to the catholike churche they myght auoyde all daunger and meryte a great deale yet to open further the falshed and noughtines of the heretique teachers in our tyme and howe glad willinge they are to abuse the simplicitie of the vnlerned people ye shall haue here added some moo obiections and solutions geuē to them to this ende that if the sayd symple people haue bene infected with the sayd obiections or such like they maye be wel satisfied in their conscience therevpon adhere vnto the catholyke faythe maynteyned and obserued in the catholique churche out of whych there is no saluation Obiection And to procede herein this is one other common obiection that much troubleth the ignorant people it is to witte ¶ How can the body and bloude of our Sauiour Chryst be in the blessed sacrament of the aultar seing that not only euyll men do many tymes receue the same but fyre also maye consume it and other like chaunces may happen vnto it ¶ Ansvvere For aunswer to which obiectiō it is fyrst and principally to be sayd that this obiection procedeth of a vayne curiositie of them whiche rather delyte fondly to talke of this high mystery then to prepare them selues to receyue the same accordyngly Sure we are that our Sauiour Chryste is nowe man incorruptible and impassible nether by fire nor by ought els can suffer violence and therefore where it pleaseth hym of hys tender mercy and goodnes for our great comforte and soule helth by hys omnipotent worde to tourne the substaunce of bread and wyne into his most precious body and bloude in the sacrament of the aultare and yet so to make thys turne that neuerthelesse he suffereth the fourmes sensible qualities of the breade and wine to remaine in there nature as they were before the consecratyon it is to be vnderstanded that the violence or force that is or may be done to thys sacramente is done onely to the fourmes and qualities sensible whiche in dede are subiecte to passibilite corruption but in no wise to the vncorruptible body bloud of oure sauioure Christ vnder them conteyned Doo we not reade I pray you in the fourth of Mathew howe that our sauiour suffered the deuyll to take hym and carye hym vp into the pinacle of the temple afterwarde to the toppe of an hygh mountayne and yet who doth not knowe that he suffered no vilany thereby at all The sonne beames also many tymes do shyne on thynges impure vncleane yet are they no whyt thereby defyled The bodye of mā is with a greater vnion ioyned to the soule then are the fourmes of breade and wine to the body and bloude of our sauiour Christe in the Sacramente of the aultar and yet we know that mortification putrifaction and other suche lyke thinges chauncynge to our body the soule hath in it no suche passion for that it is immortall The very Godhed of oure sauioure Christ was in vnitye of person vnited to hys manhod yet none of the passiōs paines or griefes whiche he sustayned in hys manhod broughte violence alteration or chaunge to hys godhed For the godhed is in alterable vnpassible The simplicity of Christen people in the primatyue churche was suche that they beleuynge mooste certenly the body and bloude of our sauiour Chryste to be in the sacrament of the aulter vnder the fourmes of breade and wyne dyd wythout al curious talke of the fourmes accidentes bende thē selues to be present at masse wherein the myghtye woorke of consecration is wrought by god and wherin our sauiour Christ also is in fourmes of breade and wyne offered vp to the heauenly father by the priest for the soner obteinyng of mercy and fauoure towardes vs and the sayde people beynge at masse they wyth moost feruent deuotion dyd praye and dyd honour the blessed sacrament of the aulter the body and bloude of oure sauiour Christe and besydes this they dyd oftentymes wyth feare and tremblynge prepare them selues to the worthy receyte thereof and by suche theyr godly behauiour they dyd purchase to them selues greate abundaunce of grace where we by the cōtrary and moost vnchristian behauour prouoke gods wrathe dayly more and more vpon our selues and the whole realme For nothyng soner styrreth God to auengeaunce then the presumption of suche as wyl curiously enter into hys hydden secrettes and therevpō doo contempne all that whiche by theyr feble wyttes they are not able to vnderstande ¶ Obiection Another obiection is of the woordes of our sauioure in the .vi. of Iohn Iohn vi where he saieth Qui manducat meam carnem et bibit meum sanguinem habet vitam eternam That is to saye He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude hathe euerlastynge lyfe Vppon these wordes they gather that if in the sacrament of the aulter be really the body and bloude of oure sauioure Christ then who so receueth the sacramēt must nedes enioye euerlastyng life But the scripture witnesseth that Iudas receaued it and sainct Paule in the .xi. 1. Corin. xi of his fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians saieth that Who so receueth the sacrament vnworthely receaueth it to his dampnation ¶ Obiection To this obiectiō it is to be aunswered that many sentences of scripture are to be vnderstande wyth a certayne restraynte or limittation as for example the scrypture sayeth Qui credit in me habit vitam eternam That is to say He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting lyfe And in the fyrst Epistle of S. Iohn 1. Iohn 4 the fourthe chapter it is written Quisquis confessus fuerit quoniam Iesus est filius dei deus in eo manet et ipse in deo That is to saye Who soeuer shall confesse that Iesus is the sonne of God in him dwelleth God and he in God There haue bene and are thousandes whyche beleue in Christe and that Christe is the very sonne of God and yet shall not for all that be saued but either for lacke of true belefe in other articles of the christian religion or for lacke of good lyfe shal be dampned This condition than is to be added to the forsayde sentences yf in suche beleif a mā dye and therewith is faythful in the necessarye articles and out of state of all deadely sinne he shall thā with out any doute inherite the kyngedome of heauen So in thys present obiection we muste make a limitation and saye that who so eateth and drynketh worthely c. ¶ To the cōfyrmacion hereof August sermon .xi. De verbis domini Sainct Augustine saieth in hys eleuēth sermō De verbis domini Profecto est quidam modus manducandi illam carnem quomodo qui manducauerit in Christo manet et Christus in eo Non ergo quocumque modo quisquā manducauerit carnem Christi et biberit sanguinem Christi manet in Christo et in illo Christus sed certo quodam modo quem modum vtique ipse videbat quando ista
these wordes this is my body and yet of these wordes no one Euangelist maketh any exposition bycause the wordes are playnely and symply to be taken as they were spoken Besids al this we haue in S. Paule in the .xi Chapiter of his first Epystle to the Corinthians a goodly and a large processe touchyng this Sacrament and yet in that whole processe no matter to instructe vs otherwyse to beleue of it than that there is in it the very bodye and bloude of our sauiour Chryst For fyrste he vttereth the wordes of our sauiour euen as the Euangelistes do as that he sayd this is my body and he maketh no declaration vpon the same Secondly where none of the Euangelists make mentiō of any paine due to the vnworthy receauer S Paule affirmeth that the vnworthy receyuing of this Sacrament bryngeth iudgement and dampnation Thirdly he telleth that for the vnworthy receauing herof God plageth cities and countryes with sondry greuous plages as with infirmity with syckenes and with death also Forthely he geueth vs counsell diligentlye to examine and trye our selfes before we come to gods borde If the very body and bloude of oure sauiour Christ be nat in dede in the sacramēt of the aultare why shold our sauiour so speake as he spake in the promysse made thereof why dyd he as he did in the instituting therof why dyd none of the Euāgelists so declare christes wordes why dyd sayncte Paule so terribly pronounce of the vnworthy receauynge of it and so ernestly warne vs of due preparation to be made therefore It is then most vndoutedly to be of all christen people beleued that in the Sacrament of the aultare there is the verye body and bloude of our sauiour Chryst worthy of all honour and glory the selfe same in substaunce that is in heauen which thing for Chryst to bryng to passe is a thing most easye he being God almighty maker of heauen and earth and for him to do is moost semely that as he gaue that bodye to deathe to redeme vs so he should giue the same in this heauenly bankitte to fede vs that he mighte be all in all The body of our sauiour Christ to be in very dede in heauen in the visible fourme of a mā and in the Sacrament of the Aultare inuisibly vnder the visible fourmes of breade and wyne nether is impossible to hys power that made all thinges of noughte nether vnsemely for his exceadyng great loue towardes vs who so loued vs that for vs he did not refuse to suffer death and that the death of the crosse neyther yet is it agaynst his wyll who of his onely mercye so promysed and wyth hys omnipotent word so instituted it nother is it fynally vnfytte for his wysedome seyng he hath so ordeyned that euery naturall mother nourysheth her children wyth the substaunce of her owne body And why then shold christen men refuse to beleue it why do we not rather embrace it and gyue God most hartye thankes for it being the greatest iewel that euer was amonge mortal men why do we not prepare our selues worthely to receaue it and as in all other poyntes of the christen religiō so in the belefe of it geue credite to fayth and bryng reason and our senses in subiectiō vnder fayth but suffer our ghostly enemy by carnall reasons to bryng vs away into heresie quyte and cleane to pull the ryghte faythe out of oure hartes Let vs all good people from hence forth be constaūt in the trueth and as all the catholyke churche beleueth and hath alwayes beleued let vs vndoutedlye perswade our selues that in the blessed sacrament of the Aultare there is vnder the fourmes of breade wine the selfe same body of our sauiour Christ in substaūce which was borne of the Vyrgin Mary and suffered death on the crosse for vs to whō with the father the holy gost be all honor glory world wythout ende Amen Io. Harpesfelde sacrae theologiae professoris et Archidiaconi London ¶ And Homelye of Transubstantiation THere are in the sacrament of the aultare ii thinges speciallye to be considered the one is the body and bloud of our sauiour Christ ther really cōteined the other is the fourmes of breade wine vnder whych the said body blud are cōteined Of the first parte ye hard in the last homely Touching the second the general belefe of the catholyke Churche if there were nothing els ought and may be a sufficient grounde for euery godly man to build hys conscience vpon which churche doth beleue that there is no substaunce of material bread and wyne remaining but onely the fourmes of breade and wyne the substaunce of Christes body and bloude there so contayned And yet because some haue vainely and curiously of late yeares talked of this second part and haue put many fonde doutes and scruples into peoples heades concerning the same ye shall nowe at large and fully I trust be instructed therin And fyrst this is to be noted that God hath from the begynnyng of the worlde manye tymes appeared to man some tymes in one sorte Gene. xviii and somtymes in an other In the .xviii. Chapiter of Genesis it is wrytten howe God and two Aungelles with him dyd appeare vnto Abraham in the lykenesse of men and howe Abraham feasted them Howe vaine a matter were it I pray you for vs here buselye to reason howe God or Aungell coulde appeare lyke man and whether they had true bodyes or no and whether they dyd eate in dede or no and yf they hadde not true bodyes in dede howe the appearaunce of bodyes coulde be where the substaunce of bodyes was not In the thirde chapter of the booke called Exodus we rede that God appeared to Moyses in the lykenes of flamynge fyre Exod. 3. and that oute of a bushe In the .v. of Iosue it is recorded how one sodenly appeared vnto Iosue lyke a man Iosue 5. hauynge a sworde drawen in his hand What can anye manne saye howe God shoulde appeare in a flame of fyre or what substaunce of a sworde was in that which appeared to Iosue Hereby it is easy to vnderstande how daungerous a thing it is to go about by mans wyt or reason to discusse the maner of the workes of almighty God Who seyth not that by the meane of such presumptuous curiositie men haue of late fallē into moost detestable errours touching the mooste blessed Sacramente of the aultare and haue moost spytefully rayled agaynst the same and with moost vyle termes haue gested thereof and finallye moost vily haue vsed the moost precious bodye and bloude of our sauiour Chryst in the same In which doing how can they loke for anye fauour at the handes of their heauenly father seyng in such dispituous maner they entreate the Bodye and bloud of our sauiour Christ his sonne But now to procede forth touching the declaration of the secōd thing to be considered in the blessed Sacramēt of
the aultare Ye must knowe that the presence of our sauioure Chryste in this sacrament of the aulter is not to the intente that Chryst should be conuersaunt with vs here in thys Sacrament in such sort and maner as he was with his Apostles when he liued here on earth that is to saye in the visible shape and fourme of a mā but his presence in the Sacrament is to the intent to be to vs an heauenly fode and therefore he is presente in the sacramēt vnder the fourmes of bread and wine so that our outwarde eyes and senses are certifyed with the outwarde fourmes and sensyble qualityes and the whole man with al receaueth the verye bodi and bloud of our sauiour Christ S. Augustine as is writen in a boke called Sententie prosperi dothe say Auguste in Sentētie Prosperi that christen men do honour vnder the formes of breade and wine which thei see with their bodely eies the bodie and bloude of our Sauiour Christ which they do not see Eusebius Emissenus Eusebius Emissenus also an aūcient father of the Greke churche speaking of the foresayd two partes conteined in the Sacrament of the aultar sayeth in thys maner This is the thing which bi al meanes we intend to proue that the Sacrifice of the churche doth consist and is made of two partes that is of the visible fourmes of the elemētes and of the inuisible body bloud of oure Sauiour Chryst S Ciprian in his treatise entituled Cipriane de coena domini De coena domini doeth most playnelye saye that the bread which our Lord did giue to his disciples was by the omnipotēcie of god made fleshe was chaūged in nature but not in fourme Eusebius Emissenus in a sermon of the bodi of Christ. The forenamed Eusebius in a sermō of his made of the body of Chryst dothe farder saye that Christ the inuisible priest doth tourne visible creatures bi his word through his secret power into the substaunce of his body blud Now for to signify this chaunge or turning of bread and wyne into the substaūce of Christes bodye and bloude the catholyke church vseth this word Trāssubstanciatiō which is as much to say as the chaūging of one substaunce into another Nether is it to be counted vnfyt that there should in the Sacrament of the aultare be the fourme of bread yet not the substaūce of bread seyng God is the doer worker therof Exo. 20 to whom nothing is impossible We read in the nynetenth Chapiter of Exodus how that when God came downe frō heauen vnto Mounte Sinai there was heard a soūd of a trumpet and yet material trumpet was there none vii chapiter of the fourth of the kinges In the fourth boke of the Kynges the .vii. chapiter God caused a soūde to be heard in the tentes of the Sirians as if it had bene of horses charets and of a greate armye yet was there nother horse charet nor armye In the thirde chapiter of Daniel it is recorded howe the three chyldren were in the myddest of the flamyng furnes and yet felte no heate soo that there was the substaunce of fyre and yet it dyd not bourne which to nature is impossible but to GOD is an easye matter In the .xvii. of Mathewe we reade Math. 17. howe that Chryste was transfygurated and that hys face dyd shyne as the Sonne and that hys apparel was made as whyte as snowe In the .xxiiii. of Luke Ln. 34. Chryst appeared to two of his dysciples goyng to Emaus like a straunger In al these foresayd examples we see as straunge a woorke as is transubstantiation yet no man douteth of them bycause God is the worker nor anye man asketh howe this or that coulde be but beleuethe it and soo oughte we to doo concernynge the chaunge of the substaunce of breade and wyne into the substaunce of Christes bodye and bloude and not aske howe it may be The blessed martyr Iustinus affyrmeth that this question howe Iustinus martir is a token of vnbelefe and S. Ciril writing vpon the .vi. Chapiter of S. Iohn blameth the Capernaites Ciril vpon the Vi. of S. Iohn bycause they dyd aske howe Chryst was able to giue thē his fleshe to eate The wordes of saincte Cyryll be these They aske not without great impietie how canne this man geue vs hys fleshe and they remember not that nothing is impossible to God but let vs sayeth he haue firme faith in the misteries and let vs neuer in so high matters eyther thincke or aske this how Whē God is the worker let vs not aske how but let vs leaue the knowledge of his worke to hym selfe Chrisostome vpon Iohn the Vi. S. Chrisostome lykewyse vpon the sayde .vi. Chapiter sayeth that when this question howe any thing is done commyth into our myndes then with all there commeth vnbelefe also But bycause in scrypture the thyng that we receyue when we come to the sacramente is called bread therefore men haue fansied with thē selues that there must be the substaunce of material breade deceauing themselues by mystakyng the signification of this worde breade For thoughe in our common speach we vse to signify by this word bread that one kinde of materiall substaunce which is made of corne or graine yet in scripture it signifieth all kynde of fode whether it be the fode of the body or the fode of the soule and so dothe also the latyne worde Panis elles when we desyre god in our Pater noster to geue vs our dayly bread we shold make an vnperfytte petition which yet is a mooste perfyt petition Iohn 6. wherby we aske of our heauenly father all necessary fode In the .vi. of Ihon Manna is called breade and yet was it made of no kynde of corne or grayne and in the same chapiter Christe is called breade bycause he is the fode of the soule and there lykewyse the fleshe of Christ in the sacramēt is called breade and not there onely but in S. Paules Epystle also to the Corinthians for that it is the fode whereon we fede when we receaue the sacrament Agayne it is a commen trade in scripture to cal thinges by the name of that thinge whyche they once were as Adam is called earth because he was made of Earth Math. 11 and Chryst sayeth the blinde see the lame walke the deafe heare the dumme speake meanyng by the blynde lame deafe and dumme suche as before had bene soo but then were otherwyse Thyrdlye for that the fourme of breade doeth remayne it is in that respecte too called breade For these causes good faythful hartes are nothyng greued wyth the callynge of it breade in the scrypture but groundynge them selfes vpon the woordes of oure sauioure Christe when he sayde thys is my bodye and knowynge that it to be bothe breade and hys bodye also at once is impossyble they vndoutedlye beleue that by the power of GOD the
substaunce of bread is turned into the substaunce of Christes bodye and so muste all men beleue that wyll be lyuely members of the catholyke churche and in that there belefe they muste honoure the bodye and bloude of oure sauioure Christe in the sacramente of the Aultare as alwayes christen people haue vsed to doo Saincte Austin in hys exposition made vpon the .99 Psalme S. Augustine vpon the .99 Psalme sayeth that it is synne not to honoure the bodye of Christe meanynge in the Sacramente of the Aultare And as it is before in thys Homily alledged he also sayeth in the name of all men We doo honoure vnder the fourmes of breade and wyne whyche we se the bodye and bloude of Christe whyche we do not see Wherefore good christen people knowing nowe what is the ryght belefe touchynge the Sacramente of the aultare embrace and folowe the same and cleaue faste to the catholyke churche the spouse of Chryste that you maye be true members of Christe to whome wyth the father and the holye Ghoste be all honoure and glorye worlde wythoute ende Amen Io. Harpesfelde sacrae theologiae professoris et Archidiaconi London ¶ An Homily wherein is aunswere made to certayne common obiections agaynst the presence of Christes bodye and bloude in the sacramente of the Aultare MEte it were dearely beloued in our sauioure Christ that we all should so fully wholy cleaue to the faith of Christes catholike church that no appearaūce of reasō to the cōtrari therof shoulde cause vs once to doute or stagger in any part part of the same For such a kinde of faith doth God requyre of vs and for suche kynde of faythe good christen people are in scripture called Abrahās children Roma 4 which Abraham as it is wrytten in the fourth to the Romaynes cōtrary to hope beleued in hope that he should be the father of many nations accordynge to that which was spokē So shal thy sede be And he fainted not in the faith nor yet cōsidered his owne bodi which was now dead euen when he was almost an hundred yeare olde nether yet that Sara was paste chylde bearynge he staggered not at the promyse of god through vnbelefe but was strōg in the faith and gaue honor to god fully certified that what he had promysed the same he was able to make good Yf we then wil be the childrē of Abraham we muste not faynt in faith nor consyder gods woordes after the course of nature Saint Paule in the .x. 2. Corin. x. chapiter of his seconde epistle to the Corinthians geueth vs an example in hym selfe howe we shoulde alwayes brynge reason in subiection to faithe sayng The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty in God to ouerthrowe stronge holdes to destroy counselles and euery hyghe thynge that exalteth it selfe agaynste the knowledge of God and to brynge in captiuitye vnto the seruyce of Christe all vnderstandinge What thinke you is the cause why the Iewes beleue not on Christe Verely fyrste because he was borne of a Vyrgyn which is contrary to the course of nature Secondly lykewyse he was in vnitie of person God man whyche how it may be no mans wyt is able by natural power to conceaue thyrdly because he beyng God and man suffered the death of the crosse which for God to be content to do semeth to naturall reason a thynge moost absurde but good christen folke geuyng place to faith do most vndoutedly beleue on Christ God mā crucified according to that S. Paule writeth in his fyrste Chapter of his fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians i. Corin. 1. saying We preache Christ crucifyed to the Iewes a stumblyng blocke to the gentels a folishnes but to so many of the iewes gētels as ar called Christ the power wysedome of God And agreably here vnto he sayeth also in the nexte Chapiter folowynge My talke my preaching was not in the persuasible woordes of mans wysedome but in shewynge of power and of the spyryte that youre faythe should not rest in the wisedome of man but in the power of God This generall aduyse and counsel of S. Paule may and ought so to staye vs in the faythe of the catholyke churche that nether carnall reasons grounded vpon the feble intelligence of mans natural wyt nether the deceatfull iudgement of oure senses shoulde make vs once to doute of any one trueth in Christes religiō were it neuer so contrarye to the course of nature neuer so farre aboue our capacities and neuer so absurde to the appearaunce of our outwarde senses But forasmuch as throughe the iniquitie of these later euyll yeares dyuers haue hadde sondrye fonde dowtes and scruples put into theyr heades especyally agaynst the presence of Christes body bloude in the Sacrament of the aultare and throughe such dowtes haue swarued from the true belefe therein therefore here shall folowe aunsweres and solutyons to such dowtes as haue ben most commen that from henceforthe no man shall nede to be seduced by them or other lyke Obiection ¶ Fyrst it hath bene obiected that our sauiour Christ immediatlye after that he had instituted and delyuered to his Apostles the sacramente dyd say vnto them Do this in remembraunce of me Vppon which wordes some haue concluded that the bodye of our sauiour Christ cannot be in the sacramente ¶ But let vs duely waye the wordes Aunsvvere and meaning of the same and we shall moost plainly perceaue theyr erroure and mysvnderstandyng Saincte Paule in hys fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians 1. Corin. xi and in the .xi. chapter of the same Epistle intreating of the institution of the Sacrament of the aultare and ther openynge the true sense of that commaundemente of Christ saythe in this maner As oft as you eate of that bread and drinke of that cuppe you shal shew forthe the Lordes death vntil he come So then the remembraunce whyche oure sauioure there requyreth of vs is the remembraunce of hys death which is past and not presente and therefore after most proper maner of speache may well be remembred Now this remembraunce can in no wyse possibly be so lyuely and so effectually worke in oure hartes as when we most certenly beleue that in the sacrament of the aultare is veryly the selfe same body in substaunce which died for vs and therfore the Prophet Dauid foreseyng in spirit this so excellēt a memorye sayeth in hys .cx. Psalme Psal 110. Oure mercyfull gratious Lord hath made a memory of all his merueylous workes and by by declaring in what maner he maketh that memory he addeth those woordes he hathe geuen a foode to suche as feare him This fode which the Prophet sayeth that Christ should leaue in remembraunce of al his maruelous workes that is of his incarnatiō his passion his ascension and glorye in heauen and other lyke workes moost chiefely is to be verifyed of the body and bloud of our sauiour Christe in the sacramente of
dicebat That is to saye Verily there is a certayne maner of eatynge that fleshe after whiche maner he that shall haue eaten it doeth dwell in Christ Christe in hym Wherefore note in what maner soeuer a man doeth eate Christe fleshe and drinketh hys bloude he dwelleth in Christe and Christe in hym but he that eateth and drinketh after a certayne speciall maner to whiche maner Christ had respecte when he spake the foresayde woordes Idem contra Cresco gramaticum li. i. Capi. 24. The same saincte Augustine in his fyrste boke Contra Chrescouium gramaticū and the .xxiiii. Chapiter sayeth thus Quid de ipso corpore et sāguine domini vnico sacrificio pro salute nostra guamuis ipse dominus dicat Nisi manducaueritis carnē filij hominis c. non ne idē apostolus docet etiam hoc perniciosum male vtentibus fieri That is to saye What of the very body and bloude of our sauioure the onely sacrifyce for our saluation thoughe there of our Lord dothe saye vnles ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man c. doeth not the same Apostle meanynge Paule teache that it also is pernicious to them that doo vse it not duely and ryghtfully Obiection ¶ An other obiection there is also and it is thys Christ Iohn 10.15 Iohn .x. and .xv. dothe say I am a dore I am a vyne i. Corin. 10. and sainct Paule Pri. ad Corin. x. vseth suche lyke speache whiche speache of Christe and of sainct Paule in those places doth not import that Christ in euery dede by that saying was a dore or a vyne or suche lyke but speakyng after that figuratyfe speache or maner he dyd meane that he was a fygure of a dore of a vyne and suche lyke and that he had the propertie of a doore of a vyne so forthe Semblably saye they when Christ at his laste supper takynge breade and blessynge it dyd saye This is my bodye And takyng the cup giuing thankes dyd saye this is my blood of the new testamente c. hys speache soo pronounced and vttered dyd not import that Christe thereby dothe make of the breade and wyne his body and bloude but eyther he ment that the breade and wyne was sygnes and tokens of his bodye and bloude or els that they should be fygures of hys body and bloude and not hys very body and bloude in dede and consequently therefore they saye that in the sacrament of the aulter there is neyther the bodye neyther the bloude of Christe but bare material breade wyne beyng onely sygnes tokens and fygures of Christes body and bloud there ¶ For soluciō of this obiectiō Aunsvvere this maye be sayd that it is trouthe that Christ and saincte Paule in the places before alleged doo soo saye as is deduced in the begynnynge of this argumente or obiection and trouthe it is also that the speache of Christ I am a dore I am a vyne c. dothe not importe that Christe by that speakynge was in very dede a doore or a vyne but that he was a fygure of a doore and of a vyne and had the propertye of the doore and of the vyne But when it is sayde that the semblable is of Christes woordes This is my bodye this is my bloude that is neyther true nor dothe folow eyther by the rules of reason or of scripture for concerninge reason eyther muste we reason and saye that Christe alwayes in hys speakynge dyd vse fygures metaphores and tropes which to saye is moost false as it appeareth in the .xvi. of S. Iohn Iohn 16 eyther els we must say that Christe dyd but onely sometymes speake in fygures and not soo alwayes whiche beyng true and therefore to be graunted it foloweth not in reason that thoughe Christe in the .x. and .xv. of sainct Iohn c. dyd speake fyguratiflye Iohn x. and .16 that therefore here in these woordes of Christ this is my bodye this is my bloude he dyd also speake fyguratiflye wherefore let these sely soules that haue bene seduced by thys kynde of argumentes aske theyr teachers whether they can mayntayne and defende this theyr owne argumēt with soo feble a consequent or noo And yf they can not then tel thē that they be very varlettes in dede and as for the rule of scriptures that is of the circumstaūce of the letter and of other places of scripture cōferred with the same to gather therof that very meaning of the thing an example whereof we haue Iohn 2. and .16 Iohan. ii and .xvi. And here the vnlearned are to be taughte that althoughe in the prophetes and the histories of the olde testamente tropes and fygures are receyued and allowed forasmuche as by suche tropes and fygures the thing spoken is more vehemently declared and set forth yet as the excellent prelate and notable great clerke the Lorde byshop of winchester nowe most worthy Lord chaunceler of England in his learned booke of confutaciō of heresies against the sacrament of the aulter doth prudētly aduertise vs clerly affyrme in the doctrine preceptes of the now militāt churche al thinges of our religion faith ought to be taken symply plainely And in very dede yf in the sacramēt of the aulter were not the true body of Christ but a figure a significatiō onely of it thā the sacramēts of the new testamēt shold haue nothing more but rather lesse thē the sacramēts of the olde testamēt had which is against the catholyke doctrine of the churche against al good reasō ¶ Obiection An other obiection is this Christ at his laste supper takynge the chalice or cup into his handes dyd after that he had blessed it saye This cuppe is the newe testament in my bloude And seyng these woordes must nedes as they say be taken fyguratiuely inasmuch as the very material cup it selfe was neyther the newe testamente ne yet the bloude of Christ therefore lykewyse these wordes also whych Christ takīg bread into his hādes blessīg it saying This is my body must nedes be takē figuratiuely ¶ For answer whereunto we may say Aunsvvere as we did say before to the same obiection that this argument is noughte very euyl framed for thoughe we did admit a figure to be herein the cuppe yet it foloweth not therby that we must nedes take the other speche touchīg the body to be fyguratyue also especially for that in the one speache it is to wit touchyng the body al the circūstāces of the texte course of scripture doo enforce vs to take the speache properlye wherein the other speache touchynge the cup al the circumstances of the texte and course of scripture dothe importe the contrary ¶ Obiection An other obiection is that Christe hathe but one true natural body nowe say they one true natural body can not truely be but in one place therefore say they seynge Christes body is truely in heauen it can not be truely also in
HOMElies sette forth by the righte reuerende father in God Edmunde Byshop of London not onely promised before in his booke intituled A necessary doctrine but also now of late adioyned and added therevnto to be read within his diocesse of London of all persons vycars and curates vnto theyr parishioners vpon sondayes holydayes Anno. M.D.LV. I.C. The Table i. Of the creation and fall of Man ii Of the misery of all mankynde and of hys condempnation to death iii. Of the redemption of Man iiii Howe the redemption in Chryst is apliable to man v. Of chrysten loue and Charitie vi Howe daungerous a thinge the breake of Charitie is vii Of the Churche what it is and of the commoditie thereof viii Of the aucthoritie of the Churche ix Of the Supremacy x. Of the Supremacy xi Of the true presence of Chrystes body blud in the sacrament of the Aultare xii Of transsubstantiation xiii Of certen Aunswers agaynst some commō obiections made agaynst the sacrament of the Aultare ¶ The Bysshoppe of London to all persons and curates within his dioces of London FOrasmuch as the people of my dioces beyng within your seueral cures charge do as in dede of reason they maye loke for to haue at theyr pastours hand or at the least way by his prouision meane good instruction and teachinge especiallye howe to serue and please God and how also otherwyse to do their dutie as to any one of them in theyr degre doth appertayne And forasmuch also as there is not now a dayes that multitude and plenteth of preachers whiche in tymes past hath ben and by Gods grace hereafter shal be And fynallye for that euery one of you in your owne person is not able to discharge the office of preaching which many good folke do greatly wyshe and desyre ye could and woulde Therfore desyrynge to haue somethyng done onward til God of his goodnes prouide something better I haue laboured with my chapleyns frendes to haue these Homelies prynted that ye may haue somewhat to instruct and teache your flocke withall requyrynge and charginge euerye one of you that diligentlye vpon the sondayes and holydayes ye reade to youre flocke frutefully and deliberately one of the said Homelies And thus fare you well Geuen at my house in London the fyrste daye of Iuly M.D.LV. ¶ An Homely of the creation and fall of man THe Prophette Dauid in his forescore and nintēth psalme exhortyng all people to synge prayse to almighti god to serue hī in gladnes and reioyse in his sight alledgeth thys as a sufficient cause thereof Scitote quoniam ipse est dominus Psalme cxix ipse fecit nos et non ipsi nos which is to saye Know you that he is our Lord it is he that made vs and we made not our selfes And in dede who that diligently wayeth the creatiō of man can not but therin most highly laude prayse almighty god his creator For wher in the creation of al other visible thinges he did but onely commaunde will that they should be made and incontinēt they were made in the creatyng of man he vsed great solempnitie and many notable circumstaunces Fyrst touchyng mā Genes i. he said let vs make mā which words be as it were the wordes of god the father to God the sonne to the holy ghost spoken after the maner of men when they go about some great matter at what time they take good aduisement or they begyn and doo ioyne with the best wysest counsellours that they can get Thys circumstaunce not beyng necessary of goddes parte as withoute the which he might haue created man doth most manifestly declare the special fauour of almyghty god towardes mankynde but that nexte circumstaunce which doth immediatly folowe thys fyrst is a more surer profe and declaration of gods tender loue towardes mā whē he sayth Let vs make man to our owne similitude likenes Now mark good people howe much god dyd for vs in our creation He made vs in very dede like vnto himselfe in so doynge what could he haue done more for vs A wonderfull excellēt benefite comfort is it vnto vs to consyder that man was made like vnto god And to vnderstand this thyng the better you shall know that the similitude and likenes of man to god was not in the body of man for this you must moost certenly beleue that the godhed is a spirite not a bodely substaunce but this similitude and likenes was in the soule which was endued with most heuenly god-like qualities as vnderstandyng memory and wil with sondry gyftes also of grace And here is to be noted by the way that where almighty god sayeth Let vs make man to our owne similitude lykenes he geueth vs to vnderstād that there be three parsons in trinitie yet but one god For in that he sayeth let vs make man therein is signified a pluralitie or number of persones agayne in that he sayeth to our similitude and likenes and not to oure similitudes and lykenesses by thys is signyfyed the vnitie also of one nature and substaunce But to procede further concernyng the creation of man ye shall vnderstand Genesis 2. that the second chapter of Moyses boke called genesis in speciall maner doth recorde the seuerall making as well of the bodye of man by it selfe as also of the soule by it selfe And as touching the body scrypture doth there say that God fourmed or shaped it of the earthe Noting therby the excellēcy of mans body aboue the bodyes of other liuynge creatures For we rede not of anye other lyuyng creature that god shaped or fourmed the body of it but onely that he made it and that at the cōmaundement of almighty god Genesis i. the earth brought fourth foure foted beastes the water in like maner brought fourth fysshes foules Only of the body of mā scripture witnesseth that God shaped it And as cōcerning the soule of mā it is written of it in the sayd second chapter of genesis Genesis 2. howe that god brethed it into the body which .ii. circumstaunces as they import a marueylous excellency of man aboue other bodely creatures so they most clerely declare thexcedyng great goodnes of God towardes man Now when god had in such a singuler fashion creted man he gaue hym souereigntie ouer all the fysshes of the sea ouer the foules of the ayer and ouer the beastes of the lande yea and made him a Kyng and Emperour on the earth And yet not satisfyed with al this he placed man in Paradyse that is in a most pleasaunt garden where he had planted all kynd of frute beautifull to beholde and delicious to eate for man to fede vpon onely one kynde of fruyte he charged hym on payne of death and that not of the body alone but of the soule also vtterlye to refrayne from which was the fruyte of the tree called in scrypture the tre of
instructed in the lawe thou doest allowe that is best and doest truste that thou art a guyde of the blinde a light to thē which are in darkenes an instructour of the folyshe a mayster of the ignorante and that thou knowest by the lawe the fourme of sciens truth but yet thou that teachest other teachest not thy selfe thou that prechest against aduoutri art an aduoutrer thy self thou that dooest defye Idoles commyttest sacriledge thy selfe thou that doest glorye in the lawe through transgressing of the lawe doest dyshoner God for the name of God throughe you is blasphemed amongest the gentyles Thus it is euydente by the doctryne of Saynte Paule that nother by the common lawe of nature nether by the special knowledge of the law of Moises man was able to auoyde eternal dāpnation but that he neded besides such knowledge of some other helpe that is of amendes to be made for his sinnes and thereby to be reduced into the fauour of god agayne and to haue aboundaunce of grace geuen vnto hym by which grace he should both in his knowledg be the better established be able also according to knowledge of the truth to walke in the truth For this amendes to be made the second person in trinitie being god immortal became mortal man was made in all partes like vnto one of vs sinne only excepted and he did vnite vnto his godhead the body and soule of man in vnitie of person in such a meruelous sort that as in vs the body being of one nature and the soule being of an other nature doo make yet but one person so in hym the nature of God and the whole perfect nature of man doo make but one person Of this incomprehensible vnion of the godhed manhed in Christ Iohn 1. S. Ihon speaketh in the fyrst chapiter of his gospell saying Verbum caro factum est et habitauit in nobis the worde that is the sonne of God Was made fleshe that is man dwelt amōgest vs. he dwelt here on the earth as scripture declareth aboue .xxxiij. yeares and when he had fulfylled al thynges accordyng to the sayinges of the holy prophetes whiche were to be fulfylled of hym before his passion then he suffred death willingly yea the death of the crosse by suche payne wrongefullye procured of the deuil against him to raunsome mankynde oute of captiuitie whiche it sustayned vnder the deuyll moost iustly and that this raunsome shold be perfyt he suffred sondry sortes of mooste spytefull wronges and intollerable paynes tormentes in his most pure and innocent body as buffeting bindinge scourgyng plattynge on his head a crowne of thorne hanginge on the crosse pearcing of his handes and fete with nayles openynge of his syde with a speare and shedynge of his mooste precious bloude whiche passion of his as it is a moost parfyt myrrour and glasse for vs therein to beholde the excedynge great loue of god towarde vs whiche spared not his onelye sonne but for vs all gaue hym to dye so it is a sufficient occasion to brynge all men in extreme hatred of the deuyll and synne from daunger of whome mankynde coulde not be rydde but onely by so paynefull a death of the sonne of God What can we loke for at gods handes yf we synne from hence forth but wrath and vengeaunce seynge he hath once delyuered vs from synne by so merciful a meanes All that our sauyoure Christe suffered he wyllingely suffered for our synnes hym selfe hauing neuer deserued anye whyt of payne as who neuer synned And yet his passion though it be in it selfe a sufficiente raunsome for the synnes of the whole worlde yet it taketh not place in all men not for insufficiencie in it selfe but for defaute in them that shoulde condignely receaue the merites thereof For this you must know that God requyreth in vs certayne thinges to be accomplished by our owne wil and consent without the whiche we can not be saued no more than yf Christ had neuer dyed for vs. What thinges these are shal be hereafter declared vnto you In the meane season lyft vp your hartes and open them awyde to receaue in vnto them a great loue towardes God who so nobylye created vs and when we through our owne defaute were fallen into the estate of endles misery and wretchednes so mercyfully redemed vs by the passion and death of his onely sonne our sauiour Christ Remember that synne and nought els brought vs fyrst oute of Gods fauour and that to take awaye synne the sonne of God was incarnate and suffered mooste paynefull death on the crosse and therefore hereafter flee you all kynde of synne and fight incessantly agaynst your ghostly enemye the deuyll who being vanquished by Christ is not able now to ouerthrow vs if we in the right fayth of Christ valiantly withstande hym whiche to doo graunt vnto vs the blessed trinitie the father the sonne and the holy ghost to whome be all honour and glory worlde without ende Amen Io. Harpesfelde sacrae theologiae professor Arch. London ¶ An Homely declaryng how the redemption in Christ is appliable to vs. ALthough the death and passion of our sauiour christ be in value a sufficient raunsome for the synnes of the whole world yet in effect it taketh not place in the whole world For neyther Turke Iew nor infidell wāting beleif in Christe can take good by the death and passiō of Christ the scripture most manifestly affyrming in the .xvi. Mar. 16. chapter of S. Marke that Whosoeuer doth not beleue shall be dāpned Agayne euyll lyfe bryngeth to the euyl lyuer eternall death beleue he neuer soo wel As S. Paule witnesseth in the .v. chapiter of his Epistle to the Galathians Gala. 3. where he sayth Walke after the spirite and fulfyll not the lustes of the fleshe For the flesh lusteth contrary to the spirit and the spirit contrary to the fleshe These are cōtrary one to another so that you do not what ye woulde But and yf ye be led of the spirit then are ye not vnder the law The dedes of the fleshe are manifest which are these aduoutry fornicatiō vnclennes wātonnes ydolatry wytchcrafte hatred variaūce contencion wrath stryfe sedition sectes enuye murder dronkennes glotony and such like of which I tel you before as I haue told you in tyme past that they which commit suche thinges shal not inherit the kingdō of heauē Thus you perceaue that to the enioying of the death and passion of Christe these two poyntes are requisit of our behalf the one to beleue rightly the other to lyue vpryghtlye whiche two poyntes no man is able otherwyse to knowe except it be by speciall reuelation from God but onely by the catholike churche whiche catholyke churche our sauioure Christe hath appoynted to be the onely scoole for all men to come and repayre vnto to learne suche truth as is mete for them to know for the attayning of euerlastyng life This catholike church and no other company
obteyne the euerlastyng lyfe whyche sende vnto you all the father the sonne and the holy Ghost to whome be al honor and glorye worlde wythout ende Amen Io. Harpesfelde sacrae theologiae professoris et Archidiaconi London ¶ An homely declarynge that in the blessed Sacrament of the aultare is the very body and bloude of oure Sauioure Christe AFter that men are once graft in Christ and be made partakers of his death passion amonge other theyr dueties one of the cheife is diligētly to prepare them selues to the worthy receauynge of the blessed Sacrament of the aultare wherevnto are two thynges on our partes requisit as sayeth saynt Basell Basill in his rules good reason confirmeth the one feare the other fayth The feare whiche men must haue when they prepare them selues to come to this sacrament ought to be grounded vpon that terrible sayinge of saynt Paule in the .xi. chapter of his fyrste Epistle to the Corinthians where he sayth 1. Cor. 11. that whosoeuer doth participate therof vnworthely doth eate and drinke his owne dampnation The fayth whiche we must haue in oure hartes when we come to Gods borde is to be buylded lykewise vpon the vndoubted aucthorities of scripture whiche declare moost playnly vnto vs what meate it is that we there eate For the parfyt vnderstandyng wherof let vs consider that our sauiour Christe beynge here on earth dyd fyrst make a solempne promyse of a meate whiche hym selfe woulde geue vnto vs and afterwarde in dede he dyd geue the same accordynge to his promyse In the promyse makynge he sayde as it is wrytten in the .vi. chapter of S. Iohns Gospel The breade Iohn 6. or foode that I wyll geue vnto you is my fleshe whiche fleshe I wyll geue for the lyfe of the world and in the same chapter he also saith My flesh is verily meat and my bloud is verely drincke And as he then promised so he afterwarde perfourmed euen the very laste nyghte that euer he companyed with his Apostles before his death at whiche tyme he toke breade into his handes and gaue thankes and brake it and gaue it to his disciples and sayde Take eate this is my body whiche shal be geuen for you Yf we cōpare the wordes spoken by Chryste when he made the promyse of a meat to be by him geuen vnto vs with those other wordes whiche he vttered in geuyng of the same we nede not doubt of the thynges which he gaue In the promysse makynge he sayde that he woulde geue vs his flesshe in the perfourmynge of the promise he geueth the same sayinge take eate this is my bodie Agayne in the promise making he affyrmeth that the fleshe whiche he would geue vs to fede on should be the selfsame flesh that sholde be geuen for the lyfe of the world and in the performaunce of his promyse he said that the thing which he gaue was his bodye whiche shoulde be geuen to death for vs. Nowe the circumstaunces beyng wel consydered which our sauiour vsed in the institution of this most blessed Sacrament shal greatly cōfyrme al godly hartes in the true belefe of the same The tyme was the night before he suffered deathe to signifie vnto vs that this meate being differred to the last day that euer our Sauiour was conuersaunt with his Apostles must nedes be his very body and bloude in dede and such a meate as no other can be in any wyse comparable vnto it Agayne in that our sauiour dyd eate of the paschal lambe with his Apostles immediatly before he did institute this sacrament it most playnely declareth vnto vs that this sacrament is a marueylous worthye mysterye and that very thing which the eatyng of the paschal lambe in the olde lawe did prefigurate for whiche cause whē this was instituted that was abrogated Nether is it with out a meruelouse consideration that Chryst at that heauenly banket would of purpose nother haue the blessed Vyrgyn Mary his mother presente with him nor anye other of his dyscyples saue onely the .xii. Apostles whome he appointed to be the heade ministers of al his misteries here on the earth and specially to be the ministers of this most blessed sacrament and the instructours of al other touching the same Now what meneth it that our Sauiour was not content to offer them this sacrament onely but with the offeryng therof he said also vnto them Take eate take and drinke Do mē vse to offer to other meate and drinke for anye other purpose but onelye that they shoulde eate and drynke thereof but bycause it was his bodye and hys bloude therefore he fyrste byddeth them take and not feare to eate and drynke the same Besydes this it is to be well noted that the three Euangelistes Mathew Marke and Luke doo all three agree in the maner of the institution of thys sacramēt they wrytyng all thre their gospeles at sōdry tymes Chrisosto and Theophilact as Mathew eyght yere after the ascencion of our sauiour Christ Marke .x. yeares Luke xv yeares And where in doubtefull speaches of our sauiour Christ some one or other of the Euangelistes euermore openeth plainely the very meaning of the speches yet touching these words this is my body no one of them maketh any declaration vpon the same but they all leue them to be takē of vs as they sound and as of most plaine wordes they make no exposition or interpretation of them at al. Whyche poynte must be well consydered And therfore note that where Chryst sayde It is impossible for a rych man to entre into the kingdō of heauē bicause the meaning of these wordes may be diuersly taken Marke 10. thereof S. Marke in his tenth chapyter declareth the very meanyng of them saying It is harde for them that trust in there substaunce to be saued Agayne Christ at another tyme sayde to the Iewes loose you this temple in three dayes shal I buyld it agayne And for that the sense of these wordes is doughtfull S. Iohn there expoundeth them and sayeth that Chryst by the tēplement his body whiche should be by the Iewes put to death and by him the thirde daye shoulde be raysed from death to lyfe In the .vii. of Ihon Iohn 7. oure sauiour sayeth He that beleueth in me as the scripture sayeth there shall ryuers of quicke water flowe out of him And bicause this saing is obscure S. Iohn to make it open sayeth that he spake those wordes of the spirit which they that beleued in him should receyue In the .xii. chapyter of S. Ihon our sauiour saieth in this maner If I belyfte vp from the earth Iohn 12. I wyl drawe al thinges vnto my selfe And S. Iohn by and by geueth vs the exposition saying that hereby he signyfyed what kynde of death he should suffer Manye other lyke places are there in the newe testamente the matter of which places is not so highe nor soo nedefull to be ryghtly vnderstanded as the meaning of
the aultare Besydes this the body and bloude of our sauiour Christ as it is in the sacramēt vnder the fourmes of breade and wine maye in that respecte also very well be a remembraunce of it selfe as it honge on the crosse in the vysyble fourme of a mortall man and as it is nowe in heauen in the forme of an immortall man Farthermore when our sauiour sayde Do this in the remembraūce of me he ment they should do the whole ministratiō which he then dyd in remembraunce of hym which whole ministration cannot be accordynglye doone otherwyse but that there must nedes be present the verye body and bloude of our sauioure Christe Obiections ¶ Another common obiection there is gathered of the woordes of Christ Mathew xxvi Math. 26. When he said Poore men ye shal haue alwayes with you but me shall ye not alwayes haue with you Some haue vpon these woordes concluded that the body and bloude of our sauioure Christ cannot be in the sacrament of the aulter for then saye they Christ should be alway with vs. whereof hym selfe saythe the cōtrary ¶ But yf those mē so concluding Aunsvvere would no more but confer sainct Marke and saincte Mathew together touchynge the foresayde woordes of Christ and by that the one Euāgelist sayeth would sincerely iudge what the other ment they shoulde sone perceue this their obiectiō to be of no force or strēgth at al to proue that they thereby goo about to proue For sainct Marke in his .xiiij. Mar. 14. Chapiter fyrste telleth the story of the woman whiche came to Christe and brought with her an Alabaster boxe of moost precious oyntment and poured the ointmēt on his head next he telleth howe certen of the dysciples did murmure and grudge at that facte of the woman and sayd What meaneth this losse and waste of oyntement Might it not haue bene sold for more then thre C. pence geuē to the poore Thyrdely he telleth howe oure sauioure beynge offended wyth the dysciples for theyr murmurynge agaynst the woman and how withall he allowyng and commendynge her facte dyd say in this maner Let her alone Why are ye greuouse vnto her she hath done a good dede for alwayes shal you haue poore men amongest you and when ye shall please you may bestowe your charitie on them but me shall ye not haue alwayes amongest you This woman hath bestowed on me that she had and she hathe preuented to anoynt my body against it shal be buryed By this processe of S. Marke it is euydent that our sauiour in al that his talke had a respecte to the charitie whiche that woman then shewed vpon hym when she poured the precious oyntment on his heade the lyke whereof he sayeth no man should be able to shew on him in time to come meaning that when he should once ryse from death to lyfe and haue an immortall bodye that then he woulde not looke to receyue the lyke at anye mannes handes but that then men myght at their pleasure bestowe on the poore who alwayes are in the worlde in the mortall estate and may by charitye of good folke be releued and comforted In such sorte in dede our sauiour is not nowe amongest vs but the beynge of hys body and bloud in the Sacramēt of the aultar is after another sorte For in the Sacrament he is to fede vs with his body and bloude and not vysybly to shewe him selfe vnto vs as he thē did to his apostles nor to haue ointment poured on him as he then had ¶ Obiection Another obiection is there gathered partely of S. Paule in the .x. of his firste Epystle to the Corinthians where he speaketh of a spirituall meate 1. Corin. ◠and spirituall drynke partelye of Christes wordes in the .vi. of Ihon Iohn 6. where he saith that It is the spirite which geueth lyfe and that the fleshe profyteth nothyng partly vpon the common maner of speakyng vsed of the Catholyke churche whiche calleth the Bodye and bloude of our Sauiour Chryste in the sacrament of the aultar a spirituall meate and a spirituall drynke ¶ For aunswere Aunsvvere to which obiection it is fyrste to be vnderstanded that one selfe thing may be bothe spirituall and yet neuerthelesse of a corporall substaunce to As for example the body of man after the resurrection shall as S. Paule wytnessheth in the .xv. chapiter of his fyrst Epystle to the Corinthians be spiritual i. Corin. 15. yet it shal be then the same in substaūce that it is nowe Agayne Manna a meate which God sēt to the children of Israell in wyldernes is bothe in Scripture and of the catholyke churche also called a spiritual meat and the water lykewyse which god gaue them out of a rocke is called a spiritual drinke and yet as well Manna as the water were of a bodily substaunce In the .vi. to the Galathians Galath 6. sainct Paule calleth mortall men liuing then on the earth spiritual Wherefore spirituall is not so to be taken alwayes as to exclude corporall but that thynge whatsoeuer it be may be called spirituall wherin is a worke wrought by god aboue nature For as god is a spirite so are his supernatural workes called spirituall and the thinges also on and in whome such workes are wrought are named spiritual thynges and therefore Manna though it were of a bodelye substaunce yet for that it came miraculouslye from aboue by the onelye power of God and not of nature is and may wel be called a spiritual meate And the dryncke whiche issued oute of the rocke albeit it was insubstaunce very water yet for that God by his omnipotency made it sodenlye to issue out of a rocke it is named a spirituall drynke Oure bodyes lykewyse after the resurrection shal haue in them immediatly of God aboue the power of nature immortalitie incorruptibilitie with other lyke supernaturall qualities and for that cause they shal after the resurrection be spirituall bodyes Nowe then what necessity is there that because the body of our sauiour Chryst in the Sacrament of the Aultar is a spirituall meate therefore it shoulde not be also the corporall substaunce of his body When the catholyke churche doth saye that the bodye of Chryste in the Sacrament is a spirituall bodye it meaneth that it is there onelye thoroughe the almightye power of God and not by the power or manoure of nature Lykewyse when the catholyke churche sayeth that the body of Chryste is to be receyued there spiritually it meaneth not that therefore the verye body of Chryst is not there to be receaued really in very dede For this worde spiritually dothe signifye onely the maner of the receauyng and doth not importe the substaunce of the thynge so receyued Besides this the catholike churche beleuynge that in the Sacrament of the aultare is alwayes reallye the body and bloude of our sauiour Chryst doth yet put a difference in the maner of receauyng thereof and vseth to saye that
when good men receaue the sacrament that they receaue the bodye and bloude of Christ both sacramentally and spiritually to but when euyll men receaue it that they receaue the body of Chryst sacramentally only not spiritually because they come vnto it vnworthely and therefore do they procure thereby to theim selues dampnation But nowe to open fardar the very meaning of those wordes of Chryst It is the spirit that geueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothing you shal vnderstande that these wordes are taken of the catholyke church in two most godly senses the one is to meane by the spirite the godhed and by the fleshe the nature of man as yf he had sayd it is the godhed that causeth my fleshe to be able to gyue lyfe nether is my fleshe the fleshe of a bare man for then it beyng eaten coulde not profyt you but my fleshe is vnited in vnitie of person to the godhed so that it is thereby able to brynge lyfe to the worthy eater therof Thus doeth Cyryll Cirill vpon the .vi of Saynte Iohn expounde these wordes And to lyke purpose saincte Augustyne Augustine sayeth vppon the .vi. of Ihon that as knowledge beyng seperated from charitie maketh men proude but beynge ioyned with charytye doth edyfye euen so mans fleshe not vnyted to the Godhed and beyng eaten doth not profytte but the fleshe of Chryst which is in him in vnitie of person inseperably vnited to the godhed being worthelye receaued must nedes hyghly profyt The other sēse of those wordes to meane by the spirit a spirituall vnderstandyng of Christes promyse made in Capernaum when he sayde Iohn 6. the foode that I wyl giue vnto you is my fleshe which wordes be then vnderstanded spiritually whē they be taken to meane that thing which passeth the power of nature to doo and mans wyt by naturall reason to comprehende lykewyse by the fleshe is to be ment a fleshely vnderstandynge of the sayde promysse as to vnderstande without fayth in Christes deitie as the Capernaites did which toke Chryst but for a bare man so conceaued no otherwyse of the eatyng of his fleshe then of commen meat bought in the shambles Thys sense hath S. Chrysostome Chrisostome wryting vpon the .vi. of Iohn and S. Augustyne wryting vppon the same Chapter ¶ Obiection An other obiection is ther by occasion that this truth is not expressed in the commē crede ¶ Which obiection doth procede of an ignoraūce Aunsvver lacke of knowledge of the fyrst institution of the crede For in the primatyue church when men of all ages dyd sodenly turne from gentility to the christiā religion and yet then were not by and by vpon suche there turne admitted to any sacramente but fyrste were instructed in artycles necessary for them to beleue before they were baptised this common crede was taught them and they were for that tyme called Catechumini that is younglynges in Chrystes religion and begynners admytted but to the fyrste principles of the chrystian faythe durynge whyche tyme they were not suffered so muche as to be present at the masse but after the gospel were quyte excluded from the same as by the vndoubted wrytynges of the auncient fathers in christes church maye most euidently appeare So that this reason is fōd and to no purpose to say that because it is not in the commen crede expresly set fourth that in the sacrament of the aultar is the very bodye and bloude of our sauiour christ therfore no christian man is boūd to beleue it so to be S. Chrysostome Chrisostome and S. Augustyne Augustine hauyng occasion many tymes in their sermones made by them to speake of this Sacrament for asmuch as amōg theire audience were as wel yonglynges not yet baptysed as other faythfull already christened did vse oft to say Quod fideles norūt that is which the faithful or they that be al redy baptised know or such lyke thing and would not then expreslye declare the trueth touching the sacramente of the aultare for that it was not the maner to reueyle such misteries to those yonglinges but to them was in general as sufficient for saluation prescribed in that common crede that they should beleue the catholike churche which not onely was sufficient thā for thē beleuynge the other articles of there crede but is sufficient at this present also for vs cōfirminge oure selues in all poyntes to the common belefe of the catholyke church which is the surest pyller that men may lene vnto be they learned or vnlearned and such a pyller as who that most strongly cleueth to is in most assured state of euerlastyng lyfe ¶ There are other obiections obiection vppon .iii. particuler artycles of our crede which are that Christ is ascended and sytteth at the right hand of God the father from thense shall come to iudge the quicke and the deade ¶ Which articles yet being rightly vnderstanded Aunsvvere should rather confyrme vs in the true catholyke belefe of the presence of christes body in the sacrament of the aultare For as it is aboue nature for a mans bodye to ascende and aboue the worthynes of mans nature to syt at the ryghte hande of God the father that is to be of equall power and glory with God the father and fynally as it is aboue the aucthoritie of mans nature to gyue sentence of eternal death and lyfe vpon all mankynde and yet euerye good manne stedfastly beleueth al these supernaturall powers in Christ touching his manhed bicause he is both God and man and to god nothing is impossible euen so shuld we with like belefe knowing that Christ is omnipotent credite al other thynges done or spoken by Christ and be moost certen that how so euer they seme in appearaunce to our reason yet in very dede they agree and stand ryghte well with those foresayd .iii. articles of our crede that though we cannot by oure wittes conceaue howe Chryst is ascended and is neuertheles in the Sacrament also yet they must nedes be both beleued bycause gods worde doth affyrme them bothe and the catholyke churche dothe beleue them bothe whyche churche hath alwayes taught that Chryst is in heauen in the visyble fourme of a man and in the sacrament vnder the visible fourmes of bread and wine hys wysedome so ordeyning that with our hartes we shoulde beholde hys glory as he sytteth in heauen at the ryghte hande of the father and wythall should fede on his very body in the sacrament to receaue the more grace and thervpon so to be gouerned with his spirite that hereafter we also myghte be partakers of the lyke glory in heauen And albeit these solutions mighte sufffise and instructe sufficientlye the vnlearned people to aunswere bothe to these and all other common obiections made agaynste the Sacramente of the Aultare troublynge moche the heades of the simple people by their folye in crediting euill and pernicious scholemaysters to theyr destruction wher giuing credite
the sacrament of the aulter ¶ For aunswere Aunsvvere whereunto maye be sayde that in dede it is true that Christe hathe but one true naturall bodye and where they saye that one true naturall body can not be but in one place it is also true after one the selfe same maner of beyng but after dyuerse maners of beyng one body maye be sondry where yea and at one time to it is to wyt in heauē in the visyble fourme and maner of man and in the sacrament of the aulter vnder the forme and maner of breade and wyne and in eueryche of them really and truely to in those respectes God beynge therein the doer who is omnipotent ¶ Obiection There is also an other obiection and that is this God can make man but man can not make God nowe saye they yf the true body of Christe were really and in dede in the sacrament of the aulter than the priest which is a man should therby make God but mā can not make God therefore in the sacramēt of the aulter ther is not the very true body of Christ ¶ For aunswere Aunswere whereunto is to be saied that this obiection procedeth of a greate ignoraunce for he that maketh this obiectiō taketh that the priest saying masse and pronouncing the woordes of cōsecracion doeth make God where in very dede the priest goeth aboute no suche thynges and yf he dyd neyther he ne yet god him selfe can make God but the trueth is that the preist being the minister of God and god beyng ther the worker with his worde by the preist pronounced there is caused the very body of Chryst to be ther present wher it was not ther before yet no new body ther made but that body ther presēt which lōg ago was borne of the Vyrgyn Mary the same I say in substaunce is there presente onelye vnder the formes of breade and wyne ¶ An other obiection obiection there is and that is thys S. Luke in the .xvii. chapiter of the actes doth testifye that S. Paule beyng at athens and in mars strete before the councell there did saye amongest other wordes that God doth not dwell in temples made with handes wherevpon the vnlearned vnlernedly doth gather that seyng the material temple is made with handes and the sacrament of the aultar is in the sayd materiall temple it foloweth say they that the body and bloude of Chryst can not be in it because God doth not dwell in temples made with handes And this obiection hath bene soo muche liked and commended amonges the proceding preachers abusing the ignoraunt that they thought it ineuitable therfore abusing the sayd people they caused it to be sette vp and paynted for a gaye shew in the temples ¶ For aunswere Aunsvvere whervnto this is to be tolde you that there is a great difference betwene beyng dwellyng in a place for a greate manye of you I doubte not haue bene both in the cheape syde in Paules churche yarde yea and Paules churche to wher ye haue not with moost due reuerence vsed and behaued your selues and yet I am sure that ye dwell not there In dede God is properlye sayde to dwell in heauen because he there doth shew and manifest his great glory and in the hartes of iust and good people he is also sayde to dwell by grace but as for other places he is in them beyng but not dwellyng And as concernyng the beyng of God in the sacrament of the aultare forasmuch as there is the verye substaunce of chrystes natural and true bodye and bloude taken of the Vyrgyn Mary and that the diuinitie is in vnitie of person inseperably vnited and ioyned to the sayd bodye and bloude therefore we must say and beleue that the godhed of Chryst is in the sacrament of the aultar with his humanitie in a very speciall sorte and doth not thereby dwell in the sayde sacramente and soo this obiection is not worth a good button for all the bragges that hath bene made of it Other fond and folysh obiections there are which are not worthy to be answered vnto and therefore are not nedefull to be touched exhortyng you therfore in Chryst fyrmely and stedfastly to beleue the doctrine of the catholyke churche herein and so shal you auoyde daunger please God profit your selfe and lyuinge well come at the last to ioy euerlastyng which graunte vnto vs the father the sonne and the holy gost to whom be honor and glory for euer AMEN Domine saluos fac regem et reginam et omnes qui eis bene uolunt ¶ Imprinted at London in Poules churcheyarde at the sygne of the holy Ghost by Ihon Cawodde Prynter to the Kynge and Queenes Maiesties Cum priuilegio Regiae maiestatis