blesse and brake it If I shoulde aske you what he brake I doubte not but you woulde answere that he brake breade and sayed take ye eateye thys is my body But if I should aske you what it was that he called hys bodye then I know your answer woulde be after youre olde maner that the same breade that he toke and brake was it that he called hys bodye But I wyl shew you a lyke thyng to proue whether you can learne to vnderstand this place of scripture by a simile Apelles toke pensell and paper and drewe theron sayed This is Venus Nowe aske I you whether thys that Apelles spake of were Venus in dede or hyr Image I doubte not you wyl saye not Venus but hyr Image Then tell me Was the pensell and paper hyr Image or the luniamentes that Apelles The lines you saye drawen on the paper and not the paper otherwise theÌ„ the glasse is the Image of a mans face whyche appeareth therin Euen so say I of these wordes of Christ Thys is my bodie He toke breade he brake it gaue it to his disciples said This is my bodye As who should say this breade brokeÌ„ geueÌ„ to you receiued of you is a cleare image of mi body which is by the wil of my father brokeÌ„ frely offred geueÌ„ to you by faieth receyued of you so that in like maner as this breade is receyued into the body and naturally nourisheth the same so doth it declare to you by that naturall propertie that my bodye eaten by fayeth that is by beleuynge and trustynge vpon saluation by my sufferynges in the bodye doeth nourish the soules of as manye as do so eate it In lyke maner toke he the cup after supper saying Thys cup is the new testament in my bloude Here maye you if you haue anye lytle glitteryng of the spiritual knowledge easilye perceyue that Paule knewe of no traunsubstantiation in thys misterie For he reporteth that he learned of the Lord all that he taught the Corhinthyans coÌ„cernynge thys misterye and yet he reporteth that Christ sayed of the cuppe Thys is the newe testamente in my bloude And thyuke you that if Paule were here he woulde say that he beleued the substaunce of the cup to be chaunged into the substaunce of the new testament I knowe well you do not thynke it For your opinion is that by the vertue of those wordes the wyne whiche is in the cup is turned into the verye bloude of Christe And yet do not the wordes appertayne any thynge at all to the wyne vnlesse you wyll admitte the fygure whereby the thynge that conteyueth is taken for the thyng conteined And so doynge you must saye that the wine is the newe Testament in Christes blander and not the bloud it self So that if you wyl nedes haue traunsubstaÌ„ciation it must be of the substaunce of wyne into the substaunce of the new testament That is the certentye wherby oure consciences are certified of the promise of God made to vs in the scripture Wyth thys transubstanciation we could beare if so be you would not denye that the substaunce of breade and wyne doeth stil remayne declarynge vnto vs sensibly by visible sygnes the thynge that is in the scripture taught vs by wordes For immediatly after Christe â–ª sayeth Do thys so ofte as ye shall drinke to the entente to remembre me therby That is to saye So ofte as you wil make youre selues partakers of one cup of wyne to the entente tu call to your remembraunce thereby the greate misterie of the participation you haue in me and al thinges that I haue or shal do for you do it after this forsayed fourme So that by thys are condempned as wel the priuate masses wherin one ministreth and receyueth al as the freshly transubstaneiation whereupon is grounded the sacrifice for the quicke and the dead as shall be declared more at large in the seuerall articies concernynge the same To perswade one that were wyllyng to learne thys were sufficiente But seyng that you your schomaisters are more readye to burn me al other that seke your soul health God geue you a better mynde then to accept our dortrine I am coÌ„strained to labour to drawe you by force of argumeÌ„ts none otherwyse then Hercuses drewe the froward Cerberus out of hell I wyll therefore make thys argument grounded on the definition of breade Breade is a confection made of manye graynes vnited or made into one bodye by the myxture of water and force of fyre hauynge in it the vertue to nourishe the sensible bodyes But thys confection remayneth after the consecration as you call it Ergo there remayneth breade That thys coÌ„fectioÌ„ remayneth I take wytnes of my Lorde of winchester in hys boke wrytten on thys matter And if you thinke hym not an Authour Autentyke make an experieÌ„ce vpon me Let me haue daylie a sufficiente weyghte measure of that consecrated breade wyne and shute me vp frome all other kynde of sustinaunce But thys one thyng I would desyre That the breade and wyne ye consecrate be free from all kyndes of poyson For thoughe I do knowe that God is able to preserue me frome all maner of poyson yet wyl I not neyther maye I tempte my Lorde â–ª God so far But if you do poyson me I shall gladlye suffer it for the trueth sake If all thys wyll not content you I praye you gyue eare to Gelasius who writeth on thys wyse Surely the Sacramentes of the In the ce cel holdeâ— Rome bodye and bloude of Christe be diuine thinges and therfore are we by them made par takers of the diuine nature and yet doeth it not sease to be the substaunce either of bread or wyne but they do remayne in the propertie of theyr nature And no doubt the Image and similitude of the bodye and bloude of Christe are celebrated in the action of the misteries What thynge woulde you haue more plainlye spoken But if you wyll not beleue S. Paule who calleth it breade and the cup of the Lorde euen after the consecration it is not lyke that ye wyll geue credite to Gelalius although in dede you and all such are wont to gene more credite to the iudgment of men that lyued not these manye hundred yeres bicause of theyr antiquitie then to the verye trueth which was before theÌ„al wherby al mens spirites should be tried Wherefore I would you shoulde not lacke testimonies of theÌ„ And to do you pleasurewithal I wil resite you i. or .ii. testimonies by the which you may perceiue that you haue erred in this your atticle and in yuur letter to the kinges highnes also wherin you say that this your opinion hath bene the vnifourme consent of the whole churche euen frome the Apostles tyme. Saynte Chrisostom whom I am sure you â—pon Math wyll not repute amonge theim whome you call heritykes sayeth So sone as the inner eyes se the bread they flye ouer the
these our dayes the later daies of the world should arise false prophetes and false anointed Mat .xxiiii. whyche shoulde shewe suche wonders that they shoulde seduce if it were possible euen the very electe He witnesseth also that Math .xxii. there be manie called but fewe elected So that if you wyll accompte anye for Sacramentaries and theyr opinion hereticall it muste needes be the greater multitude and theyr opinioÌ„ For the lytle floke is Christes who shall at hys commynge fynde scarsely anye fayeth at all in thys world And wher you saye that you haue moste wretchedly denied the preseÌ„ce of the blessed bodye of Christe in the holy Sacrament of the aultare I saye vnto you that if you take thys Sacrament for that memory of Christes death the onely satisfaction for our sinnes whych Christe hym selfe instituted and ordeyned to be frequented and vsed amonge hys fayethfull adherentes and folowers that then you haue in deniynge of the presence of Christes blessed bodye in the sacramente done more then euer dyd anye of theÌ„ whome you call Sacramentaries and heritikes For we deny not yea we proteste defend that in the Lordes supper is presentelye distributed the bodye and bloude of Christe And that euery faiethful membre of Christ that cometh therunto wyth vnfayned fayth in the promises of Christe is ther made partaker of the verye bodye bloude of Christ eueÌ„ theÌ„ same body that the Iewes did moste cruelly tormente hangynge it vpon a crosse and the same bloude that they shede But yet wee saye not as I am sure you meane that the breade is turned into hys fleshe and the wyne into hys bloude nother that the fleshe and bloude of Christe entreth into our bodyes as the breade doeth for that were contrary to the fyrste institution therof but that spirituallye by fayth we are partakers of boeth as I shall more plainly declare in your articles Shaxton And forasmuche also as it hathe pleased youre maiestye of youre greate charitie and moste Godlie care ye had de for my soule to sende to me the ryghte honourable Bishops of London worcester togyther wyth your graces worshyful chaplaies Doctour Robinson and Doctor Redman to confer with me enfourme me and enstruct me to the entent that finally Goddes grace workynge boeth in them and me I myght be broughte from my sayed erroure and heresie vnto the true cathoâ—yke fayeth ⧠Crowley ⧠No doubt it was a tokeÌ„ of a great and charitable care of a prince tawarde his subiecte to send not onely .ii. of hys worshipful prelates but also lyke manye of hys chaplaynes to confer wyth enfourme enstruct you as he thought for your soule health Wherefore of dutye you can do no lesse but render vnto hys hyghnes mooste humble hertye thankes But in that you were so sone ouerthrowen it was a token that either you were a verye weake souldiour or els but sleÌ„derly armed For I doubt not but if you had bene a stout Christofer armed wyth the armoure of lyghte holdeynge in your hande the swerde of the spirite you woulde haue sayed wyth Paule who shall seperate vs from the loue of God Shal trouble or anguishe persecution hunger nakednes peryll or the swerd Yea you woulde haue sayed that neythere death neyther lyfe Angel rule power thinges presente thynges to come hygh lowth or any other creature shal be able to seperate vs froÌ„ the loue of God whiche is in Christ Iesus TheÌ„ would you haue answered those messengers wyth the worddes of the Prophete Wo be vnto you that call lyght darknes and darkenes lyghte ¶ Shaxton ¶ Whych thynge accordinge to your graces expectation hathe taken good successe in me thankes be to almightye God ⧠Crowley ⧠The theues robbers and murtherers The pillers the pollers and vsurers The beastelye fornicatours and adulterers The ourtagiouse disers and hasarders do when they speede of theyr purpose saye that they haue had good successe in theyr affayres So do the whores and bandes saye that theyr chaunce is good wheÌ„ manie beastly whoremoÌ„gers haue wasted theyr money vpon theÌ„ And in all thys they saye that God loueth them that they are muche bounde to thaÌ„ke God for it do in very dede thanke hym in theyr wordes The cause of al thys is none other but that they be altogyther fleshe and thynke the satisfiynge of the fleshly despres to be the gyftes of God bycause they are perswaded that god is the geuer of all good thynges and theyr fleshelye blyndenes perswadeth them that the aboundaunce of all that the flesh desiereth is the onely goodnes that can be had in thys worlde Thys caused the baude of Bristowe as I learned by the reporte of an honest man to saye the worlde was noughte when hyr women hadde gayned hyr but .viii. pence in the weke In lyke maner you Maister Shaxton when the fleshe had so preuailed in you that it hadde compelled you to forsake the chaste matrimonie of Christe and to embrace that Idolatrouse whoredome of youre abhominable mother the greate whore of Rome then you saie these vayne thynges haue had prosperouse successe in you So that it maye ryght well be sayed vnto you that is spokeÌ„ by the prophete Esaie Wo be to you that Esai .v. call the thinge that is good badde and that is badde good settynge lyght for darcknes and darkenes for lyght Shaxton For by such learning as they haue shewed me and especially by the vnifourme consente of the whole catholyke churthe in that article euen from the Apostles tyme to this oure age fewe excepted who haue bene taken and iustlye reputed for heritykes I am fully perswaded perfectlye beleue vnfaynedly coÌ„fesse that after the coÌ„secration rightly done by the priest ther remaineth none othere substaunce but onely the substaunce of the blessed bodye of our sauiour Christ god and maÌ„ like as before I haue subscribed vnto a â—yll hereunto annexed Crowley Here you declare youre selfe eyther to haue learned some deuylleyshe doctrine of these foure messengers other els that before you were enstructed by theÌ„ you had no learninge at al. For if you had any learnyng before I am sure it was the learnynge of the gospell for therin had bene al your exercise euen from your youth And thorowe it you were called to be shepherd ouer a great floke And as it semed for the loue you hadde therunto you surreÌ„dred into the kinges handes again the dignite of that ministratioÌ„ WherupoÌ„ I coÌ„clude that if you had any learning it was the learninge of the gospel If this be true then is the doctrine that these men haue shewed you a deuilishe doctrine But thys thynge maketh me to wonder not a little that you whoe haue heretofore bene most earnest againste the confirmation of necessarye Articles by vnwrytten verities wyll in thys poyute graunte that you are perswaded by nothynge so muche as by the vnifourme consente of the whole Romeishe churche whyche you call the catholyke churche in that
creaturs and thynke not on that breade which the baker hath baked but on hym that called him selfe the breade of lyfe who is signified by the misticall breade Saynte Ambrose also â—pon the Sacrament writeth these wordes Thys bread that goeth into the bodye is not so scrupelouslye sought of vs but the breade of eternall lyfe whyche vpholdeth the substaunce of oure soule Saint Augustine also writeth on this â—n the .xxviii â—â—rmon vpon 〈◊〉 Lorddes â—ordes in â—uke wyse Vse you thys bread dayly or do you after the custome of the Grekes in the easte parte who receyue it at the yeares ende If you thinke these meÌ„ to be none of the church why do not your honourable Lordes burne theyr bookes as well as they dyd the Bible wyth other pore mens bokes wherein was nothynge els conteyned but that is also in these mennes bokes But to what purpose were it for me to spende muche tyme in reprouyng your honourable fathers doyngs seynge my lyfe tyme would not suffice to do it anye thynge to the purpose And to pull you backe agayne froÌ„ your detestable blindnes I thynke it impossible For Paule writyng to the Hebre. sayth It is not possible that they whych be once illuminate and haue tasted of the heauenlye gyfte and be made partakers of the holye Gooste and that haue also tasted of the good worde of God and of the powers of the worlde to come are slypped out agayne to be brought againe vnto peniteÌ„ce for that in asmuch as in them lyeth they haue crucisied the son of God anewe for theyr owne pleasure hauynge him in dirision Thys notwythstandynge the mercye of God is vpon all hys worckes and thynges not possible to maÌ„ are possible to God who knoweth the secretes of your herte whether you fell of weakenes thorowe the feare of death or of contempte If of weakenes as it is our partes to iudge then dispayre not For God hathe aboundaunce of mercye in store wherin you shal haue your part if you repente I woulde wyshe that youre scholemaisters and you myght be wonne by this my laboure But if your hertes be so stony that the truth can take no rote therin it shal suffice me if other the symple membres of Christ hauynge light may escape the stumblynge stockes that you haue layed in theyr waye For theyr sakes therfore chiefely and for you and suche other if it be possible that you maye be brought from your blyndenes I haue enterprised thys daungerouse labour And for that thys Article as it is fyrst so is it the chefe and principall wherof the most parte of the other do depende and hange I am the more earnest in the confutation therof knowynge for certentie that the consciences boeth of you and of your honourable scholmaisters are on my syde But feare to lose the Lordlyke lyuynges of thys worlde preuayleth agaynste vs boeth You say with the pharises Ne forte Romani But I doubt not the good mould shal brynge forth fruite by receyuyng the seed Knowynge that neither the God head can be made of any other substaunce nother the breade and wyne turned into Christes fleshe and bloude at all tymes when it shal please the prieste to play a masse mooste superstitiouslye breathynge out the wordes that oure Sauioure Christe spake to no suche purpose For as S. Augustine â—pon Iohn the .xxx treaâ—ise sayeth it maye be in one place onelye And as the same Augustine writeth to Dardanus We muste take good heede that we make not so diuine a thynge of thys bodye that we denie it to be a body For it foloweth not that all thynges whyche be in Christe shoulde be in all places at once as Christ is For then shoulde we also be in all places at once For the scripture doth truely record of vs that we lyue moue and be in hym It is manifest therfore that notwithstanding the wordes pronounced by the prieste the breade and wine remaine in their natural propertie euen after the consecration as you call it Shaxton ⧠The seconde Article THe sayed blessed Sacramente beynge once consecrated is remayneth styl the very body and bloud of our sauioure Christ althoughe it be reserued not preseÌ„tly distributed Crowley Thys Article is a braunche of the otheâ— and is not in credite wyth theÌ„ that haue the other in suspition Wherefore haueynge sufficientlye spoken of the other it shall not nede me to tarye longe vpon thys Neuertheles bicause I perceyue you go aboute to hange an other article vpon thys I shal by the healpe of God make hym so bare that your other shal take no holde therat Wher as you saye therfore that thys Sacramente beynge once consecrated remayneth styl the verye bodye and bloude of Christe I muste ashe you this questian Whether the bodye and bloude of oure sauioure Christe be corruptible and maie putrifie or not I am certayne of it you wyll saye no. Well then muste I aske you an other question If the Sacramente be longe kepte paste the tyme that breade and wyne wyll naturallye be swete wyll it not be mouldy râ—tten and sower I doubte not but you wyll saye yea For your holy father made a lawe that you shoulde shyfte the pyxe euerye moneth puttyng into it newe consecrated cakes and spende the olde the wine maye not be kept at al but preseÌ„tly spent wheÌ„ it is consecrated bycause it will sone be sower Is not all thys true I am sure you can not deny it Wel then wyl I coÌ„clude wyth this questioÌ„ If the substaunce of the sacrameÌ„te I meane the naturall substaunce maye be musty rotten and sower and the bodye and bloud of Christe whyche you saye is the onelye substaunce of the Sacramente can not by anye meanes putrifie I praye you tell me howe the bodye and bloud remayneth in the Sacrament beynge reserued and what thynge it is that doeth therin receyue putrifaction Perchaunce you wyll answere me as youre scholmaisters are wonte to answere when men saye they fele see and taste breade and wyne in the Sacrament The qualities say they do remain but the substaunce is chauÌ„ged into the bodye and bloude But when the Sacramente shall be corrupted I thynke your scholemaisters you wil saye that the substaâ—â—ce remaineth and the qualities be chaunged That is to saye the bodye and bloude of Christe whych as you say is the onelye substaunce of the Sacramente remayneth vncorrupted but the qualities that is to saye swetenes clearâ—es whytenes al other the qualities of breade and wyne do corrupte Would God youre greate maister Aristotle myghte heare you make thys answere I doubte not he woulde beare no more wyth you then he dyd wyth hys maister Plato in the opinioÌ„ of the eternitie of the worlde But you wyll saye perchaunce What shoulde we do wyth Aristotle in these matters Aristotle was a manne that builded altogyther vpon reason but in thys thynge we muste stycke to fayeth and let reason passe But wyth your patience
do not our maisters of Oxford and Cambrige affirme that al students that entend to haue iudgement in scripture must fyrste read Aristotles worckes Haue they not in these vniuersities .vii. yeares at the leaste wherein theyr chiefe studye muste be in Aristotle before they can be admitted to the most sacreâ—e studye of Gods holye worde I praye you therfore disdayne not your olde maister Aristotle but heare what he sayeth of putrifaction Putrifaction sayth he is the corruption of the naturall heate in a moyste bodye whyche corruption chaungeth by an externe heate If putrification therfore be in a moist bodye I praye you tell me what moiste bodye it is in the sacramente that receyueth the putrificatioÌ„ As for the qualities whych you saye do corrupt are no bodyes neither haue they anye substaunce but are mere accidentes thynges that do chaunce to be in bodies that they maye be both sensible For neyther the bodyes wythout theÌ„ nor they wythoute the bodyes can be sensible Seynge therefore that the putrification muste nedes be in a bodye and that the qualities be no bodyes I pray you let vs know what bodye receyueth thys putrification in the Sacrament I am sure you wyl not say that the bodye and bloude of Christe doeth putrifie then muste you nedes graunte that eyther there remayneth the substaunce of breade and wine in the sacrament whych receyueth thys putrification or that the Sacramente beynge so reserued returneth to the nature of breade and wyne agayne and so receiueth putrifaction as bread and wine Whyche thinge graunted one of your two Articles must nedes be hereticall chuse you whether Yet do I coniect an other of your answeres You wyl say perchaunce so long as the sacramente is swete and tollerable to be receyued into the stomake it is remayneth styll the bodye and bloude of Christe but as sone as it beginneth to putrifie it ceaseth to be anye longer Christes bodye and bloude to the greate peryll of them that so kepe it If you say that I do but dreame this answere of myne owne heade I wyll aske you who made you so bold to burne it whê it doeth stynke if it do not then cease to be the bodye of Christ Wyl you burne Christ as an herityke wyll you be more cruell to hym then you were to pore Tracie whose bodye you burned after hys death onelye burn pâ—ge hys bodye after hys resurrectioÌ„ Yea if your Articles be true you burne hys Godhed also I thynke therfore you coulde not shape a better answere for youre selfe then to say that Christe boeth God and maÌ„ hath made hym selfe bread and wine again bicause he coulde not otherwyse escape burnynge For your holie father hath alreadye geuê the sentence in hys holye bible of Decrees that if it fortune this substanÌ„ce which you cal god maÌ„ to stinke that theÌ„ it muste be burned without merci Wherefore if you grauÌ„t that it remaineth stil the body bloud of Christe notwithstaÌ„dinge the putrifactioÌ„ you must nedes grauÌ„te also that you burne the bodie bloud Christ But if you say it ceaseth to be the body blud of Christ wheÌ„ it beginneth to putrifie then doeth it not remaine the body of Christ wheÌ„ it is reserued For if it remayne the bodye and bloud of Christ whyle it is swet then doth it remaine in the same estate for euer Yea if it be once chaunged from the nature of breade wine and become the incorruptible bodie bloud of Christ it can neuer be corruptible agayne but shall styll remayne incorruptible But experience teacheth vs that it remayneth not styll incorruptible Ergo the substaunce is not alltered at all And herupon I conclude that it can not remaine the naturall bodye and bloude of Christe bycause it neuer was the same Shaxton ¶ The thyrd Article THe same blessed Sacrament beinge consecrated is oughte to be worshypped and adoured wyth Godly honour wher so euer it is for as muche as it is the bodye of Christe inseperably vnited to the deitie Crowley In the ende of thys article you poynt as it were wyth your finger wher you would haue hym to take holde by the other that went before saying For asmuche as it is the bodye of Christe inseparablye vnited to the deitie But I thynke it beste for you to seke oute some corner to hange hym in for here you can haue no sure handfaste For if you be remembred I haue cutte of the knagges that you poynted vpoÌ„ I wyll not deny yea I wyll proteste and defende that the Sacramentes of the body and bloude of Christ be reuerente thynges and that they onghte to be reuerently vsed amonge the fayethfull membres of Christe but to honoure and adoure theym wyth diuine honoure I saye is no lesse then detestable Idolatrye For as onely God is diuine so must diuine honoure be geueu vnto hym onelye If these Sacramentes therefore be not God What can it be lesse then Idolatrye to honour theÌ„ wyth diuine honoure That they be not Gods is sufficieÌ„tly proued in your other articles yet shal be more playnlye proued here Fyrste if they were God then were that nowe breade and wine the worke of mans hande that shall to morowe be God the creatoure and maker of all mankynde So that I shall thys day be able to make the thynge that to morowe shall be able to make me yea and that in deede made me at the fyrste I shall grind wheate presse grapes with the one parte therof shall I fyll my stomake and be drunke and wyth the other I shall make me a God and an almyghtye creator and maker What is thys better then to cut downe a tre and to warme me at the fyre of the one parte therof and to make me a God of the other But I thynke verye shame wil coÌ„pel you to recant certaine of youre former words to say that you meane not that the substanÌ„ce of the bread is turned into the substaunce of god but that it is thorowe the almighty word of god spokeÌ„ by the priest turned into the substauÌ„ce of the body of Christ And that you infer thereupon the essentiall preseÌ„ce of the deitie for that they be inseperably vnited togyther A fyr if you wyl grauÌ„t me thys I se well you wyll not stande to your fyrste Article wherin you affirme that after the wordes of consecration ther remaineth no substaunce of breade and wyne but the onely and verye substaunce of Christe God and man For if you saie that the substaunce of the breade is not turned into the substaunce of the godhead theÌ„ is he none otherwyse in the bread after the consecration then he was before Before the consecration the breade was not to be honoured with diuiue honour therfore it is not to be honored with diuine honour at all But here you wyl saie that although the substauÌ„ce of the bread be not turned into the substaunce of the godhead yet is God otherwise preseÌ„t in the
shall restore al thynges then muste we know after what maner heaueÌ„ shal receyue hym For after some maner he lefte not heauen when he descended to be incarnate nor the earthe when he ascended in the syghte of hys Apostles but was is and euer shall be boeth in heauen earth and hell But as S. Ad Dardanum Augustine saieth as he was manne he was in earth and not in heauen wher he is now when he sayed no man ascendeth into heauen sauynge the sonne of man whyche is in heauen whiche also descended from heauen And in thys respecte shal he come from heauen to iudge the worlde For otherwyse he is here already and euer hath bene If we therefore wyll not wyllyngelye shut vp the eyes of our conscience agaynste the manifest trueth we muste nedes graunt that the very naturall bodye whyche was borne dyed and rose agayne is also ascended from the earth to heauen hath froÌ„ that time bene is and shal be there to the day of hys comming to iudge the world WherupoÌ„ it must nedes folow that the prieste can by no meanes offer in the masse the selfe same substauÌ„ce that suffered on the crosse for our redemption In the residue of your Article you seme to denye that you affirmed before For here you say that the oblation done by the priest is not the satisfaction for the synnes of the worlde for that is onelye to be attributed to the passioÌ„ of Christ But if the oblatioÌ„ done by the prieste be not the satisfaction for the sinnes of the world theÌ„ is it not the offering vp of the self same substaunce that was offered on the crosse For the offerynge vp thereof was and is the satisfaction for the sinnes of the worlde But if you wyll saye that the action of the prieste is not the offerynge vp of the selfe same substaunce that was offered on the crosse then wyll I saye that you denye the fyrste parte of your Article which is that the bodye and bloude offered in the masse is the very 〈◊〉 for the synnes of the world I wil also therupoÌ„ deny that it is any sacrifice at al. For a sacrifice caÌ„ not be without the offering vp of some thing And other thing is ther none offered in the masse theÌ„ that whyche you call the selfe same substaunce therfore if it be not offred ther is nothing offered And therof it foloweth that it is no such sacrifice But I knowe you wyll say that you meane by the oblation and action of the prieste the prayers and thankes geuynge whiche he offereth and so it is a sacrifice of praise thaÌ„kes geuing Wherunto I answere that if there be anye prayer or thankes geuyng offered in thys action they are not the whole no not the tenth parte of the action if they be compared wyth the crossynges whysperinges doukynges and other the iuglynge iestures of the prieste in the same action Wherefore if it shoulde be named aryght it should be called a iuglyng cast not a sacrifice of praise thankes geuinge For al such actioÌ„s oughte to beare the name of that which doth most abound therin But in very dede if it were vsed aryghte it myght ryght well and ought to be called the sacrifice of prayse and thankes geuynge for that it were theÌ„ the preseÌ„t consalation of our weake coÌ„scieÌ„ces putting vs out of dout that we are the tru meÌ„bres of Christ vnited knit togither in him by the might of God in our hertes thorowe the fayeth in Iesus Christe whereby we receyue iustice and are made partakers of all hys iustice and deseruinges no lesse then we are made partakers of that Sacramentall breade and wyue at the receyuynge whereof we render prayses and thankes euen frome the verye bottom of our hertes desyerynge the eternall father neuer to suffer vs to be vnthankeful for the inestimable loue that he declared towardes vs in that he spared not to geue hys onelye sonne euen vnto the death of the crosse for oure sakes Shaxton The .vi. Article THe saied oblation or sacrifice so by the prieste offered in the masse is auaylable and profitable boeth for the quicke and the deade although it lyeth not in the power of maÌ„ to limit how muche or in what measure the same doeth auayle Crowley If I were not fullye perswaded that in the time that you writ these Articles other els subscribed vnto them for thei seme to be boltes of wynchesters quiuer the good spirite of God had lefte you and the euyll spirite was entred as into Saul the fyrst king â—ynges .xvi. of Israell I coulde not meruayle inoug he at your greate obliuiousnes herein For in the laste Article we spake of you sayed that the satisfaction for the synnes of the world was to be attributed to the passion of Christe onelye and not to the oblation or action of the prieste in the masse For you sayd that it was but a sacrifice of praise and thankes geuynge to God for hys benifites And nowe yé saye that the oblation afore named so offered vp by the prieste in the masse is auaylable borth for the quicke and the deade althoughe it lye not in the power of man to lymet howe muche nor in what measure it auayleth I can not se therefore but that you are so forgetfull that you forget in thys Article the thyng that you spake of in the last Yet bicause you shal haue none occasion to thinke me partial in thys matter I shal take euery thynge to the most anauntage for youre opinion that maye be And then shall I by the ayde of God declare your confuse opinions so plainlye that you your self shal dislike theÌ„ I doubt not Fyrst you might say that in this article you mene of that oblation or sacrifice that you cal the bodie and bloud offered in the masse whiche you saye is the selfe same that was offered on the crosse and then it is and muste nedes be auaylable and profitable for the quyche and the dead because it is the satisfaction for the synnes of the whole worlde whych you saye in the ende of your laste article is to be attributed onelye to the passion of Christe Wherfore to make thys your meanyng is to deny that which you said before I would therfore thynke it beste for you to saye that you meane here of the oblation and action of the prieste whyche you call the sacrifice of prayse and thankes geuyngâ— and then I shall despre you to tell me what profitte it is that commeth to the quycke and the dead by thys sacrifice Perchaunce you would saye that although it be not a full satisfaction for the synnes of the worlde yet is it a meane whereby the soules of them for whome it is done do emoye the satisfaction made by Christe on the crosse For so do some of youre doctours teache sayinge that it is the applycation of the merytes of Christ to the sayers hearers and biers thereof But amongeste all
But if you wyll hearken to hym in all hys assertions he wyll teache you that in euerie naturall bodie must nedes be a fourme quantie and qualitie to represeÌ„t it to oure eyes And that we must deserne and knowe the bodies one from an other by theyr quantities qualities fourme that they be of But I doubt not you wyl forsake Aristotle in thys point wherefore I shall desyre you to forsake hym in the other also I woulde wyshe you either to be an whole diuine other eis to giue ouer diuitie for all togyther and become a mere Philosopher For al mouÌ„grels are abhominable before God I could spend much time wyth you in thys matter but that I thynke it tyme loste to braule any longer with your beastiye reason But briefelye I shall conclude admonishynge the fayethfull reader to marke well the sure foundation of youre Article to be set vpon Aristotles grounde and yet contrarye to hys mynde And wyth howe small circumspection you wryt when you saye that the whole Christ is conteyned vnder eyther of boeth the kindes when you name nought els there but bodye bloude As though whole Christe were nought els Shaxton The eyght Article IT is no derogation to the vertue of the masse thoughe the prieste receyue the sacramente alone and none other receyue it wyth hym Crowley In dede it is no derogation to the vertue of the masse that the prieste onely receyueth the Sacramente Yea it is the onely vpholdinge strenghthynge defence of the masse when the prieste eateth and drinketh vp all hymselfe For if he shoulde distribute it to anye other and make theim partakers wyth hym it shoulde not then be a masse whyche name cometh from the market of Rome but a communion And if you wyll saye as I suppose your meanynge is in thys Article that it is no derogation to the vertue of the communion of the bodye bloud of Christ that the prieste receyueth it alone then must I nedes saye that it is so greate derogation to the vertue thereof that it is therby declared to be no communioÌ„ at al. For the whole strength and vertue therof is to signifie vnto vs the death of Christe our deliueraunce by the same and the wonderfull knittynge togyther of all the receyuers therof into one bodye by the faith in Christ the head of the same body And this vertue hath it not wheÌ„ it is receiued of the priest onely neyther can it haue For the distributinge of it amonge manye and the commune receyuynge of it are the thynges wherâ—n is declared vnto the receiuers that the body and bloud of Christ were not the priece of one mans sinnes onelye but of manye euen as manye as should certaynlye put theyr truste in hym and that the same bâ—leuers are thorow beliefe in hym become membres of one bodye euen as the breade whereof they be parteners is but one loffe or piese of bread made of manye grains of corne The receyuyng of the priest therefore is asmuch derogation to the coÌ„munion as the vse of one coÌ„trary can be to an other Neyther can blacke distayne whyte more then the masse distayneth the communion For to make that thynge priuate whiche of it owne nature is commune is to take the same thing cleane away and to putte the contrarye in hys place Shaxton The .ix. Article THe masse vsed in this reame of EnglaÌ„d is agreable to the institution of Christe And we haue in this church of Englande the very true sacrament whych is the verye true Sacramente whyche is the very true sacrament whych is the very body and bloude of oure Samoure Christe vnder the fourme of bread and wyne Crowley ¶ Who so compareth the wordes of the scriptures concernynge the moste sacret coÌ„â—â—â—ion instituted by Christe the nyght before he suffered wyth the bechynges dowkyngs crowchynges knelynges tossinges crossynges wynkynges starynges whisperynges galpyngs turnes and halfe turnes that are prescribed in the cannon of poure masse maye ealylye perceyue howe they agre Let vs therfore brieflye compare them that the trueth of your article maye appeare as it is Fyrst the Gospel sayeth that Christ toke breade not prepared for that purpose but of the same breade that they had de eaten wyth the pascall Lambe but youre cannon sayeth you muste haue wafers or els you can make no God Christe blessed after the maner of the fathers geuynges thankes to hys father for the preseruation of those lyttleons whom he had receyued but your caÌ„non sayeth here make one crosse and here an other here three crosses and here other three one wyth your thombe in your forheade an other vpon your crowne wyth the patell of the chalice wyth I wot not how many mo Christ distributed the bread to hys disciples whoe were then presente but youre cannon sayeth ye muste hoyce it ouer youre heade that the people maye honour it as God And when you haue played with it a while your cannot sayeth you muste eate all your selfe Christe toke the same cup and the same drincke that was communely vsed amonge the people of the countrye but your cannon sayth no remedy you must haue a cup made after the prescripte fasbion whyche muste nedes be hatlowed by the byshop And for the drynke you muste nedes haue wyne in a bottell whyche muste be red wyne if ther be any to be gotten that is not sower I thynke bycause that wyne loketh mostlyke bloude Christe coÌ„maunded all hys fayethful dearlynges whych were there presente to drinke of that coppe but your cannon byddeth the prieste drinke all hym selfe and to lycke the chalyce when he hathe done bycause there shoulde nothynge escape hys syppes Christ byddeth hys fayethful do that whyche they sawe hym do in a remeÌ„braunce of hys death but your cannon byddeth you say thus To the holye father we offer thys lyuely sacrifice for the redemption of the soules of thy churche Here maye you se christian readers how thys masse vsed in thys realme of England greeth with the institutioÌ„ of Christ Now let vs se whether in this church of EnglaÌ„de we haue the very true sacrameÌ„t or not I doubte not but we haue it But that it is the same which ye cal the bodie bloude of Christ I can not be perswaded bicause the body and bloude of Christe can be no Sacramente For as S. Augustine defineth a sacrameÌ„te â—d Marcelli â—um .ii. is a sygne referred to an holye thing If this therfore wherof you speake be the bodye of Christe as you saye it is then can it not be a sacramente that is the sygne of an holye thynge for it is the holye thynge it selfe So that you muste eyther denye it to be the bodye and bloude of Christe eyther els the sacrameÌ„t therof For onethyng can not be both sygne thynge signified bicause they be in that respect most coÌ„trary the one to the other But I knowe your holde in this matter You say not that the substaunce of the bread and
The confutation of xiii Articles wherunto Nicolas Shaxton late byshop of Salisburye subscribed and caused be set forthe in print the yere of our Lorde M. C. xlvi wheÌ„ he recanted in Smithfielde at London at the burning of mestres Anne Askue which is liuely set forth in the figure folowyng ⧠In the nexte page shalt thou finde the contentes of thys little boke ⧠Imprinted at London by Iohn Day and William Seres dwellyngs in Sepulchres parish at the signe of the Resurrection a litle aboue Holbourne conduite ⧠Cum gratia priuilegio ad imprimendum solum ¶ The contentes of thys boke Fyrste certayne meters sente by maister Shaxton to hys wife TheÌ„ the Epistle geueÌ„ hym at Hadley Then hys submission to the Kynge Then his opinion in the Sacrament before he recanted Then hys xiii Articles sâ—uerally confuted In the first is coÌ„futed the opinion of traunsubstantiation In the second the beliefe that the sacrament reserned remaneth Christes body bloude In the thred that it oughte to be worshipped with Godly honour In the .iiii. that it is a dayly sacrifice In the .v. that it is propiciatorpe In the .vi. that it is auailable for the quycke and dead In the .vii. that it neede not to be geueÌ„ to the people vnder both kyndes In the .viii. that the priest mai receue it alone In the .ix. that the masse is agreable to Christes institution In the .x. that the church may orden vnpreschynge prelates In the .xi. that voterers may not marie In the .xii. that auriculer confession is necessarye In the .xiii. that man hath fre wyll To the late Bishop of Salisburie Nicolas Shaxton his well willer and faithful frend in Christ Robert Crowley wysheth eternall health thorowe Christe oure Sauioure IMmediatlye after you had caused your articles to be put in printe beloued in Christ I was stirred wyth the desyre to haue them confuted Not for any displeasure that I had conceyned towardes you or anye other by whose meanes you shoulde be willed or as it maye be thought required to set them abrod to the world but onelye for the loue I beare to Christes trueth whyche I woulde not if my wit and knowledge were corespondente to my wyll suffer to be hindered by anye so blasphemouse doctrine of Antichristes schole as are these Articles of yours I call them yours bycause you subscribe to them and set theÌ„ forthe vnder your name But if I were required to say my coÌ„science I coulde not deny but I thinke them to be Wynchesters workemanshyp because they agre so well wyth hys doctrine that chiefelye in the deuyl leishe detection of hys maister the deuylles sophistry whych he set abroud shortly after these Articles of yours But woulde God you were as well confuted by me as he is answered by Anthony Gilbie Wel as I coulde so haue I done bicause I would not that so necessarie a thyng shold be left vndone Not for the scarsitie of theÌ„ that be able to do it much better but bycause none other hath takeÌ„ in hande neyther was it lyke that any woulde hereafter occupy theyr tyme in it because the matter doeth nowe dayly more more grow out of mind And because the copies of youre Articles be not communly to be solde most men thinke them in maner extinguished for euer And in very dede had not certaine honeste men enfourmed me of the great numbre of theÌ„ that thorowe youre recantation were established in your erroures I hadde not taken this enterprice in hande nother yet finished it when it was begon But wheÌ„ I vnderstode what hynderaunce to Gods trueth your Authoritie hath already and myghte here after do if your articles should remayne vntouched I thought it to lesse then necessarye to spend some tyme in it trusting that God wil geue the encrease boeth in youre herte and in the hertes of as many as are not obstinate blind vessels of Gods Ire ordeyned to destructioÌ„ If my wrytyng can not satisfie you in anye of your Articles I praye you write vnto me whether you shal thinke it beste priuately or apartly that I may either enstruct you further other els be enstructed of you And if youre age or other impedimente wyll not suffer you to declare youre mynde in all thynges concernynge youre Articles yet let vs knowe what you wyll saye to the copy of your owne hande which you writte beynge in prison If you kepe silence and wryte nothynge agayne then maye ye well thynke that we wyl iudge you obstinate and yet to haue nothynge to saye for nowe is it fre for you to speake your conscieÌ„ce so far as the scripture wyl beare you If you can by the scriptures defend youre Articles and proue them to be chatholyke and Godly I shal wyth all readines embrace theym and reuoke all that I haue wrytten to the contrarye Otherwyse I require you euen in the name of Christe whome you professe in that you wyll be called christen that you acknowledge your errours that suche as were offended by you may haue occasion by you to ryse agayne I am not ignoraunte of your behauioure sence your recantataion boeth in the citye of London and els where Your priuate communication besydes youre sermons dashed ful of sorowful teares and depe syghynges to alure the people to the Romeishe waye agayne is openly knowen to all men Men knowe also howe you haue vpon occasion geueÌ„ to speake of persecution affirmed the good byshoppes of Wynchester and London and such other to be the onely sufferers of persecution in these dayes Blame me not therfore thoughe I be earneste wyth you syth many men hange vpon youre wordes and one of youre good byshops spared not euen in the presence of hys prince to declare hym selfe not to be al of the best Whose emendemeÌ„t I most hertely beseche the Lorde Iesu graunt me to se And yours also maister Shax toÌ„ if it be possible that we may reioyce togyther after all thys discorde in opinions and matters of religion The spirite of the liuing God worke in you the thing I haue prayed for Amen ⧠From London the .xxvi. day of NoueÌ„berin the yere of our Lord God M. D .xlviii. â–ª These thynges 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ensuinge were made also by the sayed Nicolas Shaxton after hys recantation sent vnto hys wyfe whoÌ„ he refused to kepe company wythall as before he had done supposynge by lyke that this should be for hyr a remedy in the stde of hym hir lawfull husbande for as then he thought neuer after to take hyr agayne for hys wyfe but thoughte by thys hys exhortatioÌ„ to be sufficieÌ„tly discharged The coppe hereof was had at hys wyues handes ⧠Receyue this little ingredience Agaynst the griefe of incontineÌ„ce Sâ—ffer honger thurste laboure Sâ—oyde euil thoughtes studie in scripture Kepe thine eye ill coÌ„pany eschue Least delite and desire them do ensue Whyche if they get in theyr heade Thy body liuyng the soule gostly is dead If thy brittle fleshe doeth
article sayinge that from the Apostles tyme hytherto all a few heritikes excepted haue truly iustlye hosden thys opinion In thys place I wyll not greatelye contende wyth you for the tyme sens the Apostles although I mought haue inoughe in the aunciente doctours to proue the cōtrary or els to declare ▪ S. Augustine Ambros Chrisostome and suche other to be those heritykes whome you exempte out of the vnifourme cōsēt of the catholike church But in the Apostles time I dare be bolde to affirme and am able to proue by the scriptures that there remayned in the sacrament of the body bloude of Christe boeth bread and wyne Howe you haue iudgled thē out sēce I cā not tel And by the helpe of God I wyll in the declaration of your fyrste article proue boeth by the scriptures and doctours that ther was then and is nowe in the Sacramente boeth breade and wyne ¶ Shaxton ¶ And finally forasmuche as the sayed honourable bishops worshypfull doctours haue had further cōference with me not onely in the rest of the six articles but also in all other matters of cōtrouersie that other they or I coulde cal to remembraunce and are agreed fullye in the same So that nowe I am fullye perswaded and resolued in all matters of any wayght or importaunce wherin I was before either ambiguouse or in doubt or els of a contrarie iudgement vnto thē and do now esteme and iudge euē as they do in al thesethyngs ⧠Crowley I can gather none other by youre wordes but that if the fyre were set on the other syde of you it shoulde not be harde to perswad you to the cōtrari of your former wordes But I would not wyshe that you or any other should be cōpelled by fyre fagots or swerde to speake or wryte any thyng cōtrarye to the conscience For if Christe had wylled his Gospel to be auaunced defended after any such sorte he woulde not haue committed it to poore fisher men but rather vnto kinges and emperours I would wish therefore that you and all the harde herted woulde frelye wythoute compultion open theyr hertes receiue the grace fre mercy offered vnto them in the Gospell nothynge regardynge lyfe nor deathe rychesse nor pouerty quiernes nor persecution marying them selues to no opiniō that is not grounded on the scripture Shaxton Therefore I moste humblye euen frome the bottome of myne herte thanke your excellent maiestie that you haue had this godly care for my soul health and that by your moste graciouse meanes I am brought and reduced from that damnable erroure that I was in Crowley Greater thankes could you not haue geuen to your prince for the greate care that he had for your soule healthe then if you hadde stande manfullye to the trueth of the scriptures taking paciêtly the death that should haue bene layed on you that youre Prince myght thorow your constancye haue bene moued to serch the scriptures for the trueth of your opinions Shāxton And surely had not thys your pitie and compassion bene woulde obstinatlye haue dyed in the same and so from the temporall fyre shoulde haue gone to the euerlastynge fyre of hell Crowley A sharpe iudgemente Then is there no remedye for them that dyed in the opinion that you speake of For you haue all readye condemned them to the pytte of hell But I pray you who made you iudg of the soule I thynke your four schole maisters haue no scripture to beare you in thys And thoughe you saye that you dissent not from them in anye wayghtye matter yet I dare saye for them the mē thynke not as you saye in thys matter For if they woulde make the worste of it they can not make it a damnable sinne to saye that ther remaineth bread and wine in the Sacramente for as muche as it is no article of our fayeth to beleue the contrarye Shaxton And nowe with all reuerence and humilitie I submit my selfe vnto your graces clemeucie readye wyth al pacience if it be so sene to your hyghnes to suffer euen the very death as I haue instly deserued or els to do any other thynge that your maiestie shal thynke good or expediente for the reducyng of youre graces subiectes frome the erroine that they he wrapped in vnto the true catho lyke faieth and the ordre taken in this your moste christen realme Not only in thys one article but also in all othere wherein I my selfe am now thankes be to God and your hyghnes fully resolued and thorowly perswaded thus to continue to the ende of my lyfe by the grate goodnes of God Who euer preserue youre maiestie to hys glorye and the profit of thys your realme Crowley Oh what a pleasure had it bene to oure prince to haue sene you submitte youre selfe vnto hym to be at hys pleasure concerninge your cometh thorow hearinge and hearinge thothorowe the worde of God set forthe to vs in holye scripture And bicause some manne would saye peraduenture that I conster the scripture after myne owne imagination and fantasye of myne owne brayne Naye I do not nor I wyll not so do God forbydde I shoulde For that were euen to steale Gods worde lyke as theues steale other mennes goodes and apply them to theyr own vses So is that a stealynge of Gods word and appliyng of it to our own vses that is to the defence of our own euil opinions Agaynste whom that so do speaketh Esai the prophet Nunquid non verba mea sunt quasi ignis dicit dominus et quasi malleus cōterens petram Propterea ecce ego ad prophetas dicit dominus qui furantur verba mea vnusquisque a proximo c. Are not my wordes euen as fyre sayeth the Lorde and as an hammer that breaketh the stone Therefore beholde I wyll vpon the Prophetes sayeth the Lorde that steale my wordes euery man from hys neighbour .c I would not do so therfore but I beleue the worde of God in al the holye scripture and in euerye part therof in that sence and meanynge that the holye Goste ment and meaneth therein and none otherwyse Thys is my faith that I haue hytherto folowed and wherein I entēd by Gods grace to persiste to the end of my lyfe And al my words sermons and writinges haue I allwayes framed according to this my fayth so nygh as my wit wold serue me so wil do by Goddes grace vnto the ende of my lyfe Nowe maye euerye man perceyue that with thys fayeth can stande no damnable errours nor heresie Wherefore thankes be to God I teken my selfe as far from anye perile of errour or heresie as he that is farthiest Towchynge myne opions trueth it is that I dissente in opinions from diuers good Godly and excellentlye learned men Yea frome myne owne selfe also and that wythin the space of small tyme. For what so euer I espye by the scriptures that I am in wronge opinion I wyll surely chaunge it and amēd it
of natioÌ„s he reproueth the thoughtes of the people and the councels of princes but the councell of the Lorde abydeth for euer Psalme .xxxiii And amonge those forsayed syx articles I moste distent from other in the SacrameÌ„t of Christes blessed bodye and bloude For where as they say that vnder the accidentes whyche be there by a miracle wythout any substance is conteyned the naturall bodye and bloude of Christe our Sauioure I denye those fayned miracles saye that there doeth still remayne bread and wyne in their kynde and be consecrated by the inuisible workynge of the holye Goste to be a sacramente sygne or token of the blessed body of our Sauioure Christ torne on the crosse for oure redemption And as towchynge these wordes thys is my bodye that is geuen for you for as muche as they be a parte of the scripture euen oure sauioure Christes wordes of him that neuer made lie I beleue theÌ„ to be certayne and true in that sense that he spake theim and meante theim Thys is my sure fayeth wherfore I am herein far frome any peryle of herisie althoughe I wade no farther therin at al but euen prison my wit reason and vnderstanding into the obsequie seruice and obedience of Christe and fayth and say to my selfe thus For as muche as manye and excellentelye learned men varye wythin them selues in the interpretation of this sentence thys is my bodye â–ª et cetera therefore it muste nedes 〈…〉 and saye The thinges that we haue hearde and sene we muste â—eades speake Lamente your ouerthrow and wepe wyth Peter and he that made him stroÌ„ge againe shal strengthen you also Thus I leaue you to Christ Whom I mooste hertelye beseche to plucke out of your herte the doctrine that your .iiii. scholemaisters taughte you and plante in you agayne the doctrine of hys heauenlye father to youre saluation the establishinge of the consciences of them whome your fall dyd offende For whose sakes I haue taken in hande to confute youre Articles trustynge that God wyll so worcke in the heries of them and you boeth that you shall all reioyce wyth me for your deliueraunce from that deuilleishe doctrine that you saye you learned of those deuynes that were sent to you in the tyme of your laste imprisonment ⧠Hereafter foloweth the true copie of the Articles with the confutation of the same ¶ Shaxton ¶ The fyrste Article ALmyghtie God by the power of hys word pronouÌ„ced by the priest at masse in the coÌ„secration turneth the breade and wyne into the very natural bodye and bloude of our sauiour Iesus Christe So that after the consecration there remayneth no substaunce of breade and wyne but only the substaunce of Christ God and man Crowley Thys is sone spoken But to proue by the scriptures that it is true therein lieth all the difficultie of the matter Here I am sure your foure scholemaisters wyll saye That it is done is manifeste by the scriptures But howe it is done reason can not attayne to knowe Wherefore we muste agaynste reason beleue the wonderful worke of God aboue reason Yet am not I satisfied Neither can I beleue that they can proue by the scripturs that the breade and wyne are turned into the bodye and bloud of Christ Let your scholmaisters therefore or els do you theyr scholer shew me what scripture you haue for thys youre opinion I am certayne you haue none at al â–ª excepte it be one that you are wont to wrest for your purpose and that is thys The Lorde Iesus in the same night in the whyche he was betrayed toke breade gaue thankes and brake it sayinge Take ye eate ye thys is my bodye whyche is broken for you Hereupon I am sure you wil infer his conclution Ergo the breade is turned into hys bodye For the selfe same almyghtye God whyche by hys worde created al thinges of nought hath spokeÌ„ these wordes and is much more able to alter and chaunge the nature of thynges that be then he was to make the same thynges of nought Wherfore cetera Thus haue ye coÌ„firmed this parte TheÌ„ saye you of the wyne After the same maner also he toke the cup when supper was done and sayed Thys cup is the newe testament in my bloud Thys do as ofteÌ„ as ye drinke it in the remembraunce of me Here say you and your scholemaisters The same Christe whych is able to perfourme hys word hath sayed of the breade and wyne that they are hys bodye and bloude Ergo they muste nedes be hys very naturall body and bloud al substaunce of breade and wyne turned into the same I doubte not but ther is all that you and your scholemaisters woulde desyre me to conclude for your purpose To thys I wyth Goddes helpe wyl make suche answere that you and all other youre fauters shal be ashamed to wreste it so farre oute of tune here after For the fyrste parte you shal vnderstand that I haue taken the text wrytten by saynct Paul to the Corinthyans bycause this place of Paule is an exposition of the same matter wrytteÌ„ by the Euangelistes They writ that Christe toke breade and blessed gaue it to hys disciples But Paule wrytynge to a people that knewe not what thys blissing that the Iewes vsed shoulde meane he calleth that same blessynge thankes geuynge Declarynge therby hat the blyssynge that the Iewes vsed whyche our sauiour Christ also vsed in thys actioÌ„ was not altogyther such crossing gestures as our masse masters vse but coÌ„â—rarywyse voyd of al suche foleish toyes and replenished wyth all Godlye veneration and thankes geuynge Exemple of thyshane me in the stories of Abraham Isaas and Iacob wyth other the fathers or the olde Testamente Seynge therfore that Christ toke bread gaue thankes it muste nedes folowe that he gaue suche thankes as the fathers the patriarckes and Prophetes vsed to geue Neyther makyng sygne of the crosse nor of the galow tree for it had bene all one to make the sygne of the crosse then and to make the signe of the galow tre uow For as theues and all other perniciouse felowes be nowe hanged on the galowe tree so were they then on che crosse but wyth reuerente gesture of the bodye and vpryghte countenaunce towarde heauen he called on the name of hys father moste humbly besechynge hym to worcke inwardly in the hertes of hys Apostles the thynge that he entended to declare to theim by a visible signe And. S. Paule calleth thys blessyng a thankes geuynge bycause the fathers dyd alwayes vse in the beginnyng of this blessing to geue thankes to God for the greate merrye that he had allwayes shewed vnto them In token whereof they committed vnto hys mercye also theyr dearlye beloued children most humbly besechyng hym to shew lyke mercye vnto theim in prosperynge the succession of theyr enheritaunce that they by the assistent grace of God myght walke in the feare of the Lorde from generation to generation foreuer Thus dyd Christe
SacrameÌ„te after the coÌ„secration then it was before For the second person in trinitie beinge incarnate and remaynynge inseparablye vnitted to the father and to the holye Goste it muste neades be that the manheade of the same persoÌ„ beynge risen agayne from death is inseperablye vnited to the Godheade so that the Godheade is alwayes essentiallye presente wyth the bodye All thys is true but it foloweth not of thys that the Godheade is otherwyse presente in the bread after your consecration as you cal it then it was before bicause the bodye wherein Christe is incarnate is not nor can not be substanciallye presente there For that were as much to saye as that the body wherin Christ is incarnate is so mixed with the deite that it is in al places at once as the deitie is Whyche sayinge is agaynste the doctrine of Athanatius in the Creede that you synge and reade daylye in your prime Wherin he sayeth Deus et homo vnus est Christus non confusione substantie sed vnitate persone That is Christe beinge but one is boeth God and manne Not by the mixture of the substaunce but by the vnitie of the person If the substaunce therfore of God and man be not myxed togyther then is not the manheade so large to be in all places as the deitie is For of it owne nature it can be but in one place at once And thys is it that S. Austine speaketh â—d Dardaâ—ine of in thys wyse We muste beware that we do not so set vp the diuinitie of the maÌ„head that we take awaye the veritie of the bodye For it is not consequent that the thyng that is in God should be so in all places as God is For the scripture doeth moste truelye recorde of vs that welyue moue be in hym and yet be we not in all places as he is But man is in God after one sort and God is in man after an other sorte After a certain peculier sorte For one person is boeth God and man and boeth are one Christe Iesus In all places in that he is God but in that he is man in heauen If thys be not sufficiente heare yet more of the same Augustine As concernynge hys manhode he was in earth and not in heauen where he is nowe when he sayd No man ascendeth into heaueÌ„ sauynge onelye the sonne of man whyche is in heauen who dyd also descende from heauen I passe ouer here manye testimonies of the auntiente doctours wherby is manifestlye declared the locall nature of the body of Christ and that it is nore can no more be in all places at once now then it myght when he yet liuinge vpon the earth But perchaunce you wyl not be ashamed to saye that it myght euen then be in all places at oâ—ce For in verye dede your Articles declare no lesse but that you thynke it to haue bene in .xiii. places at once the nyghte before he suffered Whych thyng graunted it must nedes foâ—owe that it beynge a mortall bodye myghte be and was in manye places at once But to satisfye you in this matter I would you should thorowlie scanne the wordes of Christe to his Apostles when he told them that Lazarus was deade For youre sakes sayeth he I am glade that I was not there Now thinke you by these wordes dyd christ ieste wyth hys disciples or dyd he speake in earneste If he meaned good fayth by them as I suppose you wyll saye that he dyd howe can you denye but that his body was then locall and coulde not be in all places at once For if he dyd not ieste wyth hys disciples in these wordes he meante none other thinge by theÌ„ but that hys disciples shoulde beleue him to be God for that aboue the nature of man he beynge absente knew without any mannes relation that Lazarus was deade And so the verye wordes do sounde For he addeth That you maye beleue As he shoulde haue sayed and as the texte lyeth in dede I reioyse for your sakes that youre fayeth maie be confyrmed in the opinion of my diuinitie knowynge that I was not ther presente in body and canne tel you of the death of Lazarus wythout relation of anye that was ther. Now tel me if Christ might haue bene in many places at once in his maÌ„head what should it haue holpeÌ„ the fayth of the Apostles to saye that he was not there This matter is to manifeste Wherefore I thyuke it but waste laboure to go aboute to make the daye brighter For thed aye birdes can holde theym selues contente wyth thys lyght As for the lurkinge night byrds that fle the lyghte the encrease of lyghte shoulde but driue them into darcker corners Wherefore I shall desyre the Lorde of hys infinite mercye to open theyr eyes and to take the vaile from theyr hertes that they maye be able to abyde the lyghte and to receyue into their hertes the trueth of Goddes worde confessynge wyth the fayethfull meÌ„bres of Christe that the sonne of God the seconde person in trinitie is and euer hathe bene God equale with the father and the holy Gost And that although as he is God he can not be conteyned in anye place but is immense increat almighty and euerlasting Yet as he is man he is and muste neades be in one oâ—ely place at once and beinge ascended into heauen is locally ther and not here as he was locallye here and not there before hys ascention Thys is oure fayeth in Christ Iesus the onelye sonne of God whome we honoure and beleue to be honoured neythere in the mounte of Samaria neyther in Hierusalem but in spirite and veritie Wherefore when you saye come oâ—te into the deserte for loe there Christe worketh miracles in our blessed Ladyes chapel And when you saye knele downe before the pyxe for lo ther is Christe reallie presente we say vnto you that our shepeherde Christ hath geuen vs warnynge to be ware of you wherefore we wyll not beleue you But we beleue confesse that he sytteth on the right hande of God the father wher he muste be honoured in spirite tyll he come to iudge the quicke and the dead and that no diuine honoure oughte to be geuen to any creature in heauen earth or in hell Shaxton The fourth Article THe churche by the ministration of the prieste offereth daylye at the masse for a sacrifice to almyghtye God the selfe same bodye bloud of our sauiour Christe vnder the fourme of breade and wyne in the remembraunce and representation of Christes death passion Crowley Before I canne saye anye thynge in thys matter I muste knowe what churche it is that doeth as you saye offer vp thys sacrifice by the ministration of the prieste Is it the same churche that offered vp Christe on the crosse or is it the churche that was redemed by that sacrifice If it be the same churh that offered vp Christe on the crosse then it is the congregation of the wycked For so sayeth
the Prophete The wycked haue persecuted me But I am sure you wyl say it is the churche that was redemed by that sacrifice that offreth it vp now by the ministration of the prist Here I might axe of you how you coulde proue to me either by the scriptures or by auncieÌ„t doctors that the churche redemed by that sacrifice may offer it vp agayne so often to the entente to redeme theÌ„ selues therebye But to that you wyll answere that they offer it not vp for theyr redemptioÌ„ for they were redemed once for al. Yet wyl not I be suffised wyth thys answer For I am sure you say in the caÌ„non of your masse these wordes For the redemption of the soules of thy churche But I wyll not muche contend wyth you in this matter bicause I am fully perswaded that your own conscience crieth out againste you therin Shew me I pray you therfore some one sentence of the scripture or of the aunciente Doctours that maye seeme to mayntayne youre assertion You wyll perchaunce recite me the wordes of Paule to the Hebrues say inge Euerye prieste is ready dayly offering vp sacrifice for sinne This maketh so much for your purpose that if you reade the nexte senteÌ„ce folowing you shal sone se it marreth all youre market For it foloweth Which can neuer take awaye synne If that whiche is offered vp by the prieste can neuer take awaye synne theÌ„ is it not the same that was offered vpon the crosse for that toke away sinne yea and was of force to take awaye al the synnes of the worlde But to what purpose shoulde it be to make manye wordes aboute this texte seyng that it is manifeste that Paule doeth here speake of the priestes and sacrifices of the old lawe onelye and not of anye sacrifice to be offered amonge christians Yea not muche after the words cited he is not afraied to say that ther is no more sacrifice to be offered for sin Yet bycause you Sacrificers are wonte to wreste this place as it is manifeste that you haue done manye other I thoughte it good to gyue you a wound with your own weapon And now I shal despre you to hearken to the wordes of the same Paule to the coÌ„trarye of your Article whyche are these No man can offer vp a greater sacrifice theÌ„ hym selfe Youre prieste therefore can not offer vp Christe in sacrifice bycause Christe beynge offered vp muste nedes be the greateste sacrifice and so canne he not be when a prieste sacrificeth hym for if the priest sacrificed hym selfe he should be the greatest sacrifice that he coulde offer for no manne can offer a greater sacrifice then hym selfe Yea God requireth non other sacrifice of vs but our selues as writeth S. Paule Geue your Roma .xii. selues a lyuynge sacrifice to God And the Psalmisse The sacrifice that God accepteth is a penitente spirite a contrite and humble hert Wherby it is manifeste that the coÌ„gregation redemed by the sacrifice offered on the crosse doth not nor can not offer vp this sacrifice you speake of For as Paule writeth he can not be offered vp but he dyeth Wherefore he offered hym selfe once for all bycause he coulde dye but once Yet graunte he myght die euery day would you thinke that to be his church that wold kil him euerye day I thinke not vnles you take Iudas the Iewes to be of his churche not wythstaÌ„ding the one betraied him whoÌ„ the other crucified Thus se we that the churche of christ knoweth of no sacrifice that they offer by the ministration of the prieste But they make theyr own meÌ„bres a liuely sacrifice to God as Paul willeth theÌ„ to do And knowynge theÌ„ selues to be the kynglye priesthod that Peter speaketh of they do as Saynte Augustine sayeth boeth vowe and gene theÌ„ i. Peter .ii selues vnto God Offeringe vp them selues vpon the aultare of theyr hertes nothynge The .x. boke â–ª De ciuitate dei regardynge the fonde inuentions of youre idle braynes wherby you go aboute to offer Christe to hys father agayne Hauynge not onely no suche commaundemeÌ„t in the scriptures but greate plentye of manifeste scriptures and saynges of the moste auncient doctours to the contrarie But I suppose you regarde neyther of them For you are as it semeth whollye addycte to your whoryshe mothers doctrine and that maketh you writ so circumspectlye teachynge two contraries in lesse then six lynes of your Article of thys sacrifice For you say fyrst that it is the self same that was offered on the crosse and at the laste you saye it is done in the remembraunce thereof Nowe tell me I praye you whether the thynge remembred and the remeÌ„braunce of the thing be not coÌ„trary The Artiters cal theÌ„ Relatina and therfore most coÌ„trary EueÌ„ as the maister the seruaunte the father the sonne such other For in respecte of his maister the seruaâ—te can by no meanes be maister nor the sonne a father in the respecte of hys father As you say therfore it is the remeÌ„braunce of the sacrifice done on the crosse Ergo it is not the selfe same sacrifice Shaxton The .v. Article THe same bodye and bloude that is offered in the masse is the very propiciation satisfaction for the sinnes of the worlde for asmuch as it is the selfe same in substauÌ„ce that was offered vpon the crosse for our redemption And the oblation and action of the prieste is also a prayse and thankes geuyng vnto God for his benefites and not the satisfaction for the synnes of the worlde For that is onelye to be attributed to Christes passion Crowley If I had not sufficiently declared in your fyrst seconde and thirde Articles that the sacrament is not the selfe same in substaunce that was offered on the crosse then ought I in this place to be occupied therin For I perceyue you point vpoÌ„ sure hold ther. But forasmuch as I haue made it so plaine that you can not take any handfast ther I shal desyre you to learne to turne this sentence and say For asmuch as that body and bloud which is offered in the masse is not the selfe same in substaunce that was offered on the crosse for our redemption it is not nor can not be the propiciation and satisfaction for the synnes of the worlde And if you be not yet satisfied as concerâ—ynge the fyrste I pray you reade and vnderstande the wordes of Peter Act .iii. wrytten in the Actes of the Apostles Repente you of your erroure and returne that youre synnes maye be wyped awaye That when the tyme of the refrigeration from the syght of the Lorde shall come and he shall sende the same Iesus Christe whyche hathe bene before preached vnto you whoÌ„ heauen muste nedes receyue vnto the tyme of restitution of all thinges whych God hath spoken by the mouth of al hys holy Prophetes frome the begyâ—nynge If heaueÌ„ must needes receiue him vntyll such tyme as that day shal come wherin the Lord
other I woulde fayne know of you what the sellers do gaine by thys Doubtlesse as I suppose more then al the rest For they obtaine thys worlds welth therby what so euer the other haue What they shall lose at the daye of the Lorde iudge you I trust not to be par tener wyth them in theyr gaynes But thys I wyl say to you If thys be such an applicatioÌ„ as you make it you are far vncharitable that haueynge a competente portion to lyne vpon do not continually occupie youre selfe therin seynge you be called thereunto Yea I thinke it no lesse theÌ„ your bouÌ„den dutye so to do seynge you be called to so hygh a ministration as to applye the merites of Christe to mens soules But to auoyde this greate trauaylle it shall be beste for you to saye as the pardoners dyd by theyr pardoÌ„s and as your purgatorye prieste saye No peâ—ye no Pater noster the money muste fyrste applye your sacrifices and then your sacrifices muste apply Goddes mercies Oh moste detestable and more theÌ„ blasphemouse doctrine Shall youre fonde inâ—â—â—tions applye the merites of Christe to the soule of maÌ„ Shal not the faith in Christ do thys thynge Shall wee loke to be made partakers wyth hym by other meanes then he hath appointed Wyl you villayne wret rhes take vpon you to make marchaundise of Christes merytes Ye blynde guydes heare the threatnings Esai .v. of the prophet Wo be to you that cal good ruyll and euyll good lyght darckenes and darckenes lyghte If it be good to truste in youre applycations then is oure sayeth in vayne If we maye receyue Christes merites wythout youre applications then are they vayne That we maye do so is marifeste by that many receyued them before youre applications were inuented And wher haue you any commaundemente in the scriptures thus to applye Christes merites at youre pleasure Wyll you apply the merytes of Christe to the membres of the deuyll What adulterer what ertorcioner what vsurer what whormonger what murtherer wyll not you saye masse for if you be hyered And do you not saye that the masses whyche you synge and sayeare the application of Christes merites to them that you say them for Oh adulterous generation Forget not Esay .v. the forsayed cursse of the prophete Wobe vnto you that cal good euyl and euyl good You saie it is good to purchase your chauntres trentalles and dirige masses for the healthe of our soules boeth whylse we be alyue here and wheÌ„ we be deade But to trust in the deathe of Christe onelye and to bestowe our ryches vpoÌ„ the lyuely Images of God the blynde lame and impotent creatures regardynge nothinge of your apylhe applications you saye is herisie Thorowe you are the people prouoked to anger and are become the chyldren of lies refusyng to here the lawe of God To them that se they saye se not And to them that serche out they Esai .x xx saye searche not oute for vs the thynges that be straight and good Speake to vs the thinges that please vs. Seeke oute erroures for vs. Alas for you mouste miserable men if it were better to be tyed to a milstone and cast into the sea then in offende one of the leaste lyttle ones that beleue in Christe what plages raÌ„ you hope to escape that haue and do daylye offende so manye Is not the whole multitude of the people brought to such pas by your vngodlye preachinges and whisperinges in eares that they hate euen to death al them that preach the pure worde of God voied of al the dregges of Dunsse learning and mans traditioÌ„s Preach to vâ— say they the doctrine that onre fathers folowed It was neuer mery in EnglaÌ„de sence the newe Testament and Christ was somuch spoken of Thys is youre doynge This is the fruit of your popeish preaching Repent you of thys O you Romeishe merchauntes for your citye shal fal the great destruction therof is at hande Shaxton The seuenth Article IT is not a thynge of necessitie that the Sacrament of the aultare should be ministered vnto the people vnder boeth the kyndes of breade wyne And it is nont abuse that the same be ministred to the people vnder the one kynde for as muche as in euerye of boeth the kyndes whole Christe boeth body and bloude is conseyned Crowley As the wordes of thys Article be placed they seme to teache that in some thynge ther is none abuse thoughe the thynge whoche ought of necessitie to be done be left vndone But I wyl not greatlye stryue wyth you in thys matter Idyd onely thynke it good by the way to touch it bicause you shuld know howe spttle diligence and learnynge is shewed in your Article As for the meanyng of youre article I take it to be none other but that the robbynge of the people of one parte of the communion is none abuse No mar uaile though you be of this opinion for you teache it to be none abuse to take the whole from them vsurping to your selfe the thing wherof by ryght ye ought not to be partakers And as it semeth by your negligeÌ„ce in the ministration therof it is agaynste youre wyll that you distribute that one parte once in the pere Yea a man caÌ„ gather none other by the externall sygnes but that the money you receyue at Ester is the onelye cause of your administratioÌ„ then For thys you will be sure of The money shal be payed before you wyll minister And then one mans â—â—â—ney is as good as an others Paye the some and theÌ„ ye are al welcome But he that hath nought to paye must eyther begge or tarye on other daye Yet can I alowe the order of the tauerns to be much better then thys For there a man shall eate his breade and drinke hys wyne and then cal for a rekenyng Yea he shal haue more for his farthynge theÌ„ you wyll geue hym for his .ii. pence And as you saye youre selfe the wyne is as good in the tauecue as when you gyue it to the people For you bestowe not so muche as one â—rossynge or whisperyng ouer it Marye I thynke you inyxe it wyth water to declare that ther ran boeth water and bloude out of our Sauioure Christes syde And as for the breade you saye is none but fleshe in the lykenes of breade And in the ministratioÌ„ therof you speake in a straunge tonge as iuglers do bycause men shoulde thynke the wordes to be the worckers of the feate I speake these wordes to declare your sacrament to be no communion but a Romyshe merchaundise Wherfore it shoulde be none abuse at all thoughe both the parts were takeÌ„ froÌ„ the people and you to But to witholde the one parte of the coÌ„munion of the body and bloude of Christ from the people I laye and wylby the ayde of God prour that it is no lesse abuse theÌ„ to teach that Christ shed not his bloud to theÌ„ Fyrste we muste knowe â–ª
whether it were necessarye for Christe to iâ—stitute the communion vnder boeth the kyndes or not If it were necessarye as I thynke you wyll not denye then is it also necessarye that al as manye as shall be admitted to that communion do also receyâ—e it vnder boeth kâ—ndes Othereâ—s were the one parte instituted in vayne For other vie is there none of thys sacrameÌ„t but to be receyued of the faythful beleuers to remembre the deathe of Christe thereby and to certifie theyr owne consciences of the part they haue with him in al hys deserninges of the couplinge togyther of al the fayethful meÌ„bres of Christes churche into one body by faith But if you be so shaÌ„les that you wyl deny that Christ did necessarilie instituted the coÌ„mmion in boeth the kyndes then wyll I saye vnto you that he could not otherwyse haue declared vnto vs the misterye of hys â—leshe and bloud theÌ„ by boeth the kyndes For what other thyng is the mistery of the flesh and bloud of Christ then that lyke as the body lyueth by breade and brothe receyâ—ed by the mouthe so doeth the soule lyue by the merites and deseâ—â—ynges of Christe in the fleshe receyued by faieth as by the mouth of the soule And thys is it that Christe speaketh of Iohn .vi. Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drynke his bloude you shal haue no life in you So that if he woulde by visible signes declare vnto vs that his fleshe bloude are the necessarie fode of oure foules no remedye he muste nedes do it by the necessary fode of oure bodyes Seynge therefore that the broth or lycoure is as necessarye for the sustinaunce of our bodyes as the breade is it could not be but necessary to institute this Sacrament or misterye in boeth Well now I am sure you wyll not denye the necessitie of institutynge the communion in boeth the kyndes But thus perhappes you wyll say wyth your scholmaisters that as the Apostels who onelye were presente at the institution therof were priestes so is it onelye necessarye that priestes receyue it in boeth the kyndes For the wordes of the supper beynge spoken to the Apostles must extend no farther then to theyr successours If al the Apostles were priestes then is it like that the ordre of knaue traitour priestes hath bene deriued euen frome the Apostles tyme. For there was one amonge them that was a knaâ—e a traitour And therupoÌ„yoâ—â— ground I am sure that a knaâ—e priest may celebrate receyue the sacrameÌ„t in both the kyndes bycause he is the successoure of one of the Apostles whyche was a knaue Buâ— nowe to the purpose That all the Apostles were priestes I deâ—â—â— For Iudas whoe was no membre of Christe coulde not be a prieste Here if you wyll saye that then manye of oure priestes at thys daye be no priestes bycause some of theym be membres of the deuyl I wyl not greatly stycke to grauÌ„t you thaâ— conclusion For if you speake of a prieste whyche is signified by thys worde Sacerdos I say the church of Christ knoweth none other priesthode but that whych â—s spoken of in the fyrste of the reuelations And of that ordre is none that is not the tru membre of Christe And suche one offereth hys owne membres an acceptable sacrifice to God And euery one that offereth this sacrifice is a prieste of thys ordre thoughe he be neyther shauen nor annoynted And such priestes were al the apostles Iudas only excepted they onelye are the apostâ—es successours that offer this sacrifice And therfore ought they aâ— â–ª they only to receiue both the kindes of the communion For amongest other theÌ„ these can ther be no communion of Christes bodye and bloude though they deuoure neuer so manye sacramentes to theyr owne condemnation But if you speake of a prieste which is signified by this word presbiter that is to say an elder I wyll say your priests for the most part are elderly inough and so old musty barters that they wil hold no newe wyne And so are they not the successoures of the Apostles vnlesse it were of the Apostle Iudas the traytoure for they were elders able to gouern the people with Godly doâ—trine and ensample of lyfe I coÌ„clude therefore that as manye of your priestes as are not the true membres of Christe are as good priestes as Iudas was apostle and do God as good seruise in sellynge hys Sacramentes as Iudas dyd in sellyng his sonne Wel let vs returne to the words of the supper to proue whether they wil birefe vs of the one parte or nâ— The wordes spoken of the breade are these Take ye eate ye thys is my bodye whych is broken for you And of the cup is sayed Dryuke euery one of you of thys for thys is my bloude in the new testament which shalbeshed for manye into remissioÌ„ of sinnes â–ª Now tel me if any of the true meÌ„bres of Christ may lefully be de feated of any of these parts If ye may wyth hold any part froÌ„ theÌ„ it must be the bread ra ther theÌ„ the wine For it is saied of the wine Drynke euery one of you of thys Euen as though he would haue said Take hede you be not defeated of thys parte There shall come bribours that shall withholde it froÌ„ a great nuÌ„bre of your successours saying that I spake these wordes to you onely to suche as shoulde beare the name of my ministers And therfore they heynge none of youre successours and yet boestynge them selues to be your onely successours shall vsurpe to them selues thys part of your communion But teach you in al the world that the wordes whych I speake vnto you I speake vnto as many as shal trulye professe my name Drynke you euery one of this Wherfore I conclude that it is a thynge of necessitie that the communion be ministered in boeth the kyndes to all the fayethfull membres of Christ And that if is the an abuse to minister it to anye of them vnder one kynde onelye But because I perceiue wheÌ„se this great erroure of yours springeth I shal somwhat speake therof For asmuch as saye you vnder eyther of boeth the partes is conteined whole Christ body and bloud it must nedes folow that it is none abuse to minister to the people vnder one kynde onely An assertion worthy a fleshly philosopher sauourynge more of Aristotle theÌ„ of Christ For if it were graunted that the sacramentall breade were turned into a lyueynge bodye then woulde Aristotle saye that there must nedes be bloud in the same or els some other humoure of the same nature to supply the office of bloude Hetherto Aristotle taketh youre parte But when you saye that in the bloude muste nedes be whole Christe boeth bodie and bloude there Aristotle leaueth you For he is not of the opinion that the whole ought to be presente wyth euerye part though he affyrme the partes to be necessarylye presente wyth the whole
wyne is the Sacramente for that you saye is turned into the bodye and bloude of Christ but the forme of bread wine which remayneth you say is the sacramente of the same substauÌ„ce turned into the body bloud of christ A syra ther said you wel The forme of bread and wine is the sacrameÌ„t of Christes body bloud Nowe muste we knowe what the fourme of a thinge is The Philosophers say that the fourme of euery thing is that inseperable qualitie that maketh the thing differ to be knowen froÌ„ al other thinges not of the same kinde so that we may be bold to name the thynge after those inseperable qualities But bycause it is so harde a thing to finde these true differences that the Philosophers are coÌ„strained to say that ther is no true difference that is to saye that ther can be no qualitie so appropriate to any one kynd that it may be found in that kynd onlye and in euery of that kynde we muste of necessitie take those qualities for the fourme of thinges whiche be mooste appropriate to them are found in fewest thinges of other kynd As the fourme of man is the power to receyue reason Whiche power is founde is none other kind of thing sauing in spirits Onely spirites man haue the power to receiue reason Wherfore they onely are called reasonable Bi this we se that the fourme of bread and wine muste nedes be that qualitie that is most appropriate to theÌ„ that qualitie muste nedes be the power to nourishe Which power as it is not found in theÌ„ onely but in all other kindes of sustinauÌ„ce also so is it fouÌ„d must chiefly in bread broth so that vnder those names are coÌ„teined all maner of thinges wherupon man feadeth and without these no fode can be pleasaunte to the bodye for any longe tyme. The power therefore to nouryshe is the fourme of breade wyne And the fourme of breade and wyne is the sacramente of the bodye and bloude of Christe Therefore the power to nowrishe is the Sacrament of the bodye and bloude of Christe If you alowe thys fourme of breade and wyne to be the sacrament of the bodye and bloud of Christ then am I of the same opinion with you For no doubt Christ willed vs to certifi our coÌ„scieÌ„ces by the nourishmeÌ„t we fele in bread and wyne that hys bodye and bloude do in lyke maner nouryshe the soule But if you wyll haue that fourme to be the sacramente of the bodye and bsoude of Christe whythe consisteth in coloure quantitie taste suche other theÌ„ I wyl saye you erre not knowing the scriptures For the Manna wherewyth the chyldren of Israell were fed .xl. yeres in the wildernes was the sacrameÌ„t of Christ to come as appeareth by the wordes of Christ Iohn .vi. when he sayed I am that lyueynge breade that came frome heauen â–ª Your fathers dyd eate Manna in the wylderues and yet are they deade but he that eateth of thys breade shal neuer dye and yet was not the fourme therof which was as a CoriaÌ„der seede nor the taste whyche was as honye the sacrament of Christe to come But the wonderful strenght that it beynge but a dewe froÌ„ heauen had to noureyshe alone wythout any other kynd of sustenaunce In lyke maner the vâ— candelstyckes and the .vii. starres which Iohn sawe in hys renelations were the sacramentes of the .vii â–ª congregations and theyr preachers and yet was it not the fashion of the candelstyckes but the vse wherunto they serue that was the Sacramente of the .vii. congregations For as the candelstycke serueth to beare and sustaine the light of the place wherein it is that all that enter in there may se thereby so doeth the congregation of Christe serue to beare vpon theim the sonne of God the onelye lyghte of the worlde that all men maye se theyr good coÌ„uersation For he that taketh hys crosse and foloweth Christe beareth Christe and is a true Christofer and hys conuersation is the lyghte of the worlde So the seuen starres not the fashion of theym but the proprietie they haue to geue lyghte in the dareknes of the nyght is the SacrameÌ„t of the preachers of the seuen congregations For lyke as the starres do shewe lyght in the darknes of the nyght so do the true preachers of the coÌ„gregations shewe lyghte in the darcknes of ertoure as well by theyr doctrine as Godlye conuersation of lyuynge Thus may you se if you do not willinglye shut the eyes of your conscience agaynst the trueth that notwythstandynge we haue the true Sacramente of the bodye bloude of Christe in thys realme Yet in the abuse the thyuge that is so tyranouselye defended to be it is not it but rather a most detestable idole for asmoch as it spoyleth christ â—t hys glory for hys most victoriouse conquest atchined on the crosse and is nothinge agreable to the institution of Christe Shaxton The .x. Article THE churche of Christe maye and doeth order some priestes to be ministers of the sacrameÌ„tes although the same do not preache nor be not admitted therunto Crowley In very dede that church whych you take for the church of Christ may doth ordeine some priestes yea almooste all priestes to be ministers of the Sacramentes although the same do not nor can not preache nor be not admitted therunto That your churche hath alwaies ordeyned such priestes appeareth by the greate numbre of monkes friers and chanoÌ„s and other sacrificatours which hath bene euen sence that churche of yours began fyrst to florysh And that they may do it appeareth by theyr dayly practise For as manye Idle knaues as they can get they annoynte and yet they complayne of the scarcitie and lacke of hyrlynges chaplayâ—es and morowmas gentilmen At an ordres geâ—ynge shal you scarsely se .iiii. that shal take holye orders euen in the same place where were wonte to be lxrx We shall saye they with in a while haue non to serue our cures And what call they seruynge of a cure For so the to saye masse mattens and euensonge on the holye daye to make holye water and holye breade to coniure the fonte and volowe the chylde to shrine housell annointe the sycke to saye dirige and masse and burye the dead But the chiefe poynte is to kepe well the Easter booke and se that the tythes be not slacke lye payed As for preachynge shall be nothynge of the curates charge But one thing he must beware of That he suffer none of the new learninge nor that vse anye englyshe bookes in hys paryshe thoughe he knowe not newe from olde nor whether the Englyshe bookes be good or not Onelye he muste presente the readers of theym to the ordinarye and saye they be heritikes bycause they reade englishe bokes excepte it be Roden hode Beues of hampton Guy of Warwyke the nutbrown may theyr festifall or some other lyke And all thys maye youre churche do for there is no