that one article of the sacrament with Zuinglius Oecolampadius and others of that miserable and fanatical sect so he speaketh if Philip Melancthon * that peerles man be of the same iudgement and geve the same counseil if Osiander do the like and infinite others how much more ought vve folowing herein not only Luther not only Melancthon not only Osiander not only such a number of gospelling Doctors congregatioÌ„s but vvhich is a thousand tymes more folowing the true sense of the holy scripture the Apostolike and Catholike Church folowing the direction of Gods holy spirite infallibly resident therein and ever leading in to al truth contemne life and preferre death â—ather then to coÌ„municate vvith those Zuinglians Caluinists vvhereas besides that one heretical article obiected by Luther vve can as truly charge them vvith a number of other ech one as heretical as execrable Satanical as that of Luthers is ¶ And this my deare countrymen is one thing which doubtles as it vvil much encrease our eternal damnation before God so presently it much sheweth forth our miserie our infelicitie and turpitude to the vvorld that the Zuinglian or Calvinian gospel vvhich vve folow hath so smale shew of truth of religion of coherence in itself of learning vvisedome or honestie in the first preachers Apostles that except men did vvillingly shut theyr eyes and stop their eares from seeing or hearing that vvhich is most sensible and evident or God for plague of sinne beâ—est them of common intelligence they could not but streight vvaies see the fowlenes and deformitie thereof Our Saviour vvilleth vs to beware of wolves that come in sheepes clothing because they resemble sheepe to beware of false prophetes vvhich come adorned with the signes marks of ChristiaÌ„ religioÌ„ of holynes of pietie because they nighly represent counterfeit true Christians And such vvere many of the old heretikes as the Manichees the Apostolikes the Tatians or Encratitae the Messalians or Euchitae the Novatians some other vvho for rare severitie vvhich appeared in their living for their long prayer for their maruelous fasting great abstinence and chastitie seemed to excell Besides vvhich as many of the Archheretikes erred not in many articles of their faith so their preaching had much shew of holynes of coÌ„sent vvith religion in general and Christs gospel in special vvhich every vvhere commendeth such holy actions as they though vvith false meaning exercised So that needful it vvas men to be specially vvarned against such craftie deceivers And much it vvas not to be vvondered if false Apostles covered vvith such sheepes clothing adorned vvith such coÌ„mendable vertues good in them selves and right fruits of Christian faith only faulty in this that they vvere not applied to a right end and practised vvith a right intention and meaning it vvas I say no marueil if such false maisters vvere folowed and honored by many vnstable Christians especially of the simpler sort vvho are vsually moved vvith such rare vvorkes and can not easely distinguish betwene pure colours and counterfeit sincere pietie and dissembled hipocrisie betwene puritie of faith in right religion and that which hath the external shape face resemblance countenance thereof vvhereas it vvanteth the internal substance and vertue But vvhat one such probable or affected marke vvhat figure or imitation of such sheepes clothing findest thow in this Calvinisme If thow looke in it for articles of faith thow findest in effect none If thow looke for vvorkes of charitie and pietie their solifidian iustification taketh away al colour thereof If thow respect external monuments built in the honor of Christ in memorie of his Apostles of the first planteâ—s of Christian faith and to the relief of Christians vvherewith in the tyme of our graund-fathers the ChristiaÌ„ vvorld did abound as partly thow maist see by vew and experience of our Iland at home so more evidently â—brode in those partes of Fraunce of Savoy of Flandres and Germanie vvhere Calvinists have vsurped rule and the Zuinglian Gospel hath for any tyme gotte footing there hath bene made much more vvast and desolation of al such Christian monuments I speake of certain knowlege then in Hungarie in Greece in Iurie in Constantinople it self vvhere the great Turke vvith his Alcoran vvith his Bassaâ—s and Ianissaires commaundeth If thow consider the first Apostles of it Carolostadius Zuinglius Calvin they vvere men notoriously knowen for so filthy and abominable livers as the earth never sustayned vvorse set a vvorke by the devil instructed by the devil very familiar vvith the devil in their life and altogether possessed of him in life and death If thow respect their maner of preaching it is so vnioynted so thwart and contradictorie to it self that one thing they preach to thee for the gospel out of the pulpit an other thing they vvrite for the gospel in their studies not only that but one thing they tel thee in their sermons of Sunday the cleane contrarie they teach in the sermon vvhich they make the next munday nor only that but in the beginning of one and the self same sermon they vvil assure thee of this point to be right Euangelical and in the same sermon before the middle and againe before the end they vvil as assuredly tel thee the contrarie For demonstration vvhereof I referre thee to that vvhich hath bene declared out of Calvin and M. B. in some places of this treatise And can that man have any pretence of excuse before God or the vvorld vvho departeth from the Catholike church of Christ and vniforme consent of al fathers tymes and ages to these scattered sects and Apostataes And not content therewith beleeveth them in such heretical impieties as them selves disprove and condemne If vve beleeve that Luther vvas a man of God indued vvith his holy spirite sent to so great a vvorke as to illuminate the whole world vvhich is to make him an other not Elias or Iohn Baptist as the Germanes cal him but an other Christ an other Messias vvhy beleeve vve not the same Elias vvhen he preacheth that it vvere better for vs to susteyne any torment many deathâ— then to communicate vvith the Calvinists and Zuinglians or to be of their opinion If Calvin be such a prophet of God as Beza and the Calvinists vvil make vs suppose vvhy beleeve vve not Calvin so many vvayes and so effectually persuading vs Christs real presence in the Sacrament If M. B. be a true preacher of the vvord if as he telleth vs he be an elect have the right faith and be sure of Gods holy spirite vvhy credite vve not M. B. vvhen as folowing so precisely the steps of Calvin he vvith so many good vvords apt similitudes avovveth in like maner the real presence vvhen against their solisidian iustice he teacheth that love charitie applieth Christ to vs that is to say iustifieth vs as vvel yea better then faith that our saluation
Gospel sundry times vve reade And this is no derogation to Christ but rather glorie as S. Ambrose verie vvel teacheth For our Lords wil is that his servants haue great power His wil is that they sâ—â—uld in his name do such things as him self did when he was here on earth Yea in S. Ioan. 14. he saith that they shal â—â— greater things then he did Act. 9. when he could haue restored to Saul his sight yet he sent him to Aâ—anias And to be short having with sundry scriptures iustified this in fine he opposeth his adversaries the Novatian heretikes as I do M. B VVhy presume yow to deliuer and clense any from the fowle and stinking service of the devil Cur baptizatis si per honimem peccata dimitti non licet VVhy baptize yow if by man sinnes can not be forgeuen For in baptisme is forgeuenes of al sinnes Et quid interest vtrum per paenitentiam an per la vacrum hoc ius sibi datum sacerdotes vendicent And what skilleth it whether in Baptisme or Penance Priests exercise this right which by Christ is geuen to them Thus S. Ambrose And therefore if this be al the difficultie why a man may not in the sacrament geue Christs body we see the case is not so hard As for that M. B. obiecteth of S. Iohn Baptist proceedeth first of ignorance then of heresie Of ignorance for that from S. Iohns ministerie baptisme which apperteyning to the old lavv and so vvithout question not being of force to remit sinne he draweth his argument to proue that the ministerie baptisme of Christs gospel can not remit sinne VVhich argumeÌ„t holdeth as blindly ignorantly as if he said Moyses could not forgete sinne ergo Christ can not whereof hath bene spoken before And for his better instructioÌ„ herein he may must learne that not S. Iohn Baptist but Christ is the malâ—â— and ordeyner of the nevv testament and al sacraments apperteyning thereto as the prophete Esay the Apostle Paule and vvhole frame of the nevv testament declareth VVherefore if he wil proue that the ministerie of the nevv testament consisteth only in the external element let him shevv it in some one sacrament of this state and so he speaketh to the purpose Of heresie his reason proceedeth because he assumeth as certain that our baptisme is not in the fier and spirite but in water only as that of S. Iohn Baptist was VVhich doctrine stinketh of heresie as being not only coÌ„demned for such by the late general Councel of Trent but also earnestly reproued by al the auncient fathers vvho by occasioÌ„ wrote of those two baptismes vvere they Greeke or latin as Origen in epist ad Romanos ca. 6. Athanas quaest 133. ad Antioch Basil lib. 1. de Baptismo ca. 2. Nazianz. orat 39. in lumina S. Chrysest hâ—m 10. 12. in Matth. 16. in Ioan. S. Cyril lib. 2. in Ioan. ca. 57. where he of purpose handeleth this matter saith that the holy ghost foresaw that afterwards would rise ignorant felowes who would not distinguish Christs baptisme from Iohns and that therefore the holy ghost moued Iohn baptist him self to speake most plainly that it baptized in water only Of the latin doctors Tertul. in liâ— de baptismo S. Cyprian in his sermon de baptismo Christâ— â— Optatus lib. 5 S. Hilarie in Matth. ca. 3. S. Ambros lib. 2. cap. â— in Luc. praeâ—â—â—io in psal 37. S. Leo epistola 4. ca. 6. S. Gregâ—r Homil. 20. in Euangel S. Austin and S. Hierom in a numbeâ— of places S. Hierom. epist 83. ad Occanum in 2. cap. â—oelis iâ— dialogo contra Luciferianos S. Austin epist 48 prope finem 163. Enchirid. ca. 19. 49. Lib. 2. contra literas Peâ—iliani ca. 37. lib. 3. ca 76. lib. 4. de baptis coÌ„tra Donatist ca. 26. lib. 5. cap. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. 15. de vnico baptismo ca. 7. de vnitâ—r ecclesiae ca. 18. Of which two fathers S. Hierom earnestly reproveth them vvho vvith M. B. and the Caluinists thinke that Christs baptisme Iohns was al one and saith that they mainteyne a froward opinion by yelding to much to the baptisme of the seruant destroy the baptisme of his our maister S. Austin that they defend a wicked sacrilegious opinion And what need I to alleage auncient fathers to this purpose vvhereas Caluin confesseth it as a cleere and knowen case that they in deed thus taught much laboured to distinguish the baptisme of Christ and Iohn whose authoritie yet most arrogantly he contemneth But therefore to breake his insolent spirite supporte the fathers authoritie let it be added that this sacrilegious opinion of Caluin and the Caluinists was long before these fathers liued condemned by the Gospel it self in which we find the ministerie of Christs baptisme to haue bene done not in water only but in water and the spirit or as it is expressed sometimes in fier and the spirit that is in the spirite of god who as he descended visibly vpon the Apostles in forme of fier in the day of Pentecost so oft times visibly in the primitiue church he powred his grace on the nevv Christians especially vvhen they received the sacrament of baptisme confirmation thereby to testifie that his presence grace was euer infallibly geuen in al the baptismes which vvere ministred in Christs name and by his order since the first institution thereof as S. Iohn Baptist him self in the place quoted by M. B. plainly told distinguishing most euidently as betwene his person and the person of Christ so betvvene his ministerie and baptisme vvhich was in water that vvhich Christ vvas to ordeyne in water and the spirite as it is noted in euery of the Euangelists and in the Apostles vvhich spake thereof afterwards ¶ And novv this blocke being remoued which lay so in M. B. his way that he could not allovv a man to deliuer Christs body blud no more then a maÌ„ could geue remission of sinnes vve may vvith so much the more facilitie conclude the answere to his first question whether one person or tvvo deliuer the sacrament And alb eit his answere be that there are twa propiners twa perons which offer and geue the sacrament Christ and the minister of which twa the minister geueth the signe Christ the thing signifiedâ— the minister the earthly matter that is bread Christ the heauenly matter that is his body coÌ„paring these two ministeries together he so abaseth the one that he saith he wil not geue a straa for it so that by this description their coÌ„munion so far furth as by their ministers it is geuen is nothing els but an earthly signe a coÌ„mon peece of bread not worth a straa al vvhich I graunt in such sort as hath bene said before yet referring this to the sacrameÌ„t of the church
so taught the new sacrifice of the new testament which the church receiuing from the Apostles doth offer to god through the whole world Of which sacrifice the prophete Malachie foreprophecied thus I haue no liking in yow saith our lord almightie nether wil I take sacrifice of your hand o ye Iewes because from the rising of the Sunne to the going doune of the same my name is glorified among the Gentils incense is offered to my name in euerie place and a pure sacrifice The same argument and dedustion I haue noted before out of S. Cyprianâ— First that Christ our lord and god him selfe was high priest of god the father and he first of al offered him selfe a sacrifice to his father â—â—â—â—s last supper and commaunded the same to be done in commemoration of him Next that such priests occupie the place of Chist truly who do that which Christ did and then in the church offer they to god the father true ful sacrifice if they so offer as they see Christ him selfe to haue offered About some 100. yeres after S. Cyprian vvas gathered the first general Councel of Nice and about a hundreth yeres after that of Nice vvas the first general Councel of Ephesus in vvhich the bishops there assembled thus vtter their faith that is the faith of the vniuersal catholike church in this matter The vvoids of that most auncient Apostolical Councel of Nice are On the diuine table let vs not basely regard the bread and cup set there but lifting vp our myndeâ— let vs by faith vnderstand that on that holy table is placed the lamb of god which taketh away the sinnes of the world who there is without effusion of blud sacrificed by the priests and that we truly receiue his preticus body and blud beleeuing these to be the pledges of our resurrection The vvords of the other general Councel of Ephesus are to the same effect thus VVe confessing the death of Christ according to his flesh his resurrection and ascension into heauen confesse withal and celebrate in the church the holy liâ—eâ—â—uing and vnbluddy sacrifice beleeuing that which is set before vs not to be the body of a common man like to vs as nether is that pretious blud but rather we receiue that as the proper body blud of the word which geueth life For common flesh can not geue life as him selfe witnesseth saying flesh profiteth nothing it is the spirite that geueth life For because it is made the proper flesh of the word for this reason it is lifegeuing according to that our Sauiour him selfe â—aith As my liuing father hath sent me I liue by the father he that eateth me he shal liue by me This faith I say of Sacrament sacrifice in al sinceritie simplicitie thus passed on so vniuersally knovven beleeued that as vvriteth S. Leo in Italie S. Augustin in Africa very children vvere taught to acknovvledge the true flesh and blud of Christ to be offered in the sacrifice of the masse Tovvards 800. yeres after Christ one Bertram a litle before him one Scot â—s vvrote darkly of the truth of this sacrament Of the vvritings of the one of these nothing I thinke remayneth of the other a litle doth but the same vttered so doubtfully that as the Zuinglians vse his authoritie against the Catholikes so the Lutherans vse him to the contrarie yea they in maner reproue him as fauoring to much the faith of the Catholikes For of him Illyricus vvith his bretherne say that he hath in that his litle booke semina transubstantiationis the seedes original ground of transubstantiation But vvhat soeuer his priuate opinion vvere his publike speaches and vvriting â—ounded soâ—il in the eares of the Catholiks of that age that Paschasius an Abbat in France made a verie learned booke in refutation of him And al vvriters vvho about that age vvrote of this mysterie vsed more expresly to denâ—e the sacrament to be a signe trope figure image symbole c. in such sort as vvhereby the veritie of the real presence might be excluded as appeareth in the seuenth general Councel in Alcuinus scholemaister to Charles the great in Rabaâ—â—â— archbishop of Ments lib. de diuinis officijs Theophilact in Matth. 26. Marc. 14. Ioan. 6. Aâ—alarius Arch-bishop of â—reuirs lib. de mysterijs missae cap. 24. 25. Haymo bishop of Halberstat in 1. ad Corinth ca. 10. Remigâ—ê° bishop of Antissiodorum in Canonem missae Fulbertus bisshop of Chartres in epistola ad Adelman episcopum in lib. Paschasij Stephanus bishop in high Buâ—gundie Tom. 4. bibliothâ—cae Sanctorum patrâ—m and briefely al other that vvrote betvvene the time of Bertram Berengarius ¶ For after Bertram the next that appeared in fauour of this heresie vvas Berengarius vvho put forth him self a little after the yere of our lord 1000. vvhen as S. Ihon vvriteth in his Apocalyps the deuil was let lose to trouble the church This man as vvitnesseth our martyr-maker M. Fox like to those first heretiks in the Apostles tymes toke away the veritie of the body blud of Christ from the sacrament For vvhich cause he coÌ„mendeth him as a singular instrument whom the holy ghost raised vp in the church to ouerthrow great errors VVhat instrument he vvas vvhom he serued shal best appeare by his ovvne behauiour confession In the meane season this old heresie he published vvith greater industrie shevv of learning then his predecessors countenanced it with more credit assistance of many vnstable sowles and sinful persons as is noted by the godly and learned writerâ— of that tyme vvhich only kind of men ioyned them selues to him and that because his doctrine seemed to yeld them some quietnes securitie in their sinne from vvhich they vvere much withdravven by a reuerend feare and dread vvhich they had of Christs presence in the sacrament to the receauing vvhereof they vvere by order of the church at certaine times induced But as the heresie of this man spread farther then any of that kind in any age before so the church vsed more diligence in repressing the same by sundry publike disputations had vvith the same Berengarius by a number of most excellent vvriters against him among vvhom Lanfâ—ancus archbishop of Canterbury in England Guitmundus bisshop of Auersa in the kingdom of Naples Algerus a monke in Fraunce in that verie time excelled the supreme pastors of the church assembled sundry great synodes meetings of byshops and other doctors to discusse that opinion instruct those that erred after him first at Tours in Fraunce next at Vercellis in Italie then againe at Tours vvhere Berengariê° him selfe being manifestly conuicted 〈…〉 a solemne oth neuer to maintaine his former heresie VVhich oth vvhen as yet he performed not but returned to his former filth an other Councel vvas gathered in Rome of 113.
condemned them as appeareth by these vvords of his reâ—ocation set dovvne in M. Fox I desyre my lord god of pardon and forgeuenes And now againe â—s before also I do reuoke and make retractation most humbly submitting my self vnder the correction of our holy mother the church c. the yere 1377. After vvhich time he made yet againe an other reuocation the yere 138â— as in the same author appeareth Albeit al this notvvithstanding M. Fox reciteth as a verie great argument of the gospel that VViclefs sect increased priuily and daily grew to greater force truly so great that they made traiterous conspiracies against the king him self as is recorded in the Acts of Parlament and common stories and in part â—auntingly noted by M. Fox vvho vvriteth that king Henry â— decreed most cruel punishement against such as should hereafter solow VViclefâ— doctrine against whom he held a Parlament at Leâ—ester the which peraduenture saith theâ— had noâ— bene so wel holden at London because of the fauourers of the Lord Cobham and other VViclefs solovvers But to returne to my purpose of VViclef and to end his storie although most Protestant vvriters as I haue said recken him for one of their chief most reuerend Apostles namely M. Fox vvho placâ—th him in redd letters first in his Calender Ihon wiclef preacher martyr though he dyed in his bed searce an honest man yet some other ProtestaÌ„t vvriters there are of a more sincere vpright iudgement vvho for the reasons aboâ—e noted recken him as he deserued in the number of ranke heretikes Amongest vvhom Ioachimus Vadianus of Zurich a right Zuinglian vvriteth of him that albeit he saw somwhat in matter of the gospel yet in nounullâ—s foe le lapâ—us est in sundry points of religion he vvas fowly ouerseen much more geuen to scoâ—fing prating then became a sober Diuiâ—e And Pantaleon a sacramentarie likevvise in his Chronologie accounteth him for an heretike as he doth also his scholer Ihon Husse though canonized by M Fox for a martir as likevvise he is in the Scottish Calender of vvhom he saith further that by vvarrant of that great Apostle Martin Luther that quibusdam bonis multa pestifera admiscuit amongest a few good things he mingled a number of wicked pestiferous And these are the principal vvhich since Berengarius time haue bene publishers of the Zuinglian faith touching Christ not present in the sacrament ¶ Out of al vvhich before I conclude this chapiter one general infallible rule I vvil sett dovvne coÌ„monly geuen by al Diuines to proue any sect or opinion heretical and the rule is that VVhensoeuer there ariseth any preaching or doctrine in the church to the Christian people nevv and straunge and vvhich the Pastors and Bishops of the church reproue and disallovv as false such preaching doctrine certainly is heretical This proposition is iustified by the vniuersal tenor and drift of the vvhole testament old nevv in al places vvhere it entreateth of the Catholike church of the nevv Testament for so much as of that church it vvas of old prophecied by Christ performed that it should be put in possession of al truth and by the meanes of Bishops Prelates and Pastors held in the same truth by vertue of the holy ghost and continued vvithout error vntil the end of the vvorld The knovvledge of truth in this Church shal be abundant as the waters of the sea God shal be therein a perpetual teacher God shal make vvith that church such an eternal couenant that the truth once deliuered to it shal be continued from one to an other from seed to seed from generation to generation for euer so long as the vvorld endureth god shal set vpon the vvals of this church right true vigilant pastors and vvatchmen which neuer at any time day nor night shal cease from preaching the truth Thus the prophetes foretold For performance of vvhich Christ promised to be vvith them for euer al daies vntil the end of the world He promised them the holy ghost the spirit of truth to abide with them and their successors for euer to teach them and leade them in to al truth vvhich spirite he sent at the time appointed in the day of Pentecost finally for this purpose before his departure out of this vvorld he placed in his church Apostles prophetes pastors doctors to rule gouerne maynteine preserue in truth that his church so dearly purchased vvith his blud vntil his second comming to iudgement Thus much for the profe of this first proposition Ioyne thereto for a second But the doctrine of BereÌ„garius vvas nevv and strange to Christian people and condemned generally by al Bishops and Pastors then liuing in vnitie of Christs church ouer the vvhole face of Christendome The proofe of this is gathered out of al historiographers liuing about those tymes and out of the practise of the church For as before is noted a number of Councels some general many particular vvere essembled against it and condemned it at Rome at Vercellis at Tours in Italie in France in Germanie and other parts of Christendome as the Histories record Berengario illiuâ— temporis Theologi bellum omnes indixere The Diuines of that time euery one bad warre and defiance to Berengarius so soone as be durst publish his new opinion of the Eucharist Here of the conclusion folovveth plaine and most assured that Berengarius opinion vvas heretical therefore the contrary that is the Catholike opinion vvhich holdeth against Berengarius is the true doctrine of Christ and his Apostles deliuered by theÌ„ to the church in the church conserued and continued in al ages in al times in al Catholike countries and realmes vntil our age VVherefore to end the argument of this chapiter vvithal to stoppe the vvrangling of certain English Diuines vvho more like Grammarians and sophisters then vvise or learned men very childishly thinke to auoid vvhat so euer is alleaged for Christs presence in the Sacrament by conâ—erring together certaine vvords and phrases by vvhich kind of Diuinitie they may and some of their brethern do inferre Christs presence on the crosse to be tropical and figuratiue no lesse then in the sacrament to proue I say that the church and al auncient fathers according to the scriptures vvrote and meant as I haue before declared I vvil shut vp this matter vvith Erasmus vvords vvherein also I vvil comprise the summe in a maner of al that hitherto hath bene declared vvhose authoritie I vse the rather for that the Protestants somtimes much extolle him as a great profound Diuine deepely seene in the Fathers and no enemy to their side to vvhom among others the chief proctor of the English church M. Ievvel yeldeth such high praise as that he calleth him a man of famous memorie whose name for learning and
illis and was â—â—edient to them and therefore somwhat esteemed them Before he tooke flesh of his mother he replenished her vvith al grace and made her blessed among al women vvith this prerogative that al Christian nations and generations vvhich vvere to be borne should ever honour her and account her for blessed in a singular sort Here vvas some esteeme of carnal cognation VVhen the Angel from God said to her Tâ—ow hast â—ound grace with God Ecce â—â—ncipies in vtero paries filiâ—â— behâ—ld thow shalâ— conceive in thy woâ—â—â— and beare a sonne accounting this verie conception and childbearing a great grace here vvas some reverence and regard of carnal band VVhen Christ hanging on the crosse in the extreme anguishes of death commended his mother to S. Iohn it vvas a signe he had some esteeme of her Briefly vvhereas he said in his law vvhich he gave to Moses Maledictuâ— qui non honoraâ— patrem suâ—â—â— matrem suaâ—â— Cursed is he shal esteemeâ—â— â—â—â—â—reth not his father mother vve may assure our selves that this is a cursed collection whereby this propnane minister gathereth out of Christs vvords that he honored not noâ— reverenced not esteemed his mother or the carnal band vvhich he had with her which if he had done or had bene ashamed of her he vvould sever have bene borne of her as noteth S. Chrysostom vpon that place of S. Matthew ¶ An other of his collections as good and Christian â—â— this foloweth in these vvords Saith not Christ him self Ihon 6. to draw them from that finister confidence that they had in his flesh only My flesh profiteth nothing it is only the spirite that quickens In these few vvords M. B. sheweth 2. or 3. very heretical trickes First in perverting the sense of this question like a Capernaite or Nestorian and drawing it to the flesh only as though vve reasoned of Christs flesh only to be geven in vulgar and grosse maner as the Capernaites imagined or as though we conceived it to be the only flesh of a man separated from the spirite Jivinitie the founteyne of life and so vnable to geve life vvhich vvas the sense and meaning of the Nestorians Next he plaieth an heretical part in geving to Christs words vvhat interpretation and meaning him self pleaseth expounding that of Christs only flesh vvhich the very drift circumstance of the place proveth not to be meant of Christs flesh or any flesh at al but only of fleshly and carnal vnderstanding of Christs spiritual vvords according to a common phrase of scripture For after these vvords The flesh profiteth nothing it foloweth immediatly The wordes that I haue spoken to yow are not flesh but spirite life But there are certaine of yow which beleeve not Therefore did I say to yow that no man can come to me vnles it be geven him of my father VVhich vvordes have this plaine and necessarie coherence My wordes are spirite and spiritually to be vnderstood and so geve they life They are not flesh nor to be vnderstood after a fleshly sort as do these Capernaites For so they are not life They are to be vnderstood comprehended by faith not by sense or reason which faith because yow want and folovv your sense and carnal conceites therefore yovv are offended at them So true that is vvhich I said to yovv that no man can come to me and in this sort eate my flesh except it be geven him of my father except my father draw him and illuminate his vnderstanding For flesh and blud hurnainâ— vvit discourse and intelligeÌ„ce can not reveale these matters but only my father vvhich is in heaven This is a plaine evident and true sense of Christs vvords and thus every part aptly ioyneth iustifieth one another vvhereas if in the first ye take flesh for Christs flesh the spirite for Christs spirite there vvil be made ether no sense or a very hard sense of the vvords folowing as the Christian reader by diligent conference of the place may perceive And thus the auncient fathers interprete the place S. Basil S. Chrysostom S. Austin Theophilact and others of vvhich S. Chrysostom to alleage one in steed of many as it vvere of purpose writing against M. B. The flesh profiteth nothing saith he Christ speaketh not this of his flesh Absit God defend we should so thinke but he speaketh of those who vnderstand his words carnally The flesh profiteth nothing is not meant of the flesh it self but of the fleshly vnderstanding And in the same place flesh fleshlynes here is spoken of them vvho make doubt move questioÌ„ Quomodo possit carnem su on nobis dare mandâ—candam Hoâ— Christ cangeve vs his flesh to eateâ— But Christâ— words are spirite and life that is are spiritual conteining no carnali ie or natural consequence in the maner of geving his flesh but are free from al earthly necissitie and the lawes of this life as declaring the true geving and receiving of his flesh to be after a divine mystical supernatural vvay The suÌ„marie sense of it is geven in these vvordes of S. Paule Animalis homo non percipit ea quae sunt spiritus the sensual and carnal man perceiveth not those things that are of the spirite of God for it is foolishnes to him he can not vnderstand them But the spirite of God it is vvhich revealeth them A third heretical part and the same vvorse then ether of these two is that he addeth to Christs vvords thereby most vvickedly corrupteth them Christs vvords are as he telleth vs It is the spirite only that quickens and my flesh profiteth nothing But vvhere hath Christ these words VVhere maketh Christ any such opposition betwene his flesh and the spirite VVhere saith he that it is the spirit only that quickens VVhat impudent sawcines vvickednes is this to thrust in of your owne this particle only and to ioyne it to the spirite thereby to take from Christs flesh al force and vertue of quickening vvhich Christ in this same chapter ascribeth to his fâ—esh most expressely Again VVhere saith Christ my fâ—eâ—â— profiteth nothing vvhat a vvicked and execrable and double iniquitie is this First to say that Christs flesh is vnprosirable and then to father this blasphemous â—â— truth vpon Christ him self Saith not Christ him â—â—â— again and again the cleane contrarie Saith he not a the chapiter by yow noted I am the living bread which came downe from heaven If any man eate of this bread he â—â—â— live for ever and the bread which I wil geue is my flesh â—â—â— I wil give for the life of the world Saith he not in the same place He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blud haâ—blâ— everlasting and I wil raise him vp in the last day Are â—â— these Christs owne vvords my flesh is meate in deed â—â— my blud is
Thophilacte vvriting vpon this text likewise in S. Ambrose in Lucam capvltimo in Amphilochius apud Theodoretum dialog 2. Epiphan heres 64. Gregor Nazianzen in Christo patiente S. Hierom. ad Pammâ—chium de erroribus Ioannis Hierosolymit ini contra Ioviniâ—nuÌ„ ca. 21. in S. Leo epist 10. ad Flâ—rianuÌ„ cap. 5. in S. Gregorie homil 26. in Euangelia in Hildefonsus Sermo de partur B. Marie And albeit the fathers had great occasion otherwise to have shifted this place vvith som of these mens evasions if they had bene of their irreligion because herevpon the Marcionites Valentinians and such other Protestants or heretikes argued that Christs body vvas fantastical and no true real organical body yet because the Catholike vniuersal faith vvas then as now that Christ entred thorough the doores shut they confessing that truth defended vvithal that notwithstanding such supernatural and miraculous entrance Christs body became not a spirite but stil remained a true body though not bound to phisical limites and circumscriptions of place as other bodies are Thus speake and vvrite they to the confusion of Calvin his adherents vvho vvith those old damnable heretikes Marcion and Valentinus say that the Catholikes affirming vvith the Euangelists and al the auncient fathers and primitive church Christ to have entred thorough the doores shut there by make his body like to a spirite infinit c. vvhereof as the one is true most sure that Christ thus entring was not locally bounded circumscribed so the other is a maynelye For vve hold the body of Christ to be not a spirite but a true body this notwithstanding as hath bene said ¶ M. B. his last example vvhich vve as he saith alleage to prove that God can vvorke a contradiction is Nabuchodonosort oveÌ„ vvhereto he answereth If they caÌ„ prove the fier was both hote and cold then they say some thing to the purpose In deed much to the purpose it is to prove your grosse and shameful ignoraÌ„ce double and treble but to prove a contradiction it is not much to the purpose as sorth with shal be declared Your ignorance it notably discovereth first because yow see not that vvhich is plainly set dovne in the storie vz. that at one time this fier was hoâ—e and cold For the 3. children felt it as a cold blowing vvynd the Chaldeans found it exceeding hote burning saith the text Secondarily because yow consider not that this exaÌ„ple is altogether like to that which yow obiect of Christs body circuÌ„scribed not circuÌ„scribed For as this â—s an accideÌ„t to the body so was that to the fier as vvel may one body be compassed vvith a place and not compassed as the self same fier may be hote and cold that is hote and not hote Thirdly because yow forget your owne former resolution that God can not do any thing vvhereof he hath by a presupponed condition concluded the contrarie before in the first origin and creation and god hath no more concluded that al organical bodyes shal be bound to a certain place then that al fier shal be hoâ—â— And therefore this is a very sufficient example to disprove al your not natural philosophie but natural soke and heretical incredulitie vttered against Gods omnipotency that God can not make his body to remayne a body and yet be vvithout circumscriptioÌ„ of place which is evideÌ„tly refuted by this miracle VVhich blasphemous and damnable assertion taketh cleane away Christs incarnation is directly opposite to Christs pure nativitie of his mother she remayning stil a virgin is directly opposite to Christs resurrection and his entrance to his disciples VVhich 3. miraculous acts and 2. of them chief principles and greatest keyes of Christianitie require that vve beleeve the cleane contrarie and that God noâ— only can but also de facto hath brought Christ body both out of his mothers vvomb then in that very moment a virgin and also out of the sepulchre being then a most true most perfite most absolute and organical body vvhen yet it vvas not phisically circumscribed with the limites and bounds of a place ¶ Now vvhereas after al this long idle and heretical talke vttered by this man it appeareth he is ignorarâ— vvhat a true contradiction is vvhich the Protestant vvriters lying after their maner say vve maynteyne be teaching that Christs body is at one tyme in heaven and in every altar vvhere the priest offereth the sacrifice vvhich say they because it implieth a contradiction is the nature of a body God him self can not do he may vnderstand that a right contradiction such as here is spoken of requireth the negation of the self same thing â—â— one and the same precise respect as to say that one mâ—â— is learned and vnlearned false and not false but true ricâ— and not rich but poore in one particular respect relatioÌ„ and consideration For otherwise a man may say of M. B. that he is learned and vnlearned true and false rich and poore vvithout any contradiction or gainsaying of him self for that both parts shal stil be true For he is learned in respect of common ministers vnlearned in respect of Iohn Calvin Theodore Beza and such other Rabbines false because he vttereth many vntruths and corrupteth many places of the scripture and fathers true because he speaketh many truths and lyeth nothing so oft nor corrupteth scriptures and fathers so notoriously as our M. Iew. of Salisbury in preaching and vvriting vsed to do rich if he be compared vvith many inferior beggerly ministers yet poore if he be compared vvith some Superintendents of England Thus the fier in Nabuchodonosors oven though it vvere at the same time and moment of tyme hote and cold yet that is no contradiction because it vvas not so in one and the same respect or relation but hote and burning to the Chaldeans cold and myld to the Hebrewes And therefore to draw this to some conclusion albeit Christs body be at one tyme visible and not visible local and not local compast and not compast as yow say as the fier vvas hote and not hote cold and not cold at the self same tyme and place yet except it be so in one and the self same respect and relation or consideration it is a miracle of God it is no contradiction And though they be applied and referred to one and the self same singular body yet do they nothing impaire hinder or destroy the nature or substance because they are accidental conditions vvhich come after the nature and vvithout vvhich the nature is perfect ful and absolute And now to exemplifie this vvhich I say of a contradiction by a plain example vvhich M. B perhaps vvil better conceive of and cary it away I geve him the conclusioÌ„ summe of this his long discourse vvhich is this and in these vvords So my second â—round holds fast God may not wil that thing which implies a
this to good life by necessarie sequele faith decaieth vvith good life and conscience But how matcheth this vvith his former preaching that the best and most sincere Christians fal every day seuen tymes yea seuenty times seueÌ„ tymes and that in to grosse sinnes Is not this as much as if he said that the best Christians every howre of the day become infidels can not haue faith in the mercy of god to vvhom their coÌ„science vvitnesseth that daily hovvrely Gods wrath is kindled against them for that their conscience shewes then to be giltie of many offences against God and al those offences grosse deadly and damnable after the Calvinists Theologie Much more this doctrine repugneth to that vvhich Calvin Beza the vvhole church of Geneva and M. B. him self preacheth aftervvards in this self same sermon in these vvords It is sure certain that faith is never wholy extinguished in the children of God Be it never so weake yet shal it never vtterly decay and perish out of the hart where once it makes residence A weake faith is a faith and where that faith is there man ever be mercy Again Faith once geven by God can not be revoked again Faith when it is geven by God is constantly geven neuer to be chaâ—nged nor vtterly tane from them Again This gift of faith where ever it be and in what hart so ever it be it is never idle but perpetually working and working wel by love charitie VVhere ever it be it is not dead but lively How oppoâ—ite and most evidently repugnant is this to the former preaching If saith vvhere ever it be be never idle but perpetually working wel by love and charitie how saith he that they haue faith vvhich oppresse the poore keep deadly feid and so forth vvhich are no vvorkes of Christian charitie how soever they be esteemed among the Calvinists as vvorkes perhaps of their sole iustifying faith and hote love If vvhen â—aith is once geven it can never be lost never revoked by God never vtterly tane from them vvho are once possessed of it how saith he that it is lost by evil life and that God spoiles them of faith hope of mercy vvhich commit such mortal sinnes But a most vvicked barbarous sensibly false paradox it is to say that faith once had can not be lost the contrary vvhereof vve see by lamentable experience of thowsands vvho depart daily not only from Catholike faith to heretike in heresie from one to an other from Lutheran to Zuinglian or Calvinian from Caluinian to Anabaptistical from that to Triuitarian Antitrinitarian c. but also from the general name and pretence of Christian faith to plain Apostasie to Iudaisine to Mahoâ—â—ctisine to Atheisme VVith professors of vvhich gospel as by vvitnesse of my Lâ— of Canterburie the English church is vvel replenished so M. B. him self signifieth the like of his Scottish congregation of vvhich he vvriteth thus Alas we are come to sic a loath disdain ofâ—asting of this heavenly food he meaneth Gods vvord in this country that where men in the beginning would have gane some 20. myles some 40. myles to the hearing of this word they wil searcely now come fra their howse to the kirk and remayne one howre to heare the word but bâ—des at home This being true if as he in this same place teacheth faith formed in our harts by the holy spirit vvil decay except it be nurrished and if to the nâ—â—risâ—ing of this faith it be requisite that we heare the word of God preached and preached not by every man but preached by a lawful pastor by him that is sent vvhich point he doth inculcate diligently without which preaching it is not possible saith he that a man continue in the â—aith how can it be avoyded but vvhere this vvord is not thus preached as it is not in a number of places of England nor perhaps of Scotland there the faith among the bretheâ—â—e not only may but also must of necessitie decay vvhich vvithout this kind of preaching can not possibly continue And if there be no such preaching preaching I meane by pastors lawfully sent as in truth there is noâ—e nether in England nor yet in Scotland amongest al the ministers as of the English ministerie is best proved by the Puritanes by Caâ—twight by Calvin by Beza by Knox by the Scottish communion booke and election of ministers appointed there and for the Scottish ministerie to let passe my L. of Canterbury and the English Pontifical it is very clearly proved by Buchanâ—â— in his storie and the first original and foundation of this new Scottish kirk in our age layd by that seditions and infamous man Iohn Knox his comparteners in despite and against the vvil of both magistrates as vvel temporal as spiritual that I mention not Catholike vvriters vvho have made demonstration of this against both Scottish and English in sundry writings how can there be remayning any faith among them vvhere is no orderly preaching of the vvord by any such lawful pastor orderly sent vvho is so necesiarie to preserve this faith And how plentifully is this most barbarous fansie refelled in the holy scripture by a nuÌ„ber of examples facts and sentences vvhere vve find that Simon Magus beleeved Christs gospel as other Christians did vvho yet after became an Arch-heretike or Apostata as likewise did Hymeneê° Alexander vvhere the Apostle forewarneth that in the later dayes many Christians shal depart from the faith vvhereof vve see daily experience vvhere he reproveth the Galathians for that they receiving the spirite and for a vvhile continuing in the spirite afterwards gave over the spirite and ended in the flesh vvhere is declared that some vvho vvere sanctified by the blud of the new testament afterwards despised trode vnder their feete the sonne of God the same blud by which they had bene sanctified being washed from their sinne afterwards as vncleane swine returned and wallowed in their former filth vvhere the Evangelist vvriteth plainly and our Saviour him self teacheth vs that some there are vvho gladly receiue the word of God and beleeue for a tyme but vvhen trial and persecution cometh then they depart and geve ouer their faith And to vvhat purpose is it that the Apostles exhort Christians to stand fast in their faith that S. Paule threatningly vvarneth some Christians to become humble and thinke lowly of them selves and to feare lest God who spared not the natural branches the Iewes spare not them but cut them of also reiect theÌ„ as he reiected the Iewes If it vvere then an article of faith that faith once had can never be lost that God vvil never take faith from them on vvhom he hath once bestowed it vvhat vvit or vvisdom vvere there in these ether exhortations or threats As much as if M. B. should exhort his ministers