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. VIII. The Testimonies of the practise of the Church from 700. to 800.

IN this age wee haue foure concurrent wit∣nesses, and contestatours beyond all excep∣tion:

• Beda.
• Greg. 2.
• Greg. 3.
• Alcumus.

We will produce them in order. And first Venerable Beda.

Anno 720.

Venerable Beda, the honour of England, and mirrour of his time, witnesseth as followeth: Christ washeth vs daily from our sins in his blood, when the memory of his passion is celebrated or re∣counted at the Altar; a 1.1 where the creatures of bread and wine, by the vnspeakable sanctification of the Spi∣rit, are changed into the Sacrament of his flesh and blood; and therby his body & blood is not powred out

by the hands of Infidels to their destruction, but is re∣ceiued, or is taken by, or into the mouth of the faithful to saluation. In this testimony I note, first, that he teacheth not a substantiall change of the ele∣ments of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ; but a sacramentall onely, a∣greeable to the harmony of Protestants Con∣fession. Se condly, that Beda either alludes vn∣to, or transcribes herein the words of S. Grego∣ry aboue alleaged, which I haue there proued to be most pregnant to our purpose.

Anno 726.

Gregory 2. in his Epistle of Images to Leo Isaurus; A man that hath sinned, and confes∣sed after they haue well chastened, and puni∣shed him with fasting, let them impart vnto him the pretious body of our Lord, and b 1.2 giue him his holy blood to drinke.

Anno 731.

Gregory 3. in his former Epistle to Boniface, forbiddeth at the Lords Table more then one Cup to be vsed; saying, It is not a fitting thing, to put two or three Chalices on the Altar. No doubt the reason, why more Chalices were put on the Altar, was for the vse of the people, other∣wise one would haue serued.

This custome the Pope dislikes not, for that the Cup was giuen to the Laiety: but because

in the first institution, Christ gaue but one Cup to all his Disciples. The same Pope afterward thus resolueth the question touching the le∣prous Communicants, with whom the sound could not with safety drinke in the same Cup: As c 1.3 for leapers, if they be belieuers, let them not be de∣priued if the participation of our Lords body and blood, but by no meanes let them bee at the same Ta∣ble, or participate together with them, that are cleane.

Anno. 780.

Alcuinus in his book of diuine duties, instan∣ceth in some, who were not fit to communi∣cate euery day, because they had no purpose to leaue their sinnes; To these, saith he, Saint Austine thus speaketh; I like well of your humility, that you presume not to approach to the body and blood of Christ; but it were better, that you would depart from your iniquities, and being made cleare by repentance, * 1.4 would take the body and blood of Christ.

Papists answer.

Cardinall Bellarmine, for want of a better, aduentureth vpon this answer: that indeede these Fathers say, that the blood of Christ is taken by, or with the mouth; but they say not, that it ought to be drunken with the mouth of the body, or taken vnder the forme of wine.

Reply.

The Hart as often as he is wounded flyes to his old Dictamus, and Bellarm. to this distincti∣on to heale himselfe: but none of this herbe here groweth; there is no ground for it. For first, the Fathers alleadged speake of the body and blood of Christ, as distinct things; and therefore not as of one inuolued in the other by the doctrine of Concomitancy: to approach vnto, to take the body of Christ and his blood, or the creature of bread and wine sacramental∣ly changed into Christs body and blood, as Beda speaketh, is not to take bread onely, and wine by, I know not what, consequence; or the body onely in specie, and the blood by Conco∣mitancy.

Secondly, could this answer be appliable to other generall sentences of the Fathers, yet not to these, in which there is expresse menti∣on made of the Chalice, of powring out the blood of Christ, and taking it as drinke; and therfore vnder the forme of wine. And who are they that so receiue it? The Laietie as wel as the Priests, vn∣lesse none but Priests are faithful Christians, or all lepers & excommunicate, or suspended per∣sons are to bee taken for Priests. Beda reacheth the Cup to the faithful indifferently, and Grego∣ry to penitents after confession and contrition, of what ranck so euer. Yea leapers are not ex∣cluded simply, but secluded, that they might

not infect the sound, by drinking together with them.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Beda, homil in verba Ioh. vidit Ioh. Iesum, &c. Cum panis & vini creatura in sacramentum corporis eius & sanguinis trans∣sertur. et post: sanguis fidelium ore sumitur ad salutem.
• b 1.2

  Sancto illius sanguine potent.
• c 1.3

  Leprosis, si fi∣deles fuerint, Dominici corpo∣ris & sanguinis participatie tri∣buatur.
• * 1.4

  ^d Mundi facti per poenitentiā, corpus, & san∣guinem Domini sumere.