Answer to a Popish Antichristian Catholic, Offer 11

Answer to a Popish Antichristian Catholic · Offer 11

p. 38The eleuenth Offer.

Offerer.

Let the learned Proteſtant ſhew me what order of ſeruice 11or cōmon prayer, what order of miniſtration of ſacraments their Church had before Papiſtrie (as they call it) preuailed in the world. Let him ſhew mee one booke, or copie of any communion, or what els you liſt, that was in Engliſh, or in any vulgar or cōmon tongue, beſide the Hebrew, Greeke, and Latine: or that lacked prayer for the foules departed, or inuocation to ſaints, or ſacrifice for the ſinnes both of the quicke and the dead, or that charged a number to receiue with the prieſt, or that he could not els conſecrate, or ſay Maſſe receiuing alone, or that the people ſhould take the ſacrament for bread and wine, and not for the reall body & blood of Chriſt, or that they ſhould giuegive no honor to it, or not reſerue the ſame for the comfort of the ſicke and diſeaſed people, or that denied extreme vnction, with the reſt of the ſacraments, to bee behoufull or neceſſarie for them: let the learned Proteſtant bring forth and ſhew ſuch a communion booke, or any leafe, line, or word of any ſuch doctrine, or any Church or congregatition, that euer had authenticall ſeruice or miniſtration of the ſacraments, other then that which is yet daily and o-openly practized in the common knowne Catholique church of Chriſt, and I ſhall then recant, and not before.

Crowley.

It ſéemeth by this Offer, that this Offerer and his fellowes are perſwaded, that what ſoeuer is now openly practized, in the popiſh diuine ſeruice and miniſtration of ſacraments; hath bin ſo openly practized, as now it is, euen euer ſince the Church of Chriſt, was firſt planted in the City of Rome. Which is a wronge perſuaſion. For the greateſt number of the ceremonies (yea, well nigh all) that are now vſed in that miniſtration, hauehave bin diuiſed ſince the ende of the firſt 300. yéeres, as by their owne Hyſtories it dooth moſt plainly appeere.

I will therefore anſwere this offer with another, not much vnlike to this: and thus I ſay. Let this Offerer ſhew p. 39mée, what order of ſeruice or common praier, what order of miniſtration of ſacraments, the Church had, before the end of the firſt 300. yéeres. Let him ſhew mée one booke or copy of any communion, or what els you liſt, that was in Hebrew, Gréeke, Latine, or in any other language, that had in it prayer for the ſoules departed, or inuocation to ſaints, or ſacrifice for the quicke and the deade, or that did not cōmand a number to receiue with the prieſt, or that did teach the people not to take the ſacrament for breade and wine, but for the reall body and blood of Chriſt, or that they ſhoulde giuegive honor to the outwarde ſacrament, or that they ſhould reſerue it for the ſicke & diſeaſed people, or that taught extreme vnction, Confirmation, Order, Penance, and Matrimony to bée Sacraments, behooufull or neceſſarie for Chriſtians: let this learned Offerer, bringe foorth and ſhew, ſuch a communion booke, or any leafe, line, or word of any ſuch doctrine, or any Church or congregation, that euer had any ſuch authenticall ſeruice, or miniſtration of ſacraments, as is now openly practized, in the cōmonly knowne popiſh Catholique church, before the ende of the firſt 300. yeeres: And then will I recant, and bée a Papiſt, as this Offerer is, and not before.

I thinke I hauehave offered you faire play. If you like the offer take it. I will not flée from it. If not: for ſhame bragge no more of the antiquitie of your authentike ſeruice that is now practized in your Antichriſtian Catholike church. But recant as you hauehave promiſed.

The firſt biſhop of Rome, that was bolde to diuiſe any thing to bée added to that which the Apoſtles vſed in the miniſtration of the Lords ſupper, was Alexander the firſt. And what did hée? Platina ſaith, that this man added: Qui pridem quam pateretur, vſque ad hanc clauſulam, hoc est Corpus meum. Which is thus in Engliſh. Which a day before hee ſuffered, euen vntounto this clauſe: This is my body. And Platina ſaith, that Alexander did this, that there might bee a remembrance of the paſſion of Chriſt. Hée deuiſed alſo the making of holy water, the vſe whereof, was to driue diuells out of Temples and chambers, He ordained alſo, that water ſhould bée mixed with the wine in the miniſtration of the Sacrament, and that the breade ſhould not bée leauened, but vnleauened, to take away the occaſion that the Ebionits tooke to finde fault in that behalfe. Thus much writeth Platina in vita Alexandri. primi. This Alezander was the ſixt biſhop of Rome after Peter, Plantina in vita Alexandri primi.if Platina hauehave written truly: and was made biſhop in the yéere 110. after y^e incarnation of our ſauiour Chriſt, which was 70. yéeres after (as it is ſuppoſed) y^t Peter was made biſhop of Rome. So that y^e church vſed none of thoſe things that were diuiſed by him, for the ſpace of thoſe 70. yéeres, of the firſt 300. yeeres.

After this Alexander Sixtus. 1. was made biſhop of Rome: in the yeere 121. after the incarnation of our ſauiour Chriſt (if the hyſtories bee true) and the foureſcore yeere after the ſuppoſed entring of Peter into the Byſhopricke of Rome. This man diuiſed ſundrie things, as Sanctus, ſanctus, ſanctus, to bée ſonge in the celebration of the Lords ſupper. But heere I muſt note how vnlikely this is to bée true: for as ſaint Auguſtine hath written in y^e 7. Auguſt. li. 9. Conf. Ca. 7.Chapter of the 9. booke of his confeſſions: the cuſtome of ſinging in churches was not begun in the Latine church before the dayes of Ambros, who liued about the yeere of our Lord 380. And more ouer: it can not bee prooued by any hyſtories, that the Chriſtians had any liberty to builde any church in the citie Rome, before the time of Conſtantine the Emperoure, who builded at his owne charges, the firſt churches that the Chriſtians had in Rome. But let it bée as Platina hath written, in the life of Sixtus the firſt. Hée commanded that Sanctus, ſanctus, ſanctus, that is, holy, holy, holy, ſhould bee ſonge in the celebration, that is in the miniſtration of the cōmunion. But I pray you marke what Platina ſaith further. Nuda primo haec erant, &c. At the firſt, thoſe things were bare and naked, and all thinges were handled ſimply. For when Peter did conſecrate, hée p. 40vſed the prayer, Our father: Iames, the biſhop of Hieruſalem encreaſed or enriched theſe myſteries: and ſo did Baſill, and other. For Celeſtinus, gaue the Introite of y^e Maſſe: Gregorie, the Kyrie eleiſon: Teleſphorus, the Gloria in excelſis Deo: Gelaſius the firſt, gaue the Collations: and Hierome the Epiſtle and the Goſpell. Haleluia was taken from the church of Hieruſalem. The Credo, from the counſell of Néece. Pelagius inuented the cōmemoration of the deade. Leo the third, inuented the Incenſe. Innocent the firſt, inuented the kiſſing of the Paxe: And Sergius, ordained that Agnus Dei ſhould bée ſonge. But ſéeing that in the daies of Sixtus, fewe were founde (by reaſon of the often murders or ſlaughters of Chriſtians) that durſt profeſſe the name of Chriſt: and the Chriſtians in France did deſire to hauehave a biſhop: Sixtus did ſend vntounto them one Peregrinus, a citizen of Rome, &c. Thus far Platina.

By theſe woords of Platina, it appeareth, that during the firſt 80. yeeres after ſaint Peters ſuppoſed entring into the biſhopricke of Rome: there was no more vſed in the miniſtration of the Lords ſupper, but the Lords prayer, which beginneth thus, Our father which arte in heauen, &c. Celeſtinus, that gaue the Introite of the Maſſe, was not biſhop in Rome, before the ende of 420. yeeres after Chriſt: ſo that for the ſpace of 420. yéeres your Maſſe had no Introite. That Gregorie, that appointed the Kyrie eleiſon, was made biſhop of Rome in y^e yéere 590. after Chriſt: ſo that your Maſſe lacked that parte, for the ſpace of 600. yeeres almoſt. Teleſphorus, added the Gloria in excelſis: about 130. yeeres after Chriſt, ſo that your Maſſe did lack that parte, ſo longe time. Gelaſius the firſt, that diuiſed the Collations, was biſhop of Rome, about 490. yeeres after Chriſt: ſo that your Maſſe lacked hir Collations, almoſt 500. yéeres. Hieronimus, that added the Epiſtle and Goſpell: was neuer biſhop, either in Rome or elſe where. Hee liued in Bethlehem, about 380. yéeres after Chriſt: ſo that your Maſſe had no Epiſtle or Goſpell, for 380. yeeres after Chriſt. And your Halleluia was taken from the church of Hieruſalem, by Gregorie y^e firſt, who was biſhop of Rome about the yéere of our Lord, 590. The Nicene Créede could not be vſed before that councell wherein it was agréed vponupon: which was 330. yeeres after Chriſt. And Pelagius that inuented the remembrance of the deade, was made biſhop of Rome, in the yeere of our Lord 556. ſo that for the ſpace of ſo many yeeres after Chriſt, there was no remembrance of the deade in your Maſſe. Leo the third, that inuented y^e burning of Incenſe, was made biſhop of Rome in the yeere 796. after Chriſt: ſo that for the ſpace of ſo many yeeres, there was no burning of Incenſe in churches. Innocent the firſt, was made biſhop of Rome, in the yeere 406. hée inuented the kiſſing of the Paxe at Maſſe: ſo longe therefore was your Maſſe without that ceremonie. And Sergius, that appointed the ſinging of Agnus Dei, was made biſhop of Rome in the yeere after Chriſt 694. or there about: ſo that your Maſſe lacked hir Agnus Dei, for the ſpace almoſt of 700. yeeres after Chriſt.

Now M. Offerer, conſider with your ſelfe (I pray you) whether the learned Proteſtant may not as eaſily prooue the antiquitie of his communion booke, euen from the Apoſtles time: as you may prooue your Authenticall ſeruice, and miniſtration of ſacraments, now daily & openly practized. If you would with indifferent iudgment, weigh al that I hauehave here written: I doo not doubt but you would cōfeſſe that during y^e firſt 90. yéeres after Chriſts aſcention: there was no preſcribed order ſet downe in any booke for publike ſeruice or miniſtration of ſacramēts, other then y^t which is contained in y^e ſcriptures. Wherefore there is none ſo great a cauſe of miſliking in oure common booke, as that there be ſo many of your latter inuētions allowed of in it. And ſurely, if our princes & people would yéelde to a perfect reformation: wee might make our communion booke a great deale leſſe then it is, by blotting out of it all that hath bin inuented by your biſhops of Rome. Thus I doo thinke I hauehave ſaid enough to cauſe you to recant, although you would not before.