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
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
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
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