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
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
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
stone set for to be the ruine fall and also the arisynge agayne of manye in Israell In the Deuteronomie it is written The bloud is the soule Where as it is but that thing wherby the soule is conserued and signified Iudas the brother of Iosephe speakynge of Iosephe and speakynge that he myghte not be slayne sayd He is our owne fleshe By the whyche phrase of speakynge the natural knyttyng togyther and necessitie of bloud and kynred was signifyed Saynte Paule sayeth that we beynge manye are one breade c. whyche sayinge it canne not be chosen nor auoyded but that it muste â—e vnderstanded to bee fyguratelye spoken And Christe breathed forthe vpon hys disciples and sayde Take ye the holye Ghoste c. Yet was not hys breathynge transubstanciated into the holye ghoste Geneâ— vi In the boke of Genesis it is sayd My Spirite shall not styll dwell in man bicause he is fleshe and in the fyrste Chapitur of Iohn The worde became fleshe c. in whyche place is the plain figure of Sinecdoch For the whole maÌ„ is vnderstanded vnder the name of flesh And our lord Iesus haÌ„ging on the crosse said to Mary his mother Woman behold thy sonne And to his disciple IhoÌ„ Behold thy mother Yet were neyther of theim traÌ„substanciated but remained styl the selfe same persons that they were afore but there was constituted betwene them a newe ordre and degree a newe referrynge and respecte Of Christe it is saide in the scriptures that he is oure peace where as he is only the cause of our peace Also in an other place My wordes are spirite and life where as they did but betoken the same or else were cause of them to the beleuers Iohn Baptiste sayde of Christ. Behold the lambe of god and yet was not his nature chaunged into the nature of a Lambe It is reade here and there in manie places of the holie scriptures that the Lordes wordes are iudgemente and trueth and ryghtuousâ—nes where as these thinges are but signified expressed in the saide wordes of the Lorde And this similitude or comparison doeth passinge wel serue and agre to the sacramentes whych are said to words visible In the Apocalipes it is reade I am α and ω Alpha Omega whereby is mente the firste begynnynge and the laste ende of all thynges And Paule speakynge of hys owne gospell which he preached sayeth The power of God it is to saluation vnto euery one that beleueth Where as it is but onely whereby the power of God declareth it selfe for the sauinge of men And of the preachinge of the crosse he sayeth that vnto the wicked sorte it is folishenes that is to saye it signifieth vnto suche maner of menne but a folishe thynge but to the Godly sort he saith it is the power and wysedome of God for bicause it sheweth and declareth the saide power and wisedome of God vnto the godlye And of the lawe of Moses God sayd that it did put deathe and lyfe blessinge and curssinge vnto the people of the Hebrewes which is none other but by the signification and notifiynge of the lawe the promises and threatenynges of God whiche were in them expressed In the boke of Genesis Gene. xlâ— the seuen kyne and the seuen yeares of corne are saide to be seuen yeres and that is no more but in signifiynge the same Ahias the Prophete a Silonite gaue vnto Hieroboam ten pieces of a cut or torne cloke iii. Kiâ— xi and sayde that he gaue to Hieroboam the kyngedome of ten of the tribes of Israell Also in this same very epistle to the Corinthians and the same eleuenth chapitur whyche we nowe traicte of S. Paule wrote that a woman shoulde haue a power on hyr heade by the whyche worde power he signifieth a coueringe by the whiche couerynge is signified the power and superioritie of the man ouer the woman And in the seconde epistle to the same Corinthians it is coÌ„tayned that God made Christe to be sinne whiche was nothinge els but to the likenes of synne and representation of our fleshe Yea and the ghoste that was offred vp for synne was called sinne And the prestes were saydâ— to â—ate the synnes of the people whyche mente nothinge els but eating the hostes that were slayne and offred vp for the sinnes of the people In the prophet Ezechiel it is written I wil poure forthe cleane water vpon you by the waâ—er he signifieth the holy ghostâ— whych selfe same thing we reade of Christ whan he sayth Who so drinketh of this water c. In whiche place the Euangeliste mencioneth that Christe spake of the holye ghoste whyche they shoulde afterwarde receiue Of the Lambe we heare that it was called Pascha thoughe some there be that attempte the same to denye But the playne words of the Hebrue doth declare it where it is sayd The sacrifice is Pascha that is the passeouer By the sacrifice there can not be vnderstanded anye other thinge but either the slaine hoste that was offred vp or els that same veray acte of sacrifisynge the sayde host So we haue the body of Christ expressed bothe by breade and wine and also by the acte as well of eatynge as of drynkinge And the said Lambe was not the passinge ouer of the Aungel but onely a monumente and token or signification of hym so passing ouer Christ sought a place wher he might eat the passeouer with his Apostles and by the word of passeouer he vnderstode those meates those consecrate or hallowed thynges which dyd betoken and signifie the passe ouer S. Paule also said Christe our passe ouer hath bene offered vp c. And in the same place he called Christe hymselfe our solemnitie oure passage or passeouer whych thinges can not be taken nor vnderstanded but as figuratelye spoken And the sayde lambe was not the passinge ouer of the aungell whyche was theÌ„ to be done or in doyng but whiche was done in old tyme many hundred yeres afore the remembraunce whereof was represented by these same externall signes Here also in thys sacrament we haue the bodye of Christ that heretofore suffered not that is nowe at thys present deliuered vnto the crosse or whose bloud is now at thys day shedde forth but a great while ago And in case these meÌ„ wold straightly expoune the words of Christ wheÌ„ he saith This is my bodye whyche is betrayed for you They coulde not chose but saye that the breade shoulde be crucified or at leaste wyse Christe couered vnder the accidentes of the bread in the sacramente as their exposition and determination is For Christe shewinge forthe that yâ— he theÌ„ had in hys handes sayd that the same it was that shoulde be betrayed and deliuered and shedde forthe for them That if they saye that in dede the same it was that was betraied and deliuered but not after the same manier nor in the same fourme or shape than do they seke interpretacions and expositions
thys manier The solle sometymes whyle it foloweth the appetite of the fleashe is called carnal and fleashely not yâ— it is chaunged into the nature of fleashe euen so the bodye is called spiritual not because it is chaunged into the nature of the spirite but because it wyll bee altogether obedient to the spirite to fulfille the desire wille of the spirite And Hierome in an epistle to Pammachius whyche epistle was made in defense of the trueth agaynst Ihon the bishop of Hierusalem who sayeth that the solles of suche as arose had euery one of theÌ„ a bodye of ayer whiche was not subiect neyther to touchyng nor to the syght and Hierome I saye in thys epystle dooeth by all possible meanes contente to proue that Christe after hys resurrection had a veray true bodye in dede and the same also visible And Hierome aunswereth to an obiection whyche obiectioÌ„ was thys If Christes bodye after hys resurrection was in suche sorte visible and was the same veray bodye that he had whan he was aliue afore Luke xxiiii Wherefore was it not knoweâ— at what tyme he shewed hymself lyke a pilgryme to the two disciples goyng to the castle of Emaus To this doeth Hierome thus make aunswer Because theyr yies wer holden that they should not knowe hym as if he should haue sayed as touchyng the nature of hys bodye it was bothe visible myght haue been knowen but the lette that was was in thesame veray epistle to the CorinthiaÌ„s Yet neuerthelesse our sacramentes haue many prerogatiues and many poyntes of dignite aboue the sacramentes of the olde lawe For fyrst and formoste they bee firme and stable and shall no more bee chaunged vnto the worldes ende secondly they dooe not shewe of a thyng that is to bee dooen and yet to come but of a thyng dooen alreadie Our sacramentes also bee more simple and plain and they perteine to a larger and a greatter noumbre of people And forasmuche as they bee more clere open then the olde sacramentes they stiere vp in vs a greatter feith and therof foloweth a more plenteous aboundance of the spirite And that they bee more clere and open dooeth not procede as the aduersaries imagyn to theymselfes in theyr braines of the outward prefiguracion of the â—ignes because that the same is more euident then the old was but of the nature of the woordes that are there ê“nounced For by the said woordes our redeÌ„ptioÌ„ is shewed to bee perfeict it is shewed with more clere more open wordes then the common sorte of people emong the fathers of the old lawe did vnderstaÌ„de Than if the thyng bee more clere expouned and declared in woordes the outward represeÌ„tacion is not so greatly to bee regarded Whâ—â—eâ— the Churche made â—awe been leaft in anecdout our of god Besides this they made it a matier of woondre how it might bee possible that the Churche should bee so long in an errour and that no light nor small errour if it should so bee as we saye Whiche thyng for all that they would not so greatly meruaill at if they would thynk on the woordes that Christe sâ—ake of hys last commyng Thynkest thou sayeth Christe that whan the sonne of man shall come he shall fynde feith vpon the yearth He doeth alâ—o shewe that there â—â—aâ— in tyme to come bee so great an errour in the Churche that if it bee possible euen the veray elect and chosen shall bee deceiued to and seduced And leat these men I beseche you tell vs what manier of Churche and in what state did Christe fynde the churche at hys fyrst coÌ„myng Had not the Scribes the Pharisees the Priestes and the Bishops corrupted all together had they not peruerted all true religion wyth theyr tradicioÌ„s Yet is it not to bee thought that the Churche hath at any time been vtterly forsakeÌ„ or leaft in errour For there hath been euermore from tyme to tyme many good people whâ— this geare hath muche myslyked that haue openly cryed out against it And lyke as at hys fyrst coÌ„myng there was SymeoÌ„ Anne the wedowe Ioseph and the virgin Marie Elizabeth Ihon the Baptiste whiche wer godly folkes deuout and had special good opinion of god so that the Churche could not bee saied to bee vtterly forsakeÌ„ euen so hath it been dooen in these last tymes For the wholle vniuersal Curche is not leauened wyth tradicions of men They saye morouer that as touchyng that it is ordeined but to signifie betokeÌ„ the selfsame betokenyng maye bee dooen by breade and wyne at al meates whan men dyne and suppe and therefore no cause to bee why we should so hyghly esteme the sacrament of Eucharistia But thys argumente is as weake and as feble an argumente as is possible to bee For at coÌ„mon repastes there is not the lordes institucion there is no ordeinaunce of a sacramente there is not heard the lordes woordes nor there is not there any promisse of god therefore bee not these twoo to bee compared together Lastely there was an argument brought of the vertue and efficacie of goddes woorde whyche as Algerius citeth and allegeth in the seuenth chapitur of his first booke is called of Ambrose uerbum operatorium as if ye should saye in englishe a word of workyng of operacioÌ„ as by the whiche worde the breade wyne whiche remaine stil in their natures are yet neuerthelesse chaunged into another thyng But as touchyng the woordes of Ambrose we accepte them with good wille For we also putte that the breade the wyne dooe remaine stil in their owne natures not as the traÌ„substaÌ„ciatours affirme as touchyng the accideÌ„tes or the lykenesses fourmes of breade wyne so that the chauÌ„ge is made by alteracioÌ„ remouyng away of the substaunce but that we affirme aduouche the propre natures of breade wyne to bee kept still the haungyng to bee onely sacramental through grace And in thys our assercion we dooe nothyng derogate or diminishe froÌ„ the efficacie of the lordes woordes but yet we dooe not thynke that it is to attributed vnto them as to a kynde of enchauntimente or coniuâ—yng that how soeuer or in what soeuer place they bee pronounced by a prieste or ministre ouer breade wine wyth a mynde and intencion to consecrate they shal by and by haue that effecte For the wholle matier depeÌ„deth of the lordes institucioÌ„ of the action or workyng of the holy ghoste Now as for Algerius he is a man not muche to bee passed on for he was after the tyme of Berengarius maketh mencion of Berengarius â—ecantacion in hys wrytyng Than morouer of what a great and good iudgemente he was it is manifest of a certain argumente that he maketh For in the one and twenteeth chapitur of hys fyrst boke he wyllyng and labouryng to proue that aswel the godly as the vngodly dooe receiue Christes bodye in the sacramente whyche in dede foloweth necessaryly if there wer