well that yf theyr visours hadde ben of theyr facys shame wolde not haue suffred theym to sette forthe a fote ¶ And mayster 〈◊〉 vnder his 〈◊〉 face forceth not myche to shyfte a false caste amonge wyth a payre of false dyce ¶ And therfore syth thys man by wythdrawynge his name from hys booke hath done on a visour of dyssimulacyon dyssimulynge his person to voide the shame of his fashed and speketh to mych to be called mayster 〈◊〉 whyche name he were els well worthy for hys false dyce I shall in this dyspicyon bytwene hym and me be 〈◊〉 for thys onys syth by some name muste I call hym for lacke of hys other name to call hym mayster 〈◊〉 And thus finishynge 〈◊〉 preface we shall begynne the mater The fyrst booke The. i. chapyter MAyster 〈◊〉 hath in thys hys poysened treatice agaynst Crystes hole some so 〈◊〉 xxxii leuys In y e first xiiii wherof he expowneth vs the later parte of the syxte chapyter of saynt 〈◊〉 And incidently by the way the man maketh as though he answered the reasons whiche I made in my letter agaynste the pestylent treatice that fryth made fyrst agaynst the blessed sacramēt And in the same xiiii leuys also he bryngeth forth two thynges for specyall notable wherin he sayth I haue openly cōtraryed myn 〈◊〉 wrytynge ¶ I wyll good reader peruse the re manaūt of hys booke after this fyrst part answered In whyche conteynyng these thre thynges that I haue 〈◊〉 you the fyrst hath he so han desed y t all were there not as there are in dede dyuerse false 〈◊〉 interfaced therin yet it were for the mater of very sleyght effecte For in his exposiciō he nothyng toucheth nor cometh nere to the thyng wherin the poynt of all the mater standeth ¶ The secund point hath he so well treated in hys argumentacyon that the reasons whyche I laye agaynste Frith mayster Masker fyrst falsely reherseth and after so folyshely soyleth that he leueth thē more stronger agaynst hym whan he hath done 〈◊〉 he fownde them whan he bygan ¶ And as for the thyrde poynt concernynge hys notable notys of suche thynges as he sayeth to myne ouersyghte them he so garnessheth setteth out so semely to the show that I wolde no man sholde euer after this daye truste any worde that I shall wryte but yf ye se mayster 〈◊〉 pfaynesy proued therin eyther so folyshe as no man shold trust his wyt or so false that no man shold trust his trouth Let vs therfore now come to the fyrste point that is to wytte hys exposicyon The. ii chapyter THe whole summe of his 〈◊〉 is that our sauyour 〈◊〉 those wordes takynge occasion of the myracle that he so late before had wrought among them in fedyng fyut thousand of thē with fyue barly louys and two fysshes dyd in those wordes vppon theyr new resort vnto hym whan they folowed hym to Capharnaum fyrst rebuke blame them bycause they soughte hym not for the miracles that they had sene hym wurke but bicause they had ben fedde by hym fylled theyr belyes and that therfore our sauyour exhorted them to labour rather to gete that meat that neuer sholde perysshe Op pon whiche exhortacyon whan the Iewes asked hym what they sholde do wherby they sholde wurke y e wur kes of god Chryst sayd vnto them that the wurke of god was to byleue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hym whom the father had 〈◊〉 ¶ Thā goeth he ferther she weth that vpon the wordes of the Iewis askyng our lord what tokē he shewed for whiche they shold byleue in hym syth theyr forefathers had gyuen thē the brede of Māna in deserte of whi che it was writen he gaue them bred from aboue our lorde shewed them that Moses gaue them not that bred from heuen but his owne father had geuen them the very brede that was descended from heuen and that oure lorde there by all the remanaunt of those wordes in the sayd syxte chapiter of sait Iohn̄ declareth that hym selfe is that very bred is to be 〈◊〉 by the fayth and the byliefe y t Chrystes 〈◊〉 and body was broken and his bloude shed for our synnes And so expowneth he forth all these wordes of Chryst applyeng them onely to the declaracyon of his passyon to be suffred for our redempcion and that our sauyour wold haue them by leue that point that the byliefe of y t point was ment by the eatynge and that that fayth and byliefe is y e 〈◊〉 of our soules ¶ The whole somme of his exposicyō is this in al his sayd xiiii 〈◊〉 I mene not that this is all that euer he sayth therin for I leue out his cir cumstaunces his garnysshynge his notes his argumentacions his contencyons with me his mokkes his tauntys agaynst all catholyke folke his many folde heresyes also with all whiche here and there he furnyssheth all the progresse of his paynted processe all whiche thynges I shall after touche by them selfe But the somme the substaunce and the ende wherto all the whole processe of his exposicyō cometh is this that I haue rehersed you The. iii. chapyter BUt now good chrysten readers all this exposicyō were it neuer so trew neuer so comely nor neuer so cunnyngly handeled yet were it as I tolde you before very farre from the purpose For this exposicyō myghte be good ynough yet myght Thryste in those wordes teache the thynge that we speke of 〈◊〉 that is to wytte besyde the teachyng them that hym selfe was the very brede y t was descended from heuyn to gyue lyfe to the world and that he sholde suffre deth for the synnes of y e world and that they shold byleue these thyn ges and so eate hym 〈◊〉 by fayth he myghte I saye teche in those wordes also that he wolde gyue vnto men his very body his very 〈◊〉 to eate and his very bloud to drinke and that he wolde that they shold byleue that lesson also And wrth y e spy rituall eatynge therof by farth receyue and eate also his very blessed body flesshe and bloude by the mouth not in his owne flesshely forme as y e flesshely Iewes mysse toke it but as hym selfe than ment it and parte there expowned it and by his institu 〈◊〉 dyd after more clerely declare it informe of brede and wyne in y e blessed sacrament of the aulter ¶ It is I trow good readers to no man almost vnknowen that the holy scrypture of god is in suche meruelous maner by the profound wysedome of his holy spyryte for y e more plentuouse profyte of his chyrche de uised indyghted and wryten that it hath not onely that one sense trewe which we call the litterall sence that is to wytte that sence whiche for the fyrst lessō therof god wold we shold perceiue and lerne but also diuerse other sensys spirytuall pertaynynge to the profyte of our maners and instrucciōs in sūdry vertues by meane of 〈◊〉 openyng
as the Chomystycall papystes saye ben inuisyble wyth all 〈◊〉 dymencyoned body vnder the forme of bredetranssubstancyated into it And after a lyke Chomistycall mystery the wyne transsubstancyated to into hys blonde so that they sholde eate his flesh and drynke his blonde after theyr owne carnall 〈◊〉 andynge but yet in another forme to put away all grudge of stomake Or syth saynt 〈◊〉 yt he had thus vnderstode hys maysters mynde and toke vpon hym to wryte hys maysters wordee wold leue this sermon vnto the worlde to be redde he my 〈◊〉 now haue delyuered vs and them from this dowte But Chryst wolde not so satysfye theyr questyon but answered veryly veryly I say vnto you excepte ye eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke his bloude ye shall not haue that lyfe in your selues He that eateth my flessh and drynketh my blonde hath lyfe euerlastynge and I shall steve hym vp in the laste daye For my flesshe is very meate my bloude the very drynke He sayth not here that brede shal be transsubstancyated or conuerted into his body nor yet the wyne into his bloude ¶ 〈◊〉 good chrysten readers thys man here in a folysshe iestynge and mych blasphemouse raysyng maner agaynst the conuersyon of the brede and wyne into the blessed body and bloude of Chryste in the hlessed sacrament in conclusyon as for a clere confutacyon of me of saynt Thomas bothe vppon whyche holy doctour and saynt he foly shely iesteth by name he argueth as youse that 〈◊〉 Chryst had entended to haue geuen them his flesshe and his bloude in the sacrament than myght he haue decla red it more openly with mo wordes and more playnly And than mayster Masker deuiseth Chryst the wordes that he wold haue had hym say yf he had so ment And therin the blasphemouse beste deuyseth that he wolde haue had our sauyour say y t he wold play as iuglers do and slyly conuay hym selfe into a singyng lofe that our sauyour so doth he sayth is myne opinion wherin the man is shameles shamefully bylyeth me For I saye as the catholyke fayth is that he not conuayeth but conuerteth the brede into his owne body and chaungeth it therin to and neyther conuayeth as he speketh his body into the brede for than were the brede and his bles sed body bothe together styll which false opinion is Luthers heresy and that knoweth this man well inough and therefore sheweth hym selfe shamelesse in layenge that opinion to me nor also conuerteth not his blessed body into brede for that were yet mych worse For thā remaineth there nothynge ellys but brede styll that is ye wote well mayster Maskers owne heresy for whiche he wryteth agaynste me and therfore is he dowble shamelesse as you se to say any suche thynge of me ¶ But in conclusion theffecte of all his fonde argumēt is that euynthere in that place to breke stryfe to soyle all theyr dowte our lorde myghte wolde haue done at the selfe cōmunicaciō or els at y e lest wyse 〈◊〉 at y e tyme of his wrytyng myght and wold haue told thē playnly that they shold ete it noti forme of flesh but in forme of bred But neyther our sauyour than tolde them so nor theuangrelyste hath tolde vs so in the reportynge of his wordes spoken to them ergo it must nestes be that Chryste ment not so ¶ This is mayster Maskers argu ment whiche he lyketh so specyally that afterwarde in another place he harpeth vppon the same strynge agayne But surely yf the man be in scrypture any thynge exercysed than hath he a very poore remembraunce And whrthet be be scryptured or not he hath a very bare barayne wytte whan he can wene that this argumēt were aught ¶ For fyrste as for the scrypture can he fynde no mo places than one in whych our sauyour wolde not tell out playnely all at onys ¶ Coulde Chryst of the sacrament of Baptysme haue tolde no more to Nichodemus yf he had wolde Coulde he to the Iewes that asked hym a token haue told them no more of his deth sepulture and resurreccyon but the fygure of the prophete Ionas thre dayes swalowed in to y t whalys bely ¶ Whan his dyscyples asked hym 〈◊〉 the restytucyon of the kyngdome of Israell and mysse toke his kyngdome for a worldely kyngdome dyd he forth with declare theym all that euer he coulde haue tolde theym or all y t euer he tolde them therof at any other tyme after nay nor theuangelyste in the rehersynge neyther ¶ 〈◊〉 this mā eyther neuer redde or ellys forgotten that all be it our sauyour came to be knowē for Cryst somtyme declared hym so him self yet at some other tymes he forbode his dysciples to be a knowen therof So that as for y e scripturys excepte he haue eyther lytell redde or lytell remēbered of them wold haue made mayster Masker to forbere thys folysshe argument for shame ¶ But now what wyt hath this mā that can argue thus whan he sholde yf he had wytte well perceyue his argumēt answered by the lyke made agaynste hym selfe vppon the very selfe same place ¶ For mayster masker sayth here that our lorde ment nothynge ellys but to tell them of the geuyng of his flesh to y e deth for y e life of the world and to make them byleue that Now aske I therfore mayster Masker whyther Chryste coulde not haue tolde them by more playne wordes than he dyd there yf it had so ben his pleasure that he sholde dye for the synne of the world and in what wyse also If mayster Masker answere me no I am sure euery wyse man wyll tell hym yes For he spake there not halfe so playnely of the geuynge of his body to be slayne as he dyd of geuynge it to be eaten For as for his deth not so myche as onys named it but onely sayeth And the brede that I shall geue you is myne owne flesshe whyche I shall geue for the lyfe of the worde In whyche wordes he not onys nameth deth But of the eatyng he spe keth so expressely by and by and so spake before all of eatynge mych more afterwarde to that he gaue them lytle occasyon to thynke that he ment of his deth any worde there at all but of the eatynge onely ¶ And some greate holy doctours also construe those whole wordes And the brede that I shall gyue is my flesshe which I shall gyue for the lyfe of the worlde to be spo ken onely of the gyuynge of hys bles sed body in the sacramēt and neyther the fyrste parte nor the seconde to be spoken of his deth But that in the fyrste parte Chryste sheweth what he wolde gyue them to eate that is to wytte his owne flesshe and in the seconde parte he shewed them why he wolde geue the worlde hys flesshe to eate and what commodyle they shold haue by the eatynge of it sayenge y t he wolde
geue it men to eate for the lyfe that men sholde haue by the eatynge of it And therfore he pursueth forth bothe vpon the eatynge therof and vppon the lyfe that they shall lacke that wyll not eate it and of the lyfe that they shall haue that wyll eate it So that as I saye Chryste spake and ment after the mynde of some holy cunnynge men but of the eatynge onely but by all good men of the eatyng specyally and without any maner questyon of the eatynge moste playnely as of whiche he speketh by name expressely And of hys deth yf he there spake of it as diuers holy doctours thynke he dyd yet he spake it so couertly y t he rather ment it than sayd it as the thynge wherof he nothynge named but onely the ge uynge to eate So that where as mayster Masker argueth y t Chryste nothynge ment of geuynge of hys flesshe to be eaten in the sacrament but onely of his flessh to be crucified bycause that yf he hadde ment of his flesshe to be eatyn in the sacrament he coulde and wolde haue tolde them playnely so ye se now good readers very playne proued by the self same place that syth mayster Masker can not saye nay but that of his body to be geuyn by deth Chryst could haue spoken myche more playnely than he dyd in that place as well as he could haue spoken more playnely of the geuynge of hys body to be eaten in the blessed sacrament mayster Mas kers owne argument yf it were aught as it is nought vtterly destroyeth all his owne exposycyon whole And therfore ye maye se that the man is a wyse man and well ouer seen in arguynge The. ii chapyter IN the. xi lefe he hath an other argument towarde whiche he maketh a blynde induccyon byfore And bycause ye shall se that I wyll not go about to begyle you I wyll reherse you his induccyon fyrst and than his argumēt after These arre his wordes Whan the Iewes wolde not vnderstande thys spyrytuall sayenge of the eatynge of Chrystes flessh and drynkynge of his bloude so ofte and so playnely declared he gaue them a stronge tryppe and made them more blynde for they so deserued if suche are the secrete iudgementes of god addyng vnto all hys sayenges thus who so eate my flessh and drynke my bloude abydeth in me and I in hym These wordes were spoken vnto the 〈◊〉 into theyr farther obstynacyō but vnto the faythfull for theyr better instruccyon Now gather of thys the contrary and saye who so eateth not my flessh and drynketh not my bloude abydeth not in me nor I in hym ioyne thys to that foresayd sentence excepte ye eate the flesshe of the sone of man and drynke hys bloude ye haue no lyfe in you Lette it neuer fall 〈◊〉 thy mynd chrysten reader that fayth is the lyfe of the ryghtwyse and that Chryst is thye lyuynge brede whom thou eatest that is to saye in whom thou byleuest ¶ Here is mayster Masker fall to iuglynge so and as a iugser layeth forth hys trynclettes vpon the table and byddeth men loke on this loke on that and blo we in hys hande and than with certayne straunge wordes to make men muse whurseth his iuglynge stycke about his fyngers to make men loke vpon that whyle he playeth a false caste and conuayeth with y e tother hand some thynge slyly into his purse or his sleue or some where out of syght so fareth maister Masker here that maketh Christes holy worde serue hym for his iugling boxes and sayeth them forth vppon the borde afore vs and byddeth vs lo loke on this texte and than soke so vpon this and whan he hath she wed forth thus two or thre textes and byd vs loke vpon them he telleth vs not wherfore nor what we shall fynde in thē But bycause they be so playne agaynste hym he letteth them slynke awaye and than to blere our eyen and call our mynde fro the mater vp he taketh his iuglynge stycke the cōmendacyon of fayth and whyrleth that about hys fyngers and sayeth Let it neuer fall fro thy mynde chrysten reader that sayth is the lyfe of the ryghtuouse and that Chryst is thys lyuynge brede whom thou eatest that is to saye in whom thou byleueft ¶ What are these wordes good chry sien reader to the purpose All thys wyll I pray you remember to But I wyll pray you remēber there with all where about this iugeler goth y t wolde with bryddynge vs loke vppe here vppon fayth iugle awaye one great poynt of farth from vs and make vs take no hede of Chrystes wordes playnely spoken here of the very eatyng of his holy flesshe And therfore let vs remēber fayth as be byddeth But let vs remember well therwith specially this piece therof y t this iugler with byddynge vs remēbre wold fayne haue vs forgette ¶ But now after thys induccyon forth he cometh with his wyse argu ment in this wyse For yf our popystes take eatyng and drynkyng here bodyly as to eate the naturall body of Chryste vnder the forme of brede and to drynke his bloud vnder the forme of wyne than must all yonge chyldren that neuer came at goddes borde departed and al lay men that neuer dranke his bloude be dampned If our sauyour Chryste whyche is the waye to trouth and the trouth it selfe and the very trewe lyfe also coulde and wold say false and breke his promyse by whyche he promysed his chyrche to be therwith hym selfe vnto the worldes ende and to sende it also the spyrite of trouth that shold teche it and sede it into al trouth than wolde there of trouth bothe of these wordes of Chryste and these other wordes of his also But yf a man be borne agayne of the water and the holy goost he can not se the kyngdom of god and of many other wordes of his mo many greate dowtes aryse ryght harde and inexplycable But now am I very sure sith trouth can not be but trew Chrystes promyse shall euer stande and be kepte ther fore shall his chyrche euer more by y e meane of his holy spyryte which maketh men of one maner and mynde in the howse of his chyrche so fall in a concorde and agrement togyther vppon the trew sense and so be led into euery necessary trewth that by misse takynge of any parte of scrypture it shall neuer be suffred to fall into any dampnable errour Whiche thynge what pratynge so euer mayster masker make I haue so often so surely proued for the comen knowen catholyke chyrch of good and badde bothe agaynst Willy ā T indale y t neyther he nor all these heretikes among thē all shall neuer be able to voyde it ¶ Now as for his argument concernynge laye men of age it were alytell more stronge yf the blessed body of our lorde were in the blessed sacramēt vnder forme of brede with out his bloude whiche whyle it ys not nor theyr
his soule so myghte Chryste saye of hym selfe I am descended from heuyn bycause hys godhed descended frome thense though hys body dyd not and he myghte saye I shall suf fre and dye bycause hys manhed so sholde and yet was hys godhed neyther mortall nor passyble And for all that myghte it be sayde of Cryst God dyed for vs bycause he dyed that than was god And of Chryste niyghte it well be layed Thys man made heuyn and erthe and yet hys manhed made it not but was made by hys godhed as other creaturys were But those wordes are well veryfyed by the reason that he whyche of the person of Chryste sayth thys man sygnyfyeth and meaneth not hys onely manhed but his whole person whiche is not onely man but very god also ¶ Thys thynge and this maner of spekynge expressed our sauiour very playne hym selfe whan he sayd vnto Nichodemus in talkynge with hym of the sacrament of baptisme No maÌ„ hath ascended into heuyn but he that descended frome heuyn the sone of man that is in heuyn In these wordes he sheweth vnto Nichodemus that there was more credence to be geuyn vnto hym selfe alone than vn to all the prophetes that euer were before For hym selfe more perfytely 〈◊〉 we all thynge than all they dyd For neuer man had there ben in heueÌ„ but he For neuer man sayd our lorde hath ascended into heuyn but he that descended frome heuyn the sone of man that is to wytte I my selfe that am in heuyn ¶ Here he sayed that y t sone of man had bene in heuen and had descended from heuyn was yet in heuyn 〈◊〉 Now was not his godhed the sone of man but the sone of god nor his manhed the sone of god but the sone of man But now though the godhed the manhed were not bothe one but two distincte naturs styll yet syth the sone of god and the sone of man were bothe one that is to wyt both twayne one person Cryste Cryste therfore myght well say than of hymselfe I the sone of god am the sone of man I the sone of man am y e sone of god and I the sone of god am walkynge amonge men on erth and I the sone of man am syttynge wyth my father in heuyn ¶ Now that ye maye good readers the better conceyue thys mater and more easely perceyue the sentence of these wordes of Cryst All that my father gyueth me c. I shal expoune you these wordê of his in order as it were in bys owne person spekynge the wordes of thys exposycyon hym selfe ¶ No man can come to me by hye owne labour alone But all that my father geueth me shall come to me Labour therfore to my father pray hym to geue you to me geuynge you occasyon and helpynge you wyth your own wyll wurkyng with hym makyng you byleue me and so shall you wurkyng with him by your own good wyll in subdueng of your reason to y e obedyence of fayth by bylief come to me and with good wyll of well wurkynge also with the bylief shall not onely byleue me but also by leue in me and go into me by beynge a membre of myne and incorporatynge your self in me and I shall by the gyfte of myne owne body to be eaten and receyued of yours incorpo rate my selfe in you and I wyll not cast you out frome but be styll incorporated wyth you but yf you cast me out frome you and so by synne caste your selfe awaye fro me els of all that commeth to me by my fathers bryngynge I wyll caste none oute For yf ye came to me by my father thorow fayth and that I wolde not than suffre deth for your saluacyon than dyd I caste you oute For none can come in to my blisse of heuyn but by hys rawnson payed by my dethe and passyon But I wyll not refuse that but I wyll suffre and dye for the worlde to gyue the dede worlde lyfe by my deth For I am descended from heuyn sent by my father not to do myne owne wyll but the wyll of hym that hath sent me But I mene not by these wordes that I wyll dye agaynst myne owne wyll but that al be it the sensuall part of my manhed wolde of the nature of man abhorre shrinke and withdrawe from the gre uouse payne of suche an intollerable passyon yet shall my wyll bothe of my godhed be all one with the wyll of my father and therby in suche maner obedyent vnto his father as we say a man is obedyent vnto his owne reason and yet is not his owne reasoÌ„ another power superiour aboue hym selfe And my wyll of my manhed shall also be so confortable to y e wyll of my father y e wyl of the holy goost and the wyll of myne owne godhed all whiche thre wylles are in dede one wyll as all our thre persons are in godhed one god that I wyll wyllyngly dye for them all that so come to me by my fathers bryngynge thorough the well wurkynge fayth and wyll abyde and perseuer And like wyse as I wyll by myne owne body gyuen vnto theym by eatynge in to they re owne gyue theÌ„ an ernest peny of our incorporacyon togyther and a memory all of that deth and passyon by whiche I wyll wyllyngly geue my selfe for them by beynge slayne and sacryfysed for theyr synne and made the raunsoÌ„ of theyr redempcioÌ„ whan god shall for this obedyence of my manhode vnto the deth the 〈◊〉 deth of the crosse lyfte me vp and ex alte me and gyue me the name that is aboue all names than shall I by my resurreccion agayne to lyfe geue them a sample and make them sure that I shall in syke wyse at the laste day leue none of them to be loste no more in body than in soule but shall so resuscitate and rayse agayne theyr bodyes that lyke as I shall my selfe asceÌ„de into heuyn agayn from wheÌ„se I came so shall they as membres of my body ascend thyther with me and there be fedde of thys euerlastynge lyuely brede that I tell you of that is to wytte of the fruycioÌ„ of my godhed and byholdynge also of my gloryouse manhed for euer eche of you that haue vse of reason after thanalogye and proporcyon of the well formed fayth with hope well wurkynge cherite that you shall haue had in thys lyfe here before For thys 〈◊〉 as I byfore told you the wyll of my father that sent me that euery man that sethe hys sone as you do and not onely seeth him as you do but also by leueth in hym as you do not shall haue yf he perseuer in that well wurkynge by lyef the meat that I speke of that shall not peryshe but abyde in to euerlastynge lyfe For though ye se euery man dye here for the whyle yet I shall as I tolde you beynge of egall power with my father reyse them all vppe egayne my selfe at the laste daye than
therfore I wolde haue you desyre it of hym that may geue it you And yet ys not that my father onely but my selfe also Now be it yf I shold byd you aske it of me and pray me geue you thys grace you be so farre frome the bylyefe in me that ye wolde not do it And therfore not spekynge of myne owne power I tell you all of the power of the father y t without hym ye can not come to me bycause I wold haue you praye to hym that he wold geue you the grace that as ye know by faith and knowlege hym all 〈◊〉 for god so ye maye knowe by fayth and knowlege hym for my father to and than shal you by the same fayth knowe and knowlege me also for his sone And than shall you not murmur at my wordes but humbly come to me as to the sone not of Ioseph but of god knowlege me for the quyche brede y e is descended from heuyn For euery man that hath herd this lesson of my father and hath not onely herd it but also lerned it he cometh as I haue told you to me But yet thys wyll I tell you that neuer man saw my father yet But he that is of god that is to wytte my selfe ye. am hys owne sone he hath sene the father and so hath no man ellys And therfore the lesson that any man hereth and lerneth of my father he muste here of hym by me and lerne it by the in ward wurke of my father with whose wurke I wurke also And so shall he come to me thoro we perfyt well wurkynge faith in me And I tell you very trouth he that so byleueth in me and perseuereth at his deth in that perfite bylief is sure of eternall lyfe For I am as I dyuerse tymes now haue told you the very brede of life your fathers that murmured as you do now dyd eate the brede of māna in desert and they be dede and perysshed Leue therfore that wronge waye of your fore fathers leue your grudge your murmur and labour to my father that he may brynge you to me by suche faith as ye maye eate this brede that is my selfe For thys brede is brede descendyng from heuyn for the nonys that who so maye eate be fedde of that shal not peryshe by euerlastyng deth For I tell you yet agayn y t I am the quyche brede that am descēded from heuyn Who so euer come to me by my fathers bryngyng so that by perfyt perseueraūce and well wurkyng fayth he may eate be fedde of thys brede that ys to wytte attayne the fruicyon of my gloryouse godhed with the gloryouse syght wherof the angels are fedde in heuyn he shal be sure of euerlastynge lyfe The. xiii chapyter WHere as our saurour good readers in the begynnynge vppon accasyō of his miracle wrought vpon the multyplicaciō of the brede to wched bothe the brede of hys godhed and also of the geuynge them of his owne body to be eaten in forme of bred that he som what dyd insinuate set forththe same in those wordes wurke you not the bred y t peryssheth but y e bred y t abideth into euerlasting life which y e sone of mā shal geue you as I som what tolde you before not of myne own mynde but of y e mynde of dyuerse holy doctours Alcuinus saynte Thomas Theophylactus and saynte Cyrill Ye se that our sauyour in many wordes wpych I haue now declared you hath opened shewed vnto theym the brede of hys godhed ¶ And now good readers take hede how in those wordes that now folow he declareth vnto thē the brede of his own very body which he gyueth vs verily to eate in the blessed sacramēt Wherin that exposicyon that I shall geue you shall be none inuencyon of myne but the clere fayth and sentēce of all the holy doctours of Chrystes chirch olde and new both from Chri stesdeth to this daye Of whome I shall for a sample geue you ere I make an ende the names and the sen tences of some as suche as your self shall well se and perceyue for other maner men than I am or mayster Masher eyther that yf they were good men and trewe ye shall than your selfe saye that mayster Masher is nought and false and that his exposicion though it were trewe as is bothe folysshe and false yet syth it cometh not nere the purpose is as I tolde you before very falsely han deled ¶ Let vs here now therfore of the 〈◊〉 of Chrystes owne blessed body verify to 〈◊〉 to eate in the blessed sacrament what Chryste hym selfe sayth ¶ After his declaracion of the brede of his glorious godhed these are his wordes And the brede that I shall geue you is my fleshe whych I shall geue for the lyfe of the world ¶ where as before they murmured at the lyght spyrytuall brede of hys godhed he telleth them now that he wyll not onely geue them that brede to fede vppon by fruycyon of the by holdynge face to face whan the tyme shall come as he hath also gyuen yt theym in one maner all redy by his in carnacyon to fede them spyrytually in the meane whyse by spyrytuall doc tryne but that the brede that he wyll geue them to fede vppon shall besyde that be his owne flesshe euyn the very same that he wyll geue for the lyfe of the worlde menynge that he wolde veryly geue men the same very flesshe to eate and fede vppon bothe bodyly and spyritually in 〈◊〉 braunce of his deth that he wold for mannys redempcyon veryly geue to deth and veryly for a sacryfyce offre vp to god by deth ¶ But now sayth mayster Masher the aduersary of the blessed sacramēt y t our sauyour ment no more in those wordes And the brede y t I shal geue you is my flesshe whych I shall geue for the lyfe of the worlde but that he wold geue it for the lyfe of the world by hysdeth and ment no thynge at all of the geuynge of his flesshe before his deth or after hys deth nor nothynge in these wordes or any that in the same chapyter folowe entended to speke of any suche maner of geuynge his body to eate as he is receyued and eaten in the blessed sacrament nor nothynge ment in thys chapyter any thynge to speke of that mater ¶ Thus wolde mayster Masker that all men sholde wene as it appereth playnely by his exposicion And thus also sayth Luther thus sayth Fryth also affermeth this sayenge so boldely that he saith it twyse in his one booke wherin he answereth me There in sayth he twyse that all ler ned men are full and whole agreed in that poynt ¶ And therfore wyll these aduersaryes of the sacramēt say that in this exposicyon of myne all that euer I saye wherby it maye apperc that our sauyour in these word writen in this vi chapiter of saynt Iohn̄ any thyng spake
not onely a fygure but also the flesshe of Chryste But whan we proue that the blessed sacramēt is not onely called the body and bloude of Chryst but also y e the olde holy doctours and the exposytours of holy scrypture do playnely declare that it is so than proue we playne agaynst them For we denye none of y e tother two poyntes but thys poynt do they denye The. xiiii chapyter YEt to th entent that ye may se that mayster Masker in his exposicyō doth but playnely mocke you consider yet agayne these vordes well Et panis qnem ego dabo caro 〈◊〉 est quam ego dabo pro mundi 〈◊〉 whyche texte albe it that in the latyn it be som what otherwyse that is to wytte Et panis quem ego dabo caro mea est pro mūdi uita without these wordes quem ego dabo in the secūd place whiche laten texte were yet more for my purpose yet syth not onely the greke texte is as I rehersed you fyrst whyche was the language wherin the uangelyst wrote but that also bothe the greke expositours and many of the laten exposytours to do so expowne it and that though those wordes were out yet they be such as the sentence wolde well requyre to repete and vnderstande and finally bycause I fynde that mayster Masker hym selfe doth in his exposycion take that texte in the fyrste fasshyon onely chaungynge one worde in the secund place y e is to wytte this word geue into thys word paye whiche chaunge he maketh as for an exposicyon I am content to take the texte as hym selfe dothe that is to wytte after the fyrst maner thus And the brede that I shall geue you is my flesshe which I shall geue for y e lyfe of the world ¶ Consyder now good reader that in these wordes our sauiour here spe keth of geuynge his flesshe twyse by whyche he meneth that in the tone ge uyng he wold geue it to them and in the tother geuynge he wolde geue it for them The tone geuynge was in the blessed sacrament the tother was on the crosse ¶ And loke now whyther the very wordes of Chryst agre wyth this ex posycyon or not the wordes ye wote well be these and the brede that I shall geue you is my flesshe Mere is lo the tone geuyng by which he shall sayth he geue his flesshe to theym Than sayth he ferther whyche I shall gyue for the lyfe of the world So here he telleth them of the tother gyuynge by whyche he sholde geue it for them And bycause hys geuyng to them sholde be a memoryall of his geuynge for them therfore he spake of them both to gether But yet bycause his princypall purpose was to speke in that place not of his geuyng of hys flesshe for them but of his ge uynge it vnto them therfore of hys geuynge it to them he maketh after a very playne and expresse declaracyō in many playne open wordes but of hys geuynge it for theym he spake but a lytell and as is were but for a declaracyon of the tother geuynge For whan he had sayd and the brede whyche I shall gyue you shal be my flesshe than to declare that he ment to geue them hys very fleshe he added therto these wordes whiche I shall gyue for the lyfe of the worlde As though he wolde saye wyll you wytte what flesshe this brede is that I wyll gyue to you veryfy the selfe same that I wyll geue for you and not onely for you but for the lyfe of the whole worlde to that is to wytte for as many of the worlde as whan they here it preched wyll not refuse to take it And therfore whā ye know hereafter whiche flesshe of myne I shall haue gyuen for you vppon the crosse thā shal you not nede to do 〈◊〉 whiche flesshe of myne I shall giue you in the brede of the sacrament excepte you 〈◊〉 not to byleue me For now I tell you as playne as I can that it shal be the fame flesshe ¶ This exposycyon good readers ye se is euydent open and playne But now se good readers for godde sake the falsehed of mayster Masker in hys exposycyon vppon y e same wordes Where as our sauyour as you se speketh in these few wordes of these two geuynges the geuynge to eate and the geuynge to dye the ge uynge in the sacrament the geuyng on the crosse cometh me now maister Masker and expowneth Chrystes wordes all to gether of the tone geuynge that is to wytte the geuynge by deth on the crosse and letteth the tother geuynge go by as though he saw it not albe it that Chryst speketh of that gyuynge both fyrst and most ¶ Now yf mayster Masker wyll say that I do but fayne these two ge uynges and saye as he sayth often that Chryste ment there but one geuynge that is to wytte by hys deth and wyll saye that Cryste speketh there no worde of the sacrament I shall tell hym agayne that so myghte mayster Masker marre all his owne exposycyō vtterly For Cryst whan he sayth whiche I shall gyue for the lyfe of the worlde speketh no word in the world neyther of his crosse nor of his deth If he say that they be vn derstanden thā must he geue me leue to say the lyke for my parte that as deth the crosse are vnderstondē in y e tone geuing so eatyng the sacramēt is vnderstonden in y e tother geuynge Now be it for my part yet touchyng the fyrst geuyng I may say y t Cryst speketh of the sacramēt signyfyeth his menyng in this word brede whā he sayth the brede that I shall geue you is my fleshe And of the eatynge therof he speketh expressely after And therfore shall mayster Masker neuer wade out therof but that I ha ue the wordes of the scrypture mych more clere for the fyrst geuyng than he for the secund And ye may se that of the two geuynges mayster Masker to mocke vs with hath in hys exposycion of a folysh wylynesse wynked and dyssembled the tone ¶ But yet if maister Masker striue with me styll vpō this point whither our sauyour speke of two geuynges of hys fleshe or but of one albe it y e I haue proued my part therin metely playne my selfe yet am I content that a better than we both shall breke y t stryfe bytwen vs. I shall therfore name you y t holy cūnyng doctour sait Bede whose worde I trust euery wyse man wyll byleue a lytell better thā eyther maister Maskers or myn So thus sayth saint Bede vpō these wordes of Chryste And the brede whych I shall gyue is my body whiche I shall geue for the lyfe of the worlde Thys brede sayth saynte Bede dyd ourforde gyue whan he gaue the sacrament of hys body and hys bloude vnto his dyscyples and whan be offered vp hym selfe to god hys father vppon the awtre of the crosse ¶ Here you se
eating if they eate it with faith that thynge agayne and agayne he declareth them to dreue them to faith by the desyre of eternall lyfe fayth fyrst onys had they shold be than the more easy to be tawght For the prophete Esay sayth But yf ye byleue ye shall not vnderstaude Therfore it was of necessyte requysyte that they sholde fyrst fasten the rotes of fayth in theyr mynde and than aske suche thynges as were metely for a man to aske But they before they wolde byleue wolde out of season aske theyr importune questyons fyrste And for thys cause our sauyour declared not vnto them how it myght be done but exhorteth them to seke the thynge by fayth So vnto the tother syde to his dyscyples that byleued he gaue the peces of the brede sayeng Take you and eate this is my body And in like wyse he gaue them the cuppe about sayenge drynke you of this all thys is the cuppe of my bloude whyche shall be shed for many for remyssyon of synnes Here thou seest that to theÌ„ that asked wythout fayth he opened not the maner of thys mystery or sacrament But to theÌ„ that byleued he expouned it though they asked not Therfore let theym heare thys those folke I saye that of arrogaunce and pryde wyll not byleue the faythe of Chryste ¶ Here ye se good readers that saynt Cyrill playnely declareth you that our saliyour wolde not teache theym at that tyme the maner of the eatynge bycause of theyr infydesyte for all theyr askynge but after ward he tolde and taught it hys faythfull dyscypses at hys faste 〈◊〉 and mauÌ„dye whan he toke them the bred and bode them eate it and tolde them that the same was hys body and the cuppe and bode them drynke therof and shewed theym that that was his bloud And thus you se well by saynt Cyrill that mayster Masker here whych by hys exposycyd wold make vs wene that our sauyour in all hys worde here to the iewes ment onely to tell them of y e geuyng of hys flesh to the deth that he ment nothyng of the geuynge of hys fleshe to eate in the blessed facrament doth in all hys exposycyon but play with false dyce to deceyue you ¶ Now as for that saint Crrif here calleth it by the name of brede that is I trow the thynge that can nothynge trouble you For I haue shewed you before by the wordes of that greate holy doctour Theophylactus that it is called bred bycause it was bred and bycause of the forme of brede y e remayneth yet is no brede in dede but is the very blessed body of Crist his very flesshe and hys bloude As you se also by saynt Cyrill here whi che of thys blessed sacrameÌ„t so often reherseth and inculketh the myracle exhortynge all folke that no man be moued to mystruste it though the thynge be meruelouse nor aske as y e Iewes dyd how such a wunderfull wurke can be wrought but mekely byleue it syth he is god that sayth it therfore as he sayth it so do wt not but he 〈◊〉 do it as he doth other lyke thynges and dyd ere he were born in to thys world of whyche thynges saint Cyrill hath here rebersed some As the turnynge of the water into bloude as he turneth in the sacrameÌ„t the wyne into bloud and the turnyng of Aarons rod into a serpeÌ„t and that into such a serpent as deuowred vp all the serpentes of the Egypcyane wytches Lyke as our sauyour in the blessed sacrament turneth the brede into hys owne body y t holy holesome serpent that deuowreth all the poysened serpentes of hell and was therfore figured by the brasyn serpent that Moyses dyd sette vp in the maner of a crosse in the desert the byhol dyng wherof deuowred destroyed the venym of all the poysen serpent that had stongen any man there The. xvii chapyter ANd all be it that I she we you good chrysteÌ„ readers saint Cyrilles wordes and hys exposycyon vpon the place bycause maister Masker shall not make men wene y u I make all the mater of myn owne hed yet semeth me that our sauyour declareth thys mater wyth playne wordes bym selfe For what can be playner wordes than are hys owne whan that vppon theyr wunderynge and theyr murmuryng question how can he gyue vs his flesshe to eate he said vnto theÌ„ Ueryly veryly I say to you but yf you eate the flesh of y t sone of man drink his bloud ye shall not haue lyfe in you He y t eateth my flesh drynketh my bloude hath lyfe euer lastynge and I shall rayse hym vppe agayne in the laste daye For my flesshe is veryly meate and my bloud is veryly drynke He that eateth my flesh and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym ¶ In these wordes ye se good readers howe playnely that our lorde sheweth theym bothe the profyte of the receyuynge and the peryll of the refusynge and also bothe that he not onely speketh of his very body and bloud whyche thyng mayster Masker agreeth but ouer that also that he more playnely and more precysely sayth that they shold veryly eate it and drynke it whyche thyng mayster Masker denyeth and yet is that the thynge that our sauyour in these wor des most specyally laboreth to make theym byleue For that he spake of hys very flessh they perceyued well inough But that he wold haue them verily eate it that they thoughte such a maner thynge that they neyther wolde do nor could byseue bycause they myssetoke the maner thereof wenynge that they sholde eate it in dede peces cutte out as the bochers cutte the bestes in the shammellys ¶ And Cryst therfore wold at thys tyme for theyr arrogaunt infydelyte as saynte Cyrill hath told you no thynge declare them of the maner of hys geuynge it to be veryly eaten not in the proper forme of flesshe as they flesshely imagyned but in the forme of bred in the blessed sacrameÌ„t bycause as Theophilactus declared you men sholde not abhorre to eate it But leuynge that vntaught tyll the tyme of hys maundy souper where as saynte Cyrill hath also she wed you he taught it his faithfull dyscyples at the instytucyon of that blessed sacrament he laboreth as I say in these wordê here most speciall wyth as playne wordes as can be de 〈◊〉 to tell them and make them by leue that they shall veryly eate hys flesshe Whyche thyng for any thyng that he could say to them they were so hard harted that they wolde not byleue hym ¶ And yet is mayster Masker here mych more obdurate now and mych more faythlesse to than all they were than For bothe he hauyng herd what Criste sayd to those 〈◊〉 than also what he taught his faythfull dyscyples at hys maundy after and what all holy doctours and sayntes haue sayde theron and byleued euer synnys yet wyll he with a few fond heretykes take a folysshe fro
warde waye and byleue the contrary or at the leste wyse saye that he byleueth y e contrary But in good sayth y t they veryly byleue as they say that can I not byleue except that of y e scrypture and the chrysten fayth these folke by leue nothyng at all And so vpon my fayth I fere me that you shall se it proue at laste as appereth by somof them that so begynne all redy and haue in some places put forth suche poysen in wrytynge ¶ But surely though neyther any man had euer wryten vppon these wordes of Cryste nor our sauyour bym selfe neuer spoken word therof after that euer had in wrytyng comeÌ„ into meÌ„nys hands yet are these wordes here spokeÌ„ so playne so ful that they must nedes make any man that were wyllyng to byleue hym clerly perceyue and knowe that in one maner or other he wolde gyue vs hys awne very flesshe verely to be recey ued and eaten For whan the Iewys sayd how can he geue vs his flesshe to eate He answered them with no sophims but with a very playn open tale tolde them they sholde neyther dystruste that he could on hys parte geue them his flesshe to eate nor yet refuse vppon theyr parte to eate it if euer they wolde be saued As though he wold say Maruayle you and mys truste you my word and aske how I can geue you mine own flesh to eate I wyll not tell you how I can geue it nor in what forme or fasshyon ye shall eate it but this I wyll tell you neyther in tropis allegories nor parables but euyn for a very playne trouth y e eate ye shall my very flessh in dede yf euer ye purpose to be saued ye and drynke my very bloude to For but yf you be content to eate and wyth a trewe fayth to eate the flessh of the sone of man and drynke hys bloude ye shall not haue lyfe in you But who so wyth a trewe well wurkynge fayth eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude he hath euerlastynge lyfe Not onely bycause he ys as sure to haue it whan the tyme shall come as though he had it all redy by reasoÌ„ of the promyse that Chryste here ma keth where he sayth And I shall re suscitate and rayse hym 〈◊〉 at the last day but also for that the very body of Cryste that he receyueth is very lyfe euerlastyng of it selfe and such a lyfe as to them that well wyll receyue it in trew fayth and purpose of good lyuynge it is the thynge that is able to gyue lyfe quyknesse euer lastynge For as the godhed is of his owne nature 〈◊〉 lyfe so is the flesshe ioyned in vnyte of person to the godhed by that immedyate coÌ„iunccyon and vnyte made bothe euer lastyng lyuely in it selfe and also euerlasting lyfe to the geuyng of life euerlastyngly to all other that well and wurthely receyue hym and wyll perseuer and abyde wyth hym For though euery maÌ„ here naturally dye for the whyle yet shall Chryst as he promyseth here reyse resuscytate hym agayne to euerlastynge lyfe in the laste daye The. xviii chapyter ANd to shew more and more that he meneth playnely of very eatynge and very drynkynge he sayth my flesshe is veryly meate my bloude is veryly drynke 〈◊〉 these wordes sayth saynt Cyril thus Chryste here declareth the dyfference agayne bytwene the mystycall benedyccyon that ys to wytte the blessed sacrament and manna and bytwene the water flowynge out of the stone and the coÌ„munioÌ„ of the holy bloude And thys he repeteth agayne to the entent they sholde no more merueyle of y e myracle of manna but that they sholde rather receyue hym whyche is the heuynly brede and the gyuer of eternall lyfe your father 's sayd oure sauyour dyd eate maÌ„na in the desert and they be deade But thys brede is descended from heuyn that a man sholde eate therof and not dye For the meate of manna brought not eter nall lyfe but a short remedy agaynst hunger And therfore manna was not the very meate that is to wytte manna was not the brede from heuen but the holy body of Chryst that ys the meate that noryssheth to immortalyte and eternall lyfe ye sayth some man but they dranke water out of the stone But what wanne they by that for deade they be and therfore that was not y t very drynke but the very drynke ys the drynke of Chryste by whyche death ys vtterly turned vppe and destroyed For it ys not the bloude of hym that ys onely man but the bloude of that man whych beynge toyned to the naturall lyfe that ys to wytte the godhed ys made also lyfe hym selfe Therfore we be the body and the meÌ„bres of Chryste For by thys blessed sacrament we receyue the very sone of god hym selfe ¶ Here you se good readers that saynte Cyrillus playnely declareth here y t these wordes of Chryst My 〈◊〉 is veryly meate c. are spoken and ment of hys holy flesshe in the blessed sacrament of whyche mayster Masker in all hys exposycyon and in all his hole wyse wurke telieth vs playnely the contrary But saynte Cyrillus is here open and playne bothe for that poynte for the hole mater For who can more playnly declare any thyng thaÌ„ y t holy doctour declareth in these wordê y t in the blessed sacrameÌ„t is veryly eaten and dronken the very blessed body holy bloude of Chryst. And yet doth not saynt Cyrillus say it more opeÌ„ly than 〈◊〉 our sauyour in hys 〈◊〉 wordes hymselfe ¶ And now ferther to shewe that it must nedys be so that he whyche eateth hys flesshe drynketh his bloud muste nedes be resuscytate reysed agayne in body to euerlastynge lyfe our sauyour addeth therunto saith He that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym Uppon whyche wordes also thus sayth holy saynt Cyrill ¶ Lyke as yl a man vnto molteÌ„ wex put other wex it can not be but that he shall thorow out mengle the tone wyth the tother so yf a man receyue the flesshe and the bloude of our lord worthely and as he 〈◊〉 it can not be but that he shall be so ioyned wyth Chryst as Chryst shal be wyth hym he wyth Chryst. ¶ Thus may you good readers se how veryly a man eateth in the sacra ment the 〈◊〉 body of Cryst and by that eatynge how eche of them is in other And than yf he so perseuer how can it be that that body shall haue euerlastynge deth in whych there is 〈◊〉 euerlastynge lyfe For as ye haue herd the body of Chryste is by the coÌ„iunccyon wyth his godhed made euerlastynge lyfe ¶ But this is ment as I saye and all the holy doctours do declare the same of them that receyue the sacrament not onely sacramentally but also effectually That is to wyt of them that not onely receyue the body of our sauyour by the sacrament into theyr bodyes
own soule is another maner of heuynly brede and shal be gyuen you to eate for another maner of purpose For manna that was geuen your fathers to eate for the onely sustinaūce of theyr tēporall lyfe was but a fygure of this brede thus geuyn you to eate as I shal begyn to geue it at my maūdy souper the maner wherof I wyll not tell you now And therfore as the figure or y e shadow of a thyng is farre fro the propertye of y e thyng it selfe so was the brede of manna farre fro the propertye of this brede y t is my flesshe For lyke wyse as bycause it was a fygure of thys brede that is very lyfe it serued for the sus stynaunce of lyfe so bycause it was but a fygure and not the very lyfe it selfe it serued therfore not to geue lyfe but to sustayne life not for euer but for a whyle But this brede that is my flesshe whyche I shall geue you as veryly to eate as euer your fathers dyd eate manna bycause it is not the fygure onely of the thynge that is lyfe but is also by cōiuncciō with the godhed the very lyfe it self that was figured I shall geue it you to eat in such a maner that it shal not onely mayntayn fede and sustayne the body of the eater in thys present lyfe but it shall also gyue lyfe ye that euersastynge lyfe in glory not onely to y e soule but also to the body to in tyme mete and conuenyent raysynge it vy agayne from deth and settynge it wyth the soule in eternall lyfe of euerlastynge blysse The. xx chapyter THys communycacyon wyth the Hewys had our lorde techynge in the synagoge at Caparnaū And many therfore of hys dyscyples herynge these thynger sayde Thys word is hard and who can here hym ¶ The more and more that our sauyour playnely tolde them that he wolde geue them hys very fsesshe to eate the more and more meruelouse harde they thought his sayenge and rekened that it was impossyble for any man to byleue it And therfore for lacke of bylyefe they loste the profyt And these that thus thought thys mater so meruelouse harde and straunge that they wolde not byleue but for lacke of bylyefe lost the profyte were not onely such Iewes as were his enemies but many of those also that were his owne dyscyples ¶ But oure sauyour knowynge in hym selfe as he that was god and neded no man to tell hym that hys dyscyples murmured at his wordes bycause he tolde them so often and so playnely that men shold haue no life but yf they wolde be content veryly to eate hys owne flessh he sayd vnto them Doth thys offende you do you stumble at thys what than yf you shall se the sone of man ascende vppe where as he was before The spyryt is that that quyckeneth the flessh auayleth nothing The wordes that I haue spoken to you be spirit lyfe ¶ In these 〈◊〉 our lorde 〈◊〉 tely to 〈◊〉 all theyr objectyōs gro wynge vpon theyr infydelyte also confuteth theyr infidelyte and in hys word after folowyng putteth them yet agayne in mynde of the medicine y t might remoue theyr vnfaithfulnes geue them the very fast fayth ¶ The Iewes had byfore murmu red agaynst that that he had sayde y t he was descēded frō heuyn Agaynst whiche they sayd Is not he the sone of Ioseph whose father and mother we know And how sayth he thā that he is descended from heuyn And a great pyece of theyr murmure therin arose as ye se vppon that poynt that they had mysse conceyued wenyng y t Joseph had ben his father For had they beleued that his māhed had ben conceyued by y e holy goste they wold haue murmured y t lesse And had they byleued y t his godhed had descēded in to it from heuyn they wold not haue murmured at all ¶ In Lyke wise they murmured at the secūd poynt in that he shewed thē so playnely y t he wold geue them his very flesshe to be theyr very mete sayd how can he gyue vs his flesh to eate And many of his dysciples sayd also this is an hard word who may here hym And a great parte of theyr murmure was bycause they thought that they shold haue eaten his fleshe in y e self fseshly forme bycause as sa it Austayn saith in sundry 〈◊〉 y t they thought they shold haue eaten his fleshe in dede gobbettes cut out piecemele as the meat is cut out in y e shamelles also bycause they knew him not to be god For had thei knowē that the maner in whyche he wolde geue them hys very flesshe to eate shold not be in the self same fleshelp forme but in the pleasaunt forme of brede though they wolde yet haue meruayled bycause they woide haue thought it wonderfull yet wold they haue murmured the lesse bycause they wold not haue thought it lothely But thā had they ferther knowē that he had ben god than wolde they not I suppose haue murmured at the mater at all For I wene veryly that there were neyther of those disciples nor of those Iewes neyther any one so euyll as now be mayster Masker fryth hys felowes that seynge the receyuyng nothynge lothesome and byleuynge that Cryst was god yf they byleue it wyll not yet byleue he can do it but murmur grudg agaynst it styll ¶ For though mayster Masker say that yf Cryst sayd he wold do it than hym selfe wold byleue he could do it yet it shall appere ere we part both that Cryst sayth it And he wyll not byleue that Cryst though he say it meneth it And also that the cause why he wyll not byleue that Cryste meneth it is bycause he byleueth that god can not do it ¶ But now sayd our sauyour vnto them in answerynge all thys gere Do you stumble at thys what yf ye se the sone of man ascende vp where he was before what wyl you thā say For than could they haue no cause to distruste that he descended downe whan they shold se hym ascende vp For that thynge semeth in mennys madde eyen suche as they were that wolde not take hym but for a man farre the gretter maystry of the both ¶ Also whan they sholde se hym ascende vp to heuyn whole than sholde they well perceyue that they mysse toke hym by a false imagynacyon of theyr owne deuyce whan they constre wed the geuynge of hys fleshe to eate as though he ment to gyue it thē in such wyse as hym selfe shold lose all that they sholde eate ¶ And whan he sayde they sholdse the sone of man ascend vp there as he was byfore he gaue them agayne a sygnyfycacyō that hym selfe y e sone of man was the sone of god also and therby hym selfe god also into the worlde comen and descended from heuyn ¶ In these wordes our sauyour she weth that his ascensyō shold be a
sufficient cause to make them knowe his power leue theyr murmuryng And therfore they that leue not murmuryng at his blessed sacramēt yet shew a great token that they byleue not his wonderfull ascensiō neyther For yf they byleued well that he had power of hym selfe to ascende vp in body and syt in heuen one equale god with his father the holy goost than wold they 〈◊〉 wene as they do y t god lacked power to make hys owne body to be in dyuer se places at onys and be both in heuen and erth The. xxi chapyter BUt now for as mych as 〈◊〉 parte of these folkes diffydence and distrust rose of that that the respecte of the lothsomnes made thē the lesse wyllynge to byleue in that they thought that he ment to geue them his flesshe to eate in gobbettes cutte out dede wythout lyfe or spyryte our sauyour answered them to that poynt And though he wold not at that tyme tell them the maner how he wolde geue it them to eate yet he tolde them that he wolde not geue it them so And therfore he sayd vnto them The spirit is it that quycketh or geueth lyfe the flesshe auayleth nothyng The wordes which I haue spoken to you be spyrit and lyfe ¶ As though he wold say vnto thē I tolde you before that who so wold eate my fleshe sholde haue euerlastyng lyfe And therfore why be you so madde as to wene that I mene my fleshe cut out in gobbettes dede wythout lyfe or spyryt it is the spirit that geueth lyfe And therfore without the spirit the fleshe shold auayle you nought But beyng knytte with the spirite of my godhed whyche is the substaunce and very foūtayne of lyfe so it shal to them that worthyly eate it geue euerlastynge lyfe And therfore the wordes that I speke be not onely fleshe for y t wyll no more geue lyfe alone thā wyll fayth alone geue life that is dede without y e wyll of good wurkes But my wordes therfore that I haue spoken to you of my fleshe to be eaten be not fleshe alone but spyryte also and lyfe Therfore you muste vnderstande them not so fleshely as you do that I wolde geue you my fleshe in gobbettes dede but you must vnderstād them spyrytually that you shall eate it in an other maner animated wyth my soule and ioyned with the spyrite of my godhed by whych my flessh is it self made not onely lyuely but also geuynge lyfe ¶ Thus ment our lord in those wor des Wherin leste mayster masker myght make men wene that I runne all at ryotte vppon myne own 〈◊〉 holy saynte Austayne sheweth that in these wordes The spyryt it is y t quyckeneth the fleshe auayleth no thyng Our sauyour meneth that his flesh dede without y e spirit auayleth nothyng as cūnyng nothyng auayleth without cherite without whiche as sait Paule saith it doth but puffe vp a mā in pride But on y e totherlide lyke as cūnyng mych edifyeth profiteth ioyned with cheryte so y e flesh of our sauiour mych auayleth ioyned wyth hys holy spyryte ¶ Saynt Cyrill also vppon y e same wordes declarynge them by a longe processe to the purpose that I haue shewed you saith among many other thynges in thys maner as it were in the person of Cryst spekyng to those Iewes to those dyscyples of hys that sayde his wordes were so hard that no man could abide to here hym which they sayd as sayth saynt Chrisostom for theyr own excuse bycause them self were about to walke theyr way To them therfore sayth our sa uyour thus in saynt Cyrilles exposi cyon wene you whā I sayd that who so eate my flesh shal haue euerlasting lyfe that I ment therin that this erthely body of myne doth gyue lyfe of his own proper nature Nay veryly But I dyd speke to you of the spyryt and of eternall lyfe But it is not the nature of the flesshe that maketh the spyryt geue lyfe but the power of the spyryte maketh the fleshe geue lyfe The wordes therfore y t I haue spoken to you be spirit lyfe that is to wytte they be spyrituall spoken of the spirit and lyfe that is to wytte of y e spirit y t is the natural life y e geueth lyfe But yet the thyng y t we haue all redy said it shal do no harme though we repete it agayn The thing that I haue sayd is this The nature of the flesh can not of it self geue lyfe For what had thā the nature of y e gddhed more But thā on y e tother syde there is not ī Crist onely flesh but he hath y e sone of god ioyned with it which is y e squale substaūs of life with his fader And therfore whan Cryst calleth hys fleshe a geuer of lyfe that power of geuynge lyfe he doth not attrybute vnto his fleshe and vnto hys holy spi rite bothe of one fashyon For the spiryte geueth lyfe by it selfe and of hys owne nature But the fleshe ascēdeth vnto that power of geuynge lyfe by reason of the coniunccyon and vnyte that it hath wyth that holy spyryte How be it how and by what meane that thynge is done we neyther are able with tōge to tell nor with mynd to imagyne but wyth sylence ferme fayth we receyue it ¶ Thus haue you herde good readers that the thynge that I saye do not onely I say but saynt Austayne also and saynt Cyrill both Whych is inough to you to perceyue that I dyuyse not myne exposyciō all of myne owne hed and may be inough to any good chrysten man also to perceyue clerefy that our sauyour in these wor des dyd speke not onely of a spyrytuall eatynge of his fleshe by bylyes and remembraunce of hys deth and passyon as mayster Masker fryth and these fond felowes styffely bert vs in hande but spake also and ment it of the remembrynge of hys deth passyon by the very eatynge of hys very blessed body as it is eaten in the blessed sacrament The. xxii chapyter BUt these heretykes are so sette vppon myschyefe and wysfulnesse that they wyll not in any wyse vnderstand the truth And how coulde they vnderstande the trouth whan they wyll not byleue For as the prophete Esaie sayth but yf you byleue you shal not vnderstand And therfore these heretykes can not vnderstand For they be in the case now that those dyscyples those Iewes were with whom our sauyour foūde that faute than in his wordes nexte ensuenge sayd But there be some of you that byseue not as though he word say as playnely as I haue told it you and as oftē yet are there some of you y t byleue it not But he knewe from the begynnynge who shold byleue and who also sholde betraye hym ¶ And so knoweth he lyke wise now to who be good and who be nought and who shall amende and who shall neuer amende Not that
¶ Mayster maskers exposycyon of these wordes I wyll not saye ouer hardely to hym is I promyse you good readers very bare and lefte of so shortely and haÌ„deled so slenderly that his owne frendes coulde here scant thynke any other thaÌ„ that leuer than he woldÌ„ lay hardely to y e Iewes charge the fawte of theyr owne infidelyte he had leuer lay it in the necke of the father of heuen there leue it ¶ Those wordes and all the worde of Cryst in whiche is any hardnesse his exposycyon so smothely walketh ouer them that he gyueth no lyghte vnto the vnderstandynge of them no more than yf he neuer touched them ¶ The bretherne can not bere that my writynge is so longe But surely it is no maystry for a man to be short that can fynde in his harte to do as mayster masker dothe leue all the harde places vndeclared ¶ For he no where stycketh but vppon the places in whyche he falsely laboreth by the colour of his exposycyon of a spyrytuall eatyng by fayth to hyde and withdrawe the very lytterall trewth and the very fayth in dede by whiche our sauyour techeth vs to byleue that the thynge whych in the blessed sacrament we spyrytually muste eate and bodyly bothe is his owne very flesshe in dede The. vii chapyter IN the ende of the fourth lefe he expouneth these wordê of Crist And this brede that I shall aeue you is myne owne flesshe whyche I shall geue for the lyfe of the worlde And for as myche as at those worde specyally bygynneth bytwen hym and me the waye to parte in twayne and he to go the tone and I the tother he drawynge it all to that poynt as though Chryst there began to shew them none other thynge of his flesshe but the geuynge it vppon the crosse and that he nothynge in all those wordes ment to tell them of the geuynge of his fleshe to eate that he gyueth in the blessed sacrament and I there expownynge it that he there telleth them of bothe but specyally of the geuynge of his flesshe to be eaten whyche ge gyueth in the blessed sacrament therfore at those wordes good readers begynne to take specyall good hede to mayster Maskers fyngers For there he specyally begynneth to playe a mummers cast with his false dice. And therfore conferre his exposycyon vpon the same wordes wyth myne and than shal ye byd hym caste agayne for that caste goth for nought The. vii chapyter IN the fyfthe lefe thus he sayth No meruayle was it though these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iewes abhorred the bodyly eatynge of Lhry fles fleshe albe it our flellhefy papyftes beyng of the Iewes carnall opynyon yet abhore it not ¶ What thynge more false more folisshe or more blasphemouse could any brute beste say than this For the Iewes had an opinion that he wold haue them eate his fleshe in the very forme of flesshe and as saynte Austayne sayth they thought they shod eate it dede cutte out in gobbettes as sheprs flesshe is in the shamellys And now is not mayster masker ashamed to rayle vppon all good chry sten people vnder the name of papystes and saye that they be all of the Iewes carnall opinion Doth any man that receyueth the blessed sacrament thynke as y e Iewes thought that the flesshe of Chryste that he re ceyueth is in forme of fleshe cut out in gobbettes as shepys fleshe is sold in the shamells and not in forme of brede If mayster masker were now bare faced hym selfe he were wonderfull shamelesse yf he coulde endure to loke any man in the face for shame ¶ Now as this was good readers wryten as you se moste falsefy that he sayth we be of the Iewes opinioÌ„ so where he sayth y t we abhorre not to eate Chrystes flesshe in the sacrament that is yet wryten ye se well as folysshly ¶ For the wyse goodnes of god hath as the olde holy doctours declare ge uyn vs his flesshe not in forme of flessh but in forme of brede bycause we sholde not abhorre it And therefore what horryble syghte seeth thys fole in y e blessed sacrameÌ„t for whiche he sholde abborre to receyue it But where was there euer a more blasphemouse bestely worde spoken than this frantyke fole speketh here y t mocheth and rayleth vpon all good chrysten people in this xv C. yere bycause they do not abhorre to receyue the blessed body of Cryste in such wyse geuen vs by Chryste that no creature can abhorre it but eyther deuyls or deuyls felowes 〈◊〉 The. ix chapyter THan sayeth mayster Masker ferther in the same place Neyther ceace they dayely to crucylye and offre vp Chryst agayne whyche was onys for euer and all offred vp as Poule testyfyeth hebre 9. ¶ To what lewd boldenes it geueth whan a man maye walke about in a vysor vnknowen Mayster masker careth not what he sayth whyle hys vysor of dyssymulacyon is on that men knowe hym not For who sayth that Chryst is dayly new crucyfyed Trouth it is that the chyrche sayth that Chryst is at y e awter euery daye offered his owne blessed body in the sacrameÌ„t This of trouth the chyrch sayth and that Chryste is our dayly sacryfyce But no man sayth that he is dayly crucyfied of new and dayly put to new payne But as he was vnys crucyfyed and kylled offered on the crosse so is that one deth oblacyon and sacrifice dayly represented by the selfe same body y e onely quicke sacryfyce and oblacyon that god hath lefte vnto his new chrysten chyrche instede of all the manyfold sacryfyces and obsacyons of this olde synagoge the Iewes And that ye maye knowe y t I fayne you not fantasyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 declareth it very playnely whose wordes are these what is that than that we do Do not we offre dayly yes forloth But we do it in remeÌ„brance of hys deth And thys hooste is one hooste not many Now is it one hooste and not many For bycause that hooste was onys offered and was offered into 〈◊〉 holyest tabernacle and 〈◊〉 sacryfyce is a copte or example of that we offer alwaye the selfe same Nor we offre not now one lambe to 〈◊〉 ano ther but 〈◊〉 the same This sacryfyce 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one For ellys bycause it is 〈◊〉 in many places at ones ate there many 〈◊〉 veryly For it is but one Crist euery where being bothe here hole there hole one 〈◊〉 For in lyke maner as he that is 〈◊〉 euery where is but one body and not many bodyes so it is also but one sacryfyce And he is our bysshop that 〈◊〉 the hooste that clenseth vs we offre 〈◊〉 also the same hooste 〈◊〉 was than offered and can 〈◊〉 be consumed And thys that we do is done in remembraunce of that that was done For he fayth do ye this in remebraunce of me It is none other sacryfyce as it is none other bysshop but alwaye we do the same or rather we make a remembraunce of that same
sacryfyce ¶ what wordes can there he 〈◊〉 to proue mayster Masker a very fonde blasphemouse 〈◊〉 thanne these by whyche this holy doctour saynt Crysostome agaynst mayster Masker mockynge here the masse 〈◊〉 his false foly clerely And not onely sheweth that it is a sacrifice and an 〈◊〉 but also she weth that it is the dayly 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 fame offryng sacrifisyng by which he was sacrifysed offred vp on the 〈◊〉 And yet to stoppe maister mas 〈◊〉 mouth in y e hole mater he she 〈◊〉 y t this 〈◊〉 this blessed sacrifice the sacrament of the awter is all one oblacyon all one hoste though it be offred at onys in neuer so many places And he she weth also that it is y e very self same body that was offred on the crosse And that in thys sacryfyce of offerynge vp the selfe 〈◊〉 body in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 as a 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 after a 〈◊〉 and do 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 same sacry fyee by which Chryst the very selfe same body was 〈◊〉 on the croffe ¶ Nowe can mayster Masker more playnely 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 than saynt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foundeth hym vpon 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 foly she 〈◊〉 he mouse 〈◊〉 of his wyth whyche be realeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chyrche and sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as though the chyrch at this day 〈◊〉 put Cryst to new payne bycause his deth is represented in the masse and of his goodnes his very blessed body offered vp dayly a swete sacryfyce for our synnys ¶ Lracian also recyteth in y e decrees for our purpose in euery ponnt as effectuall wordes of saynt Ambrose de consecrat distinctione 2. cap. In Chrysto semef ¶ Saynt Austayne also in the. xvi booke de ciuitate dei sayth of the holy masse in this wyse That sacryfyce is succeded into the place of all those sacryfyces of the old lawe whyche sacryfyces were offered for a shadow of the thynge to come And for y t cause also we knowe that voyce in the. xxxix psalme the prophe cye of our medyatour Chryste where he sayth Sacryfyce oblacyon thou woldest not haue but the body thou hast perfyted me For in the stede of all those sacryfyces and oblacyons his body is offered and mynistred vnto them that wylbe part takers of it ¶ What speke I of saynt Crysostome and saynt Austayne all the old holy doctours and sayntes of chryste chyrche without any excepcion were euer more clere in thys poynt that mayster Masker here now denyeth and thus iesteth on that the blessed sa crament in the masse is a sacry fyce an oblacyon ¶ And this can not mayster Masker hym selfe denye For his owne fyrste mayster Martyn Luther the late well sprynge of all this flode of heresyes in hys pestysent booke of babilonica puttynae forth this heresye that mayster Masker towcheth here y t the blessed sacramēt in y e masse is no sacrifice nor none oblaciō obiec teth agarnst hym selfe saith thus Now muste we take awaye another occasyon of ruyne that is that the masse is euery where byleued to be a sacryfyce that is offered vnto god And for that opyniō semen to sowne the canon of the masse where it is sayd these gyftes these holy sacryfyces this oblacyon and offrynge And therfore is Chryste called the hoste or sacryfyce of the awter Than cometh there also on this parte the sayenges or sentences of the holy fathers and than so many exemples ¶ Agaynst all these thynges bycause they be very fastely receiued we must very constantely obiecte the wordes ensample of Chryste at his maūdy ¶ And afterward he sayth agayne what shall we say than to the canon of the masse and to the sayenges of the olde holy doctours and sayntes I say that yf we haue nothynge ellys to say let vs yet rather denye them all than graunte that the masse shold be any good wurke or any sacryfyce leste we sholde denye the worde of Cryste and cast downe fayth 〈◊〉 and all ¶ Thus you se good readers that Luther hym selfe confesseth that in thys heresye agaynste the sacryfyce and oblacyon of the masse whyche mayster Masker with two other he resyes to bryngeth here forth now the olde holy doctours and sayntes are agaynst hym and than were we wyse yf we wolde wene that Martyne Luther mayster masker euyll chrysten heretykes vnderstand Chri stes wordes better than euerdyd all the holy doctours of chrystes chyrch before ¶ And thus you se good readers what a compendyouse wryter mayster masker is that hath in lesse than thre lynes compacted vp together such thre abomynable blasphemouse heresyes as the deuyll hym selfe neuer deuysed vurse ¶ In the syxte the. vii the. viii the ix the. x. lefe he hath certayne argumentes agaynst all men in generall that expoune those wordes of Cryst in the syxte chapyter of Iohin̄ to be spoken and ment of the very eatynge of his blessed body in the sacrament and not onely of a spyrytuall eatyng by bysyefe of hys deth And some solucyons hath he there suche as they be agaynste myne argument in specyaff made vnto Fryth All whyche thynges I wyll sorte into theyr places a parte from his exposycyon so that ye maye se some of the fawtes of his exposycyon by them selfe and his argumentes answered by them selfe and his solucyons auoyded by them selfe and the notable notes that he maketh of my notable repugnaūces laste of all layed open to you by them selfe bycause I wyll laye all thynge in ordre playne before your eyen so that whan ye se the thynge in such wyse before you without interlacynge ruffle confusyon ye shall the more easyly iudge whyther mayster Masker in his mummery be an honest man or ellys a false haserder and play with false dyce The. x. chapyter IN the. xi lefe after that in the tother tenne byfore he had spokē many tymes of fayth alone and that the onely byliefe of farre fewer thynges than we be bounden in dede to byleue whan it were onys hadde sholde bothe satysfye the soule also make vs saufe foreuer it appereth in that lefe y t eyther hys own mynde beganne to mysse geue hym or ellys some other wyly brother gaue hym warnynge that this maner wrytyng of fayth alone wolde make all the worlde to wonder on hym For Luther hym selfe wrytynge fyrste on the same fasshyon that faythe alone was suffycyent for saluacyon though it pleased idle vnthryftes ve ry well that were glad to be by bare fayth dyscharged of al good wurks it was yet so sore abhorred among all honest men y t both hym selfe all his secte were fayne to seke some plasters of false gloses to he le y e foule marmole of theyr skabbed shynnys that they hadde gotten by that texte of theyr false fayth alone ¶ And than they sayed y t they ment that maner fayth that hadde alwaye bothe hope and cheryte wyth it But than coulde not that glose serue them For that
For he confuteth you mayster Masker you se well a lytell more clerer than I. And than whyther of them twayne ye shal byleue and take for the more credyble man mayster Masker or holy saynt Chrysostom euery mannye owne wytte that any wyt hath wyll well serue hym to se. The. iiii chapyter BUt mayster Masker to shewe you a ferther declaracyon of his wytte forth with vpon his wyse and wurshypfull exposycyon of those wordes of Chryst he repeteth that fonde argument agayne that Chryst ment not of eatynge his flesshe in the sacrament bycause that yf he hadde ment it he coulde and wolde haue de clared his menynge more playnely And in that mater thus maister Mas ker sayth Here myght Chryste haue 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 the trouth of the eatynge of hys fieshe in forme of brede had thys ben his menynge For he 〈◊〉 them neuer in any perplexite or dowt but sought all the wayes by symylytudes and famylyare examples to teche them playnely he neuer spake them so harde a parable but where he perceyued theyr feble ignoraunce anone he helpt them and declared it them ye and somtymes he preuented theyr askynge wyth his owne declaracyon And thynke ye not that he dyd not so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 veryly For he came to teache vs and not to leue vs in any dowt and ignoraunce especyally the chyefe poynt of our saluacyon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 standeth in the bylyefe in hys deth for our synnys Wherfore to put them out of all dowt as concernyng this eatyng of his flessh and drynkyng of his bloud that sholde geue euerlastynge lyfe where they 〈◊〉 it for his very body to be eaten with theyr tethe he sayed It is the 〈◊〉 that geueth this lyfe My flesshe profyteth nothynge at all to be eaten as 〈◊〉 meane so 〈◊〉 It is spyrytuall meate that I here speke of It is my spyryt that draweth the har tes of men to me by fayth and so refresheth them gostesy ye be therfore carnal to thynke that I speke of my flesshe to be eaten bodyly For so it profyteth yow nothynge at all How longe wyll you be wyth out vnderstandyng It is my spyryte I tell you that geueth lyfe My flesshe profyteth you nothynge to eate it but to byleue that it shal be crucyfyed suffre for the redempcyon of the worlde it profyteth And when ye thus byleue than eate 〈◊〉 my flesshe and drynke my bloude that is ye byleue in me to suffre for your synnes The veryte hath spoken these wor des My flesshe profyteth nothyng at all it canne not therfore be false For bothe the Iewes and hys dyscyples murmured and dysputed of his flessh how it sholde be eaten and not of the offerynge therof for our synnes as Chryst ment Thys therfore is the fure anker to holde vs by agaynst all the obieccions of the 〈◊〉 for the eatynge of Chrystes body as they say in forme of brede Chryst sayd My flesh profyteth nothyng menyng to eate it bodely Thys is the key that solueth all theyr argumentes openeth the waye to shew 〈◊〉 all theyr false and abomy nable 〈◊〉 lyes vppon Chrystes wordes and vttereth theyr sleyght ingesynge ouer the brede to mayntayne 〈◊〉 kyngdome therwyth And thus when Chryste had declared it and taught them that it was not the bodyly eatynge of hys materyall body but the eatynge wyth the spyryte of faythe he added sayenge The wordes whyche I here speke vnto you 〈◊〉 spyryte and lyfe that is to saye thys mater that I here haue spoken of with so many wordes must be spyrytually vnderstanden to geue ye this lyfe euerlastynge wherfore the cause why ye vnderstand me not is that ye byleue not Here is lo the conclusyon of all hys sermon ¶ Many a fonde processe haue I redde good chrysten readers but neuer redde I neyther a more folysshe nor a more false than this is For the effecte and the purpose of al this pro cesse is that Chryst in all his wordes spoken in thys syxte chapiter of saint IohnÌ„ ment nothynge of the eatyng of his blessed body in the blessed sacrament but onely of an alle gorycal eatynge of his body by whyche he ment onely that they sholde byleue that he sholde be crucyfyed 〈◊〉 shedde his bloude and dye for redempcyon of the worlde ¶ Now that our saniour bysyde al such allegories other spirituall vnderstaÌ„dings playnely ment of y e very eatyng of his blessed body in the bles sed sacrament you haue good reders all redy sene by so many holy doctours and sayntes whose playn wor des I haue rehersed you that no maÌ„ can dowte but that in the whole conclusyon of his argument and his exposycyon mayster 〈◊〉 hath a shamefull fall except any maÌ„ dowt whyther mayster Masker be better to be byleued alone or those holy doc tours amonge them all ¶ But now thys false conclusyon of hys how febly and how folyshely he defendeth y t is euyn a very great pleasure to se. ¶ In this processe hath he ii poynts The fyrste is that Chryste coulde wolde haue made it open and playne in thys place by clere and euydent worde yf he had ment of the eatynge of his flesshe in the sacrament The second is that by these wordê It is the spyryte that geueth lyfe my fleshe profyteth nothynge at all The wordes that I haue spoken to you be spyryte and lyfe Chryste doth playn and clerely declare both that he ment not the eatynge of his flesshe in the sa crament and also that he ment onely the bylyefe that he sholde dye for the synne of the worlde ¶ Now touchynge his fyrste folysh poynt I haue confuted it all redy shewed you some samples where Chryste coulde at some tyme haue declared the mater mych more openly than he dyd and that in great maters of our fayth For I thynke the sacrament of baptysme is a pryncypall poynt of our fayth And yet Chryste taught not Nichodemus all that he coulde haue tolde hym therin as I sayd before ¶ And longeth it nothyng to y e fayth to byleue the remyssyon of mortall sinnes I suppose yes And yet could Chryste yf he had wolde haue decla red more clerely those worde of his who so blaspheme the sone of man it shal be forgeuen hym But he that blasphemeth the holy gooste it shall neyther be forgeueÌ„ him in this world nor in the world to come ¶ No good chrysten man thynketh other but that it is a pryncypall artycle of the chrysten fayth to byleue y t Chryst is one equale god with his father And yet Chryste albe it that by all places sette togyther he hath declared it clere inough in conclusion to them that wyll not be wylfull contencyouse yet dyd he not in euery place where he spake therof declare the mater so clerely as he could haue done yf he than hadde wolde whiche appereth by that that in some other places he declared it more clerely af ter And yet in all the places of the
scrypture set togyther he hath not nor wolde not declare it in so playne wordes as he coulde haue done For than sholde there neuer haue neded any of those commeÌ„tes that all the holy doctours haue made vppon it synnys And surely so sayth Luther and these other heretykes that there neded none For all the scrypture they saye is open playne inough And therfore they put euery manne and woman vnlerned in boldenesse and corage to be in the scrypture suf ficyently theyr owne maysters them selfe But whyle they thus teache them they forgete that by theyr own techyng they shold holde theyr peace theÌ„ selfe And indede so were it good they dyd but yf they taught better ¶ And thus for his fyrst poynt you se good readers that mayster Masker maketh men perceyue hym for a dowble fole whan it was not inough for hym to come forth with this foly onys but he muste a goddes name brynge in this his one foly twyse The. v. chapyter NOw as to wchyng his second poynt in that it is a worlde to se how strongly the man haÌ„deseth it For where as Chryst hath by so many open playne worde before taught and declared that he wolde geue his owne flesshe to be eaten and his own bloude to be drunken and so often repeted it and in suche effectuall wyse inculked it and as who sholde saye bette it into theyr hedds that sauyng for the forme maner of the eatynge whyche he declared by his word and hys dede at his holy maundye 〈◊〉 as for to make men sure that veryly eate it and drynke it they sholde there could neuer more clere wordes haue ben of any man desyred nor by mayster Masker hym self deuysed now cometh mayster Masker forth with certayne wordes of Chryst by whithe he sayth that Chryste clerely declareth that he ment clere the coÌ„trary that is to wytte that his fleshe shold not be eaten and also that by thys worde eatyng of hys flesshe he ment nothynge ellys but the bylyefe of hys deth for mennys synnes ¶ Now the wordes of our sauyour that as mayster masker saith proue these two thynges are these It is the spyryte that geueth lyfe my flesh profyteth nothynge at all The wordes that I haue spoken to you be spy ryte and lyfe ¶ These wordes haue good reders in them selfe neyther any thynge in dysprofe of the very eatynge of hys flesshe nor for the profe that he ment the bylyefe of his deth For these wor des as saynte Austayne declareth speke not precysely agaynst y e eatyng of his fleshe as he ment to geue it them wrth the spyryte and the lyfe therin but agaynste the eatynge of his flesshe alone dede and cutte out in gobbettes as they coÌ„ceiued a false opinion that he ment to make theym eate it And as I haue shewed you before saynt Cyrill expouneth these wordes after the same maner and other holy doctours to And now yf ye rede agayn mayster maskers wor des here ye shall fynde that all that semeth to proue his purpose is onely the wordes of hym selfe nothynge the wordes of Chryst but hym selfe expounyng Chrystes worde in such wyse that as I haue shewed you saynt Austayne and saynt Cyrill and other holy doctours expoune it clere agaynste hym ¶ If his own argumeÌ„t were aught worth that he layeth against the inter pretacyon of all that expowne those wordes of Chryste to be spoken of the very eatynge by whiche we eate his blessed body in the sacrament it wolde make agaynste no man so sore as agaynst hym self euyn here in this place ¶ For if it be trew that he sayth that yf Chryst had ment of the eatyng of his flesh in the sacrament he myght wold haue in this place told it them playnely bycause he told them not that poynt out playnely therfore it is clere that he ment it not than say I that syth in these wordes whyche mayster Masker sayth is the very anker holde Cryst doth not so playnely declare that he 〈◊〉 by the eatynge of his flessh the bylyefe that he sholde dye for our synnys as he coulde yf he had wolde and wolde as mayster Masker sayth yf he had so ment Thys is therfore a playne profe by mayster Maskers argumeÌ„t agaynst mayster Maskers mynde y t our sauyour ment not so and than is all master Maskers mater go ¶ Now that our sauyour doth not here declare that poynt clerely that he ment nothynge but that they shold byleue that he sholde dye for theym I wyll haue mayster Maskers own wordes to bere me recorde whyche wyll I wene make mayster Masker somwhat wroth wyth hym selfe for wrytyng them in hym self so folyshely agaynste hym selfe ¶ For where he sayth that bothe the Iewes and the dyscyples murmured and dysputed of his flesshe how it sholde be eaten and not of the offerynge therof for our synnes thys declareth and wytnesseth well for our parte agaynste his own that our sauyour declared more playnely his mynde for the eatyuge of his flessh than for the offerynge therof to the deth for our synnys And of very trouth so he dyd in dede though mayster Masker saye naye an hundred tymes For of the eatyng of his flesh as I haue before said he spake very precysely and playnely and often and of his offerynge vp vppon the crosse he neuer spake playnely so mych as one worde ¶ For as for these wordes whyche maister masker calleth y e anker hold It is the spyrite that geueth this lyfe my fleshe profyteth nothynge at all hath not one playne word for his pur pose at all For all the vttermost that he coulde take of these wordes were no more but that Chryste sholde tell them that the spyryte is the thynge that geueth his flesshe the lyfe with out whiche of it selfe it coulde not profyte them at all and therfore the wordes that he spake were spyryte lyfe and to be vnderstanden spyrytually that they sholde eate his flesh wyth hys spyryte and not carnally that they sholde eate hys flessh alone without his spyryte cut out in dede peces of flesshe as they had conceyued a fonde opinion therof out of whyche he sayed all this to brynge them but yet not so mych as he could haue sayd and he had wold nor wold not bycause of theyr vnworthynesse to here it and yet that they shold eate his flessh he tolde them clere inough ¶ But as I say what one worde is there in all these wordê of his anchor holde wherby mayster Masker may take one handefull holde y t Chryste here shewed them so clerely that he ment the offerynge of hym selfe for our synnys he speketh iÌ„ al these wordes not one word of offeryng nor of crucifyeng nor of deth And by mayster Maskers owne argument yf he had ment y t way as he well could so he wold also haue told them playnly thus Sirs I mene not that you shal eate my flessh but y t you shall byleue y t I shall
theym clerely perceyue that they sholde eate fleshe in forme of brede yet at the tyme when the worde was fyrste spoken yt was not so playne for that mater but yt myght seme to theym that he vsed that worde brede but by maner of allegorye to sygnyfye there his fleshe bycause they sholde veryly eate yt as men eate brede ¶ Now se than good reader the mad nesse of mayster Maskar that sayeth here that that thyng must nedeshaue made thapostles wonder stonned and stagger at the time when Christ spake those wordes in the sext chapypyter of saynt John̄ at whych tyme euery chyld knoweth y t they though they well perceyued that they sholde veryly eate his fleshe yet they knew not that they shold eate it in forme of bred And how could it thā haue made them wonder that thyng I say that he speketh of and so sore exaggerateth to encrease the wonder that ys to wytte that his fleshe sholde be eaten in forme of bred and that as long as thycke as depe and as brode as yt was whan yt hanged on the crosse Nowe coulde thys thyng I saye haue made theym wonder at that tyme at whyche tyme they thoughte not of the eatynge therof in the forme of brede Nerd euer any man suche a madde argument as mayster Maskar hathe made vs here ¶ Nowe yf Chryste had there told theym in dede all that mayster Mas kar hath here putte in so folyshely to make the mater the more wonderful than wolde I denye hys maior And so wyll I do if hym self putte al that oute agayne and leue no more in hys maior than Chryste sayde in dede that is that they sholde veryly ease his fleshe haue life therby y t they shold not onely eate it bodyly but also spyrytually nor in dede gobettes wythoute lyfe or spyryte but quycke and ioyned wyth the lyuely 〈◊〉 by whyche yt sholde geue lyfe and wythoute whyche his fleshe of hys owne proper nature to the geuynge of lyfe coulde not auayle Nowe saye I that yf mayster Mas ker hadde made his maior of this all this had ben no cause for hys apostles to wonder nor to be stonned and stagger nor to murmure and grudge as they dyd that slypte awaye For as feble as mayster Maskar ma keth thapostles in the fayth of Crist yet at that tyme wythoute any suche maner of meruayle as myght make theym stonne and stagger and slyppe away from hym they byleued suche other thynges as were as harde to byleue as this and that wythout any farther inquysycyon at all ¶ For elles why shode they not at the same time haue meruayled of his ascensyon vppe to heuen and bene more inquysytyue therof For that was no lytle meruayle neyther and was one of the thynges that made y e Iewes and those disciples to stonne and stagger that there slypte awaye from hym ¶ Also they byleued y t he was god and hadde no such wonder therof as made theym stonne and stagger or be more inquisytyue therof whyche was as straūge a mater as was al the tother and which poynt ones byleued yt was 〈◊〉 to byleue the tother with out any suche maner of meruaylyng as shold make them eyther stonne or stagger therat ¶ No we as for beynge inquisytyue therof holy saint Chrisostome saith that as straunge as the thing was of eatynge his fleshe For y t men hadde benrysen from deth they had herd of in y e scripture before but y t one shold eate a nothers flesh saith saīt Chriso stome that had they neuer herd of yet they byleued Christes word and folowed forth styll confessed y t he had the wordes of euerlastyng lyfe and wold not be by by curiouse and inquisytiue as mayster Maskar saith they wold yf they had byleued hym that he ment of eatyng of his flesh in dede For saynt Chrysostome sayth That is y e parte of a discyple what so euer his mayster affermeth not to be curyouse and inquysytyue therof nor to make serche therin but to heare and byleue and yf they wolde any thynge forther be enformed abyde a conuenyent tyme. For they that dyd otherwyse were inquisytyue went awaye backe and that thorow theyr foly For sayth saynt Chrysostome whan so euer it comth in the mynde to aske the questyon how the thynge may be done than cometh there in to the mynde incredulyte therwith So was Nichodemus troubled asked Now maye a man be borne agayne whan he is olde Maye a man entre agayne into his mothers bely and be borne agayn And so the Iewes sayd here to how can he gyue vs his flesh to eate But thou Iewe yf thou aske that why dydest thou not aske that in lyke wise in the myracle of the fyue louys why dydest thou not thā aske how can he fede so many of vs with so lytell mete why dydest thou not aske by what meane he wolde dyd encreace it so mych The cause was bycause they cared but for the meate and not for the myracle But thou wylte peraduenture saye the thynge at that tyme declared and shewed it selfe But than I say agayne that of that manifest open myracle that they saw hym there wurke they shold haue byleued that he coulde do these thynges to that is to wyt these thynges that they now murmured at whā they sayd how can he gyue vs hys flesshe to eate For therfore saythe saynt Chrysostome dyd our sauiour wurke the tother myracle of his lyue louys byfore bycause he wolde therwith induce them that they shold not dystruste those thynges that he wold tell them after that is to wytte good readers of hys godhed and of the geuynge of hys fleshe to eate The. ix chapyter NOw good Chrsten readers here you se by saynt Chrysostome that though thapostles vnder stode well that Chryste spake of the very eatynge of his flessh yet there was no cause why they shold eyther dowtfully wōder stonne or stagger or be by and by curyouse and inquysitiue therof so destroyeth he playne mayster Maskers reason but yf it be to suche as are dysposed for theyr pleasure better to byleue mayster masker than saynt Chrysostome ¶ For euery man may here well se that saynt Chrysostom meneth here that Chryste in those wordes bysyde all parables and allegoryes spake and ment of the very eatynge of his very flesshe in dede whyche thynge lest mayster Masker myghte as he is shamelesse brynge yet in question and controuersye I shall reherse you a fewe lynes ferther of saynte Chrysostome in this self same place Lo thus there sayth he ferther Those Iewes at that tyme toke no commodyte but we haue taken the profyte of that benefyte And therfore is it necessare to declare how meruelouse are these mysteryes that is to wytte of the blessed sacrament and why they be geuen vs and what is y t profyte therof we be one body menbrys of Chrystes flesshe and his bonys And therfore they that are