haue dayly do arise and for the better confirming of their credite I haue set before their words such textes of the holy scriptures as they do most ground vpon and in these fewe questions you may easely and wel perceaue what false and erronious opinions haue bene raysed of the rest therfore God graunt vs so to waye and diligently consider hereof that we may truely knowe his blessed will and plesure as also frame our liues and workes therafter to his glory to the helpe of our poore brothers necessitie Amen ¶ Your graces most humble seruaunt E. Crane ¶ THE EPISTLE TO the Reader SIth that gentell Reader in this our age we do plainely see many Bookes and innumerable sorte therof to be setforth which do not onely cleane ouerthrowe the mind of the Reader But also do allure and drawe thee in into schismes and most pestiferous sectes Therfore I did thinkâ— it would be a more fitte worke to renewe the olde moniments and workes of our Fathers which by occasion of tyme and rashnes of writers haue bene peruerted then to setforth any new matter And such workes ought most chefely to haue credite geuen to them which haue there original of our excelent roote and stocke and which doth flowe out of a good stone and runne out of a most excellent fountaine or welspringe as are those which be drawne out of the Buttries of the old Catholike Doctors which vnder the choyse of wordes haue powred out the deuine spirite in such sorte that all the worlde maye easely vnderstand and chuse an immortall lyfe as also knowe what is good and what is euill and as sone as like vnto diligent and paynefull Bees you haue drawne out the swete hony more precious then Rosemarie out of the swete flowers of our holy Fathers and hath layed them vppe in the hyue of your minde there is no doubte but that you shall haue floddes of water of lyfe sesoninge and with force watering the poore thirstie Church of our Sauiour Christ farthermore euery purpose or Arte hath his princes of whom it is led by as of capitaines which doth most sone and with great expidition bring our purpose to that effect which otherwise our wittes would hardly comepasse as I knowe him which is setforth or fygured to me by the shape of an other which goeth or passeth by so in our lyfe we shall sone addicte our selues to followe other mens examples as it is sayd of old liuely examples sticketh in the mind wherof as Heronimus doth witnes the Romanes did follow as leaders capitaynes the Camillians the Fabricians and the Scipians The Philosophers hath apoynted maisters of there Arte. Pythagoras Socrates Plato and Aristotle The Poets do followe Homere Virgill Menander and Terens The historians Thucidides Salust Herodatus and Liuius The Orators Licias Graccus Demosthenes and Tullie The Painters or caruers Appelles Dedalus Iason But we which labour for and seeke the moste excellent giftes of the mind and the knowledge of Christian doctrine haue so many and so great examples of our most worthy forfathers that we lacke nothing pertayning to thaugmenting or establishing of a Christian lyfe Sith that therbe an innumerable number of interpretors or Prophets of the word of God and Canonicall scriptures I thought good out of so great a number to chuse certayne which both by sinceritie and purenes of doctrine by integritie of manners by vehimens of teachinge By sharpnes of wtte doth both much affect and delight as also make vs wel instructed prepared and Armed not that the doctores themselues would haue vs farther to credite or beleue them then they do agree with the holy Scriptures as Augustine doth witnes in many places but chefely in his booke of Retractiones whâ—â— he sayth I nether can nor ought to denye But as there were in my forfathers so there are in my so many and huge workes many things which by iust iudgement and without any temeritie may well be erected but they haue made Arroes and dartes agaynst these Antechristes in the Church For neuer since the dayes of the Apostles vnto this our tyme vpon whom the endes of the worlde are come the Church of Christ hath bene free from those enemies althought continually the truth remaineth inuincible yet falshood doth neuer leaue of taduaunce her selfe agaist it if in this world there might be the end of lying the Church of Christ should be in quiet But this most detestable euill and sinne doth neuer rest to knocke at the harte of man and with such argumentes as one woulde not thinke to disquiet the Catholike fayth therfore it is necessary for the folowers of the troth wisely to forsee these captious Arguments and being vncouered and brought to light with the mallet of veritie and truth to beate them downe yea and euen to the death and bloudsheding for verities sake to fight against them and chefely because the holy Scriptures doth admonish and saye Be not dismayed or asrayd to speake the word for thy soule and for the troth euen to death for Paule doth desire the Romanes to marke them which cause diuision and geue occasions of euill contrary to the doctrine which they had learned and to auoyde them for they that are such serue not the Lord Iesus Christ but their owne bellies and with sweete preaching and flattering wordes disceaue the hartes of the innocents it may be that the Apostle did admonish the Romaines that they shold not be wauering in faith and in the word that they should shonne and put away Heritikes and seducers of soules But it is commaunded vnto vs that we should preach the word and should stand to it at all times and seasons we should correcte we shoulde perswade we should chide and chasten them withall patience and doctrine for the time shall come and now it is when they shall not away with true and wholsome doctrine but shall get them masters according to their owne desires which haue itchchinge eares and which turne their hearing and sence from veritie and truth vnto fables Therfore the Apostle doth exhorte vs to watch to labour and to do the workes of true gospellers let that terrible sentence of S. Chrisostome neuer be out of our eares saying he is not onely a Treatour to veritie that doth openly setforth a lye in stead of troth but he also that doth not freely without feare speake the troth Augustine saith the like in his Epistle to Casulan who soeuer for feare of any power doth hide the truth such a one doth prouoke the wrath of god vpon him because he doth more feare man then god But gentle Readers I do besech and perswade you that do wisely and simply loue the wordes of troth that you do not contemne this treasure that you haue now in your handes but both to loue it and set it forwarde for this one little Booke doth declare that which being contayned in many volumes would be hard tattaine vnto and this shall lead
is we that must be helped and reliued it is we that may be hurte or harmed of him and not he of vs. ¶ Clement in the same place Booke afore rehersed WE honour visible Images as wée should honour God himselfe which certaynely is false for if truly you wil honour the Image of God doinge well to man thou shalt honour his Image for in euere man is the Image of God but the similitude of god is not in euery man But it is onely in such as haue a lowely spirite and pure minde therfore if you wil honour the Image of God the truth is to do well and vnto man which is created and made to the Image and likenys of God to geue meate to the hungery drinke to the thirstie clothes to the naked harbour to the harbourles this is only that that is giuē vnto the Lord god Then what maner of honoring the Lord is this to runne to Images of stones and stockes and to vnprofitable and dead figures honoringe them and contemning man in whom the verie character Image of God apeareth in dede Yea rather be sure hereof that he that doth murther that doth committe Fornication or adulterie or doth any other thing to the hurte and harme of man In all such thing he doth dishonour the Image of God for it is great dishonour to God to haue man hurte or harmed Therfore vnderstand that this is the inwarde perswasion of the Serpent that doth perswade you to be godly in honouring these vnsensible and dead stockes and not to be vngodly in contemning or neglecting our duetie to the sensible and resonable creature and very Image of God in dead man. When you shall passe ouer Iordayne and come into the land of Chanaan driue away all the inhabiters therof and breake their titels and throw downe their Images and leaye wast all their proud and mightie thinges Who dare then make a God or fasshion an Image that is profitable for nothinge behold all the fellowship of them must be brought to confusion and truely the workemasters of them are men they shall all be gathered together they shall stand tremble be confounded one with another c. Read the Chapiter and sée farther Vnhappye are they among the dead is their hope that call them Gods which are but the workes of mens handes Gold siluer and the thing that is found out by cunning the similitude of beasts or of any vayne stone that hath bene made by hand of old Read also the xv Chapiter where more at large you shall find this declared ¶ Augustin in his 10. Booke intituled De ciuitate Dei. VVOrthyly are such called blessed as are in Heauen in the presence of God his seate which by the participiation of their creatour are made to reioyce by his euerlastingnes and eternitie are made strong by his truth are made blessed and holy and because we here are mortall and miserable they do mercifully loue vs that we might be with them immortall and blessed But they would not that we should pray or sacrifice vnto them but only vnto him to whom both they and we do sacrifice and pray for we with them and they with vs together are one Citie vnto the Lord as it is sayd in the Psalme O thou Citie of the Lord glorious things are sayd of thée ¶ Augustine vpon Iohn Hart. 23. Chapiter Cap. 5. THis is Christian Religion that we should worshippe one only God and not many Gods because none can make the soule blessed but one only God by the participiation of God the soule is blessed and not by the gift of another holy or blessed spirite neither yet by the gift of an Angell is it sanctified for thou shalt not be made blessed of an Angell But of whom the Angell is blessed of him shalt thou receaue blessing Therfore who so shal honour or pray vnto sainctes either to be mediatours or spokesmen betwene God and vs either who so hopeth to haue their requestes fulfilled at their handes is farre disceyued and transgresseth the holy will and commaundement of his Lorde and maker ¶ Of repentaunce and confession in three sorts that is towards God Brotherly and Publike confession towards God. I Haue made my faulte knowne vnto thée and myne vnrighteousnes haue I not hidden I haue sayd I wyll confesse mine vnrighteousnes against my selfe vnto the Lord and thou hast remitted the vngodlines of my sinne I confesse mine owne iniquitie and my sinne is euer before me to thée onely haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight Confesse your selues vnto the Lorde because he is good and his mercy endureth for euer If we do confesse our sinnes God is faythfull and iust that he may remitte our faultes to purge vs from all iniquitie ¶ Brotherly confession IF thou offerest thine offeringe at the Alter and there remembrest that thy Brother hath ought against thée leaue there thine offereng before the Alter and go first to be reconsiled vnto thy Brother and then come and offer thine offering Confesse your sinnes and offences one to another and pray one for another Forgiue thy Brother that hurteth or offendeth thée then when thou prayest thy sinnes shal be forgiuen the one man reserueth wrath to another and seketh vengeance of God seing he hath not mercie one a man lyke vnto himselfe and yet asketh mercy for his owne sinnes ¶ Publike confession and Excomminication IF thy brother haue sinned against thée goe and correct him betwene him and thée if he heare thée then hast thou wone thy Brother but if he will not heare thée then take to thée one or two that in the mouth of two or thrée witnesses might stand all troth and veritie and if he harken not to them declare it to the Church if he giue no eare vnto the Church then accompt him as an ethnicke and hethen c. ¶ August to Seleucian epist. 105. REpentaunce is a dayly payne and punnishment of good and faythfull men by the which we do knocke our brest and saye forgiue vnto vs our debts c. And in these wordes humbling our soules dayly we do repent vs of our sinnes ¶ August in his third Sermond vpon the natiuitie of our Lord. NOthing maketh true repentaunce but the hatred of sinne and the loue of God when thou dost so repent that in thy minde thy sinne doth séeme bitter vnto the which before in thy lyfe dyd seme swete and pleasaunt vnto thée and when that which before dyd delight thy body doth now trouble and disquiet the same then dost thou fithe aright and saye onely to the Lord haue I sinned and done euill in thy fight c. ¶ Chrisostome vpon the Epistle to the Hebrues Honiely 31. Cap. 12. IT is a good thing that a man should confesse and acknowledge his faultes and continually to haue them in memory for there is no greater remedie for them then
theron crucified he was Buried and the third daye he rose againe assendinge into Heauen thether hath he lifte vp his body From whence he shall returne to iudge both the quicke dead and at this present there he is sitting one the right hand of God the Father then how is the bread his body and the wyne his bloud Bretherne therfore these are named Sacraments because in them there is one thing sene and another thing vnderstode therby that which you sée hath a corporall bodyly shape figure but that which is vnderstand hath a spirituall fruite and commoditie therfore if thou wilt vnderstand the Body of Christ harke what the Apostle sayth to the faithfull you are the Body of Christ and the members therfore if you are the Body of Christ and members therof then your mistery and Sacrament is set on the table of the Lorde and yet you take it for the Lordes Sacrament and you answere Amen to that which you are and by your answere therto you do subscribe therfore thou hearest the Body of Christ and in answering Amen thou art a member ther of if thy AmeÌ„ be ture why theÌ„ is this done in the figure we take away nothinge of our owne then heare what the Apostle sayth againe for when he spake of this Sacrament he sayd We beinge many are made one Body and one bread vnderstand and reioyce godlines trueth charitie and vnitie in these beinge one bread we many are one Body consider that the bread is not made of one corne but of many when you were euill intreted then you were as it were ground when you are baptised you are as it were kneded put together When you haue receaued the sanctifiing of the holy Ghost you are as it were baked Therfore be that that you sée and receaue and take that that you are This the Apostle sayd astouchinge the bread euen so bretherne consider of the wyne wherof it is made wyne for many Berries and Grapes growe in one cluster but the Ieuise and liquor therof doth runne into one vnitie and substaunce so our Lord Iesus Christ hath sealed vs And hath made vs being a misterie of peace t'apertayne vnto him and the Sacrament of our vnion he hath consecrated in his moste blessed table Whosoeuer receaueth the Sacrament of vnitie and keapeth not the bond of peace receaueth it not to his profitte but as a â—itnesse against himselfe ¶ Augustine vpon Iohn tract 26. Cap. 6. HE that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud remayneth in me and I in him this is to eate that foode and to drynke that drinke to remayne and abyde in Christ and to haue Christ abiding in him And by this we sée that he that abydeth not in Christ and in whom Chryst abideth not without dout doth not spiritually eate Christ neither drinketh his bloud although carnally and visible with his teath he do receaue the Sacrament of the body and most precious bloud of Christ Christ entred not into the holy place made with handes which were examples of true thinges but he assended into heauen that now he might apeare in the fight of God for vs not that he shoulde oftentimes offer vp himselfe c. Thou wast afflicted with penury and scarsenes and god gaue thée Manna for meat with both thou fathers knew not that he might shewe vnto thée that not only by bread man liueth but by euery worde that commeth out of the Lordes mouth ¶ Augustine quinquam Psalme 89. WHen the Lord spake of his Bodye He sayd vnlesse a man eate my flesh he cannot haue lyfe euerlasting and farther sayth The wordes that I spake vnto you are spirite lyfe therfore vnderstand spiritually what I haue sayd vnto you You shall not eate this body which you sée neither shall you drinke that bloud that they will shed which shal crucifie me but I haue commended vnto you the Sacrament which being vnderstand spiritually shall gue you lyfe ¶ Libro sententiarum Augustine HE eateth the Bread of lyfe and drynketh of the cuppe of eternitie that abydeth in Christ for he that is disceuered from Christ neither doth eate Christs flesh nor drinke his bloud although dayly he receaueth the Sacrament to the iudgement of his great presumption ¶ Origen in Leuiti Homelie 7. VNderstand that they are figures that are written in the holy scripture and therfore as spirituall and not as carnall vnderstand and examine that that is sayd therin for it carnally you do vnderstand them they do hurte you and not nurrishe you There is both in the olde Testament a letter that kylleth as also in the new Testament if hit be not vnderstande spiritually for if thou dost followe the letter where as it is sayd vnlesse you eate my flesh and drinke my bloud This Letter kylleth you wilt thou that I shewe in the scriptures another Letter that kylleth he sayth he That hath not a sworde let him sell his coate and buye a sword behold this Letter is of the Gospell and yet it kylleth But according to the meaning and sprite you vnderstand it it killeth not but ther is therin contayned a quickninge spirite and therfore whatsoeuer is written either in the lawe or in the Gospel spiritually vnderstand as spirituall for he that is spirituall iudgeth all things is himselfe iudged of no man. ¶ In the same place Homeli 9. ANd thou that art come to the true Bishoppe that hath apeased Gods wrath to thée wardes by his owne bloud And hath reconsiled thée to the Father sticke not onely to the bloud of the fleshe But rather learne the bloud of the worde and heare what he sayth himselfe for this is my bloud that shal be shed for you in remission of sinnes ¶ Bernard vpon Qui habitat Verse 3. Sermond 3. VNlesse you eate the fleshe of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud c. And they sayd this commaundment is hard and they al went backward But what is to eate his flesh to drinke his bloud but to communicate with his Passions and to follow that conuersation which he lead in the flesh which the Sacrament offered one the Alter doth signifie where we do receaue the Lords Body that as we sée the fourme of Bread enter into our bodies we knowe therby what conuersation he had one the earth that he doth enter into vs to dwell by fayth in our hartes For when righteousnes entreth into vs he entreth that of God is made our righteousnes c. ¶ Augustine of the Lorder wordes according to Luc. Sermond 8. GIue vs this daye our dayly Bread. When I spake of the Sacrament I tolde you that before the words of Christ that that is offered is called Bread but after Christes wordes be spoken then is it not called bread but the bodye where as he sayth our bread he sayth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to saye supersubstantially is it not the Bread that entreth