benefites The formall cause is the gladsome message of free remission of sinnes purchased by Christ Iesus The finall cause is that mankynd beyng deliuered out of the handes of his enemies Death Sinne Hell Sathan should serue God in holynesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of his lyfe He that is of God heareth Gods word he loueth it beleueth it doth it These thyngs are included in the word Heare The word of God hath sūdry hearers some receiue it some receiue it not Note the parable of the seede The séede of the word of God when it was sowed fell some by the wayes side some vpon stones some vpō thornes and some in good ground c. but more strictly and briefly the word of God hath two sortes of heares Elect and Reprobate The elect say with Peter Domine ad quem ibimus verba vitae aeternae habes Maister to whom shal we goe thou hast the wordes of eternall lyfe The reprobate say Durus est hic sermo This is a hard saying who can heare it Can this mortalitie put on immortalitie Cā this corruption put on incorruption Can Christ be God and mā Can God beget a sonne as of late the deuill of Norwiche deuilishlye sayde yea worse then a deuill was he For the deuils in the former Chapter acknowledged Christ crying and saying Thou art Christ the sonne of God but this deuill denyed Christ The word of God is preached in vayne to many the hony is lost that is put into vessels of gall the fishe is cast away that is cast into dry pooles and the séede perisheth that is sowed vpon the sand S. Cypriā sayth Certe labor irritus est nullius effectus offerre lumen coeco sermonem surdo sapientiam bruto Cum nec sentire brutus possit nec coecus lumē admittere nec surdus audire Truly it is lost labor and to no purpose to offer light to a blind mā speach to a deafe mā wisedome to a grosse head seyng that a grosse head cannot perceiue a blinde man can not see a deafe man can not heare The auncient father Origen sayth Quāto melius esset nonnullis omnino non audire verbum Dei quam audire cum malitia vel audire cum hypocrisi melius autem dicimus ad comparationem malorum How much better were it to some not to heare the word of God at all thā to heare it with malice or to heare it with hypocrisie we say better in respect of euils Excellent is this word therefore ought we to heare it It differreth from ours manifoldly in truth for God is true yea truth it selfe man is false yea falshode it selfe Omnis homo mandax Euery mā is a lyer It differeth from ours in profit Lord to whom shall we go sayth Peter thou hast the wordes of eternall lyfe our wordes haue no profit they are wordes of eternall death It differeth in certaintie for very truth and certainty it selfe sayth that the most firme Elements of heauen earth shall passe but his word shall in no wise passe The Prophet Esay sayth Verbum Domini manet in aeternum The word of the Lord endureth for euer Mary hath chosē the good part which shall not be taken away from her our wordes are vncertaine as vnconstāt as the Weather-cocke We say and vnsay and vnsay and say againe That which liketh vs to day misliketh vs to morow It differeth in power as soone as hee had sayd to the band of men and officers of the hyghe Priestes I am he they went backewarde and fell to the grounde Note here the power of the word of God They came armed they came to take Iesus and after they heard his mightfull word they fell to the groūd Mathew sayth Docebat eos tāquam authoritatem habens He taught them as one hauyng power and not as the Scribes Our wordes are sinnefull corrupt and vnperfect It differeth in spirit The wordes that I speake vnto you are spirit and lyfe But our wordes are prophane and transitorie Christ sayth Qui de terra est terrenus est de terra loquitur He that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth It differeth from our woordes in swéetnes The seruaunts of the Phariseis high Priestes which were sent to take Christ returned and said thus of the excellencie of his word Nunquam sic loquutus est homo Neuer mā spake as this mā doth Not Demosthenes out of whose mouth flowed fluddes of eloquence not Cicero the Father of eloquence not eloquent Pericles of whom it is written that he did thunder out his wordes But Christes Argumentes were so mighty and his woordes so swéete that a certaine woman hauyng great admiration therof lifted vp her voyce and sayd vnto him happy is the wombe that bare thée and the pappes which thou hast sucked To be brief this word differeth in perfection In his word all things endure Take away this perfect word what is man a brute beast Take the Sunne out of the world what remaineth Horrible darknes Lactantius sayth Lumen mētis humanae Deus est remoto Deo coelestique doctrina omnia erroribus plena sunt God is the light of mans soule If you set a side or put away from you God his heauenly word All thynges are ful of errours Take away this word what is a man a captiue of Sathan a pray of death a slaue of sinne a firebrand of hell Ignorantia Scripturarū Christi ignorantia est Ignoraūce of the Scriptures is ignoraunce of Christ As far as heauen is distant frō earth so farre ought heauenly thynges alwayes to be preferred before humane things yea incomparably ought they alwayes to be preferred It is cōpared to the Sunne whose office is by spreadyng of his radiant and bright beames to expell darknes and to dispose euery thyng to beare frute Right so the office of Gods word is with his bright shinyng beames of grace to expell the darknes of heresies errours to take away the cold frost of iniquitie and to dispose and frame euery man and womā to bring forth the frutes of pietie godlynes It is compared to fier for that it enflameth vs by loue The two Disciples whiche went to Emans sayd after that Christ had interpreted vnto them in all the Scriptures did not our hartes burne within vs while he talked with vs by the way and opened to vs the Scriptures and Christ sayth I am come to send fier on the earth and what is my desire but that it be already kindled It is likened to a glasse in this glasse euery man may sée whence he came what he is whether he goeth his sin his banishmēt his miserie S. Hierō geueth swéet coūsaile to a certain virgin Vtere lectione diuina vtere speculo vide speculū foeda corrigenda pulchra cōseruāda pulchra faciēda
father Origen calleth all them brethren of the Phariseis which séeke to entrap men And Aretius a learned man sayth Diabolicum est quaerere quod carpas quod damnes It is deuilishe to séeke to taunt to carpe to condemne Some folowed him to sée as vaine curious persōs do now a dayes which come to Sermons to see and not to learne Domine volumus a te signū videre Maister we would sée a signe of thee but he aunswered and sayd vnto them this euill and adulterous generation séeketh a signe but there shall no signe be geuen to it saue the signe of the Prophet Ionas Some preasse to heare inuectiues Some to be more ready to contēd and a few alas to few for the loue of Gods holy worde as this company And yet not vnlike but that some of them afterward cried Tolle eū crucifige eū away with him crucifie him Such is the inconstācie of the vnconstant multitude To this tendeth the parable of the séede some fell by the hygh wayes side some vpō stony places some among thornes some fell into good groūd brought forth frute some an hūdred fold some sixtie and some thyrtie folde Thus much for that point By the word of God I vnderstād here the word of the Gospell that is that Iesus is the true Messias the sonne of the woman of whom it is sayd Conteret caput Serpentis he shall breake the Serpentes head and valiantly vanquish the power and puissance of Sathan That sonne of Abraham in whom all the nations of the earth shal be blessed The sonne of Dauid which in the house of Iacob shall raigne for euer That sonne to whom it is sayd aske of me I will giue thée the Heathen for thine inheritaunce sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemyes thy foote stole To be short that ladder of Iacob which reacheth to heauen Christ taught sometyme the law sometyme the Gospell Albeit the Sermon of Christ in the v. vj. vij Math. is a true interpretation of the law yet notwithstāding the law is not the thyng for preachyng whereof Christ was sent in to this world For as we read in Esay 61. 1. vers The spirit of the Lord is vpon me for the Lord hath annoynted me and sent me to preach good tidynges vnto the poore Christ came not as a law maker or a law teacher as Moyses came before Hereunto is added that the word of the law doth slea or kill as S. Paule teacheth but the word of Christ giueth life as he testifieth him selfe veryly veryly I say vnto you if a man kéepe my saying hee shall neuer sée death The law is a knowledge knowen by nature as the Apostle witnesseth The Gospel is not knowē by nature but published frō the secret determination of the Godhead by our Lord Sauiour Iesus Christ Lex per Mosen data est gratia veritas per Iesum Christū facta est The law was geuen by Moyses but grace and truth came by Iesus Christ And our Sauiour saith to his disciples To you it is geuen to know the secretes of the kingdome of god c. And also to Peter he sayth flesh bloud hath not opened that vnto thée but my father which is in heauē Read. 1. Cor. 2. 1. Cor. 4. 2 Cor. 5. Collos 4. 1. Tim. 3. Rom. 16. The law sheweth sinne The Gospell sheweth Christ the Sauiour of the world teachyng that sinnes are forgeuē to all that beleue in him that they are reconciled to god These thynges do the wisemen Prophetes Scribes specially teach which are sent from the sonne of God. The law requireth onely obedience and condēneth the guilty The Gospell giueth remission of sinnes freely in the name of Christ to the penitent relieueth and comforteth the troubled consciences with his sweete promises The promises of the law are conditionall ye shal kéepe my ordinaunces and my iudgementes which if a man do he shall liue in them the promises of the Gospell are certaine and free Come to the waters all ye that be thirsty and ye that haue no money come buy wyne and milke without any money or moneys worthe All haue sinned and haue néede of the glory of God but are iustified fréely by his grace through the redēption that is in Christ Iesus Therfore by fayth is the inheritaūce geuē that it might be by grace The law proposeth preceptes the Gospell hath promises The law is a rule of good workes the Gospell is a doctrine of the person and benefites of the Messias The law denounceth the wrath of God eternall malediction death and damnation to all men for sinne Maledictus omnis qui nō permāserit in omnibus his c Cursed be he that continueth not in all the woordes of this law to do them all the people shall say Amen The Gospell offereth remission of sinnes to all men To giue knowledge of saluation to his people for the remission of their sinnes The law iustifieth none saueth none deliuereth none from sinne but accuseth bewrayeth sinne condemneth all the Gospell of Christ is the power of God to saluation to all that beleue offeryng to all remission of sinnes rightuousnes eternall life To be short the law is to be terribly thundered to the wicked negligent and impenitent the Gospell is sweetely to be sounded to those that acknowledge their sinnes and hartily repent for the same The swéete proclamatiō of Christ teacheth the same Come vnto me all ye that labour sore and are laden and I will ease you c. Of this we haue example in the Prophet Nathan who by a similitude thundered the law agaynst kyng Dauid Dauid repenteth saying I haue sinned against the Lord Nathan pronounceth the Gospell The Lorde hath put away thy sinne thou shalt not dye The worde of God or doctrine of Christ is called the worde of God that is the doctrine which Christ him selfe reuealed to men Whereof the principall point is frée remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes by fayth in Christ Iesus The efficient cause of this Gospell is the whole Godhead the eternall Father eternall Sonne and eternall holy Ghost The mouyng cause is the excéedyng mercy of God and his passyng loue toward mākynd So God loued the world that he gaue his onely begottē sonne that whosoeuer beleueth in him should not perish but haue euerlastyng lyfe The first instrumētall cause is the sonne of God our Lord Iesus Christ An other instrumentall cause are the Prophetes Apostles Euangelistes other teachers of the doctrine of the Gospell Therfore the Apostle sayth Let men estéeme vs as the Ministers of Christ and disposers of the secrets of god We together are Gods labourers c. we are messengers for Christ euen as though God did beséech you through vs. The materiall cause is Christ with all his
fittest to offer sacrifice to their Gods to the great shame of Christiās now adayes which thinck the most abiect outcast good inough to take vpon him so high and holy a function The auntient Romaines through the instinct of nature thought so reuerently of religion that they sent their children yea euen the noblest men of Rome sent their sonnes into Hetruria to learne the seruice of god Nowadayes a meane gentleman thinketh his childe to good to learne and professe true religiō Hereby it is cleare and euident what care heathē men ignorant of the true worshipping of God haue had of Religiō Poets by their feyninges haue commended it Oratours haue exhorted vnto it Philosophers haue thought it necessary in a common wealth cōmon people haue sworne to defend it Noble men haue preferred it Kinges haue professed it There is no religion without the word of god We haue the vnderstanding of the will of God by his onely word For without the same our sight is blindnes our vnderstāding ignorance our wisedome foolishnes our deuotiō deuilishnes The profite fruite of this heauēly word is wonderfull All scripture geuen by inspiration of God is profitable to teach to reproue to correct to instruct in righteousnes that we may be patient and finde comfort S. August sayth In scripturis didicimus Christum in scripturis didicimus Ecclesiam In the scriptures we haue learned Christ in the scriptures we haue learned the church S. Basill sayth Verbum Dei ex quo solo noscitur deus regiam viā monstrat est lucerna pedum nostrorum The word of God by the which onely God is knowne sheweth the kinges highway and is the light of our feete We learne fayth in the scriptures S. Hilary sayth to the Emperour Constantinus Fidem Imperator quaeris audi eam nō de nouis chartulis sed de dei libris Doth your Maiestie séeke the fayth Heare it then not out of any new schrolles but out of the booke of God. S. Ambrose sayth Christus oritur in lectione scripturarum sol iusticiae In reading the scriptures Christ the sun of righteousnes riseth To be short S. August sayth verbo Dei docemur in omnibus By the word of God wée are instructed in all thinges All thinges necessary to saluation are cōtayned in the scripture for profe wherof because other matters call me awaye I leaue briefly these places Ioh 14. 25. vers 2. Timo 3. 15. Luc 14. 17. Math 22. 4. verse Esai 5. 4. verse This matter is proued out of the most auntient fathers Irenaeus and Tertullian read Irenaeus lib. 3. cap. 1. and 4. Tertul. de praescript haeres As many as drincke of this heauenly fountayne shall receiue benefite of it the blind shall see the deaf shall heare the dumme shall speake the lame shall walke fooles shall be wise the sicke shal be whole the dead shall reuiue The drincking of this fountayne hath made many proud men humble many couetous misers mercifull many faythles faythfull many filthy fornicators chast many furious and wrathfull méeke and milde many slouthfull and drousie vigilant and watchfull many fearefull bold yea and euen contemners of Phalaris Bul many Saules many Paules manye manye children of darcknes the children of light God by his worde offereth to vs his mercifull hand by fayth we geue to God our hand and the sacraments are as a third hand which confirme and stablish the ioyning of the other two together If you feare the iudgement of sinne This most pretious worde offereth you righteousnes in Christ if you feare death it offereth lyfe If you feare the fire of hel it offereth the ioyes of heauen and breefely you haue in this word whence you may take both in lyfe recreation and in death preseruation Moyses hauing the word of God could diuide the sea The Apostles although poore fishermen with the worde of God ouercame the world The blinde which heard the voyce of Christ receiued sight The dombe speach wherewith they glorified God the lame strēgth which they applied to the seruice of God the deaf hearing whereby they became attentiue hearers of this gratious worde Christ sayd to the rulers daughter Mayde arise and she arose straight waye He sayd to the widowes sonne young man I say to thée arise and he that was dead sat vp and began to speake And to Lazarus he cryed with a lowd voyce Lazarus come forth he that was dead came forth bound hand and foote The tēpestnous windes heard his voyce and forthwith they were alayed the sea waues heard it they became calme men possessed with deuils heard it and they obeied yea the very deuils hearing his voyce humbled themselues O deaf and obstinat mindes of wicked men O you that lye groueling on the ground and haue no feeling of thinges aboue ▪ Christ crieth dayly Damsell arise young man I say to thee arise Lazarus come forth dead sinner embrace lyfe But all are in a deepe sléepe a sléepe of sinne and neglect to awake Yet these miserable men ought to remēber that the day will come the day wil come when wil they nil they they shall heare the voyce of the sonne of God comming in the cloudes with great power and maiestie Then shall they stand before his iudgement seate Then shall they heare to their endlesse smart the thūder of the law depart from me ye cursed into euerlastyng fier which is prepared for the deuils his angels Heare therefore the word of God while you haue tyme Consider the season it is now tyme to arise from sléepe It is now high tyme to heare You haue no colour of excuse What more could haue bene done for the vyneyard All thinges inuite moue and desire you to heare The clearenes of the holy Scriptures calleth you For the Scriptures generally are easie cleare So saith S. Paul If our Gospell be hid it is hid to them that are lost So sayth the Prophet Oseas The wayes of the Lord be straight but the wicked shall fall in them So sayeth the Prophet Dauid The Scriptures are a candle a guide to our féete So saith the old father Origene Clausum est negligent ibus iuuenitur quarētibus If is shut from the negligent but it is opened to them that séeke knock for it So sayth Clemens Alexandrinus Audite qui estis longe Audite qui prope nullis celatum est verbum lux est communis omnibus illucescit hominibus Nullus est in verbo Cimmerius festinemus ad salutem ad regenerationem Hearken ye that be far of hearken ye that be neare The worde of God is hid from no man It is a light common vnto all men There is no darknes in Gods word Let vs make hast to saluation to regeneration So Fulgentius In Scripturis diuinis abundat quod robustus comedat quod paruulus sugat In the Scriptures of God there is
heart word and worke against God and Moyses saying Anima nostra nauseat super cibo isto leuissimo Our soule lotheth this light bread we may assuredly loke to be plagued with the Israelites God is a righteous iudge strong and patient and God is prouoked euery day If a man will not turne he wil whet his sword he hath bent his howe and hath made it ready He hath prepared for him the instruments of death he hath ordained his arrowes against the persequtours Behold the day is come sayth the Lord that I will sēd a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst of water but a hunger thirst of hearing the word of god And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North vnto the East shall they runne to and fro to séeke the word of the lord In that day shall the fayre virgins and the young men perish for thirst He will also send famine of bread pestilence fire and sword he will send Tamerlane Nabuchadnazer the host of Sēnacherib Titus and Vespatian The Syrians shall deuoure before and the Philistines behinde He will destroy murtherers burne vp their citie as Esay sayth the leage which they haue made with death and hell shall be disanulled He suffereth long he is a patient god It is sayd that he hath leaden feete but he hath iron handes He commeth slowlye but when he commeth he payeth home Violatours and contemnours of Gods word alwayes haue bin punished For this fault Adam and Eue were banished out of Eden a most fruitfull and delightsome garden into a valley of teares miserie and calamitye there to eate their bread with the sweate of their face The enemies of Noah were miserablye drowned in the floud The enemies of Lot were destroyed with brimstone and fire The Israelites were greuously punished and plagued as Moyses and the Prophets in many places make mention Dauid lost seuenty thowsand men plagued with pestilence Absolon was hanged slayne and cast into a pit Saule was sore plagued deposed from his kingdome afflicted and vexed with a deuill and finally slayne with his thrée sonnes his harnes bearer and all his men in one day Sedechias was sent into Babilon and made blinde Roboam the sonne of Salomon of twelue tribes lost tenne Sennacherib was slayne of his sonnes Pharao with all his chiualrie was drowned in the red sea Herod horriblely ended his lyfe Iesabel was cast out of a window and doggs did eate her Ionas was cast into the sea A certayne Prophet was killed by a Lyon. The children that mocked Eliseus were torne of beares Corazin Bethsaida and Caphernaum were cursed with woe woe and cast downe to hell That famous citie Hierusalē named sometyme the holye citye was piteouslye plagued made euen to the ground with the children within it destroyed stick and stone and turned to a heape of stones for contemning the gracious and mercifull visitation reiecting Christes heauenly word miracles and all his benefites So Christ prophecied and so it came to passe For the same fault truely a horrible fault the kingdome of the Romaines was destroyed the kingdome of the Chaldeans the kingdome of the Macedonians the kingdome of the Persians the kingdome of the Carthaginiās and many other moe Paule preached to the Collossians Hierapolians and Laodiceans but they contēned his wordes and therefore as Orosius witnesseth the earth opened and swallowed them vp O Hierusalem Hierusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which haue bene sent vnto thée how oftē would I haue gathered thy children together euen as a henne gathereth her chickens vnder her winges and ye would not behold your house is left vnto you desolate O England england which contēnest the word of god and dealest vnthankfully with them that are sent vnto thée hating them that rebuke thee in the gate and abhorring them that speake vprightly how oft sayth Christ woulde I haue gathered thy children together as a henne gathereth her chickens vnder her winges ye would not Behold your house shall be left vnto you desolate and the vineyard shall be let out vnto other husbandmen which shall yelde fruite in due season except ye spedely repent For now is the Axe layd to the roote of the trée and euery trée that bringeth not forth good fruite shall be cut downe and cast into the sire Therefore know the tyme redeme the tyme while you haue time The swallow knoweth her time The Crane knoweth her tyme The whery man taketh his tyde The sea-man his gale The Smith stryketh whilest the Iron is whot The husbandman felleth his corne when it is ripe the haruest mā maketh haye whē the sunne shineth The sower casteth his séede when the ground is melow As yet the sunne shineth as yet is the acceptable tyme as yet to day lasteth as yet the gate is open as yet grace is offered yet the tyde serueth and yet Christ cryeth by his preachers Earth earth earth heare the word of the lord Therfore especially considering the season after the exāple of this people let vs with all indeuour and feruencye preasse vpon Christ to heare his swéete and comfortable worde Thus much for the first part And he stood by the lake of Genezareth and sawe two shyps stand by the lakes side but the fishermen c. The place is noted where these thinges were done Mathew Marke call it the sea of Galilee It is called also the sea of Tiberias The place was pleasaūt and delectable not without goodly pastures Nighe to the same were many goodly and populous Cities as Capharnaū Bethsaida Corazin the regiō of the ten Cities and the region of the Gadarenes In these Cities he often taught both in their Synagoges and houses as occasion serued You haue an elegant description of this place in Egesippus Iosephus and Plini Here he saw two shyppes but the fishermē were gone out of them and were washyng their nets They had now no hope at all to catche any fish but God of his infinite mercy doth often tymes shew his power in workyng when thynges are past all hope of good recouery And whē he was entred into one of the shyppes which belonged to Simon he prayed him that he would thrust out a litle from the land c. Behold the wonderfull humilitie of Christ he might haue commaunded but hee prayeth For the earth is the Lordes and all that therein is the cōpasse of the world and they that dwel therein c. Learne humilitie of this Doctour of humilitie the best doctour that euer was who sayth Learne of me for I am méeke and low in hart Whiche wholesome counsaile that excellent learned diuine S. August notyng sayth Ille ille cui omnia tradidit Pater c That euen the king of kinges and Lord of Lordes and onely son of the euerliuyng God to whō the father had
It is a familie of blasphemy a familie of falshode a familie of pride a familie of idolatrie a familie of ignoraunce and follie a familie of mallice to be short a familie of all vice and vilanie That this is true their fruites declare The trée is knowne by the fruite For proofe I refer you to the bookes or rather bables of H. N. whom they name the true Prophet of GOD where as he is a false and lying Prophet I promised to prosecute the Argumēt that the Romish Catholickes are not the true Church as I haue already proued that they shake the shyp of Christ so I infer they break the net of the gospell I argue thus they commit Idolatrye Therefore they breake the net After that the popish priest hath spoken these v. wordes Hoc est enim corpus meū Which is one word more thē euer Christ left and is of so great vertue as they say that without that word there can be no perfect consecration where as notwithstandyng Christ his Apostles the Primitiue Church and the Gréekes neuer vsed this word Enim It is a superstitious additiō of the Papistes most wickedly leauyng out these most necessary wordes that Christ hymselfe spake namely Which is betrayed for you Do this in remembraūce of me After the the priest I say hath spoken the former wordes hath blasted breathed and blowed vpō the bread he knéeleth downe to it and worshyppeth it saying in Latin Agnus Dei qui tollis c. O Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world haue mercy vpon vs Thrise doth he call the bread which he holdeth in his handes the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world This is abhominable Idolatry The authour of this Idolatrous leuation or liftyng vp of the bread aboue the priests head was Pope Honorius the third about the yeare of our Lord 1210. He commaunded that the host should be lifted vp aboue the priestes head at Masse and that all the people should fall downe and worship it Antichrist sheweth him selfe Here all men may sée how auncient a thyng their holy sackeryng is which is coūted the best and chiefest part of their Masse whereas in déede it is the most wicked and abhominable part of the patched paltrye of their maskyng Masse The lying Papistes therfore may be ashamed to bragge that their deuilishe Masse came from the Apostles seing that it is proued to be a new and late inuention of Antichrist The worde Masse is not in the Byble And as hath bin sufficiently proued there was no tidinges of any Masse priuate in any doctour or Coūcell by the space of six hundred yeares after Christ Their oblation they call Sacrificium nouum A new sacrifice Their Masse booke hath these wordes Acceptum sit omnipotenti Deo hoc sacrificium nouū O that this new sacrifice might be thankfully taken of almightye god They may truely call it a new sacrifice for it was neuer heard of before that a wafer cake and a sponeful of wine mingled with water should be an oblation and sacrifice for the saluation of the liuing and for the rest and quietnes of all the faythfull that are dead I know they will say they commit not idolatre for that which they hold vp is the verye naturall bodye of Christ God and man Therfore may they iustlye worship it I aske them how they proue it to be the verie body of Christ They answere by the vertue of these wordes Hoc est enim corpus meum a goodly profe I reply Christ spake these wordes of the bread as the holy scriptures and all auncient writers doe witnes It is agaynst the veritye of a naturall bodye to be in moe places then one at once as he must be in a hundred thousand places at once if their doctrine be true The article of our faith is that Christ is ascēded vp into heauen and sitteth on the right hand of God the father almighty and from thence shall come c. Our sauiour Christ tolde his disciples oft a litle before his passiō that he should leaue the world and goe to his father S. Marke sayth Christ was taken vp into heauen and sitteth on the right hand of god Wée reade in the Actes This Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen shall so come as you haue séene him going vp into heauen Of these wordes of the angells we learne that as Christ went vp visiblye and was séene with the corporall eyes of his disciples so lykewise when he commeth agayne from thence he shall come visiblye and be séene with the corporall eyes of all men But neuer man sawe him yet comming downe with his corporall eyes Therefore neuer came he downe corporall since his ascention S. Stephan sawe him Where not in the popishe pixe nor in their singing bread but in heauen S. Paule heard him frō whence from heauen S. Peter sayth that heauen must holde Iesus Christ till the tyme that all thinges be restored which god hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began This tyme is till the daye of iudgement If therefore they will haue Christ bodily at their Masses they must tary till the day of iudgement This doctrine that the sacrament of the alter as they terme it is the true naturall reall carnall corporall and substantiall bodye of Christ is a dreame of Antichrist the Byshop of Rome and cannot be proued neither by holy scripture nor by auncient fathers You haue heard the holye scripture clearely denyeth it The fathers also deny it Clemens Alexandrinus sayth Duplex est autem sanguis domini alter enim est carnalis quo redempti sumus ab interitu alter vero spiritalis quo scilicet vncti sumus hoc est bibere Iesu sanguinem esse participē incorruptionis domini verbi autem virtus est spiritus quemadmodum sanguis carnis The bloud of Christ truely is of two sortes the one carnall wherby wée are redéemed from death the other spirituall wherewith we are annoynted For to drinke the bloud of Iesus is to be parttaker of the Lords immortality The spirite is the vertue of the worde as bloud is of fleshe Theodoret an auncient father sayth thus Christus naturam panis non mutat Christ chaungeth not the nature of the bread Gelasius sayth Non desinit esse substantia vel natura panis vini It ceaseth not to be the substance or nature of bread and wine Origen that old learned father sayth Si secundum literam sequaris id quod dictum est Nisimanducaueritis carnem filij hominis non habebitis vitam in vobis litera illa occidit If accordyng to the letter you vnderstād that saying Except ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye haue no lyfe in you That letter killeth It is the Spirit that giueth life the flesh profiteth nothyng For shortnesse of tyme I
must referre you to the places of other auncient Fathers which make the case cleare Tertul. contra Marcionem Lib. 4. August Tom. 6. contra adimantum Manichaei Discipulum cap. 12. Tom. 8. in Psal 3. Tom. 2. epist. 221. Cyp. de Coena Domini Hesichius in Leuit. Lib. 3. cap. 2. Ambros de Sacramentis Lib. 1. cap. 5. Chrisost ad Caesarium August in Ioh. Tract 25. Tract 26. To cōclude Erasmus a mā of great learnyng iudgement sayth thus In synaxi Transubstantiationem sero definiuit ecclesia In the holy ministration it was long and very late before the church determined the Article of Transubstantiation Their owne breath bloweth agaynst them Doctour Tonstall sayth It was no heresie to deny their Transubstantiation before their late Councell of Lateran Doctour Fisher sometyme Byshop of Rochester sayth The very presence of Christes body bloud in the Masse can not be proued by any Scripture This deuelish doctrine was neuer receiued in the Church til Pope Leo Pope Nicholas Pope Innocent Pope Honorius and Pope Vrban Antichristian prelates thorow their tyranny brought it in and compelled the Christiās with fire and faggot as the maner of the tyrānicall Papistes is to receiue their abhominable doctrine It is not much more then fiue hundred yeares since their grosse opinion of the Sacramēt begā first to be attēpted was throughly receiued and agréed vpon about the yeare of our Lord 1215. in the Councell of Laterā which was holden in Rome where were gathered together a mōstrous swarme of Pharisaicall Papistes about the number of thirtene hūdred pildpates of the which number eight hūdred were mōkes channōs fryers a broode of chickēs of the Popes owne hatching Last of all came pope Vrban the monke in the yeare of our Lord a thousand two hundred thréescore and foure and he made vp all the market For he ordained a feast called Corpus Christi in honour of the Sacrament so that euer after that tyme the Sacramēt was no more taken for a signe figure and token of Christes bodye but for Christ himselfe God and man And therefore was it reuerenced worshiped honored sensed and knéeled vnto as they taught the people at their vnsacred sakeringes S. August sayth touching the fathers of the olde law Abraham Moses Aaron and other receiued the bodye of Christ truely and effectually long tyme before that Christ either had receiued fleshe of the blessed virgin or had ordained the Sacrament and that euen the selfe same bodye that is receiued now of the faythfull Of this matter S. Paule speaketh They did all eate of the same spirituall meate And did all drinke of the same spirituall drinke For they dranke of that spirituall rock that folowed them and that rocke was Christ S. August also of Christian children and other faythfull that neuer receiued the Sacrament writeth thus nulli est aliquatenus ambigendum tunc vnumquemque fideliū corporis sauguinisque domini participem fieri quando in Baptismate efficitur membrum Christi c. No man may in any wise doubt but that euery faythfull man is than made partaker of the body and bloud of Christ whan in Baptisme he is made a member of Christ and that he is not without the felowship of that bread and of that cup although before he eate of that bread drinke of that cup he hepart this world being in the vnitye of Christes bodye for he is not made frustrate of the Communion and benefite of that Sacrament while he findeth that thing which is signified in the Sacrament The enemies of the crosse of Christ mightfully obiect Onlesse ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall haue no lyfe in you I aunswere if there be no other eating of Christes bodye whereby wée shall liue but onely fleshly eating with mouth and teath than what lyfe hath Abraham Isaac Iacob Moses Aaron and other holy Patriarches Prophets that were before the comming of Christ what lyfe haue a great nūber of holy martyrs what lyfe haue Christian Children that being baptised in the bloud of Christ depart this lyfe before they can receiue the Sacrament Shall we say they haue no lyfe Or shall we condemne them of euerlasting death Or shall we thinke they shall neuer rise agayne And shall we denye Gods election S. August speakyng of our fathers sayth Visibilē cibum Manna spiritualiter intellexerunt spiritualiter esurierunt spiritualiter gustauerunt They vnderstode Manna the visible meate spiritually they hungred it spiritually they tasted it spiritually I aske the defenders of transubstātiation what body Christ gaue whether mortall or immortall I reason thus if he gaue his body he gaue his mortall body or his immortall body But he gaue not his mortal body neither his immortal body Therfore he gaue not his body I proue thus he gaue not his mortall body accumbebat mensae for it sate at the table He gaue not his immortall body nō dum resurrexerat for it was not yet risen Therfore he gaue not his body Therfore it is a figuratiue spéech I vrge their owne wordes agaynst them By and by after they haue confessed that the bread is the body of Christ essentially substantially and in déede and the wyne his naturall bloud they adde Sed inuisibiliter ineffabiliter non vt in loco non qualitatiue aut quantitatiue But inuisiblely and vnspeakeablely and not as in a place not in quātitie or in qualitie Note I pray you how fitly these thynges agrée how the one is subuerted by the other For if the true and naturall body of our Lord which he tooke of the virgin Mary dead buried risen ascended into heauen so they say be present in the Sacrament assuredly that same body must haue quantitie and qualitie must be contained in a place except that body was not naturall or els now beyng in glory hath put away all truth of a body The Angels testifie of the glorified body of Christ Surrexit nō est hic ecce locus vbi posuerunt eum He is risen he is not here behold the place where they had put him Christ him selfe sayth behold my handes and my féete that it is euē I my selfe handle me and sée for a spirite hath not flesh and bones as ye sée me haue If this body haue not place qualitie quantitie it is not the substantiall naturall and true body of our lord Read S. August epist. 57. ad Dardanum Tom. 2. Thus much concernyng the Lordes Supper Also these men teach that we are not iustified by fayth onely This doctrine is false Therefore they breake the net They call vs Solifidiās We may call them Nullifidians I argue thus the righteous man liueth by his fayth Therefore fayth iustifieth Abraham was iustified by fayth Therfore other are iustified by fayth Abrahā is the father of all beleuers The antecedent is proued Abraham beleued God and