upon all namely I acknowledge that the seven Sacraments be Baptisme Confirmation the Eucharist which is the holy Sacrament of the Altar Penance extreame Vnction Orders and marriage and that of these Baptisme Confirmation and Orders cannot be reiterated without sacriledge That the said Sacraments confer grace and have those effects which the Church hath taught and that the forme and use according to which they are administred to Christians is holy and necessary 5. I further acknowledge that the holy masse is a Sacrifice and oblation of the true body and blood of Iesus Christ under the formes of bread and wine mingled with water whcih bread and wine under the foresaid formes are in the Masse by the words of Consecration there pronounced by the Priest transubstantiated and changed into the said body and blood of Christ albeit the qualities and accidents remaine in the said formes after Consecration and that the Masse is profitable and available both for the liuing and for the dead 6. I acknowledge and confesse the concomitance namely that in receiving the body of Christ under the forme of bread only I then likewise receive the blood of Iesus Christ 7. I confesse that prayer to and intercession of Saints for the living and for the dead is holy good and profitable for Christians and in no sort contrary to the honour of God 8. That prayers made in the Church for the faithfull departed are beneficient for them for the remission of sinss and mitigating of their paines deserved for the same 9. That there is a Purgatory where the soules of such as are detained there are relieved by the prayers of the faithfull 10. I confesse that honour ought to be given to th Saints 〈◊〉 with Christ in heaven that they ought to be prayed to and that they make intercession for us to God and that their reliques ought to be worshipped 11. That the commandements and traditions of the saide church consisting of divine ceremonies are holy and good fastdayes abstinence from meates observation of feastes and other Ecclesiasticall rites and ought to be observed according to the traditions of the Apostles and ancient Fathers continued from the Primitive times and since brought into the Church by the decrées of Councels received thence long agoe or lately Also that I will and ought to obey them as prescribed and authorized by the holy Ghost the ordainer of those things which serve to the upholding of Christian religion and of the holy Catholike and Apostolike Romane Church 12. I likewise beleeve and consent to all the Articles concerning originall sinne and Iustification 13. I also stedfastly believe that the 〈◊〉 or Christ of his holy Mother and of all the Saints ought to be reâ—â—â—â—â—◠〈◊〉 the Church 〈◊〉 the uses of them are very profitable and that they ought to be worshipped 14. I confesse that the power of 〈…〉 and pardons is left to the Church by Jesus Christ and the use of them is greatly aâ—â—â—â—â—le as also I acknowledge the Church of Rome to be the 〈◊〉 Mother of all Churches and that she hath the holy Ghost for her guide and that all private and pretended inspirations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ing the same are of the Devill the 〈…〉 who would rent in sunder the â—â—â—â—â—â—esse Coat of Jesus Christ 15. Lastly I strictly promise to observe and kéepe whatsoever was decréed and ordained by the last Councell of Trent and do promise before God and you never to depart from the Catholike and Apostolike Romane Church And if I shall which God forbid I submit me to the correction and Canons of the said Church made decréed and ordained against them which fall into Apostasse To which abjuration and confession I have subscribed with my hand c. Some of those who for feare abjured afterwards relented others grew more and more hardened insomuch that in going oft to Masse they tooke part with the priests and murtherers as if they had never made any profession at all of the truth Persecution at Boardeaux the third of October 1572. Soone after the massacre at Paris tidings thereof came to Bourdeaux Where it happened on a morning as the Protestants were taking boat to heare a Sermon in a meadow where they were wont to meet being about three miles from Bourdeaux betweene the river of Garonna and the brooke of la Jalla that the Governour Mountferrand commanded them to come backe again He had the shift to cloake the same under a plausble pretence namely that they should not be set upon there by the multitude After their returne they began to set a strong watch and ward at the gates so as none of the religion could have leave to passe forth unlesse he had a passeport from the Governour yet meanes was made for their Ministers escape without being perceived who went to Medoâ— expecting what the event of this businesse at Bourdeaux would be Having intelligence of what was executed there they staid certaine daies and nights hiding themselves in the rocks and marshes untill they had opportunity to take shipping and so saile into England Instantly thereupon there arrived at Bourdeaux the Lord of Montpesat from the King who at his first comming fained as if he meant to settle all things in peace Yet he wrought under hand in such wise with the Governour that the massacre was resolved of to which he was sollicited by a Jesuite called Edmund Angier who out of the pulpit used horribly and bitterly to thunder and inveigh against the remisnesse and faint-heartednesse of the said Governour Insomuch as on S. Michaels day as they called it speaking of the Angels by whom God executes his iudgements he cryed out by way of Interrogation Who executed Gods iudgements 〈◊〉 the Hugenots in Paris The Angell of God Who hath executed the like upon other Cities in this Kingdome The Angell of God In a word he never ceased in publique and priâ—ate to sollicite the Papists of Bourdeaux to follow the example of the Parisians And then as a croking Raven day by day he thâ—â—â—ted those of the religion with the approaching of an utter ruine and desolation if they did not betimes returne into the bosome of the Romane Church which offer if they 〈◊〉 refuseâ— they should not be received in when they would Many being terrified with these threates as also by the intreaties of their kindred who set before fore them the imminent danger which hung over Anno 1572. their heads revolted and abjured The said Sieur of Montpasset caused Master William Blanck an Advocate in the Court of Parliament to be called before him who was counsellor to him and to his father in law exhorting and perswading him to returne to the unity of the Romane church Le Blanck answered that he had sufficiently weighed and compared all things together before he tooke upon him the profession of that Religion which he now professed which he said was the true religion acknowledging the same in every respect far to excéed the other Montpessat
this chaine and thus fettered with Irons I doubt not but they have given such a reason of their faith that whosoever shall read their answers and weigh the same without partiality must néeds judge thereof even as wée doe And for my owne part I am ready to make it good before any whom it conceres that the doctrine I now hold and 1. Tim. 6. 3. Deut. 12. 32. teach is according to godlinesse taken out of the pure fountaines of the holy scriptures without adding diminishing or varying any way therefrom Bishop We reade that in all times men have béen wont to shelter themselves under the Title of Gods word in so much that all the old heresies maintained by heretiques have run to this covert so as great héed is to be taken lest under this pretence men rush into errors La Grange I am not ignorant sir hereof in regard that Satan knows how to transform himselfe into an Angel of light thereby to establish his delusions causing darknesse thereby to be taken 2. Cor. 11. 14. Iohn 14. 17. for light But the holy Ghost who is the Spirit of truth hath in such wise discovered his jugglings that none are deluded thereby but those who at noone day close their eyes that they may 2 Cor. 4. 4. not behold the light Bishop Doe you thinke that the holy Ghost hath given you such an illumination that the truth should only be revealed to you and to none other La Grange God forbid sir I should have any such thought I am not of the minde of those dreamers who at this day bragge of their having particular revelations of the holy Spirit He means the Anabaptists and their like Eph. 2. 20. But I speake of an ordinary and generall revelation such as is taught us out of the Bible which we call the holy Scriptures according as it is therein declared unto us by the Prophets and Apostles This was the effect of the Bishops first communication with de la Grange after which hée was heard to say twice or thrice to the Kings Commissioners that hée had no will to meddle any further with him Being called for to be examined elsewhere before the said Commissioners Peregrine tooke his leave of the Bishop entreating him to intercede for him that hée might be eased of his irons alledging that the Prison was strong enough and sufficiently garded The second time they met together the Bishop having a prompt memory made a rehearsall of what passed betwéen them the day before and after began thus with the said Peregrine Bishop Séeing that which I hold as touching the Sacrament of the Altar is agréeable to the Scriptures confirmed so long since by the consent of all the ancient fathers wherefore doe you not agrée with us therein Had you rather hold with these Novelists as with Calvin and with the confession of Auspourge Grange Sir I am neither Calvinist nor Papist I am a Christian and what I hold concerning religion is taken out of Christs doctrine who to the only Doctor of his Church What Calvin hath taught conformable to the word of God I am of the same minde with him and whereas you call your Religion the old Religion and ours the new it troubles me not at all since the Father of lies hath long since forged the same to disgrace the truth and to establish and maintaine the multitudes of falshoods and absurdities of your Tenents which you hold For example because Christ in giving his disciples bread in the Sacrament said This is my body thence they would make us beléeve that the bread is become the body of Christ as if the verbe est signified a change of the bread into another substance which is found in no language whatsoever Bishop We maintaine not the Transubstantiation of the bread from this Verbe est knowing that the Hebrews use the Participle of the Present tense in stead of a Verbe but rather from hence because Christ said This is my body La Grange I told * For they had many disputes touching this point which are not here inserted you that Iesus Christ in his Supper gives us that body which was conceived by the holy Ghost in the wombe of the virgin Mary which was crucified dead and buried raised againe the third day and is ascended into heaven yet wee utterly deny that there is any change made of the bread Therefore if you would have us beéeve it let us have some proofe of scripture for it Bish To speake properly the Transubstantiation of the bread cannot be proved by the Word of God and yet we must beléeve it for the reasons above said La Grange Your glorying then that you have the Word of God on your side is as you sée come to nothing And why have you then burned so many of Gods saints for denying that which you cannot maintaine by the scriptures For our parts we should blush to affirme that the substance of bread remaines after the words of consecration if we could not prove the same from the very forme of the institution of the sacrament wherein Christ tooke bread and having given thankes hee brake bread and gave to his Disciples bread and they tooke and did eat bread yea Saint Paul rehearsing 1 Cor. 11. 23 26. 17. the institution calls it bread thrice Bish You know that in the Hebrew Tongue bread is taken for the remainders of what was eaten Paul therefore in that place speakes of those viands which the Corinthians did eate in their Love-feaste reproving their abuse So also howsoever Paul calls it bread there and that in the second of the Acts of the Apostles mention is Act. 〈◊〉 42. made of the breaking of bread all this serves not your turne La Grange I grant that bread is taken in the Scripture in this sence but be it that bread be taken for the meat that was left yet you reade not that the substance was changed into the substance of other meate or lost the property thereof It is certaine that the Scripture useth not this phrase of breaking of bread in the use of the Lords supper for nothing for thereby we are given to understand that it is not a signe onely in appearance or shew but the true substance of bread Bish Let it be what it will wee hold close to the words of Iesus Christ where he saith This is my body and therefore also beéeve what wee speake I care not if I be deceived in this matter nor for bearing reproofe for the same either Vnderstand the words sacramentally and all is wel before God or men for before God himself I will pleade thus Lord thou hast said it and I beleeve it La Grange We rest in the same thing also but withall we have an eie unto Christs meaning and intent which was to establish a sacrament we also receive from his mouth the same words as well as you but sacramentally where the outward signe beares the name
returne into their owne countrey againe taking boat about the end of Iune Anno 1560. They were no sooner arrived at Nieuport but two of them to wit Iames and Ieane endeavored to passe on to Honscot leaving Christian to come at his leisure because he was not well at ease having also a fardel of small books of religion The Bailife with some others méting him upon the way asked him whence he came and whither he was going as also what he was Christian framed them such an answer that they could take no advantage against him travelling as hée did upon the way onely they spied about him that fardell of books by occasion whereof they brought him backe into the City and having learned that he came over wish two others the Bailiffe forthwith sent his lievtenant towards Honscot who so wilily handled the matter that in the end he caught them and brought them bound to the City of Furn. Where for a few daies they were prisoners together with the foresaid Christian in which condition they mutually comforted and encouraged one another but their adversaries soone separated them thinking therby to weaken their strength constancy and fortitude Upon the first of their interrogatories which was about the third and fourth of Iuly they asked Iames why he separated from the church of Rome Ans Because it is not the church of Christ Quest How know you that Answer Because it hath neither the Word of God soundly preached the Sacraments duly administred nor the Ecclesiasticall Discipline after a right manner executed Iames gave good and solid reasons hereof shewing that in their Church was taught that soules must bée saved by saying of Masses long prayers invocation of saints pilgrimages with other such vaine and deceivable hopes yea said the Priest doe you thus judge of those who give to Iesus Christ bread when he is hungry and drinke when he is thirsty and cloath Anno 1563. him being naked c. And so went on with multiplying many words not suffering the said Iames to finish what he was about to have said Others asked him if he could prove that they had not the true administration of Baptisme Answer You have so obscured it with your owne additions that a man can scarce discerne it to be Baptisme Quest What thinke you then of your owne Baptisme Answ Were I now to be baptised I would not receive it from your Church so well it likes me that I have received it from you Being demanded what he said to the Sacrament of the Altar he proved evidently how farre off it was from the first institution of the Lords supper And as concerning the Ecclesiasticall discipline hée uttered more of their corrupting of it then they were willing to heare After this they were examined by two friers who were chosen out for the purpose one of them was Iohn Campo superintendent of the Gray Friers of Dixmude the other was called Peter Pennet Prior of the Carmelites in Ypre These two examined the thrée prisoners first upon the articles of the faith and then if they beléeved that Christ was made of the séed of the woman Iames answered we are all perswaded that Iesus Christ was made of the séed of the woman according as God hath promised Gen. 3. 15. Moreover of the séed of Abraham add of David and Gal. 4. 4. Rom. 1. 3. Heb. 4. 15. that he was in all things made like unto his brethren sinne onely excepted After many other questions upon divers points they were asked whether in the consecration of the Masse the body of Christ was present there or no No said Iames It is nothing like the Lords Supper which Christ gave to them that sate at table with him According to which institution the faithfull being assembled together Acts 2. 42. brake bread c. Nor shall ye find in the Scriptures that one alone receiveth or that the rest stood and looked on And if Saint Paul justly challenged the Corinthians because every oue was forward to eat his owne supper apart 1 Cor. 11. 20. much more are you worthy of their reprehension I doe therefore ranke you amongst those false prophets which our Lord Iesus Christ hath warned Mat. 24 23. us of who will say thus unto us Lo here is Christ and there he is Hereunto the adversaries replyed Doth not Christ in expresse words say This is my body This is my bloud Answer The words must not be taken as they sound in a literall sence for so they shall have no agréement with other like places of Scripture You know the words belonging to the antient Sacraments were expounded by the holy Ghost himselfe Circumcision is called the Covenant and the Lambe is called the Passeover albeit they were but the signes thereof They asked if God were not omnipotent Yes said Iames but yet he will doe nothing against his Word Quest If the bread be not changed why doth 1 Cor. 11. 29. Saint Paul affirme That whosoever eats of this bread unworthily eats judgement to himselfe not discerning the Lords body Wée acknowledge all this said they because a man ought to examine himselfe before he presume to come to that holy banquet for in the Supper we receive not only bread and wine but doe also truly partake of the body and bloud of Christ as Saint Paul teacheth us 1 Cor. 10. 16. Matrimony In the fourth place they were asked if mariage were not a Sacrament No said Iames for sacraments are not things indifferent to Christians as mariage is for Saint Paul saith he that gives 1 Cor. 7. 8. 29. 38. his Virgin in mariage doth well but hee that gives her not in mariage doth better We hâ— wedlocke to be an holy ordinance of God instituted in Paradise from the beginning of the world Gen. 2. Iohn 〈◊〉 Heb. â—3 4. honoured by Iesus Christ with his first miracle yea we adde further that as mariage is honourable among all and the bed undefiled so whoremongers and adulterers God will judge Quest But saint Paul saith it is a great Sacrament Answer Why doe you forbid it then But that place of Paul by you alledged is not to bée understood Ephes 5. 32. of mariage but is meant of that speciall mysticall union and Communion which is betwéen Christ and his Church Quest They asked him if confession were a Confession Sacrament Answer I finde but two Sacraments mentioned in the New Testament If you can finde out any more you shall doe well to shew them But as touching confession it is to God to whom we must confesse our sinnes according to Davids Psal 32. 5. Luke 15. 18. 21. example and of the Prodigall sonne and sundry others who with true repentance acknowledged their offences to God who is faithfull and just to 1 Iohn 1. 9. pardon and forgive them But to confesse them to a priest it is so farre off from being necessary that I hold it altogether unlawfull These Fathers
chamber as we call it Bish These words must be taken of our ordinary eating which is cast saving your presence after it is eaten into the draught La Grange What becomes then of this swallowed flesh Bish The formes are turned into it and the flesh of Iesus Christ is gone but these things must not be too curiously examined La Grange This answer cannot stand the accidents which you call kindes cannot be changed thereinto it is the substance which is changed But let us come to a more substantiall argument you teach That whosoever receives this Bread which you call flesh receives Iesus Christ How 1 Cor 11. 27. 29. is it then that Saint Paul saith Hee that eateth and drinketh unworthily eats and drinks damnation to himselfe c. Bish This argument hath some weight in it for thus you reason hee that receives Christ doth therewithall receive eternall life but by our Doctrine all receive Christ in the sacrament therefore they must needs have eternall life I confesse it is true according to your minor proposition that they receive him but I deny that all receive him unto life everlasting for if they receive not the flesh by the holy Ghost it profits them nothing La Grange I have taken the first part of my Iohn 11. 25. proposition out of Saint Iohn where Christ saith he is the life but séeing wée cannot receive so much as a common hearbe without the vertue of it much lesse can wee receive Christ without that life which is comprehended in him otherwise Simile we should receive a dead body without efficacy and not Iesus Christ who causeth those that eate him to live â—ternally For this sacrament was instituted of God by his sonne to manifest and set Iohn 6 51. forth his fatherly good will towards us not contenting himself to have received us once as strangers into his houshold by baptisme but as his owne Children and therefore hath ordained this Why the Lords supper was ordained We partake of Christ in the Sacrament by the effectuall working of the holy Ghost second sacrament of the holy supper that in his house wee might have wherewith to nourish and féed us continually Now as touching the holy Ghost it is by him that we eate the flesh of Iesus Christ and drinke his bloud conjoyning by his powerfull working those things together which by distance of place are severed farre off one from another causing all that is in Christ to become ours and as by a conduit pipe conveying unto us the true partaking of Christs flesh and bloud so as whosoever receives Christ hath eternall life Bishop That is if hee receive him by the holy spirit for otherwise the flesh profiteth nothing as Iohn 6. 63. saint Iohn saith La Grange Sir the place you alledge makes against you for Christ there reproves his disciples for thinking they should eate his flesh after a carnall manner as it appeares by the words following for the words said hée which I speake to you are spirit and life If then wee are so wise as to observe that the Sunne sending downe its substance on earth by the beames thereof doth after a sort cause the hearbes to spring forth and Simile grow shall not the influence of the spirit of Christ be of much more efficacy to bring us to the true participation of his flesh and bloud Bishop Then the Bishop was desirous to bée gone saying it grew late and so for want of time our conference ended The Bishop commended me to God and then tooke his leave of the company This is the summe of our communication so farre as I can remember By this briefe recitall we may observe what holy boldnesse mixed with meekenesse the Lord had indued this his worthy servant with even in the flower of his age being drawne from his studies and from the place of his birth to preach the Gospell to the Valencians and at length to seale up the same with his bloud A short narration of the life and death of these two valiant Champions of Christ Guy de Brez and Peregrin de La Grange Ministers and martyrs NExt to the pure preaching of the word nothing so much commends those whom the Lord culls out to give their lives for the same as doth an holy and blamelesse conversation continued unto their happy departure out of this world It remaines then in few words that we set forth the conversations of these two holy personages that thereby the mercies and graces of the Lord be stowed upon them may have the greater lustre Guy de Brez borne in Mons in Hainault béeing in his younger yeares much addicted to Popish superstitions came by continually reading of the Scriptures to taste the swéetnes of Christian Religion which knowledge brought forth no smal fruit in him in due season Yet so as it could by no meanes be relished or received by them of his Nation Whereupon he departed from Mons and having learned the art of painting Glasse came to London whilest good King Edward the sixth raigned who gave persecuted strangers leave to have harbour within his realme of England After his abode there a while and understanding that the preaching of the Gospell obtained some entertainment in the Low-Countries he went over to give his assistance to those of his owne Country The first fruits of his labours were most an end in bestwong some exhortations in such places where he found any willing to give him audience though never so few in number But above all he clave to them of the City of Lisle because he found there a great number of beléevers who desired nothing more than to heare the Gospell publiquely preached unto them At that time began also an holy conflict * Against which this godly man published a learned confutation in French which booke I have in my hands against the pestilent sect of the Anabaptists which as cockle mingled it selfe amongst the good corne In this city he continued untill the flock of Christ wer dispersed by reason of persecution and then went to Gaud where hée wrote his booke called the Staffe of Faith extracted out of the ancient Fathers After that béeing desirous to profit more and more in the knowledg of such things as were requisite to be in a Minister of the Gospell hée travelled towards Lausanna and thence to Geneva to furnish himselfe with the tongues and thence withdrawing himselfe into the Low-countries hée there established the churches of Lisle Tournay and of the Valencians in which cities God so prospered his labours that he was preserved by his divine providence as it were in the middest of the fiery flames from falling into the hands of his enemies And not to stand longer in relating the paines and travels of this faithfull servant of Christ not onely the reformed Churches of the said country can testifie but also these of Diex Mondidier and Amiens also which hée was an happy instrument to support whilest the