ale or vvhat so ever is nutritiue this signification and say to her ghests that as this capon this venisoÌ„ nourisheth your body so Christ in heaven or crucified nourisheth your sowle VVhich being so that truly such meate nourisheth the body as vvel as bread wine it consequently may represent the nurriture of the sovvle as vvel as the bread and vvine vvhich is to be as good a sacrament as is their bread vvine If he replie that Christ ordeyned the one not the other and therefore the one is so much to be preferred before the other because it is appointed by Christ to signifie represent so that is holy bread it is holy wine a holy signe seale for that it signifieth by Christs institution I ansvvere first that it is more agreable to the Protestant doctrine that Christ instituted it not but only vsed it being in practise long before among the Ievves And as he first instituted not baptisme but tooke it from S. Iohn so did he not first ordeyne or appoint this but left it as he found it a mere Ievvish ceremonie vvith this only difference which the course of time gaue vnto it that it should thence forvvard signifie a thing past as of old it had signified a thing to come I ansvvere next supposing that Christ did institute it that albeit in deede betvvene Christ man there is infinite difference so yet betvvene this signe of
heresie in our age is to be attributed to him partly because by his doctrine he abolished that vvhich in this dreadful mysterie is principal that is to say the sacrifice and vvorship due to god performed therein vvhich is euer most necessary in euery religion and by vvanting vvhereof the prophetes Apostles and holy Doctors vse to describe and expresse a godles and irreligious a prophane Atheistical or Antichristian state of people partly because he protested that him self vvas maruelous desirous to haue also denied the real presence thereby the more to spite and greene the Pope if so be he could vvith any probabilitie ether haue framed the vvords of Christ spoken at his last supper to that part also of the Berengarian heresie or haue induced his ovvne conscience to thinke such a symbolical presence and real absence of Christs flesh from the sacrameÌ„t euer to haue bene entended by Christ vvhereof thus him self vvriteth in the 7. Tome of his vvorks as they are set out by Melancâ—hon in an epistle sent to certaine of his scholers Lutherus Ecclesiastes euangelista VVittembergensis Christianis Argentinae c. Hoc diffiteri nec possum nec volo c. Luther the preacher and Euangelist of VVittemberg to the Christians of Strasou g. Thus much I nether can nor wil denie that if Carolostadius or any other man fiue yeres ago could haue perswaded me that in the sacrament was nothing els but bread and wine without Christs real presence he truly had bound me vnto him and I wold haue accepted that as a very great benefite For in examining and debating that matter I tooke maruelous paynes and streyned euery veyne of body and sowle to haue ridde and dispatched my self thereof because I saw ful wel that thereby I might haue done notable harme and damage to the Papacy But I see my self taken fast that there is no way to escape For the text of the gospel is to cleare forcible which can not easely be shaken much lesse ouerthrowen by words gloses deuised by giddy braynes Thus Luther after he had by sundry vvritings and persvvasions vvhere he bare any svvay taken avvay the sacrifice shevving him selfs as forvvard to haue abolished in like maner the sacrament vvhich except it haue the true presence of Christ is no sacrament of his institution consequently no sacrament aâ—al saue that the vvords vvhereby Christ ordeyned the same stoode against him so strong and pregnant that he could deuise no shift to auoyd them VVhich conclusion and confession of Luther albeit to mer of reason conscience it should more haue confirmed established the truth of Christs real presence in the sacrament seing Christs vvords vvere so strong and mightie that they compelled enforced as it vvere against his vvil this mortal enemy of Christs church to graunt that vvhich othervvise he most gladly vvold haue denyed yet in that lose and dissolute time vvhen euerie man by Luthers example tooke libertie to deuise vpon the scripture as Luther had done these very vvords of Luther gaue great occasion to his felovves and compartners to inuent some farther sovvler shiftes to put that in practise vvhich Luther vvold ful fayne but hauing as then some remorse of conscience regard to Christs vvords durst not ¶ For vvhich cause Carolostadius a companion then of Luther Archdeacon of VVittemberg of vvhich citie Luther calleth him self preacher Euangelist folovving Luthers example of framing the sense of scripture after his ovvne priuate spirite and considering better Luthers ground rule of interpretation vvhich vvas so to interprete as he might most endamage the Papacie church Catholike vvent a litle farther and deuised a vvay hovv to defeate those vvords vttered by our Sauiour vvhich so hampered entangled Luther that he could no vvay rid him self from the power manifest clearnes of them His way vvas not to expound them of the sacrament vvhich Christ deliuered to his Apostles but of his visible person sitting at the table as though Christ had said Eate and drinke for I am he that must dye for yow al this my body is it which must suffer on the crosse for your redemption And this iuterpretation Carolostadius instified by diuers reasons which Zuinglius reherseth whereof these be the principal First for that the Prophetes foretolde that Christs body was that which was to be crucified so that looke hovv many testimonies and places may be gathered out of al scripture old and nevv to proue Christs passion so many could Carolostadius heape to approue this his exposition A second vvas that Christ here vsed a sodayne Apostrophe and turning away of the word This from the bread to his body as he did likewise in the words Thou art Peter a rocke vpon this rocke I wild buyld my church VVhere the first rocke after the Protestants iudgement is spoken of Peter the second is sodainly turned avvay from Peter to Christs person His third reason more probable then al the other vvas for that whereas Christ toke bread in to his hands and before had spoken of the bread in the masculin gendre 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sodenly he changeth it in to the neuter gendre hoc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVhich reason as it somevvhat maketh for Carolostadiê° bad conceyte so it quit ouerthrovveth the common and general exposition of al other Sacramentaries vvho altogether take this for their sure ground that Christ said This bread is my body VVhich as it is most false so Carolostadius their great father and patriarch refelleth it by Christs manifest vvords vvhich possibly can not admit such construction as Carolostadius truly teacheth them vvhereof more shal be spokeÌ„ hereafter For the present it may suffise vs that vve knovv Carolostadius sentence and peruersion of Christs vvords vvhich consisted in this that he chaunged and altered the first syllable hoc This in to Hic here Hoc est corpus meum Here is my body or as Sleidan the Protestant Historiographer reporteth the matter his interpretation vvas Hic sedet corpus meum Here sitteth my body Certain bretherne saith Musculus meaning Carolosiadius vvith his sectaries refer the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This not to the bread but to the very body of Christ as though turning his finger to him self Christ had sayd This body which here yow see before yow shal be geuen for yow Before I proceed farther to shevv hovv this Berengarian infidelitie multiplied I thinke it conuenieÌ„t for that this man is the very roote founder of it in this our age to describe briefly out of autentical and assured vvitnesses such as the Protestants can no vvay refuse vvhat maner of man this Carolostadius vvas that as before I shevved al the patrones of this heresie from Berengarius to haue bene most vvicked men detestable heretiks so vve may note hovv this man perfectly resembleth those
This is very good sound doctrine For in deed such grace vertue haue sacraments of the nevv TestameÌ„t namely and especially these two principal baptisme the Supper vvhich as yet the Protestants accept for sacrameÌ„ts that they are signes exhibiting conserâ—ing and haue conioyned with them the thing vvhich they signifie as is the general doctrine of al Catholike wâ—ters yet so which also M. B. very wisely marketh that we always put a distinctioÌ„ betwene the principal efficient deliuerer which is God and the instrumental efficient which are the sacraments which not of them selues but by God are made p tent instruments to deliuer that same thing which they signifie Al which being true M. B. proceedeth very vvel against such Zuinglians Calvinists as make the sacrameÌ„t only a figure representing or signifying a thing absent For if that were so then any picture or dead image should be a sacrament For there is no picture as the picture of the king but at the sight thereof the king wil come to youre mynd So if the sacrament did no further al pictures should be sacraments But the Lord hath appointed the sacraments as hands to deliver exhibite the thing signified and for this deliverie exhibition chiefly they are called signes This doctrine I much commend in M. B. And would to god he could continue in it especially if as he very directly playnely and Catholikely describeth the nature of these sacramental signes so he can geue vs as true and sincere a description of the things signified vvhich by these signes are delivered And that also he performeth very vvel For against Caluin and some Calvinists that vvil haue the thing signified and received to be a vertue and grace flowing from the flesh of Christ and not Christs true real substance he setteth dovvne in plain and sincere maner that the things signified received by the bread wyne are not the benefits of Christ or the vertue that floweth out of Christ only but the very substance of Christ him self the substance with the vertues giftes graces that flow from the substance whole Christ god man without separation of his natures are the things signified For it is not possible that I be partaker of the iuyce which floweth out of any substance except I be partaker of the substance it self It is not possible that my stomak can be refreshed with that meate the substance whereof commeth not to my mouth So it is impossble that I can get the iuyce vertue that flowes from Christ except I first get the substance that is Christ him self And is it true then that with the sacramental signes is truly ioyned not only in figure vvhole Christ god and man yea his very substance Is this the special reason why the sacrament is called a signe because it exhibites and deliuers the thing that it signifies to the sowle and hart so sâ—ore as the signe is delivered to the mouth To vvhat end should this be and what need is there of such miraculous conâ—unetion vvhereas othervvise if Christs body be as far distaÌ„t from our bodies as is heauen from earth vve seeing the bread broken and vvine povvred out may remember Christs body and blud and so by faith eate him Again to vse Zuinglius common argument vvhich aftervvards M. B. him self vrgeth to the same purpose vvhereas the sovvle is a spirite and Christs flesh and blud things corporal hovv can these corporal things vvorke any benefite to that vvhich is altogether spiritual If they do not vvhy then are they conioyned vvith the signes by vvhich coiunction there cometh no good at al To the first M. B. ansvvereth and yeldeth great reason hereof To the end saith he that this sacrament may nourish thee to life everlasting thou must get in it thy whole Sauiour whole Christ god man with his whole graces and benefites without separation of his substance from his graces or one nature from the other Touching the second obiection though saith he Christs body flesh and blud be in it self true flesh and true substance as it was in the womb of the virgin yet in the supper it is called spiritual a spiritual thing spiritual foode in respect of the spiritual end where vnto it serues to my body and sowle because the flesh and blud of Christ serues to nurish me not to a temporal but to a spiritual and heavenly life and to a heavenly celestial and spiritual end In respect of this end the flesh of Christ and Christ in respect of his flesh is called the spiritual thing in the sacrament and also for that the flesh of Christ which is geven in the sacrament is receâ—â—ed by a spiritual and secrete maner which is not seene to the eies of men ¶ Here I haue to desyre the Christian reader that he marke vvel and carye avvay these good instructions in this place geven him by M. B. First that in the sacrament the signe hath the thing signified truly conioyned vvith it so that the one is not present in Edinburgh the other absent in London much lesse the one present in Edinburgh the other as far absent distant as the highest heauen is from Edinburgh but the thing signified is truly conioyned with the signe The next is that the thing signified is not Christs divinitie not the merits of his death and passion but his very flesh and blud the true natural substance thereof and therefore the true natural substance of Christs body blud being the thing signified is also truly conioyned with the signe and therefore present where the signe is and exhibited and delivered by the signe and vvith the signe vvhich is called a signe especially for this reason because it exhibits delivers the thing which it signifies Thirdly that this coniunction of Christ with the sacrament for our vse is hard to conceiue because it is a high and divine misterie it is a mystical secrete diuine and spiritual coniunction as the coniunction betwixt vs and Christ is ful of mysterie which is not possible to tel and expresse by câ—ular demonstration But who ever would vnderstand that coniunction his mynd must be enlightened with an heavenly eye to see this mystical and secrete coniunction that is betwixt the sonne of God and vs in the sacrament And except ye haue this heavenly illumination ye can never vnderstand nether your owne coniunction with Christ nor yet that coniunction betwixt the signe and the thing signified in the sacrament Fourthly albeit both the coniunction betwixt the signe and the thing signified in the sacrament be mystical and spiritual as likewise the very body and flesh of Christ vvhich is exhibited and ministred to vs in the sacrament and vvith the sacrament is called spiritual both because of the spiritual life and spiritual end of life everlasting and immortalitie
where vnto it nourisheth our body and sowle as also because it is received by a secret and spiritual maner not apparant to the eye of man yet therefore we must not deny nor doubt but that the true flesh and blud the true substance of Christ god and man is there geven vs in the sacrament Fiftly the reason why it is thus geuen â—s in the sacrament vz. to nourish vs both in sowle body not to a temporal life but to a spiritual and heavenly life to nourish I say body and sowle to a heauenly celestial and spiritual end that is to life eternal to eternal ioy and resurâ—ection as Christ him self declareth this is a wâ—ightie motiue besides al the premisses to establish a true real corporal presence of Christ in the sacrament which also M. B. very wel declareth thus VVhat availes it to see my health in a box standing in the Apothecaries booth what can it work towards me if it be not applied So it is not enough to see Christ in heaven by faith but he must be geven vs oâ— els he can not work health and salvation in vs c. VVhich similitude ioyned to two other going before in this sermon and formally repeated again in the next haue this plaine and direct meaning if vve regard the plain direct vvords and stand to them As it is not possible that my stomake should be refreshed with that meate the substace where of I receiue not into my mouth nether possibly can my drouth be slaked with drinke which never cometh within my body nether can the medicine in the Apothecaries shoppe do me any good or helpe my disease if I regard it only standing in the shoppe and applie it not vnto me in like maner if vve vvil haue benefite by Christs flesh blud if we vvil cure our spiritual diseases purific our sovvle comfort both body and sovvle and make them capable of resurrection and immortal life vve must not thinke it sufficient to regard him by faith in heauen having besides meanes to receiue him really in earth But seing for our good and to vvorke vs such benefites he hath truly conioyned his body vvith the holy sacrament made that a potent instrument to deliuer and exhibite his divine body vnto vs as the Apothecaries box doth deliuer and exhibite vs the composition or medicine vve must truly and really receiue the one as vve do the other if vve looke for helpe to our body and sovvle to come by the one as vve hope to recover helth of body by the other Othervvise looke how vnpossible it is vnto thee to be fed with that fâ—od that neuer comes into thy mouth or to recouer helth of that drâ—ge which was neuer applied nor came never out of the Apothecaries booth it is as vnpossible for thee to get thy helth of the body of Christ except thow first eate his body and drinke his blud Thus M. B. And to this very end purpose did the most auncient fathers applie these and the like similitudes shevving most excellently that as in humanitie many good thing vvere vvrought for the body by the sovvle and many thinges for the sowle by the body so in divinitie many good vertues graces of God proceede from the sowle to the sanctificatioÌ„ and glorification of the body as faith hope charitie patience c. many also as consession of Christs name suffering of afflictions almes geving fasting praying baptisme confirmation c. vvere wrought by the body to the beautifying and more sanctification of the sowle Among vvhich the receiving of Christs diuine body in the sacrament was one vvhereby the body fust and consequently the sowle is indued with grace of resurrection of life eternal So writeth that most auncient martyr S. Ireneus As a grain of corne falling in to the earth and dying ryseth in his tyme by the power and spirit of God so our bodyes nourished by the Eucharist which is the body blud of Christ though they be buried in the earth and resolued into dust yet shal rise in their time the word of god that is Christ geving them resurrection to the glory of god the father Again with what face say the heretikes that our flesh perisheth neuer to rise again quae a corpore et sanguine Domini alitur which is nourished to eternal life by the body blud of Christ VVhich is the argument also of Tertullian in his booke de resurrectione carnis Gregotius Nyssenus brother to S. Basil the great disputeth altogether in like soâ—me As a litle leauen saith he maketh the whole masse of dow like to it even so the immortal body of Christ entring into our body altereth chaungeth it And as a poison mingled with that which is wholesom marreth and corrupteth it so the immortal body of Christ maketh that where in to it is received like to an immortal nature And a litle after in the same place The body of Christ is ioyned to the bodies of the faithful to the end that by such a contunction with an immortal body man also maybe made partaker of immortalitie The very like comparison vseth S. Cyril archbisshop of Alexandria Aâ— asparkle of her put in straw or hey seueth al on fier so Christ IESVS the word of God by meanes of the Eucharist ioyned to our corruptible nature causeth it wholy to rise immortal Much to like purpose writeth S. Chrysostom alluding yet rather to M. B. similitude of the Apothecaries shop and receit Let vs al that are sicke saith he go for remedie to Christ with great faith For if they which only touched the hem of his garment were forthwith healed how much more shal we be strengthned if we receiue him wholy in to vs And to be brief nothing is more vsual in the auncient fathers then to argue and proue the resurrection of the body to life eternal by this reason for that we receiue Christs immortal and glorious body in the blessed Sacrament For this cause the auncient and general Councel of Nice calleth the sacrament a pledge or symbole of our resurrection S. Athanasius a defence and preservatiue to the resurrection of eternal life S. Optatus a pledge of eternal life and hope of resurrection The like whereof is found in many other fathers namely S. Hilarius Al vvhich reasons speeches and comparisons are grounded vpon that sentence of our Sauiour He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blud hath life eternal and I wil raise him vp in the last day VVhich place the fathers interprete of receiving Christ in the blessed Sacrament Namely to allege one in steed of many S. Cyril writeth that not only our sowles were to be elevated by the holy ghost to life everlasting but also this rude grâ—sse terrestrial body of ours is to be reduced to immortalitie by eating the agreeable food of Christs body And when Christ saith I wil
present vvho thinks vvith Luther the Lutherans that al such creatures are martyrs of the Deuil the drinking of the vvine vvil rather put them in mynd of other martyrs blud If a right Zuinglian preach vnto vvhom the Sacrament is nothing els but as a soldiers colours or a seruing mans badge as Zuinglius vsually taught vvrote he after the sermoÌ„ ended vvheÌ„ he seeth bread vvine must needs coÌ„ceiue thereof according as he hath hard the minister preach and open vp the parts thereof and so furth a number of such significations and as proper apt conuenient one as the other must needs rise according to the difference of ministers sermons of mens conceites and fantalies So that betvvene the bread and vvine and Christs body and blud there is no such coniunction as is betvvene vvords signifying the things signifyed for that the vvords in euery seueral nation at lest haue vsually one certaine signification vvhereas the bread vvine hath diuers according to the diuers coÌ„ditions opinions both of ministers of coÌ„municants ¶ And vpon this same ground I farther infer against M. B. that a picture is a better and more diuine sacrament and hath a more neere coniunction vvith Christ then hath the bread and vvine of their supper And this I proue by M. B. his owne words preferre a picture before his bread vvine by the same reason by vvhich he goeth about to proue the contrarie The bread and vvine saith he doth not only represent or signifie a thing absent For so any picture or dead image should be a sacrament for there is no picture as the picture of a king but at the sight of the picture the king wil come in to your mynd Is it true Hath a picture such force and vertue to cavse vs at the sight thereof to remember the thing represented Ergo a picture is a far better sacrament then is your bread and vvine in the supper For a picture let it be for example sake the picture of Christ crucified at the first sight of it bringeth to the memorie of a Christian the death passion of Christ so doth not your bread vvine vvithout farther declaration as your self write In the Supper ye shal not so soone see that bread with your eye ye shal not so soone see that wine but after the preaching and opening vp of the parts of the sacrament the body and blud of Christ shal come in your mynd So then the bread and vvine can not signifie thus much but there is required vvithal a preaching and opening of the parts of the sacrament But a faire and vvel made picture vvithout preaching or so much a do forthvvith at the first sight thereof vvil bring the passion of Christ to my mynd Again vvhat man endued vvith common reason and wit wil not graunt that a picture vvhich signifieth naturally and naturally caâ—ieth by the eye to the memorie one only thing to the signification vvhereof it is determined is more potent and fit and profitable to cause such remembrance then a thing signifying not naturally but by ordinance of man and vvhich of it self is not determined to one kynd of representation as the picture is For bread vvine eaten and drunken by men â—â—â—â—ing together at a table may signifie good cheere may signifie hovv Sodome and Gomorrha perished through abundance and delicate fare may signifie temperate diet hovv many good men haue liued a long â—â—â—e vvith bread drinke without any other kynd of sustenance may signifie that al things are gotten by travail and labour as the bread is gotten out of the earth may signifie a Catholike vnitie of mynd and faith as the bread is made one of many cornes may signifie a Protestant and schismatical diuision of mindes hartes from the vnitie of faith as the bread is broken and diuided Briefly if the bread be faire vvhite it may signifie cleanes and puritie if fovvle and blacke it may signifie filthines and iniquitie being vsed vvith some forme of religion in a temple as among the Caluinists may signifie honour done to Bacchus and Ceres as in time of the old Paganes and so forth a number of like things may the bread signifie as many mo the vvine vvhich the picture of Christ crucified can not Again vvhereas the bread and vvine doth signifie as these men appoint it in special only by reason of the preaching annexed and opening vp the parts of the sacrament seeing this signification and declaration hath bene made fully perfitely and absolutely by the preaching and opening vp the parts of the sacrament vvho can deny but it is mere superstuous to adde the breaking of the bread and drinking of vvine an obscure darke secret figure after a cleere manifest and publike declaration This is in deed vvhen the Sunne shineth to light a candle to dig a vvel by the mayne riuer to cast a quatrine in to Creâ—us treasures This is like as if an orator or preacher hauing made a plaine euident and sensible narration of the Hugonâ—â— tragical histories in France hovv they overthrevv churches monasteries tovvres castels burnt vvhole cities made desolate most faire florishing Prouinces in fine after a long sermoÌ„ or oratioÌ„ to such effect should before his audience pul out of his bosome a sticke or a peece of paper and breake the one or teare the other to signifie those former vvasts and desolations This is to childish and ridiculous and yet this is al the grace of the Scottish and Geneua signe ¶ And vvhereas M. B. to helpe his poore signe imaginarie coniunction of Christs body vvith it addeth tvvo qualities incident thereto the first maketh not but mareth altogether his coniunction the second is a plaine falsitie and cleane against the Protestant doctrine and therefore helpeth it as litle His vvords are This coniunction betwixt the signe or sacrament and thing signified in the sacrament standes chiefly in two points The first part of the coniunction standes in a relation which rises vpon a certain similitude likenes proportion and analogie which is between the one the other VVhich likenes may be easely perceiued For looke how able the bread is to nurish the body to this life earthly and temporal the flesh of Christ signified by the bread is as able to nurish both body and sowle to life euerlasting This is the first vvhich as I say nothing iustifieth but rather quit ouerthrovveth destroyeth his sacramental coniunction For this signification and relation the bread and vvine haue ether by the sermon preached or vvithout the sermon being coÌ„sidered in them selues apart in their owne nature If the first so they no more signifie this then any other thing vvherevnto it shal please the minister to apply his sermon and referre the proportion analogie and similitude of his bread and vvine vvhich may very diuers as hath bene shevved
If the second so is there no more coniunction betvvene Christ and the sacrament then is betvvene Christ every creature â—nder the Sunne For that euery creature natural or artificial much more liuing much more reasonable yet much more spiritual and Angelical in some good sort resembleth and shevveth furth the grace goodnes povver maiesty of God his creator Such coniunction as here is spoken of there is betvvene God or Christ and a cap a govvne or coate a svvord a dish any beast much more my man c. For as a cap keepeth the head from rayne and fovvle vvether so God protecteth his from hel and damnation as a good govvne keepeth the body vvarme and in helth so God preserueth both body and sowle in grace to life euerlasting as by the svvord vve conquere our enemy so by Christ vve vanquish the deuil as the dish bringeth our meate to the table so Christ brought in to the vvorld the true foode and meate of immortalitie Much more such similitudes may be sound in beasts in vvhich as al Diuines coÌ„fesse there is vestigium dei a more lively footestep and marke of God For vvhich cause especially and particularly for that I say they in some special maner represented figured the Messias to come our blessed Sauiour in the sacrifices of the old testament there vvas appointed both of the one sort the other as oxen kine calves goates kids sheepe lambes doves pigeons c. and also bread cakes flovver fruits of the earth vvheate oyle a number of other things burnt rosted sod fried as vve read in Levitieê° Al vvhich vvere not takeÌ„ at randon by chaunce but by great special choise for special signification and relation vvhich in some point they had with the Messias to come the Sauiour of the vvorld I need not to make comparison of man though the vvorst that euer vvas be it Iudas or Caluin or Arrius or Iohn Knox vvho being created to the image and similitude of God haue a thousand times more likenes resemblaÌ„ce proportion and analogie to God and Christ then al the bread and vvine that is eaten and drunken at al the communions in Scotland and England So that this first part of Christs coniunction vvith their signe and Supper bringeth smale credit vnto it and maketh it a very pitiful signe betvvixt vvhich and Christ the coniunction is not only lesse theÌ„ betvvene Christ Arrius â—â— Caluin or Iudas lesse theÌ„ betwene Christ any liuing beast be it dog or cat but also as litle as betvvene Christ a cap or any the least sensses creature of Gods creatioÌ„ ¶ The second part of this coniunction vvere more to the purpose if it vvere true for thus he saith The second point of the coniunction standes in a continual and muâ—â—d coÌ„curring of the one with the other in such sort that the signe and the thing signified are offered both together at one time and in one action the one outwardly the other inwardly if so be thow haue faith to receiue it Then the second point of this coniunctioÌ„ standes in a ioynt offering in a ioynt receiuing and this I cal the concurrence The same he aftervvards expresseth again thus If ye be a faithful man Christ is †as bissie in working inwardly in your sowle as the minister outwardly towards your body Looke â—ow †bissie the minister is in breaking that bread in powring out that wine in geuing that bread wine to thee as bissie is Christ in breaking †his owne body to thee in geuing thee the iuyce of his owne body after a spiritual inuisible maner These words may seeme to make some coniunction betvvene the bread in their Supper and Christs body but being truly vvayghed according to these mens doctrine they conteyne nothing but a mockerie and coosinage of the poore people besides much vvickednes prophane conceits manifest contradiction to their ovvne preaching and vvriting For to begin vvith the later what a prophanitie is it and irreligious impietie to flame Christ in heauen by their ministers paltring in earth and to tel the communicants that he doth there in his body as the minister doth here in the bread to inculcate in to their mindes and to wil them especially to consider and thinke when they are aâ— the table in sight of that Action that looke what thow leest the minister doing outwardly what euer it be a large worde Christ is as bissie doing al those things spiritually to thy sowle be is aâ— bissie geuing to thee his owne body as the minister is breaking dealing bread he is as bissie geuing thee his owne blud with the vertue and efficacie of it â— the minister is powring out the wine distributing it VVhy sir As yovv breake your bread in your Supper doth Christ so breake his body in heauen As the minister povvreth out the vvine doth Christ so povvre out and communicate his blud though after an inuisible and spiritual maner yet truly as yovv haue told vs sundry times And doth not Christ communicate his body blud ioyntly vvholy but thus parted and diuided not with facilitie but with labour and bissines for that yovv vvil the people to beleeue and marke and consider that Christ is as bissie which word yow so tediously inculcate in heauen as your minister is in earth VVhat a vile resemblance and comparison is this to make the rude people imagin that Christ is not in heauen glorious immortal impassible but after an earthly maner working labouring toyling bissying him self to ansvvere your Ministers breaking of bread povvring out vvine dealing diuiding it in earth True it is Christ in heauen doth ratifie concurre vvith the doings of his officers and servants in earth vvhether they baptise consume coÌ„secrate bynd or lose or do any thing els which he hath appointed For hovv so euer they instrumentally do their parts Christ is he qui baptizat in spiritu that baptizeth doth al the rest in the holy ghost by authoritie as S. Iohn saith But to speake as this man doth that Christ keepeth such a sâ—â—â—re coyle and is as bissie as the minister and breaketh his body and vvringeth out iuyce to geue to the good bretherne after example of the minister vvhom Christ resembleth and imitateth in euery thing what so euer this is no diuinitie nor yet humanitie but litle differing froÌ„ plain scurrilitie especially to men that know hovv bissilie and troublesomly oft tymes yovv minister your comunions VVhereof Clebitius a prelate of your order brawling with his cominister Heshusius about this ministring geueth vs some tast amongest a number of other faults charging him vvith these Diddest rot their in making ministers allow a publike communioÌ„ of one only person that before the whole congregation Did dest not thow commaund me superstitiously to number the breads of the Eucharist VVhen
the Communion vvas ended and the CoÌ„municants had drunke their parts didst not thow forbid me to powre backe again in to the tankard the wine that remained VVhen the breads appointed for the Eucharist were spent and new were to be taken and deliuered out didst not thow repeate againe the institution of Christ and that in solemne musike VVhen as in the congregationâ— would not willingly permit to thee the administration of the cuppe didst not thow commaund thy colleag that in the face of the congregation he should take the cup from me by force And for that cause did not I hold it fast and with both my hands So bissie vvas this good minister to hold fast the cup lest he should leese his drinke and to omit al the former vvranglings bravlings quarellings by your Diuinitie so bissie was Christ in heauen also to make correspondeÌ„ce as yow cal it concurrence and ioynt effering with him to resemble the action of this minister ¶ Again hovv chaunceth it that yovv forget so soone the forme of ministring your Communion vvhere it is precisely noted that the people not the minister distribute and diuide the bread among themselues and so this your sacramental signification of Christ as bissie as the minister when as the minister sitteth stil and doth nothing is cleane lost and Christ left as quiet and voyd of such bissines in heauen who in deed medleth nothing vvith your communions as he vvas before Thirdly which is the chief I maruel you perceiue not your owne vvrong and false application of your communicating vvhen yovv so expresse eating of Christs flesh and drinking his blud by the ministers action deliuering the bread as though the only instrument of deliueringâ— vvere the minister and the broad and as though vvith the bread it were stil deliuered when as yow make such a ioynt-offering and concurrence as here yovv describe that the signe and thing signified are offered both together one time and in one action say other where that so 〈◊〉 is the body blud of Christ conioyned with that bread 〈…〉 wine that as soone as thou receiuest that bread in to thy mouth if thow be a faithful man or woman so soone thow receiuest the body of Christ in to thy sowle that by faith Know yow not that this doctrine is refuted by every SacrameÌ„tarie Protestant I suppose that ever wrote of the sacraments VVho is there among them al that ever wrote a booke of common places but he hath one railing invectiue against the Papists because they taught that Gratia dei est alligata sacramentis Gods grace his body and his blud remission of synnes is ioyned or annexed to the sacraments For by alligata they meane not tyed or bound as a thief is with ropes but as by gods creation phisical vertue is ioyned to causes natural moral vertues to causes moral and theological graces to sacraments which are like causes efficient and instruments theological by Christ ordayned to such effects and ends Reade vvith a litle more diligence Calvins Institutions whereas yovv vvil haue the body and blud of Christ truly conioyned with your bread and vvine and likevvise grace of regeneration vvith the vvater of baptisme yovv shal synd that Caluin chargeth yovv in any case not to say so nor to thinke that any vertue at al much lesse that fountayne head-spring of al vertues is conioyned with any sacrament Reade his commentaries vpon S. Paule to the Ephesians and yovv shal see him most strongly after the principles of your gospel to beate dovvne al this ioynt offering and ioynt receiving The libertie of gods spirite and grace of god is not tyed to the signes saith he and many receiue the signe that are not partakers of the grace not only through their fault because they refuse it but euen by the very nature of the sacrament and ordinance of God therein For that the signe is common to al good and bad but the spirite which delivereth the thing signified is â—euen only to the elect chosen Reade Zuinglius and he vvil teach yovv that herein yovv erre notably Some there are saith Zuinglius which suppose the sacraments to be such signes as when we vse them that is inwardly done in our harts which outwardly is signified by the sacrament But this is false For so the libertie of gods spirite should be bound if he were driuen to worâ—â— inwardly vpon those whom we marke with the sacraments outwardly Reade Musculus and yovv shal find that be vpon the like ground condemneth your opinion as vnreasonable according to the Protestant theologie VVhen Christians are baptized saith Musculus the things signified by the external sacrament are wrought in the elect as pleased the spirite of Christ ether before or after or in the very act of baptizing And therefore let no man thinke that the spirite is so tyed to the external sacrament that he worketh spiritually and effectually ether in the harts of al that be baptized or ever in the very act of baptisme He is a mad man that so thinketh c. And it is very absurd to tye the operation of the holy ghost which is most free to the external act of baptisme Reade Bullinger and he vvil teach yovv that faithful Christians do not then first receiue gods grace and beauenly gifts when they receiue the sacramental signes But first they haue the things signified after at leasure they take the signes c. So when we baptise children we protest clearely that we do not then first in baptisme geue them the grace of god which before they wanted but by baptisme we seale and confirme that which they had receiued before and in like maneris it in the supper eodem modo fit in caena Finally reade Peter Martyr Bucer Beza Occolampadius any Zuinghan Caluinist or Anabaptist and yovv shal find them to reproue this your opinion as Papistical And vvhat need I to obiect particular doctors vvhereas the vniuersal scope and preaching of al Caluinists and Caluinisme is plaine contrarie So soone saith this man as thow receiuest the bread into thy mouth if thow be faithful thow receiuest the body of Christ by faith in to thy sowle So soone say yovv and no sooner not before VVhen at your supper there be 2 or 3. hundred doth not the last maÌ„ â—ate Christ by faith before his turne come to receiue the bread into his mouth Al the time of the Sermon al the time of the thankes geuing al the time of the communioÌ„ when he seeth the bread brâ—ker and wine powred cut and he by occasion thereof thinketh on Christs passion doth he not spiritually by faith eate Christ Do not yovv defend this to be the proper spiritual eating of your supper It is evident and manifestly declared before VVherefore this is a very iest and plaine mockety to say that so soone as thow
eating the bread or seeing the bread broken then by hearing the vvord preached Yow confesse that by the vvord we get possession of the sonne of god yow coÌ„fesse we possesse him by the vvord fully and perfitly This possession is the vvorke of faith and the body of Christ is not othervvise gripped possessed or eaten in the supper but by faith when as we beleeue that Christ died for out redemption and rose again for our iustification VVhich being al your ovvne doctrine hovv can yovv explicate to the intelligence of any man that vve better grip possesse and eate Christ in bread and vvine then in the vvord It a true honest man vvhose vvords I trust before vvitnesses geue me a booke and I take it of him and being possessed of it vse it as myne ovvne neuer a vvhit doubting of my right if the same person after come to me and vvil persvvade me by an external signe and say Sir see here is a peece of bread as truly as I breake and eate this bread I geue yow that booke haue I by this external act any better possession right interest or grip in the booke then I had before certainly not In like sort Christ dwelleth in our harts by faith his vvord assureth vs after these mens doctrine that so often as vve trust to be saued by his passion vve eate his flesh and drinke his blud and that fully truly verily really and substantially VVhereas then vve make no doubt of present possession vvhich we already fully and perfitely enioy hovv can this possession be better any vvaies because vve see bread broken before our eyes Again let him remember the resolution of his principal Doctors vvho haue taught vs the cleane contrarie to that he preacheth here vz that Christ is receiued â— possessed as fully by the vvord as by their sacramental bread Let him remember his ovvne preaching in this same Sermon where he hath so diligently told vs that Christ is delivered and receiued in the bread no othervvise then in the vvord Let him remember that P. Mattyr goeth one step farther assuring vs that Christ is better received and possessed by the word then by their signes oâ— bread and vvine vvhich assertion doth plainly folovv is rightly deduced out of the very principles of their doctrine in this point For vvhereas the possession of Christ vvhich vve have ether by the signe or by the vvord dependeth only of faith so the possessing of Christ more or lesse better or worse in greater degree or smaler is to be measured by our faith only if he vvil say that vve possesse Christ better by their signe of bread then by the word he must consequently say that such bread more then the vvord stirreth vp our faith tovvards Christ by which faith only vve possesse and take hold of him And vvhat man of common reason and vnderstanding vvil not be asnamed to say that he is more moved to beleeue Christs death resurrection by seeing a peece of bread broken vvhich is a dumb and dead ceremonie of it self signifieth nothing but is a like indiffereÌ„t to signifie a number of things as vvel Christs life as his death his ascension as his resurrection his incarnation and circâ—â—neisioÌ„ as wel as any of the former which bread therefore M. B. calleth truly a corruptible earthly dead element voyd of life and sowle what reasonable man I say vvil graunt that by such a dumb ceremonic he is more stirred vp to beleeue Christs passion then vvhen he heareth the same plainly and cleerly preached out of the holy Euangelists out of the vvord of god vvhich as S. Paule calleth it is the power of god working saluation to al that beleeue vvhich vvord is lively and forcible and more persing then a two-edged sword able to diuide euen the sowle and the spirite the ioynts and the marow and to discerne the intrinsecal cogitations and intents of the hart Is that blunt bread able to stirre vp our faith comparably to this tvvo-edged sword that dul earthly dead element more then this diuine creature so lively and forcible and persing as here by S. Paule it is described If to folovv M. B. ovvne reason comparison the bread vvithout the vvord be nothing but a common peece of bread and the word serues as it â—ere a sowle to quicken the whole action without vvhich the bread is nothing els but a dead element hovv can a common peece of bread broken by the minister though neuer so artificially geue vs a better holdfast a better grip a more ample possession of Christ theÌ„ the vvord of Christ vvhich is omnipotent and able to vvorke al and vvhich without diminution of his ovvne life imparteth to the bread al the life vvhich it hath Is bread the dead elemeÌ„t more effectual then the vvord vvhich is the sovvle that putteth life in to that dead element Can the body separated from the sovvle or opposed to the sovvle be said to haue more life and spirite then the sovvle vvhich is the only founteyne of life and spirite to the body and vvithout vvhich the body remayneth as voyd of al life and spirite as doth any stocke or stone Novv surely this is aâ—â—ry dead imagination not to be conceiued of a man that hath life and sense and a litle vvit in him I omit that Caluin P. Martyr and Zuinglius commonly vvrite that never vvas there nor is there any sacrament which exhibited or deliuered to vs Christ but al sacraments serve â—ther to signifie and figure Christ absent as Zuinglius wil haue it or to seale the communication of Christ and his promises receiued before as is the more vsual opinion of Caluin Beza Martir and those that be right Caluinists And therefore vvhat speaketh M. B. of better gripping Christ by the sacrament then by the word of possessing him more fully and largely by the sacrameÌ„ts then by the word vvhereas they teach that by the sacraments vve posseâ—â—â— him not nor grip him at alâ—as out of Calvin Musculus Bullinger Zuinglius hath bene sâ—evved VVherefore M. B. perceiuing belike of him self that tâ—â—â— his riddle or oracle of possessing Christ better by 〈◊〉 signe of bread drinke by vvhich vve possesse him 〈◊〉 thing at alâ—then by the word which vvorketh some possessioÌ„ of Christ vvithin vs could very hardly sinke in â—â— the minds of his auditorie he therefore from this 〈◊〉 â—â—th to the first old auncient grace of his sacramenâ— bread lest it should seeme altogether friuolous and â—â—â— profitable For the sacraments serue also saith he â—◠〈◊〉 vp and confirme the truth that is in the word For â—â—â—â— office of the seale hung to the euidence is not to confirme any other truth but that which is in the euidence suppose ye beleeved the euidence before yet by the seales ye beleeue it the better euen so the sacrament assures me of
Minister is iniuried and it is against his profession out of the pulpit vvhence the only vvord of the Lord should sound to preach such inventions of men Next vvho can doubt but thus to prescribe one certain rule as necessarily to be obserued is the right vvay quit to disanul as many mo thousandâ— of their baptismes communions For vvho can imagin that the vnruly ministers folovv any one certain rule Or vvho knovveth not that it is in a maner against their professioÌ„ to admit any such vnâ—â—â—iâ—ie And yet this very order intended I suppose by Caluin and exactly and particularly thus defined by M. B. is most essential For seing the bread and vvine are material pâ—â—â—s and by their condition apt to signifie in general a hundred things as hath bene declared whereas the determination and reducing of it from general to special from signifying things prophane to signifie things sacred among a number of things sacred one several singular vz. the eating of Christs flesh by faith dependeth vpon the vvord of the minister thus determining it assuredly this vvord bringing vvith it this determination and so separating and abstracting the bread from al other things is most necessary most essential For as a peece of wax vvhich is to receiue the kings seale or image is indifferent before the staÌ„pe to receiue the image of a serpent of a dog of a tree of any living creature man or beast but after by the staÌ„p is limited to one certain forme and representation even so the bread being the matter and as it vvere the vvax which is to be sealed is of it self indifferent to as many stampes images But vvhen the minister cometh and according to M. B. and Caluins direction telleth them that as the bread feedeth their body to life temporal so the flesh of Christ feedeth both body and sovvleto life eternal c. â—ow this word putteth a certain print a certain image a certain stamp signe on the bread vvhereby it receiveth this one sacramental significatioÌ„ This is it vvhich putteth life in to the dead element and this vvord is the life and sovvle of the communion VVhich being so thereof I conclude plainly directly that thorough out al Scotland and England are very fevv true communions very fevv sacraments of Christs body For if there be a Sermon made not an homilie read yea if the sermon entreate of the sacrament and not of other matters yet if the minister preach not as here M. B. and Calvin appoint ether for frowardnes because he wil not be commaunded or els of very conscience because he is no Calvinist but a mere Zuinglian vvho defineth the sacrameÌ„t to be nothing but a badge a token a memorial and that it hath no such vertue of sealing and confirming vvhich the Zuinglian condemneth as Anabaptistical this sermoÌ„ is not the vvord vvhich geueth life to the sacrament but leaveth it as blockish dul and dead an element as it was before Because although the minister vnto this wax of bread and vvine put a seale a staÌ„p a signification yet he putteth not the right seale the right stamp the right signification although he preach the vvord yet he preacheth not that word vvhich should quicken and geue life to this action he preacheth not that word vnto which this seale is to be appended for confirmation Much more may I conclude that al English ministers if they be not Puritanes but folow their Archbisshop my lord of Canterbury vvho condemneth for Anabaptistical no lesse then Zuinglius though for an other reason this opinioÌ„ of geving life to the sacraments by preaching the vvord â—l they can never possibly haue any right communion any right sacrament they can haue nothing but commoÌ„ bread but a dead element because they admit not but contrariwise o great sacrilege impugne that vvhich is the very sowle and should geue life to the sacramet n I conclude thirdly that if a Scottish perfit Calvinian minister make the sermon except he humble him self to preach not only this former word of the promise inveÌ„ted by Calvin found no vvhere in the Gospels nor only the word of the mystical similitude betvvene the bread and Christs body required by M. B. borowed out of the doctors but also besides with a cleer voyce preach distinctly open al the parts of the sacrameÌ„t which thing here M. B. in general requireth in special reherseth explicareth nether is such a CoÌ„munioÌ„ the right sacrament to the essence coÌ„plement vvhereof it is necessarie not that one or two or a fevv but that al parts of the sacrament and sacrameÌ„tal receiving be opened declared vz. 1. that a lawful minister 2. vvith a cleere voyce 3. in a familiar homely language 4. publikely proclame and denounce 5. the bâ—il parts of the Supper or CoÌ„munioÌ„ 6. what is the peoples part 7. what is his owne part 8. how he ought to deliuer that bread and wine 9. how the people ought to receive it 10. how they ought to receiue the body and blud of Christ signified by it 11. how they should come with great reverence to the table Besides al vvhich he must also speake 12. what soever Christ spake in that whole action of his supper without omitting any one iote Al this is comprised in the name of the VVord al this must be preached by the minister before it can be a sacrameÌ„tal signe or supper and omitting any of these quite marreth and destroyeth the vvhole supper as where many parts are required to the nature and substance or essence of some certain body or creature the missing of any one destroyeth the whole as in man or beast the losse of any one essential part as hart lungs c. bringeth certain death to al. So then if the minister do not in particular prosecute ech one of these parts in his sermon if he folovv not precisely and religiously this M. B. his appointment if he play the Minister and sting out in to other matter against Pope and Catholike church and perhaps inveigh against this formal prescription of M. B. for that the spirite of the Lord in them is not to be bridled by men that they know their dutie herein and how the sacrament is to be ministred as vvel as Iohn Caluin Iohn Knox or M. B. him self that they wil stand in defence of their libertie not become servants of men c. if he thus preach or in any other sort so that he omit any part of that word vvhich is before declared the bread and vvine distributed to the people after that kind of preaching is not a sacrament but stil remayneth common bread not worth a straa for want of the right perfit word And so there was never a communion ministred according to the Scottish communion booke since these ministers got rule in Scotland which had ought
primitiue church yea consequently the Apostles them selves for that he condemneth that church of idolatrie vvhich nether in this point nor in any other had departed from the Apostles doctrine but stil reteyned most constaÌ„tly that vvhich by Christs Apostles vvas delivered vnto them as Ievvel Ridley Calvin to their ovvne eternal condemnation according to S. Paules most true sentence confesse If M. B. thinke any great force to be in these his words that vvhereas vve should take the sacrament from the hands of Christ we contrariwise offer it to him which Luther counteth vnansvvereable and in his rayling libel against king Henry the 8. calleth it his principal strength and capital argument let him knovv that in vulgar Theologie it is so childish as nothing can be more For if vve may not offer to god that vvhich god mercifully geveth to vs vve must offer to him nothing at al not the sacrifice of thankes-geuing not of praise not of an humble spirite not of speaking a good vvord or thinking a good thought for every good thought proceedeth from him and is raised in vs by his holy spinte and then doubtles the English communion is very idolatrous in vvhich the minister in the behalfe of al the bretherne doth offer and present vnto the lord him self his and their sowles and bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively sacrifice which can no ways stand for Evangelical Theologie if that we have taken from the hand of god we may not geve to him And perhaps for feare of such idolatrie the Scottish coÌ„munion taketh so diligent heede that it doth not so much as mention any such offering But if this be most peevish sensles if the prophet David speake far more divinely Tua sunt omnia quae de manu tua accepimus dedimus tibi al things are thine o lord and that we haue receiued of thy hand that render we and offer to thee in sacrifice if it be most true that vvhich hath bene sufficiently declared that this is not only a sacrament for the vse of men but also a sacrifice to the honour of God if this have bene alvvayes the faith of Christs Catholike church then to vse the sacrament as a sacrifice vvhich Christ at the first made a sacrifice and Christians ever vsed as a sacrifice this is no idolatrie on the churches part but rather atheisme impietie blockishnes on the heretikes part to suppose that that vvhich vve take from the hand of God in Christ may not be geueÌ„ to god againe seing that vvhich vve receiued from god in our first creation that is tight and povver over al beastes and creatures of the earth vvas yet rendered backe to god in sacrifice in the vvhole course of the old testament both in the lavv of nature and also in the lavv of Moyses Of the ends for vvhich the sacrament vvas ordeyned The Argument The 4. ends appointed by M. B. why this sacrament was first instituted are for the most part false The sacrameÌ„t was not ordeyned for mutual bene volence among men much lesse to testifie to the Pagans in what sort we worship god VVhich conceit is against the general practise of the primitiue church which kept this sacrament secret and hid from the knowlege of Pagans The chief end of the sacrament is not to figure or represent our spiritual nurriture which we haue in Christ The Scottish â—â— Geneus signe signifieth vnperfitly such nurriture the scripture yeldeth many other signes as good and effectual to signifie as that and therefore as good sacraments It is in the power of man to institute signes as good as this and every vulgar repast vsed among Christians is as good a sacrament M. B. his preaching ioyneth Christs body as nighly effectually sacramentally to every meate and drinke vsed in coÌ„mon howses as to the bread and wine vsed in their communions His resolution how long the holines such as it is of their communion bread endureth CHAP. 13. This hetherto conteyning those few appellations of the sacrament M. B. calleth the first head general of this his second sermoÌ„ The next head general is why the sacraments were appointed VVhich endes he maketh to be 4. The first vvhich is the principal he declâ—reth thus This sacrament was instituted in the signes of bread and wine and was appointed chiefly for this end to represent our spiritual nurriture the ful and perfit nurriture of our sowle That as he who hath bread and wine lacks nothing to the ful nurriture of his body so he who hath the participation of the body and blud of Christ lacks nothing to the ful and perfite nurriture of his sowle To represent this ful and perfite nurriture the signes of bread and wine in the sacrament were set downe and instituted Thus much for the first The second end wherefore this sacrameÌ„t was instituted is that to the world to the princes of the world who are enemies of our profession we might testifie our religion maner of worshipping god and that we might also testifie our love towards our bretherne Because I meane not to make any great stay vpon these in several I vvil therefore ioyne them al together after in fevv vvords shevv vvhat is amisse in any of them The third end is to serue for our special comfort and consolation to serve as a souerain medicine for al our spiritual diseases And when we find our selues ready to fal or that we haue fallen by the world the flesh or devil and wold fayne flee away from god god of his infinite mercy hath set vp this sacrament as a signe on a high hil to cal them again that haue run shamefully away The fourth and last end is that we might render him thankes for his benefites These are the endes for which M. B. teacheth vs this sacrameÌ„t was ordeyned vvhich as they conteyne some truth so yet are they very vnperfite and omit that vvhich in this sacrament and every sacrament of the nevv testament is principal Of the fourth end hath bene spoken before in the name of the Eucharist and therefore I vvil passe it ouer here The second is in part true in part false but no vvay proper or peculiar to this sacrament as he affirmeth True it is as S. Austin writeth that men can not be gathered together in to any fashion of religion ether true or false except they be vnited with some societie of visible signes or sacraments And therefore both among the faithful faithles Iewes and Pagans as likevvise Ievves and Christians the sacraments are some signes of mutual love and benevolence and by them we testifie our religion as Christians towards the true god so infidels to the false But as this is a proprietie or qualitie incident to sacraments of al sortes be they Pagan or Ievvish or Christian so to make it one special end why this sacrameÌ„t was ordeyned is cleane wrong
expressing what maner of coÌ„iunction there is betwene Christs body and their sacramental bread saith To make this matter plain and this coÌ„iunction cleare marke the coniunction betwixt the word which I speake the thing signified by the word Speake I of things to yow in a laÌ„guage that ye vnderstaÌ„d as by gods grace ye vnderstand this language now speake I of things past were it never so long time speake I of things to come and they were never so far of speake I of things absent be they never so far distant yet so soone as I speake the word the thing it self wil come to your mynd VVhat difference is betwene a word signifying by consent of al men of such a language signes which signifie not in such son nor so surely hath bene declared already where vnto I remit the reader M. B. proceedeth thus Take heed to this coniunction betwene the word and the thing signified ye shal get the nature of the coniunction and coupling of the signe with the thing signified in the sacrament For looke what sort of coniunction is betwixt the word and the thing signified by the word that same sort of coniunction is betwene the sacrament and the thing signified by the sacrament Al which to make very cleare As for example saith â—e speake I of the king who is now a good peece distant from vs I pray god saue him ye wil not so soone heare the word â—â—â— the king comes to your mind And in like maner so s 〈…〉 as thou seest that bread â—ane in the hand of the minister incontinent the body of Christ man come to thy mynd These tâ—â— are so conioyned that they come both togither one to the outward senses the other to the inward senses Yow forget to adde the ministers words and sermon without which the breaking of bread may signifie twentie other things as wel as Christs body Nay it may signifie vnto vs an heretical conceit of Christ For when we see the bread broken in 3. or 4. peeces we may thinke that Christs body was so broken on the crosse vvhich is impietie agaynst the gospel Therefore the comparison of the vvord spoken vvith the bread brokeÌ„ is very vnapâ— which therefore M. B. salveth thus The breaking of the bread which is an essential ceremonie representes to thee the breaking of Christs body not that his body was broken in bone or â—â—â—h but this it was broken with dolour with anguish and distresse of hart VVel then ye see that the bread can not signifie as the vvord doth that is to say it can haue no such coniunction vvith the thing signified as the vvord hath but there must come some speech to help the bread to this coniunction signification This is true therefore so soone as the minister hath told them thus much incouinent as your hand takes the one so your harts takes the other that is remembreth the other as your teeth eates the one so the teeth of your sowle which is faith eates the other I vvil not compare this vvith a picture vvhich questionles hath a more lively signification a representation much better and more effectual but to persist in my former example of meate offered vs in an alchovvse even thus so soone as meate be it beef or mutton is set on the table and grace said if they be Christian men and haue heard a litle such talke as here hath passed betvvene M. B. and me so soone as they see that bread and beef set on the table by the hostesse incoÌ„tinent the body of Christ comes to their mind these two are so conioyned that they come both together as their hand takes a peece of the beef so the hart takes the other as their teeth eates the one so a good sowle eates the other as truly and vvith as much fruit as in these mens communion and as sacramentally touching the nature of the Scottish sacrament yea somvvhat more because bread flesh good drinke is a more ful and perfite nurriture and so more apt to signifie Christ and to reduce him to our memorie then bread and drinke alone be it ae or vvine and consequently there is a more nigh coniunction betvvene this bread beef and ale in the taverne then betvvene the bare bread drinke in M. B. his communion and therefore this is the better sacrament And even to this dinner may as fitly be applied M B. his resolution vvhich he maketh touching the continuance of holynes in the bread of their supper For he proposeth this doubt How long continues this power to signifie Christs body with that bread He ansvvereth In a word I say this power sticks with that bread during the time of the action during the service of the table so long a that action continues and the service of the table lasts â—â—â— looke how soone the action is ended looke how soone the service of the table is ended so soone ends the holynes that bread becomes common again and the holynes of it ceases Thâ—â— it is in M. B. his communion table and thus it is at the common table in an alchovvse For so soone as the dâ—â—ner is ended and men by that meate and drinke are no longer admonished to remember Christ vvho feedeâ—â— al so soone as the service of the table that action to 〈…〉 M. B. his vvords endeth and the hostesse hath taken 〈…〉 the cloth al the holynes is ended and in the Scottisâ— CoÌ„munion it endeth somvvhat before Of vertue remaining in the Sacrament reserved and of private Communions The Argument The primitiue church thought otherwise touching conti 〈…〉 of vertue and grace in the sacrament being reserved after 〈…〉 Masse or Sacrifice was ended then do the Ministers of t 〈…〉 Supper and Communion M. B. his reasons against private communions and receâ—ving the Sacrament by one man alone They are pla 〈…〉 answered and his opinion therein condemned and refuted by his owne Evangelical bretherne CHAP. 14. ALbeit M. B. resolution made in the last chapter be admitted for true that no holynes remaineth in the bread of their coÌ„munion longer then the action or service of their table endureth yet that the Christian reader thinke not the like of Christs sacrament vvhich he left to his Catholike church he must vnderstand that as here is an other kind of presence of Christ then that vvhich is found in the Scottish signe and is common to it vvith every vulgar dinner supper so is there an other kind of holines an other continuation of the same The Catholike church resting vpon Christs vvorde assuring her that it vvas his body before the disciples received it vpon confidence and assurance of the same vvord doubteth not but that it is his body as betvvene the pronouncing of Christs vvords and the receiving if there come the space of an howre betwene so if there come the space of ten howres or a hundred betvvene
blud of the death of Christ If he looke vpon a picture of Christ not reverently vvhich as hath bene proved offereth Christ spiritually to the sowle better then any bread and vvine ministred at the best communion vvhere soever they breake theyr bread most bissilie if vvith the external sight of the picture he internally receive not Christ is he giltie of so great sacrilege as these vvords import â— doubtles not For so should vve multiplie sinnes and make men to commit sacrileges almost in every thing they do for that every creature as hath bene shewed is as nighly ioyned to Christs body as is their signes and seales of bread and vvine and represent Christ as perfitly and offer him to the faith mind and remembrance of every Christian as presently And albeit oftentymes Christian mâ—n in deed offend in not taking and vsing such occasions to remember Christ and so by faith to eate Christ as God offereth them yet such omission negligence is not to be condemned as sacrilege against Christs body and blud vvhich here is spoken of The self same may be conceived of a number of like examples If the minister ready to baptize a child and perceiving his hands sowle take a handful of vvater out of the font and first vvash his hands albeit he playeth a sluttish part and offendeth yet no vvise man vvil say he is gilty of Christs body and blud no more then he is gilty of the kings body and blud vvho to vse M. B. his example having the kings image and seale in wax by him and vvanting vvax to scale his owne letter breaketh the kings seale and applieth it to his owne vse These similitudes are of like condition qualitie therefore whereas for not discerning the body and blud of Christ in the sacrament a man is condemned as gilty of Christs body and he is not so in any of these matters hereof it is plainly inferred that Christs body is otherwise in the sacrament vvhereof S. Paule speaketh then in any of the rest ¶ The other argument vvhich M. B. alloweth to the Catholike is this The bread which the wicked eate is not naked bread bâ—â— the sacrament The sacrament hath ever coinoyned with it the thing signified Therefore the thing signified is geuen to al. To this argument M. B. pretendeth a double answere but geveth a single and the sâ—me very single and simple â—â— deed VVhat saith he if I graunt them al this argument there should no inconvenience folow For the thing signified â—ay be geven to al that is offered to al and yet not received of al. A man vvould thinke that when he thus beginneth vvith what if this vvere but a florish before hand being in deed al his answere vz that the wicked get the body and blud of Christ offered to them conioyntly with the word and sacraments but wanting faith they receive the bread but not the body This is the argument and this is his answere And although the argument be not very strong yet by the vveaknes of his answere it is much bettered For if the entier sacrament consist of not bread alone but bread vvith the body that is the thing signified how can it be truly said that the vvicked receive the vvhole entier sacrament vvho receive the one only more base and corruptible part For vvhereas M. B. maketh his foolish and childish evasion in saying To the vvicked is geuen that is to say is offered this is to play the boy in matters most grave and serious The sacrament is geven and received not offered only The sacrament consisteth of two parts bread the thing signified The bread alone is not the sacrament no more then a body alone is a man vvalles alone are a howse paper is a booke cloth is a gowne or vvheat is a loaf of bread VVherefore vvho so receiveth bread alone receiveth the sacrament no more then he hath a howse vvho hath the only vvalles vvithout ether foundatioÌ„ or roose then he hath a gowne vvho hath only a peece of cloth as it came from the draper vvithout stitch or cut So that the argument as M. B. maketh it standeth stil in force notwithstanding that childish sophistrie yea notvvithstanding ought that he can say against it by the rules of his Theologie And thus much Pet. Martyr frankly graunteth VVhereas saith he there are two parts of the sacrament the signe and the thing signified if a men wil speake of these matters exactly he must say that the wicked receive not the whole sacrameÌ„t but one only part that is the bread And a litle after The wicked in the holy supper receive nothing els but bread wine and consequently they receive not the sacrament nor any sacrament at al. ¶ VVhich albeit it be the general doctrine of the Calvinists for the Lutherans are contrary to them in this no lesse then are the Catholiks yet somwhat other to helpe this poore beggerly bread of theirs or to shew the vanitie and inconstancie of their doctrine I vvel briefly by their owne Theologie prove that the evil Protestants except they be plaine Apostataes and Atheists as many are receive not only the bread but also the thing signified as vvel as M. B. him self and therefore that al his talke against S. Paules vvords is mere sâ—ivolous cavilling vvithout any ground of learning not only Catholike but also Scottish or Genevical For vvhat is there that baâ—â—eth a common Protestant though in life he be never so bad and impure from receiving by faith the body of Christ as vvel as the minister He eateth the bread as vvel as the minister there is the body of the sacrament The life and sowle is put in to it by the ministers sermon as before vve are taught Now vvhen that evil Protestant after the sermon receiveth it vvhy receiueth he not their perfit ful and entier signe vvhereas he receiveth that vvhich hath both matter forme both body and sowle If M. B. reply that he lacketh faith vvhich is most necessarie I answere first that his faith is altogether impertinent to this purpose for that the sacrament hath before his total nature and complement vvhich can not be taken away by his faith vvhich as being very good maketh not the sacrament not is required as essential thereto so nether being very baâ— can it marre the sacrament from vvhose essential perfection it vvithdraweth nothing I say further that such a Calvinist be he vvicked in the highest degree so that he be not an Apostata hath faith good inough to receive besides the bread the thing signified that is Christs body For how is that receiued eaten by faith In vvhat sort thus that as his eye seeth the bread broken so his mind remembreth Christs death and passion And vvhat hinderance I pray yow is evil life to this imagination Can not this remembrance stand vvith evil life Can not he if
drinke in deed He that eateth my flesh and â—â—keth my blud abideth in me I in him If these be Christ owne vvords and if to have life everlasting to be raised that life in the last day if to abide in Christ and Christ â—â— abide in vs be some profite and al this Christ him â—â— ascribeth directly to his flesh which is the chief and principal instrument conioyned vvith the diuinitie vvhereby God vvorketh these effects vvhat Iewish impudencie â— infidelitie is it to say that Christs flesh profiteth nothing which flesh geveth life to the whole world Doubtles â—â— Christs flesh had profited nothing Christ vvould neâ—â— haue takeÌ„ flesh nor come in to the world vvhich he diâ— to this end that in his flesh by his flesh he miâ—hâ— coÌ„dâ—â—â— sinâ—e that by his flesh he might make an end of that â—â—â—â—â— vvhich vvas ether betwene Iew and Gentil or â—â—â— and man and in the body of his flesh â— as the Apostle speaketh â—â—â—ght reconcile man to God and by the some 〈…〉 ouen for vs the vvay to heaven And therefore M. â— denying Christs flesh to be profitable vvere as goodâ—â—â—â— vvith our Familianes that Christ never came in 〈◊〉 but only in spirite and mystically and so al Christi 〈…〉 may say to him and of him vvith S. Iohn that he in not confessing that Christ came in slesh vvhich by plaine consequence he flatly denieth is roâ— of God but of the devil he is a very seduâ—er and an Antichrist A third collectioÌ„â—e maketh of like qualitie vvith the â—ormer in these words Suppose Christs body be not â—uâ— in the band â—â— mouth of thy body And wherefore should it Hâ—th he not appointed bread wine for the nurriture of thy body and may not they coÌ„tent â—ow Are they not sufficient to â—uâ—rish yeâ— to this earthly temporal life God â—ath appointed Christ to be deliuered to the inward mâ—uth of the sowle The flesh of Christ is not appointed to nurrish thy body but to nurrish thy sowle in the hope in the groweth of that immortal life And therefore I say suppose the flesh of Christ be not delivered to the land of thy body â—et is it delivered to that part this is should nurrish Here a man might demaunde of M. B. how he caÌ„ match these words vvith the last If Christs flesh profite nothing how nurrisheth it the sowle to life immortal If it may nurrish the sowle vvhy not the body or â—ow is Christ potent to profite the one and impotent to benefit the other Nay if it profite nothing how can it be beneficial ether to body or sowle Next the reader may marke how directly his vvords tend to denial of the rosurrectioÌ„ of our bodies which in deed is an opinion already much spread among these bretherne and this denial of our corporal communication vvith Christ helpeth it forward excedingly For as though there vvere no difference betwene the body of a man and of a beast both vvhich once dying should lie rotte eternally vvhat need Christs flesh saith he for the nurriture of our body May not bread and wine and flesh fish such other good cheere as vve have in Scotland content yow Are not the sufficient to nurrish yow to this earthly and temporal life Yes truly And if vve had no more to looke for but this earthly and temporal liâ—e vvhich belike is al that M. B. and his â—elow ministers care for then earthly and temporal vitailes vvould serve and suffise vs abundantly But vvhereas Christians have an other life vvhich they expect besides this earthly and temporal vvhereas they hope that not only their sowle but their body also shal enioy life immortal they can not content them selves vvith bread and wine and flesh and fish and such other belly cheere vvith vvhich these Sadduces and Epicures can nurrish their bodies to an earthly and temporal life there with wel content them selves looking no farther but they require such food such meate as feedeth both body and sowle to life eternal VVhich seing Christ promised and promised that to that end he vvould geve his owne body the bread of life vve therefore in respect hereof contemne this Geneva bakers bread and tapsters vvine and tel M. B. that in thus preaching he preacheth like an â—picure like Marcion like Cerdon like a number of his felow ministers and Gospellers of this age vvho vpon pretence of the immortalitie of the sowle deny the immortalitie resurrection of the body both vvhich our faviour by imparting his pretious body to both nurrisheth to life immortal and these vvicked and prophane Sadduces by denving that grace vnto the one take from it so great a help and instrument of eternitie immortalitie vvhich in time also they vvil doubtles deny and take from the other Hereof hath bene spoken before vvhere vvas shewed that the auncient fathers drevv from this coÌ„munication of Christs body vvith our body a very common and very effectual argument to prove the resurrection and immortalitie of our bodies Here let it suffise to vvarne the reader thus much that as of old in the primitive church Cerdon Marcion Basilides Carpocrates and such other Archheretikes denyed the resurrectioÌ„ of our bodies the Catholike fathers S. Ireneus S. Gregorius Nyssenus Tertullian S. Hilarie and others argued against them out of this Catholike veritie that our bodies being made partakers of Christs body in this B. sacrament vvere thereby assured of resurrection life eternal so in our daies not only Catholike vvriters bisshops but even Luther also the Lutherans accuse and condemne the Calvinists and Sacramentarieâ— as gilty of those damnable heresies because against the general faith of al the auncient fathers they denie to Christian men the corporal and real participation of Christs body VVhen as Zuinglius had reproved Luther for vvriting that Christs body cateÌ„ corporally nurrisheth and preserveth our bodies to the resurrection Luther at large defending this proposition both by the authoritie of Christ and of the auncient fathers in fine concludeth thus According to the old fathers our bodies are nurrished with Christs body and blud to the end our faith and hope may rest vpon a more sound foundation that our body naturally receiving the sacrament of Christs body shal also in the resurrection become incorruptible and immortal And for that cause Christ wil be naturally in vs saith Hilarie both in our sowle and also in our body according to his word Ioannis 6. VVhich thing because Zuinglius and OF colampadius denyed he therefore pronounceth sentence against them as plain infidels These gentil Sacramentaries saith Luther make a faire way to deny God Christ and al the articles of our Creed and for a great part of them they have begon already to beleeve nothing And certain it is that they tend to a verie Apostasie in this article of the resurrection Certum
est eos spectare ad manifestam in hoc articulo Apostastam And as it is croniâ—led by those that vvere present eye-vvitnesses Richerus vvhom Calvin sent from Geneva as an Apostle to preach his gospel in the nevv France ioyning to America among his Calvinists there preached the eating of Christs body to be peculiar and proper to the sowle as here M. B. teacheth for that hope of resurrection was only for the sowle and not for the body And being after convented examined vvhat he meant to preach so he ansvvered that he vvould stand to his preaching and iustifie it repeating againe this reason quia spes vitae non est corporum sed animarum for that the hope of eternal life apperteyneth not to the bodies but to the fowles Briefly one Pappus a Lutheran Doctor of Strasburg a dosen yeres since vvriting against Sturmius a Caluinist Rhetorike reader in the same citie rehearsing in fine the Caluinists Creed vvith this preface I wil saith he frind Starmius â—â— cite to thee the Creed of these Calvinists whom thow dost defend not as they protest openly in wordes but as their mind is and intention which also they vtter in their writing and â—â— not able to conceale in their familiar talke And beginning vvith Credo in Deum patrem multipotentem c. I beleev is God the father who can do many things c. vvhen he cometh to this article of the resurrection thus he vttereth it Credo noncarnis quae ad vitam non alitur nec sustintatur in sacra Eucharistia sâ—d animae tantum resurrectionem vitam aeternam I beleeve the resurrection and life eternal only of the sowle not of the flesh which is not â—ed and nourished iâ— the holy Eucharist to eternal life VVherevnto immediatly he adioyneth these vvords vvhich I vvish M. B. to coÌ„sider Here thoâ—r Sturmius wilt vse I doubt not al maner of exclamations and cryingâ— out against me But that skilleth â—â— For thow hast taught in thy Rhetorike that al such Rhetorical exclamations and amplifications are nothing but repetatio priâ—cipiâ— idâ—e repeating of that which is in question words and wind without matter OsteÌ„de si poâ—es si bonus es quicquam iâ— isto abominando blasphâ—mo Sâ—mbolo falso imputari ijs â—â—â—uÌ„â—u causam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 defendendaÌ„ suscepisti shew me if thow be able and if thow be a honest man anything in tâ—â— abominable and blasphemous Creed which is falsely attributed to these Calvinists whoâ—e cause thow a wicked râ—etor ciâ—â— hast taken vpon thee to defend These vvords touch M. B. to the quicke For his preaching as directly tendeth to denial of the Creed and namely this article as lightly may be â—ound in any other of his false bretherne be they Calvinists never so pure and zealous ¶ One more collection and this shal be the last to like effect as the former that is to disgrace al corporal communication vvith Christ he maketh in these vvordes So it is that never no mâ—n was better for carnal tuitching iâ— Christ As the woman troubled with the bluddy issue vpon thâ—â— persuaâ—â—on that Christ may cure both body and sowle she coâ—es to him and as the text sais she preases through the multitude til she come to him and when she comes to him it is not said that she tuitched his flesh with her hand in case the Papistes would ascribe the vertue which came out of him to her carnal tuitching O how careful this man is to vvithdraw al vertue from the flesh of Christ and real tuitching thereof but it is said she tuitched only the hem of his garment and with faith which is the hand of the sowle she tuitched Christ Hereof he concludeth To let yow vnderstand that she tuitched him by faith he saith to her Go thy way thy faith hath saued thee She tuitched him not so soone by faith but incontinent there comes a power out of him So that this tuitching of him hath ever bene is and shal be profitable as the corporal tuitching of Christ never was profitable is not nor neuer shal be profitable These vvords as the Christian reader may easely see tend to evacuate and disanul most of Christ and his Apostles actions here in this vvorld If he had said that faith vvas requisite in those that songht to Christ for helpe as Christ him self teacheth like as the phisicion of his patient requireth credit and obedience that he trust him obey him before he vvil vndertake to cure him he had spoken like a Christian and like a true preacher and one that had a litle marked the scriptures vvhereof they talke so much and for ought may appeare vnderstand so litle But to attribute al to the faith of the partie and to vvithdraw it from al other actions vnto which it is as properly yea more properly due this is dishonorable to Christ and quit besides yea against the vvhole storie of the Gospel Christ coming in to the vvorld and preaching amonge the Iewes for this end that he might plant his faith amongest them ever vrged them to this faith required of them this faith vvithout this faith seeldom did any miracles somtimes as the EuaÌ„gelists expresle the matter could not do miracles in some places because the people vvere so ful of vnbeleefe and incrudelitie for that it vvas against Gods ordinarie providence Christs vvisdome to shevv his miraculous power vvhere men vvere bent to contemne mocke and laugh at him rather then take benefite by him among vvhich people to have shevved forth any such divine operatioÌ„ had bene nothing els then to have vvatered a dead tree aud sowed corne in the sand or vpon a rocke For this reason Christ so commenly required faith as being a qualitie necessarie to make men capable of his grace and benediction other temporal or spiritual Yet the vâ—ne storie of the gospel in the same place noted by M. B. sundry the like prove other things as coming to Christ praying requesting perseverance charitie c. to have bene as requisite as such credulitie and to have coÌ„ curred as effectually to the obteyning of such graces as did this faith or good opinion of Christs person Fâ—â— that by the vvay let the reader marke that the faith here and in like places coÌ„mended is not the Catholike faith of Christians vvhich vve vniversally professe in Christs Church much lesse the Protestant faith or solisidian coÌ„ ceit or rash presumption of their particular iustificatico and remission of sinnes but only a reverend opinion persuasion that Christ as a blessed man and prophete vvas of abilitie to do such things And thus Christ him self describeth this faith in diuers places namely and most expressely in S. Matth. VVhere two blind men crying on him to have their sight Christ called them vnto him and said to them Do yow beleeve that I can do this vnto you
whereunto is ioyned the thing signified which is the veritie of the same In which kind of veyne and maner of writing he runneth on so lustely that in his last Admonition to Ioachimus VVestphalus the principal minister preacher of Hamburg he boldly auoucheth his doctrine in this point to agree with the Lutheran ConfessioÌ„ of â—uspurge also with Melanchthon penman thereof In which Confession the SacrameÌ„taries no lesse then Anabaptists aâ—e expressely condemned and the I egates of the 4. Sacramentarie Imperial cities then present were en â—oâ—ced to make and put vp to the Emperour Charles a separate Confession of their â—aith because the LutheraÌ„ then called Protestant-princes and Cities for this special opinion reiected them wold in no wise admit them to â—oyne with them in that Confession of thâ—iâ—s commonly called Confessio Auâ—ust ina As also the next yere after when certaine cities of the Suizzers which were then sacrameÌ„taries sued to the Protestants of Germanie to be receiued in to league with them which for some respect the Germanes much desired yet in â—iâ—e the matter being thoroughly debated the Duke of Saxonie chief of the Confession of Auspurg made them answere that for so much as they folowed an other doctrine concerning the Lords supper it was not lawful to enter any league with them And albeit their societie by reason of their power and forces might stand the Germanes in great steed yet he could not so â—â—ch regard that lest gods heauy hand should fal vpon him â— the scripture witnesseth it hath fallen on others who to forâ—â—â—â—â— them silues haue vsed the ayd and succour of such heretikes as they were So that Caluin in saying he agreeth with the Confession of Augusta consequently must needs say that he condemneth the sacramentarie heresie and acknowlegeth Christ truly and really present in the sacrament in such sort and sense as the Confession of Augusta and Protestant princes of that Confession did ¶ And certainly these words and sentences vsed by Caluin and a number of the like are so euident seeme so opposite to al Zuinglian tropes and figures that no man could otherwise imagine but that Caluin thought rightly inough of the real presence Truly in this veyne of writing his hipocrisie is so singular that Ioachimus VVestphalus seemeth to make some doubt whether Caluâ—n in this point of controuersie thought as a Zuinglian or a Lutheran His words are Caluin vseth such art in handling this matter he leaveth his reader so doubtful vncertaine what to iudge of him he shadoweth his speach with such colours that sometime it yeldeth a consession of faith like to our Lutheran churches â—e seemeth to reiect the doctrine of Zuinglius to beleeue that the very body blud of Christ is truly present and geuen in the supper with the bread and wine But yet in fine hauing conferred a number of Caluins words and writings to gether he resolueth the contrarie that he is a â—anke Zuinglian and vseth this crastie â—â—ueyance of darke obscuâ—e speaches only to abuse his readers deceiue them more perniciousty of which speaches hauing recited a nuÌ„ber he thus concludeth of them Hinc â—uilibet fit manifestum saith he Caluinum haerere in eodem caeno c. By vew consideration of â—â—ese places euerie man may see that Caluin sticketh in the same mire in which Zuinglius and other sacramentaries haue walowed and that he is stirred vp with their spirite and that vnder this craftie iugling he singeth the old song of Zuinglius and Oecolampadius iumbleth in his figures and significations taking away the true presence of Christs body blud which as VVestphalus at large very wel proueth by laying downe a number of testimonies out of him so I wil make it manifest by declaring 4. or 5. special meanes degrees besides a sixt which is general vsed by Caluin to that effect The first is by remouing away the true and real flesh of our Sauiour in place thereof allowing vs a true real qualitie and vertue thereof to be sent downe imparted to vs from Christ in heauen by a new kynd of conduit pipe which he hath inuented In desâ—â—â—ption whereof albeit he seeme not wel stayd for in one place of his commentaries vpon S. Iohn when belike he was of that opinion he teacheth that the flesh of Christ is the conduit pipe which traduceth and powreth vpon vs life which is intrinsecally resident in the diuine nature the founteyne of life Ioan. 1. 4. but in his Harmonie as also in his Institutions when belike he thought that opinion somwhat to true and to much sauouring of a real presence for if the flesh of Christ were the conduit pipe and brought to vs the life which is resideÌ„t in the deitie then must the flesh be communicated really vnto vs for otherwise it can no more serue for a conduit-pipe to conuey in to vs such life then a conduit-pipe distant a mile or 2. from a howse serueth to conuey water to the howse vnto which it approcheth nothing nigh he resolueth othervvise that the holy spirite is the conduit-pipe and the flesh of Christ geueth life vnto vs for that the holy spirite causeth to flow downe and to be powred on vs life which is resident in the flesh remayning in heauen yet in fine he seemeth to choose rather this later sense so not novv ioyning the flesh and blud of Christ vvith the signe by the omnipotent power of god but separating the one from the other as far as heauen is from earth of Christs body communicated to vs in the supper thus he vvriteth I conclude graunt that the body of Christ is geuen vs in the supper really as they commonly speake that is to say truly to the end it may be wholesome foode for our sowles I speake after the common fashion but I meane that our sowles are fedde with the substance of Christs body to the entent we may be made one with him or which is al one that a certaine quickening vertue is peured on vs cut of the flesh of Christ by the holy ghost although the flesh be far distaÌ„t froÌ„ vs. Is not here a straunge kind of meaning a straunge declaratioÌ„ so to declare his meaning that his meaning cleane ouerthroweth his words whereof he pretendeth to geue vs the meaning For how match those words immediatly going before with this meaning The body of Christ is geuen vs in the supper really I meane the substance of his body or which is al one a vertue proceeding out of his body Is this al one to say the body and a vertue of the body a substance or which is al one no substance but an accident a qualitie Doth not the scripture most euidently according to coÌ„mon sense and reason distinguish betwene Christ or the body of Christ and vertue proceeding from him which at some
times wrought so that al men desired to touch him because vertue proceeded from him and healed al that were present desired so to touch him at an other time vvhen his body was in like maner present to al the vertue thereof healed one only persone amongest a number At an other time it wrought the like benefite to persons many miles distant from the place where his body vvas at some other time it did no such benefite to many that vvere not only in one place vvith him but also touched and pressed and throng him vvho vvere neuer a vvhit the better therefore but perhaps the worse And yet forsooth is it al one to say the body of Christ or a vertue issuing from his body Or doth this man that thus speaketh in these most serious and diuine matters care vvhat he speaketh In the same place going about as it were to moderate his former plaine speaâ—â—es he repeateth that we receiue Christ remayning in heauen And this communication of Christ which is offered vs in the supper requireth nether local presence nether that he descend vnto vs nether that his body be infinitely extended nor any such matter but we receiue him though so far distant from vs as heaueÌ„ is for that he causeth from heauen to descend on vs presently and truly the vertue of his flesh Al vvhich in his Institutions he expresseth more plainly by the similitude of the Sunne a similitude very familiar with Peter Martyr and others that as the Sunne with his beames shining ouer the earth doth after a sort communicate his substance with it to the engendring cherishing refreshing of the fruits thereof so the spirite of Christ by his illumination traduceth vnto vs the communion of Christs flesh and blud albeit the flesh it self enter not into vs no more then the Sunne leaueth his place in the heauen to descend dovvne to the earth In which words and al this maner of discourse there appeareth a very plain and sensible contradiction to his former talke There vve had in the mysteries of bread and vvine Christ truly deliuered I meane quoth Caluin his true body and blud which veritie is truly conioyned with the symbole here vve haue only a quickening vertue flovving thence There Christ bad vs vnder the symboles of bread wine to eate his body drinke his blud I nothing doubt saith Caluin very religiously but he truly reacheth it me I truly receiue it novv he not only doubteth of it but also plainly denieth any such ether deliuery on Christs part or receiuing on ours and in steed thereof placeth an irradiation or illumination as from the sunne by vvhich a certain grace and vertue out of Christs flesh as heate from the sunne is conueyed vnto vs. There Christ descendeth vnto vs the flesh of Christ entreth in to vs and notwithstanding so great distance of place the flesh of Christ penetrateth and cometh downe vnto vs in tanta distantia locorum penetrat ad nos Christi caro here al such â—enetration and application or coÌ„munication is vtterly refused condemned and Christ descendeth no more then doth the sunne out of his sphere no more as he other vvhere vvriteth then vve ascend vp in to heauen to him mary yet we draw life from Christ Christ froÌ„ the substaÌ„ce of his flesh remayning in heauen powreth life in to vs albeit his flesh enter not in to vs quamuâ—s noÌ„ ingrediatur in nos carâ— Christâ— There the matter vvas so incredible so mystical so miraculous far exceding al capacitie of man that Caluin him selfe so sing lar a prophete and instrument of the holy ghost as his scholers terme him could nether comprehend it by his wit nor declare it by his tonge here the matter is made so familiar and vulgar as for the sunne to shine in a sommets day and therefore nothing so profound hard to vnderstad as Caluin vvith his hipocritical retorike vvold make the case seeme For vvhat plain rural Caluinist can not comprehend this But the manifold manifest contradictions of Caluin to him selfe in this article vvil yet appeare more sensibly if vve continue to declare by vvhat other degrees he falleth from his first high and diuine description of Christs real presence in the supper to a plain Zuinglian and Carolostadian absence from the saine Let this stand for the first vvhere in steede of a true and real presence of Christs body and blud deliuered vs vvith the figure or sacrament vve haue not the true body but only a certaine vertue deriued thence in to our sovvles vvhich tvvo are as far different as is heauen and earth as is the body and sovvle of Cicero and his vvit or learning as is Caluins person and his heretical Institutions S. Peters coate and his shadovv a good feast and the smel thereof ¶ The second degree of abasing the supper and contradicting that his first and more true opinion is vvhen as he pulleth from the supper euen this communication of any such particular vertue and force and maketh the vvhole eating to consist in only faith and beleeuing For then al such deriuing of vertue by his conduit-pipe from the flesh of Christ is no othervvise deriued in the supper then in any other good action of praying or preaching vvhen so euer a ChristiaÌ„ man stedfastly beleeueth in Christ So he vvriteth more commonly and that according to the vulgar maner of al sacramentaries as for example VVe confesse that we eate Christ no other way theÌ„ by beleeuing Againe VVe eate truly the flesh drink the blud of Christ in the supper but this eating driÌ„king is only by faith sicut nulla alia fingi potest as no other kind of eating or drinking can be imagined VVhich eating by faith beleeuing vvhat it is vvhat he meaneth thereby he declareth in his Catechisme vvhere he geueth this definition of it In beleeuing that Christ is dead for our redemptioÌ„ is risen for our iustificatioÌ„ our sowle eateth the body of Christ spiritually VVhich being so this maner of eating geueth no title of preeminence nor maketh any kind of difference betwene the supper and any other time place or action when so euer we beleeue in like sort Nether if al the eating consist in beleeuing that Christ is dead for our redemption risen for our iustification is there any more vertue force or quickening power as Caluin speaketh deriued to vs from Christs flesh when we eate the Protestant supper then when we eate our owne dinner in case we beleeue Christ to be our redeemer iustifier which is the whole only way to eate Christ and then which there can be no other imagined The Protestant at this supper hath perhaps a draught of wine a bit of bread more then the stander by or then we at our dynner but our faith being as good as his we
against any sacrament of the church of Christ mentioned in the gospel and practised among Christians but only against the inventions of that pernitious Apostata vvhich hovv soeuer he terme by the honorable name of the church sacraments as likevvise he every other heretike calleth his proper devised heresie by the name of Christs gospel yet I esteeme them no othervvise then the devises of the poorest carter in Scotland then the devises of Robin Hood and litle Iohn auncient rank riders in the borders of Scotland and England yea much vvorse for that their deuises ended only in robbing mens purses and at the farthest in killing temporally their bodies vvhereas these SacrameÌ„tarie devises tende to robbe men of their Christian faith and to kil eternally vvith their bodies their soules also And therefore vvhereas I esteeme them such as such also vvil I speake of them and vvith gods assistance by the gospel of Christ and doctrine of Christs Catholike church refel them And for distinction sake and to separate their toyes from the true sacraments I vvil so far as commodiously I can cal them by the names vvhich M. B. and the Sacramentaries better allovv that is signes and seales not sacraments vvhich is the churches word and not so meete to be applied to the signes and seales of their congregations albeit oftentimes especially in this first Sermon I shal be constreyned to cal them sacraments as they do His definition of sacraments taken from Caluin is this The sacrament is a holy signe and seale that is annexed to the preached word of god to seale and confirme the truth contayned in the same word This definition thus he more at large declareth I cal not only the seale separated from the word a sacrament For as there can not be a seale but that which is the seale of an evidence and if the seale be separated from the evidence it is not a seale but what it is by nature no more so there can not be a sacrameÌ„t except it be hung to the evidence of the word But looke what the sacrament was by nature it is no more VVas it a common peece of bread it remaines a common peece of bread except it be hung to the evidence of the word Therefore the word only caÌ„ not be a sacrameÌ„t nor the elemeÌ„t only can not be a sacrament but the word the element coniunctly That to the making of a sacrament is required the word is out of controversie among al Catholikes But vvhat meane yovv by the word not that vvord of god vvhich the Catholikes do For that is in these mens Theologie magical but they meane by the word the vvord of a minister a sermon preached by him For so it solovveth By the word I meane the word preached For the word preached distinctly and al the parts of it opened vp must go before the hanging to of the sacrament and the sacrament as a seale must folow and be appended there after Then I cal a sacrament the word and seale coniunctly the one hung to the other But here some vvil perhaps obiect vvhat need such hanging of seales to the vvord vvhereas the vvord of god is by it self of sufficient autoritie and needeth no such seales for confirmation thereof To this M. B. answereth with Calvin that the seales be annexed to the word for our cause For there is no necessitie on gods part but the necessitie cometh of vs. There is sicke a great weakenes in vs and inhabilitie to beleeue that to helpe this wonderful weakenes whereby we are ready to mistrust god in every word he hath hung to his sacraments Thus much for the general nature of sacraments as they are vsed in the Scottish congregation vvherein there is scarce any one vvord vvhich carieth not vvith it very sovvle absurditie even against the first principles of Christian faith For to examine a litle the definition vvhereon dependeth al I demaund hovvamong Christians can bread or wine or vvater vvhich be the signes of baptisme and the Supper confirme the faith of the preached vvord Is it in respect of the vvord it self or of Christians to vvhom the vvord is sent Not of the vvord it self For that vvere iniurie to god vvhose vvord it is therefore of sufficient credit vvithout such confirmation as Caluin first next M. B. here graunteth Then it remayneth to be in respect of Christians and here againe I must demaund in respect of vvhat sort of Christians strong or vveake perfit or vnperfit â—â—r so vve find them in scripture and in the church generally divided Truly of nether sort if they be right Christians and setled in their Christian faith For is there any true Christian a Christian I say rightly brought vp in the faith of Christ that beleeveth in one god almighty maker of heauen and earth a god vvhom every peece and parcel of his faith teacheth to be most iust most potent most true yea truth it self vvho possibly can not vtter any salsitie is there any Christian thus beleeving and thus he beleeveth or els he is no Christian for vvhom only the sacraments are appointed vvho beleeveth the vvord of god any thing the more for that he seeth bread and vvine and vvater in the ministers hands The Apostles first disciples Martyrs of the Primitiue church replenished vvith the holy ghost vvho being most assured of every vvord and sillable that Christ had taught them vpon confidence and warrant of such invincible and vnmoveable faith ventered them selues in a thousand dangers and perils of death perils on the land perils on the sea perils among Iewes perils among Gentiles c. vvho 300. yeres space together suffered al kind of prisons of miseries of banishments of torments of rackings of fier of being torne in peeces cast to beasts devoured of Lyons c. of vvhom it is vvritten that some thus vvished and prayed Come fier come gallowes come wild and savage beasts breaking of my bones renting in sunder of my quarters come on me al the torments of the devil so that at length I may enioy Christ they who being condemned to be devoured of beasts vvhen they heard the Lyons and Tigres roring for greedines of their pray exclamed VVe are gods wheate let vs willingly be grinded with the teeth of these beasts that we may be made cleane flower these men vvho as S. Paule speaketh died every day for Christs gospel and the truth thereof vvhen they resorted to the sacrament resorted they for this end that vvhereas othervvise they mistrusted god by receiuing these seales of bread and vvine they might confirme their faith towards him vvhich vvas alredy a thousand tymes better confirmed then it could be by any such vveake seales Doubtles as Calvin saith of them that they are signes memorials to helpe weake memories if a maÌ„ were otherwise myndful inough of Christs death this helpe of the supper
raise him vp he meaneth Corpus meum quod comedetur my body which shal be eaten in the Sacrament shal raise him Al which sayings of Christ and those blessed Martyrs and byshops the reader must not so interpret as our adversaries cavil most peevishly as though we or they taught that no man could be saved or rise to life everlasting but such as receiued Christ in the sacrament For nether they nor we doubt but the Pa 〈…〉 s and good men in the old testament as like wise children diuers others in the new shal be saved who yet never came to the actual participation of this diuine mysterie But as our Sauiour and al the church maketh marryrdom a soveraine and principal meane to attaine eternal life not excluding for al that other good vertues as preaching praying fasting almes geving c. and on the contrary by like assured ground of Christ and al scripture heresie and infidelitie is the high and brode way to hel albeit vitious life covetousnes vsury rayling and lying and such other qualities let men thither fast inough in like maner this communication of Christs immortal and glorious body in the sacrament is a special grace and singular prerogatiue in the nevv testament whereby our bodies sovvles are set in possession of life eternal although gods infinite goodnes hath provided vs other meanes besides VVhich singular and excellent grace whereas vve see attributed not to the eating of the Paschal lamb nor to Manna not to the Iewes bread not to reading the scripture not to preaching not to beleeving that Christ dyed and rose again for our iustification in al vvhich yet we being faithful men eate the flesh of Christ spiritually and also drinke his blud but only to the eating of this dreadful mysterie hereof it foloweth invincibly that both Christ in thus speaking the church in thus beleeving the auncient fathers martyrs bysshops and Councels in thus expounding vnderstood Christs body to be truly really and in deed receiyed in this Sacrament far othervvise then by only faith by vvhich he vvas eaten in the old figures ceremonies of the lavv as vvel as in the nevv testament or any sacrament hereof according to the ProtestaÌ„ts opinion Of Christs body no vvays ioyned nor deliuered vvith the sacrameÌ„t The Argument M. B. hereticalls in words magnifieth the sacrament whereas in truth he most abaseth it making Christs body to be ioyned therewith as sâ—enderly as with any creature in the world more slenderly then it is ioyned with a word spoken Christ is more â—ighly ioyned to a picture or image then to the 〈◊〉 or Scottish sacrament Two properties appointed by M. B. to their signe the first that it reâ—embleth Christ which it doth no more then any other creature The â—â—â—â—â— that with the bread Christs body is ioyntly offered to the communicants in such sort at the minister offereth bread This is confuted first as wicked and prophane It is further confuted by order of the Scottish Communion bâ—â—ke by the doctrine of the Protestant writers and al â—â—â—â—nists Christ is no otherwise ioyned to the Geneua Supper or eaten therein then in any vulgar meate or in beholding any creature â—â—der heauen By the Caâ—u nists owne doctrine and M. B. also Christ is not as al receiued in their Supper CHAP. 7. THat M. B. were of the self same iudgement with those auncient fathers touching Christs real presence in the sacrameÌ„t I should gather out of these his words novv râ—hâ—arsed and very plainly do they import so much his speaches comparisons and similitudes vvaighed in them selves implie conclude the same nether could a man make any doubt thereof were it not that he being an heretike the nature of heresie maketh vs suspect that he speaketh not plainly roundly sincerely in simple faith as did those old good fathers And our Sauiour teacheth that the maner of heretikes is to cloth them selues with sheepes clothing to preteÌ„d simplicitie to speake Catholikely to couer and colour their impietie with the phrase words speech of the church of Catholikes Catholike pastors whereas inwardly they are rauening wolues they meane daÌ„nably they meane as heretikes Apostataes by such pleasant sweet speeches and benedictions inteÌ„d nothing els but to seduce the harts of innocents and simple plain meaning Christians and as S. Peter teacheth they being lying masters first vvorke their owne destruction after by seyned counterfeit words make marchandize of other men seeking to draw them also to like damnation whereof before I haue shewed very euident example in Caluin a chief father of this heresie and here M. B. ensueth his steppes as like him as one Protestant may be like an other For hauing by thus many arguments persuaded his auditorie that he had a maruelous high reuerend opinion of the Sacrament immediately as being possessed with that spirit of giddines which guideth al men of his stamp he geueth furth as many arguments to the contrary The first which is the around foundation of the rest is this Ye may perceiue 〈◊〉 by your owne eyes that the signe and the thing signified are not locally conioyned that is they are not both in one place Ye may perceiue also by your outward senses that the holy of Christ and the signes are not conioyned corporally Their bodies touch not one the other Ye may perceiue also they are not visibly conioyned Al this hitherto if a Iew or Pagan be present at the supper he seeth as wel as the minister and therefore thus far furth their faith is much alike But this is a negatiue and priuatiue disioyning separation of the signe and thing signified let vs heare of their vnion coniunction VVe can craue no other coniunction then may stand and agree with the nature of a sacrament â— therefore here is no other then a sacramental coniunction I graunt nether doth any Catholike require any other But what meane yow by a sacramental coniunction any thing els besides a tropical figuratiue or significatiue representation speake plainly that the reader may know where to fynd yow what yovv beleeue vvhat yovv vvould haue him to take vnto The coniunction saith he betwixt Christs body the sacrament is a relatiue coÌ„iunction Looke what coÌ„iunction is betwixt the word which ye heare and the thing signified which comes to your mind the like coniunction is bewixt the signe which yow see and the thing signified in the sacrament Ye heare not the word so soone spoken but incontinent the thing signified comes to your mynd Speake I of things past to come or neuer so far absent I can not so soone speake of them in this language but the things signified comes in your mind no doubt because there is a coniunction betwixt the word the thing signified Hauing explicated this at large in fine thus he draweth to his conclusion Alwaies
of the crosse and blotted out the offences of the world finally the same thing to be receiued outwardly with our mouth which inwardly we beleeue in hart id ore sumitur quod â—ide creditur do not these speeches declare that the body and blud of Christ is offered to the mouth of Christians Or when Christ bad his disciples to take and eate that body in the chalice to drinke that blud of the new testament meant he that they should eate and drinke only by faith Do his words import not that they should eate with their mouth but only vvith their eyes and eares which only two instruments M. B. allovveth for eating Christs body by faith the eare serving for conueyance of the audible word preached to our sovvle the eye for conveyance of the visible word that is the bread vvhen it is broken in their Communion by vvhich tvvo meanes only we eate Christ spiritually by faith as he teacheth vs If he thus say yet S. Marke wil somwhat gainsay him and if he haue any conscience make him gainsay him self reuoke his saying For that as Christ deliuered thâ—m his chalice and bad them drinke it so S. Marke testifieth that they al dranke of it vvhich drinking could no more be done vvithout their mouth vvith their only eyes and â—ares then with their heeles And therefore in the bible vve find that Christs blud both in the word in the sacrament is offered to the mouth of Christians And therefore to ioyne â—un on vvith M. B. a litle vvhereas he denieth that there is in the Bible any receiuing of Christ but by faith vvhereas he biddes vs find that in any part of the bible he is then content to turne Christ ouer to vs vve accept his offer And if he can so interprete these places of the Euangelists vvhose vvritings are part of the Bible that lie dravv them al â—o a mere spiritual eating by only faith vvithout corporal and real communion as the church teacheth I vvil confesse he hath as good a grace in interpreting scripture as euer had Carolostadi the first sounâ—â—yne of this sacramentarie heresie yea or the heauenly prophete vvhether it vvere the deuil or the deuils dame â—s Luther saith that instructed him ¶ And yet that I make not my self to sure of my vvinâ—ing before hand I must needs acknovvlege that M. B. already geueth a sâ—â—ewd presumptioÌ„ that he vvil vvring Christs words after a very straunge fashion before he yield so much as any reasonable man pressed with these â—ords must graunt necessarilie and perforce For besides that he is of one spirite vvith them that haue already geven vs vvonderful constructions of these fevv vvords This is my body vvhich body Christ vvilled his disciples to receiue and eaâ—e as that by it according to 〈◊〉 Christ meant his passion and death or els he meant faith or his deitie or a memorie or at lest a thankes geuing or lâ—st of al the churchâ— or if al this serue not he meant thereby an action as Ioannes a Lasco rather thinâ—â—eth and then the sense must needs be spiritual for â—â—oubtles vve can not take and eate nether Christs passion and dâ—â—â—h nor faith nor yet his deitie nor a memorie noâ— a thankesgeuing nor the church vvhether Zuingli meane 〈◊〉 vvals and stones of the church or the people noâ— aâ— action but after a mere spiritual or rather spiritish maâ—â—â— besides thâ—â—e I say of al vvhich he may choose any one vvhich he pleaseth with as good â—ight as they did he geueth an other of him self as vvonderful as any of al these For saith he we find in Christs institution a promise and a commaund The commaund is this Take eate which obligeth vs to obey craues obedience The promise is conteyned in these words This is my body The promise craues faith and beleefe as the commaund craues obedience VVhich exposition seemeth to me as straunge as any of the precedent as straunge it is to cal these vvords of Christ a promise as to cal it a promise if one say to a poore man Take receiue here is a pennâ— or a peece of bread if this be a promise I vvonder hovv we shal define the performance But let it stand for good for these men haue power to make al things sound as they list especially in church matters articles of â—aith with which the Eldership or as the phrase is in the Scottish coÌ„munion booke the Assembly of the ministers Elders and deacons may dispense varie and alter at their good pleasure But what shal become now of these words what sense shal vve geue them forsooth this Take eate a promise or take eate here is a promise which is delivered for yow And if he thus meane then in deed he is far from any corporal eating And if he meane otherwise as Caluin doth vvhom perhaps he foloweth for he vttering no more theÌ„ I haue set dovvne leaueth me in doubt I can but gheasse his true meaning that the vvords of Christ are a promise annexed to a condition and so not fulfilled except the condition be accomplished vvhich goeth before as Caluin teacheth even so his meaning is as straunge wil dravv after it as straunge and vvonderful a communion For saith Caluin these words Take eate is a coÌ„maundement This is my body is a promise like as the lord commaunded Cal on me and immediatly adioyneth the promise I wil heare thee If now any man would bost of this promise That God vvil heare him and not performe the commaundement annexed To cal vpon god might be not be counted a mad soole Euen so here this promise This is my body is made and geuen to them who obserue that which Christ commaunded Out of which this we may and must directly gather that if This is my body be a promise depending of that condition and commaunde Take eate which goeth before then when soeuer man on his part fulfilleth the condition commaunde God on the other side questionles performeth that he hath promised And it were blasphemous impietie to thinke or say otherwise that men doing as God appointed God faileth in performing that vvhich he promised This therefore being a most sure vnremoveable ground if these vvords This is my body be a promise depending vpon that commaund Take eate then by like assured consequence and conclusion when so euer Christian men take and eate especially if they doe it in remembrance of Christ vvhich albeit it be not in the commaund Caluin requireth it not yet I am content to adde it for more suertie then such bread to such eaters is the body of Christ and so vvhen soeuer Christian men vvith such remembrance eate they eate Christs body vvhen soeuer they drinke they drinke his blud For like as he is a mad foole in Caluins iudgement vvho thinketh he can enioye the promise of Christs body except he
sacraments And then must it needs folow that the sacraments may be ministred to those only which are able to heare the word whereby infants are secluded from baptismâ— And in deed this is one of the strongest arguments that the Anabaptists haue This for al Christians to come so that hence forward by M. B. Theologie baptisme must no more be ministred to children or infants but we must expect with the Anabaptists vntil they come to yeres of discretion that then they hearing the minister preach may haue the right sacrament endued with life and sowle and perfite essence which now for want of such preaching is to them mere water without the spirite a dead body without life or sowle and as our Puritanes speake iust according to Caluin M. B. nothing but seales without writing and plain blanks After foloweth an authoritie of Zuinglius to prove his purpose which because it is very long would fil vp a leaf at lest I willingly omit The summe of Zuinglius allegation and my L. application is that the word preached is not the life and perfection of the sacrament but that the sacraments are perfite without it and that M. B. and al other in teaching this doctrine plainly ioyne hands with the Anabaptists Thus my Lord of Canterbury Vnto whose reasons one more I wil adde which M. B. his preaching before and the general doctrine of the sacramentaries yeldeth against this toy or rather madnes It is agreed among them very generally that the baptisme of S. Iohn was the self same that Christ his Apostles after deliuered to the church we now enioy VVhich being so then must it needs folovv that it had the same matter forme the same elemeÌ„t word that ours hath This is evident can not be denyed Let vs then proceed because of the matter element which was water in both there is no controversie let vs consider the forme that is the life and sovvle the word preached without vvhich baptisme is nothing but water as their other signe of the supper conteyneth nothing but coÌ„mon bread VVhen S. Iohn ministred baptisme to Christ did he preach the word as here vve haue it defined did he with a cleere voyce denounce and proclame to Christ al the parts of baptisme Did he tel Christ vvhat was his owne part and dutie as likevvise what was Christs part dutie How Christ ought to come receiue the baptisme and so furth as here vve haue the vvord defined and explicated Let M. B. make choise of vvhich part he vvil and answere yea or no I suppose he shal perceiue his ovvne error and foly and that as in ansvvering truly he must deny al his preaching hetherto about this VVord so if he vvil stand to maynteine his vvord and say that S. Iohn vsed in his sacrament such a word such preaching and opening al parts of the sacrament this affirmation in the iudgement of sober men wil conuince him not so much of folie as furie not of heresie as of phrenesie the particular consideration vvhereof I leaue to him selfe ¶ Novv let vs a vvhile sequester al authoritie both of god and man of scripture and father old or nevv saving M. B. him self and examine this matter by it self according to indifferent trial M. B. his ovvne preaching If vve marke vvel vvhat vvord it is that he requireth to geue life to the sacrament vve shal find it to be such a word as proueth the tenth part of English and Scottish baptismes and communions to be no sacraments at al. For first vvhereas in very many churches of England and I thinke the like of Scotland baptismes and communions are ministred vvithout Sermons in many some poore homilie is read in steed of a Sermon in al these churches the sacraments are dead things the communion bread is nought els but common bread the vvater of baptisme is coÌ„mon prophane vvater nether of these any sacrament And that the reader thinke not my asseveratioÌ„ bold or straunge vvhere I say that in England in many churches are so fevv Sermons let him vnderstand that albeit there be in deed order prescribed that in euery parish church there should be 4. sermoÌ„s in the yere euery quarter one vvhereas in the yere there are baptismes and communions perhaps 2. or 3. hundred yet this is soil obserued that notvvithstanding such order takeÌ„ the CaÌ„bridge doctors them selues testifie that they know parishes not far from Cambridge so principal an Vniuersitie for preachers where one of these sermons was not in 4. yeres together which if it be so so nere to Cambridge say they what is to be thought of other places of the realme And els where the same parties affirme that in most churches of England there is none that ether can or wil preach so that this one clause maketh voyde thousands of baptismes and thousands of Communions in England and Scotland For this must be obserued by the vvay that such reading of Homilies in the church is not according to this definition not these mens opinion preaching of the word with a cleere voyce no more say they then a mens pen or hand is his tongue and voyce vvho furthermore vtterly deny such reading to be comprised in the name of preaching despise it altogether and say that it is as il as playing on a stage and worse to Next to omit Homilies come to sermons whereas this vvord is appointed by Caluin to be preached after one certaine forme vz that the minister preach the promise and leade the people thether where the signe directeth how many thousand ministers faile in preaching this promise who doubtles in al the Gospels where after the Protestant-Theologie mention is made of the sacrament can not possibly find any such promise as Caluin surmiseth for that assuredly there is none such For to tel vs that these vvords This is my body is a promise is as blunt ridiculons a toy as if a man would make the articles of our Creed promises as if some vvise minister would tel vs that these verities Christ was borne of the virgin he suffred death vnder Pilate be rose againe and ascended vvere promises which are of like qualitie with that promise of Iohn Caluin And if in Christs words vvhere he instituteth this sacrameÌ„t there be no promise hovv then shal the minister preach with a lowd cleer voyce vpoÌ„ this promise which is not If to helpe forward the matter we shal take M. B. his expositioÌ„ that the minister must tel the people whereto the signe tendeth and directeth them that is looke how able the bread is to nurish them corporally so able is Christ to nurish them spiritually to eternal life which spiritual nurriture is sealed coÌ„firmed in them by these reuerend sealeâ— of bread vvine first this similitude is taken not from the scripture but from the doctors fâ—thers and therefore a
his vvit and memorie be but very indifferent especially vvhen he is first vvarned by the minister and after seeth the bread and vvine conceive thus much as vvel as the most honest man in the congregation For let M. B. marke vvel vvhat it is to eate Christ spiritually in their sacrament By his ovvne definition and the coÌ„mon consent of his maisters this eating hath no relation or dependence of charitie of honestie of vertue of good life but only of faith Bring with yow to the table saith M. B. not one mouth only of your body but also the mouth of the sawle VVhat is that A constant persuasion in the death of Christ and al goes wel This persuasion my Protestant of vvhom I speake vvanteth not For I presuppose him to be no apostata though I graunt him to be an heretike and therefore he doubtles hath this mouth of his sawle and therefore eates Christ and so al goes wel Again As the mouth of thy body takes the bread so them â—â—â— of thy â—awle takes the body and blud of Christ by faith For by faith and a constant persuasion is the only way to eate the body and drinke the blud of Christ â—nwardly Then inwardly doth this evil Protestant eate Christs body and inwardly doth he drinke his blud For being a Christian though a bad one he must needs have a faith and constant persuasion of Christs death Christ saith Peter Martyr in the 6. of S. thou promised to gâ—ve his flesh to be eaten And that which he then promised he performed in his lâ—st supper But not then only He also performeth it now so often as we truly beleeve that he hath dyed for vs. VVhat need I repeatâ— that vvhich is most evident that the vvicked have this faith of beleeving Christs death therefore eaâ—e spiritually the flesh of Christ Calvin goeth one point further requiring that they beleeve Christ not only to have died vvhich only M. B. and Peter Martyr vâ—ge but also that he beleeve Christ to have risen again VVhâ—â—â—as I sinâ— in Beza is a question of great 〈◊〉 and not beleeved of many Protestants But yet I presuppose â—â—â— Protestant not to be proceeded so far but â—esting in the vulgar heresies of Calvins Institutions or the Scottish confession of faith not to deny Christs death or resurrection and then nothing yet is said but that he eateth Christ truly by faith be his life never so detestable And thus vvhereas M. B. saith that no evil receive Christ I must conclude rather that al evil receive him after their doctrine as now appeareth But yet remaineth one farther subtilitie vvhich M. B. afterwards toucheth and greatly magnifieth Learne me saith he to applie Christ rightly to thy sowle and thâ—w hâ—â— wonne al thow art a great Theologe Let vs in the name of God learne this high mystical point Is there any other applicatioÌ„ of Christ then by faith by beleeving his death and rejurrection No doubtles as Calvin Beza Martyr M. B. him self have often told vs. Then this is not so mystical a point nor able to make so great a Theologe except every â—inker and cobler that beleeves his Creed be among the Protestants a great Theologe because perhaps most of their chief Ministers and preachers beleeve not so much Na saith M. B. there is yet a farther degree deeper mysterie in this eating and application Let vs once have a plaine descriptioÌ„ thereof that we may know vvhere to rest and vvherevnto vve shal trust That M. B. geveth in these vvords The eating and drinking of the sowle is no other thing but the applying of Christ to my sowle the applying of his death and passion to my sowle Yet this must be made somwhat more plaine and intelligible For as M. B. obiecteth afterwards Christ him self his body and blud can not be geuen or applied to thee seing that looke how great distance is betwixt heaven and earth as great distance is there betwene the body of Christ and thy body or sowle even so touching Christs death passion that is now long sithence past and as the Apostle teacheth he being risen from death dieth no more but liveth at the right hand of God â—â—â—nally and how then applâ—e yow his death and passion to â—â—â—â— sowle Thus and this must vve take for the chief last resolution vvhich this man here geveth vs and vvhich 〈◊〉 learned maketh vs great and profound Theologes The eating of the sawle is no other thing but â—â—e applying of Christ to the sawle that is to beleeve that he hath shed his blud for me that he hath purchased remission of sinnes for me This as being the very key and summe of that he preacheth concerning this matter in his next sermon he enlargeth thus VVe eate the flesh of Christ by faith and drinke his blud chiefly in doing two things first in calling to remembrance Christs death and passion how he dyed for vs. The second point of this spiritual eating stands in this that I and every one of yow beleeve firmely that he died for me in particular that his blud was shed on the crosse for a ful remission and redemption of me and my sinnes In this staÌ„ds the chief principal point of eating Christs flesh VVel then now vve know a thorough perâ—ite definition and explication of this spiritual eating and drinking to vvit that every man in particular is bound to beleeve that Christ died for him for so I interpret M. B. his meaning and not that every man is bound to beleeve that Christ died for M. B. shed his blud for M. B. and purchased remission of sinnes for him as his vvords sound to conclude my purpose I say vvhat Protestant if he be a Christian doth not thus applie Christ vnto him self doth not thus eate the body of Christ and drinke his blud except he be in desperatioÌ„ or as hath bene said be an Apostata so no Christian For no man can have the name of a Christian â—â—cept he beleeve the death of Christ vvhich vvas suffered according to Christs owne teaching his Apostles both for the sinnes of every particular Christian also of the vvhole vvorld He is the lamb of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world He came in to the vvorld and vvas incarnate to save his people from their sinnes To Christ al â—he prophetes geve testimonie that al receive remission of sinnes by his name vvhich beleeve in him He is the raunsom and propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours only but also for the whole world and so forth in every Gospel Epistle and almost in every chapter of ether Gospel or Epistle so plainly that no creature having the name of a Christian can doubt but Christ died for him and by his death purchased remission of his sinnes therefore every Christian be he never so evil applieth Christ
laboureth to prove very earnestly and diligently This M. B. out of Calvin and Beza preacheth very directly and expressely and by scripture wickedly perverted seeketh to establish It is sure saith he and certain that the faith of Gods children is never wholy extinguisted Though it be never so weake it shal never vtterly decay â— perish out of the hart Howsoever it be weake yet a weake faith is faith and such a faith that the lest parcel or drop of â—ssureth vs that God is fauourable frindly and merciful â—â—â— vt Minima fidei gâ—â—ta facit was certo inâ—uiâ—â— contemplari fâ—ciem Dei pâ—acidam sereâ—em nobisoâ—e prâ—pitiaâ— as writeth Caluin M. B. hauing run a good vvhile in this veyne concludeth For conformation of my argument howsoever 〈…〉 bodies â—e 〈…〉 â—o al dissolution â—et after our effectual calling within our sewles suppâ—â—e the fier be covered with â—shes yet it it â—ier therâ— wil no man say the fier is put out suppose it â—e covered No more is faith put out of the sowle supâ—ose it â—â— so covered that it shâ—w nether how nor light outwardlâ— Finally he repeateth as a most sure principle It is certaine that the faithful have never the spirit of God taâ—e from thâ—â— wholy in their greatest dissolutions though they 〈…〉 〈…〉 thâ—rers adulterers c. VVhereas then every Calvinist vvho once hath tasted of Calvins iustifying faith as hath M. B. can never possibly leese that faith but must of necessâ—â—â—â— reteyne it perpetually though he fal into never so great dissolution and filthines of life become he a murtherer an adulterer a robber of churches a sinke of iniquitie as many such iustified and elect Calvinists are vvhereas I say al that notwithstanding he is not forsaken of the spirit of God nor deprived of this special and singular faith vvhich M. B. so oft hath told vs is the only mouth of the sowle the only meane to eate and fâ—â—d oâ— Christ how can he possibly vvith any face or modestie vvith any learning or reason deny that vvicked men receive Christs body vvhereas he alloweth and that infallibly to the most detestable men the spirit of God and this special faith this month of the sowle by vvhich most truly effectually spiritually the body of Christ is eateÌ„ let him vvith better advise marke this his owne preaching and doctrine of Iohn Calvin and his Geneva church and conferre it diligently vvith his other fansie of evil men not receiving Christs body in their signe he shal find this opinion to be altogether false vnprobable and vnpossible to be conceived or beleeved and â—â—â— against their owne preaching and teaching And doubtles besides this special point of Calvinisme vvhich is so pregnant and direct to prove against M. B the general sway of their doctrine induceth the same which is it provoketh men to licentious and dissolute life in that it preacheth only faith to serve for Christian iustice so the verie issue of that solifidian iustification is this vvhen men in life are become most beastly and vitious then to make them most vaunting and glorious for this â—â—stant persuasion that by only faith in Christ they are saved and iustified for that as Luther taught nothing but only infidelitie could 〈…〉 such faithful Protestants of his sect as Zuinglius wrote al such if they beleeve as he preached they forth with were in as great favour with God â—â— Christ Iesus him self and God would no lesse deliver them from â—el no lesse open heaven to them then to his only begotâ—â— soâ—â—e as our first English Apostles and martyrs taught and â—ealed vvith their blud whâ—â— we labour in good workes to come to heaven we do shame to Christs blud For having that particular persuasion vvhereof is spoken if we beleeve that God hath promised vs everlasting life it is impossible that we should perish VVe can not be damned except Christ be damned nor Christ saved except we be saved VVe have as much right and as great to heaven as Christ vvhat soever our life or vvorks be For al they erre that thinke they shal be saved when they have done many good workes For it is not good life but alonely a stedfast faith and trust in God that may bring vs to heaven be our sinnes never so great and that it seeme vnpossible for vs to be saved c. This is the very pith substance of the Lutheran Zuinglian Calvinian English and Scottish Theologie touching only faith this inferreth cleane contrarie to M. B. that vvicked â—nd instructed in the Protestant schoole may have and by coÌ„mon reason and discourse have as constant persua 〈…〉 to be iustified in Christ as men of more honest life And therefore vvhereas M. B. saith that such bad Protestants lacke a mouth of the sowle that is lacke a constant per 〈…〉 in Christs death vvhereby Christ is eateÌ„ he speaketh l 〈…〉 man that lacketh a face that lacketh a forhead or 〈…〉 that lacketh vvit that lacketh knowledge that hath no skil in his owne Theologie in his owne religioÌ„ which by plaine manifest reason and proofe yea by expectence ocular demonstration assureth vs the contrarie The rest of this Sermon vvhich is principally in coÌ„mending and magnifying the vertue of faith that by faith vve have an interest title and right in Christ by faith we possesse Christ that true faith is a straunge ladder tâ—â—â— wil climb betwixt the heaven the earth aâ—cord that gâ—â—â— betwene heaven and earth that couples Christ and vs together c. al this and much more as it is wel spoken of â—â—â— Christian and Catholike faith so being applied to the Lutheran Calvinian Anabaptistical and Scottish presumption that rash and brainsick imagination 〈…〉 described vvhich the Protestants cal faith never I vvord of it is true By that vve have no right title oâ—â—â—terest in Christ but the devil hath a right title 〈…〉 in vs. By it we possesse not Christ but are possessed of his enemie It is no ladder reaching to heaven no cord that goes thether but it is a steep breakeneck downefal sending to helâ—a rope or cable of pride by vvhich as the first Apostata Angels vvere pulled downe from heaven to hel and there tied vp in eternal darknes so by the same pride arrogancie presumption albeit these men baptise it by the name of faith al prowd schismatiks and heretikes Apostataes from Christs Catholike church despisers of that their mother and therefore true children of that first Apostata Lucifer their father must looke to have such part and portion as their father hath vvhose example and as it vvere footesteps in this arrogant and Satanical presumption and solifidian confidence they folow Of tuitching Christ corporally and spiritually The Argument M. B. guilefully magnifieth the spiritual manducation by faith to exclude the spiritual manducation ioyned with corporal manducation in the sacrament The definition of faith geven by S.
Paule and cited by M. B. is examined and by it is cleerly proved that the Protestant faith which they cal so is no faith such as S. Paule meaneth but mere fansie and imagination Christ in this world did esteeme of carnal cognation which M. B. wickedly denieth His wicked corruption of Christs words that Christs flesh is vnprofitable is directly against Christs owne preaching and our faith of the incarnation He in taking from the body al real coniunction with Christ infinuateth a denyal of the resurrection of the body as Luther and the Lutherans prove plainly against the Calvinists M. B. his obiection taken out of the Gospel that corporal tuitching of Christ is vnprofitable VVhy Christ required faith what maner of faith in them whom he cured from diseases The place of scripture which M. B. obiecteth as likewise many other proveth the cleane contrarie of thâ—t for which be pretendeth it vz that corporal tuitching was a â—â—re immediat cause of health then tuitching by only faith May had benefite of Christ by only corporal tuitching of hiâ— much more by both corporal also spiritual receiving him in the B. Sacrament CHAP. 16. HEnce forward the principal argument concerning the sacrameÌ„t newly entreated of for here is much tedious repetition of old things of the vvord sacrament vvhat word is necessarily required to make the sacrament the doctrine of seales and confirmation of mens right and title by seales c. vvhich being already drawen in to their several places and answered before I vvil therefore omit here coÌ„sisteth ether in refelling the Catholike doctrine tâ—â—ching Christs real presence or in confirming a vulgar opinion that Christ is eaten by faith vvherein he bestoweth many vvords vvhich of them selves are not amisse but that they are applied to an evil end as that the spirit of God vniteth Christians to Christ that Christ is conioyned to vs with a spiritual band that this is wrought by the power and vertue of the holy spirite as the Apostle saith 1. Cor 12. 13. that al faithful men and women are baptized in â—ne body of Christ that is are conioyned and fastned with Christ by the moyen of one spirite c. that faith is a spiritual thing that it is the gift of God powred downe in to the â—â—â— of men and women wrought in the sowle of every one and â—â—â— by the mighty operation of the holy spirite that we â—â—â— Christ spiritually by remembring his bitter death and pa 〈…〉 c. These and a number such other sentences in which he spendeth many pages of this sermon are in them selves good true Christian and Catholike But vvhen â—e applieth al this coniunction of the spirite to exclude the coniunction vvhich is wrought by Gods spirite to but yet not only spiritually but also corporally vvhen he acknowlegeth no other receiuing of Christ in the sacrament then that vvhich is vvrought as vvel vvithout the sacrament vvhen soever vve remember his death and passion vvhen he so advaunceth this manducation by faith as though there vvere not only no manducation so profitable but also besides that no true manducation of Christs body at al in this he plaieth the sophister in vndermining one veritie by commending an other he plaieth the part of a craftie enemie vvho sheweth bread in the one hand and vvhile we behold that striketh vs on the head with a stone which he holdeth in the other in one vvord he plaieth the very heretike vvho ether thinketh him self or would his audience to thinke that one part of Catholike faith gaynsaith an other that the spirite of God vniting Christians vvith Christ their head spiritually excludeth al corporal participatioÌ„ which most of al confirmeth increaseth that spiritual coÌ„iunction that spiritual eating by faith or remembring Christs death passion is an enemy opposite to the real coniunction of his body vvhich Christ him self appointed for that special end amonges other that it might streÌ„ghthen our faith spiritual maÌ„ducation both in the sacrament out of the sacrament and make vs perpetually more mindful of his death passion Vnto vvhich mindfulnes careful meditatioÌ„ we are a thousaÌ„d times more stirred by one thought vvhen vve conceive the same his most pretious body here truly and really present and though glorious eternal invisible and indivisible in it â—ell yet visible divided and broken in the sacrament for our benefite and nurriture vve are I say more stirred to remembrance of Christs death and passion by one such cogitation then by al the bread broken and al the â—â—nkardes of wine that are in a vvhole yere filled out and empâ—ied by the bretherne and sisterne in al the suppers communions of Scotland and England ¶ Before M. B. come to extol his spiritual manduâ—â—tion by â—aith he frameth an obiection as made by the Catholikes and by answering the same maketh way as it vvere and entrance to that matter His obiection is this If say they Christs flesh blud be not received but by faith in the spirite then we receive him but by an imaginatioÌ„ by a conceit and fantasie This is the obiection as he frameth it vvhich albeit it be none of ours if it be taken generally as though al manducation of Christ out of the sacrament vvere imaginarie or fantastical which is wicked to speake or think yet being applied to the Protestants receiving by their â—aith it is good and for such I acknowlege it For their receiving by their â—aith is mere imaginarie and fantastical to speake the best And let vs see how M. B. can answere this obiection So saith he they count faith an imagination of the mind a fantasie and opinion But if they had tasted and felt in their sowles what â—aith bringes with it alas they would not cal that spiritual iewel only iewel of the sowle an imagination That we account faith an imagination or fansie is â—alse though one of the founders of your faith that is Zuinglius and his Tigurine church cal it so Howbeit we cal it not so nor thinke of it so but esteeme it as a verie iewel of the sowle though not the only iewel as yow falsely terme it For that besides the cardinal vertues which also an iewels of the sowle and a number of graces of the hoâ— ghost reckened vp by the Apostle every man that haâ—â— a litle skil in his Christian Catechisme knoweth that among the 3. Theological vertues hope is a iewel of the sowle as wel as faith and charitie a iewel of the sowle more pretious and better then â—aith as the Apostle expressely teacheth â— Cor. 13. 13. and by the one and the other is engendred in good Christian Catholike men a great confidence ioy and consolation of mind and by the one and the other they feele in their harts the holy ghost making them to crye Abba pater they hope confidently by the testimonie of that spirite that
shew him self to ignorant so that in deed he seemeth not to know vvhat a contradiction meaneth yet he so behaveth him self as that he may plainly learne it by his owne answere to this supposed argument For vnto it he geveth 3. answeres two of vvhich are directly contradictorie one to the other the third hangeth in the middest betwene both and may take part of ether If saith he I denyed their consequent vvhich they never made they would be wel fasshed to prove it But the question standes no here whether God may do it or not but whether God wil it or may wil it And we say reverently that his maiestiâ— mâ—â— not wil it This is his first answere vvhich I account as a middle betwene two extremes not directly denying nor yet plainly graunting that God can do it but by a thoritie as it vvere of the Scottish 〈…〉 vvhich commaundeth in matters Ecclesiastical god is in manerly and reverent termes charged not to vvil it For his maiestie may not wil it saith M. B. But good Sir that we may vnderstand your further resolution let vs put the case as the church ever hath that God may wil it for that Christ vvho is true God did wil it as not only al Catholikes that ever vvere but also most Protestants and those the first founders of this new gospel beleeved Answere now directly and plainly yea or no can he performe it M. B. answereth no and that so Turkishly absurdely as vvithal he overthroweth the vvhole body of scripture from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Reuclation For saith he many things God may not wil and then most assuredly he nether may nor can do them and they are reduced to two sortes First he may not wil things contrarie to his nature as to be changeable to decay Secondly he may not wil some things by reason of a presupponed condition as such things whereof he hath concluded the contrarie before of which sort this is For seing God hath concluded that al humane bodies and therefore the body of Christ should consist of organical parts and therefore be comprehended and circumscribed within one proper place therefore God may not wil the contrarie now and consequently can not make it vvithout quantitie vvithout place vvithout circumscription for this vvere to make it no body And to wil these things which are plaine coÌ„tradiceÌ„t in them selues god may not no more then it is possible for him to wil a lye Here is the conclusion that God can no more make Christs body remaining a body to be in 2. places then he can lye then he can be chaunged thâ—n he can decay be corruptible But to lye to be chaunged to decay are simply and flatly vnpossible for God Ergo it is simply beyond Gods power and abilitie to make the body of Christ in the sacrament This is his conclusion which if vve let to rest for a vvhile and examine the ground thereof a man shal quickly see that it is the very foundation of al Atheisme and Barbarisme For if God may not nor can alter the conditions and qualities of his creatures vvhich conditions he hath framed in them and so by such prosupponed condition concluded the contrarie before vvhereas he hath thus concluded the vvater to be liquid or fluent the fier to be hote and burne the S 〈…〉 to move perpetually and geve light creatures vvhich vve eate or vse in eating or vsing to consume and diminish vvaters not to flow out of thy and hard rocks and flints but to have other original beasts by nature dumb not to speake and so forth in a number of like incident every vvhere in the old and new Testament vvhat foloweth hereof but that by sentence of the Scottish coÌ„fistory and Seignorie God may not wil and God can not vvil nor do these things and therefore the red sea stood not stil and firme as a vval nor yet the river Iordan to yeld passage to the children of Israel the fier in the fornace of Nabuchodonosor vvhich so furiously burnt the Chaldeans could not be to Daniel and his 3. felowes according to the English translations as a cold wyel blowing so that one heare of their head vvas not burne the Sunne in the element at Iosuas commaundement did not stand stil nor vvas cleane destitute of light aâ— Christs passion the oyle of the vvidow of Sarephta vvas not every day eaten by Elias the vvidow and her sonne vvithout diminishing as nether for 40. yeres together in the vvildernes could the Israelites vveare their apparel vvithout vvasting consuming it it could not possibly be that a hard rocke in the vvildernes should yeld such abundaÌ„ce of vvater as satisfied many hundred thousands that Balaams asse spake c. For these be such things whereof God hath concluded the contrarie before in his general creation determining and binding them to other certain natural conditions and qualities as he hath the body of man to be visible local and circumscribed in one certain place And therefore God may no more wil these things which are plain contradicent in them selues one as much as the other then it is possible for him to wil a lye and then the scripture must lye downe right vvhich telleth vs al these lyes by M. B. his conclusion for vndoubted verities VVhat shal I speake of the new Testament vvhere this appeareth infinitely more VVhere every one of Christ his Apostles miracles are things done against the general order condition and qualitie vvhich God hath limited to his creatures Let the Christian reader carie away this only that this Satanical rule so vile and horrible that a Turke vvould never have put it downe quit destroyeth the two very fouÌ„dations heads and principal articles of the new Testament the incarnation of Christ and general resurrection vvhich Mahomet in his Alcoran confesleth most constantly For that every man consisting of body and sowle should to his humane nature have ioyned a particular a singular or individual subsistence vvhich Theologie calleth a persone or personalitie is far more necessarie more nigh more intrinsecal by gods special ordinance general creation more required to man then any thing that this ignoraÌ„t Calvinist obiecteth be it the conditioÌ„ of place or localitie or circumscriptioÌ„ or any other qualitie mentioned hetherto And yet our christian faith teacheth vs that Christ assumed the true nature of man a true sowle and body vvithout the persoÌ„ of maÌ„ And if M. B. know ought he knowes it to be Nestorianisme that is a denyal of Christs incarnation of the redemption vvrought by Christ God and man in one person to say that vvith the nature of man he assumed tooke the person of man Againe that one the self same man vvho died vvas resolved in to ashes 100. or 1000. yeres since shal in the end of the vvorld returne receive his perfect body
But how matcheth this vvith that vvhich immediatly ensueth In this life there is wonderful iniquities grosse sinnes and great faults wherewith even the righteous are defiled And when we study to do best and the iust man that is the â—â—aist halâ—man falles seven tymes in the day yea rather seventy tymes seuen tymes If the righteous and iust man vvhen he studieth to do best sinneth and that grossely if every â—owre of the day he commit so many grosse and mortal sinnes as these vvords import for in these mens divinitie al sinnes are mortal none venial every mortal sinne sever a man from God as M. B. teacheth agreably to the scriptures vvhat foloweth of these two parcels but that the God of heauen dwelleth in no man be he never so iust for that in every his action he sinneth and offendeth God grossely and mortally And how calleth he such a man holy iust and righteous vvho thus offending and that continually so many hundred tymes in the day is doubtles wicked vniust and vnrighteous for that so perpetually he transgresseth the law of God the true and infallible square of iustice and iniustice as M. B. hath truly declared VVith like constancie he commendeth saith to his audience in these vvords faith is the moyen and hand whereby we apprehend our saluation and applie it vnto vâ— And as it avayles not a sicke man to see a drâ—ge in the Apothecaries booth except a way be found how it may be applied to his sicke body so faith is the moyen and hand whereby we take hold on Christ and applie his redemption to cur sowles This is good if he meant of the right faith and stayd here and proceeded no farther to exclude al other graces of God and his holy spirite But he addeth There is not a way nor an instrument in the scriptures of God whereby any man or woman may applie Christ to their sowles but only the instrument of faith Hereof it foloweth that faith is not only the first and principal but also the sole and only meane of our iustification and saluation as by vvhich only instrument according to the scriptures the redemption wrought by Christ is applied vnto our sowles And thus the Protestants teach commonly and M. B. hath oftentymes told vs before Yet vvithin a few pages after he falleth in to a cleane coÌ„trarie discourse removing faith froÌ„ this office and attributing it altogether to love and charitie For thus he preacheth In corporal foode we have two sorts of apprehensions one by the eye the other by the taist Your eye takes a vew of the meate makes a choise of it This is the first apprehension If your eye like it yet if thy taist like it not also so it enter not in to thy stomake it can never be converted in to thy nurriture For it is only the second apprehension of the meate that is cause of nurrishing our body Even so in spiritual things the first apprehension of Christ Iesus is by the eye of the mynd that is by our knowlege and vnderstanding that is to say by our faith The next apprehension is when we cast our harts on him we have good wil of him For al our affection proceedes from our wil. And if we love Christ we take hold on him we eate him and digest him that is we apply him to our sawles Then is not faith the only instrument to applie Christ but also love charitie and this much more then faith so much more as a mans body is more nurrished by his tast then by his eye by that foode vvhich he eateth then that meate vvhich he seeth standing on the table but never toucheth For so your self applie vrge and reiterate this comparison Looke in what place the eye serves to the body in that same rome serves knowlege and vnderstanding to thy sowle And looke in what place thy hand and thy mouth the taist and the stomake serves to thy body in the same rome serves thy hart and affection to thy sowle So that as our bodies can not be nurrished except our hand take and our mouth eate the meate where thorough the second apprehension may folow likewise our sowles can not feed on Christ except we grip him and imbrace him hartely by our will and affection and not by only faith This is true doctrine and this directly ouerthroweth the former that faith is the only instrument of applying Christ to vs that only faith iustifieth vs and cleanseth the sowle For here vve learne that by charitie vve applie Christ to our sowles as vvel as by faith yea much better as our bodies are better nurrished vvith the 2. apprehension of meate made by our taist then by the first made by our eye Folowing the opinion of Iohn Calvin and the Lutherans before noted touching Christian faith that it is a sure and infallible persuasion of Gods beneuolence towards vs he exhorteth his auditors to hold fast such persuasioÌ„ in these vvords Art thow persuaded of mercy Assure thy self thy conscience is at a good point thow hast health in thy sawle For by keeping of this faith thy conscience is preserved Keep this persuasion bald it â—ail sound hurt it not bring not thy sawle in doubting so far as thow may nor hinder not thy persuasion For if thow doubt or in any wise diminish thy persuasioÌ„ thow dost diminish the health of thy sowle thow leesest thy faith becomest an infidel as Calvin whom in this M. B. foloweth avoweth For he is not a faithful maÌ„ saith Calvin who assureth not him self of Gods faâ—â—ur and who resting vpoÌ„ the securitie of his owne salvation cat not say with the Apostle Paule I am sure that nothing can separate me from Christ vvhich vvords also M. B. very luslely applieth to him selfe saying expressely Our faith assuraÌ„ce growes so great our persuasioÌ„ so strong that we dare come out with the Apostle and say as he said Hereof vve may gather that after this doctrine the best Christian and most faithful is he vvhich hath the greatest confidence in gods fauour and mercy and feareth lest his iudgements VVherevnto tendeth also a great part of his last sermoÌ„ vvhich besides that it preseneth a number of desperat ruffians execrable miscreants and heretikes before meeke harted and humble spirited saintes vpon vvhom the holy ghost specially restâ—â—h can hardly staÌ„d vvith that him self after preacheth that the dearest seruants of God are cast in to terrible doubtings woÌ„derful pits of desperatioÌ„ The best seruaÌ„ts of God are exercised with terrible doubtings in their sowles with wonderful stammerings and they wil be brought sometimes as appeares in their owne iudgement to the very brinke of desperation For this is as much to say as that the most faithful seruants of God are most faithles the best are vvorst his dearest are to him most odious and hateful as they
vvho vvant a right faith and confidence in him vvhereon intierly dependeth the health of their sowle their quietnes of conscience and peace with God True it is that the best and faithfullest seruants of god have iust occasion to feare Gods iudgement as vvhom they must attend for not only a mercyful father but also a iust iudge one that iudgeth every man not according to this solifidian persuasion and presumption but according to his worke that so severely that the iust man shal scarce be saved and therefore the prophetes Apostles S. Paule S. Peter and Christ him self ever taught their scholers as to hope wel so to feare in feare trembling to vvorke their owne salvatioÌ„ But great or rather infinite is the difference betwene feare dread reverence and trembling vvhich the scripture commendeth these terrible doubtings wonderful stammerings and wonderful pits of desteration in to vvhich these men thrust the best seruants of God And yet this preaching vvere more tolerable if he spared our Saviour him self and set not him farther out of Gods fauour as these men measure it according to this their presumptuous confidence then the vvorst servant of God that ever vvas For vvhereas of such servants M. B. saith that the Lord never sussereth them to despaire though they be brought to the very brinke of desperation yet are they not swallowed vp of it Christ our blessed Sauiour he thrusteth farther in to the very bottomles pit of desperation For saith he To what end doth the lord cast his servants so low He answereth To the end they may feâ—le in their harts and consciences what Christ suffered for them in the yard and on the crosse in sowle and body that we feele in our sowles in some measure the hel which he susteined in ful measure VVhere attributing to Christ the ful measure of that vvhereof he alloweth to his seruants but a portion vvhom yet he draweth to the very brinke of desteration he manifestly teacheth that Christ despayred fully and absolutely according to the doctrine of that monstrous caytive Calvin vvho vvriteth expressely that Christ not only internally in mind despayred but also externally brast out in to a speech of desperation vne voix de desespoir luy est eschappee in his french Harmonic vpon the Gospel and the gehennical church of Geneva in vvhose Catechisme Christ is subiected to the same torment of conscience and paynes of hel as are the damned and reprobate the impenitent sinners whom God doth punish in his terrible wrath saue that Christ susteyned that for a tyme only a day or two in the yard on the crosse saith M. B. vvhich they must endure continually VVhich doctrine invented or published by Calvin and Beza taught in the Geneva Catechisme and here briefly vttered by M. B. besides that it taketh away one article of our faith Christs descent in to hel in effect marreth and destroyeth al articles of our Christian Creed so far as they apperteyne to the redemption vvrought by Christ For if the perfection of Christian iustice be measured by firme persuasion of Gods mercy and favour and as M. B. vvriteth he that hath no measure of this faith hath no measure of peace vvith God Christ of al gods seruants that ever vvere vvas farthest from this measure as being plunged in desperation in ful measure then vvas Christ farthest of all other from being at peace vvith god and therefore was most vnfit to be a peace-maker for others to reconcile man to God pacifying things in heaven and earth vvhereas him self vvas not at peace vvith God nether had that peace of conscience vvhich every Protestant hath A forme of pietie the vertue vvhereof he denieth his vvords cary vvhen as he preacheth that this faith and persuasion vvhich he so magnifieth and baptizeth by the name of their iustifying faith dependes vpon the quiet state of a good conscience This quiet state is troubled by nothing in the world but by sinne Herevpon he falles in to a commoÌ„ place vvhich conteynes much good moral talke that we must glorifie god by doing good works there maÌ„ be an agreemeÌ„t betwene the hart the hand thy conuersatioÌ„ man of necessitie be changed with thy hart and be holy honest godly as thy hart is VVe must love our neighbour els we can not love God Faith is tried by his fruits and except thow glorifie God by thy deeds and make thy life holy to testifie thy holy faith al is but vayne al is but mere hipocrisie c. If thy conversation be good it is a sure token that thow hast a true faith and art one with God But if thy conuersation be not good let men say what they wil thy hart is defiled true and lively faith is not in thee Al vvhich and much more of like effect in fine he plainly referreth to this conclusioÌ„ So this ground holds fast A doubting conscience makes a weake faith The more doubting is the coÌ„science the weaker is the faith A good conscience makes a strong faith Hurt your coÌ„science yow hurt your faith For how can I be persuaded of gods mercy whose anger I feele kindled against me and against whom my conscience shewes me to be gilty of many offences Once again Every of yow take tent to your conscience For keep a good coÌ„science and thow shalt keep faith The better thy conscience is the starker thy faith is Loosing it a good coÌ„science ye loose faith and loosing faith ye loose saluation The hail exhortation that we gather on this point depends vpon this To omit his false ground that strong persuasion and confidence of Gods mercy can not stand vvith sinful life or evil conscience vvhereas presumptioÌ„ vvhich is a degree beyond confidence may so be coupled and oft tymes is sure reason certain experience and manifest scripture telleth vs that to to many there are vvho in the depth of their iniquitie say The mercy of the lord is great he wil be merciful to my sinnes be they never so many to omit this and marke only the il coherence of these mens fantastical gospel here faith of necesâ—itie requireth good conscience good conscience dependeth of holy life So vvhere holy life is abandoned and sinne raigneth good conscience is lost and that being perished faith also perisheth Vpon vvhich gradatioÌ„ he inveigheth against certain great men whose oppressions of the poore whose deadly feids with their owne companions would not burst out in so high a measure if they had advised wel with their consciences But the Lord seing them take so litle tent to their consciences he spoiles them of faith and of the hope of mercy Out of al vvhich vve may must conclude and so M. B. him self teacheth vs that faith in these men may be easely lost vvhich being altogether fastned and tyed to good conscience and
and strong persuasion of gods mercy For els he hath not faith that being by M. B. Calvin defined a stark and strong persuasion in Gods mercy VII It is true and certain that the spoonkes of faith which are kindled in the harâ— by the spirit of God certain it is they may be smored for a long tyme they may be couered with the ashes of our owne corruption our evil deeds and wickednes in which we fal The effects of a lively faith wil be so interrupted thy lusts and affection wil so preuail for a long time that in the mynd and hart and conscience of him who hath so oppressed smored his faith it wil come to passe that in his owne iudgement he wil think him self an outcast and reprobate Contra. The spirit of God in maÌ„s hart can not be idle but the spoonkes in the meane tyme that the body is cast lose to dissolutions these spoonkes are accusing thy dissolutions these spoonkes suffer thee not to take pleasure of thy body without great bitternesse and continual remorse And these spoonks where they are wil make he sawle to vtter these words ains in 24. howres Alas I offend God c. Then a man that feeles these motions ever once in 24. howres vvhich is no very long tyme yea seeles them vvorking a continual remorse vvhich is a great deale shorter and is a right Protestant endued vvith the faith here declared proper to the elect how vile soever his life be can never thinke him self a reprobate â—eeling in his hart once in 24. howres yea feeling continually these spoonkes of faith and motions of the holy spirit vvhich assure him the contrarie VIII The children of God such as right Caluinists are know assuredly by faith that they are the elect of God And this is the difference betwene the Catholike or Papist and them that the Papist dare not apply the promise of mercy to his owne sowle he countes it presumption to say I am an elect I am saved and iustified The miserable men contents them with a general faith that leanes only on the truth of God vvhereas the Calvinists have a special faith which leanes vpon the lying fansie of man whereby I know that the promises of God are true But the Papist dare not come say they are true in me VVhy because he hes not felt it and the hart of him is not opened But our iustifying faith woorks in vs particularly a marvelous assurance and persuasion that God loves me It workes a certain assurance and persuasion that he wil save me And this particular application is the specifike difference the chief marke and proper note whereby our faith is discerned from al the pretended faiths of al the sects of the world So then this is a special article of the Scottish Calvinists special faith that they and they only know by faith vvhich is most certain assured voyd of al doubt for vvhat Christian doubtes of any article any part or parcel of his faith and if he beleeve vvith doubting then plain it is he hath not faith but opinioÌ„ that they are elect and shal assuredly be saved And this is the specifike difference betwene them and al other not only Catholiks but even Protestants Lutherans Zuinglians Anabaptists Trinitarians Parlament ProtestaÌ„ts or Princifidiaâ—s of England c. that al and singular Calvinists after the Scottish order and vvith them perhaps out English Puritans know most certainly even by faith that they be elect and so infallibly shal al be saued Contra. The elect and dearest servants of God are cost in to terrible doubtings and wonderful â—its of desperation The best seruants of God are exercised with wonderful staÌ„merings in their sowle Every sin which they commit hurts the conscience that impaires the persuasion and so comes in doubting There is â—â—â— a sinne which we coÌ„mit but it banishes light and casts a slough ouer the eye of our faith whereby we doubt and stammer in our sight c. It comes to passe that in our owne iudgement we thinke our selves of casts and reprobats For so offending we can not have a starke persuasion that God wil be merciful to vs. Ergo the elect know not by faith that they are of the number of Gods chosen For so should they never vvant a starke and strong persuaÌ„sion and maruelous assurance they could never doubt of that vvhich to theÌ„ is as sure as an article of faith VVhich doubting yea wonderful and marvelous doubting so far forth that in their iudgement they thinke the contrarie they thinke them selves reprobates seing it oft tymes chaunceth to the best Protestants yea those of the Scottish and Genevian persection hereof this specifike differeÌ„ce betwene them al others is made a very general coÌ„munioÌ„ to them vvith al other sectaries and they left no surer of their saluation then are other their good bretherne of vvhat sect or heresie soever Nay farther vvhereas the Scottish Protestants have such terrible doubtings of their election and saluation as here M. B. confesseth vvhich the Lutherans and Anabaptists have not as before hath bene declared vvho vvithout al such doubt are most assured of their election and salvation hereof it foloweth that this specifike difference rather apperteyneth to them then to these and that it discerneth the faith of those Lutherans and Anabaptists from the faith of al sects in the world be they Calvinists Scottish Genevian Puritan or other rather then of M. B. and the Scottish Calvinists vvho of their election and saluation doubt so terribly as in deed they have iust cause IX To make the later contradiction more plain let it be remeÌ„bred that before in his third sermoÌ„ he inveigheth against the Catholikes for that they cal this Protestant faith an imagination or fansie and he refuteth them as plat contrarie to the Apostle touching the nature of faith for that the Apostle if vve beleeve M. B. expositioÌ„ or if it be credible that S. Paule ever dreamed of this Lutheran devise cals it a substantial ground an euidence and demonstration whereas they Papists cal it an vncertain opinion fleeting in the brayne and fansie of man So there it is Papistical and against the Apostle to cal this faith vvavering vncertaine and doubting vvhose nature is to be a substantial ground to conteyne euidence assurance firme persuasion and demonstration as also Calvin and Calvins maister Bucer strongly confirmeth Contra. Yet here M. B. maketh a long discourse to the contrarie For saith he doubtings as I have oft spoken may ludge in a saul with faith For doubting and faith are not extremely opponed but only faith and despaire Doubting man ludge it wil ludge and hes ludged in the saules of the best seruants of God If then your faith man be and wil be stil doubting stammering vvauering and vncertain then is not your faith such a faith
meane wit or sense of Christianitie ever wrote or affirmed that Gods vvord could not be heard fruitfully but of such men as vvere first indued with the love of god and then vvith the love of their neighbour in and for god and had such other vertuous dispositions as here yow require in your communicants Doth not the vvhole course and scope of the new testament shew infinit dissimilitude betwene the vvord of God and this sacrament of God in this respect vvithal resel this your to grosse folie VVhereas the sacrament in the verie place by yow read to your auditors if ye read truly is peculiarly appointed for the good and holy those that have tried and examined vvel them selves contrariwise is not the vvord of God by Gods like ordinance indifferent as vvel to the vnholy as holy to the bad as to the good as vvel to correct the one as to preserve the other to illuminate the faithles as to continue the light kindled in the faithful Do not the vvritings and preachings of Christ and his Apostles confirme this â— Preached they not alike to Iew Gentil to Idolaters to Pagans to sacrilegious persons of al sorts blind for their faith and abominable for their life vvhereof many knew not God much lesse loved him and so could not love their neighbour for him And yet this preaching doubtles vvas vvithout al sinne ether in the Apostles vvho thus preached indifferently to al or in the disciples vvere they Iewes or Gentils vvho heard them In the first primitiue church vvhich vvas immediatly planted by the Apostles preaching of the vvord vvas stil publike vniversal to Heathen no lesse them Christiâ— after for the space of 400. yeres the same maner of preaching the vvord continued vvith expresse order taken by the church by hundreds of bisâ—hops in very general Synodes that nether Pagan nor Iew nor heretike should be excluded from the presence and communication thereof from hearing the word of god vvhen as by precise order both of the Apostles and their successors pastors and rulers of the church al not only heathen Iewes heretikes but also novices in the Christian faith so long as they vvere vnbaptized vvere diligently excluded from being present at or seing the administration of the holy sacrament So that most salse it is like preparation to be required for receiuing the vvord and the sacrament and so to say cleane dasheth and destroyeth both these last sermons induceth the plain opposite of that this maÌ„ vvould seeme to persuade For if no other preparation be necessarie for the sacrameÌ„t then for the simple vvorde it being most cleare and certain that Christ his Apostles al auncient Bisshops vvithout any sinne or offence of any part ether of the preacher or of the heater preached the vvord to Ievves Gentils idolaters vsurers adulterers publicans men and vvomen living in al sinne of body and sowle hereof the deduction is manifest that by like reason the sacrament vvithout sinne of ether part may be delivered and received of Iewes of Gentils of Idolaters of adulterers of vsurers of slannderers of men never so sinful and vvicked VVith vvhich qualities albeit perhaps the elect bretherne of Calvins institution be commonly indued vvho vsually as M. B. vvitnesseth fal in to such grosse sinnes not only seven times but even seventie times seven times that is almost five hundred times every day yet thus to instruct and teach them and namely at such tyme and place was a very vnfit vvay of preparation to vvorthy receiving of the sacrament for vvhich by this doctrine any preparation suffiseth to vvhich they can never come vnworthely nor receive it to their condemnation no more then Marie Magdalen the sinful vvoman or other publicans vsurers and sinners received the vvord of Christ or his Apostles to their condemnation And this may stand for an evideÌ„t exaÌ„ple of a more general repugnaÌ„ce vvherein pretending honour to the sacrament he most dishonoreth it and vvhile at large he persuadeth great care of preparation he shortly but pithily dissuadeth the same causeth his auditors to neglect castavvay al such care Now to end this matter let vs consider one other like general example vvherein he vniversally both gainsaieth him self marreth al his deuout preaching and setteth his auditors in the high vvay to al audacitie licence libertie and fleshly securitie Towards the end of his secoÌ„d sermoÌ„ thus he armeth them against al tentatioÌ„s and teacheth them how they shal find repose in their conscience be their sinnes never so great their contempt of God and despising of his commaundements never so notorious and horrible and their owne conscience never so vehemently accusing them thereof VVhen saith he the devil thy owne life and conscience accuseth thee and beareth witnes against thee go backe ouer again to thy bygane experience cast over thy memorie and remember if god at any time in any sort hath loved thee if ever thow felt the love and favour of god in thy hart c. Remember on this and repose thy assurance on this that as he loved thee ains he wil love the ay and wil assuredly restore thee to that love or thow dye The hart that felt ains the loue of god shal feele it again And looke what gift or grace or what taist of the power of the world to come that euer the lord gave to his creatures in this life to that same degree of mercy he shal restore his creature or ever it depart this life This lesson he vvilleth his audience to locke vp in their harts remember on it faithfully as a most vvorthy comfort and me â—icament for their conscience I vvil not spend time in reâ—uting this strauâ—ge doctrine nether how it contrarieth the scripture of the Apostles and Euangelists in a number of places And yet I may no let passe briefly to vvarne the â—eader that not only in the thing and substance of the matter but also in the very forme of vvords and maner of phrase most vvickedly yea like a flat Apostata enemy of the Apostles al Apostolical doctrine he directly opposeth him self to the Apostle For vvhereas S. Paule saith that such Christians as have once bene made partakers of gods graces and gifts and have taisted the word of god and power of the world â—â— come vvhen such men become Apostataes and fal from God it is impossible for them to recover their former estate and grace M. B. running ful but against the Apostle saith in the same vvords phrase that such as have once receiued the grace gift of the holy ghost or taisted the power of the world to come fal they never so desperatly in to vvhat dissolution of body and sowle soeuer most certain and sure it is that before their death they shal recover be restored to the same grace degree of mercy againe Yea vvhich is far more vvonderful and far
vnworthely S. Paule maketh their sinne to be that they make no differeÌ„ce betwene the body blud of our lord other meates therefore are giltie of that body and blud vvhich they so despâ—se M. B. admitteth not that they proceed so far but coâ—deÌ„nâ—th them before hand before they eate vvhich is â—â—â— against S. Paules coÌ„patison vvhich standeth in this that as those men came to other tables to those ecclesiastical feasts of charitie there did eate drinke vvithout any prâ—câ—dent 〈…〉 al of them selves or examination of their consciences so came they and receiued the body and blud of Christ at this divine table not distinguishing this food from that but vvithout any convenient preparation honor regard or separation of one from the other eating and drinking this divine sacrament as they vvould coÌ„mon meates drinkes VVhich words of necessitie implie an eating drinking on both sides or els there is no comparison and consequently no condemnation of the one side vvhich condemnation remayneth resteth in the vvant of reverence regard and distinction made betwene those vulgar tables and this body and blud of our saviour both vvhich they received but alike and vvith like honor and reverence vvherein they sinned and dishonored Christ whose body they discerned not and therefore received it vnworthely And thus the auncient fathers vnderstood this text and out of it concluded the real presence and real receiving of Christs body though to the condemnation of the receivers So for example S. Austin He that vnworthely receiveth our lords sacrament albeit him self be naught yet that which he receiveth is good Corpus enim domini sanguis domini nihilominus erat illis c. For as to good men so was it the body of our lord and the blud of our lord no lesse vnto them of whom the Apostle said he that eateth vnworthely eateth his owne iudgement The same Doctor intending to shew that the evil vse of good things harmeth greatly what shal I speake saith he of the very body and blud of our lord the only sacrifice of our salvation Of which albeit our lord him self say that it geveth life yet doth not his Apostle teach vs even that to be pernicious to them which vse it noâ— wel when he saith who soever shal eate that bread and drinke that chalice not vvine of our lord vnworthely he shal be gilty of our lords body and blud In vvhich place vvhereas â—e nameth it ipsum corpus sanguinem Domini the very body and blud of our Lord and the only sacrifice of our salvation â—e most certainly noteth not bread and vvine but an other thing except bread and vvine be the very body of Christ and the only sacrifice of our redemption So in his epistles he vvriteth that our Lord suffered Iudas that traytour among his innocent disciples to receiue that which thâ— faithful know our raunsom or redemption quod fideles norâ—â—t pretium nostrum In an other place he calleth it sacrificiâ— pretij nostri the sacrifice of our redemption vvhich vvords of sacrifice raunsom price redemption c. quit exclude M. B. his tropical bread and vvine and prove that Iudas vvith the other disciples received the same body which was delivered for vs the same blud which was shed for vs according to the plain text of al the Evangelists This same veritie and exposition of S. Paules vvords is geven by the other auncient and learned fathers Greeke and Latin as namely S. Basil lib. de baptis cap. 3. S. Chrysost in sundry places in 1. Corinth cap. 11. homil 24. hom 27. â—omil â—3 in Matth. hom 45. in Ioan. S. Cyper sermo de coena Hieron in â— cap. Malach. Treophilact S. Ambros and Theodoret. expounding this place of vvhich the later vpon those very words vvhereon M. B. maketh his cavilling he shal be gilty of our lords body and blud vvriteth expressely thus By these words the Apostle signifieth thus much that aâ— the Iewes dishonored Christ shamefully abused him so they also dishonour and shamefully abvse him who receiue his most holy body with their impure handes and take it in to their defiled and vilanous mouth in pollutum incestum â—â— So that M. B. his conclusion or rather straunge paradox that no man can receive Christ vnworthely vvhich out of the sacrament Herodâ— Annas and many other publicanes Iewes Gentiles other did or might have done and in the sacrament many evil Christians continually do is quit opposite to the Apostles scope and discourse in this place vvhich against al drift of the text and sense of the vvords and exposition of auncient fathers he peevishely laboureth to pervert For albeit sometimes some fathers and namely S. Austin in one or two places vvhich Calvin citeth deny to the vvicked rem sacramenti the thing of the sacrament yet thereby he meaneth not Christs true body as S. Austin declareth his owne meaning but the iustifying grace the fruit and commoditie thereof the vertue and sanctification vvhich by Gods ordinaÌ„ce redouÌ„deth thence to al worthy receivers Nether doth it greatly helpe M. B. that he laboureth to approve his saying by the example of wordly princes who wil not suffer their maiestie to be interessed in the smallest thing But if thow disdainfully vse their seale which is but wax and contemne it and stamp it vnder thy secte thow art compted as gilty of his body and blud as if thow put thy hands on him much more if thow so handle the seales of the body and blud of Christ this I say litle helpeth the matter For first the comparison is nothing like For S. Paule speaketh not of stamping vnder feet of such disdainful abuse and contempt but of vnreuerent receiving vvhich differeth much and therefore if M. B. vvould speake to the purpose and applie his talke to the subiect here handled he should take such examples for the one side vvherein is like coniunction of things signified vvith the signe as he â—â—ineth to be in his Geneva signe or supper and for the other side vvhere men shew such vnteverence towards them as is here likewise presupposed Christ saith he and so say the Protestants of his sect is ioyned vvith the bread as as he is vvith a vvorde spoken as he is with a sermon as he is vvith an image as a king is represented in his picture in his seale in a peece of vvax Suppose then that some man stamp not vnder foote the Testament in despite and disdayne of Christ for so S. Paule speaketh not nor meaneth but that he reade some chapter of the Testament not discerning it from a chapter of S. Hierom or S. Austin is he gilty of our lords body If he heare a sermon preached and perhaps sleepe at the sermon time so receive not Christ inteâ—nally as by the vvord he is offered no lesse then in the Supper is he gilty of the body of the