AN ANSWER TO TVVO MALITIOVS SLANDERS CONCERNING the conquest of England, falsly supposed to be pretended and solicited by the Catholykes, and touching the late enterprise of the king of Spayne in Ireland. Also concerning Sir VVilliam Stanley.
CHAP. I.
AMONGST many malitious slanders, wherwith O. E. and other heretyks seek to make vs and our cause odious to all men, one of the principalest is, that wee desyre and conspyre the cōquest of our countrey by the king of Spayne, wherewith they charge not only F. Parsons and the Iesuytes, but also other English Catholykes that haue serued and serue the Catholyke king, in which respect I cannot forbeare to testify the truth of my knowledge in this poynt, hauing had sufficiēt meanes and occasion to vnderstand what hath ben treated with the Catholike kings of Spayne by any of our nation since the yeare of our Lord 1589.The autor ansvvereth and confuteth this slā der vpon his ovvne knovvledge. at what tyme I passed from the court of France (by reason of the troubles there) to the seruice of their Catholike Maiesties, whome I haue serued euer since, and for some yeres together in the court [Page] of Spayne, vntil now of late, that I retyred my selfe from thence to Rome, to satisfy my priuate deuotiō, by dedicating the rest of my declyning dayes, to the seruice of God in an ecclesiastical function.
The autors protestation vpon his cō science.Therfore I here protest vpon my conscience, not only in my owne behalf, but also in the behalf of F. Parsons, and the English Catholykes that serue his Catholyke Maiesty, that our dealings haue bin so contrary to that which is imputed vnto vs, that we haue donne farre better offices for our country in this poynt, then the malice of our aduersaries suffereth them to suppose. For hauing wel considered that the breach of amity betwyxt her Maiestie and the Catholike king, growing dayly by sundry acts of hostility on both parts, to an implacable quarrel, might moue him to seek the conquest of our country (wherof his puissant preparations in the yere 88. gaue no smalle suspition to the world) and not hauing any hope to be able to diswade his Maiestie from seeking some sharp reuenge of the attempts made against him by sea and land (wherto not only reason of state, but also respect of his reputation and honour seemed to oblige him) wee determined to do our vttermost endeuour so to temper and qualify the same, as it might not turne to any conquest of our country. To which purpose sir Francis Englefield,The endeuour of Syr Fran. Englefeld, F. Parsons, F Cresvvel and of the autor to diuert the Catholik king from the conquest of Engl. whylst he liued, Father Parsons, Fa. Creswel, and my self, haue at dyuers tymes represented to his Matie. of glorious memory, many important reasons to perswade him, that it was not conuenient for him to seek the conquest of England, nor probable eyther that he could conquer it, or yet if he were able to do it that he could long keep it in subiection; and this wee haue vrged so oft and with such pregnāt reasons, as wel to his Matie. that now is, as to his father of glorious memory, that I verely beleeue, that if they euer had any inclination or resolutiō to seek the conquest of England, wee haue donne sufficient diligence to diuert them from all cogitation therof.
[Page 4]But whatsoeuer may be thought of their maiesties intentions in this behalf (which is not my intention here to defend nor treat of, but to signify what hath ben our treaties or dealings with them) sure I am,The Catholyk kings ansvver concerning his intention. that their Maties. haue vpō dyuers occasions assured vs, that their meaning was no other, but only to seek reparation of wrongs dōne vnto them, with the aduancement of Catholyke religion, howsoeuer the quarrel should end, eyther by extremity of warre, or composition of peace, for though the prosecutiō of the warre should proue more prosperous vnto them then wee imagined it could do, yea and that the crowne of England might therby fall to their disposition, yet they affirmed that theyr intentiō was no other, then to restore and assure Catholyke religion there,Restitution of Catholyk religion in England. by establishing a Catholyke king, with whome they might renew, and perpetually hold the ancient leagues so long continued in tymes past betwyxt the two kingdomes of England and Castile to the mutual benefit of both. And if it should so fal out that they should grow to treatyes, of peace (which was most lykely would be the conclusion of this warre,Ease of persecution by treaty of peace. sooner or later) they promised to make instance to her Maiestie eyther for liberty of cōsciēce for Catholikes, or at least for relaxsatiō of penal lawes & ease of the present persecutiō.
Now then;The reasons vvhy the Catholyks rather expected remedy by peace then by vvarre. this being the resolution of their maiesties (as they signified vnto vs) consisting on two poynts, the one, no doubt in their owne opinions vncertayne, and in ours altogeather vnprobable, if not vnpossible (as before I haue declared) and the other, most lykely in tyme to ensew, especially considering the frequent ouertures these later yeres to a treaty of peace,Frequent ouuertures to treatyse of peace these later yeres. Impossibilites of conquest. and the continual reports of her Maiesties propension, nor only therto, but also to giue some toleration to Catholikes; any indifferent man may iudge, which of these two poynts wee were more lyke to expect and solicit, though wee should be as i [...] affected and vnnatural to our country,Her maiesties propensiō to peace, and to geue toleration to Catholyks. as our aduersaries imagine, who measuring our charity and zeale in religion, by [Page] their owne fury, and malice against vs, persuade themselues, that because they would if they were in our case, wish and procure by all meanes possible our vtter ouerthrow & ruin,The heretyks measure Catholyks by themselues. wee therfore do the lyke by them; whereas wee following the doctrine and example of out Sauiour and his saynts,The charity of Catholyks tovvards their enemies. in forgeuing our enemies, and hartely wishing the conuersion of sinners, do dayly and instantly pray to almighty God for them, that it may please him of his infinit mercy to forgiue and illuminate them.
The Catholyks desyre restitution of religiō by svveet mea [...]es.And although we desyre nothing more in our countrey, then the extirpation of heresy and the restitution of the Catholyk fayth, yet wee wish that it may please God to woork it by such sweet meanes, that not only our monarky may stil retayne the former liberty, dignity and honour that heatherto it hath had, but also that no mannes finger may so much as ake for the same;
And whosoeuer doth note and regard with an indifferent eye, the proceeding of such Catholykes as haue laboured most in our cause, and especially of him whome our enemies do moste maligne,The erection of Seminaryes tendeth not to force of armes. and calumniate at this day (I meane the proceeding of father Parsons in the erection and careful mayntenance of Seminaryes) & doth further consider the fruits therof, and the progresse of Catholike religion in England of late yeres, he can neither think, that the fathers intentions tend to force of armes or violence of cōquest, nor yet that our cause is in such desperat tearmes, that wee neede to vse the swoord seing the force of the woord,The svvoord needles vvhere the vvoord preuayleth. and apostolical preaching woorketh so good effect, that wee may wel hope, that heresy decaying dayly as it doth,Heresy dayly decaying. wil fall of it self within a whyle, and that in the meane tyme,The vvyse gouernours can not but note Gods handivvork, in the progresse of Catholyk religiō in England. our wyse gouernours noting the special woork & hand of God therin, & how litle humain policy or rigour preuayleth against true religion, wil not only moderate the rigorous cours hetherto held with Catholikes, but also willingly receaue the light of truth, for the which wee dayly pray to almighty God, & dayly wil.
[Page 5]This then is the conquest that wee desyre and expect in England, to wit, a conquest of soules to God,VVhat conquest the Catholyks desyre in England. with the suppression of heresy, & iniquity, to the end, that the force of truth and piety may so captiuate and subdue the harts of all our countrymen, that they may be freed from the bondage of the deuil, wherin they liue, and that the Catholyke Churche and our country withall may florish, in the old manner, to the glory of God, & saluation of infinit soules that dayly perish, and thus much for this poynt.
Now forasmuch as I vnderstād that rumours are spred abroad and a conceyt or suspition bred thereby, in the heades of many, that the english Catholykes haue also solicited the Catholyke king to the late enterprise of Ireland, I think good also to say somewhat concerning that point, that I verely think no English Catholyke was acquainted therewith otherwise thē by comō fame or opinion, seeing that neither F. Creswel nor my self (both residing at the same tyme in the courte of Spaine) nor Sir William Stanley who was also come thether vpon occasion of busynes, were made priuy thereof,Neyther F. Pars. at Rome nor any Englishman in Spayn made priuy thereto. which I ascrybe partly to the prudent manner of proceeding of those councelers,The prudent manner of proceeding of the councel of Spayn. who neuer impart any matter of impottance to any whosoeuer, except to such, as are necessarily to be employed therin; & partly to the circumspection that the Irish vse in their treaties in that court,The circumspection of the Yrish. who considering that their affayres, do no way perteyn to vs, are wont not only curiously to conceale the same from vs, but also to desyre the Kings ministers not to communicate them with vs.
Of which smalle correspondence betwyxt vs and them in matters that concerne their country,VVitnes maye be takē of Hugh Buy agent of late. for Odonel in Spayn, and novv in her maiestyes seruice. there muay now be sufficient testimony taken of Hugh Buy, who hauing ben one of the most principal agents for Oneal & Odonel in the court of Spayne, and most gratful there (as appeared by the reward giuen him at his departure thens) passed neuerthelesse shortly after his returne to Ireland to the seruice of her Maie and therfore may testify, if he be demaunded, [Page] whether he treated with any Englishman in Spayne, or was willing wee should be trusted with his affayres, sure I am, & I think he wil witnes it, that during the tyme of his negotiatiō there, which was some moneths, we neuer conferred togeather, nor so much as saluted one another.
And veryly for our further purgation of all suspition in this matter, I may wel say, that if we had ben as badly affected in that cause as is conceaued, and had ben consulted withall, or list to haue intruded our selues to speak our opinions, wee could neuer haue aproued the plot that was executed,Not lykly that Syr VVilliam Stanley could approue the plot that vvas executed. which any man may beleeue at least of Sr. William Stanley, as wel for the particular experience he hath of Ireland, and Irish warres, as also for his wisdome, & exact skil in military discipline, and all martial affayres, wherin, as it is wel knowne, he is inferior to few men liuing, & seing the occasion is offred to speak of him, I wil ad a woord or two cōcerning him,The ridiculous folly of a lybeller, in obiecting to sir VVilliam Stanley his deliuering of Deuenter to the true ovvner. & his deliuering Dauēter to the Catholyke king, for that the same is opprobriously carped at in a late pamphlet of a puritan cauling himself Thomas Digges, who as it seemeth hath so litle cōscience and knowledge of a Christian mannes obligation, that he cannot distinguish betwixt trechery and discharge of duty, it beeing euident in conscience, and true diuinity, that Sir William was bound vnder payne of damnable sinne, to deliuer it to the King who was the true owner therof, & from whome it was wrongfully detayned by his rebels; besydes that, his manner of doing it was such as argueth no lesse his generosity,Syr VVilliās generosity & sincerity in tendring Dauenter. then his sincerytie, seeing he made no composition for money or other reward, as many others in lyke occasions haue donne, but rendred it simply without all respect of lucre and gayne, for the only discharge of his conscience, being then at liberty to serue where he would, to which purpose my Lord of Leister his general, had giuen him an ample pasport, which he hath yet to shew.
But herein I meane not further to enlarge my self, seeing [Page 6] my late Lord Cardinal of happy memorie sufficiently de [...]ended and iustified Sr. Williams action in this behalf with a learned and graue treatise of his, at the same tyme, only I wil say of his person for the particular knowlege I haue of him, that the honorable cours of lyf he hath led euer since hee became a Catholyke, & seruant to the king, doth make him no lesse recomendable for true Christian pietie and vertue then for wisdome & valour, in so much that hee is woorthely held of all strangers for the honor of our nation, and the true mirour or a Christian soldier, and as for his affection to his country I do protest I am wel assured, that no man wysheth more honor & happynesse thereto or is more alienat from all desyre of conquest thereof then hee, though our aduersaries wil nedes imagin otherwise of him, and all others that either serue the Catholyke king or receaue any benefit of him, wherby thow maist perceaue (good reader) how lamentable our case is, seeing that wee are neither suffred to enioy the comfort & benefit of our religion country and freindes at home, nor yet permitted without suspition and slander of ill affection to the state, to sustaine our lyues abroad with the liberalitie of him that only hath the meanes & the wil withal, to relieue vs, as hee releeueth & entertaineth in lyke sorte no smalle number of strangers of all nations, without any bad constructions made of him, or them for the same. But whether it be reason that to auoyd the vncharitable conceyts of our aduersaries & to satisfy their desire of our ruyn, wee suffer our selues to perish rather thē to receaue relief of the Catholyke king, I leaue it to the iudgmēt of any indifferēt & vnpassionate man and so wil proceed to say somwhat in particular of F. Parsons against whome O. E. doth spit foorth or rather vomit so much venim and poyson, as he sheweth euidētly what spirit possesseth him, & giueth notable testimony to F. P. his rare vertues, & great merits.
CONCERNING FATHER Parsons in particular, and that the extreame malice that the heretykes beare him, is an euident argument of his great vertue. CHAP. II.
The hatred of heretyks, is a notable testimony of F. Parsons his great vertue.WERE it possible that father Parsons should be so extreamly maligned, hated and calumniated,The greatest saynts of God alvvayes calumniated. as he is, by heretykes, yf he were not a great seruant of God and guyded by his spirit? for was there euer any great saynt in Gods Churche who laboured more then others, eyther to confound heresy, or to reforme corrupt manners, that felt not in his fame the cruel sting of the slanderous tongues of heretykes, and of other instruments of the deuil? for as the Churche was planted so it must be restored;As the church vvas planted so it must be restored. and therfore as the scriptures do signify; the persecution that our Sauiour him self, and all his Apostles and disciples suffred by slanderous tongues,Ioan. 7 & 10. in the fyrst planting and buylding of the Churche,Luc. 2 [...]. so also the ecclesiastical histories do witnes the lyke of other seruants of God,Act. 6. 14. 17. 21. 24. 23. who endeuored afterwards to repayre the same, when it was decayed in some places by heresy and sinne,Gods seruāts so cunningly calumniated by euil men, that good men sometymes held them suspected. and that many of them besydes the punishmēts inflicted vpon their persons, were so craftely calumniated by heretykes, that they sustayned much suspition and obloquy not only of many weak and bad Catholykes, but also otherwhyles of some good men; God suffring it for his greater glory and their more merit, whose innocency he euer cleared in the end, to the confusion of his enemies and theirs; A few examples may suffise, for that the matter is cleare enough of it self.
No man that hath red the ecclesiastical histories can be ignorant of the continual and violent persecutions that [Page 7] saynt Athanasius suffred in this kynd,S. Athanasius extremly ca [...]lumniated. who being the cheef champion of Gods Churche against the Arrian heretykes, was by thē falsly accused of a rape, of burning houses,Baron anno 336. & 339. 335. of breaking chalices, of extorsion, of wiche-craft, murders, yea and treasons;Theodoret. lib. 1. cap. 30 [...] as wel agaynst the Catholyke Emperour Constantine the great (who by that meanes was alienated from him,Socrat. lib. 1. cap. 21. and moued to banish him) as also against the Arrian Emperour Constantius,Epiph. haer. 68. to whome he therfore wrote an Apology of his innocencie.
S. Basil for his great learning & rare vertue surnamed the great,Athan. Apo [...]log. ad Constant. being also a notable impugner of all the heretykes of his tyme,Baron. anno 363. & 371. was impugned & slandered by thē with such arte and cunning, that the very monkes of his owne institution and rule were incensed against him,S. Basil. in so much that after he had suffred it, as he sayth,Basil. Ep. 7 [...]. & epist. 79. 3. yeares together, and suppressed the sorrow of his hart with silence, he was forced to write an Apology in his owne defence, as also many other famous & learned mē did for him at the same tyme, and such was the diligence and craft of the heretykes, and such the credulity of many Catholykes, that he complayned pitifully therof, geuing to vnderstand, that not only all his actions, but also euery word he spoke,Basil. ad Eustachium epist. was watched, calumniated and wrested to a wrong sence, and that he found himself in such case that he knew not who to trust.
S. Hierome one of the lights of the latin Churche,S. Hierome. & the scourge of the heretykes of his age,Baron. To. anno 39 [...]. hauing written a notable worke against Iouinian the heretyk in defence of virginity, was slandred to haue defaced matrimony, through the subtilty of one of Iouinians sect that counterfeyted him self a Catholyke, and enuyed greatly S. Hieroms great credit, and the matter was so clamorously prosecuted against him in Rome, that many good Catholykes were alienated frō him & his friēds, in which respect he was fayne to wryte an Apology in defence of his book. And at another tyme being him-self in Rome, and writing against some vices [Page] of the clergy though in general tearmes, [...]ro [...]anno [...]. he receiued such a violent impugnation and persecution of all the bad priests in the cittie, that he was forced to depart thence; which neuerthelesse, how little it impayred his credit in the end, he signified 30. yeres after in an epistle to Demetrias,Hieron. epist. ad Demetria. wherin he maketh mention of the said treatise that caused all that broyle against him, and addeth further quid profuit, armasse exercitum reclamantium, & vulnus conscientiae d [...]lore monstrasse, liber mauet & homines perierunt, that is to say, what did it auayle them, to arme an army of clamarous men against me, and to bewray the wound of their owne conscience by their greef, the book is yet extant, but the men ar dead and gon, thus farre saint Hierome; wherby he signifieth, that although good men for good workes suffer somtymes great persecutions,The good vvoorks of good men remayn honorable, vvhyles their persecutours perish vvith igno [...]iny. yet the good woorkes remayne, and not only the persecution passeth away, but also the persecutors themselues perish and come to nought, which by the way I wish the heretyks Fa. Parsons aduersaries to note; for let them rayle vpon him, slander him, and cry our against him neuer so much, the memory and monuments that he shal leaue behynd him of his great seruice to God & his Churche, wil remayne honorable to all posterity, when their clamours, and slanders shal vanish away lyke smoke, and they themselues shalbe eyther cleane forgot, or els remayne ignominious for their heresy and the persecution of him, and other good men.
S. Chrisostome so calumniated that he vvas tvvys banished by Catholyk Bishops.S. Chrisostome Bishop of Constantinople the ornament of the east Churche, who made cōtinual warre against paganisme, heresy & vyce, as wel by the example of his saintly lyfe, as by the force of his eloquence, and deuyne preaching was so exagitat by the calumnious, and contumelious tongues of heretykes, and all sorts of wicked men, that he was expelled twyse, from his bishopryk, by Catholyke Bishops, being falsly accused of treasons and many heynous matters, and dyed at length in banishment; which shortly after God did punish notoriously in all his aduersaryes, and calumniatours, and in some of them (as Palladius noteth) by losse of [Page 8] their speech & horrible paynes in their tongues, in regard,Baron. ann [...] 427. no dout of their contumelious speches and slanders geuen out against him, and within a few yeres after his death, his innocency was made so manifest to all men, that his memory was celebrated in the Churche & he serued for a great saint of God, as he hath ben euer since.Baron. anno 369. I omit to speak particularly of S. Hilary, S. Ambrose, S. AugustinGreg. Nazian oratione ad 150. Episc. & in vita sua S. Gregory Nazianzen and dyuers other notable antagonists of the heretykes of their tymes,Idem an. 387 all of thē notably calūniated by their aduersaries, whome I say, I wil omit for breuityes sake,Aug. contra Iulianū lib. 6 cap. 12. & Baron. anno 426. & conclude with S. Ciril Bishop of Alexandria, the hammer of the Nestoriā heresy; who in his epistle to the clergy of Cōstantinople signifieth that Nestorius the heretyke, did send abroad certeyn wicked aud lost companions, to defame him euery where, as now the heretykes of England deale with father Parsons whom they seek to disgrace and defame by their spyes,Item epist. [...] editio nouae that they send throughout Christendome, whereof the experience hath ben seen these yeares past not only in other places,Ciril. epist. 7 [...] & 14. but also in the very Seminaries of his owne erectiō in Spayne,Baron. anno 429. where haue ben discouered within these 2. or 3. yeres dyuers spyes sent from England,S. Ciril slandered by mē sent abrode of purpose to defame him who counterfeiting great holynes and zeale in religion, endeuored nothing els, but to alienate the students from the Iesuits their superiours, and particulerly from Fa. Parsons,Spyes sent abroad to defame F. Parsons. filling their eares with such monstrous lyes, that if God of his goodnes had not sooner discouered it, one of those Seminaries had ben put in as great combustion,Spyes discouered in the seminaries of Spayne. as was the English colledge at Rome some yeres agoe But S. Ciril who receiued lyke measure at heretikes hāds, as Fa. Parsons now doth, shal answere for both,Baron. [...]od. an. & Ciryl. epist. 8. who in certeyn letters of his to Nestorius him self saith thus.S. Cirils ansvver to Nestorius applyed to F. Pars. They cast a brode against me reportes no lesse mad, then malitious some say I haue iniuriously oprest the poort and blynd; others say I drew a sword vpon my owne mother; and others, that I stole gold with the healp of a mayd seruant; and some agayne say, that I haue ben always suspected of such wickednes, as a mā would be loth should be foūd in his greatest enemy. [Page] But of these fellowes, and such lyke I make smalle account, least I may seeme to extend the measure of my weaknes aboue my maister and lord, yea aboue all my predecessors, for whatsoeuer cours of lyfe a man holdeth; it is skant possible for him to escape the sharp teeth of malitious & wicked backbyters. But they hauing their mouths ful of slander, & malediction shal one day answere for it before the Iudge of all, and I in the meane tyme, wil discharge my part, and do that which becommeth mee, to wit, admonish thee, Nestorius, of thy duty as my brother in our lord, &c. Thus sayd S. Ciril to the heretyk Nestorius; and so wil I say in father Parsons behalf, to the heretykes his aduersaries, to wit; that hee litle regardeth their rayling, considering he cannot look to be more free from that kynd of persecution then his maister Christ, and other seruants of God, that haue laboured in the Churche before him, and that therfore leauing them to answere for it, before the iust and rigorous Iudge, he wil in the meane whyle, proceed to do his duty towards God and them, as heatherto he hath donne,Parsons repayeth the malice of his enemies vvith charity. repaying their malice with charity, their fury with patience, their rayling with prayers to God for them, their slanderous pamphlets and libels, with learned and godly bookes, and their employing of spyes abroad to defame him, with sending in priests from his Seminaries to conuert them, and to saue their soules,Hiero. epist. [...]7. which is all the hurt he wisheth them, for all the rancour and malice they beare him, and the iniury they do him,Miserable to do iniury but not to suffer it. for the which he thinketh they rather deserue pitty then hatred, for that as saynt Hierome sayth, apud Christianos non qui patitur, sed qui facit iniuriam miser est, that is to say,Of F. Pars. his great, & profitable labours in gods Church. not he which suffreth the iniury, but he which doth it is miserable.
And now to say somewhat particularly though very breefly of his labours in Gods Churche, which makes him hateful to the diuel and all heretyks;His notable books. yf wee consider the same, and the fruits therof, as the soules he gayned to God whyles he was in England;Soules gayned to God by him in England. the notable bookes he hath written; the foure notable Seminaries which he hath erected; (wherof 3. do stil florish in Spayne, and Flanders, [Page 9] besydes two residences for priests in S. Lucar,4. Notable Seminaries erected, and 2. residences for priests. and Bishon) the important releef of two thowsand crownes rent,2000 Crovvnes rent procured for the seminary of Dovvay. that he procured at one tyme for the Seminary at Doway, erected by my Lord Cardinal;The tumults of the English in Rome pacified. the pacification of the scandalous tumults in the English Colledge at Rome, attēpted by diuers in vayne, and reserued, as it should seeme, by almighty God to him, for the testimony of his wisdome and vertue;His vvyse & examplar gouernment of the English colledge at Rome. the present gouernment of the sayd Colledge in such tranquility, vnity & loue, such aeconomy & discipline, and such exercyse of all vertue and learning, that it serueth for an example & spectacle to all Rome (so that all our Seminaries which are now the honour and hope of our afflicted Churche, and in tyme wilbe the bane of heresy in England,All our Seminaries eyther erected, or releeued, or exceedingly benefyted by him. haue either ben erected, or releeued and repayred, or otherwyse exceedingly benefited by him) and yf wee consider withall, the great care and paynes he hath taken in all this; the many long and tedious iourneys to strange and remote countryes; the difficulties he hath past by contradiction, and opposition somtymes of great parsonages; and the prudence longaminity and patience he hath shewed in all;His lyfe so religious, that his greatest enemies, can iustly reprehēd nothing therein. and if wee ad therto his religious lyfe, so examplar for all kynd of vertue, that those which maligne him most, can fynd nothing iustly to reprehend therin, and therfore to haue somewhat to say against him,F. Parsons charged for lack of better matter vvith the actions of his very enemyes. are fayne either to inuēt manifest lyes, such as here I haue touched, or els to calumniate his good woorkes with vayne surmises, vncharitable suspitions, and fals interpretations, from which kynd of calumniation neither the innocency of Gods saints, nor yet the prefection of our Sauiour himself could be freeHis good vvoorks calumniated, & il interpreted as our Sauiours vvere.; lastly if with all this,Gods manifest cōcurrēce vvith his labours in the progres of Cathol. religiō. wee consider concurrence and manifest assistance of almighty God to his endeuours in the progresse of Catholyke religion in England, aduanced [...]otably as all men see, no lesse by his bookes and other labours then by his Seminaries, wee may euidently conclude [...]ree things, the first that God hauing of his infinit mercy and prouidence determined to repayre the wracked walles [Page] of our Hierusalem, hath raysed him for a special meanes, and instrument therof,Three con [...]lusions [...]ravvn of [...]he premisses geuing him for that end, extraordinary graces and blessings, as wel of credit with Princes abroad, as also of singuler zeale, prudence, fortitude, longanimity, 1 patience, and other vertues requisit to so heroycal and excellent a woork,God hath [...]aysed F. Parsons for a special instrument to repayre his Church in England. and no maruel, seeing that for the buylding of his material tabernacle he bestowed vpon some of his people extraordinary gyfts of caruing, grauing, and woorking in wood or metal all kynd of woork, wherof they had no skil before.
The second cōclusion of these premisses, is, that it is not possible,Exod. 31. [...]5. 3 [...]. but that he beeing employed by almighty God in the seruice of his Churche, so particulerly, and with such 2 fruit as wee see, shalbe impugned calummated & persecuted by Gods enemies;It is not possible but that F. pars. being employed, by almighty God shalbe impugned by the deuil, and all his instruments. for the deuil seking by all meanes to ouerthrow the Churche of God employeth all his instruments, and dischargeth the rage of his fury cheefly against those that are the cheef pillers and vpholders thereof.
The third & last poynt is, that yf he stil continue to the end, and cōsummate his cours, according to his beginning and proceedings hetherto, as by Gods grace he wil, he shal not only gayne an eternal crowne of glory in heauen, 3 but also leaue to all posterity an euerlasting fame of his Apostolical labours,His Apostolical labours shalbe the more glorious to all posterity for the great cō tradiction he receaueth of Gods enemies. and much the rather, for the contradiction, hatred and persecution that he receiueth at the hands of Gods enemies, which already maketh him famous throughout Christendome, and wil euer remayn for an euident argument of his great vertue and merits.
Thus much I haue thought good to touch breefly and truly here, to serue for a counterpeyse to the multitude of malitious slanders that O. E. heapeth vpon him in his two lybels,The autor proceedeth to the discouery of the impudency of O. E affi [...] [...]ing that none are pu [...] to death in Engl. for religion. the particular answere whereof, I leaue to one that hath vndertaken the same, meaning only for my part to examin here a litle furder how truly he auoucheth, that none are put to death in England for religion, [Page 10] which besydes former examples and many reasons alleadged in my Apology, almost euery mannes experience in England may conuince for a notable vntruthe by the martirdome of those, which haue suffred in diuers parts, within these 3. yeres since the Apology was written.
EXAMPLES OF DIVERS Catholykes executed since the Apology was written for the same causes that the martirs were put to death in the primatiue Churche, and of the great iniustice donne to two Priests condemned at Lincolne by Iudge Glanduyle. CHAP. III.
I Appeale to the remembrance of al those that were present at the araignment of M. Rigby a lay Gentleman in the yere 1600. whether there was any thing concerning matter of state or the least suspition thereof layd to his charge,M. Iohn Righby exe [...]cuted in the yere 1600. who being no way accused or called in question for any matter whatsoeuer, but comming to the sessions at Newgate of meere charity to excuse the aparance of a Catholyke gentlewoman that was sick, was examined of his religion, and condemned within a few dayes after; for being a reconcyled Catholyk, wherof neuertheles he might haue ben discharged yf he would haue consented but only to haue gon to the Churche, which was offred him, both before the Iury gaue their verdi [...]; and also after.
Further-more what matter of state was so much as obiected [Page] to M. Palaser the priest, or to M. Talbot, and to M. Iohn Norton,M. Palaser. M. Talbot. M. Ihon Norton. condemned and executed the same yeare at Durham, the first only for being a priest, and the other two for hauing ben aquaynted with him, & not detecting him, or to a vertuous wydow the last yere at York for harboring a priest called M. Christopher whartō, who was executed also with her, or to Mrs. lyne the last yere at London for hauing receiued priests,Mrs. Lyne. against whome no matter of state, but only their religion and priesthood was proued,M. Ihon Pibush. M. Mark Barkvvorth. M. Robert Nutter. M. Edvvard Thvving. M. Thurstan Hunt. M. Middletō. M. Harrison, [...] a lay man. which was also most euident in M. Iohn Pibush, M. Mark Barkwoorth at London the last yere, & M. Robert Nutter, M. Edward Thwing M. Thurstan Hunt, & M. Midleton, at Lancaster, as also in the case of M. Filcock, & now this yeare M, Harrison at York, all of them martyred only for beeing Catholyke Priests, and a lay man for hauing receiued the foresaid N. Harrison into his house.
Therfore can O. E. or any man be so impudent to say that these lay men & women dyed not for religion, or that the priests for whose cause they were condemned,Catholyke Priests traytors novv in to other [...]ort, then vvere the Christian Priests in the primatiue Church. or the other here mentioned were traytors in any other sorte or sence then were the priests of the primatiue Churche, accounted in lyke manner rebels and traytors only for doing the function of Christian Catholyke Priests, as appeareth in the story of the blessed S. Alban the protomartyr of Britany, who was charged by the Iudge to haue receiued into his house & conueyghed away rebellem and sacrilegum sacerdotem, Beda histor. Eccles. lib. 1. a trayterous and sacrilegious Priest,S. Alban our first martyr, charged vvith receauing a trayterous Priest. for that he put on the Priests apparel, and so offred himself to be taken by the searchers, that the Priest might escape; for the which, and for the constant profession of the Christian faith he receiued a glorious crowne of martyrdome;S. Alban martyred about the yere of our Lord. 300. An example for Catholyks. wherin may be noted by the way how it pleased almighty God of his diuine prouidence, to geue vs in our first martyr such a notable example of Christian fortitude & charity, in harboring a persecuted Priest, and sauing his lyfe with the losse of his owne, to the end that in the lyke [Page 11] cases, and occasions (which now dayly occur) no terrour of temporal lawes, nor pretence of treasons may withhold vs from vsing the lyke charity towards the Priests of God; wherto our Sauiour Christ also inuiteth and incowrageth vs with promise of great reward saying he which receiueth a Prophet in the name of a prophet, Matth 10. shal haue the reward of a Prophet, and he which receiues a iust man, in the name of a iust man, shal haue the reward of a iust man.
But yf we consider the proceedings of the persecutors in those dayes,Christians martyred in the primatiue Church by paynims, for the same points of religion, that Catholyke are persecuted novv. wee shal fynd that the Christians were not only persecuted as traytors, and in the same manner, but also for the same poynts of religion that wee are persecuted now, wherof I wil breefly represent vnto thee (good reader) an euidēt exāple, to the end thou mayst the better iudge whether wee dy for religiō or no, or whether there be any difference betwyxt the martirdome of the old Christians, and of the Catholykes at this day.Baron. To. 2. anno 303. Surius. 11. Februa.
Wee read in the ancient and Publyk records of the acts of the proconsuls of Africk vnder Dioclesian,The sacrifice of the Masse forbidden vpon payne of death by Dioclesian. and Maxi [...]ian Emperours (vnder whome saynt Alban was martyred) that they made an edict wherin amongst other things they forbad vpon payne of death the blessed sacrifice of the masse which is called Dominicum in the sayd records,Concil. Roman. sub Siluestro 1. & therfore dominicum agere or celebrare is vnderstood there to celebrate masse;Con. Carth. [...] can. 3. and if our aduersaries maruel what warrant I haue so to expound it, they shal vnderstād, that this woord Masse in English,Leo Mag. Epist 81 & Missa in Latin, vsed by ancient [...]ouncels and Fathers aboue 1200. yeares agoe,Aug. ser. 9 [...]. de tempore. Ambros. li. 5. epist. 33. and deriued of the hebrew woord missah (which signifyeth a voluntary sacrifice or oblation) hath dyuers other names in the an [...]ent Fathers as in the greekes liturgia tremenda misteria, Liturg. Dionys & Basil. & Chrisost. Tertul lib. 3. ad vxorem, li. de Castira. li. de oratione. & crificium tremendum, and in the Latins solemnia, ablatio per sa [...]rdotem, cena Domini and to omit diuers other more ordina [...], Dominicum as appeareth in saynt Cyprian, who speaking of the sacrifice offred at the altar in remembrance and representation of the passion of Christ (which wee cal the [Page] sacrifice of the masse) tearmeth it sometymes,Cypria. 63. sacrificium quod Christus obtulit sometymes ipsum nostra redemptionis Sacramentum, Ibidem. &c. somtymes only Dominicum, saying, nunquid post caenam dominicum celebramus? that is to say, do wee offer the sacrifice of the body of our Lord, or do wee say masse after supper? and this is euident by all his discours in that Epistle, where he treateth principally of the blessed sacrifice, and saith that Christ is buius sacrificij autor, & doctor, the Autor, and teacher of this sacrifice, and that the Priest representing the person of Christ doth offer sacrificium verum & plenum, a true and ful sacrifice.
Christians martyred vnder Diocletian for heating masse.This then being presuposed, it is to be vnderstood that certayne deuout Christians in Afrik being secretly assembled at masse, were taken and brought before the proconsul Anulinus who examining them began with fayre woords to persuade them to haue care of their liues, and to obey the commandment of the Emperours, they answered,The ansvvere of the martyrs concerning the necessity of masse. spem salutem (que) Christianorum Dominicū esse, that the masse is the hope and saluation of Christians, and that therfore they could not forgoe it; vpon which confession they were cōdemned to death; & amōgst rest there was one Emeritus in whose house masse had bē celebrated, to whome the Proconsul sayd, was the assembly made in thy house, contrary to the commandement of the Emperours? he answered, yea; why didst thou, sayd the Proconsul, suffer it? I could quoth he, do no lesse, for that they are my brethren; yea; but thow oughtst to haue hindred it, sayd the Proconsul; I could not sayd the other, for wee that be Christians, sine Dominico esse non possumus, cannot be without masse; as though, sayd the Proconcul; thou art not bound to obey the edict of the Emperours, God, sayd the martyr, is greater then the Emperours, and ought more to be obeyed, where vpon he was condemned, and executed as the rest; here now I aske our aduersaries whether these men were put to death for religion, or no, and whether it fareth not euen so with vs at this day, as then it did with them.
[Page 12]For although the masse be not now made treason but a mony matter, yet by a certayne consequent,To heare masse in England is treason by consequence. it is drawen within the compasse of treason, for it cannot be celebrated without a priest; the receiuing of whome is treason, I meane a Seminary Priest, there being now so few other in England (yf ther bee any at all) that the Catholykes must eyther receiue them with daunger of their liues, or lack the necessary food of their soules, which they hold more deare then lyfe, as the old Christians also did.
But let vs compare breefly the proceedings of the persecutors in those tymes and these.A cōparison of the proceedings of the old persecutours, vvith those of this tyme in Engl. In the examination of those Christians the old persecutors would not content themselues with theyr confession, that they were Christians, & so put them to death for their religion, but sought to bring them within the compasse of their statute; wee aske yow not, say they, whether yow bee Christians, but whether yow haue hard masse contrary to the cōmaundment of the Emperours, the lyke is donne now with vs, for it suffiseth not our persecutors that wee confesse our religion (as that wee are Catholykes) but they examine vs whether wee haue heard masse, whether we haue ben reconcyled by a Priest, or whether the Queene bee supreme head of the Churche, and such lyke, therby to draw vs within the compasse of the lawes, that they may put vs to death vnder colour of treason.
Furthermore the old Christians sayd for their iust defence,The ansvver of the old martyrs conform to ours novv. that they being Christians, could not be without masse, and we now say the same, & that wee cannot forgo absolution of our sinnes, nor other spiritual comforts to be receiued at the hands of Priests only; to this, our persecutors reply as the others did, that it is against the lawes and statutes of her Maiesty,Act. cap. 5. we answere with the old Christiās, God is aboue all Kings, and his law aboue all lawes. Et portet magis obedire Deo quam hominibus, we must rather obey God then men; neuerthelesse we are condemned for disobedience to the lawes, as the old Christians were; and dyed [Page] they for religion and not wee?The old martyrs vvere condemned for disobedience to the temporal lavves. as Catholyks are novv. were they martyrs and not wee? were their enemies persecuters of Gods Churche & not ours? the cause is one, & the self same, the proceedings lyke, no difference in the issue; breach of lawes and treason is pretended, but religion condemned, and therfore as the whole Churche hath hetherto held, and honored those old Christians for glorious martyrs,Treason pretended but religion condemned as vvel in the old martyrs as in ours novv. so doth it now at this day and euer wil esteeme these other for no lesse, as I haue shewed in my Apology more at large, and therfore I wil proceed to speak a woord or two of the great iniustice donne since my Apology was writtē, to two priests called M. Hunt, and M. Sprat, condemned, and excuted at Lincolne in the yeare 1600.
Notable iniustice donne to M Hunt, and M. Sprat condemned at Lincolne anno 1600.These two being taken in a search and confessing themselues only to be Catholykes, were first imprisoned, and then shortly after indited for hauing conspyred, and practised the death of her Maiesty mooued her subiects to rebelion, withdrawne them from theyr natural and due obedience, and from the religion now established in England to the Roman fayth, and finally for hauing mayntayned the autority of the Pope, of all which poynts, no one touching matter of state was proued against them, no witnesse being produced, nor so much as the least presumption of any attempt or cōspiracy against her maiestyes person or state, or that rhey had persuaded any man to the Catholyk religion, ot sayd any thing in fauour of the Popes autority more then that which they answered to the captious question of the Queenes supremacy demaunded of them there, after their apprehension; lastly, it was not so much as proued that they were Priests, which though they denied not, yet they did not confesse, but put it to tryal, vrging to haue it proued by witnesses, or other sufficient arguments; whereas there was none at all but light presumtiōs therof, as that there was found in thir males, two breuiares (which many lay men vse as wel as Priests) and a few relicks and some holy oyle (which they might [Page 13] haue carried for other mennes vse & not their owne) so that to conclude, of all those great treasons whereof they were indited, there was no one proued, except the matter of the Queenes supremacy, which is a meere poynt of religion, as I am sure the puritans in England, and all other heretykes abroad wil witnesse with vs, who impugne the same as wel as wee; and yet neither by the verdit of the Iury nor yet by the sentēce of the Iudge, were they cleared of any one point, but condemned for all, as though they had bin guilty of all, and so in truth, executed for matter of religion, though slandred with matter of state, whereby their martyrdome was far more glorious, the malice of our aduersaries more manifest, the iniury donne vnto them vnexcusable; the sinne of the Iudges, and Iury most execrable, which sufficiently appeared by the iustice of God extended vpon Iudge Glanduile who had shewed an extraordinary malice and fury agaynst them,Iudge Glan [...]duile punished exem [...]plarly by al [...]mighty God and was therfore (as wel may bee presumed) within a few dayes after strooken by the hand of God, in such miraculous man̄er, as the rest may take example therby yf their harts be not indurat.
And besydes these late martyrs before rehearsed, M. Tichborne, M. Fr. Page, and M. R. Watkinson, were arraigned & condemned at London, for beeing made Priestes beyond the seas, and coming into England, contrary to the statute, & were executed at Tiburne the 20. of April this present yeare 1602. beeing there not suffred to declare the truth of their cause and suffrance. And this was donne euen at such tyme; as hope was both giuen and conceaued of a more mylder cours of proceeding towards Catholykes; then heretofore.
It is moste grieuous to consider how M. Tichborne by one of his owne cote was betrayed, and apprehended: almighty God vouchsafe to restore to that wretched man so great grace as he fel from; in the dooing of that acte.
M. Page and M. Watkinson were apprehended in the tyme of the sessions, the one by a wicked woman; suborned [Page] to dissemble religion for such purposes: the other by one Bomer, who hauing late before playd the dissembling hypocrite & spy at Doway, returned into England there to become the disciple of his master Iudas.
At the same sessions was condemned for fellony, and also executed, one Iames Ducket, a Catholyke lay man, and another lay man with him, about a treatise written by a martyr diuers yeares since, concerning the cause of Catholyke sufferers.
OF THE IMPVDENCIE OF a minister, who being present at the death of two martyrs aforesayd, affirmed publykly that our country was conuerted by saynt Augustin the monke, to the protestants religion, by occasion whereof the truth of the poynt is euidently declared. CHAP. IIII.
[...]l [...]en the [...]inister.I Can not omit to say somewhat here of the notable impudency of a foolish minister, who being present at the death of the two martyrs at Lincolne aforenamed, and hearing one of thē declare vnto the people his innocēcy, protesting amongst other things that he dyed only for the profession of the Catholyke fayth, to the which our country was conuerted from paganisme, in the tyme of Pope Gregory the great, was not ashamed to say publykly that the religion now taught, & preached there, is the same wherto England was first conuerted.
And although I hold not this minister for a man of that woorth that he may merit my labour or any mans els seriously to confute his ydle babling, yet for as much as the [Page 14] same hath bin oft published, and preached by many others, and many ignorant abused therby, and seing the narration of our first conuersion may no lesse profit and edify the vnlearned reader, with the testimony of the truth, then content and delyte him, for the pleasure of the history, I wil breefly treat, first of the cōuersion of the Saxons or English in the tyme of King Edelbert, and after of the conuersion of the Britains in the tyme of King Lucius, & euidently proue that our Catholyke faith was preached and planted in our country at both tymes, and that our Kings and country continued euer after the latter conuersion in the obedience of the Church of Rome vntil the tyme of K. Henry the eyght.
It appeareth by our chronicles, and histories, that in the yere of our Lord 582. (according to S. Bedes computation) S. Gregory surnamed the great, the first of that name,Beda hist. Angl. li. 1. c 23. sent into England, saynt Augustin a monke with diuers others of his profession, to preach the Christian, fayth, to the English, and that they came thither, bearing a siluer crosse, for their banner, and the Image of our Lord and sauiour (as saynt Bede saith) paynted in a table, and hauing leaue of King Edelbert to preach to his subiects, began first the exercyse of Christian Catholyk religion in the citty of Canterbury in an ancient Chutch which they found there dedicated to S. Martin, from the tyme that the Romans liued there, in which Church;Lib. 1. ca. 26. ipsi primo (sayth saynt Bede) conue [...]ire Psa [...]l [...]re, orare missas facere, praedicare & baptizare coeperunt, they first began to assemble themselues, to sing, to pray, to say masse, to preach, and baptise, vntil the King being conuerted they had [...]eaue to buyld some Churches, and to make others of the [...]emples of the Idols, which saint Gregory ordayned shuld [...]e donne with casting holy water therin, buylding altars, [...]nd placing relikes of saynts, commaunding further that [...]easts should be celebrated in the dayes of the dedication of [...]he sayd Churches, & in the natiuity of the martyrs,Ibid. ca. 29. whose [...]elykes should be kept there; besyds that he appoynted saynt [Page] Augustin to be Metropolitan of England, and sent him holy vessels, and vestiments for altars and Priests, and relyckes of the Apostels, and martyrs, and granted him the vse of the pal, [...]p. 29. ad sola missarum solemnia agenda, only for the celebration of solemne masses, and further gaue him order to ordayne 12. Bishops vnder himself, and to make another Metropolitan at Yorke, who when those parts should be cōuerted, should haue as many vnder him, and be himself after saynt Augustins dayes, dependant only vpon the sea Apostolyk, and receiue the Pal from the same, [...]p. 33. furthermore saynt Augustin caused King Edelbert to buyld a Church from the ground in honour of the blessed Apostles S. Peter, & S. Paule, and a monastery not farre from Canturbury, whereof the first Abbot called Peter, was of so holy a lyfe that after his death, it was testified from heauen by a continual light that appeared ouer his tombe. [...]b. 2. cap. 3. Also King Edelbert caused S. Paules Church to be buylt in London, and another in Rochester dedicated to S. Andrew the Apostle.
Hereto may be added the exercise of the Popes autority, not only in the dayes of King Edelbert, but also after, in the raygne of other Christian Kings vntil the tyme that saynt Bede ended his history.
[...]id. 2 cap [...].Pope Boniface sent the Pal to Iustus; fourth Archbishop of Canturbury after saynt Augustin. Honorius the Pope sent also the Pal to Honorius that succeded Iustus, [...]ib. 2. cap. 7. & 1 [...]. and to Paulinus Archbishop of York; ordayning (at the request of King Edwin and his wyfe) that the longer liuer of them should consecrate a successor to the orher that should dy first, to excuse so long a Iourney as to Rome.
[...]l. 3 ca. 29.The two Kings Oswy, and Egbert, the one of Northumberland, and the other of kent, sent Wigard to Rome to be made Primat, when both the seas of Canturbury, and Yorke, were vacant; and Wigard dying there, Pope Vitalianus made Theodore a grecian,Lib. 4. cap. 1. primat in his steede, Wilfrid Byshop of Yorke being twys vniustly expelled from his Bishoprik appealed both tymes to Rome,Lib. 5. ca. [...]0. first to Pope [Page 15] Agatho, and after to Pope Iohn, and being cleared by their sentences was restored to his Bishoprik: and heer I wil ad a woord or two concerning the exceeding great zeale and deuotion of the Saxon Kinges to the sea Apostolyke in those dayes.Lib. cap. 5. King Oswy determined to goe to Rome in Pilgrimage and had donne it yf death had not preuented him.Lib. 5. cap. 7. King Ceadwald wēt thether to be baptysed, & dyed there.
King Hun his successor;Ibibem. after he had raygned 37. yeares wēt thether also in Pilgrimage as many (sayth saynt Bede) in those dayes both of the layty and clergy, as wel women as men, were wont to doe; King Coenred did the lyke,Lib. 5. cap. 20 & had in his company the sonne of Sigher King of the east Saxons, and both of them entred into religion in Rome about the yeare of our Lord 709. not past 22. yeares before S. Bede ended his history, which was almost 900. yeres a goe; wherto may be added out of later historiographers the lyke examples of the extraordinary deuotion and obedience of our English Kings vnto the sea Apostolyke in [...]uery age vntil after the conquest.
King Inas shortly after S. Bedes tyme about the yeare of our Lord 740. went to Rome,Polid. lib. 4. hist. Angl. and made his Kingdome tributary to the Pope, ordayning the Peter pence, the lyke did also afterwards Offa the King of the Mercians in the yeare of our Lord .775.
Etheluolph King of England went to Rome in Pilgrimage about the yeare of our Lord 847. and made that part of England which his father Egbert had conquered tributary also to the Bishop of Rome.
King Edward being threatned with excommunication by Pope Iohn the tēth for that he was carelesse to prouide the English Church of Bishops,Polid. lib. 6. caused Pleimund the Bishop of Canterbury to make many, and after to goe to Rome to purge him selfe of his negligence about the yeare of our Lord 920.
King Edgar obtayned of Pope Iohn the 13. with licence,Ibidem. to giue certayne liuings of secular Priests to [Page] Monkes about the yeare of our Lord .965.
Polid. lib 7.Canutus King of England went to Rome in Pilgrimage about the yeare of our Lord 1024.
Al [...]ed invita S. Eduuardi.S. Edward King of England hauing made a vow to goe to Rome procured the same to be commuted by Pope Leo the nynth into the buylding of a monastery of S. Peter, he also confirmed the payment of the yearly tribute to the sea Apostolyke, about the yeare of our Lord 1060. which was not past 5. yeares before the conquest, after the which there were no lesse notable examples of this matter.
Gulielmus Neubricē. li. [...] ca. 25. & 34.King Henry the second who by Pope Adrian was first intituled Lord of Ireland sent legats to Rome to craue pardon of Pope Alexander for the murder committed by his occasion vpon saint Thomas of Canterbury, where vpon two Cardinals were sent into England, before whome the King lyke a publike penitent, & a priuat person submitted himselfe to the Ecclesiastical discipline in a publik assembly of the cleargy and nobility.
When King Richard the first was kept prisoner by Frederick the Emperour his mother wrote to Celestinus the Pope calling him the successor of Peter, Petrus blesensis epist. 44. and the Vicar of Christ, quem Dominus constituit super gentes & regno in omni plenitudius potestatis, whome our Lord had placed ouer nations and Kingdomes in all fulnesse of power, and willed him to vse the spiritual sword against the Emperour, as Alexander his predecessor had donne against Frederick his Father whome he did excommunicate.
[...]olid vergil lib. [...]5.King Iohn being excommunicated by the Pope was not absolued before he tooke his crowne of frō his owne head, and deliuered it to Pandulfus the Popes legat, promising for himselfe and his heyres, that they should neuer receiue it afterwards but from the Bishop of Rome.
I omit others of later tyme, seing no mā I think doubteth, but that all the successors of King Iohn liued in the communion and obedience of the Roman Church, paying the old [Page 16] yearely tribute called the Peter pēce,Polid. lib. 27. vntil the tyme of King Henry the 8. her maiestyes father, who being maried to his brother Arthurs widdow by dispēsation of the sea Apostolyke, continued many yeares after in the obedience therof, and in defence of the autority of the sayd sea, wrote a learned book agaynst Luther, for the which; the honorable title of defender of the fayth was giuen him by Pope Leo, which tytle her maiesty also vseth at this day, so that no man can deny that our country was conuerted by S. Gregory to the Roman fayth, or that it hath continued therin vntil K. Henries tyme; except he haue a brazen face and a [...]eared conscience, or els be ignorant of all antiquity.
But to returne to S. Augustin, and those first two hundreth yeres comprysed in the history of S. Bede, yf wee consider the notable miracles wherwith it pleased. God to confirme this our Catholyke religion in those dayes for his owne glory, and the conuersion of the panims, no man can [...]out that it is the true fayth, except he be more faythlesse & incredulous then those infidels that were conuerted therby.
Saynt Bede signifieth that S. Augustin wrought so many miracles (whereof he declareth some) that S. Gregory wrote vnto him to admonish him not to be proud therof,Lib. 3. ca. 2. quest. 10. 11. 12. 13. he also declareth very many famous miracles donne by a crosse erected by King Oswald,Lib. 3. cap. [...]. and after by his relickes as wel in Ireland and Germany, as England, and by the relickes of saynt Eartongatha daughter to the King of Kent, and her cosen Edelburg both virgins and nunnes, & of S. Edel [...]eda the Queene, that dyed a virgin in a monastery, whose [...]ody was taken vp whole & vncorrupt after many yeares,Lib. 4. ca. 10. [...] the discouery whereof diuels were expelled, and many [...]sseasses cured. Also he recounteth the lyke notable mira [...]es of S. Chad, S. Cutbert, S. AEdelwald,Lib. 5. ca. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. and saynt Iohn a Bishop which they did whyles they were yet liuing,lib 3. cap. 15. and others donne by holy oyle, & by the blessed sacrifice of the masse, all which for breuities sake I omit, remitting our aduersaries to the autor in the places aleaged in the margent.
OF THE FIRST CONUERSION of our country whyles it was called Britany in the tyme of King Lucius, with euident proofes that our Catholyke fayth was then preached & planted there. CHAP. V.
BVT for as much as our country hath ben twyse cō uerted from paganisme, first in the tyme of the Britains, and after in the tyme of the Saxons or English, they wil say perhaps that although we proue, that the second tyme our Catholyke religion was planted and established there, when many errors (as they would haue the world to thinke) were crept into the Church, yet at the first conuersion in King Lucius dayes, their religion was taught and deliuered to the Britains, which some of their croniclers are not ashamed to intimat to their readers, and namely Holinshed who (yf my memory fayle me not, for I haue not his book here) maketh Eleutherius the Pope write a letter to King Lucius more lyke a minister of England, then a Bishop of Rome.
Polid. lib. 2.Therefore I wil take a litle paynes to examine this poynt, & wil make it manifest that our Catholyke religion which saint Augustin planted amongst the English,Platina in Eleuther Beda hist. Angl. lib. 1. cap. 4. was deliuered 400. yeres before to King Lucius and the Britains by Fugatius and Damianus, or as some say Donatianus, sent into Britany by Pope Eleutherius in the yeare of our Lord 182.
And although no ancient historiographer or writer (for ought I haue seene) do signify particularly, what poynts of religion were preached to King Lucius at his conuersion partly for that matters of so great antiquity are but very [Page 17] breefly and obscurely handled, and partly because in those dayes (when there was no other but our Catholyke religiō vniuersally professed, & this of the protestants not so much as dreamt of,) it was needlesse to signify the poynts or articles therof, for that it could not be immagined to be any other bur the Roman fayth; yet in the discourse of the tymes and ages next ensewing the conuersion of King Lucius (whyles the fayth which he receiued remayned pure, and vncorrupt) the cleare light of truth doth snfficiently shew it selfe, through the clouds of the obscure breuity wherewith the matters of those tymes are treated.
To this purpose it is to be vnderstood,Lib. 1. hist. eccles. ca. 17 that as our famous countryman S. Bede testifieth, the fayth preached to King Lucius and the Britains remayned in integrity and purity, vntil the tyme of the Arrians, which was for the space of almost 200. yeares, and although he signify that from that tyme forward, the people of Britany weare geuen to noueltyes, and harkened to euery new doctrine, yet it is euident in him that neyther the Arrian heresy nor yet the Pelagian afterwards, took any root there, or could infect the whole body of the Britain Church, but only troobled the peace thereof, for a short tyme, in so much, that it should seeme, the first was rooted out by the industry,Athan. Apo [...] log. 2. contra arrianos. of the good Pastors and Bishops of Britany, whereof some were present at the great councel of Sardica held against the Arrians shortly after that of Nice (in which respect S. Hilary doth worthely prayse the Britain Bishops,Hilari epist. ad Epistolos &c. for that they wholy reiected the Arrian heresy) and the later, I meane the heresy of Pelagius, which saynt Bede sayth the britains would nulla [...]enus suscipere, in no sort receiue, was suppressed by S. German, and saint Lupus, two Bishops of France who at the request of the Britains came into Britany and confounded the Pelagians in open disputation; whereby the people were so [...]ncensed against the said heretykes that they could hardly [...]old theire hands from them, and in conclusion banished those that would not yeld to the true Catholyke faith,Ibid. cap. 21 and [Page] here vpon ensewed such peace and tranquility in the britan Church, that for a long tyme after (as saynt Bede testifieth) the fayth remayned there intemerata vncorrupt, wherby it appeareth that after the expulsion of the Pelagians (which was about the yeare of our Lord 450.) the Church of Britany reteyned the same fayth that it receiued at the first conuersion, and therfore yf we fynd the vse and practise of our religion vntil these tymes it may serue for a testimony that the same was deliuered to King Lucius.
First we read that presently after the persecution of Dioclesian wherin our protomartyr saynt Alban with some others was put to death about the yeare of our Lord 286. the Christians that had liued before in woods and caues,Cap. 7 & [...]. not only repayred the Churches which the persecuters had destroyed, but also made new in honour of the martyrs, celebrated festiual dayes, and buylt amongst others a most sumptuous Church in honour of S. Alban, where many miracles were wount to be donne continually vntil the tyme of S. Bede (as he himselfe witnesseth,) & afterwards, when the Pelagian heresy had somwhat infected the country, saynt German going thether out of France to confound the Pelagians,Beda Eccl. hist. lib. 1. cap. 17. at the request of the Britans themselues as I haue declared before appeased a great storme at sea, with casting therein a little water in the name of the Trinity) which no dout was holy water) and being arriued there, he restored sight vnto a noble mans daughter applying vnto her eyes certayne relyckes which he caryed about him, &c. after hauing confuted the Pelagians, and reduced all to the purity of fayth, (as saynt Bede sayth,) meaning therby the fayth first preached to King Lucius he went to the toomb of S. Alban to geue thankes to God per ipsum by him (sayth saynt Bede) that is to say by his meanes or meditatiō; & causing the sayd tōbe to be opened he placed very honorably therin certayne relickes of the Apostles, & dyuers other martyrs, & going to the place where the blood of the blessed martyr was shed he took away with him some of the dust which was stil bloody.
[Page 18]Furthermore it hapned after, in the tyme that the Britans kept their lent a litle before the feast of the resurrection of our Lord, that they were molested by the Picts and Saxōs, whyles saynt German was yet there;Ibid. ca. and therefore they craued the help of his prayers, and direction, dispayring altogeather of theyr owne forces, and he vndertaking the conduct of them ordayned that when they should come to ioyne battayle all the army of the Britains should cry out a loud three tymes Alleluya, which they did, and therewith they put their enemyes to flight, and gayned a notable victory. This being donne, and the affayres of the Iland both spiritual, and temporal wel composed, saynt Bede sayth the holy Bishops had a prosperous returne, partly by their owne merits, & partly by the intercession of blessed saynt Alban, whereby he geueth to vnderstand that such was their opinion according to the great deuotion they had shewed before to the blessed martyr.
It is also to be gathered playnly out of S. Bede that there were monasteries of Monkes and religious men in Britany before this tyme,Lib. 1. ca. for speaking of the rebellion of Constantinus against Honorius which was in the yeare of our Lord 407. he sayth that hauing proclaymed himselfe Emperour he made his sonne Constance Caesarem ex monacho, Caesar of a monk.
Here I wish thee to note, Good reader that saynt Bede in his breefe introduction to his Ecclesiastical history (where he intended to treat specially of the second conuersion of our country in the tyme of the Saxons) toucheth the 400. yeares before, from the tyme of King Lucius; so breefely, that he passeth with silence about 350. yeres therof at one tyme and other, noting only some things by the way, aswel concerning the temporal, as spiritual affayres, in diuers tymes & ages to make some conexion of his history from the beginning.
Therfore I leaue it to thy consideration what testimony and euidence we should haue found of our Catholyke religion, [Page] yf he had treated those matters particularly, and at large, [...]e [...]ng [...]n the course of so few yeres as he runneth ouer, and in so few leaues, & lynes of a part only of his first book, (which is also very breefe,) wee fynd the practyse of so many poynts of our religion, testified and confirmed, as buylding of Churches in the honour of martyres, the reuerend vse of saynts relyckes, and greate miracles donne by the same, the intercession of saynts for vs, and the custome to prayse and geue God thankes by them; also monastical lyfe which includeth vowes of religion and chastity, the vse of hollywater, the custome which in our Church is yet most frequent, of Alleluya whereby it may be gathered that the seruice of the Church (out of the which the same, no dout was then taken) was not in the vulgar tongue, finally the keeping of lent, easter and others feastes, wherby playnly appeareth the vse & force of traditiō in the Church of God, without the testimony of expresse scripture, and all this we see was vsed in the Church of Britanny, when the fayth deliuered to King Lucius was yet in purity, which proueth euidently, that he was conuerted to the [...]ame Catholyke religion that saynt Augustine planted after-wards amongst the English Saxons, which wee that be Catholykes professe vntil this day.
THE SAME IS CONFIRMED and proued out of Gildas. CHAP. VI.
THis may easely be confirmed out of Gildas the britan surnamed the sage, who wrote shortly after the Saxons came into Britany almost 200. yeares before S. Bede, in whose treatyse of the distruction of Britany, and in his reprehension of the Ecclesiastical men [Page 19] of those dayes, it is euident ynough, what religion was professed from Lucius tyme vntil his, for first speaking of the persecution vnder Dioclesian, he sayth that electi sacerdotes gregis domini, the chosen Priests of our Lords flock were killed, meaning such priests as did offer sacrifice vpon the altar, for so he sufficiently interpreteth him selfe, when he reprehendeth the negligēce or the Britain Priests of his dayes, whome he calleth sacerdotes raro sacrificantes, ac raro puro corde inter altaria stantes, Priests sacrifising sildome, and seldome comming to the Altar with a pure harte, Gildas in [...] stigatio in eccles. ordinem. and tearmeth the Altars venerabiles aras and sacrosancta altaria, sedem Caelestis sacrificij, the reuerend and holly altars, and the seat of the heauenly sacrifice, and calleth that which is offred therein sacrosancta Christi sacrificia, the holly sacrifices of Christ, and further geueth to vnderstand that the hands of the Priestes were consecrated at those dayes, as yet they are in the Catholyke Church, when holy orders are geuen, wherby wee may playnly see that the Priests of our primatiue Church in England, and their function (consisting principally, in offring to almighty God sacrifice vpon the Altar) is all one with ours. Furthermore treating of the martirdome of S. Alban and his fellowes,Ibidem. he sayth that y [...] God had not permitted for che great sinnes of the Britains, that the barbarous nations which were entred (he meaneth the Picts and Saxons) did depriue the People of the toombs of saynt Alban, and of the other martyrs, and of the place of their martyrdomes, the same might stryk vnto them a feruor of deuotion, and deuine charity, insinuating therby the great consolation, and spiritual benefite that the Christians were wont to receiue by the visitation of those holy places; Also he sayth, that before ful 10. yeares past after that persecution,Ibidem. the Christians repayred the old Churches distroyed by the persecutors, and buylt now in honour of the martyrs, and kept festiual and holy dayes, lastly he playnly signifieth that the Christians vsed in his tyme to make vowes of chastity and that their were monasteries wherin religious and monastical life was exercysed, for he maketh mention of an holy Abot called Amphibalus, Ibidem. and most [Page] bitterly reprehendeth two wicked Princes Cuneglasus, and Maglocunus, the first for marying a widdow that had vowed perpetual chastity, and the other for that being become a monke he returned to the world and maryed, hauing a former wyfe then liuing; wherein he also geueth to vnderstād that it was not then lawful for him post monachi votum irritum after the breach of his monastical vow to returne to his owne wyfe, and much lesse to mary another.
Ibidem.To this purpose also, it may be obserued in Gildas as before I noted in saynt Bede, that vntil the tyme of the Arrians there entred no infectiō of heresy into Britany, & therfory hauing signifyed the sincerity and zeale of the Christians after saynt Albans death, in buylding Churches of martyrs, keping feastiual dayes and doing other workes of deuotion, as I declared before, he addeth, mansit haec Christi capitis membrorum consonantia suauis donec Arriana perfidia, &c. this sweet consonance or agreement of the members of Christ the head remayned vntil the Arrian heresy spread her poyson there; and although he insinuat, as saynt Bede also doth, that afterwards the people became new fangled, and embraced other heresyes (meaning no dout the Pelagian heresy (which as I haue shewed before out of S. Bede was quickly extinguished there) yet afterwards he signifieth playnly that neither the Arrian, nor Pelagian nor any other heresy took root in Britany, and that the Churche was cleare therof after the cōming in of the Saxons, about the tyme of his byrth,Ibidem. which was in the yere of our Lord 594. for speaking of the tyme, and of the ouerthrow geuen by Ambrosius Aurelianus to the Saxons and Picts,Polido. verg. hist. Angl. lib. 3. and of the great slaughter of them shortly after, at blackamore in York-shire (which as Polidore supposeth is called in Gildas mons Badonicus (he sayth that the people hauing noted the punishment of God vpon them for their sinnes, and his mercy in giuing them afterwards so greate victories,Gildas de excidio Britaniae. ob hoc reges, publici, priuati, sacerdotes, ecclesiastics suum quique ordinem seruauerunt, for this cause (saith hee) the Kings, and others as wel publik, as priuat person [...] Priests, [Page 20] and ecclesiastical men did euery one their dutyes, and although he declare presently after that by the extreame negligence of their Kings and gouernours ecclesiastical and temporal, which immediatly succeded, greate corruption was entred at the same tyme that he wrote, yet it is euident ynough in him that it was not corruption of fayth but of manners, as pryd, ambition, dissolutiō of lyfe, drōkenesse, lying, periury, tyranny in the Kings, simony & couetousnesse in the clergy, sildome sacrifices, breach of vowes of chastity, and of monastical lyfe, profaning of altars, and such lyke, for the which he threatneth, and as it were prophesyeth, the vtter destruction of Britany, which shortly after followed; so that amongst other things which he was persuaded brought the plague of God vpon our country, we see he taxed certayne customes peculiar to our aduersaries, and the proper fruits of their religion tending only to the ouerthrow of ours, & therfore, it playnly appeareth that ours was then in vre, and receiued detriment by those who (though they were not protestants in profession) yet were protestants in humour and condition, I meane profaners of Altars and holy things, breakers of vowes, of chastity, and Apostatats from religious, and monastical lyfe; such as Luther and many of his followers haue ben since.
And now to come to later tymes after Gildas, yf we consider the relicks of Christian religion which saynt Augustine found in Britany, & amongst other things, the great monastery of Bangor, wherein were aboue two thowsand monks, it wilbe manifest that the ancient religion of the Britains was our Catholike fayth, for although in the space of a hundreth seuenty and three yeres, that passed from the comming in of the Saxons vntil their conuersion, the Britain Church was not only much decayed, but also had receiued some aspersion of erronious and euil customes, yet in fayth and opinion they diffred not from S. Augustine,Beda hist. Angl. lib. cap. 2. insomuch that he offred to hold communion with them, if they would concurre with him in three things only, the first in [Page] the tyme of celebrating the feast of easter, the second in the manner of administring the sacrament of Baptisme, and the third in preaching the faith to the Saxons; all which the monkes of Bangor refused, vpon no better reason, then for that S. Augustine did not ryse to them when they came to the synod, condemning him therefore to be a proud man, notwithstanding that he had restored a blynd man to sight by his prayers in the presence of all the Bishops and clergy of Britany, who vndertooke to do the lyke in confirmation of their customes, but could not performe it.
Lib. 2 cap. 2.Therfore as saynt Bede reporteth, S. Augustine did foretel to the sayd Monkes of Bangor, that seing they would not haue peace with their brethren, they should haue warre with their enemies, and yf they would not preach vnto the English nation the way of lyfe, they should by their hands receiue reuenge of death, which after was truly fulfilled;Ibidem. for Edelfrid a pagan King of Northumberlād killed a thousand & two hundred Monkes of that monastery at one tyme by the iust iudgement of God (as saynt Bede sayth) for their obstinacy.
Thus much for this matter, wherby thou mayst see, good reader that saynt Augustine found in wales amongst the Britains the same religion & faith in substance that he then preached to the English or Saxons, and which we Catholykes stil professe, which being considered, with that which I haue proued before concerning the continual practise therof in the primatiue Church of Britany, whyles the same was in purity and integrity, no man that hath common sence, can dout that the same fayth was deliuered by Pope Eleutherius to King Lucius, and generally professed throughout Christendom at those dayes, in which respect we fynd honorable mention,Tertul. li. aduersus Iudeos, Origen. in Ezech. and testimony of the faith of the Britains, in the Fathers both Greekes, and Latins from the tyme of their conuersion, as in Tertulian in K. Lucius tyme, and in Origen presently after, in S. Athanasius,hom. 4. & in hom. 6. in lu [...]. Athanas. 2. and S. Hilarius in the tyme of the Arrians, of which two the first [Page 21] testifieth that the Bishops of Britany came to the councel of Sardica,Apolo Hilar. sinodi soft. h [...] in Ma [...] Hiero [...] marcel migret Bethle [...] and the other commendeth the Britan Church for reiecting the Arrian heresy (as I haue noted before) also in S. Chrisostome, and saynt Hierom who commendeth the deuotion of the Britans that came to Bethlem in pilgrimage in his dayes, about the same tyme that the Saxons entred into Britany.
CERTAINE POINTS OF CONTROUERSY are discussed, wherby it is prooued that King Lucius receiued our Catholyke fayth, and first of the Popes supremacy in Ecclesiastical causes. CHAP. VII.
BVT to the end that this vndouted truth may be cleared of all dout, I wil ioyne Issue with our aduersaries, vpon some two or three poynts now in controuersy betwyxt vs, and them, and breefly proue, that the doctrin that we teach concerning the same, was publykly held for truth throughout Christendome in King Lucius dayes, and that therfore he could receiue no other then the same from the Church of Rome, and this I vndertake the more willingly, for that albeit all matters of controuersy haue ben very learnedly and sufficiently handled, yea and whole volumes written of them, by our English Catholykes in the beginning of her maiestyes raygne, yet by reason of the strayt prohibition of the sayd bookes, there are an infinit number in England, especially of the younger sort, that neuer saw the same, to whome I desyre to giue in this treatyse at least some litle tast, of the truth of our Catholyke religion, so farre as my determined breuity wil permit.
[Page]First who can with any reason deny that the Popes supremacy (the confession whereof is now made treason in England) was in King Lucius dayes acknowledged generally of all men? for what moued him being so farre from Rome, to seeke to receiue the faith of Christ from thence but that he desyred to haue it from the fountayne & head? were there not Christians at the same tyme in England, as there had ben from the tyme of Ioseph of Arimathia, by some of whome it is lyke he was conuerted, [...]lido. lib. 1. &. Angl. and might haue ben Baptysed? or yf there were no Christians there that might satisfy his deuotion and desyre in that behalfe, was there not at the same tyme very learned Bishops in France by whome he might haue receiued satisfaction without sending so farre as to Rome? what then moued him therto, but that he vnderstood that the admission of all Christs sheep into his fold the Church, belonged principally to the successor of S. Peter, [...]an 21. [...]eda hist. [...]ngl. [...]. [...]. ca. 4. to whome our sauiour particularly commended the feeding of his flock? which saynt Bede insinuateth sufficiently saying that King Lucius beseeched Eleutherius by his letters that he might be made a Christian per eius mandatum, by his commandement.
[...]ector Boe [...]ius hist. co [...]. lib. 6.Neither can there any other probable reason be geuen why a few yeres after Donaldus King of Scots sent to Pope victor the next successor of Eleutherius to receiue of him the Christian fayth, which at the same tyme florished not only in France, as before I haue sayd, but also in England from whence he might haue had Bishops, and Priests, to instruct and baptise him and his people.
But for the more manifest proof of this poynt let vs heare what S. Ireneus (who florished at the same tyme in France) teacheth concerning the autority of the sea Apostolike gouerned then by Eleutherius, from whome K. Lucius receiued the fayth.
[...]reneus lib. 3. [...]ap. 3. VVhen we shew, sayth he, the tradition of the greatest and most Aunciēt Church, knowen to all men, founded & constitute at Rome, by the two most glorious Apostles Peter, & Paule & that the same tradition [Page 22] receiued from the sayd Apostles is deriued euen to this our tyme by the succession of Bishops, we confound all those that any way eyther by an ouerweening of their owne wits, or by vayne glory, or by blyndnesse, and euil opinion are led away with fals conceyts; for euery Churche, that is to say, the saythful which are euery where must needs haue recours to this Church & agree therewith propter potentiorē principalitatem, for the greater, or more mighty principality of the same, wherein the tradition of the Apostles hath ben alwayes conserued by them which are euery where abroad, and a litle after, hauing declared the succession of the Bishops of Rome from saynt Peter to Eleutherius who he sayth was the twelfth) he addeth; by this ordination and succession, the tradition which is in the Church from the Apostles, and the preaching of the truth is come euen to vs, & hec est plenissima ostēsio & this is a most ful & euident demonstration that the fayth which hath ben conserued in the Churche from the Apostles, vntil now, is that one true fayth which geueth lyfe.
Thus farre S. Ireneus; out of whose words may be gathered three things very imporrant, and manifest against our aduersaries; The first, the force of tradition in the Churche of God, & that the same alone being duly proued is sufficient to conuince all heretykes that teach any thing contrary therto. The second that the continual succession of the Bishops of Rome in one seat and doctrin is an infalible argument of the truth.Tertul. lib prescrip. The which also Tertulian in the same tyme not only obserued but also prescrybed for a rule against all heretykes in his book of Prescriptions.Ang. cont epist. Man chaei qua [...] vocat Funmenti. To which purpose S. Augustin sayth, the succession of Priests from the seat of Peter the Apostle to whome our Lord recōmended his sheep to be fed, holdeth me in the Catholyke Church, Aug. in P mo contra partē Do [...] and in another place number the Priests, euen from the very seat of Peter, and in that order of fathers, see who succeded one an other; that is the rock which the proud ga [...] of hel do not ouercome; Optatus Mileuitanus,Optams [...] leuita. lib contrapa [...] menio. in lyke sort vrgeth this succession of the Roman Bishops against the Donatists, reckoning vp all the Bishops from S. Peter to Siricius, with whome he sayth all the world did communicat, [Page] and there-vpon concludeth; therfore yow, sayth he, that challēge to your selues a holy Churche, tel vs the beginning of your chayre.
Thus reasoned these fathers against heretykes aboue 1200. yeres ago as also did S. Ireneus before, in K. Lucius tyme, and the same say wee now with no lesse reason against the heretykes of our tyme; we shew them our doctrin conserued in a perpetual succession of Bishops, from the Apostles vntil this day, we demaund the lyke of them, and seing they cannot shew it we conclude with S. Irenaeus that they remayne confounded, and that they are to be registred in the number of those that eyther by an ouerweening of their owne wits, or by vayne glory, [...]aeus li. 3. [...]. 3. or by blyndnes and passion are led away with fals conceits.
The third poynt, that I wish to be noted in the words of S. Irenaeus, is the supreme dignity of the Roman Churche aboue all other, seing that he cauleth it the greatest & most ancient (not in respect of tyme, for the Churches of Hierusalem and Antioch were before it) but for autority and therfor vrgeth it as a matter of necessity, & duty, [...]naeus [...]dem. that all other Churches whatsoeuer and all faythful people throughout the world ought to haue recours therto, and agree therwith. propter potentiorē principalitatē for the greater and more powreful principality, and autority therof, which autority is founded vpon no other ground then vpon the institution of our Sauiour himselfe who gaue the gouerment of his Church to S. Peter the Apostle, not only for him selfe but also for his successors, which. I wil prooue heare, with as conuenient breuity, as the importance of the matter wil permit.
THAT OVR SAVIOVR made S. Peter supreme head of his Churche. CHAP. VIII.
THE supreme autority of S. Peter ouer the Churche of God, is to be proued directly out of the holy scriptures, by many places, and arguments, but 3. shal suffice for breuityes sake.
The first place is in S. Mathew where our sauiour promised to S. Peter to buyld his Church vpon him,Math. 16. saying Tu es Petrus & super hanc Petram adificabo Ecclesiam meam, that is to say thou art Peter, or a rock, and vpon this rock I wil buyld my Churche, signifying by this allegory that he made him the foundation or head of his Church; for the head is to the body, & the gouernour to the common welth, as the foundation is to the buylding, that is to say the principal part, the stay, strength and assurance therof; and this appeareth more playnly in the Siriac tongue in which saynt Mathew wrote his gospel, where there is no difference betwyxt Petrus & Petra, Peter and a rook. For in steede of thou art Peter, &c. the Siriac hath, thow art a rock, and vpon this rock I wil buyld my Churche.
For this cause (as Ciril lib. cap. 2. loan. S. Ciril, S. Chrisost. i cap. 16. mat. Chrisostome, S.Hilar. in c 16. mat. leo. epist. 89. ad epistolos. Hilary and others do note) the name of S. Peter being first Simon was changed by our Sauiour who sayd vnto him tu vocaberis cepha [...], thou shalt bee called Cephas, which the Euangelist expoundeth saying, quod interpretatur [...], which is interpreted a rock, or stone,Viennensis eccles. Ambros. serm [...] obitu Theodosij in fi [...] for so signifieth [...] in the greeke; and therfore Cirillus Bishop of Alexandria saith vpon those words, now our sauiour Christ fortelleth that his name shalbe no more Simon, but [...] that is to say a rock, signifieng aptly by the very word it selfe, that he would buyld his Churche vpon him as vpon a most sure rock and stone, whereto S. [Page] Hilary agreeth expounding the same woords and speaking to S. Peter thus O happy foundation, of the Churche by imposition, of thy new name, in this respect S. Peter is called in the greeke text sometymes [...] by making a greek word of the Siriac; and sometymes [...] because they are synonima, and do both of them signify a rock.
Math. 16.Therfore I cannot omit to discouer vnto thee here (good reader) a suttle shift of our aduersaries in translating those words of our sauiour, Tu es Petrus & super banc Petram, for although they censure, and controle, all the translations that the Catholyke Church vseth, and professe to translate the scriptures immediatly out of the hebrew, yet in translating this place, they follow the latin, because the hebrew is far more cleare against them in this controuersy for the better vnderstanding whereof, it is to be considered that all the ambiguity & dout therin ryseth of the difference that may be noted in the greeke, Latin and English translations, not only of them all from the Siriac or Hebrew, but also of one from another; for that euery translator obseruing the dialect or propriety of his owne tongue, hath some variety from the rest, and the English most of all; for although in the greeke & Latin & all other languages deriued of them, the name of Peter and a rock or stone is eyther all one (as [...] in the greeke) or els haue great affinity and a manifest allusion the one to the other, (as in Latin Petrus and Petra, in Italian Pietro & Pietra in the Spanish Pedro and Piedra, in the portugues Pedro & Pedra, and in the french, Pierre for both, (though ther be difference in the gender) yet in our English tongue, Peter neither signifieth a rock nor a stone, neyther yet hath any alusion, nor affinity therwith, in which respect our English translation much lesse expresseth the force and true sence of our sauiours words in the hebrew, then eyther the greeke or the Latin; of both which I will treate a litle for the better explication of this question, and first of the greeke.
Albeit [...] in greek is more commonly vsed for a rock [Page 17] then [...] yet because [...] is of the masculine gender, & hath also the same signification, yt seemed more fit to be applyed to the name of a man then [...], whervpon yt followed that when not only saynt Peter was commonly cauled [...] of the greekes, (to expresse therby in their language the Syriac woord Cephas) but also many others had takē vnto them that name for the honour they bore to S. Peter, the word [...] came to haue two significations, the one a rock or stone, and the other the name of a man which wee cal Peter, and therfore he that translated S. Mathewes gospel into the greeke out of the Siriac or hebrew, vsed both the words [...] & [...] in translating, thow art a rock and vpon this rok I wil buyld my Church; for in the first place he hath [...], and in the second [...] to denote in the first, as wel the trew significatiō of Cephas, that is to say a rock, as also the name by the which S. Peter was best knowen to the greekes, and to expresse in the later the allegory of a rock, according to the very words of our sauiour, lest perhaps otherwyse the readers attending more to the name, th [...]n to the signification therof, should not perceiue the force of our sauiours allegory, who to signify the strength and stabilitie of his Churche gaue the name of a rock to saynt Peter, vpon whome he meant to buyld the same, and therfore, I say, the greeke translator elegantly vseth both [...] and [...], explicating the first by the later, and expressing the allegory in both.
And as for the Latin translation it is manifest that it followeth the greek, and not the hebrew, nor Siriac, and that therfore, for [...] it hath Petrus, partly for the allusion that Petrus hath both to [...] in greeke & also to Petra in Latin (both which signify a rock) and partly for that, from the tyme that saynt Peter was knowne by the name of [...] to the Romans, Petrus (which is deriued of [...], by turning os into vs, to make it a Latin word) was no lesse vsed for his name and other mens amōgst them then [...] amongst the greekes. And although now in common vse Petrus doth [Page] signify nothing els but Peter, in which respect it may seeme that the Latyn translator rather expresseth the bare name of a mā, then the true sence or signification of [...] or Cephas neuerthelesse the circumstances being considered, yt is euident that Petrus or Peter in the scripture, doth not only signify the name of a man, but also a rock.
To which purpose there is to be noted a great difference in Petrus, when it is spoken of the Apostle S. Peter, & when it is spoken of any other man; as for example, Cook is a name now common to many of good cauling, though perhaps at first it grew to be a name, from some one that by reason of his office was commonly cauled Cook, and therfore though now in such as haue no such office, yt signifieth nothing but a bare name, yet in him that was first cauled so, it signified rather his office then his name; and in lyke māner, though Petrus now haue no other signification but the proper name of a man, as Thomas or Iohn and the lyke, yet in S. Peter the Apostle, who was the first that was cauled so, it signified the office and quality, which Christ gaue him when he made him a rock to buyld his Church vpon, and cauled him Cephas to signify the same; the which word Cephas is interpreted Petrus, in our Latin translation and Peter in English for where as the Euangelist himselfe expoundeth Cephas by the word [...] in greeke saying,Ioan. 1. quod interpretatur Petús that is to say which is interpreted a rock the Latin translator saith, quod interpretatur Petrus which is interpreted Peter meaning therby also a rock, or a man that metaphorically was a rock,Matth. 16. for other wyse he geueth not the true sence of Cephas, nor of [...].
Agayne in this sentence tu es Petrus & super hanc Petram, thow art Peter and vpon this rock, &c. these words super hanc Petram do playnly expound Petrus to signify a rock; for that the pronoun this can not haue so proper relation to any other word, as to the next antecedent, which is Petrus, so that the sence must needs be thus,Math. 16. thou art a rock, and vpon this rock I wil buyld my Church.
[Page 25]Here also may be considered the correspondence that the words of our sauiour to S. Peter, haue with S. Peters words to him, for when our sauiour asked his Apostles, quem me esse dicitis, who say you that I am, he asked not what they called his name, but what they sayd was his quality, & dignity; and therfore saynt Peter answered not, thou art Iesus, (which was the name that was geuen him at his circumsision) but, thou art Messias, that is to say, the anoynted, or as we commonly say, Christ, the sonne of the liuing God; which our sauiour recompensed; not by telling him his name, which was Simon, but by giuing him another name, and such a one as signified the office, qualitie and dignitie that he bestowed vpon him; and therfore he sayd vnto him, thou art Cephas, or Petrus, that is to say, a rock or Peter, and vpon this rock I wil buyld my Churche, which saynt Leo, expresly noteth saying in the person of Christ to S. Peter thus,Leo Serm. in anniuer pontificat [...] as my father hath made knowen vnto thee my diuinity euen so I make knowne to thee thy excellency, that thou art Peter that is to say a rock, &c. and S. Hierome expounding the same words of our sauiour and speaking also in his person, sayth thus,Hieron. in cap. 16. Matth. because thow Symon hast sayd to mee thou art Christ the sonne of God, I also say to thee, not with a vayne or Idle speeche, that hath no operation or effect, but quia meum dixisse fecisse est, because my saying is a doing, or a making, therfore I say vnto thee thow art Peter (or a rock) and vpon this rock I wil buyld my Churche, thus farre S. Hierom, signifieng that Christ both made him a rock, and cauled him a rock; which yet he declareth more playnly in that which he addeth immediatly, as Christ, sayth he, being himselfe the light granted to his disciples that they should be cauled the light of the world, ita Simoni qui credebat in Pertam Christum, petri largitus est nomen, so to Simon who beleued in Christ the rock, he gaue the name of a rock (for yf we expound not Petri, so, the similitude is to no purpose and therfore it followeth immediatly,) and according to the metaphor of a rock it is truly sayd to him, I wil buyld my Churche vpon thee here yow see S. Hierome vnderstandeth Petrum & Petram that is to say [Page] Peter & a rock to be all one; and so doth S. Ambrose expounding tu es Petrus, Ambros. Ser. 2. de sanct. thow art Peter; he is cauled (saith he) a rock, because he first layd the foundation of fayth amongst the gentils, and lyke an vnmoueable stone, doth hold vp or susteyn the frame and weight of the whole Christian woork.
Basil. in homil. de pae [...]ite [...].This may be confirmed out of saynt Basil who sayth, Petrus dixerat tu es filius deiviui & vicissim audierat se esse Petram, Peter sayd thou art the sonne of God, and heard agayne, that he him selfe was a rock, which according to our Latin and English translation of the scripture, is not trew, if Petrus and Peter do not signify a rock, and thus wee see that Petrus being spoken in the scriptures of S. Peter, and especially in those words of our sauiour, Tu es Petrus, doth signify a rock, no lesse then [...] in the greeke or cepha in the Hebrew, which in our Latin translatiō is interpreted Petrus, & in our English Peter. In this respect Tertulian in K. Lucius tyme cauleth S. Peter aedificandae ecclesiae Petram, the rock where vpon the Church was to be buylt, Tertul. lib. de praescrip. & Origen in the same age (for he was borne about the tyme of King Lucius his conuersion or within fyue or six yeres after) tearmeth him magnū illud ecclesiae fundamentum & Petram solidissimam super quam Christus fundauit Ecclesiam, Origen. homil. S. in Exodum. that is to say, the great foundation of the Churche, and the most solid or stedfast rock where-vpon Christ founded his Churche, & S. Cypriā (who florished also within 40. or 50. yeres after the conuersion of K. Lucius) hauing rehearsed these words of our sauiour, thow art Peter,Cyprian. lib. de vnita Ecclesiae. &c. concludeth thus super illum vnum adificat ecclesiam suam, & ills pascendas mandat oue [...] suas that is to say, vpon him beiug one he buyldeth his Churche, and to him he commendeth his sheep to be fed, and after declaring the cause therof, and the reason why our sauiour made him cheese, or head of his Apostles, (though they were otherwyse equal with him in honour and power of the Apostleship, yet sayth he,Cyp [...]a. Ibid. to manifest vnity he cōstituted one chayre, and so disposed by his autority that vnity should haue beginning from one, and a litle after Primatus Petro datur vt vna Ecclesia Christs, & Cathedra vna monstretur, the supremacy is geuen to Peter, that the [Page 26] Churche of Christ may be shewed to be one and one chayre, wherby he signifieth that our sauiour to conserue vnity, aswel amongst his Apostles, as also in his whole Church, and to auoyd the occasion of schisme, which ordinarily ryseth of pluralitie of heads, ordeyned and appoynted one head ouer all, to wit S. Peter,Optat. lib. 2. contra Parmenio. the which reason ys also obserued by Optatus Miliuitanus, and other most learned, and auncient fathers, who acknowledge neuerthelesse an equalitie of Apostolical autoritie, in all the Apostles; which I note here the rather for that our aduersaries are wont to obiect the same agaynst the supremacy of S. Peter, as though the one did contradict or ouerthrowe the other, whereas they may learne of saynt Hierome,Hieron. co [...]tra Iouinia [...] that although all the Apostles receiued the Keyes of the Kingdome of heauen, yea and that the strength of the Churche was established vpon them, equaly that is to say, aswel vpon one of them, as vpon an other, though not in lyke degree vpon euery one, yet sayth he, one was chosen amongst twelue to the end that a head being appoynted all occasion of schisme may be taken away, and S. Leo the great sayth,Leo epist [...] 4. ad Anast [...] cap. 11. amongst the most blessed Apostles, there was, in similitudine honoris, discretio quaedam potestatis, a certayne distinction or difference of power, in the lykenes or equalitie of honour, & although the election of them all, was a lyke, yet it was graunted to one vt caeteris praemineret, that is to say, that he should haue autoritie ouer the rest, Epist. 8. 9. 2 [...] Episc. vie [...]. whereof he yeildeth a reason, in an other place, to the end, sayth he, that from him (he meaneth S. Peter) as from a certayne head our Lord might power his giftes vpon the whole body; and that whosoeuer should be so bold as to depart from the solidity of Peter, he might vnderstand him selfe to be no way partaker of the deuine mistery vpon these reasons, I say & vpon the warrant of our sauiours owne woords the most learned fathers of the Church, both Greekes, and Latins do acknowledge, the same to be buylt vpon S. Peter, & consequētly teach him to be head of the Churche, as of the Greekes, Origen,Origen. in c 6. ad Roma Athan. epist ad felicem. Epiph in A [...] corato Basil lib. 2. in eu nom. Greg. S. Athanasius, S. Epiphanius, S. Basil surnamed the great, S. Gregorius Nazianzen, S. Cirillus, S. Chrisostome, Psellus alledged by Theodoretus, and Theophilactus, [Page] and of the Latins S. Ambrose, S. Augustin,Nazian. in pratio, demo deratione [...]eruan. Ciril. lib 2 ca. 2. in [...]o. Chrisost. hom. 55 in Matth apud Theodore in cantica. Maximus, S. Leo the great, S. Hilary, and to omit dyuers others the great general councel of Chalcedon held by 630. Fathers Latins, and Greekes aboue 1100. yeres agoe, in which councel S. Peter is cauled Petra & crepido Ecclesiae the rock & toppe of the Churche.
Yet I think no man can be so simple as to ymagin that these Fathers affirming the Church to be buylt vpon S. Peter,Theophil in cap. 22. Luc. Ambros. Serm 47. denied our sauiour Christ to be the first, & principal foundation therof; of whome the blessed Apostle worthely sayth,Aug. in Psal. contra par. donati Maxi. Serm. 1. that no man can lay any other foundation, then that which is layed already; Iesus Christ; which place, our aduersaries are wont to obiect against this our Catholyk doctrin; whereas they may learne not only in the Fathers,Concil. Chalced. but also in the scriptures themselues that there are dyuers foundations of the Churche,1. Cor. 3. though some be more principal then other, & our sauiour Christ the first and cheefe ground-work of the whole buylding; as also in a Kingdome, or common welth, there are diuers heads, though subordinate one to an other, & all subiect to one head, all which may be called foundations in the polityke buylding, because the same leaneth and resteth vpon them, and is sustayned by them, though not by all alyke or in equal degree. To this purpose wee read in the Apocalipse that the walles of the citty, Apo. ca. 22. that is to say the Church, are sayd to haue twelue foundations, & in them the names of the 12. Apostles of the lambe;2. Ephes. 19. and agayne in saynt Paule to the Ephesians, you are, sayth he, Citizens of saynts, & domesticals of God, buylt vpon the foūdations of the Apostles, and Prophets.
Aug. in Psal. 16.Therfore S. Augustyn sayth that our sauiour may as wel be cauled fundamentum, fundamentorum, the foundatiō of foundations, a Pastor Pastorū, & Sanstus Sanctorū, the shepherd of sheperds, or holly of hollies; the reason wherof S. Basil geueth notably for the explication of this matter. Though Peter, sayth he, be a rock, yet he is not a rock as Christ is, for Christ is the true vnmouable rock of himselfe, Peter is vnmouable by Christ the [Page 17] rock, for Iesus doth communicat & imparte his dignityes,Basili. ho. d Paenit.not depriuing himselfe of them, but retaining them himselfe, & yet bestowing them vpon others; he is the light, & yet he sayth you are the light he is the Priest & yet he maketh Priests, he is the rock, and made a rock, thus far saynt Basil.Leo Serm in anniuet pontifican sui. The same teacheth S. Leo very elegantly explicating the words of our sauiour. Tu es Petrus, and speaking in our sauiours person thus. Thow art Peter, that is to say, although I am the inuiolable rock, the corner stone which vniteth both syds of the buylding, & the foundation, besyds the which no mā can lay any other, yet thow art also a rock, because thow art consolidat & hardened by my strength, to the end that those things which ar proper vnto me by my owne power, may be to the cōmon with mee by participation.
Hereby it appeareth that although our sauiour Christ be the cheefe and principal foundation, that is to say the head of his churche, yet by buylding the same vpon S. Peter, he made him also the foundation or head therof, next after himselfe, and as there are dyuers other heads vnder S. Peter, who in respect of theyr subiects may be truly cauled, & are heads, and yet in respect of S. Peter are subiects, euen so, S. Peter, in respect of all the whole church, may properly be cauled, and truly is the head therof, though he be subordinat & subiect to Christ, as all the rest are both to Christ and him; and therfore S. Leo in the place aforesayd, sayth that there ar in the people of God many priests, and many Pastors, Leo. Ibid. all whome Peter doth properly gouerne though Christ do principally gouerne therin.
Thus much for the first proofe wherein I haue ben more large, then I determined, and therefore I wilbe breefer in the other two.
The second place wherevpon I ground the supremacy of S. Peter, is the words of our sauiour following the former in S. Mathew videlicet.Matth. 1. I wil geeue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, and whatsoeuer thou shalt bynd vpon earth, it shalbe bound also in heauen, and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose vpon earth, it shalbe loosed also in heauen; By the keyes is signified [Page] preheminent power, and authority, wherevpon grew the commō custume of deliuering to princes the keyes of townes, and fortresses, when the people therin yeild, and submit themselues to their absolute wil, & power; and in the scriptures, the woord clauis that is to say, a key is often vsed in the same sence; as in the Apocalipse, to signify the preheminent authority of our sauiour it is sayd of him, [...]pocal. 3. [...]by. 2 [...]. habet clauens Dauid, he hath the key of Dauid, and the Prophet Isayas speaking of the supreme ecclesiastical power of a high Priest in the old law, I wil geue, sayth he, the key of Dauid vpon his shoulder; and therfore although some of the doctors say sometymes, that all the Apostles receiued the keyes, (hauing respect to some effects thereof) yet it is manifest that they receiued not the same in such ample manner, and with such prerogatiue as S. Peter, to which purpose it is to be noted, that albeit our sauiour gaue to all his Apostles, authority to remit and retayne sinnes, yet he made no mention of geuing the keyes to any but to S. Peter, in which respect, Optatus Mileuitanus sayth, [...]ptat. lib. 1. [...]ontra par [...]en. solus Petrus claues accepit, only Peter receiued the keyes; and Origen vpon the same words of our sauiour doth note, [...]rigen. tract. in Matth. that because it behoued that P. Seter should haue aliquid maius some what more then the other Apostles, therfore Christ sayd vnto him, I wil geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, and Origen addeth further, that there was no smalle differēce betwyxt the Apostles commission to bynd and loose, and the commission of S. Peter which he affirmeth to be more ample, because (sayth he) non erant in tanta perfectione sicut Petrus, they were not in such perfection as Peter, and therfore S. Leo sayth, that the authority or power to bynd and loose,Leo epist. 29. [...]d Episcopos [...]ea [...]en. was geuen Petro prae caeteris to Peter aboue the rest of the Apostles; and the reason is, for that he being their head, and they subordinat to him, he receiued the same for him selfe and them, and they held it as from him, & vnder him, though they had it also, by Christs commissiō as wel as hee which S. Augustin teacheth clearly,Aug. tract. 24. in euan [...]el. Ioan. when he sayth, that the keyes of the kingdome of heauen [Page 28] were geuen to S. Peter, because he represented the whole church, of which representatiō he yeildeth the reason adding immediatly, Propter apostolatus sui primatum, or as he sayth in an other place, propter primatum quem in discipulis habuit, by reason of the supremacy he had ouer the rest of the Apostles geuing to vnderstand therby, that the keyes being geuen to S. Peter as head of the Apostles, and consequently as head of the Church, they were geuen also to the Apostles, and to the whole Church, for what is geuen to the king as king, the same is geuen to the common wealth, and from him or by him, as head therof, is communicated, & imparted to the whole body. For this cause S. Chrisostome treating of the promis that our sauiour made to S. Peter to buyld his Churche vpō him,Chrisost. [...]o 55. in Matth. and to geue him the keyes of the kingdome of heauen, affirmeth that he made him head or gouuernour of the whole world. Thus much for the second proof.
The third, and last shalbe, the commission and charge that our sauiour gaue particularly to S. Peter to feed his sheep, wherby he made him general Pastor ouer his whole flock, whereof Eusebius Emissenus sayth thus,Euse. Emissi hom. de natiuit. Ioann [...] euangel. first Christ comitted vnto him his lambs, & then his sheepe, because he made him not only a pastor or shepherd, but also the pastor of Pastors; Therefore Peter feedeth the lambes, & he feedeth the sheepe, he feedeth the young ones, & their dammes, he gouerneth the subiects, & their prelats, so that he is Pastor of all; for besydes lambes & sheepe there is nothing in the Church.
This is more euident in the Greeke wherein the gospel of S. Ihon was written, then in our latin translation, for where as we haue 3. tymes pasce that is to say feed, the greeke hath in the second place [...] which doth not only signify to feed, but also to gouerne and rule wherby the Euangelist signifyed that Christ gaue to S. Peter commission, not only to feed his flock with preaching and teaching, but also to exercyse all pastoral authority ouer them, that is to say to rule and gouern them, in which sence the [Page] Greeke word [...] is often vsed in the holy Scriptures,Matth. 2. as in S. Mathew and Micheas the Prophet,Mich. 5. where it is sayd of Bethlem; there shal come foorth of thee a caeptayne that shal gouern my people Israel, and in the Apocalipse,Apocal. 19. he shal rule them in an yron rod, and againe in the Psalm,Psalm. 2. thow shalt gouerne or rule theym in a rod of yron, in which places as also in dyuers others of the scripture to lyke purpose,Isay. 44. the greeke hath [...] and [...] and in the same sence our lord saith in the Prophet that the great Monark Cirus should be his Pastor because he should gouern and rule his people, and Homer oftentymes cauleth king Agamemnon [...] the king or Pastor of this people (for the word [...] signifieth both) and therfore S. Augustin expounding those words feede my sheep, Aug. in cap. 21. Ioan. sayth that Christ recommended his sheepe to S. Peter pascendas, id est docendas regendasque, to be fed, that is to say to be taught and gouerned;Theophil in ca. 21. Ioan. Theophilactus also vpō the same place witnesseth that Christ gaue to S. Peter praesecturam ouium totius mundi, the gouernment of the sheepe of the whole world;Chrisost. lib. [...]. de sacerdotio. and S. Chrisostome treating of those words of our sauiour sayth, that he would haue S. Peter to be endewed with authority, and farre to excel the other Apostles, and agayne expounding the same words otherwhere, he sayth that Christ spake vnto him only,Hom. 8.7. in Ioan. because he was the mouth & head of the Apostles, and committed vnto him curam fratrum suorum, the charge of his brethren, and a litle after;Hom. 1. de paenit. that Christ gaue him the charge of the whole world, which he also affirmeth in an other place of the vniuersal Churche, saying, that the supremacy and gouernment of the Churche throughout the whole world was geuen him by Christ.
I wil conclude with S. Leo, whereas, saith he, the power of bynding and loosing was geuen to Peter aboue the rest of the Apostles;Leo Episc. [...]9 ad Episcopos viennens. the care & charge of feeding the sheepe of Christ was more specially committed to him; to whome whosoeuer shal thinck the principality or supremacy is to be denied, he cannot by any meanes diminish his dignity, but being puft vp with the spirit of his owne pryde, he casts him selfe head-long to hel.
[Page 29]Thus thow seest,Hilar: in 16 Matth good reader, that our doctrin of the supremacy of S. Peter, is no nouelty of our inuention, but the vniform and constant opinion,Aug. trac [...] 56. in Ioa [...] of the most learned and anciēt Fathers of the Churche grounded vpon the scriptures,Euseb lib hist. cap. [...] in which respect we fynd in all the sayd auncient Docctors most eminent and excellent tytles of superioritie,Epipha. h [...]retic. 51. and praerogatiue attributed to S. Peter, who in S. Hilary is cauled the blessed porter of heauen, Ciril. lib [...] in lo ca. 6. in S. Augustin the first or cheef of the Apostles in Eusebius the greatest of the Apostles, and maister of the warfare of God, in Epiphanius the captayn of the Disciples, in S. Ciril Prince and head of the Apostles, Ambros i [...] ca. vltimus Lucae. in S. Ambrose the Vicar that Christ left vs of his loue, and to omit others for breuityes sake, in S. Chrysostome,Chrisost. [...] 17. in Ioan the toppe or head of the congregation of the Apostles, Hom. 9. de paenite an vnconsumable rock, the vnmoueable top of the buylding, and lastly Homil. 55 Matth. & [...]7. in Ioan the pastor and head of the Churche.
THAT THE SVCCESSORS OF S. Peeter, to wit, the Bishops of Rome, succeed him in the supremacy of the Churche. CHAP. IX.
AND for as much as it is euident that our sauiour Christ gaue not this authority to S. Peeter for his owne particular benefit, but for the general good of his Churche, nor for his owne dayes only, but during the tyme of the Churche militāt, to the end, that so long as their should be any sheep in his fold, so long ther should be an vniuersal Pastor to feed and gouerne them, and that his Churche which is a visible body, might haue continually a visible head, no lesse now in the new law, thē heretofore in the old, which was a figure of the new, and had a continual succession of Bishops from Aaron, therfore I say, all the ancient fathers worthely acknowledged this our sauiours institution, and this autority of an vniuersal [Page] Pastor, not only in S. Peter but also in his successors,Chrisost li. 2. [...]e sacerd. where vpon S. Chrisostome saith that Christ committed the care of his sheep, tum Pe [...]ro, tum Petri successorebus both to Peeter, and to Peeters successors, Epist. ad Eu [...]ch. and Petrus Bishop of Rauena in his epistle to Eutyches, blessed Peeter sayth he, [...]eo mag. ser. in anni. [...]ssum. liues & gouerns stil in his owne seat, and Leo magnus affirmeth that Peeter continueth, and liueth, in his successors, Concil. chal [...]ed. act. and therfore the great councel of Chalcedon abouesayd hauing heard the epistle of the sayd Leo condemning the heresy of Eutyches sayd Petrus per Leonem locutus est, Peter hath spoken by the mouth of Leo.
Cypri epist. [...]5.In this respect also the blessed martyr S. Cyprian (who as I sayd before wrote soone after the conuersion of K. Lucius) cauleth the Roman Church Cathedrā Petri, ecclesiam principalē, vnde vnuas sacerdotaelis exorta est, the chayre of Peeter, the principal or cheef Churche from whence springeth all Priestly vnity, signifieng therby that as the vnity of the natural body consisteth in that dyuers members being combyned vnder one head, do all receiue from the same the influence of one lyfe, so also the vnity of the mistical body of Christ consisteth, in that diuers Churches being conioyned, vnder one head, which is the Roman Churche, or chayre of Peter, do all receiue from the same the influence of one spirit and doctrin which he declareth playnly in his book of the vnity of the Churche, where he sayth, euē as there are many beames of the Sunne, and one light, many bowes of one tree, and yet one strength founded in one root & many brookes flowing from one fountayne, & a vnity therof conserued in the spring, euen so the Churche of our Lord, casting foorth her light euery where stretcheth her beames, through out the world & yet the light is one, shee extends her bowes ouer the whole earth, & spreads her flowing riuers farre & neare, and yet there is one head, one beginning, and one fruitful, and plentiful mother. Thus far this famous martyr who speaking also other where of Peters chayre, declareth the miserable state of those that are deuided & seperated from the same, which I wish our aduersaryes diligently to note, there is sayth he one God, one Christ, one Churche, one chayre founded vpon Peeter by our [Page 30] Lords woords, an other Altar cānot be erected nor a new priesthood ordayned whosoeuer gathereth any where els scattreth & it is counterfeyt, wicked, and sacrilegious, whatsoeuer humain fury doth institute, & ordayne to violate the ordenance of God, Cypria. li vni [...]. eccl [...] and agayne to the same purpose, he which holdeth not sayth he this vnity of the Churche doth he beleeue that he holds the fayth of the churche? he which forsakes the chayre of Peeter where vpon the churche was foūded, can he hope to be in the churche? Finally this blessed martyr writting to S. Cornelius the Pope,Epist. ad [...] ne [...]. 45. calleth the Roman Church Marricem, & radicem catholicae Ecclesiae, the mother & root, of the Catholyke Churche, Ibidem. which he wisheth all men to acknowledge and hold most firmly, and transferring the same presently after to the person of Cornelius, he sayth that he would haue all his collegues retayne & hold stedfastly his communion, that is as much to say, sayth he, as to hold the vnity, & charity of the Catholyke church, geuing to vnderstand that he which doth not communicate with the bishop of Rome, the chayre of Peter, the fountayne of vnity, the root and mother of the Catholyke Churche he is not a member of the same, nor gathereth with Christ but scattreth.
The very same in substāce the famous Doctor S. Hierom teacheth as wel of S. Peeter,Hieron. ad uersus Iouinia. as of his chayre, and successors; of S. Peeter he sayth; that he was therfore chosen of our sauiour, one only amongst twelue, that a head being appoynted all occasions of schisme & diuision might be taken away:Epist. 58. Damasum and of his chayre, and successors, he sayth, to S. Damasus the Pope, qui cathedrae Petri iungitur, meus est, he which is ioyned to the chayre of Peter, he is myne, and agayne to him in an other Epistle,Epist. 57. ad [...]undem. I, sayth he, following no cheef but Christ am lincked in communiō with thy beatitude, that is to say with the chayre of Peter, vpon that rock the Churche was buylt, whosoeuer eateth the lambe out of this house is profane, if any man be not in the arke of Noe he shal perish in the flud, and a litle after, I know not Vitalis, I refuse Meletius, I know not Paulinus, whosoeuer doth not gather with thee scattreth, he which is not of Christ is of Antichrist, thus far S. Hierome of the supremacy of Peeters chayre, and particularly of Pope Damasus, of [Page] whome S. Ambrose in the same tyme acknowledged no lesse;Ambro. in 1. [...]ist. ad Ti [...]oth. ca. 3. saying, Ecclesia domus De [...] dicitur cuius rector hod [...]e est Damasus, the Churche is cauled the house of God, the gouernour whereof at this day is Damasus, with these all other Doctors of the Churche; Greekes and Latins agree, concerning the supremacy of the bishops of Rome; as Epiph. haetic 6 [...].Epiphanius, Athan. 2. [...]polog. & in [...]pist ad [...]e [...]or.Athanasius, Basilius [...]pist. 52. ad [...]thanas.Basilius, Greg. Naz. [...] carmine [...]evita sua.Gregorius Nazianzenus, Chris. epist [...] & 2. ad Inocentium.Chrysostomus, Ciril. epist. [...]o ad nestor. & epist. 11. ad [...]er. & pop. constant. & epist. 18. ad [...]eleslinum.Cyrillus, Theodor. in epist. ad leon.Theodoretus, Sozom. li. 3 [...]ist. ca. 7.Sozomenus, Optat. lib. 2. cont. parin.Optatus, Ambros. de [...]obitu satiri.Ambrosius, Aug. epist. 162. & 92 ad [...]n.Augustinus, Pros. lib. de [...]ingratis.Prosper, Vict lib 2. de peruand.Victor Vticensis, Vincen. in suo commēt.Vincentius Lirinensis, and Cassiodo. li. [...]1. Epist. 2 ad Ioan. Papam. Concil. chal. act. 3. Epist. concil. chalced ad Leonem. Lib. 3. cap. 3.Cassiodorus, all which did wryte aboue 1000. yeres ago and playnly acknowledged the supremacy of the bishop of Rome as appeareth in the places aleaged in the margent, wherto I remit our aduersaries; to auoyd prolixitie, concluding with the great councel of Chalcedon abouesayd, wherein Pope Leo was cauled vniuersal Bishop, dyuers tymes, besyds that in an epistle written to him by the whole councel it is playnly signified that the Vineyard of our Lord that is to say the Churche; was committed to his charge and custody.
To returne therfore to S. Ireneus in the tyme of King Lucius thou seest good reader how true is that, which he sayth of the necessitie and obligation that all faythful people haue to agree with the Roman Churche, propter potentiorē principalitatem, for the mightier, or more powerful principalitie therof, that is to say, for the supreme dignity it hath ouer all other churches, as the mother ouer her children, the head ouer the body, and the spring and root of vnity.
THAT THE BISHOPS OF Rome exercysed supreme authoritie and iurisdiction in the tyme of king Lucius. CHAP. X.
NOW then let vs consider how the byshops of Rome did exercyse this theyr authority before, and in the tyme of K. Lucius, and neare vnto the same, the which may appeare partly by the appellatiōs out of all parts to the sea Apostolyke, and the restitution, or deposition of bishops by the sayd sea, and partly by the decrees made by the same for the whole Churche, and the censures layd vpon such as would not receiue and obey them.
Wee read in Tertulian (who liued in king Lucius tyme) that Montanus Prisca and Maximilla fals prophets in Phrigia,Epiph. haer [...] 42. being excomunicat and expelled by their bishops, came to Rome to be restored by Pope Victor,Tertulian. [...] aduersus Praxeam. whome they had almost circumuented, hauing obtayned of him letters to the churches of Asia for their restitution, which letters neuerthelesse Pope Victor reuoked by the aduise of Praxeas, who discouered to him their trechery; wherof Tertulian complayneth bitterly, being then become an obstinate Montanist, saying that otherwyse Pope Victor had restored Mō tanus, and geuen peace to the churches of Asia, lo then how great was the authoritie of the bishops of Rome in forayn & remote parts, by the testimony of Tertulian who was then an heretyke and a great enemy to the Roman Churche.
S. Cyprian about 250. yeares after Christ testifyeth that Fortunatus,Cipr. lib. 1. epist. 3. and Felix being deposed in Afrike by him; appealed to Pope Cornelius, and that Basilides in lyke manner,Cipr. lib. [...]. epistol. 4. being deposed in Spayne appealed to Pope Steuen who suceeded Cornelius, and although S. Cyprian shew that Basilides being iustly condemned did vniustly appeale and [Page] deceiue the Pope by fals suggestion & that therfore his appellation could not auayle him, yet he confesseth that the Pope receiued the appellation, wherein he sayth he was not to be blamed, but Basilides for deceauing him, so that wee see the custome of appealing to the bishop of Rome out of al partes, is most ancient, whereof I wil also alleadge some other examples of later tymes, though aboue 1000. yeres agoe.
[...]. Theodor. [...]ist. Eccles. lib. 7. cap. 4.Athanasius being deposed by the Arrians in Greece, appealed vnto Iulius the first; bishop of Rome, and by him was restored 1300. yeres agoe and the ecclesiastical histories do witnesse, that not only he, but also Paulus byshop of Constantinople, Marcellus byshop of Ancira, and As [...]lepa byshop of Gaza, and Lucianus of Hadrianopolis were all at Rome at one tyme iniustly expelled from their bishoprikes, and that Pope Iulius discussing the crymes obiected to euery one of them, Tripart hist. lib 4. cap. 15. tanquam omnium curam gerens propter propriae sedis dignitatem, as one that had care of them all for the dignity of his owne sea, restored euery one of them to their Churches, & wrote to the Byshops of the east blaming them for the wrong they had donne them, and threatning them that he would not suffer it, if they proceeded to do the lyke hereafter.
Epist Ioan. Chrisost. ad Innocen.S. Chrysostome byshop of Constantinople, appealed to Pope Innocentius the first, and Flauianus byshop of the same citty,Liberatus in breuiario. cap. 12. and Theodoretus byshop of Cyrus appealed in the same age, to Pope Leo, who restored Theodoretus as testifieth the great general councel of Calcedon,Theod epist. ad Leonem. saying restituit ei Episcopatum Sinus. Archiepiscopus Leo. The most holy Archbishop Leo,Greg. lib. 2. cap. 6. restored to him his bishoprik. And S. Gregory the great byshop of Rome, did excomunicate a byshop of Greece called Iohn for that he had presumed to Iudge an other byshop that had appealed to the sea Apostolyke.
Concil. Sa [...] dicen. can. 4. & 7.Lastly this custome of appealing to the Bishop of Rome was confirmed by two seueral cannons, in the second great general councel held at Sardica, in the tyme of [Page 32] Athanasius the great, whereat were present some byshops of Britany, and this shal suffise for the appellatiō of byshops to Rome, and their restitution.
Now to speak a word or two of the deposition of Byshops wee fynd an euident example therof, within 40. or 50. yeares after the cōuersion of K. Lucius, for S. Cyprian wrote to Steuen the Pope to desyre him to excomunicat & depose Marcian the Bishop of Arles in France, and to substitute an other in his place by vertue of his letters to the people there,Cypri lib 3. epist. 13. & further desyred him to aduertyse him who should succede him, that he & the Bishops of Africk might know to whome to direct their letters, so that wee see the authority and custome in the Church of Rome to depose forraine Bishops, is no new thing, nor a iurisdiction vsurped in later tymes by fauour of Christian Emperours, seing in the great persecutions in the primitiue Churche, when none were more persecuted by the Emperours, then the Popes them selues, (who vntil this tyme were almost all martired) they exercysed this authority, as their successors haue done euer since, indifferētly without exception vpon all Bishops whosoeuer, yea vpon the 4. principal patriarkes of Constantinople Alexandria, Antioch, and Hierusalem, in so much that Nicolaus the first Pope of that name writing to Michael Emperour of Constantinople about a 1000.Nicol. epist. ad Michael. yeres ago reckoneth 8. Patriarchs of that Churche deposed by Bishops of Rome before his tyme,Theodoretus lib 5. hist. cap. 23. and Flauianus Patriarch of Antioch was deposed by Pope Damasus 1200. yeares ago and although the Emperour Theodosius labored to restore him yet he commaunded him to go to Rome to answere for him selfe, and both S. Chrysostome Bishop of Constantinople,Socrat. lib. 5. hist. cap. 15. Sozomen li. 8. cap. 3. and also Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria were intercessors for him to the Pope; to conclude; he could not hold his Bishoprik in peace, vntil the Pope being pacified,Theodor. lib. 5. cap. 2 [...]. was contēt therwith, and promised to receaue his legats, & therfore Flauianus presently sent him many Byshops, and some of the cheef of the Clergy of [Page] Antioch.Tomo 2. con [...]cil. in actis Syati. Also Pope Sixtus the 3. deposed Polichronius Bishop of Hierusalem.
I omit later examples wherof there are many, to say somewhat of the general decrees of Popes made before, or in the dayes of K. Lucius.
Tertulia lib. de pudici [...]ia.Wee read in Tertullian (who as I sayd before florished in King Lucius tyme) that the Bishops of Rome made decrees agaynst the heresyes of Montanus and his followers, and although Tertulian was then an egregious Montanist himselfe, & an enemy to the Roman Churche (which had condemned his heresyes) neuerthelesse in that which he wryteth agaynst one of the sayd edicts, he sufficiently sheweth what was the authority of the Byshops of Rome in those dayes, recyting the edict in this manner, Pontifex Maximus, Episcopus Episcoporum dicit, &c. that is to say, the cheef or greatest Bishop, the Bishop of Bishops doth say, &c. wherby it appeareth what was the title of the Bishop of Rome at those dayes, for although it should be true, that Tertulian being then an heretyk and condemned by the Bishop of Rome, vsed those words of Pontifex Maximus, Episcopus Episcoporum, ironice, yet is it manifest, that he did it eyther for that such were the tytles of the edict, (which was most probable,) or els, because he was generally so called at that tyme, by all those that held communion with him.
Platina in vita pij. de consecra. distict. 3. ca. 21. [...]amp; li. 1. cōcil.But before this tyme; Pius the first Pope of that name about 160. yeres after Christ made an edict about the keeping of Easter which was after confirmed by Pope Victor, & the Churches of Asia were excomunicated by him for not receiuing the same.
But to the end good reader thou mayst the better vnderstand how this matter passed, and euidently see the supreme autoritie of the Bishops of Rome in those dayes, it is to be considered; that there hauing been from the tyme of the Apostles a different manner of keeping Easter in the Churche of Rome, and the Churches of the lesser Asia (the Romans keeping it alwayes vpon the sunday, according [Page 33] to the tradition of the Apostles, S. Peter, and saynt Paule; & they of Asia obseruing the tyme and custome of the Iewes, pretending the example and tradition of S. Iohn the Euangelist) Pius the first of that name, Bishop of Rome, desyring to reduce all the Churche to vniformity, made a decree that the feast of Easter should be celebrated only vpō sunday, but for that the Churches of Asia made great dificulty to leaue their tradition, as wel Pius, as Anicetus, Soter, and Eleutherius forbore,Euseb lib. 5 cap. 24. (for peace and quietnesse sake) to compel them by Ecclesiastical censures to the obseruation therof; but afterwards Victor who succeeded Eleutherius, noting that not only those which inclyned to keep the ceremonies of the old law, were much confirmed therby in their opinion, but also some in Rome namely one Blastus sought to introduce that custome there,Tertul de praescrip. ca [...] 53. [...]amp; Eusebius hist. eccles. lib. 5. cap. 14. and Iudaysme withall, cauled a councel of the Bishops of Italy neere adioyning, and not only caused other councels to be assembled in France, but also directed his commaundements to the Bishops of the east, to do the lyke namely to Theophilus Bishop of Caesarea, as that S. Bede reporteth in these words, victor the Pope Bishop of the citty of Rome dixerit authoritatem, Beda. de AEquinoct. vernali. that is to say directed a commaundement to Theophilus, Byshop of Caesarea and Palaestina that it should be determined how the easter should be celebrated there, where our Lord the sauiour of the world conuersed. Therfore perceptae qutoritate, the authority or commaundement being receiued, Theophilus assembled Bishops not only out of his owne prouince but also out of diuers other cuntryes, and when they were come togeather in great numbers. Theophilus, protulit autoritatem ad se missam Papae Victoris, Theophilus shewed the autority or commaundment that Pope Victor had sent him, & declared quid sibi operis fuisset iniunctum, what was enioyned him to do, &c. herein by the way I wish to be noted how the Bishop of Rome in those dayes (that is to say in the tyme of Lucius) exercised his autority in calling of councels, both of the Byshops of the Latin or west Church, & also of the east, seing Theophilus Byshop of Palaestina assembled the prelats not only of his [Page] owne prouince, but also of diuers other by vertue of the commission geuen him by Pope Victor.
But to proceed, yt being determined by all those coūcels that the feast of Easter should be kept on the sunday according to the custome of the Romā Churche,Euseb. lib. 5. [...]ist cap. 24. Victor the Pope renewed the decree of Pius his predecessor and denounced excomunication against all the Churches of Asia that would not cōforme them-selues therto, which though some holy and learned Bishops, & amongst other Irenaeus thought to bee rigorously done, and not with such consideratiō, as it seemed to them the peace of the Church required, yet none of them, nor any of the schismatykes themselues, took any exception to his autority, as though he had donne more then he might do, which no dout they would haue done yf he had exceeded the limits of his power therfore Eusebius sayth,Euseb. Ibid. that Irenaeus did admonish him that he would not cut of from the body of the whole Church, so many Churches for obseruing a tradition vsed amongst them according to an old custome, and Nicephorus, [...]ucepho. lib. [...]. cap. 38. testifieth that they aduised him vt benignius statueret, that should determine therof with more benignity and myldnes, wherin wee see Pope Victors authoritie, and power to excommunicat all other Bishops; sufficiently acknowledged, though there was question of the iustnesse of the cause, and conueniency of the fact neuerthelesse yt appeared afterwards by the determination of the whole Churche of God, yea & of the greatest part of the Asian Churches themselues, that Victor had reason in that which he did; for as Nicephorus testifieth, not only Asia did at lēgth yeild therin,Lib. 4. cap. 39. but also vbique terrarum in orbe decretum est, it was decreed through out the world that the feast of Easter should be celebrated vpō the sunday,Niceph. Ibid. in so much that those which would not yeild therto were held for heretykes, & cauled quarta decimani for so they are accounted and termed by Nicephorus saynt Augustin,Aug. haer. 29. Epiph. haec. 50. concil. Epiphanius Philastrius and the councels of Antioch and Laodicea;Antioch. cap. [...]. Laodicenā cap 7. and to conclude this poynt, yt shal not be impertinent to the matter in hād, [Page 34] to consider how this controuersy about the keeping of easter,Philastri Catalog haere. ended many yeares after in England, betwyxt the English Byshops mayntayning the custome of Rome, and the Scottish that were Schismatykes and obserued the custome of Asia which venerable Bede recounteth, saying;Beda. in [...] Eccles. [...] lib. 3. ca [...] that Bishop Colman, with his Scotish elergy, being assembled in Northumberland, with Agilbert Bishop of the east Saxons, & his Priests Wilfred and Agathon in the presence of King Oswy, after long debating the matter on both sydes, Wilfred answered to Colman (who relyed vpon the autority of Anatholius, and Columba his predecessors) although, quoth he, Columba was a holy man, yet could he not be perferred before Peter the most blessed Prince of the Apostles, to whome our Lord sayd,Matth. 1 [...] thou art Peter, and vpon this rock I wil buyld my Churche, & hel gates shal not preuayle against it, and to thee I wil geue the Keyes of the Kingdome of heauen, when Wilfrid had sayd this; King Oswy, who had ben brought vp by the Scots, and infected with their schisme, asked Colman wheather he could proue that so great autority was geuen to Columba, and Colman answered no, and do you on both syds, sayth the King, grant without controuersy, that this was sayd principally to Peter, and that the Keyes of the Kingdome of heauen were geuen him by our Lord, and both parts answered yea; nay then, quoth the King merily, I assure yow, I wil not in any thing contradict that porter, but as farre as my knowledge and power shal extend, I wil obey his commaundments least perhaps, when I shal come to heauen, and haue him my enemy that keepeth the keyes, no man wil open me the gates; The King hauing sayd thus all that were present both litle and great (sayth saynt Bede) allowed therof, and yeilded to receiue the Catholyke custome of keeping Easter on the sunday. Thus wee see this great controuersy ended also in England neere a thousand yeres agoe, by the autority of the sea Apostolyke, so that to returne to Pope Victor, wee may truly say he had the victory, or rather that saynt [Page] Peeter by him, and his successors vanquished all such as opposed themselues to this traditiō of the Roman Churche.
Seing then in the tyme of K. Lucius, the Bishops of Rome both claymed and exercised supreme authority ouer all other Bishops, making general edicts, condemning heretykes, deposing and restoring Bishops, cauling counsels, and excommunicating whole prouinces and countryes, I appeale to thee gentle reader, whether he was not then generally held for supreme head of the Church, & whether it is lykly, that when Eleutherius the Pope made King Lucius a Christian, he made him a protestāt, that is to say, an enemy to the sea Apostolyk, a persecuter of Priests, and of all such as defend the dignity, and autoritie, of saynt Peeter his predecessor, from whome he claymed, and held the supremacy, of the Churche, which now all protestants deny to his successors.
And agayne, seeing I haue proued that the authority of the sea Apostolyke is not grounded vpon any humain tradition but vpon the institution of our sauiour himselfe, who left his flock and sheep to saynt Peeter to be fed, and buylt his Churche vpon him,Ioan. 21. as vpon a sure rock, promising that hel gates should not preuayle against it,Matth. 16. ordayning for the auoyding of Schisme & diuision one head, from the which the dyuers and manyfold members of his Churche might receiue the influence of one doctrin and spirit, what shal wee say of them, that are not of this fold, that do not communicat with this head, that are not planted vpō this root of vnity, nor buylt vpon this rock; that agaynst the chayre of Peeter set vp a chayre of pestilēce, can they be the sheep of Christ, or members of his mistical body? or receiue the influence of his spirit? it is no maruel, yf they be caryed away with euery blast of new doctrin, torne and rent with euery schisme, and cast at length vpon the rockes of heresy or atheisme; haue wee not then sufficient reason to giue lands, lyues, or what honour, pleasure, or comodity soeuer the world yeildeth, rather then to be driuen from [Page 35] this safe harbor of truth, and ancor of vnity, into the seas of schisme and heresy, to the assured shipwrack of our soules? and when wee spend our blood for this cause, do we not dy for religion, yea for a most important point of religion, though it be made treason? wherof wee may truly saye with the blessed martyr Sir Thomas More thet it is a treason without sinne, for the which a mā may be hanged and haue no harme, dy and liue for euer, seeme to some a traytor; and be a glorious martyr.
THE MATTER OF HOLY Images is debated, and the vse therof proued to haue ben in the Churche of God euer since our Sauiours tyme. CHAP. XI.
BVT let vs examine a poynt or two more of religion wherein our aduersaries dissent from vs, that wee may see wheather K. Lucius were more lyke to learne their doctrin concerning the same or ours, and for that they think they haue a maruelous aduātage of vs in the matter of Images, and relykes of saints, wherein they charge vs with flat Idolatrie, and breach of the commaundment of God, I wil say somwhat therof.
And fyrst I cannot but maruel at their grosnesse,Orige. hom. 8. in Exodū. Theodoret. quaest. 38. in Exodum. that cannot distinguish betwiyt an Idol and an Image, whereof they may learne the difference in Origen and Theodoretus, expoūding these words of the cōmaundmēt, non facies tibi Idolū, thou shalt not make to thy self any [...]dol, Exod. 20. (for the septuaginta whose translation they follow, for sculptile haue [...], that is to say an Idol) wherevpon they say, that an Idol is a fals similitude representing a thing which is not, & that a similitude, or Image, is a representation of ae thing which truly is, to which purpose also S. Paule sayth, Idolum [Page] nihil est in mundo, an Idol is nothing in the world Leuit. 19. 26. Num 23. [...] 6., for that Idols represent no truth, but mere fictions vanityes, and lyes, and therfore ar cauled in the Hebrew text of the holy scriptures Elilun and Au [...]nim wheron it followeth, that all Images or other creatures held or adored for Gods, wh [...]ch they neither are, nor yet possibly can bee, are truly and properly Idols, wheras other Images, that represent a truth can not so bee cauled, and this difference is euident in the holy scriptures, which neuer atribute the name of Idol to the true Image of any thing, but to the fals gods of the gentils, and vseth the name of Image, for the similitud of that, which is truly the thing that it is thought to be, or hath the true proprietyes that by the Image are represented, & so Christ is cauled the Image of his father,Bap. 7. Colossen. 1. Hebr. 1. and Salomon is sayd to haue made in the temple Images of Lions, Oxen, Flowers, yea and of the Cherubins, who (though they were Angels and Spirits) were neuerthelesse pourtrayed lyke men, [...]. Reg. 7. (to expresse the forme, wherein they appeared to Moyses on the mountayne) and with wings to shew the celerity of their motion,Conc. Nicae. [...]. Act 4. so that the representation made therby, was true, as of a true apparition, and a true propriety in the Angelical nature;
Herevpon it foloweth, that Images which are not honored for Gods, but ordayned for the honor of Christ, and his saynts (who are truly that which they are represented to be) are no Idols, and therfore our aduersaries are eyther very ignorant, or malicious, when they confound these woords in such sort as to cal Images Idols, and to translate Idolum in the scripture an Image as they commonly do very absurdly, and sometymes ridiculously, as in S. Paule where he speaketh of couetousnes saying, it is [...], that is to say, Idolatry, or the seruice of Idols, and in an other place; that the couetous man is [...],Colossen. 3. Ephes. 5. an Idolater or a woorshipper of Idols (meaning therby that couetous men make theyr money, and their riches their Gods) they translate it, couetousnes is the seruice of Images, and the couetous man is [Page 36] a woorshipper of Images, as though there were no other Idolatry, but that which may be dōne to Images, or that Image and Idole were all one, or that it could be sayd with any propriety, or reason, that a couetous man makes his money an Image, as it may be properly sayd, that he makes it an Idol, because he makes yt his God, which yt neither is, nor can be, in which respect it may wel be cauled an Idol.
Furdermore they bewray in themselues either great simplicity or peruers malice, in that they permit no honour nor reuerence to be donne to the Image of Christ, & his saynts; for doth not reason and common experience teach vs that the honour or reuerence donne to the Image passeth from thence to the Prototipon, Basil. lib. de spiritu sanct [...] ca. 18. & Au [...] lib. 3. de doc [...] Christiana. cap. 9. that is to say, to the thing or person it representeth? he which crowneth (sayth S. Ambrose) the image of the emperour, crowneth the Emperour, and he which contemnes his image seemeth to do iniury to his person;Ambro serm 10. in Psal. 11 when the people of Antiochia cast downe the image of the Empresle, wyfe to Theodosius the Emperour,Note: Theodore. li. 5. hist. cap. 15 he took it for so great an affront to her and him selfe, that he had lyke to haue destroyed the whole citty in reuenge thereof;Chrisost. orati. 2. & 3. ad popu. Antio. and S. Chrysostome complayneth greeuously of the indignity donne to the Emperour therin. The lyke was iudged in England of the violēce dōne by Hacket to the Queenes picture, which was iustly held for a disloyal act agaynst her Magestyes person: And who knoweth not that he which standeth bare headed in the presence chāber before the Queenes chayre and cloth of state doth honour the Queene therein.
Also it was the custome in tymes past to adore the images of the Roman Emperours, which the Christians refused not to do, in which respect Iulian the Apostata, thinking either to draw them to adore his fals Gods, or els to haue some pretence to punish them for contempt of his person, placed his owne image amongst the images of false Gods,Gregor. N [...] orat. 1 in Iu Item Paulus Diaconus in vita Iuliann [...] (as I haue noted in my Apology vpon an other occasion) whervpon S. Gregory Nazianzen sayth, that the simple Christians who did not fal into account of the deceat, [Page] were to be excused of ignorance, for that they thought they adored no more but the Emperours image; if therfore it be lawful to adore the image of an Emperour or earthly king for that he is the image of almighty God, I meane, if it bee lawful to adore the image of Gods image, how much more is it lawful to do reuerence to the image of God him selfe, I meane of Christ God and man?
And sure I am that many in England which wil not haue, nor reuerence; the image of our sauiour for feare of committing idolatry, wil make no bones at all, to keep some picture or remembrance of their Maistres to kisse it, and to vse other tokens of affection and respect towards it, to shew therby their good wil to her.
And how many are there in England that condemne catholykes for keeping images and pictures to moue them to deuotion, and yet make no scruple to keep lasciuious pictures to prouoke themselues to lust? wherby they might see by their owne experience, if they were not wilfully blynd, what is the effect of good and deuout pictures in wel disposed mynds, and what it would bee in themselues if they were as spiritual, and feruerous in the loue of God, as they are carnal and fyry in sensual appetyt; for who douteth that deuout representatiōs do as easely moue pious and godly minds to holy cogitations, and affections, as lasciuious obiects do kindle carnal mynds to concupiscence and lust? and therfore S. Gregory Nissen sayth,Greg. Niss. in orat de deitate filij & spiritus Sācti. allega. in concil. that he neuer beheld the picture of Abraham sacrifising his sonne Isaac, but hee was moued to teares, and yet it is likely that he had often read the story therof, without any such effect, as Basilius byshop of Ancyra noted very wel in the 7. general councel of Nice,Cōcil. Nicen. 2. when the same was aleaged there out of S. Gregory aboue 800. yeres agoe, wherevpō Theodorus byshop of Catane also inferred,Ibidem. in the same councel, that much more may the story of our sauiours passion represented by picture woorke the lyke effect in deuout persons that behold the same. Wherof I think [Page 37] good to declare here a manifest example of my owne knowledge.
It chāced in the house of a Catholyke where. I was, that a young mayd of 15. or 16. yeres of age, (who had ben alwayes brought vp amongsts protestātes) comming thether, and seeing a picture of Christ crusified demaunded whose picture it was, and being told that it was the picture of our sauiour Christ, wherby she might see what he suffred for vs, she was moued with such compassion that after she had stedfastly beheld it a whyle, she burst out first into sighes, & after into teares, saying that shee had often heard of it, but neuer seene it before, adding further our Lord helpe vs if he suffred all this for vs.
Wherby it may appeare, how true is that, which saynt Gregory the greate sayth of Images, to wit,Greg. lib. [...] epist. ad Serenum epis [...] copum Masili. epis. 9. that they are the bookes of the ignorant, who are many tymes more moued with pictures, then with preaching, and vnderstand that which is taught thē much better, when it is by Images or pictures represented to their eyes; for as the Poet sayth.
That is to say; those things that are conceaued by hearing do lesse moue the mynds of men, then such thinges as are committed to the sight.
This the deuil knoweth so wel, as to hinder the same & all other good effects of holy Images, and deuour pictures, yea and to exterminat, as much as in him lyeth, all external monuments, and memories of the lyfe and passion of our sauiour, and his saynts, and so by degrees to root out all Christian religion, he hath stirred vp in all ages his instruments and seruants to make warre against holy Images vnder colour of zeale to Gods honour and glory.
To this purpose it may be noted, that the first and cheef impugners of the lawful vse of Images, for some hundreth yeares togeather, were eyther Iewes, or magicians or manifest [Page] heretikes, or otherwyse know in for most wicked men. [...]ceph li. 16. p. 27. The first wherof was a per [...] [...] about 500. yeres after Christ, whome [...] cauleth the seruant of Satan, saying that he made himselfe a Bishop, before he was baptised, and that he was the first that taught that the Image of Christ, and of his saynts ought not to be woorshiped, and almost 200. yeres after, in the yere of our Lord 676. the Iewes impugned the vse of Images in their Talmud;Con. Nicen. [...]. act. 5. and about the yere of our Lord 700. a Iew persuaded a Mahometan King in Arabia to burne all the Images in the Churches of the Christians, and shortly after Leo Isaurus the Emperour did the lyke by persuasion of a Iew,Cedren Zo [...]aras, Nicet. [...]n vita leon. [...]sau. whose example his sonne Leo Copronimus followed, being a magician, and a nestorian heretyk, and about the yere 800. Leo Armenius the Emperour and his successors Michael Balbus and Theophilus, [...]idem in vitis [...]orum Imperat. (all three most wicked men, & the last addicted both to iudaisme, and necromancy) made a new warre against Images, which the wyclefists also did 500. yeares after, and now of late the Lutherans, and Caluinists; whereas all those that defended the vse of Images against Leo, and those other Emperours, were most holy, and learned men, as Gregorius and Hadrianus Bishops of Rome in those dayes, and Germanus, and Tharasius Bishops of Constantinople, S. Iohn Damascen, Methodius, Leontius, Ionas Aurelianensis, Paulus Diaconus, and diuers others, all of them men of singuler learning, and vertue, by the testimony of all autors, both Greeks & Latins.
THE COMMANDEMENT OF God touching images explicated, and the practise of the Churche declared. CHAP. XII.
BVT our aduersaries obiect against vs the commādement of God,Exod 20. to wit, thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image, nor any similitude of any thing, &c. wherto I answere yf they take the bare letter without the true sence and circumstances, no man may make any Image whatsoeuer, nor so much as any lyknesse of any thing in heauen or earth, but yf wee consider the circumstances, the end, and reason of the commaundement, it maketh nothing at all against vs, for it is manifest that the scope, and end therof is only to forbid Idolatry and the making of Idols, that is to say such Images only as are made with intent to adore them for Gods, and therfore (as Tertulian noteth expresly,) it presently followeth,Tertul. lib. [...] contra Marcionem. non adorabis ea neque coles; thou shalt not adore, nor worship them, which yet appeareth more playnly in Leuiticus, where the same prohibition being renewed, the intent or end is expresly added,Leuit. 26. ad adorandum according to the Septuaginta or as S. Hierome translateth it vt adoretis that is to say, to the end to do godly honor therto; so that, where that end or intent is not, the making or vse of an Image, is not forbidden for that it is no Idole; and therfore the Septuaginta in steede of Sculptile haue Idolum. for that a grauē Image is not to be vnderstood to be forbidden, by that commandment, but when it is an Idole; which interpretatiō of the Septuaginta, both Origin, and Theodoret do follow in that place, as I haue noted before; besydes that, almighty God commaunded afterwards, the brazen Serpent to be set vp in the wildernes,Num 21. & also Cherubins in the tēple,Exod. 25. where the Iewes were wount to adore; the which had ben contrary to his owne commaundement, [Page] yf he had absolutly forbidden the making of Images, or hauing them in temples and Churches; yea & wee may playnly gather out of saynt Hierome, that there was woorship and reuerence donne to the Cherubins, for he sayth, [...]eron epist. [...] marcellā. that the Sancta Sanctorum was woorshiped of the Iewes, because the Cherubins, & the Arke, and the Manna were there; [...]ug. lib. 3 de [...]octri. [...]hrist. cap. 9. to which purpose saynt Austugin geueth a general rule in his book of Christian doctrin, saying that all profitable signes, instituted by almighty God, ought to be reuerenced and woorshipped, for that the honor donne to them doth passe to that which they represent; [...]ug. lib. 3. de [...]rinit. ca. 10. & in his book of the blessed Trinity speaking of signes that being dedicated to some religious vse deserue veneratiō, he putteth for example the brazen Serpent set vp in the wildernesse, which neuertheles was afterwards worthely destroyed by K. Ezechias,Reg. 1 [...]. when the Iewes committed Idolatry therto, & who douteth but that the holy scriptures, & holy vessels or any other thing dedicated to the seruice of God, is to be vsed with reuerēce & respect, & that God is honored therby? So that neither the making of Images, ordayned for Gods honor & seruice, nor yet the reuerend vse therof, was forbidden by that comandemēt, but only the abuse, which was Idolatry,Lib. 2. con [...]ra Marcio. and therfore our aduersaries do shamefully abuse the people, and impudently bely vs, when they say wee make Idols of the Images of Christ, and his saynts; & shew themselues very grosse in that they seeke to abolish altogeather the vse of Images, or pictures, because some abuse perhaps is, or may be incident therto, for there is nothing in the world so necessary, so excelent, or holy, but yf it be vsed, it is or may be abused, the remedy wherof, is not to take away wholy the vse of the thing, but to correct the abuse, as; not to forbid wyne to all men, because some are drunk therwith, but to teach drunkards to vse it with moderation, and hereof the Churche hath such care in the matter of Images, that the people are sufficiently instructed of the vse therof by their curats, pastors and preachers, in [Page 39] so much that no Catholyke man, nor yet any chyld I dare say, that hath but learned his Catechisme is ignorant that the image of Christ, is no more Christ himselfe then the Image of the Queene, is the Queene, and that the honor donne therto, resteth not in the Image, but redoundeth to Christ who is represented therby, and therfore is no more Idolatry, then the reuerence donne to the Queenes picture or cloth of estate is treason.
To come then to the practyse of the Churche, the vse of images was not only alowed, but also ordayned by a cannon of the Apostles, wherin they decreed that the image of our Sauiour Iesus Christ God and man, and of his saynts, should be made by the hands of men and erected against Idols, and Iewes for the confusion of both;
So farre were they from thinking the vse of Images,Sinod. Nice. 2. act. 1. to be Idolatry, that they ordayned the same, for confusion and ouerthrow of Idols, and Idolaters, and it is not to be douted, that the Apostles made such a decree for the vse of Images,Basil. epist. ad Iulian in acti [...]. 2. Nicce. cōcilij act. 2. seeing the seuenth general councel of Nice maketh mention therof, relying vpon the authority of saynt Basil, affirming that it was ordayned by the Apostles that Images should be erected and honored;Vide Turrianum canonibus apostolicis. cap. 25. besyds that Pamphilus the martyr doth testify, that he found in Origens library the decrees of the Apostles made at Antioch, amongst the which; is this; the which may also bee confirmed by the vse and practyse of the Churche of God, since the tyme of Christ, and his Apostles.
Wee read that Nicodemus that came to Christ by night made an Image of him crucified,Athanasius lib. de passione Imaginis domini and that before his death he gaue it to Gamaliel who deliuered it to Iames byshop of Hierusalem, and he to Simeon, and Simeon to Zacheus, and Zacheus to his successors, and that so it passed from one to an other, vntil the Christians were forced to remoue from thence to Beritus a citty of Siria where afterwards the Iewes finding it, vsed it most opprobriously, & pearced it with a lance,Idem. Ibib. out of the which issued great aboundance [Page] of blood that did many miracles, and this was so notorious, that the blood was sent to dyuers parts, and a feast celebrated in Greece in memory therof in the moneth of Nouember; this story was read in the second councel of Nice, and approued by 350. byshops aboue 800. yeres agoe.Eusebius lib. 7. hist ca 14. Eusebius witnesseth that the woman which was cured by our sauiour of a flux of blood, did set vp in the citty of Caesarea in memory of the benefit, a brazen Image of our Sauiour, and that there grew an herb at the foot therof, which when it once touched the hem of his garment, had the vertue to cure all disseases,Ibidem. and this Image Eusebius sayth he saw himselfe in his tyme,Sozomen. li. 5 hist ca. 20. and the ecclesiastical histories written after, do signify that it remayned there vntil Iulian the Apostata caused it to be taken doune, and his owne Image to be set vp in the place, which was shrotly after ouerthrowen, and burnt with fyre from heauen, wherin it is to be noted, that almighty God did not only confirme the vse of Images by the continual miracles of the hearb, but also in destroying the Image of Iulian,Euseb. lib. 7. cap. 14. set vp in the place of his, shewed his indignation towards all such as contemne his Image, or do any iniury therto. Eusebius also sayth that he had seene ancient Images of S. Peter, & saynt Paule kept by the Christians in his tyme. Lib. 4. hist. cap. 26.Euagrius, Lib. 2. hist. cap. 7.Nicephorus, and Lib. 4 de fide orthod. cap. 17.S. Iohn Damascen do declare, that amongst other auncient monuments of the Citty of Edessa, therwas a long tyme kept a true portrait of our sauiour Christ which he himselfe sent to Abgarus king of that citty; and Leo a reader of Constantinople affirmed before the whole councel of Nice aforesayd, that he had seene it, and Euagrius, and Theophanes recount great miracles donne therby,In menologio graeco [...]um. in so much that the Greekes celebrated a solemne feast therof in September, as appeareth in the menologio, or kalender of the Greekes;Lib 2. hist. cap. 43. lib. 6 cap 16. lib. 14 cap. 2. Nicephorus also sayth, that the holy Euangelist S. Luke did draw the true pourtraicts of our blessed Lady, and the Apostle S. Peter, which was kept at Constantinople in the tyme of Theodosius the Emperour, [Page 40] Tertullian maketh mention of the picture of our sauiour in the forme of the good sheepheard carying a sheepe vpon his back,Tertul li. d [...] pudicitia. ordinarily paynted vpon the chalices that were vsed in the Churche in his tyme, which was in the raygne of king Lucius, so that there is no dout but the vse of Images, and pictures hath ben receiued in the Church of God, euer since the Apostels tyme, although by reason of the great persecutions vnder the Pagan Emperours they could neither be so frequent,Damasus in pontisical [...] de sancto Siluestro. nor publyk as after they began to bee in the tyme of Constantine the great; who buylding gorgious temples adorned the same, not only with the signe of the crosse, but also with the Images of our sauiour, and of the twelue Apostels, of Angels, and of S. Iohn Baptist.
S. Augustin noteth that the paynims might see our sauiour Christ paynted with S. Peter and S. Paule in many places.De consensu euang. lib. [...] cap. 10. S. Hierome cōmendeth the feruor and deuotion of Paula,Hieron. in epitaph paulae. Chrisost in Liturgia. that went vp the mountayne of Caluary, and prostrayting her selfe before the Crosse, adored it as though she had seene our sauiour hanging theron, S. Chrysostome in his liturgy, which Erasmus translated, signifieth that the priest going foorth with the gospel in his hand, and a candel caried before him vsed to bow downe his head, to do reuerence to an Image of Christ.
S. Basil,Basil. in S. Barlaam. S. Gregory Nissen, Euodius, Prudentius, and S. Paulinus do make honorable mention of the Images of S. Barlaam, S. Theodorus, S. Steeuen, S. Cassian, S. Martin in Churches in their tyme,Greg. Nis. orat. in Theodorum. which was 1200. yeres agoe: and yf good reader,Euodius dimiraculis S. Stepha. pruden. in him. Pauli Epist. 12. ad seuerum. I should alledge the testimonies of all the fathers, that from the tyme of Constantine did witnes, & approue the publyk vse of Images in the Churche, I should write a whole volume of this matter, and therfore it may suffyse the to vnderstand that although some auncient Fathers as S. Ireneus,Irenae lib. 1. cap. 24. Epiphanius and S. Augustin do reproue somtymes the abuse of some Images,Epipha. haer. 27. as that the heretykes called Gnostici, and others of the sect of Simon placed the images of Christ,August. act. quoduul [...]. haer 7. and of S. Peter, and S. Paule with other of [Page] Pithagoras, Homer, Aristotle, Helen, Minerua, and such lyke, and adored them as Gods with sacrifices, and incense after the manner of the gentils, yet they neuer disalowed the lawful vse therof, and therfore those, that haue at any tyme reiected the [...]ame haue ben alwayes noted, and abhorred of all as heretykes, [...]oā. Damasc. [...]le haeres. in [...]ine. and called Iconomachi, or Iconoclastae, against whome was assembled 800. yeres agoe the seuenth great general Councel at Nice where they were condemned for heretykes,Syno. Nicaen. [...]. act 5. in fi [...]e. and woors then Samaritans; by 350. Bishops.
OF THE RELICKS of Saynts. CHAP. XIII.
Marc. 6.NOW to say somewhat of holy relicks; There is no dout but the vse thereof proceeded of the examples in H. Scripture of the great miracles dōne by the touching of Christs garment by the handkerchef and gyrdle of S. Paule,Act. 16. by the shadow of S. Peter, and in the old Testament by the body of Elizeus,Act. 5. wherewith a dead man was reuiued, [...]. Regum. 13. by all which the first Christians were [...]nduced to reuerence and honour euery thing that pertayned to the seruants of God, and to expect consolation therby, wherfore when S. Peter, and S. Paule suffred at Rome,Gregor. lib. 3. ep. 30. the Christians of the east, came thether, to haue theyr relycks as belonging to them by right, for that they were their cuntrymen, when S. Ignatius, who was thyrd byshop of Antioch after S. Peter was martyred at Rome,Chrysost. serm. de S. Ignatio, to. 5. the Christiās caryed his relickes with great solemnity to Antioch, and as S. Chrysostome testifieth many miracles were donne by the same. At the martyrdome of S. Policarp byshop of Smyrna who also liued in the Apostles tyme, & was put to death not aboue 12. yeres before king Lucius receiued the [Page 41] sayth) the Christians of his diocesse that were present, gathered vp his relikes, & vsed them with great reuerēce, as they themselues witnessed in an epistle which Eusebius recyteth at large,Euseb. lib. hist. cap. 1. wherin amongst other things they say thus. ‘Afterwards hauing gathered out of the ashes his bones more worthy then precious stones, and more pure then gold, we placed them in a place seemely, and fit for them, where assembling our selues sometymes, wee may by the help of our Lord, celebrat the day of his martyrdome, as of his natiuity, with great ioy and exultation,’ thus farre the Christiās of the Churche of. Smyrna S. Cipriā,Ep. 34. besydes the yerely celebration of martyrs feasts, maketh often mention of oblations, and sacrifices offred in memory of them, so doth also Tertullian, so that by these testimonies it appeareth, that in the tyme not only of King Lucius but also of the Apostles, and their Disciples the relikes of Gods seruants were kept, and highly honored, and feasts of their martyrdome celebrated, vnder tytle of their natiuityes, as stil it is vsed in our Cathol. Churche, and no maruel, seing the Christians at that tyme vsed to creep and kisse their chaynes, whyles they were yet liuing in prison,Lib. ad [...]orem. as Tertullian witnesseth, and yf we cōsider the vniforme consent of all fathers in all ages, concerning this poynt, wee may wel wounder at the malice of our aduersaries that do deny it, especially seing in the primatiue Church it was so euident that the very paynims knew it, and therfore were wont to cast the ashes, & bones of the martyrs into riuers, or otherwyse to make them a way, to the end the Christians should not recouer them,Eunap. i [...] [...]ta philoso. and Eunapius Sardianus of Alexandria a paynim writteth that the Christians in his tyme honored their martyrs being dead, kneeling and prostrating them selues before their tombs, and making them their Embassadours to deliuer their prayers to God.
But to returne to the fathers of the Churche,De ciuit. De lib. 22. cap. [...] S. Augustin to confound the gentils reherseth many miracles donne by the very flowers that had but only touched the rehearies [Page] where the relickes of saynts were kept S. Gregory Nissen sayth that the Christians that came to the tombs of saynts,Greg. Niss. [...]ra [...]. in laudē [...]agni. Theo [...]ori. did take it for a great fauour that they might be suffred to cary away some of the dust that was about the same. S. Augustin also telleth that the sonne of one Irenaus was restored to lyfe,Aug de ci [...]i [...]. Dei. li. 22 cap. [...]. being anoynted only with the oyle of a lamp that did hang before the tomb of a martyr; in lyke manner Theodoret,Theodor i [...] hist. Sanct. Patrum. c. 22. in Iacobo. Venantius For u [...] in vita S. Marrini, lib. 4. Venantius, Fortunatus, & Paulus Diaconus,Paulus Diaco. de gest. longob. lib. 2 cap 9. recount wonderful miracles donne by the oyle of lamps that burned by martyrs tombs, yea Gregor. Nazianz. in Iulian. orat. 1.S. Gregory Nazianzen sayth of his owne knowledge, that not only a litle dust, or bone of the martyrs but also the very remembrance of them supplyeth sometymes the want of their whole bodyes, and concludeth with this exclamation, O rem predigiosam, salutem assort sola recordatio, o prodigious thing the only remembrance of them giueth health, and in his oration in prayse of S. Ciprian he calleth to witnesse many that knew by their owne tryal, and experience, what great vertue & power was in this very dust & ashes to expel diuels to cure diseases, and for the foreknowing of things to come;Ambr. serm. 91. de sanctis Nazario & ce [...]so. S. Ambrose asketh why faythful men should not honour relickes of saynts, which the very diuels reuerence, and feare,Ambros. ep. 85. de inuct. corporum Sanct. who also signifieth that he had a reuelation from almighty God of the place where the bodyes of S. Ceruas,Ceruasij & Proresij ad [...]o [...]orem. and Protase were buryed in Millan, wher-vpon he took them vp with great solemnity, as S. Augstin also witnesseth,August. lib. con [...]e [...]io. 9. cap. 7. who was present, and reporteth a great miracle of a blynd man that recouered his sight at the same tyme, and diuels expeld by the merits of those blessed martyrs.
Chrysost. in demonstra. quod Christus fi [...] Deus.S. Chrisostome proueth against the Painims, by the honour donne to saynts relicks, that Christ is God, to whose power and omnipotency he sayth, it is to be ascrybed, that his disciples, and seruants (who whyles they were liuing did seeme most contemtible) became after they were dead more venerable then Kings, in so much that at Rome and Constantinople Kings and praesidents (sayth he) runne to [Page 42] the tombe of a fisher, and take it for a great fauour that their bodyes may be buried, not hard by the Apostles bodyes, but without the circuit of their tombs, and be made as it were porters of Fishermen. Furthermore in his book against the gentils, where he discourseth at large of the lyfe & death of S. Babilas the martyr he signifieth that his body being placed in the suburbs of Antioch neare to a temple where there was an Oracle of Apollo, it put the diuel to silence, and when Iulian the Apostata thought by the remoue of it to remedy the same, the Temple, and Idole were presently after destroyed with fire from heauen, wherwith as saynt Chrisostome testifieth Iulian and all the gentils were wounderfully confounded; and so may our heretykes be in lyke manner, seing that they not only impugne with them this euident argument of the diuinity of Christ, but also hold that for Idolatry which maistreth the diuel, ouerthroweth Idols and confoundeth Idolaters.
I omit infinit others for breuities sake,Hieron. aduer. vigila [...] & conclude with saynt Hierome who declareth the custome of the whole Churche of God both in his tyme, and longe before, therby to confute Vigilantius the heretyke that taught the same doctrine in this behalfe that our heretykes teach at this day; whosoeuer sayth he adored martyrs? who euer taught men to be God? yt greueth vigilantius to see the relickes of martyrs couered with costly and precious veyles belyke Constantin the Emperour committed sacrilege when he translated, to Constantinople the holly relyckes of saynt Andrew, S. Luke, S. Timothe, whera [...] the diuels roare, and now also Arcadius, the Emperour belyke committeth sacriledge who after so long tyme hath translated the bones of Samuel the Prophet into Thratia, and all the Bishops that caryed the ashes laye in silk, and in a vessel of gold are to be condemned for fooles and sacrilegious persons, yea then the faythful people of all Churches are fooles also for going to receiue the same, with no lesse Ioy then if they had serue the Prophet aliue, in so much that frō Palestina to Calcedon ther was all the way [...] of people that with one voyce sounded forth the praise of Christ, lastly so shal wee say that the Bishop of [Page] Rome doth il when he offreth sacrifice to our Lord ouer S. Peter, and saynt Paules venerable bones (as wee tearme them though thou caulest them v [...]le dust) and when he taketh their tombs for the altars of Christ; lo here (good reader) the vse of Images and relykes, and the honor due to them approued by the Fathers of all ages, confirmed by the custome of all Christian nations, ratyfied by miracles, acknowledged by infidels, and Paynims, confessed by diuels, and yet denied and deryded by the heretyks of this tyme, are they not then more obstinat and malicious then heathens, yea then diuels themselues?
THAT OVR DOCTRIN concerning the sacrifice of the Masse was generally receiued, and beleued, in the tyme of king Lucius, & first that it was foretold & prophecyed by Malachias. CHAP. XIIII.
BVT I wil passe to an other importāt poynt, I mean the sacrifice of the Masse, to see whether our doctrin concerning the same or theirs was deliuered by our sauiour to the Apostles and taught in king Lucius tyme or no.
The sacrifice of the Masse consisting in the oblation of the blessed body and blood of our sauiour Iesus Christ, was prophesyed by Malachias, praefigured by the sacrifice of Melchifedeth, instituted and offred by our sauiour at his last supper, deliuered by him to his Apostles, practysed by them and by the Churche of God euer since.
Malach. 1.Malachias the Prophet foretelling the reiection of the Iewes, and the election of the gentils, signifieth withall the translation of the Iewes law and priesthood into a new law, and a new priesthood, and compareth or rather opposeth the priests of the one, to the priests of the other, [Page 43] sacrifice to sacrifice, place to place, altar to altar, and a poluted bread which they were wōt to offer only in Hierusalem, to a cleane oblatiō which should be offred to God amongst the Gentils euery where throughout the whole world, saying to the priests of the Iewes in the person of God, that seing they dispysed his name, and offred vpon his altars a polluted bread, and blynd and lame sacrifices, non est mihi voluntas in vobis, &c. sayth hee,Malach c [...] my wil is no longer to be serued of you, neyther wil I accept any more sacrifice at your hands, for my name is great amongst the Gentils euen from the east to the west, & there is a cleane oblation offred to my name in euery place, &c. Thus farre the Prophet, who cannot be vnderstood to speake of any other sacrifice then of the Masse, which being nothing els but the oblation of the blessed body and blood of our sauiour Iesus Christ in forme of bread and wyne, is a most pure and cleane oblation, and cannot be polluted by the wickednes of the priests, as the bread offred in the old law was wont to be; to which purpose it may be noted that the Prophet speaking of dyuers kinds of sacrifices, some consisting of beasts or catel (which he signifyed by the words blynd and lame) and other in bread, he attributeth the word polluted or defiled to the bread only, not without mistery, to oppose therto the cleane sacrifice of the gentils in forme of bread, cauling it a cleane oblation, and putting the special force of the antithesis betwyxt the figure, and the verity,Hieron. in Malach. 1. Hieron. [...] for that the shew bread or bread of proposition being as S. Hierome sayth the bread which the priests polluted) was a proper figure of the holy eucharist, as he also testifyeth.
Furdermore this sacrifice cannot be vnderstood of the sacrifice of our sauiour vpon the crosse, which was offred only once, and in one place, and not amongst the gentils; neither yet of spiritual sacrifices, as of thankes geuing, prayer, fasting, and other good workes, which are improperly cauled sacrifices, and therfore it is to be noted that whensoeuer this woord sacrifyce is improperly taken in [Page] the scripture some other woord is alwayes ioyned thereto, to signify the same, as h [...]stiae laudis, saecrificium iustitiae. Saecrificium cordis contriti, the host or sacrifice of prayse, the sacrifice of iustice, the sacrifice of ae contrit hart, [...]salm. 115. [...]salm 4. [...]lm. 50. and on the other syde whensoeuer it is alone without any woord adioyned, to restrayne or diminish the sence (as it is in this prophesy) it signifyeth a true and proper sacrifice;
This difference may wel be noted, where it is said, miscricordiam volui, non sacrificium, I wil haue mercy and not sacrifice, and agayne obedientiae est melior quam victima, obedience is better then sacrifice, [...]se [...]. 6. [...]. Reg. 11. in which sentences sacrifyce properly taken, is opposed to mercy and obedience, which also may improperly be cauled sacrifices, as wel as thankes geuing, prayse of God or any other good worke whatsoeuer.
Agayne the prophet speaketh heere of a sacrifice or oblation which should be but one, cauling it a cleane oblation, but the spiritual sacrifices are as many as there are good woorkes of the faythful.
Also he speaketh of a sacrifice proper to the new law, and to the gentils, & such a one as should succeede the sacrifices of the Iewes, and be offred in steede therof; but spiritual sacrifices haue ben in all tymes, and common both to Iewes and gentils;
But howsoeuer other men may vnderstand this prophesy our aduersaryes cannot with any reason expound it, of the good woorks of Christians, seeing they teach that the best woorkes of the iustest men are polluted, and vncleane, sinful and damnable, which therfore cannot, according to their doctrin, be that sacrifice which almighty God himselfe cauled by the mouth of his prophet, a cleane oblation.
Lastly the most learned and auncient fathers of the Churche do vniformly expound this prophesy of the sacrifice of the masse; as S. Iustin the learned Philosopher and famous martyr, within 150. yeres after Christ, sayth that, [...]usti [...]. In dia [...]o. cum Tri [...]h [...]. of the sacrifices of the gentils that are offred in euery place, videlicet, [Page 44] the bread and cup of the Eucharist, Malach [...] the Prophet euen then spoke and foretold that wee should glorify his name therby.
Ireneus also hauing declared in what manner our sauiour did institute the blessed Sacramēt of the Eucharist at his last supper,Iraenae lib. cap 32. [...]t c. [...]. & 3. and that the Churche receyuing the same of the Apostles offreth it to God throughout the world, addeth, de quo & in duodecim prophetis Malachias sic praesignificauit non est mihi voluntas in vobis, &c. that is to say, wherof Malachias one of the twelue prophets did signify before hand, speaking to the Iewes in this manner, my wil is no longer to be serued by you, &c.
S. Chrysostome hauing alledged the same Prophesy concludeth.Chrysost. hom. in p [...] 95. Behold, sayth he, how clearly and playnly he hath interpreted the mistical table, which is the vnbloody host.
He that listeth to see more testimonyes of the fathers let him read Tertulian,Tertul. l [...]. [...] contra [...] tion in [...]ine. Cypria. lib. contra [...] d [...]os, cap. Hiero [...]. in Zachai. cap. [...]. Aug. lib. 1. contra aduersas. leg & prophet cap. 2. Ciril. li. de adorat. Euseb. lib. 1. de preparat. euangel. Theodoret super. Malach. 1. Damascen. lib. 4. de [...]rt hodo [...] [...]d [...]. S. Ciprian, S. Hierome, S. Augustin, S. Ci [...]il, Eusebius, Theodoretus, and S. Ihon Damascen in the places alledged in the margent.
THAT NOT ONLY THE SACRIFICE of Melchisedech but also the sacrifices of the old law, were figures of the sacrifice of the masse & are changed into the same, and by the way is declared the necessity of sacrifice, as wel for common welth, as for religion. CHAP. XV.
NOw to speake of the sacrifice of Melchisedech I think our aduersaries wil not deny that our sauiour was and is a Priest according to the order of Melchisedech, and that he shalbe so for euer as the Prophet Dauid testifieth of him, saying, tu es sacerdos in eternū secundum ordinem Melchisedech, thou art a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech, the which saynt Paule also sheweth amply in his epistle to the Hebrews; the which being granted, two things do euidently follow thereon.
The first is, that for as much as priesthood and sacrifice ar correlatiues, and cannot be the one without the other; in which respect saynt Paule sayth that a Priest or Bishop is ordeyned vt offer at dona & sacrificiae, to offer gifts and sacrifices, Hebr [...] 5. & [...]. & agayne that our sauiour being a Priest must needs haue somewhat to offer, and seing his sacrifice vpon the crosse was offred by him but once, neither can euer be reiterat in that manner, and therfore cannot be that continual sacrifice which must needs correspond to his eternal priesthood, & bee continually offred in his Church, I cōclude that besydes his sacrifice vpon the crosse, he did institut and leaue behind him some other, to be offred dayly, not only for remission of dayly sinnes, but also for a most deuine act of religion wherby all faythful people may dayly do to almighty God the due worship & seruice they owe him, the which kind of worship by publik sacrifice, was not only vsed in the law of Moyses, but also in the law of nature, & is so due to God [Page 45] from man, and proceedeth so [...]rinsecally from the very grounds and principles of nature it selfe, that their can be no perfect religion nor good common welth without it.
For as for religion whereas the special office and end therof is to acknowledge by external acts the seruice and subiection wee owe to our Lord and creator, and the dominion he hath ouer vs, it is manifest that no external act of religion doth so fully and conueniently expresse and signify the same as sacrifice, wherby wee gratefully offer to almighty God his owne creatures, not only rendring him part of his owne gifts, and yeilding him thankes therfore, but also destroying them in his honour, to testify as wel that he is souuerayn Lord of lyfe and death, as that we hold our beeing and all wee haue of him, and depend wholy of his wil and prouidence, yea and that we owe our owne lyfe to him in sacrifice and doe as it were redeeme the same with the death or destruction of an other creature; in signification wherof,Euseb. de praep. eua lib. 1. cap. he which in the old law did present to the priest any beast to be sacrifised, did hold him by the head, wheron the priest did also lay his hands, to shew that it was offred as a price pro capite, for the head or lyfe of him, that made the oblation.
Therfore for as much as this kynd of worship is the greatest & most proper testimony we can externaly yeild, of vassellage and seruitude to our creator, it cannot without preiudice of his right be cōmunicated to any creature whatsoeuer, in which respect it is caused by the deuynes latria as due to God alone and for that cause not only the deuil (that seeketh to robbe almighty God of his glory) but also such men as haue made themselues to be held for Gods, traue euer affected this kynd of woorship as the highest and most due to diuinity.Aug. li. eō aduersat. gis. Seeing then sacrifice is most essential to religion, and a most proper and principal act therof, it followeth that there can be no perfect religion without priesthood and sacrifice for which cause [Page] S. Paule speaking of the translation of the law maketh it to depend wholy vpon the translation of the priesthood, saying that the priesthood being translated there must needs be withal, a translation of the law. [...]eb [...]. 7. [...]aniel ca. 3. And Daniel the Prophet describing the religion of the Iewes falne to desolation, sayd; that they had neither sacrifice, oblation nor incence amongst them.
And now to speake a word or two, by the way, of common welth, where as nothing is more natural to mankynd then the same (to the which all men are by a general instinct of nature so inclyned, that ther was neuer found any people so barbarous but they liued in society) it is to be noted, that it hath neuer ben read nor heard of that any common welth hath ben without sacrifice, whervpon Plutarch sayth, that though a man may happely fynd some cittyes without wals,Plutarch ad [...]ers Colorē [...]picureum. without scooles, without learning, without theaters, without money, yet no man euer saw citty without temples wherin sacrifice might be offred to God; And Aristotle speaking of things precisely necessary for common welth, ordeyneth that special care be had of sacrifice to the Gods. Arist lib. 7. politie. Wherof two reasons may be geuen, the one for that nothing is more truly political, nor tendeth more directly to the establishment of common welth then publik sacrifice, wherby not only a league of frindship and ciuil vnity is made amongst men by the participation & communion of the thing that is sacrifised, but also their passeth, as it were, a couenant betwyxt God and them, wherby they become his particuler people, and he their God and protector, without whose particuler prouidence and protection no common welth can eyther prosper or stand. The other reason is for that sacrifice being as before I haue declared most necessary to religion, is consequently necessary for common welth, wherof the true & natural end is religion, God hauing ordeyned man and all humain things, principally for his owne seruice and therfore the very heathen Philosophers, namely Plato and all his followers, [Page 46] make the end of common welth to be nothing els but a religious wisdome,Plato. Plotinus. Iamblicus. Aristot. Polit. lib. 7. Ethie. lib. cap. 8. & li [...]. ca. 14. & 1 Aristot. li. politie. Plaro. Plutarc. in vitis Rom nu [...]ae. & Tulli holi [...] Idem in p [...] blem. consisting in the knowledge, [...]oue and seruice of God; and Aristotle placeth it in contemplation of deuine things, wherto he also specially requyreth the knowledge, loue, and seruice of God, which is nothing els but religion; in which respect he geueth the cheef preeminence and dignity amongst the magistrats to priests, whose special function and office is to offer sacrifice. The which is also confirmed by the custome of all good cōmon welths, as the ancient kingdomes of the AEgyptians, and Romans, wherein the kings themselues were priests, and offred sacrifice; as also the cheefe magistrats amongst the Gretians were wont to do, and in the common welth of the Romans after the suppression of their kings, yea and when they florished most,Valerius li ca. 1. Luci flo [...]us in epito. lib. [...]. Cicero. or [...] tio. pro domo [...]. the office of priests was so preeminent, that the cheefe bishops commanded and controled the consuls, and as Cicero sayth, praefuerunt tum religionibus deorum, tum summae reip. that is to say, had the cheefe authority not only in matters concerning religion but also in the common welth.
Seeing then religion is naturally the end of common welth, and sacrifice a most necessary and principal act of religion, it followeth that sacrifice is no lesse natural and essential to common welth then to Religion.
But to leaue the consideration of common welth apart, and to conclude with religion and sacrifice, I say that for as much as they are both most natural to man, and that the woorkes and effects of grace do not ouerthrow, but nobilitate and perfect the good inclinations and woorkes of nature, yt must needs follow that our sauiour by the law of grace, did no more depriue man of publike sacrifice then of religion, but that as he left him a most perfect and deuine Religion, farre excelling that which he had before eyther in the law of nature; or in the law of Moyses, so he left him also a most deuine sacrifice, wherby he might dayly pay the tribute of nature in a farre more excellent manner [Page] then he did in eyther of the former states.
This is no lesse p [...]ainly, then learnedly taught by saynt Clement, S. Peters disciple and successor, who in his book of Apostolical constitutions declaring that our Sauiour did not by the law of grace abrogate the law of nature, nor take away so much as any natural inclination in man, but [...] confirme and perfect the first, and moderate the later, he sheweth withall, what was fulfilled and what was chāged in the law of Moyses, and amongst other things that he sayth were changed, he nameth baptisme priesthood and sacrifice, saying that in steed of dayly baptismes our sauiour ordayned only one, and for bloody sacrifice he instituted rationale in cruentum, & misticum sacrificium quod in mortem domini per symbola corporie & sanguinis sui celebratur, Clemen. Apostolica [...]um con [...]itut. lib. 6. cap. 2. 3. that is to say a reasonable vnbloody & mistical sacrifice, the which is celebrated by the sacraments or signes of his body and blood in representation of his death; Thus fayth saint Clement of the proper sacrifice of the new law, that is to say the masse, as it is euident by his owne words; [...]renaeu [...] li. 4. cap. 34. which saint Ireneus confirmeth, signifying that as there were oblations in the old law, so there are oblations in the new law, and sacrificia in populo, sacrificia in Ecclesia, sacrifices amongst the people of the Iewes, and sacrifices in the Churche, in so much that he teacheth; that sacrifices were not reiected by mutatiō of the law, but changed: whereto he addeth also this differēce, that [...]acrifice is now offred by vs, not as it was by the Iewes, that is to say as by bond men, but by free men, because our sauiour hath deliuered vs from the bondage of the law, and thus sayth this ancient father of the sacrifice of the holy eucharist or masse, which a litle before he cauleth the new oblation of the new testament applying therto the prophesy of Malachy, as I haue noted in the last chapter.
To this purpose it is also to be noted that the most ancient and learned fathers do teach that the sacrifices of the old lawe (as wel bloody as vnbloody) were figures of this sacrifice, the which they affirme not only of the H [...]eron. [...] ca. [...]. M [...]lae [...] bread [Page 47] of proposition, and the flowre which was offre [...] for them that were cleansed from leprosy, but also of the sacrifice of the Paschal lambe;Iustin. in dial. and saynt Augustin teacheth expressely that all the sacrifices of the old law were no lesse figures of this sacrifice of the Churche,Origen in in 26. Mat. Tertul lib 4 contra Marcion Cipria. lib. de vnit. ecclesiae An [...] bros. in 1. [...] Luc. then of the sacrifice of of the crosse, [...]aying that singulare sacrifl [...]sum &c. the singuler or most excollēt sacrifice, which spiritual Israel that is to say, the Churche, doth offer euery where according to the order of Melchisedech, was signified by the shadowes of sacrifices wherein the people of the Iewes did serue, Aug lib. 1. contra aduersat. leg. & prophet. cap 18. & 19. and agayne in the same place, he sayth that omnia genera priorant sacrificiorum, all kinds of former sacrifices, were shadowes of the sacrifice of the Churche. Whereof the reason may be gathered out of him selfe; to wit because this sacrifice of the Churche is the selfe same, that was offred vpon the crosse, that is to say, our sauiour him selfe, whome all the sacrifices of the old law did properly prefigure;August. de baptismo cō tra Donatistas lib. 3. cap. 19. the which reason S. August. seemeth himself to yeild, saying that our sauiour sent those whome he healed of their leprosy to the Priests of the old law to offer sacrifice, because the sacrifice which was to be celebrated in the Churche, in steede of all the sacrifices of the old law, was not then instituted, and geuing as it were, a further reason therof, he sayth, qi [...]a illis-omnibus ipse praenunsciabatur, because he him selfe was fore shewed or signified by them all as though he should say, that for as much as our sauiour who was prefigured by all the sacrifices of the old law, was to bee offred in the sacrifice of the Churche, or new law, therfore the sayd sacrifice of the Churche was also prefigured by all those former sacrifices, & to be offred in steede of them; which other where he teacheth expressely in these woords the table (sayth he) which the priest of the new testament, August. de ciuit. Deilib 17. cap 20. that is to say our sauiour Christ doth exhibit is of his owne body and blood [...] for that is the sacrifice, which succeedeth all the sacrifices of the old law, that were offred in shadow or figure of that which was to come, and a litle after; in steede of all those sacrifices his [...] is offred, and ministred to the comm [...]nants, thus [Page] farre saynt Augustin,Leo. Mag. [...] [...] de passione to whome I wil ad twoo or thre [...] other of the most famous fathers of the churche S. Leo surnamed the great, sayth, now that the varietyes of carnal & fleshly sacrifices d [...] ceasse, thy body aud blood, o Lord, doth supply, for all the differences of hosts and sacrifices in the old law; And S. Chrisostome hauing mentioned particulerly the many and diuers sacrifices of the old law, addeth,Chrisost. ho. in Psal. [...]. all which the grace of the new testament doth comprehend in one sacrifice ordeyning one, & the same a true host; in which woords saynt Chrisostome meaneth the sacrifice of the Eucharist, which he cauleth a litle before the mistical table a pure and vnbloody host, a heauenly & most reuerend sacrifice which also he confirmeth other where saying that Christ did change the sacrifices of the old law, and in steede therof commanded himselfe to be offred, Chrisost. ho. [...]4. iu 10 cap. [...]. ad Cor. in the eucharist. Lastly S. Cyprian speaking of the flesh of our sauiour left to his Churche for a sacrifice,Cyprian. de c [...]na Domini. sayth, that it was so to be prepared that it might continually be offred, least yf it were consumed (as other flesh is, that is bought in the market and eaten) it could not suffice for all the christian world to serue them for an host or sacrifice of christian religion in so much that he affirmeth that yf it were consumed, it semed ther could be no more religion signifying therby not only the necessary concurrence of religion and sacrifice, whereof I haue spoken before, but also that the sacrifice of the masse is the proper sacrifice of the new testament, and that the eternity of the said testament dependeth vpon the eternity of this sacrifice, which is the first point that (as I vndertook to proue,) doth necessarily follow of the eternal priesthood of Christ according to the order of Melchisedech.
The secōd poynt which I gather of Christs Priest-hood is, that seeing he fulfilled the figures of all the bloody sacrifices offred by the Priests of the order of Aaron (of which order he himselfe was not) it were absurd to say, that he fulfilled not the special & proper sacrifice of Melchisedech of whose order he was.
[...]. 14.The proper sacrifice of Melchisedech consisted in bread [Page 44] and wyne as it appeareth in genesis; where it is sayd that when Melchisedech went to meete Abraham protulit (or as saynt Cyprian also readeth it) obtulit panē & vinum he brought forth or offred bread and wyne, Ciprian. li. [...] epist. [...]. ad Cecilium. and to shew that reason therof it followeth immediatly, [...]rat cum sa [...]erdot Dei altissimi for he was the Priest of the highest God, wherby it is signified that bread and wyne were the proper obiects wherein he exercised his priestly function and the only matter of his sacrifice.
But for as much as the vnderstanding of this scripture, is much controuersed betwyxt vs and our aduersaries, who deny that Melchisedechs sacrifice consisted of bread and wyne, (which they say he brought forth only to releeue Abraham, and his company, and not to offer to God in sacrifice) I remit me to the opinion or rather to the vniforme cōsent of the most anciēt & learned fathers of the Churche, who do not only vnderstand this scripture as wee do, but also teach that Christ fulfilled this figure of Malchisedechs sacrifice; at his last super.
Clemens Alexandrinus doth signify that Melchisedech did with some particuler ceremonies consecrat,Clem. Ale [...]. lib. 4. Str [...] mat. or dedicat the bread and wyne whiche he gaue to Abraham; for he sayth that he gaue him panem & vinum, sanctificatum nutrimentu in typum eucha [...]istis, a s [...]ctified or consecrated meate, in figur [...] of the eucharist.
S. Cyprian sayth,Ciprian. [...]a [...] epist. [...]. [...] caeci [...]. we see the Sacrament or mistery of our Lords sacrifice praefigured in the priesthood of Melchisedech as the de [...] scripture testifieth saying, Melchisedech King of Salem brought foorth bread and wyne, for he was the Priest of the highest God, and blessed Abraham, & a litle after, he sayth, that our sauiours order of Priesthood was deriued of Melchisedechs sacrifice, for that our sauiour offred sacrifice to God his Father, and offred the same that Melchisedech offred, to wit bread and wyne, that is to say his body and blood.
S. Augustin speaking of the oblation of Melchisedech when he went to meet Abraham. There appeared first sayth he, [Page] the sacrifice that now is offred to God by Christians throughout the world. Aug. de ciuit. dei lib. [...]6 ca 22.
Hieron epist. [...]d Marcel [...]a [...]de ad Euagri. epist 12 [...]. Hipolitus. Ireneus. Eusebius Caesari. Eusebius Emissen. Apolli [...]arius EustathiusS. Hierome to Marcella sayth thou shalt fynd in genesis Melchisedeth King of Salem who euen then offred bread and wyne in figure of Christ, and did dedicate the mistery of Christians consisting in the body and blood of our saviour. Thus sayth S. Hierome who reacheth also the same expressely in his epistle to Euagrius, confirming it with the testimony and autority of Hipolitus the ancient martyr, Ireneus, Eusebius Caesariensis, Eusebius Emissenus, Apollinarius, and Eustathius Byshops of Antioch.Theodoret. in Psal. 109.
Euseb. li. 5. de demonst. ca. 3. Ambros. li. 5. de sacram. & de ijs qui mister. initian cap. [...]. Hieron. in Matth. cap. 26. & in qu. sup. Genes. Aug. in Psal. [...]3. & lib. 17. de ciuit dei ca. 6. Chris. hom. 35. & 36. in Genes. Primasius. Athanas. Photius Oecumen. super. cap. 5. ad Haebrae. Damascu [...]. lib. 4. de o [...]i [...]. cap. 14 Arnob. & Cassi [...]do in Psalm. 109.Theodoret [...] declareth euidently that Melchisedech brought fourth bread and wyne both to God for sacrifice and also to Abraham, for that he fore saw in Abrahams seede, that is to say in Christ, a true paterne or example of his priesthood, and furder he sayth that Christ fulfilling the figure began to exercise the function of the priesthood of Melchisedech in his last supper, and if I should alleadge all the places of the Fathers that confirme the same I should be too taedious, and therfore I [...] those that desyre to see more, to these that follow, vz. Eusebius, S. Ambrose, S. Hierome, S. Aug. S. Chrisostome Primasius, S. Athanasius, Photius Oecumenius, S. Iohn Damascen, Arnobius, and Cassiodorus, and to the most of those that haue written vpon the 109 Psalme.
THAT OVR SAVIOVR Christ instituted and offred at his last super the sacrifice of his blessed body, and blood, proued by his owne woords, & by the expositions of the Fathers, with a declaration how he is sacrificed in the masse, and lastly that he gave commission and power to his disciples, to offer his body and blood in sacrifice, that is to say, to say masse. CHAP. XVI.
IT appeareth by the premisses that the sacrifice of the Churche that is to say the masse was prophesied and foretold by the Prophet Malachias, and prefigured not only by the sacrifice of Melchisedech cōsisting in bread and wyne, but also by all the sacrifices of the old law, yea & that our sauiour at his last super did exercise his Priestly function according to the order of Melchisedech in instituting and offering the same when he sacrifised his blessed body and blood in formes of bread and wyne, which I wil confirme in this chapter by the words of our sauiour himselfe which he vsed in the institution and oblation therof, saying; this is my body which is geuen for you, and this is my blood which is or shalbe shed for you, &c. Luc. 22. Matth. 26.
Wherein it is to be noted, that not only the liturgies of the Apostles and of saynt Basil, saynt Chrisostome,Liturgia [...]a cobi. Clem lib 8. const cap 17. & saynt Ambrose (which last is stil vsed in Milan euer since S. Ambrose his tyme) but also saynt Paule,Liturgiae Basilij Chrisost. & Ambros. and all the 3. euangelists that report the words of our sauiour, doe as wel in the Greeke text, as in the Siriac & Caldie, speak all in the present tēse, saying datur, frāgitur traditur, fūditur pro v [...]bis & in remissionē peccatorū, 1. Cor. 11 Matth. 26. that is to say, is geuē, broken, deliuered, & shed, for you, and for the remission of sinnes, Mar. 14. Luc. 2 [...] signifiing that the same was then presently doone in that vnbloody sacrifice, & not that it should be dōne only afterwards in the sacrifice vpon the crosse, though if wee haue also respect therto, yea and [Page] to the sacrifice of the masse dayly to be offred in the Churche, it might truly be spoken in the future tense as our Latin translation of saynt Luke hath of the chalice effundetur it shalbe shed, though before speaking of the body it hath datur, it is geuen, where it is also further to be noted, that in the Greeke text of saynt Luke,Luc. 22. this woord effunditur or or rather effusum est, is shed, hath playne relation to the blood in the chalice, and not to the blood that was to be shed on the crosse for that the woord [...] which sinifieth effusum is spoken of [...] that is to say the cup, & therfore the text is [...] that is to say, this is the cup, the new testament in my blood which cup is shed for you, wherby the figure of metonomia, the cup is vsed for the blood in the cup, wherto S. Augustin alludeth speaking of the effusion of our sauiours blood vpon the altar; the body of our Lord saith he is offred vpon the altar, and therefore the innocents that were killed do woorthely demand reuenge of their blood vnder the altar, vbi sanguis Christi effunditur pro peccatoribus, where the blood of Christ is shed for sinners. Aug. serm. 4. de innocent.
1. Cor. 11.The lyke may also be noted of our sauiours woords concerning his body, as S. Paule reporteth them in the Greek; in which tongue he wrote, where, in steede of this is my body which shalbe geuen for you (as we haue it in the Latin) we read this is my body [...] which is broken for you, Chrisost. hom. 1. Cor. 11. which saynt Chrisostome expounding of our sauiours body in the Sacrament sayth, he is broken for all a lyke, and is made a body for all a lyke; and furder declareth playnly in an other place,Idem hom. in 1 Cor. 10 that this cannot be vnderstood of his body on the crosse; for expounding these woords of S. Paule in the chapter before [...] vz. panis quem f [...]anginius, the bread which wee break [...], he sayth: this wee may see fulfilled in the eucharist, & not on the crosse, but the contrary, for it was said, a bone of him shal not bee broken, but that which he suffred not vpon the crosse, he suffreth for thee in the oblation, and is content to be broken that he may fil all men. Thus farre saynt Chrisostome who is not so grosly [Page 50] to be vnderstood, as though he should meane that our sauiours bones which were not broken on the crosse, are broken in the eucharist, with the hurt and greefe of his person, but that his exceeding bounty towards man is such, that he is content, not only to take vpon him a sacramental forme of bread, but also to be handled, broken, and eaten to the end he may be distributed & made meate to feede and fil all men, yet so neuertheles that though it may be said as S. Chrisostome sayth, that he suffreth fraction or breaking in the Sacrament when it is broken (by reason of his real & true presence therein) yet he suffreth it without hurt or diuision of his person, by reason of his impassibilitie and omnipotency, being whole & perfect in euery part therof though it be deuided and broken into neuer so many.
This is the meaning of this learned Father, who notably confirmeth therby our doctrin, not only concerning the verity of Christs body in the sacrament, but also concerning our sauiours sacrifice therof at his last super, seeing his exposition of our sauiours woords admitteth no relation to his sacrifice vpon the crosse, whervpon it followeth that his body, which as he sayd him selfe was geuen & broken for his Disciples, and his blood which he sayd was shed for many, aud for remission of sinnes, was then presently geuen and shed by him, that is to say offred by him in sacrifice.
This is notably confirmed by an other circumstance that is to be considered in the woords of our Sauiour concerning the promulgatiō of his new law or manifestation of his new testament in the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, for as the old testament was dedicated by the blood of a sacrifice, not to come but then offred to God when it was promulgat (with the which blood Moyses sprinkled the people,Exod. 24. saying this is the blood of the testament that God hath sent vnto you) so the new Testament was also dedicated by the blood of a sacrifice,Hebrae. [...]. not to be offred only after-wards vpon the crosse but then also presently offred by our sauiour, who therefore alluded euidently to the dedication [Page] of the old law,Math. 26. and to the very woords of Moyses, saying this is my blood of the new Testament; sanctifying his Churche farre more inwardly and effectually with the blood of his owne sacrifised body; when he gaue it to his Apostoles to drink, then Moyses sanctified the people of the Iewes when he sprinkled them exteriorly with the blood of a sacrificed beast, and therfore saynt Ireneus calleth the Sacrament of the Eucharist nouam oblationem noui Testamenti [...] the new oblation of the new Testament, [...]reneus li. [...]p 32. and S. Augustin cauleth it Sacrificium noui Testamenti, the sacrifice of the new Testament, [...]ug contra [...]ustum lib. [...]. cap. 21. and in an other place defyneth it to be a ryte or ceremony commanded by almighty God in the manifestation of the new Testament, pertayning to the wourship which is due to God alone and called latria, quo sibi sacrificari precepit, with which ryte or ceremony he commanded sacrifice to be donne to him self, [...]ug. epist. ad [...]onorat. and S. Chrisostome expounding these woords of our sauiour in saynt Paul. Hic calix nouum Testamentum est in sanguine meo, this cup is the new Testament in my blood, Chrisost. [...]om. 27. in [...] Cor. 11. compareth euidently the cup of the old Testament with the cup of the new, blood with blood, and sacrifice with sacrifice, saying the cup of the old Testament was certayne licors, and the blood of brute beasts, for after they had sacrificed in the old law, they took the blood in a cup and offred it, and therfore because Christ in steede of the blood of brute beasts introduced or brought in his owne blood, hee renewed the memory of the old sacrifice, &c.
Thus far S. Chrisostome of the woords of our sauiour; and then prosecuting the interpretatiō of S. Pauls discours therevpon, he addeth that Saynt Paule represented to the Corinthians our sauiours actiō at his super to the end they might be so affected, as though they where sitting at the same table with him & ab ipso Christ [...] ac [...]pientes hoe sacrificium, and as though they receiued this sacrifice of Christ himselfe, declaring euidently that the sacrifice where with our sauiour did dedicat his testament according to the figure in the old law, was not only offred one the crosse but also at his super; whereof the reason is euident; for at his supper he was a [Page 51] publik person, a maister of a family, free and at his owne liberty to make and publish his lawes, to assemble his friends, and witnesses of his wil, and those whome he meant to make his heyres, his vicars, and substituts; all which he did;Haebr. 9. whereas vpon the crosse, he represented no publik person, no maister of a family, no law maker, nor so much as a free man, but seemed the most abiect and miserable man in the world, forsaken of all men, and therefore S. Paule teacheth not that he did make, institut or publish his Testament vpon the crosse, but that he confirmed it there by his death, and that from thens forward it tooke effect, as men ar wont before they dye to make their Testaments, which when they are dead beginne to be of force.
And for the furder explication of this question it is to bee considered, that although the sacrifice of the Crosse was a most absolute and perfect cōsummation of all sacrifices whatsoeuer, and a ful redemption and satisfaction for the sinnes of the world, yet neuerthelesse it cannot be sayd properly to haue distinguished the old testament from the new, for that it was as I may tearme it, a certayne common and transcendent good; indifferent to both states and testaments, whereto all sacrifices as wel of the law of nature and the law of Moyses, had a relation, as now also the sacrifice of the Churche hath in the law of grace, yet with this difference, as S. Augustin noteth,Aug lib. 20. contra faust [...] ca. 21 & de fide ad Petrum cap. 19. that the sacrifice of the crosse was prefigured and promised to come by the many and sundry sacrifices of the old law, and now is represented as past, by our one and only sacrifice of the new law; which sacrifice, though it be the same that our sauiour offred at his last supper, yet it hath a different respect to the sacrifice of the crosse, for that ours representeth the same as already past, and our sauiours sacrifice in his last supper, going before the other vpon the crosse, did not only represent the same to come, but also was as it were a preamble thereto, where in as venerable Bede our cuntryman sayth, [Page] he began by passion,Bede. Rupert lib. 2. [...]n Exodum. for that, as Rupertus affirmeth, in angustia passionis agonizans, being already in the Agony and anguish of his passion, he offred himselfe with his owne hands to God his father, and as Isichius testifieth,Isichius in Leuit. cap. 4. preuenting his enemies, first sacrifised himselfe in his mististical supper, and after on the Crosse, wherof S. Leo also sayth,Leo sermo. 7. de passione. that he preuented his death by a voluntary oblation of himselfe in the Sacrament, and S. Gregorius Nissenus explicating this matter diuinly,Greg. Nissen. ora [...]. 4 de resurrectione. sayth thus: Remember sayth he the woords of our Lord to wit, no man shal take my lyfe from me, but I my selfe will geue it, &c. For he which doth geue al things of his owne power and authority doth not expect necessity by treason, nor the violent fury of the Iewes, nor the vniust iudgement of Pilat, that their wickednes, & malice shuld be the beginning of our saluation, but by a secret & ineffable manner of sacrifice, he doth preoccupat or preuent the violence of men by his owne disposition offring himselfe an oblation or sacrifice for vs; being both the priest & the lambe which taketh away the sinnes of the world. But perhaps thou wilt say vnto me when chanced this? euen then when he gaue to his familiar friends his body to be eaten, & his blood to be dronke; for a man cannot eat the sheep, but the slaughter must go before, Therefore when he gaue his body to his disciples to be eaten he did playnly demonstrat and shew, that the lamb was already immolated & sacrificed for the body of the host whyles it is liuing is not fit to be eaten. Thus farre this famous Graecian, brother to saynt Basil, whose doctrin cōcerning the sacrifice of our sauiours body before it be eaten, is most consonant to our sauiours owne woords, not only when he instituted the holy eucharist (whereof I haue spoken already) but also before, when he promised it, for that whē soeuer he spoke therof, he represented the same to the vnderstanding of the hearers, as a body sacrificed & dead, not speaking of his whole person, or of himselfe as liuing, but of his flesh, of his body, of his blood,Ioan 6. as, my flesh is truly meate, and my blood is truly drink, and the bread which. I will geue is my flesh, this is my body, this is my blood, Matth. or if he spoke of himselfe, or of his person, it was with an addition to shew that he was to be eaten, as when he [Page 42] sayd he which eateth me liueth for me, Ioan 6. which kynd of speech made some of his disciples forsake him, say [...]ng it was durus sermo, ae hard speeche, conceauing therby that they were to eate him dead, as other flesh bought in the shambles, wheras he spoke in that manner to signify that he shuld be sacrificed before he should be eatē, and therefore he euer spoke of himselfe, as already killed and dead, for that no creature whyles he is liuing, is in case to be eaten,Greg. Nissen orat. 1. de resurrect. as S. Gregory Nissen doth note very wel, in the place before alledged, in which respect Paschasius also sayth,Paschas li. d [...] corpore & langui Domini cap. 1 [...]. that our Lord is killed to the end wee may eate him, and Isichius; that Christ killed himselfe when he supped with his disciples, not because he is truly killed,Isichi. lib. 2. in leuit. ca. [...] or doth truly dy; but because he dyeth mistically, that is to say, for that his death is mistically and truly represented, by the separation of his blood from his body vnder seueral and dyuers formes of bread and wyne; for although by reason of his immortality, and impassibilytie he cannot dy, neyther yet be so deuided, but that he remayneth whole vnder both kynds, yet; for as much as the forme of wyne rather representeth his blood, then his body, and the forme of bread, rather his body, thē his blood (according to the very woords of our sauiour, saying of the one kynd, this is my body, and of the other, this is my blood) it followeth I say, that by reason of this separation, wrought by the force of the woordes of consecration he is exhibited in the Sacrament as dead, and so dyeth in mistery, as wel to represent his death vpon the crosse, as also to offer himselfe in sacrifice to his father, for the which it is not of necessity that he truly and realy dy, but it suffiseth that he dy in some sort, that is to say mistically, for although all liuing creatures that are sacrificed are offred to God with the losse of their lyues, and so are made true sacrifices, yet in such other creatures, as are not subiect to death, it sufficeth that they be offred to almighty God, and receiue withall some notable mutation, or change, to make the action to be sacrifical, and different from a simple oblation, for [Page] when any thing is offred to God, and remayneth stil in his owne kynd, forme, and nature, it is called an oblation, & so the first fruits, the tythes, the first begotten, or borne, of liuing creatures, yea and religious persons, as leuits, and others in the old law were only offred to God, for that they were no way changed, wheras al things sacrifysed were eyther wholy destroyed or consumed by swoord, or fyre, or els at least receiued by the actiō of the priest, some notable mutation.
Therfore seeing our sauiour being now eternal, immortal, and impassible is not subiect to death, nor to any destruction or mutation by losse of his lyfe, it sufficeth to make him a true sacrifice that he be offred to God with such mutation or change, as may stand with his present state, and condition; as wee see he is offred in this sacrifice, wherein, the selfe same body that was borne of the blessed virgin Mary, and is now in heauen glorified with the proper forme and lineaments of a natural body, is by the omnipotency of our sauiours woords pronounced by the priest, represented vpon the altar as dead, and in formes of bread and wyne, his body to be handled, broken, eaten, and his blood to be dronke, or shed, as the body or blood of any other liuing creature that is killed in sacrifice, wherby he is also in some sort cōsumed, for that his body being eaten and his blood dronke he looseth the forme, and peculiar māner of beeing that he hath in the sacrament; which beeing deuynes caul Sacramental: in respect of all which admirable mutations,Aug. in praefar. Psalm. 33. [...] lib. Regum cap. 21. S. Augustin doth notably and truly apply to our sauiour in this sacrifice the history of King Dauid, when he changed his countenance (as the scripture sayth) before Abimelech or king Achis (for they are both one) which he sayth, was verifyed in our sauiour Christ, when he changed his countenance in the priesthood, and sacrifice of Melchisedech geuing his body and blood to be eaten and dronk.
There was, sayth he, a sacrifice of the Iewes in beasts, according [Page 53] to the order of Aaron, and that in mistery, and there was not then the sacrifice of the body and blood of our Lord, which the faythful know, and is dispersed throughout the world, and a litle after shewing how Melchisedech brought forth bread and wyne when he blessed Abraham, he teacheth that it was a figure of this sacrifice, & then prosecuting the history how Dauid being taken for a mad man, went from Abimelech (which signifieth regnum Patris, that is to say, as he expoundeth it, the people of the Iewes,) he applyeth also the same to our Sauiour, saying that whē he told the Iewes that his flesh was meat, & his blood drinke, they took him for a mad man, and abandoned him, wherevpon he also forsook them, & changing his countenance in the sacrifice of Melchisedech, (that is to say, leauing all the sacrifices of the order of Aarō, and as it were disguysing him-selfe vnder the formes of bread and wyne, which was the sacrifice of Melchisedech) he passed from the Iewes to the Gentils.
This is the effect of S. Augustinus discours in that place concerning the mutation or change incident to our Sauiours person in the sacrament of the Eucharist, and requisit to the sacrifice whereof I treat, wherby it hath the nature of a true sacrifice, as I haue declared before, which being considered, with the circumstances of our sauiours owne woords, as wel in the promise as in the institution thereof, all signifying that his flesh, his body, aud his blood was to be eaten & dronk, as of a creature killed in sacrifice, yea & that the same was then presently geuen or offred by him to his Father for his disciples (who represented the whole Churche) and for remission of sinnes; besyds his manifest allusion to the promulgation of the old Testament, dedicated with the blood of a present sacrifice, and lastly the consent of the learned Fathers of the Churche confirming our Gatholyke doctrin in this behalfe, no reasonable man can dout but that our Sauiour at his last super did ordeyn the Sacrament of the Eucharist to serue vs not only for a food and spiritual meate, but also for a sacrifice offring the [Page] fame him-selfe first to his Father, and then geuing commissiō and power to his Disciples to do that which he did, to wit to offer and sacrifice the same, [...]e [...]2. Cor. 11. saying hoc facite in n [...]eam commemorationē, that is to say, do, make, or sacrifice this in remembrance of me, for this woord facite as wel in the Syriac Hebrew and Greek as in the Laryn, signifieth to sacrifice, no lesse then to do or make as in Leuiticus,Leuit. 15. faciet vnum pro peccate, he shal sacrifice one (of the turtle doues) for remissiō of sinne, and in the book of Kings, faciam bovem alterum, I wil sacrifice the other oxe, Reg. 15. [...]euit 9 14. [...]. 24. n. 6.8. [...]. 28 3. Reg. [...]ezechi. 46. [...]seae. 2. & the lyke may be seene in diuers other places of the holy scriptures, where the Hebrew & Greek woord which doth properly signify facere must needs be vnderstood to do sacrifice, in which sence fac [...]re is also vsed amongst the Latins, [...]irgil. in Pa [...]mone [...]clo. 3. as cum faciam vttulapro frugthus, &c. when I shal sacrifice a calfe for my corne, &c, also in Plautus, faciam tib [...] fideliam mulsiplenam, I wil sacrifice vnto the a po [...]ful of sweete wyne, and agayne in Cicero. Iunoni omnes consules facere necesse est, all the consuls must needs sacrifice, to Iune. [...]iaut. in assi [...]aria Cicero. [...]ro Murena But howsoeuer it is, it litle importeth for the matter in questiō whether faecere do properly signify to sacrifice or no seing it is euident that all the doctors of the Churche do vnderstād that Christ cōmaunding his Apostles to do that which he did, commaunded them to sacrifice, [...]ioays ce [...]esialticae dierarch c. 5. S. Denis who was conuerted by S. Paul at Athens; declaring the practise of the Churche in his tyme, fayth that the Bishop in the tyme of the holy mysteries, excuseth himself to almighty God, for that he is so bold to sacrifice the host that geueth health or saluation, aleadging for his excuse our Sauiours commandment to wit, hoc facite, do this in my remembrance.
Clemens lib. [...]. consticutio cap. 10.S. Clement in his Apostolical constitutions speaking to Priests in the name of the Apostles, fayth, suscitato Domino offerte saecrificium vestrum de quo vobis praecepit per nos, hae facite in meam commemorationem, on easter day, when, our Lord is risen, offer your sacrifice, as he commaunded yow by vs, saying, do this in my remembrance.
Martialis who also conuersed with the Apostles, sayth [Page 54] that the Christians offred the body and blood of our Sauiour Iesus Christ to lyfe euerlasting,Martial. [...] Burdegal because he commaunded them to do it in remembrance of him.
Iustin the Philosopher,Iustin. i [...] dialog. cu Tripho. and Martyr within 140. yeares after Christ sayth, that God, who receiueth sacrifice at the hands of none but of Priests, did foretel by his Prophet, that those sacrifices should be grateful to him which Iesus Christ commaunded to be offred in the Eucharist.
S. Cyprian sayth;Cyprian. epist. 63. a Caecilium our Lord and God Iesus Christe, is the cheefe Priest, and offred first sacrifice to God the Father and commaunded that the same should be donne in his remembrance S. Chrysostome teaching that the sacrifice which is dayly offred in the Churche,Chris he 17. in epis Hebrae. ys alwayes one and the self same sacrifice, be it offred neuer so oft, addeth,Aug. lib. contra fa cap. 23. A [...] bros. in c epist. ad brae. Prim fius in ca ad Hebra Isidor lib. vocatio [...] tium. cap. Hayme in [...]. epist. a [...] Hebea. that which we do, is donne in remēbrance of that which was donne by our Sauiour, far he sayd, do this in remembrance of me. I omit for breuityes sake, S. Augustin, S. Ambrose, Primasius Bishop of vtica, S. Isidore, Haymo and diuers others that testify in lyke manner, that our Sauiour, saying to his Apostles do this, gaue them cōmission and power to sacrifice, and thus much for the institution of the masse by our Sauiour.
THAT THE APOSTLES practysed the commission geuen them by our Sauiours sacrificing or saying Masse them-selues, and leauing the vse and practyse therof vnto the Churche, and that the ancient Fathers not only in King Lucius tyme, but also for the first 500. yeares after Christ, teach it to be a true sacrifice, and propitiatory for the liuing and for the dead. CHAP. XVII.
NOW then to speake breefly of the practyse of the Apostles, and of Gods Churche euer since, It being manifest by that which I haue sayd already, that our Sauiour himselfe did not only institute & offer the sacrifice of his body, and blood at his last super, but also gaue commission and power to his disciples to do that, which he did, it cannot be douted, but that they executed this power and commission, and did not only consecrate and make the body of our sauiour, as he did, but also sacrificed the same.
Therefore whereas we read in the Acts of the Apostles that they vsed to assemble themselues together ad frangendum panem, to break bread, Actor. 30. it is doutles to be vnderstood, that they offred this sacrifice informe of bread, according to the commission & cōmaundmēt of our Sauiour, & that the same was the publike ministery wherein the scripture sayth they were occupied, when they were commanded by the holy ghost to segregat Paul and Barnabas,Actor. 13. whereof it is sayd, ministrātibus illis Domino & ieiunantibus, &c. whyles they were ministring to our Lord and fasting &c. which being in the Greeke [...] doth signify the ministery of sacrifice, in which sence [...], and [...] are taken in the scripture when they are vsed absolutely, and spoken of any publyke and holy ministery [Page 55] wherof wee haue examples as wel in the epistieto the Hebrewes in dyuers places,Epist. ad h brae. 8.9.10. as also in the gospel of S. Luke, author of the Acts of the Apostles, who speaking of Zacharias the priest, and of his ministery or office, which was to offer sacrifice calleth it [...] and therfore Erasinus (of whose iudgement in lyke cases our aduersaries are wont to make no sma [...]e account) had great reason to translate the foresayd woords [...], &c. sacrifican [...]bus illu Domino, &c. as they were sacrifycing to our Lord, &c. and so cōmon was this sence & vnderstanding of [...] for sacrifice that the grecians haue no other proper woord for the sacrifice of the Masse.
Furdermore that the ministery of the Apostles in breaking bread,1. Cor. 10. was a sacrifice, it appeareth euidetly by S. Paule, who to withdraw the Corinthians from sacrificing to Idols, did represent vnto them the sacrifice which he and the Apostles did vse to offer in the breaking of bread, making a playne antithesis betwyxt the one sacrifice and the other, and comparing the bread which they brake as wel with the lawful sacrifices of the Iewes, as also with the vnlawful sacrifices of the gentils. Of the first he sayth. Behold Israel according to the flesh are not those which eate of the sacrifices partakers of the Altar? 1. Cor. 10. and agayne speaking of the other, flie, sayth he, from the woorship, that is to say, the sacrifices of Idols, and yeilding a reason, thereof, the cup, sayth he, which wee blesse, is it not a communication of the blood of our Lord; & the bread which wee breake, is it not a participation of our Lords body, and after more playnly; those things which the gentils do sacrifice, they sacrifice to deuils, and not to God, I wold not haue yow to be partakers with deuils, yow cannot drinke the cup of our Lord, and the cup of deuils, yow can not be partakers of the table of our Lord, and the table of deuils, &c. Thus farre the Apostle who as yow see euidently compareth or rather opposeth cup to cup, table to table, Altar to Altar, sacrifice to sacrifice, and therfore saynt Ambrose vnderstandeth in this place the table of our Lord to be the Altar, faying,Ambros in 1. ad. cor. 1. he which is partaker of the table [Page] of Deuils, mensae Domini id est altari obstrepit, doth oppose himselfe against the table of our Lord, that is to say the Altar, and saynt [...]ilary expoundeth it to be mensam sacrifictorum the table of sacrifices. [...]ilar. in psal. [...]. Also S. Chrisostome vpon these woords Calix beuedictionis the cup of blessing, and the rest that followeth in the text, sayth in the person of Christ,Chrisost ho. 24 in 10. cap. 2. epist. ad Cor. if thou desyre blood, sayth be, do not sprinkle the Altar of Idols with the blood of brute beasts, but my altar with my blood, S. Augustin in lyke sort interpreteth this place of the sacrifice of the Churche, saying that S. Paul teacheth the Corinthians,Aug. lib. contra aduers. Leg. & Prophet. ad qoud sacrificū debeant pertimere, to what sacrifice they ought to belong, and Haymo, who wrote about 800. yeres agoe, sayth that calix benedictionis, the cup of blessing, which S. Paule speaketh of,Maymo in epist. ad Corinth. is that cup which is blessed a sacerdo [...]ibus in Altars, of priests in the Altar, so that if wee consider the circumstances of S. Paules woords with the interpretation of these learned Fathers, it can not be denyed, but that he and the other Apostles in the ceremony of breaking bread, did not only administer the Sacrament of the eucharist to the people (as our aduersaries would haue it) but also offer sacrifice. Which may sufficiently be cōfirmed, as wel by the liturgy or masse of S. Iames the Apostle, yet extant, agreeing with ours for as much as concerneth the substance of the sacrifice, as also by a constitution of the Apostles mentioned by S. Clement, saynt Peters disciple; wherein;Clem. lib 2. constit. ca 63. they decreed, that nothing should be offred super Altare, vpon the Altar, more then our Lord had commaunded: and speaking furder in the same decree of the sunday he signifyeth that they exercysed that day, 3. seueral acts of religion, that is to say euangelij praedictionem [...] oblationem sacrificij, & sacricibs dispensationem; the preaching of the gospel, oblation of sacrifice, and the distribution of the holy meate, that is to say the holy eucharist; wherby it is euident that the publyke ministery of the Apostles, consisted not only in preaching and ministring the Sacrament of the eucharist, but also in oblation of sacrifice; here to I may ad the testimony of saynt Andrew the Apostle. Who being vrged by Egeas the proconsul [Page 56] to sacrifice to the fals God,Epist. [...]c [...]is [...]ae Achai. answered that he sacrificed dayly and distributed to the people, the flesh of the immaculat lambe, as witnesseth the Epistle of the churches of Achaia declaring the story of his passion; besyds that Epiphanius a most auncient Father of the Churche doth testify that all the Apostles did sacrifice,Epiphanius h [...] res. 79. who writing against the sect of heretykes called Colliridians and reprehending them woorthely for hauing certayne women priests that offred sacrifice to our lady (which could not be offred to any but to God alone) sayth, it was neuer heard of since the world beganne that any woman did sacrifice, neither our first mother Eua, nor any of the holy women in the old Testament, no nor the virgin Mary her selfe, nor the 4. daughters of Philip the deacon though they were prophetesses, and then, hauing named Zacharias father to saynt Iohn for one that offred sacrifice in the old law, he addeth, that all the 12. Apostles (whome he nameth particulerly) did sacrifice; whereof it were a sufficient argument, though there were no other, that those Fathers who partly liued with them and receiued of them the Christian fayth, and partly succeeded them immediatly, do signify not only the vse of the sacrifice in the Churche in theyr tyme, but also their constant and most reuerend opinion thereof, as it may appeare sufficiently by that which I haue already aleadged out of S. Clement, S. Denis, S. Martial, S. Iustin, and S. Ireneus,Clemes. li. [...]. constit. c. 20. Dionisius Ecclesiae Hiecarch cap. 3. Martial. epist. ad Burdegal. Iustin. Dial. cum Trioho. Ireneus. li 4. aduers haeres. ca. 32. &c 3 [...]. all which do vniformely teach that Christ deliuered this sacrifice to his Apostles, and the last of them to wit S. Ireneus scholer to S. Policarp who was scholer to S. Iohn the Euangelist, sayth, that the Churche receining it of the Apostels did offer it throughout the world, in his tyme, which as I haue sayd before was in the tyme of K. Lucius and therfore I shal not neede to enlarge my selfe furder in this matter to produce the testimonies of the later fathers partly because I haue already accomplished my principal intention in this treatyse, which is to proue that king Lucius could receaue from the Churche of Rome, no other but [Page] our Gatholyke Roman fayth as wel in this poynt of the sacrifice of the Masse as in all other which wee professe, and partly because in handling and explicating the prophecies, and figures of the old testament, and the actions and woords of our Sauiour, and of his Apostles concerning the institution vse and practyse of this sacrifice, I haue already aleadged so many playne and euident testimonies of the fathers, that it is needles to aleadge any more. Seeing it is most manyfest therby that all those of the first 500. yeares both taught our doctrin in this poynt, and vnderstood the scriptures concerning the same as wee doe, and that they speake not of this sacrifice (as our aduersaries wil needs vnderstand them) as of an improper sacrifice, but in such sort, that they euidently shew their opinions, of the propriety, verity, and excellent dignity therof: and therfore in S. Denis scholer to S. Paule; it is called; [...], which Budaeus translateth sacrificium sacrificiorum, the sacrifice of sacrifices. In S. Cyprian,Cyprian epist lib. 2. epist. 3. vel epist. 63 ad Caecil. verum & plenum sacrificium, a tiue and ful sacrifice, which he sayth, the priest doth offer in the person of Christ to God the Father. In S. Chrisostome,Chrisost. ho. [...]o. ad popul. & ho. in psal 95. sacrificium tremendum & horror is plenum caleste summéque venerandum sacrificium, a dreadful sacrifice & ful of horror, a heauenly & most reuerend sacrifice. In S. Augustin,Aug. lib. 10. de ciuit. cap. 20. & iib. de spiritum & liters ca. 11. singulare summum & verissimum sacrificium, cui omnia falsa sacrificia cesserunt, the singuler, and the most highest, and most true sacrifice, wherto all the salse sacrifices of the gentils haue geuen place. In Eusebius, sacrificium Deo plenum, a sacrifice ful of God. In S. Iohn Damascen tremendum, vitale sacrificium, a dreadful sacrifice and geuing lyfe. In Theodoretus, sacrificationem agni deminies, the sacrificing of the lambe of God, and in the first general councel of Nice held by aboue 300. Fathers,In [...]omo cōcil lib. 3. de constir. Nicaen. conc. constit 6. situm in sacra mensa agnum illum Dei tollentem peccata mundi, incruente a sacerdotibus in molatum, the lambe of God placed vpon the holy table, the which lambe taketh away the sumes of the world, and is vnbloodily sacrificed by the priests, wherto may iustly be added the doctrin of all the Fathers, that this sacrifice is propitiatory for the liuing, and for the dead, grounded no dout [Page 57] vpon the woords of our sauiour himselfe in his first institution, and oblation therof, when he said to his Apostles representing the whole Church this is my body which is geuen pro vobis for you, that is to say, for remission of your sinnes and more playnly, in oblation of the cup, this is my blood which is shed pro vobis, Matth ca. or as saynt Math. sayth pro multis in remissionē peccatorum, for you & for many to the remission of sinnes for this cause saynt Iames the Apostle in his liturgy saith offermius [...]bi wee offer to thee o Lord the vnbloody sacrifice for our sinnes, and the ignorance of the people, Martial ad Burdegale and saynt Martial the most ancient martyr who as I haue sayd liued with the Apostles, affirmeth that by the remedy of this sacrifice lyfe is to be geuen vs, & death to be eschewed,Dionis. lib Ecclesiast Hierar. ca [...] S. Athanas allegat. a [...] malce [...]oserm. profunctis. and S. Denis a foresaid cauleth it salutarem bostiam, the host or sacrifice that geueth health or saluation, S. Athanasius sayth that the oblation of the vnbloody host is propitiatio, a propitiation or remission of sinnes. Origin cauleth it the only commemoration which makes God mercyful to men. Origen ho 13. in Leui Cyprian d coem. Dom
S. Cyprian termeth it medicamentum & holocaustum ad sanandas infirmitates, & purgandas iniquitates, a medicin & burnt sacrifice for the healing of infirmityes and the purging of sinnes.
S. Ambrose speaking of the Eucharist sayth that Christ offreth him selfe therin quasi sacerdos, vt peccata nostra dimittat, Ambros. li de offic. c 41 as a priest that he may forgeue our sinnes.
S. Augustin considering that all the sacrifices of the old law were figures of this sacrifice,August. i [...] Leuit qu. (as he often affirmeth,) & that amongst infinit others, there were some that were called hostiae pro peccato, sacrifices for remission of sinne. By the sacrifices saith he, that were offred for sinnes, this one of ours, is signified wherein is true remission of sinne, Iacobus in sua liturg. and to ad somewhat more hereto concerning the custome of Gods Churche to offer this sacrifice also as propitiatory for the dead S. Iames the Apostle in his liturgy prayeth to almighty God that the sacrifice may be acceptable vnto him for remission of the peoples sinnes and for the repose of the soules of the dead,Clement. const. Ap [...] lib, 6. also saynt Clement reacheth for a constitution of the [Page] Apostles to offer the holy Eucharist in Churches, [...]tis. hom. [...] epist. ad lip. Item [...] 41 in st. 1. ad rinth. [...]m hom. ad [...] popul [...]tioch [...]eg nissen [...]egatus a [...]n Damas [...]o in oca [...]ne pro de [...]ctis. and Churchyards for the dead. S. Chrisostome also often affirmeth it for a decree of the Apostles to offer sacrifice for the dead, saying; it was not rashly decreed by the Apostles that in the most dreadful mysteries there should be commemoration made of the dead, for when the people, & clergy stand with their hands listed vp to heauen, & the reuerend sacrifice set vpon the Altar, how is it possible that praying for them, wee should not pacify the wrath of God towards them. S. Gregory Nissen in lyke manner proueth the vtility and profit therof, by the authority of the Disciples of Christ that taught & deliuered the custome to the Churche as witneseth saynt Iohn Damascen, [...]n. Damas [...]o in ora [...]ne pro de [...]ctis. who affirming it to be an Apostical tradition, confirmeth the same with the testimonies of S. Athanasius, and saynt Gregory Nissen.
Tertulli li. de [...]stita.Tertullian often maketh mention of oblations offred for the dead yerely in their anniuersaries, aleadging it amongst dyuers other for an ancient custome, [...]em lib. de [...]onogam. li. [...]e corona [...]ilitis. and vnwritten tradition of the Churche.
Cypri. epist. [...].S. Cyprian also mentioneth a constitution made before his tyme that for such as make Priests their executors or tutors to their Children, no oblation or sacrifice should be offred after their death, which statute he ordayned should be executed vpon one called victor that had offended against the same.
Sateth. 5. [...]mistago.S. Cyril Byshop of Hierusalem, hauing spoken of other parts of the sacrifice of the masse, sayth; then wee pray for all those that are dead, beleeuing that their soules, for whome the prayer of the dreadful sacrifice is offred receiue very great help therby.
Aug. de ver [...]is Aposto [...]is serm. 32. [...]etlec [...]dum [...]lios 34.S. Augustin sayth that according to the tradition of the ancient fathers the whole Church vseth to pray, and offer the sacrifice of the blessed body and blood of Christ for those that are dead, and that it is not to be douted but that they are helped thereby,Cap. 12. and in his book of confessions he signifieth, that the sacrifice of our redemption, that is to say the blessed body and blood of our Sauiour was offred for his mothers soule when shee was dead.
[Page 58]S. Gregory the great to declare the excellent effect of the sacrifice of the masse,Homil. 37 in euange offred for the dead, telleth of one that being taken prisoner in the warre, and thought to be dead was deliuered on certayne dayes of the weeke of his chaynes, and fetters, which fel from him so oft as his wyfe caused the sacrifice of the masse to bee offred for his soule, and of this S. Gregory taketh witnes of many of his auditors whome (as he sayth) he presumed did know the same.
The lyke also in euery respect recounteth venerable Bede our countryman in the story of England (which he wrote about 800. yeares agoe) of one Imma seruant to King Elbum,Beda Ecel hist. Angl. 4. cap. 22. which Imma being prisoner in the hands of his enemies and chayned, could not be tyed so fast, but that his chaynes fel of once a day, at a certayne hower, when his brother, called Iunna an Abbot, sayd masse for him, thinking he had ben slayne, and this sayth saynt Bede he thought good to put into his history, for that he took it for most certayne, hauing vnderstood it of credible persons that had heard the party tel it to whome yt happened.
To conclude; this custome of offring the blessed sacrifice of the masse for the dead, was inuyolably kept in the Churche of God, euen from the Apostle tyme without contradition, vntil Aerius an Arrian heretyke impugned the same & all prayer for the dead about 360. yeres after Christ,Aug. haer. [...]. Epipha. [...]ae 75. for the which he is put in the Catologue of heretykes by saynt Augustin, & S. Epiphanius, as our aduersaryes deserue also to be for teaching and defending the same haeresy.
AN ANSVVERE TO THE obiections of our aduersaries out of S. Paules epistle to the Hebrewes, with a declaration that the heretykes of this tyme, who abolish the sacrifice of the Masse, haue not the new Testament of Christ, and that they are most pernitious enemies to humain kynd. CHAP. XVIII.
BVT now our aduersaries against vs, or rather against these expresse scriptures and Fathers, obiect some texts and arguments of S. Paule to the Hebrewes, by the which he conuinceth the ignorance, and error of the Iewes who conceaued that their was no other redemption then that which was obtayned by their sacrifices of beasts or of fruits of the earth, [...]ug. lib. 3. de [...]octri. Christ [...]. 5. & 6. obseruantes, sayth S. Augustin, signa pro rebus ipsis nescientes quo referrentur, taking the figures or signes of things, for the thinges themselues not knowing whither they were to be referred, and therfore S. Paul proueth that this absolut perfection which they ascrybed to their sacrifices, could not be found in the priesthood & sacrifices according to the order of Aaron but in the sacrifice & priesthood according to the order of Melchisedech, which he declareth by euident arguments grounded vpon the vnity and excellency as wel of the priest, and host or sacrifice, as of the act of oblation, shewing the infirmity of the priests by their mortality, plurality and continual necessity to offer dayly, first for their owne sinnes, and after for other mennes, whereas in the other of Melchisedech, he sayth, there was a priest, that is to say our Sauiour Christ, who had an eternal priesthood, and therfore needed no successor, and being vnpolluted and without sinne had no neede to offer sacrifice for himselfe, and so was more fit and worthy to obtayne pardon for the sinnes of the people; and as for the hosts or sacrifices he sheweth also the infirmity [Page 59] thereof, for that they were but only of brute beasts, and in that respect could not be of that infinit valew, that was requisit for an absolute and general redemption, whereas the sacrifice in the priesthood of Melchisedech was of infinit price, being the body of our Sauiour offred voluntarily by himselfe, who was both the sacrifice, & the priest. Lastly he proueth also the insufficiency of the sacrifices,Cap. 2. by the continual and dayly oblation therof, for that sayth he, yf they could haue made perfect such as offred them, cessassent offerri, there would haue ben an end of offring them, for vbi est peccatorum remissio, i am nō est oblatio propeccatis, where there is remission of sinnes, there needeth no oblation for sinne. But our Sauiour by his sacrifice vpon the crosse, vnica oblatione consummauit in aeternum sanctificatos, Cap. 7. did consummat or make perfect for euer, all those that are sanctified with one only oblation, for otherwyse, sayth he, he must haue suffred oftentymes, which as wel for the excellent dignity of the priest, as for the infinit valew of the host, was needles.
Thus argued S. Paule against the Iewes, which our aduersaries do absurdly wrest against the sacrifice of the Masse, saying that the same is wholy ouerthrowen by the same argumēts, not only in respect of the multitude of our priests, but also for our dayly oblations, and because wee attribut remission of sinne thereto, which they say, S. Paule ascribeth only to the sacrifice of the crosse. For the ful answere and satisfaction of this cauil, it is to be vnderstood, first that S. Paule doth not impugne by these arguments any sacrifice whatsoeuer, but only the sacrifices of the the priesthood of Aaron, neither yet he impugneth those in such sence that he denyeth them to be true sacrifices, but only proueth by the infirmity thereof, and of the priests that offred them, that they could not suffice for the perfect sanctification, and iustification of man, nor for the general redemption of the world, to which purpose he sayth of the priesthood of Aaron, if there were, sayth he,Heb. cap. 7. consumation or perfection by the leuitical priest-hood, what needed there to ryse [Page] a p [...]iest according to the order of Melchisedech, and agayne, the law could bring nothing to perfection, but was an introduction to a better hope, &c. Ibidem. and speaking of the sacrifice of our Sauiour vpon the crosse,Hebr. ca 9. he sayth that he entred once into the holyes, hauing soūd aeternal redemption, not by the blood or goats or calues, but by this owne blood,Hebr. 10. and agayne with one oblation he did consummat for euer all those that are sanctified; by all which he geueth to vnderstand that where as mankynd was by the fa [...]le or our Father Adam made a bondman and slaue of sinne, and subiect to the penalty of eternal dānation he therefore needed some effectual meanes as wel to redeeme, and free him from this penalty, as also to cleare him from sinne, to sanctify him and iustify him (all which he comprehendeth in the woord consummation) and this I say, he sheweth, could not be performed by the blood of goats and calues, but by the blood of a sacrifice of infinit price and valew, that is to say of Iesus Christ God and man, who therfore he sayth, not only purchased for man euerlasting redemption from damnation, but also did consummat or make perfect for euer all those that that are sanctified, that is to say he purchased perfection of grace, sanctification and iustification, for all those that euer were iust from the beginning of the world; or euer shalbe to the end thereof, and therefore what benefit soeuer any of the faythful receiued in this kynd eyther by any sacrifice or by any good woorke in the law of nature, or in the law of Moyses S. Paule attributeth the same to the merit of Christs sacrifice vpon the crosse, for that none were euer iustifyed before Christ, but perfidem futurae passionis, sicut nos per fidem praeteritae, by the fayth, sayth saint Augustin,Aug. li. confessio. 10. cap. 43. of his passion to come as wee are iustifyed by the fayth of his passion past, in which respect the scripture sayth agnus occisus est ab origine mūdi, the lābe was killed from the beginning of the world, Apoc. 13. that is to say, the death of the lambe, which was Christ, hath alwayes had his operation and effect from the beginning of the woorld: so that S. Paules doctrin is no other but that the redemption, iustification, [Page 60] and saluation of man, cannot be ascribed to the merit of any sacrifice or of all the sacrifices of the old law, but to the merit of the sacrifice of our Sauiour vpon the crosse, once offred for all, to the which all other sacrifices haue relation, it being absolute of it selfe, and depending of no other.
But what proueth this against the Catholyks concerning the sacrifice of the masse? doth it proue that it is no sacrifice? or that it is not propitiatory for sinne? nothing lesse; for yf the sacrifices of the priesthood according to the order of Aarō, representing the sacrifice of the crosse, were true sacrifices, though they were but of brute beasts, why may not our sacrifice according to the order of Melchisedech be also a true sacrifice? being not only a far more excellent representation, of the sacri [...]ce of the crosse then the others were, but also the very same in substāce, to wit, the blessed body of our Sauiour him-selfe, and therefore of infinit pryce, and valew, though neuertheles it was not ordayned for the redemptiō of the world, (as was the bloody oblation of the same body vpon the crosse,) but for an vnbloody representation of that bloody sacrifice, yea and for a perticular application, of the benefit thereof, to all those that should worthely offer it or participat of it.
For it is to be considered that the sacrifice of the crosse was as S. Augustin calleth it a general cup,Aug. se [...] prosper. in libel atric. falso imposi ar [...]ic. 1. or vniuersal medicin, proposed to all the world in common, but not applyed to any in particuler, the application whereof was left by almighty God to such other meanes as it pleased him to ordayne for that purpose, no les now in the new law, then he did before in the old, as wee see by effect not only in this sacrifice, but also in the sacraments of baptisme and pennance, in fayth, prayer, fasting, almes, and other good woorks, all which are meanes to apply the fruits of our Sauiours passiō vnto vs (as our aduersaries do not deny of there special faith, without the which they do not think that the passion of Christ is beneficial to any,) for otherwyse [Page] it would follow, that all men should be saued a lyke, because Christ dyed for all a lyke.
If therefore there be sacraments, and other meanes to apply the fruit of our sauiours passion vnto vs, without preiudice to the honour therof, why may there not be also a sacrifice to that end, especially such a sacrifice as this, which as I haue sayd is not only a most liuely representation of the other vpon the crosse, but also the very same in substance, though different in the manner of the oblation; and agayn seing the fruit of our Sauiours sacrifice vpon the crosse hath had his cours, effect, and operation from the beginning of the world, as I signified before and yet neuertheles there was both in the law of nature and in the law of Moyses hostiae pro peccato, sacrifice for sinne. Why may there not now also be a sacrifice for remission of sinnes, especially seing our dayly sinnes, do no lesse require now a dayly remissiō then did the sinnes of those that were vnder the law of Moyses.
This saynt Paule seemeth to insinuate sufficiently in those very woords which our aduersaries do most vrge agaynst this poynt, to wit,Hebr. cap. [...]. where there is, remission of sinnes ther no oblation or sacrifice for sinne is needful, where vpon I say it followeth, that where there is not remission of sinne, there needeth sacrifice for sinne.
Therefore to answere our aduersaries, and to explicat this text I say that S. Paule speaketh of such remission of sinne, as was purchased for mankynd in general by the general redemption of all, and not of the particuler application thereof to any, and therefore in that sence he sayth, that the general ransome for sinne being payed, and remission therof being in general procured by the sacrifice of the crosse, it were needles that eyther the same or any such general sacrifice, should be offred agayne; But seing the particuler application therof is needful for the remission of sinne, no lesse now, then it was in the old law, yt foloweth that some sacrifice is now as needful as then it was, where [Page 61] vpon Primasius S. Augustins scoller expounding this same epistle of saynt Paule to the Hebrewes, sayth;Primatius epist. ad Haebrae. our Priests do offer sacrifice dayly because wee need dayly to be clensed, and for as much as Christ cannot dy, he therfore gaue vs the Sacrament of his body and blood [...] to the end that as his passion was the redemption and saluation of the world that is to say of all men in general, so also this oblation may be a redemption and clensing to all those that offer it in verity, thus sayth he; geuing to vnderstand that the benefit of our redemption and remission of sinne purchased for all men in general by the sacrifice of the crosse, is by this other sacrifice particulerly applyed to euery one that woorthely offreth the same, so that the dayly iteratiō therof is no lesse needful, then conforme to the doctrin of S. Paule, who denieth not the sacrifices of the old law to be true sacrifices because they were dayly offred, but to be, as I may tearme it, that redemptory & absolut sacrifice, which was to be offred but once; wherevpō it followeth that the obiections of our aduersaries out of S. Paule as wel concerning the multiplicity and succession of our Priests, as the multitude and iteration of masses, are most absurd and friuolous, for though wee should grant it to bee true (as it is most fals) that eyther wee haue such a succession or multiplicity of Priests or such variety of hosts and sacrifices in our masse as was in the old law, yet S. Paules argument would proue no more against vs, then it did against the Iewes, I meane it would not follow theron, than the masse is no sacrifice, no more then it followeth of the same argument, that the sacrifices of the Iewes were not true sacrifices, which S. Paule neuer denied, but it would follow that the masse should not be that absolut and independant sacrifice which was to redeeme the woorld, the which wee deny not and therfore this their obiection out of saynt Paule proueth nothing but their owne blyndnes, or malice that do not or wil not vnderstand eyther him, or vs, in this matter.
But to satisfy this poynt more fully, it is to be considered [Page] that the multitude of our Priests doth no more contradict the vnity of Christs priest-hood, then the multitude of Doctors & Pastors in the Churche, (by whome he feedeth & teacheth the same) doth contradict the vnity of his Pastoral office and dignity,Corinth. p. 5. In which respect saynt Paule sayth pro Christo legatione fungimur tanquam Deo exhortante per nos, that is to say wee are Embassadours or delegats of Christ; for God, as it were doth exhort by vs.
To which purpose it is to be vnderstood, that our Priests are not absolute of themselues, and indepēdant, as were the Priests in the old law, who succeeded one an other in equal power and dignity, (I meane the high Priests of whome only S. Paule speaketh) for though Aaron was the first, yet euery successor of his was as absolute as he, and not depē dant of him, in which sence saynt Paule calleth them many, because being euery one an absolute head of himselfe, succeding one an other, they grew in tyme, to a great multitude of heads to whome he therfore opposeth the vnity of Melchisedechs priest-hood consisting in the one and only person of Christ, whose substitutes and ministers our Priests are (and not his successors) offring sacrifice, and executing their function in his name and as S. Cyprian sayth vice illius, [...]s his Vicars. Cypri. epist. 63. ad caeci [...]lium. And although Christ as head, cheef [...] Priest, and general Pastor of his Churche, doth concurr [...] particularly with his members and ministers in the execution of their Priestly and Pastoral charge, yet he doth it in nothing so particularly and properly as in this sacrifice by reason of his true and real presence therein, being not only offred by the Priest but also voluntarily offring himselfe to his Father, offertur & [...]ome, Ambros. li. 1. de officijs. ca. 4 [...]. sayth saynt Ambros, [...] recipiens passionem, & offers se ipse quasi sacerdos, he is offred as ma [...] and as receiuing or [...] his passion [...] and he offreth him-selfe as Priest, in which respect he is both Priest and sacrifice as wel now on the altar, as he was in his passion vpon the crosse, though for our greater comfort he vseth also therein the interuention and ministery of Priests, who being nothing [Page 62] els but his instruments, and exercysing all one Priestly function, vnder him their head, do all pertayne to that one aeternal Priest-hood of Christ according to the order of Melchisedech, which as Lactantius sayth, must of necessity be in the Churche. Iesus Christ sayth he,Lactant lib 4 iustit. c [...] being a Priest did make for him-selfe a great aeternal temple, that is to say the Churche, in quo templo aeternum sacerdotium habeat necesse est s [...]cundum ordinem Melchisedech, in which temple he must needs haue an aeternal Priest-hood according to the order of Melchisedech, so that the vnity of Christs priest-hood is not impeached by the multitude of his ministers, no more then the vnity of a Kings monarchy by the multitude of his inferiour officers by whome he gouerneth.
And as for the multitude of masses which our aduersaries carp at, as reiected by S. Paule the Fathers of the Churche shal answer for vs, S. Chrisostome expoūding this epistle of S. Paule answereth this very same obiection that our aduersaries make agaynst vs;Christ. ho 1 in epist ad Hebrae. This sacrifice sayth he is an example of that sacrifice vpon the crosse, for wee alwayes offer the very self same thing, not now one lambe and another to morrow, but the very same; therefore this is one sacrifice; for otherwyse because it is offred in many places, there should be many Christs, thus farre saynt Chrysostome.
The very same argument and reason, and the very lyke woords vseth saynt Ambrose to proue the vnity of this sacrifice and concludeth,Ambros. in epistol. ad Haebrae. non enim aliud sacrificium, sicut pontifex veteris legis sed idipsum semper offerimus, we offer not an other or different sacrifice as did the Bishop of the old law, but wee alwayes offer the self same. Also Primasius, the diuinity sayth he, of the sonne of God, which is euery where, doth cause that they be not many sacrifices but one, though they be offred by many, Primatius [...] 9. ad Haebr [...] & it causeth in lyke manner that it is that body which was conceaued in the virgins wombe and not many bodyes, as also that it is but one sacrifice, and not dyuers, as were the sacrifices of the Iewes, Thus sayth he.
We read the very same in substance, in Theopila [...] [...]us, O [...]cumenius Sedulius, Haymo and others that haue [Page] written vpon saynt Paules epistle to the Hebrewes, [...]heophil [...] [...]ecumen. edulius [...]aymo, in c. [...] epist. ad [...]ebrae. of whome the meanest may in any indifferent mannes iudgement, counteruayl all the sectaryes of this tyme, who framing new fantasies of their owne braynes, or reuiuing old heresyes, are forced for the mayntenance therof to wring and wrest the holy scriptures from the meaning of the holy ghost to their priuat sence, and to cōdemne the iudgement of all the anciēt [...]athers of the Churche; who liuing in such tymes as these matters were not in controuersy, can not be suspected of parciality, and much lesse of ignorance of the scriptures, seing their learned commentaries and expositions thereof geue sufficient testimony of their continual trauails & labours therin, besydes that their most vertuous lyues led in continual prayer, pance and religious discipline (for the which the Christian world admireth, and honoreth them as great seruants of God and saynts,) is a sufficient argumēt, that God rather assisted them with his spirit in the vnderstāding of the scripture, then Martin Luther, Zwinglius, Beza, Caluin and such other flagitious, and wicked apostatats, whose vicious and leud lyues (whereof the world is yet a witnes) do manifestly declare, with what kynd of spirit, they were possessed.
Therefore he that would leaue the general consent of al the ancient fathers, to follow the phantastical or rather phrenetical opinions of these new fangled fellowes, deserueth to be deceiued, and can haue no excuse of wilful blyndnes eyther before God or the world.
But now to conclude this question concerning the sacrifice of the Masse I draw out of all the premisses 4. conclusions.
The first is that, which at the first I vndertook to proue, to wit, that the oblation of the blessed body and blood of our Sauiour Iesus Christ (which wee caul the Masse) ys the proper sacrifice of the new testament, prophesied by Malachias, prefigured by the sacrifice of Melchisedech, promised, instituted and offred, by our Sauiour, practised [Page 63] by his Apostles, and by the Churche euer since.
The second is, that it is propitiatory not only for the liuing but also for the dead.
The third, that the heretykes of this tyme that contradict & abolish the same, hold not the law of the new Testament instituted by Christ, seing they haue not the proper priesthood and sacrifice therof, without the which the sayd law and Testament cannot be, S. Paule teaching such a necessary concurrence of the one with the other, that he affirmeth, that the priesthood being translated the law must also of necessity be translated as I haue shewed before,Hebr. 7. therfore seeing they haue not this priesthood and sacrifice, it followith they haue not the law and Testament of Christ, which can not be without the same.
The fourth poynt that followeth of the premisses, is that they are most pernicious enemies of humainkind, seing they labour to depriue vs, of the most souerain remedy that God of his infinit goodnes hath left vs for the reparation of our dayly wracks by sinne, and for the consolation both of the quick and the dead; for which cause the old Christians in the persecutions vnder Dioclesian, being persecuted for hearing masse, as wee are now (as I haue shewed in the beginning of this treatise) answered the tyrants that the masse was spes salus que Christiantum, the hope and health, or saluation of Christians, Baron [...]an. 303. Suriu [...] 11. Februa [...] and that therfore they could not forgo it, the reason whereof I haue declared before, to wit, for that therby are aplyed vnto vs the fruits of our Sauiours passion which is not only represented, but also dayly renewed in the sacrifice of the masse as witnesseth saynt Gregory; so often, sayth he,Greg. h [...] 37. in euāg as wee offer the host of his passion, so often wee renew his passion, and as saynt Cyprian sayth, passio Domini est sacrificium quod offerimus, the sacrifice which wee offer is the passion of our Lord, Lastly;Epist. 63. [...] caecilium. Martialis the most ancient martir and Disciple of Christ sayth,Epist. ad B [...] degalouses that which the Iewes did sacrifice vpon the Altar of the crosse, wee do propose on the sanctified altar for our saluation, knowing that by that only remedy lyfe is to be geuen vs, [Page] and death to be eschewed, thus far the blessed martyr. This remedy I say the heretykes of these our dayes doe seek by their pestilent doctrin to take from vs, yea and do in deed depryue vs of it in our country, not only by their doctrine, but also by rigorous and violent lawes, resembling therin as wel the old persecutors of Gods Churche that did the lyke, as also Antichrist that is to come,Dan. 9. who as Daniel the Prophet fortelleth shal take a way iuge sacrificium, the cōtinual sacrifice of the Churche, which is the sacrifice of the masse) and the ancient Byshop and martyr Hypolitus doth testify in his book of the consummation of the world, that in the tyme of Antichrist,Hipol in orat. de consum. mundi. Churches shalbe lyke cottages, and that the precious body and blood of Christ shal not be in those dayes, the liturgy shalbe taken a way, the singing of the Psalmes shal ceasse and the reading of the scripture shal not be heard, thus farre saynt Hipolitus, that wrote within 250. yeares after Christ.
Seing then the Caluinists, and Lutherans abolish the sacrifice of the masse, yea and bring christian religion to a very desolation and ruine, ouerthrowing altars, churches, monasteries, images, relickes of saynts, the signe of the crosse, sacraments, ceremonies and all external memories, and monuments of christianity, and in steed of the blessed body and blood of our sauiour, bring into the churche nothing but a bare signe therof, what els are they but true figures, or the forerunners of Antichrist,Danielle c. 9 that shal set vp the abomination of desolation in the temple of God, as sayth the Prophet, that is to say, shal bring an abominable desolation vpon the Churche and true religion of Christ?
OVR DOCTRIN OF THE merits of woorkes and Iustification, is proued and cleared, from the slanders of our aduersaries, commonly publyshed in their Sermons, and lately insinuated in a book set forth, concerning the conuiction of my Lord of Essex. CAP. XIX.
FOR as much as my intention in this treatise was to detect and confute, certayn slanderous lyes of our aduersaryes, spread abroad agaynst vs in some of theyr late bookes and lybels, no lesse touching matter of religion, then matter of state, I can not forbeare to discouer vnto thee here good reader, their notable impudency in charging vs to be enemies of the Passion of Christ, and to euacuate the merits therof, by ascribing our saluatiō to our owne workes, which they are wount to publish in their sermons, and common table talke, and haue of late insinuated in a pamphlet concerning the conuiction of my Lord of Essex, wherein treating of Sir Christofer Blunt, that he protested to dy a Catholyke, some foolish minister (I think) foysted in an aparenthesis, signifying that he dyed not such a Catholyk, but that he hoped to be saued by the merits of Christs passion, not ascribing his saluation to his owne workes; as though other Catholykes that teach merits of workes, did not hope to be saued by the passion of Christ, wherin I know not whether I should wounder more at their ignorance, or their malice; their ignorance if they know not what we hold, and their malice if they know it, and yet slander vs.
For who knoweth not, that wee acknowledge the blessed passion of our Sauiour to be the root and ground of our redemption, and reconciliation to God, and the fountayne from whence floweth all our iustification, and [Page] saluation, [...]. Petri c [...] [...]p ad Rom. [...]p. 5. saying with S. Peter that we are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ the immaculat lambe, and with S. Paule that wee are iustified in his blood, & shalbe saued from wrath by him, and that there is no other name wherein wee can be saued, but the name of IESVS; [...]ct 4. Psalm. 129. neuerthelesse wee know withall that though his passion, be most meritorious, & the redemption that wee haue therby most copious, yet it was his wil that wee shuld doe somewhat of our parts, to haue the benefit therof, which our aduersaries cannot but grant, confessing as they doe, that to be partakers therof they must be baptysed, [...]an. [...]. they must beleeue, they must repēt after they haue sinned, & seeing vpon the warrāt of the holy scriptures they ad all this to the passion of Christ, without derogation to the dignity therof, what reason haue they to blame vs, if vpon the same warrant we ad another condition no lesse expresse in scripture then any of the rest, seeing our sauiour himselfe sayth, if thou wilt enter into lyfe keepe the commaundments, to which purpose S. Paule also sayth, [...]p. ad Hebr. [...]. omnibus obremperantibus sibi factus est causa salutis, that is to say, he was made a cause of saluation to all such as obey him, Ep. ad Rom. cap. 2. and in another place, the dooers of the law shalbe iustified before God, and not the hearers only, and S. Iames, [...]p. Iacob c. [...] wee think a man to be iustified by workes, and not by faith only, and our Sauiour himselfe; not euery one, sayth he,Matth. cap. 7. that sayth to mee Lord, Lord, shal enter into the kingdome of heauen, but he which doth the wil of my Father, by all which wee see that good workes are necessary to saluation, and must concurre therto, with the merits of Christs passion, which being the root & fountayne of all mannes merit, giueth as it were lyfe and force, both to fayth, and also to the good workes of faythful men to make them meritorious before God, wherin three things are to be noted, for the better explication of this matter.
The first is; that there is two manners of iustification, the one, the iustification of the wicked man be he infidel or christian in mortal sinne, the other the iustification of the iust man, or an increase of Iustice; the first proceedeth merely [Page 65] of the grace of God without merit of workes, for that it is not in the power of nature being auerted and alienat from God to conuert it selfe vnto him, without his grace & vocation,Roman 2 3. 5. & therfore S. Paule worthely excludeth frō the first iustificatiō both of the Iewes, & the gentils all merit of man. The second, which is the iustification of the iust man, or encrease of Iustice, is procured by good woorkes proceeding of Gods grace, without the which their can be no iustification, and therfore the Catholikes do teach not only the precedence of Gods grace before euery good woork,Psalmo. 51 according to that of the prophet misericordia eius praeueniet me, his mercy shal preuent or goe before me, 1. Cor. ca but also the concurrence therof, according as S. Paule sayth,Ioan. 15. ad Philip. non ego sed gratia Dei mecum, not I but the grace of God with me, and as our Sauiour sayth, sine me nihil potestis facere, without me you can do nothing, and agayne S. Paule, omnia possum in eo qui me comfortat, I can do all things in him that strengthneth or comforteth me;
Of the first iustification S. Paule sayth in diners places that wee are iustified gratis, freely or for nothing, by the grace of God, by fayth, and not by woorkes, Roman 2. 3. 5. as meritorious,2. Cor. cap and of the second he sayth (speaking of the effect of almes) yt shal multiply your seed,Epist. [...]ace cap. 2. and shal augment the increase of the fruit of your iustice; and saynt Iames, a man sayth he is iustified by woorkes and not by fayth only, and saynt Iohn, he which doth iustice is iust, and in the Apocalipse,Autor op [...] imperfect [...] Matth. he which is iust let him be iustifyed stil, and of both these iustifications, sayth the autor of the imperfect woorke vpon S. Mathew, the first iustice is to know God the Father, and Christ his sonne, and the last iustice is to do good workes, finally S. Augustin witnesseth,Aug. de [...] & open [...] cap. 14. that for as much as there were some that taught in the very tyme of the Apostles that fayth without woorkes might suffise to saluation, (which errour he sayth did grow of the corrupt, & il vnderstanding of saynt Paules Epistles,) S. Peter, S. Iohn, S. Iames, and S. Iude did expressely direct their intentions in their Epistles to proue the necessity of good workes, [Page] and iustification therby, and thus much for the first poynt.
2 The second poynt that I wish to be noted is, that where woorkes are at any tyme excluded in the scriptures, Fathers, or councels from iustification, it is alwayes to be vnderstood eyther of woorkes done by the only force of nature before fayth, or of woorkes of the law of Moyses, proceeding only of the force of the law, or of woorkes of the faythful not proceeding of Gods grace.
3 The third poynt is, that all the reason of merit in mānes fayth, or woorkes proceedeth of two grounds, the one the grace of God, which moueth & enableth a man therto; the other the promisse of almighty God to reward thesame in both which the merits of Christs passion are euer presuposed to be the first foundation of all the buylding; with which presupposition our Sauiour sayth,Math. 10. & Marc 9. he which geues but a cup of cold water in my name shal not loose his reward, and agayne to his Disciples your reward is copious in heauen, Matth. 5. & Luc 6. & speaking of the Iudgement at the later day, he playnly ascribeth the reward of lyfe euerlasting to workes, saying, come yee blessed of my Father and possesse the Kingdome prepared for you for when I was hungry you gaue me to eate, when I was naked you clothed me, &c. Math. 25. And therefore S. Iohn, and S. Paule say,Apoc. 22. [...] Rom. 2. God wil render vnto euery one according to his workes, to this purpose also the Prophet Dauid sayth, I enclyned my hart, o Lord, to do thy iustifications for reward, Epist 2. ad Timoth. c. 4. and S. Paule I haue sayth he fought a good fyght, I haue kept my fayth, I haue consummated or ended my course, & now there is layed vp for me the croune of iustice, which our Lord the iust Iudge wil render me in that day; vpon these words of S. Paule OEcumenius sayth,Oecumeni in ea verba ep. 2. ad timoth. cap. 4. consider that he craues it as due when he sayth reddet mihi & non dabit, he wil render it vnto me, and not he wil giue it me, which he also signifieth in that he cauleth him the iust iudge: Theophilactus also sayth the same,Theophilac. in 2. Timoth. cap. 4. vpon the same words, and concludeth thus, the croune is a debt by reason of the iustice of the iudge, S. Augustin aleadging the same place of [Page 66] S. Paule in his book of grace and free wil, sayth,Aug. de gra & liberto a [...] b [...]. cap. 6. he now rehearseth meritae sua bona; his good deserts or merits, that he which after his il deserts got grace, may after his good merits get the croune, &c. but let vs heare concerning this matter of merit,Igat. epist. [...] Roman. some two or 3. about king Lucius tyme, S. Ignatius disciple to saynt Iohn the Euangelist, sayth in his epistle to the Romans, being condemned to be deuowred of wild beasts, suffer me to be the soul or was of beasts that I may promerori Deum, gayn, or as a man may say earne almighty God. Tertullian sayth,Tertul in scorpiaco. how at their many mansions in the Fathers house, but according to the variety of mens merits, and Clemens Alexandrinus;Clemens Alex. 6. str [...] mat. there are sayth he many mansions according to the worthinesse and merits of those which beleeue, and origen teacheth,Orige l [...]b. [...] in epist. ad Roman. that God doth not giue according to nature, but according to merits, S. Cyprian sayth,Cyprian. epist. 14 ad Presb. & diacon vel [...] [...]. epist. 1 [...]. that a penitent man, promere [...]ur Dominum, obsequijs suis & operibus iustis, doth deserue, or as I sayd before earne our Lord with his obedience and iust woorkes, and in his book of the vnity of the Churche, speaking of them that hauing donne great miracles in the name of Christ, shalbe reiected of him at the day of Iudgment,S. Augustin geueth also the same interpretation of multae, mansiones tractatu 6.7. in euang. [...] he sayth, iustice or righteousnes is needful, vt promerere quis possit Deum iudicem, that a man may gayne God the iudge, which in the words next folowing he expoundeth, saying preceptis eius & monitis obtemperandum est vt merita nostra accipiant mercedem, wee must obey his precepts and admonitions that our merits may receiue reward, Cyprian. [...] de vnitate Ecclesiae. there to I wil ad S. Augustin explicating notably this questiō according to our Catholyk fayth euer taught in the Churche of God,Aug. de gratia & libero arbitrio ca 6. when grace, sayth he, is geuen then begin also our good merits by the meanes of that grace, for yf grace be taken away man doth presently fal head-long by his owne free wil, therfore when a man beginneth to haue good merits, he ought not to atribute them vnto himselfe, but to God, to whome it is sayd in the Psalme, o Lord be my healper, and do not forsake me, &c. Thus farre S. Augustin but to auoyd the multitude of allegations, which might be infinit to this purpose, I wil conclude with the secōd councel of Aurange celebrated 1200. [Page] yeres agoe, reward sayth the councel, [...] A [...] [...]um. se [...]. [...]no. 1 [...]. is due to good workes, yf they bee donne, but grace which is not due, or giuen by desert, doth goe before, that they may be donne.
Thus thow seest good reader the doctrin of Catholykes concerning merit or good woorkes, conforme to the scriptures and fathers, and no way preiuditial to the dignity & honour of our Sauiours passion, but most honorable to the same, seing wee teach that all good merits receiue their vigour and force from the merits therof, he hauing therby obtayned for vs of his father, not only remission of sinne, but also grace to doe works acceptable to him and meritorious of eternal saluation, which woorkes though they be ours in respect of the concurrence of our free wil yet for as much as they be his gifts in that they proceede of his grace they deserue the reward that he hath promised for the same, & therfore respecting any woorks of man whatsoeuer as of them-selues, wee say with saynt Paule, [...]oman. [...]. that the passions or suffrings of this lyfe are not worthy of the future glory that shalbe reueyled in vs, but considering the same as the gyfts of God,Corin 4. and ennobled with his grace, wee say also with him, that the short and light tribulation which wee suffer here, doth woorke an eternal weygh [...] of glory in vs.
Therfore I wil end with S. Augustin, saying that when God doth croune our merits, he doth croune his owne gyfts, [...]ug. ep. 105. [...] sixth pre [...] [...]terum. seing then, this is the vniforme doctrin of all Catholykes, wherin do we derogate any thing from the passion of Christ, or arrogat to our selues, or our owne woorkes more then the scripture doth giue vs warrant for.
THAT OVR ADVERSARIES who affirme that we derogat from the merits of Christs passion do themselues wholy euacuat, and frustrat the same, by their most wicked, and absurd doctrin of imputatiue iustice, and dyuers other poynts confuted in this chapter. CAP. XX.
BVT now let vs examine the opinion of these fellowes, that seeme to be so ielous of the honour of Christ and of his passion, and I dout not wee shal fynd that they do vtterly obscure and frustrat the same, for where as our Sauiour Christ gaue himselfe to death, Tit. [...]. as S. Paule sayth, to the end he might redeeme vs from iniquity, and make vs cleane from sinne, and a people acceptable to himselfe, and followers of good woorkes, they teach expressely that he hath performed nothing of all this. For though they grant that he redeemed vs from death, and by his passion purchased vs lyfe euerlasting, yet they confesse not, that he redeemed or made vs cleane from sinne (as we see S. Paule teacheth) but playnly affirme the contrary,Caluinus li [...] 2. in [...]t ca. [...] Lutherus lib de libertate Christia. & i [...] affectione art 2. 31. 32. & [...]6 confessto August [...]. artic. 6 saying, that original sinne is not taken away by baptisme, nor any other sinne after baptisme remitted, but couered, and not imputed; in so much that they teach further as a necessary consequent therof, that the workes of the most iust man, are not only infected with sinne, but also sinnes of themselues, deseruing eternal damnation & that therfore there is no righteousnes or iustice really in man, but only in Christ,Caluin lib. [...] instis. cap. 1 [...] Luther. ad [...] 2. ad. Gala [...] and imputed to man; whervpon it must needs follow, that the fall of Adam our father, was of more force to make vs sinners, then the passion of our Sauiour to free vs from sinne, and to make vs iust, which is no lesse dishonorable to Christ then contrary to expresse scripture,Rom. 5. where S. Paule saith, that as by the disobedience of one (Adam) many were [Page] made sinners, so by the obedience of one (Christ) many were made iust; if then we were truly sinners by Adam, wee are also truly iust by Christ, or els our help is not equiualent to our harme, nor our remedy to our disease, nor our rising to our false, nor our gayne to our losse, nor consequently Christ to Adam, which were impiety to thinke, and blasphemy to say, and yet so must our aduersaries be forced to say if they wil defend their opinion; but for as much as not only this their absurd doctrin of imputatiue iustice, but also diuers other execrable errours, or rather damnable heresies spring all out of one root, that is to say the foresayd opinion that original sinne is not cleane remitted, and taken away by baptisme, I wil by the confutation therof ouerthrow all the rest that depend theron, and shew withall the dishonour they doe to Christ, and his merits which they seeme so much to esteeme.
Let vs then consider the effects of baptisme in the regenerat, which to spake generally are two, the one the remission of sinnes, and the other a regeneration, or renouation of the inward man, of the first the Prophet Ezechiel sayth,Ezechiel. [...]p. 36. [...]d Ephes. 5. [...]d titum. 3. I wil power vpon you a cleane water, and you shalbe cleansed from all your filth, or corruption, in which sence the Apostle cauleth it; the water of lyfe wherwith Christ sanctifyeth and maketh cleane his Churche, [...] Cor. 6. Chriso. in [...]om. ad bap. [...]ier. in epist. [...]d occanum. and speaking of the baptised that had ben fornicators, and Idolaters, these yow were sayth he, but now yow are washed, yow are sanctified, yow are iustified, by which text S. Chrisostom, and S. Hierome proue that all sinnes are forgeuen in baptisme,Rom. 6. & the reason is, for that by the vertue therof the ful merits of Christs death and passion,Colossen. 2. are communicated vnto vs, in which respect, saynt Paule sayth that all that are baptised in Christe, are baptysed in his death, and that wee are therby buryed with him to death of sinne,Aug. in Eu [...]iri cap. 52. where of S. Augustin sayth as in Christ there was a true death, so there is in vs a true remission of sinne, which cannot be denyed, except wee wil deny the vertue and force of the blessed blood, and death of Christ which hath his operation therby, wherof [Page 68] the Apostle sayth,Colos. 1. ad Haebr. 9. he reconcyled vs by his death, that he might make vs holy, and immaculat, and irreprehensible before him, and in an other place making a comparison betwyxt the effects of the sacrifices of Christ vpon the crosse, and the sacrifices of the old law, he sayth, but how much more shal the blood of Christ make cleane our conscience from dead woorkes (that is to say from sinne) to serue the liuing Gods to this purpose sayth saynt Iohn, sanguis Iesu Christs emundat n [...]s ab omni peccato, the blood of Iesu Christ doth make vs cleane from all sinne, 1. Ioan. 1. in which respect our Sauiour Christ is truly cauled the lamb of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world.
Therfore saynt Chrisostome sayth that a man newly baptysed is mundior solis radijs, cleaner then the beames of the sunne, Ioan. 1. in homil ad Baptizan. and compareth the sinne of the baptised to a sparke of fyre, faling into the mayne sea, wherein it is presently extinguished, S. Basil cauleth it a remission of debt, Basil. in exhortat. ad Baptis. and the death of sinne. S. Gregory Nazianzen tearmeth it peccati diluuium the deluge wherein sin is drowned, (and lastly not to be tedious, with many allegations, in a matter where in all learned fathers doe vniformly agree) S. Augustin sayth baptisme washeth away all sinnes, yea all whatsoeuer, of deeds, thoughts, words, of original sinne, or other committed ignorantly or wittingly, Angl. lib. 3 [...]. contra duas epist. pelagi [...] norum ca 3. and in an other place, he sayth, yt doth auferre crimina, non radere, take sinnes cleane a way, and not shaue them only. Lib. 1. cont easdem epis cap. 13.
What then shal wee say of Luther, and his fellowes that deny such a manifest principle of Christian religion, affirming that original sinne is not taken away by baptisme, but that it remayneth & infecteth all mēnes workes can any thing be sayd more to the derogation of Christs merits, on which they wil seeme sometymes wholy to rely? can their other heresyes concerning the necessity of sinne, the impossibility to keepe the commandments, the sinful or stayned righteousnes of the iustest man, or yet their imputatiue iustice, all grounded and necessarily depending vpon the rotten foundation of this pestilent opinion, can they I say, be lyke to stand when their foundation [Page] fayleth, as yow see? but this [...] [...]ore euident, yf we cō sider the other effect of Bapti [...], which is regeneration, [...]echi. 36. or renouation of the soul [...] whereof the Prophet sayth, I wil geue yow a n [...]w hart and a new spirit, in which respect the Apostle cauleth Baptisme lauacrum regenerationis,It. 3.and renouations, the water of regeneration, and renouation, for that as our Sauiour himself signified a man is borne a new by water, [...]eu. 3. [...]alat 6. & the holy ghost, & becōmeth as saynt Paule sayth noua creatura a new creature by grace of the holy spirit which is aboundantly poured vpon him, It. [...]. Roma. 5. Act 15. Rom. [...]. to which purpose the Apostle sayth that charity is diffused in our harts, by the holy ghost which is giuen vs, and that Christ dwelleth in our harts, and that wee liue for iustification, for that the spirit of God dwelleth in vs, all which proue a real and inhaerent iustice in vs,Rom. 6. and not a iustice in Christ, imputed only to vs, this the Apostle signifyeth by the similitude of Baptisme with the death & resurrection of Christ saying that wee are buryed with him by baptisme to the end that as Christ did rise from death, so wee may walke in newnes of lyfe, vpon which words, S. Augustin sayth, as in Christ there was a true resurrection, so in vs there is a true iustification, [...]ug. in En [...]hiri cap. 52. and S. Chrisostome proueth the same by the woords of S. Paule, (where he sayth, you're washed, you are sanctified, you are iustified) he sheweth sayth he, that you are not only made cleane, but also that you are made holy and iust, [...] Cor. 6. Chrysost. [...]om. ad Bap. [...]itul. 3. to which purpose he noteth that it is cauled lauacrum regenerationis, and not remissionis or purificationis, the water of regeneration, and not of remission or purification, for sayth he, it doth not simply remit sinnes, but makes, vs as though wee were of a heauenly generation, Rom. Alex. [...]. 1. padag. p. 6. [...]alm. 81 in o. [...] in sanctum ba [...]tisma. which Clemens Alexandrinus confirmeth saying being baptised we are illuminated, being illuminated we are adopted to be the childrē of God, being adopted wee are made perfect, being perfited wee are made immortal, according to that of the Psalmist, I say you are all Gods, and the children of the highest. The same also in effect sayth S. Gregory Nazianzen Baptisme sayth he,De peccato [...]um meritis [...] remissione [...]p. 9. lib. 1. giuing help to our first natiuity, of old makes vs new, and of human deuine, all which doth playnly proue that which we teach, with saynt Augustin, [Page 69] who sayth the grace of [...] doth woorke inwardly our illumination, and iustification, neuertheles wee deny not that the iustice wherwith wee are ma [...] [...]ust, is the iustice of God by whose grace we haue it, but we deny that it is not ours, & really in vs, when he hath of his great mercy and liberality geuen it vs, so that we say it is both his and ours, his, because he giues it, & ours, because wee haue it by his gift. Therfore saynt Augustin sayth, let no Christian man feare to say that we are made iust, not by our selues but by the grace of God, working the same in vs. De spiritu littera ca. 1 Luc. 1. In this sence Elizabeth and Zacharias were called iust in the scripture, of whome wee read that ambo crant iusti, they were both iust, not before men only, but aute Deum before God and not because Iustice was imputed to them, but because they did walke in omnibus mandatis & Iustificationibus Domini sine quet [...]la, in all the commaūdments & Iustifications of our Lord without blame, in this sence also it is said in the scripture,Rom. 3. the doers of the law are iustified before God, not the bearers only, which saynt Iohn confirmeth, fore warning as it were and arming vs, against these seducers, (for so he tearmeth all those which teach that a man is not iust by really doing the acts, or works, of iustice,)1. Ioan. 3. let no man sayth he seduce [...]ow, he which doth Iustice or righteousnes ys iust, as God is iust, he which doth sinne, is of the diuel to this end apeared the sonne of God, that he might dissolve the workes of the deuil: thus farre S. Iohn.Tit. 2.
If then the comming of our Sauiour,Rom. 6. and his suffring was to dissolue the woorkes of the diuel, Ezech. 36. which is sinne, and (as yt is signified in infinit other places of scripture,) to redeeme vs from iniquity, to deliuer vs from the seruitude of sinne, to renew vs in spirit, to make vs new creatures, to cleanse vs, to sanctify vs, to iustify vs, Tit. 3. colos. [...]. that is to say to make vs iust, yea to make vs immaculat, and irrepre [...]ēsible, to make vs his1. Cor. 3. tēples his Ioan 15. friends, his Rom. [...]. childrē, how is this performed, yf notwithstanding the merits of his passion applyed vnto vs by Baptisme, and other meanes, wee are only reputed to be iust, and not so in deed, but remayne stil soyled with sinne;1. Ioan. 3. bondmen of iniquity, and [Page] children of the diuel (as S. Iohn sayth we are if wee be in sinne) how can we say that Christ conquered the deuil and sinne, and deliuered vs from the seruitude and bondage of them both if we remayn slaues of both? for being bondmen of sinne, as Luther makes vs, wee are also slaues of the diuel by consequent, and can it be any derogation to the merits of our Sauiours passion, to say that he made vs (who were before thralles & captiues to both the deuil and sinne) able to vanquish, and conquer them both? nay is it not far more glorious to him to conquer them dayly in vs and by vs, then if he had only conquered them for vs? for by making such weak ones, as wee, tread them vnder our feet, his conquest and triumph is farre more glorious, his mercy to vs more manifest, his enemies & ours more confounded,1. Cor. cap. 5. and wee infinitly more obliged, and therefore wee may say with saint Paulo, Deo gratias qui dedit nobis victoriam, God be thanked which gaue vs victory, but how by our selues no; per Dominum Iesum Christum, by our Lord Iesus Christ.
Thus thou seest good reader how consonēt to the scriptures how glorious to our Sauiour, & how comfortable to vs is our doctrin concerning iustification, and merits of workes, & on the other syde how erronious, and iniurious to his passion is the opinion of our aduersaries who to the end they may with better colour and more boldly bark against good woorkes, and the merit therof, seeme to haue in singular estimation the merits of his passion; But where the ful force and true effect therof is to be shewed to Gods greater glory, to the confusion of our enemy the diuel, and our singular comfort, there they hold it to be of no force or valew, yea rather they make it a cloke to couer sinne then a meanes to cleanse it, and to take it away, and so they establish in the kingdome of Christ, the tyrannie of the diuel, whose instruments and proctors they shew themselues to be, woorking in mennes myndes by their doctrin, that which the diuel doth woork by temptation, that is [Page 70] to say discouraging all men from doing we [...], and from keeping the commandments, by teaching the same to be needlesse, impossible, and of no merit, wherby they giue ful scope to sensuality, and sinne, and carry men after them headlong to hel as I could make it most euident yf I list to prosecute this poynt, which my purposed breuity wil not permit.
THE CONCLVSION CONUINCING by the premisses, that our Catholyk doctrin, was deliuered to King Lucius, by Pope Eleutherius, aud is the vndouted truth, that Christ left to his Church, with a note of the notable impudency of our English ministers. CHAP. XXI.
NOW to returne to King Lucius and to conclude, I dout not good reader but thow hast perceiued by these few poynts which I haue handled, what hath alwayes bin the doctrin of the Churche of God concern [...]ng the same, and that therfore King Lucius could receiue no other frō the Catholyke Romā Churche by the which he was conuerted to the Christian fayth, and yf I thought it needful to rip vp euery other particuler point controuersed betwyxt our aduersaries and vs, I could easely shew the same in euery one.
But what needeth it? seing they cannot proue that any Pope, I wil not say from S. Eleutherius to S. Gregory, but from S. Peter to Clement the eight that now gouerneth the Churche, hath taught, and decreed any different doctrin from his predecessors, whereas on the other syde wee shew euidently that in a perpetual succession of our [Page] Roman Bishops, there hath ben also a continual succession of one, & the selfe same doctrin, where vpon it followeth infalibly that King Ethelbert, and the English could not receiue from S. Gregory the Pope any other fayth then King Lucius and the britans receiued from saynt Eleutherius, and that wee which now hold communion with the Roman Churche teache no other doctrin then that which was taught by them to our ancestors, and hath successiuely come from S. Peter, & consequently from our Sauiour Christ.
Therefore thou mayst wel wonder, good reader, at the impudency of our English ministers, that are not a shamed to preache & teache the contrary, wherby thow mayst also see how lamentable is the case of our poor country wherein such haue the charge, and cure of soules, as haue not so much as common honesty to say the truth in matters as cleare as the Sunne, and teach such a religion as for lack of better reasons, and arguments, they are forst to mayntayne it with manifest lyes, slanders, yea and murders of innocent men, whome they execute for fayned crymes vnder colour of matter of state, acknowledging therby sufficiently the truth of our Catholyk fayth seing they are ashamed to a [...]ow that they trooble any man for it, whyles they confesse that they punish and put to death heretykes, namely the Anabaptists, directly for their religion, and their impudency is so much the more notorious, for that their publyk proceedings in the dayly execution of penal and capital lawes, touching only matter of religion, doth contradict and conuince their sayings and writings, wherein they affirme that they put none to death for religion.
But for as much as I haue treated this matter at large in diuers partes of my Apology, besydes that I vnderstand that some others also entend to treate thereof in the answere of a ridiculous challenge, made by O. E. [Page 71] fraught with most absurd paradoxes, as wel concerning this poynt, as others touching our Catholyke fayth, I remit thee, good reader, therto, and so conclude this treatys, beseeching almighty God to geue our aduersaries the light of his grace, and vs in the meane tyme pacience and constancy, and to thee indifferency to iudge of maters so much importing the eternal good and saluation of thy soule, which I hartely wish no lesse then my owne.