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.

A SIXT CHALLENGE,

Out of the Doctrine of Antiquitie.

ALthough it were preposterous to exact of vs a proofe, from Antiquitie, of condemning the Service in a strange tongue, seeing (as hath beene confessed) the Primitive practice is wholly for vs; and therefore no Abuse in those times could occasion any such Reproofe: yet shall we, for your better illumination, offer unto you some more expresse Suffrages of the ancient Fathers, after that wee shall have satisfied your Obiections, pretended to make for your Defence. Saint Augustine saith of the People, that their Safetie consisteth not in the vigour of their understanding, but in their simplicitie of believing. So indeed doth s 1.1 Augustine forewarne the people, who although they knew the single words of the prayers of Heretickes, yet might possibly be deluded with the obscuritie of their Hereticall Sences. The Difference is extreme. For Saint Augustine's people vnderstood the language of those prayers, in the obscure and inuolued Sence whereof they were vnwillingly igno∣••ant. But your Popish people are wilfully ignorant both of the Words and Sence. The oddes therefore is no lesse than this; they were simply, yours are sottishly ignorant, and Augustine wisheth that their Simplicitie were corrected; you hold your Peoples blindnesse worthy to be commended.

Secondly, Origen saith, that when Christians are exercised in reading of holy Scripture, albeit some words be not vnderstood, yet is that reading profitable. This Sentence also is alleaged for counte∣nancing of t 1.2 Prayer in an unknowne tongue; notwithstanding that, in a man's Reading of Scripture, God is said to speake unto man: but in Praying, man is said to speake unto God. So that it may be both lawfull and profitable to the Reader, to find some particular Scrip∣tures, which God would have to excell the Capacitie of the most learned, to humble them, to the admiration of his excellent wis∣dome, as the Fathers teach. Whereas contrarily an unknowne Prayer, wittingly used, is both vnprofitable and vnlawfull, as hath beene copiously confessed by your owne Divines, from the Do∣ctrine of the Apostle.

More Obiections out of the Fathers you have not. We will trie whether we can recompence your Nominalities (that wee may so call your impertinent Obiections) with Realities and soli•• Proofs. Cast but your eyes vpon the Marginals, consisting partly of the Relation of your owne u 1.3 Cassander, and partly of our x 1.4 Collections, and you shall finde, among the Fathers, y 1.5 Ambrose denying that He, who is the person ignorant of the Prayer, can give consent vnto it, by saying Amen: and thereupon inferreth, that only Such things should be spoken in the publike Congregation, which the Hearers vnderstand. z 1.6 Chrysostome noting a Man, Ignorant of the Prayer, to be no better then a Barbarian to himselfe, not in respect of the nature of the voyce, but of his owne ignorance; and declaring Prayers, in an vnknowne tongue, to be contrary to the Apostles Doctrine, who requireth that All things be done to edification. a 1.7 Isiodore peremptorily affir∣ming an [Oportet,] and duety, that All may be able to Pray in pub∣like places of prayer. Theophylact noting that b 1.8 The giuing of thankes to God is unprofitable, where the edification of the people is neglected. Augustine, in his Comment vpon the Psalmes, often exhorting all sorts of men to sing them: and thereupon the c 1.9 Author of the Pre∣face before his Comment (as it were tuning his note to Augustines) doth deny that any can sing Psalmes as he ought to God, who know∣eth not what he singeth.

And, lest that this might not suffice, we have added the * 1.10 Edict of the Emperour I••stinian, commanding a lowd voice in the Mini∣ster, that the people may vnderstand his words. Next, a Canon of a Councell, requiring a * 1.11 Concordance both of voice and vnderstan∣ding in the singing of Psalmes, as that which ought to be by that Doctrine of Scripture [I will pray with my spirit, and I will pray with my vnderstanding.] Then, a Decree of one Pope, in his Coun∣cell, that provision be made, where people of diuers Languages dwell in the same Cities, that their * 1.12 Service may be done accor∣ding to their Different tongues. After, the Resolution of another Pope, to grant vnto the * 1.13 Sclavonians, at their conversion to the faith, that Divine Service might be vsed in their owne tongue;

moued thereunto, as by a voice from heauen, sounding out that Scripture; Let every tongue praise the Lord. And lastly, * 1.14 a Prohi∣bition in the Primitive Church, that None should speake in languages vnknowne to the people.

When you have disgested all these Premises, concerning the Equity and Necessity of knowne Prayers in the publike and Divine Service, both in consideration of God's worship and Mans manifold profit, so amply confirmed by so many and vncontrollable testi∣monies, then guesse (if you can) of what dye the face of your Do∣ctor Stapleton was, when hee shamed not to call this our Pra∣ctice of knowne prayers d 1.15 Profanenesse? and to number it among Hereticall pravities. As for your owne People, who preferre an vnknowne worship, what can wee say lesse than that all such Ig∣norants are but dumbe worshippers, and because of their ignorance, in praying they know not what, they are to be sent to accompa∣nie Popiniayes and Iack-dawes, accordingly as S^t. * 1.16 Augustine for∣merly hath resembled them.

Notes

• s 1.1

  Aug. de Bap. l. 6. c. 24. Multi irruunt in preces, etiam ab Hae∣reticis compositas, & per ignorantiae sim∣plicitatem non va∣lentes decernere, u∣tuntur cis, & plerun∣que precis vitium su∣perat precantis affe∣ctus.—Non quià ista corrigenda non sint, ut populus ad id, quod planè intelli∣gat, dicat Amen Idem de Catechizand. rudi∣bus c. 9. Teste Cassandro in Liturg. pag. ••0••.
• t 1.2

  Origen Hom. ••0. in ••os•…•… Quae nos pro∣ferimus saepe non in∣telligimus, sed virtu∣tes intelligunt. Ergo licet preces non in∣tellectas usurpare. Ob. Bellar. l. 2. deverbo Dei cap. 16.
• u 1.3

  Iohannes Billet in summa de divinis offlcijs; In primiti∣va Ecclesia (inquit) prohibitum erat, nè quis loqueretur lin∣guis, nisi intellige∣rentur.—At no∣stris temporibus, ubi nullus aut rarus in∣venitur legens vel audiens, qui intelli∣gat, completum est quod à Propheta di∣citur: Erit Sacer∣dos ut populus. Vi∣detur potius esse ta∣cendum quam psal∣lendum. Innocent. 3. in Conc. gen. in lib. Decret. de offic. Iud. Ordinar. Quoniam in pletis{que} partibus—permixti sunt po∣puli diversarum lin∣guarum—. Pontifi∣ces civitatum provi∣deant virosidoneos, qui secundùm diver∣sitatem linguarum divina illis officia ce∣lebrent.—Aen. Syl. Hist. Bohem. cap. 13. Cyrillo Romae Epis∣copo suppli••ante, ut lingua Sclavonicâ res divina fieret—essent{que} non pauci qui contradicerent, audita est vox, tan∣quàm è coelo, in haec verba missa, Omnis Spiritus laudet Do∣minum, & omnis lin∣gua confiteatur ei: inde{que} indultum Cy∣rillo. Hucus{que} ex Cas∣sand. Lit. s••l. 101, 102.
• x 1.4

  Conc. Aquisgranens. cap. 131. Psallentlum in Ecclesia Domino mens concordare debet cum voce, ut im∣pleatur illud Apostoli, Psallam Spiritu, psallam & mente.
• y 1.5

  Ambros. in 1. Cor. 14. [Qui supplet locum Idi∣otae, quomodò dicet Amen ad benedictionem tuam, quià nescit quid dicis?] Imperitus n. nesciens quid dici∣tur, nescit finem orationis, & non respondet Amen. Verum, ut confirmetur benedictio: per hos n. qui respon∣dent Amen, impletur confirmatio precis, ut omnia dicti veri testimonio conf••rmentur in mentibus Audientium.—[Sed alius non aedifica••ur.] Si igitur ad aedificandam Ecclesiam convenitis, ca debent dici, quae intelli∣gant Audientes: nam quid prodest, ut quis lingua loquatur, quam solus scit? ideò tacere debet in Ecclesia, ut ij loquantur qui prosunt Audientibus.
• z 1.6

  Chrysost. in 1. Cor. 14. [Barbarus] Et ille mihi, & ego illi, non uti{que} ob naturam vocis, sed ob imperitiam—Et qui non intelligit quid loquatur, sibi est Barbarus. [Qui locum tenetindocti.] Indoctum promiscuam pleb••m intelligit, monstrat{que} non leue impedimentum esse, si non intel∣ligat. [Omnia ad aedificationem.] Aedificare. n. Architecti est opus, & per omnia proximum juvare—Si n. aedificandi gratiâ non venis, quid necesse est omninò venisse?
• a 1.7

  Isidor. de Eccles offic. l. 1. cap 10. Opor∣tet, quando oratur, ut ab omnibus oretur.
• b 1.8

  Theophylact. in 1. Cor. 14. [Tugra••ias bene agis, sed alius non aedificatur.] Proximiutilitate rejecta, inutiles erant huiusmodi gratiae.
• c 1.9

  In the Preface of an vn∣knowne Author before the Prologue of S. Aug. vpon the Psalmes: Quo modo debitè potest Deo psallere, qui ignorat quid psallat?
• * 1.10

  See above in the begi•…•…ing of the 6. Sect. letter (d.)
• * 1.11

  See a little before at the letter (x.)
• * 1.12

  Ibid. at the letter (u)
• * 1.13

  Ibid.
• * 1.14

  Ibid.
• d 1.15

  Quod aute•…•… omnia vernacu••e fi∣unt in Ecclesis, pla∣nè profanum est. Sta∣pleton. spec. pravit. Hae∣ret. p. 580.
• * 1.16

  See aboue, Sect. 7. in the Challenge 3.