The Bee Hive of the Romish Church, Part 2 · Preface · Chapter 6
The vi. Chapter. Establishing the sufficiencie of the Sacrament vnderunder the substance of bread alone.
WE hauehave heretofore set forth, that the holie Church of Rome hath directly against the cōmandment of Christ against the vse of the Apostles, and against the long continued custome & maner of the primatiue Church commanded, That the Lay people should not receiue the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper, but vnderunder one kind only, to wit, of the bread: as it is plainly set foorth in the decree at the Councel of Constance, here before declared. But now because it shal not seeme that she hath much a do to wrest a text or twaine of the Scripture, & to bring them in to serue her turne, she doth therfore allege here manifest texts wherewith she doth set all things net, fine, and in perfect frame.
This word be…ng thus alledged … in his manuel in the … chap. of Iohn, and all whatsoeuer is betw…ne both of the drink…ng of his bloud, he hath left in the penne.To begin withall, it is written in the 6. of Iohn, This is that bread which commeth from heauen, that he which eateth thereof should not die. I am that liuing bread which came downe from heauen: if anie man eate of this bread, he shal liue for euer. And the bread that I will giuegive, is my flesh, which I will giuegive for the life of the world, &c.
Note here, now doth he meddle but with the bread (saith Eckius) Ergo the Lay people neede not the wine. That soundes as well, as if a man shoulde make this argument: Christ saith in the 15. of Iohn, I am the true vine, Iohn. 15.1.5.you are the braunches, &c. Here he speakes onelyonly of the vine, and not of the bread: Ergo the Lay people need not receiue the Sacrament vnderunder the substance of bread, but only vnderunder the substance of a vine. Is not that verie well reasoned, to catch the Heretikes in a trap? After that we read, that Christ was known in Emaus vntounto two of his disciples,Luk. 24.30.31. by breaking of bread: & there is not one word of drinking: Ergo the Lay people may not drink out of the Chalice. And if anie man thinke that Christ should not there hauehave ministred a sacrament (as the Heretikes will say) that is a lie: for our deare mother the holie church hath determined otherwise, declaring that he did minister the Sacrament two times, once at Hierusalem, for the Priests,In his manuel or …nchei…dion … communium, in the cap. of Cardinals, th…re he saith that 27 of Christs disciples were all Cardinals. at his last supper: & another time at Emaus, for the Lay people, after his resurrection. And although it is certeine, that these two disciples were Cardinals, & not Lay men, as Eckius in deede doth finely mainteine in a certein place: yet what is that to the purpose? Did you neuer see Cardinals that were no Priests? That is no newes. There are now a dayes that are but young children, & newly crept out of the shelles. And when all this is saide, there is no where written,Looke in the foresaide booke of Eckius, and vponupon other Catholikes which do found vponupon this argument. that these two disciples had shauen crownes, or the priestly character or cognisance: Ergo then must they needes be Lay people. Now thirdly, we pray thus in the Pater noster, GiueGive vsus this day our daily bread, and we do not speake of anie wine: wherfore then should the Lay people desire to drinke wine in the Communion? And although the priests thēselues sing the same wordes in their Masse, & yet notwithstanding are not content with drie bread: that cannot serue the turne. For the prrests must needes hauehave some prerogatiue, because they are the beloued children of our mother the holy Church. Fourthly, …uke in the Acts of the Apostles writeth: That those which beleeued, Act. 2.42.continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer: which streight-way after he setteth out more amplie, saying: And sold their possessions & goods, and parted them to al men, Act. 2.45.46as eueryevery man had neede. And they continued daily with one accord in the Temple, & brake bread in euerie house, and did eate their meate together with gladnes and singlenes of heart, praysing God. Out of this doth our deare mother the holie Church cō clude, That the cup ought not to be ministred vntounto the Lay people in the Supper of the Lorde, because that here is no mention made of wine, but onelyonly of bread. For although in manie other places of holy scripture, all kindes of meates and drinkes are vnderstoode vnderunder the name of bread and eating: yet that can not take place here, considering that our deare mother the holy Church hath otherwise interpreted the same. And Paul hath directly written, That all men should esteeme the Apostles and Preachers as Ministers of Christ, 1: Cor. 4.8.and disposers of the secretes of God. For out of this doth our dere mother the holie Church teach,This is set forth by brother Barnard of Luxenburgh, to this end, with the arguments following in the register of Heretikes, in the 12. part of the 4. booke. That the Priests are to be resembled to God, and are mediators betweene God and the people, and so by this meanes may freely chaunge or alter the Sacraments, as they shall thinke good. Is not this a subtile and double dealing with the Scripture? Wherefore then doe these Heretikes say, That we hauehave no scriptures wherewith to defend this our doing, whereas we bring in sacks ful of Scripture, as all men may see.
And then, touching that they will beate vsus with our owne rodde, saying, That the Church her selfe hath alwayes done otherwise, as may appeare out of the ancient fathers, Councels, and Canons, we care not a point for that: we hang that on the hatch. For all that is past and gone, the worlde is now in another state than it was then. For in those dayes, they were for the most part all readie to shedde their bloud for the christian beliefe.This is written by the foresaid Barnard Professor of diuinitie in the same place before written. And for that cause did they drinke the bloud of Christ, as the Catholike Doctours hauehave written, according to the doctrine of Cyprianus, saying, how can they shed their owne bloud for Christes sake, Cyprianus in his 3. epistle and 2. booke written to Caecilius.if they doe not drinke of Christs bloud? But now there is no more tidings of those matters: for the holy church of Rome wil not lose one drop of her bloud: considering that she hath ynough to do for the defence of the holy Catholike faith, to shed the bloud of the Lutherans and Caluinists, Psal. 72.1.like water in the streetes. And therefore it is not any more needful that the Lay people should drinke the bloud of Christ out of the Chalice vnderunder the substance of wine. They can digest it well inough rawe, as it was shed out of the bodie of Christ Iesus: yet for all that, the priests hauehave this aduantage, that they may drinke the bloud of Christ both waies. And yet is not the bloud of Christ in the Sacrament, taken quite away from the Lay people. For when they do eate the whole body, with flesh & bones, it is certeine, that they gette in the bloud wall. For the before named Bonauentura doth make mention of a certein miracle, of one which would not beleue that there was any bloud in the holy Ost,Dist. 4. quaest. 2. or singing bread, vsed in the holie Masse,Ecki…s in his Manuel or Encheiridion locorum. and sodeinly there came bloud rūning out. And likewise Alexander de Ales doth declare, that vpō a time when the people would hauehave receiued the Sacrament vnderunder both kindes, there was sodenlie before them a platter full of bloud, whereof the good deuoute people being meruellously abashed, were glad to content them selues with the one. And that the bloud (vndoubtedlie) is with the bodie, we hauehave here before by manie other miracles declared, sufficientlie proued. Therefore hauehave the Laie people no occasion to complaine, as though the bloud of Christ were denied them: for euen the Priestes them selues are contented with one kinde, on the good Fridaie next after the shire Thursday,Eckius and Barnardus in the places before spoken of and named. when they hauehave had their sops in good Bastard or Romnay. For then the next day, being good. Friday, they sing a drie Masse, and keepe a Mouses banket, as well as the Laie people doe at Easter.A drie Masse on good Friday Before time likewise, in the Iewish church the Laie people had no parte of the drinke offerings, but the Priestes onelie. For although that Chrysostome saith, In the 18. Homil. or sermon vponupon the 2. Epist. to the Corinthians.touching this matter, that this is now changed, and that in this Sacrament the Laie people must enioye the like meate and drinke as the Priestes doe, Chrysostomus.so as nowe the one hath no more aduantage than the other, as they had in the olde Lawe: yet can not the saying of Chrysostome anie thing serue in this place. For against Chrysostome wil we set Brother Barnard of Luxenburgh, professour in Theologie, and Iohn Eckius, with all other good Catholike writers of our time, who hauehave otherwise written and determined of this matter. And as touching that which the Huguenotes do alledge out of Paule: yea, out of Iesus Christ him selfe, saying, That Paule did command all christen people, to do according as Christ had ordeined, and as Christ had saide: Drinke all of this: We do answere to that, That this was onelie a simple permission, This is the answer of the before written Barnardus brought vponupon this placeand not a speciall commandement: as he saith in another place: Destroie this temple, and I will builde it vp againe within three dayes: for that is no commaundement, but onelyonly a permission, as if he said: If it be so in deede, that you will destroie this temple of my bodie, I will not forbidde you, but I will builde him vp againe, &c. In like manner doeth our mother the h…lie Church saie, that these woordes, Drinke you all of this: And, As often as you drinke this, you shall declare the death of the Lord: Those wordes are thus to be vnderstoode, as though he had said: I doe not will you Laie people to doe so, but the Priestes onelie: notwithstanding, if you will doe it, and that the Priestes are contented withall, I will not then bee against it. Thus you see the game is won. Nowe let vsus to an other matter, tending to the like ende.