The Grand Sacrilege of the Church of Rome, Chapter 11 · Section 17
SECT. XVII. The confirmation of this Argument from the custome of the Church, by the testimonies of our learned Aduersaries.
THis Argument, as all the former, may bee confirmed by the testimonies of our aduersaries themselues, who tDidacus de T…pia. … Ecclesi… primitiu… & antiquorum patru… frequens vsus suit communicandi sub vtra que specie. Aestius.giuegive sufficient euidence to condemne their owne Church of innouation, and manifest defection from uPrimis Eccles. temporibus Eucharistiam sub vtraque specie Communicatam esse manifestum est ex vetere historia, & scriptis omnium ferè patrum, qui testantur fideles bibere sanguinem Christ. waldenfis. …. 2. c. 93. Non aduersor Nicola… de Lyra dicenti, quòd in primitiua Ecclesia communicauit populus sub vtraque specie, &c.the Primitiue, in this their halfing the holy Sacrament. The Law saith, that custome is the best interpreter of law. And of all customes the antient, especially if they be generall, and hauehave lasted out diuers Ages, ought to beare most sway with those, that maintaine the truth of antiquitie, or antiquitie of truth. An argument drawne from an antient, general, and long continuing custome for more then one thousand yeeres, is like a threefold cable, that cannot be broken. If we may beleeue the Councels held at *Consuetudo ab Ecclesia, & sanctis patribus introducta, & di…tissimè obseruata habenda est pro lege. Conc. Constan. ses. 13.Constance and xLaudabilis est consuetud… ab …cclesia & sanctis patribus rationabi…ter introducta, & hacte…us di…tissimè obseruata est a doctoribus diuin… legis, sacraru… Scripturarum atque Ca…onum multam … babentibus: …am longo tempore commendata, pro l…ge habenda est. Concil. Basil.Basill, such a custome ought to be held for a law, and in…iolably obserued: But I inferre; The Lay-Communion in both kinds is a a1. Point, the antiquity of this custome.custome commended by antiquitie, generalitie, and duration, as hath been proued before by the testimonies of approued Writers in all Ages, and is confessed by the Romanists themselues. First, for the antiquity of this custome, I appeale to the Councell of Constance, Arboreus, Aquinas, Lyra, Carthusianus, and Ruardus Tapperus.
The yLicèt Christus post coenam instituerit, & licèt in primitiua Ecclesa receiperetur à fidelibus sub vtraque specie. &c.Councell of Constance admits vnderunder a licèt, that Christ instituted the venerable Sacrament vnderunder both kinds, and that in the Primitiue Church it was so receiued by the faithfull; yet with a non obstante, countermands Christs Institution, and the practice of the Primitiue Church: which gaue Luther iust occasion to nick-name this Councell, and for Constantiense, to call it, Non obstantiense Concilium.
zTheophisoae l. 8. cap. 11. Olim laici communicabant sub vtraque specie.Iohannes Arboreus in plaine termes confesseth, that anciently the Lay people did communicate vnderunder both kinds.
*Comment. Ioh. 6. Secundùm antiquae Ecclesiae consu…tudinem omnes sicuti communicabant corpore; ita communicabant & sanguine.Thomas Aquinas is a contest to Arboreus, auerring, that according to the ancient custome of the Church, all those that were partakers of the communion of Christs body, were partakers also of the communion of his blood.
aIn primitiuâ Ecclesia hoc fiebat: sed nunc aliter est ordinatum. Comment. in▪ 6. Iob.Dionys. Carthusianus speakes Aquinas his words after him: It was so done indeed in the Primitiue Church, but now the Church hath ordered otherwise.
bLyr. in 1. Cor. Fit hic mentio de duplici specie. Nam in primitiua Ecclesia sic dabatur fidelibus.Lyra harpes vponupon the same string: Here is mention of both kinds: for so the Sacrament was rereceiued of the faithfull in the Primitiue Church.
Aestius, that famous Sorbonist, vponupon the Sentences, lib. 4. handling this question, professedly saith, that it is manifest out of antient histories, and the writing of almost all the ancient Fathers; qui testantur fideles bibere sanguinem Christi, that the Eucharist was communicated to the people in both kinds.
Ruardus Tapperus speakes rather like a Protestant, then a Papist in this point. For he professeth, that it were more conuenient, the Communion were administred vnderunder both kinds, then vnderunder one alone: and that the Communion vnderunder both kinds is more agreeable to the Institution, and fulnesse thereof, and to the example of Christ, and to the Fathers of the Primitiue Church. Arti…. 15.
Eccius, though dEnchiridij cap. 10. fatemur hunc vsum fuisse in primitiua Ecclesia. The second point: The generality of this custome.in short and briefe tearmes, yet comes home to the question, saying; Wee confesse it was the vse in the Primitiue Church to administer in both kinds to the Laiety. For the generalitie of this custome, if antient Records had failed vsus, wee hauehave enough in the writings of moderne Papists to conuince the denyers therof. Suarez saith somewhat to this point; Slotanus presumes further, and saith more; and Salmeron goes beyond him, and saith enough; and yet Alphonsus exceedes him, and saith more then enough.
Suarez: eDisput. 71. sect. 1. Solebat christianus populus frequenter sub vtraque specie communicare.The Christian people were w…t frequently to communicate vnderunder both kinds. Frequently they might communicate, yet but in few places. There fSlot. ap… ▪ D…. … lib. 8. c. 11. Haud diffite…ur … consuetudinem illo sempore, & subsequentibus ad tempu… in …, &c.Slotanus addes We doe not deny, that the custome of communicating in both kinds was obserued in very many Churches, and continued so not onelyonly in the time of persecution and martyrdome, but also in the peaceable daies of the Church. This custome might be in very many Churches, yet not generall; therefore gSalm. tract. 35. Ingenuè & aperté confitemur, morem generalem extitisse communicandi etiam laicos sub vtraque specie.Salmeron addes further; We doe ingeniously and openly confesse, that it was a generall custome to giuegive the Communion to the Laiety in both kinds, as the manner is at this day among the Greekes, and was in antient time among the Corinthians, and in Africa. Generall the custome might be, yet not vniuersall without exception, and in all places. Therefore to put the matter out of all question, Alphonsus a Castro addes yet further; hAlphons. aduersus hereses. Olim per multa secula apud omnes Catholicos vsitatum esse, ex multorum sanctorum scripturis didiscimus.We beleeue, it is not against Christs Institution, to giuegive the Communion to the Layetie in both kinds. For we learne out of the writings of many Saints, that in old time this was the practise for many ages amongst all Catholikes. For the continuance of this custome, which was the last point, what more pregnant testimonies can we desire, then these following of iTolet. in 6. Ioh. Antiqua consuetudo a temporibus Apostolorum fuit in Ecclesia sub utraque specie communicandi. In hac assertione nulla …st controuersia.Cassander, Soto and Gregory de Valentia? Cassander and Tapperus witnesseth for one thousand yeeres in these words: kCass. art. 221. Orientalis Christi Ecclesia in hunc vsque diem, Occidentalis verò, siue Romana, mille amplius à Christo annis, vtra… que panis, & vini speciem omnibus Christi Ecclesiae membris exhibuit.Touching the administration of the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, it is euident enough, that the Easterne Church euen vntounto this day, or that the Westerne or Romane Church for one thousand yeeres after Christ and more, in the solemne and ordinary distribution of the Sacrament, deliuered both the kinds of bread and wine to all the members of Christs Church▪ which is manifest by innumerable testimonies of antient Writers, both Greeke and Latine. lTapperus. art. 15. Testimonia Communicandi sub vtraque specie multa sunt, eāque certissima: & longissimâ consuetudine hunc modum in Eccleijs Apostolicis fuisse obseruatū, testatur Dionys. Cypr. &c.Tapperus calleth it a custome of longest continuance. mSoto. art. 12. quest. 1. in dist. 12. Non modò inter haereticos, verum inter Catholicos ritus ille multo tempore inualuit, adeo vt temporibus S. Thomae nondum fuerit abolitus.Soto witnesseth thus for twelue hundred yeeres and more: not onelyonly amongst the heretikes, but also among the Catholikes, the manner of giuing the Communion to the Layetie in both kinds for a long time was of force; in somuch as it was not vtterly abolished in the dayes of Aquinas. Now Aquinas by *De Scriptor. Eccles.Bellarmines exact calculation, was borne in the yeere of our Lord 1224. and died in the yeere 1274. Betweene the birth of Aquinas and the Councell of Constance there passed 90. yeeres, which time nGreg. de Val. De legitimo vsu Eucb. cap. 8. caepit ea consuetudo in Ecclesia Latina esse generalis non multo ante tempora Concil. Constant.Greg. de Valentia after a sort giues vsus ouer and aboue: We doe not deny, saith he, that both kinds were antiently administred to the people, as appeares out of S. Paul, Cyprian, Athanasius, Hierome, and others. And truly when the contrary custome of communicating vnderunder one kind onelyonly began in some Churches, it appeares not: but it began not to bee a generall custome in the Latine Church, much before the Councell of Constance. Nor then neither. For Tapperus saith, that in some Churches they vsed both kinds, euen vntounto the Councell of Constance. Who seeth not in the frequency o Tapperus. art. 115. Quibusdam retinentibus vtramque speciem etiam vsque ad ipsum Concil. Constantiense.and pregnancy of these testimonies, out of the mouth of our aduersaries, the obseruation of pBud. de Asse Operae pr…tium est; …m veritatis animaduertere, quae … nunquam inuitis erumpit, & fall…ns inter mendacia ab audientibus demum agnoscitur: Cum interim loquentes adhuc habere se in potestate putent.Budaeus to be verified; that such is the force of truth, that she breakes out of mens mouthes against their wills, and stealing amongst lyes, is perceiued by the hearers, when the speakers think they hauehave her safe enough in their owne power.