PART III.


Behold these are the horrible heresies, for the which, a good part of the
world is at this day condemned by the Bishop of Rome; and yet were never
heard to plead their cause. He should have commenced his suit rather
against Christ, against the Apostles, and against the holy fathers. For
these things did not only proceed from them, but were also appointed by
them: except perhaps these men will say (as I think they will indeed),
that Christ never instituted the Holy Communion to be divided amongst the
faithful; or that Christ's Apostles and the ancient fathers said private
masses in every corner of the temples, now ten, now twenty together in
one day: or that Christ and His Apostles banished all the common people
from the Sacrament of His blood: or that the thing, which they themselves
do at this day everywhere, and do it so as they condemn him for a heretic
which doth otherwise, is not called of Gelasius, their own doctor, plain
sacrilege: or that these be not the very words of Ambrose, Augustine,
Gelasius, Theodoret, Chrysostom, and Origen: "The bread and wine in the
Sacraments remain still the same they were before:" "The thing which is
seen upon the Holy Table is bread;" "There ceaseth not to be still the
substance of bread, and nature of wine;" "The substance and nature of
bread are not changed;" "The self-same bread, as touching the material
substance, goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the privy:" or that
Christ, the Apostles, and holy fathers prayed not in that tongue which
the people might understand: or that Christ hath not performed all things
by that one offering which He once offered: or that the same sacrifice
was unperfect, and so now we have need of another. All these things must