Tables of the Church to perfect the Sacrifice He saith Gaudentius who descended In cap. 2. Exodi from heaven said the Bread which I will give shall be my Flesh who being Lord and Creator of all things aâ— he produceth Corn from the earth to make Bread so both he can and promised of Bread to make his Body And he who of Water made Wine can of Wine make his Bloud c. think not therefore that to be earthly which is heavenly Truth cannot lye c. St. Orat. magna Cateâ—hetica Gregory Nissen likewise biddeth us to consider how Christs Body received in many places â—nd by thousands together can wholly and intirely be communicated â—â—â—â—ch one of them wherefore I do rightly believe Bread by Gods word to be transmuted or wholly changed into thâ— Body of Christ and not to remain both together in the Sacrament as Luther even Harmoniâ— in cap. 26. Matth. in Calvins opinion absurdly affirmed And indeed all the Authorities of ancient Fathers hitherto alledged by me do plainly prove a totall change of Bread into the body and of Wine into the bloud of our Saviour fitly called in the great Laterane councâ—l Transubstantiation And that in the distinct Consecrations of our Saviours Body and Bloud at the Altar under the forms of Bread and Wine is celebrated his misterious Sacrifice according to the order of Melchisedech and foretold by Malachy the Propâ—et is so plainly and frequently testified by Ancientest and Chiefest Fathers of Christs Church as when we cite the Testimonies even of such as lived Lib. de vera reformatione Ecclesiae with the Apostles themselves Calvin passeth on us this mild and modest censure Solemne est istis nebulonibus c. It is the custome of these knaves to rake up out of the ancient Fathers whatsoever hath been written erroniously and â—alsly by them when therefore they object Malachies foretelling a continuall Sacrifice c. We answer saith he that these Fathers also taught Chriâ—â—s bodily presence in the Sacrament but so ridiculously as Reason and Truth inforce us to leave them Could a Devil in humanâ— shape have more proudly or contemptuously censured St. Irenaeus St. Justin St. Cyprian St. Alhanasius St. Chrysostom St. Ambrose St. Hilary St. Augustine and many others chief lights of Christs Church in their time for learning and Sanctity highly renowned And elswhere I see saith he the Fathers Lib. 4. Inâ—it cap. 28. Sect. 11. even the ancientest and chiefest amongst them to have wrested the memory of Christs sacrifice on the Crosse and to have acknowledged therein the face of a renewed oblation more than was agreeable to the institution thereof imitating so the Jewish manner of sacrificing more than Christ ordained or the Gospel permitted as if he alone knew better than all ancient Doctors before him what Christ ordained in his last Suppâ—r even such as had known the Apostles themselves or conversed with some of their chiefest Disciples in his Commentary also on St. Pauls Ep. to cap. 6. v. 9. the Hebrews he hath these words I cannot but wonder to see the ancient Fathers so preoccupated with the opinion of Christs corporall Presence in the Sacrament but aâ— one errour draweth on another when they had forged a sacrifice in the Lords Supper and adulterated thereby the samâ— they laboured to gather colourâ—ble Arguments whereby they might seem to maintain their errour So as mentioning no further his impudent and unchristian boldnesse in accusing so many glorious Saints now raigning with Christ in Heaven of Judaisme Idolatry and Superstition practised by themselves and taught to others I will accept here what he so plainly confesseth that all the ancientest and chiefest Fathers of Christs Church held the reall presence of our Saviour in the Eucharist and acknowledged a true sacrifice in the daily Consecration thereof celebrated still by us after their example and our Saviours institution mentioned also by St. Paul blessing Bread and 1 Cor. 10. Wine and distributing them as the Body and Bloud of our Lord according to S. Irenaeus his words our Lord saying of Bread this is my Body and Lib. 4. c. 32. confessing the Challice which he consecrated to be his bloud taught us a new oblation of the new Testament which the Church having received it from the Apostles offereth to God throughout the whole world as Malachy had foretold c. And not to speak of those ancient Liâ—urgies extant in Greek and Latine under divers Apostles names and proved to have been truly theirs by many grave and learned Authors oneâ—y because Protestants are not pleased for such to accept them I will boldly here affirm that no point or practice of faith can be more faithfully made known and testified by all manners unto us and even in Protestant Authors themselves more plainly confessed than that this great and onely sacrifice of Christians hath still in all ages since Christ even untill this very time both in our Western and those Eastern Churches of Greece Syria Armenia Eâ—ypt and India it self been celebrated so as yearly out of those and other parts of the world Christians come with their Priests unto Jerusalem many thousands of them together having no other publick service of God but the celebration of this sacrifice used amongst them never but in their first Apostolicall Conversions taught unto them and since still retained by them And albeit Nestorisme besides other ancient and condemned heresies have crept in lamentably amongst them yet in a Catholick belief of â—ur Saviours presence in the Sacrament and sacrifice of the Masse ordained by him there is no disagreement at all between them and this concord of many Nations remote from each other and void of all commerce between themselves for many ages together Lib. de Prâ—script according to Tertullians rule non error sed traditio est is no error but tradition still continued amongst them The second Part. FOr proof of the Masse also I could here if Calvins former confession that the ancientest and chiefest Fathers acknowledged and celebrated the same saved me not that labour heap up many pregnant testimonies out of their authenticall works truly collected that being most true which S. Epiphanius affirmed that all the Apostles severally prescribed the order of celebrating this sacrifice And St. Isidorus lib. 2. Officiorum telleth us that the Masse used in his time in these Western parts of the World was according to St. Peters Ordination which mysterious and unbloudy sacrifice albeit in the Host it self and chief Offerer thereof it be all one with the sacrifice of the Crosse yet is it far different in the manner and ceremonies thereof for whereas in that his body and bloud were painfully parted and his death thereby caused in this they are onely by distinct consecrations of them mysteriously severved So as to distinguish these sacrifices we may fitly call that other the sacrifice of our redemption consummated indeed fully by it and this
earthly inheritance and kingdome they will make him a King without any Dominion a Head without a body a Father without a family and a Pastor without a flock for many ages together Yâ—a if we will believe some of them Christs Church was no sooner settled in the truth of heavenly Doctrine but it dâ—clined superstitiously and wickedly from it The Centurists for example in their second â—â—p 4. Century after a deniall of Saint Denis Areopagita his known Works becauâ—e they contain many points and practices of Doctrine against them have accusâ—d St. Ignatius who lived with our Saviour himself and waâ— both for his life and death gloriously renowned for speaking of Priests Altars Sacrifice and severall Orders of Church Ministers not admitted by them of Colledges of Virgins and Widdows vowing to live chastly concerning the merit of good works and other declinings from the first purity of Christian Doctrine They accuse St. Irenaeuâ— for mentioning a Sacrifice according to the Order of Melchisedeck instituted under the forms of Bread and Wine by our Saviour himself in his last Supper taught by him to the Apostles and offered since in all parts of the World according to Cap. 1. Malachies prediction thereof and figured long before by Melchisedeck's oblation c. Others say Christs Church failed in Constantines time when it first began as a bright Sun to break out of the â—ark clouds of ten horrible Persecutions and spread its beams clearly throughout the world to the excessive joy of Christians as if at that very time Antichrist had begun his raign when Christs Church most flourished because then Pope Silvester a most glorious Confessor of Christ had the City of Rome for his residence assigned unto him by that glorious Emperour and they are inforced to this Blasphemy or else to allow of our present Church and Religion undoubtedly professed in Constantines time by the Sacrifice of the Mass solemnly celebrated with lights on the Altar with Prayer for the Dead Honour done unto Saints adoration of the sacred Host and kneeling before it images used in Churches c. as is in the Protestants Apologie for Catholicks plainly proved in a whole Chapter together Others affirm the utter overthrow of Christs Church to have happened in the time of Pope Boniface the third so as it hath been no where since vouchable and visible in any part of the world but wholly râ—tired to the hearts of some faithfull Persons knowing but not daring to professe true Religion members indeed of a Church framed onely by imagination and fancy and living perchance in the land of Faries or â—ome inchantâ—d Ilands or in Concaves of the Moon out of this world where there is no memory to be found of them whereas our Catholick Church even in the horriblest times of persecution was by the glorious Martyrdoms of innumerable Saints men and women children also amongst them Apologies written in defence of our Christian Religion meetings of Bishops learned expositions of Scriptures and in many other manners maintained as is now testified unto us Wherefore other Protestant Doctors not to trouble themselves with such fopperies of an invisible Church remaining still in ours for so many ages together affirm our Catholick Church at all times to have been the only Catholick and known Church of Christ but not to have been altogether free from erroneous Tenents and practices of doctrine reformed forsooth by them since Luthers and Calvins departure from it Yet so as the Authors of this opinion differ about the imagined errours of our Church some affirm them to have been fundamentall damnable idolaâ—rous and Antichristian which is the same as to say that during so many ages Christ had no true Church at all whilest others make a milder judgement of them and say that the being of a true Church was not hindred by the belief and practice of them so as they agree not in the very being before Luther of their Church and Religion The second part AND because they pretend our Church and Religion to have been resormed by them they shall give me leave here to declare what manner of men these Reformers were how they were first called to make this Reformation How they began it And to what antient Faith and Form of Church government they sought to reduce it And to discuss these points Comment in cap. 1. ad Galatas orderly my Reader must know that the first father of these Reformers was Martin Luther an Apostate Friar of St. Austins order who as he writeth himself lived chastely and well in his Monastery for fifteen years together but after his departure from it he became Sâ—â—m de Matrim by his own confession a very monster of Lust no more able to live without a woman than he could leave to be a man or forbear natural necessities of eating drinking spitting c. and luxury at one time so raged in him as for eight dayes together he could neither pray nor study and shortly after to asswage the heat thereof one night after Supper he married forsooth and took for his Bed-fellow Katheriue Bore a lusty Nun after eight years of her religious profession which troubled so much his friends and Melancthon chiefly that in an Epistle to Camerinus You know saith he the manner of Luthers life wherefore I had rather you should conjecture the rest then I write thereof onely I may say Luther is not a man made to live without a woman which surely was no great commendation for an apostolicall man as he by his discipâ—es is pretended to have been Carolastadius Luthers first Schollar Priest and Dean of Witâ—enberg Church and Father of modern Sacramentarian Hereâ—icks fierce unlearned and void almost of common judgement as Melanctâ—on described him prevented his Master in a like marriage and was quickly followed therein by Peter Martyr a Priest and Canon Regular by Martyr Bucer a Dominican Friar who both took Nuns for their B dfellows and soon after Oecolampidius a Brigitan Monk did the same and Bernardius Ochinus a Capuchin with him drawing others like themselves to follow their example insomuch as Zuinglius Priests and Canon of Constance Operum ejus tom 2. sol 110. with the rest of his fâ—llows in Swizzerland so much longed to have this Evangelical liberty of wiving also granted unto them as they humbly petitioned the Mâ—gistrates of that country for the same as having already not without scandal of others experienced their own infirmity and unablenesse to live without women Calvin in like manner an under-Pastor of Noion after he became Luthers disciple had his Idoletta a Widdow of Strasburg and Beza his Candida truly called Claudia de Nossa with whom he lived four years before he married her enjoying her and Audibert his boy at the same time as himself in a wanton Poem expressed his lustfull delights wherein he seemed to have had most pleasure in his Boy to be much troubled that he could not enjoy them both together
as a chief Protestant Doctor wrote thus to the Elector Brandeburg of her Elizabeth Queen of England hath with a temerity never before heard of made her self Papissam a she Pope in all Churches in her kingdome And all her Subiects must under great Penalties swear it to be so And had she not been for her power usefull in those times to the Hereticks of France Scotland and the Low-Countries in Rebellion against their Sovereigns she had been more than she was cried out against by them So as it is evident that in this change of Religion secular policy chiefly prevailed to the perpetual disgrace and shame of such as since have imbraced it And a mixture was made therein of many Religions as the Queen and her bad Councellors listâ—d wholy different from any other Protestant Reformâ—tions dâ—sliâ—â—d therefore extremely by all several Professors of them yet so by prejudice of opinion education and custome imbraced by many in their affection at least thereunto albeit the use thereof be in these times debarred unto them as with those foolish Idâ—laters they still cry out that their gods are taken from them some affecting it the more because it is forbidden unto them others also because the Elizabethian Church Service and Government carried a greater decency and outward shew of Religion with it than that which amongst later Sectaries is now used in a Song and a Sermon onely ended without any set form of praying together not barer of ceremony than void of devotion and many times in ex tempore praying and preaching wholly ridiculous like it so much as they cannot be drawn from it even now when it is taken from them by a prevailing power unexpectedly raised to depresse Protestants and Puritans together to end also Bishops and Bishopricks with them Insomuch as in these miserable times I deem it to be a needfull and high point of Christian wisdome for Dialogo ultimo contra Luciâ—â—rianos each one according to S. Hieroms rule to leave all new Sects and betake themselves to that Church which hath unalteredly continued one and the same profession of faith since the Apostles time whilest Novilists have in vain laboured to change it and are come themselves to nothing so as wise men will in succeeding ages with grief and compassion conclude and deplore the eternal damnation of such as have lived and died in the profession of them Was there ever for example any Heresie since Christs time so powerfully broach'd subtly defended so lastingly continued as the Arian Heresie for a long time together in so many parts of the world by whole Countries and Nations imbraced with such a shew of Scriptures making for it and other arguments produced by learned men to prove it yet we see now the same by all good Christians worthily hated and detested as all modern Sects of Protestants will after an age or two come to be abhorred and accounted to have been miserable Seductions of Souls and damnable professions of different beliefs before in the world not so much as heard of time and truth prevailing to discover the falshood of them The sixth Controversie Of the Holy Eucharist 1. PART Concerning our Saviours reall Presence therein PLâ—inly imported in these words when of brâ—ad blessed in his last Supper he said this is my body c. and of Wine this my â—loud of the new Testament which shall be shed for many in remiâ—sion of Sinnes ever literally understood and believed saith Luther Lâ—b de interpret vâ—rborum Caenae by Christian Pastâ—urs and People since the Apostles calling his Sâ—cramentariâ—n Adversâ—ries Corruptâ—rs of Christs plain words and muâ—derers of souls by new and false interpretations of them and I would have saith he these brave men who from Sense and Reason chiefly imâ—ugn the literal understanding of them to tell me why God by his infinite and unconceiveable powâ—r cannot make the same body to be at once in many places sithence our Saviours râ—peated and expresse promises of giving us his flâ—sh to â—at and his bloud to drink plainly require this miracle to bâ— done by him for the fulfilling â—f thâ—m Not distributed by parts and in their proper formes as the Carpharnites carnalâ—y and grossâ—ly understand them but Sacramentally and hiddenly under the forms of Bread â—nd wine communicatâ—d unto us In which sâ—nse St. Paul asked of thâ— Corinthians the Chalâ—ice of benediction which we bleâ—â—e is iâ— not the communication of Christs blâ—ud and the Bread which we break is it not the participation Ep. 1. c. 10. of our Lords body to wit under the forms of Bâ—ead and Wine wont tâ— be consâ—cratâ—d by the Apostles themselves and distributed to the People according to St. Justins words where speaking of the Primitive Christians Apologia 2. ad Antonium in their Sinaxâ—s and publick meetings we receive not in them saith he common Bread and Wine but we believe them to be the Flesh and bloud of our incarnat Lord. For the Bread Serm de Coena saith St. Cyprian which our Lord gave unto his disciples was not in shew but in the nature thereof changed made flesh by the omnipotency of Christs words from whom we are warranted to drink bloud by Moses in his law so strictly forbidden And St. Catech. 1 3 4. Cyrill having affirmed the same Doctrine addeth albeit sense suggesteth the contrary unto thee yet let faith confirm thee that Bread and Wine after the invocation of the blessed Trinity are made the Body and Bloud of Christ and he who refuseth to believe In ancorato so of them saith Epiphanius loseth grace and salvation St. Ambrose likewise thus plainly Lib. 4. de Sacramentis c. 4 5. delivereth the same Doctrine Bread distributed at the Altar is Bread before Consecration but after Consecration of Bread is made the Flesh of Christ and let us certainly believe it But how can that which was Bread be made so by Consecration by what words then and by whose is Consecration made by those words of our Lord Jesus this is my body c. for when the venerable Sacrament is to be made the Priest useth not his own words but the words of Christ c. and St. Hierome to the same purpose that Bread saith he which our Lord brake and gave to his Disciples was as Epist 1â—0 quae est ad Hedibiam we believe his own flesh and the Challice which he blessed was his Bloud neither is it man now that consecrateth the Bread and Wine laid on the Altar and maketh them the Body Homil. de proditione Judae and Bloud of Christ but himself who was crucified for us Saith St. Chrisostome the words are pronounced by the mouth of the Priest but the Elements are consecrated by the power of Christs words and as the speech of God increase and multiply once pronounced hath force still to effect what he intended by them so have Christs words this is my body still power at all
as may be instanced in all â—â—â—â—ticks of former times whereby the other three Patriarchical Seats of Alexandria Antioch and Hierusalem have been first corrupted and afterwards with Mahumetiâ—m overwhelmed as now likewise hath almost happened unto the Churches of Greece after they had been ten severall times unitâ—d to the Church of Rome and faln again from it who yet never arrived unto that fraâ—â—tick and witlesse folly of Protestants affirming the Succession of Popes in S. Peters Chair even almost since the Apostles time for 1000. years at lâ—ast past to have been Antichrist that single man and professed enemy of Christ mentioned by S. Paul who is certainly to be received by the Jews to raign in Hierusalem and tread the holy City under his feet to sit as a God in the Temple reedified by him to kill Enoch and Elias there the two faithful witnesses of Christ lying afterwards three dayes together naked in the Streets of that City the glory of whose raign is to continue but three years and a half called by Daniel and S. John a time two times and half a time numbred by forty two months or which is all one by 1260. dayes when Christ shall shorten the rage of his persecution for the good of his elect and kill this wicked man with the breath of his own mouth All which particulars contained in Scripture one by one can no more agree to the whole Succession of Roman Bishops than to the Turkish Emperours for these thousand years past nor indeed so much because these have had the possession of Hierusalem for many ages together and ever have been enemies to Christ and Christians whereas Popes have ever been his faithfull Servants his Vicars here on earth and chief Pastors of his flock by his own Ordination So as â—othing could have been devised more injuriously to Christ or more derogating from his glory in redeeming us than to affirm as in effect they do that the Devill timely prevailed against him for the overthrow of his Church and that also by the Roman Bishop and Chaire of Peter whereon as a Rock he promised to build so firmly as hell gates to wit no power of men or Devils should prevail against it In the mean time if ad Thess 2. we will with holy Fathers and all antient or modern Interpreters examine that obscure place of S. Paul concerning the mystery of iniquity working in his time it was not understood of Popes but of Hereticks beginning then to rise and preparing a way for Antichrists coming for which cause they are called by S. John Antichrists as by corrupting the true faith forerunners of him And never any Sect or sort of Hereticks did perform this wicked Office against Christ his Church more than modern Hereticks have done in their pretended reformation of our Church and Religion Whose malice against the Bishop of Rome is so far extended as even that blessed Apostle himself whose Chair they succeed in is so undervalued by them that they seek to deny many especial privileges of our Saviours love towards him magnified by all ancient Fathers and Interpreters of Scripture before them as his having been from his first calling by the imposall of a new name designed by Christ to be the head foundation of his Church and under the title of his Flock thrice commended the same to his government prayed for him that his faith might not faile willing him to confirm his Brethren He prayed not In quaest Novi testamenti q. 75. saith S. Austin for James or John or any of the rest but for Peter alone that his faith might not faile because on him as a sure foundation next to himself the firmity of his Church chiefly depended So as from this Text the unâ—rring judgment of him and his Successors in points of Faith hath been as well by ancienâ— Fathers as later Divines rightly gathered Neither can it be convinced that any Bishop of Rome hath as a private Doctor erred in any point of Faith much lesse guided the Church amisse by falsly declaring any point or practice of Christian Doctrine And if amongst such a multitude of most Learned Holy and eminent Persons which in the See of Rome have from age to age succeeded each other some few have been blamefull in their lives as one amongst the twelve Apostles was a Judas and another amongst the first seven Deacons is commonly held to have been horribly vicious in his life and doctrine yet prejudiced not the sanctity of the rest nor the holinesse of their Function for why should the glory of other good Popes come to be obscured or the high authority of that See be lessened by them Such scandals being some of those gates of Hell which were permitted by Christ to be opened against his Church but never to overthrow it Yet I may truly say here that in numbring and naming such Popes Protestants have notably erred and with great malice made Boniface the eighth and other Popes black and abominable in their lives who by the certain testimonies of most holy and learned persons living in the same age and time with them were very good holy and zeaâ—ous Bishops and wrongfully defamed by unconscionable wicked men professed adversaries unto them And should any Pope swarve in any point from the professed and known faith of Christs Church and in any publick manner profâ—sse his error there would not as our Adversariâ—s teach be wanting in the Church authority or means enough to â—eâ—ose or rather declare him to be no true member of the same and so no more hâ—ad thereof which is spoken of a thing in the ayre and that will never hâ—ppen Nâ—ither is it to be marvelled at that we Christians should bâ—lieve that the cheif Pastor and Head of Christs Church for whom himself prayed that his faith might not faile for the confirmation of his Brethren in their Christian and Catholick profession should be inâ—allible in his publick teaching sithence the High Priest of the Jews a type onely and figure of ours was to be so strictly followed and obeyed in his doctrine as the refusers of his sentence were by death and no lesse penalty to be punished and such as sate in the Chair of Moses and exercised that power which was provided by God for the instruction of his People were by our Saviours command notwithstanding their bad lives to be followed in their doctrine and can we think that he would leave his Church void of such an external and infallible means in all points and practices of faith to rely on For should the Churches teaching be held fallible and uncertain even scriptures themselves might be questioned in their authority approved as I have said before by her testimony and tradition as other declared points of doctrine And to say that this infallible authority should be more in the flock than in the chief Pastor thereof more in the body than in the head more in the family than in the father and governour
of it more in a generall Councel than in the Pope who hath authority to call and confirm it is an extravagant opinion of some divines and hath little colour of truth in it especially considering that sundry great and general Councels not following the Popes sentence and directions given either by their Letters or Legats in them have perniciously in their Decrees and scandalously erred Whereas it cannot be proved that Popes alone have in their doctrines so failed Neither hath it in former times been held necessary for resolving doubts in matters of faith or for condemning Heresies risen against them to have a generall Councel presently called but Popes alone have commonly performed that Office acknowledged by chief Fathers in all ages to belong unto them so as amongst many others which might here to that purpose be instanced by me St. Hierom writing to Pope Damasus about admiting 3 hypostasies in the deity or not because that word then was of a doubtfull signification tell me saith he whether I shall admit them or not as a sheep I ask help of my Sheapherd I know not Vitalis I refuse to believe Mâ—lesius I am joyned to your beatitude alone c. And in this kinde of language have other antient fathers written to severâ—l Pâ—pâ—s to have quâ—stions and doubts of faiâ—h resolved by them which they would not have done had they not believed our Saviours prayer that their faith should not fail to hâ—ve been heard for them by his eternal Father and that a peculiar assistance of the Holy Ghost was promised unto them The fourth Controversie Of Traditions needfully added into the Canon of Scripture OUr Adversaries under a specious pretence of following in the Doctrine and practice of Faith Gods word alone contained in Scripture seek to overthrow amongst Christians all true belief and Religion for admitting what scriptures they list themselves and interpreting them as they please is in effect to have a Religion of their own making no lesse absurd than if in Kingdomes and Common-wealths Subjects were permitted to interpret laws of themselves without admitting Judges to determine of them or any authentical Declaration of them so as every man may to his own advantage in suits and controversies expound them and defend any cause how bad and unjust soever it be by them And that pretence of Protestants to believe nothing which is not either expressed in Scripture or by a clear immediate consequence gatherable from it is a false brag and purposely devised to exclude the Churches teaching and deceive ignorant people unable to note how ungroundedly and without sence many times texts of Scripture are cited by them to prove their own and impugn our doctrines insomuch as the Catholick and learned Pastor of Chaventon a place alotted unto the Hugonits neer Paris hath in sundry Volumes discovered the fraudulent proceedings of Protestants about maintaining points of their Religion and particularly shewed that no point thereof can be without false Glosses of their own convinced out of Scripture For example when S. Paul affirmeth all scripture divinely inspired to be profitable to teach to correct to instruct in justice that the man of God may be perfect He doth not say as our Adversaires falsly gather from this place that scripture alone can make him perfect in the knowledge of heavenly truth for that revealed and unwritten doctrines may serve likewise to increase this knowledge in him as when S. Paul willed the Galatians to stick firmly to cap. 1. his doctrine by writing or preaching delivered unto them and exhorted the Thessalonians to keep those traditions which either by his Epistles or by 2 Thess 2. speech they had received from him praâ—sing the Corinthians for observing such precepts as he had given unto them When also against Apostolical and certain tradition they urged those texts wherein our Saviour reprehended Pharisaical and wicked doctrines teaching plainly observances against the Law of God sometimes also vain things and of no moment their arguments are meer fopperies and prove nothing against unwritten doctrines such as are the Creed of the Apostlâ—s the translation of the Jewish Sabbath into our Sunday the Feasts of Easter and Pentecost antiently observed not for the celebration of Jewish but Christian mysteries and many other Feasts and Fastâ— kept in the Church from Apostolical tradition the Baptism of Children the matters and forms of Sacraments and many other doctrines and practices of faith not expressed in Scripture Where in the mean time I will ask those mâ—n is it either plainly expressâ—d or by clear consequencies gatheâ—ablâ— from Scripture that the Commandements of God are impossible to be observed that men have no free will to do good or evill that the justâ—st men do mortally offend in their best actions that there is no inherent justice or sanctification in us by heavenly graces communicated unto soules cleansed from sin but that all are holy by Christs justice alone apprehended by faith and imputed only unto them that each faithfull man is by an Act of faith to believe that he shall be saved no lesse surely than Christ himself that Christ dyed for none but the Elect and that others were to have no share in the fruit of his death and passion for us that Christs body and blood are not really and corporally present in the Sacrament but by saith onely that Sacraments of the new law are signes and seals of faith onely no graces are communicated at all to such as receive them and many such Protestants Tenents bâ—sides which have no true ground at all in Scripture for them And in this pretence of gathering and proving the faith out of scriptures onely they imitate many anciâ—nt Hereticks before them So Maximus the Arian as S. Austin in his first In principio book against him recounteth rejecteth the word Homousion because it was not expressed in Scripture and so did Epist 174. Pascentius as the same father recounteth and as S. Gregory Naziâ—nzen relateth of Eunomius he was wont to ask his Christian Adversaries why they did name a God meaning the Holy Ghost not mentioned for such in scripture making so saith he the sacred Act. 3. writings of God a cloak of their impiety Acasius the Arian in the Councel of Selevica used the same words and so did Eutiches in the Councel of Constantinople under Flavianus asking the Fathers therein assembled in what scripture they found expressed that cap. 6. Christ had two Natures conjoyned in his Person neither could he be drawn from those words commonly used by Protestants I follow onely the scriptures and regard not the Fathers Exposition Lib. de natura de gratia cap. 39. of them The Pelagians also as S. Austin citâ—th their words made profession to believe no more than Anathetisma 7. what they read in Scripture So did the Iconomachi or Image-breakers in the second Councel of Nice and the Albigenses said the same to S. Bernard Hom. 66. in Cant. as