the union in our selfes and to shew the lege of amyte unto the church And to understond the bettet what this word Caenoniae communio is Red the fist capiter of the first Epistole of Ioanâ— where as this word communio is 4. times rehersid There shalt thow se the communion betwen Christes body an us how it is made and by what meanys And then shalt thow se that Paule 1. Cor. 10. and Ioan so well agreyth â—o mine interpretation that the Christiane reader wilbe satisfied I trust in the lord for as all the trew subiectes sworn to the Kyng by there fayth and alegaynce ar prest and redy where so euer the se the Kynges Baner spleyde refort ther unto and say what so euer the Kyng hath to do or with whom so euer he hath Ennymite with all I will associat my selfe to be of this part tyde what be tyde may happe well or woo Vnto this prince I unit my liefe and death the cause He is my lord the making good and reason of the cause I am his sworn subiect fayth yeuen and mi consciens bound Therefore to manifest myne obedience and loue by this baner I procleame liefe and death agaynst his contraries So those that be Christâ—s when thei see the baner of Christ the holy supper and sacrament of the death that wan the uictory of death and the deuill they will there lyue and dy with this baner to declare there obedience they that be not of Christ they care not under whois baner they beâ— so the auaryce mind and detestable loue of the worold be satisfied it is godd Inowgh to theÌ„ with yâ—y For south and nay for south as incoÌ„staÌ„t as the wind lik unto the byshoppes lawes in Inglond that ten tymes hath byn Changid sithens I knew the right hand from the leffte and yet were they proclemyd as moost certayne and infallible uerites With great penalty as mouche as Iieue wz worthe But what man wilbe so made to leade his coÌ„science by souch inconstaÌ„t persones that hathe lawes to damme one yere and to saw an other that that is good and catholike this yere shalbe heresy the next yere They be more inconstant then the wind oure lord of his mercy amend them and yeue theÌ„ grace to know there offences And to promote the only word of god And theach the people therby to know god and his sacramentes They would stablyshe the carnall presence of Christes body in the sacrament by the wordes of Christ Ioan. 6. Panis quem ego dabo caro mea est quam ego dabo pro mundi uita The bread that I will yeue is my fleshe which I will Yeue for the lyue of the worold they say that the first part of Christes wordes is à promese unto the churche to eat his precious body ln the sacrament Panis queÌ„ ego dabo caro mea est And that Christe performyd this promesse in his last supper when he made the breade his bodyeâ— And the rest of â—he wordes quam ego dabo pro mundi uita is à promesse that his bo dy shuld be slayne for the redempcyonof the worold Thus they interpretat the wordes of Christ because dabo is twysse repetyd By the first dabo he promisid his reall and corporall body in the sacrament By the second dabo he promisid the death of his body so that they would these wordes Hoc est corpus meum shuld be the fulfilling and delyueraynce of Christes promes Ioan. 6. Panis quâ—m ego dabo caro mea est Read the hole sermon of Christ Ioan. 6. and then thow shalt perceaue that this interpretation cannot be admittyd Christ ment to bring his audience unto the knolege of â—aythe that they might be pertakers of godes promeses throwgh him onlie And shewid them that he was the bread of consolacion and solace to satisfie the consciens of euery Hungery and afflictyd person Ego sum panis qui de coelo descendi si quis ederit de hoc pane ui uet in aeternum Etpanis quem ego dabo caro mea est quam ego dabo pro mundi uita Now Marke the wordes the bread that I shall yeue is my fleshe he promysid to yeue the breade by these first wordes that was his fles â—e But how to gyue it to be eatyn or to be betyn to be inuisible in the mouth of the Aposteles or uisible with all opprobrie and contempt before his iudges to be liffâ— uppe ouer the pristes head and there sacrificid Orelse upon the crosse to sacrifice him selfe Christ that allwayes promisith with the thing promisid how the thing promisid may be reseauid and usid prescribith the maner howe and after what sort he would yeue his fleshe unto the worold quaÌ„ dabo pro mundi uita I will yeue iâ— for the liffe of the worold his body rent and torn upon the crosse was the form and maner how he wold yeue it for the lyefe of the worold not to be in the sacrament But to dye upon the crosse As this relatyue quam declarith quam ego dabo pro mundi uita The same flâ—she that he spake of in the first part of the sentence Panis quem ego dabo caro mea of the same he speakith in the second part quam dabo pro mundi uita And as thone part of the senteÌ„ce speakith of his body to be sâ—ayne and not eatyn so dooth thother this may be prouid by Christes wordes â—n the same place for he speakyth of his body that shuld yeuelyue unto the worold which only is by the body slayne and not eatin as Paule saith Rom. 6. Ebre 9. 10. as for the sacramentall eating where as Christes institution is trewly obseruid there is nothing but Amemory of this death where of Christ all togather spake in the 6. of Ioan and interpreâ—atith many times in â—hat place this word eat for belyue qui confidit inquit mihi habet uitam Ä™ternam Nether the repeticion of this word dabo is none other thing then accustomyd repeticion of one and the same thing by more expresse wordes It is no meruell that people for lack of knolege and the holy sprit of god so obstinatlye defend the carnall and bodily eating of the body for Christ with all his wordes could not bring his carnall audience to à spiriâ—uall undrestonding As he ment thes wordes Hoc est corpus meum panis quem frangimus nonne communicatio corporis Christi estâ— Etpanis quem ego dabo pro mundi uita must be taken as Christ ment them and as they may best agre withe thother places of the scripture Wondrefull detrement shuld our fait take if theâ— se wordes shuld not be taken with conuenient tropesâ— and figures with out atropelo what shuld folow Christes body to be Pantotopon Christ must haue so great abody as might fill heauen and earthe if it be corporally present booth in heauin and in earthe Also it were inuaine to looke for him at the day of
But to practyse it in lief For it is à sciensâ—practyue and not speculatyue Consistitin Actione non in lingua God yeue grace these holy sacramentes may be moore often and more reuerently usid the neglecting of them is to be condemnyd mouch more the contempt of them But euery man must be aright instructyd why and to what end he usith them as well as to receaue them he that ys ygnorant of the causes can neuer iudge aright of theffect he that knowith not the cause why god made man Shall lyue allwayes like abest and applye his lief to an other end then god made it for to serue hym in iustice and uerteus liefe he applieth it more like adogg and Brute beste contrary unto the order of god and makyth the ymayge of god theymayge of Cacodemon obeyng euer lust that repugnith unto the will of god So far hath the deuill and sinne preuailid that in maner there is nether thone sect of people callyd papistes nether thother callyd gospellers that caryd for the lyefe of the gospell Souch custome of yle hath made so weake oure corrupt nature that it fleyth all honesty and honest lawes that shuld kepe it in order and of à spirituall libertye yeuen unto us by Christ in the gospell we take à carnall lyence and wantones of liefe so that we make uery litle or no resistaince at all Assensus est infirmus cor habet contrarios impetus pugnantes cum lumine dtuitus insito mentibus Trew or the wordes of Medea Video meliora proboque deterio ra sequor ac fertur equis auriga nec audit currus habenas of euery thing the principall cause must be knowyne to say the cause finall the which is fyrst to be considerâ—d As in a commue wealth the finall cause of all lawes â—nd the commue wealth likewice is to lyue well The fâ—nall cause of phesike to cure the sike well The finall cause of Rethoricke to perswade well And the principall aud cheiffe cause of all the sacramentes that be now in the church of Christ or euer where in the churche of Christ is that theybe and euer hath ben the signes of go des will an pleasure towardes us testimonijs and seales annexyd unto the promese of grace They be not the thing that they represend but signes and remembrances therof way the scripture diligently Christiane reader and sarch for the truith there God hath bound his church and all men that be of the churche to be obedient unto the word of god It is bound unto no title or name of men nor unto ony ordinary succession of bishoppes or prystes longer then they teache the doctrine contaynid in the scripture nomam shuld yeue hyring unto them but folow the rule of Paule Si quis aliud EuangeliuÌ„ docet anathema sit he that teachyte ony other gospell them Christes it must be à cursid God hath preseruyd in all captiuites and persequution of the churche miraculously one booke the holy bible deliuerid the same unto the churche and bound the church un to this booke As Christe sayth Ioan. 14. paracletus autem ille qui est spiritus sanctus quem spirituÌ„ mittet pater noie meo ille uos docebit omnia suggeret uobis omnia quaecunque dixi uobis He sayth that his holy sprite shall teache none other doctrine theÌ„ he himselfe tawght and the same that he tawght Therefore with drawe thy hart froÌ„ this openyon that they would deceaue thy soule with all under the pretence of holi church thei on lybe the churche that 〈◊〉 holi booke the bible hyrith it learnyth it and â—olowith the iudgment of it He is à Christiane man that leuith the word of man and kepith the word of god Si quis diligit me sermoneÌ„ meuÌ„ seruabit qui habet praecepta 〈◊〉 seruat ea ille est qui me diligit Ioan. 14. Paule commaundedyd Timothe to be studious in the scripture and not to study in Talmud nor darash or othere decrees of the Pharises 1. Timot. 4. Intende lectioni also Collos 3. uerbum Christi abundet inter uos To that purpose the holy goost would the scripture to be wroten to detect all falshode that godes name might be aright callyd upon in Christ only and not with inuocacion of ded saynces and his holy supper to be usid as à communion unto all men under booth kindes and not to be made amasse of that blasphemit god for souch as honor the bread there for god dooth nolesse ydolatrie then they that made the sonne there god or sterres Dauid saith Psal 101. scribentur hâ—c in generatione altera populus qui creabitur laudabit dominum to what purpose hath Christe yeuen us his sacramentes and wroten openly manifestly an sufficiently the trew use how they shulde be usid in the scripture When nomam or few men will obserue the commaundement of the scripture But rather the dreames and detestable decrees of hereticall an pharisaicall Bishopes And meyntayne there lawes in the churche be the neuer so deuillishe It wer as god burn the Bible as to serue to no purpose for the holy water boket sittith in the church at te right hand of the Bible and not so hardy ons to melle there till the water coniuryd call him and theÌ„ moost the holi bible sâ—rue lik à hand mai de awyckid purpose to coloure à stinking ceremonie that aspringes my dominie May proue holy water to be à good and godly ceremony And hoc est corpus meum aâ—ter thinuocacion of dead saynctes is callid to make good the wickid masse Wherin is not as mouch as one thing good sauing the scripture which they abuse to an other purpose then it was wroten for Doutles the princes of thearth unto whom god committith the ciuille gouernaunce of the people shall susteyne thire of god for there negligent indeuoure in this behalfe be cause they suffer souche preachers and byshopes to rule ouer the consciens of there subiectes wher only the law of god shuld haue place These things shuld moue all Christiane princes to à reformacion of these wronges that god susteynith by taking away his word from the people The miserable blindenis that the people bein with danger of Eternall damnacion because of Idolatrie shuld cause princes to rew upon there wofull state an condicion Yea there awne estate and princely digni te yeuen unto them by god shuld moue them to remoue this yle out of there Kealmes or els other men will usurpe falsely there auctoryte and peruert thorder of god in the commune wealth Therfore in the moost noble an famous commune wealth that euer was the commune wealthe of the Israelites Was this order apoyntid Num. 9. fyrst god then his word the celestiall signes the piller of fier and the cloud which were as gydes in there Iourney to shew them wen and where the shuld campe and likewice wheÌ„ and whyche way they shulde marche foreward in the
better Hierome writith of an heremite in uitas patrum That sayd Nullum opus difficilius quam dicere preces deo no work more difficile then to pray unto god how be it many men thynk nothing to be more facile and easy When Christ sayth Ioan. 4. Veri adoratores adorabunt patrem in spiritu ueritate The trew worshippers shall wurshyppe god in sprit and uerite The difficultie is sone perceauid let inuocacion be in sprit to say in the godly mocyon of thart not with the tongalon nor with hypocrisie It must be in truith to say in à trew knolege of god Directid unto god onliby Christ And by no dead saynct So that in prayer these too ar necessary à trew knolege of god and the spirituall mocyon of tharth Or else prayer is but inanis battologia inutile murmur The crede must wekly and dayly and also the commaundemetes be openyd unto the people there by the may know god aryght fere his iustice agaynst sinne and tak solace and confort in his mercyfull promises for Christ Only the commaundementes of god contayne souche acopiouse and profunde doctrine that it can neuer be knowen sufficientli Nor neuer with sufficient diligence declaryd unto the people It is the Abrydgment and Epitome of thole bible compendiously conteyning thole law and the gospell Not one proposicion in the scripture but hath his commune place in the 10. commaundementes And he that undrestondyth them well is à godd Christiane man if he folow them he that undrestondit not them can be no Christiane men There is euery mannes office and dewty describid what is to be donne whether it be to wardes god or man And whether he be minister in te church or in the ciâ—le wealthâ— of what condicion so euer he be there may he lerne how to folow his uocacion It is not sufficient for à Chrâ—stiane man to be lyue one part of the scripture But faith is aryght persuacion and willing consent unto the hole word of god For he that sayth Credes in deum patrem filium spiritum sanctum the same god saâ—â—h Ambula coram me esto integer What auaylith the bragg of â—ayth where as is no uerteues lief He that sayd iustificati igitur ex fide pacem habemus erga deum per dominum nostrum Iesum Christum Roman 5. Et nulla condemnacio est lex his qui insiti sunt Christo Iesu Sayth likwyce Quod si quis spiritum Christi non habet hic non est eius Et si secundum carnem uixeritis moriemini Rom. 8. And as we belyue that Christ died for our sinnes So must we belyue that he died likwyce to gyue us an Example to dy from sinne and the concupiscens of the worold Paule saith quod mortuus fuit peccato mortuus fuit semel Roma 6. Peter sayth Cum igitur Christus passus sit pro nobis carne uos quoque iuxta eandem cogitationem armemini quod qui paciebatur in carne destitit à peccato in hoc ut iam non concupiscencijs hominum sed uoluntati dei quod superest in carne uiuat 1. Pet. 4. He that sayd unto Peter pasce oues meas Ioan. 21. And to the rest of all the Aposteles Matt. 10. Acto 1. That theyshuld be mynisters of the church tawght then like wyce how the might pleace god in there uocacion Sayd not goblisse abucket of water Holow bowe Candell bell chalice fount or ony souch begery Matt. 29. but byd them teach that he had sayde unto them and repetyd the same Mar. ulti Ite in uniuersum mundum praedicate Euangelium omni creature preach the gospel unto the worold This was the maner of Christes ministeri in te churche Before this supersticion and Idolatrie was hard of So tawght Paule Acto 20. 1. Tim. 6. Peter 1. Pet. 5. thus sayd god to Hieremye Hie. 1. Fili hominis dedi uerba mea in ore tuo He that speakith in te church must speak the word of god He that will pleace god must pleace him as it is prescribid in the scripture or else all that euer he dooth is nawght if the byshope or prist will pleace god or ony other man let him applie only his uocacion oppointid by the scripture and as the scripture teachyth hym If he be aiudge to kepe iustice without respect of persones if alawer to defend nothing but te right If Aphisiciane diligeÌ„tly to cure his passion and not to take so many cures for auaryce in his haud as thone part may happen to dye whyles he curith thoter if à byshope not to haue so many parishis in his diaecesis as ten diligent lernid men can not ons in ayere know the faithe of souch foules as hath the charge of Christes flocke nethet how the poure simple people beliuithe Examyne souch as ar bound to use the secramentes of Christes church an among athowsand there is not one that knowith what à sacrament is more then an Asse And to souch the sacramentes be not profetable but damnable As ye may see Esay 1. yea when they be not usid according to there institucion God so abhorrith them as thinges repugnaÌ„t unto the lawe As we rede Hiere 7. Non praecepi patribus uestris de holo caustis Et Psal 50. Holocaustis non delectaberis The prophetes by these wordes declarid that no ceremoniesar requirid of ony man without the knolege and confidens of the promes confirmid by the ceremony or without trew repentaynce and fayth for the sacramentes in the church of Christ nether makyth the loue nor reconsiliacion betwen god and man nor reteynith it not it must be receaue and Kept by one meanes to say by lyuely sayth Rom. 5. Iudas by the sacrament receauyd not the promese nor by the sacrament was preseruid from desperacion Matt. 26. But he that will be the frend of god and godly use his sacrameÌ„tes must use them after the forme prescribid by hyme only And know what à à sacrament is by him To say an hody ceremoni a work of the thyrd commaundement Who sayth memento ut diem sabbati sanctifices Exo. 20. and before the workes of the thyrd communndement wherin all ceremonies ar conteynid must allwayes precead the workes of the fyrst coÌ„maundement and of the seconde an inward faith an certayne knolege of god and an owtward profession of his holy name to acertayne the church that he is godes ffrende and reconsilid in Christ or else it were à praeposterous order to set the cart before the horse Lik as if the Kynges maiestis officers shuld yeue his lyuery unto him that the Kyng neuer ment to take into his seruise So to were his liuere without profeit Thus I desyrid to admonishe the good Christiane reader of before I entryd the disputacion of this moost holy cause conserning the blessyd sacrament of Christes holy passion an death That he shuld know that god yeuith his gracies an promese of re
that these signes that I haue spokeÌ„ of and the signes of the sacramentes ordeynid in the churche be not like All one concerning the nature of signes the diuersite is by the word annexid unto the signe and the use wher unto the signe is apoyntid There ar too kindens and dâ—uerse sortes of sacramentes And god is thauctor of them boothe Thone kind apoyntid unto the ministery of the church all wayes to be usid in the congregation of god and hath the word of god and promesse of godes mercy annexid unto it so that who so euer con temnyd the use of those sacrameÌ„tes were excludid from the promesse of god and also ffrom eternall lieffe of thesesort of sacramentes were too in the churche of the Israelitis Circumsicion and pesah Gen. 17. Exo. 12. Of the other sort of sacramentes Was the arke in the Clodes the which god callid the arke of his allyaunce betwen hym of the one party man and best of the other party Genesis 9. and likwice the coelestiall fier that consumid the sacrifice of our fathers in the beginning of the worold Genes quarto There was none of these too apointid by god to be usid in the ministery of the church as circumsicion and pesah was But god at his pleasure when he lystyd shewid by souch signes his loue and fauour unto the yyes of souch as louid him Not with stonding there was no promesse annexyd un to these sacramentes of lieffe eteruall Now in booth the se sacramentes as well those that were apoyntyd to the minystery of the church as those that were not Were none other then testimonys of the promes that god had mad with them that usyd the signes before the receauid the signes and the cause why God would annex these signes unto his promese thowg there be many yet is this the principall to admonishe hym that receauyd them of Godes pleasure and God will to wardes hyme to excitat and confirme the fayth he hathe in te promises To declare his obedience unto God and by the use of these sacrameÌ„tes to manifest the liuing god unto the worold and yeue occacion to other for to do the same Then ar these sacramentes as uery Chaynes and synewes to coniuÌ„ge and bind to gather all the membres of Christ in one body wherof he is the hed by the whiche exercise and use of sacramentes the church of god declarith it selfe to be deuidid ffrom all other nacions that use not the same sacramentes But beware Christiane reader when thow speakist of thend wherfore the sacramentes were institutid that thow confound not the endes and take one for the other For if thow do thow hast ascendid the next gre to neglect the sacramentes Some say the ar but signes of oure profession that discerne us from other people As in time past the Romaynes were knowen ffrom all other Nacions by there Apparell But we must understond that the ffyrst cheyffe and principaule cause why the sacramentes were institutid To be testimonies of godes pleasure to wordes us as Paule sayth by circumsicion Rom. 4. Behold the scripture and then thow shalt se all wayes that signes of godes ffauor we re yeuen unto the faythfull and ceremonies annexid un to the promesse of grace ffrom the ffall of Adam unto this present day And as the promese was renewid so god gaue new signes and testimonys of the promesse affâ—er the ffyer unto Adam and Abell Circumsicion unto Abraam because the promesse of saluacion was re uewyd and made more open unto Abraam then unto Adam Inimicitias ponam inter te mulierem etsemen tuum semen illius c. Gene. 3. now by expresse wordes unto Abraam In semine tuo benedicentur omnes tribus terrae Shewid that in his seade all the worold shuld be blissid And when this promese of god unto Abraam by reason of the long captiuite of Abraames seade in Egypt was like to haue byn for gothen and the truith of godes worde litle regardyd among the posteri te of Abraam God sent agayne new preachers of his trewith Moses and Aron to call this gospell unto remembrayunce in semine tuo benedicentur omnes tribus terrae And with the restoring of this light agayne unto the churche he gaue like wyce new signes many à one as the 4. latter bookes of Moses testifiy the namely the killing of the â—ame which was à sacrament of Christes death to cum What occacions is there gyuen to mortall man to rendre thankes unto god for the preseruaclon of his churche that when the light of truith semid to be cleane put out he kindelid it agayne Aâ—ter Noe the preacher of the promesse was Abraam Aâ—ter Moses Samuel Dauid and other in the time of the Phariseis and Saduceis Simeon Zacharias Anna Maria When the light of the gospell was browght into the churche there was also new ceremonys and sacramentes gyuen to be signes of godes promesse Baptisme and the supper of the lord The which too sacramentes we haue for circumsicion and Pesah And ar the same in effect with the sacramentes of thold law sauing they signified Christ to cum and oures declare and signifie Christ to be passid bodely out of the worold And that the Elementes and mater of our sacramentes is chaungid ffrom there For the lame that signified Christ to dy we haue bread and winne that signifieth Christ to haue died and as Christes body was not corporally in the lame nomore is it in the bread and winne ffor they be sacramentes of one and the same selfe thing institutid by god to one and the same purpose thone to prophesie the deathe of Christ to cum thother to preach and mani fest the deathe to be past the one coÌ„maundid to be Ame mory of the thing donne in Egypt Exo. 12. thother to be amemorie of the thing don in the mount of Caluary 1. Cor. 11. the memory of thone was not the thing that was remembrid by the memorie nomore is the other For of thinges like must be like iudgment yeuen in the one remaynid uery ffleshe the lame in the other uery bread and winne In the one the iudgment of senses was not reprâ—heÌ„dyd nomore awght it to be in the other theffect of the one sacrament scilicet Pesah was only receauid by fayth and not by hand deliuerid into the mouthe of the receauer so is the other Theone had his promesses and proper ceremonies how it shuld be usid by the word of god and noman to change the use therof so owght the other For the gospell is as suffieieÌ„t to teache us all thinges as the law was unto the lewes and à better and more holy minister is Christ of our church then Mose of the lewes church The false interpretacion of the Iewes corruptid the iudgment of oure fathers as ye may se by the scripture and uehement preachinges of the prophetes so hath the decrees of byshopes corruptid the iudgmenâ— of the worold in oure