M. Hardinge. The .26. Diuision.
S. Ambrose witnesseth that the people of the Easte had a custome in his time, to be houseled but once in the yeere.* 1.1 And he rebuketh harpely suche as folowe them, after this sorte: Si quo∣tidianus est cibus, cur post annum illum sumis▪ quemadmodum Grae•••• in oriente facere consueuerunt? If it be oure daylie meate (saithe he) why takest thou it but once in the yeere, as the Greekes are wonte to doo in the Easte?* 1.2 S. Augustine vttereth the same thinge, almost with the same woordes. And in the seconde booke De sermone Domini in monte, the twelfthe Chapter, expoun∣dinge the fourthe pe••••tion of our Lordes Praier, Geue vs this daie our dayly Breade, shewinge that this may be taken either for material Breade, either for the Sacrament of our Lordes Bodie, or for Spiritual meate, whiche he alloweth beste: woulde that concerninge the Sacramente of our Lordes Bo••ie, they of the Easte shoulde not moue question, how it might be vnderstanded to be their dayly Breade, whiche were not dayly par••akers of our Lordes Supper, (35)* 1.3 where as for al that, this Breade is called Daily Breade: There he saithe thus: Vt ergo ill•• taceant, neque de hac resen∣tentiam suam defendant, vel ipsa authoritate Ecclesiae sint contenti, quòd sine scandalo ista faciunt, neque ab eis qui Ecclesiis praesunt, facere prohibentur, neque non obtempe∣rantes condemnantur: Wherefore that they holde their peace, and stande not in defence of their opinion, lette them be contente at leaste way with the authoritie of the Churche, that they doo these thinges without offence thereof taken, neither be forbidden of those that be ouer the Churches, neither be condemned when they disobeye. Here wee see by S. Augustine, that they of the Orient, who so seldome receiued the Sacrament, were holden for al that Christen People by t••authoritie of the Churche, none offence thereof was taken, neither were they inhibited of their custome: and though they obeyed not their Spiritual gouernours, mouinge them to receiue more often, yet were they not condemned, nor excommunicated.