¶ Of the Sacrament of Baptysme, and the exposition or declaration thereof.

BEcause the Sacrament of Baptisme, is in order the fyrst of al Sacramentes, and the gate or en­trye, by whiche we must and doe entre into the chur­che and vnto the other Sacramentes thereof, to ob­teyne remission of oure synnes, and is a thynge so ne­cessarye, that withoute it no man can enter into the kyngedome of God, as Christe in the thyrde chapiter of S. Johns gospell doeth playnlye testifie, sayinge: Nisi quis renatus [...] ex aqua [...] spiritu sancto, non potest [...] in'reg [...] dei. That is to saye. Excepte one be borne a­gayne of water and the holye ghoste, he can not entre into the kyngdome of God There­fore in this noumbre of vii. Sacramentes, the Sa­crament of Baptysme for these respectes shal occupie the fyrste place.

For the better vnderstandynge whereof, ye shall emongeste other thynges consyder, and note foure poyntes.

Fyrste ye shall note that in the Sacrament of Bap tysine there are certayne formall wordes necessarye and requysyte to be vsed in the ministration thereof. Seconde that in the sayd Sacrament of Baptisme besydes the sayde formal wordes there is requyred al so an outwarde visible thing or element to be concur runt therewith. Thyrde is to be considered, the ver­tue, force, and effecte of the sayde Sacrament. And iiii. is to be declared, what rites solempnities, or cere­monies, [Page] are required for the dewe administration of the sayde Sacramente. Nowe concernynge the fyrst of these foure thynges to be noted in Baptysme, ye shall knowe that oure sauyoure Chryste, when he dyd sende hys apostles to preach throughout the hole worlde, he dyd saye vnto them, as is testyfyed in the xxviii. Chapiter of Sayncte Mathewes Gospell. Data est mihi omnis potestas in coelo & in terra, euntes ergo docete omnes [...] baptizantes cos in nominc patris, & filij, ci spiritus sancti. That is to saye, All power is geuen vnto me in hea­uen and in earth, go you therfore and do you teache all nations baptizinge them in the name of the father of the sonne, and of the ho ly Ghost. By whyche playnly appeareth, that oure [...] Chryste, in hys commyssyon geuen vnto hys apostles, dyd prescrybe certayne formall wordes vnto them, whiche they in administration of Bap­tysine shoulde vse, accordyng whervnto the minister of the Churche being therein the successoure of the a­postles, doeth and must vse in the administration of the Sacramente of Baptisme, these formall wordes, I doe Baptise thee in the name of the father, of the sonne, and of the holye Ghost, and thys muche for the fyrste poynte. For the seconde poynte consydered in Baptysme, ye shall note the specyall wordes of our sa uyour Christ in the foresayde, iii. Chapiter of Sainct Iohns Gospell, where speakynge of regeneration or Baptisme, he vseth these wordes. Aqua et spiritu sancto, say ing. Nisi quis renatus fucrit ex aqud & spiritu sancto non potest [...] regnum dei. Wherby it is euident that water, which is [Page] a visible element, and an open thyng, is a substancial part of baptisme, & must nedes be concurrēt with y ^e formall wordes vsed in the administration of Bap­tisme. Accordyng wherevnto we [...] reade in the. viii chapter of the actes, that when Philip, which was one of the seuē deacons (actes: vi) had conuerted vn­to the fayth of CHRIST a certayne noble man being in greate aucthoritie and offyce wyth Candate the Queene of Ethiope, he dyd baptyse the sayde noble man wyth water, so that water is required in Bap tisme. The lyke wherof appeareth the, x. Chapiter of the actes, where it is euidente that Saynte Peter, the apostle, baptysed in water one Cornelms a Cen­turyon and others with hym.

Touchynge the thyrd thynge to be considered in Baptysme whych is the vertue, force, and effect ther of, ye shall knowe, that the forgeuenes or remyssyon of synnes, and the grace of the holye ghost, is the ver­tue force, and effecte of baptysme, as is manyfeste in the seconde chapiter of the actes, where the blessed apostle S. Peter sayeth thus. Penitentiam agite. & baptizes tur unusquisque uestrum in nomine IESV CHRISTI, in remissionem peccatorum uestrorum, et accipietis donum spiritus sancti. That is to saye. Do you penaunce, & let euerye one of you be Baptised in the name of Iesu Christe in remission of youre synnes, and ye shall re­ccaue the gyfte of the Holye Ghoste. Thys effecte and grace hath thys Sacrament of baptisme by the vertue and workyng of almyghty God, there in by his minister, accordynge to his owne promyse [Page] annexed & adioyned to this Sacrament, as playnly appeareth in the. xvi. chapter of S. Marke, where Christe geuinge commission to his Apostles to goe in the whole world to preache the gospell, sayth these wordes. Qui credideret & baptisatus fuerit saluus erit. that is to say. Who shall beleue and be baptysed, shalbe saued. And as concernynge the. iiii. thyng to be con­sidered in baptysme, ye shall note that albeit of late, some haue vntruely preached, and reported that the maner of baptysinge or christening, nowe vsed in the Church, is not the same whiche was vsed in the pry­matyue Churche, but hath ben of late yeares inuen­ted and deuised, yet the auncient fathers bothe of the Greke & of the Latyn Churche, haue in theyr workes declared the contrarye, for profe whereof amonges many other, ye shal reade Denyce the Areopagyte in his boke De ecclesiastica hierarchia, in the tytle, De perficiendis in baptismate, of whose aucthoritie none nedeth to doubte, seyng that S. Luke in the. xvii. of the actes, maketh mention of him: ye may reade also S. Cyprian in his fyrst boke and. xii. Epistle where he sayth thus. [...] uero mūdari & sanctificari aquā prius a sacerdote ut possit baptismo suo, peccat a hominis qui baptisatur abluere. that is to say. The wa: ter must fyrste be made cleane & sanctified of the priest that it may clense the synnes of him that is baptysed. Reade also S. Ambrose in hys treatise, De ijs qui initiantur misteriis, and in his fyrste boke al so De sacramentis. And if you list rede Chrisostome in hys Homely entituled of Adam & Eue, where amongeste diuerse other his notable sayinges ye shal fynde these [Page] wordes folowinge. Illud etiam quod circa baptizandos in unluerso mundo sancta ecclesia, siue sunt paruulisiue iuuenes uniformiter agit, non ocioso contemplemur intuitu, quod cū ad regenerationis ueniunt sacramē ­ium non prius fontem uite ingrediuntur quā exorcismis et exufflacionibus clericorum, spiritus ab eis immundus abigatur. That is to saye: This thyng also whiche the holye Churche through the hole worlde uniformelye dothe practyse in persones that are to be baptyled, whether they be litle children, or yong folke, let vs, not with idell consideration beholde, howe that when they do come to the Sacra ment of regeneration or baptisme, they doo not enter into the funt of lyfe before that the unclene spirite be dryuen awaye by the exor­cisines, and exsufflations of the clerkes or mi nisters. Agreable wherevnto S. Austyne in his se­cond boke. De gratia Christi. And in hys. xl. chapiter doth say thus. Ipsa sancte ecclesie sacramenta que tam prisce traditionis authoritate, concelebrat, satis indicant paruulos a partu etiam recētistimos per gratiam CHRISTI, de diaboliseruitio liberari, excepto enim quod in peccatorum remissionem, non fallaci sed fidcli misterio baptizantur, etiā prius exorcizatur in eis et exufflatur potestas contraria, cui, etiam uerbis eorum a quibus portantur, se se renunciare respondent. that is to say. The very Sacramentes of the holy Church which she by so olde or auncient tradition, to gether with other doth celebrate, sufficiently do declare. yonge chyldren, euen most newly or freshely cummen from byrthe, to be by the [Page] grace of Chryst, deliuered from the seruyce of the deuyll. For besides that they be baptised, not with the deceatefull, but with the true misterye, there is also fyrst in them exercised, and exufflate the contrary power (meanynge there by the Deuyll) which contrary power, the childre (by the wordes of them y ^t did bere thē) make aunswere that they do renounce it. The same S. Augustine also in the. iiii. boke, & xxiiii Chapyter of his worke intituled, De baptismo contra Dona tistas, wryteth in this maner. Et sicut in illo latrone, quod exbap tismi sacramento defuerat compleuit omnipotentis benignitas, quia non [...] perbia uel contemptu sed necessitate defuerat. Sic in infantibusqui baptiza timoriuntur, eadem gratia omnipotētis implere credenda est, quod nō exa impiauoluntale, sed ex etatis indigentia, nec corde credere ad institiā pos­sunt, nec ore confiteri adsalutem, ideo aliipro eisrespondent, ut impleatur erga eos celebratio sacramenti, ualet uti (que) ad eorum consecrationem, quid ipse respondere non possunt. That is to saye. And as the be nignitie of the almyghtye dyd fulfyll in the these (specyally mentioned in the, xxiii. of S, Luke) that thyng which wanted, as touchyng the sacramente of Baptisine, because it wanted not of pryde, nor of contempte, but of necessi­tie. So the same grace of the almighty, must be beleued to fulfyll that thyng in infantes, who do dye beyng baptised, which they not of wycked or noughtye wyll, but of lacke of age, neyther with hert were able to beleue to [Page] iustice, nor with mouth confesse to saluation, by reason wherof other do aunswer for them that the celebration of y ^e sacrament (meaninge Baptysme) maye be fulfylled towardes them, whiche in dede is auaylable to theyr sanctifi­cation, because they cannot aunswere.

Nowe thys sacrament of Baptisme being institu­ted and ordeyned by oure Sauiour CHRISTE, in the newe testament: and the effecte and vertue of y ^e same being the forgeuenes of synnes: and it hauinge with it the grace of the holy ghoste: and fynally it not one­ly apparteynyng to all such as haue the vse of reason, who thereby haue all kynde of synnes, both originall and actuall, committed and done before theyre bap­tysine, clearelye taken awaye from them: but also ap pertaynynge and beinge offered vnto infantes, who being borne in originall synne, haue nede to be chry­stened, and beinge offered in y ^e faythe of the churche, do both receue the forgeuenes of theyr synne, and al­so such grace of the holy ghost, that yf they dye in the state of theyr infancy, they shall by the sayd baptisme be vndoutedlie saued. Ye shall note (touchynge thys oryginall synne in infantes) that as the said infantes do take of theyr parentes theyr original and natural qualities, euen so they receyue from them, oryginall synne, by whyche they are made the chyldren of the yre of God, and by the same haue a natural inclinati on to synne, by lustes and desyres, whyche in fnrther age and tyme, sensibly doo moue and styrre them to wyckednes. For althoughe the parentes be neuer so [Page] clene purged, and pardoned of theyr oryginall synne by baptisme, and grace geuen in the same, yet neuer­thelesse the chyldren of them begotten, be conceyued and borne in original synne. Example we maye take of corne, whiche thoughe it be neuer so cleane wyno­wed and purged from the chaffe, yet if it be caste into the grounde and sowen, the newe whiche spryngeth of it, is ful of chaffe againe, vntyl it be also winowed and cleansed: So likewise the children of christen mē be ful of the chaffe and corruptyon of originall synne, vntyll that by baptysme, they be washed, clensed, and purged from the same as their parentes were.

AND althoughe certayne heresies haue rysen vp and spronge in our dayes, agaynst the Chrystenynge of infantes, yet as the auncient fathers, and holy [...], of the church do testify, the vniuersal consent of the churches in all places, and of all tymes vsynge, and frequentynge the Chrystenynge of infantes, is a sufficient witnesse and profe, that thys custome of the Churche in baptyzing of infantes, was vsed by Chry­stes Apostles them selues, and by them geuen vnto the churche, and in the same hath been alwayes con­tinued euen vnto these daies. And this custome and perpetual vsage of the churche euen from the begyn­ning is agreable with the saying of S. Paule. Ephe v. Chryst loued his Churche, and hath geuen hym selfe to the deathe for his Churches sake to sanctifye her and make her holye, in clean­synge her by the fountayne of water in hys [Page] worde. &c. So that no man is nor canne be of thys Churche, but he whych is clensed by the Sacrament of Baptysme: Lyke as the texte before alledged, sheweth, where Chryste sayethe: Whosoeuer is not borne againe of water and the holy Gost shall not enter into the Kyngedome of Hea­uen. Wherefore seing that out of the churche, nether infantes, nor no man els cā be saued, they must nedes be christened and clensed by baptysme, and soo incor­porated into the Churche. And as the infancy of the chyldren of the Hebrues, in the olde testamente, dyd not let, but that they were made participant of the grace and benefytte geuen in Circumcision.

Euen so in the newe Testament, the infancye, of Chyldren doth not let, but that they maye and ought to be baptised and so receyue the graces and vertues of the same.

AND albeit baptysme be of this great efficacye, yet ye shall vnderstande, that there remaineth in vs that be baptyzed, a certayne infirmitie, or inclination, to synne, called concupiscence whiche by lustes, and de­syres, doth moue vs many times to synnes, and wic­kednes, neuerthelesse, almyghtye God of hys greate merci and goodnes, hath [...] vs such grace in this his holye Sacrament of baptysne, that suche carnall and fleshely lustes and desyres, shal not, ne can in any wyse hurte vs excepte we do fyrst consent vnto them By whiche grace also we be made more stronge, and able to resist, and withstand the sayd concupyscences [Page] and carnall desyres, than another man is that neuer was christened.

BVT this shall you note by the way, that chyldren, or men beyng once duley baptized, ought not in any wyse (as the Anabaptistes haue taught) to be bapti­zed agayne, for Saynct Paule in the sixt chapter of hys Epistle to the Hebrewes sayth thus. Impossibile enim [...] qui semel sunt illuminati, gustauerūt etiā donū celeste, et participes factisunt spiritus sancti, gustauerunt nichilominus bonum dei uerbum, uir tutes que seculi uenturi, et [...] sunt: rursus renouari [...] penitentiam. That is to saye: Impossible in dede it is, those who once be illuminate, and also haue tasted the heauenlye gyftes, and haue bene parta­kers of the holye Ghoste, and haue tasted be­sides the good word of God, & the vertues or power of the world to come, and be fallen: to be renewed agayne vnto penaunce. Where, (by suche renewynge) Saynt Paule vnderstandeth baptisme.

AND because aswell this sacrament of baptysme, as all other sacramentes instituted by Chryste, haue all theyr vertue, efficacye and strength by the worde of God, whyche by his holye spirite, worketh all the graces and vertues, whiche bee geuen by the sacra­mentes, to all those that worthelye receyue the same: Therefore we muste vnderstande and knowe, that althoughe he whiche doeth minyster the sacrament, be of a synnefull and euyll conuersatyon, yet the ver­tue and effect of the sacramente, is thereby nothynge dimynished or hurted, neyther in infantes, nor yet in [Page] them whyche beinge endued wyth the vse of reason, come there vnto truly contryte, and penytente of all theyr synnes done before, beleuynge and confessinge al the articles of the Crede, and hauyng a sure faithe and truste in the promysses of GOD of remyssyon of theyr synnes, and purposynge euer after to lyue a chrysten lyfe.

FINALLY ye shall note concernyng thys Sacra ment of Baptisme, that it maye well be called, a coue naunte betwene GOD and vs, whereby GOD testify­eth, that he for hys sonne Chrystes sake, iustifyeth vs, that is to say: forgyueth vs our synnes, and indueth vs with his holy spiryte, and gyueth vs suche graces that there by, we be made able to walke in the wor­kes of Justice, ordeyned by God to be exorcised of vs in thys presente lyfe, to the glorye and prayse of GOD And so perseuerynge, to inioye the fruite of the lyfe e­uerlastyng. And we agayne vpon our parte, oughte most diligently to remember and kepe the promysse, that we in baptysme haue made to almyghtye God, that is, to beleue onely in him, onely to serue him and obeye him, to forsake al [...], and the workes of Sa tan, to mortify our affections of the fleshe, and to liue after the spirite in a newe life. Of which promise and conuenaūt by vs made to GOD S. Paule putteth vs in remembraunce, saying. Rom. vi. Knowe ye not that all we, whiche are baptyzed in Iesus Chryst, are baptysed to dye wyth hym? for we be buryed with him, by baptysme to dye, that likewyse as Chryste was raysed vp frō [Page] death by the glorye of his father, euen soo we shoulde walke in a newe lyfe. By the whyche wordes. S. Paule gyueth vs to vnderstande that al we whyche be baptized in Chryste, That is to saye whyche are incorporated into the misticall bodye of Chryst haue professed and [...]; our selfe in Bap­tysme, to dye from synne, and vtterlye to abstayne from the corruption of our olde synnefull lyfe, and to walke and procede in a newe lyfe of grace, and the spirite, into the whych we are called by the word of God, and by fayth, and due receauynge of thys holy Sacrament, are brought and set into the same.

¶Of the Sacrament of Confyrmation and thexposition or declaration thereof.

HAVINGE last entreated of the Sacra mente of Baptysme, by the which al maner of synne, aswell original as ac tuall, is remitted, and the holy ghost therein geuen, whiche doth regene­rate vs into a newe creature, & doth thereby so weakē & attenuate y ^e fome, or rage of cōcu piscēce in vs, yea & so help y ^e weakenes of our corrupt nature, that the sayd fome of concupiscence can in no wyse hurt vs excepte we wyll againe consente vnto synne, mete and conuenient it shalbe to intreat of cō ­firmation, whych is the seconde Sacrament aboue touched and rehearsed. For albeit that the Sacra­ment of Baptysme alone, to al such as haue receaued [Page] the same, and bene therby regenerated by water and the holy ghost, is sufficient to saluation and to brynge them to heauen, if in that state of innocencye recoue­red and gotten by [...], they shoulde by and by depart thys world. Yet yf they hauing passed the red sea shoulde entre into the greate wildernesse, and de­serte of thys large and miserable worlde, in asmuche as they should encountre, & haue much to doo, wyth theyr outwarde and inwarde enemyes, aswell the fleshe, the deuyll, and the worlde, before they shoulde come to the land of promyse, requisite and expediente it, were for them to be armed at all pointes and made apte vnto the battayll, and to abyde all assaultes that theyr enemyes woulde goo aboute to make agaynste them.

In consyderatyon whereof, lykewyse as in the olde testament, almyghtye God, was benefyciall and good to the chyldren of Israell, whom he caused safelye to passe the red sea, drowning theyr enemyes, and confortyng the sayde Israelites manye wayes, aswell in spreadyng abroade ouer them the cloude in the daye, for theyr protection, as geuynge them fyre, to lyght them in the nyght, ouer and besydes the fea­dyng of them with celestiall fode, and refreshynge of them with water that yssued oute of the harde rocke. So oure blessed Sauyour Iesus Chryste, hauynge fulfylled the fygures and shadowes of the olde lawe, doth after baptysme, geue vnto his Isralites, the chri­sten people, dyuers gyftes of the holy Ghost, and ma­nyfoide graces, whereby he doth hold vppe, and con­fyrme, or make stronge his sayd people, that they are [Page] able, to abyde & to ouercome all the assaultes of theyr [...] and amongest other he geueth vnto them hys holy Sacramentes, of the whych confyrmatyon is one succedyng in order after Baptisme.

[...] thys Sacramente of Confyrma­tion (albeit the heretyckes in our tyme haue folyshlye, busely, and maliciously gone aboute to deface it, scant [...] takynge, or allowynge it for a rite or ceremonye, and vtterly denying it to be a Sacramente) yet euer in the catholyke Churche and [...] the faitheful Chrysten people it hath bene (as in dede it oughte) ta­ken, accepted, vsed, and allowed for a Sacramente, yea and for one of the seuen Sacramentes to. For the [...] whereof, besides the testimonies of the said faith of the catholyke Churche, and of the moste holye; and most auncient fathers thereof, we haue diuerse moste playne and euident open places of Scripture, by con­tinuall vsage, acceptyon, and interpretatyon, so allo­wed, ratified, and approued. And fyrste ye shall for profe thereof haue the testimonye of S, Luke, in the viii, chapter of the actes, where he sayeth thus.

Cum autem [...] Apostoli qui erant in Hierosolimis quod recepisset [...] maria uerbum DEI, miserunt ad eos, Petrum et [...]: Qui cum uenis­sent [...] pro ipsis ut acceperent spiritum [...] (non dum enim in quemquam illorum uenerat, sed baptizati tantum erant in nomine Domini [...]) tunc imponebant manus super illos; et [...] spiritum sanctum. That is to say. And when the Apostles whych were at Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had [...] the worde of God, they did send vnto them Peter and Jhon: Who when they were commen dyd praye for them that they [Page] myght receaue the holy ghoste (for as yet the holy ghost was not comen into any of them, but onelye they were baptysed in the name of our Lorde Jesus) then they dyd put, or laye theyr handes vpon them, and they dydde [...] the holy ghoste.

Accordyng where vnto S. [...] in the. xix. chap­ter of the Actes, sayeth thus. Factum est autem cum [...] set [...] ut Paulus (peragratis superioribus patribus) [...] et Ephesum et inuenire quosdam discipulos, dixit (que) ad eos, Si spiritus [...] credentis? At illi dixerunt ad eum. Sed ne (que) sispiritus sanctus ost audi­uimus. ille uero [...] in quo ergo baptisati estis? qui dixerunt in Ioannis bap­tismate. Dixit autem Paulus. Ioannes baptiz auit baptismo [...], dicens, in [...] qui uenturus [...] post ipsum ut [...] est in Ie­sum hijs auditis baptisati sunt in nomine [...], et cu [...] illis manus Paulus, uenit spiritus sanctus super coset [...] et [...]. That is to say. And it came so to passe when Apollo was at Corynth, that Paule (hauynge trauayled throughe or passed the ouer partes of the countreye) dyd come to E­phesus, and dyd finde there certayne disciples and he demaundinge sayde, vnto them. Haue you synce you beleued receiued the holy gost? And they aunswering saide no: nor yet haue heard whether there be any holy ghost at al. Then Paule saide: In whome then are ye baptised? and they saide in the baptysme of [...]. Then Paule sayde. Jhon dyd [...] [Page] the people with the baptisme of Penaunce, tellyng them, that they should beleue in hym that should [...] after hym. That is to saye: in Iesus, these thynges beynge hearde they were baptised in the name of our Lord Iesus And when Paule had layde his handes vp­on them, the holye Ghoste came vpon them, and they dyd speake with tounges and dyd prophecye.

By whych aucthorities, beyng of all catholyke wry­ters vnifourmely euer taken and vnderstand of thys sacrament of Confyrmation, it appeareth moste ma­nifestiye that by the outward visible signe of imposy­tion or layinge on of the handes after baptysme, not onelye grace is geuen and conferred, but also the spi­rite of grace it selfe, accordyng wherevnto we reade in the. xx. chapter of Saint Ihons ghospell, that oure Sauiour Chryst, albeit after hys resurrection he dyd breath vpon his apostles sayinge, take you the holye Ghoste (whiche yet neuerthelesse in some degre they had receyued before in baptysme) yet for all that oure sayd sauiour being ready to ascend into heauen: dyd promyse to his Apostles and by them to all that by baptysme shoulde be regenerate, an other gyfte say­inge. Luce. 24. Ego [...] promissum patris mei in uos, uos autem sedete in ciuitate quoadusque induamini uirtute ex alto. That is to saye: I wyll sende into you the promyse of my father, doo you sytte or tarye in the Citye vn­tyll [Page] ye be indued with vertue from aboue. Lykewyse (as is testified Actorum. 1.) Our Sauiour (hauyng eaten with his apostles and hauing bidden them to tary at Iherusalem, and not to departe from thence, but looke for the promyse of God the father) sayeth: Accipictis uirtutem [...] spiritus sancti in uos, &c. That is to saye. [...] shall receaue the vertue of the holy ghost commyng vpon you.

And this gyft so promysed, was perfourmed most eui dently vpon Whytsondaye, by visible sygnes and to­kens feetlye resemblynge, and lyuelye answerynge, to thys sacrament: wherein ye may consider that as in baptisme the holye ghost came downe in the fourme of a Doue, declaryng thereby that as the Doue is of all other, simple and innocent, soo by Baptysme inno­cency is purchased and obtayned: So firy tonges be yng sent downe vpon the Apostles on Whitsondaye, dyd signifye the ardente zeale, and greate boldenesse that the apostles and christen people shoulde haue to expresse and declare theyr profession and fayth. Ther­fore, as in baptysme we are regenerate to lyfe, soo by confirmation succedynge baptysme, we are armed & strēgthened to fyght and battayle. In baptysme sinne is forgeuen and grace is geuen, in confirmation the grace geuē, is [...]. In baptisme we do professe the faythe and religion of Chryste. In confirmatyon we haue grace and [...] boldelye to mayntayne and to sticke to the same, so that he which is baptysed and confirmed hath more aboundaunt grace and glorye then he which is baptised onely. Example hereof we haue in the apostles. For Peter the heade of the apo­stles [Page] although he hadde sene Chryste, tasted also of his glorye in the mounte, had harde the voyce of hys heauenly father, had sene with his eyes y ^e wonderfull workes that Chryst had wrought, and had hym selfe done myracles, walked vpon the water, and bene ve­rye familier wyth Chryste. [...] and after that he was washed and pronounced also to be pure & clene, and finallye after he had made a bragge that he wold with Chryst go into prison and suffer death, yet after all these thynges the sayd Peter was afrayde at the voyce of a wenche, and did by and by denye Chryste, and the lyke also he dydde at the voyce of an other wenche: yea and moreouer after Chrystes resurrec­tion, when he hadde sene Christe and receyued greate comforte at Chrystes handes, he dyd with the other Apostles for feare of the Iewes hyde hym selfe, and also when the sayde Peter with other the Apostles had sene Christ gloriouslye ascendynge, and had bene by the syghte of the aungeles greatlye comforted, yet he durst not shewe hys face abroade, but taryed and loked for the commynge of the holye Ghost, to make hym stronge and bolde. At whose commynge bothe he and the rest of the apostles were so confyrmed and boldned that they shranke not before all the Iewes, and all creatures vnder the skye, ye before the kynges & prynces, to preache the name of Iesus. And profes­syng theyr chrysten fayth, wyth all boldnes and con­stancye, did reioyce to suffer displeasures and rebukes inflicted and done vnto them therefore. And because we here doo speake of confirmation, some peraduen­ture do loke that we should geue some diffynytyon of [Page] confirmatyon; wherin to satisfie theyr appetites, thys may be sayde. That Confirmation is a certayne, consignation or markyng, made with chrisme, in the foreheade of the persone that is baptyzed, wyth a cer­tayne forme of wordes, to the intente that the person confyrmed, shoulde boldely geue the name of Christe: or els thus maye be sayde to them.

CONFIRMATION, is an enoyntynge in the fore­heade of the partye that is baptysed, made in the fy­gure or forme of the crosse by a Byshoppe, with holye chrysme for the strengthe, or encrease of the faythe, to be boldelye by the sayde partye confessed. And thys chrysme is made of oyle and balme. The sayde oyle (whyche is a cleare or cleane thynge of it selfe) to be­token, the clearenes or cleannes of the hearte, or con­science in oure selfe. The balme (whiche is a thynge verye fragraunt, and of a swete smellyng) to signifie y ^e swete and good sauoure, of good name and fame, to­wardes oure neyghbour, and the sayd oyle and balme beynge mingeled together to signifye, that the partye confirmed should haue truely in hym selfe, both clere­nes of conscience and also wyth hys good workes to haue a good name, and to styrre there by hys neygh­bours to the lyke.

And we ought not to thynke that thys enoyntinge is a new inuention, in asmuche as Dionyse and Cle­ment, beynge in the apostles tyme, and besydes them, Fabian, and [...], beyng very nyghe the sayde Apostles tyme, and Cypryan, Hierome, and Saynte Augustyne not being much from the Apostles tyme, with other [...] wryters, do vnyformely agree, [Page] that thys sorte of enoyntyng came from the Apostles. For as concernyng Dionyse, he besydes manye other places doeth affyrme it in hys boke De ecclesiastica hierar­chia, and in the. iii. chapter. And amongest many other notable thynges, doth saye thus Deinde chrisma summus sa­cerdos accipiens [...] ponit diuino altari. &c. That is to saye: The cheife preiste afterwardes takynge the chrisme, doth put it vpon the diuine aulter. &c And Clemēt doth speake hereof in the. iii. boke of his recognitions in the seconde epistle thereof. Fabiane also in hys seconde epistle wrytten to all the byshops of the Easte, doeth moste playnelye affyrme the lyke. Tertullian lykewyse in hys fyrst boke agaynst Mar­tian doth the same.

And to speake of S. Cypriane, he also in hys ser­mon, De vnctione Chrismatis, in diuerse places doeth testifie it most largelye. Lykewyse S. Hierom most playnly in hys commentaryes vpon the xvi. chapiter of Eze­chiel, and vpon the. xxxiii. of Iob.

And as for S. Augustine, he most largely, playn­ly, and effectually approueth it, specially in hys secōd booke and. iiii. chapiter, Contra literas [...]. And in hys xv. booke and. xxvi. Chapiter, De Trinitate. And so doeth Euse bius in hys. vi. boke, and. xliii chapter, [...]. where speakynge of Nouatus, who was bap­tised onely in hys bedde not hauynge other thynges vsually obserued after the order & rule of the churche, he sayth thus. [...] exorcistis curatus in [...] morbum incidit, et quo­niam iam moriturus putabatur, inipso lecto quo decumbebat baptismi infu­sionem accepit, sitamenhancillum accepisse dicendum est. Imo nec [...] consequutus est post verbum quae iuxta [...] consequidebebat, [Page] obsignationem uidelicet ab episcopo [...], cum autem illa potitus non sit, quomodo spiritum sanctum est consequutus. That is to saye: Nouarus beinge cured of the exorcistes, dyd fal into a greuous disease, and because it was thought that he woulde dye out of hande, he dyd in the same bedde vpon whyche he laye sycke, receaue the infusion of Baptysme, yf a man may saye that he receaued that, but as concernyng thynges whyche as yet remay­ned vndone, and whych he ought according to the order and rule of the Churche to haue had, that is to say, the consignatiō or [...] to be geuen or conferred by the by [...], those thinges after his discease he receaued thē not and forasmuch as he had not that, how than hath he receaued the holy goost.

CONCERNINGE the latter wryters, in asmuch as they be innumerable, and vniformely do agre here vpon. I wyll not rehearse them at all, but by them, a greynge with the auncient and holye fathers of the churche, ye maye vndoutedlye see and perceaue, that thys sacrament of confirmation, or imposition of the Byshopes handes, is receaued, approued, and specy­allye commended of all Catholique menne, and at al tymes.

Seyng then that thys Sacrament of Con­fyrmation, for many considerations is so gretly to be estemed and regarded, not onelye for the auctho­ritie [Page] of Chryste, that dyd institute it, and the auctho­ritie of the churche and of the Apostles that dydde re ceaue and vse it, but also for the commoditie and pro­fyt which the sayde Sacrament dothe brynge wyth it. Therefore they doo verye wyckedlye, that in anye wyse doo contempne it. And those maye be sene, and iudged to contempne it, whiche eyther do rayle at it or ells hauyng oportunitie to haue it ministred, do re fuse it, or wyllyngly neglecte it.

And the formall wordes vsed in Confyrmatyon, (whiche in olde tyme was called Impositio manuum) are these. Signo te signo crucis, & confirmo te [...] salutis, in nomine pa­tris, & filij, & spiritus sancti. That is to saye. I sygne, or marke the with the sygne of the Crosse, and confirme the with the chrysme or oyntement of helth. In the name of the father, of y ^e sonne, and of the holy Ghost. And of this imposition of handes, we haue (besydes manye other places expres­sed in scrypture) a notable example in the. x. of saynte Marke, practised and vsed by Chryst hymselfe. And this Sacrament of Confirmation, or layinge of the byshops handes, was instituted ordeined, and v­sed in the catholyke Churche, to remedye the weake­nes that ryseth of the fome or rage of concupyscence, which weakenes remayneth in vs for oure exercyse, and is of two sortes, that is to say, inwarde and out­warde. The inwarde, is a certayne shamefastnes, or timerousnes, whereby we do not boldely confesse the name of Chryst, as Chryst requyreth of vs, sayinge in the tenth Chapter of Saynt Mathewe. Omnis qui [...] [Page] me coram hominibus, [...] & ego [...] patre meo [...] in coelis est: qui autem negauerit me coram hominibus, negabo & ego [...] coram [...] meo qui in coelis est. That is to saye. Euery one that wyll confesse me before men I wyll al­so acknowledge him before my father which is in heauen. And who wyll denye me before men, I wyl also denye him before my father which is in heauen. This inwarde shamefastnes rysynge withoute fayle of the inwarde weakenes, is taken awaye by confyrmation, wher in the forehead is made the sygne of the crosse, in whiche place is dys­closed our feare, and shame, in asmuche as we striken with feare, do waxe pale, and beyng ashamed, we do blushe and waxe redde. Wherfore he that is bapti­sed, is afterwardes armed in confyrmation, with the sygne of the crosse, to the intente he may therby remē ber that he shal ouercum by vertne thereof, al maner his enemies, as before hym dyd his cheife capytayne Iesus Chryst, vnder whose [...], he is now becom to be a souldiour, and lykewyse therby boldened and assured that as the distroyinge aungell, dyd forbeare and passe by those houses in Egypte, whose dore po­stes, and lyntell, he dydde see to be enointed with the bloude of the lambe, so the wicked spirite beholdynge the person baptised, and confyrmed wyth the tryum­phante sygne of the crosse is discoraged to make anye hote assault agaynst hym.

And the other weakenes whyche is outewarde, is a certayne instablenes or [...], to stand and abyde earnestlye, bothe in wordes and dedes, before [Page] all persones, and estates, to the defense and maynte­naunce of the Chrystyan relygion and faythe, to the best of his power, that the saying of S. Paule in his epistle to the Romains, the tenth chapter, may be ve refied in hym, Where is sayde: Corde creditur ad adiustitiam ore autem confessio fit ad salutem. That is to saye: Beleyfe with hart, is to iustice, but confessiō is made by the mouth to saluation.

And this outewarde weakenes, is also expelled in confyrmation, by the Chrisme of health, which maketh the person ennointed, to be in courage, and boldenes, hauing ther­in the ayde and assistence of the holye Ghost: agaynste all maner of enemies bodely or ghost­lye.

¶ Of the Sacramente of Penaunce, and Thexposition or declaration thereof.

HAVINGE nowe spoken of the Sacra ment of Baptisme, wherby alsynnes orygynall and actuall, are remytted and forgyuen: And hauinge also spo ken of the Sacrament of Confyrma­tion, whereby the partye so baptyzed and confyrmed is made able to resyste and abyde, yea and to ouercome the assaultes of all his enemyes. It shall nowe be conueniente (Forasmuche as man ha­uynge all these greate helpes, and remedyes at God­des handes dothe for all that manye tymes, by hys owne faulte, fall into synne, and then can neyther by baptysme, nor Confyrmation be pourged, or quytte hereof, but must nedes in that case haue the benefytte and helpe of Penaunce, whyche as S Hierome say­eth, is after shypewracke the seconde table or planke, to be holpen and socored by) that consequentlye, and kepynge the due promysed order, we do speake heare next of penaunce. For as it is necessarye for the bodye whan it hath surfyted and lost hys prystyne helthe, to haue physicke to restore the same agayne: so necessary it is for the soule, when by synne it is spotted or defy­led, to be made cleane and bewtyfyed a freshe by pe­naunce. For an entrye vnto whyche matter of Pe­naunce and for the more clere vnderstandynge therof ye shall note. ii. thynges, the fyrste is how this worde Penaunce is here to be taken.

THE seconde is, what is properlye mente by the [Page] [...] of Penaunce. And as concernynge the fyrste ye shall note that this worde Penaunce, as it is here in this treatise to be taken, doth signysye an inward sorowe, and greife of the harte for the sinnes [...] vs done and committed, and an hatred and de­testation of the same, wyth an earneste desyre to be purged and ridde from them, and finallye to recouer and gette agayne the grace and fauoure of GOD, by such meanes and remedies, as God hath appoynted for the obteynyng thereof, with a stedefast purpose & mynde neuer to offende agayne. For withoute suche purpose and mynde, he that sayeth he is sorye for hys offences committed agaynste the hyghe maiestye of GOD, and yet still contynueth or intendeth to conty­nue in the same, is no penitent, but a [...] a deryder of Penaunce. And in this sorte & after this acception Penaunce is commonly taken, aswell in the new as in the old Testament. And this sort or kynde of Penaunce is so necessary for manes saluati­on, that without it no man that offendeth GOD, can be saued or attayne vnto euerlasting life. And as tou chyng the second thinge it is to witte, what is mente by The Sacrament of Penaunce, [...] shall vn­derstand, that it is properly the absolution pronoūced by the preist vpon such as be penitent for their sinnes and so do acknowledge and confesse them selues to be. For the obteyninge of whiche absolution or sacra­mente of Penaunce, there are required, iii. seuerall thynges, it is to witte Contrition: Confessyon, and sa tisfaction, as beyng wayes, and meanes moste expe­dient and necessarye to obteine the saide absolutyon. [Page] And here to begyn with Contrition, whiche is the firste parte to perfecte penaunce, ye shall learne that it is a sorowe willingly taken for our synnes, wyth a purpose and intent, to confesse them, and to satysfye for them, and neuer to commytte them agayne, with out which contrition it wyll not be that anye person can be truly and perfectlye penitent, or yet haue hope of remyssyon or forgyuenesse of hys synnes, nor yet oughte the preiste to absolue anye that wanteth thys contrition.

Wherefore necessary and expediente it is for the synner, wyllinge to haue absolution of his synnes, to consyder these thynges folowing. First to haue a con­tynuall remembraunce of hys synnes. Esaye, 38. and Psaline. 37. Seconde to consyder the vylenes of the synnes, and to haue therevpon a shame in hymselfe to haue committed them. Prouer. 12. Joan. 8. 2. Pe­tri. 2. Hierome. 2. Thyrde to haue in consyderatyon both the terryble day of iudgement, and also the eter­nall payne of hell that is due for synnes, and the losse of the ioyes of heauen, from the which vnrepentante synners be excluded, Sapientie. 5. Luce, 16. 1. Petri. 4. Ecclesi. 7. Which thinges beinge soo considered on the behalfe of the sayde synner, and [...] therevpon fer­ther remembring, what a fylthye and vitiouse lyfe he hath ledde, aud howe he thereby hath prouoked the highe indignation and wrath of GOD, consyderynge also with himselfe the dygnytye and purytye of that state wherevnto he was called in baptissne, with hys promyse there made vnto GOD, [...] and besides that manifolde benefytes dayly by hym receyued of God, [Page] [...] engendre in the synner an ernest sorowe, for that he leauinge so louynge a Lorde, hath by sinne made him selfe thrall to the deuyll.

AND here vpon beinge thus moued and troubled in spyryt, & lamenting with himselfe the myserable e­state, whiche he is nowe in by his owne defaulte, he shalbe pricked and stirred in hys harte accordynge to the teachynge of the scrypture, & the instructynge of his mother holye Churche, to repayre to a pryeste be ing the minister which God hath ordayned, and ap pointed therein, to pronounce the sentence of remyssi on of synnes in this behalfe. Accordyng aswell to the counsayl of Saynt James (Jacobi. 5) as also to thex ample of them that were conuerted at Ephesus, who beleuynge dyd come, confessyng and shewynge ther actes and dedes. Actorum. xix. And because here we doo touche and speake of confession, which is the se­conde thynge towardes parfytte Penaunce, ye shall therefore knowe, that albeit, thys worde Confessyon both in scrypture and in prophane authors doth syg­nifye many thynges and in dyuerse sortes, yet Con­fession (as it is heare to be accepted and taken) is a voluntarye, lawfull, and sufficient declaratyon, or vt teryng of synne, to be made vnto the pryeste hauynge sufficyent aucthoritye to geue absolution therin. And when I do saye Adeclaration or vtteryng: I do vse the same to exclude mentall confessyon, whyche though it may and ought at all tymes to be made vn to God, yet that is not that sacramentall confessyon of which we heare speake. And when I do saye Uo [Page] Uoluntarye, I do put in that to declare that lyke as wyllyngly the synne is committed, so also willing­ly and without compulsion the confession ought to be made. And when I do say, Lawefull and suffici­ent. I do put in that, to declare y ^t it is not I noughe to make a bare or naked confession not carynge how or after what sorte it be made, but to make it in suche wise that it may be lawefull and sufficiente, That is to say, after dewe deliberation and consultation for sene and had, to so order the same, that it may be done as is comprehended in these verses folowyng.

That is to say: Let confessyon be playne, hum­ble, pure, faythefull, and often, not cloked, discrete, voluntarye, hauinge shamefastnes, hole, secreate, lamentable, spedy, stronge, accu satorye of hym selfe, and ready to obey.

AND when I doo put in this worde Synne. I doo that, to declare that he who commeth to confessi­on must not do as the proude Pharisie did, who prai sed himselfe and condempned the publican Luce. 8. But humbly and lowely (as is beforesayde) he muste declare and shewe his owne synne, verefying in hym selfe the saying of Salomon in the. xvii. chapiter of his prouerbes. Iustus prior est accusator sui. That is to saye: A iuste man is firste an accuser of himselfe.

AND fynallye when I doo saye those wordes [Page] Unto the priest hauing sufficiente auctoritie to giue absolution therein. I do purposelye put in them to declare that he who shall gyue absolution must be both a priest and also haue sufficient auctho­ritie to gyue absolution.

NOVV conçernyng satisfaction, which is the thirde thinge that apperteineth to perfect penaunce, ye shal knowe, that albeit this worde. Satisfaction, is di­uersely taken aswell in scripture as other where: yet as is shalbe here consydered, and as it is taken in the publyke and common vse of the catholyke Churche in thys matter, it is a chastemente or punyshmente which is inflycted or put by the preist vpon the peny­tent synner (so confessynge hymselfe) accordyng to y ^e nature and qualitie of the offence by him commytted And hereby apeareth that when we here do speake of satysfactyon, we do not meane that the penytente synner by any payne, or punyshmente by them to be suffred, can worthely eyther merite remission of hys synnes, or make vnto God any iuste or full recōpense equyualent to the synne, whiche he hath commytted agaynst God, and so satysfye God therby, (whiche in dede after that forte he neuer can do, for that sorte of satysfaction onely apperteyneth to our Sauyoure CHRIST, who alone by hys gloryous passyon hathe worked and purchased the same. But to satisfye (as here is ment by satysiactyon) is, the synner after [...], and confession, to submitte humblye hymselfe to suche discipline and wayes of reformation, as the priest hearyng hys synnes and offences, shall by hys [Page] [...] and wysedome, agreable to the worde of God, thinke mete and conueniente, whyche humble submission (with consent and agremente to receaue dysciplyne) made by the penytente vnto the priest be­ynge the gostlye fathere, eyther to the gyuynge of almes, makyng of prayor, vsyng of fastynge or of do­ynge any such lyke workes of penaunce, shall make the sayd penitent an apt vessell to be partaker of that onely satysfactyon procured meryted, and gotten by the preciouse death of our Sauiour CHRISTIESVS and it shall gyue great occasyon and good mater to the penytent synner alwayes after, to leade a newe lyfe declinynge from vyce, and embracing vertue, yet it shall enduce hym not onely to restore to all men, a­that euer he hathe vniustlye taken or reteyned from them, and to recompense al hurtes and iniuryes in a­ny wyse done vnto them, accordyng to hys habylitie and power. But also to forgyue vnto all mene for CHRISTES sake all suche iniuryes and trespases as they in any wyse haue commytted, or done agaynste hym. And the penytente synner being contente thus to do (wherein he shall vndoutedly muche please al­myghtye God, who by vertue of Chrystes satysfac­tion wyl accept, & allowe, of his infinit goodnes this satisfaction, & contentment so don by man) y ^e sayd pe­nitent synner may desire to heare y ^e comfortable wor­des of remyssyon of synnes, and to haue absolution therof gyuen and mynystred vnto hym by y ^e pryeste. Accordyng to whose desire, the preyste beynge God­des [...] therein muste (ensuinge the Gospell) pronounce and gyue vnto, and vpon the sayde peny­tent [Page] [...], the fentēte of absolution, vnto the which sentēce the sayd penitent muste geue credence, wyth perfecte fayth and beleife, that hys synnes are nowe frely forgeuen, by the merytes of Chrystes blessed passion in thys sacrament of Penaunce, hauyng this contrition, Confession, satysfactyon, and absolution, whych we haue spoken of. And albeit in the late pesti ferouse [...], that ouerwhelmed thys realme, thys Contrition, Confession, satisfaction, and Penaunce were condempned and [...]; or at the least wise in maner neglected of all folkes, yet in very dede they so ought not haue bene [...] they are allowed & approued by scrypture (as anone shalbe declared, and shewed [...] you) and haue bene euer continuallye receyued, vsed, and muche set by, as thynges most ne cessarye and profitable in the catholyke Churche, for the amendement of mennes lyues, and for theyre at­tonement wyth almyghtye God [...] to bee kepte in good estate and order, to theyr great comfort, and spe ciall releife. And amongest a greate numbre, of com­modities, that doe come by confession, thys is not the lest, that wher by custome or otherwise men be drou­ned in [...], and do not se the abhomination and fil­thynes [...], and therefore many tymes, do wante Contrition, and consequentlye remedye and helpe a­gaynst theyr synne, they hauyng a discert honest gost ly father, and [...] commyng to hym may by his good instructiō & exhortatiō groūded vpon the word of God, be styrred & moued to detest theyr synne, & to lamēt theyr noughty [...], & thervpon to entre into a new lyfe & to vse godlye conuersatiō, and honest be hauiour in al their doīges. And albeit this wai before [Page] descrybed be y ^e ordinary way & meanes for sinners, to obteyne remissiō of sin, & to be recōciled to y ^e fauour of almyghty GOD, yet in case there do lacke a preyste to make this confession vnto, and so to obteine ofhim being Goddes minister, the sayd absolution: or y ^t the synner by extreme necessitie cannot do and fulfyll (as of duety he ought & gladly he should) y ^e said workes of Penaunce in confession so enioyned vnto him: thē in that case & hauing thys good wyll, and beinge other­wise truely w ^t all his harte repentāt of his hole former noughty lyfe, not wanting therw ^t a harti mynde & vn fayned purpose through Gods grace to do the same, whē such necessitie shal cease & good occasion or opor­tunitie shalbe gyuē, the sayd sinner vndoutedlye shall haue at Godes handes pardō & forgyuenes of all hys sayd sinnes & misdoinge, for (as S. Cipryan doth say in his first boke, contra [...],) euen in the houre of death whē y ^e soule is ready to departe out of y ^e body, y ^e great mercyfull goodnes of God doth not dyspise Pe naūce, so y ^t neither y ^e greatnes of synne, nor y ^e shortnes of tyme, nor yet y ^e enormitie of lyfe, do exclude y ^t sinner from y ^e mercy of God if so be, ther be true contrition & vnfained change of the harte frō [...] conuersatiō. An example wherof we haue of y ^e thefe y ^t did hang vp­on y ^e crosse, who askyng mercy w ^t a cōtrite harte was in y ^t case forthw ^t made a cetezen of Paradise, & where as he deserued cōdempnation & punyshment, this his contrite hart did chaung his payne into martirdom, and his bloude into baptisme: yet thys not withstan­dyng no man ought, vpon hope of Gods mercye styll to contynue in synfull lyuing (like as no man woulde be sycke in hys bodye vpon hope to recouer healthe) [Page] for such as wyl not forsake theyr wyckednes, and yet do thynke that GOD wyl forgeue them, are full many tymes, and commonlye, so preuented wyth the iuste plage of GOD, that neyther they haue tyme to con­uerte, nor yet grace to receyue the benefitte of for­geuenes. For consideration of whych daunger, scrip­ture (Eccle. 5.) doth say thus. Non tardes conuerti ad dominū, et ne [...] de die in diem: subito enim [...] illius ct in [...] uindicte disperdet te. That is to say: Thou must not slacke to conuerte or tourne to God, and thou must not differ or lynger from daye to daye, for in dede hys anger wyl come sodenly, and in the tyme of vengeaunce he will destroie the. Wherefore embrasynge the mercye of God on thone syde, and fearyng the iustice of God on thother syde, let vs at no tyme neyther dispayre of forgeuenes of our synnes nor yet presumptuouslye remayne [...] in oure synnes, knowynge that the iustice of God wyll straytlye exacte and require the dettes of all men, which be not forgeuen or pardoned by hys clemency Here in thys matter, amongest many other thynges two poyntes are specially to be noted and considered The fyrst is that althoughe the death of Christe be a satisfaction, deseruyng and merytynge the remissyon of our synnes, and not onelye oure synnes: but of the synnes of the hole worlde (as Saynct John sayeth. 1. John. 2.) Etipse e st propitiatio pro peccatis nostris, et non pro [...] tantum sed etiam pro totius mundi. Wherby euerlastynge death is sufficicientlye of Christes parte abolished, yet on oure behalfe it taketh not alwayes effecte, by rea­son [Page] that we endeuor not our selues that it may be du­lye applied vnto vs. For such is the mercy of CHRIST that he woulde haue all to be sauede, and therefore when he approched nigh vnto the citie of Hierusalem and sawe the great enormities and wickednes ther­of he wepte vpon it and sayde. Si cognouisses et tu et quid [...] in hac dei tud quae ad pacem tibi: nunc autem abscondita sunt ab [...] Luce, 19 That is to saye, And thou yf thou hadest knowen, and that in thys thy daye, those thinges which belonge vnto thy peace, but nowe are hid from thine eyes. Luke the xix For which cause also Chryst lyke wyse in the reproche of Hierusalem cryed vnto it saying Mathei. 23.

Hierusalem hierusalem qui occidis prophetas et lapidas cos, qui at te missi sunt, quoties volui congregare filios tuos, quemadmodum [...] congregat pullos suos sub alas suas, et noluisti? That is to say: O Hierusalem Hierusalem, which dothe kyll the Prophetes and doest stone them whiche are sente vnto the, howe often wolde I haue gathered thy chyldren together, as the henne gathereth her chyckenes vnder her wynges, but thou wouldest not, Mathewe. xxiii. Accor­ding wherevnto Christ also sayde vnto his Disciples Mathei. 16. Si quis uult post me uenire: aboget semetipsum, et to [...] lat crucem suam, et sequatur me. That is to saye: [...] anye man will come after me let hym denye hym­selfe, and take his Crosse and folowe me. And immediately there doth folowe. Qui enim uoluerit animam [...] saluam [...] perdet cam. Qui autem perdiderit animam suam [...] [Page] [...]. That is to say: For in dede he that wyll saue his soule, shall lease it: and he that wyll lose his soule for my sake, shall fynde it Agreable where vnto S. Paule, not contentyd to haue sayd y ^t, no dampnation is to them that are in corpate to CHRIST, and whych do not walke af­ter the flesh, but after the spirite, nor beyng conten­ted to haue called them the children of GOD, y ^e heyres of GOD, and coheyres of CHRIST, dothe in the. viii. chapiter to the Romaynes, knitte vppe al those thyn­ges together and concludeth all the same to take ef­fect cōditionally, saying. Sitamen compatimur, vt et [...]. That is to say, [...] yet we do suffer with him­that with hym also we maye be gloryfyed And thys to be true it well appeared for that, that at the day of Judgment when the sonne of mā shall come in his glorye, and all hys holye Angelles wyth hym, and on the one syde of hym there shal stand the shipe, & on the other the goates, it shal not be suffici­ent or inoughe to say to Chryst: Syr you haue suffici­ently redemed vs by your passiō, we nede not for our parte to do any thing at all, sauing to beleue you soo to haue done, For Chryst then shal saye otherwyse vn to them, for vnto the blessed chyldren of hys father he shall saye: Venite benedicti patris mei, [...] paratum nobis reg­num a constitutione mundi. suriui et dedistis mihi māducare. &c. That is to saye: Come you the blessed of my father doo you possesse the kyngdome prepared for you from the creation of the worlde. I haue [Page] ben hungry and ye haue giuen me to eate &c. And vnto the wycked standyng on his lefte hand he for the omitting of the sayd workes of mercy, shal say. Discedite a me maledicti [...] in ignem eternum qui paratus est diabolo et ange­lis eius? Esuriui enim et non dedistis mihi inanducare &c. That is to say. Goe ye from me ye cursed, into euerlast­ing fire, which is prepared for the Deuell and his aungells, for I was hungrye and you gaue me not to eate. &c. Fynallye in fewe wordes S. Paule to the Galathians the. vi. Chapiter, dothe tell vs what is our partes in thys behalfe to do saing. Bonum autem fac [...]entis non de ficiamus, Tempore enim suo metemus, non deficicutis ergo dum tempus habemus operemur bonum ad omnes, maxime autem ad domesticos fidei. That is to saye. Let vs not be werye of well doinge, for in the conuenyente tyme we shall reape withoute ceassynge or wearynes. Therefore while we haue tyme, let vs do good vnto all folkes and specyallye vnto them which are of the houshold of faith. So that by all these scryptures it doth most euidēlye appeare, that besydes the passion of Christe, there is some what also required of vs: soo that we may not laye all the burden on Chrystes backe, thoughe he be able to beare it, but we must take parte of the burden our selues, and laye it also vpon our owne neckes to, as wherby we may be partakers and accepted to en­ioye that thing, which of Chrystes parte is fullye pur­chased all readye. The second thing most nedeful also here to be declared vnto you is, that although y ^e gylte [Page] of synne, be in this sacrament of Penaunce throughe the bountifulnes of CHRIST, cleane taken awaye, yet by the iustyce of GOD there remaynethe a temporall payne. An example whereof we haue in the. ii. booke of the kinges in the. xii. chapiter (where not withstan­dinge that Nathan, the messenger, and prophete of GOD had declared to Dauyd, that hys synnes were forgeuen hym, yet for all that, temporall punshemente was inflicted. And so lykewyse Exodi. 22. & Numeri 14. Besides these, we haue an other euidente example in oure owne selues, for albeit all synnes originall and actuall be in our baptisme remitted vnto vs, as hathe bene before in the Sacrament of Baptysme declared vnto you: yet the paynes doo remayne whyche are inflicted by God hymselfe for originall synne, as all the incommodities we haue therefore in our bodye, and deathe also of the same, as appearethe Genesis tertio. And though this thyng thus playnely declared maye seme to suffyce for the full instruction of the ignorante in thys sayde Sacramente Penaunce, or in the par­tes thereof, or at all, yet if anye shalbe desyrous vpon promyse made before to haue further testimonyes of Scrypture and of the fathers, they shall here folowe orderlye.

And fyrst as concernynge penaunce in gerneall, we rede in the. xviii. of Ezechiel thus. Si autem impius egerit poenitentiam, ab omnibus peccatis suis quae operatus est, & custodierit pre [...]cepta mea et fecerit iudicium & iustitiam, uita uiuet, & non morietur. That is to say: If the wicked do penaunce from all his synnes whiche he hathe commytted, [Page] and kepe my commaundementes, and doe iudgement and iustice, he shall liue wyth lyfe and shall not dye. And in the. xi. chapyter of Sapience, is wrytten. Misereris omnium quia omnia potes, & dissimulas peccata hominum propter poenitentiam. That is to saye, Thou Lorde haue mercye vpon all, for thou canste doe all thynges, and doest make as thoughe thou dyddest not see theyr sinnes, for penaūce sake. And in the, viii, of the actes, Symon Magus goyng aboute, and thynkyng that he myghte bye the holy ghost for money, was by S. Peter rebuked therfore, and also after that was counsayled, or rather commaunded thus. Penitentiam age ab haec nequitia tua, & rogae deum, si forte remittatur tibi haec cogitatio cordis tui. That is to say. Do penaunce from this thy wickednes, and pray to God, yf peraduenture thys thoughte of thy harte maie be forgeuen thee. And farther in the seconde of the Apocal. the churche of Ephesus is admonyshed and prouoked vnto penaunce after thys maner. Memoristo, unde exideris, & age poenitentiam: & pri­ma opera fac, sin autem uenio tibi cito & mouebo candelabrum tuum de lo­co suo, nisi poenitentiam egeris. Whych is to saye. Remem­ber from whence thou hast fallen, and do pe­naunce, and doo thy firste workes, but yf not I come vnto the quickelie, and will remoue thy candelsticke from his place, vnlesse thou do penaunce.

[Page]Of thys penaunce you may fyude other testymo nyes in the holy Scriptures, as Ecclesia, ii, Mat, iii, Luke, xiii. xv, xvii, Rom. ii, ii, Pet, iii, Apoca, ix. &c.

And as touchynge contrition, whyche is the se­conde thynge here consydered, what more maye be sayde therein, then that whyche the holye Gost spake by Dauydes mouth (Psal, xxxi.) sayeng. Dixit confitebor ad uersum me iniustitiam me ā domino, & tu remisisti impietatem [...] That is to say. I did purpose with my selfe and sayde: I will confesse vnto God myne vn­rightfulnes agaynst my selfe and thou haste forgeuen the wickednes of my sinne. Accor­dyng to which sense the selfe same Dauyd (crauynge the [...] of God after hys synne) dyd say. [...] contritum & humiliatum deus non despicies That is to saye. A contrite and an humble hearte (thou God) wilte not dispise. Moreouer Achab, althoughe he was neuer so euyl a man, yet hauyng remorse of cōscience for his euyl dedes, and humblyng hym selfe wyth a contrite heart he dyd heare these wordes of Goddes mouthe, spoken vnto the Prophete Esaye. Nonne uidisti humilitatem Achab coram me? quia igitur humiliatus est coram me, non inducam malum in [...] cius, sed in [...] filij sui in feram malum domui [...]. 3. Reg. 21. That is to say. Hast thou not sene Achab hum­bled before me? Therefore bycause he is thus humbled or contryte before me I wyll not bring this plage or euyll in his dayes, but in the dayes of his Sonne I wyl bringe mis­chiefe vpon hys house, or famylie.

[Page]Of thys contrition and sincere sorowfulnes of hart a great number of places are in the holye scryytures and amongest the rest, ye may consider, the, ii, cor, vii. Pal. vi, xxxvii. cxviii, Iohel, ii. Math, v. &c.

Thyrdly concernynge this Sacramentall con­fession to be proued by Scriptures and aucthorityes, yea and to haue bene of Chryst and his Apostles lefte and commended vnto vs, albeit a very grete number of places might be broughte in as the. 5. and. 16. of Le­uit. Numer. 5. Prouerb. 28. 1. Ioan. 1. &c. [...] these fo­lowinge for thys present maye suffyce: And fyrst of all consider you that the olde testamente (accordynge to the teachyng of S. Paule ad Hebreos. 10) is a fygure of the newe, and hath not the verye lyght it selfe, And seing that in the olde testamente all those that should be healed were commaunded to offer theyr gyftes, & shewe them selues to the preistes. Leuit. 14. so also in the newe testament Chryste [...] that to be done Mathei. 8. to signify that thynge whyche in the olde lawe was figured by the shewing of the persons vnto the leuitycall preistes, to be nowe in the newe testament by auryculer confession accomplyshed and fulfylled, or ells shoulde there haue bene a shadowe [...] out a body, and a fygure wythout a verytie. [...] vn­to thys sence S. Augustyne, Chrysostome, Bede and other, entreating vpon the same place or Mathewe, do fully agre. Secondely Salomon the wysest of all men (Prouerb. 27) doth saye. [...] agnosce uultum peco­ristui. That is to saye: Dilygently knowe and be holde the countenaunce or behauiour of thy [Page] [...], Not [...] thereby a brute or [...] beaste, but as S. Paule in the. ix, to the Corinthi­ans by oxen, doth vnderstand reasonable creatures, so he in the sayd place by the beast, doth vnderstande such reasonable creatures, as are vnder the charge of other, the pastors and gouernours whereof be boūde diligently to loke vpon them, perfectly to knowe thē and discreatelye to vse them: discerninge skab from skab, and lepre from lepre: Whiche thinge man (not knowyng the hart or conscience of man) cannot doo vnles it be by the partie that is infected, soo confessed and reueled vnto hym. Whiche thing openly to do [...] is not commaunded nor the matter so requyreth, and yet not to doo it secreatly and, in confession, it is syn­full and daungerouse. Wherefore S. James not re­quiryng that men shoulde openly diffame thē selues by vtteryng to other theyr synfull lyfe, and yet neuer­thelesse willing that we should vnburden oure con­stience [...] mynde penitentlye by confessyon, after that he hath spoken of the bryngynge in of prestes to annoynt the sycke, he by and by (lest parchaunce anye man shoulde thynke that mentall confessyon to God onely were sufficient) dothe saye: Confitemini ergo [...] uestra. &c. Whych is to saye. Confesse you ther for one to another your sinnes. Not meanyng that euery man to other indifferently shoulde confesse hymselfe, but referryng the matter to the preiste, of whome immediatly before he dyd speake, [...] of the visiting of the sicke and the anointinge of them and thus doth Saint Augustyne Saynt Bede, and [Page] Eusebius, vnderstand those Scryptures. And [...] you maye be assured (yf ye accordyngelye doo confesse youre synnes) that from and by Godes owne mouthe [...] are absolued, & that all preistes in the Apostles, re­ceyued full aucthoritie bothe to bynde and louse the synnes of the people, ye shall for a profe here in consi­der emongest other thinges, the facte of CHRIST in y ^e reuiuinge of deade Lazarus, which is notable, recor­ded in the. xi. chapiter of Saynte John, where Christ thinking it not sufficient to reuyue Lazareth, and to call hym out of his graue, sayde Lazare ueni foras. Laza­rus come forth: And there vpon lazarus by and by reuyuing, and in hys wyndinge shete rysynge, beinge bounde hand and fote, dyd come fourthe. And yet to [...] by a visible sygne the Aucthoritie to remayne with Christes [...] and their successoures to louse men bounde with synne, Chryste dyd say to them. Solui [...] uos eum et sinite abire. That is to saye. Lose you him and suffer him to goo his waie. And as for that place of the. xvi. of Saynte Mathewe, where the power of the keyes, is promysed to be geuen vnto preistes and mynisters to absolue and forgyue synnes and also for the place in the. xx. of Jhon, where Chryst after his resurrection breathinge vpon his dyscyples, and perfourmyng hys promyse dyd saye. [...] spiritum sanctum quorum remiserites peccata remittuntur eis, et quorum [...], [...] sunt. That in. Lake ye the holie Ghoste, whose sinnes ye forgiue, or release, those are forgeuen or released, and whose sinnes [Page] you withholde, they are with holden. These places I saye are so euydente, that no man can with any learnyng, or christen conscience, withstand or depraue them, but they must be most vay leable for this present purpose.

And for the establyshyng of al menes faythes here­in, here foloweth farther the consent and determina­tion of three of the moste godly and auncient fathers of the primatiue church in this case, to whose determi nation all other catholike (almost [...]) wri­ters do agree. And fyrste Clemente (the successoure of S. Peter) in his first epistle to S. James the brother of Chryst, sayth these wordes. Quod st forte alicuius cor [...], uel insidelitas, uel [...] malum, latenter irripserit, non [...] (qui [...] suae curam gerit) confit eri [...] qui [...] est, ab ipso per [...] Dei, & consilium salubre curetur: quo [...] integra [...]. et operibus bonis poenas [...] effugere, & ad [...] proeuinere. That is to say? If peraduenture anye rancor or infidelitie or any other euil hath priuely crept into any mans hart, let not him (whiche este­meth his owne soule) be ashamed to confesse those faultes vnto hym which hathe charge ouer hym, that he maye of hym be cured by the worde of GOD, and holesome [...] that he may thorough perfect faythe, & good workes, auoyde the paynes of eternall fyre, and come to the perpetuall reward of eternal lyfe,

In lyke sorte Orygen vpon the. xxxvii. Psalme and [Page] in his seconde Home ly, doth compare sinne (not con­fessed to a preist) vnto rawe and vndigested meat di­stemperatynge verye sore the stomacke, and the hole bodye, whiche yf it be vomited vp easeth the stomack and restorith health: so sayth he sinne [...] pryuelye kepte, doth inwardelye trouble the conscience: & ther fore he wylleth vs to confesse the same, and also dyly­gently to loke about, and take good hede in chusinge our spirituall yhisition, whiche maye minyster vnto vs, a conueniente medecyne for the purgynge of oure consciences.

And to knytte vp this place of pryuate, or auricu­ler confession, we wyll nowe brynge onelye one place more, whiche is written in the seconde boke of Saint Augustyne, De [...] infirmorum, in the. iiii. chapter, & wrytten to his Nephewe, lyinge on his death bedde, where he sayth thus. Sunt quidam [...] sibi adsalutem [...], si solideo, cui nihil [...], est, quem nullius later conscientia, [...] crimina. Nolunt enim, aut crubescunt, siue [...], [...] dere se sasardotibus, quos tamen inter lepram et [...] per [...] constituit dominus. Sed nolo ut ipsa decipiaris opinione, quatenus confundaris confiteri [...] uicario [...] praerubore, uel cerui cosus indignatione: nam ipsius [...] subeundum est iudicium, quë domi nus sibi non dedignatur uicarium. Ergo ad te [...] roges [...], & sacipsum conscientarum tuarum penitus [...] Non seducat te somni atium illa superstiti quae uisitando confirmat, quia saluat sacerdote [...], [...] deum peccatorum confessio. Nos autemnon abne gamus quinsit ad deum frequenter [...] confessio peccatorum, Beatus etenim qui [...] allidit [...] suos ad Petram, Petra autem Christus est. Sed [...], & testatur illud sana doctrina ( [...] tibi applandeutium [...] auribus) quoniam prius [...] sacerdotis qui mediator sit ad deum [...] salubri iudicio: alioquin & sublege & sub gratia, [...] & ostendite uos [...] dotibus ( [...]. 17) [...] diuinum, quomodo consummaretur? [...] [Page] alterutrum peccata uestra (Iaco. 5) quomodo [...]? Ergo [...] tuarum arbiter dei uice adhibeat ur [...], & [...] ci uias tu­as, & ipse, exhibebet antidotum reconciliationis, &c. which is to sai. Truely there are some which thinke it suffy­cient for theyr soule helth, if they confesse their faultes and synnes to God onely, to whome nothyng is hydde, and euerye manes conscy­ence is knowen. For they wil not, or they are ashamed, or els they dysdayne to [...] them selues to the preistes, to whome God by hys lawbearer, appointed the offyce to iudge be­twene lepre and lepre, but I would not thou shouldest be deceaued with this opinion, soo that thou shouldest be confounded to confesse thy selfe before Goddes vycar or deputye, ey­ther pynyng for shame, or styffenecked wyth disdayne, for thou must humbly stand to his iudgement, whome oure Lorde dysdayneth not to be his vicar or substitute. Therefore de syre the [...] to come to the, and make him priuie, throughlye of all thy conscience. And lette not that superstition of the dreamers de ceaue the, which in visiting, dothe confyrme or beare the in hande, that confession of thy synnes to God the preiste not beinge made priuye) doth saue the: Truely we denye not but oftentimes we must rehearse the confes­sion [Page] of our synnes to GOD, for he is blessed which wyll kepe vnder, and all to [...] hys litle ones, or his great ones, agaynst the rock, and the rocke is Chryste. But we doo testify, and the true perfect doctrine dothe testifye the same (which we doo say, least thou [...] fauour the eares of them that doo flatter the) thou nedest fyrste the holsome censure, or iudgement of a preiste, whiche maye be a [...] diatour vnto God. For els howe coulde that aunswere of God, Goe and [...] your selues to the preistes (Luk. xvii) beyng geuen bothe vnder the lawe, and also vnder grace be ful­filled? And also howe coulde that sayinge of S. James, Confesse your synnes one to ano­ther, [...]. v. be accomplyshed? Therefore in the stede of God, let there be had the preist, an arbiter or iudg of thy skarres or woundes, & do thou open or disclose vnto him thy waies or faultes, and he shall geue vnto the a mede­cyne of reconciliation. &c.

This confession to be pryuate, or (as it is termed) auryculer, you maye (markynge the place well) euy­dently parceaue. For S. Augustyne in the foresayde place (notyng the penitent, and the preist to be alone) sayeth these wordes: Non te pudeat coram uno [...]. quod non pu duit forsitan coram multis facere. &c. And againe. Melius est corā [Page] [...] aliquantulum ruberis tollerare quam in die iudicij, coram tot [...] hominum graui depulsa denotatum, [...]. That is to saye.

Be not ashamed to declare that before one man which thou waste [...] ashamed to doe perchaunce before many, or rather with ma­nye. Better it is to abyde some shamefastnes before one man, then in the day of iudgement before so manye thousandes of men, wyth, or by a greuous repulse noted, to peryshe.

But nowe fynally to speake touchyng the groun des and auctorities for satisfaction, both by the scryp­tures, and also by the other catholyke, and [...] oste auncient wryters of the Church, let vs fyrst consyder Job, who in the. xlii. chapter sayeth. Ego me reprehendo & ago poenitentiam in fauilla, & cinere. That is to say. I rebuke my selfe, and do penaunce in duste and ashes, sygnyfyenge by that, to make a satysfaction for hys [...], and that he woulde outwardely declare his contryte harte by hys bodelye affliction, after the customable fashyon vsed in scryptures, in sacke clothe ashes and dust. &c. After which maner Chryste, in the Gospell (Math. xi) when he reprehended Corozaim, and Betzaida (synnefull Cities) in whome he hadde wroughte myracles and preached of the kyngedome of heauen sayde: Si in [...] & Sidone [...] essent uirtutis [...] fac tae sunt in uobis, olim in cilicio & cincere [...] egissent, Which is. If in Tyre and Sydon had bene wrought the wonderfull workes, whiche hathe bene done in you longe ere this, they woulde haue [Page] done penaunce in sacke cloth and ashes. Wher­by appeareth that Chryste dyd not reproue the [...] of the body, but rather allowed it, as beynge a meane and waye to make satisfaction.

Further we maye consyd er the thirde chapyter of s. Luke, where vnto a great companye commynge to John to be baptysed of him, he sayde, reprouynge theyr harde hartes. Genimina uiperarum quis [...] uobis [...] auenturaira? Facite erga [...] dignos [...]. That is to saye.

You adders broode, who hath geuen you warning to fly from the wrath of GOD to come, Do ye therefore y ^e worthy fruites of pe­naunce. Upon which place S. Chrysostome sayeth thus. We shall do the worthy fruites of penāce yf we do thinges contrarye to the faultes be­fore committed, as if thou hast taken awaye other mens goodes, restore them, and begyn nowe to gyue thine owne, if thou haste bene a long time and aduouterer, suspend thy selfe from thine owne, and from the lawefull vse of matrimonie, and for a time bynde thy selfe to chastitie, if thou hast hurt thine neighbour either by worde or dede, make him a sufficiēt amendes, and speake wel by him, for it is not sufficient for a man that is wounded to pull out the darke out of his body, but he must al­so get medicines to heale the wounde.

[Page]To these thynges shall ye adioyne the Counsayll of Saynte Paule in the. vi. chapyter to the Romaynes where he sayth thus. Sicut [...] exhibuistis membra uestra seruire immunditiae ct iniquitati ad iniquitatem, ita nunc [...] membra [...] seruire [...] in sanctificationem That is to saye: Lyke as in dede you haue gyuen your members to serue to vncleannes, and from one wycked­nes to another, so nowe gyue your members to serue righteousnes vnto sanctification.

And fynally of this satisfaction ouer and besydes these playne and manifest scriptures the holy fathers & auncient wryters as Cypryan in his. v. sermon de lap­sis, Orygen, in his 4. hom. vpon the. 36. Psa. and in his 2. Homely vpon the. 37. Psal. Cyryll, in his third boke vpon Leuit. Hierome vpon the. x. chapiter of Ecclesi­astis, and vpon the Prophete Malachye, and the residue in sondry of theyr treatyses, haue lefte mooste sufficient testimonye. And because that they all in effecte doo agree together, one here alone shall be al­ledged for them all, and that is the holye Martyr Cypryan who in his. v, sermon entytuled, de lapsis, sayth thus. Nec cesset in agenda poenitentia atque in domini misericordia [...] canda, [...] quod minus esse in qualitate delicti uidetur: in neglecta satisfactis one cumuleter. which is. Let not the synner cease in doing penaunce and callynge for the mercye of God, least that whiche in the qualitye of y ^e faulte it selfe doth seme to be lytle, shoulde be accummulated or made greater, in the neg­lectinge satisfaction. Wherevpon he concludethe [Page] a generall lesson of all men easelye to be borne awaye in these wordes. Confiteantur singuli quaeso uos sratres delictum su­um, dum adhuc qui deliquit in seculo est dum [...] confessio eius potest, dum satisfactio & remissio facta per saccrdotes, apud dominum grata est. That is to saye: I besech you brethren let euerye man make confession of his faulte, whyle he that hath offended is yet here in this worlde, and while his confession maye be admytted and while the satisfaction and remission gy­uen by the preist is acceptable before GOD. [...] he sayeth further. Let vs conuerte vnto God, with al oure mynd, and expressyng our penaunce with true sorowes & lamentynges for our synnes, lette vs call for the mercye of God. In which two breyfe sentences of this mooste excellent and famous Martyr, ye do se comprised and conteyned, the hole and penitente conuersation of man to God, by contrition, Confession & satisfactyon, (which thre poyntes or partes must of necessitie be in the doer of true Penaunce, & so it is required of the said penitent, as we before haue pro­ued) And the sacrament of Penaunce it selfe, being the absolution pronoū ced by the preist vpō such true penitentes in y ^e said sētēce of. S. Cipriā is likewise comprehended.

¶ Of the Sacrament of the Aultare wythe Thexposition or declaration thereof.

HAVINGE [...] spoken of three notable Sacramentes instituted by Chryst and alwayes solempnely vsed in his catholike Churche, it is to wit, of Baptisme, Confirmation, and Pe­naunce, hauing also fyrst entreated of the Sacramente of Baptisme, whereby we haue a spirytual regeneration, hauyng consequently and se­condly spoken of the Sacramente of Confyrmation, commonly succeding Baptisme, and gyuing vnto vs a spirituall augmentyng and incresse of grace, bolde­ly to mayntayne and defende the professyon of oure fayth made at the tyme of our Baptisme, and hauing thyrdely set forth the sacrament of Penaunce, which purgeth and clenseth vs, fallynge by synne [...] oure baptysme, and confirmation: Mete and conueniente it shall nowe be, that we do intreate of that excellent spirituall fode, and noryshement, whiche in the sayde catholyke churche is mynistred, and gyuen vnto vs being so baptyzed, confyrmed, and pourged.

And because in the sacrament of the Aultar there is that excellent spirituall fode, and true nonryshmēt that passeth all other, it is to witte, the most precious body and bloude of oure sauioure Jesus Christ, there fore as was promysed in the preface of this boke: here nowe shalbe intreated of that moste excellente sacra­ment of the Aultare. And in dede ryght conuenient & [Page] mete it shalbe to entreate diligently and fully of thys sacrament, in asmuche as it bothe in worthynes, and dignifie, doeth greatly surmounte and passe al the o­ther Sacramentes of the Churche, as also for that of late yeres it hath most of all other, bene assaulted, and impugned, and yet of no good manne, but of the wretched sort alone.

And to begyn, thys order, in some respecte, maye herein be thought conuenient: fyrst to declare the in­stitution of thys sacrament. Seconde to set forth the vse of it.

And thyrdely, to declare the notable, or rather the vnspeakeable fruyte thereof. And as concernyng the syrste, thys, emongest other, is cheifelye to be mar ked, that after oure Sauyoure IESVS CHRISTE had (accordynge to the ryte and vsage of the olde lawe) eaten with hys twelue Apostles the fyguratiue or ti­pical pascal lambe, & (beinge risen frō [...]) had was shed his disciples fete, he (sittyng downe agayne) dyd take bread, into hys blessed handes & (giuing thākes) dyd breake it, and gaue it to hys Dyscyples, sayinge. Take and eate, thys is my Bodye whyche shalbe geuen, or deliuered for you. Lykewyse, He toke the cuppe, and gaue thankes, & gaue it vnto them saying: Drinke ye al of this for thys is my bloude of the newe testamente, whiche shalbe shed for many to the remission of theyr synnes Do this in the remembrance of me. These wordes, being spokē by y ^e mouthe of the [Page] sonne of Gob, who is equall in Godheade wyth the father and the holye ghoste, and testifyed also by hys holye Euaugelistes, ouer and besydes the faythefull continual testimonye of Chrystes espouse, the Catho­lyke church, who is he that can with any good grūd of Scripture or lawefull aucthoritie saye, but that whyche Chryste gaue to hys Apostles, at the maun­dye, was Christes very bodye and bloude, yea that selfe same bodye and bloude whych was geuen and shed vpon the crosse, the next day for them and al mā ­kynde. The veritie of whych Article, the Catholyke Churche, being ruled and gouerned by the holy ghost hath alwayes most constātly beleued, and taughte, declaring that in this sacrament of the Aultar there is, by the omnipotencye of God, and the vertue and force of hys word, the very body and bloude of oure Sauiour Christ, reallye, truelye, substantiallye, and in dede.

AGREBLYE wherevnto that blessed instramente of God Saynt Paule (beyng instructed by a secreat reuelation from God of the truth of thys his mistery, and speakynge of thys most blessed sacrament) dothe in the eleuenth chapiter of hys fyrste Epistle to the Cyrynthyans saye in thys maner: Ego enim accepi ao domino quod et [...] uobis: Quoniam dominus Iesus in qua [...] trade datur accepit panem: et gratias agens fregit, et dixit. Accipite et manducate, hoc est corpus meum, quod pro nobis credetur, hoc facite in meam [...], similiter et calicem, post quam caenauit dicens, hic calix nenum testa mentum est in meo sanguine, hoc facite quotie scunque biberitis in meam commemorationem, That is to saye: I in dede haue taken, or receued of oure Lorde, that [Page] whiche I haue deliuered vnto you, that is to say. That our Lorde Jesus, in that nyght in which he was betrayed, did take breade, and geuing thankes, dyd breake it, and sayde. Take ye, and eate, this is my body, whiche shalbe geuen or delyuered for you, Do you this in my remembraunce. Like wise also he did take the cup after he had supped sayinge, This Cuppe is the newe Testamente in my bloude do you thys as often as ye shall drinke of it in my remembraunce.

Besides these moste playne wordes, aswell of oure Sauioure hym selfe, at the institution of thys sacra­mente, as of S. Paule also, in the wryttynge of hys sayde secret reuelation, whych alone myght suffice to content and certifye any godly heart herein, there are so many and most euidente Authorities and testimo­nyes of the auncient holy fathers, aswell of the greke as of the Latyne Churche, concernyng the very true and real presence of Christe hys bodye and bloude, in thys sacrament of the Aultare, that to rehearse them all, it woulde be a greate and an infinite labour. And yet for the establyshyng of good mens myndes herein ye shall beare haue in a fewe, the full and vniforme consent of them all.

And fyrste, Chrysostome who was [...] of [...], (not foure hundrethe yeare after Christe) wrytynge in the Greke tounge vpon the. x. [Page] chapiter of Saynt Paules first epystle to the Coryn­thians, and (expendynge these wordes of the Apostle calix [...] cui benedicimus. That is to say: The cup of blessyuge whiche we [...] he doeth speake thus, Quid est in calice, id ipsū est quod [...] latere [...], [...] etus partici­pes sumus Whiche is to say: That whiche is in the coppe or Chalice, is the very selfe same thyng that issued or ranne out of Christes syde, ther­of weare partakers. Scconde S. Basyll beynge also a Greke, doth in his boke called hys rules, and in the. 127. question, putte forthe thys demaunde, it is to witte, with what feare and persuasion a mā ought to [...] to participate of the bodye & bloud of Christ? and he doeth make answere in thys wise. Timorem [...] docet nos ap [...] dicens. Qui manducat et bibit indigne, iudicium sibi mā ducat et bibit, persuasionem vero sirmam giguit in nobis fides verborū do­mini dicentis, hoc est corpus meum quod pro uobis traditur etc. Which is to saye: The feare in dede dothe the Apostle teache vs saying, who that eateth and drin­keth vnworthely, doth eate and drynke his owne dampnation, and as concerninge the firme persuation or constāt beleife, that dothe the faith of the wordes of our Lorde engen­dre in vs, who [...]. This is my bodi which is giuen for you. &c.

Thyrdly the great clarke Cyryl being also a Greci­an, and Archebyshoppe of Alexandria, aboue a thou­sand yeare ago, doth in hys treatise, sent to one called [Page] Calosyryus affyrme and saye, that he shoulde not dout of the real presence of Chrystes bodye in the sa­crament, concludynge, after many profes had in that behalfe, and sayinge after thys maner. Nec dubites an boe [...] sit, eo manifeste dicente, hoc est corpus meum, sed potius suscipe uerba saluatoris in fide, cum enim sit ue ritas, non mentitur. That is to saye. And thou must not doute whether thys be true or no, seyng he (that is to say Christ) ma­nifestly doth saye, This is my body, but doe thou rather receaue the wordes of our Sa­uioure in faithe, seinge he is the truthe, he doth not lye,

Nowe hauyng harde the testymonye of certayne greake authors, with whom the rest do agre. Ye shal consequently heare the testimonye of certayne nota­ble authors of the Latyne Churche, with whome the rest do also consent and agree.

And fyrst ye shal heare the moste auncient [...] of the Latyne churche, [...], who in hys trea­tise De resurrectione carnis. (speakyng of the blessed Sacra mente of the Aultare) doeth saye in thys maner. Caro corpore et sanguine Christi [...], vt et anima de deo saginetur. That is to saye: Our flesh doth eate, or feade vp­on the body and bloude of Christ, that oure soule also maye be made fatte wyth God.

Secondly in order shalbe Saynct Hylarye who is called of Saynt [...], Tuba latini eloquij and he in hys. viii. boke. De Trinitate, doth saye thus De ueritate carnis et sanguinis nō est relictus ambigendilocus. Nunc enim et ipsius domini pro [Page] [...] side no stra uere earo est et uere sanguis est, et [...] acceptd atque [...] staid efficinat, vt et nos in CHRISTO, [...] CHRISTVS in nobissit. An ne hoc [...] nonest? Contingat plane his, uerum nonesse, qui CHRIS­SVMIESVM uerum esse deum negat. That is to saye Of the veritie of the fleshe and bloude (speakyng of the flesh & bloud of Christ in thys sacrament) ther is not left a place to dout For now both by the professiō or declaration of our Lord, & by our faithe also, there is truelye fleshe, and there is truely bloude, which being receaued or taken & dronken, do cause or make thys, that bothe we are in Christe, and Christ also in vs. And whether is not thys the trueth? let it chaunce not to be true vnto them who doo denye Ie­sus Christ to be true God.

By al these most euident testimonyes af auncient fathers, it appeareth, that in the Sacramente of the Aultare are truelye and reallye conteyned the bodye and bloude of our Sauiour Iesus Christ, accordyng to the sayde institution of Christe. But because Christ toke breade into his handes, and Saynct Paule also calleth the sacrament bread, and that therevpon the heretikes haue groūded their opiniō that the thynge conteyned in the said sacrament is nothing but bread it shalbe meete to open and declare thys matter for­ther, and in what sort the Sacrament may be called bread: for the vnderstanding wherof you must know that albe it our Sauiour Christe toke very materiall breade into hys handes, yet by hys omnipotente po­wer [Page] he chaunged the nature and substaunce of bread, into the substaunce of hys dody. And lykewyse he chaunged the substaunce of wyne into the substāce of hys bloude, sayenge: Thys is my bodie, Thys is my bloude.

And thys is euidentlye proued fyrste by the. vi. of Iohn, where oure Sauioure Christe hymselfe thus sayeth. The bread that I wyll geue vnto you is my fleshe, which flesh I wyll geue for the lyfe of the worlde. In whyche wordes it is moste manyfest that Christ promysed two thynges: the one that he woulde geue a bread that should be his fleshe, and the other is, that he wold geue that fleshe for the lyfe of the worlde: Nowe yf Chryste gaue not at hys maundye a breade that was hys fleshe, and on good Fryday gaue the fleshe vpon the crosse for the lyfe of the worlde, then he kepte not hys promyse, for in no place els he dyd it, therefore, eyther must we say that Christ made a promisse and perfourmed it not (which is a wicked thynge to thynke or saye of Christe) ey­ther els must we say that keping hys promysse, he did at hys maundy geue a kynde of breade, whiche was his verye fleshe in dede conteyned vnder the forme of breade, and that the same fleshe he gaue the daye fo­lowynge vnder the vysyble forme of fleshe vpon the crosse: & so he perfourmed both his promysses, that is to say geuyng a breade or [...] that was his fleshe, & also geuyng that fleshe for the lyfe of the worlde. And for a more playne & full declaratyon of Chrystes wordes herein, ye shall note, that in the sayde syxte [Page] of Sayncte Iohn, there is mentyon made of fowre kyndes of breade.

Fyrst of the breade wherewith he myraculouslye sed fyue thousande in the wildernes, whiche was in dede very material breade and made of Barleye.

Secondly there is mention made of a bread cal­led Manna, whiche was a kynde of fode that God sent from aboue, to the children of Israell, when they in the wildernes dyd trauayle towarde the lande of promyse, whyth thoughe it be there called breade, yet breade in dede made of any kynde of grayne or corne it was not.

Thyrdly there is mention made of bread, whyche is the seconde persone in Trinitie, that is to saye, the sonne of God sent downe by hys father from heauen hither into earth to be incarnate.

Fourthlye there is mention made of breade that oure Sauioure Christe promysed to geue, whych is his fleshe, and the selfe same in substaunce which suffe red for vs vpon the crosse, and yet there called breade thoughe in dede no materiall breade in substaunce. and as for the callynge of it breade it is not materyal, for the godhead of Christ, and also manna, in the sayd chapiter are called breade, and yet no breade in sub­staunce. And here is not to bee omitted that where our Sauioure Christe speaketh of the foresayd foure kyndes of breade he doeth not speake of them all [...] one fashion, for touchynge the fyrste saythe, that he hymselfe a lytel before had geuen that breade vnto the people, and touchyng the seconde the Iewes dyd [Page] boaste that it was geuen by Moyses to theyr fore­fathers in wildernes, Lykewyse concernyng y ^e thyrd Chryst doth affyrme that it was at that presente sente from the father of Heauen downe to the Earth. But touchyng the fourthe, he sayd that it shoulde be of his owne gyuing vuto them, and that in tyme to come, yea and ferther that the same [...] be his fleshe, and least any man myght mystake this his saying, in such spirituall or mysticall sense, as thereby to exclude the very substaunce of his feshe and bodye, he addeth (to take awaye all doute and cauillation) that it shoulde be the same fleshe whiche shoulde be geuen for the lyfe of the worlde, as apeareth before. And hereby maye you learne that by this, worde breade mencyoned in the. vi. chapiter of Saint Ihon, & as it is here taken in this fourthe acception, and in the other two nexte goynge before, oure Sauioure Chryste dothe meane nothyng elles but a fode, and a fode may it be though there be no substaunce of materiall breade at all.

After which sort is the worde breade to be vnder­standed in the tenthe and eleuenthe chapiters of the firste epystle of Saynte Paule to the Corynthyans: where dyuerse tymes also he vsethe thys worde Panis, which ought to be Englyshed foode.

And that in verye dede there is not the substaunce of materiall breade remainynge in the sacramente of the Aultar, ye shall besyde those thynges whyche you haue hard all redy out of the scripture hear also oute of the aunciēt and catholike fathers, who do witnes as foloweth. Fyrst Chrysostome in his sermon made in [...]. speakynge of the Sacramente of the [...] [Page] (wherein in dede to oure senses there do appeare the ormes of bread and wyne) doth write in this maner. Nunc uides [...]; num uinum? num sicut reliqui cibiin secessum [...]. Nesiccogites. Quemadmodum enim siceraigniiniecta illi assimilatur nibil substantiae remanet, nihil superfluit. Sit & hie puta mysteria [...] mi corporis substantia, That is to say: Doeste thou see breade? doeste thou see wyne? do they passe into the seage from vs, as other meates doe? God forbyd that any man shoulde so thynke. for euen as the waxe whiche is cast into the fyre, is made lyke vnto the fyre, and no sub­staunce of the sayd waxe then remaineth, or is lefte, euen so do thou thynke here, the my­steryes meanynge the substaunce of the breade and the wyne) to be by the substaunce of Chrystes bodye consumed.

Eusebius Emissenus also, a Greke aucthor (and wrytinge aboue twelue hundred yeares agoo) in hys fift homi­lye or sermon De corpore domini or De pascha, [...] thus. Nec [...] quisquam primarias [...] potentiae, praesentiamaie­statis, in dominici corporis transire posse naturam. Which is to say. Let not man doute, but that the former crea­ture speakynge of breade and wyne) euen by the wynkynge or [...] of his power, by the presence of hys maiestie are able to passe into the nature of Christes bodye And agayne with­in a litle after he [...]: Quanta [...] & quam celebranda [...] diuinae benedistionis operatur attende, & [...] & impossibile non debeat uideri, quod in Christi subantiam, terrena & mortalia commu­tantur [Page] which is to saye: Howe greate then, and howe notable benefites the force and vertue of the diuin benedictiō doth worke, or bringe to passe, do thou consider, & to the in no wyse it ought to seme new or impossible, that into the substannce of Christe, earthly and mortal thinges are chaunged.

And with these two anncient and notable fathers of the greke churche, the blessed martyr Cypryā doth agre, saying in his sermon. De coena Domini in thys maner Panis istequem dominus discipulis porrigebat, non effigit sed natura muta­tus, omnipotentia uerbi sact us est caro. That is to saye. That same breade or foode whych oure Lorde rea­ched or gaue to hys dysciples beynge chaun­ged not in fourme or shape, but in nature, was by the omnipotencye of the word made fleshe.

And bycause Chryste hym felfe (who then dyd in the foresayd maner institute this Sacramente) dyd al­so at the same tyme appoynt and commaunde, bothe his Apostles, and in thē theyr successoures, to do the same which he himselfe then and there dyd sayinge, Luc. xxii. Hoc faciat in [...] commemorationcm. That is to say: Do you this in my remembraunce. Therefore no man may doubte, but at thys present also (and soo vntyll Chryst come to iudge the worlde) so ofte as the minister, so aucthorised (intendinge to do as, y ^e church beleueth) doth take breade into hys handes, and gy­uynge [Page] thankes, doth duely pronounce the wordes of Christe, sayinge. Thys is my body, and takinge the cuppe, and geuynge thankes, doth lyke wyse duly say the wordes of Chryste, Thys is my [...] of the newe testamente, so oft the substaūce of bread and wyne, by the wyll and power of Chryst, so com­maundyng and aucthorisynge the saide minister, is turned into Chrystes very reall and naturall body [...] bloude: and the sayd body and bloude is there so pre­sent vnder the fourmes of bread and wyne. For it is not the visible preist, thatnowe worketh thys hyghe mysterye, by his owne power or strengthe, but it is Christ hym selfe, the inuysible preist, that dothe worke it by the misterye of the vysyble preist. Lykewyse as Chryst it is, and not the preiste, that geueth vertue in Baptysme, though the [...] of the preist, both in Baptisme and also here in the Sacrament of the aul tar be requyred, and that by the speciall appoyntinge and ordeynynge of Chryst, the same so to be.

And here do you note, that the aforesaide working of Chryst, and ministerye of the preist, here touchynge the Sacramēt of the aulter, is, and hath alwayes in the catholyke churche bene called Consecration. Of whyche consecration. S. Ambrose aboue an ele­uen hundred yeare agoo, wryteth mooste notablye and fully, in his fourth boke, Desacramentis. Cap. iiii saying after this maner. Tu [...] dicis, meus panis est [...], sed panisiste panis est autem uerbasacramentorum ubi accesserit consecratio, de [...] caro Christ, [...] igitur astruamus, Quomodo potest qui panisest, corpus esse Christi consecratione. Consecr atio igitur quibus uerbis est, et cuius ser [Page] [...]? Domini Iesu Nam [...] omnia [...] dicuntur laus deo [...] oratione petitur propopulo, pro regibus pro [...]? Vbiuenitur ut [...] sacran entū, iam non suis sermonibus sacerdotes fed [...] sermonibus Christi. Ergo seruo Christihoc conficit saeramentum. That is to saye: Peraduenture thou Chrysten man wylte saye, my breade is vsuall or com­mon breade. But I [...], before the wordes of the Sacrament, it is breade, but when the cō ­sacration cometh, of the breade there is made the fleshe of Chryste. Let vs then proue howe that which is breade can by [...] be­come to be the bodye of Chryst. And by what wordes then and by whose sayinges is con­secration: by the wordes of oure Lorde Iesus (meanyng there by as he doth declare in the chapiter folowinge, these wordes, Hoe est corpus meum, & hic est san­guis meus. &c) For in all other thynges that are sayde prayse is geuen to God, and petition by prayer is made for the people, for the kynges and for other, but when it is come to that poynte that the blessed Sacrament muste be made, then the preist doth not vse hys owne wordes, but he vseth the wordes of Chryste. The speache therefore or sayinge of Chryste doth make this Sacrament.

And by and by after, the [...] S. Ambrose doth con­clude, aunsweryng to y ^e former question as foloweth [Page] [...] ut respondeam. Non erat corpus Christi ante consecrationem, sed post [...], dico tibi, quodiam corpus est Christi. ipse dixit & [...] est, ipse mandauit &, creatumest, That is to saye, Nowe to make answere vnto thee, it was not the body of Christe before the consecrati­on but after the consecration, I tell the that nowe it is the body of Chryst, He that is to saye Chryste sayde it, and done it is, he commaun­ded, and made it is.

In these two places of S. Ambrose, oute whole processe hether to made of thys sacrament (that is to wytte concernyng the reall presence of the verye bo­dy of Chryst in y ^e sacrament, concernyng also the trā ­substanciation or chaunge of breade and wyne into the body and bloud of Chryst, and fynally cōcerning the consecration continuallye ministred by the preist) is moste euydentely confyrmed and proued. And to the selfe same purpose doth Eusebius [...] write in his fyfte [...] or sermon De pascha. where amongest o­there [...] of the sacrament, he saieth thus: Inuisibilis [...] uisibilis creaturas insubstantiam corporis & [...] sui, uerbo suo, secreta potestate conuertit it a dicens: A ccipice, & commedite, hoc est enim corpus meum, & sanctisicatione repetia, Accipite ( [...]) & bibite, [...] est sanguis [...]. Argosicutad nutum: praecipient is domine repente ex [...] substit erunt excelsa coelorum, [...], uasta [...] paripotentia inspiritualibus, Sacramentis verbi praecipit uirtus & seruit effectus. That is to saye: The inuisible preist dothe tourne or conuerte the vifible creatures into the substaunce of hys dodye and bloude by his word thoroughe his secrete power thus [Page] saying Take ye, and eate, thys in dede is my bodye, and the sanctification or consecratyon [...] repeted, he sayeth, take ye and [...] this is my bloude: Therefore [...] as at the becke of oure Lorde, geuynge commaunde­mente sodenlye of nothynge the beyghtes of the heauens had there being, and also the dep thes of the wateres or fluddes, and the large nes or greatnes of the earth, so by the lyke po­wer, in spirituall Sacramentes, the vertue of the worde doth commaunde and the effecte doth serue or is obedient [...].

And more ouer the sayde Eusebius Emissenus in the sayd homyly doth saye thus. Sicut quicun (que) ad fidem Chri­stineniens ante uerba [...] ad [...] in [...] est ucteris debiti, hijs uero memoratis, moxexuitur omni face peccati ita quando [...] uerbis [...] creatura [...] altaribus imponuntur, ante quam inuocatione sui [...] consecrantur substantia illic est panis & uini, post verba [...] Christi, corpus & sanguis est Christi Quid autem mirum est, siea [...] potuit crerare, uerbo possit creata conuertere imo iam minoris uidetus esse miraculi, siid quod de uihilo agnoscitur, condidisse, iam [...], in me lius uale at commutare.

That is to saye: Lyke as whosoeuer comming to the fayth of Chryste, before the wordes of baptisme is as yet stil in the bonde of the olde debte, but after the wordes of Baptysme be spoken, he by and be is delyuered or [...] of all the [...] or vncleanes of synne, so when the creatures, be layde or put [...] [Page] the holye Aultats to be blessed wyth the [...], ther is before they be [...] the [...] of Chrystes name, the substaunce of breade and wyne, but after the wordes of Chryste, there is the bodye and Bloude of Chryste. And what maruayle is it yf those thynges whyche by hys; worde he coulde [...] of nothyng, that those thynges so created, he may by hys worde conuerte or chaunge? Nay no we it semeth to be of a lesse miracle, yf that which he is knowen to haue made of nothinge, he be able to tourne or chaunge into better, beynge alreadye made.

To these before rehearsed testimonyes we maye adioyne two other testymonyes of Saynte Chry­sostome, whereof the one is in hys. 83, Homelye vpon Saynte Mathe we where he wryteth in thys maner. Non sunt humane uirtutis haec opera: quae tunc in illa coena [...], ipse nunc quoque operatur, ipse perfecet: ministorum nos ordinem tenemus qui uero hec sanctificat, et [...] ipse est. That is to say

These wordes (Meanynge of theose workes which Chryst dyd at hys maundye) are not of mās vertue or power: those thinges which in that supper or feast, he then dyd, he also nowe it is that [...] worke or do thys matter: we doo kepe the order or place of mynysters: but he [Page] it is (meanynge Chryste) that sanctifyethe these thinges and chaungeth them. The same saynct Chrysostome in [...] homyly. De proditione Iude. sayeth also in thys maner. Et [...] est CHRITVS, qui illam ornauit mensam, ipse istam quoque consecrat Non enim homo est qui proposita de consecratione mensae domini, corpus faciet sanguinem, sed ille qui [...] est pronobis [...]. [...] ore uerba proserun­tur, et dei [...] consecrantur et [...]: hoc est ait corpus meum, Hoc uerbo proposita [...]. Et sicut illa uox quae dicit, Crescite et mul­tiplicam ni & replete terram, semel quidem dicta est, sed omni tempore sen tit effectum ad generationem, [...] natura [...] et [...] illa semel quidem dicta est, sed per omnes mensas, ecclesiae usque ad [...]. ad eius aduentum, praestat socrificio firmitatem. That is to saye. And nowe he the same Chryst is present, who did beautifie or garnyshe that [...], he also it is that doeth consecrate it, for it is not [...] that maketh the thynges set forthe or propo­sed in the consecration of the table, to be the bodye and bloude of Chryste but it is Chryst him selfe, whiche was crucifyed for vs: by the preistes mouth the wordes are pronoūced or spoken, but the thynges are consecrated by the power of GOD, and hys grace, for he (meanyng Chryste) sayeth this is my body, and by that worde the thynges set forthe or pro­posed are consecrated. And lyke [...] that voyce which sayeth, do you encrease and be [...] & do you fyl or replenishe the earthe, was [Page] but once spoken, and yet in, or at all tymes taketh his effecte to generation, nature there­with workinge, So that [...] of Chryste once in dede was spoken, and yet it, throughe out all the tables of the [...], euen vntyll this daye, and vntyll hys commyng (meaning of Chrystes last comming) doth geue strength vn to the sacrifice. And thus much haue we spoken to declare vnto you bothe by the scriptures, and also by moste aunciente and playne aucthorities, that oure Sauioure Chryst in the institution of thys Sacra­ment, dyd tourne the substaunce of breade and wyne into the substaunce of hys owne bodye and bloude, & howe also he doeth the same daylye, by the mynyste­rye of the preistes in consecratiō. And now to come to the seconde part, whiche is concernyng the vse of this sacramēt, ye shall note that this vse doth cōsist special­lye in two poyntes. It is to witte, in the oblation or offeringe of the said sacrament by the preistes vnto al myghtye God, and in the [...] of the same. And here before we do entre any further, it semeth mooste conuenient to note vnto you one synguler priuiledge (emonge many other) where in thys [...], pas­seth all other, and that is thys, where all other sacra­mentes do consist onely in the vse of them, that is to saye, in the very acte of ministration and receauynge of them, thys sacramente hath his perfection oute of hand euen as sone as the wordes of Chryst in the con secration be pronounced, [...] the sacramente be [Page] offered nor receued, according as it is here before pro­ued. And as touchyng the offering therof (common­ly called the sacrifice of the masse) ye shall vnderstand that no one poynt of Christes relygion was more no­tably prophesied of, & set forthe in the olde testamente and before the commyng of Christ, then was the con­tinuall oblation, that is to saye, this fore sayde sacry­fice of the Masse: for the prophette Malachye in hys fyrste chapyter (speakynge in the name of almyghtye GOD, and declaryng that in tyme to come, the sa­cryfices of the olde lawe should cease, and no more to be receaued or allowed at Goddes handes, but that there shoulde another kynde of sacrifyce be throughe­out the hole worlde offered vp vnto hym) doth wryte in this maner. Non est mihi uoluntas in uobis, dicit'dominus [...], et munus non suscipi. [...] de manu uestra, abortu enim solis usque ad occasum, magnum est nomen meum ingentibus, et in omni loco sacrificatur, et offertur nomine [...] ablatio munda, guia magnum est nomen meum [...] gentibus. That is to say. Pleasure is not to me in you, sayeth the lorde of hostes. And offetynge wyll I not take or accepte at youre handes, for from the rysynge vp of the sonne [...] the goynge downe of the same, my name, is greate among the gentyls, yea in euery place sacrifice is done, and a cleane meate offerynge is offered vp vnto my name, for my name is greate amonge the heathen.

The which place of the sayd Prophet Malachye to be ment or vnderstande of no other kynde of sacry­fice [Page] in the newe testament, but onelye by the sacrifice of the body and bloude of our Sauiour Iesus Christ offered vp thorowe the hole Catholyke churche in the Masse, the moste famous and auncient aucthor Ire­neus, being immediatly after the apostles tyme, doth most manifestlye wytnes in the xxxii. Chapter of hys iiii. boke wrytten [...] the [...] of [...], and other lyke [...], where he sayeth in thys maner. Sed et suis discipulis dans consilium primitias deo offerre ex suis creaturis, non quasi indigemi, sed ut ipse [...], nec ingrati [...] cum qui ex [...] & panis est, accepit, et gratias egit, dicens: [...] est [...] corpus: et [...] qui est ex [...] creatura, [...] est secundum nos, [...] confessus est: et [...] oblationem, [...] Ecclesia aò Apostolis [...] in uniuerso mundo offert deo, qui ali­menta nobis prestat, primitias suorum munerum, in nouo Testamento: de quo in [...] prophetis Malachias sic praesignificauit. Non est [...] inuobis. &c. That is to saye. [...] and also he ge­uinge counsayle to his disciples to offer vnto GOD the firste fruites of his creatures, not as that god had anye nede thereof, but that they themselues shoulde neither be vnfruitful or vnthankful, he did take that bread which was of the creature of GOD, and did geue thankes, sayinge. This is my bodye. And ta­kyng like wyse the cuppe or chalyce, whiche also is made of that creature whiche emōgest vs is commonlye (That is to saye wyne) he dyd confesse it to be hys bloude. And of the [...] testamente, he did teache a newe oblation or [Page] sacrifice, which oblation the churche takyng or receauyng of the Apostles, doeth through­out the hole worlde offer vp to GOD, who geueth vs our fode as the fyrste fruites of hys gyftes in the newe testament, of whiche offe­rynge Malachias one of the xii. prophetes did prophesie in this maner. I haue noo pleasure in you. &c.

And thys foresayd sacrifice of the body and bloud of our sauiour Chryst in the sacrament of the Aultare was not onelye longe before Chrystes commynge in most playne sorte prophesied of, by the prophete Ma­lachy (as you haue hearde) but also it was in maner euen in the beginning of the worlde [...] by the oblation of Melchise dech the Prieste of Almyghtye GOD, in that he offered breade and wyne and dyd blesse Abraham the patriarche, as itis wrytten in the xiiii. chapter of Genesis. And that thys oblation of Melchisedech beinge one of the most notable figures of the olde testament, was fulfylled and perfourmed of Chryste himselfe, when he instituted thys sacramēt and daylye is in the Masse (by the commaundement of Chryst at the tyme of the institution thereof) per­fourmed and fulfylled, ye shall here by the vndouted [...] of the fathers, which were in the prima­tiue churche, and fyrste ye shall note what the blessed Martyr [...] Cypryan dothe write hereof in hys treatyse De [...], where he speakyng of the institu­tion of thys sacrament hath these wordes.

[Page] [...] a [...], et filijs [...] facientibus operaeius, summus sacerdos panem profert et [...]. Hoc est (inquit) corpus meum Manducauerant et biberant de eodem pane et [...] lice secundum formam uisibilem, sed [...], cibus ille communis, [...] nutriendo corpori commodus erat, et. [...] corporali subsidium [...]: sed ex guo a domino dictum est, hoc facite in meam commemorationem, Haec est caromea, & hic est sanguis meus. Quotiescunque hijs uerbis, et [...] fide actum est. Panis illi substantialis, & calix benedictione solenni sacratus ad totius hominis uitam salutam (que) proficit simul medicamentum [...] ad sanandas infirmitates, et purgandas iniquitates existens.

That is to saye: The sacramentes in times past from the tyme of Melchisedech, prefigured do come forth. And the most high priest vnto the chyldren of Abraham doyng his workes doeth brynge forthe breade and wyne. Thys is sayth chryste my bodye: they dyd eate, and they did drinke of the same breade and of the saine cuppe, after the visible forme, but before these wordes, that common foode or meate was apt or fitte onely to [...] the bodye & did geue sustenaunce to the corporall life: but after that it was sayd of our Lorde, doo you thys in my remembraunce, this is my [...], and this is my bloude, as often as with these wordes, and with thys faythe, the thinge is done, that substanciall fode, and that cuppe consecrated or sanctifyed wyth the folempne benediction or blessynge, doethe profytte [Page] vnto the life and helth of the whole man be­inge bothe a medecine and also a pryncypall offerynge to [...] our [...], and also to purge our iniquities.

The same Sayncte Cypryan also in hys seconde booke of Epystles and hys thyrde Epystle (speakyng of thys sacrifyce) sayeth thus. Si lesus Christus domiuus et deus noster ipse est summus sacerdos dei patris, et sacrificium deo patri ipse primus obtuli, et hoc fieri in [...] commemorationem precipet. Vtique ille sacerdos uice Christi uere sungitur qui id quod Christus fecit, simitatur. Et sacrificium uerum et plenum tunc offert in eeclc siadco patrisi [...] offerre secundum quod ipsum Christum uideat obtulisss.

That is to saye. [...] Iesus Chryst our Lorde and GOD, be himselfe the highe presste of God the father, and he him selfe did firste offer the sacrifice to god his father, & did cōmaūde also that to be done in his remēbraūce, truely that preist doth verely occupy the place or stede of Chryste, who doth folow that whych Christ did. And then doth the priest in the churche of­fer [...] to GOD the father a true aud a full sacrifice, yf he so begynne to offer, as that he hathe sene Chryste to haue offered. Thus much sayeth Cypryan.

And here to omitte manye, or rather [...] aucthorities, and sufficient proses, as concernyng thys [...] or [...] of tho [...] one [...] of S. Ambrose; who was [...] eleuen hundred yeares agoo, and by hym also ye shall [Page] well [...], that the name of Masse is not soo stra­unge a thyng or so a new an inuention as men wolde make it. For S. Ambrose in hys fyfte boke of epystles and the. xxiii, epystle, writing vnto hys syster Marcel lina, of a certayne trouble and tumulte, [...] in the citie of Mylayne where he was byshoppe, did chaūce vpon a sondaye in the moruinge, while he was at di­uine seruice, doth saye thus. Ego tamen [...] munere: Missā facere capi, [...], raptum [...] populo [...] (quem praesbyterum dicerent Arriam) hunc autem in [...] offenderant [...] tes: [...] fiere et orare in ipsa oblatione deum coepi, ut subucuiret.

That is to saye. [...] for all that I dyd abide in mine office or diuine seruice, I dyd begynne to saye Masse, And when I was at the obla­tion, I did understande one called Castulus (whome the Arrians wolde take for a priest) to be violentlye taken of the people Hym in dede they [...] in the strete hadde founde, moste [...] I beganne to wepe, and to praye to god euē in the very oblation, that he woulde succoure or helpe.

Accordynge where vnto the blessed martyr Igna­tius in his [...] Epystle wrytten, to the Smyrnians doth say thus. [...] sine episcopo, neque offerre neque [...] immolare, neque [...] celebrare, That is to saye. It is not lawefull without the [...] neither to of­fer, neither to immolate the sacrifice, neyther to celebrate or saye Masses. And the thynge be­ynge [Page] so it maye greatly be marueyled, that this word Masse, beyng so auncient in the Catholyke churche and so termed amongest the auncient fathers thereof shuld be taken for so great an eye soore, or soo odyouse a thing, as amongest our late scymaticall preachers, it hath bene impudentlye taughte, who to blynde the peoples eyes, and do deceaue there eares, haue erro­neouslye, and maliciouslye sayde, that neyther the worde Masse, nor the thynge therin conteyned, haue bene of olde tyme allowed or vsed in Chrystes church Shortly to make an ende of testimonies, or profe of the fyrste vse of thys sacramente, whiche we doo saye to consyste in the sacrifyce therof, ye shall haue onely one testimonye more in this parte, in whiche testimo­nye, besydes the profe of the sacrifice, it is further also declared, that the wordes of Chryst, beynge dulye by a lawefull preist pronounced, whatsoeuer his lyfe or conuersation be, better or worse, the wordes always, yf there be no other let, do take theyr full effect, and o­peration: [...], and moreouer that the sayd sacrifice of the Masse doth stande in his full force not withstā ­dynge. And the sayde [...] is the sayinge off. Chrysoltome, in his seconde homyly vpon the seconde cpystle of S. Paule to Tymothy, where he wrytethe thus. Volo quidem adijcere mirabile, & nolite mirari, ne (que): turbemi­ni, Quid ueroistud est? Sacraipsa oblatio, siue illam Petrus, siue Paulus, siue cuiusuis meritisacerdos. offerat eadem est, quam dedit Christus ipse disci­pulis quam (que) sacerdotes modo quo (que) conficiunt. Nihil habet esta quam illa minus. [...] id? quia non hanc sanctificant homines, sed Christus qui illam an­ted sacrauerat. Quemadmoàum enim uerba guae loquutos est Christus, [...] sunt quae sacerdotes nunc quo (que) pronunciant, ita & oblatio [...] est: [Page] That is to saye. And in dede I wyll adde plain lye a meruelous thinge, and yet do you not wonder, nor be you troubled. But what is that, wyl you say? The sacred or holye obla­tion, whether Peter doth offer it or Paule, or of what soeuer meryte the preist be, it is the verye same thinge whiche Chryste hymselfe dydde gyue vnto his disciples, and the same whiche the preistes nowe doo make. Thys hathe no lesse then it: And whye soo [...] men doo not sanctifye this but Chryste who sanctified or consecrated that before. For like as the wordes whiche Chryst dyd speake be the selfe same whyche the preistes nowe also do pronounce, euen so the oblation or sacrifice is the same.

AND nowe to come vnto the other vse it is to wytte, of the receauynge of the Sacramente, ye shall note, that althoughe oure Samoure Iesus Christe, at the first institution of this sacramente, dydde minister it vnto his disciples, whiche were than presente, vnder both the kyndes of bread and wyne, Yet that fashy­on and maner of ministrynge is not soo necessarye to the receauer (excepte it be to the preist, whan he doth consecrate) that without the due obseruation of that waye, man myght not receaue that blessed sacramēt to his saluation. For the benefyte or hurte that com­meth to a chrysten man, by receauynge of this sacra­mente, [Page] standeth not in the fashyon or maner of recea­uynge of it, vnder one or both kyndes, but in the wor thyor vnworthy receauyng of the thynge conteyned in the same. For he that receaueth this Sacramente worthelye, vnder the one kynde, as vnder the forme of breade onely, receaueth the hole bodye and bloude of Chryst, and as many and great benefittes of Christ as he that receaueth it in both kyndes. And therefore if any man should teache, that the laye people (which by the ordinaunce and auncient custome of the catho­lyke churche, haue vsed to receaue this holy sacramēt in fourme of breade onelye) be seduced and soo cause them to thynke, that the holle bodye and bludde of Chryst, where not comprehended in that onely forme of breade, as well as in both the kyndes, this doctrine ought vtterlye to be refused and abiected, as a verye pestiferouse and deuely she doctryne. For surely scrip­ture teacheth the contrary, and also naturall reason, althoughe it cannot comprehende the hole mistery of this sacrament, yet herein it teacheth vs agreablye w ^t scrypture, y ^t that liuely body cannot be without bloud and therefore men ought to be ledde from that fonde opinion (yf any such be) both by that faith, and credit which they do owe vnto scripture, and in this poynt also by naturall reason. And chrysten men knowinge this, ought not to grudge at thys fourme and maner of receauyng of this sacrament vnder one kynd, vsed and allowed by the catholyke church, both to auoide that erroure afore rehersed, and also for manye other weyghtie considerations, concernynge bothe the ho­nor of the sacramēte, and the libertye, and commodi­tie [Page] of the hole churche, seyng that not onely lay men, but also prestes (sauinge whan they do consecrate) do vse to receaue thys Sacrament none otherwyse Let chrysten men therfore humbly apply them self, to put all erronious fantasies cleane out of ther hartes, and satisfye them selues with this, that when they receiue the sacrament worthely, though it be but in one kind they loose no parte of the profyt and benefyte promy­sed by vertue of the sayde Sacramente. And yet to stably she this poynte (touchyng the receauing of this sacramente vnder one kynde) both with testimonies of scripture, and also otherwyse, ye shall vnderstand, that whan our sauyour Christ did delyuer this sacra­mente vnder bothe kyndes, in the institution there­of, he of purpose had onely his twelue Apostles with hym, to declare vnto vs that he there dyd rather pre­scribe vnto them being preistes, how they and theyr successours should consecrate, and offer, and also they themselues in theyr ministery receaue the same, than howe it shoulde be receaued of other, not beynge of the same vocation as the Apostles were of. And ther­fore it was neuer yet lawfull, but very straytely to be punyshed yf a prest whan he dyd consecrate, and of­fer the same, dyd not withall receaue it vnder bothe kyndes. Wherein appearethe (the cyrcumstaunces of the institution beynge well marked and consyde­red, that the cammaundement and charge geuen at that tyme by oure sauioure Iesus Christ, doth not of necessitie bynde the laye men, noo nor yet the preiste, (but when he sayeth masse) to receaue vnder both kin des. Therefore many tyme in Scrypture, mentyon [Page] is made but of one kynde onely, as apperteynyng ge­nerally vnto all men, it is to wytte, of the sacramente to be receaued vnder the fourme of breade, wythoute any mention made of the other kynde or forme. As in the. vi. of Iohn, where our sauiour in a greate multy­tude of people, (besides hys apostles) makynge pro­mes of thys sacramente to be geuen by hym, in tyme then yet to come, sayeth. Panis quem ego labo caro mea est, [...] dabo pro mundi uita That is to say. The breade whiche I wil geue is my fleshe, whiche [...] I wyll geue for the lyfe of the worlde-Saynte Luke al so in hys. xxiii. chapter of hys gospel, telleth how that our sauiour Christ after his resurrection, dyd appeare in a straunge forme or shape, to two of hys dyscyples goinge towarde Emaus, and when he hade a good whyle walked and talked wyth them, and yet they knew him not, at length they came to Emaus, wher Christ syttyng with them, toke bread, blessed it, and brake it, and gaue it vnto them, and by and by theyr eyes were opened, and they knewe hym, and he vani shed out of theyr sight. Thys bread so geuē in Emaus to the two disciples, S. Augustine in his thyrd boke, Deconsensu euangelistarum And saynte Chrisostome in hys xvii. homilye vpon Mathewe, and Theophilus also, auncienter then any of them both, do expounde to be the Sacramente of Christes bodye? and yet ther the scripture (as in sundrye other places els) doeth make no mentiō of the other kinde or forme, (it is to wyt, of the Sacramente vnder the fourme of wyne) to haue bene geuen vnto them.

[Page]To this consideration appertayneth also, the won­derfull fedinge of the chyldren of Israell, in wylder­nes, the space of. xl. yeares, wyth a straunge breade called Manna, being a figure of this sacrament, as it belongethe to all chrysten people, who throughe the huge wildernes of this worlde do passe towarde the true land of promyse. And yet farther to confyrme thys thyng by an auncient and weightye testimonie ye shall here what is recorded by the excellente Au­thor Nicephorus Calistus, who beynge aboute a thousande yere ago, in his worke called Ecclesiastica histo ria in the. xiii. boke and in the seuenth chapiter thereof (wrytynge of a certayne woman, who obstynate lye longe tyme refused to receaue the catholyke rytes, of Chrystes Churche, and so obstinately, that although hyr husband moste ernestlye labored with her in that matter, and dyuerse tymes sore dyd fall out wyth her yea and threatned her ferther displesure, yf she would not vniformely receaue the chrysten relygyon and sa­ramentes, yet in her harte she woulde not be persua­ded, neuerthelesse at length dissemblyngly, she fained herselfe to be by hym herein persuaded, and therevp­on entendyng by fraude to cloke her doynges and to perfourme more easely her purpose, she made one of her maydes (whome she trusted verye well pryueye of her entent and purpose) he thus wryteth. Mulier, post [...] persimulationem annuit, ex ancillis (quam [...] sibi esse credebat) uni quid factura esset, credibit: ut per fraudem uirum falleret [...] sacrorum [...] tempore accedens illa, donum sicuti mors erat (qui [...] insti­tuti sunt quid dicam intelligunt) accepit, at que id retinens, perinde atque [...]: mysterium (que) sacro sastum occul [Page] [...], et que [...] ancilla, pro [...] panem communem domo allatum obtulit, quem illa ori admouens, in lapidis naturam induratum esse, dum den­tibus atterere conatur, sensit. &c. That is to saye: This wo man (after that she by dissimulatiō had graū ted, or agreed) did vnto one of her handmay­dens (whome she thought to be faithfull vn­to her) tell or shewe what she intended to do: to the intente that by fraude she myghte deceyue her husbande. And she the sayde wo­man commyng in the tyme of the holy miste ryes, dyd take the gyfte as the custome or maner was, (what thynge I saye or meane when I say that, they y ^t are instructed in chri­sten religion doo vnderstande well) And ke­pynge it, as thoughe she woulde haue fallen to prayer, leanynge dounewarde, bowed her selfe and did hide the most holy mysterye And her handmayden which stode by her, deliuered vnto her for the sayde mysterye, the common breade which she had brought with her from home, whiche common breade she the sayde woman puttynge it to her mouthe dyd the meane whyle she went about to haue broken it with her tethe, fele or perceyue it to be hardened, as turned into the nature of a stone. &c.

[Page]By which most notable historye (besydes other goodly matters there in recorded) it apeareth moste euydently that euen at the same tyme, the sacrament of the Aultare was ministred vnto the laye people vnder one kynde only, it is to wytte, vnder y ^e forme of breade. For yf ye consider well the wordes whiche do expresse the facte, and there wyth do note and re­member the intent of y ^t woman to deceaue her husbād in the recepte of this sacrament, there can be no dout herein Ouer and besydes all this it is euydent by fer­ther recorde, that al the hole body of Chrystendome with longe and moste diligent deliberation examy­nyng this matter aboue. vii. score yeres ago, by reasō of certayne disordered persones in the kyngedome of Boheme, which sterred vp emongest the people of y ^e sayde realme, greate vnquyetnes (the lyke whereof ye knowe well inough hath by other in some othere places with toth and nayle, bene attēpted and sette forth) touchyng thys maner of receyuing vnder one kynde, dyd then find, that laye men and wemen had of very aunciente tyme before those dayes, vsed the same fashion of receauyng the sacrament onelye vn­der the forme of breade, and that vse in the churche, to haue bene also in the former ages, generally commē ­ded and allowed, as maye appear both in the xiii. ses­sion of the generall consayle holden at Constans, & also in the thirtyth Sessyon of the general counsayle holden at Basyll, aboute sixt score yeares ago, where thus it is wrytten.

Laudabilis quoque consuetudo communicandi [...] populum sub una specie ab [...] et sanctis patribus rationabiliter introducta, [...] hastenus [Page] diutissime obseruata, & a doctoribus diuinae legis, sacrarum scriptuarum, atque canonum, multam peritiam habentibus, iam a longeno tempore com­mendare pro lege habenda est. nec allicui [...] cst eam reprobare, aut sine authoritate ecclesiae ipsam immutare. That is to say. The law dable custome also to communicate or how­sel the laye people vnder one kynde or forme beyng by the churche and holy fatheres with good reason brought in, and hitherto of most longe tyme kepte or obserued: and also of the docters hauynge great knowledge of the di­uine lawe, of the holye scryptures, and of the Canons nowe of longe tyme commended, must be had or taken for a lawe: nor lawfull it is to any man for to reproue it, or without the aucthoritye of the churche to chaunge it. The thing thus beyng mete & conuenient it is that y ^e authoritie [...] the churche (which is as Saynt Paule sayeth in his first epystle and thyrd chapter to Timo­the. Columna & firmamentum ueritatis. That is to saye. The Pyller and staye of truthe. do contente & satysiye vs well in thys behalfe. Hauyng nowe spoken of the institution of thys sacrament, and also of the vse ther­of, consequently there remayneth (accordynge to the promysed order) to speake of the thyrde and last part, whiche is of the inessimable fruite procedynge of the ryght vse of the sayde sacrament. And because the vse is (as we haue sufficientlye here before proued) in two fortes, it is to wytte in offerynge and in recey­uyng [Page] thereof, it shall therefore be expediente seuerally to entreate of the specyall fruite of them bothe. And fyrst touchyng the fruite of the sacrifyce of the masse, we must vnderstand, that [...] y ^e sacrifice which was made vpō the crosse, & the sacrifyce of the masse, as concernynge the substaunce of the thynge offered, there is no difference, for as muche as in that respecte, it is one and the same, though the maner of offerynge be diuerse, as hath bene shewed and proued hereto­fore vnto you. For in the sacrifyce made vppon the Crosse, there was the visible sorme and shape of Chri­stes bodye beynge man, yea and the visible fleshe and [...] of Chryst in the natiue forme of [...] & [...] but herein this sacrament the same fleshe and bloude of Chryst being truely in substaunce, is set [...] not in the natiue formes of fleshe and bloude, but vnder the formes of breade and wyne. And therefore emon­gest the most aunciente fathers, beynge of the Greke churche, & also of the Latyn. The one sacrifyce (made vpon the crosse, is called a bloudy sacryfyce, because vi sibly, there, out of the syde of Chryst bloude was shed. And the other (whyche by the Preiste is offered at masse vpon the Aultare) is named. Incruentum sacraficium, that is to saye: A sacrifice vnbloudye or wyth­out bloudshedynge. not because there is no [...] there, but because there is no visible effusion [...] bloud beynge there neuerthelesse in substaunce (as we at large before haue proued) both the fleshe and bloude, of Christe. And because ye shall not thynke, that thys distinction or diuersitie is an imagination or a newe inuention, ye maye for the try all hereof, read the gret [Page] and notable famouse Counsayles, and other verye weyghtye aucthorities of the Catholike Church. And [...] ye maye fynde in the epistle sente to Ne storius. from the Counsayle of Ephesus this same difference noted, in whiche Counsayle, Saynte Cyryll at that tyme was presidente, and that difference or distinctyon is [...] agayue by the same [...] in his treatyse agaynst, [...], [...] undecimo. and in the gene­rall counsayle kepte at [...], there is vsed in the Ca­nons thereof, the same distinction, whyche is before specyfyed. Nazianzen lyke wyse in his verses to the byshoppes, and in his firste [...] agaynst Iulian hath the same distinction. And so haue sondrye other ryght [...] fathers. And passynge from thys distinction to declare vnto you, the effecte and fruite that cōmeth of the dew oblation of the body & bloude of Christ in the sacrifice of the masse, ye shal vnderstād that nothinge beinge so acceptable vnto the father of heauē, as is the body & bloud of our sauiour Christ his sōne, the catholike churche therfore in al the cōclusiōs of praiers & petitions, that are made vnto the father is accustomed commonlye to saye. [...] Christum Dominum nostrum. that is to saye. Throughe or for the sake of our Lorde Chryste. or suche lyke wordes, ten­dynge euer to the same purpose, nothynge doutynge but that the thynge whiche is so asked in his name, shall y ^e soner be attayned, in asmuche as Chryste hym selfe, both learned vs so to doe, and adioyued thereto the promyse of obreynyng the same, as maye appeare in the. xvi. of Iohn, where Chryste sayeth thus. Si quid petieritis patrem in nomine meo, dabit uobis that is to saye: [...] [Page] ye aske my father any thinge in my name he will geue it vnto you. Nowe the Catholyke churche doeth in the sacrifice of the masse, not onelye praye in the name of Chryste (as in other her prayers) but wyth prayer doeth also offer vppe, and exhibyte therein vnto the father in heauen the bodye & bloude of hys dearelye beloued sonne oure [...] Iesus Chryste, by that meane (as beyng the very [...] and iucomparable meane, passynge all other meanes) to obteyne most frutefully, most habundantlye, & moste assuredly all the merites, and benefytes of Chrystes deathe to be applied vnto vs, and that suche prayers as are made in the time of the masse, and the sacryfyce thereof, are specyall and aboue all other effectnall S. Augustyne proueth by scrypture, dicuslynge mooste exactly thys place of S. Paule in the second chapter of hys fyrst epystle to Timothe, where Saynt Paule thus wryteth. Obsccro igitur primum omnium fieri obsecrationes, [...] tioncs, postulatioms, gratiarum actiones, pro omnibus hominibus, pro regi­bus et ommbus qui in [...] consti uti sunt, ut quietam et tranquillam uitam [...], [...] omni pietate et chastitate: [...] bonum est et accep­tum coram saluatore nostro [...] qui omnes homines uult saluos fieri et ad [...] nem ueritatis uenire

That [...] to saye. I besech you therefore aboue all thynges that obsecrations, [...], supplications, and thankes geuyng, be made or had for all men, for kynges, and for all thē whyche are in high aucthoritie, that we may lyue a quiet and a peasable lyfe, in all god­lynes [Page] and honestye. For that is good and ac­ceptable before GOD our Sauioure whose wyl is all men to besaued and to come to the knowledge of the trueth. Upon whych place S. Augustyne discoursynge very dilygentlye in his, [...] epystle wrytten vnto Paulinas, doeth saye that by those foure seuerali wordes of Saynt Paule, it is to wite, obsecrations, obtestations, supplications and thankes geuynge, are mente the foure seuerall partes frequented in the hole Catholyke Churche. in the diuine celebration whyche is done at Goddes borde. As by the fyrst worde obsecrations, to be vnderstand al that whych is sayde at the altar be­fore that the breade and the chalyce set vpon the aul­tare be blessed. By the second worde (Whiche is ob testations) to be mente all those prayers whyche be sayde from thence vnto the fractions of the hoūe, in declaration of whyche parte. Saynt Augustine doth expresly call thys sacrament the [...] of the holye Aultare. And by the thyrde worde Supplications to be vnderstanded that part wherein the byshoppe, after the foresayd fractions doth turne vnto the peo­ple and blesse them and wherein also the sacramente is receyued. And fynally by the fourth worde. Which is thankes geuyng, to be ment, the very end and conclusion of the diuine celebration. All whyche thynges concernyng the mynde of S. [...] vp­on those foure wordes of S; Paule, [...] maye more at [Page] [...] synde in the foresayde epistle of S. Augustine. So then this place of Scripture, thus vnderstanded doth most manifestly and euidently declare the great fruite and commoditie of the masse, and the oblation of the same, for immedyatlye in S. Paule foloweth, that these foure partes should be executed to the ende. Vt quietam et tranquillam uitam [...] in omni [...] & chastitate. That is, To the ende that we mighte liue or leade a quiet and peaceable life in all god­lines and honestie. Where is to be noted that when saynct Paule gaue thys exhortation to Tymo­thy, chrysten men euery where dyd lyue vnder the do­mynion of heathen princes and yet S. Paule would these foure partes to be amonge the Chrysten menne frequented and vsed, yea for the sayd heathen princes that they eyther shoulde perfectlye be conuerted there by, or at the least some what relent from theyr soo out ragious and cruell [...] wyth the chrysten men, beynge theyr subiectes. But nowe farther to procede in declaration of the inestimable [...], and fruyte whych commeth of thys sacryfyce of the masse, it shal be necessarye here to note vnto you that the fruyte thereof doth not onely extende it selfe to people beyng yet here vpon the earth lyuynge, to [...] vuto them (hauing good harte & minde to take and receyue the profitte thereof) grace and mercy at gods handes, but it is also fruitefull vnto as manye as de­partyng thys presente lyfe, are not vtterlye excluded from the fauour of God, and the hope of the fruityon of the godheade, [...] asmuche as suche are membres of [Page] Chrystes mysticall bodye, hauynge buylded vppon Chryste the foundation, not onelye golde, syluer, and precyous stones, but tymber, hey, and stubble also whyche by fyre must be consumed, before they can en­ter into the kyngdome of heauen, where is all puritie cleanenes and perfection. And that these sortes maye by the sacrifice of the Masse, be releaued, and the so­ner deliuered oute of theyr paynes, and therevpon be receaued into eternal ioye, there are besyde the ve­rye Scryptures of God, infinite authorities, of the most auncient fathers of Chrystes Catholyke Chur­che, of which authorities, we here nowe alledge cer­teyne of the mooste notable vnto you. And fyrste we wyll brynge in Sainte Chrysostome in hys. 96. ho­milye, ad [...] antiochenum. where he wrytethe in thys maner. Non temere ab apostolis hec sancita fuerunt ut in tremendis my­steriis, defunctorum agatur commemoratio. Sicunt enim illi sinde multum contingere lucrum, utilitatem multam. Stante sequidem uniuerso populo [...] nus in coelum extendente coetu item sacerdotali, uerendo (que) posito sacrificio [...] deum non [...] pro istis [...], sed hoc quidem de hiis qui in fide migratunt. that is to saye. Not withoute greate cause, of the Apostles these thinges were de­creed, that, in those dreadesul misteries. (mea­nynge the sacrifice of the Masse, where there is pre­sented and offered to god the father the body & bloud of hys most deare beloued sonne Jesu Chryst: in the presence or handlynge of whome, we oughte to trem­ble least by our vnworthynes or misorder, we shoulde otherwyse behaue oure selfe then the worthynes and dignitie of that sacrifice [...]) the commemo­ration [Page] of the deade should be had or made, for in dede they knowe well that greate com­moditie and profytte doeth come to the deade therby. For when all the people doeth stande holdinge vp they haudes to heauen, andthe companye of the priestes lykewyse, and also the dreadfull sacrifice be layed vpon the Aul­tare, howe can it be, but we shall appease or mitigate GOD prayinge for the saide dead? but this yet is to be done for suche as doe dye in the fayth. Thys fayeth Chrifostome.

And the same Chrysostome also, in his. xli. homily vpon the fyrst epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians reprouynge suche as dyd immoderatlye lamente the deathe of their frendes, writeth in thys maner.

Sed qou abiret inquis ignoras? uel recte uixit uel secus. utrin (que), quo profectus sit, constat. Idipsnmest quod perturbat, inpuis, quia decesserit peccator sunt haec subfugium & praetextus. Nam situ idcirco mortuum do les, formare & componere uiuentem oportebat, Verum tuas tu uices, non huius deploras. Arbiret peccotor sane, gaudere decct peccata [...] esse & non accumulatum malum? uti (que) quaotum fieri potest, ut iuuetur, non lachrimis, sed prece, supplicationibus, eleemosinis, oblationibus. Non est te­mere hoc excogitatum nec frustramemoriam mortuorum inter sacra miste­ria celebramus, aut accedimus pro istis agnum illum iacentum, & [...] mundi tollentem deprecantis sed ut his consolatio hinc aliqua sict, Nec te­mere qui altari assistit inter horrenda mysteria clamat. Pro omnibus in Chri­sto dormientibus, & pro his qui memoriam celebrant illorum. &c.

That is to say. But thou saiest, I cā not tel whi ther he is gone. Canst thou not tell? eyther he [Page] lyued well, or els otherwyse, on both sides it is certaine whither he is gone. But then saith thou) that is it, that trobleth me because he departed a synner. Let this be your excuse and pretexte. For yf therefore thou art sory for him nowe deade, thou shouldeste haue enfor med and redressed him while he was alyue, but thou lamenteste thyne owne cause and not his. Althoughe truely he be gone a sinner thou oughtest to reioyse, that hys synnes are stayed or letted, and that vyce is no more hea ped or encreased, and thou oughteste to ende­uoure thy selfe by all meanes possible, that he maye be holpen, not with teares, but with praier, with supplications with almesdedes and oblations. It is not vnaduisedly or with out cause deuised, ne yet in vaine do we cele­brate the memorie of the deade, while we be at the holye misteries, or doo come prayinge for the deade) vnto that lambe there lyenge, whyche taketh awaye the synnes of y ^e world but that thereby some comforte, maye be vn­to the sayd deade, yea not withoute a greate cause it is, that he which standeth at the aul­tare, whyle he is aboute the dreadefull myste­ries, [Page] doth crye, sayinge. For all them whyche slepe in Chryst, and for al them whych do ce­lebrate theyr memorie &c. S. Augustyne also in the, xxii, sermon De uerbis apostoli, wryteth thus. Crationi­bus uero sanctae ecclesiae & sacrificio salutari, & [...]. sinis quae pro eorū spiritibus erogantur non est dubit. [...], ut cum eis mise­ricordius agatura domino (quam) eorum peccata meruerunt. Hoc enim a patribus traditum, uniuersa obseruat ecclesia, ut [...] qui in corporis & san­guinis communione defuncti sunt cum abipsum sacrificium loco suo commemorantur, oretur, ac pro illis qu [...] (que) id efferri commemoretur, cū uero eorū commendandorum causa, opera misericordiae [...], quis eis dubite suffragiari, pro quibus [...] allegantur? [...] omnino ambigendum est, ist a prodesse defunctis sed talibus qui ita uixerint ante mortem, ut possint eis haec utilia esse post mortem &c, That is to sai we ought not to doute but that the deade by the prayers of the holye churche, by the hole­some sacrifyce, and by the almes whyche are giuen for theyr soules, are holpen, that GOD maye be more mercifull vnto them, then ther synnes haue deserued, for the vniuersall chur­che doth obserue or kepe this, as a thynge de­lyuered or lefte vnto her from the auncient fa thers, that for thē whiche haue departed this lyfe in the communion or felowshyppe of the body and bloude of Chryste, prayer shoulde be had or made, whan at the [...] of the very sacrifice, the persōs departed, are in their peculier place remembred & mētioned also to be made, that the sacrifyce is offered for them. [Page] And when the workes of mercy are done for the departed, they thereby to be commended or betaken to the mercye of God who canne doute those workes to releiue them for whō prayer is not vaynelye alleged or made, it is not to be douted at all these thynges to pro­fyte or auayle the deade, and yet but to suche who so haue lyued before their deathe, that these thinges maye be profytable vnto them after their departure or death. &c.

Herevnto may be added one notable discourse of S. Augustyne, nothyng so longe as frutefull whyche is wrytten in his treatyse called Enchiridion ad Laurentium in the. [...] chapter of the same in these wordes. Ne (que) negradū [...] functorum animas pietate suorum uiuentium releuari, cum pro illis sas [...] offertur, uel eleemosynae in ecclesia siunt. Sed eis haec prosunt, qui cum [...], ut haec sibi prodesse possint, emeruerunt: Est [...] quidam uiuendi modus non tam bonus ut non requirat ista post mortem nec tam malus ut ei non prosint ista post mortem. Est uero talis in [...], ut ista non requirat, & est rursus talis in malo [...] nec his ualeat, cum haec [...] transicrit adiuuari [...] circa hic omne meritum comparatur quo possit post haue uitam, releuari quispiam uel grauari. Nemo autem se speret, quod hic neglexerit cum obieret apud [...] promereri. Non igitur ista quae pro defunctis [...], isti apostolicae sunt Christi, ut referat unusquis (que) secundum ea [...] per corpus gessit, siue bonum, siui ma­lum, Quia etiam hoc meritum sibi quis (que) cum in corpore uiueret, comparas uit, ut ei possint ist a [...] non [...] omnibus prosunt. Et quare [...] omnibus prosunt? Nisipropter [...], quam quis (que) gessit in corpore, Cum ergo [...] altaris, siue quarumcun (que) [...] defāctis [...] offerantur, pro non ualde bonis, gratiarum actiones sunt, pro non ualde [...] sunt, pro [...] malis & si nulla sunt adiumenta [...] qualesc un (que) uiuorum consolationes sunt. [Page] That is to saye. And it is not to be denyed that the soules of the deade, through the deuotyon of theyr frendes beinge yet aliue, are relieued or eased, whan as for them, eyther the sacry­syce of oure mediatoure is offered vppe, or al­mes is geuen in the churche. But these thyn­ges are auayleable to suche, as in theyr lyfe tyme, dyd deserue. that the same myghte doo them good. For there is a certen maner of life and conuersation, neyther so good or perfytte that it requireth or nedeth not these thynges after death, nor yet so badde, that after the de­partinge out of this [...] lyfe, it maye not thereby haue profytte and commoditie. But there is suche state of life in the good man that it requireth not such thinges And again in the extreme wicked man, suche as the state of his lyfe, that whan he goeth oute of thys world he can not by anye deuotion of the ly­uinge be holpen. Wherefore here in. thys lyfe, all deserte or merite is purchased. Wherebye a man after thys lyfe maye either be relyeued or greued. And let no man hope, that he can after his decease, obteine of God that thynge, which he here hath neglected. And therefore these suffrages which the churche dothe vse [Page] or frequent for the deade to be receaued into more fauor or mercy with god, are nothynge contrary to that saying of the Apostle saynte Paule, where he sayeth: For all we shal stand before the iudgement seate of Chryst that eue ry oue of vs may receaue, (accordynge to the dedes which he him selfe heare in bodye dyd.) eyther good or euyll. Because euerye manne whyle he liued in the bodye, dyd procure to him selfe this merite also (it is to wytte) that these suffrages may be profitable vnto hym. For vndoutedly these thinges are not auail­able to al men, and whye is that? But by reason of the difference in the life and conuer­sation of eueryche man, whiche he dyd vse while he here liued on the earthe, wherefore, when the sacrifices either of the aultar or of any maner of almes, are offered for all Chry­sten soules departed, the sayde sacrifices for very good mē departed, are thankes geuings and for suche as deceased, beinge not verie euill, they are propritiations, and finallie, for the wicked or verye euill, thoughe they are no helpes to them, being deade, yet they are to them which are aliue, some kinde of com­fortes.

[Page]And nowe forasmuch as we haue thus fully & plainly by sufficient aucthorities declared, that the sacryfyce of the masse, or (as saynt Augustyne. in his foresayde proces doth call it) the sacrifyce of the Aultare, is a uayleable for the deade, no man oughte or can doute but that the same is also auayleable to men yet liuing which with fayth and deuotion moste humblye praye almyghty god especiaily in the tyme of thys sacrifyce to applye vnto them by Chryste, that remission and [...] whiche was purchased and deserued by hys passion before. And yet as we haue in all other the formar poyntes concernynge the sacramente of the [...], so wyll we heare also alledge some plaine and pythy testimonyes for the confirmation of this parte And fyrste you shall call to youre remembrannce the saying of the Prophete Malachy (whiche is here be­fore in thys processe, alledged for the profe of thys sa­cryfyce) and note that forasmuch as god therein doth say that the sacrifyces of the olde lawe should cease & gyue place to thys pure and cleane sacryfyce (whych is offered vp to hym throughoute the hole worlde) as to a most excellent and most acceptable sacryfyce in hys syghte, therefore all those sondrye commodytyes whyche are in Moyses lawe reckened, to haue come vnto the Jewes by the sayde sacrifices of y ^e old lawe, must nowe muche more plentifullye and fruitefullye, come vnto vs chrysten men, by the meaue of thys soo singuler a sacrifice, so that we be worthy to enioy the effecte and fruite thereof. Ye shall secondly also cal to your remembraunce the place of Saynte Paule in hys fyrst epystle to Tymothie, and the seconde chapy­ter [Page] before of vs alledged, with the exposition of S. Augustyne vpon the same place, in whych hys exposi­tion he noteth vnto vs the foure partes of the masse, and those to be doue (accordynge to Saynt Paules mynde there) Pro omnibus hominibus pro re gibus, et omnibus qui in sublimitate constituti sunt, ut quietam et tranquillam uitam agamus, in oms ni pietate et castitate. &c. That is to saye. For al men, for Kynges, for all whyche are in hyghe auctho­ritie, to the intente that we maye leade a quy­et and peaseable lyfe, in all godlynes and ho­nestye. And accordyng herevnto Saynt Basyll (be yng aboue an eleuen hundred yeare ago) in his masse setteth fourth (as vsed in the Churche at hys tyme) thys prayer folowing Da domine ut pro nostris [...] popu­li ignorantijs, acceptum sit sacrificium nostrum. That is to say.

Graunte o lorde that for oursynnes, and the ignorances of the people, thys sacrifyce maye be accepted of the. And the lyke hath Saynt Chry­sostome also in his masse, with [...] Saynt Augu styne fully agreing, doth in very many places make mention of thys sacryfyce, & in the fruyte thereof but mooste notable in the eyght chapyter of hys, 22, boke De ciuitate dei.

But nowe to come to speake of that fruite whych the worthy receauer of this sacrament enioyeth, three or foure wordes may in thys behalfe suffyce, partelye for that neuer any chrysten man to thys day yet ther of dyd doute, and partely for that the scrypture moste playnely in the, vi: of Ihon doth saye. Qui manducat me [Page] & ipse uiuit propter me. That is to saye. He that eatethe me (meanyng of the worthy receyuynge of the sacra­ment, as the processe there declareth) he shall also liue throughe me. And what greater proffytte ioy, comforte, or blysse can come to anye man then to lyue through Chryst, which is asmuch to saye, as bothe in thys worlde to be a lyuelye member of Chryste, and [...] the lyfe to come, to be coherytoure with him in the kyngdome of heauen Accordyng wherevnto Saint Cyryll in his, 4, booke and, xvii, chapyter vpon Jhon sayeth. Nos uero si uitam eternam consequi uolumus, si largitorè immor­talitatis habere in nobis desideramus, ad recipiendam benedictionem liben­ter concurramus. That is to soye. [...] we wil obteine euerlastyng life, yf we desire to haue within vs immortalitie, let vs [...] runne to re­ceiue the qenediction, (meanynge there by thys [...] Benediction, the sacramente of the Aultare, as he commonly doth in that processe made vpon the vi, of Jhon) And the same Cyryll in hys thyrde boke and, xxxvii, Chapiter vpon [...] sayeth thus.

Viuisicat enim Corpus Christi, [...] ad incorruptionem sua participatione reducit. and by and by after in the same Chapyter he sayth. Ad coelestem gratiam accedamus, Corporis (que) Christi parti­cipes efficiamur. Sic enim sic inquam, diabolum fugabimus, & [...] inatu­roe participes ad uitam et incorruptibilitatem ascendemus. of whyche two places the fyrst is thus in Englyshe. Truelie the body of Chryst doth gyue lyfe and dothe reduce or brynge agayne them that particy­parte [Page] or be partakers thereof, to incorrupty­on. The seconde thus. Let vs come vnto the heauenlye grace, and be made partakers of the body of Chryste, for so, euen so (I saye) we shall chase awaye the deuyll, and heynge soo made partakers of the deuyne nature, we shall ascende to lyfe, and incorruption.

To these foresayd comfortable places, we wil yet adioyne two other of the holye martyr Saynte Cy­prian in his sermon. De coella domini, Wher he sayeth thus. Panis iste angelorum oinne delectamentum habens [...] mirifica, omnis bus qui digni et deuote sumunt; secundum suum de siderium sapit, ct amplius quam manua illud cremi implet & satiat edentium appetitus, et omnia car­nalium saporum irritamenta, & [...] exuper at dulcediuum uoluptatis. That is to saye.

Thys breade or fode of Angels, hauynge all delite with maruaylous power or vertue, doth sauour vnto all them which worthelye and deuoutly receyue it, accordynge to theyr hartes desyre, and more frutefullye dothe ful­fil and satiat the appetities of the eaters, than dyd that Manna in the wyldernes, and doth far passe fragantnes of al earthly sauours, ye and the peasures of all swetenes. And shortelye after sayeth thus.

Verum, his quiuerbo tenus corde [...] aridi, sacris inter sunt, ueletiam participant donis, lambunt quidem [...], sed inde necmel sugūt [...] oleum, qui [...] aliqua Charitatis dulcedine, [...] spiritus sancti [...] [Page] [...], necse iudican̄t, nec sacramenta diiudicat? sedsicut cibls communious, irreuerenter sacris ut utuntur muncribus, et dominice [...] in ueste lutulenta se in [...], [...] mclius erat uola as naria collo [...] mergi in pelagus, quamillota [...] de manu domini buc­cellan accipere, qui usque bodie [...] ssimum et sanctissimum corpus suum crcat, ct sanctisicat, ct [...], ct pie [...] diuidit. In buius prae sentionon superuacue mendicant lachrymae ueniam? nec unquam partitur contriti cordis holocaustum, repulsam. &c. That is to saye.

But they whych eyther be present at these holy mysteryes, or els receyue these gyftes onely accordyng to the outewarde worde, be ing drie in harte, & withered in theyr mynde, they truelye do licke the rocke, but thereoute socke they neither honye nor oile, whiche ne­there be quickened or nourished wyth anye swetnes of Charitie, nor fattenes of the holye Ghoste, nor do iudge them selues, nor yet dis­cerne the sacramentes, but irreuerently do vse these holye giftes, as they woulde other com­men meates, and impudentli [...] or thrust them selfes in, to come to Goddes borde in a fylthy garment. For whome it were better, that they had a milne stone [...] abute ther necke and so were drowned in the sea, then to take with an vncleane conscience, a mor­sell at the hande of our lorde: who vntil this dai doth create and sanctifie, and blesse, and [Page] to the worthie receyuers, dothe deuide thys his most true, and mooste holye bodie. In the presence of this bodie the teares of man dothe not begge forgiuenes in vaine, [...] the sa­crifice of a contrite harte dothe suffer repulse or denyall.

Wherefore confiderynge the moste excellent grace efficacye and vertue of thys sacrament, it were grate lye to be wyshed and prayed for that all chrysten peo­ple, had suche deuotion there vnto, that they woulde gladely dispose and prepare themselues, to the more often worthy receyuyng of the same. But seynge that in these last dayes, Charitie is waxed colde and sinne doth habounde, as [...] sayeth in the gospell Ma­thewe, xxiiii. that it shoulde, yet if chrysten men wyll auoyde the greate indignation of GOD, it shall be good for them, whansoeuer they receyue thys sacra­ment them selues, or be present, where it is ministred or vsed, as specially in the tyme of masse to behaue thē selfe reuerently, iu [...] deuotion and prayer, and not to talke, or walke vp and downe, or to offende other by any euyl example of vnreuerence to the sayde Sa­cramente: excepte they wyll declare them selues to haue smale regarde to our Sauiour Chryst, there bo dyly present, of whych vnreuerencye and contempte, may ensue, not onely spirituall punyshmentes of god, by withdrawing hys grace from suche vngodlye per­sons, but also bodyly and open scurge, as saint Paule sheweth in his fyrste epystle to the Corynthyans the [Page] xi. chapiter. That for the vnworthye entreatyng and vsynge of thys sacramente, manye emongeste them were weake, sycke, and dyed.

¶ Of the Sacrament of Orders, and the ex­position or declaratyon thereof.

FORASMVCHE as oure promysed or­der doth now requyre that we should next speke of the sayde sacramente of Orders, fyrste of all touchyng the said sacramente, thys is to be noted, that thoughe sometymes in scrypture in some respecte all chrysten men and women are called preistes, for that they ought and muste contynuallye offer to almyghtye God the spirituall sacrifyces of fayth prayer and other godly vertues (whiche kynde of preisthode Saynt Peter speaketh of, in the seconde chapiter of his firste epystle, and Saynte Jhon lyke wyse in the, xvi. chapiter of the Apocalipse) yet is ther [...] that generall preisthode, a certayne specyall & singuler vocation or function of preisthode and mini­stratyon appoynted by our sauiour Chryst, to be exe­cuted onelye of suche as beinge baptized, haue by the imposition of the bysshopes handes, receyued a cer­tayne grace and power to be publyke ministeres in y ^e catholyke churche. And of thys special kynde of priest hode, Saynte Paule in his firste chapiter of hys E­pystle to the Nebrues dyth speake saying. Nec quisdam [...] sibihonorem sed qui uocatur deo quemadmodum Aaron. That is [Page] to saye. Nor any man doeth take the honoure vnto hym, but he whiche is called of GOD [...] as Aaron was. Acordyng wherevnto Chryst him selfe, being the high preist of the new test [...] ment, fyrst sayethe of him [...] in the eyghte of Jhon. Neque enim a meipso ueni, sed ille me misit. That is to sai. Of my selfe truelye I came not, but he (meanynge the heauenly father) dyd sende me. And secondlye in the. xx. of Jhon (appoyntynge to hys apostles thys specyal office or ministration, and authorisynge them in the same) he also sayeth. [...] misit me pater & ego mitto uos. That is to saye. As my father sente me, I also sende you.

The geuyng of this speciall auchoritie of ministra tion and priesthode by the byshoppe, vnto suche per­sons as by due examination shalbe thoughte mete for that bocation, is called here the sacrament of orders: and hath alwayes so bene called, taken, and reputed from the begynnynge of christen religion vnto thys day, as appeareth most euydently by saint Augustine who in hys seconde boke. Contra epistolam parmeniani, & the xiii. chap. thereof, doeth often times cal it by the name of a sacramente: and ioyntlye speakyng of it, and of the sacramente of baptisme, affyrmeth that bothe of them are geuen by a certayne sanctification, and that neyther of them can be iterated or agayne taken, say­inge thus [...] enim sacramentum rst &c. that is to saye: Truely both of these are Sacramentes &c.

[Page]And where the sayde [...]. Augustyne in the fore­sayde place sayeth that thys sacrament of orders is ge uen with a certayne sanctification, no better or play­ner profe thereof can be had, than out of the very scrip ture, as in the. xx, of Sainete Jhon, where our sauy­our Chryst after his resurrection geuyng vnto hys a­postles auethoritie to release or retayne synnes, dyd saye vnto them in thys maner. Accipite spiritum sanctum, quorum remiseritis peccata remittuntur eis, et quorum retinueritis [...] eataretenta sunt. That is to saye. Receiue ye the holie Ghoste, whose sinnes ye remitte, they are re­mitted are forgeuen them, and whose sinnes you reteyne are reteined. To thys purpose apper­teyneth also that sayinge of S. Paule in his fyrst E­pystle to Tymothe, and the, iiii, Chapter, where he sayeth thus, Noli negligere gratiam queinte est, que data est tibi per prophetiam cum imposuione manuum praesbiterij. That is to saye. Neglecte not the grace that is in the whyche is geuē vnto the through prophesye with the imposition of handes of preisthode, And againe in the seconde epystle to Tymothie and the first chap­ter thereof, the sayd Saynt Paule doth saye thus. Admonco te ut resuscitis gratiam dei, quae est in te, per impositionem [...] nuum mearum. That is to say. I adinonyshe the, that thou stirre vp the grace of god which is in the by the imposition of my handes. By whyche wordes of Saynt Paule in the both these places far­ther ye maye note, howe thys sacrament of Orderes [...] that perfection to make it a sacramente, whyche [Page] in the difinition of a sacramente before geuen was requyred, it is to witte, a visible sygne (whyche is the imposition of the handes) and therewyth effectuallye concurraunt and annexed grace.

And for the better vnderstandyng of thys grate, ye shall marke that the same dothe consyste in three generall poyntes. The one to praye in the name of the hole churche, and for the hole Churche. An other to preache and teache the worde of GOD to all people The thyrde to minister the Sacramentes, where ye maye note that the preistes beynge amongeste other thynges called to the minystration of the sacraments and the chiefest and most pretiouse of all sacramentes being the sacrament of the Aulter, in mynystratyon whereof (as before in the exposition of the same sacra­ment, is sufficiently proued, the preist ought bothe to consecrate, and to offer. Therefore the late made my­nysters in the tyme of the scysine, in theyr newe deui­sed ordination, hauynge no aucthoritie at all giuē thē to offer in the masse the body and bloude of oure [...] our Chryst, but both they so ordered (or rather dysor­dered) and theyr scysmatycall orderers also, vtterlye dispising and impugninge, not onelye the oblation or sacrifice of the masse, but also the reall presence of the body and bloude of our sauiour Chryst in the Sacra­ment of the Aultar, therefore I say, that all such both dampnably and presumptuously dyd offende against almyghty God, and also moste pitetullye begyled the people of thys realine, who by thys meanes were de­srauded of the most blessed bodye and bloude of oure sauiour Chryst, and the most comfortable fruyte ther­of, [Page] and also of the sacrifice of the masse, and of the in­estimable fruyte which commeth thereby. Of whych thynges the truth at large and sufficiently in thexpo­sition of the sacramēt of the Aultar is already taught and proued. And seinge that euerye man (be he neuer soo simple) maye sufficientlye hereby perceaue howe these late counterfeted ministers, haue in so weighty a matter deceyued the people, concernynge eternall saluation, and greatly abused them and brought thē into a most lamentable state, you may thereby consy­der both what thankes you owe to almyghtye God who hath restored vnto you, the ryght vse of the Sa­cramentes agayne, and also howe muche you oughte to esteme the ryght [...], nowe brought home agayne, by whych as an ordynary meanes, God wor keth hys graces emongest you, & doo you not herein forget for your parte, the saying off. Paule in his first epystle to Tymothie the first chapyter which is thys. Quibene praesunt [...] byteri duplicihonere digni habeantur, maxime qui laborant in uerbo, et doctrina. That is to say. Those preistes which rule well, let them be counted or iudged worthy of double honor and specially they which labour in the word and teaching. And thus much we thinke suffi cient for the lay people to be instructed herein

¶ Of the Sacrament [...] Matrimonye, with the exposition or declaration thereof.

HAuyng hy therto obserued and kepte the ordre promysed in the preface of thys boke, entreatyng of Baptysme, Confirmation, Penaunce, and of the Sacrament of the Aultar, which all in theyr due consideration, are sacra­mentes of necessytye, hauynge also spoken of y ^e sacra ment of orders, whereby a spirituall multiplication of the churche, is induced, thoughe no man herein be inforsed or compelled but of his voluntarye electyon and choyse doth take and receiue it. This place now requyreth that we shal here entreate of the sacramēt of Matrimonye, whiche doth folowe next in order, whereby a carnall multiplication, very expedient in a common welth is induced. And this sacramente of Matrimony doeth differ a great deale both in mat­ter and fourme, and also in diuerse respectes els frō the other before sayde, and specially it differeth from Baptysme, Confyrmation, Penaunce, and the sacra­ment of the Aultar, for that this Sacrament of Ma trimonye is not of that necessitie as they are, but is in the free wyll of the manne, and also of the woman whiche frely maye chuse to marye, or not to marye, and neither of them is compelled of precise necessitie to come vnto it, and beynge besydes in that estate, that wythout it they maye be saued.

And verye expedient it shalve, diligently to speake of thys sacrament of Matrymonye, aswell for that [Page] the personnes, vicars, and curates maye, to all suche persons as lawfully maye be coupled in matrimony, declare, bothe the institution of Matrimonye, the holynes and efficacy there of, the mistery of this Sa cramente, and all other thynges thereto appertay­nyng, as also for that this sacrament of Matrimony (whych in our late schismaticall tyme, hath bene by seditious carnall preachers, or rather praters great­ly impugned) may hereafter for the worthynes and dignitie thereof be better estemed, accepted, & taken And to make a grounde, it shalbe well to discrybe and tell you what Matrymonye is, who is the auc­thour thereof, where it was instituted, what was y ^e cause of the instytutyon, who may contracte it, how it is contracted, howe it oughte to be vsed, and the gyftes or treasures of it, with other suche lyke, as they shall come in theyr place, and for the fyrste ye shall knowe, that the learned doe defyne. or describe matrimonye, to be a lawefull coniunction of a man and of a woman, hauyng in it an indiuiduall or vn­seperable bonde or knotte of lyuynge, whereby ey­ther to other muste do as that vocation requyreth.

And when I doe saye Lawefull I do speake that to exclude such coniūctions as are made betwixt mā and woman contrary or agaynst the oroer of y ^e lawe cōprehended in effect in these foure verses folowing.

That is to saye. Erroure, seruile condition, a vowe, kynred, a notable crime, diuersitye of [Page] fayth or religion, violence, holy order, bonde to another wyfe or husbande, publike hone­stye, affinitie, and impotencie, which thyngs doe let or forbid matrimony to be made, and do disanull it, yf it be alreadye made.

And when I doe saye coniunction, I do put in that to declare that in this coniunction betwene the manne and the woman, there must be a voluntarye consent of mynde betwene the sayde man & the sayd woman, [...] beynge wyllynglye contente to take other, and to ioyne in this state of lyfe. And when I do adde and saye, of a man, and of a woman. I do put in those words, aswel to declare that matri monye can not be betwyxt anye, excepte the one be a man, and the other a woman, as also to exclude plu­ralitics of husbandes & wyues, and when I do saye, hauinge in it an indiuiduall or inseparable [...] or knotte of lyuynge I do putte in those wordes aswell to exclude that coniunction betwene man & woman, which is [...] by fornicatiō or other wise vnlawefully, and therfore hath not in it an inse parable bonde or knot, as also to declare, that after y ^e coniunction made betwene y ^e man & the woman, it is not laweful for either of thē, during theyr life to take an other, and where I doe say, whereby either to other muste doe as that vocation requireth. I doo declare therebye the offyce and duetye of the manne to the woman, and of the woman agayne to the manne accordyngelye, as that state of Matry­mony [Page] e doeth requyre, and albeit as touchynge the bonde, the man and the woman are sometymes vpō reasonable causes, approued by the lawe, separated, yet that separation breaketh not the bonde or knote of Matrymonye.

Nowethat ye knowe what Matrymonye is, ye shall also haue declared vnto yon, who was the authour thereof. For knowledge whereof ye shall vnderstande, that the blessed trinitie, hauynge new­ly made the world and beautified it with creatures, and laste of all made man, dyd consyder that it was not expedient man to be alone, and therefore as scrip ture doeth declare Genesis. ii. dyd put Adam to slepe & there in the tyme of his slepe, did take one of his rib bes, supplieng fleshe for it, and in conclusiō did make thereof a woman, called Eua, bringing her to Adam that by bothe their consentes (and the holye trinitie aydynge and assysting therein, and beyng the verye aucthor thereof) a bonde or knotte of Matrymonye myght be made betwyxt Adam and Eue, whervpō Adam beholdynge the sayde woman being brought vnto hym, and beyng vndoutedlye inspyred by the holy ghost, dyd saye these wordes folowyng.

Hoc nunc os ex ossibus meus & caro de carne mea. Hec uocabitur uirago, quoniam de uiro sumpta est, quam ob rem relinquet homo patrem suum, & matrē & adherebit uxori sue: & erunt duo in carne una. that is to sai This nowe a bone of my bones, and flesh of my fleshe, she shalbe called Virago, because she is taken of the man: Wherefore man shal leaue or forsake hys father and mother, and shall [Page] adioyne or cleaue to hys wyfe, and they shall be two in one flesh. By whyche wordes it euidentlye appeareth, that God is the author, inuentour aud maker of Matrimony: which thing to be so, Sainte Mathewe in the. xix. chapter of his ghospel, Saynct Marke in the. x. & S. Paule in the. vi. and. xi. of his fyrst epistle to the Corynthians, and the saide Saint Paule in his fyrst chapter to the Ephesians, do plainlye affirme and testifie, and so haue you thys poyncte suffyciently opened and proued vnto you.

And as touchynge the thyrde thynge, it is to wit, where Matrymony was instituted, ye shall soone learne that in the fyrste and seconde chapter of Genesis, where Moyses declarethe that almyghtye God hauynge planted paradyse, a place of great pleasure, and therein puttynge man, whome he had for­med, dyd not onelye ioyne man and woman there together, as is before sayd, but also dyd blesse the sayde man and woman, sayinge. Crescite, & multiplicamini & replete terram. that is to saye. Doo you encrease, and be you multiplied, and doe you replinyshe the earth, or worlde. Whych wordes were ofsuche ef­fecte and vertue, beynge spoken of almyghtye God, that alwayes contynuallye from the tyme that they were spoken, they doe and shall to the worldes ende worke, and be auayleable, in the generation of thyn­ges, as the greate learned man Chrysostome in hys homilye, De proditione Iude. doeth playnely testifie.

Now concernyng the fourth poynte, it is to wyt, Wherfore was matrimonie instituted, ye shal [Page] know that consyderyng the state of matrimonye, as it was in the tyme of innocencye, and before synne was committed by Adam and Eue, soo the cause of institution of matrimonye was double one concer­ning the persones maryed, and the other concerning the issue that shoulde come of them. And as touching the personnes maryed, the cause in them is that ther should be thereby, the fyrste and cheife copulation of humayne societie, hauyng a true and an amiable coniunction in it, of man and woman, the one to rule, & the other to obeye. And as touchyng the issue y ^e cause of marryage in that respecte, is both in honeste loue to brynge forth chyldren, and also Godlye and ver­tuously to bringe vp the same, both which causes we haue expressed and sette forth in scrypture, the fyrste Genesis, ii, where God sayeth. Faciamus ei adiutoriū simile si­bi. That is to saye. Let vs make an ayde or help vnto him lyke vnto hym selfe. And the second Genesis. i. where God sayeth, Crescite & multiplicamini & replete terram. That is to say. Do you increase, and be you multiplied & replenishe youe the earthe. And consideryng the state of matrymony as it was after the synne or fal of Adam and Eue, then besides the foresayde .ii. causes there was a third, it is to wit to avoyde fornication and that humayne weakenes and infirmitie myght haue therfore, the honest reme­dye of mariage and lawefull copulation, accordyng wherevnto Saynte Augustyne. De Genesi ad literam. in hys nynth booke and seuenth chapter, sayeth thus. Deni (que) utrius (que) sexus infirmitas propendens in ruinā turpitudinis recte excipitur honestate nuptiarum, ut quod sanis possit esse officium, sit egrotis [Page] medium. That is to saye. Finally or for conclu­sion, the infyrmitie or weakenes of both the kyndes (it is to wytte, of manne and woman) prone or readie to fall into the ruine or [...] of filthines, is well holden vppe or preserued by the honestie of matrimony, that that whi che myght be vnto the innocente or hole per sons an office or duetye, myghte be vnto the sicke or weake persones a remedy or helpe.

And here by the way ye shal note, that yf our fore fathers Adam and Eue had not sinned, thē they and theyr ofsprynge shoulde not haue bene troubled with the prickynge or styrrynge of the fleshe, nor wyth the feruor or rage of carnal lust, but should haue begottē or procreated chyldren without anye suche styrre or rage, and without any synne at all, yea and with me rite also, where after theyr fall, bothe they and theyr posteritie by the deadely lawe of concupiscence, inhe tynge vnto theyr members, (without the which car nall coniunction is not done) had not that liberty, so that nede it was, bothe them and theyr posteritie to haue some good ayde and helpe, to excuse carnal co­pulation (otherwyse culpable) and to make it lawe­ful. And herevpon S. Augustine consideryng wel y ^e matter doth attribute two offices vnto matrimony before the fal of mā, and the thyrd he doeth attribute vnto it after the fal of mā. But yet besides these cause or endes, for which matrimony was by god in para­dise instituted, there is another not y ^e least but rather [Page] and principall (yf we consider and regarde the pur­pose of God herein) whyche is, that Matrimonye or maryage shoulde be a fytte sygne or mystical token, of that mooste assured and strong coniunction, that should be betwene Christ (yet, then to come) and the church, which churche euerlastyngly before the crea­tion of the worlde, aud from the begynnynge, God dydde preordeyne, chose and electe vnto hymselfe: as Paule witnesseth in the fyrste chapters of his Epy­stles to the Ephesians and to Tyte. For the vnspeak able wysedome of God, forseyng and knowynge be­fore, that man after his creation throughe the wyly­nes and deceate of the deuyl, woulde fal, and deserue eternall death, dyd most mercifully in thys hys fore­syght [...], caste, determine, and dispose wyth hym­selfe, a meane, howe man beyng fallen, might againe be restored and regenerated. And therefore appoin­tynge vnto Chryste (who shoulde be the father, and parent of thys generation) a maryage mete therevn to, dyd to mans great and marueylous comforte in the myraculous couplynge, and conioynynge of Adā (representyng Chryst, then to come) and Eue, being formed and made of the ribbe of Adames syde, Adā beyng a slepe, dyd (I saye) as in a shadowe, and a fy­gure, shewe before, and expresse the same knotte and bonde of mariage of Christ and the church. And this (as it were) plyghtyng of trouth, for thys marryage to come, was farther by a promyse made by God to man confyrmed and ratifyed, when he sayde in the thyrd chapyter of Genesis, that the sede of the wo man shoulde with his foote tread downe the [Page] serpentes heade. Whyche promyse from the begyn­nynge, contynuallye, and from tyme to tyme, God al­myghty renued to the holy fathers and patriarches, & wylled hys prophetes to open and publyshe it.

And to passe ouer al other testunonyes, how notably and playnely dothe the prophete Oze in his thyrd cha piter speake hereof, sayiug. Et sponsabo te mihi in sempiternum et sponsabo te mihi in iustitia, in iudicio et misericordia, et in miserationibus Et sponsabo te mihi sed. &c. That is to saye. And I wyll marye the vnto my owne selfe for euermore, yea vnto my selfe wyll I marie the in righte wysenes, in iudgement, in mercie and in com passion. And in faythe also wyll I marye the vnto my selfe. &c.

Accordyng whervnto Salomon, in his notable and excellent boke called Cantica Camicorum, dydde synge and prophecie of this maryage, then yet to come, where he declarynge the great desyre and longynge that the bride had, that the daye of solempnyzynge the mary­age (standyng yet betwene hyr brydegrome and her, in onely handfastyng or plyghtyng of fayth & trouth) myght come sayeth thus [...] me osculo oris sui. That is to saye. Oh that he woulde kysse me wyth the kysse of hys mouthe. But fynallye whan the daye drewe [...], and the brydegrome was come downe into the worlde, howe dyd Ihon baptiste, the mooste holy brideman, reioyce of thys the brydegromes com mynge and that the tyme was full runne oute. And sayde as wytnesseth S. Iohn the Euangeliste in his [Page] Gospell and in the thyrd Chapyter in thys maner. Qui habet sponsam sponsus est, amicus autem sponsi qui stat & audit. eum [...] gaudit, propter uocem sponsi: Hoc ergo gaudium [...] impletum est That is to saye: He that hathe the bryde is the brydegrome. And the frende of the bridgrome who standethe and hearethe hym, reioysethe greatly to heare the voyce of the brydgrome. This my ioye therefore is fulfylled. So that here [...] howe frome the begynnynge of the worlde, the churche hathe bene berrouthed to Chryste. Hys seruauntes the prophtes were sente, whyche should call them, that were bidden to the ma riage. At length came Chryste the brydegrome, more beutyfull then the chyldren of [...], to whome whyle he dyd ascende or goo vp to the bryde chamber of the crosse, and there fallynge into slepe, the heauenlye fa­ther out of his sonnes syde, beynge opened wyth the speare of the souldier, dyd [...], and as it were shape vnto Chryste his betrouthed bryde, the church, and so beautified her and coupled them two toge­ther in suche an indissoluble band or knotte, that euer­lastynge they shall continue and cleaue together, as two in one fleshe. And so is fulfylled and consum­mate that maryage, so longe before prefigured, soo of­ten promysed to the patriarches, so playnelye spoken of by the prophetes, and contynuallye in the laweful maryage of man and woman, mystycally represented and remembred, of whyche S. Paule sayeth. Ephes. 5. Sacramentum hoc magnum est: ego autem dico in Chisto et ecclesia.

That is to saye. This (speakynge of Matrymonye) [Page] is a high or greate misterie, I meane it truely in Christe and the Churche. And thus muche haue we spoken to declare, what matrymony is, who is author thereof, where is was fyrste [...], and what were the causes of the institution. Nexte there fore accordyng to oure proposed diuision in the begin nynge of thys [...], is to speake of the. v. poynte that is, who maye contracte matrymonye. For know ledge whereof ye shall vnderstande, that the lawe or ordynaunce made concernynge persons which are to be allowed vnto, or reiected from matrymonye, is an ordynaunce, or lawe prohibytorye, that is to saye, forbyddynge some, and permyttinge, suffryng, and al lowynge ail the rest not beyng forbidden, so that who soeuer is not forbydden specially, or generally, to con­tracte matrymony, the same is consequently to be ad mytted and allowed vnto it, and this resolutyon to be true, maye be proued by the rule of contraryes, whyche here also dothe take his place, for yf I do wel knowe who cannot marye (whyche knowledge I haue had all readye gyuen vnto me in the declaration of the impedymentes or lettes to contracte matry­monye) I shall by and by knowe who may contracte matrymony. Quia contrariorum cadem est disciplina & cognito [...] de contraijs cognoscitur et [...]. In dede certayne per­sons there are forbydden bothe by the [...] and al­so be the Canon lawes, to marye togethere, as ap­peareth emongest many other places in the tytles [...]. et de consanguinitate et affinitate. In so muche that be­twene those persones that are in linea ascendenti ucl descenden ti, Mariage is vtterly forbydden, and betwene those [Page] persones that are in the collaterall lyne, maryage can not be made, yf eyther of the personnes whyche is to be maryed, be of [...] or allyaunce vnto the other in the forth degre or vnder. And of specyal prohybyty ons concerninge matrymony, ye haue mention made in Scrypture bothe in the, xviii. and. xx. chapyters of Leuytycus, and also in the. xxii. of Deuteronomij, whyche places shall sufficientlye and plainlye open & declare thys matter vnto you. And nowe concer­nynge the syxe poynte whyche is howe matrimonye is contracted, ye shall vnderstande, that yf matrymo­nye [...] consydered as touchyng the bonde and knotte thereof onely, so matrymony is contracted and made by the onelye lawefull consente of the man and of the woman, that may be coupled, and [...] together in matrymonye, for the profe whereof, words of the pre­sent tyme, or sufficient and equyualente signes, are by the order of the lawe necessaryelye requyred to testy­fye that consent.

And yf matrymony be considered as touchyng the full and hole perfection thereof, then matrymonye maye be sene so contracted, when not onelye such con sente is hadde, but also carnall copulation, there vpon doth folowe. Example after the fyrste consyderatyon maye be taken of our fyrste parentes Adam and Eue, who by our Lorde in paradyse, were before thervpon and in the state of theyr innocencye, ioyned in matry­mony, by coniunction of myndes, thoughe there then betwene them was no carnall copulation at all, and yet true matrimony, for as the lawe saythe: Nuptias non concubitus sed consensus facit. That is to saye, Consente [Page] doth make matrimonie, and not the carnall copulation or lyinge together. And as for exam ple also the seconde consideration of matrymonye, it may also be taken of our sayd parentes after their fal and when they were for theyr transgressyon expul­sed oute of paradyse, for beynge man and wyfe, they dyd then carnall knowe eche other, and had thereby generation of Chylder, as appeareth in dyuerse pla­ces of scrypture, and especially in the. v. and syxte cha­pyters of Genesys. And touchynge thys dyuersytie of considerations in matrymonye, with the dyuers syg­nifications thereof, and of many thynges elles apper teynynge vnto the same, who lysteth, maye haue re­course to the. xxviii cause & second questyon, where he may see the iudgemēt of Saint Chrisostome S. Am brose, S. Augustyne and or manye other in this mat ter, and lykewise he maye haue in the Chapyter Expu­blico, de conuersione coniugatorum. And as touching the seuēth poynte whych is howe matrimony oughte to be vsed ye shall note herein the councel of S. Paule in the. vii chapyter of his fyrst epystle to the Corinthians, wher speakyng to maried persones, and exhorting them to vse them selues in theyr vocation after a good and per fecte sorte he doth say thus. Hoc ita (que); dico fratres, tempus breue est, reliquum est [...] quihabent uxoris tanquam non [...] sint.

That is to saye. Therefore brethern I saye thys vnto you, the tyme is [...], there remayneth that they which haue wyues be as thoughe they had [...]. And the same Saint Paule declarynge howe purelye and clenely maryed folkes [Page] shoulde vse them selues in matrymonye, dothe in the fourthe chapyter of his fyrst epystle to the Thessaloni senses say thus. Hec est enim uoluntas dei sanctificatio uestra vt ab stineatis uos a fornicatione ut sciat unusquis (que) uestrum, uas suum possidere in sanctificatione & honore, non in passione desiderij sicut et gentes quae ignerant deum. That is to saye: This in dede is the wyll of GOD, youre sanctification, that ye do abstaine from fornication, that euerye one of you maye learne or knowe to possesse hys vessel in sanctification, and honour, not in the possion of desyre or luste, as the gentyles also who do not knowe GOD.

And the selfe same Saynt Paule also declarynge father howe maryed folkes should vse them selues y ^e one vnto the other, dothe in the fyft chapyter of hys Epystle to the Ephesians saye thus. Mulieris uiris suis sub­dita sunt sicut domino, quoniam uir caput est mulieris sicut Christus caput est ecclesiae, ipse saluator corporis, sed sicut Fcclesia subiecta est Christo ita et mulieris uiris siuis in omnibus. Viri diligete uxoris uestras sicut & Christus dilexit ecclesiam. That is to saye Lette women be subiecte vnto theyr husbandes as to oure Lorde, for the husband is the heade of the wo man, as Chryste is the head of the Churche, he is the sauiour of the bodye, and as the chur che is subiecte vnto Chryste, so let women be vnto theyr husbandes in all thynges. [...] husbandes doo ye loue youre wyues as christ hath loued the Churche. [Page] Moreouer the same S. Paule in the syxt chapyter [...] the sayde Epystle, teaching maryed folkes to whome God hath sent chyldren, howe they shoulde vse theyr chyldren, doth saye thus. Educate illos in disciplina, & correptio­ne domini. That is to saye. Bringe vppe your chyl­dren in the disciplin, and chastisement of oure Lorde. Dyuerse examples we haue of thys, in the ho lye scrypture as of Sara the doughter of Raguel, and of yonge Thoby her husband, of whom mention is made in the. viii chapyter of Thobye, and also of that godly and modest matron Sara, and Abraham her husbande, of whome S, Peter in the thyrd chapyter of hys fyrst Epystle, sayeth thus. Sit enim aliquando & sanctae mulieris, sperantes in deo, ornabant se, subiecta proprijs uiris, sicut Sara obediebat Abrahae, dominum eum uocans. That is to saye.

For so sometimes holy women also trusting in God, did [...] them selues, beynge subiecte or obedient to their owne husbandes, and Sa ra dyd obeie Abraham, callyng hym maister, or Lorde.

Lyke examples are of the godlye couples, Isaac, and Rebecca (Gene, xxv) Helcana and Anna (i. Re. i) with sondry other, whyche all dyd vse thē selues soo in the state of matrymonye, that they continuallye lyued in the feare of God in the chaste loue of wed­locke, in the honest affection or mynde towardes the bryngynge furthe of chyldren, aud dyd also diligently loke vnto the godlye education of the same. And as concernynge the. viii. and laste parte of our foresayde diuision, it is to wtte, of the treasures, gyftes, and [Page] [...] of maryage, ye shall vnderstande that S. Augustyne in his. ix boke vpon the Geneses, and the. vii. chapyter thereof, teacheth vs, that matrymo­nye conteyneth in it three gyftes, graces, or benefyts, it is to wytte a sacramente, a fayth, and an of sprynge or yssue.

Concernynge the Sacrament, he sayth that thys is speciallye herein to be obserued, it is to wytte, that betwene the man and the wyfe there be no separaty­on and that nether the man or the wyfe, beynge eche from other dismised, doo marye or couple them selues with any other, and soo the vertue of this sacra ment doth consyste properlye, and specially in the inse perable, or vnbreakeable bonde of the maryage coue­naunte, whyche (as we sayde before) is the [...] or cheife poynte belongynge to maryage. This coue­naunt, God assysteth, and this knot he knittethe and beynge once knytte, he makethe it stronge, and esta­blysheth it, yea, and further dothe geue suche grace with it, that they whyche abuse not that grace, maye be hable to kepe the marryage couenaunte vnuyola­ted, and mutually soo to loue one the other, as Chryst hathe loued, and dothe loue the churche, And by the ayde of the same grace, they shall and wyll frankelye, truelye, and moste louynglye, communycat one to an other, all thynges accordynge to Goddes lawe, and mans lawe, and al maner of chaunces, good or badde prosperitie, or aduersitie, they shall moste contentedly and quyetlye, receaue, beare, and vse together, tyll death them depart. Thys benefyte of thys sacrament doth engendre an assured boldnes, or confydence and [Page] truste of good consience, by the whych both the man and also the wyfe, are made sure that the state of ma­trymonye (into the whyche they, in the feare of God, and for honeste and vertuous respectes onelye, haue entred and truelye and holylye obserued of theyr par­tes) is not voyde of the grace of God, but that GOD hathe a care ouer them, yea and that thys theyr state of Matrimony is also merytorious: according where vnto S. Paule to Tymothey. i. Epistle. 2. Cap. sayth. Mulier [...] fiet per liberorum generationem, si [...] in fide.

That is to saye: The wyfe shalbe saued by the bryngynge forthe of Chyldren, so that [...] cō ­tynue or perseuer in the fayth. And agayne in y ^e laste chapiter to the Hebrues, he sayeth thus. Honorabile connubium in omnibus. & thorus imaculatus. That is to saye: Mariage in all is honorable: and a bedde vndefiled. And saynte Ambrose also in hys seconde booke of the Patryarche Abraham [...] in the. ix. cha­piter dothe saye that a notable gyfte of chastitye wyll folowe maryage, [...] the persons so maryed do thynke verely that thys maryage where in they are [...] is prouided, procured, and done of God. Thys gifte of thys sacramente to them that diligently wyll ponder and consider the same, will especyallye edyfye theyre consciences to them selues, and wyll also kyn­dle mutually the fyre of chast loue betwene them. The second benefite or gyfte of matrimonye (Saynt Augustyne sayth) is fayth, not meanynge that faythe and [...] confydence whiche we haue in God, but that faythfull true and honest dealynge, whyche is re­quired [Page] to be betwene man and wyfe, in not hauynge carnall knowledge wyth an e other: the man not with any other, then with his true and laweful wife, and the wife not with any other, then wyth her true and lawefull husbande: whiche synguler gyfte, onely God in thys sacramente imparteth and geueth of hys goodnes to them, whyche (in suche sorte as we haue declared) are maryed, or els what man or woman is there, of many thousandes, that beynge as they are [...] with the snares, [...], and alluerments of the worlde, the fleshe, and the deuyll, wolde not of­felide, and breake that bonde of faythe, and fidelitie, at the leaste, in harte and mynde, whyche Chryst hym selfe (Math. v) iudgeth to be no lesse adulterye, then the fylthy and adulterous carnall copulatoin.

Nowe the thyrd gyfte or benefytte whyche saynete Augustyne say the to be in Matrunonye is islue or of­sprynge, for whych cause cheifely matrimonye is con­tracted, wherevnto the man and the [...], com­mynge in the feare of God, oughte so to respecte and regarde theyr issue and of sprynge, that in chaste and mutuall loue, they may be get and brynge forthe chyl­dren, and in the saythe, feare, and relygion of God brynge vp, and instructe the same. And in soo doyng, matrymonye not onely is voyde and cleare from all maner of faulte, but also hathe hys certayne merite at Goddes handes. These three gyftes concurrynge in matrymonye, and causynge the accompanyenge of man and woman together in carnall knowledge, to be by thys meanes without sinne, yea, and well vsed to be meritorious to, howe greate a grace then is an­nexed [Page] to thys sacramente of Matrymony, of whyche hytherto we haue intreated.

And here to conclude this counsell semeth good to be gyuen to those that hereafter shalbe minded and disposed to marye, that they do chuse to them suche a mate, as neyther Godes Iawe, nor mannes lawe doo prohibite them to take, and with whome they maye conceyue good hope that they beynge ioyned in ma­trymonye, shall leade an holye Godlye, and comelye lyfe, euer to contynue inseperablye, durynge theyr lyues, whiche is lyke they shall dooe, when they not rashelye and indeliberatlye but with good aduyse cō ­sideringe equalitie and vertue more, then eyther car­nall luste, worldly honoure or pryuate respectes, doo in the feare of God enter into this honest state of ma­trymonye, entendynge thereby to serue God there countrye and frendes, lyuing also them selues in honestie, iustice, and temperaunce, and finallye bryngynge vp their chyldren, and gouernynge there famylye in vertue and God­lynes.

¶ Of the sacrament of extreme vnction, and thexposition or deciaration thereof.

HAuinge intreated sufficientlye of syxe of the sacramentes vsed in the catho­lyke churche, and none of them re­maynynge indiscussed, sauynge one, whiche is the sacramente of extreme vnction, we wyll nowe of it, beynge the laste in number and order, speake lastely & breifely And thoughe it be laste in number and order, as is a foresayde, and also commonlye is called the extreme vnction, that is to saye: the laste vnction, yet ye shall not vnderstand thereby that this sacrament can not be ministred at any tyme, but when a man is cleane withoute hope of lyfe, and shall in no wyse escape the death: nor ye maye not thereby vnderstande, that af­ter thys sacrament of extreme vnction, no other Sa­crament, at any tyme els, can be ministered vnto the person so anoyled. For in dede this sacrainente maye be minystred in the entrye of the syckenes, and also manye tymes ells, whensoeuer anye greate maladye or peryllous syckenes, shall come to anye man, in soo muche that he who is daungerously sycke, and there fore anoylynge and anoynted, receyuing and vsynge this sacramente, may (yf he escape the daunger and after fall into it agayne, or into any other suche lyke) haue ministred vnto him agayne thys laudable and notable sacrament of extreme vnction, whiche of it selfe is both iterable (as Penaunce Euchariste, and Matrymonye is) and not alwayes mynystred in the [Page] catholyke churche, that the sicke person so sone as he hath receyued it shoulde incontinentlye departe oute of thys worlde, and want his lyfe. But contrary wise that the sayde person both in soule, and also in bodye maye (yf it so be sene good vnto [...] God) re­couer and gette healthe agayue. And thys to be soo those notable prayers full of all godlynes and sauou­rynge antiquitie vsed nowe in the catholyke churche agreinge with the counsell and commaundemente of S. James in the last chapiter of his epystle, do eui­dently, and playnelye declare and shewe vnto vs.

And although in oure wycked tyme smale is the nō ­ber of them that do escape death, hauynge receyued this sacrament of extreme vnction, yet that is not to be ascrybed vnto the lacke or faulte of thys sacrament but rather vnto the wante and lacke of stedfast and constant fayth, which oughte to be in those that shall haue this sacrament mynystred vnto them: by which stronge fayth the power of almyghty God in the pry­mitiue churche, did worke myghtely, and effectuallye in the [...] persones enoynted, receyuynge thys holy and comfortable sacramente, and nowe for the lacke of lyke fayth in our tyme, dothe not worke after lyke sorte. Accordyng where vnto we reade in the. vi. cha­piter of S. Marke after thys sorte, Et non poterat ibi uirtu­tem [...] nisiquod [...], impositis manibus curauit, & [...] propter incredulitatem [...]. That is to saye.

And he (that is to saye Chryste) could not do any miracle there, sauing that he did cure a fewe sicke persones, [...] his handes vpon them, [Page] and he dyd meruaile or wonder for the [...] or vnbeleife of them. This sacrament [...] is not called the sacrament of extreme or last vnction for that that deathe alwayes dothe followe it, or for that that no sacrament can be minystcred after to the person enoynted, but for that speciallye that all other vnctions beinge vsed in the admynystratyon of the sacramentes, do go before, & this vnction doth folowe them. And here by the waye forasmuche as we doo speake of extreme vnction, ye shall vnderstande, that there are (as the maister of the sentence in hys fourth boke and. xxiii. distinctiou doth testifye) three kindes or sortes of vnctions, accustomed and vsed in y ^e chur­che, the first vnctiō, in tyme, is that where with yong­lynges (comming newly to be instructed and taught in the fayth and religion of Chryste, called in Latyne Cathecumini) are by the preiste to be anoynted wyth all vpon the breast, and betwene the shoulders, and this vnction is made onely with oyle olyue, beynge, fyrste sanctified or consecrated by the byshoppe, and after­wardes vsed by the preist in mynystration.

The seconde vnction is, that whiche is made or done, notwith oyle alone, as the former is, nor wyth balme alone, but it is made and done wyth Chrysme, whych is made of oyle olyue and of balme, and soo of two lyquors myngled and myxte together, the oyle to signifye y ^e clensinge & purging of the conscience and y ^e balme to sygnifye the swete sauor of good name & same, required to be in the partie y ^t is there with to be anoynted. And this vnction, so made w ^t chrysine, is a principall, and a cheyfe vnction, and the holye ghoste [Page] pryncipally, or chiefely, is geuen in or by it. And with thys [...] the heades of kynges and bysshoppes are to be anoynted, yea and the heades of the chyldrenne baptyzed, are here wyth aboue theyre foreheades by y ^e preiste to be anoynted. [...] and finallye the chyldren whiche by laynge on of the byshoppes handes, are by the sayde by shoppe to be confyrmed, muste also by the sayde bishoppe be signed with the crosse, and with the sayde Chrysme in theyr forehead be also by him anoin­ted. And the thyrde vnction, of whyche we nowe haue to speake and to intreate vppon, is that where­with sycke personnes in the places accustomed are to be anoynted withall. And thys vnction is made also of oyle olyue onelye, beynge sanctyfied or consecrated by the by shoppe whiche commonly and customablye the sayde by shoppe accordyng to the olde tradition of the churche doth in dic coenae domini As Saynct Cypryan in hys sermen de unctione doeth testifye. And Sayncte Dyonyse also in hys booke de [...] hierarchia in the fourthe chapiter. And nowe concernynge the institu­tion of thys sacrament, we doe reade Marci. vi. how Chryste callynge vnto hym hys. xii. apostles, and sen­dynge them forthe by two and two, dydde prescrybe vnto them a certayne forme of embassadge or message and dyd also geue vnto them a certayn power, which they shoulde occupye and vse.

And we doe reade also there, that the Apostles so go­inge forthe dy preach vnto the people penaunce, and that they dydde caste forth deuyles, and also that they dyd anoynte [...] oyle manye that were sycke, who there by were healed and cured. And we maye not [Page] here thynke, as manye vayne folyshe persones, folow­inge theyr owne fansyes and dreames, haue reported and sayde) that these apostles of Chryst were in thys behalfe as commone chyrurgions, and that by [...] they dyd heale and cure the sycke, for as ye shall perceyue anone by the testimonye of S. James, thys healynge and curyng was many times bothe concer­nyng the soule and also the bodye, wherefore the oyle, where wyth the Apostles dyd anoynte the sycke per sons, was sacramentall and mystycall sanctifyed oyle, and therefore dyd so worke bothe in the body and also in the soule o; the sycke personne. And after thys sorte the catholyke churche euen from the begynnyng hath accepted and taken thys to be a sacramente of Chry­stes institution and ordinaunce, and so alwayes con­tinuallye hathe reteyned and kepte it, takynge for a testimonye of the foundation and grounde thetof, the sayde. vi. chapter of Sayncte Marke, so by the aunci­ent fathers of the churche most learnedly and godlye expounded and interpretated, where vnto is adioy­ned the testimonye of Saynct James in the last cha­piter of hys canonicall epistle, wher he being a blessed apostle, & clearely expressynge and vtterynge the ma­ner and fourme of the administration of this Sacra­ment, whiche he had receaued of Chryst, and delyue­red vnto the people to be of them obserued and kepte, doth say thus. Infirmatur quis in uobis iudic at [...] & orent super eum nugentes eum oleo in nomine domine, et [...] fidei saluabit infirmum, & [...] eum dominus, & si in peccatis sit [...] ei. That is to saye: Is there any sicke emonges you? lette hym brynge in [...] priestes of the [Page] churche, and let them praye ouerhym, anoin ting him with oyle in the name of our Lord and the prayer of faythe shall saue the sycke, and our Lorde wyll lighten or ease hym, and yfhe be in sinnes they shalbe remytted vnto him. Which wordes of S. James doo manyfestlye declare this vnction or anoylynge to be a sacrament, as hauinge a visible sygne, and a promyse of grace annexed therevnto. And yf ye besydes the thynges before rehearsed, and expressed in scrypture, be desy­rous to haue the testimonyes also of the auncient fa­thers of the churche, concernyng this sacramente of [...] vnction, as ye alreadye haue hadd in all the other, ye shall heare certayne of them, bothe of the greke and also of the latyn churche. And fyrste I wyll begynne with S. Chrisostome, who in hys. iii. [...] De sacerdotio and in the syxt chapyter therof, entreating of the greate gyftes and graces gyuen by almyghtye God vnto his faythefull people by the ministerye of the preistes aswell in regeneration as also afterward in the [...] of synnes, doth incontinentlye for the profe thereof bryng in the saying of Saint James in the last chapiter of his sayde canonicall epystle saying Infirmatur (inquit apostolus) quis ex uobis? &c. Theophylacte also in his exposition made vpon the. vi. chapiter of sainte Marke, sayeth thus: Quod [...] oleo Apostoli, solus Marcus narrae, quod & frater domini lacobus, in Catholica [...] dicit, [...] tur, inquit quis in [...] inducat, &c. That is to say. That the Apostles did anoint with oile, onelye Marke [Page] (of all the euangelistes) doth shew, which thinge (meanynge this holye anoylynge) James the bro ther of our Lorde in his canonicall Epystle, doth speake of, sayinge: Is any sycke amon gest you. &c. Whereby also appeareth this place of S. James, and that [...] S. Marke to be bothe vnder stande of thys sacrament of anoylynge.

And further in the same place, he (consequentlye declarynge the misterye of the visible and materyall oyle, vsed in the ministration of this sacrament) saith. Estigitur oleum & ad labores utile, & lucis fomentum, & hilaritatis [...] fectiuum significat (que) misericordiam dei & gratiam spiritus per quam a las bore liberamur, & lucem & gaudium hilaritatem (que) [...]; aceipi­mus.

That is to saye: For oyle beinge good agaynste laboure or wearynes, being also the nourys­shemente of lyghte, and the cause or prouo­cation of gladdenes dothe signifye the mer cye of GOD, and the grace of the holye ghooste, by the whyche we are delyuered from laboure or wearynes, and doo receaue lighte ioye and spiritual gladnes. With which two places of Theophilacte, Oecumenius also a greke aucthor fully doth agree.

To these foresayd auncient fathers of the greke churche shall nowe be adioyned also other of the La­tyne Churche, and fyrste saynt Hierome vpon y ^e sayde vi. of S. Marke doeth saye thus. Cum ungebant oleo aegro­tos, [Page] infirmitatem, fidei [...] corroborant, That is to saye: When they (meanyng the dyscyples sent fourth by Chryste) dyd anoynte the sicke folke wyth the oyle, they by the vertue of faythe, dyd make them stronge. Accordynge wherevnto Saynte Augustyne also in the. iiii. chapiter of his second boke Deuisitatione infirmorum. wryting to his Nephewe, lyenge on his death bedde, giueth him this counsayle saying. [...] praetermittendum est illud apostoli Iacobipraeceptum, infirmatur quis in uobis? inducat praesbiteros ecclesiae ut [...] super eum, ungentes eum oleo [...], in nomine domini I E S V, & oratio fidei saluabit infirmum Ergo sic roges dete, & protefieri, sicut dixit apostolus, Imo per Aposto­lum suum dominus. Ipsa uidelicit olei sacrati delibutio, intelligitur spiri­tus sancti typicalis unctio That is to saye: That com­maundemente of Saynt James the Apostle is not to be omytted or ouerpassed of the. Is any man sicke emongest you? let him bringe in the preistes of the churche that they maye praye ouet hym, anointing him with y ^e holy oyle in the name of our Lorde Jesus, And the prayer of faythe, shall saue the sycke. There fore desyre thou, that of the, and for the, soo it may be done, as Saynte James the Apostle, yea rather, our Lorde by his Apostle dyd saye for surely the anointing with the consecrate oyle is vnderstand to be a typy call anointing of the holy Ghoste.

[Page]Hauinge nowe brought forth sondrye authorytyes both of scrypture and also of the fathers, we shall (to satisfye you so far forth as we can, and for the plainer openyng of this sacrament of extreme vnction) gyue vnto you heare the difinition of the same sacramente whiche is this.

The Sacramente of Extreme Unction, is the dew annoylinge of the penitent sicke person doon by the preiste, with consecrated oyle, for the remedye or easyng of the sayd penitent, in soule, and for the re­couery of corporall health if it be so thoughte expediēt to God. In which diffinition when we saye (the pe­nytent sycke person) we do meane thereby that thys sacrament is mynistred frutefully, onely to those that be members of Chrystes churche, and to such as, be­inge once fallen oute of the state of grace by deadelye synne, haue been by penaunce restored agayne to the sayde grace, and there vpon by thys sacramente are strenghethened and conforted in theyr agonye and fight agaynste the deuyll, who in the tyme of sycke­nes and vexation of mannes bodye, is moste busye to assaulte him. And albeit that thys sacramente be of thys notable effecte, yet no man oughte to conceyue thys vayne false hope of the effecte of the same, that he hauing lyued in [...] aud abhominable synne and not caryng to be from it delyuered by true penaunce shall by the onely mynystration of thys sacramente of extreme vnction, haue all hys synnes forgyuen hym.

And where further, in the sayde dyfinition, is conteyned, (for the remedye or easynge of the sayde [Page] penitent) ye shall note that concernynge the soule, no man may doute, but that at all tymes the infirmytye thereof in the sicke person duely repentinge maye the soner by the vertue of thys sacrament be eased, accor­ding to the promyse of the holy Ghooste in the aboue rehersed wordes of Saynte James, And as concer­ning the infirmitie of the body, it also maye be hoped and loked for the soner by the worthye receyuynge of thys sacrament, yf God (who knoweth oure necessi­ties, and can, and also will dispose all thynges swete­ly and also pleasauntly to the attaining of euerlasting comforte, whiche all good men cheifelye desyre and praye for) so thynke it expediente for the sycke person. And here to knytte vp the matter, where an ende is made of all the. vii. sacramentes, we can doo no lesse then of chrysten charitie to wyshe that all those (who in thys late scismaticall tyme haue vndoutedlye by y ^e instigation of the deuyll, eyther vtterlye contempned or litle regardrd these sacramentes, and emongeste them speciallye this sacramente of extreme vnction, will nowe after our ioyfull reconciliation to the vny­tie of the catholyke churche, regarde all the sayde sa­cramentes as they ought to do, and soo lyue heare in thys transitory worlde, that they conunynge to there extreme passage, which at one time or other they can not escape, maye from deathe come to lyfe, and from death of the body haue euerlastyng lyfe of the soule, and in conclusion after the generall resurrectiō, haue the body ioyned vnto the soule, in blysse euerlastynge whiche almyghty God graunt vnto vs all.