figura corporis mâ—i that is to wete sayeth Tertullyan the signe of my bodye The obiection out of Origen aunswered vnto They brought in agaynst vs Origen also because he wrote that Christe graunted the breade to bee his bodye And that dooe not we denye but all oure controuersie dooeth consiste in the manier how it is Christes bodye And as touchyng this poynte Origen hymself sheweth playnly in other places of his weorkes that there be figures here and that this bread is called the word nutritiue of the solle and geueth a ferther lesson concernyng thesame that we muste not set our myndes to cleue and sticke to the bloude of the fleashe but to the bloud of the worde Cyprian answered vnto Ciprian semeth to speake more hardelye when he sayed that this breade is chaunged not in his shape or outwarde apparaunce but in his nature But we muste haue a regard and consideracion what he wrote to Caecisius Whiche was that the Lordes bloude was shewed foorth with the wyne and that if wine ceassed to bee in the cuppe it coulde not seme that Christes bloud was in the cup. And as touchyng that he writeth in this place of chaungeyng the wyne into bloud we graunted also that a chaunge there is but we affirme it to bee a sacramentall mutacion or chaunging none other And thus takyng it we graunt that it is not the shape of the bread or the fourme or the accidentes of the breade that haue suche office here as to be Sacramentes but we saye that the nature and the veraye substaunce of the breade and of the wyne is chaunged into the sacrameÌ„tes of Christes body and bloud And And as the veray substaunce of the bread and not the shape of the breade dooeth nourishe so Christes body dooeth bothe nourishe our soule and bringeth couÌ„forte and strengthe to our bodye And as the very substaunce of the breade is made of many graynes so the mystical bodye whiche it representeth hath many members or partes ioyned and vnited together Wherfore as well we as oure aduersaries dooe graunte that it is not the shape that is to saye the outwarde apparence and sight of the bread and the outwarde fashion of it that is chaunged but that it is the veray substaunce therof whiche is chauÌ„ged Now our aduersaries will haue that the chanÌ„ge is made by the castyng awaye of the breades nature but we doe holde that there is but onely a sacramentall chaunge And Cyprian himselfe maketh playnly agaynste our aduersaries For they dooe not saie that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged but they saye that the substaunce of the breade is vtterly gone so that they take the bread cleane awaye We saye that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged and so chaunged that it becometh Christes bodye that is to saye the sacrament of Christes body which it was not before A man maye also besides all this saye that this latine woorde natura is not euermore in the good auctoures of the latine tongue taken for substancia that is to saye substaunce but sometymes it is taken for one of these woordes vis the strength or vertue ingenium the nature or disposicion or propriâ—tas the propretee c. Whereof Cicero saieth in his booke entitled Desomnio scipionis The propre nature and strength of the solle is sayeth he that it is moued of it selfe And in an epistle to one Lentulus he writeth thus The nature the religion of thy prouince to be suche c. In whyche place the worde nature is taken for the fasshion and the disposicion or inclinacyon c. And euen in lyke manier is it to bee taken whan it is saied the nature of herbes or the nature of stones and so others like And thys sygnification of the worde nature dooeth veraie well agree with the saieyng of Ciprian afore cited The obâ—â—â—on oute of Ambrose answered â—nto They bring foorth Ambrose agaynste vs also and specyallye in his Bookes entitled de sacramentis Whyche bookes Ambrose dyd not make as som men thynke Fysher late bishoppe of Rochester dooeth inueighe in maner rage agaynst al suche as so thinke And he sayeth that we ought in any wyse to geue credite vnto Austen who auoucheth that Ambrose wrote the sayed bookes and was Auctour of theim and he testyfyeth in plaine woordes that Ambrose wrote these said bookes of the sacramentes And for proufe of the mattyer he allegeth the prologue of AusteÌ„ vpon hys bookes entitled de doctrina Christiana which prologue of Austen I haue often tymes reade But yet cold I neuer ther fynd that that fysher wrytteth vnlesse paraduenture he meane of that that Austen wroote in his boke of Retractacyons whan he maketh mencion of his bookes de doctrina Christiana and ther in dede he saith suche a thyng but not in the prologe of hys work de doctrine Christiana as fysher citeth it Morouer thys pointe I doe verai wel know that Austen wrytynge agaynste one Iulianus a pelagion dooeth allege Ambrose concernyng the Sacramente of rege neracyon or of philosophye But he mencyoneth not any woorde of these bookes of the misteries or of the sacrameÌ„tes And the wordes that AusteÌ„ alâ—egeth in that place are not in these bookes of the sacramentes But I passe not for thys Suppose that Ambrose were the autour and wryter of them they dooe not vtterly dissente or disagree from oure myndes in this mattier For many thynges he speaketh of sygnyfyeng and that these sacramentes bee called or sayd to bee Christes bodye whyche thynges we dooe not denye And in case he dooe at any tyme speake or make mencion of chauÌ„ging or turnyng thaÌ„ is it all together to be vnderstaÌ„ded of a sacramental chaungeyng Morouer he himselfe must be wel loked vpon weyghed what he writeth in other places Fyrst de officiis in the fourth booke and fowertie eight chapitur he hath these wordes here ensuyng In the one that is to saye in the old lawe is the shadowe and in the one is the ymage but in the other that is to saye in the newe lawe is the veritee in the law is the shadowe in the ghospell is the trueth and trueth there is in heauenly thynges In the olde lawe there was offred a lambe there was offred a calfe nowe in the newe lawe is Christe offered but he is offered as a man and as one that receiueth his passion but he himselfe offrethe himself as a priest that he maye putte awaye our synnes here as if wer in an Image or similitude there in veritee where he maketh intercessyon as an Aduocate for vs before hys father And vpon the fyrste epistle to the Corynthyens as we haue before alleged the same Ambrose thus sayeth In eatynge and drinkynge we dooe represente or sygnyfye the fleashe and bloude of Chryste whyche thynges bee offred And whan he speaketh of the bloud he saieth that we receiue the misticall cuppe in tipum â—ius that is to saye for a sygne of he
statutes in whiche is bothe a great noumbre of wordes and also muche matier not easie to be perceyued of euery body than wer it laboure loste to sette foorthe in Englyshe bookes of seruice and homelies vnto the grosse and rusticall multitude whose capacite is not hable to conceiue that is in them conteined than wer it vayn to haue translated and sette foorth the bible in Englyshe to the vulgare people and moste vain to reade it in the Churches forasmuche as a greate noumbre of thynges whiche the symple ignoraunt people rede and heare thereout are ferre aboue the â—eache of theyr grosse vnderstandynge But all suche good and godly bookes as wel of holy wryte as of other profane argumentes are to this entente sette foorth and published that euerye bodye maye be edifyed as ferre foorth as hys capacyte wyll serue And lyke as wythout any reading or hearynge at all they shoulde continue euermore blynde and ignoraunt so by continuall readynge and hearing the vnlearned simple maie take enstructioÌ„s from dai to day procede growe in knowelage till at laste they shall by due vse and excercise be hable to vnderstande as muche as shall bee necessarye or expedieÌ„t for theÌ„ Now this boke I haue laboured to make as plain as I could do therfor in som places I haue either altered or leaft the scoole termes whych otherwise would haue made the thing more derke brought it as nere I could to the familiar phrase of English speakyng or els haue added suche circumstaunce of other woordes as might declare it make it plain Wherfore thoughe for the cause abouesaide I maie seme in some places to haue somewhat swerued from the precise woordes of the latin booke Yet I trust it shall to the fauourable and indifferent reader appere that I haue not any thynge degressed from the autours mynde Now as we commonly see that men where thei thinke themselues endoubted or boundeÌ„ though thei can not fully requitte or deserue the manifold benefices that thei haue receiued yet as the nature and duetie of thankfulnesse byndeth them thei will not be negligent â—o gratifye their beneficiall patrones or freÌ„des with suche simple tokens of their good mindes as lyeth in their power as the fermer to present his landlorde with some porcion of the fruictes that god sendeth hym and the poore widowe hir patrone with a dishe of apples cheries or suche lyke so can not I but thynke my selfe moste bounden wyth some of the simple fruictes of mi pore studies to preseÌ„t your lordship my singuler espiciall good patrone trustynge that forasmuche as there is as Cicero saieth a certaine kynde of lyberalitee euen in takyng ye will wyth no lesse cherfulnesse accepte these my simple labours dedicated vnto you then ye haue been accustomed to geue the manifold benifites whiche I haue at your lordeshipes handes receiued And thus I shall commende thesame my labours vnto youre lordshippes patronage and proteccion and your selfe vnto the lordes tuicion as sone as I shal haue aduertised you of the processe that Martir foloweth in this weorke whiche is that firste he bryngeth in the schoole Doctoures and all that euer maie bee saied for transubstantiation as strongly as is possible to bee reasoned and as muche as can bee alleged for it Than bringeth he in the reasons suche as he thinketh good both out of the fyrst Scriptures and generall Counceile and also oute of the Doctoures to confirme his owne opinion against transubstantiacion Thirdely he confuteth and soilleth al the argumentes and reasons of the schoolemen and Popishe writers one by one in ordre as thei were propouned and this doth he so clearkely so profoundly and so pitthilye that no man can saie more Beseching therfore youre Lordeship yf any default or lacke bee to impute it rather to myne insufficiencie in translatinge it then to the authoure in wrytinge it I will no longer with hold thesame froÌ„ the hearinge of Martyr himselfe speake who shal more delighte and edifie you then my penne maye dooe ¶ A discourse vpoÌ„ the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper solemnely handled at the Uniuersitie of Oxforde by Doctour Peter Martyr Uermila Florentine and in the sayde Uniuersite placed by the Kinges maiestâ—e Edward the syxte to reade opeâ— Lectures in Diuinitie who discoursed thereof as hereafter foloweth whan he had finished the declaracion of the leuenthe Chapiter of the fyrste Epistle of S. Paule to the Chorinthyans THe contâ—ncions yâ— haue arisen concernyng the sacrameÌ„t of the lordes Supper haue vndoubtedly this only inteÌ„t purpose that the manier and waye maye be vnderstanded how the bodye and bloude of the Lorde are ioyned coupled with the similitudes of breade and wyne or as other ScholemeÌ„ terme it with the matiers Sacramentall And forasmuche as it is well knowen to all men that thissame is called the Sacramente of the Lordes body and bloude therfore râ—quisite it is that these thiÌ„ges be by same manier of way coÌ„teined in this Sacrament But we in the searching oute hereof shall not rehearse all thinges that are in this mattier tossed to fro lest the thing which of it selfe is darke enough maye be made more entriked and doubtfull and least the discoursyng of it maye growe to an endlesse mattier and botomlesse The order therfore dispoâ—icion of the doctrine of this present traictise shall be reduced to fower principall poinctes ¶ Fyrst and formoste we shall traicte of suche coÌ„iunction and vnion wherby they commonly affirmed the bread and the wine to be chaunged by transubstaÌ„ciacion into the body bloud of Christ which semeth to be the highest moste perfecte poynct of the Sacrament with the materiall thynges Secondarily we shall searche and trye out another determinacion which supposeth the wyne and the breade as touching their perfect and true natures to be reserued and kept still in the sacramente and so to remaine therin that they haue annexed and ioyned vnto them the very true bodye and bloude of Christe as they speake it in theyr termes naturally bodely really that is to saye in very persone Thyrdly shall be considred and weyghed the assercion of some others whiche affirme that the premisses are by none other meane but a sacramentall waye coupled together that is to wete in the waye of betokening and represâ—ntyng onely Fourthly and last of all shall a iudgemente and determinacion be brought in whereby there shal of the opinions perteynyng to the seconde and third senteÌ„ce be gathered as much as may in this matâ—er of the sacrameÌ„t seme to make for the religioÌ„ of a christiaÌ„ man We shall therfore begynne at the opinion of transubstanciacion partlye because it is of the grosser sorte and partlye because it is but of a late tyme câ—m vp finally because the other two sentences do perfectly consent and dooe with egual endeuour defeact it substancially Of this sentence of transubstanciacion it is writen by the Moister of the sentences in the eight â—â—e
Yea and in case a maÌ„ vieu rightly as he should dooe the processe that foloweth it rather calleth vs backe to the simple and playne vnderstandynge of the wordes as they lye For thus goeth the texte forthe Whiche is deliuered for you And manifest it is that the very true and selfe body of Christe it was that was deliuered for vs. Thirdly suche thynges as by nature and kynde are distincte thynges and as the Logicians in theyr terme call it disparata that is to saye so disseuered that their natures disagree and haue some contrarietie one to the other as for example a manne a horse and a stone al suche thynges I say are of suche rate that it cannot by any meanes be truely sayd that the one is the other For it cannot in any manner of speakyng be truely sayed that a man is a stone or a stone is a man And that breade and Christes body are of this rate that is to saye are thynges of two distincte and contrarie natures no man nedeth to doubte Wherfore it shall neuer be true to saye of breade that it is Chistes body And therefore whan the lorde pronouÌ„ced these wordes This is my body it must of necessitie be that the substaunce of bread was gone Another reason also that is made is this In saying This is my body Christ did not without a due coÌ„sideracion vse this word is whiche is in graÌ„mer a verbe substantiue that is to saye it playnly signifieth being it is of the present teÌ„se that is to say it signifieth yâ— tyme that is no we presente For els he might euen aswell haue sayed This signifyeth or betokeneth my body or this reprâ—seÌ„teth my body or this is a figure of my body or this is a signe and tokeÌ„ of my body or he might haue sayed This breade is my body c. all whiche maniers and phrases of speakynge forasmuche as he did eschewe the saying is to be playnlye taken as he pronounced it withoute any ferther addiâ—ion circumstaunce or menyng Furthermore if the substauÌ„ce of bread saye they shoulde remayne still than shoulde two soondrie substaunces yea the same corporal substaunces of quaÌ„titie be together in one thyng shold enterchauÌ„geably entâ—r and pâ—rce the one through the othâ—r whiche inconuenience is taken awaye by puttynge and aduouching of transubstanciacion Agayn There should be no small peryll towarde lâ—ast the people should fall into ydolatrie For wheras the body of Christ is to be adoured and worshipped in case ther should any bread there remayne thaÌ„ shold the breade also be adoured and wurshipped which to do wâ—re ydolatrie Agayne It semeth to be a thynge not well standyng with the dignitie of Christes bodye that it shoulde in this wyse be coupled or mengled either with bread or with wyne They also take an argument out of the forme the nature and the ordre of doing sacrifice For if the body of Christe be offred vp by the mynister it is necessary that he haue it there and that he there presente it vnto the sight of God excepte we will saye that he offereth no more but a thyng onely signifyed and betokened or a thing represented vnder a shadowe After all this they roare with an open mouthe that auncient fathers are altogether on theyr syde the fathers are cited for transubstanciacioÌ„ And afore al others they cite Irenaeus Irâ—neus who in his .v. booke sayeth thus Whan the cup beyng mingled and the bread beeyng broken dooeth receiue of the woord of God there is made the Sacramente of Christes bloud and body And afore in his fourth boke he sayed in a manier the selfe same thing Tertullianus Tertullia also sayeth in the fowerth booke that Christe of the breade taken into his handes and distributed vnto his disciples made his owne bodye And Origines Origines vpon Matthew in the twenty sixt chapitur saieth This bread which God the soonne confesseth to bee his owne body c. Cyprian in his Sermon of the Lordes supper Cyprianus saieth This common bread beeyng chaâ—nged into fleashe bloud procureth lyfe And eftsons in the same Sermon This breade whiche the Lorde gaue vnto his disciples beeyng not in fourme and similitude but in nature chauÌ„ged by the almightifulnesse of the worâ—e became fleashe Ambrose in his fowerth booke of the sacramentes Ambrosius Breade it is before the wordes of Consecracion but as soone as consecracion is come to it it is of breade made the fleashe of Christe And many thynges mo of lyke sorte he hath in his litell traictises of the Sacramentes Chrisostomus also in the sixtienth Homelie of the Sacramente of Eucharistie Chrisostomus whiche Homelie is to be found in the sixth tome of his weorkes as thei bee nowe sette foorth affâ—rmâ—th this Sacrament to beelyke vnto a piece of waxe put into the fyer where no part of the substaunce of waxe remaineth but is all together made lyke to the nature of fyer And euen so â—aieth he by this substaunce of Christes bodye the breade and the wyne is coÌ„sumed clene awaye Augustine also in the prologue of the twentye .iii. Psalme saieth Augustine that Christe bore and held vp hymselfe in his owâ—e handes whan he did at his last supper institute and ordein this Sacrament And in the .xc. and eight Psalme expouninge the wordes worship ye the stooâ—e of his feete he auoucheth that the â—eash of Christe is to be worshipped in the Sacramente Whiche wer not a thyng of ceÌ„gruence if thâ—re wer bread still remainyng in the Sacramente Also in the third booke of the Trâ—niâ—ie he affirmeth that there can not any Sacrament bee made but by vertue of the spirite weorkyng together with the woorde Hilarius also in hâ—s sixth boke of the Trinitie â—ilarius affirmeth Christ to bee in vs after the veritie of nature and not onely through the agrâ—eablenesse of will and aduoucheth vs at the Lordes bourd truely and veraily to â—â—ceyue the woorde beeyng become fâ—â—ashe Leo Bishoppe of Rome in his twoo twentieth Epistle to the Clergie and people of Constantinople wryâ—eth in this manier Leo. Râ—ceyuyng sayeth he the vertue and strength of heauenly meate leat vs passe and bee turned into the fleash of hym who became our fleash Thei aduouche furthermore that Damascenus is ful and whole on their syde Theophilactus also is brought in of them Throphilactus who dooeth in moste plain termes make mencion of transubstanciacion Now as for Aâ—selmus and hugo de Sancto Victore who haue been wryters of a later tyme there is no doubte but that thei bothe are aduouchers of transubstanciation wherefore thei allege aswel the auncient fathers as the newe to make all on their syde Thei cite ferthermore general councels The councel Ephesine that is to wete the councell that was holden at Ephesus againste the Heretique Nestorius where Cyrellus Cirillus an auncient father of the churche was present and chiefe president of
Melchisedech had offered that is to wete breade and wyne that is to saye his bodye and bloud Augustine Augustine also in the sixtenth chaptur of the ninetienth booke againste Fausins thus saieth Oh in how great an errour thei ierre swerne whiche thynke that because the signes and sacramentes are chaunged therfore the thynges selfes are dyuerse and not all one And in the one and tweÌ„tieth chapitur of the twentieth booke of the same weorke The fleashe and bloud of this sacrifice before the comming of Christe was promised by Hostes and sacrifices of likenesses at the tyme of Christes passion it was geueÌ„ in verai trueth and euer sens the ascâ—ndyng of Christe into heauen it is celebrated by the Sacramente of his memoriall The same Austen in the twentye sixthe traiâ—tise vpon Ihon sayeth Those Sacramentes wer diuerse and not al one in the signe but in the thyng that is signifyed thei are eguall and euen all one Thesame Austen a litell after Thesame meate than sayeth he the same drinke but that was to suche as vnderstood and beleued it but to them that vnderstood it not that same was than onely Manna and that same was than onely bare Water and nothing els but to the beleuing and feithfull it was euen the veraisame that it nowe is For at that tyme was Christ yet to come but now he is come To come and comed alreadie are distincte wordes but Christe is bothe than and nowe all one And Bertram Bertram one of the wryters in these later tymes thus wryteth Yet neuerthelesse that our aunciente fathers of the olde lawe did eate the selfe same spirituall meate that we dooe and dranke the selfe same spirituall drinke that we now dooe Sainct Paule dooeth earnestly affirme But thou wilte peraduenture aske this question whiche selfe same meate and drinke Ueraily the veraiself same which the people of the beleuing sort doe at this day eate drinke in the Churche or coÌ„gregacion For it is not leefull in any wyse to vnderstande that thei should bee diuerse or distincte meates and drinkes seyng that one and the selfe same Christe it is whiche did bothe than fede with his fleashe and geue drinke of his bloude to the people in the wildernesse and baptised in the cloud and in the sea dooeth now at this present in the Churche and congregacion of the beleuing sorte fede the people with the bread of his bodie geueth theÌ„ drinke of the water of his bloud And thesame Bertram not many lines â—nsuing saieth in this wyse A wondrefull matier truely and a thyng aboue the reache of mannes capacitee reason or estimacion He had not yet taken the nature of man vpoÌ„ him he hadde not yet tasted death for the saluacion of the worlde he had not yet redemed vs with his bloude yet the olde fathers in the wyldernesse didde through spirituall meate and drinke inuisible eate his bodye and drinke his bloud as the Apostle Paul witnesseth where he cryeth The selfe same spirituall meate c. And thesame Bertram anon after saieth in this manier For the selfe same Christe whiche at this daye doeth in the feithfull congregacion through his almightifull power spirituallye turne breade and wyne into the fleashe of his body and into the liquour of his own bloud the self same Christ did at that time inuisibly weorke Manna that was geuen from heauen to bee his bodye and the water powred doune from heauen to bee his owne bloud We se ferthermore that in the sacrament of baptisme is geuen the holye ghoste and the remission of sinnes The thirde argument against transubstaâ—ciacion and yet can we not saye that the holye ghoste the remission of sinnes lye secretly hid in the waters Yea and in baptisme we putte on Christ vpon vs and yet dooeth no man saye that the water suffreth anye transubstanciacion But the aduersaries allege Christ to bee after one sorte in the Sacrament of his supper Another obâ—ccioÌ„ and after another waye in baptisme whiche poynt I wyll not denie so that thei graunte hym to bee in baptisme too As touching the manier of Christes beeyng in the SacrameÌ„tes my plain mynde is that Christ in baptisme is geuen to vs as a mediatour and a reconciler and to speake in a more apte time a regeneratour that is to saye as oâ—e that begeatteth vs of newe and in the Sacramente of his supper he is distributed vnto vs as a meate and a foode The fourth argumâ—nte Moreouer these transubstancioners doe with their transubstanciation crepe verai nere to the trope and manier of speakyng of the Heretiques of Marcions secte For thei saie It semeth bread looketh lyke breade and yet is none whiche selfe same thynge Marcion the Heretique did saie of the fleashe and body of Christe that it was not a body and fleashe in verai true dede but did onely appere to be a body and fleashe and yet was none The fifthe aâ—gument against transubstanciacioâ— Christ is no iugler neither doth he mocke or daly with our senses But whan he was arise again from death to life he proued declared his resurreccion by our seÌ„ses Fele my body saied he loke wel vpoÌ„ it For a spirite hath not any fleashe bones his Apostles might haue saied We fele it we se it it appereth fleashe it is like a body but yet it is not fleash in dede And so Christes profe had ben nothing worth with the whiche he would haue it tryed that his body was not a fantasticall bodye but a verai body in dede And that he had resumed takeÌ„ again his verai owne body not any other manier body he declared by a plain profe shewed to the yie by printes holes of the nailles by yâ— open hole in his side The which argument profe of Christes making should be of no strength at al nor effect if ther wer yet a place left for such iugling castes as the aduersaries wold haue here in this matier of yâ— sacrameÌ„t The fathers also old writers dooe hold that Christ was very maÌ„ The sixthe argumente because he had the properties accideÌ„tes of mans nature as for exaÌ„ple because he huÌ„gred slept wouÌ„dred was sory wept suffred which argumentes wer nothing worth at al if suche accidentes be not sufficient profes that where suche accideÌ„tes be there is al so a substauÌ„ce to whoÌ„ thesame be accideÌ„tes as if a maÌ„ caÌ„not argue thê° thesame forme or fashioÌ„ which was woÌ„t to be in bread doth yet remain thesame tast the same colour ergo it is bread For the Heretiques will not dâ—nie but grauÌ„t that Christ was hungry that he slept that he woÌ„dred that he wept and that he suffred but wheÌ„ you will therupon coÌ„clude that he was verai maÌ„ thei wil denie your argumeÌ„t For thei wil saie that these properties might be fouÌ„d in Christ though a substauÌ„ce to which thei should
appertaine I meane mannes nature wer not there present in hym Thei saie vnto the fourth argumeÌ„t coÌ„cerning Marcion that he might take occasioÌ„ of his errour out of the ghospel In obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaries wher it is writeÌ„ of Christ that he walked vpoÌ„ water aswell as it had ben vpon land neuer weat his fote he was lifted vp into heauen escaped froÌ„ the Iewes handes that thei could not se him yet ought not those places â—saie thei to bee blotted out of the ghospell for the daungerous vnderstanding of the saied Marcionites To whoÌ„ we make auÌ„swer The auÌ„sweâ— that it is described in the gospels that Christ did worke these kinde of myracles once or twyse no more but ye holde that these miracles bee wrought coÌ„tinually wtout any intermission And the thinges yâ— are writteÌ„ in the holy scriptures we haue not imagined nor inueÌ„ted of our own heade and therfore ought we not to be blamed or accused as geuers of that or any other lyke occasion But in suche as we inuente of oure owne brayne in suche thynges as we expounde after our owne fansie and suche thynges sette foorth to bee holden for a doctrine not hauing Goddes woorde expressely for vs then had we nede to bee well aware leste we open a gappe and minister occasion to Heretiques The seuenth argument against transubstanciacion Morouer by this meane of transubstanciacion the nature or propertie of a SacrameÌ„te is clene destroied for Austen writynge vpon Iohn saieth thus of it The woorde of God commeth and is to the elemente and so becommeth it a Sacramente It is the nature of a Sacramente to bee made of these two thynges But after these mennes myndes the elâ—mental thynges as breade and wyne be gone and than ought Austen not to haue saied The wordes come to the elemente but he should rather haue sayed the woordes take awaye the elemente The eighte argumente And when thei put awaye the natures of the elementesâ— the analogie that is to saye proporcioÌ„ and reason of their significacion is cleane destroied and commeth to nothyng What proporcion aâ—d reason there is of the signes and the thinges in this Sacramente Bread dooeth therefore signifie the bodye of Christe because it fedeth and maketh strong and is a great sustenaunce to mannes life which propertee and operacion we can not attribute or applye the accidentes of breadeâ— as to witnesse of it or to the taste of it Again in that that many cornes or graynes bee put together and so breade made of them there maye bee a significacion in it to represent or signifie a bodie mystical and suche significacion can not bee conteyned in the whytenesse or the taste or the other accidentes of breade Wherupon it was that Paule sayed we beeyng many folke are one lofe or one bread and one bodye because we bee partakers of one loffe or breade In baptisme water is called lauachre or founteine of regeneracion or as ye might saie of a second byrth The propoâ—â—cion of the outwarde signes to the thing in baptisme and because the substaunce of the water dooeth still remayne it agreeth verai well which thyng would not so well agree with the accidentes of water Now where Christ saied This is my bodye The nynthe argumente the aduersaries takyng away the substaunce of bread and wyne dooe muche abuse the latine verbe substantife Est and muche contrarie to the propre significacion that would haue est to signifie transubstanciatur is chaunged in substaunce or to stand for conuertitur whiche is in Englishe it is coÌ„uerted or for transmutatur it is chauÌ„ged for whiles thei are in pronouncing those woordes of the Lorde This is my body the breade is not yet all this whyle Christes bodye Wherefore if thei should take est in his true and propre significacioÌ„ they should speake that thyng whiche is false and not true Which consideracion haue moued and driuen some of â—he schoole men to hold and affirme that the verbe est should bee takeÌ„ for one of these verbes fieri to be made mutari to bee chaunged or conuerti to bee turned Morouer The tenthe argumente this power and strength and efficacie to chaunge the substaunce of breade in to fleashe thei attribute to those fewe woordes of the Lorde so that as often as the saied woordes be repeted or rehearsed so often is thesame chaunge of transubstanciacion made And yet haue thei not any one woorde in all the holye Scriptures of any suche thyng to bee dooen or that it maie so bee dooen That if any other maÌ„ should pronounce thesame woordes whiche Paule Matthewe Marke or Luke doe recite yet would thei not thinke that ther wer any consecracion made For thei bynde al the strength and force of the matâ—er to the wordes of their Canon that is to saie of their rule of their massyng But this we doe certainly knowe that the Sacrament is than had whan we do those thinges which Christ did and commaunded to bee dooen But Christ didde not onely speake the saied wordes but he also gaue thaÌ„kes he brake bread he did eate bread and gaue bread vnto others to eate And where we bryng in nowe manye circumstaunces that wer dooen al these pointes euery one of them doe concurre and renne together to make the veritee of the Sacramente neyther oughte any one pointe or iot of the premisses to bee omitted or leafte vndoen I leat passe here to saye that thei knowe not whether the consecracion is accomplished and made perfeicte with the woordes of Christe or by prayers TheuleueÌ„th argumente Morouer thei put theimselfes forth to a great daungier For an euell prieste and suche an one as wer a deceiptefull merchaunte might passe ouer those woordes of consecracion and recite neuer a one of theim or might chaunge theim or els might turne them a coÌ„trarie waye The twelft argumente Farthermore wher these woordes require that the Minister whiche should consecrate must haue as thei bee woont to speake or to call it a certaine intencioÌ„ or purpose to make the body of Christ of it he might yet haue his mynde rennyng vpoÌ„ some other matiers and thynke nothyng at all vpon any consecracion whiles his mynde wâ—r so wandering He mighte also perchaunce bee of the mynde that he would not haue any suche consecracion to bee made or to come to passe Thâ—i dooe also by puttyng this transubstanciacion The .xiiii argumeâ—te against traâ—â—substanciacion fall into many vnreasonable inconueniences and suche as thei can by no meanes wynde out of For they hold that one same selfe body maye be in infinite and innumerable places to gethers and all at one tyme. But to helpe saue all thyng vprighte The euasâ—oÌ„ of the sâ—raâ—substanâ—iacioâ—ers thei allege for themselues that this maketh nothynge agaynste them nor is any disauauntage vnto theÌ„ For saie thei though Christes bodye bee there yet it is not there per modum quanti that is
in our body Sanctificacion begynneth of the â—â—ll and not of the bodye and what effecte shall it weorke there Thei will aunswere that Christes bodye entreth into our bodyes to the ende that a man maie be made holy thereby But it is mete and conueniente that holynesse take his beginnyng fyrst of the minde or solle and not of the bodye The .xxxv. argumente against transubstanciacion Thei will ferther saie that a certain strength and efficacie is thereby empriented in the bodye throughe whiche efficacie the mynde is the better and the bodye also is confyrmed and made strong But if ye talke or mene of vertue An obieccioÌ„ it is nothyng necessarie that it be brought to passe or wroughtby the meane of transubstancion ThauÌ„swere seeyng it maye be brought to passe euen aswell without it And the olde writers whan thei did setie foorthe and teache the nature and propertie of the sacramentâ— thei sayed The .xxxvi. argumente that an vnbloudy sacrifice was here sacrificed whiche thing wyll be founde ferre wyde An vnblody sacrifice yf we holde that the verai true and corporal bloud of Christ is conteyned in the Sacramente Neither dooeth that pointe satisfie this matier that thei affirme the sacrifice to bee vnbloudy in that that Christe is not killed in it An obieccioÌ„ neither is his bloud violently shedde or poured out For though these thynges bee not doen yet the sacramente is not ministred after their grosse and bluntishe opinion without bloud ThauÌ„swere Wherfore it is playne that the old writers ment that onely a memoriall or remeÌ„braunce of the true sacrifice is conteined in this sacramente and that there is here a spirituall receiuynge of the true sacrifice whiche spirituall receiuyng is comprehended and vnderstanded by feith onely Beside this The .xxxvii. argumente they bee woont to saye that the body and bloud of Christe bee vnuisible and not seen but to the yie but with whitenesse moisture and suche other accidentes of bread and wyne leste we shoulde seme to eate rawe fleashe and to drynke bloud But I would not thynke these men to saie that we doe not eate rawe fleashe whether we eate rawe fleash in the Sacrament how soeuer thei painte and colour the matier yf their transubstancioâ— bee a true a perfeict chauÌ„ge in dede of the bread into fleashe and of the wyne into bloud For it is neither declared of theim neither shewed in the scriptures howe that same fleashe is boyled or rosted And yet it was wryten in the olde testamente of the lambe of passeouer which was a figure of this sacramente that no rawe thynge shoulde bee eaten of that lambe We se also that in this matier of thankes geuâ—ng Christe did ordeyne and sette vp a sacramente It is mete that in the sacrameÌ„tes all thinges be taken sacramentally whereby it commeth to passe that all thynges therein muste bee vnderstanded and taken sacramentally Neither should ther bee in Sacramentes any thyng more eyther graunted or required then to the nature or propertie of a sacramente doeth apperteine The .xxxix. argumente Moreouer yf we would consider what Christe didde at that his last supper We should soone and easely perceiue the matier It is sayed that he gaue his body If we ferther aske this question What manier a body did he gâ—ue thei can shape no readie answere to escape with out a foile Some seme to saie that he gaue suche manier a bodye as he than had whiche vndoubtedlye was bothe passible that is to saye subiecte to hungre thurst colde and other tormentes and also mortall that is to saye subiect to death But suche manier a bodye with suche manier properties as Christe had at that tyme coulde not as these menne dreame bee fleashly and really conteyned in lytell cakes of breade But some others whiche thynke themselues men of a wyser sorte saie that Christe had in hymselfe a body bothe passible and mortall as is aforesaid but yet thei saye that in the breade he gaue his body gloryfied and spirituall But than dooeth that saying make againste these menne whiche we reade in the woordes of the Lord This is my body which is deliuered for you and this is my bloude whiche shall bee shed for you by whiche woordes he playnlye â—eweth and declareth hymselfe to mene the bodye whiche he had than at that presente and the bloude which he vsed at that honre For Christe had not these thynges glorifyed and vnpassible till after his resurreccion But leat vs suppose that the matier wer as thei holde Than dooe we thus argue The state and properties of a passible bodye and of a glorifyed bodye be contrary the one to the otherâ— so that they can not in one respecte bee in one bodye together and at one tyme wherefore it foloweth yf ye wyll haue bothe the sayed contraries of passible and glorifyed to bee in Christes bodye bothe at one selfe tyme that ye make Christes body a double bodye Experience also and the veraye hystories dooe â—ewe vs The xâ— argumeâ—te that this transubstanciation is not to bee graunted For it is wrytten in the hystories that Uictor the Byshoppe of Rome dyed of drynkynge poyson oute of the Chalice at his Masse And Henry the Emperour receiued poyson by eatyng the breade of the Sacramente If all thynges there bee chaunged by transubstanciacion and nothynge there leafte remaynynge but onelye the accidentes Howe coulde suche thynges as these haue been dooen Furthermore we knowe that all Sacramentes bee made and doe consiste of two partes The xâ—â— argumeâ—te that is to wete of matier and of fourme as the veray aduersaries selfes are wonte to terme it in theyr Schoole termes And by the matier thei mene the outwarde signes or elementes and stuffe that goeth to it Maâ—ier as the breade and wyne in this sacrament By the fourme Fourme thei mene that same that is added to the signes or elementes of bread and wyne by pronouncing of the wordes which make it a sacramente Nowe to our purpose that that is made of two partes ought not nor can so caste away the one part that nothyng but the onely accidentes of thesame shal remayne for than the nature propertie of the framing and ioyning together of the sayd matier and fourme in the sacramente should not be obserued and kept The matiâ—r of the sacrament caÌ„not bee caste awaye no more then the fourme Wherfore the conclusion foloweth that the substaunces of breade and wyne muste needes remayne styll in the sacramente And whiles thei thus ouer shoote themselfes for lacke of takyng hede the body of Christ is by them depriued and spoyled of his quantitie The traÌ„substaÌ„ciatoures depriue chrisâ—es body of his quaâ—titie of his situacion and placyng and of the distaunce and proporcionyng of the partes and membres of his bodye one from another so that all his whole bodye must by that meanes bee compelled and driuen to bee conteyned
amonge hys disciples he made that breade hys bodye by sayinge Thys is my bodye That is to saye the fygure of my bodye but it shoulde not be a figure of hys bodye vnlesse the body hadde bene a verye true body in dede Origen Origen vpon the boke of Numeri in the .xvi. homilie we are said that we do not onely drinke Christes bloud whan it is ministred vnto vs in the ordinarye geuing of the Sacramentes but also whan we receiue his woordes Which self same thing also Hierome wrote in one place vpon the third chapitur of Ecclesiastes The same Origen also vpon the .xxvi. Chapitur of Matthew hath these wordes Panis iste quem deus verbum Corpus suum esse fatetur verbum est nutritorium animarum that is to saie this breade whiche god the woorde whiche is Christe dooeth plainelye affirme and saie bee his bodye is a woorde good and holsome to nourishe oure soules The same Origen also in the seuenthe homelie vpoÌ„ the booke of Moses entitled Leuiticus thus speaketh For euen in the ghospels also there is a litteral sense which killeth and not in the olde testameÌ„t onely For if ye folow the litteral sence in this sentence vnles ye eate my fleash c. And in thesame boke in the nynth homely doe not thou staigh nor dwel in the bloude of the fleashe but learne rather the bloude of the woorde and heare himselfe sayinge vnto thee that this is my bloode whiche is shed forthe for you The same Origen agayn vpon the fiftienth chapitur of Matthewe The breade that is halowed passeth into the bealie as touchyng his material parte and is cast forth into the draught c. And within a fewe woordes after he saieth thus Neither is it the matter or substaunce of the breade but it is goddes woorde spoken vpon the said breade whiche profiteth those that eate the same not vnworthely The same Origen in another place agaynst Celsus in the eight booke Celsus whan we haue geuen thankes for the benefites of God bestowed vpon vs we eate the breade whyche was offred Ciprian Cyprian in the syxte Epistle of the fyrste booke to Magnê° hath these wordes The lorde hauyng bread made of manye graynes of wheate ioyned togyther dothe call it hys bodye and hauynge wyne whyche was troden and pressed oute of manye clusters of grapes he calleth it hys bloud And the same Ciprian where he declareth and expouneth the Lordes prayer calleth the Lordes bodye breade And in hys sermon of the Lordes supper he sayeth that we dooe not whette or sharpen oure tethe but sayeth that wee breake or eate the breade onelye wyth a pure faith The same CipriaÌ„ in a sermon which he entitleth de chrismate that is of the Chrisme sayeth plainely that Sacramentes haue the names of those thynges whyche thynges they sygnifye Whychâ— two poyntes of callynge it breade and of eatynge it with sincere fayth onely it semeth that Austen dyd borow and take of hym the laste thynge Austen hath in hys epistle to Boniface and the other thing whan he sayd Quid paras dentem aut vetrem Crede et manducasti That is to saye why dost thou make readye thy toth or thy bealye beleue thou and thou hast eaten it And these wordes are in the fyue and twentye treasyse vpon Iohn But the same CipriaÌ„ in hys thyrde epistle of the seconde boke to Cecilius sayth that the bloude of Christe is shewed or sette forthe in the wyne And agaynste those menne whyche were called Aquarii he holdeth that the bloude of Christe can not appeare to be presente in the cuppe or chalyce if the wyne cease to be there whyche thynge shoulde so come to passe by the transubstantiation whyche these men do put And in hys sermon vpon the Lordes supperâ— he wryteth that the sygnes be chaunged into Christes body but yet in suche wyse that he taketh hys similitude of Christ him selfe in whom the humanitie or humaine nature appeared the godheade was not to be sene but was inuisible By whyche similitude ye see that he meaneth that lyke as two natures remayned in Christe so also in thys Sacramente two natures be reserued Also Ciprian in the thyrde epistle of the second boke hath these wordes After such sorte as neyther floure or meale alone or water alone can be Christes body vnlesse both thynges be ioygned coupled to gyther and made into one whole masse or lumpte by knyttynge it togyther into one breade or lofe wyth the whyche selfe same breade beynge nowe putte to the vse of a Sacrament our people is playnelye shewed and declared to be a people ioygned togyther in one Athanasius also declarynge these wordes of Christ. Athanasius If any man speake a worde agaynst the sonne of man it shall be forgeuen hym but he whiche speaketh agaynst the holy ghost shal neuer haue it pardened or for geueÌ„ him in thys world nor in the world to come wryteth in thys maner And howe greate a body should it be to bryng to passe that al the world shoulde eate and fede thereof But he bryngeth in afterwardes that the matter shuld be vnderstaÌ„ded spiritually and that Christe in that place therefore made mention and spake of his ascension againste the Capernaites Basilius Basilius in his boke entitled liturgia calleth the bread 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corpus Christi the exaumple or paterne or counterpaine of Christes body And this he sayeth to bee after the wordes of conâ—ecracion are once paste Dioâ—isius Dionisius in his weorke entitled de hierarchia Eclesiastica in the thyrd chapitur saythe The bishop openeth the bread which was couered and vndeuided and cutteth it in pieces Ambrose Ambrose declaryng the first epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s saieth Sith the entente of the matter is that this thing bee dooen for a memorial and remembraunce of Christe and of Christes death we in eatinng and drinkyng the Sacramente dooe signifye the fleashe and bloude of Christe which wer offred on the Crosse. And the same man about the same place saieth that we drynke of Christes mysticall cuppe for a figure of Christes bloud And in the fourthe chapitur of the fourth boke entitled de sacramentis that is to saie of the sacramentes where he putteth the chaunge of the signes he treateth also of our chaungynge into Christe and yet is there not anye transubstanciacion sayed to bee in suche as receiue the Sacrament And the same man in the same fowerth booke of the Sacramentes and the fourth chapitur saieth leat vs therefore make this by good reason how that thing whiche is nowe bread may be Christes body by consecracion of certain woordes pronounced ouer it And not many lines after he saieth If so great a strength and vertue bee in the woordes of the lorde that thynges begynne to be that thei were not afore how much more than can he weorke and bryng to passe that those thinges maye still remayne the same that they were before
similitude of the sacrifices and geuen to vs in dede vpon the crosse and in the sacramentes to bee celebrated vnder a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce or memorial of hym And in the fyue and twentieth chapitur of the one and twentieth booke de ciuitate dei he plainely affirmeth that the wicked and vngodlye sorte dooe not eate the veray thing of the sacrament that is to saye the body of Christe For that man sayeth he oughte not to be thought to eate the bodye of Christe whiche is not in the bodye of Christe and in whome Christe dooeth not dwell nor he in Christe And in the twentieth treactise vpon Ihon he hath euen the like saying And in the thirtieth treactise he sayeth that the bodye of Christe is in one certain place in heauen but the veritie of it to be sprede abroade in euerie place Whiche thing he sayth for this consideracion because the truth is a spiritual thing and is continually euermore with the feithfull And they that dooe receiue the communion wheresoeuer they bee dooe confesse Christ and beleue that he had a true bodye and not a counterfaicte or a phantastical body as the Heritikes dyd suppose In the booke againste Adimantius one of the Manychies secte in the twelfth chapitur he writeth in this manner The Lorde dyd not doubte to saye this is my body whereas yet he gaue them but the signe of his body Neither is it of any force yf one woulde saye he gaue them bothe the signe and the thyng For Austen had no respecte hereunto but his mynde was to declare that it was a figurate speache and lyke to the other which he allegethe out of the Deuterenomi Bloud is the soule or life The Lorde sayeth he therfore dyd not doubte because we are some what bolde in vsyng some tropes that is to saye such maniers of speakyng as sometimes the scripture doth vse In the thyrde booke de doctrina Christiana that is to saye of christian doctrine and the sixth chapitur he doeth teache vs that this saying in the sixthe of Iohn is figurate Except ye eate the fleashe of the sonne of man c. For saieth he here semeth an haynous thyng to bee commaunded For it is a thing more horrible and odious to eate the fleashe of man Here is partly touched the place that is in the seconde booke against the aduersitie of the lawe and prophetes in the ninthe chapitur than to kylle hym and to drincke his bloud than to shede it Therefore saieth he it is a figure geuing vs enstruction that we swetelye and profitablye haue in memorie that the fleashe of Christe was crucifyed wounded for vs. In his epistle to Boniface he declareth moste playnly that the Sacramentes beare the name of those thynges wherof thei beâ— sacramentes And he expresseth by name that the sacramente of the body of Christe is the bodye of Christe after a sorte and he sayeth a litell after that the Sacramente of the bloud of Christe is the bloude of Christe And al this dyd Austen write that he might proue baptisme to be the sacrament of feith and that therefore it maye bee sayed that it is feith that childreÌ„ baptised haue feith because thei receiue that a sacrament And leste any man should saye yâ— they be signes of a thing which present in veray substaunce as these men terme it leat vs diligently weygh the similitudes that are brought in of this father auncient doctour whoÌ„ we haue now alleged Which is sayth Austen much lyke for an exaumple as whan Easter tyme is nere at hande we thus saie Tomorowe shall be the Lordes passioÌ„ or the next day after to morow shal yâ— lordes passioÌ„ be And on the sunday beyng Eastur daye we saye Christ hath this daye arisen agayne froÌ„ death to lyfe Wheras yet these thinges be not now preseÌ„t but wer doen long agon And so AusteÌ„ after these wordes affirmeth that the baptisme of the litel chyldreÌ„ is feyth which feith neuerthelesse the chyldreÌ„ haue not presently Yea ferthermore the same Austen as it appereth in the second distinction in the chapitur that beginneth interrogo uos that is I aske of you sayeth that it is an offense of equal and of lyke negligence to suffre the word of god which is preached to skyp out of our myndes and to leat parte of the sacramentes fall vnto the yearth But yf we graunte this transubstanciacion thaÌ„ wer this thinge not so agreable For it semeth a ferre more vnmete thing that the veray body of Christ should fal vnto the yearth or to be troden on thaÌ„ to heare any part of holy scripture negligeÌ„tly ferthermore vpoÌ„ the third psalme he saith that Christ had Iudas with him at this feaste whan he deliuered yâ— figure of his body They be woÌ„t to saye the the body of Christe couered vnder the accâ—eÌ„dtes in this sacrament is a fygure or signe of himselfe euen as he hanged on the crosse a dead bodye without life bloud And the the bloud which is hidden vnder the accideÌ„tes of wyne is the figure and signe of his bloudeshedde on the aulter of the crosse But what is he that cannot see and perceiue all this same to bee these mennes fond and vaine imaginacions For the signe and figure ought to bee more sensible and more easie to perceiue and to be better knowen then the thyng whiche is signifyed by it And therefore the master of the sentences defineth a sacramente after Austens opinion in this maner A Sacramente saieth he is a visible signe of an vnuisible grace But the bodye of Christe hidden vnder the accidentes as these mennes doctrine teacheth is as vnknowen as that whiche did hange on the crosse Yea and if a man maye saye the trueth more vnknowen too and more obscure or darke to perceiue than is that whiche is signifyed whiche thinges are muche ageynste the nature bothe of a signe and of a figure For the bodye of Christ as it hanged on the crosse is more easie to bee knowen and comprehended in a mannes mynde then as it is of these men placed in the sacramente Leo bishop of Rome Leo the Bysshoppe of Rome in his Epistle to the cleargi and people of Constantinople wryteth that this distribution is mystycall and that it is a spirituall norishment and heauenly vertue that we here receiue to the ende that we maye be altered and transefourmed or chaunged into the fleashe of Christe who for our sakes tooke oure fleashe vpon hym Cirillus in the fowerth booke and the fowertenthe chapitur vpon Ihon saieth thus Cirillus And so to his disciples whiche did beleue he gaue pieces of bread saying take yeâ— c. the same doctoure in his Epistle to one Calosiâ—ius sayeth Therefore it became him after a sort to be ioyned to our bodyes by hys holye fleashe and preciouse bloude the whyche we receyue in thelyuelye blessynge in breade and wyne And now wyl we bryng forth Theodorâ—tus who was byshop of Cyre
and lyued in Cyrilles tyme was in the counsell kept at Ephesus and CalceÌ„donie and was estemed for a man of excellent learnyng and a man of wonderfull eloquence And where as in the counsell holden at Ephesus there be fell a variaunce betwixte Iohn the Patriarke of Antioche and Cyrill the Byshop of Alexandria Thys Theodoritus semed to leaue to the Patriarke of Antioche but that variaunce was taken vp and pacified and set at an ende euen in that counsell And then afterwarde at the counsell of Calcedonie the sayde Theodoritus was acknowledged and demed aÌ„ maâ— singulerly well learned and an holy membre of Christes churche Yea and in the bookes whyche he wrote Nestorius an heritike he dothe of sette purpose resiste Nestorius and writeth agaynste him by name The boke was printed at Rome And the Papistes for as much as they haue espied that he is moste playnelye agaynste transubstanciation they haue excused him two waies Fyrste that the churche had not as yet in his time determined this matter as thoughe we did searche what the Pope with hys Cardinals haue decreed either at Constaunce or in the counsell where Beringatius was condempned and not rather what was bothe preached and taught also beleued in the olde church Secondelye they excuse Theodoritus and saye that in writing against the heritikes whan he traicted of mysteries he leaned some what to muche the other waye agaynste transubstantiation to thys intent and purpose that hys aduersaries mighte the better and the more effectuallye be confuted But howe triflynge an excuse thys is it maye very well appeare of the whole sequell of thys wryters processe in hys wrytynge where as one maye â—â—e not the scape of a word or twaine but the whole argumente and pythe of the mattier to be fette and to be taken oute of the nature of a Sacramente so that if ye mengle transubstanciation therewyth all the matter canne be broughte to no conclusion on hys parte but contrarywyse the heritykes should wynne the whole victorye They alledge furthermore that he speaketh sumetime verye honourablye and reuerentelye of the sacramente in thys same boke But if ye loke it all thorowoute he neuer speaketh so honourablye or so reuerentelye of it that he is anye thyng agaynste thys sentenâ—e whiche we do here holde Hys boke is a disputation agaynst suche persons as denye that Christe had a true bodye and do saye that hys bodye in the tyme of hys ascention was all togyther chaunged into a diuine nature Firste he bringeth in for his purpose the prophecy of the aunciente Patriarke Iacob out of the .xlix. Chapter of Genesis to the ende that he might therby make him selfe awaye to bringe his argumentes oute of the sacramentes And his wordes ben these But for the better and more plainer declaration of the matter I the translatour haue thought necessarie to admonish the good christian reader to vnderstand to note yâ— the purpose of Theodoritus is to proue that the body of Christ as it is nowe in heauen raignynge in the glorye of hys father is hys verye true and naturall bodye and the same bodye whyche he hadde whan he was conuersaunte here on earth in hys manhoode and that the same bodye remaynethe euen styll and euer shall do in the same his verye true nature of manhoode that it than hadde and is not chaunged into the nature and substaunce of hys godheade For euen at those dayes some heritiques did beginne to deuise and to write of Christe that after hys resurrection and ascention hys manhoode was now chaunged into his godhead and was no longer a natural bodye so that he was not now both god man sayde they but God onelye for as muche as by rysynge frome deathe to lyfe and by ascending into heauen he hadde ouercomed al corruptebilitie and hadde cast of all earthlinesse of hys natural body and of his manhoode And the wordes are written in Theodoritus in maner and forme of a dialoge betwene a good Christian maÌ„ beyng of right opinioÌ„s in matters of religioÌ„ whoÌ„ we shal here at thys tyme cal by the name of Orthodoxus as the auctoure doeth and a Compaigâ—ion of hys beynge as it were an Heritique or miscreaunte whome wee shall here for thys presente call by the name of Aduersaries to the trueth and thus do they talke togyther Theodoritus as hereafter foloweth he washed hys stole in wyne and hys garmente in the bloude of the grape Ortho. Doest thou know that God called bread his own body Ad. Yea I know it very wel Ortho. Dost thou know also that in an other place againe he called his body wheat corne Aduer Yea I knowe that too euen verye well For I haue heard that he sayde The houre is come that the sonne of man muste be glorified And except the wheate corne being caste downe into the earth do there dye it remayneth it self alone but if it dye it bringeth forth muche frute Orthod Trulye in the very geuing and deliuerynge of the mysteries he called the breade hys body and the cup he called hys bloud Aduer In dede so did he name it Orthod But euen a body after nature too that is to saye hys owne bodye his bloude might it haue bene so called Aduer It is a playne matter to graunte Orthod Yea and trulye our sauiour hym selfe chaunged the names and gaue to hys bodye the name of the sygne and to the sygne the name of hys bodye And in the same maner whan he hadde called him selfe a vyne he called the verye sygne by the name of hys bloude Aduersa In dede that worde hath thou spoken verye truly And I woulde fayne learne the cause too whye he so chaunged the names Ortho. That is an open marke to knowe vnto all suche as are entred to be partakers of oure holy sacramentes For his wyll was that suche as wer partakers of the heauenly mysteriesâ— should not haue respect to the nature of the thynges whiche thei see but that by the chaungyng of the names thei should beleue the alteracion whiche is made through grace For the same Christe whiche called his naturall bodye a wheate corne and breade also named hymself a vyne the selfe same Christ honoured the visible â—ignes with the name of his bodye aâ—d bloude not chaungyng the nature of the thynges but geuyng grace vnto the nature of them Aduers In dede the mysâ—icall thynges wer mystically spoken And now hath it been of thee clerely expouned and opened that is not knowen to all folkes Orthodoâ— Forasmuche therfore as he openly protesteth the Lordes bodye to be called of the Patriarche Iacob in the olde testamente both a stoole and a garmente and we are now entred into a talke of the heauenly mysteries Tell me plainly and truely whereof thynkest thou that same most holy meate to be a signe and a figure whether of the verai godhead of Christe our Lorde or els rather of his body and bloud Aduer Truly of these same verai
thynges that they haue taken the names of Ortho. of his bodye and bloude is it than that thou saiest Aduer yea euen so doe I saye Ortho. Thou hast saied euen truely For the Lorde whan he tooke the figure in his hande sayed not This is my godheade but this is my body And again This is my bloâ—d And in another place But the breade whiche I shall geue is my fleashe whiche I wyll geue for the life of the world Aduer In dede al this is veray true For they be the lordes wordes Ortho. And certes if it be all true than the Lorde had veraily a body Aduer But I saye that he is without a body Ortho. But thou confessest alreadie and canste not denye that a body he had Now the wordes of thesame Theodoritus out of his second dialogue Aduer Truelye it behoueth vs to vse all meanes wayes possible that we maye atteygne to the veritee and trueth of thynges but moste speciallye in the doctrines and opinions of diuinitie now propouned and put forthe at this presente to talke of Ortho. Tell me than those same mystical signes whiche are offred vnto god by the holye ministers of what thinges are thei the signes Aduer Of the Lordes bodye and bloud Ortho. Of his veraye true and reall body or not real Aduersari Of his true and reall bodye Orthodoxus Ueraye well saied For anye counterpaine muste needes bee the true counterpaine of the thyng that it shall resemble For the peinctures doe counterfayct and resemble nature and dooe peincte the ymages and lykenesses of suche thynges as are naturall and visible thinges in dede Auersari Ye true it is that thou sayest Ortho. Nowe than if those holy and godly mysteris bee paternes of a body that is a true body in dede than is the bodye euen nowe at this present the veraie bodye of oure Lorde And yet is not his bodye chaunged into the nature of his Godheade but it is replete fylled with the glorie of his Godhead Adue Thou hast in veraye good seasoÌ„ moued this present talke of these heaâ—â—nly mysteries For out of thesame will I shewe vnto thâ—e the chaungyng of the Lordes bodye iâ—to another nature Aunswer thou therfore vnto my questions that I shall put forth vnto thee Orthod I wyll aunswere vnto theim Aduersari That same gifte that is offred vp what dooest thou call it before the inuocation that the prieste or minister maketh Ortho. It behoueth not vs herein to speake opeÌ„ly in playn termes For it is veray lykely that some there be here present whiche are not as yet entred and â—nstructed in the profession of Christianitie Aduersa Well than leat thine aunswere bee mysticall and couerâ—ly sette foorth as it weâ— in a riddle Orthodoxus Than I saye it is an eatable thynge made of suche kynde of sede or graine Aduersa And the other figure by what name dooe we call it Ortho. This name is a common name also signifying a kynde of cuppe to drynke of Aduersari And after the halowyng of it by what name dooest thou calle these thynges Orthodoxus The bodye of Christe and the bloude of Christe Aduersari And dooest thou beleue thy selfe to receiue the body and bloud of Christe Orthodox Yea truely I beleue it Aduersari Than lyke as the â—ignes of the Lordes bodye and bloude are in dede one kynde of thynges before the inuocacion of the Priest or Minister and after the inuocacion thesame signes are chaunged and are made another kynde of thynges euen so the Lordes bodye too is after his assumption into heauen chaunged into the substaunce of his mere godhead Orthodoxus Loe thou arte nowâ— caught in thesame nette whiche thou haddeste sette to catche me in Note here that the signes doe not leue ne cast awaye nor lese theyr own pâ—oper nature For those same mystical signes doe not depart away out of theyr owne proper nature after the halo winge of theÌ„ For thei remaine styl in theyr former substauÌ„ce and their former shape and their former kinde and are euen as well seen and felt as thei wer afore But the thinges that are dooen are vnderstanded and are beleued and are wurshipped euen as thoughe thei wer in veray dede the thynges that are beleued Therfore compare nowe the ymage or firste paterne with the counterpayne and thou shalt see the similitude For the figure muste of necessitie bee agreable and aunswerable to the truith For the self same bodye hath verayly his owne former kynde his owne former shape his owne former circumscription that is to saye occupying of a rome and place accordyng to his quantitee if it wer so requisite and to speake plainly without any subtilties euen the very same corporall and bodely substaunce that it had before But from the tyme of his resurrection foorthwarde it became immortall and had ouercomed all corruptibilitee and was iudged worthie to bee placed in the seate of glorie whiche is on the right hande of God and wurshipped it is of all creatures as beyng the veray naturall bodye of our Lorde Aduer Yet neuerthelesse that same mysticall signe that we treate of dooeth chaunge the former name that it was called by For it is not afterwarde called by thesame name that it was called by afore but it is called the bodye c. The trueth therfore and the thing selfe of whiche this is the counterpayne oughte no more to be called God and no more to be called a body Ortho. Thou semest now to me a man that knoweth litell For it is not called the bodye onely but also the breade of life For so dyd the lorde himselfe call it It is in the Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to sai geuing lyfe which in the latin he calleth â— iâ—ificâ—â— that maketh aliue oâ— that maketh liue lye Yea and thissame body we call a diuine or heauenly body and a body that geueth lyfe and our maisters body and the lordes bodye teachynge that it is not a common body of any man indifferently without any choyce but the body of our Lorde Iesus Christe beeyng both God and man for Iesus Christe yesterday and this daye is one the same without any chaunge now and for euer and euer c. Chrisostome in his epistle to one Cesarius a manne than hadde geuen hym selfe to a solitarie lyfe Chrisostome wrytten in the tyme of his seconde banishemente ageynste Appollinarius and others whiche made no distinction betwixt the godhead and the humanitee or manhood in Christ and his Epistle is to bee had in the Library at Florence al though it be not printed Christ saieth he is both god and man God for his impassibilitee and man for his passion one sonne and one Lorde the veray self same without doubte that hath one power one dominion of the two natures ioyned together although thei be not consubstancial that is to saye of one substaunce but so ioyned together that euerie of them beyng seuerall without menglyng doeth still kepe a
knolege and a token of his owne propre nature because they be two distincte natures and vnconfounded forlyke as before yâ— bread is sanctifyed we call it breade but whan the diuine grace hath sanctified it the priest beeyng minister it is deliuered from the name of bread and is couÌ„pted worthy the name of the Lordes bodye althoughe the nature of bread hath styl remained in it and it is called not two bodies but one body of the sonne in lykewise this diuine constitution the nature of the bodye adioyned the two bothe together make on sonne and one persone Hesechius in the twentieth booke vpon the eighte chapitur of Leuitici commaundyng fleashe sayth he for this cause to be â—aten with breade Hesechius that we might vnderstandeâ— that he meaned that mysterie whiche is bothe breade and fleashe Gelasius Gelasius ageynst Entichetes wryteth that the substance and nature of breade and wyne doeth not ceasse to bee in the sacrament of the Lordes supper called Eucharistia and he maketh a comparison of this sacramente with Christe in whome remayneth the diuine and humain nature both the natures beyng hole and perfect as in this Sacrament do remaine the nature of breade and the bodye of Christe Gregorius Gregorie in his registre sayeth as well whan we receyue vnleauened breade as leauened we bee made one body of the Lorde our Sauiour Bertram Bartram in his booke of the bodye and bloude of the Lorde sayeth of the nature of the signes Looke what they wer as concernyng the substaunce of the creatures before the consecration the same they continue also afterwardes Bernarde in his sermon of the supper of the Lord Bernarde doeth make a manifeste similitude of a ringe whereby a manne doeth receyue either the promesse of Matrimonie or the possession of any dignitie as it is vsed in makyng of Byshoppes whereas the ryng or croasier staffe or Rotchet be signes or tokens of the thinges whiche are geuen or graunted and yet thei bee no vayne signes for thei do moste surely bringe with them the thynges that they signifie the whiche same thynge also he declareth to be dooen in the Sacramentes Nowe muste we answere to the argumentes of these menne where with thei gooe aboute to proue their transubstantiation And as concernyng the first we aunswere that Christ did promisse vs his fleashe or his bodye and bloude to be our meate and dryncke and that in the sixth Chapitur of Ihon whiche thing he dooeth as ofte as we dooe truelye beleue that he dyed for vs he dyd also perfourme the same whan at his laste Supper he ordeyned this Sacramente for he ioygned the sygnes to that spirituall eatyng But they dyd most chiefelye and principally laye agaynste vs this sentence This is my bodye aboute the veritie of whiche sayinge is nowe all oure controuersie but all oure contencion consisteth in this onelye poyncte howe and in what mannier it is his bodye for bothe partes that is to weete as well oure aduersaries as we dooe holde that it is a true proposicion or sentence And all oure contencion and striefe is onelye aboute the sense or meanynge of it Thei saye it is a playne sentence we on the other syde put them in remembraunce of that whiche Augustine teacheth in his booke entitled de doctrina Christiana that is of ChristiaÌ„ doctrine Where he saieth that one place must not be so expouned that it be contrarie to manye other but rather so as it agree with manye others Neither muste we euermore allege the plainenes of the sentence and stande altogether vpon the woordes for than where it is sayed Leate vs make man after our Image and lykenesse The heritiques named Anthropomorphita Anthropomorphitae A kinde of heritiques that affirmed god to haue a bodely substauÌ„ce or beeing shape as we haueâ— do by by aryse and make an argumente that God hathe a bodye and a soule and other membres as we se to be in mans bodye Thou sayest in thys behalfe that this similitude or lykenes of maÌ„ to God the image of god muste be referred to the mynd or soule of man wherby man hath rule ouer all other Creatures lyke vnto God but the sayde heritiques wyll saye againe that these thynges are there in playne wordes wrytten of manye and that thou doest in vayne go about to applye that whyche is written of the whole man to the one parte onelye that is to wete to the soule or mind Thou alledgeste agayne that Gâ—d is a spirite and that a spirite hath no fleshe bones and â—o thou gathereste the sence of thys one place oâ—te of other places of scripture In lyke maner the Arians sayde that they hadde the playne and cleare sence of thys place of scripture Some senteÌ„ce in scripture whiche seme moste playne in woordes muste not alwayes be vnderstaÌ„ded without soÌ„e interpretacion My father is greater then I Thou dost apply this saying onely to the humayne nature of Christ bycause that in other places of the scripture the godheade of Christe is declared and playnelye taught as in the fyrste chapter of Iohn in the ninthe chapter of the epistle to the Romains and in the fyrst Chapter of the first epistle of sainte Iohn Also Christ sayeth In expouning of one place aâ— eie must be had vnto other places of scripâ—ure He that hath no swerd let hym bye him one in whyche wordes it semeth that he prouoketh men to auengemente But if ye haue an eye to other places ye shall see that it is figuratelye spoken Saincte Paule hath this sayinge Pray ye without intercession or ceassing And anone ther started vp a kynde of heritiques called Euchite Euchitae a kinde of heritiques coÌ„cerninge prayer whyche thought that we ought to vse continual prayers neuer ceasyng to murmure then wher as yet it is sayde in an other place He that hathe not care of them that belonge to hym specially of such as be of hys houshold hath renounced the fayth is worsse then an infidell And againe Let al thinges be done in ordre in an other place he that laboureth not let him not eate Also a certeine secte of Heretiques named Chiliastae that is to say Chiliastae a kinde of Heretiques a certaine secte that taught how Christ should reigne a thousand yeares This secte thought that they had the moste euident word of god that coulde bee for theyr opinion in the Reuelacion of Ihon in the twentieth chapitur of these thousande yeares in the whiche Christe should reigne with his And the SabelliaÌ„s did hold that there was no difference of personnes betwene the father and the soonne Sabellians another sect of Heretiâ—ues and that same thei did of this place I and the father bee one and also of this place Philip he that seeth me seeth the father also And againe As I doe remayne in the father so doeth the father remaine in me these places thei said wer plain places sayinges
That if any man shall make any earnest matier that that same first sayinge of Christe I am the liuely bread c. is to be taken and applied to his diuine nature and to his Godheade as Chrisostome in dede semeth to will it Fyrst we saye that this sence dooeth not veray well agree therwith For Christ had there entred a talke concernyng the eatyng of his bodye and in stede of yearthly breade he offred vnto the Capernaites his fleashe to bee eaten whiche thyng so to bee is euident and plaine euen by the ordre and processe of the woordes although he there sayth that the breade was come downe from heauen For often tymes the thyng that belongeth to his godhead is made common as it were emparted to his humanitee alsoâ— But yf this exposicion of Chrisostom be of suche pith and effecte with them leat thesame mannes exposicion be of lyke auctoritee with them where he afterwarde auoucheth that same sayinge of Christe The breade whiche I shall geue is my fleashe whiche I will geue for the lyfe of the worlde c. to apperteyne to this Sacrament of thankes geuyng called Eucharistia Neyther dooeth Chrisostome alone holde that opinion but the other expositurs also dooe assente and agree with hym ther in Forasmuche therefore as the Lorde dooeth there saye and affirme breade to bee his fleashe he dooeth now at his supper testifie the selfe same thynge For shewyng forth the bread he sayeth This is my bodye So in bothe places he auoucheth his bodye or his fleashe to bee breade that is to wete breade of the solle and of our substaunce nowe regenerate and borne of newe whiche breade is to bee spirituallye eaten And thus takyng it What manier of figuâ—ate speakyng is conteyned in these woordes this is my bodye there shall bee no conuersion at al of the proposition or sentence but thesame shal in bothe places bee taken one manier of waye That if we take it all whole together that is to wete the breade and the thynge offred by the breade that is to saye Christes bodye than we admitte the figure of Syuecdoche Sinecdoche because that thinge is sayed of the whole or of one parte whiche belongeth to another parte For Synecdoche is whan that that belongeth but to a parte of a thynge is attributed or assigned to the whole as for an exaumple if one shoulde saye My foote is sore whan nothyng is sore but his toe or his hele onelye it were Synecdoche because that the sorenesse or griefe whiche is in the toe alone is spoken of the whoâ—e foote or lykewyse if one shoulde saye of a blacke Moorian this manne is white in the teeth wheras no parte of the manne is whyte but the teethe onely c. But in case ye refferre the saying to the breade which dooeth boeth signifie and offre vnto vs the bodye of Christe to bee eaten it shall than bee a figurate maner of speakyng called Metonimia Metonimia which in our manier of speakyng is whan the name of the thynge that is signifyed is geuen to the signe as here whan the name of Christes bodye is geuen to the breade In this exposicion also takynge it after this sence laste afore goyng all pointes are light and easye and playn to vnderstande all poinctes of vnconueniences are auoyded and oâ—e place of the Scripture is not repugnaunt to another The aduersaries ferther alleged as we haue afore sayed in the fyrst beginning of this worke where we brought al the reasons that the schole men deâ—ise and make for theyr transubstanciacion Tropes of Scriptuâ—e Excepte we vse tropes we shall not bee hable to resist the heretiques the aduersaries I saye alleged for them that if place be geuen to tropes that is to saye to figurate maniers of speakynge in Scripture that than the Heretiques wyll peruerte altogether And I on the other syde saye agayn that excepte we vse tropes and figuratiue maniers of speakyng in scripture the Heretiques bee sure of the ouer hande as in those places whiche euen nowe a lytell before we haue cited it is mooste playne and euidente For the heritiques also on theyr parte wyll stycke to the propresence and signification of the wordes and to that sence whych at the fyrst choppe offreth it selfe to the reader Therefore thys onelye poynte doeth nowe remayne that we shewe suche phrases of speakinge and such figuratiue maners of speakinge to be much and often vsed in the holye scriptures Whyche thinge to shewe and to proue will be a lighte mattyer and an easye We reade written The sede is the word of God And. The stone was Christe c. Albeit I knowe that many dooe make cauillations and woulde haue it taken that there is no trouth nor figuratiue speaking in thys last clause bycause that Paul dyd restraigne this sayinge and applied it to a spirituall stone whyche spirituall stone they anouch to be Christe trulye and verilye and without any trope or figuratiue speakinge at allâ— Yet neuertheles both Austen and Origen make on our side which plainely say that that same external and outward stone did signifie Christe But leste we maye be thought slightly to auoyde that is obiected agaynste vs we saye that in case the aduersaries will in this sentence aforegoinge take vnderstande a spirituall stone Lette them also in thys our matter of the sacrament take and vnderstande the breade a spirituall breade and allegoricall that is to saye figurately spoken throughoute in euerye place that mentioneth it and then will we graunt vnto theÌ„ that trulie and verilie and withoute anye trope or figurate speakynge at all it is Christe More ouer the Lorde sayd I haue chosen you twelue and one of you is a deâ—yl And yet was not Iudas therefore transubstanciated into a deuill Concerning circumcision it is written in the scripture My couenaunte shall be in your fleshe where as circumcision was not the couenaunt but only a signe or token of the couenaunte In the three and thirtieth Chapitur of Genesis Iacob is reported that he builded an aultare whyche aultare he called the mightye God of Israell Iacobs aulter the migheâ— God of Israell Moses aultaâ—e the Lord is my banâ—eâ— And Moses in the seuententh Chapitur of Exodus after the vyctorie gotten againste Amalech buylded an aultare and called the name of it The Lorde is my bannier And Hieromie the Propheteâ— maketh mention of a Cytye that shoulde be called God our rightuousenes Hieâ—emies citie God our rightuousnes Bycause that these shoulde afterwardes be monumentes and tokens or markes of those thynges whiche they dyd expresse by those names Of Iohn the Baptist it is written that he was a candell burnynge and geuynge lighte and agaâ—ne of the same Iohn Iohn xv Uerilye it is Helias if ye will receyue hym Christe sayeth of hym selfe I am the vyne and the braunches Luke ii I am the dore Of the same Christe we haue also that he is a
selues which are represeÌ„ted therby But why wil they not grauÌ„t the same thinges of the bread if it remain in yâ— sacrameÌ„t yâ— it shal not be worshipped it selfe but those things which the same bread doth note signifie ThaÌ„ further I prai you whi did they by the like reasoÌ„ reproue take a wai the accideÌ„tes also lest peradueÌ„ture the same accideÌ„tes might apere to be worshiped praied to in the sacrameÌ„tâ— But peradueÌ„ture they wil excuse this matter sai yâ— no maÌ„ wil worship yâ— accideÌ„tes in yâ— sacrameÌ„t wheras we al do very wel know that the pictursâ— images which thei stil suffer worship in their churches are nothinge but accidentes nether before which thei bow knele down to worship theÌ„ For and if they longed to do worshyppe to the substaunce of woode or of stone and not to the accideÌ„tes they mighte fynde euery where in the woodes and in the streates store inoughe of stockes stones to worshyppe and praye vnto Further the plaine and rude and ignoraunt people haue no suche learnynge nor knoweledge that they can iudge nor discerne or put anye difference betwene the schole termes of Accidentes and Substaunce And these men that feygne theim selues to be moued wyth suche greate and hole zeale in thys matter for auoydinge thys Idolatrie should haue done very well to haue made a transubstantiation of the cuppe selfe too leste peraduenture the cuppe myght chaunce to be worshypped and prayed vnto whan it is lifted vp aboue the priestes heade shewed And truly thys argumente hath euer semed vnto me a veray slender a vayn argumeÌ„t though in dede it be obiected of schole doctours yea and such schoole doctours as be of no small name The fift reason auoided that was made for traÌ„substaÌ„ciatioÌ„ It was further argued agaynste vs that except we graunte and put a traunsubstantiation there shal in thys sacramente two natures or substauÌ„ces of bodilye quantitye be putte togyther at one tyme and in one place Who woulde not maruaile to see these men to be of suche holines and confidence towardes ladye Nature and of such hygh reuerence as though they woulde not by theyr wylles in anye poynt breake or violate hyr lawes Where as yet they wilnedes haue certayne accidentes to hange by them selues and to be without anye subiecte of materiall substaunce which thinge is most of all others contrarye to the course lawes and ordre of nature and yet neuertheles they do not by this their folishe deuise and imagination escape or auoyde the inconuenience whiche they mooste feare For whan they leaue the accidentes remaynynge there is of necessitie a bodye emiddes the same accidentes whyche body vndoubtedlye perteyneth to quantitie and can not be withoute a quantitie and bignes and doeth without doubte fill a rowme and a place And where they will neades haue that the fleshe of Christe is bodily there presente wythal whych bodye of Christe hath also a quantitie and bygnesse and that the sayde bodie of Christe muste lye there as a thinge hydden vnder the accidentes they can not chose but remediles consounde and mengle togither sondry thynges of quantitye and do mengle togither two bodies hauynge their seuerell quantities But folowynge oure sentence and determiâ—ation that we shall putte in thys matter there is no daunger nor perill of anye suche folyshe and vnreasonable inconuenience The auoydinge of the seuenth reason brought in to confiâ—me establishe transubstantiation They sayde further that it was not semynge nor fitte for the dignitie of Christe that hys body should be ioygned and annexed to the substauÌ„ce of breade whiche is a verye fonde and a folyshe try flynge opinion For wee dooe not saye that there is made one essensuall thynge of the bodye of Christe and of nature of the bread in such sort as of the diuine nature the humayne nature in Christ ther is made one person nor we can not perceiue what greater dignitie or hygher prerogatiue there should be in the accidentes theÌ„ ther is in the bread So that if the body of Christ shoulde be put to be in the sacramentes wyth the accidentes as they would haue it we see no cause or reason whye the same bodye of Christe may not euen as wel stand togyther and remayne with the substaunce and nature of breade And for as muche as the diuine nature of Christe is sayed and affirmed to be euen in hell by hys power without any losse or derogation of hys dignitye and for as muche as thys same bodye of Christ as them selues thyncke and holde is geuen trulye and substaÌ„ciallye to the wicked sorte also to be receiued and eaten of theym beinge men mooste corrupte and moste vnworthy to receyue it Whye dooe they so greatelye feare the dymynishynge of hys dignytye in case it so were that the bodye and bloude of Christe shoulde be ioygned to the breade and wyne speciallye seynge that the ioygninge and knittynge togyther for a signification or betokenynge of the thinge ought to be putte and appoynted therein An aâ—swere to the eight â—eason that the traÌ„substaÌ„tiatours alledge for their purpose They made also an other reason or argument coÌ„cernynge oblation and sacrifiynge of it For the bodye and bloude of Christe saye they are offered vp in the masse that if there shoulde be no suche mutation nor transubstanciationâ— than shal we offer vp nought but the signification and shadow of the body What sacrficeis in thâ— supper of the Lorde But here shall Ciprian make answere for vs and shall satisfye them at large who in the seconde booke and thyrde Epistle to Ceciliusâ— sayeth that it is the passion of Christe that wee offer vppe at the Lordes Supper And who is so rude so grosse or so ignoraunt that he doeth not knowe the passion of Christe not to be nowe presente in the handes of the minister for as muche as it was a thynge done and paste long sence Wherof there is at this supper a memoriall celebrabrated and kepte and thanckes are geuen to God for the same But all that euer they laye for theym selues as a cloke in thys argument is but a thyng feigned and a veraye lye by the whyche they deuise and imagine the very sonne of God trulye and substanciallye and veraylye to be sacrificed and offered vp to the father by the priest and minister In whyche matter howe wyde they are howe farre they swerue from the trueth there is no place at thys presente tyme to shewe Nowe haue wee to declare to shewe that all that they dyd after thys brynge in and obiecte agaynst vs out of the sayinges and testimonies of the fathers as coÌ„trarye to oure purpose and opinion An answere to the argument that the schoolemen aledge for their tâ—aÌ„suâ—stanciation oute of the doctors doth in very dede make nothynge at all agaynste vs. But before I come to the expoundynge of them I intende to speake diuerse thynges in the waye
of a preaumble vnto the mattyer whyche maye stande in stede of certayne preceptes and rules for the better vnderstandynge of the fathers and aunciente writers in thys behalfe Whan soeuer they traict of this sacrameÌ„tal matter The fyfte rule how to vndeâ—sâ—and the doctors and speake somewhat hyghly vehemently thereof Firste it is to be considered that the holye scripture dothe with a certayne mutual relation and interchauÌ„geablenesse sometimes attribute to the things selues suche termes as are propre to the Sacramentes and signes onâ—lye and those thynges whychâ— are propre to the thinges selues they do contrariwyse attribute and assygne vnto the sacramentes and signes which dooe but represente the thynges An enterchaungâ—inge of names betwene the sacrameÌ„tes and thinges of the sacramentes And the same selfe waye and fashion do the aunciente fathers manye tymes vse so that a manne shall oftentymes se and reade them so to speake of the thinges sâ—lues as thoughe they spake but of the Sacramentes and signes and oftentimes contrarywise so to write and talke of the sacramentes and signes as if it were of the thinges selues whych the same represente and signifie And so maye it be very well bicause of the greate likenes and similitude whiche is betwene the sayde thinges and the sygnes by reason of Gods institution or ordinaunce in them The second rule for the vnderstanding of the doctours And Austen hathe geuen a plaine aduertisemente and lesson or rule as concerniâ—ge this matter written to Bonifatius that in the sacramentes the names are chaunged and confounded as we haue sayd before The fathers do alwayes call this a spirituall foode not a bodilye foode An other rule is that if ye diligently marke what wente before and what commâ—th after ye shall alwayes perceiueâ— that the fathers do witnes and testifye the foode of this sacrameÌ„t to be a spiritual foode and not the foode of the gutte or of the bealye or of the teethe The thirde rule how to vnderstand the doctors The thyrd rule is that if at any tyme thei do write that we do communicate carnally and fleashlye with Christe so that our verai bodyes also are fed with the hoste and sacramente of Eucharistia all this is in this wyse to be vnderstanded that we must coÌ„ceyue in our myndes that the sonne of God whan he was conceiued of the virgyn Marie and didde take the nature of man vpon him did euen than fâ—eashâ—ly and naturally communicate with vs. And ferthermore we dooe than abyde in hym and he againe abydeth in vs whan we beleue the woordes that he hath spoken and whan with a true feythe we receyue the sacramentes For in communicatyng and receyuyng his bodye after this sorte there is geuen and wrought in vs a new spiritie and our fâ—eashe and bodyes whiche before were of lyke nature with Christe and now made partakers all of lyke propretees and qualitees with him become apte to receiue his immortalitie and his resurreccion And whaÌ„ they obey serue yâ— spirite than are thei truly verely nourished vnto life euerlastyng And thus our bodyes by receyuyng of this sacramente are fed two mannier of wayes the one with the outwarde signe and figure and the other by this restoryng of vs to euerlastynge lyfe and so is Christe sayed to remayne and abyde in vs by meanes of this sacramente And as touchynge the fyrste kynde of communicatynge whiche we haue with Christ by his natiuitee and incarnatioÌ„ we haue a testimonie therof out of the Epistle of Paule to the Hebrewes in the seconde chapitur in these woordes For asmuche than as the childreÌ„ are partakers of fleashe and bloud he also hath lykewyse been partaker with the same Now that to this presente purpose it is ferther to bee considered that the word of consecrating doeth signifie nothing els with the fathers and old writers but to dedicate appoint that thing now to some holy vse and offyce whiche before was prophan and common of his owne nature And therfore we must not as often as we reade in the fathers this woorde or terme of consecration by an by imagyn in our braynes a transubstanciacion How the auncient fathers dooe take and vse the word or terme of coÌ„secâ—ating or consecracioÌ„ And yet yâ— there is a certain chaung a mutation in the consecration we dooe not denye that is to wete suche a chaunge for whiche these same thynges are now made sacramentes to signifie vnto vs effectually that as concerning our mynde or solle and oure feith the veray body and bloude of Christe is geuen and offred by the power of the holy ghoste It is ferther to bee knowen that as touchyng the thynges selues there is no difference betwene vs and the Caperâ—aites For they thought that they shoulde haue eaten the veraye bodye and the veraye fleashe of Christe and we dooe graunte no lesse to bee dooen in the sacrament of the Lordes supper The differeÌ„ce betwen vs and the Capernaites in receyuyng the sacramentes But the difference betwene the Capernaites and vs resteth in the mannier and fashion of eatynge it For the same that they thoughte shoulde be carnallye and fleashly dooen we teache to bee doen spiritually And the veray true body of Christ and his veray true bloud it is that is geuen For feith doeth not embrace nor receiue feigned thinges but thinges yâ— are true in dede Also whan it is red in the writynges of the fathers the body of Christ to be coÌ„preheÌ„ded coÌ„teined in these misteries there is nothing els to be takeÌ„ or vnderstaÌ„d by these wordes but that it is limited noted shewed represented or signified by them And whan thou hearest any of the fathers saying that there is nowe no breade nor wine anye longer remayning in the sacrament The sixth rule thou must not vnderstaÌ„d this so to be without any farther addition or circuÌ„staunce but in respecte of thy selfe whan thou doest deuoutlye and godlye receyue it For thou for thy parte at that time muste not thinke any longer on the breade or on the wine but thy minde â—ence must wholy and onely cleaâ—e and sticke to the thynges whyche are there represented and signified by the sacrament And therefore it is saide by the prieste or ministe Lyfte vp your hertes to the entente that thou shouldest lifte vp thy minde and thy herte from these visible thinges vnto the thinges inuisible whiche are there offred and geuen vnto the. Yea and the holy scriptures dooe not abhorre frome this kinde of figuratiue speakinge neither but do admitâ—e and vse the same For Paul saith We haue no strife nor wrastlinge against fleshe and bloude Who neuertheles would not haue denied but that the bodye and fleashe doth noye burden encumber the soule that the same body fleshe oughte to be bridled and kepte vnder For the same Paule in an other place writeth in thys maner The fleashe desyereth contrarye to the spirite Neither was Paule
to the people of Antioche he saith that Christe did not geue hymselfe to vs to bee seen but also to bee touched and to bee felte to haue his fleashe fastened vpon with our teeth In whiche place also ye see that that is applyed to the thing signified by the sacramentes That that properly beloâ—geth to yâ— sigâ—es as attributed to the thynges whiche properlye and peculierlye belongeth but to the sygnes onely For our teeth doe not reache so fer as to touche the substaunce of Christes bodye but onely to the breade and the signes and the Sacramentes The same manne in the sixtieth Homelye to the people of Antioche sayeth that we oughte not to thynke that the ministers hande doeth holde foorthe the Sacramente vnto vs but that we shoulde thynke Christes owne hande to bee stretched foorthe vnto vs and to dooe it And likewyse in Baptisme that it is Christe himselfe that executeth the office of baptising And in the three skore one Homelie he exhortethe vs to thynke that we dooe in this Sacramente taste Christe sittinge in heauenâ— whiche is wurshipped of the Aungels In all whiche whiche places here nowe alleged it is manifest and playne enough that this our olde aunciente father trauayled by all meanes possible to call foorthe the myndes of suche as receyue the Sacramentes from these yearthly and grosse and outward signes to the contemplacion and meditacion of the godly and heauenlye thynges by them represented And a thing it is much to be meruayled at that these men whiche bee so diligent in serching and discussynng the sayinges of the fathers and olde wryters Dooe not emong all others bring forthe the place of Chrisostome whiche is wryten in the sixtieth and one Homely to the people of Antioche where he sayeth that those men are bothe lighte and malaperte and frowarde whiche vse to stande present by at the ministryng of the sacramentes and doe not receue the communion themselues to Wherin Chrysostome affirmeth that they doe vnto Christ a manifest iniurye and wrong But to tarye a lytle longer vpon that that was set foorth in the argumente of weaxe whyche melteth altogether whan it is sette to the fyer as aforesayd we aunswere that Chrisostome hath often tymes in that place thys woorde Puta that is thinke thou to thentente we shoule vnderstaÌ„d that thys and suche other mattyers muste not bee taken but onely in respecte of our feyth and our thinking with the whiche feith or thynkyng whan we receiue the breade and the wyne we dooe not compreheÌ„or consider the bare thinges alone by themselfes But we lyfte vp our myndes seke the heauenlye thynges whyche by waye of betokeninge are annexed to those yearthely thynges Cirillus answered vnto and declared and by the same effectually signified Morouer we bryng forth a lyke symilitude out of Cyrilus in the tenth boke and the .xiii. chapitur vpon the gospel of Ihon where he saith that waxe being melted so mingled with other waxe that bothe be made vtterly one thiÌ„g doeth represente the verai same thiÌ„g that is doeÌ„ iÌ„ the receiuiÌ„g of the sacrameÌ„t which is that we be made verayly one thyng with Christ. And the same selfe thynge he hath agayne in the fowerth booke aâ—d seuenteenth chapytur of the same woorke Nowe than if it so bee that thys symilytude of weaxe hath place as touchinge that we bee made one wyth Christe and yet no transubstanciatynge of oure bodye thereunto required than maye the same thynge also bee putte and holden of Chrysostomes similitude whyche he putteth betwene the weaxe and the sygnes or mysteryes of thys sacramente Besydes the premisses it is to bee demaunded of oure aduersaryes whether they wyll haue these and suche other similitudes to agree in all poyntes Whyche thynge if they graunte to bee true than shoulde they take awaye also the whytnesse the roundenesse the taste and the other accidentes of the breade from this sacramente For the weaxe that is put to the fyer is not onely destroyed as touchynge the substaunce of it but also as touchynge the accidentes If they wyll not the simylitude to haue place in thys behalfe than shal it belefull and free for vs also to vnderstande all thys whole mattier and to applye it to the thynkynge and conceiuynge of oure mindes and to that that is comprehended and enbraced by feith and there wyl we graunte as touchynge the conceyuynge or comprehensyon of oure feyth that the nature bothe of bread and wyne departeth awaie and that oure mynde and solle is onelye fyxed vpon the thynges that are thereby sygnyfyed and vpon the thynges whyche are offred vnto vs by meane of that outewarde sygnes that is to saie vpon the bodye and bloud of Chryste And as touchynge Chrysostome thus muche suffiseth to bee sayde wherin we maye well see howe trulye those thynges whiche we haue spoken before of vnderstandinge and takynge the olde fathers and auncient wryters of the churche dooe take place Austen aunswred vnto Then was Austens sayinge brought in and obiected agaynste vs for that he wrote vpon the three and thirtieth Psalme that Christe dyd beare himselfe in his owne handes Christ howe he bare hym self in his own handes yea euen at his last supper whan he distributed and deliuered the sacrament aboute to his Apostles and as for this dooe not we denye For what impediment or lette should there bee but that Christe might beare his owne body in his owne handes yf by his bodye a man vnderstande the Sacrament of his bodye And this it meneth that Austen did adde in the ende of this place this worde Quodammodo that is to saye after a certayne fashion as though he shoulde haue sayed he bare not himselfe after a playne and absolute manier of speakynge or vnderderdandyng but aliquo modo that is after a certayne fashion and that is the same veraye waye or fasshion whyche we haue here aboue alreadye declared They laye agaynste vs also thesame Austens sayinge written in the thyrd booke De Trinitate that is to saye of Trinitie where he sayeth that the breade is broughte to his visible lykenesse of fashion by the handye woorke of manne but that it could bee made so greate a Sacramente withoute the inuisible operacion and woorkynge of the holy ghoste But it is a matier not alitle to be wondered at howe these meÌ„ caÌ„ not cal to remeÌ„brauÌ„ce nor receiue no other worke of the holy ghoste in this sacramente but transubstaunciation onely For as soone as they heare the name and mencion of operatyon of the holy ghoste in thys sacramente they can streight waie bring in transubstanciacyon whereas yet neuerthelesse these outwarde signes can not possybly be so chaunged that they can bee brought to suche an high state and degree as to bee sacramentes It is the operation of the holye ghoste that these helementes are made sacâ—amentes nor cannot bee chaunged But by the power and might of God that is to wete through the lordes
institutyon and ordinaunce by pronouncyng of certain holy wordes out of the sciptures and by the strength and efficacye of the holy ghostes workyng For these godly thynges dooe not nowe any more come hurlyng or stumblyng into oure myndes after the vulgare or commen sorte But wyth an effectuall and a veray earneste enforcemente of the holy ghoste And by the strength and vertue of the same holy ghost our hartes myndes be persuaded and moued to the conceauyng and enbracyng of the thinges of the sacramentes throughe feith Nowe as touchynge Austens saying who in the nyntie eighte psalme vpon the texte Adorate scabellum pedem eius that is wurshyp ye the foote stoole of hys feete seketh about what footestole the same should bee and at lengthe fyndeth that it is sayed in the scriptures Terra est scabellum pedum eius that is to say the yearthe is hys foote stoole butte howe sayeth he shall we wurshyp the yearthe It is not wryten in the scryptures Thou shalt wurshyp the lorde thy god him alone shalt thou serue and is it not commaunded sayeth Austen that we shall not wurshyp any of the thynges whiche are in the heauens aboue or vpon the yearth beneath or in the waters or vnderneathe the yearth But after al thys he bryngeth in that a certain yearth there is whyche bothe maie and oughte of good right to bee wurshypped For saieth he the soonne of god tooke vpon hym mannes nature that is to saie â—leashe of a virgyn and fleashe is called yearth in the holy scryptures because oure bodye was taken of the yearth And that the fleashe of Christe is to bee wurshypped dooeth of thys mattyer plainly appere because that whan he geueth the same to bee eaten no man dooeth eate it before he hath first wurshipped it These woordes of Austen can make no thynge againste vs. For we make no denyall at all but that the fleashe of Chryste is to be wurshipped because of the ioygninge and couplyng that it hath wyth hys other nature of hys Godhed But nowe at thys present our contencion is whether the said fleshe of Christ lyeth hidden in the sacramente vnder the accydentes of the breade and not whether the fleashe of Chryste bee to bee wurshipped or no. But they saie If Christes fleashe were not there in the sacramente and breade still remayninge or conteyned in the sacramente than shoulde there bee Idolatrie comitted But we thus aunswer agayn that they also renne into as greate a daungier of Idolatrie as we For they also on there parte shoulde remoue and take awaye the accidentes leste the same accidentes might happen to be wurshipped and they shoulde chaunge the substaunce of the veraye cuppe or chalice too and make a transubstanciacion of it for feare leste it woulde bee wurshypped of some ignoraunte persones and Idolatrie coÌ„myted therunto But in a sacramente we putte a dyfference betwene the outwarde signes and the thynges that are sygnyfied by theim and to these sygnes we geue and shewe honour and reuerence that is to wete that thei bee reuerently handled and after a comely facion and that they bee not cast away For they bee holy thinges and deputed and appointed ones to god But as touching the thinges signifyed and represented by the out warde sygnes that is to wete the bodye and bloud of Christe we dooe quickely and without any sticking graunte that they shoulde bee wurshipped For Austen sayeth in thys place There is none offence dooen in wurshyppyng of Chrystes fleashe But there is an offense committed in not wurshyppinge of it But yet dooeth Austen foorth with warne vs that we shulde nottary or fixe our mindes vpon the fleashe of Christ but that we should lyft vp oure myndes to hys godly nature and to hys deitee to the whyche deyte Christes fleashe is ioygned and knitte wyth suche a knotte as can not bee vnlooced for els sayeth he Caro non prodest quicquam sed spiritus est qui viuificat that is the fleshe dooeth nothynge proffyt nor auaile But it is the spyryte that quickneth and geueth lyfe where marke that thys saynge of Christe whyche is wrytten in the sixth chapytur of Iohns ghospell is vnderstanded and taken of Austen concernynge Chrystes fleashe and not after a carnall and fleashely vnderstandynge of the same as some men wolde haâ—e it But nowe for wurshyppynge of it I wyl here bryefly touche and in fewe wordes repeate the same Whyche before thys time I spake whan I declared this epistle whyche was that adoracion or wurshypping consisteth in Inuocatyon or callyng vpon as whan we praie to God and in confessyng or acknowelaygeyng whyche confessing is of two sortes the one with the hert and the other with the mouth and in thankes geuing Al these thiÌ„ges bee dewe both to god and to Chryste where and whan soeuer he declareth hymselfe vnto vs. And this is doone three manier of wayes fyrst by reason of goddes woorde inwardly considered when some vehement thynkynge vpon God and Christe cometh into oure myndes by the strength and power of the holy ghoste And than dooeth wurshyppynge folowe streygth waye For eyther we confesse and knoweledge his maiestie to bee moste excellent c. or els we call vpon him to helpe vs or els we thanke hym for hys goodenesse shewed vnto mankynde And these thynges dooe sometymes declare themselfes vnto vs by externall and outward woordes that is to wete as often as we ourselues reade the holie scryptures or els whan we heare godly sermoÌ„s For in this case we be many times prouoked to calle vpon God or to dooe other thynges whiche perteyne to the nature of godly wurshyppiÌ„g To bee shorte Chryste and god sometymes dooeth declare hymselfe by outewarde sygnes as he dyd in the Mounte of Synai vnto Moses and to the prophet Isai in lykenesse of a kinge sitting in his regall throne Exod. xix In the arke of promyse and in the Sacramentes Isay. vi And here also is adoracion or wurshipping vsed But like as Austen gaue warnynge or exhorted vs that we shoulde notte sette oure myndes and stayghe onelye vpon the fleashe but that we shoulde goe for warde lifting vpon our myndes to his deite or godhead So doe I now here geue warnyng that whan we receiue the sacramente we should not stoppe or tarie in the outward signes with our wurshipping but that we shuld in spirite and in truth wurship Christe that sitteth in heauen at the right hande of the father Which thing because some vnlearned people dooe not vnderstande by reason of this false opinion of transubstanciacion beeing now confirmed and rooted in mens myndes therfore I would thynke it not vnprofitable if we did refreine our selues from outwarde wurshipping of it as froÌ„ prostration or kneelyng vntyl suche tyme as the rude sorte and ignoraunt people were better enstructed taught therin Inward wurshippyng maye bee vsed without daungier nether were the outwarde worshyppyng ill in his owne true naturall vse For many menne dooe godlye
course of nature we shoulde bee placed and sette in those thynges whiche are aboue nature In whyche place he toucheth also of our chaungeyng into Christe But it is here to bee noted that he affirmeth the outward signes and matier of the sacramentes to bee thynges accordynge to nature that is to saye naturall thynges and thynges of their own natures That yf ye putte thesame to bee accidentes onelye and withoute a subiecte or accidentes that haue the bodye of Christe hidden vnder them than are thei not any longer to bee taken for thynges of theyr owne nature or for thynges within the ordre and course of nature And Damascen vseth suche playne termes in the matier that he affirmeth the nature of bread to be chaunged ouer to bee taken to another thynge and to be made Christes body which wordes chaunge yf they bee taken and vnderstanded of a Sacramentall chaunge they make nothynge at all agaynste vs. And where he also sayeth that these chaunges happen aboue nature we admitte and graunte that too For it is not of any naturall propretee belongynge vnto common breade that a sacrament shoulde bee made thereof no more then the fountayne of oure regeneracion or newe birth to bee made naturallye of water That yf ye demaunde of Damascene the manier howe this chaungeynge of the breade into Christes body commeth to passe he aunswereth that it is not a lyghte mattier euen for vs to expresse the mannier howe breade in oure naturall foode and susteinaunce is chaunged into oure fleashe But as touchynge this similitude and comparison howe it maye bee taken we haue sayed sufficiently afore whan we spake of Theophylactus If ye take this similitude generallye and applye it to a Sacramentall chaunge it is veraye well but if ye will haue the comparison specially made of suche a mutacion or chaungeynge as there is of the foode that we take in oure bodyes whan it is turned into our fleashe than shall ye make not onelye the nature of breade to geue place and to departe awaye but also the accidentes therof to dooe thesame Damascene after all this affirmeth the breade so to bee made Christes bodye and the wyne and water in suche wyse to bee made his bloude that the same are nowe not twoo thynges but one If he referre this terme to bee one thynge and not twayne to the cuppe and the breade as though he should saye that these twoo are one Sacramente We wyll make no greate a dooe in the mattier for in this accion or dooyng as in one Sacramente Christe is offred vnto vs for a foode And yet in takynge bothe partes of this Sacramente the Churche is not a fearde to speake of theym as thoughe they were twoo and to saye that there bee Sacramentes here And in the collectes whiche they were woont to saye in theyr olde Masse they did after the communion manye tymes saye these woordes The Sacramentes whiche we haue receyued c. But an yf they affirme them in suche wyse to bee one that after the consecracion the breade and Christes bodye bee nowe one thyng and notte twayne for the transubstanciation that is incedente vnto it than wyll we sette agaynste this the sentence and determinacion of Ireneus in whiche he wryteth the Sacramente of Eucharistia to consiste of twoo thynges the one yearthelye and the other heauenlye We also sette agaynste theym Gelasius sometyme Byshop of Rome who speakyng of the vnioÌ„ of the humayne nature and diuine nature in Christe bothe the sayde natures remayning wholle and vndefyled argueth and proueth it to bee true by the conioning and couplyng of the bread with Christes bodye in this sacramente bothe natures remaynynge whole and perfect He affirmeth moreouer that this Sacrament is not cast downe in the draught Neyther can it in veray dede otherwyse bee spoken of the transubstanciatours For wheras they put and holde that in this sacrament of Eucharistia there is nothynge but the accidentes of breade and of wyne and the nature of Christes bodye there doeth no parte of these thynges belong to any draught But against the premisses I wyll now bryng in and obiecte a most manifest place of Origen vpon Mathew in the fiftenth chaptur wher he expouneth and declareth these woordes of the EuaÌ„gelist That that entreth iÌ„to the mouth defileth not a man And there dooeth Origen saye thus Origens mynde of the sacramente whether it goe into the draughte or not If it dooe not defyle a man than dooeth it not sanctifie hym and make hym holy neither But what shall we saye of the Lordes breade Is it true that it neyther maketh a man holye nor defileth hym he aunswereth that lyke as if any thing seme vnpure it nothynge at all defyleth vs except through a corrupt conscience in vs Euen so also that that appereth and is called holy dooeth not sanctifye vs nor make vs holy vnlesse there bee righteousnesse wythin vs and perfectenesse of life For if of it owne nature it had the propretee to sanctifie to make holy than should there not haue been many sicke emoÌ„g the Corinthians and many haue died Where fore that that is materiall or grosse and corruptible in the lordes breade dooeth passe down into the bealie and is cast oâ—t into the draught and that that is by humble prayer by the lordes woorde is profitable vnto the solle accordyng to the porcion of euerie mannes feyth It is not than the materiall parte of the lordes breade that is profitable but the woord that is put thereto is the thynge that auayleth And to the entente that one shoulde not thynke hym to speake of any other meate he repeateth it agayne in a briefe summe and sayeth Thus muche haue we spoken of the mystycall and Sacramentall bodye of Christe Nowe leate not anye manne to impougne this that we haue sayed cauill and saye that Origen did nowe and than erre in diuerse opinions and articles For Hierome Epiphanius and the olde aunciente fathers whiche didde with all possible diligence searche and bryng foorth his erroures to lyghte dooe not in anye place make mencion that he was in anye wronge opinion of the Sacramente whiche thynge they woulde neuer haue leafte vnspoken yf he hadde in so greate a mattier gonne neuer so lytle oute of square And Origen in the place afore alleged moste manifestly and plainly addeth these woordes also that the wycked sorte dooe not eate Christes bodie because that Christes bodye is a thyng that geueth life and he that eateth it abydeth in Christe Wherfore agaynst thys Ihon Damascene beeyng but a newe wryter of late yeres a man not of so great a name to speake of leat Origene bee sette who is bothe a veray auncient wryter and also estemed of al men for a ryght famous Clerke After this there was obiected against vs out of the Counsayle of Ephesus that whiche Cyrillus wrote in the behalfe of the same counsayle to Nestarius byshop of Constantinople The counsell of
of the Latines and there they agreed as touchyng the discorde and controuersye that had been concernynge the holye Ghost And in the actes of the counsayle it is to be seen that after the Bisshoppes of the Easte parties and the Latines had agreed vpoÌ„ certain articles the Bishop of Rome than beyng would haue proceded ferther would haue driuen them to traicte of transubstanciation to receiue it as the Latines did beleue it But here the grekes stiffely with stode hym wold in no wyse traict of any suche matier Neither could they be moued nor induced by any argumentes to coÌ„sent therunto And whaÌ„ the letters or instrumentes of vnitie concord agrement betwene theÌ„ should be made publishedâ— the sayed Greke Byshops made a speciall prouiso that in no wyse ther should be any mencioÌ„ made of this matier of transubstanciation which was also obserued as appereth in the Bulle of Eugenius which begiÌ„neth Exultent caeli et letetur terra c. where in he reioyceth in the behalfe of Cristian nacions for this most happie chaunce that the churche of the grekes the churche of the Latines wer â—ome to a coÌ„cord vnytee agayn Wherof it foloweth that if the transubstanciacion had been a matyer of suche weyght effycacy the Romisshe churche woulde neuer haue come to a tonement and been coupled wyth the Churche of the Grekes not receyuing thesame For nowe of dayes they saye it is a veray pernicious and a detestable Hâ—resie not to admit transubstancioÌ„ Nor it is not to be thought nor supposed that the Latine churche would haue coupled her self with heretiques and been one with them By this also is the argumeÌ„t made voyde and of none effecte whiche they broughte of the vniuersal consent and agrement of the churche For it is not true which they affirme that all Christen churches did conspire and agree in this article of transubstanciacion For that same auncient churche which was in the tyme of the fathers as we haue shewed did neuer ymagine nor deuise any suche matier Also the Greke churche of the East parties was not in like opinion that we haue been in Besydes al this to their argumentacions they adde mooste hyghe prayses of the diuine and godly power To the Argument of â—he diuine power to induce the people to beleue so greate a myracle But this is an argumente moste weake and feble for the thynge whiche they ought chiefely to haue shewed they haue neuer yet hitherto truely proued whiche it is that god will dooe it and that the holye scriptures dooe promise suche a thyng vnto vs. For these woordes whiche they allege that is to wete This is my body thâ—se woordes I saye are the matier that is in controuersie maye haue another menyng wherefore the argumente is of no strength ne force And we shall declare the weakenesse of thesame by a certaine example The Lord said vnto Nicodeme Beholde a similitude of Nicodeme that no manne coulde â—ntre into tâ—e kyngdome of heauen excepte he wer borne of newe Than Nâ—codeme began to demaunde how can a maÌ„ whan he is old enâ—re agayne into his mothers woÌ„be It might haue been saied vnto hym Chryste hath euen now affyrmed that it shall so be whi dooest than doubte of the power of God by the whyche all thinges wer created By the same power of God maiest thou vndoubtedlye bee borne againe out of thy mothers wombe But the matyer was not so handeled But Chryste declared that all thys shoulde bee dooen by a spyrytuall regeneracyon For although he made mencion of the water whyche parteyneth to baptisme Yet did he most manyfestly teache that the regeneracion must be dooen by the spirite And euen so dooe we see it happen herein thys matier of the sacramente Chryst commaundeth vs to eate hys fleash and he takynge the breade in hys hande sayethe This is my bodye Now the transubstanciatours said It cannot bee that the bodye of Chryste shoulde bee to gether with the bread Wherefore it must nedes folow that the nature of the breade bee turned by transubstanciacyon into Chrystes body And that it is so transubstauncyated they wyll nedes parswade men by an argumente of the power of God Why the fathers speakinâ—g of this sacâ—amente dooe so magnifie the power of god because he is hable to doe it But in the meane whyle the transubstanciatours dooe thus obiecte agaynst vs We dooe not thys alowe say they for Chrysostome Ambrose Cyrillus whan they traict of thys mutacion the lykewyse remit vs to the power of god magnyfye the same power of god with wunderful high laudes praises But to thys we aunswer that the fathers speake veray wel for vndoubtedly it belongeth to the power of God so to chaunge breade and wyne that they bee made sacramentes whyche they wer not afore neyther is it the worke of nature that bread and wine should so mightely and so effectually signifie offre and represente the bodye and bloud of our lorde to bee comprehended wyth our myndes and wyth our feith Wherefore the holy ghoste dooeth here entremeole hymself the lordes institution and ordinaunce in this behaâ—fe is of great strength and vertue the wordes beeyng at the fyrst pronounced by the inspiracion of God and now repeated agayn by the ministre dooe weorke no smalle effecte Ye maye to the premisses putte our conuersion and chaungeyng into Christe whan we dooe receiue the communion all whiche thynges are ferre aboue the power strength of nature And now wher as the supernatural power of the lorde maye bee required to al these thynges these men applye the sayd power of God to transubstanciacion But thys is a muche lyke thyng as it we should make an argumente and should reason as the logicians termes bee ab vniuersiliore ad particularius that is to saie from the more general to the lesse general affirmatyuely that is by the waye of affirmyng a thyng to bee thus or thus whiche is the wourstkynde of argumente that can bee made as for exaÌ„â—le there can not bee a wourse arâ—umeÌ„te theÌ„ to saâ— Thissame is a tree ergo it is an applee tree For it maye bee a theritree or an oke tree or some other tree But contrarie wyse to saye this in an aple tree Ergo it is a tree is a veray good reason and a well framed argumente So to saye Goddes wyll is to dooe suche a thyng or suche a thyng ergo he can dooe it is a perfeicte good reason But theâ—e can not bee a lewder manier of arguyng then to saye God is of power to dooe suche a thyng ergo he wyl dooe it or dooeth it For God is of power euen now at this daye to heale all diseases and sicknesses of all men to make the dum to speake to restore sight vnto the blynde and to reuiue men that are dead as Christe reised Lazarus and as he wrought the thynges afore spokenâ— and many other miracles while he liued
here on yearthe But to say that he so doeth wer false and to require that he should so dooe wer a teÌ„ptyng of hym not ferre differing from blasphemie But to returne to thys matier that we now haue in hande it maye ferther bee sayed that in Baptisme also is required the same power of god For it is not a weorke of nature that water should bee made the fountaine of our regeneracionâ— or newe birth in Christe But here some persones can not euen veray wel heate that baptisme should bee after thys sorte coÌ„pared with the sacramente of Eucharistia For although they can not saye nay but that Chriâ—â—e is present in baptisme also and is there geuen vnto vs. for it is wryten ye as many as are baptised haue dooen christe on vpon you yet is Chryste saye they after a more excellent â—orte in the sacramente of Eucharistia â— then he is in the sacramente of baptisme therefore the breade is transubstanciated and yet is it not necessarie that the watâ—r in baptisme shoulde bee transubâ—ianciated To whom we aunswer that it is not muche to bee passed on in whether of bothe sacramentes Christe bee after a more excellent sorte conteined then in the other so that he bee graunted to bee present in theym bothe And as he maye bee in the one wythout any transubstanciacion of the elementes that is to saye of the naturalle thynges that the sacâ—amente is made of euen so maye he bee in the other too That if ye wyll nedes striue about the dignitee of the sayd two sacramentes whether of them is the more excellent than maye the excellencie of baptisme bee proued by argumentes tyght effectuall and pitthye For fyrst it is a greatter matier to bee generate and borne then it is to bee nourished Secondely baptisme was honoured and notified wyth a noumbre of miracles at once for the heauens opened at the baptisyng of Christe the voyce of the father was hearde and the holy ghoste was seen in the lykenesse of a doue whyche thynges did not happen at the iâ—stitutyng and ordeinyng of the sacramente of â—ucharistia And yet dooe not we speake all thys to the derogacion of thys sacramente for it is a sacramente of most hyghe dignitee and a sacramente moste woorthie and mete to bee chiefly had in honour and reuerence but all thys is spoken to thys oâ—ely ende and purpose that we maye make a full aunswer vnto the obiectioÌ„ yâ— was brought against vs of the power of god We haue also declared alreadie afore out of S. Austen in the thyrd booke of the Trinitee the tenth chapitur that â—â— of wyne should so growe multiplie by hys steightes of iugleyng that all the wholle cuppe should bee full to the veray brymme yea and renne ouer too Yea and whan an other bigger cuppe was brought vnto hym that would hold more in it thys Marcus would so haÌ„dle the matier that the bigger cuppe should bee full too wythoute puttyng of any more liquour vnto it then was afore What man would saye that thys felowes was euer the more approued or confirmed by these miracles If we will come to the stories of the Gentiles we reade that there hath riuers and streames of bloud renne along vpon the grounde Certain miracles wrought by Ethnites Gentiles and that Iuppiters thumbe hath spinned out with bloud Liuius telleth that in Rome our time it did â—aine flesh Quintus Curtius reporteth that at the citee of Tyrus whan it was besieged of Alexander the great a lofe of breade did openly in the syght of them all sweat out and droppe bloud whan one of Alexanders soldyars cutte the lofe And Apollonius Thyraneus is reported that whaÌ„ he was at the parliamente before Domitianus the Emperour he vanished away sodeynly and could no more bee found Thus there bee miracles and woondres infinite which the Gentiles myght in this case bryng in to confirme theyr worshyppyng of Idolles And therefore all suche miracles as these men affirme to make for the confirmyng and establishyng the supersticion of transubstanciacion we vtterly reiecte and dissallow Neither is it muche to bee regarded that they bring in for this purpose of a miracle showed of Gregorie byshop of Rome For it is wryten in hys life that the lordes breade or if ye wyll so calle it the sacramente of Eucharistia was turned into a finger of fleashe Whyche thyng if it wer so dooen for either of the two causes whiche as aboue sayd we dooe receiue there is no great earnest strife to bee made for the matier Albeeit that same life of Gregorie is a matier of no great weyght or force to bee passed on For if we wyll beleue Uincentius the said life of Gregorius was wryten an hundred yeres after he was dead of our Ihon of Rome a deacon and sent to a certan Emperour beeyng a Germain But putte the case that it was so in ded If our aduersaries wyll therof conclude by the shewyng of the finger of fleashe that the fleashe of Christe dooeth corporally and bodyly lye hidden vnder the accideÌ„tes of the breade than myght a bodye by this kynde of miracles conclude that vnder the sacramentall similitudes and signes there is bothe coles and ashes conteined because that thys holy breade was ones turned into these thinges in Cyprians tyme as hymself wryteth I beleue also that the sleightes and illusions of vyle lewd felowes are not vnknowen whyche they haue often tymes vsed to deuise and inuente miracles In an other argumente they layed veray sore to our charge the dignitee and excellencie of Christes bodye glorified whyche from the tyme of hys resurrection foorth ward is called hys bodye spiritual whiche dignitee and excellencie of Christes bodye glorified we dooe in no wyse denye Yet wyll we putte you in remembraunce of that that Austen hath in an epistle to one CoÌ„seÌ„tius where AusteÌ„ affirmeth that Christes bodye glorified is not after suche sorte a spiritual bodye that it passeth into the nature of a spirite For a certain kynde of bodye there is whyche of S. Paule in the fifteenth chapitur of hys former epistle to the Corinthians is called Corpus animale Corpus animale as if ye should saye in englyshe a bodye enâ—ewed wyth a solle whyche the translatours of the bible dooe for the more plainer vnderstandyng of the vnlearned calle a naturall bodye and yet in the self same place of Paule it is sayed of Adam that he was made a lyuyng solle and suche a man is in the secound chapitur of the same epistle called Animalis homo and it is translated in englishe a natural man But the sayd place of S. Paule whereâ— suche a bodye endewed with a solle is called Corpus animale is not so to bee vnderstanded as though tâ—e bodye dooeth passe and chaunge into the nature of the solle And agayn the same austen in the twentieth chapitur of the thyrteenth booke de ciâ—itâ—te dei that is to saye of the citee of god wryteth in
thys manier The solle sometymes whyle it foloweth the appetite of the fleashe is called carnal and fleashely not yâ— it is chaunged into the nature of fleashe euen so the bodye is called spiritual not because it is chaunged into the nature of the spirite but because it wyll bee altogether obedient to the spirite to fulfille the desire wille of the spirite And Hierome in an epistle to Pammachius whyche epistle was made in defense of the trueth agaynst Ihon the bishop of Hierusalem who sayeth that the solles of suche as arose had euery one of theÌ„ a bodye of ayer whiche was not subiect neyther to touchyng nor to the syght and Hierome I saye in thys epystle dooeth by all possible meanes contente to proue that Christe after hys resurrection had a veray true bodye in dede and the same also visible And Hierome aunswereth to an obiection whyche obiectioÌ„ was thys If Christes bodye after hys resurrection was in suche sorte visible and was the same veray bodye that he had whan he was aliue afore Luke xxiiii Wherefore was it not knoweâ— at what tyme he shewed hymself lyke a pilgryme to the two disciples goyng to the castle of Emaus To this doeth Hierome thus make aunswer Because theyr yies wer holden that they should not knowe hym as if he should haue sayed as touchyng the nature of hys bodye it was bothe visible myght haue been knowen but the lette that was was in thesame veray epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s Yet neuerthelesse our sacramentes haue many prerogatiues and many poyntes of dignite aboue the sacramentes of the olde lawe For fyrst and formoste they bee firme and stable and shall no more bee chaunged vnto the worldes ende secondly they dooe not shewe of a thyng that is to bee dooen and yet to come but of a thyng dooen alreadie Our sacramentes also bee more simple and plain and they perteine to a larger and a greatter noumbre of people And forasmuche as they bee more clere open then the olde sacramentes they stiere vp in vs a greatter feith and therof foloweth a more plenteous aboundance of the spirite And that they bee more clere and open dooeth not procede as the aduersaries imagyn to theymselfes in theyr braines of the outward prefiguracion of the â—ignes because that the same is more euident then the old was but of the nature of the woordes that are there ê“nounced For by the said woordes our redeÌ„ptioÌ„ is shewed to bee perfeict it is shewed with more clere more open wordes then the common sorte of people emong the fathers of the old lawe did vnderstaÌ„de Than if the thyng bee more clere expouned and declared in woordes the outward represeÌ„tacion is not so greatly to bee regarded Whâ—â—eâ— the Churche made â—awe been leaft in anecdout our of god Besides this they made it a matier of woondre how it might bee possible that the Churche should bee so long in an errour and that no light nor small errour if it should so bee as we saye Whiche thyng for all that they would not so greatly meruaill at if they would thynk on the woordes that Christe sâ—ake of hys last commyng Thynkest thou sayeth Christe that whan the sonne of man shall come he shall fynde feith vpon the yearth He doeth alâ—o shewe that there â—â—aâ— in tyme to come bee so great an errour in the Churche that if it bee possible euen the veray elect and chosen shall bee deceiued to and seduced And leat these men I beseche you tell vs what manier of Churche and in what state did Christe fynde the churche at hys fyrst coÌ„myng Had not the Scribes the Pharisees the Priestes and the Bishops corrupted all together had they not peruerted all true religion wyth theyr tradicioÌ„s Yet is it not to bee thought that the Churche hath at any time been vtterly forsakeÌ„ or leaft in errour For there hath been euermore from tyme to tyme many good people whâ— this geare hath muche myslyked that haue openly cryed out against it And lyke as at hys fyrst coÌ„myng there was SymeoÌ„ Anne the wedowe Ioseph and the virgin Marie Elizabeth Ihon the Baptiste whiche wer godly folkes deuout and had special good opinion of god so that the Churche could not bee saied to bee vtterly forsakeÌ„ euen so hath it been dooen in these last tymes For the wholle vniuersal Curche is not leauened wyth tradicions of men They saye morouer that as touchyng that it is ordeined but to signifie betokeÌ„ the selfsame betokenyng maye bee dooen by breade and wyne at al meates whan men dyne and suppe and therefore no cause to bee why we should so hyghly esteme the sacrament of Eucharistia But thys argumente is as weake and as feble an argumente as is possible to bee For at coÌ„mon repastes there is not the lordes institucion there is no ordeinaunce of a sacramente there is not heard the lordes woordes nor there is not there any promisse of god therefore bee not these twoo to bee compared together Lastely there was an argument brought of the vertue and efficacie of goddes woorde whyche as Algerius citeth and allegeth in the seuenth chapitur of his first booke is called of Ambrose uerbum operatorium as if ye should saye in englishe a word of workyng of operacioÌ„ as by the whiche worde the breade wyne whiche remaine stil in their natures are yet neuerthelesse chaunged into another thyng But as touchyng the woordes of Ambrose we accepte them with good wille For we also putte that the breade the wyne dooe remaine stil in their owne natures not as the traÌ„substaÌ„ciatours affirme as touchyng the accideÌ„tes or the lykenesses fourmes of breade wyne so that the chauÌ„ge is made by alteracioÌ„ remouyng away of the substaunce but that we affirme aduouche the propre natures of breade wyne to bee kept still the haungyng to bee onely sacramental through grace And in thys our assercion we dooe nothyng derogate or diminishe froÌ„ the efficacie of the lordes woordes but yet we dooe not thynke that it is to attributed vnto them as to a kynde of enchauntimente or coniuâ—yng that how soeuer or in what soeuer place they bee pronounced by a prieste or ministre ouer breade wine wyth a mynde and intencion to consecrate they shal by and by haue that effecte For the wholle matier depeÌ„deth of the lordes institucioÌ„ of the action or workyng of the holy ghoste Now as for Algerius he is a man not muche to bee passed on for he was after the tyme of Berengarius maketh mencion of Berengarius â—ecantacion in hys wrytyng Than morouer of what a great and good iudgemente he was it is manifest of a certain argumente that he maketh For in the one and twenteeth chapitur of hys fyrst boke he wyllyng and labouryng to proue that aswel the godly as the vngodly dooe receiue Christes bodye in the sacramente whyche in dede foloweth necessaryly if there wer
a transubstanciacion take a similitude sayeth he of the outward voyce or woorde that a man dooeth speake of talke that is made by sounde of the ayer Unto what soeuer persones suche woordes dooe come it conteineth and hath wyth it hys owne propre sense and menyng But if it come to men of good vnderstaÌ„dyng thesame dooe heare it wyth some profit for they dooe well perceiue the thynges that are spoken But in case it come to the vnlearned and to men that lacke knowelage it dooeth neuerthelesse beare wyth it the ê“pre sense of the wordes but yet it is wythout any profit to the hearer because he is not a man of capacitee to vnderstande it Thys man lacketh here for hys argumente the woordes beare theyr sense and menyng wyth theÌ„ but he dooeth not marke that the sense is not included or enwrapped really as the terme is in the sonne or in the caractes of the lettres but onely by the waye of signifiyng Whyche self same thyng if it should bee sayed vnto hym of the breade and the wyne in the sacramentes that they offre vnto vs the bodye of Christe by the waye of signifiyng or betokenyng none other wyse he shal bee conuinced in hys owne similitude and comparison And by thesame also it is proued that the wyeked dooe not receiue the lordes bodye euen lyke as vnskilful or ignoraunt persones whan they heare talke in greke or latin dooe not perceiue the sense and menyng therof Wherupon conclude that there could not any thyng haue been spoken more strongly on our syde theÌ„ thys similitude of Algerius Thesame Algerius also in the fyrst chapitur of the second booke aduoucheth that the accidentes in thys sacramente dooe not veraily and truely susteme rottenesse or mouldryng away but onely that it so appereth vnto vs and yet is not so in dede whyche thyng euen the veray scholemen would not haue sayed For what other thyng is thys but to establishe a perpetual illusion and blyndyng of mannes senses Thus than we nede not muche to passe of Algerius though he labour by all meanes possible to ratifie and sette vp hys transubstanciacion We haue now traicted of the fyrst opinion and that at large For the sayd opinion of transubstanciacion remoued and taken away there shall there wyth also many supersticions bee taken away Of the other twoo opinions we shal not talke so muche at length For whether of theÌ„ bothe bee putte or affirmed we doee not so greatly passe so that it bee well vnderstanded as it should bee We shall at thys present onely shewe of them as ferre as we maye see iÌ„ it what we iudge mete to bee eschewed or to bee receiued in either of them There haue been many whiche haue reteined and kept still in the sacramente the substance of breade and wyne but they haue ioygned the bodye bloud of Christe wyth these materiall signes remainyng still in theyr owne natures these haue they ioygned together with a veray streight and fast knotte but yet as I trow not in suche sorte that of the boke beeyng so ioygned together there should bee made one substaunce or one nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Yet neuerthelesse they haue sayed that the bodye and bloud of Christe are present in the breade wyne really as they terme it bodyly and naturali Some others again haue ioygned them together onely by the waye of betokenyng Of these twoo determinacions the former is fathered vpon Luther the later vpon zwynglius Of the conteâ—cion betwene Luther and zwynglius albeeit I haue heard of persones right credible that neither Luther was in veray dede of so grosse an opinion in thys matâ—er nor zwynglius of so slendre and light a belief concernyng the sacramentes And theyr saiyng is that Luther bowed lened vnto phrases of speakyng by the figure hiperbole of whiche figure we haue afore noted and to suche phrases of speakyng as in the veray woordes did after a manier excede the trueth because he supposed that zwynglius and others mynded to stablishe the sacramentes to bee naked vain signes wheras zwynglius neuer went about any suche matier Yea zwynglius again on the other syde feared lesce Luther would putte suche thynges as might bothe bee derogatiue preiudicial to the trueth of the humain nature in Christ aâ—d also would enclose the bodye of Christe in breade whereby supersticion myght yet stil bee more and more nourished and therefore he semed more slendrely to geue honour to this sacrameÌ„te And thus did the contencion betwene them enkâ—endle more then was behoufful and was the cause of many great euils wheras yet neuerthelesse the contencion and strife was in veray dede about wordes rather then about the thyng self We shall therefore remoue our discoursing vpon these two opinions from the said two persones For we dooe not affirme that either zwynglius or els Luther wer of suche opinions as aboue saiâ—d but we shall onely examin the said sentences and opinions suche as they are carryed about and supposed to bee These persones whiche dooe so grossely ioygne the bodye of Christe wyth the outward and material signes to the ende that they maye the better wynde out of all entangleynges are woont to beyng in for theyr purpose two similitudes or comparisons The fyrst similitude is thys If one haue a potte or a pitcher ful of wyâ—e pronounce these woordes Thys is wyne he shal make no lye at all because he â—â—eweth the â—eraâ— wyne in dede conteined in the potte And euen lykewyse shal it bee if thou take a piece of glowyng iron and shewyng foorth the fyâ—â— thou saie these woordes This is fyer there shal iÌ„ this case no thing agaiâ—st reasoÌ„ bee spokeÌ„ or ê“nouÌ„ced of thee And eueÌ„ so do these men saye that it is to bee vnderstaÌ„ded that the lorde saiethâ— This is my bodye and so dooe they manifestely admitte yeâ—â—ope or â—iguratiue manier of speakyng called Synecdothe of which also we haue dâ—clared afore For whan they shewe the thyng whyche theimselfes suppose to bee compouned that is to saye made of two sondrie partes as in thys sacrament of breade and of Christes bodye c. it is not a true proposicion or clause to saye Thys is the bodye of Christe but as touchyng the one parte of the thyng that is shewed forth in syght Yet neuerthelesse it is to bee knowen that these similitudes or comparisons are not taken of these men as though they wer of the opinion that they dooe in all pointes or all manier of wayes agree wyth the thyng that the comparison is made by for theimselfes dooe earnestely affirme and reasoÌ„ that Christe is not thâ—re present locallye that is to saye after suche sorte as thynges are commonly in places conuenient for theyr likenesse and quantitee but onely diffinitiuely that is to saye by the waye of determinacion and assignemente whyche they vnderstande than to bee so whan a thyng is encompaced wyth the measure and
godhede of Chryste is euery where Yet will we not attribute the same to hys bodye in hys humanytee And this dooeth Austen moste plainly teache in an epistle of his to one Dardanus And as touching that whyche is alleged out of the thyrde chapitur of Iohn the same Austen dooeth interprete and expoune it that it must be vnderstanded of his deuine nature that the soonne of man was in heauen Neither dooeth Chrysostome take it any other wyse whan he expoundeth thys place For he affyrmeth that to bee in heauē is not alttributed vnto the sonne of man but according to this most excellent nature of the godhed But how weake thys argumente is that these twoo natures are ioygned together ergo what so euer is graunted to the one must olso bee altributed to the other maye bee well shewed and proued by other argumentes The bodye or balle of the sunne that shyneth in the skye the lyght of the same sunne haue betwene them selues a naturall and a moste high coniunctyon and yet the same bodye of the sunne dooeth not really and verayly reache to al places that the light dothe extende it self vnto Item the bodye or substaunce of our yie and the sight of thesame are verai nere coupled and knitte together and yet for al that our sight cometh and reacheth to many thynges whyche our bodily yie doeth not extende it self vnto Thei argue furthermore that many thinges ought to be geuen graunted attributed to the body of Chryste a boue the cōmon course cōdyciōs of other bodies And that for two causes partely because it is glorified partely for that it hath the word ioygned vnto it For aunswer wherof we confesse that many thīges must be attributed confessed of it but as for this that it should be euery wher can not bee attributed vnto it wythout preiudice of the nature of a true humayn and naturall bodye And in case we shoulde graunte somuche vnto Chrystes humayn bodye it should not make fore hys dygnytee but rather quyte and clene to the derogacyon and destructyon of it For than shoulde he bee as it wer thruste oute and depriued frō his true nature Furthermore thissame coulde make but litle for our aduersaires purpose in this matier For although we should graūt that the body of Christe might haue this prerogatiue to bee in manye places at once Yet shoulde it not folow that God wil so doe in this sacrament Yet ferther they laboure and trauaile to proue this corporall presence of Christe in the Sacrament by the similitude of a teacher that readeth a lecture to an audience who in that that he maie extende his woordes to many hearers doeth also in thē cōmunicate and vtter vnto all his hearers and audience all that lyeth in his mynde to vtter vnto them so that all the sayde audience euery one of them maye fully and perfectly vnderstande the botome of his hert as well one as another In lyke manier say they doeth our lorde in the wordes that are pronounced ouer the Sacrament He dooeth as it were enwrappe his bodye in them that by the same it maye be conueyghed vnto all those signes or cakes of breade and maye so bee communicated and distributed vnto all the receyuers thereof howe manye soeuer bee of them If therefore suche a gyfte or power saye they bee geuen and graunted to a scholemaister or a preacher beyng but an yearthly and a mortall man why shall not thesame bee muche more geuen to Christe But in this comparison is a righte greate dyuersitie oddes And besides that also as we haue sayed before the woordes dooe not carye nor conueyghe thynges nor dooe not conueyghe the conceites of the mynde to the hearers but onely by the waye of signifyinge and betokenyng And where as they goe aboute afterwardes to establishe and confyrme that the bodye of Christe is in all places by the fyrste chapitur of the Epistle to the Ephesians where it is sayed that Christ is made the heade of the Churche whiche is his body the fulnesse of him that fylleth all in all thinges The Greke wordes bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. is of no force at all to this purpose For there it is not signifyed ne ment that the bodye of Christe filleth all thynges and is in all places as they doe bryng in and conclude vpon it But because the significaciō of this Greke word or participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indifferente to bee taken twoo manier of wayes for it is a verbe common as the Gramarians call it that is to say of suche nature that it may signifye eyther dooyng or sufferyng as ye lust For ye maye chose whether ye will take it and Englishe it fillyng or els beyng fylled If ye Englishe it beynge fylled than shall the sense and menyng of it bee that Christe beeyng the heade of the churche is in his membres made full and perfect in all poyntes not that he is made perfecte on his owne behalfe for he is bothe perfeicte and full enough as touchyng hymselfe but it is to be vnderstanded that he is fulfylled and made perfeyct as touchyng vs that are his bodye and his membres For as the heade is cōpared vnto Christe he called the heade euen so is the congregation called the fulnesse of Christe because it fulfylleth and maketh vp his mysticall body But if ye Englishe it fyllynge than shall the sense bee that Christe is the heade of his Chuche because he fylleth and maketh perfeicte his gyftes vertues in all his membres Neyther can the sense bee that he is in all places after his humanitee And I thynke that the same maye well be proued by the scriptures For Christe dooeth manifeste saye and graunte that Lazarus dyed while he was absente from thence That yf the aduersaries wyll contende that he hadde not at that tyme a glorifyed bodye Chris◠as touchinge his manhoode is not in euery place it maketh not muche to the matier For he had neuerthelesse the god head ioygned vnto his bodye But to putte the mattier out of all doubtes the Aungell euen after his resurrection sayed vnto the weomen he is arisen he is not here And agayne he shall goo before you into Galilee And agayn he was taken vp out of their sight whan he ascended into heauen Therfore he filleth not all thynges neither is he in al places after his humanitee Thei are woont also to allege a place out of the fourth chaptur to the Ephesians He that came downe is euen the same also that ascēded vp euen aboue all heauens to fullyll all thynges Which place for all that proueth nothyng agaynst vs and it is exponnded two manier of wayes Fyrste that to fulfyll all thynges bee referred to al those thynges which were prophecied and wryten of Christe whereof a litell before he rehearsed a scripture saying he is gon vp on high and hath led captiuitie captiue and hath geuen giftes vnto menne And
yf ye wyl referre it to places than ye must vnderstande it of certayne kyndes of places and not of euery singuler place according as this saying here folowyng is spoken the lorde will haue all men to be saued Therfore we muste saye that Christe soÌ„tyme hath occupyed the middle partes sometyme the vpper partes and sometyme the lowest partes in the sepulchre But now the transubstanciatours saie that they haue nothynge to dooe here wythall For they saye not that the bodye of Chryste is euerye where but onely he that is in al places where this sacrament is Howbeit it is agaynst theym neuerthelesse For yf it so bee as they affirme that it is not repugnant to the bodye of Chryste to bee at one tyme in the twentie or fiftie soÌ„dry places at once If Christes bodye maye bee in many places at once than it maye bee in euery place whiche also Dâ—â—us perceiued ynough than shal it not be repugnant for the same body to bee in an houndreth places or in a thousande and consequentlye in all places and so shall they make Chrystes bodye to bee infynite Neither can thei well fynde faulte with this manyer of arguynge or reasoninge as though this fourme of arguyng were not good For Hierome vseth euen the same manier of resonyng against Iohn the byshop of Hierusalem where he mindeth to proue that oure bodyes after the resurrection maie endewe without fode For sayth he Helias and Moses could by the power of God continue without meate by the space of fowertie dayes therfor maie an other man by thesame power of God bee susteyneth longer And yf he may continue longer than it foloweth that he may continue alwaies if it bee the wyll of God that he shall so dooe But leat vs returne again to our aduersaires the transubstanciatours They because they se that vpon this so nere a coniunction or couplyng together of Christe with the sacramente it foloweth that the same sacramente maye bee wurshypped For yf the lorde bether conteined really corporalli what his he that woulde not wurshyp hym they teache that we maie indiâ—ferently at our pleasures either doe it or leaue it vndoeÌ„ For saye they although he bee there in dede yet is he not there to any suche ende or purpose that he shoulde bee wurshipped If ye take and eate the Sacramente it is enoughe yf ye dooe also wurship it ye dooe not amisse But that that we putte of the Sacramentes is a thynge of more certainetee whiche is that in oure wurshippinge we maye not directe our mynde towardes the outewarde signes but yf any manne at the tyme of the ministracion of the sacramente beeyng well and rightly instructed afore of this mysterie directe his mynde to wurshippe Christe reygning in heauen he dooeth well yea he is bounde to wurshippe Christe who declareth himselfe vnto him Neither is there any Idolatry committed in so dooyng as Paule teacheth in the Epistle to the Corinthians whan he sayeth If anye man come into youre congregacion beeyng an ignoraunt vnlearned person and heareth you altogether speake with tongues vndoubtedly wil he saie these felowes are all out of their wittes neither shal he be any thyng edifyed But if he heare you prophâ—cieng and perceyue that the secretes of his herte are opened than will he fal downe on his face and worship god He wyll not in this case wurshyp the men that so prophecie or preyche but for asmuche as the lorde doth there open hym selfe vnto him he will turne hym selfe to wurshyp God But nowe to bee brief The reasoÌ„s against the second opiâ—ion that was propouned in the beginninge of this wâ—orke the reasons wherfore thys so grosse a supposicion and opinion semeth not to bee true are these here folowyng Fyrst for that this reall and corporall presence bringeth no maner of vtilytye or benifite vnto vs whiche we haue not by that other spiritual presence For in the sixt Chapiter of Iohn the lorde hath promised euerlastyng life vnto them that eate hym The first reson against the grosse opinioÌ„ of the corporal presence of Châ—ist in the sacramente and he hathe promised moreouer that he wyll abyde in them and that they shall abyde in hym And what canne we require more then thys Secondly it could not otherwise be graunted that both we and the fathers of the olde lawe had one maner of sacrameÌ„tes For they coulde not haue obteined this real and bodily presence The secoâ—d for somuche as the sonne of God had not yet taken the nature of man and fleshe vpon hym Moreouerâ— it should folowe that both the godly and the vngodly do eate the body of Christ. The thirde reason Also ouer and aboue that spirytuall eatyng whyche wee haue in the Syxte Chapiter of Iohn The fourth they brynge in an other fleshely and bodelye eatynge of Christe whiche can not bee proued whereas thys and yâ— other are but all one sauynge that in the latter there bee added outward material signes to confyrme the thyng so muche the better Also it shoulde folowe that whyle thei yeld so muche vnto the woordes and the letter The fifthe they wade in the same dificultee and hardenese that the transubstancyatours are entangled wyth all whan they saye Thys is my bodye For thei shall not bee hable so to winde out or vntangle theim selfes but that they haue condycyon and repugnaunce emonge theym selfes For they shall not be hable plainly to declare what thei dooe demonstrate and shew by those wordes nor howe the woordes bee true whan thei are in pronouncynge vnlesse thei will admitte a trope or a fyguratyue manier of speakyng Ferthermore thei dooe by this opinion scattre the bodie of Christ about to be in many places at once yea and euery where at once The reason againsâ—e the corporal pâ—esence Neyther is it to any effecte if they sayd not localli that is to saye in the waie of occupinge a roome or of filling a place For though it shoulde be there as the Aungels are said to bee in a place yet the same is not agreable for any creature as hath ben proued here afore by examples of Didimus Basilius Austen to Dardamus and of Cyrillus The seuâ—nth reason The woordes of the scrypture dooe not driue ne lede vs to suche a grosse and a corporall presence And feith commeth by the word of God wherfore feith is not bound to embrace any suche presence And besydes this the fathers dooe teache otherwyse The eighte reasoÌ„ For what manier of bodye there is in the sacramente of Eucharistia Ciprian declareth it in hys sermon of the lordes Supper whan he sayeth Cyprian who continually euen vnto this present daye dooeth create sanctyfie and blesse his bodye distributynge thesame to the godly receauers Now Christes verai owne propre bodye is not of newe created nor sanctified nor deuyded Chrisostome Chrisostome vpon the fifth chapitur of Matthew in the eleuenth homely of his work
wyth the vaylle of feyth And these thynges are of suche sorte that beeyng tasted of they bryng death vnleste thei haue takeÌ„ some sawce bee it neuer so litel of yâ— * By the first fruictes of the spirite is ment some litel taste or porcion of the spirite though it bee not yet the ful gift perfectioÌ„ of the spirite Rom. viii fyrst fruictes of the spirite * He alludeth to the historie of the potte of pottage made wyth colloquintida in the land of Gylgal swetened of â—liseus wyth puttyng mele into the potte reade .iiii. King iiii There is vtterly to me death in the potteâ— except it bee swetened with the mele of the ê“phete And within a litel after he sayeth But with how great aboundaunce soeuer these thynges growe in fatnesse yet dooe not we wyth lyke pleasauntenesse receyue the rynde of the sacramente and the fatnesse of the wheate self feyth and hope remembrance of a thyng and the presence of the same euerlastyngnesse transitorinesse the true visage a glasse the image of God the shape of aboÌ„dman for in al these thynges my feyth is ryche but my vnderstaÌ„ding is veray pore And I praie you is vnderstaÌ„ding and beleuing of egual sauourynesse seyng that beleuing is vnto merite vnderstaÌ„ding vnto rewarde Thou seest as ferre oddes to bee betwene the ê“uenders as there is betwene the places And as the heaueÌ„s are exalted in heigth froÌ„ the yearth so are yâ— inhabitours in them Here thou seest that Bernard dooeth in plain open wordes make a coÌ„trariousnesse betwene the remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of a thing the psence of the same and so betwene certain other thynges whyche dooe greatly auaille to thys matter But let vs returne to our aduersaries They haue of the fathers auncieÌ„t wrytters of the Churche whoÌ„ to laye agaynst vs that is to wete Ireneus who affirmeth the sacramente oâ— Eucharistia to coÌ„siste of two thynges the one yearthly the other heaueÌ„ly whiche self same thing Gelasius also doeth suppose But al this doeth not coÌ„clude sauing that if thou take al the whole sacrameÌ„te together make one thyng of the signe the thing signified thereby thaÌ„ dooe we grauÌ„te the same to coÌ„siste of two thynges How the sacramente is sayed to coÌ„sist of two thinges the one yearthli the other heauenly But if thou wouldest afterward putte as great as nere a coniuÌ„ctioÌ„ betwene the bread Christes bodi as there is betwene the diuine nature and the humaine nature in Christe this poincte wer in no wyse to bee grauÌ„ted For thaÌ„ there should of necessite one substauÌ„ce or subiecte bee made of the bread of Christes bodie so that they should neuer be plucked asonder or disseuered the one from the other whiche thinges wer vttrely against al reasoÌ„ Out of the rest of the fathers they obiecte for the most parte the self same thinges that the traÌ„substaÌ„ciatours cited before But now leat vs see what those ê‘sones whyche embrace the thyrd opinioÌ„ dooe saye against these men Fyrst formeste thei dooe not admitte the said scatering abroade of Christes bodie in suche sorte that it maye bee euerye where Obiections against this opinion of the coâ—poraâ— pâ—esence of Christe in the sacramente because it is a thing repugnaÌ„t to the nature of maÌ„ And AusteÌ„ to Dardanus doeth in moste plain woordes wryte to the coÌ„trarie SecoÌ„dly they wyl nedes haue yâ— the eating whyche is putte in the sixth of Ihon thys last eatyng at the lordes supper bee vtterly al one sauing that here in this later eating there bee added outward â—ignes of breade and wyne And the thyng they proue by thys argumente because Ihon for somuche as he had once afore made meÌ„cioÌ„ of the eating whiche he wryteth of dooeth not afterward in the later parte of his ghospel make any meÌ„cion of the instituting of the sacrameÌ„t as the other EuaÌ„gelistes doe For he had sufficieÌ„tely wryteÌ„ al the geare afore And the summe of the doctrine whiche the others had leaft vnspoken Ihon did supply in the said sixth chapitur Neither is there any cause saye they why any person should allege yâ— coÌ„munioÌ„ to bee therefore superfluous The vtilitees of receiuing the coÌ„munion For by often receiuing of the communion we celebrate The lordes memorial and thankes geuing and the mynde is stirred vp by the representacioÌ„ of suche thynges as are there dooen neyther bee there conteined therin domâ—e signes but speakyng signes Besides thys there is there conteined a certain token or pledge wherbye the Christianes dooe note theym selfes ioygned and knitte together emong themselfes and with Chryste besydes this they professe their feyth concernyng the bodye of Chryste nailled on the crosse and concernynge his bloud that was shed forth for our redempcion For it is not enough to beleue with the herte but confession is made wyth the mouth too and not onelye wyth the mouthe but also wyth outewarde dooinges Neither dooe these men admitte that the others saie whiche is that the wycked also dooe receiue the bodye of Christe The wicked dooe not receiue christes bodye For our senses and reason dooe not reache vnto hym therefore it remaineth that he is receiued by feith Of the whyche feith forasmuche as the said parties are destitute they can haue nothing but the outeward signes And Paule wryteth thus Whoso eateth this breade vnwoorthyly c. and sayeth not whoso eateth the bodie of Christe vnwoorthily Ferthermore thei meruaille at these men whiche folowes the coÌ„trarie opinion that they should attribut remission of synnes vnto the saied corporal or bodyly eatyng of Christe For that is too admitte a worke that is accepted for the veray weorkyng or doyng of it wheras remissioÌ„ of synnes is not had but through feyth Thei dooe afterward lene and staygh altogether vpon the speakynges of Paule whan the lorde biddeth this to bee dooen in remembraunce in hym and his death to bee shewed til he come whyche wordes seme vnto them to declare the absence of Christes bodye and not hys presence But we haue elswhere geuen aduertisemeÌ„te that thys argumente is nothyng so strong nor substancial an argumente excepte it bee vnderstaÌ„ded of the bodie of Christe really corporally and naturally present For els forasmuche as it is receiued by feith it is not vnderstanded to bee vtterly absent though hys abydynge bee in heauen as touchyng his nature and his substauÌ„ce For he is eaten spiritually is thereby in veray true dede ioygned and knitte vnto vs. They allege after this the fathers who dooe in plain and manifest woordes geue a determinate sentence and saye precisely that here is a type or countrepaine a signe a figure of Christes bodye And they bryng in for theyr purpose twoo similitudes or comparisons One is of a frende vnto whom his frende that is absent is yet neuerthelesse sayed to bee present whaÌ„ his mynde or thought renneth on hym Also they putte many lookyng glasses whiche
largenesse of a place aunswerable in all pointes to hys likenesse but yet it is sayed to bee there because the nature or the beeyng of it is for that present deputed assigned to the place or because it woorketh and hath hys operacion in that place whyche propretee dooeth nothyng at all agree wyth the wyne in a potte for there it hath hys ful place and ful roome wyth whyche it is encoumpaced Besides thys these men woul not saye that Christes bodye is so in the breade that it maye haue hys name of the qualitees or accidentes of the breade For the bodye of Christe beeyng in the cake of breade can not truely bee called whyte round or baked whyche thyng neuerthelesse we see chaunce vnto fyer that is entremiengled wyth read glowing yron For the fyer that is in hoate glowing yroÌ„ doth so folow the facion of the yron as for exaumple the lengthe the bredthe and the thyckenesse of it that it maye well be named of suche facion or shape as the yron hath Wherby it do manifestly appere these similitudes in this sentence and opinion not to bee taken of these men so as it maye be applyed to aunswere and agree in all poyntes but onely that a true and a reall coniunction of the Sacrament and of the thyng signifyed by the sacramente maye be shewed and proued whiche as soone as it is graunted it foloweth by and by that aswell the godly as the wieked sorte do receiue Christes bodye The first that is that the godly do receyue Christes bodye because they thynke this real coniunction of Christes bodye and the sacrament to bee sufficiently proued by the lordes woordes the secounde that is that the bodye of Christ is geuen to the wieked also aswell as to the godly they see to folowe necessarily But we haue now alreadye shewed the contrarie whiche is that these wordes of Christe dooe not necessarilye dryue or leade vs to anye suche seâ—se and it is proued by effectuall and pitthy reasons that the wieked dooe receyue onely the elementes that is to saye the outwarde and materyall signes as breade and wyne and nothyng els These menne are woont also thus to argue If the woordes of scripture bee taken as figuratiuelye spoken than maye it easely be brought to passe that many preceptes of the lawe maye bee subuerted and fordoen Gene. xvi For Abraham might haue sayed of circumcision whan it was commannded This is a figuratiue manier of speakyng and I shall fulfyll and satisfie this commaundement yf I circumcise my hert cutte awai the eiuel desires and vices of the fleash Also whaÌ„ the choice of meates was commauÌ„ded Leut. xi the Isralites might haue said that the execucion of that commaundemente might consiste in a morall obseruacion or keping of it as if thei did not coÌ„mitte those synnes which wer assigned and noted to be in these vnclene beastes that wer for bidden theÌ„ Whether tropes dooe empeache the commauÌ„ndementes of God and so neither circumcision nor the choice or deuersytee of meates had taken place But that this a feble reason maie herof be wel proued because that by veray the lettre self and bi the expresse wordes of the text it is euidently to be gathered that the wordes are not spoken by any trope or figure For as concernynge circumcision the eighte daye from the childes byrth was determinately and precysely appointed and there is added that the league and couenaunte of the lorde should bee carryed of them in the verai fleashe selfe by whiche woordes it is euydent that verai true circumcision in dede was commaunded And as touchynge the choice or dyfference of meates the condycions of the beastes there mencyoned aswell the clene as the vnclene are so playnly and expressely described and concernynge the transgressours of that commaundemente there is an ordre of puryfiynge them so dystinctely and plainly sette oute that there is no place leafte of doubtynge or mystakynge of it AusteÌ„s rule how to take the woordes or the letter of the holye scripture We haue also Austens rule of christen doctryne whereby he sheweth that vnlesse the woordes seme to commaunde any vndecente or wyeked thynge or els to forbid some good worke it must be taken as the lettre goeth without any trope or figure Whiche rule yf it be laied to the meates and to circuncision it shall declare that the woordes of God are to bee taken simplye and plainly as they sounde wythout any figure They allege morouer that in the prophetes and in the histories there bee tropes and figures easie and readie to bee admitted because that in them the holy ghoste fareth after the manier of menne and dooeth accomidate him selfe to the famylier mannier of speakyng that men vse to thentente he maie the more vehemently and the better expresse the thynges that are to bee spoken but in doctrines and in preceptes or rules it maie not so bee For there say they must all thynges bee taken simply and plainly as the wordes souÌ„d without any ferther addicion or circumstaunce But this sentence of theirs is not firme and sure no nor yet vniuersall For as touchynge preceptes and lessons geuynge the lord sayeth Take hede and beware of the leauen of the pharisees c. where he dooeth moste manifestlye vse a trope and a fygure of speakynge yea and suche an one that the Apostles selfes were there ouerseene in takynge and vnderstanding of it He coÌ„maunded moreouer in the seuenteenth chapytur of Mathewe they should beware of false Prophetes for sayed he they shall come vnto you in shepes clothing but iÌ„wardly they are rauenynge woulfes c. In whiche precepte who perceyueth not a plain fyguratyue speche And in geuynge of doctrynes also and in structions there is no doubte but that tropes and fygures are vsed Paule sayeth in the newe testamente The stone was Chryste We are one breade and of God it is wryten that he is a burnyge fyer whether the bodye of Christe bee eueâ—y wher or not After thys they contende that the bodye of Christ may be in all places that by the woordes of Christ to Necodeme in the thyrde chapitur of Iohn where it is sayed No man ascendeth vp into heaueÌ„ but he that came downe frome heauen that is to saye the Sonne of man which is in heauen Be holde say they the sonne of man that is to saye Chryste euen in hys humanite talked wyth theym and yet was in heauen too For hys humayn nature cannot bee seperated frome the deuyne nature of hys godhed therefore whaâ—soeuer is affirmed of the one muste in lyke manyer bee veryfied of the other But thys is our aunswer that we goo not a bout in any wyse to deuide these twoo natures the one from the other but yet it foloweth not that what soeuer is verified and truelye saied of the one oughte also to bee attributed to the other Thys wyll we graunte wyth a good will that the diuyne nature