Three Pillars and Arch-patriarchs of the Popish Synagogues, Treatise 1 · Book 3 · Part 42
Hesk.The two and fortieth Chapter proueth the trueth of those matters of the sacrament, by that it hath pleased God to confirme the same with miracles.
Fulke.First M. Hesk. compareth himselfe with Helias, which challenged the Priests of Baal to shewe a miracle, so he challengeth the Lutherans and sacramentaries to bring forth first some miracle. But he could neuer heare of any sauing one, and that was of Luther, which he reporteth of himselfe (as he saith) in his Booke of the priuate Masse, and as Prateolus sayeth, in his Booke De Missa Angulari, but where it is written I could neuer yet finde, though I hauehave made some searche for it. Luther reporteth that the Diuell awaked him out of his sleepe at midnight, and disputed with him that the priuate Masse is horrible idolatrie, &c. For any thing that I can perceiue, by the wordes cited by Maister Heskins, there is no miracle at al spoken of by Luther, but only he confesseth what inward temptations of Sathan he susteined, for saying priuate Masse, by the space of 15. yeares together. Which the Papistes after their accustomed synceritie doe interprete, as though he boasted of a miracle, as though he were persuaded by the diuell, to forsake the priuate Masse, as a thing abominable. But Luther in deede in this booke written against the priuate Masse, vtterly reiecteth all miracles, that are alledged to mainteine false doctrine contrarie to the worde of God, and namely those miracles that are reported to hauehave beene done, to confirme the credite of the priuate Masse, which either were feigned (as a great number were) or else wrought by the sleight of Sathan, to establish idolatrie, as in all Heathen nations, the diuell hath thus wrought miracles to confirme the people in their errours.
Thus therefore we are to iudge of miracles, that they are euen as the doctrine, for which they are alledged, so that if Maister Heskins can not proue his priuate Masse, and other heresies by scripture, they will be made neuerthelesse by miracles. But let vsus heare in order, what worshipful miracles he alledgeth. First a feigned fable out of a counterfet writer called Amphilochius, that a Iewe sawe in Saint Basils hand a childe diuided. Then a tale out of Vituspatium of as good authoritie as Legenda Aurea, that the sacramente was turned into bloudie fleshe to a doubting olde man. Next out of Optatus Libro 2. Contra Donat. That dogges after they had eaten the sacrament, caste vntounto them by the Donatistes, ranne madde and werried their Maisters.
Which last might be a true & iust punishment of God against the Donatistes, for their heresie, yet proueth it not that the dogges did eate the body of Christe, which God forbid that any Christian man should thinke. Another miracle is reported by S. Augustine, Lib. 22. De ciuitate. Dei Cap. 8. That one of his priestes saying Masse in a house, that was molested with the power of the diuell, deliuered the house from such disquietnesse. This belike is alledged for the priuate Masse. But that proueth nothing. For Augustine in that place nameth no Masse: he saith, he offered there the sacrifice of the bodie of Christe, praying that the house might be deliuered from that molestatiō, and so it came to passe. Now it is nothing credible, that he offer…d that sacrifice alone, but that the owner of the house and all his familie did there communicate with him, and therefore here is nothing to helpe the priuate Masse in this miracle.
Next vntounto this, interlacing certeine sentences of Bernarde of the vertue of the sacrament, he returneth to miracles, and then telleth a tale out of Paule the Deacon, of a noble woman of Rome for whom S. Gregorie by prayer, turned the sacramental bread into the fourme of A very bloudie fleshly litle finger. A faire miracle I promise you, but if it had beene true, Gregorie that was so light of credite, to beleeue and report so many miracles, would hauehave written it him selfe. But Gregorie, though otherwise full of superstition, was not yet come to the carnall manner of presence. Two miracles are rehearsed of his reporte, one of a prisoner that was deliuered out of his chaynes, when Masse was saide for him by his wiues procurement, supposing he had ben dead. Gregorie in deede speaketh of sacrifices, whiche perhaps were prayers, and not the Masse. But if he speake of that prophanation of the sacrament, that in his time tooke some strength, to offer it for the dead, yet he speaketh of another maner of offring, then the Papistes vse. For thereof he saith, in the same place as Maister Heskins confesseth: Hinc ergo, &c. Of this decree brethren gather you certeinely, how great a band of conscience in vsus the holie sacrifice offered by our owne selues, is able to loose, if beeing offered for another it could in another loose the bandes of the body. These wordes declare, the sacrifice was such as euerie one might offer for himselfe, which coulde not be the sacrifice of ye Masse, which only the priest offereth. The last miracle is of Agapetus, that by giuing the sacrament to a dumb man, restored him to his speech.
Admitting this to be true, it maketh nothing for the carnal manner of presence, which the Church of Rome at that time had not receiued. And although such miracles might now be wrought by Papistes, we would giuegive no more credite vntounto them, then they could winne by Gods worde: for so we are taught by God him sefe. Irenaeus a moste auncient writer of great credite testifieth, Lib. Cap. 9. that Marcus the heretike by his sorcerie caused the wine in the cup at his ministration to appeare purple and redde like bloud, that the people might thinke, that Christ dropped his bloud into his cup through his prayer: likewise he wrought so cunningly, that he multiplied the wine, so that out of a litle cruse, he filled a great pot, so ful that it ranne ouer. But the Church of God was not moued by these lying miracles, to giuegive credite to his false doctrine, or to think that he had the bloud of Christ in his challice for all that counterfet shewe of bloud, which he made: no more wil we beleue the Papistes pretending miracles cōtrarie to the word of God. And as for diuers of these miracles, which he alledgeth to confirme the dignitie of the Masse, they were done, or at least said to be done, before the Masse was throughly shapen, and therfore if they be true, yet they confirme not the doctrin of ye Masse, which was afterward inuented. Finally wheras he vrgeth the proclaymer to bring one miracle, for the confirmation of his religiō, although it were an easie matter to bring foorth many signes of more certeintie, and better credite then the Papists can bring any, shewed by God since the restitution of the Gospell: yet because our doctrine is the same, that was confirmed by all the miracles of Christ and his Apostles, we seeke no confirmation thereof by later miracles, but onelyonly by the scriptures. And herein we followe the example of S. Augustine, who vrgeth ye Donatistes to proue themselues to be the Church of God, only by Canonicall scriptures & not by miracles, whereof they boasted more then the Catholikes: Lib de vnitate Ecclesiae Cap. 16. Et sic ostendat, vt non dicat verum est, quia ego hoc dico: aut quia hoc dixit ille collega meut, … illi collegae mei, aut illi Episcopi vel clerici vel laici nost…i aut ideo verum est, quia illa & illa mirabilia fecit Donatus, vel Pontius, vel quilibet alius: aut quia homines ad memorias mortuorum nostrorum orant & exaudiuntur, aut quia illa & illa ibi contingunt, aut quiae ille fraeter noster, aut illa soror nostra tale visum vigilans vidit, vel tale visum dormiens somnianis. Remoueantur ista vel figmenta mendacium hominum, vel portenta fallacium spirituun: ut eni… non sunt vera quę dicuntur, aut sihęreticorū aliqua mira facta sunt magis canere debemus. And so let him shewe the Churche, that he do not say, this is true, because I say it, or because such a one my fellowe saide it, or those my fellowes, or those our bishops or clearkes, or laymen: or it is therfore true, because Donatus or Pontius, or any other hath done those and those miracles: or because men pray at the memories of our dead men, and are heard, or because those thinges & those things happen there, or because this our brother or that our sister sawe such a vision waking, or dreamed such a vision sleeping. Let these thinges be set aside, which are either the counterfetting of lying men, or els ye wonders of deceiuing spirits: for either those things are not true that are told, or else if any miracles are done of heretiques, we ought the more to beware of them. And after a litle he saith in the same Chapter. Sed verum ipsi Ecclesiam teneant, non nisi diuinarum scripturarum canonicis libria ostendant, quia nec nos propterea dicimus nobis credere oportere, quòd in Ecclesia sumus, quia ipsam quam tenemus commendauit Mileuitanus Optatus, vel Mediolanensis Ambrosius, vel alij innumerabiles nostre cōmunionis episcopi, aut quia nostrorum Collegarū concilijs ipsa praedicata est, aut quia per totum orbem in locis sanctis quae frequentat communio nostra, tanta mirabilia vel exauditionū vel sanitatum fiant, ita vt latentia per tot annos corpora Martyrum (quod possunt a mu…tis interrogātes audire.) Ambrosio fuerint reuelata, & ad ipsa corpora caecus multorum annorum ciuitati Mediolanensi notissimus oculos lumén que reciperet, aut quia ille somnium vidit. & ille spiritu assumptus audiuit, siue ne iniret in partem Donati siue vt recederet à parte Donati. Quęcun que talia in Catholica fiunt ideo sunt approbanda quia in Catholica fiunt, non ìdeo ipsa manifestatur Catholica, quia haec in ea fiunt. But whether they holde the Churche or no, let them shew none otherwise, but by the Canonicall Bookes of the holie scriptures: for neither do we say, that men ought therfore to beleeue vsus that we are in the Church, because Optatus of Mileuitum, or Ambrose of Millain or innumerable other Bishops of our fellowship hauehave commended this Church whiche we holde, or because it is set foorth and praysed in the councels of our fellowships, or because yt in holy places thorough the world, which our fellowship doth frequent, so great miracles are done, either of hearing mens prayers, or of restoring to health, so yt the bodies of Martyrs which hauehave been hidden so many yeres (which thing if they wil ask they may heare of many) were reuealed to Ambrose, & at the same bodies one that had ben blind many yeres, very well knowen to the citie of Millain, receiued his eyes and sight, or because this man saw a dreame, or that man was taken vp in spirit and heard either that he shold not go into the faction of Donatus, or that he should depart from it. Whatsoeuer such things are done in the Catholike Church, they are therefore to be allowed, because they are done in the Catholike Church, but the Church it selfe is not therby proued Catholike because these things are done in it. And thus much concerning miracles. The issue that M. Hesk. ioyneth is tried by all Catholike & ancient Doctors, that the Masse is idolatrie, because it is a worshipping of creatures in steed of the creator, although none of the olde writers call the Masse Idolatrie, whiche had neither name nor being in their dayes.