grossely theâ— applied al thingâ—s to the flesh They were altogether flesh could perceiue noâ—hing of the spirite Christ endeuoured to teach theÌ„ the misteri of his incarnacion who being the fourme of God thought it nor obbri to huÌ„ble him selfe into the fourme of a seruauÌ„t they would nedes vnderstande his wordes to bespokeÌ„ of y â— bodie whiâ—h thei knew to be borne of Marie the carpeÌ„â—ers wife Is not this Iosephes sonne sayed they whose father mother we knowe Howe standeth thys then wyth hys wordes when he sayeth I came from heauen But he answered their fleshelye talke saiynge Murmure not among your selues For no man can come vnto me excepte my Father whiche sente me drawe â—im and I shall rayse him in the last day It is written in the Prophete All shal be taughte of god Euerâ—e one that hath hearde of the father and hath learned cometh vnto me Not y â— any man hath sene the father saue only he y â— is of god He hath sen the father By this seing of the father may you easily most deare brithern perceiue what seing what eateinge comminge vnto Christe it is that is ment in al this Chapi Euen the gostly eateing seing and comeing vnto Christe For though a maÌ„ be neuer so muche of God yet shal not his fleshely eie see God And to declare hys meaning more plainly he saith He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life Al that he hath spokeÌ„ before of the eating comming seing al that he speaketh afterward is conteined in those few wordâ—s he that beleleueth in me hath euerlastinge lyfe I am the breade of life Your fathers dyd eate manna in wildernesse and are dead Thys bread is it y â— caÌ„e froÌ„ heaueÌ„ y â— if any maÌ„ shal eate of it he shal not die I am y â— liueing bread which came froÌ„ heauen If any man eate of this bread he shall liue for euer And the breade y â— I shall geue is my flesh which I shal geue for the lyfe of the worlde Here is the whole mattier here haue we a playne promise say thei y â— the bread that Christ shoulde geue to his disciples at his maundie was his fleshe Oh blinde asses How long wil it be ere you pearce the flesh enter into the spirite Because his outwarde wordes soâ—ne flesh You wyl not once thinck vpon any spirit but euen as the Iewes dyd sticke styl in the flesh fleshly eatyng But because you wyl not seme to murmur contend as y â— Iewes did saiyng how caÌ„ this maÌ„ geue vs his flesh to eat You wyl beleue you say that it was a thynge very easy to do And theÌ„ you reproue y â— Iewes of vnbeleue because they wer not so grosse as you to beleue that Christ would thrust his natural bodi into a peice of bread that thei might without grudge of stomack eat it You declare your selues neither to sauour the spirit nor yet to vnderstand the phrases of the letter The Iewes could take the phrase a right saye howe â—aÌ„ this maÌ„ gâ—ue vs his flesh to eat Thei doubted not how he should geue theÌ„ his fleshe in the fourm of bread for thei knew y â— after y â— phrase of the Hebrue tong he ment by bread food As thoughe he shoulde haue sayde You re fathers were fedde in the wildernes with Manna and yet they are dead but the foode wherewyth I shal feede you is my flesh not that you shal eat it as your fathers dyd Manna and so dye but I will geue it for the lyfe of the worlde so that if you wyl beleue and putte youre trust herein for that is the eatynge of my fleshe you shall neuer die the death of the soule for the bodye is morâ—al and must nedes dye That this was his meanyng is playne by the answere that he gaue to their contention Certes sayeth he I say vnto you except ye eate my fleshe drynke my bloud you shall haue no lyfe in you Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath euerlastyng lyfe and I wil rayse him vp at the last day And then he openeth the phrase of the Hebreue more playne and saythe My fleshe is very food and my bloude very drincke he that eateth my fleshe and drinketh my bloud tarieth in me and I in hym And as my liuynge father sent me and I liue through hym eueÌ„ so he that eateth me liueth through me â–ª Now tel me you fleshmongers if the Iewes hadde then torne Christ in peaces with their teth and eaten him euery morsel should they haue liued throughâ— hym Oh beastly blynd This is the fode that came from heauen Not as your fathers dyd eate manna and are deade but such as â—ate â—his tode shal neuer die If this be spoken of the sacrament howe agreeth it wyth the wordes of s. Paule to the Corinth who so â—ateth this bread and drinketh this cup vnworthily eateth drinketh his owne iudgement Howe chaunced it y â— Iudas was not saued by it Howe can youre pristes that breake they faste with it dayely be damned Yea if this be spoken of the sacrameÌ„t then is that also spoken of the sacrament when he sayeth Excepte you eat my fleshe drincke my bloud you shal haue no life in you And theÌ„ how could the thefe y â— was crucified w t Christ be saued For I am right sure he neuer receiued the sacrament Yea in what takeinge be all the children yonglinges that die before they come to yeres of discrecion to receiue this sacrameÌ„t Thus maye you se deare bretherne howe 〈◊〉 these men are from the spirite and yet they woulde seme so spiritual y â— they haue captiuated all theyr senses reasone also to beleue the thinge that was neuer taught and that after suche sorte that they declare them selues therin to be moost fâ—eshely nothinge perceyueinge the wordes of Christe when he sayeth The wordes that I speake are spirite and life It is the spirit that geueth life y â— flesh profiteth nothing Nowe frinde Hoggherd I thinke you be ashamed of your misreporting of this piece of scripture or if you be pasâ—e shame yet I truste the godlie minded do so plainelie perceiue your slender iudgemente herein that they wyll gâ—ue you leaue to lye tyl your tong faile you ere thei wyl credite your wordes But nowe commeth the hardest piece of worke into hand Yea and so clearkly handled as you thinke that no maÌ„ can be able to auoide your reasones At his last supper you say Christe toke breade blessed it brake it and gaue it to hys disciples and bade them take and eate this is my bodie And then to shewe them what bodye it was saye you that he ment he added these wordes Whâ—châ— for your synnes shal be broken Then subtyle ly you aske thys question What bodie saye you was it that was broken for our trespas And then you phantasie wyth your selfe that we wyll not saye a
can be equal of value with the body If Christ therfore daily offred vp be the remeÌ„braunce of his bitter death then is his bitter death better then he himself And yet you haue not all done with Christes longyng One thyng you say you woulde haue noted by the way And that is that Christ longed to eate the passeouer with his disciples not onelye to fulfil the lawe but also to shew them more of hys wyl which was that he would geue theÌ„ a perfect pledge of eternall lyfe according to his promise made to them before as is mencioned you say in the. vi of Ihon geuynge his fleshe to be communicate that they myght therby be incorporate in hym and he in theÌ„ And theÌ„ you ioyne hereunto his thrustyng on the crosse And vpoÌ„ this longyng and thurstyng well and clarkely you gather the greate desire that Christ had to fulâ—yl his promyse that he made when he said The bread that I shall geue is my fleshe ☞ Men of learnynge and iudgemente in the scriptures may easely perceiue your ignorauÌ„ce in this matter I wil not therfore go aboute to opeÌ„ it to them But for their sakes that be not yet fully grounded in the true vnderstandynge hereof I wyl take soÌ„what more paynes in the openyng of this ignoraunce of yours nowithstandyng that I haue spoken somwhat largely of the mattier in the confutation of the former parte of your answere wher you claymed thys promyse of Christ as you do here ☞ Marke therfore good christian brothers to you I speake y â— ar not yet so fully instructed in Christ but that you sauour somwhat of the Phariseis leuen yet would gladly be deliuered from the blyndnes of errour marke I â—ay how far wide this man is from the true meaning of Christ in this place He hath non other occasioÌ„ at al to applâ—e this piece of scripture to his purpose but only for that ther is bread menâ—ioned It fareth by hym euen as it doth by the patrons defeÌ„dours of Purgatorie For whersoeuer he findeth bread named in the scripture ther he laith a straw as a marke to 〈◊〉 his coÌ„mune places by eueÌ„ as thei did wheÌ„ thâ—i found ani meÌ„cioÌ„ of fire IhoÌ„ Frith hath opened their folly at large in his dispuâ—atioÌ„ vpoÌ„ Purgatori Would God I were able to do halâ—e so muche in this matter â–ª But take it in good parte deare brethreÌ„ that I shal writ And if you shal find it consonaÌ„t agreable to the scriptures then embrace it and geue God the thankes otherwise hold it accurâ—ed and do not once opeÌ„ your eies vpon it For the mo y t should embrace my doctrin being vngodlâ— the greater should my dam nation be But being assertained by y â— spirit of truth that I teach nothing but that I fynde in the boke of truth I am bold to byd you mark and learne the true vnderstandynge of these wordes of our sauiour Christ The bread that I shal geue is my flesh ¶ Our sauiour Christ perceiuing y â— the fleshlye minded Iewes â—oloed him more for y â— thei had eateÌ„ the loues which he had multipliâ—d then for the miracle or wonder y â— he had wrought â—oke occasion at â—he questiaÌ„ which thei asked him saiyng Rabbi or Mayster when caÌ„mest thou hyther as who shoulde saye we haue sought and layd wayt to knowe howe and whan thou shouldest passe the sea but we coulde not perceyue any ship prepared for thy passage Hast thou therefore coÌ„ueighed thy selfe ouer by miracle as thou diddest multiplie the fiue loues He toke occacioÌ„ I sai here aâ— to declare vnto them that all hys wordes and dedes are to be loked on with the spiritual â—ie and not with the carnall And euen at the firste he sayeth vnto them Ye folowe me not because you haue sene the wonders But because you haue eaten of the breads and are satisfied As who shoulde say you pretende a woÌ„derous desire to se the woÌ„ders that I work â–ª as men that woulde therby be allured to embrace and folowe my doctrine but youre intente is none other but to be fed at my hande and so to lyue Idlely without labour and trauaile more then to wander vp and downe after me But I shall tel you what you shall do if you wil folowe me Worke for the meate that perisheth not but that remayneth into lyfe euerlastinge which meate the sonne of man shall geue you For this is y â— meat that god the father hath appoynted Then sayed they What maye we do to worke the workes of god He answered vnto theÌ„ in this wise This is â–ª the worke of God that you beleue in him whome he hath sente TheÌ„ brake they out in theyr owne likenes and agaynste theyr wylles vttered theyr faulse dissimilacion sayeinge What myracle workest thou therefore that we maye se it and beleuethe What workes doste thou Our fathers eate Manna in the wildernes as it is written He gaue theÌ„ bread froÌ„ heauen to eate But our sauioure sayd vnto theÌ„ Moises gaue you not 〈…〉 or verie bread in dede froÌ„ heauen For y â— is the true bread y â— descended froÌ„ heauen geueth life to the worlde Then sayde they Lorde geue vs this bread alwayes These mens mynd was altogether vpon materiall breade Let vs neuer lacke this bread say they Well Christ maketh them answere I am the bread of lyfe sayeth he who so coÌ„meth vnto me shall not honger and he that beleueth in me shall neuer thurste But I haue told you that you haue both sene me and not beleued Here may you learn to eat the bread y â— Christ speaketh of It nedeth you not to prepare tooeth and throte nother bealye nor stomake but beleue you shall not â—onger nor thurst You shall haue plentie of his heaueÌ„ly foode He that commeth to me sayth Christ he that beleueth in me To come vnto Christ and to beleue in Christ is all one thinge as appeareth by the wordes folowing Euerie thing that my father geueth me shall come vnto me and I will not caste him out that cometh vnto me For I descended frome heauen not to do my wil but his will that sent me And thys is the wil of mi father y â— seÌ„t me that I should not lose ani thinge y â— he gaue me but that I should â—ayse it again in the last day Yea this is the wyl of my father y â— sente me y â— euery one that seeth the son and beleueth in him should haue life euerlasting I wil raise him at the last day He that seeth the son and beleueth in him To see and to beleue to eate and come to Christe is all one thyng The Iewes therfore murmured at his wordes in that he sayed I am the liuinge breade that descended frome heauen and they sayde Is not this the sonne of Ioseph whose father and mother we knowe How sayth he thaÌ„ y â— he descended froÌ„ heauen Behold these carnal Iewes how
that you haue learned some what at father Latimers sermons thought your coming thither were for lyke purpose as you haue heretofore haunted other meÌ„s sermons to â—ere and note and beare tidinges you wot whether But I would wish that you hadde learned a little more and then I doubte not but you woulde haue been atrayde eythere to belye Goddes moste holye boke or to sette any of gods scriptures on the â—acke or else to crxampe them Where find you it in gods boke y â— Christes bodie and bloud is the â—ode of our bodies Dyd not Christ rebuke the Capernaties for thys your grosse carnaâ—l opinion dyd he not byd them worke the meatâ— that remayneth for euer and not that whiche perisheth And whaÌ„ they asked him what they myght do to worcke the worckes of God dyd he not make answere y â— to beliâ—ue in him whoÌ„ God hath sent is the worke of God Is Christes immortall bodie become the fode of oure mortall bodies Oh more then owlieshe blyndnesse Wher fynde you in all gods boke yea in aâ—y foude Philosophers writteinge that mortall bodies can be fed with fode that is immortalle The tyme woulde faile me if I shoulde not leaue writinge til I had declared your beastly blindenesse to the worthines But I wyll leaue you to the iudgement of them y â— shal reade your wordes which are so open blasphemie that euerie man that hath any little sparke of godly knowledge maye easilye iudge whose spirite you are Then do you procede to heape errour vpon â—rrour and thus you say The perfecte fayeth wherein this sacrameÌ„t must be receiued is to be lieue that Christe is ther bodie and soule To scanne these your wordes to the worthinesse I can do not lesse then iudge your meaneinge herin to be al one wyth that wicked article for the not belieueinge wherof so many haue ben most cruelly murdered euen one of the syx whych God hath nowe confouÌ„ded For what other thinge can you make of your ioyneing of bodie and soule to the sacrament but to makâ— it natural man whiche consisteth of these two partes And then it is easie to be coniected what argumentes you wil grounde vpon this sande Forsoth euen the same that the great patrones and defenders of thys articles haue hertofore framed to their purposse And had if not ben for feare to encure the danger of the late proclamacion I doubt not you woulde haue lashed them out as fast as neuer dyd any of them But you thinkâ— your â—elfe to haue escaped al these daungers yet to haue placed your wordes so that al your frindes maye perceiue your meaneinge to â—e nolesse but that the sacrameÌ„t is not bread nor wyne but â—â—eshe and bloude and bones becâ—use it is bodie and soule But if you remeÌ„bre the wordes of the proclamacion well you shall sâ— that you haue ouer shot your selfe a little as wâ—relye as you haue walked As I remembre the proclamacion permitteth none other names to be geuen to the sacrament But such as are expressely fouÌ„d in the scripture And I prai you wher fynde you in the scripture that the sacrameâ—t is called the soule of Christe Se you noâ— into what case you haue brought your selfe Well shifte for your selfe as well as you can I â—eare me the proclamacion wylbe layde in your necke And if it be take it for a plage for amongest those thynges that be wryiten for our learnynge are founde these true sayeinges Who so striketh wyth the swâ—rde shaâ—l perishe with the swâ—rde He that sheweth no mercie shall fynde no mercie And the same measure ye make vnto other shal be made vnto you agayne Remembre your selfe frynde Hogherde howâ— manie you haue sette forwarde towarde 〈◊〉 in the tyme of persecution Men thyâ—ke that frome the â—yme of Iohn Friâ—h to 〈…〉 of the constante wytnesse of gods trueth Anne askwe ther was no bloude shed in Smythfylde but your parte wyll be in it at the laste daye â–ª RepeÌ„t therfore and acknowledge your â—aute God is mercifull to the penitent He is able to take frome you your stonie herte and to geue you one of â—â—esh But if you wyll be still stubburne he wyll make you vtter youâ— owne folly further yet at the length to renne into the red sea with cruell Pharao Nowe â–ª in the thirde and laste parte of your preface you laboure greatly to make that thinge plaine y â— neuer maÌ„ doubted of that is y â— god is able to make his bodie bloude of breade wine Who euer doubted of gods omnipotencie almyghtie powre Who beleueth not certaynelye that he whiche was able to make heauen the earth and al that is therin of nought can also make his bodie and bloude of breade and wyne You byd vs captiuate our reasone because it surmunteth reasone to know how god worketh thys wonderful worcke aboue teasoÌ„ Surelye I neuer harde reasonable beaste braylle wyth lesse reasone For what resone leadeth you to conclude Aposse adesse that is if you vnderstande not the termes of logicke as I coniect by your wryttynge that you do not to affirme a thynge to be done because it is possible it maye he don â–ª It is possible that you beynge to your powre a cruell Saulle shoulde be conuerted made aperfecte Paule and preachers of y â— waye which you haue long persecuted but y â— you are so doeth not yet appear wherfore I dare not coÌ„clude because it is possible and God is able to chauÌ„ge your herte therfore he hath done it But if I dyd perceiâ— either by any manifeste signe or â—oken or else by the testimonie of godes holy worde that you weâ— conuerted I would forth wyth belieue it wythout asking any questioÌ„ howe it myght be Ryght so do I saie of the sacramentes of the bodi bloude of Christe If I myght perceiue that God had accordeinge to hys powre chauÌ„ged thys breade wyne into hys bodie bloud or if the worde of God dyd tell me that Christe had made thys alteracion or chaunge I would and so woulde we all be as redie to belieue it as you on any of your doctours thought it we my Lord of Winchester whose argumeÌ„ts you vse in your answer But here you beginne to prepare your selfe to speake You haue an obiection redie at hande I praye you sir saye you what playner wordes woulde you haue then those which Christ spake to hys disciples when he instituted thys blessed sacrament did he not saye thys is my bodye How saye you sir to thys was it his bodie that he gaue them or dyd he make alye to them For one of the boeh you muste nedes graunt me Not so syr by your lâ—eaue Nether dyd he lye vnto theÌ„ nor yet was the breade that he gaue them his body other wise theÌ„ the cup was the newe testament or couenaunt established by hys bloude shed on the crosse that is to saye in signiâ—iâ—acion and not in substaunce aâ—d so we
How caÌ„st thou of bread TheÌ„ gods soÌ„ne make whyche in heauen is ¶ The answer Thys staâ—e I haue answerd playnly before For styl ye be harping vpon one stryng Therfore to thys I wyl answere no more But pray vnto god that he wyll you brynge Out of your errouâ— but thys is one thynge Except ye beleue as sayth Esay Ye cannot vnderstand thys hyâ— mystery ☞ The confutacion This staâ—e you say you haue answered before For al is you say but the sowne of one string And therefore you wyll answere no more And then ouercome wyth charitye ye brast out in a praier and wish that God wil bring y â— authour out of his erroure not much vnlike to him that hauinge a beame in his owne eâ—e goeth aboute to pul a mote out of his brothers eye And then straight way ye declaâ—e a shamful errour of my Lord of Winchesters â–ª whiche you vse as yours owne concernynge the vnderstandynge of this place of Esay except thou beleue thou canst not vnderstand For the ryght vnderstaÌ„ding wherof I could â—emyt you to the Answere that Anthony Gylbe hath made to my Lordes Deuelish Deteâ—tion in the C.x. vii leafe of the same But because you should put no lacke in thys confutation you shall haue it here The wordes you wrest to your purpose yea you falcify the texte which hath If you wilnot beleue the cause is y â— you are instable So that here the prophet speaking vnto the rulers of the people of Israel ê“misynge the deliueraunce froÌ„ the force of their enimies and perceiuing that they dyd not credyt his words saith If you wil not beleue this deliueraunce from your enemies the cause of your vnbeliefe is none other but that you are vnconstant and wil not be faythful This is y â— interpretation of them that folowe the Hebrue The common translacion giueth an other interpretation and that is this If you peryshe or be vanquished of your enemies knowe y â— your vnbelefe is the cause therof And this interpretation 〈◊〉 to folowe of that which the prophet had said befor conforâ—yng kyng Achaz against his enemyes who had conspired againste hym Thus saith the Lord God said y â— prophet their counsayl shal not stand their purpose shal not come to passe And after few wordes he addeth Yf you wil not beleue you shal not endure â–ª As who shuld sai If you wil not beleue this mi ê“mes I wil suffer you to be â—oâ—ed out by your enimies you shalt not coÌ„tinue though you escap these dauÌ„gers y â— you be in now Take it which way you wil therfor and you shal not make it for your purpose vnlesse you wrest it to farre oute of tunâ— as you doo by the example of my lorde of Winchester But nowe for that you say that you haue answered this staffe before â–ª I wold gladly knowe where I remember you saye that neuer man taught or helde it and yet your owne Doctours are full of that opinion Which you shal find if you caÌ„ intreat some of your councelers to expound vnto you a pece of the boke called Sermones dis In y â— Cxi sermoÌ„ on xiiii â—oÌ„day after Triniti ar these pretie wordes cited out of s. Banard as you call him O veneranda dignitas sacerdotsi quorum manibus tanâ— in vtero virginis filius dei incarnatur That is to your lewd vnderstaÌ„ding Oh y â— dignite of prestes worthi to be had in reuereÌ„ce in whose haÌ„des eueÌ„ as in the vâ—rgins woÌ„b the sonne of God is incarnate And alitle before is said Octauo deus honorauit sacerdotes in hoc quod sacerdos aliqualiter similis est Marie beatissime virgini Primo sicut beatissima vir go Maria coÌ„cepit per quinque verba veruÌ„ corpus christi Luce. i Fiat mihi secuÌ„duÌ„ verbuÌ„ tâ—uÌ„ sic sacerdos coÌ„ficit per quinque verba veruÌ„ corpus c That is eigâ—ly god hath exalted priestes in y â— the priest is after some sort lik vnto Mari the mooste blessed virgin First as the moost blessed virgin Mary dyd by .v. wordes coÌ„ceiue the very body of Christ Luke â— Be it vnto me accordyng as thou hast sayd so the preist doth w t .v. wordes make the very body of Christ. c What should I reherse any more of this blasphemous geare But in the beginninge of the same sermon in the first dignitie of pristes is this more then diuellish afferâ—ion grouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ the first of Ieremy Ego constitui te hodie super gentes et regna I haue ordained the aboue â—acions and kyngdomes The words are these Unde breuiter deus exaltauit sacerdotes super omnes homines super omnes creaturas Unde quidaâ—â— doctor dici◠〈◊〉 conditione estis homines dignitate estis super omnes homines TheÌ„ doctor Sacerdoâ— alâ—ior est regibus felicror angelis creator sui creatoris That is in english Brieffely therfore God hath exalted priestes a bonâ— al men and aboue al creatures wherfore a certaine docter saith If so be y â— ye be meÌ„ yet are ye of dignitie aboue al men And the same docter A priest is hier then kinges more happy then angels and the creatoure of his creatoure The â—okes ar to be had wherin is more therof theÌ„ any christian eares caÌ„ abide ¶ The ballad A â—etter mynde The Lorde graunt the That thou mayst fynd hys verite which maketh the blind In soule to se what hys wâ—ll is ¶ The Answere I pray God gâ—ue â—yght to thoâ—e that be blind Then trust I to se your conuersion For nonâ— is tâ—er blynder that I can fynd Then you 〈◊〉 in youre mad opinion All oâ—her peoplâ— yâ— can crye vpon That to belâ—ue scripture they shuld agre And none farther froÌ„ it theâ— you your selfe be ¶ The confutatioÌ„ The words of your praier soune wel for your self What the meaning is ye know best your self If god graunt sight to the blind you say you trust to se the authours conuersion And doubtlesse so shall you for so longe as you be so blinde as you be It is not possible that you shuld se how y â— author was â—oÌ„uerted froÌ„ your grosse opinion though you mean an other maner of coÌ„uersion for as you say your self ther is none blinder then they that wil not se And here you say you can finde none blynder then the authour is in his opinion whiche you call mad as fooles dooe wisedome vmbradynge him with the criyng vpon al other people 〈…〉 the scripture when no man is farther froÌ„ it they he is himselfe Thus you haue sayd but such as haue iudgement in â—cripture shal easly perceiue by both your writynges how falsely you bely hym ¶ The Ballad God graunt the the â–ª part O 〈◊〉 Paule to playe I meane to conuert From the Româ—she way And with a meke herte Gods truth to obaye Who graunt the this The answere Your praier dependeth of a godly intent Which is that ye woulde haue al men forsake There catholyke fayth