Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Duke University Libraries https://archive.org/details/assertioseptemsa1687henr XQ Iv t- H . i U CS JUertio Septem Sacramentorim : ASSERTION OP THE ^eben ^actamentb, AGAINST Martin Luther ; By HENRY the VIII. O F England, France, ^Ireland, King. . - — - - - ^ - To which is adjoyn’d his Epiftle to the Pope; Mr. JOHN CLARlQs ORATION; And the Pope’s Anfwer thereunto. AS ALSO, The Pope's BULL, by which WisHoUnefs was pleas’d to beftow upon K. Henry. VIII. (for Compofing this BOOK,) That moft Illuftrious, Splended, and moft Chrifiian-likQ Title of 5^cfeniJCr Of tl^e jpaitlj* Faithfully Tranflated into Englifh by T. JV. Gent. ftp London^ Printed by Nath, ^hom^fon at the Entrance into the OU-Sprin^-Girien near Charing-Crols- Anno Domini M DC LXXXVII. t. ■ , ■ . , y ' ' 4 -; ■’>»' /-j ■j s;. The Oration of Mr. fohn Clar\ .^ Orator for H E VIll. Moft Potent King of England and France, Defender of the Faith. Exhibiting this Royal Book in the Confiftory to 'Fope Leo X Moft Holy Father, W Hat great Troubles have been Jiifd up by the Pernicious Opinions of Martin Luther j which of late years firjl fprung up out of the lurking holes of the Huf^ fitanian Herefie, in the School 0/ Wittenberg Germany j From thence fpreading themfelves over mofl parts of the Chriftian World : HoVo many unthinking Souls they have deceiv'd , and hov> man) Admirers and Adherents they have met loith ,* becaufe thefe are all things Very v^ell kmvtn • and hecdufe in this place a Medium is more requi ft tCy than prolixity, I care not for relating. Truly, though many of Luther’f Works are mofl Impioujly by his Libels Jpread abroad in the World : Yet none of them feem more Execrable, more Venomous, and A 1 , c more The Oration viort rern.c'ms to Mankind ^th an That, Entltuled, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church 5 In ^{ejuting'tfhch ^ many Gra\it and Learned men ba're Diligently Labour'’d. mofl Serene and InVindble Prince Henry VllK I^ing of England and France, and mofl AjftDi.onate s^n of Dour Holinefs , and of the Sacrtd Roman Church, has Writ a Book again/i this Work of Lutherh, "tnhich Me has Dedicated to Tour Hclinejs j and has commanded Me to Offer y and Delher the Jam:, "tiphich 1 here prefent. Dut before you receh'e it, mofl Holy Father, may it pleafe ym, that 1 Jpeak fomelrhat of the De'Votion and Ve- neration of my King towards Tour Holinefs, and this mofl Holy See ^ as alfo, of the other ^ajons "trhich mov’d Him to puhlifh this Work* Hor U it amifs to take notice in this place of this Horrid and Furious Monfler j as alfo of his Stings and Toijons, whereby he intends to Infedl the tnhole World, And to delineate him before T^ur Holineft in his ownpfoper Colours • that the more for mid- able the Fncmy is, and the greater the Danger ap- pears, the more Glorious may the Triumph fhew when That is overcome, and This remov’d* Dut 0 jtnmortal Cod ! What bitter Language I What fo hot and inflam'd force of /peaking can be invented, Jufficient to declare the Crimes of that mofl filthy Villain, who has undertaken to cut in pieces the of Mr. fohn Clark,. foamkfs Coat of Chrifi, and to difiurh thg quiet fate of the Church of God ? When like m eX' celknt efteemer of Things^ he attributes to Tour Holme fs no more ^olper in the Church of God^ than to anjof the leaf Piiefts amongft the Teople j but like a third Cato, fallen from Heayen^ mofl un- Jeajonably condemns the 'BehaVwur of all the Mini- fters in the Church. Calls Rome a Sinner, Wretch- ed,an Adultrefs ^ And laflly, Babylon it felf. He accujes Your Holinefs 0/ Herefie : And makes himfelf ( thrice Apoftate) as often ru there is que~ fiion in the Explication of the Chriftian Faith • equal in Authority to St. Peter Trince of the Apo- ftles. And that he may the better demonftrate himf elf as great an Enemy to Religion, as to Manners, his moft Impure Hands have ^urnt the Decrees and mofl Holy Statutes of the Fathers, in which Vpere contain d the True Difcipline of a Good Life, And as one mofl Audacious, leaVmg nothing un-attempted : He at lafl puhlifhes this Book of the Babylonian Captivity. In which, Good God ! What, and how prodigious ^oifon^ what deadly IBain, how much confuming and mor* tal Venom this ^oifinous Serpent has fpelad out, Hot only againft th wicked Manners of our Age, which in feme manner might have been born with. Nor only againfl Your Holinefs, hut alfo againft your OflSce 5 againft Ecclefiaftical Hierarchy, againft The Oration d^alnfl this See, and againjl that Rock Eflahlij]?’d hy Godhimf elf 5 Finally^ againjl the Dohole 'Body of the Church of Qod, Here^ the Bond of Chaftity is broken^ Holy Fafts, Religious Vows, Rites, Ceremonies, Worihip of God , Solemnity ac Mafs, ^c, are aholijh* d, and exterminated^ by the ftrangejl Berfidiou/tiefs that e^er was heard of. This Man InUkutes Sacraments after his own fancy, reducing them to Three y to TlPOy to One • and that One he handles Jo fittifully , that he feems to he about the reducing of It at lafi to nothing at all. 0 height of Impiety I 0 mojt abominable and mojl execrable Villainy of Man / What intolerable Blajfhemiesy from an heap of Calumnies and Liesy without any Law, Method, or Or dtYydoes he utter againft God, and his Servants, in this Book I So- crates, a man judg'd by Apollo V Oracle, to be the Wifeft of Men, was by the Athenians Boijon'd for Bijputing againft the commonly receiv’d Opinion they had of God , and againft that Religion which was at that time taught to he the beji on Earth. Could this Deflroyer of Chriftian Reli- gion expeB ary better from true Chriftians/or extream iVickednefs againjl God ? But indeed he did not look for it 5 who, when dreading Bunifh- ment {which he well defervd) fled, "^ith a Mifchief, into his perpetual lurking Moles in Bohemia, the Mother and Murfe of his Herefies. If he had re- mairld of Mr, John ClarJ^. mcandy and had not hy your Holinefs ^^e /2 probi^ hited the free dij])erjing abroad of his Err ours : What Danger, '^hat devouring Conflagration had thk Plague brought to all Chriftendom j kt the Huflitaman Herefie evince. Which though con- tented at firfi with [mail hginnmgs, yet through the negleB of S uperiours, increas'd to juch a height , that at lafi it turn’d, not only Cities, and Teople, hut alfo that moft Populous ^ingdoni of Bohemia from the Chriftian Faith, reducing it to that MU fery under which it norna Lar^utjhes, What can think would he the end of this raging Mif chief, tohich is carried on with Juch ^violence and unbridled fury, in huVtx\ci6\ums, as he calls them as if fome Ery nhis ti^ere fent from Hell in a trice to' confound all before it, and fi rapidly tra^'tfforted,ns if it would feem to leave nothing whereon to 'Exercife future fury I Which tracing the fteps of the Huflltes, fm added Jb much ^oifon to them, that noV> the -Enemy appears more formidable by how much more He equali:^es all Arch-hereticks /» his Dodlrine, and fuKpaJJes them in his malitious and wicked IntentU ms : Indeed the danger is alfo fo much the greater, , as ’tis eafler to add wor/e Proceedings to bad be- ginnings, than to begin ill ,* and to increafe InVen - tions, than to Invent* but your Holinels moft ' blefjed Father , has circumfpeBly taken care of your Flock • Jnd meeting the Smoakready to break The Oration hredk into open Conflagration and Plame^ omitted nothing that might a'vail to the preventing fo great Evils j or at firftto the ^conciliation of their Au- thor i afterwards to his Tunijhment and Extermi- nation* The great mdignity of this matter , oi al(o your HolineHes, and the King my Mafter’i Let- ters mov’d the Emperour to fend this man S well’d with Contumelies^ into Exite^ Learned men on all fidesy have in their Works oppos’d themfelvesy fo many Bucklers for the Chriftian Faith, againji the Darts of this Pernicious Villain. Let others Jpeak of other Tlationsy certainly my Britainy {call’d England hy our Modern Cofma- graphers) Cituated in the furtherflmoft end of the Worldy and feparated from the Continent hy the Ocean As it h 04 never been behind in t he Worfl?ip of Cody andTrue Faith, and due Obedi- mce to the Roman Church; either to Spain, France, Germany or Italy ; TLayy to Rome it felf ; So Ukewijey there is no station which more Impugns this Monftery and the Herefies broach’d by himy and which more Condemns y and Detefts them. In which fort of moft excellent Praifey I can pre- fer none to him whom 1 have now Pgcorded y Ifing Henry, your HolinefTes moft devoted Son : Who as foon as he under ftoody\ that the Dignity of that Government, llluf ’■.rated hyyour Integrity and Vir- tuey and enlarged hy your great /dtions : Was , of Mr. John Clark, together the Univerfal Church fo bitterly In- hich fo endanger the Catholick Faith, If no fine ere Ghriftian could fujfer fo great EVils to creep into the Church , 'Without oppofing all his Forces aud Studies againft them ; what ought not a Brince to do, and fuch a Brince, eis hy Divine Bro^idence, u Ad^ancd to that Honour and Dignity, cus it were for that ^ery Caufe that he might BroteSl the Catholick Faith, and main- tain ths Chriftian Religion lnickednefs^ Ly- ing too it felf, is become miferable ? ^eing unwil- ling to hear That it fjould under [lands or to mder- ftand that it fhould do well. The Change of his minds and altering his Councils to betters mujl he a great Miracle of Almighty God, for tt>hat Leant' d men have writ againU him as yet , does but only hit ate him to grow eVe>y day Irorfe and worfe. Tru- ly my mofl Serene Kjng is fo far from expeding any g'.od of Mr. fohn Clark,, good from this ]dol07id ops our PredecefTors, have been ac- cuftom’d to beftow fomc particular Favours upon Catholick ^rlnces^ ( as the Exigencies of Affairs and Times requir’d ) efpecially on thole who in Tempeftuous times, and whilfl: the rapid Perfidioufnefs of Schifmaticks a.ndHe- reticks rag’d , Not only perfever’d conftantly in the true Faithy and unfpotted Devotion of the Holy %omun CatholicK Church j but alfo as the Ligitimate Sons and Stouteft Champions of the fame, have oppos’d themlelves both Spiritual- ly and Temporally againll the mad Fury of Schifmaticks and Eereticks. So alfoy We^ For your Majefties moft Excel- lent Woiks, and worthy Adions done for Us, and this Holy See, in which by Divine Permif- lion we Prefide: Do defire to confer upon your Majefty , with Honour and Immortal Praifes, That, which may enable and engage you Carefully to drive away from our Lords Flock the Wolnjes ; and cut off with the. Mate- rial Sword, the rotten Members that InfeA the Myftical Body of Jefus Chrift, and confirm the Hearts of the almofl: difcomficed Faithful in the Solidity of Faith, Truly when our Be- loved The ^ope\ BULL. loved Son John Clark, your Majefties Orator, did lately, in our Confiftory, in Prefence of our Venerable Brethren, Cardinals o^tht Sacred djo- man Churchy and divers other Holy Prelates prefent unto Us, a Book, which your Majefty,. mov’d by your Charity, (which elFe^s every thing readily and well,) and enflarn’d with Zeal to the Holy CathoUck Faith, md Fervour of Devotion towards Us, and this Holy See ; Did Compofc, as a moft Noble and Wholelbme Antidote againft the Errours of divers Here-' ticks, often Condemn’d by this Holy See , and now again reviv’d by Martin Luther^ When I fay, he offer’d this Book to Us to be Examin’d, and Approv’d by Our Authority ; And alfo de- clar’d in a very Eloquent Difcourfe, That oa- TburMajeJly, had by True ^afons, and the un-^ denyahle Authority of Scripture, and Holy Fathers, confuted the Notorious Errours of Luther - fo you are Iike))^ife ready, and refoHA to ^rojecute l^ith all the Forces of your kingdom, thofe 'trho Jhall prefume to Follolt>, or Defend them. Having found in this Dook moft admirable Do6lrine, fprinkled with the Dew of Divine Gra:e ; We render’d Infinite Thanks to Almighty Godyfrom whom every good Thing, and every perfecSb Gift proceeds, for being pleas’d to fill with his Grace, and to infpire your moft Excellent Mind, The Tropes BULL, Mind, inclia’d to all good) to defend by your Writings , his Holy Faith , againft the new Broacher of thefe Condemned Errours ; and to Invite all other Chriflians by your Example to to A{rin: and Favour with all their Power, the Orthodox Faith , and Evangelical Truth, now under fo great Peril and Danger. Confidering that it is but JuJl, that thofe who undertake Pious Labours in Defence of the Faith of Chrift, fhould be ext oil’d with all Praife and Honour : And being willing, not only to magnifie with condign Praife, and approve with Our Authority, what your Ma- jefty has with great Learning and Eloquence writ againft Luther : But alio to Honour your Majefty with fuch a Title, as fhall give all ChrL ftians to Underftand, as well in our Times, as in fucceeding Ages, how Acceptable and Wel- com Y our Guift was to lis-, efpecially in this jundture of Time. We^ The true Succeflor of St. ^eter, whom Chrift before his Afcention left as his Vicar upon Earth, and to whom he committed the Care of his Flock : Prefiding in this Holy See, from whence all Dignity and Titles have their Source ; Having with our Bre- thren maturely deliberated on thefe Things .* And with one Confent unanimoufly Decreed to beftow on your Majefty this Title, De~ Theses BULL. fender of the Faiths And as we have by this Title Honour’d you ; We likewife Command all Chriftiansy that they Name your MajeJlj by thisT/V/fj and in their Writings to your Ma* jefty, that immediately after the Word I^ING^ they add, DEFENVE^ OF THE FAITH. Having thus weigh’d, and diligently confider- ed your lingular Merits, we could not have invented a more Congruous Name,, nor more Worthy Your Majefty, then this Worthy and moft Excellent Title : Which as often as you Hear, or Read, you fiiall remember your own Merits and Virtues : Nor will you by this T/We exalt your felf, or become I^roud, but ac' cording to your accuftomed Prudence , rather more Humble in the Faith of Chrift j and more ftrong and conftanc in your Devotion to this Holy See^* by which you were Exalted. And you fhall rejoyce in our Lord, who is the giver of all good things, for leaving fuch a perpe- tual and everlafting Monument of your Glory to Pofterity, and fliewing theway to others,that if they alfo covet to be Invefted with fuch a Title, they may ftudy to do fuch A(5fions, and to follow the fteps of your moft Excellent Ma- jefty : Whom, with yo.ir Wife, Children, and all who fhall fpring ffom you. We Blefs with a Bountiful and Liberal Hand ; in the Name of hin^ The dope's BULL.- him from whom the Power of Benedidion is given to Us, And by whom Kjngs ^ign, and Trinces Oo^ern^ and in whofe Hands are the Hearts of ^ngs^ Praying, and Befecching the mofi: High, to confirm your Majefty in your Holy purpofes, and to Augment your Devotion : And for your moft excellent Deeds done in Defence of his Holy Faith, to render your Majefty (b Illuftri- onsand Famous to the whole World, as that our Judgement in adorning you with lo remark- able a Title, may not be thought vain, or light, by any perfon whatfoever. ’ And finally, after you have finifh'd your courle in this Life, that he may make you partaker of his Eternal Glory. It fhall not be Lawful for any Perfon what- foever, to infringe, or by any rafh Prefumption to A6l contrary to This Letter of oftr Subferi- bing, and Command. But if any one fhall prc. fume to make fuch attempt ; let him know, that !ie fhall therefore Incurr the Indignation of Almighty God, and of the Holy Apoftles ^eter and FauL Given at St. PeterV in Rome, the fifth of the Ides of 0 £lober ; In the year of our Lords Incarnation 1501* And in the ninth year of our Papacy. To To Our moft Holy Lord E O X Chief BISHOP. HENRY By the Grace of God, KIN Of England and France , and Lord of Ireland : Wiflieth Perpetual Happinefs, Alofi Holy Father y P Erhaps it may appear ftrange to your Holinefs, that part of Our Youth being fpent in Martial Affairs, and part in the Studies of Things belon- ging to the Commonwealth , we fhould now undertake the Task of a Man that ought to liave imploy’d all his Time in the Studies of Learning ; in oppofing our felf a* c gainft Epiftle T^edicdtory. gainfl: this growing But your Hoi i- nefs (I fiippofe) will the lefs admire, whea you coniider the Reafons that oblig’d Us to take upon Us this Charge of Writing. We have feen Tares caft into Our Lord’s Harveft ; ScBs do rpring up, and Hereftes increafe, almoft to over.throw the Faith of Chrift : And fuch Seeds of Dilcord are Town abroad in the World, that no fincere Cnriftian, can fiiffer, or endure any longer their fpreadiug Mifehiefs, without an Obligation of imploying all his Studies and Forces to oppofe them. Your Holinefs ought not therefore to wonder, if We (not the great- eft in Ability, yet in Faith and Good-will in- ferior to none,) have propos’d to our Self, to imploy our Force and Power in a work fo Neceftary, and fb Profitable^ that it cannot lightly be oiTiitted by any, without Offence : Alfo to declare Our great refpedl towards your Holinefs, Our endeavours for the Propagation of the Faith of Chrift , and Our Obedience to the Service of Almighty God •“ Greatly confi- ding, that though our Learning is not much, nay in comparifon, even nothing ; yet his Grace will fo Co'operate with Us, that what We arc not able thereby to effedt, He by his Benignity and Power may more fully perform, and by his ftjrength fupply Our weaknefs therein : Though we E pi file E>edicatorj. we know very welijthat there are every where feveral more expert, eipecially in Holy Writ, who could have more Commodioufly Officiated this Great Work , and perform'd it much better than We : Yet are we not altogether fo rude, as not to efteem it Our Duty, to imploy with all Our Might, Our Wit, and Pen in the Common Caufe^ For having by long expe- rience, found, that Religion bears the greateft fway in Adminiftration of Publick Affairs, and is likewife of no fmall Importance in the Common'ipealth •• We having imploy’d no little time, efpecially fince we. came to years of Dif. cretion, in the Contemplation thereof j where- in we have always taken great delight .* And though not Ignorant of our (mail Progrefs there- in made: Yet at leaft it is fb much, as (we hope) efpecially with the help, or rather in- ftigation of fuch things as can inftru(5i: the moft Ignorant, viz. ^iety , and the Grief of feeing ^Ugkn Abus’d, will fuffice for Reafbns to diU cover the Subtilties of Luther’s Here fie. We have therefore, (confiding in thofe Things,) en- ter’d upon this Work j Dedicating to your Ho- linefs what we have Medicated therein ,• that under your Proteftion, who are Chrift’s Vicar upon Earth, it may pals the publick Cenfure. For we are perfwaded that this Here fie, having c 2 for Epiflle dedicatory. for fome time exercis’d its Rage amongft Chri-^ flians ; and being by your moft weighty and wholefom Sentence Condemn’d, and as it were by force pluck’d out of Mens Hands, if any thing remains hidden in the Bowels of it, fed by Flattery, and Fair Promifes ; ’tis to be rooted out by juft Reafbns, and Arguments , that as mens Wits fuffer themfelvcs more willingly to be led than drawn, fo Reafon alfo may fupply thefe with the mildeft Remedies. Whether or no any thing is effectually done in this, lhall reft to your Holinefs’s Judgement: If we have err’d in any thing, We offer it to be Corrected as may pleale your Hoi inefs. T O TO THE RE ADE A Lthqugh I do not rank my [elf amongP: the mofi Learned and Eloquent ;yet ifhmnmg the ftain of Ingratitude, and moVd by Fi- delity and Piety ^ ) I cannot but think my [elf oh- lig’d) (ipould to God my Ability to do it, were equal to my good Willf) to defend my Mother the Spoule of Chrift : Which, though it he more copioufly hand- led b'l others^ ; “NeVerthelefs I account it as much my o'tt>n Duty-i as his l^ho is the mo ft Learned, by my utmoft endeavours to Defend the Church, and to oppofe my f elf to the ^oifonom Jhafts of the Enetny that fights againft her : Which thisjunBure oftime^ and the prefent ft ate of things , requires at my Elands For, before, lt>hen none did affault, Awns not ne- cejfary to refift ', Dut mtt> that the Enemy, {and the mojt wicked Enemy imaginable,) is rifen up, who by the Inftigation of the Devil, under pretext of Charity’, Jtimulated hy Anger and Hatred,lpews out the ^oi- fon of Vipers againft the Church, and GachoHck ‘ Faith ; Ais neceffary that every Servant of Chrift, of Vahat Age, Sex, or Order foever, fwuld rife To the Reader. ^ gainft this common Enemy oj the Chriftian Faith that thofe whofe Corner avails not, yet may tefiify their good Will by their cheerful Endeavours. ’Tis now therefore convenient^ that we Arm our [elves with a twofold Armour the Cseleftial, 'and the other Terreftriak With a Cxleftial Armour ; That he who by a feigriA and dijfembled Charity^ deflrop others^ and perifies himfelf be'inggaind by true Charity, may alfo gain others « and he that Fights by a Falle Do(5trine, may be Concyuer dby True Doctrine. With a Terreftrial,/-/?4/- 'if he be fo ohfl'mately mali^ tioiL5y 05 to neglebi Holy Coumils^ and defpfe Gods ^proofsyhe may be conftraind by due Tun'ifhments i that he who will not do good, may leaVe off doing mif chief j and he that did harm by the IVord of Ma-^ lice^ may do good by the Example of his Tunijh- ments. What Plague fi Pernicious did ever in- vade the Flock of Chrift ? What Serpent fo Ve- nomom has crept in^ ojs he Tvho writ of the Babylo- nian Captivity of the Church ? Who wrefis Ho- ly Scripture by his oTfvn Senfe againft the Sacra- ments of Chrift, and abolifhes the Ecclefiaftical Rites and Ceremonies left by the Fathers, under- values the moft Holy and Antient Interpreters of Scripture^ unlefs they concur with his Sentiments • calls the moft Holy See of Rome, Babilon , and the Pope’s Authority, Tyranny : and Bjleems the To the Reader. the moft 'H^hokfom Decrees of the Univerfal Church to be Captivity ^ and turns the Narm of the moft Holy Difhop of Rome, to that of Anti- chrift, O that deteftahle Trumpeter of Pride, Ca- lumnies and Schifms ! What an Infernal Wolf is he who Jeeks to differ fe the Hock of Chrift ? What a great Member of the DeVd ishe^ who endeavours to tear the C hr if inn Members of Chrift from their Mead I HoVa Infectious is hU Soul who revives thefe de- teflable Opinions andr buried Schifms ; adds new ones to tbe old^ and bringing to light (Ccrbexm’Hke^ from Hell') the Herefies which ought to lie in Eternal Darknefs and efieems himf elf worthy to govern all things by his own Word, oppos’d againft the Judgement of all the Antients : IsLay alfo to ruine the Church of God ? Of Vfhofe Malice 1 know not what to fay ^ For 1 think neither Ten nor Tongue can exprefs the greatnejs of it^ Wherefore before I Exhort, Tray , and. Dejeech, through the 'N.ame of Chridl {which we will profefs) all ChrT flians who are 'idling to look upon, and T ead Lu- therV Works, effecially the Babylonian Capti- vity, {tfhe be Author of it) to do it Vj/arily, and njery fudiclonfiy'- That as Wvgii jaid. He ga» ther d Gold out of the Drofs of Ennius • fo they may alfo gather good things^out-of evil : And if any thing pie afe them, let them not be fo taken with it, as Epiftle Dedicatory, tis to fuch^the ^olfon with the Honey,, for 'tis better to want both, than to fwallo"^ both : To hinder which, the Author may %efent, be Conner- ted, andLiye ; and in imitation of St, Auguftine, . ^whofe (^le he profefsd) Corre^ his iBooks fUM Ti:>ith Malice, and revoke his Errours, ^Luther refufes this, itlaill fhortiy come to pafs, if Chriftian Br 'mces do their Vutj^ tha this Errours ^ and him- felf, if he per feVeres therein, may he hurnd in the Fire^ In the meanwhile^ we thought it fit to dif- coVer^ to the Readers fome chief Heads or Chapters in r/^c’ Babylonian Captivity, which have the moft Venom in them, hy "which 'twill appear - vils. But I ask this, he that law thefe things fo Iho.rt ' awhilelince, how is it that he becomes of opinion, that then he faw nothing at all ? What new Eyes has Luti e 'y he; got ? Is life fight more lharp , after he has joyn’d Excellent Anger to his wonted Pride, and has added Hatred to both ? Does he fee farther with thele fo excellent Speblacles ? I will not wrong the Biffiop of Rome lb much, as tFOublefomly, or carefully to difpute His Right, as if it ^ The Popes Authority; it were a matter doubtful ; ’tis fufficieat for my pre- fent task, that the Enemy is fo much led by fury, that he deftroys his own Credit, and makes clearly appear, that by meer Malice he is fo blinded, that he neither Sees, nor knows what he fays himfeif. For he cannot deny, but that all theFaithful,Honour and acknowledge the Sacred Roman See for their Mother and Supream ; nor does diftance of Place or Dangers in the way hinder Accefs thereunto. For if thofe who come hither from the Indies tell us the Truth, tho, Indians themfelves (fe- Yh.ev:fl pcratcd fi'om US by fucha vaft diftance both of Land ti fiibmit themfelves to the See of Rome, lity^^tks Bifhop of Rom£ has got this large Power, neither Bijbopof by command of God, nor the Will of Man, but by Rome. main force ; I would fain know of ILlit^Jcr, when the Pope m^htd into the PoffefTion of fo great Riches ? for fo vaft a Power, (efpecially if it began within the me- mory of Man,^ cannot have an obfcure Origen : But The Am- Perhaps he’ll fay, ’tis above one or two Ages fince ; iKttyofthe Let him then remember us of it by Hiftories : Other- wife, if it be fb Antient, that the beginning of fb great a thing is quite forgot. Let him know, that by all Laws we are forbidden to think otherwife, that That thing had a Lawful beginning, which fb far fnr- palTes the memory of Man, that its Origen cannot be known. ’Tis certain, that by the unanimous Confent of all Nations, ’tis forbidden to change, or move the things which have been for a long time immoveable. Truly, if any will not look upon Antient Monuments, or read the Hiftories of former times, he may eafily find, that fince the Converfion of the World, all , Churches in the Chriftiam World have been Obedient Obdimto to thi See of Rome. We find, that though the Fjn- the Bijhop pire was tranflated to the Grecians, yet did they ftill ij- Rome. obey the Supremacy of the Church, and See of Rome. The Popes Authority^ except when they were in any Turbulent Schifm. St. Hierome excellently detnonftrates his good efteem for the Romm See, when he openly declares, (Xhough he was no Roman him[elf^} that it was fufficient for him that the Rope of Rome did. but approve his Faith^ wher- ever elfe foould dif approve it. When Luther fo impudently aflerts, ('and that a- gainft his former Sentence,^ That the Pope has no kind of Right over the Catholick Church ; no^ not fo much as Humane^ but has by meer force TyranicaUy ufurfd it. I cannot but admire, that he mould expe£t, his Readers lliould be fo eafily induc'd to believe his Words j. or fb blockiCh,as to think that a Priefi, with- out any Weapon, or Company to. defend him, fas doubtlels he wa-s., before enjoyn’d that which Luther fays he Ufurp’d,) could ever expeQ: or hope, without any Right or Title to obtain fo great a Command over fo many Bifiop^ his Fellows, in fo many different,. and divers Nations;* How could he expe£ib, I^y,' that any body fhould, believe., (as I know not how he could deGre they fhould,) that all Nations, Cities, nay Kingdoms and Provinces, Riftuid be fo Prodigal of their Rights and Liberties,', as; to acknowledge the Superiority of a ftrange.Rriief^: to whom they fhould owe no SubjeQ:i« on? But what fignifies it to know the Opinion oflu^ tflCt in this Cafo, when (through Angei: and Malice,} himfolf is ignorant of his own Opinion, or what he thinks? Bufhe-; manifoftly difooversthedarknefs of his und^rftanding and knowledge, and the folly and blind- nels of his heart, abandon d to a Reprobate fonfo, in doing and faying things fo inconvenienti How true is that of the Apoftle ? Though I have Prophecy.^ and un- „ derfand all MyUerieSy md all Knowledge ^ and though * i Popes Author ity» I have all Faithy fo as to remove Mountainsy arsd have not Charityy 1 am nothing. Of which Charity, not only fhews how void he is, by periiliing liimielf to he Kings. Deut. through Fury ; but much more by endeivourin draw all others with him into deftrudion, whil ftrives to diffwade them from their Obedience to the Chief BiHiop, whom in a three fold manner He Him- felf is bound to obey, viz. As a ChriWan, as a Prie/ly and as a Religious Brother ; His difobedience defer ving alfb to be punifh'd in a treble manner : He remembers not how much Obedience is better than Sacrifice ; nor does he confider how ’tis ordain’d in Deuteronomy^hat ^ the Man that will do prefumpuouflyy and will not hearken unto the Priejly {that (lands to Minijler there before the Lord thy God,) or unto the Judge^ even that Man (hall die. Heconfiders not, Hay, what cruel puniOiment Th Me- He deferves, that will not obey the Chief Priefi and deQyofthe Supreme Judge upon Earth. For this poor Brother be- U\thcr appear before the Pope, with offers to pay his Expences, and promiie of fafe Condufl ; refufes to go without a Guard, troubling the whole Church as much as he could, and exciting the whole Body to Rebel againft the Head ; which to do. Is as the fin of iKiw^si^.lVitchcraft'y and in whom to acquiels, Isas the fin of idolatry. Seeing therefore that Cutljec, (mov’d by ha- tred,) runs head-long on to deftruffion, and refufes to Rom. 10. fubmit himfelf to the Law of God, but defires to eftablifh a Law of his own : It behoves all Chriflians Rom, to beware-, leaf: (as the Apoftle fays) through the dif- bbedience of one, many be made (inner s ’. But on the con- trary, by hating and detefting his Wickednefs, we may fing with the Prophet, I hated the Wickedy and loved your Law. * The 9 The Affertlon of the Seven SACRAMENTS, B Ut thefetwo Chapters, (of abrogating IltQuIn:?!!" CC03 and taking away all Authority of the Chief liiihop,) of which we have already given our Opinion: Tho’ they are wicked, yet are they but tee flouriihings orfirfl: eifays ofkUt|)Ct, who now begins to murther, and deftroy the Sacraments, which in his Book he goes about to do : All which whole Book, he con- felTes ftill to be but a Flourifh to I know not what Work ; I fuppofe 'tis fbme Work in which he intends to fight more lerioufiy againft our whole Faith Yet I much admire he fhould think to compofe any thing whatfbever, more ftuft with Venom, than is tins whole Preface, or Flourifh of his : In which, of Seven Sacraments, he leaves us but Three, nor them neither, unlels fora time; giving us to underftand, that he fhall fbon allb take them from us ; for of the Three, he takes away One immediately after, in the lame Book ; whereby he plainly Ihews us what he intends to do with the reft. To which thing it leems he prepares the way, when Luther he lays, Fhat if he would [peak according to Scripture, -^ifrntcs but He would leave hut One Sacrament, and Three Sacramen- tal Signs. If any one do but diligently examine how he handles thele three Sacraments, (^which for the pre- lent he puts as three Sacraments, or under three Signs) he may perceive that he treats of them in fuch a manner, as that none Ihould doubt, but that when he lees his own time, and at his own pleafure, he intends wholly to deprive us of them all. Luther b- Let the Reader diligently obferve his fteps, and J look to his own, that he may dilcover the fubtilties (IS u oVr- C of » 10 Henry VlIFs JJfertion of this Serpent, and let him not with too much lecu- rity, thruft himfelf amongft thefe Thorns, Brambles, and Dens, but warily walk round his Caverns, fear- ing leaft he fliould fecretly ftrike his Mortal Sting in- to his heel : This hideous Monfter being catch’d, will become benura’d, and pine away by his own Venom. The Sacrament of the ALTAR. L Et us therefore begin where he began himfelf, with the Adovcthk Sacraf^e/^f of Chr/J?’s Body. The changing of the Name thereof, calling it. The Sacra- Bkfed sa- of Bready Ihews that this Man cannot well en- 6r.ment, durc, tliat wc fhould be put in mind of Chrijfs Body oament' ^7 Name of the Blefed Sacrament ; and that, if of Brea.i. Under any fair pretext, it were polTible for him, he would give it a worfe Name. How much differs the judgement of Sc. from this Mans, when he fays. Though the form of the Bread and Wine is feen on the Alt ary y^t rve mu(i believey that there is nothing elfebut the Body Elrod of Chrifi. By which words it clearly appears, that St. confeffes no other Subfance to remain with the Body andBloodof Chrifi in the Sacrament, when he fays, That which is feen un- der the form of Bread and Wine, is nothing elfe but the .Body and Blood of Chrifi. If St. AmbrofehSid only faid Flefli and Blood, without adding any thing more; Per- haps LutOCt* would have faid, that St. Ambrofcy (ac- knowledging the Fleflj Blood to be in the Sacrament) did not deny that the Bread and Wine was there alfb; as llltIjEC himfelf fays. That the fnbfiance of the Flefh is with the Bread, and the Subfiance of the Blood along with the Wine : But feeing Sr. Ambrofe fays. That there is- nothing elfe but the Flefh and BlooL It appears that of the [even SAC^AMENTS^ he is manifeftly contrary to Luther, who affirms, That the Bread is with the Flefb,^;?^ the Wine with the Blood. And though this which li^UthCC fays, was as true as tis falfe, viz. That the Bread jhould remain mingled with the Body of Chrifi ; yet was it not neceffary for him to blot the Name of the Body of Chrifi out of the Sacra- ment., in which he confeffes that the True Body of Chrifi is. For if the Subffance of Bread fhould be with the Body of Chrifi, fas he contends,) yet there’s no reafon that the Inferior Subftance fliould take a- way the Name from the more worthy. For the’ the Apoftle, (conforming himfelf to the underftanding of the Auditors, then Ignorant people, ; call’d it Bread ; yet now, after the Faith has been fo long eftablifh’d, it was not fit or convenient to change this lb Adorable a Name, ("which reprefents to the Hearers, the thing intht Sacrament^) into fiich a Name as would have turn’d their minds from the Body to the Bread. Neither would withput doubt, have changed it , if he had not determin’d with himfelf to draw the People to Worfhip the Bread , and leave off Chrifi's Body ; from which he himfelf is divided ,* concerning which, I fhall prefently fpeak more fully. In the mean while, let us truly examine how fub- tilly, under pretence of favouring the Laity , he en- deavours to ftir them up to an hatred againfl; the Clergy : For when he refblv’d to render the Churches Faith Sufpitious, that its Authority fhould be of no confequence againfl: Him ; and fb by opening that gap, he might deftroy the chiefefl: Myfteries of Chriftianity; He began with that thing, which he forefaw would be Prais’d and Applauded by the People : For he touch’d the old Sore by which Bohemia had been for- merly Blifter’d, viz- That the Laity ought to receive /■/;^. L/#r/'£’r’s Interpretation ; not Chrift’s Words, nor the Senfe of his Words. If he had given to his Difciples D 2 the 20 VlU s Jjjertion the which he took, as he took it; without Con- verting it into Fle/hy before he bad tliem (in giving it) Take ani Eat ; It had been rightly faid, that he gave what lie took in his Hand ; for then he had given no- thing elfe. But feeing he turn’d the Bread into his Flefb, before he gave it the Apoftles to Eat ; they now receive not the Bread which he took, but his Body , into which he had turn’d the Bread : As if one who had taken Seed, fhv3uld give to another the Flower fprung there- of : He would not give what he had taken, though the common courfe of Nature had made the one of theother. So likewife much lels did Chrift give the Apoftles what he took in his Hand, when by fo great a Miracle he turn’d the Bread which he took, into his own Body Unlefs perhaps fome will fay , becaufe Aaron took a Rod in his Hand, and caft a Rod from him ; that the Subftance of the Rod remain’d with the Serpent^ and the Serpents Subftance with the Rod, when ’twas reftor’d again. If the Rod could not re- main with the ; how much lefs can the remain with the Fleffj of Chrift that incomparable Subftance ? For what LutljCl* argues, or rather trifles, toftiew fimplicity of his own Faith; when of the Wine, tr^mgAt-Qh.n^ dots not Eij,' Hoc y eft Sanguis mem. But, Hie, gmms. Sanguis mem : I wonder why it fliould enter into any mans mind to write thus. For who lees not, that this makes nothing at all for him, nay rather againft him ? It had feem’d more for his purpofe, if Chrift JutherV : For then he might A^gnrnm have had Ibme colour at leaft, whereby he mighthave ihz Ar^ refer’d the Article of Demonjlrating^to the Wine. But now, though Wine is of tht Neuter Gender, yotChriJl did not lay Hoc, but Hie efi Sanguis mem. And though Bread o/ ihe ^e\en TS. 5 Bread is of the Mafculine Gender^ notwithftanding he iays, Hoc ejl Corpus meum^ not Hie ^ That it may ap- pear by both Articles^ that he did not mean to give either Bread or Wtne^ but his own Body and Blood. Is t not very ridiculous, that JLutIjPC fhould imagine this Pronoun Hoc, not to be by Chrift’s intention re- fer’d to the Body^ but only for the conveniency of the Greek and Latine Tongues ; and therefore fends us back to the Hebrew ? For the Hebrew^ if’t has not the Neu° ter Gender^ cannot fb conveniently declare to what Chrijl has refer’d this Artccle, as the Greeks or Latine can do. For though in the Hebrew, the Article fhould be of the Mafeuline Gender^ that is , Hie,, eji Corpus meum neverthelefs the matter would be left doubtful, be caufe that Speech might feem forc’d by the necellity of 'the Language, which has no Neuter Gender. But becaufe Bread and Body are of different Genders in t\\Q Latine '. He that Tranflated it from the Greeks fhould havejoyn’d the Article, with Pams, if he had not found that the Evangelical demonffration was made of the Body. Moreover, when ilUthCl’ con- feffeth that the fame difference of Gender is in the Greek., he might eafily know, that when the lijls wnt in Greek, they would have put In thQ Article relating to the Bread, if they had sot known, our Lords mind. But they were willing to Teach the Chrifiians by the Article relating to the Body, that in the Communion, Ghrift did not give Bread to his ©//- ciples, but his Body. Wherefore, when to ferve hisown.turn in.- terprets the Words of Chrifi, Take, and Eat, this is my Body, that is, this Bread he bad taken. Not I, butChrift himfelf Teaches us to underftand the con- trary, to wit, That what was given them, and feem’d^ 22 Kjng Henry YIIIV Ajjertm to be Breads was not Bready but ins own Body : If the E'va/jgelifishz.vc rig’nly deliver’d us the Words of Chrijl. For otherwife he fhould fay, not Hoc, ( that it might be expounded for Hie,) but more properly Hie Pants efi Co'-p'is msttm : By which faying he mdght Teach his DtfctgUsy what now f'eaches to the whole Church, to wit, That in the Eucharift the Body of Chrifly and. the Bread are together. But our Saviour fpoke after that manner, that he might plainly manifeff, That only his Body is in the Sacrament, and no Bread. How magnificently £uthCl‘ brings in this for his Argument, That Chrijl [peaks of the Chalice, which no Argument body holds to be Tranfuhjlantiated \ I admire the man’s of- Luthers afham’d of fo unmeafurable a folly. When Chrifl fays. This Chalice of the New Tefl ament in my Blood: What does that make for ? For what elfe does it fignify, but that what he gave his T)ifciples to Drink, was his own Blood ? Will CutfjCC make appear by thofe Wordsof Chrtft, that tht Subjlance of Wtne remains, becaufe Chrifi: fpeaks of B/W ? Or that the Wine cannot be chang’d into Blood, becaufe the Cha- lice is ftifl there ? I wifli he had chofen tohimfelffbme other matter in which he might have play’d and fpor- ted with lefs danger. For when he fo much excufes the Bohemians and Greeks from Herefy ; as to call all the RomanCatholtcksy Hereticksy he (hews Himfelf to be a worfe Heretick t an either of thofe ; who not only denies the Kz^V/^which the whole C/wf/; Believes, but alfb perfwades People to believe worfe than the Greeks Or Bohemians ever did. I have thus far Dif- puted thefe things, that I might make appear, that what he Braggs, himfelf to make out, cannot be fhewn by the Words of ChriU , and the Evangelifts : Nay in Them the quite contrary is very clear, to wit. That Bread is not in the Eucharift. ’ jlutDCC of the se£’x,becaufe he laid, I am the True Vine, and my Father is the Hashand- Or that tlie EleCi fliall be rewarded in Heaven man Luke 22. with Corporal Pleafures, becaule Chriji laid, I dijpofe unto you a Kjngdom^ as my Father has dijpes^d unto me ; that ye may Eat and Drink at my Table in my Kjngdom. takes a deal of pains to Confute the Argu- ments of the Neoteries, by which they endeavour’d to mFintFin, 2ind^]:QiVoTranfubfi ant iat ion by Philofophical Reafons out of Ariflotie\ School ; in which he troubles himlelf more than is requifite : For the Church does not believe it, becaule they dilpute it, lb to be : But be- caule fhe believ’d lb from the beginning , and that none fliould Bagger about it, Decreed that all fliould lb Believe. They therefore exercile their Wit with Phi‘ of the [even SAC^AMEKTS^ 25 Vhilofo^hicd Reafons, that they may be able to Teach, that no abfurd Confequence can follow that Belief ; or that the change of Bread into a new Stibftance^ dees not neceffariiy leave, but take away the former. ' JLutfjCl' lays , This Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation is rifen in the Church within this 300 years : Where ns before^ for above 1200 years from Chriffs Birth j the Church had true Faith \ Tet all this while was there not any mention made of this Prodigious (as he calls it) Word But what elfe do they mean who ufe th.^wordTranfuhfantiation,xh2in what Theophtlus faid, not within 300 years, for he was dead fbme 100 years before the word Tranfubjlantiation was ufed. What need I mention Sc. Cyril, who not only af- firms the fame thing, but almofl: in the fame words? E 2. For 27 St. Aug. St. Greg. Niffenusw St. Cyril* 2 8 ^{ing Hemy YllVs Jffertm For Gody he, condefcendmg to our frailties^ lefiwe (bould abhor Fiefll and Blood on the Holy Altars^ infu-- feth the force of Life into what is offer d^ by changing them into the Truth of his own yrofer Flefli. Moreover, that none fhould fay that the Antient Fathers believ’d the Body of Thrift m luch manner, to be in t\\QEucha~. rift, as that the Bread fhould Bill remain : Not only thole things which I have related, do fully evince, f'as plainly they do,) but likewiie what we have above-re- lated out of St. Ambrofe^ when he laid, that although the Form of Bread and W ine is feen^ 'never thelefs we are to believe that there is 'nothing elfe after theConfecra- tion but the Body ar:d Blood of GhnB. You lee how the Holy Father lays, That it is not only the Body and Blood, but that there is nothing be- fides them, although the Bread and Wine leems to be there. And he that Ipeaks this, has not laid it within ^00 years paft, in which ILut&SC feins that this Belief of Tra'nfubsia'ntiation is rifen : -But he fpoke it above. I coo years ago. Neither can I believe that any of the Antie'nt Fathers would h^.VQ approv'd that fine Com- LutkcrV P^^i^on of llltljetlj, viz. Of Iron joy nd with the Fire ^ cstnparifon Foi* iioiie evcr laid that Iron is lb converted into Fire, the Form only remains, the Subftance of the Iron being chang’d into that of the Fire: which was the Opinion of all the Antients concerning Bread and the Fleftj of Thrift ; or if perhaps any one Perlbn was of a contrary fentiment, yet one Swallow makes no Summer.. And that Man, wjio ever he was, is rather to be excus’d for not perfeblly feeing through a matter, at that time, notin difpute, than to be immitated, contrary to the belief of all the reft of the whole Church, and of fo many Ages ; in a thing which he, if a good Man, and now alive, without doubt would not argue againfr. For that M^n that has fo much elfeem for the Body of Thrift «f the /even SACRAMENTS. as he ought to have, will more eafily eonfent that any other two Subfiances fhould remain together, , than that any other Body remain, mixt with the Ado- rable Body of, ChriJ} : feeing there is no Subftance worthy to be mixt with that Subftance which Created all Subftances. Moreover, I fuppofe that the Brimitive Fathers would as little approve that Comparifon of 3Lutl)Cl*, by which he intends to prove, that the Bread remains with the Flejb, 2iS God did remain with Man in the Ferfon of ChriH'. For as the moft Learned and moft Holy of the Antient Fathers confels in divers places, that the Bread is chang'd into Fl'efh ; lb none of them were fb wicked or ignorant, as to think that the Humanity was chang’d into the Divinity ; unlefs per- haps will deviie a new Perlbn, that as God took on him the Nature of Man, fb God and Man' takes the Nature of Bread, and JVme : which if he believes, he fhall be accounted an Heretkk by all thofe who are not Hereticks. Wherefore, (to conclude this Difcourfeof Tranfuh-^ flantiatioH, it evidently appears by Chriffs words, and by the Judgement of the tFoly Fathers, that the Faitli of the Church this prefent is true, by which ’tis be- liev’d, that the Subftance of Bread or Wine do not re- main in the Eucharifi whence it follows,that LutfjCC’si Opinion in teaching the contrary, is falfe, and Hereti- cal v from which perfwafion, I admire what profit he promifes the People : Is it as ILutj&ei: fays. That no' Luther’s body fhould ejleem himfelf an Here tick, if ]^er haps fhould be of his Opinion ? But he himfelf confeffes, that there is no harm in -believing This as the Catholkk Church now believes, but on the contrary, the whole Church takes him an Heretick, who is of lUt&CC's Opi- nion ; He therefore ought not to move any one whom he wiflies well, to be of his Judgement, which is con- demn’d Ki^E Henry Vlll’s JJJertion demn’d by the whole Church ; but rather advife thofe he loves, to joyn themlelves to thofe whom he himfelf witnefifes to be in no danger. That way of iluthec is therefore falle, being againft the publick Faith, not only of this time, but alio of all Ages: Nor does he free from Captivity thofe who believe him, but draw- ing them from the Liberty, of Faith, that is from a fafe hold,(^as he himfelf confeffes) he Captivates them, leading them into a Precipcejmto In-acceffable, Uncer- tain, Doubtful, and Dangerous ways. Jnd he that loves danger^ jhall ferijh therein. After this Man, who is free from any Evil, has 'thofr-who ^^caped thefe two Captivities, which he imagines to bdievd himfelf : That he may not Captivate his mind to the Luther. Obedience of God, he overcomes (as he pretends^ a third Captivity , and propofes a Liberty by which he may Captivate the whole Church. This, worfe than Sacrilegious Caitif. Endeavours to fcatter abroad the Churches moft fplended Congregation ; to extinguifh its Pillar of Fire ; to violate the Ark of the Covenant', and to deftroy the chief and only Sacrifice which reconciles us to God, and which is always offer’d for the fins of the People : For, as much as in him lies, he robs the S^OfiS of all the Benefits that flow from it to the People, denying it to be a good work, or to bring to them any kind of profit. In which thing,I know not whether more to admire his WickednefsjOr his FoohflT Hope; or rather his mad Pride : Who feeing fb many OSffrudfions before him, as he himfelf mentions , brings nothing with him whereby to remove the lealf : But feems as if he would go about to pierce a Rock with a Reed. For he Ludi. fees, and confeiTes ’ ’•■'Telf, that the Opinions of the F Fathers are ag-^i It him, as alfb rh.e Canon of the obkai’ons Mafsj with the cu lorn of the Vnivcrfal Church, con- firm’d of the [even SAC (^AMElSl TS. ^ i firm’d by the ufe of fb many Jges, and the Confent of fb many What Defence then does he oppofe againft fb Inmmerable^ fb Powerful, and fb In'vincible Armies? His accuftom’d force rages. He ftrives.to breed Difeord, and move Seditions , to excite the Com- monality againft the Nobility ; And that he may the more eafily ftir them up to a Revolt ; He, by his foolifh and weak Policy, failly pretends that he has Chriji for Captain of the whole Army in the Camp ; and that the Trumpet of the GoJ}el founds only for him : Which is the moft ridiculous Stratagem that ever was invented. For what man living is fo Wicked or Blockifb, as to think that the Churchy which is the Myfiical Body of Chrif, fhould be in fuch manner Delacerated, as that the Head fhould be fov^r d from the reft of the Memt- bers joyn’d together amongft themfolves ; Or that Chrifl, whenever abandon’d the FLjh which once He took, fihould have caft off the Church, for whofe fake he took that Flejh : And that he fhould for fo many Ages abfont himfolf from Her, with whom He Pro- mis’d to remain to the end of the World, and fhould ArgJ^em now pafs to ^litfjCC’s fide, who is her profefs’d 'Ent^fromchr.z my ? But Pray let us fee, by what Enchantment he makes it appear for Truth, that Chrift is on his fide, as he braggs. After many Idle Circumftances, He goes about to define what th^Mafs is > afterwards he he feperates the Ceremonies of the Mafs, from the Mafs it felf ; he examines the Lords Supper, and ponders the Words which ChrifixN^ in the inftitution of the Sa"- cramentoithtMaJs. And having found in them the Word Tefi ament, ('as if a thing very obfeure,) he begins to Triumph, as though he had Conquer’d his Enemies : He beautifies with Words this his new-found Myftery :(as he calls it) And with great Gravity, as if twas never heard of be= fore g 2 Henry V Ill's Affertion fore, he Teaches us what a is. He Ba wls aloud. That it is to he mark'* d and taken notice of^ that a, TeBament is the Promife of a dying ferfon, by which he bequeaths the InheritancCy and Insiitutes Heirs : There- fore (fays he) this Sacrament of the Mafs, is m other thing than the Teftament of Chrift : Jnd the Tefta- ment is nothing but the' Promife of the Uternnl Heritage : Giving his Body and Blood to us Chrijlians, whom he a^~ ■pointed for his Heirs ^ as afign for the ratifying his Pro- mife ■■ This he repeats over ana over again, he incul- cates, and fixes it; intending to make it his immoveable Foundation whereon to build Wood^ Hay and Stubble : For in laying this Ground- work, Thh^ LMafs is the Tejiament of Chrifl. Heboafts, That he will defiroy all the Wickednefs that Impious Men (as he fays) have con- veyed into this Sacrament : Jind that he will clearly prove LutherV ought to receive the Communion ivith Faith alone^ moftsacrei without much regard to any manner o/'Goodworks whatfo-- Opinions, ; and by how much the more Erroneous our Confci- ences are., and the more mov'd with the (ling or titulation of our Sins., the more Holy is our (late for to approach the Communion : But the 'more clear, pure and free from the fiain of fin our Confidences are, in the worfe capacity are we to Receive. Further (he Hys) that Mafs is no Sa- crifice ", that it is only profitable to the Prieft, not to the People : That it is nothing available, either to the Dead, or to the Living, That to Sing Mafs for Sins, for any Ncceffity, or for the Dead, is an Impious Errour. That Fraternities, as alfo the Annual Commemorations for the Dead, are vain and wicked things. That our volwntary o^^^ich^dntaining ofPnc^s, Monks, Canons, Brothers, W number whatfoever we call Religious, is to be aboliflsd. Thefe therm'^d/ many other great good things , he fTon7! ^ ' Glories to have found out by this difcovery of the Blejfed Sacrament to be the Befi ament of ChriB. And now of the Seven S AC ^ A ME “HTS, ^ now he inveighs againft the Sententious Doctors, as he calls them : He exclaims a gain ft all fhch ss Preach to the Pecfle Thofe for Writings thefe for Preaching fo much in the defence oj the BleiTcd Sac|^ent of the EuchariPc, and neither of them faying af^ thing of the Teftamenc, but moH imgioufly concealing that most in- ^uther’x comparable good from the People, which fo lorg p>nce might v/urds. have been profitably known, 'l he Laity, f'he fays) neither alive, nor after Death, will ever receive any benefi by the Mafs : For the Ignorance of which matter, he de- nounces all PrieFis2.m\ Monks at this day in the World with their Bijhops and Superiors, to be Idolaters, and in a very dangerous condition. Ido not therefore difeufs how true that Myftery of LtltOct is, from which, he attributes fo much glory to himfelf, in applying fb accurately his definition of the TeHament to the Saerarnent ; yet at the fame time, I do not fee why he fhould brag fo much of this new Invention of his. own. Ido not know indeed who he hears Preach, where he is ; But here, lam fare, we have heard Preachers, over and over again, not only Treat of thofe things which ilutfjCC brings out for.fo new and exquifite, viz. That Phrtfl is a Tefta- tor ; that he made his Tejl ament in the lafi Supper ; that he promis'd an Inheritance, which he declard to be the Ifjngdom of Heat/en That he injlituted the Faithful for his Heirs ; That the Sacrament is a Holy Sign, exhi- bited for a Seal j not only thefe, and fuch like, but alfo the number of JVitneJfes, the Bill and other Rites of Te[ia- ments they unfolded to Us out of the deepejl Secrets of both Laws, and apply' d all of them exactly to the Sacrament. And this they did more Confcioufly, and truly than lUtijei* ; For they referr’d to the fame Tefiament, not only what did at his laft Supper, but alfo what he fuffer’d on the Onlv in this differing from F lUtfjCl*, 34 Henry VIH’s JJfertlon thaL liiey did not find out the admirable and hitherto unheard of Benefits of the Mafs, by which the Clergy fhould loofeall the Fruits of it in this Life, and the Lauj in the Life to come : For neither would the Peofle maintain the Clergy to fay Mafs^ if they iliould be perfwaded they could reap no Spiritual Good thereby. But ’tis worth our while to fee from what Tree £tl* gathers this Fruit. After he has very often re- peated, that the Sacrament of the Eucharifi is tlie Sign of the Teftamentj and the Tefiamcnt is nothing elfe but the Promife of Inheritance'll^ thinks that it confequent- foffows,that the Mafs cannot be a Good Work^ov a Sa^ ment, th.t crifice. To which, if any one confents, He muff im- '^^dnerk ^dmit that Catalogue of Plagues^ by which ^00 von, endeavours to confound the whole face of the Church. But if you deny it, then can he do nothing with fo monftrous a defign:For I am almoft afham’d of the Arguments by which he pretends to Teach thefe things, they are fo trifling, and frivolous in a matter of fb great Majefty. Thus he concludes ; (for I will give you his own words, )Tl9a have heard that Mafs is nothing elfe but the Divine Promife y? reprelents, and performs the lame things in the Mafs : How can’t then be fein’d that the Mafs is not a Good Work f Wherefore, feeing ILUtljCC fo handles the matter, as to fay, That becaufe the Communion of one Lay-Man does not profit another of the Laity, fo neither does the Mafs of the Priejl profit the People. How dim of fight is he himfelf, and how he endeavours to fpread his darknefs over the ej^es of others, when he fees not that there is this difference in the Cafe, That now the Laity receives out of the Priefts hand, as the Apofiles did firfl: from Chrifi ; And the Priefi performs what Chrifi did then perform, for he offers to God the fame Body that was offer’d by ChriU. Luthers From whence alfb it appears how cold an Argument gmu''' Comparifon of the Mafs, with the Sacra- ment of Baptifm or Marriage, endeavouring to prove, that becaule one Lay-Man cannot be Baptiz’d for ano- ther, nor Marry a Wife for another Man ; Priefi cannot oftheserven SAC^^AMEKTS. 39 cannot Celebrate ii/4/} for any other Perfbn : For he openly puts Marriage out of the number of the Sacra^ merits j and Baptifm too, under a colour ; when he fays, That really there is but One Sacrament'. W\vy then does he now compare Baptifm and Marriage with the Sacrament of the Mafsj if he does not hold them to be Sacraments ? And although he fliould confefs them both to be Sa- craments., (as indeed they are,) yet is neither of them to be compar’d to this of the Mafs ; but in fuch manner as this Sacrament^ which is the proper Body of him who is Lord of all Sacraments., may have a prerogative above all other, which he himfelf made : feeing ’tis manifeft, that the Briefi in Adminiftering all other Sa-- cr aments., does good to all thofe who receive them ; fb in this, while he offers it in the Mafs, he is profitable, and Communicates Good to ail. Otherwife, if CutflCC exa£l: with fuch feverity, that all Sacraments fhould be alike, and no difference amongft them .* and that in the Sacrament of the Eucharijly the BrieH's condition is no better than that of the Laity ; why compels he not the Briefi to receive the Commu- nion from the hands of another, and not fuffer him to take it himfelf, tho’ he can Confecrate it ; Even as he cannot abfblve himfelf, tho’ he has the Kjys of Benancfi. And what he fays of Baith., which he believes ail Men are to have in their own Perfbns, and that not the Luthers Briefisj but every Mans own Faith, is that which pro- Arguments fits him, even (fays htjAs Abraham has not believ d for all the Jews. I allow it to be very true ; Yet it proves no more than what it propofes : FOr neither has Chrifi j„EUgmt himfelf, offer’d by himfelf on the Crofs, Sav’d the confutmi- People without every Mans paticular Faith; that none may think the Mafs of any BrieB fhould do it ; yet the ^ Mafs of every Briefi helps thofe to Salvation, who by tlieir 4© ' Henry YHls Jjfertion their Faith have deferv’d to be partakers of thegrca- teft Good Communicated in the Mafs to many. It may likewife be fometimes advantagious to the procuring the infuficn of Faah into the Unfaithful, as 'tis procur’d by the Death and PalTion o^ChriJl, that Grace diould be given to the Gentiles ; by which through the hearing of the Word, they might come to the underftanding of the Faith of Chrilf. But Ltt- ti)Ct eafdy perceives tliat it is no hard matter to de- ftroy what he himfelf has built, if Mafs can be a liacrifce or Offering, which may be olfei’d to God ; He theretore Promiies to remove this Obftacle, which that he may the more ealily deem to do, he objects againft himfelf fuch things , as he perceives to hand in his way. And now, (fays he) mother the great efi and rnofl fpacious of all Scandals is to he taken away, that is, Mafs heliev d every where to he a ^HiVCi^ZZ offer d to God', which Opinion the words of the Cannon feems to Fa- vour, where tis faid, Thefe Gifts, thefe Prefents, and thefe Holy Sacrifices : And below that. This offering. He likewife complains, that it is taken for a Sacrifice, &c. From thence Chrift is call’d. The Hofie of the Altar. To this may be added the Words of the Holy Fathers, fo many Examples, with the conftant cuftom obferv’d over the whole world. You fee Gentle Reader, what Blocks he himfelf finds {landing in his way ; Take notice now with what Herculean firength he undertakes to remove them. But to all thefe , (fays he,) are conflantly to he oppos^’d the Words and Example of Chrifl. But Pray what words of Chrijt are thefe, which have been unknown to fo many Holy Fathers in times paff, and to the whole Church of Chrifi during fb many Ages, and now by Cutl^Cl*, like a new tfdras, found out ? This he declares himfelf, when he fays. For unlffs we bring it to . of the [even S A C % A MEUT S- 41 tof^fsy that Mafs be accomted a Fromife or TeHament^ as the nor as clearly tnake out ; me loofe the mhcle Gdjpely and all Comfort \ Thefe are his Words, it now remains that we fee his Example. Chrijiy fays he, at his laji Supper, when he inflituted this Sacrament, and bequeath'd the Teflament, He offer'd it not to God the Father ^ and has not perform’d it as a good a Work for others t But ft- ting at the Table y he propos’d the fame Teftanient, and exhibited a fign to every one of them. Thc(e are tliere- fore the words of Chrift', This the example, by which nov/at laftonly ILutiJEChimfelf clearly fees Mafs, nei- ther to be a Sacrifice nor Offering. ’Tis a wonder that of lo many Holy Fathers, of fb many Eyes which have read the in the fo for many Ages, that none was ever lb quick-fighted, to as perceive a thing fb apparent ; and that at this pre- fent timie they arc all fo Blind, as not to difcerii what JLUtfjCL* (though he points it out with his finger,) brags fb clearly to fee himfelf. Is not ILlUfjCC rather miftaken, rk An. and thinks himfelf to fee fbmething which in reality he fees not, or endeavours to fihew us with his Finger, that which is no where to be found ? For pray what proof is that for a proof, when he undertakes to Teach , That Mafs is no Sacrifice, becaufe 'tis a Promife ; as if Promffe and were as repugnant together, as Heat and Cold ? Which reafon of his is altogether fb weak, that it feems not worthy an Anfwer. Fortlie fb many Sacri- fices oi MofesWvAws, though Figures of things to rkPrc- come, yet were they Promife s in themfelves, Promifing ^mpscftk th.e things for which they were done Not only the future of which they were Figures, but alfo Delive- ftamenc. ' ranees, Expiatio -js, Purgations, and Purifications oi the People th.en prefent, for whom they were folemnly ofier’d every year. Which thing being fb apparent, that it leaves no Pica for Ignorance, makes Ititijer s G dif- 41 Henry VlHs AJfe} ‘tion diflimulation appear altogether ridiculous ; when ar- guing that this thing cannot be done ; which not only he himfelf, but all the People know to have been io often perform’d. Now come we to the Example of Chrijl , by which Hutljcr thinks he fo vehemently op- prelfes us : Becaufe Chrtfl in his lalf S'^pper did not ufe the Sacrament for a Sacrifice , nor lias he offer’d it to his Father : out of which lie goes about to prove, That the Mafs, which ought to agree with the Example of Chrijl, by whom it was Injlituted, cannot be a Sacrifice, or Offering, If LutljCC fb rigidly Summons us to the Example of our Lords Supper, as not to permit the Priejls to do any thing that we do not read Chrijl to have done in it : Then mud: they never receive themfelves the Sacra- ment which they Confecrate : For we do not read in the Gofpely where it mentions the laft Supper of our Lord ; that our Lord himfelf receiv’d his own Body : And though fome TStoUors, and the whole Church, do hold that he did Receive it ; yet that makes nothing for who diferedits not only all the Doctors^ but the Faith of the whole Church ; and thinks not any thing to be believ’d, but what’s confirm’d by Scrip- tures, and that clearly too ; ffor fo he WTites in the Sacrament of Orders.) In which fort of Scripture, I am of opinion he will not find that Chrift Receiv’d his own Body at his laft Supper. Whence it will follow, as I have laid, That the Priejts ought not to take what they Confecrate themfelves, if He binds us fb ftribfiy to the Example of the laft Supper. But if then he al- lows that the Priefis are to Receive, becaufe the Jpo- files did fb ; and that he holds they are commanded to do what th& Jpofiles did then, not what C/^?7y? has done : Then muft they never Confecrate ; for Chrifi, and not the Apofiles did then Confecrate. Tiie matter of the feven SJC lil]i the Grace of Baptifm for a free liberty of Sinning ? Con* trary to which, is that Sentence of St. Hu’rom, which lays, That PmdinzQ. is the Table after Ship wrack But this agrees not with for he denies Sin to be the Ship-wrack of Faith, and difputes it as if that only word fhould totally deftroy all the flrength of Faith. Bur, befide ILutljCl*, who is Ignorant that a Sinner not only is not Sav’d by the only Faith of Baptifm, but alio the Baptifm will add to his Damnation ? And indeed delervedly, becaule he has offended God, from whom he had the whole Grace of Baptifm, and God exafis the more from him to whom he has given the more : Therefore fince Faith becomes dead by wicked Works, why can it not be laid, that he fuffers Ship-wrack who falls from the Grace of God, into the Hands of the Devil: From which, without Penance, he cannot efcape, or be renew’d to fuch a Condition that Bap’ tifm may be profitable to him ? Has St. Hierom writ- ten wickedly in this ? Does the whole Church follow Si .Hierom- an of the Se