communicamus eius carneÌ„ ac diuinitatem participamus communicamus etiam dum inuicem vnimur hac communione Quandoquidem enim ex vno pane participamus omnes unum Christi corpus vnus sanguis concorporei christo existentes mutua inuicem membra efficimur Omni igitur cautione obseruandum est ne ab hereticis participationeÌ„ admittere sustineamê° sed nec illis dare Et enim ne detis sancta canibus dnÌ„s inquit neque proijcite margaritas uestras ante porcos ut non participes erroris malae eorum fidei efficiamur condempnationis Si uerò omninò est unio nobis ad Christum inuicem nobis cum est denique omnibus omninò eadem nobiscum consentionem et uoluntatem participantibus etiam unio est Ipsa enim unitas ex libera animi electione fit non absque nostra sententia uoluÌ„tate Omnes enim unum corpus sumus quod ex uno pane participamus vt inquit diuinus apostolus Exemplaria uerò futuroruÌ„ dicuntur noÌ„ taÌ„quam uere non sint corpus sanguis Christi sed ê™ nuÌ„c per illa participamus Christi diuinitatem tunc autem intellectualiter per solam uisionem THe good and all good saithe Damascene and tâ— excellyng good god beynge altogether goodnes wolde not suffre the same goodnes that is to saie his verye nature to remaine sole withoute participation made thereof by other And therefore god firste made the intellectuall and heauenlye vertues After that the visible and sensible world and then man of a nature that hath both sense and vnderstandynge So all thinges whiche be made of god be so farre forth partakers of his goodnes in that they haue all a beynge for of hym and in hym selfe all thynges be not onely for that he brought theÌ„ from nothing to haue a beinge but also for that his operation continuynge lykewise conserueth and mainteineth all thinges that he made But in this participation suche thinges aboue other participate as haue lyfe which communicate of gods goodnes not onely in that they be partakers of their beinge but also of their lyfe Reasonable creatures forsoth besides beinge and lyfe furthermore participate of gods goodnes in that they haue reason which reasonable creatures be somewhat more nere and familier vnto god then the other and yet god so excelleth all aboue all proportion as neither can there be comparyson with hym nor iudgemente of hym Neuerthelesse man a reasonable creature and constitute in fredome with the gyfte of free wyl receiued therwith also power and facultie through his owne choyse and election to be vnited to god continually yf he had remained and perseuered in that goodnes that is to say the obedience of hym that created hym But after man had transgressed the precepte of hym that made hym and was thereby subiecte to death and corruption the maker and workeman of mankynde such is the tendernes of his mercy beynge made in all thinges lyke vnto vs was made man withoute synne and so vnited to our nature And bycause he had delyuered vnto vs his owne image and spirite whiche we haue not preserued and kepte he hathe taken vpon hym oure nature thenne poore and weake to the intente he shoulde pourge vs and make vs incorruptible and restore vs alsoo againe to be partakers of his godhed deitie It behoued moreouer not onely the fyrste fruytes of our nature to be brought to be partaker of the better but also all y e hole kynde of man suche as are wel willyng both to be borne againe with a newe natiuitie and nourysshed with a newe meate agreable to y e natiuite and so with endeuoure to attayne the measure of perfection wherfore by Christes natiuite that is to saye his incarnation and baptisme passion and resurrection he hath delyuered our nature frome the synne of our firste father from deathe also and corruption And beinge hym selfe made the cheife and first and as it were the firste fruites of resurrection he hath appointed hym selfe to be the waye forme and example to this ende that we folowynge his steppes shulde by adoption be made the chyldren heyres of god as he is by nature and so become coheretours with hym for which purpose as I haue saide he hath geuen vs the seconde natiuite whereby as we beynge borne of Adam resembled Adam enherited thereby curse and corruption So beinge borne of god we shulde resemble hym and shoulde atteyne by enheritaunce incorruption blessynge and his glory And bycause Christe is the spiritual Adam it is semely that oure natiuite shulde be spirituall and lykewyse also our meate In asmusche also as we be doubble that is to saye of body and soule and so not of one single nature but compounded it was mete oure byrth shulde be doubble likewise and our meat dubble also Our birth then is giuen vs by the water and the holye ghoste The meate forsothe is the foode of lyfe our lord Iesus christ that descended from heauen For our lorde Iesus Christe when he shulde take on hym his death wyâ—â—lyngly for vs in the nyght in whiche he gaue hymselfe he ordred a newe testameÌ„t to his holy disciples and apostels by them to al otheâ— y t bileue in him In a chambre therâ—â—fore of y e holy gloriouse Syon eatynge the olde paschall with his disciples and fulfillynge the olde testamente he wasshed his disciples feete giuinge them therin a token of holye baptisme Afterwarde breakynge bread gaue it to them sayeng Take ye eate ye this is my body that is broken for you in remyssion of synne Lykwyse takynge the cuppe of wyne and water â–ª deliuered it vnto them sayeng Drinke of this al this is my bloud of the newe testameÌ„t that is shedde for you into remissioÌ„ of synnes Do this for remembraunce of me For as often as ye eate this breade drinke this cuppe ye do shew forth the death of the sonne of man and confesse the resurrection of him whiles he coÌ„meth If the worde of god be lyuely and effectuall and all thing y t our lord wold he made If he saide Be y e light made and light was made Be the firmameÌ„t made and the firmameÌ„t was made If the heauens be establyshed by y e woâ—de of god and also the strength and vertue of them is lykewyse establyshed by the breathe of his mouth If heauen and earth water fier and ayre and all thournamente of them be perfited by the worde of our lorde and not onelye these but also man him self a beast of al other most renowned spokeÌ„ of If the essentiall word very god wyllyng so to be was made man and made the pure and vndefyled bloud of the holy and perpetuall virgin to be hys flesshe withoute any seede of man Can not he make the breade his body And the wine and water his bloude He saide in the beginning Let the earth bring forth grene
sayenge Quod ante pedes est non vident coeli scrutantur plagas that is afore the feete they se not and serche the costes of the heauen The deuyll tempted christ in a rare miracle to make of stones directly breade whiche to be the power of god the deuill then confessed and yet god dyd it not bycause it shulde not haue furthered his glorye to the deuyl who was indurate Neuertheles god whose power ruleth gouerneth and tempereth the workes of nature doth cōtinuallye in the worke of nature make of stones breade when corne is nouryshed of the stones and stones altered and resolued into erth whiche nourisheth the corne sedes and encreaseth the same and lykewyse in other workes of nature sheweth dayly manifold wonders of his power whiche we consyder not because they be commēly done and onely for raritie and newenes maruayle when we maruayle at y e is done and not for the thinge And herein the deuill vttereth his sophistrye and maketh vs forget that is continuallye done before our eyes and by impossibilite of our carnall imaginacions in thinges aboue our capacitie seduceth vs and deceiueth vs in the beleef of goddes high mysteries and specially in the misterie of the sacramēt of thaulter wherby to hynder vs and depryue vs of oure great comforte and consolation in the same wherein God instituted Memoriam mirabilium suorum escā se dedit timentibus eum that is to say a memorie of his maruailes gaue hym selfe mete to them that louingly feare hym THere resteth now to open the deuils sophistrie in the peruerse croked craftie expositions of dyuers places of scripture y e saienges of holy writers and of such wordes as be attribute to singifie and name that moost blessed sacrament vnto vs wherin hathe ben moche paine taken moch craftie imaginacion deuised to abuse the simple vnlerned wyttes and vpholde in errour the maliciouse arrogant and newe fangled iudge menetes As touching scriptures I wyl passe ouer the fransies of them who writhe the principall theife texte This is my body frō consecration of the sacrament to the demonstration of Chrystes body there sittinge and then mynistringe vnto the apostels where in they declare their malyce that they care not to chaunge the right sense with any other were it neuer so fonde and false The truth they abhorre and seke vtterly for lyes them they embrace who so euer bring them and leane to suche exposycions of the scriptures as helpe to the subuertion of the truth But let vs consyder how sophistically they handle the wordes that Christ sayde Do this in remēbraunce of me for here is made a greate matter of the word remembraunce whiche they saye declareth that Christe him selfe is not presente in the sacrament and that the sacrament is but a memorye of hym but a remembraunce of hym And here the deuyll lurketh in a litle worde but for in often repetition of remembraunces the but is taken in and the speache goethe rounde as though the wordes imported that the sacramente is but a remembraunce of Christ In whiche speache if but were lefte oute as the scripture hath it not the worde memory or remembraunce is nothinge repugnaunt to Christes presence in the most blessed sacramēt For seing christ is the eternal word of god and descēded frō heuen into earth not only to suffre for man but also to declare the wil of god to be obserued folowed and obeyed vnto of man whiche wyll of god beyng taught vs by Christ we shulde not forget but day and nyght w t the benefites also of christes passyon remember therw t the wil of god taught vs in the same passion can there be so effectuall a memoryall of Christes death teachynges declared and taught in y e same death as if with the eyes of oure faith we se present the naturall body of our sauiour christ the selfe same body that suffered If y e hearing of christes death entringe at a mannes eares or the seyng of a picture or image grauen representing christes deathe to y e bodely eyes doth styrre vp mans memory to haue remembraunce of that is done by christ for hym how moche more doth the liuely presence of christes natural body styr such as perfytely beleue the p̄sence of the same to the remēbraūce of christes passion And if among men where honest loue reigneth as betwene y e man wife such as be godly conioyned in maryage they vse to leaue for memory of eche other in their absence an image of thē selues as lyuely set forth as mans crafte can attayne knowynge by experience that y e image styrreth vp the memorie most effectually Shulde we not thinke that oure sauiour Christ moch more affected and ioyned in loue to his spouse the chyrch than any man is to his wife hath lefte the same churche his spouse a most perfitte image of him selfe that is to say hym self for a memorye who by his omnipotencye can exhibite and present hys very ymage hys owne verye bodye without chaunge of place or leauynge his seate in heauen when as oft as it pleaseth hym Who also so loueth his churche as we haue cause to thīke he wold do it and by scriptures maye vnderstand yf we close not our owne vnderstandynges that he doth it in dede in this moost blessed sacrament wherein his presence dothe most effectually styrre vp in good mens hartes such a remembraūce of hole Chryst hys benefytes and preachynges together as in thys mooste holye communyon good men be so comforted so strenghtened so confyrmed in Christes doctryne as thereby shall in their manours theyr hauyours theyr conuersation and lyuynge shewe and sette forth in them selues christes deathe with hys resurrection also whyles the day of iudgement when shall be Chrystes seconde commyng in maiestie and glorye And thus the holy vertuous man Basile expoundeth the wordes of saint Paule As often as ye eate this bread and drink the cuppe of our lord ye shall shew the death of our lorde tyl he cometh which wordes of s Paule declare the strēgth of this heuēly foode to worke this effecte and brynge forth such frute in vs not that euerye man receyuyng the sacrament shulde with his tonge then make a sermō how Christ dyed for vs whyche the presence of the sacrament it self preacheth yf men vnderstande who is there present and this poynt shuld be learned at ones and so perfitly beleued as it neaded not to be learned againe For it is the grounde foundacion and begynnyng But the sermō preaching and shewing of Christes deathe of suche as receaue thys mooste blessed sacramente worthely shulde be in their maners and lyuynge theyr loue and charitie theyr contempt of the worlde and desyre to be with god wherby shuld appere that by receiuing this most preciouse fode we remember christes death passion for vs practise it effectually and frutefully in vs. For suche only celebrate this holy communiō with an effectual
grasse And vnto thys day the earth when it raineth bringeth forth his owne buddynges beynge by goddes precepte styred strengthened to do the same God sayde This is my body and this is my bloud and doo this in remembraunce of me whiche by his precepte that is omnipotente is done vntyll he commeth For so he sayde vntyll he came vnto whiche newe kynde of tyllage the vertue of the holye ghoste ouershadowyng it is by speciall inuocation in the stead of raine for lyke as all thyng that god hathe made is made by the operation of the holy ghost So nowe the efficacye of the same holye ghoste worketh these thynges that be aboue nature whiche can not be comprehended but by faith onely How shall this be said the holy virgin seinge I know no man The archeangel Gabriel answered The holy ghost shall come downe to the and the vertue of the higheste shall shadowe the. And nowe thou askest howe this bread is made the bodye of Christe and the wyne and water the bloude of Christ Wherein I aunswere also vnto the. The holye ghoste commeth and worketh these thinges aboue reason and vnderstandynge The breade and wyne be taken to this mysterye For god knowethe mans weakenes whiche with some displeasure eschueth many thinges that be not before by vse made smothe familier vnto hym wherfore our sauiour Christ so condescendeth to our infirmitie as he vseth thinges to vs accustomed and agreable wherewith to make thinges that be aboue nature And lyke as in baptisme seinge men commonlye vsed to wasshe them selues in water and annoynte thē selues with oyle Christe added to the oyle and water the grace of y e holy ghoste and made it the wasshynge of regeneration So for that men were accustomed to eate breade and drynke wyne and water Christe ioyned vnto them his godhed and made them his body and bloude that by thynges accustomed and agreable to nature we myght be placed in thinges that be aboue nature The body is verely vnited to y e Godhed I meane the same body that was taken of the holy virgin not that the same body taken descended from heauē but that the bread wyne be transfourmed into the body and bloude of God If thou doest aske me the maner how it is done it shuld suffyce the to heare aunswered that by the holy ghost lyke as of the holy mother of God by the holye ghoste oure lorde made to hym selfe flesshe and in hym selfe withoute seede of manne In whiche matter we know no more but that the worde of god is true of efficacie and omnipotent but as for the maner is vtterly inscrutable and such as can not by serche be deprehēded foūde And yet it were not amisse to say thus that like as the breade by eatynge and wyne by drynckynge is naturallye chaunged into the bodye and bloude of hym that eateth and drinckethe nowe are become another body other then their owne body whiche they had before euen so the breade prepared to be consecrate and the wyne and water by inuocatyon and commynge downe of the holy ghoste be aboue nature chaūged into the body bloude of Chryste and be not two but one and the same Whiche worke is wroughte and is to the that worthely receiue it in fayth the remyssyon of synne for lyfe euerlastynge and to be a safegarde for bodie and soule And to them that be vnfaithfull and receiue it vnworthely to their punish mente and vengeaunce For so is lykewyse the deathe of oure lorde That is to say to suche as beleue lyfe and incorruptiō with the fruition of euerlastynge blesse and on the other parte to them that be vnfaithfull and were murderers of our lorde punysshement and vengeaunce euerlastynge The breade and wyne be not a figure of the body and bloud of Christ That may not be sayde but the very body of our lorde deified that is to saye made god For our lorde saide this is not the fygure of my body but my body and not the fygure of my bloude but my bloude And before that sayde to the Iewes that yf ye eate not the flesshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye haue not lyfe in your selfe For my fleshe is very meate and my bloud is very dryncke And agayne he that eateth me shall lyue Let vs then come to it w t a fearfulnes a cleane conscience and stedfast fayth and then in al thynges shalbe to vs as we byleue constantly Let vs honour it with all clennes bothe of the body and soule also as it were with a double worshyppynge For the same we worshyp is also double that is to say the fleshe of our sauiour Christe and godhed also Come we vnto it with an ardent fyry desyre and facyonynge oure handes in the figure of a crosse let vs so receaue the body of hym that was crucified fynally approching with our eyes lyppes and forehed let vs receiue that godlye cole so as the fyre of our feruent desyre receyuynge the fierynes of that cole maye burne vp our synnes and lyghten our hartes and by partetakynge of that godlye fyre be throughly enflammed and deified Esaias sawe a cole A cole is not wood onely but woode vnited vnto fyre So the foode of our communion is not foode onelye but foode vnited to the godhead The body vnited to the godhed is not to be sayed one nature but the nature of the body is one and the nature of the godhed vnited vnto it is an other So as both together be not one nature but two Melchisedech the preist of god that is highest receiued and chered Abraham with bread and wyne when he returned from the slaughter of the foraine straungers That table fygured this mysticall table lyke as that preiste was y e fygure and ymage of our true prest christ Thou arte sayth god a preist for euer after the ordre of Melchisedech Those loues whiche in the olde lawe were called the breades of proposicion that is to saye the breades appointed to an holy vse were a figure of this bread This sacrifice is the pure vnbloudy sacrifice which god sayde by his prophet shuld be offered vnto hym from the east to y e west The bodye and bloude of Christe for the establyshmente of body and soule receiued be not cōsumed or corrupted nor passeth with our corruptions through vs into y e vyle place fy on y e speach but encreaceth our substaunce and preserueth it It is tharmour of defence frome all maner of annoyaunce and lykewise the purgation and cleansynge of all fylthe Certaynlye if it fyndeth the golde adulterate that is to say corrupt with any other mettall it purgeth it by the same vertue whiche is apprropriate to fyre wherby it disceuereth frō the gold and putteth away that is corrupt to thintent we shulde not be condemned in the worlde to come It purgeth diseases and all sortes of annoiaunce And as saith the godly apostle If we iudge