A Second Reply to an Answer Made by Doctor Whitgift Part 2, Part 6
THE II. CHAPTER OF THIS TRACTATE: OF THE CORRVPTIONS in doctrine abovut the holy communion, beginning pag. 526. diuiſ. vij. of the D. book.
AMongeſt diuers reaſons browght, to proue that the whole body of the church, should (ſo much as may be) communicate …n the holy ſupper togither: he cauilleth …t that alledged, owt of S. Paul, ſaying that1. Cor. 11. he blameth thoſe, which did contentiously ſeparate them ſelues: whereas, the Apoſtle vnderunder one kinde, noteth al needeles ſundring of the members one from another, in that holy action. That owt of S. Mathew 18 of two or three gathered in Christs name: ys anſwered. nether ys it denied, but that two or three may communicate, yf the other wil not at al: onelyonly yt ys ſaid, that where the other wil, althowgh not ſo often as is conuenient, yet that in ſuch a caſe, the three should (for the reaſons alledged, whereunto he anſwereth nothing) tarry for the reſt. adiu. 8. 530his next diuiſion, is anſwered in the 9 diuiſion, which he taketh vp before, by rending my book aſonder, that he might ſeem able to ſay ſomewhat: which bin 9. diu.anſwer of myne, vponupon how good ground yt ſtandeth, let the reader iudg, his reply whereunto, is ſenſeles. where alſo, his mervailing, that I ſay, the tvuelue vuere made Apostles after their firſt calling, argueth his want: conſidering that the ordeyning of them, to be Embaſſadors throwghowt the world, which is the vocation of their Apoſtleship, was not, vntil after the reſurrection. That which deceiueth hym, is, for that he conſidereth not, that yt is the vſe of the ſcripture, in ſpeaking of the beginninges of thinges, to term them by the names, which they had at the tyme of the writing, and not which they had, when that which they wrote, was doen: as in the cCeneſ. 10. 10. 25.names of Babel, and Peleg, &c. the next, requireth no anſwer.
In the next, he accordeth that by eccleſiaſtical cenſures,Diuiſ. 11. p. 531. and ciuil punishmentes, the reſt of the church should be browght to communicate, with the three: where he manifeſtly forſaketh the book, which leaueth yt free, three ſeaſons of the year onelyonly excepted. And the truth is, yf it be conuenient, that yt should be celebrated oftener: yt is alſo meet, that there should be punishmentes, for the breach of thatNumh. …. conueniency. his exception, againſt the proof of excommunication, for want of doeyng this duty, that to cut ovut his ſoul from the people, ſignifieth to put to death, and not to excō municate: vttereth his want, conſidering that the ſame commandement,Gen. 17. 14. was giuen to Abraham in the gouernment of his hows, which was the church of god. And yet that no ciuil ſword was put into his hand, ys manifeſt: in that, being a priuate man in the common wealth he dwelt in, he had no power of lyfe and death. But of this matter, he may learn further aIn the booK of the d… ſcipline of England.other where. His obiections againſt the Adm. and my allegation of canons, aſcribed to the Apoſtles: are bp. 170. Diuiſ. 12. …. 532.anſwered.
That the owtward vncleannes vnderunder the law, may be easlier auoided, then the inward, which owght to kepe vsus from the communion: being ſo generally ſpoken, is vntrue, and refuted by me, in the caſe of procuring the funeral of our friendes, to which we are bound: whereunto he anſwereth nothing. nether can the vncleannes of lyfe, which is priuate, and not openly knowen, hinder any: oneles yt be ſuch, as men mean not to amend. That weaknes of faith, owght to withdraw vsus from the communion, is a manifeſt vntruth: yt being inſtituted, for the ſtrenghtning of the weaknes thereof. The examination of hym ſelf, is required, not onelyonly in the partaking of the communion, but alſo in hearing of the vuord of god: as whether he come with minde to be tawght, and to folow, or whether he come of curioſity, or of cuſtome, or to pleaſe men, and ſuch like. As for corruption of iudgment, want of inſtruction in the vſe of the ſacrament, open offenſes, and al ſuch diſorder of life, as requireth ſeparation by the churches cēſures: they fal not into this caſe, where is diſputed, not for what cauſes men owght to be put from the holy communion, but for what cauſes they may withdraw them ſelues, when they be, by common and good policy of the church admitted. Therfore, al this is but an abuſing of the tyme, which is browght againſt that which I ſaid: that yf, being of the church, and able to examin them ſelues, they be not fit for the hearing of the vuord, nether are they fit for the receiuing of the cōmuniō. whereby alſo may appear, how vnworthily, he doeth now the ſecond tyme: obiect contraryety with my ſelf, ſo openly refuted, by expres wordes.
As for the reaſons, which I alledged to confirm this ſentence with, he once towcheth not: whereunto, I wil ad the iudgment of the auncient writers: that he may learn to blush, which not contented to hauehave reprehended yt here, ſetteth yt in the beginning of his book, as a dangerous point, and palpable error. aHom. 3. in Epheſ. foreignChryſoſtom writeth thus of the ſupper. hovu tariedſt thovu behynde? I am (thovu ſaist) vnvuorthy: then art thovu alſo vnvuorthy, of the communication, vuhich is in the prayers. The like ſentence he hath, in another of his homilies, ūto the people of Antioche. bli. 5. de Sacra. cap. 4.Ambroſe ſaith, he that is not fit to receiu the bread of the ſupper, dayly: is not fit, once in a year. cEp. 118. ad Ianuar.Auguſt. ſpeaking of this matter, sheweth that yf the ſynnes be not ſo great, that one should be excōmunicated for them, that then a man ovught, not to ſeparate hym ſelf, from the daily medicine of the lords body. whereunto ad M. Bucer, which diſalowing the communion whichBucer. in cē ſur. Liturg. Anglic. c. 3. is by the Miniſter ād one other, and withal shewing that the reſt of the church, owght to be driuen vntounto yt: boeth alledgeth, and aloweth that ſentence of Chryſoſtom, before reherſed. In the next diuiſiō, of the cauſe of the ſuperſtitious fear of coming to the cōmunion, let the reader iudg of: cōſidering that, of the euil beginninges of lenton fast, I hauehave ſpoken before, and wil not ſuffer the D. to ſtart away, by mouing of other queſtions.
To this chapter belongeth, the reſt of the 15 Tracta. where in the pag. 590 firſt diuiſion, for his ſaying, we read not that wemen receiued the ſupper: he pretendeth M. Caluin and Zuinglius: but they excuſe not his rashnes. For, althowgh they hauehave the ſame wordes, yet they match this cauſe, with others which are neceſſary, and which hauehave certein proof owt of the ſcripture, althowgh not in expres wordes: whereas, he matcheth yt with thoſe thinges which are (by his own confeſsion) indifferent and not neceſſary, giuing thereby to vnderſtand, that there is no better grownd of the one, then of the other. which reaſon, being alledged to proue the occaſion of triumph which he giuith here vntounto the Catabaptiſtes, and Anabaptiſtes: he anſwereth not. The three next diuiſiōs are anſwered.
Next vntounto this foloweth another vnchangeable doctrine as yt lyeth pa. 603 of the D. book. where, althowgh the Anſw. dare not opēly vndertake the defence of driuing of known papiſtes vntounto the lords ſupper: yet, partly, in trifling with the proofes browght for the shutting of thē owt, partly caſtīg in other matter of his own: priuily, and as it were vnderunder the ground, he maynteyneth his former rashnes, of ſaying, that the Admo. were good patrones of the papistes, for maynteining, that papiſtes owght not to be thruſt into the lordes ſupper.
There was alledged, that the ſcripture vuhich forbiddeth 1. Cor. 5. 11.to hauehave any familiarity vuith notorius offēders: doeth much more forbid that they should be receiued to the cōmuniō To this he anſwereth, owt of M. Caluin: his maruelous vnfaithful dealing wherein, hath bene aIn the former part p. 246. lin. 35.before noted. I ſay maruelous, becauſe there can be hardly any, of ſo ſmal perceiuerā ce as not to vnderſtand the difference, betwene the Anabaptiſtes which thereupon falsly gathered, that a man might not communicate, when any ſuch open offendor was admitted vntounto the communiō: and betwene the Adm. which houldeth, that the papiſtes ovught not to be admitted vntounto the lordes ſupper, which is iuſtly concluded of yt. To that, alledged, that our Sau. Chriſt inſtituted his ſupper Diuiſ. 2 p. 604.amōgeſt his diſciples, ād thoſe vuhich vuere vuithin: he anſwereth firſt, that Iudas was preſent, yet not of the church, but withowt: which is a foul error. For, althowgh in ſome ſignification, he were not of the church: yet he was boeth within, and as towching the owtward calling (wherof our queſtion is) of the church alſo. But vntounto this I hauehave aIn the former booK p. 168. lin. 16.alredy anſwered. Secondly, he chargeth me with a gilty conſcience: for that cyting S. b1. Co. 5. 12.Paul, I nether quoted the Epiſtle, nor chapter: which how vnworthy an accuſation it is, let the reader iudg. But if yt be a good argument, that he hath a gilty conſcience, which leaueth the teſtimony vnquoted: let the face of his conſcience be looked on, by the glas which I hauehave ſet before hym in an other cIn the former part p. 605. l. 26.place. How vntrue it is, that no papist with vsus, is admitted to the communion, which he affirmeth: let the reader iudg.
To that I ſayd, that papiſtes not to be admitted vntounto Diuiſ. 3. p. 604.the holy ſupper, ovught to be compelled to hear the vuord of god: he obiecteth as contrary, that I had ſaid before, that if they be not meet to receiu the communion, nether be they to hear the vuord, which is a meer miſpending of tyme. For I added expresly, and that twiſe: As many as be of the church, from which I had before, shut owt the papiſtes.
In that the Admo. vuil not hauehave men come constreynedly to the holy Communion: they take not away the punishment, against thoſe which owght to preſent them ſelues. And their ſaying hath an eaſier defence, then his dpag. 530.otherwhere: that the book wil not hauehave men compelled, to come to the communion. For the punishment of ſuch, is therfore taken: that afterward they may come in diligence, and good wil. But if (notwithſtanding that punishment) yt be manifeſtly perceiued, that they come with no affection, but conſtreynedly: then the Adm. would hauehave ſuch put by: which is their meaning, and a iudgment agreable to the word of god. to the reſt in this chapter, I anſwer not.
Hereunto ad that of the examination of thoſe, whoſe knowledg of the miſtery of the goſpel, is douted of: as yt ſtandeth in his book page 592. which examination, he is not affraid to deny, to be neceſſary, or commanded by the word of god. his firſt reaſon is, becauſe that in the Apostles tymes no ſuch would offer them ſelues: which is a manifeſt vntruth, as may be gathered of that I hauehave aIn the former part. p. 244. l. 16.ſaid, and by that the ſeed of the vuord of god, is bMat. 13. 4taken ovut of the heart of diuers that profes the goſpel, which notwithſtanding, ether throwgh hypocriſy in deſire to be counted to hauehave the ſame knowledg with others, or inſenſiblenes of not feeling their want, wil offer them ſelues. And if there were none ſuch then, yet forſomuch as, there be ſuch amongeſt vsus: that anſwer is inſufficient, conſidering that the ſcripture conteyneth remedy, not onelyonly againſt the corruptions in the tyme of the Apoſtles, but in al tymes.
His ſecond reaſon, that offering them ſelues ſo, it is their own onelyonly faut: is a crauing of that in queſtion. For that it is onelyonly their faut, and that the gouernours of the church hauehave no commandement, to look to yt: are the ſame in effect.
His third reaſon, that if yt had bene ſo neceſſary, S. Paul, would hauehave ſpoken of yt here eſpecially, is to fond: conſidering that the Apoſtle writeth onelyonly, ether of ſuch fautes as were in that church, or of matters whereof his iudgment was asked. That alſo owt of M. Caluin, is meerly idle. For it is one queſtion, whether a priuate man, vnderunder coulor of an vnmeet perſon admitted to the ſupper, owght to withdraw hym ſelf: and another, whether ſuch a one, should be admitted by the gouernours of the church. his anſwer maketh alſo as much to proue, that knowen whoremongers should not be driuen to repentance, before they come to the communion, as knowen papiſtes: conſidering, that it belongeth not to priuate men, to take in hand the correction of them, when they preſent them ſelues.
Againſt that alledged, of the commandement to the Leuites, Diuiſ. 3. p. 592. Cronicl. 2. 35. 6.to prepare the people to the receiuing of the Paſouer, vuhich vuas the ſame vuith them, that the holy ſupper is vuith vsus: he excepteth, and that confidently, and with reproches, that it is abrogated. whoſe shameful dealing herein, let al the world iudg of: conſidering that, by how much our ſacrament is excellenter then theirs, by ſo much, owght there to be greater care and diligēce in preparing the people thereto. But of this, more hath bene ſaid aIn the former part p. 162. lin. 10. and 220. l. 28.otherwhere. After he excepteth, that the text is, that they should prepare, not examin: which is friuolous, and preuented, in that I added, that examination is a part of preparation. So that he that commādeth the whole, muſt needes doe the part: whereunto he anſwereth not, but affirmeth yt manifeſt, that the Leuites vſed no ſuch examination. of which manifeſtnes, there is not a letter in the text. The contrary, by al likelihood, is to be intended: conſidering, that diuers of the people, nue come owt of ignorance and Idolatry, had need of particular trial. againſt which the marginal note maketh not: ſeing exhortation may wel ſtand with examination, and the nature of a note, is not to lay owt thinges at large.
That the papiſtes may as wel vſe this for auriculer confeſsion, is ſo placed, that yt may be taken, that the Iues vſed auricular confeſsion, as a ceremony vnderunder the law, which is vntrue: and ſo yt is propounded, as if there were as good ground in the word of that, as of thys: which beſide the vntruth, is ouerturned of his own wordes, confeſsing that bpag. 593.examination may be: vnles he wil ſay, that auriculer confeſsion, may be likewiſe. cdiu. 4. 593his argument, which he renounceth, is as I hauehave framed yt: whereof let the reader iudg, as alſo of the Admo. meaning.