abhorre as detestable and damnable wyshing you and all other to doe the same Embraceing now at the last the knowne truth which hath bene long time hid by ignoraunce from the greatest number that bare the name of Christians and is nowe by the knowledge of the holye worde of God made knowne to as many as will knowe it and be not wilfull blinde Such truth as you haue taught I doe wyllingly embrace and doe not any thing at all mislike with any thing for the Authors sake But my misliking is with the matter that is not to be lyked And when I doe at any time seme to mislike with the Author it is for that his words haue no grounde in the holy worde of God which is as the touchstone to trie all mens writings by Let vs both pray for the spirite of Humilitie that we may thereby be made meete to receyue and retaine the knowledge of the truth which God will neuer giue to the prowde and such as thinke themselues peerelesse and therefore disdaine the brotherly admonitions of such as in their sight are to simple to be teachers of such as they be The Lorde Iesus graunt that spirite to as many as professe his name that we may once be of one minde in the house of the Lorde to his glorie and the confusion of Satan Amen FINIS To the Christian Readers HAuing occasion oftentymes to be in place where suche as are not yet perswaded that the Popes Church can erre haue bene bolde to vtter their minds fréely affirming that the doctrine which the Protestants teache is erronious and false especially concerning the presence of Christ in the Sacrament of his body and bloud and the sacrifice of the Masse I haue perceyued that the same haue bene chiefely perswaded stayed by these two Sermons made by Doctor Watson in the first yere of Quéene Maries reigne I haue therefore wyshed that some man of lyke learning would haue published in print an answere to those Sermons that thereby such as haue bene disceyued by the subtiltie thereof might by the plaine and simple aunswere be brought to the knowledge of the truth which no doubt the greatest number of them would embrace if they might once be brought to sée it Yea I know some of them doe hunger and thirst to sée what may be sayde to the contrarie of that which they are yet perswaded in by that which séemeth to them vnaunswerable But whiles I thus wyshed with my selfe many yeares are passed by and I feare me manye soules haue perished being blinded by the subtilty of these Sermons And hitherto I can not vnderstand that any man hath once purposed to aunswere them Although therefore I be of many the most vnméete and of some most dispised accounted and reported to be none of the learned yet rather then the prowde Philistine should still blaspheme the God of Israell and defie his whole armie no man being so hardie as to buckle with him I haue in the courage and confidence of dispised Dauid taken in hande to fight the combat with him and doe not doubt by the helpe of Dauids God eyther to cause him to yéelde or to lye headlesse dispised and forsaken euen of his owne sort and folowers Some man will say peraduenture that it is but a vayne bragge to make such a chalenge knowing that the aduerse party may not without lycence encounter with mée and if he shall obtayne lycence yet shall not his doings be suffered to come to light vnlesse the same shall be lyked by such as fauour my cause For my part I wishe that it were as frée for him to replye to thys mine aunswere and to publishe the same as it is for mée to aunswere his Sermons and I know that if he be able and wylling to replie he can neyther lack libertie so to doe nor meanes to publish it when it is done This obiection therfore is but vaine But that you may haue some vnderstanding of that which I haue done in this aunswere deare Christians and with better will read it thorowe and weigh it I will in fewe wordes declare the effect of my doing therein First I haue faythfully reported the Sermons as they are to be séene in his printed Copie altering or chaunging no one sillable or letter but such onely as doe manifestly appéere to be faultes escaped by the ignoraunce or negligence of the Printer Secondly I haue weighed and considered the Authorities that he hath alledged with their circumstances setting downe the same in wryting to be séene that you may in the feare of God weigh the same also and iudge whether he haue applied them aright or not And thirdly I haue aunswered by the lyke or greater Authoritie all that he hath laboured to confirme by Authoritie eyther of the scriptures or auncient fathers The Lorde Iesus direct you all in the reading of these Sermons and aunswere that you may vnderstande and embrace the truth of the matters in controuersie in life and conuersation glorifie him that hath with his spirite of comfort caused mée to go thorow wyth this aunswere notwithstanding the manifold waies that Sathan hath sought to cause me to cast it aside Fare you well Yours in Christ Robert Crowley ¶ The Table for the notes of the first Sermon in order of letter A. B. C. c. A AMbrose ouerthroweth watsons foundation Folio 18. A rule to bee folowed in reading of fathers Fol. 27. Against priuate Masse Fol. 29. Austen expounded by hymselfe 33. Against whom Ireneus wrote 54 A straunge signification of Symbolum 99. Auncient writers must bee reade with fauour 101. A note for vniuersall signes 118. An oration without a Nominatiue case 141. An argument lyke watsons argument 160. A worthy promotion 174. A homely shift 177. Another is not the same 182. A foule ouersight in one that would be a Catholike Bishop Ibidem All thinges reconed more is loste then wonne 207. B BErnarde was the floure of his tyme. 9. Bernard was deceiued in some things 12. By Watsons doctrine no Infants can be saued 72. C CYprians wordes in the same Epistle 25. Chrysostomes and Basilles iudgement 28. Chrysostomes meaning 31. Cyprians meaning 41. Cluniacensis a corrupter of scriptures 42. Christes purpose in speaking 54. Contradiction in watsons words Folio 70. Christs incarnation is the cause of our resurrection 88. Chrysostome is no man for Watson 115. Christes manhood can bee but in one place 116. Cyprians meaning was farre other then Watsons 119. Christ must be in the minde before the sacrament c. 138. Craftie handling of the fathers sayings 139. Christ is no charmer 176. Chrysostome vseth the figure Hyperbole 189. D DEgrees of holynesse 177. Descant without good playne song 187. E EQualitie of Byshops by Cyprians iudgement 26. Erasmus his iudgement vpon the thirde Tome 29. Election in Christ maketh men worthy c. 69. Effects doe spring out of efficient causes 97. G GErson against Mayster watson 47. God is the efficient cause
ad dexteram Patris nec aliunde quam inde venturus est ad viuos mortuosque iudicandos Et sic venturus est illa angelica voce testante quemadmodum visus est ire in coelum id est in eadem carnis forma atque substantia cui profecto immortalitatem dedit naturam non abstulit Secundum hanc formam putandus non est vbique diffusus Cauendum est enim ne ita diuinitatem astruamus hominis vt veritatem corporis auferamus Doubt not therefore but the man Christ Iesus is there now from whence he shall hereafter come And sée thou reuolue in thy minde and kéepe faythfully the Christian confession which is that he arose agayne from the dead ascended into heauen sitteth at the right hande of the father and that he shall come from none other place but frō thence to iudge both the quick and the dead And as the voyce of the Angell doth witnesse he shal come euen in such sort as he was séene go into heauen that is in the same forme and substaunce of fleshe vnto which no doubt he hath giuen immortalitie but hath not taken awaye the nature And according to this forme he is not to be thought to be spread abroad in all places For we must beware that we doe not so set vp the diuinitie of the man that we take away the truth of the body These wordes of Austen are playne ynough But to make them more playne he addeth Dominus Iesus est vbique per id quod Deus in coelo autem perid quod homo The Lorde Iesus is euerye where in that he is God but in that he is man he is in heauen Agayne the same Austen Tractatu in Iohn 30. wryting vpon saint Iohns gospell sayth thus Corpus Domini in quo resurrexit in vno loco esse opertet veritas cius vbique diffusa est The body of the Lord wherin that he arose must be in one place but his truth is spread abroad in euery place Much more might be cited out of Austen for this matter but this may suffice to satisfie all reasonable men concerning his iudgement herein Ambrose also who was lyuing in S. Austens time sayeth thus Ascendists Paulo qui non contentus solus te sequi nos quoque docuit quemadinodum te sequamur vbi te reperire possimus dicens Ambrosius in Lucam lib. 10. cap. 24. Si ergo consurrexistis cum Christo quae sursum sunt quaerite vbi Christus est ad dexteram dei sedens Et ne oculorum magis hoc quam animorum putaremus officium addidit Quae sursum sunt sapite non quae super terram Ergo non supra terram nec in terra nec secundum carnem te quarere debemus si volumus inuenire Thou didst ascende in Paules iudgement also who not contented to folow thée alone hath taught vs also how we may folow thée and where we may finde thée when he sayth If ye be risen togither with Christ séeke those things that are aboue where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God And least we should thinke this rather to be the office of the eyes then of the mindes he addeth Sauour those thinges that are aboue and not those things that are on earth If we will finde him therefore we must not séeke him vpon earth neyther in earth nor after the maner of fleshe What wordes can be more playne then these or more mightie to ouerthrowe your foundation M. Watson doth not Ambrose say Ambrose ouerthroweth Watsons foūdation that if we will finde Christ we must séeke him in heauen where he is sitting at the right hande of God Ergo not in your bread and Wine in such sort as you teache About the same time lyued Cyrill also that was Byshop of Alexandria Cyrillus in Iob. lib. 6. cap. 14. The same wryting vpon Iohn sayeth thus Et si Christus corporis sui praesentiam hinc subduxit maiestate tamen diuinitatis semper adest sicut ipse à discipulis abiturus pollicetur Ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus vsque ad consummationem saeculi Althoughe Christ haue conueighed hence the presence of his bodye yet is he alwaye present by the Maiestie of his diuinitie euen as when he was departing from his Disciples he promised Beholde I am with you euery daye euen to the ende of the worlde Gregorius in homil Pasch Gregorie also sayth Christus non est hic per praesentiam carnis qui tamen nusquam deest per praesentiam maiestatis Christ sayth he is not here by the presence of his fleshe which notwithstanding is absent from no place by the presence of his maiestie Ad Transimundum Regem lib. 2. Fulgentius also wryteth thus Christus vnus idemque homo localis ex homine qui est Deus immensus ex patre Vnus idemque secundum humanam substantiam absens coelo cum esset interra derelinquens terram cum ascer disset in coelum Christ is but one and the selfe same is placible man of man which is of his father God that can not be measured One and the same as touching his humane substance was absent from heauen when he was on earth and leauing the earth when he ascended into heauen The last of these wryters hitherto cited lyued within .500 yeres after Christ And Beda who lyued about .730 yeres after Christs ascencion wryting vpon these wordes Ecce ego vobiscum sum c. Beda in Math. cap. 28. Beholde I am with you c sayth thus Ipse Deus homo est assumptus est humanitate quam de terra susceperat manet cum sanctus in terra diuinitate qua terram pariter implet coelum He that is both God and man is in his humanitie that he tooke of the earth assumpted vp but in his diuinitie wherewith he filleth both heauen and earth he doth remayne with his Saints on earth These testimonies of Scriptures and holy fathers may suffice I suppose to shake your foundation so The Scriptures Doctours haue shaken Watsons foundation that no wise man will be bolde to ioyne with you in building thereon vnlesse it be suche as you were when you made this Sermon what you be nowe I knowe not But least you should doe as commonly your sort vse to doe that is to report that we teach that the Sacraments of Christ are but bare and naked signes I let you vnderstande that we confesse and are readie to confirme with our bloud if God so will that Iesus Christ is verily and in déede present in the right and due administration and receyuing of his Sacraments And that the worthy receyuers doe verily in déede Howe Christ is present in his Sacraments receyue Iesus Christ himselfe But that this is done substantially and really that is in the maner of the receyuing of a bodily substaunce or thing into mens bodies that we denie and trust
declareth the vse of the sacrament in the receypt of it with the seruice of our mouth Math. 19. as Christ commaunded saying Take eate which is a corporall eating not a spirituall beleeuing And last of all it sheweth the effect of the sacrament which is the resurrection of our bodies to eternall life for because Christes body being the body of very lyfe is ioyned to our bodies as our foode it bringeth our bodies that be dead by sentence of death to his propertie which is life whereof in my last sermon I spake more at large O Lorde what harde hearts haue these men to doubt themselues or to denie or to bring in question that manifest open truth in so highe and necessary a matter which in most playne wordes hath bene taught of our sauiour Christ his Apostles and Euangelistes and declared so to be vnderstand by the holy ghost out of the mouthes of all these holye fathers whome the holy ghost did assemble and inspire with the spirit of truth to the confusion of the great heretike Arius that troubled the worlde then and also did inspire their hartes to declare so plainely the misterie of thys blessed sacrament which then was without all contention beleued of al christen men onely to preuent these heretikes that arise and spring vp nowe in these latter dayes that the worlde may see how they striue agaynst the knowne truth their owne coÌ„science the determination of the hole church being enimies of God breaking his peace and deuiding themselues from the church whose end is eternal confusioÌ„ Nowe are you come to the first generall counsell CROWLEY holden at Nice in the Citie of Bithinia vnder Constantinus Magnus In the .24 deuision of your former Sermon I haue sayde some thing to the later wordes of this sentence that you cite out of the great general counsell of Nice And in the .33 deuision of the same sermon I haue graunted as much as the words that you cite there doe teach when they be vnderstanded so as the auncient fathers do vse that like maner of spéeches But here I must tell you that in the olde allowed counsell of Nice there is no part of that which you rite here found written Wherfore the authority therof must néeds be so much the lesse But graunt that the .318 Byshops had in that counsell agréed and written euen as you haue cited must we therfore beleue that Christ is in the sacrament in such sort as you teach really and substantially c. Saint Austen in his Sermon Ad Infantes which is cyted by Beda Beda in 1. Cor. ca. 10. sayth thus Vos estis in mensa vos estis in Calice You are vpon the table you are in the Cup shall we therefore saye that saint Austen ment that those persons that he spake vnto were really substantially and bodily in the cup and on the table I thinke you will not graunt it And why will you by the wordes cyted out of the Nicene counsell bind vs to beleue that Christ is after such sort present in the sacrament As touching the maruellous touching or couching of the wordes for so I suppose you spake I can not but maruell that you could not sée howe euerye one of them serueth to expresse the truth against that which you teach First they will vs to lift vp our mindes and to consider by fayth not things that are here conuersaunt amongst vs and may be conceyued by bodily senses but that are aboue and can not be conceyued otherwise then by fayth Then they tell vs that the Lambe of God is set vpon the holy table euen as saint Austen telleth his Auditorie that they are set vpon the table to teach vs that the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ is not a bare and naked signe but effectuall to the worthye receyuer that is to such as beyng members of Christ are placed on the table and in the cup with Christ in such sort as the Lambe of God is placed there that is spiritually and in a mysterie And after the same sort the same Lambe is sacrificed by the priestes when by their ministerie the members of Christ be made partakers of that holy mysterie and doe euen sensibly féele the effect of that sacrifice Hebr. 9.10 which that Lambe made of himselfe once for all as saint Paule wryteth Thirdly they declare that we receyuing the precious body and bloud of Christ in déede doe beléeue that it is the pledge of our resurrection Which maner of receyuing it pleaseth you to terme a reall receyuing As though the body of Christ coulde not be receyued by fayth verilye and in déede vnlesse the same be after your reall maner But I must put you in mind that you haue fowly forgotten your selfe when you say that the offering that the priest maketh in his Masse is a distinct offering from that which Christ made vpon the crosse for you shall finde manye of your friendes of a contrarie minde if ye search their bookes well But you would séeme to make bloudy and vnbloudy the difference betwéene those two sacrifices Here say you that is in your Masse he is offered of the priests not by shedding of his bloud but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is insacrificabÃliter after an vnsacrificable maner which is not a newe kylling of Christ but a solemne representation of his death as himselfe hath ordeyned Here the latter wordes doe confute the first For if the maner of offring in the Masse be such as can not be a sacrifice howe can the Masse be a sacrifice And if the Masse be but a solemne representatioÌ„ of the death of Christ how can it be a sacrifice offered to almightie God Not the Popishe Masse but the blessed supper of the Lorde the holy communion of his body and bloud is a lyuely representation of his death and passion And as your Emesenus sayth in the wordes that you cite for you haue taught him to speake congrue latine nowe vere vna perfecta hostia c. That sacrifice which is but one and is perfite in déede must not be estéemed by outwarde shewe nor iudged by the sight of the outwarde man but by fayth and the affection of the inwarde man But eyther not vnderstanding your Emesenus his wordes or else after your olde custome of purpose you corrupt him in the translation For you say This hoste and sacrifice is verily one and perfite as though Emesenus had poynted to your Masse sacrifice Where as it is playne that he meaneth of that sacrifice that is represented by the holy communion of the body bloud of Christ I may therefore vse the wordes of your owne exclamation against your selfe and such as be of your minde For whose harts can be imagined to be more hard then youres which in so manifest a matter as this doe not onely bring in question the open and manifest truth but also in alledging the words of fathers and counselles applie them
in veteri populo sicut nostis occisione Agni cum Azymis vbi occisio ouis Christum significat Azyma autem nouam vitam Hoc est sine vetustate fermenti The Pasouer was in the olde people celebrated as you know in the killing of a Lambe with vnleauened breade where the killing of the shéepe doth signifie Christ and the vnleauened bread a newe lyfe that is without the oldnesse of leauen And a little after he saith Venit verum Pascha immolatur Christus transitum facit à morte ad vitam TraÌ„situs enim interpretatur hebraice Pascha The true Passouer is come Christ is offered vp he passeth from death to life For Paschal in the Hebrue is interpreted passing by or passing ouer Here is no worde of the offering of Christ figuratiuely in the olde Paschall but when Christ passed from death to life then he was offered sayth saint Austen Wherfore I conclude That Christ did not offer himselfe figuratiuely in the olde Paschall neyther did the fathers of the olde lawe offer him in their sacrifices But as all the faythfull fathers that beléeued the promise did offer passouer and other sacrifices thereby to shewe their due obedience to the lawe of God Why Christ would eate Passouer by which those things were commaunded to be done trusting that when the time should be fulfilled God would performe his promise so did Christ obserue al the points of the law absolutely that being frée from the cursse of the lawe he might delyuer from that cursse those that were vnder it Thirdly Christ offereth himselfe in heauen really and so continually as the same Chapiter that we bring against the Masse doth testifie say you Non in manufacta c. Iesus entred not into a temple made with handes c. It séemeth that you haue learned some painters diuinitie Painters diuinitie where you haue séene Christ representing his woundes to God his father to mooue him to haue compassion vpoÌ„ vs for whose cause he hath suffred those wounds That which you gather of this place of saint Paule doth shewe you to be very nigh a daungerous errour if you be not already fallen into it That is the errour of the Anthropomorphits which supposed God to be as a man Watson vâ— nigh a daâ—gerous eâ— not onely in bodily shape but also in humane affections As though a thing once done coulde not be present with him both before and after it is done for euer but must be stil presented before him to mooue his affections by the sight therof which otherwise would forget it as a man doth How you can auoid this I can not sée affirming as you do that Christ is entered into heauen to offer himselfe for vs. c. We haue learned both by the scriptures and also by the auncient wryters that there is with God neyther time to come nor time past but all present The woundes of Christ were present in his sight before Adam was made and so are they nowe and shall be for euer Christ néedeth not therefore perpetually to stande representing hys woundes Ephesi 1. that we might be reconciled by him for as many as shal be reconciled to God by Christ were before the foundations of the worlde were layd reconciled to him in Christ and doe and shall remaine reconciled for euer God had appointed a time wherein Christ should worke the worke of our reconciliation which time is now past with vs but still present with him and he hath also appointed a time wherein we that be by him reconcyled shall enioy the fruit of that reconciliation that is euerlasting glorie in his kingdome which with vs is yet to come but with him it is already present In the meane season Hebr. 10. Christ hauing offered one oblation for sinne as Saint Paule sayth doth for euer sit at the right hande of God from thenceforth tarying tyll his enimies be made his footestoole For by one oblation he hath made persite for euer those that be sanctified That is those which be made holy by the spirit of adoption Rom. 8. whereby they cry vnto God Abba father But you haue founde saint Ambrose Ambro. li. 1. Officio Ca. 48 in Psal 38. in two places of hys workes to be of your minde and to accompt the sacrifice that Christ made vpon the crosse to be but an ymage of a sacrifice in comparison of that which he maketh perpetually in heauen If Ambrose were nowe lyuing and did knowe of your doing he could not thinke well of you that would make him a maintayner of your fond opinion of Christes perpetuall offering of himselfe drawing his wordes so farre from his meaning By occasion of the wordes of the Prophet Dauid where he sayth Psalm 38. Notum fac mihi Domine c. Lorde let me know mine ende and what the number of my dayes is that I may know what it is that I lack saint Ambrose doth note that the ende which the Prophet doth desire to know is that day wherein euery one shall rise out of the earth in his order wherein our perfection doth begin Here therefore sayth Ambrose that is in this mortall state there is a let or impediment there is infirmitie euen in such as be perfite but there that is in the lyfe to come there is full perfection Therefore he desireth to knowe what dayes of eternall lyfe are yet remayning not what dayes be past That he may know what he himselfe lacketh what the lande of promise is which bringeth forth contynuall fruites what maner dwellings the first second and thirde dwelling are wyth the father wherein euery man doth rest according to his worthynesse We therefore sayth he must desire those things wherein perfection is wherein the truth is Hic vmbra hic Imago illic veritas c. Here is the shadow here is the ymage there is the truth And so forth as you haue cyted But to the ende of those wordes that you rehearse Ambrose openeth his owne meaning he addeth a sentence that doth make his meaning more playne Hic ergo in imagine ambulamus in imagine videmus illic facie ad faciem vbi plena perfectio quia perfectio omnis in veritate Here therefore sayth Ambrose we walke in an ymage we sée in an Image then we shall sée face to face where there is full perfection bicause all perfection is in truth Who would thinke that any man of learning coulde be so blynded as to vnderstand these wordes of Ambrose as you doe His whole purpose is to declare that in this mortall state there can be no perfection in any thing But the most perfite things that be here are but as ymages are in comparison of those things whereof they be ymages Yea the mediation of Christ betwixt God and man was not without imperfection in the ymage and outwarde shewe thereof For he suffered sayth Ambrose as a man and as one worthyly condemned to die And he offered
quod offerimus nihil aliud quam quod ille fecit facere debemus And because we do in al our sacrifices make mention of his passion for the sacrifice that we offer is his passion we ought to do no other thing then he himself did Now let the reader take this sentence hole togither iudge whether Cyprian do speak here of your Masse or of our communion If you will haue him to speake of your Masse you must reforme your Canon You must blot out al your crossings the rest of your Rubricks for Christ did vse none of al those things Neither had he disguised halowed apparell holy cup holy cloth nor holy aultar Cyprian speaketh not of the Masse It is playne therefore that Cyprian meaneth not of your Masse but of our communion which he calleth the passion of Christ because it is celebrated in the remembraunce thereof As I haue in the former part of this aunswere often proued it to be the maner of the fathers to cal the sacraments by the names of those things that they signifie Now the reader doth I doubt not vnderstand what you haue sayde and will iudge vprightly Well you make this saying of Cyprian a straunge saying and yet saint Austen doth declare the matter more plainely in these wordes Vocatur ipsa immolatio c. In the ninth deuision of your former sermon you alledge matter out of the same Austen that this is cyted out of And in mine aunswere in that place I haue shewed that it was not Austen the Byshop of Hippo but some Austen of Gratians making But let vs sée what Gratian hath sayde De Consecratio Distinct 2. Sicut ergo caelestis panis qui Christi caro est suo modo vocatur Corpus Christi cum reuera sit sacramentum corporis Christi illius videlicet quod visibile quod palpabile mortale in cruce positum est vocaturque ipsa immolatio carnis quae sacerdotis manibus fit Christi passio mors crucifixio non rei veritate sed significante mysterio Sic sacramentum fidei quod Baptismus intelligitur fides est Therefore euen as the heauenly bread which is the fleshe of Christ is after his sort called the body of Christ where as it is in déede the sacrament of Christs body that is of that body which being visible palpable and mortall was set vpon the crosse That offering also that is made by the handes of the priest is called Christes passion his death his crucifying not according to the truth of the thing but according to the signifying mystery So the sacrament of fayth which is vnderstande to be baptisme is faith You make a glose vpon the wordes of Gratian Watsons glose disproued by the commō glose but not agréeing with that glose that is published in print with the text That glose sayth Non rei veritate sed significante mysterio vt sit sensus vocatur Christi corpus id est significatur Not according to the truth of the thing but after the mysterie that signifieth that the meaning might be thus It is called the body of Christ that is the body of Christ is signified thereby I am sory that your luck is no better but still to alledge matter against your selfe But now I trowe you haue found a péece of a Psalme that will pay home Quid retribuam Domino c. Psal 115. What shall I render vnto the Lorde c. You haue founde a marueilous mysterie in this péece of this Psalme such as neither Austen nor Hierome nor any other that hath written vpon that Psalme coulde finde They al agrée that this cup of saluation is that cup of sorrow and sufferaunce The cup of saluation is tribulation that our sauiour speaketh of when he sayth Potestis bibere Calicem quem ego bibiturus sum Can ye drinke that cup that I must drinke of But you haue found that he ment of the Chalice that the priest sayth Masse withall Bylike you would with better will sup of that cup twise then once to syp of the other Psalme 75. But vpon another Psalme the same saint Austen hath said Ex ipsis reliquijs cogitationis c. Of the leauings of our cogitation that is to say of this verie memorie and commemoration c. A man would think that standing before your Prince in so solemne assemble you would haue bene well ware that the matter that you alledged out of the auncient wryters had bene applyed according to their meaning But you shame not oftentimes to apply their wordes cleane contrarie to that they ment Watsons impudencie as you doe in this place the wordes of Austen whereof I will make the reader iudge by letting him sée the hole sentence wherof you cite but one part for your purpose Austen hath written thus Cum autem non obliuiscimur munus saluatoris nonne quitidiè nobis Christus immolatur Et semel pro nobis Christus immolatus est Cum credidimus tunc nobis fuit cogitatio modo autem reliquiae cogitationis sunt qua meminimus quis ad nos venerit quid nobis donauerit Ex ipsis reliquijs cogitationis id est ex ipsa memoria quotidiè nobis sic immolatur quasi quotidiè nos innouet qui prima gratia sua nos innouauit c. And when we doe not forget the gift of our sauiour is not Christ daylie offered for vs And Christ was once offered for vs when we beleued then had we a cogitation and now we haue remnaunts of that cogitation whereby we doe remember who it was that came vnto vs and what he gaue vs. By these remnaunts of the cogitation that is by the very remembraunce he that with his first grace did renewe vs is daylie offered for vs in such sort as though he did daylie renew vs The Lord hath alreadie renewed vs in baptisme and we are become new men reioycing in hope that we may be pacient in trouble yet ought it not to depart out of our memorie what was done for vs. c. Here is not one word of that commemoration that you would haue all men thinke that saint Austen ment of when he sayde Ex ipsa memoria Of the verie memorie which commemoration you vnderstand to be your blessed Masse Watson blinded with affection But who so is not blinded with affectiō as you shewe your selfe to be and readeth the hole circumstaunce of the matter must néeds confesse that saint Austen in this place speaketh neyther of your Masse nor of our Communion but all togither of the kéeping in minde and confessing of that which we were by nature and not forgetting of that which we be made through Christ Chrysostome speaketh of the Lordes cup and sayth Chrysostom in Math. Homil. 7. Non à quam de hoc nobis fonte c. Christ out of this Fountayne c. The reader shal sée somewhat more of Chrysostomes alegorie From this table sayth Chrysostome
that haue most frequented it Yea they that will but enquire of the lyfe and conuersation of them that at this day be Massemongers shall soone sée how great an enimie the Masse is to the Deuils kingdome Yea though there were none other euill in them The Masse alone is able to holde vp the Deuils kingdome then onely that they say and heare Masse which is ydolatry yet were this one euill sufficient of it selfe to holde vp the kingdome of the Deuill But admit that the Masse were no ydolatry yet it is alwaies accompanied with a multitude of grosse ydolatries As the inuocation of creatures the opinion of meryting by mens owne workes the representing of God to the bodily eye by an Image made lyke a man the bowing of the knées and burning of Wax and Incense before the Images of creatures trust confidence in the holynesse of creatures made holy by men and such lyke Thus is the Masse the greatest aduersarie that the Deuils kingdome hath But least some of your Auditorie should take paynes to read Luthers booke and so perceyue that you haue not sayde truely of him you thinke to preuent that matter by speaking a fewe wordes of that part of the booke that openeth the meaning of the hole and knitting vp your tale with this exclamation O what a cloke of mischiefe is this and all grounded vpon lyes and falsehood He sayth the Deuill lyeth not when he accuseth c. And if this saying of Luther be true then there will folow a number of as great inconueniences as vpon the wordes of Dauid when he sayth Omnis homo mendax Euery man is a lyar Psam .. 115. If Luther were in this lyfe he would not sticke to graunt all that you conclude vpon that proposition that you call his principle For which of the two may be thought better the fayth of a Turke or of a Massemonger Seing the one denieth Christ in wordes denying him to be his sauiour and the other in déedes in séeking saluation by other meanes then by Christ which is to denie him And wherein shall Hieroboams priestes be found worse then the Popes Massing priestes If you wil read the prophecie of Oseas and vnderstande it you shall finde that they had as good a colour of obseruing Moses his lawe as the Popes priestes haue of kéeping Christs institution And so of the reast that you doe name damnable heresies c. Now because the time is farre past shortly to conclude I shall most humbly beseech you to consider and regarde the saluation of your soules WATSON Diuisiō 44 for the which Christes Gods sonne hath shed his precious bloud which saluation can not bee atteyned without knowledge and confession of Gods truth reueled to his holy Church and by her to euery member of her and childe of God whose sentence and determination is sure and certaine as proceeding from the piller of truth and the spirite of God by whome we be taught and assured in Gods owne worde that in the blessed sacrament of the aultar by the power of the holy ghost working with Gods word is veryly and really present the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ vnder the formes of bread and wine which is by Christes owne commaundement and example offered to almightie God in sacrifice in commemoration of Christes passion and death whereby the members of the Church in whose fayth it is offered both they that be aliue and departed perceaue plentuous and abundaunt grace and mercy and in all their necessities and calamities reliefe and succour Our most mercifull father graunt vs to persist stedfast and constant in the true Catholike fayth and confession of this most blessed Sacrament and sacrifice with pure deuotion as he hath ordeyned to vse and frequent this holye mysterie of vnitie and reconciliation that we may thereby remaine in him and he in vs for euermore To whome be all glory and praise without ende Amen To make a short conclusion CROWLEY I will ioyne wyth you in making humble request to the readers of these your sermons and mine aunswere that they will haue an earnest regard to the saluation of their owne soules for which Iesus Christ the only begottē sonne of God hath fréely shed his most precious hart bloud Which saluation can not be attayned vnto without the knowledge and confession of Gods truth which he hath by his worde reuealed to his Church and doth daylie by the faythfull and diligent ministerie thereof reueale it to euery member thereof and child of God Which Church is and euer hath bene the pyller of truth In. 1. Timo. Capit. 3 wherein onely the truth is séene and doth playnely appéere to the worlde as saint Hierome hath sayde and hath hir foundation vpon truth which is hir onely stay and piller to leane vnto as Chrysostome hath written Which truth being the determination of God before the beginning this piller of truth doth still cleaue vnto neuer séeking to determine otherwise then God hath by his sonne Christ determined taught In whose worde we are assured that at his last supper with his holy Apostles he did institute a most comfortable sacrament of hys owne body and bloud to be frequented and vsed in his Church in the remembraunce of his death and passion till his comming agayne in our nature to iudge both the quick and the dead In which sacrament is lyuely represented vnto vs yea euen vnto our senses that vnity that he hath and doth by his almighty power make betwixt himself and vs and amongst our selues one with another which vnitie the nature of the bread and wine wherein this sacrament is instituted doth plainely expresse and signifie In vsing whereof his Church doth not onely call to memorie the benifits that she hath receyued by him but also shewe hir selfe thankfull in offring hir selfe a sacrifice of a swéete sauour vnto God by ready good wyll to glorifie him both by lyfe and by death as the holy saintes that be departed thys lyfe did whilste they lyued here assuring themselues of his contynuall presence to comfort help and succour them in all the necessities and calamities of thys lyfe and after thys lyfe of euerlasting ioye and felicitie in euerlasting lyfe through him Which they haue alreadie attayned vnto in part being delyuered from the burden of the fleshe and we shall in the ende of this lyfe attayne vnto in lyke maner if we contynue faythfull to the ende as they did And when the day of the generall resurrection shall come we with them and they with vs shall through Christ receyue our owne bodyes agayne incorruptible immortall glorious and spirituall euen such as his blessed body is nowe in the throne of maiestie to reigne wyth him in his fathers kingdome for euermore Our most mercifull and louing father graunt vs to contynue stedfast and constant in the true Catholike fayth and confession of our hope of forgiuenesse of all our sinnes by that one onely sacrifice that Christ Iesus made in offering hymselfe on the Crosse once for all as by his holy worde and sacraments he doth daylie teache vs to doe And that we may so frequent and vse this holy misterie of vnitie and reconciliation that we may daylie more and more be assured thereby of his dwelling in vs and our abyding in him To whome be all prayse honour and glory for euer Amen FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Henry Denham dwelling in Pater-noster Rovve at the Signe of the Starre SVBLIME DEDIT OS HOMINI Anno Domini 1569. Cum priuilegio
custodire dominicae traditionis veritatem Et quod prius apud quosdam videtur erratum Domino monente corrigere Vt cum in claritate sua maiestate coelesti venire coeperit inueniat nos tenere quod monuit obseruare quod docuit facere quod fecit It agréeth sayth Cyprian with our religion feare and place of priestly office most dearely beloued brother that in the mingling and offring vp of the Lords Cup we kepe the truth of the Lordes tradition and that we doe by the warning that the Lorde giueth correct that thing wherein we sée that other haue heretofore erred That when he shall begin to come in his owne brightnesse and heauenly Maiestie he may finde that we hold fast that wherof he gaue vs warning obserue that which he taught vs and doe that which he did Such words as these are not for you to loke vpon For they will bid you leaue of your masking garments in your ministration and to set aside your halowed cups Vestiments Altars and Superaltaries wyth all your crossings turnings and halfe turnings with the reast of your Apishe toyes For Christ neyther taught nor vsed any of all those thinges But when Cyprian sayth In sacrificio quod Christus est non nisi Christus sequendus est In that Sacrifice which is Christ none must bée folowed but Christ the first part of the sentence must serue your purpose to proue that the reall and naturall bodye and bloud of Christ is the substaunce of the sacrifice of the church and that the same is really and substantially present in the sacrament thereof but the later part of the same sentence must not put vs in minde to doe in the ministration thereof that which Christ did and commaunded vs to doe The wordes that Watson cyteth make nothing for him Thus without shame you cite that for your purpose which when it is taken whole togither maketh manifestly against you Yea the verie first part of that sentence which you apply to your purpose when it is well weighed maketh nothing for you For what is more common among the fathers then to call the signes by the names of those things that they doe signifie Chrysost in Epist ad Heb. homil 17. And doth not Chrysostome speaking of the same sacrament say thus Nō aliud sacrificium sicut pontifex sed idipsum semper facinus magis autem recordationē sacrificij operamur We doe not sayth Chrysostome make another sacrifice as the high Priest doth but alwaye one yea we doe rather make a remembraunce of a sacrifice By these wordes of Chrysostome it appeareth that though the fathers vsed to call the sacrament of Christes bodie a sacrifice yet they vnderstood it to be but the remembraunce of that sacrifice that Christ offered on the crosse once for all I would not gladly diminishe the aucthoritie of Cyprian or anye other auncient writer but I am sure you your selfe M. Watson wyll not buylde vpon euerye sentence of Cyprian as you doe vpon this For then coulde you not set your holy father of Rome so highe aboue all the Bishops of christendome as you doe Cyprian li. 4. Epist 2. Loke in the fourth booke of his Epistles and the seconde Epistle where you shall finde these wordes Ac si minus sufficiens Episcoporum in Africa numerus videbitur etiam Romae super hac rescripsimus Equalitie of Bishops by Cyprians iudgement ad Cornelium collegam nostrum qui ipse cum plurimis coepiscopis habito concilio c. And if the number of Byshops in Africa sayth Cyprian shal séeme to small I haue writtē to Rome also concerning this matier euen to Cornelius our felow in office who also holding a counsell with many bishops ioyned with him c. This Cornelius whome Cyprian calleth his fellow officer was Bishop of Rome when Cyprian wrote these wordes Yet I thinke you will not gather hereof that there was an equalitie betwixt them vnlesse you minde nowe at the last to denie the supremacye of your holy father And yet you may a great deale more iustly gather that vpō these words then that which you would maintayne of the other Yea I suppose that you and all your felowes are not able to proue that Cyprian ment not to teache an equalitie amongst all those Byshops that he speaketh of But whatsoeuer he ment in this place or any other it becommeth vs to folow the rule that he giueth Cyprian lib. 2. Ep. 3. in vnderstanding the words that he or any other auncient father hath left in wryting Si solus Christus audiendus est sayth Cyprian non debemus attendere quid aliquis ante nos faciendum putauerit sed quid qui ante omnes est Christus prior fecerit Neque enim hominis consuetudinem sequi oportet sed Dei veritatem A rule to be folowed in the reading of Fathers If Christ onely be to be harkened vnto we must not marke sayth Cyprian what any man before vs hath thought méete to be done but what Christ which was before al hath done before vs. Neyther ought we to folow the custome of men but the truth of God This is a perfite rule méete to be folowed of all men in the reading of the auncient fathers wrytings Then come you to Basils Masse where as you say are written these wordes Tu es qui offers c. O Christ our God thou art he c. As for your maner of Englishing of Basils words I leaue to you and your Printer to amend In whom the fault is I know not It shall suffice that I aunswere your matter First with your leaue M. Watson you belye Saint Basils forme of Masse For if that be his that was imprinted at Andwarp Anno. 1562. out of an olde Booke of the Latine translation as the Printer sayth then is there no such matter as this that you cite in all S. Basils forme of Masse But S. Chrysostomes Masse translated by Leonhardus Thuscus hath wordes in the same sense that these be that you father vpon Basils Masse The words be these Concede a me peccatore indigno famulo tuo offerri tibi haec sacramenta tu enim es offerens oblatus suscipiens distributus Christus Deus noster If I might be put in trust to translate these wordes into Englishe I would say thus Graunt that I being a sinner thine vnworthy seruant may offer vnto thée these sacraments for thou being Christ our God art he which art the offerer and art offred which art he that doest receiue and art distributed Thus much haue I done for you M. Watson to helpe to saue your credit least some of your friendes should begin to mislyke with you for cyting matter that is no where to be found For though your father Chrysostomes wordes vpon Basil they can beare with you well ynough Yea though you doe racke them a little to serue your purpose Chrysostomes and Basils iudgement can not
We say that the scripture hath many such spéeches as this is my bodye and this is my bloud which are not proper spéeches but figuratiue wherefore it is not of necessitie required that this is my body and this is my bloud should be taken for proper spéeches The circumstances must giue the vnderstanding But if the circumstaunces be such that by them the spéeche can not be proper but figuratiue then is there no cause why we maye not vnderstande these places by the figure as well as the other I will therefore consider your circumstaunces and then shape you a further aunswere But if we will consider the circumstaunces of the text WATSON Diuision 14 who was the speaker for what intent what time and such other it shall plainely appeere that the literall sense as the wordes purport is the true sense that the holy Ghost did principally intend As for example First it appeareth euidently the speaker to be Iesus Christ our Lord Gods sonne equall and omnipotent God with the father and that these hys wordes be not wordes of a bare narration and teaching but wordes whereby a sacrament is instituted And for that reason we must consider that it is otherwise with Christ then with vs for in man the worde is true when the thing is true whereof it is spoken In God the thing is true when the worde is spoken of the thing Mans worde declareth the thing to be as it is before Gods worde maketh the thing to be as it was not before In man the truth of his worde dependeth of the truth of the thing Contrarie in God the truth of the thing dependeth vpon the speaking of the worde as the psalme sayth Ipse dixit facta sunt He spake the worde Psalm 148. and the things were made And this thing the Deuill knewe well ynough being sure that if Iesus were Christ and God hee could with his worde both create newe thinges and also chaunge the nature and substaunce of any thing Math. 4. and therfore sayde vnto him tempting him whether he was Gods sonne or no if thou be Gods sonne speake the worde that these stones maye be made bread Whereby we maye learne that although in mans speeche it is not true to saye these stones be bread yet if God should say so it should be true the inferior nature of creatures gyuing place to the omnipotent power of God the Creator After which sort Ireneus reasoneth against those heretikes that denied Iesus Christ to be Gods sonne vsing that most constantly beleeued truth of the sacrament that we holde nowe grounded vpon Christes wordes for an argument to conuince Iesus the speaker to bee Gods sonne His words be these Quomodo autem constabit eis eum panem in quo gratiae actae sunt corpus esse domini sui Libr. 4. ca. 34. calicem sanguinis eius si non ipsum fabricatoris mundi filium dicant Howe shall it bee certaine vnto them that that bread vpon which thankes are giuen that is to say the Eucharisticall bread is the body of their Lord and the Cup of his bloud if they say not that he is the son of him that made the worlde as though he should reason thus These words which Iesus spake of the blessed bread saying This is my body This is the Cup of my bloud be eyther true or false If the speaker of them be pure man and not God as they saye then can they not be true for mans worde chaungeth not the nature of things as it is here But if the wordes be true as they certainely beleeue then the speaker of them must needes be Gods sonne of infinite power able to make the things to be as he sayth they be And also in his .57 Ireneus lib. 4. Cap. 57. Chapiter the same fourth booke he maketh the lyke argument in these words Quomodo iustè Dominus si alterius patris existit huius conditionis quae est secundum nos accipiens panem suum corpus confitebatur temperamentū calicis sui sanguinem confirmauit If our Lorde be a pure man that nature and condition that wee be of the sonne of an other father then God Howe did he iustly and truely taking bread into his hande confesse and saye it to be his body and confirme that mixture of wine and water that was in the Chalice to be his owne bloud By these two places of Ireneus that lyued within .150 yeares of Christ we are taught not to flie to our figures of Grammer to make these wordes of Christ true which indeede we must needes doe or else say they be false if Christ the speaker be but onely man and not God but we bee taught by him to beleue them to be most true and for that reason to beleue also that Christ the speaker is Gods son by whose almightie power the things be chaunged made as he speaketh so that we may iustly after the minde of Ireneus and dyuers other olde Authors which were long to rehearse nowe conceaue this opinion of these men that say these wordes of Christ cannot be true except they be vnderstanded by a figuratiue speeche that they eyther beleeue not themselues that Christ is Gods sonne or else giue occasion to other to reuiue that olde damnable Heresey of Arius that denied Christs Godhead the experience whereof we haue had of late dayes of some that from Sacramētaries by necessarie consequence of that Heresey became Arianes The first circumstaunce that you consider CROWLEY is the speaker of these wordes I am contented to beginne with the same And also to agrée with you vpon the equalitie of Christ with his heauenly father in all pointes touching his diuine nature wherefore if you conceyue such an opinion of me as you speake of bicause I say that these wordes This is my body is a figuratiue spéeche you conceyue a wrong opinion And I am sure I may safely say as much for all those that you speake of But nowe let vs sée howe honestly you haue behaued your selfe in applying the words of Ireneus to your purpose Libr. 4. ca. 34. He saith thus Quomodo autem constabit c. First I must tell you that euen as in the place that you did before cite out of Ireneus you picked out a péece for your purpose and left that which might make the Writers meaning playne so you haue done here also For in the same Chapiter not twentie lynes before those wordes that you cite Ireneus sayth thus Igitur non sacrificiae sanctificant hominem non enim indiget sacrificio Deus sed conscientiae eius qui offert sanctificat sacrificium pura existens praestat acceptare Deum quasi ab amico The sacrifices doe not make the man that doth offer them holye for God hath no néede of Sacrifice but the conscience of him that offereth being pure doth make the sacrifice holye and causeth God to take it in good part as
Domini His words be these Vt enim de vsualibus sumamus exemplum datur anulus absolutè propter anulum nulla est significatio datur ad inuestiendum de haereditate aliqua signum est ita vt iam dicere possit qui accipit Anulus non valet quicquam sed haereditas est quam quaerebam In hunc itaque modum appropinquans passioni Dominus de gratia sua inuestire curauit suos vt iâ—usibilis gratia signo aliquo visibili praestaretur Ad haec instituta sunt omnia sacramenta ad haec Eucharistiae participatio c. That we may take an example from among those things that be vsuall a King is delyuered as a King without condition and it hath no signification And the same is giuen to inuest in some enheritaunce and so it is a signe so that the partie that receyueth it may now saye The King is a thing of no value but the inheritance is the thing that I sought After this sort the Lorde therefore drawing néere vnto his passion did of his owne frée mercy prouide to inuest those that appartayned vnto him that the inuisible grace might by some visible signe be set forth and shewed For this purpose were all sacraments instituted The participation of the Eucharist was instituted for this purpose and so was the washing of féete To coÌ„clude Baptisme which is the beginning of all sacraments was instituted for this purpose wherein we are planted togither to the similitude or lykenesse of his death wherefore the thrée solde dipping doth beare the figure of the thrée dayes space that must now be celebrated This matter is farre disagréeing to that which you cite out of your Bernarde Watson hath a Bernard of his owne I conclude therefore that your Bernarde is not the right Bernarde but a counterfait of your owne making Such a one as your Emisenus is And therefore his Sermons are printed by themselues with this note before them Proculdubio non a nostro Bernardo editi fuerunt Without doubt they were neuer of our Bernards setting out Thirdly we maye consider that these wordes WATSON Diuision 16 be the performaunce of a former promise where Christ as it is written in the sixt Chapiter of S. Iohn promised to giue vs the same fleshe to eate that he would giue to the death for the lyfe of the worlde saying Panis quem ego dabo caro mea est Iohn 6. quam ego dabo pro mundi vita The bread which I shall giue vnto you is my flesh which I shall giue for the lyfe of the world Which promise we neuer read that Christ which is the very truth can not lye did euer at any time performe but in his last supper when he gaue his bodye and bloud to his Disciples and to promise his fleshe and to giue bare bread and not his fleshe is no performing but a breaking of his promise and a deluding of them to whome he made the promise For as for the interpretation which some men make of Christes words that he will giue his fleshe to vs to be eaten spiritually by faith is but a vaine and fained glose for that text And although Christ doe so giue it to be eaten by faith yet we maye not exclude one truth by another truth as Sophisters doe For Christ gaue his fleshe to vs to be eaten spiritually by fayth euer from the beginning of the worlde and also at that present when he spake those words so that it were a verye vaine thing for Christ to promise to giue a thing which he euer before and also at that present and euer after contynually doth giue But it was neuer so taken of any good auncient aucthor which all with one consent doe expounde this text of saint Iohn of the giuing of his fleshe in his last supper vnder the forme of breade and therefore Cirillus wryteth Cirillus in Iohn li. 4. Capit. 14. that oure sauiour Christ did not expounde and make plaine the maner of the mistery the performaunce of this his promise to them that asked the vnfaythfull question Howe without fayth but to his Disciples that beleeued him and asked no such question of him he declared the maner of it in his last supper Wherefore we maye well conclude vpon this circumstaunce that Christs flesh is verily present in the sacrament to be giuen vnto vs bicause he promised before that he would giue vs the same fleshe for our foode that he would giue on the crosse for our redemption CROWLEY The thirde circumstaunce you saye that you consider is a promise that our Sauiour made when he sayde the bread that I shall giue is my fleshe c. If I did not knowe your blindnesse and shamelesnesse in fathering vpon the auncient Writers such matter as they neuer ment to vtter in their wrytings I coulde not wonder ynough at your beastly boldnesse which driueth you to saye that all the good auncient Writers doe with one consent expound the wordes of saint Iohn as you doe But after this great boast you giue vs a taste of your small roste as the common saying is and you make Cyrillus to speake after your fantasie in this sort Our Sauiour Christ did not expounde c. But that the reader may sée how faythfully you deale with Cyrillus in this point I will let him sée the words as they be written in the place that you note in the margent His wordes be these Misericors certè mitis Christus est vt à rebus ipsis videre licet Non enim aspere ad crudelitatem eorum respondit nec vllo modo contendit sed viuificantem huius mysterij cognitionem iterum atque iterum in mentibus eorum imprimere studebat Et quomodo quidem carnem suam dabit ad manducandum non docet quia intelligere illi non potuerunt Quam magna verò bona si cum fide manducabunt adipiscentur id iterum atque iterum aperit vt aeternae desyderio vitae ad fidem compellantur per quam etiaem doceri facilius poterint Esay 7. Sic enim Esaiaes dixit Si enim inquit non credideritis nec intelligetis Oportebat igitur fidei primum radices in amimo iacere deinde illa quaerere quae homini quaerenda sunt Illi verò antequam crederent importunè quaerebant Hac igitur de causa Dominus quomodo id fieri possit non enodauit sed fide id quaerendum hortatur sic credentibus discipulis fragmenta panis dedit dicens Accipite manducate hoc est corpus meum Calicem etiam similiter circumtulit dicens Bibite ex hoc omnes hic est Calix sanguinis mei qui pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum Perspicis quia sine fide quaerentibus mysterij modum nequaquam explanauit credentibus autem etiam non quaerentibus exposuit Vndoubtedly sayth Cyrill Christ is mercifull and mylde as a man maye perceyue euen by the
not any inconuenience at all to holde that the substaunce of bread and wine doth still remayne in the Sacrament Yet one other thing I must néedes note that in all this adoe that you make about this effect of the sacrament you speake not one worde of the fleshe of Christ but altogither of his bloud These wordes This is my bloud must be the forme of our sacrament c. But in the next effect I trust you will speake as much of the fleshe as you haue done nowe of the bloud and so make vs a mendes for all WATSON Diuision 21. Lucae 24. Another effect of this sacrament is taught vs in S. Luke the 24. Chapter of his Gospell Where our Sauiour Christ sate downe with his two Disciples that went to Emaus and taking bread blessed it and brake it and gaue it to them And then their eyes were opened August de consensu Euangelestarum libr. 3. ca. 25. Theophiloct in Lucam cap. 24. and they knew him Saint Austen in his booke De consensu Euangelistarum teacheth vs to vnderstande this place of the blessed bread which is the sacrament of the aultar and sayth the effect of it is to open our eies that we may knowe God And Theophiloctus vpon this place of saint Luke wryteth this Insinuatur aliud quiddam nempe quod oculi eorum qui benedictum panem assumunt aperiuntur vt agnoscant illum Magnam enim indicibilem vim habet caro Domini By this scripture another thing is giuen vs to vnderstande that the eyes of them which receyue this blessed bread be opened that they might knowe him for the fleshe of our Lorde hath a great and vnspeakable vertue Here we maye perceyue both by the scripture and also by the holy Doctors and fathers that the effect of this sacrament is the opening of our eyes to knowe God And that the cause of that is the fleshe of Christ which is our sacrament and in no wise can be eyther bread or wine CROWLEY Watsō seketh vauntage by translating First you Englishe the wordes of saint Luke after your owne maner to make a shewe of the crossing that is vsed in the Popishe Masse Taking bread he blessed it c. As though the blessing had bene the making of the signe of the crosse vpon or ouer the bread for so the Popishe Priestes vse to blesse their bread and Cup in their Masse but if it would haue serued for your purpose to haue translated otherwise you coulde haue founde occasion enough in the circumstaunce of the text to haue sayde thus Taking bread he gaue thankes brake it and gaue it to them For it was his common maner to giue thankes to God his heauenly father at the beginning of euery refection And none did then vse to blesse by making the signe of the crosse as your Papistes doe nowe wherefore it is manifest that our Sauiour Christ did not vse it eyther at that time or any other Howe rightly you gather the meaning of saint Austen in the place that you cite shall appéere by his owne wordes in the same place which are these Pro merito quippe mentis corum ad huc ignorantis quod oportebat Christum mori resurgere simele quiddam eorum oculi passi sunt non veritate fallente sed ipsis veritatem percipere non valentibus aliud quam res est opinantibus ne quisquam se Christum agnouisse arbitretur si eius corporis particeps non est id est Ecclesiae Cuius vnitatem in sacramento panis commendat Apostolus dicens Vnus panis vnum corpus multi sumus vt cum eis benedictum panem porrigeret aperirentur oculi corum agnoscerent eum Aperientur vtique ad eius cognitionem remoto silicet impedimento quo tenebantur ne eum agnoscerent Neque enim clausis oculis ambulabant sed incrat aliquid quo non sinebantur agnoscere quod videbant quod silicet caligo vel aliquis humor efficere solet For according to the deseruing of their minde which was as yet ignoraunt that it behoued Christ to die and rise againe their eyes did suffer some such thing not being deceyued by the truth but they themselues not being able to perceyue the truth supposing the thing to be otherwise then it was least any man should thinke that he knoweth Christ not being partaker of his body that is of his Church The vnitie whereof the Apostle doth set forth in the sacrament of bread saying we being manye are but one bread and one bodye that when he should giue vnto them the blessed bread their eyes might be opened and they know him That they might be opened to know him the let whereby they were holden that they should not know him being taken away For they walked not with their eyes shut vp but there was something in them whereby they were kept from knowing that which they sawe Which thing is accustomed to come to passe by the meanes of some daseing or humor Now let all indifferent readers iudge whether S. Austens purpose in this place None can knowe God but such as be members of Christ be to teach vs that the opening of our eyes that we maye know God be the effect of the sacrament of the altar Or whether his purpose be rather to teache that none can knowe God but such as be members of his body that is of the number of his Church the vnitie whereof is set forth in the sacramentall bread And therefore the two Disciples being members of that Church that is Christes body had the blindnesse of their vnderstanding taken away at the breaking of bread And so they knewe Christ whome before they knewe not As for the wordes that you cite out of Theophilacte doe rather make against you then with you For where your purpose is to proue as you conclude that the sacrament is neyther bread nor wine Theophilacte doth euen in the same wordes that you cite call it the blessed bread But this is to be noted how craftily you can make one sentence of two leauing out the Periodus or full point One of Watsons shiftes that in Theophilacts owne workes standeth betwene illum and Magnam And bicause you would not haue your reader to looke for any Periodus there you make no point at all in your printed Copie nor any signe of pawse But the translator of the Author hath set it thus Vt agnoscant illum Magnam enim indicibilem vim habet caro Domini Euanuit autem ab eis neque enim ad huc habebat corpus quod multum corporali modo cum eis conuersaretur vt ex hoc illorum cresceret desyderium c. So that the whole might be englished thus Another thing also is giuen vs to vnderstande that is that the eyes of them that doe receyue the blessed bread are opened that they might know him For the fleshe of the Lord hath an vnspeakable power For it vanished
charitate in passione Resurrectione omnes in gratia nominatim congregemini in commune in vna fide Dei Patris Iesu Christi vnigeniti eius filij primogeniti totius creaturae secundum carnem ex genere Dauid praeunte deducente vos paracleto obedientes Episcopo atque presbyterorum caetui indiuulso animo vnum panem frangentes quod est medicamentum immortalitatis antidotus ne moriamini sed vinatis in Deo per Iesum Christum purgatio malorum expultrix Brethren stand fast in the fayth of Iesus Christ and in his loue his passion and resurrection Congregate your selues togither all into one place in louing fauour one towardes another in one fayth of God the father and of Iesus Christ his onely begotten sonne the first begotten of all creatures of the lynage of Dauid after the fleshe the holy ghost being your guide and leading you thether Obeying your Byshop and the whole company of elders with one consent of mind breaking one loafe of bread which is a medicine of immortalitie and a thing to preserue you that you should not dye but lyue in God thorow Iesus Christ and a purgation that doth expel euils This much hath Ignatius written in the place that you cite And can any indifferent man gather of these words that he ment here to teach that our resurrection is the effect of the sacrament of Christs body and bloud I thinke not Yea I suppose Effectes doe spring out of efficient causes that none can gather that meaning of his wordes but you and such as you are whome affection hath blinded Doe ye not know that effects must spring out of efficient causes And dare you say that the sacrament of Christes body and bloud is the efficient cause of our immortalitie If you haue any shame left you will not affirme it For Saint Paule sayth 1. Thess 4. 2. Cor. 4. that the efficient cause of our resurrection is the same that raysed vp Christ from death to lyfe How can the sacrament of his body and bloud be the efficient cause of our resurrection and immortalitie then as you thinke you haue proued it to be If Ignatius were nowe lyuing he would not I am sure commend you as he doth commend those Ephesians that he wrot vnto For he should finde in you the contrarie of that he found in them by the testimonie of Onesimus their Bishop Wherevpon he wryteth thus Onesimus autem ipse valde laudat vestram in Deo moderationem dispensationem quod omnes secundum veritatem viuatis quodque in vobis nulla haeresis inhabitet sed neque auditis quenquam nisi solum lesum Christum verum pastorem magistrum ac estis sicut Paulus ad vos scribebat vnum corpus vnus spiritus c. And Onesimus himselfe sayth Ignatius doth greatly commend your moderation and disposition of things in God for that you doe all lyue according to the truth and for that there is in you no heresie abyding but you refuse euen to heare any other then Iesus Christ alone which is the true Shepheard and teacher and you are euen as Paule wrote vnto you one body and one spirite c. How farre you and your sort be from the harkening to Christ alone may easily be séene of all that will consider the multitude of traditions that you haue brought into the Church of Christ and doe estéeme them aboue the ordinaunce of God Wherefore Ignatius might say vnto you as he wryteth in the same Epistle Similiter autem omnis homo quisquis indicium a Deo accepit punietur si imperitum pastorem secutus fuerit falsam opinionem vt veram exceperit And in lyke maner euery man that hath receyued at Gods hand habilitie to iudge shall be punished if he shall follow an vnskilfull shepheard and receyue a false opinion as true Thus you sée that when Ignatius is well considered he will be found none of those auncient Authors that doe commonlye teache this affect of the sacrament of Christs body but contrarywise he will tell you that you shall be punished for that you follow an vnskilfull shepheard and accept a false opinion as though the same were true And euen in that place which you cite hys wordes are flat against your doings and therefore you dissemble those wordes and begin with the next He hath written thus Vnum panem frangentes quod est c. Breaking one loafe of bread which is a medicine of immortalitie and a preseruatiue against death Now tell me how this breaking of one loafe of bread doth or can agrée with your priuate Masse that you call the sacrifice of the Church and with your Popishe Easter housell when euery one hath a mock loafe by himself Ignatius would haue the Ephesians to breake that is to be partakers of one leafe of bread and he sayth that is a medicine of immortalitie and a preseruatiue against death Watson was foule ouersene Why then It is neyther your priuate Masse nor your Easter housell that he speaketh of but our communion If I had bene of your counsell before you made this Sermon you should neuer haue cited this place for shame Well it is out now and can not be called in againe But nowe let vs sée what the fathers that were gathered togither in the generall counsell of Nice Concilium Nicenum haue sayde to this matter They haue called this sacrament Symbola Resurrectionis nostrae The pledges or causes of our resurrection say you But I would faine knowe where you haue read Symbolum in that signification I beléeue you neuer read it in any of the eloquent Gréekes or Latinistes You were sure that you had Auditorium beneuolum A straunge signification of Symbolum and therefore you might be bolde to saye that Symbolum signifieth a cause and so translate Symbolum Resurrectionis the cause of resurrection But perhaps you haue some secret Authors wherin you read Simbolum written with ī and not with y. And that Simbolum it is that you translate so for your printer hath so printed it Well I leaue this translation of yours to the iudgement of such as be skilfull in the Gréeke and Latine tongues But to our purpose You shall neuer be able to proue that Symbolum signifieth a cause but a pledge it may signifie And what haue the fathers of the Nicene counsell done for you then Euen as much as Ignatius hath done before I will not stick to graunt you both the sayings to be true The sacrament of Christes body and bloud Medicines be not the efficient causes of health is a medicine of immortalitie a preseruatiue against death a purgation to expell euils a pledge of our resurrection Are medicines preseruatiues and purgations the efficient causes of health And how can this medicine preseruatiue and purgation be the efficient cause of our resurrection immortalitie And is a pledge the efficient cause of the thing or déede that is promised when the
perteyneth to his owne nature Of this wryteth S. Cyprian Sed quia ebrietas dominici calicis sanguinis non est talis qualis est ebrietas vini secularis Cyprian li. 2. Epist 3. cùm diceret spiritus sanctus in Psalmo Calix tuus inebrians addidit perquám optimus quòd scilicet calix dominicus sic bibentes inebriat vt sobrios faciat vt mentes ad spiritalem sapientiam redigat vt à sapore isto seculari ad imtellectum Dei vnusquisque resipiscat But bicause the dronkennesse of our Lords cup and bloud is not such as the dronkennesse of worldly wine when the holy ghost in the Psalme sayde Thy cup that maketh men dronke he added is very godly and excellent bicause the cup of our Lorde doth so make the drinkers dronke that it maketh them sober that it bringeth their mindes to spirituall wisedome that euerye man may bring himselfe from this drowsinesse of the world to the vnderstanding and knowledge of God To this intent saint Ambrose wryteth in dyuers places Ambros in Psalm 1. as vpon the first Psalme At vero Dominus Iesus aquam de petra effudit omnes biberunt and so forth The place is long and for auoyding of tediousnesse I shall faythfully rehearse it in Englishe But our Lorde Iesus brought water out of the stone and all dranke of it They that dranke in figure were satiate they that dronke in truth were made dronke the dronkennesse is good which bringeth in mirth and not cōfusion that dronkennesse is good that stayeth in sobernesse the motions of the minde And he speaketh more playner in these words Ambros in Psal 118. sermone 15. Eate the meat of the Apostles preaching before that thou mayst afterward come to the meate of Christ to the meate of oure Lordes body to the deynties of the sacrament to that cup wherewithall the affection of the faythfull is made dronke that it might conceyue gladnesse for remission of sinne and put away the thoughts of this worlde the feare of death and all troublesome carefulnesse for by this dronkennesse that body doth not stumble and fall but riseth to grace and glorie the soule is not confounded but is consecrate and made holy Yet one effect more and then an ende of this matter CROWLEY The dronkennesse that the Prophet Dauid speaketh of in the .22 Psalme c. Here you séeme to haue forgotten your selfe Watson forgetteth what he hath in hande Your whole labour hitherto hath bene to prooue that the sacrament of the aultar worketh many excellent effects and so you haue made it the efficient cause of those effects But now as one that remembreth not what you haue in hande you say that it is the instrument of grace If you will abide by that then I will not striue with you for I am of the same minde that you are in that point if you haue written as you thinck when you say that it is the instrument of grace For euen as the worde of God is an instrument of grace so are the sacraments also But God whose word and sacramentes they be is the efficient cause that worketh by them as by instruments But it séemeth by that which you cite out of Cyprian and Ambrose to proue this effect that ye speake of that it was but a slip of memorie when you called it an instrument I will therfore suppose that you be the same man that you were before till I sée better lykelyhood of your sounde iudgement in this matter Cyprian hath sayde say you Sed quia ebrietas c. Cyprian li. 2. Epist 3. According to your custome you leaue out those wordes that might make the writers meaning playne Cyprian had sayd before that for as much as neyther the Apostle Paule nor an Angell from heauen might declare or teache any otherwise then Christ himselfe had once taught and his Apostles had declared he maruelled that contrarie to the Euangelicall and Apostolicall doctrine there was in some places water offered in the Lordes cup which coulde not of it selfe alone expresse the bloud of the Lorde The sacrament wherof the holy ghost doth not passe ouer in the Psalmes making mention of the Lordes cup and saying Thy cup which doth make dronke is excéeding good And the cup that maketh men dronke is surely mixed with wine for water can not make any man dronken And the Lordes cup doth make a man dronke euen as Noe was made droken when he dranke wine as it is written in Genesis And then doe those wordes that you haue cyted solow All indifferent readers maye perceyue by these wordes of Cyprian what his meaning was Not to teach that the spiritual dronkennesse is the effect of the sacrament but that the sacrament might not be ministred with water alone without wine For vnlesse it haue in it a naturall strength to make the drinkers dronken it can not expresse that is to say it can not lyuely represent the bloud of Christ which being dronken of such as bée members of his body in spirite by fayth and sacramentally in the sacrament according to his institution doth make them dronken with that dronkennesse that saint Cyprian speaketh of here And to make his meaning more playne he addeth to the ende of those words that you haue cyted these playne and manifest wordes Et quemadmodum vino isto communi mens soluitur anima relaxatur tristitia omnis exponitur ita potato sanguine Domini poculo salutari exponatur memoria veteris hominis fiat obliuio conuersationis pristinae secularis moestum pectus triste quod prius peccatis angentibus praemebatur diuinae indulgentiae laetitia resoluatur Quod tunc demum potest laetificare in Ecclesia Domini bibentem si quod bibitur dominicam teneat veritatem And as by the drinking of this common wine a mans minde is loosed and his soule set at lardge from all cares and all sorowfulnesse is sent out from the same euen so when the Lords bloud and the cup of saluation is dronken the remembraunce of the olde man may be expelled and the olde worldly conuersation forgotten and the sorowful and pensiue hart which was before oppressed with sorowe for sinne may be resolued by the ioyfull gladnesse of forgiuenesse at Gods hande Which cup may chéere him that drinketh it in the Church of the Lord when the thing that is dronken doth hold the truth of the Lorde By these wordes of Cyprian it is manifest that he meaneth of such a dronkennesse as saint Austen doth August in Psalm 22. wryting vpon the same verse of the .22 Psalme Where he sayth thus Et poculum tuum obliuionem praestans priorum vanarum delectationum quam praeclarum est And thy cup which doth make men forget their former vayne pleasures is very notable and excellent And this is according to that which saint Paule wryteth to the Ephesians saying Be ye not dronken with wine wherein is
apparell of sheepe but within they be rauenous Wolfes that in their mouths haue the worde of God the truth the Gospell and such gaye wordes but the pitte and effect of their teaching is olde rotten heresies confuted and condemned of all Christendome before and not Gods worde the name whereof they abuse to the maintenaunce of all vice errour beastly lyuing adulterie disobedience sacrilege and open conspiracie to the subuersion of themselues and of that state vnder which they liue The scripture cryeth Nolite omni spiritui credere 1. Iohn 4. beleue not euery spirite but trye and proue the spirites if they be of God or no for many false Prophets are abroad in the world One way to trie them is to marke the ende of their conuersation and the example and fruit of their liues as saint Paule sayth Quorum exitum conuersationis intuentes Hebr. 1. eorum imitamini fidem folow their fayth the ende of whose conuersation ye haue seene We haue seene what is the ende of this newe teaching carnall and detestable lyuing conspiracie and treason The other fathers of whome we learned our faith were men whome the corrupt worlde was not worthy to haue these Authors of this new opinion were men that were not worthy to haue and enioy the worlde Pet. 28. of whom saint Peter writeth Magistri mendaces and so forth Lying maisters that bring in sectes of perdicion denie that Lord that bought them as they doe in this matter of the sacrament bringing vpon them a speedie perdition and many shall folow their wayes through whome the way of truth shall be slaundered and blasphemed and in couetousnesse by feyned words they shall make marchaundise of you to whome iudgement ceaseth not and their destruction sleepeth not We be also warned by saint Iohn of this matter saying 2. Iohn 1. he that remaineth abideth in the doctrine that the Apostles taught he hath the father and the sonne If any come to you not bringing thys doctrine doe not receyue him into your houses Here he doth teache vs to auoyde them that professe any other doctrine then such as all faithfull men vniuersally thorowout the world haue receyued and professe which is not the doctrine that the Sacramentaries preach Finally considering the promises of Christ to his church that he will be with them to the worldes ende Math. 28. and that the holy ghost shall lead them into all truth Iohn 16. then may we iustly say that if this our fayth be an errour it hath preuailed vniuersally not one hundreth yeare but two three foure yea a thousand yeare and more then that euen to the ascension of Christ as appeareth by the testimonies of all holy wryters and then may we say Lorde if we be deceaued thou hast deceaued vs we haue beleeued thy worde wee haue folowed the tradition of the vniuersall Church we haue obeyed the determinations and teachings of those Bishops and Pastors whome thou hast placed in the Church to staye vs in vnitie of fayth that we be not caried awaye with euery winde of false doctrine Therefore if we be deceyued it commeth of thee O Lord our error is inuincible But good people we are sure God deceaueth no man let vs all beware we doe not deceaue oure selues as Saint Iames sayth CROWLEY As touching the scriptures that you haue alledged and the effectes that you haue affirmed to be the effects of the sacrament you are already sufficiently aunswered And for the substaunce of the sacrament also We teach not that the worthy receyuer doth receyue none other thing but bread and wine for we hold as the scriptures the auncient fathers haue taught that the worthy receiuer doth receiue after a spiritual maner sacramentally very Christ God and man that bread of lyfe that came downe from heauen But with S. Austen we teach that the vnworthy receiuer doth not receyue Panem Dominum sed panem Domini contra Dominum August in Iohn Tract 59. The bread which is the Lorde but the bread of the Lord against the Lorde And where you cite certaine scriptures that warne you and all christians to beware of false prophets c. you your selfe are one of those false Prophets And the Prelates of your Antichristian and Babilonicall Church of Rome are those rauening Woolfes that saint Paule did prophecie of Act. 21. that should not spare the flock The hauock that you made of Christes silly Lambes in Quéene Maries dayes 1. Iohn 4. doth declare what you are Saint Iohn doth very well warne vs not to beléeue euery spirite but to trie whether they be of God or not And shall we thinke that your spirite is of God which moueth you to set vp the Pope aboue al that is called God that is aboue all Princes 2. Thes 2. which in the scripture are called Gods and to maintaine him in the temple of God that is in the Church of Christ boasting himselfe as though he were God No surely we can not thinke that your spirite is of God for it is an arrogant spirite And as for the way that you haue found to trie spirites by let it be considered And if your spirite may be by that triall founde to be of Christ then will we credite you But if oures be found so by the same then why should not you credit vs. Mementote praepositorum vestrorum sayth saint Paule qui vobis locuti sunt verbum Dei quorum intuentes exitum conuersationis imitamini fidem Hebr. 13. Remember those that are your gouernors and haue spoken vnto you the worde of God and considering the ende of their conuersation yée doe imitate or folow their faith Chrysostome wryting vpon this place sayth thus In hoc loco etiam de adiutorio in fratres eum existimo dicere hoc enim est quod dicit Qui vobis locuti sunt verbum Dei Quorum contemplantes exitum conuersationis imitamini fidem Quid est contemplantes Sepius animo versantes apud vosmetipsos examinantes consyderantes subtiliter discutientes inquit exitum conuersationis Hoc est perseuerantiam vsque in finem quoniam finem bonum habuit eorum conuersatio c. In this place saith Chrysostome I suppose that he speaketh of the helpe that the brethren should haue at their handes This is it that he meaneth when he sayth which haue spoken the worde of God to you the ende of whose conuersation when ye doe behold you follow their fayth What meaneth he when he sayth when you doe beholde He sayth as much as if he had sayde When you doe tosse it and tumble it in your mindes and doe examine it with your selues considering and discussing it thorowly The ende of their conuersation that is their perseueraunce to the ende bicause their conuersation had a good ende c. It is manifest that Chrysostome doth vnderstande saint Paules purpose in this place to be chiefely to put the Hebrues in remembraunce of
Priests onely Make thée no grauen Image sayth he yes say you we will haue our Churches full c. Wherefore if God haue disceyued you it is not bicause you haue beléeued his worde but bicause you haue loued lyes more then truth and therefore God hath iustly giuen you ouer In efficaciam erroris euen to the force and strength of error 2. Thess 2. as saint Paule wryteth And so is your error a iust punishment for the credite that you gaue vnto lyes And although God neyther doth nor can disceyue any man in such sort as you doe meane yet he sayth that in such meaning as I haue written Ezech. 14. he doth disceyue such as you are for the wickednesse of such people as you haue instructed Thus hauing spoken something of the scriptures WATSON Diuision 29 as this short time would permit there remayneth also the second thing which I sayde moued mee to continue in thys fayth which is the authorities of auncient fathers that haue flourished in the preaching of Gods truth in all ages with authorities I thinke verily in no age haue bene so curiously sought so diligent founde out and so substantially wayed as in this our time And all this is bicause the oppugnation of the truth in this matter hath extend it selfe not onely to the scriptures but also to the doctors to euery particle and title of the doctors whose wrytings haue bene so scanned tried that if any thing could haue bene gathered piked out of their books eyther by liberal writing before this mistery came in contention or by misconstruction of their words or by deprauatiō of their meaning that could seme to make against our fayth herein it was not omitted of some but stoutly alledged amplified inforced and set forth to the vttermost that their wittes coulde conceaue which if God hath not infatuat leauing them to speake so as neyther fayth nor reason could allow lyke as they haue with their vanities seduced a great sort the more pittie so they should haue vndermined and subuerted the fayth of a great many mo that were doubting and falling but not cleane ouerthrowne thankes be to almightie God Of these authorities although with a little studie and lesse labour I could at this time alledge a great number yet cōsidering the shortnesse of the time which is almost spent I shall be content to picke out a fewe which doe not onely declare the minde of the author but also conteyne an argument to proue and conuince the truth of our fayth and such an argument as neyther figuratiue speeche nor deprauation of the wordes or meaning can delude And first I shall begin with the weakest that is with the suspition of the Gentils Tertullian in his Apologie teacheth howe the Gentiles did accuse the Christen men for kylling of yong children ertul. apol Capit. 7. and eating of their fleshe he sayth thus Dicimur sceleratissimi de Sacramento infanticidij pabulo inde We are reported and accused as most mischeuous and wicked men for the sacrament of kylling of children and eating their fleshe and drincking their bloud Historia Ecclesiast lib. 5. Capit. 3. Eusebius also in this historie of the Church wryteth of one Attalus a martyr who being roasted in an yron Cradell with fyre put vnderneath when the sauour of his burnt fleshe came to the smelling of the people that looked on he cryed with a lowde voyce to the people Lo this is to eate men which you doe which fault ye make inquisition of as secretly done of vs which you commit openly in the mid daye By this accusation we may vnderstand that our sacramentes and misteries in the beginning of the Church were kept very secret both from the sight and knowledge of the Paganes that mocked and scorned them and also of those that were Catechumini learners of our fayth and not yet baptized for many great causes which I shall not neede to rehearse nowe And yet for all the secret keping of them being so many Christen men and women as there was they could not be kept so secret but that some ynkeling of them came to the eares of those that were Infidels and vnchristened insomuch that where as in deede and verie truth by the rules of our religion we did eate the fleshe of Iesus Christ our Lorde and drinke hys bloud ministred vnto vs in the sacrament the Gentiles as they were curious to know new things so they came to knowledge of the rumour of our doings eyther by the bewraying of some false brethrē or else by the simplicity of other that of zeale without knowledge would haue conuerted the vnfaythfull to our fayth heard secretly that wee christen men in our misteries did eate mans flesh and drinke mans bloud which they for lack of faith and further instruction began to compasse in their wittes how it was possible so to doe and therefore some of them blinded by their owne foolishe suspicion conceaued and published amongst other as it was most likely vnto them that we in our secret misterie did kill yong children eating their flesh and drinking their bloud and therevpon accused certayne before the Magistrates of thys heynous crime which they coulde neuer trie out to be true as they did accuse But for our purpose it appeareth plainly that we would neuer haue kept our misteries so secret if they had beene but ceremonies of eating of bread wine nor they would neuer haue accused vs of such beastly and vnnatural crimes being men of such reason learning and equity as they were if there had not bene some truth in their accusation which in deede was true for the substaunce of that they alledged but not for the maner of the thing for it was and is true that we in our misteries eate fleshe and drinke bloud but yet we doe not kill and murder yong children and eate their flesh and drinke their bloud And therfore I alledge the sayings of Tertullian and Eusebius the which is also in Origen the sixt booke contra Celsum to declare the accusation of the Gentils against vs concerning the eating of fleshe and drinking of bloud which could neuer haue commed into their heads so to haue done if there had not bene a truth in that matter which they by their reason could neuer see otherwise then they alleged which we by our faith do plainly see and know as it was ordeined by Christ our Lord. And for that cause Tertullian did cast in a vaine worde saying that we were accused of the sacrament of kylling of children which worde Sacrament standeth there for no purpose but to declare vnto vs that this their accusation did rise for lack of the true and precise knowledge of our Sacrament which is true concerning the eating of fleshe and drinking of bloud but not true concerning the kylling and murdering of children CROWLEY After you haue something spoken of the scriptures how much to the purpose let the readers
is able to sing except such as be in the kingdome of the Church which is the kingdome of the father This bread did the Patriarck Iacob desire to eate saying If the Lorde God shall be with me and shall giue me bread to eate and apparell to couer me withall And then he concludeth his aunswere with these wordes Quotquot autem in Christo baptizamur Christum induimus panem comedimus Angelorum audimus Dominum praedicantem Meus cibus est vt faciam voluntatem eius qui misit me Patris vt impleam opus eius Faciamus igitur voluntatem eius qui misit nos Patris impleamus opus eius Christus nobiscum bibet in Regno Ecclesiae sanguinem suum So many of vs as be baptised haue put on Christ as a garment and doe eate the foode of Aungels and doe heare the Lorde preaching thus My meat is to doe the wil of that father that hath sent me that I may fulfill his worke let vs therfore doe the will of that father that hath sent vs and let vs fulfill his worke and Christ will drinke his owne bloud with vs in the kingdome of the Church Now if you be not obstinate you must néedes confesse that Hierome meaneth nothing lesse then to teach that Christ did after such sort as you holde eate his owne fleshe and drinke his owne bloud But that he did it by doing the will of his father and performing his worke And Chrysostome also if you would vnderstand his meaning aright would teache you another meaning of Christes doing then that which you gather His words be these Chrysost in Math. ho. 83. Hac de causa desiderio desideraui c. For this cause haue I greatly desired to eate this passouer with you that I might make you spirituall He himselfe also did drinke of the same least they hearing those wordes should say What doe we drinke bloud and eate fleshe And should therfore be troubled in minde For euen when he did before speake of those things many were offended euen for the wordes onely Least the same thing therefore should happen then also he did it first himselfe that he might enduce them to be partakers of the mysteries with a quiet minde But what Will you say that the olde passouer was able to doe this also No. For he sayde doe this that he might leade them away from that Furthermore if this passouer doe worke remission of sinnes as it doth in déede then is the other vtterly of none effect But euen as in the olde passouer so in lyke maner here he hath left vs a benefit by gathering togither the memorie of the mysteries and therby bridling the mouths of the heretiks For when they say how doth it appéere that Christ was offred and many other misteries then we alledging these things do stop their mouths For if Iesus did not die whose pledge and signe is this sacrifice Thus you sée what great care he had that we should alwaies kepe in memory that he died for vs. Thus far Chrysostome in the place that you cite Here it is manifest that Chrysostome goeth not about in this place to teache that Christ did drinke his owne bloud but that he did drinke of the Cup of the newe passouer whiche he called his bloud as the Lambe was called the passouer that his Apostles might not haue occasion to thinke so grossely as you teache That is that he hadde turned the substaunce of the Wine into the substaunce of his bloud The purpose of Christ in drinking before his disciples and woulde giue it them to drinke contrarie to the lawe which did forbid them the eating of any thing in the bloud therof But he did drinke therof before them that they might thereby know that it was not bloud but wine which he would haue them to drinke in the remembraunce of his death and bloud shedding as the passouer was eaten in the remembraunce of the peoples deliueraunce in Egypt And further to bring them from the obseruing of the old passouer which was ended in him And to arme them against those Heretikes that would deny that Christ died for the sinnes of the world That this is Chrysostomes minde doth plainely appéere in those wordes of his that I haue before written taken out of the same Chapter that you cite As for his maner of speaking in calling the wine his bloud I haue sufficiently written in the former part of this aunswere It is playne therefore that you doe open wrong to Chrysostome in that you would enforce him to help you to maintaine your straunge Paradox of Christes eating of his owne fleshe and drinking of his owne bloud which I suppose neuer any learned or wise man would maintaine as you doe As for the wordes that you cite out of Euthymius and Isychius are sufficiently aunswered in this that I haue written for aunswere to that which you haue cited out of Chrysostome For they both séeme to haue taken out of him all that they write of this matter The descant that you make vpon this playne song saying Descant without good playne song By this fact of Christ we may learne c. might well haue bene spared till you had founde a better playne song to descant vpon For hitherto you haue not proued that Christ did eate his owne flesh and drinke his owne bloud eyther figuratiuely spiritually or really which you call sacramentally And here I must note one pretie point of descant which you doe vse when you say that if we say that Christ did beleue then it foloweth that he was not God So that by this descant eyther Christ must be no man or else he must be an Infidell You are so fearefull to fall into the heresie of them that denie Christ to be God that you fal into the contrarie denying him to be man And so is the prouerbe verified in you Incidit in Scyllam qui vult vitare Caribdim He that is desirous to escape the gulfe on the one side falleth vpon the rocks on the other side But how say you to the wordes of our sauiour Christ written by saint Marke Marc. 13. Hebr. 2. 4. De die autem illa vel hora nemo scit neque Angeli in caelo neque filius nisi Pater Of that day or houre no man knoweth neyther the Aungels in heauen nor the sonne but the father Christ in his mans nature must be lyke vnto vs in all pointes sinne onely excepted But nowe for the reall presence of Christ in the sacrament you haue founde a place in Chrysostome Chrysost hom de Saul Dauid that will not be well auoyded eyther with figuratiuely or spiritually and therefore you conclude that our best way were to yéelde to that which you hold for truth c. But let vs consider the words of Chrysostome in that place He saith thus Non contigit Dauid c. It neuer chaunced to Dauid to tast of such a sacrifice
for your purpose contrarye to their meaning seing Christ hymselfe hys Apostles and Euangelistes the auncient fathers and counsels haue in most playne wordes taught the contrarie of that which you defende It is manifest therefore that you stryuing against the knowne truth your owne consciences the determination of the whole Church are enimies to God breakers of his peace And deuyding your selues from the Church must néedes in the ende come to confusion euerlasting vnlesse yée repent in tyme. WATSON Diuision 7. Concilium Ephes Epist ad Nestor Likewise the next generall counsell holden at Ephesus in the tyme of Theodosius the Emperour eleuenth hundred and twenty yeres ago doth determine this truth lykewise in these wordes Necessario igitur hoc adijcimus Annunciantes enim sicut secundum carnem mortem vnigeniti filij Dei id est Iesu Christi resurrectionem eius in caelis ascensionem pariter confitentes incruentum celebramus in Ecclesijs sacrificij cultum sic etiam ad misticas benedictiones accedimus sanctificamur participes sancti corporis preciosi sanguinis Christi omnium nostrum redemptoris effecti non vt communem carnem percipientes quod absit nec vt viri sanctificati verbo coniuncti secundum dignitatis vnitatem aut sicut diuinam possidentis habitationem sed vere vinificatricem ipsius verbi propriam factam We adde this also necessarily We shewing and declaring the corporall death of Gods onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ and likewise confessing his resurrection and ascention vnto heauen doe celebrate the vnbloudy oblation and sacrifice in our Churches for so we come to the misticall benedictions and are sanctified being made partakers of the holy body and precious bloud of Christ all our redeemer not receauing it as common fleshe God forbid nor as the fleshe of an holy man and ioyned to the worde of God by vnitie of dignitie nor as the fleshe of him in whome God dwelleth but as the fleshe onely proper to Gods sonne and verily giuing lyfe to the receauer By this determination of this generall counsell wee learne that in the mysticall benediction by which worde is meant this blessed Sacrament wee receaue Christes owne proper fleshe and of it we receaue sanctification and lyfe before the receypt whereof we celebrate the vnbloudy sacrifice of the same in our Churches declaring our Lordes death resurrection and ascention and by this place wee plainely perceiue that the doings and wordes which be vsed daylie in our Masse were also vsed in the tyme of thys counsell much aboue a thousande yeares ago By the wordes of the Ephesian counsell CROWLEY you would not onely proue the reall presence in the sacrament but also that the same Apishe toyes that be nowe vsed in the Popishe Masse were then vsed which was within .468 yeres after Christ But the Popes owne hystories doe playnely declare that the greatest number of those things were not as then inuented But to frame the matter somewhat better to your purpose you helpe it a little in wryting out the wordes For in the place of Sacrificij seruitutem you write Sacrificij cultum Supposing belyke that the base Epitheton of seruitude would abate somewhat the high estimation that you would your Masse shoulde haue Well let that passe It is no fault in men of your sort But let vs sée howe this place maye proue the reall presence of Christ in the sacrament The Authors of this Epistle would bring Nestorius then Byshop of Constantinople backe agayne from his errour which was that of the Virgin Marie was borne onely the manhood of Christ and not Christ God and man So that he deuided Christ into two persons one diuine and another humane And to proue that the manhoode in Christ is ioyned with the Godhead in vnitie of person these Byshops doe in this part of their Epistle ioyne to the confession of their beliefe concerning the corporall death resurrection and ascention of our sauiour into heauen the celebration of the remembraunce of his death which they call Incruentam sacrificij seruitutem the vnbloudy seruice of the sacrifice And to make their meaning more playne they say that they come to the misticall benediction and be made holye when they be made partakers of the holy body and precious bloud of Christ the redéemer of all Not receyuing the same as common fleshe or as the fleshe of an holy man or of a man that is ioyned to the sonne of God by the vnitie of dignitie or that possesseth the heauenly habitation but as fleshe that hath power to giue lyfe in déede and is become the peculiar and proper fleshe of the sonne of God himselfe For say they he that is lyfe as beyng God bycause he is vnited to his owne fleshe hath declared the same to be of force to giue lyfe c. These wordes indifferently weighed doe proue that the manhood in Christ is ioyned to hys diuine nature in vnitie of person but that the same manhood is really present in the sacrament and therein offered vp in sacrifice can not be proued by these wordes August ser De sacramentis fidelium Yea these wordes doe verie well agrée with the doctrine of Saint Austen when he sayth thus Qui non manet in Christo in quo Christus non manet proculdubio nec manducat eius carnem neque bibit eius sanguinem etiamsi tantae rei sacramentum iudicium sibi manducet bibat Who so abideth not in Christ and in whome Christ abideth not without doubt he doth neyther eate his fleshe nor drinke his bloud although he doe to his owne condemnation eate and drinke the sacrament of so worthy a thing And agayne he sayth Huius rei sacramentum id est vnitatis corporis sanguinis Christi alicubi quotidiè alicubi certis interuallis dierum in Dominico praeparatur de mensa Domini sumitur quibusdam ad vitam quibusdam ad exitium Res vero ipsa cuius est sacramentum est omni homini ad vitam nulli ad exitium quicunque eius particeps fuerit The sacrament of this thing that is of the vnitie of the body and bloud of Christ is in some places prepared euery day in some place in certaine distance of dayes in the Lordes daye and is receyued at the Lordes table to lyfe in some and to destruction in some other But the thing it selfe whereof it is a sacrament is lyfe to euery man that is partaker thereof and destruction to none So the Fathers of the Ephesian councell haue verie well confessed that comming to the mysticall benediction and being made partakers of the holy body and blessed bloud of Christ they are sanctified and made holy by that quickening fleshe of Christ which being ioyned to his Godhead in vnitie of person is of power to giue euerlasting life to as manye as shall be partakers thereof by dwelling in Christ as saint Austen hath taught I conclude therefore that you haue
Epist 3. Saint Ciprian sayth Qui magis Sacerdos Dei summi quam dominus noster Iesus Christus qui sacrificium deo patri obtulit obtulit hoc idem quod Melchisedech id est panem vinum suum scilicii corpus sanguinem Who is more the Priest of the highest GOD then our Lord Iesus Christ who offered a sacrifice to God the father and offered the same that Melchisedech did that is to say bread and wine that is to say his body and bloud And a little after he sayth Qui est plenitudo veritatem praefiguratae imaginis adimpleuit Christ which is the fulnesse fulfilled the truth of this image that was figurate before By these places of Ciprian we learne that Melchisedech and his offering were figures of Christ and his offering in his supper and like as Melchisedech offered breade and wine so Christ being the truth offered his bodie and bloud vnder the formes of bread and wine And least anye man should be offended with that Cyprian sayth hoc idem quod Melchisedech the same that Melchisedech Heare what saint Hierom sayth more plainely Quomodo Melchisedech obtulit panem vinum sic tu offeres corpus tuum sanguinem verum panem verū vinum Hiero. in Psal 109. Like as Melchisedech offered bread and wine so thou shalt offer thy body and bloud the true bread and the true wine The other was the figuratiue breade and wine this is the true breade and wine the truth of that figure not the same in substance but the same in mysterie Paula Epist ad Marcellā The same saint Hierome among his Epistles hath an Epistle of the godly matrone Paula ad Marcellam wherein be these wordes Recurre ad Genesim Melchisedech Regem Salem Huius principem inuenies ciuitatis qui iam tunc in tipo Christi panem vinum obtulit misterium Christianum in saluatoris sanguine corpore dedicauit Returne sayth Paula to the booke of Genesis and to Melchisedech the king of Salem and thou shalt find the prince of that Citie which euen then in the figure of Christ offered bread and wine and did dedicate the mistery or sacrament of the Christians in the bloud and bodye of our sauiour Marke in this most manifest place the oblation of the figure which is breade and wine and the oblation of the truth which is the misterie of vs Christen men the bodie and bloud of our sauiour Christ And it is to be noted what is ment by this word order which saint Hierome expoundeth thus Hiero. questio in Genesim Mysterium nostrum in verbo ordinis significauit nequaquam per Aaron irrationabilibus victimis immolandis sed oblato pane vino .i. corpore sanguine domini Iesu By this worde order he did signifie and expresse our misterie not by offering of vnreasonable and brute beastes as Aaron did but by the oblation of bread and wine that is to say the bodie and bloud of our Lord Iesus After this fathers minde order is taken for the maner of offering not by shedding of bloud but vnbloudily as we offer Christes bodie and bloud in our mistery For Christes offering concerning the substaunce of it was but one but concerning the order and maner it was diuerse vppon the crosse after the order of Aaron in the supper after the order of Melchisedech For so saint Augustine sayth August in Psalm 33. Coram regno patris sui id est Iudaeorum mutauit vultum suum quia erat ibi sacrificium secundum ordinem Aaron postea ipse de corpore sanguine suo instituit sacrificium secundū ordinem Melchisedech Before the kingdome of his Father that is to say the Iewes hee chaunged his countenance for there he was a sacrifice after the order of Aaron afterward he did institute the sacrifice of his bodie and bloud after the order of Melchisedech Marke the diuersitie and distinction of these two offerings of Christ not in substaunce but in order that is to say the maner and that Christ did institute the sacrifice of his bodie and bloud to bee offered of vs after the order of Melchisedech which thing he expresseth more plainely in an other booke expounding a place of Ecclesiastes Non est bonum homini nisi quod manducabit bibet August De Ciuitate Dei li. 17. Cap. 20. saying thus Quid credibilius dicere intelligitur quam quod ad participiationem mensae huius pertinet quam sacerdos ipse mediator noui Testamenti exlabit secundum ordinem Melchisedech de corpore sanguine suo Id enim sacrificium successit omnibus illis sacrificijs veteris testamenti quae immolabantur in vmbra futuri What is more credible we should thinke he ment by those wordes then that pertayneth to the participation of this table which Christ himselfe a priest and mediatour of the newe Testament doth exhibet after the order of Melchisedech of his bodie and bloud For that sacrifice did succede all the other sacrifices of the olde Testament which were offered in the shadowe of this to come What can be playner then this to shewe the figure of our mystery to be abrogated and the truth which is our sacrifice in the bodie and bloud of Christ in fourme of bread and wine to succeede Oecumenius in Epist ad Hebreos But to ende this matter heare one place playnest of all which Oecumenius hath vpon this place of Saint Paule Tu es sacerdos in aeternum c. in these wordes Significat sermo quod non solum Christus obtulit incruentam hostiam si quidem suū ipsius corpus obtulit verum etiam qui ab ipso fungentur sacerdotio quorum Deus pontifex esse dignatus est sine sanguinis effusione offerent Nam hoc significat in aeternum Neque enim de ea quae semel à deo facta est oblà tio hostia dixissit inaeternum sed respiciens ad presentes sacrificos per quos medios Christus sacrificat sacrificatur qui etiam in mystica coena modum illis tradidit huiusmodi sacrificij The worde meaneth that not onely Christ offered an vnbloudy sacrifice for he offered his owne bodie but also that they which vnder hym vse the function of a priest whose Bishop he doth vouchsafe to be shall offer without shedding of bloud For that signifieth the worde euermore For concerning that oblation and sacrifice which was once made of God he would neuer say euermore But hauing an eye to those priestes that be now by whose mediation Christ doth sacrifice and is sacrificed who also in his mysticall supper did by tradition teach them the maner of such a sacrifice This authoritie if it were any thing doubtfull I would stand in it to open such poyntes as were conteyned therin but being so manifest as it is it nedeth no more but to desire the hearer or reader to wey it and he shall see this
quasi Sacerdos vt peccata nostra dimittat hic in imagine ibi in veritate vbi apud patrem pro nobis quasi aduocatus interuenit Here in this worlde there is a shadowe here there is an ymage there in heauen is truth the shadowe in the law the ymage in the Gospell the truth in heauen Before a Lambe and Calfe were offered now Christ is offered but he is offered as man and receauing passion and he offereth himselfe as being a priest to take our sinnes awaye here in ymage there in truth where with the father as an aduocate he maketh intercession for vs. The same thing he wryteth also vpon the .38 Psalme So that it is very plaine without al controuersie that Christ doth offer himselfe now most perfitely in heauen for vs being our aduocate to the father face to face as saint Iohn sayth 1. Iohn 2. Ipse est propitiatio pro peccatis nostris he is a sacrifice propitiatorie for our sinnes he sayth not he was but is and after the most perfitest maner that can be in respect whereof the very true and reall oblation for our redemption vpon the crosse is an ymage So that by this we see by the plaine scripture that Christ offered himselfe three wayes besides the oblation of himself in his supper which is the point we he about to declare And euen so is he offered of man three wayes likewise First figuratiuely in the oblation of the olde testament When Abraham being about to offer his owne deare sonne and by Gods prouision offred in his stede a Ramme and when Melchisedech offered bread and wine and the Iewes the pascall lambe and their burnt offerings what did they offer but Christ in figure whose passion those offerings did signifie Which offerings did of themselfe worke nothing inwardly and therefore were called Iustitia carnis the righteousnesse of the fleshe but by them they did protest their sinne and declared their fayth of whome they looked to haue remission Secondly we offer Christ mistically in our daylie sacrifice of the Masse where Christ is by his omnipotent power presented to vs in the sacrament and of vs againe represented to his and our father and his passion renewed not by suffering of death againe but after an vnbloudy maner not for this ende that we should therby deserue remission of our sinnes but that by our fayth deuotion and this representation of his passion we most humbly pray almightie God to applie vnto vs by Christ that remission which was purchased and deserued by his passion before The hoste of these two sacrifices vpon the crosse and vpon the aultar is all one in substaunce but the maner is dyuers and the ende is dyuers that by this meanes as Christ himselfe hath instituted we might celebrate make commemoration of his passion This is onely the sacrifice of the priest by publicke ministration but verily and in affection it is the sacrifice of the whole Church which euerye member of the Church doth vse and frequent no man doth impugne it but he that professeth open warre against the Church Thirdly Christ is offered by man spiritually onely by the meditation of our minde when we thinke and remember his passion and in our deuout prayer beseech God to showe vs mercy for it Thus euery christen man and woman in all places and times vppon the aultar his owne heart ought to offer Christ to the father after which sort of spirituall oblation we be all both men and women priestes and kings being as saint Peter sayth Sacerdotium sanctum 1. Peter 2. offerentes spirituales hostias acceptabiles Deo per Iesum Christum An holy priesthood offering spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ Now considering these three wayes shall it be a good argument to inculcate one way and to reiect the rest To alledge one member of a deuision to the reiection of the other This is the peculiar maner of the heretikes the enimies of Christ as they did in the matter of the sacrament by the spirituall eating of Christ to confute and reiect the reall and corporall eating of Christs body in the sacrament Such shiftes and fonde arguments they haue to seduce the vnlearned withall which when they bee espyed and detected they appeare as they be Deuillishe and pernycious Sophistrie CROWLEY Whereas you go about to perswade your hearers that we abuse the wordes of saint Paule to the Hebrues your answere that you make to our obiection doth affirme that we do vse those scriptures aright Hebrues .9 Watson confirmeth our allegation of the scriptures For to what ende hath any of vs alleged them other then to proue that Christ was but once offered for the redemption of mans sinnes and that therfore he is not offered for sinnes in your popishe Masse These be the scriptures say you that they alledge agaynst the Masse as though those scriptures were of no weight in comparison of those that you haue to alledge for the Masse Or else that they were wrested so farre out of square that all the world might sée that they make nothing for the purpose But that the reader may sée that these scriptures so alledged as they be by vs against the Masse be of some force to proue that which we would proue by them I will vpon these scriptures and your answere forme this reason or argument An argumēt for watson to aunswere Whatsoeuer action is but once done is not done often or euery day But Christ is but once offered for sinne Ergo he is not offered often or euerye day for sinne Disproue this argument if you can You would make your hearers beleue that we go about to confute one truth by another But I trust to cause the reader to sée that you confirme one lye by another We graunt that it is true that Christ was offered but once for sinne and that that once must néedes be by shedding of his bloud Rom. 6. Hebr. 9. For as saint Paule fayth Stipendium peccati mors The rewarde of sinne is death He therefore that should take away sinne must die And without the effusion of bloud there is no forgiuenesse of sinnes Therefore Christ that should purchase forgiuenesse of sinnes must néedes haue his bloud shed according to the figures of the olde lawe which did all preach the shedding of the bloud of him that should purge vs and make vs cleane from sinne We do not by the affirming of this truth denie any other truth But if there be any that will say that Christ is offered for sinne any oftner then once or any otherwyse then by death and the shedding of his bloud then doe we alledge this truth grounded vpon the scriptures and confessed by you agaynst that falsehoode affirmed by such as say that Christ is offered for sinne oftner then once or any otherwise then by death and the shedding of his bloud If you can finde any imperfection in Christes one oblation once offered
you doe not make a sauiour of your owne workes And the other is that by the sacrifice of the Masse you declare that you beleue there is no sauiour but only Christ And going about to make the matter plaine that it is no vntruth that you affirme you make it appeare more plaine that it is most false that you haue sayd You say that you do renue and represent the passion of Christ and that you offer Christ to his father and what is this but to make your owne doyngs a saluation to your selfe Was not the worke that the priestes of the olde lawe wrought in offering sacrifice for sinne accounted the purging of those sinnes that they offered them for And why shall not your worke in offering Christ to his father be accounted the purging of your sinne and so consequētly your sauiour And can it be true that you beleue there is no sauiour but onely Christ when as mistrusting the sufficiencie of Christes worke once wrought in offering vp himselfe for the sinnes of the worlde you will take vpon you to offer him to his father For though you say that Christ hath ordeyned that you should in such sort renue and represent his passion yet you are not able to proue it Wherefore I say you take it vpon you without commission so to doe It is he of whom it is sayd Ipse saluum faciet populum suum à peccatis eorum Math. 1. He shall saue his people from their sinnes Christ is not an instrumēt of saluation but saluation it selfe It is not sayde he shall be an instrument of saluation whereby other may saue themselues from their sinnes If Christ had not bene the priest that offered as well as the sacrifice that was offered we could haue had no commoditie by his sacrifice The worke of offering Christ to his father must néedes be the worke of sauing Christes people from their sinnes therefore and so consequently your worke in the Masse being the offering vp of Christ must be a worke of sauing of Christes people from their sinnes But your worke in the Masse is not Christes worke in offering himself Ergo you make another sauiour besides Christ But least you should saye that mine argument concludeth not I will forme you a Syllogismus according to the rules of Logick Whosoeuer doth take vpon him to worke the worke of saluation doth make himselfe a sauiour But you doe take vpon you to worke the worke of saluation Ergo you make your selues sauiours The maior proposition is a common knowne truth allowed of all men The minor is prooued thus Whosoeuer taketh vpon him to offer Christ to his father taketh vpon him to worke the worke of saluation But you doe so Ergo you take vpon you to worke the worke of saluation And how doe you then declare your selues to beléeue that there is no Sauiour but onely Christ Many good things you doe in your Masse You confesse your sinnes c. And last of all you desire to be admitted into the felowship of all saintes Watson hydeth the faults of the Masse not by your owne deseruing but by the forgiuenesse of your sinnes All this is well But you speake nothing of your presumption in taking vpon you to offer sacrifice to God for the sinne both of your selues and other Pro quibus tibi offerrimus vel qui tibi offerunt hoc sacrificium laudis pro se suisque omnibus pro redemptione animarum suarum c. Remember say you thy seruauntes and thine handmaydens c for whom we doe offer vnto thée or which doe offer vnto thée for themselues and for all theirs this sacrifice of prayse Deuill Coniurers as good as Massing Priestes for the redemption of their soules The Deuill coniurers can say as much for themselues as you doe here They can say what doe we in our coniurations We fast we pray we confesse our sinnes and we doe all that we doe in the name of God the father the sonne and the holye ghost And yet is their doing abhominable Actes 19. because they presume to doe that which God neuer wylled man to doe And they abuse the blessed name of God in making it a meane to call vp and binde Deuils to doe as they would haue them do as the seauen sonnes of Sceua did abuse the name of Iesus in their coniurations Although you therefore doe in many things well yet in this one thing of making the sacrament a sacrifice for the redemption of the soules of Gods people you doe so presumpteously abuse both the sacrament of Christ and the name of God that your hole doing beside is made abhominable as the doing of the Deuill coniurers is When the good people therefore shall consider this they will I doubt not iudge that you make your owne worke in offering Christ to his father a sauiour and therfore another sauiour beside Christ You beleue you say that your prayer is of more efficacie and strength in the presence of Christ in the time of the sacrifice c. And here you take Cyprian to wytnesse when he sayth In huius corporis presentia c. And Chrysostome in fiue seuerall places How good a foundation these places are to builde your fayth vpon the reader shall I trust easily perceyue Cyprian De Caena What Cyprians meaning was in that sermon may well be séene in that which I haue written in the aunswere to the tenth fiftenth thirtie two deuisions of your former Sermon As touching those words that you cite here I must tel you that you haue not forgotten your old maner of adding somewhat for your purpose Cyprian hath said In huius presentia In his presence meaning the presence of God of whome he had spoken before And you are so bolde as to say In huius Corporis presentia In the presence of this body c. Cyprian had sayd before It were better for a man to haue a milstone fastned to his necke and to be cast into the déepe sea then with an vncleane conscience to receyue a sop at the Lordes hand Which doth euen vnto this day create his most true and holy body and doth sanctifie and blesse and deuide it to such as doe in godly sort receyue it And then folow the wordes that you alledge In hys presence teares doe not begge pardon in vaine neyther doth the sacrifice of a contrite hart at any time suffer repulse So that Cyprians meaning is The meaning of Cyprian that the sacrifice of a contrite hart is alwaies accepted in the sight of God And although we be alwayes in the sight of God yet when we come togither to communicate according to Christes institution we doe present our selues in the sight of the Lorde as the Israelites did when they came to offer sacrifice before the Arcke of the couenaunt of the Lorde That thys is the meaning of Cyprian in thys place doth appéere by his wordes that folow immediatly after Quoties
whereby God doth stirre vs vp to continuall thankesgiuing which is the same that before he hath sayde is made our Table That is the sacrament of his bodie and bloud wherein that sonne of God that was giuen for vs is liuely represented by visible signes and we moued thereby to be continually thankfull to God for the lyfe that our soules haue by his death By this it doth euidently appeare that nothing doth more exercise our fayth in the knowledge of God and our selues nothing doeth more increase our charitie and hope in the mercy of God then doth the right vse of the holy Communion And although Iob in offering sacrifice for his sonnes did shewe himselfe thereby a louing and carefull father yet can not we acknowledge that strumpet to be our mother that will make a sacrifice of hir husbands heart bloud For Gods wrath can not be mittigated with any such sacrifice But we are the children of that mother that acknowledgeth hir selfe and all hir Children to be alreadie washed and made pure and cleane by the bloud of hir husband which he in his owne person offered to make both hir and all hir children cleane thereby And there is nothing that doth more set forth the benefite of Christ then doth the right vse of the sacrament of this death and bloud shedding For in it wée protest that we haue all thinges by Christ and so forth as you haue sayde of the Masse Which is a méere mans inuention and no ordinaunce of God The other obiections I will but shortly touch for they be of no strength or authoritie one is this WATSON Diuision 31. There is no mention nor no one worde of any oblation in the supper Ergo Christ made no oblation there a goodly reason So there is no mention made neyther of Christes owne mouth nor of any the Euangelistes concerning the oblation of the Paschall lambe yet we knowe most certainely by the olde Testament that the Paschall Lambe was neuer eaten but it was offered before which we are sure Christ did obserue litterally till the truth of that figure were established And also what is more sure then that Christ offred himselfe vpon the crosse and yet neyther Christes owne wordes nor any of the foure Euangelistes wryting the story of the passion make any mention in playne and expresse termes of oblation or offering Though we know it by other scripture sufficiently But their collection is all false they should haue concluded thus Ergo if there any oblation it is reall and not vocalle and so it is in deede Luc. 22. and therefore Christ sayde Hoc facite doe this as ye see mee doe But in the forme of our Masse there be expresse wordes of offering for the rude and ignoraunt and for the euidence of the truth Vnde memores nos domini c. Wherefore we thy seruauntes and people being mindfull of thy sonne Christ our Lorde of his blessed passion resurrection and glorious ascention doe offer to thy most excellent maiestie of thy rewardes and giftes this pure sacrifice thys holy and vndefiled sacrifice the holye bread of euerlasting life the cup of perpetuall saluation There be also other wordes of oblation folowing these words saint Basill hath them Chrysostome saint Ambrose the generall counsell holden at Ephesus the latest of these was a thousand three hundred yeres ago that it might appere that it is not newly brought in as they would slaunder it but the most auncient thing in all the Masse They reason also thus It is a commemoration ergo no sacrifice as who saye the paschall Lambe being the figure of this was not both a commemoration and a sacrifice for the Lambe was instituted to be offered for a memorie of the delyueraunce of the Iewes from the sworde of the Aungell that smote the first begotten of the Egiptians and therefore the Iewes kept this worde of offering the Lambe for a statute for them and their children for euermore Euen so this Lambe of God that lyeth vpon the table of our aultar is a sacrifice offered of vs in commemoration of our delyueraunce from the Deuill by the death of Christ In the olde Testament the first Lambe offered before their deliuery the Lambe which was offered euery yeare after in memory of the same deliuery were verye reall Lambes in deede of one nature and condition euen so the Lambe of God being Christ which Christ himselfe offered in his supper there instituting before his death what we should contynually doe after his death and that Lambe of God which we offer now in memorie of our deliueraunce be very reall Lambes of God in deede and yet not dyuers in number as the other were but all one in number nature condition and dignitie As Chrysostome sayth Chrysost ad Hebreos ho. 17. we offer daylie in commemoration of his death and the sacrifice is one not many Nor we doe not offer one Lambe now to morow another but alwayes the very same or else because it is offered in many places is there many Christs No forsooth but one Christ euery where here full Christ and there full christ one body And so foorth You frame our argument after your owne fashion CROWLEY and so are you the better able to answere it We reason thus Whatsoeuer Christ would haue vs do or beleue is in some part of the scripture so mentioned that we may plainly perceyue that it is his wyll that we should doe or beleue the same But there is no such mention in any part of the holy scripture whereby we may perceyue that it is Gods will that we should beleue that Christ offered himselfe in his last supper or that he did then institute a sacrifice wherein we should dayly offer him Ergo Christ hath not instituted any such sacrifice as you speake of As for the like reasons that you would make of the Paschal Lambe and Christ offering himselfe vpon the Crosse might bée well accepted of some of your Auditorie that were of your mind and therefore blinded by affection But as many of your readers as knowe the scriptures must néedes say that you might with more honesty haue kept them still in your bosome For who knoweth not that Christ himselfe hath sayd Non veni soluere legem sed adimplere Et qui soluerit vnum ex mandatis istis minimis minimus vocabitur in Regno coelorum I came not to breake the lawe but to fulfil it Math. 5. Iohn 14. Iohn 8. Rom. 5. Hebr. 9. And he that shall breake one of the least of these cōmaundements shall be called the least in the kingdome of heauen And againe Beholde the prince of this world commeth and in me he hath nothing at all And againe Which of you can accuse me of sinne And againe As by the sinne of one condemnation came vpon all so by the righteousnesse of one came the righteousnesse of life And againe He offered himselfe vnto God without spot c.
néedes enforce vs to allow your conclusion wherein you say that it is plaine that they did sacrifice c. I pray you let it be knowne to the world in what order they did sacrifice If they vsed that Liturgie that is set forth in Chrysostomes name they must néeds haue company to communicate with them for it is a communion and not a priuate Masse and therfore could not be executed by one alone but by many which must all by that order be partakers and afterward call the people to be partakers with these words Cum Dei timore accedite With the feare of God come hither Such patches you pull out of that Liturgie and mingle them with your matter as though Chrysostome had written them in hys Homilies And then you put a case not worth the debating Patched ware may not be allowed For we speak not of two or thrée communicants but of as many as be instructed in Christ and ought of duetie to resort to one particuler congregation and be not for their vngodlye lyfe excommunicated And when we apply these words of Chrysostome Non es hostia dignus vel cōmunione igitur nec oratione Thou art not worthy of the sacrifice or communion therefore neyther of the prayer we doe not take Chrysostome otherwise then he ment because we vnderstande not the distinction c. But in applying the wordes that folow you shewe your selfe not to vnderstande Chrysostomes maner of speaking Adstantem audis praeconem atque dicentem Watson vnderstandeth not Chrysostomes maner of speaking quotquot estis c. Thou hearest the Beadle that is present making proclamation and saying As many of you as be penitents pray euerye one of you And whosoeuer be not partakers are penitents These wordes he speaketh as imagining that he which would be present and not communicate would séeke to iustifie his disorderly and shamelesse doing by the wordes of the Beadle spoken to the penitents in the time when the hole Church prayeth for them before the ministration of the sacrament But he aunswereth him in fewe wordes saying Quid stas si es in paenitentia Why taryest thou if thou be a penitent Agayne he imagineth another obiection and sayth Sumere non debes qui namque non communicat est ex paenitentibus Thou wilt say saith Chrysostome thou oughtest not to receyue for he that doth not communicate is of the penitents But Chrysostome doth answere him sharply and sayth Cur itaque dicit abite qui non potestis orare Tu verò stas impudens Why then doth the Beadle say you that may not pray get you hence But thou being without shame doest stand still Thus it is manifest that we take Chrysostome right and that you vnderstand him not Although you would séeme to haue slept vpon Chrysostomes graue and to haue séene in a dreame the seuerall places that were in his Church The Clarkes in the Chauncell c. I knowe that prayer is a meane to make a man worthy to communicate and therefore neyther Chrysostome nor I will forbid any to pray But if any will shamelessely be present when the communion of Christes body and bloud is in ministring and will not be partaker but alledge his owne vnworthynesse we will tell him and that truely that he is not worthy to call God his father among the children of God in common prayer if he be not worthy to be partaker of the ghostly foode that God hath prepared for his children The counsell of Nice hath not decréed that such as recouer after they haue in extremitie of sicknesse receyued the Communion of the bodye and bloude of Christ Concilium Nicenum Capit. 12. shall afterwarde communicate in prayer at the time of the ministration of the holye communion wherefore their decrée doth not make Chrysostomes wordes to sounde as you vnderstande and haue declared them For that other argument that you say is vnlearned procéedeth of ignoraunce you séeke a lewde and vnlearned solution procéeding of wylfull blindnesse That which you cite out of Chrysostome and Cyprian I haue sufficiently aunswered in mine aunswere to the .25 diuision of your former Sermon Chrysost in 1. Cor. ho. 24. Cyprian De Caena Where the reader may sée what wylfull blindnesse it is that enforceth you to go about to disproue the reason that we make of the Etymologie of the worde Communion by that which Chrysostome and Cyprian haue written And in applying the place of Dionisius you deale as you did in the .23 diuision of this sermon folowing that corrupt translation that beareth no name It shall be hard for you I thinke to finde in any good Author 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsed in that signification that you doe here vse it Dionisius hath sayde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex veritati factorum Of the truth of the doings So that this place is playne against your purpose when it is truely translated out of the Gréeke Because in the vse of this sacrament there is a common receyuing Dionisius sayth that the sacred wisedome of the priestes hath giuen it a name according to the truth of the doings in the vse of it and haue called it communion But when you take paines to note this place of Dionisius for your purpose Watson could not turne ouer the leafe I maruayle that you coulde not turne ouer the leafe and looke vpon this saying of the same Dionisius Post haec extra Delubrum Catechumini fiunt cum ipsis Energumeni hi quoque qui in paenitentia sunt manent autem intus soli qui diuino spectaculo communione sunt digni After those things that is after the psalmes be song and the scriptures read they that be learners of the christen religion are put out of the temple and with them they that are vexed with Deuils and they also that be penitents and they onely doe tarie within which are worthy of the heauenly sight and communion By these words of Dionisius is made plaine how well you vnderstood the wordes of Chrysostome that you declared before and how well the other words of Dionisius doe serue for your purpose This argument of communion was neuer heard of in the worlde before Martyne Luther WATSON Diuision 43 who was the first father of it and the first man that euer wrote against priuate Masses as he calleth them And where learned Luther that lesson euen of the deuill not because all euill commeth by the suggestion of the deeuill but I meane that Luther had a vision of the deuill and saw him with his corporall eye being waking of whome he learned all that he hath pestilently spoken against the holy Masse And least men should say I lied vpon Luther here in his owne boke Ex crete iudico serue nequam We may iudge him by his owne mouth and his owne hande writing The tytle of his boke is of priuate Masse I shall read you a peece of it that the truth of my saying maye
appeere These be his very woordes I shal make confession before al you reuerende and holy fathers geue me I pray you a good absolution It chaunced me once about midnight sodainely to awake than the Deuill Sathan began with me this disputation Heare said he Doctor Luther very well learned thou knowest thou hast saide priuate Masses .xv. yeres almost daylie What if such priuate Masses be horrible ydolatry what if there were not present the body and bloud of Christ but thou haddest honored onely bread and wine and haddest caused other to honor it to whome I aunswered I am an annoynted priest and haue receyued vnction and consecration of a Byshop haue done all these things by commaundement and obedience of mine elders Why should not I consecrate when I haue pronounced the wordes of Christ and haue said Masse in earnest this thou knowest All thys saide he is true but the Turkes and Gentiles doe likewise all things in their temples of obedience and in earnest The priestes of Hieroboam did all they did of a certain zeale and intent against the true priestes in Hierusalem What if they ordering and consecrating were false as the priestes of the Turkes and Samaritanes were false and their seruice of God false and wicked First said he thou knowest thou haddest than no knowledge of Christ nor true faith and for fayth thou wast no better than a Turke For the Turke and all the Deuils also beleeue the story of Christ that he was borne crucified and dead c. But the Turke and we damned spirites doe not trust to hys mercie nor haue not him for a mediator and sauiour but feare him as a cruell iudge Such a faith and no other haddest thou when thou receauest vnction of the Byshop and all other both they that did annoynt were annoynted thought so and no otherwise of Christ Therfore ye fled from Christ as a cruell iudge to blessed Mary the saints they were mediators betwene you and Christ thus was Christ robbed of his glory thys neyther thou nor no other Papist can denie I would reade more of this booke but for troubling you He that list to knowe what may bee sayde against priuate Masse let him learne here of the Deuill ynough For here is all that hath yet beene sayde of any other and more to The Deuils derlings were ashamed to say halfe so much as their father Sathan least they should be called blasphemous lyers as he is But by this booke Luthers owne confession set forth in print by himselfe to the worlde ye may know that the Deuill was the first that euer barked against the sacrifice of the church which is the Masse knowing that his kingdome of sinne and iniquitie coulde not stande if this sacrifice most aduersarie to it were not defaced and destroyed But what colour had Luther to publishe this shall wee thinke he was so madde as to father that vpon the Deuill that he would haue perswaded for truth to the worlde I shall tell you shortly his fonde deuise in this point as it foloweth fiue or sixe leaues hereafter He sayth he knoweth the Deuill is a lyer but he sayth his lyes be craftie he vseth to alledge a truth which can not be denyed and with that to colour his lye which he perswadeth And therefore sayth he the Deuill lyeth not when he accuseth as that I had committed horrible ydolatrye in saying priuate Masses but the lye is when he did afterward tempt him to dispaire of Gods mercy But sayth Luther I will not dispaire as Iudas dyd but amend that I haue done amisse and neuer say priuate Masse againe O what a cloke of mischiefe is this all grounded of lyes and falshood He sayth the Deuill lyeth not when he accuseth If that be true then he sayde true when he sayde that Luther being a preacher many yeares neuer had true fayth in Christ till he fell from the Masse nor neuer trusted in Christes mercy nor neuer toke him for a sauiour but a cruell iudge Of this the Deuill did accuse him whether he was a lyer herein or no iudge you Also in his accusation he sayde the body and bloud of Christ were not present in the sacrament when such annointed priestes did consecrate and that they honored onely bread and wine with many other damnable lyes and heresies which whoso shall read the booke may finde in great plenty and yet by Luthers principle the deuill neuer lyeth when he accuseth Foure falsehoodes you affirme in lesse then twentie lynes togither of your printed Copie CROWLEY Foure lyes affirmed in lesse then twentie lines togither in this part to conclude withall And so manyfest falsehoodes that scarcely any one of your Auditorie could be so ignorant but that the same must perceyue that you lyed falsely the communion by your owne confession in this Sermon more then once was heard of and vsed euen from the Apostles tyme. For Dionisius Areopagita was saint Paules scholer you say that he speaketh of it in his Hierarchie more then once The action that you call Massing and we priuate Massing was written against by many before it was brought into the Church and by some after it was in vse many yeres before Luther was borne as by Barthram Husse Wycklife and Berrengarius And although it haue pleased Pigghius and such other to blowe abroad this slaunderous lye to the discrediting of all Luthers doctrine as much as in them lyeth and you also to dubbe their lye in the presence of your Prince who could be contented to heare whatsoeuer euill might be reported of that man and such as he was yet there is none that will examine the booke that you speake of but the same shall be inforced to say that it can not iustly be gathered thereof that Luther did eyther sée the Deuill with his bodyly eyes or heare him with his bodily eares But such is the priuiledge of the Popes Prelates when they haue the sworde on their side they may vse all vntruth in perswading the people but especially princes to thinke that all is lyes that the enimies of Antichrists religion haue eyther spoken or written You are bolde therfore to lashe out these thrée lyes before your Prince and to make vp the matter with the fourth affirming that he learned of the Deuill all that he hath spoken against your holy Masse And when you thinke that you haue gotten your selfe some credit in this matter by reading a péece of Luthers booke and leauing of before you come to that wherein his meaning is made plaine you conclude that hereby it may be known that the Deuil was the first that barked against the Masse as against the greatest aduersarie of his kingdome which could not stande vnlesse that aduersarie were defaced and destroyed The diligent reader of this mine aunswere may easily sée howe the Masse hath defaced and destroyed the kingdome of the Deuill in those places where it hath bene most vsed and in those persons
A setting open of the subtyle Sophistrie of Thomas VVatson Doctor of Diuinitie which he vsed in hys two Sermons made before Queene Mary in the thirde and fift Fridayes in Lent Anno. 1553. to prooue the reall presence of Christs body and bloud in the sacrament and the Masse to be the sacrifice of the newe Testament written by Robert Crowley Clearke MALACHIE ca. 1. Pure incense is offered in euery place and an vndefiled oblation is offered to my name for my name is great amonge the Gentiles sayth the Lorde of Hostes Seene and allowed according to the Queenes Maiesties Iniunctions ¶ Imprinted at London by Henry Denham VNIVERSIS SINGVLAtim nostrarum Academiarum Theologis Robertus Croleus sacrae Theologiae studiosus S. O. Aeternam EQVIDEM VIRVM christianae Religionis hostem non vulgarem aggressus viri grauissimi quos mallem huius nostri certaminis Iudices constituere quam vos qui omni diuinarum scripturarū cognitione praediti estis maximè Vos inquam incliti huius regni lumina vtriusque nostrae Academiae theologos intigerrimos christianaeque pietatis alumnos maximè pios Vos igitur omnes inuoco testes fidelissimos nostraeque litis arbitros aequissimos in omni difficultate nostra incorruptissimum vestrum Iudicium appello Vos etenim scitis vos inquam qui sacra volumina iam diu cum ingenti foenore triuistis pugnam hanc nostram esse vtilem christianae Reipublicae maximè necessariam Agitur enim de praecipuis christianae Religionis dogmatibus de praesentia scilicet Christi in Caena de iugi christianorum sacrificio Realem substantialem corporalem esse contendit ille ego non nisi veram spiritualem sacramentalem probo Ille scripturarum antiquorum patrum testimonijs nititur eisdem ego telis iugulum eius peto Missam vocat ille Ecclesiae christianae sacrificium ast ego glorificationem nominis Dei per christianorum obedientiam illud esse assero Vter rectius de his rebus sentiat vter probabilius scribat Vestrum iam esto Iudicium Scio esse non paucos qui me temerarium audacem petulantem dixerint quòd ego tam eruditulus homuncio tantum virum tamque omnium iudicio eruditissimum tam petulanter appetere sim ausus Multos esse me multò doctiores prudentiores atque longè subtiliores qui per quindecim iam integros annos hanc prouintiam suscipere noluerunt quam ego nulla doctrina nulla prudentia nulla solertia munitus temere suscipere non vereor Quibus sic responsum esse velim Me nec aduersarij huius potentiam timere neque imbecillitatem meam respicere Tantum in nomine Dei Israelis eius prelium ineo eiusque hostem populique eius conuitiatorem blasphemum superbumque prouocatorem impeto non dubitans quin sit futurum vt ille aut palmam porrigat aut truncus iaceat Quòd multi magis docti prudentes solertes hactenus cum isto congredi noluerunt mea nihil refert non enim metu magis quà m contemptu abstinuisse mihi videri debeant quāquam sint qui mihi persuadere sunt conati bonum esse crabronem non irritare rabiosum canem è somno exitare Esto sit crabro sit canis rabidus leo rugiens ego tricipitem illum Cerberum diu diuinae prouidentiae certitudini horribiliter oblatrantem per biennium iam silere coegi quis est Rhilistaeus iste incircumcisus vt meo calamo non prosternat eum Dominus exercituum Arrogantiae meae ascribant qui velint quod ego tam pusillus hoc tantum facinus aggredior si abstulerit Dominus opprobrium populi sui nihil est quòd ego quaeram amplius Ast vafer est veterator callidus ad omnem fallaciam maximè instructus Sit ita Ego eius causam ago qui versutos in versitia sua comprehendere potest vult Intrepidè igitur ego incircumcisum hunc Philistaeum in nomine Dei Israelis oppugno Ipse enim est qui suae Religionis hostes vniuersos prosternet conculcabit conteret Vos igitur adeste Iudices aequissimi estis enim meo Iudicio dignissimi faciteque vt vincenti palma porrigatur vt Deo optimo maximo vniuersa gloria tribuatur Valete Et studiosi studiosis fauete Ex Aedibus meis in vico australis opificij iuxta Londinum quarto Iduum Septembris Anno salutis nostrae 1569. Vester Robertus Croleus TO THOMAS WATSON Doctor of Diuinitie Robert Crowley Student of the same vvysheth as to hymselfe the holy Spirite of God to direct him in all Godly studie TWO THINGES CHIEFLYE moued me to take in hande to aunswere your two Sermons which you preached before Queene Marie and caused to be set forth in print in the yere of our Lorde 1554. One is for that the estimation that you haue in the Popes Church is such that whatsoeuer is knowne to be of your doing is of that sort thought to be so learnedly done that none can be founde amongst vs able to aunswere any part thereof I therefore much inferior to many of my minde in Religion haue enterprised to encounter with you hauing now by Gods prouidence a time of more leasure therevnto than at any time since my returne out of Germanie I haue had Wyshing that you hauing the lyke leasure might be licenced to replie to this aunswere as you are able that by the trauaile of vs two nowe being at leasure the truth of the matters that you entreate of might be made plaine to such as woulde reade our wrytings and seeke for knowledge by our labours The other is the subtile handling of the matters that you intreate of which may easily disceyue the simple Reader and astunnish the learned that hath not seene and weighed the places that you alledge for your purpose The subtiltie whereof I haue set open in such sort that none can be disceyued by you but such as be perswaded that it is vnpossible for you to lye or for me to write a truth I knowe we may both erre and therefore I would wishe that the readers of our writings should set aside all affections giue credit to neyther of both further then they shall by our wrytinges he made vnderstand that it is the truth that we teach As touching your person you are to me vnknowne as I thinke I am to you but what minde you were of in religion when you made these Sermons I can not but know by reading and considering of the same as you also must needes know what minde I am of if you will in like maner read and consider this mine aunswere According as Iesus Christ hath taught I doe loue both your soule and body and doe wishe both to be saued by the bloud of that vnspotted Lambe that by his death and bloudshedding hath paide a sufficient raunsome for the sinnes of the whole worlde The errours that you haue taught I doe vtterly