swete water and bloud of very agonie conceiued of his passioÌ so nighe at hand The bloud stricken on the postes saued theÌ that they were not plagued with the Egyptians deliuered them out of the captiuitie of Pharao And the bloud of Christ strickeÌ on the postes of our consciences deliuereth vs from the captiuitie of Pharao the deuill and smitting of his auÌgels c. There might not a bone thereof be broken no more were there of Christes though the ij that were hanged with him had either of them his legges his armes brokeÌ Moreouer that it was a very prophecie of y e death of Christ of the vertue of his passion it is made the more manifest by the woordes of Christ himselfe Luke 22. for the night before hys passion when he had eaten Pesah with his Disciples he sayd I will no more âate of it henceforth till it be fulfilled in the kyngdome of GOD. As who should say This memoriall which we yearely haue hetherto obserued was once fulfilled in the kyngdome of this world when your fathers were deliuered out of bondage and seruitude of the Egyptians But it hath yet an other signification hetherto vnknowen vnto you which must be fulfilled spirituallie in the kingdome of God by my passion that is at hand and bloud that now shall shortly be shed by the which ye shal be deliuered out of the power of Sathan sinne and hell made heyres of the kyngdome of heauen Neither was it the lambes bloud that deliuered you then For what regarde hath God in the bloud of shepe and calues but the bloud of Christ whom that lambe figured and described his innocencie purenes and obedience to hys father and compassion to mankynde ward whose feble nature he had put on with all the infirmities of the same saue sinne did then deliuer you to bryng you to the fayth of this deliueraunce and to make you through faith partakers therof Many things there be in the Scripture whiche haue a carnall fulfillyng euen there where they be spoken or done and yet haue an other spirituall signification to be fulfilled long after in Christ and his kyngdome and yet neuer knowen till the thyng be done As the Serpent of Brasse which Moses haÌged vp in the wildernes though it tooke effect carnally in the wildernes yet it so describeth the liftyng vp of Christ vpon the crosse the vertue of his passion that no touÌg could better declare it to make the hart feele it If ye aske why they may not be knowen till they be done and what prophecie may helpe I aunswere If men dyd vnderstand them before they were done they would endeuour to let the fulfillyng of them and when the significatioÌ is fulfilled then to see how playnly it was described in the Scripture doth excedyngly coÌfirme the fayth thereof and make it better to be vnderstand And when this Pesah was fulfilled spirituallie in the kyngdome of heaueÌ by the death and bloud âheddyng of Christ it ended there And in y t roome therof coÌcernyng that spirituall significatioÌ came the signe of the SacrameÌt of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ as Baptisme came in stede of CircuÌcision thyngs more easie lesse paynefull and tedious to be obserued and more gentle to prouoke and entise the Heathen For as the lambe describeth the death of Christ to come and the maner of his passion by which we should be deliuered euen so doth the ceremonie of the body and bloud of Christ testifie vnto vs that he hath giuen him selfe to death for vs and redemed vs already if we beleue and cleue ãâã to the profession of our Baptisme ãâ¦ã thââin or will if any tempest had ãâã vs out of the right course returne to the right way agayne This to be so the wordes of the Instituââd declare which are these 1. Cor. 11. The Lord Iesus the night that he was betraâed tooke bread and gaue thankes and brake it and sayd Take eate this is my body that shal be giuen for you this doe in remembraunce of me And likewise he tooke the cup wheÌ Supper was done saying This cup is the new TestameÌt in my bloud this do as often as ye shall drinke it in the remembraunce of me Here ye see by these woordes that it was ordeined to kepe the death of Christ in minde and to testifie that his body was giueÌ and his bloud shed for vs. And Luke 22. This is my body that is giueÌ for you do this in remembraunce of me And this cup is the new Testament in my bloud whiche shal be shed for you Loe here ye see agayne that it was instituted to kepe y t death of Christ in minde and to testifie wherfore he dyed eueÌ to saue vs from sinne death and hell that we should seeke none other meanes to be deliuered with for there is none other name for vs to be saued by but onely by the name of Iesus Actes 4. And as the children of Israell stong of the firie Serpents could haue none other remedy to saue them from present death then to go and behold the brasen Serpent hanged vp by Moses in the wildernes whiche lookyng on onely healed them Euen so if the styng of death whiche is sinne haue wounded their soule with the workyng of the law in the consciences there is none other remedy then to runne to Christ which shed his bloud hangyng vpon the Crosse and to his euerlastyng Testament and mercyfull promise that it was shed for vs for the remissioÌ of our sinnes If thou be stong with conscieÌce of sinne the Cockatrice of thy poysoned nature hath beheld her selfe in the glasse of the righteous law of GOD there is none other salue for remedie theÌ to runne to Christ immediatly and to the father through him And to say father I haue sinned agaynst thee and thy godly holy and righteous law agaynst my brother whom I ought of all right to loue for thy sake as well as my selfe forgeue me O father for thy sonne Iesus Christes sake accordyng to thy most mercyfull promises Testament I will aske my brother forgiuenes if the peace I meane be not made already and will make to my power such satisfaction to hym as shall seme right in his eyes if he be reasonable or as the congregatioÌ shall assigne or faythfull men thereunto appointed by the congregation or such as I and he will agree vpon and will endeuour my self to do so no more with the helpe of thy grace And will submit my selfe to the wholesome ordinaunce of the coÌgregation accordyng the doctrine of thy sonne Iesus and of his faithful Apostles For there is none other name giuen vnder heauen wherby we shal be saued but onely the name of Iesus Hereof ye see that the SacrameÌt is an absolutioÌ of our sinnes as often as we receiue it where it is truly
more when the Sacrament is sene with the eyes the bread broken the wine poured out or looked on and yet more when I tast it and smell it As ye see when a man maketh promise to an other with light wordes betwene them selues and as they departed hee to whom the promise is made beginneth to doubt whether the other spake earnestly or mocked and doubteth whether he will remember his promise to bide by it or not But when any man speaketh with aduisement and deliberation the wordes are theÌ more credible but yet if he sweare it confirmeth the thyng more and yet the more if he strake handes if he geue earnest if he call record if he geue his haÌd writing and seale it so is the promise more and more beleued for the hart gathereth Lo he spake with aduisement deliberation and good sadnes he clapped hands called recordes and put to his hand and seale the man cannot be so faynt without the feare of God as to deny all this Shame shall make him bide by his promise though he were such a man that I could not compell him if he would deny it If a young maÌ breake a ryng betwene him and a mayde doth not the fact testifie make a presumption to all men that his hart meant as his wordes spake Manoha Sampsones father when he had sene an aungell Iud. 13. he sayd to his wife we shal surely dye because we haue sene the Lord. But his wife gathered other comfort of the circumstaunces and sayd if the Lord would kill vs he would not haue receaued such offerings of our hands nor shewed vs such thynges as he hath nor told vs of thynges to come Euen so our harts gather of the circuÌstaunces protestatioÌs and other miracles of God good argumentes and reasons to stablish our weake fayth with all such as we could not gather at bare woordes onely And this we dispute God sent his sonne in our nature made him feele all our infirmities that moue vs to sinne and named him Iesus that is to say Sauiour because he should saue his people from their sinnes Math. 1. And after his death he sent his Apostles to preach the thynges or tydynges and to thrust it in at the eares of vs set vp a Sacrament of it to testifie it to be a seale of it to thrust it in not at the eares onely by the rehearsing of the promises and Testament ouer it neither at our eyes onely in beholdynge it but beate it in through our feelyng tastyng and smelling also and to be repeated dayly to be ministred to vs. He would not thinke we make halfe so much a do with vs if he loued vs not or if he would not haue vs fayne come and be as mercyfull to vs as he was to his freÌdes in the old tyme that fell and rose agayne God so then vsed the Iewes to whom all ceremonyes were first giuen and from whom they came to vs euen such fashions as they vsed among them selues in all his promises and couenauntes not for his necessitie but for ours that such thynges should be a witnes and testimonie betwene him and vs to coÌfirme the fayth of his promise that we should not wauer nor doubt in them when we looke on the seales of his obligations wherwith he hath bound him selfe And to keepe the promises and couenauntes better in mynde and to make them the more deepe sinke in our hartes and to be more earnestly regarded and that we should aske what such thynges ment and why God coÌmaunded them to be obserued that ignoraunce should not excuse if we know not what we ought to do beleue for naturall reason ought to teach vs that y t outward corporall bodily thyng can not helpe the spirituall soule and that GOD hath not delectation in such fantasie Now if we were diligent to search for the good will of God and would aske what such ceremonies meant It were impossible but then God which hath promised Math. 7. If we seeke we shal finde would send vs true interpreters of his signes or Sacramentes And he that beyng of a lawfull age obserueth a ceremonie and knoweth not the entent to him is the ceremonie not onely vnprofitable but also hurtfull and cause of sinne In that he is not carefull and diligent to search for it and he there obserueth them with a false fayth of his owne imagination thinking as all Idolaters do and euer haue done that the outward woorke is a sacrifice and seruice to God The same therfore sinneth yet more deeper and more damnable Neither is Idolatrie any other thyng then to beleue that a visible ceremonie is a seruice to the inuisible God whose seruice is spirituall as he is a spirite and is none other thyng then to know that all is of hym and to trust in hym onely for all thynges and to loue him for his great goodnes and mercy aboue all and our neighbours as our selues for his sake vnto which spirituall seruyng of God and to leade vs to the same the old ceremonies were ordeined These be now sufficient concernyng the entent and vse of the ceremonies how they came vp Now let vs consider the wordes of this Testament and promises as they be rehearsed of the three Euangelistes Mathew Marke and Luke of the Apostle Paule For Iohn whiche wrote last touched nothyng that was sufficiently declared of other Math in the 26. thus sayth when they were eatyng Iesus tooke bread gaue thankes and brake and gaue hys Disciples and sayd take eate this is my body And he tooke the cup and thanked and gaue it them saying Drinke ye all of this for this is my bloud whiche is of the new Testament that is shed for many for the remission of sinnes First ye see by these wordes that the body was giuen to death and the bloud shed for the remiuÌioÌ of sinnes and that for many But who are these many Verely they that turne to GOD to beleue in hym onely and to endeuour them selues to keepe his law from hence forth Which many yet in respect of theÌ that loue not the law are but very few and euen that little flocke that gaue them selues wholy to follow Christ wherfore if any man thinke hee beleue in Christ and haue not the law written in his hart to consent that his dutie is to loue hys brother for Christ sake as Christ loued him and to endeuour him selfe so to do The fayth of that same man is vayne and built vppon sand of of his own imagination and not vpon the rocke of Gods word for his worde vnto which he hath bound himselfe is that they onely which turne to God to keepe his lawes shall haue mercy for Christes sake Drinke of it all for it is my bloud of the new Testament for it is that is to say the drinke that is in the cup or if ye list the cup
is my bloud of the new Testament takyng the cup for drinke by a maner of speaking vsed in all tounges as when we say I haue dronke a cup of wine we take there the cuppe for the wyne My bloud of this new TestameÌt that is to say my bloud for whose shedding sake this new Testament and couenauÌt is made to you for the forgeuenes of sinne The old Testament made betwene God and your fathers in mount Synai in whiche life was promised to theÌ onely that kept it and to the breakers death wrath and vengeance and to be accursed and no meÌtion made of mercy whiche was confirmed with bloud Exodus 24. Moyses offered halfe the bloud to God and sprinkeled the people with the other halfe to coÌfirme the couenaunt and to bynde both parties neither was there any couenauÌt made that was not confirmed with bloud as it is rehearsed Hebrues the 9. And as we see in the bookes of Moses whose custome of bloushedding was not onely to confirme those old couenauntes but also to be a prophecie of the bloud that should be shed to confirme this Testament That old cruell fearefull testameÌt which drew y e people away so that they durst not abyde the voyce of thunder nor the terrible sight of the fire but went and stode a farre of was coÌfirmed with the bloud of calues But this new and gentle Testament which calleth agayne and promiseth mercy to all that will amend And as it is a better TestameÌt so is it confirmed with a better bloud to make men see loue to loue agayne and to be a greater confirmation of the loue promised For if he gaue vs his sonne what will he deny vs If God so loued vs wheÌ we were sinners and knew him not that hee gaue his sonne for vs how much more loueth he vs now wheÌ we loue agayn and would fayne kepe his coÌmaundementes In the old couenauntes the people were sprinckled with bloud of calues without in their bodies to bynd theÌ to keepe the law els we were bouÌd to iust damnatioÌ for the breakyng of it Here it is sayd drinke of it euery one that your soules within may bee sprinkled and washed thorough fayth with the bloud of the sonne of God for the forgeuenes of sinne and to be partakers of a more easie and kynde Testament vnder which if you sinne thorough fragilitie you shal be warned louingly receiued to mercy if you will turne agayne and amend Marke in the. 14. And as they dyd eate Iesus tooke bread and when hee had geuen thaÌkes he brake it gaue it to them sayd Take eate this is my body and he tooke the cup and when he had geueÌ thaÌkes he tooke it to theÌ they al draÌke of it And he said to theÌ this is my bloud of y e new Testament whiche is shed for many This is all one with Mathew as is aforesayd Luke in the 22. And he tooke bread when he had geuen thankes he brake it and gaue to them saying This is my body which is giuen for you this do in remembraunce of me Likewise also when he had supped he tooke the cup saying This cuppe is the new Testament in my bloud which is shed for you Here is also to be noted that y t cause of the institution was to be a memoriall to testifie that Christes body was giueÌ and his bloud shed for vs. And agayne where Mathew Marke sayd this is my bloud in the new Testament Luke sayth This cup is the new testameÌt in my bloud whiche shal be shed for you This is a straunge speakyng far froÌ the vse of our toung to call the signe confirmation by the name of the thing that is signified confirmed The Testament is that Christes bloud is shed for our sinnes And Christ sayth This cup is that testament signifieng thereby that y e thing that is meant by this ceremony is that we beleue that his bloud shedding is the remissioÌ of our sinnes which is the very Testament Paul 1. Cor. 11. saith on this maner That which I deliuered vnto you I receaued of the Lord. For the Lorde Iesus the same night in the whiche he was betrayed tooke bread and when he had geuen thankes he brake it and said Take ye and eate this is my body which is broken for you this do in remembrauÌce of me After the same maner also he tooke the cup when he had supped saying This cup is the new Testament in my bloud this do as ofteÌ as ye drinke it in the remeÌbrauÌce of me For as often as ye shall eate this bread and drinke this cup ye shall shewe the Lordes death vntill he come As Mathew and Marke agree in these wordes So do Lucas and Paul And as it is aboue declared vppon the wordes of Luke and so here by oft repeatyng one thyng This do in remembraunce of me This cup is the new Testament in my bloud This do as oft as ye drinke it in the remembraunce of me Agayne as oft as ye shall eate of this bread and drinke of this cup so oft ye must declare the Lordes death By this ofteÌ repeatyng I say ye may euidently perceaue the cause enteÌt and whole purpose of the institution of this Sacrament was to testifie and confirme the fayth of the Testament made in the death of Christ how that for his sake our sinnes shal be forgeuen So do this in the remembraunce of me that is to say Take bread wyne and rehearse the couenaunt and testament ouer them How that my body was broken and my bloud shed for many and theÌ geue them to the people to eate and drinke to be a signe and earnest and the seale of the Testament crie vpon them without ceassing to beleue in me onely for the remission of sinnes and not to dispayre how weake soeuer they be onely if they hang on me and desire power to keepe the law after my doctrine and example of my lyfe and do morne and be sory bycause they cannot do that good thyng which they would For sayth Paul who soeuer shall eate of this bread or drinke of the cup of the Lord vnworthely shal be giltie of the body and bloud of the Lord that is to say whoso receaueth the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ with an vncleane hart not forsaking the old lustes of the flesh Nor purposing to folow Christ and to loue his neighbour as onely Christ was to hym mercyfull The same sinneth agaynst the body bloud of Christ In that hee maketh a mocke of the earnest death of Christ as it is written Hebrues the. 10. treadeth Christ vnder foote and counteth the bloud of the Testament wherwith he was saÌctified as an vnholy thyng doth dishonour to the spirite of grace Of this ye may perceaue agayne what the Sacrament meaneth what the entent of the ordinaunce
aungels And agayn in the same chapter wheÌ the aungell that wresteled with hym had blessed hym was departed Iacob called the name of the place Pheniell Gods face that the people in time to come should aske why it was called Gods face their Elders should aunswere because Iacob saw there GOD face to face that the name should keepe the thyng in mynde And agayne in the 33. where he had made boughtes or houses of boughes for his beastes hee named the place Sucoth that is Boothes Item Gene. 33. He bought a parcell of land and built there an alter and called it the mighty God of Israell Item Gene. 35. the God of Bethell and Genesis the last chapter Ioseph held a lamentation for his father seuen dayes and the people of the countrey called the name of the place Abell Masrayn the lamentation of the EgyptiaÌs Now the place was not the lamentation but so called to kepe the lamentation in memorie Item Exodus xij the lambe is called Pesah a passing by because the aungell did passe by the houses and hurted not where it was slayne and the bloud striken on the postes that the name should kepe the thyng in memorie Item Exod. 29. and Leuit. 8. almost euery where the beast offered for sinne is called sinne whiche vse of speakyng Paule vseth Rom. 9. and 2. Cor. 5. and calleth Christ sinne wheÌ Christ is neither sinne nor sinnefull but an acceptable offeryng for sinne yet he is called our sinne because he bare our sinnes on his backe and because our sinnes are coÌsumed and made no sinne in him if we will forsake our sinnes and beleue in Christ for the remission therof Christ is also called our righteousnes to certifie vs that when we haue no righteousnes of our owne yet that his righteousnes is giuen vs to make satisfactioÌ for our vnrighteousnes if we will beleue it Item Exodus the 30. The sinne or sinne offeryng is called AtonemeÌt and it was yet but a signe certifiâng the coÌscience that the aronement was made and that God had forgiuen the sinne Item Iudicum 10. They called the name of a certaine Horna as it were an vtter destructioÌ Because that they had vtterly destroyed man woman child and all that bare life Item Iudicum 15. the place where Sampson killed meÌ with an Asse iawe was called Lehy that is Iaw bone to kepe the acte in mynde Item Iudic. 19. There went a companie out of the tribe of Dan and pitched besides Kyriath Iearym in Iuda and the place was called euer after the host of Dan onely to keepe the thyng in mynde Item 1. Reg. 6. A great stone where God slewe fifty thousand was called the great lameÌtation In so much that the text sayth they put the Arke on the great lamentation Item 1. Reg. 7. Samuell pitched a stone on an end and called it the helpe stone because God had there holpen them and giuen them a great victorie of the Philistines Item the last of the 3. of kinges Sedechias came to Achab with a couple of hornes on his head saying With these hornes shalt thou slay the Assyrians hee meant not that Achab should take those hornes and gore at the AssyriaÌs But would that he should beleue onely that as a beast scattereth a cocke of hay with his hornes so shuld Achab scatter the host of the Assyrians with his host Item Numeri the. 6. he that voweth abstinence must let his heare grow to keepe his abstinence in mynde and when his abstinence is out he is commaunded to shaue the head of his abstinence and to offer such offeryngs as are there appoynted after that he hath shauen of his abstinence Loe here the heare is called his abstineÌce and is yet but a memorie of his abstinence Item Iere. 7. The Prophet was coÌmauÌded to shere of his abstinence and to cast it away which abstinence is but his heare Also Ezechiell 12. God commaunded the Prophet to remoue withall his goodes after such maner as conquerers carie away the people captine froÌ countrey to couÌtrey and when he had done The Lord sayd vnto him this prophesie is the Capteine or Prince of Ierusalem when it was but an exaÌple to him how he should be serued Finally where Mathew and Marke say This cup is my bloud of the new Testament Paule and Luke say This cup is the new Testament in my bloud Now must the sence of the woordes of the two first Matthew and Marke be all one with the sences of the woordes of the ij last Luke Paule The wordes of Luke and Paule are This cup is the new Testament made in my bloud or for my bloud sake Now the Testament is that hys bloud was shed for our sinnes but it is impossible that the cup or his bloud should be that promise Wherfore the sence must be nedes that it is the memoriall and seale of the TestameÌt onely And therefore where Mathew and Marke say This cuppe is my bloud of the new TestameÌt the sence must nedes be also That it is the memoriall seale therof onely calling after the vse of the Hebrues the signe with y t name of that which is signified that is to say calling the wine whiche onely signifieth the bloud with the name of the bloud And then it followeth that the bread is called his body after the same maner because it is the signe of his body These like exaÌples moue the third part to affirme that we be not bound to beleue that the bread is the very body of Christe Though it be so called nor that the bread is transubstantiated into the body No more theÌ the things here rehearsed are that they be called or transubstantiated into the very things which they be called The other will aunswere though this memoriall were not the thynges whose names they beare yet it wil not follow that it should bee so here in the Sacrament for they that gaue such other names had no power to make the thynges so to be But Christ is very God and hath power to make his body to be euery thyng and euery where I aunswere that God cannot make euery of his creatures God neither caÌ it bee proued lesse repugnaunce that a creature should bee euery where then that he should be God Moreouer though God where he appeared to Iacob had pitched a stone on an end and called it Gods face yet had he not bene any more bound to beleue that it had bene the very face of God then if Iacob had done it The almightynes of GOD standeth not in that hee is able to do all that our foolish leude thoughtes may Imagme But because all power is his of him and that heè doth all he will and hath made all of naught and can bryng all to naught agayne And can do all that includeth not coÌtrarie to the truth and veritie that God hath put
to consecrate Christes body to bryng it into the bread But there be the wordes of God left in the first chapter of Genesis wherby he made all the world with whiche wordes all be it we yet haue them yet is it denyed vs to make that thyng that he made with theÌ Now sith we hauyng his wordes of the creation can not yet make any new creature of nothyng how then shall we without any wordes of consecration and makyng make the maker of all thynges Vnto this action or supper or deliuerauÌce of the bread he added a reason and signification of this signe or Sacrament and what also is the vse therof as though any should aske theÌ therafter what Sacrament Religion or rite is this They should aunswere euen in a like maner of spech as it was coÌmaunded their fathers to make aunswere to their children at the eatyng of the old passeouer wherof this new passeouer was the veritie and that the figure saying When your children aske you what Religion is this ye shal auÌswere them It is the sacrifice of the passyng by of the Lord. c. Lo here the lambe that signified and did put them in remembraunce of that passing by in Egypt the Israelites spared and the Egyptians smitten was called in like phrase the selfe thyng that it represented signified and did put them in remembraunce of none otherwise then if Christes Disciples or any man els seyng in that Supper the bread taken thankes giuen the bread broken distributed and eaten should haue asked hym What Sacrament or religion is this He had to aunswere them that Christ sayd This is my body whiche is for you broken This thyng do ye in remembraunce of me that is to say so oft as ye celebrate this Supper giue thankes to me for your redempcioÌ In which auÌswere he calleth the outward sensible signe or SacrameÌt that is the bread with all the other action euen the same thyng that it signifieth representeth and putteth such eaters of the Lordes Supper in remembraunce of For when he sayd which is broken for you euery one of them saw that then it was not his body that was there broken but the bread for as yet he had not suffered but the bread broken was denided in peeces euery one of the twelue takyng and eatyng a peece before hee sayd This is my body c. Now sith M. More will sticke so fast in his litteral sense vpon these wordes This is my body c. Then do I aske hym what thyng hee sheweth vs by this first worde and pronoune demonstratiue Hoc in Englishe this If ye shew vs theÌ bread so is the bread Christes body and Christes body the bread which saying in the litterall sense is an hygh heresie after them And for this saying they burned the Lord Cobham Also I aske whether Christ speakyng these wordes This is my body c. had then the bread in his hands wherwith he houseled his Disciples or no That he had it not but had now deliuered it them and had commaunded them to eate it to the order and woordes of the text playnly proue it as is declared before And S. Marke telleth the story also in this order The cuppe taken in his handes after he had giuen thaÌkes he gaue it them they all dranke therof And he sayd to them This is my bloud of the new Testament which is shed for many Here it is manifest that they had all dronken therof first ere he said the wordes of consecration if they be the wordes of any coÌsecration Besides this if ye be so sworne to the litterall sense in this matter that ye will not in these woordes of Christ This is my body c. admitte in so playne a speche any trope for allegory there is none if ye knew the proper difference of them both whiche euery Grammarian can teach you theÌ do I lay before your old eyen and spectacles to Christes wordes spoken of the cup both in Luke and Paul saying this cup is the newe Testament through my bloude which is shed for you Here Christ calleth the wyne in the cup the selfe cuppe whiche euery man knoweth is not the wyne Also hee calleth the cuppe the new Testament and yet was not the cup nor yet the wyne conteined therin the new Testament and yet calleth it the new Testament established confirmed with his bloud here ye see hee called not the cuppe his bloud but the Testament Where is now your litterall sense that ye would âo fayne frame for your Papistes pleasure If ye will so sore sticke to the letter why do your faction leaue here the plaine letter saying that the letter slayth goyng about the bush with this exposition and circumlocution expoundyng This is my body that is to say this is conuerted turned into my body this bread is transubstantiated into my body How farre lo M. More is this your straunge Thomisticall sense from the flat letter If ye be so addictt to the letter why fray ye the commoÌ people from the litteral sense with this bugge tellyng theÌ the letter slayeth but there is neither letter nor spirite that may bridle nor hold your stiffe necked heades Also ye shall vnderstand that Christ rebuked the Iewes for theyr litterall sense and carnall vnderstandyng of his spirituall woordes saying My flesh profiteth you nothyng at all to eate it c. And their litteral takyng of his spirituall woordes was the cause of their murmure c. For euen there as also lyke in other places to eate Christes flesh c. after the common phrase of the Scripture is not els theÌ to beleue that Christ suffered death shed his bloud for vs. Read ye Paul Our fathers did all eate the same spirituall meate and drinke the same spirituall drinke that we now eate drinke Here I thinke M. More must leaue his litterall sence materiall meate or els deny Paul and deny to that our fathers did eate Christ and drinke his bloud whiche all here Paule sayth for to eate and to drinke this spirituall meate and drinke was as him selfe declareth to eate drinke Christ They dranke of the stone sayth Paule that went with them Whiche stone was Christe And we eate and drinke the very same stone Whiche is nothyng els then to beleue in Christ They beleued in Christ to come we beleue in him comeÌ and to haue suffered where is now thinke ye M. Mores litterall sense for the eatyng of Christes material body Our fathers were one and the same Church with vs vnder the same Testament and promise and euen of the same fayth in Christ And euen as they eate him and dranke his bloud euen the same spirituall meate drinke that we do eate and drinke so do we now in the same faith For what elles was signified by this maner of spech our fathers did eate and drinke Christ then that they
remeÌbraunce of his body breakyng and bloud shedyng and that we shuld eate it together reioysing with ech other declaryng hys benefites Now were the Corinthians fallen from this hunger and came not together to the intent that Gods prayse should bee published by them in the middest of the congregatioÌ but came to féede their flesh and to make carnal cheare In so much that y t rich would haue meate and drinke inough and take such aboundaunce y t they would be dronke and so made it their owne per not the Lordes as Paule saith and did eate onely the bread meate and not the body breaking as I haue before said the poore which had not that is to say that had no meate to eate were ashamed and hungry and so could not reioyse and prayse the Lord by the reason that the delicate fare of the riche was an occasion for the poore to lament their pouertie and thus the rich dyd neither prayse God them selues nor suffered the poore to doe it but were an occasion to hynder them They should haue brought theyr meate and drinke and haue deuided it with their poore brethren that they might haue been mery together and so to haue geuen them occasion to be mery and reioyse in the Lorde with thankes geuyng But they had neither lust to prayse God nor to comfort their neighbour Their fayth was féeble and their charitie cold and had no regard but to fill their body and féede their flesh And so despised y t poore coÌgregation of God whom they should haue honoured for y t spirite that was in them fauour that God had shewed indifferently vnto them in y â bloud of hys sonne Christ When Paule perceiued that they were thus fleshly mynded and had no mynde vnto that spirituall maundy which chiefly shuld ther bee aduertised hée reproueth theÌ sore rehearsing y t wordes of Christ That which I gaue vnto you I receiued of the Lord. For the Lord Iesus the same night in the which hee was betrayed tooke bread and thanked and brake it and said take ye and eate ye this is my bodye which is broken for you this do ye in the remembraunce of me After the same maner hee tooke the cup when supper was done saying this cuppe is the new Testament in my bloud this doe ye as ofte as ye drinke it in the remembraunce of me For as oft as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this cup ye shall shew the Lordes death til he come As though hée should say ye Corinthians are much to blame whiche at this Supper séeke the foode of your flesh For it was institute of Christ not for the intent to norishe the belly but to streÌghten the hart and soule in God And by this you may know that Christ so meant For he calleth it hys body which is geuen for you so that the name it selfe might testifie vnto you that in this supper you should more eate his body whiche is geuen for you by digestyng that into the bowels of your soule then the bread which by the breakyng and the distributyng of it doth represent his body breakyng and the distributyng therof vnto all that are faythful And that bée so meaneth is euident by the wordes folowyng which say this do in the remembrance of mee and likewyse of the cuppe And finally concludyng of both Paule sayth as often as ye shall eate this bread drinke of this cuppe in this place and felowshyp ye shall shew y t Lordes death vntill hée come praysing the Lord for the death of his sonne and exhortyng other to doe the same reioysing in hym with infinite thaÌkes And therfore ye are to blame whiche séeke onely to féede the belly with that thyng which was onely institute to féede the soule And theruppon it foloweth Wherfore who soeuer doth eate of this bread and drinke of this cup vnworthely is gilty of the body and bloud of the Lorde He eateth this bread vnworthely which regardeth not the purpose for the which Christ dydinstitute it which coÌmeth not to it with spirituall huÌger to eate through fayth his very body which the bread representeth by the breaking and disstributing of it which commeth not with a mery hart geuing God harty thankes for their deliueraunce from sinne Which doe not much more eate in their hart y t death of his body then they doe the bread with their mouth Now sith the Corinthyans did onlye séeke their belly and flesh and forgat Gods honour and prayse for which it was instituted y â thaÌkes should be geuen by the remembrance of his body breaking for vs they eate it to Gods dishonour to their neighboures hinderaunce to their owne condemnation so for lacke of fayth were giltye of Christes body which by fayth they should there chiefely haue eaten to their soules health And therefore it followeth â Let a man therfore examyne him selfe and so let him eate of the bread and drinke of the cuppe THis prouing or examinyng of a mans selfe is first to thinke with him selfe with what lust and desire he coÌmeth vnto the maundy will eate that bread whether he be sure that he is the child of God and in the faith of Christ And whether his coÌscience do beare him witnesse that Christes body was broken for him And whether the lust y t he hath to prayse God and thanke hym with a faythfull hart in the middes of the bretheren do driue hym thether warde Or els whether he do it for y t meates sake or to kéepe the custome for then were it better that he were away For he that eateth or drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh his owne damnation becaufe he maketh no differeÌce of the Lordes body That is as it is sayd before he that regardeth not the purpose for which it was instituted putteth no difference betwene his eating and other eating for other eating doth onely serue the bellye but this eating was instituted and ordayned to serue the soule and inward man And therfore he that abuseth it to the flesh eateth and drinketh his owne damnation And he commeth vnworthelye to the maundye where the sacrament of Christes body is eaten ye where the body of the Lord is eaten not carnally with the téeth and bellye but spiritually with the hart and faith Vpon this followeth the text that M. More allegeth and wresteth for his purpose For this cause many are weake sicke among you and many sléepe yf we had truely Iudged our selues we should not haue béene Indged when we are Iudged of the Lorde we are chastened because we should not bée damned wich the world Wherfore my bretheren wheÌ ye come togither to eate tary one for an other Yf a man hunger let him eate at home that ye come not togither vnto condemnation For this cause that is for lacke of good examinyng of our selues as is before touched many are weake and sicke in
and by what authoritie your highe pollitike rule saued that you dare géeue either of these kindes to the laye men seyng they were both alonely geuen to the Apostles for eueÌ by that authoritie that you haue power to take away the one kynd by that selfe same haue you power to take away the other for they were both geuen at once and indifferently to the receiuers so that as many as receiued the one receiued also the other and to them that hée sayd take and eate this this is my body to them hée sayd drinke all of this c. Now if you may thus take away y e partes of y e sacramentes at your pleasure y e coÌsequent shall bée y â incontinuance all the sacramentes shal be destroyed and Christes word set at naught Wherefore my Lord this blasphemous euation will not helpe you but such shamfull solutions must they vse that will be agaynst the open worde of God Amend your conscience my Lorde for if you doe not remeÌber the terrible wordes of y â Prophet hée shall shake his sword bend his bowe make it al ready therein hath hée prepared the shot of death his arrowes for to burne This is no smal threatning nor lightly to auoide But let vs sée what the scriptures say that which I gaue vnto you I receaued of y e Lord. Marke S. Paules wordes how hée receaued this thyng of the Lorde c. The Lord Iesus the same night in y e which hée was betraied tooke bread and thanked and brake it and sayde Take ye and eate this is my body which is broken for you this doe yée in the remembraunce of mée After y e same manner hée tooke the cup said this cup is the New testament in my bloud this doe as oft as you drinke in the rememberaunce of mée for as often as you shall eate this bread and drinke this câp you shall shew the Lordes death tyll hée come Marke diligently how S. Paule declareth how the Lord Iesus Christ dyd institute this blessed and comfortable sacrameÌt in both kindes and in both kindes dyd mynister it hymselfe and not that all onely but also enacted this coÌmauÌdement to all Christen people which must receiue it This doe as often c. Yea and this commauÌdement is geueÌ after the Sacrament is ministred in both kinds Teaching vs that in both kindes the Lord hath instituted this Sacrament to bée receiued and also that they y â so receaue it not breake this commaundement of the Lorde This doe as often c. This commaundement S. Paule did not lightly let slyp but hée knew that it was the ordinaunce and y e commaundement of the Lord and also knew y e one iot or tytle of his wordes should not nor ought nor can not bée let slip without perrell of the soules of them y â so littell makes of his word And therfore hée durst not nor would not and yet hée had as great auctoritie as the counsell of constance let slip or tanspose the institution and commaundement of the Lord but wholy and fully with all diligence hée wrote those wordes vnto all the whole congregation of the Corinthians not to the ministers or priestes all onely but to the whole congregation that is as well to the mynisters of the word as to lay men and also the contrary for hée sayth when you come togither that you may perceaue y â hée speakes indifferently hée there reproueth theÌ that tarryed not for poore men And also these wordes bée playne who so euer shall eate of this bread and drink of this cup worthely c. Now vnto this whole congregatioÌ I doubt not but by y e spirit of the Lord which sawe béefore this damnable errour to bée instituted of antichrist and his very all onely mynisters hée sayd drinke you yea and to reproue and manifestly to declare this open errour hée adeth this worde Cuppe signifying and teaching that Christes ordinaunce is not to receaue the bloud in the body onely but to receaue the bloud after his institution by it selfe out of the cup lest they should bée found correctours and blasphemers of the holy institution and commaundement of the Lord Of whom S. Paule receaued this coÌmaundemeÌt and of no couÌsels Now what ChristeÌ man can doubt but our M. Christ to whom all thing is bare and open both things present also to come knew that there was bloud in his owne body Also Saynt Paule his scholer which learned this lesson of hym was not ignorant that there was bloud in his body And yet firste our maister Christ géeueth his bloud alone by it selfe out of the cup and his diligent scholer knowyng the doctrine of his maister dyd the same regardyng his maisters doctrine and preferring it before his carnall reasoÌ which knew that there was bloud in euery body but his maisters doctrine taught him that his maister kept not his bloud in his body but for vs lost and damned persons for our innume rable detestable and aboue all capacitie to declare damnable and abhominable sinnes brake his body shed his bloude thereout plentously and therewith made sacrifice and satisfactioÌ for all our sinnes as Saint Iohn sayth The bloud of Iesus Christ clen seth vs from all sinne also we are sanctified by the offeryng of the body of Iesus Christ once for all Now that all Christen men which bée sanctified by the offeryng of this body and by sheadyng the bloud out of this body shoulde alwayes haue both those partes in remeÌbraunce hée according as the bloud was deuided froÌ the body for all sinners indiffereÌtly that will come vnto Christe and accordyng to his maisters institution commauÌdement ministred this Sacrament and also ordeined it to bée ministred to all men The body by it selfe the bloud by it selfe That they might alway not remember alonely that our Sauiour Christ offered his body for vs but also shed out of that same body his most precious bloud and therfore sayth S. Paule as his maister Christ taught him As often as you shall eate this bread and drinke this cup you shall shew the Lordes death till hée come Now my Lordes come to your counselles Christ and S. Paule defendeth thys thyng partinaciter as you call it that is stifly and strongly wyll they abide by it and will not reuoke it Wherfore after the decrée of your Counsell they bée condemned for heretickes I can no more say but God helpe them for there is no remedy with them but they must néedes to the fier for they will not bée abiured in no wise It is a piteous case that two so good men as these bée will bée thus openly agaynst the decrée of the holy counsell yea and against so many and so noble fathers and so great clarkes the which knew this matter as ye say as well as they and it is not to bée thought that the holy Ghost would leaue so
a signe of y e loue of myne hart which reioyseth and is glad that he is come home safe and sounde And euen so is this but the memoriall of the very sacrifice of Christ once done for al. And if ye wold no otherwise meane ye shal haue my good will to call it so still or if ye can shew me a reason of some other meanyng And therfore I would that it had bene called as it in deede is and as it was commauÌded to be Christes memoriall though that I doubt not but that it was called Masse of his He brue woord Misach which signifieth a a pension geuyng because that at euery Masse meÌ gaue euery man a portioÌ accordyng vnto his power vnto the in stentation of the poore Which offering yet remayneth But to a false vse and profite of them that haue too much as all other thinges are peruerted Finally it is the same thinge that it was when Christ institute it at hys last supper If it were then the very sacrificing of Christes body and had that same vertue and power with it that his very passion after wrought why was he sacrificed so cruelly on the morow and not holde excused therwyth seyng he was there verely sacrificed M. Item that there remayneth bread and wine in the sacrament Tyndall Improue it What is that that is broken and that the Priest eateth wyth hys teeth ayre onely if a childe were fed with no other foode he should wax haply as long as his father Wherof then should his body his flesh and bones grow wherof should that come with reuerence I speake it that he pisseth and so forth all by miracle will they say O what wonderfull miracles must we faine to saue Antichristes doctrine I might wyth as good reason say that the hoste is neyther rounde nor white but that as my mouth is deceaued in the tast of bread euen so mine eyes are in the syght of roundnes and so is there nothing at all Which all are but the disputations of men with corrupt myndes without spirite to iudge Neuer the later when the Priest hath once rehearsed the testament of our sauiour thereon I looke not on bread and wine but on the body of Christ broken and bloud shed for my sinnes and by that fayth am I saued from the damnation of my sinnes Neyther come I to Masse for any other purpose then to fet forgeuenes for Christes deathes sake nor for any other purpose say I Confiteor knowledge my sinnes at the beginning of Masse And if ye haue other doctrine teach vs a reason leade vs in light we will follow Christ sayth Iohn xi it is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing at all the woordes which I speake saith he are spirite and lyfe That is the fleshely eatyng and drinking of Christes body and bloude profit not as his carnall presence profited not by the reason of his presence onely as ye see by Iudas and y â Phariseis and the souldiours that touched hym and how his bodely presence did let the disciples to vnderstand spiritually But to eate and drinke in the spirite that is to harken vnto his wordes and with a repenting hart to beleue in hys death bringeth vs all that Christ can do for vs. More Item that the masse auaileth no man but the Priest Tyndall If ye speake of the prayers his prayers helpe vs as much as ours him If ye speake of y e sacrameÌt it helpeth as many as be present as much as hym if moued therby they be leue in Christes death as well as he If they be absent the sacrament profiteth them as much as a sermon made in the church helpeth them that be in y â fieldes And how profiteth it the soules of the deade tell me vnto whome it is no signe If ye meane the carnall eating and drinking then it profiteth the Prieste onely for he eateth and drinketh vppe all alone and geueth no man parte wyth hym More Item that a man should not be howseled till he lay a dying Tynd. That is to shamelesse a lye M. Item that men and women should not spare to touch it Tynd. A perillous case Why Because the Pope hath not oyled them Neuerthelesse Christ hath annointed them wyth hys spirite and wyth hys bloud But wot ye why The Pope thinketh if they should be too busie in handeling it they woulde beleue that there were bread and for that cause to strength their faythes he hath imagined little prety thinne manchetes that shine thorow and seeme more lyke to be made of paper or fine Parchement then of wheate floure About which was no smale question in Oxforde of late dayes whether it were bread or none some affirming that the floure with long lying in water was turned to starch and had lost his nature M. Item that the sacrameÌt should not be worshipped Tyndall It is the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud And Christ calleth it the newe and euerlasting testament in hys bloud and commaunded that we shoulde so do in the remembraunce of hym that hys bodye was broken and his bloude shed for our sinnes And Paule commaundeth thereby to shewe or preach the Lords death They say not pray to it neither put any fayth therein For I may not beleue in the sacrameÌt but I must beleue the Sacrament that it is a true signe and it true that is signified therby which is the onely worshippyng of the Sacrament if ye geue it other worship ye plainly dishonour it As I may not beleue in Christes Church but beleue Christes Church that the doctrine which they preach of Christ is true If ye haue any other doctrine teach vs a reason and lead vs in light and we will follow More Item that a ChristeÌ is not bound to keepe any lawe made by man or any at all Tynd. You say vntruely a ChristeÌ man is bound to obey tyranny if it be not agaynst hys fayth nor the lawe of God vntill God deliuer him thereof But he is no Christen man that byndeth hym to any thing saue that which loue and his neighbours necessitie requireth of them And when a lawe made is no longer profitable Christen rulers ought to breake it But now a dayes wheÌ tyraunts haue gotten the simple people vnder they compell theÌ to serue theyr lustes and wyly tyranny without respect of any common wealth Which wyly tyranny because the truth rebuketh it is the cause why they persecute it least the common people seing how good they should be and feeling how wicked they are shuld withdraw their neckes froÌ their vnrighteous yooke As ye haue ensample in Herode in the Scribes and Phariseis and in many other More Item that there is no Purgatory Tyndall Beleue in Christ and thou shalt shortly finde purgatoryes inow as ye now make other feele M. Item that all soules lye and sleepe
make aunswere to thus Supper of the Lorde bringyng âo âor them their vnwritteÌ wordes dedes dreames for we haue compelled More with shame to flitte froÌ the Scripture strewed with their vame straunge termes which Paul damneth and geueth Timothe warning of I shall by gods grace so set the almighty word of God against them that all Christen shall see falshead and deceite in this SacrameÌt and so disclose theyr deuilish doctrine and fleighty iugglyng that all that can read Englishe shall see the trouth of Gods word openly beare downe their vnwritten lyes For it is verely the thyng that I desire euen to be written agaynst in this matter for I haue the solutions of all theyr obiections ready And know right well that the more they styrre this Sacrament the broder shall theyr lyes be spread the more shal theyr falsehead appeare and the more gloriously shall the trouth triumph as it is to see this day by long contention in this same and other lyke Articles which the Papistes haue so long abused and how More hys lyes vtter the truth euery day more and more For had he not come beggyng for the Clergy from Purgatory with his supplication of soules and Rastel and Rochester had they not so wysely played theyr partes Purgatory peraduenture had serued them yet another yeare neither had it so soone haue bene quenched nor the poore soule and Proctour there bene with his bloudy Byshop ChristeÌâatte so farre coniured into hys owne Vtopia with a sachell about hys necke to gather for the proude Priestes in Synagoga Papistica When Christ was ascended into heauen and had sent his Apostles the spirite of truth to leade them into all truth perteinyng vnto our saluation euen ânto hym that sayd I am the truth of whiche truth hee instructed them after his resurrection Luke xxiiij and they had preached the same truth nowe at IerusaleÌ Actes ij at which preachyng there were that receiued their wordes and were Baptised about iij. M. hys Apostles remembryng how their maistââ Christ at his last Supper did institute and leaue them this holy Sacrament of his body and bloud to be celeââated and done in his remembraunce among such as had receiued his Gospell were Baptised had professed hys fayth and would perseuer in his Religion dyd now in this first congregation celebrate the Lordes Supper breakyng the bread and eatyng it as Christ dyd teach them which Supper Luke and Paule called afterward the breakyng of the bread As Actes ij saying That they which gladly had now received Peters acte were baptised were perseuering in the doctrine of the Apostles and in the communioÌ and in the breakyng of the bread and in prayer whiche Sacrament was now a token of the perseueraunce in theyr Christen Religion now professed Of this breakyng of bread Luke writyng of Paule commyng vnto Troades sayth also that their vpon a Sabboth day when the Disciples were come together vnto the breakyng of the bread Paule made a Germon duryng to mydnight c. And that this was no common nor prophane vse but an heauenly Sacrament and a reuerent rite and vsage the circumstaunces of the action declare both in Luke and Paule shewyngit to be the very institutioÌ that Christ ordeyned at his Supper Paule thus recitynge this breakyng of the breake saying The bread whiche we breade is it not the felowshyp of the body of Christ y t is to say doth it not signifie vs to be the body of Christ that is hys congregation and people as doth the wordes folowyng declare Paule addyng the cause saying For we beyng many are all together siguified by the one loafe to be one body for that we be partakers of the same bread Also before he calleth in the same Supper the cup of thankes geuyng the felowshyp of the bloud of Christ that is to say the congregation redemed with Christes bloud The holy Sacrament therefore would God it were restored vnto the pure vse as y e Apostles vsed in it their tyme. Would God the secular princes which should be the very pastours and head rulers of their congregations coÌmitted vnto their cure would first coÌmaunde or suffer the true preachers of Gods woorde to preache the Gospell purely and playnly with discrete libertie and constitute ouer eche particulare Parish such Curates as caÌ and would preach the word and that once or twise in the Weeke appoyntyng vnto theyr flocke certeyne dayes after their discretion and zeale to Godward to come together to celebrate the Lordes Supper At the which assemble the Curate would propone and declare them first this texte of Paule i. Corinthians xj So oft as ye shall eate this bread and drinke of this cuppe see that ye be ioyous prayse and giue thankes preachyng the death of the Lord c. whiche declared and euery one exhorted to prayer he would preach them purely Christ to haue dyed and bene offered vpon the altare of the Crosse for theyr redemption whiche onely oblation to be sufficieÌt sacrifice to peace the fathers wrath and to purge all the sinnes of the world Then to excite them with humble diligence euery man vnto the knowledge of hym selfe hys sinnes and to beleue and trust to the forgyuenesse in Christes bloud and for this so incomparable benefite of our redemption whiche were sold bondemen to sinne to geue thankes vnto God the father for so mercyfull a deliueraunce through the death of Iesu Christ euery one some singyng and some saying deuoutly one or other Psalme or prayer of thankes gyuyng in the mother toung Then the bread and wyne set before them in the face of the Churche vpon the table of the Lord purely and honesty layed let hym declare to the people the significations of those sensible signes what the action and deede moueth teacheth and exhorteth them vnto and that the bread and wyne be no prophane common signes but holy Sacramentes reuerently to be considered and receiued with a depe fayth and remembraunce of Christes death and of the shedyng of his bloud for our sinnes those sensible thynges to represente vs the very body and bloude of Christ so that while euery man beholdeth with his corporall eye those sensible Sacraments the inward eye of his fayth may see beleue stedfastly Christ offred and dying vppon the Crosse for his sinnes how his body was broken and his bloud shed for vs and hath giuen hym selfe whole for vs hym selfe to be all ours and what soeuer he dyd to serue vs as to bee made for vs of hys father our righteousnes our wisedome holynesse redemption satisfaction c. Then let this preacher exhort them louyngly to draw neare vnto this table of the Lord and that not onely bodely but also their hartes purged by fayth garnished with loue and innoceney euery man to forgyue eche other vnfaynedly and to expresse or at least wise to endeuour them to folow that loue whiche Christ dyd set before our
were in number but 25. thousand And the Israelites were 400. thousand fighting men which came into Silo and asked of God who should be theyr Captaine agaynst Beniamin And they being but 25. thousand slue of the other Israelites 12. thousand in one day Then fledde the children of Israell vnto the Lord in Silo made great lamentation before hym euen vntill night and asked hym counsell saying shall we go any more to fight agaynst the tribe of Beniamin our brethren or not God sayd vnto them yes goe vp and sight agaynst them TheÌ went they the next day fought agaynst them and there were slaine agayne of the Israelites 18. thousand men Then came they backe agayne vnto the house of God and sat down and wept before the Lord and fasted that day vntill euen and asked hym agayn whether they should any more fight agaynst theyr brethren or not God sayd vnto them yes to morrow I will deliuer them into your handes And the next day was y e tribe of Beniamin vtterly destroyed sauyng 600. men which hid theÌ selues in the wildernes Here it is euident that the children of Israell loste the victorye twise and yet notwithstanding had a iust cause and fought at Gods commaundement Besides that Iudas Machabeus was slaine in a righteous cause as it is manifest in the first booke of the Machabées And therfore it can be no euident argument of the vengeance of God that he was slaine in battell in a righteous cause and therefore me thinketh that thys man is too malaparte so bluntly to enter into Gods iudgement and geue sentence in that matter before he be called to counsell Thus haue I sufficiently touched hys Preface for those pointes y e he afterward touched more largely haue I willingly passed because I shall touch theÌ earnestly hereafter Now let vs sée what heproueth ¶ It ys a great wonder to see vppon how light and sleight occasioÌs he is falleÌ vnto these abhominable heresies For he denieth not nor caÌ not say nay but that our Sauiour sayd him selfe my fleshe is verely meate my bloud is verely drinke he denieth not also that Christ him selfe at his last Supper takyng the bread into his blessed handes after that he had blessed it sayd vnto his disciples Take you this and eate it this is my body that shal be geuen for you And likewise gaue theÌ the chalice after his blessyng and consecracion and sayd vnto them this is the chalice of my bloud of the new testament which shal be shed out for many do ye this in remembrance of me ¶ It is a great wonder to see how ignoraunt their proctour is in the playne textes of scripture For if he had any IudgmeÌt at all he might wel perceiue y â when Christ spake these wordes my flesh is verely meate and my bloud is verely drinke he spake nothing of y e sacrameÌt For it was not institute vntill his last supper And these wordes were spokeÌ to y e Iewes long before ment them not of y e carnall eatyng or drynking of his bodye or bloud but of the spirituall eating which is done by fayth and not with tothe or bellye Wherof S. Austyn sayth vppon his gospell of Iohn why preparest thou other tothe or bellye beleue and thou hast eaten him So y e Christes words must here be vnderstaÌded spiritually And that he calleth hys fleshe very meat because that as meate by the eating of it disgetting it in our bodye doth strengthen these corruptible meÌbres so likewise doth Christes fleshe by the beleuing that it taketh our sinne vpon it selfe suffered the death to deliuer vs strengthen our immortall soule And likewise as drinke when it is dronken doth comfort and quicken our frayle nature So likewise doth Christes bloud by the drinkyng of it into the bowelles of our soule that it is by the beleuing and remembring that it is shed for our sinnes comfort and quicken our soule vnto euerlasting lyfe And this is the eating and drinking y e he speaketh of in that place And that it is so you may perceaue by the text following which sayth he that eateth my body drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him which is not possible to be vnderstaÌd of the sacrament For it is false to say that he y e eateth the sacrament of his body and drinketh the sacrament of his bloud dwelleth in Christ and Christ in hym For some man receiueth it vnto his condemnation And thus doth Saint Austen expound it sayinge Hoc est enim Christum manducare in illo manere illum manentem in se habere This is the very eating of Christ to dwell in him to haue him dwelling in vs So y e who so euer dwelleth in Christ y e is to say beleueth y â he is seÌt of God to saue vs from our sinnes doth verely eate and drinke his body and bloud although he neuer receiued the sacrament This is y e spirituall eating necessary for all y â shal be saued for there is no man that coÌmeth to God wtout this eating of Christ that is the beleuing in hym And so I denye not but that Christ speaketh these wordes but surely he ment it spiritually as Saint Austen declareth and as the place playnely proueth And as touching y e other wordes y e Christ spake vnto hys disciples at the last Supper I deny not but y â he sayd so but y â he so fleshly ment as ye falsly faine I vtterly deny For I say y e his wordes were then also sprite life were spiritually to be vnderstaÌded y e he called it his body For a certaine propertie euen as he cauled him self a very vyne his disciples dery vine braunches and as he cauled himselfe a dore not y e he was so in dede but for certaine properties in the similytudes as a maÌ for some propertie sayeth of his neighhours horsse this horsse is mine vp and downe meaning that it is in euery thing so like And lyke as Iacob builded an aulter and cauled it the house of God as Iacob called y e place where he wrastled with the aungell the face of God and as the pascall lambe was cauled the passing by of the Lord. And as a broken potsherd was cauled Hierusalem not for that they were so in dede but for certaine similitudes in the properties and that the very name itself might put men in remeÌbraunce what is ment by the thing as I sufficiently declared in my first treatise He must nedes confesse that they that beleue that it is the very body and his very bloud in dede haue the playne wordes of our sauiour him selfe vpon their side for the ground foundacion of their fayth That is very true and so haue they y e very wordes of god which say that a broken potsherd is Hierusalem and that Christ is a stone
also committed Idolatry in déede And therfore S. Paule said vnto theÌ My deare beloued flée from worshipping of Idols I speake vnto them which haue discretioÌ Iudge ye what I say Is not y e cup of blessing which we blesse the fellowship of the bloud of Christ Is not the bread which we breake the fellowship of the bodye of Christ For we though we be many are yet one bread and one body in as much as we are partakers of one bread Christ did call him selfe bread and the bread his bodye And here Paule calleth vs bread and the bread our body Now may you not take Paule that he in thys place should directly expound Christes minde And that the very exposition of Christes wordes when he sayd this is my body should be that it was the fellowship of hys body as some say which seeking the key in this place of Paule locke them selues so faste in that they can finde no way out For Christ spake those wordes of his owne body which should be geuen for vs but the fellowship of Christes body or congregation was not geueÌ for vs. And so he ment not as Paule here sayth but ment his owne bodye For as Paule calleth the bread our body for a certaine propertie euen so doth Christ call it his body for certaine other properties In that y e bread was broken it was Christes owne body signifying that as that bread was broken so should hys body be broken for vs. In that it was distributed vnto hys disciples it was hys owne bodye signifying that as verely as y â bread was distributed vnto them so verely should the death of his body and fruit of his passion bee distributed to all faythfull folke In that the bread strengtheneth our bodyes it is hys own body signifying that as our bodyes are strengthened and comforted by bread so are our soules by y t fayth in hys body breaking And likewyse of the wine in that it was so distributed and so comforteth vs and maketh vs mery Furthermore the bread and wine haue an other propertie for the which it is called our body For in that the bread is made one bread of many graines or cornes it is our body signifying that we though we bee many are made one bread that is to say one body And in that the wine is made one wine of many grapes it is our bodye signifying that though we are many yet in Christ through Christ we are made one body members to ech other But in thys thyng Paule and Christ agrée For as Paul calleth the bread our body and vs the bread because of thys propertie that it is made one of many euen so doth Christ call it hys body because of the proporties before rehearsed Furthermore in thys they agrée that as Paules wordes must be taken spiritually for I thinke there is no man so mad as to iudge that the breade is our body in deede although in that propertie it representeth our body euen so must Christes wordes be vnderstand spiritually that in those properties it representeth his very body Now when we come together to receaue thys bread then by the receauing of it in the congregation we doe openly testifie that we all which receaue it are one body professing one God one fayth and one baptisme and that the body of Christ was broken and his bloud shed for remission of our sinnes Now sith we so do we may not company nor fit in the congregation or fellowship of them that offer vnto Idols and eate before theÌ For as Paule sayth ye caÌ not drinke the cup of the Lorde and the cup of the deuils ye can not be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of the deuills I would not that you should haue fellowship with deuills The heathen which offered vnto Idolls were the fellowship of deuils not because they eate the deuills body or dranke the deuils bloud but because they beleued put their confidence in the Idoll or deuill as in their God and all that were of that fayth had their ceremonies and gaue hartye thaÌkes to their God with that feast which they kept They came to one place and brought their meate before the Idoll and offered it and with their offering gaue vnto the deuill godly honour And then they sat down and eate the offering together geuing prayse and thankes vnto their God and were one body and one fellowship of y t deuill which they testify by eating of that offering before that idole Now doth S. Paule reprehend the Corinthians for bearyng the gentiles companye in eating before the Idole For they know that the meate was like other meate And therefore thought them selues frée to eate it or leaue it But they perceiued not that that congregregation was the fellowship of deuiles which were there gathered not for the meat sake but for to thanke and prayse the Idole there God in whoÌ they had their confideÌce And all that there assembled and dyd there eate and did openly testifie y t they al were one body professing one fayth in their God that Idole So Paule rebuked them for because y t by there eating in that place and fellowship they testefied openly that they were of the deuils body and reioysed in the Idole their God in whoÌ they had fayth and confidence And therfore fayth Paule that they caÌ not both drinke the cup of the Lord testifying hym to be their God in whom onely they haue trust and affiaunce the cup of the deuill testifiyng y t Idole to bée their God and refuge Here you may note that the meate and the eatyng of it in this place fellowshyp is more theny t coÌmon meate and eatyng in other places For elles they myght lawfully haue dronkeÌ the deuils cup with them the one day the cup of the Lord the next day with hys Disciples What was it more verely it was meate which by the eatyng of it in that place and felowship dyd testifie openly vnto all men that he was their God whose cuppe they dranke and before whom they eate in that felowshyp and so in their eating they praysed and honored the idole And therfore they that had their trust in the lyuing God and in the bloud of his sonne Christ might not eate with them And lykewise it is the in sacrament the bread and the eatyng of it in the place and felowshyp where it is receiued is more then common bread What is it more Verely it is bread which by y t eatyng of it in that place and felowshyp doth testifie openly vnto all men that he is our very God whose cup we drinke and before whom we eate in that felowship that we put all our afsiauÌce in hym and in the bloud of hys sonne Christ Iesu geuyng God all honour infinite thankes for his great loue wherwith he loued vs as it is testified in the bloud of hys
iudge and if Christes worde condemne the couÌsell who shal approoue it who shall prayse it who shall defende it The temporall sworde nor the multitude of Byshops nor interdiction excommunication nor cursing can then helpe Wherefore let euery true ChristeÌ man looke on this matter indifferently it is no trifling wyth God nor with his holy worde for God will remayne for euer his holy word must bée fulfilled and if we wil not fulfill it bée shal cast vs down to the déepe pit of hell and make of stones meÌ in our stede that shall kéepe his worde It is no light thyng for it lyeth on the saluation and damnation both of body and soule froÌ the which we can not bée deliuered with these glorious wordes Concilium ConciliuÌ Patres Patres Episcopi Episcopi for all these may bée the ministers of the deuill yea though they were aungels Therfore ones agayne I doe monish and exhorte in the glorious name of the lyuing God and in y e swéet bloud of Christ Iesus all true ChristeÌ men to take héede what they doe agaynste Christes holy word whiche is their eternal God their mercyfull redemerand shall bée also their mighty and glorious iudge Now let vs examine the wordes of the Councell First of all the Councell graunteth that in the begynning of the church all Christen men were houseled vnder both kyndes nowe would I knowe of the Councell of whom the Church had receiued this maner of Christ or his holy Apostles as doubtles shée dyd then what authoritye had the Councell to chaunge the institution of Christ and of his holy Apostles and also the vse and practise of holy Church was not the first Churche of God Did shée not kéepe Christes institution did shée not fulfill Christes word Did not y e holy Apostles learne here so And now shall the Councell of Constance first condemne Christ and his blessed word then the learnyng of Christes holy Apostles and also the long vse and practise of Christes blessed Church without any Scripture without authoritie or without any speciall reuelation froÌ God but alonely for auoydyng of certeine perils Yea and not content alonely to coÌdemne these thinges but vnder the paine of heresie to coÌdemne them This is to sore a coÌdemnation of Christes open woorde and of that thyng whiche they graunt that the Church dyd vse at the begynnyng Furthermore the Councell sayth that holy fathers and the Church dyd bryng in this custome to housell laye men vnder one kinde Are you not ashamed of these woordes Doth not your conscience prike you thus openly to lye yea of Christ and of his holy Church Christes worde is openly agaynste you and you graunt that the vse of the church was also otherwise And as for holy fathers here may you sée what they say to it but you are the children of the kyngdome of lyes and doubtlesse if you bryng not foorth the holy fathers that make for you you shall not alonely bée taken for abhominable and ââ¦en lyers but also for shameful and detestable sclaunderers both of holy Church and also of holy fathers But it is no wonder for Antichrist must declare him selfe openly to bée agaynst Christ yet is hée neuer without an excuse and a shaddow of holynes where by hée may blynd the poore people But what excuse had hée here in the Councell to coÌdemne Christes worde That they might auoyde certaine sclauÌders and perrils béecause that there is no body without bloud Bée not these lawfull causes to condemne Christes open word yea and that vnder the payne of heresie Is not this a new maner of law to make that hée that will not obeye a statute made agaynst Gods word which hée is bouÌde to obey vnder payne of euerlastyng damnation alonely for auoydyng perrils to bée condemned for an hereticke Briefely by this reason may they condemne all holy Scripture by laying icoperdies perrils thereto they may condemne all the creatures of God for there may bée perill in vsing of them all But what néede many wordes to prooue this Councell to bée of the deuill for if that bée not of the deuill that is contrary to Christ and hath no excuse for it but alonely to auoyde perrils I caÌ not tell what is of the deuill I am sure Antichrist shall neuer bée without some carnall excuse for if hée will deny Christ to bée both God man hée shall haue stronger carnall reasons for him then the Councell hath for this but this matter must not bée iudged by carnal reasons It is Gods worde that is aboue all creatures wherefore let vs goe to the Scriptures as a sure ancore to ouercome Antichrist with all his carnall reasons First our maister Christ when hée dyd institute this blessed Sacrament did vse these woordes take it and eate it this is my body c. Likewise takyng the challice hée gaue thankes gaue it vnto them saying drinke all of this this is my bloud of the newe testament the which shall bée shed for many into remission of sinnes These bée playne wordes drinke of it all hée that sayth all excepteth no man Furthermore hée knewe that there might bée ieoperdies in the receiuyng of it yet hée sayth drinke of it all for it is my bloud that shall bée shed for the remission of sinnes Now was it not shed for lay mens sinnes why shal they not then drinke of it The maister and the Lord sayth drinke therof and shall the miserable seruaunt withstand his commaundemeÌt yea commaunde the playne contrary and say drinke not therof But now commeth my Lord of Rochester which perceiueth that the Councel is connict in that that it consenteth that the whole Church in the begynnyng did receiue this Sacrament vnder both kyndes and yet forbiddeth that same thyng and sayth to mainteine this errour that Christe spake these wordes drinke of it all alonely to his Apostles for there were no other men there but the Apostles and therfore they must alonely drinke therof I aunswere My Lord if this thing were alonely lawfull vnto the Apostles how will you discharge the primatiue Churche in the whiche were those men that Christ ministred this Sacrament vnto yea the selfe men did minister it vnder both kyndes to the whole congregation accordyng to this commaundement drinke of it all Dout not but they vnderstoode Christes will as well as you in this commaundement But in the way of communication let vs grauÌt you that to the Apostles this was onely sayd how will you theÌ discharge your owne Priestes from deadly sinne the which receiue it vnder both kindes and yet bée they neither Apostles nor successours of theÌ but after your own learnyng the Bishops alonely bée their successours the Priestes doe represent lxxij Disciples Shal they in this thyng represeÌt the Apostles and in absoluyng from sinne but the Disciples But let vs sée farther in your for fetched reason tel vs how
many excellent and holy fathers and great Doctours of Diuinitie and so many noble Princes and wise men of the worlde and bée with these two poore men which bée of no reputation in this worlde Wherefore my Lordes procéede against them after the holy decrées that bée inuented agaynst heretickes sticke not for their names for it is neither Christ nor Paule that caÌ hurt you you haue also condemned theyr learning and preuailed against them why should you not condemne them as well you bée Lords and you haue the strength and the wisdome of the worlde with you and as a certayne Doctour of the law sayde they haue no man to holde with them but a sorte of beggers and despised persons of the worlde wherfore spare them not bée bolde Implete numerum patrum vestrorum All tyrantes bée not yet dead But now when you haue condemned them yet haue you as muche to doe as euer you had for your owne lawe is openly agaynst you in these wordes Wée vnderstand that certayne men receauing alonely the portion of the blessed body doe abstaine from the chalice of the holy bloud the which doubtles séeing I can not tell by what superstition they are learned to abstayne let them eyther receaue the whole Sacrament or els let them bée forbidden from the whole Sacrament for the diuision of one and of y e same mistery can not bée done wythout great sacrilege c. How thynke you by these wordes bée they not playne that all men shall eyther receaue both kyndes or none Here haue you an other hereticke for hée iudgeth and sayth that it is a sacrilege which is openly agaynst your Counsell to receaue it in one kynde But paraduenture you wyll say this law was written to priestes I aunswere to whomsoeuer it was writteÌ it maketh no matter for these wordes bée plaine the diuision of one misterye can not bée done without great sacrilege These words bée not spoken of the persons that shall receaue it but of the deuiding of the sacrament whosoeuer shall receaue it it is sacrilege to deuide this thynge aunswere you to that Marke also that your owne lawe cauleth it superstition to receaue but one kynde and no doubt they that did receaue it so were blynded by this damnable reason of yours that there is no body without bloude and yet hée calleth it superstition But let vs sée what your glose saith on this texte it is not superfluously sayth hée receaued vnder both kindes for the kynde of bread is referred vnto the fleshe and the kynde of wyne vnto the bloude The wyne is the Sacrament of bloude in the which is the seate of the soule therfore it is receiued vnder both kindes to signifie that Christ did receiue both body and soule and that the partaking thereof doth profite both bodye and soule Wherefore if it were receiued alonely vnder one kynde it shoulde signifie that it did profite allonely but one part c. How thinke you doth this glose vnderstand it of preistes onely haue lay men no soules May not this Sacrament profite them both bodye and soule Marke also that hée sayth it is not superfluously nor without a cause receiued vnder both kyndes Also an other lawe When the host is brokeÌ and the bloude shed out of the chalys into the mouthes of faythfull men what other thyng is there signified but the immolation of our Lords body on the crosse and the shedding of hys bloud out of his side c. Here is it plaine that the bloud is géeuen out of the chalys and not out of the body and into faythfull mens mouthes and not alonely into priests mouthes Also an other lawe If that the bloud of Christ bée shed for remission of sinnes as ofteÌ as it is shedde then ought I lawfully for to receaue it I which doe alwayes sinne must alwayes receaue a medecyne c. Here your owne lawe sayth that the receiuing of the bloude is a medycinall way to bée receiued of theÌ that sinne you will not denie but that lay men sinne Wherefore shoulde they not then receiue a medicyne for their sinne you may perceiue that thys is not alonely spoken of Priestes but of sinners c. Furthermore S. Ciprian sayth How doe wée teach or how can wee prouoke men to shed their bloude for the coÌfession of Christes name if wée doe denye them the bloude of Christ when they shall goe to battayle Or how dare wée able them vnto the victordum of martyrdome if wée doe not firste by right admitte them to drincke the cuppe of our Lorde in the congregation c. Here is Cyprian openly against you which will that as many shall receiue y e bloud of Christ as doe confesse the name of Christ yea and that out of the cuppe and not out of the body Also S. Ambrose sayth to the Emperour Theodosius how shalt thou lift vp thy handes out of y t which doth yet droppe vnrighteous bloud how shalt thou with those handes receaue the body of God with what boldnes wilt thou receaue into thy mouth the Cup of the precious bloud séeing that through the wodnes of thy wordes so great bloud is shed wrongfully c. Marke that the manner was in Saint Ambrose tyme that lay men should receiue y t blessed bloud of Christ yea and that out of the cup seuerally and not out of the body onely wherefore my Lords see to your conscience how you can discharge your self before the dreadfull trone of Christ Iesus for making this detestable daÌnable statute agaynst y t heaueÌly word of God ⪠and agaynst the vse of holy Church ⪠contrary to the exposition of all holy doctours It were to great a thing for you so presumptuously to breake the statute of your mortall prince howe much more of your immortall God which will not bée auoyded with a carnall reason nor with condemnation of heresye nor yet with saying there bée ieoperdies perils and sclauÌders for these proud crakes can not there excuse you nor yet helpe you For I doubt not but the great Turke hath as good reasons for hym as these bée also as proude crakes as you haue though peraduenture hée vseth them not so hipocritely agaynst God omnipotent as you doe but yet it will not helpe hym Wherefore now most excellent and gracious Prince I doe with all méekenes with all due subiection admonysh exhorte your most noble grace yea and y e father of heauen doth openly commannd you vnder the payne of his displeasure and as you will auoyde the daunger of eternall damnation and also by the vertue of Christes blessed bloud and as you will receiue remission from all your sinnes thorow the merites of his gloryous bloud that you doe defeÌd with all your might Christes blessed worde and his swéete bloud and his holy ordinaunce and suffer them not so lightly to bee oppressed and troden vnder
keepe c. 289. col 1 ¶ That mens coÌstitutions which are not grounded in Scriture bynde not the conscience of maÌ vnder the payne of deadly sinne S. Paule sayth We are bought with y t price of Christes bloud we will not bee the seruantes of men 298. col 2 S. Paule sayth In the latter dayes certaine men shall swarue froÌ the fayth applying them selues to the spirites of errours and doctrines of the deuill forbidding Mariage c. 298. col 2 S. Paule sayth meate doth not commende vs vnto God Also in an other place the kingdome of heauen is neyther meate nor drinke 299. col 1 S. Paule sayth We ought not to be led with the traditions of men that say touch not tast not c. 299. col 1 Augustine sayth by sitting in y t chayre is to vnderstand the learning of y t lawe of God and therefore God doth teach by theÌ but if they will teach their owne doctrine heare it not doe it not for such meÌ seeke that is theirs and not Christes c. 297. col 2 Hilarius sayth All maner of plantes that bee not planted of the father of heauen must bee plucked vp by the rootes that is to say the traditions of men by whose meanes the commaundementes of the lawe be broken must be destroyed and therefore cauleth hee theÌ blinde guides of the way to euerlasting life because they see not that thing they promise and for that cause hee sayth that both the blinde guidds and they that bee led shall fall into the dyke c. 297. col 2 Augustine sayth Because that those men by such obseruations were led froÌ the veritie by y t which they were made free whereof it is spoken the veritie shall deliuer you It is a shame sayth hee and vnconuenient and farre from the noblenes of your libertie seeing you bee the body of Christ to bee disceaued with shadowes and is bee iudged as sinners if you dispise to obserue these thinges Wherefore let no man ouercome you seeing you are the body of Christ that will seeme to bee meeke in hart in the holynes of Aungels and bringing in thinges which he hath not seene c. 299. col ãâã Augustine sayth Sâing that we bee made of soule and of body as long as we doe liue in this temporall lyfe we must vse to the noryshing of this lyfe these temporall goodes Therfore must we of that part that beelongeth to this lyfe bee subiect vnto powers that is vnto meÌ that doe minister worldly things with some honour but as concerning that part whereby we beleeue in God and bee called vnto his kingdome we ought not to bee subiect vnto any man that will peruert that same thing in vs that hath pleased God to geue vs to eternall lyfe c. 300. col 1 ¶ That all men are bounde to receiue the holy CoÌmunion in both kindes vnder the payne of deadly sinne CYprian sayth How doe we teach or how can we prouoke men to shed their bloud for the confessioÌ of Christes name if we doe denye them the bloud of Christ wheÌ they shal goe to battaile Or how dare wee able them vnto the victory of martyrdome if wee doe not firste by right admitte them to drinke the cuppe of our Lord in the congregation c. 306. col 2 Ambrose sayth to y t Emperour Theodosius how shalt y u lift vp thy hands out of the which doth yet droppe vnrighteous bloud how shalt thou with those handes receaue the body of God with what boldnes will thou receaue into thy mouth the Cuppe of the precious bloud seeing that through y t woodnes of thy wordes so great bloud is shed wrongfully c. 306. col 2 This doth S. Ciprian learne vs saying what thing so euer it bee that is ordeyned by mans maddenes where by the ordinaunce of God is violated it is whoredome it is of the deuill and it is sacrilege Wherfore flye from such contagiousnesse of men and auoid their wordes as a cancar and as pestilence c. 308. col 1 The Popes law sayth We vnderstand that certayne men receauing allonely the portion of the blessed body doe abstaine from the chalice of the holy bloud the which doubtles seeing I can not tell by what superstition they are learned to abstaine let them eyther receaue the whole Sacrament or els let them bee forbidden from the whole Sacrament for the deuision of one and of the same misterie can not bee done without great sacrilege c. 305. col 1 The Popes law sayth When the host is broken and the bloud shed out of y t chalyce into y t mouthes of faithfull men what other thing is there signified but the immolation of our Lordes body on the crosse and the shedding of his bloud out of his side c. â06 col 1 The Popes lawe sayth If that the bloud of Christ be shed for remission of sinnes as often as it is shedde then ought I lawfully for to receaue it I which doe alwaies sinne must alwaies receaue a medecyne c. 306. col 1 ¶ That by Gods word it is lawfull for Priestes that hath not the gift of chastitie to marry wiues AThanasius vpon the first Epistle of s Paule to the Corinthians in the 7. chapter sayth that the Apostle would compell no man to keepe virginitie against his will nor he would not make virginitie a thing of necessitie 314. col 1 Ciprian sayth Thou doest aske what we doe iudge of virgines the which after they haue decreed to liue chastly are afterward founde in one bedde with a man Of the which thou sayst that one of them was a Deacon We doe with great sorow see that great ruine of many persons which commeth by the reason of such vnlawfull and perilous coÌpaning togtiher Wherfore if they haue dedicated them selues vnto Christ out of fayth to lyue purely and chastly theÌ let them so remayne without any fable and strongly stedfastly to abyde the reward of virginitye But if they will not abyde or els caÌ not abide then is it better to marry theÌ for to fall into the fier of concupiscence and let them geue vnto the brethren and sisterne none occasion of sclaunder c. 318. col 2 Augustine sayth Certaine men doe affirme those men to bee aduoulterers that doth marry after they haue vowed chastitie but I doe affirme that those men doe greuously sinne y e which doth seperate them c. 319. col 1 Also blessed S. Ambrose writeth of virginitie in this maner Chastitie of body ought to bee desired of vs. The which thing I doe geue for a counsell and doe not commaund it imperiously For virginitie is a thing all onely that ought to bee counsayled but not to be commaunded ⪠it is rather a thing of voluntary will then of precept c. 319. col 2 S. Hierome also sayth Let Bishops
fayth The Apostles did ordeââ¦e that we should absteine froÌ bloud meaning all natural bloud Actes 10. The wyne in the Sacrament is no naturall bloud Obiection Solution To pull downe violently the kynges armes is treason agaynst hys owne person and yet the armes are not the kinges person To be negligent in the hearyng of the word of God is a great offeÌce M. More Frith M. More is a quarelyng brabler M. More an ignorauÌt proctor for the Clergy God is almighty and yet cannot doe all thynges 2. Timo. 2. God is said to bee almighty because there is no supenour power aboue hym and he can do all that he wil. M. More Frith Iohn 8. 2. Cor. 3. Roma 6. Aug. de spiritu litera The articles in our Creede are as many as are necessary for our saluation M. More Frith The glasse that representeth the face is not the face The body of Christ is no more in the Sacrament then my face is in the glasse Christes deathe and body breakyng is knowen by the Sacrament yet it is not the naturall body of Christ M. More Frith Frith speaketh merâly M. More Frith Astronomers say that the naturall course of the Sunne is from the West to the East A conclusioÌ agaynst the Astronomers Mark 14. Luke 16. Iohn 11. Christes body is in one place onely M. More Frith What soeuer the Papistes say that must stand for reason M. More Frith More harpeth vppon a false string More saith that God may do all thyngs but he doth not proue that he hath so done M. More Frith Two thinges disputed betwen More and Frith More Frith Iohn 15. Christes badge is loue That the sacrament is the naturall body is none article of our fayth necessary to be beleued vpon payne of damnation Superstition More Frith A man may iudge of error but God onely must be iudge of condemnation Frith is no hasty iudge More Frith To honor and worship the sacrament is plaine idolatry The olde holy fathers haue not taught to worship the sacrament Note â More Frith Martin Luther sayth y t the natural body of Christ is present in y e sacrameÌt but he wold not haue it worshipped More Frith A meane how we may receaue y e sacrament according to Christes institution though the minister be negligent The worthy receauer of the sacrament may consecrate the same to him selfe M. More Frith M. More Frith The right consecratioÌ to hym that receaueth the Sacrament is fayth in Christes death The Popish consecration in Latine is not worth a rish The Byshops and their proctour can not tell what a blessyng meaneth â Blessyng what it is M. More Frith Math. 24. ãâã Thess 2. Deutro 13. Actes 24. How you may iudge true miracles from false Math. 4. False Ante christes Actes 4. Actes 12. M. More Frith â The Sacrament may not be worshypped The Papistes say that no promise nor couenaunt is to be kept with an hereticke More was fully addict to the mind of the Prelates and to kill and burne as fast as they More a Popish and a malicious tyraunt The condition conteined in Barnes safe coÌduite No promise nor licence made to heretickes by the kyng without the consent of our Prelates is to be kept and obserued M. More Frith The modesty meeke spirite of Iohn Frith Christes body is to be eaten with fayth not with the teeth A prayer made by Iohn ⪠Frith to be sayd before the receauyng of the Communion A godly good prayer The Paschall lambe and our sacrament coÌpared togither 1. Cor. 5. The maner of the eatyng of the Paschal lambe The maner of the institution of the Sacrament Iohn 16. The institution of the Sacrament The comparison of the Paschall lambe with Christes Supper The mauÌdy of remeÌbrauÌce that Paule receaued of the Lord deliuered to the Corinthians 1. Cor. 10. God hath ordeyned all meates to be indifferent Paule â Christ called hym self bread and Paule calleth vs bread How the wordes of S. Paule are to bee vnderstaÌd Why the bread is called our body We must vnderstand the Sacrament spiritually or els we receaue it not to our comfort Paule The Gentiles offered theyr meate to Idolies To drynke of the cup of the Lord to drinke of the cup of the deuill how it is to be vnderstand A proper example The enemyes of Christ can not reioyce in Christes bloud shedding The faythfull and vnfaythfull do not eate alike 1. Cor. 8. 1. Iohn 3. The vnfaythfull and wicked eate their owne damnation 1. Cor. 11. The true eating of the Sacrament is the spirituall eating of the same Luke 22. The maner of the comming of the Corinthians together Why Christ did institute the Sacrament The sacrament was ordained to feede our soules and not our bodyes The worthy and vnworthy eating of Christes body What it is to proue examine a mans owne selfe The meaning of S. Paules formet wordes An Epitome of this whole booke The opinioÌ of the Prelates The opinioÌ of Frith 1. Cor. 1â⦠1. Cor. 11. Actes 2. Math. 26. Marke 14. Luke 22. Nature teacheth that there is both bread and wyne in the Sacrament The olde Doctours proue that there is bread in the SacrameÌt Gelasius in concilio Ro. The fayth of the Prelates The opinioÌ of Iohn Frith Iohn 6 ⪠August in serm de sacra fe passchâ Beda Aug. de Ciuitate Dei in libro 21. Cap. 25. The wicked eate not Christes body Iohn 6. Onely the faythfull do eate Christes body and drinke his bloud The fayth of the Prelates The opinioÌ of Frith Ierem. 27. The ministration of the Sacrament doth lyuely expresse the death and passion of Christ The Sament beside the substaunce of of bread is Christes body and bloud They dishonour the SacrameÌt that geue it that honour that is due vnto God Frith here sheweth what hee thinketh of the Sacrament The Godhead is so ioyned with the maÌhode of Christ that they both make but one person August Of Baptisme Augustinus ad Bonifacium The first article The second article An other question An aunswere S. Augustines text Chrisostomus Chrisostomes wordes The exposition of S. Chrisosto text The true meaning of Chriso stomes wordes Solution Conclusion Beholde the cause of mi deathe Note Three causes Doct. Barnes a bolisher of barbarisme a founder of learning and a light of the trueth A wittie and pleasaunt deuise to escape the crueltie of tyrantes Stephen Gardyner the author of mischiefe and decay of religion in England The complaynt of Doctour Barnes made to K. Henry the viij agaynst the Lordly Byshops Prelates of EnglaÌd The tyrannous gouerment of the Byshops of England In the Byshops court no man can be founde Innocent What soeuer is not agaynst the Clergye thoughe the same be neuer so wicked yet finde they no fault therewith In vi Cap. Quo. in ver ãâã Papa Dist xl Ca. Si Papa Whosoeuer speake agaynst or preache agaynst any of their abuses and abhominations her
God would not haue the secrets of Christ generally known saue vnto a fewe familiare frendes which in that infaÌcy he made of mans wit to helpe the other babes yet as they had a generall promise that one of the seede of Abraham shoulde come and blesse them euen so they had a generall fayth that God woulde by the same man saue them thoughe they wist not by what meanes as the very apostles when it was oft tolde them yee they could neuer comprehende it till it was fulfilled in dede And beyond all this their sacrifices and ceremonies as far forth as the promises annexed vnto them extend so far forth they saued theÌ and iustified theÌ and stoode them in the same steade as our Sacramentes doe vs not by the power of the sacrifice or deede it selfe but by the vertue of the fayth in y e promise which the sacrifice or Ceremonye preached and whereof it was a token or signe For the ceremonies and sacrifices were left with them commauÌded them to keepe the promise in remembraunce and to wake vp theyr fayth As it is not enough to send many on errandes and to tell them what they shall do but they must haue a remembraunce with them and it be but a ringe of a rushe aboute one of their fingers And as it is not inoughe to make a bargayne with wordes onely but we must put therto an othe geue earnest to confirme the fayth of y e person with whom it is made And in like manner if a man promise whatsoeuer trifle it be it is not beleued excepte he hold vp hys finger also suche is the weakenesse of the world And therfore Christe himselfe vsed ofttymes diuers ceremonies in curyng y e sicke to stirre vp their fayth with al. As for example it was not y e bloud of y e Lambe that saued theÌ in Egipt when y e angell smote the Egiptians but the mercy of God and hys truth wherof that bloud was a token and remembrance to stirre vp their faythes withall For though god make a promise yet it saueth none finally but them that long for it pray God with a strong fayth to fulfil it for hys mercy and truth only and knowledge their vnworthinesse And euen so our sacramentes if they be truly ministred preach Christ vnto vs lead our faithe vnto Christe by which faith our sinnes are done away and not by the deede or worke of the Sacrament For as it was impossible that y t bloud of calues should put away sinne euen so is it impossible that the water of the riuer should wash our hartes Neuerthelesse the sacramentes clense vs and absolue vs of our sinnes as the priests do in preaching of repentance fayth for whiche cause either other of them were ordayned but if they preach not whether it be the priest or the Sacrament so profite they not And if a man alledge Christ Iohn in the iij. Chapter saying Except a man be borne agayne of water and the holy Ghost hee can not see the kyngdome of GOD and will therfore that the holy ghost be present in the water and therfore the very deede or worke doth put away sinne then I will send hym vnto Paul which asketh his GalathiaÌs whether they receaued the holy ghost by the dede of the law or by preachyng of fayth and there concludeth that the holy ghost accoÌpanyeth the preachyng of faith and with the word of faith entreth the hart and purgeth it whiche thou mayest also vnderstand by Saint Pauls saying Ye are borne a new out of the water through the worde So now if Baptisme preach me the washyng in Christes bloud so doth the holy ghost accompany it and that deede of preachyng throughe fayth doth put away my sinnes For the holy Ghost is no dome God nor no God that goeth a mummynge If a man say of the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud that it is a sacrifice as well for the dead as for the quicke and therfore the very dede it self iustifieth and putteth away sinne I aunswere that a sacrifice is the sleyng of the body of a beast or a man wherefore if it be a sacrifice then is Christes body there slayne and his bloud there shed but that is not so And therfore it is properly no sacrifice but a Sacrament and a memoriall of that euerlastyng sacrifice once for all which he offered vpon crosse now vppon a xv hundred yeares ago preacheth onely vnto them that are alyâe And as for them that be dead it is as profitable vnto them as is a caÌdle in a LaÌterne without light vnto them that walke by the way in darke night and as the Gospell song in Latine is vnto them that vnderstand none at all and as a Sermon preached to him that is dead and heareth it not It preacheth vnto them that are a lyue onely for they that bee dead if they dyed in the fayth whiche that Sacrament preacheth they bee safe and are past all ieopardy For when they were alyue their hartes loued the law of GOD and therfore sinned not and were sory that their members synned and euer moued to sinne and therfore thorough fayth it was forgeuen them And now their synnefull members be dead so that they can now sinne no more wherfore it is vnto them that bee dead neither Sacrament nor sacrifice But vnder the pretence of their soule health it is a seruauÌt vnto our spiritualties holy coueteousnesse and an extorcioner and a builder of Abbayes Colledges Chauntryes and Cathedral Churches with false gotten good a pickepurse a polar and a bottomlesse bagge Some man would happely say that the prayers of the Masse helpe much not the liuing onely but also the dead Of the hoate fire of their feruent prayer whiche consumeth faster then all the world is able to bring sacrifice I haue sayd sufficiently in other places How beit it is not possible to bryng me in belief that the prayer whiche helpeth her own master vnto no vertue shuld purchase me the forgeuenes of sinnes If I saw that their prayers had obtained them grace to lyue suche a lyfe as Gods word dyd not rebuke the could I soone be borne in hand that what so euer they asked GOD their prayers shuld not be in vayne But now what good caÌ he wish me in his prayers that enuieth Christe the fode and the lyfe of my soule What good can hee wishe me whose hart cleaueth a sonder for payne when I am taught to repent of my euill Furthermore because that fewe know the vse of the old TestameÌt and the most part thinke it nothyng necessarie but to make allegories whiche they fayne euery man after hys owne brayne at all wyld aduenture without any certaine rule therefore though I haue spoken of them in an other place yet lest the boke come not to all mens handes that shall read this I will speake of them
also no longer obey but resiste and rise agaynst their euill heades And one wicked destroyeth an other Yet is Gods word not the cause of this neither yet the preachers For though that Christ hym selfe taught all obedience how that it is not lawfull to resiste wrong but for the officer that is appointed thereunto and howe a man must loue his very enemy pray for them that persecute him and blesse them that curse hym and how that all vengeaunce must bee remitted to God and that a man must forgeue if hee wil be forgeuen of God Yet the people for the most part receaued it not They were euer ready to rise and to fight For euer when the Scribes and Phariseis weÌt about to take Christ they were afraide of the people Not on the holy day sayde they Math. xxvj lest any rumour aryse among the people And Math. xxi They would haue takeÌ him but they feared the people And Luke xx Christe asked the Phariseis a question vnto whiche they durst not auÌswere lest the people should haue stoned them Last of all for as much as the very Disciples and Apostles of Christ after so loÌg hearyng of Christes doctrine were yet ready to fight for Christe cleane agaynst Christes teachyng As Peter Math. xxvi drew his sword but he was rebuked And Luke ix Iames and Iohn would haue had fire to come from heauen to coÌsume the Samaritanes and to auenge the iniury of Christe but were likewise rebuked if Christes Disciples were so long carnall what wonder is it if we be not all perfect the first daye Yea in as much as we bee taught euen of very babes to kil a Turke to slea a Iewe to burne an hereticke to fight for the liberties and right of the Church as they cal it yea and in asmuch as wee are brought in belefe if wee shed the bloud of our euen Christen or if the sonne shed the bloud of hys father that begat hym for the defence not of the Popes Godhead onely but also for what so euer cause it bee yea though it be for no cause but that his holynes commaundeth it onely that we deserue as much as Christ deserued for vs when he dyed on the crosse or if we be slaine in the quarel that our soules goe nay flye to heauen and be there ere our bloud be cold In as much I saye as we haue sucked in suche bloudy imaginatioÌs into the bottome of our harts euen with our mothers milke and haue ben so long hardened therein what wonder were it if while we be yet young in Christ we thought that it were lawful to fight for the true word of god Yea and though a man were throughly persuaded that it were not lawful to resist his kyng thoughe he would wrongfully take away lyfe and goodes Yet might he thinke that it were lawful to resist the hipocrites and to rise not agaynst his kyng but with his kyng to deliuer his kyng out of bondage and captiuitie wherin the hipocrites hold hym with wyles and falsehode so that no man may bee suffered to come at him to tell him the trouth This seest thou that it is the bloudy doctrine of the Pope which causeth disobedience rebellion and insurrectioÌ For hee teacheth to sight and to defende hys traditions and what soeuer he dreameth with fire water and sworde and to disobey Father Mother Master Lorde Kyng and Emperour Yea and to inuade what so euer laÌd or natioÌ that will not receaue and admit his Godhead Where the peaceable doctrine of Christe teacheth to obey and to suffer for the word of God to remit the vengeaunce and the defense of the word to god which is mighty and able to defende it which also as soone as the worde is once openly preached and testified or witnessed vnto the world and when he hath geuen them a season to repent is ready at once to take vengeaunce of his enemies and shoteth arrowes with heades dipte in deadly poyson at them and poureth hys plagues from heauen downe vpon them and sendeth the moren and pestilence among them and sinketh the Cities of them and maketh the earth swalow them and coÌpasseth them in their wyles and taketh them in theyr owne trappes and snares and casteth theÌ into the pittes whiche they digged for other men and sendeth them a dasyng in in the head and vtterly destroyeth them with their owne suttle councell Prepare thy mynde therefore vnto this litle treatise and read it discretly and iudge it indifferently and when I alledge any Scripture loke thou on the text whether I interprete it right whiche thou shalt easely perceaue by the circumstance and processe of theÌ if thou make Christ the foundation and ground and build all on him and referrest all to hym and findest also that the expositioÌ agreeth vnto the common Articles of the faith and opeÌ scriptures And GOD the father of mercy whiche for hys truthes sake raysed our Sauiour Christ vp agayne to iustifie vs geue thee hys spirite to iudge what is righteous in his eyes and geue the strength to abyde by it and to mayntayne it withall patience and long sufferyng vnto the example and edifying of his congregation and glory of his name Amen The obedience of all degrees proued by Gods word and first of children vnto theyr elders GOd which worketh all in all thynges for a secrete iudgement and purpose and for hys godly pleasure prouided an houre that thy father and mother should come together to make thee throughe them He was present with thee in thy mothers wombe and fashioned thee brethed lyfe into thee and for y t great loue he had vnto thee prouided milke in thy mothers brestes for thee agaynst thou were borne moued also thy father and mother and all other to loue thee to pitie thee and to care for thee And as he made thee through them so hath he cast thee vnder the power authoritie of them to obeye and serue them in his stede saying honor thy father and mother Exo. xx Which is not to be vnderstand in bowyng the knee and puttyng of the cappe onely but that thou loue them with al thyne hart and feare and drede them and wayte on their commaundementes and seke their worshyp pleasure will and profite in all thynges and geue thy life for them counting them worthy of all honour remembryng that thou art theyr good and possession that thou owest vnto theÌ thine owne selfe and all thou art able yea and more then thou art able to doe Vnderstand also that what soeuer thou doest vnto theÌ be it good or bad thou doest vnto God WheÌ thou pleasest them y â pleasest god wheÌ thou displeasest theÌ thou displeasest God wheÌ they are angry with thee god is angry w t thee neither is it possible for thee to come vnto y â fauour of God againe no though all the auÌgels of heaueÌ pray for thee vntil thou
but within they are full of brybry excesse saith Christ Mat. xxiij Is that which our hypocrites eate and drinke and all their riotous excesse any other thyng saue robbery that which they haue falsly gotten with their lying doctrine Be learned therefore ye that iudge the world and compell them to make restitution agayne Ye blinde guides sayth Christ ye strayne out a gnat swalow a camell Math. xxiij do not our blinde guides also stomble at a straw and lepe ouer a blocke makyng narow consciences at trifles and at matters of weight none at all If any of them happen to swalow hys spitle or any of the water wherewith he washeth his mouth ere he goe to Masse or touch the SacrameÌt with his nose or if the Asse forget to breath on him or happen to handle it with any of his fingers whiche are not annoynted or say Alleluia in stede of Laus tibi Domine or Ite Missa est in stede of Benedicamus Domino or poure to much wine in the chalice or read the Gospell without light or make not his crosses a right how trembleth he how feareth he what an horrible sinne is committed I cry God mercy sayth he and you my Ghostly father But to hold an whore or an other mans wife to bye a benefice to set one Realme at variaunce with an other and to cause xx thousand meÌ to dye on a day is but a trifle and a pastime with them The Iewes boasteth them selues of Abraham And Christ sayd vnto them Iohn viij If ye were Abrahams children ye would do the deedes of Abraham Our hypocrites boast them selues of the authoritie of Peter and of Paul the other Apostles cleane contrary vnto the deedes and doctrine of Peter Paul and of all the other Apostles Which both obeyed all worldly authoritie and power vsurpyng none to them selues and taught all other to feare the kynges and rulers and to obey them in all things not contrary to the commaundement of God and not to resiste them though they tooke away life and goodes wrongfully but paciently to abyde Gods vengeaunce This did our spiritualtie neuer yet nor taught it They taught not to feare God in his commaundementes but to feare them in their traditions In so much that the euill people which feare not to resist a good kyng and to rise against him dare not lay handes on one of them neither for defilyng of wife daughter or very mother When all men lose lyfe landes they remaine alwayes sure and in safetie and euer wynne somewhat For who soeuer coÌquereth other mens landes vnrightfully euer geueth theÌ part with them To them is all thyng lawfull In all Councels and Parlamentes are they the chief Without them may no kyng be crowned neither vntil he be sworne to their liberties All secretes know they euen the very thoughtes of mens hartes By them all thinges are ministred No kyng nor Realme may thorough their falsehode liue in peace To beleue they teach not in Christ but in them and their disguised hypocrisie And of them compell they all men to buy redemptioÌ forgeuenes of sinnes The peoples sinne they eate thereof waxe fat The more wicked the people are the more prosperous is their common wealth If kinges and great men do amisse they must builde Abbayes Colledges meane men builde chauntreis poore finde treÌtals and brotherhodes and beggyng Friers Their owne heyres do men disherite to endote them All kynges are compelled to submitte them selues to them Read the story of kyng Iohn and of other kynges They will haue their causes auenged though whole Realmes should therefore perishe Take from them their desguising so are they not spirituall Compare that they haue taught vs vnto the Scripture so are we without fayth Christ sayth Iohn v. Chapter how can ye beleue which receaue glory one of an other If they that seke to be glorious can haue no fayth then are our Prelates faythlesse verely And Iohn vij he sayth he that speaketh of hym selfe seeketh his owne glory If to seke glorie and honour be a sure token that a man speaketh of his owne selfe and doth his owne message not his masters then is the doctrine of our Prelates of them selues and not of God Be learned therefore ye that iudge the earth lest God be angry with you and ye perish from the right way Be learned lest the hypocrites bring the wrath of God vppon your heades compel you to shed innocent blould as they haue compelled your predecessours to slay the Prophetes to kill Christ his Apostles and all the righteous y â sence were slayne Gods word pertaineth vnto all men as it perteineth vnto all seruaunts to know their masters will and pleasure and to all subiectes to know the lawes of theyr Prince Let not the hypocrites do all thing secretly What reason is it that myne enemy should put me in prison at his pleasure and their diet me and handle me as he lusteth and iudge me him selfe and that secretly and condemne me by a law of his owne makyng and then deliuer me to Pylate to murther me Let Gods word try euery mans doctrine and whom so euer Gods word proueth vncleane let him be taken for a leper One Scripture will helpe to declare an other And the circumstauÌces that is to say the places that go before and after wil geue light vnto the middle text And the opeÌ and manifest Scriptures will euer improue the false and wrong exposition of the darker sentences Let the temporall power to whoÌ God hath geuen the sword to take vengeaunce looke or euer that they leape see what they do Let the causes be disputed before them and let him that is accused haue rowme to aunswere for him selfe The powers to whom God hath committed the sword shall geue acountes for euery droppe of bloud that is shed on the earth Then shall their ignoraunce not excuse them nor the saying of the hypocrites helpe them my soule for yours your grace shall do a meritorious deede your grace ought not to heare them it is an old heresy coÌdemned by the Church The king ought to looke in the Scripture and see whether it were truly condemned or no if he will punish it If the king or his officer for him will slay me so ought the kyng or his officer to iudge me The kyng can not but vnto his damnatioÌ lend his sword to kill whom he iudgeth not by his owne lawes Let hym that is accused stand on the one syde and the accuser on the other syde and let the kynges iudge sit and iudge the cause if the kyng will kill and not be a murtherer before God Hereof may ye see not onely that our persecution is for the same cause that Christes was and that we say nothing that Christ sayde not but also that all persecution is onely for rebuking of hypocrisy
that is to say of maÌs righteousnes and of holy dedes which man hath imagined to please God to be saued by without Gods worde and beside the testameÌt that God hath made in Christ If Christ had not rebuked y t Phareseis because they taught the people to beleue in their traditions and holynes and in offeringes that came to their auantage and that they taught the widowes and theÌ that had their frendes dead to beleue in their prayers that through their prayers the dead should be saued and thorough that meanes robbed them both of their goodes and also of the testament and promises that God had made to all that repented in Christ to come he might haue bene vncrucified vnto this day If Saint Paule also had not preached against circumcision that it iustified not and that vowes offeringes and ceremonies iustified not and that righteousnes and forgeuenes of sinnes came not by any deseruing of our deedes but by faith or beleuing y e promises of God and by the deseruing merites of Christ onely he might haue liued vnto this houre Likewise if we preached not against pride couetousnes lechery extorcion vsury symony and against the euill lyuing both of the spiritualtie as well of the temporalitie and against inclosings of parkes reising of rent and fines and of the carying out of wolle out of the realme we might endure long enough But toutch the scabbe of hipocrisie or popeholynes and goe about to vtter their false doctrine wherewith they reigne as Gods in the hart and consciences of men and robbe them not of landes goodes and authoritie onely but also of the testament of God and saluation that is in Christ then helpeth thee neither Gods worde nor yet if thou diddist miracles but that thou art not an heretike onely and hast the deuill within thee but also a breaker of the kinges peace and a traytor But let vs returne vnto our lying sygnes agayne WHat signifieth that the Prelates are so bloudy and clothed in red that they be ready euery houre to suffer martyrdome for the testimony of Gods worde Is that also not a false signe When no man dare for them once open his mouth to aske a question of Gods worde because they are ready to burne him What signifieth the pollaxes that are borne before hye Legates A Latere What so euer false signe they make of them I care not but of this I am sure that as the olde hypocrites when they had slayne Christ set pollaxes to keepe him in his sâpulcre that he should not rise againe eueÌ so haue our hypocrites buried the testament that God made vnto vs in Christes bloud and to kepe it downe that it rise not againe is all their studie wherof these pollaxes are the very signe Is not that shepardes hoke the Bishopes crose a false signe Is not that white rochette that the Byshops and Chanons weare so like a Nunne and so effeminatly a false signe What other thinges are their sandals gloues myters all the whole pompe of their disguising then false signes in which Paule prophesied that they shoulde come And as Christ warned vs to beware of wolues in lambes skinnes bad vs looke rather vnto their fruites and deedes then to wonder at theyr disguisinges Runne throughout all our holy religious and thou shalt finde them likewise all clothed in falshod ¶ Of the sacramentes FOrasmuch as we be come to signes we wil speake a word or two of the signes which God hath ordeined that is to say of the sacramentes which Christ left amongest vs for our comfort that we may walke in light and in truth in feling of the power of God For he that walketh in y â day stumbleth not when contrariwise he that walketh in the night stumbleth Ioh. xi And they that walke in darknes wote not whether they goe Ioh. xij This worde sacrament is as much to say as an holy signe and representeth alway some promise of God As in the olde Testament God ordeined that the raynebowe should represent and signifie vnto all men an oth that God sware to Noe to all men after hym that he woulde no more drowne the worlde thorough water ¶ The sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ SO the Sacrament of the body and bloude of Christ hath a promise annexed which the Priest should declare in the Englishe tounge This is my body that is broken for you This is my bloud that is shed for many vnto the forgeuenesse of sinnes This do in remeÌbrance of me sayth Christ Luk. 22. And 1. Cor. 11. If when thou seest the SacrameÌt or eatest his body or drinckest his bloud thou haue thys promise fast in thine hart that his body was slayne and his bloud shed for thy sins and beleuest it so art thou saued and iustified thereby If not so helpeth it thee not though thou hearest a thousand masses in a day or though thou doest nothing els all thy life long then eate his body or drinke his bloude no more theÌ it should helpe thee in a dead thyrst to beholde a bushe at a tauerne dore if thou knewest not thereby that there were wine within to be soldâ ¶ Baptime BAptime hath also his worde and promise which the Priest ought to to teach the people and Christen them in the Englishe tounge and not to play y â popengay with Credo say ye âolo say ye and Baptismum say ye for there ought to be no mumming in such a matter The Priest before he baptiseth asketh saying beleuest thou in God the father almighty and in his sonne Iesus Christ and in the holy ghost and that the congregation of Christ is holy And they say yea Then the Priest vppon thys fayth baptiseth the childe in y â name of the father and of y t sonne and of the holy ghost for the forgeuenes of sinnes as Peter saith Act. ij The washing without the worde helpeth not but through the worde it purifieth and clenseth vs. As thou readest Ephe. v. How Christ clenseth the congregation in the fountayne of water through the worde The word is the promise that God hath made Now as a preacher in preaching the worde of God saueth the hearers that beleue so doth the washing in that it preacheth and representeth vnto vs the promise that God hath made vnto vs in Christ The washing preacheth vnto vs that we are cleÌsed with Christes bloudshedding which was an offering and a satisfaction for the sinne of all that repent and beleue consenting and submitting themselues vnto the will of God The plunging into the water signifieth that we die and are buried with Christ as concerning the olde life of sinne which is Adam And the pulling out againe signifieth that we rise againe with Christ in a newe life full of the holy ghost which shall teach vs guide vs worke the will of God in vs as thou seest Rom. vj. Of wedlocke MAtrimony or wedlocke is
fathers fathers of theÌ that are past And as we feele our fathers so dyd they that are past feele their fathers neither were there in the world any other fathers then such as we both see and feele this many hundred yeares as their Decrees beare recorde and the stories and Chronicles well testifie If Gods word appeared any where they agreed all agaynst it When they had brought that a sleepe then stroue they one with an other about their owne traditions and one Pope condemned an others Decrees and were sometyme ij yea thre Popes at once And one Bishop went to law with an other and one cursed an other for their owne fantasies such things as they had falsly gotteÌ And the greatest Samts are they that most defeÌded the liberties of the church as they call it which they falsly gote with blynding kings neither had the world any rest this many hundred yeares for reformyng of Friers and Monkes and ceasyng of schismes that were among our Clergy And as for the holy Doctours as Augustine Hierome Cyprian Chrisostomus and Bede will they not heare If they wrote any thyng negligently as they were men that drawe they cleane contrary to their meanyng and therof triumphe they Those Doctours knew of none authoritie that one Byshop should haue aboue another neither thought or once dreamed that euer any such should be or of any such whisperyng or of Pardons or scouryng of Purgatory as they haue fayned And when they cry miracles miracles remember that God hath made an euerlasting Testament with vs in Christes bloud against which we may receaue no miracles no neither y â preachyng of Paule him selfe if he came agayn by his own teaching to the Galathians neither yet the preachyng of the aungels of heauen Wherefore either they are no miracles but they haue fayned theÌ as is the miracle that S. Peter halowed Westminster or els if there be miracles that confirme doctrine contrary to Gods word theÌ are they done of the deuill as the mayd of Ipswich of Kent to proue vs whether we will cleane last to Gods word and to deceaue them that haue no loue to the truth of Gods word nor lust to walke in his lawes And for as much as they to deceaue with all arme them selues against theÌ with argumentes and periÌnasions of fleshly wisedome with worldly similitudes with shadowes with false Allegories with false expositions of the Scripture contrary vnto the liuyng practising of Christ and the Apostles with lyes and false miracles with false names domne ceremonies with disguising of hypocrisie with the authorities of the fathers and last of all with the violence of the temporall sworde therfore do thou contrariwise arme thy selfe to defende thee with all as Paule teacheth in the last chapter to y â Ephesians Gyrde on thee the sworde of the spirite which is Gods word and take to thee the shilde of fayth which is not to beleue a âate of Robynhode or Gestus Romanorum or of the Chronicles but to beleue Gods woorde that âasteth euer And when the Pope with his falshead chalengeth temporall authoritie aboue King and Emperour set before thee y â xxv chapter of S. Math. Where Christ commanudeth Peter to put vp his sword And set before thee Paul ij Cor. x. Where he sayth the weapons of of our warre are not carnall thynges but myghty in God to bryng all vnderstandyng in captiuitie vnder the obedience of Christ that is the weapoÌs are Gods word and doctrine and not swordes of yron and stele set before thee the doctrine of Christ and of hys Apostles and their practise And when the Pope chalengeth anthoritie ouer his fellow Byshops and ouer all the congregation of Christ by successioÌ of Peter set before thee y â first of the Actes where Peter for all hys authoritie put no man in the rowme of Iudas but all the Apostles chose two indifferently and cast lottes desiring God to temper them that the lot might fall on y e most ablest And Actes viij the Apostles sent Peter and in the xi call him to rekening and to geue accomptes of that he hath done And when the Popes law coÌmaundeth saying though that the Pope liue neuer so wickedly and draw with hym through his euill ensample innumerable thousaÌdes vnto hell yet see that no man presume to rebuke him for he is head ouer all and no man ouer him set before thee Gallates ij Where Paule rebuketh Peter openly And see how both to the CorinthiaÌs and also to the Galathians he will haue no superiour but Gods word hee that could teach better by Gods worde And because when he rehearsed his preachyng and hys doynges vnto the hygh Apostles they could improue nothyng therfore will he be equall with the best And when the Friers say they do more theÌ their dutie wheÌ they preach and more theÌ they are bound to to say our seruice are we bouÌd say they and that is our dutie to preach is more then we are bound to Set thou before thee how that Christes bloud shedyng hath bounde vs to loue one an other withall our might and to do the vttermost of our power one to an other And Paul sayth i. Cor. ix Wo be vnto me if I preach not yea wo is vnto him y â hath wherewith to helpe his neighbour and to make him better and do it not If they thinke it more then their dutie to preache Christ vnto you then they thinke it more then their dutie to pray that ye should come to the knowledge of Christ And therefore it is no maruell though they take so great labour yea and so great wages also to kepe you still in darkenes And when they crye furiously hold the heretikes vnto the wall and if they will not reuoke burne them without any more a do reason not with theÌ it is an Article condeÌned by the fathers Set thou before thee the saying of Peter i. Pet. iij. To all that aske you be ready to geue an aunswere of the hope that is in you and that with mekenes The fathers of the Iewes and the Bishops whiche had as great authoritie ouer them as ours haue ouer vs condemned Christ his doctrine If it be inough to say the fathers haue condeÌned it theÌ are y â Iewes to beholdeÌ excused yea they are yet in the right way and we in the false But if the Iewes be bound to loke in the Scripture and to see whether their fathers haue done right or wrong then are we likewise bound to looke in the Scripture whether our fathers haue done right or wrong and ought to beleue nothyng without a reason of the Scripture and authoritie of Gods word And of this maner defend thy selfe agaynst all maner wickednes of our spirites armed alway with Gods woorde with a strong and a stedfast fayth thereunto Without Gods word do nothing And to his word adde nothyng neither pull any
though they were annointed by Gods commaundement and appoynted to serue God in his temple and exempte from all offices ministering of wordly matters were yet neuerthelesse vnder the temporall sword if they brake y e lawes Christ sayth to Peter all that take y e sword shal perish by the sword Here is none exception Paul saith all soules must obey Here is none exception Paule hym selfe is here not exempt God sayth Gene. ix Who soeuer sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud be shed agayn Here is none exception Moreouer Christ became poore to make other men riche and bound to make other free He left also with his Disciples the law of loue Now loue seketh not her owne profite but her neighbours loue sceketh not her own fredome but becommeth suretie and bonde to make her neighbour fre DaÌned therfore are the spiritualtie by all the lawes of God which through falshead disguised hipocrisie haue sought so great profit so great riches so great authoritie and so great liberties and haue so bedgerd the lay so brought them in subiectioÌ and bondage and so despised theÌ that they haue set vp fraÌchises in all townes and villages for who soeuer robbeth murthereth or slayeth them and euen for traytours vnto the kynges person also I proued also that no kyng hath power to grauÌt them such libertie but are as well damned for their geuyng as they for their false purchasing For as God geueth the father power ouer his children euen so geueth he hym a commaundement to execute it and not to suffer them to do wickedly vnpunished but vnto his damnation as thou mayst see by Hely the hygh Priest c. And as the master hath authoritie ouer his seruauntes euen so hath he a commaundement to gouerne them And as the husband is head ouer hys wife euen so hath he commaundemeÌt to rule her appetites and is damned if he suffer her to be an whore a misse liuer or submit him self to her make her his head And euen in lyke maner as God maketh the kyng head ouer his Realme euen so geueth he him coÌmaundement to execute the lawes vppon all men indifferently For the law is Gods and not the kyngs The king is but a seruaunt to execute the law of God and not to rule after his owne imagination I shewed also that the law and the kyng are to be feared as thinges that were geueÌin fire and in thunder and lightning terrible signes I shewed the cause why rulers are euill and by what meanes we might obtaine better I shewed also how wholesome those bitter medicines euill Princes are to right Christen men I declared how they whiche God hath made gouerners in the worlde ought to rule if they be ChristeÌ They ought to remeÌber that they are heades and armes to defend the body to minister peace health wealth and eueÌ to saue the body and that they haue receaued their offices of God to minister to do seruice vnto their brethreÌ Kyng subiect Master seruaunt are names in the world but not in Christ In Christ we are all one and euen brethren No man is his own but we are all Christes seruauntes bought with Christes bloud Therfore ought no maÌ to seke him selfe or his owne profite but Christ and his will In Christ no man ruleth as a kyng his subiectes or a master his seruaunts but serueth as one hand doth to an other and as the handes do vnto the feete and the feete to the handes as thou seest 1. Cor. xij We also serue not as seruauntes vnto masters but as they which are bought with Christes bloud serue Christ hym selfe We be here all seruauntes vnto Christ For what soeuer we do one to an other in Christes name that do we vnto Christ the reward of that shall we receaue of Christ The kyng counteth his coÌmoÌs Christ himselfe therfore doth theÌ seruice willingly seeking no more of theÌ theÌ is sufficieÌt to mainteine peace vnitie to defeÌde the realme And they obey agayne willingly and louingly as vnto Christ And of Christ euery man seketh his reward I warned the iudges that they take not an ensample how to minister their offices of our spiritualtie whiche are bought and solo to do the will of SathaÌ but of the Scripture whence they haue their authoritie Let that which is secret abyde secret till God open it which is the iudge of secretes For it is more then a cruell thyng to breake vp into a mans hart to compell him to put either soule or body in ieopardy or to shame him selfe If Peter that great piller for feare of death forsoke hys master ought we not to spare weake consciences I declared how the kyng ought to ridde his Realme from the wily tyraÌny of the hypocrites and to bryng the hypocrites vnder his lawes yea and how he ought to be learned to heare and to looke vpon the causes him selfe which he wil punish and not to beleue the hypocrites and to geue them his sword to kill whom they will The kyng ought to count what he hath spent in the Popes quarell sens he was kyng The first viage cost vpoÌ xiiij hundred thousand poundes RekeÌ sens what hath bene speÌt by sea and land betwene vs and Frenchmen and Scottes and then in triumphes and in Ambasiasies and what hath bene sent out of the Realme secretly and all to mainteine our holy father and I doubt not but that will surmount the some of xl or l. hundred thousand pouÌdes For we had no cause to spend one peny but for our holy father The king therfore ought to make them pay this money euery farthing and fette it out of their myters croses shrines and all maner treasure of the Church and pay it to his commons again not that onely which the Cardinal and his Bishops compelled the commoÌs to lend and made theÌ sweare with such an ensample of tyraÌny as was neuer before thought on but also all that he hath gathered of them Or els by the coÌsent of the commons to keepe it in store for the defence of the realme Yea the kyng ought to loke in the Chronicles what the Popes haue done to kings in time past and make them restore it also And ought to take away from them theyr landes whiche they haue gotten with their false prayers restore it vnto the right heyres agayne or with consent aduisemeÌt turne them vnto the maynteinyng of the poore and bringyng vp of youth vertuously and to maynteine necessary officers and ministers for to defend the common wealth If he will not do it then ought the commons to take pacience and to take it for Gods scourge and to thinke that God hath blynded the kyng for theyr sinnes sake and commit their cause to God And then shall God make a scourge for them and driue them out of his Temple after hys wonderfull iudgement ON the other side I haue also
your rewarde is great in heaueÌ EueÌ so verely they persecuted the Prophets that were before you Here seest thou the vttermost what a Christen man must looke for It is not inough to suffer for righteousnes But that no bitternesse or poyson be left out of thy cuppe thou shalt be reuiled and rayled vpon and euen wheÌ thou art condempned to death then be excommunicat and deliuered to Sathan depriued of the felowship of holy Church the company of y â Angels and of thy part in Christes bloud and shalt be cursed downe to hell defied detested and execrat with all the blasphemous raylinges that the poysonfull hart of hypocrites can thinke or imagine and shalt see before thy face when thou goest to thy death that all the world is perswaded and brought in beliefe that thou hast sayd and done that thou neuer thoughtest and that thou dyest for that thou art as giltlesse of as the childe that is vnborne Well though iniquitie so highly preuayle and the truth for which thou diest be so low kept vnder and be not once knowen before the worlde in so much that it semeth rather to be hindered by thy death then furthered which is of all griefes the greatest yet let not thyne hart fayle thee neither dispaire as though God had forsaken thee or loued thee not But comfort thy selfe with olde ensamples how God hath suffred all his olde frendes to be so entreated and also his onely deare sonne Iesus Whose ensample aboue all other set before thine eyes because thou art sure he was beloued aboue all other that thou doubt not but thou art beloued also and so much the more beloued the more thou art like to the image of his ensample in suffering Did not the hipocrites watch hym in all his sermons to trappe hym in hys owne words was he not subtelly apposed whether it were lawfull to pay tribute to Cesar were not all hys wordes wrong reported were not his miracles ascribed to Belsebud sayd they not he was a Samaritane had a deuill in hym was he not called a breaker of the Saboth a wyne drinker a frende of Publicans and sinners did he ought wherewyth no fault was found and that was not interpreted to be done for an euill purpose was not the pretense of his death the destroying of the temple to bryng him into the hate of all men was he not thereto accused of treason that he forbad to pay tribute to Cesar and that he moued the people to insurrection Rayled they not on hym in the bitterest of all hys passion as he hanged on the crosse saying saue thy selfe thou that sauest other come downe from the crosse and we will beleue in thee fie wretch that destroyest y t temple of God Yet he was beloued of God and so art thou His cause came to lyght also and so shall thyne at the last yea and thy reward is great in heaueÌ with him for thy deepe suffering And on the other side as they be cursed which leaue righteousnesse destitute and will not suffer therewyth so are they most accursed which know the truth and yet not onely flee therefrom because they will not suffer But also for lucre become the most cruell enemies thereof and most subtill persecutors most falssy lye theron also Finally though God when he promiseth to blesse our workes do bynde vs to worke if we will obtayne the blessing or promise yet must we beware of this pharesaicall pestilence to thinke that our works did deserue the promises For whatsoeuer God commaundeth vs to do that is our dutie to do though there were no such promise made to vs at all The promyse therefore commeth not of the deseruing of the worker as though God had neede of ought that we could doo but of the pure mercy of God to make vs the more wylling to do that is our dutie c. For if when we had done all that God commaundeth vs to do he then gaue vs vp into the handes of tyrauntes and kylled vs sent vs to purgatory which meÌ so greatly feare or to hell and all the Aungels of heauen with vs he did vs no wrong nor were vnrighteous for ought that we or they coulde chalenge of deseruing howsoeuer that God vseth his creatures he euer abydeth righteous till thou caÌst proue that after he hath bouÌd him selfe wyth his owne woorde of mercy he then breake promyse wyth them that keepe couenaunt with him So now if nought were promised nought coulde we chalenge whatsoeuer we did And therefore the promise commeth of the goodnes of the promiser onely and not of the deseruing of those workes of which God hath no neede and which were no lesse our duty to do though there were no such promise Ye be the salt of the earth But if the salt be waxen vnsauery what can be salted therwith It is henceforth nothyng worth But to be cast out and to be troden vnder foote of men The office of an Apostle the preacher is to salt not onely the corrupt maners conuersation of earthly people but also the roten hart within and all that springeth out therof their natural reason their will their vnderstaÌdyng and wisedome yea their fayth and belefe and all that they haue imagined without Gods worde concernyng righteousnes iustifieng satisfaction and seruyng of God And the nature of salt is to byte frete and make smarte And the sicke pacientes of the world are maruelous impacieÌt so that though with great payne they caÌ suffer their grosse sinnes to be rebuked vnder a fashion as in a parable a farre of yet to haue theyr righteousnes theyr holynesse and seruing of God and his Saintes disalowed improued condeÌned for damnable and deuilish that may they not abyde In so much that y u must leaue thy salting or els be prepared to suffer agayne euen to be called a rayler seditious a maker of discorde and a troubler of the coÌmoÌ peace yea a schismatike and an hereticke also and to be lyed vpoÌ that thou hast done and sayd that thou neuer thoughtest theÌ to be called coram nobis and to syng a new song forsweare salting or els to be sent after thy felowes that are gone before and the way thy master went True preachyng is a salting that stirreth vp persecution and an office that no man is mete for saue he that is seasoned hymselfe before wyth pouertie in spirite softnesse meekenesse patience mercifulnesse purenes of hart and hunger of righteousnes and lookyng for persecution also and hath all hys hope comfort and solace in the blessing onely in no worldly thing Nay will some say a man myght preach long inough without persecution yea get fauour to if he would not medle with the Pope Byshops Prelats and holy ghostly people that lyue in contemplation and solitarines nor wyth great men of the worlde I aunswere true preaching is saltyng and
thou damnest thy selfe Thou must bryng all vnder obedience whether by fayre meanes or foule Thou must haue obedience of thy wife of thy seruauntes and of thy subiectes and the other must obey If they wil not obey with loue thou must chide and fight as farre as the law of God and the law of the land will suffer thee And when y u caÌst not rule theÌ thou art bound in many cases to deliuer theÌ vnto the hyer officer of whom thou dyddest take the charge ouer theÌ Now to our purpose whether a maÌ may resist violence and defend or aduenge him selfe I say nay in the first state where thou art a person for thy selfe alone Christes Disciple There thou must loue and of loue do studie and enforce yea and suffer all thynges as Christ dyd to make peace that the blessyng of God may come vpon thee which sayth Blessed be the peace makers for they shal be the children of God If thou suffer and keepest peace in thy selfe onely thy blessyng is the possession of this world But if thou so loue the peace of thy brethreÌ that thou leaue nothyng vndone or vnsuffred to further it thy blessyng is thou shalt be Gods sonne and consequently possesse heauen But in the worldly state where thou art no priuate man but a person in respect of other thou not onely mayest but also must and art bounde vnder payne of daÌuation to execute thyne office Where thou art a father thou must haue obedience by fayre meanes or by foule and to whom thou art an husband of her thou must require obedience chastitie and to get that atteÌpt all that the law of the land commaundeth and will And of thy seruauntes thou must exact obedience and feare mayest not suffer thy selfe to be despised And where thou art a ruler therto appoynted thou must take prison and slea to not of malice and hate to aduenge thy selfe but to defend thy subiectes and to mainteine thine office Concernyng thy selfe oppresse not thy subiectes with rent fynes or custome at all neither pitie them with taxes and such like to mainteine thyue owne lustes But be louyng and kinde to them as Christ was to thee for they be his and the price of his bloud But those that are euill doers among them and vexe their brethren and will not know thee for their iudge and feare thy law them smite and vpon them draw thy sword put it not vp vntill thou haue thyne office yet without hate to thee person for his maisters sake and because he is in the first regiment thy brother but to amende him euely or if it caÌnot be but that thou must lose one to saue many then execute thine office with such assertion with such compassion and sorow of hart as thou wouldest out of thine owne arme to saue the rest of the body Take an example thou art in thy fathers house among thy brethren and sisters There if one fight with an other or if any do thee wroÌg thou mayst not aduenge nor smite For that pertayneth to thy father onely But if thy father geue thee authoritie in hys absence and commaund thee to smyte if if they will not be ruled now then art an other person Notwithstanding yet thou hast not put of the first persoÌ but art a brother still and must euer loue and proue all thyng to rule with loue But if loue will not serue then thou must vse the office of the other person or sinne agaynst thy father Euen so when thou art a temporal person thou puttest not of the spirituall Therfore thou must euer loue But when loue wil not helpe thou must with loue execute the office of the temporall person or sinne agaynst God A mother can smite and loue and so mayst thou with loue execute the office of thy seconde state And the wife sonne seruauÌt and subiect are brethreÌ in the first state and put not that person of by reason of the secoÌd degree therfore must they loue euer and with loue pay custome tribute feare honour and obedience to whom they belong as Paule teacheth Roma xiij And though the other doe not his dutie and loue thee but rule the with rigorousnesse deale vnkindly with thee thou not deseruyng yet cleaue thou to Christ and loue stil and let not his euill ouercome thy goodnesse and make thee euill also And as after the example aboue thy father hath power ouer thee to commaund thee to vse his power ouer thy brethren euen so hath thy master to geue thee hys authoritie ouer thy felowes Whiche when thou hast thou must remember that thou art a felow still and bound to loue still But if loue alone will not helpe then put thy masters authoritie vnto thy loue And so hath the ruler power ouer thee to send thee to vse violence vppon thy neighbour to take him to prison hym and happly to kill him to And thou must euer loue thy neighbour in thyne hart by the reason that he is thy brother in the first state and yet obey thy ruler go with the coÌstable or like officer and breake open thy neighbours doore if he will not opeÌ it in the kynges name yea and if he will not yeld in the kyngs name thou must lay on and smite him to ground till he be subdued And loke what harme he getteth yea though he be slayne that be on his owne head For thine hart loued him y t desiredest him louingly to obey and hast not adueÌged thy selfe in that state where thou art a brother But in the worldly state where thou art an other maner person in this case thou had executed the authoritie of him that hath such power of God to commaunde thee and where thou were damned of God if thou diddest not obey And like is it if thy Lord or Prince send thee a warfare into an other land thou must obey at Gods commaundement and go and adueÌge thy Princes quarell whiche thou knowest not but that it is right And when thou commest thether remember what thou art in the first state with theÌ agaynst whoÌ thou must fight how that they be thy brethren and as deepely bought with Christes bloud as thou and for Christes sake to be beloued in thyne hart And see that thou desire neither their life or goodes saue to adueÌge thy princes quarell and to bryng them vnder thy Princes power And be content with thy princes wages and with such parte of the spoyle when thou hast wonne as thy prince or his deputie appointeth thee For if thou hate theÌ in thyne hart and couetest their goddes and art glad that an occasion is founde thou carest not whether it be right or wrong that thou mayst go a robbyng and murtheryng vnpunished then art thou a murtherer in y e sight of God thy bloud wil be shed agayne for it either in the same warre folowyng or when thou art come home as thou
the life of maÌ as it is written Iustus ex fide viuit out of which life the pleasantnesse of all his woorkes spring As for an ensample thou art a shoumaker which is a worke within the lawes of God and sayest in thyne hart loe God here I make a shooe as truely as I woulde for my selfe to do my neighbour seruice and so get my liuing in truth with y e labour of myne handes as thou commaundest and thanke thee that thou hast geuen me this craft and makest it lucky that I get my liuing therewith and am surely perswaded that both I my worke please thee O father for thy sonne Iesus sake loe now this fayth hath made this simple woorke pleasaunt in the sight of God An other ensample thou takest a wife sayest O father thou not onely permittest this but also commaundest all that burne haue their mindes vnquieted to marry for feare of formcation and so forth And father I promise thee to loue this woman truely and to care for her and gouerne her after thy lawes and to be true to her and to stand by her in all aduersities and to take in worth as well the euill as the good and to bring vp the fruite that thou shalt geue me of her in thy feare and teach it to know thee Moreouer as concerning the acte of matrimony as when thou wilt eate thou blessest God receauest thy dayly fode of his hand according to y â fourth peticion of thy Pater noster knowledgest that it is his gift and thankest hym beleuing his worde that he hath created it for thee to receaue it wyth thankes by the which worde prayer of thankes thy meate and drnicke is sanctified i. Tim. iiij Euen so thou sayest father this I do not onely at thy permission which is inough to please thee wythall but also at thy coÌmaundement and haue bound my self hereunto to keepe my soule from sinning against thee to helpe my neighbour that he sâme not also and promise thee to keepe thys profession truely and to nourishe the fruite that thou shalt geue me in the feare of thee and in the fayth of thy sonne Iesu and so thankest the Lord for his giftes Now is thy worke thorow thys sayth and thankes pleasaunt and acceptable in y â sight of God And so was the geÌdring of Iacob in fayth and of Samuell many other And y â geuing sucke was a good worke and so was the dressing of them by the fire And when our Lady coÌceaued Christ thorow fayth was not that a good worke What if God when she doubted and asked by what maner she should conceaue him had commaunded her to conceaue hym of Ioseph or of some other man had not that worke done in obedieÌce and faith bene as good a worke The will that Abraham had to sâay Isaac and all that he dyd till he came at y â very point to slay him were good workes and so had ben the slaying also And AbrahaÌ was sure that he pleased God highly and as well as in any other worke and had as depely sinned if he had bene disobedient therein as though he had done any other cruell dede forbidden by God Yea but shomakyng is not commaunded by God Yes and hath the promise of God annexed therto For God hath commauÌded me for the auoyding of sinne to do my brethren seruice and to lyue therby and to chose one estate or other for if thou wouldest receaue onely of thy brethren and do nought agayne thou were a these and an extorcioner a tyraunt And I chose shomaking or receaue it at y â obedience of myne elders Now haue I Gods commauÌdemeÌt to woorke therin truly and his promise annexed therto that he wil blesse mine occupation and make it lucky frutefull to bryng me an honest lyuyng Worke I not now at Gods commauÌdement and haue hys promise that it pleaseth him Note this also first my craft is Gods commaundement Secondarely I beleue am sure that my worke pleaseth God for Christes sake Thirdly my woorke is profitable vnto my neighbour and helpeth his necessitie Fourthly I receaue my reward of the hand of God with thaÌkes and worke surely certified that I please God in my worke thorough Christ and that God will geue me my dayly bread thereby But if thou examine their doctrine thou shalt finde that this fayth is away in all their frutes and therefore are they worme eaten and shales with out kernelles Note againe the Turkes Iewes geue almose aswell as we as much yet abhominable for lacke of fayth knowledge of the true intent What sayth the text he y â receaueth a prophet in the name of a Prophet shall haue the reward of a Prophet That is because thou aydest him in preachyng of of Christes word thou shalt be partader with him haue the same reward And he that receaueth a Disciple in the name of a disciple shal haue c. And he that geueth one of these litle once but a cup of cold water for my names sake shall haue his reward If a kyng minister his kingdome in the faith of this name because his subiectes be his brethreÌ and the price of Christes bloud he pleaseth God highly and if this fayth be not there it pleaseth him not And if I sow a shue truly in the fayth of hys name to do my brother seruice because he is the pryce of Christes bloud it pleaseth God Thus is faith the goodnesse of all workes Finally when God geueth end I receaue with thankes is not God as well pleased as when I geue for his sake and he receaueth A true frend is as glad to do his freÌd a good turne as to receaue a good turne When the father geueth his sonne a new coate and sayth am not I a good father and wilt not thou loue me agayne and do what I byd thee And the boy receaueth it with thankes and sayth yea and is glad and proude therof doth not the father reioyce as much now in the lad as an other tyme when the ladde doth what soeuer it be at his fathers commaundement But the false Prophets do well to paynce God after the lykenesse of theyr owne visenomy glad when he receaueth ye when they receaue in his name But sowre grudging and euil content when he geueth agayne But thou pleasest God when thou askest in faith and when thou receauest with thankes and when thou reioysest in his giftes and louest hym agayne to kepe his coÌmaundementes and the appoyntment and couenaunt made betwene him and thee And for a conclusion besides that they expell fayth whiche is the goodnes of all workes they set vp workes of their owne makyng to destroy the workes of God and to be holyer then Gods woorkes to the despisyng of Gods woorkes and to make Gods workes vyle With their chastitie they destroy the chastitie that God ordeined and onely requireth With
thou findest in the scripture and the ensamples that are gone before wyll alway testifie who is the church Though the Phariseis succeded the Patriarkes prophetes and had the scripture of theÌ yet they were heretikes and falleÌ from the fayth of them and froÌ their liuing And Christ and his disciples Iohn the Baptist departed from the Phariseis which were heretikes vnto the right sence of y â scripture and vnto the faith and liuing of the Patriarkes and Prophetes and rebuked the Phariseis As thou seest how Christ calleth them hipocrites dissimulers blynde guides and painted sepulchers And Iohn called them the generatioÌ of vipers and serpentes Of Iohn the angell sayde vnto his father Luke i. he shall turne many of the children of Israell vnto their Lord God which yet before Iohn beleued after a fleshly vnderstanding in God and thought theselues in the right way And he shall turne the harts of the fathers vnto the children That is he shall wyth hys preaching and true interpreting of the scripture make such a spirituall hart in y â childreÌ as was in their fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob And he shall turne the disobedient vnto the obedience of the righteous and prepare the Lord a perfect people That is them that had set vp a righteousnes of their owne and were therefore disobedient vnto the righteousnes of fayth shal he conuert from their blindnes vnto the wisdome of them that beleued in God to be made righteous and with those fathers shall he geue the childreÌ Egles eyes to spye out Christ and his righteousnesse and to forsake their own and so to become perfect And after the same maner though our Popish hypocrites succede Christ and his Apostles and haue their scripture yet they be fallen from the fayth liuyng of them and are heretickes and had nede of a Iohn Baptist to conuert them And we depart from them vnto the true Scripture and vnto the fayth and liuyng therof and rebuke them in like maner And as they which depart from the fayth of the true Church are heretickes eueÌ so they that depart froÌ the Church of heretickes and false fayned fayth of hypocrites are the true church which thou shalt alway know by their fayth examined by the Scripture by their profession and conseÌt to liue according vnto the lawes of God ¶ An other Argument AN other like blind reasoÌ they haue wherein is all their trust As we come out of them and they not of vs so we receaue the Scripture of them they not of vs. How know we that it is the Scripture of God and true but because they teach vs so How can we beleue except we first beleue that they be the Church and can not erre in any thyng that perteyneth vnto our soules health For if a man tell me of a maruelous thyng whereof I can haue no other knowledge theÌ by his mouth onely how should I geue credence except I beleued that the maÌ were so honest that he could not lye or would not lye Wherfore we must beleue that they be the right Church that can not erre or els we can beleue nought at all This wise reason is their shoteancre all their hold their refuge to flye vnto chief stone in their foundation wheron they haue built all their lyes al the mischief that they haue wrought this viij huÌdred yeares And this reason do the Iewes lay vnto our charge this day and this reason doth chiefly blynd them and hold them still in obstinacie Our spirites first falsifie the Scripture to stablish their lyes And when the Scripture commeth to light and is restored vnto the true vnderstaÌdyng and their iugglyng spied they like to suffer shipwracke then they cast out this ancre they be the Church and can not erre their authoritie is greater then the Scripture and the Scripture is not true but because they say so and admitte it And therfore what soeuer they affirme is of as great authoritie as the Scripture Notwithstandyng as I sayd the kyngdome of heauen standeth not in words of maÌs wisedome but in power and spirite And therfore loke vnto the examples of the Scripture and so shalt thou vnderstand And of an hundred examples betwene Moyses and Christ where the Israelites fell from God were eueâ restored by one Prophet or other let vs take one euen Iohn the Baptist Iohn went before Christ to prepare his way that is to bryng meÌ vnto the knowledge of their sinnes and vnto repentaunce through true expoundyng of the law which is the onely way vnto Christ For except a man knowledge his sinnes repent of them he can haue no part in Christ of Iohn Christ fayth Math. xvij that he was Elias that should come restore all thyng That is he should restore the scripture vnto the right sence agayne which the Phariseis had corrupt with the leuen of their false gloses and vayne fleshly traditions He made croked thinges straight as it is written and rough smoth Which is al so to be vnderstand of the Scripture which the Phariseis had made croked wrestyng them vnto a false sence with wicked gloses so rought that no man could walke in the way of them For when God sayd honour father mother meanyng that we should obey them and also helpe theÌ at their nede the Phariseis put this glose thereto out of their owne leuen saying God is thy father and mother Wherfore what soeuer nede thy father mother haue if thou offer to God thou art hold excused For it is better to offer to God then to thy father and mother and so much more meritorious as God is greater then they yea and God hath done more for thee then they is more thy father and mother then they As ours now affirme that it is more meritorious to offer to God and his holy dead Saintes then vnto the poore liuyng Saintes And wheÌ God had promised the people a Sauiour to come blesse them and saue them from theyr sinnes the Phariseis taught to beleue in holy woorkes to be saued by as if they offered and gaue to be prayd for As ours as oft as we haue a promise to be forgeueÌ at the repentaunce of the hart through Christes bloud shedding put to thou must first shriue thy selfe to vs of euery sââ¦abe we must lay out handes on thine head and whistell out thy sinnes and enioyne the penaunce to make satisfaction And yet art thou but loused from the synne onely that thou shalt not come into hell but thou must yet suffer for euery sinne seuen yeres in Purgatory which is as whot as hell except thou bye it out of the Pope And it y â aske by what meanes the Pope geueth such pardon They aunswere out of the merites of Christ And thus at the last they grauÌt against theÌselues that Christ hath not only deserued
fayned of our scholemen which of late neither vnderstode greke latine or hebrue called doulia hyperdoulia and Laâria But the difference declareth he not nor the properties of the wordes but with confused termes leadeth you blindfolde in hys maze As for hyperdoulia I woulde fayne weâe where he readeth of it in all the scripture and whether the worship done to hys Lord the Cardinalles hat were doulia hyperdoulia or idololatria And as for doulia and latria we fynde theÌ both referred vnto God in a thousand places Therefore that thou be not beguiled wyth falshod of sophisticall words vnderstand that the wordes which the scripture vseth in the worshipping or honouring of God are these loue god cleaue to God dread serue bow pray and call on God beleue and trust in God and such like Which wordes all we vse in the worshipping of man also how be it diuersly and the differeÌce thereof doth all the scripture teach God hath created vs and made vs vnto his owne likenes and our sauiour Christ hath bought vs wyth hys bloud And therfore are we Gods possession of dutie and right and Christes seruauntes onely to waââ¦e on his will and pleasure and ought therefore to moue neither hand nor foâe nor any other member eyther hart or mynde otherwise then he hath appointed God is honoured in his owne person wheÌ we receaue al things both good bad at his hand and loue his lawe wyth all our hartes and beleue hope and long for all that he promiseth THe officers that rule the worlde in Gods stede as father mother master husband Lord and Prince are honoured when the lawe which almighty God hath committed vnto them to rule with is obeyed Thy neighbour that is out of office is honoured when thou as God hath commaunded thee louest hym as thy selfe countest hym as good as thy selfe thinkest hym as worthy of any thing as thy selfe and commest louingly to helpe hym at all hys neede as thou wouldest be holpe thy selfe because God hath made him like vnto hys owne image as well as thee and Christ hath bought hym as well as thee If I hate the lawe so I breake it in myne hart and both hate dishonour God the maker therof If I breake it outwardly then I dishonour god before the worlde and the officer that ministreth it If I hurt my neighbour then I dishonour my neighbour and him that made him and him also that bought him wyth hys bloud And eueÌ so if I hate my neighbour in mine hart then I hate him that commaundeth me to loue him and him that hath deserued that I should at the lest way for his sake loue him If I be not ready to helpe my neighbour at hys nede so I take his due honour from him dishonour him him that made him and him also that bought him with his bloud whose seruaunt he is If I loue such thinges as God hath lent me and committed vnto mine administration so that I can not finde in myne hart to bestow them on the vses which God hath appointed me then I dishonour God and abuse his creature in that I geue more honour vnto it theÌ I shuld do And then I make an idole of it in that I loue it more then God and hys commaundement and then I dishonour my neighbour from whose nede I withdraw it In like maner if the officer abusyng his power coÌpell the subiect to do that which God forbiddeth or to leue vndone that which God commaundeth so he dishonoureth God in withdrawyng his seruaunt from him maketh an Idole of his owne lustes in that he honoureth them aboue God he dishonoureth his brother in that he abuseth hym contrary vnto the right vse which God hath created him for and Christ hath bought him for which is to wayte on Gods coÌmaundementes For if the officer be otherwise mynded then this the worst of these subiectes is made by the haÌdes of him that made me and bought with the bloud of hym that bought me and therfore my brother and I but his seruaunt onely to defend him and to kepe him in the honour that God Christ hath set him that no man dishonour him he dishonoureth both God man And therto if any subiect thinke any otherwise of y t officer though he be an Emperour then that he is but a seruaunt onely to minister the office indifferently he dishonoureth the office and God that ordemed it So that all men what soeuer degree they be of are euery man in his rowme seruauntes to other as the hand serueth the foote and euery member one an other And the aungels of heauen are also our brethren and very seruauntes for Christes sake to defend vs from the power of the deuils And finally all other creatures that are neither aungels nor man are in honour lesse then man and man is Lord ouer them and they created to serue him as Scripture testifieth and he not to serue them but only his Lord God and his Sauiour Christ ¶ Of worshippyng of Sacraments ceremonies images reliques and so forth NOw let vs come to the worshippyng or honouryng of Sacramentes ceremonies images and reliques First images be not God and therefore no confidence is to be put in theÌ They be not made after the image of God nor are the price of Christes bloud but the woorkemanshyp of the craftes maÌ and the price of money and therfore inferiours to man Wherfore of all right man is Lord ouer them and the honour of theÌ is to do man seruice and mans dishonour it is to do them honourable seruice as vnto his better Images then and reliques ye and as Christ sayth the holy day to are seruauntes vnto man And therefore it foloweth that we can not but vnto our damnatioÌ put on a coate worth an huÌdred coates vpoÌ a postes backe and let the image of God the price of Christes bloud go vp downe therby naked For if we care more to cloth the dead image made by maÌ and the price of siluer then the liuely image of God and price of Christes bloud then we dishonoure the Image of God and hym that made him and the price of Christes bloud and hym that bought hym Wherfore the right vse office and honour of all creatures inferiours vnto man is to do maÌ seruice whether they be images reliques ornaments signes or Sacramentes holydayes ceremonies or sacrifices And that may be on this maner no doubt it so once was If for an example I take a peece of the crosse of Christ and make a litle crosse therof and beare it about me to looke theron with a repentyng hart at tymes wheÌ I am moued therto to put me in remembraunce that the body of Christ was broken and his bloud shed theron for my sinnes and beleue stedfastly that the mercyfull truth of God shall forgeue the sinnes of all that repeÌt
or xii yeare olde before they were admitted to receaue the sacrameÌt of Christes body haply And he apposed them of the lawe of God and fayth of Christ asked them whether they thought that lawe good and whether their hartes were to follow it And they aunswered yea And he apposed them in the articles of our fayth and asked them whether they put their hop and trust in Christ to be saued thorow his death and merites And they answered ye TheÌ coÌfirmed he their baptim saying I confirme you that is I denounce and declare by the authoritie of Gods worde and doctrine of Christ that ye be truely baptised within in your hartes and in your spirites thorow prosessing the lawe of God and the faith of our sauiour Iesu which your outwarde baptim doth signifie and therupon I put this crosse in your foreheades that ye goe and fight agaynst the deuill the world and the flesh vnder the standard of our Sauiour in the name of the father the sonne the holy ghost AmeÌ Which maner I would to God for his tender mercy were in vse this day But after that the deuil was broken lowse and the Byshops began to purchase and the Deaââ¦s to scratch all to them and the spiritualtie to clime an hygh then because the labour seâ⦠to tedious and paynfull to appose the children one by one they asked the Priests that presented theÌ onely whether the children were taught the professioÌ of their Baptisme And they aunswered yââ And so vpon their wordes they confirmed theÌ without apposing So wheÌ they no lenger apposed them the Priests no lenger taught them but committed the charge to their Godfather and Godmothers and they to the father and mother dischargyng them selues by their owne authoritie within halfe an houre And the father mother taught theÌ a monstrous Latin Pater noster and an Aue and a Crede Which gibbresh euery Popââ¦iaye speaketh with a sundry pronunciation and fashion so that one Pater noster semeth as many languages almost as there be tounges that speake it Howbeit it is all one as loÌg as they vnderstand it not And in processe as the ignoraunce grew they brought them to confirmation straight from Baptisme so that now oftymes they be volowed and bishoped both in one day that is we be confirmed in blindnesse to be kept from knowledge for euer And thus are we come into this damnable ignoraunce and fierce wrath of God through our owne deseruyng because when the truth was told vs we had no loue therto And to declare the full and set wrath of God vpon vs our Prelates whom we haue exalted ouer vs to whom we haue geuen almost all we had haue persuaded the wordly Princes to whoÌ we haue submitted our selues and geueÌ vp our power to deuour vs vp body soule and to kepe vs downe in darkenesse with violence of sword and with all falsehead and guile In so much that if any do but lift vp his nose to smell after the truth they swap him in the face with a fire brande to seng hys smellyng or if he open one of his eyes once to looke toward y â light of gods word they bleare daze his sight with their false iugglyng so that if it were possible though he were Gods elect he could not but be kept down and perish for lacke of knowledge of the truth And in like maner because Christ had institute the Sacrament of his body and bloud to kepe vs in remembrauÌce of his body breaking blud sheding for our sinnes therfore went they and set vp this fashioÌ of the Masse and ordeined Sacramentes in the ornamentes thereof to signifie and expresse all the rest of his passioÌ The amice on the head is the kercheue that Christ was blynd folded with when the souldiours buffeted him and mocked hym saying prophecie vnto vs who smote thee But now it may wel signifie that he that putteth it on is blynd and hath professed to leade vs after him in darkenesse according vnto the beginnyng of his play And the flappe theron is the crowne of thorne And the albe is the white garment that Herode put on him saying he was a foole because he held his peace and would not auÌswere him And the ij flappes on the sleues and the other ij on the albe beneath ouer agaynst his fete behind and before are the. iiij nayles And the fanon on his hand the cord that his haÌdes were bound with And the stole the rope wherwith he was bound vnto the piller when he was scorged And the corporiscloth the sindon wherin he was buried and the altare is the crosse or haply the graue and so forth And the casting abroad of his hands the splaying of Christ vpon the crosse And the light and sticking vp of candles bearyng of candles or tapers in procession happly signified this text Math. v. ye be the light of the world and let your light so shyne before meÌ that they may see your good workes glorifie your father which is in heauen And the salt signifieth the wisedome of Christes doctrine and that we should therewith salt our dedes and do nothing without the authoritie of Gods word So that in one thing or other what in the garmeÌtes and what in the gestures all his playde in so much that before he will go to Masse he wil be sure to sell hym lest Iudases part should be left out And so throughout all the SacrameÌts ceremonies or signes iij. words of one signification there were significations vnto them at the beginning And so long as it was vnderstaÌd what was ment by them and they dyd but serue the people and preach one thyng or an other vnto them they hurted not greatly though that the free seruaunt of Christ ought not to be brought violently into captiuitie vnder the boÌdage of traditions of men As S. Augustine complayneth in his dayes how that the condition and state of the Iewes was more easy then the ChristiaÌs vnder traditions so sore had the tyranny of the shepheardes inuaded the flocke all ready in those dayes And theÌ what iust cause haue we to coÌplaine our captiuitie now vnto whose yocke from that tyme hetherto enen xij hundred yeares long hath euer somwhat more waight bene added to for to keepe vs bowne and to confirme vs in blyndnesse howbeit as long as the significatioÌs bode they hurted not the soule though they were paynefull vnto the body Neuerthelesse I impute this our greuous fal into so extreme and horrible blyndnesse wherin we are so deepe and so deadly brought a slepe vnto no thyng so much as vnto the multitude of ceremonies For assoone as the Prelates had set vp such a rable of ceremonies they thonght it superflnous to preach the playne text any longer and the law of God faith of Christ loue toward our
haue alledged the place and how The xi Chapter IN the xj chapter M. More wil not defeÌd the liuing of our spiritualtie because it is so open that he can not And as litle should he be able to defeÌd their lyes if the light were abroad that men might see And as he caÌ not deny them abhominable so can he not deny them obstinate and indurat therein for they haue bene oft rebuked with Gods word but in vayne And of such y e text is plaine that they can not vnderstand the Scripture And yet M. More will receaue rewardes to dispute agaynst the heresies of some such as be cast out of Christes Churches by such holy Patriarkes whose liuinges he him selfe can not prayse As holy Iudas though the Prelates of his Church that is the Phariseis were neuer so abhominable yet because Christes doctrine was coÌdemned of them as of Gods Church that could not erre and all that beleued on him excoÌmunicat he was bold to say Quid âultâs mihi dare ego tradaÌ euÌâobis That is what wil you geue me and I will deliuer him vnto you The xii Chapter IN the xij he hath one coÌclusion that the prayers of an euill Priest profit not Which though it be true yet the coÌtrary is beleued among a great many in all quarters of England so blynd be the people and wotte not what prayer meaneth I haue heard meÌ of no small reputation say yer this in great audience that it maketh no matter whether the Priest were good or bad so he tooke money to pray as they seldome pray without for he could not hurt the prayer were he neuer so noughty And wheÌ he saith that the euill Priest hurteth vs not so much with hys lyuyng as he profitetn vs with ministryng the Sacramentes O worldly wisedome if a man lead me thorough a ieoperdous place by day hee can not hurt me so greatly as by night The Turke seeth that murther theft extortion oppression and adultery be sinne But when he leadeth me by the darkenesse of Sacramentes without signification I caÌ not but ketch harme and put my trust and confideÌce in that which is neither God nor his word As for an example what trust put the people in anoylyng and how cry they for it with no other knowledge then that the oyle saueth them vnto their damnation and denying of Christes bloud And when he saith the Priest offereth or sacrificeth Christes body I auÌswere Christ was offered once for all as it is to see in the Epistle to the Hebrues As the Priest sleath Christ breaketh his body and shedeth his bloud so he sacrificeth him and offereth him Now the Priest sleath him not actually nor breaketh his body actually nor shedeâh his bloud actually neither scourgeth him and so foorth throughout all hys passion but representeth his sâaying his body breakyng and bloud shedyng for my sinnes and all the rest of his passion playeth it before mine eyes onely Which signification of the Masse because the people vnderstand not therfore they receaue no forgeuenesse of their sinnes therby and therto can not but ketch hurt in their soules through a false fayth as it well appeareth how euery man commeth therto for a sundry imagination all ignoraunt of the true way Let no man beguile you with hys iugglyng sophistrie Our offeryng of Christ is to beleue in him and to come with a repentyng hart vnto the remeÌbraunce of his passion to desire God the father for the breakyng of Christes body on the crosse and shedyng of hys bloud and for his death and all his passions to be mercyful vnto vs to forgeue vs accordyng vnto his TestameÌt and promise And so we receaue forgeuenesse of our sinnes And other offeryng or sacrificyng of Christ is there now none Walke in the opeÌ light and feelyng and let not your selues be lead with iugglyng wordes as Mules and Asiâs in whiche there is none vnderstandyng M. Deacons were had in price in the old tyme. Tyndall For the Deacons then tooke the care of all the poore and suffered none to go a beggyng but prouided a liuyng for euery one of them Where now they that should bee Deacons make them selues Priestes and robbe the poore of landes rentes offeringes and all that was geuen them deuouring all them selues the poore dying for hunger M. Priestes be despised because of the multitude Tyndall If there were but one in the world as men say of the Fenix yet if he lyued abhominably he could not but be despised M. A man may haue a good fayth coupled with all maner sinne Tyndall A good faith putteth away all sinne how then can all maner of sinne dwell with a good fayth I dare say that M. More durst affirme that a man might loue God and hate his neighbour both at once and yet S. Iohn in his Epistle will say that he sayth vntruly But M. More meaneth of the best fayth that euer he felt By all likelyhode he knoweth of no other but such as may stand with all wickednesse neither in hym selfe nor in his Prelates Wherfore in as much as their faith may stand with all that Christ hateth I am sure he looketh but for small thankes of God for his defendyng of them And therfore he playeth surely to take his reward here of our holy Patriarkes M. Fewe durst be Priestes in the olde tyme. Tyndall Then they knewe the charge and feared God But now they know the vauntage dread him not M. If the lawes of the Churche were executed which Tyndal and Luther wold haue burnt it would be better Tyndall If the testameÌt of our Sauiour might be knowen for blynd wretches couetous tyrauÌtes it would write y e law of God in all mens harts that beleued it and then should men naturally with out compulsion kepe all honestie And agayne though the Popes law could helpe yet is no law as good as a law vnexecuted The xiij Chapter IN the xiij he rageth and fareth excedyng foule with him selfe There he biteth sucketh gnaweth towseth and mowseth Tyndall There he weneth that he hath wonne his spurres that it is not possible to aunswere him And yet there because he there most staÌdeth in his owne conceite I doubt not vnto them that be learned in Christe to proue hym most ignoraunt of all and cleane without vnderstanding of godly thynges And I say yet that as no woman ought to rule a mans officeâ where a man is present by the order of nature and as a young man ought not to be chosen to minister in y e Church where an old mete for the rowme may be had by the order of nature euen so it was Paules meaning to preferre the maried before the vnmaried for the inconueniences that might chaunce by the reason of vnchastitie which inconueniences M. More might see with sorrow of hart if he
to hurt my neighbour and to shame y t doctrine of Christ And in like maner if I had forsworne flesh al the world had bound me yet if necessitie require it of me to saue my life or my health I ought to breake it And againe though I had sworne chastitie and the coÌmon wealth or the necessitie of an other required the contrary I must breake it But on the one side of all that euer burnt in the Popes chastitie he neuer gaue priest licence to take wife but to keepe whores onely And on the other side all that vow any vow do it for the thing it selfe as though it were as I sayd seruice or sacrifice to God that had delite in the deede as young children haue in Apples and that for that deede they shall haue an higher roome in heaueÌ then their neighbours which is the Idolatry of the heathen wheÌ he ought to bestow his vow vppon hys neighbour to bryng him to heauen not to enuie him to seeke thereby an higher roome not caring whether his neighbour come thether or no. And finally to burne and not to vse the naturall remedy that God hath made is but to tempt God as in all other thinges But if God haue brought thee into a straite and haue therto takeÌ the naturall remedy from thee then to resiste and to crie vnto God for helpe to suffer is a signe y t thou louest Gods lawes And to loue Gods law is to be sure that thou art Gods childe elect to mercy For in all his children onely he writeth that token And then he sayth euery man hath his choyce whether he will be Priest or no. But what nettes and snares doth Antichrist lay for them First his false doctrine where with the Elders beguiled coÌpell their children and sacrifice them to burne in the Popes chastitie with no other mynde then those olde Idolaters sacrificed their children vnto the false God Moloch so that they thinke by the merites of their childrens burning after the Popes false doctrine to please god and to get heauen cleane ignoraunt of the testament made in Christes bloud Then what a multitude are blinded and drawen into the net with the baite of promotion honour dignitie pleasures freedome and libertie to sinne to do all mischiefe vnpunished things which all euill that feare not God do desire And what a number brought vp idely vnto xx and aboue then put their heades in his halter because they haue no other crast to get their liuinges not because they can liue chast Also some liue chast at xxiiij which same burne at xxx And that to be true dayly experience teacheth and good naturall causes there be And theÌ looke on the Apostles learning and ordinaunce When one or two young wydowes had brokeÌ their chastitie he would neuer after let any moe bee chosen of the same age How commeth it then that the Pope for so many hundred thousandes that miscary will neither breake the ordinaunce or mitigat it or let any goe backe but if any burne sendeth them vnto the shame of Christes doctrine and offending and hurt of hys Church neuer vnto the lawfull remedie of mariage And when M. More calleth it heresie to thinke that the maried were as pleasaunt to God as the vnmaryed he is surely an hereticke that thinketh the coÌtrary Christes kingdom is neither meate nor drinke nor husband nor wife nor widow nor virgine but the keepyng of the commaundementes and seruing of a mans neighbour louingly by the doctrine of S. Paul where not to eate helpeth me to keepe the commmauÌdementes better then to eate there it is better not to eate then to eate And where to eate helpeth me to keepe the commaundementes and to do my dutie vnto my neighbour there it is better to eate then not to eate And in like case where to be without a wife helpeth more to keepe the coÌmaundemeÌtes and to serue a mans neighboure there it is better to be vnmaryed then maried and where a wife helpeth to keepe the commaundementes better then to be without there it is better to haue a wife then to be wythout That hart onely which is ready to do or let vndone all thinges for his neighbours sake is a pleasaunt thing in the sight of God And when he will haue the Priestes to liue chast for reuerence of the Sacramentes it is deuillishe doctrine hauing the similitude of godlines but the pith marow is away If he meane water oyle salt and such like then is y â wyfe with her body and all her vses in the lawes of God incomparable purer holyer If he meane the sacrament of Christes body I aunswere that the handes defile not the man nor ought that goeth thorow the handes be they neuer so vnwashed by the testimony of Christ and much lesse can they then defile Christ Moreouer the Priest toucheth not Christes naturall body wyth his handes by your owne doctrine nor seeth it with his eyes nor breaketh it wyth hys fingers nor eateth it wyth hys mouth nor chaÌmeth it with his teeth nor drinketh his bloud with his lippes for Christ is impassible But he that repenteth toward the lawe of God and at the sight of the sacrament or of the breaking feling eating chamming or drinking calleth to remembraunce the death of Christ his body breaking and bloud shedding for our sinnes and all his passion the same eateth our Sauiours body and drinketh his bloud thorow fayth onely receaueth forgeuenes of all his sinnes therby and other not And all that haue not this doctrine of the Sacrament come therto in vaine And therfore there is no more cause that he which sayth the Masse should liue chast then he that heareth it or he that ministreth the SacrameÌt then he that receaueth it It is to me great maruell that vnlawfull whoredome couetousnes and extortion can not defile their handes as well as law full matrimonye Curssed therefore be their deuillishe doctrine wyth false appearing godlines the fruit and power away out of the hartes of all Christen men And when he bringeth the ensample of the heathen I prayse him For the heathen because they could not vnderstand God spiritually to serue hym in the spirit to beleue in him and to loue his lawes therfore they turned hys glory vnto an Image and serued hym after their owne imagination with bodely seruice as the whole kingdome of the Pope doth hauing lesse power to serue hym in spirite then the Turkes For when the heatheÌ made an Image of the axes or feuers and sacrificed ther to they knew that y e Image was not the feuers but vnder y e similitude of y e Image they worshipped the power of God which plagued them with the feuers with bodely seruice as the Pope doth aboue all the Idolaters that euer were in the worlde As when we paint Saint Machael weying the soules
graces both curtesie and wisedome wold haue charged the iudges to haue examined the euideÌce layd agaynst him diligeÌtly so to haue quit hym with more honesty then to geue him pardon of that he neuer trespassed in and to haue rid the spiritualitie out of hate and all suspition Then sayth he Hunne was sore suspect of heresie and conuict And after he sayth Hunne was an hereticke in deede and in perill so to be proued And then how was he conuict I heard say that he was first conuict wheÌ he was dead and then they did wroÌg to burne him till they had spoken with him to were whether he would abiure or no. M. The Byshop of London was wise vertuous and cunnyng Tyndall For all those three yet he would haue made the old Deane Colet of Paules an hereticke for translatyng the Pater nâster in English had not the Byshop of Canterbury holpe the Deane The xvj Chapter THe messenger asketh hym if there be an old lawfull translatioÌ before Wicleffes how happeneth it that it is in so few mens handes seyng so many desire it He aunswereth the Printer dare not Print it and then hang on a doubtâul triall whether it were translated sence or before for if it were traÌslated sence it must be first approued What may not M. More say by authoritie of his Poetrie there is a lawfull traÌslation y t no maÌ knoweth which is as much as no lawfull traÌslatioÌ Why might not y e bishops shew which were that lawfull traÌslation let it be Printed Nay if that might haue bene obteined of theÌ with large money it had be Printed ye may be sure loÌg yer this But Sir aunswere me here vnto how happeneth that ye defenders translate not one your selues to cease the murmour of the people put to your own gloses to preuent heretikes ye would no doubt haue done it long sence if ye could haue made your gloses agree w t the text in euery place And what can you say to this how that besides they haue done their best to disanull all traÌslating by Parlament they haue disputed before the kynges grace that is it perilous and not mete and so concluded that it shall not be vnder a preteÌce of deferring it of certein yeares where M. More was their speciall Orator to fayne lyes for their purpose M. Nothyng discourageth the Clergie so much as that they of the worste sorte most calleth after it Tyndall It might well be Phariseis full of holynesse long not after it but Publicans that hunger after mercy might sore desire it Howbeit it is in very deede a suspect thyng a great signe of an heretike to require it Then he iuggleth with allegories Syr Moses deliuered them all that he had receaued of God that in the mother toung in which all that had the hart therto studied and not the Priests onely as thou mayst see in the Scripture And the Apostles kept nothyng behind as Paul testified Actes xx how he had shewed them all the counsell of God had kept nought backe Shuld the lay people lesse hearken vnto the expositions of the Prelates in doubtfull places if the text were in their handes when they preached M. The Iewes geue great reuerence vnto the Bible and we sit on it Tyndall The Pope putteth it vnder his feete and treadeth on it in tokeÌ that he is Lord ouer it that it should serue him and he not it M. God hath ordeined the ordinaries for chief Phisitions Tyndall They be Lawyers ordeined of the Pope and can no more skill of the Scripture then they that neuer saw it ye and haue professed a contrary doctrine They be right hangmen to murther who soeuer desireth for that doctrine that God hath geueÌ to be the ordinary of our fayth and liuyng And when he maketh so great difficultie and hardnesse in Paules Epistles I say it is impossible to vnderstand eyther Peter or Paul or ought at all in y e scripture for him that denieth y t iustifiyng of faith in Christes bloud And agayn it is impossible to vnderstaÌd in y e scripture more then a Turke for whosoeuer hath not the lawe of God written in his hart to fulfill it Of which pointe and of true faith to I feare me that you are voyde and empty with all your spiritualtie whose defender ye haue taken vppon you to bee for to mocke out the truth for lucre and vauÌtage An aunswere to M. Mores fourth booke CHristes church hath the true doctrine already and the selfe same that S. Paule woulde not geue an Angell audience vnto the contrary Tyndall But the Popes Church will not heare that doctrine More Confirmed with such a multitude of miracles and so much bloud of martyrs and commoÌ consent of all Christendome Tyndall Who shewed a miracle to confirme his preaching of eare confession and Pardons with like pedlery or who shed his bloud for them I can shew you many thousandes that ye haue slayne for preaching the contrary And agayne Grecia the one halfe of Christendome coÌsenteth not vnto theÌ which Greekes if such thinges had come from the Apostles should haue had them er ye M. The spiritualtie be not so tender eared but that they may heare their sinnes rebuked Tyndall They consent not vnto the way of truth but sinne of malice and of professioÌ And therfore as they haue no power to repent euen so can they not but persecute both him that rebuketh them and his doctrine to after the ensamples of the Phariseis and all tyrauntes that begunne before namely if the preacher touch any ground wher by they should be reformed or by what meanes they maintaine their mischief The second Chapter MOre A Fryers liuing that hath maryed a Nunne maketh it easie to know that his doctrine is not good Tyndall The profession of either other is plaine Idolatry and deceauing of a maÌs soule and robbing him of his good and taken vpon them ignorauÌtly therto Wherfore when they be come vnto the knowledge of the truth they ought no longer therein to abyde but the Popes forbyddyng Matrimony and to eate of meates created of God for mans vse which is deuillishe doctrine by Paules prophesie hys geuing licence to hold whores his continuall occupiyng of Princes in shedding of Christen bloud his robbing of y e poore thoroughout Christendome of all that was geuen to maintaine them his setting vp in Rome a stues not of womeÌ onely but of the male kynde also agaynst nature and a thousand abhominations to grosse for a Turke are tokens good inough that he is y e right Antichrist and his doctrine sprong of the deuill More In penaunce Martin saith there needeth no contricion nor satisfaction Tyndall Call it repentaunce and theÌ it is contricion of it selfe And as for mendes making with worldly
in the kyngdome of God Christ nor any felyng therof And who shall take those diseases from them God onely through his mercy for they caÌ not put of that complection of them selues vntill they be taught to beleue and to fele that it is damnable and to consent vnto the contrary liuing And vnto the second part I aunswere that in respect of God we doe but suffer onely and receaue power to do all our deedes whether we do good or bad as Christ aunswered Pylate that hee could haue no power agaynst him except it were geuen him from aboue and no more could Iudas neither But in respect of y e thing wherin or wherwith we worke and sheade out agayne the power that we haue receaued we woorke actually As the axe doth nothyng in respect of the haÌd that heweth saue receaue but in respect of the tree that is cut it worketh actually powreth out agayne the power that it hath receaued M. Item that God is author of good and euill as wel of the euill will of Iudas in betraying Christ as of the good will of Christ in sufferyng his passion Tyndall The power wherewith we do good and euill is of God the will is of God As y e power which the murtherer abuseth and wherewith he killeth a man vnrighteously is of God the will wherewith he willeth it But the wickednesse of his wil and crokednesse or frowardnesse wherewith hee sleath vnrighteously to aueÌge him selfe to satisfie his owne lustes the cause why he knoweth not the law of God and consenteth not to it whiche law should haue informed his will and corrected the crokednesse therof and haue taught him to vse his will his power right is his blindnesses fault onely and not Gods Whiche blindnesse the deuill hath poysoned him with M. Item matrimonie is no SacrameÌt Tyndall Matrimonie is a similitude of the kyngdome of heauen as are many thynges mo like as it appeareth by Christ in the Gospell But who institute it to be a Sacrament Or who at his mariage was taught the signification of it Who was euer bound to receaue it in the name of a Sacrament I would to Christes bloud that ye wold make a Sacrament of it vnto all men and women that be maryed and vnto all other and would at euery mariage teach the people to know the benefite of Christ through the similitude of Matrimony And I affirme that in the popes Churche there is no Sacrament For where no signification is there is no Sacrament A signe is no signe vnto him that vnderstaÌdeth nought therby as a spech is no spech vnto him that vnderstaÌdeth it not I would to Christes passion that ye would let them be Sacramentes which Christ institute ordeined for Sacramentes And then if ye make of your own braynes fiue huÌdred therto I would not be so greatly greued though I would not geue my consent vnto so great a multitude partly for the bondage and specially lest we should in tyme to come the significations of them lost fall into Idolatrie agayne and make holy workes of them after the exaÌple of the blindnesse wherin we be now but I would haue the woorde euer liuely preached out of the playne text M. Item that all holy orders bee but mens inuention Tyndall The office of an Apostle Byshop Priest Deacon and Widow are of God But as concerning the shanyng the oylyng and diuersitie of rayment and many degrees sence added therto proue that they be but mens traditions But and ye will make Sacramentes of the oylyng shanyng sheryng and garmentes put their significations vnto them and let the kyngs grace compell them to keepe them and I admitte them for Sacramentes and vntill that tyme I hold them for the false signes of hypocrites M. IteÌm that euery man and woman is a Priest and maye consecrate the body of Christ Tyndall In bodyly seruice if the officer appoynted be away euery other person not onely may but also is bouÌd to helpe at neede euen so much as hys neighbours dogge How much more then ought men to assiste one an other in the health of their soules at al times of nede if the man be away the womaÌ may and is bound to Baptise in tyme of nede by the law of loue which office perteineth vnto the priest onely If she be Lady ouer the greatest ordeined by God that she may Baptise why shuld she not haue power also ouer the lesse to minister the ceremonies whiche the Pope hath added to as his oyle his salt his spitell his candle and cresomcloth And why might she not pray all the prayers except that Idole the pope be greater then the very God if womeÌ had brought a child to Church while the Priest other men taryed the child were in ieoperdy might they not baptise him in the font if there were no other water by And if other water were by yet if that holpe better one mite loue requireth to baptise him therin And then why might not women touch all their other oyle If a woman learned in Christ were driuen vnto an I le where Christ was neuer preached might she not there preach and teach to minister the Sacraments and make officers The case is possible shew theÌ what should let that she might not loue thy neighbour as thy selfe doth coÌpel Nay she may not consecrat Why If the pope loued vs as wel as Christ hee would finde no faulte therewith though a womaÌ at nede ministred that Sacrament if it bee so necessary as ye make it In bodyly wealth he that would haue me one ace lesse then hymselfe loueth me not as well as himselfe how much more ought we to loue one an other in thynges pertainyng vnto the soule M. Item that the host is no sacrifice Tyndall Christ is no more killed It is therfore the Sacrament signe memoriall of that sacrifice wherewith Christ offered his body for our sinnes and commauÌded saying this do in the remembraunce of me We be not holpe with any visible deede that the Priest there doth saue in that it putteth vs in remembraunce of Christes death passion for our sinnes As the garmentes and straunge holy gestures helpe vs not but in that they put vs in remembraunce of thyngs that Christ suffered for vs in his passion Euen so the shewyng breakyng and eatyng of the host the shewyng and drinkyng of the cup of Christes bloud and the wordes and the consecration helpe vs not a pinne nor are gods seruice saue onely in that they styrre vp our repentyng fayth to call to mynde the death and passion of Christ for our sinnes And therfore to call it a sacrifice is but abused speach as when we call one that is new come home to breakfast and set a Capon before him and say this is your welcome home meaning yet by that speach that it is but
Realmes and common wealthes but they that do wickedly and namely high Prelates and mighty Princes which walke without the feare of God and lyue abhominably corrupting the common people with their example They be they that bryng the wrath of God on all Realmes and trouble all common wealthes with warre dearth pouertie pestilence euill lucke and all misfortune And vnto all subiectes be it sayd if they professe the law of God fayth of the Lord Iesus wil be Christes Disciples then let them remember that there was neuer man so great a subiect as Christ was there was neuer creature that suffred so great vnright so paciently and so mekely as he Therfore what soeuer they haue bene in tymes past let them now thincke that it is their partes to be subiect in the lowest kynde of subiection and to suffer all thynges paciently If the hyghe powers bee cruell vnto you with naturall crueltie then with softenesse and pacience ye shall either wynne them or mitigate theyr fiercenesse If they ioyne theÌ vnto the Pope and persecute you for your fayth and hope whiche ye haue in y e Lord Iesus then call to mynde that ye be chosen to suffer here with Christ that ye may ioy with hym in the lyfe to come with ioye euerlastyng that shall infinitely passe this your short payne here If they commaunde that God forbiddeth or forbyd that God commaundeth then aunswere as the Apostles did Actes v. that God must be obeyed more then maÌ If they compell you to suffer vnright then Christ shall helpe you to beare and his spirite shall comfort you But onely see that neither they put you from Gods worde nor ye resiste them with bodely violence But abyde paciently a while till the hypocrisie of hypocrites be slayne with the sword of Gods word and vntill the word be openly published witnessed vnto y e powers of y e world that their blyndnesse may be with out excuse And theÌ wil god awake as a fierce Lyon agaynst those cruell Wolues whiche deuoure his Lambes and will play with the hypocrites and compasse them in their owne wyles send them a dazing in the head and a swimming in their braynes destroy them with theyr own counsell And then those malicious and wilfull blynd persecuters whiche refusing mercy when they were called thereto chose rather to haue theyr part with hypocrites in sheddyng of innocent bloud shal bee partakers with them also in hauyng theyr owne bloud shed agayne God geuyng an occasion that one wicked shall destroy an other And as for wickednesse whence it springeth and who is the cause of all insurrection and of the fall of Princes the shortenyng of theyr dayes vpon the earth thou shalt see in the glasse folowyng which I haue set before thyne eyes not to resiste the hypocrites with violence whiche vengeaunce pertayneth vnto God but that thou mightest see their wicked wayes and abhominable pathes to withdraw thy selfe from after them and to come agayne to Christ and walke in hys light and to folow hys steppes and to committe the keepyng both of thy body and soule also vnto him and vnto the father thorough hym whose name bee glorious for euer Amen ¶ Prelates appointed to preach Christ may not leaue Gods worde and minister temporall offices But ought to teach the lay people the right way and let them alone with all temporall businesse OVr Sauiour Iesus Christ answered Pilate Ioh. 18. that his kindome was not of thys worlde And Mathew x. he sayth The Disciple is not greater then his master but it ought to suffice the Disciple that he be as hys master is Wherfore if Christes kyngdome be not of this worlde nor any of his disciples may be otherwise then he was then Christes Vicars which minister his kingdome here in his bodely abseÌce haue y e ouersight of his flock may be none Emperours kinges Dukes Lords Knightes temporall iudges or any teÌporal officer or vnder false names haue any such dominion or minister any such office as requireth violeÌce And Math. 6. No maÌ caÌ serue two masters Where Christ coÌcludeth saying Ye can not serue God MaÌmon that is riches couetousnes ambicion and temporall dignities And Math. xx Christ called his disciples vnto him and sayde ye know y â the Lordes of the heathen people haue dommion ouer them and they that be great do exercise power ouer them How be it it shall not be so among you But whosoeuer will be great among you shall be your minister and he that will be chiefe shal be your seruaunt euen as the sonne of man came not that men shoulde minister vnto hym but for to minister and geue his life for the redemption of many Wherfore the officers in Christes kingdome may haue no temporall dominion or iurisdiction nor execute any temporall auctoritie or lawe of violence nor may haue any like maner among them But cleane coÌtrary they must cast themselues downe vnder al and become seruauntes vnto all suffer of all and beare the burthen of euery mans infirmities and go before theÌ fight for them against the world with the sworde of Gods word eueÌ vnto y e death after the ensample of Christ And Math. xviij WheÌ the disciples asked who shoulde be greatest in the kingdome of heauen Christ called a young child vnto hym and set him iâ y â middes among them saying Excepte ye turne backe and become as childreÌ ye shall not enter in the kingdome of heauen Now younge children beare no rule one ouer an other but al is felowship amonge them And he sayde moreouer whosoeuer humbleth himselfe after the ensample of this childe he is greatest in the kingdome of heauen that is to be as concerning ambition and worldly desire so childishe that thou couldest not heaue thy selfe aboue thy brother is the very bearing of rule to be great in Christes kingdome And to describe the very âashion of the greatnesse of his kingdome he sayd He that receaueth one such childe in my name receaueth me What is y t to receaue a childe in Christes name Verely to submitte to meeke and to humble thy selfe and to cast thy selfe vnder all men to consider all mens infirmities and weakenesses and to helpe to heale their diseases wyth the worde of truth and to liue purely that they see no contrary ensample in thee to whatsoeuer thou teachest them in Christ that thou put no stumblinge blocke before them to make them falle while they be yet youÌg and weake in the fayth But that thou absteine as Paule teacheth 1. Thes 5. Ab omni specie mala from all that might seeme euill or wherof a man might surmise aâiste and that thou so loue them that whatsoeuer giât of god in thee is thou thinke the same theirs and their foode and for their sakes geuen vnto thee as the truth is and that all their infirmities be thine and that
cum lucro for lucre say they maketh the labour light euer noselyng them in ceremonyes in their owne constitutions decrees ordinaunces and lawes of holy Church And the promises and Testament which the Sacrament of Christes body bloud did preach dayly vnto the people that they put out of knowledge and say now that it is a sacrifice for the soules of Purgatory that they might the better sell their Masse And in the Vniuersities they haue ordeined that no man shall looke on the Scripture vntill he be noseled in heatheÌ learning viij or nyne yeare armed with false principles with whiche he is cleane shut out of the vnderstandyng of the Scripture And at his first commyng vnto Vniuersitie he is sworne that he shall not defame the Vniuersitie what soeuer he seeth And when he taketh first degree he is sworne that he shall hold none opinion condemned by the Churche but what such opinions be that he shall not know And they wheÌ they be admitted to studye Diuinitye because y e Scripture is locked vp with such false expositions with false principles of natural Philosophy that they can not enter in they go about the out side and dispute all their lyues about words vaine opinioÌs pertaining as much vnto the healyng of a mans hele as health of his soule Prouided yet all way lest god geue his singulare grace vnto any person that none may preach except he be admitted of the Byshops Then came Thomas de Aquino and he made the Pope a God with his sophistrie and the Pope made him a Sainte for his labour and called him Doctour Sanctus for whose holynesse no man may deny what so euer he sayth saue in certaine places where among so many lyes he sayd now and then true And in like maner who soeuer defendeth hys traditioÌs decrees and priuileges him he made a Sainte also for his labour were his liuyng neuer so contrary vnto the Scripture as Thomas of Canterbury with many other like whose life was like Thomas Cardinalles but not Christes neither is Thomas Cardinals life any thyng saue a counterfaytyng of saint Thomas of Canterbury Thomas Becket was first sene in marchaundise temporall and then to learne spirituall marchaundise he gat hym to Theobald Archbyshop of Canterbury which sent him diuers times to Rome about businesse of holy Churche And when Theobald had spyed his actiuitie he shore him Deacon lest he should go backe made him Archdeacon of Canterbury and vppon that presented him to the kyng And the kyng made hym his Chaunceller in which office he passed the pompe pride of Thomas Cardinall as farre as the ones shrine passeth the others tombe in glory and riches And after that he was a man of warre and captayneÌ ouer fiue or sixe thousand men in ful harnesse as bright as S. George his speare in his hand encountred who soeuer came against him and ouerthrew the iolyest rutter that was in all the host of FrauÌce And out of the siâld hoate from bloud shedyng was he made Bishop of Canterbury and did put of his helme and put on his mitre put of his harnesse on with his robes and layde downe hys speare tooke his crosse yer his haÌdes were cold and so came with a lusty corage of a maÌ of warre to fight an other while against his Prince for the Pope Where his Princes causes were with the law of God and the Popes cleane contrary And the pompe of his consecration was after his old worldly fashioÌ Howbeit yet he is made a Saint for his worshyppyng of the holy seate of saint Peter not that seate of Peter whiche is Christes Gospell but an other lyed to be Peters and is in deede Cathedra pestilentiae a chayre of false do ctrine And because he could no skill of our Lordes Gospell he sayd of Matene with our Lady Such as vnderstand the Latin read his life and compare it vnto the Scripture and theÌ he shall see such holynesse as were here to long to be rehearsed And euery Abbay euery Cathedrall Church did shrine them one God or other and myngled the lyues of the very Saintes with starke lyes to moue meÌ to offer whiche thing they call deuotion And though in all their doings they oppresse the temporaltie and their coÌmon wealth and be greuous vnto the rich and paynfull to the poore yet they be so many and so exercised in wyles so sutill and so knit and sworne together that they compasse the temporalitie and make them beare theÌ whether they will or will not as the Oke doth the Iuye partly with iugglyng and beside that with worldly policy For euery Abbot will make him that may do most in the shyre or with the kyng the stuard of his landes and geue him a feeyearely and will lend vnto some and feast other that by such meanes they do what they will And litle master ParsoÌ after the same maner if he come into an house and the wife be snoutefaire he will roote him selfe there by one craft or other either by vsing such pastime as the good maÌ doth or in beyng beneficiall by one way or other or he will lend him and so bryng him into his daunger that he can not thrust him out when he would but must be compelled to beare him and to let him be homely whether he will or no. An example of practise out of our owne Chronicles TAke an exaÌple of their practise out of our owne stories Kyng Herold exiled or banished Robert Archbyshop of CaÌterbury For what cause the English PolychronicoÌ specifieth not But if the cause were not somwhat suspect I thinke they would not haue passed it ouer with sileÌce This Robert gat him immediatly vnto king William the coÌquerour then Duke of NormaÌdy And the pope Alexander sent Duke William a baner to go and conquere England and cleane remission vnto who soeuer would folow the baner and go with kyng WilliaÌ Here marke how streight the Pope folowed Christes steppes his Apostles they preached forgeuenesse of sinnes to all that repented thorough Christes bloud shedyng y t pope preacheth forgeuenesse of sinnes to all that wil sâea their brethreÌâought with Christes bloud to subdue them vnto his tyranny What soeuer other cause Duke William had agaynst K. Herold thou maist be sure y t the pope wold not haue medled if Herold had not troubled his kyngdome neither should Duke William haue bene able to coÌquere the land at that tyme except the spiritualtie had wrought on his side What bloud did that conquest cost England thorow which almost all the Lords of the Englishe bloud were slayne and the Normandes became rulers all the lawes were chaunged into French But what careth the holy father for sheding of laye mens bloude It were better that ten hundred thousand laye knaues lost their liues then that holy Church should lose one
inch of her honour or Saint Peters seate one iot of her right And Anselmus that was Byshop in short tyme after neuer left striumge with that mighty prince kyng William the second vntill he had compelled him maugre his teeth to deliuer vp the inuestiture or election of Byshops vnto Saint Peters vicar which inuestiture was of olde tyme the kynges dutie And agayne when the sayde kyng William woulde haue had the tribute that Priestes gaue yearely vnto theyr Byshoppes for their whores payde to hym did not RaÌfe Byshop of Chichester forbid Gods seruice as they call it and stoppe vp the Church doores with thornes thoroughout all his diocesse vntill the kyng had yelded hym vp his tribute agayne For when the holy father had forbode Priestes theyr wyues the Byshop permitted them whores of their owne for a yearely tribute do still yet in all landes saue in England where they may not haue any other saue mens wiues onely And agayne for the election of SteueÌ Langton Archbyshop of Canterbury what mysery and wretchednes was in the realme a long season Then was y e land interdited many yeares And wheÌ that holpe not then Ireland rebelled agaynst kyng Iohn immediatly not without the secrete workinge of our Prelates I dare well say But finally when neither the interditing neither that secrete subtiltie holpe and when Iohn would in no meanes consent that Saint Peters vicar should raigne alone ouer the spiritualtie and ouer all that pertayned vnto them and y t they should sinne and do all mischiefe vnpunished the Pope sent remission of sinnes to the kyng of Fraunce for to goe and conquere his land Whereof kyng Iohn was so sore afrayde that he yelded vp his crowne vnto the Pope and sware to holde the land of him and that his successours should do so likewyse And againe in king Richardes dayes the second Thomas Arundell Archbyshop of Canterbury and Chauncellar was exiled wyth the Earle of Darby The outward pretence of the variauÌce betwene the king and hys Lords was for the deliueraunce of the towne of Breste in Britayne But our prelates had an other secrete mistery a bruyng They could not at their owne lust slea the poore wretches which at that tyme were conuerted vnto repeÌtaunce to y t true fayth to put their trust in Christes death bloud sheding for the remissioÌ of their sinnes by the preaching of Iohn Wiclefe As soone as the Archbyshop was out of the realme the Irishmen began to rebell agaynst kyng Richarde as before agaynst kyng Iohn But not hardly without the inuisible inspiration of theÌ that rule both in the courte and also in the consciences of all men They be one kyngdome sworne together one to helpe an other scatered abroad in all realines And howbeit that they striue amoÌg themselues who shal be greatest yet agaynst the temporal power they be alwayes at one though they dissemble it faine as though one helde agaynst the other to know their enemies secretes to betray them withall They can enspyre priuely into the brestes of the people what mischiefe they liste no man shall know whence it coÌmeth Their letters go secretly from one to an other thoroughout all kingdomes Saint Peters vicar shall haue worde in xv or xvj dayes from the vttermost part of Christendome The Byshops of Englande at their neede can write vnto the Byshops of Ireland Scotland Denmarke Douchland FrauÌce and Spayne promising them as good a turne an other tyme putting theÌ ãâã remembraunce that they be all one holy Church and that the cause of y t tone is the cause of the tother saying if our iugglinge breake out youres can not belong hid And the other shall serue their turne and bring the game vnto their handes and no man shall know how it commeth about Assoone as kyng Richard was gone to Ireland to subdue these rebellions the Byshop came in againe and preueÌted the kyng and tooke vp his power agaynst hym and tooke him prisoner and put him downe and to death most cruelly and crowned the Erle of Darbye Kyng O mercifull Christ what bloud hath that coronacion cost England but what care they their causes must be auenged He is not worthy to bee kyng that will not auenge their quarels For do not the kyngs receaue their kyngdome of the beast sweare to worship hym and maintayne hys throne And theÌ wheÌ the Erle of Darbye which was king Henry the fourth was crowned the prelates tooke hys sworde and his sonnes Henry the fift after hym as all the kynges swordes since and abused them to shed ChristeÌ bloud at their pleasure And they coupled their cause vnto the kynges cause as now and made it treasoÌ to beleue in Christ as the scripture teacheth and to resiste the Byshops as now and thrust them in the kinges prisons as now so that it is no new inuention that they now do but euen an olde practise though they haue done theyr busie cure to hide their scieÌce that their conueyaunce should not be espyed And in kyng Henry the sixt dayes how raged they as fierce LioÌs against good Duke Humfrey of Glocester the kynges vncle and protectour of the realme in the kynges youth and childhod because that for him they myght not slea whom they would and make what cheuysaunce they lusted Would not the Byshoppe of winchester haue fallen vpon him and oppressed him openly with might and power in the citie of London had not the Citizens come to his helpe But at the last they founde y t meanes to contriue a drift to bring their matters to passe and made a Parlyament farre from the Cityzens of London where was slayne the good Duke and onely wealth of the realme and the mighty shylde that so long before that kept it from sorow which shortly after his death fell theron by heapes But the chronicles can not tell wherfore he dyed nor by what meanes No maruell verely For he had neede of other eyes then such as y e worlde seeth withall that should spye out their priuy pathes Neuerthelesse the chronicles testifie that he was a vertuous man a godly and good to the commoÌ wealth Moreouer the proctour of purgatory saith in his Dialoge quod I and quod he and quod your frende how that the foresayd Duke of Glocester was a noble maÌ and a great clarcke and so wise that he coulde spye false myracles and disclose them and iudge them from the true which is an hatefull science vnto our spiritualtie and more abhorred amongest them then Necromancye or witchcrafte and a thyng wherfore a man by their lawe I dare well say is worthy to dye and that secretly if it be possible Now to be good to the common wealth and to see false myracles and thyrdly to withstand that FrauÌce then brought vnder the foote of the Englishmen should not be set vp agayne by whose power the
And all that be confederate with the Cardinall and with the Bishops vpoÌ any secret appointment be they neuer so great I rede theÌ to break their bondes and to follow right by the playne and open way and to be content and not too ambitious for it is now euill climing the boughes be brittle And let them looke well on the practise of Bishops how they haue serued all other men in tunes past and into what troubles they haue brought them that were quiet Many a man both great small haue they brought to death in England euen in my dayes beside in times past whose bloud God wil seek once Let them learne at the last that it is but the cast of the Bishops to receaue the sacrament with one man secretly vpon one purpose and with an other man as secreatly vppon the contrary to deceaue al parties For of periury they make as much conscience as a dog of a bone for they haue power to dispence with all thing thinke they At the beginning of the warre betwene the Frenchking and the Emperour the prognostication said yeare by yeare that there should be great labor for peace but it shall not come to passe for there is BicorporeuÌ or Corpus neutrum that commeth betwene and letteth it that is to say a body that is neither nother or holdeth on neither part and that body is the spiritualtie which hold but of theÌselues onely For when any Ambassadors goe betwene to entreat of peace the bishops are euer the chief which though they make a goodly oration for the peace openly to deceaue the lay men yet secreatly by the bisshops of the same countrie they cast a bone in the way and there can be no peace vntill the peace be for their profite let it cost in the meane season what bloud it will And as for them which for luker as Iudas betraye the truth and write agaynst their consciences and which for honour as Balaam enforce to curse the people of God I would fayne if their hartes were not to hard that they dyd repent And as fayne I would that our prelates did repent if it were possible for them to prefer Gods honour before their owne And vnto all subiectes I say that they repent For the cause of euill rulers is the sinne of the subiectes testifyeth the Scripture And the cause of false preachers is that the people haue no loue vnto the truth sayth Paule 2. Thes 2. We be all sinners an hundred times greater then all that we suffer Let vs therfore ech forgeue other remembring the greater sinners the more welcome if we repent according to the similitude of the riotous sonne Luc. 15. For Christ dyed for sinners and is their sauiour and hys bloud theyr treasure to pay sor their sinnes He is that fatted calf which is slaine to make them good cheare withall if they will repent and come to their father again And his merites is that goodlye rayment to couer the naked deformities of our sinnes These be sufficient at this time although I could say more and though other haue deserued that I more sayd yea and I could more deeply haue entred into the practise of our Cardinall but I spare for diuers considerations and namely for his sake which neuer spared me nor any faythfull frende of his owne nor any that told him truth nor spareth to persecute the bloud of Christ in as cleare light as euer was and vnder as subtile colour of hypocrisie as euer was any persecutioÌ since the creation of the world Nether haue I sayd for hate of any person or persons God I take to recorde but of their wickednes onely and to cal them to repentaunce knowledging that I am a sinner also and that a greeuous Howbeit it is a deuilish thing and a merciles to defend wickednes against the open truth and not to haue power to repent And therefore I doubt not if men will not be warned hereby but that God will vtter more practise by whome he will and not cease vntill he haue broken the bonde of wilie hypocrites which persecute so subtelly And finally if the persecution of the kinges grace and of other temporall persons conspiring with the spiritualtie be of ignoraunce I doubt not but that theyr eyes shall be opened shortly and they shal see repent God shall shew them mercy But and if it be of a set malice against the truth and of a grounded hate against the law of God by the reasoÌ of a full consent they haue to sinne and to walke in their olde wayes of ignorauncie wherunto being now past all repentance they haue vtterly yelded themselues to follow w t ful lust without bridle or snaffle which is the sinne agaynst the holy Ghost then ye shall see euen shortly that God shall turne the poynt of the swoorde wherewith they now shedde Christes bloud homeward to shed their owne again after the ensamples of the bible And let them remember that I well toward iij. yeares agone to preuent al occasions and all carnall beastes that seeke fleshly liberty sent forth the true obedience of a christen man which yet they condemned but after they had condemned the New Testament as right was whence the Obedience hath his authoritie Now then if when the light is come abroad in which theyr wickednes caÌ not be hid they finde no such obedience in the people vnto their old tyranny whose fault is it This is a sure conclusion none obedience that is not of loue can not long endure and in your deedes can no man see any cause of loue and the knowledge of Christ for whose sake onely a man wold loue you though ye were neuer so euill ye persecute Now theÌ if any disobedience rise ye are the cause of it your selues Say not but that ye be warned A Pathway into the holy Scripture made by William Tyndall I Do maruell greatly derely beloued in christ that euer any maÌ shuld repugne or speake against the Scripture to be had in euery laÌguage and that of euery man For I thought that no man had bene so blinde to aske why light should be shewed to theÌ y t walke in darkenes where they caÌ not but stomble and where to stomble is the daunger of eternall damnation other so despightfull that he would enuie any maÌ I speake not his brother so necessary a thyng or so Bedlem mad to affirme that good is y t naturall cause of euill and darkenes to procede out of light that lying should be grounded in truth and verity and not rather cleane contrary that light destroyeth darkenes and veritie reproueth all maner lying Neuerthelesse seyng that it hath pleased God to send vnto our English men euen to as many as vnfaynedly desire it the Scripture in their mother touÌg coÌsidering that there be in euery place false teachers and blind leaders that ye should be deceaued of no man I supposed it very
therof and our neighbours yea our enemies as our selues inwardly from the grounde of the hart because God hath made them after the likenesse of his owne image they are his sonnes as well as we and Christ hath bought them with his bloud and made them heyres of euerlastyng lyfe as well as vs And how we ought to do what soeuer God biddeth and absteine from what soeuer God forbiddeth with all loue and mekenes with a feruent and a burnyng lust from the center of the hart then begynneth the conscience to rage against the law and against God No sea be it neuer so great a tempest is so vnquiet For it is not possible for a naturall maÌ to coÌsent to the law that it should be good or that God should be righteous which maketh the law in as much as it is contrary vnto hys nature and damneth him and all that he caÌ do neither sheweth him where to fetch helpe nor preacheth any mercy but onely setteth maÌ at variaunce with God as witnesseth Paule Rom. iiij and prouoketh hym and styrreth hym to rayle on God and to blaspheme him as a cruell tyraunt For it is not possible for a maÌ till he be borne agayne to thinke that God is righteous to make hym of so poyson a nature either for his own pleasure or for the sinne of an other man and to geue him a law that is impossible for him to do or to coÌsent to his witte reason and will beyng so fast glued yea nayled and chayned vnto the will of the deuill Neither can any creature louse the bondes saue the bloud of Christ onely This is captiuitie and bondage whence Christ deliuered vs redemed and loused vs. His bloud his death his pacience in suffering rebukes and wronges his prayers and fastynges his mekenes and fulfillyng of the vttermost point of the law peased the wrath of God brought the fauour of God to vs agayne obteined that God should loue vs first and be our father and that a mercyfull father that will consider our infirmities and weakenes and wil geue vs his spirite agayn which was taken away in the fall of Adam to rule gouerne strength vs and to breake the bondes of Sathan wherein we were so straite bounde When Christ is thus wise preached the promises rehearsed which are contained in the Prophetes in the Psalmes and in diuers places of the fiue bookes of Moses which preachyng is called the Gospell or glad tydinges then the hartes of them which are elect and choseÌ begyn to waxe soft and melt at the bounteous mercy of God and kyndnes shewed of Christ For when the Euangelion is preached the spirite of God entreth into them which God hath ordeined and appoynted vnto eternall lyfe and openeth their inward eyes and worketh such belefe in them When the wofull consciences feele and tast how swete a thyng the bitter death of Christ is how mercyfull louing God is through Christes purchasyng and merites they begin to loue gayne and to consent to the law of God how that it is good and ought so to be and that God is righteous which made it and desire to fulfill the law euen as a sicke man desireth to be whole and are an hungred and thirst after more righteousnes and after more strength to fulfill the law more perfectly And in all that they do or omit and leaue vndone they seke Gods honour and his will with meekenesse euer condemnyng the vnperfectnes of their deedes by the law Now Christ standeth vs in double stede and vs serueth two maner wise First he is our redemer deliuerer reconciler mediator intercessor aduocate atturney soliciter our hope comfort shield protectioÌ defender streÌgth health satisfaction and saluation His bloud his death all that he euer dyd is ours And Christ him self with all that he is or can do is ours His bloud shedyng and all that he dyd doth me as good seruice as though I my selfe had done it And God as great as he is is myne with all that he hath as an husband is his wiues through Christ and his purchasing Secondaryly after that we be ouercome with loue and kindnes and now seke to do the will of God which is a Christen mans nature Then haue we Christ an exaÌple to counterfeit as saith Christ him selfe in Iohn I haue geuen you an example And in an other EuaÌgelist he sayth He that wil be great among you shal be your seruaunt and Minister as the sonne of man came to minister and not to be ministred vnto And Paule sayth Counterfeit Christ And Peter sayth Christ dyed for you and left you an example to folow hys steppes What soeuer therefore fayth hath receaued of God through Christs bloud and deseruyng that same must loue shed out euery whit and bestow it on our neighbours vnto their profite yea and that though they be our enemyes By fayth we receaue of God and by loue we shed out agayne And that must we do frely after the example of Christ without any other respect saue our neighbours wealth onely neither looke for reward in earth nor yet in heauen for the deseruyng merites of our deedes as Friers preach though we know that good deedes are rewarded both in this lyfe and in the lyfe to come but of pure loue must we bestow our selues all that we haue all that we are able to do euen on our enemyes to bryng them to God consideryng nothyng but their wealth as Christ dyd ours Christ dyd not hys deedes to obteyne heauen therby that had bene a madnes heaueÌ was his all ready he was heyre therof it was his by inheritaunce but dyd them frely for our sakes consideryng nothyng but our wealth and to bryng the fauour of God to vs agayne and vs to God As no naturall sonne that is his fathers heyre doth his fathers will because he would be heyre that he is already by byrth his father gaue him that yer hee was borne and is lother that he should go without it then he him selfe hath wit to be but of pure loue doth he that he doth And aske him why he doth any thing that he doth he aunswereth my father bade it is my fathers will it pleaseth my father Bond seruauntes worke for hyre Children for loue For their father with all he hath is theirs already So doth a Christen man frely all that he doth considereth nothyng but the will of God his neighbours wealth onely If I liue chaste I do it not to obteine heauen therby For then should I doe wrong to the bloud of Christ Christes bloud hath obteined me that Christes merites haue made me heyre therof He is both doore and way thether wardes Neither that I loke for an higher roume in heaueÌ theÌ they shal haue which liue in wedlocke other theÌ a whore of the stewes if she repeÌt for that were the pride of Lucifer But frely to wayte on the Euangelion and
word testifyeth against vs that wee are all sinners yea and els Christ dyed in vayne Salomon sayth 3. Reg. 8. That there is no man that sinneth not agaynst God And Paule proueth by the authoritie of the Scripture vnto the Romaines that we are all sinners without exception And the scripture witnesseth that we are damnable sinners and that our nature is to sinne Which corrupt and poysoned nature though it be begoÌ to be healed yet it is neuer through whole vntil the houre of death For the which cause with all our best fruites there growe weedes among Neither can there be any deed so perfect that could not be amended When a blind bungler wondreth at his glorious woorkes a cunning workeman y t hath a cleare iudgement perceaueth that it is vnpossible to make a woorke that coulde not bee made better Now the law requireth workes of vs in the highest degree of perfection and ceaseth not to accuse vs vntill our workes flow naturally as glorious in perfection as the woorkes of Christ And Christ teacheth vs to pray in our Pater noster Forgeeue vs our trespasses as we forgeue our trespassers Whereby ye may easelye vnderstande that we sinne dayly one against another and all agaynst God Christ taught also to pray that our Father should not let vs slip into temptation signifying that our nature cannot but sinne if occasions be geuen except that God of his especiall grace keepe vs backe Which readinesse to sinne is damnable sinne in the lawe of God Dauid prayed Psal 68. Let not the tempest drowne me let me not fall into the bottome and let not the pitte shut her mouth vpon me as who shoulde say First keepe me O God from sinning then if I shall chaunce to fall as no flesh can escape one time or other then call me shortly backe agayne and let me not sincke to deepe therein and though I yet fall neuer so deepe yet Lord let not the way of mercy be stopped signifying that it is vnpossible to stand of our selues and much lesse to rise againe Which impotencie and feblenes is damnable in the law of God except that wee saw it and repented and were fled to Christ for mercy Chap. 2. MY little children I write these thinges vnto you that ye sinne not And though any man sinne yet we haue an aduocate with the Father euen Iesus Christ which is righteous I write vnto you on the one syde that God is light and therfore that no man which willingly walketh in the vnfruitfull workes of darknesse hath any felowship with that light or part in the bloud of his Sonne And this I write and testifie vnto you my deare children that ye sinne not that is that ye consent not vnto sinne nor should sinne of lust and purpose maliciously but contrariwise that ye feare God resiste sinne with all your might and power according as ye haue promised For whosoeuer sinneth of purpose after the knowledge of truth the same sinneth against the holy Ghost remedilesse Heb. 6. 10. And on the other side I testifie vnto you that we be alway sinners though not of purpose and malice after the nature of damned deuils but of infirmitie and frailtie of our flesh which flesh not onely let teth vs that our woorkes can not be perfect but also now then through manifold occasions and temptations caryeth vs cleane out of the right way spight of our hartes How be it I say if when the rage is past we turne vnto the right way agayne and confesse our sinnes vnto our Father with a repenting hart he hath promised vs mercie and is true to fulfill it So that if we sinne not deuilishly against the holy Ghost refusing the doctrine which we can not improue that it should not be true but after the frail tie of man there is no cause to dispair For we haue an aduocate and an intercessour with the Father euen Iesus Christ that is righteous The name of our aduocate is Iesus that is to say a sauiour Cal his name Iesus sayd the Angell to Ioseph for he shall saue his people from their sinnes Math. 1. And this aduocate our Iesus to saue vs from our sinnes continueth euer as it is written Heb. 7. and hath Sempiternum Sacerdotium an euerlasting office to make an attonment for sinne by the reason wherof sayth the text he is able euer to saue them that come to God through him with repentance and fayth and liueth euer to speake for vs. And besides that our Iesus is God and almightie He tooke our nature vpon him and felt al our infirmities and sicknesses and in feeling learned to haue compassion on vs and for compassion cryed mightely in prayers to God the Father for vs was heard And the voyce of the same bloud that once cryed not for vengeaunce as Abels but for mercy onely was heard cryeth now and euer and is euer heard as oft as we call vnto remembrance with repenting fayth how that it was shed for our sinnes He is also called Christus that is to say king annoynted with all might and power ouer sinne death and hell and ouer all sinnes so that none that flyeth vnto him shall euer come into iudgement of damnation He is annoynted with all fulnesse of grace and hath all the treasure and riches of the spirite of God in his hande with which he blesseth all men according to the promise made to Abraham and is thereto mercifull to geue vnto al that cal on him And how much be loueth vs I report me vnto the ensamples of his deedes And he is righteous both towarde God in that he neuer sinned and therfore hath obtayned all his fauour and grace and also toward vs in that he is true to fulfill all the mercye that he hath promised vs euen vnto the vttermost iotte And he is the satisfaction for our sinnes and not for oures only but also for all the worldes That I call satisfaction the Greeke calleth Ilasmos and the Hebrue Copar And it is first taken for the swaging of wounds sores and swellings and the taking away of payne and sinarte of them And thence is borowed for the pacifying and swaging of wrath and anger and for an amendes making a contenting satisfaction a raunsome making at one as it is to see aboundantly in the Bible So that Christ is a full contenting satisfaction and rauÌsome for our sinnes And not for oures onely which are Apostles and Disciples of Christ while he was yet here or for ours which are Iewes or Israclites and the seed of Abraham or for ours that nowe beleue at this present tyme but for all mens sinnes both for their sinnes which went before and beleued the promises to come for ours which haue sene them fulfilled and also for all them whiche shall afterward beleue vnto the worldes ende of what soeuer nation or degree they be For Paule commaundeth 1. Timo.
hee listeth and maketh the grounde of whose hart he lusteth fruteful and chooseth whom he will at his own pleasure and for no other cause knowen vnto any man Who is a lyer but he that denyeth that Iesus is Christ The same is Antichrist that denyeth the father and the sonne For asmuch as Antichrist and Christ are two contraries the study of Antichrist is to queÌch the name of Christ how can the Pope his sectes be Antichrist when they all preach Christ How was say I agayne to thee Pelagius whose doctrine the Pope defendeth in the hyghest degree Antichrist and all other heretickes Verely Syr the Pope seketh hym selfe as all heretickes dyd and abuseth the name of Christ to gather offeringes tithes and reÌtes in his name to bestow them vnto his owne honour and not Christes and to bryng the conscience of the people into captiuitie vnder hym through superstitious feare as though he had such authoritie giuen hym of Christ And euery sillable that hath a souÌde as though it made for his purpose that he expoundeth falsly and fleshly and therwith iuggleth bewitcheth the eares of the people maketh them his owne possession to beleue what hym lusteth as though it made no matter to them whether hee preached true or false so they beleue and do as he biddeth them But all the textes that shew his dutie to do he putteth out of the way and all the textes therto that set the consciences at libertie in Christ proue our saluation to be in Christ onely And with Pelagius hee preacheth the iustifying of workes whiche is the denying of Christ He preacheth a false bynding and losing with eare confession whiche is not in the trust and confidence of Christes bloud shedyng He preacheth the false penauÌce of dedes not to tame the flesh that we sinne no more but to make satisfaction to redeme the sinne that is past Which what other caÌ it be saue the denying of Christ whiche is the onely redemption of sinne He maketh of the workes of the ceremonyes which were wont to be lignes and remembraunces of thinges to be beleued or done image seruice vnto God hys Saintes whiche are spirites to purchase with the merites of them what soeuer the blynd soule imagineth whiche all are the denying of Christ For if thou wilt receaue any annoyntyng of grace or mercy any whence saue of hym he is no longer Christ vnto thee Christ is called Iesus a Sauiour he is called Christus kyng annoynted ouer all men of whom they must hold and whose benefite must all they haue He is called Emanuel God is with vs. For he onely maketh God our God our strength power sword and shield shortly our father He is called Sanctus that is holy that haloweth sanctifieth and blesseth all natioÌs And these be his names for euer be no names of hypocrisie as we some time call him Thomas Curteis which is but a churle and as we call them Curates whiche care for their Parishes as the Wolfe for the flocke and them Byshops that are ouersears which will so ouer see that they will suffer nought to be prosperous saue their owne coÌmoÌ wealth as some call them selues dead which liue in all voluptuousnes and as some call them selues poore without hauing any thing proper and yet lyue in all aboundance and as they shaue and disguise them selues with garmentes and ornamentes to signifie euer a contrary thyng then that they be Nay Christ is no hypocrite or disguised that playeth a part in a play and representeth a person or state which he is not But is alway that his name signifieth he is euer a Sauiour euer annyonteth with grace euer maketh God with vs and euer saÌctifieth Neither is there any other to saue and sanctifie froÌ sinne or annointe with grace or to set God at one with men And these thynges which his name signifie doth he euer vnto all that haue trust confidence in his bloud assone as they repeÌt of the sinne whiche they desire to be saued and sanctified from Now though the Pope his sectes giue Christe these names yet in that they robbe hym of the effect and take the significations of his names vnto them selues and make of hym but an hypocrite as they them selues be they be right Antichristes and deny both the father and sonne For they deny the witnesse that the father bare vnto his sonne and depriue the sonne of all the power and glory that hys father gaue hym Whosoeuer denyeth the sonne the same hath not the father For no man knoweth the father but the sonne to whom the sonne sheweth hym Math. xj Moreouer if thou knowe not the mercy that God hath shewed thee in Christ thou canst not know hym as a father Thou mayst wel besides Christ know hym as a tyraunt And thou mayst know hym by his woorkes as the old Philosophers did that there is a God but thou canst neither beleue in his mercy nor loue his lawes which is his onely worship in the spirite saue by Christ Let therefore abide in you that which ye heard at the beginning If that which ye heard at the beginning shall remayne in you then shall ye continue in the Sonne and in the Father And this is the promise that he hath promised vs euerlasting life If we abide in thold doctrine which the Apostles taught and harken to no new then abide we in the Sonne for vpon the Sonne build they vs and in the Father thorough confidence in the Sonne are heires of euerlasting life These thinges haue I written vn to you because of them that deceiue you And the anointing that ye receiued of him dwelleth in you and ye need not that any man teache you but as that annoynting teacheth you of all thinges and is true and is no lye Euen as it hath taught you so abide therein When a true preacher preacheth the spirite entreth the hartes of the elect and maketh them feele the righteousnes of the law of God and by the law the poyson of their corrupt nature and thence leadeth them thorough repentaunce vnto the mercy that is in Christes bloud and as an oyntment healeth the body eueÌ so the spirite through confidence and trust in Christes bloud healeth the soule and maketh her loue the law of God and therfore is called annoynting or an oyntment and may well be signified by the oyle of our sacrament But outward oyle can neyther heale the soule nor make her feele saue as a signe or as a bush at a tauern dore quencheth a mans thirst neither is it a thing to put trust in Let vs ther fore folow the teaching of the spirite which we haue receiued as Paule sayeth an earnest to certifie our hartes and to make vs feele the thinges of God and not cleaue to the traditions of men in which is no feeling but that
taught and vnderstand and receiued a right Hereof ye see also that as the Hebrues wrote their stories in couenauÌts and signes giuyng their signes such names as could not but keepe them in mynde so God the father dyd follow the example of the people or they followyng hym and commaunded hys promises couenaunts and prophecies to be written in gestures signes and ceremonies geuyng them names that could not but kepe his couenauntes in mynde Euen so Christ wrote the couenaunt of his body bloud in bread and wine geuyng theÌ that name that ought to keepe couenaunt in remembraunce And hereof ye see that our Sacraments are bodyes of stories onely and that there is none other vertue in theÌ theÌ to testifie and exhibite to the senses and vnderstanding the couenauntes promises made in Christs bloud And here ye see that where the SacrameÌts or ceremonies are not rightly vnderstaÌd there they be cleane vnprofitable And as the CircumcisioÌ in the flesh their hartes still vncircumcised hating the law of God and beleuyng in their owne imaginations were Circumcised to their damnation And as the Baptised in the fleshe onely the hart still vncleane neither beleuyng in Christ for the forgeuenes of their sinnes neither louyng their neighbour for Christes sake are Baptised also vnto their greater damnatioÌ For though God haue right to al meÌ because he hath created and made maÌ yet to all such persons by reason of the signe and badge and of their owne coÌsent graunt and promise he hath more right to the callyng of them to the keepyng of his law if they trust in hym onely or to damne them bicause when they know their duety or might if they would the signe mouyng them and giuyng them an occasioÌ to aske the rather and yet do it not EueÌ so all that come to the Sacrament for any other purpose then it was ordeined and instituted for that is to say to seke absotion of their sinnes with a set purpose to sinne no more as nigh as they ãâ¦ã to cal to me ãâã y e benefite of the passioÌ of Christ with y t meditatioÌ to weaken the flesh to streÌgth the spirite Agaynst her to giue thankes agayne that is to say to call to mynde how much hee is bounde to loue his neighbour to helpe his neede and to ãâã his infirmitie and to forgeue him ãâã haue offended and desire forgeuenes promising to ameÌde whereunto Christ bindeth all that wil be partakers of his bloud All such as are not thus prepared come to their greater damnation I passe ouer with silence the wicked ãâã damnable doctrine of these seruauntes of Mammon whiche for lucre peruert the true vse of the Sacrament and hide it from the people for theyr gayne teachyng it to be a sacrifice instituted of God to helpe the soules of the dead in Purgatorie and that it wil make men rich and bring them to such promotion as Christ neuer promised his Disciples but forbad it them Some will say This Sacrament needed not Baptisme is inough Baptisme is a receiuyng into ReligioÌ and there is the couenauntes made what we shall do and what we shall haue And baptisme is a signe wherby God hath right to vs and we to God and to Christ and wherby euery man hath right to call other to do their dueties and to rebuke them that will not Neither our saluation so greatly standeth in that or any other Sacrament that we could not be saued without them by preachyng the word onely Neuerthelesse God hath written his will to haue his benefites kept in memorie to his glorie and our benefite and namely this benefite of all benefites wherin onely the pith of our saluation resteth therfore though the effect of it be signified by Baptisme and though we be baptised to beleue in y t death of Christ and to dye with him by the mortifieng of the flesh yet doth this Sacrament through y t rehearsing of the couenauÌt and breakyng of the bread and powryng out of wine much more lyuely expresse the whole storie kept it better in memorie by dayly repeatyng therof and hath more might and vehemencie to heale the conscience stong with fresh sinne For the nature of maÌ is so weake so feble and so frayle that he can not but sinne as there is no maÌ that liueth and sinneth not And when he is so fallen then the law looketh vpon him with so terrible a countenaunce so thundereth in hys eares that he dare not abide but turneth his backe and to go but the enemie still assayleth him on the other side to persuade him that GOD hath cast him away saying they that be Gods haue power to kepe his law thou hast not but breakest them Ergo thou art a cast away a damned creature and hell gapeth and setteth opeÌ her mouth to deuoure him the flesh also wrestleth with the spirit to kepe him down and to take prisoner and to stoppe his mouth that he crie no more vpon her that she might sinne at pleasure without all feare The careles swyne that consent vnto sinne feele not these thinges neither the hypocrites that haue put a visard on their face of the law and make her looke with such a couÌtenaunce as pleaseth theÌ but the poore folkes that haue the eyes open and consent and fayne would do the law they feele that can not be expressed with toung Neither is there liuyng any man that feeleth the vertue and power of the bloud of Christ whiche hath not first felt the strong paynes of hell Seyng then that this maÌ is so sicke so prone and ready to fall and so cruelly inuaded wheÌ he hath sinned of the feende the flesh and the law that he is oft put to flight and feared and made to runne away from his father Therfore hath the God of all mercy and of his infinite pitie and bottomlesse compassion set vp this Sacrament as a signe on an high hill whence it may be sene on euery side a farre and neare to call againe them that be fled and runne away And with this SacrameÌt he as it were clocketh to them as an henne doth for her chickens together them vnder the wynges of his mercy And hath commaunded his Sacrament to be had in continuall vse to put them in mynde of mercy layd vp for them in Christes bloud and to witnesse and testifie it vnto them and to be the seale therof For the Sacrament doth much more vehemeÌtly print lyuely the fayth and make it sinke down into the hart then do bare wordes onely As a man is more sure of that he heareth seeth feeleth smelleth and tasteth then that he heareth onely Now when the wordes of the Testament and promises are spoken ouer the bread This is my body that shal be broken for you This is my bloud that shal be shed for you they confirme the faith but much
was and how such ceremonies came vp and whence they had their begynnyng and what the frute thereof is and what is therin to be sought And though this were inough so that I might here wel cease yet because the vnquiet scrupulous and superstitious nature of man wholy giuen to Idolatrie hath styrred vp such traditions about this one Sacrament most specially I cannot but speake therof somewhat more and declare what my conscience thinketh in this matter Ye shall vnderstand therfore that there is great dissention and three opinions about the woordes of Christ where he sayth in pronouncyng the testament ouer the bread This is my body And in pronouncyng it ouer the wyne This is my bloud One part say that these woordes This is my body This is my bloud compell vs to beleue vnder payne of damnation that the bread and wyne are chaunged into the very body and bloud of Christ really As the water at Cana Galilee was turned into very wyne The second part sayth we be not bound to beleue that bread and wyne are chaunged but onely that his body and bloud are there presently The thyrd say we be bound by these woordes onely to beleue that Christes body was broken and hys bloudshed for the remissioÌ of our sinnes and that there is no other satisfaction for sinne then the death and passion of Christ The first say these woordes This is my body This is my bloud compell vs to beleue that thynges there shewed are the very body and bloud of Christ really But bread and wyne say they cannot be Christes naturall body ther fore the bread and wyne are chaunged turned altered and transubstantiated into the very body bloud of Christ And they of this opinion haue busied them selues in seekyng subtilties and similitudes to proue how the very body and bloud might be there vnder the similitude of bread and wine onely the very bread and wyne beyng thus traÌsubstantiated And these men haue ben so occupyed in slaying all that wil not captiue their wits to beleue them that they neuer taught nor vnderstode that the Sacrament is an absolution to all that therby beleue in the body bloud of Christ The second part graunt with the first that the wordes compel vs to beleue that the things shewed in the Sacrament are the very body and bloud of Christ But where the first say bread and wine cannot be the very body and bloud of Christ There they vary and dissent from them affirming that bread and wine may and also is Christes body really and very bloud of Christ and say that it is as true to say that bread is Christes body and that wyne is hys bloud as it is true to say Christ beyng a very maÌ is also very God And they say as the Godhead and manhode in Christ are in such maner coupled togegether that maÌ is very God and God very man Euen so the very body and the bread are so coupled that it is as true to say that bread is the body of Christ and the bloud so annexed there with the wyne that it is euen as true to say that the wyne is Christes bloud The first though they haue slayne so many in and for the defence of their opinion yet they are ready to receiue the second sort to fellowshyp not greatly striuyng with them or abhorryng the presence of bread and wyne with the very body and bloud so that they yee by that meanes may keepe hym there still and hope to sell hym as deare as before and also some to bye hym and not to minish the price The thyrd sort affirme that the wordes meane no more but onely that we beleue by the thyngs that are there shewed that Christes body was brokeÌ and his bloud shed for our sinnes if we will forsake our sinnes turne to God to kepe his law And they say that these sayinges This is my body and This is my bloud shewyng bread wyne are true as Christ meant them and as the people of that countrey to whoÌ Christ spake were accustomed to vnderstand such wordes and as the Scripture vseth in a thousand places to speake As when one of vs sayth I haue dronke a cup of good wyne that saying is true as the maÌ meant that he dranke wyne onely and not the cup whiche wordes happely in some other nations eares would sound that he dranke the cuppe And as when we say of a child This is such a mans very face the wordes are true as the maner of our land is to vnderstand them that the face of the one is very like the other And as wheÌ we say he gaue me his fayth and hys truth in my hand the wordes are true as we vnderstand them that he stroke handes with me or gaue earnest in signe or token that he would byde by his promise For the fayth of a maÌ doth alway rest in his soule and cannot be giuen out though we giues signes and tokens of them Euen so say they we haue a thousaÌd examples in the Scripture where signes are named with names of thynges signified by them As Iacob called the place where hee saw the Lord face to face Phenyell that is Gods face when he saw the Lord face to face Now it is true to say of that field that it is Gods face though it be not his very face The same field was so called to signifie that Iacob there saw God face to face The chief hold and principall ancre that the two first haue is these words This is my body This is my bloud Vnto these the third aunswereth as is aboue sayd other textes they alledge for them selues whiche not onely do not strength their cause but rather make it worse As in y e sixt of Iohn which they draw and wrest to the carnall and flesh ly eating of Christes body in y e mouth when it onely meaneth of this eatyng by fayth For when Christ sayd except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of maÌ and drinke hys bloud ye haue no lyfe in you This cannot be vnderstanded of the Sacrament For Abraham had life and all the old holy fathers Christes mother Elizabeth Zacharias Iohn Baptist Symeon Anna and all the Apostles had lyfe already by fayth in Christ Of which not one had eateÌ hys flesh and dronke his bloud with theyr bodily mouthes But truth it is that the righteous liueth by his fayth Ergo to beleue and trust in Christes bloud is the eatyng that there was meant as the texte well proueth if they say we graunt that life commeth by faith but we all that beleue must be Baptised to keepe the law and to keepe the couenaunt in mynde Euen so all that lyueth by fayth must receiue the Sacrament I aunswere The Sacrament is a confirmation to weake consciences and in no wise to be despised howbeit many haue lyued by fayth in the wildernes whiche in 20. 30.
theÌ a mote in the sonne and that as loÌg as great thicke as he stode before them If hee wereso mighty why is he not as mighty to make his bloud to bee alone and his body alone hys bloud body and soule were ech alone at his death and while the body lay in the sepulchre Finally Christ said this is my bloud that shal be shed Ergo it is true now this is my bloud that was shed Now the bloud of Hayles and the bloud that is in many other places men say is the bloud that was shed Ergo that bloud is in the Sacrament if any be but I am not bound to beleue or ought to affirme that the bloud that is at Hayles is anymate with the soule of Christ or that his body is there present Wherfore to auoid this endles braulyng whiche the deuils no doubt hath stirred vp to turne y t eyes of our soules froÌ the euerlastyng couenauÌt made vs in Christes bloud body to nossell vs in Idolatry which is trust confideÌce in false worshippyng of God to queÌch first the faith to Christward and theÌ the loue due to our neighbour therfore me thinketh that the party y t hath professed y e faith of Christ the loue of his neighbour ought of denty to beare ech other as loÌg as the other opinioÌ is not plaine wicked through false Idolatrie nor coÌtrary to the saluation that is in Christ nor agaynst the opeÌ manifest doctrine of Christ and his Apostles nor contrary to the generall articles of the fayth of the generall Churche of Christ which are confirmed with open Scripture In whiche articles neuer a true Church in any land dissenteth There be many textes of the Scripture therefore diuersly expounded of holy doctours takeÌ in coÌtrary seÌces wheÌ no text hath coÌtrary seÌces in dede or more theÌ one single sence yet that hurteth not neither are y e holy doctors therfore heretikes as the expositioÌ destroyeth not the faith in Christes blud nor is coÌtrary to the opeÌ scripture or general articles No more doth it hurt to say that the body bloud are not in the SacrameÌt Neither doth it helpe to say they be there but hurt excedingly if ye inferre y t the soule is there to and that God must be there prayed to when as our kingdome is not on the earth eueÌ so we ought not to direct our prayers to any God in earth but vp where our kyngdome is And whether our redemer sauiour is gone there sitteth on the right hand of his father to pray for vs to offer out prayers vnto his father to make theÌ for his sake acceptable neither ought he y t is bound vnder paine of daÌnatioÌ to loue his brother as Christ loued him to hate to persecute to slay his brother for blind zeale to any opinioÌ that neither letteth nor hindereth to saluatioÌ that is in Christ As they which pray to God in the SacrameÌt not onely do but also through that opinion as they haue lost loue to their neighbours euen so haue they lost the true fayth in y t couenauÌt made in Christes bloud and body Which couenaunt onely is y t which saueth And to testifis this was the sacrameÌt institute onely ¶ FINIS A Letter sent from William Tyndall vnto Iohn Frith being prisoner in the Tower of London THe grace and peace of God our father and of Iesus Christ our Lord be with you Amen Dearely beloued brother Iohn I haue heard say how that hypocrites nowe that they haue ouercome that great busines which letted theÌ at the least way haue brought it at a stay they returne to their old nature agayne The will of God be fulfilled and that which he hath ordeyned to be ere the world was made that come and his glory reigne ouer all Dearely beloued how euer the matter be commit your selfe wholy and onely vnto your most louing father most kinde Lorde and feare not men that threat nor trust men that speake fayre but trust him that is true of promise and able to make his worde good Your cause is Christes Gospell a light that must be fedde with the bloud of fayth The lampe must be dressed and snuffed dayly and that oyle poured in euery euening and morning that the light goe not out Though we be sinners yet is the cause right If when we be busteted for well doing we suffer paciently and endure that is acceptable to God for to that ende we are called For Christ also suffered for vs leauing vs an example that we should follow his steps who did no sinne Hereby haue we perceaned loue that he layed downe his lyfe for vs Therefore we ought also to laye downe our liues for the brethern Reioice and be glad for great is your reward in heauen For we suffer with him that we may also be glorified with him Who shall chaunge our vile body that it may be fashioned like vnto his glorious body according to the working wherby he is able euen to subiect all thinges vnto hym Dearely beloued be of good courage and comfort your soule with the hope of this high reward and beare the Image of Christ in your mortall body that it may at his comming be made like to his immortall and folow the example of all your other dear brethren which chose to suffer in hope of a better resurrection Kéepe your conscience pure and vndefiled and say against that nothing Sticke at necessarie thinges and remeÌber the blasphemies of the enemies of Christ saying they finde none but that will abiure rather then suffer the extremitie Moreouer the death of theÌ that come againe after they haue once denyed thouh it be accepted with God and all that beléeue yet is it not glorious for the hipocrites say he must néedes dye denying helpeth not But might it haue holpen they would haue denyed fyue hundred tymes but seing it would not helpe them therefore of pure pride and mere malice togither they speake with their mouthes that their conscience knoweth false If you geue your selfe cast your selfe yelde your selfe commit your selfe wholy and onely to your louyng father then shall his power be in you and make you strong and that so strong that you shall féele no payne which should be to an other present death and his spirit shall speake in you and teach you what to aunswere according to his promise He shall set out his trueth by you wonderfully and worke for you aboue all that your hart can imagine Yea you are not yet dead though the hipocrites all with all they can make haue sworne your death Vna salus victis nullam sperare salutem To looke for no mans helpe bringeth the helpe of God to them that seeme to be ouercome in the eyes of the hipocrites Yea it shall make God to cary you through thicke and thinne for his truethes sake in
oft mencioned is fayth of the whiche meate âayth the Prophet the iust liueth Fayth in him is therfore the meate whiche Christ prepareth dresseth so purely poulderyng and spicyng it with spirituall Allegories in all this Chapter folowyng to giue vs euerlastyng life through it Then sayd the Iewes vnto hym What token doest thou whereby we might know that we should beleue in thee Do somwhat that we might beleue in thee what thyng workest thou that we might know thee to be God Thou knowest well inough that our fathers did eate bread or MaÌna in the deserte as it is written hee gaue them bread from aboue Iesus aunswered Verely verely I say vnto you Moses gaue ye not that bread from heaueÌ for though it fell downe from the ayre yet was it not heaueÌly foode for it dyd but feede the belly but this bread of God that is descended from heauen whom my father giueth refresheth the soule so aboundauntly that it geueth life vn to the world When the Iewes vnderstode not this saying whiche was nought elles then the declaryng of the Gospell for by the eatyng of this bread hee meant that belefe of this his Gospell they sayd Syr giue vs this bread euermore Iesus sayd vnto theÌ I am the bread of life and who so commeth to me shall not hunger who so beleueth in me shal neuer thyrst When the Iewes hard Christ say the bread that descended from heaueÌ should giue lyfe to the world they desired to haue this bread giuen them for euer And Iesus perceiuing that they vnderstode not the sence of this Gospel he expouÌded vnto them who was this so liuely bread that giueth life to all the world saying I am the bread of life and who so commeth to me that is to say who so is graffed and ioyned to me by faith shall neuer hunger that is who so beleueth in me is satisfied It is fayth therefore that stancheth this hunger and thyrst of the soule Fayth it is therfore in Christ that filleth our hungry hartes so that we caÌ desire none other if we ⪠once eate drinke him by fayth that is to say if we beleue his flesh and body to haue bene broken his bloud shed for our sinnes For then are our soules satisfied and we be iustified Ouer this it foloweth But I haue told you this because ye looke vppon me and beleue me not that is ye be offended that I sayd he that commeth to me shall neither hunger nor thyrst seyng that your selues beyng present be yet both hungry and thyrstie But this commeth because ye haue sene me with your bodily eyes and yet see me beleue not in me but I speake not of such sight nor commyng but of the sight of fayth which who so hath he shall haue none other desire he shall not seeke by night to loue an other before whom be would lay his grief He shal not runne wandering here and there to seke dead stockes and stones for he is certified by his âayth to whom hee shall cleaue he is coupled by fayth vnto me his very spouse liuely foode the onely treasure of his soule neuer more to thyrst for any other This light of fayth ye haue not for ye beleue not nor trust in me wherfore ye vnderstand not how I am the very bread and meate of your soules that is to say your faith hope And the cause of this your blyndnes is I will not say ouer hardly to you that the father hath not drawne you in to the knowledge of me or els ye had receiued me For all that the father giueth me must come vnto me And as for me I cast out no maÌ that commeth to me For I am not come downe froÌ heauen to do my will whiche ye attribute vnto me as vnto eche any other man for I am verely a very man accordyng to that nature I haue a speciall proper will but much more obedieÌt to my father then one of you For your will oft resisteth and repugneth Gods will but so doth mine neuer I am therfore come downe to doe his will that hath sent me And to do you to witte what his will is This I say is my fathers will y t hath sent me That of all that he hath giueÌ me I leeâe none but must rayse hym vp agayne in the last day and to be playne This is the will of him that sent me That who so seeth that is to know the sonne and beleueth in him he shall haue lyfe euerlalastyng and I shall styrre hym vp in y e last day Here may ye see what meate he speaketh of God sent his sonne into this world that we might liue thorough him Who liueth by him They that eate his flesh drinke his bloud Who eate his flesh drinke his bloud They that beleue his body crucified his bloud shed for their sinnes these cleaâe vnto his gracious fauour But how could they cleane thus vnto him except they knew him And therfore he added saying Euery man that seeth the sonne that is to say vnderstandeth wherfore the sonne was sent into this world and beleueth in him shall haue euerlastyng lyfe Here it appeared to the carnall Iewes that Christ had taken to much vpon him selfe to say I am the bread of lyfe which am come downe froÌ heauen to giue life to the world wherfore the flesh that is to say the Iewes now murmured and noâ maruelled as M. More sheweth his owne dreame to an other text folowyng whiche I shall touch anone they murmured at this saying of Christ I am the bread which am come from heauen saying Is not this Iesus Iosephes sonne whose father mother we know well inough How then sayth he I am come from heauen Iesus auÌswered saying Murmour not among your selues Heard ye not what I told you euen now All that my father giueth me come to me your vnbelefe wherof foloweth this false vnderstanding of my wordes spiritually spoken compelleth me to tell you one thyng more theÌ once or twise This therfore it is No maÌ may come to me the onely earnest peny pledge ⪠of your saluatioÌ vnlesse my father that sent me draw him and whoÌ he draweth vnto me that is ioyneth vnto me by fayth him shall I styrre vp in the last day I wonder that ye take my wordes so straungely beleuyng them to be some hard râdels or darke parables when I say nothyng els theÌ that is written in your owne Prophetes both in Esay and Ieremy saying that all shall be taught of the Lord. Sith eueÌ your Prophetes testifie this knowledge to be giueÌ you of my father what can be spokeÌ more playnly then to say what my father giueth me that commeth to me or this no man may come to me except my father draw him And yet haue it more manifestly Who so hath heard my father and is learned of him he commeth
to me as vnto the very onely anker of his saluation Not that any man hath sene the father lest peradnenture ye mistake these wordes to heare and to learne as though they pertemed to the outward senses and not rather to the mynde and inward illuminyng of the soule For no man euer saw the father although he worke secretly vpon his hart so that what so euer hee willeth we must heare and learne No man I say seeth him but he that is sent of God as I sayd before of my selfe he it is that seeth the father Now therfore say I vnto you verely verely as playnly y t who so beleueth trusteth in me he hath life euerlasting Now haue ye y t summe of this my doctrine eueÌ my very gospel y e whole tale of all my legacy and message wherfore I am sent into the world Had M. More vnderstode this short sentence who so beleueth in me hath life euerlastyng knowne what Paule with the other Apostles preached especially Paul being a yeare a halfe amoÌg the CorinthiaÌs determinyng not neither presumyng to haue knoweÌ any other thyng to be preached them as him selfe saith then Iesus Christ that he was crucified Had M. More vnderstand this point he should neuer haue thus blasphemed Christ his sufficieÌt Scriptures neither haue so belyed his EuaÌgelistes holy Apostles as to say they wrote not all thinges necessary for our saluation but left out things of necessitie to be beleued makyng Gods holy testameÌt insufficient vnperfite First reueled vnto our fathers written oft sence by Moyses and then by his Prophetes and at last written both by his holy Euangelistes and Apostles to But turne we to Iohn agayne let More mocke still lye to I am y â bread of life saith Christ And no maÌ denyeth y â our fathers elders did eate Manna in the desert yet are they dead But he that eateth of this bread that is to say beleueth in me he hath life euerlastyng For it is I that am this liuely bread which am come from heauen of whom who so eate by faith shal neuer dye Here therfore it is to be noted diligently y â Christ meaneth as euery maÌ may see by y â eating of this bread none other thyng then the belefe in him self offred vp for our sinnes whiche faith onely iustifieth vs. Whiche sentence to declare more playnly that he would haue it noted more diligently he repeteth it yet agayn saying It is I y t am the liuely bread which am come down froÌ heaueÌ who so eateth of this bread shall liue euerlastingly And to put you cleare out of doubt I shall shew you in few wordes what this matter is by what wayes I must be the Sauiour redemer of the world to giue it this life so oft rehearsed therfore now take good heede This bread which I speake of so much shall giue it you it is myne owne flesh which I must lay forth pay for the life of y â world Here it is now manifest that he should suffer death in his own flesh for our redeÌptioÌ to geue vs this life euerlastyng Thus now may ye see how Christes fleshe which he called bread is the spirituall foode meate of our soules WheÌ our soules by fayth see God the father not to haue spared his onely so deare beloued sonne but to haue deliuered him to suffer that ignominious so paynefull death to restore vs to lyfe theÌ haue we eaten his flesh and dronken his bloud assured firmely of the fauour of God satisfied certified of our saluation After this communication that he sayd The bread whiche I shall geue you is my flesh whiche I shall pay for the lyfe of the world yet were the carnall Iewes neuer the wiser For their vnbelief and sturdy hatred would not suffer the very spirituall sence mynde of Christes wordes to enter into theyr hartes They could not see that Christes flesh broken and crucified and not bodely eaten should be our saluation and this spiritual meate as our soules to bee fed and certified of the mercy of God and forgiuenes of our sinnes thorough his passion and not for any eatyng of his fleshe with our teeth The more ignoraunt therfore fleshly they were the more fierce were they full of indignatioÌ striuyng one agaynst an other saying How may this felow geue vs his flesh to eate it They stoke fast yet in his fleshe before their eyes those fleshly Iewes Wherfore no maruell though they abhorred the bodely eatyng thereof although our fleshly Papistes beyng of the Iewes carnall opinion yet abhorre it not neither ceasse they dayly to crucifie and offer him vp agayne which was once for euer and all offred as Paule testifieth And euen here sith Christ came to teache to take away all doubt and to breake strife he might his wordes otherwise declared then he hath will here after expounde them haue soluted their question saying if he had so ment as More meaneth that he would haue bene conuayed and conuersed as our iugglers sleighly can conuaye him with a few woordes into a singyng loafe or els as the Thomisticall Papistes say bene inuisible with all his dimensioned body vnder the fourme of bread transubstantiated into it And after a like Thomisticall mystery the wyne transubstantiated to into hys bloud so that they should eate his flesh and drinke his bloud after their owne carnall vnderstanding but yet in an other forme to put away all grudge of stomacke Or sith S. Iohn if he had vnderstode his maisters minde and tooke vpon hym to write his wordes would leaue this Sermon vnto the world to be read he might now haue deliuered vs and them froÌ this doubt But Christ would not so satisfie theyr question but aunswered Verely verely I say vnto you except ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall not haue that life in your selues He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath lyfe euerlasting and I shall styrre him vp in the last day for my flesh is very meate and my bloud the very drinke He saith not here that bread shal be transubstanciated or conuerted into his body nor yet the wyne into his bloud But now coÌferre this saying to his purpose at the begynnyng where he had them worke for that meate that should neuer perish tellyng them that to beleue in hym whom God hath sent was the worke of God And who so beleueth in hym should neuer thyrst nor hunger but haue lyfe euerlastyng Conferre also this that foloweth and then shalt see it playne that his wordes be vnderstand spiritually of the belefe in his flesh crucified and his bloud shed for which belefe we bee promised euerlastyng lyfe hym selfe saying Who so beleueth in me hath life euerlastyng Here therfore their questioÌ how may this man giue vs his
flesh to eate it is soluted euen when he gaue his body to be broken his bloud to be shed And we eate and drinke it in deede wheÌ we beleue stedfastly that hee dyed for the remission of our sinnes Austen and Tertullian to witnesse But here maketh More his argument agaynst the young man Because the Iewes maruelleâ at this saying My flesh is very meate and my bloud drinke And not at this I am the dore and the very vyne therefore this text sayth he My flesh is c. must be vnderstand after the litterall sence that is to wirte eueÌ as the carnall Iewes vnderstode it murmuring at it beyng offended goyng their wayes froÌ Christ for their so carnall vnderstandyng therof And the other textes I am the dore c. must be vnderstand in an Allegory and spituall sence because his hearers maruelled nothyng at the maner of the speach Loe Christen Reader here hast thou not a âast but a great tunne full of Mores mischief and pernicious peruertyng of Gods holy worde and as thou seist him here falsely pestilently destroy the pure sence of Gods worde so doth hee in all other places of hys bookes First where he sayth they marueiled at this Christes saying My flesh is very meate c. that is not so neither is there any such worde in the text except More will expounde Murmurabant idest mirabantur they murmured that is to say they marueiled as he expouÌdeth Oportet idest expedit conuenit He must dye or it behoueth him to dye that is to say it was expedient and of good coÌgruence that he should dye c. Thus this Poete may make a man to signifie an Asse blacke white to blere the simple eyes But yet for his Lordly pleasure let vs graunt him that they murmured is as much to say as they meruayled because perchaunce the one may folow at the other And then do I aske him whether Christes Disciples and his Apostles heard âim not vnderstode him not when he sayd I am the doore and the vyne and when hee sayd My flesh c. If he say no or nay the Scripture is playne agaynst him If he say yea or yes then yea doe I aske hym whether his Disciples and Apostles thus hearyng and vnderstandyng hys woordes in all these three Chapters wondered and meruayled as More sayth or murmuâed as hath the text at their maisters speech What thinke ye More must aunswere here Here may ye see whether this old holy vpholder of the Popes Churche is brought euen to be taken in his owne trappe For the Disciples and his Apostles neither murmured nor merâayled nor yet were offended w t this their maister Christes wordes and maner of speech for they wââ¦ainted with such phââ¦red their maister Christ when hâââ¦e will ye also go hence frâme ⪠Lord sayd they to whom shall we goe thou hast the wordes of euerlastyng lyâe and we beleue that thou arâ⦠sonne of the liuyng God Lo M. More they neither meruailed nor murmured And why For because as ye say theâ vnderstode iâ in an Allegory ãâã ââd perceiued well that hee meant not of hys materiall âody to bee eaten with their teeth but he meant ãâã of him selfe to be beleued to be very God and very man hauing flesh and bloud as they had and yet was he âhe sonne of the liuyng God This belefe gathered they of all hys spirituall sayinges as hym selfe expounded his own wordes saying My flesh profiteth nothyng meanyng to be eaten but it is the spirite that giueth this life And the wordes that I speake vnto you are spirite and lyfe so that who so beleue my flesh to be crucified and broken and my bloud to be shed for his sinnes he eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud and hath lyfe euerlastyng And this is the lyfe wherewith the righteous lyue euen by fayth The second argument of More AFter this text thus wisely proued to be vnderstand in the litterall sence with carnall Iewes and not in the Allegorike or spirituall sense with Christ his Apostles the whole suÌme of Mores confutation of the young maÌ standeth vpon this Argument ãâã Posse ad Esse That is to witte God may do it Ergâ it is done Christ may make his body in many or in all places at once Ergo it is in many or in all places at once Which maner of argumentation how false and naught it is euery sophister and euery man that hath witte perceiueth A like argument God may shew More the truth and call him to repentaunce as he did Paul for persecutyng his Church Ergo More is conuerted to God Or God may let him run of an indurate hart with Pharao and at last take an open and soden vengeaunce vppon him for persecutyng hys worde and burnyng his poore members Ergo it is done already M. More must firste proue it vs by expresse wordes of holy Scripture and not by hys owne vnwritten dreames that Christes body is in many places or in all places at once and then though our reason can not reach it yet our fayth measured and directed with the worde of fayth will both reach it receiue it and hold it fast to not because it is possible to God and impossible to reason but bicause the written woorde of our fayth sayth it But wheÌ we read Gods wordes in mo then xx places contrary that his body should be here More must giue vs leue to beleue his vnwritten vanities verities I should say at laysure Here mayst thou see Christen reader wherefore More would so fayne make thee beleue that the Apostles left out certeine thynges vnwritten of necessitie to be beleued eueÌ to stablish the Popes kyngdome which standeth of Mores vnwritten vanities As of the presence of Christes body and makyng therof in the bread Of Purgatory of inuocation of Saintes worshyppyng of stones and stockes pilgrimages halowyng of bowes and belles and crepyng to the crosse c. If ye will beleue what so euer More can fayne without the Scripture then caÌ this Poete faine you an other Church theÌ Christes and that ye must beleue it what so euer it teacheth you for he hath fained to that it caÌ not erre though ye see it erre and fight agaynst it selfe a thousand rymes Yea if it tell you blacke is white good is bad and the deuill is God yet must ye beleue it or els be burned as heretikes But let vs returne to our purpose To dispute of Gods almighty absolute power what God may do with his body it is great folie and no lesse presumption to More sith the Pope whiche is no whole God but halfe a God by their owne decrees haue decreed no man to dispute of his power But Christen Reader be thou content to know that Gods wil his word and his power be all one and repugne not And neither willeth he nor may not do any thing includyng
where one I pray ye but also done by the commoÌ course of nature here in earth If they be done by the common course of nature so be they no miracles And some thynges made also by mans hand As one face beholded in diuers glasses and euery peece of one glasse broken into twenty c. Lorde how this pontiâicall Poete playeth his part Bicause as he saith we see many faces in many glasses therefore may one body be in many places as though euery shadow and similitude representing the body were a bodely substauÌce But I aske More when hee seeth hys owne face in so many glasses whether all those faces that appeare in the glasses be his owne very faces hauing bodely substaunce skynne fleshe bone as hath that face which hath his very mouth nose eyen c. wherewith he faceth vs out the truth thus falsely with lyes And if they be all his very faces then in very deede there is one body in many places and he him selfe beareth as many faces in one hode But accordyng to his purpose eueÌ as they be no very faces nor those so many voyces sownes and similitudes multiplied in the ayre betwene the glasses or other obiect the body as the Philosopher proueth by naturall reason be no very bodyes no more is it Christes very body as they would make thee beleue in the bread in so many places at once But the bread broken and eaten in the Supper monisheth and putteth vs in remembraunce of his death and so exciteth vs to thankes giuyng to lande and prayse for the benefite of our redemption and thus wee there haue Christ present in the inward eye and sight of our fayth We eate his body and drinke hys bloud that is we beleue surely that hys bodye was crucified for our sinnes and hys bloud shed for our saluation At last note Christen reader that M. More in the third booke of his confutation of Tyndall the. CCxlix side to proue S. Iohns Gospell vnperfit and insufficient for leauing out of so necessary a point of our faith as he calleth the last Supper of Christ his MauÌdy sayth that Iohn speake nothyng at all of this SacrameÌt And now see againe in these his letters agaynst Frith how him selfe bringeth in Iohn the vj. chap. to impugne Frithes writyng and to make all for the Sacrament eueÌ thus My flesh is verely meate my bloud drinke Belike the man had there ouer shotte hym selfe foule the young man here causing him to put on his spectacles and poore better and more wisely with his old eyen vpoÌ S. Iohns Gospel to finde that thing there now written which before he would haue made one of his vnwritten verities As yet if he looke narowly hee shall espy that him self hath proued vs by Scripture in the xxxvij leafe of his Dialogue of quoth he and quoth I our Ladies perpetuall virginitie expoundyng non cogâosco id est non cognoscam whiche now written vnwritten veritie hee numbereth a litle before among his vnwritteÌ vanities Thus may ye see how this old holy vpholder of the popes church hys woordes fight agaynst him selfe into his own confusion in findyng vs forth his vnwritten written vanities verities I should say But returne we vnto the exposition of S. Iohn When the Iewes would not vnderstand the spirituall saying of the eating of Christes flesh and drinkyng of hys bloud so oft and so playnely declared he gaue them a strong stripe and made them more blynd for they so deserued it such are the secrete iudgementes of God addyng vnto all hys sayinges thus who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud abideth in me and I in him These wordes were spoken vnto these vnbeleuers into their farther obstinatioÌ but vnto the faithfull for theyr better instruction Now gather of this the contrary say who so eateth not my fleshe and drinketh not my bloud abydeth not in me nor I in him and ioyne this to the foresayd sentence Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of maÌ drinke hys bloud ye haue no lyfe in you let it neuer fal froÌ thy minde Christen reader that faith is the lyfe of the righteous and that Christ is this lyuyng bread whom thou eatest that is to say in whoÌ thou beleuest For if our Papistes take eatyng drinkyng here bodely as to eate the naturall body of Christ vnder the forme of bread and to drinke hys bloud vnder the forme of wyne theÌ must all young children that neuer came to Gods borde departed all laye men that neuer drancke hys bloud be damned By loue we abyde in God and hee in vs loue foloweth faith in the order of our vnderstanding and not in order of succession of tyme if thou lookest vpon the selfe giftes and not on their fruites So that principally by faith wherby we cleaue to Gods goodnes and mercy we abide in God and God in vs as declare his wordes folowyng saying as the liuyng father sent me so liue I by my father And euen so he that eateth me shall lyue bycause of me or for my sake My father sent me whose will in all thinges I obey for I am his sonne And euen soverely must they that eate me that is beleue in me forme and fashion them after my exaÌple mortifying their flesh chaunging their liuing or els they eate me in vayne and dissemble theyr belief For I am not come to redeme y t world onely but also to chaunge theyr lyfe They therefore that beleue in me shall traÌsforme their life after my example doctrine not after any mans traditioÌs This is the bread y t came froÌ heaueÌ as the effect it selfe declareth whoÌ who so eateth shall lyue euer But he y t eateth bodely bread lyueth not euer as ye may see of your fathers y t eate MaÌna yet are they dead It is not therfore any materiall bread nor bodely foode that may geue you life eternall These wordes did not onely offende them that hated Christ but also some of hys Disciples They were offended sayd the text and not merueyled as More trifleth out the truth which said This is an hard saying who may here this These Disciples yet stoke no lesse in Christes visible fleshe and in the barke of his wordes then did the other Iewes and as doth now More beleuing him to haue had spoken of his naturall body to be eaten with their teth Which offence Christ seyng sayd doth this offend you what then will ye say if ye see the sonne of maÌ ascend thether where he was before If it offend you to eate my flesh while I am here it shal much more offend you to eate it when my body shal be gone out of your sight ascended into heauen there sittyng on the right hand of my father vntill I come again as I weÌt that is to iudgement Here might Christ haue instructed his disciples in the truth of the
beleued in Christ to bee incarnated and to suffer death what els meant the poore woman of Lanane by eating then to beleue wheÌ she aunswered Christ saying Ye say soth my Lorde But yet doe the little whelpes eate of the crummes that fall from their maisters table This dyd she aunswere in an allegory accordyng to Christes first aunswere vnto her she meanyng by y t eatyng of the crummes the belief of his woordes and Gospell to be scattered among the Gentils as Christ aunsweryng coÌfirmed her meanyng saying O woman great is thy fayth He sayd not thou art a great eater and deuourer of bread Here it is playne that to eate in the Scripture is taken to beleue as Christ him selfe expoundeth it so oft and so plentuously And I am here compelled to inculke iterate it with so many wordes to satisfie if it were possible this carnall fleshvowerer and fleshly Iew. Now to examine and to discusse this matter more depely playnly I shall compare the old passeouer with the new and supper of the Lord. And to shew you how the figures correspond their verities I will begyn my comparison at Baptisme comparyng it with the Lordes Supper which be the two Sacramentes left vs now vnder the grace of the Gospell And afterward to set foorth both these Sacramentes playnly I wil compare Circumcision with Baptisme the passe lambe with Christes Supper We by Baptisme as we testified vn to the congregation our entryng into the body of Christ take here Christes body as doth Paule for his congregation to dye to be buried and to ryse with him to mortifie our flesh and to be reuiued in spirite to cast of the old man and to do vpon vs the new euen so by the thankes giuyng for so did the old Greke doctours cal this Supper at Gods bourde or at the Lordes Supper for so doth Paule call it we testifie the vnitie and communion of our hartes glued vnto the whole body of Christ in loue yea and that such loue as Christ at this his last Supper expressed what tyme he sayd his body should be broken and his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes And to be short As Baptisme is the badge of our fayth so is the Lordes Supper the token of our loue to God our neighbours where vppon standeth the law and the Prophetes For the end of the precept is loue out of a pure hart and good conscience and fayth vnfayned So that by baptisme we be initiated coÌsigned vnto the worship of one God in one fayth And by the same faith and loue at the Lordes Supper we shew our selues to coÌtinue in our possession to bee incorporated and to be the very members of Christes body Both these Sacramentes were figured in Moyses law Baptisme was figured by Circumcision the Lordes Supper by the eatyng of the passelambe Where lyke as by CircumcisioÌ the people of Israell were rekened to be Gods people seueral from the GeÌtiles so be we now by Baptisme rekened to bee consigned vnto Christes Church seuerall froÌ Iewes paynyms c. And as their passeouer that is to say their soleÌne feast yearely in eatyng their passelambe was an outward token of their perseueraunce in their religion and in remembraunce of their passage out of Egypt into the lande of Chanaan so is now the eatyng of the Lordes Supper whiche Christ and Paule called our passeouer a token of our perseueraunce in our Christen profession at Baptisme and also thankes giuyng with that ioyfull remeÌbraunce of our redemption froÌ sinne death and hell by Christes death Of the figure of this Supper our new passeouer thus it is written After ye be entred into that land whiche the Lord God shall giue you accordyng to his promise ye shall kepe this ceremonie And when your children aske you what Religion is this ye shall aunswere them It is the sacrifice of the passyng ouer of the Lord when the Lord passed foorth by the houses of the children of Israell in Egypt smityng the EgyptiaÌs and deliuering our houses This eatyng therfore of the passe lambe was the figure of the Lordes Supper ⪠whiche figure when the houre was come y â he would it to ceasse and giue place vnto the veritie as the shadow to vanish away at the presence of the body He sayd thus with a feruent desire do I long to eate this passeouer with you ere I suffer Agayne let vs compare the figure with the truth the old passeouer with the new and diligeÌtly consider the propertie of speakyng in and of either of theÌ Let vs expende the succession imitation and tyme how the new succeding the old mediatour Christ betwen both sitting at the Supper celebrating both with his presence did put out the old and bryng in the new For there is in either of them such like composition of wordes such affinitie and proportioÌ of spech such similitude and propertie in them both the new so correspoÌdyng in all thynges to the old that the old declareth the new what is it wherfore it was instituted and what is the very vse therof And to begyn at Circumcision the figure of Baptisme ye shall vn derstand that in such rites and SacrameÌtes there are two thinges to be considered that is to wit The thyng and the signe and of thyng The thynge is it wherfore the signe is instituted to signifie it as in Circumcision the thyng is the couenaunt to be of the people of God and the signe is the cuttyng of the foreskinne of the preuy meÌber In the passeouer the thing was the remeÌbraunce with thankes giuyng for the deliueraunce out of the hard seruitude of Egypt but the signe was the lambe rosted with such ceremonies as were there prescribed them So in baptisme The thyng is the promise to be of the Church of Christ the signe is the dippyng into the water with the holy wordes In our Lordes Supper the very thing is Christ promised and crucified and of faith with thankes giuing vnto the father for his sonne giuen to suffer for vs. But the signe is the dealyng and distributing or reaching forth of the bread and wyne with the holy wordes of our Lord spoken at his supper after he had thus dealt the bread wyne vnto his Disciples And here is it diligently to be noted That in all such rites ceremonies or Sacramentes of God thus instituted these two thinges that is to witte the thyng signified and the signe that signifieth be concurraunt and inseparable It is the common vse and propertie of spech in the Scripture to call the signe the thyng As is Circumcision called the couenaunt Euery manchild must be circumcised that my couenaunt might be in your flesh for a perpetuall bande And yet was it onely but the outward signe seale of the couenauÌt that the sede of Abraham should be his especial chosen people that he would
be their God The lambe that was but the signe was called the passeouer and yet was not the lambe the passyng ouer but the signe onely excityng and monishing them to remember that deliuerauÌce by the aungell pasling by the Israelites in Egypt sinityng the Egyptians And sith this trope or maner of spech the Scripture did vse with so great grace in the old rites and ceremonies that figured our SacrameÌtes why may it not with like grace for that analogie and proper congruence of the figures with their verities vse the same phrase and maner of spech in their verities If the Scripture called the signe the thyng in Circumcision the passeouer why should we be offended with the same spech in our Baptisme in the Lordes Supper Sith such maner of spech haue no lesse grace and fulnes here then there to bryng the thyng signified into our hartes by such outward sensible signes For when that signe of Circumcision was giuen the child theÌ were they certified as an outword token may certifie that the child was of the people of Israell And therfore did the signes theÌ as they do now beare the names of thyngs which they signified as the lambe eaten in the passeouer was called the sacrifice the selfe passeouer none otherwise then in our new passeouer that is the Lordes supper the bread brokeÌ c. is called the body of Christ the wyne poured forth and distributed to ech maÌ the bloud of Christ because the bread so broken and dealt signifieth vnto the receiuers and putteth them in remembraunce of the sacrifice of his body on the aulter of the crosse and of his bloud poured foorth for our redemption So that this maner of spech in the administration and vse of the Supper of our Lord to say This is my body this is my bloud is asmuch to say as this signifieth my body this signifieth my bloud Which Supper is here celebrated to put vs in remeÌbraunce of Christes death and to excite vs to thankes giuyng Neither let it offend thee O Christen reader That est is taken for significat that is to say This is that is as much to say as this signifieth that For this is a commoÌ maner of spech in many places of Scripture and also in our mother touÌg as wheÌ we see many pictures or images which ye know well are but signes to represent the bodyes whom they be made lyke yet we say of the Image of our Lady This is our Lord and of S. Katheriue this is S. Katherine yet do they but represent and signify vs our Lady or S. Katherine And as it is writteÌ The in brauÌches are three dayes The thre baskets are three dayes which was not els but they signified three dayes Also in the xxviij chapter Iacob sayd This stone whiche I haue set vp an ende shal be Gods house which stone yet was neuer Gods house nor neuer shal be but onely did signifie gods house to be builded in that same place Agayne Pharao dreamed to haue sene vij faire fat OxeÌ eftsoones vij poore lene OxeÌ which Ioseph expoundyng sayd The vij fat OxeÌ are vij pleÌtuous yeares in which phrase or maner of spech euery maÌ sith that the OxeÌ were no yeares but they signified such yeares Maruell not therfore though est likewise in this senteÌce Hoc est corpus meum be taken for significat as much to say as this signifieth my body And yet for because the Scriptures conferred together expounde them selfe as sayth S. Austen And Peter That we haue before a firme and sure prophetical spech vnto which if we attend as vnto a light set vp in a darke place we do well I shall shew you a like phrase in Ezechiell where the destruction of Ierusalem was thus figured God commaundyng Ezechiell to take a sword as sharpe as a raser and shaue of his head and beard and then take a certain waight of the heares deuided into three partes The one he should burne in the middes of the Citie An other he should cut rouÌd about and cast the thyrd vp into the wynde c. which done he sayd Thus sayth the Lord God This is Ierusalem Which act and dede so done was not Ierusalem But it signified and preached vnto the beholders of it Ierusalem to be destroyed none otherwise theÌ the breakyng and distributing of the bread and wyne called Christes body and bloud signifieth and preacheth vs the death of Christ the figure and signe bearyng the name of the thyng signified as in the Prophetes spech saying This is Ierusalem which dyd but signifie Ierusalem When Christ dyd breath into his Disciples saying Take ye the holy ghost the same breath was not the holy ghost but signified and represented them the holy ghost with a thousand lyke maner of spech in the Scripture In the old passeouer thankes were giuen for the slaughter of the first begotten wherein the kynges posteritie of Egypt fell away The Hebrues spared passeouer and deliuered But in the new passeouer thankes were giuen that the onely begotten sonne of the most highest was crucified wherby all faythfull are spared passed ouer and not smitteÌ with the sword of damnation but deliuered and saued in the lambes bloud that hath takeÌ away the sinne of the world In the old passeouer The lambe or feast is called the Lordes passeouer and yet was neither the lambe nor the feast his passyng ouer but the signe and commemoration of his passyng by And eueÌ so is it now in the new Supper of our Lord. It is there called the body of our Lord not that there is any thing wherin his very naturall body is contayned so long and brode as it haÌged on the crosse for so is it ascended into heaueÌ and sitteth on the right haÌd of the father but that thyng that is there done in that Supper as the breakyng and dealyng and eatyng of the bread and the whole like action of the wine signifieth representeth and putteth into our harts by the spirite of faith this coÌmemoration ioyfull remeÌbraunce so to geue thankes for that inestimable benefite of our redemption wherin we see with the eye of our fayth presently his body broken his bloud shed for our sinnes This is no small Sacrament nor yet irreuereÌtly to be entreated but it is the most glorious and hyghest SacrameÌt with all reuerence and thankes geuyng to be ministred vsed receiued preached solemnely in the face of the congregation to be celebrated of whose holy administration and vse I shall peraduenture speake in the end of this Supper But in the meane season Christen reader let these sensible signes signifie and represent hys death and print it in thy hart geuyng thankes incessantly vnto God the father for so incomparable a benefite that hath giueÌ thee his owne onely so dearely beloued sonne our Sauiour Iesus Christ to dye for thy sinnes yea and that
when we were not his childreÌ but his enemyes Christes disciples sayd to the man where is this gest chamber where I might eate the passing by with my disciples they prepared the passeouer And yet Christ eate not the passeouer but the lambe with his disciples where it is plaine y e signe to do on the name of the thyng At last consider vnto what eude all things tended in that last supper how the figure teached the veritie the shadow the body and how the veritie abolished the figure and the shadow gaue place to the body Loke also with what congruence proportion and similitude both in the action the spech al things were consummate and finished and all to lead vs by such seusible signes from the figure vnto the veritie froÌ the flesh vnto the spirite And take thou here this infallible assured saying of Christ neuer to fall fro thy mynde in this last supper do ye this into the remeÌbrauÌce of me And also of Paul saying So oft as ye shal eate this bread lo this heretike calleth it bread eueÌ after the words of the Popes coÌsecratioÌ and drinke of this cup praise declare geue thankes for the death of the Lord vntill he shall come agayne to iudgement RemeÌber thou also what Christ sayd to the carnall Iewes takyng the eatyng of hys flesh and drinkyng of his bloud so carnally aunsweryng them My flesh profiteth not meanyng to eate it bodely but the spirite maketh lyfe And to this set the Prophet Abacukes senteÌce The iust lyueth of his fayth And now Christen reader to put thee cleane out of doubt that Christes body is not here present vnder the forme of bread as the papistes haue mocked vs many a day but in heauen euen as he rose and asceÌded Thou shalt know that he told hys Disciples almost twenty tymes betwene the xiij and xviij chap. of Iohn that he should and would goe hence and leaue this world Where to comfort them agayne for that they were so heauy for his bodely absence he promised to send them hys holy Ghost to be their comforter defender and teacher in whom and by whom he would be present with them and all faithfull vnto the worldes end Hee sayd vnto hys Disciples I goe hence I goe the father I leaue the world and now shall I no more be in the world but ye shall abyde still in the world Father I come to thee Poore men haue ye euer with you but me shall ye not alwayes haue with you And wheÌ he ascended vnto heaueÌ they did behold hym saw the cloude take hys body out of theyr syght and they fastnyng their eyes after him the two men clothed in white sayd vnto them ye men of Galile wherefore stand ye thus lookyng vp into heauen This is Iesus that is taken vp from you into heauen whiche shall so come agayne euen as ye haue sene him going hence Here I would not More to flitte froÌ hys litterall playne sense All these so playne wordes be sufficient I trow to a Christen man to certifie hys conscience that Christ went his way bodely ascendyng into heauen For wheÌ he had told his disciples so oft of his bodely departyng from them they were maruelous heauy and sad Vnto whoÌ Christ sayd Because I told you that I go hence your hartes are full of heauines If they had not beleued hym to haue spokeÌ of his very bodely absence they would neuer haue so mourned for his goyng away And for because they so vnderstode him and he so meane as his wordes sowned He added as he should haue sayd be ye neuer so heauy or how heauely so euer ye take my goyng hence yet do I tell you truth For it is expedient for you that I goe hence For if I should not go hence that comforter should not come vnto you But and if I go hence I shall send him vnto you And agayne in the same chap. I am come from the father and am come into the world and shall leaue the world agayne and go to my father What mistery thinke ye should be in these so manifest woordes Did he speake them in any darke parables Dyd he meane otherwise theÌ he spake Dyd he vnderstand by goyng hence so ofteÌ repeted to tary here still or dyd he meane by forsakyng and leauyng the world to be but inuisible beyng still in the world with his body No surely For he meant as faithfully as playnly as his wordes sowned and euen so dyd hys Disciples without any more maruelyng vnderstand him For they aunswered him saying Lo now speakest thou apertly neither speakest thou any prouerbe But what a darke prouerbe and subtile ridle had it bene if he had meant by his goyng hence to haue âaryed here still and by forsakyng the world to abyde still in the world and by his going hence to his father by his very bodely Ascention to be but inuisible Who would intrepret this plaine sentence thus I go hence that is to saye I tary here still I forsake the world and goe to the father that is to say I will be but inuisible and yet here abyde still in the world bodely For as concernyng his Godhead which was euer with the father and in all places at once he neuer spake such woordes of it When Christ sayd his death now was at hand vnto his Disciples now agayneÌ I forsake the world and go to my father but ye shall tary still in the world If they will expound by his for sakyng the world to tary here still bodely and to be but inuisible why do they not by lyke exposition interprete the tarying here still of the Disciples at that tyme to be gone hence bodely and to be here visible For Christ dyd set these contraryes one agaynst an other to declare ech other As if to tary here still dyd signifie to the Disciples that they should abyde in the world as it doth in deede then must needes his goyng hence and forsakyng the world signifie his bodely absence as both the wordes playnly lowne Christ meant and they vnderstoode them But in so plaine a matter what neede these wordes Be thou therefore sure Christen reader that Christes glorified body is not in this world but in heauen as he thether ascended in which body he shal come euen as he went gloriously with power and great maiestie to iudge all the world in the last day Be thou therfore assured that he neuer thus iuggled nor mocked hys so dearely beloued Disciples so full of heauynes now for his bodely departyng For if he had so meant as our Papistes haue peruerted hys saying hys Disciples would haue wondered at so straunge maner of spech and he would haue expressed his mynde playnly sith at this tyme hee was so full set to leaue them in no doubt but to comforte them with hys playne and comfortable wordes And if he would haue ben
but inuisible and still bodely present hee would neuer haue couered hym selfe with the cloude shewyng them and testifying also by those ij men his very bodely AsceÌtion out of their sightes We may not make of hys very bodely AscentioÌ such an inuisible iugglyng cast as our Papistes fayne Fashionyng and fayning Christ a body now inuisible now in many places at once theÌ so great and yet in so litle a place not decerned of any of our senses now glorified now vnglorified now passible and then impassible and I wote neare what they imagine and make of their maker and all without any woorde yea cleane agaynst all the wordes of holy Scripture For surely in this their imagination and so saying they bryng in a fresh the heresie of that great heretike Marcian which said that Christ tooke but a phantasticall body And so was neither verely borne nor suffered nor rose nor ascended verely neither was he very man Which heresie Tertulian confuteth Christ toke verely our nature such a passible and mortall body as we beare about with vs saue that he was without all maner of synne In such a body he suffered verely and rose agayne from death in such a glorified body now immortall c. as euery one of vs shall ryse at the generall iudgement It is appropried onely to hys Godhead to be euery where and not to bee circumscribed nor conteined in no one place And as for our Papistes prophane voyde voyces his body to be in many places at once indifinitiue incircumscriptiue non per modum quaÌti neque localiter c. which includeth in it selfe contradiction of which Paule warned Timothe callyng them the oppositions of a false named science for that theyr Scholasticall Diuinitie must make obiections agaynst euery truth be it neuer so playne with pro contra whiche science many that professe it sayth Paul haue erred from the fayth as for this contention and battayle about wordes profitable for nothyng els but to subuert the hearers I care not for them For I haue the almighty testimony of the euerlastyng word of God ready to soyle all theyr madde and vnreasonable reasons to wype them cleane away and to turne them into their own confession And for bycause they hold them so fast by Paule I shall loose theyr hold expoundyng the Lordes Supper after Paule which addeth immediatly vnto the cup this y t Luke there left foorth Doe ye this into my remembraunce This doth Paule repete so ofte to put vs in minde that these thankes giuing and Supper is the coÌmemoration and the memoriall of Christes death Wherfore after all hee repeteth it yet agayne the thyrde tyme saying So oft as ye shall eate this bread hee calleth it still bread euen after the Popes consecration and drinke the cuppe he sayth not drinke this bloude see that ye gyue thaÌkes be ioyous and preach the death of the Lord for so much signifieth Anâââciate in this place vntill hee come that is to say froÌ the tyme of his death and Ascention vntill hee come agayne to iudgement Furthermore sayeth Paule who so eateth this bread he calleth it still bread or drinke of the cuppe of the Lord vnworthely is giltie of the body and bloud of the Lord. The body and bloud of the Lorde Paule calleth here the congregation assembled together to eate the Lordes Supper For they are his body and bloud which are redemed with his body and bloud as he said in the x. chapter before The cup of thankes giuyng whiche we receiue with thaÌkes is it not the felowshyp of the bloud of Christ The bread whiche we breake is it not the felowshyp of the body of Christ For we beyng many together are one bread and one body Loe here Paule expoundyng hym selfe vseth the same forme of spech that is vsed in these woordes This is my body takyng is for signifieth We are one bread one body that is to say we are signified by one loafe of bread to be one body he sheweth the cause addyng because we be all partakers of one lofe or peece of bread And in the xij chapter folowing he sayth plainly ye be the body of Christ and his particular members and in the first to the Ephesians God dyd set Christ to be the head ouer all vnto hys congregation whiche is his body c. And bicause the comparison in the x. chapter betwene the Lordes borde and his cup and the deuils borde and his cup do declare this matter I shall recite Paules wordes saying ye may not drinke the cup of the Lord and the cuppe of the deuill both together Ye may not bee partakers of the Lordes borde the deuils borde both at once The deuils borde and hys cuppe was not his body and bloud but the earing and drinkyng before their images and Idols as dyd the heathen in the worshyppe and thankes of theyr Gods Of the which thyng thou mayst gather what Paul meant by the Lordes borde and his cuppe Now let vs returne to Paule in the xâ chapter They eate this bread and drinke of this cup vnworthely that come not vnto this borde with such faith and loue as they professed at their Baptisme They eate vnworthely that thrust them selues in among this congregation hauyng not the loue that this SacrameÌt and signe of vnity teacheth and signifieth Which maner of people Paule in y e same chapter rebuketh and bendeth all his Sermon agaynst them for that they were conteÌtious and came together not for the better but for the woorse So that their commyng together which should haue bene a token of fayth and loue was turned into the occasion and matter of disscution and strife bycause euery man dyd eate as Paule sayth hys owne supper and not the Lordes supper wherein the bread and drinke is common as well to the poore as to the riche But here the rich disdayned the poore and would not tarye for them So that some as the rich went theyr way dronken and full and the poore departed hungry and dry whiche was a token of no equall distribution of the bread and drinke and that the rich contemned the poore and so became sclauÌderous and giltie of the body bloud of Christ that is to witte of the poore congregation redemed with Christes body and bloud Thus they that came together appearyng to haue had that loue whiche the Supper signified and had it not vttered them selues by this conteÌtious and vnlouyng dealyng not to be members of Christes body but rather giltie and hurtfull vnto them As if a souldier of our aduersaries part shoulde come in among vs with our Lordes badge hauyng not that hart fayth and loue to our captaine that we haue we would if we espyed it by any token take him for a spye and betrayer rather then one of vs. Let a man therefore sayth Paule proue him selfe well before whether he hath this fayth to Christ
loue to God and his neighbour which all he professed at Baptisme and this Supper signified and so come in among the congregation to eate of this bread drinke of this cup he calleth it still bread and wyne neither his body nor bloud For he that eateth drinketh vnworthely eateth and drinketh hys owne damnation bycause he discerneth not the Lordes body He calleth still the Lordes body the congregation redemed with Christes body as he dyd before and also in the chapter folowyng fetching his analogie and similitude at the naturall body In which although there be diuers members one excelling an other one inferiour vyler and more coÌtemptible then an other yet may not the body want them but must couer them reuerently and hold them in honour Agayn in the body though there be diuers members of diuers offices yet is there no discorde among them but euery member bee it neuer so low and vyle yet doth it minister and serue an other and all together hold vp and helpe the whole body This consideratioÌ with these coÌparisons so eloquently so plenteously so liuely doth Paule set forth in that xij chap. that no maÌ caÌdesire any more And all to bryng vs into the consideration and discretion of the body of Christ which is his congregation without whiche consideration and discretion if we thrust our selues in with his signe and recognisance faynedly we be but hypocrites and eate and drinke our owne iudgement For this cause many are sicke among you and many are a slepe that is are dead Here it semeth some plage to haue bencast vppon the Corinthians for this abuse in the eatyng of the Lordes Supper For both the law the Prophetes threatened vs plagues as pestilence famine and sword for our sinnes For if we had iudged our soules that is if we had diligently examined our owne liuyng repented we should not haue ben iudged that is to say punished of y t Lord. But while we be punished we be corrected of the Lord lest we should be condemned with the world Wherfore my brethren when ye come together to eate tary one for an other Here is the cause of all this dissention wherfore Paule rebuketh them But here might some of them obiect tell Paul Syr we come thether hungry and may not tary so long wherunto Paul aunswereth as he dyd before saying Haue ye not houses to eate drinke in Do ye contemne the coÌgregation of God and shame them that haue none Here he calleth the poore the church of God whom afterward he called the body of the Lord and now at last he sayth If any maÌ be so huÌgry let him eate somewhat at home and so delay his hunger that he may the better tary for the pore lest ye come together vnto your condemnation And as for other thynges I shall dispose and set in order when I come These other thynges were concerning this Supper and such as were out of frame among them whiche if ye read the whole Epistle are easie to see that they were no necessary truthes for their saluation For all such truthes Paule had preached them before and written them to Neither were these other thinges Lent Fast the Assumption of our Lady halowyng of bowes Belles and Ashes halowyng of Vestimentes and crepyng to the Crosse with such other vnwritten vanities as M. More lysteth to lest and tryful out the truth Now haue ye the very pure sense of these Christs wordes this is my body that is to say This signifieth or representeth my body takyng Est for significat As M. More hym selfe vttered it in his Dialogue put forth in William Barlowes name recityng the opinions of Oecolampadius and Zwinglius saying this is my body is as much to say as this signifieth my body where he saith that Oecolampadius alledgeth for hym Tertulian Chrisostome and Austen but falsely sometyme addyng more to their wordes sometyme takyng away from theyr senteÌces Which saying is playne false and hee belyeth the man now departed for first his incomparable learnyng and verye spirituall iudgement would not suffer hym to be ignoraunt in the vnderstandyng of these old holy Doctours whom I dare say he vnder stode as well as More And his couscience and faythfulnes would not suffer hym falsely to peruert them as M. More belyeth and peruerteth Christ Paule and all holy Scripture And if this maÌ had thus dealt with these Doctours sayinges Luther agaynst whom he did coÌtende in this matter would not haue left it vntold hym But ChristeÌ reader to put thee out of doubt haue here these doctours own wordes both in Latine and Englishe And first heare Tertulian where thou must first vnderstaÌd that there was an hereticke called Marcion saying that Christ tooke not to hym the very body of man but an imagiued and a phantasticall body to put of and on when he lysted and so not to haue ben borne verely of the virgine Mary nor yet to haue suffered verely death c. agaynst whom thus writeth Tertulian in hys fourth booke Professus itaque se concupiscentia concupisse edere pascha vt suum acceptum panem distributum Discipulis corpus suuni illum fecit hoc est corpus meum dicendo id est figura corporis mei Figura autem non fuisset nisi veritatis esset corpus CaeteruÌ vacua res quod est phantasma figuram capere non posset Whiche wordes are thus in English spoken of Christ Whiche acknowledgyng hym selfe with how feruent desire he longed to eate the passeouer as his bread taken and distributyng to his Disciples made it his body saying This is my body that is to say the figure of my body For figure had it bene none except it were a very body For a voyde thyng which is a phantasie can receaue no figure Here it is playne that this is my body after the old holy Doctour is as much to say as this is the figure or signe that representeth or signifieth my body Also thus sayeth Austen Lex dicit non esse manducanduÌ sanguinem quod anima sit sanguis Quod lex dicit sanguis est anima esse positum dicimus sicut alia multa penè omnia Scripturarum illarum Sacramenta signis figuris plena futurae predicationis quae iam per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum declarata est c. Possum etiam interpretari praeceptum illud in signo esse positum Non enim dubitauit Dominus dicere Hoc est corpus meum quum signum daret corporis sui Sic est enim sanguis anima quomodo petra erat Christus Nec tamen quum haec diceret ait petra significabat Christum sed ait petra erat Christus Quae rursus ne carnaliter acciperetur spiritualem illam vocat id est spiritualiter intelligi docet Whiche woordes be thus in English The law sayeth that bloud should not be eateÌ because the life is
full satisfaction for our sinnes 50. b. his body not naturally in the Sacrament 469. b. how he is in many places and how not at one instant 461. b. his bloud blesseth vs from curse of the law 77. a. he consecrated no bread 465. b. satisfied for our sinnes after afore Baptisme 32. a. sacrificed once for all 310. b. he boroweth figures of the old Testament and why 14. b. his prayer is heard praying for vs. 401. b. his treasures who vnderstand not 69. b Christ why not embraced 162. a. dishonored 18. a. vnder the temporall sword 115. b. a vayne name in respect of the Popes name 127. a. hys prophesie must be fulfilled how terrible soeuer it be 132. b. he prophesied why Antichrist should come 151. b. not tyed to Antichristes eare 149. a. not disguised 408. a. accused of insurrection 105. a. his prophesie fulfilled in the papistes 132. a. commaundeth Scriptures to be searched 102. a. alloweth allegories aptly applyed 467. a. onely fulfilleth the law 40. a Chrisostome calleth the Sacrament a signe of Christes body 474. b. his saying of our Lady 336. b Christian man onely suffreth 119. b. receiueth ibid. hath Christes spirite 83. b. how farre bosid to suffer 327 a. wherunto called 98. b. what requisite for hym 34. a. seketh Christes honor 292. a. seeketh his saluation onely of Christ 292. a. seeketh to Christ 329. b Christian loue of whoÌ reiected 116. b Christian patience 260. a Christian doctrine sufficiently conteyned in Paule to the Romanes 49. b Christian kyng who 349. b Christenyng of Belles 152. a Churche 200. a. what it is 257. a. ãâã word of diuerse significatioÌs 249. a. without sinne 294. a. contayneth good euill 291. a. a place of prayer 282. b. why first ordeyned 87. b. cannot erre 360. a Church of God how taken in Scripture 250. a. repugnaunt to Gods law erreth 201. b. hath a double signification 291. a. why translated into this word congregation 250. b Churche must yeld a reason of theyr doctrine 288. a. Papall persecuteth neuer suffreth 289. b. erreth if the Pope be head therof 375. a Church carnall sinneth 294. b Churlishnes 290. b ChurchwardeÌs their office in tymes past 373. b Cyprian 332. b Circumcision 273. a. a figure of baptisme 467. b. the seale of Gods couenaunt with vs. 437. a. not vsed in xl yeares 248. a. without fayth auayleth not 441. a Circumspect Prelates 369. b Citations 134. b Ciuile orders for fastyng 136. a Clergy 339. a Clergy of the Pope 293. a. are lyers 341. b. robbe God of all honor 165 b. secret conspiratours 363. a. murtherers 341. a. persecutours 262. a Clergy discharged 374. b Climyng vp of the Pope 347. b Cloister loue is bely loue 164. b ComparisoÌ betwen Ionas Christ 27. b. contrariety betwene Christ the Pope 353. b. betwene the olde passeouer Christes last Supper 467. b Comparison betwene Thomas Becket and Thomas Wolsey 361. b Competent liuyng sufficient 20. a. it coÌmeth by folowyng Christ 235. b Compassion for Christes sake must be shewed 84. b Commodities folowyng couetouse rich men 231. a Common wealth 23. a Common goodes 346. a Compulsion that Priests should put away their wiues 314. a Comminalty what to bee required of by the Prince 179. b Common saying of Papistes 360. b Comfort agaynst desperation 4. a Commaundementes of whom kept 76. b Comfort agaynst carnall weakenes 454. a Condemnation not vnder three witnesses 23. a Condemnation of the law 57. a Confirmation of childreÌ 276. b. how it came first into the Church 276. a CongregatioÌ how vnderstode 205. b it must order vs. 441. a. what perteineth to them 358. b Confession 115. a. 290. b. 173. a Confession the nurse of treason 155. b. what an intolerable burden 140 a. robbeth the Sacramentes 157. b. stablisheth the Popes kingdome 180. b ConfessioÌ due to them whoÌ we haue offended 148. b Confession with repentaunce 392. b. knowledgeth her sinnes hartly to God 147. a ConfessioÌ of thy fayth in Christ with out carnall feare assureth thee of saluation 147. a Conquest of the world what 405. a Conquestes of fayth 421. b Conscience how pacified ibid. b Conscience accuseth not the worker 413. b ConscieÌces must be examined before the communion be receiued 472. b ConsideratioÌ of two thinges in Sacramentes 468. a Constancy 454. a Constantines gift fayned 356. a Correction of God a token of loue 25. a Corpors ecloth 277. b Contemners of the law who 380. a Contempt of the world 7. b Contempt or loue shewed to Christ as to our brethren 163. a Contentes of the old TestameÌt and new 377. b Controuersies concernyng saluation to be stode vnto 1454. a. betwene Iames and Paule 130. b Continuaunce to the end in the Gospell maketh vs blessed 52. b Conuersation of Christ and his Apostles to be considered in expouÌdyng Scriptures 172. b Couenaunt of God 186. b. to be kept with hym 23. a. a sure absolution 224. a Couenaunt of Gods promise 432. a. of hys bindyng him selfe to vs. 224 ⪠b. of the Iewes 436. a Couent 192. b Couetousnes 189. b. 267. b. 290. b. 205. b Couetousnes a plague 230. a. blyndeth our eyes 406. a. blindeth Religion 19. b. blyndeth the spiritualtie 107. b. roote of all euill 215. b Couetousnes bewrayeth a false Prophet 189. b. maketh a false prophet 231. b. the end of false doctrine 173. a. of Prelates decayed Christendome 346. a. of shauelynges must not be restrayned 406. a Councels 295. a. general 314. b. how they should conclude 288. a. put downe all Images in Grece 323. b Councell of Papistes daÌnable 108. a Craft of the Pope 369. b. of his Legates 366. b. of Prelates 135. a. of hypocrites 134. a Crosse 186. b. 219. a. 326. a Crosse borne in procession 135. a Crosse of Christe purgeth all vices 165. a. foloweth a true Christian 209. a Crueltie of Papistes 309. b. 363. b Curse 110. a Curse of God vppon law breakers 23. b Curse of the Pope a fearefull bugge 150. a Cursed who 195. b Cursyng the meanyng therof 174. b Curiositie reproueth 23. b. to be auoyded 409. b Curiositie in searching Gods secrets 329. a Custome of walshe people 152. b Cut of from Christ who 165. a Cup of Christes bloud what 443. b Cup of Christ the deuill how they differre 472. a. and b. D. DAmnation of Princes 112. a Damnation not due to them that are in Christ 42. a Darkenes 232. b. of the Popes doctrine 232. b Darknes caused through couetousnes 232. a Dauid 260. a. would not aduenge hym selfe 110. b. slue not Saule why 111. a Dauncyng in Paris 375. b Dayly bread expounded 222. b Dayly vse of the Sacramentes commaunded by God 442. a Deacon 345. b. what it signifieth his office 133. b Deacons how admitted of the Apostles 146. a. their office in the primitiue Church 345. b Deacons were the first corruption of the Church 346. b Deacons of Christ and of the Pope differre 310.
from our sinne If we beleue that he imputeth not our sinnes vnto vs but y â his wrath is pacified in Christ and his bloud If we beleue that hée bath ⪠fréely geuen vs hys Christ and with him all thinges so that we be destitute in no gift Roma viij then are we righteous in his sight and our coÌscience at peace with God not thorough our selues but thorough our Lord Iesu Christ Roma v. So mayst thou perceaue that thou art a sinner in thy selfe yet art thou righteous in Christ for through him is not thy sinne imputed nor rekened vnto thée And so are they to whom God imputeth not their sinnes blessed righteous without spot wrincle or blame Roma 4. Psal 31. And therfore will he neuer thrust theÌ into Purgatory Paule sayth there is no difference for all haue sinned and lacke y â glorye whiche before God is allowed but they are iustified fréely by his grace through y â redemption y â is in Christ Iesu Roma iij. what saye you now shall they yet go into Purgatory Cal ye that iustificatioÌ fréely by his grace to lye in the paynes of Purgatory Surely that were a newe kynde of spéech whiche I thinke Paule neuer vnderstode Peraduenture some man will thinke myne Argumentes to bee of small pyth and to dissolue them by a distinction saying It is truth y t God hath so purged and clensed vs from all our iniquities neuerthelesse hys mercy purgyng forgeuenesse haue onely purified vs from the faulte and crime but not from the payne which is due to the crime To this obiection I aunswere that if God of his mercy and thorough the bloud of his sonne Iesus haue not remitted y t payne due vnto that crime then shall we all be damned for the payne due vnto euery disobedience that is agaynst God is eternall damnation And therefore if this payne were not forgeuen vs then are we still vnder coÌdemnation and so were Christes bloud shed in vayne could saue no man If they will say that this euerlastyng payne is not wholy forgeuen vs but that it is altered into the temporall payne of Purgatory out of which the Pope may deliuer them by his pardon for els haue they no euasâon at all then may we soone confute them and that by diuers reasons First y t their wordes are nothyng but euen their own imagination for they cannot confirme their sayinges by the Scripture neither ought we to accept any thyng as an article of our fayth whiche is not approued by Gods word for we may neither decline vnto the right hand nor vnto the left but onely do that the Lord commaundeth vs. Deut. 4. 5. 12. 13. And agayne if a man should aske them by what authoritie the pope geueth such pardon They aunswere that it is out of y t merites of Christes passioÌ And so at the last they are compelled to grauÌt euen against them selues that Christ hath not onely deserued for vs the forgeuenes of y t cryme but also of the payne If Christ haue deserued all for vs who geueth the Pope authoritie to reserue a part of his deseruynges from me and to sell me Christes merites for money Besides that euery Christen man ought to apply vnto God all thynges whiche should employ his honour as farre forth as the Scripture will suffer Now seyng it is more vnto the honour of God that he should deliuer vs in his bloud both from the cryme and from the payne and also not repugnauÌt vnto the Scripture but that he hath relesed vs from the payne as well as from the sinne for what entent should we bee so vnkynde as to despoyle him of this great honour without any authoritie of Scripture imagine that he hath not deliuered vs from the payne as well as from the sinne Moreouer if he should reserue the payne then were it no full remission and forgeuenesse but what blasphemy is that to thinke y â Christes bloud was not sufficient to geue full remission vnto his faythfull Furthermore for what entent should the payne be reserued to satisfie towardes God for their offences Nay verely for all meÌ liuyng are not able to satisfie towardes God for one sinne Neither are all the paynes of hell able to purge one sinne or satisfie for it for then at the length the damned soules should bee deliuered out of hell Finally I thinke that there was neuer any temporall punishment institute of God to be any satisfactioÌ for sinne but the vse of all teÌporal paines and chiefest cause why they were ordeyned is this Temporall paynes are profitable for the commoÌ wealth that they may be examples to learne the vnfaithfull which els feare not God that they may at the lest for feare of punishmeÌt absteine from committyng like offences for if theyr sinne were vnpunished then should all vice raigne to the vtter subuersioÌ of the coÌmon wealth They are also profitable for the faythfull for they try and purifie the fayth of Gods elect and subdue and mortifie their carnall members that they may bee the more able to serue their brethren and to withstand the vehemeÌt assaultes of teÌptation which are euer at hand and lest they should waxe prowde and boast them selues for those giftes which they haue receiued of God Furthermore they set out and aduaunce the glory of God For after that we be put in remembraunce and made to féele our fraile nature that so continually displeaseth God our father then haue we occasion to ponder and compare this traÌsitory payne which we here suffer with those enor mous trespasses that we haue coÌmitted and so to espy the infinite mercy and fauour of God and euen in our aduersities to be compelled to prayse God our mercyfull and tender father whiche scourgeth vs so fauorably for those greuous offences that haue deserued a thousande tymes more punishment Howbeit to say truth there is no man that can take any such profite of them that men fayne to be punished in Purgatory For we neither sée it nor heare it neither haue we any meÌtion made of it in Scripture that we may be sure that it so is Now sith we haue no infallible euidence but onely phantasticall imaginatioÌs it is plaine inough that there was no such thyng ordemed neither to aduaunce Gods honour nor yet to the profit of the cominaltie or els of Gods elect for then I am sure that Christ and al his Apostles would not haue forgotteÌ to haue remembred vs of it NOw let vs sée some of Rastels reasons which he sayth that fond felowes lay for them selues to proue that there should be no Purgatory They say sayth Rastell that contrition which some call repentauÌce is that whiche is the very payment and satisfaction for sinne and they say that when a man committeth a sinne and after is repentaunt therfore that God of his
â this is sure inough that if repentaunce be the very payment and satisfaction for sinne as the argument falsly supposeth that God of his iustice must néedes forgeue me when I repent For theÌ haue I wholly payed him his and may require my right euen by his iustice If thou obiect that God were then restrayned compelled I aunswere nay But it were rather a greate pleasure vnto him to forgeue all meÌ if so they could make satisfaction vnto hys iustice by repentaunce for he reioyseth not in punishyng vs. Then addeth Rastell that it is at his libertie alway to execute iustice or mercy at his pleasure To that I auÌswere that he hath no pleasure to do agaynst his Scripture but therein hath he fully opened his pleasure His pleasure is to forgeue fréely all them that beleue in his sonne Christ Iesu and to condemne theÌ that beleue not If Rastell meane on this fashion then graunt we hym But if he vnderstaÌd that God taketh hys pleasure libertie in ministryng his mercy and iustice so that hee may condemne him which hath geuen the very payment and full satisfaction of sinne as it séemeth âe should meane seing hee denyeth not the first part of the argument and agayne saue hym that beleued not then will I say that Rastell ruÌneth ryotte and taketh hys own pleasure For God hath no power agaynst hym selfe and hys Scripture but looke what he hath promised and that he will performe And therfore in this can Rastell proue no purgatory for all that hée groundeth hym on so many lyes But yet is it necessary that we declare vnto you what is the very satisfaction for sinne and then shall we sée whether Purgatory may stand with it or not Paule sayth Hebr. x. that Christ with one oblation hath satisfied for our sinnes for we are halowed saith hee by the offeryng of the body of Christ Iesu whiche was once done vppon the crosse and with that one oblation hath hee made them whiche are halowed perfite for euer Now if this be true that we are made perfite by the oblation of hys owne body vppon the crosse then is Purgatory in vayne For if he haue so purged vs what néede we an other purgation If we be made perfite thorough hym what néede we after this lyfe to bee purged Iâ hee haue satisfied for vs why séeke we an other satisfaction why leaue we the fountaine of liuing water and séeke our refreshing out of polluted pooles and specially sith the headspryng is so ready at hand If we must make satisfaction vnto God for our sinnes then would I know why Christ died thinke ye that his bloud was shed in vayne This is no doubt if there were any other way vnto the father theÌ through Christes bloud whether Purgatory or sacrifices or what thou canst imagine theÌ was his death not necessary But alas what vnkindnesse is y â so to deiect the precious bloud of Christ and to set his gracious fauour at naught If there be any meanes by the which I may satisfie for my sinnes I néede no redemer nor yet any âauour But may call for my right and duety And so were there no néede of Christes bloud mercy fauor But what may be more blasphemous vnto Christes bloud and his frée redemption Christ is able fully and for euer to saue theÌ that come vnto God by hym seyng hee euer lyueth to make intercession for vs. Hebr. vâj If he be able fully for euer to saue vs why runne we from hym and séeke an other Purgatory If he make intercession for vs then is it lyke that he is no cruell stepfather towardes vs but rather y â by all meanes hee séeketh our health why flye we from hym that offereth hym selfe so louyngly to vs why darâ we not put our trust in hym whiche when we were his enemyes vouchsafed to dye for vs and to reconcile vs vnto his father Rom. 5. Now maketh he Comyngo his Almany to bryng in an example and in confutyng that he thinketh to wynne the fielde But we will shew you that his similitude is nothing lyke in dede But if he will imagine that it be lyke then doth he not coÌfute it but maketh it stronger The example is this If I owe thee an C. li. of true debt and humbly desire thee to forgeue discharge pardon me thou make me a cleare release therof then am I not bounde to make thee any other payment or satisfaction To proue that the similitude is nought and nothyng lyke to the purpose is very easâe For the purpose and first part of the argument was this that contrition or repeÌtaunce is the very paymeÌt and satisfactioÌ for sinne Therfore if he will haue it like then must he suppose that this humble request of forgeuenesse discharge and pardon is the very payment and satisfaction for that C. li. and therfore vpoÌ that should they first haue agréed or els caÌ the example serue for nothyng Now if he make them lyke and imagine that this humble desire or forgeuenes is the very payment and satisfactioÌ for that C. li. then hath he made a rod for his own arse for he shall neuer be able to auoyde it But let vs sée his aunswere In the case that you haue put sayth Rastell if you desire me forgeuenesse of that C. li. yet is it at my libertie and gentlenes whether I will forgeue thee the whole C. li. or els part therof well hitte Master Iohn If I should pay you that C. li. in good curraunt money were it yet in your libertie and gentlenesse whether you would forgeue me a part or the whole therof Truly I would be loth to be one of your debtours if you âe so hard to your creditours Be like you haue studyed some cautell in the law For I neuer heard but that if I owed you an C. li. gaue you the very payment satisfaction therof then should I bee cleane discharged whether ye would yea or nay and neither néede to thanke your liberalitie nor gentlenes But in your case the request and desire of forgeuenes is and must be the very payment and satisfactioÌ of y â C. li. or els it is nothyng lyke the argument so that you may put your similitude in your purse til an other place and tyme where it shal better agrée wherfore I must néedes coÌclude that if I desire forgeuenes this standing that the sayd desire of forgeuenes is the very payment and satisfaction of that C. li. for els as I sayd it is nothyng lyke I am cleane discharged and néede neither to thanke your liberalitie nor gentlenesse Now where you obiect the recompense for the losse of tyme and damages hurt and hinderaunce that you haue had for the none paymeÌt of that C. li. and so forth that can not be applyed vnto God and the remission
out thine iniquities for mine own sake sayth God the father and thy sinnes will I no more remember Esay xliij Ergo then hee putteth them not away for broylyng in Purgatory He addeth also that hee will no more remember our sinnes call ye that no remembraunce to cast vs into Purgatory for them Whom God predestinated them he called and whom hée called them he iustified and what dyd he with theÌ then Dyd he cast them in Purgatory there to be cleÌsed forsooth the Apostle maketh no mentioÌ therof but addeth immediatly whom he iustified them he glorified Roma viij Wherfore let not vs put such obstacles and be vnkynde vnto the gracious fauour of God Besides that Paule forbidedth vs to be carefull for them that slepe that is to say for y t dead as they that haue no hope But surely if he had knowne of any Purgatory hee would haue bene carefull for them sith they fayne them in such miserable tormentes Now seyng he had occasion to make mention of the dead and spake not one word of Purgatory it is playne inough that he knew nothyng of it or els was hee very negligent to ouerhyppe it But yet had I leuer say that Purgatory were but a phantasie of mans imagination then to ascribe such forgetfulnes or negligence vnto that Apostle THe thyrd reason that Rastell allegeth is in the vj. chapter the suÌme is this There are degrees of ioye in heauen and degrees of payne in hell And therefore may God passe euery maÌ and geue him accordyng to his deserte either more or lesse and neuer neede Purgatory Well let vs grauÌt these degrées for Rastels pleasure although the question be sâ disputable that I am sure be can not defend it What foloweth on this for sooth he bryngeth in proper examples if they could serue for y e purpose But let vs passe ouer to his solutioÌ which is in the end of the vij chapter WheÌ a man sayth Rastell is infected with a great mortall sinne and so depart then his soule ought not to doe seruice in heauen vnto God because it is putrified with that foule sinne But if that man had taken the medicine of full repentaunce in hys lyfe that medicine would haue restored him againe to his soule health and vertue But here you must remember that Christ is dead in vayne for if repentaunce be the medicine that restoreth agayne the health vertue of the soule what néedeth Christ Now forth But if he haue taken sayth Rastell some repeÌtaunce for that sinne and not sufficient and had not sufficient tyme to make sufficient satisfaction therfore yet by the takyng of that medicine of repentaunce that sinne is expelled and gone and the soule of that sickenesse and sinne is clearely whole but yet the spottes and tokens of the sinne which is a deformitie to the soule doe still remayne till the soule haue a time to be purged from those tokens and spottes to make it pure and cleane of that deformitie This man is euer in one supposition which is both false and iniurious vnto the precious bloud of Christ I wonder who taught him that conclusion and why hee graunteth so soone vnto it for he would not haue graunted that there were a God neither that y â soule was immortall although they were both true vntil he had proued it as he thought him self by good naturall reason But as for this that is starke false that is to say that repentauÌce while he excludeth Christ doth satisfie for our sinne hee neuer putteth in question but graunteth it by and by belike the Turkes haue such an opinion But let him go with his Turke and let vs Christen men graunt nothing contrary to the scripture but euer captiuate our reason vnto that for it is the infallible reasoÌ and wisedome of God passeth our reason farre THe fourth reason is propounded in the viij chapter whiche is this that the soule vnpurged maye doe some meane low seruice to God in heauen though it bee not the highest best which thing is false agaynst Scripture Ephes v. CaÌt. iiij But let vs sée what aunswere he maketh vnto it His auÌswere begynneth in the ix chap. the summe is this Heauen is so pure and cleane of nature that it must expell all maner of impuritie and vnclennes neither can it suffer any thyng therin that is of any maner vnclennesse or euill or other thyng vnpleasaunt So now it foloweth that when a maÌ hath coÌmitted a mortall sinne and after taketh repentaunce by the whiche he is healed of the foule infirmitie Sée how he harpeth all of one string whiche is also so farre out of tune that I wonder how any man caÌ abyde him For if I can heale mine infirmitie through repentauÌce wherfore dyed Christ But yet sayth he the spots and tokens remayne for lacke of ful satisfaction I aunswere that it remaineth euery whitte sinne spottes tokens all together except Christ haue takeÌ it froÌ of vs through his death and bitter passioÌ Therfore saith Rastel God of his iustice may not condemne his soule to eternall paine in hell for that offence which is purged and put away Wherwith is it purged and put away There is no remission of sinne without bloud Hebr. ix If there be no remissioÌ without bloud what shall repentaunce doe where the bloud of Christ is excluded yea or what shall thy Purgatory doe for there is no bloudshed So is there nothyng that taketh awaye sinne but onely the bloud of Christ Iesu shed for our redemption And yet sayth Rastell God by his iustice and by hys discrete wysedome and goodnes ought not immediatly to receaue that soule into that cleane and most pure place in heauen to accompany the pure aungels c. No mary I waraunt thée be not afrayde of that for neither Gyngemin thy companyon nor thou neither shall enter in there either immediatly or mediatlye if ye exclude Christ as ye haue done hetherto no not if ye had taken all the repentauÌce in the world and would thereto imagine as many Purgatoryes as will pesen into a Monkes coule But it is Christ the lambe of God that taketh awaye the sinne of the world Iohn i. It is he that hath purged our sinne and now sitteth on the right hand of the father Hebr. i. It is he that hath purged our sinne hath made vs in hys own sight in y t sight of his father without spot or wrincle Ephes i. All beit in our own sight we finde our selues sinners i. Iohn i. But he maketh vs blessed and righteous and imputeth not our sinnes vnto vs. Roma iiij Then what néedeth Purgatory THe fift ArgumeÌt that he bryngeth agaynst Purgatory is touched in his x. chapter the summe is this It should seeme conuenient that this Purgatory
me so vile a creature which thing I greatly bewayle and mine vnkindenesse tauseth me now thus to wéepe Wyth y t the Bishop departed and I trust learned to do thereafter And I beséeth God that we may so do and be the faythfull folowers of our Sauiour Christ Iesu to whom be prayse honour and glory for euer Amen A myrrour or lookyng glasse wherin you may beholde the Sacrament of Baptisme described Anno. M. D. xxxiij By me Iohn Frith COnsideryng the manifold lamentable errours wherewith not the ignoraunt people onely but also the learned as they séeme haue bene seduced long as touchyng the blessed Sacrament of Baptisme I thought it expedient therin to write my mynde Trustyng by that meanes to bryng agayn the blynde hartes of many vnto the right way and I doubt not but that the elect and choseÌ of God that know their shepheardes voyce and haue the spirite to iudge all thynges shall easely perceiue whether this be conformable to their masters voyce and shall hereby bee monished to leaue their wanderyng in the darke lothsome wayes which leade vnto death and to walke without stumblyng in the comfortable light which bringeth their consciences to rest such peace that passeth all vnderstandyng One errour is this They put so great confidence in the outward signe that without discretion they condeÌne the infantes whiche dye or they be Baptised vnto euer lastyng payne an other is this They cleaue so strongly vnto the weake ceremonies that they thinke if a dronken Priest leaue out a word as Volo say ye or Credo say ye or forget to put spittell or salt in y e childes mouth that y e child is not christened yea so much giue they thereunto the beggerly salt that they will say spill not the salt for it is our Christendome and vse also to sweare by it Saying by this salt that is my Christendome Alas what blyndnesse is this these two errours are the principall that I do entend at this tyme to confute For when they are fallen the other that are grounded on these must néedes decay First we must marke thrée thynges in euery Sacrament to be considered the signe the signification and the fayth whiche is geuen vnto the wordes of God The signe in Baptisme is the ploungyng downe in the materiall water and liftyng vp agayne by the whiche as by an outward badge we are knowen to be of the number of them which professe Christ to be theyr redemer and Sauiour This outward signe doth neither geue vs the spirite of God neither yet grace that is the fauour of God For if thorough the washyng in the water the spirite or grace were geueÌ then should it folow that who soeuer were baptised in water should receiue this precious gift but that is not so wherfore I must néedes conclude that this outward signe by any power or influence that it hath bryngeth not the spirite or fauour of God That euery man receiueth not this treasure in Baptisme it is euideÌt for put the case that a Iew or an infidell should say that he dyd beleue beleued not in déede and vpoÌ his wordes were baptised in déede for no man caÌ iudge what his hart is but we must receiue him vnto Baptisme if he confesse our fayth with his mouth albeit his hart be farre from thence this miscreant now thus Baptised hath receiued this outward signe and Sacrament aswell as the most faythfull man beleuyng Howbeit he neither receiueth the spirite of God neither yet any grace but rather condemnation Wherefore it is euident that the exterior signe giueth not this gift whiche is also as certaine in all other Sacramentes yea in the Sacrament of the altare whiche may be called a double Sacrament For it is not onely a remembraunce that the naturall body of Christe was broken and hys bloud shed for our redemption as the Euangelistes do testifie but also it is his spirituall body whiche is the congregation of the faythfull as S. Paul testifieth saying the bread which we breake is it not the partaking that is to say we that are partakers of the body of Christ For we sayth hée though we be many yet are we one bread one body But for all that the receiuyng of this Sacrament giueth vs not the spirite of God neither yet his fauor for the wicked receiueth it as well as y e good Howbeit that receiuyng is to theyr daÌnation Wherfore it foloweth that the outwarde signe giueth no maÌ any grace Moreouer if the spirite of God and his grace were bounde vnto the Sacramentes then where y e SacrameÌts were ministred there must y e spirit of grace waite on and where they were not ministred shuld be neither spirit nor grace But that is false for Cornelius all his houshold receiued y e holy ghost before they were Baptised In so much that Peter sayd may any man forbyd that these should be baptised with water whiche haue receiued the holy ghost as well as we And so he commaunded them to be baptised in the name of the Lord here may we sée that as the spirite of God lighteth where he will neither is he bouÌde to any thing Yea and this example doth well declare vnto vs that the Sacramentes are geuen to be an outward witnesse vnto all the coÌgregation of that grace whiche is geuen before priuatly vnto euery man So is Baptisme giuen before the congregation vnto hym which before he receiue it hath either professed the Religion of Christ or els hath the word of promise by the whiche promesse he is knowen to be of the sensible congregatioÌ of Christ and for this cause when we baptise one that is come vnto the age of discretioÌ we axe of hym whether he beleue if he aunswere yea and desire Baptisme then is he baptised so that we require faith in hym before he be baptised whiche is the gift of God and commeth of grace and so it is an outward signe of hys inuisible fayth whiche before was giuen hym of God If an infant be brought vnto baptisme whom his frendes offer vp willyng to sanctifie and fulfill the commaundement and ordinaunce of God we enquire of his frendes before the congregatioÌ whether they will that theyr child be baptised and when they haue aunswered yea theÌ receiueth he Baptisme Here also went before the promise of God that hee of his grace reputeth our infantes no lesse of the congregation then the infantes of the Hebrues and thorough Baptisme doth the congregation receiue him whiche was first receiued thorough grace of the promise thus may we sée that Baptisme bryngeth not grace but doth testifie vnto the congregation that he which is baptised had such grace geuen hym before so is Baptisme a Sacrament that is the signe of an holy thyng eueÌ a token of the grace and frée mercy whiche was before geuen hym a visible example of inuisible
righteousnesse The Pope and Byshoppes kéepe their owne traditions and lawes but the lawe of God is cleane out of their myndes 37. Christ sayd that men shoulde know his disciples by their charitie because they should loue one another as he hath loued them The Pope causeth his to be knowen by theyr shauen crownes by gathering vp of tithes masse pence and offeringes by the gylden trentalles and salaryes to sing by Peter pence gathering and shriuing for monye by peny wedding and holy water sprinkling and many mo markes hath he geuen them As for charitie they know it not at all 38. Christ bad them that hee healed to go and sinne no more The Pope and Bishops haue fayned penaunce and commaunde men to fast bread water to go barefoote without a shurt to offer to certaine idols money or cattell some Masses must be song for them because theyr confessours should haue some profite Some must go about the church and Churchyard with a taper burnyng in hys hand And euer some be punished by the purse though they offend not 39. Christ sent to preach seueÌty and and two Disciples whiche promised fréely heauen to them that would beleue in the name of Christ The Pope and Byshops sende about foure sectes of beggers to geue pardon vnder their master Antichrist And to sell heauen to whom so euer they liste the Apostles knew no such thynges 40. Christ was buryed in a garden in a poore monument without any funerall pompe The Pope and Byshops are buryed in tombes well gilt with many a torch and great solemnitie with angels gloriously portered that beare their soules to heauen Notwithstandyng it is to be feared that they go to supper with the deuill 41. Christ sayth if thou wilt be perfite go and sell all thy goodes and geue it vnto the poore for then shalt thou haue treasure in heauen The pope saith if thou wilt be perfite geue me thy money I will geue thée a pardon that shall absolue thée cleane a poena culpa I will for thy money geue thée the kaye of heauen gates 42. Christ said vnto his Apostles the Kynges and Princes of the Gentiles haue rule and power ouer them but you shall not so haue The Pope sayth all Emperours Kynges and Lordes be my subiectes This is dayly read in his Buls wher in he commaundeth the nobilitie like as a master doth his seruaunt 43. Christ sayth he that among you wil be greatest let him be all your seruauntes The Pope sayth The Emperour must sweare an oth vnto me as vnto his Lord that he will be my subiect eralte and worshyp me with honour Ca. Tibi Domino Di. 63. 44. Christ sayth that we worshyppe hym in vayne with mens doctrines traditions The Pope sayth my traditions in the spiritual law shall be kept as duely as if God had commaunded it him selfe or S. Peter had preached it hym selfe Ca. Si omnes Dist 19. 45. Christ sayth I am the way and the truth folow me in my learnyng And rule you by y e Scripture for that shall be your iudge The Pope sayth ye shall in all thynges folow the Church of Rome by that meaneth he him self and his Cardinals Dist xi Cap. quis ne sciat And as for the Scripture it standeth in my power authoritie for I may make of it what soeuer I will Dist xix Cap. Si romanorum 46. Christ saith he that beleueth and is baptised he shall be saued but he that beleueth not shal be damned The Pope sayth hee that geueth much money for my pardoÌ shal be absoyled a poena a culpa And theÌ must he néedes be saued And he that teacheth otherwise is an hereticke this testifieth his bulles and pardons 47. Christ promiseth forgeuenes of sinne And the kyngdome of heauen vnto them that repeÌt and will amend their lyues The Pope sayth that no man can be saued except he bee first shreuen of his Priestes Friers for they bryng in money Cap. omnes 48. Christ sayth you shall loue your enemyes and shall do good vnto them that hate you The Pope sayth they that be enemyes to me my Cardinals be cursed with the great excommunication and caÌ not be absoyled without much money this is euident inough 49. Christ commaunded his Disciples not to resist euill but if a man strike them on y e one cheke that they should offer him the other also The Pope sayth we may auenge and driue away force with force Dâ sen excom cap. dilecto 50. Christ sayth God the father is my deare sonne hym shall you heare for hys yoke is swéete and his burden lyght The Pope sayth you shall heare me and my commaundement shall be kept and receaued of euery maÌ Dist 93. cap. Si cuiâs And if my coÌmaundement and burthen were so heauy that it caÌ not well be sustained and borne yet shall ye obey me Dist 19. cap. In memoriam 51. Christ sayd vnto the. ij brethren who hath set me to be your iudge in temporal goodes As though he should say It pertaineth not to me but vnto worldly iudges The Pope sayth I am iudge in all maner of causes for they bryng money vnto me 9. q. 3. Conquestus 52. Christ saith geue the Emperour such as pertayneth vnto hym as tribute and custome for I haue payde tolle for me and Peter The Pope saith I care not for this But I excommunicate all them that aske any toll or tribute of me and my shauelynges for I haue made them all frée Cap. Nouit de senten excom Et ca. Si quis de cons dist i. 53. Christ sayth Peter put vppe thy sword into the sheath for he that striketh with sword shall perishe with the sword The Pope sayth you Emperours Kynges Princes and Lordes take swordes speares halberdes clubbes and gunnes and helpe me to slea theÌ that will not obey my tyranny This must an Emperour do or els he must be periured After this maner hath Iulius the Pope slayne xvi thousand men in one day was not that wel pastored Dyd not he well nourish the shéepe which Christ dyd committe vnto his tuition 54. Christ sayde Drinke you all of this cuppe for this is the bloude of my promise The Pope sayth I will not grauÌt this for my priestes alone shal drinke of it because it may crye auengeauÌce on them alone the other shall not drinke of it in the payne of heresy 55. Christ sayth Ye are my frendes if you do all thinges that I my selfe commaunde you The Pope sayth you shall do as I bid you for I haue power and authoritie to make lawes And after them shall you liue 25. q. j. ca. Sunt quidam 56. Christ sayth that chastitie is not geuen vnto euery maÌ they that haue it geuen let them take it geuing thaÌkes to God And let the other vse the remedy which God hath prepared
nomen religionis seu verum seu falsum coagulari homines possunt nisi signaculorum seu Sacramentorum visibilium consortio colligantur quorum Sacramentorum vis inenarrabiliter valet plurimum Et ideo contempta sacrilegos facit Impie quippe contemnitur sine qua perfici noÌ potest pietas That is to say Men can not be ioyned into any kynde of religion whether it be true or false except they be knit in felowship by some visible tokens or Sacramentes the power of which Sacramentes is of such efficacie that can not be expressed And therfore it maketh them that despise it to be abhorred for it is wickednes to despise that thyng without whiche godlynes can not be brought to passe Thus it appeareth that necessitie is y â first cause For there can no congregation be seuered out of the multitude of men but they must néedes haue a signe tokeÌ Sacrament or common badge by the which they may knowe eche other And there is no difference betwene a signe or a badge and a Sacrament but that the Sacrament signifieth an holy thyng and a signe or a badge doth signifie a wordly thing as S. Austen sayth signes when they are referred to holye thynges are called Sacramentes The second cause of their institution is that they may be a meane to bryng vs vnto fayth and to imprint it the déeper in vs for it doth customably the more moue a man to beleue when he perceiueth the thyng expressed to diuerse senses at once as by example if I promise a maÌ to mete him at a day appoynted he will somewhat trust my word Notwithstandyng he trusteth not so much vnto it as if I dyd both promise hym with my word and also clap haÌdes with him or hold vp my finger for he couÌteth that this promise is strong and more faythfull then is the bare word because it moueth moe senses For the word doth but onely certifie the thing vnto a maÌ by the sense of hearyng but wheÌ with my promise immediatly after I hold vp my finger then do I not onely certifie him by the sense of hearing But also by his sight hee perceiueth that that fact confirmeth my word And in the clapyng of handes hee perceiueth both by his sight and féelyng beside the worde that I will fulfill my promise And lykewise it is in this Sacrament Christ promised them that he would geue his body to be slayne for their sinnes And for to establish the fayth of his promise in them he dyd institute the Sacrament which he called his body to the entent that y e very name it selfe might put them in remeÌbrauÌce what was ment by it he brake the bread before them signifying vnto them outwardly euen the same thyng that he by his wordes had before protested and eueÌ as his wordes had informed them by their hearyng that he entended so to do so the breaking of that bread informed their eye sight that he would fulfil his promise Then he dyd distribute it amoÌg them to imprint the matter more déepely in them signifying therby that euen as that bread was deuided among them so should his body frute of his passion be distributed vnto as many as beleued his wordes Finally he caused theÌ to eate it that nothyng should be lackyng to confirme that necessary point of faith in theÌ signifiyng therby that as verely as they felt that breade within them so sure should they be of hys body thorough fayth And that euen as that bread doth nourishe the body so doth fayth in hys body breaking nourish the soule vnto euerlasting life This did our mercifull Sauior which knoweth our frailtie and weakenes to establish streÌgth their fayth in his body breaking and bloud sheding which is our shoteanker and last refuge without which we should all perishe The third cause of the institution and profit that commeth of it is this They that haue receiued these blessed tydinges and worde of health do loue to publishe this felicitie vnto other men And to geue thanks before the face of the coÌgregation vnto their bouÌteous benefactour and as much as in them is to drawe all people to the praysing of God with theÌ which thing though it be partly done by the preaching of Gods worde and fruitfull exhortations yet doth that visible token and Sacrament if a man vnderstand what is ment thereby more effectuously worke in them both fayth and thankesgeuing theÌ doth the bare worde but if a man wot not what it meaneth and séeketh health in the sacrament and outwarde signe theÌ may he wel be likened vnto a fond fellow which when he is very drye and an honest man shew him an alepole and tell him that there is good ale inough would goe and sucke the alepole trusting to get drinke out of it and so to quench his thyrste Now a wise man will tell him that he playeth the foole for the alepole doth but signifie that there is good ale in the house where y e alepole standeth and wil tell him that he must go neare the house and there he shall finde the drinke and not stand sucking the alepole in vayne for it shall not ease him but rather make him more drie for the alepole doth signifie good ale yet the alepole it self is no good ale neyther is there any good ale in the alepole And likewise it is in all sacramentes For if we vnderstand not what they meane and séeke health in the outwarde signe then we sucke the alepole and labour in vayne But if we do vnderstand y â meaning of them then shall we séeke what they signifie and goe to the significations and there shall we finde vndoubted health As to our purpose in this sacrament wherof we speake we must note what it signifieth and there shall we finde our redemption It signifieth that Christes body was broken vpon the crosse to redeme vs from the thraldome of the deuill and that his bloude was shedde for vs to washe away our sinnes Therefore we must runne thether if we will be eased For if we thinke to haue our sinnes forgeuen for eating of the Sacrament or for séeing the Sacrament once a day or for praying vnto it theÌ surely we sucke the alepole And by thys you may perceiue what profite commeth of those sacraments which eyther haue no significations put vnto them or els when their significations are lost and forgotten For then no doubt they are not commended of God but are rather abhominable for when we knowe not what they meane then séeke we health in the outwarde déede and so are iniurious vnto Christ and his bloud As by example the Sacrifices of the Iewes were well allowed accepted of God as long as they vsed them aright and vnderstoode by theÌ y â death of Christ the sheding of his bloud and that holy oblation offered on the crosse once for euer But when they begun to forget this
signification and sought their health and righteousnes in the bodely worke and in the sacrifice it selfe then were they abhominable in the sight of God and then he cryed out of them both by the Prophet Dauid and Esay And likewise it is with our Sacramentes let vs therefore séeke vp the significations and go to the very thing which the sacrament is set to present vnto vs. And there shal we finde such fruitfull foode as shall neuer fayle vs but comfort our soules into life euerlastyng Now will I in order answer to M. Mores booke and as I finde occasion geuen me I shall indeuoure my selfe to supply that thyng which lacked in the first treatise and I trust I shall shewe such lyght that all men whose eyes the Prince of this worlde hath not blynded shall perceiue the truth of the scriptures and glory of Christ And where as in my first treatise the truth was set forth with all simplicitie and nothing armed against the assault of sophisters that haue I somewhat redressed in this booke haue brought bones filte for their téeth which if they be to busie may chaunce to choke them ¶ Thus beginneth the Preface of M. Mores booke IN my most harty wyse I recommende me vnto you and send you by this bringer the wryting againe which I receiued from you Whereof I haue bene offered a cople of copies mo in the mean while as late as ye wot well it was Deare brethren consider these wordes and prepare you to the crosse that Christ shall lay vppon you as ye haue oft bene counsaylled For euen as when the Wolfe howleth y e shéepe had nede to gather theÌselues to their shepheard to be deliuered from the assault of the bloudy beast likewyse had you nede to slye vnto the shepheard of your soules Christ Iesus to sell your coates and buye his spirituall sworde which is the word of God to defende and deliuer you in this present necessitie for now is the tyme that Christ tolde vs of Math. x. that he was come by his worde to set variaunce betwene the sonne and his father betwene the daughter and her mother betwene the daughter in lawe and her mother in lawe that in a mans owne householde shall be his enemies But be not dismayde nor thinke it no wonder for Christe those twelue and one of them was y e Deuill and betrayed his master And we that are his disciples may loke for no better than he had himself for the scholer is not aboue his mayster Saint Paule protesteth y e he was in perill among false brethren surely I suppose that we are in no lesse ieopardye For if it be so that hys mastership receiued one copye and had a cople of copyes moe offered in the meane while then may ye be sure that there are many false brethren which pretend to haue knowledge in déede are but pykethankes prouiding for their bellye prepare ye therfore clokes for the weather waxeth cloudy and rayne is like to followe I meane not false excuses and forswearing of your selues but that ye loke substantially vpon Gods worde that you may be able to answere their subtle obiections And rather chuse manfully to dye for Christ and hys worde than cowardlye to deny hym for thys vayne and transitory lyfe coÌsidering that they haue no further power but ouer this corruptible bodye which if they put it not to death must yet at y e length perish of it selfe But I trust the Lord shall not suffer you to be teÌpted aboue that you may beare but according to y e sprite that he shall poure vppon you shall he also sende you the scourge and make hym that hath receiued more of the sprite to suffer more and him that receiueth lesse thereof to suffer according to his Talent I thought it necessary first to admonishe you of this matter and now I will recite more of M. Mores boke Whereby men may see how gredely these newe named brethren writeit out secretly spread it abroade The name is of great antiquitie although you liste to ieste For they were called brethreÌ ere our Bishops were called Lordes and had y e name geuen them by Christ saying Math. xxiij all ye are brethren And Luke y â xxij Confirme they brethren And the name was coÌtinued by the Apostles and is a name that nourisheth loue amitie And very glad I am to heare of their gredy affection in writing out and spreading abroade the worde of God for by that I do perceiue the prophesie of Amos to haue place which sayth In the person of God I will send hunger and thyrste into the earth not hunger for meate nor thurst for drinke But for to here the word of God Now begynneth the kyngdome of heauen to suffer violence Now runne the poore Publicanes which knowledge them selues sinners to the word of God puttyng both goodes and body in ieoperdy for the soule health And though our Byshops do call it heresie and all them heretickes that hunges after it yet do we know that it is the Gospell of the lyuyng God for the health and saluation of all that beleue And as for the name doth nothing offeÌde vs though they call it heresie a thousand tymes For S. Paule testifieth that the Phariseis and Priestes which were counted the very Church in hys tyme dyd so call it and therefore it foreceth not though they ruling in their rowmes vse the same names Which young maÌ I here say hath lately made diuers other thynges that yet runne in hoker moker so close amoÌg the brethren that there commeth no copies abroad I aunswere that surely I can not spynne and I thinke no maÌ more hateth to be idle then I do Wherfore in such thynges as I am able to doe I shal be diligeÌt as long as God lendeth me my lyfe And if ye thinke I be to busie you may rid me the sooner for euen as the shéepe is in the butchers handes ready bound and looketh but euen for the grace of the butcher wheÌ he shall shed his bloud Euen so am I bounde at the Byshops pleasures euer lookyng for the day of my death In so much that playne worde was sent me that the Chauncelour of LoÌdon sayd it should cost me the best bloud in my body whiche I would gladly were shed to morow if so be it might open the kyngs graces eyen And verely I maruell that any thing can runne in hoker moker or be hyd from you For sith you mought haue such store of copyes concernyng the thyng whiche I most desired to haue ben kept secret how should you then lacke a copye of those thynges which I most would haue published And hereof ye may be sure I care not though you and all the Byshops with in England looke on all that euer I wrote but rather would be glad that ye so dyd
that all maner of creatures were euill Thys thyng doth Tertulian improue by the Sacrament and sayth Christ dyd not reproue or discoÌmend bread whereby he doth represent hys body as though he shoulde saye if Christ had counted the bread euill then woulde he not haue left it for a Sacrament to represent hys body meaning that it is a sacrament signe token and memoriall of hys body and not the body it selfe And that thys is hys minde doth playnly appeare in hys fourth booke where hée sayth Christus acceptum panem distributuÌ discipulis corpus suum illud fecit hoc est corpus meum dicendo id est figura corporis mei figura autem non fuisset nisi veritatis esset corpus Caeterum vacuares quod est phantasma figuram capere non posset That is to say Christ taking bread and distributing vnto hys disciples made it hys body saying thys is my body that is to say a figure of my bodye but thys bread coulde not haue bene a figure of it except Christ had had a true bodye For a vaine thyng or a phantasie can take no figure For the vnderstaÌding of thys place you must marke that thys hereticke Marcion agaynst whom thys author writeth dyd hold opinion that Christ had no naturall body but only a phantasticall body and thys opinion doth thys Doctor improue by the sacrameÌt of y e altar saying the sacrament is a figure of hys body ergo Christ had a true body and not a phaÌtasticall bodie For a vaine thing or phantasie caÌ take no figure Lo here doth this olde father which was long before S. Austen or S. Hierome expound these wordes of Christ This is my body that is to say a figure of my body therfore you are to blame to call it new learning Now because they shall not of temerarious presumption reiecte this olde father I shall establishe his wordes by S. AusteÌ which commendeth Christes merue lous pacience for suffering so long y e traitor Iudas as though he had bene a good man and yet was not ignorant of his wicked thoughtes Adhibuit inquit ad conuiuium in quo corporis sanguinis sui figuram discipulis commendauit ac tradidit That is to say he admitted hym sayth S. AusteÌ vnto the maundye wherein he did be take and deliuer vnto the disciples y e figure of his body and bloud Here doth this holy father S. Austen call it a figure of his body And I am sure there is no man so childishe but that he knoweth that the figure of a thing is not the thing it selfe As by example the figure of Christ is not Christ hym selfe the figure of S. Peter is not S. Peter him selfe And yet we do neuerthelesse coÌmonly call those figures by the name of the thing that they do represent As I may say when I sée y e figure of S. Peter this is S. Peter to whom Christ deliuered y e keyes of the kingdome of heauen And yet he were a foole that would thinke that figure to be S. Peter him selfe for it is only a represeÌtatioÌ of him Besides that S. Austen sayth Non hoc corpus quod videtis estis manducaturi nec bibituri illum sanguinem quem effusuri sunt qui me crucifigent SacramentuÌ aliquod vobis commendaui spiritualiter intellectum viuificat vos That is to say you shall not eate this body that you see nor drinke that bloud which they that crucifie me shall shed out I haue geuen a certayne sacrament vnto you if it be spiritually vnderstaÌd it quickeneth you What thinges can bee more playnly spoken Furthermore S. Austen sayth Sepe it a loquimuâ vt pascha appropinquaÌte crastinam vel perendinam Domini passionem dicamus cum ille ante tam multos annos passus sit nec omnino nisi semel illa passio facta sit Nempe ipso die dominico dicimus bodie Dominus resurrexit cum ex quo surrexit tot anni transierunt Quare nemo tam ineptus est vt nos it a loquentes arguat esse mentitos quia istos dies secundum illorum quibus haec gest a sunt similitudinem nuncupamus vt dicatur ipse dies qui non sit ipse sed reuolutione temporum similis eius dicatur illo die fieri propter Sacramenti celebrationem quod noÌ illo die sed iam olim factuÌ est Nonne semel immolatus est Christus in scipso tamen in Sacramento noÌ solum per annuas pascha solennitates sed omni die pro populis immolatur nec vtique mentitur qui interrogatus responderit euÌ immolari Si enim Sacramenta quaÌdam similitudineÌ earuÌ reruÌ quaruÌ sunt Sacramenta non haberent omnino SacrameÌta non essent Ex hac autem similitudine pleruÌque etiam ipsaruÌ reruÌ nomina accipiunt Sicut ergo secunduÌ quendam moduÌ Sacra mentuÌ corporis Christi corpus Christi est Sacramentum sanguinis Christi sanguis Christi est It a Sacramentum fidei sides est Nihilest autem aliud credere q fidem habere ac per hoc eum respoÌdetur paruulus credere qui fidei noÌ dum habet effectum respondetur fidem habere propter fidei Sacramentum et conuertere se ad Deum propter conuersionis Sacramentum Quia ipsa responsio pertinet ad celebrationem Sacramenti Sicut de ipso Baptismo apostolus consepulti inquit su mus Christo per Baptismum in mortem Non ait sepulturam significamus sed prorsus ait consepulti sumus SacramentuÌ ergo tantae rei non nisi eiusdem rei vocabulo nuncupauit That is to say We often vse to say when Caster draweth nye that to morow or the next day is the Lordes passion and yet it is many yeares sith he suffered and that passioÌ was neuer done but once And vppon that Sonday we say this day the Lorde dyd rise agayne and yet it is many yeares since hee rose Now is there no man so foolish to reproue vs as lyers for so saying because we name these dayes after the similitude of those in whiche these thynges were done so that it is called the same day whiche is not the very same but by the reuolution of tyme like it And it is named to be done the same day through the celebration of the Sacrament through kéepyng the memoriall of the thyng once done whiche is not done that day but was done loÌg agone Was not Christ once crucified in his owne person and yet in a mysterye whiche is the remembraunce of his very passion he is crucified for the people not onely euery feast of Easter but euery day neither doth he lye which when he is asked aunswereth that he is crucified for if the Sacramentes had not certayne similitudes of those thynges whereof they are Sacramentes then should they be no Sacraments at all And for this similitude for the most part they take the names of
the order of Melchisedech And he hym selfe brake the bread which hee gaue to shewe that the breakyng of hys body should not be done without hys own will c. And a little after And lykewyse he gaue them the cuppe after he had supped And because bread doth confirme or strength the fleshe and wyne worketh bloude in the fleshe therefore is the bread mystically referred vnto the bodye of Christ and the wyne referred vnto hys bloud Here may you note first that as the Lambe was a remembraunce of theyr deliueraunce out of Egypt and yet the Lambe deliuered them not so is the Sacrament a remembrance of our redemption and yet the Sacrament redéemed vs not Besides that he sayth that Christ in the stead of the fleshe and bloud of the Lambe dyd institute the Sacrament of hys flesh and bloud in figure of bread and wyne Marke well he sayth not that in the stead of Lambes fleshe bloud he dyd institute hys owne fleshe and bloud but sayth that he dyd institute the Sacrament of hys fleshe bloud What thyng is a Sacrament verely it is the signe of an holy thyng and there is no differeÌce betwene a signe and a Sacrament but that the signe is referred vnto a worldly thyng and a Sacrament vnto a spirituall or holy thyng as S. Austen sayth Signa cum ad res dininas pertineÌt sacramenta appellantur That is to say Signes when they pertain vnto godly things are called sacramentes Therefore when Beda sayth that they did institute the sacrament of hys fleshe and bloud in the figure of bread wyne it is as much to say by S. Austens definition as that he dyd institute the figure of hys holy sleshe and bloud in the figure of bread and wyne that is to say that bread and wyne shoulde be the figure and signe representyng hys holy fleshe and bloud vnto vs for a perpetuall remembrance And afterwarde hee declareth the propertie for which the bread is called the body and the wyne the bloud sauyng hée speaketh not so darkely as I now do but plainly saith that the bread is mystically referred vnto the bodye of Christ because that as bread doth strength the fleshe so Christes bodye whiche is figured by the bread doth strength y t soule through fayth in hys death And so doth he clerely proue my purpose Now let vs sée what Chrisostome sayth which shall describe vs the faith of the ould grecyaÌs and I doubt not he had not lost the true fayth how so euer the world goo now a dayes Chrisostome sayth in this manner Si enim mortuus Iesus non est cuius signum et simbolum hoc sacrificium est vides quantuÌ ei studiuÌ fuerit vt semper memoria teneamus pro nobis ipsuÌ mortuuÌ fuisse That is to say for if Iesus haue not died whose memoriall and signe is y t sacrifice Thou séest what diligence he gaue that we should continuallye kéepe in memory that he died for vs. Here you may sée that Chrisostome calleth the SacrameÌt simboluÌ signuÌ that is to say a memoriall signe of Christe and that it was institute to kéepe his death in perpetuall remembraunce But of one thing thou must beware or els thou art deceiued he calleth it also a sacrifice and there thou must wisely vnderstaÌd hym For if it were the sacrifice of Christes body theÌ must Christes body be slayne there agayne which thing God forbyd And therfore thou must vnderstand him when he calleth it a sacrifice that he meaneth it to be a remeÌbraunce of that holy sacrifice where Christes body was offered on y e crosse once for all For he can be sacrifised no more seing he is immortall Notwithstanding our prelates will heare note me of presumption that I dare bee so bolde to expound his minde on this fashioÌ For in déede the take him otherwise and thinke that it is a very sacrifice And therfore I will bring one other text where Chrisostome shall expound him selfe Chrisostome sayth Nonne per singulos dies offerrimus offerrimus quidem sed ad recorda ââonem mortis eius facientâs c et paulo poât Non aliuâ sacrificium sicut pontifex sed id ipsum semper facimus magis autem recordationem sacrificij opera mur. That is to say do we not dayly offer or do sacrifice yes surely But we do it for the remembraunce of his death for this sacrifice is an example of that we offer not an other sacrifice as the ⪠Byshoppe in the olde lawe dyd but euer the same yea rather a remembraunce of the sacrifice first he sayth that they dayly do sacrifice but it is in remembraunce of christes death then hee sayth that the sacrifice is an example of that Thyrdly he sayth that they offer not an other sacrifice that is to say an oxe or a goate as the Byshops of the old law but euer the same Marke this poynt for though it séeme at y e first sight to make with theÌ yet doth it make so directlye against them that they shall neuer be able to auoyde it Chrisostome sayth they do not offer an other sacrifice as the Byshops dyd but euer the same They offer other breade and wyne this day then they did yesterday they shal say an other Masse to morow theÌ they dyd this day Now if this bread and wyne or the Masse be a sacrifice then do they offer an other sacrifice as well as the Byshops of the ould lawe For this sacrifice did signifie y e Christ should come shed his bloud as well as the bread wine Massedo represent that he hath done it in dede And therfore if it be a sacrifice theÌ do they offer any other sacrifice represeÌting his passioÌ aswell as y e Bishop of y e ould law But y t doth Chrisostome denye and sayeth that they offer euery day the same What same verely euen the same that was done and sacrificed when Christ shed his bloud In this sacrifice is Christ bound and buffeted and led from Anna to Cayphas he is brought to Pilate condemned he is scourged and crowned with thorne and nayled on the crosse and his hart opened with a speare so shedeth his bloud for our redemption Why Chrisostome and do you the selfe same sacrifice euery day yea verely TheÌ why doth S. Paule say that Christ is risen from death and dieth no more if he dye no more how do you dayly crucifie hym Forsoth Paule sayth truth For we do not actually indéede but onely in a mistery And yet we say that we do sacrifice hym and that this is his sacrifice for the celebration of the sacrament and memory of y t passion which we kéepe And for this cause it hath the name of the thing that it doth represent signifie And therefore I expounde my mynde by a rethorical correction and say magis recordationem sacrificij that is to
say yea rather the remeÌbraunce of the sacrifice Graunt mercies good Chrisostome now do I perceaue y e pith of this matter euen as the masse is the very death and passion of christ so is it a sacrifice Now it doth but only represent the very death and passion of Christ therefore it doth follow that the Masse in very dede doth but onely represent a sacrifice And yet notwithstaÌdyng many tymes it is called a sacrifice of holy Doctours and hath the name of y e very same thyng that it doth represent signifie And euen so we may say of this sacrameÌt that as the Masse is the very sacrifice and passion of Christ so is the Sacrament his very body sacrifice that is offered Now the Masse doth but onely represeÌt signifie the passioÌ so the Sacrament doth but onely represent and signifie the body and very sacrifice once offered for euer NotwithstaÌdyng many tymes the Masse is called a sacrifice of holy Doctours and so the Sacrament is called the body and a sacrifice And hath the name of the very same thyng that it doth represent and signifie Furthermore Chrisostome sayth Ipse quoque bibit ex eo ne auditis verbis illis dicerent quid igitur sanguinem bibimus carnem comedimus ac ideo perturbarentur Nam quando prius de his verba fecit multi solummodo propter verba scandalum passi sunt Neigitur tunc id quoque accideret primus ipse hoc fecit vt traÌquillo animo ad coÌmunicationem misteriorum induceret That is to say he also dranke of it lest wheÌ they heard his woordes they should say why do we theÌ drinke bloud and eate flesh and so should be troubled For when hée spake before of those thyngs many of them were offended with his woordes And because that should not now also chaunce he hym selfe dranke first of it that he might cause them to come without feare to the partaking of those misteries here Chrisostome noteth y e Christ dranke of it to draw them from the grosse vnderstaÌdyng of his wordes and by his drinkyng to testifie vnto them that it was not his natural bloud nor his naturall flesh in déede but onely memorials and representations of his body and bloud And therfore he called theÌ misteries that is to say sacramentes For in this place a Sacrament and a mistery is all one thyng NotwithstaÌdyng sometyme this word mistery is more commoÌ and large in signifying then this worde Sacrament And I haue shewed you before that a Sacrament is the signe of an holy thyng it selfe that it represeÌteth albeit some tyme it beare the name of the very thyng it selfe as the Image of S. Peter is not S. Peter him selfe and yet it beareth his name Chrisostome sayth Caro non prodest quicq hoc est secundum spiritum verba mea audienda sunt Qui secundum carnem audit nihil lucratur nihil vtilitatis accipit Et paulò post Quid est auteÌ carnalit er intelligere simpliciter vtres dicuntur neque aliud quippiam excogitare Misteria omnia interioribus oculis considâraÌda sunt hoc est spiritualiter That is to say The flesh profiteth nothing that is my wordes must be vnderstaÌd after the spirit He that vnderstaÌdeth them after y t flesh wynneth nothyng nor taketh any profit And a litle after What meaneth this to vnderstand after the flesh or carnally verely to take the thynges simply as they are spoken and to thinke no other thyng All misteries or Sacramentes must be considered with the inward eyes that is to say spiritually And after he expoundeth him selfe on this maner Interiores autem oculi vt panem viderint creaturas transuolant non de illo pane a pistore cocto cogitaÌt sed de eo qui dixit se paneÌ vitae quâ per misticum paneÌ significatur That is to say The inward eyes as soone as they sée the bread they passe ouer the creatures thinke not of that bread which is baken of the baker but of hym that called him selfe the bread of lyfe which is signified by the misticall or sacramentall bread Would you haue hym say any more hee telleth you playne that Christ which is the very bread of lyfe is signified by this sacramentall bread And that is the thyng whiche our Byshops so fleshly denye now a dayes which thyng yet you may sée the old fathers conclude with one assent NotwithstaÌdyng yet I will alledge mo old Doctours so that from hence forward they may be ashamed to call it new learnyng Fulgentius sayth In illis enim carnalibus tempore legis victimis significatio fuit carnis Christi quam pro peccatis nostris ipse sine peccato fuerat oblaturus sanguinis quem erat effusurus in remissionem peccatorum nostrorum In âsto autem sacrificio gratiarum actio atque commemoratio est carnis Christi quam pronobis obtulit sanguinis quem pro nobis idem Deus effudit That is to say In these carnall sacrifices in the time of the law was a signification of the flesh of christ which he without sinne should offer for our sinnes of the bloud which he should shed out in remission of our sinnes But in this sacrifice is a thaÌkes geuyng remembraunce of the flesh of Christ whiche hee offered for vs and of the bloud which the same God shed out for vs. First note that he calleth it a sacrifice which notwithstaÌdyng is but a remeÌbrauÌce of that sacrifice offered on the crosse once for all as it is proued before out of Chrisostome Then hée playnly calleth it a thankes geuyng remembraunce of Christes flesh and bloud and so concludeth with vs. Neuerthelesse because Sophisters wold soone thinke to auoyde this place I will alledge one other saying of the same author whiche they shall neuer be able to auoyde Fulgentius saith as Haymo testifieth Hic calix nouum TestamentuÌ est id est hic calix quem vobis trado nouum Testamentum significat That is to say This cup or chalice is the new Testament That is this cup or chalice which I deliuer you doth signifie the new TestameÌt In this place he doth playnly shew his mynde whiche can not be anoyded For euen as the cup is the new Testament so is the bread the body Now the cup doth but signifie the new Testament and therefore I may conclude that the breade doth but signifie the body Eusebius sayth Quia corpus assuÌptum ablaturus erat ex oculâs nostris sideribus allaturus necessarium erat vt nobis in hac die sacramentum corporis sanguinis consecraret vt colleretur iugiter per misterium quod semel offerabatur in precium That is ta say Because he would take away out of our eyes the body that he toke and cary it into heauen It was necessary that in this time he should consecrate to vs
very face in the glasse And euen so though the Sacrament doe represent the body of Christ yet the substaunce of the Sacrament is not hys very body no more then the glasse is my face neither is his very body in y e Sacrament no more then my very face is in the glasse and thus this exaÌple maketh well for vs. And for that one word comming whole to an hundreth eares I say that worde is but a sounde and a qualitie and not a substaunce and therfore it is nothyng to our purpose and can not be likened to Christs body which is a substauÌce And as concernyng the sight of the litle eye I say that though the eye discry and sée an whole countrey yet is not that whole couÌtrey in the eye but as the countrey is knowen by y e sight of eye though the countrey be not in it so is the death of Christ and hys bodye breakyng and bloude shedyng knowen by the Sacrament though his naturall body be not in it And thus his exaÌples make nothyng with hym but rather much agaynst hym And where hee sayth that the young man hym selfe can geue hym no reasoÌ by what meane they may be done I may say vnto hys mastershyp that wheÌ I was seuen yeare yonger then I am this day I would haue bene ashamed if I could not haue geuen an euident reason at the Austens in Oxford before y e whole Vniuersitie And albeit I now vouchsafe not to spend labour and paper about Aristotles doctrine yet haue I so much touched hys examples that he may be werye of them Also I can not see why it shoulde be more repugnaunt that one body may be by the power of God in two places at once then that two bodyes may bee together in one place at once And that poynte I thinke this young maÌ denieth not The beyng of our body in two places at once is against nature Scripture caÌ not alow it But that two bodyes should bee in one place séemeth more reasonable For I haue good experience that though my body caÌ not be in two places at once both in the Tower and where I would haue it beside yet blessed be God in this one place I am not without coÌpany But if M. More meane that in one proper and seueral place may be two bodies at once that I will deny till he haue laysure to proue it And yet at the length I am sure his proue shall not be worth a poodyng pricke For I am sure it must bee Ratione porositatis vt in igne ferro nam penetrationem dimensionum nunq probabit And then he is as neare as he was before Now his last reason with whiche he proueth it impossible for the body of Christ to bee in two places at once is this you caÌ sayth he shew no reason why he should be in many places at once not in all But in all places he can not be Wherefore we must conclude that he can not be in many places at once This is a maruelous concluded argument I am sure that euery childe may soone see that this consequeÌt caÌ neuer folow vpon these two premisses of this antecedent When I made this reason compiled my treatise I had no regard to the cauillations of sutle Sophisters for I thought no Sophisters should haue medled with that meate But neuerthelesse sith nowe I perceiue that they principally are pouryng on it séekyng some pray to set their teeth a woorke In this booke I haue somewhat prouided for them and haue brought such hard bones that if they be to busie may chaunce to choke theÌ And yet is not the Argument so feble as he fayneth For the first part if he lyst to consider the sense and mynde and bee not to curious where I say that they can shew no reason why hée should bee in many places and not in all is thus to be vnderstand of wyse men that the very reason and cause that he shold be in many places must be because y â body is so annexed with the Godhead that it is in euery place as the Godhead is This I say must be the cause and reason of his beyng in many places And neither you nor no man els can iustly assigne any other Now of this maior or first proposition thus vnderstand doth the coÌclusion folowe directly For if this should be y e cause as they must nedes graunt And this cause proued false by Scripture then must they néedes graunt that the thyng whiche so foloweth of this cause must néedes be false And so is my purpose proued they concluded As by example the Astronomers say that the naturall course of the Sunne is froÌ the weast to the East Now if a maÌ should aske them what is then the cause that we sée hym dayly take the coÌtrary course from the East to the Weast agaynst hys nature they aunswere Because the hyghest sphere whose course is from the East to the Weast with his swift mouyng doth violently drawe the inferior spheres with hym This is the cause that they alleage and no man can assigne any other And now sith I caÌ proue this sense false by scripture And S. Austen for Scripture sayth that y e sphere is fastened Hebr. viij chap. And S. Austen expoundyng that text improueth the Astronomers whiche affirme that it moueth sith I say this cause is proued false by scripture they must néedes grauÌt that the thyng whiche foloweth of this cause must néedes be false And so we may conclude against them all that the naturall course of the Sunne is not froÌ the Weast to the East as the Astronomers say But contrary from the East to the West And lykewise sith the cause that Christes body should be in many places is assigned of learned men to be because hys body is so annexed with the Godhead which is in euery place that it is also in all places with it no man can assigne any other And that this cause is proued false by Scripture for when the women sought Christ at his graue an aungell gaue the aunswere that hée was not there But if his body had bene in euery place then the aungell lyed Also Christ sayd vnto his Disciples of Lazarus which died at Bethania Lazarus is dead And I am glad for your sakes that you may beleue because I was not there Now if hys body were in euery place as is the Godhead then Christ sayd not truly when he said he was not there Therfore sith as I sayd this is the cause assigned yet proued false by Scripture they must néedes grauÌt that the thyng whiche foloweth of this cause must also néedes be false And so we may coÌclude against theÌ all y e Christs body is in one place onely And now you may sée how my consequent foloweth the premisses For he can no further conclude but that we can shewe no
speake This the old Doctours and faythfull fathers so taught or thought as ye fayne of them is very false For S. Austen as I haue shewed maketh wholly for vs. Besides that there is none of the old fathers but they call it a Sacrament a misterie and misticall meate whiche is not eaten with tooth or bely but with eares fayth And touchyng the honour and worshyp done vnto it I say it is playne Idolatry And I say that he falsely reporteth on the old holy doctours For they neuer taught men to worship it neither caÌ he alledge one place in any of them all which would haue men to worshyp the Sacrament Peraduenture he may alledge me certaine new fellowes for his purpose as Dunce Dorbell Durand such draffe which by their doctrine haue drenched the world with damnable Idolatrie But I speake of the old holy fathers Doctors as S. AusteÌ Ambrose Hierom Cyprian Cirille Chrisostome Fulgentius and such other these I say do not teach meÌ to worshyp it and by that I dare abide Of this point I am so sure that I will vse it for a contrary argument that his naturall body is not there present For if the holy fathers before named had taken this text after the letter and not onely spiritually then in there woorkes they would haue taught men to worshyp it but they neuer taught men to worshyp this Sacrament therfore it foloweth they tooke not the text after the letter but onely spiritually Now do I prouoke you to séeke a proofe of your purpose Neuerthelesse I will not deny but y â these holy Doctors in diuers places do call it his body as Christ and Paule do so do we likewise and say also that his very body is there eaten But yet we meane that it is eaten with fayth that is to say by beleuing y t his body was brokeÌ for vs and haue his body more in memory at this maundy then the meate that we there eate And therfore it hath the name of his body because the name it selfe should put vs in remembraunce of his body and that his body is there chiefly eaten euen more through fayth then the meate with the mouth And so are they also to be vnderstand Yet one great pleasure he doth vs in that he putteth vs all at libertie that we may without perill of damnatioÌ beleue as we did before that is to witte that in the blessed Sacrament the whole substance of the bread and the wine is transmuted chaunged into the very body and bloud of Christ For if we may without perill of damnation beleue thus as him selfe graunteth that we may then graunteth hee that we may also without perill of damnation beleue that him selfe lieth where hee sayth the truth of that beleefe is impossible The beleuing of thys poynt is of it self not damnable as it is not damnable to thinke that Christ is a very stone or a vine because the litterall sense so sayth or if you beleue that you ought to preach to fishes and goe Christen them an other while as ye do belles And I insure you if there were no worse mischiefe that ensued of thys beléefe then it is in it selfe I would neuer haue spoken agaynst it But now there followeth vppon it damnable idolatry For through the beléefe that thys body is there meÌ fall downe and worship it And thinking to please God do damnably sinne agaynst hym Thys I say is the cause that I so earnestly write agaynst it to auoyde the idolatry that is committed through it Part of the Germanes do thinke that his naturall body is present in the Sacrament and take the woordes fleshly as Martine taught them But none of them worshyp it for y â Martine forbyddeth both in hys wordes and workes and so blessed be god they auoyde that ieoperdy which thyng if you will also graunt and publish but this one proposition that it ought not to bee worshypped I promise you I will neuer write agaynst it For then is the ieoperdy taken away and then I am coÌtent that your mastershyp thinke I lye But in the meane seasoÌ I must thinke that ye fill the world with damnable Idolatry And thus haue you also auÌswere vnto y e conclusion which you alledge out of the kynges graces booke For I say in your way is no hurt as loÌg as you do but onely beleue the bare wordes of the text as S. Fraunces dyd wheÌ he preached to fishes But if through the occasion of those wordes ye fall into the worshypping of it then I say that in your way is vndoubted damnation And so is there great ieoperdy in your way none at all in ours For though he were there in déede yet doe not we sinne if we worshyp it not for we are not commaunded to worshyp the Sacrament But if he be not there then do you commit damnable Idolatry ¶ The consecration of the Sacrament NOwe as for an other quietnes of euery maÌs conscience this young man biddeth euery maÌ be bold whether the blessed Sacrament be consecrate or vnconsecrate for though he most especially speaketh of the wyne yet he speaketh it of both byddeth vs not care but take it for all that vnblessed as it is because the Priest hee sayth can not deceiue vs nor take from vs the profit of Christes institution whether hee alter the woordes or leaue them all vnsayd Is not this a wonderful doctrine of this young man We wotte well all that the Priest can not hurt vs by his ouersight or malice if there be no fault vpon our owne partie for that perfection that lacketh on the Priestes part the great mercy of God as we trust of his owne goodnes supplyeth And therfore as holy Chrisostome sayth no man can take harme but of him selfe But now if we see the thyng disordered our owne selfe by the Priest and Christes institution broken if we then wittyngly receiue it vnblessed vnconsecrated care not whether Christes institutioÌ be kept and obserued or no but rekon that it is as good without it as with it then make we our selues partakers of the fault and leese the profit of the SacrameÌt and receiue it with damnation not for the Priestes fault but for our owne I had thought that no Turke wold haue wrested a mans woordes so vnfaythfully for hee leaueth out all the pith of my matter for my wordes are these I will shew you a meanes how ye shall euer receiue it accordyng to Christes institution although the Priest would withdraw it from you First ye néede to haue no respect vnto the Priests wordes which ministreth it For if ye remember for what inteÌt Christ dyd institute this Sacrament and know that it was to put vs in remembraunce of hys body breakyng bloud shedding that we might geue hym thankes for it and bee as sure of it through fayth accordyng to his promises as we are sure
dare presume so to depresse hys prerogatiue and not onely to say but also to publishe it in Print that notwithstanding his graces safe conduite they might lawfully haue burnt hym But here he would say vnto me as he doth in his booke that hee had forfayted his safeconduite and therby was fallen into his enemyes handes Whereunto I aunswere that this your saying is but a vayne glose For I my selfe dyd read the safeconduite that came vnto hym which had but onely this one condition annexed vnto it that if he came before the feast of Christmasse then next insueing he should haue frée libertie to departe at his pleasure And this condition I know was fulfilled how should hée then forfayte his safeconduite But M ⪠More hath learned of his masters our Prelates whose proctour he is to depresse our Princes prerogatiue that men ought not to kéepe any promise with heretickes And so his safe conduite could not saue hym As though the Kynges grace might not admitte any man to go and come fréely into his graces realme but that he must haue leaue of our Prelates For els they might lay heresie agaynst the person and so slay hym coÌtrary to the Kyngs safeconduite which thyng all wise men do know to be preiudiciall to his graces prerogatiue royall And yet I am sure that of all y â tyme of hys beyng here you caÌ not accuse hym of one cryme albeit vnto your shame you say that hee had forfaited his safe conduite These wordes had ben very extreme and worthy to haue bene looked vpon although they had bene written by some presumptuous Prelate But that a lay man so hyghly promoted by his Prince should speake them and also cause them openlye to be published among his graces commons to reiect the estimation of hys royall power doth in my mynde deserue correction Notwithstandyng I leaue the iudgement and determination vnto the discretion of his graces honorable counsell And as for that holy prayer that this deuote young man as a newe Christ teacheth to make at the receiuyng of this blessed Sacrament all his congregation I would not geue the paryng of a peare for hys prayer though it were better then it is pullyng away the true fayth therefro as he doth How beit hys prayer there is so deuised and penned and paynted with laysure and study that I trust euery good Christen woman maketh a much better prayer at the tyme of her housell by faythâull affection and by Gods good inspiration sodenly Frith is an vnmete master to teach vs what we should pray at the receiuyng of the blessed Sacrament when he wil not knowledge it as it is but take Christes blessed body for nothyng but bare bread and so litle esteme the receiuyng of the blessed Sacrament that he forceth litle whether it be blessed or not Where he discoÌmendeth my prayer sayth that I am an vnméete master to teach men to pray seing I take away the true faith from it and sayth that euery woman can make a better when she receiueth the Sacrament I would to God that euery woman were so well learned that they could teach vs both And surely I intended not to prescribe to all men that prayer onely but hoped to helpe the ignoraunt that they might either speake those wordes or els takyng occasion at them to say some other to y e laude and prayse of God And as for your fayth which you call the true fayth must I néedes improue For it will not stand with the true text of Scripture as it playnly appeareth But to the fayth in Christes bloud I exhorte all men and teach them to eate hys body with fayth and not with téeth which is by hauyng hys death in continual remembraunce and digestyng it into the bowels of theyr soule And because you so sore improue my prayer to conclude my aunswere agaynst you I will write agayne And let all men Iudge between vs. Blessed be thou most deare mercyfull father whiche of thy tender fauour and benignity notwithstaÌding our greuous enormities committed agaynst thée vouchsauedst to sende thyne owne and onely deare sonne to suffer most vyle death for our redemption Blessed be thou Christ Iesu our Lord and Sauiour whiche of thyne aboundaunt pitie consideryng our miserable estate willingly tookest vppon thée to haue thy most innocent body broken and bloud shed to purge vs and wash vs which are laden with iniquitie And to certifie vs thereof hast left vs not onely thy word which may instructe our hartes but also a visible token to certifie euen our outward seÌses of this great benefite that we should not doubt but that the body and fruite of thy passion are ours through faith as surely as the bread whiche by our senses we know that we haue with in vs. Blessed be also that spirite of veritie whiche is sent froÌ God our father through our Sauiour Christ Iesu to lighteÌ our darke ignoraunce leade vs through fayth into the knowledge of hym whiche is all veritie Strength we beseech thée our frayle nature and increase our fayth that we may prayse God our most mercyfull father and Christ hys sonne our Sauiour and redemer Amen The Pascall lambe and our sacrament are here compared togither NOw we shall shortly expresse the pith of our matter and borow the figure of the Pascall lambe which is in all pointes so lyke that the offeryng of the Pascall lambe did signisie the offering of Christes body is playne by Paul which sayth Christ our paschall lambe is offered vp for vs. When the children of Israell were very sad and heuye for their sore oppression vnder the power of Pharao for the more myracles were shewed y e worse were they handeled God sent vnto them by Moyses y t euery houshold should kill a lambe to be a sacrifice vnto God and that they should eate him with their staues in their handes their loynes girded showes on their féete eueÌ as meÌ y t were going an hasty Iorney This lambe must they eate hastely and make a mery maundye Now because they should not say that they could not bee mery for their oppression and what could the lambe helpe them he added glad tydynges vnio it and sayd this is the passing by of the Lord. Which this night shall passe by you and slay all y e first begotten with in the Land of Egipt shall deliuer you out of your bondage and bring you into y e land that hée hath promised vnto yourfathers Marke the processe and conueyaunce of this matter for euen likewise it is in our sacrament The Apostels were sad and heauie partlye coÌsidering y e bondage of sinne wherwith they were opressed partly because hee told them that he must departe froÌ them in whoÌ they did put all their hope of their deliueraunce While they were in this heauynes Christ thought to coÌfort theÌ to geue them the seale
sonne whiche was shed for our sinnes So that in this place and felowshyp may no maÌ eate nor drinke with vs but he that is of our fayth and knowledgeth the same God that we doe As by example if a maÌ were well beloued among hys neyghbours albeit he haue some enemyes and were long absent from hys frendes in a straunge countrey when he were come home his neighbours that loued hym would greatly reioyse and peraduenture would bye a Capon or an other péece of meate to geue hym his wellcom home and get them to some honest mans house or to a Tauerne and make good cheare together to testifie openly that he is welcome home that they all which are at y t banket reioyse of his coÌming home Now I say that this banket is more then an other meale for at this banket hys enemies may be loth to come because they can not reioyse at his comming home and therfore can not make good chere among theÌ testifiing that he is welcome home but rather abhorreth the meate and drinke y t is there eaten because their hart doth not fauour the person for whose sake it is prepared Notwithstanding if a capons legge were reserued for one of his enemies and afterward geuen him when the banket were done he might lawfully eate it For then it were but bare meate such as he eateth at home And likewise y e enemies of Christ which beléeue not that they haue remission of sinnes through his bloudsheding can not reioyce of his body breaking And therfore can make good chere among theÌ but if any be reserued after the maundy he may lawfully eate it for is but bread And his louers that are there preseÌt do rather come thether to geue him his welcome home then for the meate and they more eate his welcome home then the meate But if anye of his enemies fortune to be there they eate onely the meat and not his welcome home For they reioyce not at his comming home Likewise the faythfull that are there present do rather come thether to reioyce in y e faith of his body breaking theÌ in breaking or eating of the bread or meate But if any of the vnfaythfull fortune to be there they eate onely the bread and not his body breaking For they reioyce not at his bodie breaking Here peraduenture some will suppose that I were coÌtrary to my self For before I sayd y t it was more then meate y t was eaten at y e gentiles feast more then meate y t was eaten at my neighbors welcome home more theÌ bread that is eaten at the receiuyng of the sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ And now I say that if a maÌs enemye be there he eateth onely the meate and not y e welcome home And lykewise the vnfaythfull eateth onely breade and not the body and bloud of Christ How may these wordes stand together I aunswere that they eate but ouely bread or meate y t profiteth them but indeede they eate more to their hinderaunce euen their owne damnation For they that did eate in y t fellowship of y t gentiles did but onlye eate the meate to there profite but in eating theyr meate their facte dyd openly testyfye that they honoured y t Idole for their God although their hart were otherwise wherein they committed idolatry And besides that they wounded the coÌsciences of their weake brethren and so sinned against God Besides that he that enuyeth hys neighbour and commeth to that banket eateth but onely y e meate that profiteth hym notwithstandyng in hys owne hart he eateth the rancor malice of his mynde to his great greuauÌce when he séeth them so reioyse And of hys owne companions which are also these mans enemyes he doth purchase hym selfe hatred because with his fact hee testifieth that hee loueth him although his hart be otherwise and of God shal be condemned For hee that hateth his brother is a murtherer Furthermore he that is vnfaithfull and commeth to the mauÌdy eateth but onely y t bread that profiteth hym notwithstaÌdyng he eateth beside that his owne damnation because he beleueth not that the body of our Sauiour whiche the Sacrament representeth is brokeÌ for hys sinnes and his bloud shed to washe them away This I am compelled to doe to stop the chateryng mouthes of Sophisters albeit to them that be sober it bad been inough to haue sayd they eate onely bread not the body broken c. For they right well vnderstand it by the contrary Antithesie know that I meant not by that onely that he should eate the bread nothyng els but onely bread but that I meant by this worde onely that hee should eate the bread without the body And so lykewise in other exaÌples Thus haue we sufficiently declared Paules mynde in the. 10. Chapter In the xj chapter Paule maketh much mencion of the maundye dyscribeth it to y t vttermost Frst he saith when ye come together in one place a man can not eate the Lords supper For euery man beginnyth afore to eate his owne supper and one is hungry and an other is dronken Haue ye not houses to eate and drinke in or els despise ye the congregation of God and shame them that haue not what shall I saye vnto you shall I prayse you In this I prayse you not Paule did instruct according to Christes mynde y t the Corinthians should come togither to eate the Lordes supper Whiche lyeth not so much in the carnall eatyng as in the spiritual and is greatly desired to be eaten not by the hunger of the body but by the huÌger of the faithfull hart which is gredy to publishe the prayse of the Lord and geue hym harty thankes moue other to the same that of many praise might be geuen vnto our most mercyful father for the loue which he shewed vs in the bloud of his owne most deare sonne Christ Iesu Wherewith we are washed from our sinnes and surely sealed vnto euerlastyng lyfe With such huÌger dyd Christ eate the Paschall lambe saying to hys Disciples I haue in wardly desired to eate this Easter laÌde with you before that I suffer Christes inward desire was not to fill hys belly with his disciples but hee had a spirituall huÌger both to prayse his father with them for theyr bodely deliuerauÌce out of the land of Egypt and specially to alter the Pasichall lambe and memory of the carnall deliueraunce into the maundy of myrth and thaÌkesgeuyng for our spirituall deliueraunce out of the bondage of sinne In so much that when Christ knewe that it was his fathers will and pleasure that he should suffer for our sinnes wherin his honor glory and prayse should be published then was it a pleasure vnto hym to declare vnto his Disciples that great benefite vnto his fathers prayse and glory so did institute that we should come together and breake the bread in the
the fayth and many a sléepe and haue lost their fayth in Christes bloud for lacke of remembraunce of his body breaking bloud shedding yea not that onely but many were weake and sicke euen striken with bodelye diseases for abusing y e sacrament of his body eating the bread with their téeth and not his body with their hart and minde and peraduenture some slayne for it by the stroke of God which if they had truely iudged and examined theÌ selues for what intent they came thither and why it was instituted should not haue béene so iudged and chastened of the Lorde For the Lorde doth chasten to bring vs vnto repentaunce and to mortifie our rebellious meÌbers that we may remember hym Here ye may shortly perceyue the mynde of Paule An Epitome and short rehearsall of all this booke shewing in what poyntes Frith dissenteth from our Prelates NOw to be short in these thrée poyntes Frith dissenteth froÌ our Prelates and from M. More which taketh vpon hym to be their proctor 1. Our Prelates beléeue that in the Sacrament remaineth no bread but that it is turned into the naturall body of Christ both fleshe bloud and bones Frith sayth that it is no article of our Crede and therefore let them beléeue it that will And he thinketh that there remayneth bread still and that he proueth thrée maner of wayes First by y e scripture of Paule whiche calleth it bread saying the bread which we breake is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ For we though we bee many are yet one body and one bread as many as are partakers of one bread And againe he sayth as often as ye eate of thys bread or drinke of thys cup you shall shew the Lordes death vntil he come Also Luke calleth it bread saying in the Actes they continued in the fellowship of the Apostles and in the breaking of the bread prayer Also Christ called the cup the fruite of a vyne saying I shall not from hence forward drinke of the fruite of the vyne vntill I drinke that new in the kingdome of my father Furthermore nature doth teache you that both the bread and wine coÌtinue in their nature For the bread mouldeth if it be kept long yea and wormes bréede in it and the poore mouse will runne away with it and eate it ' which are euidence inough that there remayneth bread Also the wine if it were reserued would waxe sower as they confesse them selues and therefore they housell the lay people but with one kinde onely because the wine can not continue nor be reserued to haue ready at hand when néede were And surely as if there remayned no bread it could not mould nor waxe full of wormes euen so if there remayned no wine it could not waxe sower And therefore it is but false doctrine that our prelates so loÌg haue taught and published Finally y e there remayneth bread might be proued by the authoritie of many Doctors which call it bread and wine euen as Christ and hys Apostles did And though some sophisters would wrest their saying and expouÌd them after their owne phantasie yet shall I alleage theÌ one Doctor which was Pope that maketh so playne with vs that they shall neuer bee able to auoyde them For Pope Gelasius writeth on thys maner Certe sacramenta quae sumimus corporis sanguinis Christi diuinae res sunt propter quod per eadem diuinae efficimur consortes naturae Et tamen non desinit esse substantia vel natura panis vini sed permanet in suae proproprietate naturae Et certe imago similitudo corporis sanguinis Christi in actione mysteriorum celebrantur That is to say Surely the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ which we receaue are a godly thing and therefore through them are we made partakers of the godly nature And yet doth it not cease to bee the substance or nature of bread and wine but they continue in the propertie of their owne nature And surely the image and similitude of the body and bloud are celebrated in the acte of the mysteryes Thys I am sure that no man can auoyde it nor so wrest it but that all men shall soone espye hys folly and therefore I may conclude that there remayneth the substaunce and nature of bread and wine The second poynt wherin Frith dissenteth from our Prelates and their Proctor THe Prelates beléeue that hys very fleshe is present to the téeth of them that eate the sacrament and that the wicked eate hys very body Frith sayth that it is no article of our Créede and therefore hée reckoneth that hee is in no ieoperdy though hee beleeue it not And hee thinketh that his fleshe is not present vnto the téeth of them that receaue the Sacrament For hys flesh is onely in one place at once And y t hée proueth both by y t authoritie of S. Austen ad Dardanum and also by the authoritie of Fulgentius ad Thrasuuandum lib. 20. as before appeareth in y t booke And Frith sayth that the wicked eate not hys very fleshe although they receaue the sacrament And that hée proueth by the Scripture Doctors and good reason grounded vpon the scriptures The Scripture is this hée that eateth Christes body hath euerlasting life but the wicked hath not euerlasting life ergo then the wicked eate not his body Agayne the Scripture sayth hée that eateth Christes fleshe and drinketh hys bloud abydeth in Christ and Christ in hym but y t wicked abyde not in Christ nor Christ in him ergo the wicked eate not hys fleshe nor drinke hys bloud Thys may also bée confirmed by good authoritie For S. Austen sayth hée that abydeth not in Christ and in whom Christ abydeth not without doubt hée eateth not hys fleshe nor drinketh hys bloud although hée eate and drinke the sacrament of so great a thing vnto hys damnation And euen the same wordes hath Beda vpon the x. chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Agayne S. Austen sayth hée that abydeth not in me and in whom I abyde not let hym not say nor thinke that hée eateth my body or drinketh my bloud And eueÌ the same wordes hath Beda vpon the vi chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians And euen y e same senteÌce hath Ambrose and Prosper and Beda vpon the xi chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians Finally thys may bée proued by good reason grounded vpon the scripture Christ would not suffer Mary though shée loued hym well to touch hym because shée lacked one poynt of fayth and dyd not beléeue that hée was equall with his father And therfore by reason it must follow that hée will not suffer the wicked which neither haue good faith nor loue towards hym both to touch hym and eate him into their vncleane bodyes Now sith thys is proued true that the
wicked eate not hys body it must also thereof néedes followe that the sacrament is not hys naturall bodye For they doe eate the sacrament as all meÌ know Besides that the faythfull doe not eate Christes body with their téeth And therefore it must followe that the wicked doe not eate it with their téeth The antecedent or first part of the reason is prooued by the wordes of Christ which sayth that the flesh profiteth nothyng at all meaning that it doth not profite as they vnderstoode hym that is to say it profiteth nothyng to bée eaten carnally with their téeth and belly as they vnderstoode hym For els it profiteth much to bée eaten spiritually that is to say to beléeue that through hys body breakyng bloud shedding our sinnes are purged And thus doth Origene S. Austen Beda Chrysostome and Athanasius expound it as appeareth in the booke before And therfore Frith sayth that onely faythfull men eate hys body not with their téeth and mouth but with their fayth and hart that digest it into y e bowells of their soules through beléeuing that it was broken on the crosse to washe away their sinnes And the wicked eate not hys body but onely the bread and their damnation because they eate hym not spiritually that is because they beléeue not in hys bodye breaking and bloud shedding â The third point wherin Frith dissenteth from our prelates and their proctoure 3. THe Prelates beléeue that men ought to worship the sacrameÌt But Frith sayth nay and affirmeth that it is Idolatry to worship it And hée sayth that Christ and his Apostles taught vs not so to doe neither did the holy fathers so teach vs. And Frith sayth that the authors of thys worshipping are the children of perdition which haue ouerwhelmed this world with sinne Neuerthelesse we must receaue it reuerently because of the doctrine that it bringeth vs. For it preacheth Christes death vnto vs and describeth it before our eyes euen as a faythfull preacher by the worde doth instill it into vs by our eares and hearing And that it supplyeth the roome of a preacher is euident by the woordes of S. Austen which sayth Paulus quamuis portaret farcinam corporis quod aggrauat animaÌ potuit tamen significando predicare Dominum Iesum Christum aliter per linguam suam aliter per epistolam aliter per sacramentum corporis Christi That is to fay though Paule did bere the burthen of the body which doth honorate the soule yet was he able in signifiyng to preach y e lord Iesus Christ one way by his tonge and an other way by an epistle an other way by the sacrament of Christes body c. For as the people by vnderstanding the fignification of the wordes which he spake did heare the glorious Gospell of God and as by the reading of his pistle they vnderstoode his minde and receiued the word of the soules health so by the ministration of the sacrament they might sée with their eye the thing which they heard read and so haue their sences occupied about the mistery that they might the more earnestly print it in their minde As by example The Prophet Hieremie being in Hierusalem in the tyme of Sedechias king of the Iewes prophesyed and preached vnto them y t they should be takeÌ prisoners of Nabugodonesar the king of Babilon the Iewes were angry with him and woulde not beléeue his wordes And therfore be made a chayne or fetters of wood and put them about his neke and prophesied agayne and preached that they should be taken prisoners led captiue into Babilon And as his wordes did certifie their eares y t they should be subdued so the chayne dyd represent their captiuitie euen before their eye Whiche thyng did more vehemently woorke in them then the bare wordes could doe and euen so it is in the Sacrament For likewise as the woordes dyd instill into our eares that his body was geuen for vs and his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes euen so did the mynistration of the sacrament expresse y e same thing vnto our sight and doth more effectuously moue then the bare wordes might doe and make vs more attent vnto the thing that we may wholye geue thankes vnto God and prayse him for his bounteous benefites And therfore seyng it is a preacher expressing vnto our sight y e same thing that y e wordes doe to our eares represeÌt you must receyue it with reuerence sober behauiour aduertising y t thing that it representeth vnto you And euen y e same honour is dew vnto it which is geuen vnto the scripture that is the word of God For vnto y t must a man deuoutlye geue eare and reuerently take the booke in hys hande yea and if he kisse y t booke for the doctrines sake that he learenth thereout he is to bée coÌmended Neuerthelesse if he should goe sence hys booke men might well thinke that he were very childishe But if he should knéele downe and pray to this booke then he dyd commyt playne Idolatrye Consider deare bretheren what I say and auoyde this Ieoperdye which thing auoyded I care not as touching the presence of his body though you beléeue that hys naturall flesh be there in déede and not onely in a misterye as I haue taught For when y t Ieoperdye is past he were a foole that would bee conteÌtious for a thing as long as there coÌmeth no hurt therbye The Germanes which beléeue the presence of his body do not worshyp it but playnly teach the contrary and in that poynt thankes be to God all they whom you call heretickes do agrée fulwell Onely auoyde this Idolatry and I desire no more ¶ The conclusion of this treatise NOwe deare brethren I beséech you for the mercy y t ye looke for in Christ Iesu that you accepte this worke with a single eye and no contentious hart For necessitie hath compelled me to write it because I was informed both of my Lord of Winchester and other credible persoÌs that I had by the meanes of my first treatise offended many men Which thing may well be true For it was to slender to instruct all them which haue since seene it albe ãâã it were sufficient for their vse to whoÌ it was first deliuered And therfore I thought it not onely expedient but also necessary to instruct them further in the truth that they might sée plaine euidence of that thyng wherein they were offended By this worke you shal espye their blasphemyes the venemous touÌges where with they flaunder not onelye them that publish the truth but euen the truth it selfe They shame not to say y t we affirme it to bee onely bread and nothing els And we say not so but we say that beside the substaunce of bread it is y e sacrament of Christes body and bloud As y e Iuye hanging before the tauerne doore is more then bare Iuye For beside the substaunce
king to kéepe thys contracte But yet you were not so content but afterward you found the meanes that this good kyng was poysoned by a traytorous Monke of Swinested because he should say that hée would make a halfepeny loafe worth xx shillinges if hée liued a yeare For the whiche word your holy Monke was moued and went and confessed hym selfe to the Abbot how that he would poyson the king for thys and the one deuill as good as the other the holy traytor absolued the holy murtherer before the déede was done and for thys holy murtherer is there founded v. masses for euer This is the blessed obedience of your holy Church How would you cry how would you yaulpe if wée had handled a gentlemans dogge on this fashion but you can call vs poore men traytors and in the meane season you bring both king kingdome into seruitude and bondage What is treason if this bée no treason to bring so honourable a kinge and hys lande into such bondage and compell hym to receiue his naturall and frée kingdome of such a vyllayne and lymme of y e deuell What can bée said or thought to defend this matter you haue not all onely done wrong to the kinge but vnto the yongest childe y e lyeth in the cradell y e which by your meanes is bonde And thinke it not sufficient to say that it is not your déede for first you are the children of these fathers and you haue alwayes alowed this acte This hath béene blased blowen preached and cryed out and all your bookes full of this matter and many a true mans bloud hath béene shed for speaking agaynst thys And yet was there neuer none of you y e did euer preach against this damnable facte but with full consent with full agréement both in worde déede and in wrytyng you haue alowed this treason Therfore I take you for the auctors as well as your forefathers I would not speake how dampnable it is to institute masses for a willing traytor and murtherer there was neuer no learninge that could allow this But there is no remedy hée that dyes agaynst his king and for the maintayning of your treason must néedes bée a saynt if masses blessinges and myracles wil helpe for all these bée at your commaundement to geue where you list So that we pore men must bée accused of insurrection and treason and we must bere al the blame we must bée driuen out of y e realme we must bée burned for it and as God knoweth there is no people vnder heauen that more abhorreth and with earnester hart resisteth more diligenly doth preach agaynst disobedience then we doe Yea I dare say boldely let all your bookes bée serched that were written this 500. years all they shall not declare the auctorite of a prince and the true obedience towarde hym as one of our litle bookes shall doe that bee condemned by you for heresy and all this will not helpe vs. But as for you you may preach you may wryte you may doe you maye sweare against your Princes and also assoyle all other men of their obedience towardes their princes You may compell princes to bée sworne to you and yet are you children of obedience and good christen men And if ye dye for this doctrine then is there no remedy but you must bée saintes and rather then fayle ye shall doe myracles To proue this I will tell you of a holy saynt of yours of whom your legend and cronicles maketh mencyon hys name as ye call him is s Germayne So it chaunced y e in the tyme of king Vortiger he came into England into a place where the king lay desired for hym his company lodging The king because hée kept no coÌmoÌ Inne would not receiue hym So hée departed very angerly and went to the kinges Neteherdes house and there desired lodginge and meate and drinke for hym and his companye The Neteherde was conteÌt to lodge him but hée sayd hée had no meate for hym sauyng a yong calfe that stode suckyng of the damme by the crybbe The byshop commaunded the calfe to bée slayne and to bée drest brought afore hym and hée and his company eate it vp and after commaunded the bones of the calfe to bée gathered togither and put in the calues skinne agayne and to bée layde in the cribbe by the damme and by and by y e calfe starte vp aliue agayne The next day the byshop went to king Vortiger reprooued him merueilous straightly because hée would not lodge hym and sayde that hée was vnworthey to bée kyng and therefore deposed hym made his Neteherde kyng in hys stede Of the which Neteherde as y e cronicles maketh mension came afterward many kings This is writen by one called Petrus de netalibus the which writeth the liues of all saintes I thinke no man will binde mée to proue this thing a lye but yet it must bee preached taught in your church it must bée writteÌ in holy saints liues hée must bée a saynt that did it and why because hée deposed a king and set in a Neteherde These shamefull and abhominable thinges doe you prayse and alowe and in the meane season condemne vs for heretickes and for traytours And if we chaunce moued by the abhomynablenes of your doctrine to geue you but one euyll worde then all the world rekoneth vs vncharitable But as for my parte I take God to recorde afore whome I shall bée saued or damned that though you haue done mée shamefull wronge and intollerable violeÌce yet with your owne persons am I neuer displeased nor angry but agaynst that horrible deuyll y e dwelleth in you that is the causer auctor and mayntayner of such abhominable doctrine that is against God and his blessed worde agaynst hym I say is my quarell and agaynst hym doe I striue this is the truth let men take my wordes as they will Is it not abhominable thinke you so shamfully to depose princes so to rebuke them so to handle them to compell them to bée sworne to you and to holde their lands of you to bée your ministers to the greate dishonour of the liuyng God and blaspheming of his blessed worde and to the great dispight of all noble potentates Ye remember the facte that is declared in your lawe of the noble Emperour Friderike and that wretch Innocent the fourth the thing was this The Pope by y e reasoÌ of certayne complaintes made by the Emperours enemyes cited the Emperour to appeare at Rome and because the Emperour would not appeare he cursed hym with booke bell and candell and afterwarde deposed hym and commaunded the electours to chose an other This is the cause of your lawe briefely But your text declareth certayne artycles agaynst the Emperour which bée these The first that hée had sworne to kéepe peace with y e church of Rome which oth hée brake sayth y e
bee and as you haue wel deserued that I should bée I could so set out this matter that all meÌ should spytte at you but I will vse my selfe charitable toward you and if the matter had not béene so haynously and so violently haÌdled of you I would not haue geuen you one ill woorde But now let no man require of me that I should vnto such an abhominable detestable deuill as hath brought in this wicked and shamefull learnyng and maners put of my cappe make low curtesie and geue fayre wordes and say God geue you good morow syr deuill how fare you I am glad of your welfare and prosperity your Lordship doth rule very graciously and all men prayseth you I doubte not but God shall prosper you I say let no man require this of me for I am and will bée so taken for his mortall enemy whersoeuer I doe finde hym whether hée bée Lord or Byshop sauing peraduenture if I spye hym dwelling in a Byshoppe I wyll not haÌdle him with so rough wordes for the weaknes of certayne men as I would if I founde him in an other place It were not vncharitable if I recited here by name the innocent bloud that you haue shed in my time for the speaking against your vnlawfull doctrine Alas what fault coulde ye sinde in good mayster Bylney whoÌ ye haue cast away so violently I dare say there is not one among you that knew hym but must commende and prayse his vertuous lyuinge And though you had founde him with a litle faulte the which I thinke and hée were now aliue should be no faulte alas would you cast away so cruelly so good a man and so true a maÌ both to God and to his kyng But I will returne agayne to my purpose and shewe an other example how you haue learned and taught to set kings and kingdomes togither by y e eares for the maintenance of your dignities and doctrines Pope Vrban the vj. which was choseÌ in the yeare of our Lord 1378. by sedition violence of Romaines which would haue no Cardinall of Fraunce because they woulde the Pope shoulde bee resident in Rome This Vrban I say deuising how to mayntaine his secte and part agaynst his aduersary which was called Clement of whose side y e kyng of FrauÌce helde sent to the kyng of England Ed. the 3. the which as than was not well content with the Frenche kyng certayne Bulles contaynyng cleane remission a poena a culpa for all them that would wage battayle against the kyng of Fraunce against them that were of Clementes side And because the kyng and his Lords shoulde bée the willinger to take battayle on them hée sent a commaundement to the Byshops to rayse of the spiritualtie a taxe for to pay the souldiours wyth Moreouer because the Duke of Lancaster had a tytle to the kyngdome of Castell the which helde of Clementes side therefore y e Pope graunted that part of this money should also bée deliuered to hym if hée would wage battayle agaynst y e kyng of Castell promysing hym also that hée would styrre the kyng of Portyngale which than had also varyaunce with the sayde kyng of Castelll to warre agaynst the sayd kyng and to the mayntaynyng of his warre hée would grauÌt y t kyng of Portyngale a demy of his spiritualty thorow all his Realme How much was gathered in Portyngale our stories maketh no mension but in London and in the diocese was gathered a tuÌne of golde and in the whole realme of England was gathered xxv C. M. frankes whiche makes in Englishe money CC. lxxvij M. vij C. lxxvij ãâã And because this money was gathered of y e spiritualitie and by their diligence therefore the Pope ordayned Henry Spenser the Byshop of Norwych to bée the chiefe captayne of this warre but or euer the Pope coulde brynge this matter to passe he sent to y e king to his Lordes and to his Byshoppes xxx Bulles So that at the last thys foresayd Byshop of Norwyche was sent foorth with a greate number of men in the wages of the Church And the Duke of Lankester likewise agaynst the kyng of Castell Theyr oth was geuen them to fight agaynst no man nor countrey that helde with Pope Vrban And our chronicle saith that Pope Vrban would haue made peace betwene the FreÌch king and ours at the last How thinke you is not this a pretie practise to set men together by the eares and than to make them beleeue that he woulde make a peace Fyrst we must haue cleane remission to fight and thaÌ wée shall bée curssed as blacke as a potte if wée will make no peace And why because the Pope hath hys purpose Is not this a goodly packyng of spirituall men Is not here goodly obedience taught toward Princes Bée not mens soules well fed wyth thys doctrine Bée not these good fathers that thus watcheth nyght and daye for y t cure and charge that they haue of mens soules Marke how charitable and liberall that the holy Fathers bée in distributing of Christes merites Euery man that fighteth in his cause shall haue cleane remission a pena a culpa and must néedes bée the childe of saluation Let Christ say and doe what hée can for the holye Church hath so determined And that no man shoulde doubt of it there bée xxx Bulles graunted and that vnder leade And the Church of Rome can not erre for the spirituall lawe sayth what the sea of Rome doth approue that must néedes bée allowed and that that she reproueth must bée of no strength Likewise in an other place So must the decrées of the sea of Rome bée accepted as though they were spoken by the godly voyce of Peter hymselfe Agaynst these thinges dare I not speake for I would fayne bee taken for a Christen man but yet I muste bee so bolde to speake one worde the truth is the deuill himselfe hath blowen out these presumptuous voyces And yet meÌ must set both life soule on these wordes For there bée xxx Bulles of leade to confirme the matter And that is a weightye thynge But when kyng Iohn our naturall prince shoulde haue had of the pyed MoÌkes for the defeÌce of this realme but a small summe of money Than was there neuer a Bull to gette nor yet one Byshop in EnglaÌd to preach on his side But now CC. M. pound gathered in one Lent and a greate deale more for the maintainauÌce of y e pope his holy flesh Was not this a marueilous subiectioÌ that we should suffer our selues so lightly to bée moued to geue not onely so greate a suÌme of money but also to send forth in the defence of such a wicked person our naturall brethren kinsemen and countreymen I dare say of my conscience that in fiue huÌdred yeares there was not such a summe of money so lightly graunted were the cause neuer so great vnto our right naturall and
articles that were agaynst the Byshops they did great diligence in a part of them gathered they my very true sentences and myne owne wordes though in those thinges they left out vncharitably those wordes that made for my declaration and also for the probation of my saying the which I haue also here lefte out all onely adding the articles as thye laid them against mée that all men may sée y t worst that they had against mée For all men may thinke that they wil neither lay the best nor yet the truth agaynst mée But this article dyd I thus preach that men should not in their peticioÌ and prayers put to their good workes nor their good déedes and their merites As O Lord I doe faste I doe pray I am no theife I am in charitie with all the world and for them defire God to bée mercifull vnto them But they shoulde desire the father of heauen to bée mercifull vnto them alonely for Christes merites For they were y e things wherby both wée and our prayers are accepted in the sight of the father And to prooue this I brought certayne Scriptures As this whatsoeuer yée shall aske the father in my name hée shall geue it you And also the figure of y e old law where there was no sacrifice done but with y e fire that was taken from the aulter Now did I say that Christ is our aulter But thys myne aduersaries vnderstoode not But I maruayle what this article doth amonge the other hereticall articles I thinke they doe not recken it heresie HEe did not praye for the thrée estates of holy Churche neyther made hée his prayers in y e beginning of his sermon according to the olde custome but at the last ende and for the true knowledge of all Christen men making no prayer to our Lady nor for the soules in gurgatory nor for grace expedient If the Byshops had had any indifferency in them or any charitie they woulde haue béene ashamed that such articles shoulde haue béene brought afore theÌ What is this to the purpose of heresie that I did not pray for the thrée estates of holy Church And yet they graunt that I prayde for all true ChristeÌ meÌ and that men might come to the true knowledge Is not all the church contayned in this But they bée vncharitable men without all coÌsideration they bée so blinded in their worldly honour That I did not pray to our Ladye nor for the soules in purgatory what is that to heresy for then were the Apostles heretykes for they did not pray in their sermons to our Lady nor yet to y e soules in purgatorye And as for praying for grace expedient that is not the preacher bound to doe openly But mée thinketh by these articles that God gaue mée a greate grace that I durst so boldelye reproue their abhominable liuing not fearing the daunger that should come thereof but this I leue to other mens iudgement And I dare boldelye say y e if I had spoken tentymes asmuch against y e auctorite of our noble prince and agaynst all his noble dukes and Lordes had taken all power both spirituall and temporall from them and geuen it to our idle byshops then had I béene a faythfull christen man for I had defended y e liberties of holy church But god send them his grace and space for to conuert Amen The whole disputation betweene the Byshops and Doctour Barnes NOw most honorable gracious Prince here haue I shewed your grace the articles that myne aduersaries vncharitablie hath layd agaynst me In the whiche though a greate many of my wordes and sayinges were Yet neuerthelesse there was left out all those things that did make for my declaration and for probations of my wordes and also for mollifying and temperatyng of those thinges that séemed to bée somewhat hardly spokeÌ agaynst the Byshops The whiche thinges were to longe to recite vnto your noble grace But as God is my iudge and also my conscience and all my wordes and déedes and all maner of my liuyng and conuersation I did neuer intende to speake agaynst the Byshops or els any other man further then their liuing and conuersation were agaynst the blessed word of God and the holy doctrine of Christes Churche For the truth is there was no great clerke in the Church of God this CCCC yeares that wrote any thyng but hée complained vehemently agaynst the liuing of the spiritualtie Let their bookes bée brought foorth to proue whether my saying be truth or not Alas is it not a pituous case yea and also agaynst all law and conscience that I poore man shalbée thus violently cast away for speaking agaynst these vices that béene damned by almightie God and by all hys holy creatures yea and the Byshops them selues and all the worlde must graunt that they doe liue as euill yea and rather worse then I did speake Oh Lord God where is loue to vertue where is the shamefastnes that Christen men ought to haue where is Iustice That I shalbée thus shamefully cast awaye for speakyng of that thynge that euery Christen man is bounde to speake They doe so lyue and I beyng a preacher of the verity must bée condemned for speakyng agaynst it But most gracious and mightie Prince God hath set your grace in the same honour and dignitie that you by Gods ordinaunce ought to defende those men that are oppressed wrongfully Wherefore humbly and méekely and with all lowlynes reuerence I beséech your grace to minister vnto me gracious iustice let me bée heard indifferently whether that I can iustifie my cause with learnyng or not If I can not iustifie it your grace is a minister of iustice I will refuse no maner of payne that shal bée due for my traÌsgressioÌ Wherfore ones agayne with all méekenes and lowlynes in the way of charitie and in Christes name and for his swéete bloud sake that hée hath shed for your grace yea and also by y e vertue of your auctoritie that the heaueÌly God hath deliuered you I doe require and desire of your grace audience and iustice I and all my pareÌtes bée your naturall subiectes borne and a great many of vs hath dyed in your graces quarell and yet is there none of vs but are ready to doe your grace that seruice with our bodyes bloud that shall become trewe subiectes to doe to their noble prince Wherfore thyrdely in my name and in all our names for al they are rebuked in me with all méekenes reuerence I béeseche your grace of gracious audience and of fauorable iustice This thing I trust your grace will not denye me Nor yet take any displeasure with me your poore subiect for thus requiring For I haue none other prince nor Lorde to séeke vnto here on earth but vnto your grace onelye Nor can I come to any charitable ende with myne aduersaries Wherefore I am compelled by extreme violence thus to complayne
sake onely And that we haue néede of nothyng towardes our saluation but of hym onely and wée desire no other saluatioÌ nor no other satisfactioÌ nor any helpe of any other creature eyther heauenly or earthly but of him onely for as Saint Peter sayth there is no other name geuen vnto men wherein they must bée saued And also S. Paule sayth by hym are all that beléeue iustified from all thynges Moreouer S. Iohn witnesseth the same in these wordes Hée it is that hath obtained grace for our sinnes And in an other place He sent his sonne to make agréement for our sinnes Now my Lordes here haue you Christ and his very nature full and whole And hée y e denyeth any thyng or any part of these thyngs or taketh any part of them applyeth them or geueth y e glory of theÌ to any other person then to Christ onely the same maÌ robbeth Christ of his honour and denyeth Christ and is very Antichrist Wherfore my Lordes first what say you to this and vnto the propertyes of Christ If you graunt them theÌ are we at a poynte For they proue that fayth in Iesus Christ onely iustifieth afore God Secondarily if you denye if as I am sure you will for you had leuer deny your Créede theÌ grauÌt it How can you theÌ auoyde but that you bée the very Antichristes of whoÌ S. Iohn speaketh For now haue we tryed your spirites that they bée not of God for you deny Christ That is you deny the very nature the propertie of Christ You graunt y e name but you deny the vertue You graunt that hée descended from heauen but you deny the profite thereof For hée descended for our health this denye you and yet it is your Créede You graunt that hée was borne but you denye the purpose You graunt that he is rissen froÌ death but you deny the profit therof for hée rose to iustifie vs. You grauÌt that hée is a Sauiour but you deny that he is alonely y t sauiour I pray you wherfore was hée borne to iustifie vs in part to redéeme vs in part to doe satisfaction for part of our sinnes so y e we must set a payr of old shoes a lompe of bread cheese or a lousie gray coate to make satisfactioÌ for y t other part Say what you will if you geue not all and fully alonely to one Christ theÌ deny you Christ and the holy ghost And S. Iohn doth declare you to bée contrary to Christ This may also bée proued by a playne Scripture of the holy ghost which is this No man in heauen nor in earth neither vnder the earth was able to open the booke or to looke on y e booke till the lambe came vnto whom the seniours spake on this maner Thou art worthy to take y t booke to open the seales therof for thou wast killed and hast redéemed vs by thy bloud How say you to this my Lordes In heauen was there none founde neither by the aungels nor yet by the seniours worthy to open the booke but Christ onely And will you finde that they could not finde will you set an helper to Christ whoÌ they set alone But I pray you tel vs what bée shall bée All the world knoweth that they hée good workes But now from wheÌce come your good workes whether from heauen or out of the earth or froÌ vnder the earth If they were in any of these places where were they when the aungels and the seniours sought them Haue you founde them whom they could not finde but let this passe I praye you what will you lay for your good workes or by what title will you bryng them in to ioyne them with the laÌbe in openyng of the booke The seniours haue layd for them that the laÌbe alonely was worthy to opeÌ the booke because hée was slayne and redéemed them with his precious bloud Now what cause laye you for your good workes The laÌbe hath alonely dyed for vs The lambe hath alonely shed his bloud for vs The lambe hath alonly redéemed vs These things hath hée done alone Now if these bée sufficient then hath hée alone made satisfaction and is alonely worthy to be our redéemer and iustifier Moreouer they that bée in heauen confesse that this lambe is alonely worthy to redéeme them Bée your workes better then theirs or caÌ your workes helpe them If they can then is not the lambe alonely worthy to redéeme them Moreouer the seniours fall downe before the lambe geuyng him alonely prayse And shall your good workes stande vp by the lambe Then bée they better then the seniours But let vs proue this thyng by open Scriptures S. Paule tooke so great labours to proue this article as hée neuer tooke in any other all because hée would make it playne and stoppe the mouthes of the agaynesayers But all this will not helpe them that haue not the spirite of God Neuertheles we will by Gods fauour doe the best we can to confounde the crooked enemyes of Christes bloud thoughe we can not make them his frendes yet at the lest we will so handle them that they shall bée ashamed openly so to speake agaynst him as they haue done longe tyme and so will we handle them by Gods helpe that all the world shal know that they glory in Christes name and by hym bée they also so high promoted in this worlde that they can not bée higher And yet deserue they of Christ worst of all men But let vs goe to our purpose S. Paule sayth All men bée sinners and wante the glory of God but they are iustified fréely by his grace thorough the redemption that is in Christ Iesu What is this that all men haue sinned yea and are iustified fréely How shall a sinner doe good workes How can hée deserue to bée iustified what call you fréely if there bée any deseruing lesse or more then is it not fréely What call you by his grace if it bée any part of works then it is not of grace For as Saint Paule sayth Then grace were not grace Here can bée no euasion the wordes bée so playne If you bring in any helpe of workes then for so much is not our redeÌption fréely nor yet is it of grace as concerning the part that commeth of works but partly of workes and then doe you destroy all Saint Paule and his whole disputation For hée contendeth agaynst workes clearely excludeth workes in iustification and bryngeth in grace onely Nowe that that is excluded in the whole by contention can not bée brought in in parte to the cause This is open in his wordes where hée sayth Where is now thy reioysing It is excluded By what lawe by the lawe of workes Nay but by the lawe of fayth We doe iudge therfore that a man is iustified by fayth without y t workes of the lawe Heare you not that the gloriation
cause therof I am sure hée caÌ tel you if hée woulde I am sure it is rightteously done that is inough for mée But now commeth the blynde and fleshlye reason and murmureth at thys and asketh why are wée coÌdemned for this why doth God punishe vs for this séeing wée can wyll no otherwyse Also hée blyndeth vs hée maketh our harts harde that wée can not amende vs and it lieth not in our power wythout his will Nowe why complayneth hée of vs why layeth hée it to our charge Here is nothynge done but hys will wée bée but instrumentes of hys will And if wée doe not well why geeueth hée vs not strength to doe better Thou dampnable reason who can satisfie thée which reckonest nothyng to bée well done but that thou dooste and that is done wyth thy counsell Thynkest thou not that thou art good and perfecte in thyne owne nature and all that is in thée is both wel and righteously made To this thou wilte aunswere yea for thou wiât not condemne thy selfe nor any thing that is thine But now aunswere mee to this What hath made thée so well and geuen thée all thy righteousnes and all thys goodnes that thou hast Thou must néedes say God But what was the cause that thou art so well so righteous and so good made séeyng that thou deseruest nothyng Yea ⪠and all these thynges bée done so well and so righteously that thou canst not complayne nor ameÌde them no nor yet deuise which way to amende them Now why doest thou not murmur agaynst God séeyng that all thynges is done without thy knowledge and also without thy deseruing why doest thou not inquire a cause of hym why murmurest thou not that hée hath made thée so good and so rightfull séeyng thou haddest nothyng deserued But here wilt thou graunt that God dyd all thyng for the best Why doest thou not lykewise in other thynges Furthermore thou must néedes graunt that God thy maker and the gouernour of all thyngs is most wise most righteous and most mercyfull so wise that nothyng that hée doth can bée amended so righteous that there can bée no suspition in hym of vnrighteousnes so mercyfull is âée that hée caÌ doe nothyng without mercy Howe thinkest thou wilt thou graunt these thynges of thy maker Thou must néedes graunt them Now compare vnto this rule thy blindnes that is within thée thy induratioÌ that is in thée thy peruers will toward goodnes and what cause hast thou to complayne Thou hast graunted that hée doth all thynges righteously Ergo thou hast no wrong Hée doth all things mercyfully Ergo thou art in thy blyndnes and in thy hardnes better intreated theÌ thou hast deserued Moreouer thou beleuest that God is righteous that God is wise and that God is mercyful Now fayth is of those thynges that doe not appeare nor that can bée prooued by exteriour causes Hold thée fast to this fayth then all thy fleshely reasons bée assâiled For wheÌ God saueth so few men and damneth so many and thou knowest no cause why yet must thou beléeue that hée is mercyful and righteous This is fayth which if it could bée prooued by exteriour causes then were it no néede to beléeue it Now if thou beléeue that hée is mercyfull good righteous vnto thée wherefore murmurest thou But yet wouldest thou know wherfore hée in durateth thée and blyndeth thée and geueth thée no grace to amende and vnto thy brother that hath no better deserued then thou hast yea hée hath likewise euill deserued as thou hast and yet hée geueth hym grace and taketh away his hardnes geueth him a will to will all goodnes This is not indifferently done as thou thinkest First I say to thée thou hast no cause to complayne for thou hast no wrong thou hast all thyng that is thyne and nothyng is taken froÌ thée that beloÌgeth to thée Why doest thou complayne of this right Yea but yet sayest thou that hée geueth the one mercy and geueth the other none I aunswere what is that to thée is not his mercy his owne Is it not lawfull for him to geue it to whom hée will is thy eye euil because hée is good Take that that is thyne and goe thy way For if it bée his wil to shew his wrath and to make his power knowne ouer the vessels of wrath ordeined to damnation and to declare the riches of his glory vnto the vessels of mercy which hée had prepared elected vnto glory What hast thou therewith to doe what cause hast thou therof to coÌplayne it is the will of God which can not bée but well righteous the which as thou sayest thou beléeuest Wherefore leaue of thy murmuryng thy disputation agaynst God and recken that hée is of his nature mercyfull and hath no delite nor no pleasure in thy damnatioÌ but beléeue thou stedfastly that if hée shewe hys mercy but vnto one man in all the worlde that thou shalt bée that same one man though an aungell would make thée beléeue that all the world should bée damned yet sticke thou fast to his mercy and to his iustice that iustifieth thée and beléeue that the swéete bloud of his blessed sonne can not bée shedde in vayne but it must néedes iustifie sinners and so many as sticke fast vnto it though they bée neuer so blynded and neuer so hardned for it was shed alonely for them If thou canst thus satisfie thy selfe then doest thou wel thou art doubtles out of ieoperdie If thou wilt not bée content but wilt dispute and inquire causes of Gods inscrutable will then will I stand by and looke on and sée what victordome thou shalt get I doubt not but it will repeÌt thée and that hée will conclude with thée on this maner May not I doe what I will Now here haue I auÌswered to an intricable doubt that our schoole men are wrapped in whiche would know what is the cause of predestination and of reprobatioÌ Duns béeyng wrapped betwéene carnall reason and the inuincible Scriptures of S. Paule can not tell whether hée may graunt that the will of God is alonely the cause of election or els any merites of man precedyng afore hée concludeth that both y e opinions may bée defended Bonauenture blyndly concludeth that there may bée a cause preceding grace to deserue it So that in these vnfrutefull questions which in gender nothing but conteÌtion haue they spent all their liues and for these thinges bée geuen vnto them peculiar names as subtile and seraphicall and irrefrigable Doctours But agaynst them all I set S. Paule whiche tooke intollerable labours to prooue by inuincible Scriptures and examples therof that there was no cause but alonely the will of God And to prooue this hée bryngeth in an euident example of Iacob Esau how Iacob was elected Esau reprooued afore they were borne and afore they had done either good or bad Can
Dauiour of the world from their sins All that loue God loue all that beleue in him He that loueth God loueth also the sonnes of God The loue of God and the loue of my neighbour are in seperable Workes set forth ãâã declare faith To doe good to my neighbour is to do God good seruice A goodly similitude Al that are borne of God ouercome the world The conquestes of fayth Christ had three witnesses The true doctrine of the Sacramentes is away from vs. The faythfull haue the true witnes of God in their harts The vnfaythfull worshyp God in imageseruice and outward Popery The Papistes haue not the fayth of the Apostles neither do they know and therefore they rayle on it To aske in Christes name what it is Such as lacke fayth in Christ wander they wot not whether The sinne to y t death All that are borne of God câ not sinne The armour of a Christen man The world seeth not the thyngs that are of God Christ eâe ãâã is the founteine and fulnes of all good giftes He that seketh any other way to eternall saluation then by Christ shal neuer come there Idolatrie Idolater As great Idolatry may be coÌmitted to the Image of a Saint as was by the Gentiles committed vnto Idoles Grosse worshyppyng of God Ceremonies Sacrifices The Iewes could beleue nothyng with out tokeÌs Sacraments and ceremonies were ordeined onely for remembraunces Idolatry We ought to be fraÌke and to distribute to our poore brethren such as God hath sent vs. Supersticious Popery are Idolatry In all our needes wee must call vpon God in the name of Iesu Christ he will âeare vs. The masse as the pope vseth it is damnable Idolatrie We must eâer cleaue vnto God and submit our selues to his mercy The masse at the first was a declaration of Christes passion 1. Cor. 11. 1. Cor. 10. and 12. Ephe. 1. What penaunce was Greuous sinne not passed vpoÌ Discipline vsed in the primatiue Church The description of the partes of the masse The abhominable vse of the masse The abuse of the Sacrament Halfe of the Sacrament kept from the lay people The frutefull and profitable doctrine of the Sacramentes are kept from vs. I descriptioÌ of God Iesus Christ the onely way to his father The belefe of the resurrection is an article of our faith Fayth is sufficient to iustifie vs. Christ the onely mediatour betwene God and man ArgumeÌto prouyng our saluation in Christ The false fayth of the downe falling sinner Fayth in the promise betwene ââod and ãâ¦ã our soules Gods promises haue couenauÌtes annexed vn to them the breakers ⪠âherof are ââ¦luded ãâã the promise An obiection of our aduersaries against iustificatioÌ by fayth A compendious declaration of our iustification by fayth A similitude of an earthly kyng pardonyng a condemned person The prayer of the faythfull for his brother taking effect thankes therefore muââ wholly bee attributed to the geuer All our helpe is froÌ aboue for man can not helpe âut when God prepareth hys hart Praying to Saintes is damnable Saintes abhorre theÌ that pray vnto them M. Tracie studious in S. Austen Burials must be ceââbrated honorably for the hope of our resurrection One must pray for an other and one helpe an other A true Christian feareth not the Popes Purgatory Couetousnes pretely described God graunteth all thynges to the faythfull Papistes burne both quicke and dead if they touch their roten sores Writinges and monuments preserue the memory of notable doynges Gene. 32. Gene. 50. A sure hande of all couenaâtes amoÌgst the Iewes Gene. 21. The well of swearing or the well of seuen Gene. 31. A heape of stones was a sufficient bande for all couenauntes Gene. 9. The rainebow a pledge of Gods promise Gene. 17. The blessing of God to AbrahaÌ Gene. 17. Circumcision the seale of Gods couenaunt with vs. Rom. 2. Gods promise recheth to all Abrahams posteritie Baptisme to vs is as CircumcisioÌ was to the Iewes Axod 13. Exod. 20. Nume 10. Nume 15. Iosua 4. 3. Reg. 11. 4. Reg. 13. Esay 12. Ierem. 27. Luke 1. Luke 1. Luke 2. Exod. 12. Exod. 12. The institution of y t Paâch all lambe Christes death figured by the Paschall lambe Luke 22. Christes exposition of y t Paschall lambe The Scriptures of God ãâã full of hiâden misteries Nume 21. Iohn 3. ãâã the ãâ¦ã was spiritually fulfilled in the kyngdome of heauen ãâã ââ¦tât oâ of y t SacrameÌt of y t body bâ⦠of our ãâ¦ã Christ The Paschall lambe ãâã the death and sacrâ⦠ãâ¦ã ãâ¦ã together 1. Cor. 11. The chief and onely cause of the institution of the Sacrament Actes 4. 1. Cor. 15. In all afflictions we must resoââ to Christ We must be ordered by the congregation Onely by the name of Iesus Christ commeth our saluation Actes 4. The nature of the SacrameÌt of the Sâppeâ of our Lord. Sacramentes and ceremonies were first ordeined by God to kepe hys couenantes and promises in remeÌbraunce Sacramentes are as stories to keepe Christes couenaunts in memory Circumcisio without fayth auayled noching Baptisme w t out fayth auayleth nothyng Baptisme and the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud are both necessary The Sacrament of Baptisme what it worketh in vs. The Sacrament of the body bloud of Christ what it worketh in vs. Marke 10. The law driueth a sinner to desperatioÌ The deuill enemy to man The flesh enemy to man The impeââ¦ent and wilfull sinner feeleth not the wrath of God in his law The law the flesh the deuill are three great enemyes vnto man Why the Sacramentes were chiefly ordeined by God God hath coÌmaunded his Sacramentes to be had in dayly vse the cause why The Sacrament of Christes body bloud ãâ¦ã to keÌ of Christes promise of our saluation in his death Iudi. 13. A brief collection of the premisses Math. 1. Math. 7. To an ignorauÌt and vnfaithfull person the Sacramentes and ceremonies are sinne Idolatry what it is The spirituall and right seruyng of God what it is Math. 26. Marke 14. Luke 22. 1. Cor. 11. The institution of the Sacramentes of Christes body and bloud Who they are that receaue the benefite of Christes death The cup of the bloud of Christ what it is Exod. 24. Hebr. 9. The great mercyfull differeÌce betwene the old Testament the new The great mercy of God to maÌkynd Marke 14. Luke 22. The cause of the institution of y e SacrameÌt of Christes body The signe of the body of Christ is called by the name of Christes body whiche is there signified 1. Cor. 11. 1. Cor. 11. Hebr. 10. What the SacrameÌt meaneth why the same was instituted There are iij. opinioÌs about the SacrameÌt of the body and bloud of Christ The first opinion The second opinion The thyrd opinion A declaration made by them of the first opinioÌ aboue mentioned A declaratioÌ of them of the secoÌd opinion abouâ mentioned A declaration of theÌ of the third opinion about mentioned
Iudic. 20. Here note that the children of Israell fought at Gods commaundement and in a righteous cause yet were twise ouerthrowen 1. Macha 3 M. More Frith Christe spake of no carnall eating of him but of a spirituall catyng by sayth The Papistes doe falsly alledge this text Aug. in IohaÌ tract 26 To beleue in Christ is to dwell in Christ Math. 26. Iohn 6. Iohn 15. Iohn 10. Gene. 35. Gene. 32. Ieremy 19 More Frith Roma 4. 1. Cor. 10. Iohn 15. Iohn 10. Osea 17. Math. 2. The Scripture speaketh diuersly and hath diuers senses M. More More is a mocker and trifler Frith In aunswere to Mores triflyng Eucharistia The right cause why we should come to the Table of our Lord. More hath here a cheke mate M. More Frith Why certeine places of y e Scripture must be vnderstand spiritually M. More Frith No man is to be beleued that bryngeth hys owne iudgement onely vpon any senteÌce of Scripture More is here pretely ââ¦ypped M. More Frith Iohn 6. Note here the saying of S. Austen How the fleshe of Christ profiteth nothyng and how it doth profite Frith vseth not wordes without alledgyng authorities Augustinus in sermone ad infantes Augu. 54. The Iewes vnderstode Christ carnally and not spiritually as he meant M. More fallen into the errour of pope In nocent Aug. Lib. 3. de doctrina Christiana Here S. Augustine sheweth plainly that Christes woordes were a figuratiue spech Augustinus in sermone ad infantes Origi in leus ho. 7. Christes wordes are spirituall and not carnall Augusti sermo eirca sacra feria Pascha The eating drinkyng of Christ what it is Idem Beda super 1. Cor. 10. The wicked eate not the fleshe of Christ Roma 5. August de ciuitat dei li. 21. ca. 25. Beda super 1. Cor. 6. The sacrament is a figure token and a memoriall of the breaking of Christes body sheding of hys bloud Ambros de sacra Lib. 5 cap. 4. Prosp in libro sententiaruÌ sent 339. Idem Beda super 1. Cor. 11. More Frith More hath no olde author to maintaine hys quareling Papistry The Papistes haue corrupted the Scriptures and aduaunced them selues aboue Kinges and rulers Articles of our fayth made by the Pope To beleue the articles contayned in our crede is sufficient for our saluation Frith allegeth authorities to proue hys doctrine true Tertul. lib. 2. contra MarcioneÌ Tertul. lib. 4. contra MarcioneÌ This is my body that is to say a figure of my body August in prafa Psal 3. Christ deliuered to his desciples the figure of hys body August super Psal 98. S. Austen ad BonifaciuÌ Epist. 23. The sacrament is the memoriall of Christes death The sacrament of Christes body and bloud after a maner is Christes body and bloud Good Friday next is called the day that Christ suffered hys passion and yet it is not so for that good Friday is past loÌg sââhens Frith writeth of the Masse according to the coÌmon opinioÌ that was at that time After a certaine maner the Sacrament of Christes bodye is Christes body August contra AdamaÌ tum cap. 12 Christe gaue to his Disciples the signe of his body Ambrosi super illud mortem domini annuÌâia Ambrosi de sacra Lib. 4 Cap. 4. Ambrosi Libro 4. de Sacramen Cap. 5. The Sacrament is a figure of Christes body Hieroni. super eccle Cap. 3. We eate the very flesh of Christ drinke hys bloud in a mystery The vnder standyng of the Scripture is very meate very drinke Christes body is no materiall meate or drinke Hieronimus super Math. 26. Where there is no true body there can beno figure of the same Beda super Luke 22. Bread and wiââe is mistically referred to the body bloud of Christ A Sacrament what it is Ad Marcellum Bread and wyne represent vnto vs the flesh and bloud of Christ Chrisosto super Math. 26. Sacrifice Christes body a sacrifice offered on the crosse once for all Chrisosto ad Hebre. Home 17. The Sacrifice that we offer in bread and wyne is the remembraunce of Christes death Roma 6. As S. Austen declareth afore ad Bonifacum The masse is called a sacrifice be cause it representeth the death passion of Christ that was sacrificed on the Crosse Chrisost super Math. ãâã Christ by drinkyng of the cup dyd shewe the mistery and that it was no naturall nor carnall bloud Super Ioh. cap. 6. Hoâ⦠46. All misteryes must be considered spiritually The plaine saying of Chrisostome âuâpentius ãâã Lib. de ãâã The Sacrament of Christes body is a thankes Seuyng Fulgentius This cup is the new TestameÌt is as much as this cup signifieth the new testament Eusebius Consecrat Druthmarius The Sacrament how it is our body Augustinus in sermone adââ¦fantes Aug. in sermo de sacraferia pascha Here you may see that y â Sacrament is our body August de sacra feria pascha S. Austen calleth it by the name of SacrameÌt meanyng the figure signe or token of Christes bodyâ⦠The wââ¦ked and vnfaythfull do not receaue the body of Christ and yet they receaue the SacrameÌt to their daÌnation The Sacrament as it is our body so it is Christes Note well this argument Bartram The Sacrament is Christes body in a mystery Cyprianus adâ⦠As water is the people so wine is Christes bloud Eusebius By ytââ¦ture of water y t faithfull people are in corporate with Christ M. More ârith More is a captious Sophister ãâã subââle Poet and ãâã malicious Papist More is better acquainted with the Popes lawes them with S. Austens workes Ad Hiârânimum Christes body occupieth one place onely August ad BardanuÌ What Christ ment by thys worde Paradise How S. Austen laboureth to proue that Christes body might not be in ino places at once then in one If we affirme that the body of Christ is in many places at one mstant theÌ we should take away the truth of his body Augustin ibideâs Austen Christ as touching his Godhead is in all places Fulgentius Christ ascended into heauen because he is locall and a very man More Frith The flesh profiteth nothing The fleshe of Christ profiteth much if it be eaten with fayth August tract super 6. ãâã Athanasius 3. lib. qui dix verb. lââ¦ram The bread and wyne in the Sacrament why they are called mysteries If the Sacrament of the body of Christ were his natural body theÌ note what inconueniences must folow The wicked may not nor can not eate the body of Christ The wicked eate the SacrameÌt but yet dwell not in Christ Iohn 6. Iohn 6. Iohn 6. Math. 26. Mark 14. Iohn 12. God may do all thing but yet so as he caÌnot denye hys truth neither restore virginitie c. Iohn 3. The naturall body of Christ is not present to our teeth in the Sacrament ArgumeÌts to proue that Christes naturall body is not in the SacrameÌt of his body and bloud The ioyfull eatyng of Christ is ây
to God When things that are indifferent are coÌmaunded to bee done of necessitie then are not the same to obeyed because the same destroyeth ouâ freedome in Christ Math. 2â 1. Cor. 8. 2 ⪠Cor. 9. Hee that doth the workes of Antechrist the same is Antichrist Councell of CoÌstaÌce forbad the SacrameÌt to bee receaued of the lay people in both kyndes The wordes of the councell and determination of Antechrist Who soeuer doth alter y â worde of God set vp theyr owne inuentions the same are of the deuill All counsailes are of the deuill if they varye froÌ Christe Gods word is the iudge of Councels and not Councels iudges of Gods word Note here what the Councell hath graunted The Councell doth shamefully bee lye both the fathers and the Scriptures Antichrist doth at all tymes declare hym selfe to bee agaynste Christ New doctrine made by Antichrist What soeuer is contrary to Christ the same is of the deuill Math. 26. Marke 14. Luke 22. Christes institution of the Sacrament of his body and bloud Rochesters glose vpon Christes wordes The Pope may aswell forbid all lay men to eate of Christes body as to forbid them to drinke of Christes bloud D. Barnes is playne wyth the Byshop of Rochester S. Paule setteth forth the institution of Christ Christes bloud is not to bee receaued in his body onely but in the cup. 1. Iohn 1. Hebr. 10. Paule ministred Christes body by it selfe and the cup of his bloud by it selfe to the lay and commoÌ people Councell of Constance condemne Christ and Paule for heretickes De consecra di 2. 6. coÌperimus The popes own lawes agaynste both hym selfe his Clergie The popes owne lawe sayth it is superstition to receaue but the one kinde onely The âgloser agaynst the counsell De conseâr di 2. c. cum frangimus De consecr de 2. c. Si quocienscumque Popes lawe saith the receauing of Christes bloud is medicinable Ad Corneliuâ⦠apam A goodly saying of Cyprian Ecclesiastica âist Saint Ambrose willeth all men to receaue the cup of the bloud of Christ The Pope and hys clergie feare not to breake Christes institution and ordinaunce Barnes exhorteth K. Henry the viij to restore the sinceritie of Christes holy word 1. Reg. 15. Reason and deuotion being contrary to Gods will is mere blyndnes impietie Zacharie 9 Math. 20. Luke 2. The sayinges and doinges of Christ are not to bee iudged by naturall reason Iohn 6. What soeuer is ordeined agaynst the ordinaunce of Christ the same be occursed Blynd reasons of the Papistes The Papistes finde faulte with gnattes swallowe Caniels Iohn 6. Fonde argumentes made by y â Byshop of Roche estr The cause that moued hym to write of this thing Two sorts of men Math. 7. 1. Cor. 7. Priestes are more bounde to mary for auoyding vicious liuing theÌ to other chastising of theyr body seyng that is Gods ordinaunce ther unto appointed Hebr. 13. 1. Cor. 7. It is not sufficient before God to auoyde S. Paule with a light and a vayne solution Whoredom is lawful in no case but mariage is lawfull in diuerse cases ergo mariage must rather bee alowed then whoredome I write not agaynst those Priestes that caÌ and doe lyue chast but I rather exhorte theÌ so to continue Let those men at the lest marrye wyues seyng they doe not nor can not lyue chast No man doubteth but a greate many doth thus lyue the whiche bee greate persecutors of maryed Priestes I would desire them not to proue my pacience to sore For I know theyr names and some of theyr children 1. Thess 4. Maryed men shall testifie that Virginitie is a quyet lyfe Mariage hath a greater crosse then virginitie Dâ⦠xxxi caââ¦nte trieâ⦠Res necess ãâã meâââ Roma 14. Virginitie is a state in differens Chastitie is Gods gift Math. 19. 1. Cor. 7. Whether it bee better to folow s Paule or the Pope 1. Cor. 7. Athanasius 1. Cor. 7. ãâ¦ã virgiâitatem ãâ¦ã Blessed S. Paule dispenseth with vnlawfull vowes xâvâ q. c. de filia in verbo de filia Thess 4. 1. Tim. 4. Taciani The Pope forbyddeth mariage The Marcianites the Pope all one Dist xxxi ca. lâx 1. Tim. 4. Obiectio The Pope compelleth meÌ to vow and for so much hee forbiddeth maryage A good example agaynst the Popes practises Dist 32. c Erubescant D. 31. c. lex Dist 82. c. Plurimos Dist 82. c. quia aliquanti The popes lawes agaynst maryage of Priestes New deuised sinne agaynst the holy ghost helpe God 1. Tim. 3. Tit. 1. Children bee not gotten with lookyng on women onely The Pope alloweth his priestes to keepe whores but cannot abyde that they should haue an honest wife Burne all Priestes that bee knowen for open whore masters benesices will bee theÌ better chepe And I will recken you then earnestly to defend chastitie 1. Cor. 9. A great blasphemy agaynste Christ and his holy Apostles Math. 19. The Apostles forsooke not their wiues as men dreame Ciprian âpist 11. S. Ciprian did more regarde honest liuing then the religious vowe The maryage of Priestes is allowed of God and therefore not to bee condemned of men Aug. de bâno coniugalâ ad Iulianum S. Aug. dispenseth wyth vowes where dauÌger is of fornication Ambrâ 32. quest cap. 1. Integritas Vowes that haue vnlawfull conditions are not to bee obserued Hiâ d. 37. cap. Leganâ The holy Councell Ex tripertita historia ⪠Dist xxxi ca. Nicena The Councell of Nicenâ dyd not thinke it an vnmeete thing for a Byshop to haue a wife The Popâ will not suffer that maryed meÌ shalâe chosen Byshops Diât xxâi ca. Oââ¦inâ If maryed men may be Byshops then second brethren shall no longer bee beggers Canon Apost Consilium Gangrens Canon 4. Eustachius Hereticus Dist 2â Dist 28. ãâã Deâernimus Sauyng the Pope Eustachius Dist 28. Dist ⪠28. c. Assumi prâteria Dist. 31. ca. sacârdotibâââpiscopi Tenere cos Si laicus 6. Sinodus This CouÌcell doth fully establish and coÌfirme the mariage of Priests The popes doctrine is condemned by a Councell Dist xxviij c. Diaconi Dist xxviij ca. de Siracus De vita honest cloricorum Cicero lib. i. officioruÌ Iustinianus lib. i. cap. Ius naturale It is implanted in nature to marry if Gods gift doe not chauÌge our nature Magister SeÌtentiaruâ lib. ij Dist. ãâã Ext. de ãâã Pres cap ad presentiam VenâeÌs Proposuit ãâã transmissa ãâ¦ã not ãâ¦ã de ãâã holy ãâã as they doe that graunt theÌ ãâ¦ã bastardes Extra lib. i de fiââ¦s presbyterum c. Ad ãâã Ibidem cap. Litteras Imperator Constan lege Omnis âa Ad perangariam Codice de Epis ele Math. 8. S. Peter had a wife Actes 11. Philip the Euangelist was marryed Ex tripertita historia lib. 9. cap. xxxviij Li. iiij ca. xxiij Penitus Dionisius Li ⪠iij. ca. xxx A playne place to prooue that Peter had a wife Ibi. li. x. câ v. Eccle. hist li. v. cap.