Theophilus. It is very true. But their principal & chiefest profit cometh unto them, because of the dead. And therefore they would no longer permit & suffer, y• it should be lawful & common unto all, as well lay people as clerks, to exercise the office, & to communicate y• one for the other, but it is given unto them alone, as y• most worthiest, judging the other thereof unworthy. From thence are descended ⟨image 192⟩the private and particular masses, in which all they 1alone do say that do communicate for the quick and the dead. It sufficed them not, to take the office to communicate for the dead, which were absent, but which is more, would also make it in the name of y• living, which are present, as though they rejected them, and judged them excommunicate and unworthy to communicate at the death & passion of Jesus Christ. I demand of thee then Eusebius upon this, where thou hast ever read, that the Christians have used a supper and sacrament vicar, I 2do call the sacrament end the supper vicar, which thou takest for an other alter the imitation of Tertullian, calling vicar baptism, the same of the Corinthians for the dead. 3Canst thou allege unto me one only example taken from the true servants of God. And that fashion to celebrate the supper particularly, is it not a right excommunication, 4and not a communion? For hath our Lord Jesus Christ instituted his supper only for the Priests? Would he not that bread, which he distributed unto his Apostles, should be divided and distributed unto his Apostles, should be divided and distributed among them? And that all should drink of that cup and of that wine, which representeth his blood? Wherefore hath he commanded that; but for to give us to understand, that as he gave his body & his blood for the health & salvation of all men, that he would in like manner, that all his elect should be partakers, & that all should communicate with him, in y• holy supper, & should be fed & refreshed with his flesh and his blood, through the virtue of his holy spirit? Even as then Jesus Christ was not only delivered unto death for the Priests, but for all the faithful, both generally and particularly, so he would not that there should be but the Priests which should be partakers, but all those for whom and unto whom, he gave it.
Theophilus. It is very true. But their principal & chiefest profit cōmeth vnto them, bicause of the dead. And therefore they would no longer permit & suffer, y• it should be lawful & common vnto al, as wel lay people as clarks, to exercise the office, & to communicate y• one for the other, but it is giuen vnto thē alone, as y• most worthiest, iudgeing the other thereoff vnworthy. From thence are descended ⟨image 192⟩the priuate and perticuler masses, in which all they 1alone do say that do communicate for the quick and the dead. It suffised them not, to take the office to communicate for the dead, which wer absent, but which is more, would also make it in the name of y• liuing, which are present, as though they reiected them, and iudged them excommunicate and vnworthy to communicate at the death & passion of Iesus Christ. I demaunde of thée then Eusebius vppon this, where thou hast euer reade, that the Christians haue vsed a supper and sacrament vicare, I 2doe call the sacrament end the supper vicare, which thou takest for an other alter the imitation of Tertulian, calling vicare baptisme, the same of the Corinthians for the dead. 3Canst thou alledge vnto me one onelye example taken from the true seruants of God. And that fashion to celebrate the supper perticulerly, is it not a ryght excommunication, 4and not a communion? For hath our Lorde Iesus Christ instituted his supper onely for the Priests? Would he not that bread, which he distributed vnto his Apostles, should be diuided and distributed vnto his Apostles, should be deuided and distributed among them? And that all should drinke of that cup and of that wine, which representeth his bloud? Wherefore hath hee commaunded that; but for to giue vs to vnderstande, that as he gaue his body & his bloud for the health & saluation of all men, that he would in lyke manner, that al his elect should be pertakers, & that all should communicate wyth him, in y• holy supper, & should be fed & refreshed with his flesh and his bloud, thorow the vertue of his holy spirite? Euen as then Iesus Christ was not onely deliuered vnto death for the Priests, but for all the faithfull, both generally and perticulerly, so he would not that there should be but the Priestes which should be pertakers, but all those for whom and vnto whom, he gaue it.
- 1Private & particular Masses.Priuate & perticuler Masses.
- 2Sacraments vicarsSacraments vi•cars
- 3Ter. aduer. Mars. li. 5, & li. de resu. car.
- 4Excommunication for communion. The institution of the supper. Mat. 26. c. 27 1. Cor. 11. c. 24. Marc. 14. c. •2 Luc. 22. b. 17
