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
to saye after the maner of bodyes hauing their â—ull quantitee of bignesse and stature And this must nedes be a woonderous matier howe thei can holde and mainteine that a bodye it is and a body hauing a quantitee and bygnesse and that it is veraily and really there presente and yet not after the manier of bodies hauing quantitee And forasmuche as thei putte and holde it as a doctrine that Christes bodye is there veraily and really present and corporally presente and carnally presente as their teâ—mes be but not presâ—nt locally that is to saie occupiing suche ful roome and place as other bodies of quantitee do what is he that can not perceiue and vnderstand that all those gloses are thinges imagined inuented onely for to bee euasions and stertynge holes from good argumentes and reasons that are to the contratie Thei make an obieccion An obieccioÌ„ of the aduersaâ—iâ—s that this is not a thyng so vnpossible For yâ— humaine mortal body of s. Ambrose A miracle of S. Ambrose bodye â—â— god doeth create in the bealies of the eaters and drinkers of those holy cakes either fleagme or some other natural humour suche as maie be turned into bloud wherewith the parties maie bee fed and nourished in their bodyes The fifteÌ„th argumente If it should so chaunce that this Sacramente should be burned as in the time whan Hesichius liued Hesychius it was as himself writynge commentaries vpon the third booke of Moses called Leuiticus witnesseth and the selfe same thing hath Origenes also writing vpon the same booke Origenes than will theâ—e vndoubtedly some ashes beâ— left of the burnyng of it and so should a certain substaunce be produced and made of accidentes whiche haue no substaunce theimselfes The sexteÌ„th argâ—mente It maie also chauÌ„ce that wormes or some kind of vermin maie be egendred of this consecrated bread and thaÌ„ also thei will saie that suche substaunce was proâ—uâ—ed or brought forth and made of accidentes How beit some of theÌ„ as thei be bold and aduentâ—rous dooe feigne and deuise that the former substaunce of bread which was therin before the consecracion doeth in suche caâ—eâ— returne again by miracle and so maie the saied vermyn saie thei happen to come of it But if it belefull in this sort to multiply to feigne miracles thaÌ„ euery man that lusteth maie easily become a profunde clerke in scripture For he will haue a miracle in store for â—uery strong argument that shall be made against hym so that he will haue an euasion stertyng hole from al suche reasâ—ns as sâ—all bee brought against hym The .xvii. argumente Besides this thei are not oâ—ely busie with miracles but also thâ—i dele with captious and deceiptâ—ful subtilties of sophistrie as namely Duns Duns beeyng driuen to a narowe streight to aunswere concerning the pronouncyng of those wordes This is my body to tell what thyng it is that is mente and limited or specified by this worde this wherunto this word this is in that saying referred or what it dooeth importe at last after muche a dooe he aunswereth The wordes of DuÌ„s are these Aliquod siÌ„gulare iÌ„diuiduum generalâ— oris substantiae quod cum praedicaro idem râ—ferr aut pro eodem vt loquuntur supponit neq differunt inter se quae significantur per subiectâ—Ì„ praedicatuÌ„ nisiper varâ— as concipiendi rationes that it is a particular thing or porcion of a substaunce that coÌ„teineth in it a certain generalitie of a good large exteÌ„t and that the thyng that is imported by this woorde this is the verai same thyng in effect and in menyng that foloweth after so that the thing signified imported and limited by this woord this and these wordes my bodye are saieth Duns all one thyng and haue no manier of difference betwene them sauyng that the woordes are placed the one before the other and so in that behalfe are soondrily conceiued in our reason c. But see I praie you into what thynges howe ferre thei ieoperde and yet for all that thei can not so escape For they haue not tolde yet what is limited and imported by the word this when it is saied This is my body Fisher late Bishop of Rochester wrote that in this and suche lyke proposicions or sentences whan one thyng is turned and chaunged into another thyng it is not vnconuenâ—ente or any thyng agaynst reason Fisher Bisshop of Rochester that by the woorde this there bee limited signifyed and imported the thyng that it was before the chaunge And after that sorte he admitteth this clause This is my bodye that by the woorde this there is signified and imported the breade that it was before the consecracion and that thesame bread is chaunged into Christes body whyle the residue of the woordes that is to wete is my body are in pronouncing But â—han saie I agayn that the proposicioÌ„ or sentence this is my body is not sette foorth in his due fourme that it ought to be For in that case it ought to haue ben sayed â—his is made my body or this is chaunged into my body For els it is not saie I a right nor an apt manier of speakyng to saie this is my body seeyng that by their owne confession and grauntyng it is not his bodye vntyll the residâ—e of the woordes bee all spoken and perfeictlye pronounced euen to the last syllable Some men holde that Christes bodye is reallye ioyned with the signes and the materiall stuffe of the Sacramente The .xviii. arâ—umenâ—eâ— agaâ—â—â—â— traÌ„subsâ—anciacion that is to wete with the substaunces of bread and wyne remayning still in the Sacramente And that sorte of men dooe thus argue againste transubstanciacion â— What excellencie saye thei or priuilege hath the accidentes of breade that is to saye the whitenesse the roundenesse or the taste c. that thei can bee ioyned with Christes dodye and the substaunce and nature of breade maie not so Or what dignitee and priuilege haue the accidentes of the bread which same priuelege maie not or ought notâ— euen aswell be attributed and graunted to the substaunce and nature of the breadeâ— And if it so be that the accidentes maie remaine still why than maie not also the substaunce of bread remaine aswell Yea many of the olde fathers and writers dooe suppose that the breade dooeth remaine in dede yea and they dooe thereof take a similitude to shewe that bothe the natures that is to were the nature of man and the nature of god dooe verailye truely remaine in Christe and so remaine that the one passeth not into the other The myndes and verdites of whiche aunciente wryters wâ— shall here â—nsuynge bring in as shall apperteine â—che in their due places Thei fal also into another inconuenience The. xix argumeâ—te what thing it is that is broken iÌ„ the Sacrament in which is neither rime nor reason as the prouerâ—e saith For whan they
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
the heauenly thynges are visible But the thynges selues that are inuisible to be honoured in them The same Austen in the fifthe Chapitur of the tenth booke de ciuitaâ—e dei sayeth thus therfore the visyble sacrifice is a sacrament that is to say an holy signe or token of a sacrifice inuisible Hierome in the fowerth booke vpon Matthew and the sixth and twentieth chapitur wryteth in this wise To the entente that as in the prefiguracion of hym Melchisedech the priest and ministerie of the moste high God did whan he offred vp bread and wyne so Christ himself should represente the veritee and trueth of his body and bloud Bartram Bartram also wryteth in this manner by laying applying the testimonies of the holy scriptures and the sayinges of the fathers together it is most euidentlye proued and declared that the breade whiche is called the bodye of Christe and the cuppe whiche is called the bloud of Christe is a figure because it is a mysterie hath a further thyng hyd vnder it Tertulliaâ— And Tertullian agaynste the heretique Marcion in his fowerth booke the breade which he had taken in handes had distributed to his disciples he made it his bodye saying This is my body that is to saye a figure of my body Cypâ—ian Cyprian in his secound booke and third epistle we see in the water the pâ—ople to bee vnderstanded and in the wyne the bloud of Christ to bee vndâ—rstanded Ambrose in his booke whiche he made and entitled de his qui initiantur misterâ—is that is to â—aye of them that are entred to the ordre of the holy mysteries saieth in this manier Ambrose before the blissyng with the holy wordes another kynd is named but after the consecracion the body of Christ is signified The same Ambrose in the fifthe Chapitur of his fowerth booke entiled de sacramentis that is to saye of the Sacramentes Make and doe vnto vs that this our oblation maye bee reasonablye and acceptablye which is the figure of the body and bloud of our lorde Iesus Christe And the same Ambrose agayne vpon the eleuenth Chapitur of the former epistle of Paule to the Corinthians Wee beynge mindeful hereof in â—ating and drynkynge signifie the fleashe and bloude of Christe whiche were offered vp for vs and wythin a fâ—we lynes againe In the fourme and signe of whom wee receyue the misticall cuppe of hys bloud to the safegarde and defence of our soules Barnarde in hys Sermon whyche he made vpon the Lordes supper Barnarde speaketh in thys wyse Into hym herefore the Lorde drawynge nere vnto hys passion vouchsafed of his grace and fauour to clothe and couer hys disciples to the ende that his inuisible grace might be geuen and deliuered by some visible signe Chrisostome in the fyrste epistle to the Corinthians and the tenth chapitur Chrisostom For what do I call the coÌ„munion that we are all but one veray bodye What doth the breade signifieâ— the bodye of Christe What become they or what are they made that receyue itâ— the bodye of Christe Basilius in hys boke entitled Liturgia Basilius calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the sample or paterne or couÌ„terpaine of a thynge thys doth he cal it after the consecration And Austen in the thyrde booke Detrinitate and the fourth chapitur Austen The Apostle sayth he might by signifiynge haue preached and sette forthe the Lord Iesus Christe dyuerse and sondrye waies as one way by hys tonge and wordes or otherwise by hys epistles and writinges or els another waye by the Sacramente of hys bodye and bloude The same Austen in the boke that he writeth agaynste Adimanus hathe these wordes The Lord doubted not to say This is my body whan he gaue but the sygne of hys bodye And likewyse the same Austen vppon the thyrd psalme He admitted Iudas to hys mauÌ„dye in the which he gaue coÌ„mauÌ„ded vnto his disciples a figure of his body The same maÌ„ against Maximinus in the .iii. boke .xxii. chap. sayeth thus In the sacramentes it is diligentelye considered and regarded not that they were but what they shâ—we and signifie For the sacramentes are signes of thynges and are in veraye dede one thynge and yet signifie an other thyng By these places thou perceiuest seest yâ— the fathers and auÌ„cient wryters do not abhorre to put a signification of the body of Christ in this sacrameÌ„t but do playnly put that there is a significatioÌ„ of Christes body in the sacrameÌ„t Ferthermore we haue alredi shewed out of the holy scriptures The solutioÌ„ and confutation of the fourth reason that was first recited for traÌ„substaÌ„tiatioÌ„ that there are many suche maners of speakinge as to saye that thys or that thinge is suche a thyng or such a thing whaÌ„ the menyng is that this or yâ— thing signifieth such a thing or such a thiÌ„g Wher fore thys argument is playn blanke is brought to nought Therefore whaÌ„ they obiect yâ— Christ dyd not say that it did eyther signifie or represent hys body we make answere that yet neuertheles euen out of the scriptures it may so be taken that haue we proued lately inough before Neither do we as they thynke reason or argue after thys maner sort Thyskind maner of speking is so takeÌ„ in other places therfore it ought so to be taken here But we only make answere to theÌ„ who when they should proue their transubstanciatioÌ„ they brynge for their purpose thys texte Thys is my body which is the verie place that all the doubt and controuersie is of and of whose sence mening al the doubt is They obiecte agaynst vs the naked and symple texte and grate still therupon where as by other plaâ—â—s of the scriptures it is manifeste that their reason is nothynge firme nor substantial for so much as thys kinde of speakinge is oftentimes to be taken otherwise in the scriptures Many moo and other reasons we haue to proue our seÌ„tence and opinion of the sacramentes neyther dooe we brynge thys for anye of our argumentes but we do by thys reâ—son onely answere vnto them whan they laye such a phrase of speaking in our lappes and we â—aie that very often it doth signifie otherwise therefore we say that it is but a weake a feble coÌ„clusion or argumeÌ„t that they make by that reasoÌ„ The coÌ„futacioÌ„ of the sixte reason that was made for trâ—subsâ—anciation in the beginning of this worcke The reason afterward coÌ„cerning worshypping of it that if there were breade lefte remayning in the sacrameÌ„t theÌ„ the same bread should be worshiped in yâ— sacrameÌ„t But I wonder muche howe they be come thus so dainely so reuerent obseruers of the true worshyppinge seynge that in other matters both wood and pictures and images be worshipped among theÌ„ and prayed vnto But peraduenture they will saye they worship not the stockes or pictures but the thinges
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
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
the councell And the same Cyrillus hath many thynges concernyng this matier And emong all other thinges he chiefly affirmeth that we beyng made partakers of the holy bodye and of the precious bloud of Christe dooe not nowe receiue common fleashe nor the fleashe as it wer of a sanctified man but fleashe that dooeth veraily sanctifie and make holy and that is nowe become the verai propre fleashe of the verai soonne selfe Thei allege morouer the councell of Vercels holden vnder Leo Bishop of Rome the nynth of that name The councel of Uercels where the Archedeacon Berengarius was condemned of whose recantacion it is also mencioned in the decrees in the title de consecratione that is of consecracion in the second distinccion and in the fowerth of the sentences Besides this thei bring in for theÌ„ the Romain councel Lateranense The couÌ„cell laâ—eraneâ—se holden vnder Innocentius Bishoppe of Rome the third of yâ— name who maketh plaine meÌ„tion of traÌ„substaÌ„ciacioÌ„ in the Decretalles in the title de Trinitate in the chapitur that begynneth thus Firmiter c. and also in the title de celebratione Missarum that is of the celebracioÌ„ of Masses in the chapitur thus beginning Cum Martha c. The councell also holden at Constance The couÌ„cell of ConstaÌ„ce wher Wiâ—â—lief was coÌ„demned because he denyed this transubstanciacion Thei cite in lyke manier for theyr parte as theâ— affirme the consente of the whole churche wherwith Duns was so throughely moued and persuaded in the fowerth of the sentences Duâ—s that a though transubstancion could not by any scriptures or argumentes bee firmely and euidently proued yet he gaue ouer and graunted it because he would not bee against the consent of the churche And hereto they frame a wonderous great and large argumente gathered of the almightifull power of God for that he is able to dooe muche greater and higher thingâ—s then this Thei bring in also many soondry miracles that haue at times ben shewed for testimonie of this truth as for exampâ—e that this Sacramâ—nte in the handes of Gregorie bishop of Rome did at his prayers turne into a fyngâ—r of fleashe and that there hath at sometymes in this Sacrament appered a litel preatiechild and aâ—so that this Sacramente beeyng for the nonce pricked with sharpe thinges hath at tymes dropped bloud Thei ferther talke many thinges of Christes bodâ— glorified which body the Apostle Paulâ— in this his former Epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s calleth a spirituall bodye wherby thei would fain shewe and declare that Christe might verai well do suche a thyng as to deliuer vnto vs his bobye couered and as it wer hidden with sensible accidentes Thei yet ferther allege and brynge in for their purpose that it is not put in the greke simply and onely This is my bodye but this article the is put thereto so that it is sayed in Greke not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alone but thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if ye should saie in Englishe the bodye of me And the Grekes dooe euer coÌ„monly vse to adde suche articles whan they will properly and effectually signifie or expresse the thyng that thei speake of whiche phrase of speakyng by articles the Latin men haue not but our Englishe toung and the moste parte of other toungues haue them Thei go yet ferther and allege that Christ made promise vnto his Apostles saying I Wil be with you vntill the ende or consummacion of the worlde Whiche wordes saye thei are not to bee referred to his godhead onelye for the Apostles theimselfes knewe that point well enough and doubted nothyng of it but because thei wer sad and heauie for his bodily departure therefore he comforteth theÌ„ saying that he will bee present with them afterwarde euen in his body too Besides the premisses in case transubstanciacion should bee taken awaye and breade there remayne than forasmuche as the sayde breade cannot bee the bodye of Christe there should bee leaft onely a significacioÌ„ and in this case the Sacramentes of the newe law should not haue in them anye thynge that were not to bee founde in the Sacramentes of the olde Lawe For the olde Sacramentes did conteyne a significacion of Christe too Yea and if a man haue respect to the outewarde lykenesse or semblaunce the sayd olde Sacramentes wente muche more nerer to the liuelye signifying or fyguryng of Christe then dooeth breade and wyne For their brute beastes were kylled and the bloud of thesame wasâ—hed foorth whereas in bread and wine there dooeth no manier suche thing happen And forasmuche as Christe promised in Peter that the feith of the Churche should not faile and forasmuche as the said Churche is the moste derely beloued spouse of Christe it semeth to them a wonderous case howe he hath of so longe continuaunce leafte the Churche in this Idolatrie and hath not in so longe whyle reueled and shewed the trueth of the matier agaynst so great an abusion Thei argue fâ—rthermore in this manier If the substaunces of breade and wyne beeyng conserued still remainyng the trueth of the thynges can not bee there present as it is afore concluded than shall there bee nothyng more found ne had in the Sacrament theÌ„ in other common meates and repastes For in them al so the feithfull shall well vnderstande the significacion of breade and wyne And thus the dignitie of the Sacramentes perishe and come to nothyng Finally thei allege that the worde of God ought to haue his ful strength and power inuiolably conserued kept whiche if it bee taken away than doeth not transubstanciacion remaine Ambrose in his treactise of the sacramentes Ambâ—ose affirmeth the woord of God to bee a woord of suche operacion and weorkyng that the bread and wyne both remayne still thesame that they bee and yet bee chaunged into another thyng Which wordes one Algerius a writer of late time enterpreteth and expouneth in the seuenth chapitur of the first booke of his weorke that he wrote of this sacramente saying that the bread the wyne remaine stil as touching their accidentes and are chaunged into an other thyng or into a bettâ—r thyng as touchyng their substaunce But now it behoueth vs to see by what argumentes and reasons on the contrarie parte Reasons agaynst traâ—subsâ—anciacion this sentence is clerely defeacted and vtterly made void Firste and formoste the holye scripture purporteth that here is breade The fyrst aâ—gumente Ergo it is not true that the substaunce therof is chaunged into another thyng The Euangelistes auouche and affirme that Christe toke breade and brake it Paul doeth â—iue sâ—ndâ—â—e times cal it bâ—ead and gaue it to his disciplesâ— and Paule dooeth fiue soondrie tymes make expressemencioÌ„ of it callyng it euery where by the name of breade First he saieth i. Corin. x. Is not the breade whiche we breake a Communion or participacion of Christes body And in thesame place All we are one breade and one body which
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
as Austen recordeth he thoughte it not enoughe that thei had spirituall meate and drinke but he also added cundem that is to saye the veray same And agayne because thou shouldest not doubte but that Paule meÌ„te that theyr sacrameÌ„tes and ours are al one he expressed baptisme by name whiche baptisme he sayeth the fathers atteigned and had in the sea and in the cloude Wherof it is euident that the saied fathers of the olde lawe had theyr sacramentes not onely emonge themselues but also that thei had the veraye same that we haue We see also that other sayinges of the scripture beeyng veraye nere and muche lyke vnto this saying that we traicte of are euen of these our aduersaries taken as woordes figurately spoken For it is thus expressed The breade whiche we breake is the Communion or partakynge of Christes bodye And this cuppe is the newe testamente c. which woordes we haue now somwhat often rehearsed Besides all this it dooeth not properly agree nor accorde to the bodye of Christ for to bee eaten And of the premisses it is open at ful and manifest what ought to bee sayed to the secound argumeÌ„t or reasoÌ„ of the transubstanciatours in whiche thei obiected against vs that a sentence or clause in scripture ought not to be taken after any trope or figure except there were some thyng conteyned either afore or comyng after in the same sentence whiche did aduise and iustly moue vs that it wer so to bee dooen And thei went ferther with vs also allegynge that wher Christ saieth this is my body that shal be geuen vp for you we did take the latter part of this sentence in the bare and propre sence of the wordes wtout any chaunge or alteracion which thyng is manifestlye false for so muche as we there chauÌ„ge the tymes and do not admitte or take it to be the same bodye whiche was betrayed and geuen vppe to death for vs. For that bodye was not alonelye visible but also passible Neyther can there be in one and the same substaunce or subiecte at one and the same tyme the properties and qualities of a bodye corruptible together with the gyftes and properties of a bodye glorifyed so that one and thesame body at one instauÌ„t tyme should bee bothe passible and not passible And besydes this we haue nowe alreadye showed what other places caused vs to admitte the figures afore spoken of and declared that is to wete Synecdoche and Metonimia where the thynge instituted is takeÌ„ for the auctoure that is to saye for hym that dyd institute it Nowe will we make aunswere to the argumeÌ„t which is the thyrde ceason alleged in the beginnyng of this booke for the establishyng of transubstanciacion An answer to the third argumente that was made for transubstaÌ„ciacion and the argumente is concernyng thynges of dyuerse and contrary natures whiche are called of the Logicians in the schoole terme disparata as is afore sayed whiche are so vnlyke saye they and so disseuered one from another that the one of them can not be sayed nor verifyed of the other Whereunto we aunswere that suche thynges as of themselues are in suche sorte dyuerse vnlyke and disseuered or contrary of nature and kinde the one to the other yet yf they bee well ioigned together wel applyed and proporcioned the one to the other for the better signifying and expressinge of a thynge they maye nowe in suche case bee so ioygned together that they will make a good proposicion and a perfecte sentence Whiche thing we see to haue been dooen not onely of Christe where he sayeth The seed is the worde of God in another place I am a vine tre but also of Paule where he saieth that we all are one breade in another place the breade whiche we breake is the partakyng and coÌ„munion of the body of Christ and agayn this cup is the new testameÌ„t in my blud Nor we do not muche passe on that that some saie that Mathew Mark did in plain expresse wordes say this is my bloud of the new testameÌ„t c. for we deny not but yâ— these Euangelistes did so write but in the meane tyme we stifly hold saye that the wordes which Luke and Paule haue writen are to bee receaued and allowed too aswell as the others And those woordes of Luke and Paule we affirme as we haue saied of the other sentences that thei are made of wordes so ferre disagreyng and disseuered in theyr natures that they maye after the sayd schoole terme of the LogiciaÌ„s be but wel called disparata but yet in the way of signifying and for the better expressing of the mattier that is ment and entended by theim they bee veraye aptly ioygned and knitte together and do veraye well accorde In another argument it was sayed that when Christe spake these wordes An answere to yâ— fourth argumente that was alleged for transubstanciacion This is my body he sayed not this signifieth or represeÌ„teth my body this bread is a figur or signe of my body c. To this we answer lay again for vs that likewise Christ neuer sayed that his body laye lurkyng and hidden vnder those accidentes without a subiecte as the transubstanciacioners doe imagyn nor Christ did neuer saye that the substance and matier of the bread dooeth cease to bee there in the sacrament or that it was chaunged and turned by any kinde of transubstanciation into the substaunce of his body and theÌ„ ferther I do muche meruaile how men can obiecte those thynges in this wyse against vs seyng that these exposicions that it be taken in that sence are moste playnelye conteyned and expressed in the fathers and auncient writers of the churche For they haue veray often in their bookes and writynges these mannier of speakynges the body and bloud of Christ to be represented to be signifyed to bee poynted to bee betokeneded and to bee shewed And the signes of breade and wyne they doe calle by these termes the seale the figure the pype or paterne and the counterpaine of the true and veray thyng it selfe Neither is ther any cause why any man maye cauill and obiecte that the fathers did referre and applye in these signes or figures to the death of Christe and â—ot to the body of Christe For the fathers dooe moste playnlye in theyr bookes wryte and saye that the bodye and bloude of Christe is signifyed betokened in the sacramente And that we haue the signes and figures geuen vs of the verai bodye and bloude of Christe For the ferther proufe whereof and that thou maieste well knowe it to bee true we shall of dyuers and sundrye places of theyr wrytynge treacte and bryng in a fewe here ensuyng Austine in his traâ—ctyse whiche he made of catechysynge and enstructinge the rude and ignoraunte Austeâ— sayeth As touchyng the sacrament that he hath receyued saieth Austen he must be enstructed and taught that the seales and signes of
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
and reuerentlye bowe theyr knee whan they heare those wordes of the ghospell et verâ—um caro factum est that it is to saye And that word became fleashe c. And yet is it not to bee sayed of them that they wurship the veray wordes but the thynges that is sygnyfyed by the woordes Whyche same selfe thynge what stop or lette is there but that it may bee dooen in thys matyer of the sacramente so that the outewarde sygnes bee noâ— wurshypped but the thynge that is sygnyfyed by the sygnes But in these present dayes peraduenture outewarde wurshyppynge is not expedyent to bee vsed for the foresayde cause vnlesse often mention shoulde bee made of suche matyers in the sermons to the people And yet leat not any man take occasion of these my woordes to saye or thinke that it is lawfull to worshyp Images or pictures because that god and Christe dooe seme some times in them to declare him selfe effectually vnto vs. For we haue plain wordes of scripture that we shal not make vnto vs any Images to worshyp them But as touchynge the wordes of holy scrypture and as touchyng the sacramentes here is nothyng to the contrarye but that in hearynge or receyuyng them we maye worship them because they bee thynges instituted and ordeyned by the woord the wyll and the commaundemente of god too the entente that we might therby bee prouoked to the due seruynge of good whiche seruynge of god consisteth much in adoracion and humble wurshipping of hym Neyther can ye also of thys matyer or of any my wordes gather that any parte that remayneth after the receyuynge of the sacramente should be wurshiped For what so euer strength the outewarde sygnes in the sacramentes haue they haue it of the holy ghoste of the lordes woordes and of hys institucyon and ordinaunce Whyche thynges dooe no longer remain then whyle the vse and receyuynge of the sacramente dooeth continue And the promisse of God is applied to thys sacramente whiles we eate and drink the sacramente Wherfore that opinion and doctrine of reseruing the sacrament was not Catholike nor vniuersalli vsed or receyueth in the ChristyaÌ„ coÌ„gregacioÌ„s For in the time of Hesythius as hym self testifieth wrytyng vpoÌ„ the booke of Moses that is entitled leuiticus that that was least of the sacrameÌ„t was burnt which selfsame thing thou haste also in Orygyen vpon the same booke entitled Leuiticus though it bee but al one booke a scribed to know men And clement bysshop of Rome did ordein or make that the leauynges of this sacrament should be eaten of the clerkes as it plainelye appereth in his decree which is writteÌ„ in the title de consecratione that is of consecration and in the second distinction We doe not denie but that the leauinges of the sacrameÌ„t wer soÌ„etimes reserued kept but it was doen wtout any wurshipping of it without any supersticious pointes of reuerence The leauynges of this sacramente wer deliuered to children and to women to bee caryed to sicke folk as it is plain in the historie of Eusebius in Hierome one of the doctours of the Churche And I wolde suÌ„what stagger to saye the receyuinge of suche leauinges beyng doen privatly out of the holy compaignie with out the ordier and manier of receyuing the communioÌ„ instituted of Christe was a right a full and a perfect receiuing of the coÌ„munion or of the sacrameÌ„t which receiuing of the sacrament emoÌ„g the sicke folkes I could yet neuerthelesse grauÌ„t vnto so that thesame do repeate yâ— holy wordes of Christ so yâ— some honest ChristiaÌ„s doe there emoÌ„g theÌ„selues put in vse the ordinance of Christ in this behalf For except mo persons theÌ„ one alone do receiue the coÌ„munion together the due ordre course of receyuing this sacrameÌ„t is not obserued kept Christes wordes wer to me theÌ„ one in this sort Accipe edite et biâ—ite that is to say take ye eate ye drinke ye There is breade broken into sondrye pieces whiche thinge meneth that it should be dealed about and disstributed to mo then one And thei speake many thinges in theyr canon of the olde Masse whiche vnlesse a nomber dooe receyue it together are sterke false and veray lyes And besides this it is called of learned men Coena a supper Communio a communioÌ„ and sinaxis a gathering or coÌ„ming together which names do nothiÌ„g agre with a priuate accioÌ„ or doyng of one persoÌ„ alone by himselfe Neither do we in any place reade in olde writers of any priuate masses where one alone might receiue the sacrament without the companie of others Honorius byshop of Rome was the fyrst that made a decree that the sacrament of Eucharistia should be reserued kepte and decreed ferther that honour and reuerence should bee dooen to it Honorius bishoppe of Rome Whan it was caryed abrode any whither That if this thyng had been dooen of others before his dayes It had not beloÌ„ged vnto hym to make a decree of any suche thyng And to speake in a briefe summe we affirme hold as we haue before saide that this Sacramente hath not his ful strengthe vertâ—e efficacie but whiles it is in doyng in executing whiles it is in receiuing which thing thou seest also to be doen in al the other SacrameÌ„tes Hilarius is brought against vs Hilarius auÌ„swered vnto but he had veray great controuersies and disputacions with the Arrians against whoÌ„ he wryteth Whiche Arrians thought that the father and the soonne wer none other wise knitte or ioyned together but by a concord and agrement of wyll and by suche vnitie of minde that whatsoeuer the father would the soÌ„ne wolde thesame Agaynst these Arrians Hilarius thus sayth I demaund of you this questioÌ„ whether the coÌ„ioynyng vnitie that is betwene vs Christe bee of the propretee of nature or els of the coÌ„corde and vnitie of mynde and wyll For the Arrians woulde for their purpose haue caught holde on that that place in whiche Christe prayed that we mighte be made one with hym as he and his father bee one betwene themselues The text or sentence is in the seuenth chapitur of Iohns ghospel whece it is sayd Neuerthelesse I pray not for them alone but for theÌ„ also which shal beleue on theÌ„ through theyr preachinge that they all maye bee one as thou father arte in me and I in thee that they also maye be one in vs that the worlde maye beleue that thou haste sente me c. The Heretiques did putte this glose to it that we and Christe wer none otherwyse ioygned and knitte together but by consente and vnitie of wille and ther of they gatheredde and concludedde that ther was in like mannier none other couplynge and knittinge together of the sonne of god with the father but only thissame knittynge together and vnion of mynde and wyll It was Hilarius parte therefore to decclare that we are knitte and made one with Christe naturallye that
saieth that the bread is not a signe of Christes body this he sayeth vpon Mathewes Ghospell which thyng is well spoken if he mene that yâ— bread is not an emptye figure or a vain figure void of al streÌ„gth efficacy Neither do we saie that the bred is suche a signe or figure And we do nothiÌ„g doubt but yâ— this was his interpretacioÌ„ mening in dede for because that vpoÌ„ Markes gospel he saith that the bread is not a figure not onely For els if he shoulde vtterly denye that the bread is a signe or a figure of Christes bodi he should be contrary to the rest of the fathers and olde writers whom we haue alredy plainly declared to graunte and putte bothe a sygne and a fygure to bee heere in this sacramente He saieth also that the bread is transformed conuerted and chaunged from the elemente and matier that it was afore into an other Whiche maniers of speaking if he vnderstande and mene Sacramentally we dooe not abhorre from them For the breade and wyne become sacramentes they passe bee chaunged into elementes that is to saye matyers of heauenly thynges and they putte on as it were a newe garmente and shape to bee nowe the sygnes and tokens of an higher matier But saye they thys Theophylactus wryteth that the fleashe and the bloude for thys cause bee not seen leste oure stomackes shoulde stande agaynste the receyuynge of it But if thou what soeuer thou bee wilt so eagrely and so sore bynde vpon these woordes we for oure parte laye agaynst the agayne the wordes that the same Theophylactus wryteth vpon Markes ghospell whyche are that the kyndes or symylitudes of breade and wyne bee turned into the vertue or strength of the lordes bodye and bloud That if thou wilt allege that the sayd Theophylactus dooeth in all other places not saye into the vertue c. But into Christes boddye and bloud The kindes and similitudes of breade and wine coÌ„uerted into the vertue of Christes body bloude we aunswere that the interpretacion of these wordes is that these sygnes take vnto them the vertue of the thynges whyche they signyfye by reason of the whyche vertue the sacramentes bee of no lesse effecte then if the vâ—raithyng self wer there present And as I haue sayed the yrkesomnes and abhorrynge of it is taken away yf we putte that the chaunge is made not into the thinge but in to the vertue of the thing Hys other sentence semeth to bee somewhat more violeÌ„te and of some more force vehemencyeâ— whych he wroote vpon the sixth chapytur of Ihons ghospell where he thus sayeth As the breade that Chryste did eate whyles he lyued here in yearthe was chaunged into his fleashe by a naturall transubstanciation or chaungeyng after the common rate of foode and nourishement in mannes bodye so is this breade chaunged into Christes body here in the Sacramente Yet this similitude and comparison we graunte also to bee true yf it bee generally taken For in this sacrament also we dooe not denye but there is a chaunge Sacramentall that is to saye suche as in a Sacrament is required That if thou saye thou wylte nedes take this similitude euen plainly as it is made and as it souneth whiche is that the breade bee as verayly chaunged in the Sacramente of Eucharistia as breade was turned into Christes fleshe at suche tymes as he eate it whiles he here lyued than wyll there folowe an inconuenience cleane contrary to thyne owne sentence and determination For it wyll folowe that the accidentes of the signes cannot remayne or be reserued still in the Sacramente of Eucharistia For in thee foode and sustenaunce that Christe tooke frome time to tyme whiles he liued the acâ—identes did not remayne Besydes the premisses I wyll here allege for our purpose the woordes of the same selfe expositour vpon the sixth chapitur of Iohns gospell vpon these woordes he that eateth my fleashe and drynketh my bloude abideth in me and I in hym c. Upon whiche woordes Theophylactus expounyng them in the persone of Christ saith that this thyng is dooen whiles the partie is quodammodo that is to saye in a manier mingled and ioygned vnto me and is chaunged ouer into me Where thou seest agayne that Theophilactus holdeth as the reste of the fathers and wryters dooe holde that there is so great a chaungeyng of vs into Christe that he wryteth vs to bee chaunged ouer and dooe passe into Christe And thus muche I saye at this present for aunswere of that that was broughte in and allegedde agaynste vs out of Theophylactus Of the later wryters they bryng Anselmus and Hugo Anselmus and Hugo aunswered vnto and Rycharde whiche were in the tyme of Uictor But foraâ—muche as in the tyme of these menne the doctrine of transubstanciacion was now already perforce thrust into the lappe of the churche and the people compelled to receyue it the sayde wryters in suche woorkes as they made didde accordyng to the tyme so that the newe inuencion of suche ougâ—te not to haue place to the preiudice of the mooste aunciente opynyon of the churche and of the determinacion of the olde auncient fathers Iohn Damascene auÌ„swered vnto But one maÌ„ emong all others they seme to haue most highe in price and this is Iohn Damascene who in the fourthe booke and fowerteenthe chapitur of his worke of the right feith Hath verai largely wryteÌ„ of this matier But I fynd that this Damascene liueth vnder the Greke Emperour Leo Isanricus so that betwene the tyme of Gregorius Magnus bishop of Rome and thissame Ihon Damascene it was a full nye hundred and twentie yeares space at the leaste The time of Damascene whan he liâ—ed And wheras now alreadye in the tyme of Gregorie many poinctes of supersticion and manye thynges of maÌ„nes inuencioÌ„ wer come by heapes into the Churche the matier did euery daye from that tyme forward renue still headlong to wurse wurse By reason wherof it is no meruaile at al if this Damascene stumbled vpon many pointes that wer both vntru and also ful of supersticion The iugemeÌ„t of Damascene in diuerse Articles of docâ—trine And as for his iudgement how good and how great it was as well in arcticles and pointes of doctrine as also in expounyng of the holy scriptures we haue a sample good enough For he is a wonderous great fauourer of Images and susteyned both great and sore daungiers mo then one for vpholdynge and maynteining of them yea and in this selfsame fourth booke he wrote a seuerall chapitur of a sette purpose concernyng the same matier of Images where his mynde sentence is that Images not onelye are to bee made but also to be honoured and wurshypped Besides this he so highly estemed the reliques of sainctes and holy men whiche are now in rest that he appointed vnto them also a certayne chapitur for the nonce in whiche he feared not to
call the sayed reliques the fountaynes and welles of the giftes of God And he is so bold there as to saye that we are bound to worshyp the Sainctes with feith whiche is a pointe vntollerable forsomuche as feyth is due onelye to God and to his wordes He hath also a sermon concerninge purgatorie in which his opinion is that Traianus the Emperour of Rome who had liued bothe an Idolater also a persecutour of Martyrs was deliuâ—red from the punishment of hell at the prayers and intercession of Gregorie And that one Falconilla a woman beyng in hir lyfe tyme altogether geuen to the wurshipping of Idolles was at the praiers of an other certayne man deliuered from damnacion after that she was now allreadye deade and had lyen faste holden and kept in the peynes of hell He ferthâ—r bryngeth in a fable of one Macarius howe that he talked with a dead mannes skulle of whome he heard that duryng the tyme whyle Masse was in saying the solles of the deade whiche endure tormentes are eased released of theyr peynes that same whole Sermon dooeth he poudre with suche lyke feygned tales as these Now as touching the exposition of scriptures the self same Damascen whan he wryteth of the resurreccion he laboureth to proue it by a place in the booke of Genesis Gen. ix where it is red that the lord saied to Noe. Fleashe with the bloude shalte thou not eate for I shall requyre your solles at the handes of the beastes He wyll require them saieth Damascene at the resurrectioÌ„ For the beastes dooe not dye for mannes sake Wherein he appereth to be ignoraunt of the law that was made of god in the boke of Exodus and in the boke of Deuteronomye where it is commaunded that the Oxe whiche renneth at menne with his hornes and sleagheth anye bodye shall bee stoned to death The same Damascene also in his booke De Virginitate that is saye of virginitie writeth in this manier If Adam had not synned man and womanâ—e should not haue been coupled to gether in Matrimonie to bryâ—g foorth issue And because he seeth the sentence and determinacion of God to bee agaynste hym in these woordes Grow ye and be ye multiplyed he sayeth that it was perhaps possible that menne shoulde haue multiplyed and gotten issue oute of some other parte of the bodye There is not one of the schoole diuines that would thus haue sayd Thesame Damascene also wresteth and raketh Basilius Damascene wresâ—eth basilius For because he seeth Basilius to affirme that the breade the wyne are as it wer the countrepaynes or paternes of Christes body he expouneth Basilius to mene that same before the consecratyon Whiche is a pointe without all ryme or reason For the breade and the wyne before consecracyon haue nothynge at all in them more then other common meates haue And in case the bread and wyne shoulde in suche wyse sygnyfye the bodye and bloude of Chryste than shoulde they bee nowe alreadye Sacramentes before the pronouncing of the Lordes woordes Besydes this in the Masse of the Greke Churche they dooe after the consecracion in moste open and playne woordes praye that the breade maye be made the bodye and bloude of Christe And namely in the masse of Basilius the matyer so renneth that the sayd woordes are sette after the consecracyon Yea and in our Canon also that was vsed in the olde masse yf it bee well loked vpon it is named bread after the consecracion But now are hys argumentes to be consydered and examined The fyrste of them is grounded vpon the power of god for seeynge that god was of power to create bothe heauen and yearth by hys woorde and by the same woorde to brynge foorthe plantes and trees beastes foules and fysshes why shoulde he not bee of power to make hys owne bodye of breade But thys kynde of argumente is of the weakeste and febleste sorte that can beâ— Neyther dooe we now traicte or despute of the power of god For we dooe not denye that god is hable to turne breade into fleashe But all oure varyaunce is whether he wyll so dooe or not Another argumenâ—e of hys is taken framed out of Chrystes manier of speaking For saieth Damascene it was not sayed of the lorde Thys is the fygure or sygnes of my bodye but is called the veray bodye of the lorde But vnto thys argumente we haue alreadye made aunswere afore And in case thys man whan he denyeth the sacramente to bee a fygure of the lordes bodye dooeth vnderstande it absolutelye and euen as the woordes soune wythout any ferther addycyon or interpretacion he hath in manier all the auncyente fathers and olde wryters agaynste hym who euerye one of them dooe heere in thys matyer acknowlege a fygure But in case he vnderstande it to bee not a figure onely that is to saie a vaine a voyd signe We our selfes also dooe wyllingly graunte so muche vnto him Albeit he dooeth here there in hys wrytynges entre lace certain wordes in whiche he maie appere not to haue been of so grosse an opinioÌ„ concernyng the sacramente as he maketh for For in one place he hath these wordes The bread of the coÌ„munioÌ„ is not simple bare breade onely but it hath a godly vertu ioygned vnto it Whiche poynte we shal wythout any great stickyng admitte forasmuche as we saye not that the breade is in thys case common breade or mere breade but that it is now a breade halowed and turned into the nature of a sacramente And godly vertue maye for thys cause bee sayed to bee ioygned vnto it because that the holy ghoste dooeth vse thesame as an instrumente towardes our saluation Besides the premisses he maketh a comparison betwene thys sacramente and baptisme in whyche coÌ„parison he sayeth that god hath customably vsed to coÌ„descende vnto our vsage and to our familiar facions that we are acquainted withall and because that men are woont to bee washed wyth water and to bee enoynâ—ted wyth oyle therefore god hath ioygned and geuen hys grace vnto these thynges and hys spirite vnto baptisme And in lyke manier forasmuche as it is the custome and vsage of men to eate breade and to drynke wyne he gaue and ioygned hys godhed vnto these thynges But now after the transubstaÌ„tiacyons god should not haue ioygned hys godly power or hys godhed vnto these thynges but he shuld clene haue put away these other natures of breade and wyne And the reason and circumstaunce of the sayed comâ—parison dooeth require that lyke as the ioygnyng of baptesme wyth grace and wyth the holy ghoste doeth not put awaye nor destruye the nature of the water euen so the thynges of thys sacramentes should not destruye or cast awaye the beeyng and the true nature of the signes Damascene sayeth morouer that god did so condescende vnto our custome vsage that by meane of suche thynges as are familiarly vsed emoÌ„g vs and are within the ordre and
and in Samaria and euen vnto the worldes ende Beholde what way I lye abiect that dooe ascende for I doee ascende because I am the head my bodye lieth yet styl what waye or in what place lyeth it truely through out all the yearth Unto Austen dooeth Cyrillus consâ—nte who wryting vpon Ihon in the syxth booke the fowerteenth chap. thus sayeth here is to be marked that although he conueyghed hence the presence of hys bodye yet by the maieste of hys godhed he is alwaies present wyth vs as hymself whan he was at the pointe of deâ—arting awaye froÌ„ hys disciples ê“miseth saiyng Beholde I am wyth you all the daye vntyl the coÌ„suÌ„matioÌ„ of the worlde And the same Cyrillus in the nynth boke vpoÌ„ Ihon the .xxi. chap. Christe sayed that he would bee wyth hys disciples but a litell space not because he should goe from them altogether for he is still wyth vs continually vntyll the ende of the worlde but because he should not liue nor bee coÌ„uersaunt wyth theym as he had been before For the tyme was now at hande that he should departe away from them vp to heaueÌ„ vnto his father And the parte of al feythfull is to beleue that although he bee absent from vs in bodye yet neuâ—rthe lesse all thinges are rewled by his power we by yâ— same power gouerned and he euermore prâ—sent wyth all them that loue hym And therefore it was that he sayed Uerayly verayly I saye vnto you wheresoeuer there shall bee two or three gathered together in my name there am I in the middes of them For lyke as euen at that tyme whan he was conuersaunt on yearth as a man he did also fyl heauen and forsoke not the coumpaignie of the Aungels euen so at this present though he bee in heauen wyth hys fleashe ye the fulfilleth the yearth is pseÌ„t with theÌ„ that loue hym And it is to bee marked yâ— although he should goe away after hys fleash onely for as we haue alreadie saied he is continually psent wyth vs by the vertue of hys godhed yet he sayed that he would for a litell space remaine wyth hys disciples namyng hymself in plain woordes because no maÌ„ should presume to deuide Christe into twoo sonnes And wyth these men agreeth Uigilius who in the fyrst booke against Eutiches wryteth in thys manier The sonne of god after hys humanitee departed away from vs but after hys godhed he sayeth vnto vs. Beholde I am wyth you vntyl the ende of the worlde And the same man not many lines aâ—ter sayeth For whom he leaft and from he departed in hys humanitee theym hath he not leaft nor forsaken in hys godhed For after the fourme and shape of a seruaunte or bondeman whyche he tooke away from vs into heauen he is absent froÌ„ vs but after the fourine shape of god he goeth not away froÌ„ vs but he is psent wyth is euen vpon yearth And yet aswell beeyng present as absent he is one the same vnto vs. Again in the fowerth boke If the nature of the woorde of the fleashe bee but one nature how happeneth that wheras the woorde is euery where the fleashe also is not found euery where For whaÌ„ he was on yearth certes he was not in heauen and now because he is in heauen certes he is not on yearth And so ferreforth is he not on yearth that as touchyng the fleashe we looke for Christ to come down froÌ„ heauen whom after the word we beleue to bee wyth vs vpon yearth Therefore after your opinion eyther the woorde is conteined and encoumpaced in some certain place together wyth hys fleashe or els the fleashe is euery where together wyth the woorde For one nature dooeth not receiue in it self any thyng that is contrarie to it or of a sondrie sorte from it And of a muche sondrie sorte and ferre vnlyke bee these two thâ—nges to bee encompaced or conteined in a determinat place and to bee euery where And forasmuche as the woorde is euerywhere and his fleashe is not euery where it appereth that one the same Christe is of bothe natures and that he is in veray dede euery where after the nature of hys godhed and to bee conteined wythin the circuit of a place after the nature of hys humanitee and manhoed and also that created he was and yet hath no begynnyng and to bee subiect to death yet of suche immortalitee that he can not die And within fewe lines after thus he sayeth This is the catholike feith and confession whyche the Apostles taught and deliuered whyche the Martirs confirmed and whiche the feithful dooe kepe and holde euen vnto thys present Besides these also FulgeÌ„tius vnto kyng Trasinnudus in the second book â—ulgentius One and the same man placeable as touchyng that he was borne of maÌ„ whyche is god infinite as touchyng that he was begotteÌ„ of the father One and the same man after his humain substaunce absâ—nt from heauen whan he was conuersaunt on yearth forsakyng the yearth whan he was ascended vp into heauen and after his godly and infinite substaunce neither leauyng heauen whan he came down from heauen nor bearyng the yearth whan he ascended vp into heauen Whiche thyng maie by the moste true and assured woordes of the lordes self bee knowen who to shewe hys humanitee placeable saied vnto his disciples I goe vp vnto my father and your father my god and your god Also whan he had saied of Lazarus Lazarus is dead he added thereto and saied I am glad for your sakes that ye maye beleue because I was not there And to declare the infinitenesse of his godhed he saieth vnto his disciples Beholde I am with you al the daies vntil the consummacion of the worlde How did he ascende vp into heauen but that he is a veray man in dede placeable Or how is he present wyth his feithfull but that he is veray true god in dede and infinite And the same fulgentius in the third booke Christe beeyng one and inseparable did after hys onely fleashe aryse out of the sepulchre and thesame Christe beeyng one and inseparable did after the wholle and perfeict nature of man whyche he tooke vpon hymâ— forsake the yearth locally and ascended vp into heauen and sitteth on the right hande of god and after the self same wholle and perfeict man he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead and to croune the feithfull and godly Finally Bernard vpoÌ„ the caÌ„ticles of Salomon in the three and thirtieth sermoÌ„ thus sayeth Bernarde I also haue the woorde but in fleashe I haue it and the trueth is sette afore me but it is in a sacramente The aungel is fatte fed with the fatte of the wheate and is now saciated and filled wyth the graine self and I must in the meane whyle bee contented wyth a certain rynde of the sacrament wyth the branne of the fleshe wyth the chaffe of the lettre