The grand sacrilege of the Church of Rome, in taking away the sacred cup from the laiety at the Lords Table: detected, and conuinced by the euidence of holy Scripture, and testimonies of all ages successiuely from the first propagation of the catholike Christian faith to this present: together with two conferences; the former at Paris with D. Smith, now stiled by the Romanists B of Calcedon; the later at London with M Euerard, priest: by Dan. Featly, Doctor in Diuinity.

SECT. XIIII. The testimonies of the practise of the Church from 1300. to 1400.

IN this Age, when this sacrilegious error like a Gangreene, had spred ouer a great part of the Latine Churches, God stirred vp many learned Chirons and Machaeons, knowne by the nick-names of Walldenses, Lollards, & Wick∣liffests, to applie a soueraigne remedie vnto it. And they, Deo secundante, wrought great cures vpon this Cancer in England, France, and Bohemia. In other parts of Europe, the people were so intoxicated with the golden Cup of the whore of Babylon, that they willingly suffered the Priests to keepe away from them the Lords Cup. Yet in this Centurie, if wee adde to the sounder Diuines, or Doctors, in the Latine Church, the iudgement and pra∣ctise of the whole Greeke Church, the entire Communion wil carry it away from the halfe, by more then halfe the voyces of Christen∣dome.

Anno 1301.

The custome of communicating in both kinds was not abolished in the beginning of this age, but was retained in certaine places, es∣pecially in Monasteries, vntill the yeere of our Lord 1300. and more. Thus writeth t 1.1 Cassan∣der.

Anno 1320.

u 1.2 Petrus de Palude saith, that in his time the custome was in many Churches, that the faithfull communicated in both kinds, and hee backeth this his testimonie with a solid reason. There ought, saith he, to be a double matter in this sacrament, to wit, meat and drink: because the effect of this Sacra∣ment ought to be represented perfectly by the matter thereof, in a manner agreeable to the things naturall. For sacraments effect that which they signifie: but the effect of this sacrament is a perfect re∣fection, or repast of the soule: therfore the mat∣ter representing, it ought to bee a perfect refe∣ction of the body, which is not but by meate and drinke. This argument of Peter of the F•…•…n hath so farre sunke our aduersaries, that to this day they cannot by all their sophistry get out of the boggs.

Anno 1341.

Clemens 6. in his Bull to the King of Eng∣land;

granteth him the vse of the Cup, ad gra∣tiae augmentum, to the increase of grace.

Anno 1360.

* 1.3 Richard Archbishop of Armach thus war∣deth off a blow of the Armenians, when the Armenian heretique obiected against him: vnlesse you eat the flesh of the sonne of man, and drink his blood, you haue no life in yon; Hee answereth, that this speech of our Sauiour, if it bee taken as spoken of sacramentall drinking, ought to be vnderstood with this qualification, to wit; That it is necessarie to obtaine spirituall life, that a man receiue both at sometime, or bee willing to re∣ceiue, and be ready so farre as it is in his power.

Anno 1372.

Besides these written testimonies, wee haue engrauen, I meane the inscriptions of Chalices, or Communion Cups, called Ministerales be∣cause they serued for the people; x 1.4 Vadianus writeth of a cup in the Abbie of Sangall, that weighed 70. markes in siluer: without doubt, saith he, for the vse of the people at the publique C•…•…mmunion. y 1.5 Gretser censureth the writings of Pelichdorfius against the poore men of Lyons in this manner: This author, saith he, doth re∣fute in the first part of this work the poore men of Lyons, but with some such arguments as ring not well in the purified eares (of Catho∣liques.

I am sure this argument drawne from great siluer chalices, some of them with pipes for the Laiety to sucke out the consecrated wine, ring not well in the purified eares of Ro∣mane Catholiques. For not onely, Rhenanus * 1.6 out of Conradus Pellicanus relateth a constituti∣on amongst the Carthusians, whereby they are forbid to haue any pretious vessels, or plate, besides a siluer chalice, and a pipe, wherewith the Laietie may suck the blood of our Lord: but also Caietan maketh mention of them, and their vse to this purpose: and Cassander very much taxeth Eccius, for that he writeth, that he neuer read of the Laieties Communion in both kinds in the Roman Church, saue only in the story of S. Laurence his life; * 1.7 It is strange, saith he, that a man of so excellent a memorie, as Ec∣cius, should forget the ministeriall Chalices, whereof there is euer and anon mention made in the Romane Pontificall; which were so called, because the blood of Christ was out of thē ministred to the people; In most places for feare of shedding the blood of Christ, in de∣liuering it to the people, there were siluer pipes put in∣to the Chalices, that in the peoples drinking, or rather sucking the blood of Christ, not so much as a droppe might be spilt. These Chalices were not onely in vse in this Age, but a 1000. yeeres before, in Saint Cyprians time: if we may beleeue Cardi∣nall Caietan; who ingeniously confesseth, that they were so called from their vse in the Church, which was to serue the people. Thus * 1.8 he commenteth vpon Thomas: This custome,

saith hee, continued not onely in the time of that Martyr, whom Cyprian thought fit to bee forearmed with the Lords Cup, but also in the time of the peace of the Church. For we reade not onely of basons, but also of ministeriall a 1.9 Chalices made for this vse. ^a For why were they called ministeriall, but because they serued not to offer the blood of Christ, but to minister it to the people?

Anno 1390.

The custome was in France to administer the whole Supper not in the middle of the * 1.10 Church, but in Chappels. This, saith Francis the first, I heard of old men, who affirmed; that this had been the manner in France for 120. yeeres before.

Notes

• t 1.1

  Cas. consul. art. 22. In vtraque specie communio in quibusdam locis, presertim in monasterijs retenta est, idque ad annum am∣pliùs millessi∣mum tricentessi∣mum.
• u 1.2

  Pet. in 4. sent. dist. 11. quaest. 1. In multis eccle∣sijs consuetudo suit, quòd com∣municauerunt fidelibus sub v∣traque specie, &c. sacramenti effectus est per∣secta animae re∣fectio; ergo, ma∣teria representās debet esse per pe•…•…ctam corpo∣ris refectionem, quae non est nisi per cibum, & potum.
• * 1.3

  Lib. contra er∣rores Armenio∣rum. c. 8. Vtrumque su∣mere certo tem∣pore, aut velle sumere, & esse paratum ad hoc, quantum in eius potestate est, ne∣cessarium est ad vitam spiritua∣lem habendam.
• x 1.4

  Aphoris. Eu∣char. lib. 6. Ad plebeiam il∣lud, & publicam communionem, haud dubiè, factam.
• y 1.5

  Ascitis quibus∣dam argumen∣tis, qu•…•… auribus probè purgatis non satis probè ti•…•…iunt. In No∣tis ad Pelich∣dorfiu•…•….
• * 1.6

  ^z In Tertul. de corona militis. Nequicquam pretium •…•…aso∣rum possideant, pr•…•…ter calicem argenteum, & fistulam, qua Laici Domini∣cum excipiant sanguinem.
• * 1.7

  Si non memi∣nerit calicum ministerialiū in Ecclesijs vrbis Romanae, quo∣rum in libro Pontificali sub∣inde fit mentio. &c. In plerisque locis calicibus, qui mi∣nisteriales voca∣ba•…•…ur, argen∣ti•…•… fistulae inse∣rebantur.
• * 1.8

  In t•…•…t. partem s•…•…mmae.
• a 1.9

  Quare mini∣steriales dict•…•… sunt, nisiquia non ad offeren∣dum, sed mini∣strandum populo Christi sangui∣nem deseruie∣bant?
• * 1.10

  ^b Guliel. Bel∣laius Langius de Francisco 1. Gall. Rege. & Sleid. hist. lib. 9. Franc. 1. dixit, patrum 〈◊〉〈◊〉 diu tributam fu∣isse per Galliam quibu•…•…bet inte∣gra•…•… c•…•…nam, non quidem in medio te•…•…pli, sed in sa•…•…llis.