The Bee Hive of the Romish Church, Part 2 · Preface · Chapter 5
The v. Chapter. Treating of the great st…ife and difference which is a…mongst the Romishe Doctours, concerning the words of the Sacrament: and yet all they agree and stande fast touching the Transubstantiation. Herein are likewise set forth some textes of Scripture, whereby Transubstantiation is established.
IT is verie true, that our Catholike Doctours and subtile maisters of Diuinitie,Difference among the Catholike Doctors touching the Sacrament▪ can not (euen they them selues) finde anie good resolution of these words, neither can make them serue the turne well, touching their Transubstantiation, but that there doeth alway fall great difficultie and disorder therin. The bookes sticke out in eueryevery side like a spindle in a bagge: in so much that they snarre and iarre amongst themselues in this matter,Of the great trouble and disagreement among the catholike Doctours, as touching the wordes of the Consecration, reade Syluester Pri…rias in his golden Rose▪ in tract. 2. di… pa…asceues. like dogges & cattes: yea, Quot capita, tot sensus: How many heads, so manie opinions. And yet notwithstāding, they all ioyntly crie together, This is my bodie. The text is cleare, and needes no glosse: yea, they cleaue as close to Transubstantiation, as claye to the cart wheele. Although they can not tell which way to frame this plaine text. For to begin withal, they all flatly flie from that which was concluded in the foresaid Councell of Rome, that is, That the verie bodie of Christ shuld be Sensualiter, that is to say, Sensiblie, and visiblie eaten, and with the teeth chewed in morsels. For to that they all affirme flatlie, No: and that it is a false lie, notwithstanding it is set out in the Decrees verie substantially. For (say they) the bodie of Christ can no more bee bitten, eaten, nor digested: he can not now die nor suffer anie more, nor bee broken in pieces: he doth liue eternally. Which is apparant by this token, that yeerelie vponupon Corpus Christi day, our deare mother the holie church doeth in her vsuall Hymne or Sacramental Carroll sing these words folowing:
Sub diuersis speciebus,
Signis tantùm & non rebus▪
Latent res eximiae:
Caro cibus, sanguis potus,
Manet homo Christus totus▪
Sub vtraqué specie:
A sumente non concisus,
Non confractus nec diuisus▪
Integer accipitur:
Sumit vnus, sumunt mille,
Quantum isti, tantum ille,
Nec sumptus absumitur, &c.
That is to say:
VnderUnder signes most plaine to see,
Substance none which seeme to be,
Things lie hid most excellent:
The flesh is meate, the bloud is wine▪
A perfect Christ in either signe,
Remaineth of the Sacrament.
He is not dealt in morsels small,
Diuided, cutte, nor hurt at all,
But whole he is receiued:
A thousand taste, a thousand eate,
And all alike feede of one meate,
He wastes not though digested.
Nowe see here, thus do they deface their owne Councels and Decrees, and make al the holie Fathers of the Councel of Rome liers. After this, come in Scotus and Innocentius the fourth, and they will defend (a Gods name) That it consisteth not in the fiue wordes, to hang the vell about the cattes necke: but that it is much rather done through the benediction or blessing that goeth before. So as the Transubstantiation and verie changing doeth not proceede through these wordes, Hoc est corpus meum, This is my bodie: but through the benediction or blessing which went before.
Petrus de Aliaco vponupon the 4. … of Sen…. qu…. 5.And Peter de Aliaco saith likewise verie plainlie, That if it were so, that the consecration should be by vertue of these fiue wordes (as the holie Church of Rome doeth say and beleeue) then should not Christ Iesus hauehave spoken the truth, when he said: This is my bodie: considering that it was not yet his bodie, but must first become his bodie. The other are earnestlie against this.Armacanu… in the 9. boke ca. 5 Nowe Armacanus verie willing to please both parties, saieth, that they both hauehave reason, namelie, That our Lorde should not hauehave spoken the trueth, and yet that it should be euen so as he had spoken and said. Occam in his Quodlibet questions, hath found out wonderfull sharpewittie testimonies and authorities, which a blinde man should hardlie hauehave sene without a paire of spectacles: for he saith, That when Christ said: This is my bodie, he ment then to speake the same of his bodie: yet notwithstanding vponupon certeine exceptions & conditions, to wit, That the Priest which should vtter and speake such wordes after him, as soone as he had said the first pretie word (This) should then immediatlie vponupon a sodeine thinke vponupon two things at once: the first, This is my bodie, which now at this present shalbe secretly hid vnderunder the substance of bread, shall become mine owne bodie hereafter: the seconde, This bodie which is nowe hid vnderunder the substance of bread, that is my bodie, euen now at this present time. And this onelyonly should proue true, after he had thought vponupon these two propositions both at one instant. And it seemeth, that Armacanus was also of the same opinion. Petrus de Aliaco, hauing first verie subtilie pratled of the matter, doth notwithstāding yet at last fall out of the cart, and findeth faulte with the opinion of Scotus, grounding him selfe fast vppon this pointe and purpose, That the fiue wordes are those which make the sporte, and transubstantiateth or turneth the bread.
Alas (saith hee) it is a sentence which is not true, The explanation of Petrus de Aliaco.and yet notwithstanding it is no lie: but is neither fishe nor fleshe. In summe, it is as much to say, as, GiueGive the Doues drinke. Thom. de Aquin. 5. part, q…est. 78. article 5.Thomas de Aquino saith, That our Lord, by that first worde, Hoc, This, did not teache anie thing certeinlie: but meant to say simplie & in a grosse maner thus: That which is here vnderunder the substāce of bred, let it be what it can, it is my bodie. And whereas some will withstand this, saying, That the same is nothing else, but bread, till such time as it be transubstantiated or chaunged, vntounto that hee answereth, Not so. For this sentence (saieth hee) is not fullie concluded, till the last syllable, to witte, Vm, be pronounced. Vm, the last syllable of these fiue words, Hoc est corpus me…mAnd therefore no iudgement can be geuen of the veritie or falsitie, till such time as the fiue woordes be fullie pronounced. For then is the matter first cleare, and the bread perfectlie chaunged into the bodie of Christ.
Richardus de sancto Amore saieth,In his booke of the Trinitie. That these wordes, This is my bodie, is iust as much as to say thus, The thing, whereinto this bread and wine shall bee chaunged, is my bodie. Other againe will saie, that Christ did not by this worde Hoc, This, meane the bread: but simplie, the accidentes or qualities of the bread, to witte, The whitenesse, The thicknesse, & The roundnesse: and that these words, This is my bodie, is as much to say, as, My bodie is here hidde vnderunder the accidentes or qualities of the bread.
The holie Bishop Durandus is of another opinion, namelie,Durandus, reade the 16. chap. of the second part That Iesus Christ did once consecrate, by his secret power, which is hidde and vnkowen vntounto vsus, and not by power of these woordes. But yet should hee (notwithstanding) after that hauehave set foorth by the fiue wordes, the fourme and manner that men should vse to plaie this parte of Transubstantiation after him. In so much that the Priestes should nowe consecrate by an other power and vertue, than Christ Iesus did.
Contrarie to this, Comestor is of opiniō,Comestor▪ That Christ consecrated with the same words, but that he did first whisper them out secretlie betweene the teeth, and so changed the bread into his bodie, & the wine into his bloud, which being done, he spake the same wordes alowde to his Apostles.
Nowe let see what good Beere you can brewe of this, and ioyne al these wise heads together, to trie which of them is the wisest of all, and who hath shotte downe the Popingaie. Truelie, for my parte, I beleeue neuer a one of them all. For the Catholike Doctours of our time, hauehave bene forced nowe againe a freshe to fetch out of a corner, other newe, and vengeance wise fetches and strange trickes wherewith to mainteine the matter and make it good against these Heretikes: and yet are not at this present agreed amongst them selues: neither can they tell wherevpon to settle & ground them selues.Bishop Gardiner of VVinche…ter. For that good Gardiner (a Goliah amongst the Catholikes) did set forth a great booke vppon this matter, & hath found out manie quickwittie resons, saying, That our Lorde, when hee spake these woordes▪ did meane a thing which is not to be found: and he doeth name it, Indiuiduum vagum, that is to say, A litle incomprehensible winde, or moth, which flieth hence awaye in the aire. In summe, it is euen as much as a litle nothing, hanging by a small silke thred. And then hee saieth further, That this worde, Hoc, must bee vnderstoode of such an Indiuiduum vagum, or flying moth.
I beleeue verelie, that hee hath drawne this out of Democritus well, who saieth, That trueth lay buried in a deepe hole: and so in the meane space doth teache for a veritie, That there are manie litle wauering things, alwayes shaking and flying in the aire, which he doeth call in Greeke Atomi, signifying Indiuiduum, or Insecabile in Latin. And out of these flying or wild vesekens shuld the world, by operatiō of it selfe, be made and brought together. Which fantasie that good man Epicurus, and all Epicuristes hauehave likewise followed, and stoutlie defended. And euen so will our Gardiner likewise mainteine, That this holie breadgod should bee made of an Indiuiduum vagum, Gods bread made of an Indiuiduum vagum or wild vesekenand that Christ knewe well to speake of that matter: although the Bakers might verie well protest against that, and say, That they hauehave made it of good wheate meale: yea, of the finest wheate flower with dogges grease, and not of a wild veseken, which is no where to be found. But Iohannes de Louanio, that woorthie and profounde learned Magister noster, Iohannes de Louanio.who hath so long caried the wisedome of Louen in his head, that in the ende his braine did waxe feeble, and he starke madde, that man in his booke which hee did write vppon this matter, saieth, That herein chaunced a great miracle, to witte, that the bread is no more bread: but that there doeth remaine onelie the qualities of the bread hanging in the aire, without grounde or bottome, as if a Cow should hang vponupon a cherie tree: and that yet likewise there remaines amongst these qualities a perfect substance of bread: so that it is still bread, and yet notwithstanding it is no bread.
In summe, you shall finde as manie peares as plummes. Yea, is no: and No is yea. Chickens eate haie, and with them horse turdes and good sweete figges are all one.
There are manie both hie and lowe speculations, amongest our Doctours, who yet trauell continuallie (like Asses) to vndo this knotte, and yet can not bring it to passe: For the deeper they wade in the matter, the more they are wrapped and entangled therein. For they perceiue verie well, that it will not come to anie good perfection, so that the bread should become the verie bodie of Christ: for that then it must needes followe, That the bread died for vsus, and that a dead and liuelesse creature should be our God and Sauiour: and yet would they verie faine bring the matter to passe, so that they would seeme to sticke to the word of God: and yet for all that, mainteine and vpholde their Transubstantiation also. They do well consider, that they can not iustifie the wordes, vnlesse they do expound them sacramentallie, and figuratiuelie, as the Heretikes doe, who make no great matter of vengeance wittie questions. But our Doctours and faithfull Catholikes wil neuer come to that baite, they will rather spend both hide and haire, than they will recant & giuegive ouer their opinion: yea, it were also an eternal slaunder for our deare mother the holy church, and a meane wherby she shuld susteine to great damage. For Transubstantiation is the verie best fisheponde and shambles that belongeth to her kitchen: and therefore will shee defende that with tooth and naile, and in no wise suffer it to bee plucked out of her handes. Wherefore it is no maruell, that our Doctours had rather inuent newe miracles one vponupon another, and make newe and straunge glosses neuer hearde of before: yea, turne all topsie turuie, neither touching the heauen, nor the earth, and brall and chide one against another like whoores, knaues, and cutpurses, than they would consent and agree to doe such a spitefull displeasure to their entirelie beloued mother the holy Church of Rome, as to ioyne with the Heretikes, her mortall enimies, to fetch out of Paule, or out of the old Fathers, a sacramentall exposition, and thereby to doe iniurie to the worthie Transubstantiation. They are yet besides this, in great difference & dissention about manie questions depending vpō the same matter:These questions you shall hauehave in the wri…ters of the Sen…en. vponupon the 1. & 2. cap. of the 12. dist. & vponupon the 1. cap. of the 13 dist. in the 4 booke of the Sentences. for they cannot conceiue whervpon the qualities of the bread are founded or grounded, considering that it is no more bread: & then, that it cannot be said, that the bodie of Christ it self shuld be round, white, sauour, & weigh, as bred: then, whether this weight, this roundnesse, and this colour remaine hanging in the aire without anie prop, or that they are cleane consumed, or where they remaine? Item, when the offertorie or Oste is broken, what is there broken, whether the accidents and substance of the breade, or the verie bodie of Christ it selfe? Item, whether this transubstantiated body is so quickly gone,Whether a rat or a mouse do eate the bodie of Christ. when there commeth a Mouse or a Ratte to gnawe vponupon it, or when Mothes or wormes do breede in it? Thereof they dispute a pace, whether the substance of the bread doeth then, with his accidentes and qualities, get him home againe, or that the Rattes or Mice do gnaw vponupon nothing else, but onelyonly vponupon the accidents and qualities, without touching the bread. It is verie true, that the maister of the Sentences did leaue off this point very slenderly. For these are his wordes:
Verelie it may well be said, that vnreasonable beastes do not eate the bodie of Christ, although it seemeth they doe so: In the booke of Sentences the 1. chap. dist. 11.but then, what is it that the Mouse taketh, or what is it that shee eateth? That doth God knowe.
Yet notwithstanding, those other doctours, which hauehave written vponupon the booke of Sentences, are not therwithall satisfied, but will yet hauehave a further consideration of the matter: especially considering, that the glosse of Henricus de Vrimaria, A mouse and a sinner in the 1. chap. of the 9. dist. in the 4. booke of the Sentences.written vponupon that text, saieth thus: That the mouth of a Mouse is not so vncleane, as the mouth of a sinner, And all they generally doe teache, that the sinners doe without doubt eate the verie bodie of Christ: Ergo Potlid.
Nowe besides this, yet can they not agree amongest themselues, to knowe whether all the woordes which they of themselues hauehave added, which are not written by the Euangelistes, doe serue necessarily to the Transubstantiation, or no? For Thomas de Aquino, will stoutely defende, That they are most necessarie therevnto, and that without them the Tarte cannot bee well baked. Now against this, Bonauentura, and maister Henricus de Gandauo, with diuerse other, writing vponupon the fourth Booke of the Sentences, say that these wordes serue onelyonly to beautifie and set foorth the other for comelinesse sake: but it is needlesse for Scotus to write his opinion, considering that it cannot bee certeinly knowne, whether they bee verie needfull or no. And yet notwithstanding, he doth conclude, that the Priest is bounde to say them, neither more nor lesse, than as if they were most necessarie to the framing or making of the Transubstantiation. And Guido de monte Rocherii, doeth flatly confesse, That he knowes not what to say to the matter.
Then further they are in contention,Wine with water transubstantiated. whether the water which they doe mingle with the wine in the Chalice, is first chaunged into wine, and after that into bloud: so that there shoulde be two transubstantiations at once? Or that it is incontinent and by and by turned into bloud, as well as the wine? And if it become bloud, as appeareth it shoulde, by the example of the two Gosseps, of whome I spake before, by what power that can bee so, seeing Christ did not meddle with anie water, nor the Euangelistes doe not write anie thing thereof? And then, if the Priest shoulde putte more water into it, than wine, (whiche they doe not gladly,This question you shal hauehave in the writers of the Sentences, in the 5. chap. the 11. dist. in the 4. booke. or willingly:) whether then the Transubstantiation shoulde take full effect, or that it would stay, for doubt of drowning in the water?
Item, if by chance, after that the wine be consecrated, & turned into bloud, one should put into the Chalice as much wine more, whether then the first wine shoulde bee no more bloud, but become wine again, or that it should be bloud and wine mingled together: either that it shoulde all together bee turned into bloud? Item, whether a Priest may say and serue Masse with vinegre, or veriuce, or with must, or whether for neede with beere: and whether that the beere (after the fiue wordes spoken,Looke in the booke called Encheiridion sacerdotum, in the 3. chap. de sacramento Euchar. and all parts of the transubstantiation well plaid) could doe his office as well as the wine, and leape soudeinly out of one substance into another? Item, if there were thirtene or fourtene Offertories, Ostes, or singing cakes, laid vponupon the altar, and that the priest could tell no better than my maide, and so tolde but twelue, and vppon that intent doe pronounce the fiue wordes, thinking that there were but twelue: then whether all the thirtene should be consecrated and transubstantiated: considering that the intent and meaning of the Priest, is wholie necessarie to the transubstantiation: or that neuer one of them should be transubstantiated, cōsidering that the one hath as much vantage as the other, and not any one of them more base or bastard than an other, seeing that they all did heare and vnderstand the wordes of the Transubstantiation indifferently, one as well as another.
There are yet (besides these) manie other like difficulties, sufficient to make deuout catholike men to doubt, touching this foresaid article of transubstantiation: for (I assure you) they trouble the heades euen of our masters of Louen, and are oftimes occasion that they must drinke two or three quartes of wine the more, and sometimes be so dronke, that they fall from the benche, and catch a redde nose: yea, and sometime that they dispute the haire from their heads, through the great zeale wherewith they are warmed, whereby they often fall into dronken diseases, and sometime into Plurisies, whereof diuerse times they die: and so the Church of Rome doth faile of her best pillars. And yet for all this, as concerning the highest and most principall article of transubstantiation, they al danse after one pipe, and agree as well in one, as Herode and Pilate. And as touching the rest, they remit that to God, to take care for: for after that they hauehave brought forth many cunning trickes, and deepe wittie speculations, and bralled about those a long time, and in vtramque partem, that is to say, pro & cō tra, to and fro, hauehave reasoned on both sides verie Magistraliter, that is, Maisterly in deed. In the end they make this cōclusion: Sed quomodo hoc fit, In the 4. booke of the sentences in the before named dist.nescio, Deus scit: that is, I cannot tell what to say to the matter, I cannot conceiue how that may come to passe, God knoweth all: And yet notwithstanding, they doe alway conclude this to be an article of the faith, whereof no man must doubt. For our deare mother the holy Church will hauehave it so. And yet in the meane space, for the better stay of deuout cō sciences, & somthing to establish these great doubts, they hauehave ioyntly found out a newe practise to prop vp their generall building of Transubstantiation, to wit, first a great beame which they call Concomitantiae: & then a long rib, called, The stedfast intention of the holy Church: wherewith they do so strongly prop vp this building, that not only Christs bodie,Whether a Priest being halfe dronken, & in a dream, can make the bodie of Christ, &c. but the whole Godhead may s…and vponupon it without falling. And if it were so, that the priest did dreame, & had no regard to his Masse: yet hauehave they a remedie for that. For the good intent of the holie Church is so sure and vnremoueable, that the intent of the Priest is not greatly to be accounted of, but may well inough go walk abrode, and see if there be anie good cheare toward, and that his maid keepe good rule at home, which is a iolly matter. For otherwise, if the priest were yet half dronke with good cheare the eeuen before, or that his maid had chafed him, or that but only a flie did come & sit vponupon his nose, he might perhaps therby forget his good intent, euen as he was speaking the holy wordes, and then should not that bread bec…me a God: which were a perilous matter. For the simple people should then pray to a peece of bread, in place of their God & creator. Therefore cō meth the holy Church now in for a helpe, & doth set forth for a perfit article of our faith, that it is likewise sufficient for euerie one to beleue, whatsoeuer the Church beleues, although they know not what it is.Guido de monte Rocherii. And again it is sufficient that the holy church hauehave generally a perfite determination, that wheresoeuer Masse is don, there is the bred changed into God, although it were so that the priest did thinke onelyonly vponupon his maid, or on his kitchen. In summe, there is not a hole, but the hellish Church hath a peg to stop it withall, she can turne euerie thing to the best: so that there is no more difficultie. And if the Doctours and Licentiates, doe chide and brall among themselues, that makes no great matter: we ought to commit all these weightie causes, to the iudgement of the holie Catholike Church, and must simplie and ioyntly beleeue, That as soone as the fiue wordes are spoken, that which the Priest hath in his handes is turned into God, let it then be what it will, either verie bread, or the accidents of bread, or an Indiuiduum vagum, that is, a wilde veseken. That is no matter at all to vsus, it is sufficient that wee knowe it is our God, which we must pray vntounto in the Masse. For the text is plaine: This is my bodie, there needes no glosse vponupon it. And although it be so, that all the Doctours of Louen, of Paris, and of Colen, cannot vnderstand it: yet it is sufficient for vsus, that we hauehave fetcht our transubstantiation out of it, and sette it forth irreuocably. Although we hauehave yet manie mo other plaine textes, whereby to defend it: which are verie plentifully sette forth by the worshipfull Eckius, and other worthie pillars of the holie Catholike Church: as specially that which is written in Ieremie, That when the vngodly Iewish Priests and false Prophets went about to bring Ieremie to death, because hee did earnestly condemne their vngodlinesse, they said thus one to another: Let vsus marre his bread with wood, or let vsus destroy the fruite together with the tree, & roote him out of the kingdome of the liuing. For this now hath our deare mother the holie Church turned for the best vntounto our Masse priests, as though they had holden this Counce…l together, and saide: Mittamus lignum in panem eius, Iere. 11.1…that is to say, Let vsus cast wood into his bread, vnderstanding thereby, that they will counterfeit (in their Masse) the passion & death of Iesu Christ, who suffred vponupon the crosse, with a peece of bread. And to this end doe they cause these woordes to be soung yerely in the Passion: wherevpon shee hath resolutely concluded, That the bread is chaunged into the verie bodie of Christ Iesus: as is to bee seene in the foresaid booke of Eckius, and of other stoute Champions of the Romish Church. Yea, and likewise to proue that this Transubstantiation is neither so wonderfull, nor vnnatural, as the Heretikes exclaime, that doeth Eckius teach out of the Scripture, where the diuel said to Christ:Mat. 4.3. If thou be the son of God, commande that these stones bee made bread. Consider now, is not that a plain declaration, wherto no answer is to be made? And by this it is wel to be thought, that the diuell woulde gladly hauehave had a Masse in the wildernesse, but onelyonly that it could not be for lacke of bread. And this may possibly be the cause, wherefore our mother the holie Church doth (vponupon all the altars, and in all thee bookes, where this storie is in hand and dealt withall) clothe the diuell in a friers cowle, to the end men may knowe, that he was an holie Heremit,The diuell did Masse in the wildernesse. or an Anker, which did verie deuoutly say Masse in the wildernesse, and therefore doth looke out so Masselike. But when he saw he did lacke bread, then he sought and made meanes to our Lorde, to see if he would erect a newe transubstantiation. And now, because this temptation of the diuell is in the Hebrewe tongue called Massah, (as is before rehearsed) therefore it is not to be thought vnlike,Massah is Missa. that our Masse hath thereof borrowed her name. For as Satan said: Commaunde that these stones be made bread: so say the priests in their Masse: Command that this bread be made a bodie, or flesh.
Wherein the Priestes are something more likerish, than their maister was: for that they will not bee contented with drie bread▪ but that hath his vnderstanding and meaning. Howbeit thus much it is in effect, That our dere mother the holy church, hath out of this Massah, or temptatiō of the diuell, verie strongly established her Transubstantiation.