of god continueth for euer Therfore do thou nothiÌ„g but euen the selfe same thyng one ly that thou fyndest wrytten in y â— law and prophetes do that thou shalt lyue he saythe not how thyn kast thou or how doest thou here the pharises and the scrybes prea and teache go to theyr doctryne but he byddeth go searche y â— scripture albeyt the Scrybes doctours patched theyr lawes tradycions vnto the word of god as our Ypocrytes and doctours do in thys holy Sacrament of Christes body and bloud and wold also preferre theyr drowsye dreames before the worde of god as christ sheweth in the. xv and. xxii of Ma thew Yet amonges all lyenge pro phetes the true Churche had one iudgement and belefe that y â— wyll of god must be knoweÌ„ by the scrip tures onely and that all artycles muste be iudged and examyned by it as christe declareth wher as he sayth vnto the Iewes Searche y â— scriptures for ye beleue surely to haue euerlastynge lyfe in them by these woordes Christe testifyethe playnlye that the opynyon of the olde church was that al meÌ„ shuld iudge al articles of the saythe necessary vnto saluacion by that on ly and where he byddeth them exa myne hys preachynge by the scrip ture he sheweth euydeÌ„tly the who le gospell to be coÌ„tayned in y â— olde scripture Therfore now let vs ser che the gospell what Christe teacheth concerning thys mistery of his body blood whether we can fynde it to be naturally transubstancially and ryally in the sacrament as they say or not These pa pystes haue preached put in wryting taught that after they haue blowen and spoken ouer thee bread whyche they holde betwene theyr fyngers and breathed ouer the wyne in y â— challice That theyr remayneth nether bread nor wyne but by transformacion or as they saye transubstanciacion thee natural body of Iesus christ vnder the accidens of the breade is theyr inuisybly hyd and the blood also vnder the accidens of wyne Yf thys doctryne be not bothe agaynst the verite of holy scripture and reason you shal se it manyfest ly proued for thys sophisticall determinatioÌ„ procedeth of the vanitie of dreames clearly agaynst y â— doctrine of S. paul the holy euaÌ„ gelistes al y â— auncient doctours as S Augustyn Cyprian other olde wryters as breuely I shal declare â–ª fyrst S. paul sayth thus to the Corinth our lord Iesus christ the same nyght in whyche he was betrayed toke bread and geuynge thankes breake it and sayd take eate thys is my body which is bro ken for you S. mathewes wordes be these and as they supped Iesus toke bread blessed it and brake it and gaue it to his disciples sayd take and eat this is my bodye S. Mark and S. Luke affyrmeth the same wordes wrytteÌ„ in theyr gospels expreslye namynge it bread and not the substaunce of breadde S. Paule in thys place sayth man approueth hym selfe and so eateth of this bread and drinketh of this challice he saythe not eate ye thee body of christ whych is hyd vnder the accidens of bread and drynke ye hys blood hyd vnder y â— accideÌ„s of wyne But openly and symply sayd he eate of thys bread These woordes certaynlye declareth the scripture to vse no fayniÌ„g nor dis ceyt here it doth approue what bold and presumptuous teachers thys be whyche durst dyffyne and determyne agaynst thys doctryne of S. Paul the euangelistes that ther is nether bred nor wyne but the symylitude of bread and wyne where as it is also wrytten in the Actes of the Apostles on a saboth daye when we ware assembled to breake bread here it is not sayd of the lykenes of bread and S. Paul sayth also the bread that we breake is it not the participacion of y â— body of Iesus christ by these scrip tures it is perceaued playnlye to all true beleuers that it is expreslye pronouÌ„ced to be bread not a shap lykenes or appareÌ„ce of bread these scriptures ought euery chri stian to beleue vpoÌ„ payne of eter nall dampnacioÌ„ for the holy scrip ture vseth no fayning and truely euery faythfull christian man wel vnderstandynge thee mysterye of of this sacrament doth take it to be a sacrameÌ„tall bread and not as comyne and vsyall bread a bread sanctifyed and ordeyned to deuyne vses bycause that in thys most holy action the spirite and soule of the faythfull shuld be noryshed vnited and knyt to christ by fayth by y t inuisible sygne in thys mortall lyfe whych in the lyfe to come shalbe openly shewed to hys electes wythout any sacrament or couerynge at all whych our redemer and hyghe â—yshop hath ordayned for a memory all of hys deathe vnto the consumacion of the worlde and as the faythful receyue that breade into theyr belly by eatyng it so vndouptedly they re ceaue the frute of hys deathe into theyr soules by thee beleuynge in hym for a remembraunce importeth the thynge to be absent and therfore thys holy mystery beyng but a remeÌ„braunce of christe ThaÌ„ can he not be here present for truly yf the mistery be â–ª done vnder no fygure than do we naught to call it a mystery for that cannot haue the name of a misterye wherin no thynge is hydde where nothynge is remoued from our corporallen cis where nothynge is couered wyth any veale But that bread whych by the mystery of the word is made the body of Christ doth showe one thynge to thee externe sences and another thynge soundeth to the inward mynd of fayth for outwardlye the bread remayneth bread styll as it was before the same shape is euydente the same collour is sene the same tast is tasted But wythin is a thynge moch more precious moche more excelent that is to saye the bodye of chryst shewed not wyth the sen ces of the fleshe but wyth the eyes of a faythfull mynde is sene recea ued or eaten the wyne also which by the consecracion of the prieste is made the sacrameÌ„t of the blood of christe whych setteth forth one thynge outwardly contayneth another thynge wythin for what other thyng is superfycially loked vpon but the substaunce of wyne Tast and it sauereth â–ª wyne smell it smelleth wyne loke on it and y â— collour doth argue wyne but yf a man do consyder it inwardly theÌ„ not the lycour of wyne but of the blood of Christ it sauoreth to the beleuinge people wheÌ„ it is tasted now that no man can denye thes thynges to be true it is manifeste that the bread the wine be called the body and blood of christ fyguratyuely for notwythstanding after the mystical consecracioÌ„ bread is not called bread nor the wyne wyne but the bodye and blood of christ yet after y t which is sâ—ne ne ther is theyr any kynd of flesh kno wen in the bread nor in the wyne any drop of blood
for yf nothynge were takeÌ„ here fyguratyuely thaÌ„ shuld here be no place for the wor kyng of fayth because y â— nothinge shuldbe spiritualli done but what soeuer it be we shuld take it after a fleashely intellectyon and what fayth is by the sentence of S. paul is an argumente of thynges that appere not that is not of these sub staâ—nces which ar sene but of tho se whych are not sene yet shall we here take nothynge accordyng to faythe for what so euer it be wee maye see and diserne it after oure corporall sences and what I pray you can be more foolyshe to take bread for fleshe call wyne blood and a mysterye we cannot call it wher no hyd or secret thyng is she shed â–ª here is to be vnderstande in thys holy supper of the lorde that it representeth to vs an inuisyble grace and therfore it is not alone thyng that is sene and that is beleued for these thynges that bee sene doo onelye feade the corruptyble bodye beynge corruptyble theÌ„ selues But these thynges why chear not sene do fead the immortall soules they beynge immortall them selues Oure fathers in the deserte by a spyrytuall meat and a spyrytuall â–ª drynke dyd eate Chri stes bodye and drynke hys blood as thee Apostle dothe wytnesse oure fathers saythe he haue eaten the same spyrytuall meate dron ken the same spyrytuall dryncke as ye wold say So could he in the deserte turne the manna and the the water of the roke into his fleshe and bloud Notwythstandyng hys fleshe was haÌ„ged on the crosse for vs longe after and hys blood shed and here you shall consydere what is ment by these wordes spo ken â–ª by christ except you shall eate the fleashe of the sonne of maÌ„ and drike his blood you shal not haue lyfe in you he sayd not y t his fleshe whych haÌ„ged on the crosse shuld be cute in pecys and eaten of hys Apostles nor that hys blood whych he shed for the redemption of thee world shuld be geuen his disciples to drincke for it were a wycked thynge yf hys fleshe shuld be eaten and hys blood dronken as the capharnetes and infidelles toke it beynge offended wyth hys sayinges therfore he sayd to hys dysciples yf you shall see the sonne of man ascendyng thyther where as he was before c. as thoughe he shulde saye You maye not thynke my fleshe to be eaten of you corpo rally neyther my fleshe to be deuy ded into peces for asmoch as after my resurrection ye shal se me vysyhly ascend into heaueÌ„ wyth the fulnes of my hole body and blood Then ye shall perceaue my fleashe is not to be eaten of these that beleue as the infidels thynke But that the bread and the wyne chauÌ„ged by a mysterye into my body blood is to be receaued of y â— fayth full for he saythe consequentelye The spirite is he that quickeneth the fleshe profyteth nothing after any soche sorte as the vnfaythfull vnderstande but otherwyse it geueth lyfe as the faythefull take it by a my sterye So in thys mystery of the body and blood of christ her is spirituall operacion whych ge ueth lyfe wythout the whych ope racion the mysteries be vnprofytable for wel may thei fead the bo dy but the soule they cannot here the papistes saye that those thynges be done in veritie but not in a mysterye wherin they repuge agaynst the wrytynges of the holy fathers S. augustin sayth Except ye eat sayth our sauyour the flesh of the sonne of maÌ„ and drinke his blood ye shal haue no lyfe in you he seameth sayth he to commauÌ„d a wycked thynge Therfore it is a fygure commaunding vs to be coÌ„municators of hys passion this is profytable to prynt in our memories that hys fleshe was wouÌ„ded and crucifyed for our sakes S. au gustyn doth thus affyrme the mysterye of the body blood of christ to be a fygure for it is no poynte of religion sayth he but rather inâ— quitie to take hys fleashe and hys blood carnally as they dyd whych vnderstode not Christes woordes spiritually but carnally and weÌ„t backe therfore and departed from hi. Now here is playnly seâ— forth vnto you that thys holy sacrameÌ„t of the bodye and blood of christes is a mystery certifieng thy weake coÌ„scieÌ„ce that as that sacramentall bread is brokeÌ„ â—o was christes bo dy brokeÌ„ for your synnes yf ye be faythful abyding in christ he in you but yf you be wicked vnfay thful ye do not eate hys fleshe nor drynke his blood although ye eat the sacrameÌ„t of so great a thynge These be bedes wordes vpoÌ„ the. i. epistle to the Corinth the. x. chap. Now where as these dasyng drea mers lowsy locustes doth teach that the presentes of christes natu ral body is holy coÌ„tayned in y e sacrameÌ„t that is easyer sayd theÌ„ pro ued For this sayth S. aug to Hie to his body wherin he rose muste be in one place but his truth is di spersed in al places also writing vnto DardamuÌ„ doth proue that y â— natural body of christ must neades be in one place onely also y t his soule can be but in one place at ones further saythe yf we shulde graunt christ to be in al places as touching his manhode we shulde take awaye the truthe of his body for he playnly affyrmethe as touching his godhode he is in euerye place as touching hys manhode he is in heaueÌ„ as this doctryne of christ doth playnly proue spokeÌ„to his disciples sayig yet a lytle whi le I am with you theÌ„ I depart to him y t sent far he sayd agayne it is expedieÌ„t for you that I depart for except y t I depart that coÌ„forter shal not come vnto you And yet he sayth further forsake y â— world goo to my father more fully to touche thys matter he also sayth poore meÌ„ ye shal euer haue w t you but me you shall not euer haue here it appereth as touching hys godhead he forsoke not the world wheÌ„ he ascended vnto hys father and therfor it must neades folowe that as touching hys fleshe and manhede he forsâ—ke the world as al the old doctours and faythfull fathers de fyne that christ ment not that hys natural fleshe shuld be present in the sacrameÌ„t to be eaten with our teth and therfore whoso beleueth hys body naturall to be theyr is begyled and is robbed of the true beleue therin wyth theyr craftye coÌ„ueyaunces vnwrytteÌ„ truthes by whyche they brynge the people into bondage and captyue theyr consciences in blyndnesse to the vtter destruction of soule body Teachyng them a straung doctryne contrary vnto the gospel But euery plant that my heaueuly father hath not planted shalbe plucked vp by the rootes sayth christ and now accordynge to my fyrste parte and preposicion of thys mat ter I saye y â— ther is sufficieÌ„t scrip tures wrytten for
our saluacion aud for the probatioÌ„ therof I wil lay this sentence of the old church confyrmed of christ agaynste these blasphemouse teachers of these vnsauerye sacryfyces of Baal and Bel of theyr holy fathers of rome inuented contrarye vnto the censer word of god which is wrytten in the â–ª xii of Ihon. The word whi che I haue spoken shall iudge theÌ„ in the last daye sayth christ Now theÌ„ these enuyous Edomites whi che teache the people a new found doctryne made of theyr own bray nes as thys is to cause the people to beleue that the natural body of christ is in the sacrameÌ„t or to make it an oblacion propiciotorie or expietorie and to be worshypped this teachyng is not found in the scripture of god but in theyr own ymagynacions and priuate inter pretacion for the mayntenaunce of theyr owne bellyes S. Peter sayth that the scripture is not expounded after the appetyte of any pryuat persone but eueÌ„ as it was geuen by the spyryte of god not by manes wyll so must it be declared by the same spyryte full well knew the Apostle S. Paule when he sayd to the ThessaloniaÌ„s The mystery of iniquitie eueÌ„ now begynneth to worke and also prophesyed what shulde folowe after hys tyme saying Take ye hede to your selues and to all the flocke ouer whych the holy ghost hathe put you ouersears to fead the congregation of God whych be purchased wyth hys owne blood for I know thys well that after my departynge shall entre in greuouse wolues among you whych shal not spare thee flocke and euen of your selues shall aryse men speakynge peruerse thynges to draw disciples after them and therfore watche c. What more euident to keÌ„ can be geuen of you set forth by Paule ar ye not rauening wolues what els doo you but spoyle and robbe the people of God wheÌ„ ye teache and instruct them contrarye to the verytie of the gospel to folowe your lying sygnes and beggerly ceremonies as S. Paul calleth them to reherse theÌ„ it shal not nead but touchynge thys holy mysterye of Christes bodye and blood which ye haue so sore deformed blemyshed spotted by your straunsubstanciatyon and other abuses to the destructyon of the people fyrst institucion of christ I muste of verye sorowfulnes of harte approue you by thee scripture to bee verye theues murtherers and deceauers and where I haue already declared and approned by the worde of god and thee olde wryters whose sayingee I haue in maner but gleyned wyth ruthe the mohabite as the history maketh mencyon what that most holy blessed sacrament of the bo dye blood of our lord is it is to be beleued but as a mystery fyfygure representynge to the eyes of our faythe the death and passion of christ crucifyed for our synnes and rose agayne for our iustification as verely as that bread is broken emongeâ— vs so vetriye was christes body broken for our synnes as verely as we receaue that sacramentall bread into our bellye thorow eating it so verely do we receaue y â— frute of his death meretes into our soules by beleuyng in him so that the body of christ in thys sacrament is not corporal but spiritual and the blood of chri ste is not ther corporal but spiritual So that nothynge is to be ta ken in this holy mystery but spiri tually Here is the bodye of christ but not corporally here is y â— blood of christ but not corporally These be the â–ª woordes of Barthram a learned Priest wrytten Lvii. yea res here to fore so nowe thys is proued sufficient to stablysshe the faythe of all men I truste in thys poynt And as to the worshipping therof or to be a sacrifice as they saye You shall haue the scriptures to confute that doctryne sufficientlye fyrste the supper of thee Lorde ought to be done after thee ordinaunces of christ as appereth the fyrst Epystle to the Corinthi the. xi chap. And vpon those wordes to it is a memorial of y â— death of Christe whych brought saluaci on and not a sacrifyce but a remeÌ„ braunce of the sacrifyce that was once offered vp vpoÌ„ the crosse for therin is a promyse made as appe reth in the. C. and. it Psal. Christ shalbe our bishop for euermore or dayned of the father and thys pro mes is performed for christ hathe entered once into the holye place by an oblacion makynge perfecte for euermore so that we nead not to haue hym offered vp for vs agayne the whyche dyeth nomore We know that the oblacioÌ„ whych Moyses made was for synnes as appereth in the leuitical law wheÌ„ the oblation dyd sanctifye thee blood dyd wasshe TheÌ„ yf this one sacrifice in the whych christe dyd offere vp hym selfe dyd satisfy for the synnes of the whole world accordinge to the seyenge of Esaye He dyd bear our synnes he was torne for oure wyckednesse As S. Ihon sayth he is our satisfaction and so forth so that all oblations whych ar besydes thys is but vay ne as to rear an new oblatioÌ„ and to set lytle by y â— fyrst to make god a lyar and to denye Christ whych bought vs after the wordes of S. Peter For yf the synnes be released and forgeueÌ„ in the sacrifyce of the masse it foloweth that that on ly sacrifyce of the crosse dyd not sa tisfye for all synnes is not that to deny the lorde whych dyd rede me vs not wyth corruptible thin ges as with gold and syluer but wyth hys owne precyouse blood so that thys holy sacrifice whych is Iesus christe the verye lambe and most holy EnoceÌ„t wythout spotte The whych alone taketh away the synnes of the world hath offered for vs to God the father hym selfe hath geuen his lyfe and shed hys blood for our redemption â–ª Makynge an ende and consumation of all outward and vysyble sacryfyces and S. Paul to the Hebreus wryteth it is coÌ„uenable to haue a byshop holy innocente seperate frome synners hygher then the skyes and in the. ix chap ter of y â— same Epystle is sayd thus christ y â— bishop of goodnes came in presence by a greater and a perfyter tabernacle not made wyth haÌ„ des not by the blood of gotes or of calues but by hys owne precyouse bloode is ones entered into the sanctuarye hath founde eter nall redemption here is playne euydent that for our saluation redemption we haue no neade of any other sacrifyce or dayly offeringe for them selues and for vs Except we wyll haue them our re demers and to renounce the obia cioÌ„ of Iesu christ and yet further it is sayd in the same chapter Ie sus is not entered into the sanctu arye made with handes but chefe ly in heaueÌ„ to thende that now he may appere for vs before the face of hys father not by â—auâ—e that he offered not