The Relics of Rome, Part 36 – Part 48

The Relics of Rome · Part 36 – Part 48

p. 161Of Holy Bread.

THe vse among the Christians was firste of all,The communiō daylye. y^t so many as came together into the church dayly for to pray, and to heare the worde of God: the same should also dayly receaue together the holye communion of the body & bloud of Christ. But when the multitude that professed Christ began to encrease, and waxed very great, so that that order could not conueniently be obserued & kepte: the auncient fathers of Christes church made a decree, y^e all y^e Christians shuld communicate on the Sondayes together, and be no more bounde vntounto the dayly communiō,The cōmunion eueryevery Sonday. as they to fore were. And here of commeth thys sentence of S. Austen: Dayly to cōmunicate I neyther cōmende, nor discommend: but on the Sōdaies to receaue y^e communion, I would coūcell all men. Whē this receauyng of the communiō eueryevery Sonday was not done with such deuotion, sobernesse, and grauitie, as it ought to hauehave bene, but thorowe that often cō ming vntounto it much dissolution & lightnesse was shewed of diuerse people: the Elders of Christes Church thought it mete for y^t present tyme to take awaye the custome of receauing the communion eueryevery Sonday,The Communion at Easter onlye. & to appoint, that the Christians should receaue the communion together thrice in the yeare, y^t is to say, at Easter, at Witsontyde, and at the feaste of Christes natiuitie. But when this order also was not duly and reuerently obserued: it was iudged and thought mete, that the people shoulde commonly receaue the Lordes Supper but once in the yeare, that is to say, at Easter: and that in the stead therof, bicause the remembraūce of Christs passion and death should not be forgotten nor his blessed body breaking and precious bloud sheadyng fall from the remembraunce of the people,Howe the ceremonye of holye bread came firste into y^e Churche. whiche is preached, declared, and set forth to the faythful at the Lordes supper by breaking and eating the bread, and by pouring out & by drinkyng the wine: The Fathers of Christes Church instituted the ceremonies of holy bread and holy water, to put the people in remēbraūce of Christes body breakyng,☞ and bloude p. 162sheding: y^• as they see the bread, whiche is distributed eueryevery Sonday of the minister broken on many peces: so they should set before the eyes of their mind the breaking of Christs body on the altare of the Crosse for the remission of their sinnes: again, that as they see the water sprinckled abrode: so they should remēber, that Christes bloud was shed for them on the Crosse, by the effusion and sheading wherof, they be purged, clensed, and purified from al filthinesse of sinne & iniquitie, & by thys meanes addresse themselues to be thankefull to God the Father for so inestimable and excedyng greate benefites giuen vntounto them in the death of his Sonne.The significations of the ceremonies were taught the people in times past. And these ceremonies of holy bread and holy water at that tyme were not onelyonly ministred to y^e people of the Godly Pastors, but it was also euerye Sondaye preached and declared vntounto thē, what the ceremonies signified, and wherefore they were instituted of the rulers of Christes church, euē to put thē in remēbraunce of Christes body breakyng and bloud sheadyng on y^e altare of the Crosse for the remission & forgiuenesse of their sinnes. And it is not to be doubted, but the Godly Ministers in those dayes did with sorowfull hearts minister those ceremonies to the people, seyng that they for their vnthankefulnesse & dissolution of lyfe, were depriued of the holy communion of Christs body and bloud, and fedde with ceremonies of mans inuention: and dyd lykewise diligently exhort the people so to frame their liues according to the rule of Gods worde, that the Elders of Christes Churche seyng their repentaunce and amendement of life, might thereby be occasioned to restore vntounto them the holy and blessed communion, which is the partaking of the body and bloud of Christ.1. Cor. 10.1 Cor 10 Thus were the ceremonies not altogether vnprofitable to the people of y^t age. But it is in these our dayes farre otherwise. For the ceremonies in the Popish Churches are stil retained: but who knoweth the signification and meanyng of thē. The bread is eueryevery Sonday distributed, and the water sprinckled: but howe ofte is the death of Christe preached? But as touching y^e ceremonye of holy bread, p. 163wherof we now speake, it is become a vayne tradition and vtterly vnprofytable, yea wicked and abhominable, as all other popyshe ceremonyes are lykewise.The abuse of holy bread. For where as it was instituted to put the people in remembraūce of Christes body breakyng the priestes deale it vntounto thys ende, y^t the people eating thereof, shuld beleue to receaue health and saluation both of body and soule. For these are the wordes, which they vse in halowing the bread, as they terme it, takyng vponupon them by thys meanes to make the creatures of God more holy, than euer God made them, Benedic domine hanc creaturam panis, qui benedixisti quin que pan…s in deserto, vt omnes gustantes ex his, recipeant tam corporis quā animae sanitatem. That is to say. Blesse, O Lorde, thys creature of bread, which didst blesse fyue Loaues in the wildernesse, that al that taste of them, may receaue healthe both of body and soule.

What other thyng is thys, than to attribute the vertue of oure saluation to a pylde & beggarly ceremony, which alone commeth of y^e meere mercye and gracious goodnesse of God to al men, that repent and beleue in Christ Iesu hys onelyonly begotten Sonne, and oure alone Sauioure… If we maye obtayne health both of bodye and soule by their be witched bread: then was Christ promised, geuen, conceaued, borne circumcised, persecuted, and put to death for oure synnes in vayne: yea, then was Christ without cause made of God the Father vntounto vsus, wisedome and righteousnesse, and sanctifying, and redemption, y^t as it is written. He that reioyceth, shoulde reioyce in the Lorde.i. Cor. i.1 Cor 1 We knowe, sayth the Apostle, y^t man is not iustifyed by the workes of the law, but by the fayth of Iesu Christ:Gala, ii. and wee hauehave beleued in Christ Iesu, that wee myght be iustifyed by y^e faith of Christ, and not by the workes of the lawe, bicause no fleshe shall be iustifyed by the workes of the law. If we be not iustifyed by the workes of that lawe, which God hymselfe commaunded:☞ shall we hope to bee made ryghteous by the obseruaunces of mennes triflyng traditions, croked constitutions, idle inuentions, drousye dreames, fonde fantasyes, antichristian actes, deuilysh decrees, … p. 164O blasphemous Papistes.

Of Procession.

POpe Agapetus the fyrst commaunded the people to goe procession solemnely on sondayes & other feastiual daies.Procession In the yeare, &c. 533. Platina. Polyd. D. Barnes. &.

Guilielmus Durandus writeth, that when the people goe a Procession,Why they rynge the bels at procession. the Belles are ronge to thys ende, euen to make the deuills afrayde, and to chase them awaye. For sayeth he, the deuills are wonderfully afrayde, when they heare the trompettes of the church militaunt, I meane the Belles: euen as a Tyraunte is greatlye afrayde, when he heareth in hys owne land the trompets of some myghtye Kyng that is his enemye.Why they ring in any great tempeste. And thys is also the cause, why the church, when there is any great tempest, ringeth the Belles, y^t the deuills hearyng the trompets of y^e euerlasting King, shuld be afrayde, and trudge away, and cause no more tempestes to aryse, &c. Rat. di. off.

Of Sensing.

Sensyng.POpe Leo the thyrde brought Sensing into the church. In the yeare, &c. 796. Pol. D. Barns. Pantal.

Of Candles bearing on Candelmassedaye.

Candles bearyng.POpe Sergius, otherwise called, Pope Swinesnoute, cōmaunded, y^t al the people shuld go on procession vponupon Candelmasse day, and cary candels about with them brenning in their handes. In the yeare. &c. 684. Durand. G. Achilles. Howe thys candle bearyng on candlemasse day came first vp,☞☞The beginning of cā dels bearyng on cā de…masday. y^t author of our english festiual declareth on thys māner. Somtyme sayeth he, when the Romaines by greate myght and royall power conquered all the worlde (for they had great dominion) they were so proude, y^t they forgat God, & made them diuerse Gods after their own luste. And so among al, they had a God y^t they called Mars, that had beene to fore a notable Knight in battayle. And so they prayed to hym for helpe: and for that they woulde spede y^t better of this Knyght, the people prayed & dyd great worship to his mother, p. 165y^t was called Februa, after whiche woman muche people hauehave opinion, that y^e monethmonth February is called. Wherfore y^e second day of thys monethmonth is candlemasseday. The Romaines thys nyghte went aboute the citie of Rome wyth Torches & Candles brennyng in worship of thys woman Februa, for hope to hauehave y^e more helpe and succoure of her sonne Mars. Then was there a Pope, y^t was called Sergius, and whē he sawe Christen people drawe to thys false Maumetrye and vntrue beliefe: He thought to vndoe thys foule vse and custome, and turne it into Gods worship and our Ladyes, & gaue cōmaundement, y^t all Christen people shoulde come to Churche and offer vp a candle brennyng in the worship y^t they dyd to thys woman Februa, & doe worship to our lady & to her sonne our Lord Iesu Christ. So y^t now this feast is solemnely halowed thorowe al Christendome. And eueryevery Christen man and woman of couenable age is bounde to come to church, and offer vp their candles as though they were bodily with our Ladye, hopyng for this reuerence & worship y^t they do to our Ladye, to hauehave a greate rewarde in heauen, and of her sonne our lord Iesu Christ: and so they may be syker, and it be done in cleane lyfe and with good deuotion, &c.

Of Ashes sprincklyng.

Ashes sprinkling.POpe Gregory the fyrst ordained, y^t the people on Ashe wednisday shuld be sprinckled with halowed Ashes, to put thē in remembraunce, y^t they are but earth, duste and Ashes, In the yeare, &c. 590. Anselmus Ryd.

Of Palmes bearyng.

POpe Gregorye the fyrst also appoynted,Palmes bearyng. y^t Palmes shoulde bee borne aboute in procession on Palme Sonday. Ansel. Ryd.

Of halowing Palmes, Ashes, Candles, &c.

POpe Gregorye the fyrste in lyke manner deuised the halowing of Palmes,Palmes halowing. &c. Ashes, Candles, &c. Durand, Antonin.

Of Crepyng to the Crosse.

p. 166POpe Gregorye the fyrst likewyse broughte into the Churche,Crosse crepyng. the Crepyng vntounto the Crosse. Sigesb. Antoninus.

Of the halowing of the Paschal.

POpe Zozimus ordayned,The Paschal taper? that the Paschall Taper shoulde be halowed on Easter euen, and set vp in eueryevery paryshe church. In y^e yere, of oure Lorde. 414. Isidor. Volat. Platina. D. Barns.

Some make Pope Theodorus author of it, which liued about the yere of our Lorde. 613. Chron. Fasciculus. Temporum. Durandus.

Guilielmus Durandus sayeth y^e Saincte Ambrose made the benediction or prayer, wherewith the Paschall Taper is halowed on Easter euen. He sayeth moreouēr, that Augustinus and Petrus Diaconus the Monke, made also other benedictions, whiche are not in vse. Rat. di. offi.

Of Oyle and Creame, and of the halowing of the same.

POpe Clement the fyrst brought fyrst of all the Oyle & Creame into the Church.Oyle and Creame, In the yere of our Lord, .92.

Some attribute this ceremonye to Pope Siluester the fyrst. In the yere, &c. 315. Chron. Lib. Concil.

Halowing of Oyle & Creame.Pope Fabian ordayned, y^t the Oyle and Creame, which are vsed to be kept in the Chrismatorye for sundrye purposes and vses, should be renued eueryevery Maundye Thursdaye, and y^t the olde shuld be brent. For saith he, it is a new sacrament, & therefore must it alwaies be renued, and the olde brent. De conse. Dist. 3. Cap. In literis. Plat. Volat. Fascicu. Temp. Polyd..

Pope Siluester the fyrst gaue straight charge,Worke for the Bishop y^t neither deacō nor priest shuld presume to halow Oyle and Creame, but only the Byshop. In the yeare, &c. 315. Lib Concil.

Pope Anastasius the fyrst commaunded, that so soone as the Byshop hath halowed the Oyle and Creame, either the Subdeacons or the Deacons with all expedition should carrye it vntounto all the Churches thorowe out the diocesse p. 167that it may be in a readinesse agaynste Easter day. In the yeare of our Lorde. 404. Lib. Concil. Chron.

Of the Fire on Easter euen, and of the Halowing therof.

POpe Zozimus ordayned not only y^e Paschall Taper to be halowed on Easter euen,Easter euē fire and the halowynge thereof. but also that a Fire shoulde be made in euerye Churche on that day, and halowed: againe, that the Paschal should be lightned with the flame of that Fyre, and al other candles in the Churche. In the yeare. &c. Chron. Germ.

Of Halowing the Fonte on Easter euen.

POpe Pius the firste brought in the halowing of y^e Fonte.Fonte halowyng. In the yere &c. 147. Plat. Sabell.

Pope Leo, Pope Damasus, and S. Ambrose added the Exorcismes or coniurations,Solēnities about fonte halowinge. and the benedictions or blessings, with the other solemnities that be vsed at y^e halowing of the Fonte, as droppyng the candle into it, the priestes breathing into it, the deuiding and casting out of y^e water. &c. Chron. Germ. Guil. Durand. in. Rat. di. off.

Of halowing new Frutes.

Halowyng of newe fruites.POpe Eutichianus decreed, that all new frutes, but specially Beanes & Grapes shuld be blessed, cōsecrated and halowed vponupon the altare. In the yere. &c. 276. plat. polid. D. Bar…s.