Of the institution of the sacrament of the blessed bodie and blood of Christ, (by some called) the masse of Christ eight bookes; discovering the superstitious, sacrilegious, and idolatrous abominations of the Romish masse. Together with the consequent obstinacies, overtures of perjuries, and the heresies discernable in the defenders thereof. By the R. Father in God Thomas L. Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.

The fourth Romish Transgression of the Canon of Christ his Masse, contradicting the sence of the next words, [—SAID VNTO THEM.]

SECT. VI.

IN the aforesaid Canon of Christ his Masse it followeth, [And he said vnto Them.] Christ Saying or speaking to his Disciples, by commanding them to Take, &c. did, doubtlesse, so speake, that they might heare his Command; to wit, in an audible voice. Which done, he further commanded, concerning this same Cir∣cumstance, ioyntly with the rest, saying, [Doe this.]

The contrarie Canon of the Romane Masse.

But your late Councell of a 1.1 Trent pronounceth him Anathema, who shall condemne her Custome of the Priest, uttering the words of Consecration in a lowe voice. Whereby (saith your b 1.2 Iesuite) it for∣biddeth the words of Consecration to be deliuered in a lowd and audible voice. So they.

CHALLENGE.

DOe you see what your Church doth professe? See also, wee pray you, notwithstanding, what your owne Doctours are brought to c 1.3 confesse (namely) first, that The Example of Christ and his Apostles is against this uttering those words in a lowe and in∣audible voice. Secondly, that The same Custome was controlled by the practice of the whole Church of Christ, both in the East part thereof (from the testimonies of ancient Liturgies, and Fathers) and in the ancient Romane Church, by the witnessing of two Popes; in whose time the People hearing the words of Consecration pronoun∣ced, did answere thereunto, AMEN. Thirdly, that the same In∣novation was much misliked by the Emperour Iustinian, who severely commanded by his Edict (as d 1.4 you know) that The Priest should pronounce the words with a cleare voice, that they may be heard of the people. Whose authority you peremptorily contemne, as though it did not belong to an Emperour to make Lawes in this kind. But forasmuch as the King of Kings, and the High Priest of Priests, the Sonne of God, hath said of this, as of the other such Cir∣cumstances, [Doe this,] who are you, that you should dare to contradict this Injunction, by the practice of any Priest, saying and speaking (yet not as Christ did, vnto Them) but only to him∣selfe, without so much as any pretence of Reason, e 1.5 which

might not likewise haue moued the ancient Church of Christ, both Greeke and Romane, to the same manner of Pronunciation? Where∣as the Catholike Church, notwithstanding, for many hundred yeares together, precisely observed the ordinance of Christ.

THE SECOND CHALLENGE.

In respect of the necessitie of a Lowde voice, especially by the Romish Priest, in uttering the words of Consecration.

THe greatest silence, which is vsed by the Romane worship∣pers, is still in the Priests vttering, or rather muttering the words of Institution [Hoc est corpus meum: and, Hic est sanguis meus:] albeit here is the greatest and most necessarie Cause of ex∣pressing them, for the satisfaction of euery vnderstanding Hearer among you. For those you call the Words of Consecration, the iust pronunciation whereof you hold to be most necessarie: because if the Priest, in vttering of them, faile but in one syllable, so farre as to alter the sence of Christs words (which as you say may happen by six manner of Defects) then the whole Consecration is void; and the thing, which you adore, is in substance meerely * 1.6 Bread still. If therefore the People shall stand perplexed in themselves, whe∣ther the words, which are concealed, be duely vttered by the Priest to himselfe, how shall it not concerne them to heare the same ex∣presly pronounced, lest that (according to your owne Doctrine) they be deluded in a point of faith, and with divine worship adore Bread instead of the person of the Sonne of God? Whereof we are to entreate at large in due * 1.7 place, if God permit.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Si quis dixetit, Ecclesiae Rom ritum, quo submissâ voce pars Canonis, & ver∣ba Consecrationis proferuntur, dam∣nandum esse, Ana∣thoma sit. Conc. Trid. Sess. 22. Can 9.
• b 1.2

  Quibus verbis Conc. verba Consecrationis altâ voce proferri prohibuit. Ledesima Ies. de Script. quavis ling. non legend. p. 161. In inclinatione Sacerdotis & osculatione altaris, thurificatione secun∣da expletâ, Sacerdos se convertens ad populum sub silentio dicit [Dominus vobiscum:] Et mox voce aliquan∣tulum elevatâ dicit, [Orate pro me, fratres.] Durand. Ration. l. 4. c. 32. initio.
• c 1.3

  Christus altâ vo∣ce pronuntiabat ver∣ba illa [Hoc est cor∣pus meum] ut audi∣rentur ab Apostolis. Bellar. l. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. de Missa, c. 12. §. Quod attinet.—In Ecclesia Ori∣entali altâ voce reci∣tari consuevisse, non negamus. Idem. ibid. § Respondeo.—Cer∣tè ex Graecorum Li∣turgijs invenies tàm ••n Missa Iacobi Apo∣stoli & Clementis Rom. quàm in illis quae editae sunt à Ba∣silio & Chrysostomo, quòd ubi Sacerdos protulisset verba Cō∣secrationis tàm post panis, quàm post vi∣ni Consecra••ionem, populus acclamabat dicendo, Amen. Idē etiam confirmatur ex Leone, Aug. Ambro∣sio, & alijs multis Pa∣trib. Salmeron. Ies. Cō. in 1. Cor. 14. Disp. 22. p 188. Moris enim fuit Ecclesiae primitivae, ut constat ex Leone magno, & Iustino Martyre, ut verbis Consecrationis altâ v••ce prolatis, populus responderet, Amen. Idem Tom. 9. Tract 13. pag. 90. Col. 2.
• d 1.4

  Novellâ Constit. 123. Iustiniani severè praecipitur Sacerdoribus, ut in Eucharistiae celebratione verba clarâ voce pronuntientur, ut à populo exaudiantur—[Which made Bellar. to bluster after this manner:] Ad No∣vellam responderi possit imprimis, ad Imperatorem non pertinere de ritu sacrificandi leges ferre: proinde non multum referre quid ipse sanxerit. Bellar. l. 2. de Missa c. 12. §. Ad Novellam.
• e 1.5

  Vtile est, ad reverentiam tanti Sacramenti (ut Basil. rectè docet l. de Sp. Sancto c. 27.) & multum confert ad dignitatem & reverentiam mysteriorum ut non assuescant homines eadem saepius audire: vel potiùs ut non offerrentur ad aures vulgi. Et in Liturgijs Graecis Basilij & Chrysost. praescribunt quaedamsub silentio dicēda.—In Liturgijs Chrysost. Sacer∣dos orat 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, quod non significat moderatâ voce, sed planèsecretò. In Latinis Liturgijs, Innocentio reste, praecipua pars Missae secreta erat. Bellar. quo supra. [Wee oppose 1. Never were any words held secret, so, as not to be beard of them that were baptised, and were allowed to be Communicants. Basil. speaketh of the rites of Baptisme to be kept secret, but to whom? 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: and how secret? by silence of voice in the Congregation? no, but, Non convenit circumferri, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. And of what? of words? nay, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Neither doth Chrysostome's 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, nor Innocentius his Secreto inferre any more than such a Service, in respect of them that were not to be partakers of the Communion. Secondly, wee oppose, concerning the point in question, that the words of Institution were in th••se times pronounced with an audible voice both in the Greeke and Latine Churches (as hath beene confessed, and their owne Writings doe verifie:) Basil. Liturg. Sacerdos benedicens panem, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉—altâ voce dicens; Accipite, Hoc est corpus meum. Chrysost. in 1. Cor. 15. Hom. 40. Vobis, qui mysterijs estis initiati (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) volo in me∣moriam revocare eam dictionem, &c.] secundùm Graec. Edit.
• * 1.6

  See Booke 7. C. 5. §. 2.
• * 1.7

  Ibidem.