according to the Scriptures appeareth by that which he said before That Dauid that the Euangelists that the Apostles doe teach vs c. Cyp. in Epi. 74 Saint Cyprian If it be commaunded in the Gospel if it be contained in the Epistles or acts of the Apostles let vs obserue it as diuine and holie But if it be not there then what followeth but the contrarie Saint Basil VVe must learne the Scriptures Basil regul 95 as concerning that which is to be practised in them as well to replenish our spirit with pietie as to leaue of to accustome humane constitutions Saint Ierome Hiero. in Esas It is no maruell saith he speaking of the Iewes if you follow your traditions seeing that euerie country goeth to seeke counsaile at their Idols but God verely hath giuen vs his scriptures and darknesse shall ouerwhelme you if you follow them not As also vnto Christians for euen in his time saith he it was come to the lees In. Matth. 23. VVo be vnto you wretched Christians to whom the sinnes of the Pharisies are translated and come euen that damnable tradition of theirs c. wee swallow downe against the commaundement of God the things that are great and hunt after the opinion of religion in the small and little ones c. And once for all The sworde Ad Laetam saith he of the Lord striketh at all those doctrines which are found bearing the shewe of Apostolicall traditions without the authoritie and testimonie of the Scriptures And this is the verie thing whereof Saint Augustine so greatly complained himselfe in his time that in the Church euery thing was full of presumption S. August in Epi. ad Iouin In S. Ioha tract 96.97 and preiudicate opinion that contrarie to the expresse worde of Christ the yoke of Christians was become more heauie and greeuous then that of the Iewes That men made lesse conscience of the law of God then of the least humane ordinances or rather fansies All this or the most part thereof comming from heretikes and certaine Apocripha bookes vnder the shadow saith he of this worde From the Lord I haue yet many things to say insomuch as that there is not the veriest foole that is that dareth not to abuse the same A place that some obiect against vs euen vnto this day about the same matter But saith he when the Lord hath kept any thing hidden from vs who is he that is so vaine as to goe about to gesse at it or so rash and foole-hardie as to take vpon him to reueale it And this is the cause why Saint Bernard wearie of those insupportable traditions Bern. Epist 91 ad Abba Suissioni congreg said I desire with all my hart to present my selfe as a partie in that Councel wherin traditioÌ„s are not obstinately defended nor suspersticiously obserued but rather the good and perfect will of God with all humilitie and diligence searched after and sought for And againe De precepto dispensat If there be any such as charitie hath beene the inuenter of it is iust that by the same charitie they bee ceased and giuen ouer if it bee so found expedient Againe The precepts which are of the ordinances of God are necessarie but those which are of humane constitution arbitrarie and at discretion c. And in deed the Ecclesiasticall historie doth witnesse vnto vs that the ancient fathers did leaue such things as were meere obseruations indifferent both vnto whole Churches and particular persons not inforcing any thing but what was of the pure and vndefiled commaundement of God as is to be read in Socrates Nicephorus c. Can not the Church then ordaine any thing Socrates Niceph. l. 12. c 14. Wherein or how far the authority of the Church stretcheth And wherein shall the authoritie thereof consist Nay let vs not feare that it hath ouer little to doe It is not a small thing in the blindnesse wherewith man is blinded and in the darknesse of this worlde to keepe it selfe from straying and wandring out of the way of life to keepe it selfe from loosing the heauenlie light through the sight of the eyes and to guide it selfe and others by the same And would to God it would haue contented it selfe to haue knowne this onely and to haue beene ignorant in all the rest Where as hauing toucht the forbidden tree and hauing transgressed this worde Deute 4. 12 Cursed be they which adde thereunto shee hath opened her eyes to these false and deceyuing fiers but shut them at the light and so consequentlie lost her puritie loyaltie and innocencie and leauing the truth of God is further become left vnto herselfe The ancient fathers verily The Fathers made faith the limits of the Church and the Scriptures the bounds limits of faith Colos 2.8 1. Cor. 4.6 Iohn 8.13 Not by succession Iren. l. 3. con heres c. 11. l. 4. c. 43. 44. Tertul. de prescript de pudicit Id verius quod prius Tertul. de virg â—â—land Con. Praxeam Tertul. de prescript Cypr. Ep. 55. De lapsis In tract de simplicit pontif in ep 74. Gregor Nazianz in orat habit ad laudem S. Athanas cont Arrian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 haue not thought it any thing dishonoured when they tyed it to the obedience of her Spouse for they bounded it by faith and faith by the Scriptures And it would haue beene on the contrarie a verie strange doctrine vnto them that it shoulde haue spoken or heard any other language then her owne seeing it is said vnto her by the Apostle See that none spoile you through Philosophie or vaine deceitfulnesse according to the traditions of men Againe Learne of vs not to be wise aboue that which is written And in vs saith the Apostle that is to say by our example And by her Spouse himselfe If you abide in my worde you shall be truly my disciples Irenaeus saith The Gospel is the pillar and foundation of the Church It behoueth it to flie from all those which flie from and forsake the principal succession and cleaue vnto theÌ„ that keepe the doctrine of the Apostles Tertul. The Church is knowne to be apostolical not by nuber not by succession of Bishops but by the consanguinitie of doctrine And this doctrine again In this saith he in that the most ancientis most true that is most ancient which was from the beginning and that which is from the beginning is that which is froÌ„ the Apostles from the Apostles saith he who left the Scriptures for vs vpon whom are come the last ages the Scriptures by which the truth is defended and not by tradition or custome For how saith he could a man be able to speake of the things of faith but by the writings of faith Saint Cyprian Those are the Church saith he which dwell in the house of God But how Verily saith he who so is separated diuided
of Churchmen was all one with the apparrell of the time Index Expurg pa. â—6 not of any set or affected sortes or sutes As likewise the garmentes of the Monkes of the Order of S. Benets were not anie other thing then the Latus-clauus of the Romaines Which when our Fathers of the Councell of Trent perceiued they caused this place in the Table of the notes of Erasmus vpon S. Ierom to be set down amongst other places that they decreed to be raced out and defaced Afterward as the apparrell of men doth hardly continue in one state they begun to alter amongst the secular sort and were notwithstanding continued in one fashion amongst the Church-men thereupon grew the difference betwixt the one and the other And notwithstanding that the ancient Canons do stay there yet by by after the time of Constantine Plat. in vita Syluestâ— when the church was in her prosperitie it followed that the Ministers were appointed to weare a speciall kind of garment by the ordinance of Syluester the first Let them refraine and abstaine from all cloth of silke and from dyed or coloured cloth contenting themselues with linnen at the time of the administration of the Sacraments and further let them not goe But as Gregorie had vndertaken to reduce all the olde Testament into the new changing the Elders into the sacrificing Priestes of the lawe the Tables into Altars the sacramentes into sacrifices and the Deacons into Leuites then there entred an endles peece of worke And then also beganne from time to time these priestlie garmentes consecrate for the action of their Ministerie which wee reade to haue beene giuen to Churches sometimes by princes as by Charles the Great and Lewes his sonne as also these goodly Canons and Rules that euerie man euen to the Porter should bee apparelled otherwise then the common people and that of these garmentes there should be a differenec betwixt those which were to be worn on working dayes and those which should bee worne on festiuall dayes as also that they should bee diuerse according to the diuersitie of feastes as white blacke redde greene c. white ones vpon the festiuall dayes of Confessors and Virgins redde ones vpon the festiuall dayes of the Apostles and Martyrs blacke ones vpon the dayes of affliction and abstinence and from Aduent to the Natiuitie of Christ as also from Septuagesima sunday to the Saturday before Easter greene ones vpon common and working dayes and a thousande other such like particular obseruations which it would bee too long to repeate wherewith the Romish Church hath sported herselfe from time to time to holde vp with nouelties and not to instruct in the olde and auncient truth the poore simple people Through which also the Doctors addicted to speculation as Innocent the third Durandus in his Rationall and diuerse others haue runne themselues out of breath in allegorizing vppon the vestmentes of the Massing Priestes vppon their stoles and tippettes c. and in blazoning of the colours after the manner of the olde Romaines fonde Curiosities which the first antiquitie did neuer thinke of but haue beene deuised by that antiquitie which in respect of the former is but as a yesterdayes Noueltie Now it was likewise about the same time How Vnction and the Order of Priesthoode grew vp and prospered that Vnction grewe to bee receiued for a Priestlie Order Gregorie the Great beganne the same by a peruerse imitation of the Iewish religion The times so shaped whiles the Barbarians did beare swaye in Christendome that euerie man as the scripture sayeth filled his hande that the calling of the Ministerie was prostituted to euerie ignorant fellowe and the imposition of handes offered to euerie one that came By the same meanes also the zeale of Christians waxed colde and resorte vnto the sacrament of the holie supper was rare and seldome So that what through the negligence of the Bishoppes busied with the affaires of this worlde what through the multitude of Priestes vnable for the most parte to teach the worde of God and lastlie through the coldnes and benummednes of the faithfull in the bestirring of themselues in holie exercises all these abuses were bredde and brewed namelie that the Bishoppes and Priestes preaching the worde of God no more and the faithfull repayring to the sacramentes but certaine times in the yeare the whole seruice was become a hearing or as the Italians saye a seeing of the Masse As also that whereas the Bbs. and Elders were wont to be called to the preaching of the gospell the Elders from henceforth were not ordained but onlie to celebrate the Masse which at the first they tearmed to consecrate and afterward to sacrifice They were ordained by these wordes Accipe potestatem c. Take the power of sacrificing for the quicke the deade Duran d. l. c. 9. without anie one worde spoken of the preaching of the Gospell set into their charge per calicem patinam with a cuppe full of wine and a dish full of hostes and not by the deliuering of the Gospell as being inioyned to this onely dutie and with these wordes Take vnto thee power and authoritie to offer vnto God hosts able to appease his wrath c. And they were annointed for this worke by the annointing of handes with this praier Vouchsafe O God to consecrate and sanctifie that which these handes shall consecrate and sanctifie Anno 1000. c. And this chaunge fell out about the yeare 1000. in a time most famous for all manner of ignorance of all others that had beene since the time of our Lord and that in the common opinion of all men and wherein all manner of superstition grew and increased more then it had done in many ages before In the end Transubstantiation was added vnto the rest and that the Priest who was to bee receiued into the Order Hostia 40. dierst Fulbert Epise Carnot Ep. 2. ad Finard shoulde haue giuen him by the Bb. a consecrated host which he shold be eating for the space of full 40. daies euerie daye taking some part thereof though neuer so little that so hee might be sanctified by little and little in signe of the fortie daies which our Sauiour Christ conuersed with his Disciples after his resurrection c. But what ground haue all these newe inuentions in the scripture what staye or holde in that which is true antiquitie If so bee that wee will not intitle with this name all that which may bee alleadged and brought within the compasse of some hundred yeares against the priuiledge of the Church whose priuiledges and lawes and much lesse doctrine but least of all the truth of Christ there is no prescription or number of yeares that can preiudice or impeach CHAP. VIII That the Bbs. and Ministers of the olde Christian church were married THere is yet remaining to be spoken of The scripture contrarie to their single vnmaried life the vnmarried
other man you shall find them to haue beene of the same opinion But what maketh all this for purgatorie but onely that it may serue to dasle the eyes of men For that this was an opinion at that time helde as indifferent in the Church it doth appeare in that that Saint Augustine handling the same in his bookes of retractations leaueth it vndecided whereas Chrysostome in many places speaketh to the contrary cutting all off in a worde As that the righteous shall see God face to face and not any more by faith c. That death coupleth vs with the companie that is with Christ where the Cherubines glorifie God where the Seraphins flie where we shall see Saint Paule c. In so much as that it was pronounced hereticall and that by the name of the heresie of the Armenians by Innocent the third Benedict the eleuenth by the decree of the Councell held at Florence where it was said that the soules of the saints at their departure out of this life did inioy the presence of God Notwithstanding that Pope Iohn the 22. had made a Decree in fauour of that doctrine namely that the Vniuersitie of Paris should be restrained from admitting any to proceed Doctor or in any other degree of diuinity which did not take an oath that soules did not see God before the day of iudgement And this is verified by Gulielmus Occan in his booke intituled Opus nonaginta trium dierū And Pope Adrian the 6. vpon the 4. booke of Sentences both which do condemne it And thus as hitherto they haue not any third place where the souls are purged in the time betwixt death the day of iudgement For that of Origen S. Ambr. S. Hillary helpeth thē not a dodkin that of Augustines refuteth this of theirs and being wel looked on appeareth to be a fire of tribulation a spirituall but not a materiall fire moreouer such a one as is very doubtfull and meere arbitrarie Likewise these pretended receptacles of Soules are not places of anguish and torment but of rest and ioyfulnesse not of making satisfaction but of contentation to be receiued by the attending and wayting for of the glorie to come in like manner they are condemned of heresie by themselues And therefore it remaineth that if they will needes haue it to haue beene at this time which is fiue hundred yeares after Christ that yet they goe and find it amongst the Gentiles And great in deede is the antiquitie of that for it was before the comming of Christ many ages and yet notwithstanding it is verie young and a meere Nouice in the Church of Christ because it is without Christ and out of the Church CHAP. IX Wherein the obiections of the aduersaries whereby they goe about to proue their Purgatorie out of the old Fathers are fully answered THey say you cannot denie Of the satisfactions vsed amongst them of the olde Church but that the Primitiue Church did impose great satisfactions vpon them which had failed in the profession of the name of Christ How then could they make the same but in Purgatorie when they were dead and had left them vndone But wee rather argue quite contrarie As that if the auncient Church which imposed these Satisfactions vpon them that so they might let them goe to God in peace did as ordinarily giue them absolution then it cannot but certainely proue that it had not learned any thing of this Purgatorie But the truth is that in the times of those great and continuall persecutions which the Christians suffered for the space of three hundred yeares onely some little respite and rest giuen vnto them many did renounce and belie the profession of the faith of Christ who before in the calme and peaceable times had giuen their names thereunto becomming readie to returne to Idolatrie as the times chaunged and altered Now against this leuitie in constancie the auncient Church did not thinke any punishments that could be inflicted to be too hard or sharpe by meanes whereof it thought to find out the sinceritie or hypocrisie of the penitents as also their liuely or otherwise dull and dead sence and feeling that they had for their sinne Wherefore the end and scope of this course was to bring them to sackcloth and ashes and to suffer them to passe many daies in making humble petitions to bee reconciled to the Church who either had sacrificed or burnt incense to Idols or who had giuen the Gospels and holy Bookes to bee burned and who were therefore called Sacrificati Thurificantes Traditores Libellatici c. yea and which is yet more to the end they might adde more carefull heede to such as should offer to enter themselues into the number of the Church there were some that would not receiue Lapsos paenitentes any more then once to the taking of penance after baptisme And Nouatus proceeded yet further and denied it them altogether for the which he was condemned of the Church which also thereupon Cypr. l. 4. Ep. 2 from that time forward began to mitigate these punishments What then And now if they died before the time were they not bound by the Church And how then did they satisfie these punishments Idem l. 3. Ep. 8 Serm. 5. de Lapsis Verily the order was good that before they had fully made such satisfaction they were not to be receiued to absolution or to haue any communion with the Church But as duely was it obserued on the other side that if they were in daunger of death before the time of such accomplishment that then notwithstanding they were receiued into the peace absolution and communion of the same Assuredly not with any purpose or intent that they should euer haue gone into Purgatorie for they neuer thought of it But to the end saith S. Cyprian that dying they might goe to the Lord in peace Idem l. 3 Ep. 17. l 4 Ep 4. Euseb l. 6. c. 34 To the ende saith Dionysius That their sinne being blotted out they may depart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in good hope out of this life But here withall they ioyned say they this condition that if they should recouer their health againe that then they should fulfill this satisfaction but that otherwise they should haue any thing to accomplish in the world to come not a word Contrariwise S. Cyprian sheweth a reason of this absolution in these words saying Quoniam exomologesis apud in feros nec esse nec fieri potest Seeing there neither is nor can be any publike confession or acknowledgment amongst the dead That is to say as we haue learned to expound it of Tertullian that these Acts of Canonicall satisfaction cannot be accomplished after this life Bellarmine and others before him obiect vnto vs a place out of S. Cyprian in this same Epistle Cypr. l. 4. Ep. 4. but to no end or purpose Aliud inquit est ad veniam stare c. It is one
much saith the Apostle as That he hath not taken vpon him the Angels that is to say the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham that is to say the nature of man taking part with flesh and bloud c. to destroy the kingdom of death by his death c. For in presupposing without the word of God that this body may be in a thousand places at once they conclude against the word of God that this body hath not that which is of the very nature of a body against that which our Lord said after his resurrection reprouing the vnbeliefe of S. Thomas A spirit hath neither flesh nor bone c. and against that which all antiquitie teacheth That what he once tooke vpon him he neuer leaueth or casteth off That in putting on glorie he did not put off either nature or yet the conditions and qualities of nature c. Christ verily in taking our nature hath taken both our flesh our bloud and this bloud distributed throughout his veines c. What doth then this Transubstantiation which shutteth vp this his body by it selfe vnder the accidents of bread and his bloud by it selfe vnder the accidents of wine He hath taken likewise both our flesh and our soule and shall then a corporall substance bee turned into a spirituall The bread into the soule of our Lord c. Or if it bee not changed thereinto shall it remaine a body without a soule And if this body which was giuen to the Apostles were liuing was not then this bread changed into a soule But they denie it And if he were dead then should he not be dead and liuing both at once Dead and inuisible as he was giuen but aliue and visible as he did giue and distribute it And how many are the absurdities begotten of one absurditie And who seeth not how the auncient heretickes which called in question the truth of the humane nature of Christ did not a little ground themselues and their assertions vpon these Maxims Verily Iesus Christ our Lord after his resurrection That Christ is absent according to his humaine nature but euery where present as concerning his diuine nature According to the scriptures Iohn 7 Iohn 3. Mathew 26. Mark 6. Luke 24. Acts 1.3 ascended in his body into heauen and left this world vntill the time of his comming againe to iudge the world according as he did instruct his Apostles as hee had made them visible to behold see and as they in like maner after him did aduertise and teach vs You shall not haue me alwaies with you I am here for a while It is expedient for you that I goe I am come into the world and againe I leaue the world I goe to him that sent me from whome I am also come and if I goe not the comforter will not come You shall seeke me but as I haue said vnto the Jewes whither I goe they cannot come And now also I tell it you that is to say in one word looke not for me any more hereafter in this humane nature And in deed hee blesseth them withdraweth himselfe from them and is taken vp on high into heauen and set at the right hand of his father From whence he shall come againe say the Angels euen as he was seene to goe vp into heauen And it must needes be saith S Peter That the heauens doe containe him vnto the time of the restauration of all things And yet notwithstanding hee saith I will not leaue you orphanes I am with you vnto the end of the world I will send you the comforter which shall teach you c. Likewise whensoeuer you shal be two or three gathered together in my name I will be in the miast of you that is according to my diuine nature And thus haue al the auncient Fathers spoken Origen It is not the man that is euerie where According to the Fathers Orig in Mat. tract 33. where two or three bee gathered together in his name or yet alwaies with vs vnto the end of the world or which is in euerie place where the faithfull are assembled but it is the diuine power which is in Iesus Athanasius I goe to the Father But doth he not fill all things euen heauen earth and hell And did he neuer withdraw him selfe from the Father And to goe and come are not these properties belonging to such as are finite and limited within their lists and bounds of time and place by departing from the place where he was not to the place where he was c. But saith he This is because he speaketh of the humane nature which he tooke vpon him in which it behoueth him to goe vnto the father and come from thence againe to iudge the quicke and the dead c. S. Augustine in an infinite sort of places and that very largely You shall haue the poore alwaies with you c. Let not good men saith he be troubled In respect of his maiestie prouidence grace c. it is fulfilled which he said I am alwaies with you c. In respect of the flesh which the word tooke vpon it August in Ioh. tract â—0 as also in respect that he was borne of the Virgine apprehended of the Iewes fastned to the tree taken from off the Crosse wrapped in linnen laid in the Sepulchre manifested at the resurrection it is the same which is said You shall not haue mee alwaies c. The Church inioyed him but a few daies in respect of his bodily presence but now it possesseth him by faith seeth him no more with these bodily eyes c. Idem ad Dardan Ep. 57. What then Said one vnto him is he not euerie where Yes he is euerie where saith he but as a man is soule and flesh so Christ is the word that is to say God as also man and wee must alwaies distinguish in the Scriptures that which is spoken of the one from that which is spoken of the other By reason of the one he is the Creator and in consideration of the other a creature In the one he was here vpon earth and not in heauen when he said No man ascendeth vp into heauen c. In the other he was in heauen notwithstanding that he was not yet ascended vp into heauen notwithstanding that he was yet conuersant and abiding here vpon earth c. And therefore stand fast and irremoueable in thy Christian confession That hee is ascended vp into heauen That he sitteth at the right hand That from thence and not from elsewhere he shal come to iudge the quicke and the dead and that in the very same forme and substance of flesh whereto for certaine saith he he hath granted and freely giuen immortalitie and yet hath not bereft it of his nature And according to this nature we must not make accompt that hee is shed abroad euerie where but rather beware least we in such sort establish the Diuinitie of the
from the Gospel the same is not ioyned to the Church for this is all one saith he after the maner whereby Antichrist was brought in vnder the name of Christ by counterfetting things likely thereby subtilly to frustrate the truth where as it had behooued him to haue returned to the originall of truth haue hasted back to the spring-head to see at what place the pipes conueying the water vnto vs were broken by this meanes to haue lent his eare vnto the doctrine of the heauenly Master For saith Nazianzene vnto the Arrians The church is not defined by multitude if they haue the people we haue the faith if they haue the golde and siluer we haue the true doctrine succession must be valued by pietie and not by Sea or seate Who so retaineth the same doctrine of faith hee possesseth the same Sea as he that retaineth the contrarie in the same Sea is to be helde as an enemy Because saith Saint Chrysostome The Church consisteth not in walles but in faith so that where faith is there the Church is where faith is not there the Church is not This is the true Ierusalem whose foundations are placed vpon the mountaines of the Scriptures As also saith he he goeth not out from the Church that goeth out from the bodie but rather he that forsaketh the spirit the foundation of the ecclesiasticall truth We then saith he are gone out from them in respect of the place but they froÌ„ vs in respect of faith we haue left with them the foundations of the walles but they haue left with vs the foundations of the Scriptures Saint Ambrose Christ alone is he whom no man ought to forsake or change away to whom it is by good right said Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the wordes of life It is then giuen vs in charge aboue all things to seeke out the faith of the Church in which if Christ dwell howe that then wee must make choise thereof namely for our habitation but if wee finde therein either an vnfaithfull people or an hereticall teacher that spoileth the dwelling such Synagogue is to be auoided And if to be briefe a Church forsake the faith it behooueth vs to forsake and abandon it c. And he yeeldeth a reason Christ saith he is the rocke Petra non Petrus S. Ambr. l. 1 de paenit c. 9. the foundation of the Church that is faith if thou be in the rocke thou art also in the church But to the end we may not take one rocke for another Know saith he that they which haue not Peters faith can neither haue Peters portion and inheritance Saint Ierome expounding the Creede He hath not said I beleeue in the holie catholike church but I beleeue the holie church The holie church is that which keepeth the faith of Christ in the integritie and soundnesse thereof It consisteth not of walles but vpon the veritie of doctrine VVhere faith is there is it also and there it was at such time as heretikes possessed all these churches In Psal 133. VVouldst thou enter into this church and that by the right way In Psal 5. It is the reading of the Scriptures Do thou O Lord so lay out and fit my way as that I may not fall or take offence in these Scriptures seeing that by them I desire to enter into thy church Yea saith he these Scriptures they are the kingdome of God himselfe In S. Mat c. 21. And when it is said that the Lord hath translated the kingdom of heauen from the Iewes vnto vs it is as much as to say that he hath taken the Scriptures from them to giue them vnto vs. In them saith Saint Augustine we finde Christ in them wee are to seeke and search for the Church in them and by them it is shewed vnto vs. Aug de vnit Eccles And let vs not once imagine that we haue and hold the church because we are in that wherein Ambrosius or Optatus haue beene before vs no nor yet because there are miracles wrought therein for euen our Lord himselfe woulde that his disciples should be confirmed by the Scriptures more then by any other meanes and of that nature are the titles precepts and foundations of our cause Cont. Petil. l. 3. c. 6. in Psalm 69. If then saith he there be any question either of Christ or of the church or of any thing whatsoeuer that belongeth either to life or faith cursed bee hee that goeth out of the Scriptures To the ende that thou maist not be deceiued and that no man may cause thee to take him for Christ that is not Christ that for the church which should not be the church hearken vnto the voice of the shepheard he hath shewed himselfe vnto thee he hath shewed thee the church In Ioh. ser 131 My sheepe heare my voyce c. The church is the house of God but it is not God wee beleeue the church but we beleeue not in the church It is the mother In Epist Ioh. tract 3. In Psal 103. Obpubilatur Epist 48. Sâ—rm 237. de Temp. ad Lucernam Ber. in conuer S. Paul ser 1. but the two testaments are her teates from them we must sucke the milke of all the mysteries of our saluation The Bishops may erre there haue beene of them authours both of schismes and heresies The church in like maner is sometimes eclipsed and marred with wet and tempestuous weather The surest course is to make the Scriptures our looking-glasse as also for vs to walke in the torch-light of the scriptures O Lord our good God said Saint Bernard such as seeme to holde the Primacie in the church Iâ— Cant. ser 76 are the formost most forward to persecute thee It is not inough for such as should be our guard and watchmen to giue ouer their care of protection and vigilancie except they further worke our spoile At the least saith he elsewhere let him abound in his sense vnderstanding that will Epist 77. but as for vs I could wish that they would let vs abound in the sense of the Scriptures In the meane time Durand appellat mensuram fidei in prefat Sentent Thomas regulam intel ectus in â— ad Tim. cap. 6 lect 1. Scot. mensur Theol. in l. 1. Sent. q. 1 Gerson regulaÌ„ fid de coÌ„munic sub vtraque against these Scriptures the law of the Church the measure of faith the rule and bridle of all maner of vnderstanding I speake according to the Schoolemen themselues Thomas Durand Scotus Gerson c. These miserable Doctors and teachers either of this world or of the Prince of this world enemies of the true light children of darknesse seeing they please themselues so greatly therein doe not cease to furnish vs with appeales being imployed euer and anon more in making of such then of any other bookes So that if we had nothing else against them but that we might iustly suspect
them of vnsounde dealing seeing the auncient fathers of the Church did alwayes make their appeales vnto them against the heretikes and that in such sort as that when they once perceiued them to come within the bounds of their iurisdiction they held themselues victorers in their cause The holie Scripture say they to vs is not sufficient And what other sufficiencie doe wee looke for therein The scripture sufficient but to possesse God who is sufficient of himself euen for al maner of thinges or what other to be briefe but to come to saluation But and if thou wilt not beleeue the Apostle who telleth thee that the holy Scriptures are able to make thee wise vnto saluation by faith which is in Christ that is the man of God the Euangelist the teacher of others Iohn 5 39. Iohn 20.31 at the least beleeue the sonne of God who sendeth vs so expressely to the Scriptures Because saith he that we haue life in them And hast thou them to seeke and search for thine owne saluation The Lord commaundeth thee to search them diligently in them thou hast life Dost thou labour and seeke how to teach it others They are profitable to teach conuince correct and instruct By them the sonne of God the eternall word did teach his disciples Hast thou to deale against heretikes By the verie same hee stopte the mouthes of the Pharisies and confounded the Sadduces who did not admit of any mo parties then one The heretikes cannot keepe their holde before them yea they cannot possiblie defend themselues otherwise then by refusing them No sooner are they drawne thereto saith Tertullian but they are confounded whether Ebionites Hermogenists or Marcionites c. Yea and if the controuersie should bee against the diuell himselfe we know that from thence the Lord put him to silence that he coÌ„futed him in all his schoole points Apocal. and sent him backe againe to the bottomlesse pit of hell how much more the sonne perdition for the ouercomming and discomfiting of whom there are not any other armor or weapons spoken of As he that must be ouerthrowne with the breath of his mouth and beaten downe by the powerfulnesse of his Scriptures wherefore the Scripture hauing beene of such sufficiencie in those dayes both for the children of God and against his aduersaries where shall it sithence haue lost that his â—â—sufficiencie Or who shall not rather suspect that we are become ouer sufficient that is to say spoyled with presumption That we accuse it of insufficiencie because our pretended and deuised sufficiencies are not found therein And againe if it were so much at such times as the Church had no more but the olde Testament both vnto saluation and condemnation what shall we say of the times succeeding and those of the present According to the Fathers Iren cont haeres l. 2 c. 47. accompanied with the accomplishment of that in the person of Christ and made more cleare by the new And verilie the fathers also haue carefully kept themselues from this point rather to be tearmed infidelitie then errour or heresie Irenaeus saith We knowe verie well that the Scriptures are perfect for they are appointed and spoken by the worde of God and his spirit Tertullian Tertul. contra Prax. Hermoâ—g Cypr. de Baptism Christi I adore and reuerence the fulnesse of the Scriptures the scripture hath his reason and is sufficient of it self Saint Cyprian Speake on Lord thy seruant heareth Christian religion shall finde that out of this Scripture doe spring the rules of all manner of doctrine and that from thence riseth as also that thither returneth al whatsoeuer the discipline and gouernment of the Church doth containe Antonius the Hermite Antonius in suiâ— Epistolis Athanasius cont Idola Ad Serapion In Ep. Senten Dyonis Hillar l. 2. de Trinit The Scriptures are sufficient for all manner of knowledge of God and all manner of discipline Athanasius who notwithstanding hath to deale against the Arrians The holy scriptures are sufficient for the demonstration of the truth learne onely the scriptures for the lessons which thou findest there will be sufficient for thee Although saith he in another place I haue not found this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 coÌ„substantiall yet so it is as that I haue found the thing it selfe Saint Hillarie vpon the same argument The word of God which by the testimonie of the Gospel hath beene transfused and conueyed into our eares is sufficient for the beleeuers for what is there belonging vnto mans saluation that is not to be found contained therein Or what is there therein either lame or obscure Verily euerie thing therein is full and perfect Basil de vera fide Homil. 29. In oratione Ethicaâ— In Esai c. 2. Chrys hom 9 in 2. ad Tim. c. Saint Basill attributeth it to the same pride and infidelitie to bring in any thing that is not written or to reiect that which is written The old and new Testament saith he are the treasure of the church All the commaundements of God are written and must be obserued All whatsoeuer is besides the straight and euen line of the Scripture is a cursed abhomination before God S. Chrysostome The holie Scripture teacheth thee whatsoeuer thou shouldest know or be ignorant of Thou art a Gentile and wouldest become a Christian but our controuersies doe trouble thee Thou knowest not to whom to goe for euerie man pretendeth and alledgeth the Scriptures c. Knowe that that which agreeth therewith is christian but that which disagreeth with the same In Acta hom 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aug. de bono Viduit De doct christâ— l. 2. c. 9. serm 88. ad fratres lib. de confes 7 c. 7. In S. Ioh. tract 49. vbi viamad vitam De consensu Euan. l. 1. c. v. t. is farre off from the rule of christianitie Likewise saith he in another place It is the propertie of the diuell to adde vnto the commaundements of God Saint Augustine The Scripture saith he doth prefixe and set before vs a law teaching vs not to be more wise then we ought looke not therefore that to teach thee on my behalfe and part is any other thing but to expound vnto thee the wordes of my master for euen saith he in the things that are openly taught in the Scriptures is fully found al that which is to be done or left vndone all that which appertaineth vnto faith or concerneth maners Some haue made choise to write of all that which may seeme to be sufficient for the saluation of the faithfull In thy Christ O Lord and in the holy Scriptures I perswade my selfe that thou hast placed the way of mans saluation Whatsoeuer he would haue that we should reade of his deedes or wordes Cyril Alexan. In S. Iohan. l. 12 c. vlt. that hath he commaunded his Apostles to write as if it had beene done with his own hands c. S. Cyprian Bishop of
ad Thess hom 3. in Gen. hom 13. in S Iohn hom â—6 in Esay c. 1. in proaem in Ep. ad Rom. in S. Mat. hom 49. in S. Ioh. hom 58. in S. Mat. hom 22. The Euangelicall Apostolicall and Propheticall bookes do plainly teach vs what we are to beleeue concerning diuine things Saint Chrysostome All things are cleare in the scriptures they declare themselues not suffering any man to erre The truth lieth not hidden or obscure therein except it be vnto such as will not search for it As the light is to the eie so is the law of God vnto our spirits such as looke not therto doe walke in darknesse Our whole mischiefe is for that we reade it not that same which is a doore by which doe enter both the sheepe and the shepheardâ— more necessarie for the simple idiot then for the learned doctor To be short in that confusion which shall happen vnder Antichrist we shall not be able to tell whither to haue recourse but to the Scriptures and there are none but those which are of a peruerse heart that doe not vnderstand the mysteries being such as in whom the spirit of truth resteth not There might a whole volume be compiled of the like places Epiphanius All things are cleare and euident in the Scriptures to such as with a holie discourse according to reason will heare the worde of God Epipha haeres 69. 70. Hieronym in Matt c. 22. In Esay c. 8. Saint Ierome They erre because they know not the Scriptures and seeing they are ignorant in them they know not the power of God c. If we follow not the testimonies conteined in them darknesse will oppresse vs and ouerrun our doctrine c. Saint Augustine against the Donatists Augu. de vnit eccles c. 5. Let vs make choise of the plaine and manifest places for if they should not be found such in the Scriptures in vain should it be said that wee shall finde in them to lay open the things shut vp to make cleare such as are dark and obscure Again Epist 3. There is not any such great difficultie in the Scriptures to come by the things necessarie vnto saluation the making likewise whereby they are wouen set togither is to be come by of all There is matter fitting all sorts of spirits as to correct the peruerse Praua parua to nourish the weake and yong nouices and to delight such as are growne old and great In the things that are manifestlie apparant in the Scriptures De peccat melitis l. 2. c. vit are clearlie founde to be all those which concern faith maners When we reason of any thing that is verie obscure if wee bee not helped by the cleare testimonie of the Scriptures man must be curbed and kept short for presuming too farre De doct Christian l. 2. c. 6. The holie Ghost hath in such sort qualified them as that in the cleare places they feede our hungrie appetite and in the obscure they sharpen our dull taste wee are refreshed with the things that are cleare and set on worke by the obscure and darke The profoundnesse of this worde sharpneth De verb. dom serm 11. de verb. Apost serm 13. and setteth an edge vpon our indeuours neither doth it for all that denie vs the vnderstanding thereof c. Now if thou thinke to inferre hereupon then there is obscuritie therein and of this obscuritie to conclude either an impossibilitie of vnderstanding of them or else a secking of something therein that is not there to be found De verb. Apo. Serm. 13. To the one he answereth thee The euill spirit hateth vnderstanding for feare that by vnderstanding he should be forced to do and practise according thereunto Planissime De doct Christian l. 2. c. 6. And to the other That out of all these obscurities there is not almost any thing gathered that is not elsewhere deliuered in verie plaine and cleare sort In briefe to the ende thou maist not bring in any distinction betwixt the word written and vnwritten where as the Psalmist saith Thy worde is a torch vnto my feete c. This is saith he that worde which is contained in the holy Scriptures And againe The faithful that cleaueth to them cannot be dazeled with the iniquitie of the world no more then the starres fixed and set in the firmament which cannot haue their light put out by the night So farre is it from him as our aduersaries doe to terrifie the fathfull with going about to make them afraid of it by reason of the obscuritie that is therein Yet so it is But there are darke places 2. Pet. 3. will you say as that there are difficult things in the Scripture for S. Peter likewise saith That in the Epistles of Saint Paule there are c. And what booke is there in any maner of facultie whatsoeuer which hath not some yea and many moe But if thou hadst diligently read this text and well weighed the Relatiue it would haue appeared that he saith not that the Epistles of Saint Paul are difficult but cortaine things in certaine points which he handleth in them And indeed what higher thing is there then the mysterie of our saluation or more profoundly expounded What thing more obscure then that of the Trinitie or more clearlie vttered But thou shouldest therewithall haue added that which followeth That the ignorant and vnstable doe wrest them as they also doe other places of Scripture to their owne destruction Verilie for these obscurities the Fathers did not driue Christians from the Scriptures but rather encouraged them to labour therein so much the more Iren. l. 3. c. 12. contr haeres You haue say they vnto vs this furtherance that there is not anie contrarietie therein and further that one place may expound but not make more intricate an other If we could but say as much of the Bookes of other sciences wherein so many contradictions as also antinomies doe encounter and crosse one another how manie difficulties should we auoide how much of our way and trauaile might we thinke our selues to haue gained Lib. 2. c. 46. contr hâ—res Irenaeus saith The whole Scripture which God hath giuen vs will be found to agree togither the things spoken manifestly do expound the parables therein Ambr. in psal 119. serm 8. c. Saint Ambrose There is much obscuritie in the Scriptures but if thou knocke with the hande of thy Spirit at their gate thou shalt begin to gather the reason of that which is there said and it will be set open vnto thee not by any other means then the word it selfe Augu. de doct Christian l. 2. c. 25. Iren. l. 2. c. 46. contr haeres Basil in Aseeticis 267. Aug Ep. 48 de doctrina Christiana l 2. c. 6. S. August To illustrate the obscure maners of speaking let vs take our paternes from the manifest ones
in the law when he vnderstandeth not by reason of his time either some exquisite Latin or some Greeke word alledged by the lawier And yet the Councell of Trent who set it downe for their position to make errours authentike will haue this translation to be authentike and that in lectures disputations Sermons and Expositions it be vsed ordinarily yea and that before that of Pagnines or Arias Montanus who haue kept themselues nearer vnto the Hebrew And why Not for any other cause then that ignorance may continue so as that errour vnder the darknesse thereof may hide it selfe seeing it cannot stand before the truth true vnderstanding or the light The third is Scripture is expounded by Scripture That we expound Scripture by Scripture one place by another one by manie obscure and darke ones by cleare and plaine ones or one darke one by many plaine ones In which attempt we haue a farre greater facilitie then they who should assay the like in prophane authours because that we are assured that there is no contrarietie therein because also that there is a perpetuall correspondencie betwixt the new Testament and the old and both in the one and the other in it selfe betwixt the new Sacraments and the old and in the olde and new in themselues c. And finally because that in obscure places wee are not to search for or gesse out any thing that is new yea on the contrarie not any thing said Saint Augustine which is not clearely apparant in such places as are most cleare This is the order Nehem. 8.8 which we reade to haue beene practised by Esdras who saith Nehemiah read in the booke of the law of God and therewith gaue the meaning causing it to be vnderstood by the Scripture it selfe The question at that time was about the purging and casting out of certaine abuses Actes 17.11 which were crept into the Church during the time of the captiuitie by being mingled amongst the Gentiles And hence are they of Berea commended as conferring the Scriptures most diligently one with another to see if it were so as Saint Paule preached vnto them The question was of the resoluing of themselues by them against the opinion of the Pharisies and Doctors of the Law by the Scriptures Whether Iesus crucified were that Christ or not And this also is the precept which the Fathers teach vs. Irenâ—us The demonstrations which are in the Scriptures Iren. cont Haeres 1.2 c. 46. 67. Basil in asceticis 267 Chrysost hom 13. in Gen. in Psalm 147. Aug. de verb. dom serm 2. 11. Tho. 1. p. sum q. 1. art 9. Aegid l. 2. Dist 37. cannot bee shewed but by the Scriptures Againe The exposition which is according to the Scriptures is that legitimate and safe c. Saint Basil That which seemeth darke and ambiguous in one place of Scripture is cleare and plaine in another Chrysostome The Scripture is expounded by it selfe this is ourarmorie against the Diuell c. Saint Augustine The wordes of the Gospel doe carrie their interpretation with them Againe VVe vnderstand the darke places by the cleare what is darkly deliuered in one place is clearly set downe in another c. S. Thomas That which is spoken metaphorically in one place is spoken simplie in another Aegidius Romanus Of manie expositions we must take that which agreeth with the other scriptures and not that which hurteth any part of them Following also that which is said by the Canon Relatum Can Relat. That we must not seeke out a sense at our pleasure from the purpose to confirme it any maner of way by the authoritie of the Scriptures but take the meaning of the truth from the Scriptures themselues if the place may be drawne into diuerse senses The fourth is In all expositions the analogie of faith must be kept That we see that the exposition which we giue or take do alwaies retaine and keepe the analogie of faith that it be proportionable and correspondent to the bodie of Christian doctrine which some of the olde fathers haue called the rule of faith I say not to establish any new principles or articles of Christianitie but to conforme and referre themselues to those which haue beene receiued therein from all times For the holy Scripture is the vniuersall principle of our faith and it is well said That there are as many articles of faith as sillables in it because it is said of the least iota that it shall not passe and by consequent that we must most firmely beleeue it all But notwithstanding as this said Aegidius saith All the Scripture is resolued into certaine articles of faith to which all the doctrine therein is to be referred and those as principles abide firme in themselues and are not resolued into others And from these principles we deduct our Theoremes and answere our Problemes no lesse then the Mathematicians doe their Maxims 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Axiomes and demaunds but so much the more firmely by howe much wee are the faster founded vpon the Creator then vpon the creature vpon the Law-giuer to the whole world then vpon the law which he hath giuen it which is Nature Thom. in Sum. q. 1. art 5.6 8. And this is it which Thomas saith That the holy doctrine taketh not his principles from any humane science but from the wisdome of God from which as from the most soueraigne wisedome all our knowledge must take his direction and ordering and that this skill commeth not vnto vs from naturall reason but by reuelation that is from the Scripture diuinely inspired and therefore that it iudgeth of all Verie farre differing from them who dispute of diuinitie according to the principles of Philosophie or other sciences against the law of Logicke which saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. That we must not leape out of one science into another but rather from a true vse of Logicke discourse of reason from principles of one science to draw the propositions and consequences that belong to the same Our principles then are articles of faith against which we must beware that our expositions doe not strike and dash themselues but one the contrarie it is necessarie that they become conformable thereto To strike thereupon that is amongest the Mathematicians Deduci 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be brought to an impossibilitie that is to say froÌ„ out of the bounds of reason of Nature of true diuinitie this is according to the lawes of combate to rub against the bands or ropes that pale in their ground that is to bee ouercame to be conuinced of falshood Now the primitiue Church hath gathered them for vs into a briefe collection al those which the Councels put forth afterward are nothing but Commentaries thereupon and it is the same which Tertul. calleth RegulaÌ„ fidei Vnder which Tertul. de vela viâ—g de praes aduers Praxeam August de Symbol Beda in S. Ioh. l 1.
and qualitie that their doctrine and pure life hath aduaunced them vnto in the Church for there is some such a one that is worth manie according to their times according I say as they haue beene nearer or further off from the true light seeing that Saint Ierome complaineth himselfe S. August ad Ianuarium Bed l. 4. in Sam. c. 2. that he was in his time come vnto the lees Saint Augustine That all was now become full of presumptions preiudicate opinions and more then Iudaicall Ceremonies Beda likewise That it was a lamentable thing and not to bee vttered without teares how that in his time the Church grewe worse and worse euery day And this will proue true in counting cleane contrarie to our Iesuites for they to cast dust in the eyes of the world doe tell vs Such a one who liued 800. or 1000. yeares since hath said this or that whereas they should say such a one who liued 200. 300. or 400. yeares next after the Apostles hath spoken thus c. For our question is not how long time a lie hath indured The diuell saith the Lord is a liar from the beginning but what manner of doctrine that was which was first that is according to Tertullian the truth then when how by what degrees falsehood and lying sprung vp increased and grew great aduaunced it selfe against Vincent Lyrinens c. 39. and aboue this truth c. And this is that which Lyrinensis saith For the expounding of the Canonicall Scripture we must summon and call togither the aduises of the fathers but preferre that euermore which they haue spoken either all or the greatest part of them and that verie manifestly often constantly assuredly c. what hath beene otherwise deliuered what Saint Martyr or Teacher soeuer he hath beene let vs hold it inter proprias occultas priuatas opiniunculas for Apocrypha and priuate opinions Furthermore we are euer to proceed forward to the fifth that they are to be read as great personages That we must reade them in such sort as they will be read but neuerthelesse as men whose writings cannot be equall with the Scripture as little as their spirits can match the holy Ghost yea such on the contrarie as must be iudged by the scripture examined one by another euen the old with those which in regard of them are new as they haue sufficiently learned in some places to reproue them of whom they had beene instructed in many things Cyrâ—l in Leuit. l 5. according to the rule which S. Cyril giueth vs. If there be any thing in the scripture to be decided besides the two Testaments let vs know that we haue not any third the authoritie whereof we are bound to receiue This also is the same that the Fathers say vnto vs. S. Ierome Let euery thing that shall haue bin spoken after the Apostles time be cut off Hieronym in Psal 86. let it not carrie any authoritie with it how holy or eloquent soeuer the Author may bee Saint Augustine Augu. de vnit eccles c. 6. Reade to me of the Law Prophets Psalms Gospel and Epistles reade we wil beleeue c. Al others saith he how holy or learned soeuer they be I read them not to belieue that which they affirme to bee true because they say it but in as much as they proue it vnto me by these canonical Authors Ep. 19. ad S. Hieronym Ep. 111. 112 c. For how Catholike so euer they may be there is alwaies something in their writings which their honour reserued it is lawfull for vs to reproue if it doe not agree with the truth Thus am I affected in other mens writings and such wish I them to be in mine c. And if you would know of what manner of men hee purposeth to speake he speaketh of his owne bookes Rest not thy selfe saith he in my books Lib. 3. de Trinit contr Crescon l. 2. c 21 Ep. 112. but correct them by the reading of the Scriptures Of those of Saint Cyprian I doe not hold them for Canonicall but I examine them by the Canonicall Wherein I find them conformable I praise him where otherwise there with his good leaue I reiect and forsake him Of these namely Saint Ambrose and Saint Ierome Contr. Faust l. 11. c. 5. l. 2. Contr. Donat. c. I purposed not saith he to intermingle their opinions that so thou maiest not thinke that wee should follow the sence of any man as the authoritie of the Scripture Of all them in generall that haue written since the time of the Apostles In them all saith be the reader or hearer hath free iudgement to approue or disprouethem not being bound of necessitie to belieue them but with libertie of iudging c. Yea saith he elswhere All the letters of Bishops without any exception to those of the Bishops of Rome which haue beene written or are written after the Canon of the Scriptures may be reprehended by the Councels and the prouinciall Councels giue place to the generall and the first generall are oftentimes amended by the latter Sine vllo typo sacrilegae superbiae without any swelling of wicked pride In like manner saith hee to Maximinus Bishop of the Arrians August contr Maxim l. 3 c. 14. I alleadge not vnto thee the Councell of Nice though the worthiest that euer was by way of preiudice neither alleadge thou against me that of Rimini For as I hold not my selfe bound to the authoritie of the one so neither doe I take thee to be bound to the authoritie of the other wherefore let vs reason the matter together by the authoritie of the Scriptures c. Of which onely saith hee against the Donatists by a speciall priuiledge denied to all others that come after it is not lawfull to doubt And in the meane time Peter Abbot of Clugnt Petr. Cluniac l 2. amongst the pretended errours for which Peter Bruits who read the Diuinitie Lecture at Tholosa was burned about the yeare 1200. obserued this That hee belieued in the Canonicall Scripture only and would not consent that the Fathers had the same authoritie with it And that this was the errour of that time appeareth in Gratian who liuing at this time maketh the Decretall Epistles of the Popes equall with the Epistles of Saint Paul and falsifieth Saint Augustine to fortifie his owne saying How farre better dealt Gerson and the Count Picus of Mirandula who doe more accompt of a lay man an idiot an olde man a child with a place of Scripture then a Pope or vniuersall Councell without Scripture Now who so shall read the Scriptures and the Fathers vpon the Scriptures furnished with these rules calling vpon the name of God and bringing a right zeale to the searching out of the truth let vs not doubt but that hee may easily discerne of the controuersies of this time as to know on which side truth or
of the obseruations of the Primitiue church seeing that a verie strong preiudicate opinion hath seazed the spirites of the greatest part that nothing is done now a dayes in the church of Rome but after that sort maner that to require any reformatiō therin is nothing else but a longing after nouelties and a remouing of the ancients their markes and limittes and lastlie seeing that they which make their aduantage of such abuses are not without store of colours thereby corrupting and disguising the olde and auncient monumentes and writinges and besmoking the new and latter ones that so they may carrie the greater shew of antiquitie amongst which that of making as to receiue the thinges for olde and auncient which haue meerelie regarded the succeeding times of the church is verie newe and latelie hatched This I say is the taske and text which we are now to finish and make plaine by the grace of God that so wee may prouide helpes for the strengthning and supporting of some simple men and preuent the malice of the contrarie minded to the end that antiquitie may shew it selfe antiquitie and noueltie may appeare to bee but noueltie and also to the end that the superstitious and long obseruation of some ill established noueltie may not carrie away the title of antiquitie from olde and auncient veritie That truth which is of all other most ancient may not grow out of date by reason of the antiquitie thereof That the disagreements in religion are for the most parte aboute traditions established without the warrant of the word carelesly and negligentlie looked vnto Ne inquam antiquissima illa veritas vel ipsa antiquitate antiquari videatur Certainelie hee that shall weigh and consider with sound and vpright iudgement the controuersies which are at this day in christian religion shall not finde them to be anie such things for the most part as are founded vpon any doctrine that is trulie auncient vpon anie doctrine I say that is taught or mentioned in the holie Scriptures notwithstanding that the Scriptures bee the true and proper boundes of whatsoeuer may fall into mens fansies and the olde and authentike Registers and Maisters of the church to line and square out whatsoeuer is the proper due and true possession of any one And further we doo freelie declare testifie that whosoeuer shall dare to remoue the same though neuer so little shall worthilie fall into the curse pronounced by the Prophet against them which remoue auncient boundes and markes But the question is of Traditions which haue insinuated themselues and are sprung vppe together with the time by the industrie of men and that to the choaking of the true plantes of Christes fielde Of Traditions which by the reading of Antiquities wee see and behold first in the bare and naked seede then in the bud putting forth growing and rising vp into a stalke bearing fruite ouergrowing in the end the good corne ouerspreading the earth watred with the vanitie and ordinarie curiositie of men manured and fed with the ignorance of the most darke and ouershadowed ages Of Traditions one marke or step whereof for the most part we cannot espie or finde out eyther in the holie Scriptures or in the Primitiue church but which from age to age we finde and see to haue sprung vp of some crosse or ouertwhart word or else of some vnexpected action as hearbes cōming by chance wherof there is no great regard or reckoning made or else to grow by a priuation or negatiuelie in some doubtfull question from thence proceeding into some affirmatiue not well and firmelie grounded and finally ending in a full and absolute conclusion from whence is drawne within some space of time after and so throughout euerie age such strange increase and ouerrunning measure such consequences so far differing from the first steps and footinges as that they which first cast the seede into the grounde not thinking of any such haruest would not bee able as it falleth out with the fowles of the aire letting fall some nut or acorn euer to auouch the same for theirs if they should returne to beholde them yea which would rather haue smothered and stifled them in the birth if they had foreseen anie shew of such monstrousnes to haue eusued And finallie of Traditions which smoothlie conuey themselues vnder the habite of indifferencie and a certaine kinde of pretended seemlines into thercome and place of profite of necessitie of subiection yea and that greater then any Iudaicall seruitude and of the Articles of faith Articles I call them seeing that men now a dayes such as are our aduersaries are farre more tenderlie affected and deeplier doting vpon their owne inuentions then vpon faith it selfe And for the which they let not to stand and contend a great deale more in the church of Rome to maintain the same then they do striue and seeke to root out Atheisme notwithstanding it iet vp and downe like a Lord and spreade it selfe into euerie coast and quarter vnder the name of Philosophie priuilie vndermining and thereupon forciblie ouerturning the foundations of the church of Christ the holie Scriptures and the holie Sacramentes Articles againe for the strengthning whereof they are not ashamed to weaken so much as lieth in them the force and authoritie of Gods word and for the procuring of authority thereunto they defend the sufficiencie integritie and simplicitie of the same they make no conscience to call the ministerie of death the ministery of our life and to pronounce as imperfect and vnsufficient vnto Saluation the Scriptures whereof the essentiall worde did say vnto the Iewes and then by a stronger reason to vs Examine the Scriptures diligentlie and carefullie for you thinke to haue eternall life by them and they are those that beare witnes of me Now it were no hard or difficult matter to demonstrate and shew foorth the same throughout all the Articles which are in controuersie and indeede the matter hath beene performed by diuerse alreadie But I will rest my selfe for this time in shewing the truth thereof in the matter of the Masse and the appendances thereof because at this day it occupieth the principall place of Diuine Seruice in the church of Rome because it seemeth vnto them the badge cognizance to distinguish betwixt the good and euill Christian because that in not going thereunto or in going thereunto is as they hold in their opinion to worke a mans damnation or saluation And lastly because that it containing comprising in it eyther the doctrine or the practise of the principall pointes which are in controuersie betwixt vs it shall stand for a full reuew of the whole bodie of their religion or not want much thereof if it bee throughlie examined and sifted If then it be of such moment and importance vnto saluation as they would make vs belieue we need not to doubt anie thing at all but that we shall finde it so most clearelie and euidentlie by the holy Scriptures
is swaruing and degenerating from the other wee must first consider after what manner the holy Supper was instituted that holy Supper which is the sacrament of the new Testament and succeeded the feast of the Passeouer which was the Sacrament of the olde that holy supper which is the true commemoration and memoriall of the sacrifice of the lambe without spot or blemish slaine for our sinnes the figure and representation whereof had before beene liuely set out in the Paschall lambe For we do altogether agree in this all the sort of vs that as the law was ordained to leade vs to grace Moses and the Prophets to bring vs to Christ euen so all the propitiatorie sacrifices of the law were to fit and to prepare vs for the laying holde vppon that true and onely propitiatorie the very lambe which taketh vpon him the sinnes of the worlde And all the sacrifices of thankesgiuing likewise which were offered for the acknowledgement of temporall benefites serued to stirre vs vp to the consideration of this great and vnspeakeable spirituall benefite which it pleased God according to the riches of his mercie to manifest and lay open in his Sonne And therefore as we must come to the knowledge of the Masse by the holy Supper so to that of the holy Supper by the Passeouer the holy Supper hauing succeeded the Passeouer by the institution of our Lord Iesus Christ and the Masse in the Church of Rome hauing taken vp the place of the holy supper through the corruption which hath beene brought in by the See and gouernment of Antichrist Behold therefore the institution of the Passeouer in Exodus Pharao perseuering in his rebelliousnes Exod. 1◠That the holy Supper came in place of the Passeouer God declared vnto Moses that he would roote out all the first borne of Egypt yet neuerthelesse to the end he might put some difference betwixt the vessels of his wrath and those of his mercie he would spare the first borne of Israell spare them I say not because of any their merites but for his owne compassions sake through the fauour purchased by the lambe slaine for sinne from the foundation of the world Wherefore hee ordained that in euerie familie betwixt two euens a lambe without spot for a type and figure of the true and verie lambe should bee killed and eaten that with the bloode thereof the postes of the houses of his people should be sprinckled to the end that the destroying Angell might passe ouer as an euident warning and admonition that whereas this blood was not sprinkled what familie or person soeuer it might be there was nothing but matter for his wrathfull anger to worke and feede vpon that moreouer this killing of this lambe should bee renewed euery yeare and that for euer to teach and instruct the ages to come as well in the memorie of the benefites alreadie receiued as in the expectation and faithfull looking for of greater that were to come and to be receiued Now in this institution wee haue both a Sacrament and a sacrifice to consider and thinke vpon In the Passeouer is a Sacrament and a sacrifice The Sacrament giuen of God vnto his people for a seale and assurance of his promise and of the fulfilling of the same for to this end are the Sacraments giuen of God vnto his people when he saith And this blood shal be for a signe vnto you in your houses that when I shall see it I will passe-ouer and that there shall not be any deadly stroke amongst you when I shall smite Egypt A sacrifice offred vp to God by his people for as properly are sacrifices offered vp to God by the people as Sacramentes come from God are giuen to the people as is witnessed when he saith And this day shall be for a memoriall vnto you and you shall keepe holy this feast in your generations in as much as God smote Egipt and passed notwithstanding ouer our houses c. Such a Sacrament notwithstanding as leadeth vs from this lambe vnto another lambe from this blood vnto an other bloode and from this temporall effectualnesse vnto a spirituall in as much as it is chosen without spotte it is for a signe of our Redeemer his innocencie and in that it is slaine it serueth vs for a signe of his death and passion in that it is eaten it is a signe to vs of that life and nourishment which wee draw from his death and of our communicating of his flesh and of his bloode as being bone of his bones flesh of his flesh c. And a Sacrifice also which besides that it is truely and verily one of the number of those which were of praise and thankesgiuing ceaseth not neuerthelesse any manner of way to hold the place of a propitiatorie seeing that this lambe offered by the father of the familie doth prefigure vnto vs the lambe which the heauenly father did sacrifice vpon the tree of the crosse for the saluation of such as were of his houshould through faith and our Propitiation in his bloode as it is expounded by S. Iohn the fore-runner Ioh. 1.19 Behold the lambe which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde And by the Euangelist in better forme referring and applying that to the substance and truth which was ordained and decreed of the type and figure To the end saith he that the Scripture might be fulfilled There shall not one of his bones be broken Now our Lord the true and verie lambe The same in the holy Supper to what end which came to fulfill the law and not to destroy it kept the feast of the typicall or figuratiue lambe with his disciples both according to this institution as also according to all the circumstances thereof Hee kept it I say the fourteenth day of the moneth beginning at the euening according to the order of the Hebrewes the first day of vnleauened bread betwixt two euens that is to say betwixt the euening Sacrifice and the Sunne-set Therein hee likewise obserued the accustomed washing excepted onely that hee therewithall endeuoured to draw men euermore from the naked ceremony 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the doctrine contained therin there he taught vs humilitie washing the feet of his disciples whose dutie it was without all doubt to haue washed his Thereat after Supper he distributed and gaue the bread and the cup from hand to hand vnto his Apostles as he was wont to do vpon that day among the Iewes in a certaine kind of collation which they call Aphicomin of the greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 otherwise Kinnuah but in steed of the words which euery housholder did vtter in this distribution which intimated no other thing to those that stood by then the miseries they sustained in Egypt and Gods mercy which had deliuered them from the same our Lord in this action as oftentimes elsewhere raiseth their spirites from the type to the truth from the shadowe to the
in the doctrine of the Apostles Gloss ordin in Act. 2. in the communion and breaking of bread c. The Glosse saith Of bread as well common as consecrate that is to say as well ordinarie as sacramentall And Lyranus Partly saith he because they did communicate together day by day partly likewise because they did vse their victuailes and goods as in common Oecumenius in Act. 2. And Oecumenius Breaking the bread saith he to shew the plaine and cheape diet which the Apostles vsed Caietanus Distributing the breade that is to say their prouision of victuailes from house to house according to the store which they had receiued by the gift of the able faithfull And when shall we learne to speake like to the Siriacke and Arabian expositors communicating in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper called the Eucharist for they to signifie the same doe vse the word Vcaristio and by the same reason they might haue retained the worde Masse What coÌ„munion or agreement is there betwixt that this new inuention And who is he that is not out of all doubt that this was not any of the Apostles and disciples their ordinarie exercises of pietie And withall marke well how that to establish the truth the whole bodie of holy scripture is not sufficient to content and satisfie this sort of people whereas one onely word mis-vnderstoode falsely construed drawne into a by-sence rent and torne froÌ„ the best interpretation of most ancient antiquity of the best learned in these latter ages euen their owne a gesse and coniecture a dream is sufficient yea more then enough for them to establish build a lie vpon But that the Apostles and disciples of our Lord did keep themselues to his institution without any swaruing from it at all if our aduersaries will not belieue S. Paule when he saith to the Corinth and to vs all I haue receiued of the Lord that which I haue deliuered vnto you Gregor lib. 7. de Registr c. 67. let vs see at the least if they will belieue their owne Doctors Gregory the great who notwithstanding hath plaid the part of a liberal benefactor to the erecting and setting vp of the Masse telleth vs that The Lords Prater is said presently after commoÌ„ praier because the custome of the Apostles was to consecrate the Host in saying the Lords praier onely c. where he calleth the consecrating of the host the sanctifying of the signes or sacraments Platina in the life of Xistus the first He ordained that Sanctus Sanctus Platina in vita Xisti c. was sung in the office or Lithurgie for at the first these thinges were nakedly and simply done S. Peter added nothing to the consecration saue onely the Lords praier Walafridus Strabo vnder Lewes the Gentle Walafri Strabo abbas c. 22 in lib. de rebus ecclesiast about the yeare 850. a famous Abbot as Trithemius writeth What we do at this day saith he by a ministery multiplyed and enlarged with praiers lessons songs and consecrations the Apostles as our faith bindeth vs to belieue and those which followed next after them performed in most simple and single maner being no other thing then that which our Lord had commanded by prayers and remembring of his passion And therefore they did breake bread in houses as it appeareth Actes 20. And our Elders likewise report vnto vs that in former times Masses were no other thing then that which it vsually done vppon the day of Preparation otherwise called the Fryday before Easter vppon which day there is no Masse saide Mandatum but onely the communicating of the Sacrament after the pronouncing of the Lordes Prayer And in like manner according to the commandement of the Lorde after a due commemoration of his death and passion they did participate and receiue in old time his bodie and blood euen all they I say who were for capacitie and reason meet to be admitted thereunto Berno Augiensis de rebus ad missam spectantibus c. 1. Berno Augiensis to the same effect In the birth of the Church saith hee Masse was not said and celebrated as it is at this day witnes Pope Gregorie and therewith he alleadgeth the place aboue named And it may be saith he that in former times there was nothing read but the Epistles of S Paule afterward other lessons as well of the olde as of the new Testament haue beene mingled therewith B. Remig. Antisiado de celebratione nusâ—ae Cap. 1. And all this he may seeme to haue taken out of the life of S. Gregory and S. Remigius Bishop of Auxerre vnder Charles the bald It is held saith he that S. Peter did first say Masse in Antioch that is to say in such sort as the Lord had giuen in commandement vnto his Disciples in these words Do this in remebrance of me that is to say call to your minds that I am dead to purchase your saluation and do ye the like and that both for his your owne sakes And some say that he said not at that time aboue three prayers which began with these words Hanc igitur orationem c. Durandus in his Rationall Durand in Rationali The Masse in the Primitiue church was not such as it is at this day for it did not properly consist of any moe then these eight wordes This is my body This is my bloud Afterwards the Apostles added thereto the Lords Praier c. And furthermore the steps marks of this truth are yet to be seene in the Monastery of S. Benet wherein the three daies before Easter the Abbot alone doth hallow the bread and the wine and the Monkes sitting with him receiue them at his hand vpon these daies there is no other manner of Masse said The Lords institution is read and certaine places of the holy scripture and that they call Mandatum that is to say Mandatum the Lords commaundement as Walafridus Berno and Remigius c. Now in all these places they vse the word Masse being vsed in the times wherin they liued for the holy supper This which wee haue run out into of fitting our selues with the testimonies of such as speake their owne language and agree with them in their worship and seruice hath got vs thus much namely that from the testimonies of all the said Abbots which haue professed to write of the Masse wee get this ground and aduantage namely that the Apostles did retaine the Lords institution and as of consequent it must follow did also deliuer the same vnto their disciples and followers That they had not as they themselues doe affirme added any thing thereunto but that which was of the same spirit and maister namely the Lords prayer and this we must assuredly conceiue to haue beene not so much in respect of the forme of the Lordes Supper as in respect that it was commended vnto them for their ordinarie prayer And that there was
concealed and kept backe Concil Tolet. 1. c. 14. Concil Caesar August c. 3. Liturg. PraesanctificatoruÌ„ Interprete Genebrardo that they were condemned by the Councels The first of Toledo saith If any man do receiue the Eucharist of the Minister and doe not eate it let him be put backe and excommunicate as a Church robber And that of Saragosa If hee doe not eate it in the Church that is in the verie place let him be accursed for euer Whereas Bellarmine alleadgeth the lithurgie of the presanctified amongst the Grecians which was said in Lent pretending that therin they did not consecrate or take any moe then one kind for certaine the lithurgie saith expressly that after that the Minister hath sanctified the bread he powred out the wine and water into the cup pronounced the accustomed words And the praier of the faithfull saith For behold his bodie without spot and his quickning blood c. which are set vpon this table And in the Post-communion they giue thankes vnto God for the receiuing of the one and the other That which is more speciall proper herein is that they consecrate for many in one day whereof they alleadge some one or other tradition But these are their cold and friuolous arguments vpon this point and in deed how can they be otherwise against the expresse word of God But we against these particular deuotions so endles and bottomles doe set this Maxime and generall rule In vaine do you serue me after your owne fancies being properly called in the scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will worship And against that custome Tertul. de virg veland Cypr. ad Quin. ad Iubaâ—â—num August lib. 2. contra Donatist c. 6. de Bapt. cont Donat. lib. 2. c. 14. that euerie man frameth and fashioneth to himselfe whether new or old as best pleaseth him let vs set the true antiquitie Iesus Christ saith Tertullian and S. Cyprian hath said I am the Truth and not Custome And whereas Custome hath preuailed against the law let vs say with S. Augustine We must waigh and ponder the doctrines in the right balance of the scriptures and not in the false and deceiptfull scales of Custome But let vs draw all vnto a conclusion and let vs not be ashamed with S. Cyprian his saying That what others before vs haue erred in and done amisse let vs correct at the admonition and warning of the Lord and where doth he speake lowder and more clearely then in his word to the end that when he shall come in his glorie and heauenly Maiestie he may find vs holding fast such admonitions as hee hath giuen vs obseruing that which he hath taught vs and doing that which he hath done So be it And now by this time wee haue looked into all the partes thereof A Recapitulation how and by what degrees the holy Supper of our Lord is degenerate and turned into the Masse how of the corrupting of the one the other was first begotten then nourished and afterward brought vp to that state wherein it hath stood for these certaine ages and that so long as vntill it hath vtterly brought the other to nothing in the Church of Rome So straunge an alteration as that in the whole frame and booke of nature there is not the like to bee met withall seeing the Masse now retaineth no more of the holy Supper either in his outward or inward partes seeing that the best sighted hauing considered the one could not obserue or find so much as one step or note of the other because also it is to go against and exceede the lawes of nature to passe from one extremitie to another a thing not credible not possible to be acknowledged if the diligent obseruation of histories did not point out vnto vs both the first proceedings and also the growing of the same till it came at the midst The holy supper was an assemblie a bodie of the faithfull vnited and knit together in one spirite strengthning the faith stirring vp the charity and kindling the zeale one of another in one common manner of celebrating of the seruice of God The Masse what containeth it being said by a priest in some corner of the church shuffled vp by a cleark who vnderstandeth not for the most part of the time one word that he speaketh The holy supper did resound with songs to the praise of God sung indifferently by all the people it taught them by the reading expounding of the holy scriptures it lifted them vp vnto God raised them out of themselues by feruent ardent praier But what impression can the Masse make in the heartes of men being a certaine kind of muttering noise posted ouer by one man alone not vnderstood of those which are present yea hardly vnderstood of himselfe where the scriptures are read of purpose so as they may not be vnderstood the praiers vttered with a low voice in an vnknown tongue that so they may not be heard with attention and lesse followed deuoutly by the people where by consequent they abide fixt vpoÌ„ that which they see not minding any higher matters it hath signes without any signification it hath pretended mysteries without any thing misticall in them except it be the muttered hums artificially affected by him that consecrateth and the carefull regard of a premeditated ignorance to be wrought and effected by such meanes vpon and in the poore silly people In the holy Supper was celebrated the memory of the death and passion of our Lord by a plaine and open rehearsall of the cause manner and benefites of the same and thereby the faithfull were taught to acknowledge and call to minde the greatnesse of their sinnes and to admire and magnifie the great and vnspeakeable mercies of God stirred vp consequently to renounce and forsake themselues to giue themselues vnto God to die vnto their lusts and concupiscences to liue vnto Christ to Christ I say who hauing once deliuered himselfe to the death of the Crosse for to giue them life did yet further vouchsafe to giue himselfe to them in his sacramentes euerie day as meate and drinke vnto their soules to the feeding of them vp vnto eternall life In the Masse I appeale vnto the consciences of all those that eyther say or see the same who of them it is that can say by being at the same euerie daye that hee can learne or carrie away any of all this that the infidell can thence playe the diuine that thence hee can receiue any instruction either of the deadly fall of Adam or of the quickning death of Christ that the Christian can profit therby any thing be it neuer so little in the true acknowledging of the mercies of God or in the knowledge of himselfe or in briefe that he can therein perceiue his transgressions that so he may run to seeke the remedie or this drynes alteration of the soule and mind which our Lord calleth the thirst of righteousnes
S. Ierome Fulgentius Lactantius c. That they ought not to be honored either with inward affection or worshipped with outward gesture That wee ought not either to worshippe or serue any creature c. And that it is likewise an error to do it for the contemplating of them whose Images they are made to bee And it is so far off that Ionas should gainsaye this as that on the contrarie hee saith As for those that maintaine the worshipping of Images and saye that they giue not that worship vnto the similitude and thing representing but vnto them which are therein represented as do saith he they of the East Churches who are ouertaken with this most mischiuous error wee doe reproue and detest them euen as thy selfe And the Lord become both to the one and the other gracious and fauourable as that they may bee pulled from this vile and detestable superstition Claudius affirmed against the worshippers of Images The law Exod. 20. forbiddeth vs not onelie the Images of Gods but all whatsoeuer in generall that wee shoulde worshippe them And Ionas acknowledged that this was a wholesome sound and holie beliefe Againe If the workes of Gods hands be not to be worshipped said Claudius much lesse the workes of mens hands And Ionas thereto addeth Sobrie nobiscum sapis testifying that in that point he dealt like a wise prudent teacher What is then the oddes betwixt them Truely this saith Ionas namely that Claudius ought to haue condemned superstition and reproued ignorance and not to haue defaced the Images and that he ought to haue left them as they were not to the end that anie worship shold be done vnto them but that they might serue both for an ornament in the Temple and for a memoriall of thinges past vnto the ignorant As indeed saith hee France hath and suffereth them howsoeuer it be held and reputed for a great abhomination to worshippe them and so likewise the case standeth with Germany In briefe that it is a plaine and manifest fault ignorance error and superstition to fall down before the Images of Saintes but yet that the offenders are to bee reclaimed by reason not by curses in asmuch as that it can hardlie bee belieued that they abiding and continuing in the free and holy confession of the blessed Trinitie should haue anie purpose or resolution to turne aside to the worshipping of Idols But how far I pray you was the beliefe of the French and Germaine Churches at that time that is about the yeare 850. differing from the faith and beliefe of the times that now are yea and what great oddes is there betwixt the present and that which Ionas held and belieued notwithstanding that he was fullie armed and prouided for the defence of Images And indeed Nicetas teacheth vs that euen in the time of Fredericke Barberossa about the yeare 1160. Nicetas in vita Isaac Angel l. 2. the worshipping of Images was forbidden the Germaines For sayeth hee as hee tooke surprised Philippople the Armenians staying in the Cittie did not estrange themselues because of the Germaines inasmuch as the worshipping of Images was condemned and vtterlie detested both of the one and the other As also Anastasius the Library-keeper in his Epistle vnto pope Iohn the eight Anno. 1160. Anast Bibliot in praef in Syn. Nycen 2. witnesseth that the worshipping of Images was freelie receiued in his time in the Church of Rome but not in France and this was about the yeare 900. But the storie following will make vs to see the truth much more clearelie It is therefore to bee known that in the yeare 824. the Emperours Michaell and Theophilus the Father and the Sonne being troubled in the East about the contention raised for Images the same not being possiblie able to bee quieted by the second Councell of Nice doe send Embassadors of purpose vnto the Emperour Lewes and Lotharius in France setting before them on the one side the superstitions that were practised about Images since the breaking out of this pretended Councell on the other side the seueritie vsed for the beating downe and suppressing of them euerie where that so the very rootes of superstition might be plucked vp and dye desiring their best aduise and councell therupon Synod Paris Ann. 825. Lewes and Lotharus for the shaping of their answere caused a verie famous Nationall Synod to be holden at Paris which is yet forth comming entire and whole wherein the learned that were assembled made a collection of the iudgementes and opinions of all the auncient writers vppon this point and the same was sent with a goodlie Epistle from the whole Synod vnto the said Lewes and Lotharus by the hands of Halitgarius and Amalarius Bbs. Halitgarius The summe and brief wherof behold as followeth That with speciall care they haue read the letters of Pope Adrian the first who ordained that Images should be worshipped calling them Saintes and pretending that it was the way to great holines to serue and worship them which with the leaue of his pontificall authoritie bee it spoken is contrarie to the truth and cannot be auouched without the note of vndiscreetnes superstition and error and that all the places whereuppon hee groundeth himselfe whether they bee out of the Scriptures or out of the old Writers are drawne by the haire and that the same was likewise well aduertised the Emperour Charles the Great by Engelbert the Abbot sent for the same purpose vnto him who finding himselfe hardlie pressed did in the end declare and make known that he would containe and keepe himselfe within those limits and boundes which Saint Gregorie had drawne and set downe which were that Images might be had for memorials and remembrance sake but for to worshippe or honour them was open impietie That this superstition did afterward preuaile in some Countries partlie through ignorance and partlie through mischieuous custome and that in very deed they are not ignorant how that the Seat and Sea of S. Peter is tainted and defiled with this plague and pestilent error Pessimae consuctudinis vsu for so they call it but that as yet sustained and strengthned by Gods grace they had not giuen it place of entrance in France and by his further fauour and assistance aiding them they ment not to giue it anie more in anie time to come To this end they brought in all the places before by vs alleadged out of the Fathers that all along in their whole answer but it shall be more fit and conuenient to reade thē as they are there set down in the Synode then tomake any repetition of them here again If any should goe about to establish this action and course of worshipping Idols with custome Their originall is from the Pagans Egyptians Simon Magus Carpocrates c. That God is not to bee found out or knowne by his old age but by his eternitie That this is in summe to run as Ieremie sayth after the
vnder the colour of certain words which their familiaritie with the Chaldeans had dropped into their language Ioh. 5.39 Act. 17 11. the truth may easily appeare for wherefore then should our Sauiour haue said vnto the people Search the scriptures And how should the Iewes of Berea haue otherwise done as they did And what will they say to that in the Actes that S. Act. 21.40.22.2.21 Paule made an oration vnto the people in the Hebrew tong that the people hearing him speake vnto them in that language made the more silence And if they did not vnderstand whence commeth it that when he spake of going to the Gentiles the people should be in a mutinie crie out Away with such a fellow let him be taken from off the earth it is not meete that he should liue Now therefore we stand resolued and firme That it was not otherwise vnder the new Testament that in the time of the old testament the seruice of God was practised and exercised in a language vnderstood of the people and who can belieue that it was otherwise in the time of the newe who will belieue that the light should be more darke then the shadow the fulnesse of knowledge more barbarous and rude then the rudiments without all peraduenture our Lord is come to dismaske the mystery concealed kept close from before all worlds to vnfold them and lay them broade open to the Iewes to the Gentiles to all nations and to all languages Gal. 3. And before him saith the Apostle there is no distinction or difference betwixt the Iew the Grecian nor yet betwixt the Grecian and Barbarian Therefore let vs conclude that whatsoeuer hath serued for the better clearing and manifestation of his holy mysteries or for the instruction of Christians hath likewise beene acceptable and well pleasing vnto him But let vs not once imagine that any thing tending to the darkning and dimming of that which is light and bright can proceed from any example giuen by him and then much lesse from his lawes and commandementes He instituted his holy Supper amongst his disciples who doubteth but that all the words thereof were vttered in the same tongue language by him which he ordinarily was wont to speake in vnto them It is his will that it should bee celebrated after his example in his Church that so we may therein shew forth his death vntill his comming What manner of shewing forth declaration doth he require to vtter it in a language which the people doth not vnderstand Now in deed in asmuch as it was decreed that his Gospell death resurrection should be preached vnto all nations and that it was hindered by reason of the manifold variety of languages that possessed men he sent his spirit in tongues of fire vnto his Apostles he graunted and continued the gift of tongues a long time vnto his Church Such as affirme that vpon the same day of Pentecost the Masse was instituted and will notwithstanding that throughout all Christendome the same should be said in Latine let them tell me I pray them in what language it was deliuered if it were deliuered but in one or what tong was excepted if it were deliuered in all There are some that come after and do abuse this gift vnto vanitie and ostentation in the Church What saith S. Paule vnto them 1. Cor. 14. Languages are for signes not to the belieuers but to the vnbelieuers they are giuen vnto vs for the gracious worke of edification and not for our ouerthrow and confusion If you vtter a language that is not vnderstood you speake in the aire you are as Barbarians one vnto an other vnprofitable as the trumpet which giueth a sound that no man vnderstandeth If thou blesse with thy spirit and not with thy vnderstanding the simple and vulgar sort of people that are there how shall they be able to answere Amen to thy thanksgiuing how can they possibly be edified by thee And the Conclusion is after all these generall propositions the least whereof all the rabble of our aduersaries are not able to auoid I loue it better to speake fiue wordes in the Church in my vnderstanding that is that are vnderstood then ten thousand in a language that is not vnderstood c. And a little after I teach so in all Churches if any man be spirituall let him vnderstand and know that what I write vnto you are the commandements of God Hieronim in 1. Cor c. 14. If they doubt of the interpretation and meaning of this place let vs heare the Doctors what they haue deliuered vpon the same S. Ierome expounding it in plaine and expresse termes Euerie word which is not vnderstood must be iudged and thought barbarons Againe The spirit signifieth in this place the tongue as when he hath said he that speaketh tongues that is to say an vnknowne speech He maketh no question whether Greeke or Latine Ambr. in 1. Cor. S. Ambrose This is spoken because of the Iewes who in their sermons and oblations did vse amongst the Greekes sometimes the Hebrew tongue And yet this was the holy tongue the language of the Patriarkes and he saith in their oblations by name that is in the administration of the Sacraments as in deed it seemeth that in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Paule would speake of the holy Supper Againe he saith If thou blesse with the spirit he speaketh of such a one as speaketh vnto himselfe in a language which he knoweth and saith that he giueth thankes well in as much as he knoweth what hee saith but another saith the Apostle is not edified so that if you come together to edifie the Church you must speake such thinges there as the hearers do vnderstand For to what end is it that a man should speake in it a language that he himselfe doth onely vnderstand and whereby the hearer doth not profit a dodkin but rather he should hold his peace in the Church to the end that such may speake as can profit the hearers And his conclusion is So the ignorant which doth not vnderstand cannot say Amen for he knoweth not the end of the prayer to answer thereto with this word Basil in reg contract which is the confirming and sealing vp of the blessing in his place S. Basill maketh this question intreating vpon this place How can the spirite of any man pray when his vnderstanding is idle and vnfruitfull This saith he must by name be meant of them which make their prayers in a tongue vnknowne vnto the hearers For when the words of prayer are not vnderstood of those that are present his vnderstanding that prayeth is vnfruitfull Chrysost in 1. Cor. 14. in as much as no man reapeth profit thereby Chrysostome S. Paul would say if I speake not the things which you may easily and plainly vnderstand but that I go about as it were no other thing but to shew that
seruice were in Latine it was vulgar if it were not vulgar then had Isidore Archbishop of Seuill said in vaine Isidor de eccle Offi. c. 10. That when there is singing in the church it behoueth euery man to sing and when there is praying that euerie man doe pray for what edge or quickning to the spirit can the singing of a Psalme or the making of a praier that is not vnderstood affoord bring And so of England the language of their Iland was peculiar to themselues and no Latine amongst them saue what the Romain Colonies did speake They will haue it that Christian religion was established there in the time of Ioseph of Aremathia howbeit Chrysostome saith that it was about his time And yet neuerthelesse S. Gregory saith that in his time the tong of the ancient inhabitants of great Britaine called at this day England Gregor in Iob. c. 27. had no better a sound then a barbarum frendere a rude and barbarous kind of grunting and how then could the Latine seruice be found there But the truth is as certaine English Iesuits do confesse that S. Augustine the Monke sent by Gregorie did there chaunge and alter both the forme and tongue wherein they had before celebrated their seruice for they could not fetch or deriue the antiquitie of their religion any further off They say it cannot at the least be denyed but that the Latine seruice was vsed in the Churches of Africke then let vs adde thereto that the Latine tongue was also common there amongst the rascall and poorer sorte of people This appeareth for the sermons of Saint Cyprian and S. Augustine Bbs. of Africke were made in the Latine tongue Now wee are of the same iudgement with our aduersaries that sermons euer were so ought to be made for the instruction of the people in the common vulgar tong because say they that properly they are to be applyed and fitted for the capacitie of the people praiers directed vnto God But in another place S. Augustine saith that being borne in the Citie of Tagusta in Africa Idem l. 1. retract c. 10. he had learned the Latine tong Inter blandimenta nutricum by means of the sporting pleasing speeches which are currant amongst cockering nurses that is in his swathing clothes or whiles he was very young tender whereby it appeareth that nurses had the knowledge of it Againe he saith To the end that euen the most simple and ignorant may see perceiue that it is of purpose because of the Donatists I haue turned a psalme into Latine that it may the better remaine with them be remembred Hence is proued that it was common to the basest and coursest kind of people And for as much as that the people there did not speake good congruitie S. Augustine applyeth himself vnto their Solaecismes Idem in psal 118. saying ossum for os and sometimes taking one case for another saying Because it is far better that the Grāmarians should reproue vs thē that the people should not vnderstand vs. In a word he saith This is a Prouerbe amongst the Carthaginers I wil tel it you in latine in asmuch as you al do not vnderstand conceiue the Punicktong Hence it followeth that the Latine tong was better knowne in Afrike then the Punicke it selfe But will you further see that whereas the knowledge of this tongue was wanting in this country there they did not tie themselues to haue their seruice in it Throughout all Sclauonia they had their seruice in the Dalmatian tong Ecchius de Missa Latina S. Ierome likewise did translate it into their tong and our aduersaries are of iudgement that it is still so obserued there vnto this day In this part of Italie likewise called great Greece ouer against Sicilia it is said in Greeke because the Greeke tong was there vulgar and common In Germany to the cōming in of the pretended reformation of Boniface that is to say vntil after the yeare 800. Walasr c. 7. it was obserued after the like maner order in so much as that Walafridus the Abbot saith that euen in his time the Northern countries had their seruice in the Germaine tong Aeneas Sylu. histor Bohem. c. 13. And Aeneas Syluius after the time of Pope Pius the 2. reporteth after many others that as Cyril Methodius were conuerted to the Christian faith certain people speaking the Sclauonian tongue were come to intreate the Pope about the yeare 800. that it might be permitted them to haue their seruice in their vulgar tong whereupon the Consistorie being gathered together and standing doubtfull what to do therein there was heard a voice as it were from heauen in these words Omnis spiritus landet Dominum omnis lingua confiteatur ei let euery spirit praise the Lord let euery tongue confesse acknowledge him And in deed whatsoeuer our aduersaries do alleadge against this as done is more then 600. yeares after the death of our Lord that is to say all that which they alleadge after the time that the Popes for to establish their authority did vndertake as we haue said in another place to impose and thrust the set forme of the Romish seruice vpon all nations abolishing others as theirs came in place that in their Romaine language for so of this exploit some attribute the first attempt onset to Pope Vitalian about the yeare 700. Now this old custome of the Church is to be compared ioyned with those goodly Maxims generall rules of the ancient Doctors S. Augustine saith August in psal 18. Basil in ps 28. Let vs be well aduised looke that we take hold with a cleare inlightned heare of that which we sing with one consent of voice And Basil conformablie Let the tong sing but let the hart vnderstanding at the same time sound and reach the sence meaning of that which is sung Cassiodor in psal 46. And Cassiodorus Let vs look that the vnderstanding of the thing be ioyned with the singing of it for nothing can be done wisely without the vnderstanding of it Which things cannot concurre go together after the rules and practise of popish doctrines And Iustinian the Emperor for to remedie such abuses tooke the matter in hand about the time that the Pope laboured with might maine to bring them in in these words saying We will and command that the Bbs. and Pastors do celebrate the oblation and praiers in baptisme with a loude voice Iustin Nouel de diuers eccl c. 123. such as may be vnderstood of the people to the end they may be stirred vp to greater deuotion to praise God c. alleadging for the confirmatiō of his constitution the places of S. Paul 1. Cor. 14. menacing roughly thundring out against thē the iudgements of God if they shold do to the contrary And wheras they answer that this constitution was not
may not bee afraid of any difficultie hee saith Whatsoeuer difficultie thou shalt meete withall yet if thou reade them thou shalt profite by them for if our Lord find vs occupied in the scriptures he will not onely vouchsafe to feede vs but also if hee finde these meates readie drest at our houses hee will bring vs the Father thither with him Hieronym in Epist ad Ephes l. 3. c. 4. c. Saint Ierome giueth a generall rule saying Wee must reade the scriptures with our whole affection to the end that as good exchaungers wee may know to distinguish the good money from the false So farre off was hee from fearing least wee shoulde therein receiue the false and counterfeite For saith hee in another place our Lord hath spoken by his Gospell Idem in Psal 86. not to the end that a fewe might vnderstand but all The laitie are not excluded but rather on the contrarie he saith The laitie must not onely haue sufficiently but aboundantly that so they may instruct one another that so they may also reproue one another Idem in ep ad Coloss c. 3. Idem in Epitaph Paulae Idem de virginitate ad Demetriad And hee taketh his assertion from the thirde to the Colossians Let the word of God dwell aboundantly amongst you c. The women in like manner as little for hee saith of his Paula in praising of her It was not tollerated or winked at in any of her sisters that they should bee ignorant in the Psalmes or faile to reade and learne something dayly out of the holy scripture And hee giueth the same counsell to Demetrias On the contrarie hee condemneth certaine of his time who did refraine to reade them as our ignorant friers doe vnder the shadow of humilitie Idem in 1. ad Tit. saying They giue themselues to ignoraunce idlenesse and sleeping thinking in the meane time that it is their onely sinne to reade the scriptures and therewithall they contemne and set light by those which meditate in the lawe of the Lord day and night accompting of them as pratling and vnprofitable fellowes And Saint Augustine speaketh to the same effect August serm 1. fer 6 post Dom. passionē Wee take great comfort and consolation in the reading of the scriptures for in them a man may view see himselfe as in a mirror This reading purifieth and purgeth him from the filth of sinne partly by setting before him the horrour of hell and partly by kindling the feruent desire of comming to heauenly ioyes Who would bee oft with God Idem in psal 33. let him pray and reade When wee pray we speake to God when we reade he speaketh to vs. And he further giueth this lesson to all saying in these wordes Reade the holy scriptures for God hath commanded that they should bee written Idem in Volus epist 3. to the end that you might all receiue consolation both learned and vnlearned and as well Cleargie as laitie for sayeth hee God speaketh in the scriptures as a close and priuate friende Hee speaketh without any colour or painting vnto our heartes whether we bee wise and skilfull or ignorant And hee is not contented that one should heare in the Church Idem in c. Ieiunn But furthermore saith he vnto those of his Diocesse It is not sufficient that you heare the holy lessons in the Church it behooueth you to reade them your selues in your owne houses or that you seeke out such as may reade them vnto you On the contrarie hee censureth certaine people of his time who thinking to bee more humble then the rest would not reade them who feare saith he to learne least they should grow proud Idem in psal 131. Idem in lib. 2. de doctr Chri. c. 6. 〈◊〉 tract 45 in Iohan. And by that meanes saith he they continue still as sucklinges in their milke which the scripture reproueth In like manner hee armeth vs with couragiousnesse against all obscuritie and difficultie that may bee conceiued or thought to be in them saying There is nothing spoken obscurely in one place which is not made verie cleare and plaine in some others All whatsoeuer belongeth to faith and good workes is therein set downe very clearely There are therein plaine and cleare points to satisfie thy hunger and there are againe some obscure and darke places to whet thine appetite And the same thing is giuen out by Fulgentius and Gregorie in other wordes Fulgent in ser de cōfessionib Gregor in ep ad Leandrum Basil in psal 1. There is store and plentie for a strong man to eate and for the child and weakling to sucke vppon in this riuer the lambe may sporte it selfe and bee merrie and the Elephant may swimme c. Saint Basill The holie Scripture is as an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a shoppe or storehouse furnisht with medicines from amongst which euerie man may make choice of that which is fitte for his disease the onelie way to come to finde out the truth is the meditating of the scriptures And hee handleth this pointe at large Bellarmine replieth saying Idem in Ep. ad Greg. Mang that hee sent the Stewarde of the Emperour Valens his kitchin vnto his kitchin when hee went about to be speaking of the Scriptures And what and if against so many places hee did alledge this one little storie in truth But Theodoret onelie sayeth that this was not in respect of the Scriptures Theodor. lib. 4 Eccles hist c. 19. Chrysost in hom de Lazaro but in respect of his course and barbarous carriage towardes him But let vs heare Chrysostome for hee perplexeth them greatly and maketh them in a pittiful case saying The reading of the scriptures is a great bulwarke against sinne the ignorance and not knowing of the Scriptures a headlong downfall and a bottomles mudpit To know nothing of the law of God is a mightie meanes of the ouerthrow of our saluation This is it which hath begotten heresies and corrupted the manners of men which hath turned all things vpside down Idem ad Hebrae hom 8. The Manichies saith hee and other heretikes doe beguile deceiue the simple but if wee haue acquainted our soules with discerning betwixt good and euill it shall bee easie for vs to know finde them out and this acquaintance and familiaritie wee shall attaine by the vse of the scriptures Theophilact who followeth thē almost step by step saith of the scriptures which arme vs to withstand such delusions because that they are that light which doth discouer catch the thiefe c. They are good for our Monks and Doctors of Sorbone will our aduersaries say But to this point let vs heare further for the same Chrysostome saith Idem in Mat. hom 3. Loe here the plague and bane of all you thinke the reading of the holie scriptures doth not belong to anie but Monks but it is more necessarie a great deale for you
able to discerne which is the true Church you will fall into the abhomination of desolation Idem opere impers hom 29. Idem in Ep. ad Coloss hom 9. which is in the holy places of the Church c. Because sayeth hee in another place that wee must not belieue the Churches if they say not and doe the things which are agreeable to the Scriptures Now then what is there further to be expected after so many reasons but that we shold crie out with him Looke about you you of the secular sort yee Laitie which haue wiues and children how you are here commaunded to reade the scriptures and hee taketh this his exhortation from the Coloss 3.16 not simplie nor sleightlie but diligentlie Coloss 3.16 looke about you I say and consider well of the matter buye yee Bibles the medicines of your soules at the least the new Testament the Actes of the Apostles the Gospels c. And here you haue no neede of Logicke the pesant and the simple women vnderstande them the husbande may talke thereof with his wife the father with his sonne c. The hereticall Priestes doe shut the dores of truth vppon you Chrysost hom 1. in Ioh. Idem in opere imperf hom 44. Sixt. Senens l. 6 annot 152. because they knowe that you forsake their Church and that they shall come from the Priestlie dignitie wherein they are to be no better then popular persons and of the common sorte But what doe our aduersaries aunswere hereunto There was a time say they when the faithfull receiued the Sacrament with their handes which custome was afterwarde as hauing been an vnworthie maner of vsing of it corrected and an ordinance made by the church that they shold not touch it any more the same hath shee thought good of the holie Scriptures Is this in conscience to vnloose and dissolue the hard tied knots or else to cut them in pieces to answere or to wrangle And hath not the Councel of Trent yet dealt more francklie who haue appointed in their Index expurgatorius Ind. Expurgatorius pag. 27 That wheresoeuer these words Scripturae omnibus necessariae the Scriptures are necessarie for all persons are found in the Tables of the workes of the holie Fathers that they should bee raced out and that to the intent that the Tables thus wiped there might not remaine anie direction to guide a man to the places in their works where this doctrine is handled And how much rather would they haue raced the verie places thēselues out of the bookes if there had been but one or two copies of them Epiphanius was not altogether agreeing and of one minde with Chrysostome and yet the truth hath conioyned and knit them together in this point for hee saith Epiphan cont Anomantas All thinges are cleare and manifest in the scriptures no contradictions or contrarieties no deadly traps laide in them For such sayeth hee elsewhere as with the vpright sway of sound reason haue to do with the same not comming thereunto with a diuelish conscience to throw themselues downe headlong into the bottomles pit of destruction And wherefore saith Lactantius Lacta l. 6. c. 26 He that hath made the vnderstanding the tongue and the voice was not he able to speake so as that he may bee vnderstoode Yea on the contrarie hee would in his singular prouidence ordain that the diuine thinges which he spake for all should be without all painted and deceitfull colouring to the end that they might bee vnderstoode of all Whereupon also Theodoret saith Theodor. de natura hom Wee see commonlie that the points of Christian doctrine are not onelie vnderstoode of them which are the chiefe in the Church and teach the people but euen of Shoemakers Lock-Smithes and those that worke in woole and of all other sortes of Artificers yea and which more is of al sorts of women as Semsters Chamber-maides and others which get their liuing with their handie worke aswell hauing no learning as those which haue learning if any such be Againe they which dwell and keepe in the citties are not onelie become skilfull therein but in verie good sort those also that are labourers in the fieldes as neatheardes and setters of plantes whome thou shalt finde disputing of the holy Trinitie and of the creation of all thinges yea and those more skilfull in the nature of man then euer was Plato or Aristotle Now let it bee iudged by this place if this people had been thus instructed and taught by that manner of instruction which is deliuered and taught in the Church of Rome Now it remaineth that after wee haue done with these good Fathers The answere of the Councel of Trent Index lib. prohib Reg. 4. that wee take a view of that which the Fathers of the Councell of Trent shall say vnto vs. Inasmuch say they as if the Bibles should remaine in the vulgar tongue men through their rashnes would take more harme then good thereby we forbid them to haue any without the leaue and license of the Bb. or Inquisitor and that vnder their hand writing who will be readie to grant thē the same vpon the certificate or witnes of their Curate or Confessor If any man haue anie otherwise we declare and make knowne vnto him that he cannot haue absolution from his sinnes vntill he haue giuen vp his Bible vnto his Curate or Ordinarie And as for the Printers they shall loose the valew of such bookes to be bestowed vpon the poore Likewise it is our meaning that the Regulars shall not read or buye them without the permission of their Prelates What shall wee say here or rather what shall we not haue to say The old Writers did chide the Laitie as culpable of a notorious crime for not hauing of Bibles and here the Pope and his shauelinges do punish the Laitie for hauing of them they do confiscate the Bibles they forbid them not as a sinne onelie but vpon the penaltie of not hauing their sinnes forgiuen yea and which is more the Regulars themselues vowed by their institution and ordaining to the studie of holie Scripture are likewise subiect to the penaltie I pray you is it possible that one and the same spirite can say and vnsay And what will follow hereupon then but that those good Fathers being assured of the soundnes of their doctrine did take pleasure that it might be viewed and looked vpon in the light and that these which auoide and shun the same who can doubte but that they do doubt of theirs as conuinced in their consciences of abuse superstition and heresie Now they are not satisfied with hauing their seruice in an vnknowne language The secret of the Masse as if the strangenes of the language did make it so much the more to bee reuerenced euen as it falleth out in the receipts of coniurations and witchcraft whereof we read in Cato Trallianus Scribonius c. But further they haue added thereunto
and wine And Lumbarde is verie cleare Obtulit Abrahae hee offered or set before Abraham And as for those few which they alledge vnto vs as hauing said that hee offered vnto God as Primasius Cassiodorus and a fewe others stumbling at the naughtie and corrupt translation of the text they cannot yet denie but that euen these doe make the comparison to stand not with the pretended sacrifice of the Masse but with the Eucharist with the holie supper so farre are they off from hauing euer dreamed of a propitiatorie sacrifice For as for all the rest they haue not spoken anie otherwise S. Ierome saith Melchisedech had prefigured the sacrament of the bodie and blood in the bread and wine which he offered S. Augustine Offertur sub sacerdote Christo quod protulit Melchisedec c. The same is offered vnder Christ the Priest which Melchisedech brought forth Where is to bee noted the difference that hee maketh betwixt Obtulit and Protulit Saint Ambrose speaking of the breade and wine of the holie supper Wee haue knowne the figure and shadowe of these sacramentes since the time of Abraham And so likewise haue others But Lombarde thus The Priests take the cuppe with wine and the dish with the hostes to the ende that they may know that they receiue power to offer vnto God sacrifices of attonement and reconciliation and this order descendeth from the sonnes of Aaron And why now doe they obiect vnto vs Melchisedech Seeing also it is most certaine that wee are to holde our selues bound by due and sounde dealing not to allegorize so lightlie vpon these or those places especiallie against a cleare and euident doctrine such as wee haue proued this to bee out of the Epistle vnto the Hebrewes Idem contra lib. Petil. c. 16. D. 9. S. Augustine saith to like purpose Let no man alleadge vnto mee the thinges that are spoken darkelie or figuratiuelie faith must bee builded vpon that which is cleare and not subiect vnto diuerse interpretations And in an other place hee saith The things which you alleadge against me are mysticall hidden and figuratiue but I desire that you would alleadge that which needeth no interpretation c. And this may serue for whatsoeuer shall follow hereafter And indeed it is not to be concealed that there are some which doe so farre delight and sport themselues with this place as that they let not to saye that Melchisedech was either an Angell or the holy Ghost or the Son of God himselfe Hieronym ad Euagr. August in quaest vet Nou. test q. 209. The Passâ—ouer And in these opinions we find Origen Didymus and S. Augustine in a certaine place to bee so daungerous a thing it is to speake without Scripture and to go about to find that in it which is not there to bee found Now followeth the Paschall lambe They will haue it to be a figure of Christ sacrificed either in the supper or vpon the Altar of the Masse Wee also say and affirme that it is trulie and indeed the figure of Christ and of Christ crucified but vppon the Altar of the Crosse Iohn 1. 1. Pet. 2. Apocalyps 5. 1. Cor. 5. The scripture speaketh thus The Lambe was slaine did beare the sinnes of the world in his bodie vpon the tree hath purchased vs vnto God by his bloode c. that is to say the true Lambe in steade of the figuratiue S. Paule Christ our Passeouer hath been sacrificed hee saith not must bee sacrificed hereafter from daye to daye but on the contrary hee saith Let vs make our feast not with the olde leauen but with the vnleauened bread of sinceritie and truth Iohn 19. Exod. 12. Nom. 9. The conclusion according to their meaning seemed to follow of it selfe Let vs sacrifice him then daylie vppon the Altar But S. Iohn in more plaine and euident manner saith To the end that the scripture might bee accomplished that not one of his bones shall bee broken And this was fulfilled vpon the Crosse not at the Table as likewise it should not bee vpon the Altar of our aduersaries though the Canon I Berengarius were belieued which will that he should be broken and brused with teeth as euerie man knoweth The Paschall Lambe then is not properlie the figure of Christ eaten in the holy supper but of Christ crucified although that in the holy Supper there be celebrated the saluation which wee reape by his death as in the feast of the Passeouer there is celebrated and remembred the deliuerance out of Egypt Let vs admit that the paschall Lambe was a figure of the Eucharist what will follow thereupon That as the Lambe say they was sacrificed vppon the Table so Christ should be vpon the Altar But rather let vs say The Paschall Lambe to speake exactlie had neuer granted it the roome of a sacrifice It had not the throat cut by the Priestes neither yet vpon the Altar And againe they say when they define a sacrifice that it is meete that Ab electo Ministro offerat ur that it should be offered by the Minister chosen for the purpose c. But in this action the Maister of the familie performed that dutie and besprinkled with the blood thereof the posts of his house and his familie did eate it And that this is the truth the Iewes wise and well seene in the law did not sacrifice out of Ierusalem and yet notwithstanding they did continue euermore in all their remouinges from place to place August Retract l. 8. c. 10. de Genes allegor l. 1. Exod. 8. out of Ierusalem to eate the Paschall Lambe And Moses likewise putteth a manifest distinction therein for when Pharao permitted him to sacrifice in Egypt hee aunswereth that it is not â—â—wfull and yet it was lawfull for him to eate the Passeouer there But let vs likewise grant that it was a sacrifice it shall then bee requisite for the accomplishing of the figure that Christ should bee sacrificed a new But the Apostle did not vnderstand it so when hee saide Our Passeouer is sacrificed c. It shall be requisite that his blood shoulde bee shedde for otherwise how should a sacrifice made with the shedding of blood become a figure of their pretended sacrifice made without bloode Againe it shall bee forbidden them to keepe or reserue anie thing of the Eucharist for so did the law ordaine concerning the Passeouer Iesus Christ likewise a thing that cannot be vttered without blasphemie shall either haue left this ceremonie of the law vnaccomplished or else but sleightlie and vnprofitablie accomplished Now in these their perplexities and cases of doubt they haue no manner of refuge but to the Fathers but let vs see vpon what good groundes or reasons The Fathers saye they haue spoken of the Lambe as the figure of the Eucharist well let it bee so Charles the Great compareth the sacrifice of the Lambe with the sacrifice of the Crosse Cent. 8. pag 63 64.
spoke in the verse going before For why shall it in that place signifie vnto Bellarmine the seuere iudgement of God examining and making triall of workes and doctrines and in this place a materiall fire of Purgatorie which burneth not workes or doctrines whereof the question is but the soules of men And in deed S. Augustine and S. Gregorie haue taken both these two fires for one that is to say tribulations Chrysostome and Theophilact for one that is the euerlasting fire and many of the late writers for one namely Purgatorie The distinction came not to be knowne vntill such time as it was espied that the former word could not bee auouched in this signification and therefore they haue restrained it to this latter Now we say that this commeth to passe in many good Doctors and Teachers who haue built and brocht many friuolous doctrines of a good intention vpon this foundation of Christian faith and cease not notwithstanding to be happie by the mercies of God because they haue retained and held it fast especially at the time of the approaching of the pangs of their death as is recorded of many in writing and which doe now ioy and reioyce in heauen to see them burnt and deuoured yea euen this pretended fire also by the effectuall power of the word of God whome they see and well perceiue to bee glorified in the destruction of their workes Now whosoeuer he is that shall reade this text without preiudice wil easily rest satisfied with this interpretation And in deed that of Bellarmines for it doth not agree with any of the old writers cannot free it selfe frō many inconueniences We are very neere at agreement with him concerning that which is to be vnderstood by the foundation builders and that which is diuersly built thereupon But we still differ cannot agree about the day of fire which trieth and proueth the doctrines nor yet vpon the fire from which the Teachers doe escape and saue themselues hee confuteth the opinion of Caietanus who vnderstandeth it to be the day of euerie particular mans iudgement that is to say his last day or deathes day And for mine owne part I agree with him therein as holding it absurd without bringing any further witnesse for the same But hee would vnderstand by the same the latter iudgement presupposing still that it is that day of the Lord. Now the Apostle saith that day simply He saith also that in that day it shall bee manifested which side hath the truth by the proofe and tryall which shal be made and that before such as it concerneth to know the same This then shall be in this present life as S. Augustine and S. Gregorie doe vnderstand it Thus far we both are agreed vppon the fire which proueth the doctrines namely that it is not any materiall fire contrarie to that which they affirme that would haue it the fire of Purgatorie but the effectuall working of the Iustice and seueritie of God in the day of iudgement whereas we vnderstand it with S. Ambrose of the word of God accompanied with his holy spirit exercising his authoritie power in the Church And this we hold to be so much the more agreable because the triall is by nature to go before the sentence of iudgement as also for that this triall is made for the instruction of the Church by manifesting and making knowne on what side the truth standeth and therefore in this life and therefore also before the iudgment But neuerthelesse Bellarmine in all this portion of Scripture hitherto hath not found out Purgatorie About the fire from which the Teachers do saue themselues we doe especially square and disagree for therein he findeth his Purgatorie but we say vnto him that there is no apparance that from one verse to an other this fire should suffer such an alteration and chaunge in his nature as of a spirituall to become materiall and of a powerfull worke of the iudgement of God to become a reall and substantiall flame That these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe note out vnto vs a meere metaphoricall fire That seeing as he himselfe saith the question here is of the day of iudgement that therefore here is no more to doe with Purgatorie that seeing the fire of iudgement hath alreadie consumed and eaten vp the wood haye and strawe that there is not left behind any manner of thing to be burned in this no not the Author himselfe seeing that hee must by this iudgement goe presently to life or to death eternall For as concerning that Bellarmine saith he shall be saued but so as it were by fire that is to say he shall be saued prouided alwaies that he must first haue passed and gone through the fire This is the begging of the matter in question and this is to set downe for graunted the thing that is in controuersie In the end he commeth to seeke his defence from the old writers who how contrarie they are one to an other wee haue alreadie seene and it will not stand him in any seruice Chrysostome vnderstandeth by this latter fire the eternall fire and to be saued to be as much as not to be consumed in the said fire Saint Augustine and Saint Gregorie the tribulations of this life Theodoret and Oecumenius they setting of the vniuersall world on fire which shall be accomplished in the day of the last iudgement And as concerning the place which Saint Thomas alleadgeth out of Theodoret vpon this Epistle it is not to bee found either in the Greeke or Latine Copie but hee affirmeth verie well that the Teacher shall bee saued from the fire of the last iudgement which shall goe before the face of the Iudge Which saith hee will not burne the iust Alcuinus de Trinit l. 3. c. 21 Orig. hom 3. in Psal 26. but make them shine more cleare and bright Alcuinus and the ordinarie Glose doe iumpe together with the former sence Origen vnderstandeth it of Purgatorie but it is a Purgatorie of his owne deuise in that he maketh it not to be till after the last iudgement and through which both Saint Peter and Saint Paul are to passe holding that none can be free from the same but Christ himselfe no not the Diuels for by it hee holdeth that they shall be purged Ambros in Psalm And Saint Ambrose holding the same from and with him speaketh after the same sort and yet notwithstanding he addeth thereunto how that the euill Teachers shall bee for a certaine time after the last iudgement in Hell and yet in the end they shall be saued To the end saith he that it may yet turne to some profit to haue belieued in Christ But what proueth all this for our Purgatorie And what will themselues say of Gregorie Gregor l. 4. Dial. c. 39. who durst not deale or meddle with the expounding of the place If any man saith hee thinke good to vnderstand it of the fire of that Purgation which
death and for such wee ought not to pray either whiles they liue August de cor grat c. 12. or when they are dead For such then as haue shewed some repentance or which haue sinned venially wee must pray both whiles they liue and when they be dead But how can this be gathered out of this text wherein the Apostle speaketh directly of them with whom we liue Idem in Enchir ad Laurent c. 82. Idem de scrm Domini in Monte. Tertul. l. de pudicitia and whose workes we see of the dead not so much as one word They alleadge vnto vs S. Augustine who expoundeth it of perpetuall impenitencie let them not then dissemble how that in another place hee expoundeth it of certaine kindes of sinnes as also doth Tertullian Neither would I haue them to conceale it how that the most parte of the old writers doe dissent from Saint Augustine as Saint Ierome Athanasius Chrysostome Saint Basill Saint Ambrose c. all which though they vnderstand by this sinne vnto death the sinne against the holy Ghost yet therewithall they vnderstande that this is not a finall impenitencie which is not discerned but at the time of death but an obstinate sinne which is committed in the life time and in the course of the same Saint Mathew saith That this sinne is not pardoned either in this world or in the world to come In this world that is to say in this life and in this sence our aduersaries doe alledge it against vs but they doe not remember themselues of any thing els The Apostle to the Hebrewes saith It is impossible that such persons should bee renewed by repentance Hebr. 6. Then they may bee impenitent yea sinne vnto death before death But what manner of conclusion will there follow hereof in the end Wee must not pray for such as sinne vnto death therefore wee must pray for the deade which sinne not vnto death Againe wee must pray to the ende that life may bee giuen them that is to say to the ende that their sinnes may bee pardoned Now is it not a point of their doctrine that sinnes do not come in purgatorie but that there is onely the punishment of sins but and if any sinnes yet none but those that are sleight ones But in their conclusion they except not any sinne saue that which is vnto death To be short to such as well consider the text it will appeare that they are so farre off from reasoning according to it as that in deed they reason directly to the contrarie And furthermore not one of the old writers neither yet of the newe doeth alleadge it to this purpose although the greatest part do handle and expound the same and that to another end Now these are all the places of the new Testament from which they go about to proue their purgatorie places that are obscure and hard and diuersly interpreted by the Doctors but either in a farre other sence then our aduersaries take them or else mystically and metaphorically for the most part and therefore not to be alleadged in any controuersie of diuinitie no more then in anie other for controuersies cannot bee discussed by textes in controuersie And this is the reason why the good man Perion said That in all the canonical scripture he knew not any place eyther prouing purgatorie Roffensis or praier for the dead And the Bishop of Rochester That of a truth there is not any place for the prouing of the same except it bee some such as is very intricate And Petrus a Soto after him That there is not any cleare euidence and testimony in the scripture for Purgatorie but that many other thinge ought to bee belieued which are not contained therein To what end therefore serueth all this shamelesse dealing thus to tumble tosse the scripture vpside downe thus to racke and torment all the textes one after another seeing they know in their consciences that the scripture knoweth not any purgatorie But for certaine that text which knoweth not to agree any whit with their exposition doeth know well enough to admit and receiue ours It doeth not know theirs Mark 16. being alwaies for the proofe of that third pretended place for it saith Who so shall belieue and be baptised shall be saued but hee that shall not haue belieued shal be condemned Iohn 3 c. Againe God hath sent his onely Sonne into the world to the ende that hee that shall belieue in him might not perish but haue euerlasting life Hee that belieueth in him is not iudged but he that belieueth not in him is alreadie iudged c. Againe He that belieueth in him which hath sent me hath eternal life he cometh not into iudgement he is already past froÌ„ death tâ—olife And so passed the theefe into Paradice the same houre Againe Blessed are they that die in the Lord Rom. 4. for from that time saith the spirit they rest from their labours blessed are they whose sinnes are forgiuen But according to their owne sayings the sins of those which are in their Purgatory are they not remitted are they not dead in the Lord And yet what time must they indure in the burning and flaming fire of this purgatorie And thus sayeth Saint Paule That there is no condemnation to them that are in Iesus Christ And thus said our Lord to that man Let the dead burie the dead who would not haue hindred him from performing any worke of charitie And S. Paule againe Take no care for those which sleepe All these places of scripture cannot stande with Purgatorie But they haue very well knowne ours euen Christ the eternall Son of God who by himselfe hath wrought the purging away of our sinnes Apocal. 14. Heb 1. Hebr. 9. Tit. 2. Ephes 5. 1. Iohn 1. whose blood cleanseth our consciences from the workes of death who hath giuen himselfe for to purge a people peculiar to himselfe to cleanse a Church for himselfe by the washing of water in the word who purgeth and cleanseth vs by his blood from all sin In so much as that through that confidence which we haue in this our so sufficient Purgatorie we are able to say without fearing any other I desire to bee loosed and to depart from hence and to bee with Christ Because likewise that wee know that if the tabernacle of this our house of earth be dissolued Philip. 1.2 Cor. 5. we shall haue abuilding with God and that not such a building as is made with hands but eternally abiding in the heauens And that not after some intermission of time but presently and forthwith hodié inquam to day euen from the houre in which hee shall call vs out of this world because that we belieue in him And therefore also wee haue alreadie attained life yea we are alreadie passed from death to life CHAP. VIII That neither the Primitiue Church nor the fathers of the same for the space of many
bee so purged by this fire as that in the end they shall proue and trie the clemencie of God And he alleadgeth Origen thereupon concealing in the meane time the rest of his opinion for that it finally extended vnto the Deuils But what helpeth all this for the prouing of the purgatorie whereof wee speake which is made for the faithfull penitents and not for them which die in their sinne for to fulfil the punishment Sixt. Senens l. 5 and not to cleanse or wipe away the fault where sinnes haue no entrance much lesse merites where the wicked haue no place much lesse the Saints much lesse also the Apostles and much lesse the holy virgine which taketh his beginning so soone as death hath made an end and is imployed about his office euerie day without ceasing and without attending the day of iudgement And notwithstanding they are not ashamed to alleadge vnto vs these places which themselues condemne in their bookes That it was a disputable doctrine and which to be short cannot make any thing for them or against vs. Yea and that furthermore this was but an opinion wherein men were let alone and left to range according to the pregnancie of their wit and capacitie and not any doctrine receiued and admitted into the Church it appeareth clearely for Saint Augustine doth not faine or dissemble the gainsaying and disallowing of it neither yet the publike confutation thereof in his bookes and that not onely without all checke or dislike August de Genes contr Manich l. 2. c. 10 In Psalm 37. but with much praise and to the good liking of men for the same In a certaine place he suffered it to escape according to the opinion then currant As that after this life such as haue not husbanded their ground well are in daunger either of the fire of purgation or of eternall fire notwithstanding that hee vseth these wordes Videri apparere that it seemeth to be apparant and that these purgatorie punishmentes according to his owne iudgement De ciuit Dei l. c. 10.25 De ciuit Dei l. 21. c. 13. l. Cor. 3. are reserued vnto the last iudgement But in the booke of the Citie of God hee reckeneth vp all the opinions of Origen and others depending on him who carried themselues in his time in the Church as those who had founded themselues vppon the mercifull clemencie and fatherly mildnesse of God misexpounded and confuteth them all bringing them backe from their pretended likelihood of truth vnto the truth it selfe and from their conceited fantasie to the infallible scriptures Thou wilt saith he that the wicked Christians may in the end be saued by these pains of purgatorie because that God is mercifull it must then also follow that the Deuils may also bee saued that so hee may bee so much the more mercifull for it is said equally and indifferently to the one and the other 2. Cor 3. Goe into euerlasting fire c. If thou demandest the cause this it is and then the which there is none more iust neither yet more holy namely that the scripture which deceiueth not hath said so Some haue abused the place of the 1. Corinth 3. for Purgatorie but hee sheweth that this fire cannot bee vnderstood of hell because that so it should become common both to the good and euill but rather of tribulations and afflictions August de ciuit Dei l. 21. c. 16. seq Dicuntur which are the exercises by which God maketh cleane his floure in this world that after this iudgement also contrarie to Origen there is not any paines of purgatorie And as concerning those punishmentes and paines which men might imagine to happen betwixt both hee saith If in this distance of time which is betwixt the death of the bodie and the day of iudgement men say that the soules of the deceased doe suffer some such fire Secularia venialia August de fide operibus Quantum arbitror Idem in Enchirid c. 69. Idem in quaest ad Dulcitium and that whether it bee there onely or whether it be here and not there or whether it bee here and there both they find a fire of transitorie tribulation burning the veniall thinges of this world I find no fault with them for such their assertion because it may bee that it is true And in another place hee saith This exposition as I suppose doth not wander farre from the way of truth Againe That some such thing may be after this life it is not incredible Againe writing to Dulcitius after he had handled the question We haue written these thinges but in such forte as that wee would not haue any canonicall authoritie giuen vnto them Whereby wee see in the first place that hee condemneth Origen Saint Ambrose and Hillarie their purgatorie c. Secondly that what hee sayeth of that space betwixt death and the day of iudgement hee speaketh doubtfully and as it were interrogatiuelie affirming And thirdly That by the same hee doeth not vnderstande any materiall fire of the same nature with Hell-fire as our aduersaries doe but a fire of tribulation or temptation such as may fall out and happen in this life And it is not to be omitted how that the good fathers of Trent did not forget to cause to be raced out many good places of Viues Index Expurg pag. 38.39 August de tempore serm 66. De verb. Apostol serm 18. In ep 80. ad Hesich Hypognosticon l. 5. Hieronym in Ecclesiast Olympiod in Prouerb c. 11. intreating of this matter in his commentaries vpon Augustines booke of the Citie of God But in another place wee haue shewed that hee hath made but two places of abode as in heauen or in hell and that hee shutteth out all manner of purgation after this life and that hee cutteth it off quite and cleane As concerning the third place we know not any thing at all thereof we find not any thing at all thereof in the scriptures And what shall we say if S. Ierome speake no lesse resolutely Jn what place soeuer saith he the tree falleth there it lyeth be it towards the South or be it towards the North In like manner looke in what place death doth take thee in the same thou abidest for euer be it that thy last day do find thee cruell and vnappeasable or otherwise courteous and mercifull And Olympiodorus doth cleare him vpon the same place In whatsoeuer place whether light or darke a man is surprised and seazed vppon by death bee hee following after vice or bee hee following after vertue he continueth in the same state and condition and in the same degree for euer For either he resteth in the light of euerlasting happines with the iust and righteous men and Christ our Lord or els he is tormented in darknes with the vnrighteous and the Deuill which is their prince They obiect vnto vs that Saint Ierome saith in his commentaries vpon the Prouerbes That soules
for feare saith he that veritas abeat in errorē the truth be turned and changed into error that is for as much as that which is performed duely vnto God can not chuse but be misplaced vnduely bestowed when it is performed vnto creatures Now these honors such as is adoration as also inuocation are parts of that which he calleth Latria For so he expresseth his meaning to be by the examples which he mentioneth of them in Ieremie that honour the hoasts Queene of heauen of Noe giuing thanks for his deliuerance by a sacrifice of Iacob crauing aide of the Lord in his necessity in powring the oile vpon the stone c. And whereas the abuse did grow more plausible by reason of the name of the virgine Marie There are some saith he which do not honor her sufficiently there are some that glorifie her too much The Deuil vnder the colour of doing good entreth into the spirits of men deifieth the nature of man to cause thē to worship the dead c. But although the bodie of Marie were holy yet notwithstanding it was not God she was a virgin to be honored and reuerenced but not to be adored worshipped she her selfe falling downe worshipping him that was borne of her according to the flesh whereupon he saith vnto her What haue I to doe with thee O woman for feare that any man admiring too much her excellencie might fall into heresie These are the reasons hee vseth in all this disputation In the first place It is not spoken of in the scriptures Where is saith he the scripture where is the Prophet that hath spoken it And for the second Rom. 1. It is an old error which must not rule ouer vs to forsake the liuing and to worship that which he hath made according to that which is written They haue worshipped the creature more then the Creator c. And therefore neither Helias nor S. Iohn nor Thecla nor Marie For if it be denied the Angels why should it be granted to the daughter of Hanna that is to say Mary And afterward also whole pages to the like purpose Let Ieremie saith he hold in these sillie simple women that they may not trouble the whole world that they may not haue any more to say we honor the Queene of heauen c. What other thing should he heare at this day in the deuotions of the Church of Rome Then he concludeth And this wee haue written for their sakes that are desirous to attaine the truth of the scriptures But if there bee any man that liketh better to heare the contrarie for this superstition did not want Monkes to support it he that heareth let him heare he that is disobedient let him be disobedient c. Chrysostome may seeme to haue taken to taske the pulling downe subuersion of this abuse he taketh such paines by all maner of meanes to vndermine the very foundations thereof Hee saw that the people were more inclined to receiue helpe from the suffrages of another then to amend their owne liues Therefore hee impugneth this opinion Nay saith he We are a great deale more assured certified Chrysost hom 5. in Matth. by our owne suffrages thē by the suffrages of an other neither doth God so soon grant our saluation at the praiers of another as at our owne For by that meanes was he moued to pittie the Cananitish woman by that meanes also he gaue the harlot to belieue thus also did the thief obtaine paradise there being neither aduocate nor mediator to moue him to any of these by intercession But Idem hom 12. in Matth. Thou saist I haue no good works I cannot trust to my good life hereupon it is that we are to betake our selues to his mercie the calme and quiet hauen of sinners where iudgement ceaseth wherein consisteth vnspeakable safety according to the example of the Cananitish woman who neither went to Iames nor Iohn nor Peter c. But in stead of all these she embraced as her dearest companion vnfained and hearty repentance and it was also vnto her as her aduocate going on her behalfe directly vnto the soueraigne head and fountaine And wherefore said she is he come downe to take humane flesh vpon him why is he made man but that I may speake vnto him In another place Idem hom de prof Euang. Wilt thou see saith he what more we do for our selues by our owne praters then by those of an other◠when the Apostles pray for the Cananitish woman they are repelled I am not sent but to the lost sheepe of Israel c. But when shee pleadeth her owne cause by prayer how great a sinner soeuer shee were euen then it was that shee obtained grace euen then it was that the Lord did graunt her petition Yea but the scripture commandeth vs to pray one for another Other mens praiers therefore are not vnprofitable Admit it yet it must be by the Saints that are aliue and not by them that are dead And of this intercession of the Saints it is that he speaketh and not of that of the Church of Rome When we offer saith he altogether vnto God Idem hom 44 in Genes 1. Idem hom 5. in Mat. Idem hom in 1. ad Thes Genes 18. Ierem. 7.16.11.14 that which commeth from our selues and the intercession of the Saints is ioyned therewith it doth greatly profite vs. For saith he in another place the praiers and supplications of the Saints are of great force power on our behalfe and therefore let vs not neglect them but rather let vs pray them to pray for vs and to lend vs their helping hand But what Saintes euen those that are liuing and wee know them by the examples and patternes that he giueth vs of them As of Abraham making intercession for Lot and of Ieremie whom God forbiddeth to pray for the people and many other Where in the meane time wee haue to obserue and note the faithfull and good dealing of the Doctors of the Church of Rome who alleadge the same of the Saints deceased and not of the faithfull liuing which are in all the scipture commonly called Saintes As concerning the Saints deceased he sometimes speaketh of them according to the common opinion Idem in Basil Martyr especially in his Panegyricks That the magnanimitie and vndaunted boldnesse of the Martyrs is a terrour vnto the tyrantes the deuils and the Prince of the deuils That they pray to God with confidence as soldiers are wont to shew their wounds vnto their Prince Idem in Iuuent Maxim That if S. Paule haue loued men here below he hath also in heauen a more feruent loue towards them but that this neuer reacheth either to praying vnto Saintes or vnto Martyrs on the contrarie in all his praiers we doe not heare of any other but onely God But haue they not purchased Paradise by their sufferings and merites
Frier hath purposely written and put forth a booke The truth is that he teacheth Ioh. Ferus in Mat. l. 1. In Ioh. c. 1. v. 4.13.17.19 That all our old birth for so hee calleth the man not regenerate and all the powers of our nature are condemned in the Scriptures that wee are nothing but sinne and darknesse that our thoughts speech reason and will are accursed that our light if the same be not inlightned by the word of God worketh nothing in vs but errour and going astraie that euen the Law howsoeuer good in it selfe without grace begetteth nothing but hypocrites that without faith there is no good workes and that none but such as belieue can worke them that in the regenerate not onely after Baptisme Idem in Ioh. c. 13. v. 10. c. 14 v. 16 c. 16. v. 9. but euen after they become to an actuall faith there abideth continually a remainder of originall sinne which bringeth forth sinne in vs whereupon it must consequently bee auouched that no man is without sinne and notwithstanding that such as belieue doe not cease therefore to be cleane that is in as much as they be purified by faith and by the same ingrafted into the body of Christ participating his holinesse and possessing himselfe according to that which S. Paul saith But you are washed but you are sanctified c. And that notwithstanding that considered in themselues they are nothing but sin yet there is no condemnation for them with God who doth not impute vnto them any their sinnes vncleannesse but rather reputeth them for pure cleane because of their faith in Christ Moreouer that this faith which iustifieth vs is not any other thing then the free mercie of God forgiuing sinnes for his Christs sake which only is requisite in vs vnto saluation c. and it worketh in vs a certaintie of the same so farre foorth as that it leaueth vs not without a pledge and earnest penie of eternall life that by the only merits of Christ we are saued made partakers of the same merits by faith alone In all which points he doth verie notably agree with vs that is to say with all antiquitie and consequently is condemned by the Councell of Trent in diuers Canons in the sixth Session Now of all this discourse wee gather that this doctrine of free iustification in the bloud of Christ by faith hath beene of a long time kept maintained in the Church in his puritie howsoeuer deadly assailed by Sathan and that at diuers times in diuers depending points as the See and seate of our saluation That notwithstanding it hath beene subiect to manifold diuers great alterations and changes through the proud and presumptuous nature of man through the doctrine of Philosophers through the subtilties of the Schoolemen and the Pharisaical hmuour of the Monkes In so much as that notwithstanding the couragious defence of the same by diuers worthie and great personages holding vnto the yeare 1200. more for the grace of God against the ingratitude of man the said Pharisaicall doctrine did preuaile and get the vpper hand and yet not so absolutely but that at the same time it was still impugned and confuted almost throughout all the nations of Christendome by many good people and that euen to the suffering of death for their confession being also mightily and soundly crossed by their Maxims by whose fine conceipts and subtile deuises it had beene chiefely established that in it there is hapned vnto vs as it falleth out in the Countries farre North wherein the brightnesse of the two twilights doe happen and fall out so neere together as that the day is no sooner dead and departed on the one side but it quickneth and reuiueth againe on the other This Article hauing beene no sooner shut in and couered with the darknesse which had ouer-spread and ouershadowed the Church but that wee might see it incontinently after more splendent and glorious then euer it was before Wherein we may note the singular goodnes of God towards his Church for in as much as iustification is that point of Christian doctrine which ioyneth man Christ together which maketh the proper difference of the Church from all other sortes of assemblies and of a Christian from all other men as being that without which no man can bee a Christian with which alone well vnderstood we retaine both the name and the effect and to be short which may bee called by good right the life of a Christian the soule of the Church the bond of the mariage betwixt Christ and his Church it was surely verie necessarie seeing that God according to his promise cannot destroy his Church that this article should be conserued in the same that such Eclipse as should couer the face therof shuld be but short to the end it might returne vnto his former brightnesse and light In a word as Phisitions say that the heart is the first liuing last dying part in man That this heart also of the Church by which it began to liue notwithstanding first assailed and set vpon by the venimous poyson of Sathan was the last that was mortally wounded and striken and the first againe recouered as for certaine it is come to passe in our daies wherein God making his Gospell as it were to liue againe after so long a time of death and darknesse would of his incomparable grace that this point should bee the first restored into his former estate and perfection by them whome he had raised for the restauration of his Church Now in this third part we haue entered into the consideration of the Masse A briefe rehea 〈◊〉 of that which hath beene said before this third book in the qualitie of a Sacrifice so it remaineth for our better comming to our selues againe after so long a discourse that we briefly repeate the same which we meane to performe in manner as followeth The Masse is properly a corrupting adulterating of the holy Supper of our Lord and the Supper of our Lord was not ordained for a sacrifice taken in his proper signification but for a Sacrament Neither can it be called a sacrifice except for that it is a holy action or else because it is a commemoration of the sacrifice of our Lord once made vpon the tree of the Crosse for our sinnes or thirdly for that it is a thankesgiuing for the benefits receiued by him Wherefore the Masse cannot properly be called a sacrifice and much lesse a propitiatorie sacrifice in as much as the whole Scripture and all antiquitie do teach vs that there is not in the Church any moe sacrifices truely propitiatorie then one euen the bloud of our Lord shed for our sinnes represented and shadowed out vnder the Lawe by all the sacrifices then in vse and fulfilled in the time of grace in one onely which ought not neither can bee reiterated without sacriledge From this pretended Sacrifice of the Masse haue
such sort as that they are not apparant or to bee discerned notwithstanding that they be there neither yet any manner of distinction to bee made of them by reason of their incorporation euen so are we all incorporate both amongst our selues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as also with Christ for wee are not nourished and fed this man of one bodie and that man of an other but all ioyntly of one and the same These are then the two principall endes of the Sacrament euen the growth and helping forwarde of our vnitie with Christ our head and of our vnitie with the brethren which with vs doe make one body in him which cannot bee accomplished more effectually then by the remembrance of the death of Christ which stirreth vp in vs a loue towards him who hath loued vs so much as to giue himselfe to death for vs euen that death which was due and iustly belonging to sinners c. So that wee not being able either to liue or die for any his emolument or profit for what good can there arise from vs to him we are incited and stirred vp to liue and die for his body which is the Church and not to spare any thing that is in vs no not our owne bloud for the edifying of the same or for the good and saluation of our brethren either begotten of Basil de Baptis in Moral or redeemed by the same bloud And this is the cause why Saint Basill saith What profit is there in these words Take this is my body To the end that drinking and eating we may euermore bee mindfull of him which is dead and risen againe for vs Who so calleth not to mind this remembrance is said to eate vnworthily c. And in another place What is the dutie of such as eate the bread and drinke the Cup of Christ Verily saith he to keep the remembrance of him which is dead and risen againe for vs perpetually c. Seeing saith likewise S. Ambrose Ambros de iis qui myst intiantur c. 3. That the Sacrament serueth not for any vse vnto saluation without the preaching that is to say the remembrance and commemoration of the crosse of Christ. And hitherto it may be that both wee and our aduersaries are of one mind in as much as we both the one and the other say That the bodie and bloud of Christ are in the Supper celebrated according to his institution and are truly and verily drunken and eaten in the same by the faithfull members of Christ in assurance of remission of sinnes and eternall life But the difference and disagreement betwixt vs is Wherein the maine difference lyeth for that wee say that they are receiued in the supper of the Lord with the Sacraments of the bread and wine They vnder the accidents of the whitenes roundnesse c. of the bread and vnder the rednesse and moysture c. of the wine the substance therof being at the verie instant of the vttering of the words by the Priest quite vanished and become nothing that so there may be place made for the bodie and bloud yea conuerted and turned into the bodie and bloud of Christ which they call Transubstantiation Againe that wee say that the bodie and bloud of Christ the nourishment of our soule which is spirituall are communicated with vs by the efficacie and power of the spirit of God and receiued of vs in like manner spiritually and by faith They that they are giuen by the hand of the Priest vnder the accidents of bread and wine and conuerted into flesh bloud by the pronouncing of the words which they call Sacramentall receiued into the mouth and swallowed downe into the stomack corporally and really c. and that not of the faithfull onely but of all both good and bad which receiue them c. So that the question or controuersie betwixt vs is not Whether there be a communicating of the body and bloud of Christ in the holy supper but How And this How is not raised by vs It proceedeth of the curiosity of our aduersaries neither yet by our incredulitie or curiositie but by our aduersaries who in stead of resting themselues in the simplicitie of the old writers haue so curiously pried into the same as that they haue wrapt themselues in an infinite sort of absurdities thereby causing doubts to arise yea and doubting themselues also of If in stead of making it plaine vnto themselues and others of the manner How Verily Saint Cyprian saith That it is an Apostolike thing and appertaining to the sinceritie of the truth to declare how the bread wine are the flesh bloud of our Lord. Saint Augustine likewise feareth not to demaund How the bread is made the bodie of Christ seeing that our Lord in the day of the Ascention caried vp his bodie into heauen But he hath also giuen vs rules by which these kinds of speeches ought to be expounded But this holy scanning and sifting out of the truth is verie farre from the prophane curiositie of our aduersaries they seeke the deciding of the matter in the nature of the Sacraments by comparing of Scripture with Scripture and by the analogie of faith and of the Creed according to the true and vndoubted rules of Diuinitie but these our aduersaries by destroying of the Sacraments the nature of Christ and the Articles of our faith our onely Diuinitie by destroying also the Lawes which God hath set in nature by a false kind of Philosophie So deeply haue they delighted and rooted themselues in an opinion contrarie to faith in the flesh which profiteth nothing contrarie to the word which is spirit and life and in the letter which is dead and killeth contrarie to the spirit which is liuing and quickning They say The literall sence neither can nor ought to be followed alwayes what is there any thing more cleare or plaine This is my bodie this is my bloud But againe is there any thing more plaine The rocke was Christ And of circumcision This is my couenant Againe The Lambe is the Passeouer These bones are the house of Israell Iohn is Elias I am the true Vine I am the bread of life which came downe from heauen c. And if the plainnesse and clearenesse of places should bee tied vnto the words and not to the sence and meaning then what clearer places can there possibly be then these Let vs make man according to our owne image and similitude And the Anthropomorphites haue heereupon concluded that God hath the shape of a man Genes 1. Luke 22 Who so hath not a sword let him sell his Coate and buy one And what then saith Origen Shall the Bishops put their hand to the sword thereupon I and my Father are one And Sabellius hath concluded thereupon that the Father hath suffered in the flesh I am the bread of life August de ciuit Dei l. 21. c. 25. he that shall eate this
to say which haue not any thing to doe with any carnall thing but bring eternall life And if then with the consent of all the fathers this place of S. Iohn do expound make plaine the doctrine of the holy supper and must be vnderstood spiritually then also must those wordes of the institution be so vnderstood if we mind not to cause the scriptures to disagree and fight against scriptures and one place thereof against many places yea and that one against it selfe if wee will not violently go about to establish quite against all analogy of scripture the matter of transubstantiation which yet is not of bread into a bodie but of I know not what as that which hath no name into a bodie not of wine into bloud but of wine or rather of the cup into bloud or rather into the new testament in bloud If likewise wee will not haue the bread and wine abased or turned into nothing in S. Mathew in S. Marke and in S. Luke after the wordes and yet continue in their sound and perfect natures in S. Paule after the verie same that is to say If wee will not ouerthrow for the retaining of the litterall sence of one only word the spirit diffused throughout the whole scriptures and make the sacraments of the Church of Christ by the hardnes of our expositions more rawe and carnall then all those of the Iewish Church These are the absurdities which accompanie the expositions of our transubstantiators whereas ours doth retaine the nature of all the sacraments the agreement of the old with the new of holy baptisme with the holy supper of the supper of the Apostles with that of the Christian Church and aboue all the principal end of the same which is the nourishment of the soule vnto eternall life by that consunction of the faithfull with Christ as also of the faithfull amongst themselues which it fostereth and cherisheth c. It conserueth in like manner the truth of the humane bodie of our Lord which the other destroyeth the excellent dignitie of his diuine nature which that abaseth and all this by keeping the Analogie of the faith of Christ and the harmony of the holy scriptures CHAP. IIII. That the Fathers knew not Transubstantiation nor the reall presence in the signes And this is prosecuted vnto the time of the first Nicene Councell the same contayned therein NOw it is also very certaine that such as hath beene the doctrine of the Church not Primitiue onely but also for a long time after euen when corruption had entered this noble and worthie parte of the Church not hauing beene touched or defiled by the first which thing wee shall bee able to proue from time to time by the Fathers saue that we will not repeate diuers places before alleadged as the course of our treatise hath caused vs to produce and cite the same Saint Clement Bishop of Rome Clem. Rom. constit l. 6. c. 6. in the mysticall thanksgiuing that followeth the consecration Father we giue thee thanks for the precious blood of Iesus Christ which is shed for vs and for his precious bodie whereof we make vp and finish these counterfeites and resemblances l. 8. c. 17. Marke this word counterfeits that is to say correspondent figures and that after the consecration Himselfe hauing ordained it for vs to the end that wee might shew forth his death c. Againe in his liturgie after the consecration We offer vnto thee O king and God according to thine ordinance this bread and this cup l. 5. c. 61. c. And in another place The counterfeites saith he and mysteries of his bodie and blood at which say the Apostles as the report is set downe by Clement Iudas was not present with vs. l. 2. c. 61. And yet notwithstanding such because of the holy mystery whereunto they are consecrated That he exhorteth men to come vnto them as into the presence of a king If this had beene the reall bodie of our Lord would he haue made any other comparison then from himselfe would he not haue said that it was requisite to worship it as God Ignatius Ignat. in ep ad Philadel There is one flesh of our Lord and one bloud shed for vs one bread also broken for all and one cup for the whole Church How was it possible for him better to distinguish betwixt the signes and the things then by these foure wordes flesh and bloud on the one part and bread and cuppe on the other Bellarmine would haue him to signifie by these wordes flesh and bloud his bodie stretched out and his bloud shedde vpon the crosse and by the bread and cup his bodie broken his bloud shed in the holy Supper But do we then eate in the holy supper an other body then that which was stretched and drinke we another blood then that which was shed vpon the crosse for vs What other thing is this then to take from vs all our consolation all our glorie And did not then the Apostles communicate Iesus Christ crucified And what becommeth of the glorie of that great Apostle who would not know or glorie in any other thing but him crucified And what other thing els is this but in most outragious manner to abuse the scripture That he did not speake in the supper of his bodie broken with griefes vpon the crosse but of his bodie broken vnder the Accidents of bread not of his blood shed for our sinnes but taken and powred out of the cuppe vnder the Accidents of wine which notwithstanding to be so is proued for that whereas it is said in S. Luke shed for you it is in S. Mathew shed for many for this cannot bee referred to the breaking or powring out which is in the celebration of the holy Supper but to that which was really made vpon the crosse The same father also vndermineth and ouerturneth the very foundation of transubstantiation by the nature of Christ Ignat. cp 8. ad Polycarp Here below saith he is the race but the crowne is laid vp in heauē Christ the son of God euen he who is not temporarie that is to say not subiect to any time in time inuisible by nature visible in the flesh impalpable and such as cannot be felt with handes and yet notwithstanding for the loue of vs become corporall and palpable c. Iustinus Martyr compareth the bread of the Eucharist Iustin in dial cum Tryphon to the cow which was sacrificed in the old law for them which were purged of the leprosie He hath giuen vs saith he to celebrate the Eucharist in remembrance of his death note remembrance which he suffered for them whose spirits are purged from sin to the end that we should render thanks vnto God Again He hath giuen the bread saith he to the end that we should beare in remēbrance that he was made a bodie for such as do belieue in him the cup to the end that we shold
truth And by consequent Pope Nicholas and the Councel of Rome consisting of 114. Bishops and the whole Romish Church mentioned in the Canon Ego Berengarius So slenderly was this Beares whelpe as yet licked In the meane time this goodly recantation is sent throughout all Christendome and Prouinciall Synods assembled in euerie nation to cause it to be receiued But Berengarius returneth into Fraunce refuseth it and publisheth the cruell and violent dealing wherewith he had beene tormented by the Church as hee calleth it of the malignant Ecclesia Malignantium Auersanus Episcopus the Councell of vanitie Then beginne Humbert made Cardinall vpon that occasion and Guitmond of a Monke of the Crosse Saint Leuffroi made Bishop of Auers to write against him This was towards the yeare 1059. In the end Berengarius died in Fraunce the fierie and terrible threatnings of the Pope according to his former practise still perseuering And he had an Epitaph made him by Hildebert or Fuldebert Bishop of Mans Epitaph BereÌ„gar per Fuldebert Episc Cenoman apud Mamelsbur vel per Hildeb ex Gaguin such as hee could for the greatest and most holy person of that age which beginneth Quem modo miratur semper mirabitur Orbis c. Wherein hee extolleth his pietie and wonderfull learning both for the benefite of those of his owne time as also of the posteritie wherein hee bewaileth his death as threatning a ruine to the whole Church in as much as in him resteth the hope and glorie of the Cleargie wherein hee saith that enuie her selfe which did oppresse and beare him downe dooth weepe ouer him c. Afterward hee concludeth with a verie feruent desire and wish that hee might lie downe and liue with him that his estate and condition at the time of his departing out of this life might bee no better then his Mamelsbur l. 3. c. 58. c. But it is more to the purpose to see it in Mamelsburiensis who reciteth it wholly And Platina likewise the Popes their Historiographer in the life of Iohn the fifteenth dooth giue an honourable testimonie of him Some adde that dying hee should say To day Christ will appeare vnto me according to my penitentnesse as I hope vnto glorie or because of others vnto paine The most sound interpretation whereof is that he did repent of hauing yeelded or turned aside from the profession of the truth and that he feared that he had offended his brethren through his infirmities And it is to be noted herewithall Lanfrancus Guitmond do not speake as our aduersaries that Lanfrancus Alger and Guitmond doe not yet vse such tearmes and speeches as these dayes are full of But they beginne to call the bread and wine Kinds after the consecration where the Fathers called them by this name before the same vnderstanding by this word Substances and not appearances or fantasies onely as those of this time Againe they beginne to say that the bodie and bloud inuisible in the Kindes are Sacraments of the visible bodie and bloud for feare that mans infirmitie should be offended and surprised with the horrour of the thing But they as yet had not beene to learne their lesson at Sorbone As that the substaunce of bread and wine doe vanish that the accidents abide hanging in the ayre and yet notwithstanding are remooued by the hand and are brused with the teeth of the Priest c. Neither had they as yet intituled this their carnall fantasie and called it by the name of Transubstantiation But after the consecration they retained the name of signes and markes Lanfrancus saith oftentimes with the fathers The Sacrament of the Altar is the figure of the body and bloud of our Lord c. And what shall we say more Pope Gregorie the 7. his staning in doubte of the truth of Transubstantiation â—enno Card. in Gregor 7. when as Benno Cardinall of Hostia and Deane of the Cardinals doth make mention in his Historie that Pope Gregorie the seuenth called Hildebrand who had beene present at the Councell of Tours as Legat from Pope Victor II. against Berengarius is in such distressing doubt as that hee sendeth two Cardinals such as were his trustie and faithfull Agents in matters of weight Acto and Conno vnto S. Anastasius to the end that they should fast three daies with Suppon arch-priest of that Parish singing three dayes the Psalter and the Masse to the ende that God would shew vnto them by some signe which was the sounder iudgement that of the Church of Rome or that of Berengarius And notwithstanding all that saith he there came nothing of it Not yet satisfied hee inioyned the whole companie of the Cardinals to fast for the same end and purpose And when as Iohannes Portuensis to whome he committed all his secrets euen he that first said Masse in Latine at Constantinople according to the maner of Rome said after his death Ex ambone B. Petri from out of the Chaire or Pulpit of Saint Peter in the hearing of all the people and Cleargie Hildebrand and we haue done a deed for which we ought to haue beene burned aliue Being about to say saith Benno That he had consulted with the Sacrament as with an oracle against the Emperour Henrie his enemie and that afterward hee cast it into the fire in the presence and against the good liking of certaine Cardinals which then were there with him This Hildebrand I say of whome they cannot sufficiently content themselues with saying and that for good cause Vir Pontificatu dignus c. A man worthie of the Popedome c. Wherfore the Decree of Pope Nicholas II. could not so quickly root out of the harts of men the old and ancient truth but that the traces thereof might as yet be seen in such as were most deuoutly addicted vnto the Romish Church Anselme Lanfrancus his Disciple and successour as well in the Abbey of Bec-Heloin as in the Archbish-oppricke of Canterburie teacheth conformably to the Fathers That the Fathers vnder the Law did eate the same spirituall meate that we euen the body and bloud of Christ That in the Sacraments they signifying things that is to say the signes do take the names of the things signified And thus saith he the rocke was Christ That the breaking of bread was a signe of the breaking of his bodie which should be done at his Passion that to eate him vnworthily is to eate him with the mouth of the bodie worthily with the mouth of the heart c. Saint Bernard intreating vpon the supper A ring is absolutely giuen for a ring and it carrieth no further signification with it It is also giuen to aduance a man to some place of honour and dignitie or else to set one in possession of an inheritance in so much as that hee which hath receiued it may say The ring is nothing worth but it is the inheritance that I seeke and aime at After the same manner our Lord drawing
c. Againe The heauenly bread which is the flesh of Christ is called the bodie of Christ suc modo after a sort though notwithstanding so it be that it is the Sacrament of the bodie of Christ that is of that which beeing visible palpable and mortall was fastned vpon the Crosse and that this offering vp thereof is called passion death c. Not in the truth of the thing but in a signifying mysterie c. In the Glose It is called the body of Christ that is to say significat it signifieth it The heauenly Sacrament which truely representeth the flesh of Christ is called the bodie of Christ but improperly c. Thus then according to the Canons we eate in the Eucharist the flesh of Christ c. spiritually not carnally Now it followeth that we looke a little about vs C Quia corpus 34. C Qui manducant 57. C. Vt quid 46. C Credere 18. C. Tuncâ—â—s 89 C Non iste panis 55. De Consecr d. 2. to see whether it be by faith or with our mouthes The Canon Quia corpus saith The Lord hauing to ascend vp into heauen did consecrate vnto vs in the day of the Supper the Sacrament of his body and his bloud to the end that that which had beene once offered for payment and satisfaction might be continually honoured in a mysterie and that this perdurable offering might stil liue and abide in remembrance which must be waighed and considered of fide non specie By inward faith not by outward appearance and pondered by the inward affection not by the outward sight The Canon Qui manducant That which is taken in the Sacrament visiblie is in truth eaten and drunken spiritually That which is seene is the bread and cuppe c. That wherein it is needfull that the faith should be instructed is how that the bread is the bodie of Christ c. And they are called Sacraments because one thing is seene another vnderstood That which is seene hath a bodily shape but that which is vnderstood a spirituall fruit The Canon Vt quid whereto doest thou prepare thy bellie and teeth beleeue and thou hast eaten The Canon Credere to beleeue in Christ is to eate the bread of life The Canon Non iste panis It is not that bread which goeth into the bodie that feedeth the substance of our soule but the bread of eternall life The Canon In illo Christ is in that Sacrament not therefore a corporall meate but a spirituall And againe the aboue said Canon C. Quia corpus 34. d. 2. de Consecr Quia corpus when thou goest vp to the Altar to be fed with spirituall meates behold by faith the holy bodie of thy God touch him with thy vnderstanding lay hold vpon him with the hand of thy hart Against all these they haue but one onely miserable Glose to obiect which saith So soone as the kind is touched with the teeth Glos in C. Trib. de consecr d. 2. C. Qui manduc 57. Mis in sequent C. Vtrumque 71. C. vt quid 46 Câ—mutat 69. A sumente nonconscissus non confractus non diuisus integer capitur Ioh. 19. Gl. in C. Ego Bereng 41. in C. vtrum so soone is the bodie of Christ rapt and conueighed with speed into heauen c. And yet it is diuersly canuased and tossed by the Canonistes and schoolemen Of eating with the mouth should follow the chawing of it with the teeth But these Canons are contrarie to that The Canon Qui manducat When we eate it we make not any morsels or bittes thereof The faithfull know how they eate the flesh of Christ It is eaten by partes in the Sacrament that is in the signes but it is all whole in thine heart The Canon Vt quid whereto doest thou prepare thy teeth The Canon Vtrum It is not lawfull to eate him with teeth The Masse likewise in the sequences and conclusions following thereon He that taketh him cutteth him not bruseth him not neither yet diuideth him into morsels c. Contrarie to this ancient truth is only that Canon Ego Berengarius made by the Cardinall Humbert as it were in despight of all antiquitie which saith That he is broken and brused with the teeth But without alleadging against him the Gospell which saith Not one of his bones shall bee broken we will onely lay down the words of two Gloses which proclaime for hereticks both Pope Nicholas II. as also the whole Church of Rome of that time The Glose of that same Canon which saith Referre all to the kinds for we make not any part of the bodie of Christ otherwise thou shalt fall into a greater heresie then Berengarius And the Glose of the Canon Vtrum vpon these wordes Is is not lawfull to eate Christ with teeth Berengarius saith the Glose saith the contrarie that is to say Cardinall Humbert in the retractation which he drew for Berengriaus but he spake hyperbolically and so exceeded the bondes of the truth Of the eating of him with the mouth it would follow that the wicked and vngodly should eate the bodie of Christ The Canons againe are contrarie thereunto The Canon Qui discordat Hee that is at strife with Christ C. Qui discordat 64. C. Qui manduc 57. C. Quia passus 35. C. Christus 56. Fidelium dentibus atters C Prima quidem â—aeres 43. d. ead C. Non oportet 3. C. Panis 38. C. Hoc est quod dicim 47. C. Ante benedict 39. C. Panis est 54. eateth not his flesh neither yet drinketh his blood although hee should euerie day take the sacrament of so high and great a thing as a iudgement of his destruction The Canon Qui manducant They that eate and drinke Christ eate and drinke life The Canon Christus Christ is the bread of whom who so eateth shall liue for euer Likewise the Canon Ego Berengarius attributeth it as proper to the faithfull to eate him with teeth In briefe vpon the question also of transubstantiation If the bodie of Christ after the words spoken must be sought for in heauen or in the hands of the priest and if of the wine bread there be nothing remaining but the Accidents Christ say the Canons is in heauen vntil this world shall be consummate and finished The bodie of Christ must be in one place but the truth is spread abroad euerie where And as for the kinds Wee must not offer any other thing in the Sacrament then wine water and bread which are blessed in the figure of Christ Before the blessing one kind is named but after the blessing the bodie is signified The bread and cuppe are a nourishing of the resurrection by the mysticall consecration that is by the efficacie of the worde and institution of Christ That is saith the Glose A spirituall refreshing of the soule which rayseth vs vp againe from the death of sinne Againe The bread and the cup saith he continue the thing