of Christ whence he might have omitted his duplicate ralleries and scoffs and have attributed all those miracles to the power of God and not played the buffoon in attributing them to the power of Roman Priests his scoffs and scorns and Jeers will never bear any argument with understanding men much lesse with Catholicks who have learned of S. Augustine Epist 49. ad Deograt quaest 6. If Christian faith did fear the scorns of pagans we should not believe in Christ himself CHAP. XI The Doctours Chief ground of his raillery I Am so weary with the Doctours vain raillery that I am willing to go no further but that I reflected on two main grounds of his rallying and scoffing spirit the one is the insisting so much on humane reason and sense and the great bugbear Transubstantiation Of the first I shall treat in the two following Chapters and after of the second In the first place it is a general Doctrine in Gods Church that faith has for its Object God revealing It s formal object is the divine revelation the material only those things which are revealed so that we know nothing by faith but by revelation not by reason much lesse by sense true it is that humane reason and sense concurr to the receiving of faith but not to the procuring a divine and saving faith nevertheless reason and sense may engender a humane faith by hearing or reading things revealed but never come to the certainty of them but relying only on revelation Whence the holy Fathers do commonly teach that if reason or sense do comprehend any thing it is no more an object of faith S. Augustine tract 27. and 40. in Johanem Faith is to believe what thou seest not whose verity and reward is to see that thou doest believe Again tract 39. This is the praise of faith if that which is believed be not seen for what great thing is it if that be believed which is seen S. Gregory hom 26. in Evangelium Faith has not merit where humane reason gives experience Great S. Basil ser de fid confess tels us that Faith is an assenting approbation without any hesitation without any parswasion of the minde as in the truth of those things which by Gods gift are preached and declared in the Church And in Psal 113. let faith be thy guide in the holy words which are from God and not demonstration Faith I say inviting thy soul yea and perswading above all rational methods for faith relies not on grammatical proofs but insinnuats it self unto our minds by the efficacious operation of the holy Ghost S. Athanasius tract de advent affirms that faith conceived of an evident matter cannot be called Faith But let us hear what the holy Fathers in those primitive times did teach and believe concerning our present subject of the Eucharist I shall begin with S. Cyril of Alexandria lib. 4. in Joan. cap. 17 This thing is hard and is to be received rather by faith then by any other means S. Hilary l. 3. de Trin. We are not to speak of divine things in a humane or worldly sence neither are we to extort or wrest by violent and imprudent report the celestial words to our wit or impious understanding it is perversity let us read what is written and understand what we read then we shall perform the office of faith for what we say of the natural body of Christ in us we speak foolishly and impiously unless we learn of him Great S. Leo ser 6. de Jejunio 7. mens Doubt ye not at all of the verity of Christs body and bloud for that which is taken by the mouth is believed by faith S. Cyril of Hierusalem Since Christ himself so affirms and says of the bread This is my body who henceforward dares to deny it and the same confirming This is my bloud who can doubt and say that it is not his bloud he changed water into wine which is near bloud in Cana Gallilen only by his will and is not he worthy that we should believe him that he transmutates or changes wine into bloud Beneath let us with all certitude take the body and bloud of Christ for under the species of bread the body is given thee and under the species of wine bloud is given thee A little after Do not therefore consider it as bare bread or bare wine for according to the words of our Lord it is the body and bloud of our Lord for although sense suggest it otherwise yet faith confirms thee do not judge the thing from the taste but take it from faith for most certain so that no doubt may take place but that the body and bloud of Christ are given thee And a little after knowing and most certainly holding this bread which is seen by us not to be bread although the taste take it for bread but is the body of Christ and the wine that we see although to the sense or taste it seems to be wine yet it is not wine but the bloud of Christ S. Crysostome hom 60. ad pop Antioch and 83. in Mat. Let us alwais believe in God and not resist him although what he says may seem absurd or against reason to our senses and Imaginations his word exceeds our sense and reason this we ought to do in things and especially in mysteries not only beholding those things which are before us but also holding his words for we cannot be deceived by his words but our senses are most easily deceived those 〈…〉 be false but this is deceived very oftentimes since therefore he said This is my body let us not be detained with any ambiguity but believe and perceive it by the eyes of our understanding S. Cyprian ser de coena Dominica on the word of our Saviour John 6. The flesh profiteth nothing gives the reason because our Master himself expounds these words are spirit and life carnal sense does not penetrate to the understanding of so great profundity unlesse faith be joyned The Doctors great Master Calvin lib. 4. Instit cap. 17. ser 10. will teach him this lesson In his supper he commanded me to take eat and drink under the symbols of bread and wine his body and bloud for although it may seem incredible that in so great a distance of places as heaven and earth the flesh of Christ should penetrate to us that it may be meat for us we must yet remember how much above all our senses the secret power of the holy Ghost can shew it self that which our mindes comprehends our faith conceives the Spirit doth truly joyn together things locally separated whence he says sect 7. Nothing remains but that I should burst forth into admiration in this Mystery to which neither the minde in thinking or tongue in speaking can be equal and apud Hospin in hist Sacram. part 2. he says We therefore acknowledge a Miracle in the holy Supper which exceeds or goes beyond both the grounds of nature and the measure
examples here alledged A sacrifice sayes he though offered by a man is a divine thing whereupon a man consecrated wholly to Gods name to live to him and die to the world is a sacrifice 2. when we chastise our bodie by abstinence it is a sacrifice 3. works of mercy being referred to God are true sacrifices We Catholicks do confesse and acknowledge those and such to be metaphorical improperly in a general sence true sacrifices but Protestants will not only deny them to be proper sacrifices but also will not believe them to be sacrifices at all for they will not allow the two first to be acts of vertue and the best word they will give them is that they are effects and fruits of Popery Moreover the Saint in the same place insinnuates another sacrifice by which the whole and holy society of the redeemed and sanctified City is offered to God by that great Priest who gave up his life for us to become members of so great a head in so mean a form this form he offered and herein he was offered in this he is our Priest our Mediatour and our sacrifice all in this and after concludes This is the Christians sacrifice we are one body with Christ as the Church celebrateth in the Sacrament of the Altar so well known to the faithful This alone is the proper and peculiar sacrifice which Christ has instituted and left in his Church as formerly hath been declared But our Doctour to prove his conceit cap. 11. towards the end cites Durandus l. 2. de sacerd fol. 29. which is cap. 10. In fine The Doctours words are Durand himself is full of this that is to prove the only sacrifices of the Cross for Christ sayes he performed excellently the office of a priest when he offered himself on the Cross for the sins of Mankind and performs it yet more gloriously now when sitting at the right hand of his Father he intercedes continually for us We acknowledge this as Catholick doctrine for this is true but no way excluding the sacrifice of the Mass but with the same Durandus in the precedent words this Office to wit of priest Christ did exercise when after supper he converted the bread and wine into his body and bloud saying to the Apostles Take ye and eat this is my body The Doctor omitted this either ignorantly or maliciously It hardly can be believed but that he did read the place except he took it from others notes and so little cared for the truth if he did little credit is to be given to what he says God defend us from such Doctors It is strange how the Doctor in the beginning of his 3. chapter should acknowledg that the Mass according to the primary Notion as it was anciently taken for that part of divine worship where the elements of bread and wine were by the priest both consecrated to God and distributed to the People which is the supper of our Lord in S. Paul 1 Cor. 11.20 for this he cites Ordo Romanus made by Gelasius and reprinted in Rome 1591. or thereabouts whereby is manifest the Conformity of the Present Romans with the Church in those primitive times for this sacrifice for which we contend to wit that we take it even in this Notion he assignes and accordingly imitating the primitive Church not inventing any new Mass but continuing still the same I could not but smile when for this he alledges Durandus for legitima Missa lib. 4. cap. 1. n. 39. and interprets it the only due and lawful administration of the holy Sacrament in the old latin Church whereas Durand interpreteth that to be a legitimate Mass in which are Priest and respondent offerer and communicant as the composition of the prayers demonstrates this by evident reason perhaps he means the order and manner of celebrating the Mass which Durand doth learnedly and solidly declare in every particular particle of the Mass which if the Doctour beleives as he does his legitima Missa he labours in vain against the Roman Church The Question in that place propounded was whether a Priest might celebrate Mass when less then two were present and after disputing pro and con he concludes That is a lawful Mass which hath one present besides the Priest at Mass O how much is this to the Doctours purpose Now the Doctour will solve all by putting instead of the sucrifice of the Mass Christian duties as evidently true Evangelical Oblations and sacrifices which in order to publick worship were made before Communion and which the holy Fathers commend as the general Christian sacrifice that succeeded Jewish offerings which he confirms by a prayer which he finds in the Roman Missal Dom. 5. post Pentecosten It cannot be denied but that such Oblations were made in the time of Mass at the offertory as is declared in the Liturgical discourse p. 2. sect 2. cap. 2. which also is declared in the 4. Canon of the Apostles in these words It it not lawful to offer at the Altar besides new corn and grapes and oyle for the lamps and perfumes that is Incense in the time wherein the holy oblation is celebrated many ancient Canons have been made concerning these oblations in all which we may see that these oblations were of things which belonged to the Sacrifice or to the things which belonged to the Altar or to the poor and sometimes to the Priests by way of Alms the present Church of England takes it in the fence of Alms and only prayes for the givers but never thought it as an essential point of Communion which may be distributed without alms as alms may be given without Communion Add to this that such Oblations are common to the old law and yet were never reckoned amongst the sacrifices Deut. 16. a law is made There shall not appear before our Lord any empty but every one shall offer according to that he hath but this was not by way of sacrificing which only did belong to Priests In the new law S. Paul 1 Cor. 16. calls them Collections S. Clement l. 4. constit Apostol cap. 7. supposes this when he advises the Priest to refuse at the Altar the Oblations which come from an ill conscience Pope Fabian an 239. Decreed that on Sundays men and women should make offerings of bread and wine S. Cyprian blames the rich misers of his time who brought nothing to this offering saying Dost thou who art wealthy and rich think to have part of the Mass without vouchsafing to put any thing into the bason Tertullian calls such Oblations pledges of piety Moreover taking the prayer of the Missal in that sence which the Doctor takes it the most that can be gathered thence is that such oblations were made in the time of Mass for that prayer immediatly follows the offertory but it may be better expounded of the oblations which the people do make of the sacrifice of the Mass together with the Priest as it is said in the first
that one the rest will fall but if he cannot all the rest he says makes nothing for we only believe those miracles because we believe the real presence true it is we should believe nay know that they are possible to God and so more easily believe them to be so because God has said the word This is my body and This is my bloud I am confident that if the Doctor did believe this he would make no difficulty of the others wherefore before I speak of those miracles it seems to me expedient to shew what was the belief of the Church for those first five hundred years 440. I shall begin with S. Leo l. de Jejunio 7. mens ser 6. You ought so to communicate at the holy table as to doubt nothing at all of the verity of the body and bloud of Christ for that is received by the mouth which is believed in the heart 420. S. Augustine in psal 98. Christ took earth from earth for flesh is from the earth and he took flesh from the flesh of Mary and did walk in flesh it self and gave that flesh to be eaten by us for our salvation lib. 12. cont Faust cap. 10. he saith That the faithful do receive with their mouth the bloud wherewith they were redeemed and drink that now which came from the side of Christ And. lib. 2. contra advers leg Prophet cap. 9. We receive with a faithful heart and mouth the Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus giving to us his flesh to be eaten and bloud to be drunken 398. S. Crysostome hom 83. in Mat. Because our Lord said This is my body let us not be entangled with any doubtfulness but let us believe and see it with the eyes of our understanding 394. S. Ambrose l. 4. de sacram c. 5. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself gives testimony unto us that we take his body and bloud can we any way doubt of his fidelity and testimony and lib. 5. cap 4. Before the consecration that which is offered may be called bread when the words are pronounced now it is not called bread but the body whereas before l. 4. c. 4. he said This bread is bread before the sacramental words yet when the consecration shall be adjoyned of bread it is made the flesh of Christ 390. S. Hierome in Comment Matt. c. 26. After that the Typical pasch was fulfilled and he had eaten the flesh of the Lamb with his Apostles he took bread which strengthens mans heart and so proceeded unto the true sacrament of the Pasch that even as in his prefiguration Melchisedech the priest of the high God had done offering bread and wine he also might represent the truth of his body and flesh And Epist ad Hedib quaest 2. The bread which our Lord brake and gave to his Disciples was the body of our Lord and saviour And beneath Neither did Moses give us the true bread but our Lord Jesus he is the true guest Master and the banquet he eats and is eaten Gaudentius about the same time Tract de Exod. The Creatour himself and Lord of all creatures and natures who produces bread from the earth because he both can and has promised it doth from the bread again make his own body and he that made wine of water has also made his bloud of wine And a little after Believe that which has been taught us that which thou receivest is the body of that heavenly bread and the bloud of that sacred Vine for when he delivered the consecrated bread and wine to his Disciples he said This is my body this is my bloud let us believe him whom we have believed truth cannot lye 380. S. Gregory Nissen Orat. Catechist cap. 36. A little leaven makes a whole lump of dough like unto it self so also that body which is made immortal by God entring into our body transposes and changes it wholly into it self And a little after It is conjoyned with the bodies of the faithful that by this conjunction with that which is immortal man also may be made partaker of Immortality 370. S. Gregory Nazian orat 2. de Pasch Without anxiety and doubt eat the body and drinkche bloud of Christ if indeed thou be desirous of life neither do thou doubt of the truth of these speaches which are uttered concerning the flesh neither be thou offended at the Rassion be constant and firm and stable not doubting of anything whatsoever the advarsaries say good councel against Doctour Brevent About the same time or not long before S. Ephrem lib. de natura Dei minine scrutanda c. 15. gives us as good counsel saying Why doest thou search things unscrutable if thou examine those things curiously thou shalt not then be accounted a man faithful and innocent be partaker of the immaculate body of thy Lord with fulness of faith assuring thy self that thou catest the whole Lamb himself The Misteries of Christ are an immortal fire do not thou rashly search them out least thou be consumed in the search thereof And beneath he says This indeed exceeds all admiration all understanding and all speeches which Christ the only begotten son our Saviour hath done for us he has given us fire and spirit to be eaten and drunk that is as he himself explicates his body and bloud 365. S. Cyril of Hierusalem Catechist 4. Forasmuch as Christ himself thus affirms and speaks concerning the bread This is my body who dares hereafter doubt of it forasmuch also as himself confirms it and sayes This is my bloud who I say can doubt of it and say it is not his bloud And again so shall we be Christopheri that is bearers of Christ when we have received his body and bloud into our members and we shall be made as S. Peter says partakers of the divine nature Thou must not consider it as bare bread and wine for it is the body and bloud of Christ according to our Lords own words And again With all assurance let us receive the body and bloud of Christ for under the form of bread his body is given thee and under the form of wine his bloud is given to thee 355. S. Hilary l. 8. de Tria Whatsoever we say of the natural verity of Christ in us we speak foolishly and impiously unless we learn of him for he says my flesh is true food and my bloud is truly drink he who eats my flesh and drinks my bloud abides in me and I in him there is no place of doubting left of the verity of flesh and bloud for now both by the Profession of our Lord himself and our faith it is truly flesh and truly bloud and these being taken and drunk do work that we are in Christ and Christ in us is not this the truth It seems not to be true to them that deny Christ to be true God 226. Origen hom 5. in diversa loca Evangel When thou receivest the holy food and incorruptible