Two Treatises Against the Papists, Article rebutted 16
The 16. article conteyneth one demande, and one chalenge.
Furthermore name any one man that is confessed on both sides by the iudgement of the world, to be holy and learned, & a member of the true Church, in what age soeuer you list sence Christes time, and proue him to hauehave bene in all articles of Faith of the Protestants meaninge.
SEeing you geue so large scope, I will name S. Paule, who I thinke is cōfessed on both sides to be holy and learned, and a member of the true Church, whome I can proue by his writinges, that in all articles of faith, he taught the same, which we beleeue. And for triall of this, because it woulde requier a whole volume, if I shoulde proue eueryevery particular article, wherein we dissent from you Papistes: If you will name an article, wherein we agree not with S. Paule, If I be not able to proue that we agree with him in the meaninge thereof, I will reuoke that article and agree with you therein.
Yea if I bring not the aduersaries them selues to acknowledge in the ende him to be wholy against their doctrine in diuers of articles of great importance, and therefore that he coulde not be of their church, I recant.
YOu shall neuer bring vsus, neither in the beginning, nor in the end to acknowledge that S. Paule is against vsus in any article of our Faith, but we agree wholy with him. Neuerthelesse I know what you meane, & will not be afraide to vtter. Forasmuch as immediatly after the Apostles time, corruption entred into the Church, which was hardly kept out, while they liued: as we maye learne by the Epistle to the Corinthians, you thinke that we dare not depende vponupon any one mans iudgement: and therein you are not deceiued: for we must depende onelyonly vppon Gods worde. But where you saye there is none but he dissenteth from vsus in diuers articles of great importance, you saye vntruely: for you are not able to proue that Iustinus Martyr, or Irenaeus, two of the most ancient authenticall writers, that the Church next vntounto the Apostles had, are against vsus, in any point of doctrine wherein we differ from you? Yet are there certaine errors in them, which neither you, nor we allow, as is touched before in the answere to the 11. article 1. deman. But they are both wholly against you in diuers articles of your doctrine, and namely in transubstantiatiō, which is one of the greatest articles of Poperie: as Irenaeus, in the 34. cap. of his 4. booke Contra haereses: Quemadmodum enim qui est a terra panis &c.. Euen as the breade▪ which is of the earth after it hath receyued the inuocation of God, is not now common breade, but the Eucharistie, or (breade of thankes geuing) consisting of two thinges earthly & heauenly, so our bodies receyuing the Eucharistie, are not now corruptible, hauing hope of resurrection. Here you see plainely, that Irenaeus affirmeth the sacrament, after consecration to consist of the earthly substance of breade: which maye better be vnderstoode, when we know that he reasoneth against such heretikes as denied the world to be made by God, saying that he woulde neuer hauehave made so great a mysterie of bread, which is a creature of the world, if the worlde had not bene made by him. Iustinus, in his second Apologie to the Emperour. foreign &c. We doe not receiue these thinges as common breade and a common cuppe but euen as Iesus Christ our Sauiour was incarnate by the worde of God and tooke vponupon him flesh and bloude for our saluation: So we are taught that this meate for which thankes is geuen by the worde of prayer from him of which our fleshe and bloude are nourished by transmutation, is the fleshe and bloude of Iesus that was incarnate. Here, he plainely affirmeth that the substance of the Sacrament is turned into the nourishment of our bodies. Therfore it remaineth still after the consecration. The other writers of later yeares, as they hauehave some errors which neither you nor we doe allow in them, so we are not afraid to confesse that they hauehave some corruption, wherby you may seeme to hauehave colour of defence for inuocation of Sainctes, prayer for the dead, and diuerse superstitious and superfluous ceremonies, yet not so addict to these, nor ioyned with such absurdities as yours are. But for the chiefe pointes of Christian Religion, and the foundation of our faith, that is, for the honour of God, the offices of Christ, Redemption, Iustification, Satisfaction, the fruites of Christ his passion, Grace, faith, workes, authoritie of God his word, authoritie of the Pope, reall presence, transubstantiation, Communion in both kindes, Images, &c. the most approued writers Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, Epiphanius, Hilarius, Chrysostomus, Ieronymus, Ambrosius, Augustinus, &c. are vtterly against you, and therfore can not be of your church. But for as much as they hold the foundation, that is Christ, though they hauehave diuerse errors & superstitions, they were doubtles, the members of the true Church of Christ, which because you are not able to disproue, reason would you should recant.