habent hiis qui offerunt corpus christi porrigant Sed illud innotuit quod quidam diaconi etiam ante episcopuÌ„ sacrameÌ„ta sumant Haec ergo omnia omputentur acciplant secundum ordinem post presbiteros ab episcopo ves a presbitero sacram communionem Quod si non fuerit in presenti vel episcopus vel presbiter tuncipsi proferant edant It is reported to the holy counsell that in certaine places and cities the deacons deliuer the sacrament to the priestes Neither rule neither custome taught this that they that haue no aucthoritée to offer sacrifice should deliuer the body of christ to them that offer it And an other thyng also came to our eares that there are certain deacons who receiue the sacrament before the Bisshop Wherfore let all such thinges be cut of let them receiue the holy coÌ„munion orderly after the priestê of the bishops or priest And if the bisshop or the priest be absent let them selues bryng it foorth and eate it If the deacons as it appereth by this Canon that had no auctoritie to consecrate and to offer the sacrifice of Christes body and bloud might in the bishops or priestê absens fetch foorth the sacrament and receiue it can you denie but it was reserued And that the same grace of Christes body remained in the holy sacrament after the consecracion in the bishoppes and priestes absence Which coulde by no meanes be consecrated but by the bishoppes and priestes presence A. I will not cauill with you vpon the terme aboue rehersed in the Cannon concernyng the deacons that they might in the bisshoppes and priestes absence bryng forth the sacramente and eate it whiche is proper to the forme of bread and not to the forme of wine and thereby declare that the deacons receiued it but in one kinde Notwithstandynge I might as well stande therein and better to then you stande vpon Accipite manducate bibite ex hoc omnes to driue the sacrament immediatly without any reseruacion to his vse and that at euery communioÌ„ there must of necessitie be a company to receiue with the priest and euery one of the lay people ought of necessitie to receiue the same in bothe kindes B. I wil not I say vse no such daliance vpon the worde eate in the Cannon as you vse in take eate and drinke al of this in the vse of the sacrament very sophistically But let go all suche vauntage vpon titles I am contented to vse none other proufe but suche as al men that haue any discretion do so euidently perceiue to be so good that they are neuer able to finde any occasion in the worlde to controlle it Such as I haue vsed before for the proufe of priuate masse reseruacion the soole receiuynge or ministracion of the sacramente in certaine cases vnder one kinde to haue ben vsed in the state of the primatiue churche Reade S. Cyprian in his fifte sermon De sapsis 11. Cap. there shal you se that the deacon gaue an Infante that had receiued before parte of such meates as were sacrifised vp to the Idoles a porcion of Christes bloud out of the Chalis And as soone as the infante receiued it it was wonderfully vered because it was meruelous dishonour to the bloud of Christe to be powred into the mouthe that was a litle before defiled with the Idoles sacrifice And therby may you vnderstande that the infante receiued the sacrament of the Deacon vnder the forme of wine onely and not vnder the forme of breade For by that reason if the infante had receiued it vnder the forme of bread before beyng parte of the sacrament as precious as the other it should haue been vexed very sore before the cup had ben offered it But the first vexacion that it had was when the Deacon gaue the sacrament in forme of wine And therfore it is euident that the deacon gaue not the infant the sacrament vnder the forme of bread And was not this a communion vnder one kinde only You haue harde now I suppose not a worde or halfe worde not one sentence or half a sentence as your callyng was but many and full prouses against certaine of your assertions And by these you haue good cause to distrust all the rest of your doctrine Thus far my leasure serued me 12. Cap. beyng otherwise occupied with businesse though to answer in the defence of my spirituall mother the catholike church Not for because it was our parte that are in possession to render any reason for our right wherein prescription of time out of minde is a sufficient barre but partely because I saw your importunitie in callyng vpon them to strike that you had bounde in recognisaunce of great sommes to be forfaited if they had gone aboute to geue you any blow So that you may perceiue well by this that they are better armed then you thought they were when I who am nothyng in comparison of the learned Doctours of this realme beyng a man of no greate reading A. but in stories am yet able thus to say in so good a matter that I trust you will here after leaue your importunitie of prouokyng so many learned men of this realme to shew what euidence they haue for the truth It had béen more reasonable that you that woulde dispossesse vs of the interest wée haue in the trew doctrine that the catholike church first taught vs and hath recorded sufficiently in hir practise these xv.c yeres and more and in recordes of writers this lr hundred yeres and .lx. as your selfe do séeme to confesse should shew sufficient causes why wée ought to be dispossessed rather then wée to lay for our selues prouses to kéepe possession I meruell that you thinke it not hurt to your side to grant that the hole practise of the church hath runne with vs this .ix. hundreth yeares and thrée score where as in possession of landes quiet possession for the space of one hundreth yeres or two putteth the case out of all doubte You hange vpon the state of the sire hundreth yeres that were next after Christ and you se how that the whole recorde of the state runneth against you Tertulian is against you Ciprian is against you Eusebius is against you Ambrose is against you Cyrill is against you The holy and aunciente counsell of Nyce is against you And yet you will make the people to wéene that all are with you of that state C. I haue not brought in the emptie names as Poticaries do vpon their bores but haue shewed you what good drugges they haue I haue not cast but from the walle any victayis in your assanite to make a bragge in penurie as many of your parte commonly vse to do as though they had greate plentie of victailes but haue brought you vnto the fight of suche prouision as the holy auncient fathers of the primatiue thurche suche as your selues do alowe haue made for vs. But
and thingeâ—â— hée listeth That it is a sacrifice of Christes body that it is vsed in place of the Lordes Supper that one may offerat for quicke and deade that it is in the priestes power to apply it all your sorte doe not only without resistance easely confesse but without reason stoutly defende Therefore I shall not néede to make any further prouse of the partes of this discripcion I doo therefore take priuate masse to be not only as you and some other patrons of your cause of late yeares haue wrested it sence the ministers of gods truth in this latter time haue driuen you to the best shiftes of interpretacion but as it was commonly vsed in the worlde before and as it is set forth in your schole men to the great defacinge of Christes death and passion And yet ye shall not thinke that wée of trueth can or ought to yelde to the best of your interpretacions that euer I could heare Of this priuate masse that I haue now declared to you the challenge that ye take so greuousy was made And therein doo I also at this time ioigne issue with you and say that nether you nor any of your parte will euer be able to proue the same by the hoâ—y scriptures auncient fathers or alowed councels yea and because you vrge the negatiue that with gods healpe wée will abundantly proue the contrary This will I doo quietly and calmely without stormynge or tempestuous blustering either at you or at your doctrine as one moste glad to bringe you againe to that heauenly trueth of the gospel whiche vnder the blasphemous names of falshode and phantasée you declare your selfe to haue forsaken In the residue of your discourse ye woulde séeme to take from vs the true and right rule to reforme the church of Christ 3. Cap. that is to proue that in doctrines and vse of the sacramentes al thinges should not be reduced to the patern of the Apostles time and the primatiue churche Herein you doo as they are wonte whose conscience doeth pricke them to haue done amisse For suche alway draw backe and lurke out of the light being lothe to come there where they know that truth woulde be tried Euen so you fearyng to be founde fautie woulde wryng vs from that rule wherby all trueth in doctrine ought to be examined To this purpose ye may séeme to bryng three reasons One is a rowlyng in of a rable of suche examples as no reasonable man woulde denie vnto you The seconde is a resemblyng of the primatiue church vnto an infant in the swadlynge cloutes and this latter time to a tall man of perfit yeres and ripe age The thirde is the comparison of the times and the ferueÌ„t charitée that then was with the key-colde charitée that now is As touching the first I cannot choose but greately merueile at your maner of reasonyng whiche indeuour to proue the contrary of that that no man did euer affirme Did ye euer here of any A. that woulde haue all thinges without exception reduced to that very forme of the worlde that was in the primatiue churche And yet your examples tendeth to the rupted either with false opinions depraued or with superstitious ceremonies defaced is it not full time thinke you to call for redresse accordyng to the scripture and primatiue churche So to doo wée haue good example in Christe him selfe and in his apostle S. Paule When Christe woulde purge the lawe from pharisaicall mitigations and interpretacions he had recourse to the first fountaine originall Math. 5. saiynge Dictum est veteribus c. Ego autem dico vobis So he ruduced all to the first fountaine In the mattier of deuorsemeÌ„t he alledged not the Rabins and late writers of Iewes but saied Ab initio non fuit sic Countyng what soeuer was added to the first ordinance of the law to be a corruption of it S. Paule mindyng to redresse the abuse of this sacramente of the lordes supper euen in this poincte that they tooke it in partes and not together bryngeth the institution of Christ from the beginnyng and saieth This haue st receiued of the Lorde Wyllynge to alter nothyng therin The like doeth S. Cyprian epist ad Cecisium against Aquarios Wee must not harken saieth he what other did before vs but what Christe first did that was before al. And here he speaketh of the same sacrament and against them that abused if contrarie to the first fouÌ„dacion were they neuer so holy This Tertussian also taketh to be a sure rule against all heresies and abuses who saith in this wise This reason is of force against all heresies That is true that was first ordeined that is corrupted that is after done And Cyprian in the same epistle before mencioned Hereof saith he arise diuisions in the church because wee seeke not to the head nor haue recourse to the fountain nor kepe the commaundementes of the heauenly maister Therefore seyng it is so good a rule in religion to resorte to the first institucion wée also without any iust reproche may require to haue the sacramentes reformed accordynge to the scripture and the primatiue church But you thinke perhappê although for shame ye may not say it that their successours in calder age of the churche were of more wisedome and discretion and know better what they had to doo then the Apostles and olde fathers Therto tendeth your similitude of bringyng a talle man againe to his swadlyng cloutes B therein resemblynge the primatiue churche to infancie and this latter time to ripe age and discrecion That the primatiue churche was not of the state of infancie This is not your onely similitude It is muche in the mouthes of suche as mainteine your doctrine But I assure you it was neuer inuented without the spirite of Antichriste nor cannot be maintened without blasphemy against Christe and singular reproche of his Apostles and their successours If that time were the state of infancie in the churche when Christ him selfe instructed when his Apostles taught when the holy fathers gouerned nexte their time then wee muste néedes recken Christ the Apostles the fathers to be infantes in religion to be babes in gouernement of the churche not to be able so well to se what was conueniente in the vse of the sacramente as their posteritee were Can any christian mans hearte fall into that cogitacion without feare of Gods wrath and displeasure And yet that must needes folow vpon this defence of your doctrine I pray you when hath a man best discrecion to rule him selfe Will yée not say when he is most indued with the vse of reason and wisedome When had the churche of God such aboundant wisedome and knowledge of his heauenly misteries When was it indued with so plentifull graces of the holy ghost as it was in time of the Apostles and first fathers Did it not appere in their pure life in their feruent zeale in their miraculous workyng And will
this place I thinke such as fauour your assertion wyl smally thanke you for bringing in this councel But thanked be god that you are driuen so much and better to you may proue out of the same place that priestes also receiued but only the body and not the bloud because it saith Corpus christi porrigant and mencioneth not Sanguinem The like you shall reade in many places of the olde fathers where one part only is mencioned when they speake of the priestes receiuinge And yet bothe are vnderstanded If you wil vpon this gather that deacons vsed but one kind I wil inferre vpon the same place that priestes also vsed the like maner But a reasonable man wyll easely conceiue that in speakinge of one parte both is vnderstanded For in the actes of the Apostles the whole celebration of the sacrament is termed breakinge of breade wherby we must not gather that Apostes vsed only bread in ministration of the lordes supper I meruaile why you make suche courtesy to recite this for a proufe of one kinde then vsed seynge the best of your collections for this matter be euen of the same sorte Is not your coniecture out of Tertullian Cyprian Ambrose euen in the same maner gathered For that they séeme to mencion but the one parte onely And yet you make such a bragge vpon them as you count all such to lacke discretion as wil not by and by without contradiction yelde vnto them and acknowledge them vnuincible In déede it standeth you vpon seinge your proufes are of them selfe so sclender somewhat to helpe them with stoute wordes that men may bee almost afrayde to doubte of them You obiecte to vs that we dalley B. when wee presse you with the wordes of Christes institution Accipite manducate bibite diuidite and yet you wyl vrge the words of the fathers as though euery sillable in them were in like maner to be scanned as the wordes of the bible written wholly by the inspiration of the holy ghost But in déede you declare of what aucthoritie you coumpt Christes wordes that estéeme it a dalleinge to repete often his commaundementes Did Cyprian thinke you dally when in one Epistle to Cecilius hee doth well néene .xx. times repete and beate vpon this that the sacrament is to hee ministred in no other maner then Christe him selfe did vse it Did hée dally when hee pressed vpon the matter in this wise If in that sacrifice that is Christe him selfe none but Christ is to hee folowed then must wee obey and do that Christ did and willed to be done When as he in his gospel faith if you do that I hyd you then I call you not seruanies but fuendes And that Christ is only to be heard his father wytnesseth from heauen sayinge This is my deare beloued sonne hym you must heare Wherfore if onely Christ is to be heard we must not gene eare what other dyd before but what Christ did before all Neyther must wee folow mens custome but gode trueth semge he saith by his prophet in vaine they worship me teachinge mens tradicions and doctrines And againe the lorde sayth in the gospell you reiecâ—e my commaund mente for your owne tradition And in another place he that breaketh one of these least commaundements and so teacheth shall be called feast in the kingdome of god If then it be not leeful to alter one of the leaste commaundements how much lesse may we alter so great and weightie commaundements as these are so nigh touchinge the sacrament of the lordes passion and our redemption or to tourue them to any other purpose by mans tradition then the lorde ordeined them These are not my sayinges but worde by worde as they lie in that holy father and wyl you say that hée cauilleth or dalieth when hée this vrgeth Christes institution to bée kepte and would haue nothinge therin to be altered for any cause that man coulde deuise The matter that hee wrate againste was of no more effecte then these are of sole receiuinge and ministring one parte of the sacrament and yet is he so earnest as you sée with a greate number of wordes mo to the same purpose Thinke you not they could haue brought for the vse of water only the examples of holy men and also goodly considerations in apperance ful and negligent as we neither knew the place nor would séeke to examine it Or lastly that of purpose you dyd abuse the simplicitie and ignorance of them that you conueighed your wrytinge vnto which commonly beleue all that you say without examination and therfore doo you alledge for your selfe that maketh expresseâ—y againste you if the place be red which in Cyprian is in this wise The childe beinge among the holy company was not able to abide our suffrâ—ges and prayers but the ignoraÌ„t soule in the simple and younge yeares sometime with wepinge and cryinge did sterile sometime wyth trouble and anguyshe of minde tossed hether and thether and as it were by a tourmentour constreininge it by such meanes as it coulde dyd confesse the gilte of the facte meaninge the eatinge of the Idolle offeringe And when the residew of the celebration was ended the dearon began to offer the cuppe to them that were present and after other had receiued and the childes course was come the babe as if we are by institucion of god tourned away the face held the mouth and lippes together and refused the cuppe Yet the deacon continued and although the infant stryued againste it poured some of the sacrament of the lordes bloud into her mouth Then folowed yeâ—ing and vomiting c. Here were gathered together with Cyprian not priestes only but lay men women and Children also and you sée the cuppe of oure Lordes bloud was offered to all and all drancke in order withoute exception Neyther is heare any thinge that by coniecture can leade a man to thinke otherwyse but that this was the common maner then vsed How than can you gather by the extraordinarie chaunce whiche you recited before out of the same Tertullian and Cyprian that the laytie then vsed to receiue the one kinde of breade onely whereas this place brought by your selfe sheweth that in celebracion they vsed the cuppe also The childe you say in this hystorie receiued but wine only and so one kinde That you make probable because the childe that had receiued the Idoll offeryng was not them to say that whiche they neuer ment In like maner you doo a litle after in Luther and Melancthon saying that they compte it a thing indifferent to communicate the laye people vnder one kinde and that a generall counsel may take order in it as a thynge of no necessitie Sir it had been plaine and sounde dealing that you shuld haue recited some place wher they had so said but that ye were not able to doo For any man that hath ben conuersante in their workes may right well iudge that it is not so I wil not trouble
it be knowen What the churche is and whether it may erre Forsooth the scripture speaketh of the churche of Christe twoo waies Sometime as it is indéede before God not knowen alway to mans iudgemente Into this church none be receiued but onely the children of grace and adoption and the very members of Christe by sanctifiyng of the holy ghost This church doth not comprehend only holy men and sainctes liuyng on the earth but all the electe from the beginnynge of the worlde This churche is the piller of truth that neuer continueth in errour This churche is neuer forsaken of the spirite of God This is the holy communion of sainctê that in our Créede wée professe and acknowledge But this church as after shall appere doth not alwaies flowrish in sight of the worlde Sometime the churche is taken for the vniuersal multitude of al those whiche beyng dispersed through the worlde acknowledge one Christe and beyng through baptisme admitted into the same by the vse of the Lordes supper openly professe the vnitie therof in doctrine and charitie Sometime the churche is taken for the multitude of those that beare rule in the churche This churche is resembled to a nette whiche caste into the sea bringeth vp both good and badde It is resembled to a feilde that hath not only pure corne but also Cockle Darnell and other wéedes And as wée often se that good corne in some groundê is so choked vp and ouer runne with wédes as the good graine may hardly be deserned for that the wéedê beare the chief rule Euen so in this churche the euill and corrupted doth sometime beare downe the better sorte that a man can hardly iudge whiche be the true members of the churche whiche are not This churche therfore for the most number may be misled and in many thinges stray out of the way This church may erre and not continually abide in pure and vncorrupte worshippyng of God as I wil now with good prouse farther declare vnto you God hath had this his externall churche from the beginnyng of the worlde instructed by his holy worde instructed by his Patriarâ—es and Prophetes instructed by hiâ— apoincted law and ceremonies and so continued till the commyng of his dâ—â—â— forme Iesus Christe This churche he called his spouse his tabernacle his priuie garden his loued citie his electe and chosen vineyard But did it alway continue in florishyng estate Did it alway in like maner retaine the truth of Gods morde that it was taught in the beginnyng Did it alway cherish and mainteine suche ministers as God sent from time to time into it to redresse and reforme his law accordyng to his holy will In what state was this churche in Nous time when .viii. onely were saued In what state was it when the .x. Tribes forsooke the right worshippyng of God and leste onely the Tribe of Iuda In what state was it afterwarde when the same one Tribe of Iuda vnder diuers kinges sell to Idolatrie In what state was it when Elias pitifully complained that he onely was lefte and all other were departed from God Where was the enternall face of the church at that times In what state was it when Esaias Ieremie Ezechiel and al the Prophetes of God were persecuted put to death I pray you was not Iurie then called the people of God Had they not at that time the lawe of God Did not they vse his ceremonies Did not they bragge and make their auaunte that they coulde not erre that the trueth coulde not departe from the mouthe of their priestes and doctours that they had the temple of God the temple of God Yes certainely they had euen then the law of God They had euen then the sacramentes and ceremonies by God appointed or els the Prophet would neuer haue vsed their temple or compante of their praiers and ceremonies Yet how miserably the law of God and his sacramentê were corrupted among them it appereth by that Esay sayeth The siluer of the people of God is iourned into drosse How they interteined the messengers that God sente to reforme his law it is euidente in this that all the Prophetes were slayne amonge them This externall churche then did erre this externall churche refused the trueth of Gods law This externall churche did persecute the Prophetes And yet did not the Prophetes thinke that they coulde caste them out of his true churche or make them not true members of his people to whiche the promisses were made Neither did the Prophetes for that cause cease to call for a redresse of the pure law and ceremonies of God and worshipyng him accordyng to his holy worde They did not refraine to tel euen those that faib they were the chosen people of god the electe vineyarde of God the citie and habitacion of God that they had fortaken the law of God that they folowed their owne deuises that they worshipped God in vayne with their owist tradicions And therfore that he would not acknowledge them any more for his people that he woulde sette his vineyarde open to spoile that he would bringe his owne citie into thraldome and captiuitie After the captiuitie of Babilon when the same churche was restored and his people taught by adversitie to reforme the law and receiue againe the right worshippinge of god apointed in his worde it continued of many yeares but that it was agayné corrupted horribly and led farre out of the way to lowinge againe their owne phantasies For when Christ him selfe came for whose cause God had so preserued that people they sayd that they had Moyses lawe that they were the séede of Abraham that they were the chosen people and true churche of God that he wente aboute to take away the lawe and destroy the temple and for that cause did they put him to death In like maner did they vse the Apostles â–ª They reproued their doctrine as vaine and phantasticall they caste them out of their Synagoges as Schismatikes and Heretikes Yea and when they did this they had in face of the worlde those thynges wherin the churche is compted to consiste They had doctrine out of the law of God They has the ministerie of the same by their Priestê and Doctours They had the sacrament of circumsicion as the couenant wherby they were admitted as the people of God They had the other ceremonies â–ª wherin they were practised to the confirmation of the same They had the counsels wherby the condeÌ„pned Christ wherin they condempned the Apostles and refused their doctrine They blâ—med their predicessours for that they had â—illed the Prophetes and yet they persecuted Christe and his Apostels Shal we thinke therfore that the Apostles were not of the church or rather shal we indge that them which haue the gouernemente of the law and sarrâ—mentes and to the world haue the facâ— and name of the churche may so fowly erâ—e as they may refuse the true doctrine of gods lawe and persecute the ministors and
shall sit in them Mountaines woddes marriceâ— prisonâ— denneâ— are more safe for me For in those the Prophetes either vosuntarely abydinge or cast thether by violence did prophesie by the spirite of god How could a man more plainely declare that the true churche both then was and after shuld be vexed and persecuted by those that in sight and power of external gouernment were taken for the church At is notable also that Augustine hath Deciuit dei lib. 20. speaking of Antichriste Rectius putant etiam latine dici sicut in graeco est non in templo sed in teÌ„plum dei sedeat â—â—nq ipse sit templum dei quod est ecclesia Some thinke it were better spoken in Latine as it is in the Greâ—e as to say that Aâ—â—ithriste shoâ—th sit not in thâ— temple of God but as the temple of God aâ— thoughe himselfe were the temple of God â–ª which is the churche What Bernarde dyd thinke of the churche in his time aboue 400. yeares agoe it appereth in viuers places There is no sounde parte now faith he in the clergie it remaineth therfore that the man of sinne be reuealed And in an other place All my friendes vt now become my foes all my mainteinere â—â—e now become aduetsariâ—â— â–ª The 〈◊〉 of Christe â—o seruice so Antichrist If I should â—â—eite out of authourâ— and Histories al such testimonies as serueth to this purpose I shoulde be a greate deale longer then this place requireth I will therfore at this time omitte them Seting therfore it doeth euidently appere that in the latter time they shall beare the name of the churche whiche in déede be not the right churche wée must booke diligently that wée gene not ouer to euery power that wil claime the name of the churche but consider whither the true marke of the holy churche be amonge them What is the true marke of Christes churche Christe the true pastour noting whiche were his shéepe faseth 〈◊〉 sheepe will here my voyce And as by his worde and voyce he calleth them into his folde so by his sacramentes there he marketh them The right churche therfore as the folde of Christe hath the true worde of God and vse of his sacramentes accordyng to the same for the due markes therof So much then as the worde of God and vse of the sacramentes be corrupted amonge ady people or congregacion so farre shall that company be from the shate of the true and perfit churche of Christe Therfore it is easie to iudge what is to be thought of them that leaue the worde of God and worship him well nere altogether with their owne deuised phaÌ„tasies That the scripture which is the voyce and worde of God is the true triall of the church wée haue good authoritie in the auncient fathers S. Augustine contra PetilianuÌ„ cap. 2. The controuersie is betweene veâ— the Donatisteâ— saith he where the churche is Therefore what shall wee dot shall wee seeke if in our owne wordes or in the wordes of out forde Iesus Christe the head therof thinke wee ought rather to seeke it in his wordes that is trueth and best knoweth hie body Therfore they be not to be compted the churche that with their owne wordes will san they he the churche but they whose doctrine â—â—â—réeth with the worde of Christe that is head of the churche In like maner hath Chrisostome in Mat. cap. 14. wherfore saith he in this thâ—â— off chaifâ—ouâ— men ought to resorte to the seâ—â—â—â— tureâ— â—ecause in this time since theresie is come into the churches there can be no other proufe of true christianitie nor any other refuge for christian men desyryng to know the tune faith but onely the holy for iptureâ— for before it was she wed by many meanes which was the churche of Christe which was gentilitie But now to them that will knowe whiche is the right churche of Christe there is no meanes but only by the scriptures S. Augustine hath the like in many wordes in the. 16. cap. contra epistolam Periliani whiche I let passe here for breuiries sake The place beginneth in this wise Vtrum Donatistae ecclesiam teneant non nisi diuinatu scripturarum canonicis libris ostendant Quianee nos ppterea dicimus nobis credere oportere quod in ecclesia Christ sumus c. Wherfore a Christian conscience that in this daungerous time wyll walke safely must take the word of god to be his only state must â—ake the holy scripture to be as well the rule whereby his shall measure the true paterne of the church as the very touchstone wherby he must trie al the doctrine of the same For god in time paste spoke by his prophetes many and sundry waies but last of all by his dere sonne Whose doctrine how perfite it was the woman of Samaria witnesseth sayinge When Messias commeth he shall telâ—â— all thinges And the same Messias hym selfe saieth I haue made knowen to you all that I haue heard of my father And therefore sendinge his Apostles hee saith Teach them to obserue all that I haue commaunded As if he had sayd ye shall declare vnto the gentils not whatsoeuer shal seeme good to your selfe but those thinges that I haue commaunded you Those thinges therfore are to be hard those thinges we must stay vppon In those we must séeke our saluation and life What soeuer is not agreinge with them must be cast of and compted of no forse So saieth Origine Wee must nedes cal the holy scriptures to witnes In Hierem Hom. 1. For our senses and declaracions withoute those witnesses haue no credite So saith Hierom. That hath not aucthoritie in the scripture in euen as lighily contenmed as it is spoken And againe in psal 86. Consider what hee saith Which were in it not which be in it So that except the Apostles whatsoeuer should be spoken afterwarde let it bee cutte of let it not haue authoritie Therfore be one neuer so holy after the Apostlee bee hee neuer so eloquent he hath not authority Because the lord wyll make his declaracion in the writinge of people and princes that were in it In that place Hierome at large declareth that the doctrine of god must bee proued by such wrytinges as were in the churche vntil the Apostles time and those that after folowed to bee of no sufficient authority were they neuer so holy Let vs stay therefore vpon the canonical scriptures and holy worde of god For saith S. Cyprian Hereof arise schismes because we selâ—e not to the head nor haue recourse to the springe nor kepe the commaundementes of the heauenly maister Let he aske Peter saith Ambrose let vs aske Paule if we wyl finde out the trueth And Christ him selfe biddeth vs searche the scriptures and not presume of our owne spirite vppon vnwritten verities beside the worde of god What credite is to bee geuen to those that so speake Chrisostome teacheth vs. As Christ saith he when hee vnderstode that they sayde
for your defence in so weightie mattiers Which now seyng your selender and féeble groundes will beginne I doubte not as they haue the feare of God to mistrust your dealyng and more diligently examine the residue of your doctrine It is not good for them any lenger to walke on other mens féete nor to be guided by other mens eyes but them selfe to se what way they go least their guides either by ignorance or wilfulnesse leade them into the pitte of continuall errour Of reseruacion The third poincte that you gather out of these testimonies is reseruacion of the sacrament which to deny say you is extreame impudencie I thinke you haue not mette with any whiche haue flatly denied that in the primatiue churche diuers vsed reseruacion But it foloweth not therevpon but that a man may deny without any impudencie at all either that wée haue any testimonie in the worde of God to iustifie it or that all the holy fathers did approue it Or if ye wyll say the contrarie I wyll not doubte to make the crime of impudencie that you charge vs withal to rebounde vpon your self But you will say you haue witnesse that it was vsed and that of good men whiche is sufficient Indéede it is sufficient to shew that it was then vsed but it is not sufficient to proue that it must therfore be alwayes vsed or that all did well at that time in vsing of it Oh ye will say this is your olde maner so longe as the fathers make with you you wil admit them if they séeme to be any thynge agaynst you ye will reiecte their aucthoritie What authoritie is to be attributed to the doctours Because you cōmonly take holde here and through this odious reporte often vse to stirre mens stomackes agaynst vs before I answere your reseruacion I will protest what aucthoritie wée attribute vnto the olde fathers This will I doo not with my owne wordes but S. Augustines in his epistle to Hierome I confesse that I haue learned to attribute this reuerēce and honour only to the canonical scriptures to beleeue stedfastly without controuersie all that is written in them As for other I so reade them that be they neuer so excellent in great holynes and learnyng I do not therfore counte it true because they were of that opinion but because they coulde perswade me either by scripture or good reason that it was not against the truth Here you may obiecte that men of such learning holinesse and deuocion woulde neuer haue written any suche thynge if they had not thought it to be agréeable with Gods worde Ye sir I thinke they as good men were so perswaded but that they did leaue in writyng many thynges not onely beside the worde of God but also against it I thynke it is not vnknowen to you And that other also may know it and therby holde vs excused when wée doo not in all poinctes agrée vnto them I will recite some proufes therof Clemens Alexand. with Iustine and diuers other taught that Angels fell from their estate for the carnall loue of earthly women Whiche doctrine I thinke you wil not say riseth of true interpretacion of the scripture The same Clement Strom. 2. 6. writeth that mens soules are transformed into Angels and first learne a thousande yeres of other Angels afterwarde teaching other new transformed Angels at the length become Archangels Whiche can not be soundly taken out of the scriptures Iustine Lactantius Iraeneus and other wrote that good men after the resurrection shoulde liue a thousande yeres in all ioye before Christe shoulde come to iudgement And yet is that but a misunderstandynge of the scripture Tertullian séemeth to attribute a bodily substance to God and in diuers places De trinitate speaketh dangerously of Christe for whiche and like thinges many would haue had his workes counted Apócrypha Therfore he doth not alwaies agrée with scripture Cyprian would haue Heretikes to be rebaptised and speaketh so dangerously of them that are fallen from the faith that he might séeme to geue some occasion to Nouatians heresie What shall we say of Origine in whom be founde so many perilous doctrines as both I in this place am loth to rehearse them and in the primatiue churche diuers greate learned men woulde haue had his bookes burned for the same I coulde say the like of diuers other but that I feare some will maliciously gather that I rehearse these thynges of purpose so muche as in me lieth to deface the aucthoritie of the holy fathers Which God is my witnesse I meane not but onely to signifie that when wee measure their doctrine by Goddes wordes or teache not in all poinctes as they did wée be not so muche to be blamed as that men should counte vs as you doo to controlle the doctours and as it were to set them to schoole For if God hath suffered them to erre in so weightie mattiers as is before mencioned although for good cause I haue omitted the greatest it may be also that they haue taught amisse in some other lighter thinges and therfore are to be reade with iudgement as Augustine counselleth bothe in himselfe and in other Nothwithstandynge wée doo greatly estéeme the fathers not only as holy mē indued with singuler grace of God but also as right good witnesses and strong defendours of the chiefe articles of our faith at that time when Sathan indeuoured partely by crueltie of persecution partely by infinite numbers of Heresies to deface and extinguishe the same Therefore who doth not muche honour them when trueth constreineth with reuerence go from their opinion is scantly worthie the name of a christian mā Neuerthelesse I think not the contrary but if they had séene what abuses and supersticions woulde haue folowed vpon diuers thynges that they either taught or for the state of that time winked at and suffered vndoubtedly they woulde either haue recanted those thinges as Augustine did many or els would haue made a more perfit interpretacion of their mindes Before the Pelagians Herisie beganne to be spredde S Augustine so wrote of frée will as he séemed not to himselfe afterwarde sufficiently and as the trueth required to expresse the mere grace of God Therfore vpon occasion of that Herisie he writeth more perfitly of that and of predestination then either the other doctours do or then it is to be thought that himselfe would haue done if that occasion had not been So doubtelesse both he and many other woulde haue doone of diuers thinges now in controuersie if at that time they had been brought in question This much by the way haue I spoken of my opinion in the doctours so muche as I can to eschew the malicious reporte that your sorte is moste readie to spreade of vs in this mattier Now I wyll returne to reseruation Of reseruacion Wee denie not as I sayd that some in that time did vse it as it appereth by your witnes of Ciril As touchinge
whose wordes by you in this place recited D. I haue this muche to say that as I know the same place is alleaged of dyuers other and therfore I wyl not plainely deny it so because that worke of Ciril is not ertante I haue good cause to suspecte it And so muche the more for that diuers of your sorte haue alleaged oute of the same doctour in his worke Thesaurus certaine wordes for the supremicie of the Byshop of Rome whiche are not there to be found This vniust fatheryng of your owne late deuised phantasies vpon the auncient doctours and writers of the churche may cause vs iustly to suspecte the residue of your doyng But be it so that those are Cirils owne wordes indéede Wée haue for that one suspected place a number of sounde testimonies that all did not alow reseruacion nor thinke it accordyng to the worde of God Origine vpon the .v. chap. of Leuiticus The Lord saith he deferred not the breade that he gaue to his disciples saying take and eate neither commaunded it to be kepte vntill the morow The residue of his wordes vpoÌ„ the same place be suche as he séemeth thervpon to gather an argument that it should not be reserued Hee that wrote the sermon De caena domini in Cyprian saieth plainely of the sacrament Recipitur non includitur At is receiued it is not inclosed or Butte vp Isychius vpon Leuiticum at large declareth how that in his time if the ministers and people were not able to eate vp so muche as was consecrated the restdue was bourned and coÌ„sumed by fier that it might not be kepte vntill the nexte day Therfore you may not force vpon vs to receiue reseruacion as a thyng either grounded in scripture or generally alowed by the primatiue churche What will you say to your seconde Epistle of Clement bysshoppe of Rome Ret so many holy loues saith he he offered vpon the aulter as may be sufficiently for the people If so be any shall remaine let them not be kepte vntil the morow but with feare and tremblyng let the ministers eate it vp This was a Bisshoppe of Rome this was Peters successour this was as you say head of the churche and yet you heare his appoinâ—mente and order taken erpressely against reseruation If ye will not beléene vs why doo you not beléeue your owne Will you say with your testimonie of Ciril that Origine was madde that Isychius was madde Or if ye be not afrayde to say it of them Will you say that Clement was madde also Well sir if ye wyll proue vs impudent or madde for not receiuynge reseruacion I truste you se that wée shal haue company in our impudencie and madnesse But Clementê Epistle presseth you harde in soole receiuynge and priuate Passe also and signifieth that all the ministers receiued together with the people For in the wordes before rehearsed he speaketh of the Passe that was vsed when that Epistle was made and yet it willeth you to prepare for the people Why doo you not folow his aucthoritie in these poinetes You will say as you sayd in the beginning if the people be absente and when the sacramente is prepared either will not or can not come to receiue Clement then sayeth not that the priest consecratyng should forbeare because thother bidden guests will not come The churche you will say did alway professe a communion proue oute of the same history that it were no abuse to haue boyes and chyldren to minister the sacramente commonly because in that extremitie Sirapions boye delyuered him the sacrament which the pryest sent Surely in this your maner of defendynge priuate Passe wherein you shew your selfe to be able to bringe nothing for the mainteinance therof but only extraordynary chanses in extremitie and necessitie you doo much bewray the euyl vse of it and manifestly declare yea and as it weare protestée that in déede it is euel and without all aucthoritie or example of the primatiue churche if you bee not bryuen to it by necessitie and lacke of communicants You wyll reply perhappes and say by these examples it may appeare that company in receyninge is not of necessitie or if it had ben they would not haue vsed the contrary Yes sir necessitie and extremitie may cause some kinde of gods commaundements at times to be omitted and yet out of necessitie the same commaundementes ought necessarely to bee obserued and kepte The Iewes were commaunded on the Sabboth day to doo no bodely or toylinge worke Neuerthelesse sometimes we rede that by necessitie of there enemies constreined they kept warre and fought on the Sabboth day Yet can you not say but that commaundement was necessary I sayd the like before of baptisme and the same must I say in the lordes supper that a case of necessitie may perhappes for a time alter some necessary parte of it and yet not bee taken for any generall rule Therfore if ye wyll receiue alone in your Passe or minister vnder one kinde you must neuer doo it but in extremitie otherwyse your proufes helpe you nothinge at all Yea but in the history of Sirapion but one kinde is mencioned and reseruation manifestly appeareth in that it was so ready to bee boye to soke the sacramente consecrated in a licour not consecrated And especially if he were of your opinion in transsubstantiacion This may you se by your owne place that in reseruation they vsed often to kepe bothe kyndes Which might wel stand with the maner of that time wherin they did euery day communicare so that the wine also might well tary vntil the next day The .xiiii. caÌ„non of Nicene councel in no sence doth prouce sole receiuinge 10. Cap. Answer to the .xiiii. Cannon of Nicene cousell as you would haue it séeme to doo It apointeth who should minister and in what order they should receiue firste the byshop then the priestes after the deacons and so forthe other that dyd communicate This order takeÌ„ by that holy counsaile maketh so plainly againste the manner of your pryuate Masse as I assure you I meruaile that you coulde for shame alledge it Who seeth not by this testimony that all the ministers vsed commonly to receiue together with the byshop beynge present Here was not my lorde at the high aulter and the residew of hys chaplaines and priestes in sundry chapels celebrating by them selfe but all receiued together deacons and all that it might appere to bee a heauenly feast or supper and not a worke or sacritice to be done of one to the behoufe and benefite of a number that stande by and loke on The councel speaketh not here in this poynte of any extraordinary chaunce as it doeth in that parte that you alledge but of the common ordynary maner which by the aucthority of the same councell was apointed to bee vsed in the church It we had lacked testimonyes for the trueth againste pryuate Masse wée had bene muche beholdinge to you for puttinge vs in mindâ— of
you with looking on many places There is a little treatise of Melancthons intituled De vsuintegri sacrameÌ„ti in which ye shall finde diuers argumentes concludyng the necessitie of bothe kindes and that they sinne and greuously offende that doo restraine the people from one parte of the sacrament But I perceiue this is your coÌ„mon fashion to make Doctours writers to speake whatsoeuer you woulde haue them to speake Now sir 12. Cap. if ye haue no better proufes and testimonies oute of the holy scriptures and olde fathers then these whiche ye haue in this your Apologie alledged I assure you the challenge that before was made may iustly be againe repeted And A. it may be sayde to you that you haue out of the scripture nor sillable nor tittle out of the auncient doctours nor sentence nor halfe sentence that doeth directly proue eyther your priuate masse or communion vnder one kinde to the laitie For all that here you haue vttered be nothinge but wrythed coniectures vpon cases extraordinary and shiftes of extremitie to proue a continual or general rule to bée obserued in the church of Christe contrary to the example and order by hym selfe apointed Wherefore there is no cause that you should so confidently conclude as though you had profoundly ben faire clokes for them to holde their peace where as in déede they haue in these poinctes or litle or nothing to say for them selfe And surely if I had ben of your sorte I would haue wyshed that you also had ben bounde in recognisance if that would haue stayed you from wrytinge For both your reasons and aucthorities by you vttered though they séeme to your selfe neuer so stroÌ„g doth rather bewray your parte theâ— pithely defend it But if you and yours had neuer so greate store of armour prouision and furniture as to the terrour of men you would pretende to haue yet ye shold neuer be able to beare downe the manifest trueth so euidently apperinge in the wordes of Christes institution nor the wytnesses of the primatiue churche agreinge with the same Answere to the argumente of multitude continuance of time c â–ª Therefore the thunderinge in of the aucthoritie of the holy catholike church the prescription of .xv C. yeres the consent of moste parte of Christendome the holines and learninge of so many godly fathers as hath béen these ix C. yeres the age and sclender learninge of those that stande against you doth nothinge at all either feare vs or moue vs to suspect that doctrine which by Christes aucthoritie and witnesse of the Apostles wée know to be trewe We haue ben accustomed of longe time to those vaine voices Wée sée they all be either manifestly false or at the least of small effecte These are the mystes which you haue alway cast before the eies of the simple and ignorant as it were to blinde and amase them to the ende that either they may not sée the trueth when it is brought to them or if they sée it to make them suspecte it when they heare that .xv. C. yeares the more parte of the worlde haue bene of contrary opinion But this is euidently false that you say For .600 yere after Christe more these doctrines were neuer heard of in the church much lesse vnder one kinde prohibicion of mariage in priestes purgatory the supremacie of Rome nor a number moe of your errours Yea and at this daye thinke and doo contrary to you in those thinges And wyll you then so falsely beare men in hand that the whole churche was always of your opinion But be it so that the moste part of christendome .ix. C. yeres hathe taught as you doo Is that a sufficient argument to reiecte a doctrine euident by the worde of god May not all christianitie be cleane defaced if such argumentê of continuance of time and multitude of persons should be rules to gouerne mens conscience Might not the gentiles haue alledged the like againste the Apostles and their successours Might not they haue saide and saide more truly then you that the worshipping of their gods had continued not hundreds but thousande of yeares that the whole worlde helde with them that the wise and profound learned Philosophers defended their doctrine that the Apostles were but new heretikes Ideotes and vnlearned persons that their doctrine came from the dotinge people of the Iewes that the gods declared their dyspleasure and indignations against the new teachinge of Christ with seditions tumultes warres plagues dearthes tempestious weatheringes and suche like Might not the Israelites haue couÌ„ted greate folly in the house of Iuda that they would swarue from theim in worshippinge of god seinge they were tenne partes to one Might not the priestes in the olde lawe yea dyd they not alledge against the prophetes continuance of time and multitude of doctours priestes and Rabins Were they not hundredes to one poore Micheas Did they not the like in Christes time Did they not beate vpon the longe continuance of Moyses law whiche they saide he came to destroy Did they not none can forsake the guidinge and instruction of our holy mother the church without manifest perill of their owne soules and such as they doo leade from the church In déede this accusation is greuous and may not lightly be passed of mée although you staie not longe vpon it This is that you feare mens consciences withall This is it that in déede maketh many to stagger in receininge the trueth when they heare you continually beate vppon the name of your holy mother the churche and in wordes claime that to you whiche verely and in déede is not in you For all be not the sonnes of Abraham that bragge and auante that they came of Abrahams stocke All be not the people of god that say they bee the people of god All be not Israelites that discended of Israel All be not Christian men in déede that name them selfe Christians I will therfore in few wordes declare what the church is and howe we may if we take not good héede be deceiued by the name of the churche takinge the church of Antichrist for the true and right churche of Christe First how necessarie indéede it is for a christian man to beléeue the faieth of the holy church it may by this appere that to be borne to euerlastyng life and saluacion to be made the sonne of God and heire of the kyngdom of heauen of necessitie wée must be conceiued in the wombe of the churche of Christe and as it were fostred vp in hir lappe For she is the mother of all those that are the true children of God And in hir custodie Christe hath lefte the treasure of his grace by hir ministery to be bestowed amonge his people Therfore if wée couitte to haue entrance into the kyngdome of God and be partakers of the graces and promisses of Christe I confesse wée must remaine in the faith of his holy churche But what is this churche or how may
setters forth of the sameâ— There lacked not gods promisses amonge the Iewes There lacked not succession of bishops and â—â—istes There lacked not opinion of great holinesse and austeritie of life There lacked â—â—â—t great sâ—il and knowledge of the law of god And yet is it moste euident that they erred that they refused the trueth that vnder the name and gay shewe of the church in very déede they persecuted the church Why shal we not thinke that the like maybee in this time Yea why should wee not surely perswade our selues by the course of gods beinges and by the testimonies of holy scripture that the like is now in this â—urtime Our sauiour Chirst and hys Aposties haue left warning abundantly that it would hee so in his churcheâ— and especially towarde the ende of the â—hâ—â—lde Christe him selfe prophesied that desolacion should stand in the holy place that is in the churche Sainâ— Paule witnesseth that Antichrist shold sit in the temple of god that is in the church Where it is also signified not that he should be an abiecte in the churche but a power auantinge him selfâ— aboue the name of god Peter saiâ—th that in the church should bee maisters and teachers of lies Paule affirmeth for suretie that in the latter dayes suche shall come as shall geue eate to doctrine of the dyuel for bidding to mary and eate suche meates as god had created to bée taken with thanken geuinge These thinges were prophecied to come not amonge Turkes and Sarasens not amonge Infidels and Paganes but in the temple of god in the church of god in the societie of them that did professe Christ We haue therfore great cause to marke the working of god by the example of the old church amonge the Iewes Wee see that the Prophetes were firste vered by those that bare the name of the churche and shold haue most gladly receiued them We sée that in Christes time and the Apostles not the Gentils first refused the comfortable tidinges of the gospel but they that called them selfe the people of god and had amonge them the custodie of his lawe and ceremonies Euen in like maner we haue to thinke that he wyll doo in this time seinge â—ée hath of the same forewarned vs. For euen as the olde lawe and religion of the Iewes was a shadow and paterne of the true relygion brought in by Christ so the state and maner of that church may well resemble the state of Christes church in the latter time As the olde church therefore to warde the â—ndedid forsake this lawe and right vse of gods ceremonies and beinge denyeded in sundry sectes deuised new worshippinges accordinge to theyr dâ—â—â—â— phantasies in so muche that for the mainteraÌ„ce therof they refused Christ and his Apostlê So in like maner and wée iustly thinke that the church after Christ towarde the ende of the world shall departe from the trueth of Gods worde right ministration of his sacramentê cleautinge to theyr owne inter pretacions beinge deuided in sundry sectes of religion for the defence of the saine shal refuse and cast out of the church such as god will sende so renew the trueth of his holy word and gospel Wherfore it ought to comfort and confirme vs and cause vs to thinke that wée be in déede in the churche rather then to feare vs seinge they that in the pompe and glorious face of the worlde séeme to haue the gouernmente of the churche doth refuse vs and take vs to bee none of the church For suche they were alwaies that from the beginnynge refused and oppressed the trueth Such they were that vexed the Prophetes Such they were that refused Christ Such they were that persecuted his Apostels Here perhappes some curious conscience wil be pricked and thinke it is not likely that god of his great mercy would suffer his churche and so great a number of people to erre so many hundred yeares But wée must beware how by oure reason of likelihodde wée enter into gods iudgement and vnscrutable prouidence We must thinke of him as the courte of his doingeâ— sheweth vs Wée must thinke of him as his holy worde teacheth vs. Wée must not thinke of him as oure soâ—de reason wyll leade vs. Is it not merueilous thinke you and to oure iudgement vnscrutable that thousands of yeres hee suffered all the nationâ—â— of the earth to bee â—â—selled in Polaâ—â—y and opened his knowledge to only one little people of the Iewes Is it not merueâ—lous that of .xij. partes of that one people he suffered .x. and a halse to forsake him at one time yea that one parte that remained not a fold tymes cleane to geue ouel the trus worshyppinge of god so that in those dayes he might scante séente to haue any true church vpon the whole face of that earth Be not these thinges beyonde the likelyhoddes of mans féeble reason Nay â—â—â—e not say with S. Paule O vnscruâ—â—sse and Botomlesse deepenes of his diuâ—â—â—e iudgemente and leaue to séeke what is likely in his ddinges The Iewes were his chosen people from whiche the sausour of the worldâ— should rise â–ª They had among them his law aâ—â—â— ceremonies his aboundant promisses and sacramentes They had his tabernacle out of the which he as presente spake vnto them If then the depenes of gods iudgement were suche towarde them that hee suffered them so ofte and so longe to go astraie and sence Christes time most miserably 1560. yeres hath scattered them vpon the earth may 〈◊〉 not feare the like also amonge vs in this latter time Doth not S. Paule put vs in feare that if god did breake away the naturall braunches of the Oliue he would also if cause were geuen cut of those that were but grassed on beside nature Doth not Christe in the gospell forewarne vs that in the latter dayes should bée suche mischiefe and blindnes in the churche that euen the electe should be in daunger to be seduced And shall we then hope at that time to seacute e the true churche in so triumphant glory of the world as it shal make euen the greatest Emperours and Princes of the earth in worlde might power subiect vnto it Truly that agreeth not with Christes prephecie nor the warninges of the Apostels wherein they tel vs of the greate daunger that shal happen in the churche towarde the ende of the worlde â–ª That it may not be thought to be my euely phantasie that the aduersarie of Christe shall in the latter daies sit in the churche and beare the face of religion Heare you what Hylarie sayth Conrra Auxentiuâ—â—n In whose time the Arrians by the furtherance of the Emperour and a number of Bishops tooke on them the name of the Catholikes and persecuted the true christian churche Ye do ill saith he to be infout with walles ye do ill to worship the churche of God in gay honfes and buildinges ye do ill to bryng the name of peace vnder them Vs it not certaine that Antichrist