The Relics of Rome, Part 79
Here folowe certayne Fragmentes of papistrye.
WE hauehave tofore heard, where we entreated of the Lordes supper, howe ye Pope Innocent the thyrde ordayned, that the mysterye of Christes bodye, otherwise called the sacramental bread, should be kepte in churches continuallye vnderunder locke and keye, to the entent to bee in a redinesse at all tymes: leaste, sayeth he, they that are sicke, shoulde wante ye spirituall comforte in the troublesome tyme of death.Reasons why the sacramental wine is not reserued in churches, as ye sacramentall bread is. Some curious fellowe peraduenture will here demaund why the sacramental wine is not also reserued, and hanged vp as well as y• bread, seing Christ gaue thys generall commaundemente, and sayde: Drinke ye all of thys. To thys question aunswereth Guilielmus Durandus, saying: The bloud of Christ is not reserued and kept for diuerse causes. The fyrst is, bycause wine, which is liquide, may easely thorowe negligence be spilt. The seconde is, bycause yt by the chalice, whiche is on Maundye thursdaye receaued, the ende of the olde lawe is vnderstanded. The third is, bicause ye body yt is reserued is not without bloude. The fourth is, that in ye the bloud is not reserued: it is declared, ye the olde sacrifice ought to cease. For the bread signifyeth the newe testament: but the wine signifyeth ye old testament. To make euident pr…se of this matter, the Lord, when he ha… dronke sayde: Consumatum est. It is finished. Therfore the chalice is receaued, and the bread is reserued: bycause the lawe hath now his ende, & the Gospel hath his beginning. The fift cause is, bycause Christ at the Lordes supper sayd: Uerely I say vntounto you, I wil not from henceforth drinke any more of this frute of the Uine, til I drinke that newe in the kingdome of my father. He spake not of the body, or of eatyng. Yea we fynde, that afterwarde he dyd eate part of the broyled fyshe, and also of the hony combe: but we do not finde that he euer dronke after, Durandus, in Rat. di. off. Lib. 6. Cap. 79.
No bodye or Corps ought to be buried in the Churche,Buriall. or nigh vntounto the place, where the body and bloud of the Lorde is made, but the bodyes of holye fathers, whiche are called Patroni, that is to saye, defenders, whiche thorowe theyr worthye and noble actes defende all the countreye: Agayne, Byshops, and Abbottes, and worthye Priestes, and laye men whiche be of most highe holynesse. As for all other, they oughte to be buryed aboute the churche, as in the yarde, or in the porch, or in ye voltes and suche lyke places as are nigh vntounto the Churche. Durandus. in Ratio. di. off. Lib. 1.
When any Churche is to be halowed:The order of halowing churches. thys order muste be obserued. Fyrst all the people muste departe out of the Church, and the Deacon must remaine there onelyonly, hauyng all the doores shut faste vntounto hym. The Byshop with the Clergye shall stande withoute before the Churche doore, and make holy water mingled with salt. In the meane season within the churche there muste be set vp .xii. candles brennyng before xii. crosses, that are appoynted vppon the churche walles. Afterwarde the bishop accompanied with the Clergye & people, shall goe thrice aboute the church without, and the bishop hauing in hys hande a staffe with a bunche of Ysope on the ende, shall with the same cast holy water vponupon ye church walles: and at eueryevery time the bishop shal come vntounto ye church dore & strike ye threshold therof with his Crossierstaffe and say. Tollite portas Principes vestras, et eleuami…i portae aeternales, et introibit Rex gloriae. That is, Lifte vp your gates, O ye Princes, and be ye lyfte vp O ye euerlasting gates, & the King of glorye shal enter in. Then shal the Deacon or minister that is within, saye: Quis est iste Rex gloriae? That is: Who is thys king of glorye? To whom the Byshop shall aunswere, and saye: Dominus fortis et potens: Dominus potens in praelio. That is: It is the Lord strong and mightie, euē ye Lord mightye in battayle. At ye third time the Deacon shall open the church doore, and the Byshop shall enter into the churche accompanied with a fewe ministers, the clergye and the people abiding still without. Entring into the church, the Byshop shall saye: Pax hui… domui. That is: Peace be vntounto thys house. And afterward the Bishop with them yt are in the church shall saye the Letanye. These thynges done, there must be made in the pauemente of the church a crosse of ashes and sand, wherin ye whole Alphabete or Christs crosse shall be written in Greeke and Latin letters. After these things the Bishop must halow an other water with salt, and ashes, and wine: and consecrate ye altare. Afterwarde the twelue crosses yt are paynted vponupon the church walles, the Byshop must annoynt them with chrisme, cōmōly called, Creame. These thinges once done, the clergye and the people may frely come into the church, ring the bells for ioye, &c. Ibidem.
Holy water proprely euen of her own vertue hath power and strength to expell and put out deuills.The vertue of holy water. And therefore it is sayde in the coniuration thereof: That it maye be made a coniured and be witched water to chase awaye all the power of thee nemye, yea to plucke vp that same enemye euen by the verye rootes, &c. Ibidem.
The manner and order of consecrating or halowing altars,The order of halowing altares. is this. First the byshop muste beginne, Deus in adiutorium meum intende. Secondly, he shall make holy water, Thyrdly at ye foure corners of ye altare he shal make foure crosses with holy water. Fourthly, the Byshop shall goe seuen tymes aboute the altare: and seuen tymes he shall washe the table of the altare, or altare stone with holy water, hauyng ye holy water sprinckle made of Ysope. The churche also shall be sprinckled agayne with holy water: and whatsoeuer holy water doth afterwarde remaine, shall bee poured out beneath at the altare. Fiftlye in the foure corners of the Sepulchre, wherein ye Reliques are laide, the Byshop shall make foure crosses with ye creame: and ye Reliques shall be layde vp in a bagge with three graines of Franckencense, and put agayne in the Sepulchre. Then shall there be made in the middes of the Sepulchre, a table with the signe of the crosse. Sixtly, the stone, which is called the table, shall be made mete, and laide vppon the altare: and being so made mete, the Byshop shal annoynt it with oyle in fiue places: and lykewise shall he afterward doe wt the Creame, as it is sayd of ye oyle. The Byshop also shal confyrme the altare in the forehead or forefronte with a crosse of creame: and shal burne franckensence vponupon the altare in fiue places. Afteral these things be done, ye altare shal be couered with fayre clothes: And the priest may now lawfully sing masse vponupon it, when he will. Ibidem.
The Apostolike See, as Anacletus the Pope sayeth,The popes power. is the heade and the hanggell (Cardo) of all other Sees. For as the doore is gouerned by the hanggell: so are all churches gouerned and ruled by the authoritye of that See. And therfore thei are called Cardinalls, bycause yt by thē the whole churche is gouerned, sicut ostium per cardinem, as ye doore by the hanggel. The prelate of ye see is called Papa, yt is, father of fathers, namely, the vniuersall bishop: for he is the prince, lorde and ruler of the whole church vniuersal. And he is called Apostolicus, bicause he occupieth ye roume of the prince of ye Apostle. (Peter). He is also called Summus Pontifex ye highest bishop, bicause he is ye head of al bishops, frō whō thei, as membres frō the head, descend: and al receaue of his fulnesse, euen so many as he calleth in partem solicitudinis, non in plenitudinem potestatis into part of the carefull trauayle, but not into the fulnesse of power. He is ye Melchizedech, whose priesthoode farre excelleth al other.The pope is Melchizedech. Guili. Durand. In R at. di. off. Lib. 2.
In the administration of the Sacramentes, some, spiritual sanctification is geuen, thorow the blessing or cō secration of the garmentes, of the water, and such like. Ibidem.
Priestes when they are ordered, take of ye byshops hand a chalice with wine in it, & a paften with the hoste, or singing cake, yt by these instrumentes they may know, yt thei hauehave receaued power to offer vp vntounto God propiciatorye sacrifices, euen the bodye and bloude of Christ. In consideration wherof, when the byshop geueth these thinges vntounto them, he saith: Take power to offer sacrifice vntounto God and to singmasse both for the quicke and the dead in the name of our Lorde.
There is great difference betwene byshops and priestes. For albeit there are six things, which cōmonly pertaine vntounto all priests, yt is to say, to catechise or teach, or baptise, to preache, to make gods bodye, to losen and to bynde: yet belong there specially vntounto the bishop nine things: yt is to say, to order clerks to blesse virgins, to consecrate bishops to laye on handes, to halowe churches, to put down them yt ar to be degraded, to celebrate sinodes, to make crisme, to halowe vestmentes or vessels. There are other things also, which appertain vntounto ye office of a bishop, as to cōfyrme children, to geue the solemne blessing before the Paxe, & suche lyke. Ibidem.
When the priest pronounceth these wordes of Christ, Hoc est corpus meum. Hic est sanguis meus. This is my body. This is bloude: the bread and wine are conuerted and tourned into fleshe & bloud, with ye power of the word wherwith ye word was made flesh,Ioan, i, Psa, cxlviii▪ Gene, xix, Exod. vii, Ioan, ii▪ & dwelled amōg vsus: wherwith he spake, & it was done: he cōmaunded, & they wer made: wherwith he chaunged a woman into a pillar of salt, & turned a rod into a serpent: wherwith he chaunged the fountaines into bloud, & turned ye water into wine For if the word of Helias could bring downe fyre from heauen: shall not the word of Christ thē be able to chaunge bread into flesh? Uerely it is a greater thing of nothing to make yt is not, thā to chaunge yt, which already is, into an other thing. Yea it is a greater thing without al comparison, yt God is made man, and yet continueth still God, thā the bread is so made fleshe yt it ceaseth to be bread. That was once done by incarnation: but this is continually done by consecratiō. At ye pronoūcing therefore of the wordes of ye bread is by the mighty power of god transsubstantiated & chaūged into ye substance of flesh. The deuine & materiall substance of this sacrifice is ye word, whiche ioyned vntounto ye element, maketh a sacramente, as ye word vnited to flesh maketh christ mā.Miracles. This man for lacke of scripture to proue hys popysh trā substantiation, fleeth to carnall reasons & fleshly similitudes, as al other papistes doe. For it is to be noted, yt in the body of christ (he speaketh of the sacrament) xi. miracles are considered, of ye whiche no euidente reason can be rendred and shewed, although reasons made by similitudes may serue for this purpose. The fyrst is, ye bread & wine are turned into the substance into ye body & bloud of Christ: wherof we alredy shewed certayn reasons. An other reason also serueth for this purpose. For both corporall meate & drinke is made fleshe and bloud by the meanes of nature, It followeth therfore much more stronglye, yt the self nature, yt is to saye, God is able immediatly to make, ye bread should be tourned into hys bodye, and ye wine into hys bloud.A wise reason and a cupstantial. The second miracle is, yt the bread is daily transsubstantiated into the bodye of God, & yet there is no augmentation or increasing in God. Reason proueth this thing to be true. For al though I know any secret matter, which I publish to many: although al they thorowe my declaration know it: yet in me alone or in my mynd there is neuer the more augmentation for al this. The thyrde miracle is, yt the body of God is dayly receaued and eaten, & yet is there made no dimunicion or lesing therof. The reason. If a thousand candles be lighted at my candle, yet is there neuer the lesse light in my candle The widowe of Sarepta also did eate & yet was there neuer the lesse meale in her pot nor oyle in her pytcher.4, Reg. iiii. The fourth miracle is, yt the thyng which is indiuisible and can not bee deuided, is notwithstanding deuided & remayneth whole & perfect in eueryevery part of ye sacrament. This is proued by reasō. In a glasse, wherin any thing is represented & shewed, although it be deuided by parts, yet in eueryevery one of thē is ye same thing represented. The fift miracle is, yt the body of God taken & receaued of the wicked, is not defiled. The reasō is this. For neither is the sunne shining vpō fylthy places defiled, or made anye thing yt worse. The sixt miracle is, yt the body of Christ, which is the meate of life, bringeth death to sinners. Reasō proueth this to be true. For those meats, which ar good & wholesome, as capons & good wine are hurtfull to thē yt are sicke & feble in body. The seuenth miracle is, yt the bodye of Christ being receaued of the priest, or of any other, y• mouth of the receauer being shut, is taken vp into heauē. Reasō proueth this For Christ came out of the body of the virgine vncorrupt. He rose also out of the graue being shut. Agayn, he came into the house, where ye Disciples wer gathered, the doores being shut. The eyght miracle is, yt although the body of Christ bee in comprehensible, & cannot be measured, yet it is contayned in so little an hoste. This maye be proued by this reasō. Theapple of ye eye, which is very little, comprehendeth a great thing. The ninthe miracle is, yt one & the self same whole bodye is in diuerse places,The …biqu…ty of christs bodye. and is receaued of diuerse at one time. The reason. For the word of mā also once vttered & spokē according to the nature of the voyce, is al whole together in ye eares of diuerse. Moreouer he yt made the body & the place, maketh both to be in the one, as he willeth. Agayne, the Moone & the Sunne, & the light are in diuerse places, & are seene of diuerse. The tenth miracle is, yt the bread being transubstātiated & turned into the substance of ye body of Christ, ye accidentes of the bread do remayne,The monstrous and vnreasonable doctrine of transubstantiation. Fabula sin… capite, yt is to say, the weight, ye coloure & the sauor. To shewe a reason in this behalfe by any similitude we can not. The leuenth miracle is, yt vnderunder the kinde of bread both is, & is receaued the body & bloud of Christ, yea whole Christ. Likewise vnderunder the kinde of wine is receaued both the body and bloud of Christ. The reason is thys, Although at one dinner I eate both before I drinke, & after yet am I not coūted to dine twice Durand in Rat.
If it be demaunded, what it is yt the mouse eateth when shee knaweth and byteth the sacrament: or what is consumed to ashes, when the sacrament is burnt. Pope Innocent the thyrd answereth and saith: euen as the substance of bread is miraculously turned & conuerted into the body of our Lord,An homely shifte and a soule. when it beginneth to be vnderunder ye sacrament: so likewise after a certayn manner miraculously it retourneth and commeth agayne, when the same body ceaseth to be there not yt that substance of breade cōmeth agayne, which was turned into the fleshe of Christ, but in the stead thereof an other thyng miraculouslye is made, although suche accidentes might be without a subiecte and so eaten. Guilielmus Durandus. In. Rat. di. offi. Libro. 4.
Both the good and the euil eate the bodye of Christ:Corin. xii. but the good vntounto saluation, the euell vntounto condemnation. For excepte the euill also dyd eate the body of Christ, the Apostle woulde not hauehave sayd: He yt eateth vnworthely, eateth hys owne damnation, bicause he maketh no difference of the Lordes bodye. Ibidem.
But what becommeth of the bodye of Christ, when it is receaued and eaten? It may be aunswered: That if the corporall presence bee sought, it muste bee sought in heauen, where Christ is sitting on the ryght hand of God. Notwithstanding for a tyme he dyd exhibite hys corporal presence, yt he myght prouoke & allure the Communicantes vntounto the spirituall presence. Therfore when ye sacrament is holdē, tasted, and eaten: Christ is corporally present in sight, in touching, in sauour. And so long as ye corporal sense is affected, the corporal presence is not taken away. But after y• the corporall sense in receauing fayleth: the corporall presence is no more to be soughte, but ye spirituall presence is to be retayned. For whē ye dispensation is ended, Christ goeth frō ye mouth to the heart. For it is better that he goeth forth vntounto the minde, than that he shoulde goe downe vntounto the bellye. For he is not the meate of the fleshe, but of the soule. He cōmeth to be eaten, not to be cōsumed: to be tasted, not to be incorporated. He is eaten wt the mouth, but he is not digested in the stomacke: he refresheth the minde, but he goeth not oute into the draught. Ibidem.
The host is lifted vp of the priest at masse,Why ye host is lifted vp aboue the priests head Phil, ii, Rom, x, that the people not comming before the consecratiō, but by this knowing that it is done, may fal prostrate vponupon the groūd & worship Christ, which is come doun vpō the altare, according to this saying of ye Apostle: In ye name of Iesus let eueryevery knee bow. &c. Again, that they should honour him with hart & mouth, as the apostle saith, with the hart it is beleued vntounto righteousnesse, but with the mouth confessiō is made vntounto saluation, Ibidem.
Although vnderunder the kinde of bread, ye bloude is receaued wt the body & vnderunder the kinde of wine, the body is taken wt the bloud:Amōstrous kinde of doctrine. yet after ye minde of pope Innocent the thirde, neither the bloud vnderunder the kinde of bread, nor the body vnderunder the kinde of wine, is dronken, or eaten. For as neither the bloud is eaten, nor the body dronken: so is neither of thē vnderunder the kinde of bread dronkē, or vnderunder ye kinde of wine eaten, although it may seme a matter to be graunted, yt the body in drinking, and the bloude in eating, is receaued. Ibidem
One & the same,Chebbiquity of christ… bodye. both thē & now, both here & there is sacrificed of all. He is whole in heauen, he is whole on ye altare also. He both sitteth on the ryghts hand of the father, & remaineth vnderunder the kinde of the sacrament. Ibidem.
These consecrations are made with the signe of the crosse.The signe of the crosse helpeth forward transubstātiatiō ☜ For thorow the vertue of the crosse & of the wordes, transsubstantiation of the natures (of bread and wine) is made,
As water can not be consecrated without wine, so likewise cā not wine with out water be transsubstantiated, & turned into ye substance of Christes bloud. For oute of Christes side flowed both bloud and water. Ibidem.
This is to be noted,What is to be done if gods bloud be frosen in the chalice, ye if the wine be frosen in the chalice, the priest must so long breath vponupon it, til it be molten, & the Vse disolued. If it can not be done so, let him put fyre vntounto it.
He yt hath communicated if he may conueniently and without hurting of nature,An h…e point in a lowe house. i. Corin. ii. Titus, i. he ought to abstayne frō spitting. Notwithstanding after a cōuenient time he may spit, so yt he spit there, where ye spittle may not be trodē vponupon. For a spirituall mā iudgeth al things, & he is iudged of no mā. And al things are cleane to them yt are cleane.
Sacramentes iustifye after the doctrine of the papists.This is the difference betwene ye sacramentes of the law & of the Gospell, yt the sacraments of the lawe, signified only: but the sacraments of the Gospel do both signifye and iustifye. Ibidem.
Howe the sacrament is to be eaten.The sacrament may not be chawed as other meate is, but it must be torne with the former teeth and made softe, with ye tongue discretly, moderatly and softlye, yt no percell thereof cleane to ye teeth, which paraduenture afterwarde it might chaunce to be cast out by spitting or hemmyng. Ibidem.
It is to be noted, yt whosoeuer will receaue the body of Christ, he must bee …asting from al corporall meates. For seing yt the soules ar spirituall and immortall, they ought fyrste of all to receaue the nourishments of euerlasting life. Ibidem.
The oblations of the Masse bycause of ye excellency of so great a sacrament,The masse excelleth al prayses done to god whiche is made in it, is aboue all other prayses, and it is a prayse by it self, neither is it comprehended vnderunder the nū ber of other prayers. Durand. In. Rat. di off. Lib. 5.
That blessed Uirgine is the verye Lodestarre.Mary ledeth to heauen. For if we, which ar in this world, wil prayse her worthely, she wil lede vsus vntounto the heauen of saluation. The blessed Uirgin also is to be praysed and prayed,Prayer vntounto Marye the Uirgin yt shee will make vsus that are colde, warme in charitie thorowe the Sonne Christ whome shee brought forth.
In the church nothyng is to be song or red, but yt is canonised, autorized, approued, and expressely set forth, or at ye leaste suffered of the holye Churche of Rome.
So long as we lyue in thys worlde, we are set in a slipperye place,Suffrages of saintes. and are impugned of deuills. Therefore hauehave we alwayes neede of the Suffrages, helpes, intercessions and meditations of Saintes.
To eate before the houre of eating & before masse bee ended and done inFasting. appoynted and necessary fastes: the holy Canons doe affyrme yt it is deadly sinne. Rat. di off. Lib. 6.
Crosse.The crosse, whiche is made on oure forehead, is our banner, wherwith we ouercome the deuill. For there is none other signe made, but the crosse, that in this signe alone, ye deuil knowing yt he is ouercome, may shake for feare & flee.
Although a simple priest may minister vnctions or annoylinges,Confirmation or smering of the infantes forehead, yet thys annoynting of the children in the forehead, whē thei be bishopped, none may geue, but the hie priest, yt is to saye, the Byshop▪ For it is redde of the Apostles alone, whose vicares the byshops are, yt they by the imposition of hands gaue the holy ghost.
The greate vertue of cō firmation.In the confyrmation or bishopping of children, the fulnesse of the mysterye of the whole Christen religion is made perfect. In baptisme remissiō of sinnes is geuen by the holy ghost. But here ye holy ghost is called vponupon to come, yt he may vouchesafe to come downe and inhabite ye house, which he hath sanctified. And the holy ghost is poured vponupon ye childe at ye inuocation of ye bishop. Therefore sayth Pope Vrban. By the imposition or laying on of the byshops hande, the holy ghost is geuē, whereby a faythful heart is made wide & opē to receaue wisedome & constancye, yt a mā may be a full and a perfect Christian.
The byshop in bishopping children doth two things. Fyrst he annoynteth the yong childe in ye forehead. Secondly, he striketh him on the face. The annoynting signifyeth the encrease of grace,Note. yt he shuld be bolde to take those things in hand, whiche pertayne vntounto the fayth. He striketh him on the face, to put him in remēbraunce y• he should not from henceforth bee ashamed or afrayde to confesse the name of Christ. As though the Byshop should say to ye person confyrmed: Bee so strong, valiaunt, couragious & stoute in the fayth of Christ, & in the confession of ye same, yt whosoeuer shal thus strike thee, or any otherwise seke to displease or hurte thee, bicause thou confessest the faith of Christ, thou notwithstanding be not abashed at all these thinges. For they y• are striken, are wonte to be abashed. Rat. di. off. Lib. 6.
Among all the saintes, the glorious Mother of God,Mary oure intercessour Mary ye perpetual Uirgin is the chiefe & principal. We ought at al times to hauehave her in remēbraūce, which without ceasing maketh intercession for vsus sinners vntounto her Sonne. Durand. in Rat. di, off. Lib. 7.
There be .iii. degrees of the soules departed: some are Valde bonae, maruelously good.Three degrees of soules. Some ar Valde malae, maruelously euill. Some are Mediocriter bonae, meanely good. Now note yt the suffrages, which are made in the churches for the dead, yt are maruelously good, ar thankes geuings:Soules maruelouslye good. For those …oules yt are perfectlye good when they departe frō their bodies, flye streyghtwaies vntounto heauen, neither hauehave they any neede of our helpe. For the soules yt are maruelouslye euill there are also done certayn consolations after a sort.Soules maruelously euill, For our helpes do not profit them: bicause their soules go streyghtwayes downe vntounto hel. For the soules yt ar meanely good, which are in purgatory, there are expiatorye sacrifices,Soules meanely euill. wherwith they maye be releued and holpen. For the soules yt are meanely euil, whiche are in hell, there are also propitiations or mitigations of their paines. For after the minde of Austen, whom our prayers & good dedes profyt, either they profytte them yt they may hauehave full remissiō of their sinnes, or ells yt their damnation may be the more tollerable. Ibidem.
The dead,Soules in purgatorye knowe what is done for thē in thys worlde. which are in purgatorye, knowe the suffrages that are done for them .iiii. manner of wayes. Fyrst, by diuine reuelations: that is to say, whē God doth shewe it vntounto them. Secondly, by the manifestation or shewing of the good Aungells. For the Aungells, which are here alway with vsus, & consider all our actes and deedes maye as a man would say in a trise go downe vntounto them, & tel them out of hand. Thirdly by ye declaration of the soules, which depart hence. Fourthly, by experience, as when thei seale yt they are deliuered from their paynes. Moreouer we must knowe, that the dead, whiche are maruelously euill, know not, what is done of them yt liue, but euen so much as is permitted and suffred vntounto them for to know. Likewise they that are meanely good, remaining yet in the fyre of purgatorye, which hauehave not yet the fruition and sight of God, knowe not, but euen so much as is permitted vntounto them to know by any of the aforesaid wayes But the deade, that are maruelouslye good,Soules in heauen know what is done here which already enioy the sight of Goddes Maiestye, knowe cetaynely what is here done, according to this saying of S. Gregory. Quid est quod nesciant, qui videntem omnia vident▪ That is to say. What is it yt thei know not, which set him that seeth al thinges. Ibidem.
Geue the glorye to God alone.
¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Daye dwelling ouer Aldersgate beneath saint Martins. September. 30.
¶ Cum priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis, per septennium.
End of the text · Thomas Becon, The Relics of Rome (1563)