as in all hys other preacheinges and scripturs so heare he calleth to the heauenly â—ateinge wherby we haue lyfe and at once stoppeth the mouth of carnal iudgmeÌ„ts How you do examine this texte it shall be opened when we come to the place In the meane ceason we wyl take this text the fleshe auaileth nothynge wyth out any contencion onely to driue awaie the grosse opinion of the Capernits and all such as styke to muche to the fleshe and can not lyfte vp their heades to the misteries of the spirite for the whiche purpose these wordes were spoken by Christe and not to thincke that Christe whose worckes were al wayes profitable woulde teache any suche wayes or do any suche deades as were nothynge profitable vnto man For no man I dare well saye is able to proue any more profite by the fleshe bodily eaten in the sacramente than wee haue in scripture graunted vnto vs whiche do worshipe hym and eate hym in spirite and trueth Let vs therfore consider the greate goodnesse of our sauiour Christ in thys sacrameÌ„t Who beinge the verie lambe that taketh awaye the â—…es of the worlde caused al the Iewes ceremonies to cease and their passeouer to haue an ende and therfore saieth that he hath greatly disired to eat thys passeouer that the promises of God the father concerneâ—ge thys newe testameâ—t might be fullfilled Namely that the sede of the woman shoulde breake the heade of the serpent That by thys sede all the nacions of the earth shalbe blessed That the saluacion and sauiour of the worlde shoulde be declared the light of the heathen and the glorie of Israell published Al these thinges were fulfilled in hys passion and suffereinge accordinge to hys owne saieinge Whan I shalbe exalted from the earth I shall drawe all vnto my selfe And when he had dronken that bitter drinke vpon the crose he saied that all was finished and fulfilled All these thinges together do we receiue in the supper of the Lorde whiche he dyd therfore celebrate and make the nyght before he suffred for to enstructe hys Apostles more deapelie in these great misteries of the saluacion of the whose worlde by hys death wherin he would geue him selfe frely vnto them and therefore dyd he testifie vnto them the selfe same thinge be fore hande in thys holie sacrament And because the life of the rightuouse standeth here in that they beleue in the same he geueth charge that they haue hys death in remembraunce saiâ—inge Thys is my bodie whiche is geuen for you do thys in the remeÌ„braunce of me Likewyse the cup after he had supped sâ—â—einge This cup is the newe testament in my bloude which is shed for you That like as by thys sensible meate corporall lambe whiche they had eaten in theyre supper their bodies was nourished cherished and streghned â–ª so by this spiritual lambe and heauenly meate bi this blessed memorie â–ª I saie wherby we knowe that oure sauiour and redemer Christ Ieâ—â— died for vs that we might liue are our soules certified that the same oure sauiour dyd so clearely take awaye our trespasses that hys father wyll nowe take vs for his children and heires and geue vs frely euerlasteinge lyffe Wyth thys therfore we maye continually fede oure soules that they encreaseinge in full fayeth of goddes mercie whiche is the lyfe of the rightuouse myght be nourished growe and encrease to the full age of a perfect man in Christe Iesu If you marke the wordes of Christe wyth a singuler eye you shalbe coÌ„pelled to grauÌ„te these two thynges onely to be taught therin That Christ gaue hys bodie for vs and eoÌ„maunded vs to do thys thinge That is to take and to eate thys Accipite et manducate The wordes are plaine do thys in the remembraunce c. For by what scripture maye it be fouÌ„de true that you do glose saieinge God dyd consecrate hym selfe into accideÌ„tes qualites of breade And that you shoulde make God in the remembraunce of God in mine opinion is agaynst reasone I maye saye and raile not it is a made heresie Christe sayeth Take and eate He geueth no prieste powre to consecrate and to make his bodie neither with his worde nor by his worde And thys whiche is the chiefe pointe of your newe beldame whyche you establishe wyth the fire we require you for the loue of Christe if you â—eale any thynge of hys mercies either to proue it by some scripturs whiche I knowe is impossible for you or else to call backe your tiranye You haue no worde of God wher vp on onely fayeth maye be gâ—ownded that commaundeth you once to repeâ—e these wordes agayne Thys is mi bodie much lesse are you able to proue that these wordes at any tyme repeted and rehersed by any one of you shoulde chaung the nature of thynges and not onely worke in creatures but also in the creatoure and maker of all God and man whose maiestie ought rather to be praised and had in admiracion than thus vnreuerenly to be taingled wyth your transsubstanciacion whyche is muche after the arte of magike thus by prescript wordes to worcke wonders God hath appoynted hys holy worde to be preacheâ— to vs reasonnable creaturs and that moste especially in this sacrament as the most sure token of our saluacion As it is plaine by the wordes of Paule So ofte as you shal eate thys breade sayeth he and drinke of thys cup you shall shewe forthe the death of the Lorde vnto that he come So that it is ouer muche shame to vse Christes worde as an enchauntmeÌ„t ouer deade creaturs to chaung them no man can tell howe to call downe Christe into breade to bringe hym into the chalice Where he beinge a whyle blessed and blowene wyth your stinkeinge breathes shall taâ—ie so longe a god as it shall please man yea and that scant an honest man sometymes Surely it maketh vs leude people to thinke that you do not take him as a God when we se you so vnreuerently breathe oa him make himâ—…eape about the chalice break hym â—…nd that nothinge after the institucion wherin we shoulde all together be partetakers of the breade and cup of Christe for the foode of oure soules And where as the stength of your sophistrie lieth in the blinde worde consecracion whych you do not leâ—ne here of Christ but you thinke you maie haue some cloke because it is reade that Iesus when he dyd take the breade in hande blessed and breake it you shal heaâ—… an answere I truste that maye satisfie any herte that is not bent vpon contencion In al places wher Christ dyd take breade in hys handes he blessed and gaue thankes as it appeareth Iohn vi and Luke ix where as we reade the same wordes that he hath at thys supper as the treade of hys commone vsage wherby we shall lerne to blesse renowme praise god alwayes to geue him humble thankes wheÌ„ so euer we do vse any
be deceiued wythout the helpe of reasone set in man to be their lady and masters and wyth hir helpe they maye iudge of all bodily and sensible creatures muche more are they able to iudge of breade their continuall obiect dayely offered vnto them wherin not one sense but the sigh taste smelle and feleinge doe wittnesse together reasone approueth and alloweth theyr iudgment and faythfully established in the worde of God affirmeth the same Christe hym selfe as we haue sayed calleth it â—reade and wynne Paul to the Corth â–ª calleth it breade that we breake and sayeth that weaâ—e one bread and one bodie so many as are pertakers of the same breade Againe in the. xi So ofte as we â—ate thâ—s brâ—ode and drinke thys cup we shewe the death of the Lorde vnto he come Therfore who so â—ateth this bread drinketh this cup vnworthily is gilty of the bodye and bloude of the Lorde Let a man proue hym selfe therfore and so eaâ—e of this breade and drinke of thys cuppe Agayne in the Actes of the Apostles Thei coâ—…ed in the doctrine of thapostles In feloweshipe and breakynge of breade Againe he was knowne vnto them in breakeinge of breade Luke xxiiii dayely continuinge with one accorde in the teÌ„ple and brake bread froÌ„ house to house oure sences also do one after other beare witnesse hereunto We heare Christ and his apostles saye This is bread We smell tast and feale it to be breade We se it is breade and so coÌ„clude â—i reasone after thys sorâ—e The baker dyd bake it as breade before it was put to thys vse and in this vse it is nothyng chaunged froÌ„ the kind of bread for it musteth mouldeth and wil be eateÌ„ of â—…sse as other breade wyl Wherfore we be inge enstructed firste by liâ—… fayeth and thaÌ„ by our senses ruled by reasone dare boldelye conclude thys same to be breade If you myght leade captiue all these three â–ª then shoulde we folowe where you woulde haue vs as oure fathers haue done before As for the misteries and principles of our religion wherof you saye we stande greate neade to be taught â–ª you teache fâ—ll slender lie that is to saye onely wyth a sentence of doctour and a verse songe in the churche But we knowe that so many of them as be corporal and therfore sensuall it hath pleased God so to wrocke them that the verie senses maie perceiue them and therfore be as a testimonie of our fayeth beareinge witnesse of their trueth Nowe as for the misterie of the Trinitie and the vnitie of godhed you do know full well they are not in the numbre of sensible and bodilie thinges and therfore can in no wyse be offerred vnto the sâ—ses wherfore it is no good proffe to iudge them vnable to declare vnto our reasone what is breade and what is wine because the can not attain to that wherwyth they maye by no meanes meddle Or to thynke them not murtified in other thynges because thei witnesse heare agaynste you But you go aboutte to slander vs as thought we dyd not beleue We knowe by our fayeth grounded vpon the boke of Genesis and all other scriptures settinge forth the almyghtie powre of God teacheinge vs to belieue in God the father almyghtie maker of heauen an erth and in hys onely begotten sonne oure Lorde Iesus Christe who was coÌ„cerned by the holy gost and borne of the virgine Marie wherin resteth the chiefe poynte of religion and onely saluacion So sone as he came into the worlde ther were called to wittenesse three herdemen or shepeherdes and three wyse men out of the easte to se wyth theire eyes and testifie vnto other thys the cheife misterie of oure religion that Christe was come in the fleshe bisides the resorte of the men of Bethlehem to se theyr sauioure wyth theyr eyes and the plaine testimonie of Simion saieinge Now haue mine eies sene thy saueing helth More ouer Christ thus comeinge in the fleshe was bodily present in the syght and eyes of al the worlde the space of xxx yeres and what so euer miracle he wrought in the dodient appeared to the eyes and outwarde senses As when he chaunged water into wyne streigh waye it appeared wyne to all the outwarde senses Inlyke maner such as Christe healed bodeli were thei lame blind or lazar streigth waye they appeared whole And so conseqeÌ„tly in all the miracles that Christ wrought in sensible thinges bodilie they so appeared vnto oure senses Whan he raysed Lazar us froÌ„ death to lyffe it was not countertaite for he dyd eate and drinke in the sight of all men So lykewyse when Christe suffered moste paynefull death in the syght of the whole world vnder ponce Pilate he was crucified deade and buried that no eie or tonge shoud wittnesse the contrarie He desended into hel as Peter witnesseth in spirite which falleth not vnder the knowelege of our sences because the spirite goeth and cometh man knoweth not howe Than haue wee wittnesses that God raysed hym the thirde daye and shewed hym to all the people but firste to his wittnesses appoynted for the same purpose whyche dyd eate and drinke with hym after he was risen from death Moreouer that we should nothinge doubt of this misterie so darcke vnto reasone christ appered vnto them agayne and commaunded Thomas Didimus who was before in doubte to put hys fynger in hys syde to see hâ—s handes and the woundes of the nayles that thei al might knowe it to be his natural bodye thus risen frome death yea a bodye whyche hath fleshe and bones contrarie to your doctrine whyche wyll haue ve belieue in a bodie that hath neither fleshe nor 〈◊〉 quantitie nor qualitie that is as much to â—aie as no propretie of a bodie excepte it be borowed of the bread But we beieue according to the â—…e spirite that Iohn describeth that Iesu Christe is comen in the fleshe and hath died in the same accordinge to the saieinge of Paule and testimonies of al scripture in the which he is also raised againe and â—owe sitteth at the right hand of God the father froÌ„ whence he shal come to iudge the â–ª quicke and the deade Vnto whom al the propheres geue wittnesse that who so euer beleueth in hym shall haue remission of â—ynnes by hys name We beleue in the holy gost one God with the father and the sonne euen from the beginninge as appeaâ—eth by the firste creacion of the worlde Now that the euerlasteing Lord and euer liueinge God hath created al thinges by his worde oure Christe and sauiour wyth so vniforme powre of thys holie goste that nothinge coulde come forth to any shap or forme vntyll this spirite procedeing from them boeth dyd mone vpon the walte depe or vnformed waters Wherfore thys almyghtie powre of the trâ— and euer lasting God is in Hebrue called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plurallye for the diuersitie of persoÌ„es throughout
ought bi the ordinauÌ„â— of God to iudge of all bodilie thynges could at any time either by miracle or otherwise perceiue We reade in the. v. of the Actes that the secte of the Sadduceis dyd caste the Apostles into prisone that they were brought fourth by an angell Yet when the ministers were sent to bring them to examinacion thei founde the prison diligently shotte and the kepers standeinge at the gates But nowe it were a verie slender reason to proue that the bodies of the Apostles maie be in many plaâ—â—es at once And yet is this euen lyke matter with the entring in of Christ to his Apostles when the dores were shette But boeth these miracles were wrought to coÌ„firme the fayth of the Apostles not that Christ myghte lye hid in a little breade for they neuer taught thys fayeth to the world But this was their doctrin that theyr God coulde deliuer from prisone and rayse from death for as muche as he was the trwe God euen Christe Iesu the soune of the lyueinge God whome they preachede to be as then risen frome deathe But you are not contented wyth thys because it hath some shadow of the of the truth your purpose is to deceiue by snbtyle wordes But nowe you myxt open falsehod and saye that Christe dyd rise out of the graue the same beinge styll shet where al the foure euangelistes do witnesse agaynste you sayeing that the stone was taken awaye or roled from the dore of the graue or monument It is no meruaile therfore thought you would banishe as many as is possible frome readeinge of the scripture for if no man myght reade the scripture but you and your coÌ„pleis then myght you lye at the large wythout â—heke and plaie your legerdemayne without beinge esspied of any man Firste Iohn the chiefe secretarie of God writteth thus The firste daye of the Sabuthe Marie magdalene dyd come perlie when it was yet darely vnto the graue and she dyd se the stone takâ—… awaie from the graue And Mathew telleth â–ª howe the stone was taken awaye â–ª The Angell of the Lorde sayeth he dyd come dowâ—… from heauen and dyd rolle the stone frome the dore and sit vpon it In Marke and Luke good christians yoâ—… maye reade if the byshoppe wyll geue you leaue to loke on Christes holy worde that the stone was rolled a waye and the womeÌ„ went into the graue By thys maye all men se that luste that you ar better sene in the popes lerning theÌ„ inthe gospel of Christ Who so listeth to be deceiued let them truste suche byshopes More ouer leste it shoulde seme strange to you that the graues should open we read in Mathewe that the graues were opened and many bodies of the sayntes which were deade dyd rise and after the resurrection of Christ dyd come into Ierusalem and appeared to manye What if one of your doctours laye that Christes graue dyd not open whaÌ„ he rose must you gather therof a newe article of oure fayth to be defended wythe fyrâ— and conclud that eithere ther were ii bodies together in one place and occupied the same place at one tyme whiche is but a sophistrie mattier whyche if you coulde proue we care not greatly or else whych is lyke madnesse that one bodye naturall maye be in ii thousande places at once In the. viii leafe of your boke where you laboure a bout certayne reasons that haue bene made coucernemge your God these be your wordes If it were true that is taught in the sacrament of the aultare by the papistes whyche terme serueth â—or a tokeÌ„ to them to proue the mattier nought such and such inconnenieÌ„ces shoulde not folowe to oure senses By these wordes you do minister occasion to speake of ii thinges One is whâ— you donot cal this the sacrament of Christ and the remaÌ„braunce of hys deathe and passion accordeinge to the scriptures whych saie Do this in the remembraunce of me And agaiue So ofte as ye shall drinke of thys cuppe and eate of thys breade you shall shewe the Lordes death tyl he come or else the supper of the Lorde as Paule calleth it in the same Chap or else as Luke calleth it the breakeinge of the breade But goddes holye worde you care not for your owne gloses delight you so much The cause is that you are papistes do as your father hath done before you Whoe as he is the verie antichrist and the wicked man sowing the iuil wede which you would faine deni and you durst be so bolde so likewise must you lyfte your selfe a boue that whyche is God or godlye thinke that you can name al thynges better and teache enerie thynge more wisely then the spirile of God coulde do it in his holie scriptures For this do you call it the sacramente of the Aultare and do hange it vp in a bande ful vnreuerendelie if it be a god sheweing the shame of your god as Baruch sayeth that can not stand alone Thys muste we worship wyth al godly honour saye you and so furth in all other cere monies bloweing blessing crosseing kissing and other mad gestures All thys muste we do euen as your father the pope taught Are ye not worthy to be called papistes when you rage and reuell burne and broyle boeth the worde of God and the mayntainers ther of because you can not haue the poppe and his name styl and for that you perceiue that the people begynne to loeth the baggage brought in by his subtill legerdimayne Do ye not declare your selues hearein to be righ papistes All that is crept into the mas more then the Epistle and Gospell and these wordes Hoc est corpus meum wyth a fewe wodes fuloweinge for the whiche you prouidâ— verie well that we shall neither heare them nor vnderstande theÌ„ what other thynge are they then the documentes of your father the pope Not of Peter but of hys superstitious successours and vieares as you call them Eche of theÌ„ cobbled on hys cloute As Celestinus for his parte or deined the praiers that the priest sayeth when he rauisheth himselfe to masse as you place your termes Damasus ordeined Confiteor Gregorie caused Kirie lesone to be sayed ix tymes together Gregorie and Gelasius gathered the collectes wherof many are plaine heresie if they were waighed to their worthinesse Thei ordeined also the grayle The tracte was diuised by Telesphorus And the sequences were firste inuented bi one Notherus an Aabbt Anasta sius commaunded that men shoulde stande vp at the Gospel Eutichianus did ordaine the offertorie to be songe whylse the people offered for the conforte of the poore Gelatius made the preface and sextus put to the sanctus Pope Leo the threde ordeyneh the in sense The secretes of the masse called the cannon whiche is made geare was patched vp by diuerse Gelasius made Teigitur Siritius added communicantes and pope Alexander made qui pridie Leo made
hande of the father Then when you haue wroughte so wittilie and myghtely wyth Christe you take man in hande and woulde bewitche hym to beleue that that cake is no cake and that the breade is fleshe bloude and bones You tell hym his eyes be blynde His taste and senses deceyue hym His reason is nothynge worth in your mattiers For thoughe all the miracles of Christ dyd eueÌ„ apeare as he wrought them As if they were spirituall they so appeared vnto the soule of man and were felte spiritually as the forgyuenesse of synnes the healynge of soules and suche lyke so doubtles the miracles that Christe wrought bodilie dyd appeare in the bodies wherein he wroughte them But thys straunge miracle of yours muste clearely mocke and delude all oure senses and vnderstandynge and leade vs captyue to beleue that you can make God by his worde of a vyle piece of paste Yet surely in conscience I thynke it your selues do not beleue that there is so greate power in the wordes of God For if you dyd surely you coulde not be so bolde as to burne it For no fayle if it can make God it can destroye wycked men yea though they be byshoppes Moreouer you saye Two thynges are to be considered in the Sacramente of the aultare one that it is a Sacramente An other that it is the thynge it selfe of the Sacramente that is to saye Christes mooste precious bodye and bloude Vpon thys I demaunde what you do meane by thys terme Sacramente If you saye that a Sacramente is a signe or remembraunce of an holie thynge as all your owne Doctours haue defined a Sacramente then wyll we saye as the trueth is and as we haue taughte heretofore that this is the moste holie signe and blessed remeÌ„braunce of Christ our Sauiour which offered his bodie for our sinnes and coÌ„maunded vs to frequent and vse the same in the remembraunce of him who dyed once for vs and sitteth nowe at the right hande of God a perpetuall meane betwene God and man And heare is the ful profite vse and commoditie that any man can haue by thys Sacramente Yet this wyll not satisfie you vnlesse you haue vs so captiue that we wyl saye after you The Sacramente is the selfe same thinge that it signifieth Christ must be made in the remembraunce of Christ I demaunde of you in all other thynges be they holie or prophane where you caÌ„ fynde me one thinge that is both the signe and the thinge it selfe The holie Sacramente of Baptisme is not so The holy SacrameÌ„t of circumcision was not so The holy Sacrament of the Paschal lambe was neuer named so in the olde testamente Yet had they as playne wordes for them as you haue for yours For the circumcision is called the couenaunt and the lambe is called the passeoâ—er But you wil haue the Sacrament to be the thinge it selfe and the signe to be the Sauiour For this intent no fayle that you being but the signes and shadowes of true Bishoppes your two forked cappes and labelles the signes of muche holines and knowledge in both the testameÌ„tes your white raichet the signe of chastitie and purenes your precioâ—s shoes the signes of precious fnote steppes in preaching the Gospel may be accompted the verie thinges theÌ„ selues that be signified So shoulde we neither loke into heauen for our only Sauiour sitting at the righte hande of his father nor yet for true holines in you vpon earth being satisfied by your signes and shadowes your lyinge Poprie dombe and deceyueable ceremonies It foloweth in your text When we cal the Sacrament of the aultare God we vnderstande the substaunce of the Sacrament whiche is Christe God and man there present And according to that vnderstanding we attribute al goodly honour vnto it And in thys speache the worde SacrameÌ„t signifieth and giueth vnderstanding by a special significacion and by excellencie as learned men speake of it the thinge signified beinge there present that is to saye the bodie and bloude of our Sauiour Christe whiche can not be broken with hande caÌ„ not be torne wyth teeth or denoured of beastes or putrified Neither can the bodily senses herein beare any witnes to the contrarie for they can not atteyne that But when we vse the worde Sacramente or the worde hoste and applye the speach of it to suche a matter as may not be sayed of the naturall bodie of Christe then the speache is verified in those formes of breade and wyne vnder the which the most preciouse body and bloud of Christ is couered as when we saye the sacrament is broken or moulded or altered it is onely vnderstanded of the sayed forme of breade and wine being the outward accideÌ„tes as the qualities or dimeÌ„tioÌ„s which god ther preserueth not otherwise by outward miracle being theÌ„ susteined by his moste preciouse bodilie substance Then when they be naturally ioyned to the substance of bread whereof that God thus doeth not mans senses because those accidentes be sensile may Iudge for we se it so and those accidentes be perceptible by the bodelie syght and sense â–ª and withe the eie of the soule in faieth we se the presence of oure moste blessed sauiour Christ who ther is the onely substance of the sacrament so longe remayninge vnder those accidentes as the forme of bread and wyne vnder whiche by the omnipoteÌ„cie of his worde it pleaseth him to exhibite him selfe vnto vs doe remayne and contynewe In your first liues wherin is taught that the sacramente is god and man and therfore muste be worshiped withe all godly honour is intollerable blasphemie For neither haue you any scripture to proue it to be God nor yet that euer Christe or his dearely beloued apostles taught that it should haue al godly honour At his holy supper he coÌ„manÌ„ded theÌ„ al to eate this breade and drinke this cup deuiding it amonge theÌ„ To sette vp any newe God therefore not taughte in the scriptures is blasphemie â–ª and the settynge vp therof deserueth stoning to death by the law of Moyses And Paule byddeth that if an Angell come downe froÌ„ heaueÌ„ to preache any other Gospel then that whiche the Apostles haue preached we shoulde take hym as accursed And is not thys a newe Gospell to teach a Sacrament to be a God to teache that the bread which is a vile creature is very God and that it ought to be worshypped wyth all diuine honour worship The sacrameÌ„t that Christ made and ordeined to be a memoriall of his death redeÌ„ption by him to be made Christ him selfe is it not blasphemie A piece of past whiche was made but yesterday can it be made a sacrifice to take awaye synne wythout blasphemie If a man shoulde call the sacrameÌ„t of baptisme god and do al godly honour thereunto woulde you not say he were mad And yet is Baptisme the chiefe sacrameÌ„t both because it is the first sacrameÌ„t 〈◊〉 signe wherein the free mercie of God
interpretations and similitudes shal sone perceine your gloses to be of smale knoledge For Paule knowyng that suche shoulde come after hym as woulde not suffer holesome doctryne expouneth his owne wordes strayght wayes declaryng them to be of the outward remembraunce of Christes death which is doone in this Sacramente as in all other bothe of the olde Testamente and of the newe and not of the inwarde memorie must be continual at al tymes and not in the eating of this bread only So oft as you eate thâ—s bread and drinke this cup sayth Paule you shewe forth the death of the Lorde to the tyme that he come as Erasmus doeth translate it and after the olde translation you shal shewe furth the death The greke worde â–ª 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 causeth thys ambiguitie For it may be either the present tyme of the indicatyue or the present of the imparatiue commaundyng the memorie to be done And so agreeth it wyth Luke Do thys in the remeÌ„braunce of me So agreeth it with the passeouer in whose steede we haue it for they had speciall commaundemente of lyke remembraunce of the worke of God Thus agreeth it wyth diuers other commaundementes for the merueylous worke of God to be had in memorie as appeareth by Iosue the. iiij and Erod xiiii And vpon these are the verses of Dauid knowen to be true Great are the workes of the Lorde and worthy to be searched furth that all delite and pleasure maye be in them Glorie and maiestie are his workes and his ryghtuousnes remayneth for euer He made a memoriall of his workes etc. The Hebrues do vse the imparatyue for the future tens of whose phraces the newe testament is full Thys memorie of the workes of God and highe estimation of his loueinge mercies ought to be had in perpetual remembraunce therfore doth Dauid brast furth into suche wordes by the vehemeÌ„cie of the spirite saying Oh al you seruauÌ„tes of the Lorde praise you the Lorde Optabilis laus eius Psalme Cxlvii His praise is to be wished and desired and therfore we desire praye that his name may be sanctified hallowed renowmed and praysed Sanctificetur nomen tuum Ex ore infantium et lactantium perfecisti laudem The prophete truly instructed by the spirite of God knoweth that he hath made perfecte his prayse by the mouth of infautes suckelynges and babes and therefore byddeth he that yonge men and maydens olde men and childreÌ„ should prayse the name of the Lorde sayinge that this prayse becometh all his holions It was the course of the olde testameÌ„t and the Iewes vse the same at thys daye that the whole congregation shoulde after the lawe and prophetes reade vnto them acknowledge theyr synnes and gyue thankes for theyr beuefiâ—es or elles promise to do the thynges commaunded and wyth one herte and mouth thus glorifie God And the same ordre continued amongest vs tyl suche tyme as you byshoppes by your arrogant ignoraunce dyd shutte vp the kyngdome of heauen whiche standeth chiefely in the renowmynge praysynge and glorifiynge of God and neither woulde entre in your selues no suffre them that woulde entre Paule alloweth thys generall praysynge and preachyng of Christes benifites and woÌ„ derous workes saying So oft as you come together euery one of you hath a songe hath a doctrine hath a tonge hath a reuelation hath an interpretation Agayne you maye all prophecie one by one that al may learne and al maye haue conforte But bishoppes wyll none of thys It is ynough say you to haue it done once for all it needeth not to be done againe Yea you wyll not haue it done at all You wyl haue vs muÌ„ble al our life longe in a blinde and vnknowne laÌ„guage But the sermon and preaching and shewing furth of the lordes death muste be in our liuing after the exeÌ„ple of the bishoppes and prelates in loue charitie and the contempt of the worlde Not in makynge a sermon wyth the tonge declaring howe Christe died for vs. Oh blynde guides you oughte to wishe that the name of God and the special worke of his mercies in the death of his sonne Christe mighte be moste largely renowmed praised and sanctified in the coÌ„gregation not only by the mouth of sucklinges and babes by the lowest by the highest by the smallest by the greateste but if it were possible that the very stones should brast furth his praise And wheras we are all to slacke and negligeÌ„t in reÌ„dering thankes for this great benifit that we haue thorow the death of Christ good bishoppes woulde encourage vs and steare vp this heauy slackenes in vs callyng vpoÌ„ vs to be thankeful But coÌ„trariwise you discourage vs so muche as you can possibly commaundinge that we shall not euery man preache furth the Lordes death in this moste worthy sacrameÌ„t but in steede therof you do by your coÌ„maâ—â—demeÌ„t establishe your Idolatrous sacrifice wherwith we must be fully contented and satisfied and not so hardy as once to demaunde in it any one worde to be spokeÌ„ to the edification of the vnlearned So that your bishoppe Deuyll lurketh in thys worde not more wickedly working his purpose to put to silence the death of Christe theÌ„ in the greatest but that euer was made Howe be it if we myghte opteyne of our noble Prince as no doubte we shall if your Deuyll do not ouer renne all together if we myghte opteyne I saye the thynge that Paule commaundeth that nothynge shoulde be spoken in straunge language in the congregation wythout an enterpretoure that we myghte all wyth knowledge and not wyth blynde mumblynge matteâ—s worship god gyue glorie to his name your Idol woulde wax so sicke Idoubte not that you should staÌ„de nede of some expert maister of phisicke to see his water Doctour Buttes if he were on lyue coulde do it ryght well Where as you deride thys thynge that euerie man shoulde make a sermon I wyshe that euery man coulde do it and wyll exhort them that can do it eneÌ„ for the loue of God that they do it more diligently For I do nothynge feare that they wyll be ouer ready to the thinge that is good No I haue dwelled fully seuen yeres in a place where I neuer hearde sermon But for the declaration of the text vnderstande that we do not thynke euery maÌ„ bounden and coÌ„maunded to make a sermoÌ„ but to reioyce blesse God Which is all one borowed of the Hebrue language to acknowledge in our herte and if occasion to profite the coÌ„gregation or the ordre of the churche and assemble do permitte it to confesse wyth the mouth the death and benifite of Christe and generally to gyuâ— thankeâ— together in comlinesse and ordre that by the multitude thus praysyng and gyuing thankes the honoure of God maye be amplified and we the better reseÌ„ble that heauenly HierusaleÌ„ where they do incessantly syng praise criynge wyth one voice Sanctus sanctus that is holye holy holy And
this is meÌ„t by the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in diuers places of Deutronomie The wordes are these Thou shalte come to the priest that shall be in those daies and say vnto hym I acknowledge this day before the Lorde my god that I am entred into the lande for the whiche he sweare to our fathers that he woulde giue it vnto vs. Here is a like memorie of God commaunded by Moyses Whereby as in thys sacrament is ment a reuerent thankes gyuyng and acknowledgyng for sâ— is the Hebrue word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 traÌ„slated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudicum iâ— Whereby we may perceyue the worde blessing to agree with the other greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus we therfore haue by the healpe of the Hebrue tonge and the olde testament furth of the whiche two all rites and ceremonies and the trueth of al the principal places of the newe testament haue both their coÌ„firmation and declaration and by the circumstaÌ„ces of the places proued vnto you first that in this sacrament there muste be a general profession of oure sayth in the death of Christ outwardly and theÌ„ priuately euery one must in hert acknowledge giue thaÌ„kes And if the profite of his brethren do so require it or the ordre of the coÌ„gregaâ—ioÌ„ permit they muste with mouth celebrate and prayse this great benifite to the glorie of God and the conforte of the congregation Your first declaration that we must haue Christ present in this memorie by fayth maketh nothinge agaynst vs. For this is it that we do beleue and teach that vnto the eyes of our faith there is preseÌ„t in the sacrament the natural body of our sauiour Christ the same body that suffered And your similitude of the maried womaÌ„ that wyl make an Image of her husbaÌ„de for a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of him maketh much against you For this I dare saye that al the eloqueÌ„ce you haue â—aÌ„ not proue vn to a righte selêder witted woman that the Image thus made for a memorial is hir owne natural housbaÌ„de and so make hir do honor and reuerence vnto him at bed and at bourd as you woulde haue vs to do to this very Image as you cal it of Christ beinge departed in body froÌ„ his churche and leauing this most perfect Image of him selfe and as you say him selfe for a memorie Furthermore If you coulde proue vnto this womaÌ„ that this image were the natural body â—lesh bloud and bones of hir husband what neede she to loke for hym in any other place abseÌ„t whoÌ„ she hath thus really present at all tymes What shal we say Is hir husbande gone Nay verely hir husbande lyeth hid in and vnder the Image Lo whither your blynde similitudes do leade you But to proue his body to be in diuers places wythout any chaunge of place you had neede to aske better counsayle of your sophisters and then we shal answere you agayne For the texte folowinge Non dâ—…dicans corpus domini makynge no difference of the Lordes body which wordes be so translated in the Bible that you haue allowed by Act of parliament For the scriptures suche is oure miserie can be no farther good and profitable for vs but as yon wyll allowe it That is to saye the laste yere good for all men but thys yere good for gentlemen onely In the last proclamation you condemned three translations and saued one But in thys your boke you seme to be wery of that one for you fynde fautes therein and wyll not haue at reade at suche tymes as men meete together in the churche But God is the Iudge of your doinges You do not Iudge and knowe that God is as presently in his wordes and scriptures whiche you do burne as he is in the Sacramentes whiche are made and take theyr strength of the same worde Oh byshoppes If thys thynge that you do be for the pure â—eale of Goddes worde then take so muche paynes amongest you al as to set furth one traÌ„slatioÌ„ so true â–ª that no man may fynde any faut therwyth But you caÌ„ not heare on that side You haue burned fiue thousande but of your translation we fynde not one It is easy therefore to iudge what your purpose hath bene But to returne to the wordes Non diiudi caÌ„s etc. Your english text is making no differeÌ„ce of the Lordes body But your owne interpretation is not vnderstanding not coÌ„side ring But if you wyl adde thereunto the signification of the greke worde not iudging I wyl say al is true and agreeth very wel For who so euer doeth eate this bread and drinke this cup vnworthily eateth his owne iudgemeÌ„t making no differeÌ„ce not vnderstanding consideringe or iudgynge the Lordes body Where he that doeth eate it worthily doeth by his faith eate the very body of the Lorde so ofte as he eateth of this bread and drinketh of this cup and fedeth his soule by the reioycing in the death of the lorde For who soeuer seketh the spirituall fode he regardeth nothinge but the body of Christ offered for his sinnes though with his mouth bodily he receiue the bread the figure of the same If any haue â—…scoÌ„strued this texte do not charge vs therewyth But if we do take it wronge reproue vs by scripture No man doubteth but that he is giltie of the bloud of Christ which taketh Baptisme vnreuerently Yet dare we not saye that in the water is really presente the body and bloud of Christe He despiceth me saith Christ that despiceth you speaking of his Apostles Yet is it no good argument to say therefore that Christe is corporally in his Apostles But spiritually we must boeth beholde most thaÌ„kefully receiue our Christ in al his sacramentes in al his messengers The third text Spiritus viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicquaÌ„ In english the spirite giueth life the flesh profiteth nothyng maketh much agaynste you Yea thoughe you take it after your owne glose which is that this text is a general lesson for the true vnderstandyng of oure whole religion But thys glose shall we touche hereafter This texte The spirit gyueth lyfe the fleshe profiteth nothynge is boeth proued true and manifestly declared in the. xvi chapter folowinge where Christe sayeth I tel you truth that it is profitable for you that I departe for if I do not go awaye that confortynge spirite shall not come vnto you But if I go I wyll sende hym vnto you etc. Whereby it appeareth playnely agaynste your wordes that the presence of the bodie carnally is not profitable vnto vs nowe after his ascendynge into heauen because Christe sayeth it is profitable that in bodie he shoulde departe but you saye it is profitable to haue hym here in a cake notwythstandyng that he sayeth that onlesse he go his waye the spirite of conforte can not come The exemple of Peter and all the Apostles who were stronger by the confort of the spirite then by the presence
myght repent me of my works I had eueÌ„ theÌ„ iust occasioÌ„ to haue sorowed for the benifites that I had shewed vnto your wicked kinde the wickednesse wherof was so greate that I could not other wise expresse it to the worthynesse then to saye that it repented me to haue made man Idolatrie was then spred thorowe the whole earth and fewe or none woulde call vpon my name For â—embroth the stoute hunter raysed Idoles in Babilon and the Chaâ—aneâ—s worshiped the fier After that Belus with his coÌ„plices builded a towre to withstaÌ„d my vengeaunce Sodome and Gomore prouoked myne heauie displeasure wyth theyr manifolde enormities To be shorte all the whole world refused â–ª me the leueinge God the wel of liuing waters and digged them cisternes which can holde no water Euerie citie inueÌ„â—ed a straung god Saturnus Iupiter Iuno Mars Mercurie and such othere moÌ„strous Idoles are newelye inuented whylse I destroie the olde But Israell whom I had chosen to be my people to be my holy people coÌ„mauÌ„ding him to haue no maner of Image doeth after so many my greate mercies shewed vnto Aabraham Isaake Iacob and the fathers after suche wonderfull deliueraunce from Pharao set vp a goldeÌ„ calfe the Idole of theire idle braine They renâ—e to Baall Pheger They fill the holy lande whyche I gaue them in heritage full of most filthy Idoles Worthily therfore are thei destroied wyth pistelence famine and swerde But you that heare the name of my soÌ„ne Christe and are named Christians whom I haue by the death of the same myne onely begotteÌ„ sonne made â—…e owne you are much more blame worthy and pour miserable waâ— wardnesse is no longer to be sufferred For you haue these xv hundred yeres prouoked my wrath vpon you renneing head long into al kindes of wickednesse But to pas with silence al other thinges wherin you haue offended my maiestie ther is nothing so vile amongest al my creatures but that you haue assaed to set vp the same as your God dispiceing therin both my powre and the rule that I gaue you ouer al other creatures forgettinge clearelie that I haue exalted myne elect aboue the Angelles and haue fent mine heauenly spirites io do seruice vnto them Al this notwithstanding haue not you worshipped stockes and stones dome and deade blockes and geuen my glorie whiche I do not wyllingely imparte vnto anie other abâ—un dantly to such monsters and I do les polluteinge your bodies with boweinge and beckeing crowcheing 〈◊〉 kneleing kisseing and more filthily defiled your mindes and soules with worshipeinge as goddes such insensible creatures so that you leaue no place of dewe reuerence vnto me your creatur nor to my son Christe whoe suffered moste bitter death to bring you out of bondage You do ofteÌ„ crie Lorde Lorde If I be your lord â–ª where is my feare where is the worship mete for a Lord wherfore do you forsake me your lord You do often times call me father but I meruaile whither the childeli reuerence is banished or into what contrey al brotherly loue is flede Yea muche more do I meruaile where you haue hyd the memorie of my soÌ„ne Christe of whom al fatherhod brotherhode and kinred froÌ„ me to you warde taketh his beginning For he is the firste begotten of euerie creature of whoÌ„ al kinred in heauen and in earth hath his original Who suffering most cruel death for your sinnes and most bitter tormeÌ„tes in his bodie asketh nothinge againe but that you wyll celebrate some thankefull memorie of hys name and not suffer his bountuouse benifite to be forgotten by vnworthy scilence For when he departed from the earth to come agayne to hys heauenlye mansion what dyd he commaund to any of you but onely this that as he had after hys last supper ministred the bread and wyne in misterie so shoulde you so ofte as you eate and drinke in the remembraunce of him Certifiinge you that so ofte as you shoulde eate thys breade and drink of his cup you should shewe his death tyl he come agane vnto you The charge that he geueth you is to do it in the remeÌ„braunce of him promiseing you that he wyll not forget you wher he siteth at the ryght hand of me hys father where he is a continuall mediatour and meane for you neuer ceasynge to opteyn for you what so euer you aske of me in his name But loe your ingratitud you acquite vs our mede Me you do cast cleane frome you and to a stone do you say Thou art my father and to a bloke thou hast begotten me Agayne to my sonne you are so vnkynde and vngentle that you haue pute awaye the memorie of hys death wherby you lyue not onlie forgetfull of the laboures whiche he susfered for your â—akes but also if any of my seruantes wolde renew his memory among you he shal with muche crueltie be put to silence And you boast of a certayn vayne and conterfayte gesture and mumblynge called the masse which you say is more holie and more wisely set forth then Christ my sonne could do it when he was in the worlde Thus do you forsake his coÌ„mauÌ„dement of preachynge his death to your brethern and posteritie for the maintenaunce of popyshe ceremonies the ware of Antechriste wher in you bable blasphemouse collectes with blynde mumblinges Yet pache you your matters wyth my scriptures that you may deceyue so much the more craftelie day lyinge so wyth the pore people in a tounge that they do not vnderstande nor know noâ— â—ne worde what you saye least they shoulde chaunce to dreame any thynge at al of the death of my sonne and haue him in any remembraunce at all Yea and to kepe the matter more secrete you are ryght well ware that when any mencion is made of hys bodie geuen for the worlde you speake not onelie in a strange tonge but also vnder suche scilence that a man had nead to crepe verie nere you and harâ—en verie diligently if he should vnderstaÌ„d any thinge though he were learned in y e tong that you whisper in Yea you blow forth your words so closeli into your chalice as though you intended nought els but to deceiueth people And they silâ—y soules being alâ—o gether astooied through theyr own ignoraunce and your strange gestures cease not to renne about you lyke men amased They fall down and worshyp they wonder at this newe and strangeâ— God in so little a piece of bread They striue who shaldo most honore and reuerence to this weake Idole Yea they falone in aâ—others necke at the soÌ„ne of the little bell They kysse theyr fingers they parte pardoÌ„ to their â—ies and other partes of theyr bodies They strok their heades What god Yea what mortal man coulde abid to be worshiped with such mad gestures But I the lord of hostâ—s for as muche as I am a spirite and the creatour of aâ— pure spirites wyth bodily gestur am I nothing delited but in spirit
doeth iustifie you can barke brale at hym biding him bring some opeÌ„ scripture wher it is written faith alone We maye iustly therfore if you wil geue vs leue aske you wherit is writen in scripture breade alone In the. xxiiij of Luk it is writteÌ„ that Christ dyd take the breade blessed and brake it and dyd gyue it to theÌ„ theyr eies were opened But â–ª whether we wyll vnderstande that Christ vsed herein his accustomed old maner of thankes geuynge as he dyd allwayes wheÌ„ he did take breade or such like creatures to teach hys to be alwayes thankefull as appeareth Iohn vi Luke ix Marke vi viij Math. xiiij and. xv or we wyll saye that he dyd also blesse the cup and not the breade alone you haue not one worde to confute vs. If you dare then put to your glose and exclusyue A lone in the seconde of the Actes where it is sayed that they dyd coÌ„tynewe in the doctrine of the Apostles breaking bread by euerye house besydes that you make the Apostles verie lewde so sone to be forgetful of theyr Masters example and speciall commaundement to deuide this brotherlye cup amonge theÌ„ you maye likewyse be demaunded because you take somuche lybertye sometyme to speake merylie whether you wyll adde your exclusyue alone vnto the wordes next folowynge which are these â–ª Inuicem sumebant cibum They dyd take meate to gether As though they should eate meate alone without drinke But surely you prelates do ryght well knowe howe vnmete and perilouse a thynge it is to eate breade wythout drynke and therefore haue ye graunted vs pore lewede people to haue thre draftes of your chalyce to washe dowâ—e your clammye God when he cleaueth to the roufe of our mouthes And though you do not blesse the wyne that you gyue vs no not so much as once blowe vpon it or wagge your holie fingers ouer it I yromise you I like it neuer the worsse For I knowe that God hath blessed it as hys good creature and I can not perceiue howe your blessinge shoulde amende it Whether you wyl or not therfore I receiue it as the sacrament and holye semblaunce of the bloude of the vnspotted lambe in the newe testameÌ„t that like as the fathers of the olde testament had the naturall bloude of their lambe and passeouer sprinkled on all their postes and dores so likewyse we of the newe testament seinge we can not haue the natural bloude of thys lambe of the newe testamente neither stande we nede of any suche carnall imaginacion to vs that are spirituall Yea some of the disciples of Christe would haue dronken the bloude that ran forth of hys syde if thys had ben so profitable We of the newe testament I say knowing that oure vnspoted lambe Christe Iesu hath deliuered vs out of the Egipt of sinne and the hellye Pharao do also knoweledge our deliueraunce by thys cup of the newe testameÌ„t in his bloude offered for the sinnes of the whole worlde accordinge to the sayeinge of Paule in hys Epistle to the CorhinihyaÌ„s The cup of thankes geueinge sayeth he where wyth we geue thankes is it not the partakinge of the bloude of Christe Thys cup sayteh Paule on hys maysters worde is the newe testameÌ„t in my bloud Do this so ofte as you drinke in the remembraunce of me For as oft as you shal eate of thys bread and drynke of thys cup you shall shewe the Lordes death tyl he come What so euer he be therfore that woulde stope thys well of Iacobbe and thys spirituall spring wytholdeing vs frome drinckeing of thys cup wherin we do spiritually receiue the bloud of the immaculate lambe that was slayne for vs he doeth not onelye breake the commaundement of Christe oure mayster and sauiour refuseinge the cup of brotherly loue whiche ought to be deuided amongeste all them that be of Christe but he doeth also stoppe the memorie of oure deliueraunce by Christe hynder vs frome the communion and partaking of hys bloude and extinguish and blotte forth so far as in them lyeth the remeÌ„braunce of hym that hath by his bloud bought vs. But nowe because you know that al you haue sayde hath but a feeble foundacion you ren styll to the cornor stone of your buildeinge and saye ⧠Vnto thys daye we be onely assertayned by tradicion of the churche in the true vnderstandeynge of the Euangelistes of oure order in the consecracion of the said sacrameÌ„te and the circumstaunce of the pronunciacion of Christes wordes wherby the same is wrought Al thought thys intricate sentence of yours of the order of consecracion and the circumstaunce of the pronunciacion myght minister iuste matier of an whole boke yet because I haue thys one marcke chieflye before myne eies to teache howe that you neither in thys nor in any other mattier wyll claâ—e to the in fallible certaintie and trueth of the scriptures but accompt your selues to be ascertayned by the onely tradicions of your doctours whome you call the churche I geue warneinge to all good men that they geue no credence to thys your deceiueable sophistrie For by these termes of tradicions of the churche continued so long time you maye bringe in popes pardons pilgrimages and what ye luste But howe can any good hert beleiue that you would truely minister your tradicions secretly taken at the handes of your fathers when we se you minister falsely the thinges that are taught in scripture CaÌ„ you bewitch vs to belieue that you wyl minister the tradicions that you haue learned in secrete for our profite when we se you corrupt the openscripturs with your gloses for your owne profite Drincke of this you al are the plaine wordes of our sauiour Christ the maister of al trueth And shall we belieue you in your vnwritten verities when you go about to gloses this such lyke places of scripture Naye it is an hundred tymes more likely that you woulde be falser in secrete thynges thaÌ„ in opeÌ„ Wher fore as you myght cal him a fole that would trust such one to tel his money in his absence as hath picked his pursse and done falsely before his face euen so myght you recken vs worsse theÌ„ mad if we haueinge experience of you seinge you takeÌ„ wyth the maner and reproued for the corrupting of y e opeÌ„ scriptur before our eies yea â—o taken that you caÌ„ not denie iâ— woulde beliue that which hath these M. yeres lien in your roten mawes in the fleshly mire of mans inueÌ„cions should nowe be holsome for vs seing that your fathers the Popes haue so ming led all their tradicions wyth the open blasphemies agaynste God and all godlynesse whiche is the verie doctrine of Antichrist and the phariseies that folowed them haue thriste all thynges so ful of their leuen of Hypocrisie and you theyr successours haue strayned them to suche vngodly purpose and maintayned them with suche crueltye ⧠The ceremoneis wherof
wer of Angelles in the thinges thei se not being puâ—fed vp without cause through their own fleshly mindes not haueing the head wherof the whole bodie bi ioincies and coÌ„plings receiueth nourishemeÌ„t and is â—â—it together and encreseth with the eÌ„creasing that coÌ„ith of god Of this kinde is al your doctrine because it is not grounded on the worde of God I meane vayne superstition and blynde holynes EueÌ„ very belyed and misnamed knowledge as thys is whiche foloweth coÌ„cerning Iudas and the wicked For you saye Iudas and euyll men hauing the Deuyll in them haue yet receyued into their bodies the hoste consecrate wherein was the bodie of Christe God and man Nowe must we of necessitie demaunde of you what felowshippe there coulde be of lyghte and darknes lyfe and death Christe and Belzabub God and the Deuyll Scripture teacheth vs that the wycked haue the Deuyll dwellyng in them and the faythful haue Christe and the spirite of Christe dwellyng in them But howe Christ and the Deuyl can dwell together I am ryght sure you can not declare The good spirite departed from Saule and the wycked dyd entre into hym Likewyse the Deuyll possessed Iudas wholy when he ranne busily about his mischiefe for God departed from him immediatly after the soppe was gyuen hym We muste therfore at al tymes make our bodies temples of the holy goâ—te and oure membres the weapons of ryghtuousnes or els are we a dwelling place for the Deuyl and our meÌ„bres prepared for vnrightuousnes For there is no couplynge of good and euyl together heate and colde fyre and water This is our doctrine that we haue learned of the worde of God contrarie to that you teach by your Pope holie Doctours We affirme that no wycked man muche lesse any vnreasonable beaste can eate the bodie of Christ Our reason grounded vpoÌ„ scripture is this No wicked maÌ„ or brute beast hath fayth But Christ can not be eaten otherwise then by fayth no wycked man therfore or brute beast can eate Christ Agayne He that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloude hath euerlastynge lyfe and I wyl reyse him at the last day But the wicked haue not euerlasting life neither shal any vnreasonable beast be reysed agayne to lyfe wherefore neither of them doth eate the fleshe of Christe Agayne He that eateth my fleshe and drynketh my bloude dwelleth in me and I in hym But no beaste or wycked man can dwell in Christe or haue Christe dwellynge in hym wherefore they eate him not Agayne He that eateth me he lyueth for me And he that hath the sonne hath life An hundrede places mo there be whyche moue vs to speake more reuereÌ„tly of Christ then you do that is that the trewe fayethfull man onely maye be parte taâ—ar of the bodye bloude and death of oure Sauioure Christ Who as they onely are parte takers of the lyfe euerlastynge so are they onely and continually fedde wyth the fode whiche fedeth into the lyfe euerlastynge wyth thys breade that cometh downe from heauen whereof who so eateth shall neuer dye who so eateth or drinketh therof shal neuer be hun grie or thirstie Nowe for your substanciall solution for the subduinge of the senses You saye thus The trewe churche of Christe hath subdued theyr senses that they haue continually seene such notable repugnaunce to their senses and yet were not moued in theyr fayth For thys cause oughte we not to beleue theyr tales Thys is like as the Pharisies myghte haue answered Esaye Hieremie and other of the Prophetes cryinge out on theyr Idolles sayinge that they had eyes and could not see eares and could not heare mouthes and coulde not speake And feete and coulde not go They myght haue answered as they dyd to Ieremie Templum domini templum domini The church of the Lorde chosen by God furth of the stocke of Leuie hath so captiuated their senses that they haue sene continually these Idolles to be suche as you speake and yet were they neuer moued wyth them Let these tales passe therefore For thus dyd the priestes keepe the Israelites captyue in the tyme of Christe to their owne damnation We are the disciples of Moyses saye they and God dyd speake vnto Moyses But we knowe not thys Christe froÌ„ whence he cometh None of the princes or heades of holy church beleue in hym nor yet any of the Pharisies but onely thys vnlearned multitude The Rabbies see his miracles they heare his preachinges but they captiue their wittes and say that he is a sinner and al that confesse his name they caste out of their churches Thys church adourned and decked with much outwarde holines hauyng their office or duitie prescribed or appoynted vnto them by the worde of God longe tyme together rebuked the poore blinde man that reasoned the cause of Christ with them saying Thou arte borne all in synne and wilte thou teache vs Nowe because in all ages this cloke and craftie argumeÌ„t hath deceyued many wherfore we wyll are no more what you of the churche do saye but what Moyses the Prophetes the Apostles the scripture of God and Christ hym selfe do saye Of whoÌ„ with cleare voice and manifeste miracle it was hearde from heauen This is my dearly beloued sonne in whoÌ„ I delite heare you him For if we shoulde heare you in thys reason you woulde by the same brynge vpon oure neckes agayne the Pope his Pardones Pilgrimages Abbayes yea the filthy Stewes maynteyned continually in your eyes and vnder your nose so longe And yet in al these thinges you gentlemen of the churche haue so well captiuated your wyttes that you haue beleued and thought the open mainteinaunce of whoredome both bodily and speritually to be worthely cherished and that the one was seruiseable for the commune wealth the other profitable to Christes religion You haue so longe deceyued vs that vnlesse you do bring the worde of Christ with you we dare not truste you any longer vnder the name of Christes vicares and Christes church whiche termes you do vse as appeareth by your bokes not for any loue you haue vnto Christe for then woulde you persecute no maÌ„ professing Christ and cleauing vnto him onely and his worde but be ready to eâ— dauÌ„ger your souleâ— for youâ—… therne And by thys badge of loue should we know you to be Christes disciples In the meane season we wyll folowe the commaundement of Christe we wyll not folowe the voice of any straunger we wyll playnely proteste oure fayth in the simplicitie of lambes or doues Yet wyll we alwayes haue regarde vnto oure heade Christe And that is the proprietie of the serpente And we wyll stoppe our eares wheÌ„ you bringe in your inchauntmentes For those wordes of yours are of wouderfulle force Fyrste you do by them call downe into a litle cake or as you do glose it more fynely into a fewe accidentes God the seconde personne in trinitie who sitteth at the ryghte
that all such be put out from amonge my people And who so euer wilnot repēt this grosse errour beinge admonished be it knowen vnto them that they are not of my shepe For my shepe do heare my voice And being once raysed wyth my voice they wyll folowe no straunger but wil with open voice crie vnto the straunger and say Oh Idole shepeherde Al this haue I spokē because I your god am so opēly cōtemned and a weaks Idol embraced Gyue eare nowe and herken what I shal saye for my sonne whō I sent to be your sauiour and the onely sacrifice that can take awaye synne in my sight You make hym of none effect that so you maye establishe your owne glorious workes and sacrifices I was and am fully cōtented and satisfied wyth the offering of his body once done What neede is there then of your lyeinge sacrifice If his onely sacrifice be ynough as it is ynough more then ynough to satisfie for al what nedeth you to sacrifice and offer him vp again Wyl you or cā you kyl him againe For that which is sacrificed must needs be slayne and wythout bloude can there be no remission of sinnes I know your hertes bloudy bishops by the betrayinge of him whē he was in the earth amonge you nowe by the brennyng of his worde by the tirānous destroyinge of his flocke which wolde cal againe the memorie of his passiō which you haue extinguished wyth your sacrifice for the quycke the dead making it a cloke for your couetousnes and a buckler for the pompe and rigorous authoritie you chalendge ouer my litle flocke I appointed him priest according to the ordre of Melchisedech without successoure or felow I anointed him with the spiritual oile of my spirite that I mighte haue a bishop to offre vnto me sacrifice which should be pure and without spot whiche shoulde not neede many times to offer or to be offered but makinge al thynges perfecte by one onely offeringe of him selfe vnto me his father and by his bloude which all other sacrifices so oft iterated and repeted as thinges vnperfect dyd onelie signifie In this my dearly beloued sonne is my delyte He is the greate bishop whiche once for all hath entered into the place most holie And beinge founde lyke one of you in althings sinne only excepted he hath now penetrated and passed throughe into the heauens there to be your bishop for euer to offer hym selfe alwayes for you in my syghte by whom you maye come to the throne of my grace to haue healpe by tyme. If you wyl seeke any other bishoppe to offre for yo◠I tell you he is poluted and muste firste offre for hym selfe And because of the imperfection that is in hym he can not please me nor pacifie forhim selfe Yea you may also perceiue that his offeryng is vnperfecte or els should he not neede to reiterate it so oftē If you wil not be deceiued therfore sticke fast vnto the offering ofmy sōne once for all made for you And as I haue giuē him to the deth for your sakes so wyll I deny you nothinge that you aske in his name be you sure Hōse comethit that you be called christiās that Christ my sonne was for your sakes manifestly made man in the flesh was iustly declarede God by the spirite and shewed vnto the Angels and after receyued into glorie This must you beleue if you wyl be partakers of the same glorie That he was verie man as one of you are synne onely excepted conuersant vpon the earth in all humilitie care and miserie at my cōmaundemēt wherby for his obedience toward me he deserued to be ▪ crowned wyth a crown of glorie wherfore I sendynge the holye gost vnto you at his desyre whyche may teach you how you are become my chyldren by hym dyd take him vnto my selfe and raised him aboue al the heauēs euen to sitte at my ryght hand for euer Wher you shal seke him if you intende to find hime But neither here nor ther in ani corner of the earth He tolde you that he must departe from you And if you loke for my fauoure you muste not compt him a liar But wylt thou seke my sonne Lo he hath offered one offerynge for sinne and sytteth for euer at the ryght hande of me hys father lokynge for that whiche remayneth That is that hys enemies be made his fote stole And thus doeth my spirite witnes vnto you that in this my newe testamēt established in hys death your sinnes shoulde be done awaye so that I woulde no more remembre them Then if you beleue them to be forgyuen how can you offer for them any more It is a manifest token therfore that all you which wilbe styll sacrificeynge for your synnes do not beleue that they beforgeuē by the death of my sonne Christe You also whych wyll carnally and grosely eate hym and feade vpon hym as chaungeynge breade into hys fleshe can not worthly beleue vpon hym For he departeyngefrō the earth dyd cōmaund you to eate the bread of this supper which he louyngly called hys bodye for your weake remēbraunce and for the declaracion of the benefite which he then shewed vnto all the faythful beleuers in hys death and bloud shedeynge For the declaracion and remēbraunce I saye of this benefite he cōmaunded all his faythful folowers brotherly to deuide amonge them the bread and wyne so ofte as they woulde eate or drynke in the remembraunce of hym whom they shoulde not haue any longer presently conuersant amonge them For he was then commynge vnto me his father for your profyte And therfore byddeth he you do this thynge in the remēbraunce of hym wyll you then know what it is to do the worke that he commaundeth you or to worke the meate that ne neuer perisheth whiche meate he promised to geue vnto you and I haue sēt him downe and appointed hym for the same purpose If you wil knowe this worcke reade in the. vi of Iohn wher you shal learne that the worke of God is to belieue in hym whome he hath sent This is al that you can geue me This is all that I require at your handes I geue you therfore the breade of life if you can receiue it by faieth vnfainedlie That is to say trusteinge to my promise onely in the death of my sonne and to none other creature Yea my sonne is this breade of lyfe and he that cometh vnto hym shall not be hongry he that beleueth in hym shal not be thirsty And thys he tolde you was my wyll and pleasure that who so euer doeth see him and beliue in hym hath euerlasteynge lyfe For thys is the lyfe euerlasteynge to knowe me and to knowe my sonne whome I haue sent Iesu Christe By thys knoweledg do the Angelles and blessed spirites lyue reioyce and take their comfort Thys is the heauenlye fode Thys is the Manna that comethe frome heauen Therfore so muche haste
bicause the houre is at hande wheÌ„ the Masse and all mans inuentions shal melt like waxe before the brenning fyre of the word of god But what mattier maketh it whereof thys worde cometh seinge al the worlde seeth that your Masse is a Masse and heape of ceremonies and fonde gestures nothinge after the forme that Christ our maister did institute it Seinge therfore you haue both geuen it a newe name chaunged the thinge it selfe also men that do mislyke your doinges maye wythout blame gyue it the name that they fynde in scriptures to call Christes deede into remembraunce whiche you haue almoste extinguished We therefore do coÌ„munely call it the supper of the Lorde as Paule doeth because at his last supper Christ dyd ordeine this sacrameÌ„t for a memorie remembraunce But for the worde Cena it is inough for chyldren to daly as you do in the scholes And the text of Paule is playne inough It is the mattier that we coÌ„tende for not the termes Thys terme the supper of the Lorde doeth signifie vnto vs the worke that Christe dyd and the thing that shoulde be had in memorie Your masse you say signifieth but no maÌ„ caÌ„ tell by what propertie of laÌ„guage al these thynges The gloriouse presence of the bodie and bloud of Christ the whole circumstauÌ„ces vsed and ceremonies done the deuoute prayers that be spoken by the priest Wel it is a smal mattier for you that can chaunge thynges and creatures to chaunge wordes and names at your pleasure Polidore semeth to speake in differeÌ„tly for vs both in this mattier where he sayeth that in the Masse there was an offeringe and gathering for the poore whiche fauoureth some thynge of the Hebrue worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tributum collectum But the pore are dispised and therfore there remayneth only the songe that is called the Offertorie sayth he which was songe whiâ—se the money was in gathering Finally whether you prelates whiche cal your selues the church may say with Paule Ego accepi a domino quod et tradidi vobis Let al me iudge that haue knowledge to perceyue what is in your Masse and what the Lorde dyd at his supper when he coÌ„maunded vs to do this in the remeÌ„braunce of hym and that we shoulde al drinke thereof Yea that so ofte as we eate of this bread drinke of thys cup we shoulde shewe furth the death of the Lorde vnto that he come whiche is the onely thynge that we desyre to haue the death of Christe preached in thys sacrament for that is the only fode life of the soule where you wyll haue nothynge but blynde diguisinges wherwith neither the body nor soul caÌ„ be fed ⧠Of theues that steâ—e awaye the fode of the soule THey would steale awaye the precious fode of the body and bloude of Christ make it a bare drinking of breade and wine Iudge you that be of god how we would steale awaye the precious fode of the body bloud of Christ wheÌ„ we do coÌ„tinually teach that this is the only fode of the soule and the working of the meate that neuer perisheth to beleue hym whom the father hath sent And would haue therfore the coÌ„ming sufferyng of Christ preached vnto the people by this sacrameÌ„t that they mighte continually feede of his body brokeÌ„ for them for the only fode of their soules Yea rather you are the theues the whole worlde to witnes that robbe the shepe of the fode of their soules You rob the pore people of the testament of their father You rob vs lay leude meÌ„ of the one halfe of the sacrament You take froÌ„ vs the testament which only was strikeÌ„ and established in the bloud which was coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the olde testameÌ„t to be sprinckled vpoÌ„ al the people of the which we were al coÌ„mauÌ„ded in the new testament to drinke And bisides that in the ministering of this sacrameÌ„t you wyl preach nothing of the death of Christ vnto vs though it be the sacrament therof No you will not speake one worde of his death passion nor once name vnto vs his body broken and his bloude shed for our synnes that it mighte be the fode of our soules You cause vs to gape gase at dead dombe ceremonies whereby the soule that is spiritual caÌ„ not be fed Yea that is worste of al in the steede of this fode of Christ you do kyl the soule not only with famine for lacke of this fode but also wyth the moste present poyson of Idolatrie The vtter confusion and distruction of all that wyllyngly folowe it And where they wyll passe none of their owne suppers on the greatest fastinge daye without fleshe yet in this supper of the lorde they diuise a diete wythout deinties to haue nothynge present but breade and wyne In our owne suppers we do vse no superstitioÌ„ of meates nor daies because God hath created al his creatures to be takeÌ„ with thankes giuinge as his good creatures and hath made maÌ„ Lorde ouer dayes and times to vse theÌ„ to his necessitie to serue to his vse And though the Iewes were nourterid for a time with shadowes of daies meates like ordinauÌ„ces tyl Christ the body did come set vs at libertie froÌ„ al such boÌ„dage yet because we christiaÌ„s haue once professed to worshyp god in spirite truth we may not turne backe froÌ„ the same to folowe the grosse superstitioÌ„ that the Pope hath soweÌ„ thorowout his kyngdoÌ„ but labour to breake it to take it awaye for the wealth of our brethreÌ„ leste peraduenture they that be weake do stil thinke it an high honour vnto god great holines to eate fish vpoÌ„ certeine daies coÌ„mauÌ„ded by the Pope to be so fasted and coÌ„trariwise that the eating of fleshe on those daies is dishonour vnto him a crime deseruing sore punishment And thus by our streÌ„gth the weake be offeÌ„ded established in their errour EueÌ„ as thei did that dyd styll eate of the meate offered vnto the Idols amongest the Corhinthians though thei dyd know that nothing was poluted or vucleane of it selfe yet thei sitting at the table of the Idoles were the occasion that the weake brothers who fraimed their fayth after thexeÌ„ple of theÌ„ that had knowledge were established in their errour by seing theÌ„ sit at the meate of Idols For it was not the maner that any maÌ„ shoulde syt at the Idoles table but suche as would be partakers of the Idolatrie In this point dyd Peter offeÌ„de also wheÌ„ he disseÌ„bled in the eating of â—eat paul rebuked him therfore In our owne suppers therefore we eate flesh or fish indiffereÌ„tly as is offred vnto vs giue god thaÌ„kes for his creatures WheÌ„ we fast we absteine froÌ„ both And not regarding bodily things for the time we do occupy our selues in spiritual meditation in mournynge for our sinnes the sinnes of the people And wheÌ„
speake are spirit and lyfe Wher vpon Peter saied Lord why ther sâ—hal we gooâ—thou hast the words of euerlasting life And these are the waters that Christe wyll geue after the whiche no man shall euer thurste But the water whiche I shall geue hâ—m saieth Christe shalbe made in hym a fountaine of water springeinge into lyâ—â—e euerlasteing Blessed be they that heare the worde of God and kepe it whiche was sharpely answered agaynste them which dyd so highlie aduaunce to knowe God in the fleshe Against whom also Paule sayth we know none after the fleshe etc. Moreouer saieth he though we haue knowne Christ after the fleshe yet nowe do we not knowe hym so any longer But he that is in Christe muste be a newe creature in the spirite accordeinge to the saieinge of Christe to him Nâ—codemus Excepte a man be borne a newe from aboue from heauen euen of the spirite the can not enter the kingdoÌ„e of heaneÌ„ That whych is borne of the fleshe is flesh and that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Againe it is profitable that I go from you for it I go not the spirite of confort shal not come vnto you but if I go I wyl sende hym vnto you he shal leade you into al truthe Therefore should you reioyce because I saie that I go vnto my father Thys profite of the bodilie departeing to haue the confort of the spirite dyd appeare manifestelie in Petre and the other Apostles who deniynge and forsakeinge theyr maister whome they hade bodily present dyd nothing doubt to die for hym whan he was in bodie absent Besides that thys bodilie presens in euerie corner to take awaye sinne is preiudicial to the liuely fealeing of oure faith Firste for that he is verie man in al thinges haueing a naturall bodye as we haue sufficiently paiyng oure raâ—â—some to hys father vpon the crosse SecoÌ„dly it may cause vs to doubt whether we shall saye that he hath ascended into heauen and there sitteth at the right hand of the father and froÌ„ thence shal come to iudge the quicke and the deade other else saie with you that the prieste muste dayly offer hym a sacrifice here vpon earth for vs and that he muste kepe him heare styl in a boxe to ware mouldie and mustie and then chaunge hym for a newe Christe beinge infinitly created Who shall at the daye of dome starte forth of all these boxes at once into a newe shape I trowâ— to iudge all the eâ—â—h or elfe muste you â—…des confesse that they shall al be iudged and â—…ned where they lye in their boxes The scripture I saye the liuely sâ—aâ—eing of my fayeth grounded onely vpon the spirite of Christâ— and your owne madnesse that I haue reade in your owne bokes and no pride or arroganciâ— what so euer you saye I take god to recorde caâ—se me that I dare not so carnally and grossely vnderstaÌ„d the wordes of Christe as you do And I daâ—e maintaine 〈…〉 I haue many of your owne doc tours whose testimonie either in thys poynt or any other vnâ—es they bringe open scripture wâ—…h them I do not greately regarde but to your confution Yet haue I the better parte of them whiche do spiritually vnderstande and interprete thys scripture wyth me â–ª How be it I knowe we shall neuer make aâ— ende 〈◊〉 we bringe doctour vpon doctoure To answere therfore to thys text this is my bodye whyche is your onely shoâ—eaukere And to 〈…〉 aâ— your wode wordes tauÌ„tes that flowe frome your eloquet mouth as smoke doeth from a lake of brimstone But firste I wyll bringe forth the whole texte of Mathewe Marke and Luke And by the open worde of God I truste I shall declare the true sence and meaneing to him that wyth a spirituall eie shall iudge therof Christ in the xxvi of Mathewe when he was together wyth hys Apostles eateinge the passouer whyche was the most liue lyke figure in the olde lawe nowe makeing an ende in Christe the lambe wythout all spoâ—e and blemishe did ordeine this godly sacrament for the remembraunce of hym selfe to the worlde folowinge and that hys death myght be shewed and published vnto the worldes and like as in the passouer was cotinually mencioned and declared to the posteritie foloweinge the benifite of God in the deliueraunce from Egipt And as that ceremonie the eateinge of the lambe was called the passouer and he hym selfe called the lambe of god so like wise calleth he thys hight misterie and sacrament hys bodie and a newe testament in hys bloude That as truely as the Israelites were deliuered forth of Egipte the angel passing by not hurting the people of that house the dore posts wherof were sprinkled wyth the bloude of that lambe so verily shoulde Christe delyuer vs out of the Egipt of sinne and perfourme the thynge before figured For thys cause saieth Iohn beholde the lambe of God whych taketh awaye the sinnes of the worlde And Christe sayeth Thys is my bodye whyche is gyuen for you And thys cup is the newe testament in my bloude whiche is shede for you By the which wordes it maye appeare that Christe dyd meane no chaunge of natures or traunssubstancion but onely that where the bloude of the lambe in the olde testament was sprenkled on the postes to saue frome the aduengeinge angell so many as shoulde be saued so lykewise thys bloude of Christ in the newe testament should be shede to saue vs so mani as haue our soules sprink led wyth the bloude of thys lambe Christe Iesâ— Therfore in lyke maner as the fathers of the olde lawe dranke of the spirituall ston that folowed them â–ª whiche was Christe euen so are we all commaunded to drinke of thys bloude none other wyse then the chyldren of Israell were commaunded that the bloude of the lambe shoulde be theire token in all the houses wher they were Ther was 〈◊〉 man so mad to saye that these wordes this cup is â—he newe testameÌ„t in my bloud dyd chaunge the substaunce of the cup into the newe testament And yet are thei christes owne wordes who can not lye If you therfore be driuen to your â–ª gloses tropes and figures in the wordes spoken of thys sacrament why should we be coÌ„demned to death because we can not vnderstande youre carnal gloses â–ª You must neades haue one glose to declare what is meÌ„t by the cup. Whether the wiâ—e the bloude or the cup it selfe either else a signe and sacrament of the newe testament or a performeinge of the same in the bloude of Christe as Luke teacheth you to speake and as Mathew and Marcke boeth do wittnesse This is my bloud of the newe testament whyche is shed for many to the remission of their sinnes Thus were the Apostles nothinge curiouse in wordes as they ought to haue bene if the wordes had made the cup or the wine God chaunging the substaunce therof so sone as they hadâ—â—eâ— spoken Thus you
fleshe profiteth nothinge thought it were eaten euerie meÌ„bre after other But the spirite giueth life Who leadeth vs to the fode that bringeth lyfe euerlasteinge And thus by the spirite whiche onely isprofitable we vnder stande these wordes Take and eate thys is my bodie which is giuen for you That like as I geue the bread to be eaten wyth the bodilie tethe so do I geue mi bodie to be eaten bi faith and that of the spirite For nowe shal it be geuen vnto the death that you maye haue lyfe And thus is my fleshe verie meate and my bodie breade and fode whiche maye be taken and receiued onely spiritually and not carnally bodilie or really In lyke maner therfore as you do bodilie take this brad at my hande eate it wyth your mouth and so receiue it into your stomake and bodie for the fode and sustentacion of your naturall lyfe so muste â–ª you by fayth the onely meane wherby ye maye eate or haue me present vpon erth receiue my body beleueing that my bodie is geuen for you that where you were deade frome God by your synnes I haue brought youfurth to leue in good workes vnto my father who compteth you nowe aâ—… children an heâ—ers prepared to euerlasteingâ—… lyfe so many as belieue truste in my deathâ—… Thus doeth Christe geue the breade to bâ—… eaten bodily with the mouth but hys bodiâ—… to be eaten spiritually in the spirite by faith And thys is it that good byshop Augustine sayeth What doest thou prepare thy teeth and thy bealiâ—… Beleue and thou haste eaten It is fleshe as I haue saied before what so euer bringeh not lyfe and therfore it profiteth nothing so ar al things that ar don without faith wherfore if christ might be eaten with the mouth as he might be in dede if he were bodilie in the breade which boeth fayethfull and vnfaythful do eate then myght Christe be eaten wythout fruite whiche is contrarie to the manifeste worde of God which affirmeth that who so euer eateth him hath euerlasteinge lyfe We do conclude therefore that there is but one onely eateinge of the bodie of Christ whyche is perceiued of the faythfull onely none otherwyse then these wordes whyche is geuen for you and whyche is shed for the remission of sinnes are proper and peculiar vnto them onely And to tell you somewhat of your sophistrie WhaÌ„ you reasone in this wyse Thys is the bodie of Christe therfore 〈◊〉 is naturally really and bodily hys bodie It is a fallax or deceiueable argument of sophistrie affirminge that simpliciter quod est modo aliquâ— Thys câ—n euerie sophiste of Cambridge tell you And we knowe that it is small reasone to conclude that Iohn baptist was thâ— same Elias that was dead many hundred yeres before hys tyme because Christe saâ—ed that he was Elias except we shoulde be of the opinion of the fonde Phylosophers who helde that the soules of men departed went into other newe bodies and so coÌ„tinued stil immortal In like maner whaÌ„ Iosephe saieth that the. vii fatte oxen are vii good yeres and the. vii leane one 〈◊〉 vii yuell yeres â–ª we maye not coÌ„clude that oxâ— or â—ieÌ„ aâ— natural yeres More ouer wheÌ„ Christ saieth that the worde of God is a sede it is but a slender argument to saye therfore it is a bodylye sede An hundred suche places maye be brought And yet if thei can bring but one place where God hath sayed This is such a thynge and woulde haue at corporally so to be I wyll gladly geue place vnto them thoughe it be so that the thynge do not appeare to be as God hath sayed it is But I do know â—…m certaine in my beliefe that al the workes of the Lorde be trueth And as he hath sayed that they be so shall they be and are in dede either in spirite or else in the sight of all men bodilie ¶ An answere coÌ„cerneing the knowledge of The seÌ„ses and a declaracion of al the. xii Articles of the fayth whyche euerie true Christian man muste beleue in herte and Confesse wyth moUth THus far haue I brought in mi faith plainely contrarie to no place of scripture except you call Your gloses scripture And where I myght haue your owne doctours to confirme the same yet wyll I not stir contencion so farre Knoweinge that no thynge hath bene so popeishlie thaught neither worshiping of Images and Idoles praieing to saintes and fond pilgrimages nor yet monasteries monkes purgatorie and the poppe hym selfe but it hath bene by theÌ„ and their subtile argumeÌ„tes diuised and by their writeinges set forth and maintained Wyth dainger therfore haue we folowed them ouer long But nowe you maye not thyncke styll to leade vs captiues from Christe whome we loke for spedilye to come into iudgement wyth vs when we shalbe iudged by his word and not by their writeinges We haue folowed you to longe beinge but blynde guides gropeinge after your blynde wayes in the darcke wythout wit reasone or faith but onely because your holie father of Rome and that holie mother churche dyd so belieue and teach and nowe at lengh as our holy mother church of Englande doeth leade and therfore maye you worthyly cal vs as you do beastely blinde and therfore far from the knowledge of our religion But nowe that your father is fallen and weseke for our father in heauen desireinge hys kingedom to come vpon the erthe and praieing for the foode of our soules his heauenly breade whiche you haue so longe banished and neither woulde your selfe enter into his kingedome nor suffer them that woulde to enter accordeinge to the sayeinge of Christe our sauioure we knoweynge that what so euer is not of fayth is sinne and that fayth is of heareynge not of you Byshoppes and your doctours but of the worde of God whyche can deceiue no man nor yet be deceiued desire and require you to beate into oure heades no longer as articles of oure faith your chaunge of suâ—… staâ—… your accidentes qualities and quaÌ„tities in fourme and vnder the fourme of dreade to go awaye from it when the bread musteth and brenneth you knowe not how For thys your answere is an euident argument that you knowe as little howe it came ther. And thinke not much I praie you that we do in thys mattier â—…ye your crafte â—…d falsehode not onely wyth scriptures but also wyth oure reasones and outwarâ—e senses The whyche three that is to saye Fayeth grownded vpon the worde of God reasone that caâ—â—e not be resisted and the senses as sight tasteinge smellinge and felinge which can by no learneinge but by your schole be deceiued Yet you woulde haue vs wholely captiuated vnto you in all these thinges that you might leade vs wher you lyste to make vnseÌ„sible chauÌ„g where you blowe and blesse crosse and kisse No faile in thynges far distant as is the â–ª sinne moue and sterres and diuers other thynges he senses maye
god and his sonne Christ but euerlasting damnation For this is lyfe Euerlastinge to knowe the true God and whoÌ„ he hath sent Ihesu Christ TheÌ„ must it nedes be euerlasting death thus blasphemously to Iudge of them bothe He that beleuethe in me hathe Euerlastinge lyfe saithe Christ we do thus beleue on the sone of god therfore haue we this witnesse within our selues And seing we haue life euerlastynge and are made the chyldren of God by the testimony of the spirite we do seke no farther merite But this worde merite is one of our iugling termes wherewyth you blynde the people You promise merite for your matteÌ„s merite for your masse merite for your eatynge of fishe merite for al maner holines that you haunte Worshippinge of Images Creping to the crosse Setting vp of Candles and all our workes must be done for our merites so that the merites of Christe who onely hath deserued euerlasting life for vs is cleane for gotten and fordone Agayne you saye A good true christian beleuinge man knoweth this by faithe that god is inuiolable impassible incorruptible immortall and that our sauiour the seconde persone in trinitie verie god haueing the humayne nature now vnite to the godhed whiche beinge glorified can not any more suffer violence or corruptioÌ„ nor be violated or brought to mortalitie All thys is playne agaynst your owne doctrine for seinge that the bodie of bread is cleane gone and yet there remaineth a body that the mouse or ape catcheth in his mouthe or eâ—s they coulde not carie it awey What shal we conclude by your doctrine but that the mouse or ape runneth awaye wyth that bodie whiche by your enchauntment is conceiued into the place of the bread which blasphemously do name the body of Christ coÌ„secrated into the fourme of breade But you do answere that lyke as Christ wheÌ„ he was here in the fleshe dyd fyrst escape the handes of Herode when he slewe the chyldren and afterwarde the furious Iewes when they woulde haue precipitate hym transiens per medium illorum ibat Christe escapped thorowe the middest of them So doth he nowe saye you Your similitude is euyll applied For besydes that there is no comparison of Christe comynge in the fleshe for the wealth of the world vnto the bread thus altered for your pompe and pryde we knowe and Ioseph and Mary do wytnesse vnto vs that they knewe and perceyued by the benifite of theyr senses that thys same oure Sauioure Christe was in shape a very man And we knowe also by the testimonies of the scriptures that he continued here very man in fourme and shape beinge subiected vnto all our infirmities synne alwaye excepted for the space of xxx yeres and more and that then he suffered death and rose agayne his fleshe neyther being consumed nor putrified but styll remayneth fleshe incorruptible and immortal Where as in the fourme of bread wherein you say we see hym and eate him we perceyue neither incorruption nor immortalitie For it neuer continueth paste the date of one moneth if you incurre not the daunger of your fathers decrees and commonly not one quarter of an houre muche after the rate of the dayly newe created monstros of whoÌ„ Aristotle maketh meÌ„tion Who doubtles if he had harde of these monstrous gods made and marred all in an houre woulde haue wrytten wonders vnto his posteritie If the cakes were preserued from corruption and dyd continewe styl immortal as Christ his fleshe did then woulde your similitude in these two miracles serue you somewhat better But seing that your cakes do mould and corrupte and his fleshe escaped Herode and the handes of his enemies and coulde neuer see any corruption thys your similitude proueth that those cakes of yours can by no meanes be his naturall body These two miracles therfore as all his other were done to declare hym to be subiecte to no power of man but to worke all his workes so that no man can lette and hyndre ought that he hath determined to be done but you must wrest all that you can to cloke your Sophistrie wythall Nowe your affirmation of xv hundred yeres wythout any proufe but only because you say so hath ben answered by many learned men As â—adinius EcolaÌ„padius Zwin glius and other prouing by your doctours that the true fayth and spirituall vnderstandyng of thys mattier continued longe in the best sorte of them Howe be it surely I wyll graunt this much vnto you that this blinde grosse and carnall opinion of the carnall eatyng of Christe hath ben crept vp euer sence the deuyl was lowsed This thousaÌ„de yeres that thys enemy hath troubled the worlde wyth popishe pompe and pryde keepynge and lockyng vp the worde of God from vs God hath not destituted and forsaken but hath alwayes from tyme to time steared vp witnesses of his truth whom partly the popishe haue slayne but some God hath reserued and alwayes the good simple people haue had theyr eyes vnto the lyuynge God in heauen what so euer the priest dyd babble of thys his owne haÌ„dy worke Neither could those termes of your straite lawes really substaÌ„tially the chaunge of the bread so that â—here remayne onely accidentes wythout subiecte and consecration into the quantitie and qualitie of breade euer be vnderstande of the pore simple people For those termes do sprynge and haue their beginnyng of the schole learnyng and Sophistrie as all men of knowledge can testify with me and were neuer gyuen in coÌ„maundemeÌ„t to thys bloudy generation to be deliuered vnder payne of death It were but foly to striue with you concerning your doctours Howe they haue in ordre and course by litle and litle fallen from the trueth in thys and other thynges For it is no merueile though you caÌ„ expound your doctours to maynteyne your opinion seinge you dare be so bolde to cause Christes wordes to serue for your carnall purpose I entende not therfore to brynge in any proufe of doctours but only of the worde of God leauyng you to your doctours to trye them at leasure But thys one thynge I shal desire you To bringe some apparant proufe of your termes and I promise you it shall be answered Good men be neuer offended wyth the breakynge of the hoste beinge persuaded Christes body to be present in the sacrament really and materially whereunto wyth worshippinge they dyd lift vp their handes and nothinge doubted but God was impassible â—e vsed not to mistâ—uste God his immortalitie when they haue sene a sicke man receyue the sacrament a quarter of an houre before his naturall death as though in that maÌ„ the hoste consecrated wherin the body of Christ is preseÌ„t should wyth Gods iniury moulde or corrupte wast or consume Here is muche mattier offered but that I perceyue my selfe to tary somwhat to longe vpon your occasions Who shall trye theâ—e good men therfore but eueÌ„ the boke of wisedome where it is sayed Blessed be
in remembraunce in his absence That they had thys mattier in no admiration is an euidente argumente that they dyd take it for no suche straunge miracle aboue all miracles as you do make it for the circumstauÌ„ces as we haue largely spoken before and for the plainenesse of the wordes we merueyle why you wyll darcke them wyth your termes of reallie carnallie and suche other Why you â—yâ—de gloses sayinge Thys is in the fourme qualities quantities and accidentes of breade and do not saye playnely this breade is the bodie of Christ God and man This cuppe is the selfe same new testament that God dyd swere by him selfe he woulde perfourme vnto Abraham And euen lyke as the â—uppe is not the testament but the signe of the testament made before vnto the fathers and nowe perfourmed in the death of Christe the vnspotted lambe so thys breade whiche we see is not the fleshe of Christe gyuen for the lyfe of the worlde For then the worlde myghte haue bene saued and the synnes done awaye by the offeryng of the bread longe before Christ â—ad suffered For you do moste blasphemouslie teache that the offeringe of the same breade doeth take awaye synnes notwythstandynge that Christe hath by his owne onelie sufferynge fullie satisfied and taken them awaye But to your wordes agayne I thinke it much better to pretermitte further occasion of that myght be my prayse to expounde vnto you the scriptures Byshoppe Stephane You neede very litle to feare thys mattier For I neuer harde man prayse you nor but fewe of your felowes for expoundynge of the scriptures But for burnynge them I heare many men talke muche of you and saye it is no meâ—ueyle thoughe you hate them because you were broughte vp in the Popes lawe who in his moste highe holynesse treadeth the holie worde of God vnder his wicked feete In the bryngynge in of your greke authour where you taunte them that loue not your Popishe bablynge in the latine tonge that no man vnderstandeth sclaunderynge them that they loue not the latine tonge wherein no doubte they laboure more and are greater fartherers then you can or wyll be it myghte ryghte well haue bene passed ouer wyth silence if you had loued your owne honestie For you and all the Popishe Prelates in the worlde are not able to iustifie it that you shoulde thus babble before the people in a tonge they do not vnderstande if we moghte be hearde wyth indifferent iustice But you haue the worlde on your syde because you are of the worlde and the worlde loueth his owne And the lyghte is comen into the worlde but man loueth darckenesse more then the lyghte It muste needes be trewe that Christe oure maister sayeth to the Prelates before your tyme. The worlde can not hate you but me it hateth because I do wytuesse of it that the worckes of it be euyll ⧠The answeare to Doctoure Damascen whom Wynchester rehearseth in greke FOr the testimonie of Damascen whoÌ„ you brynge in as your chiefe wytnes thys I haue to saye Fyrste he is a suspected person beynge at the tyme when the Pompe of the Romayne byshoppe or Antichriste beganne to exalte hym selfe aboue euerie thynge that was god and godlie Secondly he maynteyned Idolatrie with suche contention that he deserued to haue his ryghte hande stryken of and hanged in the markette place as an open offender â—oeth in that crime and other whereof he was before the Emperoure Leo accused and condemned Thyrdelie you woulde mayuteyne his honestie by the wytnesse of an honeste man Ecolampadius But we discharge you of thys testimonie euen-by the testimonie of the same Ecolampadius in the begynnynge of his boke whiche he dyd wryte concernynge the wordes of the supper and reproued your blindenesse euen by your owne Doctours I am not mynded sayed thys greate Clerke Ecolampadius who translated your Doctoure Dasmascen to accuse and publyshe to theyr shame Thomas Aquinates neyther Alberte nor yet Dunsse nor any of the newe fellowes but Peter the patcher of the seÌ„tences whom they call theyr maister who also hath rubbed his erroure vpon other that patche vp other mennes wrytynges As Damascen and Gracian dyd Agayne a little after Peraduenture Damascen and other that folowed hym wryte in suche sorte but the reader that is wyse can be little moued thereby For he doeth by many argumentes declare hym selfe neyther to be sounde nor substantiall Agayne Lyke as Paule sayed When I was a chylde I dyd speake lyke a chylde sayth he When I had small knowledge and had all thynges in admiration wythout iudgemente I dyd wryte some thynges whiche nowe I do not onely not defende but I wyshe them abolyshed and burned if they be vnprofitablie published in any place and if I obteine my desire therein I wyll be glad and reioyce By lyke thys boke of Damascene whiche he had translated was one of them whiche he dyd not greatly allowe for it was not publyshed whylse Ecolampadius lyued but after his death within these sixe yeres Surely Augustine in that he made a boke of retractations wyllynge vs to receyue the wrytynges of no manne farther then they are agreable to the scriptures maye teache vs ryghte well that we maye refuse Damascene I wyll therefore aske none of your fellowes whether you be an honeste man But I wyll trye boeth Damascene and all your Doctours by the infallible testimonie of the worde of God And because you do defende hym wyth a miracle we put you out of doubte suche lyinge miracles openlie maynteynynge Idolatrie ' cause vs to gyue the lesse credite vnto hym For Christe sayeth that Antichriste shall come wyth wonders and lyinge signes in suche sorte that the verie electe if it were possible shall be deceyued Wherefore sayeth Christe if they saye lo here is Christe lo there is Christe beleue them not etc. Ireneus wrytynge agaynste heresies at the begynnynge of thys iuglynge aboute thys Sacramente in his tyme wytnesseth that there was one Marcus Magnus the scholar of Valentyne the heretike whyche puttynge mixed wyne into the chalice dyd fayne hym selfe to gyue thankes therewyth and caused the wyne to chaunge coloure sometyme redde and sometyme purple by longe multipliyng of his enchaunting wordes that grace from aboue myghte seme to droppe downe bloude into his chalice by his inuocation And therfore he did couet that they which were present should tast of that cup that the grace whiche was called downe by hys enchauntment might also drope vpon them Again he gaue â—uppes of mixed wine vnto women coÌ„maundeinge them to geue thankes in hys presens And when they had so done he toke a muche greater chalise than the other which he had geuen to the woman and poured out of the cupe wherin the Eucharistia and thaÌ„kes geueing of the womaÌ„ was made into the other greater cup and reherseing his charmes he caused the grater cup to be filled wyth the wine that was in the cup that was
in whiche three lyeth all the knowledge that man can haue of thynges naturall or aboue nature as is afore proued can perceyue no maner of miracle seinge the breade and wine remayne in their kinde vnchaunged as Luke and Paule do wytnesse So that by your owne wordes you seme worthy to be one of those that affirme you knowe not what beinge puffed vp wyth the fleshly Imaginations of your owne myndes Seinge all the other workes of God do appeare as God made them if they were spirituall they dyd appeare spiritually if they were bodily they dyd so appeare you mighte haue added with like shamelesse forhead This thinge that we bishoppes do say must needes be true though it agree neither with his workes nor his worde For all men maye see that you maynteyne boeth this and all your other doinges But in this sophistry the deuyl maketh maÌ„ to forget gods omnipoteÌ„cie exceding our capacite causeth vs to measure gods doinges by our natural imbecillitie because we caÌ„ not be in two places at once distant one from an other we iudge the same repugnant in God For soeth here you speake vntruly of vs. For we al do beleue in hert and coÌ„fesse wyth mouth that God onely is almightie and filleth al the heauen and the earth with his presence euen as sure as he made al thynges in the heauen the earth and the seas This high estimation that we haue coÌ„ceiued of god by liuely faith causeth vs to take it as a thynge cleane coÌ„trary to the power of the almightie to be enclosed in a box turned or coÌ„secrated as you cal it into alitle cake But the manhode of Christe whiche was very man as we are synne onely excepted haue we already proued to be in heaueÌ„ at the right hande of his father and therfore not in earth in the box hanged ouer the aultare But Christes being in heaueÌ„ which s Stephane truly coÌ„fesseth was nothyng coÌ„trary to saint Paules true affirmation that Christ was sene to him in earth after his ascencion Nowe surely both their visions of the glory of Christ our sauiour the testimonies of the woÌ„derful sight that they did se doth both stablish our purpose and coÌ„fute your errour but that you deale like a sophister with thys word erth speaking it after such sort that the simple reader should refer it vnto Christ being vpoÌ„ the erth after the asceÌ„tioÌ„ which Paul neuer taught nor any of the apostles These are the playne wordes of the scripture touching this mattier After that he had taught that the highest dwelleth not in teÌ„ples made with maÌ„s haÌ„de againste the opinioÌ„ of the hie priestes Stephan replenished with the holy spirite loking vp into heaueÌ„ did see the glory of god and Iesu staÌ„ding at the right haÌ„de of god And he cried with a loude voice Lo I se the heaueÌ„s opeÌ„ and the sonne of maÌ„ staÌ„dyng at the right hande of God Here it is described woÌ„derful plainely that Stephane being vpon earth dyd see Christe in heauen by the wonderful worke of God thus confortynge his first martyr and witnesse of the glorie of his sonne Christe Paule lykewyse prepared from his mothers woÌ„be to beare the testimonie of Christ amonge the heathen as he went to Damascus was so daynely beset wyth a wonderful greate lyghte from heauen And then fallyng to the ground he hearde a voice whiche sayed vnto hym Saule Saule why doest thou persecute me Then answered he Who arte thou Lorde And the Lorde sayed I am the same Iesus of Nazareth whom thou doest persecute Of thys vision and suche lyke doeth Paule saye Dyd not I see Iesu Christe He sayeth also Laste of all as vnto one borne out of course dyd Christe appeare vnto me Whyche be the wordes whiche you do alledge as makynge muche for your purpose And you dyd brynge in thys texte out of course if you be well aduised â–ª agaynste Lamberte as thoughe it shoulde haue gotten the victorie and stopped the mouthes of all men At what tyme I promise you me thoughte your Argumentes were not so stronge as your shamelesse audacitie was out of measure whyche wythout any cause or commaundement dyd in the presence of so noble a prince take the tale out of the mouth of your Archbishoppe to whom in that Audience it mighte ryghte well haue becomed your sclender diuinitie to haue shewed some reuerence But if the mind of Paule maie serue you for this declaracioÌ„ he sayth in an other place that whether he were in the bodie or out of the bodie he coulde not tell but rapt he was into the thred heaueÌ„ and into Paradise wher he sawe suche thinges as is not lawefull for man to speake Whiche wonderfull visions were shewed by God to strengthen his chosen vessell like as the other were vnto Stephane and are written to encrease our faieth and hope which do beleue in Christ bi them I maruaile much what fantasie was in your heade at that time and how it remaineth stil in you causeinge you to bringe this vision of Paule for the confirmacion of Christes naturall bodie to be present in the sacrament But you are of such powre that for to stricâ— your pore brethren whom you compt worsse then doges callinge them diuelles at euerie word euerie thing is weapon good inough God is the aduenger of hys people and wil callenge vnto him selfe his owne glorie It repugneth not to Christes powre to sit at the right hand of the father in heaueÌ„ and yet to fede the infinitie nuÌ„bre of his people wyth the saine his precious bodie in earth It is not repugnauÌ„te to gods goodnesse being creatoure of all ther wyth in the fourme of breaâ—e to feade vs hys creatures Surely it is no repugnaunce vnto hys powre thus to fead al that shal beleue in him takeing the wordes spiritually as thei are in dede spirite and life and admiâ— no grosse nor carnal vnderstandeing But carnally as you do vnderstande theÌ„ with the fleshely minded Caparnites that the natural bodie shoude be eaten fleshe bloude and bones a fewe men shoulde deuoure it But I am in doubt whether they be men that haue so cruel hertes to eate mans flesh Nam canis â—aninam non tangit that is to you that vnderstande not the latine I speake it A dogge wil not eate dogges flesh Telâ—… theÌ„ whether it do not abhor nature that man should eate mans flesh Yet seâ—…e you to haue a cloke for thys Scithian crueltie in that you chaunge hym into the fourme of bread In the which wordes if you shewe the spiritual vnderstanding that is to saie That like as the body is fed with bread so liueth the soule by this fode of life the offering vp I saye of the bodie of our sauiour Christe vpon the crosse to saue vs froÌ„ death Or lyke as we eate the breade wyth oure mouth bodily so do we receiue Christe into your soules by fayth These sences and â—uch like beinge